N00045:213
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 and their seed after them, in their generations: cleared up in a letter, sent unto a worthy friend of the author, and many years ago written touching that subject; / by Thomas Shepard, sometimes Pastor of the Church of Christ at Cambridge in New-England. ; Published at the earnest request of many: for the consolidation and encouragement [sic], both of parents and children in the Lord. ; [Twelve lines of Scripture texts]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 and their seed after them, in their generations: cleared up in a letter, sent unto a worthy friend of the author, and many yeares agoe written touching that subject; / by Thomas Shepard, sometimes Pastor of the Church of Christ at Cambridg in New-England. ; Published at the earnest request of many: for the consolidation and encouragemenr [sic], both of parents and children in the Lord. ; [Twelve lines of Scripture texts]
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.
2. That the very outward Covenant is not merely conditional, but there is something absolute in it: and hence it follow's, that it is a great mistake of some who think that Circumcision, and Baptism, seal only conditionally [the outward Covenant being [say they] merely conditional] for those three things mentioned in the outward Covenant you see are in some respect absolute, and if the Covenant was only conditional, then the Lord was no more in Covenant with Church-Members, than with pagans, and infidels, for it may be propounded conditionally to all such, that if they believe, they shall be saved, but assuredly God's grace is a little more extensive to the one, then to the other.
2. That the very outward Covenant is not meerly conditional, but there is something absolute in it: and hence it follow's, that it is a great mistake of some who think that Circumcision, and Baptism, seal only conditionally [the outward Covenant being [say they] meerly conditionall] for those three things mentioned in the outward Covenant you see are in some respect absolute, and if the Covenant was only conditionall, then the Lord was no more in Covenant with Church-Members, than with pagans, and infidels, for it may be propounded conditionally to all such, that if they believe, they shall be saved, but assuredly God's grace is a little more extensive to the one, then to the other.
3 Hence you may see what Circumcision once did, and Baptism now seal's unto, even to Infants the seal is to confirm the Covenant: the Covenant is, that God (outwardly at least) own's them, and reckon's them among his people, and Children, within his visible Church and Kingdom, and that here upon he will prune, and cut, and dress, and water them, and improve the means of their eternal good upon them, which good they shall have, unless they refuse in resisting the means; nay that he will take away this refusing heart from among them indefinitely, so that though every one cannot assure himself, that he will do it particularly for this or that person, yet every one, through this promise, may hope, and pray for the communication of this grace, and so feel it in time.