and yet value themselves fo exceedingly upon the account of Family. The Almighty Maker and Proprietor of all things chofe to be born in a Village and in a Manger, that his Servants might learn from his Example to fare contentedly as their Mafter did; he wou'd not be made an earthly King, that his Followers might learn from thence to fet their Affections on things above, and not on things on the Earth. He who was the Bread and Well of Life, chofe to be Hungry and Thirsty for our fakes; he who was himself the Way, the Truth, and the Light, fatigu'd himself on Earth to bring us to Heaven; he who made the Dumb to Speak, and the Deaf to Hear, became Dumb, and opened not his Mouth before his Revilers, the better to inftruct us in the great Chriftian Duties of Humility, Meeknefs, and Patience; that Almighty and Almerciful Phyfitian who loofen'd us from our Infirmities, he who was the Scourge of Pain, Difeafes and Devils, who was the Lord of Life, and Triumph'd over Death, he, Ifay, was bound and buffeted himself, fcourg'd, and fpit upon, and crucify'd, and all for our fakes. This raiser of the dead dy'd himself, but rose again never to dye more, that no Man henceforward fhould prefume to build his contempt of Death upon this falfe Principle, That after death he was to be no

more.

After his Refurrection, for the further confirmation of his Disciples, he convers'd with 'em forty days, and made his Afcent into Heaven before their Eyes; and upon the fiftieth Day from the Refurrection, he fent down the Holy Ghoft upon his Apoftles, according to Promife, by whom the Love of God was fhed abroad in their Hearts in fuch a measure, that to fulfil the Law of Righteoufnefs, was no longer a burden but a pleasure. For as the Children of Ifrael, fifty days after the killing and eating the Lamb, and figning the Pofts of the Door with the Blood, (which was the Passover in Type only) receiv'd the Law written with

the

the Finger of God, by which we understand the Holy Ghoft; fo after the Paffion and Refurrection of our Lord, who is the true Paffover, on the fiftieth Day, was the fame Holy Ghoft fent upon the Apoftles, and fat upon each of them in the appearance of Cloven Tongues, like as of fire; by which they were enabled to addrefs to all the difperfed Jews at that time at Ferufalem, and to preach the wonderful Works of Chrift in all Languages, and with all Boldness, and to do all manner of Miracles in his Name, infomuch that the very shadow of Peter paffing by, gave Life and Health. The Jews confounded at this Power of Miracles in his Name, whom they had juft Crucify'd, were fome of them the more enrag'd at the Apoftles on account of this new accefs of Strength and Confidence upon the Death of their Mafter; others of them obferving, that after the utmost efforts of Human Power and Malice, his furviving Difciples were Arm'd with ftill more Courage and miraculous Affiftance, were perfectly overcome with the Evidence, and many thousands of 'em believ'd on him whom they had Crucify'd. They were now entirely wean'd from worldly Bleffings, and the expectations of a Temporal Meffiah; their Thoughts were all on wing after their Lord in Heaven; and as a fure proof of this, they fold all their Poffeffions and laid the Price of 'em át the Apostles Feet, and had every thing in Common, and with Heart and Mind were all one in the Lord. Upon this, the believing Jews were barbaroufly perfecuted by the unbelieving party, which occafion'd a general Difperfion; and by this, the Word of God, the good Seed, was fcatter'd abroad in remoter Countries, and the perfecuted Converts not only propaga-. ted the Doctrine, but fuffer'd alfo after the example of the crucify'd Meffiah, who endur'd grief, fuffering wrongfully, that they might follow his Steps. Amongst these Perfecutors of the Saints, the warmeft Zealot was the celebrated Apoftle St. Paul himself,

but

but he was violently Arrested from Heaven in his course of Perfecution, and from thence forward grew much more remarkable for his Zeal and Sufferings for the Name of Chrift, than ever he was before for his outrage against it. Afterwards the ftorms arofe much more violent and lafting, and the Chriftians were continually harrafs'd by the Gentiles, drag'd to their Tribunals, and there condemn'd to the moft frightful Deaths, meerly upon profeffing the Name of Chriftians. So fadly did they experience the Truth of that Prediction of our Lord, Behold, I fend you forth as Sheep in the midft of Wolves.

