Long Livers:

of Grace , by Jesus Christ the Son ot God . You have been remembered , that under the Law of Nature Mankind had no Propriety , but lived in common , and as there was no Superfluity , so there was nothing wanting ; no anxious Cares then of heaping

up Riches , or Solicitude for future Provisions distracted their Repose , or interrupted their sweet Contemplations . This way of Life continued in the Generations of Seth , who were called the Sons of God , till some of them , allured by the Daughters

of Men , the Children of Cain , corrupted themselves , and fell into those extravagant impieties that drew down the Deluge . This same way of living was revived b y Noah after the ' Flood , till the Pride of his Posteritywho ran into those tyrannic

, Proprieties which have undone the World , and almost destroyed it . It came however down by Tradition to Abraham and his descendants , who were Keepers of Sheep in the Land of Egypt for 430 Years . After their Delivery they lived in the same

manner , and though afterwards the Generality , when they began to live in Cities , abandoned it , yet this Spirit remained amongst their greatest Men for Wisdom ,

and in the Colleges of the Prophets and their Sons , and which was brought in a more particular manner to its primitive Lustre by Jesus Christ , who called and composed a Fraternity first of the Apostles , who afterwards admitted others , whom they thought worthyinto the Societ

, y , where the Contempt of the World , and Money ( no otherwise than it subserved to the Necessities of Life , and charitable Uses ) was always kept up as a distinguishing Mark of the Faithful , that is , the Brethren , for they were first called Christians at

Antioch , so that they were of one Heart and one Soul , neither said any of them that aught of the Things which he possessed was his own , but they had all Things in common , neither was any among them that lacked ; for as many of them as were

Possessors of Lands or Houses sold them , and brought the Prices of the Things that were sold , and laid them down at the Apostles' feet , and Distribution was made unto every Man according as he had need . Avarice ( the Bane of humane Society ) was detected , loathed , abhorred , as the Root Mid Foundation of all Evil ; it was what ,

my dearest Brethren , ruined Judas Iscariol , and made him the first False Brother under the Law of Grace , who for a little sordid Pelf proved the most wicked Traitor in the World , the Horrors of whose Perfidy lay so terrible on his Conscience , that he could not survive them , but growing desperate

, put an end to bis Sorrows by an ignominious Death ; he hanged himself , and burst asunder , and all his Bowels gushed out , and his Bishoprick another took . You may remember , that the next terrible Punishment of a False Brother was on

Ananias , who had indeed a Desire to come into the Brotherhood and Apostolical way of Life ; and accordingly ( for this was a Pre-requisite thereto ) sold a Possession and kept back Part of the Price , and brought a certain Part , and laid it at the Apostle ' s

Feet , for which fraudulent Act he was struck dead by holy Brother St . Peter . This living in common was looked upon as an essential Point among the Brethren ( who , as I observed before , were at Antioch first called Christians ) that the primitive Brethren kept it up for 300 Years

successively after the Death of their Lord and Master , the Holy Jesus ; and the Bishops of Rome , who were almost all of them martry'd for the Religion of the Brotherhood or Christianity ( which is the same thing ) religiously maintained it .

These Bishops , or Overseers ( as the Name imports ) had the Care and Oversi ght of the common Treasury , then worthily called the Treasure of the Church , and dispensed to eveij one according to their several Necessities . And Brother

Lawrence , a Deacon to Bishop ( or Oversee ) Xystus , or Sixtus , was put to a most cruel Death , broiled on a Grid-iron , because , as the Tyrant thought , he mocked him , when he told him that there ( pointing to some poor Brethren ) lie had disposed of the Church ' s Treasure .

Nor was this State interrupted till Constantine the Great turned Christian , who rebuilt or repaired Byzantium to rival Rome , and called it , ( as Romulus did Rome ) after his Name , Constantinople ; to which he transferred the Empireand ( in this too

, like the Founder of Rome ) laid its Foundalion in Parricide , in the Blood of his Sister ' s Husband and Son , and that of his own Wife and Child . The Courtiers and great Men , who