Apostles in these Writings speak the Words of Truth and Soberness in that which they deliver'd touching these Gifts and Operations of the Holy Ghost and did not boast of that which they had not performed in those Churches or of that of which those Churches had no experience will be evident from these Considerations 1. That they suffer'd loss of Goods Life Credit and of all that could be counted dear unto them to confirm the Truth of what they taught and they perswaded Myriads in all those places to which these Writings were directed by them to follow the Example of their Sufferings propounding to them only the first Fruits the Earnest the Comfort of the Holy Spirit here the Joys of Heaven hereafter as the true Motive and Engagement to endure all these dreadful things Now if Persons void of Subtilty and human Artifices as the Apostles were deliver to the World a Doctrine which is according to Godliness and worthy of the God of Heaven as is the Christian Faith if they declare they had Commission from Heaven to divulge that Doctrine and that they expected at present no advantage by it but only the most dreadful Sufferings this being what their Master had foretold and that to which they were appointed 16. Joh. 2 33. 1 Thes 3.3 4. as we read in their Epistles if accordingly they did suffer all that Wit and Malice could inflict upon them and sealed their Doctrine with their Blood I say when all these Circumstances concur what reason can we have to dispute their testimony or think they could be acted by any Motive in the Publication of the Christian Faith but the Conviction of the Truth of what they published Again since Men who are convinced of a future Happiness are naturally so unwilling to quit the Pleasures and the Enjoyments of the World in Prosecution of that Happiness can it be thought that many Myriads who could have no conviction of it if these things were false should with the greatest Joy and Freedom part with Life and all the sweet Enjoyments of it to promote a known Delusion and in defence of those Epistles which made a frequent mention of Gifts and Miracles imparted to them when they had no experience of them especially if thirdly we consider that the Assistance and Comforts of the Holy Ghost were promised to all Christian sufferers and they were told that as their troubles did abound 2 Cor 15. 1. Pet. 4 14. their comforts should abound much more that when they were reproached and exercis'd with fiery Tryals they were happy People because the Spirit of Glory and of God would rest upon them this the Apostles taught them to expect and this say the Apostles ye have found for ye became Followers of the Lord and of us 1 Thes 1â— 6 having receiv'd the Word with much affliction and joy of the Holy Ghost Now if this promise was sensibly made good unto them they receiv'd the Earnest of the Truth of Christian Faith and an assurance of God's concernment to encourage and reward the faithful Christian but if they found no sensible experience of this Pledge and Earnest of these Consolations what reason had they to expect the Blessings of another World or to continue to take joyfully the spoiling of their Goods the Loss of Credit Life and all their worldly Comforts in propagation of that Faith which had so palpably deceiv'd them and to establish the Belief of those Epistles which contained these apparent Falsehoods Secondly If Men in their Epistles to their Proselytes speak largely of the Gifts which they have exercised and of the mighty Works they have performed among them and also of the Power conferr'd upon those very Proselytes to exercise those Gifts and do those Wondrous Works if in those very Writings they appeal to the Senses and the Consciences of those to whom they write and boldly tell them that their Eyes have seen and their own Consciences bear Witness to the Truth of what they say and if those very Writings which contain these bold Appeals are by those very Men to whom they do appeal received and embraced as Divine Epistles there can remain when all these Circumstances do concur no place for doubting of the Truth of this Appeal Now that this was most certainly the Case of our Apostles cannot be reasonably denyed if you admit that they then writ when what they said might easily have been confuted if it had been false for they with the greatest Confidence assert That God confirm'd the Word of his Grace by doing Signs and Wonders by their Hands that he bare witness to it by mighty Signs and Wonders 2 Heb 4. and Distributions of the Holy Ghost as hath been prov'd already Thirdly You have heard them also frequently asserting and testifying that the like Gifts and Operations were vouchsafed to those Churches to which these Letters were directed and that they were all Partakers of this Grace Fourthly For Confirmation of these Sayings they appeal unto the Searcher of all Hearts and to the Consciences