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Document: Abraham Kuyper, The Implications of Public Confession, trans. Henry Zylstra (Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan Publishing House, n.d.).
Excerpt: Baptism is not complete without its complement, the holy supper. When an infant is born into the world, the nurse who is in attendance washes it, because it is born unclean. It needs bathing, but that is not all it needs. It also needs food. Hence, it is most likely that the same maid who washed it will also bear the infant to its mother’s breast. And an atmosphere of peace and contentment pervades the nursery room only after the child is feeding at its mother’s bosom. In fact, we would not hesitate to censure the attitude of a nurse who supposed she had absolved herself of responsibility by bathing the child, and cared not at all whether or not it was given an opportunity to be nursed. Such conduct on her part, we feel, would be sufficient reason to dismiss her. This figure illustrates the significant relationship which obtains between the sacrament of baptism and that of the holy supper. We may not suppose that baptism alone is sufficient, may not desire the sacrament of purification and neglect that of nourishment.
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The Implications of Public Confession – A. Kuyper.pdf