upon this Occasion Which is further evident if we consider 2. That the degree to which God has exalted his Grace and Mercy in Christ the Second Adam is not inferior but rather above the pitch and degree whereto he exalted his Justice in condemning all in the first Adam Justice makes no more than All Sinners in the first Adam upon his transgression and Grace makes no less than All righteous in Christ Jesus or through his Righteousness imputed For Rom. 5.18 as by the Offence of one Judgment came upon all Men to condemnation even so by the Righteousness of one the free Gift came upon all Men to justification of Life If upon all that believe who have sinned after the similitude of Adam's Transgression then much more upon them who have not so sinned because the preheminence is given to the free Gift of Grace by Christ as Rom. 5.14 15. intimating that if Adam's Sin was efficacious enough to make all men Sinners the Righteousness of Christ which is God's own Righteousness is much more efficacious to make them righteous And truly with reverence we may demand How can God himself express the extent of his Kindness in terms more positive and intelligible than he doth here And I am very certain we neither have nor ever had any reason to suspect him as insincere or to call in question the truth of his Allegation No his Word is an exact draught of his Mind and what he says he means As we all believe Infants were condemned in Adam there 's as good reason to believe 'em justified in Christ and such to whom the Lord will not impute Sin Which will further appear if we consider 3. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in becoming a Propitiation for the Sin of Infants not only for actual but original Sin not only for the Sins of the Adult and Believer but of the Infant also Had Christ been said to be a Propitiation for the Sins of Believers only it might have struck our hopes into a staggering posture with reference to the eternal State of our dying Babes unless Foederal Holiness so much talked or by some or the Faith of immediate Parents could have reliev'd them against the condemning Sin of our remote Parents But if that were so the greatest part of Infants are and must be unavoidably miserable as they are the Off-spring of Unbelievers which the greatest part of the World are Nay it may on good ground be conjectur'd that one half of those who profess themselves Church-Members are but little better since our blessed Saviour compares the Kingdom of Heaven to ten Virgins of whom five were wise and five were foolish Mat. 25.1 But blessed be God we have a better Bottom to build our hopes upon as to the eternal State of dying Babes than such sandy Foundations as those viz. Christ's expiating and doing away the Sins of the World by the Sacrifice of himself And this John Baptist had an eye to when he saw Christ coming and pointed at him saying Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the Sin of the World enough sure to resolve all Doubts and to stop every mouth for ever from contradicting what we have alledged That God imputes not Sin to the eternal condemnation of dying Infants since Christ died for them for them indefinitely and without exception May we not as warrantably question whether Christ died at all as to scruple much less to deny that he took away the condemning guilt of Original Sin by the Oblation of himself since he is said thereby to take away the Sin of the World Is there any one actual Sin in the World that so generally and universally extends it self as to deprave and corrupt all Flesh Old and Young Saint and Sinner Christian and Pagan I confess with grief and sorrow profane Swearing is very rife Lying and Dissimulation is very common Pride Covetousness Envy and Hatred Whoredom and Uncleanness Violence Murder and profaning the Sabbath of the Lord is very predominant yet none of these things are universal that which is common with one is abhor'd by another as the covetous Man cannot endure the approach of Pride Luxury and Prodigality But were any or all of these Sins of a universal Extent so as to corrupt all capable of committing them of what Sex and of what Nation soever yet our Infant Race is safe and out of all possibility of being stained by them or being brought under the power of any of them from their utter incapacity to commit any of those things by which the Wrath of God is brought upon the Children of Disobedience and them only For if no Sin can be intended by the Sin of the World but Original Corruption then the Immaculate Lamb of God hath atoned for that and taken it away so that it shall never be of efficacy and power to condemn a dying Infant any more than it shall be of force to condemn a true Believer the same reason being rendred for the one as for the other by the Apostle John who speaking of Christ saith 1 John 2.2 He is the Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only but for the Sins of the whole World Mark not only for ours in which term he includes with himself all true Believers of what Rank soever high or low rich or poor respected or despised in the World whose Sins are done away by Christ's atoning for them But the Apostle adds for the Sins of the whole World Not of the whole World as it consists of habitual and voluntary Sinners as Swearers Drunkards Idolaters Adulterers and the like for such lie under the heavy charge and imputation of Sin until by Faith in Christ repentance from dead Works and obedience to the Gospel they shall by the Grace of God obtain Impunity Therefore the whole World consider'd in an Infant state and no other can be intended by the Apostle whereby the eternal blessedness of dying Infants is secured since God according to the Law of Grace through the Righteousness and Death of his Son hath acquitted and discharged Infant Man from the imputation of Adam's Sin so as that he shall not perish eternally for it But in case Man survives his Infant state and contracts Guilt by voluntary transgression in his own Person as you and I have done and be not renewed by Repentance from dead Works and justified by Faith in our Lord Jesus according to the Tenour of the Gospel then we must perish unavoidably and eternally not for Adam's Sin but for superadded Sins Sins of our own against the Law of Grace and the Love of a Redeemer Thus God is clear from the death of his Creatures and Sinners the alone Authors of their own destruction according to the Scriptures But for such Infants as survive not their Infant-state we conclude they are blessed because God will not impute Sin unto them as appears not only from the Law of Grace but 4. From the Law of Equity and Righteousness
