the false church, be burnt, and this proud devil, dragon, and beast, and their followers go into perdition, and the lake of fire? Rev. xvii. and .xix. 20. and xx. 10. And the Lamb and the saints will have the victory. Hallelujah.

And Job saith, Though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.' Job xix. 26. Satan's messengers say, that must not be in this life, but in another world; but afterwards Job said unto the Lord, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee.' Job xlii. 5. And this was while Job was alive upon the earth. Another scripture satan's messengers bring against perfection, 'Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? He charges his angels with folly.' Job iv. 17, 18. Again, 'How can he be clean that is born of a woman?' Job xxv. 4. And again, What is man that he should be clean, and he that is born of a woman should be righteous? Job xv. 14, 15. Now these were not Job's words, but Eliphas' the Temanite, which contended against Job, as in Job iv. 1. 17, 18. and xv. 14, 15. and Bildad the Shuhite's words that contended against Job, as in Job xxv. 5. For God said Job was a perfect and upright man, that feared God and eschewed evil.' Job i. 8. and ii. 3. So these were the words with which Job's miserable comforters contended against Job, which satan's ministers bring against perfection.

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And John saw an hundred and forty-four thousand, having their father's name written in their foreheads, which were not defiled, which followed the lamb, in whose mouth was found no guile, for they were without fault before the throne of God.' And besides, John said he saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, kindreds, and tongues, stand before the throne, and before the lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, crying with a loud voice, saying, salvation unto our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Rev. vii. 5 to the 11th. and xiv. 1 to the 6th.

Now the messengers and ministers of satan do not see these, but he is a minister of Christ that sees these holy people that follow the Lamb, that was without fault or guile.

And Peter saith in his General Epistle to the church of Christ, Ye are a chosen generation, a holy nation, built up a spiritual house, a holy royal priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ,' as in 1 Pet. ii. 5. 8, 9. Then surely these have put off the body of death, and sins of the flesh, and the old man with his deceitful lusts.

II. Priests the chief promoters of persecution, in the prophets, Christ, and the apostles' days, and since, and now the Lord is opening the eyes of people's understandings, that they will not let them ride upon them, as Balaam in his error upon his ass, for his wages of unrighteousness.

HERE you may see, how the priests in all ages turned against the righteous, and persecuted and killed them. See how Cain the priest was full of wrath, and killed righteous Abel in the field, and what was the end of Cain. Gen. iv. 5. 8.

And you may see how Corah and his company, and Dathan and Abiram opposed Moses and Aaron, and how the Lord did consume them (as in Numb. xvi. chap. throughout) in their rebellion; and what became of old Eli that reproved his two sons, but did not restrain them, as you may see in 1 Sam. iv. chap. throughout; and the badness of the priests you may see in the second chapter. And how the Lord sent Samuel the child to admonish old Eli, for not restraining his sons from their wickedness; and for the wickedness of the priests, God brought his great judgment upon Israel; and see how the man of God cried against Jeroboam and his altar and priests. 1 Kings xii. 13.

And did not his prophecy come upon them, in 2 Chron. xxiii. 17, 18. chap. You may see what priests they ordained, 2 Chron. xi. 15. And you may see what work Josiah made with Balaam's altars, and his idols and priests, how he purged the land of them. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3 to 9. And you may see what work Jehu made with Baal's worshippers, prophets and priests. 2 Kings x. And the Lord commanded Jehu. And it had been well for him and his children, if they had not followed the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin, but walked in the law of God. And you may see how Manasses made Israel to sin by rearing up altars for Balaam, for which cause the Lord carried them into captivity. 2 Chron. xxxiii. 1 to 13. And see what work Josiah made with Manasses' images, altars, and priests. 2 Kings xxiii. And how did Ahab and Jezabel with all her Baal's priests and prophets persecute the Lord's people, and what became of them in the end, see 1 Kings xxi. and 2 Kings ix. And you may see what Isaiah saith, because of the wickedness of the priests and others who had defiled the earth, therefore the Lord would empty the land of them. Isaiah xxiv. to the 7th. And also declares, how the priests and prophets have erred through wine and strong drink, for all tables are full of vomits and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. Isaiah xxviii. 7, 8.

And again, see how Isaiah crieth against the shepherds and watchmen, and calls them greedy dumb dogs that can never have enough,

that fill themselves with wine and strong drink; they all look to their own way, every one for their gain, from their quarter. May not this practice be applied to many of the shepherds, priests and watchmen now of our times? as in Isaiah lvi. 10, 11, 12. And see how Jeremiah testifies against the priests, and how the Lord had made him a brazen wall, and an iron pillar against the priests, &c. Jer. i. 18. ii. 8. And Jeremiah saith, 'Every one is given to covetousness; from the prophet to the priest, every one deals falsely.' Jer. vi. 13. And again Jeremiah saith, 'A wonderful horrible thing is committed in the land, the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so.' Jer. v. 30, 31. and viii. 10, 11.

And did not Pashur son of Immer the high priest, strike Jeremiah, and put him in the stocks, for declaring the truth to him? Jer. xx. 1. And did not Jeremiah tell them, that both prophets and priests were profane? Read Jer. xxiii. 11 to the end. And did not the priests and the prophets and the princes say, that Jeremiah was worthy to die? Jer. xxvi. 11. Here you may see the priests had a hand in the persecution of Jeremiah.

