under the teachings of God which will be a stable peaceable Government when we shall strive no more for disciplying Ministers Your power that you hold up is full of many horns of the beasts pushing and persecuting in your thought such as will not come under your bow but God will have a peaceable dominion when your power lies as low as Doctor Hill's bones This is a hard doctrine to you which you have not learned at Oxford and Cambridge yet you must stoop to his dominion Christians and People how have you been deluded in your way and solely conceited in earthly Priests Is not Christ all in all Ye look upon mortal man to teach yet God hath a providence that teacheth and ruleth all things in heaven and in earth Doth he not guide Winter and Summer and every season declareth his wisdom and by his power dark things declare forth the light that the people may know there is an higher Ministery then that of men Doctor Pulpitian know this the more you tie men to your audience the more they shall break off from your tyecal ties and your hearers shall be few in number Further know this When they turn their backs upon you there will be a great consumption of your power as we may call a consumption of the lungs or an endless consuming so that you shall be a hopeless Ministery for Christ is the beginning and end of every work and all truth is from the Father and the Son Christ never resisted the powers but said Give tribute to whom tribute belongeth he further said Give Caesar his due He was circumcised he read the Law he went into the water and was baptized yet all things are failable when he cometh in power then all such customes and forms must be done away though he suffered all after the flesh yet he redeemed all by a spiritual power and shall controverse for every wrong done in the flesh contrary to the will of God Doctor there must be a falling away but not from God but shall bring them neerer to God It shall not be a falling from their Sabbath rest which is the endless Ministery of Christ but it shall be a falling away from your power that the mystery of iniquity may be dissolved or discovered for there must be a great falling away and then you Stars or Ministers called shall fall from your high perfection and shall dissolve before Sion Ministers you shall be much disconsolate at this great falling away when your sheep shall seek a new Shepherd and go to the right Shepherd Christ Jesus when the kingdoms and powers shall be all given into his hand when no man shall say I am a Priest or a Minister of God then you high Doctors may say How are the mighty fallen How be our weapons of spiritual warfare perished and we are counted as low as other men Babylon thy honour is going down thy Temple is rent for there will be a falling away from thee two parts of the people shall fall away and the other two shall be tryed in the fire of his jealousie for God will bring all things upon trial to prove who are sincere and who are not and who will lay down life and all for him and who will not This falling away from you will be a redeeming of the people to Christ by bringing them out from your adulterous power of Ministery which is not of Christ but of men and cannot stand for yours is the Gospel of men and not from above your power is literal and you as so many decoy-ducks that deceive and insnare many others so do you captivate all those that follow you and neglect the principal of all which is Christ Isai 20. and 23. The Lord saith He will make a consumption in the midst of the Land which is now to be observed by this great falling away as by a shaking or quaking of the people of God which sheweth they must fall from your Ministery and be restored to Christ their great Conquerour This Tribe of Christ called the North-Tribe shall grow and prosper until it come to be an invincible Tribe of the Lion of Judah This Lion of the North shall cause all the beasts of the field to quake and a terrible shaking shall be that have disobeyed him This great Conquerour Christ Jesus of the new covenant first appeareth to the Messenger of the covenant and so to the North-country by an alusion to Jeremiah saying As I have scattered them so will I gather them from the North country and from all the countries where they have been scattered Christ alone he shall gather the people he is King of the North-country and of all the countries when his power doth arise it shall be as water in the bowels of the world he shall gather the people he shall sit and rule upon his Throne he is the Lion of the North-skâ—…t of the Jews whose power shall go forth This Tribe of the North is the Tribe of Judah to whom every Tribe shall stoop and fall Gen. 49.8 Judah thou art as a Lion thy hand shall he upon the neck of thy enemies Judah thou art as a Lion from the prey and shalt stand up for the Scepter shall not depart from thee nor a lawgiver from between thy feet until Shiloh come and unto thee shall the gathering of the people be So that I finde this Lion of the Tribe of Judah shall gather in all the lost Sheep of Israel to their fold that Christ may separate the Sheep from the Goats which will be a great shaking and falling away from your Ministery When God shall divide your Sichem and deliver his people out of your hands to be taught of Christ and taken from your mouth Then they may joyfully say Our Moon is set and no darkness appeareth The Lord is the light of our Temple The seventh and last part of this Sermon is set forth to declare the peaceable dominion of the Son of righteousness Obj. SOme Priests may say We have fasted we have prayed we have sighed and mourned for the people All this may be yet Christ hath done so before thee for he hath laid his life down and done the work thorowly for all that can believe Then Oh Priest look to thine own soul and take no charge of other mens souls though Noah Daniel and Job should pray for others yet they can have an answer but for their own souls for Christ is the end of all happiness and salvation he is the end of war look upon Sion the City of solemnisie to see Jerusalem a quiet habitation a peaceable dominion When the people see the Ministiners shall be ashamed when the Lord of Hostes shall raigne in Mount Sion and sit before his ancient glory to judge when Christ shall sit upon his throne by a Government called Mount Sion by an Auditory of twenty four or some twelves in other places to declare and effect condigne justice to all according as God shall
