fome fatisfaction, how you ftand qualified for the carrying on fo great a Work, as you pretend to be now called unto.

And because it is to be fufpected that he who hath been fo regardless of his own Soul, that he is not fenfible of the work of Grace in himself, will not be very zealous in his Endeavors to procure it to be wrought in others; therefore let us be informed in the first place, what affurance you have that you are in the State of Grace?

Tilenus. Sir, I truft, you fhall find that I am no Reprobate.

Dr. Confidence. Methinks you speak very doubtfully.

Tilenus. Sir, I humbly conceive it becomes not me to be too confident, when the modesty of the great Apoftle, was content, upon occafion, with the very fame expreffion which I used.

Mr. Efficax. But can you remember the time and place, when and where that work of Grace was wrought in you? By what means, and upon what occafion?

Tilenus. I fuppofe they are violent and fudden changes only, from one extreme to another, that fall under fuch a punctual obfervation. Had I with Mary Magdalen been fo notoriously lewd, as to make the City ring of my Crimes: or had I travelled with a defign of Blood, as Paul did, and procured a commiffion to execute it upon the Church of Chrift; my Converfion, if fincere, in that cafe, muft needs have been very remarkable. Ór had I committed Adultery, and then tempted the injured Party with much Artifice to cloak it; and because I could not, with all the wicked charms of intemperance, prevail to induce him to it, deliberately contrived and commanded his Murder: Or had I, thro' a furprize, fo paffionatly. denied and forfworn my Lord and Mafter; as you LI

very

very
well remember who did, the folemnity requifite
to attend Repentance for fuch offences would have
made as deep an impreffion in my memory, as the
frequent inundation of tears did in thole tranfgreffors
cheeks, and there would have been no need of red
letters in my Kalendar to render fuch a time ob-
fervable with me. But bleffed be God! by whofe
Providence it was, that being dedicated to the Ser-
vice of Chrift in mine Infancy, the Piety of my
Parents took an early care that I fhould not be ali-
enated from him thro' the allurements of the World,
for want of a religious Education: and from a
Child having been acquainted, as Timothy was, with
the holy Scriptures, which are able to make us wife unto
Salvation, thro' Faith which is in Christ Jesus; herein
I have exercifed my felf, thro' the affiftance of his
Grace, to have always a conscience void of offence to-
wards God, and towards Men.

Mr. Narrowgrace. You fpeak as if Regenerati on came by Nature and Education.

Tilenus. No, Sir; to fay Regeneration comes by Nature were a contradiction.

Mr. Takeo'-trust. Do you not remember what Rom. 3. the Apostle faith; We have all Sinned and come fort 23. of the Glory of God. We are dead in Trefpaffes and Eph.2.1.3. Sins, and are by nature Children of Wrath? Can there

be fo great a change wrought in a Man, as is a change from Death to Life, and he have no apprehenfion or feeling when fuch a change is wrought in him?

my

Tilenus. When I reflect upon the exuberance of the Divine Grace under the Gospel, I perfwade felf, there is fome difference betwixt Chriftians, born of faithful and godly Parents, and from their Child-hood Educated and Inftructed in the ways of Faith and Piety; I fay, we must make a difference betwixt thefe, and thofe Jews and Gentiles of whom the Apostle fpeaks, before they were made: Chrifti

ans.

ans.

12.

I know you will not allow Heathens to ftand in competition with the Servants of Jefus, devoted to him from their very infancy: neither is the Law and Difcipline of Mofes an equal ftandard to measure the difpenfations of the Grace of Jefus Chrift by; and yet, if you confider Zachary and Elizabeth, who, tho' trained up under the Pedagogy of Mofes, date their practice of Piety from their youth, (as you ought to do, for why See. 1 fhould we make an exception where God makes Kings. 18. none?) You will find, that being righteous before Luke. 1. 6. God and walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless, they were not capable of answering your question, when and where and how the work of Grace was wrought in them. Now if the miniftration of Mofes, which was in comparifon a ministration of Death, was thus Glorious: how 2. Cor. 3. fhall not the miniftration of Christ, which is the mixi- 7. 8. ftration of the Spirit, be rather Glorious. Under the Gofpel that Covenant is fully accomplished, wherein God bound himself to Abraham by the facred tie of an oath, to grant us a power to ferve him in Holiness and Righteousness, all the days of our Life. Luk. 1. 73. And the conveyances of this powerful Grace being 74. 75. all put fo freely into our hands (the Word and Sacraments) it is required of us as a duty, to have Grace, whereby we may ferve God acceptably, with Reverence and Godly Fear. And doubtless 'tis only our own inexcufable fault if we have not; for indeed, be it spoken with holy reverence, the adminiftration of our facred Baptifm, were no better than a piece of folemn Pageantry, if Grace were not conferred upon us in receiving that Sacrament: for therein are begged, on our behalf, the bleffings of Chrift, Grace and Pardon, with the renewing and affiftance of the holy Spirit. Thefe the Church by Prayer feeks for, on our behalf, by virtue of that Covenant, wherein God hath promiled and engaged

