Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	faith_n	salvation_n	2,229	5	7.5228	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59660	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 ... cleared up in a letter, sent unto a worthy friend of the author ... / by Thomas Shepard ...	Shepard, Thomas, 1605-1649.	1663 (1663)	Wing S3108; ESTC R14745	40,639	50

c 4. Hereby they may not only hope and Pray but are incouraged to Believe concerning their Children and the rest of those who are in Covenant among them that God will do them good as they conclude mercy to the remnant forgivness of their sins with faith upon this ground thou wilt remember the Truth to Iacob and thy Mercy to Abraham sworn unto our Fathers in dayes of old Micah 7.18 20. This indeed is the childrens faith for themselves and their children but so it may be a ground of Parents faith And if we pray for our children why should we doubt leaving only secrets to God if we see them dy before they reject the Gospel positively I see no reason for any man to doubt of the salvation of his child if he dyes or that God will not do good to his child in time if he lives 5. This stirrs up their hearts to be the more sincerely holy and keep in with God because of their children and to educate them with more care and watchfullness because they are the Lord's Children as well as theirs they are not common but holy vessels and therfore let them see that they be not defiled and hence we find that when God exhort's to any duty of holiness in Scripture he oft makes this the ground of it I am your God and hence God aggravates their sin in offering their children to Molech Ezek. 16. because they were his children that should have been better used 3. In respect of themselves the good is very great 1. It is a special meanes to prevent sin Deut. 29. I make this Covenant not only with him that is present but with your seed also who are not here verse 15 Lest there should be among you man or woman family or tribe whose heart turnes away from God and lest there should be a root of gall and wormwood and indeed it mightily workes on the heart to think shall I whom God hath chosen to be his be my own or be the Divels or be my lusts c 2. 'T is a strong motive engagement upon them to forsake sin even the uncircumcision and sin of their hearts as is evident Deut. 10.15 16. The Lord had a delight to choose the seed of your fathers even you to be his people as it is this day what follow 's Therefore Circumcise the foreskin of your hearts and be no more stiff-necked 3. 'T is a special help as to avert their hearts from sin so to convert turn them to God to make them look toward God that he would turn them when perhaps they are without any hope in other respects of mercy or of being able by any meanes they can use to turn themselves this is evident Acts 3.19 with verse 25. Repent and be converted for you are the children of the Covenant which God made with our fathers this drawes their hearts when they see how God call's them to return Ier. 3.22 Come unto me ye back sliding children c we c●me unto thee for thou art the Lord our God When backsliding Ephraim could not convert himselfe he cryes unto God oh turn me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Ier. 31.18 which places cannot be meant of being their God only by internal Covenant in giving to them the special benefits of the Covenant for then they should be in Covenant with God and have remission of all their sins c before they were turned or before faith and therefore it 's meant of being a God in outward and external church-Covenant which is no smal motive and loadst one to Believe And although many do not believe and will not be turned yet this Covenant is an high priviledge and great favour fitt in it self to draw to God though many believe not and hence the Apostle saith that the priviledge of the Iew is great in having God's Oracles which contain God's Covenant committed to them though some believe no● which unbelief make's not he saith the faith of God i. e. God's promise or Covenant of none effect or an uneffectual and fruitless Covenant for this word of God's Covenant shall take some effect among some such as are in it which therfore is a priviledge though many perish as is evident Rom. 9.4 6. 4. 'T is a special meanes of binding them fast to God when they are turned Ier. 13.11 as the girdle cleaveth unto a man so have I caused the whole house of Israel to cleave unto me that they may be for a name and glory Deut. 30.20 thou shalt cleave unto him because he is thy life and the length of thy dayes he was not their life spiritually and savingly for many thus exhorted were dead and in their sins but federally or in outward Covenant 5. If they shall forsake and break loose from God and from the bond of his Covenant and have as much as in them lies cast themselves out of Covenant by their own perfidiousness breach of Covenant that one would think now there is no more hope yet it is a special meanes to encourage their hearts to return again even when they seem to be utterly cast off and therefore it 's said Ier. 3 1. though thou hast committed whoredome with many lovers wherby the covenant was broken yet return unto me so Deut. 4. If when you are scattered among the nations and shall serve wood stone and be in great tribulation if from thence thou seek the Lord thy God thou shalt find him he will not forsake thee and what is the reason of it viz. his remembrance of the Covenant with their fathers for so 't is Deut. 4.27 28 29 30 31. But I forbear to name more such things