N00045:271
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.
hath not God received much glory from you for it? hath this grace then think you, been unprofitably spent on Gods part? No verily: The case is the same here, David blesseth God; for bring his God from his Mothers belly, and from the womb, Psal. 22. 9, 10. and Gods grace is shown through this expression, Isai. 46. 3.
hath not God received much glory from you for it? hath this grace then think you, been unprofitably spent on Gods part? No verily: The case is the same here, David blesseth God; for bring his God from his Mothers belly, and from the womb, Psal. 22. 9, 10. and Gods grace is shewn through this expression, Isai. 46. 3.
2. The•e is much good hereby in respect of the Parents; for, suppose the children cannot profit by it, yet Parents may, and 'tis in respect of them very much that God looks upon their children, thus to receive them into Covenant, Deut. 4. 37. For, 1. Parents may hereby see, and wonder at the riches of Gods grace, to become a God▪ not only to themselves, but to take in their seed also, whose good they prize as their own, and as if done to themselves: hence Abraham fell down upon his face, adoring God, when he heard of this Covenant, Gen. 17. See also how Moses aggravates this love, in the eyes of all that had eyes to see, Deut. 10. 14, 15. 2. Hereby God gives Parents some comfortable hope of their children's salvation; because they be within the pale of the visible Church; for as out of the visible Church (where the ordinary means of salvation be) there is ordinarily no salvation,