that is Good, is the Fruit of the Spirit of God and 1720. Chrift: And they are brought forth with divine Life and Power in that Minifter and People, who through true Faith in the bieffed Jefus, have received the Gift of the Holy Ghoft, or Spirit of Christ.

The Minifter of the Gofpel being thus fitly furnished to every good Word and Work, he is ready to anfwer the Call of his great Lord and Holy Master, which is in Heaven; he wants not the Call of Man, nor Authority from Man, nor Wages of Man. But those who bring forth Fruits contrary to the above, can neither be true Minifters, nor Chriftians, according to the Doctrine of our Holy Lord. Being thus qualified by the Moft High, thofe Minifters are freely given up to ferve the Lord, and go wherefoever he is pleafed to fend them, though he fend them as Lambs among Wolves: And it is worth noting, that Chrift's Meffengers and Minifters are called and fent of him; they do not run of themselves, nor in their own Will; which if they did, their End would be like the forward falfe Prophets of old, who did not profit the People at all.

Our great Lord feeing what Need the World had of true Teaching, and of true Teachers, fends his Minifters forth into it, faying, Matt. xxviii. 18, 19, 20. All Power is given unto me in Heaven and Earth: Go ye therefore and teach all Nations, Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : Teaching them to obferve all Things whatfoever I bave commanded you: And lo, I am with you alway, even unto the End of the World.

Many of his excellent Sayings and Commands may be found in that wonderful Sermon which he preached on the Mount, Matt. 5th, 6th, and 7th Chapters.

Here Chrift fhews his Minifters his Power, and fends them forth in his own Name, for there is none other given under Heaven for Salvation; and Christ comforts his Minifters with a glorious Promife, of

1720. being with them to the End of the World. Oh the wonderful Sweetness of this gracious Promife! and fuch are all his Promifes, for they are Yea, and Amen, for ever. Wherefore Chrift's Ministers may well go forth without Doubting, having their Authority from the King of Kings. Again he faith, Go ye into all the World, and preach the Gospel unto every Creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be faved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned, Mark xvi. 15, 16. So Chrift fays, Go; but the World, the Flesh, and the Devil fays, Stay; For the Spirit of Sin and Satan is for obftructing the Work of Chrift, and hindring the free Gofpel Miniftry, and the Motions of the Word and Teftimony of Jefus ; and is for quenching it in thofe in whom it may appear: It is a new Mode or Fashion, contrary to the primitive Order of Christ, above mentiond, for Minifters to stay, and be tied to an outward Benefit, or a particular Meeting or Congregation; which Way of Preaching, or Reading (Reading being much in Practice now a Days) is quite contrary to the Call, and Practice of Chrift, and his Minifters, and of the Martyrs, and Confeffors of Jefus: As alfo of many of the most noted Reformers in Religion. Oh but it is objected, If Minifters fhould always go about among the Nations, what would become of their Families, or how must they live, and be maintained? To which may be anfwered, as the Minifters of our Lord were, when he at the first fent them forth; who, when they returned to their Master, he asked them, if they lacked any Thing? They answered, No. But instead of lacking any Thing, the Devils were fubject to them. Pray let the serious Chriftian confider, here is now a wonderful Change. Is it in Chrift, or in the Hireling Money-loving Prieft? It is certainly in the Men, and not in Chrift Jefus, for he is the fame to Day, Yesterday, and for ever. Where the Power of Chrift rules, there the Devil and his Power muft of Neceffity be fubject.

But

But fome object, That People are not fo free now a 1720. Days; where there not a Law to maintain Minifters, the Minifters might perifh or ftarve in this Generation; if fo, then their Miniftry muft ftarve the People's Souls. But this Thought of ftarving, is for want of the Gift of God and Power of Chrift; which Power in the Miniftry would wonderfully open Peoples Hearts towards God, and those who are his true Servants and Ministers; who faid, freely ye have received, freely give. Oh! faithlefs Generation, what fhall we mistrust him who provides for all his Creatures, even to the Ravens and Sparrows, and will he not much more provide for his Servants and Minifters? How should we receive Power from on High, if we want Faith, and cannot depend on the providential Hand of God?

