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convert you to remember them that have the rule over you; they that have spoken the word of God and rule well, are worthy of double honour.'

A. You are apostatized from those elders among the apostles, and from the apostles, in an usurped authority, ministers made by the will of men, at schools and colleges, not by the will of God, as the apostles were. So your honour must be defaced; and you are the dry branches, cut off from the true church, your church and ministry both wanting the virtue and life of God; so are broken into heaps, and sects, and names among yourselves, wanting the unity and bond of peace. The nations have gotten the name of Christians, but are dead, are from the life; and your prayers are as the Pharisees, you being found in their steps, as Matt. xxiii. read you all. You say none must be perfect upon earth, how then converted? who are converted are converted into Christ, who is perfect, out of the first, which is not perfect.

P. The enemies of the ministers are the forerunners of the heavy wrath of God; and the Jews were quite cut off from the church and made vagabonds upon the earth; they mocked the messengers of God, until wrath came upon the people. Ministers are either their fathers or nurses in the Lord. Their sin is killed, and grace is quickened by the ministers' means.'

A. It was the forerunner of the wrath of God upon the Jews, that they had temples and tithes, and stood against the ministers of Christ; it is so to you, as it was with them that saw not the substance, that now stand against the light, and fight against it. And were not railers, envious men, and persecutors always the vagabonds? And are not all you vagabonds from the life of the apostles, as the Jews were from the law of God? And are you not all on heaps about words and scriptures, showing you are without life? And are not the wrath and plagues of God, and overflowing scourge, come upon you who are thus standing against his ministers in this his day that are sent among you cages of unclean birds, who comfort not the people, kill not their sins, quicken not their grace, keeping the people in their sins, telling them they must have the body of sin, while they are upon earth! Are not you mocking the messengers and ministers of Christ? hath not the wrath come upon you? many of the people stricken dead for so doing? You are out of, and apostatized from the church of the apostles, that are persecuting and mocking the ministers of Christ who in scorn are called Quakers, who are sent freely amongst you, not for glebe-lands, tithes, Easter-reckonings, nor midsummer-dues; nor like you that put the Papists out of glebe-lands, tithes, Easter-reckonings and midsummer-dues, and get into them yourselves; that put Papists out of their mass-houses and run into them yourselves. So in this you are not like the ministers of Christ, who seek not these but them; but you are seeking these, not

them, but are putting them out; this causeth plagues to come upon you. And so it is because Papists and drunkards, and them that are now called ministers, are seeking the people's means, not the people, that makes the true ministers of Christ odious, who are in scorn called Quakers, who seek not theirs but them. And you are neither the true fathers nor the true nurses, but in the apostacy from them, and kicking against that which pricks you, going in Saul's steps, who went with priests that had tithes, who were strayed from the life, and saw not the substance, as you raveners from the spirit of God have set up tithes, who see not the substance; you harden yourselves, not hearing the voice, from whose eyes repentance is hid, posting on for your earthly interests and means, posting to courts, sessions, assizes, and benches. And this is the work you are doing, as the courts, sessions, and assizes declare, hurrying the people thither, seeking theirs not them; your spirits are tried at courts, sessions, and assizes, to be the false spirits that went forth into the world, which Peter, Jude, and John speak of, which went forth from them, and separated themselves, which the world since went after, who have been in Cain's, Core's, and Balaam's way.

P. Tradesmen and princes' labour preserves health, but mine consumes it.'

A. Here thou hast shown that thy labour, work, and ministry are not of God, that preserves health and strength; for the work of the ministry is to bring into the saving health, and preserve it, and not consume it, as thy work doth; that they may honour God with their substance, and serve him with all their strength.

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P. The law gives tithes,' say the priests, and allow we may forbear, working,' and we are content with food and raiment; and to give away our tithes, if the people will allow us food and raiment for us and our children, as is fit to make them serviceable, yet the Quakers call the ministers covetous.'

A. The Jews' priests who were made obedient to the faith, had a commandment, while they were under the priesthood, to take tithes according to the law, but the ministers now turn again from the faith to the law, and say the law of God gives it them, and say the tythes are not the people's but the Lord's. Did not the apostles cut off tithes before the law and in the law, the priesthood and law both? and have not you here shown yourselves apostatized from the apostles, so in the apostacy, who have set up a law, the first author whereof was the pope, and say the law gives it us, and that you would not leave tithes unless the people would make a bargain with you to maintain you, your wives and children? Was this the work of the apostles' ministry? What shameless words are these! What! set yourselves thus that all people may view your folly? What the apostles did give, was it upon condi

tion, that the people should give them food and raiment for it? Did not the apostles say, 'He that will not work let him not eat?' But from the whole practice of the apostles you are apostatized. And are

not your covetous practices discovered through all the courts, sessions, and assizes in the nation? You posting up thither, and suing, and causing them to go thither you do no work for-what is this but covetousness and unrighteousness?

P. 'The Quakers say, that the priests are persecutors like the priests and Pharisees of old; but they shall be taught one day to know, that if the magistrate stops their mouths, he does no more persecute them, than a thief when he is hanged,' &c. You say, 'you wish all the Lord's people were prophets.'