of those to whom these Writings were directed even you your selves say they 1 Thes 2.10 11. are Witnsses and God also how holily justly and urâ—â—lâ—mably we behaved our selves among you for neither at any time used we flattering Words as you know nor a Cloak of Covetousnes God is witness Vers 3 4. our Exhortation was not of Deceit or Guile we have not followed curiniâ—â—gly devised Fibles we have not walk'd in Craftinefs nor hundled the word of God deceitfully 2 Cor. 4.2 but do by manifestation of the Truth commend our selves to every Man's Conscience in the sight of God Now these Considerations do mightily confirm the truth of what they have deliver'd in these Books for can it rationally be be conceiv'd that Men of such Abilities to write the deepest Mysteries and the exactest Precepts of Morality should be so strangely foolish as to confirm them chiefly by an Appeal to the Sences and Experiences of those Men who as themselves were well assured had never seen or done or found the least Experience of any of those things they mentioned but if we could suppose that the Apostles had been so strangely inconsiderate can we believe those Writings which contain'd an Appeal of so great Falshood and Hypocrisie and only were confirm'd by Perjury and impudent Appeals unto the Conscience of those Men who never found those Comforts of the Holy Ghost who never had these Gifts of Tongues Interpretation Healing Prophesie c. which these Epistles tell us were their daily Exercise I say can we believe that such Epistles should obtain to be embraced by those Churches to which they were indited and by all other Christians as the Word of God May we not with like Reason think a Mountebank who should in Commendation of his Balsoms pretend that he had wrought great Cures by them upon many Persons present and before their Eyes when both his Conscience and their Mouths were
A DISCOURSE Confirming the TRUTH and CERTAINTY OF THE Christian Faith From the Extraordinary GIFTS and OPERATIONS OF THE Holy Ghost Vouchsafed to the APOSTLES and PRIMITIVE PROFESSORS of that FAITH By Daniel Whitby D. D. and Chantor of the Church of Sarum LONDON Printed for A. Churchill at the Black Swan in Pater-Noster-Row MDCXCI Imprimatur Geo. Royse R. Rmo. in Christo Patri at Dom. Dom. Johanni Archiep. Cantuar. a Sacris June the 30th 1691. THE PREFACE TO THE READER THAT this Discourse may not seem to take that for granted which cannot be proved and that some Notions in it seemingly new may give the Reader no Offence I crave leave to premise First That the Holy Ghost was certainly designed for a Witness to the Truth of our Lord's Resurrection and Exaltation to the Right-Hand of Majesty and given to confirm the Christian Faith For First Our Saviour doth assure his Disciples that this his Advocate should at his coming convince the World of Sin viz. of the great Sin of Infidelity because they believed not in him 16. Jo. 9 10. and of Righteousness or that He though condemned by the Sanhedrim as a False Prophet and a Deceiver of the People was a just and righteous Person one highly favoured by the God of Heaven because the sending of the Holy Spirit was a full Evidence that he was Gone to the Father that he was exalted to the Right-hand of God and had received from the Father the Promise of the Holy Ghost Secondly St. John the beloved Disciple doth inform us that the Spirit was the great Witness that Jesus was the Son of God Joh. 5.6 8. and that of the three Witnesses on Earth to this great Truth the Holy Spirit was the first Thirdly St. Paul doth frequently declare that by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. the Gifts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 1.21 22. and Distributions of the Holy Ghost the Testimony of Christ was confirmed to all Christians and that God by giving this Holy Spirit to them did confirm them in Christ And upon this as well as other Accounts he seemeth to be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Advocate of Christ because he was to undertake the Defence of the Ministry and the Prophetick Office of our Lord against the Presidents of the Sinagogue and the great Sanhedrim of the Jews who had condemned him and procur'd his Death as a False Prophet Secondly I premise that the Sin against the Holy Ghost seems best explained by that Notion of the Holy Ghost which I have here espoused to make this as clear as I am able let it be noted First That there is a manifest Distinction in the New Testament betwixt the Power of working Signs and Miracles and the Gifts and Distributions of the Holy Ghost As when St. Paul speaketh of things wrought by him to make the Gentiles obedient in Word and Deed by mighty Signs and Miracles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 15. Rom. 19. and Powers of the Holy Ghost when he speaks of the Gospel preached by him in demonstration of