vidence of the truth of what he delivered, They were not in the leaft concerned at the mockery and abufes that were put up. on them, the Spirit had defcended on them, and raised them above fuch mean and fool ish apprehenfions, they were now full of the H. Ghoft, and no worldly thoughts could move them, they acted with the force and vigor of the Wind and Fire, in which the Holy Ghost came upon them, and with as much unconcernedness, as if they had had no difficulties to encounter: the world they very well knew, and found was against them, but they had the affu rance 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 wholeCities and Countries broke loofe 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 alfa knap: him being delivered by the determinate Conv fel and fore-knowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain, whom God bath raised up, whereof

ye now

we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath feed forth this which fee and hear, Acts ii. 22, 23, 24, 32, 33. And in the third Chapter, The God of A braham, of Ifaac, and of Jacob, the God of our Fathers hath glorified his Son Jefus, whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the prefence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy one,

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and the just, and defired a murtherer to be granted unto you, and killed the Prince of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead, whereaf we are witneffes, Acts iii. 13, 14, 15. And before the Council, O je 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 rai fed from the dead, even by him doth this man fand here before you whole. This is the stone which was fet at nought by you Builders, which is become the head of the corner, meither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other 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 bath God exalted with bis

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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 Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him, Act. v. 30, 6e. With what freedom and authority doth he now fpeak, how unlike is he now to the man he was before, when he thrice denyed his Mafter whilft alive? And what could make fuch an alteration in him after his Masters death but a fupernatural Power? What could caufe him thus fre quently and earnestly to make an open confeffion of him in the midft 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 vertue of that Power, which was bestowed upon him and the rest of the Apostles, after Chrift's Afcenfion?

And the fame conftancy and greatnefs of mind appeared in St. Stephen, and the reft of the Disciples; which yet was accompanied with equal humility and meekness. 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 seen and heard, Acts iv. 19, 20 You may do your pleafure, but we muft do our duty. Nothing of fury and violence, nor of wildness and extravagancy, but a constant compofedne and gravity,

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and a rational fober zeal appeared in all their behaviour. They told a plain truth, and then wrotight 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 raife men from the dead, or take away their Lives with a word fpeaking, as in the cafe of Ananias and Saphira ; yet they were not exempted from fufferings, because we muft then have wanted one great argument 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 fufferings of good men, which is apt mightily to work upon the affections, and upon any feeds 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 fufferings 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 fpirits, and preparing them by fo great examples of patience to endure all the ca lamities incident to men. Who is there, that is not more affected with the meek

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and humble courage, and invincible pati. ence of the Apoftles, than with all the great Acts of the mighty conquerours and deftroyers of Mankind? A few, poor, unarmed, defenceless men ftand before armed Multitudes, and fpeak with as much Authority, as ifall the Power of the world were in their hands; and indeed all power I 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 eafe, as to one people.

And the fame Holy Spirit, who descended upon the reft of the Apoftles on the day of Pentecoft, defcended upon St. Paul at his converfion, and gave that great A poftle fo much confidence and refolution, fo much patience and zeal under his fufferings which were fo fevere and terrible, that we can fcarce read them with fo little horror, as he underwent them...

Thus did the Holy Ghoft fit and prepare the Apoftles to be witneffes to Chrift by infpiring them with all that courage and patience, which was neceflary for men, that were to declare an ungrateful and defpifed 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'dfor agroundless confidence,

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