curse the christians, yet they are to bless and not curse them again. But bless them that curse you, and pray for them that persecute you; bless and curse not.' Rom. xii. 14. Matt. v. 44. So christians are not to curse one another; no, they are forbidden to curse their persecutors, or to curse them again that curse them, but bless and curse not. These are the commands of Christ and the apostles, to be obeyed by them that profess Christ, and believe in him; and they that love Christ, will keep his commandments.

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And Christ saith, that Christians should do good to them that hate them, and pray for them which despitefully use them, and persecute them.' So it is clear that all christians that believe in Christ Jesus, should not persecute one another, nor curse one another, nor despitefully use one another, but love one another; for they should not curse, hate, despitefully use nor persecute their enemies, but love them, bless them that do curse them, and do good to them that hate them, and pray for them that persecute them. And these are the commands of Christ; and they that love Christ, will keep his commands; and he that loveth him not, keepeth not his commands nor sayings.' John xiv. 24.

Now here you may see that christians are to love one another, and to love enemies; so they are not to curse, hate, and despitefully use one another, no, not their enemies; but to love them, do good to them, and pray for them, and bless them, though they do curse, hate, despitefully use, and persecute christians. So here is the spirit of persecution quite shut out (which is got up since the apostles' days) from among christians, by the power and spirit of Christ Jesus; that christians should neither curse, hate, despitefully use nor persecute one another; for they are not to persecute enemies, but to do good to them, and love them. And christians are to bless them that curse them, and are not to curse again; and they are not to hate, despitefully use or persecute enemies, but to love them and pray for them. Here you may see the virtue and nobility of true christianity is clear of the spirit of persecution, both from among themselves, and to enemies; and all will confess to this that have the spirit of Christ; and they 'that have not are none of his.' Rom. viii. 9. And then you may see, how hath this persecuting spirit risen in that which is called Christendom since the apostles' days. Now every sect in Christendom when they have gotten the magistrates' power to maintain their sect with outward laws and carnal weapons, then they will say, Let every soul be subject to the higher powers,' &c. Rom. xiii. and submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king, as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well.' 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14. And

rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Rom. xiii. 3. And the apostle tells you what these evil works are, and evil doers, ungodly sinners, unholy, profane, murderers of fathers, and murderers of mothers, man-slayers, whoremongers, lawless, disobedient, and them that defile themselves with mankind, men-stealers, liars, perjured persons,' &c. 1 Tim. i. 9, 10. Such as these the law was made against, and was not made for a righteous man, but against such sinners and evil doers. And the christians in the primitive times in the apostles' days were to submit themselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, and to the higher powers for the punishment of such evil doers. And such rulers are not a terror to good works, but to such evil doers, and were a praise to them that do well. And they that do well, are not afraid of that power to punish evil doers, for they have the praise of the same; for the higher powers, and every ordinance of man, that punisheth such evil doers before mentioned is for the praise of them that do well. Rom. xiii. 3. 1 Pet. ii. 14.

And now here you may clearly see, that the christians in the primitive times, whose souls were to be subject to the higher powers, to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, for the punishment of such evil doers as the apostle speaketh of in Timothy, and a terror to such evil workers, but a praise to them that did and do well.

Now the apostle doth not say, let every soul be subject to the higher powers, and every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, for the punishment of such as meet together to wait upon God and to pray unto him, and do obey, serve, and worship the living God that made them; and the apostle saith, that the law of the higher powers is not a terror to good works, neither was the law made for the righteous, but for such like sinners as he hath before mentioned. So it is clear that the christians in the primitive times, whom the apostle doth teach that their souls were to be subject to the higher powers, and to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, for the punishment of such evil doers as he speaketh of 1 Tim. i. which all true christians now, their souls are subject to every such high power, and every such ordinance of man, for the punishment of such evil doers, that are lawless, and disobedient, and ungodly, and that murder their fathers and mothers, and are unholy and profane; and are men-slayers, and are whoremongers, and defile themselves with mankind, and are men-stealers, and liars, and perjured persons, and such like ungodly sinners; every true christian's soul is to be subject to every ordinance of man for the punishment of such, which is for the praise of them that do well, and no terror to good works, but a terror and a discourager of such evil workers and works before mentioned.

Now here you may see it is clear, the apostles do not say that every soul should be subject to the higher powers, and to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, for the punishment of people concerning their faith, religion, and for worshipping, obeying, and serving of God Almighty for their tender consciences, no not so much as such weak consciences as observed days, and made scruple of eating of meats, or herbs; but the apostle left such as were weak in the faith, that every one of them were to be fully persuaded in their own minds, and they were not to judge one another, much less to persecute one another, as in Rom. xiv.

Where do we ever read in the New Testament that Christ or the apostles gave forth a law and commandment, or ordinance, to punish any that were of a contrary opinion, or religion and worship, to Christ and his apostles, and would not receive the doctrine of Christ and the apostles, and their spiritual way, religion, worship, and faith, that Christ and the apostles preached? Where ever can ye prove this in the New Testament? And when Christ sent two of his disciples into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him, and when his disciples, James and John saw this, that they would not receive Christ, they said, 'Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did?' But Christ turned, and rebuked James and John, and said, 'Ye know not what manner of spirit you are of. For the son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.' Luke ix. 52, 53, 54, 55, 56.

Now here you may see what a zeal was in these disciples, that would have had fire to come down from heaven to consume them that would not receive Christ; but Christ rebuked them, and their blind zeal without knowledge, and told them, they did not know what manner of spirit they were of; for Christ came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

Now have all these in Christendom, that have destroyed men's lives, by burning, hanging, and imprisonment, or otherwise, and have spoiled people's goods, and ruined them in their estates, because they would not be of their opinions, nor of their church, faith, religion, way and worship; are not they of such as have not known what manner of spirit they were of? And have they not been in a blind zeal without the knowledge of Christ, who came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them.'

And therefore, all they that have destroyed men's lives about religion, their worship, faith, and church, and their opinions, ruined and spoiled the goods of people, or banished them, or imprisoned them, had they the mind of Christ, or the spirit of Christ Jesus? as in Rom. viii. 9. and 1 Cor. ii. 16. where the apostle saith, But we have the mind of

Christ.' And again the apostle saith, 'If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.' And therefore, what spirit hath this been that hath led people in Christendom to destroy men, both in their lives and estates, such as would not receive their ways, worships, and opinions? This is not, neither hath it been the mind and spirit of Christ Jesus since the apostles' days, that hath thus destroyed people in their lives and estates, for not receiving their opinions, ways, religions, and worships; for the mind, the spirit of Christ, declares and tells you plainly, that Christ came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them.' And so they that destroyed men in their lives and estates, because they would not receive their opinions in their ways, religions, and worships, they have not known what manner of spirit they have been of. So they have all done it in a blind zeal, without true knowledge of their own spirits, or knowledge of the mind and spirit of Christ; and therefore all such spirits in their blind zeal, without the knowledge of their own spirits, or without the knowledge of the mind and spirit of Christ, are come under the rebuke of Christ, who is come to save men's lives,' and doth not destroy them. And Christ is the same to-day as yesterday, and so for ever.' And they that have destroyed men in their lives and estates, because they would not receive their religion, opinion, way, and worship, are not come from Christ, neither hath he sent them to do any such work, neither have their opinions, ways, religions, and worships been of Christ's setting up. And therefore let all Christendom consider, since they have gone out from the spirit and power of Christ, which was in the apostles, what spirit they have been of, that have destroyed so many men in their lives and estates, because they would not receive their opinions of religions, ways, and worships.

And now consider, when and how this destroying spirit got first into christians. You may read in 2 Pet. ii. what a loose company got up, that forsook the right way, and went astray, and followed the ways of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, and went into the way of Cain, and gainsaying Corah; and these were spots in their feasts of charity amongst the christians, though they fed themselves without. fear; and were clouds without water, carried about with winds, trees whose fruits withered, and so without fruit, twice dead, and plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame, wandering stars, as in Jude.

Now here you may see these forsook the right way, which is Christ, and became wandering stars from the firmament of God's power, and so having the form of godliness or christianity, but denying the power thereof; from such the true christians did, and do turn away; for these were dead, and made alive by Christ, and dead again, and then plucked up by the roots; then they were not like to grow nor bear fruit VOL. VI.

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to God. And these were they that went in the gainsaying way of Corah; and Corah gainsayed the law and Moses in the old testament; so these gainsay the gospel and law of life.

And these ran greedily after the error of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, who forsook the right way, and from it went astray. And these are they who through covetousness and feigned words have made merchandise of people, as in 2 Pet. ii. 3. 15. And these were they that forsook the commands and charge of Christ to his ministers, Freely ye have received, freely give;' but these gainsay the doctrine, command, and charge of Christ, and gainsay it like Corah. And these are they that have made such havoc of people's estates because they would not put into their mouths, nor give them maintainance, since the apostles' days. And these are they that have forsaken Christ, the new and living way, who cometh to save men's lives,' and have gone in the way of Cain since the apostles' days, which have killed, and slain, and destroyed in their lives and estates so many men and women about their sacrifices and opinions of religions, ways, and worships. And this hath been the way of Cain, who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother;' and wherefore slew he him, but because Cain's own works were evil, and his brother Abel's works righteous. And now let all you and them that have slain their brethren, concerning their offerings, religion, and worship, consider whether or not your works have not been evil; and you of the wicked one like Cain your brother, and them that you have slain their works righteous, and of more godly lives and conversations than they that persecuted and slew them; let scripture, and history, and the wise in heart judge.

And now is it not clear, that all that have destroyed and slain people about their opinions, religions, and worships, and their offerings and sacrifices, gone in Balaam's way for wages, Corah's gainsaying way, Cain's slaying way, who was of the wicked one, and his works evil? And therefore have not all their works been evil, and of the wicked one, that have killed, slain, and destroyed their brethren concerning their opinions of religion, worship, offerings, and sacrifices, since the apostles' days; and have been out of the mind and spirit of Christ, who 'came to save men's lives, and not to destroy them? And are they not all of them of the birth of the flesh, that persecute them that are born of the spirit? For where did you ever read that the birth of the spirit in the new testament did persecute any for religion or worship? and how they have gone from Christ, and what they have gone in, and so followed the way of the wicked one, and forsaken Christ the way to God.

Though Cain, whose works were evil, and was of the wicked one, slew and murdered his brother Abel about his religion, offering, and