New Covenant and the Everlasting Gospel proved out of the Scripture and Antiquity 19. Respecting of Persons and Complemental Bowings and worshipping of one another and flattering Titles are no good Manners but are in the Transgression and have been anciently reproved and condemned 20. University and Schools of Natural Learning are of no Use as to the making of Ministers of Christ in the Primitive Times but a Thing introduced and brought in in latter Ages by the Apostates who had erred from the Spirit who admired and set up Natural Languages and Philosophy that thereby they might be furnished to make Discourses Speeches and Sermons to get Money by and as they are holden up at this Day are made an absolute Idol and as to their Practice it 's generally known to be prophane and no Way meet to advance the Church of Christ. THE GLORY OF THE True Church DISCOVERED As it was in its PURITY IN THE PRIMITIVE TIMES CHAP I. The State of the true Church from the manifestation of Christ in the Flesh to the End of the Apostles Dayes briefly discovered GOd according to his determinate Will and everlasting Counsel in the Fulness of time sent his only begotten Son into the World to be the Light of the World and to be a Leader to the People and to be a Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World who obeyed the VVill of the Father in all things according as it was testified of him by Moses and the Prophets and as it was said by David concerning him In the Volumn of the Book it is written concerning me I come to do thy Will O God Psal. 40.7 and so he did as it was written of him he fulfilled all Righteousness and ended all the Types and Figures and Shadows and VVorship of the first Covenant as the Apostle testifieth of him Heb. 7.21 The Law was changed and the Priesthood changed in that they were but Figures and Shadows of good things to come and in regard that they were faulty and did not make the comers thereunto perfect as pertaining to the Conscience but the bringing in of a better Hope did and the better Covenant to wit the Covenant of Life and Peace which the Prophets by the Spirit had testified of from Moses to Samuel and till John and John likewise bore Testimony of him who was the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the VVorld John 1.29 36. And now he being come to whom the Prophets testified who was not made by a carnal Commandment as was Aaron and the rest of the Priests under the Law but after the Power of an endless Life offered up himself once for all putting an End to all the Offerings of the first Covenant for the perfecting them that are Sanctified Heb. 10.14 Now he being come into the Fulness of time manifest according to the Testimony of the Prophets he fulfilled all things which the Prophets testified of him and his VVorks did testifie of him that he was the Son of God now he declared the VVill of the Father and discoursed with them who were Doctors and Ministers of the Covenant declaring unto them divers times and shewing unto them in divers places that the Kingdom of God was at hand and to be manifest in Power and testified of himself and the Father also with him and his Works declared the same that he was the everlasting high-Priest which put an End to all the first Priesthood Covenant and Ordinances thereof and he preached the Word of the Kingdom and declared against them who sticked behind in the Figures and Types and Shadows and did reprove them to wit the professors of the first Covenant who were Searchers of the Scriptures and said you will not come unto me that you may have Life I am the Bread of Life that came down from above and came to fulfil the Law and all Righteousness and to publish the Word of Faith which did not make void the Law but establish it which was new And so he said while you have the Light believe in the Light that you may be the Children of the Light and this he spoke to the Pharisees which had the Law and the Prophets and were acting in the Types and Figures which are Shadows of the thing it self but not the very thing but he preached the very thing the Word of the Kingdom the Word of Power the Word of Life and many were quickned by it in their Hearts and Minds who believed and heard the Voice of him who was the Son of God and so came to live who could not be made alive in the exercising themselves in the Ordinances and many believed in him and he chose unto him Disciples who believed in him and sent them out to preach Repentance and to begin at Jerusalem though they were the chiefest Professors and Ordinance-Men and were for Conformity to the Ordinances of the first Covenant yet Repentance was to be preached to them and the first Principles of Religion though they had been and were the greatest Professors and Observers of the Ordinances of the first Covenant that were in the Earth at that time And afterwards he sent out Disciples and gave them Commandment to preach disciple all Nations in the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost and these which he sent out to preach the Gospel unto whom he gave Power to cast out Devils and work Miracles prophesied after a Season the Word of the Kingdom both to Jews and Gentiles according as the Prophets had testified and these who were sent out and made Ministers by the holy Ghost and received Gifts from the holy Ghost for the Work of the Ministry they preached not up the Ordinances of the first Covenant but preached Christ the everlasting Covenant and the Power of God and the VVisdom of God for the Remission of Sin and the word of Faith they declared in the Mouth and in the Heart and went not to Tables of Stone to direct People thither but to bring People to believe in him who was the Light of the World and lighteth every Man that cometh into the World that all Men through him might believe And many did believe in him who was the Covenant and did believe through the Apostles words who were commissionated and fitted for the work of the Ministry and through their words which they declared many did believe both of Jews and Gentiles and as many of the Jews as did believe separated from the Temple Priests Sacrifices Ordinances of the first Covenant and they met together in Houses and other Places Aâ—ts 20.7 Chap. 28.30 31. And the Gentiles which believed separated from their dumb Idols after which they had been led formerly and from their Temples and ceased any more to offer unto Idols and they met together at certain Places in Towns and Cities not only at Jerusalem but also at Antioch Colosse Thessalonica Corinth and divers other Places which were long to enumerate Acts 11.9 chap. 17.1 2. chap. 18.4 But
should pay so much he that payed a sixtieth part was discharged but â—â—me of better devotion payed the fortieth The Offerings spoken of in Ezekiel This is the Theruma that ye shall offer the sixth part of an Ephah of an Homer of wheat or of Barley It is the same as if he had said ye shall offer the sixtieth part of an Homer for an Ephâ—h being the same measure with a Bath that is near our common Bushel and after this offered to the Priests every kind being given in Season out of the rest were taken Tythes which are best divided into the first and second time The first Tythes were payed to the Levites out of the remainder at Jerusalem and out of this tenth received by the Levites the Levites payed another Tenâ—h to the Priests which is called the Tythes of the Tythes for this is to be taken notice of that Priests receiâ—ed Tythes of Husband-menâ— but now them that are no Levites neither of Aarons Priesthood they take Tythes of Husband-men and wâ—â—re it is not offered â—reely they take it Violently and by force so now in these latter dayes in the Apostacy the late Priests from that Example have payed Tythes to the Pope being as they reckon him chief-Vicar upon Earth And also now since the Popes Supremacy hath ceas'd with us in England a late Law hath been made to pay the first-fruits to the Crown yet notwithstanding the Possessor was not to spend the rest till he had taken out of these nine other Tythe which he was the first two Years to carry to Jerusalem in kind or to Convert it into Money adding a fifth part of the value after these tenths thus disposed of the remainder was every way prepared fit for common use of the Husband man Some make a third Tythe but that was only the Tythe of the third year after the first was payed of every year which was laid up by the Husband-man within his own Gates for the Leâ—â—ite that is within his Gate the stranger the Fatherless the Widdow not carryed to Jerusalem this Tythe bestowed every hâ—rd Year was called â—he Poor man's Tythe that third year the second years Tythe ceased to be payed at Jerusalem so then every third year the Levites at the Temple received not their second Tythe at their Feasts but according to the Law it was spent at home in the Gates of the Husband-man neither doth the second Tythe and the poor mans Tythe differ in substance but only in Circumstance 〈◊〉 place where the bestowing was makes only the difference as the Septuagint Translates it When thou hast ended the Tythe of all the Fruits of thy Ground in the third Year the second Tythe thou shalt give to the Levite and to the stranger c. But after the second Temple was destroyed and the dispersion of the Jews then the Laws of first Fruits Offerings and Tythes with them ceased for their Doctors determin'd that regularly or according to the Law no Inhabitants but of the Land of Israel were to pay any First Because they then wanted their Priesthood and Temple Secondly Because the Law did restrain the Paymâ—â—â— thereof to Cannan and herein they all agree Also Eusebius agrees with the Jewish Rabbinâ— herein That Tythes were only limited to the Land of Israel How the Payment of these tenths was either observed or discontinued partly appears in the Scripâ—â—â—â— and partly in the institution of more trusty Overseers in their great Sanhedrim or Court of 70 Elders wherein they agreed that the Overseers should be chosen of more honest men By which hath been said may be perceived the state of the Jews Tything by the Commandment of God and likewise the Judgment of their own Rabbins and Doctors of the Law which gives a clear Judgment of the Practice according as was in use or exercised among them and all do agree that they by a due right did belong to the Aaronical Priesthood and to the Levites and other officers in the Temple and Tabernacle and for the Service there according to God's appointment for bearing the Tabernacle and setting it up and for serving Aaron and his Sons and for the better ordering of things they were divided into three parts to wiâ—â— the Levites as the Coathites Gershonites and the Marrarites and these did receive the tenths of the People and gave to the Priests their part which belonged to them according to the Law of God in that Covenant and after the Sons of Aaron grew and mutiplyed then the Priests were divided into 24 ranks or courses to serve at the Temple of which our â—â—ehends Deans and Chapters take their example or imitation so to serve by their turns at Cathedrals as they are called or else from the Church of Rome but the latter I am rather enclin'd to believe because there was 〈◊〉 such name of any Minister among the Jews neither in the Primitive Church truly so called but the Priests of Aaron gave attendance to Execute their Office and to Burn incense as their turn and 〈◊〉 came And hereupon Zacharias is said to be of the course 〈◊〉 Abba The Levites that were singers were also divided into 〈◊〉 â—anks or courses of which I believe the present Quiristers of Singers 〈◊〉 Surplies men do have their imitation and bring the Levâ—tes for proof◠〈◊〉 Christ. But how these things do agree with the Primitive Practice of Christ his Apostles and Ministers and the Churches planted by them 〈…〉 day is easily seen in that which is written in sundry places of the New Testament so called and how it comes to pass that they which 〈◊〉 another Priest-hood and to be Ministers of Christ should receive the tenth of all clean and unclean Beasts as Pigs Geese Eggs Fowls Turneps Wood and Faggots for the Fire all which things we do not find mentioned but some of them forbidden to be offered unto the Law and yet they pretend to be Bishops and Elders of the Christian Church so that it seems they cannot distinguish of the time nor yet of the ministration for if so then they would be ashamed to lay claim to Aaron's tythes and the Levites and yet do none of their Work which is contrary to all Reason Truth and Equity for that was given to them that had no Portion among their Brethren in the Land but these Bishops Presbyters and Priests have their Inheritances among their Brethren and besides have a great part of some Counties and Diocesses for their revenue and their inferiour Officers tythes of all things yea of such things as was never at all tythable in the Law as is said before so what damnable deceit and Hypocrisie is this is it any other but the Popes Yoak an absolute Apostate for hundreds of years and must this be received as Apostolick Doctrine and Practice and enjoyned O! for shame let it never be made mention amongst them that do call themselves Ministers of Christ neither any who do
in the room of Abraham for ordering the House of God to see that the Seed of Isaac be Inheritors which is like to be deprived by the Egyptian Brood Rep. My Desire is that they may be guided by the Spirit of Abraham who denyed his Country and if they walk in the Light they will be like him and will see that Things be ordered in the Nation in Righteousness but if they will take thy VVord who is the Isaac that thou would'st should inherit thou wilt present them Ishmael But is it not the Inheritance of Tythes and Augmentations and to have People to fall down to worship the Image that they have set up that is it thou would'st have ordered for who are of Abraham are of the Seed which the Promise is to and such you stir up the Magistrates and People by your Flatteries and Lyes to have a Law to keep them in Bondage and so them that dwell in the Light see it is the Egyptian that thou would'st have to inherit And further thou art telling of some that profess high Attainments which hath put the Kingdom in confusion and a flame and thou sayst they ought not to suffer the preaching of the Word to go down nor the Sacraments to fail There is profession enough in the Nation but little Possession and all who profess high things and do not possess them are Hypocrites And now blessed be the Lord Christ is come and made manifest which is the highest Attainment and he comes not to send Peace on the Earth but a Sword and he shall confound the mighty and lofty and they that have lived at ease shall be poured from Vessel to Vessel and now is War proclaimed betwixt Michael our Prince and all the Inhabitants of the Earth and all Inchanters and Deceivers and all such as have made Merchandize of Souls are now made manifest and now the Nations are angry and the men of the Earth are afraid and now Gog and Magog compasseth the Camp of the Saints about and the Beast upon which the Whore rides and the false Prophets and as many as have traded with the Beast and the Whore are troubled for her sorrow is coming in a day and all the Powers of the Earth cannot nor shall not uphold her for she shall be made desolate and burned with Fire and now thou and the rest of the Merchants are troubled and are petitioning to the Powers of the Earth to uphold you I say unto thee and unto all that joyn themselves against the Anointed which is now appearing who was dead and is alive and lives for evermore You shall all be broken and your eyes shall consume in their Holes Gather your selves together howl ye Caterpillars strengthen your selves build up your batteries cast up your mounts for a mighty and terrible one is coming up against you his voice is as the roaring of a Lyon he is greedy of his Prey he shall devour at once and he is bringing about his Determination to cut off every one that withstands him and no VVeapon formed shall prosper the eternal VVord is preached and the Angel is flying through the midst of Heaven with the everlasting Gospel and by it shall Antichrist be consumed And because this Gospel is declared and preached and witnessed thou art angry But that which thou calls preaching the VVord is nothing but thy own Imaginations This they have preached long enough and what hath it done all your divining None hath been turned from his Iniquity And as for thy Sacrament thou wast complaining of the Pope's Emissaries and here thou art one Thou mayst return thy Word back from whence thou hadst it And all who come to witness the word and the preaching of it and the Body and Blood of Christ which is the Saints Communion and the Supper of the Lord will deny all your Inchantment and all your canker'd rusty worm-eaten Divination and all powers which seek to uphold this which was and is Abomination to the Lord they must partake of her Plagues let all consider God hath overturned all the Powers that have pretended to establish Religion by a Lavv whenas they have but established a Form a Husk and so Satan hath crept into that and all the Priests in this Nation have they not transformed into every Image vvhat vvay soever Authority and the Povvers of the Earth bend and so have made merchandize and sold that vvhich is not Bread and so have deceived the People And further thou sayst The Apostle requires them to mark them that cause Divisions diligently And thou goes on and reckons up many that have been polluted in Religion and thou sayes he will cast her into a Bed of Torment if they do not repent Rep. They who are turned from the Light of Christ are turned into Division and they that have not the same Spirit by which the Apostle spake that said so are divided from Christ and from the Body and from the Saints and are in Contention And here I charge thee and all the Priests in England that you are divided from Christ and turned from the Light who prophesie for Hire and divine for mony who go in long Robes who are called of men Master who have the chiefest Place in the Assembly and stand praying in the Synagogue who go to Law with your Hearers and who give Meanings upon the Scriptures who add and diminish who speak but that which you have gathered from other mens Words there doth Sects and opinions strife and division arise And here thou art marked by many in the County of Durham praised be the Lord to be one that is divided from the Light and causes Division who took away Four Oxen for five Pence Halfpenny and so they have turned away from thee and all vvho stand in that Nature wherein thou stands And therefore thou art petitioning that thou might have a Law to bind us under thy Witchcraft wherein the Nations have been deceived And it is true God hath overturned Kings and Princes and Dukes and Earls and Emperors for the sake of his chosen Ones and all they vvho have made an Image like the true God and like the Gospel and have made a Decree and whosoever now make a Decree that any shall fall down to worship any thing which is contray to the Light of Christ in the Conscience God hath hewed them down and he will hew them down who go about to limit the Holy One who is Lord over all and who will have Dominion over the Consciences of men and the time is already when Jezabel is to be cast into the Bed of Torment and all who commit Fornication with her whether they be Kings Emperors Dukes or Earls they shall all go down with the Dukes of Edom into the Pit and with the rest of the Uncircumcised and the Saints shall rejoyce in their overthrow And thou sayest There is yet little doth appear in England but the old Beast under new Habits acts his old Tragedies
I deny them and they and all vvho act in Uncleanness And thou goest on and shevvest as thou hast stollen from other mens VVords from the Prophets and Moses That the Judgment of the Lord was against all Idolaters and false Prophets and Dreamers and how they and them that served strange Gods were to be put to Death Wo unto them saith the Lord that steal my Word every Man from his Neighbour and say thus saith the Lord whenas the Lord hath never spoken unto them thou hast stoln other mens VVords and shalt be judged by thy ovvn mouth and thy ovvn Lavv that thou never hadst the VVord of the Lord made manifest nor never did the Lord speak to thee and therefore thou art that false Prophet and art that Dreamer and he that hath a Dream let him tell a Dream he that hath the Word of the Lord let him speak it novv them that speak the VVord of the Lord from the Mouth of the Lord as the true Prophets did and do then thou callest to the Magistrates to put them to Death And as for the Worshippers of strange Gods many in the County of Durham and many other Places let them declare vvhether they vvorshipped any but a strange God at a Distance and vvent after dumb Idols even as they vvere led vvhile they follovved the ministry vvhich vvas never sent but novv is the Lord made manifest and the strange Gods are put avvay and broken and the false Prophets are seen and the Prophet is raised up vvhich Moses spoak of and vvhosoever hear 's not his Words shall be slain vvith the Svvord And further thou tellest the Magistrates That if any Hypocrite shall presume to speak a Word in the Name of the Lord which he hath not commanded even he shall dye and it is an old Statute unrepeal'd Rep. If thou knevv vvhat thou spoak thou hast given Sentence against thy self I charge upon thee in the Presence of the living God that thou never heardst his Word nor spake his Word but in thy ovvn Name and I charge it again upon thee when did he ever speak to thee that Spirit by which the Prophets of the Lord spoke thou dost deride and call'st it a miraculous Infusion and so thy Spirit is another and not the same and that it is an old Statute thou shalt know that thou hast spoken in thy own Name and what thou hast learned by Tradition but in Christ all the Law and the Prophets is fulfilled and all Statutes who come to witness him he is the Law-giver Judge and King and all is fulfilled as he comes to be witnessed and all strange Gods put away even the Idols of Gold and Silver and all false Prophets by him come to be seen judged condemned and slain and thou that would'st put it upon the Magistrate without to kill Men by a Law and so to usurp the Power which is given to the Son and so make them guilty of innocent Blood thou art a Murderer And now further who must judge of the false Prophets of Heresie Schism and Blasphemy I know thou denyest Revelation and the rest of the Priests in England who trade with other mens Words and I know thou darest not say thou art infallible and thou hast not discerning of Spirits the Apostle exhorted them who dwelt in the Light to try the Spirits but he bad not them who are led by the Prince of the Air and were Children of Disobedience as thou art of a covetous earthly Mind he bad not them to try nor them who were carnal and therefore stop thy mouth thou canst not discern a Lamb from a Dog not a Kite from a Dove And let all Magistrates who fear the Lord either in this Nation or else-where take heed how they judge of Heresie and Blasphemy not that I am ignorant but that there is Heresie and Blasphemy but that none can judge who they are but who have an infallible Spirit therefore it is now as it hath been many have suffered as Hereticks as Christ for a Blasphemer and the Apostles as Setters forth of strange Gods and were persecuted to Death and many do and are like to suffer by this Spirit that dwells in Thomas Ellyson And therefore all you who are Magistrates that sit as Judges and Rulers take heed what you do and take heed of Zeal without Knovvledge for so Paul persecuted and so the Jews slevv Christ the Heir and so many vvould have their Will satisfied but thou must be judged by all vvho dvvell in the Light thou that sittest as Judge over another see that thou be judged in thy self for to take your Knovvledge and Direction from such as these men instead of planting you vvill be Destroyers And thou art offended at some that hold forth new Lights and Gifts which thou say'st the Word of God never taught us Rep. All vvho are taught by the Word vvhich is eternal are guided in one Light for the Light is but one and this is no nevv Light but the same that ever vvas but thou that callest the Letter the Light and the Word thou art blind and art a Hater of the Light from vvhich the Scripture vvas declared And in the Conclusion thou beggest That Schollars and Universities may be preserved for the breeding of able Ministers to preach the Word and hold out the Sacraments Rep. And this is the Sum of all that thou and the rest of false Shepherds may be carryed in the Bosome of the Magistrates and so to preserve you and destroy all that oppose you As for Learning it is Natural I ovvn it in its Place but that it makes and breeds able ministers I deny it and all those ministers for many filthy Frogs and unclean Spirits have come out of the Universities that have spread over the Nations as Locusts vvithout a King and all their Preaching and their Sacraments is carnal and all their Ability that is got by their Trading leads People to be seven-fold moâ—â— the Children of the Devil I speak vvhat I vvas a Witness of vvhile I follovved the chiefest of them And therefore I say unto you vvho are Governours Hold not that up which the Lord hath cursed for that which is Natural cannot lead up to God And therefore be ye all vvarned That you turn not back to build again that which God is destroying who threw out one Power after another because they would needs limit the Lord a Way to walk in And truly God vvill pour you out from Vessel to Vessel till you be emptied of all and till you give him all Power and Honour to rule over his Church and People that they may serve the Lord in Freedom of Spirit and not in the Flesh and if any vvalk disorderly and break any righteous Lavv and vvalk in the Flesh them execute your Lavv upon there is your Place but that you should prescribe a Way for God to vvalk in he cannot he vvill not be bound and you that go about to
ye high Cedars and mighty men put on your Strength and gather together all your Forces which you have trusted in call upon your Gods and all your Southsayers and Diviners together for now he is come and the Daughter of Sion now laughs you to scorn and Jerusalem the free Citizens do wagg their Heads at you for he will now plead the Cause of the Poor against you who have been too strong for them and now all that hear this shall tremble For he will make Jerusalem a Praise in the Earth and from it do the Law and the Prophets come forth Awake Oh Arm of the Lord and put on Strength as in the dayes of old to redeem thine own Inheritance which hath long been by the Heathen laid waste and hath been trampled upon by the Uncircumcised art not thou he which was and is and is to come who wilt not give thy Glory to another Arise and shine forth in thy Brightness thou Star of Jacob and Sun of Righteousness and let the Earth be filled with thy Light and Glory that Generations to come may call thee blessed Dry up the Tongue of the Egyptian Sea confound the Wisdom of this World which never knew thee neither would own nor receive thee make the Diviners and Sorcerers mad who have scattered thy Sheep from the everlasting Fold and have healed the Hurts of thy People deceitfully and have caused them to err in telling them thy Power nor thy Arm was not to be looked for now as in the Dayes of old nor thy immediate voice nor word was to be looked or waited for now in the Earth and so have deceived the People with their lying Divinations which they have spoken from the Imaginations of their own Hearts and have laid a stumbling-block in the Way as the Son of Nebat did who made Israel to sin But Oh Lord thou seest how thy own Seed lyeth scattered and ravenous Beasts make a Prey upon it and the Devourers swallow it up therefore hast thou appeared in thy Love and Power for thine own Name 's sake and wilt not suffer thy Seed to be trodden upon any longer by the Prince of Darkness nor his Children whom he hath begotten in his own Image Arise shine forth thou everlasting Covenant of Light and Peace by which and in which all our Fathers believed and so obtained a good Report and were redeemed out of Captivity to serve the Lord forever with one Heart and Mind and worshipped in one Spirit in which Faith they laid hold upon the Perfect Righteousness of Christ made manifest in them and were justified but hath been hid for many Generations in the time of Anti-christ's Reign and all the world hath wondered after the Beast and hath received his Mark but now is the Night far spent and the Day is at hand wherein all that hath been hid shall be made manifest and the Number of the Beast is read and known by all that are redeemed from under his Power and now the Beast and the False Prophet is seen and the Man of sin is made manifest in this the day of his everlasting Power and the brightness of the Sun of Righteousness who is the Light of the world hath made him manifest who is come and coming Glory unto him for evermore who alone is worthy to take the Kingdom Wherefore all honest-hearted in and under all Forms of Professions who have travailed and are weary and all you that have kindled a Fire and have warmed your selves at the Sparks thereof and yet still you lye in Sorrow Oh all ye that have panted and thirsted after Righteousness who have wearied your selves in seeking among the dead Graves and Tombs for a Saviour but have found no Rest and who have followed Lo here and there in this Grave and the other Sepulchre builded on this and that Sand and still swept away your State I know you have no Peace in the eternal Rest I say unto you while you look without you your Eyes may consume in your Holes and your Expectation fail and you will be still complaining For your sakes who are weary and have found none to direct your Way a few Lines I am moved in Compassion to write unto you and if you will not receive it you will not believe if one should rise from the dead for I have obtained Mercy from Christ through his free Grace who is risen from the Dead and saw no Corruption by which Grace I am saved from Sin and cleansed from Unrighteousness after long and sore Labour and Travail under Pharaoh the Oppressour from under whose Dominion I am brought to worship the living God in Spirit and Truth in his Temple where he dwells in Righteousness forever And for the simples sake who have erred for Lack of true Knowledge as I did in Times past I shall declare unto you a little in short of my Travails in Egypt's Land where Darkness is so thick that â—f ye wait but diligently to see your selves you will fell it also From twelve Years old I set my Heart to know that God which the World professed and which I did read of in the Scripture which Abraham Noah Moses and the Prophets and the rest of the Fathers worshipped and I did fall into the strictest Worship that was in that Part wherein I lived and often I desired to be alone and attended much to reading and Meditation and then as I was sober and serious alone I began to see that all the Sports and Pastimes and such as Youth delight in naturally were Vanity and they lasted but for a Moment and while I was in Folly and Wantonness doing of them the Nature which was run into Transgression had Pleasure in them but as soon as I was come from among them I was judged in my self for what I had done and often made me weep then I resolved in my Will that I would never do so again and for some time did restrain from the common Practice of those things that I had walked in but as soon as I came amongst those again I acted those things again which before I did see to be Vanity but long before that I was checked for many things and so I walked often condemned in my self when I was serious and had no Peace and then not knowing what to do in much Sorrow when I was alone I had a Desire to be alone where I might not hear nor see any Folly acted and did not go to the former Exercises although something in me hankered after it but when I yielded not unto it I was glad and had Peace and then I began to oppose my Fellows with whom I had walked in Wantonness and then they began to revile me and hate me and scorn me yet notwithstanding I mattered not then I read much and prayed in Words often three or four times a day but I knew not where God was but in my Imagination imagined a God at a Distance and so went on and then
