sacrifice; and you that have slain and murdered your brethren concerning religion, and their worships, and offerings; have not you been slayers and murderers like your old brother Cain, and not like Abel, nor Christ and his apostles, who came to save men's lives, and not destroy them?' And the apostle tells you, that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.' So, have these that have murdered and slain people since the apostles' days, for religion, worship, offerings, and sacrifice, eternal life abiding in them? And if they have not eternal life abiding in them, they are not Christ's believers nor sheep; for they that do believe in him are his sheep, and have eternal life. John x. 28.

Here you may see how such man-slayers, and destroyers about religion, have got up since the apostles' days; and have not such built up Christendom with blood and iniquity? And is not this the cause that Christendom is so all on heaps, and so barren of the heavenly fruit, being erred from the spirit and power of Christ that the apostles were in, and so erred from the spiritual weapons and armour that the apostle warred withal in the primitive days; who said, that their weapons were spiritual, and not carnal, and they did not wrestle with flesh and blood? But how hath Christendom been filled with carnal arms and armour, with which they wrestled with flesh and blood, and destroyed men in their lives and estates, because they would not be of their opinion in their religions, ways, and worships, and misapplied the scriptures the apostle speaketh of, which saith, 'Let every soul be subject to the higher powers, and to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, for the punishment of evil doers,' as the apostle speaks of in 1 Tim. i. So by this means have they persecuted people, and destroyed men's lives for their opinions about their religions and their worships; though we know that the law is good in its place, if a man use it lawfully against such as the apostle saith it was made for, to wit, murderers of fathers and mothers, and man-slayers, and whoremongers, and defilers of themselves with mankind, and men-stealers, and liars, and perjured persons. The law was not made for a righteous man, but for such lawless, disobedient, and profane persons; and Christ and the apostles did never say, let every soul be subject to the higher power, and to obey every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, for to punish people for their several opinions about religion and worship. Nay, Christ and his apostles, did not give forth any laws or commands to punish and destroy men in their lives and estates, because they would not be of Christ's religion, faith, way, and worship. For Christ saith on the contrary, he came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them;' and Christ saith, Let the tares and the wheat grow together until the harvest, which is the end of the world, and then his angels should be the reapers, and sever the wheat from the tares.' And if they went into ever

lasting punishment that did not visit Christ nor his members in prison, then what will become of them that say they are christians, and yet cast his members in prison? And Christ said to Saul, Why persecutest thou me,' that is, Christ in his members? But when he was converted, then he was persecuted himself; but the apostle declares the weapons of his warfare, not carnal, but spiritual. And Christ tells his disciples and believers that they should be killed, and crucified, and persecuted, and scourged in their synagogues, and hated of all nations for his namesake; but Christ gave no such commands to his believers, his disciples, the true christians, that they should hate, persecute, scourge, kill, or crucify any that would not receive Christ nor his doctrine; for he saith, he 'came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And them that would not receive the doctrine of Christ and his apostles, they were to shake off the dust of their feet as a witness, which should be a testimony against them in the day of judgment,' and that was punishment enough. How have all them in Christendom, who have destroyed men's lives about their opinions in religious ways and worships, fulfilled the royal law of God, to love their neighbours as themselves, and to do unto all'as they would have others do unto them? Let all destroyers and persecutors about religion consider this, and how short they have been of the practice of the law of God, and the nobility of true christianity; and let them all go learn this lesson what the Lord saith, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.' But they that have killed and destroyed men in their lives and estates about their sacrifice of religion and worship, since the apostles' days, have not they wanted the spirit of mercy, and have not learned of God what this means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice? And have not all you that profess christianity, that are persecutors and destroyers of men's lives, said the Lord's prayer, 'Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us? And Christ saith, If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses.' Matt. vi.

12. 14, 15.

I pray consider how short of the practice of this prayer of Christ you have been, that have destroyed men in their lives and estates, because they would not be of your opinion in their religion and worship; whether you in this have done unto others, as you would have others do unto you? if not, you cannot but confess you have acted contrary to the royal law of God, and the gospel of salvation.

And the apostle bids Titus put the christians in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, and to obey magistrates, and to be ready in every good work. Tit. iii. 1.

And this is according to the scripture, in Rom. xiii. where the apostle

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saith, 'Let every soul be subject to the higher powers;' and 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14, Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, for the punishment of evil doers, which is for the praise of them that do well.' Mark. This was for the punishment of such evil doers as the apostle speaks of, 1 Tim. i. but he doth not say that they were to be subject to every ordinance of man for to punish people for matters of faith, religion, and worship; for the apostle clears that, and makes a distinction, when he saith to the church of Christ, the Colossians, that if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why as though living in the world are ye subject to ordinances, (touch not, taste not, handle not, which all are to perish with the using,) after the commandments and doctrines of men.'

So

you may see here, ordinances, and doctrines, and commandments of men concerning men's religions, ways, and worships, which ordinances, doctrines, and commandments of men, christians in the primitive time were not to taste, touch, nor handle; and therefore they suffered by the Jews' outward worshippers, because they could not join with them in the traditions of their fathers, and testified that Christ was come, and was made a priest not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.' And the Jews' first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary, and their priests, with their outward offerings, sanctuaries, and sacrifices; but that priesthood was changed, and the law by which it was made.' Heb. vii. 12. ix. 1. And the apostle saith, Christ hath abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments, contained in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain, (namely, Jews and Gentiles,) one new man, so making peace, that he might reconcile both unto God in one body.'

