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up since the pope, as tunes and organs; since men have ravened from the spirit, and gone from that, they have got up this poetry, and turned David's conditions into a metre, and given them to people who are ignorant of David's conditions. And psalms are spiritual songs, of which all are ignorant when they are from the spirit of God that led the holy men of God to speak forth the scripture; with which spirit of God, all the psalms, and spiritual songs, and hymns are seen, which from it were given forth, and all the scriptures, and in that is the singing in the spirit. And for the ministers' maintenance, the apostle said, 'Have not I power to eat, and power to drink?' (And Christ said, 'Freely ye have received, freely give.') This was not spoken to the heathen, nor Jews, nor Gentiles, who were unconverted, but was spoken among the saints who were a vineyard, and to whom spiritual things had been sown, and to such whose hope they were made partakers of. But hirelings and those that teach for filthy lucre, 'that mind earthly things,' that seek for their gain from their quarter, that bear rule by their means,' are all out from this, and were judged by the prophets, Christ, and the apostles, to be such spirits as had got the form, and taught for the earth, and made the earth a wilderness. And such got not out the wheat, and ploughed but in vain, which is the ploughing of the wicked, which is sin. So there is a great difference between these and those that preached the gospel, the glad tidings, to all nations, which relieved the oppressed: for the oppressed being relieved, life and immortality came to light through the gospel: the wheat was gotten out, the spiritual things sown, the vineyard planted, the flock was known, the milk was known, the corn gotten out: among such some used their power to eat, some did not, (mark,) that power that did not oppress, that did not hurt. But all you that preach for tithes, and will take money of them that ye do no work for, by a law, and cast into prison if they will not give it, and take treble damages; you bring not the glad tidings to the nations, you are the oppressors of the nations, of the just; and are not helpers and relievers of the oppressed: and so have made manifest your apostacy; and that you are apostates, out of the apostles' doctrine, and out of the gospel, the power of God, which the apostles were in. But now shall the gospel be preached that gives liberty to the oppressed, and strikes down all the oppressors.

P. He saith, God sends either mediately or immediately; and he sends by man's ministry mediately,' page 211. And saith, they pretend to no such call of an apostle, an officer in every church as Paul,' &c. page 213. And Some are converted mediately by those sent by man, with their mediate call,' page 214.

A. All who are converted, are converted with the immediate: there

are none converted upon the earth, but it is with the immediate spirit of God that mortifies. And all ministry that is sent of God, and from God, and called of God, where that speaks to them it is immediate, for whosoever hears his voice, it is immediate and powerful. And all ministry of man, sent out by man, (which is mediate,) never converts any souls to God, for the soul is immediate, and mediate reacheth not to the immortal soul; but the immediate ministry reacheth to the immediate immortal soul, and so preacheth the immediate gospel to it, the power of God. And all ministers that are sent forth in the power of God, who are moved of God to speak to any by the power of God, the eternal spirit of God, the holy ghost, that is immediate, and not of man, and that begets unto God, and converts them; that is immediate, not mediate, and they do as the power of God moves them, which is immediate, and that is for God in that place. And they shall feel the spirit of God in them witnessing with that power, and the spirit of God in another, that speaks to them. And the power of God is eternal, where it moves it is one; and the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets. And all you since the days of the apostles, that do not pretend to such a call as the apostles had, and to have such officers as the apostles in every church, (which we do believe you have not,) you have shown that the holy ghost hath not made you overseers; and you have declared yourselves to the world to be such as inwardly ravened from the spirit of God: and all to be but ministers of the letter, not of the spirit, and so only have the sheep's clothing. So ye are such as have brought people and nations to be all on heaps, and like waters: not made overseers, as the apostles were, not having the call as the apostles had; so not by the holy ghost, not by the immediate power of God, not preachers of the gospel, as the apostles were, who were immediate. Therefore these things have been wanting, the holy ghost to make you overseers, and the spirit the apostles were in, which would cool and quiet all the spirits of the people. For want of this ye are all on heaps about scripture. But the holy ghost opens it again to overseers. And so ye that have ravened from the spirit of God inwardly, there is no talk among you to have the call as the apostles had, and to be overseers, as they were; that we do believe, your fruits declare it. But the spirit is witnessed which the apostles were in, which hath discovered you and your church. Glory be to the Lord God for ever!

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P. He saith, Immediate teaching in the least degree of God immediately, is contrary to Daniel ix. and Timothy.' And saith, I am yet to learn the promise of immediate teaching of God,' page 216. And 'Women are excluded from this kind of prophecy,' 218. He saith, 'Ministers, pastors, teachers, having the grace of God, gift of prophecy,

called out among brethren to office, to oversee a flock, as bishops, of the Lord's institution: these are not so taught immediately,' page 220.

A. All bishops, overseers, and officers, that are of God, are taught immediately, by the same spirit and power that the apostles were in, and owned and allowed by them: for the holy ghost is immediate that gives them to oversee; and all who feel the grace of God, and turn it not into wantonness, feel that which is immediate. And such as have turned the grace of God into wantonness, and walk despitefully against the spirit of grace, and set up a heap of teachers after their own lusts, are gone from the immediate grace of God that brings salvation. And all the teaching of God, in the least degree, is immediate, which brings them to open parables, speak forth parables to the nature that is atop of the witness, that spirit is immediate; though they take a mediate parable or comparison, yet the spirit is immediate that gives them to understand the parable aright. And the gift that was in Timothy, that he was not to neglect, was immediate, whereby he came to discern on whom he was to lay his hands, and on whom he was not, and not suddenly to lay them upon any man. And that which brought Daniel to understand by writings in books, was immediate; and that which brings to understand the scriptures is immediate. I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy,' and that is immediate, and prophecy is not to be quenched in the daughter no more than in the son; it is one in the male and the female. And we do believe thee, and you all, who are apostatized from the apostles' doctrine, in the apostacy, ravened inwardly from the spirit of God, that ye are yet to learn the immediate teaching. So are the antichrists standing against the light which Christ Jesus hath enlightened every one withal that cometh into the world, the covenant of God in the heart, with which all people shall come to know the Lord, and be taught of God, that they need not say, Know the Lord.'

