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what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

is as fleeting as a Vapour. A Con- A. D. 60.
fideration, that ought to fill us with
the moft humble Dependance upon
the Divine Will, in all Events and
Expectations.

15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

16 But now ye re

joice in your boaftings all fuch rejoycing is evil.

of Divine Bleffing 17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doth it not,

16. And, therefore, fuch eager Defigns, and confident Propofals, in your Temporal Affairs, look as if you thought your felves independent and Protection.

17. Now this, or any other Crime, must be greater in a Chriftian, than in any other Man; becaufe He, by the clear Revelation of the Gospel, has (or ought to have) better Notions of his Duty, and a stronger Sense of his Religious Obligations.

to him it is fin.

CHA P. V.

The CONTENTS.

He turns himself to the Jews, reproaching them with the
juft and miferable Effects of their Avarice, Cruelty, Luft,
and Injuftice. Then returns to the Jewish Chriftians,
exhorting them to Patience and good Temper, under their
Perfecutions from the Jews, in hopes of a speedy Deliver-
ance, by a juft Judgment upon that Nation. Warns
them from the Sin of rafh Swearing, fo common among
the Jews. Recommends Prayer to the Afflicted, and Di-
vine Praifes to fuch as are in eafy and chearful Circum-
fances. Advifeth Anointing, and the devout Prayer of
Infpired Minifters, to be used, for the Recovery of fuch
as are ftruck with Sickness, as a Punishment for fome
notorious Sins. Such are enjoined to make fpecial Confef
fion of the Sins they take to have been the Caufe of their
Distemper. The great Effect of the Prayers of Holy
and Infpired Minifters, for the Recovery of fuch People.
The happy Advantage of bringing a Sinner from Ignorance
and Vicious Courfes, to true Repentance.
X 4

Go

A. D. 60.

G

O to now ye rich men, weep and your miferies that shall come up

Chap. iv howl for

13, 17.

on you.

2 & 3. 'T'

IS not without good Reason that I warn you all against a too eager and confident Purfuit after worldly Riches. For let the Worldlings of the Jewish 2 Your riches are Nation confider now, and behold, corrupted, and your to what a lamentable End those Prin garments moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and ciples are likely, in a fhort Time, filver is cankered, and to reduce them; when their Riches the ruft of them fhall fhall perifh, their Grandeur be eclipbe a witness against fed, and themselves be deftroyed, by you, and fhall eat a Judgment moft dreadful and exyour flesh as it were emplary. fire ye have heaped treafure together for the laft days.

4 Behold, the hire 4. You that to enrich yourselves, of the labourers, which have defrauded and oppreffed others, have reaped down your even robbing the Hireling of his fields, which is of you Wages, will fhortly feel the Effects kept back by fraud, crieth, and the cries of fuch Injustice, in the Refentments of them which have of a Juft and All-powerful God. reaped, are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton: ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of flaughter.

6 Ye have condem

ned and killed the
just, and he doth not
refitt you t.

5. You that have abused the plentiful Provifions of Providence, to Riot and Excefs, will find you have been but fatting yourfelves up, like Sacrifices, for the Day of Slaughter *.

6. You that have crucified your own innocent Meffiab and Saviour; and ftill, with unrelenting Hearts, are perfecuting his Disciples, from

the

* Ver. 5. As in a Day of Slaughter. Note, This Phrase may, perhaps, more properly fignify, As Men do in a Time of Feafting upon flain Sacrifices.

† Ver. 6. And he doth not refift you, or elfe interrogatively, ix άvõitάodetal viv; Doth he not [in Return] now fet himself against you? A much more confiftent and clearer Sense; agreeable to Chap. iv. 6. and i Pet. v. 5. See alfo Dr. Bentley's Remarks upon Free Thinking: Where there is given, by that admiTable Critick, a moft ingenious Conjecture, for a yet clearer Senfe of this Paffage.

the same wicked Principles, by which your Fore-fathers A. D.60, flew the ancient Prophets; will foon experience the direful Confequences of fuch incurable Malice and Ingratitude.

7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord behold, the

:

hufbandman waiteth
for the precious fruit
of the earth, and hath
long patience for it,
until he receive the
early and latter rain.
8 Be ye alfo pa-
tient; ftablish your
hearts, for the coming
of the Lord draweth
nigh.

9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, left ye be condemned: behold * the judge ftandeth before the door.

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9. Discover no fretful Impatience, no Thirst of Revenge against your Enemies, or one another. For that would be to incur the fame Punishment due to them. God himself will very fhortly be your juft Avenger, and you have no need to prevent him, in what he will fo foon and certainly perform for you.