Chrift fends his Minitters into the World, in order to propagate his Gofpel of Salvation, and to let the World know that he is come to put an End to Sin, and bring Life and Peace to the Soul, according to the Angels Teftimony of him, that his Name should be called Jefus (which is a Saviour) for he fhall fave his People from their Sins, Matt. i. 21. The Apostles of Chrift alio, according to their holy Commiffion, declared, that "God had fent his Son to blefs us, in "turning of us from the Evil of our Ways." But Acts that Doctrine muft certainly be oppofite to this of the 26. Angels, Chrift, and his Difcfples, which teacheth, that we must live in Sin while on this Side the Grave, and that there is no being free from it while we are in this World; though Chrift himself came for that very End and Purpole, to put an End to it, and to fave us from it, and to bring unto, and into,_the Worl', everlasting Righteoufnefs; as alfo is that Doctrine which maintains, that there is no Perfection that we can attain to in this Life; though Chrift fays, Be ye perfect (tor or) as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect, as he is perfect in Fulnefs, fo are we to be perfect, according to the Meafure of Grace received.

3:

1720. This Faith and Belief is much wanting in this unbeliev ing Generation, which is the Reafon that People remain in their Sins, and the Peoples Leaders caule them to err, and their Minifters minifter in their Sin, and minifter Sin to the People. Oh! that the Great Lord of All, may grant the Faith which purifies the Heart unto the Children of Men, and efpecially to his Min fters, that they might be inftrumental to the convincing and converting Souls to Chrift,and his "Gofpel,which is the Power of God to Salvation, to all them that believe." And as without believing and being baptized, we can neither be faved, nor truly preach the Gofpel; how do we believe in Chrift if we remain in our Sins? For Chrift faith, If ye believe not that I am he, ye fhall die in your Sins: So it is plain, that the true Faith-and Belief in Chrift taketh away our Sins, and that if we remain in our Sins, it is evident that we have not the true Faith of Chrift. It is not enough to have a notional or hiftorical Faith or Belief that Chrift is the Son of God, but we muft alfo believe that this is be, that as the Angel declared to Jofeph, should fave his People from their Sins: This was before he was born of the holy Virgin; and thofe People mightily mistake the Doctrine of Chrift in the Holy Scriptures, who think or believe they fhall be faved in their Sins; and those Ministers must needs be antichriftian, who preach and write, that there can be no living here in this World without Sin, which is alfo contrary to their own Doctrine at other Times, and to their folemn Covenant in the Water Baptifm (or Sprinkling) in which they promife for their Children, to fortake the Devil and "all is Works," and without Doubt all his Works is Sin, no Chriftian can pretend to greater or higher Perfection, than to forfake the Devil, and all his Works) the Pomp and Vanity of this wicked World, and all the finful Lufts of the Flesh, and to keep God's holy Will and Commandments, and to walk in the fame all the Days of our Lives; fo that according to this folemn

Covenant

1

Covenant, here is no Day for Sin; yet thofe Covenant- 1720.
ers at others Times will fay, preach, difpute, and write,
that the beft Saints cannot live without Sin, and that
People fin in their beft Duties; if any think to mock
the Almighty after that Manner, they will be much
mistaken in the Day of the righteous Judgment of God:
For Chrift came to put an End to Sin, and to finish Trans-
greffion, and to destroy the Works of the Devil, which all
Sin most certainly is. And it is plain, that John, the
beloved Disciple of Chrift, believed this, from his own
Words, I write unto you, young Men, because
bave
ye
overcome the wicked One. I have written unto you, young
Men, because ye are strong, and the Word of God abid-
eth in you, and
have overcome the wicked One, ift
Epistle of John, ii. 13, 14. To which I fhall add,
what he faith through the Spirit to the feven Churches
in Afia.

ye

To the Church of Ephesus, Rev. ii. 7. He that
bath an Ear, let him hear what the Spirit faith unto the
Churches, To him that overcometh, will I give to eat
of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise
of God.

To the Church of Smyrna, Rev. ii. 11. He that
bath an Ear, let him hear what the Spirit faith unto the
Churches, He that overcometh, fhall not be burt of the
Jecond Death.

To the Church of Pergamus, Rev. ii. 17. He that
bath an Ear, let him hear what the Spirit faith unto the
Churches, To him that overcometh will I give to eat of
the bidden Manna, and will give him a white Stone, and
in it a Name written, which no Min knoweth, fave
him that receiveth it.

To the Church of Thyatira, Rev. ii. 26, 27, 28, 29. He that overcometh and keepeth my Works unto the End, to him will Igive Power over the Nations, and he fball rule them with a Rod of Iron, as the Veffels of a Potter thall they be broken to Shivers, even as I received of my Father, and I will will give him the Morning Star.

He