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The Miraculous Propagation of the Gospel.

SERMON

Preach'd before the

QUEEN

АТ

WHITE-HALL.

October 21. 169 4.

ISAIAH lx. 22.

A Little one fhall become a Thousand; and a Small one, a ftrong Nation: I, the Lord, will haften it, in His time.

HE Evangelic Prophet is very par

Tticular, throughout this Chapter,

in defcribing the fudden and mighty increase of Chriftianity, it's triumphant progrefs

thro'

1.

II.

thro' all Nations, and it's prevalence over all the other Religions of the World. And this wondrous Enlargement of it he takes occafion (at the clofe of the Chapter) to represent as so much the more Admirable, on the account of that Small Appearance it should make at first, those Slender and Unpromifing Beginnings, with which it fhould fet out. A Little one, fays he, in the Words I have read to you, fhall become a Thousand; and a Small one, a strong Nation: I, the Lord, will haften it, in His (i. e. in the Meffiah's) time. From which words, therefore, I fhall, without farther Preface, take occafion to raise these feveral Heads of Difcourfe.

First, I fhall briefly reprefent to You the matter of Fact it felf, to which this Prophecy referrs; how fwift and ftrange a Progress the Gospel made, at, and after it's first fetting out from Jerufalem.

Secondly, I fhall prove to you, that this Success of it must have been Miraculous, and owing chiefly to the mighty Operations, and effectual Affiftances of the Holy Spirit of God. After establishing which great Truth upon firm and proper Arguments, I fhall, in the

Third place, fairly lay together what can be offer'd to evade the force of them; and give the feveral Objections, their Answers.

III.

Fourthly, I fhall confider, how Great IV. and how Diftinguifhing an Advantage this was to the Chriftian Inftitution; and to what Useful Ends and Purpofes the Confideration of it may be apply'd.

Fifthly, and Laftly I fhall enquire into the time when, and the manner how, this Miracle ceas'd; and make fome fuitable Reflections upon it,with regard, both to Those who liv'd Then, when this Stop was put to the Gofpel; and to Us, who live Now, in the Latter Ages of the World.

First, I am to reprefent to You the Matter of Fact itself, to which the Prophecy of the Text referrs; how swift and Strange a Progrefs the Gospel really made, at, and after it's first fetting out from Jerufalem. And the account of this is as much above Imagination, as it is beyond Difpute.

From S. Luke we learn, that, upon the Afcent of Our Saviour, the little Flock, He had gather'd, confifted of but One hundred and twenty Difciples: Thefe receiv'd a mighty

V.

I

a mighty addition to their number, on the very day of Pentecoft, (the day, or which the Gospel, as well as the Law, was first promulg'd); even on That day Three Thousand Souls were brought over to the Faith, by a Sermon of S. Peter's: fo well did that Spiritual Fifher begin to make good the Character, which Chrift had given of him, that he should catch Men! Acts vi. 7. After this, the number of the Difciples multiplied in Jerufalem greatly, faith the fame holy Pen, (greatly, even in proportion to their firft increase): and from thence the Doctrine was foon carried into all the Remoter Regions of the Earth; infomuch that the Book of the Apostles Acts (which, being written by S. Luke, the Companion of S. Paul, is chiefly taken up in giving an account of that particular Apoftle's Labours, and Travels; and of thofe of them only, which he underwent in the First years of his Ministry: I fay, even this Book it felf) doth contain an account of the spreading of the Gofpel, forwards, thro' many Eastern Countries; and, backwards, thro' a great part of the Weft: of it's piercing, on the one fide, into all the Civiliz'd, and fome of the Barba rous Provinces of Afia; and, on the other, as far as the great Metropolis of

Europe

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