carryed their several Wares and Traffick and many more Tradesmen many more Merchants whom she sent out with her Merchandize who have been made rich by her Merchandize and other Merchants were Bishops Arch-Bishops Deacons Arch-Deacons Pryors Covents Vicars Commissaries Chapters Chancellors Vice-Chancellors Doctors of Divinity Batchellors of Divinity Doctors of Art Masters of Art Batchellors of Art Priests and Curates by which they were made rich and abounded in Treasure And the Beast whom all the World wondered after compelled all to worship him both small and great upon which the Whore rides the scarlet-coloured Beast which hath guarded all her Merchants and made all Nations buy their Ware and hath compelled all People to buy the Whore's Sorceries even all the invented and heathenish Trumperies which the Whore hath patched up and their Merchants painted over which they have patched up some from the Jews some from the Heathen some from the Saints Words mixt with their own Imaginations and Deceit and have holden forth these as the publick Worship in the Nations Kindreds Tongues and Peoples their many Creeds many Confessions of the Faith many Catechisms and many Forms of Worship and when the People are weary of one Sort of Merchandize then brings another in more deceitful and worse and the Beast hath compelled the Nations to buy it and to hold it as the publick Profession of the Nations though never so unsound and rotten though damnable Doctrines and Doctrines of Devils though invented and heretical Opinions invented since the Apostles Dayes yet cryes the Beast The Church had ordained it and the ancient Fathers have agreed upon it and the Councils have confirm'd it and the Divines have ratified it and the Bishops and Arch-Bishops and reverend Fathers have confirm'd it and recommended it for Orthodox and Authentick And therefore sayes the Beast upon which the Whore rides the false Church the Mother of Harlots If you will not agree to it you are Hereticks for the Church has Power to censure you to excommunicate you and to curse you and to deliver you up to Satan and then the Beast having made Laws for the Sale of the Whore's Sorceries and for the guarding of her Merchants and their ships If you consent not to the Articles of the Faith and Confessions you break the Law of the Nations and are not subject to Authority and now you are not punished for Religion sake nor for Christ's sake nor the Gospel's sake but as Evil-doers and Transgressors of the Laws of our Kingdom or Nation And thus the Mother of Harlots which got up since the Apostacy who hath drunk the Bloâ—â— of the Saints and shed the Blood of the Martyrs and slain the Witnesses and hath put many to cruel Deaths She saith I am clear we kill none for Conscience sake we persecute none for the Gospel's sake nor Christ's sake nor for Religion sake but you suffer as Hereticks and you have transgressed the Law of Kings Emperors Councils and Parliaments and are Enemies to States and Governments and Rule in breaking their wholsom Laws cryes the Harlot who hath lost the Savour and her Merchants which calls that which stinks and is corrupt wholsome and so saith the Beast We persecute you not for Religion neither in Persons Liberties or Estates but the Church hath recommended this Doctrine these Articles of Faith these Creeds and Pater-nosters this publick Worship or that Mass-book or that Common Prayer-book or this Directory and are not they the fittest to judge of Religion who have the Tongues and the Original and are fittest to give Meanings and Interpretations of the Scripture And therefore we make a Law that the Mass-book shall be holden out for the publick Profession of these Nations as the Pope Cardinals Jesuites and Fryars think it fit and that the Common Prayer-book be holden forth as the publick Worship which the Bishops Arch-Bishops Deacons Arch-Deacons have recommended unto us as that which is consonant and agreeable to the primitive Times and to the Church which hath been established so many hundred Years and whosoever will not consent and perform all the Rites and Ceremonies let him be indicted and let him be presented and let him be cited and appear before a Bishop and let him imprison him and fine him and take away some of his Estate and excommunicate him and then it 's fit that the Secular Power take Notice of him for transgressing of their Law and pillory him or cut off his Ears or stigmatize him and banish him and let his Estate be confiscate to the King or Prince against whom he hath transgressed for he suffers as an Evil-doer and hath brought this upon himself because he would not be subject to our Church-Orders and to the laudable Customs of our Nations or Country And say some other of the Whore's Merchants who are of another Order distinct from the rest and carry other Sorts of Ware and traffick with other Sorts of Merchandize and some newer Fashion which is liker to bewitch People they cry out to the Rulers of the Earth to propagate their Trading and their Merchandize and say It were fit that some Doctors and Orthodox-men were called together to consider and consult about their Trade and what Sort of Ware or Traffick will most bewitch People and inchant their Minds that so her Ships may go on the Sea for if Kindreds Tongues and People will not buy her Ware her Ships cannot go and their Trade will go down if ever Nations come to the Rock or People come to some Estability or know the precious Treasure and the heavenly treasure in the earthen Vessels they will buy no more of us if the Sea be dried up that no more a gallant Ship can pass thereon nor never a Gally with Oars then we shall all turn Bankrupts and then may we cry Alas alas we that have been made rich are now become poor therefore what do we do let us take Counsel together and if any tell That they have obtained the heavenly Treasure and are come to the durable Riches and to the Treasure that cankers not and they have found it in themselves then let us cry out it 's Heresie and damnable Doctrine and if any man shall say That they need no man to teach them but the Anointing that dwells in them by which they know all things then let us give our Vote with one consent that that 's a Delusion and let us frame Arguments and say that that cannot be you want Hebrew Greek and Latin aâ—d the Original by which you should expound the Scripture and know the Meaning of it and therefore you to conclude that you have received the Anointing is dangerous Doctrine let us pronounce this man as a Heretick for he will infect People And furthermore if any say That the Lord is become his Teacher and he needs no man to teach him but knows the Lord to be his Shepherd then let us cry out of this as dangerous Doctrine and cry to the
though with the best of all our Commodities though with Cinamom and Odours and Oyntment and Frankincense yet they will buy none of our Ware nor there 's no Hope of trading with them any more for they are come to know the Pearl which is more precious then Rubies and the heavenly Treasure that doth not rust and the Word which is sweeter then the Honey and the Honey comb there 's no Hope of them but this is the Misery they will not be content with what they have found but impart it to others and so beget a Dislike in other Peoples Minds to the best of all our Merchandize However them that are gone from us and deny our Mother and her golden Cup and deny all her Merchants great and small not only them that trade in Wood and Vessels and Brass and Iron but even them that trade with the best Merchandize as Gold Silver precious Stones Pearls fine Linnen Purple Silk and Scarlet however let us excommunicate them and give them up to Satan and let us call to the Beast with his seven Heads and ten Horns who is scarlet-coloured dreadful and terrible and let us accuse them of Heresie Schism and Blasphemy and call them Seducers Deceivers and false Prophets and let us brand them with Names of Reproach as Sectaries and say they are seditious and rebellious and mutinous and they are Enemies to Church and State and all good Government Peace-breakers factious and pestilent Fellows that bring all the Nations into an Uproar and if that will not do let us petition to Kings Princes Dukes Parliaments Protectors and Councils that some speedy and effectual Course may be taken for suppressing of these Hereticks and for stopping of these blasphemous Doctrines as that the Steeple-house is not the Church and sprinckling of Infants no Ordinance of Christ and singing of Psalms by Tradition no Part of the true Worship of God and it may be shall get some Law or Act of Parliament against them or call them Vagabonds and get them whipt abroad and put in Prisons while we take away their Oxen and Goods at home and so by this Means it will stop others whom we traffick withal that they will not dare to hearken unto them for if they will not buy our Wares and take our measures by a Glass in Love to it yet because of Fear of Imprisonment or Loss of their Goods or Estates they will be constrained to trade with us But alas it is otherwise with us now then it was in Queen Mary's Dayes when Mass Mattens and Even-songs Processionings Ave-maries Creeds and Pater-nosters took up most Part of the Time and went off among People for spiritual Worship at a good Rate neither is it with us now as it was in the Dayes of Bishop Laud our great Metropolitan and the rest of our Mother's Merchants then would Common Prayer translated out of the Mass-Book into the English and Creed Letany Pater-noster with a Lord have Mercy upon us or we beseech thee to hear us good Lord forty Times over in a Quarter of an Hour with some of David's Psalms turned into Meeter by Hopkins and Sternhold Masters of Musick sung with Organs with Choristers and Boyes with bowing to the Altar and such like Merchandize which was then precious in the Eyes of our Mother's Children then whosoever would not be obedient to all the Rites and Ceremonies we branded them with the Name of Puritans and Non-conformists and haled them before Sessions Courts and Magistrates cited them to appear before the Bishops served them up to the High-Commission-Court before the Lords Spiritual and Temporal falsly so called and there the Flesh was gnawn to the Bone and Ears cut off stigmatizing and burning with Irons Imprisonment and Banishment Now as People came nearer the Day they began to suspect all this as not to be the spiritual Worship of God having no Ground nor Footing from the Spirit of Truth nor Example from the Scripture nor from the primitive Churches then they over whom our mother once reigned began to question her whether she was the Lamb's Wife yea or nay And whether our Predecessors and Brethren were the messengers sent out by the true Church yea or nay And whether the Ordinances and Practices were the Institution of Christ and his Apostles yea or nay in the primitive Times And the Day dawned upon them and the Spirit came to be revealed and did shine into their Hearts and they began to search the Scriptures and to compare the true Church which was cloath'd with the Sun and crown'd with the Crown of twelve Stars with our mother Mystery Babylon and they began to compare the Apostles and ministers in the primitive Times with our Predecessors Babylon's merchants and also compared the Institutions and Ordinances which were delivered to the true Church with the Institutions Rites Ceremonies and Inventions of our mother Mystery Babylon and so they found all out by the Revelation of the Spirit and by searching of the Scriptures they found out the Rise of our mother after the Woman was fled into the Wilderness and that she sate not as a Queen upon Nations Kindreds Tongues and Peoples till after the Woman did fly away upon the Wings of an Eagle into the Wilderness for a Time Times and half a Time and likewise they found out that our Predecessors and Fellow-merchants were not like the ministers of Christ in the primitive Times neither our Doctrines and Ordinances like the Ordinances and Doctrines which were once delivered to the Saints before ever we merchants set sail or floated in a Ship on the Sea And so finding our City to be raised up in its Glory since the Glory of God was lost in the Earth and finding our Queen Mystery Babylon ruling in our City since the Lamb's Wife fled and finding us merchants to receive her Traffick from her City since the Faith was lost that once was delivered to the Saints and did see our Creeds and Beliefs and Pater-nosters our Prayers and our Hymns that they are quite another Thing which was Part of her Traffick they have concluded and that upon infallible Grounds warranted by a Cloud of Witnesses in the Prophets and Apostles that our mother is a Whore and her Predecessors are her merchants and that our Ordinances are and Traffick hath been invented by some of our mother's children which are Apostates and they have found us out And now alas a Ship will be hardly able to ride any more upon the Waters nor the Sea will hardly bear up our Vessels any more the Nations the Kindreds the Tongues and the Peoples are almost dryed up especially in the North Regions they will not buy our merchandize any more our Ships are like to stand still and our merchandize is like to be all shipwrackt therefore let us take counsel lest all the Sea dry up and we all sit down in Solitariness and our Song be turned into wo worth the Day misery and alas Therefore now it
but the Quakers see before thee and beyond thee and comprehend thee and have received Eye-salve whereby their Eyes are opened to see thy Deceit the deceit of the Treacherous Generation with whom thou art joyned and thy Rejoynder and Vindication of Samuel Smith whom thou calls Minister of the Word at Cressage in the County of Salop thy Vindication of him and thy pleading for him will not bring much Honour to neither him nor thee and though thou and he both joyn hand in hand in deceit yet you shall not go Unpunished Thou tels the Reader Of wandering Planets who have left their Station who have stepped upon the Stage in the County of Salop who are come forth in this Apostatizing time All who have a good understanding may clearly see not only in the County of Salop but also in every Corner of the Land many wandering Stars that have no habitation in the Firmament of God's Power but are Tossed up and down and are as waters Unstable Tossed to and fro with every wind and the change of one Magistrate or head Governour will make them all change their form and as thou callst it Metamorphize them into another shape witness the many publique Teachers and Parish-masters and Tything Priests in the dayes of Edward the sixth Henry the 8. Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth's dayes and now of late in the Bishops dayes when the Magistrates voted down the Bishops all or most of the Priests denyed their Fathers and their Institution and though they ordained them Ministers yet they still seek after their seats and Benefices and there thy Reader may see the Metamorphosed changlings and the Apostates and I do believe the County of Salâ—p abounds with such like and they have been on the Stage long and have acted such a part in every Generation as would please the present Authority or Power whether they were Papists or Protestants Prelatical or whatsoever but E. D. the Exit will come and when the Day appears the Beasts must go into their Dens again and thou confessest you live in Apostatizing times thou that art among the Apostates and in the Apostatizing Age and time would accuse others Nay thou must hold thy Peace and leave pleading for Apostates and for the Fashions of the Heathen which have got up since the dayes of the Apostacy which the whole scope of thy Book is full of nothing else and we cannot permit or allow them who are in the time of Apostacy and who are one with the Apostates which have wandered after the Beast since the Dayes of the Apostles I say we cannot allow such as you to be Judges for we are come out of the Apostacy and to before the Apostates and to before the wandering Stars and thou hast mist it much that tells the Quakers are they Edward I tell thee we are come to the everlasting Gospel again and have received it and it 's the Power of God which was to be and is to be preached again to the Nations after the Apostacy And as for the Book called Malice stript and whipt I have seen it and he Spirit of thy Mr. Smith whom thou callst Reverend thou hast elevated him as high as the Pope but E. D. what is the Reason thou reverencest him so much as thou dost to thy Reader And in the tenth page thou saist many Souls depend upon his Ministry and thou blessest God for the worâ— of God you enjoy in that Congregation Thou hast extoll'd him too highly or else he hath wronged thee grievously for thou saist thou hast profited much by him Thou mayest call to mind a certain time when he preached as you call it out of the 13 of Luke and when he spoke of the Parable of the mâ—n that planted a Vineyard and 3 Years looked for Fruit and Sam. Smith whom thou so adorest said he had sought for Fruit from your Congregation this 7 Years at Cressage and had found none he shall be an evidence for me against thee that thy glorying of him is Vain and it 's manifest he is one the Lord sent his Prophet to declare against who hath run and the Lord never sent him therefore he hath not profited you at Cressage at all lean Souls are they like to be that depend on him In the first Observation as thou callst it thou hast extracted the Heads of Samuel Smiths Book into five particulars which thou sayst we are ashamed to Answer or else know not what to say for our defences I say unto thee Boast not when thou purst on thy Armour but when putst it off for the Victory may be doutful THe first particular That the Nationall Ministers do maintain the true worship of God and the Doctrine of Christ according to the revealed will of God Answ. So saying and so doing were something the true Worship of God is in Spirit and in Truth which is not Lo here and lo there nor in outward Observations but in Life in Power and in Truth But to be brief both the Doctrine and Practice of the National Ministry in general is contrary to the Scripture which thou callst the Word of God as for Instance their sprinkling of Infants their teaching Men to Swear and calling it part of the Worship of God which is contrary to the Doctrine of Christ who said Swear not at all Their singing David's Psalms put into Meeter by Poets and Ballad-mongers singing them in their invented Tunes which pleaseth the carnal Mind their studied discourses which you call Sermons Invented from the strength of natural wit and not speaking as they are moved by the holy Ghost which the Ministers of Christ in all Ages did In these and many other things which I could instance they are out of the Doctrine of Christ And in a word your whole Worship differs both in matter and manner from the Saints Worship in the Primitive Times But seeing we have denyed the National Ministers divers Years ago and have laid down our Grounds and Reasons to the World wherein we have charged them that their practice is contrary to the Scripture unto which Grounds and Reasons not one Parish-master in England hath yet Vindicated themselves these six years And unto that Book called The Grounds and Reasons why we deny the Priests if the Reader be not satisfied concerning them there he may see how they err both in Doctrine and Practice contrary to Scriptures To the second and third Particulars That the present Government of the Nation is the Ordinance of God and that the Ministers bringing Offenders before the Magistrate is not Persecution As for the present Government of the Nation the lawfulness thereof is not to Question by us but many who are Governours and should be Executors of the Law have acted contrary to the Law being stirred 〈◊〉 by the Priests who bite with their Teeth if one put not into their Mouths and have caused the just to suffer by giving Judgment 〈◊〉 theâ— in their wills contrary to Law or
Covenant shall be broken and your Confederacy disanulled and you confounded in the midst of your Counsels what have you your Law yet to make to serve your Turns It seems you act not by the Law of God which is made already which is equal just and good and is for the Transgressor of Justice Goodness and Equity but takes not hold upon the just equal nor good but you must now have another invented to satisfie your envious Minds and to accomplish your wicked Determinations and you that think to make a Law to banish and to put to Death your Thoughts are vain and wicked and God will bring them to Judgment and condemn you for them for Christ came not to destroy Mens Lives but to save them but the Devil makes Laws to destroy and not to save Read your Example and let Shame cover your Faces and Astonishment fill your Hearts that you should become so brutish and vain in your Thoughts as to think to limit the Lord of Heaven and Earth Can you command the Wind that it blow not can you stop the Bottles of Heaven that they pour not forth Water If you cannot no more can you limit the Lord And if you make any such Law to banish or put to Death it will procure the Indignation and Wrath of God more speedily then if all the Popish Princes that are in the WORLD did enter into the midst of your Land But this is come to pass that your Hypocrisie and Deceit might be made manifest in the Sight of the Sun and that all men may see what Prâ—fession of Words is without the Life of Christ to rule in Men If it should have been told you when you fled from this Nation what you would do in the time to come against God and his Servants you would have said with Hazael Are we Dogs But the Heart of Man is deceitful unconverted and your deceived Hearts have led you aside Thou thinkest they are the worst Hereticks Thy Eye being blinded and thy Understanding darkened and thy Heart full of Envy how should'st thou think otherwise But thy Thoughts shall be discovered to thee and thou shalt be convinced of the Evil of them Thou say'st One whom many think is a Jesuite pressed for a Conference with one of our Teachers called Mr Norton but the Quaker was quickly weary of it You live by your Thoughts and know nothing if he had been a Jesuite it 's like he might have had more Favour from you and the Minister might be very bold knowing before-hand no Evil was like to befall him having the Rulers with their Clubs on his Side the Prison-Doors and House of Correction ready to receive the Quakers the Goalers and Task-masters with their Whips and butcherly Fellows with their Knives to cut of their Ears at the Pleasure and Wills of a Company of envious men before whose Face the Fear of the Lord is not But it is like you will make the Quaker weary soon if he would look out at your Cruelty if you did as sometime some of your Priests and Rulers caused to be done in New-England stop Napkins in their Mouthes and bound Keys over their Mouthes that they could not speak and boast and say The Quaker had nothing to answer Well all these things are recorded and are written as with a Pen of Iron and they are engraven where they shall not be blotted out and you are registred among the Uncircumcised with Mesech and Tubal the great Princes of Gog which make War against the Lamb his Followers but the Lamb and the Saints shall have the Victory and you shall be trodden as Ashes under the Soles of their Feet for they shall melt away that hate the Lord. Reading the 16th of the 12th Moneth 1658. F. H. THE WORKS OF DARKNESS Brought to Light AND REPROVED IN Answer to divers false Doctrines and Principles of John Wells of St. Ives so called in Huntingon-shire Concerning the Word and the Gospel and the Way to Christ and the Tryal of Spirits and the Light which lighteth every Man and the Ministers Maintenance His vain Arguments and Proofsmade void and Truth manifested in all these particulars Also some Queries propounded to John Wells to answer By him that loves the Truth as it is in Jesus F. H. THE WORKS OF DARKNESS Brought to Light HE that hates the Light as it is written will not bring his Deeds to the Light lest they should be reproved and made manifest of which Sort John Wells a pretended Minister of the Gospel at St. Ives so called in Huntington-shire is who hath declared and published unsound Doctrines contrary to Scripture of Truth which were asserted by him and taken from his own Mouth and the Reply thereunto sent and his Doctrines reproved as to be unsound and inconsistent to a true Minister of Christ the which Paper of Information and also of Reproof John Wells in Vindication of his former Assertions hath divulged abroad in his Parish as in Answer to the said Paper delivered unto him and also in Vindication of his former Doctrines which Paper of his hath been read up and down by his Auditors as some great Oracle which could not be gainsayed and he never yet sent his Answer unto them who contradicted and reproved his aforesaid Doctrines and Principles unto which his Answer did properly belong it could never yet be purchased or obtained from him or any of his Auditors and all this he hath done lest his Works should be brought to Light and his Deceit should be discovered and his Kingdom weakened which stands in Darkness but seeing that there is no Work of Darkness must be hid but must all be brought to Light and be discovered in the Day therefore is his Paper come forth by another Hand that he and his Work might be tryed and reproved and that the ignorant might see his Confusion and also that Truth might be made manifest to the Understandings of People that they may no longer continue in Ignorance and Blindness now when the Lord is shining forth in his Brightness and revealing his Glory from the rising of the Sun His first Position is That Eternal Life is to be found by or in the Scriptures II. They are the VVay and Means which God hath discovered for the obtaining of it viz. Eternal Life In the Vindication of his foresaid Assertions he saith he will explain himself and saith That God is pleased by his Infinite Grace and VVisdom to continue this excellâ—nt Plot of Redemption by his Son and then concludeth how shall we believe in him of whom we have not heard therefore was God pleased by the Scriptures to reveal Jesus Christ and none can ever come to the Knowledge of Chrâ—st but in or by the Scriptures This man talks like a Heathen Politician rather then a Minister of Christ who tells of an excellent Plot of Redemption for he who is the Redeemer was with the Father was his Delight before the World began which in
truly an Operation and an Effect of the Spirit as Assurance Consolation and Peace is an Effect and Operation of the Spirit to them that believe And then thou concludest If Christ be in all then all must be saved or else Christ must go to Hell I will ask thee a Question go learn what it means though he be not in the Reprobate what is that which reprobates him Christ was in Egypt yet the Egyptians were not saved by him Christ was in Jerusalam and in Galilee and yet not many Galileans nor they at Jerusalem believed in him or were saved by him I will ask thee another Question go learn what it means What is that which damns the damned And what is that that kindles the Fire of Hell upon them And at last when thou hast vilified and mocked Christ and his Light thou cryest with the Jews Away away with this deluding Light and cryes To the Law and to the Testimony and so in the drunken Spirit reeleth and staggers and knowst not what thou sayâ—st didst thou not say a little before That the Law was Light and that which accuseth for Sin and convinceth of Sin and excuseth and bringeth Peace to the Obedient Is not this Jesus's Testimony or the Testimony of Jesus And thou cryest Away away with this as Delusion and this is all the Tune thou playest on thy bad-stringed Instrument Letter is Light Letter the Word and Scripture is the Rule the Scripture is the Gospel and Scriptures the Testimony and Scripture is the Tryal of the spirit and thou hast tryed Christ the true Light that enlightens every Man and with thy falle Judgment hast condemned him And thou say'st Thou wilt try our Spirit and our Fruits and Contradictions and Impiety Falsity and Blasphemy Alas vain Man thou hast condemned the spirit of Truth that convinceth the World of sin and accuseth for evil-doing and excuseth and giveth Peace to them that continue in well-doing and hast condemned this under the Name of Deluding Light and hast cryed away with it away with it and thou that set'st this at nought may'st well set us at nought and if Christ and his spirit be reproached we must bear they Reproaches and at last they will turn upon thy own Head when thy will be too heavy a Burthen for thee to bear Thou tellest us That thou hast been begging of God for an eternal Interest in Christ and that thou hast examined thy Heart whether Christ be in thee or nay but thou tellest us not whether thou hast got Assurance thou may'st beg long enough with that spirit that hates the Light which reproveth thee for Evil and never be heard and thou may'st examine long and never come to true Tryal while thou hatest that and deridest that which should try thee for I am sure if thou either hadst got Interest or had'st known that Christ did live in thee thou would'st not hate him in others nor vilifie the least Appearance of him in any and therefore be low in Heart and talk no more so exceeding proudly for the Lord will thunder from Heaven upon his Enemies pour Contempt upon Princes and make them wander in the Wilderness where there is no Way and will exalt the Horn of his anointed above all Deceit And thou say'st We threw great Reproaches upon the faithful Ministers of Christ that they preach for Hire and Balaam like covet the Wages of Unrighteousness And thou say'st It is true we do receive a Maintenance and such an one as was freely bestowed on us and setled by many Laws And thou say'st If you preached for Hire you wronged your selves much who could get far greater Means or Estates by other Employments then Ministers have and if thou should'st never receive Penny more for thy Labour thou would'st never leave off preaching the GOSPEL so long as thou hast a TONGUE to speak or other Abilities to preach the GOSPEL We do not reproach the faithful Ministers of Christ neither do we say that they Preach for Hire nor go in Balaam's way neither that their Hearts are exercised with covetous Practices for we know it is inconsistent with a true Minister of Christ who hath received freely and Ministers freely and alwayes Labours to keep the Gospel without charge and as for the Maintenance which you say was given you freely and setled by many Laws We must mind you of the Author thereof you cry out of the Pope as Anti-christ of Jesuites Monks and Friars as Idolaters and that which he gave unto his Emissaries and Ministers you have gotten into your Hands as Tythes Gleab lands Oblations Obventions Easter-Reckonings Midsummer dues which were setled by Laws when the Mother of Harlots that Rid upon the Scarlet-coloured Beast which hath Compelled all both small and great to Worship and to pay all the foresaid things in the time of his Reign while Christ's Ministers have been put to Death and the Witnesses slain and yet the aforesaid Popes Maintenance is not Anti-christian with you And with what Face can you or your Parish Ministers say That the Maintenance is freely bestowed upon you whenas there are so many living Examples in this Nation especially within this seven Years which bear Witness against you What Havock and Spoil hath been made by a company of greedy Priests in this Nation of late What haling and Sueing what throwing in Holes and Dungeons What Havock you have made of mens Estates with your Bayliffs and the Bil-men driving away Cows Horses Sheep Swine Pots taken and Pans the poor Peoples Bedding and Apparel which amount to very great Sums some times for three Pounds claiming by force have taken away 20 l. and sometime for 5. or 6 l. drive away Goods worth 40 l. and one lies now in Prison but for a Groat demanded for Tythes so that the very Earth Groans to be delivered of you which will Vomit you out and yet all this forcing must needs go upon the Account of free Maintenance and I know not what Employments you can take up which will be either Serviceable to God or to the Creation by which you can get 2. or three Hundred pound a Year as many of you have and who dost thou think will believe thee or thy Testimony That you will Preach freely if you never receive a Penny How many Parish Steeple-houses in England and Wales stand empty who have but a little Maintenance belonging to them as twenty or thirty Pound per annum who hath had a Call thither to Preach that which you call the Goâ—pel or where there was not something to be got more or less I have not heard of any amongst you called thither although the Number amount to a very great deal I desire from my Heart that you were Tryed a while and that you were left to your Gospel to see how you can live of it and then in preaching freely you would manifest your selves to be something like the Ministers of Christ and till certain proof be had of
