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A50249 A disputation concerning church-members and their children in answer to XXI questions wherein the state of such children when adult, together with their duty towards the church, and the churches duty towards them is discussed by an assembly of divines meeting at Boston in New England, June 4th, 1657 / now published by a lover of truth. Mather, Richard, 1596-1669. 1659 (1659) Wing M1271A; ESTC R3585 21,931 42

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Because the foundation of the covenant membership of the child is Divine Institution which imputes the Covenant Act only and not any other Act of the Parents to the child Quest 13. Whether a Members Childs unfitness for seals disableth not his seed for Membership or Baptism Ans. This question agreeing in scope with Quest 10. We refer thither for Answer thereunto Quest 14. Whether a Members Child be censurable for any thing but scandalous actions and not also for ignorance and inexperience Ans. A Members child like as it is with all other members is censurable only for scandalous sins Mat. 18. 15 18. 1 Cor. 5. 11. Consequently for ignorance and inexperience when scandalous for all ignorance and inexperience though blameable is not scandalous Rom. 14. 1. Heb 5. 12. Luke 9. 55. Quest 15. Whether a Members Child must only examine himself and may not be examined by others of his fitnesse for seals Ans. It is a duty of a Members child to examine himself and yet he is also subject to the examination of others 1. Because the Elders are to give an account which necessarily presupposeth that God hath given them power in some respects to take an account Heb. 13. 17. Acts 8. 37. 2. It pertaineth to them to see that the holy things be not defiled by the accesse of any unclean and unworthy person Ezek. 44. 23. Mal. 1. 6 7 9. 2. 1. 3. To teach by question and answer in the most profitable way for the instruction and edification of the younger sort and is commended occasionally to the practise of the Churches Gal. 6. 6. Quest 16. Whether only Officers must examine in private or else publike before the Church Ans. Concerning their examination by the Elders in private the former reasons conclude affirmatively whereunto may be added occasionally that Iames and the Elders contrive and prepare in private for the more orderly and quiet transactions of things in publick Acts 21. 22 23. 'T is spiritual wisdom by preparing the stones beforehand to prevent after noise in the building 1 Kin. 7. 6. Publick examination we also conceive to be regular edification or due satisfaction of the Church calling thereunto yet alwaies orderly that is by approbation of the Presbytery and the immediate proposal of the questions by them to the examinate Rev. 2. 2. 1 Cor. 14. 40. Quest 17. Whether the same grown Members Child must not be examined of his Charitable experience before Baptism as well as before the Lords Supper Ans. We think the Elders do well to take an account of children concerning the Principles of Religion according to their capacity before they be baptized If the children spoken of in the question be yet in their minority their right unto Baptism being founded consequently upon the Covenant made in their Parents this Examination is to be looked at as conducing to the better application but not to the being of their Baptism But if they be adult they are to give an account of their Faith and Repentance in their own persons before they be baptized Acts 8. 36 37. Mat 3. 6. See Ans. to Quest 6th Quest 18. Whether baptized Children sent away from the Church for settlement and not intending return are continually to be accounted Members Ans. Baptized children though locally removed from the Church unto which they belong are to be accounted Members until dismission death or censure dissolve that Relation because Christ the Institutor of this Relation onely by these waies dissolveth the same Quest 19. Whether Historical Faith and a blamelesse life fit a Members Child for all Ordinances and Priviledges and he must be examined only about them Ans. Not only historical Faith i. e. The meer knowledge of the fundamental Doctrine of Faith and a blamelesse life but also such an holding forth of Faith and Repentance as unto judgment of Charity sheweth an ability to examine themselves and to discern the Lords body is requisite to fit a Members child for all Ordinances and Priviledges and his blamelesse life notwithstanding a Members child is to be examined concerning the other qualifications That both the having and holding forth of Faith and Repentance are requisite to fit for all Ordinances see Ans. to Quest 7th That a meer Historical Faith and every blamelesse life is not sufficient to hold forth these qualifications appears 1. An Historical Faith as meerly such is insufficient Iam. 2. 