martyrs Come may the Church say Let us eat her up for God hath given her into our hands and Christ shall raign and shall put all authority under his feet IT shall be a peaceable Dominion when Christ shall raign over the Earth by a personal power of Saints that shall fully hold forth the Scepter He shall come to raign in power over the earth till all rule and authority is put under his feet Kings must throw down and stoop to his peaceable Dominion he shall make straight every crooked way his endless Priesthood shall teach when every mouth shall be stopped he giveth peace which the world cannot give he saith Walk in my way I will be your Sun and your light when every form and written declaration shall cease and be no more I would have all men live above the flesh by a heavenly procreation or inclination of doing good and that is perfection indeed for by doing well thou shalt have joy unspeakable which will be as a whole kingdom in thy soul I would have Gods people preach forth restoration and desire to see a full manifestation of things made out as the Lord alone to be all our teacher he is our Protector and not man his Priestly power shall be a peaceable Dominion when Monarchy is put down though Kings and Lord stands in his place and Protectors stand in his place yet who shall stand when he appeareth by a more brighter shining light when all shall be forced to give up their dignities stoop to his peaceable Dominion Isa 66. I will send them to declare my glory among the Gentiles shewing the great day of Jehovah when men shall finally throw down their high titles and then peaceable Dominions shall raign What Priest will plead for my name saith the Lord against them that set themselves so high as Lord and King and set themselves up by earthly enjoyments Therefore God hath raised my Spirit to plead against all the Priests and to lay open their folly that call themselves Seers in Israel and yet keep all things as they were ye have not yet preached the Gospel but denied the Son of God and the power of his resurrection for ye have given his glory to men Therefore as yet ye have not preached the Gospel nor laid your life down as yet for the truth You have declared the History of the Prophets and of Peter and Paul but we have had enough of it without you would preach them out of their Graves But which of you Priests will vindicate life for the eternal Gospel to set Christ upon his throne to say he is King alone and Lord alone and so deny outward honour and acknowledge nothing honourable but the Lord and that is true Gospel thou must tread down all for Christ thou shalt tread upon Scorpions and Serpents and they shall not hurt thee it is the words of our Saviour thou must tread upon Kings Lords and Princes and Nobles and Rulers if thou beest true for Christ he is the everlasting Gospel thou shalt cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils it is the Lord that preacheth peace keepeth all alive fear not man or any power of men formed against the Gospel it shall not prosper when he appeareth Kings must lay down Princes must lay down Protectors must lay down Lords must lay down Magistrates must lay down Priests must lay down thou must lay down and I must lay down the Stars and Constellations shall fail at his appearing the negative voice shall not stand for he will give power to his two witnesses to plead for all truth before a Judgement-seat of the Saints when this Government shall be taken away and changed at his bright appearing when all formed Gospels of men shall be changed to a new Sabbath when men shall be forced to lay down for the Gospel when they shall ascribe to him kingdom power and glory and that is the full end of preaching to set God upon his throne he is the everlasting Gospel of peace and I know no other Gospel but that he should rule above every man in dignity and honor And that Lord man should not pollute his holy name Ye high Doctors may Object saying What is the power of Christ you speak so much of I answer It is the power of God that shall silence the great mens spirits when it shall apear it shall take away their sting as from King and Lord and Bishop that have formerly persecuted the Saints Christ saith All power is given me in heaven and earth and God saith Vengeance is mine I wonder how men dare do as they have formerly done to put an end to some of Gods chosen people by taking away life and free-creation and by silencing some others in prison which is a type of hell and dare not kill them lest heaven and earth should cry out against them as that it hath done long since Ye Ministers go with your hands full of blood by flattering men in their blood-thirsty-way by sowing pillows and cushions under their elbows very loth to tell them the truth from God saying Why do you take away life and free-creation from the creatures of God seeing life and death is in the hands of the Lord then what hath man to do to take away life from any of the creatures of God it is an intolerable thing which of you Priests will ingage for Christ in this cause saying Oh great men I doubt you will sink in the lake of Gods irrecoverable vengeance for vengeance is the Lords and he will give it them to drink for the Soul that sinneth it shall die Let men take heed how they act and see that they act in righteousness better they had never been born then to be bloody persecutors to offend any of those little ones of Christ either by death or imprisonment GOd teacheth us by his Son he is the sure word of prophesie our everlasting Gospel which may reprove the literal teachers that call the Scriptures the Gospel when indeed they are but the writings of men put together as a History but Christ is the eternal mystery Christ Jesus alone is our eternal peace free from failable mixture it is God from the beginning he is the word of life beyond the written word of man so is the eternal decree in paradise and as by a further manifestion of his Son to preach and declare forth all truth far above the writings of men which is not the word of God but mans word spoken in part nd prophesied in part as Paul declareth Therefore the Scripture cannot fully be called the word of God but mens traditions and part of the minde of God they prophesied in part they writ in part they believed in part of the mystery of God but Christ he comes in the volume of the book he is our sure word of prophesie far higher then any Scripture and for that cause Scripture cannot be fully called the word of God except
but what he was now I cannot tell I hear you say he was Master of Trinity-Colledge This Doctor Hill was very well known and approved of through all the University of Cambridge This Doctor Hill was a man very well beloved in the Town it rung passing-peals for him at five Churches which I have seldome heard so many Bells of Aaron ring for one Priest You tell me he had neither Son nor Daughter what did he do with all his hundreds a yeer did he build Hospitals for the poor Ye tell me he was a man of little Hospitality then I cannot speak much in his behoof The words that I shall treat upon are from the mouth of those four Prophets Ezekiel 37. Matthew 28. Zachariah 11. and Rev. 11. These four Scriptures are the very ground-work of what we shall treat upon We even we the witnesses foreshow the mystery of those Evangelical Prophets and one Angelical amongst the rest Christ the first Ezekiel Zachary and John by inference doth plainly type out the two Testaments of Law and Gospel declaring of two Scriptures one before Christ came in the flesh the other by a Testimony of Christ and John saying I come not to destroy the Law but to fulfil the Law Now we may finde these Prophets were part of the Witnesses that were before and after Christ so that these four Scriptures make out one testimony which one Scripture cannot do so affirmatively for one Scripture must prove another and so make out truth which is undeniable These four Prophets though far distant in their times yet declared out the great things of God to come in our dayes the one by a foolish Shephard that God will raise spoken of by Zachary long before the other are the two Witnesses that God will raise and put life into and shall stand upon their Feet it is not one mans feet but feet of Witnesses it is one Priest one Prophet alone which is Christ Jesus singular of himself not for man to stand as Doctor Definator and as one man cannot prove a truth so two Scriptures must of necessity make out one truth which is a vindicated truth and tolerated of God by Law and testimony But you high Doctors may question me in this thing why one Scripture cannot be tolerable as well as two My answer is because the Mount Sion came between the Law and Gospel