Lectures Upon Psalm 51, Part 5 · Lecture 55
Lecture LV. On Psalme LI. 5. April XXIIII. MDCXXVII.
Behold I was borne (or brought forth) in iniquity; and in sinne did my mother conceive me.
WE have already heard that David in suing unto God for the pardon of his sinnes, doth make confession of them unto God; And not content to have done it generally in the 3. verse; he doth it in the former verse, in this that I have now read and in that which followeth more fully, and particularly. I have done this evill that Nathan hath charged me with. Yea he amplifieth and aggravateth his sinne, by these three considerations. 1. Of the person against whom he had sinned, in the fourth verse, Against thee, thee onelyonly have I sinned, and done this evill in thy sight. 2. Of the fountaine and root whence these his sinnes did spring in this verse. 3. Of the knowledge and truth of grace that he had received from God, before he fell into these sinnes, in the verse following.
Now for the better opening of the words of this verse,Nota. (that so the Doctrine contained in it, may more naturally arise) two questions are to be moved, and resolved concerning this, what David meaneth by the iniquity and sinne that he heere complaineth he was borne, and conceived in. For the Anabaptists, and such others as gainesay the Doctrine of originall sin, and deny that infants stand guilty of any sin in the sight of God, object two things against the proofe that is brought out of this most pregnant place, against them.
First,Object. 1 The word iniquity (say they) that David saith he was borne in, is not to be taken properly in this place, for sinne but for the punishment of sin; and his meaning is no more but this; as if he should have said, I was borne in thy displeasure, and in the punishment which thou didst justly inflict upon all women for the sinne of Eve (Gen. 3.16. I will greatly multiply thy sorrow, and thy conception, in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children) in this punishment, in this sorrow, was I borne. And two reasons may be pretended for this interpretation. 1. That the word iniquity and sinne is oft in Scripture taken not properly, but by a metonymie for the punishment of sinne; as Gen. 19.15. Least ye be consumed in the iniquity of the city, that is in the punishment of the city. And Numb. 14.33. Your children shall wander in the wildernesse forty yeares, and beare your whordomes; that is, the punishment of your whordomes. 2. That the word Cholel that David heere useth, signifieth to bring forth with paine, and trembling, and commeth of the root Chol which signifieth to sorrow, and tremble, whereby it may seeme that David had in this word respect to the paines, and sorrowes his mother felt in her travell when he was borne, rather then to any iniquity that himselfe then stood guilty of.
Answ. 1.Now for answer unto this cavill I say. First, That though the word iniquity, be sometimes taken in Scripture not for sin but for the punishment of sinne; yet it followeth not, that it is so taken heere, but by that that you shall heare in my further answer to this cavill, and in the handling of the Doctrine, it shall appeare unto you, it cannot be so taken in this place.
2.Secondly, Though the word Cholel that David useth heere do in the primitive sense signifie a bringing forth with sorrow, and trembling, such as women have in their travell, yet it is farre more often and commonly used in the Scriptures, to expresse any kind of making or bringing forth of things, even without such sorrow or paine at all. As Iob 26.13. His hand hath formed the crooked serpent. And the son of God speaking of his eternall generation saith, Pro. 8.24, 25. When there was no depth, I was brought forth, before the mountaines I was brought forth. So Deut. 32.18. Thou hast forgotten God that formed thee. And Psal. 90.2. Before thou hadst formed the earth. And when the birth of man is spoken of, without all reference or respect to the sorrow and painefullnesse of his birth, Iob 15.7. He saith, Wast thou made before the hills? And Esa. 45.10. Woe to him that saith to his mother, what hast thou brought forth? So that it may well be that David heere speaketh of his birth, without any respect at all to his mothers paines, and sorrowes in it.
