ACTS. THE APOSTLES OPPOSED BY THE JEWS. 217 call. Chap. iii. 19-Repent ye and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and HE shall send JESUS CHRIST, which before was preached unto you, whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets, since the world began. Chap. v. 16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one by the disciples. Then the High Priest rose up, and all that were with him, which is the sect of the Sadducees, and were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the Apostles, and put them in the common prison. Ver. 28, 29-Did we not strictly command you, that ye should not teach in this NAME? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. Then Peter and the Apostles answered, we ought to obey God rather than Man; and we are his witnesses of these things, and so is also the HOLY GHOST, whom God hath given to them that obey him. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took council to slay them. Chap. xi. 15-And as I began to speak, the HOLY GHOST fell on them, as on us at the beginning; fora-much as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us who believed on the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Chap. xiii. 45-But when the Jews saw the multitude, they were filled with envy, and spoke against those things, which were spoken by PAUL, contradicting and blaspheming. Then PAUL grew bold, and said, the WORD of GOD should first have been ken to you; but seeing ye put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles; for so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation E e

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unto the end of the earth. Chap. xiv. 2-But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren. But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the Apostles. Chap. xv. 16-After this I will return and will build again the Tabernacle of DAVID, which is fallen down; I will build again the ruins thereof, and set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the LORD; and all the Gentiles, upon whom MY NAME is called, saith the LORD. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Ver. 8-And God, which knoweth the hearts, beareth them witness, giving them the HOLY GHOST, even so he did unto us, and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Chap. xix. 39-But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it should be determined in a lawful affembly. Chap. xxii. 7—And I fell unto the ground and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they gave him audience unto his words, and then lift up their voices and said, away with such a fellow from the earth; for it is not fit that he should live. Chap. xxiii. 9-And there arose a great cry and strife amongst them; and the Pharisees part arose and strove, saying, we find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel have spoken to him, let us not fight against God, Chap. xxviii. 22-But we desire to hear of thee, what thou thinkest for us concerning this sect; we know that every where it is spoken against.

Now I am ordered to pen the ponderings of my own heart, in reading through St. John and the Acis of the Apostles; and I now say, as I have said before, the Bible is a Looking-glass for all men to se their own hearts, their own ways, and their ow

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conduct, by every different classes of people: but I bless God for the Law that is made under the GosPEL, that liberty of conscience is given unto every man, that the malicious and wicked cannot vent out their malice by public rebellion, as they did in our Saviour's days. But yet, in reading my Bible through, I see a malicious spirit of rebellion, and unbelief, in every age of the world; and just the same it is now, and ever will be, as long as the powers of darkness have power to work in man against God. Now I should think the Jews, many of them, and the Sadducees, to be possessed with Devils, if I did not see the same Spirits in men now; but I see the world is just like the Jews, where doctrine isspoken against; some despise it because it hath not the neral applause of the world; and thus appeared the manner of the moderate Jews, in the last chapter of the Acts; and this appears like the modern Christians, in this age; it is a religion that is not fashionable, nor applauded by the world; therefore they' will despise it. But when we come to weigh the Gospel, how it is spoken through of the HOLY GHOST being given to them that truly believed in CHRIST, and how our SAVIOUR promised to send it' in HIS NAME, to be the COMFORTER and bring all things to your remembrance; yet this was not fulfilled in the Apostles' days; neither was it promised till the restoration of all things. Now if unbelief abounded in the days of our Saviour, that neither of his Brethren believed in HIM, what have I to marvel now, in such an age as this, when I hear of thousands mocking their Bible, turning it into every ridicule, while others think they have nothing to do only to trust in the merits of Christ, without striving to bring any HONOUR OF GLORY to his NAME, by supporting that Gospel that others are mocking? But how can men support that Gospel, when they do not believe it true? And I am sorry to say, the people in this age are perfectly like those in the

days of our Saviour, when the officers said, never man spake like this man; and they answered, have any of the rulers, or the Pharisees believed in HIM? Just so is the world now; have any of the Bishops believed? have any of the rulers and the great men believed? If they have not, those must be fools who believe the visitation of the LORD to a simple woman, as the Jews thought they were fools to think the LORD would let himself down so low, that HE who was born of a mean virgin and laid in a manger, should be called the Son of God, and should humbly bear all the insults and ridicule of mankind, to be called the babbler, possessed with a Devil, and who hid himself when they went to stone him! This, by their worldly wisdom, could not appear to be the wisdom and power of a GOD; but how can man believe he would condescend to go through all the shameful treatment that he went through in this world, if he would not condescend to visit again in the SPIRIT, according as he PROMISED in the GosPEL? For when HE speaketh of coming as the TRUE SHEPHERD, to be the Shepherd of all men, as St. John x. appeareth to me-He putteth forth his own sheep, HE goeth before them, and his sheep know his voice. Now these sheep, it appeareth to me, are the true Believers, that believe in HIS Coming in the SPIRIT to fulfil the GOSPEL. He goeth before in SPIRIT, and they hear his voice; for that is the manner, HE hath spoken of the SPIRIT, to be BORN of the SPIRIT, and hear the SPIRIT, as ye hear the wind. And he saith, I know my sheep and am known of mine; other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also must I bring in, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one Fold and one Shepherd? I laid down my life to take it again. Now when can men say, there hath been one Fold and one Shepherd? Do not men mock the voice of CHRIST coming to teach in the SPIRIT? Then you cannot say there is one Shep

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herd and one Fold to know his voice. You may say there are ten thousand shepherds and ten thousand folds, who preach different doctrines, one from another and thousands of Arians, that preach against the Gospel. Then where is the ONE SHEPHERD and the ONE FOLD, which our Saviour affirmed should be? And to fulfil the BIBLE it must be, that all might be taught of the LORD, from the greatest to the least; and the fulfilment of the GOSPEL affirmeth it. But need I marvel of men's Saying I have a Devil, when they said our SAVIOUR had a Devil and was mad? Why hear Why hear ye him? Others say, can a Devil open the eyes of the blind? these are not the words of him that hath a Devil. And perfectly so is the world at this day. Now let me appeal to the Christian world, whether they think every one should abuse our SAVIOUR, because the malice and unbelief of some were great? Should those that did believe desert him, because of his persecution? If they did their sins must have been of the deepest dye; or should Paul have given up the visitation of the LORD to him, because he was mocked and despised by the Jews, and suffered such persecution? or, because Festus told him he was beside himself and was mad? But did Paul give up to his words? Did he not answer, I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness? Now what would men think of Paul, if he had disregarded the visitation of the Lord, to please the mad unbelieving world? What profit is the world to him now? It is not all the praise and applause of man could have saved him in the hour of Death, or in the day of Judgment, from a fatal end, if he had drawn back. Then may I not say with Peter, who ought we to obey, God or man; judge ye? See the fatal end of JUDAS, who began to be a man pleaser; but what comfort did he feel from man, when he complained of his conscious guilt, and said he had sinned, in that he had