the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor 2.4.1 and in Power and of the Duty of the Clergy to commend themselves to others by the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 6.6 7. and by the Power of God VVhen he speaks to his Galathians of him that ministreth the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3 Gal. 5. and worketh Miracles among them And to his Thessalonians of the Gospel coming to them in Power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thes 1.5 and in the Holy Ghost And lastly to the Jewish Converts that God bore witness to the Word of his Grace by Signs and Wonders and divers Miracles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Heb 4. and Distributions of the Holy Ghost And that being baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6 Heb. 4 5. they were made Partakers of the Holy Ghost and had tasted the Powers of the World to come Secondly That the Holy Ghost was sent after our Saviour's Resurrection to bear witness both to the Truth of his Resurrection and of the Doctrine which he taught He giving in his Testimony with the Apostles of these things For when the Advocate cometh 15 Joh. 16 17. which I saith Christ will send you from the Father he shall testifie of me and you also shall bear Witness of me for you have been with me from the beginning Accordingly we saith St. Peter are his Witnesses of these things 5 Act 32 and so is the Holy Ghost which he hath given to those that obey him Thirdly That our Lord Jesus and his Apostles seem plainly to assert the Holy Spirit was to give in his Testimony after his Resurrection and Ascension to the Father This is so evident from the forecited Places and from that Expression of St. John 7 Joh. 39. the Holy Ghost was not yet because that Jesus was not yet glorified that it seems needless to add any thing in farther Confirmation of it Now hence it follows that the Holy Ghost was to be a succeeding Testimony to that of the Miracles wrought by our Saviour upon Earth and consequently that the Sin against the Holy Ghost was a Sin chiefly and compleatly to be committed afterwards which also seemeth probable even from the Tenor of oâ—r Saviours Words 12 Luk. 10. 12 Matt. 24. 3 Mark 29. Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man as you now do who say He hath a Devil and casts out Devils by Beelzebub it shall be forgiven him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but whosever hereafter shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him Fourthly Observe that this was the last Testimony God would exhibit to the Jews to evidence to them that Jesus was indeed the true Messiah and that on their Rejection of it depended their being given up to judicial Blindness and to utter Desolation and Excision from being any more hiâ— Church and his peculiar People Accordingly after this Blasphemy against our Lord both He and his Disciples sâ—ill call them to that Faith and Repentance which would assuredly procure their Pardon but then He warns them of the Greatness of their Sin as being next to that which was unpardonable informing them that as they had blasphemed the Miracles wrought by he Finger of God or by the Power of the Spirit before their Eyes so if they should add to this the Contempt of those internal Gifts and Operations of the Holy Ghost which were to be vouchsafed after his Resurrection for farther Confirmation that he was the Son of God their Sin should then become unpardonable And the Author to the Hebrews declares it a thing impossible to renew them to Repentance 6 Heb. 5 6. who being made Partakers of the Holy Ghost and having tasted the Powers of the World to come did notwithstanding wilfully apostatize from the Profession of
Spirit and did not in these Epistles and Discourses boast of that which they had not performed or which those Churches to which these Writings were directed had not experienced And first That these Writings were composed and sent unto these Churches in that very Age in which the Apostles lived and propagated the Christian Faith throughout the World may be concluded 1. Because they bear the Names of the Apostles and Evangelists for no Man could pretend they were so had they not really been such but they must put a Cheat upon the World and substitute their own inventions for the Word of God Moreover they have been handed down for such by a more general Tradition and of a firmer Credit than any of the Books of Cicero or Virgil which we indisputably own as theirs for it was a Tradition of the whole Christian World which owned cited read and receiv'd them as such from the Apostles days as is apparent from the Epistle of St. Clement Barnabas Ignatius and Polycarp whilst others which pretended to the same Original were universally rejected by them Besides they did attest them so to be by many sufferings which they had no temptation to endure besides the