Of EleClion. rhey arc Eleel:, t ben thofeof nper years, thoughuncalled, might have been ~ wcluded; but he lays, They tlre holy , for thm prefent Stare; which is Chap.6. rr.ore. ~ And fecondly, This isconfonant to Reafon ; for there is, nor could be any orber Rule to judge of Infants holioefs, th•n this of their Parents covenant : But tor rhofe of riper years, there is another Rule: So as, either they are al· together excluded from this Judgment, or <lfe Principally meant, Others 11and upon their own Bottom, and Tefiimonial for our approbation of them . but the le poor Lambs have nothiog to fbew for ir, but that they are thti; Chzldrm : Neither could there any other Rule have been given about th em. And thirdly, Add this moreover to it, that it was as meet there {hould be fame Ground, or Rule, or warrant for us to judge and efieem them to be holy, ( fo far., to perform all fuch dues to them , as belong to Saints of their Age) as well as a Rule for thofe of riper years. For fir!t, Seeing God bath fuch a Number of Elect among them, who make ( it may be) rhe greatel1 Parr of his Church (I mean thofe of them that dye w ho are as many as thofe who Live) it was meet that they thould be f~ judged, that fo God might have the Glory of his Election among them ac– ltnowledged. Secondly, feeing he on purpofe drew them through their Parents Loins, as a refpect unto their Parents; it was meet, that they fbould have a ground of Faith for them, that fo they might not lofe the comfort of it, nor God the th:tnks from them. Thirdly , In refpect to tlfe Children themfclves that are Elect; that they that are fo, might not want their due honour and efieem, but be owned among their Brethren for.fuch , neither want a vifible means of bleiling, and Tefii– mony of Gods Favourto them. Th.rdly , If tile~1el1ion be made, wh~t manner of Judgment this ought to be ; I anfwer. 1. It is not a meer Judgment of Charity, in that Seofe that fuch a Judg– ment is vulargly taken in, which is, 1. When we cannot abfolurely fay the contrary,but that fuch an one is holy : And therefore Men ufually think themfelves bound to call and account fuch an one tobe a Saint, though they know nothing out of which to make up fuch a Judgment, But that is not Ground enough to judge one a Saint, nor to ac– count Children holy ; for in calling one a Saint, or Holy, we give a Tefiimo– ny, we do flatturt, and affirm; and that mufi alwaies have a Pofitive Ground, not a meer Negative. Yea, of all Men, and of Children, we do !mow enough to the contrary, namely that by Nature they are Unholy, and conceived in Sin : T here is a prejudice laid in, and therefore fomething mufi come between, that is Pofitive, to take it off, and to give fame evidence perfwading us that one is holy and JanClifted; our Ci1arity otherwife is not to think fo; 'Tis true, Charity brlieveth alJ things; but then firft it mufi have had a Ground to be· lieve well of a Man ; the thing muft be credible, it mufi be an objct\ of Faith that may draw forth an effent, and then Charity is to help Faith, and not to be fulpicious : But upon a meer knowing nothing to the contrary, for to be– gin to believe a thing, is not Faith, but Folly, Secondly, Men take the Judg!llent of Charity for a meer [it may be;] what may prove fo or fo, in the event, they think in Charity they are bound tobe– lieve fuch. But when the Apolile here calls us t0 judge Believing Parents Chtl· dren holy, it is a further thing than an (it may be, l and fo, than fuch a kmd of Judgment of Charity. The Apol1le (you fee) lays of futh Chtldren thry "" h9ly; which is more than an [it may be; J and of other Chtldren he fays they are u•cletm: And yet with fuch a Judgment of Charity we are to thmk of all Children, that [it may be] they may be holy. In the 16. vrrfe fpeak– ing of the Converfion of the Husband, he faith, what knowrf/ thou but that t h•u Jhatt .fave thy Husband/ but here oftbe Children he fays more; he fays, theyart holy : And not only, wbat knowefi thou but that they may prove holy? A[ what knowejl thou] is the ordmary Judgment of Chanty; but [ now
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