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Ver. 3.

Ver. 5.

Ver. 6.

Means of Information about the right Way to everlasting Happiness, God would fupply the Defects by a Miracle. And accordingly the next News we hear is, that when he was at his Prayers about the ninth Hour of the Day (viz. our three o'Clock in the Afternoon, when they offered the Evening Sacrifice in the Temple) an Angel from Heaven appeared to him, and calling him by his Name, faid in the Words of my Text, Ver. 4. Thy Prayers and thine Alms are come up for a Memorial before God. Now therefore fend Men to Joppa, and inquire for one Simon, whofe Surname is Peter, he shall tell thee what thou oughteft to do. Upon this Cornelius difpatches away three Meffengers to Joppa, which was about 30 Miles diftant from Cafrom v. 6, farea, where he dwelt. On the next Day to v. 34. they find St. Peter at his Lodging. They acquaint him with their Meffage, and the Occafion of it. He being admonished by the Spirit of God to go with them, prepares for the Journey, notwithstanding the Doubts he had whether he, being a Jew, could lawfully converfe with the Gentiles, whom he looked upon as unclean; for God Almighty had removed that Scruple by a Vision which he had fent him on that very Day. Accordingly on the 3d Day he comes to Cornelius his Houfe at Cæfarea. There he finds him and all his Friends affembled together, waiting for the Inftruction that Peter would give them And having had an Account

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from Cornelius himfelf of what had happened to him, and of the Reafon why he was fent for, he then began to difcourfe to them about our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the Neceffity of believing on him in order to Salvation. The Particulars of which Sermon you have from the 34th Verfe to the 44th. And the Effect that it had upon them was this, that as St. Peter was thus difcourfing to them, the Holy Ghoft fell upon all the Ver.44. Company, juft as he had done on the Twelve Apoftles on the Day of Pentecoft; and they all became Converts to the Chriftian Religion, and were all baptized into it.

This is the Sum of Cornelius his Story, as it is related in this Chapter; by which you may fee how my Text comes in, and what we are naturally led to obferve from it. But there are fuch other ufeful Things obfervable from this Hiftory, both with relation to our Inftruction, and to the Conduct of our Lives, that I think I ought not fo to confine myself to the Text, as to pass them

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I fhall therefore lay fome of thefe Obfervations before you, and fhall in the last Place confider what is obfervable from the Words of the Text.

1. The firft Obfervation I make from this History is, that we have therein an illuftrious Inftance of that important Truth which it concerns all of us to remember, and often

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to think of, if we in good earnest design to lead fuch Lives as we ought to do; and that is this, that God is not wanting to any Man's fincere Endeavours, but is willing and ready to affist every one with his Grace, and to add further Means and Helps as there is need of them. Whoever will faithfully do that which he can do towards the ferving God, tho' that which he can do be but little, fuch a Man fhall be carried further; and God will take care that at last he shall be put into fuch a Condition, that he may walk acceptably before him. Cornelius was a Stranger to the true Religion; but fo far as he knew his Duty, he was honeft and fincere in doing it. He knew by the Light of Nature that to pray to God, and to give Alms, were probable Means of gaining his Favour; and therefore he accordingly took thefe Methods. This now God accepted; and because of his Sincerity in doing what he could, he vouchfafed his fpecial Grace and Affistance, whereby he was enabled to know, and to do thofe Things which by Nature he could not.

I wish this Example of his was more confidered and followed; we should not then have fo many among us, that would live fo contentedly under the Slavery of their Sins and Vices, upon a Pretence that they have not Grace and Strength enough to overcome them. The great Plea that Men do generally make for the Wickedness

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or Careleffness of their Lives is this, that really it is not in their Power to live up to fuch a Rate of Holinefs and Virtue, as the Law of God obligeth them to: Grace is in them too weak, and their natural Corruptions too strong, for their ever being in a Capacity, without more Affiftance from God, to live ftrict and religious Lives: Converfion is the Work of God, and cannot be wrought by a Man's felf; and therefore till God fhall please to come upon them with an irresistible Power of his Holy Spirit, they must be contented to live as they do; nay, they muft unavoidably live fo.

We do readily grant, that without God's Grace no Man can do any thing; and we grant likewise, that it is very probable their Circumftances may be fuch, that it is not morally poffible, unless they had greater Strength and more Grace than they have, on a fudden to live as they ought to do; for their bad Principles are really more powerful than their good ones: But yet in the mean time we muft needs tell them, that they are not mere Stocks and Stones. How much Reason foever they have to complain of the Infirmity or Degeneracy of their Natures, yet fome Things they can do towards the bettering of them: For Inftance, tho' they cannot on a fudden conquer the inward Bent and Inclination of their Minds, fo as to hate all Sin, and to delight in Virtue, yet they must needs confefs that they have a Power

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Power over their outward Actions: They can as well (if they think it reasonable) direct their Feet towards a Church, as to a Houfe of Gaming, or Drinking, or Lewdnefs: Their Eyes will ferve them as well to look upon a Bible, or a ferious Difcourfe about Religion, as to read a fcurrilous and prophane Book: It is as much in their Power, if they pleafe, to yield their Ears to the reasonable Advice of their fober Friends, as to the mad Harangues of the diffolute Company they keep. Thefe Things they must needs acknowledge they can do, if they will: nay, and they can do more than this; for if they pleafe they may give themselves Time to confider and think of what they read, or what is faid to them, or what their own Experience or Observation of Things will fuggeft to their Minds; and they can further, if they pleafe, add to their Confideration their Prayers to Almighty God to direct them, to affift them, to strengthen them.

Now tho' we grant that all this without God's efpecial Grace will not be effectual for their Regeneration and Converfion, yet, we fay, that if they will but do as much as this comes to, we can affure them, that in Time they shall have this efpecial Grace that they now want. In the fame Proportion that they use and employ thofe Gifts and Powers which they at prefent have, God will encreafe and enlarge them; fo that

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