true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the World without Exception and why is this utterly false if he be fâ—llowed that he who is the true Light is an infallible Guide and the Rule of Life Hath he not enlightned every man that cometh into the World If thou makest Exceptions where the Spirit makes none then thou pervertest the Scripture doth not he say I am the Light of the World the World in the Scriptures Account is set in Opposition to Believers for Believers are not of this VVorld but are redeemed out of it as for Example God so loved the World that he sent hâ—s Son into the World that whosoever did believe in him might not perish but have Everlasting Life for it is manifest that the Saints and Believes had Life given 〈◊〉 that followed Christ and were his Sheep and saith Christ I put them forth and go before them and give unto them Eternal Life and he said to them who had not Eternal Life While you have the Light believe in it that you may be the Children of it And is not Christ God's Righteousness who is given for a Covenant of Light to the blind and dead and lame and to the dumb to open their Eyes to quicken them to make them leap as an Hart and their Tongue to sing and utter forth Praise we say Righteousness is not by the Law but by Christ that lighteth every man who is the End of the Law and why is not the Light which lighteth every man Gospel Light seeing it is said Go preach the Gospel in every Creature under Heaven go learn what that means And if Natural Light must be construed in Opposition to Spiritual and the Light of Nature contra-distinct to the Light of the Spirit then it must needs be sinful for that which opposeth spiritual Light and is set in Opposition against its leading must needs be sinful and that which is contra or against the Light of the Spirit must needs be sinful and then if it be as thou hast said and if this must be the true Sense of that Scripture that it must be understood of natural Light and that natural Light thou construest in Opposition to spiritual and say'st It is contra-distinct to the Light of the Spirit and in Opposition unto it That which is against the Spirit 's Light or the Light of the Spirit must needs be Darkness sinful and evil and yet thou hast confessed It will teach that none ought to lye or steal and to know one God and the Creator and Eternity and Omnipotency and yet it must be taken in Opposition to the Spirit and contra-distinct from the Spirit that which leads to know the Creator and Eternity and Omnipotency is that Spirit of God through which God and the Things of God are revealed and that that teaches that a man should not lye that is Truth and that that leads from Sin and accuses for Evil-doing and convicts that is the Spirit 's Light as it is written He shall convince the World of Sin And so thou like a man who hâ—th lost all Aim ramblest up and down in every By-Path and like a blind man gropest but canst not enter into the Treasure-house of Wisdom thou hast called the Light that every one is lighted with the Righteousness of the Law and no Gospel Light and in Opposition to spiritual and contra-distinct to the Spirit and in a Word hast made of it at the best Construction but bad and evil and then when thou hast done thou confesâ—est That it will put a Dâ—fference between Good and Evil and shew that God is to be worshipped and Eternity is known and Omnipotency and are not these the deep Things of God And so Babylon is the Land of thy Nativity and thou reelest and staggerest up not and down like a drunken Man and wouldst be a Teacher and knowest not whereof thou affirmest nor of what thou speâ—kest Further thou say'st That thâ—â— little Light there is is much miscarried and thy Reason is because it is mannaged by the reigninâ— Power of Darkness and the Judgment of Man is corrupt and then thou goest on the Light of Nature siâ—ce the Fall is not to be compared say'st thou with the Light of the Image of God before the Fall and it hath no Proportion with Gospel Light but is gross Darkness nay is worse then gross Darkness Answ. And how did the Light miscarry thou blind-man and when did the reigning power of Darkness manage it seeing that there is no fellowship betwixt Light Darkness and the Light which every man is lightned with hath born witness against Darkness and the Reigning Power of it and though the Judgment of man be corrupt his miscarriage is because he hath not minded the Light and because he hath turned his Back on it and then Sin entered and then came to Reign in the Power of Darkness and corrupted the Heart and this hath made man miscarry and though thou sayst that the Light which lighteth every man is not compared with the Light of the Image of God before the Fall and hath no Proportion I 'le tell thee a Riddle go learn what it means the Light of the Image of God before the fall is the same in it self after the fall and holdeth its proportion and is no whit lessened or diminished in its purity in its self although fallen man do not see it neither can behold it because Sin hath entred and Death by Sin and that is it which obscureth the Image of God from man and it 's Light yet the Light shined in Darkness but thou concludest it is Darkness yea worse then gross Darkness and thou bringst a proof to prove it ye were Darkness the Apostle doth not say that the Light which shined in darkness was darkness or worse then gross Darkness as thou ignorantly saist but he said the Ephesians or the men of Ephesus were darkness and not the Light in them which shined in Darkness though the Darkness comprehended it not but how now John Norton what will the General Court of Boston say when they see thy confusion laid open and the Deceit made manifest to thine and their shame and ignorance thou confest in the 16. page That it would lead to know God and the Worship of God and Teach not to Lye and Steal and so forth and to discover some of God's Attributes as Eternity Omnipotency and the like here was some good in it in thy own account but now it s become gross Darkness in the 18. page and worse then gross Darkness and so hath made as bad if not worse then any Principle that is in a Beast and it may truly be said of thee even in thy own Phrase Qanta sub nocte Jacebat Nostra dies But now thou comes to a further Interpretation of 1 Joh. 9. and thou saist The Light which we are enlightned with it is either the Light of Nature the Light of Reason or the Light of saving
People loved to have it so and the End thereof was Misery for God raised up another Thing and overthrew the Judges Prophets Priests and People the Ancient and Honourable that were the Head and the false Prophets which were the Tail V. Is not the same Blindness happened to England When will her Rulers Judges Prophets Priests see their Error Is it ever like to be a free Nation till all act freely for God without imposing heavy Burdens and giving as much to one Officer imployed in the publick Service as would serve twenty and make so many of them too When will these Things be done away that every one may be approved manifest how he loves his Nation or how he seeks the Good thereof by laying out himself freely and acting freely without so much Chargeableness to the Nation I do not mean the Souldiery but Men employed in civil Affairs and the Ministry who would be counted godly and painful to publish freely or else be silent VI. So now many are so doting on the Name of a Parliament as though it were essential or the Name to be the Foundation of Government and cry up the Priviledge of Parliament as some have done Prerogative and would fight about a Name in their Heat and Passion and loose the thing intended though they be the Representative of the People to do Good to the people and not Hurt thy are accounted as good Servants to God and to them that elected them but if they would so soon as got together set up a particular Interest which serves to the imbondaging of the whole and then cry up their Priviledge to do what they list then it is no Rebellion in God's Account neither in the Account of Just Men to call them away when they do not perform the thing intended but if they will not hearken to the Cry of their Masters the People but it may be call them Rebels or Traytors if they should be turned out because they have clothed themselves with the Name of HIGHER POWER when alas they are gone from that in which their Power Priviledge and Authority stood VII And this I have to say to that Part of the Army who stand so much on the Name of Parliament and would seem to oppose all the rest whether Army or the People from whence their Power did at first arise when they accomplish not the End that they meet for neither intended so to do but to set up some and make the rest alwayes Sufferers if you should take part herein and manage your VVeapons for a Sound or a Name or for something that may sute you though damnifie many Thousands it will not go well with you for God looketh not as man neither judgeth he according to man's VVisdom therefore be not rash nor hâ—sty â—o shed Blood upon this Account but take Counsâ—l in time lest an out-stretched Arm stop you in your way to your Detriment and Hurt you may repent too late it is not your declaring in words for the Good Old Cause neither your Proclamations nor Declarations in good words neither taking God to witness that will satisfie the People who have been and are present Sufferers we have had enough of that from all the former Asserters of Liberty in words but the thing is not done so be less in words and more in Action and Deeds for Righteousness and though you may seemingly retort the Sayings of this Army in England upon them how they received Commissions from the Parliament and promised to be faithful to them and did that they repented of that such things should get up to rule and have Dominion as were acted by the two late Protectors whom the Parliament and you judged Usurpers and so you take Advantage at this to spread forth this to their Reproach in the Nation this is not brotherly done neither is that Spirit that will forgive and suffer long but is heady Though they did receive Commissions and promise to be faithful yet the End I believe was still Premised by them as to be Servants to them for the foresaid End the Good Old Cause 1 st Freed as men from Oppression 2 dly As Christians from being imposed upon either by ancient Laws or Laws which hereafter might be made which hindred the aforesaid Cause and End of all the travail expence and suffering in the Nation which they would never have done therefore the Army in putting a stop to that which did retard and draw back from that End aforesaid in God's Sight and in the Sight of illuminated men is no Rebellion no Treachery IX And as for the long Parliament by whom God did Good Things Great Things in the overthrowing that power which was deviated from the aforesaid End yet the Ax must not boast it self against him that hewed only with it for a time to accomplish his End and when he pleaseth take up another Instrument and let the first lie still VVhat they did they had the Approbation of God and good men yet they went not through with the work purposed and intended and though they were called together in a time of Straits when that which had obstructed through Flattery and Ambition was taken away yet still you who were the members of the Old Parliament remaining were called together for to help to accomplish the aforesaid End and to carry on the Good Old Cause but truly you sticked in the Mire and did not run cheerfully but had your Ears open to them that could complement and flatter and their Business you would hear and return them thanks but them who had been your dearest Friends in your former Straits coming in all Love and Humility and represented their sad suffering unto you of their long Imprisonment and how above twenty dear precious men suffered till Death in prison for that Grand Oppression of Tythes these could not be heard And again when a Representation came unto you from many Thousands who were faithful Men to the Common-Wealth and had alwayes been it was laid by as waste Paper or as a thing of no validity and worth when others received thanks from you in Words and a seeming Approbation of things of far less Importance Furthermore certain who had been Officers in the Army in the Nation and in Ireland this fourteen or fifteen Years came to you to present the Sufferings and Grievances of that Nation unto you and in seven or eight Weeks Time you would neither hear nor regard their Suit unto you neither take notice of it neither return an Answer but when a Company of greedy hireling Priests came from Leicester-shire to sound their trumpet in the House and to tell you they had not engaged with the rest of their Brethren in Cheshire and Lancashire with George Booth they were immediately called in and thanks returned as though they had done some great Service for the Nation but them who were your real Friends called Quakers when diverse of them represented the sad sufferings of the People
ready to bury thee in Silence that thee and all thy Glory may be trampled upon and that thy Memorial may dye and rot and thy Renown be shut up in the Pit of Oblivion the Fellers stand ready to cut thee down as an abominable Branch and to cast thee into the Fire to consume thee and to make a final End of thee and to destroy all thy pleasant thing the Lord is grieved for thee and the Spirits of his People are made sad for they feel the Weight of Iniquity and the Load of Transgression which will sink the Nation if it be not turned from but the Lord will ease him of his Enemies and avenge him of his Adversaries and will sweep away the Refuge of Lyes and the Lovers of them into the Pit of Destruction and the Day hastens when they that exalt themselves high even upon Pinacles shall be brought low and many Hills hath God made one with the Plain and many more yet shall be made a Plain that the Glory of the Lord and his Interest may be exalted Oh England consider thy former Dayes and call to Mind thâ— Years past and consider in what State thou wast twenty Years ago and what Complaints filled every Corner of the Land by Reason of the heavy Yoaks that were lâ—id upon the People by Reason of mâ—ny wicked Laws which were made by Men of corrupt Minds not only upon the Estateâ— of Men but also upon their Persons and Consciences and the Cry of many innocent People was great and reached through the Clouds And what Innovations and Impositions were made upon tender Consciences by those called Bishops which the very Land groaned with the Burden thereof who were but a Stem sprung from that corrupt Root of Rome and most of their Worship Canons Constitutions they had from thence â—nd what Intrusion and Popish Stuff was ushered in daily upon the People â—n this Nation which they groaned under and compelling and forcing about the superstitious Rites and Ceremonies and foolish Fopperies which â—hey brought in as religious Matters and what lazy Drones they upled reading a Piece of the old Mass-book in English and calling it Divine Service and judged them Hereticks who opposed all this muddy dark Stuff which the People were vexed with and their Souls grieved and the Lord grieved and vext insomuch that the Lord heard the Cry of the Oppressed and did appear in his Power and Strength in many People to bear witness against the aforesaid Evils which were growing upon the Nation which tended to Bondage and Thraldom both as concerning Mens Persons and Estates and also their Consciences which Bondage they were weary of which Yoaks the Lord brake and gave a total Overthrow both of the one and of the other and many upright in Heart did rejoyce and with unwearied Pains did travail through a Sea of Troubles not minding the present Difficulty but rather eying the End Freedom and Liberty and many precious Men ventured their Lives and lost their Blood and consumed their Estates and offered willingly of their Substance in the Time of need that they might accomplish the aforesaid End Liberty and Freedom as Men according to the equal just Law of God and Freedom as Christian without being imposed upon either by Men or Laws which was a Prize which the Lord did intend should be put into the Nations Hand as a Recompence for their former Sufferings in which all the upright would have been satisfied and therefore they who have been Obstructors and Hinderers of this Thing have the greater Sin and Load upon their Backs which hath sunk many of them But alas when the Obstructions were taken out of the way and there was a little rest Covetousness did get up and Pride in the Hearts of the Rulers and them in Authority in the Hearts of the Souldiery especially the Officers of the Army most of which God had raised from a mean Estate to a great Dignity You forgat the Lord and did divide the Spoil amongst you and so became full and Fat and then kick'd against the Lord and neglected his Service to pursue that which God had put into your Hands but getting into Places of Honour became as bad if not worst then many that were cast out before you and then laboured to set up your own Interests and not the Interest of the Nation and to set up a Form of Religion and another deceitful Image and not the Interest of Christ Jesus for he could have no room among you It grieves my Heart and 〈◊〉 the Spirit of the Lord God in me to consider what Tenderness and â—â—â—vency and love there was in former Years to the appearance of Gods Truth Life and Light and now it 's become the chief Object of 〈◊〉 Scorn and the whole bent is to turn Christ's Interest out of the 〈◊〉 and to destroy the Sheep of his Pasture whom he hath Redeemed 〈◊〉 his most precious Blood to lay your Sins before you and your Transgâ—â—â—sions in your sight that you may see what you have done Oh People of England Was it only a Form of Government or such and such a Government in Name that ye pursued after or was it not the Thing it self Freedom it self Liberty it self Righteousness it self thâ—â— the heavy Yoak might be done away which as to any of the last I doâ—â— say but they might have done it if they had stood in God's fear and 〈◊〉 his Counsel for it is not this or that Title or Form of Government which is only Essential to the well-being of a People or a Nation 〈◊〉 have had tryal of many Names and what do you enjoy yet that which you look'd for Oh nay you are defrauded you are cheated you are â—â—â—bed and Spoiled of that which the Lord God did intend you by Treâ—â—â—erous and false-hearted Men whose Words have been smooth 〈…〉 and their Hearts full of rottenness and through fair Pretences 〈◊〉 Liberty and Freedom and Sanctity and Holiness People have been led up and down like Horses and tossed up and down like a Tennis-ball Or was it a Form of Religion which might be set up by this or that Party that tender People did seek after so as to be Bound to this or that Form by an outward Law by compelling and forcing Was it not Reformation according to the Scriptures which was spoken of and intended by the upright-hearted and behold how have we been Cheated here Was this the Liberty of Conscience that was pursued after to set up Popish Tythes which no true Christian can Pay for Conscience sake Or to set up a Company of Men to be Teachers to learn seven Years the Art of Speaking to borrow their Words from Homer or Aristotle and Heathen Authors or to take up a company of Errors decreed at Chalcedon Nice Latren or Trent for Articles of Faith or to get words from Astrologers and Southsayers and mingle this with the Scripture and call them The Goâ—pel and to have set Wages
the Apostle's Doctrine and so this R. I. is tryed by his own infallible standard to be a Deceiver who teaches contrary to that which he calls his Law and Testimony and the Law which is outward is the Law of the first Covenant which made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better Hope did by which we draw nigh unto God Heb. 7.19 Therefore the Lord sâ—â—d by the Mouth of the Prophet Behold the Dayes come that I will make a new Covenant with the House of Israel not according to the Covenant I made with them when I brought them out of the Land of Egypt when I was as a Husband and unto them which Covenant they brake but I will write my Law in their Heart and put my spirit in their inward Parts I will be to them a God and they shall be unto me a People Jer. 31.33 Heb. 8.9 10. Now this blind man who gropes as at noon-day saith This is imperfect which is written in the heart and so faulty with him and therefore to be ruled over and the other which is outward is perfect and faultless and so ought to be a rule but saith the Apostle contrary to R. I. If the first covenant had been faultless there had been no place for the second which second the Apostle saith is a better Covenant and stands upon better Promises but yet saith R I. this is not the rule nor fit to be a rule And furthermore the Apostle said as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God and this was their Rule and the Law of the Spirit of Life made the Apostle free from the Law of Sin and Death and the new Creatures Rule by which they were led into all Truth and as many as did walk in it out of all Sin But nay saith R. I. It is not fit to be a Rule for this is imperfect and is that thing to be ruled and for his Proof brings Psal. 17.4 By the Word of thy Lips I have kept me frâ—m the Path of the Destroyer and how doth this prove that the Law in the Heart is to be ruled thou ignorant man who utterest forth nothing but Deceit and Error and so the Scriptures declare against thee for they say The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the Soul The Commandment of the Lord is pure enlightning the Eyes Psal. 19.7 8. For the Commandment is a Lamp and the Law is Light Prov. 6.23 and the Commands of the new Covenant are spiritual and not carnal and they are perfect and fit to be a Rule Guide to all them that believe in a perfect Way and not as this R. I. saith unfit to be a rule because of their imperfection and would in his blind Distinctions cast a mist before Peoples Eyes And all may judge not only of this R. I. his Mistake but of his wilful Impudence in preferring that which is visible and outward and may be seen which was given forth in time viz. the Commands outward and the Letter outward above the Law of the Spirit of Life which is invisible spiritual and eternal And as I said to S. S. so I may say to thee Lean Souls are they like to be who receive such damnable Doctrine as this for Atticles of Faith but however Reader thou mayest take notice of R. I. in his Epistle to the Reader he saith the Quakers Money is counterfeit Coin which he hath nailed on the market-post and instead thereof hath tendred other Money and that thou mayest see what kind of other Money the Priests is and what Image it bears by the Principles here discovered which is altogether Tin and Dross and reprobate Silver which will be received by none but them whom the God of this World hath blinded the Eyes of that they should not see the things that belong unto their Peace And Edward Dod being sensible that he and all his Stuff or he and all his Arguments were carried captive and became a Booty and a Prey he is glad that any will step in and rescue him and flattereth R. I. and saith I am engaged to you to imbrace you as a precious Friend that of so weak Principles as mine have raised so perfect a Structure so absolute rational and demonstrative that more need not to be done Answ. R. I. his Vindication hath not redeemed E. D. his Principles at all but rather hath laboured in vain and spent his Strength for naught and hath brought forth such a Birth as sober men will blush at made up of Ignorance Blasphemy Derision and Lyes which they that have the least Moderation will abhor and detest and the Principles of E. D. and R. I. are not only weak and feeble but wicked and impious as is manifest in what hath been declared and the Structure that R. I. hath made is but builded with untempered Mortar Lyes Falshood Error false Doctrine which the stormy Wind of the Lord will rent and scatter and confound and exalt his Truth above it all But Edward Dod saith What can be said to reduce such a People I know not since so many convincing Arguments cannot prevail alas poor Men whether would you reduce us or bring us back to the slime Pits of Sodom where Edward Dod fell with his Stuff or turn us back again to Images Pictures and Crosses to Mass-houses Hirelings and Tythes to Lace Ribbons and Cuffs which both E. D. and R. I. have strongly pleaded for as faithful Servants to their Master who would not have him loose a Foot of his Territories however Edward Dod hath resolved to continue one in Life and death with R. I. who hath shaken Hands with the Prince of darkness and made a Covenant with death which must be broken and though S. S. E. D. and R. I. joyn Hand in Hand yet the wicked shall not go unpunished fore-very one shall receive a Reward according to their Works And so I have done with R. I. his Book called Ignis fatuus whose Arguments false doctrines errors and lyes are disolved into nothing his 〈◊〉 made void his Ignorance made manifest his false doctrine brought to Light and reproved by the Word of Truth only I shall return him a few of his Lyes back again for him 〈…〉 the second time and repent of them and remember the Sentence for all Lyars is The Lake that burneth Rev. 22.15 First That their Worship differs not in whole nor in Part in Matter nor in Manner from the Churches in the Primitive Times Secondly According to the Scriptures their whole Worship is framed Thirdly That Jezabel was never more madder against the Prophets then these Quakers are against Christ's Ministers Fourthly The Quakers contemn Magistracy and infect the Common-wealth with Faction Fifthly That the Quakers burnt some Houses at Oxford Sixthly That Timothy and Titus were setled in a Parochial Way in their Quarters Seventhly That F. H. complains of the Darkness of the Sun when the Fault is in his own Eyes Eighthly
cast into the Lake and all those tyranous cruel wicked changeable murderous Laws which he hath made and forced upon Men to uphold the Power of his Dominion shall be trodden under Foot and be had in Contempt and Dishonour by all the Followers of the Lamb who is gone out conquering and to conquer and shall subdue his Enemies and overcome them and slay the wicked by the Sword that proceeds out of his Mouth And Oh what a Havock hath the Devil made in the Earth since the Dayes of the Apostles since he hath got the Form of Godliness and hath transformed himself into all outward Appearances of Worship and Anti-christ hath been exalted above the true God in the Earth and hath turned Christian in Name and hath preached Christ in Words and hath covered himself with the Sheeps Clothing the outside that he might not appear as he is an Enemy to the Power and Life of the true God that so he might deceive and hath deceived Thousands for since the Dayes of the Apostacy that the Power and the Life hath been lost the Devil and Anti-christ have turned Law-makers and Law-givers and Law-executors and Rulers of Nations and Kingdoms have made Spoil in the Nations under that Name of higher Power nay further Anti-christ hath turned Church-Member nay Church-Officer Preacher and a great Ordinance-man a Preacher a Prayer a Singer a Baptizer a Worshipper of the strictest sort in the Nations and hath taken up the visibles Actions and Practices of the Disciples Apostles Ministers and Believers so far as they have been outward and now in these things and by this stolen cover deceives Peoples and opposes the true Christ and his Life and Power and coming in the Spirit and yet notwithstanding all this large Philactary and long and large Garment yet the in-side is Devilish Hellish Murderous Cruel ravenous and devouring And who will but look back and take a view from the Beginning of the Devil's Kingdom until Christ was manifest in the Flesh shall finde these things true that under the Name of higher Power and under the Name of Holy Church he hath destroyed the Naâ—iâ—ns and hath laid waste God's Heritage and hath defaced his Image and destroyed his Workmanship and hath laid all the Blame upon the Righteous Seed and condemned them for Evil-doers for not being subject to Authority for Law-breakers and for Seditious and Tumultuous and for Heresie and Errour and Blasphemy and as Ungodly for all the Righteous Prophets and Believers in former Time were Judged and suffered as Ungodly in the Account of the Devil and his Agents as though he and his Instruments had been the greatest Friends of God and of Believers And who will but view the Scriptures of Truth from the manifesting of Christ in the Flesh till his Ascention and also afterward may see that the Devil under the Name of higher Power and under the Name of Authority hath made Spoil and Havock of men and their Estates and hath killed and destroyed the Just as Evil-doers and have exacted upon the Righteous by wicked Impositions and Cruel corrupt Laws made to uphold his Authority which standeth in Darkness And the false Church under the Name of a Holy Church hath sentenced them as Blasphemers as Erronious and as Enemies to God who kept his Commands and did the Will of our Heavenly Father as the blind Jews in their ignorance judged Christ as a Blasphemer and as an Enemy to the Law and Crucified him and Persecuted the Apostles and put them in Prison as Seditious and Tumultuous and as Pestilent and assaulted the House of Jason and beat and abused Scourged and Whipped them with Stripes and loaded them with Reproaches and haled them before Magistrates and Rulers and falsely accused them and followed them from place to Place and stirred up the ruder sort and cryed out Help men of Israel for they turn the World upside down and so Persecuted them from City to City as Evil-doers And after the dayes of the Apostles when there was a defection made from the Faith and the Power was denyed and lost yet the Form retained then Mystery Babylon began to rise and the Murderous City began to be builded and the Nations to drink of her Fornication and swallowed down her deceit Then began the Nations to be Waters and Kindreds and Tongues to reel to and fro Then all became as a Sea with Waves and Boisterous then the Beast rose out of it and he got the Name of Authority and higher Power and then turned against the Righteous and made Laws in the wicked Nature that all that would not be subject to him must be killed and they were Killed under the Name of Evil-doers for that Title they must bear and both the Beast the first and the second with the Mother of Harlots shed the Blood of the Saints as Erronious Seditious Blasphemous all this long Night of Anti-christ's Reign they that keep the Testimony of Jesus have been Killed Destroyed Persecuted some as being Enemies to the Higher Power and some as Law-breakers and Seditious and some as Erronious and Dangerous so these many hundred Years hath the Devil been exalted and Anti-christ advanced under the Name of Christ and under this Title have killed and wasted the Creatures and destroyed the Creation by the Name of Higher Power and by the Name of Holy Church and by the Name of Christians hath devoured and destroyed Thousands by Cruel Deaths Tortures Blood-shed Fining Prisoning Hailing to Prison Whipping Scourging the Righteous as Malefactors and Evil-doers them that were dear in the eyes of the Lord and were not defiled with the Abominations of the times and all them that bore Testimony to Righteousness were condemned for Unrighteous and censured as evil-doers and thus in short all may see how the Devil hath disguised himself and transformed himself into the likeness of Truth as an asserter of Righteousness and a Vindicator of Holiness and so hath deceived the Nations and led them into Blindness that he might hold up his Kingdom and Government in the Earth and that he might be Worshipped and Honoured above the True and living God and who hath but taken a view of the Ecclesiastical Histories of the affairs of things since the Apostacy may clearly see that great and many have been the sufferings of the Righteous by this Generation of Evil-doers who have got the Name of Higher Power and also of Holiness and so have turned against the Saints and faithful Witnesses of God who lived in the Life and Power thereof and have shed their Blood and made Havock and Spoil of God's Heritage and have destroyed his Workmanship and have made the Hearts of the Righteous sad whom God never made sad But what need I go backward to Ages and Generations past to demonstrate this when our Age and Generation bringeth forth so many and sad Evidences of these things which if the Sufferings and sad Persecutions were summed up of these seven Years last past
