Commentary on 1 John, Commentary · Chapter 2 · Verse 13
1 JOHN 2.13. The latter end.
I write unto you Babes, becauſe you have known the Father.
WE have heard of old men, and young men, now we come to his Apoſtolical writing to Babes.
Doct. Little Children, even Babes, may know God as their Father.
For the proof of this,
1. I will ſhew it by Examples, 1 Sam. 3 1. though at firſt he knew not, yet from that time forward he knew God, 2 Chron. 34. ſee it in Joſiah; ſo Timothy, it is ſaid that he knew the Scripture of a childe, 2 Tim. 2.15. Luke 1.15. and our Saviour bears teſtimony of little children, Suffer little children to come unto me, for to ſuch belongs the Kingdome of Heaven. Mark 10.14. and that they were little ones, we may ſee, in that he took them in his armes, as we uſe to doe infants, and whereas the Anabaptiſts ſay, he means not of theſe, but of ſuch as are of years but little children in grace, this cavill is vain, for otherwiſe his reaſon had been in vain▪ for he might have ſaid it as well of Sheep as little Lambs, for ſuch are Gods Servants, but yet he never mentions ſuch, but onelyonly theſe little ones, that is, little children.
There are Three grounds of the Regeneration of little children.
1. From the Originall Sin that they are born in, for they that are capable of ſin are alſo capable of grace, for no ſubject is capable of ſin but it is capable of grace, and the greateſt part of their ſin is the privation of grace, which they are capable of, Luke 1.15. Pſal. 58.3.
2. From their intereſt in the Covenant, they enter into a Covenant with God even from their childhood, as we may ſee, they brought their young Babes to enter into a Covenant with God, Deut. 29.10. to 14. and ſo are capab…e of grace, Joel 2.15, 16. In times of great dangers in the Land, God required little children and B…bes to humble themſelves for breach of the Covenant, which implies they were in a Covenant; indeed the Ninivets made their Beaſts faſt, and their Children, but they were Heathen, and were not within the Covenant.
3. Children are capable of the ſeals of the Covenant of Grace, Gen. 17.7, 8. therefore capable of the righteouſneſſe of faith, Rom. 4.11. ſo that we ſee little children may know God as their Father.
Q. How ſoon doe children come to be capable of this grace, to know God as their Father?
1. They are capable of the habits and gifts of grace from their firſt Conception, Luke 1.15. he was ſanctified from his Mothers womb, and the reaſon is, as ſoon as capable of ſin, capable of grace.
2. They are capable of the acts of grace, as ſoon as they are capable of the uſe of reaſon; yea Grace is ſubject to work more ſilently than Reaſon, though there be no act of grace, but it is from reaſon, yea they are capable of exerciſing grace and reaſon with it, ſooner then we diſcern it, even as ſoon as they can diſcern their Naturall Father, ſo ſoon may they diſcern God to be their Father; you ſee Children ſooner than they can well uſe reaſon, they content themſelves much with looking on the light, and Looking glaſſes, and other toyes; ſo theſe little Children, ſomething they have in their hearts which pleaſeth them, though they know not what it is, and as you can ſtill a Childe ſometimes by ſome geſture, ſo can God refreſh the ſpirit of a Childe by ſome ſilent conſolation which pleaſeth the Childe, though it cannot exp…eſſe it, but ſo ſoon as they begin to know their Naturall Parents, ſo ſoon they begin to know God their Father; nay, no object ſo eaſily known as God, ſeeing he infuſeth ſome light into all, eſpecially to know that there is a God, and if the Holy Ghoſt ſtrike in, they may diſcern that he is their Father.
Q. But how doe theſe expreſſe their knowledge of God to be their Father?
A. 1. They expreſſe it in their ſilent thoughts, in ſome inward comfort, which they cannot well expreſſe, but ſomething they feel which chears their ſpirits.
2. In their affections, they will ſhew you ſome love of God, joy in God, fear of God.
1. Love of God, ſo that they are not averſe or froward to good duties, but liſten to them, though they know not the meaning, and have ſome delight in them, and ſome fear of God, that tell them of God and his Judgements, they will be broken off from evill courſes, and they will be well pleaſed in God, and delight in his way, and fear him; theſe things may be found in a Childe; I call them Children till they be grown up to young men: and as a Child ſoon diſcovers that he knows his Parents, by ſmiling on them, by crying after them, and joying in them, ſo they will ſhew you their knowledge of God by delighting in him, longing after him, and fearing his name.
Ʋſe 1. To reprove the ſinfull vanity that is in that Proverb, A young Saint and an old Devil; for if St. John acknowledge it as a great matter, I write unto you Babes, becauſe you know the Father, then ſurely it is no ill preſage of their future miſcarriage, becauſe they begin to have the knowledge of God; no, it is a ſign that in old age they will know him that was from the beginning; nay rather on the contrary, if he be a young Devill, it is likely he will prove worſe, a young Devill an old Belzebub, but a young Saint an old Angel; you doe not uſe to think that it will make a veſſell fuſty if you ſeaſon it well at the fi ſt; ſo if a Childe be well ſeaſoned at the firſt, he will keep a good ſavour to his old age; a ſtraight twig makes a ſtraight tree, ſo if a Childe be well ſet, and ſtraight in Childe-hood, he will grow more ſtrong and compact when he is elder. Our Saviour was much moved, when they forbad little Children to be brought unto him, and when the chiefe Prieſts and the Scribes took it ill, that the Children cryed out after Chriſt, Hoſannah, thou Son of David, he told them it was written, Out of the mouthes of babes and ſucklings haſt thou perfected praiſe, Mat. 21.15. therefore let not ſuch a Proverb paſſe, if they prove old Devills they were never young Saints, but young Hypocrites it may be.
