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SERM.

VII.

Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 17. Verily, I fay unto you: Whofoever shall not receive the kingdom of God, as a little child, fhall not enter therein.

These are the accounts, which the Evangelifts have given us of this matter.

I shall endeavor to make an emprovement of this hiftorie by confidering these several particulars:

I. Who were now brought to Chrift.
II. For what end they were brought to
him.

III. The reception, he gave them: which
at the very first view may be perceived
to be kind and gracious.

IV. The declaration made concerning them, that of fuch is the kingdom of beaven, or the kingdom of God.

I. The first particular to be confidered by us is, who were now brought to Christ. In St. Matthew they are ftiled little children. In one place of St. Mark we have, in our verfion, young children. But in the original it is ftill one and the fame word: which

there

therefore throughout those two Evangelifts SERM. fhould be uniformly rendered little chil- VII. dren.

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In St. Luke they are called infants: a word, which, as the critics in the Greek language fay, comprehends any children from the time of their birth, till they are four years of age. It is the fame word, which we have in another text: Knowing, that from a 2 Tim. child thou hast known the holy fcriptures.

That these were little children may be inferred from a circumftance mentioned in St. Mark, that Jefus took them in his arms.

Their tender age may be argued likewise from hence: that it is not faid of Chrift, that he taught them, or asked them any questions.

I choose not to argue from the expreffion, of their being brought to Chrift: not thinking it fufficient to prove, that they were carried in arms. For the phrase may be used of fuch as are led, conducted, guided to a place, or perfon.

Upon the whole, we may conclude, I think, that they were what they are called by the Evangelifts, little children, or infants. None

iii. 15.

SERM. None of them were arrived to the full ex

VII.

ercife of reason: and some of them might be carried in the arms of their friends.

II. The next particular to be confidered by us is, What views they had, who brought these little children to Jefus : or, for what end they were brought to him. It does not appear, that they were brought to Jefus, to be healed by him of any fickneffe, or weakneffe, which they were afflicted with. For there is nothing of that kind hinted in any of the Evangelifts, though no less than three of them have recorded this hiftorie. And, if that had been the cafe, the disciples, it is likely, would not have rebuked the perfons, who came with these children. For before now there had been fuch applications made to our Lord by many perfons, not only for themfelves, but for others alfo: for their friends, or their children, or their fervants.

For what end and purpofe, then, may fome fay, fhould thefe little children be brought to Jefus? who were fo young, as to have little or no exercise of reafon and un

derstanding,

derstanding, and must therefore have been SERM. VII. uncapable of receiving inftruction.

That we may the better answer this enquirie, we should attend to the Evangelists expreffions. St. Mark fays, they brought little children to Jefus, that he should touch them : St. Luke: they brought unto him also or even infants, that he should touch them. But in our text, in St. Matthew, it is that be Should put his hands on them, and pray. And it is likely, that this is the meaning of all the Evangelists: it having been common among the Jews, to lay the hand upon those, whom -they bleffed or for whom they prayed to God, that he would bless them. So, when Gen. Jacob bleffed the two fons of Jofeph in Egypt, a little before his death, he laid his hands upon each of them.

These persons therefore, here spoken of, brought these little children to Jefus, that he might lay his hands upon them, and bless them. They had a high opinion of the piety of Jefus, and of his interest in the divine favour. Probably they were difciples, or believers, fuch as took Jefus for a Prophet, and even the great Prophet, who was to come, the Meffiah. And they were defirous, that their

xlviii.

SERM. children fhould receive a bleffing from

VII. him.

28...30.

Some may be apt to think, this must have been a fuperftitious, and fond conceit of these perfons. To which I would answer, that, probably, it was not entirely fo. For in that cafe Jefus would not have fhewn them fuch regard. It cannot be thought, that our Lord would countenance an action, that was altogether unreasonable, and quite deftitute of all good foundation. And fuppofing, that there was a mixture of fome wrong views in this conduct, the Lord Jefus was more gracious, than to reject these perfons, or condemn their defign upon that account. The twelve difciples had not been perfectly difinterested, or free from all fecular views, in coming to him,

and following him. Yet he was well pleased Luke xxii. with their attendence on him: and he promised them a reward for it, if they continued to act as difciples, with fincerity: though they still wanted a finless perfection, and had not a wisdom void of all defects.

III. The third thing is the reception, he gave these children: which at the very

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