The Certificate of Mr. Thomas Forty, Apothecary.

I understand I was the first perfon that Sufannah Arch came to enquire of about her diftemper, as fhe declared; and I do teftify, in the fear of God, that I did and do believe she had a Leprofy; and I have feen her feveral times fince fhe was cured: and by my conferring with her and others, I do declare, that I verily believe fhe is perfectly cured; and that it was not done by any human means, but by the immediate Hand and Power of Jefus Chrift, as the effect of her Faith. In witness of which I fet my hand this 18th day of January, 1694-5.

THOMAS FORTY.

The Teflimony of Mr. Robert Hume, Apothecary,

I Robert Hume do declare, in the fear of the all-feeing, heart-fearching God, concerning Sufannah Arch, whom I have known for feveral years, as followeth, viz.

1. She was to my knowledge, grievoufly afflicted with an Afthma; yea, I have feen her fcarce able to go along the fireet so fast as a child of two years old. When her husband was ill of the fickness whereof he died, if he went but a cross the chamber, fhe would pant like one almost expiring, infomuch that I thought she was more likely to die than he : and fo fhe commonly was in the winter.

Ay,

2. One day fhe came to me, (which I think was about July laft,) and fhewed me her head, faying, Sir, Can you tell me what I have got here? I answered, It is a Leprofy. faid the, fo every body tells me; for I have been at the hofpitals, and they all fay so of it, and tell me there is no cure for it.

Now as to these matters I do further declare, Firft, as to her Asthma: I could not but admire when I was with her a little after she was cured of the Leprofy, and faw how the went along the freet, and up a pair of ftairs, and that in frofty weather, without puffing and blowing, as fhe was used

to

to do. I did take particular notice how fhe could fpeak without fetching her breath longer than a great many that never were afflicted with any fuch indifpofition.

Secondly, As for the Leprofy: it was no lefs wonder to me, that when I came to look upon that which formerly was as leprous as fnow, I found now was become as the flesh of a young child. I do verily believe fhe is wholly cured of it, there being all the fymptoms of foundness, and the hair does grow apace. Let any doubtful, make what fearch they will, I am not afraid of being found in a mistake in this matter. To the truth of this Atteftation, I have hereunto fet my hand. this 12th day of February, 1694-5.

L

SERMON

[By Dr. CUDWORTH.]

On 1 John ii. 3, 4.

[Continued from page 261.]

ET us not therefore make this our firft attempt towards God and Religion to perfuade ourselves of thefe everlafting Decrees: for if at our first flight we aim fo high, we fhall but fcorch our wings, and be ftruck back with lightning as thofe giants of old were, that would attempt to affault heaven. And indeed it is a moft gigantical effay, to thrustourfelves fo boldly into the lap of Heaven; it is the prank of a Nimrod, of a mighty hunter, thus rudely to deal with God. The way to obtain a good affurance of our title to heaven is, not to climbe up to it by a ladder of our own perfuafions, but to dig low by humility and felf-denial. And

though

though this may feem to be the fartheft way about, yet indeed it is the neareft way to it. We muft, as fome of the Grecians fpeak, afcend downward, and defcend upward, if we would indeed come to heaven, or get a true perfuafion of our

title to it.