and changed the course of Sinai to Mount Sion which is one to the Lord for Christ standeth in power of himself to prove every Scripture which is an allegory or an all-power of himself which man cannot attain unto he is the high-Priest that first entred into rest he hath trod the winepress alone so that none can stand chiefe of himself but he alone after the order of Melchizedeck a Priest for ever ordained and sent of God he is our Minister and no other Doctor I pray throw down your power you are but as other men jointly to plead among your Low equals and not to stand Lord Priest above others preaching in your cause to silence others Therefore take to thy self the instruments of a foolish Shepherd Shewing that God will deliver his mind to some poor despised Shepherd that shall declare his hand of judgement upon the Shepherds to tell them they are but as other men and shall acknowledge themselves as Sheep among others and not think so high of themselves as to be called by the name of Shepherds for Christ is all our Shepherd and we are his Sheep both Minister and People neither shall you have power to tyrannize over the consciences of the People for all things shall be judged by the Church-Community to make out the Prophesie of the Prophet Zachary by way of allusion respondent or responsive to Christ or under Christ that some foolish Shepherd should declare and stand up as a Fool amongst the learned saying Take to thy self the instruments of a foolish Shepherd Now what be those instruments To answer they be two and of no less number for one is not to be numbered but accompted as one instrument it is one witness and that is Christs place from God and it not is tolerable for one man to preach and declare of himself in his own tongue to silence the people if he doth his testimony is not true for I will give power to my two witnesses and they shall prophesie meaning that two or three may prophesie preach or disciply and answer each other in order so that I finde one alone whether he be a Minister or a lay-man of himself cannot be tolerable to speak for the plural number shall extinguish the singular Christ excepted for he saith By the mouth of two or three witnesses every truth shall be established Christ saith his own testimony could not be true except his Father bore witness with him So that he always appeared to two or more the two Maries sought him early in the morning It sheweth to us that these women were two faithful witnesses in that he said Go make known my resurrection which was a calling of them by way of ordination which Calling all you Doctors and Senators cannot shew Again when he appeared to Mary and Elizabeth the babe sprung in her wombe for joy Again he appears to the two that were going to Emmaus which caused them to say Did not our hearts burn within us when he talked with us So that talking of God is the best preaching and will cause all you Ministers to come down from your high places I mean your Pulpits and to plead among your low equals for it is not the partiality of one mans tongue that can be found lawful for Christ ever appeared to two which were the least number somtimes to three somtimes to the twelve that they might make out the truth for the witnesses must prove a true testimony two or three witnesses may make a true discovery but one cannot He saith I will give power to two that is not to one Minister he cannot fully disciply truth for every divine truth is proved by witnesses That which one affirmeth in a Pulpit another may deny it is verily so in our common Churches The truth should be reasoned out by faithful witnesses Christ saith Where two or three be gathered in my name I will be in the midst of them which is a great promise or a calling forth of the witnesses to stand up and plead against the approbation of one Ministers tongue which is unlawful for one man to deffinate or define a truth of himself to sesserate or deceive the people calling himself a Minister of God Ye Diviners Flatterers and Soothsayers that carry the power in your own tongues and yet no faithful witnesses which of you will lose all for the testimony of Christ to vindicate thy life to sacrifice thy liberty or thy parsonage for the truth of Christ Alas you carry on the truth of God by flattery and so deceive the hearers you stand deffinating and temporing
which I suppose wil be betwixt 50. or 57. or sooner that your pulpits wil down Farther To vindicate thy Calling thou sayest thou art the Minister of God so wise who may gainsay it but Solomon saith There is more hope of a fool then of him that is wise in his own conceit If thou beest the Minister of God then Christ must lose his place or thou shalt lose thine for none can say I am a Minister of God without he be sent of him saying Go or go tell them of my resurrection I doubt you will hardly prove any such calling yet we finde Christ was sent God he sent his Son in the similitude of sinful flesh once for all as the Minister of eternal life then why should men hang upon Doctor Speakers that have learned their skill from Oxford and Cambridge Ye Pulpitsayans must down one witness cannot be tolerated for he appeared to the twelve Apostles and David calleth us the Ends of the Earth that God will appear to Where two or three are met in my name I will be in the midst of them which doth debarre one mans speakal tongue for Christ is Divine of himself and man is to be joyntly as one of the Brethren and shall plead for righteousness among the rest and to live by the teachings of the Holy Ghost without Dictators or cunning deceivers And let all the Doctors high Priests and Prelates know they are but as other men and have the same infirmities not able to stand then no high Priest or Minister but faylable Then let us all talk together of the goodness of the Lord and what he hath done for our Souls acknowledging our sins one to another and pray for one another and give to one another the right hand of Fellowship which will be a sweet savour of goodness to laud the Lord together Doctor I know none but Christs Disciples that were tolerated to preach and not any but such as he said unto Go and learn all the Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost Mat. 28. he appeared to the two Maries saying Go which was a lawfuller calling then any you can shew and he gave some of his Disciples gifts of healing which you have not received Doctor one mans tongue cannot comparmise nor comprehend the full truth of God as the Church may do by many voyces and witnesses if Christ himself the eternal Priest denyed himself from his own power of speaking how ought you to be cautelous of speaking your own words though in a Pulpit I marvel how Pulpits first came up they be much a kin to your Fonts where ye disciple Babes in Clouts which is as a Monster that shall never come to perfection There be many things more that I may tell you of Malachy 3. saith Bring the Tythes into my store-house as if by an illusion he should say For the Blind the Lame the Fatherless the Widow and the Aged to relieve the Oppressed that men might be eased of Collection to the Poor in every Parish and for all such as want And you Pulpit-men work with your hands as others do for you are almost at the end of your period having so much of the Letter and so much example of Christ that I wonder with Paul when he said Who hath bewitched you that you do not obey the truth Ye Doctors are carried away from Christ by Self-ends and personal interest as great Tythes which is utterly unlawful for them that call themselves Ministers of God and yet rob his