3.Thirdly, The iniquity that he speaketh of heere, he mentioneth for his further humiliation before God, that is the scope he aimeth at, in this place; as we have heard. Now he would never have mentioned the sorrowes, and paines his mother endured in his birth (as a punishment, and signe of Gods displeasure upon that sex for the sin of Eve) for to further his humiliation before God, at this time. The mentioning of those judgements God by Nathan threatned to bring upon himselfe, had beene much more effectuall to that end, then those that were upon his mother (specially so ordinary, and common to all women as that was) yet forbeareth he in this Psalme, to speake of them, at all. Nothing but sin troubled him at this time; he complained not of any punishment, he knew to be due to sin, but of his sin onelyonly.
4.Fourthly and lastly. The iniquity he speaketh of here he confesseth unto God, and craveth mercy of God for the pardon of it, he desireth God to wash him throughly, and to cleanse him from it. It is therefore certainely the sin he was borne in, and not any punishment of sin that he complaineth of in this place.
Quest. 2.The second question (rising from a second objection of the Anabaptists against this place) is this. Was it not the sin of his parents in begetting and conceiving of him that he heere complaineth of, rather then any sin of his owne, that he was guilty of in his first conception? And doth not the word in the originall imply so much, And in sin did my mother being in heate (of lust as Gen. 30.38, 39, 41. that which is translated conceiving is in the originall being in heate) conceive me.
Answ.I answer, no. It was not his parents sins, but his owne, that he here confesseth unto God. For First, It was no sinfull act in his parents to beget, and conceive him. For as marriage it selfe is no filthy and sinfull estate but reverend and honorable; according to that speech of the Apostle, Heb. 13.4. Yea it is commanded of God to them that have not the gift of continency, 1 Cor. 7.2. To avoid fornication, let every man have his owne wife, and let every woman have her own husband. So neither is the use of it in the marriage bed a filthy or sinfull act, but honorable, and undefiled as the Apostle there speaketh, Heb. 13 4. Yea commanded also of God, 1 Cor. 7.3—5. And though originall corruption be derived by it unto the child, yet is not the pollution and sin the parents, so much as the childs own; neither doe the parents so much defile and pollute the child in the begetting and conceiving of him, as the child doth the parents. In which respect there was no such uncleannesse by the ceremoniall law imputed to the man or woman, that had knowne one another in lawfull matrimony as there was to the woman that did beare and bring forth a child, Levit. 12.2.
Secondly, Admit that his parents had sinned in begetting and conceiving of him, yet would he never have been so humbled, nor so earnestly have begged of God the forgivenesse of their sin as he doth heere; for he knew God would not impute unto him the sin of his parents; according to that Ezek. 18.20. The soule that sinneth it shall die; the son shall not heare the iniquity of the father. It is therefore his own sin and corruption, that he bewaileth certainely; and not the sin of his mother, that conceived him.
Now the words of this verse being thus cleared two things are principally to be observed in them. 1. The doubling of the words of this complaint, he maketh of his naturall corruption. I was borne in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. As if he had said, so soone as I was borne; yea before that, so soone as I was conceived, or had any being in my mothers womb I was a wretched sinner, I had in me iniquity and sin, that is all manner of sin, the seeds of all sin were in me. 2. The word and note of attention, he setteth before this acknowledgement of his originall sin, and naturall corruption, Behold. As if he should say, this, this is it that abaseth, and humbleth me most of all, that doth much aggravate both my adultery, and my murder that they proceeded from so filthy and corrupt a fountain; that I have not only thus sinned against thee, and done this evill in thy sight, but that I have been wholly corrupted from the very womb of my mother, and brought with me into the world a very fountaine of all sin and corruption.
And the Text being thus opened doth offer unto us three speciall points for our instruction. First, That the youngest infant is guilty of sin. 2. That the sin that the infant is guilty of is derived to it by the parents. 3. That this sinne that every infant is guilty of, and which it derived from the parents, is the chiefe sin of all others, and that that maketh us most odious unto God.
The first Doctrine that we have to learne from hence is this.
That the youngest infant originally, Doct. 17so soone as it is borne or conceived is guilty of sin in the sight of God, and deserveth to be damned. Every infant is even by nature a filthy loathsome creature, and in himself by reason of his sin odious unto God.
