Beyond controversy, God is _willing_ to save the little helpless
sufferers from sin, by making them subjects of His kingdom of Grace
here, and thus of His kingdom of glory hereafter.

But _can_ He? Is He able to reach down to that unconscious
little child, apply to it the benefits of the atonement, impart to it
the Grace of the new life, subdue the power of sin, and remove
entirely its guilt? We are almost ashamed to ask such questions. And
yet the humiliating fact is, that day by day, in every village and on
every highway of our land, we can hear men and women, professing to be
Christians and calling themselves members of Christ's Church, gravely
asserting that their Redeemer cannot so bless a little child as to
change its sinful nature! If hard pressed, these persons, so wise in
their own conceits, may admit that He can change a child's nature if
He so wills, but they still feel certain that he cannot do so through
His own sacrament, instituted for that very purpose! Thus would they
limit the Holy One of Israel, and say to Omnipotence: "Hitherto canst
Thou come, but no farther."

With such people, wise above what is written, knowing better than
Christ, practically, even if not intentionally, charging the Son of
God with folly, we desire no controversy. Let them overthrow the very
foundations of redemption if they will. Let them argue that all things
are not possible with God if they dare. We still prefer to believe
that the Spirit of God _can_ change, renew and regenerate the new-born
child. In Matt. iii. 9, we read; "_For I say unto you that God is able
of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham_," _i.e._, as the
connection shows, spiritual children of Abraham, true children of God.

We may not be able to understand the process by which God could