19. 2. A blamelesse life is either taken for such a conformity of the external man to the Letter as exempts from censure Mat. 19. 20. Phil. 3. 6. Or for such a conformity of the whole man as in judgment of Charity commends a person to the Conscience of the beholder as in measure spiritual Phil. 1. 10. 2. 15. A blamelesse life in the first sense is not sufficient to qualifie for all Ordinances but for our fitnesse thereunto the Rule calleth for a blamelesse life in the second sense Matth. 3. 8 9. Iames 2. 21. Besides the holding forth of Faith and Repentance according to the Premises Quest 20. Whether if a Church-Member barely say it repents me though seventy times seven times following he relapse into the same gross evils as lying slander oppression c. He be to be forgiven and not censured Ans. Though we alwaies acknowledge that the Holy One of Israel is not to be limited by man or Angel as to the dispensation of his Grace yet so far as we remember the Scriptures seventy times seven times i. e. 490 relapses into the same grosse sin and repentance is an instance not extant there Without the fruits meet for repentance we are not called to forgive Mat. 3. 8. Luk. 17. 3. Notwithstanding a Brother offends seventy times seven times that is many times a definite number being put for an indefinite yet whilst God enables him to repent it is our duty to forgive 'T is not the number of offences but the holding forth of repentance in the offender that is the measure of our forgivenesse Mat. 18. 22. As God for Christs sake forgave us so ought we to forgive one another Ephes. 4. 32. To say in words I repent and to gainsay it in deeds is according to Scripture not to repent yea rather to continue in impenitency Tit. 1. 16. Iam. 2. 18 26. An ingenuous and solemn profession of repentance nothing appearing to the contrary is to be accepted as true repentance in the judgment of Charity Luk. 17. 3. 1 Cor. 13. 7. Quest 21. Whether a Member under offence and not censured or not with the highest Censure can authoritatively be denied the Lords Supper or other Church-priviledges Ans. 1. None but the Church can Authoritatively deny to the Member his accesse unto the Lords Supper because the power thereof is only delegated to that subject Mat. 18. 17. 2. The Church cannot deny unto a Member his accesse unto the Lords Supper untill she hath regularly judged him to be an offender 3. The censure of admonition is the first act whereby a Church doth judicially declare a Member to be an offender therefore till the censure of admonition be past a Member cannot Authoritatively be denied communion in the Lords Supper or other Church-priviledges because of offence 4. After the sentence of Admonition is past the offender now admonished may be yea thereby is Authoritatively denied to come unto the Lords Supper and to vote in the Church because he is judicially unclean Lev. 22. 3 4. 7. 20 21. Mat. 5. 23 24. Though he be not yet Censured with the Censure of Excommunication 5. All which notwithstanding there are cases wherein a Brother apparently discerned to be in a condition rendring him should he so proceed to the Lords Supper an unworthy Communicant may and ought regularly to be advised to forbear and it is his duty to hearken thereunto 6. Yet two things are here carefully to be attended 1. That Brethren be not many Masters taking upon them to advise and to admonish others to abstain without cause or before the time Iam. 3. 1. 2. That none forbear to come worthily which is their duty because to their private apprehension another is supposed at least to come unworthily which is their sin 7. In case the Church shall see cause to advise a Member to forbear and he shall refuse to hearken thereunto his refusal being also a violation of Church Order addeth contumacy to his offence and thereby ripens the Offender for Censure 19 4th 1657. Boston N. E. ERRATA PAg. 5. l. 1. read Act. 15. 10. p. 6. l. 23. r. Act. 2. 47. p. 14. l. 7. r. 2 Cor. 2. 6. l. 26. r. Act. 9. 19. p. 18. l. 5. for reason r. season p. 23. l. 30. for Church-act r. Covenant-act p. 24. l. 19 20. r. would have so p. 26. l. 20. for in r. is See the platform of Church Discipline cap 12. §. 7. See the platform of Discipline cap. 12. §. 7.
