got up your church, which was a mass-house, and tithes, and sprinkling infants, who have had the time of compelling others to worship. But the day is breaking, the light is springing, life is rising, and glory is appearing, your torment is coming, and you can be no longer

hid.

P. He saith, Beware of false prophets; there shall be false prophets among the people, who shall bring in damnable heresies, denying the Lord that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction, and many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these resist the truth: but they shall proceed no further; for their folly shall be made manifest to all men, as theirs was.'

A. Christ said to his apostles that antichrist should come, and false prophets should arise, and before their decease they saw they were come already, as Peter and John declare, whereby they knew it was the last time. And they went forth from them, (the apostles,) and in the Revelations it is said the whole world went after them, that the nations came to be like waters, and the peoples waters, and their tongues waters, and multitudes waters; so many followed their pernicious ways, by whom the way of truth hath been evil spoken of, by you and them both. And they brought up the damnable heresy: and are as Jannes and Jambres, being men of corrupt minds, and reprobates concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further, for now is their folly made manifest, and shall be made manifest to all men. Doth not the very heathens cry out against Christendom, of the hardness of their hearts, and of their unrighteous dealings and actions? And you that are called christians have caused the way of truth to be evil spoken of. Is not the damnable heresy among you? Are not you run into all heathenish ways, who have set up temples, and tithes, and priests, and schools, and colleges, and never heard the voice of God, as ye confess, as may be seen in this book? Is not all this trumpery and trash, and these fables come up among the Papists and you, since the days of the apostles? And do not you deny the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world? the grace of God which brings salvation, which hath appeared unto all men, to bring every man to a teacher? And doth any one know the Lord that bought him, but who owns the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world? Do not all deny the Lord that bought them that deny the light? Do any see the Lord, and his blood that bought them, and purchased them, but with the light that cometh from him? And are not you all as Jannes and Jambres that withstood Moses to have kept the people in Egypt? Are not you all denying the light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into

the world? And were not all they that inwardly ravened, who got the sheep's clothing, who Christ said should come, and the apostles saw were come, who went forth from them, and whom the whole world went after; were not all these in the witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment, necromancy? Are not they wizards, familiar spirits, and witches that deny the light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world? Have not Babylon, the mother of harlots, beast, false prophet, unclean spirits, dragon, antichrists, and all deceivers been up since the days of the apostles? And hath not this been the mystery of iniquity, which hath ruled since the days of the apostles, that cries, ' prophecy is ceased,' and slays the prophets, and makes war against them that keep the commands of God, and calls the scriptures 'the law and the testimony,' and makes war against them that have the law in their hearts, and the spirit of prophecy? And hast not thou manifested thyself to be of this number, and of the stock of the great whore, that hath drunk the blood of the saints, and martyrs, and prophets?

P. Art not thou crying to magistrates, Help; stop the mouths of blasphemers?' in page 23. And stirring up the zeal of the magistrates, and showing them the zeal of the Jews' magistrates; how they did tear their clothes off at blasphemers,' in thy 31st page; and sayst,' thou could rejoice that they would breathe such an air throughout all the English quarters, and wouldst not that the Quakers should have countenance from the magistrates.'

A. Now thou hast made thyself manifest, that thou hast not the spiritual weapons; and thou mayst well deny immediate revelations, Was it not in all ages such as pretended to be ministers, and had not the life that gave forth scriptures, that called to the magistrates, to stop the mouths of blasphemers? Was not the mouth of the priests against Christ to the rulers at the council? and against the apostles, and against the prophets? and it is your mouth now to your magistrates in the apostacy since the days of the apostles. But do you think that the magistrates. will let you get atop of their backs, and gallop upon them, to be their executioners? If ye be ministers that have the spirit of God, stop the mouths of the gainsayers, for never did the apostles nor the church wrestle against flesh and blood; but they struck at the power that captivated the creatures, to the intent that the creatures might come into. the liberty of the sons of God. But thy fruits have stunk about thee, and your fruits. How barbarously have the saints and true christians in the spirit, been used among you! And so they that make war against the saints, are such as have inwardly ravened from the spirit, and so got the sheep's clothing, and turned against them that had the spirit of God: ravened from the spirit of God inwardly, lost the spiritual weapons, and had only the sheep's clothing, and that would not carry them out in

the time of need, and so were fain to fly to magistrates, to carnal weapons. And so by this means, in all ages, the righteous have been slain by them that had the scriptures, but were from the spirit that gave them forth; and all the saints upon the earth have been slain by them that have been from that of God in their own particulars; which now is awakened, by which men come to be turned unto God. And so you now, that deny the light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world, that preach, men should have sin while they be upon earth, and the body of it, and imperfection, are such as have led people captive all their lifetime, with the form of godliness without the power; and have kept people in spiritual Egypt, Sodom, and Gomorrah, in filthiness and darkness, where Christ was crucified by them whose ears were stopped to that of God in them, and that was spiritual Egypt. And so, all you that are inwardly ravened from the spirit of God in your own particulars, that have a form of godliness, but deny the power, that are ravened inwardly from that of God; ye are likely to be reprobated concerning the faith; ye are not likely to lead people to the knowledge of the truth, but to keep them in the divers lusts, laden with their sins, and 'always learning, never able to come to the knowledge of truth,' There are all the witchcraft, and sorcery, and enchantments, and familiar spirits; among such as deny the light which doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world.

