The Status of the Baptized Child; The Substance of a Discourse Preached by Appointment of the Synod of Virginia, on the 8th of October, 1859, and Published at Its Request (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1860 edition. Excerpt: ...for the design and end of it was the man's humiliation, recovery, and salvation, as is expressly affirmed in the text; and this effect it actually had, for the man was healed and restored. Wherefore this delivery unto Satan is an ordinance of Christ for the exciting of saving grace in the souls of men, adapted unto the case of falling by scandalous sins, peculiarly effectual, above any other gospel ordinance." President Edwards holds the same view. "Excommunication itself is to be performed as an act of benevolence. We should seek their good by it; and it is to be used as a means of their eternal salvation. But complacency and delight in them as visible Christians is to be withdrawn; and on the contrary, they are to be the objects of displacency, as visibly and apparently wicked." "The Church may and ought to pray for such; but they cannot have fellowship with such in prayer. The Minister, when speaking in prayer, doth not. speak in their name; he speaks only in the name of the united society of visible saints or worshippers." "'Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.' The consideration that he hath been a brother heretofore, and that we have not finally cast him off from that relation, but that we are still hoping and using means for his recovery, obliges us to concern ourselves more for the good of his soul than for those with whom we never had any such connexion; and so to pray for him, and to take pains by admonishing him. Surely we should be more concerned for the good oHjfchose who have been our brethren, and who are now under the operation of means used by us for their good, than for those with whom we never had any special connexion. Thus, there should be more of the love f benevolence...