N00045:41
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.
That there is no cessation of the membership of a person in this or that particular Church (the Church whereof he is a member continuing in being, together with the person himself) unless it be by means ⟨image ?⟩of a Church-act intervening, is a truth of no small importance; And therefore as for that notion which doth obtain with some; That in particular Churches of Christ, walking in the order of the Gospel, there are such […] become Ecclesiastically Felones de se, that is such Church-members wholly their scandalous sin, do become their own executioners Ecclesiastically, cutting themselves off from the Church, so as that they thereby become actually non-members, and that the Church hath no more power over them, either Ecclesiastically to admonish them, or Excommunicate them; this seem's unto me to be but an humane […], and not of Divine institution, yea in truth […] to the […] of the Gospel. And therefore to apply it, (as to members in full communion, so) to these Children of the Church whom we now speak of, is not of God; as may appear by these reasons following.
That there is no cessation of the membership of a person in this or that particular Church (the Church whereof he is a member continuing in being, together with the person himself) unles it be by meanes ⟨image ?⟩of a Church-act intervening, is a truth of no small importance; And therefore as for that notion which doth obtain with some; That in particular Churches of Christ, walking in the order of the Gospel, there are such 〈…〉 become Ecclesiastically Felones de se, that is such Church-members wholly their scandalous sin, do become their own executioners Ecclesiastically, cutting themselves off from the Church, so as that they thereby become actually non-members, and that the Church hath no more power over them, either Ecclesiastically to admonish them, or Excommunicate them; this seem's unto me to be but an humane 〈…〉, and not of Divine institution, yea in truth 〈…〉 to the 〈…〉 of the Gospel. And therefore to apply it, (as to members in full communion, so) to these Children of the Church whom we now speak of, is not of God; as may appear by these reasons following.