And the Lord sent Ezekiel to cry against the priests, and said, they had violated his law, and profaned his holy things, and put no difference betwixt the holy and profane. Ezek. xxii. 25, 26. 28. and how the prophets, &c. were like roaring lions, and daubed with untempered mortar, and how the Lord sent Ezekiel to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, and how he would gather his people from among them, and set one shepherd over them to feed them. Ezek. xxxiv. throughout; and was not that Christ? And see how the Lord sent Hosea to cry against the priest, saying, 'I will also reject thee, and thou shalt be no priest to me, seeing thou hast also forgot the law of thy God.' So like priest, like people; and the Lord saith he will punish them for their ways. Hosea iv. 6. 9. And have not the priests now forgot the law and command of Christ, freely you have received freely give,' and to keep the gospel without charge? And as a troop of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent, for they commit lewdness.' Hosea vi. 9. Amaziah the priest of Bethel, sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, and told him that Amos the prophet had conspired against him, and forbade him to prophesy any more in the king's chapel. Amos vii. 10 to 17. So here the priest was a lying informer against Amos, for speaking the truth. And you may see how Nehemiah cries to the Lord, because the priests had defiled the priesthood. Nehem. xiii. 29. And said, neither our kings, princes, priests, nor our fathers had kept the law of God. Nehem. ix. 32. 34. And Micah said they built up Sion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity; the heads thereof judge for reward, the priests thereof teach

for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money,' and yet they would lean upon the Lord, and say, is not the Lord among us, and no evil can come upon us? Therefore shall Sion for your sakes be ploughed up like a field, and Jerusalem shall become on heaps.' And so it was, and is not this the state of Christendom? Have not the hireling priests and the prophets in Christendom brought it all on heaps?

And you may see what the Lord saith in Malachi, And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you; if ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon their faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts, &c. and ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.' Mal. ii. 1, 2, 3, 4. May not the priests of our times apply this commandment to themselves?

And the Lord said, 'I will cut off the remnant of Baal from Jerusalem, and the names of the Chemarims with the priests; the prophets are light and treacherous persons, their priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.' Zeph. i. 4. and iii. 4.

Here you may see all along in the Old Testament the wickedness of the priests and prophets, and how the Lord sent his holy prophets to declare against them; and by their wicked lives and means, often the Jews went into captivity, and the Lord's prophets suffered.

And you may see how the chief priests, scribes, and elders, consulted to put Christ to death. Matt. xxvi. 34. And in Matt. xxvii. the chief priests and elders took counsel together against Jesus to put him to death. And did not Judas that betrayed Christ, sell him for thirty pieces of silver unto the chief priests, &c. Matt. xxvi. 14, 15. and xxvii. 1, 2. and Mark xiv. 10.

And did not the chief priests and elders persuade the multitude that they should ask of Pilate, Barrabas, and crucify Jesus? And when they were crucifying Christ, did not the chief priests mock him? Mark xv. 30, 31. And when they had crucified Christ, and watched his sepulchre; and after Christ was risen, some of the watchmen came into the city, and showed unto the chief priests all things that were done concerning Christ; and did not the Jews' chief priests take counsel, and gave large money to the soldiers, to say that his disciples stole him away by night, as they slept, as in Matt. xxviii. And this saying and lie is commonly reported among the Jews to this day.

So here you may see how busy the priests and chief priests with their company were to crucify and murder the just. And Judas that betrayed Christ, came with a great multitude with swords and staves, from the

chief priests and elders of the people. Matt. xxvi. 47. Mark xiv. 43. Here you may see how eager the priests were to destroy the just, and gave money to tell lies.

And did not the high priests and the kindred of the high priests, gather together against the apostles for preaching Christ after he was risen? And did not they threaten them, and charge them not to speak at all in the name of Jesus? Acts iv. 6. 18. And did not the high priests rise against the apostles with indignation, and put them into the common prison, but the Lord delivered them, as in Acts v. 17, 18, 19. And when that the chief priests took counsel together to put the apostles to death, Gamaliel's counsel stopped them, as in Acts v. 33 to the end.

And did not the high priest examine Stephen in his counsel when he was put to death? Acts vi. 15. and vii. 1. And did not Paul say he had authority from the chief priests to shut up the saints in prison, and when that they were put to death he gave his voice against them. Acts viii. 3. and xxvi. 10. And did not Ananias the high priest, with the elders, and a certain orator named Tertullus, inform the governor Felix against Paul, and called Paul a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition, and sought to take away his life, as in Acts xxiv. to the end. And how the high priests and chief of the Jews informed Festus against Paul, and desired that he would send for him to Jerusalem, lying in wait by the way to kill him. Acts xxv. 1, 2, 3. And after Saul was converted, the Jews took counsel together to kill him, in Acts ix. 9. For he was going with his packet of letters from the high priests to persecute the christians at Damascus, and before he got thither he was converted; and when he got to Damascus, he preached Christ there, and they set watch at the gates of Damascus to kill him, but he escaped their hands. Acts ix. 1 to the 31st. And have not the priests had the chiefest hand in imprisoning and persecuting God's people since the apostles' days, both among Protestants and Papists; let the scripture prove their persecuting and imprisoning and putting to death in the prophets, Christ, and the apostles' days. But since their days, amongst Papists and Protestants, the histories and the jails prove the priests stirring up to the persecuting, imprisoning, banishing, and putting to death of God's people. And have not the Jesuits and the priests been like the frogs, the unclean spirits that have gone out of the mouth of the beast and false prophet? Rev. xvi. 13, 14.

But have the priests, either Papists or Protestants, come so far as Cain or Balaam? For these heard God's voice, and Balaam went astray, and forsook the right way, and loved the wages of unrighteousness, but Balaam's ass rebuked him for his iniquity, and forbade the madness of him. 2 Pet. ii. 15, 16. Jude 11.

And have not most of the people both among Protestants and Papists,