this occasion, and cast a stumbling-block in the way of so many precious souls.

To what is here briefly thrust together, if the reader will add the twelve reasons, in my "Christian Concord," pp. 11-14, and what is said in my "Book of Right to Sacraments," where these matters, or those that sustain them, are handled more at large; I suppose he may easily be convinced, that the former church-governors, in England, have been lamentably negligent, and our churches by their means are much disordered; and that the present ministers should be more forward, and diligent, and unanimous for the cure; and that the magistrate, if he love the church of Christ, and the souls of men, should speedily afford his help, and all too little to remedy these great and many evils, which we have let in, by suffering such a loose, unobserved transition from the state of infant church-members, or from apostacy, into the number of adult-members, without approved profession and confirmation.

PROP. 20. So many and great are the Benefits, that would follow the general practice of this duty, of Trying, Approving, and Confirming (or Absolving) all those that enter into the number of Adult Christians, that it should mightily provoke all Christian Magistrates, Ministers and People, to join in a speedy and vigorous execution of it.

1. ONE excellent fruit of this practice, will be the great increase of knowledge, and godliness, and the destruction of ignorance, and notorious impiety. This is an effect, most apparent in the causes. When men are made to understand, that by the law of God, seconded by the common consent of the church, and the most learned, godly pastors, and, if it may be, by the law of the land; no man is to be accounted, or numbered with adult Christians, but those that make a sober, serious, understanding profession of Christianity, renouncing the flesh, the world, and the devil; and not contradicting, and nullifying this profession, by a wicked life; this will engage parents to teach their children, and children themselves to learn what Christianity is, when they cannot have the name, or the honour, and the privileges of Christians, without some credible appearance of the thing. For doubtless while Christianity is in credit, the same motives that now prevail with the multitude to seem Christians, and

to desire the baptism of their children, will continue then, to make them desire to be numbered with Christians, when they are at age; and so will provoke them to do that, without which they know they cannot be esteemed Christians. And as it is now a common thing to be baptized in infancy, so will it be then a common thing, for our young people to learn the principles of Christianity, yea, and to reform their lives, (I hope with the most) when they understand, that else they must be taken to be no Christians. And if it were but the making of the understanding, profession, and outside of Christianity, to be more common among us, it would be a precious fruit of our endeavours. But much more, when true Christianity itself, in the life and power of it, would also be more common. As no doubt but it would; for the knowledge of the letter, is the way to the receiving of the Spirit; and among the multitudes that have the outside of true religion, there will be far more, that have the life and soul of it, than among those that have not so much as the outside. Any man in reason may foresee, that if we be openly agreed, and it be publicly enacted, or declared, That none be taken into the number of adult Christians, nor admitted to their privileges, till they have made an approved profession of Christianity, and so be received by Jesus Christ himself, acting by his ministers, it will set all that care for the name, or hopes or privileges of Christians, to learn, and be, and do, that which they know will be so required of them. Whereas, as things go now in most places, they may bring their children to baptism, without understanding what baptism is; and those children may slide into the state of the adult Christians, and possess the name, and place, and outward communion, and other honours and privileges of such, without knowing whether Christ were a man or a woman, or who he is, or what business he came about into the world. And when no outward necessity is laid upon them by the church, to know more, or to seem better, no wonder if so many heathens do sit among Christians, and if the multitude look not much after knowledge or godliness.

2. And moreover, it will be a very great help to their consciences, in order to the convincing them of their sin and misery, and of the insufficiency of that condition which multitudes do now rest in; and so to awaken them to look after a safer state, and to be what they must seem to be, if

they will be taken to be Christians. It is a great help to the deceiving of the multitude of the ungodly, to be currently esteemed Christians, when they are not: and self-love is such a blinding thing, that a little help will go far with it, in the promoting of such deceits. Naturally men are very easily brought to think well of themselves, and hardly brought to confess their misery. Every man almost will easily confess himself a sinner, and a very great sinner, so you will but allow him to be a Christian, and a pardoned sinner. For this is a common confession, and brings no very terrible conclusion and message to the soul. But when a man must confess himself no true Christian, but unsanctified, unpardoned, and a slave of Satan, this is as much as to confess himself in a state of damnation, in which if he die he is lost for ever, and men are hardly drawn to believe so terrible a conclusion; when yet it is so necessary where it is true, that we can scarcely imagine how a man can be saved without it. He that knoweth not himself to be out of his way, will hardly be persuaded to turn back; and he that knows not himself to be unpardoned, will hardly value or seek a pardon; and he that thinks he is sanctified, and a true Christian already, will not seek to be made what he takes himself already to be. And how much reputation doth to help or hinder men, even in self-judging, is easily perceived. Now here is a threefold reputation, of very great moment, to concur, either for men's deception or conversion. (1.) The reputation of Prince and Parliament, and so of Law-givers and Rulers of the Nation, who by their laws do manifest, whom they esteem good Christians, and this the people very much look at. (2.) The reputation of all the pastors of the church, which is to be manifested in their agreements, confessions, or declarations and practices. (3.) The common consent of Christian people, which is to be manifested by their actions, according to the laws of Christ, and the direction of their guides. If magistrates, ministers, and people do concur, to repute all the infidels, and utterly ignorant, wicked men among us to be Christians; how many thousand souls may this deceive, and undo for ever! Whereas if magistrates, ministers and people that fear God, would all agree according to the laws of Christ, to esteem none adult Christians, but those that by a credible profession of Christianity, do seem to be such, it would abundantly help to convince them

