Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	let_v	lord_n	praise_v	1,625	5	9.2054	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50206	The first principles of New-England concerning the subject of baptisme & communion of churches : collected partly out of the printed books, but chiefly out of the original manuscripts of the first and chiefe fathers in the New-English churches : with the judgment of sundry learned divines of the congregational way in England, concerning the said questions : published for the benefit of those who are of the rising generation in New-England / by Increase Mather ...	Mather, Increase, 1639-1723.; Mitchel, Jonathan, 1624-1668.	1675 (1675)	Wing M1211; ESTC W35680	45,581	56

I am when I shall sleep with my Fathers There is also published herewith the Substance of a Letter written by Mr. Mitchel late faithful and famous Pastor of the Church in Cambridg Although I cannot say but that I was albeit he knew not that when that Letter was sent to me inclining to the same Apprehension about the Subject of Baptisme which at present I am of yet the Arguments therein suggested were I must Confess weighty and powerful Considerations with me and I believe will be so to others that duely weigh matters in the Ballance of the Sanctuary for which Cause principally I have thus exposed it to publick view Also I have partly done it honoris gratia that I might testify my deep respect to that blessed man concerning whom I may say as sometimes B●za concerning Calvin Now Mitchel is dead life is less sweet and death will be less bitter unto me Once for all let me desire the Reader to take notice that I do not by this Collection concern my self in the defence of every Notion or Argument or Principle that is by any of those Worthies insisted on but my only design therein is to shew that such Inlargment of Baptisme and that Consociation of Churches which is in the Synod Book asserted is no Apostacy from the first Principles of New-England nor yet any declension from the Congregational way Now the Lord Jesus who hath promised that the Spirit of Truth shall come and shall guide into all Truth fulfil his good word even the Lord send out of his Light and his Truth and let them lead us Let him grant that there may be Peace and Truth in our dayes and not only so but that the Generation to come may praise the Lord that it may appear that his Righteousness is for ever and his Salvation from Generation to Generation Amen and A men This is the hearts desire and Prayer of him From my Study in Boston N.E. 1. of 3 d Moneth 1671. Who is less then the least of all Gods mercies and Saints Increase Mather Errata p. 2. l. 11. for hands r. hand p. 4. l. 28. for then r. there p. 16. l. 24. Adde deus dicit p. 21. l. p. nult r. parente p. 32. l. 32. for so 24. r. Hebr. 10.24 THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF NEW ENGLAND Concerning the Subject of BAPTISM AND COMMUNION OF CHVRCHES THere having been some who have thought that the Doctrine of the late Synod Book Concerning Baptism and the Communion or Consociation of Churches is an Innovation and Apostacy from the first principles of New England And inasmuch as it may be a special Service for these Churches both in present and in after times that men should know what the first Principles touching these Controversies were Considering also that the Lords Servants and Messengers are much wronged when Apostacy is imputed to them upon account of the Doctrine aforesaid and that it will be a thing very acceptable unto God who is displeased and dishonoured when his faithful ones are traduced that his Servants should be vindicated from such injurious Aspersions upon these and the like Considerations we shall endeavour as in the Lords holy fear to erquire what were the first Principles of New-England concerning the Subject of Baptism and Communion of Churches and leave it to the Christian world and to Posterity to judge who are the Apostates Now this may be done by shewing what was the judgement of the first Fathers of this Country touching the questions in Controversy And in this ensuing Coll●ction of Testimonies we shall not mention any of those Reverend Elders that are yet surviving nor all amongst our deceased worthies only some of the Chief of the Fathers of this Country And first concerning Baptism we shall begin with the Judgement of that man of God deservedly famous in both Englands viz. Mr. Iohn Cotton late Teacher of the first Church in Boston And what the Apprehension of that Seer was is manifest from a Letter which is to be seen written with his own hands in the name and with the unanimous Consent of the whole Church which then was in this Boston to the Church in Dorchester Because the Letter is of Ancient date and so giveth a great light towards the clearing of the matter which is before us we shall therefore here insert it word for word as it is written with Mr. Cottons own hand It is that which followeth To our Reverend and Beloved Brethren the Elders with the rest of the Church of Dorchester Grace and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ our Saviour The Case of Conscience which you propounded to our Consideration to wit whether a Grand Father being a member of a Christian Church might claim Baptism to his Grand-Child whose next Parents be not received into Church Covenant ha's been deliberately treated of in our Church Assembled together publickly in the name of Christ And upon due and serious discourse about the point it seemed good unto us all with one accord and agreeable as we believe to the word of the Lord that the Grand-Father may lawfully claim that priviledge to his Grand-child baptized by right of the Grand-fathers Covenant be Committed to the Grand fathers education for as God in the Covenant of Grace undertaketh to be a God unto the Believer and his seed so by the Rule of Relatives the Tenour of the Covenant requireth that the Believer do undertake that himself and his Seed do give up themselves to become the people of the Lord which he cannot undertake in behalf of his Seed unless they be committed to his education 2. This other Caution also we conceive to be requisite that the Parents of the Child do not thereby take occasion to neglect the due and seasonable preparation of themselves for entrance into Covenant with God and his Church these Cautions premised and observed the Baptisme of the Grand-child by right of his Grand-fathers Covenant we believe to be warranted from the nature and tenour of the Covenant of Grace by this Reason where there is a Stipulation of the Covenant on Gods part and restipulation of the Covenant on mans part there may be an obsignation of the Covenant on both parts or in plainer words where there is an offer of the Covenant on Gods part and a receiving and undertaking of the Covenant on mans part there may be a sealing of it on both parts But here is an offer of the Covenant on Gods part Gen. 17.7 where God says that he will be a God to Abraham that is to the Believer and his Seed and by Seed is not there meant the next Seed only but Seeds Seed also to many Generations Isai 59.21 And here is likewise a receiving and undertaking of the Covenant on mans part seeing the Grand-father receiveth the Covenant by his faith and by the profession of his faith and by his desire of the Seal of the Covenant to strengthen his faith and he undertaketh also the

