A59660:94
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.
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⟩I stick to the former answer, and see no reason, from any rule of charity, but to believe that all those in Abraham's family, were either visibly godly, or the children of such; to whom Circumcision belong's: and consequently might as well partake of Church-membership, as Abraham himself; which sort of servants in these days may as well be admitted to Church-membership, without fear of defiling the Church, as their masters themselves.
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 yeares, 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⟩I stick to the former answer, and see no reason, from any rule of charity, but to believe that all those in Abrahams family, were either visibly godly, or the children of such; to whom Circumcision belong's: and consequently might as well partake of Church-membership, as Abraham himself; which sort of servants in these dayes may as well be admitted to Church-membership, without fear of defiling the Church, as their masters themselves.