Now before I come to the proofe of this point, three objections must be answered and removed that may breed in you a prejudice against it.
First,Object. 1 All infants (even the infants of idolaters, & most wicked men) are called innocents in the holy Scripture. For the Prophet Ier…my speaking of those infants whom their parents being wretched idolaters, offered in sacrifice to Baal and Molech saith, Ier. 19.4. They have filled this place with the bloud of innocents.
I answer,Answ. They are so called, not because they were without all sin in the sight of God; but First, In respect of men that shed their bloud for they had deserved no such things at their hands, that put them to death. And so speaketh the Prophet Psal. 105.38. They shed innocent bloud, even the bloud of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the Idols of Canaan. So the Scripture calleth all such innocents, and their bloud innocent bloud that men have put to death without just cause. And not only such as private men have slaine so, Pro. 1.11. Let us lurke privily for the innocent without cause; but even such as the Magistrate hath unjustly put to death, Exod. 23.7. The innocent, and the righteous slay thou not. And so we say of sundry that have been unjustly condemned, and executed for murders or robberies that they never committed, that they died as innocents, though they were otherwise most lewd, and wicked men.
Secondly. Infants may bee called innocents even in the Lords account, in comparison of other men; for they are not guilty of so much sinne as men and women are. 1. Though they have much corruption in them, yet is no corruption so strong in them, as in us. In which respect, Christ propounded them as patternes, and examples, even to his Elect disciples, and Apostles, Matth. 18.2, 3. Iesus calleth a little child to him, and setteth him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, yee shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven. And the Apostle, 1 Cor. 14.20. bids us to be as children in maliciousnesse. 2. Sin in them, is but in the seed, or bud, in us, it is growne to further ripenesse and perfection. And it is a greater degree of sinne, to breake forth into bad words, and actions, then to have evill thoughts only, Pro. 30.32. If thou hast thought evill, yet lay thy hand upon thy mouth. 3. The sins that wee commit, are in one degree or other, against knowledge. We hold the truth in unrighteousnesse, as the Apostle speaketh, Rom. 1.18. Wee violently and unrighteously suppresse, and smother the light that God hath given us. So do not infants; of them it is said, Deut. 1.39. that they have no knowledge betweene good and evill.
Object. 2.Secondly. The infants of the faithfull, yea, where but one of the parents is a beleever, are said, not to be uncleane but holy, 1 Cor. 7.14. Else were your children uncleane, but now they are holy.
Answ.I answer. They are so called, not because they are without sinne, but because (in the judgement of the Church) they are to be esteemed, not infidels, as other children of Pagans, but Christians, and beleevers, and holy, and true members of the Church of God, even because their parents are beleevers. Thus Paul speaketh of himselfe, and the rest of his country-men, Gal▪ 2.15. That they were Iewes (that is, members of the true Church) by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles. And in this respect also the infants of beleeving parents, have two priviledges above all other infants.
First. So soone as they are borne, they have title to the seale of Gods Covenant, and the Church may not deny it unto them. Thus it is said of the infants of the Iewes. Gen. 17.12. Hee that is eight dayes old, shall be circumcised amongst you. And of the infants of Christians also. The Apostle Peter, when hee had exhorted the three thousand converts, to be baptized, he giveth this for the reason, Acts 2.39 For the promise (whereof baptisme is a seale) is unto you, and to your children; to all your children, not only to the males, but to the females also; not onelyonly to them that were eight dayes old, but to all. And why may not the Church deny baptisme to any child of a beleeving parent? Surely because the Church is bound to esteeme every such child, not an infidell, but rather a beleever, and a true Christian. For a Turke or an infidell, the Church may not baptize. Well, this is (I say) the first priviledge that the children of beleeving parents have in this life, they have title to the Sacrament of Baptisme, the seale of Gods covenant.
