will moft highly provoke Almighty GoD. For SER M. pray confider, profeffing religion is affuming VIII. to yourselves the name of GOD; therefore to profefs vainly, is to profane his facred name. And do we not know, that the God whose name we affume is a jealous GOD? and that he will not hold them guiltless that take his name in vain? Oh, how dreadful will the controverfy be about this in the day of final account! But really there is reafon to believe, that God has a controversy to manage with the Chriftian world before that day come: partly with those who corrupt, and deprave the whole frame of the Chriftian institution itself; and partly with those, who contradict the very defign of it, in their lives and practice. And, Oh! when GOD fhall come to plead with such in this manner, "Why have you profaned fuch a "divine religion as this? Why have you "made the religion of JESUS seem to the "world an impotent or ignominious thing? "inafmuch, as you have formed it, it has "made men no better than Turcifm, or Paganifm would have done!" how, I fay, will this be answered in the great day? And in like manner, when GOD comes to plead his own caufe against an hypocritical generation, who contented themfelves with external forms and shadows, though they never fo openly contradicted all that they pretended to in their behaviour; how will they be able to answer for themselves, or to juftify their conduct!

VOL.

II.

Now that this may not be the cafe of any of us, GoD of his infinite mercy grant for the fake of our Bleffed Saviour, the LORD JESUS CHRIST; to whom, with the FATHER and the HOLY GHOST, be given and afcribed all honour and glory, now and for ever. ΑΜΕΝ.

SERM.

SERMON IX.

Preached at Mr. Cafe's March 3,

1675.

ACTS 1. 7.

And be faid unto them, it is not for you to know the times and the feafons, which the Father bath put in his own power.

T

HESE words are part of our Saviour's reply unto an impertinent queftion that was put to him by his difciples; after he had fome time converfed with them fince his resurrection, and immediately before he ascended, and went-up into glory from them.

quire of him, faying in the 6th verfe,

They in

Lord wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Ifrael? He answers, It is not for you to know the times or the feafons which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghoft is come upon you; and ye shall be witneffes unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and VOL. II.

I

in

II.

VOL. in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And then it follows, When be had spoken thefe things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their fight.

It is obvious to the obfervation of any, that read the evangelical hiftory, what it was that the minds, even of Chrift's more immediate followers, were intent upon, during the time of his abode in the flesh among them; and great was the expectation they had of a time when the Roman yoke fhould be fhaken off, and when Ifrael, that had now been tributary long to that power, fhould be restored to its liberty. And when they found that they had now got among them one that manifeftly appeared to be an extraordinary perfon, who could heal the fick, raise the dead, and do all other wonders with a word, they little doubted but now was the time of this great turn and revolution, which they so much hoped for. He that could feed multitudes as with miracles, they doubted not could easily maintain an army ftrong enough to do the business, upon very eafy and unexpensive terms.

BUT fee at length now what this great expectation of theirs came to! Which expectation, you must know too, had a private aspect even towards themselves, and their own concernments; for they doubted not if their Head and Lord became fo great, they that were immediately related to him, must share proportionably in his greatnefs and fome of them, as the Gofpel tells you, thought of nothing less than fitting at his right

hand,

IX.

hand, and left hand, in this his temporal king-SER M. dom which they thought he was about to fet up. But fee, I fay, what this expectation came to! Him, whom they expected to be a potent glorious king, they had feen apprehended, and haled to judgement, and to death, as a moft ignominious malefactor. They had beheld the end of him, and feen him expire, and die upon a bloody reproachful crofs; and now all these great hopes of theirs were vanished. We trusted (fay they) that this was be that should have redeemed Ifrael. Great hopes we had, that the fo long expected work would now, without any poffibility of frustration or disappointment, have received its accomplishment and be brought to a glorious period. But they faw their hope laid in the duft; and now they reckon there was nothing more to be look'd for from him; there was an end of him, and all their expectations from him. We hoped this was he; but we are fain now to think we know not what, or to think other thoughts of him..

WELL, but at length he revives, and rifeth again; and now their hopes revive, and rife too. But their hopes are ftill of the fame carnal, and low alloy; ftill their minds run the fame way they had done, and they take up the matter afresh where they had left it. "Come Lord, what

་་

fayeft thou now to this great business? Wilt "thou now at this time reftore the kingdom to "Ifrael? Now that thou haft conquer'd this "fame death that hath befallen thee, what canft I 2 "thou