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know and obey the will of Omnipotence in matters of great and eternal obligation, and invincibly prejudiced against the spiritual holiness and poxity of my doctrine; these, I say, you must expect will excommunicate you as apostles, & cast you out of all their societies, as the vilest of malefactors; nay, to such an absurd height of malice will their superstition carry them, that they will even fancy they promote the service of God, and the cause of religion, when they most barbarously murder and destroy you: but 1 have warned you of all this beforehand, that ye may prepare and fortify yourselves against it, that ye may remember 1 foretold it to you, and that your faith in me may thereby be strengthened, when it cometh to pass.

Indeed, I did not tell you particularly of these things at the begining, when you first followed me and became my disciples, because then I was to continue with you in person, and support you in all things by my immediate presence: but now, being about to leave you, I think it necessary to acquaint you what things are likely to come upon you after my depar ture, and also what eomfort you may expect to support you under them, at the same time.

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I must now mention the melancholy part, namely, that I am going from you, and that great temptations will befall you in my absence; this, indeed, ye readily apprehend, & suffer your hearts to be overwhelmed with grief at the thoughts of it: but the comfortable part of my discourse, namely, that my departure is only in order to return to him that sent me, and that I will soon after send you the Holy Spirit, and the other advan. tages that will thence result to you, are neither considered nor are you solicitous about them. Nevertheless, if ye will listen, I will plainly tell you the truth: ye are so far from having reason to be dejected at tha thoughts of my departure, that on the contrary, it is really profitable and expedient for you, that I should now depart; for such is the order and dispensation of Providence towards you, and the appointment of my Father's eternal and all wise council, that before I go and take possession of my kingdom, the comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, connot be sent upon you; but when I am departed from you, and have all power in heaven and earth committed unto me, then I will send him unto you: and when he cometh he shall abundantly support and comfort you under all your troubles; shall powerfully plead your cause against your adversaries; and shall, with wonderful efficacy, cause the doctrine of the gospel to spread and prevail in the world against all opposition: he shall particularly, and in a. most extraordinary and convincing manner, make the world sensible of the greatness and heinousness of a sin of which they were not aware; of the righteousness and justice of a dispensation they did not understand, and of the execution of a most remarkable judgment they did not expect. First, by wonderfully attesting and confirming the truth of my doctrine, by the gift of tongues, and other wonderful signs he shall convince the world of the greatness and heinousness of their sins, in disbelieving and rejecting me. Secondly, by demonstrating," that my departure out of the world, was not perishing and dying, but only a returning to my Fatherin order to be invested with all power both in heaven and earth, he shali convince the world of the righteousness and justice of my cause and of the excellency of their dispensation which I preached and declared to mankind. Lastly, he shall convince men of my power and authority to execute judgment upon mine enemies, for the establishment of my kingdom upon earth, by mightily destroying the power of the Devil and the dominion of sin, and propagating the doctrine of true relig:on in the world, with wonderful efficacy and success.

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Many other things are yet hereafter to be done in relation to the settling and establishing of my church, which, if it were proper, I would now acquaint you with but ye are not yet prepared to understand and receive

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them. Howbeit, when the Spirit of Truth, whom I promised you, is come, he shall enlarge your understandings, remove your prejudices, and instruct you in all necessary and divine truths, to enable you to go through that great work, which I have begun in person, and which I will carry on by your ministry; for the Spirit is not to begin any new work, or to found any new doctrine of himself: but as I have taught and will teach you only in my Father's name, so the Spirit shall instruct you only in mine and my Father's will, and in things necessary to promote and carry on the same design. Every thing that he does shall be only in order to manifest my glory, and establish my religion in the world; even as every thing that I have done, has been only to manifest my Father's glory, and reveal his will to mankind; for as all that I have taught is only what I received from my Father, all that the Spirit shall teach you, is only what he received from me. Whatsoever, I say, the Spirit shall teach you, is only what he receives from me; for receiving from my Father, I call receiving from me, and teaching his will, is teaching mine; seeing all things that the Father hath, are common to me, and all power and dominion is committed to me by him.

Be careful now to remember what matter for comfort I have given you, and support yourselves with it, under the approaching distress. It is now, indeed, but a very little while before I shall be taken away from you; nevertheless, let not this cause you to despair: for, after I am departed it will be also but a little while before I appear to you again; inasmuch as my being taken away from you is not perishing, but only returning to my Father. At these last words of JESUS, the disciples were greatly disturbed and troubled, not understanding his true meaning, that in a very short time he should be taken from them by death; and that, after having Overcome death by a glorious resurrection he would appear to them again before his ascension into heaven. Not understanding this, they inquired, one of another, what can he mean by telling us, that in a very little time he shall be taken out of our sight; and that in a very little time more, we shall see him again, and this because he goeth to the Father? The meaning of all this we cannot understand.