Secondly, when the infants of beleeving parents do dye, yea, though they dye before they be baptized, we are in Christian Charity, to judge that they die in Gods favour, & in the state of salvation, For so did David of his child, though it dyed, when it was but seven dayes old (and consequently before it was circumcised, yea though he knew it was begotten in adultery) 2 Sam. 12.23. I shall goe to him, saith he. Which hee would never have said, if he had doubted of the salvation of the child. But you will (happily) reply upon this answer I have given to the second objection. Must the Church esteeme the infants of beleeving parents, to be holy, if they bee not holy indeed? And if they bee holy indeed, as the Apostle calleth them, how say you then in your Doctrine, that every infant is guilty of sin, and deserveth to be damned; that it is a most filthy▪ and loathsome creature, and odious unto God? I answer. 1. The Church is bound so to judge of these infants, by reason of the covenant God hath made with the beleeving parent, which wee shall read of Gen. 17.7. I will establish my covenant betweene me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 2. Though the Lord through his free, and gracious covenant do account, and make them holy, yet are they in themselves, and by nature, such as the Doctrine speaketh of, even most filthy and loathsome creatures, and odious unto God.
Thirdly,Object. 3 Of some infants it is said, that before they were borne, they were in the state of grace. For of Iacob God said before he was borne, Iacob have I loved, Rom. 9.11, 13. And of Iohn the Baptist, that before hee was borne, he had true faith in Christ. For assoone as the voice of Maryes salutation sounded in his mothers eare, he leaped in her wombe for joy, Luk. 1.44.
I answer.Answ. That though the Lord in his eternall decree, hath purposed to call many infants out of this cursed estate, and draw them out of this filthy puddle, that they were plunged into, and doe also indeed oft execute this his gracious decree upon them, by working faith, and sanctification in them, through his immediate power, or by applying Christ, and his merits unto them, yet are they by nature, such as the Doctrine hath described them unto us, even most filthy and loathsome creatures, and odious unto God.
Let us therefore now see the proofe of this Doctrine. 1. By the plain testimony of the holy Scripture. 2. By the judgments, whereby God hath from heaven revealed his wrath even upon infants for their sin.
And for the first,Proofe 1. we have here Davids owne testimony, that he was even by nature guilty of sin, and consequently worthy of eternall death; ye was he (we know) the Elect child of God. And what infant can be thought to be in better state by nature, then he was? So speaketh the Lord of all men. Gen. 8.21. The imagination of mans heart, is evill from his youth; or childhood. For the root from whence in the originall the word that is here translated youth, is taken, is used for a babe, Exod. 2.6. This is that also that Iob meaneth, who when he had spoken of mans birth, he breaketh out into these words, Iob 14.4. Who can bring a cleane thing out of an uncleane? As if he should have said, It is not possible, but man should bee filthy and uncleane, even in his birth. So speaketh Solomon, Prov. 22 15. foolishnesse (which in Solomons phrase, is nothing else but wickednesse and sinne) is bound in the heart of a child, as a fardle or packe on a horse backe, which hee can never of himselfe shake off. And lastly, thus speaketh the Lord of the whole nation of the Iewes, which were then the only Church hee had in the World. Esay 48.8. Thou wast called a transgressour from the very wombe. And as these five places prove, that every infant standeth guilty of sin so soone as it is borne; so this sin it standeth guilty of, is such as maketh it odious unto God, as is plaine by the Apostle, who speaking of himselfe, and the rest of Gods Elect, saith Ephe. 2.3. We all were by nature the children of wrath, as well as others.
Now for the second kind of proofes,Proofe 2. we shall find, that God hath beene very terrible in his judgements, even upon infants. See three notable examples of this, 1 Sam. 15.3. God commanded Saul to slay the very infants and sucklings of the Amalekites, and forbad him to spare, or shew pity to any of them. And Psal. 137.9. the Lord pronounceth him happy, that shall take the little ones of the Babilonians, & dash out their braines against the stones. And Gen. 19.25. we shall find that in the destruction of Sodom, none of the inabitants were spared, no not the infants & sucklings, but God rained down fire & brimstone even upon them. The like we shall find in these places also, Numb. 16.27. Eze. 9.6. Iosh. 7.24, 25.
