_Mr. B._ (After a pause.) I do not know but you are right.
Mr. C., the remaining advocate of the sermon, said, "Let me refresh your memories with the famous case quoted in Morton's New England Memorial. He says:
"'The two ministers there (Salem, 1629), being seriously studious of reformation, they considered the state of their children, together with their parents, concerning which letters did pass between Mr. Higginson (of Salem) and Mr. Brewster, the reverend elder of the church of Plymouth; and they did agree in their judgments, namely, concerning the church-membership of the children with their parents, and that baptism was a seal of their membership; only, when they were adult, they being not scandalous, they were to be examined by the church officers, and upon their approbation of their fitness, and upon the children's public and personally owning of the covenant, they were to be received unto the Lord's Supper. Accordingly, Mr. Higginson's eldest son, being about fifteen years of age, was owned to have been received a member together with his parents, and being privately examined by the pastor, Mr. Skelton (the other minister of Salem), about his knowledge in the principles of religion, he did present him before the church when the Lord's Supper was to be administered, and, the child then publicly and personally owning the covenant of the God of his father, he was admitted unto the Lord's Supper, it being there professedly owned, according to 1 Cor. 7:14, that the children of the church are holy unto the Lord, as well as their parents.'"
Mr. R. stood up, and, with an animated look and manner, but with a very pleasant voice, said:
"What, now, my good brother, did these good ministers do, with this youth, more or less than we all do for the children of our pastoral charge?
"Of what practical use was his so-called infant 'church-membership,' in addition to his being, as we all hold, a child of the covenant?"
They made no reply for a little while, till at last Mr. A. said:
"Well, Br. R., what names would you substitute for _members_ and _membership_?"
_Mr. R._ "THE CHILDREN OF THE CHURCH;" for you have it in the last sentence of the extract which you read from Morton;--the true, the most appropriate, and, in every respect, the best name for those who are so ambiguously called _members_.