P. He saith, I conclude that immediate teaching did not only furnish men for a teacher's or minister's function, but mediate ways also,' page 211. And The Quakers think it a lie against God to say, the spirit is in the letter and scripture, and is given by it, and make a jangling about immediate teaching,' page 222.

A. No one is furnished for the work of the ministry of God, but who is in the immediate spirit of God, which is to minister to the spirit. And there is no one made a minister of God by the mediate, but by the immediate. For who hath the spirit of God, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, to sing in the spirit, or pray in the spirit, it is immediate. And all that are out of that are in the earthly, sensual, and devilish perishing knowledge, and that understanding must come to nought, and that wisdom must be confounded. And as for the word

function, it is thy own, and must come to nought. And the spirit is immediate that led the saints to give forth scripture. The spirit is not in the letter, but it was in them that gave it forth. And they that have not the spirit in them, that was in those that gave it forth, and are disobedient to that, are they that say the spirit is in the letter. And such say that immediate teaching is jangling, who are from the spirit that is immediate, ravened from it in their own particulars; such are never like to beget to God, but are the ministers of the letter, not of the spirit; and by that which the devil and they are out of, are they comprehended, who are in the jangling and in the lie.

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P. He saith, Christ took up a Bible, and preached on a text. And as for uses, points, trials, and motives, you must go to Titus iii. 16.' A. Christ who came to fulfil, took the book, and read, and said it was fulfilled. He did not take a text, as you do, and lay half a year in it, as some of you, and have ten shillings a day, more or less, for your pains; but he said it was fulfilled. And for that place in Titus, there is not a word of motives, nor points, nor trials, nor uses, as you pretend; though he who was in the faith did study to divide the word aright, in whom was the gift of God which was perfect. This is not like your divination of your brain, for money, which ye sell weekly; nor your taking a text, and laying half a year in it. And thou hast shown thyself

and them to be novices.

P. He saith, Though the righteousness be wrought in us by the strength of Christ, and be found in us that are sanctified; yet as to justification of a person, Paul would not be found in it for a world.' See page 229.

A. The righteousness of Christ fulfilled in us,' and to be found in the righteousness of Christ, that was the thing the apostle strove after, in that which ended the law, not in his own righteousness. And that righteousness which is wrought in us by the strength of Christ, is Christ's, where sanctification is witnessed; this is Christ's, who is the end of the law, and in this was the apostle found, and this he stood for, which was out of the world.

P. And honour all men.' And the fifth commandment he brings 'for bowing the knee,' and saith, Putting off the hat is but a token of respect.' See page 234.

A. Honour all men,' that is, to have all men in esteem; all men are had in esteem, for Christ hath enlightened every man that cometh into the world,' that they might all through this light believe, and he that doth not is condemned. And that will bring all men that love it to seek the honour that comes from above; but if they hate the light, they seek the honour that is below, that is of the first Adam in the transgression, and that is the hat. But Christ, the light, that doth enlighten VOL. III.

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every man, &c. receives not honour of men; and the light of Christ which every man hath, &c. will not receive honour of men. Now he that receives the honour of men, is of the first Adam, from the light, in the transgression. Earthly Adam looks for honour of the earth; these are the marks of an unbeliever. And the fifth commandment doth not speak of bowing the knee. And for Jacob's bowing, and David's bowing to Saul, &c. there is a time the elder must serve the younger. And for Joseph and Abraham's bowing before the heathen, and the rest of bowings, which thou speaks of, in the scriptures of the Old Testament; Christ is come, to whom every knee must bow, and tongue confess to the glory of God;' and not the angels bowed down to, nor worshipped. So ye have shown whose ministers ye are that are crying up bending and bowing the knee; is not this like kissing of Baal, and bowing the knee to Baal? Now Christ is come, to whom every knee must bow. And as for master, ye have thrown yourselves into that transgression, and excluded yourselves from among the brethren; for Christ saith, 'Be not ye of men called master, for ye have one master, even Christ, and ye are all brethren.'

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P. He saith, Swearing is a part of God's worship,' page 235. And Christ was far from overthrowing the worship of God.' And 'it was the formal part of an oath, when the apostle Paul said, God was his witness.' See page 238.

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A. Christ, who said God was a spirit, and would be worshipped in spirit, and in the truth, said, 'Swear not at all,' who was the oath of God that ended oaths; but said, in all your communication, let your yea be yea, and nay, nay, for whatsoever is more cometh of evil.' And the apostle, who abode in the doctrine of Christ, was so far from swearing, that he saith, Above all things, my brethren, swear not at all, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath.' Neither did any of the apostles; though men that were in strife swore, and their oath ended the strife among them. And they swore by the greater, that is the true oath; but Christ, in whom is the peace, the covenant of peace, where souls come to be one, and hearts one, who are the true burthen in him, are in the oath of God, the end of all oaths. For God, when he could not find a greater, swore by himself that did not change, concerning his covenant with men that doth not change, in which men come to have peace with God.' And so men swear by the greater, whose oaths end their strife and controversy. But God, who could not find a greater, swore by himself concerning his son, the covenant of God, which ends the strife among men, and between God and man, and is the peace on earth, and good will towards men.' Now the swearing of the angels, the swearing of the priests, the swearing of Jacob, and Joseph, and David, and Solomon, Christ is the end of all

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