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I hide from ABRAHAM that thing which I do, feeing that all the Nations of the Earth fhall be blessed in him? For I know. him, that he will command his Children and his Houfhold after him, that they keep the Way of the Lord.

There is indeed this Difference betwixt Your Endeavours to Propagate Religion, and Thofe of Abraham, That Yours do want the Support of Paternal Authority, which his had: But there is This difference alfo, that Your Sollicitude in Promoting God's Honour, and Deriving the Bleffings of Religion upon Times to come, cannot poffibly be the more Binding or Confirm'd by the Additional Ties of Natural Affection, as the Patriarchs poffibly might. The Children which you are Qualifying to convey Religion with Safety and Succefs unto Pofterity, are Yours purely by Adoption.

But ftill the Honour of God, though it be your Principal Aim, is not the Sole Inducement to your Glorious Enterprizes and Designs. You are pursuing fome Other Ends, but Thofe fuch as, next to God's Honour, fhould lie upper

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moft in the Purposes of all Wife and Good Men, and do both Juftifie and Demand your Zeal. For Your Profpects are, the fpecial Advantages of Those, whom you take into your Protection, and the General Benefits of the Community.

That the Defigns and Management of the Charity-Schools are Juftly calculated for the Special Advantage of Those who are fo happy as to be taken into them, cannot be doubted, and will not want to be proved, till it fhall ceafe to be Univerfally Granted by Mankind, that Knowledge and Induftry, Good Manners and Modefty, Probity and Piety, and all kinds of Virtue, with the Bleffed Confequences of them, in This and a Future State, are Preferable to Ignorance and Idlenefs, Rudeness and Impudence, Dishonefty and Impiety, and all Kinds of Vice, together with thofe Varieties of Mischief and Mifery, which flow from These Impure Fountains, and must Unavoidably flow from them for Ever.

And

And if any Nation under Heaven fhould be fo far removed from the Common Senfe of all Other Nations under Heaven, as not to perceive that its Prosperity and Glory do very much depend upon a Defign adapted, with no lefs Prudence than Piety, to the Extirpation of Vice and the Advancement of Virtue; fuch a fingular Race of Men would not eafily be thought to Deserve fo High a Bleffing, which they know not how to Esteem.

If Virtues be, in the Nature of Things, the firmeft Sinews of Society; and moreover that Kingdom, which provides most Effectually for the Support and Honour of Religion, hath the best Title to Divine Favour; what Bleffings may we not expect from Heaven, if this Beautiful Branch of Charity should but Spread and Flourish, and the Shadow of it become a Sacred Shelter to the Land?

This Defign is of fo Great Confequence to Religion, perhaps of Greater Confequence than any other Defign which hath been fet on Foot fince the Reformation, that if it should happily be espoused

fpoufed by the Publick, and become National, it might, in the Event, prove a Just reafon of our hopes, that God will bestow upon us all the Publick Bleffings which are promised to Righteous Nations.

Let our Enemies then Truft in their Spears and their Mighty Men of Valour, and leave all Concern for God's Honour out of their Schemes and their Counsels; Let Us but provide for the Propagation of his holy Religion, and we may fafe ly leave the Iffue of Things to His Gra cious Difpofal. Let us then continually add to the Numbers of fuch Innocents as are here before us, Evidences of your Abundant Love to Them, and to their Saviour; and therefore qualified to appear as most Proper and Acceptable Advocates in your Behalf, before the Throne of Grace, and you will have no great Reafon to dread the Might or the Machinations of your Enemies: For who shall harm you, if you be, in this Eminent Sense, Followers and Supporters of that which is Good?

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If therefore any Persons should hap pen to become Audacious enough to oppose this Excellent Design of promot→ ing God's Honour, they would have too much Reason to fear that He may get himself Honour upon them, in a Sense not very Agreeable to them, as he got bimSelf Honour upon Pharaoh and all his Hoft. And the Propitious Difpenfations of Heaven, which are the only fafe and immoveable Foundation of every Govern→ ment, do fo much depend upon the Succefs of this Charitable and Pious Defign, which is Manifeftly, and in an High Degree, fubfervient to God's Honour, that whofoever Meditates the leaft Oppo→ fition, or Obftruction to it, may Juftly be Suspected, whatever Plaufible Pretences he may urge in his own Favour, of Meditating Malignant and Pernicious Purposes against the Government; And whofoever proceeds to an Actual Oppofition to This Defign, does in Effect Act in Conjunction with those who have Actually drawn their Swords for the Deftruction of the King and Conftitution. For That Imputation may properly fall

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