A59660:93
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.
Suppose therefore (as you imagine) that all the household, whether profane or holy, were to be received into the Covenant, and so to the seal of it, do you think that this course of admitting all profane persons then, would not make the Lord soon weary of, and angry with those family-churches, as well as of national, or congregational now, upon the like supposition? if therefore any servants born in the house, or hired, were admitted, surely they were not such unholy ones, whom the Lord could not but be as much angry with, then as now; but they were godly and holy at least in outward profession, upon which ground the Lord commanded them to be Circumcised.
Suppose therefore (as you imagine) that all the houshold, whether prophane or holy, were to be received into the Covenant, and so to the seal of it, do you think that this course of admitting all prophane persons then, would not make the Lord soon weary of, and angry with those family-churches, as well as of national, or congregational now, upon the like supposition? if therefore any servants born in the house, or hired, were admitted, surely they were not such unholy ones, whom the Lord could not but be as much angry with, then as now; but they were godly and holy at least in outward profession, upon which ground the Lord commanded them to be Circumcised.
I know there are some, and very holy & learned also, who think that if any godly man undertakes to be a• a father to an adopted Pagan or Indian, that such an one, not grown up to years, is from the example in Gen. 17. to be received into the Covenant of the Church, and the •eale of it▪ and I confess, I yet see no convicting argument against it, if it could be proved that some servants bought with Abraham's money were such, and were under years, but I see as yet no convicting argument for this assertion from this example; and therefore ⟨p. 13⟩