Truth of their assertion 't was a Tradition which concerned things of the highest moment and which it was their greatest interest to be well assured of they being the sole Ground of their support at present under the sharpest Tryals and of their future hopes and therefore Writings which they were concerned to get hear read and keep they were Books written to whole Churches and Nations yea the whole World of Christians who could not have receivâ—d them easily had the Apostles by whom they were converted given no intimations of them Books of the greatest Opposition to the Superstitions both of Jews and Heathen and which denounced upon them the greatest Plagues and Judgments such as obliged them to search as much as possible into the Truth of what they said and yet these Books were by them not denied to be the Works of those Apostles and Evangelists whose names they bare they were Books which could not be spread abroad in the Apostles days and in their names unless the Apostles had indited them nor be esteemed as the great Characters of the Christian Faith if the Apostles were so forgetful of them as not to let those Persons for whose sake they were written know it they were Books which pretended to a Commission from the Holy Jesus to leave a Rule of Life and Doctrine to Mankind which was intrusted only in the Hands of the Apostles all others still pretending to deliver only what they receiv'd from them they were indited partly to confirm the Christian Faith and to engage Men to believe it partly to put an end to the Contentions and rectify the Errors which had crept into the Church in the Apostles days and needed speedy reformation partly to justisy themselves against false Brethren and to assert the Truth of their Apostleship and partly to preserve their Proselytes from such as did pervert the Faith and partly to instruct them how to bear up in fiery tryals and to support the Souls of Christians under the Miseries they suffered from a persecuting World and therefore they were written on such Grounds as did require a quick dispatch upon these errands to the Churches for which they were intended and so the Apostles must be supposed to give early notice of them and to divulge them to the Christian World whilst they to whom they were committed were able to disprove them if they had been false In a Word The Epistle to the Romans must be false or else it must be sent by the Apostle before he had seen Rome 1. Rom. 11 15 28. for it containeth an intimation that he had not seen them a desire to see them and a Promise to come to them The first Epistle to the Corinthians must be indited whilst the Contentions and Disorders touching the Exercise of their spiritual Gifts continued because it was design'd to correct them and whilst St. Paul was in a Capacity to be in Person with them because he saith 1 Coâ— 11 34. Ch. 8 9. the rest will I set in order when I come The second Epistle must be written when the great Famine hapned in Judaea of which Agabus foretold because two Chapters of it are spent in exhortation to a liberal Contribution to it 2 Cor 8.4.11 Acts 30. and St. Paul was himself the Messenger by whom that Charity was sent The Epistle to the Galatians must be indited whilst the Controversie touching Justification by the Law or by the hearing of Faith was hot amongst them whilst their dissatisfactions touching the Apostleship of St. Paul continued and whilst he lived for I Paul saith he 5. Gal. 2. 1 Gal. 2â— Ch. 6.17 testify to yoâ— thus and thus the Truth of what I write I confirm to you by the Oath of God and he concludeth his Epistle thus henceforth let no Man trouble me for I bear in my Body the Mark of the Lord Jesus In his Epistle to the Ephesians he strengthens his exhortation with the Consideration of his Bonds 3. Eph. 1.4.1 1 Phil. 13 19 23 25 27. ‑ 2.12 24. 1 Col. 24 29 ‑ 2.1.4.18.9.10 1 Thes 2.17 ‑ 3.10.5.6 2 Thes 3 2.17 13. Heb. 18 19 23. saying I Paul the Prisoner of the Lord beseech you In that to the Philippians he mentions his Bonds his expectation of deliverance from them by their Prayers his desire to dye his assurance he should live to serve the Church his absence from them and confidence that he should come to them In that to the Colossians he speaks of his present joy his sufferings his labours for the Church his sollicitude for them and those of Laodicea his salutation with his own hand his sending Tychicus and Onesimus to give them an account of his Affairs In his Epistles to the Thessalonians he speaks of his absence from them of his great desire to see them his sollicitude for their stedfastness under the Sufferings they endured for the Faith his comfort when he heard that they stood firm he desires their Prayers that he may be delivered from evil Men and concludes with the Salutation of his own hand In the Epistle to the Hebrews he begs their Prayers that he may be the sooner with them and promises to come with Timothy as for those writ to Timothy Titus and Philemon I hope 't is needless to prove that they were written whilst they lived and were not sent unto them in another World In a Word all or most of these Epistles carry his Name before them his Mark or Token in the Close they mention the Brethren then living and speak of Salutation from or to them in them he is still praying for them or begging the Assistance of their Prayers to omit many other things which are most certain Indications of the Time when they were written 2dly That the
