Doctor HILL's FUNERAL-SERMON OR A Nevv-yeers-Gift To all the CLERGIE Daynus the reviving feet of the Witnesses past and to come To shew the day and yeer of the Lord and his time accepted Printed at London 1654. And are to be sold by Richard Moon at the seven Stars in Pauls Church-yard His Epistle and Dedication to the Clergy THou sowest all life in the flesh and thou reapest life to thy self O Lord thou windest up life in the body of life thou art the Center and orency of quickning life All Creatures move in the power of that life That substance of flesh by procreation is not that saving life but thou art the quintessence of all life in the Soul The Soul in its natural condition is vayla and changeable by the instinct of Nature included in the flesh varra changeable in it self fayla not able to stand unless it be redeemed by an inclusive power spiritual and in that way God will be seen to deliver by way of imputation of life to the Soul Reeda Alda at every season Helpative Soona Plyant Dative by a dividual dividing betwixt the Marrow and the Bones Circumference Deus All-fulness Unus varius Allmagnus God the full beauty and life in him all things are computed comprized and comprehended by him he is All meritus and translatirus and doth refine all things he is the final and fountain of all perfection the life and death of all the Creatures every thing that moveth liveth in him All solestial flesh is as a flower or grass that withereth away and shall be no more in its natural perfection for nothing shall live but life that shall not dy which is the principle of God in thee called that immortality which is a spiritual reviving power that shall return to God although the flesh doth not yet the spirit shall return to him that gave it The Soul is the life of the Creation naturally in us prohibited and presented by him which is our life so preserved The Spirit is an inclusive thing of union and by an immortal marriage it hath congruity with the Soul the Soul is a high mystery it is the Virgin of the spirit and the spirit dwelleth in it till the flesh dieth which maketh a dissolution betwixt flesh and soul The spirit of grace is an high mystery and dwelleth in some but not in all every one may have life in them yet not that spitual life which is the life of eternity therefore none can live after the old Adam but shall dy the death until the quickning power of the second Adam come in which is Christ in thee and in me to renew in us that which would die for nothing carnally can live The soul is naturally sowed in the flesh and is of it self fleshly by four natural causes by a Soveraingty from God as Breath blood Heat and Food which keepeth thy natural soul alive there is a threefold life two of them be but natural life as vegetive life natural life and spiritual life and all have their being from that eternal life We see many times that young flesh droppeth off from the Tree of life the aged must do so the King must die as well as the Beggar so must the high Doctor as well as the silly poor man then behold with me the period of mans life and full of brevity fading changeable smoak or as a vapor that soon passeth away So much for mans mortality The next thing is to enquire and speak something of this our late deceased Brother Doctor Hill Doctor HILL'S Funeral-Sermon BY a singular providence of God I happened to be at the Town of Cambridge at the very instant of Doctor Hill's departure then at the same time the Lord moved me to write and he actually taught me what I should write which he the Lord preached to me This Sermon preached to me was not my desire onely yet the God of life put it upon me and supported me with matter accordingly that I could not deny but write for the Lord preached unto me the things I should write and now I declare unto you a new Sabbath which I did write with much niceness and fear of spirit yet the Lord told me that the Sabbath-Ordinances were changed by the Priests under the Law and likewise by the Ministers of our time And therefore of necessity I did write as he commanded me by way of a Funeral-Sermon or a final dissolution of the Clergellical power whereof I declare the life and death of the Creature and the stability and endless power of Christs Ministery with a description of them that call themselves Ministers of God and how they shall fall under the Worlds contempt some degrees worse then the Bishops The Prophets complaine the clamation is The Minister and Priests have robbed Gods store-house taking to themselves those priviledges that are not their own therefore they shall say no more Know the Lord from the greatest to the least and shall be free from your mouth inherently taught of God and live by faith exemplary to Abraham Noah and Christ which is to live in righteousness and not to need the teachings of men for all our teachers are failable now as well as they were under the Law so that our redemption is clearly by Christ Heb. 7.24 Christ he continued ever unchangeable as a Priest whereof he is able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them which is a plaine proof without dispute that he is the Minister of God and Priest he will put an end to your Ministery because you are