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they themselves were not to be judged of any un converted Man, 1 Cor. ii. 15.

A natural Man cannot difcern fpiritual Things, for they are Foolishness unto him, before he has received those breathing Winds of God's Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. ii. 14. Here St. Paul by Experience could argue after the fame Manner as our Lord did to Nicodemus; and every true Believer can in his Measure confidently affirm the fame: Therefore unless thofe Winds have breathed on thy Soul, thou art yet in the " Gall of Bitternets, and in the Bond of Iniquity;" having no true fav ing Hope, and without God in the World, Eph. ii. 12. "For no Man can call Chrift Lord, but by the Holy Ghoft," 1 Cor. ii. 14. If thofe Winds have not applied Chrift unto thee, to fave thee from the Guilt of Sin, thro' Faith in his Blood, thou art ignorant of the Efficacy of a Saviour: for it is written, "This is Lite eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent," John xvii. 3. But if thou dost not know him, his Gofpel is hid from thee. And the Apoftle faith," If our Gofpel be hid, it is hid to them who are loft," 2 Cor. iv. 3. A dreadful Condition, thus to be dead in the Valley of dry Bones; and not know it!" Awake, awake thou that fleepest, and arife from the Dead, (dead by the Fall of Adam, dead in Sin) and Chrift fhall give thee Life," Ephef. v. 14. May the Lord help thee, (for thou canst not help thyfelf) to come out of the Grave of Nature, and like Lazarus, hear the Voice of the Son of God, when he. faith, "I am the Refurrection, and the Life; if any Man believeth in me, though he were dead, yet fhall he live: And whofoever liveth, and believeth in me, fhall never die," i. e. eternally, John xi, 25, 26. It is a bleffed Condition thus

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to be rifen by Affurance of Faith with Chrift, whereby we seek the Things which are above; for where a Man's Treasure is, there is his Heart alfo. A brave Condition, my Friends, to be chofen out of the World! I do not wonder that the World hateth me. "If the World hateth you, (faith Chrift) ye know that it hated me before it hated you, but now it hateth you on my Account." Ah! foolish World, to hate fuch great Love as is found in Chrift and his People for precious, never-dying Souls." If ye were of the World (faith Chrift) the World would love his own, but because ye are not of the World, but I have chofen you out of the World, therefore the World hateth you. Remember the Word that I faid unto you, The Servant is not greater than his Lord: If they have perfecuted me, they will perfecute you: if they have kept my Saying, they will keep yours alfo," John xv. 18, 19, 20.

Now my Beloved, (ye People of Gillingham) if ye were not afleep, fure this fingle Teftimony of the Son of God, (who could not err in his Judgment) muft, and would alarm your Confciences on Account of your Behaviour to me fince I have returned among you. What Reafon have you for hating and backbiting me with Lies, Slander, and Defamation; seeing you cannot justly charge me with any Thing vile or base in my Character from my Youth up 'till I went abroad, nor fince I returned Home? And during the ten Years of my Abfence, all my Acquaintance can testify they faw no vile Behaviour in me in thofe Places where Providence caft my Lot, and where by lawful Employment and honeft Industry I was enabled to fupport my Family; though your Friendship and Cuftom are both withdrawn, fince I made a Profeffion of Chrift; and thereby you have compel

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led me to wander as a Pilgrim from my native Place, bearing his Crofs. God grant that none of you may hear thefe Words from him in the Day of Judgement, "I was an hungred, and ye gave me no Meat: thirsty, and ye gave me no Drink : naked, and ye cloathed me not, &c." And you answer," When faw we thee in this Distress, and did not administer Help unto thee?" And Jefus anfwering, "Forafmuch as ye did it not unto the least of my Brethren, (who bore my Image, which ye hated, ye did it not unto me. thefe fhall go away into everlasting Punishment:" but they who love Chrift's Image in his People, and relieve the Diftreffed, fhall go into Life eternal, Matt. xxv. 42, &c. Now obferve, this everlasting Fire, of which Christ speaks, was prepared for the Devil and bis Angels, not for you, my Neighbours; but if you join with the Devil, to hate God and perfecute his People, you may thank yourselves for it, if you fuffer the fame Fate, for Chrift has given you Warning. But why fhould I expect better Treatment? "he that will live. godly in Chrift Jefus muft fuffer Perfecution, 2 Tim. iii. 12. "And be hated of all (ungodly); Men for Christ's fake," Matt. x 22. Yea, even by unfeeling Preachers of the Gofpel, which has been the Cafe with me; for (however prepofterous the Conduct, and horrible to relate your Minifteris turn'd a Railer from the Pulpit, against the Cause of Chrift and his People. May the Lord. awaken all fuch to see their Error, (and you also) for they ought to be Eyes to you who are blind, Job xxix. 15. Behold! I feel a Sympathy for my native Town; methinks I tafte that Compaffion for you which Jefus felt for Jerufalem, when he cry'd, "O Jerufalem, Jerufalem, thou that killest the Prophets, and ftoneft them which are fent