And as for thy lies, and all thy slanders, and revilings, they will be thy own clothing, and wear thy own garments thou must; and they will cover thee in darkness in the day of thy judgment, when thy works are tried with fire; the witness in thy conscience shall answer, I am a friend to thy soul. And thy shame, and folly, and wickedness thou hast published to the nation. All sober people see thy folly; and thy silence had been better to have preached thee a sober man. But novices and fools must utter their folly. And the truth is gone over you, and thou shalt feel it one day when thou and thy works are tried with the fire. 'And eternally shalt thou witness, they are judged and condemned.

6

Edward Boules, who calls himself a teacher of the gospel at York, in his book he calls, The duty and danger of swearing, opened, (as he saith) in a sermon preached at York, the day of swearing the Lord Mayor.'

This is the title of his book, which he directs to Stephen Watson, lord mayor, the aldermen, and common council of that city; whose work throughout his book, that he calls a sermon, is to teach them to break the commands of Christ.

P. FIRST, he says, Christ brought down the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,' and 'the Pharisees wrested the scriptures, or made the scriptures to bend to their own righteousness.'

A. This is your own condition, and the Papists', who cannot own the scriptures as they speak; but you will make the scriptures bend to your own wills, and wrest them as the Pharisees did, and as you and the Papists do Christ's words, who says, 'Swear not at all,' and you say, 'swear.' How now, Edward Boules! who makes the scriptures bend now? Thou teachest men should swear, and Christ said, ye shall not swear at all, and so art an antichrist, and against the doctrine of Christ, and teachest thy own tradition for doctrine, and makest the commandment of Christ of none effect. He that is against the doctrine of Christ, is an antichrist, and so the Papists, and Protestants, and Pharisees all are found swearers, out of Christ's doctrine, who says, 'swear not at all;' and yet in your pride you will make a trade of his words, and a talking of his words to get money by.

P. Thou sayst, 'Christ came not to destroy the law: and it hath deceived some to say, "Swear not at all." The scripture must not be taken in general terms; for Paul said, he became all things to all men: and Christ our saviour, his intent is this, that we should not swear as we were wont to do," not at all" must be interpreted: so that you see it is the scope and circumstance of this place, that this "swear not at all" be interpreted, vain and unnecessary customs, and abuse of swearing among the Jews: and it is not unlawful to swear, but to all men not only a liberty, but in just cases a duty, and part of divine worship, not ceremonial or mutable, there is no shadow or type in it. An oath is for confirmation, and the end of strife, it gives the last peal to all differences, and gives a great honour to God, and is the proper end of worship, and consequently a great honour.'

A. They are deceived that break Christ's commands; for when he says, 'swear not at all,' he says in all your communication 'let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay, for whatsoever is more is evil.' So he layeth down no other doctrine that men should practise, than not to

swear at all,' but 'yea, yea, and nay, nay;' they that go any further, go into the evil, whatsoever is more is evil.' So mind these three things; and though the apostle became all things to all men, yet not without the law of Christ, (mark! the law of Christ,) which was, 'swear not at all.' So still that is agreeable to Christ's words; the scripture is to be taken as general, and Christ said, 'It hath been said to them of old time, thou shalt perform the oath of the Lord.' Christ said so that comprehended time, that was the end of that old time in which had

been the swearing: But I say unto you' now, 'swear not at all;' and so it was not the frivolous oaths that were among the Jews that swore, but it was true oaths that Christ brought them off from, the oath that was to be performed to the Lord, which Christ the oath of God ended, who comprehends time, and told them the danger, if they went any farther than yea and nay. And so your interpreting the scripture, who are the private interpreters, is but to wrest them to your own earthly wills; and that which opposeth the commands and doctrine of Christ, brings not honour to God, is not a part of his worship, nor is divine, but in that which is out of truth, (for none worship God but who are in Christ, who says, 'swear not at all,' who is the end of the law and the prophets, and oaths,) and is but one of your dark consequences. And so it is not men's duty in any case to swear; for the duty of man is to keep the commands of Christ, and there are none that are just that will swear, who obey the commands of Christ; but such swear who are unjust, and who are out of that which gives the last peal, and ends all differences, which ends all oaths, and all strife, and all controversy, which is Christ Jesus the covenant of God. For strifes, controversies, and differences are without the covenant of light and life, Christ Jesus, the oath of God; and so thou art not a minister of Christ, that brings people back to the law, and tells them it is lawful to swear. Here the Papists and thee are one, both opposing the commands of Christ, who would make people believe, they were the frivolous oaths among the Jews, that Christ brought them off from, and not the true oaths, and say the oath was not a shadow. I say, yes, it made peace, and ended the strife amongst men; the oath of God that was sworn by the Lord; but Christ the oath of God ends the strife, and ends those oaths that men were to swear by the Lord. So it was typical and ceremonial, and was to change, and was mutable; for Christ that comprehends time, says, 'in the old time the oath must be performed to the Lord; but I say unto you now, swear not at all.' So that was to be changed, and it did type forth something. There you may see the substance of it, Christ the oath of God, in which men have peace, who ends the strife between men and God, who makes all things new: and so they that bring men to the swearing, bring men into the evil; and they that bring men to the law and pro