N00045:236
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 know there are some and very holy & learned also, who think that if any godly man undertakes to be as a father to an adopted Pagan or Indian, that such an one, not grown up to years, is from the example in Gen. 17. to be received into the Covenant of the Church, and the seal of it: and I confess, I yet see no convicting argument against it, if it could be proved that some servants bought with Abraham's money were such, and were under years, but I see as yet no convicting argument for this assertion from this example; and therefore ⟨p. 13⟩I stick to the former answer, and see no reason, from any rule of charity, but to believe that all those in Abraham's family, were either visibly godly or the children of such; to whom Circumcision belong's: and consequently might as well partake of Church-membership, as Abraham himself; which sort of servants in these days may as well be admitted to Church-membership, without fear of defiling the Church, as their masters themselves.
I know there are some and very holy & learned also, who think that if any godly man undertakes to be as a father to an adopted Pagan or Indian, that such an one, not grown up to yeares, is from the example in Gen. 17. to be received into the Covenant of the Church, and the seale of it: and I confess, I yet see no convicting argument against it, if it could be proved that some servants bought with Abraham's money were such, and were under years, but I see as yet no convicting argument for this assertion from this example; and therefore ⟨p. 13⟩I stick to the former answer, and see no reason, from any rule of charity, but to believe that all those in Abrahams family, were either visibly godly or the children of such; to whom Circumcision belong's: and consequently might as well partake of Church-membership, as Abraham himself; which sort of servants in these dayes may as well be admitted to Church-membership, without fear of defiling the Church, as their masters themselves.