the Law there shall no Flesh be justified If not by the Deeds of the Law which were not only contrived by infinite Wisdom but bore the impress of God's terrible Majesty upon them and were dispensed and given from Mount Sinai in pure Goodness to Israel How much less shall Man be justified by Works devised by Men and founded upon no better warrant than humane Authority It is also certain that Man is become culpable and liable by Sin to the stroke of God's just Displeasure and therefore under an absolute necessity of being justified from Sin in order to his avoiding Misery and injoying Blessedness which Blessedness in the beginning progress and first steps of it stands in God's good Will towards sinners but more perfectly in his free and full discharging us from the imputation of Sin through the Righteousness which is in our Lord Jesus Christ And this was the received Opinion of the Men of God of old as well as of St. Paul in our words as is evident by his referring to the Prophet David's Testimony recorded in Psal 32.1 2. So that it 's no new Doctrin or novel thing but what hath been is and will be believed to the end of the World That the Man is Blessed unto whom the Lord imputes not Sin In the words we have these three things 1. A Blessedness pronounced Blessed is a Happiness consisting in a sure security from all Evil but more especially the evil of eternal Death and an assurance of all Good and eternal Life 2. You have the subject of this Blessedness the Man And that you may know who this Man is the Apostle describes him by his Privilege To whom the Lord will not impute Sin a privilege peculiar to those that are and shall be Happy Blessed is the Man unto whom the Lord will not impute Sin 3. The time when Man comes to be stated in this Blessedness and that is in the very instant that God ceases to impute Sin There is not any thing that Man injoys which can render him Blessed whilst God charges Sin upon him therefore Blessed is the Man mark he is Blessed not shall be but is in the present tense he is and therefore shall be Blessed We shall briefly enquire 1. What we are to understand by the Lord 's not imputing Sin 2. Who by the Man to whom the Lord will not impute Sin 1. By the Lord 's not imputing Sin we must understand a free Act of Grace in God which Man of himself neither hath nor ever could have deserved being utterly unable to satisfy that Justice he had by Sin offended or appease that Wrath which his Sin had kindled Never could Man by his own procurement have rescued himself from that Punishment and Misery he was involv'd by Sin therefore we say Not to impute is an act of Mercy in God exprest in his not charging Sin upon the sinners account so as to exact satisfaction of the Debt from the Trespasser nor to punish the sinner with eternal Misery in want of such satisfaction of his own procurement 2. By the Lord 's not imputing Sin we may understand a free Act of Love and Kindness in God in pardoning and forgiving Sin as to the eternal Punishment of it As when a Creditor is pleased of mere Mercy to forgive a poor Debtor his Debt justly due to him in such case he will not impute the Debt nor charge it to account or when a Governor forgives the fault of a Child or Servant he will not impute the Crime nor punish him for it 2. Who is this Man to whom the Lord will not impute Sin I conceive it is 1. Believing Man 2. Infant Man 1. God will not impute Sin to Believing Man Every Man and Woman that in truth believes in the Lord Jesus Christ may rest with the greatest Confidence in this Grace of God who is said to be the Justifier of every one that believeth in Jesus Rom. 3.26 4.3 4 5. To which you have the concurrent Testimony of all the Prophets in that summary Account given us by St. Peter which is that whoever believes in the name of Christ shall receive the Remission of Sin Acts 10.43 So that none as I know of in the least doubt the truth of this that believing Man is privileged by and interested in the Grace of God and that he is not the Man to whom the Lord will impute Sin But 2. By the Man to whom God will not impute Sin we may understand Infant Man The little Infant the new born Babe is stiled Man in Scripture Phrase and that truly because such a one partakes of the whole nature of Man tho unable to exert and put forth it self in such Actions by reason of its natural Weakness and Impotency as are proper to Men in a grown State who are capable of exercising their Understanding and Power in things they are imploy'd about But this incapacity of Infants being natural and common to all Men deprives them no more of the name than the nature of Man therefore Job speaking of the frailty of humane Life saith Chap. 14.1 2. Man that is born of a Woman is of few days and full of Misery he cometh up and is cut down like a Flower signifying that all the days of Man from his Birth to his Death in number are but very few and as the Flower sometimes is no sooner blown but it 's