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been like dumb asses, and their priests, like or darker than Balaam, ride upon them, who say they never heard the voice of God nor Christ, and the people durst not reprove them for their iniquity, error, and madness, and their wages of unrighteousness? Christ saith to his ministers, 'freely you have received, freely give,' and they laboured 'to keep the gospel without charge.' And now the Lord hath opened many mouths, that they will not let Balaam's priests and prophets ride upon them, nor follow Balaam's error and way, nor give him the wages of unrighteousness, though he loves it; though the Balaams be angry and cause them to be cast into prison, and their goods spoiled; but declare against the covetous greedy Balaams, and their wages of unrighteousness, and follow Christ their way, who saith, freely you have received, freely give; and will not let Baal's priests ride upon them any more. And the Lord hath made his people a holy royal priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God by Jesus Christ. 1 Pet. ii. 5 to the 10th.

And how often have the priests generally turned within this hundred years, to queen Mary, and from queen Mary to queen Elizabeth, and to king James, and then to Oliver and Richard Cromwell, and called them Caleb and Joshua that led them into the promised land? But was it not in the tithes, offerings, augmentations, and glebe lands? And then when king Charles II. came in, did not they most of them turn to common prayer, and persecute them that did not? And when king James came to the throne, what did many of the priests and bishops do then, with their passive obedience and non-resistance? Were not many of them posting to Rome, their mother church, as they call it, (let all the sober judge,) and forsaking Jerusalem, which is above, which is free, the mother of all true christians? Gal. iv. 26.

III. And what a scabbed flock the bishops and priests have, which should oversee them; and how the magistrates are troubled with them, to send them to the jails, and transport them.

I desire the bishops and the priests to look into their bishoprics and parishes, and see what scabbed flocks they have, lying, swearing, cursing, damning, and whore houses, and play houses, to corrupt youth and people; and they may see abundance of theft, murder, and whoredom, and how the jails are filled up and down the nation with thieves and unclean persons; that many are transported yearly out of England, Scotland and Ireland, into America, of their scabbed flock, which the bishops and priests are to watch over, look after, and cure, in all their bishoprics and parsonages; who are hired and take their tithes, easterreckonings, and midsummer-dues, to watch over them, and look after them, and yet let them go astray; yea, they are so greedy, they take

tithes of them that are not of their church, and spoil the goods of many, and cast them into the jails, because they will not pay them, and cannot own them to be ministers of the gospel.

And let the bishops and the priests look into all the sessions, assizes, and courts, and see how the justices of the peace, and the judges are troubled with some of their scabbed flock, which they should oversee, and watch over, and keep from the occasion of the magistrate's sword. What stewards are you, and how do you watch over them, that you may present their souls to God, to whom you must give an account, as you pretend? And are not you ashamed, both bishops, priests, and teachers, to hear that so many of your flock are brought before the sessions and assizes, and how the jails are filled with them, and how many are hanged yearly, and how many are transported beyond the seas for their wickedness? And are not these members of your church, which you are to oversee and have the charge over? And pray, consider, are you not like them that do not profit the people at all, but seek you own profit, and your own hire, and tithes, and your gain from your quarter? And therefore, is it not time for you either to amend and look better to your flocks, or give over your pretence? Read Isa. lvi. to the end. Jer. v. 29, 30, 31. and xxiii. chap. throughout, and Micah iii. 10, 11, 12. and Ezek. xiii. chap. throughout.

Now if you priests, bishops, and shepherds, had an outward shepherd that you hired, and let your sheep be so scabbed and corrupted, and that they should run so astray, and he not watch over them nor oversee them better, would not you soon turn him away? I pray you look into your bishoprics and parishes, and make application upon yourselves, as before.

IV. How no persecutor upon the earth, for faith, worship, and religion, can exercise a good conscience towards God and man, until they be converted.

THE apostle Paul saith, after he became a christian, and confessed Christ Jesus, I exercised myself to have always a good conscience, void of offence toward God and toward men. This he declared before Felix, the governor, when he was accused by the high priests and elders of the Jews, which said Paul was a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. Act xxiv. 15, 16.

Now here you may see when the apostle Paul was turned from the Jews' temple worships, and the priests that took tithes. For the apostle Paul said, when he was brought before king Agrippa, 'Verily, I thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to Jesus

of Nazareth, which things I also did in Jerusalem; and many of the saints I did shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceeding mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Whereupon as I went to Damascus, with authority and commission from the chief priests, that if I found any of that way, (viz. of them that believed in Christ,) whether they were men or women, I might bring them bound to Jerusalem.' And as he was coming near unto Damascus, Jesus Christ did convert him; and after a while he preached Christ in Damascus, where he was going to persecute, and confounded the Jews, and the Jews took counsel to kill him, as in Acts ix. 1 to the 28th. and xxvi. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. and xxiv. 16.

