of training up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Thus it promotes the high design of the relation subsisting between parents and children.

13. God can covenant with infants.

This has been done. Moses says to the Israelites, "Ye stand this day, all of you before the Lord your God; your captains, your officers, with all the men of Israel, Deut. xxix. your little ones, your wives, that thou shouldest

11-13,

enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day.”"That he may establish thee to-day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob." In this case, God covenanted with infants, by the appointed agency of their parents.

On this same occasion, God entered into covenant with those who were absent also. It is written; "I make this covenant, and this oath, with him that is not here this day." Those who were present, were the appointed agents for those who were absent, and were called upon to be witnesses to what God had done for them-to make known to them his covenant, and to persuade them to embrace it.

It may appear strange to some of you, my beloved hearers, that God should thus covenant with people, by the agency of others. But I entreat you to consider this point well; for it certainly appears to me, that here is much to inspire love, and gratitude, and prompt obedience. Let us then make this inquiry; Why does God covenant with infants by the agency of others? It is, that he may take them in season, before they are corrupted, and betrayed, and lost, and bind them to his covenantto his people-to his altar-to his throne-to himself— and to the joys of his kingdom, by the bonds of his covenanted mercy and faithfulness. He would thus hold them back from the darkness of his frown-from the consuming fire of his displeasure-and the torment of an everlasting separation from him, in outer darkness, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Such ideas as these are suggested, as the reason of God's covenant transactions with the little ones, and the absent, in the instance we have just noticed.

66

You know, my respected hearers, that it is common and natural for man, to bless himself in his heart," that he does not pretend to be a Christian—that he has not covenanted with God, or joined the church, or reckoned himself among the number of the pious. As he has not done this, he feels much more at liberty to walk in his own ways, saying, I shall have peace, however it may be with those who do not live up to their profession. And if my parents covenanted for me, and had me baptized, it was not my doings. I do not wish to be so religious. It appears that God had persons of this character in view, in the instance under consideration. And he covenanted with the infants, and the absent to destroy the force of their objections, and restrain the wickedness of those whose hearts would turn away from him, and rejoice that they have not entered into covenant with him, and are, therefore, more at liberty, and less in danger, while they live in sin. He would not have them feel this liberty, but he would have them feel that they are exposed to his curse, if they disregard the covenant, and if not, that they may inherit his blessings. This is according to what he tells us. He made the covenant, lest there should be man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away from the Lord,-lest there should be a root that beareth gall and wormwood; and it came to pass, when he heareth the words of the curse, (for breaking the covenant) he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart. But says Moses; the Lord will not spare him—all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven.

God is well acquainted with that principle of human nature, which leads a man to "bless himself in his heart," that he has not entered into covenant with God, or joined the church, or reckoned himself among the pious; and then to bless himself in his heart again, that he is more at liberty to live as he pleases, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst. He knows that folly

is bound up in the heart of a child, and that the way he would take is the way of death. He therefore kindly besets him at his very entrance into life, and compasses his

path with favor. He draws forth upon him the attention of his parents, and awakens their prayerful solicitude, and their faithful exertions, and encourages them to be workers together with him, for the child's salvation.

Gen.

xvii. 14.

14. Infants are spoken of as breaking the covenant of God, when the token of it was not applied to them. "The uncircumcised manchild, whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant." This is said on account of the close religious connexion, which God had established between children and their parents who were in covenant with him. If they were in covenant with God, so were their infants. God covenanted with these infants, and they broke his covenant, if the token was not applied to them. But in such cases the guilt rests upon their parents; therefore, God met Moses, and sought to kill him, because he did not put the token of the covenant upon his child.-He neglected to circumcise his child, and was guilty. 66 And it came

Exodus

iv. 24.

to pass by the way, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him." All who are included in the covenant, have a right to its seal or token, and it should be applied to them. The covenant, of which circumcision was a token, is not done away. God established it with Abraham and his seed, that is, with all Christians, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto him and his seed after him. In this high and special sense, he is now the God-the portion of his people, according to the covenant of promise. And their children are included with them in this covenant, unless God has excluded them from it; and the token though changed, should be applied to them. The change of the token no more justifies parents in neglecting to put it upon their children than the change of a mark which a man had long put upon his flock, would justify his servants in neglecting to mark the lambs.

15. God calls the infants of his professing people, his children, which they have born unto him.

"Thou hast slain my children-thou hast Ezek. xvi. taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou 20, 21. hast born unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed." These parents were professors of religion. They had taken the

covenant of God upon them, and professedly consecrated themselves and children to his service. Their children were brought into a covenant relation to God, and his people, which he has ever regarded with peculiar interest. And although their parents had degenerated, and become wicked; yet, even their degeneracy did not deprive God of his covenant right in their children, or break the established connexion of the children with the church. He, therefore, asserts his right to them, and his interest in them, as children of the covenant, to whom his seal belonged. It is on account of this covenant relation to him, and his church, that he calls these infants his children, which were born unto him. It is also on account of this covenant relation to God, and consecration to his service, and separation from the heathen, that the people of Israel, including their infants, are called "an holy people.' They are repeatedly called an holy people, and their chil

Deut.

vii. 6. xiv. 1, 2. Ezra

ix. 2. Isaiah

dren the holy seed, as it is written; "For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God." "Ye are the children of the Lord your God." "The holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands."—"The holy seed shall be vi. 13. the substance thereof." Here we can see plainly, that God reckons the children of his professing people his children, and calls them holy, and the holy seed, because they were included in his holy covenant, and connected with his church by a religious rite, which was a mark of separation from the heathen, and consecration to God. Let this be remembered-they were called holy, not because they were holy at heart, but because they were included in God's holy covenant, and had the token of the covenant applied to them, and they were thus connected with his church, and marked as the lambs of his flock.

On the other hand, those who were not included in the holy covenant, or did not have the token applied to them, and were not connected with the church, nor marked for God-such-all such, were considered uncircumcised and unclean. They were so called, till they had united with Israel in holy covenant. This distinction was made by God, and too little regarded by the Jews. It was unlawful for the Jews to marry with those of other nations,

Ezra

who did not unite with them in their religion. And after they had unlawfully married with such, it was their duty to put them away, and the children which were born of them, also, for they were both reckoned unclean. Therefore, we find this confession, "We have trespassed against our God, and have taken x. 2, 3. strange wives of the people of the land. Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that trembled at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the law." But when both of the parents were believers, or professed to be, their children were called holy, because they were brought into holy covenant, and devoted to God, and connected with his church. For these reasons, the children were called holy, when both of the parents were believers; and for the same reasons, the children are now called holy, when one of the parents is a believer. "Else were your children unclean 1 Corin. but now are they holy."

vii. 14.

The believers at Corinth were uncertain, whether it was their duty to dwell with their unbelieving companions, or to put them away. They therefore wrote to the apostle Paul, on the subject, and he gave them this answer; "If any brother hath a wife that believeth 1 Cor. vii. not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let 12-14. him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; else were your children unclean; but now are they holy." Their children, then, were not treated as unclean, but holy, that is, they were included in God's holy covenant, devoted to him in baptism, and connected with his church as her children. This is a plain fact appealed to by the apostle. The children are holy, in a covenant sense, and therefore, they should have the token of the holy covenant applied to them, as God commanded concerning the holy seed. It is as much the duty of parents to apply the token to their children now, as it ever was. Indeed, God is reaching farther after the beloved offspring of believers. He now