unfit to partake in the Seal of the Covenant c. He replies in these words Though they be not fit to make such profession of visible faith as to admit them to the Lords Table yet they may make profession full enough to receive them to Baptisme or to the same estate Is●mael stood in after Circumcission And to one who complained of being in the dark about the truth asserted in Mr. Cottons printed Book concerning the Baptisme of Infants and that amongst other made this Objection when said that Scrupler a child comes to know that his Parents are no visible Saints but appear to be contrary both in Life and Doctrine and the children had only words and water poured on them how came these persons to have right to it the Parents having no visible faith to act in that Ordinance and their children likewise being uncapable to hold forth the acts of faith before men He thus Answereth Ieroboam and his wife were neither of them visible Saints in your Sense but appeared to be contrary both in Life and Doctrine yet the Circumcision of their Son was not in vain to him 1 Kings 14.13 In this Case when the faith of the Parents is wanting and yet they still live within the Pale of the Church though the Church be Corrupt and the Parents also yet here the Speech of the Apostle takes place what though some believed not shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none effect God forbid Rom. 3. 3 4. now the Faithfulness of God who keepeth Covenant and mercy to thousands supplies the defect of the Faith of the next Parents and maketh good his Covenant to the Children in respect of the Faith of their former Ancestors in Elder Ages But against this s●me may object a passage in Mr. Cottons Book of the way of the Chu●ches pag. 81. where it is said where neither of the Parents can claim right to the Lords Supper their Infants cannot claim right to B●ptisme therefore it m●y seem that Mr. Cottons Iudgement was not as ha●h been now declared Unto this let the judicious Re●der attentively hear the Answer which is 1. In that very Book of Mr. Cottons there are sundry passages which plead for an Enlargement of Baptisme further then to the Immediate Children of persons in full Communion even to the Children of such Parents who have such a faith as denominateth them Christian Believers in opposition to Pagan Infidels yea if there be a Christian Sponsor for the Child of a Stranger or wicked man it may be baptized see the way pag 87. 88. 106 115. 2dly That Book of the way was printed from an imperfect Copy in which respect it is not to be wond●ed at if there be therein some passages contradictory to Mr. Cottons known Iudgement 3. Mr. Co●ton himself was much troubled when he saw that Book come forth and was desirous that the Reader should understand that his Judgement in such things wherein the Book of the way is discrepant from that of the Keyes should be sought for not in the Book of the way but in that of the Keys And that no one may think that these things are Imaginary or conjectural only let us hear Mr. Cotton speaking in his own words in his printed defence against the Imputations of Mr. Cawdrey written not long before his death and Published by Doctor Owen In which Book pag. 36. 37 38 39. The truth is saith Mr. Cotton that many years ago I was seriously moved by some of our Brethren and Fellow Elders here to draw up an Historical narration of our Church way together with some familiar Grounds of the same briefly In short time as God helped I dispatched it which when our Brethren had perused it I saw they did not close with it yet a Brother going for England got some where a Copy of it and presented it to some of the Congregational way there and I afterwards heard neither did they close with it and in particular not with that passage which is here recited which since appeareth more openly by the Asterisk put upon that passage and upon sundry other in the Book but before I saw that and had only heard that they did not fully accord I hoped that it had met with a timely Suppression rather then an Impression for I heard no more of it for two or three years after mean while perceiving that one main point of dissatisfaction was the Authority given to the Fraternity I consiered more se●iously and distinctly of the whole power of the Keys and expressed my apprehensions in that treatise of the Keys which our Brethren here did well accept and so did the Brethren of like Judgement in England and some of them were pleased to arrest it with the Preface that is now Extant before it This was sundry years after the Treatise of the way had been finished and carryed to England and as I hoped suppressed but it seemeth some Brother there caused his Copy which was indeed abrupt in the Entrance and imperfect otherwise to be published in print which when I saw it troubled me not a little as knowing that the discrepant Expressions in the one and in the other might trouble Friends and give Advantages to Adversaries I suffered both to stand as they did especially seeing I could not help it the Book of the way being published without my Consent and both the way and the Keys past my revoking so that if the Replier find some discrepancy in one of these Books from the other Let him know that the Doctrine of the way in such few points wherein it differs from the Keys was not mine when the Keys was published much less when the way was published which was many years after though it had been penned many years before Thus much may suffice for the clearing of Mr. Cottons Judgement concerning the Subject of Baptisme In the same year and in the same Vessel with Mr. Cotton came into this Country that famous Mr. Thomas Hooker late Pastor of the Church in Hartford upon Connecticot Now that in Mr. Hookers Judgement the Children concerning whom the Question is have a continued standing and membership in the visible Church upon which hinge the Controversy about the Enlargement of the Subject of Baptisme turns is evident from a passage in his most Judicious and accurate Survey of Church Discipline in which Book pag. 4● are these words in some Cases saith Mr. Hooker an Implicit Covenant may be fully Sufficient as Suppose a whole Congregation should consist of such who were Child on to the Parents now deceased who were Confederate their children were true members according to the Rules of the Gospel by professing of their Fathers Covenant though they should not make any personal and vocal Expression of their Engagement as the Fathers did Also he lays it down for a Maxim that faederati sunt baptizandi proving by several Arguments that Confederates are the proper Subject of Baptisme see in the same Book part