main Inftruments of his Power; and fix their Stings far deeper into his Head, than temporal DEATH fhall bruife the Conqueror's Heel, or theirs whom he redeems: How little will that be to fuffer? A Death like Sleep! a gentle and fafe Paffage to a glorious and immortal Life! Nor will the REDEEMER after his Resurrection stay longer upon Earth, than to appear certain Times to his Difciples; MEN, who in his Life-time continued to follow him: To them he fhall leave in charge, to teach all Nations what they had learnt of him and his Salvation; baptizing all them who shall believe, with Water, to be as a Sign of washing them from the Guilt of Sin to pure Life, and prepare their Minds for Death; even fuch Death (if it fhould fo happen) as the REDEEMER himself had died. They fhall teach all Nations; for, from that Day forward, Salvation fhall not be preach'd only to the Sons of ABRAHAM, but to the Sons of ABRAHAM's Faith, wherever they may be difpers'd throughout the whole World; fo, in his Seed fhall all Nations be bleffed: Then he fhall afcend with Victory up' to the Heaven of Heavens, triumphing through the Air over his Foes and thine: There he fhall furprize the Serpent, the Prince of the Power of the Air; drag him in Chains through all his Region, and leave him there confounded: Then enter into Glory, and take his Seat again at the Right-hand of GoD, honour'd and exalted above all Names in Heaven; and thence, when the Time fhall be for the Diffolution of the World, he fhall come with Glory and Power to judge both the Quick and the Dead; to condemn the Unfaithful, but to reward the Faithful, and receive them into Blifs, whether in Heaven or Earth; for then the Earth fhall be all a PARADISE, a far happier Place than this of EDEN, and where there fhall be far happier Days.

CHAP

CHA P. II.

Adam recomforted, defcends the Hill with Mi

T

chael.

HUS fpoke the Arch-Angel MICHAEL; then paus'd, as at the great Period of the World; and our firft Father ADA M; quite full of Joy and Wonder, reply'd thus:

O INFINITE, and immenfe Goodnefs! that shall produce all this Good out of Evil, and turn Evil to Good! more wonderful than that Power, which by Creation first brought Light out of Darkness! I ftand full of Doubt, whether I fhould now repent of the Sin done and occafion'd by me; or much rather, if I fhould not rejoice; that thereof shall spring much more Good; more Glory to GOD, more Good-will to MEN from GOD, and Grace fhall abound and o vercome Wrath: But tell me, if our REDEEMER afcends again up into Heaven, what will become of his few faithful ones, left among the unfaithful Crowd, who are the Enemies of Truth? Who shall then guide his People? Who fhall defend them? Will they not deal worse with his Followers, than they did with him?

THAT (faid the Angel) they will certainly do; but he will fend from Heaven, to those who are his, another Comforter, as was promis'd by the FATHER; who fhall dwell in Spirit within them, and write upon their Hearts the Laws of Faith working through Love, to guide them in all Truth; and alfo arm them with fpiritual Armour, able to refift the Affaults of SATAN, and to quench his fiery Darts; making them not afraid of what MAN can do against them, though it fhould be Perfecution to Death; being re

compens❜d

compens'd for fuffering fuch Cruelties, with inward Confolation, and oftentimes fhall be fupported fo, as will amaze their proudeft Perfecutors; for the SPIRIT, which firft he will pour forth upon his Apoftles, (whom he fends with the glad Tidings of the Gofpel to all Nations, and then upon all those who are baptiz'd) fhall endue them with wondrous Gifts; to speak all Tongues, and do Miracles, as their LORD had done before them. Thus they gain over great Numbers of each Nation, joyfully to receive the News of Salvation brought from Heaven: At length, they ha ving perform'd their Ministry well, and run well the Race that was fet before them, writing their Doctrines and the Actions that they did, to ferve for Edification, they fhall in Time die: But in their Room, as they themselves forewarn, grievous Wolves (d) fhall fucceed for Teachers, who fhall turn all the facred Mysteries of Heaven to their own vile Advantages of Lucre and Ambition, and taint the Truth (which, though left pure in those written Records, is not to be understood but by the SPIRIT) with Superftition and Traditions. Then they fhall feek to aggrandize themselves with Names, Places, and Titles; and with these to join fecular Power, though ftill feigning to act by fpiritual; affuming to themselves only the Spirit of GOD, which is promifed and given alike to all Believers: And, from that Pretence, fhall force upon every Confcience fpiritual Laws, by carnal Power; Laws! which none fhall find in the written Law of GOD, nor engrav'd by his Spirit within upon the Heart. What will they do, then,