of their misery, and the need of Christ, and grace, and the absolute necessity of a change. We see even among good men, in the case of a particular sin, how much common reputation doth help or hinder the work upon their consciences; among the Reformed Churches beyond the sea, what conscience is troubled for these actions, or omissions on the Lord's-day, which in England would much trouble men of the same temper in other things. Among several sects it troubleth them not, freely to revile the servants of Christ that are against them, because they find it rather go for commendable, than much condemnable, by those whom they most esteem. Among the Papists, the believing in a ViceChrist, and the worshipping of his image and cross with divine worship, and also the consecrated Host, and the condemning all the churches of Christ that do it not, do go for virtues, and Christian practices, though they are most heinous, odious sins; and what is it but common reputation of princes and priests, and multitudes of people, that could make so many, yea, and such persons as some of them are, to continue in such sins, as if they were a part, yea, an essential part of holiness, and one generation to succeed another in them? Were these sins but commonly reputed to be as odious as indeed they are, what a change would it make on millions of souls! So that it is strange to see the power of reputation.

3. Moreover, this course would be an excellent help to the labours of the ministers of Christ, for men's salvation. They would better understand and apply our sermons; whereas now, they lose the benefit by misapplying them. Now we must labour all our lives, and with most, in vain, to make unbelievers and ungodly persons understand what they are, and no means will serve to convince many people, that they are not truly Christians, that know not what it is to be a Christian, or that hate it and fight against it. When they all go together under the name of Christians, whatever comforts they hear offered to believers, they take them to themselves, or mistake them as offered to them; and all the threatenings that are uttered against unbelievers, they put by and think it is not they that are spoken against. But if once we could but get men to stand in their own places, and to know themselves, how easily then would our message work! Methinks the devil should not be able to keep one

man of an hundred in his power, if they knew themselves to be in his power; nor one of an hundred, in a state of ungodliness and condemnation, if they knew that they are in such a state. At least, I am sure men will not so numerously, nor easily run into hell, when they know they are going into it, as when they are confident that they are good Christians, and in the way to heaven.

4. If this fore-described confirmation be practised, it will more powerfully oblige our people to Christ, than a secret sliding into the number of adult Christians will do. And doubtless solemn engagements and obligations, have some force upon conscience, to hold men to Christ, and restrain them from sin; or else baptism itself would be much frustrated, and the Jews should not have been so often called by Moses, Joshua, Asa, and other princes, to renew their covenant with God. But with us, men feel no such bonds upon them; and many question whether they are bound at all, by their parents' promises for them in baptism.

5. The profiting of our people will be much greater in their own place, when those that are not yet fit for adultmembership and privileges, are kept in the place of catechumens or expectants. Every thing doth thrive and prosper best in its own place: if you tear them not out of the church's womb, till they are ready for the birth, they will prosper there, that else may perish. Your corn will best prosper in the cold earth, where it seems to be dead and buried, till the springing-time shall come. And you should not violently unhose the ears, till nature put them forth. The first digestion must be wrought, before the second, and nature must have time allowed it, and the stomach must not too hastily let go the food, if you would have good sanguification and nutrition follow. Men think they do a great kindness to grossly ignorant, or impious men, to take them into the church, before they are capable of such a station, and the work, or privileges thereto belonging; but, alas! they do but hurry them to perdition, by thrusting them out of the state, where they might have thriven in preparation to a church-state, into a state which will set them abundance of work, which they are utterly unfit for, and under the pretence of benefits and privileges, will occasion abundance of aggravations of their sins. A boy in his A, B, C, will learn better in his own place, among his fellows, than in a higher