The moft triumphant confidence of a Chriftian rifeth fafely on this low foundation. When our heart is once tuned into a conformity with the word of God; when we feel our will perfectly to concur with his will, we shall then presently per ceive a Spirit of Adoption within ourselves teaching us to cry, Abba, Father. We shall not then care for peeping into those hidden Records of Eternity, to fee whether our names be written there in golden characters: no, we fhall find a copy of God's thoughts concerning us, written in our breafts. There we may read the characters of his favour to us; there we may feel an inward sense of his love to us, flowing out of our unfeigned love to him. And we shall be more persuaded of it, than if any of thofe winged Watchmen above, that are privy to Heaven's fecrets, fhould come and tell us, that they faw our names enrolled in thofe Volumes of Eternity. Whereas on the contrary, though we frive to perfuade ourfelves never fo confidently that God from all eternity hath elected us to life and happinefs, if we yet entertain any iniquity within our hearts, do what we can, we fhall find many a cold qualm now and then feizing upon us at approaching dangers: and when Death fhall grimly look us in the face, we fhall feel our fpirits faint away, though we strive to raise and recover them never fo much with the frong Waters and Aqua-vitæ of our own ungrounded prefumptions. But a good Confcience will be better to a Chriftian, than health to his navel, and marrow to his bones; it will be an everlafting cordial it will be fofter than a bed of down, and he may fleep fecurely upon it in the midft of raging and tempestuous feas. A good Conscience is the best looking glass of heaven; in which the foul may fee God's thoughts, and purposes concerning

cerning it, as if fo many fhining ftars reflected to it. Hereby we know Chrift; hereby we know that Chrift loves us, if we keep

his commandments.

Secondly, If hereby we know that we know Christ, by our keeping his commandments: then the knowledge of Chrift doth not confift merely in a few barren Notions, in a form of certain dry and fapless Opinions.

Chrift came not into the world to fill our heads with mere fpeculations; to kindle a fire of contentious difputes amongst us, and to warm our fpirits against one another with angry and peevish debates, whilft in the mean time our hearts remain all ice towards God. Chrift came not to poffefs our brains with fome cold opinions, that fend down nothing but a benumming influence upon our hearts. He is the Chriftian whose heart beats with the trueft pulfe towards heaven: not he whole head fpinneth out the finest cobwebs.

I wish it were not the diftemper of our times, to make men folicitous about this and that speculation, which will not render them any thing the better in their lives, or the liker unto God; whilft there is no care taken about keeping of Chrift's commandments, and being renewed in our minds, according to the image of God, in righteoufnefs and true holiness. We fay, Lo, here is Chrift; and, Lo, there is Chrift, in these and thefe Opinions; whereas in truth Chrift is neither here, nor there, nor any where, but where the Spirit of Chrift, where the life of Chrift is.

Do we not open and lock up heaven with the private key of this and that Opinion? Do we not fuppofe that though a perfon obferves Chrift's commandments never fo fincerely, and ferve God with faith and a pure confcience, yet because he is not of our opinion, he hath not the right Watchword, he muft not pafs the Guards into heaven. Do we not make this and that Opinion, this and that outward Form, to be the Wedding-garment, and boldly fentence thole to outer-darkness that are not invested there.

with? Whereas every true Chriftian finds the leaft dram of hearty affection towards God to be more cordial and fovereign to his foul, than all the fpeculative Notions and Opinions in the world; and though he study alfo to inform his understanding aright, and free his mind from all error and mifapprehenfions; yet it is nothing but the life of Chrift deeply rooted in his heart, which is the chymical elixir that he feeds upon. He feels himself fafely anchored in God, though perhaps he is not acquainted with many of those fubtilties which others make the Alpha and Omega of their Religion. Neither is he scared with those childish affrightments, with which fome would force their private conceits upon him: he is above the fuperftitious dreading of mere fpeculative opinions, as well as the fuperftitious reverence of outward Ceremonies: he cares not fo much for fubtilty as for foundness and health of mind. And indeed it is well spoken by a noble philosopher, that without purity and virtue God is nothing but an empty name; fo it is true here that without Chrift's commandments, without the life of Chrift dwelling in us, whatsoever opinion we entertain of him, Chrift is only named by us, he is not known.

[To be continued.]

I think the following Account, one of the most remarkable, which I ever faw. I recommend it to the ferious attention of all that have a feeling heart.

March 22, 1782.

THE

A TALE of REAL WOE.

J. W.

"HE following little narrative is fo strictly and literally true, that it does not require any ornament from fiction, or any embellishment from language. I fhall relate it with the utmost fimplicity, and the clofeft adherence to Fact.

VOL. V.

Rr

Near