SER M. continue the Character which hath hi

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therto belong'd to it; and, by That means, fecure the Continuation of God's Blef fings upon it. May Charity go on to have its perfect Work; not Living meerly upon the Old Stock, not continuing at a ftay; but Growing and Increasing still, as the Neceffities of Some Men increase, and the Abilities of Others to Relieve them! And thus fpreading it felf to a wider Compass, it fhall affuredly procure a Greater Share of God's Mercies, and Cover a greater Multitude of our Sins.

That This may be the Cafe, the Good and Merciful God grant, through the Great Steward and Difpenfer of his Mercies, Chrift the Righteous! To whom, with the Father, and the Holy Ghoft, be af crib'd, as is moft due, all Honour, Adoration, and Praife; Now, and Ever! Amen!

The

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

ΤΗ

HE Evangelic Prophet is very particular, thoughout this Chapter, in defcribing the fudden and mighty increafe of Chriftianity, its triumphant progress

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thro'

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SER M. thro' all Nations, and its prevalence over

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all the other Religions of the World. And this wondrous Enlargement of it he takes occafion (at the close of the Chapter) to represent as fo much the more Amirable, 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, shall become a Thousand; and a Small one, a ftrong 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 refers, how swift and ftrange a Progrefs the Gospel made, at, and after its 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 Ho

ly

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ly Spirit of God. After establishing which SERM great Truth upon firm and proper Arguments, I fhall, in the

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

fwers.

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

Fifthly, and Laftly, I fhall enquire in- V, to the time when, and the manner bow, 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 I. Matter of Fact itself, to which the Prophecy of the Text refers; how fwift and frange a Progress the Gospel really made at, and after its first fetting out from Jerufalem. And the account of this is

SERM. as much above Imagination, as it is beyond

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Difpute.

From St. 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: These receiv'd a mighty addition to their number, on the very day of Pentecoft, (the day, on 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 St. Peter's: fo well did that Spiritual Fisher begin to make good the Character, which Christ had given of him, that he should catch Men! Aas vi. 7. After this, the number of the Difciples mul tiplied 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 St. Luke, the Companion of St. Paul, is chiefly taken up in giving an Account of that particular Apostle's Labours, and Travels; and of thofe of them only, which he underwent in the