N00045:232
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.
I now proceed to the second thing, viz: to answer your objections
I now proceed to the second thing, viz: to answer your objectiōs
Object: 1. If Children (say you) be members as it was in Abraham's Covenant, then wives and servants, and all the household are to be taken in; for so it was, Gen. 17. & Gen. 35. 2: 3. and then what Churches shall we have? but such as you fear, God will be weary of & angry with.
Object: 1. If Children (say you) be members as it was in Abraham's Covenant, then wives and servants, and all the houshold are to be taken in; for so it was, Gen. 17. & Gen. 35. 2: 3. and then what Churches shall we have? but such as you fear, God will be weary of & angry with.
Answ. Churches at first (by your own confession) were in families, where therefore God's grace did the more abound, by how much the less it did abound abroad: And hence Abraham's family and household was a Church of God; but yet consider withal▪ that all were not of this Family-church, merely because they were of the family or household, but because they were Godly, or the children of such as were godly in the family; for Abraham's servants and household, were such as he could and did Command to keep the way of the Lord, and so were obedient to God in him▪