already enjoy and Possess and so the Apostles brought them to a further examination not to look at things visible but to examine themselves whether they were in the Faith for he that is in the Faith is not in that which is visible Prove your selves know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 Now they who came to witness Christ in them knew the Resurrection and the Life in them and Witnessed the Life of the Son of God to live in them and they in it and this was a further State then looking at visible Things which were in remembrance only of his Death and blessed are they who have an Eye to see and an Heart to believe these things And now the Apostle spake unto wise Men and bad them â—udge what he said 1 Cor. 10.15 So that Novices or they that were young or Babes had hâ—rdly been able to discern if he had spoken such things to them but he spoke to wise men which could judge of what he said and ver 16. thus he said The Cup of blessing that we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ And the Bread which we breakâ— is it not the communion of the Body of Christ ver 17. For we being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all partakers of that one bread and that one Bread was Christ who said I am the Bread of Life and this they witnessed and these are great Mysteries and they whose Eyes are towards visible things cannot see them and what a Nâ—ise and a Stir hath been made these many hundred Years and what killing and persecuting about things that are seen And since the Mystery hath been lost and the Key which opens the mystery how People have waded in the dark till they have lost themselves and are sunk down into utter Darkness as hath been manifest about visible things which do corrupt how many have been killed about this Bread and this Cup which are visible since the Apostles Dayes and how many Institutions and Laws have been made about this and have fought like Swine about the husk and discern not the Life neither the Lords Body It is endless to declare what stir they make about this Bread and this Wine in the Church of Rome which I shall not now stand to particularize much but however after the Priest hath consecrated it they conclude it to be the very Body and Blood of Christ and yet a thing which may be seen and that is a temporal thing and so give it Names past numeration And what work have they made about times and dayes when it was fit to be received and how many Decrees have been made about these things Anacletus caused a Decree to be made that all were to come to it under pain of Excommunication and Victor denounced that those should be interdicted from all Service when they should receive the Sacrament that would not be reconciled to their Neighbours of all Grudges and Hatred again Clepharanius one hundred Years after Anaâ—letus commanded that all that professed Christ or bare the Name of Christians being of the Age of twelve or fourteen Years should at least once a year at Easter receive the blessed Sacrament Fabianus decreed that they should receive it three times in a Year and Innocentius the third decreed it should be kept in the church that it should be ready at all times lest they that were sick should want to spiritual comfort of it and Honorus the third confirmed the same and Austin concluded the Eucharist to be of absolute necessity for Infants And what a stir hath been in the reformed churches so called about this and what disorderly work and what high Imputations they have gained to it whenas they commanded the Parishes to buy it and then sell it them again that the Priest must have a Offering at Easter also a token of a piece of Lead a token that they are at Unity with the Priest or else they may not have their Bread and Wine again for which they paid before and this hath been called a great Mystery HAP XII Concerning Ministers and their Office under the Law and the Gospel BEfore the Law was given forth there were divers did offer Sacrifice and builded Altars unto the Lord as Seth Abel Melchizedeck A braham Isaac and Jacob who were Guiders and Directors of People in the Way of Righteousness who instructed their Families in the Fear of the Lord but after the Law was given forth Aaron and his Sons and they were to offer Sacrifice according to the command of the Lord and to perform the Worship that God had appointed for that Time and Age at the Tabernacle and Temple there were Levites who bore the Ark and looked to the Vessels and pitched the Camp and divers other Services as Singers and Readers of the Law and Prophets on their Sabbath Dayes and Porters and the like and all these pertained to the First Covenant and Priesthood which was to have an End both the Priesthood and the Law and the Service thereof for it was but to continue till the Substance came Now Christ being come to the End of the Law for Righteousness unto all that believe made after the Order of Melchizedeck and not by a carnal commandment he offered up himself once for all and became the Author of eternal Salvation unto them that believe put an End to the first Worship and Priesthood Before he was offered up he chose Disâ—iples unto him twelve and also seventy and endued them with Power and many did believe through their Words and they were not Men of great parts but as they were fitted by the holy Ghost that gave them Utterance and they were sent out not to preach the Law but the Word of the Kingdom and many did believe and grew and were confirmed in the Faith and after Christ s Ascension the holy Ghost was poured forth upon them in a more ample Manner and it did bring to their Remembrance as Christ had foretold and they received great Gifts for the Work of the Ministry some were Prophets some Apostles some Evangelists some Pastors some Teachers and all made Ministers by the Spirit for the Work whereunto they were chosen and many were converted and did believe then they that had the Word of God to publish travailed as they were led and moved by the Spirit to publish the glad-tidings of the Gospel and when the Believers were many and many young in the Faith they ordained Overseers or Bishops or Elders who were sound in the Faith to watch over them that were begotten but mark they were approved men and faithful and of blameless lives not given to Covetousness neither did tyrannâ—ze over them in rigour but were apt to teach and instruct in Love Gentleness and they that had been ancient Labourers in God's Work did so who had received a Gift to minister unto others and as to be
the shadows fly away and clear Air appears and Glory and clearness is beholden eâ—en the Lord with open Face and yet man lives and is not afraid of his Presence but is glad because of the Light of his countenance But this is â— Mystery and these things are hidden from the Wise and Prudent of this World But this is the sum of much there was a time when there were no Oaths outward before the Transgression when man was the Image of God after the Transgression the Oathes were given forth and the commands outward but in the Restoration or Reformation they end again and there shall be none for Truth it self shall live and it shall testifie in man and there shall be no other Witnesses blessed are they that believe and understand But to come nearer the Understanding of all it is granted that in the first Covenant under the Law Oaths were ordained and men did and might swear but this was after Sin entered into the World many hundred Years and the Nations who were Heathens swore some by their Kings and some by their Heathen-Gods the Egyptians swore by the Life of Pharaoh and the Romans by the Life or Fortune of Caesar but Israel was to swear by the living God Deut. 10.20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God him shalt thou serve and to him shalt thou cleave and swear by 〈◊〉 Name Lev. 19.11 12. Ye shall not steal neither deal falsly neither lye one unto another ye shall not swear falsly by my Name neither shalt thou prophane the Name of thy God I am the Lord Num. 30.2 And if aâ—y vow a Vow untâ— the Lord and swear an Oath to bind his Soul with a Bond he shall not break his Bond but do all that proceeds out of his Mouth and so Jâ—shua kept Covenaâ—â— with the Gibeonâ—ites but when Israel revolted from the Lord in their Hearts and yet sware a true Word and said The Lord lived yet the Prophet Jeremiâ—h said chap. 5.2.23.10 Thouâ—â— they say the Lâ—rd liveth yet they swear falsly no truer thing could be said or sworn then that the Lord lived but he liâ—ed nor in them that did lye and steall and kill and commit Adultery they held the former but were gone from â—he Life and Power and then it was a customary thing with them to swear even as it is now among the Apostate Christians and because of which the Land mourns and in chap 4. vers 15. Though Israel play this Harlot yet let not Judea so offend and come not yet to Gilgal neither go you up to Bethaven nor swear the Lord liveth And Amos saith They that swear by the Sin of Samâ—â—â—a and say the God of Dan liveth and the Manner of Bersheba liveth even they shall fall and rise up again So when they kept the Covenant of God they swâ—re by the Name of the Lord in Truth and in Righteousness but when they revolted they kept the Words and swore without Fear and prophaned the Name and did swear then by the Heathen by Milcom and the Sin of Samaria even as the Apostate Christians now swear by any thing yea even the most religious Swearing is by a Book which is not the living God and so this kind of Swearing hath no ground at all but custom and tradition but still this is granted that the Jews and many of the Faithfull Fathers swore as Jacob and Abraham and many others and all died in the Faith and yet were not made partakers of the Promise but saw through the Vail and the Shadows and an Oath was a Type of Christ the Oath of God and the Promise but now the Promise is come and the Restorer and the Reformer is come and all are to hear him or else be cut off from having any Share in him who is the Promise it self yea all the Promises in him are Yea and Amen in whom not only the Children of Abraham after the Flesh but all the Children of the Promise are blessed and he who fulfilled the Law in whom God fulfilled his Oath who is the everlasting high Priest after Melchizedeck's order he hath put an End to all Oaths and swearing and all the Types and Shadows He saith Mat. 5.33 34. It hath been said of old time thou shalt not forswear thy self but shalt perform to the Lord thy Oaths But I say unto you my Disciples and Followers who have believed in me the true and living Way who makes all things a new swear not at all neither by Heaven c. there being a Generation then as now who said to swear by the Greater is nothing but he that swears by the lesser is guilty he calls them Hypocrites and saith Whosoever shall swear by the Eternity the lesser sweareth by him the Greater that dwelleth therein and he that sweareth by Heaven the lesser sweareth by the Throne of God and him that sitteth thereon the greater and if Christ had only forbid vain swearing and Oaths as most do ignorantly imagine he had done no more then the Law had done before but it is manifest he forbids all Swearing yea even by Lord for if they that swear by Heaven swear by God that sits upon the Throne as he himself saith then he prohibits this also and saith I say unto you swear not at all and James 5.12 who well knew Christ's mind saith Above all thingâ— my Brethren swear not neither by Heaven nor by Earth now we know Heaven and Earth comprehends all created things and yet the Apostle goes further and excludes all manner of Swearing saying neither any other Oath and this he commands above and before all things and that upon the Penalty of Condemnation but much by divers Hands hath been written about this particular so I desire not to be large seeing we have a cloud of Witnesses which have good Assurance in themselves by God's Spirit sealing unto them rather then swear and bring condemnation upon themselves have denied their Estates and Liberties which lie at stake upon it but happy will they be who have no hand in it to provoke the upright and tempt them aside out of Christ's Way for Wo will come undoubtedly upon such And that others may see it is no new thing take a few Examples of the faithful in Ages past who suffered as Martyrs and it were an easie thing to bring a cloud of Witnesses out of the Ecclesiastical Histories of them that denied all Swearing in divers Ages I shall instance only a few Polycarpus who was as it is said John's Disciple and had been a Christian eighty nine years when he came to suffer Martyrdom the Procâ—nsul requiring him to swear by the Emperor 's good Fortune and by Caesar's Prosperity which was the custom of the Romans at that time and divers Heathen Emperors set up their own Images to be worshipped and their Persons to be sworn by but Polycarpus denied and said he was a Christian and would shew forth the Doctrine of Christianity he desired the same
converted there is no more Work Now such will be tryed who have boasted of calls and Commissions and if all were gone they would preach for nothing or freely without Gifts I am afraid we shall hardly find one of five hundred but will rather then quite cease the gainful Trade traffick in such Merchandize as the time allows though they must now be content with eight for a night-wake and four for churching of a Woman and sâ—xpence for roading over a Grave or Tythe-egges at Eâ—ster and rather then they dare stand Christ's allowance will take this and such allowance as can be gotten under Hand and Seal as the time will afford them but to return to that which was in my Heart to shew out of Antiquity Tythes no Gospel mâ—intenance Prosper saith They do live upon the Gospel who will be Propriators of nothing who neither have nor desire to have any thing not possessing their own but the Common Goods what is it to live of the Gospel but that he who lâ—bours should receive necessary Supplies by them amonâ—st whom he labours without forcâ—ng though Paul himâ—elf would not make use of hâ—s Permission lest he should create an Offencâ— bâ—t laboured with his Hands being a Tent-maker and they that would receive it by voluntary Contributions were the Apostles and others who laboured in the Gospel Cyril of Alexandria speaking upon that Passage of Abraham Gen. 14 23. who after he had gained Victory over the King of Sodom's Enemies and rescued Lot when the King offered him part of the Spoils he would receive nothing but a few Victuals though saith he the holy Teachers do war in the behalf of perishing mankind and thouâ—h they undergo much pains yet do they not take anythâ—ng from the men of the World nor do they heap up unto themselves riches lest the World should say I have made you rich they only ought to receive their Sustenance from the Hands of those whom they have benefited for it is Christ's Command saith he that he who teacheth the Gospel should live thereby So that it is evident that very many of Ancient Fathers whom this Generation of Teachers have talked so much on did deny Tythes and forced mâ—intenance from the World but in this Point it is like they may be judged for erroneous or weak sighted as they do the Quakers or mâ—n of weak Understanding but I see many will trâ—duce them in Words but few in practice Peâ—er and John say Silver and Gold have I none Behold the riches of those who were Priests of Christ but let us quickly aply these things saith he unto ourselves who are prohibited by the Law of Christ if we have any Regard thereunto to have possessions in the Country or Houses in the City what do I say Possessions Houses no not to multiply Coats or Money if we have Food and Raiment let us be there with content Hierom writing to Nepotianus a Clergy-man doth much extol â—he Poverty of the Clergy As a Levite and a Priest saith he I love and am supplied with the Oblations of the Altar having Food having Cloath I will be content therewith and naked follow the naked Cross I beseech you that you would not transform our spiritual Warfare into a carnal one nor Imagine yourself in the Clergy as if you were in an Army getting Spoils nor seek after no more then whâ—n you came first into the Clergy lest it be said to you their Lot shall not profit them The Alâ—igenses Bedemontane Protestants have preserved their Religion incorrupt longer then any Church with a Ministry endowed with Tythes and Hire in the World and likewise the primitive times never wanted able Teachers as the best Histories say although they lived either upon their Labour or the free Offering of them that were converted and were not so disquieted with political complying Opinions and Curiosities and Niceties and Distinctions and Contentions until Constance began to enrich and give Lands and great Revenues to the Church and then they began to side and controvert in state matters and grew into Pride Idleness and Fulness insomuch that Histories say a Voice was heard from Heaven This Day hath Poyson been shed in the Church So you Protestants view over your Fathers whom the Ministers have talked on and so now if they will own their Practice so as to walk in it and let them never be reckoned as Ministers of Christ more who cannot be content with his allowance and let forcing alone about maintenance and the Tythes alone to the Priest of the first Covenant and let baâ—gaining alone for Wages and seek not Hire of them you work not for and if your Gospel will not maintain you you have good cause to question it whether it be the very same the Apostles preached and the primitive Fathers and never such a cry be heard more among People for maintenance and hire for wages and Tythes but he that hath the Gospel let him preach the Gospel and live of the Gospel not upon Tythes and forced maintenance and set stipends for the Gospel condemns this a Cloud of Witnesses is against it both in former and latter Ages yea it is inconsistent unto Reason to require Tythes in this Age by the Ministry First the Levites were one of the twelve Tribes if they were not the twelfth Part of the People but so are not the Priests now Secondly They had no Portion among the rest of the Tribes but the Teachers and Priests now have equal to other men in Lands and Revenues Thirdly The Priests were but to have the Tenth of all clean things but now clean and unclean Beasts Birds and Fowls Pigs Eggs Turnips and every thing which were not tythable under the Law Fourthly Their Service was great at the Tabernacle and Temple and in time of the War in sojourning it is not so with Priests who stay over a few Families all their Life long Fifthly Seeing the Service is abrogated for which the Levites had Tythes and none of the Service performed now no Reason that Tythes should be required now when the Work is not done unto which the Tythes belonged Sixthly The Levites were of Aaron's Priesthood of which Tribe Christ came not but of the Tribe of Judah but these Priests are not after Aaâ—â—n nor Levi neither their Successors therefore have no Right to Tythes Seventhly That which was given by the Command of God only to Aaron and his Sons and Levites and never to any other Priesthood or Ministry now seeing the Law is changed and the Priesthood changed Christ being câ—me these Priests are unreasonable who demanded them contrary to the Command of God which belongs only to that Priesthood CHAP. XIX Respecting of Persons and Complemental Bowing and worshipping one another and flattering Titles no good Manners but are in the Transgression and have been anciently reproved and condemned ALthough this Generation have so far run after every Invention and vain Custom and Tradition into Complements
profess themselves to be Christians who dare not stand to Christ's Doctrine and allowance in respect of their Maintenance But in the fulness of time God raised up another Priest Christ Jesus who was not of the Tribe of Levi neither made after a carnal Commandment as the first Priest was neither was he Consecrated after the order of Aaron for he pertained to another Tribe of which no man gave attendance at the Altar viz. to Judah he obtained a more excellent Ministry and of a greater and more perfect a tabernacle not of the former building he being the Sum and Substance of all shadows under the first Covenant hath thereby put an End to the first Priest-hood with all its shadows and carnal Ordinances and changing the Priest hood which had a command to take Tythes of their Brethren there was a necessity also of the change of the Law and a disannulling likwise of the Commandment which went before Now after Christ Jesus was manifest the end of the Law for Righteousness to them that do believe the End of the Covenant first Priesthood Tabernacle Temple Tythes Offerings Oblations and in a Word all the Worship of the Jews and all their Shadows Types and Figures and representations All the Sabbaths Fasts Feasts and their divers washings and Purifyings which all were but as Shadows of things to come and he was the sum and Substance of them all and ended them all and whosoever will plead a necessity of all or anyone of the former things mentioned in the first Covenant that was faulty Christ profits him nothing and he denyes the Faith of Christ and his Apostles and Ministers for Circumcision was once commanded of God and as real a Type as any other and yet they that would needs hold it up after the Substance was manifest to wit Christ Jesus the Apostle Paul concludes that Christ profits them nothing though he elsewhere calls it the Seal of the Righteousness of Faith unto Abraham which he had before he was Circumcised The like I also say of all the former Ordinances which pertained to the first Priest-hood and Covenant and holds them up as of necessity denyes the Faith of Christ and Christ profits them nothing and do make themselves thereby as debtors to the whole Law and he that fails in the breach of one is guilty of all Therefore of how much necessity is it for them that do profess Christ and the Faith that was delivered to the Saints to stand fast in that liberty wherein Christ hath made them free and not to be entangled with the Yoak of Bondage but to keep the Ordinances and Commands of Christ unviolated for that they lay claim to Tythes and would cause us to pay Tythes they themselves do not keep the Law but would constrain us that they might glory in our Flesh and would confound the Ordinances of the first and second Covenant together without putting any difference to the time and ministration unto which they did belong The Apostles and Ministers of Christ who were made partakers of the Divine Nature and of the Word of Reconciliation did not look back nor draw People back to the former Ordinances of the Jews and their Priest-hood but testified against them their Temples Fasts Feasts and New-Moons and for these things Paul and Stephen and divers others suffered great Persecution and Christ the everlasting high Priest though he was the Son of God the Heir of all things and the first born of every Creature and the Bishop of Souls though he was the Lord of all he made himself of no reputation nor did not lay claim to the Possessions of the World but said The Foxes have holes and the Birds of the Air have Nests but the Son of man hath not whereon to lay his Head He laid no claim to Tenths nor Offerings nor Oblations neither to Lands where he travelled in the Work of the Father though he laboured for the conversion of Souls in divers places as the true Bishop thereof He laid no claim to any such Places as to be his Diocess neither did look for any gifts and rewards from any place but as he was sent of the Father and was the free gift of Righteousness he ministred freely and likewise when he sent out his Disciples and gave them Commission to Teach all Nations and Disciple them in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost he said unto them As my Father sent me so send I you And again Freely you have received freely give And again Take with you neither Staff nor scrip nor Money nor Brass in your purses but into what House or City ye enter enquire who therein is worthy and abide ye there till you go thence And whatsoever is set before you that do you eat and drink for the Labourer is worthy of his meat And though he sent them out as is before said when they returned again he said unto them Lacked ye any thing And they said Nay Though they were sent out as Sheep among Wolves yet they preaching the Word of the Kingdom freely and turned People to Christ the new and living Way whereby there Hearts were opened to Minister unto them which serv'd for their necessity in the Work of the Gospel they did not desire or require any Stipend Sallary Augmentation or settled Maintenance but were Ministred unto them only by them who had believed their report and were made Partakers of Spiritual things they never complained of want nor never had any cause nor did not give over Preaching of the Gospel because they had not settled Maintenance like our latter Generation of Priests who if their Maintenance do cease their Gospel ceaseth which demonstrates only they minister for Hire and filthy Lucre and so are out of the Apostles Doctrine and Practice for the Apostles they often denyed that which was freely proferred them lest they should make the Gospel of Christ chargeable and their Work of no Effect Here was no Tythes spoken of that we read on commanded or commended either to the Jews or Gentiles who believed in the Age of the Apostles that we find mentioned either in Scripture or any other Ancient Records And after many Christians were converted unto the Faith such was the liberality and bounty of believers in the Beginning of Christianity that their bounty to the Evangelical Priesthood was so large as that it far exceeded what the tenth could have been or if you look to the first of the Apostles times then the unity of Heart among them about Jerusalem was such that all was in common and none wanted And as many as were possessors of Lands and Houses sold them and brought the price of that which was sold and laid it at the Apostles Feet and it was distributed to every man according as he had need So the whole Church both Ministers and Believers liv'd in common of that which was freely brought in and ministred for the Service of the
own they being the Body of the People Answ. This supposeth a particular Donation of the People not only in their Legislative Capacity to bind themselves by a Law but by a particular Act of Free Gift but it 's evident the Act never intended any such thing for it gives nothing but commands what was given before and as to this or all other Laws that Princes Parliaments Popes Councils Bishops and whatever else was by any Man made for the Payment of Tythes since Christ Jesus came in the Flesh joyned all together how do they all or any of them bind the Conscience for if Tythes be not due by the Law of God as hath been proved before that they are not who hath set them up the Laws of men at the best and what is man or the Sons of men that make Laws in the Place where God disannuls his own Commands Heb. 7.12 as is manifest in this Point of Tythes by the precedent Scripture verily it is better to obey God then man for Christ hath not put that Power into any mens Hands to raise a compulsary maintenance for his Ministers seeing he and his Apostles and Ministers their Practice was otherwise as is before-mentioned Objection But some may say Have not the Magistrates Power as Magistrates to command the Payment of them to Ministers whom they approve of Answer If so as Magistrates then the Turk Tartarians and all Infidel Magistrates have the like but it may be said as Christian Magistrates Answ. Then may not France and Spain and Italy claim the same for what Nation in Europe will not say they have a Christian Magistracy though a far greater part of them be Papists and may not the Papists by as good right claim and compel Maintenance for their Ministers as Henry the eighth or any other could or can but I would not be mistaken as if I went about to lessen the magistrates Power in things Temporal and civil as to raise Taxes assessments or subsidies or other charges for the Service defence and well being of a Nation but I distinguish betwixt things civil and such as are called Spiritual and so give unto Caesar the things that are his and unto God the things that are his for in civil things or temporal things they have Power from God to make Laws and preserve a Nation in Peace and to raise Taxes for the well being of a Nation because in such things they are their own Masters but in matters of Religion and Spiritual THINGS no man ought to be imposed upon for every one must give an account to Christ who is the head of his Church and must stand or fall to his own Master But if the Law had been just in commanding Tythes can it be judged equal to give treble Damages where they are not payed if a man be owing a just due debt no more by the Law is recovered but what the debt is besides the charges of the Law how Cruel therefore are those injunctions which in a matter of so just scruple require and impose the treble value and furthermore to be required by a Law to set out the tenth makes a man a voluntary Agent in that thing against which his Conscience testifies and he that cannot do so they Sue and hale before Courts and Magistrates to get judgments of treble Damage and by that Judgment frequently being put into the Hands of such persons as will do it effectually to the Priests mind they take away sometimes 6. or 7. yea oftentimes ten Fold dammage what I say in this particular I can prove by many Witnesses in this Nation within this ten Years and though in the Ecclesiastical Courts the ordinary might not examine a man upon his own Oath concerning his own Tythes but now such as make Conscience of Swearing which Christ forbids or that they cannot themselves tell what Tythe they had are cast into Prison for contempt and there may lye as long as they live and many have dyed in Prison upon that account O what Reformation is this what Compel a man himself to set out the Tythe of his own Goods to maintain a Hireling Priest it may be a time-server a prophane one or a turn Coat and so to make a man Sin against his own Conscience or else take ten Fold as much and not only so but force him to Swear or commit him to Prison there to lye without Hope of any relief O Priests is not this the Wagâ—s of Unrighteousness that here is all this Work about tenths and first Fruits and mortuaries and the like which are no other then the Superstitious reliques of Popery O did but the Rulers and Magistrates know and consider what Havock is made through the Nation what driving of Goods Oxen out of the Plow Horses out of their Teames the Cows from poor indigent Children what carrying of Pots and Pans and Kettles and fetching away the Cloathes off poor Peoples Beds methinks it should make the Nation ashamed of such cruel Practices or else of such Priests and Tythes as are the cause of all this manifold instances I might give about all these things up and down this Nation but that I would not trouble the Reader too much because they have been publickly made known before by other Hands and Pens There are some other that have claimed Tythes and a propriety in them as that they are right by a divine right and for it plead the Law of Moses but as to that I shall not say much more neiâ—her is there any necessity for it because that most of the Ministry are ashamed to make this Plea Others have pleaded the Decrees Canons and Constitutions of Popes and General Councils Bishops and Convocations and these have said that Tythes are due by an Ecclesiastical Right and by that right generally under the Papal power they claimed them and others paid them And this continued in England till the Popes Supremacy was cast off by Henr. the 8 th and then he received first Fruits and Tenths But of this plea many are ashamed or few will own as judging the Ground too weak to claim it by an Ecclesiastical right Lastly The main and great plea of the Ministry of this last Age is That Tythes are not due by the Law of God because it was limited only to the Land of Israel and to the Levites only they say the equity of the Law is still in force which obligeth all to give a competent Maintenance for the Ministry and to maintain this they bring in all the Scriptures of the New Testament which seem to encline that way and because they know of no other way for Maintenance but by tythes as they are supposed now to be established many have ignorantly gone about to make inferences and Conclusions from them as to prove their assertions But to all which I return this answer That these plead not for Tythes properly but for a Maintenance by way of Tythes as they suppose most convenient
