442 General Obfervations on
Till then, there were only twelve of them ; but afterwards more were ap pointed in that religious ftation. They urged, that their facred office, and the faithful difcharge of all the duties attending it, engaged their clofe atten tion, and deferved an honeft maintainance; but to check a covetous fpirit among all beloved men of every rank, they freely fpoke the beloved fpeech through every known country of the world, and maintained themfelves by their own induftry. As they travelled, eat, drank, and converfed daily with the great divine meflenger, he perfectly taught them the divine law, which your fuppofed anceftors had received under very ftrong emblems. After his death, they fpoke it with great boldnefs, and a mod amazing power. They truly marked down on paper, molt of the fpeeches and actions of their beloved mafter and themfelves, without concealing their own foibles, for our inftruction : and a great many true copies of them are tranfmitted over every quarter of the world, in different languages, which agree together, and with thofe early beloved books ; though it is more than feventeen hundred years, fince they were firft drawn out by thofe beloved fcholars. As their hearts were warmed in a very high degree, by the holy fpirit of fire, the moral part of their lives were free from blemifh, after, the death of their mafter. In imitation of him, they fuffered all kinds of hardmips, difficulties, and dangers of life, that human beings could un dergo, merely through a principle of divine love working in them, for the general good of mankind ; they cured the fick and difeafed, and taught every one the true beloved fpeech, to purify them. As they were not proud, they were not drawn with beautiful prancing horfes, in coftly mo ving houfes, but walked after the manner of their divine mafter, and in- ftructed the attentive people, by their humble example, and honeft leflbns, in the moft allured hope of receiving from IJbtohoolls Aba, a reward equal to their virtues, after they died, knowing they were to live anew in a happy ftate, free from the power of death. In this manner, they, by the earneft beloved fpeech of the great divine mefTenger, were cheerfully con tent, and firmly trufted in the goodnefs of the fatherly chieftain. Indeed, foon after they entered into their facred office, they were jealous of their matter's giving preference to one, before the other of them ; but he gave a ftrong leflbn of humility and kindncfs for them, and all fucceeding be loved men to purfue, by warning and wiping their feet with his own hands : and he allured them IJhtoboollo would always efteem them moft, who acted beft.
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