able to attest that they receiv'd not the least Benefit from any of his Balsoms should by this impudene Untruth engage those very Persons he so shamefully bely'd to assert the Soveraign Virtue of them in contradiction to their own Experience Lastly if they who enter these Appeals and by them do endeavour to confirm their Proselytes in the Profession of the Faith they teach have many subtil and industrious Adversaries Men zealous to oppose that Faith and defirous to find Occasions of Advantages over them and apt for want of such Occasions to accuse them falsly and charged by the Apostles with false Accusation and yet these very Persons when these very Arguments and Demonstrations of the spirit are urged in Confirmation of that Faith which these deceitful Workers did gainsay could find no Ground of Cavil against these things or could prevail upon no Persons to believe that they had reason to accuse them of Falshood or Deceit in these Particulars we cannot reasonably suspect they used any Fraud or Falshood in their Words or Writings but this is certainly the Case of these Apostles and more especially of Blessed Paul 1 Cor. 16.9 1 Thes 2.14 1 Tit. 10.2 Tim. 3.2 3. Ep. of Joh. v. 10. 1 Phil. 25 16. 2 Gal. 4. for their Epistles do inform us that they had many Adversaries that they were in continual Perils from the Jews were oft encounter'd by the Philosophers and the Disputers of the World that even among themselves were many vain unruly Talkers and Deceivers which gainsaid their Doctrine many proud Boasters and Corrupters of the Truth which did endeavour to empair their Credit in the Church and who did prate against them with malitious words that there were some who preached Christ only out of a Principle of Strife and Envy that they might add Affliction to their Bonds and some false Brethren who came in privily to spy out thâ—ir Liberty Nor have we reason to suspect that all or any of these Adversaries negelected any Pains or Diligence which ought in reason to be used to search into the Certainty of what they offer'd for Confirmation of this Faith and for Vindication of their Apostleship from these Aspersions which these false Apostles laid upon them Since then we never find the Truth of these Relations question'd by any of their numerous and potent Adversaries the false Apostle or false Brother the inqusitive and learned Precisian or the malicious Jew and since we are assured by the Event that if Attempts of such a Nature have been made they all prov'd ineffectual and insufficient to lessen or take a way the Credit of these Writings in the Christian World I say seeing these things are so it may be certainly concluded that these Writings were not and could not be convinced of Falshood but contained Matter of unquestionable Truth Now hence it clearly follows that this Assistance of the Holy Ghost was a most full and ample Confirmation of the Christian Faith and a sufficient Evidence that it derived from the God of Truth for this they constantly declared 1 Cor. 3.9 1 Rom. 4 that they were Apostles sent from God Co-workers with God and faithful Stewards of his Mysteries that they were Servants and Apostles of that Jesus who was declared to be the Son of God with power and that they preached the Gospel by Virtue of the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven This then must be a certain Truth or else their Story must be false Moreover from what hath been discoursed I conclude that the Power by which these holy Men were acted could not derive from Satan it therefore must derive from God whence it will follow that what it was design'd to confirm must be certain Truth or God must be supposed to employ his Power to confirm a Lye and stablish an Imposture in the World by the Assistance of his Holy Spirit which is a great Absurdity and very much repugnant to to his Truth and Justice And if these things convince us of the Truth of Christian Faith Hence have we reason to infer That it is very worthy of our Labour and much concerns us to be well acquainted with this Faith God is not busied about Trifles when he is pleased by extraordinary Methods and Transports of Nature to shew the Glory of his Power we may be sure the Doctrine he thus confirms is worthy of all Acceptation of this Salvation saith St. Peter the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently 1 Pet. 1.11 12. because it was that glorious Work of Mercy and of Wisdom to which the Holy Spirit in them gave his Testimony and when we preached the same Gospel by the Assistance of the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Angels presently desired to look into it if then these Sacred Prophets thought it worthy of their Diligence instantly to search till they had found the Time appointed for this Revelation of the Will of Heaven it must be worthy of our Care to search those Scriptures which contain it If blessed Angels who continually behold the Face of God in Glory and who are less concern'd in these glad Tidings than we are thus earnestly desire to view the Mystery which contain it If blessed Angels who continually behold the Face of God in Glory and who are less concern'd in these glad Tidings than we are thus earnestly desire to view the Mystery which the Apostles had discovered by the assistance of the Holy Ghost it must be both our Duty and our Wisdom to be industrious to know it the Speculations of Philosophy may be neglected as being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Socrates but Ethicks well deserve our Study as being purposely design'd for the Improvement of our Souls Wherefore this Wisdom this Demonstration of the Spirit which wholely aims at the eternal Happiness of Man and is designed to make him wise unto Salvation and even advanced to Divine Perfections deserves as much to be prefer'd before all other Wisdom as the Concernments of our Souls deserve to be prefer'd before the Interests of our frail Bodies or our eternal Interests to be regarded more than temporal Inf II. If this Demonstration of the Holy Spirit doth so abundantly confirm the Truth of Christian Faith it must exceedingly concern us in Point of Interest and Wisdom to yield Obedience to all the Precepts of that Faith The Gentiles had the Law of Nature written in their Hearts their Conscience bearing them witness 2 Rom. 14 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Rom 24 26. and their inward Reasonings sometimes accusing and sometimes excusing them and the Result of their Trasgressions against this dim and imperfect Law of Nature was that God gave them up to vile Affections and to a reprobate Mind the Law was given to the Jews by Ministration of holy Angels and therefore every Transgression of it receiv'd a just Reward of Recompence 2 Heb. 3 4. How then saith the Apostle shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation which at the first was spoken by the Lord and was confirm'd by his Apostles God hearing witness to it by divers Distributions of the Holy Ghost Especially if we consider First That by Disobedience to the Christian Precepts we contradict the great Design of all those Demonstrations of the Holy Spirit which were vouchsafed to confirm it the Wonders wrought by the Power of the Spirit being intended 15 Rom. 18. faith St. Paul to make the Gentiles obedient in Word and Deed. Secondly That this great Confirmtion of the Christian Faith doth highly aggravate the Gunt of our Transgressions of the Christian Precepts for the stronger is the Motive to believe the greater is the Guilt of Disobedience because such Motives may be easily discerned and so our Ignorance of them must be less excusable and we cannot resist their Evidence but we must offer violence to the Convictions of our Consciences were Christian Faith confirmed only be probable Inducements to believe it our Disobedience to its Precepts would be most irrational they being in themselves most excellent and such as our own Reason must approve as beneficial to our selves and others the Motives which engage to the Performance of them are infinitely to be prefer'd besore whatever stands in competition with them the Evils which they threaten to the disobedient more terrible and lasting than any we can suffer by being stedfast in this Faith and surely then whoever owns the Certainty of Christian Faith and lives in Contradiction to it or by his Practice gives the Lye to his Profession can have no Shadow of Excuse or Hopes or Mercy at the great Day of his Account In a word seeing this Demonstration of the Holy Spirit doth convince us of the Truth of Christian Faith it must add Strength to all the Motives Engagements and Encouragements to lead a Virtuous and holy Life which this Religion above all others doth afford For ifall that is delivered in these VVriting and Epistles indited by the Apostles and Evangelists be the Revealed VVill of Heaven then all the Promises and comfortable Passages recorded in them will be assuredly made good to all true Christians and the Assurance of these inestimable Blessings must lay upon us strong Engagements to be stedfast immoveable always abounding in the VVork of the Lord as knowing that our Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. FINIS