Confirmation and restoration the necessary means of reformation, and reconciliation; for the healing of…Confirmation and restauration the necessary means of reformation, and reconciliation; for the healing of…

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 ⟨p. 195⟩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's 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 ⟨p. 196⟩Christians. And if it were but the making of the understanding Profession, and outside of Christianity, to be commoner among us, it would be a most precious fruit of our endeavours. But much more, when true Christianity it self, 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: & among multitudes that have the outside of true Religion, there will be far more, that have the life and soul of it, then among those that have not so much as the outside.

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