patient waiting for his promises. You can further understand, why He adopts often language expressive of human sympathies, when our ways are either evil or good'.

3

Under these feelings, with what holy confidence do you heed the gospel-call to bring your children to Christ now, that his preventing grace may be at hand to grow with their growth, and strengthen with their strength; rising victorious over the ripening passions: checking the evil they would induce, fostering the good they would destroy'. What a calming thought to your parental fears, that the blessing their Saviour now vouchsafes to them, is sealed in the holy ordinance, whereby, according to his command, you have made them his! What a soothing hope, that if in after years the helpless babe now solemnly devoted to God, be so tossed by the waves of this stormy world, that sorrow and misery be his portion— if troubles multiply; if disappointment, poverty, sickness, bring accumulated ruin; if he be forsaken of the world-your heart knoweth that he will not be forsaken of his God. The gracious Being who once blessed him, "will never leave, never forsake him." God forsakes man never. If they be separate, it is, that man forsakes God. Nay, faith whispers to you, that

1 The wicked "grieve him at his heart." Gen. vi. 6. With respect to the righteous," he rejoiceth over them for good."

2 Exactly so the wise husbandman provides good seed, and sows it in his field, that he may pre-occupy the ground; lest tares find entrance there, and spring up to his ruin.

3 2 Cor. i. 21, 22. "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."

4 "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God.”

even such afflictions to one who is in covenant with God through Christ, are sent in mercy for Christ's sake, to win back, by an earnest repentance, the soul which may have erred from Him.

Methinks, the more you thus meditate, the more highly you will prize, and the more gratefully cling to this anchor of your hope. Is there aught the world could give you of power or influence, riches or enjoyment, which would induce you to risk for your child loss of the blessing conveyed to him in this hope? Forbid it, gracious heaven!"-is the secret language your heart and as you hang over his infant smiles, you delight to remember his covenant with God at this holy ordinance, where, in all its freshness, shines the promise of the Saviour's blessing, the Father's love, and the Spirit's comfort.

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It were needless to remind you, a Christian parent, that though the divine blessing alone can bring your patient training to a prosperous issue, you must not be wanting in the most strenuous exertions. No relaxation in your watchfulness, no fancying your work done, whilst reason is yet young, and your counsel and guidance can avail for your child's benefit. The holy Scriptures are particularly explicit on this point; as well for the encouragement of the good, as the warning of the bad. If parents suffer the spiritual welfare of their child to be neglected, and, owing to that neglect, he perish in iniquity, God's severe anger will be upon them, and dreadful must be the remorse awaiting them. If, on the other hand, they strive to the utmost in training him to holiness and virtue; yet, after all, he perish-grieve they will and must-but the responsibility is not theirs. They are free from his sin. The

father, in that case, "beareth not the iniquity of the son'." Nay, rather, you are encouraged to a careful and unwearied training of your children with reference to their eternal interests, by the soothing and gratifying assurance which the Word holds forth to you, that "your labour is not in vain in the Lord;" and also, by the encouraging hope which a mother's love so quickly catches, that the special favour with which, as the Gospel shows, the Lord of life regards "little children," will keep them safe even to the end.

UPON this view of a parent's privilege in bringing children to baptism, is founded the exhortation which follows it, reminding you that, in your work and labour of love, you are fulfilling the Saviour's own command. It gives additional point to the Scripture itself, by contrasting severally the rebuke and the encouragement conveyed-our Lord not only encouraging the willing mind, but rebuking the backward; mortifying at once pride of heart and pride of intellect. We find Him, first, declaring, that "whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein;" and then affording a practical illustration of his doctrine, by "taking up these little children in his arms; putting his hands upon them and blessing them 2.

1 Exodus xviii. 20. The whole of the chapter claims from Christian parents and their children the deepest consideration.

2 The expression adopted by the Church is peculiar. She infers from the Scripture respecting little children, that our Lord "exhorteth

Nor doubt as to bringing your children to Christ, because they are unconscious of your act of faith. They are equally unconscious of their own imputed sin, which renders that act necessary;—yet, even so, no mark of endearment was wanting from the gracious Redeemer, to win their confiding love; and convince them of his favor. His very "outward gesture and deed declared his good-will towards them."

Surely ample encouragement is here given for the humble but animating hope that the same gracious Being, who changeth not, will likewise so favourably receive those infants who now from time to time are brought to Him. We are to rejoice therefore in the goodness and love of God, who there offers his preventing grace-grace which shall prepare the souls of your children for probation: fitting them to meet coming trial, haply removing from their course many an evil, unseen even by your anxious eye, and guiding them safe through all dangers. We are too apt to forget how much we owe to this preventing grace. It is our good angel to clear our way for us. That this is no fancied view of the power of the Holy Spirit you can bear ample testimony from your own experience. Where is the doubt, which in answer to prayer, this Spirit has not been at hand to remove? Where the danger, which it has not given you power either to

all men to follow their innocency." By which term we are to understand her as speaking of their simplicity and teachableness of mind before men, and the absence of wilful sin; not freedom from imputed sin through Adam's transgression. It is because they are not innocent of imputed sin, that they are brought to Christ in baptism; whereby the sin imputed by the first Adam may, as we humbly trust, be removed by the imputed righteousness derived from the second Adam.

escape or to overcome? And shall not the same Spirit be vouchsafed to your dear and loved children? Your God is their God. It were impossible then to doubt his favourable acceptance of a service entered upon at his command, and according to his ordinance. Still further, however, to encourage your hope of gaining the divine blessing upon this your charitable work, you proceed to offer a prayer, uniting fervent praise for your own call to the knowledge of God's grace, with an earnest supplication that the same grace may, in all its holiness, all its comfort, all its power, be vouchsafed to the infant about to be baptized.

CHAPTER XII.

THE PRAYER.

"Almighty and everlasting God..

now and ever."

OBSERVE how instructive as well as comprehensive is the opening of this prayer! First we are powerfully reminded both of the extent and nature of God's mercy towards ourselves, and of the weighty responsibility which lies upon us rightly to apply it. What but infinite mercy, and the free undeserved exercise of it, led an offended Creator to plan his glorious scheme of redemption, and "according to his own purpose and grace," bring man to the knowledge of it by faith in Christ Jesus? And what does that knowledge reveal to us? God is presented to us as the object of our faith under new and endearing relations-a reconciled Father, a prevailing Mediator, a holy Comforter. But nothing less than infinite love could have

J 2 Tim. i. 8.