If any shall say,Object. these were the children of most lewd men, Amalekites, Babilonians, Sodomites; and God forbid but there should bee a difference made between our children & theirs, or that ours should be as odious to God as theirs were.
Answ..I answer. 1. Many heavy judgments have befallen the infants even of Gods owne people; have not many of them bin born naturall fooles, or deafe, or blind? as we see Iohn 9.1. have not many of them beene smitten with many grievous and strange diseases? as Davids child was, 2 Sam. 12.15. 2. The infant of a Christian, yea, the elect infant is by nature no better then the infant of a Sodomite, as we heard out of Ephes. 2.3. 3. The sin of those infants that they stood guilty of, was the cause why the Lord, the righteous judge, did thus deale with them, Rom. 5.12. And hee hateth sin as much in our infants, as in theirs, without all respect of persons, Psal. 5.5.
Object. 2If any shall say, yet these were but temporall judgements that fell upon those infants, and doe not prove that any sin that is in infants, doth make them odious unto God, or doth deserve eternall death, Eccle 9.2.
Answ. 1.I answer. 1. That even those temporall judgements are in themselves fruits of the wrath of God, and part of that curse that is due to sin, Ephe. 5.6 And God even by these judgments upon infants, hath reveiled from heaven, that his wrath is due unto them, Rom. 1.18. 2, VponUpon infants they are more certaine evidences of his wrath against their sin, then upon his people, that are in yeares. For to them they are sometimes only for triall, 1 Pet. 1.6, 7. Sometimes onelyonly as chastisements, to reforme and better them, Ps. 119.67, 71. but they cannot be so to infants though I deny not but there may be an evasion for infants out of the cursednes of these judgments, 3. It is evident that God hath witnessed his wrath against the sin of infants, not only by hating their sin, but even their persons also. Rom. 9.11.13. And not only by inflicting temporall punishments upon them, but even by casting them into hell. For of those that perished in Sodom and Gomorrah, it is expresly said, Iude 7. that they were not onelyonly consumed with fire and brimstone, but that they suffered the vengeance of eternall fire. And the Apostle proving infants to be sinners by this argument, because death raigneth over them, Rom 5.14. sheweth plainly, he meaneth not a temporall death only, but such as he calleth condemnation, ver 16. Such as he opposeth to justification verse 16. and to eternall life, verse 21.
The reasons and grounds of this Doctrine are two.
Reason 1.First. Every infant so soone as it is borne, standeth guilty of the first sin of Adam, in whom (saith the Apostle Rom. 5.12. for so is that place to be rendred) all have sinned. Adam being then not as one particular person, but as the common stocke, and root of all mankind, that that he received by his creation, he received not for himselfe alone, but for all mankind; and that which he lost by his fall, he lost not from himselfe alone, but from all mankind. Therefore is this sin imputed unto all mankind, Esa. 43.27.
Reason 2.Secondly. Every infant hath originally from the very birth and conception, a sinfull nature, which consisteth in three points. 1. They have in them by nature no seeds, no inclinations unto any thing that is good indeed, I know (saith Paul, Rom 7.18) that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing. 2 Cor. 3.5. We are not sufficient of our selves, to thinke any thing as of our selves. 2. There is in them a naturall untowardnes unto every thing that is good, yea an aversenesse from it, and pronesse to shun and dislike it. The wicked (saith David, Ps. 58.3.) are estranged from the womb. Being alienated (saith the Apostle, Eph. 4 18.) from the life of God. 3. and lastly. There is in them a naturall pronesse, disposition, and inclination to every thing that is evill; as there is in the youngest whelpe of a Lyon, or of a Beare, or of a Wolfe, unto cruelty, or in the very egge of a cockatrice, before it bee hatched, which is the comparison that the holy Ghost useth, Esa. 59.5. And from hence it commeth that the imagination of mans heart (as the Lord speaketh, Gen. 8.11.) is evill from his very youth; and that (as David speakeh Psal. 58.3.) men goe astray so soone as they be borne.