L12

himself

Heb. 12.

28.

himfelf to bestow them; which promife he for bis part, will most affuredly keep and perform. Then upon this, we engage our vow, to forfake the Devil, and all his works, and to keep God's holy Will and Commandments. Can we think either that God, in Goodness or Juftice would require fuch an enga gement at our hands, under peril of a greater condemnation, or that the Church of God in prudence could oblige us to undertake it, without good affurance of fufficient Affiftance and Power from his Gracious Spirit to enable us to perform it accord. ing to the tenor of the Gofpel?

Mr. Frybabe. It seems you are for univerfal Grace, and you hold, that all the Children of the Faithful, dying in their infancy, and before they have the ufe of reafon, are faved by virtue of that Ifa. 49. 8. Covenant, made with us in the Blood of Christ, Heb. 13. into which they are configned at their Baptifm; as if all fuch fome privilege were invefted with to exempt them from the abfolute Decree of Reprobation.

20.

Heb.12.14.

Tilenus. This, Sir, is the Faith into which I have been baptized and catechized; for I am taught to profefs, that in my baptism, I was made a mem ber of Chrift, a child of God, and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mr. Knowlittle. But you know, that without Holinefs no Man fhall fee the Lord.

Tilenus. That I very well remember: but withall I confider, that befides that federal Holiness, which removes all obftacles in the children of the Faithful, and renders them recipients duly qualified for the Sacrament, I am inftructed, in my Creed to believe in God the Holy Ghoft, who fanctifieth me, (that is, if I do not refift his work and quench his motions) and am further directed to beg by di ligent Prayer his Special Grace to enable me to dif charge my duty to God and my Neighbor; which

Grace

Grace, if I be not wanting to my duty, I have reafon to affure my felf of, upon the ftrength of Luk.11.13.

our Savior's Promife.

In short, Baptifm being styled, the laver of Tit. 3. 5. Regeneration. And the children of the Faithful, being in no capacity of putting a bar against the efficacy of it, the learned Davenant (one of the Divines of the Synod of Dort) concludes, that, therein they are truly Juftified, Regenerated and Adopted, and by this means a State of Salvation is conferr'd upon them fuitable to the condition of their Infancy; and arriving to the use of reafon, if they walk in the ftrength of the Divine Grace, under the Command and Conduct of the holy Spirit, and fight under Chrift's banner, as generous Souldiers, engaged by folemn Covenant, and armed with affiftance from above to that purpofe, fhould do, we are affured that Sin fhall not get the Dominion Rom. 6. over them. For he is greater that is engaged in 14. them, for their affiftance, than he that is in the 1. John World against them. Whereupon the fame Apoftle 4 4 is confident to conclude We know that whosoever is born of God Sinneth not: but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him

not.

Mr. Knowlittle. You fpeak as if a Man might dive without Sin, and fo be faved without Chrift.

c. 5. v.18

2. Pet. 3.

Tilenus. Sir, I believe it is the duty of the children of God, and therefore poffible, to be blame- Phil.2. 15. lefs and harmless, without rebuke, fining as Lights, in the midst of a crooked and perverfe nation. That at Chrift's coming they may be found of him in peace, 14. without spot and blameless; but this is done, not without Chrift, but thro' the Power of his Grace, rescuing them from the pollutions, that are in the World thro' luft, and from all the carnal invitati ons, that do fo earnestly follicit them. Yet this is not to live without Sin; for there are Sins of