ly dear to Him; insomuch that whoso shall of fend one of these little ones that believe in Me, says He, it were better for him that a mill stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Thus strongly did He express his affection towards them; and He manifested it in a no less significant and encouraging manner, when He took little children from their parents' arms into his own, and then, with a Godlike authority and benevolence, pronounced his blessing upon them. That was, indeed, such an instance of the Redeemer's condescension and good will to little children as deserves a more particular examination in our present enquiry.It is recorded by three of the evangelists.* "They brought (or there were brought) unto Him (Jesus) little, or young, children, infants, that He would put his hands on them and pray; and his disciples, when they saw it, rebuked those that brought them but Jesus called them unto Him, and was much displeased (with his disciples,) and said unto them, Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them ; not, for of such is the kingdom of God, or of heaven; and He took them up into his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them." It is observable, that the children brought to Jesus are called, by Matthew and Mark, (dix, a word which is a diminutive from wats and properly signifies) little children; by Luke (8pm) infants. * Matth. xix. 13-15. Mark x. 13---16. Luke xviii. 15---17. Both words are applied to the infant Jesus when lying in the manger.* Nay the latter is used (Luke i, 41.) for a babe in the womb and Zacharias applied the former to John soon after he was born. The terms, therefore, by which they were spoken of, testify that they were young children, infants and that, indeed, might be inferred, if not from its being said they were brought to Jesus, yet at least from his taking them into his arms. Their affectionate parents, probably hearing of the condescension and tenderness of Jesus, as well as of his divine power, brought them to Him for his blessing. The disciples, from some mistaken notions of their Lord and his kingdom, would have kept them at a distance : perhaps thinking that such little children were incapable of receiving any benefit from Him; and looking upon it as inconsistent with his dignity to take notice of them. But it is said, when Jesus saw this act of his disciples, and the unbecoming spirit they discovered in it, he was much displeased; moved with grief and indignation. He, on other occasions, rebuked his disciples ; but seldom, if ever, disapproved of their conduct to such a degree as when they would have kept little children at a distance from Him. The same word is used to express the disgust which the ten disciples felt when they heard the request of fered by Zebedee's wife for her two sons, and there it is translated moved with indignation." That evangelist represents the wrath of the chief priests and scribes, on hearing the children's hosannas addressed to our Saviour, by saying they were sore displeased. And Luke uses the same word to express the indignation with which the ruler of the synagogue was moved when he heard that Jesus healed on the sabbath-day. Let all his followers, his ministers especially, take heed that they do not incur the displeasure of their Lord by doing or saying any thing to discourage tender parents from bringing their little children to him. Let us hear his instruction and charge concerning them: "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not." Some, perhaps, would be offended at the expression, if Jesus had not made use of it Himself. Little children come to Christ! how can such come to Him? Acceptably, no doubt, or He would not have encouraged their approach; would not have enjoined it, as He does, upon his disciples, that they should by no means keep them at a distance; but rather permit and encourage them to come to Him, who, as a mighty and merciful Redeemer, stands with open arms to embrace them. The mention of that leads us to take notice of the reason He urges for suffering little children to come unto Him, viz. of such is the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of heaven. By these phrases all understand Luke xiii. 14, the church of Christ, either in this or a future state. And it matters little, in the present enquiry, which was principally intended here; a state of grace and glory being so connected, that a title to the latter presupposeth an interest in the former. Compare these words of our Lord with what He says to Nicodemus.* In them He solemnly declares, that except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God; here He says, concerning little children, that of such is the kingdom of God. It must, therefore, follow, that little children are capable of being born of water and the Spirit, and consequently that they are the proper subjects of baptism, as the appointed sign of that divine operation. It is, indeed, objected, that our Lord says only (TOT) of such is the kingdom of heaBut what more or what else should any one have expected Him to say? If, instead of (TOT) such, He had said (TTY) these, He had confined his assertion, and limited the kingdom to those few children that were then before Him. But now He speaks of little ones, like them, in all nations and ages. No, say some, He means grown-up persons, like children. Indeed! This, however, supposes that there is somewhat pleasing to Christ in children, and if such grown-up persons as are like children are the proper subjects of his kingdom, certainly children themselves, to whom they are like. We * John iii. 5. ven. acknowledge that He did take occasion from thence to recommend a humble, meek, and condescending spirit to his disciples. And it was a word in season. They needed the lesson when they could reject these little ones. But if that was all He intended by ordering them to be brought to Him, He might (as one observes) have set sheep or doves before them with as much propriety as little children. Yet we cannot suppose He would have laid his hands upon them and blessed them, and have said concerning them, "of such is the kingdom of heaven." Let us observe the force of his argument upon this interpretation. Suffer little children to come unto me, because of men and women, that are like children, is the kingdom of heaven." Surely none, who have the least regard for their Lord's honour, can suppose Him capable of such reasoning as that. Why, indeed, should He be displeased with his disciples for forbidding little children to come to Him, and lay it down as a standing rule in his church that they should be suffered to come unto Him, unless little children were admitted by Him to the honours and privileges of his kingdom? To convince all, then around Him, and his followers in every age, that He would receive them as such, He called them to Him, and taking them into his embraces, He laid his hands upon them and blessed them. The followers and even the ministers of Christ were usually set apart in this manner to the Lord, |