hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes: as soon then as they were come to the land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread; and Jesus said unto them, bring of the fish which ye have now caught, and Simon Peter went up and drew the net to the land, full of great fishes, &c. And Jesus said unto them, come and dine, &c. And Jesus then cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise, &c. And this was now the third time that Jesus shewed himself after he was risen from the dead.' John xxi. 2, to 14.

And now, all ye fishermen, and seamen, and others, consider what kind of disciples and ministers the Lord Jesus Christ chose; and you may see that Peter and the rest, though they had been disciples of Christ Jesus for some years, and such that Christ hath sent forth to preach before he was crucified, and after that he was risen, Christ appeared the third time unto them; and Peter had his fisher's coat, and the disciples who were fishermen, and seamen, they were partners together in a ship. And now, was this a fit coat, think you, to preach the gospel in, and to meet Christ in, and to dine with him in? I say, yes, as good as any of the canonical garments.'

And consider, ye fishermen, and seamen, and others, how all these disciples had been fishing all the night, but had caught nothing.

But when the morning was come, and they saw Jesus, after he was risen, at his command they cast in the net, and drew it full of fish to the shore: so it is by the will of God and Christ that every one doth catch, who made all things, and upholds all things by his word and power, and fills all, and knows what all have need of; for as Christ saith, a sparrow shall not fall to the ground without the will of the Father;' so a fish cannot be caught in the net without his will.

And likewise, you fishermen, and seamen, and others, may see, that Jesus, by whom all things were made, had provided these fishermen and seamen, who were his disciples, a fire, and fish upon it, and bread upon the land, when they had been fishing in the sea.

And therefore, you may see, how that Christ who upholds all things, and hath all power given unto him, provides for his disciples, and seamen, and fishermen; for he gave them both fish in the sea, and fish (and bread,] upon the land, whom he sent forth, and gave commission to preach, and said, 'freely ye have received, freely give.'

So here you may all see, how the disciples of Christ were encouraged to trust in him, and that their minds might be carried over all distrust of carnal things and outward victuals.

And now, ye fishermen, and seamen, and all others, may see Christ's words fulfilled unto his disciples, who said unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men; for Peter in one draught caught three thousand in God's net; and ye may read Peter's two general epistles which he freely gave forth.

And also, ye may see John the fisherman, a disciple of Christ, his evangelists, his general epistle, and his two epistles, and his revelations: come, ye seamen, and fishermen, and others, and see what ye can say for Christ, that is the same to-day, as yesterday, and so forever; and come, let us see what nets ye have, if it be the power of God, that will pluck them out of the sea of wickedness.

And if the seamen had taken Paul's counsel, when he said, 'sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be for hurt, and much damage; not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives: but neither the centurion, nor the master believed Paul's words; but his words came to pass,' as you see in Acts xxvii. But the Lord preserved Paul, and their lives.

And so you may see it is not the seaman's skill, but the Lord's power, which all are to have faith in, and to obey him, by whom they are saved and preserved.

And James, one of the fishermen, and an apostle of Christ, in his general epistle to the twelve tribes, saith, behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body: behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth; even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things: behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth; and the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity,' &c.

And now mark, all ye seamen, and all ye bridlers of horses, and all others that tame other creatures, see that you can bridle and tame your own tongues, and turn about your tongues in your passion, as soon as you do your horses; and as soon as you do your great ships, when you turn them about: so see that you can so soon turn your tongues when the fierce winds of passion are up; and tame your tongues, lest that unruly member defile your whole bodies, and 'set on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell.' Jam. iii. For can you tame serpents, and all kinds of beasts, and of birds, and things in the sea, and not tame your tongue, that unruly member that is full of deadly poison? bridle it, I say, with God's bridle, (his power.)

'For the tongue of the just is as choice silver; and the tongue of the wise is health.' Prov. x. 20. and xii. 18. 'the tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright; and a wholesome tongue is a tree of life.' Prov. xv. 2, 4. And, in a virtuous woman's tongue is the law of kindness.' Prov.

xxxi. 16.

And Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, who made tents with Priscilla and Aquila, and wrought with his hands, that he might not be chargeable to others, and he did not only maintain himself, but he also helped others with his labour, who had received his gospel, not from man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ, which he preached freely, as he re

ceived of Christ freely, after Christ was risen; for Christ had given his command to his twelve disciples before he was crucified, 'freely as they had received, freely give.' And now, consider Matthew, who was called from his custom, and Luke, who was a physician, and John the fisherman, and Peter, and the rest who were disciples of Christ; did not they give forth all their evangelists and epistles freely, as they had preached freely? And did not Paul, the apostle of Christ, who was a tent-maker, who said of the Jews, five times I received forty stripes save one; thrice was I beaten with rods; once was I stoned; thrice I suffered shipwreck; a night and a day I have been in the deep, in journeying often, in perils of water, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watching often, in hunger and in thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness,' &c. as you may see in 2 Cor. xi. 24, to 27.

And this, you see, was the condition of Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, that made tents, besides all his imprisonments.

Now did not this apostle preach freely, who saith he laboured with his hands that he might be an example to others that followed him;' so you may see that he did not sit down in a great benefice: and did not he · give forth all his epistles freely? and did not he give forth his epistle to the Romans, and his two epistles to the Corinthians, and his epistle to the Galatians, and his epistle to the Ephesians, and his epistle to the Philippians, and his epistle to the Colossians, and his two epistles to the Thessalonians freely? and saith, 'I charge you by the Lord, that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren,' as in 1 Thes. v. 27. And Paul's two epistles to Timothy, and one epistle to Titus, and his epistle to Philemon, and his epistle to the Hebrews, and how that God in these last days hath spoken to us (the true church,) by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world.

