Eye-witness to teftify these things, would in all probability work more, and leave deeper Impreffions upon Mens Minds, than all the Difcourfes of those that never faw them. To which Abraham rejoin'd again;

If they hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither will they be perfuaded, tho one rofe from the Dead. Which words plainly fuppofe,

Ift, That they had fufficient Revelations of a future State, together with the Happiness and Mifery that follows and belongs to it.

2dly, That 'tis our Duty to hearken to and be directed by them, without feeking or defiring any new or farther Revelations. And,

3dly, If we are not convinc'd by the Revelations already made in God's Word, we fhall not be perfuaded by any other, no not if one rife from the Dead. For the

If, I fay, that God hath made fufficient Discoveries to us of the Happiness and Mifery of a future State, and fumm'd up the whole of our Duty with relation to both, notify'd and confirm'd to us in the Holy Scriptures. They have Mofes and the Prophets (faith Abraham) which was a far better Light than that of natural Reafon; by which yet the Heathens had fome, tho obfcure, Notices of the Rewards and Punishments of another Life: but we, befide them, have Chrift and his Apoftles, who have given us much clearer and brighter Revelations of these Truths than they had, and have brought Life and Immortality to light by the Gospel, 2 Tim. 1. 10. He hath fhew'd, O Man, (faith the Prophet) what is good, and what the Lord thy God requires of thee, namely, to do justly, to love Mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God: Mic. 6.8. So that he hath not been wanting to us in delivering his Mind and our Duty to us, having plainly fhew'd us both our Work and our Wages, And therefore,

2dly, 'Tis manifeftly our Duty to receive and hearken to what God hath already told us, without feeking or defiringany new Revelations. They have Mofes and the Prophets (faith Abraham) let them hear them; and we have Chrift and his Apoftles, let us much more hear and attend to them. Now by hearing of both, is here meant,

(1.) A thorow and stedfast Belief of what they have deliver'd to us. For 'tis not the bare hearing or the outward profeffing of it, that Abraham here fpeaks of; but 'tis to have our Understandings thorowly convinc'd of the

Truth

Truth of it, and to have this Belief firmly rooted and fettled in our Minds. The Jews heard Chrift and his Apostles expounding Mofes and the Prophets to them, but it had no effect upon them, because they believ'd it not. So the Author to the Hebrews tells us, that the Word preach'd profited not, because it was not mix'd with Faith in them that heard it. And there are many ftill, who are not fo thorowly perfuaded of Divine Truths as they ought: And therefore,

(2.) To hear Mofes and the Prophets, and other prefent Revelations, is not only to believe, but feriously to confider and to be directed by them: and they that are fo, will foon find that there will be no need or ufe of any

other.

And this is the laft Thing here to be briefly fpoken to, viz. That if we are not convinc'd by the ordinary standing Revelations of God's Word, we fhall not be perfuaded by one that comes from the Dead. Some are apt to think, that a Meffenger from the Dead would work more upon them, than all the Books and Exhortations of the Living: And that becaufe fuch a Meffenger would give them the Certainty of another Life, of which they cannot be otherwife fo well perfuaded.

Again, One coming from Hell would teftify the Truth of fuch a Place, and the Torments thereof.

Moreover, One coming from Abraham's Bofom, may certify us of the Reft and Happiness of fuch a Place.

But that all thefe things are otherwife, appears, first, Becaufe this Experiment hath been already try'd without effect; for Chrift the Son of God rofe from the Grave, and came from the Dead, to confirm his Doctrine, and to acquaint us with the Affairs of the other World, and yet the Jews would neither receive or believe in him.

Befide, The coming of any from the Dead, is no likely or proper means of giving any fatisfaction: for this is a way liable to great Doubts and Uncertainties, and many have been impos'd upon by Tales of Ghofts and Apparitions.

Again, The coming of any from the Dead is more apt to terrify and affright, than to convince any. When our Saviour first appear'd to his Difciples after his Refurrection, 'tis faid they were terrify'd and affrighted, as if they had feen a Spirit: and that put him to as much pains to fatisfy them of the Reality of his Perfon, as of the Truth of his Doctrine. Befide, Men may and will eafily find Shifts and

Evafions to mar the Force of fuch Arguments. Add to this, that God hath no where promis'd to fend any from the Dead upon fuch an Errand, nor will'd us to truft or hearken to them, and much lefs to defire or expect these Expreffes. In a word, a fettled ftanding Revelation is of more certainty and better ufe, than any fuch Meffages from the Dead, the former being well confirm'd to us by Miracles and a Voice from Heaven, the latter liable to all the Cheats and Impoftures of Hell. And therefore let us reft fatisfy'd and contented with the Revelations that God hath given us in the Holy Scriptures, and make a right Ufe of them; and then there will be no need of any other to guide us into Truth, and to bring us to Heaven.

The EPISTLE for the Second Sunday after Trinity.

1 John iii. 13, to the end.

Marvel not, my Brethren, if the World hate your We know that we have paffed from Death to Life, because we love the Brethren: he that loveth not his Brother, abideth in Death; whosoever hateth his Brother, is a Murderer, &c.

