thy Truth, I have been nourish'd only with the • Ceremonies of Religion, with the Splendor of • certain Virtues that heighten Courage, with de⚫cent Behaviour, with a Regularity in outward Actions, with a forc'd Victory over my Humour, to fhow nothing but what was compleat. This is no more than the outward Vail of the Sacrament. But the Ground of the Sacrament it felf, but that Subftantial Truth, and that which is above all Subftance limited and compris'd, where is it? Alas! I have not fought it, I have thought only of regulating the Outfide without a Change within. That Worship in Spirit and in Truth, which confifts in the Deftruction ofall Self-Will to let God's Will only reign, is almost • unknown to me My Mouth has eaten that which is outward and fenfible in the Sacrament, and my Heart has not been nourish'd with this • Subftantial Truth.

6

O holy and miraculous Nourishment! None can eat thee worthily, but he muft die a perfect

Death

courage; de la biènfeance, de la régularité des actions extérieures, de la victoire que j'avois besoin de remporter fur mon humeur ponr ne montrer rien que ne fût parfait. Voila le voile groffier du Sacrement. Mais le fond du Sacrement méme, mais cette verité fubftantielle, & au-deffus de toute fubftance bornée & comprite, où eft-elle ? Helas! je ne l'ai point cherchée; Jai fongé a régler le dehors fans changer le dedans. Cette adoration en efprit & en vérité, qui confifte en la deftruction de toute volonté propre, pour laiffer régner en moi celle de Dieu feul, m'eft encore prefqu' inconnue. Ma bouche a mangé ce qui eft • extérieur & fenfible dans le Sacrement, & mon coeur n'a point été nourri de cette Vérité substantielle.

Nourriture fainte & miraculeufe! Nul ne peut vous manger dignement qu'il ne meure d'une mort parfaite. Nul ne peut vous manger dignement, qu'il n'ait en foi la

Source

Death; none can eat thee worthily, but he • must have in himself the very Source and Earneft of Life. Whofoever eats thee as he ought, dies entirely to himself, but at the fame Time that he dies, he rifes again for thee. Thou art a healing Nourishment, thou art therefore for the Weak; thou art Nourishment which inevitably causes them to perifh who cannot bear it,' thou art therefore at the fame Time Nourishment for the Strong. O Heavenly Bread, who changest Men into Angels, and Servants into Children! Correct my Imperfections, heal all my Weakneffes, and give me Strength worthy of thee. Make me die to Death and rife to Life, fo that being thus rifen, I may no more ⚫ do the Actions of Death, I may no longer have

a

• Source & le gage effentiel de la vie. Quiconque vous mange comme il doit, meurt entierement à lui-méme; • mais en méme tems qu'il meurt il refufcite pour vous. Vous ête une nourriture medicinale, vous êtes donc pour les foibles; vous êtes une nourriture qui fait périr fans resource ceux qui n'ont pas la force de la foutenir, vous êtes donc en méme tems la nourriture des forts. O Pain celefte, qui ⚫ transformez les hommes en Anges, & les ferviteurs en en• fans! Corrigez mes imperfections, gueriflez toutes mes foibleffes, & donnez moi une force digne de vous. Faites moi mourir à la mort, & refufciter à la vie, de maniere qu'étant ainfi refufcité, je ne faffe pius des actions de mort, que je n'aie plus le goût de mort que donnent les chofes de la terre; mais que rourri des azimes de la verité & de la fincérité, je ne goûte que les chofes céleftes, dans lef quelles confifte la vie. Que ma vie charnelle foit morte, • & cachée en Dien avec vous; pendant que refufcité auffi avec vous je vivrai d'un efprit dégagé de la corruption de • la terre, & ataché à l'incorruptibilité des chofes du Ciel, 'où vous regnez affis à la droite de votie Pére dans l'im• menfité de la gloire que vous poffedez pour jamais, & que vous communiquez éternellement à vos Elus, au nombre de quels je uplie votre mifericorde infinie de recevoir mon indignité. Amen.

'

.<

a liking to that Death which the Things of the World give; but being nourish'd with the un- See 1 Cor. leavened Bread of the Truth and Sincerity, I may 5.8. relish only Heavenly Things in which is Life.

• Let my carnal Life be dead and hid with God in Coloss.3.4 thee; that being rifen with thee, I may live with ⚫a Mind difengag'd from the Corruption of the Earth, and fixed on the Incorruptibility of k Things in Heaven, where thou reigneft, fitting at the Right Hand of thy Father, in the immense Glory, which thou poffeffeft for Ever, and which thou wilt communicate Eternally to thy • Elect, of which Number, I befeech thy Infinite Mercy, to receive me thy unworthy Servant. • Amen.

