The church-membership of children, and their right to baptism according to that holy and…The church-membership of children, and their right to baptisme according to that holy and…

Answ. 1. What Churches shall we have? Truly not alway Churches of Angels and faints, but mixed with many chaffy hypocrites and oft times profane persons. But still I say this objection holds as firm against gathering Churches of visible professing believers; For God know's what Churches we may have of them, even heaps of hypocrites, and profane persons, for I know not what can give ⟨p. 15⟩us hope of their not apostatizing, but only Gods promise to be a God to them, and to preserve them; and truly the same promise, being made to their seed, gives me as much ground of faith to hope well of Churches rising out of the seed of the godly, as of the professing, Parents themselves. I know one may have more experimental charity concerning some few professing the fear of God, but my Church-charity is equal about them, especially considering, that those whom God receive's into Church Covenant, he doth not only take them to be a people to him, but to •stablish them to be such, viz: for time to come. And hence God is said, to establish his Covenant with Isaac, not Ishmael who was to be rejected, Gen. 17.19▪ and God is said, to gather them into Covenant to establish them to be a people, both young & old, present posterity, and that which was to come, Deut. 29.11,—15.

Answ. 1. What Churches shall we have? Truely not allway Churches of Angels and faints, but mixt with many chaffy hypocrites and oft times prophane persons. But still I say this objection holds as firm against gathering Churches of visible professing believers; For God knowe's what Churches we may have of them, even heaps of hypocrites, and prophane persons, for I know not what can give ⟨p. 15⟩us hope of their not apostatizing, but only Gods promise to be a God to them, and to preserve them; and truly the same promise, being made to their seed, gives me as much ground of faith to hope well of Churches r•sing out of the seed of the godly, as of the professing, Parents themselves. I know one may have more experimental charity concerning some few professing the fear of God, but my Church-charity is equal about them, especially considering, that those whom God receiv's into Church Covenant, he doth not only take them to be a people to him, but to stablish them to be such, viz: for time to come. And hence God is said, to establish his Covenant with Isaac, not Ishmael who was to be rejected,