N00045:214
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.
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.
3 Hence you may see what Circumcision once did, and Baptisme now seal's unto, even to Infants the seal is to confirm the Covenant: the Covenant is, that God (outwardly at least) owne's them, and reckon's them among his people, and Children, within his visible Church and Kingdome, and that here upon he will prune, and cutt, and dresse, 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 refuseing 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.
These things thus premised, to clear up the ensuing discourse, I shall now do two things. 1. Leave a few grounds and reasons to prove, that Children are in Church-Covenant, and so enjoy Church-Membership by their parents. 2. I shall then Answer your scruples.
To the first; The truth of it is manifest, by clearing up this proposition;