cut down so Man sometimes no sooner breaths in the Air but he falls into the Dust is no sooner taken from the Womb but he is laid in the Grave But notwithstanding his continuance here is so very short yet in his Infant state he is truly stiled Man And so our Lord in John 16.21 saith A Woman in travail hath sorrow because her Hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of the Child she remembreth no more her anguish for joy a Man is born into the World And that all Infants living or dying whilst such are the Subjects of the Blessedness in our Text will I trust no less appear if void of all prejudice we will consider 1. That Man in his Infant State is a Sinner only by imputation not by any choice consent or act of his own whereby he transgrest any Law of God For all Sin is the transgression of a Law 1 John 3.4 But in that sense dying Infants are not Sinners God never assigning them a Law whereto they should have regard by any Command of his that I know of And certain I am where there is no Law Sin is not imputed as our Apostle saith Rom. 5.13 That Sin is imputed to Infants so far as to bring them under the power of Death I confess and even so Sin is imputed unto Believers for they die as well as others But since there is no Law given to Infants we soberly affirm Sin is not imputed to them to condemn them eternally to the torments of Hell Fire and that is what we propose to clear
and all that is within me bless his Holy Name who forgiveth all thine Iniquities c. Psal 103.1 2 3. And if here is not enough to ingage us in the unwearied celebrating of God's Praises what will or can since they whose Sins are not imputed are admitted to a Happiness above all expression and when once they have entred the Heavenly Region and are ranged there among the Blessed will think Eternity little enough to be spent in ascribing Praise and Glory to God who sits on the Throne and to the Lamb in discharging us from the Guilt and Punishment of Sin and in stating us in so great high and lasting a Happiness as the fruit of his not imputing Sin for I say Blessed is the Man unto whom the Lord imputes not Sin We now proceed to shew you on this foot of Account that dying Infants are Blessed being such on whom the Lord will not charge Sin to their eternal Condemnation And truly I cannot but hope my work is more than half done from the cordial desires of our Hearts that it may be so The thing is certainly very desirable especially to such as have long mourned being doubtful in the matter not knowing what the eternal State of their deceased Babes may be To remove their fears and satisfy all I shall tho the more briefly because of what has been said already labour to clear up the Safety and Happiness of dying Infants through the Grace of God in not imputing Sin unto them and that from these Considerations 1. Consider the unparallel'd and incomparable Goodness of God towards all There is no rank of Creatures no not the silly Ant in the Earth or Fly in the Air but partakes of divine Bounty and Goodness being always under the beneficial influences of that God who is Gracious Merciful of Long suffering abundant in Goodness and Truth as he stiles himself Exod. 34.6 And he is not so in himself only but he is diffusively so he upholds and communicates of his goodness to all his Creatures so says the Psalmist Psalm 145.8 9. The Lord is gracious and full of Compassion slow to Anger and of great Mercy The Lord is good to all and his tender Mercies are over all his Works If over all even the meanest of his Creatures then why not over innocent and dying Babes who never had either Will or Power in their own Persons once to offend Can there be thought a more meet object in all the World of the Goodness of God than innocent and dying Infants who have Souls more valuable than the whole World and are capable of the joys of a blessed or undergoing the Woes of a miserable and doleful Eternity Hath God in his goodness a care of every hair of your heads so that not one shall fall to the ground without his permission Mat. 10.29 30. and shall he have no compassion nor tender regard to the precious Souls of dying Infants I pray in what sense could the Royal Prophet in truth say The Lord is good to all if not in this sense good to Infants who it may be no sooner breath but die and are violently hurried from the confines of the Womb to the confines and region of Hell it self to suffer the punishment of Eternal Fire Is this consistent with Goodness it self to have no regard to so great and noble a Part of his Workmanship as Man in his Infant-State is and in which State he is but merely a passive Creature and not only so but to let him drop nay to cast him with indignation into those Flames that were originally and intentionally prepared for the Devil and his Angels Mat. 25.41 for what they could not possibly avoid and that without the least Remedy This is rather to strip God of his Goodness which by Man ought to be esteemed the very Perfection of his Nature who is so good that in comparison of him as our Lord says there is none good but God Mat. 19.17 2. That dying Infants are blessed and happy we may be assured from Christ's dying for them And such is the virtue and efficacy of the Death and Blood of the Lord Jesus that by it the Salvation of all dying Infants is secured else Christ in dying did not tast Death for every Man according to the intent and purpose of God in his Grace towards Man as the Apostle declares in Heb. 2.9 But that he tasted Death for every Man is certain since he is truly stiled the Saviour of all Men tho more especially of them that believe 1 Tim. 4.10 it is not only of them that believe but also of all Men. And so in Chap. 2.6 He gave himself a Ransom for all If for all then for dying Babes for who shall exclude them since Christ hath by his Death expiated and done away the Sin of the World But enough of this having toucht on it before 3. That dying Infants are blessed is evident from the utter impossibility of its being otherwise 'T is not possible they should perish since there is not any that can or will damn them God will not and Men cannot they cannot damn themselves being under the Power of no Law and where there is no Law there is no Transgression Rom. 4.15 and where there is no Transgression there is no Damnation for that is the Wages of Sin Rom. 6.23 Man cannot damn them I confess Men may destroy them as to a temporal Life Mat. 10.28 they may murder and ruin them in their Passion and Madness or in their blind Zeal may make them Sacrifices to their Idols as in the case of Moloch The Devil cannot damn them at most he can but tempt sollicite and allure by such Means and Arguments as he judges most likely to prevail But who can be so weak as once to imagin that Satan ever levels his fiery Darts against innocent and dying Babes They cannot rationally be the Subjects he sollicits the Persons he tempts or the Tinder he drops his fiery Sparks upon because they have no knowledg between Good and Evil Deut. 1.39 they discern not betwixt things that differ they know not their right hand from their left Jonah 4.11 nor have any power to chuse the Good and refuse the Evil. Tho Parents should be so wicked by their Sin and Apostacy to forfeit their title to the happiness of a promised Canaan yet Parents cannot destroy their Childrens Right by such defection from God's Law to the happiness of the Celestial Region No thither are dying Infants bound and hastning under the happy advantages of Wind and Tide let Men or Devils do what they can as you may see to perfect satisfaction Numb 14.30 31. No interposition can hinder their passage or obstruct their entring the Port of Eternal Blessedness And as these cannot so God will not damn them you have his Promise to the contrary and he is faithful to perform besides Christ hath died for them in whom they are made alive 1. Cor. 15.22 Rom. 5.19 But
weak and impotent as is certain from what our Blessed Saviour says to the Man sick of the Palsy Son be of good chear thy Sins are forgiven thee Mat. 9.2 Mark it 's not be of good chear for thou art made whole but thy Sins are forgiven thee This is enough to make the Lame to walk the Deaf to hear the Blind to see here 's that which is sufficient to turn our Weeping into Laughter our Mourning into Rejoicing our Death into Life and to settle us in a belief that he and he alone is blessed whose Sin is not imputed Now such are blessed 1. In Life as thereby God takes the Children of Men into a state of Grace and Favour with himself For God's not imputing Sin is the removal of that which begot the difference and hath maintain'd the distance betwixt him and his Creatures Isa 59.2 Of all Evils Sin is the greatest because it hath not the least mixture of Good in it to make it tolerable nor doth it produce the least good to any Creature It was Sin that turned the Angels out of Heaven that cast Man out of Paradise that brought the Curse upon the Creation and Wrath upon Sinners To be freed therefore from so great an Evil is one part of our Happiness and that which compleats it is God's taking us into Favour whose Favour is better than Life as the Psalmist says Psal 63.3 in whose Favour you may rest assured of all Advantages necessary to render you happy in this Life as the supply of your Wants Psal 34.9 10. Prov. 10.3 protection from Dangers Psal 33.18 34.10 guidance in all your Ways Psal 37.23 c. Prov. 3.6 strength against Temptation 1 Cor. 10.13 a sanctified use of Afflictions Rom. 8.28 and deliverance out of Trouble Psal 34.19 22. Such unto whom the Lord imputes not Sin may no less rest confident of Peace For being justified by Faith we have Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5.1 Which Peace of God will fill our hearts and keep us in peace when others are in trouble and quiet tho the World be in an uproar And tho many are hurried to and fro by cutting Perplexities fretting Disappointments and growing Fears God will make their Habitations quiet resting-places there is scarcely any thing that shall offend and molest them for Peace is always the sure Effect and Fruit of Righteousness to Justification as Isa 32.17 18. As they have Peace and Provision so they shall have every thing necessary to render them blessed in Life Psal 84.11 for God will withhold no good thing from them to whom he will not impute Sin 2. They are blessed also in Death because God's not imputing Sin is to dispoil Death of all Power that otherwise might render it hurtful to us Guilt which is Death's fiery Sting is taken away and he ceases to be a King of Terrors They fear him not how terrible soever he may be in his march towards them They whose Sin is not imputed are ready to receive and entertain him knowing that in this his last and most violent Effort he is like to go away with a poor Conquest the greatest execution he can do upon them is to cut the Thread of Life and send their frail brittle weak and sickly Bodies to the dust for a while to sleep in the Grave whilst blessed Angels wait the fatal stroak to take the fleeting Soul into their embraces and with Wings extended carry them swiftly into the happiness of Abraham's Bosom I confess there is reason enough for the Man whose Sin and Guilt is bound upon him to dread the approach and tremble at the sight of such an Enemy arm'd with nothing but Terrors and ready to wound the Soul with his flaming and siery Sting ready to cut the thin-spun Thread of Life which when done he is violently seized by some of the Infernal Crew and hurried unavoidably to the Confines and Region of utter Darkness to suffer the Pains of Eternal Fire