Now consider all people, did not all the holy prophets, and all the holy men of God give forth all their books freely, from Adam to Christ, to be read, believed, practised and fulfilled? and did not all the holy apostles, and all the holy evangelists give forth all their evangelists, epistles, and revelations freely? and to be read, believed, and practised? or did they give them forth freely, that men after them should make a trade of them, and to have so much a year for preaching of them, which they prophesied, and preached freely, and gave forth freely.

And the apostle doth not say, 'preach his epistles,' but 'read them,' as in Col. iv. 16. 1 Thes. v. 27. And likewise the Lord said, thou shalt read my law to all Israel in their hearing.' Deut. xxxi. And Isaiah saith, 'seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read,' &c. And Jeremiah sent Baruch to read his book or roll. Jer. xxxvi. 4, 5, 6, &c. So both the

old and New Testament were given forth to be read, and believed, and to be obeyed, and fulfilled, as you may see in Ezra iv. 18. Nehem. viii. 3. Jer. xxix. 19. Ephes. iii. 4, 5. Matt. i. 22. Luke iv. 16. Mark xiii. 21. and xiv. 49. John xix. 24, 28, 36. Acts i. 16.

Now is there more money got by any one thing, than by preaching of the scriptures, and some old authors with them? let it be cast up in all nations in Christendom, and see how much their revenues comes to yearly, of such that do not obey Christ's doctrines, who saith, 'freely ye have received, freely give;' nor follow the apostle Paul's example, 'to keep the gospel without charge.' And the apostle saith, 1 Tim. i. 19. where he exhorts Timothy, to hold fast his faith and a good conscience, which some having put away, (concerning faith,) they have made shipwreck.' Now consider this ye seamen, and others, when your ships are wrecked what condition you are in, you are fallen to pieces, you are broken, and many times in the sea; so that ye have great distress. And when you have made shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, then where are you, but split in the sea of the world, and the waves of the world go over your heads, that you have no victory: and therefore consider what condition all the world is in, that say, they have not victory on this side the grave; and they that must have a purgatory when they are dead: have they not made shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, and are split in the world, the sea? have not faith, nor victory out of it, and over it on this side the grave; when as the apostle saith, the holy and precious divine faith, which Christ Jesus is the author and finisher of, it purifies their hearts;' and by it they are justified, and in it they please God; which faith is their victory, by which they have access to God, over the world and out of its sea.

And in Jer. xvi. there you may see, when the Jews transgressed the law of God, and became worse than their forefathers, how they were then as in a sea: for behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.'

So here you may see, men are called fish, and men are called fishers, and then consider, where is the fish, and where is the sea? is not the sea the world which lies in transgression, and rebellion against the spirit of God? (and such as make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience,) are they not in it? Jer. xvi. 17.

But saith the prophet, thou art (to wit, the Lord,) of purer eyes than to behold evil, that canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man, that is more righteous than he, and makest men as the fishes of the sea, and as the creeping things that have no rule

over them: they take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their nets, and gather them in their drags; therefore, they rejoice and are glad; therefore, they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag, and because by them, their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous,' &c. Here is the wicked men's fishing, and the wicked men's sacrifice, which is not to be followed.

And in Jonah ii. there you may see Jonah's prayer, and the steadfastness of his faith, which he had, and prayed to the Lord God out of the fish's belly. Jonah ii. throughout.

And you may see the cause of Jonah's being cast into the sea, how that it was for his disobedience; for when the Lord commanded him to go to Nineveh, to preach repentance to it, he fled away, and went to Joppa, and found a ship, and so paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go from thence to Tarshish, from the presence of the Lord; but the Lord sent out a great wind in the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken: and then the mariners were afraid, and cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah to be cast into the sea; and when they had cast him into the sea, it ceased from raging.'

And now all ye mariners, and seamen, and fishermen and others, whose faith stands not in God, and Christ Jesus the author of it, when ye have storms and great winds, and tempests in the sea; then do not you say, that some witch or ill-tongued people have bewitched your ship, and raised that wind, or some ill-tongued body hath raised this storm and tempest.

And let New England professors see if they be not guilty of this; and whether or no they have not sometimes cast some poor simple people into the sea, on pretence of being witches: and so let them and you see that hold such things, and believe such things, if you be not in disobedience to the power, spirit and faith of God, and in the sin of witchcraft yourselves.

For you may see, it was the Lord that sent out the wind, and raised that mighty storm in the sea, and not your witches or ill-tongued people, as you vainly imagine, as you may see in Jonah i. 4. For if you were in the true saving faith, which Christ Jesus is the author of, that faith gives you victory over the devil, the head of all your witches, and brings you to have access to God, who makes a storm, and makes a calm.

For, 'lo, he that formed the mountains, and created the winds, (mark, the winds,) and declareth unto man what is his thoughts, this is the Lord,' that created the winds, not your witches. Amos iv. 13.

And, it is the Lord, who layeth the beams of his chamber in the waters, who makes the clouds his chariots, who walketh upon the wings of the winds.' Psalm. civ. 3.