failable yet Christ is infailable and therefore we cast you off in the name of the Lord and cry ye down as no Ministers of God but deceivers of the people I would bave all live up to Christ by a personal power free from all the teachings of men and that no man shall ought to teach whether he be a Minister or a lay-man for one mans tongue is no lawful testimony for one may speak of Christ as well as another so that all may prophesy one by one as they did in Christs time for in the last dayes I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh for my servants and handmaids shall prophesie Then said he unto me Prophesie son of man So I prophesied as he commanded me and the breath came into them and they lived and stood upon their feet an exceeding great Army Ezekiel 37. This Army Giddon of the Lord shall cause the River Euphrates with seven streams to dry up and there shall be many voyces heard and witnesses on their Feet Then looke to it Doctor without all dispute your trade of preaching will fall BEloved this Doctor Hill was a man of good ranke an eminent man that I did formerly know though now he was very justitious I was his Country-man about sixteen or eighteen yeers past he was a reasonable good professor called a Puritan in those dayes
own soul and say no more I am in Christs stead Doctor know that thine is an earthly authority but Christ is a Minister by an heavenly authority Then lay down thy false power You say you are Ministers of God and yet can minister but the outward letter and the letter shall non-residence you and suspend your authority for you are but false Christs Therefore Priest thou must lay down Christ is all thy Lectury he is eggal tyal and substantial You are but egg but he is eggal Therefore lay down and say We are no teachers but pleaders for righteousness mercy and justice and cannot teach the holy Ghost Christ is the altar then go no more to the Scribe nor to any earthly teacher If Christ be truely formed in thee go no more to the Wise-man or the Scribe which be inwardly ravening wolves and yet they come in Christs name which enjoy the tenth part of our Nation called the Tythes and Impropriations which might outwardly redeem the poor the blinde and the lame the fatherless and widow People you look for an outward speaking but the inward speaking is of God It is the holy Ghost that speaketh in thee and me and that is the surest teaching and ten thousand times more good it will do thee then all thy second-hand-teachers that cannot declare a true testimony Then all ye blinde guides that lead the blinde the Lord doth rightly teach Ministers dare not express themselves men dare not express themselves therefore the truth of Christ must needs suffer violence And I finde that these Wise-men and Counsellors are but the Witch of the world Ye Pulpittians there can be no election of Ministers but by Christ in whom he said Go it was in those days a work of election onely of Christ and from Christ an Ordination tolerated by the Son of God but now that power of election is of none effect and let him be what he will if a Minister or Lay-man if he take upon him to ordain or elect any to be Ministers of God or to give any such authority he falsly standerh in Christs place and cometh not in at the door but take Christs Office in their hand and they are not called to it The work of mans Priesthood failed long since for Christ is our high-priest once for all and he standeth a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedek He shall purge the sons of Levi that they may bring an offering in righteousness which is to throw down their power at the eternal power and live up to the endless Ministery of Christ and shall say I am no more a Minister of God I am but as other men Mens Priesthoods have been ever held up with money and outward territories but Christ teacheth freely and so did all they that he tolerated and sent All his disciples were without resting-places so are not ye he said The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of man hath nowhere to hide his head Which of all the disciples of Christ held up personal proprieties to themselves I am sure amongst them it was not a common thing as it is amongst you for some of our Priests have large inheritances and will rather lose Christ then lose their Parsonages or great possessions of land But Christ did not ordain such disciples but such as were to carry neither scrip nor staff to trust to shewing that proprieties were not given them Learn of me saith Christ if I have nothing what can you expect if I be your example be as I am I tell thee if thou beest never so high a Doctor and eminent for gifts and yet dost buy and sell the creation thou art no Minister of God Therefore lay down thy authority for it is false At the first the Creation was not bought and sold for money it was to stand in its own original and not to be traduced or ingrossed by money and so to be changed from its original None of the Apostles bought or sold the Creation for money as some of our Doctors have done which is utterly unlawful Heaven is the Lords throne and the earth his footstool Now ye abominable Priests that buy and ingross the earth into your hands and