1. The doctrine of this text may afford SERM. comfortable thoughts concerning fuch as dye VII. in infance, or in very early age, before they have done good or evil. Chrift, fpeaking of little children, fays: Of fuch is the kingdom of heaven. If he does not clearly fay, of thefe, and fuch like children; yet he certainly says, of fuch as refemble them is the kingdom of heaven. And if we should not suppose him to fay exprefsly more than that, yet it is fufficient to fill us with comfortable apprehenfions concerning those, who are removed hence in very early life. For it cannot be easily admitted, that they should perifh everlaftingly, who are fet before others, as emblems of fimplicity, innocence and humility, and patterns of imitation and refemblance.

To these do not belong the characters of thofe, whom Chrift will bid depart from him. They are not workers of iniquity. They have not refused to entertain and relieve the afflicted and perfecuted followers of Jefus on earth. He has declared, that they who do not receive the kingdom of heaven, as a little child, fhall not enter therein. And can it be thought, that little children shall be excluded ?

SERM.

VII.

Ecc. vii.

29.

Rom, iii.

19.

2. This text teaches us to be cautious, how we disparage the human nature, and say, that it is in it's original conception corrupt, depraved and defiled. Our Lord feems not to have acknowledged any original depravity of our nature. For he recommended a resemblance of little children to his difciples, and others. And when little children were brought unto him, he expreffed affection for them. He embraced them, and bleffed them, and faid: Of fuch is the kingdom of heaven.

They who vilify nature, do, in effect, (though perhaps unwittingly, and undefignedly,) reproch the author of nature.

Solomon after an attentive furvey of the affairs of this world, and particularly, the many disorders therein, was fully perfuaded of this truth: This only have I found, fays he, that God made man upright. But they have fought out many inventions.

St. Paul, when he proves all men, both Jews and Gentils, guilty before God, alleges not their bad nature, but their evil practises.

Some indeed are early drawn afide into evil courses by the fnares of this world. Which occafioned the Pfalmift to fay hyperbolically Pfal. lviii. of fome wicked men: They are eftranged from

3.

VII.

from the womb. They go aftray as foon as they SERM. are born. And in like manner David, after the commiffion of the great fins he had fallen into, recollects alfo his paft fins, and fays: he had been shapen in iniquity, and in fin did Pf. li. 7. bis mother conceive him: that is, he laments his too great propenfity to fome fins, and humbly owns, that even in early life he had done things, which he ought to repent of, and blame himself for. But he is here fpeaking of himself, or his own particular constitution, not of all men in general.

The Scripture does not ascribe the difficulty of reforming great finers to the badneffe of their nature, but to the evil habits they have contracted: representing it very unlikely, that they should do good, who had been accustomed Jer. xiii. to do evil.

23.

St. Paul reminds the Ephefians, that once, in their Gentil state, they were dead in tref- Eph. ii. paffes and fins: Which expreffion, however, can never be applied to infants. And with the Apostle, a life in fin is not life but death. As he fays elsewhere: She that liveth in pleafure, is dead, while she liveth. And what 6. follows, fhews, that he means practise of

fining,

1 Tim. v.

Eph. ii. 2.

Ver. 3.

SERM. fining, or actual and wilful fins. Wherein, VII. fays he to thofe Ephefians, in time past ye walked, according to the course of this world. ...He proceeds: Among whom also we all, we Jews alfo, for the most part, and generally, had our converfation in times paft, in the lufts of our flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh, and of the mind: and were by nature, in our former ftate, before we were enlightened by the gospel, children of wrath, defervedly exposed to punishment, as well as Ver. 4. 5. others. But God, who is rich in mercie, for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in fins, has quickened us together with Chrift.... And hath raised us up together, and made us fit together in heavenly places in Chrift. The whole context shews, that the Apostle is not fpeaking of punishment due to natural corruption, but to actual fin. Nor does he fay: And indeed we all are, but were by nature children of wrath. So we were, when we had our converfation in the lufts of our flesh. But God in his great mercie had through Jefus Chrift delivered the Ephefians, and others, from that state of fin and miferie,

6.

We

VII.

We are weak and frail, and liable to SERM. temptations. But we can eafily conceive, how God may treat fuch creatures wifely and equitably. He will thew his displeasure against the prefumptuous, and even the carelefs. And he will reward the obedient, the careful and watchtul. But we are not able to conceive, how God fhould reject and condemn any for what is not owing to choice, but nature.

Some men will confefs the corruption of their nature. But I apprehend, it must be truer humility, for a man ferioufly, and fincerely, without referve, to confefs all his fins in thought, word, and deed, against God and his neighbour. The former is only an acknowledgement of fuppofed corruption, common to all. And may be attended with fpiritual pride, and fcornful disdain of others. But to confefs fincerely all our own fins and faults is true humility. This humility is a virtue in fuch creatures as we are, and the ground of other virtues. It is alfo acceptable to God. And whosoever Prov. confeffeth and forfaketh his fins, shall have xxviii. 13. mercie.

3. This