People who do not like children are swine, dunces, and blockheads, not worthy to be called men and women, because they despise the blessing of God, the Creator and Author of marriage.

~ St. Luther

We maintain that by baptism is sealed to us the remission not only of past and present, but also future sins; still so that penitence (not a sacramental work and what they invent, but that which is commanded in the gospel) and especially saving faith is not excluded, but is coordinated with baptism as a divinely constituted means of our salvation.

-- Francis Turretin, Institutes 19.20.12

I'm a new Christian. Now what? 10 Steps:

1) Get baptized in the Triune Name of God.

2) Join a faithful local church with faithful word, sacrament, and discipline.

3) Read Scripture daily, at least a few verses.

4) Pray daily, at least for a few minutes.

5) Honor and care for your parents.

6) Become truly excellent at your vocation.

7) Marry a faithful Christian man or woman.

8) Have as many children as possible.

9) Baptize your children in the Triune Name.

10) Give your children a Christian education.

Our opinion, however, is that baptism is indeed necessary according to the divine institution as an external means of salvation (by which God is efficacious in its legitimate use), so that he who despises it is guilty of a heinous crime and incurs eternal punishment. But we believe it is not so absolutely necessary that he who is deprived of it by no fault of his own is to be forthwith excluded from the kingdom of heaven and that salvation cannot be obtained without it.

-- Francis Turretin, Institutes 19.13.3

We dream not of a faith which is devoid of good works, nor of a justification which can exist without them: the only difference is, that while we acknowledge that faith and works are necessarily connected, we, however, place justification in faith, not in works.... Christ "is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption," (1 Cor. 1:30). Christ, therefore, justifies no man without also sanctifying him. These blessings are conjoined by a perpetual and inseparable tie.... Thus it appears how true it is that we are justified not without, and yet not by works, since in the participation of Christ, by which we are justified, is contained not less sanctification than justification.

-- John Calvin, Institutes, 3.16.1

Perhaps you've heard this trope before: When women talk about their problems, they don't want a solution; they want you to listen.

And while it's not universal, many of us know this to be true. But why is it so?

1) Women frequently dislike the presentation of solutions as it minimizes the severity of the perceived problem and by extension, shows their emotional reaction to be overblown.

2) Many people (male and female) enjoy complaining, self-pity, and feeling like a victim. Many women do this all their lives because no authority figure has ever made them stop.

3) It can be a power game. Many women unfortunately like to play control games with men.

4) Most people like it when others listen in rapt attention. It gives the speaker the illusion they are charismatic and interesting.

We should tell women precisely what we tell children who are whining and pitching a fit: Stop complaining and grow up. If there's a legitimate problem, let's solve it. Otherwise, solve your attitude. God hates grumbling.

Infants have the Holy Ghost, and are regenerated by him ... If infants now have the Holy Ghost, he certainly works in them regeneration, good inclinations, new desires, and such other things as are necessary for their salvation ... Again, regeneration by the Holy Ghost, and faith, or an inclination to faith and repentance are sufficient for baptism....

-- Zacharias Ursinus, Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism

Collect for the 19th Sunday after Pentecost

O God, who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running to obtain thy promises, may be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Luther's Smaller Catechism on Confession:

What is Confession?

Confession embraces two parts: the one is, that we confess our sins; the other, that we receive absolution, or forgiveness, from the confessor, as from God Himself, and in no wise doubt, but firmly believe, that our sins are thereby forgiven before God in heaven.

What sins should we confess?

Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even of those which we do not know, as we do in the Lord's Prayer. But before the confessor we should confess those sins alone which we know and feel in our hearts.

Since the infant children of Christians are also included in the church into which Christ will have all those who belong to him to be received and enrolled by baptism; and as baptism has been substituted in the place of circumcision, by which (as well to the infants as to the adults belonging to the seed of Abraham,) justification, regeneration and reception into the church were sealed by and for the sake of Christ ...

-- Zacharias Ursinus, Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism

What are the longest books of the Bible?

It depends on how you count. For instance, do we count words or chapters? What about books like 1 & 2 Samuel, which were only broken up due to scroll length limits? Or the minor prophets, who were bound together?

But counting by words our usual divisions:

1. Jeremiah (33,002 words)
2. Genesis (32,046 words)
3. Psalms (30,147 words)
4. Ezekiel (29,918 words)
5. Exodus (25, 957 words)
6. Isaiah (25,608 words)
7. Numbers (25,048 words)
8. Deuteronomy (23,008 words)
9. 2 Chronicles (21,349 words)
10. 1 Samuel (20,361 words)

Charles Hodge: On Christian Nurture:

[It is] a scriptural truth that the children of believers are the children of God; as being within his covenant with their parents, he promises to them his Spirit; he has established a connection between faithful parental training and the salvation of children, as he has between seed-time and harvest, diligence and riches, education and knowledge. In no one case is absolute certainty secured or the sovereignty of God excluded. But in all, the divinely appointed connection between means and end, is obvious.

That this connection is not more apparent, in the case of parents and children, is due in great measure, to the sad deficiency in parental fidelity. If we look over the Christian world, how few  nominally Christian parents even pretend to bring up their children for God. In a great majority of cases the attainment of some worldly object is avowedly made the end of education; and all the influences to which a child is exposed are designed and adapted to make him a man of the world. And even within the pale of evangelical churches, it must be confessed, there is a great neglect as to this duty ... We of course recognize the native depravity of children, the absolute necessity of their regeneration by the Holy Spirit, the inefficiency of all means of grace without the blessing of God. But what we think is plainly taught in Scripture, what is reasonable in itself, and confirmed by the experience of the church, is, that early, assiduous, and faithful religious culture of the young, especially by believing parents, is the great means of their salvation.

Which books of the OT are quoted the most and least in the NT?

It depends on how you count references, paraphrases, and direct quotations, but the following is a rough list:

1. Psalms - 68
2. Isaiah - 55
3. Deuteronomy - 44
4. Genesis - 35
5. Exodus - 31
6. Leviticus - 13
7. Proverbs - 8
8. Zechariah - 7
9. Hosea - 6
10. Jeremiah - 5

Habakkuk and Malachi are quoted 4x each, Numbers 3x, and the remaining books are quoted only once or twice. The following are not quoted at all:

- Judges
- Ruth
- Ezra
- Esther
- Ecclesiastes
- Song of Solomon
- Lamentations
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Zephaniah

Scripture never once commands us to attempt to divine the contents of another man's mind or heart.

The pietistic practice of looking for "evidence" of salvation, and especially of conditioning baptism, the eucharist, and church membership on it is deadly and deeply anti-biblical. Rather Deut. 29:29,

The secret things belong to the Lord our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.