English Baptist C.H. Spurgeon--'[it's] a wicked calumny that we hold the damnation of little infants'

"Among the gross falsehoods which have been uttered against the Calvinists proper, is the wicked calumny that we hold the damnation of little infants. A baser lie was never uttered. There may have existed somewhere, in some corner of the earth, a miscreant who would dare to say that there were infants in hell, but I have never met with him nor have I met with a man who ever saw such a person"¹

C.H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volume VII, Sermon #385, "Exposition of the Doctrines of Grace." Thursday, April 11, 1861

 

¹some erronously assume I agree with every historical quote I post from an author's work. I do not. Many times I disagree entirely with the proposition I'm quoting. For example, while Spurgeon above rightly represents his own view pertaining to the salvation of all infants dying in infancy; and we believe he represents the overwhelming majority of Baptist Calvinists within our tradition; and while we have no reason to doubt the truth of Spurgeon's claim that he never met or saw such a person who believed in the damnation of infants; it nonetheless remians historical nonsense to claim a "baser lie was never uttered" that Calvinists--including significant and well-known Calvinists--held to infant damnation. In this, Spurgeon was dead wrong and being the well-read man he was should have known better than to make such a preposterous, easily debunkable claim.  

Comments

[eric]

There are not infants in heaven or hell. Nor are there old people in heaven or hell. There are resurrected people, in whatever form that will be.

[peter lumpkins]

Hi Eric,

Well, if infants are persons--and I assume you agree--then I see no reason why we can't talk about infants in eternity in the same sense that we talk about persons in eternity.

Nor does your corrective add anything helpful to the discussion on the destiny of infants dying in infancy. In fact, you raise other questions rather than offering assistance toward the question on the table, Eric. For example, if there are only "resurrected people" in heaven or hell, then when did this resurrection take place?

[Eric]

Hey Peter,
Sorry, I wasn't trying to make a big point. You are correct in your reply.
By the way, I like your new web page layout, neat clean look.
Eric

[peter lumpkins]

Thanks Eric. I appreciate your clarifying your point. And, thanks for the encouragement on the layout...

[Roy]

I enjoy Spurgeon much but I have noticed his tendency to do just what you point out, he is inconsistent in his views on Calvinism and non-Calvinists. He was well read but he often ignores this to just state this or that in defense of Calvinism.

Just my thoughts.