Store-house and commit Sacriledge against God Under the Law the order of Gods House was changed by the Priests and the Prophets reproved them for it under whose reproach ye Doctors and Ministers lye to this day in that ye rob God of his interest Bring the Tythes into my Store-house for now I reprove you under the testimony of Christ There was a Treasury in the time of the Apostles and Christ which the people ministred unto and brought in their gifts consecrating their love to Gods house as Joanah and Susanna ministred of their substance to the Treasury and the Widow brought in her mite which was received with great acceptation which way of Gods worship you and the Bishops have strangled Gods House and got those priviledges into your own hands Again I must tell you both Minister and People impropriations would make the poor of such places merry if they might or could have their right given them but we have so many devouring Foxes have stoln them away and you have not pleaded for them in the Pulpits but you falsly keep those benefits to your selves ye blind guides of the people that make clean the outside and the inside is full of putrification These Pulpitians have spoyled the Commonwealth of Israel you have been one of the Hornes of Oppression otherwise we might have had the Government of Christ set up before now which is by Four and Twenty as we may call Governallity which is Governation A Parliament of Four and Twenty which should be for commonality but you have stood so high in your Pulpits that the silly World believeth that your Pulpits were ordained of Christ which were nothing so but arose from Bishops Deanes Chancellors Deacons or Doctors of Divinity as ye call them men of low descent yet raised from those two Fountaines Oxford and Cambridge pethy places for learning of the stammering tongue Christ gave gifts of learning which was not to one but to more then one as if he should say Let no man silence the people as he said John was a burning and a shining Light but I have greater witnesses then that of John for the work to finish so that one mans tongue shall not stand but the talking of witnesses shall manifest every truth for Pulpittian Christ questioneth thy Authority thy People shall speak and thou must answer otherwise the truth cannot be established without much trouble and many witnesses which produceth the grand voyce of the Church And therefore ye Taskmasters down with your Hour-glasses many words in your own tongue cannot satisfie the people neither can you make out truth by your own tongue Noah was a Preacher of righteousness but not in a Pulpit and Abraham preached forth Faith he believed and it was counted for him for righteousness The good life of those two Fathers preached righteousness to the people and so should yours be to act in righteousness without partiality of the tongue It is not the hearing nor the preaching but the doing of righteousness for to enquire the way and not to walk in it is a vain thing We ought all to live up to God in truth and that is the best teaching To disciply and distinguish truths is good learning and the best preaching to answer the things of conscience by the grand power of the Church and not to rest upon the mouth of one teacher neither do I know any Minister after the flesh but like Minister like
number of seven yeers that their weapons and power shall have an end Now to accomplish this prophecie look in Ezek. 38. he speaketh of burning their weapons burying of their bones which we hope will be in some short time after 1650. or before 1657. in our Nation We cannot predict the full accomplishment or make out a full discovery of the great designe he hath to do or when it shall fully end yet I hope the time is at hand for a short work will the Lord make upon earth to redeem those dry bones that have been very dry poor Witnesses of Christ killed and troden down by your Priestly power false Christs second-hand Teachers of the letter but can give no spiritual life and yet call your selves Ministers of God you shall fall with great rebuke one witness of Christ shall chase a thousand of you and two witnesses shall put ten thousand of you to flight O down with your false power for Christ Jesus will redeem Israel out of your hands The two Witnesses plead shall bring down your power as lowe as Doctor Hill's bones for the Witnesses shall live without your teachings and shall stand upon their feet a mighty Army O Arm of the Lord every Power shall perish under thee Object Doth Christ need Ministers then where is his power or divine light or spiritual appearances Doth he not appear in all and teach all by a spiritual teaching which is far higher then all fleshly teachers can do I am ashamed to hear your Sorceries to say ye are his Ministers then ye may go and teach him what to do The Heavens preach the Stars preach and the Creatures preach in Psal 14. but what is this to the preaching of God in his power Christ Jesus is in the mount and preacheth to all things John saith he is the Angel fleeing in the midst of heaven and preaching the everlasting Gospel to every kindred language and nation then what need we have so many Preachers When Christ preacheth to all he silenceth the tongues of men and Angels Christ is upon the mount and it cleft asunder shewing that every preaching power shall break and dissolve Now the Angel he preacheth in power Christ Jesus is the Angel of the Covenant therefore let all the earth be silent he will make all quiet before him it is he alone that shall still the rage of the sea and will quiet mens spirits when they shall yield the power of preaching into his hand when Ministers shall strive no more for their own power He is the onely preacher When he stood upon mount Olivet it cleft in sunder so shall every preaching power dissolve before him He is the preacher of light and life but ye Diviners Soothsayers and Flatterers ye call your selvs preachers what need that There is but one preacher he standeth on the mount Christ he shall put all rule and all authority under his feet he leadeth us by his holy Spirit that shall guide us in all truth The Creatures may preach yet not declare forth the invisible power of God for that is proper to Christ alone to preach forth the everlasting Gospel Rev. 14. Therefore stop your mouthes ye Priests for every one shall be taught of God from the greteast to the least even ye high Doctors must come under the teachings of the Son of God he is the Day-star that dawneth from on high If ever thou wilt see life that spiritual life must be from him to transform thee into the likeness of him for the way of all mens teachings shall burn up with their wood and straw and every untempered thing which holds up the abomination that makes desolation And truely Ministers are to blame in this thing of discipline Paul saith Eph. 3.10 that principalities and powers in high places ought to be approved by the Church that is to put forth Queries of Scripture and to quire out every truth by witnesses for every vision shall fail at the beatifical vision Ye sons of Ai must down it is not any visible power that can stand before the invisible nor any created power stand before the Ordained and Created Minister of God Ye sons of Levi must throw down though you have been Legators so long yet now there is an Alligator that teacheth us all things by his bright appearing far higher then you can elevate It is not your literal teachings but it is the invisible teachings of the Son of God that maketh wise to salvation Call not thy self a Minister of Christ for he is a Minister of