The Sacrament of Responsibility – M. F. Sadler
The Sacrament of Responsibility by M. F. Sadler is a discussion on Infant Baptism according to the Book of Common Prayer. England’s Prayer Book had many links to the Continental Reformation. Bucer of Strasbourg helped Cranmer edit it. Peter Martyr Vermigli’s hand is found in the liturgy of Holy Communion which shares the same general outline as the Hungarian Reformed service of Word and Holy Commmunion.
The doctrine of infant baptism in the Book of Common prayer is easily misunderstood by Baptists and even other “Reformed” people as teaching something “Roman Catholic”.
Sadler’s book is an exposition of the early Reformation doctrine of infant baptism. This doctrine is not unique though to the English. When compared to the doctrine of baptism connected with the church that gave us the Heidelberg Catechism, we can see the two are quite similar when we compare Sadler’s teaching to this baptismal liturgy of the Canadian and American Reformed Church. This liturgy is a direct “descendant” of the liturgy published by the Palatinate Church (which gave us the Heidelberg Catechism) in the time around 1563.
It may prove quite helpful for modern Reformed people to consult in order to explain their practice of infant baptism.
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