f the chief reasons which brought this excellent man to New
England, was that he could not in Old England enjoy the ordinance of
infant baptism in its purity. Let me read the following, addressed by
him to his little son, who afterward became pastor of the church in
Lynn, Massachusetts, and was a burning and shining light. His words will
show you that he had no superstitious notion about the church-membership
of children, though he represented the common belief at that day, and
that he did not count baptism in infancy a saving ordinance; yet you
will see how he uses it to plead with his son to be reconciled to God.
He writes:

"And thus, after about eleven weekes sayle from Old England, we came to
New England shore, where the mother fell sick of consumption, and you my
child was put to nurse to one goodwife Hopkins, who was very tender of
thee; and after we had been here diverse weekes, on the seventh of
February, or thereabout, God gave thee the ordinance of baptism, whereby
God is become thy God, and is beforehand with thee, that whenever you
shall return to God he will undoubtedly receive thee; and this is a most
high and happy privilege; and therefore blesse God for it. And now,
after this had been done, thy deare mother dyed in the Lord, departing
out of this world into another, who did lose her life by being careful
to preserve thine; for in the ship thou wert so feeble and froward, both
in the day and night, that hereby shee lost her strength, and at last
her life. Shee hath made also many a prayer and shed many a tear in
secret for thee; and this hath bin oft her request, that if the Lord did
not intend to glorify himselfe by thee, that he would cut thee off by
death rather than to live to dishonor him by sin; and therefore know it
that if you shalt turn rebell agaynst God, and forsake God and care not
for the knowledge of him, nor to beleeve in his Son, the Lord will make
all these mercys woes, and all thy mother's prayers, teares, and death,
to be a swift witness agaynst thee at the great day."

The practice of infant baptism, and a belief in what is called the
church-membership of children, surely had no injurious effect upon a
parent who could speak thus to his child. Yet Shepard took as high
ground as any with regard to this subject. He derived appeals from
baptism to his child, which were both encouraging and admonitory in the
highest degree.

O, said Dr. D., what a people the descendants of Abraham migh