Faith Like A Child.

First, "You must be converted, you must be of another mind, and in another frame and temper, must have other thoughts, both of yourselves and of the kingdom of heaven, before you be fit for a place in it. The pride, ambition, and affectation of honour and dominion, which appear in you, must be repented of, mortified, and reformed, and you must come to yourselves." Note, Besides the first conversion of a soul from a state of nature to a state of grace, there are after-conversions from particular paths of backsliding, which are equally necessary to salvation. Every step out of the way by sin, must be a step into it again by repentance. When Peter repented of his denying his Master, he was converted. Secondly, You must become as little children. Note, Converting grace makes us like little children, not foolish as children (1 Corinthians 14:20), nor fickle (Ephesians 4:14), nor playful (Matthew 11:16) but, as children, we must desire the sincere milk of the word (1 Peter 2:2) as children, we must be careful for nothing, but leave it to our heavenly Father to care for us (Matthew 6:31) we must, as children, be harmless and inoffensive, and void of malice (1 Corinthians 14:20), governable, and under command (Galatians 4:2) and (which is here chiefly intended) we must be humble as little children, who do not take state upon them, nor stand upon the punctilios of honour the child of a gentleman will play with the child of a beggar (Romans 12:16), the child in rags, if it have the breast, is well enough pleased, and envies not the gaiety of the child in silk little children have no great aims at great places, or projects to raise themselves in the world they exercise not themselves in things too high for them and we should in like manner behave, and quiet ourselves, Psalm 131:1,2. As children are little in body and low in stature, so we must be little and low in spirit, and in our thoughts of ourselves. This is a temper which leads to other good dispositions the age of childhood is the learning age.

What stress he lays upon this Without this, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Note, Disciples of Christ have need to be kept in awe by threatenings, that they may fear lest they seem to come short, Hebrews 4:1. The disciples, when they put that question (Matthew 18:1), thought themselves sure of the kingdom of heaven but Christ awakens them to be jealous of themselves. They were ambitious of being greatest in the kingdom of heaven Christ tells them, that, except they came to a better temper, they should never come thither. Note, many that set up for great ones in the church, prove not only little, but nothing, and are found to have no part or lot in the matter. Our Lord designs here to show the great danger of pride and ambition whatever profession men make, if they allow themselves in this sin, they will be rejected both from God's tabernacle and from his holy hill. Pride threw the angels that sinned out of heaven, and will keep us out, if we be not converted from it. They that are lifted up with pride, fall into the condemnation of the devil to prevent this, we must become as little children, and, in order to do that, must be born again, must put on the new man, must be like the holy child Jesus so he is called, even after his ascension, Acts 4:27. - Matthew Henry