Chap. vi. fhout with a great shout; and the wall fell down flat, fo that the people went up into the city, every man ftraight before him, and they took the city; was the reafon of this command, and the operation of the means to be made use of, understood by all that were concerned? Was it the undulation of the air, think you, the phyfical effect of many concurrent voices, that overthrew the walls of Jericho? or, fuppose the people were commanded to fhout in token Heb.iv.30. of their Faith; (for it was by Faith, as the Apostle speaks, that the wails of Fericho fell down ;) which way is it that Faith operates in the performance of fuch wonders?

You will fay, no doubt, that these were wonders, and the cafe miraculous; and that we are not from fuch extraordinary events to draw conclufions concerning the general duties of Christianity.

The

17.

The drought, that was in the land of Ifrael in the time of Elijah, I fuppofe no one will deny to have been miraculous. Yet we have the authority of an Apostle to conclude from it in general, that good men's petitions are efficacious and powerful. Elias was a man fubject to like paf- James v. fions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and fix months. What is this brought to prove? That the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. And this is the Apostle's argument? The prayer of the Prophet produced firft a famine, and then plenty in all the land of Ifrael; and if you, Chriftians, exercise yourselves in confeffion and prayer, the difpofition of your minds will be the better for your devotions.

But the prayer, concerning which St. James is fpeaking, may feem to you to C

be

Phil. iv. 6.

Matt. vi.

II.

29,30.

belong to the fame clafs with that of Elijah, and to be the prayer of men that could work miracles.

Hear another Apoftle: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and Supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. The plaineft places in the Scripture will be mysteries, if the sense be this, that we can expect no help from God in our diftreffes; but may try, by acts of devotion, to bring our own minds to a ftate of refignation and contentment.

Give us this day our daily bread. Not a Matt. x. Sparrow falls to the ground without your Father. The hairs of your head are numbered. Can the meaning of all this be, That God Almighty made the world; that it is not to be altered; and we must take the best care we can of ourselves, while we live in it?

King Agrippa, believeft thou the Prophets? faid the great Apostle, arguing with equal folidity and eloquence in defence of that capital doctrine, The refurrection of our Lord from the dead: He defired no other conceffion, than the belief of the Scripture: on this foundation he undertook to erect the whole fabrick of Christianity.

Do you believe the Scriptures? If not; it is to no purpose to stand difputing concerning the duty of Prayer, or any other duty commanded in the Gospel. We must rather return back to the first principles of religion, and lay again, as the fame Apostle speaks, the foundation of faith towards God.

But there is no occafion for this: you are defirous to go on to perfection; admitting the truth of Christianity, and believing the Scripture to be the word of God.

Heb. vi. r.

The Scriptures teach you, that our Lord Chrift being crucified, dead, and buried, the third day he rose again from the dead. Now this is a great and aftonishing miracle: it is a thing of which we have no experience: it is against all our rules and observations; and directly contrary to the established order of the world, and the course of nature. Yet you believe this.

The Scriptures alfo tell you, that hereafter your own bodies in like manner fhall be raised from the grave, and ftand before the judgement-feat of Chrift. This event too, whenever it fhall take place, will furely be another most amazing miracle, brought about by no rules or laws. that are made known to us, or ever fell within the limits of our observation and experience. Yet we believe it; and live, or should do, under the influence of this perfuafion.

The