390 RUIN AND RECOVERY, &C. Our daily and constant experience abundantly proves that this opinion 'of the universal and actual abolition of sin, and the curse brought in by Adam on his infant race must be a mere mistake. XII. And if it, should be said still, that this recoveryof mankind from the curse by Jesus Christ, so far as it belongs to infants, chiefly refers to their future state after death, and that it ensures salvation universally to all who die in infancy; I might very well answer, I. That neither do the words of that place of scripture, nor does its connection with the context discover this doctrine there and I think it wouldbe very hard to prove it without some clearer testimony of scripture. Besides, II. If we consult the word of God from One end to the other of it, we shall find no blessing or curse coming upon children in their very infancy, but by the covenant or conduct or character of their parents. If the children of Adam die, they are doomed to death together with him ; Rom. v. 12 -21. if Abraham's seed are blessed, it is together with their father ; Gen. xvii. 7-14. If the unbelievingJews are the branches broken of from the good olive tree, their little buds are broken off together with them ; and if the unbelieving Gentiles are grafted into it, their buds or tender offspring are grafted in together with them also ; Rom. xi. 17 -24. The scripture gives us no account of God's dealing with children it) their infancy, but as a part of their parents, and considered as one with them. Now how shall the children of wicked men, according to the current of scripture, be brought into this salvation by Christ, if their parents do not accept nor share in this salvation ? In the third place, III. I would enquire whether this opinion that all infants are saved, cloth not much more directly and abundantly expose children to the inconvenience of the foregoing objection, viz. by tempting wicked persons to send them to heaven, either by neg- lecting or destroying their lives upon earth, in order to convey them to certain happiness. A wicked man, or woman, who has never so many children, will be tempted upon this foot to say, why should I take any care of these children, let them come into the world as fast as they will, and'let them die as fast as they come ; there are so many more inhabitants of heaven ; and why should I nurse them up in life merely to bring them into the danger of hell ? Is not this a temptation much greater than that of sending them into non- existence ? IV. I add in the last place, that if all children, dying in infancy,'are certainly saved, what are the special privileges which are so often asserted in 'scripture to belong to the children of pious parents and the seed of Abraham, in having God to be their Goch ? Does not this sufficiently intimate some superior favour
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