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not comparing the mind or manners of little children with the divine law, and affirming their exact agreement with that rule of our sanctification: the comparison implied in his saying, is between the tempers and habits of a child, and the tempers and habits of a grown person. And what he means is, that his disciples should be instructed by observing the difference. If they would be his disciples indeed, and grow in meetness for glory and immortality, let them cultivate that spirit, which commonly distinguishes children from grown men and

women.

We have to enquire then, what this peculiarly child-like spirit is. And here our blessed Redeemer has not left us in the dark. The distinguishing feature in children which he fixes upon, and to which he directs our notice, is their humility. For the expression in the first clause of the text, to become as little children, is explained in the second clause, by humbling ourselves, as little children. The sum of what the text requires of us, as necessary to our entrance into Christ's kingdom, is included under the notion of a child-like humility.

Observe then how humility in children shows itself; and it will be very easy to see, how fit an emblem it is of that which we all need, in order to our right acceptance of the religion of Jesus Christ.

The humility of children is manifested, in the first place, by their peculiar docility or teachableness. Every body knows, I suppose, that an ignorant child is much easier to be instructed than an ignorant man. If you will set about the teaching of an ignorant man, you will in all probability find, that before you can stir one step towards informing his mind on the particular point you have in view, you have a lesson to inculcate very much harder than that would be, if he were but prepared for entering upon it. You have to convince him, that he stands in need of instruction, and that you do not insult him, by taking upon you to be his tutor. But the child has got this hard lesson already; he knows that he knows nothing; every thing is new to him-every thing is strange; and by his eager curiosity, and the multitude of questions which he asks, he sufficiently assures you, that he will be right glad of any information which you can give him, and that it has never entered into his head that you are not wiser than he. He is not at all affronted by the air of superiority which you necessarily assume in instructing him; he feels himself to be quite in his place as an enquirer, and that you are quite in yours as teaching him. That you take his entire ignorance for granted, does not in the least offend him; he expects that you should do so. He is not come to show you his learning, but to seek yours; and if he cannot understand your explanations of every thing, he does not therefore doubt your assertions. He takes your word for it, that things are as you tell him they are, and this he does readily, for he is sure that he knows nothing to the contrary; and, whatever may appear difficult or unaccountable, he is not ashamed to resolve into his own incompetency and immaturity of judgment. And if it were not so with children, who could teach them any thing? Now, another name for a Christian, is a disciple or learner. Religion is a knowledge of God, and of the method of salvation; and therefore depend upon it, the Christian has need of this same teachableness, and of the humility which is its root, or he will remain in the dark for ever. "Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? - there is more hope of a fool than of him." *" If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise."† You do know nothing of the way of salvation of yourselves; you never will know one jot or tittle + 1 Cor. iii. 18.

* Prov. xxvi. 12.

more than God tells you in the Scriptures, and you take his word for; and therefore, a childlike reliance upon your teacher, arising out of a child-like admission of your own ignorance and incapacity, is what you want to begin with. You have heard of the wisdom of Solomon ;if you will read the 3d chapter of the 1st book of Kings, you will there find how he got it: "The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is at this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or to come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?" Solomon received wisdom, because he had grace to ask it of God: but he asked it through the previous grace of an humble spirit, because he saw himself to be as a little child in incompetency for his work. If you will seek wisdom unto salvation in the same spirit, you also shall be "taught of God."

Religion however, though it is a knowledge, is not merely a knowledge: it is a submission of the will to the divine commandment, as well as of the understanding to divine instruction; and there is no entrance into the kingdom of heaven, without both of these. Once again, therefore, let us look to the little child: children are selfwilled it must be admitted, but not as compared with men. Unless they have been spoiled by foolish indulgence, or discouraged by capricious severity, they are (in comparison with their elders) not only teachable, but also tractable, or disposed to yield to authority: they look for it that their parents should have their own way in all serious things without consulting them; and are satisfied that they should put them under such tutors and governors as they see fit to trust. They seldom dream that they themselves are to have a voice in such matters, or that they are to decide upon the propriety of those rules of discipline, by which themselves are to be governed. In general, they have so much confidence both in the affection and in

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