Use. 1. To })ress ])arents to bless God for the rich grace of the cov- enant. Ah, consider not only your persons are accepted with God, but also your seed, by virtue of which the merit of Clirist is applied, and the Spirit of Christ infused into them, leaving God to the liberty of his counsel. Oh, how greatly doth the Lord love those that fear him ! He cannot satisfy himself in doing good, only to other persons, but will do good to their children and posterity for their sakes. So that though they are broken off by their positive unbelief and apostasy, yet as the Jews were hated for their own sake, yet they are beloved for their fathers' sake, and therefore they shall be again grafted into the stock ; so they are under the care of providence until they are converted. Oh, how should we entertain the gi-ace of the covenant with humility and reverence, and stand and wonder that God shoidd not only accept our
88 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XXY.
worthless persons, but also graft our seed into the stock of grace. When God came to tender the covenant to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 3, it is said, ' Abraham fell upon his face,' a posture of humble reverence, as won- dering at the large and diffusive mercy of God ; and David, 2 Sam. vii. 18, 19, when God had taken him into covenant and his children, ' 0 Lord God, what am I ? and what is my father's house, that thou hast brought me hitherto ? ' that thou hast heaped so many privileges upon me. ' And yet this was a small matter in thy sight, 0 Lord God ; for thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and is this the manner of man ? ' He stands wondering at grace. Natural love like a river is descending : it runs downward. AH our care next to our souls is for our children ; for in them our life is multiplied and continued in the world. Children are the parent mul- tiplied; therefore one saith of children. They are 'a knotty eternity ; ' when the thread of life is run out, there is a knot knit, and it is con- tinued in the child. Therefore what a mercy is it that God hath not only provided from eternity for our souls, but hath spoken a good word concerning our house for a great while yet to come, that he will continue his grace in our line.
Use 2. It should encourage parents to found a covenant interest in their own persons. Oh, lay the foundation of it in yourselves ! Ps. ciii. 17, ' The mercy of God is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children.' Oh, it is much that it is from everlasting to everlasting ; that we may go from one eternity to another ; that we may look backward and see purposes of eternal grace, and look forwards to see possessions of eternal gior)'. But this is not all his righteousness unto children's children ! Learn to fear God ; that is the best way of providing for your children. We all seek the welfare of our children. You may heap up riches and honour upon them, and leave a curse with it ; you may entail them an estate, and wrath with it ; but leave them a covenant interest, that is an excellent inheritance. Wicked parents do as it were stop the way of God's mercy from descending upon their posterity ; at least, they do not open a passage and channel, that grace may run down freely and with an uninterrupted course. God often threatens, that ' The posterity of the wicked shall be cut off,' Ps. cix. 13. You may not only injure your own souls, but your posterity. Oh, for your poor babes' sake, learn to fear God, that you may not leave them to the wrath and displeasure of God! It is said to Cain, Gen. iv. 10, 'Thy brother's blood crieth to me from the ground.' iSome commentators infer that Cain was accountable not only for the murder of Abel himself, but for the murder of all the holy seed that should come of his loins. God will require not only the neglect of your own souls at your hands, but visit you for neglecting your children ; that you have not taken a course to open a passage, that grace may descend to them.
Use 3. Here is comfort to believing parents concerning their children dying in infancy. We should not doubt of their salvation, unless we should wrong the covenant of grace. To what end doth God say, I am your God, and the God of your seed ? Consider, Jesus Christ himself was the advocate of children, and would plead their right against his own apostles, when they thought Christ would have nothing to do with children : Mat. xix. 14, ' Suffer little children to come unto
VeR. 6.] SEEMONS UPON HEBREWS XL 89
me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven' — suffer them to come ; I have provided heaven for them, as well as for others. And Christ that hath said, ' Of such is the kingdom of heaven,' certainly will find out a way how to settle the title upon them, and to enstate them into the kingdom of heaven. David, when his child died, comforted himself in this : 2 Sam. xii. 23, ' But now he is dead, where- fore should I fast ? Can I bring him back again ? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.' It is not only meant of the state of the dead, that were a brutish argument, but ' I shall go to him ; ' the meaning is, to the glory of the everlasting state ; nay, though they die without the seal of the covenant. The Hebrew children were murdered as soon as born, Exod. i. 22 ; and Mat. ii. 16. The children of Beth- lehem shed their blood by martyrdom, before they shed their blood by circumcision, and therefore leave them in Christ's arms.