them forty days, after his Refurrection, and now tells them, that all Power is given unto him in Heaven and in Earth, and he commands them not to depart from Jerufalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, faith he, ye have heard of me, Acts i. 4. And when the Holy Ghost was come, they were endued by him with a courage and refolution almost as wonderful, as the Miracles they wrought, to perform the great Work which lay before them: they were not in the least daunted at any Dangers, or Torments, or Deaths, but went on courageoufly in their Duty, by the power and affistance of the Holy Ghoft, by whom they were enabled to bring the World to the obedience of the Gospel of Chrift: They opposed themselves to all the affaults of Men and Devils: Nothing could now discourage them, who before were so timorous and unbelieving, the coming of the Holy Ghost down upon them, wrought a mighty change in them, who were to work as great an alteration in all the World befides. St. Peter ftanding with the Eleven lift up his voice he spoke with wonderful Refolution, and the rest stood by to bear witness to the Truth of what he said. They stood now undaunted by, to teftifie that their Master was again alive, who had forfaken him as foon as he was apprehended; and he that before fo fhamefully denied him thrice, being startled and affrighted at the Question of the High Priest's Maid, now speaks aloud in a vast concourfe of people, with fo much stedfaftness, that this alone was a fufficient evidence of the truth of what he delivered. They were not in the least concerned at the mockery and abuses that were put upon them, the Spirit had defcended on them, and raised them above fuch mean and foolish apprehenfions, they were now full of the Holy Ghost, and no worldly thoughts could move them, they acted with the force and vigour of the Wind and Fire, in which the Holy Ghoft came upon them, and with as much unconcernedness, as if they had had no difficul

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ties to encounter: the World they very well knew, and found was against them, but they had the affurance of his help, who had overcome the World. They were preffed on every fide, with want and Difgrace, and all manner of Hardships; fome mocked and reviled them, others tormented them; the rage, the tumults, the confpiracies of whole Cities and Countries broke loose upon them, all the malice and contrivance of Men and Devils was joined against them; and yet with what freedom doth St. Peter fpeak? Te men of Ifrael hear these words, Jefus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles, and wonders, and figns, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye your felves also know : him being delivered the determinate Counsel and fore-knowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain, whom God hath raifed up, whereof we all are witneffes. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promife of the Holy Ghoft, he hath fhed forth this which ye now fee and hear, Acts ii. 22, 23, 24, 32, 33. And in the third Chapter, The God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our Fathers hath glorified his Son Jefus, whom ye delivered ир, and denied him in the prefence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy one, and the just, and defired a murtherer to be granted unto you, and killed the Prince of Life, whom Godhath raifed from the dead, whereof we are witnesses, A&ts iii. 13, 14, 15. And before the Council, O'ye Rulers of the People and Elders of Ifrael, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; be it known to you all, and to all the people of Ifrael, that by the name of Jefus Chrift of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man ftand here be ore you whole. This is the stone which was fet at nought by you Builders, which is become the head of the corner, neither is there Salvation in any other for there is none other

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name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be faved, Acts iv. 8, c. And again, The God of our Fathers raifed up Jefus, whom ye flew, and hanged on a Tree: him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Ifrael, and forgiveness of fins, and we are his witneffes of these things, and fo is alfo the Holy Ghoft, whom God bath given to them that obey him, Acts v. 30, &c. With what freedom and authority doth he now speak? How unlike is he now to the Man he was before, when he thrice denied his Mafter whilft alive? And what could make fuch an alteration in him after his Master's death but a fupernatural Power? What could cause him thus frequently and earnestly to make an open confefsion of him in the midst of the people, and before their Council, if he had not known him to be rifen from the dead, and had not done all his Miracles by virtue of that Power, which was bestowed upon him and the rest of the Apoftles, after Christ's Afcenfion?

