SERMON.

MATTH. xix. 13.

"Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them-"

THERE is more especially a threefold reference which the duties incumbent on the children of men have; a reference to GOD, a reference to ourselves, and a reference to others. And these duties which we have lying on us towards others may not improperly be considered, either as such which respect others in general, or such as respect those who are more nearly related unto us in particular. And among the particular economical relative duties which are to be attended, and persons are to see to it, that they apply themselves to, those of parents towards their children, are very emphatical, and no little care is to be exercised (by those that sustain a parental charge) in the discharge and performing of them. Even the brute creatures, and those that are most savage, are carried by a natural instinct towards those that issue and proceed from them. They feed and nourish, and take care of, and protect their young ones. And therefore the Jewish women of old in the famine are spoken of, as being worse than these, as being cruel like the ostrich, into whom God has not put that care and providence, and affection towards her young ones, as he has been pleased to implant in other birds and beasts. (Lam. iv. 3.) "Even the sea monsters draw out the breasts, they give suck to their young ones. The daughter of my people is become cruel like the ostriches in the wilderness." The sea monsters, or sea calves, or whales, or dragons, or whatever they were, they gave suck to their young; but the daughter of Sion acted towards her little ones, like the ostrich, concerning whom we read, (Job xxxix. 14-16.) "That she leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the dust, and forgetteth that the foot may crush them; or that the wild beast may break them; she is hardened against

her young ones as though they were not hers." And if it were so criminal and matter of such complaint for mothers to neglect the bodies of their children, what is it for parents to be careless about the souls of their children? It is certain that the soul of man is the most excellent part of the man; and spiritual blessings are the choicest of blessings. And since the immortal souls of children are committed by God to the parents' charge, however there is a care to be exercised by them in providing for the outward man, yet their greatest solicitude is to discover itself in this; to wit, that they may prosper in their souls. The soul-desires of parents should be principally for soul-mercies for their children, that they may be blessed with "spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ." Most proper therefore is it to carry them unto Christ for this, as they did their little ones in our text, when our Saviour was on earth that he would put his hands on them.

The words have no connection with, or dependence on any thing that precedes or goes before them, for they begin a particular paragraph of the chapter: That section of it which contains our Lord Jesus Christ's blessing of little children.

And in them there are two things, in the general, which may be observed.

1. Here is an account of a solemn action performed unto children, viz. they were brought unto our Lord Jesus Christ. "Then were there brought unto him little children."

The persons here said to be brought are termed little children: in Mark x. 13, they are called young children: in Luke xviii. 15, they are styled infants. The words signify, children, young children, sucking children. But I shall not restrain or limit it unto such; but consider it with respect to children in general.

Again, as the persons here said to be brought were little children; so the person to whom they were brought was our Lord Jesus Christ. There were brought unto him.-Though our blessed Saviour met with manifest and shameful rejection from multitudes, yet there were some that owned him, that looked upon him as a prophet, a great prophet, the great prophet; and accordingly brought their little ones to him, to be benefited by him.

And once more, as the person to whom they were brought, was our Lord Jesus Christ; so those by whom they were brought, were (without doubt) their parents. Who else would have had such care of them? would have discovered such affection to them? It is most rational to conclude, that this was done for them by their parents, or those to be sure who had the care and charge of them.

2. In the words, as here is an account of a solemn action performed unto children, so here is the end of this action, and this was, That our Saviour should put his hands on them; that is,

That he would bless them: for laying on the hands was a usual rite, as in the conferring of offices, so in the giving benedictions. It was an ancient accustomed ceremony in blessing. Thus did Isaac in his blessing of Jacob, Gen. xxvii. 21-23. And so did Jacob in his blessing of Joseph's two sons, Gen. xlviii. 14-16. And that these brought their children to our Saviour for his blessing, is most evident from what our Saviour did: which though in the following words, verse 15, we have his blessing them only implied in the external ceremony, He laid his hands on them and departed: Yet in the parallel place, Mark x. 16, it is expressed how that he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and blessed them. And this practice of theirs was proper and commendable; our Lord approves of it, and was offended with the disciples for their rebuking of them. And it is as proper and necessary for us now, as it was for them then; and blessed be God that we may : As they brought their children to Christ in the days of his flesh; so we may and ought now to carry ours to him in the arms of our faith, now he is in his exalted state. If we do it aright we may hope he will not disregard us. Though our great High Priest be passed into the heavens, yet he is not an high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Though the days of his passion are at an end, yet not of his compassion. He has as tender a respect for children now, as he had when he tabernacled, and dwelt among us.

The proposition or doctrine therefore which I shall endeavor (by the help of Heaven) to unfold, and apply, is this,

Doctrine. That it is a duty very proper and necessary for parents, to carry their children unto Christ, in order to their partaking of special blessings from him.

