we do not deserve it, to send his Son into the world, to teach men that they were to give over their wickedness, to repent, to be sorry for all that they had done amiss, to resolve to do so no more, to hear what Jesus said to them, and taught them, to trust to him, and then to live good lives. If they should do this, God promised that he would forgive them, for the sake of Jesus, all that was past, would help them in being better people afterwards, and when they died, that he would for the sake of the same Jesus (who is the Saviour of mankind) receive them into heaven, where they would never die, but be as happy as angels, and not only live for ever, but become happier and happier every day. God, you know, can do this, because God is able to do every thing. Though some people did believe Jesus, did hear what he had to say, and did become good, yet a great many did not: a great many were very wicked, and because they hated him, they put him to death. He knew this 5 would be the case, and before his death, he told the twelve men who were always with him, that he should be killed and that after three days he would rise again. It turned out as he said; he was crucified, that is killed, by being fixed up on a cross, and after three days he rose again. He was seen by his friends and companions very often after he rose out of the grave: they handled him, and found that it was he himself: he eat with them and drank with them, and made them sure that he was the same Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Saviour. He stopped on earth for forty days, and then, before his companions, who were called his disciples or scholars, he went up into heaven, where he will stay till he comes again to judge the world, and to send the wicked into everlasting fire, and to take the good into heaven with him. Before he left the earth, he ordered his companions or disciples to go into all the world, and preach concerning him to every body, every where, and to tell them, that if they believed in him, were baptized or christened in his name, and obeyed him, they should be saved, and if they did not, they would be damned. Among the men who went about preaching Jesus Christ, was one named Paul. He was a good and a great man. In one of his sermons, he tells those who heard him, that the times of their ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth men every where to repent. It was as if he had said to them: before Jesus Christ came into the world, men were very wicked, but notwithstanding, God did not yet openly reprove them by his Prophets, though they were sufficiently condemned by the witness which God had of himself in their hearts and in all the world: but after Jesus Christ was come into the world, the case was changed; God would have every body know more clearly what they ought to do, and therefore commanded them all to repent of all that they had done amiss, to be sorry in their hearts that they had ever offended so good and so merciful a God, and to turn from their sins to Jesus Christ, and he would save them. Since then Jesus Christ has been preached in this island; since every Sunday we tell people in Church all that they must do and all that they must believe, and since you all live in a Christian country, where churches are built, and the ministers of God's word preach every Sunday, trying all we can to make people live like Christians, that so, when they die, Jesus Christ may receive their souls: you are without excuse, if you do not know more than you do, and become Christians yourselves, Remember, God now commands all men every where to repent. You would not wish to be overlooked and neglected by him. But how can you know, unless you are taught? And you see, you ought to know. I have therefore determined, with the help and blessing of God, to preach to you every Wednesday evening. I have a great deal to tell you. You must, therefore, come constantly, if you can; you must be very attentive to me, and you must pray to God to open your hearts, that you may attend to all that I say. It gives me pain to see you all living without knowing any thing of your bibles, any thing of Jesus Christ: and as I know, that nobody can be saved, who does not believe in Jesus Christ, I cannot bear to let you go on without doing my best to teach you to know him. It will give me a good deal of trouble, and I shall get no profit by it. You cannot then but know, that I would not take so much trouble, if it was not to do good to you. cious in the eyes of God. Your precious than the soul? souls are pre What is more The soul lives when the body dies and goes to dust, and it must live either with God and his angels in heaven, or with the devil and wicked spirits in hell. For your soul's sake then, come to hear me. You see |