N00045:215
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.
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;1 viz: That one and the same Covenant which was made to Abraham in the old Testament is for substance the same with that in the New; and this under the new Testament, the very same with that of Abraham's under the old.
- 1Argum: 1.
I say for Substance the same, for it is acknowledged that there was something proper and personal in Abraham's Covenant, as to be a Father of many Nations, but this was not of the Substance of the Covenant, which belong's to all the Covenanters, and unto which the S••l of Circumcision was set: for all Abraham's seed, neither in those, nor these days, are the fathers of many nations, nor did Circumcision seal it.
I say for Substance the same, for it is acknowledged that there was somthing proper and personal in Abraham's Covenāt, as to be a Father of many Nations, but this was not of the Substance of the Covenant, which belong's to all the Covenanters, and unto which the S••l of Circumcision was set: for all Abraham's seed, neither in those, nor these dayes, are the fathers of many nations, nor did Circumcision seal it.