Canons of Dordt (18)

What a great privilege it is if we may have a place of worship where the truth is faithfully proclaimed! It is also a great responsibility what we do with the Word of God. There are those who have impressions, especially in their younger years, who do not live at ease but faithfully use the means of grace. There are those who sincerely desire to serve the Lord but see how they fail in everything. There are the smoking flaxes and the bruised reeds. There are also those who show that they want to serve the world and who give themselves up to the pleasures of the flesh.

Our fathers addressed those three different kinds of hearers in a pastoral way with encouraging, but also with warning, instruction. However, there are also little infants who never heard the Word of God proclaimed to them, and who die in their infancy. We read of them in Article 17.

Since we are to judge of the will of God from His Word which testifies that the children of believers are holy, not by nature, but in virtue of the covenant of grace, in which they, together with the parents, are comprehended, godly parents have no reason to doubt of the election and salvation of their children whom it pleaseth God to call out of this life in their infancy.

When little children are taken away, many questions may arise in the hearts of parents and relatives, questions concerning their eternal destination. For many in our days, there is no doubt that all those little and "innocent" children go to heaven. How could God punish such precious, tender little ones? However, David knew that he was not such an innocent little one when he was born. He said in Psalm 51:5, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." He knew that he was corrupt from the very beginning of his life, even in his mother's womb. We read in Job 14:4, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one."

Therefore the Lord Jesus did not bring His human nature out of heaven, but was conceived in the womb of Mary by the work of the Holy Ghost, and born and laid in a manger in Bethlehem's stable.

Our entire lives are corrupt from the very beginning. Little children are by nature also included in the fall and race of Adam and are therefore children of wrath, who cannot enter into the kingdom of God except they are born again.

The Remonstrant view

For the Remonstrants there was no question where the little children would go. They believed in an election because of a foreseen faith, and a reprobation because of unbelief. Little children cannot exercise faith; therefore they cannot be elected because of such a foreseen faith. However, reprobation is because of unbelief, when man willingly rejects the grace that is offered to him. Little children, the Remonstrants said, cannot manifest such an unbelieving rejection; therefore they cannot be reprobates. Furthermore, the Remonstrants taught that God descends from the throne of His justice and ascends the throne of His mercy so that all children who die in their infancy will be saved. They accused our Reformed fathers that with their doctrine of sovereign election they condemned all these young children. However, this was slander and absolutely untrue.

This article has to be understood in the light of these false accusations.

A stumbling block

To the Remonstrants the sovereignty of God in electing sinners in His good pleasure was a stumbling block and an offense. How little did they understand the comfort in the teaching of God's good pleasure. For this good pleasure of the Lord is the cause of the salvation of those who would never have asked for God. When children grow up and come to "the years of discretion," this good pleasure of God will be realized in the way of faith and repentance. No, this does not mean that faith and repentance are the grounds of salvation, for this is only Jesus Christ and His blood and sacrifice. Because of God's good pleasure, He has His chosen ones also among those who die in infancy. Our feeling should not be the ground of our hope, nor should our reasoning be the basis of what we believe concerning these children. What does Scripture say of these things?

Examples in God's Word

God's Word clearly testifies of young children whom the Lord took to Himself, for instance the child of David and the child of Jeroboam. It was a great comfort for David when he could say concerning his child, "I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

God has often comforted believing parents with His own Word and testimony. That Word speaks of God's covenant and of His mercy, which is "from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto children's children."

No, we do not believe in baptismal regeneration. Holy baptism, however, is an ordinance of God that seals unto us and our children His covenant. And it is true, it is necessary to make a distinction between an external and an internal relationship to this covenant. Isaac and Ishmael both were covenant children. The one would perish, and the other would be saved. The same applies to Jacob and Esau. The one was chosen, the other rejected. There are two kinds of covenant children, and our fathers have tried to express that in different wordings, but they made very clear that this distinction should be maintained.

The privilege of the gospel preaching

It is a great privilege to be under the ministry of the covenant and to live under the gospel proclamation, in which a rich Christ is proclaimed, through whom the vilest sinners can be saved. It is a great blessing, but also a great responsibility. However, it is necessary to be incorporated into the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prayer in the form for baptism says, by a new birth, by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, also in the hearts of young children.

Our fathers rejected the false accusation of the Remonstrants. No, they did not say that little children who die in their infancy are lost. They spoke of little children of believers as being "holy, not by nature, but in virtue of the covenant of grace."

However, as there are two kinds of covenant children, so we must also make a distinction among those who confess the truth. There are also two kinds of parents in the visible church. There are external and internal believers. Those external believers are still unconverted and are not incorporated into the Lord Jesus Christ. Only the true believers are the heirs of the benefits of the covenant.

Godly parents

It is very evident that our fathers made a distinction here, for they spoke of godly parents. These are parents who fear the Lord in truth, who have received saving faith and therefore belong to their faithful Savior Jesus Christ. Godly parents are those who have an experiential knowledge of their state of death in Adam, who have learned to weep because of their sin and guilt and to accept God's righteous judgment. They have signed their sentence of death, but they have also received knowledge of that full and free salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit revealed that to them, and their hope is in Him and His perfect work alone. Those godly parents know indeed that little children are not innocent, for they saw themselves as being conceived and born in sin.

Those parents also know that God is just in all His ways, and they have learned to bow under Him in all their sorrow and grief. No, then there was no arguing with Him, no rebellion, but a quiet submission, also when God took away a little one. What a joy it was when it pleased the Lord to show these parents that their child was with Him in heaven.

No, the Lord is not under any obligation to reveal these things, but it has often pleased Him in His sovereign mercy to make this known to the comfort of these parents. For such God-fearing parents, our Reformed fathers have written this article, to encourage them. Also little children will forever glorify their Maker and worship the Lamb of God.

The kingdom of heaven

In the Sermon on the Mount we read of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven, their characteristics, and their privileges. The Savior testifies in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." This will also be true for little children. No, then this is not, as the Remonstrants say, a cruel teaching, but we find here a firm comfort. There will also be a multitude of little children before the throne of God. There are children who here never have seen the light of the sun, or perhaps just for a little moment, but who forever will behold the light of the Sun of righteousness. There are little children who here never have spoken, who were not able to do so, but who forever will sing to the glory of God and will show forth His praises. There are little children who here never could walk because of their early age when they were taken away, but who will there forever leap with joy to the honor of God. There little, ignorant children will know Him perfectly and worship Him.

From generation to generation

We often hear that it is a dark time in which we live with our children, and this is certainly true. The darkness is also evident in that there is so little pleading with the God of the covenant to show His covenant mercy unto our children. Yes, our children are by nature as wicked and corrupt as heathen children, but they are set apart, and God has promised that He will remember His covenant from generation to generation. This should not lead to presumption but should be a pleading ground in our prayers for the little ones, for the boys and girls, and our dear young people. This true pleading is also a gift of God, but we should seek this, bow our knees, and storm the throne of grace for mercy upon our children. Where are the pleaders, the intercessors, among us? No, these may not be loud talkers, but perhaps quiet and certainly humble supplicants at the throne of grace. Nevertheless, not our pleading will be the ground of hope, because this is also polluted by sin, but what David once said, in 2 Samuel 23:5, "Although my house be not so with God; yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He make it not to grow."

God still builds His church, also in our sad, dark days. He uses marriages for the fulfillment of His counsel. Therefore children have to be born, also for the extension of God's kingdom. What a blessing it is when our marriage may be used for this. In the multitude of His subjects is the King's glory. He is so worthy to be served.

— to be continued —

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