10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of fuffering, affliction, and of patiance.

11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord mercy.

*

10 & 11. Let the courageous Examples of God's true Prophets in all Ages, fpirit and fupport you. Remember Job, that most afflicted of all Men; how deeply he fuffered, and how amply he was recompenced. And from hence affure yourselves, God can never fail, in due time, to rescue and reward every faithful Servant.

that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender

12. And

*The coming of the Lord draweth nigh. The Judge ftandeth before the door; viz. The Deftruction of Jerufalem, which was but a few Years after this Epift'e was written.

4.D.60. 12 But above all things, my brethren, fwear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea, be yea, and your nay, nay, I left you fall into condemnation.

12. And let me particularly warn you, that no Examples, no Provocations whatever draw you into the Vice of common Swearing, and invoking the Name of God upon light and needlefs Occafions. Swear not fo much as by any Creature of God, in common Converfation, as the Jews accustom themselves to do, and vainly pretend there is no Evil in fuch kind of* Qaths. For no Oath can be made by any Creature, but muft have an ultimate Respect to the Creator, whofe Creature it is. Be therefore careful, always to speak Truth, and use no other Means to gain Belief, than a modeft Affirmation or plain Denial. For every Degree beyond this, befpeaks fome falfe Defign, and is finful t and condemnable.

13 Is any among you afflicted, let him xaxorabei. pray: Is any merry? let him fing pfalms. tibuμ. cife of them that are

14 Is any fick among you let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of

the Lord :

15 And the prayer of faith fhall fave the fick, and the Lord hall raise him up; and if he have com

mitted

13. Improve every Condition of Life to a Religious Advantage. Let Prayer be the Refuge of the || Affli|| &ted; and devout Praises, the Exerin Eafe + and Profperity.

14 & 15. When any Chriftian is vifited with Sickness, especially any Disease inflicted on him for fome notorious Sin; let no Charms and Conjurations be used over him, as the Jews are + now a-days wont to do, when they anoint their Sick with Oil: But let the Chriftian Minifters be fent for, to intercede with God, by fervent Prayer. They may indeed, ufe the Anointing as a Natural Remedy, but not in a Superftitious

* Nor by any other Oath, μήτε ἀλλόν τινὰ ὅρκον. Nor by any Juch kind of Oath. So in Mark iv. 41. Luke viii. 25. To's čepce ras is, What manner of Person is this. See Matth. v. 34, 35Left ye fall into Condemnation, or in vzó xgion, as fome Copies read it.

+ See Lightfoot Harm. N. T. Burnet Artic. p. 289,

mitted fins, they fhall litious Way. Let them lay all the A. D. 69. be forgiven him. Strefs in the devout Prayers of In- w fpired Minifters, put up in Chrift's Name, for a Bleffing upon that Means. And thofe Prayers fhall become effectual for the Recovery of a true Penitent, and the Forgiveness of those Sins that were the Caufe of his Diftemper *.

16 Confefs your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed: the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail

16. In all fuch .Extraordinary Sickneffes as these, let the Sick Perfon freely acknowledge and confefs to his Minifter the particular Sins he hath reafon to conclude brought the Distemper as a Special Punishment upon him. And then let the Minifter appoint and pray for him, as before prefcribed, ver. 14. for God will have great Respect to thefe Prayers of ‡ Minifters, which now, in the first Sinais. Times of the Gospel, are directed and affifted by the Infpirations of the Holy Ghoft.

eth much.

17 Elias was a man fubject to like paffions prayed earnestly that it might not rain : and it rained not on

as we are, and he

the earth by the space of three years and fix

Chap. xiv.

Η δέησις ἐνεργεμένη. 17 & 18. And, as the Prayers of See 1 Cor. xi. Elijah (who was but a Mortal Man, 4, 5, and any more than Chriftian Minifters 15, 17. are now) availed to ftop the Rains upon the Land of Ifrael, for three Years and fix Months together, in the Days of Ahab; and then to bring them again: So fhall these Prayers of Men infpired by the Holy Spirit, now under the Gospel, be as available for the Cure of thefe Distempers, or any fuch miraculous Event, as God her fruit. fhall think convenient, for the Promotion and Encouragement of his true Religion.

months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth

19 Brethren, if any 19 & 20. And, to conclude, let of you do err from all † Chriftians whatever (especially

the

Minifters,

*The Sick The fame Sickness, and the fame kind of Sins, as in Matth. ix. 2, 6, 7. -x. 8. Mark vi. 13. 1 Cor. xi. 32. See the Paraphrafe fully vindicated, in the excellent Dr. Claget, in his Discourse of Extream Unction. Part I. Printed in 1687.

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