tolerate all others so to do can a man buy the Lords throne for money No for it his place of rest neither can ye buy the earth which is his footstool Therefore ye Ministers are buyers and sellers and as money-changers in the Temple of God and for this cause of buying and selling the Creation your Temple is broken in pieces and there shall not be one stone lest upon another that shall not be thrown down So that I clearly finde that Ordination of Priests and Ministers ceased at buying and selling the Creation for then Christ came and put an end to their Ministery and God appears chiefly to us by his Son having him dwelling in us by the gift of the holy Ghost that is the Law and Testimony in us And God hath left power to his two Witnesses to plead for righteousness because there was no truth in the Priests therefore he hath given the two Witnesses power that shall hold to the end DOctor I see nothing but an end of all Traditional preaching for Mediumal preacheth in the mount of his power and requireth setting up thrones and to bring all things before the seat of justice Christ must sit upon his seat and judge the ends of the earth He is said to sit upon twelve thrones that is by an audiencee of twelve voices to vindicate and make out the full truth by Witnesses Then where is your preaching power your grinding in a Mill will cease Ye stand beating the Pulpit but all is in vain for the honourable seat of Justice will exclude all your seenal Witcherasts You have preached long yet no justice mercy nor truth is in our borders But the Prophet Zâ—chariah saith In those days and at that time many shall be joyned to the Lord which sheweth they shall throw off the Ministeries of men And the Prophet Hosea saith They shall be sowed to the Lord in truth in mercâ— and loving kindness saith the Lord I will betroth thee unto me That shews that every one should understand and know their Mariage union with Christ and come out from Priest and People It is not enough to say thou art a Christian but thou must prove thy self by an inward Law and testimony with the approbation of the grand Church that is by an inward and outward testimony that shall make them free Heb. 4.9 There remaineth a rest to the people of God and in vers 10. He that is entred into that rest hath ceased from his own works as God did from his This Christian rest is perfection of parts without toyl and legal cate having inward sanctity in the soul which is a sweet Sabbath-rest and I know no other Sabbath You observe days called Sundays outwardly and do not look to the
ordain and appoint without the help of man Let no man say He can teach for no man can teach life and salvation Then down with all teachers that we may live under a peaceable Government our own Vine Christ Jesus for he will teach us of his wayes without all differing disputations Those that call themselves teachers they live as drone-bees by the sweat of other mens brows Therefore let them stop their mouths for the people will not give ear to them but will live under their own vine by a new Sabbath Covenantial and you shall bewitch the people no longer when fulness comes God will teach and the people shall declare what God hath done for their souls Then all these Dromidaries of Midian must break off your heavenly teaching and come under the peaceable Dominion of Christ You high Doctors blame me not for speaking where life is it will branch it self forth Who shall hinder my speaking the truth the silly Worm to the cold Earth the Sallamander to the Fire so all things to their proper use to the honour of God Oh that these rotten Priests would lay down their power and make Christ all in all Fat Priests that live as Drones belly-godded persons proud and delicious God is angry with you because no power will throw you down God will give his people wisdom to come out from you and to live by a higher teaching which is from the holy Ghost for there will be a great falling away that the iniquity of the Priests may be discovered I have tried all your Ministeryes and can have no rest in them my spirit is so universally taken up with the appearings of Christ that I unfailably see an absolute doing away of your Forms your Sabbaths your Sacraments your Baptism your common-Churches your separate-Churches your Anabaptist-Churches your Papist Churches all your set forms must return to the ancient Church of the Jews which is the stable perfection of Christ for now he apeareth all your forms must be done away Christ at the first came under a state of imperfection yeilding to the laws of men but now he cometh in perfection and will do away all your forms and shadows for when that which is perfect is come the unperfect must be done away My desire is to see the Priests thrown down and let the Lord preach alone for all the Ministers under the cope of heaven are not able to define or make out the truth neither can they speak truth till they give up their Ministery to Christ for all teaching belongeth to him and I know not any as can teach but shall run themselves into errors for it is God that teacheth and not fleshly man for by mans teaching the curse hath continued on the earth to this day neither shall it be till Christ hath the