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suspicions, no rapturous foretaste of joys ineffable, to which an imprisoned spirit cannot reach; but that humble, tranquil resignation to the will of God, whether for life or death, whether under pain or ease, which affords the surest and most pleasing evidence that religion hath wrought a valuable work upon the soul. Such is the WILL turned to God in all things, a deep sense of our own unworthiness, and an humble faith in God's mercy through Christ, with such a thankful remembrance of his death, as proves a steadfast reliance on his power. So far as these principles employed the thoughts of our departed neighbour, we may all devoutly pray, that our last end may be like his. I have taken the opportunity, my brethren, of seeing more of you in this holy house, than frequently is the case, to offer a word of earnest exhortation upon an occasion so interesting to us all. I shall be happy if the wish of improvement, more than customary curiosity, was the motive of your present attendance; for, if the former influenced your minds, your leisure would equally enable you to attend this place and hour much oftener. And though some might come with no other wish than to witness the burial of a neighbour, yet, by God's grace, they might go away with a valuable impression of what such solemn scenes are capable of making upon the heart. Compare, then, your own lives, my brethren, with that of your departed neighbour, and you will own that you need considerable change in many particulars, before you will be enabled to encourage so good a hope as he enjoyed. If you were to be called hence this moment, you would feel but ill prepared for the change; you would need much time for preparation. Examine, then, as to your own hearts. Have you the witness of the Spirit by the daily improvement of your lives and conversation, that Christ has begun the work of repentance in you? If he has called during your whole life, and you have not answered, how can you expect that he will hear you, when the hour of working is over? The night cometh, when no man can work: therefore, my brethren, be ye ready; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh. These words are addressed to

every one of us in particular; and the last and best advice I can give you on this subject, is to attend to the true and only method of preparing for your latter end, which is to spend the present time well, and ever to remember that you are to account for that, and every moment of your lives. God grant we may all so wisely consider our latter end, that, when the hour of our departure is arrived, death may prove to us the gate of happiness, and not of woe eternal; and this we beg for Jesus Christ's sake. To whom, &c.

LECTURE XLVIII.

ON INFANT BAPTISM'.

MATTHEW, XIX. 14.

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

THE

HE case of those who are admitted to baptism when of riper years, and that of backsliding Christians (that is, such as, by neglecting the grace afforded them at baptism, have fallen into trespasses and sins), engaged the inquiries in my former Discourse on this Christian rite; I shall, therefore, confine myself at present to some useful considerations on the nature of INFANT BAPTISM. Laborious treatises, and much controversy, have been employed on this subject; but attempts of this kind do not come within the compass or design of this undertaking; the end of these Lectures being merely to supply a short, plain, and scriptural exposition of the articles of faith and practice contained in the Church Catechism, and to illustrate the same

by familiar application: and we humbly trust, that every unlearned Christian that is willing and content to strive after that degree of instruction which the Church supplies, will experience profitable information by a serious attention to the several subjects that have been explained and enlarged upon with this view to their improvement.

The words of the text afford us a valuable proof of the happy state of infants in general, through the merits of a Redeemer; and of those in particular, who are suffered to come unto Christ; for you see that the Master himself declares positively that of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he assures us still more expressly in another place (Mark, x. 15), that whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter therein. The sense of these last words may be interpreted two ways, with equal propriety: first, they may be supposed to signify a plain sanction of the ceremony of infant baptism itself, and to intimate a severe threat against those who should wilfully refuse this means of grace, as on that account they would not be allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven, that is, taking the kingdom of heaven, in the acceptation it is often used, for the privileges of the Gospel, and the new covenant established by Christ; as, by such obstinate refusal of bringing children to baptism, in obe

dience to Christ's command, they would exclude them from the benefits promised to all who partake of this holy sacrament. Or, secondly, it may be understood to imply, that those who finally shall be admitted into the kingdom of heaven, considered as an actual state of reward, must first be qualified by such humility as becomes the state of little children, who can have no attainments or pretensions but through the assistance of their superiors, on whom they depend. Thus, whichever way we take the words, we are plainly taught, that whatever share we may now have in that kingdom of God which is said to be within us, it must proceed from the free gift of God, through Christ, which grace is communicated as a seed sown at baptism: or whether we finally attain to the blessed inheritance of the saints above, by a profitable cultivation of that seed, and the means of grace provided for us as a preparation; still, with the submission of infants, we must attribute such astonishing goodness of God to the merits of his Son Jesus Christ, for whose sake as a faithful and tender father, and in compassion to our infirmities, he vouchsafes to show mercy as to children, that cannot possibly have deserved any good at his hands. Upon the whole, we see the necessity of divine assistance, and are thereby led to acknowledge our own unworthiness and insufficiency, which, in proportion as

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