himself Therefore lay down thy power for he teacheth us in all truth We and our predecessors have been taught by you and such as have called themselves Lord Bishops horrible names and intolerable to call themselves Lords And you Priests call your selvs Ministers of Christ yet you are but of that spawn of Euphrates that shall dry up with thy Lord Bishop Lord of folly Those and such as you be have nuzled up the people to thie day But now God will teach his people to stand and live without your Lordly power Your Bishops are fallen and you must fall under contempt for sitting in the holy place as Ministers or false Christs to deceive and seduce the people Some of you have gone under the notion of Lord Priests great Impropriators of Tythes and Donatives and could license authority and give gifts to men as spiritual Peters that had the keys of Purgatory but not the keys of heaven-gates they could lock and unlock they had all in their own hands as if they had been spiritual Lords of heaven and earth And truely what are ye Ministers and high Doctors If the Bishops were the cedars you are the shrubs that must be pluckt up for your power is like to burn as one of the four Constellations for your heavenly power shall go down with your earthly power and shall be consumed by invisible fire from above The universality of God shall so appear in flesh that men shall refuse your teachings and shall repair to the house of the Lord saying He will teach us of his ways which will put an end to your divided Ministery When God teacheth all shall be silenced Ministers silenced and people silenced and every power silenced in heaven and in earth John saith There was silence in heaven for the space of half an hour which declareth Gods wonderful works When Medeum is in the midst of his power in the top of the mountains your elevated powers shall cleave in sunder and every power shall shake and fall at the presence of Christ the great King Oh faithless generation can ye not stand and live in faithfulness to Christ he teacheth thee and me all things how to live he doth inherently teach every one that will savingly come to God and none can come to the Father but by him all other Teachers are but vain ostentation and failable but God inwardly teacheth Ye high Doctors petty Priests Legators and Merit-mongers
you that can teach the holy Ghost saying ye have begotten souls and have power to convert souls truely in that ye are the greatest deceivers in the world Conversion is not from the letter of history it is a work of great mystery beyond mens prating Yet some of you will say you have begotten many souls to Christ which if ye can do so ye may set up Meriting-houses to please the people It is not your much teaching that can do it you be but Historians all upon the literal history not discerning the mystery of Gods work which is called Conversion It is Gods work let no dirt-danber meddle with converting of souls But some of you Historian Priests will say Did not Paul the great Doctor of the Gentiles convert souls I answer No. But did not Peter convert 3000 at one Sermon Yes he did so but it was but to an outward conformity of Religion as you train the people up to and all is but in the outward that ye can do for ye are not the very Christ to do it Then lay down for renovation is a work of God and not of man to do and Ministers stand for a cypher and the men of Galilee stand gazing upon them I am but a fool yet not the son of folly if I erre I erre for Christ He that giveth honour to mâ—n can never truely honour God Silly people have your Ministers perswaded you all this while saying they can convert souls and cannot O down with their power as lowe as Doctor Hills bones Let their power be utterly dissolved for in Gods account they be no more then other men and shall fall more contemptibly then the Bishops for they have hid the mystery of iniquity and kept it as a sweet morsel under their tongues and seduced the people These Merit-mongers Legators that keep the people under their bonds meriting Christs mediators betwixt God and the people as if the history of the Bible could convert souls Alas no it is not done by the history of mens works neither can it be done by the example of Historian Fatherly Authors it is not a work of history but Gods work of mystery to convert to salvation Therefore Priest lay down thy power and let the people speak from the heavenly University and as they be taught of God so let them speak from the All-speaker that shall teach both Minister and People Ye Mediators Ministers as ye call your selves ye seduce many souls and keep them under your yoke from that freedom they have or might have in God being free and yet not free by your bonds O down with all such yoke-Ministers if Christ hath made thee free thou art free indeed come no more under their yoke but walk so as thou mayst be judged by the law of liberty John bids thee buy eye-salve but not of men which is an outward and vain ostentation it is not an outward knowing that can do it it is by a spiritual inward knowing that we live You say that we receive faith by hearing or the preaching of faith I confess outward faith may come by the letter preached but saving faith is of the gift from above Then salvation is onely of God and not from the letter Then how hard a thing is it for a Priest to convert souls Even as to create the whole creation Therefore Doctor Priest thou must surely lay down thy power for thou hast taken upon thee a work of renovation which is beyond Ministers art and skill for Christ is the souls solempnicy and the first moving cause of our salvation he is our Minister and sollicitor and ye dissembling Christs that say ye have been means of mens salvation and have begotten souls to God and call your selves soul-saving Ministers Ye false tongues stop your mouthes for shame ye Wise-men Counsellors Priests and Legators Definators Merit-mongers that call your selves the Seers in Israel or Watch-men over poor souls Alas Doctors your sorrow is at hand Mic. 3. saith The seer shall be ashamed and the diviner confounded they shall cover their mouth for there is no answer of God You call your selves soul-savers but we may call you Wise-men that beguile the people whose counsel shall stand but a while for the Prophet Isaih saith Your counsellors shall be as at the first taught of God as Abraham and Noah were Christ and the Spirit of God is our great Counsellor and shall be as Law and Testimony in us that shall lead us in all truth and those be the two Witnesses of the great Jehovah dwelling in us which will confound every Ministerial power and every ordained power of man For now is the time of the Elijah and the Witnesses prophecie If ye be soul-saving Ministers then change the course of the rain if you can You say you can and have converted souls then you may as well change the course of drought which is now a judgement upon the earth for three yeers and a half But the Lord will make the heavens as brass and the clouds as iron And under this three yeers and a half the Witnesses shall prophesie in sackcloth though not utterly killed as they have been before the Law and under the Law and since Christ came in the flesh until now the opening of the sixth Seal which produceth life to the two Witnesses though by prisonment and sackcloth under this seventh Vial. Noble Pulpittian thou must lay down four high titles and give them up to Christ Thy Ministery Thy Priesthood Thy Power and thy Teaching for all this belongs to Christ But thou sayst thou art an instrument I doubt not but ye are some of those