us a question which gave us great perplexity, and were desirous to ask thy opinion of, but were afraid : but now we are convinced, that thou art endued with a truly divine power and did indeed come from God. To which JESUS answered, and do you now at length firmly believe in me? Are you resolved to continue stedfast in this faith? Do you think yourselves able to persevere immovably in the possession of it? Be not confident of your own strength but pray that ye may be delivered from temptation in time of distress, such as will come upon you much sooner than ye expect : for I tell you, that ye will all of you within a few hours utterly forsake me, and fly, in hopes to secure yourselves, leaving me alone; and yet I should not stay alone since my Father is with me, who is more than all: I have therefore acquainted you with these things beforehand, that your minds may be furnished with sufficient matter of comfort and strength to bear up under all temptations, from the consideration of my having foretold both what distresses will befal you and how ye shall terminate your victory over all your enemies! These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John xvi. 33.

Thus having finished his discourse, JESUS lifted up his eyes to heaven, and prayed, saying, O Almighty Father! now the time of my sufferings, for which I was sent into the world, is arrived; I entreat thee support me under it, and make me triumph over death, by a glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven; that by this means the glory may redound to thee, and cause thy will to be believed and obeyed through all the world, to the salvation of mankind; according to the full intent of that office and power with which thou didst originally invest me to receive all fitly disposed persons into the covenant of salvation, and to assist and preserve them in it unto everlasting happiness: the condition of this covenant is, that they firm

ly believe and obey thee, as the only true God, and JESUS CHRIST, as the true Messiah, whom thou hast sent. In order to the bringing about this great design of salvation, I have declared thy will to mankind; I have published thy precepts, and discharged the great mission entrusted to me; I have preached the doctrine of repentance to salvation, and have finished the work which thou sentest me to do, to the glory of thy name upon earth; and now to complete the great design, do thouO Almighty Father! likewise glorify me with thine own self; support me under my sufferings; let me prevail and triumph over death, by a glorious resurrection, and exalt me again to the same glory in heaven which I had with thee before the creation of the universe. I have manifested thy will to my disciples, the men that thou gavest me out of the world, and to all such as were fitted and disposed to receive it; to such as by a pious habit, and teachable disposition, were prepared to embrace whatever doctrine should appear to come from thee. To those persons thou didst in thine infinite wisdom appoint, that thy truth should be made known, and not to the prejudiced and vicious world; therefore, to them I have revealed the mysteries of thy kingdom, the precepts of thy gospel, and the doctrine of thy salvation; and this doctrine they have willingly embraced, stedfastly adhered to. and sincerely obeyed; as they are fully satisfied and convinced, that what I taught them as from thee, was really a divine doctrine taught by thine immediate appointment and command; and that I did not preach any human invention or institution of men, but was really sent by thy divine authority and commission. For these persons, therefore I now pray, that as thou hast begun the work of their salvation by my preaching and revealing to them thy will, while I have been present with them here upon earth; so also that thou wouldest preserve them when I am departed from this world, and complete the work of their salvation. by my resurrection and ascension into heaven after my death. I do not pray for the unbelieving impenitent

world, but for those who have embraced that most ho-. ly doctrine, which thou hast taught them through me by my preaching; for those who have glorified and will glorify my name by their ministry, and who consequently are to be esteemed as thine own, in common with me. I am now about to leave the world, in order to return to thee, but these my disciples, who continue after me I recommend to thy divine protection, when I am gone; endue them with powers to persevere in preaching and practising the truth, and to deliver the same holy doctrines which I have given to them, that so they may remain inseparably united to me, as I am to thee: so long as I have been with them, in the world, I have watched over them, and kept them from falling away, both by example, preaching, and continual admonition, according to the power and authority which thou didst commit to me; nor has one of my apostles miscarried under my care, except that perfidious traitor who, as the Scripture foretold, has ungratefully conspired with my enemies to destroy me, and will perish according to his deserts. While I have continued with my disciples, I have watched over them and preserved them under mine own eye but now, as I am going to leave the world I beseech thee to keep and assist them by thy good Spirit; and let the expectation of their continuing under thy special care and protection, be their com fort and support in my absence. The world, indeed, will persecute and hate them on this account, as my doctrine is repugnant to the lusts and affections, the passions, designs, and inclinations of worldly men; it must necessarily be, that the vicious and incorrigible world will oppose and persecute them, as it has before persecuted me; I beseech thee, therefore, to take them under thy particular care, to support them against the violence and oppression of an evil world: I do not desire that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but preserve them in it to be instruments of thy word, thy glory, and to be teachers of thy truth; nor suffer them to be either destroyed by the

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malice and violence of a perverse and wicked eration, or corrupted by the evil customs and opinions of it.

According to the example of purity which I have set before them, they are of a temper and spirit very different from the current affections and common dis positions of the world. Do thou preserve and in crease in them that moderation and candour of mind; cause them to be thoroughly affected and impressed with that true doctrine so frequently recommended to them from my mouth, so as to express it visibly in their lives and practice, and to promote it zealously in their preaching, that they may become worthy and successful ministers of my gospel, both by word and good example.

As thou hast sent me into the world to reveal thy will to mankind, so send I these my apostles to con- . tinue preaching the same doctrine begun by me; and the principal design of my exemplary life, constant teaching, and now voluntarily offering myself to death. for it, is to sanctify and enable them to preach with success and efficacy for the salvation of men. Neither pray I for these my apostles only, but for all others, who shall, by their preaching and practice, promote thy true religion; and being converted from the world, may, by their sincere endeavours, go on to reform others, convincing the world of the excellency of their religion, and consequently enforcing men to acknowledge the truth and divine authority thereof: for promoting which great end, I have communicated to my apostles the same power and authority of doing mighty works for the confirmation of their doctrine, and the evidence of thy truth, as thou didst communicate to me; that so I working in them as thou hast done in me, and thus confirming with great efficacy and demonstration of Spirit, they may establish the same doctrine which I published in person, that the. world may, by this evidence, be convinced that I was

really sent by thee, and that my disciples act by the same divine commission as I did.

Almighty and Holy Father, all those whom thou hast thus given me, who have wisely embraced my doctrine, and sincerely obeyed it, I desire that thou wouldest make partakers of the same happiness with myself, and exalt them to behold the incomprehensible glory wherewith thou didst originally invest me in thy eternal love, before the foundation of the world. The generality of mortals, O righteous Father! the covetous and ambitious, the crafty and designing men of this world have not known thee, nor been willing to embrace and obey the revelation of thy will, and have made it known to my disciples, men of simplicity and honesty; and they have embraced and obeyed it and I will continually make it known to them more and more, that they may grow up and improve in faith, in holiness, and in all good works, so as finally to arrive, and cause others to arrive, at that eternal happiness, which is the effect of thy infinite love and mercy towards me and them.

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.