concluded that the Ministers of the Gospel do receive Tythes which they as miserably wrest as they do the Words even so for here the Apostle is exalting the Priesthood of Christ above the Priesthood of Levi and shews that Melchizedeck was greater then Abraham after whose order Christ was made an High Priest and that Levi payed Tythes in Abram unto Melchizedâ—ck and these Words Here men that dye receive Tythes hath wholly relation unto Abraham and to Levi in that Covenant and not so much as any shadow at all of paying or receiving Tythes in the second Priesthood for if Perfection were by the Levitical Priesthood what further need was there that another should arise after the order of Melchizedeck And all the afore-mentioned Scriptures which are the greatest seeming Ground that the Ministry of this last Age pretend Tythes and forced Maintenance from prove nothing at all but rather to the contrary as hath been said and much more might be said for it is manifest that all the Ministers of Christ never received any Tythes or forced maintenance from the World who were in the Unbelief neither of them who were not of their Church nor of such as they reckoned as Hereticks but this last Generation of Apostates exceeds all that ever went before them in Covetousness if they be but remaining within such a Parish which was first set up by the Pope and his Emissaeries and ratified by the Princes of the Earth that have drunk Whores Cup whether they be Believers of Unbelievers Prophane Schismaticks or Hereticks yea or such as they 'l Curse and give up to Satan Tythes and forced Wages Mortuaries and Oblations besides many other things that they claim as due this they must and will have and will tell you he that preacheth the Gospel must live of the Gospel O sad Generation who fills the World with Darkness and blinds the Minds of People may it not truly be said and looked for that which was Prophesied of Old and came to pass coneerning the Levitical Priest-hood when they had violated the Commandments of the Lord For your sake shall Sion 〈◊〉 Plowed as a Corn field and Jerusalem become as Heaps and truly I do reckon it as one of the main Transgressions of the Ministry of this last Age which should have been Leaders of the People but have caused them to Err that the Nation hath been Plowed up and turn'd over as a Husbandman turns Ground and therefore the Nation hath not enjoyed its rest nor the Land its Sabbaths neither I look will or can do whilest these abominations are held up Likewise Let all the now call'd separated Churches be proved and tryed who reckon that they are separated from the World and yet many of them have received pay and Wages of those who are of the World for their Teachers who sent one out at their own cost to Preach to the World and this is likewise Hypocrisie and an abominable thing and here also the Rulers of our present age might learn Wisdom seeing that all â—he Ministers of Christ never received any Maintenance from the World or from them that did look upon them as Ministers of Christ nor own them as such to with-hold their Hands from upholding any with their 〈◊〉 Sword or compel others to maintain them by their Penal Laws 〈◊〉 leave Christ's Kingdom to his own Rule who is Lord of the 〈…〉 sends forth Labourers and hath Spirit and Life and Power and Wisdom to put upon them and give unto them who chuses whom he 〈◊〉 and will not be limited who set forth Fisher-men Shepherds 〈◊〉 Plough-men Tillers of Ground and Keepers of Flocks who spoke plain 〈◊〉 and reached to the Consciences of men of the meanest capacity and yet our litteral Rabbies cannot understand who are yet wise in the World's Wisdom gathered into Schools and there Study and learn a Trade and trade with their Words thereby to get their Living and what Doctrine suites the times that they Study to uphold their Maintenance In the time of Popery they studyed the Popish Doctrine and preached into Nations in the time of Prelacy they changed to a New form and when that was laid aside Presbytery stepped on the Stage and that Doctrine and Worship was studied and Preached and the Universities and Schools sent out such as would suit that time then after that Independency that was propagated and then the Universities and Schools sent out such as would suit that time and now Episcopacy is stâ—rted up from the Grave and all the fâ—rmer lâ—id aside look what pleaseth them best which hath the greatest livings to dispose and that is sure by them to be cryed up and studyed and Preached and here 's the spring of the Teachers the Universities and Schools send forth who Wheel about any way to preserve them in esteem and in their maintenance But let the Rulers and all Wise men consider that Christ's love to the World for whom he died is not lessened or abated neither is his Spirit diminished nor his Power shortened that he will not or cannot send forth fit Ministers for his Service or that he needs Universities or Schools or Magistrates to provide maintenance for those that he sends forth for let the Magistrates look to their own Kingdom which is of this World and to restrain and punish the Evil-doers therein and to encourage and protect the good and then all would be agreed and the Nations preserv'd and kept in peace and quietness every one enjoying his true liberty and freedom in the things that are Spiritual and which belong to the Kingdom of God and herein would be no detrimâ—nt at all to the Magistrates or the Kingdoms of the World nor any diminution from their Power and oh that they might learn Wisdom and as they would not have men to entrench upon their prerogative and Power as it is not meet so likewise that they would not intrench upon the Soveraignity and Power of Christ's Kingdom which is over all and do we not say Thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory and know this that his Glory he will not give to another and let me speak freely the Reason wherefore the Nations have been broken into striâ—e and fractions and war is because many men have made an inroad and an intrusion upon the Soveraignity of Christ and against such his Power hâ—th and will ever turn because they will not allow him that is the most high to Rule and Reign in Kingdoms and the Consciences of men which he alone hath Right to do and this Power Honour and Glory the Lord hath not given to any other nor yet will do but to the Son of God the Light of the World the Life of men and the Saviour of man kind and what is man or the Sons of men that they should strive with the Lord in this thing Let all the Rulers of the Earth consider betimes was not this it that destroyed the whole Nation of the Jews was
had not that Sufficiency which many look upon now they have to wit natural Tongues and Languages yet it was sufficient in them to give them Wisdom to declare the things of the Kingdom of God to the Salvation of many that did believe through their Words it was sufficient to comfort Paul and Silas when they were shut in the inner Room and their Feet fast in the Stocks when there was no outward Cause of Joy but rather of Sorrow yet they were made to sing and rejoyce because of the great Comfort and Joy that the Spirit of God filled their Hearts with again it was sufficient in the midst of great Conflicts and Tribulations which Paul and the rest suffered for the Gospel's sake and for Christ's sake and yet as Suffering did abound it was sufficient to make Consolation to super-abound to ballance the Suffering and to make it easie Fifthly It is that everlasting Covenant which the Lord promised by the Mouth of his Prophets in â—ormer Dayes that he would fulfil in the latter Dayes or after times That he would write his Law in their Hearts and put his Spirit in their inward Parts and that they should not teach every Man his Neighbour saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest and again in another Place I will pour upon them the Spirit of Prayer and Supplication and they shall see him whom they have pierced and again I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh and my Sons and my Daughters shall prophecy c. And this was fulfilled at Pentecost in Jerusalem when the Disciples met together and the Promise of the Father came to be fulfilled and the Unbelievers said They were filled with new VVine and the Lord hath a Care of his People through Ages and hath not left them comfortless not without a Guide and a certain and sure one too which Spirit is manifest among some Non-conformists whom thou takest Liberty to call Sects and the Sufficiency of it is witnessed praised be the Lord in our Assemblies both as to convince to convert to save to judge to guide to instruct to comfort and is that alone in which all true Christian Men can worship God in the Silence of all Flesh fleshly Motions Thoughts it 's that that giveth Assurance also of Acceptation with God and is that which makes the Prayers of the Saints as sweet Incense in the Nostrils of the Lord it is that which makes the Words of him like Butter as pleasant as Hony or sweet Oyl who speaks by it through it and from it whereby the Hearts of many have been pricked and the Thoughts of many have been revealed and many have been comforted with Joy unspeakable and filled with pure Love from the sensible Feeling of the Sufficiency of its Power operating in the inward Man even as when the Harvest had been gathered in and the Press been full of Grapes and the Fat 's had overflown with Abundance so that they could have rejoyced and sung and danced for Joy as sometimes David did when the Ark of God was brought from the House of Obed-Edom and placed in Jerusalem when David danced for Joy and all Israel was filled with Gladness what might I say for the Certainty Sufficiency and All-sufficiency of this holy Spirit of God I might fill my Mouth with Arguments and time might fail me in Speech to speak of the Excellency Certainty and Infallibility thereof against all Opposers and Quarellers In a Word it is that alone means through which God conveys Eternal Life to all Man-kind and it is that Rule by which all the Sons of God were led Rom. 8.14 It is that only sure Guide Judge Way Rule in which there is Certainty and Assurance of the Love of God to Man-kind it is that by which the Deeds of the Flesh are mortified and men quickened and enlivened unto God in their Hearts in which the Saints are accepted by which they are regenerated and through which they become Heirs of the Promise what shall I say but this let all Flesh be confounded before it and all Deceit stop its Mouth and all the Sons of Men bow before it all Councils and Churches all Rulers and Elders all Reason and Comprehension all Words and Writings of Men and holy Men yea of the Scriptures of Truth it gave them all a Being it was and is and is to come and will remain when all visible things are past away it is that by which God will plead with all Flesh and bring a Consumption upon all the honourable of the Earth and burn up the Mountains and make the Hills to melt and make all a Plain before him therefore make room make room make way ye Potsherds and cease all your contending and babling and bow to it and learn of it in your Hearts which R. E. like an ignorant Man calls a private Spirit that your Souls may be saved in the Day of the Lord and you may escape his Wrath which is to come against all Resisters of it Sixthly Your Catholick Church falsely so called who hath Erred from the Spirit the infallible Guide though you much boast of it both in Doctrine and Practise abundantly insomuch that your Faces seem altogether to look another way and your course to arrive at another Haven then the Apostles and all the Primitive Christians attained unto to wit everlasting Happiness and Rest of their Souls and acceptation with God in their performances and Sacrifices which they offered unto him in the Spirit of which they and all that believe in it and have received it received perfect assurance in their Hearts by the immediate Spirit of God and likewise the Protestants in general whether Lutherans or Calvinists or other Sects known by denomination are of so narrow and a pinching Spirit as that you would Pinch and shut up the Universal love of God unto all Mankind in a narrow Corner and monopolize the free Grace of God that hath appeared unto all Men that teaches all Men that receive it to deny all Heresie Falshood Opinions and Humours private Spirits and Spirits of Error which leadeth from all these and is sufficient to lead out of all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts and to do that which is acceptable in the sight of God and this all Sects since the Woman cloathed with the Sun fled into the Wilderness viz. the true Church and all parties have laid claim to and excluded all other that were not of the Opinion as from having any share in it as though it were given only to such a company of Men that succeeded the Apostles and by Arts and parts and Natural Language in the Course and Term or Years and at such such places as the Apostles were sometime conversant at and other Sects besides you who have kept more nearer in Conformity in Doctrine and Worship and unto the Apostles then you have done they have laid claim to the Spirit of God and to
and Vexation unto the Spirit of God in any in the Spirit of Christ which is but one in all I am burdened with them and do bear a Part of their Grief I speak without Ostentation or Glorying for what have I to glory in any but the Lord or to rejoyce in but that which all the World hates because it testifies against it and therefore we are become the Objects of Scorn and Hatred in this World by them that are of it who glory in Sin who rejoyce in Iniquity whose End is Destruction and perpetual Misery and their Rejoycing shall be turned into endless Sorrow and Grief Elected of God our Portion in this World is to be Sufferers in it and by it because God hath chosen us out of it and its Nature therefore we are hated despised and persecuted in our Generation like as all the People of God were in former Generations we cannot be exempted from drinking of the same Cup which Christ the Heir of all things drank neither be exempted from being baptized into his Suffering and therefore Christ told his Disciples In the World ye shall have Trouble and the Apostles and Ministers and Believers in Christ did drink of the same and were baptized into the same Baptism and therefore testified That them that will live godly in Christ must uffer Persecution for the World loves only the Children of it but alwayes hated the Children of God and them that were redeemed out of it and they bore Witness against it and the Works thereof it 's no new thing or strange thing for it 's that Portion which all the Prophets and holy Men of God were Partakers of Christ and the Apostles and all true Believers in every Age and the nearer any came to be unto God in their Life and Practice the more they were hated and the more vilified slandered and evil spoken of sometime by the Jews sometime by the Heathen and now by the Apostatized Christians for the Nature is one through all Ages and Diversity of Names in Profession do not at all alter Man or Men at the Heart the Jews who professed God in Words and cryed up the Temple and Moses and the Law in Words slew the Prophets and laid false things to their Charge Jeremiah when he prophesied against Jerusalem and spake to the Princes and Rulers when they were revolted from God in the Dayes of Zedekiah and denounced Evil against the City and People because of Transgression they put him in the Dungeon and where his Feet sticked in the Mire and said He was fallen away to the Caldeans and did alienate the Hearts of the Jews from them and their Law and despised their Government Christ was accounted a Friend of Publicans and Sinners and had a Devil a Transgressor of Moses's Law though he came to fulfil it and an Enemy to Caesar and a Blasphemer and what not who said so the Elders the Doctors the Rabbies and Rulers of the People and they crucified him as an Evil-doer though none could convince him â—â—â—in the Apostles of Christ as seditious Men Ring-leaders of Sects Authors of Uproars Turners of the World upsiâ—e down as disobedient Enemies to Peace as discontented Men with the present Laws and Customs then established and judged as not fit to live And therefore many suffered long for holding out their Testimony faithfully they had received and last of all suffered Death not as Saints and Prophets but as Evil-doers at last some by the Jews some by the Heathens The primitive Christians of whom the World was not worthy were falsly accused by the Romans Heathens and Pagans in the great Persecutions that arose were evil spoken of and falsly represented and rendered odious and as Objects of Hatred through the Envy of the Devil because they opposed his Kingdom of Darkness Tertullian saith The Heathen commonly reputed the then primitive Christians incestuous men Killers of Children Enemies of all Mankind Enemies against the Gods against the Emperours against the Laws they made an Out-cry upon them it 's not lawful they should live And when any Judgment did befall them Augustine saith it was become a Proverb Our Rain fails us because of these Christians and Eusebius saith The Religion of Christ was called the Heresie of godless Christians Likewise after the Name of Christ and Christians became in Repute and Esteem many Hypocrites and Formalists took on the Name when it was countenanced by the Kings and Princes of the Earth and then turned against them that were more in the Life and Power then they were as the Bohemians and the Waldenses and first Protestants in Germany how were they branded with Heresie and Schism as seditious factious Enemies to the Laws Church and State and to the Princes and how was the Hatred of the Pope and Emperour kindled against them and War raised upon them and many suffered Death in their Account as Evil-doers who persecuted them Likewise come nearer our own Age in the Dayes of Queen Mary how were the best of Men and the best of Christians in that Age censured as Enemies to the Queen 's Lawâ— and Government Enemies to the Church seditious Hereticks and such as were not fit to live and therefore many suffered in the cruel Flames of Fire and did undergo many great Torments and Sufferings and last of cruel Deaths many suffered and by them called Christians and yet slew him and persecuted him in his Members Last of all God hath brought us forth in our Age to bear witness unto him and unto that Life Power and Light by which we are quickned and raised out of the Grave of Sin and Death to live unto him and serve him in Newness of Life and to confess unto his holy Name and Power by which we are saved illuminated and directed and to worship him in Spirit and Truth according to the Manifestation of his Spirit to us and in us and according to the Scriptures of Truth for the Lord God of Heaven and Earth judge and all his holy Angels and all just Men that are anointed with the holy Unction that know Truth from Error whether we hold any thing either in Doctrine or Practice but that which the primitive Christians bear Witness of and also the Scriptures bare witness unto and that which we are perswaded in our Consciences by the unerring Spirit of the Lord which doth give us Assurance of his Acceptation and Peace in our Hearts And how often have we declared our selves both by Word and Writing which is sufficiently manifest unto all who have not wilfully closed their Eyes and stopped their Ears against us that we are of no other Faith Hope or Religion but that which Christ and his Apostles and primitive Christians were of which they did hold forth both in Doctrine and Practice as in Respect of Worship and how peaceably and humbly we have walked towards all Men without seeking the hurt or detriment of any thou righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth knowest and
according to the Innocency of our Hearts do thou judge us and plead our Cause And further we have laboured that Sin might be beat down and that all every where might have been turned from it unto the living God and that Righteousness might have been advanced and Truth have taken Place in all Mens Hearts both in word and deed that Christ who is professed in Words might have ruled in the Hearts of all Men that make mention of him that so God's Blessing might have been felt and known by all and the Souls of all saved from the Snares of Satan and out of that which the Wrâ—th of God and his Judgments come upon And Lord God of Heaven and Earth thou knowest how our Adversaries have sought Occasion against us for no other Cause but for the Matter of the Worship of the living God and unto God's righteous Judgment Seat we dare appeal do thou judge us and reward us according to our deserts if ever we have contrived the Hurt of any Man or Men or have sought to violate any righteous Law of Man which stands to the well-governing of a Nation or Country in the things that pertain to the World yet how have we been falsly represented slander'd belyed mis-reported hated back-bited persecuted and killed as all the Day long and reputed we are as not fit to live in our native Land neither to enjoy our own Wives and Children a thing common to all men Christian and Heathen neither to breath in the common Air And how many grievous things have been heaped and are daily upon our Backs that we are factious seditious Enemies to Magistrates to the Ministers of Christ Plotters Conspirators against humane Government Enemies to the King disobedient to the Laws Broachers of Heresie Authors of Sedition Enemies to the Church and State And this the Devil who was a Lyar and a Murderer and a Slanderer from the Beginning he hath put a lying Spirit in the Mouthes of some and it 's entered into the Hearts of others and thus by them are the Powers of the Earth stirred up and the Rulers to persecute us without any just Cause but this must not be counted Persecution for all the aforesaid things and many more he hath perswaded them we are guilty of and therefore all that comes upon us it must be reckoned as just and is an equal Reward for our Offences and as just punishment for our Transgression and Disobedience and so is no Persecution at all and he hath Witnesses enough to testifie against us as he had against Christ all the Scribes and Pharisees and the Leaders and Rulers of the People with the high Priests Judas and all to testifie against him That he was not fit to live but all cry Away with him even so now he hath all the Rabbies and Elders and all the Time-serving Hirelings who serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own Bellies and all formal Professors who profess him in Words but deny him in Works and deâ—pise his Cross with all Drunkards Lyars and Swearers all proud and covetous all wanton and riotous and all that love the Pleasure of Sin for a Season all these will give their Verdict against us There was and is a Generation that called Darkness Light and Light Darkness and Good Evil and Evil Good the Judgment of all such is false and must be Judged and God who hath Immortality and dwells in the Light with whom is no Darkness at all judgeth not as these men and therefore let us never heed the Censures and Judgments of fallen men who err in their Judgment who cannot judge for God or his People but against them let us count it a light thing to be judged or condemned by man seeing the Lord justifies us in his VVork and Service whereunto we are called and all the aforesaid Crimes falsly laid to our Charge he clears us of and we can with a good Conscience and pure Heart bid defiance to all the Powers of darkness and all the Enemies of God and the Lord will clear us more and more as his Power Glory and Light appears in the Earth and brings forth our Righteousness as the Noon-day before our Enemies notwithstanding all the false Aspersions and Reproaches cast upon us in the mean time if we be crowned with Reproaches as Christ was with Thorns and evilly entreated for his Names sake let us bear all things and endure all things with Patience and Hope to the End And though they cover us with Bear Skins and Draff as the Heathens did the primitive Christians and so let all the wild Beasts upon us let us give up our Bodies as a Sacrifice unto the Lord and for a Witness unto his Name and Truth that so we all may witness eternal Rest unto our Souls and everlasting Joy in his heavenly Habitation where all Persecutors and Evil-doers are shut out Dearly beloved of the Lord I write not these things unto you because you many of you do not know them but because you know them to put you all in Mind and to stir up your Hearts to the holy Consideration of these things in these perilous and trying times and in very Truth whatsoever doth lye within my View that might conduce to any or all your Good I cannot withhold it from you because I know it is not only my Duty but I can truly say the Love of Christ constrains me for my Soul Heart and Life is knit unto you in the everlasting Covenant of Life above all the Families of the Earth and the more you are hated the more I love you and the more you are despised and set at nought the more I prize you and the more you are compassed about on every Side with Tryals and Afflictions the more my Soul is poured forth unto the Lord for you that you may be kept stedfast in the Faith and Hope in the Lord unto the End that you may receive his Reward the Crown of Glory which is laid up for all them that love the Appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Faith do overcome And blessed and happy are all they that keep their Garments clean in this polluted time wherein Wickedness walks with open Face and Ungodliness with an out-stretched Neck and is exalted in great Height and doth corrupt many and the Earth is growing ripe with Wickedness for Destruction for the proud are counted happy and they that work Wickedness are admired and gloryed in as the only brave Men of these times which they make evil through yielding themselves Servants unto Sin and their Lusts. Ease and worldly Enjoyments and immediately drop down into eternal Perdition and it 's time for the Lord to arise and plead with all Flesh for men make void his Law and go about to establish their own in Opposition thereunto for Violence Cruelty and Hardness of Heart and Persecution are the Forerunners of Desolation and Destruction these things do generally abound all is secure and at
sometime that and changeable whenas every true confession and Testimony is equivalent thereunto in the presence of the God of all Truth and who ever denyed this And there is no necessity so to Judge that he that fears to Swear and take an Oath yet refuseth not to give Testimony about any matter whether it doth concern the Lord or his Neighbour that therefore he denyes the Magistrates Authority or yet disobeys their legal commands so that though all Swearing should be denyed yet that which answers the cause in hand is not denyed true Testimony and therefore the Magistrates Authority and their lawful commands may well stand and be obeyed and right done unto every Man and Christ's command stand also these are but the Secret smitings and suggestions of A. Smalwood to render them Odious to the Magistrates and all People who dissent from him in Judgment And indeed such like Discourses and Instigations from such like Mouths and Pens as his is who is accounted Learned and Eminent hath not a little added afflictions unto our Bonds and they have made wide the Wound and have made the Breach seem greater then it is and the matter more grievous then there hath been any Cause for I desire they may consider of it and Repent And in page 13. from this Text Mat. 5.34 But I say unto you swear not at all he layes down this Proposition or Doctrine viz. Our Saviour did not intend by these Words Swear not at all an absolute universal and limited Prohibition of all manner of Swearing and goes on to prove it by divers Reasons The first he gives is That the Father and the Son are one in Nature Power Wisdom Immutability and Eternity and one in Will and Wisdom therefore they cannot give forth contrary Commands but God the Father hath commanded Swearing in these Words Thou shalt fear the Lord and swear by his Name and serve him Deut. 6.13 And therefore it is not possible that God the Son should forbid it Answ. Though the Father and the Son be one in Nature Power and Wisdom and Immutability and Will as in themselves and alter not but keep Covenant from Age to Age and from Generation to Generation there is no Contrariety in them yet there are Diversities of Gifts but the same Spirit and there are Differences of Administrations but the same Lord It is granted that after Sin entered into the World and Death by Sin and Diffidence and Unbelief Variance and Strife and many Transgressions for which the Law was added and because of which the Law was added and the Command given forth unto the Jews to swear by the Name of God as Jerome saith upon Mat. 5.3 37. It was permitted the Jews under the Law is being tender and Infants and to keep them from Idolatry which the rest of the Nations did run into they might swear by the Name of God not that it was rightful so to do but that it was better to swear by the Lord then by false Gods or Devils but the great Evangelical Sincerity and Truth admits not of an Oath Secondly For the ending of Strife and Variance being in the Unbelief which was the Occasion of the adding of the Law and the Cause of the Command given forth Deut. 6.13 with divers more Words specified by Moses and the Prophets And though Christ came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it and to destroy that which the Law was against and which it took hold upon and to finish Sin and Transgression and bring in everlasting Righteousness and to restore to the Beginning and we say according as we have believed and received of the Lord and have a Cloud of Witnesses both them that are gone before and of them that yet remain alive As Christ said of Divorcement It was not so from the Beginning so we say Oathes were not from the Beginning but were added after Hardness of Heart and Sin and Unbelief entered into the World but Christ who was made under the Law and fulfilled the Law put an End to the Transgression Sin Unbelief Variance and Strife in whom all the Promises of God are fulfilled he is the Righteousness of God and who are true Christians indeed are come out of Unbelief Variance and Transgression and do see and know Christ to be the End of the Law for Righteousness unto them that believe who exhorted to do the Truth confess the Truth and speak the Truth who said Swear not at all by Heaven and which after more shall be said God willing to the Text it self And so A. Smalwood his Reason is made void and his Impossibility made possible that God gave forth a Command and permitted the Jews to swear in that Covenant and Ministration and yet Christ in the New Covenant countermands it as in the Text being the Minister of a better Covenant which stood upon better Promises who leads to the Beginning and is the Restorer of all Mankind that do believe and yet the Father and the Son are one in Will Wisdom Power And though A. S. and others cannot understand or else have no Mind in that Latitude as generally prohibitive of all Swearing because he sayes God did require it no less then he did his own Worship and Service in the moral Law these nice Distinctions of Moral Judicial and Ceremonial have confounded Peoples Understandings though it is still acknowledged they did vow and did swear in the first Covenant under the Law but whether he or any other making Swearing moral judicial or ceremonial is not much matter seeing that Christ the Righteousness is the Sum and Substance of all and the End of the Law for Righteousness to them that do believe and in him is Life and Righteousness enjoyed for the Law was given by Moses but the Grace and the Truth cometh by Jesus Christ who in the Sum of all Types and Shadows and therefore the Apostle said We are circumcised in him and baptized in him and we do look upon an Oath under the Law to have some Type and Figure in it notwithstanding A.S. sayes It was none and that Christ is improperly called the Oath of God no more improper then he is a Vine a Door a Way a Shepherd for all the Promises are fulfilled in him and are yea and amen And as for the Morality of it so far as it is moral and perpetual to all under the Gospel is in Confession of Truth and bearing Witness thereunto as before the Lord or in his Presence and speaking the Truth when there is Necessity as when any man's Person or Estate or any Part thereof is in Danger and this we have ever owned and do own and have and are ready to testifie the Truth before the Lord or in his Presence as concerning any Matter which concerns the Glory of God or the Good of our Neighbour without being pinched or bound up to a certain Form of Words imposed upon us but according as Necessity requires so amply and largely
