Of EleUion, elfe our thoughts would be unrighteous: Bu~ God's Revelation of his thoughts ~ ucmg only tndefinnc, does rather call for thiS •t our hands as a Duty, and it Chap. 6, becomes meet on our part to tlnni< m1 o1u of thofe Children holy, that are pre- ~ femed to us. Now the Trutb, ot R1ghteoufnefs of thmgs, lies in a conformi· . ty_ to ~he ir immed iate Rule; ., the Rule ofSpeech is not immediately the truth ot thtngs themfdvrs, bm the truth of the Appr~henGonof him that fpeaks it rlut he fpeaks but as he thinks, and ought to think: So is it here. ' So that, for the reconciling of All, confider but Three things drawn out of what was Iaft fpoken; unto which I tl1all add a fourth. Firft,where the variation ol our Judgments herein from Gods thoughts does firft come in; from whence it is, that rhey prove uneven: That 1t arifeth mcerly on our parts, and as it were upo11 a fccond remove ; and indeed, from the unmeetncfs that God lhould tell us all his mind, and rhe· uncapablenefs of us to know it , And fo, Secondly , That the Rules whereby we are left ro judge of their Efhtes muft necefTarily be larger than rhe reality: So as, if God would re– quire us ar all to judge any of them holy, and upon that judgment to perform luch and fuch duties to them as to Saints, then the Rules given us by God therem muft of neceflity be larger than the reality in the ev•nt will prove to be; feeing we could not know Mens hearts; nor was it fit that God lhould d•– fign the Perfons by Name. Thus it is in judging them of riper years: The Rules by which God hath .commanded us to judge Men holy, are larger than what in the event proves true: Foolijh Virgim are judged Wife by us, as well as thofe who really are fo. And yet on Our parts it is the will of God that we lhould judge them holy. And though at the Lltter Day, there will be found greater odds between our thoughts and Gods own thoughts concerning Men, yet ftill our thoughts will be found to hdve had a true conformity unto what Gods mind w>s, we fhould think. And why might not as large a Rule be given, to judge Infant< by, as to judge thofe of riper yem; tlut fo we might be fure to take in all Eled: Infants, and bring them ro God; though we bring many others befides? Even as by the Rules whoreby we judge Saints of riper years, we rake in all Etea, though, many other with them; which is necelfary if God will have it p•fs our Judgment; cfpecially feeing that con– cerning lnfnnts no other Rule can be given. And fo, Thirdly, Confider that therefore there is yet a Moral Harmony be. tween our thoughts herein and Gods mind about what is our dutie , though not nn Arithmetical Harmony between Gods thoughts and ours concerning the Children rhemfelves: Which is fufficient, feeing Revealed thi11gs 011/y, be– long to .uand oNrChildrm, and fecretthingsto God alo11t, whofe Glory it it to conctal a matttr. And let me add, Fourthly, That there will fall yet a oeerer Harmony than that limply Moral one (which notwithftanding were enough to juftifie this our judgment) For let 0ur Judgment be truly and rightly conformed to Gods Re– velation, and it will not in fame refped: fall much wide of Gods own fecret Judgment herein, nor from the reality of the thing it felf in the event. Fer though it be true thatthe application of this Revelation of Gods by us , will be to many more Perfons, than God intended, yet ftill if we do but conform our Judgment unto Gods Revelation, there will arife fuch coriflderations from the manner of it, as will red:ifie this calculation, and make all even again. ·For firfi, If our Judgment of fHch Infants be truly conformed to Gods indefi. nite Revelation as its Rule, then though when we come to Particulars, and count thefe Infants one by one, we do judge of any one, and fo (by lndud:1~ on) of every one of them, becaufe God hath fpokeri it indefinitely: Yet when we take them again into a general eonGderatton in the Lump, we w1<hal judge, that not every one of them are holy, but on the contrary , that ma– ny of them are unholy. And this becaufe God hath not Un1vcrfally fpnken 11 1 of all, but only indefinitely of fome. So as, when our minds form up a Lo– gical pwpofition of thefe Infants, binding them up in one buodle, and lay· ing them on one heap, we rhen judge as God doth, rhat nor all and every one are
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