T

HE Collect for this Day minds us of the never-failing Care of God Almighty, to help and govern them, whom he brings up in his ftedfaft Fear and Love; and thence befeeches him to keep us under the Protection of his good Providence, and to make us have a petual Fear and Love of his Holy Name.

per

To which end, the beloved Difciple, in the Epistle for this Day, firft warns all good Chriftians of the Hatred and Malice of the World against them; after which, he fhews the bleffed Fruits of a true Love to the Brethren, together with the mischievous Effects of Hatred and Ill-will towards

them; concluding with fome Marks and Directions for the fatisfying and affuring our Confciences in thefe Matters.

The Epiftle begins with a Caution to good Chriftians to expect, and to arm themselves against the Hatred of the World, in thefe words, Marvel not, my Brethren, if the World hate you. The occafion of this Warning was from what was faid in the foregoing Verfe, of Cain's killing his Brother Abel, and that for no other reafon, but because his own Works were evil, and his Brother's good: for which reafon he bids them not to wonder, or be furpriz'd, if the fame Lot befel them from the like Perfons. The World bears fuch Ill-will to good Men, that 'tis no marvel if they meet with Hatred and hard Ufage from them; for as he that was born after the Flesh perfecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even fo it is now; Gal. 4. 29. There is that Oppofition and Contrariety between Vertue and Vice, that they cannot well accord or confift together; for what FelLowship (faith the Apoftle) hath Light with Darkness? Or what Concord hath Chrift with Belial? And therefore Chrift told his Difciples, If the World hate you, know that it hated me before it hated you; if ye were of the World, the World would love his own, but because ye are not of the World, but I bave chofen you out of the World, therefore the World hateth you: John 15. 18, 19. And elfewhere, at his fending them forth, he declar'd, that he fent them forth as Sheep among Wolves; meaning, that the World would bear the fame Enmity and Hatred to them, and likewife have the fame Designs upon them, as the ravenous Wolf hath upon the innocent Sheep, namely, to divide and devour them. And therefore St. Peter warns Chriftians not to think it strange concerning the fiery Trial, as if some new and ftrange thing had happen'd unto them; 1 Pet. 4. 12. for the wicked World would malign and perfecute them. This is the common Lot of the Righteous here, to try their Patience and Conftancy; and therefore we may not wonder at it, but rather look for and provide against it.

Now the beloved Disciple, having thus warn'd and forearm'd us against the Hatred of the World, proceeds to fhew the great Benefit that will accrue to us from loving one another; for 'tis a Mark of our Regeneration, and gives us to understand that we are enter'd upon a new and fpiritual Life: We know (faith he) that we have passed from Death to Life, because we love the Brethren. He that finds or feels this loving and charitable Difpofition towards his Neigh

bour,

bour, hath the Seeds of Grace fown in his Heart, which will quicken him to a fpiritual Life of Grace here, and that will fhortly grow up into an eternal Life of Glory hereafter: Whereas, He that loveth not his Brother, abideth in Death; he is void of all fpiritual Life, and remains ftill dead in Trefpaffes and Sins. This he confirms in the next words, for whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murderer; and we know that no Murderer bath eternal Life abiding in him. He that hateth his Brother, conceives Mischief against him in his Heart, which when opportunity offers is ready to break forth in Slaughter and Bloodshed; fo it did with Cain, whofe Hatred and Envy led him on to lay his Brother Abel. Hence our Saviour in Mat. 5. interprets the hating of another to be the killing of him, because 'tis fo in the Intention of the Heart, did not fome outward Curb reftrain him from it; and he that harbours fuch mischievous and murderous Intentions or Defires, can have nothing of the Temper of a good Chriftian, and much lefs any fpiritual Life abiding in him: for he that truly loves another, will rather lay down his own Life for him, than take away his; fo Chrift manifested his Love to us, and would have us do in like manner: Hereby perceive we the Love of God, because he laid down his Life for us, and we ought to lay down our Lives for the Brethren. Chrift loved us even to Death, which he yielded to for our fakes; and he hath requir'd us, if need be, to venture our Lives for one another.

But how contrary to this is the Practice of fuch, who are fo far from laying down their Lives for the Brethren, that they will scarce lay out any of their fuperfluous Subftance to fave their Lives, or fupport them under their Neceflities? fuch as these can have nothing of the Love of God or their Brother rooted in them. So St. John's Queftion here plainly intimates; Whofo hath this World's Goods, and feeth his Brother have need, and shutteth up his Bowels of Compaffion from him, how dwelleth the Love of God in him? He that is fo fparing of a little part of his Subftance to help his Brother in time of need, will be much more fparing of his Blood to ferve him; both which are apparent Proofs of his want of any true Love to God or his Neighbour: and therefore the Apostle exhorts in the next words, to give better Demonftrations of our Love to both, faying, My little Children, let us not love in Word, or in Tongue only, but. in Deed and Truth. True Love confifts not in talking or boafting with the Mouth, but in the good Wishes of the Vol. IV. Part 2. I

Heart,