as our Words may give Knowledge and Understanding and Light in any Matter which is to be desired but this hath been denyed and hath not been received by this unbelieving Generation who seek rather to establish the Traditions and Customs of men rather then the evangelical Doctrine of the Gospel And though Dr. Smalwood will needs have it viz. Swearing neither to be ceremonial or judicial but for any Proof he brings for ought I see it may be either as well as that he calls moral for sure I am that Oath were used in judicial Proceedings and Ceremonies were used in the Worship of God and his Service then and by Commandment and the Service of God and his Worship I hope he will say is moral yet so as under the Law it was not without Ceremony and it is concluded by the most learned that there was some Ceremony or Figure or Sign in that Covenant in all the Worship and some Shadows of good things to come then if Swearing was any Part of the VVorship of God as the most do grant and assert and I think A. S. will hardly deny then I argue it had some Ceremony or Shadow in it but Oh this A. S. cannot away with in this Point of Swearing but it must needs be all moral for Fear he should weaken his Matter that he hath taken in Hand to war against Christ's Command but it is evident that Swearing was used in judicial Proceedings as is manifest Deut. 19.5 about killing of a Man accidentally and Ver. 11. about Murder and Ver. 14. about Land-marks and Ver. 21. Life for Life Eye for Eye Tooth for Tooth Hand for Hand and Foot for Foot about all these things and many more and in Ver. 16. about a false Witness were to be decided and tryed by VVitnesses before the Judges and Judgement was to be given according to the several Commands about the aforesaid different Transgressions all which Statutes belonged to their Judicial-Proceedings as this about Swearing and as is manifest in this Chapter and all of these Commands seem to have as much Morality in them as Swearing hath in the Judgment of many unto whose Judgment I leave what I say to be weighed by the Spirit of God in them Thirdly The Law said many things by Way of Precept and Commission at least Permission from God which would be Irregularities grosly reprovable in Mens Manners in moral Matters Conversations civil Transactions and Communications should they be used among them who profess the Gospel the Law said An Eye for an Eye Tooth for Tooth Hand for Hand Foot for Foot the Gospel saith Avenge not your selves resist not Evil suffer Wrong put up forgive forbear the Law said Thou shalt love thy Neighbour and hate thy Enemy but A. S. will look upon this as an Addition or false Interpretation to the Law it may be but however certain it is that under the Law they made War the Jews with Amaleck with Moab with Ammon and the Canaanites and the Egyptians might be spoiled but the Gospel said only Love your Enemies if he be hungry feed him if he be thirsty give him to drink and for any thing I can see the aforesaid Commands were as moral and had as much Morality in them as Swearing whatever A. S. say or can say In the 7th Section A. S. sayes If any argue that Christ abolished the ceremonial and judicial Laws once commanded by God he sayes he denyes that Assertion for we were never under the judicial Law it being solely given to the Jews for the regulating their Common wealth in the Land of Canaan Deut. 4.14 and they were never obligatory to us that are no Jews nor never dwelt in Canaan and as for the ceremonial it was meerly temporary and ceased at our Saviour's Death and was not abrogated but observed by him in his Life neither can it properly be said to be repealed Reply Though I do not argue that Christ abolished the ceremonial and judicial Laws once commanded not abrogated them yet Bishop Gauden doth who attained if not to a Degree of Knowledge and Learning yet to a Degree of Promotion above A. Smallwood in his Book which he wrote for the Information of the Quakers about Swearing he saith in his own Words Christ came to fulfil the moral Law however he came in a Way of fulfilling to abrogate the ceremonial yea and the politick Laws too belonging to the Jews Policy in Church and State and herein is the Bishop and the Doctor at odds the Bishop said He abrogated the ceremonial Law and judicial too belonging to the Jews Policy and State but Doctor Smallwood sayes He denyes his Assertion for sayes he we were never under the judicial Law and what was never imposed need not be abolished so then what remains forme to say but this if Swearing was any Part of the judicial Law or did belong to their political Estate as it is the Judgment of many but it is evident that Swearing was used by the Witness before Judges in Israel in those Dayes to try out their Matters according to Commandment given of God as is evident from Deut. 19. in the whole Chapter and divers other Places then by this Argument A. S. hath made he hath overthrown himself for he saith We are no Jews nor in Canaan and so never imposed and what was never imposed needs no abolishing and it is as I have said manifest that Oaths had Relation to judicial Proceedings and to the Service of God too in that Covenant which was shadowy and consisted much in outward Signs and Figures but the Substance is Christ So then instead of proving Swearing under the Gospel lawful he hath by his Argument proved it never injoyned unto the Gentiles neither indeed was it either ever commanded or commended unto the Gentiles who believed or they reproved for not observing it that we ever read of by Christ or his Apostles or Ministers in the first and purest times of Christianity for to Jacob he gave his Law and to Israel his Statutes to every Nation he did not so no not to Moab Ammon nor the Canaanites neither the Gentiles and though he seems to plead hard for Swearing under the Gospel yet he talls short in his Proof except he took his own Reasons and Arguments which divers of them are but imaginary and in the Foundation of his Discourse he hath taken such great Compass as there is not an universal unlimited Prohibition of all Manner of Swearing but what this Manner of Swearing is it is very uncertain sometimes he makes it this and sometimes that sometimes he saith It is no Oath though in the Form thereof there be not I swear or God be not named or by God doth not alwayes signifie an Oath and other where he seems to affirm it to be an Oath but when an impartial Eye hath sounded and tryed the Bottom what this Swearing is that brings so much Glory to God and so much Good to our Neighbour
as A. S. doth now circumcised and cut off from Christians by Christ And what though God did Deut. 10.20 rank it with his Fear and Service was there any Service or Worship in that Covenant that had not some Sign and Shadow in it and was ceremonial and was to end in the Substance was there not Prayer and Praising and were not these Service and Worship and had these not the Ceremony of Incense and Sacrifice which then attended these Services but the Substance was lifting up of the Heart unto the Lord and making a Melody in the Heart and Circumcision is now that of the Heart Rom. 2. which was outward before the killing of a Lamb at the Passeover was an Ordinance in that Covenant the Substance thereof is Christ the Passeover the other now under the Gospel would be no more then cutting off a Dog's Neck these were all Ordinances of God to be observed and in their day and time they that did according to the Command of God tended to the Glory of God in that first Covenant but in the second under the Gospel whosoever should observe them in the Figure Ceremony and Shadow should much dishonour God and his Christ the Substance and Christ would profit him nothing see that Ceremony of Swearing the Morality that only abides under the Gospel is testifying the known Truth from the Heart with some Attestation of God to witness who is Witness of all we do or say and that no more then Confession or Denial by Yea or Nay which is no Oath is that standing Substance and the moral if A. S. will have it called so that remains under the Gospel which answers that ceremonious Way of Swearing under the Law which is most evidence by the Apostle Paul's rendering of that Term Swearing as it was spoken by Way of Prophesie concerning its Continuance Isa. 45.23 To me every Tongue shall swear under that Term Confessing only under the Gospel Rom. 14.11 Every Knee shall bow every Tongue shall confess to God Confession under the Gospel is made equivalent with an Oath under the Law but this rendering of it A. S. doth not like but would pervert Paul's Words to have it Confession but put to his own Addition by Oath so that his Argument is void Swearing was binding in that ceremonious Way which it was commanded under the Law but not under the Gospel nor among the Christians who are come to the Substance and to confess and speak the Truth in Christ to the Glory of God acknowledging his Power and Omnisciency and his Justice in discerning whether Truth be spoken and in punishing them that speak falsly his Wisdom in discerning the Secrets of all Hearts and A. S. might as well have said That Offerings and Oblations Sacrifice tend much to the Glory of God under the Gospel as under the Law as Swearing but saith he Swearing is a Part of God's peculiar Service that is incommunicable to any Creature the like I say of the former Offering and Sacrifice and Incense were incommunicable to any Creature but was due unto God alone yet it doth not follow as well under the Gospel as under the Law for that were to set up the Figure and deny the Substance so this second Argument is insufficient and the third is somewhat related to it which I now come unto Thirdly The third Argument is That if Christ's Purpose be utterly to abolish all Swearing as an illegitimate Brat of Jewish Extraction not to be admitted into the Christian Church then it must be either as it is repugnant to our Duty to God or else to our Neighbour for into that summary he hath contracted the whole Law Reply We must still distinguish that which was once a duty to be performed under the Law because commanded is not required as a duty under the Gospel and the strength of most of A. S. his Arguments and the rest who contend for Swearing under the Gospel are grounded upon the Mosaical Law though this of Oaths he will needs have to be moral it may be he would contend as much for the Morality of Tythes and Oblations if it had been the subject of his Discourse as for Oaths and them to be jure divino under the Gospel for many such we have met with and he might bring the same Arguments for Tythes and Oblations they are not repugnant unto God but bring Glory to his Name because hereby his Ministers under the Gospel are maintained and are enabled thereby to Preach the Gospel for the Conversion of Souls which addes much to the Glory of God and therefore cannot or are not to be prohibited but these only belonged to the Levitical Priesthood and continued only to the time of reformation viz. to the bringing in of a better Hope and a better Covenant which stood upon better Promises for the Priesthood being changed there is also of necessity a change of the Law Hebr. 6.12 by which Tythes was a duty and they robbed God that detained them Mal. 3.8 But this being ended and fulfilled in Christ the everlasting high Priest who by one Offering perfected forever them that are Sanctified he bid not his Disciples require Tythes as a due or duty belonging to God under the Gospel But freely you have received freely give and what House soever ye enter into that is worthy there abide and eat such things as are set before you for the Workman is worthy of his Meat and this was far more Evangelical conduced more to the Honour of God then Tythes and the Apostles lived more by Faith upon God who provided for them who were employed in his Service so that I argue what was once a duty under the Law that was to be performed unto God is not alwayes a duty among Christians for though Oaths were commanded unto the Jews in that time of Infancy and as being weak and it was permitted them as Jerome saith upon the 5 th Mat. vers 37. to Swear by the Name of God to keep them from Idolatry seeing all other Nations were given to Idolatry and Swear by false God's as Chemosh Ashtereth and Baal he knew their aptness to be led aside with the Customs of other Nations and therefore they were to acknowledge him alone who was the living God and no other and to testifie Truth by his Name as a thing certain and sure and therefore one of their Oathes was as the Lord lives and this among the rest was one of the Precepts of the Law which was added because of Transgression to Swear by his Name which needed not have been added if Sin and Transgression and unbelief had not entered in mark this and this Law of Oathes pertained to that part which was in the Transgression and Variance and Strife and that led to Worship Idols and this continued while that Nature was standing but Christ was revealed and given to finish Sin and Transgression and unbelief and to do away that part that lusted after Idols and
that led into variance and he leads out of the occasion of Evil and from that which was the cause of the Addition of the Law unto everlasting Righteousness again which was in the beginning before Sin entred and they that come to believe in him are not under the Law but under Grace moreover the Apostle saith Rom. 7.14 The Law hath Power over a Man so long as he liveth even as a Wife is bound by the Law of her Husband so long as he liveth and no longer so as long as Man liveth in Sin Unâ—elief Transgression Discord Variance and Strife and Idolatry the Law hath Power over him to correct and reprove him and judge him and was to be a limit unto that Nature but Christ leads out of the occasion of all these for which the Law was added to do the Truth and speak the Truth and ceaseth Strife for which the Law was added Again the Law was added as a cure and a remedy to decide Controversies and ill distempers that were entred into the Hearts of Men in the unbelief and that is one reason which Doctor Gauden gives why solemn Swearing should and ought to be in judical proceedings among Christians to take away Jealousies Distrusts Dissimulations frauds unsatisfactions and insecurities and Quotes Grotius That Swearing is necessary not absolutely and morally or preceptively but by way of Consequence and remedy as to the state of the Jews we shall not nor have not denyed it but as to the State of Christians who are truly such we say that the cause is taken away and the effect follows all Jealousies distrusts Dissimulations and strifes and Insecurities and so the remedies to wit Oathes cease and the necessity of them and that was one main thing why Oathes were permitted to end Strife and Strife is a Work of the Flesh and variance and discord and it is inconsistent with true love to our Neighbour to hold that which Answers the Strife and that part for love fulfills the Law works no ill to the Neighbour ends Strife and so puts Swearing the means to end strife and the remedy out of place and date But A. S. goes on and tells us That Oaths advisedly and reverently taken upon necessary occasions are so far from displeasing God or hurting our Neighbour that on the contrary they are acceptable to the one and advantagious to the other for by them Princes are secured of their Subjects Allegiance and Generals of their Souldiers fidelity Leagues confirmed betwixt Nations every Man 's just right maintained Offenders discovered and duly punished and Controversies and Suits decided and these are such great and good Ends that Men cannot be in any Degree of security or happiness without them Reply To this I answer that notwithstanding all the great and good ends and the necessity of Oathes which A. S. conceives that Men cannot subsist in any degree of security without yet we see by experience notwithstanding all the reverent taking and all the solemn taking and the necessity that is put upon Oaths yet they have never answered the end purposed for where perfidiousness and unbelief and distrust and jealousies and strifes are which is no where so much as among those that plead for Swearing yet Oaths do not nor have not bound them when they had a mind to be loos'd and see that to stand to such Obligations will not be for their profit or present safety many instances might be given what security had the Pope when all the Nobility and Clergy in England were bound to maintain his Supremacy by Oaths and no doubt but they Swore reverently and it was judged both by the then Church and State to be binding and yet notwithstanding all the Obligation all was broken and the Pope's Supremacy denyed in the time of Hen. 8 th and Edward 6 th in their time all Swore against the Pope's Supremacy either in Church or State and how much security was the Nation in when Queen Mary came to the Crown though the Nobles and the Bishopes and Prelates did all Swear against the Supremacy yet behold it was brought in again and confirmed by Oath again and yet in the dayes of Elizabeth renounced again and of lâ—tter days what Oaths have been exacted first by one and then by another and one party contrary to another though every pâ—rty fancyed a security for the time but it proved of no more effect neither were they in degree more secure then if there had been none at all for indeed that frequent Swearing hath made Men being got into a Custom of it that it is become a light thing unto them though otherwise they look upon themselves as bound Generals how have they turn'd one way and another way and Soudiers the like so that one may conclude indeed that Oaths are made no more of but even to stand in force while that bears up head and is exalted that to please the present time and Power they seem to be devoutly obliged to it but if it come under any Ecclipse or diminution then they reckon themselves no longer obliged so that indeed their Oaths are become of little or no force at all and for Controversies we see they begin many and are the cause of much disiention and discord but end few for why may not all these foresaid states and conditions be secured and as well and the good and great ends accomplished that A. S. pleads for by true evidence of every one concerned in any of the foresaid relations by declaring and confessing the Truth and speaking it unto Men as necessity requires without Oath yea and all the foresaid States have as much security and subsist as well if not better then by all this Swearing which more properly belonged to the Judaism then to Christians and there is no such necessity of them among Christians if any at all who dare not Swear for fear of offending Christ or denying his Doctrine and yet will not Lye but speak the Truth and indeed it is the custom of Swearing that hath been used in the Nations since the Apostacy entred in that is more looked upon then any thing else more then any legality necessity or security under the Gospel seeing in the Primitive times truly so called it was enough to say Christianâ— sum and that sort of Swearing that is imposed now hath no other Ground but Custom which Jer. 10.3 is accounted to be vain neither hath it so much as an inch of Ground from the Scripture and therefore doth not bring so much â—lory to God as A. S. tells on because whatsoever is added or super-added to whatever God commanded as to matter or Form is but Will-worship at the best and a making whatsoever was said or commanded or practised before imperfect and no way sufficient but more of this shall be said after if the Lord permit Fourth Argument Had Christ intended Universally to forbid all kind of Oaths in the words Swear not at all then those amplifications neither by Heaven
intrinsecally evil by Christ Mat. 5.39 40. But I say unto you that you resist not evil and whosoever shall smite the one Cheek turn hâ—m the other also and if a Man sue thee at the Law and take away thy Coat let him have thy Cloak also and whosoever shall compell thee to go a mile go with him twain And it is in the new Testament I hope written Avenge not your selves And was iâ— evil in it self or morally Evil to keep the seventh day of the Week as a Sabbath or only good because commanded or was it lawful to fight with Amalicks Edomites Egyptians Canaanites because Israel was only commanded or because they were real Enemies to God in their Hearts or as Samuel Fisher well said in Answer to Doctor Gauden which A. S. quarels with that Circumcision Sacrifices and Offerings Passover and New-Moons Fasts and Swearing was not Evil in themselves but because forbidden and though A. S. give such a great Challenge to S. F. to produce one Instance that any thing was prohibited by Christ but what was intrinsecally evil or else his Argument is in vain I say the afore-mentioned thing prove it that something was forbidden that was not Evil eternally intrinsâ—â—â—lly but because prohibited and again in the same Chapter ver 44. But I say unto you love your Enemies bless them thaâ— Curse you though under the Law they did fight and might fight with the aforesaid Enemies the Canaanites and Gentiles but now I say put up forgive love your Enemies Peter put up thy Sword he that takes hold on it shall perish by it Avenge not go not 〈◊〉 Law one with another 1 Cor. 6.7 suffer forbear forgive if thy Brother siâ— against thee seventy times 7. times And though A. S. says That nothing was forbidden by Christ or in all the New-Testament but what was in it self Evil or in some respect conducing thereunto methinks he hath given 〈◊〉 bâ—ld a Challenge what will he say to all the former things mentioned and what evil had Circumcision in it or the Passover or Sacrificing or New-Moons and the Sabbath days or what tendency had they to Evil but rather were good for the end they were ordained to be Signs and Types and Figures of holy things to come like a Swearing was among the rest what-ever A. S. say or Argue and yet when the substance of the good things was to come to them that had believed and received him who was sum of all the Apostle said Gal. 5.2 3. If you be Circumcised Christ profits you nothing after he was offered up And Gal. 4.9 10 11. You observe new-Moons and Holy days and Sabbaths And these things that were once as really good as ever Swearing was considering the End wherefore they were enjoyned and these things were never Evil in themselves yet the Apostle reckoned them beggarly Rudiments and told them they had begun in the Spirit and now sought to be made perfect through the Flesh and so stood in doubt of them that his labour had been in vain and thereof if A. S. or any other will needs uphold Swearing because commanded to the Jews before the Seed Christ was revealed I say he is Gal. 5.34 a debter to the whole Law and is as much bound to keep it in all other points as this or else he is a Transgressour and is one of those that would be laying Yoaks upon the Disciples Necks unto whom they were never intended for if the Ceremonies and Rights and outward observations which properly did belong to the Jewish Church and State to observe till the fulness of time when the partition Wall should be broken down and the Jews and Gentiles should be one and one Shepherd and one Fold for them both and no longer and they were never given to the Gentiles to observe and therefore for ought I can perceive many would have the gentile-Christians who never were under the Law neither the Ordinances of the first Covenant neither ever given to them yet they would compell the Christians to live as do the Jews and to observe their Ordinances and therefore are greatly to be blamed Gal. 2.13 14. Therefore we do not look upon any Swearing to be now a duty under the Gospel among true Christians truly such as some Swearing was once under the Law but affirm all Swearing to be now a Sin because forbidden by the positive Law of Christ under the Gospel who by his Death ended the right of that and many more legal Rites and Rudiments which whoso doth observe now as Christians doth it not without Sin and Guilt and Superstition and therefore S. Fisher that faithful Servant of God who suffered in Bonds till Death for his Testimony even in this particular saith well That that sort of Swearing which was not Sin simpliciter in its Nature under the Law is now a sin upon the account of Christ's Universal prohibition of all Swearing who was of Authority to put to an End as he did by his Death unto the Law And therefore that sort of Service and Worship which stood in outward Observations which was duty because commanded under the Law and no Sin in their own Nature neither were Evil in themselves nor in any respect conducing thereto as they were observed but had some single good in them once and yet who observes them now as Service of God maketh Christ of so little effect to himself as that he profits him nothing at all I hope A. S. will not deny but these things as forbidden in the new Testament which sometime were not Evil in their own nature but now are evil when the Substance is come in whom they all End and therefore S. F. his Argument is not vain but of force And yet let A. Smallwood know that there were many things observed and done not only by the Jews but by them that believed in Christ and thought well of him while he was present with them and yet did not see to the end of those things which were Shadows and Signes and good as once commanded and had no Evilin them but were Good as commanded and for the end for which they were ordain'd which afterwards in the more full growth and Knowledge in the Mystery of Christianity they came more to be seen through and that was felt in which they all ended and though Christ came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it and to observe the Ordinances commanded in that Covenant to fulfill that which was written of him Psal. 40.6 In the Volume of the Book it is written I am come to do thy will O God And further he said himself It behoveth us to fulfill all Righteousness and that which was commanded but this was before he was offered up and was as a middle dispensation betwixt the ending of the Law and publishing of the Gospel yet howbeit Christ knew it and did speâ—k of it at some time that those things that had been sometime commanded Deut. 12 5. and
were good as they stood related to the end wherefore they were commanded instance the Worship at Jerusalem and the Service there and the place where God had promis'd to place his Name yet Christ said as foreknowing the End of all the aforesaid Worship which appertained to that Covenant and therefore he said to the Woman Joh. 4.23 but the Hour cometh and now is when the true Worshipers shall Worship the Father in Spirit and Truth for the Father seeks such to Worship him and 24. vers God is a Spirit and they that Worship him must Worship him in Spirit and Truth 2. Cor. 3.17 From hence it is clearly evident for this was before he was offered up that then was the time that neither at Jerusalem nor in the Mountain of Samaria it shall be only said they worship the Father though at Jerusalem was the place Deut. 1.1 2 5. of Worship formerly and the Jews held it then and the Worship was that which was commanded to wit Sacrifices and Offerings and many other legal Services which belonged to them to perform according to the command of God and if Swearing or Oaths was any part of the Service of God as in that Covenant as we with A. S. do grant Deut. 10.20 You shall fear the Lord and serve him and Swear by his Name then I say that Swearing amongst the rest of the Worship is included but saith Christ neither at Jerusalem nor this Mountain but they that worship shall Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth so that the time was then but came on more afterwards to be fulfilled that both the place and the worship and Service that belonged to the place they should no more Worship the Father with and in but in the Spirit and in the Truth and this may be in Answer to that which A. S. makes a great adoe with in his Book how that Christ said Swear not at all it was before his Death and therefore they that Argue saith he That swearing was prohibited only and ended in Christ's death cannot plead that all Oaths were prohibited but that command of Christ Mat. 5. because he spake this in his Life time I say â—o did he this Jo. 20.21 22 23. And he may as well Argue that Christ destroyed the place of Worship at Jerusalem and the Worship also and came not to fulfill it as he saith he did and why but because he spoke this before he was Crucified and so did he Swear not at all and why may not A.S. conclude with us that this is a commodious place to interpret and explain Christ's meaning in those words in the 5 th Mat. 23 and 24. and so the Words may truly be understood thus ye have heard that it hath been said of old time thou shalt not forswear thy sâ—lf but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oaths Exod 20.7 and Deut. 5.11 but the Hour cometh and now is when I say unto you that say more then the Law hath said Swear not at all neither â—y Heaven nor by the Earth but let your Yea be yea and your Nay nay for whatsoever is more then these cometh of Evil and yet whatever may or can be said A. S. will needs conclude That all Swearing is not forbidden and why because it hath been the praâ—â—ice of holy Men and also an Angel this Argument is of little force so was it the practice of holy Men to offer Sacrifice and burn Incense and as for the Swearing of the Angel Dan. 12. and Revel 10.6 to prove the lawfulness of some Swearing these have been answered over and over and over again though A. S. will take no notice of it though I perceive he hath read the Arguments that have been used as Answers to these things though he will not seem to take notice nor to reply to confute the Arguments but rather minds his own and to assert what may seem to mâ—ke for his purpose as to the matter he hath taken in Hand but as for good Men's Swearing and the Angel's Swearing if their Example would â—uâ—tifie the lawfulness of Swearing yet they could not be any president to us who are under the Gospel of the Son that is greater then the Angels by the dispensation of whom the Law for Oaths Tythes offerings oblations and other legal Rights and Rudiments were given which Son also all the Angels of God are bid to Worship for the Apostle saith Hebr. 2.5 For unto the Angels hath he not put into subjection the World to come but that is committed unto the Son under whose Ministration and subjection we are who said Let your Yea be yea and you nay nay and speak the Truth and do the Truth and bear witness to the Truth who said Learn of me and these things we have learned of him unto whom all Power is committed for he is counted Hebr. 3.3 more worthy of Glory then Moses though Moses was faithful in his House as a Servant but Christ as a Son which is that great Prophet that Moses Prophesied of which all are to hearken unto with whom the Father is well pleased being made so much better then the Angels Hebr. 1.4 as he hath â—y Inheritance obtained a more Excellent Name then they vers 5. for unto which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my Son this day I have begotten thee vers 6. Again when he bringeth the first â—egotten into the World he saith let all the Angels of God Worship him of the Angels he saith he makes them minâ—strâ—ng Spirits and a Flame of Fire but unto the Son he saith thy Throne oh God is forever and ever the Scepter of Righteousness is the Scepter of thy Kingdom for if the Words spoken by Angels wer stedfast and every Transgression received a just recompence of reward how shall they escape Hebr. 2.3 who do not only neglect the command of Christ but labour to pervert through their Strengâ—h of their own reason the ministration of the Son who is the sum and substance of all Shadowy and Typical Ministrations and therefore A. S. and all concerned look â—o it who would introduce Judaism and the Mosaical Observations upon the Neck of Christs Disciples and as Laws in his Kingdom and whether would not this prefer the Servant before the Son yea or nay and his Ministration before the Ministration of the Son though the one is not against the other but the one pointing at the other and in the latter the first is fulfilled the Truth declared the Truth spoken the Truth lived in and the Truth confessed in every matter wherein any Christian is concerned which is the sum and the matter which all Oaths in their highest and greatest Ordination could or can effect In the 40 th page of his Book he saith our Saviour saith Amen Amen 24. times in John's Gospel which he saith St. Ambrose will needs have to amount unto an Oath and he cites Apoc. 3. These things saith the Amen compares it with Isa.
