N00045:245
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.
2 God was as Holy, and as exactly requiring holiness from the Jewish Church, as well as from Christian Churches; now do you think that the Covenant which then wrapped up the Jews children into Church-membership, was an high-way of profaneness, and unholiness in the members thereof, & of defiling & polluting Gods Church? or was it a way and means of holiness, and to keep them from being profane? to affirm the first is something Blasphemous, and •very false, for 'tis expressly said […]: 13. 11. that as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so he […] the whole house of Israel (not grown men only) to cleave to him, that they might be to him a people (which was by Covenant) and for a name, for a praise, and for a glory; Gods name, Glory, praise was the end; and the Covenant was the means hereunto; and therefore it was no way or means of unholiness in that Church: but if you say, it was a means of holiness; why then should we f•ar the polluting of Churches by the same Covenant, which we have proved, wraps in our s•ed also? indeed they did prove universally profane in the Jewish Church; so they may in ours, but shall man's wickedness in abusing God's grace, and forsaking his Covenant tieth hands, or heart of God's free grace from taking such into Covenant; what though some aid not Believe? saith the Apostle, Rom. 3. 3, 4. s•all their unbelief make the Faith of God without effect? God forbid.
2 God was as Holy, and as exactly requiring holiness from the Jewish Church, as well as from Christian Churches; now do you think that the Covenant which then wrapt up the Jews children into Church-membership, was an high-way of prophaness, and unholyness in the members thereof, & of defiling & polluting Gods Church? or was it a way and meanes of holiness, and to keep them from being prophane? to affirm the first is somthing Blasphemous, and •very false, for 'tis expressly said 〈…〉: 13. 11. that as the girdle cleaveth to the loynes of a man, so he 〈…〉 the whole house of Israel (not grown men only) to cleave to him, that they might be to him a people (which was by Covenant) and for a name, for a praise, and for a glory; Gods name, Glory, praise was the end; and the Covenant was the meanes hereunto; and therefore it was no way or meanes of unholyness in that Church: but if you say, it was a meanes of holiness; why then should we far the plluting of Churches by the same Covenant, which we have proved, wraps in our sed also? indeed they did prove universally prophane in the Jewish Church; so they may in ours, but shall man's wickedness in abuseing God's grace, and forsaking his Covenant tyete hands, or heart of God's free grace from taking such into Covenant; what though some aid not Believe? saith the Apostle,