AN IItiñTHLE ATTEMPT, &C. again so as to become the children of God, members of Christ, and heirs of heaven by baptism. I readily grant, that many of the ministers of the church and the wiser christians do know and believe, that there is no such inward grace and salvation really communicated by baptismal water : yet almost all the expressions in the offices relating both to public and private baptism, and to the baptism of those of riper years, establish persons in the-same mistake, and that as I hinted before without any manifest caution to secure them from it. But you, ,my friends, who separate from the national forms of worship, are afraid of receiving this doctrine, for you think it a matter of dangerous consequence both with regard to your- selves and your children. You havebeentaught and have learn- ed that regeneration is agreat and holy change, wrought in the posers of your soul, Jour understanding, will and affections by the Spirit of God, whereby you come to see the evil and defil- ing nature of sin, and the dreadful consequences of it, beyond whatever you saw before ; whereby you learn the excellency and necessity of holiness; whereby your ,sensual, vain and earthly temper of mind is altered, and your heart set upon the things of God and heaven and eternity instead of the perishing enjoy- ments of this life ; whereby your sinful nature is renewed by di- vinegrace, and you are brought to love God and fear him, to Lope and trust in him, as he has manifested his grace in Christ Jesus his Son ; and whereby you are inclined to practiseall the duties of piety towards God, and justice and charity towards your fellow- creatures. You are taught also, that though bap- tism or washing with water be a sign or figure or; emblem of this great and holy change,this purification from the defilement of sin, and this renovationof your natures to holiness, yet it is not the thing itself, it is not the real spiritual blessing ; nor does this olivine blessing always attend it; and it is often administered to persons who are never truly regenerate, who never have this di- vine change or purification passing upon them. You lie therefore under the strongest obligationsto see to it, that you have better evidences of regeneration than your mere baptism with eater; you are bound by your own principles to seek this divine change of your heart, this spiritual and import- ant blessing with theutmost care, diligence, devotion and prayer. You are exhorted in the ministry of the word, to labour with your own hearts to convince them of the evil of sin, Of the beauty and necessity of holiness, of the excellency of true religion and the divine life ; to impress your spirits by all proper motives that they. may repent of all sin, that your will may be turned away from it with hatred ; that your love and fear and hope may be used upon better objects than they are by nature, even upon God and Christ, ant things spiritual and eternal; you are ire-
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