N00045:39
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.
There are some who though they grant the Baptism of some Children, yet utterly deny the continuance of that Covenant-mercy of God to their succeeding Generations, though the Church-society whereof they were Members be not dissolved, nor the surviving posterity so much as deserve to be, by the Discipline of Christ in his Church, excommunicated; This seems in truth to arise from their not acknowledging sufficiently, or not abiding by the true genuine grounds of the Baptism of those whose right to Baptism is acknowledged by them.
There are some who though they graunt the Baptisme of some Children, yet utterly deny the continuance of that Covenant-mercy of God to their succeeding Generations, though the Church-society whereof they were Members be not dissolved, nor the surviving posterity so much as deserve to be, by the Discipline of Christ in his Church, excommunicated; This seems in truth to arise from their not acknowledging sufficiently, or not abiding by the true genuine grounds of the Baptisme of those whose right to Baptisme is acknowledged by them.
For the information (therefore) of the minds of the weak and stablishing their hearts in this Truth of God, according to the Scriptures, even in the Doctrine of Paedobaptism (a Doctrine of so great concernment, and of so much comfort and encouragement, both to believing parents & their children, not in life only but in death; whence it is that they only can be preserved against sorrowing when they fall asleep, as others do, which have no hope) This ensuing Treatise is at the earnest request of many worthy friends in the Author of it (of blessed memory) now published, wherein we may see both; 1. The Membership of the Children of Church-Members proved to be of Divine institution, and likewise 2. (among other things] The continuance of the Membership of those Children, in particular Churches, when they are grown up, even until they are excommunicated, unless there be dissolution of the person by death, or of the Church-society: 1So that this latter is not a principle of Innovation, and Apostasy; but as it was the Judgment of the Author of this following Letter (as is therein to be seen and to manifest which was one special end of the Printing thereof) so was it the light which others have held forth, who in their time were Stars not of the smallest magnitude, whom we have here seen sometimes shining with him in Christs right hand, but are now set, and shining with that Sun of righteousness in another World.