Ver. 3 2, 3 3. xx th' Chapter of St: M Á T t FI E W. again : we know God bath made a difference between Infants The Scripture feem- eth to extend the merit Of Chrifts death to his. Church, eph. 5. 26, 27. And that . Infants of Believers, are born Members'of the Church, is out of qucftion To be fure, the Covenant taketh in our Children together with us. Gen. 22. i. I am thy God, and the God of thy feed. And thofe that never lived to difinherit themfelves of that bleffing, we have no Reafon to trouble our felves about them : God is their God, and knoweth how to inflate them in the Priviledges of the Covenant. "' Look, as we judge of the Slip, according to the Stock upon .which it groweth, till it live to bring forth Fruit of its own fo we judge of Children, according to the Pá= rents Covenant, till they come to Years of Difcretion to chufe their own way, and declare what have been God's Counfels concerning them. The Parents fprinkling the Blood on the Door - ports, faved the whole Family. 'Tis very reafonable therefore to think, that Infants, born in the Church, dying Infants, obtain Remiffìon of ori- ginal Sin by Chrift, what -ever become of others : For what Realon have we to judge them that are without ? r Cor. 5. r 2. And if God vouchfafe fomé the Remif- fion of that Sin which they have, out of his Mercy and Grace in Christ, they muff in the RefurreRion be in that State, .that they may enjoy Eternal Felicity. The Sum of the whole Matter is, That in this great Congregation Children fhall appear as well as Parents : But Children, dying Children, are reckoned to their Parents as 'a Part of them, or as an Appendage and Acceffion to them, whole Condition is likely to be the fame with theirs, as to Glorification, and Acceptance to Life: And with the Condition of others we meddle not, but leave them to God. The Scripture is (pa- ring of fpeaking of, them, to whom it fpeaketh nor. God fpeaketh more fully to grown Perlons, as thofe with whom he dealeth and treated' in the Golpel : He is not bound to give us an Account, how he will proceed with others ; yet for God- ly Parents Comfort, he bath more fully revealed his Mind concerning their Chil- dren, than the Children of Infidels, or wicked and open Enemies to his Truth. What -he may do to them as to their Original Sin, we cannot eafily pronounce as to ther Condemnation or Abfolution. Many alledge indeed, that they have an evil Heart, and a Nature that they would defpife the Golpel, if they had lived to re- ceive the Offer of it. I Anfwer, 'Tis true, they are by Nature Children of Wrath, as all are, EpheL 2. 3. and the 'Gofpel telleth us, who are the Serpentine Brood of a "tranfgretfrng Stock but how far God may Thew Grace to them, we know not : But for what they would do afterwards, that can make no Argument in this Cafe. For God being a molt juft, and mofe equal Judge, loth not judge his Creature for what is poffible, and future; but only for things that are paff, and aEluslly committed. He punilheth nothing hut Sins ; but things that are not, cannot be Sins. We crufh Serpents for their venomous,Nature, before they have aEtually done us any Harm : So may God deftroy Children ; but that he doth not alwayes do it, plain Experience . manifefteth. (2.) The next Diffin%tion is of thole, whom Chrift (hall find dead or alive at his Corn n;. Thole that are dead, (hall be raifed out of their Graves, and have the Spi- rit of Life reffored to them, that they may come to Judgment : Thole that are alive, Than undergo a Change like Death : r Car. 15. 51. We (hall not all fleep, bat we (hall all be changed. Thefe Bodies, as thus qualified, cannot brook the State of the other World. Now, there will be found both Good and Bad alive, at Chri ft's Coming : If all the Faithful were dead before, there would be force Time when God would have no Church upon Earth. Now, 'cis foretold in the Scriptures, that the Kingdom of Chríft, which confins in the Church, fhall endure for ever; and that of his Go- vernment there !hall be no end : As no Ìntermiffron, fo no Interruption. That therefore it may not be interrupted, force Believers there mull be, even in the very fall Times, by whom the Kingdomof Chrift may be continued in this World ; and come to joyn with the other Part of Chrifl's Kingdom, that is in the other World. Therefore, the Apoftle telleth us, r Theff. 4. r6, t7. The Dead in Chrill (hall rifefiryl, . and then we which are alive and remain, (hall be taught up together wits them in the Clouds, and meet the Lord in the Air ; and fo for ever be with the Lord. On the other fide, all the Wicked (hall not die for the Man of Sin is to be confumed with the Brightnefs of his Corning : Now, how fhall the Brightnefs of his Coming eomfitme him, if he were already abolifted, with all his Adherents and Fol- lowers ? 157 (3.) The
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