say That Christ did often Swear because he said Verily we judge you have concluded upon too slender a Ground And as for Psal. 110. The Lord hath Sworn and will not Repent It is not denyed though the Lord Swore once yea more then once by himself this was in condescension to the State of Man in weakness and unbelief and as to the State of the Jews Gal. 3.19 before the Seed was revealed which was the Substance of all Figures and Gods Example of Swearing is no example for us now to imitate and was in no wise a confirming of that old legal Ceremony of Oaths as a practice legimate to his Saints forever as A. S. would make us believe it was for his Oath viz. God's ended in Christ in whom all the Promises confirmed by Oath were yea and in him Amen was also to end all Strife between him and Men and to put an end to all Strife and Oaths also that are among Men to end Strife Ambrose saith upon that 110. Psal. Let him then swear who cannot Repent of his Oaths a little aftter the same Ambrose saith Do not imitate him in swearing whom you cannot imitate in performing and indeed the principal solution he gives is not to Swear at all And Theophilus upon the place in Controversie whom A. S. says was not cautelous enough and it seems among the rest of the Fathers that A. S. sets as judge of he saith Learn hence that under the Law it was not Evil for one to swear but since the coming of Christ it is Evil as is Circumcision and in sum what ever is Judaical for it becomes a Child to suck but not a man So that it appears he amongst the rest of the Fathers did not only declare against Oaths in general or private Communication but also distinguishes betwixt the first Covenant and the second and the Ordinances thereof and though the holy Ghost bear witness that both Angels and Men yea and good Men and the Creator himself in that first Covenant did Swear so that A. S. concludes That is not morally Evil of its own Nature In the first we shall not much quarrel nor dispute as under the Law but that which was obliging then as by command it is not always obliging but Christ the end of the Law for Righteousness said Let your yea be yea and your nay nay for whatsoever is more under the Gospel then amounts to this comes of Evil therefore there is no necessity to put any other sence of Christ's Words then this Universal prohibition of all Swearing as under the Gospel seeing that speaking the Truth confessing the Truth declaring the Truth and nothing but the Truth in any matter wherein any Christian is concerned either in respect of God or a man's Neighbour this Answers the very Substance of the Law and the very end purpose thereof as ever an Oath did among the Jews in the first Institution forasmuch as speaking the Truth acknowledgeth God's Omnisciency and presence and Power and Wisdom secondly it doth any Office to any Neighbour as in bearing witness to any Truth and again to find out any Transgressour or Transgression and this is done may be done and ought to be done by all true Christians and therefore no necessity of that formal Ceremonious way of Swearing as under the Law neither is there any necessity for seeking any other sence of Christ's Words and the Apostles Words Swear not at all by Heaven or Earth or any other seeing all the main ends and good ends good purposes are Answered in the full which the Law in the full Latitude and morality thereof did require or for which it was given His sixth Argument is That either these Words Swear not at all must be interpreted as not to forbid any Oath though taken upon just accasion or else Paul never knew the meaning of this Text or else contrary to his knowledge and that upon good deliberation he acted against it and that in theâ—e very writings wherein we all believe that he was infallibly assisted by the Holy Ghost for his Oaths saith A. S. are upon record 1. Thes. 2.5 God is Witness see Rom. 1.9 Now to call God to Witness is the very substance of an Oath saith A. S. and as Austin tells him and he sayes He hath not read of any of a contrary opinion except some Phanaticks which if they would yield to 〈◊〉 much as Paul saith God is Witness of the Truth of their assertions it might be wished out of condescension to their weakness that they might be dispensed withal if the Law would give leave as to the external formality of an Oath Answ. What A. S. will call a just occasion I know not it appears to me he would have a large compass and a larger then the most contenders against Christ's Doctrine that we have met with or what he will account a just occasion I know not though otherwise he seems to condemn sometime needless and vain Oaths in ordinary Communication though I know some without reflection upon A. S. who use them too to frequently and are not only Members but Pastours so called of the Church of England and though he seems in his Discourse here there to be against customary and vain Oaths yet for all that what he calls a â—ust occasion upon some Ground some calls it a needful occasion when they are called before a Magistrate and some when any business is in Controversie betwixt man and Man câ—lls it a just occasion where sometimes I have seen a Curate administer that which he called an Oath upon a Book what Ground hâ— had I suspect either from Commandment or example of Primitive Ministers is certain he had none but it may be A. S. will conclude it was upon just occasion but what COMPASS he will have for his jâ—st Occasion is doubtful seeing he hath put no Termination or end to it but for ought I can perceive would leave liberty for every Man to exact an Oath upon another when he would and call it a just occasion and account it a point of duty in the other to obey even in ordinary Communication And as for St. Paul we deny thy Argument as that he never knew the meaning of this Text of Christ's prohibition secondly that in his Writings he acted contrary to his knowledge and upon set deliberation for though God was his Witness whom he served with his Spirit in the Gospel of his Son that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my Prayers Also that which A. S. calls an Oath 1 Thes. 2.5 For neither at any time used we flattering Words as ye know for a Cloak of Coâ—etouâ—ness God is witness Though we know and infallibly believe with A. S. that he was infallibly assisted by the Holy Ghost when he published the Gospel of Christ among the Gentiles and wrote both unto the Jews and to the Gentiles who believed that his calling God to witness was not any Oath
it is but A. S. his Groundless supposition that it seems it was used in the Apostles time the Apostle speaking of an Oath only as among Men and not of Saints who as concerning Strife the occasion of Swearing and consequently concerning Swearing should not walk as Men 1 Cor. 2.1 2 3. but A. S. should consider this as every one ought that when men that have been once in Strife and Contention and Variance come once into Christ and to be in him New Creatures Christians to walk no more as Carnal not as Men but as men of God and as spiritual and as true Saints and Christians they come both out of Strife and Swearing which was added to end Strife and whatever A. S. may conclude we say these and divers more are great and weighty Reasons wherefore Christ did prohibit all Swearing and puts it out of use and date and no necessity of it as among true Christians seeing that every true saying or Testimony is equivalent with an Oath His ninth Argument is That either these Words Swear not at all must not be extended to a total prohibition of Swearing or else Christ thereby gave a new moral command but Christ gave no new moral command for that had been contrary to God's express will thou shalt not add unto the word which I command and besides he ordained no new Law in the matter of the 6 th and 7 th Commandments and shall we think that he who vindicated the other Commandments from the leud depravations of Men hath abrogated this only as though it had not been framed by the same Wisdom and acted by the same God and further Christ's opposition is only against the Pharisaical Mis-interpretations of the Law and if only so then Christ did not forbid such Oaths as were lawfully before enjoyned Reply What ever A. S. calls a new moral command sure I am he commanded that which was more exact then the Law so that Doctor Gauden himself sayes That Christ gave many singular precepts of more eminent diligence Patience Charity Mortification Self-denyal Sincerity and the perfection of obedience required now under the Gospel is above whatever the Letter of the Mosaical Law seemed to exact or by the Pharisaical interpretation were taught by the Jews c. in which he speaks the Truth it was said in the 21. of Exod. and 42 of Levit. an Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth but in Mat. 5.39 Christ commanded that which the Law had not spoken of and not only a further thing but another thing But I say unto you that ye resist not ill but whoever shall smite thee on the right Cheek turn to him the other also ver 40 41. And if a Man sue thee at Law and take away thy Coat let him have thy Cloak also where said the Law this And whosoever shall compel thee to go a Mile go with him twain where did ever the Law of Moses command this and though the Law said Levit. 19. Thou shalt love thy Neighbour and hate thine Enemy which he saith was but a Pharisaical innovation which if it be I query of A. S. where in the Law it is written Love thine Enemy and as was said before whether did not Israel fight with their Enemies and kill them and destroy them and whether they had not a command so to do yea or nay as in Deut. 2.24 chap. 3.3 Numb 21.23 24.25 Josh. 10.19 23. And whether this be not another thing that Christ saith ver 44. But I say unto you love your Enemies bless them that Curse you do good to them that hate you c. But it is manifest that in the second Covenant under the Gospel that a more Evangelical and exact obedience then was exprest in the Letter of the Law which so far as it was Typical was only a Temporary dispensation for as I said before the Letter of the Law of Moses permitted to be avenged on Enemies Egyptians Amalekites c. And I hope that A. S. will not conclude that they killed them in love to them and they might be avenged and take an Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth whose Gospel in other points which the Law had not said forbids and condemns rash anger Lust after Women Polygamie divorce except for Fornication and yet it was indulged and connived at as under the Law yet the Lord saith by the Prophet Malachy Mal. 2.16 He hateth putting away while the Letter condemned no more but actual murder and Adultery indulging and conniving Polygamie and divorce And though under the Law Stripe for Stripe Wound for Wound was permitted but under the Gospel resist not Evil avenge not forbear forgive for the whole Law of Moses was given by the dispensation of Angels in the Hand of that Mediator for a time and so some Swearing and such Swearing as even by God was used in order to end Strife where it was yet standing yet Christ the Mediator of a better Covenant in whose Hand the Law is now unto all Christians he forbad not only that which the Law allowed and indulged connived at and commanded in divers things as is manifest in this fifth of Matthew where he prohibits all Swearing so that it is evident that Christ doth not only reprove the false glosâ—es and the abusive loose interpretations of the Law which they allowed but even divine indulgence dispensed with and connived at in the things before-mentioned because of the hardness of their Hearts And let A. S. or any Man living shew us wherein Christ requires a Righteousness or Perfection that exceeds that of the Law for the Law said Swear not by any Creature but only by God and for swear not and if Christ said no more but Swear not by any Creature as Heaven and Earth and Jerusalem where is that high State of Perfection and that Righteousness which exceeds that of the Law and of the Scribes and Pharisees And though A. S. will not grant that he ordained a new Law in matter of the 6 th 7 th Commandments no more will he grant of the fourth which I suppose A.S. doth not keep as it was commanded under the Law where ever he will have his dispensation I know not so to conclude in answer to this he did more then reprove the erroneous tenets and vicious manners of the Jews and their false interpretations and glosses which they had given upon the Law but he doth disallow also something which the Law had allowed before as is proved before and that he disallowed something yea divers things which the Law had allowed and connived and indulged as divers Polygamie killing Enemies or in seeking revenge upon them that had done Ill unto us which the Law allowed as an act of Justice Deut. 19.21 Eye for eye Tooth for tooth but this Christ exhorted unto Overcome Evil with good avenge not resist not do good to them that hate you and Pray for them that despightfully use you and Persecute you
them together in the Text above said and obligeth equality at all times as well under the Gospel as under the Law yet then A. S. would call this absurd if it be so as it is indeed then we may as well conclude the other absurd because one is standing as well as the other and binding as well as the other by the vertue of this command although he tells us that an Oath in its Substance hath not any Type at all so we say for the substance is Christ the Oath of God in whom all the Promises and Oaths are fulfilled and this is its substance but as under the Law it was a Type of the Substance and not the substance it self and that Circumcision the Passover and the legal Offerings under the Law had as much goodness in them as Oaths had what-ever A. S. sayes and served to as good ends and purposes in that Ministration as they were ordained and conduced as much to the Glory of God and were subservient to but not against the morality of the Gospel for the shadows were not against the substance nor the Ceremonials against the Morals though the Apostle says the Law is not of Faith yet not against it for as ministerial as the Ordinances of the Law were to the Gospel then yet the Gospel may be and now is without it But to conclude this Argument A. S. Were it so indeed that Oaths were Ceremonial then it follows that Christ in this Text did not forbid them for he did not forbid the Ceremonial Law but observed it all his Life eating the Passeover with his Disciples the Night before his Death unless some would Interpret his Words I command you that you do not Swear yet I am content for a Year or two you may Swear by Heaven or Earth as you have been accustomed but after my Crucifixion and Resurrection Swear no more and there let these that disallow Swearing as a part of the Ceremonial Law Argue no more the unlawfulness of Swearing from these Words Swear not at all Reply Though Christ did observe the Ordinances of the Law as being that Ministration appointed by God until the time of Reformation and the bringing in of a better Hope Heb. 9. It became him to fulfill all Righteousness so was he Circumcised and eat the Passover and was Baptized washed the Disciples Feet which were not enjoyned by the Law though not against it and that Ministration not fully ended though he see it must end and spoke of a further thing and of the time then and also it should be ministred more afterward after his Resurrection Joh. 4.20 21 22 23. The time cometh and now is neither at Jerusalem nor this Mountain but they that Worship the Father shall worship him in Spirit and Truth so that he Prophesied of the end of all those things and of the cessation of them which were sometime commanded respecting both the place and the Worship and to them that did believe the Disciples unto whom it'was given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God then was the time to them it was come even then before Christ suffered and therefore A. S. his Consequence is not true that Christ did not forbid all Swearing from this Text and though he had both Prophesied of a clearer Ministration and laid down in Doctrine a more Evangelical precept then the Law yea and more strict obedience yet notwithstanding many did still hold up these things which the Law commanded though they believed well of Christ yea after his Suffering and Resurrection and that a long time though that the Apostles told them the Substance was come and that there was no more Offering for Sin nor Oblations neither legal Observations to be minded any more yet still many observed them and doubtless as to that formal Swearing that was among the Jews and that vain Swearing too many did continue in it afterward notwithstanding Christ's command but then not submitting made not his command void in it self and there is no necessity to make such an absurd Interpretation as that he permitted them to Swear for a Year or two by Heaven and Earth and then at his passion to Swear no more for after he gave forth the command there was no Permission and yet afterward as I said the Apostles declared against the Shadows and preached up the Substance and as A. S. confesseth the types ceased of themselves but let him know there was a time of Dying to them and they ceased not all at once to them that had observed the Law neither were the Mysteries revealed all at once but as they grew in Faith and Knowledge for the Righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith and though the legal Observations were observed in Christ's time so were they after by many but by right ended in the substance and when he was come though many did not see it till afterward But I come to his 11th Argument Eleventh Argument No exposition of the Text oâ— any other is to be admitted that puts inconsistency betwixt the Old Testament and the New seeing both are Inspired by the same God who is incapable of falshood or alteration whereupon if we be not so atheistical as to deny the veracity or immutability of the most high Tit. 1.2 it must be granted that his word is of eternal Truth Jam. 1.17 his Promises yea and Amen his precepts more unalterable then the Laws of the Medes and Persians nor did our Saviour come to destroy but to fulfill the Law thereupon he enjoyns obedience to the commands of the Pharisees as sitting in Moses 's Chair Mat. 23.2 3. from all which it is apparent that the Old Testament is so far from being contradicted that it is fully confirmed in the New therefore I may well draw this conclusion that these words Swear not at all ought not to be interpreted as to render all Swearing unlawful Deut. 6.13 Psal. 63.11 not without Promise of reward Jer. 12.16 and it was Prophesied before by Isaiah that Christians under the Gospel should Swear Isaiah 19.18 and 4. and 23. and I look upon it as a piece of Manichisme and extremely derogatory both to the Scripture and God himself therefore what moral duty one Man was commanded in the Law another should be condemned in the new Reply 'T is true no exposition of this Text or any other is to be admitted that puts such a difference betwixt the old and new Testaments in matter of Substance but shall agree with Austin The Law is the Gospel vailed and the Gospel is the Law revealed and what was Prophesied and typified in the first is fulfilled in the latter but what shall be thought of them that hold up the Types and Figures of the first as though they were not fulfilled or as though the Promise was not come and he made manifest in whom all Shadows end and though God be unchangeable in himself and incapable of falshood or alteration and I know none who
taken are binding in Respect of Creatures Relation to the Creator and Christ reckons them among sinful Oaths and teacheth them to use only bare Affirmations or Denyals in their Communication And this is the very Sum of his Judgment and the Words of Christ are only to be limitted to this Sense and no further that is not to swear at all by Creatures in their mutual Converse or Communications and this he hath repeated over and over in his Book and this is the furthest latitude that he will allow unto Christ's Prohibition Swear not at all and this Interpretation before-mentioned he looks upon to be the genuine meaning thereof and is the Judgment of Doctor Gauden also who hath contended as hard for some Swearing as A. S. hath and I perceive that A. S. hath read the Answer to Bishop Gauden published by that precious Servant of the Lord Samuel Fisher who finished his Life in Bonds for the Gospel-Truth against all Swearing whose Answer stands firm and his demonstrative Arguments of Force and are yet unanswered though A. S. hath a little here and there carped at and hath bitten at the Heel but hath not made void at all his Answer which will live as a living Testimony in Generations to come as consonant unto Christ's Doctrine wherein he prohibits all Oaths under the Gospel Reply Though there be some Truth in the different Authors that are alledged and also in A.S. his Words that swearing by Creatures as Heaven and Earth Jerusalem and vain Oaths is forbidden and customary Oaths and the corrupt Glosses of the Pharisees and the false Interpretations yet all this comes short of Christ's mind and of the true genuine sense of the words the scope of Christ's Sermon as is manifest in the Chapter and in his Testament and all he hath said will not help him to carry on that Work he hath undertaken viz. the Justification of any or the lawfulness of any Swearing or the defence of that limited sense he would put upon the Universal terms in the 2. Texts wherein Christ and the Apostle forbids all Swearing And though A. S. often tells us Christ did not forbid what the Law had commanded neither gave any new positive Law before his Death he sure hath forgot himself much what will become of the two great Ordinances still upheld as Baptism and breaking of Bread and whether was this a new Institution of Christ or was it an Institution in the Law and if it was an Institution of Christ as the Church of England doth hold and not of the Law nor of Moses as indeed it was not then A. S. his Argument is fallen to the Ground that he gave no new Commandment neither instituted any new Ordinance and then what is become of these two great Mysteries as they have been called but he hath ravelled out and spun out his Threed so long that he often runs off his Legs and though A. S. does often urge that he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it and therefore hath said falsly that Christ Sware before the High Priest after he had given forth this Commandment Swear not at all which if it had been true it had been no more president for Christians then eating the Passeover and though he sometimes urge that such Oaths as were commanded under the Law are not forbidden by that Text Mat. 5.38 because it was spoken sometime before his Death and the Ministration of the first Covenant was not ended till his death and therefore he concludes That all Oaths would not be forbidden by Christ in this Text for saith he Christ did not forbid what the Law commanded but though this prohibition was given out before his Death yet with reference to the Gospel-times after his Death It is evident by the Texts before it and behind it viz. of divorce and of deportment towards injurious Ones and Enemies so in this of Oaths Christ prohibites and condemns not only those gross Abuses of those things that they had a Dispensation for under the Law and that by Divine indulgency which abuses crept in by the Pharisaical false Glosses too much loosing the meaning of God's Law by Moses by their depraved examples or popular Customes but Christ condemned and prohibited those very things which in regard of the hardness of their Hearts distrust and wicked Cruelties God himself in that very Letter of the Law indulged them in and gave them both a dispensation and a precept for in the Law for the Law said of old time before the false gloss of Scribes and Pharisees came in some things so as it was not said from the beginning when Man was in Innocency and was merciful as his Heavenly Father was merciful and the Law said Deut. 24.12 whosoever shall put away his wise let him give her a Bill of divorcement then she may go be another man's Wife but I say whose putteth away his Wife causeth her to commit Abultery and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth Adultery Mat. 5.32 So that not only the corrupt Glosses and irregular Practices of the mis-informed Jews are forbidden but even that which the Law not only permitted and allowed and dispensed with but commanded is for bidden and another thing injoyned and in cause of injury as he hath done so shall it be done unto him ye have heard it hath been said an Eye for an eye and a Tooth for a tooth this was the Law Exod. 21.44 Levit. 24.20 Deut. 19.20 and this was commanded But Christ saith I say unto you that ye resist not Evil whosoever shall smite thee on the one Cheek turn the other also and if a Man sue thee at Law and take away thy Coat let him have thy Cloak also and whosoever shall compell thee to go a mile go with him twain Mat. 5.39 40 41. So here is not only a further thing but even another thing commanded by Christ. Further the Law said Exod. 20.14 thou shalt not commit Adultery but Christ the wisdom of God saith Mat. 5.28 whosoever looketh upon a Woman and lusteth after her hath committed Adultery with her in his Heart again ye have heard that it hath been said that thou love thy Neighbour and hate thy Enemy though A. S. sayes That is not found in the Law but a corrupt Gloss of the Pharisees I say that is found which amounts to as much as hath been shewed for the Jews that were of the Law might and did spoyle their Enemies the Gentiles and Canaanites and Egyptians and Amalekites and had a command so to do and kill them and Root them out and yet to help his Enemies Oxe or Asse under a burthen if he were belonging to a Jew that personally hated him and not an Amalekite one of that cursed race but this is a ridle to many But I say unto you love your Enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despightfully use you and
Persecute you Mat. 5.44 and the Apostle exhorted give no offence to Jew or Greek so that his Doctrine went beyond the Law put up pass by forgive forbear again you have heard it hath been said of old time where Exod. 20.7 Deut. 5.11 Numb 30.2 Mat. 5.33 Thou shalt not forswear thy self but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oathes but I say unto you Swear not at all neither by Heaven for it is God's Throne nor by the Earth for it is his Foot stoole neither by Jerusalem for it is the City of the great King neither shalt thou Sweare by thy Head because thou cannot make one hair white or black but let your Communication by Yea yea and Nay nay for whatsoever is more then these cometh of Evil It 's most evident that Christ prohibits somewhat more here then was forbidden under the Law yea what ever Oaths were lawful under the Law therefore it must be all Swearing at all or else none at all either all such Swearing as was used lawfully and allowed as a Type for a time in the Law Oaths made lawfully and acceptably to God or else nothing more at all then what was forbidden in the Law for all false Swearing and forswearing and all Swearing by Creatures or breaking of solemn Oaths made as unto God were forbidden in and by the Law therefore Swearing it self is forbidden or nothing but saith A. S. The grand objection falls of it self which is either all kind of Swearing is forbidden or else Christ forbids nothing which was not forbidden before which is utterly improbable saith he and he grants that God had formerly prohibited all false and vain Oaths and all Swearing by Creatures saith he which I grant to be true then how is the grand Objection fallen for is not Heaven Earth Jerusalem the Head Creatures and this is the most that A. S. and divers others affirm that it is only Oaths by Creatures such as before mentioned that Christ only prohibits and vain Oaths and Swearing by Creatures A. S. sayes Christ reckons among sinful Oaths then if so as they are indeed had not the Law forbidden this before in general terms wherein all Creatures are included therefore the reason stands still in force and the Objection that either Christ forbad all Swearing or else he forbids nothing but what the Law had forbidden before It 's manifest it stands still in force for Christ forbad even those Oathes the Law required and all vain Swearing and Swearing by Creatures and all Swearing whatsoever Mat. 5. Ye have heard it hath been said by them of old time not of late by the Scribes and Pharisees only putting their false Glosses on the Law as A. S. intimates Pareus and others in his Annotations and hence conjectures that by them of old time is only meant the Scribes and Pharisees and not Moses and the Law and of old time must be meant a good while ago or not very long as Commentators understand it less then twenty Years and thus he twists and twines to make the true sense of Christ's words void it 's evident of them of old time is Moses time the place before cited Numb 30.2 is the place Christ alludes to you have heard it said thou shalt not forswear thy self so saith the Law in forty places but perform unto the Lord thine Oaths But I say unto you Swear not all no not by any Oath at all note the opposition in the particle but which is between the old lawful legal Swearing and no Swearing at all not between no Swearing and such prophane Swearing as was unlawful under the Law the whole sum is this the Law said break no Oaths but I say take none for if Christ intended no more in these phrases Swear not at all not by any Oath then thus Swear not vainly prophanely ordinary or by Creatures in your Communication forswear not your selves what forbids he more then the Law forbad for Heaven and Earth Jerusalem A. S. says Christ reckons among sinful Oaths and these are Creatures and Swearing by Creatures was forbidden by the Law I grant quoth A. S. Then this reason stands still good he either forbad all Oaths or he forbad no more then the Law forbad and though it be granted that the Jews Swore by the Creatures as the Temple Altar Jerusalem and therefore Christ prohibits them and reproves them for these things and likewise all Swearing whatsover what doth A. S. gain by this for it 's evident in divers passages of his Sermon in the 5 th Chap. of Mat. that he teaches a Righteousness which exceeds that of the Law as I have shewed before which he came to fulfill and not to destroy by taking away the Ceremony of Swearing and establishing the substance in its stead which is speaking the Truth as in the sight of God in uprightness of Heart yea we say a-again what saith he more to his Disciples else then the Scribes and Pharisees to theirs they said Swear not falsly prophanely but by God only Swear not falsly For Bishop Gauden cites for his Author Drusius among the Jews all thing sin Judicials were confirmed by the Religion of an Oath wherein the name of God was interposed therefore Christ says more unto his Disciples in express terms Swear no Oath at all otherwise how would their Righteousness exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees which except it did they could in no case enter into the Kingdom of God the Perfection and Righteousness of the Law therefore in this point of Swearing was not forswearing the Perfection and Righteousness of the Gospel in the same is not Swearing at all so though the Gospel be not against the Law yet the Gospel exceeds the Law in every point the Law said kill not the Gospel be not angry the Law commit not Adultery the Gospel look not on a Woman lust not so in all the prohibitions of Christ the Commandments of Christ went beyond the Law also in this of Swearing yet it did not if now there be any Swearing at all among Christians and Disciples of Christ yet we shall also with A. S. agree that Christ not only forbad all Swearing even that commanded by the Law sometime lawful but he also forbids and reproves and condemns Swearing by Creatures and vain Swearing in all Communication and their perverting of the Law and too much loosing it by Traditions and making it void by their false Glosses and counts them blind Guides which said To swear by the Temple by the Altar by Heaven was nothing he pronounced a Wo against them and concluded they were bound to keep those Oaths though they ought not to have Sworn them for as much as he that swears by the lesser swears also by the greater as he that Swears by Heaven swears by the Throne of God and him that sits thereon Mat. 23.16 17 18 19 20 21 22. We confess with A. S. this was but a sinful prophane Creature Swearing an irregular form of Swearing by the Name of