as these which come by outward Covenant to Inchurched Members 4. In respect of others their good is very great for 1. now they may enjoy the special watch and care of the whole Church which otherwise they must want 2. They hereby have the more fervent Prayers of others for their good and hence Rom. 9.1 2 3. we see how Paul upon this ground had great zeal in his prayers for the Jews not only because his countrymen but especially because to them did belong the Adoption and Covenants they had gracious Fathers c. so Psal 89.49 Lord remember thy former loving kindnesses which are sworn to David in truth And hence we see Moses oft pleads and prevailes with God in prayer for the sinning Israelites viz. oh Remember Abraham Isaac and Iaco● Now I pray you lay all these things together and then see whether you have any cause to say What profit is there by Covenant and Church-membership of persons not yet able to profess the faith of Jesus Christ Quest. 2. You say when families were Churches all of the family were of the Church and when a Nation was a Church all that were of that nation were of that Church But now Believers being matter of the Church what if none were admitted till

they can hold forth visible faith would not many of these things be more clear Answ. In these words there is a threefold mistake 1. That all of the family nation in former times were of the Church this 〈…〉 for God never took ●●y to be his Church but 〈◊〉 they were Believers at 〈◊〉 e●ternally In that Nation I say Believers which either are professed believers or promised believers such as by outward Covenant shall have the meanes to be made believers in y ● Nation and hence you have heard that the Nation of the Jews stood by Faith and were broken of by unbeliefe and if any rejected the Covenant as Ishmael and Esau they were not of that Church though they did and might dwell in y t nation as doubtless thousands did 2. You think that Visible p●●sonal Faith only makes the Church and members of it which ●s an errour as may appear from many thing● already said for Children may be in Gods account professors of y ● Faith parentally as well as personally i. e. in the profession of their parents as well as in their own And hence you shall find that the Covenant God entered into with the Parents of Church-members personally the Children are said to have that Covenant made with them many hundred yeares 〈◊〉 See for this purpose among hundreds these few Scriptures Hagga● 2.5 In Haggal's time God is said to make a Covenant with them then when they came out of Egypt which was not personally but parentally so Hosea 12.4 5. when God entred into Covenant with Jacob at Bethel God is said to speak with US who lived many yeares after and hence the Children many yeares after challenge Gods Covenant with them which was made with their Fathers for them Micah 7.19 20. Hence also those Children are said to Come to Christ who were not able to come themselves but only were brought in the armes of others to Christ. It 's a known thing among men that a Father may receive a gi●● or Legacy given to him and his heires and he and his heires are bound to perform the condition of the Covenant and promise by which it is conveyed and that the Child doth this in his Father 3. You think that if men only grown up and able to profess Faith should be of the Church then all things would be more clear abo●● Children Truly I believe the quite contrary upon y ● grounds before laid dow● For 1. Hereby pollution of Church shall not be avoyded but rather introduced to exclu●● Children from an holy-making Covenant as we have proved 2. Hereby that good and benefit of their Covenant should be lost not gain'd by excluding them out of Covenant untill they can personally profess and make use of the Covenant The wisdome of man furthers not the Righteousness of God And here let me conclude with the naked profession o● my Faith to you in this point which is ● Bulwark of defence against all that is said by Anabaptists against baptising of Infants 1. That the Children of professing Believers are in the same Covenant God made with Abraham Abraham was a Father of many nations and not of one nation only and hence the same Covenant made with him and the believing Israel in that nation the sa●● Covenant is made with all his believing seed in all other nations 2. That Baptisme is a seal of our first entrance and admission into Covenant and therfore is to be immediately applyed to children of believeing parent as soon as ev●●●hi● be in Covenant and that is as soon as they become the visible seed 〈…〉 faithfull for so the Covenant to Abraham run's I will be thy God and the God of thy seed not only his elect-seed but Church-seed as hath been shew'd not only of his seed in that one nation but in all Nations These two things I cann●●●ell how to avoid the light of they are so clear and the ignorance of these makes so many Anabaptists as they are called and I never yet met with any thi●● written by them and much I have read that was of any considerable weight to overthrow these But I forget my selfe and trouble you My prayer is and shall be That the Lord would g●ve you understanding in all these things FINIS Errata Preface Page 4. Lin● 20. read wonted p. 6. l. 7. r. y t have fought p. 7. l. 28. r. spirit●●● page 18. li●● 29. for 〈◊〉 r. an● In y e Book page 11. line 34. for now r. were Instances hereof see in the p●eface to ●●e act of the Synod held a● Boston 16●2 Touching B●ptism Consociation of Churches Cap. 4. Pag. 14. Keyes Cha. 4 Pag. 15. Act. mon. vol 3. Pag. 606 610. s. m. Argum 1.