instruments spoken of by the Prophet Zechariah saying What are those instruments in thy hand he said to me These were they that wounded me in the house of my friends And the Lord saith he was wounded by such instruments You Ministers may be outward Ministers and yet come short of converting souls to God but what ye can do outwardly by a conformity and no more Thou art an instrument but not instrumental that is too high for man seeing thou art but a creature so I finde that there is no power in thy hand thy instrument cannot do it for he is instrumental and not thou Thou art haven but he is havencial Thou art a petty Priest but he is an eternal Priest Then become a fool as I am and throw down that thou mayst be made wise For he is the Priesthood-power and glory renovation is of God and not of men Doctor thou tellest me thou art instrumental and so far thou speakest an untruth for it 's proper onely to God And thou art but star but he is starrestial He is unmoveable and thou art changeable He is Minister and thou but Star Thou art an Angel but he is Angelical Thou art Man but he is God Christ is the Minister and Mediator of our souls and therefore lay down thy care and charge of mens souls and look to thy
own soul and say no more I am in Christs stead Doctor know that thine is an earthly authority but Christ is a Minister by an heavenly authority Then lay down thy false power You say you are Ministers of God and yet can minister but the outward letter and the letter shall non-residence you and suspend your authority for you are but false Christs Therefore Priest thou must lay down Christ is all thy Lectury he is eggal tyal and substantial You are but egg but he is eggal Therefore lay down and say We are no teachers but pleaders for righteousness mercy and justice and cannot teach the holy Ghost Christ is the altar then go no more to the Scribe nor to any earthly teacher If Christ be truely formed in thee go no more to the Wise-man or the Scribe which be inwardly ravening wolves and yet they come in Christs name which enjoy the tenth part of our Nation called the Tythes and Impropriations which might outwardly redeem the poor the blinde and the lame the fatherless and widow People you look for an outward speaking but the inward speaking is of God It is the holy Ghost that speaketh in thee and me and that is the surest teaching and ten thousand times more good it will do thee then all thy second-hand-teachers that cannot declare a true testimony Then all ye blinde guides that lead the blinde the Lord doth rightly teach Ministers dare not express themselves men dare not express themselves therefore the truth of Christ must needs suffer violence And I finde that these Wise-men and Counsellors are but the Witch of the world Ye Pulpittians there can be no election of Ministers but by Christ in whom he said Go it was in those days a work of election onely of Christ and from Christ an Ordination tolerated by the Son of God but now that power of election is of none effect and let him be what he will if a Minister or Lay-man if he take upon him to ordain or elect any to be Ministers of God or to give any such authority he falsly standerh in Christs place and cometh not in at the door but take Christs Office in their hand and they are not called to it The work of mans Priesthood failed long since for Christ is our high-priest once for all and he standeth a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedek He shall purge the sons of Levi that they may bring an offering in righteousness which is to throw down their power at the eternal power and live up to the endless Ministery of Christ and shall say I am no more a Minister of God I am but as other men Mens Priesthoods have been ever held up with money and outward territories but Christ teacheth freely and so did all they that he tolerated and sent All his disciples were without resting-places so are not ye he said The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of man hath nowhere to hide his head Which of all the disciples of Christ held up personal proprieties to themselves I am sure amongst them it was not a common thing as it is amongst you for some of our Priests have large inheritances and will rather lose Christ then lose their Parsonages or great possessions of land But Christ did not ordain such disciples but such as were to carry neither scrip nor staff to trust to shewing that proprieties were not given them Learn of me saith Christ if I have nothing what can you expect if I be your example be as I am I tell thee if thou beest never so high a Doctor and eminent for gifts and yet dost buy and sell the creation thou art no Minister of God Therefore lay down thy authority for it is false At the first the Creation was not bought and sold for money it was to stand in its own original and not to be traduced or ingrossed by money and so to be changed from its original None of the Apostles bought or sold the Creation for money as some of our Doctors have done which is utterly unlawful Heaven is the Lords throne and the earth his footstool Now ye abominable Priests that buy and ingross the earth into your hands and tolerate all others so to do can a man buy the Lords throne for money No for it his place of rest neither can ye buy the earth which is his footstool Therefore ye Ministers are buyers and sellers and as money-changers in the Temple of God and for this cause of buying and selling the Creation your Temple is broken in pieces and there shall not be one stone lest upon another that shall not be thrown down So that I clearly finde that Ordination of Priests and Ministers ceased at buying and selling the Creation for then Christ came and put an end to their Ministery and God appears chiefly to us by his Son having him dwelling in us by the gift of the holy Ghost that is the Law and Testimony in us And God hath left power to his two Witnesses to plead for righteousness because there was no truth in the Priests therefore he hath given the two Witnesses power that shall hold to the end DOctor I see nothing but an end of all Traditional preaching for Mediumal preacheth in the mount of his power and requireth setting up thrones and to bring all things before the seat of justice Christ must sit upon his seat and judge the ends of the earth He is said to sit upon twelve thrones that is by an audiencee of twelve voices to vindicate and make out the full truth by Witnesses Then where is your preaching power your grinding in a Mill will cease Ye stand beating the Pulpit but all is in vain for the honourable seat of Justice will exclude all your seenal Witcherasts You have preached long yet no justice mercy nor truth is in our borders But the Prophet Zâ—chariah saith In those days and at that time many shall be joyned to the Lord which sheweth they shall throw off the Ministeries of men And the Prophet Hosea saith They shall be sowed to the Lord in truth in mercâ— and loving kindness saith the Lord I will betroth thee unto me That shews that every one should understand and know their Mariage union with Christ and come out from Priest and People It is not enough to say thou art a Christian but thou must prove thy self by an inward Law and testimony with the approbation of the grand Church that is by an inward and outward testimony that shall make them free Heb. 4.9 There remaineth a rest to the people of God and in vers 10. He that is entred into that rest hath ceased from his own works as God did from his This Christian rest is perfection of parts without toyl and legal cate having inward sanctity in the soul which is a sweet Sabbath-rest and I know no other Sabbath You observe days called Sundays outwardly and do not look to the