else according to those 〈◊〉 which hath been made in the Will of man in the Trangression under which we have suffered for the Truth 's sake and therein have peace And as for Ministers bringing Offenders before Magistrates that is an usurped Authority to make a Minister a Magistrate but Edward what was the offence because a company of People came to Cressage and declared the Word of Truth in your Streets and what if it had been in your Assembly this was no offence in the Church of Corinth where all might speak one by one although it 's become an Offence in your Mass-house at Cressage but the Reader may judge in whose steps thou and thy Priest walkes you have done the offence and then accuseth others to the Magistrates as Offenders Let shame cover your Lips you Impudent men Hath not Samuel Smith in his own Narration in his Book said that William Parrat Constable and Humphry Daile Church-warden according to the Ministers direction did pull down the Quakers Speaker charging some to secure him And others also of your own County secured by the Instigation of the Priest by his own Confession in the fourth page of his Book And here he and the rest of the Society at Cressage who had a Hand in this â—hing are manifest to be in the steps of the Pharisees whom Christ cryed Wo against which cast out of their Assemblies and haled the Disciples before the Magistrates and like the Envyous Jews that cryed Help men of Israel for these men turn the World up-side down but you are worse then they The Priest was the first fomenter of the Breach of the Peace the Constable and Church-warden his Executioners and yet thou tells of the Quakers being offenders Now all sober People will see your Envy and Decâ—it and that you are in Cain's way and by your false flattery and Deceit would justifie the Magistrate for your own ends and cause them to turn the Sword against the Guiltless which should be against the Transgressor And who was in the Transgression the Reader may easily judge by that which is forementioned and yet the Priest and you of his Congregation would make People believe that you did not Persecute the Priest did give order to pull down the Speaker the Constable and Church-warden they acted and secured your own Neighbours as Prisoners your own Congregation Swearing against them the breach of the Peace and getting them shut up into Prison and Sentence given against them and yet thou wouldst have this called equal proceedings but to that of God in all Consciences I leave to be Judge in this thing In the fourth and fifth Particular thou saist We have charged to be Envious and Bitter and Malicious against the most eminent Ministers of the Land Them whom thou calls eminent Ministers have charged us with many false things and have written many false things against us for which thou and they in the Dreadful day of the Lord shall give an account Envy Bitterness and malice is put away from us and we Envy no man but speak the Truth in Soberness and yet to say a lyar is a Lyar or a Deceiver a Deceiver or an hypocrite an Hypocrite when they are so is neither Railing nor Malice Christ in whom no Guile was found he said They were a Generation of Vipers and they were of their Father the Devil who were in Envy and went about to Kill him And the Apostle was not envious when he said O full of all Subtilty thou child of the Devil to one who was doing the Work of the Devil and many such workers we find and many Venomous Spirits who shoot out poysoned Arrows even bitter Words and these we must reprove sharply And those things which thou layest to our charge take to thy self for the ground of Iniquity is in thy Heart from whence thou hast uttered forth all these Disdainful Proud and Scornful words of which thou shalt be Convinced and also reproved when the Lord searcheth thy Heart when he brings Anguish and Perplexity upon thee then shalt thou confess to his righteous Judgment and so thy five Principles I have answered which thou sayest thou hast brought into thy Book to fill up the Blancks they had better have been blancks still then have spoiled so much Paper with thy Lying Disdainful Scribles which are not worth the answering In the third page thou saist Thou wilt restate the reputation of the Ministry of England to be Minister of Christ And for proof thou hast brought Col. 1.7 and Rom. 15. Those words prove that Epaphras was a faithful Minister and that Paul was a Minister of Christ to the Gentiles but what hath this proved as to the National Priests nothing at all and if thou hast no better proof then this to bring them into Reputation instead thereof thou wilt bring defamation upon them and when thou shouldst prove them Ministers thou provest that Paul and Epaphras were Ministers will not the least in the Truth see thee to be a busy-body but Fools will be medling Then thou art offended that we call them Priests for receiving of Tythes I say it 's the most proper for none but Priests and Levites did receive Tythes and how long since is it since they generally called themselves the Tribe of Levi For never Minister of the Gospel nor of the word of Reconciliation either received Tythes or commanded that they should be payed neither reproved any for not paying but said the Priest-hood was changed and the Law was changed by which Tythes were due but thou goest on and makest a sound Argument as thou judgest and sayst Abraham paid Tythes to Melchisedeck before the Law And thou askest how he did give it either by the Law of Nature which is called the Law of Reason or by the Light within or by Revelation Thou speakest thou knowst not what where readest thou of the Law of Nature called the Law of Reason except it be in the devised Fables and Stories of the Priests But what doth this prove Gen. 14. Abraham gave the tenth part of the Spoil which he had taken from his Enemies but Melchisedeck first brought forth Bread and Wine to Abraham and his company and greeted Abraham and his company Kindly and Blessed him and Abraham freely gave unto him the tenth part Melchisedeck desired none But dost thou judge that if Abraham had given him none that he would have taken by Force the tenth part of the Spoil from him Now what doth this prove for the Tything-Priests of this Nation they must first do as Melchisedeck did if they will have Melchisedeck for an Example he Blessed Abraham and brought forth Bread and Wine unto him and his Army but which of the Priests have done so which have received Tythes which is not a gift of the People but a forced thing from them If this must be thy proof for Tythes by the gift of Abraham then let the Priests cease forcing and taking them till People be
lying and hereby they did give sufficient caution against all inconveniences which may come thereby as to Government in general for where a Testification or Assertion is made without an Oath is as sure as if it had been sworn to And Bishop Usher doth esteem that place of Matthew the fifth Swear not all to be a sufficient plea for the Waldenses against Swearing and therefore they who have any Esteem of the aforesaid Authors and of their Doctrine must not condemn the Quakers as for Novelties or for Broachers of new Doctrine for Reynerius one of the popish Inquisition saith amongst all the Sects which are or have been there is not any more pernicious to the Church meaning the Church of Rome then the Waldenses and that for three Reasons 1. Because of their Antiquity 2. Because of their Universality 3. In that they did profess iâ— no Way lawful for a Christian to swear on any Occasion which Doctrine was contrary to the Church of Rome which made Rinerius and Jâ—nsenius two Papists so much envy the Waldenses in this thing about keeping the Commands of Christ and yet notwithstanding all this Cloud of Witnesses both in primitive times and after Ages divers who suffered as Martyrs did hold the same and also the many Testimonies of them who have dyed in the Faith yet many are so wilful and so peevish and so envious against every thing which they cannot joyn unto as that they will brand this Doctrine for Novelty and Heresie let such consider how they will condemn this Doctrine and yet justifie Christ's Words and them that have been reckoned as Fathers and Martyrs and as Orthodox and found in the Faith by all except the Church of Rome who too much imitate the Jews and yet are no Jews and they have been the chief Cryers up of Oathes and Swearing and afterwards give Dispensations to them that break them And therefore all who reckon your selves as Christians keep to the Docrtine of Christ and the Doctrine of the Apostles who were Followers of him and run not back to the Jews Ordinances which continued but till the time of Reformation and you that reckon your selves as Protestants for Shame leave off that Doctrine which hath been brought in by the Apostates who have mingled things together without having Respect either to Time or Age or People and so have run back to the Jews and bring those Commands and Injunctions which pertained to the Jews and lay them as Yoaks upon the Necks of Christians remember what the Apostle said to the Galatians concerning the Works of the Law and concerning Types and Figures Gal. 1.2 If you be circumcised Christ profits yâ—u nâ—thiâ—g and an Oath was a Type as well as Circumcision to the Jews and what if I say of all Swearers who have no better Ground for so doing then the Jewish Oathes which were Types and testifie unto every one that he that takes an Oath and swears at all is bound to keep the whole Law Christ profits him nothing And so let all People who fear the Lord and do believe that they have received Christ in their Hearts the End of the Law for Righteousness not turn back to the changeable Covenant again lest he who is the everlasting Covenant say unto them who hath required these things at your Hand and also raise up his swift Witness to condemn them who transgress his pure and holy righteous Commands and would compel others so to do CHAP. XVIII Tythes in their first Institution unto whom they were due according to the Command of God declared and that Tythes are no Way lawful to be received neâ—ther sought for by any who are Ministers of the New-Covenant and the everlasting Gospel proved out of the Scripture and Antiquity TO omit Abraham's giving Tythes or the tenth Part to Melchizedeck after the Overthrow of his Enemies and Jacob's vowing to give the tenth when he should inherit the Land of Canaan because a voluntary Promise only bindeth him that promiseth and a free Gift from one to another is no Command neither binding to all Generations because Abraham gave the tenth Part to Melchizedeck freely of the Spoil he had taken and that but once not of his Family's Labours or Industries but of the Spoil this was a voluntary and a free thing both in Jacob and Abraham if Jacob had not vowed he had not sinned and if Abraham had not given the tenth Part of the Spoil he had not sinned so this is no Command or binding Example unto future Generations especially of them that pretend they are Ministers of the second Covenant and the Gospel but a very feeble and a poor thing for them to alledge Tythes were never commanded to be paid by the Lord to any but Israel whose Law was given forth 400 Years after the Promise as saith the Apostle neither were ever payable but by the Jews in the Land of Canaan and to Levi's Tribe only and to the Jewish Priests that had no Inheritance allotted them by the Lord of all the Land of Canaan or beyond Jordan but only Tythes or tenth Part among the Brethren and that only according to the Command of the Lord Deut. 18.4 Ezek. 25.13 for the Office of the Priesthood and for the Service of the Tabernacle At the giving forth of the Law after Israel came out of Egypt God chose Aaron and his Sons for the Office of the Priesthood and the rest of the Tribe of Levi for the Service of the Tabernacle God gave unto the Levites by Commandment all the Tenth in Israel for an Inheritance for their Service and the Levites out of their Tythes were to offer up to the Lord a tenth Part of the Tythes and give it unto Aaron the Priest for himself and his Sons and no other portion had the Levitical Priests out of the Tythes but the Tenth of the Tenth as for the rest of the Tythes they were for the Levites that did serve at the Tabernacles and for Strangers for Fatherless and Widdows Moreover the tenth of the Tythes the Priest had the first ripe Fruits of the Ground of Wheat of Barly of Figs Grapes and Olives of Pomegranatâ—s and Dates at what Quantity the Owner pleased a Heave-offering also of Corn Wine and Oyl Fleece were given to the Priests at the 60th part sometime the 50th at the Devotion of the Owner But how comes it to pass that they that pretend another Priesthood then this should receive the tenth of all of unclean Beasts as Pigs and Foâ—ls aâ—d of such things as we never read of tythable under the Law of Eggs Geese and Turnips and the tenth of the Wood for Faggots for the Fire and yet are not of this Priesthood but pretend to be Bishops and Elders in the Christian Church so they cannot distinguish of the Time neither of the Ministration neither of Service and Worship that belongs to each Covenant else they would be ashamed to claim Title to Aaron's Tythes and the Levites
that were given to them that had no Portion among their Brethren in the Land but these Bishops Presbyters and Priests have a great Part of some Counties and Diocesses for their Revenue and their inferior Officers Tythes of such things as were never tythable under the Law so what damnable Deceit and Hypocrisie is this is it any other but the Pope's Yoak an absolute Apostate for Hundreds of Years and must this be received and enjoyned as Apostolical Doctrine Oh for Shame let it never be mentioned among them that call themselves Ministers of Christ neither of any who profess themselves to be Christians But to return to the Levitical Priesthood no Tythes did the Priests receive under the Law of the People for those belonged to the Levites Exod. 13.2 that were appointed over the Tabernacle to bear it and to take it down and to set it up to serve Aaron and his Sons and to keep the Instruments thereof and for the better ordering of things they were divided into three parts the Coathites the Gershonites and the Mararites and these received Tythes of the People and delivered the Priests did not all so our Tythe-taking Priests are contrary to the Law and first Covenant and the Gospel also and therefore to be looked upon as no other then Anti-christians but to return to Aaron's Priesthood in the first Covenant they grew and multiplied and then the Priests were divided into twenty four Ranks or Courses of which our Prebends Deans and Chapters take their Example or Imitation so to serve by their Turns at Cathedrals as they are called or else from the Church of Rome which is worse but the latter I am rather enclined to believe because there was no such Name of any Ministers among the Jews neither in the primitive Church truly so called but the Priests gave Attendance to execute their Office and burn Incense as his Turn came and hereupon Zecharias who is said to be of the course of Abiah Luke 1. The Levites that were Singers were divided into twenty four Ranks also or Courses of which I believe the present Quiristers or Surpless-men do imitate and will bring the Levites for a Proof concerning their Office but we cannot receive Judaism for Christianity neither their Practice for Apostolical Ordinances in the Church of Christ. The Priests and the Levites being separated for the Work of the Lord in the Tabernacle and Temple ministred according to the command and ordinances of the first Covenant which were only Figures of things to come and Shadows of things that were but to continue until the time of Reformation and then they all had an End both the Priesthood and the Levites and their Service and Office and Maintenance and Tythes ended as the Apostle saith to the Hebrews The Priesthood is changed and the Law is changed by which they received these Tythes for the Work aforesaid but to descend and to come unto the primitive time we shall see whether Tythes were paid or no to Gospel-Ministers in the second Covenant In the Fulness of time God raised up another Priest Christ Jesus who was not of the Tribe of Levi nor consecrated after the Order of Aaron so he pertained to another Tribe of which no man gave Attendance to the Altar he obtained a more excellent Ministry and of a greater and a more perfect Tabernacle not of the former Building he being the Sum and Substance of all the Figures under the first Covenant he put an End to the first Priesthood with all its Shadows and carnal Ordinances and changing the Priesthood which had a Command to take Tythes of their Brethren there was made of Necessity also a Change of the Law and a disannulling of the Commandment going before Christ Jesus when he had finished his Office upon Earth by fulfilling all Righteousness he offered up himself through the eternal Spirit a Sacrifice unto God without Spot the Apostles and Ministers who were made Partakers of the Divine Nature and of the Word of Reconciliation did not look back to the former Ordinances of the first Priesthood but testified an End was put to them and witnessed against the Temple wherein the Priests ministred Paul and likewise Stephen were stoned and against Circumcision saying It was not that of the Flesh and against all the outward Ordinances of that Covenant and called them Carnal and preached up Christ Jesus and his Doctrine the new and living Way which was not manifest while the first Tabernacle was standing they preached freely the Everlasting Gospel and did not desire or require setled Maintenance but were ministred to only by them who had believed their Report and were turned to Christ Jesus and were made Partakers of spiritual things though they often denyed that which was given unto them here was no Tythes spoken on either to the Jews or Gentiles who believed At Jerusalem and thereabouts such was the Love and Unity of Heart among the Saints in the Apostles Time that all things were in common and none wanted so likewise the Church gathered by Mark at Alexandria in Egypt followed the same Practice and the Church at Jerusalem and Philo Judeus saith in many other Provinces the Christians lived together in Societies In the Church of Antioch Galatia and Corinth the Saints possessed every man his own Estate where the Apostle ordained that a weekly Offering should be made of the Saints that every one might offer freely of that which God had blessed him with which was put into the Hands of the Deacon of the Churches whereby the poor was relieâ—ed and other necessary Services were supplyed In the next Age monthly Offerings were made not exacted but freely given as appears plainly by Tertullian Apologet chap. 29. where he upbraids the Gentiles with the Piety and Charity of the Christians he saith Whatsoever we have in the Treasury of our Churches it is not raised by Taxation as though we put Men to ransom their Religion but every Man once a Moneth or when he pleaseth himself gives what he thinks good for no Man is compelled but left free to his own Discretion and it is not bestowed in Vanity but relieving the poor and for Maintenance of poor Children destitute of Parents and aged People and such as are cast into Prisons for professing the Christian Faith and that this Way of Contribution continued till the great Persecution under Maximinian and Dioclesian about the Year 304. as Eusebius witnesseth â—nd so dâ—th Tertullian Origen Cyprian and others Also about this time some Land was given to the Church by them that believed the revenue thereof was distributed as other free Gifts were by the Deacons and Elders to the poor for the fore-mentioned Uses but the Bishops or Ministers medled not with them Origen saith It is not lawful for any Minister to possess Lands given to the Church to his own Use. Cyprian Bishop of Carthage about the Year 250. testifieth the same and sheweth how the Church maintaineth
attestation of God and in the 89. page he saith that Christ answering to the high Priest I am and thou hast said is an Oath And in the 91. page it was enough that Christ denyed not to Swear and from this he imagines that he did Swear and when we enquire what the Oath was it amounts but to this thou hast said I am and where was the attestation of God here named or mentioned or spoken on by Christ were his Words any more then his own Doctrine which he taught before Let your yea be Yea and your nay Nay when the high Priest said Art thâ—u the King of the Jews he answered I am and is this any more then yea though not in the same Syllables and Mat. 26.63 I adjure thee to tell â— whether thou art the Son of God or not and he answered thou hast said And is this any more then yea or I am or it is Truth But indeed if one should traduce A. S. in his Discourse and of his definition of an Oath it is so uncertain one shall hardly know what to pitch upon to be his Judgment sometime it is this and sometime it is that and somâ— time it is neither this nor that sometime he says It is an Oath where God is interposed one while an Oath consists in the ATTESTATION of God another while it consists in saying truly truly and sometimes I call God to witness is an Oath and sometimes thou hast said is an Oath sometime because God is named in a Sentence therefore he concludes it must be an Oath otherwhiles when he is not named it must be an Oath and thus he twines up and down leaving People in the dark and leading them after his Imaginations And I shall conclude the Answer to this reason and neither impute ignorance nor wickedness to the great Apostle nor conclude that Christ's words as he saith doubtless the Apostle did must be understood in a limited Sense and limited only to Creatures and not to all Swearing and why so but because the Apostle said God is witness and I speak the Truth in Christ which is no contradiction of Christ's prohibition Swear not at all His seventh Argument is this If some Swearing be enjoyned in the third Commandment then all Swearing is not forbidden by Christ in these words Swear not at all because he came not to destroy the Law but some Swearing is there enjoyned or else the Law written by the Finger of God in Tables of Stone cannot be vindicated from imperfection and therefore in this Negative precept the affirmative must needs be included thou shalt Reverence the Name of the Lord and Swear by it whensoever it is not vain but necessary which is required by a lawful Magistrate for the Glory of God and for maintaining of Peace punishing Offenders and ending of Controversies and all these are necessary Ends but not attainable at least not so well by any expedient yet put in Practice as by interposition of Oaths so it cannot reasonably be believed that Christ would forbid them being of such important uâ—e Reply The substance of this is answered before but however A. S. how he can make this third Commandment Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain to prove the continuation of Swearing under the Gospel among Christians we do not see If Bishop Gaudens Words be true as they are who sayes A true Christian's Oath is needless his word being as firm as it page 41. and an evil Man's Oath is worthy of no more credit then a Lyar pag. 17. Since upon that account whosoever Swears by the Name of God Swears in vain and to no purpose whether he be a true Man or one deceitful his word amounting to as much as his Oath And why A. S. mentions the third Commandment to prove Swearing lawful under the Gospel except for the morality of it which he looks upon Christ came not to destroy and doth he look that every Letter Syllable of all the ten Commandments is so moral in all respects unchangeable uncapable of any annihilation by Christ's coming he much forgets himself for all these things contained in the first Table are not so moral or perpetual without some ceremoniality and subjection to alteration by Christ's coming as he imagins if he had but remembred the fourth Commandment the next unto it Remember that thou keep the holy Sabbath day which then was the very 7th day of the Week which God had Sanctified was but a Type and Sign and Shadow and Figure and a Ceremony of the 7th day of the World's rest from its Labour and of the everlasting Sabbath as I said before Heb. 4. and I might as well Argue if the 7th day of the Week was commanded in the fourth Commandment then the seventh Day is not prohibited neither by Commandment example or practice of Christ the Apostles or Primitive Christians and I might add this as a reason because Christ came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it and further I might add the 7th day was enjoyned in the 4th Commandment and they used to call it as moral as the third and therefore it ought to be so under the Gospel or else the Law written in Tables of Stone cannot be vindicated from imperfection and what would all my arguing prove even as much as A. S. his arguing the continuation and necessity of Oaths from the third Commandment and that is nothing at all and the Law of God needs not A. S. nor any Vindication it is Perfect and endures forever Psal. 19.7 and the Ceremonies and Types and Shadows that were joyned with and unto the Substance of the Law do neither add nor detract from its perfection but it is the same in it self forever and though we cannot own Swearing in that Ceremonious way as the Jews did use it till the Seâ—d came unto whom the Law and the Prophets bore witness yet we do not make void the third Commandment we take not his Name in vain but Reverence it and speak well of it and Sanctifie it in our Hearts and as the Apostle said Do we make void the Law through the Preaching of Faith God forbid So do we make void the Law or the Perfection of it by speaking the Truth and bearing witness to the Truth though as I said we cannot own those Typical Ceremonious ways of Swearing as it was in the first Covenant nay it is established and the third Commandment is established for he that speaks the Truth and bears witness in and from the Truth honours God's Name and Reverences it forasmuch as he is called the God of Truth and as we have said being lawfully called before a Magistrate to bear Testimony in any thing wherein the Glory of God or our Neighbour is concerned or the decision of Controversie seeing that true Testimony is a medium that concerns as much to that purpose now as Swearing did under the Law therefore we have still been
and are ready to answer all these necessary ends and as well and this is as good and expedient to be put in practice among Christians as interposition of Oaths enjoyned by God in the first Covenant and far more Evangelical and therefore shall conclude with that of Jerome The Gospel Truth admits not of an Oath His eighth Argument is That Christ did never any things without some Ground of reason but no reason can be shewed why all manner of Swearing should be forbidden in a due manner and upon a just and necessary occasion and therefore we may well believe that such Swearing was neither here or any where else forbidden Reply We shall not much dissent or disagree about terms with A. S. that Christ did never any thing without some Ground or Reason but yet we must deny his Conclusion that no Reason can be given why all manner of Swearing should be forbidden first of all there was a time since Man had a being in this Creation when he was in the Image of God and stood in the Covenant of God when there was no Oath neither any necessity thereof Man being endued with Power from God which was placed in him so that he was in a capacity to fulfill obey and serve and believe his Maker without an Oath for unbelief or Sin had not entred and this was before the Fall Gen. 1.26 27. Secondly Christ the unspeakable gift of God who is the Mediator of the everlasting Covenant yea the Covenant is self who is given for a Leader to the People and who is made a Propitiation for Sin and Transgression to end both Sin Transgression and Unbelief which was the cause of the Addition of the Law who leads to the beginning again all that truly do believe and are worthy to be called true Christians or by the Name of Christ to have Union with God again in that Life Power Truth Righteousness and Wisdom in which the Image of God truly consists which was before Sin and Transgression and before the Law which was added because of it which was commanded four hundred and thirty Years after the Promise was made Gal. 3.17 Thirdly After Sin was entred and Death by Sin an unbelieving part got up in all the Sons of Adam so that they could not believe God nor his Promises and yet such was his love unto Mankind considering the State into which they were plunged for confirmation of his Word unto Man he Swore by himself this was the Lord's condescension unto their low and unbelieving Estate all that time and no way exemplary for Christians truly such who are come into the Faith and to the Truth in it self who do believe that all the Promises are fulfilled in Christ yea and Amen who is the Author of Faith and of eternal Salvation to them that believe Heb. 9.12 who prohibited that by his command Mat. 5.23 which sometimes was permitted yea and commanded yea and added because of Transgression and for which the Law and the command for Oaths was only added which he did not destroy because he leads from under the Power of that which the Law came against which is just and good and Holy and the Seed fulfills it and hath Unity with it and with him who is the Judge and Law-giver and Saviour of all that do believe in him from Sin and Transgression Fourthly At that time when the Law was given forth at Mount Sina Exod. 19.20 generally all the Nations were given to Idolatry and to serve and Worship strange Gods as Baal Ashtaroth Chemosh Rimphan and many others as the Gods of Samaria which were said to be according to the number of their Cities and their Idols were called the Sin of Samaria Amos saith They Swear by the Sin of Samaria that did say thy God O Dan lives and the manner of Barsheba lives even they shall fall and never rise again Amos 7.14 Which was no other then the Calves which Jeroboam set up at Dan and Bethel which they feared Worshipped and Swore by therefore God having chosen a peculiar People to himself to Worship and serve him and honour him who should not walk after the manner of the rest of the Nations who knew not God he commanded them to serve him and Worship him and Swear by his Name as Jerome saith well to keep them from Idolatry and that they should not Swear by the Gods of the Heathen as the rest of the Nations did round about yet still this must be considered that this State of the minority of the Jewish Church wherein God gave them Ordinances suitable to their State but it doth not follow neither can it be reasonably concluded that these Ordinances were to be perpetually binding unto all future Generations especially when Christ the Seed unâ—o whom all the Promises are in whom the Law is fulfilled and in whom the former Ministrations end that his Disciples and true Christians should always be bound to these things once commanded especially seeing Christ their Master in whom the Father is well pleased hath prohibited this about Swearing and also did Prophesie of the time to come after his Resurrection and his Ascension that those Visible things which were as a Ministration for a time should end as to the outward exercise and Typical and Figurative appearance of them and that all these things should be revealed within by the Spirit and felt in the Power of God in all that did believe when the Holy Ghost should be poured forth and the Promise of the Father be made manifest Fifthly Now considering that the Name of God is believed in and he is confessed unto and his Christ and that there is not that Idolatry especially outward as there was in the Nations before and after the Flood especially in that which is called Christendom though we dare not conclude that all are Israel that are of Israel or that all are Christians that have the Name yet generally I say the Name of God and his Christ is acknowledged and worshipped and not Idols and false God's therefore there is no necessity of Swearing by the Name of God as there was at the time of the giving forth of the Law but especially among them that the Father will reckon as truly his subjects and Disciples of Christ who are partakers of his divine Nature here is not that necessity among them for they through the Law being dead to it it hath no more Power over them and therefore no reason that they should be kept as under Tutors and Governours seeing that the Age and Ages is come which the Apostle spoke of Eph. 2.7 wherein Christ is revealed the hope of Glory and whom he makes free are free indeed Joh. 8.32 36. Sixthly and lastly The command of Oaths was given for the ending of Strife and Controversies among Men Heb. 6. which hath relation to the Law and to the State of the Jews and their Political proceedings the Apostle brings but that in as an instance or an example and