Luke 17.

19.

regulate his Thoughts, Defires and Appetites by them, as well as his Converfation.

5. Fifthly, he is a Person that feeks not, defigns not the Praife of Men in any thing he doth, but hath a mighty Care to approve himself to God. It is the Confcience of his Duty that is the great Spring and Principle from whence his Actions proceed, and the Hinge on which they turn. So that he is always of a Piece, always like himfelf; as religious and devout in private, as in publick; as careful of himself and his Actions when no body fees him, as when he hath many Spectators and Obfervers of his Carriage.

6. Sixthly and laftly, he is a Perfon that, when he hath done all, is yet humble and lowly in his own Eyes, not pretending to merit any thing at the Hand of God. On the contrary, if he had done his whole Duty, all that God hath required of him (which yet he is far from being fo vain as to think he hath) yet he is fenfible that fill be is an unprofitable Servant; he hath done God no Good, he hath only done what he ought to do. And therefore far be it from him to think he deferves any thing at the Hands of God; nay, he rather defires to lay down in the Duft, and, from the Bottom of his

Heart,

Heart, to afcribe all that he hath, and all that he is, and all that he hopes for, to his fole Grace, Favour and Goodness, crying out with holy David, Not unto me, Lord, P. 115. 3. not unto me, but unto thy holy Name be the Praife and the Glory of all.

He that hath thefe Characters upon him, is certainly an Ifraelite indeed, a true Nathanael, one that is beloved of God, and fhall inherit the Promises both of this Life, and that which is to come. Now that we may all be fuch, and confequently be fo happy, God of his infinite Mercy grant, &c.

SER

446

SERMON XVIII.

ACTS xiii. (latter Part of ver. 48.) And as many as were ordained to eternal Life, believed.

T

I

HIS Text having fome Affinity with those I have lately been upon, as to the Argument of it, and it being likewise commonly misunderstood, thought it would not be unacceptable to have a fair Account given of it: And I am the more defirous to do it, because several ufeful Things offer themfelves from it.

You find, in the 14th Verse of this Chapter, that St. Paul and his Company being come to Antioch in Pifidia, he went, as it was his Custom, into the Synagogue on the Sabbath-day; where, both Jews and Gentiles, were gathered together. There he

preached

preached a Sermon to them, to perfuade to the Belief of Chrift Jefus, whom, by undeniable Arguments, he proved to be that Meffias, whom God had promised to the Fathers, and by whom only Remiffion of Sins and everlasting Salvation was to be had. This Sermon of his is fet down in this Chapter from Ver. 16, to 42.

What the Effect of this Sermon was, you have in the 42d Verfe, namely, that when the Jews were gone out of the Synagogue, the Gentiles befought that these Words might be preached to them the next Sabbath-day.

But here comes a Queftion, which I ought to answer before I go on any further with the Story. How comes it to pafs that we find here both Jews and Gentiles worshipping God in one Synagogue, and that too in an heathen Country, as Pifidia was? Nay, it seems by this Place, it was their conftant Practice fo to do every Sabbath-day.

In answer to this, you must know, that in the Time of our Saviour and his Apoftles, the Jews, tho' they ftill kept their own Land, yet abundance of that Nation had tranfplanted themselves into other Countries: Nay, moft of the great Cities were then full of them; and where-ever they came, they erected Synagogues for the Worship of God. And then, as for

3

the

the Gentiles joining with them in that Worship, you are not, by these Gentiles, to understand the Common Sort of Heathens, or Gentiles who were Idolaters, for with fuch the Jews would have nothing to do; no more than They would have to do with the Jews. But it fo happened always, that by Converfation with the Jews, where-ever they came, and by the Means of those excellent Notions about Religion, that they could furnish Men with out of their Law, a great many of the more ingenuous Sort of the Gentiles were brought from their Idolatry to the Owning and Worfhip of the one God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and likewife to the Belief of a future Life. And all fuch as these the Jews accounted in the Number of Profelytes, and were glad to have them come to their Synagogues. Where, befides joining in the true Worship of God, they had the Benefit of hearing the Law and the Prophets read every Sabbath-day; which very Thing would ftrongly difpofe them to believe in Chrift's Doctrine, whenever it should be made known to them.

For the fuller understanding of this, you are to know that there were two Sorts of Profelytes among the Jews: Some that were ftrictly fo called; and fome that were called fo in a larger Senfe. The Profelytes, in the more ftrict Senfe, were all those Gen