dren. The superstition was so cruel that they be- 

 lieved that the very dust of their loved babies was 

 so vile with original sin that it could not share 

 the consecrated places where other dust, that had 

 had a little water ceremonially sprinkled upon it, 

 rested! I here record the revolt of my nature 

 against this misuse of children's baptism. In an- 

 other place I shall give reason for my unquali- 

 fied approval of its rational and useful observ- 

 ance. (See Chap. XL) 



ORIGINAL SIN AND THE VIRGIN BIRTH. 



It has been thought possible that the story of 

 the virgin birth of Jesus has had some relation 

 to the assumed sinfulness of the act of human 

 procreation. On the affirmatory side of that con- 

 clusion are the following considerations: 



1. Those who accept that account would ex- 

 plain some of the silences of some current nar- 

 ratives by the supposition that it was a subject 

 that would not be talked about until after Jesus 

 was worshiped. One writer (Garvie : "Inner Life 

 of Jesus," p. 90) thinks that it may have been 

 "only after the death of the mother of Jesus" 

 hence long after the death of Jesus Himself that 

 it came to be more openly spoken about. Con- 

 cerning this it should be noted: unless it was 

 known and used to establish the Deity of Jesus, 

 the record of it was needless. If it came to be 

 spoken of only after Jesus was regarded the Son 

 of God, it is difficult to see why the account was 



