N00045:50
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.
7. Because this felony objected tend's to render that Ordinance of Church-Censure and Admonition laid down Mat. 18. 15. &c. vain and useless, for the […], by his si• becoming a non-Member and so no Church-Brother, hence let a private Member of the Church go to tell him his fault, in the s•nce of the text, which is in order to more solemn Church-proceeding and […], in case he will not hear; ⟨image ?⟩or let the Church require him in the name of Christ to hear, in such a Church-way as is there spoken of; he may tell them that he is no Brother of the Church, for he hath by his offence •ut off himself, and therefore they have nothing to do with him: that that rule of Christ concerns only the Brother or the Church-Member, not one that is out of the Church, as he is, being felo de se, and therefore may say (according to 1 Cor. 5. 12.) what have you to do to Judge me that am without? If his sin be not yet great enough to render him felo de se, & he suspect that therefore the Church may have power over him & is going about to bind him on earth, so that (being thereupon also bound in heaven) he shall become bound from an orderly entrance in at the doors of other Sister-Churches, without Repentance first held forth to the acceptance of the Church which he offended; 'tis then but to commit another fault whereby he may be sure he shall be felo de se, and so he is beyond the Churches reach, and this frustrates Church-discipline, and renders vain that ordinance of Christ above mentioned.
7. Because this felonie objected tend's to render that Ordinance of Church-Censure and Admonition laid down Mat. 18. 15. &c. vain and useless, for the 〈…〉, by his si• becomeing a non-Member and so no Church-Brother, hence let a private Member of the Church go to tell him his fault, in the s•nce of the text, which is in order to more solemn Church-proceeding and , in case he will not hear;