So here you may see these commandments and ordinances among the Jews in the old testament, when Christ was come in his new testament, he abolished them; and therefore the believing christians, that followed Christ Jesus, suffered by the unbelieving Jews, because they would not follow the Jews' law and commandments, and their ordinances and services, and their priests; which law and priesthood Christ hath changed, and abolished the law of commandments and ordinances, as in Heb. vii. 12. and Ephes. ii. 15, 16.

And likewise the laws, ordinances, and commandments of Diana's worshippers, and the Romans, and other heathens, they were not to be subject to, nor touch, nor taste, nor handle after the commandments and doctrines of men. The christians, though they lived in the world, yet they were not to be subject to the rudiments of the world, nor the commandments nor doctrines. Nay, they were not to taste them,

nor handle them, that were dead, with Christ from them. Col. ii. 20, 21, 22.

So here you may see the apostles made a clear distinction between the ordinances of men, and the higher power which is for the punishment of such evil doers as the apostle speaketh of, and the praise of them that do well; which was not to punish people for matters of faith, and serving and worshipping God, but for such evil doers as the apostle speaketh of 1 Tim. i. And likewise such ordinances and commandments, and doctrines of men, yea, of the Jews and Gentiles, concerning men's religions and worships, which the christians were not to touch, taste nor handle; and happy had all Christendom been if they had kept in the spirit of Christ the apostles were in, and that they might have made the same distinction as the apostles did.

And now if you do say; who have destroyed men in their lives and, estates for not obeying your doctrine, ordinances and commandments, concerning your opinions of your religion and worships, that they are not of men, and that they have not been set up since the apostles' days, neither by such as have erred from the spirit of Christ Jesus, 'who came to save men's lives, and not to destroy them,' then you are to prove by the scriptures of the new testament, where ever did Christ and the apostles give forth any such ordinances, doctrines, and commandments, to persecute, or imprison, or kill, or destroy such as would not be of their way, faith, religion, and worship, prove this by the scripture of the new testament from Christ and his apostles if you can; or else confess that your doctrines, ordinances and commandments are of men, and are of men's inventing, by which you have destroyed people in their lives and estates, for matters of religion and worship, not to be from the spirit of Christ and his apostles, and that you have not had the ' spirit of Christ to lead you into this destroying work. For Christ saith, ' he came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them.' And we know that the prophets, Christ, and the apostles, they that did persecute them, and put them to death in their blind zeal without knowledge, not knowing what spirit they were of themselves, they did not persecute Christ and his apostles and prophets as true men, but as deceivers; so hath this spirit done in Christendom since the apostles' days. 'But God will reward every one according to their works.' But where did ever Christ and his apostles in the New Testament give forth any such ordinances, doctrines, or commandments, to punish, imprison, or destroy heretics, schismatics, blasphemers, or seducers, or Jews or Gentiles, that would not receive him? Prove this if you can out of the New Testament, or else acknowledge such to have been heretics, schismatics, blasphemers, and seducers, that have not had the spirit of Christ, which have punished, imprisoned, and destroyed men in their lives and

estates, which have been the servants, and lambs, and sheep of Christ, for following him, and not obeying your ordinances, and commandments, and doctrines, which you never had from the spirit of Christ nor his apostles, who came to save men's lives, and not to destroy them.'

Hath not christendom in many places been like a slaughterhouse, imprisoning, beating, banishing, hanging, killing, and destroying, and burning, about their opinions of their religions and worships, and acted not like the royal law of God, to do unto others as they would have others do unto them;' and not in the nobility of true christianity, in the spirit of Christ Jesus, who came to save men's lives, and not to destroy them;' but more like the god of the world, who abode not in the truth, who is called a destroyer.

And if Peter and Paul, and the rest of the apostles, who said, 'Let every soul 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 the apostle speaketh of, had intended for the punishment of people for religion; I say again, if the apostles did mean that every soul should be subject to the higher power, and to every ordinance of man, concerning the doctrine and commandments of men in matters of religion and worships; then why did the apostles and christians suffer by the Jews, Gentiles, or heathens, and by Cæsar, and in the ten persecutions? You may say, why were not their souls subject to the higher powers among the Jews, and to Cæsar; and why did not they obey every ordinance of man, to follow their doctrines and commandments, concerning worshipping and religion? If that the apostle meant when he said, ‘Let every soul be subject to the higher powers, and to every ordinance of man,' concerning their doctrines, and commandments, and religions, and worship, and their ordinances; then you may say, that the apostles Paul and Peter had forgot themselves, for to write in their epistles, that other christians' souls should be subject to the higher power, and to every ordinance of man, and they themselves were not subject to the Jews, Gentiles, nor heathen, nor Cæsar's doctrines, nor commandments, nor ordinances, concerning religion and worship? But the apostles declaredto the heathen or Gentiles, and against the shadows among the Jews, and preached Christ the substance was come, and their shadows fly away; and so the apostles made a distinction between every ordinance of man, for the punishment of such evil doers, as they speak of, and the doctrines, and ordinances, and commandments of men, concerning religion and worship, which were not to be touched, tasted, nor handled.

So have not all you that have brought these scriptures, that every soul must be subject to the higher powers, and to obey every ordinance of man for the punishment of evil doers,' misapplied them, and turned them to punish people, and lay them upon people that differ from you