Long Livers:

found them , and rendered to Ccesar the Things that were Ccesar ' a . Thus shall Princes love and cherish you , as their most faithful and obedient Children and Servants , and take delight to commune with you , inasmuch as among : t you are found Men excellent in all kinds of Sciences

, and who thereby may make their Name , who love and cherish you , immortal . It is the same thing in relation to the Religion we profess , which is the best that ever was , or will , or can he ; and whoever lives up to it can never perish

eternally , for it is the Law of Nature , which is the Law of God , for God is Nature . It is to love God above all things , and our Neighbour as our self ; this is the true , primitive , catholic , and universal Religion , agreed to be so in all Times and

Ages , and confirmed by our Lord and Master Jesus Christ , who tells us , that on these hang all the Law and the Prophets . And now I have a convenient Opportunity , hearken to me a little on this Point . You know when the Almighty Architect , after

framing this goodly Universe , had built up Man , he gave him a Law to walk hy ; this Law was absolutely perfect in it self , for it was God ' s Law , and consequently wanted nothing to make it better than it was ; this Law indeed Man transgressed

, and thence flowed all our Misery . However , after he was put out of Paradise , we do not read he had any other to square his Actions by , no more than his first Sons , the two first Brothers in the World .

And now the Infant World , consisting but of a very few People , lived in common according to this Divine Law , till the eldest of the two ( the first false Brother ) growing sick of Virtue , and swelled with pride and cruelty according to the Flesh ( as is after his Example usual in such

Cases ) persecuting him wdio was humble according to the Spirit , inhumanly murder'd his and our Brother . 0 dire Effects of the Lust of Rule and Empire ! However , God repaired this Loss to our common Father , by his third Son Seth ; while

Cain , who by the Parricide of his Brother founded ( as almost all ambitious riiirsters after Empire have since done ) his Dominion in Blood , and despising the holy Law of Nature , and confiding in his own Strength , first usurped sovereign Sway ; was the first who constituted

arbitrary Government , and began to oppress with Force , Rapine , Servitude , and wicked Laws , Men created by God Free , and the Sons of a Generation , till these , God ' s Judgments being now also by them contemned , and all Flesh corrupted , begot

those Giants in Iniquity who oppressed the Poor , raised themselves to high Stations by Plunderings and Robberies ; and , priding themselves in their Wealth , made then - Names famous , imposing them on Regions CitiesMountains Rivers

, , , , Waters , and the Sea ; whose first Parent { Cain ) was malicious , envious , incorrigible by God's Correction , a dissembling Traitor , a Sp iller of fraternal Blood , an accursed Wanderer and Vagabond , and who added Blasphemy to his Malediction ;

in short , a FALSE BROTHER . This wicked and impious Race ( for the whole Creation groaned under their Lnpieties ) the Almighty washed off from the Face of the Earth hy the Deluge , excepting Noaha just Man in the Generations

, of Seth , with his Family . This good holy Man endeavoured , after the Flood , to restore the Law of Nature which had been so long obscured by the Pride and Impiety of those that perished , But his Sons and their Issue following the Example

of the Giants , began to domineer in like manner over their Inferiors , to build mighty Cities and form Kingdoms , so that from Noah till Abraham there is no

mention made of any just Man ; for till his Time these haughty Rulers continued most flagrant and enormous Examples of hardy and robust Improbity , Impiety , Confusion , tyrranic Power , Violence , Oppression , Hunting , Luxury , Pomp , and Vanity , and the like Wickedness and Folly , which the

Sons of Noah had introduced ; amongst whom was Cham or Ham , who , as he was the most wicked of them , so he obtained by Violence the largest share of Dominion . From him descended Nimbroth , whom the Scripture describes to be powerful in the

Earth , and a mighty Hunter ; he built Babylon , and was the Beginning of the Confusion of Tongues . This mighty Hunter of Men , as well as Beasts , made severe and rigorous Laws , instituted Degrees of Honour , and Offices , introduced Slavery , and laid heavy Taxes on the People , raised vast Armies , waged cruel Wars , and set up images and pompous