The symbols do, indeed, often insist on the necessity of faith, yet they speak as though in those who do believe, it was the sacrament, and not their faith in the Redeemer, which secured the blessing.

Nor do they in many passages sufficiently discriminate, that it is not a mere historical or intellectual, but a living faith, a faith of the heart also, a faith that works by love and purifies the heart and overcomes the world, a faith that involves an entire surrender to the soul of God, which is required to the full efficacy of the sacraments.
The Plea affirms that the primitive church regarded the sacraments as "_mysteries_;" p.37.But the author presents no evidence of this fact from God's word, or the _apostolic_ church; and the church of subsequent ages is no conclusive doctrinal authority for us as Protestants.
The Plea states: "He (God) is able to accomplish by the Holy Baptism, performed in the mysterious name of the ever adored Trinity, a work of regeneration in the heart of the little child." "The expression used in the Augsburg Confession, Art.II., is, regenerated by baptism and the Holy Ghost, (John iii.

5.) This doctrine, however, is not to be understood as if the new creation was fully completed by new generation.
It is complete so far as a _live seed_ is complete in itself.

This does, by no means, exclude subsequent development brought about by favorable internal and external influences;" p.36.

"And Christ, the Godman, is able to make us poor earthly creatures partakers of his celestial nature_, (2 Pet.i.