inward Sabbath to rest in God I wonder who hath bewitched you from the eternal rest Doctors and Ministers Once in that setled rest made free in Christ then free indeed The houshold of faith are no more under your Legalities once free in Christ free indeed he is our true vine and ministreth to us the Holy Ghost and setteth us at liberty from all the earthly Christs to live by the spirit of life and Christ preaching in us that maketh us inwardly and outwardly free from the traditional and literal teachings of men Once in covenant with Christ and for ever sallowmorted in the fellowship of the Son of God by a solempnisie or setled union with the Lord as Abraham and Noah did free from the teachings of men that came in his name and are not the very Christ but deceive the people using many words yet Christ never did so he spake few words and the people answered him And likewise the Apostles did so by disciplying and answering Disputations Every Christian ought to be in a married union with Christ and so throw off the Priests and cry Abraham Abraham our father after the order of Melchizedek a Priest for ever Christ a Prophet a Priest a Teacher a Fore-runner and so throw off all Legators that stand as Lawyers in their Pulpits pleading Mediators betwixt God and many mens souls But Melchizedek was a Priest long before Aaron the Priest or any high Priest of you all Christ was and is a Priest unchangeable but you are instruments in his hand I do not call you Ministers because you destroy the Offering of Gods Temple so you shall be destroyed and your change it is nigh at hand God had an house before any Priest of Levi was whereof Gods extent was first extended by an Ordinance ordained to Abraham which was the Tenth of all his substance that should go to the house of God whereof Abraham brought in the Tenth of his substance unto the house of God after the order of Melchizedek after Gods order And because you have denied these things therefore your Priestdom shall cease and your power shall go down You Sâ—onets Ministers of God as you call your selves though but outward instruments such as have wounded the Lord in the house of his friends The Prophet Zâ—chariah much complaineth against all such ministring instruments as Pulpittians men of conformity as if their conformity was the way to salvation Those are instruments indeed that teach salvation and yet not the very Christ yet come in his Name and deceive many and will not lose one days teaching of the people by no means but will get one Sionet or another to learn the people salvation and will give the man that stands in their absence twenty shillings for his Sabbath-days work of preaching conformity to the people night and morning as if the way of conformity was the very way to salvation and thus one Priest gratifieth another for money as if salvation could be bought with money O out with all money-changers of the Temple for the Lord will cut off the name of Baal out of the earth that stand bawling with their own tongues for money And are not these money-changers of the seenal Witchcrafts very subtil and crafty yet call themselves the Ministers of God simple instruments in his hand We may call a spade a spade in ones hand for what is one man more then another When God is instrumental and teacheth us all by his Son a Priest for ever he is instrumental and not man Foolish man may take upon him Christs office and set himself high as Scribe over the people yet he shall come down to plead among his low equals Wo to you Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites ye outside Preachers of the letter and cannot minister the spirit for God inwardly teacheth and so will do when all your forms are down for Christ saith Ye shall all be taught of God from the least to the greatest which is a far higher teaching then that of men The next thing that I shall treat upon is my desire to see the people come out from those false Christs and be married to Christ Jesus in the new Covenant which is a glorious and spiritual marriage made free in him and come no more under Legators yoke To be taught of God is to live by the Son of God without the teachings of men and that is to stand in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and come no more under their yoke of bondage but live up to Ordination which is above the teachings of men Though they call themselves Ministers of God believe them not for our Lord saith they be false Christs that come in his name And truely those be the men that call themselves Converters and soul-savers of the people or the feet that bring glad tidings of salvation and so nuzzle up the poor ignorant people O come out from those false Christs and see your freedom and liberty in Jesus Christ come out and stand upon your feet as faithful Witnesses raised of the dry bones redeemed from the spawn of Euphrates I mean from the Priests that preach up their own self-honour and cunningly keep to themselves the heritage of Gods house by a carnal and usurped authority that call themselves instrumental when indeed they are but formed instruments in his hand and as low as others and have wounded him in the house of his friends The Lord is ministerial and instrumental without the help of men or any such Merit-mongers that have stood so long in their Pulpits as Mediators betwixt God and so many thousand poor souls These satisfactorious Priests not ordained of God nor sent of Christ yet they run and call themselvs Curates of mens souls and Ministers of God as if the work of God were in their hands Miserable blind guides that deceive the people feigned Christs Ambassadors as they call themselves as if Christ were not in all places to preach salvation without them Doctor what will you do when your Churches stand forlorn and your people withdraw themselvs when the Lord will be worshipped in every place then what will become of your Jerusalems when God will be known in every place and the people not tyed to your formed Churches Your forms must cease and go down I cannot see but Gods people that have enjoyed the clearest light from above have ever bin persecuted by your Ministers and Clergical power if not by Bishops yet by secret counsellors that call themselves Ministers of God Though they may set themselves high and seem to take away some of the power of Christ yet God will blast their seenal Witchcrafts and cunning sophistry Though they may call themselves by those great names yet the Witch shall be cut out of the earth I cannot tell but I am sure ye have made your selvs rich and great justitious and high by robbing Gods house of Tythes and common rights and yet can set nothing in order but preach on in