The method I shall go in, in the handling of this, shall be,

I. To consider what these special blessings are, which children may partake of, and which their parents should carry them to Christ for.

II. I shall consider how parents are to carry their children unto Christ, in order to their partaking of special blessings from him. III. Consider why parents should do thus.

IV. Make some application of the whole.

I. Let us consider what these special blessings are, which children may partake of, and which their parents should carry them to Christ for?

Answer. And the account of this may be in one word to wit, all the blessings of the new covenant. Whatsoever is comprised in that covenant. Our Lord tells his disciples in the reprimand which he gives them, in the verse following our text. That of

such little children, is the kingdom of God. If of such be the kingdom of God, if they may be the subjects of his kingdom of grace, and heirs of his kingdom of glory; then parents may and ought to carry them to Christ for grace and glory, and every thing that is good in itself, and shall be good for them, Ps. lxxxiv. 11. More especially that God would pour the Spirit of grace upon them, Zech. xii. 10. This God has promised in the covenant of grace; to wit, that he will pour his Spirit upon the children and offspring of his people. Isa. xliv. 3. "I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring." And this is an exceeding valuable blessing. There are many good and perfect gifts of God, but this blessing excels. "It is the principal thing." Prov. iv. 7. "The merchandize of it is above the merchandize of silver, and the gain of it above fine gold. It is more precious than rubies, and all things that can be desired are not to be compared with it." Prov. iii. 14, 15. A spirit of converting grace is such a blessing as never goes alone: It is a voluminous benefit, a leading favor, that lays a foundation for all other blessings; yea it brings to nothing short of happiness. The person is happy, the person shall be happy, that is made the subject of this. We and ours may have other things conferred upon us, and yet be reserved to the day of destruction: but if this be vouchsafed unto us, we are certainly sealed to the day of redemption. We shall certainly have in the present life what shall be best for us, and in the world to come, life everlasting. "Godliness is profitable unto all things, it hath the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." 1 Tim. iv. 8. In a word, if grace be given, glory will never be denied as God never gives glory where he doth not first give grace, so he never first gives grace where he doth not afterward give glory. And indeed glory is but the perfecting of the gift of grace. The difference between them is not specifical, it is only gradual. Grace is glory in the inchoation of it; and glory is grace in the perfection of it: And hence the names of grace and glory are sometimes (in Scripture) promiscuously given to one another: Thus, grace is sometimes called glory, 2 Cor. iii. 18, and glory is sometimes styled grace, 1 Pet. i. 13. Certainly then this is the most excellent and desirable thing that parents can carry their children to Christ for the participating of.

II. I pass to consider, how parents are to carry their children unto Christ, in order to their partaking of special blessings from him? I shall mention three or four things here.

1. By being earnest and importunate in prayer for them before that they are born. We do not begin our supplications for blessings for our children too soon, though these supplications bear date from their first conception in the womb. Some have been sancti

fied from the womb: John Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost even "from his mother's womb." Luke i. 15. It is possible for persons to be very early endowed with the sanctifying graces of the Spirit of God; and since every thing is sanctified by the word of God, and prayer, it is not improper for parents, but their duty to pray for the sanctifying the fruit of their bodies.

Not only are they to seek to God, that the bodies of their children may be completely and perfectly formed, that there be nothing redundant, nor deficient, nothing monstrous nor misshapen upon them; this is to be regarded, and when God is pleased to grant it, parents cannot be thankful enough for it: But though this ought to be done, there is something further which by no means must be left undone; and that is, that parents be most importunate with Heaven, that their children may have such souls whereby they may glorify God here, and enjoy him forever in the world to come: That such souls may animate and use the members of their bodies, as may make them as little as may be the instruments of unrighteousness to sin; and may be abundant in yielding them as instruments of righteousness unto God. We are delighted to see our children resemble ourselves. How agreeable is it to us, when we can see our own image in any considerable measure stamped upon the bodies of our children? But certain it is that that which we should be most desirous of, is, that they may resemble God; that they may bear the image of the heavenly; that they may be renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created us: That the same mind may be in them which was in Christ Jesus: That the instructive example of the holy Jesus may be imitated by them: That they may walk even as he walked. In a word, parents would do well to consider how that their children before that they see the light, (as soon as ever the fruit of the womb comes to be quickened,) have immortal souls, which are of more worth than the whole world. Matt. xvi. 26. Souls which will be the subjects of everlasting happiness or everlasting misery: Souls which must dwell with God and Christ forever in heaven, or with devils and damned spirits in the lowest hell. Can a mother realize this without travailing in pain for the soul of her child, before she feel her travail pains for its body? Is not this enough to make a father's prayers and cries for his child anticipate his kisses and embraces of it?

2. By a timely bringing of them to the ordinance of baptism; that they may have the seal of the covenant put upon them. If we are in covenant with God ourselves, our children are also in covenant. You know what God said to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 7. “I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." (v. 10.) "This is my