Venning's remains, or, Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians, I. babes, II.…

4. As there is something common to all, so there are some things proper and peculiar to each state; something proper to the Fathers, which cannot be said of the young-men; something proper to the young-men, which cannot be said of the little Children; something proper to the little Children, which cannot be said ⟨p. 28⟩of the Babes; as there is something proper to the Babes which cannot be said of them that are not yet new-born; though there be too much in common with Babes and carnal men, they being not yet throughly cleansed from their blood and pollution, but are as carnal, and walk as men. There is something in the best Saints that may be found in every one, but there is that in some that cannot be found in all. The Apostle gives these three Classes peculiar attributes; That of Fathers is Wisdom, that of young men is Valour, that of little Children is Love; and St. Paul tells us that the Babes eat but milk, i. e. they repent and believe (a little faintly) &c. to which St. Peter adds desires, as was noted before from 1 Pet. 2.2. 'Tis true indeed the highest and greatest contains the less, but not the less the greater, much less the greatest. The Father knows all the four states, for he hath past from a Babe to a little Child, from a little Child to a young man, and from thence to a Father. The young man knows three states, for he past from a Babe to a little Child, and from thence to a young man; the little Child knows but two states, being gone no further than from a Babe to a little Child; but the Babe is acquainted with only his own state (at present) and knows not what 'tis to be any thing of what is proper to the other three; only this, he is p•st from death to life, from being a sinner to b• a Saint, though but a weak one. Of their several attainments and proper Characters I sh•l treat hereafter more particularly, if God permit, Heb. 6.3.