A59660:115
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…
The church-membership of children, and their right to baptism according to that holy and everlasting covenant of God, established between Himself and the faithful ... cleared up in a letter, sent unto a worthy friend of the author ... / by Thomas Shepard ...The church-membership of children, and their right to baptisme according to that holy and everlasting covenant of God, established between Himself and the faithfull ... cleared up in a letter, sent unto a worthy friend of the author ... / by Thomas Shepard ...
Cambridge: printed by Samuel Green, 1663Cambridg: printed by Samuel Green, 1663
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Answ. 1. So there may, for a Church may be a true Church, & yet want the benefit of some one or more of Gods Ordinances, sometime Pastors, sometime Elders, sometime Seals.
Answ. 1. So there may, for a Church may be a true Church, & yet want the benefit of some one or more of Gods Ordinances, sometime Pastors, sometime Elders, sometime Seales.
2. A Church of professing Believers may degenerate, and turn profane, and sottish, and so have no just right to the Seals; and their Officers may leave them, and so have no use of the Seals: yet I suppose it is a Church of Christ still though degenerate, though unfit to enjoy Seals; will you therefore think the way of their Membership unlawful, viz. by professing their Faith? Because such a rare thing as this may happen? why then should you think the way of Children's Membership unlawful because of the like rarity in such a dark and gloomy state of them as you mention?
2. A Church of professing Believers may degenerate, and turn prophane, and sottish, and so have no just right to the Seales; and their Officers may leave them, and so have no use of the Seales: yet I suppose it is a Church of Christ still though degenerate, though unfit to enjoy Seales; will you therfore think the way of their Membership unlawfull, viz. by professing their Faith? Because such a rare thing as this may happen? why then should you think the way of Childrens Membership unlawfull because of the like rarity in such a dark and gloomy state of them as you mention?
Object. 6. If Children be Members, then there will be many in the Church, who are not Saints by calling, nor faithful in Christ Jesus, which ought not to be if the Church could see •t, but these may be too plainly seen.