And the fame conftancy and greatness of Mind appeared in St. Stephen, and the rest of the Difciples; which yet was accompanied with equal humility and meeknefs. Whether it be right in the fight of God to hearken unto you, more than unto God, judge ye: for we cannot but fpeak the things which we have feen and heard, Acts iv. 19, 20. You may do your pleasure, but we muft do our duty. Nothing of fury and violence, nor of wildness and extravagancy, but a conftant compofedness and gravity, and a rational fober zeal appear ed in all their Behaviour. They told a plain truth, and then wrought Miracles to confirm it, and afterwards fuffered any torments rather than they would renounce it, or defift from preaching it. Though they could cure all Difeafes, and difpoffefs Devils, and raise Men from the Dead, or take away their Lives with a word speaking, as in the cafe of Ananias and Sapphira; yet they were not exempted from Sufferings, because we must then have wanted one great argu

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gument for the confirmation of our Faith. And the Gofpel was to be founded upon principles of Love and Goodness, not of Fear and Astonishment; and there is fomething in the Sufferings of Good Men, which is apt mightily to work upon the Affections, and upon any Seeds of Good Nature in us: and therefore, when by their Miracles they had raised the admiration of the Beholders, and convinced them of the Power by which they were wrought, their Patience under Sufferings not only confirmed them in the truth of Religion, but laid the Foundations of a Religious Life, in gaining upon the Inclinations and Affections, and in calming the Spirits, and preparing them by fo great Examples of Patience to endure all the Calamities incident to Men. Who is there, that is not more affected with the meek and humble courage, and invincible patience of the Apostles, than with all the great Acts of the mighty Conquerours and Destroyers of Mankind? A few, poor, unarmed, defenceless Men ftand before armed Multitudes, and speak with as much Authority, as if all the Power of the World were in their hands; and indeed all Power was in their hands, in as much as he affifted and infpired them, who is above all. They fpeak to Multitudes with as much freedom as to one Man, and to all Nations with as much ease, as to one People.

And the fame Holy Spirit, who defcended upon the rest of the Apostles on the Day of Pentecoft, defcended upon St. Paul at his Converfion, and gave that great Apostle fo much confidence and refolution, fo much patience and zeal under his Sufferings, which were fo fevere and terrible, that we can scarce read them with fo little horror, as he underwent them; nay, as if he had been above all fenfe of Fear or Pain, he took pleafure in infirmities, in reproaches, in neceffities, in perfe cutions, in diftreffes, for Chrift's fake, 2 Cor. xii. 10.

Thus did the Holy Ghoft fit and prepare the Apoftles to be witneffes to Chrift, by infpiring them with

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all that courage and patience which was necessary for Men, that were to declare an ungrateful and despised truth amongst thofe, who would think themselves fo much concerned to oppofe and fupprefs it. If they had wrought no Miracles, their courage and refolution might have pafs'd for a ground lefs confidence, and if they had not had the courage to stand fo refolutely to the truth of what they delivered, their Miracles themselves might have become fufpected; but acting by a Divine Power, and being fupported in all their Sufferings by a fupernatural conftancy and greatnefs of Mind, and being fo fuddenly changed and raised above themselves in all they did or fuffered, and working the fame change in others; they gave all the evidence and certainty of the Truth of the Doctrines they taught that it was poffible for Men to give.

As a Power of working Miracles was derived from the Apostles down upon their Difciples, fo was the Spirit of Meeknefs and Patience under Afflictions com municated to them. St. Peter writing to the Converts under much distress, teftifies, That their Faith in Christ made them happy and triumphant in the midst of all their Sufferings; wherein, fays he, ye greatly rejoice, tho' now for a season (if need be) ye are in heavinefs, thro' manifold temptations, that the tryal of your faith being much more precious, than of Gold that perisheth, tho' it be tryed with fire, might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jefus Chrift; whom having not feen, ye love, in whom, tho' now ye fee him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, 1 Pet. i. 6, 7, 8. And as other Histories are chiefly taken up in the account of Battels of Warriors, with confufed Noife, and Garments rolled in Blood: fo the Hiftory of the Church for divers Ages, principally contains the most cruel Torments undergone, not only with the greatest Patience, but with the greatest Joy. And it is obfervable, that God was pleafed not to raise up any Christian Emperor, till

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