T

O F

Women's Preaching.

IS much objected to the Principles of the Quakers, that they allow Women to Preach and Pray in their Publick Affemblies for Worfhip. But,

HOWEVER ftrange that Practice may be thought, yet we doubt not but to make appear by Scripture, that Women were allow'd to Preach and Pray in the Publick Affemblies in the Time of the Apostles, and that it is a Privilege they are to enjoy under the Gospel-Difpenfation.

ON the Day Chrift afcended up into Heaven, many of his Difciples being met together, be commanded them that they should not depart from Jerufalem, but wait for the Promife of the Father, Acts 1.4.

which faith be, ye have heard of me, for John truly 5. baptized with Water; but ye shall be baptized with 6. the HOLY GHOST not many Days bence: When they therefore were come together, they asked of him faying, Lord, wilt thou at this Time restore again the King7. dom to Ifrael? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the Times or the Seafons which the Father hath put in his own Power. Bnt ye fhall receive POWER after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: And ye shall be Witnesses unto me both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermoft Part of the Earth. And when he had Spoken thefe Things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a Cloud receiv'd him out of their Sight.

8.

9.

12.

13.

14.

25.

Then returned they unto Jerufalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is from Jerufalem a SabbathDay's Journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an Upper-Room, where abode both Peter and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the Son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the Brother of James. Thefe all continued with one Accord in Prayer and Supplication with the WOMEN, and Mary the Mother of Jefus, and with his Brethren. The Number of Names together were about an Hundred and Twenty.

And when the Day of Pentecoft was fully come, Ch. 2. 1. they were all with one Accord in one Place. And fuddenly there came a Sound from Heaven, as of a rufbing mighty Wind, and it filled all the Houfe where they were fitting. And thore appeared unto them cloven Tongues, like as of Fire, and it fate upon EACH * of them. And they were ALL filled with

the

* Cryfoftom expounds thefe Words, And it fate upon each of them. That is, it remain'd with them and refted in them. • For

the Holy Ghoft, and began to speak with other Tongues, as the Spirit gave them Utterance.

Now the Evangelifts having told us, that there were Women amongst those who were met together to wait for the Promife of the Holy Ghoft, and that they were All fill'd with the Holy Ghoft, it neceffarily follows, that the Women were alfo fill'd with the Holy Ghoft as well as the Men. And this is confirm'd, by the Application Peter made at that Time of Joel's Prophefie: For when the Jews, devout Men out of every Nation were amazed, faying one to another, what meaneth this? Peter ftanding up with the Eleven, lift up his Voice, and faid unto them, Ye Men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerufalem, be this known unto you and bearken unto my Words: For thefe are not drunken, as ye fuppofe, feeing it is but the Third Hour of the Day; But this is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass in the last Dayst fatth

For the Word Sate declares the Stability and Abiding of it. • But what did it come only upon the Twelve and not upon the Reft? Nay, but it came aljo upon the Hundred and Twen ty. Nor did Peter rafhly cite the Teftimony of Joel the Prophet, faying, And it fhall come to pass in the laft Days, &c. καὶ ἐκαθίσεν ἐφ ̓ ἕνα ἕκασον αυτων τουτέςι, περέμεινεν, ἐπανεπαύσατο. τὸ γαρ καθίσαι, το ἑδραίνεσι σημαντικὸν καὶ το μεῖναι. τί δαὶ ; ἄρα ἐπὶ τοὶς δώδεκα μόνους ἦλθεν, ἐχὶ ἢ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς; ουδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἑκατὸν είκοσιν· οὐ γὰρ ἄν απλως περήγαγε τήν μαρτυρίαν τῶ προφῆτου ὁ πέτρος, λέγων, καὶ ἐσαι ἐν ταῖς ἐχάταις 5c. Chry foftomi in Acta Apoft. Cap. 2. Homil. 4.

?

+Pool's Annot. And it fhall come to pafs in the laft Days. In the Time of the Meffiah, called the Laft Days frequently, 2 Tim. 3.1. Heb. 1. 2. 2 Pet. 3. 3. as alfo the Laft Time, 1 Pet. 1. 5. 1 John 2. 18. Jude 18. because we are now under the laft, and perfecteft Difpenfation of the Things of God; and no other is to be looked for until the Confummation

: of