Even thus fhall it be with you. God by offering you the gracious Terms of the Gofpel, has begun to break the Power of the Devil and to deftroy his Kingdom among you: But if ye reject this Mercy, and still retain your Hypocrify, Superftition and Malice; the Power of the Devil will more prevail among you than before; and filling you with more incurable Wickedness and Impenitence than ever, will fit you for a most dreadful and exemplary Destruction.

27. While Jefus was uttering these, and many other like things in the Audience of the People; a Woman in the midst of the Crowd, aftonished at his Difcourfes, and furprized with admiration at the Wisdom and Authority with which he fpake, cried out aloud, faying; Happy is the Woman which brought into the World a Person of fuch excellent Wisdom and Knowledge; and thrice happy are all his Relations, who have the continual Enjoyment of fuch a bleffed Conversation.

28. But Jefus reply'd; Yea, much rather blessed are they, who attentively hear, and readily believe, and fincerely obey the Gofpel which I preach; For this is to be more truly and nearly akin to me, than by Confanguinity or any earthly Relation; and is really a greater Honour, Excellence, and Happiness, than to be my Mother, Brother, or Sifter.

29. In the mean time, the Multitude increas'd and gather'd about Jefus more and more: And he continued his foregoing Difcourfe, upon the Subject of the Pharifees Malice and Hypocrify, faying; This prefent Generation of Men, are a very perverse and degenerate Race: I have done many mighty Works to

the people gathered thick together, he began to fay, This is an they feek a fign evil generation : and there fhall no

fign

fign be given it, but the fign of Jonas the prophet.

30 For as Jonas was a fign unto the Ninevites, fo fhall alfo the fon of man be to this generation.

31 The queen of the fouth fhall rife up in the judgment with the men of this generation,

and condemn them: for fhe

came from the utmoft parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

prove my Commiffion, and yet they believe me not; I have caft out Devils in their prefence, and this they afcribe to a Confederacy with thofe Wicked Spirits; I have worked feveral other Miracles before their Eyes, and ftill they require more Signs of me to demonftrate my Divine Authority. Affuredly, I tell you, God will not gratify their unreasonable and perverfe Demands, nor grant them any more Signs; but only one fuch Sign, as was that of the Prophet Jonah, to render them inexcufable.

30. For as Jonah, having been three Days bury'd in the Sea, in the Fish's Belly, and afterwards being caft up again alive, was a demonstration to the Ninevites, that God had fent a true Prophet among them, to declare to them the Neceffity of a fpeedy Repentance: So Chrift, after he fhall be killed and buryed in the Earth, fhall rife again on the third Day; And this fhall be a Sign to the Men of this Generation, and the laft Sign that God will vouchfafe to give them, to move them to Repent, and avoid their final Deftruction.

31. And because they will not by this laft Sign be worked upon to Repent, therefore they fhall, as I faid, appear more inexcufable than all that have ever been before them; and their Condemnation must be acknowledged to be most juft. The Queen of Sheba, when fhe heard in a far Country the Fame of Solomon's Wifdom, took a very long Journey on purpofe to fatisfy her felf of the truth of what fhe had heard, and to fee and admire the Wisdom of that renowned Prince: But the Men of this Generation, having a Teacher of far greater Wisdom and Knowledge, offer

ing

ing himself to inftruct them in their own Streets, yet defpife and reject him.

32. The Men of Nineveh, when they heard the preaching of Jonah; though he was a mean perfon, and of no Authority; though he continued among them but three days, and worked no more Miracles after his firft Deliverance in the Sea; were yet moved by his Denunciations, and brought to Repentance. But the Men of this Generation, though they have Christ himself sent to Preach to them; though they for a long time together, hear his Doctrine and fee his Miracles; though they wonder at the Authority and Plainnefs of his Difcourfes, and are aftonifhed at the Power by which he acts, yet they are not by all these things perfuaded to Repent. Therefore, I fay again, they fhall be deftroyed with an unparallelled Defolation, and this their Punishment fhall appear to be moft juft and neceffary.