A. This is a lie found in your mouths; for you say prophesying is ceased; this you sound abroad all the world over, as far as you can. This shows that you are not able to stop their mouths, nor resist the spirits of those of whom you say, it will be no more persecution for the magistrate to stop their mouths, than to hang a thief. And thus to all magistrates that fear God, you appear with shame; and all may see what you crouch for under the mountains, for blood, Jezebel like, and make the magistrates your pack-horses, and the executioners of your malice. But the Lord God of heaven and earth, in his wisdom, is opening the eyes of many; that moderation appears in such in whose hearts the fear of the Lord is placed, that tries many of you, and turns many of you to your own weapons, to see what weapons you have, and they find you but wrestlers against flesh and blood, striking at the creatures, not at the power which captivates them, to bring them out of it into the liberty of the sons of God. The true ministers' work was to beat down blasphemers, errors, and false prophets; to stop the mouths of gainsayers; rebuke, exhort, teach, instruct with all authority, and cut off occasions with spiritual weapons. And this power had they in the church, and cried not to the magistrate, 'take them away, they disturb me.' Oh! shameless! shame thyself before all the people in the congregation! This was not the work of the ministers of Christ to do so. And this authority in the church, before mentioned, which the ministers of Christ had to stop the mouths of gainsayers, and silence false prophets and blasphemers, they had from God, and looked not at men to help them; but they who apostatized from the apostles, the beast, the false prophet, the mother of harlots, that deceived the nations, that were out of the power of the apostles and Christ, have had their power from men; all the false ministers upon earth are seeking to them to stop blasphemers as they imagine, being but contrary to their minds, while they themselves are the blasphemers, as weighed and judged by the scriptures and spirit of truth. And the magistrates' work, the power

which he receives from God, is to punish profane open sins; and the ministers' work is to bring people from under that occasion.

P. The magistrates set their guards at our doors, and let in none but whom they please. Let the kings of the earth show an uninterrupted succession, giving them right to their crowns, and I will show a more undoubted succession to the ministry. All the Christians in our parishes are our flock, we undertake to prove the truth of such churches.'

A. Your church is guarded with carnal weapons, and the succession of your ministry is like unto the succession of earthly kings' crowns, which are all made by the will of men. And the magistrates have been but your servants, and through ignorance have quenched the spirit. And your work hath been to destroy the order concerning edification, practice, and doctrine of the apostles in the true church, who said, 'Let all speak one by one. If any thing be revealed to another that sits by, let the first hold his peace. The spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets.' From this you are apostatized, and have gotten a law to stop the practice of this in your church apostacy, whose doors, many of them, you keep with clubs and staves, lest any should be moved from the spirit of the Lord to speak amongst you from the Lord. And your parishes and flock which you undertake to prove to be a true church; alack for you! that people should be so impudent as to say these are the pillars and ground of truth, or that the steeple-houses are the pillars and ground of truth! A company of drunkards, swearers, covetous, proud persons, given to pleasures, you are, like them that said they were Jews, and were not, but the synagogue of satan, a nest of unclean birds.

P. We expect not perfect unity, till we have perfect knowledge and holiness.'

A. Have you cried up yourselves to be the ministers of Christ all this while, and have not perfect knowledge, perfect holiness, perfect unity? The least unity is perfect in the spirit, and the least knowledge, and the least holiness in the spirit; and you acknowledge you have not perfect unity, perfect knowledge, perfect holiness, and this hath been the cause you have kept all people since the apostles in blindness, out of the unity, in that which is unholy, who say you have not the perfect knowledge, for the least degree of holiness is perfect, and in the holiness is the unity, in which is the perfect knowledge, though in the least degree. And this thou hast confessed you have not, and we do believe you; and from thy own words thou and you are proved unsanctified; for who are sanctified have perfect unity, perfect knowledge, perfect holiness.

P. 'I use notes as much as any man, when I am lazy or busy,' &c. A. This is what holds up your lazy minds, what you gather out of

books, selling it again by the hour-glass; and you make that day you call the sabbath your market day, selling both prayers and preaching, who have not the spirit of the Lord to lead you to speak as it moves, and to lead you to all truth as it did the disciples. So it is laziness. indeed that hath set up your notes, and you read them by the glass for money, and have learned seven years out of books and colleges, and then gather up notes out of your authors and books, and thus make a trade of them, and then tell the people you are sent, and it is the word of the Lord, when it is but from the reading of books! And yet you tell people you never heard the voice of God, if any ask you; and thus deluders are judged out of their own mouths, who have a law, if any are moved of the spirit of the Lord, while they are reading their notes, or speaking before or after, none are to speak against what they have gathered out of their books and studies; which was not the work of the true ministry, but the work of those who were out from the true spirit, and so were ministers of the letter, and old authors, and

notes.

P. He saith, "They are unmerciful men that say, more glorious days are appearing, and that the saints shall rule the world.'

A. In this thou hast judged thyself, and there need no more words be spoken to it. And the rest of thy lies and slanders in thy book, are not worth mentioning, they will fall upon thy own head.

John Cole's Book, (printed 1658,) his principles in it follow.

P. 'It is a common thing for the young harlot to say, mind the light within.'

A. The light which doth enlighten every man who cometh into the world, draws from all harlots, and they are out of it; and such may beget proselytes, and father them upon God, who are not in the truth; but the day is come that all things are made manifest, and by it do appear. And the light which every man which cometh into the world is enlightened withal, is the offence to all the evil doers who are out of salvation and the covenant of God, and none see salvation but by it.

P. 'The young harlot can but mend evil old Adam by her exhortations, and instructions, and doings, and threatenings, and she doth fright some to her obedience.'

A. The harlot is in that which evil old Adam is in, in the transgression; and so they who are harloted from the spirit of God cannot mend and instruct the transgressor, they themselves being in the transgression. They may tell them of the saints' words, and speak them,

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