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
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
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
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