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Now while Paul was persecuting and imprisoning, and consenting to the death of the followers of Christ; and having his packet of letters, and his authority and commission from the chief priests, to go up and down and persecute the saints the believers in Christ, from city to city; then he was exercising an evil conscience towards Christ and men; for Christ saith, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.' So in this it is clear he was exercising an evil conscience, whilst he was a persecutor; and the Jews, priests and elders also, which gave him letters, commission and authority, to persecute Christ in his members. And so likewise, all the Protestant and Papist priests, which call themselves christians, that have, and do persecute and imprison people for their faith and a good conscience, they have, and are persecuting Christ in his members; such always have and do exercise an evil conscience against Christ in his members. For the Jews and chief priests, would have Christ crucified without the gates of Jerusalem, and cried Matt. xvii. 25, 'O let his blood be upon them and their children;' in that they exercised an evil conscience towards Christ. And after Christ was risen, the chief priests and elders, and Saul, imprisoned and persecuted Christ in his members; and so have the Papists, and many of the Protestant priests, because they do not conform. And therefore have they imprisoned and persecuted to death, and spoiled the goods of many; in this they have exercised an evil conscience towards Christ and his people. For Saul, nor any other, did not, nor do any exercise a good conscience towards God and man, until that they were and are converted to Christ Jesus to follow him, and to forsake the Jewish priests, and the tithes, and temple worships, and all other outward temple worships, and priests that take tithes. and persecute others that will not conform and give them their tithes, &c. For Christ saith, he came not to destroy men's lives, but to save VOL. VI.

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them; and saith, love one another, and love enemies, and pray for them that persecute you; and, freely you have received, freely give. And they that keep the commands of Christ and his gospel without charge, are always exercising a good conscience towards God, in obeying, serv ing and worshipping him, and a good conscience toward men, in that which is just, righteous, honest, and true; to do unto all men, as they would have others do unto them, according to the royal law of God. And so it is clear, that no persecutor and spoiler of people's goods, in all ages from Cain, both in the days of the prophets, Christ, and the apostles, and since, to this day, did, nor has, nor can exercise a good conscience towards God and man. For he that is born of the flesh, will persecute him that is born of the spirit.' That persecuting birth of the flesh, is not like to exercise a good conscience towards God or man; he that is born of the spirit, is born of God; for the birth of the flesh doth not do unto all men, as it would have them do unto it; and is not like to exercise a good conscience towards God, when it persecutes his spiritual birth, though they go in Cain's, Corah's, Balaam's and Jezabel's way, in the wolves' and sheep's clothing. All these may make an outward profession of christianity, and deny the power thereof; but such are to be turned away from. And is it like that they that go in these evil ways, should exercise a good conscience towards God and man? And also such false teachers that make merchandise of people, that make the gospel chargeable; and such priests and teachers that divine for money, and preach for hire, and bear rule by their means, and preach for handfuls of barley, and pieces of bread, and deceive the people. Such doings the Lord was against, and such shepherds which are called greedy dumb dogs, which can never have enough, seeking for their gain from their quarter, &c. and looking after their own ways, and not after the Lord's; such, God's prophets, Christ and the apostles testified against, and such as these were not like to exercise a good conscience towards God and man.

And when Balak sent messengers to Balaam, to curse the children of Israel, the Lord said, thou shalt not go with them, thou shalt not curse them, for they are blessed. And Balak sent other messengers to Balaam, and said, I will promote thee to great honour, and will do whatever thou sayest unto me. And after, Balaam went, and God's anger was kindled against him, because he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the way as he rode upon his ass, and he smote his ass, and his ass fell down, and the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and it reproved Balaam. And was not Balaam going to be promoted by Balak, and to receive his wages of unrighteousness? And did not Balaam cause Balak to build altars, and offer up rams and oxen? But for all Balak's and Balaam's offerings, that he might curse the children of Israel, in

stead of that, the Lord made him to bless them. So Balaam angered Balak, that he missed his honour, and his wages of unrighteousness, though he loved it. Numb. xxii. xxiii. xxiv. chap. 2 Pet. ii. 15, 16.

And do not our spiritual Balaam's that ride upon the dumb asses, so love the wages of unrighteousness, that they would destroy all the Lord's people, if the Lord did not restrain them? But was not Balaam at last slain with the sword? as in Numb. xxxi. 8. And will not all the spiritual Balaams, think you, that are erred from the spirit of God, be slain by the sword of the spirit, the word of God, who love honour, and the wages of unrighteousness? But the Lord is opening the mouths of his people by his spirit, which have been like dumb asses, and they are throwing off Balaam and his error, honour, and wages. That makes the spiritual Balaams angry, that they are ready to kill them, as old Balaam would have done his ass, but the Lord restrains them, as he did him. Glory over all to the Lord for ever; so that his holy people can sing hallelujah over them, and learn of Christ, who is meek and low in heart, and in him they have found rest for their souls, who saith, 'Freely you have received, freely give.'

V. And the bad example of Gehazi and Simon Magus, to be shunned.

NAAMAN, captain of the host of Assyria, he was a leper, and had a leprosy, and he came to Elisha to be healed, and he bid him go and wash in Jordan seven times, and his flesh should come again, and he should be clean. And he went into Jordan, and washed seven times, and came again to Elisha and was made well. And Naaman would have given Elisha great gifts, but Elisha utterly denied them, and would receive none, but bid him go in peace. But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, went after Naaman, and said, My master Elisha hath sent me, saying, behold, even now there be come to me, from Mount Ephraim, two young men, of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. And Naaman gave him two talents of silver, and two changes of garments. And Gehazi, Elisha's servant, took them to himself, and bestowed them in the house, and came to Elisha. And Elisha asked him whence he came? And he said, his servant went no where; but Elisha said unto him, went not my heart with thee when the man turned again in his chariot to meet thee? And Elisha said to Gehazi, The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever; and he went from Elisha a leper, as you may see in 2 Kings v. throughout.

And are not all the covetous teachers in the world of the seed of Gehazi? Yea, are not many of them grown worse than he, who will

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