I believe the Scriptures do not teach in a formal or doctrinal way the salvation of infants who die as such; nevertheless, I do infer from the Word that those who die before they come to years of responsibility, are saved. I base this inference on the character of God as revealed in His Word. It is God's will, the desire of His heart, that all men should be saved (i Tim. 2:4). No one can therefore claim that there is any hindrance on God's part. The hindrance lies wholly on man's side-in man's will, in fact :"Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40); "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3 :19). Therefore if any one is excluded from being blessed by God, it is their contrary will that hinders.

Now the Lord positively states in Matt. 18 :14, " Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." And I ask, Where there is no contrary will, will God's will fail ? Surely not. The Lord takes a little child's character as a model for the disciples -in fact, for us all-just because it is the very expression of dependence, of trust, and humility. Therefore Christians are exhorted to become "as little children." Once more I ask, and press it, If a little one dies, can it perish-it being God's will it should not, and it not having a will of its own to the contrary ?

What a comfort this is to sorrowing parents when their precious little one leaves this world, to know that the Saviour, who, while upon earth, took the little ones in His arms and blessed them, is, willing to receive them in heaven, and to give them a place in His kingdom.

Now let us look at certain objections urged against this, to see if they contradict this inference.

It maybe questioned if the Lord in Matt. 18 :14 refers to little ones, or to those that resemble such (as He had been speaking of both in what goes before in this chapter). This is a weighty objection, if a true one. I do not believe this objection exists at all in the chapter, if carefully looked into. The Lord took a little child, set it in the midst of His disciples, and in order to teach them a much-needed lesson, tells them that except they be converted, which means changed from their self-importance (see verse i) to a condition of dependence and humility (see verse 4), the very things that characterize a child, and become thus as little children, they would in no wise be fit to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Thus, if any one did become as a little child, what characterizes a little child would characterize him, namely :dependence, trustfulness, meekness, inoffensiveness, without retaliation. Such an one shall meet with offenses in this wicked world, but woe to the one that offends such a truly meek and humble follower of Christ. Mark what a blessed and honorable place such a Christian would occupy in the kingdom. He should be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

The Lord having used the little child as an example, takes up the case of little children themselves; at least, I infer that much from what He says in the 10th and 14th verses of our chapter. The poor and humble in spirit, the Lord tells us, are the greatest in the kingdom. It would be but a very little thing to say of them that shall have such an exalted place in the kingdom, that, "It is not the will of the Father that they should perish." Notice also, that in the first part of the chapter, where the Lord speaks of those that resemble a little child, He is careful to say, "One of these little ones which believeth in Me" but no such words are used in the loth and 14th verses. The Lord's assertion that not one of these little ones should perish, is founded on the precious truth that "the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

It is significant however that the word seek is not used by the Lord in this case, as in Luke 19 :10. We may well ask, Why this omission ? Surely little ones are lost as well as grown people, for both alike are sinners by nature, and thus unfit for God. Still, there is a great distinction between them. The little one is not away from God through a perverse will of its own, neither does it hide itself from God like the responsible sinner, who is afraid of God because of a guilty conscience through manifold sins committed. The latter has to be sought after by the Son of Man. Not so the little one. No such seeking after is needed in its case. It only needs to be " saved " by the Son, who is as able as the Father is willing. Thus, not only is it the will of God that those little ones should not perish, but the Son has wrought a work which has removed all barriers that sin had raised between a holy God and man, and therefore there is absolutely no hindrance on God's part to bless according to His will. Therefore I hold that those who believe that little ones, who die as such, are saved, maintain the truth and character of God.

But there may be some who find it difficult to reconcile what I have written so far, with what the apostle Paul states in 2 Cor. 5 :10, " For we must all appear before the judgment – seat of Christ," quoting only the first clause of the verse- a bad habit which people often fall into in quoting God's word, to their own detriment as well as marring the testimony of truth. The balance of the verse is, " That every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Thus the judgment is according " to the deeds done in the body." It will be admitted, surely, that no infant can render that solemn account.

A weighty objection, with others, is found in our Lord's word to Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

It is true that a being with an evil nature cannot enjoy the presence of God, neither is fit for that presence. Therefore the youngest babe must be born again.

It will be admitted that as regards the new birth, it is wholly the work of God. But mark the difference between a babe, born a sinner, and a responsible person, born a sinner also, but guilty besides on account of sins committed. The difference lies in this, that the guilty one has to have the cleansing power of the word of God applied to him, as well as the quickening power of the Spirit; and when the Lord desired to meet the need of a responsible, but needy and seeking sinner like Nicodemus, He discloses the mystery of the new birth as much as was needed for such an one to know. God was setting up a kingdom of His own, and to see it, a man must have a wholly new nature.

There are indeed mysteries connected with the new birth which our finite mind cannot fathom:"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth:so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). While we cannot explain, we know that through the power of the Spirit of God, the "Son of God quickens whom He will" (John 5 :21); and we further know that if it is a person denied by sins committed whom He quickens, He uses the word of God in one way or another to reach the conscience in order that there should be a moral work in the soul as well as a new nature imparted. Therefore it is said in the Word, "Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3); and it is by "the washing of water by the Word," that we are sanctified (Eph. 5 :26). The water (symbol of the Word) acts on man, sinful but responsible, and his thoughts as to God, as to himself and his ways, are changed. He judges himself before God in his conscience; in other words repents, believes God, and is morally changed. The Spirit communicates a new life, and he becomes a child of God, '' born of God," made "partaker of the divine nature " (2 Pet. i:4). Thus when new birth is spoken of in connection with sinners guilty before God, the Spirit and the Word are always associated together. Thus hearing and receiving the Word is the only way of blessing for a responsible being with a conscience to be acted upon. But this truth does not set aside the fact that the Spirit can produce a new nature in one incapable to understand the word of truth. The Son of God, who is the living Word, needs but to speak, and the Spirit can produce divine life in the soul of an irresponsible child.

Now turn to Mark 10 :13-16, and notice, in the first place, there is no comparison made between little children and such as are like them. In the second place, notice these remarkable words of the Lord in reference to little children:"He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them," and said, "of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." If then the Lord would not reject them, but receive them while here in this world, think you He will reject them in heaven? Surely not.

But again, There are those who believe that little ones of believing parents shall be saved when they die, but deny this of the little ones of unbelievers. While fully admitting the principle so graciously maintained in God's word of "thou and thy house," why debar any infant from this grace ? It is right to lay hold by faith of this blessed covenant which God makes with believing parents, but let not this hinder any one from believing that God will not hold those accountable who have not come to years of responsibility. God is "a just God, and a Saviour." If in His moral government, in this present wicked world, He allows, for a wise purpose, the sins of parents to be visited upon the children (a fact taught in Scripture, and observable around us every day), yet in that which involves everlasting misery or happiness, be assured from the revelation we have in God's word of His character, that irresponsible beings, such as infants of believing or unbelieving parents, will find a place in the kingdom of God.

You may say, "This is but an argument." Well, even arguments have their place, and if they rest on God's word, though they cannot give faith, they may remove wrong thoughts from our minds, and help in the understanding of God's word. H. P. Scholte.