The baptized Turk, or, A narrative of the happy conversion of Signior Rigep Dandulo, the onely son of a silk merchant in the Isle of Tzio, from the delusions of that great impostor Mahomet, unto the Christian religion and of his admission unto baptism by Mr. Gunning at Excester-house Chappel the 8th of Novemb., 1657 / drawn up by Tho. Warmstry.

CHAP. II. Of his Education, and Travails.

IN his infancy he was bred up with his parents, but according to the way of the delusions of his Father, whose authority prevailed against thepious inclinations and desires of his Mother, which yet now at length God hath blessed with the Victo∣ry, and with a success even beyond her

desires; having brought him into a more pure profession of the Christian Religion then that which she embraceth; even in∣to that which is embraced by the old and Orthodox part of the Church of England; then which (I hope we may be allowed to say) there is none in the world that doth more soundly embrace the Christian Do∣ctrine, and is glorious even in the rubbish, the very stones and dust of the ruins which she is under, and whom God hath so gra∣ciously owned even in this time of her trouble and contempt, by giving this extra∣ordinary access unto her Body.

About the sixth year of his age he was stoln away by the Moors, amongst whom he lived for the space of about Nine years, and in that time he visited the great City of Grand Cairo in Egypt; the place where God was pleased to deliver his peo∣ple of old, that he might bring them in∣to the land of Canaan: And so God hath called even this his Son, his newly adopted Son from Egypt. The Moor with whom he lived had a great desire to have detained him with him, and for an inducement thereunto offered him his Daughter. But God who had another and far more happy marriage in store for him, would not suffer him to lay hold upon that

bait, but made use of the natural desire that he had to see his Parents and his Country, to bring him from thence, that at length he might arrive at a better Coun∣try, even a Heavenly one, which is the Church of God; and come home unto bet∣ter Parents, even God himself, and the Catholike Church. And so as Saul sought his Fathers Asses, and found a Kingdom; he might by the desire that he had unto a natural blessing, be set in the way to the obtaining a supernatural Inheritance.

So that God that in his wise Providence ordereth all things and motions of the World to the advancement of his King∣dom, and for the good and salvation of his People; and that maketh Nature it self serve the designs and purposes of his heavenly grace, drew this person from his Moorish entertainment by the cords of those inclinations that were in him to∣wards his friends, and his native Soil, un∣to his Fathers house, where he arrived back again at the age of about Fifteen years. But his long absence having dis∣missed the hopes, and discharged the ex∣pectation of his Parents to see him again, he was become now nowhere a greater stranger then at home: The impressions of natural relation were in a great de∣gree

worn out, and those characters that were yet left almost starved for want of that nourishment which they usually re∣ceive from the enterview of presence, or entercourse of intelligence; even these it seems were so far out-grown by him, that there could be little or no compliance found between the species or forms he left behind him in their minds, and the favour and garb wherein he returned unto them; so that when he came to his Mothers door, and renewed his claim unto the Womb that bare him, and to the Brests that gave him suck, the Mother fulfilled the word of God by the Prophet, and had forgotten her own sucking childe; she was hardly brought to own him for her Son, though she had no other childe of that sex to sup∣ply his room in her heart. For it is not to be omitted that he is the onely Son of his Parents; so that his retirement into the bosom of Gods Church, cannot reason∣ably, much less charitably, be looked upon as an earthly refuge, but as a gracious and heavenly choice, since he had so strong an interest as is that of an onely Son, both in the affection and care of those parents that were and are so well able to provide for him. And indeed though it be true, that it is the wonder of the Divine Mercy

that the Lord is pleased not to refuse the very rejections and refuses of the world, and to take up those whom their Fathers and Mothers forsake; To receive a poor returning Prodigal that is driven unto him by the disappointment of the very trough and husks of the Swine, and take up even out-casts into his fatherly bosom: And though the same most gracions God thinks good to make the unhospitableness and ill entertainment of the Relations and usage of the World, a means to bring in many sincere Converts into his House and Family; yet it is such an Argument of sincerity, as may well advance both our confidence and joy in this our late received Fellow-Christian, that he comes unto us upon more noble, generous, and free in∣ducements, then the want of an interest in those earthly friends, that were well able to maintain him in that profession that he was in.