2 It refutes an error of the Papiſts, that think it a point of preſumption to ſay, that a man knows his ſtate in grace, why St. John writes it to all ſorts, to old men, to young men to Babes, that they know their Father.
If it were extraordinary it would not be ſo common; and this indeed may juſtly diſcourage us from Religion: that woman that holds it impoſſible that her Childe ſhould know his Father, is a Strumpet; ſo that Church that holds her children cannot know their Father, is an Harlot, becauſe they worſhip ſo many gods, they know not of what ſeed they be, for if they were begotten of the Seed of the Word, hereby we might conclude, we know that we know him, becauſe we keep his Word; neither let them put it off, and ſay, We have a conjecturall knowledge, but not a certain knowledge, for when we ſay we know ſuch a thing, we doe not ſay we think it; Opinion breeds conjecture, but Knowledge breeds certainty; Contingentium eſt opinio, neceſſariorum & certorum eſt ſcientia, whether it be à cauſis or effectis.
But ſay they, This Doctrin breeds preſumption.
I anſwer, No Doctrine makes us more circumſpect than to know that God is our Father, and if we grow ſecure, God will ſhew he is a Father as well to correct, as to ſhew indulgence.
Ʋſe 3. To confute the Anabaptiſts, that exclude Infants from Original ſin, and ſo from capability of Grace, and ſo from Baptiſm, therefore they rebaptiſe men, becauſe, ſay they, till then they are neither capable of Sin, nor Grace; how doth David then ſay, that he was conceived in ſin? how is it here ſaid of Babes, that they know their Father? and why were infants Circumciſed under the Law the eighth day; if they did but as well know God as ſome of theſe little Children, they would not hold ſuch an opinion ſo contrary to Scripture.
4. It reproves elder people, if they doe not know God to be their Father, if even Babes may know God to be their Father, if they know him ſo ſoon why doe we neglect it? St. John writes it as an ornament to Children, that they know their Father, and it may ſhame elder people, if Children in this point go beyond them, Heb. 5.12.
5. It may teach little Children, that God looks at it as their duty, to know God their Father; you have known your Naturall Fathers thus long, and why ſhould you not know God the Father of Eternity? you might hereby honour God, and confute elder men; you have entred into Covenant, therefore fly not back; you have received the Seals of the Covenant, therefore give up your ſelves unto God, and labour to know him to be your Father.
6. For Parents, and Governours of Children, if little Children may know God their Father, then learn them to know him to be their Father, and the Church their Mother; fill their heads with knowledge of God, learn them to love God, and rejoyce in him, and delight in his ways in ſome meaſure.
Motives hereunto.
1. In reſpect of God.
Firſt, From Gods command, Eph. 6.4. Deut. 6.7. take all good occaſions, dull them not, a little and often will bring them on; the water falling drop by drop hollows a Flint, ſo by dropping now and then a little, you will learn them the knowledge of God.
2. From Gods acknowledgement of it, and his Promiſe to reveal himſelfe to ſuch Parents, Gen. 18.19.
Secondly, In reſpect of Children, they are capable either to ſcoff, as the Children that mockt Eliſha, 2 Kings 1. or to cry Hoſannah, Matth. 21.15. though they be not ſo eaſily brought on to that which is good, yet they are not ſo corrupt then, as when they are grown up to more years.
3. In reſpect of Parents, it is an irrecompenſible injury you offer to your Children, if you have begot them into the World ſinfull and wicked, as we are by nature, and doe not ſeek by all means to redreſſe this evill, they will cry out againſt you for Judgement; therefore that they may not curſe you at the laſt day, let it be your care to bring them up in the knowledge and fear of the Lord.
What courſe may we take thus to redreſſe young Infants?
1. Teach them the Principles of Religion, their Baptiſm, that will teach them they are unclean by Nature, and that they are cleanſed by the Bloud of Chriſt; they were Baptized into the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt, therefore learn them to know God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghoſt, and that will make them think of it, when they ſee others baptized, Prov. 22.6. Train up a Childe in his way wherein he ſhould walk, and he will keep it to the end; nurture him, or initiate him in the trade of his way, in the original it is, in the mouth of his way, that is, at the beginning of his way, ſet him right at the firſt in his way, and he will keep to the end; if a Travellor be ſet right in his way at firſt, it will help him the better to keep his way all his Journey; ſo ſet a Childe in a good way, learn him to ceaſe from evill, and to doe well, and he will the better keep that way in his age, as David teacheth, Pſal. 34.11, to 15.
2. Learn them to read the Scriptures, and be converſant therein, 1 Tim. 1.4, 5. & 2 Tim. 3.15. reading brings much benefit to little Children.
3. Bring them to Church, and help them to remember ſomething, and tell them the meaning of it, and take a little in good part, and encourage them, and that will make them delight in it.
4. Give them a good example, let them learn no wickedneſſe, no diſorder, or miſcarriage from you, 1 Chro. 29.9. Know the Lord God of thy Fathers, &c. know him, and ſerve him, as I have ſerved him.
5. God hath ſanctified ſeaſonable and wiſe correction to Children, Prov. 29.15. Prov. 22.15. it is a means to give wiſdome, which is the fear of the Lord, and drive away folly, and more, to deliver his ſoul from Hell, but if you uſe correction without inſtruction, it is b…utiſh, Prov. 6.23. therefore inſtruct them alſo, and withall uſe Prayer, and ſtill wait on God for a bleſſing.