33. They pretend indeed, to have a Spirit of Piety, and a Zeal for the Service of God: But if they really had any fuch Difpofition of Mind, they could not, as they do, reject Divine Truths after all reasonable Conviction, and neglect the practice of Religion which they would seem to profefs. For as no Man lights a Candle to hide it under a Veffel, but to fet it in a Candlestick, that it may give light to the whole Houfe; fo there is no one who has really a Spirit of Piety and a Zeal for the Service of God, but will exprefs and evidence that difpofition of Mind, by an unprejudiced Willingness to receive all Divine Truths upon fufficient Conviction, and by a real and fubftantial

4

32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation,

and fhall condemn at the preaching of it for they repented Jonas; and behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

33 No man when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in under a bufhel: but a fecret place, neither on a candleftick, that they which come in may fee the light.

34 The

34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is fingle, thy whole body alfo is full of light, but when thine eye is evil, thy body alfo is full of darkness.

35 Take heed therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole fhall be full of light, as when the bright fhining of a candle doth give thee light.

VOL. II.

Obedience to all the Commands of God, whom he pretends to Worship and Honour.

34. But the true Reason, why the Men of this Generation reject the Doctrines of God, and perfift in Impenitence and Difobedience; is, becaufe their very Mind and Judgment of Things is corrupted by Infincerity, and by an obftinate Refolution not to entertain fome certain Truths, which cross their Vicious Habits and Inclinations, notwithstanding whatever Evidence they may bring along with them. And this is indeed, a fufficient caufe of Incorrigiblenefs. For as the Eye is to the guidance of the Body, fo is this Judgment of Things to the Direction of the Mind. If a Man's Judgment of Things be not byafs'd and vitiated, there is Hope of fuch a Man's Conviction and Reformation: But as, when a Man's Eyes are put out, his whole Body muft of neceffity move in Darkness; fo if the Judgment of a Man's Mind, which ought to be the guide of his Actions, be it felf corrupted by Infincerity and obftinate vitious Prejudices, there is no Hope, but fuch a Man muft continue in Error and Wickedness.

35 36. Let every Man therefore above all things confider and take care, that the Judgment and Difpofition of his Mind be not corrupted by obftinate Prejudices, and vitious Affections. For in that Cafe, even his very Guide becomes his Seducer, and his Light it felf is Darkness. But if a Man's Difpofition be fincere, if his Judgment be free from Prejudice, and his Mind from evil Affections; his Actions will eafily be governed by Truth, and the Courfe of his Life will probably be pious and good. 37. While

I

37. While Jefus was Preaching in this manner, a certain Pharifee came and invited him to Dinner. And Jefus, refufing no opportunity of inftructing and doing good to all Men of any Sect whatsoever, went and fat down to Meat with him in his House.

38. And when they were fat down, the Pharifee wondred that Jefus began to eat, without firft washing his Hands; which Rite the Pharifees fuperftitiously obferv'd, never to fit down to Meat without washing their Hands immediately before, leaft they fhould happen to be defiled.

39. But Jefus answered him, faying: 'Tis with great Hypocrify and Superftition, that ye Pharifees obferve thefe outward Ceremonies. For as if a Man fhould be very nice in keeping clean the outside of his Cup, and not at all regard how dirty it is within: Even fo ye are very ftrict in obferving these external Rites and unneceflary Wafhings of the Body; while your Minds and Confciences are full of Covetoufnefs, Injustice, and all Unholiness.

40. Whereas on the contrary, (fo foolishly perverfe are your Injunétions,) God infinitely more regards the Purity of the Mind, than the Cleannefs of the Body; and has very little efteem for Ceremonial Performances, in comparifon of Moral and Eternal Duties.

41. Wherefore, if ye will be really Holy and Religious, be careful in the firft place to be exact and confcientious in the performance of thofe Duties,

which are of Moral and Eternal Obligation; fuch as Juftice and Righteoufnefs, Equity and Mercy, Liberality and Charity: And ye need be the lefs follicitous about outward and Ritual Obfer