they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them." "They

shall live with their children."

Do the scriptures of the New Testament any where show, that the covenant connexion between believing parents and their children is dissolved by the gospel? No. Nor are they silent upon this point. They expressly favour the idea, that such a covenant connexion remains under the Christian dispensation.

That the blessings of the kingdom (or reign) of heaven were first offered to the Jews, and offered to them, as having a primary title to them, according to God's gracious and everlasting covenant with Abraham, and according to the gracious promises, which, in pursuance of that covenant, God had made to his people from time to time, is manifest from the whole tenor of the New Testament Scriptures. From these Scriptures, also, we clearly see the way, in which God proposed to extend mercy to the Gentiles. The blessings of the gospel were to be offered to them, and enjoyed by them, in consequence of the gospel's being rejected by the Jews, as a nation. Christ said to the Jews, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."*

* Mat. xxi. 43.

When these words were spoken, the king dom of God had not come; it was only at hand; and the Jews as a nation, by their awfully wicked treatment of the Son of God, failed of obtaining the blessings of the kingdom, and brought upon themselves a miserable destruction. But such was the title of the Jews to the kingdom, as children of the prophets, and of the Abrahamic covenant, on which account they are styled "children of the kingdom,"* that the kingdom is represented to be taken from them; as if they had come into possession of it.

If the Jews had such a title to the blessings of the gospel, as descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and as those, to whom pertained the promises,† was there not a connexion between parents and children in respect to this title? for children, as well as their parents, were in covenant with God. Some of the Jews embraced the gospel. Is it not rational to think, that the children of those believers still had a covenant connexion with their parents? But all Christians will agree, that in respect to gospel blessings, there is the same connexion between Christian Gentiles and their children, as be

*Mat. viii. 12. † See Rom. ix. 4.

tween Christian Jews and their children. "There is neither Jew nor Greek." "There is neither Greek, nor Jew;" "but Christ is all, and in all."

It was foretold of Christ, "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom."* When the "good Shepherd" came and gave his "life for the sheep," he did not sever the lambs from his flock. Feeble believers are Christ's lambs. Are not the infants of believers, also, his lambs? How believing parents felt for their offspring, in the time of our Saviour's ministry on earth, and how he regarded little children, we may learn from the account respecting the little children, or infants, who were brought to him, that he might them," or 66 put his hands on them, and pray."‡ A few words were said concerning this account in the preceding discourse. It will be proper here to be more particular. It appears, that these children were brought to Jesus, that they might receive spiritual benefit. The disciples rebuked those, who brought them. Jesus "was much displeased," "called" the infants "unto him," and said unto the disciples, "Suffer lit*Is. xl. 11. † John, x. 11. + See Mat. xix. 13—15.

"touch

Mark, x. 13-16. and Luke, xviii. 15—17.

The

tle children," or "the little children, to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God," or "the kingdom of heaven." "Verily I say unto you, whosoev er shall not receive the kingdom of God, as a little child, shall in no wise enter therein." "And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them."* phrase, "the kingdom of God," or "of heaven," that is the kingdom of the God of heaven,† appears to be used in these passages, as it is generally used, in a comprehensive sense, denoting that kingdom, which begins in this world in grace, and is to be considered, both as visible and as invisible, and which will be hereafter consummated in glory. "Of such is the kingdom of God," that is the kingdom of God belongs to such, and to such only. The kingdom of God belongs only to infants, and to those who resemble infants. That the word "such" includes infants themselves, appears from our Saviour's giving this, as a reason, why those infants should be suffered to come

*See Gen. xlviii. 8-20. Jacob laid his hands upon the sons of Joseph, and blessed them, imploring for them the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant, and predicting their greatness, as tribes among the people of God.

See Dan. ii. 44.

See the Greek construction.

unto him, "of such is the kingdom of God," and from his treating them so affectionately, and blessing them. If the kingdom of God belongs to infants, and if under the former dispensation, that is, under "the law and the prophets," there was a connexion between parents and children, according to the Abrahamic covenant, may it not be inferred, that there is a similar connexion between parents and children under the Christian dispensation?

In view of the declaration of Jesus, "of such is the kingdom of God," let us consider his declaration in John, iii. 5. "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." This passage is evidently parallel to that in Tit. iii. 5. To "be born of water" is undoubtedly the same, as to have "the washing of regeneration." "The washing of regeneration" plainly means baptism, as emblematical of the "renewing of the Holy Ghost." The kingdom of God in John, iii. 5. is to be understood in the same comprehensive sense, as in the declaration, "of such is the kingdom of God." In order to enter into the kingdom of God, a person must be baptized, and must experience the renewing of the Holy Spirit. In order to enter into the kingdom of God, considered as visible in this