Neither was he long shut out either from the doors or from the bowels of his rechallenged Parents; for although at the first he was not acknowledge, yet (as Mothers are curious speculators of their Children,) she had, it seems, laid up in her memory against this time of need a certain mark that she had observed in the body

of her Childe, to which she thought good to refer the trial of his plea for his resti∣tution unto her Family and care; and up∣on the search, having found that character upon him, she and her Husband too, (as we may well imagin) received him with great joy into their mutual bosoms and embraces (as we use to do those comforts that come beyond our expectations) even as if they had had him new born unto them, or had received him from the very grave of death; which must needs stir up great endearments in their hearts, and raise up great joy and solace in their souls, whilst they might say in the litteral sence, as the Prodigals Father did in the spiritual, It is meet that we should rejoyce, for this our Son was lost and is found, he was dead, as to our enjoyment or knowledge of him, and is alive again.

And this was the first remarkable return of our Convert from his Moorish pilgri∣mage unto his Fathers house.

But in this he was but his own Pa∣rable as it were. This was but the dark type and figure of that more blessed return that he hath now lately made unto his heavenly Father, and to his Mother the Church. I conceive I may well call this a return too, because though he sprang

immediately from a Turkish Father, yet he was not onely derived from Christian An∣cestors, as is before declared, (and God hath mercy for thousands) but he received his conception and birth in and from the Womb of a Christian Mother; and so ac∣cording to the Apostles decision (who allotteth the Title not unto the stronger in respect of Nature, but unto the better principle in respect of Grace, or the Christian profession) he was born into the world an holy Childe, and in the bo∣som of the Catholick Church of Christ; from whence, though he was ravished for a time by those evil principles which his bad Education infused into him, yet the Lord hath now in mercy restored him thereunto.

Yet he did not presently attain unto this blessing, but was carried through divers other Providences unto that happy time and place to which God had reserved him for the receiving of so great a mercy. Be∣ing received again into his Fathers Family about the age (as he relates) of 15 years, he there continued for some certain time: But after some years having both person and gifts to encourage him, and render him acceptable for the service of the Wars, He was engaged in several Expeditions

against the Christians, and was him∣self employed in that late Battel between the Turk and Venetian, and was a wit∣ness and partner in that defeat which fell on the Mahumetans side; and by swim∣ing through part of the Sea unto the Land, escaped that destruction which so many others of the Mahumetans reciev∣ed in that defeat that befel the Turkish Army.

And God made his deliverance a hap∣py means of the escape of a poor Christian Slave whom he met withal, delivered from his hard Master by that storm. This poor Christian he met with when he was got∣ten to Land, and although he might have made good advantage unto himself by re∣turning him again to his Master: Yet having received a command from his Mo∣ther to be kind and merciful unto Christi∣ans, and that loving and ingenuous dis∣position that appears to be in him, inclin∣ing him to compassionate one that had been under so great a misery, he was will∣ing to venture his own safety, in assisting him to make his escape away.

Another Christian, (as it is averred) he redeemed at another time at the rate of fourty and six Dollars of which he want∣ing the odd six in money to make up the

ransom of the poor Captive, he pawned his Garment to make it up; and surely as this compassion of his, whilst yet a Turk, towards those that were then so adverse to him in their profession, may shame here and will condemn hereafter that uncom∣passionate bowelless cruelty that Christi∣ans now exercise one towards another, a∣mongst whom every difference in judge∣ment or practice, is not onely taken for a discharge of love, but an engagement unto hatred and cruelty, which may well make our and other Christian Nations as red with blushing, as they are with the blood of one another: So we may well conceive, that God that loves all goodness, and every thing in every creature that beareth any resemblance of himself, hath graciously rewarded the pitty and mercy of this (then) Mahumetan unto poor Christi∣ans, by pouring out that flood of mercy and compassion upon him, in the illumi∣nation of his soul with his heavenly truth, and his ingrafting into the mystical Body of Christ Jesus, yet not of any merit, but of his free goodness.

I think not fit to forget, (though per∣haps I have not remembred it in its due place,) that whilst he was conversant with his Parents at home, it being one of the

Mahumetan Laws, that all shall take up∣on them the state of Marriage at the age of Twenty five years old at the furthest, one or both of his Parents proposed a Wife unto him; The treaty whereof was even yet on foot, when he came lately out of those parts, and good endearment of affection was entertained on both sides, which yet he is now content to sacrifice in the fire of that holy love which hath been since kindled in his brest toward the Lord Jesus and his holy Gospel.