full pre-eminency and all powers yeilded up to him by an endless Covenant saying When that which is perfect is come then that which is not shall be done away when he cometh in power your illegal forms and relecks shall be done away for his formal power shall throw off your shadows as all the creatures declare the glory of God and preach forth his excellency but not as a Priest to Minister in Christs place but to shew what the Lord hath done for the creation and to acknowledge Christ alone to teach life He preacheth forth peaceable dominion to them that are nigh and to them that are afar off from him righteousness doth arise which is the end of all preaching Christ is the stability of the Church I do not say of named Churches but of one Church without difference or dividual dividing he is the husband of one spouse his perfection shall guide us unto all truth and for want of setting up Christ in his oriency of power men set themselves up and destroy his heritage but the chosen people of God must act against every thing that is opposite to Christ for he is Prince of peace and Prince of power and for his cause sacrifice thy life otherwise thou art no Christian for we must look no more upon the Ark of the Covenant it must not be once named amongst us The letter of the Scripture shall be failable when the testimony truly dwelleth in us by faith then all our outward shadows shall be done away Christ hath redeemed us from all typical shadows and from the curse of the letter being once made a curse for us that the blessing may come upon the people by faith and not by literal forms and shadows Gal. 3.13 Cursed is every one that hangeth upon a tree Shewing the miserable condition of all such that hold so much by the tree of the Law and deny the freedom of the Spirit they might have in the Son of God for as many as rely upon works are men-workers lie still under the curse for Christ is the free Abraham he hath done all the work of renovation and we are free in him without works and saved in him without mens works if once in Christ then free indeed from all mens traditional teaching while we are justified in Christ we acknowledge our selves sinners in that we see nothing in our selves and Christ to be just in all It is the believing Abraham that shall be justified and not the working Abraham For grace is of faith and not by works lest any man should boast for if the inheritance be of the letter it cannot be of faith God gave it to Abraham as he believed so the Lord promised to him and to his seed for ever according to the Covenant of faith which is the Law and Testimony written in the conscience called two Witnesses within which do Christian a creature and baptize him into the promised Covenant of Abraham and Christ which is far above all your teaching forms and shadows I speak to the people saying Stand fast in the liberty wherein Christ hath made you free and be no more entangled with the yoke of bondage but know your selves at liberty as children of the day and rejoyce with Jerusalem all that love her be glad and rejoyce for the amplitude and stability of the Church when all the Churches shall be maried to Christ in the new Covenant that they may suck and be satisfied with the brest of consolation for the Lord will extend peace to his Church as a river and to the people as a flowing stream from a fountain of teaching from above GOod men may sometimes deny Christ not knowing the end of disciplying This Doctor Hill was an eminent man and without all question declared forth many good things in his time yet subject to erre as we be by relation of some of the Souldiers that quartered in the town of Cambridge as they told me I cannot tell but as they related a sad story of this Doctor Hill by relation he was intended to persecute with the tongue whether right or wrong his spirit knoweth it best I cannot prove it yet it was certified me
God hath writ it Christ never pen'd down the mystery he is the final end of perfection The promise was made in him 400 yeers before the local Scripture the promise was before the Law and righteousness came by faith and not by local Scriptures Christ opened the seals in order He is the word from the beginning John 1. The word was at the beginning before the traditions of men were written and shall stand till fulness come which shall then be failable perfection shall put an end to imperfection when mans writing is done away the Son of God is that wisdom from the decree of God to make out his full work and shall stand when all mens Scriptures shall be failable David cryes out in the 19 Psalm saying Who knows the errors of his life so that men and Prophets may be unstable in their judgement All Scriptures were written by the permission of God and men declared of things a far off and could not fully speak of things to come but as they spake in part Heaven and earth shall pass away but not one tittle of Gods word which was his ancient decree from the beginning before men writ the Scriptures his decrees were and his councel shall stand he spake the word and it was done if Scriptures could be the word of God then common Christians might write by inspiration and call it the word of God which that they