O that Sinners would timely consider of this to break off every vicious Course by Repentance laying hold on the Righteousness of Christ by a lively Faith exprest by sincere obedience to the Commands of the Gospel lest their Sin hasten Death and in death proves their ruin But Death is so far from being hurtful to the Man whose Sin is not imputed that it is truly necessary as the only means by which blessed Souls are conveyed from sojourning in these tottering houses of Clay to live for ever with their Saviour in that house and building not made with hands eternal in the Heavens This made holy Paul chuse rather to die than live that he might be with Christ which was best of all Phil. 1.23 and 2 Cor. 5.1 2. So that the Man to whom the Lord imputes not Sin is blessed in Death and not only so but in the 3d place Such are blessed after death in that death lands them safe on that shore where they shall for ever rejoice in celebrating the Memory of the Grace of God in not imputing Sin unto them Their entrance into Heaven is made sure and every thing removed that otherwise might obstruct it who shall there be blessed and happy in the highest degree if we consider First The perfect freedom they shall have in Heaven from all Evil. On Earth holy Souls have often the greatest share of Affliction and Trouble as one Link follows another in the Chain or as one Wave another so deep calleth unto deep Psal 42.7 Here with Lazarus they have their evil things Poverty Pain Sickness Sores Crosses Troubles Temptations Afflictions Diseases and Death but all these evil things and more shall be left behind them in death and in Heaven they shall have no sense of them For God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away Rev. 21.4 Tho it will be quite otherwise with the Wicked who here on Earth had their good things but shall then have their evil things they shall no more enjoy the precious things their Souls lusted after and the things that were dainty and goodly being departed they shall find them no more at all Rev. 18.14 no not one drop of Water to cool their flaming Tongues Such as affect Sin here tho God so earnestly sollicites them to the contrary must for their contempt of his Grace be content to lie down in everlasting burnings where without relief they must roll in tormenting flames and shall have no rest day nor night Rev. 4.8 The Wicked then shall have their evil things but the Godly their good things who shall be for ever raised above the sense of any thing afflicting and in this respect they are blessed Secondly The Man whose Sin is not imputed is blessed after Death considering he is then put into such a condition as renders it utterly impossible for him to
forfeit this Grace or to lose so desirable a Happiness as that of Heaven is Serious and devout Souls on Earth are or at least ought to be fearful of nothing more than of losing the Favour of God or that they receive not his Grace in vain O the Fears and Tears the Cares and Prayers the Watchings and Strivings of the truly pious all which speak forth the possbility of it as well as the many sad Instances we have upon Record to the end we may not lust as they lusted 1 Cor. 10.6 but avoid the Rocks on which they split But such is the state of the Godly in Heaven after Death that it renders their Abiding certain stable and unalterable There is no Evil there much less any Sin not a Temptation to incline the Will to offend no both Will and Power will be wanting in Heaven to make a forfeiture of it There is a Gulf fixed betwixt the saved and the damned which makes it impossible for them to change their Stations or to pass from one place to the other Luke 16.25 26. But Thirdly That which compleats the Blessedness of the Man to whom the Lord will not impute Sin after Death is the Happiness he shall actually and for ever enjoy in his Person in Heaven There he shall behold the Face of God and the Lamb there he shall partake of the Fulness of God's Glory be satisfied with the delights of his Presence and the Pleasures and Treasures that be at his right hand There the Righteous shall not only hear the Holy Quire of Blessed Angels and Saints triumphant warble forth the Praises of God but shall join with mouths full of Hallelujaths to God and the Lamb in a grateful memory of that kindness the Lord shewed them in not imputing Sin unto them There they shall be set upon stable and fixed Thrones their Heads crown'd with unfading Diadems and their Faces shine with rays of unconceivable Glory with greater luster and brightness than the Sun in the Firmament In a word it is a Blessedness too great to be expressed by the Tongue or to be conceiv'd by the Heart of man 1 Cor. 2.9 The most raised Imagination cannot reach it Thus we have shewed you that he and he alone is blessed whose Sin is not imputed If this be the assured Happiness of such unto whom the Lord will not impute Sin and more as is suggested it may be worth our inquiry how we may come to know certainly that we have obtained Impunity that this Act of Grace in the High Court of Heaven is past for us that our Names are there inrolled that we are the Men and Women to whom the Lord imputes no Sin and are consequently blessed Sirs 'T is certain there are Properties and Characters common to such as are thus privileged and among many I will name four which we shall find common to all on whom the Lord charges no Sin The First is sincere Love and Affection to God As it is the Fruit of Divine Love to be freed from the Imputation of Sin so 't is the property of every blest Soul to love the Lord. The Law of his Mouth is the Law of Love and Kindness his Soul is delighted in the contemplation of God's Love to him and accordingly goes forth with strong and hearty Love to him again A Man sensible of the greatness of that Wrath from