all Ordinances and full communion Deut. 29. 12 14. 2 Chron. 15. 12. 2 Chron. 34. 31 32. Where it is mentioned as the performance of a duty whereto they stand obliged by the Covenant made in their Infancy Propos. 3. Being accordingly called thereunto if after Church-admonition and other due means with patience used they shall refuse the performance of this great duty or in case they shall notwithstanding like means applied any otherwise continue scandalous it is the part of the Church to proceed with them to the censure of excommunication because the Facts mentioned deserve excommunication 2 Chron. 15. 13. Mat. 18. 17. 2 Cor. 5. 11. 2 Thes. 3. 6 14. And the persons are Church-members being confederate with their Parents and the Church as the matter requireth administreth Discipline to the Members thereof without respect of persons according to their capacity 1 Cor. 5. 12. 1 Tim. 5. 21. Add hereunto the instance of those who are separated from the Congregation for their non-observance of that Covenant Ezr. 10. 3 7 8. Together with the examples of Cain Ishmael and Esau not a little contributing to the truth of this assertion by way of proportion Propos. 4. In case they understand the grounds of Religion are not scandalous and solemnly own the Covenant in their own persons wherein they give up both themselves and their children unto the Lord and desire Baptism for them we with due reverence to any Godly Learned that may dissent see not sufficient cause to deny Baptism unto their children these reasons for the affirmative being proposed to consideration 1. Church-Members without offence and not baptized are to be baptized The children in Question are Church-Members without offence and not baptized Therefore the children in Question are to be baptized 2. Children in the covenant of Abraham as to the substance thereof i. e. To whom the promise made to Abraham as to the substance thereof doth belong are to be baptized The children in Question are children in the covenant of Abraham as to the substance thereof Therefore the children in Question are to be baptized 3. Children in the same estate with those children under the Law unto whom the seal of the righteousnesse of Faith because in that estate was by Institution Divine to be applied the Precept for so doing not repealed and the reason for so doing still remaining are to be baptized But the children in Question are children in the same estate viz. regularly in Church-covenant with those children under the Law unto whom the seal of the righteousnesse of Faith because in that estate was by Institution Divine to be applied the Precept for so doing not repealed and the reason for so doing still remaining Therefore the children in Question are to be baptized 4. Either the children in question are to be baptized or the Gospel dispensation forbids the application of the seal unto children regularly in Church-covenant unto whom the Mosaical dispensation commanded it to be applied But the Gospel despensation forbids not the application of the seal unto children regularly in Church-covenant unto whom the Mosaical dispensation commanded it to be applied Therefore the children in question are to be baptized The contrary opinion infers that the Gospel bereaveth the children mentioned at least in a considerable degree of their glory advantage mercy blessing and that in this respect it casts reproach yea brings disadvantage a judgment a curse upon them Iosh. 5. 9. Rom. 3. 1 2. 9. 4 5. This seems to be a lesse Evangelicall Tenent the nature of the Gospel being to enlarge and better not to contract and diminish the external dispensation of Grace 5. Children unto whom the Gospel testifieth both the promise and baptisme by vertue of that promise to belong ought to be baptized The children in question are children unto whom the Gospel testifieth both the promise and baptism by vertue of that to promise to belong Acts 2. 39. Therefore the children in Question ought to be baptized Obj. The Parent though a Church-member owning the Covenant in his own person and qualified according to the premises is not admitted to full communion therefore the child ought not to be baptized Ans. The Church-act onely and not any other act much lesse defect of the Parent is by Divine Institution accounted to the child The membership of the child is a distinct membership from the membership of the Parent In case the Parents membership ceaseth by death or censure the membership of the child remaineth still The membership of the child is the same in kind with and not inferiour to the membership of the Parent Membership is a Relation and therefore admits not of magìs and minùs more or lesse Members are better or worse and communion is more or lesse but membership admits not of degrees Benjamin an Infant but of an hour old is as truly a son as Reuben a man of twenty two years of age The child is baptized by vertue of his own membership and not by vertue of his Parents membership The Parents death is not with us an obstacle of the Childs Baptism Propos. 5. The same may be said concerning the children of such persons in question who being dead or necessarily absent either did or do give the Churches cause in judgment of charity to look at them as thus qualified and such as had they been called thereunto would so acted For in Charity that is here done interpretatively which is mentioned in the fourth Proposition expresly Propos. 6. Though the persons forementioned own the Covenant according to the premises yet before they are admitted to full communion i. e. To the Lords Supper and voting they must so hold forth their Faith and Repentance unto the judgment of Charity by way of confession in the congregation as it may appear unto the Church that they are able to examine themselves and to discern the Lords body See the proof hereof in Ans. to Quest 7th Quest 11. Whether children begotten by an excommunicate person are to be baptized he so remaining Ans. We cannot for the present answer the following Arguments for the Negative 1. Persons excommunicate are not members and the promise made to the seed belongs under the Gospel onely to the seed of immediate Parents in Covenant 2. Excommunicate Parents are to be looked at in Church account as Heathens and Publicans now the Church ought not to baptize the children of those which she is to account as Heathens Publicans because their children are unclean 1 Cor. 7. 14. 3. To baptize the children of the excommunicate is to have Church-communion with the excommunicate But those that we are forbidden to have civil communion with 1 Cor. 5. 11. We are much more forbidden to have Church Communion with Quest 12. Whether a Child born of a justly censurable person yet not actually excommunicate be to be baptized Ans. We answer affirmatively 1. Because the child is a Church-member by vertue of his covenanting with his Parents 2.