treasures, — their comparatiye humility, harmlessness, and freedom from deceit, — are points in which they furnish believers with an excellent example. Happy is he who can draw near to Christ and the Bible in the sjmt of a little child !
*' Out of such as little children," the Church of Qtod on earth ought to be constantly recruited. We should not be afraid to bring them .to baptism even in their earliest infancy, and to dedicate them to Christ from the beginning of their days. Useless and formal as baptism often is, it is an ordinance appointed by Christ Himself. Those who use it with prayer and faith may confidently look for a blessing.
^' Of such as little children," the kingdom of God in glory will be largely composed. The salvation of all who die in infancy may confidently be expected. Though sin has abounded, grace has much more abounded. (Bom. V. 20.) The number of those in the world who die before they *' know good from evil " is exceedingly great. It is siurely not too much to believe that a very large proportion of the glorified inhabitants of heaven, will be found at length to be little children.
Let us leave the whole passage with a deep sense of the value of children's souls, and with a settled resolution to " put on the mind of Christ " in all our dealings with them. Let us regard children as a most important part of Christ's professing Church, and a part which the great Head of the Church does not like to see neglected. Let us train them from their earliest infancy in godly ways, and sow the seed of Scripture truth in their minds, with strong confidence that it will one day bear fridt.
LUKE, CHAP. XVItl. VER. 15 — 17. 269
lie* US believe that they think more, and feel more, and consider more, than at first sight appears ; and that the Spirit is often working in them, as really and truly as in old people. Above all, let us often name them before Christ in prayer, and ask Him to take them under His special charge. He never changes. He is always the same. He cared for boys and girls when He was upon earth. Let us not doubt that He cares for them at the right hand of God in heaven.
Notes. Lukb XVIII. 15—17.
15. — [And they brought, dc.'\ The coonection between this passage and the parable preceding it should not be overlooked. Our Lord had just been speaking of humility. He now gives a practical illustration of His delight in humility, by His treat- ment of little children.
[Infants.l Let this word be carefully noted. The Greek word admits of only one sense. It is children of the youngest and tenderest age. It is the same word used in Luke i. 41, 44. ii. 12, 16; 1 Peter ii. 2. It is impossible to interpret the expression as meaning young persons come 'to years of discretion.
[Touch them."] There is reference here in all probability to the Jewish habit of laying hands on a child and blessing it. We have an instance in the case of Jacob blessing Joseph's cEildren. (Gen. xlviii. 14.)
[ Tliey rebuked Him^ Comparing this passage with the parallel one in St. Mark, we see that it was the persons who brought the children who were rebuked by the disciples.
10. — [Jetus edUed them.] The word " them " in this place applies to the infants, and not to their parents and friends. Our Lord specially addressed himself to llie children.
IQfweh is the kingdom of Ood.] Considering the Terse which follows these words, and the parable which precedes it, it seems probable that the principal idea in our Lord's mind was to set before us the beauty of a humble and child-like spirit, and to comniend such a spirit to his disciples for imitation. We need not however exclude from this sentence the other and frirther m^eanings which I have mentioned in the exposition.
Undoubtedly the expression is not a proof of infant baptism. fo establish the right of infants we must look elsewhere, — to
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