which he is delivered and the greatness of that Happiness to which he is intitled cannot but express with hearty Affection the kind and respectful sentiment he hath of such Grace and Favour From hence it was that David ingages himself to love the Lord and declares his resolution therein Psal 116.1 I will says he love the Lord because he hath heard the Voice of my Supplication He hath now put me into the injoyment of that which I have long often and earnestly sued unto him for and which is in truth the answer of many Prayers therefore I will love him I cannot but love him his Love constrains me to love him because he loved me first 1 John 4.19 And this is further evident from what our Blessed Saviour says in the Parable to Simon the Pharisee telling us That Mary loved much because her Sins which were many were forgiven her Luke 7.47 God is in himself the only worthy Object of our Affection as he is perfectly amiable and altogether lovely were we not under an Obligation flowing from his Kindness in taking away our Sin but where a Soul is under this Obligation there will be a care to make some sutable return of Love and indeed our Love must be very great if it bears any proportion to the Love of God exprest in his not imputing Sin unto us But Secondly Obedience to his Commands without which 't is not possible to know our selves to be privileged Persons nor shall we ever be able to read our Names written in the Roll of Heaven There is no other way wherein we can express the truth and strength of our Love to God than by obedience to his Commands John 14.23 24. All love not so evidenced is nothing but dissimulation and mere pretence neither is there any Command that a Man will boggle at to whom the Lord imputes not Sin A sense of this Grace will wonderfully incline and quicken us to do his Will Isaiah's Lips were no sooner touched with a Coal from God's Altar importing the purging and taking away his Sin but it presently disposes him to God's Service When the Voice said Who shall go for us immediately the Prophet presents himself saying Here am I send me I am now ready for any Errand to ingage in any business for thy Glory Isa 6.7 8. If God is so kind to break our Fetters and to unloose the Cords that bound us and so set us at Liberty it is not that we should use our liberty as an occasion to the Flesh Gal. 5.13 and sin with a higher hand against God whose Grace abounds Rom. 6.1 2. but that we should love the Lord our God and serve him Deut. 10.12 which St. Paul did with all readiness not once conferring with Flesh and Blood He demur'd not nor was discouraged by those floods of Troubles Tumults Perils Distresses Afflictions and Persecutions that he might raise up against himself none of these things hindred him from a vigorous ingaging in the Work of God's Service but he was obedient to the Heavenly Vision Acts 26.19 And as it is thus evident that Obedience is the Property of such as are in truth thus privileged with the Grace of God so I doubt not but we who have some good ground to hope that we are blessed upon God's not imputing Sin unto us have oftentimes avowed our selves to be the Lord's Servants and to render him the Service he calls for at our hands Which is 1. Sincere Obedience Obedience without Sincerity is no more that which God calls for than a stinking Breath flowing from corrupt Lungs is naturally
sweet that is only made so by the help of some strong Perfume in the Mouth as we may learn from our Blessed Saviour's reprehending the Hypocrisy of the Jews saying as Mat. 15.8 This People draws nigh unto me with their Mouth and do honour me with their Lips but their Hearts are far from me Every Law of God calls for an inward as well as an outward conformity it would be unworthy to put off God with the Shell and Husk of our Services who requires Truth in the inward Parts Psal 51.6 And not only so but 2. God calls for Constancy in Obedience 'T is not enough that we are obedient by fits and starts for a spurt and away but that we abide and continue in the Work of the Lord. And what more reasonable than that we who are always under the influence of his Goodness and benefits of his Grace should express constancy in our Obedience Want of this was the procuring cause of the many miseries and calamities that afflicted Israel and as it could not go well with them because of their inconstancy so it cannot go well with us till we be stedfast immoveable always abounding in the Work of the Lord as is evident from the Lord 's wishing that it were so with Israel that it might go well with them and their Children for ever Deut. 5.29 And 3. The Lord calls also for Universal Obedience Partiality in God's Service will never characterize us to be such whom he fatours any more than it did King Saul in sparing Agag King of the Amalekites with the best of their Sheep and Oxen which God gave him commandment to destroy as you may see at large in 1 Sam. 15. To do some things in Religion which may bid fair to crown us with fame and reputation inrolling our Names among those who by Men are accounted devout while we leave undone those things which 't is like if done may prove to our cost and procure the contemptible eye and frowns of Men upon us would be as arch Hypocrisy in us as it was in the Scribes and Pharisees to tithe their Anise Mint and Cummin while they omitted the more weighty matters of the Law as Judgment Mercy and Faith Mat. 23.23 Now as we would be universal 't is necessary that we be regular in our Obedience for disorder and confusion in the Lord's Service will never evince us the Men to whom the Lord imputes not Sin It would be Sin in us to neglect a due regard of the rules God hath given us for the right methodizing of our Obedience as we might shew from that instance of Nadab and Abihu's crooked and preposterous proceeding in the Lord's work Levit. 