N00045:228
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.
If you say, That this holiness is meant of matrimonial holiness, viz. that your children are not •ast•rds, but legitimate: The answer is easy; for upon this interpretation the Apostle's Answer should be false; for t•en if one of the parents had not been a Believer, and so by his Believing Sanctified his unbelieving Wife, their Children must have been Bastards, whereas you know that their Children had not been in that sense unclean or ill•g•ti•ate, although neither of them were Believers: for the Apostle's dispute is plain, viz. that if the ⟨p. 10⟩Believing Husband did not Sanctify his unbelieving Wife, then were your Children unclean, i. e. say you Bastards, but it's evident that Children may be, in this sense, clean, and yet no Faith in either Parent to Sanctify one another to their particular use: unless you will say, that all Children of heathens are Bastards, because neither of the parents Believe.
If you say, That this holiness is meant of matrimonial holiness, viz. that your children are not •ast•rds, but legitimate: The answer is easy; for upon this interpretation the Apostle's Answer should be false; for t•en if one of the parents had not been a Believer, and so by his Believing Sanct•f•ed his unbelieving W•fe, their Children must have been Bastards, whereas you know that their Children had not been in that sence unclean or ill•g•ti•ate, although neither of them were Believers: for the Apostle's dispute is plain, viz. that if the ⟨p. 10⟩