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1st, Since the scriptures are the publick and stand

ing revelation of God's will to men, and the ordinary means of falvation, we may hence conclude, that: people ought to have them in such a language as they can understand. This our Saviour plainly supposeth in the discourse which he represents between Abraham and the rich man, defiring that Lazarus might be fent from the dead to his brethren to testify unto them: To which request Abraham would not have given this answer and advice, They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them, had he supposed that the scriptures then were, or for the future ought to be, lockt up from the people in an unknown tongue; for the rich man might very well have replied, Nay, father Abraham, but they are not permitted to have Mofes and the prophets in fuch a language as they can understand; and therefore there is more need why one should be sent from the dead to testify unto them.

Nor would Abraham have faid again, if they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be perfuaded. For how should men hear what they cannot understand, so as to be perfuaded by it?

It is evident then, that our Saviour according to the reasoning of this parable, takes it for granted, that the holy scriptures are the standing and ordinary means of bringing men to faith and repentance, and that the people are to have the free use of them. But fince our Saviour's time, the church of Rome hath found a mighty inconvenience in this, and therefore hath taken the fcriptures out of the hands of the people. They will not now let them have Moses and the Prophets, the gospel of our blessed Saviour, and the writings of his Apostles, because they are really afraid they should hear them, and by hearing of them, be convinced and perfuaded of the errors and corruptions of their church; but instead of the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, they have put into their hands a legend of famous apparitions of men from the dead, testifying unto them concerning purgatory and transubstantiation, and the worship of the blessed Virgin and the faints, and the VOL. VI.

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great benefit and refreshment which fouls in purgagatory have by the indulgences of the Pope, and the prayers of the living put up to Saints and Angels on their behalf; so that in the church of Rome, quite contrary to our Saviour's method, men are perfuaded of their religion, of their new articles of faith, and ways of worship, not by Mofes and the Prophets, not by the doctrine of the holy scriptures, (for they every where testify against them) but by abfurd romances, and ill-contrived fictions of apparitions from the dead. I will dismiss this matter with this one observation, that however interested and confident men may fet a bold face upon any thing, yet it cannot to confiderate men but seem a very hard cafe, that there should be no falvation to be had out of the church of Rome; and yet the ordinary, and (in our Saviour's judgment) the most effectual means of falvation are not to be had in it.

But I pass from this, to that which does more immediately concern our practice.

2dly, Let us hear and obey that publick revelation of God's will, which, in so much mercy to mankind, he hath been pleased to afford to us. This is an ineftimable privilege and advantage which the world in many ages was destitute of, having no other guide to conduct them to eternal happiness but the light of nature, and fome particular revelations, which now and then God was pleased to make of his will to men : But now God hath fet up a great and standing light in the world, the doctrines of the holy scriptures; and by the gospel of his blessed Son, hath given the knowledge of salvation to all men, for the remission of their fins, through the tender mercies of God, whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us; to give light to them that fit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet in the way of peace, to convince us of the error of our ways, and to direct us in our duy. We upon whom the ends of the worldare come, do enjoy all the advantages of divine revelation which the world ever had, and as great as the world ever shall have. God in these last days hath spoken unto us by his Son, and if we will not hear

hear him, God will employ no other extraordinary Prophet and Messenger to us. If the wrath of God so clearly revealed from heaven by the gospel of our bleffed Saviour against all ungodliness and unrighteousuess of men; if the terror of the great day, and the fear of eternal torment, if the dreadful fufferings of the Son of God for our fins, and the merciful offers of pardon and reconciliation in his blood, and the glorious hopes of eternal life and happinefs will not prevail with us to leave our fins, and to amend our lives, we have no reason to expect that God should use any further means to reclaim us; that he should ever make any more attempts for our recovery. And therefore,

3dly, and lastly, Those who are not brought to repentance, and effectually persuaded by this clear and publick revelation which God hath made of his will to men in the holy scriptures, have reason to look upon their cafe as desperate.

Methinks it should not be a defirable thing to any of us to be convinced by an apparition, the thing is so dreadful and full of terror; besides, that it argues men to be strangely hardened in a bad course, and obftinately bent upon their evil ways, when nothing will affright them from their firs, but what will almost put them out of their wits; when nothing will keep them from running into hell, but a fearful and ghastly messenger from thence. What a terrible sight would it be to any of us, to meet one of our companions, whom we had lately known in this world, fresh come out of those flames, with the smell of fire and brimstone upon him! What imagination can paint to itself the dread and horror of such a fpeaacle! The rich man here in the parable, when he was in hell, is represented as sensible of the inconvenience of this; and therefore he did not defire to be sent himself to his brethren, but defired that Lazarus might go and testify unto them : He was apprehenfive how frightful a fight he himself must needs have been to them, and therefore he desires that they might have a gentle warning by one, who from out of Abraham's bosom had seen the miseries

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miseries of the damned, but enjoyed the state of the blessed.

But let not us tempt God by any fuch unreason able demand, who speaks to us every day by the plain declarations of his word, and hath of late years called so loudly upon us by the voice of his providence, to repent and turn to him; by so many miracles of mercy and deliverance, as God hardly ever wrought for any Prince and people, and by fuch terrible volleys of judgments, and full viols of wrath, as have seldom been poured out upon any nation. God speaks to you by his ministers, men like yourselves (God knows, poor frail and finful men!) but we are fure, that when we call you to repentance, we deliver to you the will and pleasure, the counsels and commands of the great God, which (whatever account may be made of us) do certainly challenge your most awful attention and regard. And we are sensible that we are called to a very difficult and unpleasant work, to contend with the lusts and vices of men, to strive against the strong and impetuous streams of a wicked and perverse generation; and nothing in the world could move us to this unwelcome and grievous importunity, but a great and just sense of our own duty, and your danger. And if we will not take these warnings, why should we expect that God should vouchsafe to send an express meffenger to us from the other world, to certify us how all things are there, and that not so much to help the weakness of our faith, as to humour the perverseness of our infidelity? And why should we imagine that this course would prove more effectual ? Let us not deceive ourselves, the same lusts which now detain men so strongly in impenitency and unbelief, would, in all probability, hurry them on to hell, though an Angel from heaven should meet them in their way, to give a stop to them. This indeed might startle us; but nothing is like to save us, if the word of God and his grace do not.

But are we in earnest, and would we be perfuaded if one should rise from the dead? God hath condescended thus far to us, there is one rifen from the dead

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to testify unto us, Jesus the Son of God, who died for our sins, and rose again for our justification, and is afcended into heaven, and fet down at the right hand of God, to assure us of a blesfed refurrection, and a glorious immortality. And if this will not fatisfy us, God will gratify our curiosity no farther. If we will not believe him whom God hath fent, and, to convince us that he hath sent him, hath raised him up from the dead, we shall dy in our sins, and perish in our. impenitency. God hath in great mercy to mankind done that which is abundantly sufficient to convince those who are of a teachable temper and disposition : but in great wisdom and justice he hath not thought fit to provide any remedy for the wilful obstinacy and intractable perverseness of men.

Now God, who hath the hearts of all men in his hands, perfuades us all to break off our fins by repentance, and to give glory to God, before death and darkness come, and the day of our final visitation overtake us, when we may perhaps be surprized by a sudden stroke, or feized upon by a violent disease, and may have no sense and apprehenfion of our approaching danger; or if we have, may find no place for repentance, though we seek it with tears; which God grant may never happen to be the case of any of us, for his mercies fake in Christ Jesus. To whom with the Father, &c..