10.1 2. Therefore as Solomon ascended his Throne by steps so we in God's Service must proceed from one Duty to another and all in order as we shall briefly demonstrate 1. As all Men have sinned I mean the Adult so it is in reason the duty of all Men to repent and to lie prostrate at the foot of God's Mercy as a posture best becoming such Traitors and Rebels as we have been Nay 't is incumbent upon all to repent as inforced by the Authority of God's Law commanding Tho God winked at the times of Ignorance yet now he requires all Men every where to repent Acts 17.30 Again Repent and be converted that your Sins may be blotted out Acts 3.19 2. Upon a sense of Sin and our misery by Sin 't is our Duty by a vigorous and lively Faith to lay hold upon Jesus Christ and his Righteousness for our Justification who is the alone Redeemer and restorer of lost Creatures If it be the demand of any poor Sinner What they must do to be saved the Answer is Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Acts 16.31 So also John 6.28 29. 3. Having repented of Sin and profest Faith in Christ and by the Grace of God in a good measure reformed our Lives 't is no less our Duty by God's Command to be Baptized or Dipped in Water in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost as Matth. 28.19 20. And upon our Obedience to God herein we have the pardon of Sin assured to us Acts 2.38 and 8.37 38. and 22.16 We confess with Grief that this Ordinance through the corruption of Men is become a despicable low and contemptible thing in the eyes of the World who are held in hand by too many of the Learned with an Opinion that they were Baptized in their Infancy altho in truth they were not nor was it needful they should yet the generality of Men are contented to be thus put off with one thing for another to wit Rantism for Baptism But let all have a care they do not entertain light Thoughts of this Duty to a neglecting of it since God hath been pleased to intail the pardon of Sin upon a conscientious performance of it and not only so but it states us in an undeniable Right to all the privileges of the Church of Christ into which being thus entred by Baptism we are not there to rest as if all our work was done but 4. It remains that we there abide attentively to hear and diligently to learn what the Lord shall teach us from time to time to be his Will and our Duty that by doing his Will and suffering his Pleasure we may appear to be good proficients growing up to such a degree of Holiness as may render us Ornaments to our holy Profession be sutable to the holy Vocation wherewith we were called and to the Place and Privileges wherein God hath stated us and so may never want an Evidence to our Comfort that we are those to whom the Lord imputes no Sin The Third Property common to such is a compassionate merciful and charitable temper of Mind The Mercy of God hath raised them to a good degree and pitch of Generosity and Kindness they are like their Heavenly Father in a great measure apt to forgive not of a quarrelsome injurious and revengeful Temper not as it is with many but a word and a blow not for the taking their fellow Servants by the Throat with rigour exacting the utmost farthing and satisfaction from them No but under the influence of the divine Bounty are sweetly disposed to forgive Wrongs to pass by Injuries and Offences in imitation of a Meek and Holy Jesus and of his faithful Servant Stephen who in Compassion to his very Persecutors before his Death seeing Heaven opened to him prefer'd his Petition to God that he would not lay their Sin to their charge as Acts 7.60 But the Fourth and last Property I shall name common to every Man to whom the Lord imputes not Sin is that of Thankfulness The design of his whole Life is to express the gratitude of his Soul to God the Language of his Heart is that of Praise and his Mouth is full of Hallelujahs and thankful Acknowledgments of the divine Goodness David says Bless the Lord O my Soul
our Fourth Consideration is taken from the capacity and fitness of little Children for Heaven and Glory Our Lord Jesus Christ had so high an opinion of them and their fitness that he sets them before his Disciples as a Copy to write after an Example to imitate and as Persons not only worthy but necessary for them to resemble as appears by his taking and setting a little Child in the midst of them and with a solemn asseveration asserting That except they be converted and become as little Children they should not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven If little Children dying such do not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven is it not most absurd that our Lord should so solemnly and expresly injoin his Disciples to become like them in order to their entring into his Kingdom Were it not so that little Children have a sitness for Heaven Disciples and Christians in becoming like them whereunto they are most strictly obliged would thereby become unfit for Heaven and Glory But Fifthly and lastly That dying Infants are blessed appears from as good Reason as we have to believe any thing for truth that is contain'd in all the Sacred Records for more plain and positive proof we have not for the belief of any Article of the Christian Faith The Evidence I here offer you is Christ's own Testimony who without scruple tells us they belong to the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 19.14 Suffer them says Christ to come unto me they are the undoubted Heirs of it they have an unquestionable Right to it by the Grace of God their 's it is and into it they enter when they die If we will not believe Christ who shall we believe Take away the credit of his Evidence and what shall we receive for Truth Had we no other Testimony