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unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy Children together, even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her Wings, but ye would not !" Matt. xxiii. 37- Even fo do I find the fame Spirit cry in my Soul, O Gillingham, Gillingham, thou that hateft God's Meffengers who, warned thee to flee from the Wrath to come; how often did I exhort thee to repent and believe the blessed Gofpel, and contend for the Faith of God's Elect "which was once delivered unto the Saints?" Jude 3. "without which it is impoffible to please God!". "Yet the more I loved you, the lefs was I beloved of you," 2 Cor. xii. 15. But remember our Lord's Words, "If the Blind lead the Blind, both fhall fall into the Ditch," Matt. XV. 14. May the Lord open your Eyes, that you like holy David thro' the Meditation of the Scriptures may become. wifer than your Teachers, Pfal. cxix. 99. But the Children of the Bond-Woman will be always perfecuting thofe of the Free, Gal. iv. 29. Even they whom the Son hath made free, and are free indeed, John viii. 36. But what faith the Scriptures?" Caft out the Bond-Woman, (the Doc-: trine of Self-righteousness, the Devil's Nurse) and her Son, (the haughty Self-juftifier, the Devil's fcoffing Seed) for he fhall not be Heir, (or coinherit) with the Son of the Free-Woman," Gen. xxi. 10. For as Jerufalem which is above, is free, and is the Mother of all Believers: fo nominal Jerufalem below, thro' Unbelief, is in Bondage, which is the Mother and Fofterer of all Perfecutions, Gal. iv. 26. But Satan will roar, when he has loft a Soul from his Service; and efpecially one who beats up forVolunteers, and inlifts Soldiers for the King of Glory. Loft in the Devil's Scroll, is gain'd in Chrift's Book! So Satan's Sorrow, is Heaven's Joy, and our Comfort. Come my fellow.

Sinners

Sinners and beloved Neighbours, feek ye the Lord, as (thro' Grace) I have done, 'till you have found him; and then, Angels fhall alfo rejoice on Account of your Convertion. I tell you, there fhall be Joy in Heaven over every Soul that repenteth, Luke xv. 7. Repent therefore of every evil Habit, of every Sin in Heart and Life; “and turn unto the Lord, and he will have Mercy upon you, and to our God (I fpeak from Experience, and I know) he will abundantly pardon," Ifa. lv. 7. For with our God there is plenteous Redemption. The Blood of Chrift is infinitely meritorious, and unfpeakably efficacious. Repent, I fay, and believe, and you fhall receive the Testimony of the Holy Ghoft; though like thofe Difciples of old, ye have not yet known him, A&t. xix. 2. Even the Spirit of Truth, which shall guide you into all Truth, and bring all Things to your Remembrance, whatsoever the Lord hath faid unto you in Times paft, by hearing or reading his Gofpel, John xiv. 26. Which now the Devil fteals away from you, and makes your Reading and Hearing become unfruitful, Luke viii. 12. I lay (happy Souls) you fhall receive the Anointing, which fhall abide in you, and then you need not that any Man teach you, (your Faith fhall not reft on any Man's Word) for the fame Anointing will teach you all Things, 1 John ii. 27. Thus, I fay, thofe anointing Winds, or his overshadowing Prefence who form'd the Creation, fhall breathe on your flain and dead Souls, and you fhall live, believe and never die, John xi. 25, 26. Then you fhall know the Bleffednefs of the Heaven-born Soul, "who is called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb," Rev. xix. 9. Likewife you fhall know the Meaning of the XIIIth Article of our Church, which faith, "Works done before the Grace of

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