cannot do for it is but mens declaration yet the Priests say They preach the word of God though they deceive the poor people with the letter men may be very plyant and prophetical as the Prophets were and write many sweet truths yet the decree of God shall stand when written words are failable though they write after their judgements they shall be failable being yet in the flesh for Christ is our sure word of prophesie far above Scripture to declare what the word is first it is God Secondly it is perfection Thirdly it is his councel and decree Fourthly it is spiritual light from above Fifthly it is a word of life that preacheth out from the mouth of God Therefore the written letter is not the word of God but put into them from a spiritual ingenuity or received of God by a spiritual power from above being writ by failable man that hath received in part of that full perfection Christ is the full end of all mystery he preacheth upon the mount hear him with a laudable voice he inwardly teacheth his wisdom is excellent past finding out mens writings and teachings are subject to change but the word of God is the same from the beginning not any thing of God shall fail Mount Sion shall ever stand stable and firm the Lord is unchangeable though mens teachings fail and Scriptures fail and Prophets fail and Priests fail and all outward forms and ceremonies fail though outward Sabbaths fail yet the two witnesses shall not fail the two anointed ones shall stand before the God of the whole earth if Christ and the Spirit dwell in us they shall teach us how to live in all truth though man in his ignorance lieth under the letter and liveth altogether by line and verse the Law being a Schoolmaster or Teacher to him yet when he is redeemed by the Spirit he walketh above the letter knowing himself free incorporated and brought within the precincts of the glorious liberty of the Son of God Christ is the sure word of prophesie far higher then the Scriptures which the Doctors call the word of God and is not but part of the truth but Christ shall endure when all mens writings be as low as Doctor Hill's bones and shall be failable before the great manifestation of the light that shall appear when all shall bend at the Scepter his wisdom teacheth all truth men teach for envy some for pride and some for money and some teach other mens works and yet call it the word of God though they can declare nothing out of the gift but what they have received by learned phrases and much slight the word of the eternal Covenant by adoring the writing and preaching of men which are outward literal and not the word of God but Scriptures of men as Chronicles and Histories and shall be failable I do not deny the good as is in the Scriptures but I adhere to it so far as it answereth to the righteousness of God and so far we ought to walk plyant to the Scriptures as by the example of Christ his rule ought not to be compounded with other mens works but that his fame should be seen alone for by that means the Priests do preach mens praises more then the honor and authority of Christ Now in all your learning I desire you would learn to know Christ the sure word of prophesie which is God alone above the Scriptures and so the Scriptures are but mens traditions laid together chronicled up what good men had declared by history for a memorial or example for us that come after and not to look for spiritual life by the Scriptures for that is the free gift from above by his grace but to look on them for an exhoraation Christ saith In the Scriptures ye think to have eternal life yet he doth not say In them there is eternal life for he is life eternal and he hath done all things well Prophets and Priests and Men may write yet of themselves can establish no truth for Christ is the stable center of all he is Almedium that preacheth in the Mount he is our sure word of prophesie yet he writ no Scripture nor declared himself by letter yet many Scriptures have testified of him he was and is exemplary to all Therefore I would have all men live to the Lord above that which is written of men for what is written but shall be failable or what light can keep its full oriency before the Sun every borrowed light shall be failable I desire men would not hang so much upon the letter Christ Jesus is unfailable he is yesterday to day and for ever Let us set Christ above all literal Scriptures which shall contingently fail when he cometh in power he shall put an end to every work Christ is the prime reality of all true integrity he is the eternal word of life all things live by the decree of God finished in us his promise was above 400 yeers before any Scripture was writ given to Abraham by faith and not by Scripture in that we ought to know somthing above the letter which is the word of faith a sure prophesie it is not the word preached that can redeem us except we have personal holiness in us by a right knowing of God by inspiration otherwise it is unpossible to please God for men may hear Scripture preached and yet not be happilized and Priests may preach and yet cannot save souls Therefore ye high Priests lay down your authority God teacheth from above and will order his affairs above your