in all God's Book asserting the blessedness of dying Infants this is sufficient to resolve all Doubts about it they being such as is apparent from what hath been said to whom the Lord will not impute Sin I once more say to their Eternal Condemnation And if so to conclude I account it highly unreasonable that Man should attribute the Salvation of dying Infants to any person or thing short of the Grace of God in Christ Jesus upon which Foundation alone the Salvation and Blessedness of dying Infants standeth and that most fure Most unworthy therefore of God and Christ do they speak who talk of a Foederal Holiness making the Faith and Holiness of Parents the Basis on which they build the Blessedness of their Infants What is this less than to set themselves up for Saviours or at least to make themselves Partners with Christ in the Work of Salvation Is not this apparently to charge the Grace of God as deficient to save dying Infants without the Faith and Piety of Parents concurring At this rate of arguing what must become of those Children who have not the advantage of the Faith and Holiness of Parents who may either be taken away by Death leaving their little ones behind them or else if they live they may be wholly void and destitute of Saving-faith and manifest Slaves to Sin and the Devil as too many in this professing Nation are And in either of these cases which be very common what must become of their poor dying Infants if the Grace of God in Christ be not sufficient to save them without the Holiness of Parents But as this Pretence reflects unworthily on God so it is very false in it self as we could shew were that our business We confess that the Children of Believers have a great advantage of others in point of a pious Education but not one jot in point of Salvation their Infants dying before they come to reap the advantage of such Education to say otherwise is to assert that which is not many degrees short of Blasphemy But Secondly If dying Infants are blessed upon God's not imputing Sin unto them then how vain and fruitless is that pretence and practice of Baptizing Infants as they call it in order to their making them Members of the Church Children of God and Heirs or Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven But if before they be baptized they are in truth the Children of God what doth their Baptism avail them are they afterwards any more the Heirs of God's Kingdom than they were before Or can it be rationally supposed that God hath left it to the liberty choice and within the power of a Priest to save or damn Souls by complying or refusing upon every Summons given him on the weakness of a languishing and dying Infant to come and baptize it O no their Salvation is secured upon a better Bottom altho the generality believe that if their Infants die before they be baptized or sprinkled they be not much if one whit better than Beasts in their death nor must by any means have a Christian Burial with our Parson's Vote but be cast into a Hole behind the Church or some other place where they bury the Excommunicated Self-murderers and the like without the usual Solemnities appointed for the burial of the dead and therefore when a weak Child is midwif'd into the World what running and scouring there is to call the Parson as if a few drops of Water out of his hand were enough to quench the Flames of Hell This well considered must be judg'd highly ridiculous in the Sentiment of every wise Man ten thousand pities it is that God's Ordinance is so changed that poor people are so amused and that our Learned and pious Doctors of the Church do not rectify this prevaling Mistake the People are under by their sincere and devout labours to restore Sacred Baptism to its Primitive Purity at whose door it lies that their Priests in administring of that Ordinance may in point of practice as apparently agree with that of the Apostles as 't is evident they desire to be accounted their Successors But Thirdly and to conclude If dying Infants are blessed upon God's not imputing Sin unto them then here is comfort to sorrowful Mothers who have been long afflicted refusing with Rachel to be comforted for their Children If this will not relieve you under your Distresses what will Here 's enough to remove all your Fears and to satisfy your Minds with reference to the Eternal State of your deceased Babes Let this stop the Springs that have been opened and wipe away all those trickling Tears which have been as so many Evidences of your compassion and passionate concern to and for your beloved tho deceased Infants Fear not dear Souls God who hath a better right to them than you had has more tender compassion of them than you can have If you have who are evil Mat. 7.9 10 11. so much goodness as to wish them Heaven God is much more good and will give them Heaven Therefore give no longer way to needless scrupulosity and fear on their account whose happiness renders them capable of exhorting you to spend your Cares Fears and Tears on some other Subject saying as Christ to the Daughters of Jerusalem Luke 23.28 Weep not for me but weep for your selves and your Children that is your sinful and miserable Posterity nay rather rejoice and comfort your selves for 't is better with us than you have imagined being such unto whom the Lord imputes no Sin Nothing remains now but that we who survive our deceased Babes do give all diligence in the practice of Vertue whereunto we are called to make our own Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 11. that so an abundant entrance may be given us into Glory there to rejoice not only in our own Blessedness but in a more certain assurance of our Childrens also if such a thing can be since our Apostle so expresly says Blessed is the Man unto whom the Lord will not impute Sin FINIS