But JESUS observing their perplexity, and knowing that they were desirous of asking him, replied, Why are ye thus disturbed and perplexed about what I told you? Is it a thing so very hard to be understood, that I said, within a very little time I shall be taken away fom you, and that within a very little time more, I should appear to you again? Verily, verily, I tell you I must soon depart out of this world and when the world, who are your enemies, will rejoice and triumph over you, as if they had destroy-on ed me, and wholly suppressed you; ye for your parts will be overwhelmed with grief and sorrow; but, within a short time, I will return to you again, and then your sorrow shall be turned into exceeding great joy even as a woman, when she is in labour, hath great pain, and sorrrow forge the present, but, as soon as she is delivered forgets all her sufferings, and o rejoices greatly at the birth of her son; so ye, while ye are under the immediate apprehension of my departure from you, and during that time of distress and temptation which shall befall you in my absence, will be full of sorrow and anxiety of mind; but when I return to you again, then ye shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, and the cause of continuance of it, no power or malice of men shall ever be able to take from you any more.

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However, though I shall return to you again, and your hearts will there w upon be filled with inexpressible joy, and which never shall be taken from da you any more; yet there will be no necessity that I should then continge long with you in person, to instruct you upon every occasion, as I have a now done with my own mouth; for besides that the Holy Spirit will be o sent to instruct you in all things necessary, my Father himself also willey

list well s hear your petitions and be ready to grant you whatsoever you shall desire of him in my name, as being my disciples. Hitherto ye have asked nothing of God in my name; but from henceforth put up your petitions in my name, and whatsoever ye shall so ask for the glory of God, and in order to enable you to go through the work of your ministry successfully, shall certainly be granted you; that your joy, which will begin at my appearing to you again after my death, may be completed by the wonderful success and efficacy of your own ministry. These things I have told you, at present, imperfect and obscurely, according as your capacities areable to bear them; but the time is coming, when your prejudices being removed, will speak to you with more openness, freedom and plainness the whole will of my Father, concerning the nature and establishment of my kingdom and what things ye ought to pray unto him for, and in what manner. naYe shall, at that time, with firm assurance pray to my Father in my name, for what ye want; and I need not tell you, that I will intercede with the Father on your behalf: for besides the love he has for me, and the power and authority my prayers have with him, he has moreover, of himself, a great love for you, and a ready disposition to grant your prayers, because ye are become grateful and acceptable to him, by your love, toowards me, which ye have shewn, in embracing willingly that holy doctrine which I have revealed to you from him.

Now to conclude: the sum of what I have told you, is briefly and splainly this: 1 came down from heaven from God my Father, and have lived upon earth in the state of frail and mortal man, that I might reveal to mankind the will of my heavenly Father, and the way to attain eternal life and happiness and now having finished this great work, I am about to leave this world, and return again to my Father from whence I at first eame. These last words of Jesus, being somewhat more plain and express, than any he had before spoken, so that now the disciples clearly perceiving that the departure he had so often mentioned, was no other than his actual going out of this world, they replied, Now, Lord thou napeakest plainly, and without any figure; so that we apprehend fully what thou meanest. And now that our curiosity is satisfied, thou hast likewise greatly confirmed our faith; having given us a certain token, whereby we are assured that thou knowest all things, even the hearts and secret thoughts of men, since thou hast answered 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 forth from God. To which Jesus answered, and do you now at length firmly believe in me? Are you resolved to continue steadfast in this faith? Do you think yourselves able to persevere immovably in the posssesion 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 say 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 farnished with sufficient matter of comfort and strength to bear up under all temptations, from the consideration of my having foretold both what distresses will befall you, and how ye shall terminate your victory over all your enemeis! 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 ander it, and make me triumph over death by a glorious resurrection and

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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 covenent is, that they firmly believe and obey thee, as the only true God, and JESUS CHRIST, as the only 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 intrusted to me; I have preached the doctrines of repentance to salvation, and have finished the work which thou sentest me to do, to the glory of the name npon earth; and now to complete the great design, do thou, O Almighty Father! likewise glorify me with thine own self; support me under my sufferings; let me prevail and triumph over death, by 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 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 lo the prejudiced and vitious 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, steadfastly 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 di vine 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 &a ascension into heaven after my death. I do not pray for the unbelieving impenitent world, but for those who have embraced that most holy 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 doctrine 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, aud 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 1 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 comfort and support in my absence. The world indeed, will persecute and hate them on my account, as my doctrine is repugnant to the lusts and affections, the passions, designs, and inclinations of wicked men; it must necessarily be, that the vitious and in

corrigible 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 preachers of thy truth; nor suffer them to be either destroyed by the malice and violence of a perverse and wicked generation, or corrupted by the evil customs and opinions of it.

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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 dispositions of the world. Do thou preserve and increase in them that moderation and candour of mind; cause them to be thoroughly af fected 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 succcessful ministers of my gospel, both by word and good example.

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As thou hast sent me into the world to reveal thy will to mankind, so send 1 these my aposles to continue 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 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, convineing 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 the Spirit, they may establish the same doctrine which I publish in person, that the world may, by this evi dence, be convinced that I was really sent by thee, and that my disciples act by the same divine commission as I did.

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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 them 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, righteous Father the covetous and ambitions, the crafty and designing men of this world have not known thee, nor been willing to embrace and obey the revelation of thy will; but I have known 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 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.

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