art and policy who shall learn him knowledge shall Oxford and Cambridge instruct his way their places are inferiour to him for Christ is our true word of prophesie far above all art or pretended skill God is the best University he will teach his people in all truth by an inward renewing the mind if God teacheth then let men lay down and say We cannot savingly teach we preach the letter but salvation is from above he ministreth the gift of healing and man cannot do it Ordination is ceased with the Apostles and God doth appear to us by his Son and under the name of two witnesses which is the Law and Testimony within that teacheth us better then all the Priests Therefore I desire we may all see and live under the teachings of God for he teacheth us the mystery of truth let God be true and every man a lyar you Assyrian Priests may prognosticate the people but Christ is the sure word of prophesie we will hear him with a laudable voice The Priests say Hear us we will not be silenced but for all this thou must be silenced Oh Priest for Kings and Lords and Nobles and Magistrates shall be silenced at his bright appearing There shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour Rev. 8.1 Who shall stand when he appeareth by a dividing of time I say all you Ministers have not yet preached the Gospel neither can any man preach the Gospel at all until he throweth down his own power of preaching and make Christ your Priest and Teacher and say you are no more a teacher of salvation but a keeper of cattel from your fathers and to work by the sweat of your brows for knowledge shall run to and fro and meet by voices and witnesses that shall throw off and extinguish all your negative voices that stand deffinating so high in Pulpits one witness of the Minister or Priest of himself is a negative untruth and is centred upon meesum which is by a singular vote and cannot stand for it is Christ alone that shall stand to preach for he is ordained and sent as a Mediator of himself between God and man Priests I believe in short time your people will be few in number for then and at that time the people shall betroth themselves unto the Lord and will refuse your teachings when they are inwardly taught of God they shall remove from you Pulpits and ye shall no more say to the people Know the Lord for they shall all know me that is they shall all know Christ to be the Minister and shall return to their first Love from whence they were fallen saying Come do thy first work as if Christ should say Christians come enter into your rest once in him and ever he is our Sabbath and Gospel of peace he is unchangeable to the end and that is a Sabbath indeed it is not your keeping a day once a week that can make a true rest it is the Sabbath within having Christ dwelling in thee by a true faith that is a Sabbath and a rest that cannot be taken away the receivings of Christ in thee quickeneth thee every moment from day to day which sheweth forth in thee a continual Sabbath From yeer to yeer thou shalt worship the Lord and keep the feast of Tabernacles when a Christian walketh in all outward righteousness that is a feast of one Tabernacle and to walk by inward righteousness that is the other feast of Tabernacles Ye shall once a yeer come up to keep the feast of tabernacles Zach. 14. These two Tabernacles the one for an inward the other for an outward are called first and second Tables which shall be the worship that shall be set up from day to day and yeer to yeer until Shilo come Priests it is not for you to keep a day once a week and be as evious as ever it is not to keep a day and be as covetous as ever that is not a true Sabbath Christ is the Sabbath and he is our eternal rest And Minister thou must deny thy self if ever thou wouldst enter into his rest for Christ sweetneth all things to a Christian every doubt is comprehended and comprimized in him he is the end of trouble of war and of every conflict he is our Gospel-peace to still the rage of all obstruction and for want of making Christ our teacher it causeth us to follow false Christs I mean Priests and Jesuites that teach their own Gospel and set themselves up by fat parsonages feigned lovers to deceive the people as if they had the minde of God at their will Humble-bee-Priests fat belly-goded-Parsons to declare to the people once a week as if God were tied to their set times so as the Jews did so do you keep a day once a week and yet crucifie the Lord and so do ye not knowing his eternal Sabbath Ye silly people I much condole your weakness in that you so much idolize the Priests and neglect your onely true rest The Lord appeareth to us every day aswel as on that day which thou callest the Lords day and truely ye are as legal as ever the Jews were though cunningly you call your Sabbath the Lords day yet cannot take away your observed forms the Lords day is every day Therefore Priest throw down thy observation Christ is the Sabbath of rest his day is every day from yeer to yeer Ye Doctors and Priestical Ministers you are very censurous I cannot but further relate a Pulpit-story of this Doctor Hill by some godly persons of neer relation to him having some discourse with them they did not comply with his element but were a little contrary to his judgement not pleasing to his allegation which to affront them in their judgement he thought to met with them in the Pulpit took a text of Scripture to cross them but as I understood God met him in the way and frustrated him in his first text whereof he took another text and in the same manner God met him again and blasted him upon his third subject so that he judged himself stricken and came down from the Pulpit and related a sad story to some that God justly punished him by reason of his inveterated spirit of bitterness so that I finde God met him by way of etilliation as we have an example in Jacob and Esau the Lord punished Jacob for taking his brother Esau by the heel Therefore let no man think so low of his brother but that God can spiritually raise men to higher knowledge then Cambridge can do And let not Ministers and Doctors be so high now God appeareth to the weak things of the world to confound the haughtiness of the proud for we have a sure word of prophesie far higher then you can teach Doctors and Ministers ye preach of a Prince that ruleth in the Air I pray you what is that if you were as far from that as you are from right disciplying you would have but little to do with it Doctor I must tell you what it is that ruleth in the Air it is money which is the King of all the creatures that ruleth in the Air it buyes and sells and captivates all things under it silver and gold bewitcheth the world and you would spend your lives in the Pulpit for it and it is called but the Prince that rules in the Air and beguileth the Priests that preach for hire Christs is a free-Ministery and an endless Priesthood yours is failable I can give relation of a Priest that removed himself from about 40. l. a year for a place of 300. or 400. l. a year This Priest cunningly bewitched his people of the new place where he came and in the midst of his Sermon related to them That God had brought him thither in a cloud from the substance of 40. l. a year to 300. l. a year And was not this a cunning dawber to delude the people by a dark cloud Numbers Leviticus and Deuteronomy declareth That the Priests shall have no inheritances therefore I finde they that have bought Tythes and Impropriations have bought and sold that which was none of their own Lord Protector I desire you would give Tythes and impropriations to the widows the fatherless the blinde and the lame and to the poor as Christ would have it done so let it be that every Parish be eased of collection and praise God for the great good you have done for them A poor messenger a disciple separate for the kingdom of Christ I could have added much more to this work but in short I have declared some of the minde of God Daynus A messenger of the new Covenant under the Ark-angel of the Covenant As John was sent a messenger to the Jews to declare the kingdom of heaven at hand so I Daynus am sent to the whole Israel of God to shew the kingdom of heaven is come in power to me and I am the first upon the feet restored of the dry-bones of Israel Daynus to shew the day and year of the Lord and his year excepted FINIS