Vse 1.Now the use that this doctrine serveth unto is. First, for confutation of the Anabaptist, who to maintaine his errour, that infants should not bee baptized, holdeth (with the Pelagians of old) 1. that they have no sin. 2. that there is no Originall sinne at all. 3. that no sinne commeth by nature, but it is learne… onelyonly by example, and imitation of others. 4. that all that die in their infancy shall certainely goe to heaven. Against these damnable errours, you have heard it evidently proved. 1 That all infants are sinners, and deserve damnation. 2. That many infants have bin vessells of wrath, and fire-brands of hell. 3. That all sin is not learned by example or imitation (for what example had Cain to teach him to be an hypocrite in Gods service, or to murder his brother?) but our very nature carrieth us unto it. Insomuch, as if it were possible to keep children from ever hearing a lye, or seeing the practise of any filthinesse, or cruelty, yet their very nature (upon occasion offered) would carry them to these sins.
The second use of this Doctrine is for instruction;Vse 2. to teach us what great need there is, that infants should be baptized; for this maketh greatly for the confirmation of the faith, and comfort of their parents for the present, and of their owne afterwards, that as they are by nature so filthy & loathsome in the sight of God, so the Lord hath in the blood of Iesus Christ (wherof the water in baptisme is a signe and seale) provided a laver to wash & cleanse them in, even the laver of regeneration, as the Apostle calleth it, Tit. 3.5. yea, a fountaine opened (as the Prophet calleth it, Zac. 13.1) for sin, & for uncleannes, sufficient to clense them from all this filthines, and corruption of their nature.
The third use that this Doctrine serveth unto, is both for exhortation, & humiliation also;Vse 3. to perswade us to observe and take notice of the sharpe and heavy judgements that oft light upon little ones; yea, to take them to heart, and to bee much affected with them, as with most evident demonstrations of Gods wrath against sin, even against the sin of our nature. We read of our Saviour, that when he was to cure the man that was deafe, and had an impediment in his speech, Marke. 7.34. hee sighed to behold that judgement of God, and signe of Gods anger upon man for sinne. How much more doth it become us to doe so in this case? The Lord in his judgements upon us, that are of yeares, may have other ends and respects (as we heard even now) but in those upon infants, he can have no other (if wee respect the infants themselves, and without consideration of Gods covenant) but onelyonly to make knowne upon them, his wrath against sin. Gods people were wont in certaine extraordinary cases, to bring their infants and sucklings with them, and made them to keepe fasts, 2 Chron. 20.13. Ioel 2.16. though these little ones were most unable, and unfit to doe it, that by beholding what was due even to the poore infants, and what misery they were in, through want of food, themselves might be more affected with, and humbled for their owne sins. And surely this use should we make of the miseries we see poore infants in oftentimes. For thus should every one of us reason with our selves, if God be so angry for the sin of the infant; alas, what measure of wrath is due to me, that besides the sin of my nature, wherewith I am every whit as much defiled as it can be, have so many actuall sins to answer for, and have sinned in a farre more odious manner, then this infant hath done? If this bee done to the greene tree (saith our Saviour Luke 23.31) what shall be done to the drye?
Fourthly and lastly,Vse 4. this Doctrine serveth for reproofe of such as thinke it folly to be offended, or troubled with the sins of little ones, with their lying, or swearing, or cursing, or profanesse in the time, and place of Gods worship. They are wise men (say they) that will bee troubled with childrens faults. O beloved, the very originall sin of the infant, the sin of his nature, before it doth thus burst forth, deserveth damnation (as you have heard) and maketh him odious unto God; how much more will these cursed fruits of the same doe it? See in an example, how odious the sins even of little ones are unto God in those forty that were devoured by Beares, for mocking of the Prophet. 2 Kin 2.23, 14.