But the Church of Chrift, fet forth by the Vine which was to spread her Branches thro' the World, was according to Prophecy likewife, to fructify, and fpread the more, the more it was water'd by the Blood of Martyrs; accordingly, after a most prodigious effufion of Christian Blood all the World over, the perfecuting Kingdoms laid down their Arms at length, and fubmitted with Triumph to the worship of the Crucify'd Jefus, which for fo many Years had been a ftumbling block to the Jews; and to the Greeks Foolishness. However, after this amazing growth of the Chriftian Church, the Vine, by our Lord's Command, was ftill to be prun'd and kept in order, and thofe unfruitful Branches taken off, which fpread forth and made a goodly fhew in the Name of Chrift, but in truth corrupted the Purity of his Doctrine to ferve their own Glory and Intereft, and propagated Schifms and Herefies wherever they came; by which Divifions the Church was exercis'd, approv'd, and illuftrated, and her Patience and Doctrine clear'd and vindicated to her great Advantage. All these things therefore, which we read fo long before they had a being, de fcrib'd in Figure and Prophecy, we now with wonderful Satisfaction fee fulfill'd in Fact. And as the Primitive Chriftians by the power of prefent Miracles, were thoroughly perfuaded that all thefe Predictions

wou'd

wou'd be verify'd in their Seafon, fo we now, by the completion of these already paft, make no doubt of the fulfilling of the reft which are yet to come. We are therefore confident that the Day of Judgment, we read of in Scripture, will moft affuredly come to pafs, wherein all the Citizens of Babylon and Ferufalem, that is, the good and the bad all the World over, fhall be rais'd again with their former Bodies to give an account of their Actions before the Tribunal of Chrift; for he who came in the Humiliation of Man, fhall come again in the Brightness of his glory, and divide the Juft from the Unjuft, not only from fuch as wou'd not be prevail'd upon to believe the Gofpel, but from fuch alfo as held the Truth in Unrighteoufnefs; upon the Good, he fhall beftow a Kingdom with himself eternal in the Heavens; and upon the Wicked, eternal Punishment with the Devil. But as no worldly Happiness can in any wife come into competition with the Blifs the Saints fhall inherit, fo no temporal Punishments can be compar'd to the Torments of the Damned, either as to degree or duration.

Let me therefore entreat you, O my Brother, to ftrengthen your felf in his Might, on whom you now profefs to believe; fortify your Mind against thofe virulent Tongues that make a mock of our Religion, and from the Quiver of the Devil shoot their Arrows, and play all their bittereft words against our strongest hold efpecially, the Doctrine of the Refurrection. Think with your felf, that he who made you to be what you are when you was not, can with the fame ease, after deaah, make you again to be what you was. For 'tis no more trouble to Omnipotence to rally again thofe Particles, however difpers'd, which once compos'd your Body, than to mufter together the fcatter'd Clouds, and cover the Sky in a Moment. Be you therefore stedfaft and immoveable in this Faith, and betake your felf forthwith to a good Life. Fly, O my Brother, fly thofe Torments, where the Tormen

tors

tors never cease, and the Tormented never dye, but are dying for ever. Contract your Paffions all to this Point, and fet your Soul on fire with the Thoughts of that heavenly Blifs, where you will be always in Action and always at Reft; for the Devotion of the Saints above never ceafes, nor will ever fatiate; labour of Mind, and pain of Body, will be no more, not one pityable Object, not a breath of Sorrow, or the leaft fhadow of want ever overcaft that Beatifick Country. For there God will be all Delights, and we with all the bleffed Society of Angels and good Men made perfect, fhall, from his Divine Prefence, drink Rivers of Pleasure for evermore. The equality of Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, and that Unity of Trinity by which thefe Three are one, the Mystery we now embrace by Faith, and fo loudly celebrate in our Creed, we shall then contemplate Face to Face in the profoundest filence of extatick Adoration, and be abforpt in Vifion. Let thefe heavenly Joys live fixt and rooted in your Heart, and pray fervently to your new Lord, that he wou'd defend you againft all Temptations. Be conftantly upon your Guard against the Wiles of the Devil, for he will not only attack you openly by his profefs'd Agents who gnafh to fee the Kingdom of darkness in a manner quite deftroy'd by Chriftians; but he will undermine you alfo by thofe Hereticks and Schifmaticks I juft now mention'd, as cut off from the Unity of the Church, like unfruitful Branches from the Vine; and fometimes he will make the Jews his Engines to tempt and ruin you. But above all, beware of the Wolves in Sheeps-clothing, thofe Serpents that lye as yet undiscover'd in the bofome of the Church; for the Poifon of Afps under fuch unfufpected Lips, is in moft danger of infinuating with fuccefs. Prepare thy Soul then for Temptations of every Kind, and from every Quarter; for you will find many of thofe to frequent the Pagan Theaters, whom, upon the Christian Festivals, you will find in

the