(d) Wolves; Sax. Dut. Teut. Gr. 1. e. Pernicious, lying hid, or white; becaufe Wolves are fierce, ravenous Beafts of Prey, that foon grow white; from the Heb. Lakach, i. e. To ravifh, or fnatch away violently. Here, falfe Chrifts, falle Apoitles,

which foon appeared, even in the Days of the Apoftles; did then, andhave done much Mifchief fince to the Church in all Ages; by devouring the Souls, Bodies, and Substance of Men, by their pernicious Cruelties; as Wolves de ftroy their Prey.

then, but force the Spirit of Grace itself, and bind up Liberty, which is infeparable from it? What, but deftroy GoD's living Temples by Martyrdom, built to ftand by Faith; that is, by their own Faith, and not another's? (for who can we admit to be infallible upon Earth, against our own Faith and Confcience?) Yet many will take upon them, and presume to give Law to others Faith; whence heavy Perfecutions (e). fhall arife upon all, who perfevere in the Worship of GOD in Spirit and in Truth: The reft, which will be far the greater Part, will think Religion fatisfied, in the Performance of outward Ceremonies and specious Forms: Truth fhall retire, ftruck with Reproach and many Slanders, and Works of Faith be very feldom found among MEN. So fhall the World go on, groaning under its Burthen, and good MEN fhall be opprefs'd and perfecuted, while bad MEN flourish; 'till the Day come, when juft MEN fhall reft from their Labours and Sufferings, and the Wicked shall be awak'd to Vengeance; at the Return of HIM, who is to be the Seed of the WOMAN, fo lately promis'd to be given to thy Affiftance; then foretold obfcurely, but now more fully known to be thy SAVIOUR and thy LORD; who at laft fhall come down from Heaven, in the Glory of the FATHER, to diffolve the perverted World, and totally to fubdue the Devil: Then, after the Conflagration, the whole Mafs

(e) Perfecutions; i. e. A Purfuit; Affliction, an unjust and cruel Oppreffion of Men to Death. There have been ten Perfecutions for the Caufe of Chriflianity: Nero began the first, A. D. 67; Domitian the fecond, A. D. 92; Trajan continued the third, A. D. 99; Hadrian continued the fourth, A D. 124; Antonine began the fifth, A. D. 178; Severus the fixth,

A. D. 203; Maximinus the feventh, A. D. 226; Decius the eighth, A. D. 249; Valerius the ninth, A. D. 257; and Diocle fian the tenth, A. D. 303. This held ten Years, and after his' Death it was continued by his Succeffor, 'till Conftantine, the firft Chriftian Emperor, eftablifhed the Chriftian Faith over the World.

Mafs being purg'd and refin'd, he shall raise a new Heaven and a new Earth, founded in Righteousness, Peace, and Love; which will bring forth Fruits of eternal Joy and Happiness.

HERE MICHAEL made a Paufe, and ADAM re plied: Bleft Angel! in what fhort Compass haft thou given me a fatisfactory View of all Things, from the Beginning of Time, 'till it fhall finish its Courfe? Beyond which is the great Length of Eternity, whose End no Eye can reach! I fhall leave PARADISE, greatly inftructed, in great Quietnefs of Mind, and have as much Knowledge as my Nature is capable of receiving; beyond which I was fo foolish as to afpire! Henceforward, I learn, that it is beft to obey and love the only GOD, with Fear; to walk, as knowing I am always in his Prefence, always to obferve his Providence, and have my whole Dependance upon him; who is merciful over all his Works, ftill overcoming Evil with Good, accomplishing great Things by small, fubverting Things of a wordly Nature by Things deem'd weak, and wordly Wisdom by Simplicity and Meeknefs; that fuffering for Truth's Sake is Fortitude, the highest Victory; and to the Faithful, DEATH fo fuffer'd is the Gate of Life: This I am taught by his Example, whom I now acknowledge my ever bleft REDEEMER!

To whom the Arch-angel, for the last Time, made answer: Having learn'd thus much, thou haft attain'd the Sum of Wifdom; hope for nothing higher: Though thou knewest all the Stars by their Names, and all the Powers of Heaven; all Secrets of the Deep; all the Works of Nature, or of GoD, in Earth, Water, Air, or Fire; or though thou enjoyedft all the Riches of this World, and rul'd over it as one Empire, only add Deeds anfwerable to thy Knowledge; add Integrity, add Virtue, Patience,

Ff

Tempe