did, so do ye; and these were rebels against the Holy Ghost, who rebelled against the prophets, rebelled against Christ, rebelled against the apostles, yea, I say they rebelled against Christ who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; and the apostles that were in the Holy Ghost, they also rebelled against the church that had fellowship with them in the Holy Ghost, they rebelled against the martyrs, and them that kept the testimony of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy; and these rebels were of the beast, and the whore, the false church, antichrist, and the false prophets, deceivers and teachers that preach for filthy lucre, and for means, that minded earthly things, and served not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies, and preach people to themselves, or parties, and not to Christ, but make a prey upon them. And these rebels were they that always persecuted the true church, and the prophets, and Christ, and the apostles, and the martyrs, and quenched the spirit, and grieved and vexed it, both in themselves and others, though they may get the form of godliness, but deny the power thereof; and these that rebel against the Holy Ghost, and resist it, are such as hate the divine and spiritual light of Christ, and will not come to it in themselves, lest it should reprove them, because their deeds are evil; and these that rebel against the spirit, are such as turn from the grace of God into wantonness, and walk despitefully against the spirit of grace; and these that rebel against the spirit, say, that Christ the heavenly man, hath not enlightened every man that cometh into the world with a heavenly light; and these also say that the grace of God which brings salvation, and which hath appeared unto all men, they say, it is not sufficient to teach and to bring salvation to all, and say it hath not appeared to every man, contrary to God and the scriptures, who say, that his grace is sufficient; and these rebels say, that Christ hath not tasted death, nor his blood shed for all men; and these are the makers of sects, and bringers of people on heaps, that resist and rebel against the Holy Ghost, in which holy spirit the saints fellowship is; and though the prophets, Christ and the apostles testify against such as preach for filthy lucre, and for hire, yet they that rebel against his spirit will have it, and compel people to pay it, though it be contrary to God and his prophets, Christ and the apostles' testimony; and though Christ commanded his ministers or messengers 'freely ye have received, freely give,' yet such as rebel against the Holy Ghost, and resist the good spirit of God, as all their forefathers did, will force people to give it them, and they themselves will take it, contrary to his command, and imprison and persecute them that will not give it them; and they that rebel against and resist the Holy Ghost, though they may have all the form of godliness from Genesis to the Revelations, they will never bring people to heaven, nor to God, nor Christ, but like their forefathers, the pharisaical Jews, shut up the kingdom of heaven

from men, neither enter in themselves, nor suffer others; and among them is found all the blood of the prophets, and Christ, and the apostles, and the martyrs from the foundation of the world unto this day; and among such, and by such was our Lord and Saviour slain; and these are the great professors of God and Christ, prophets and the apostles, and the scriptures with their lips, but their hearts are afar off from God and Christ and such as do resist the Holy Ghost, and rebel against it, they may well say, they have not the same spirit and power the prophets and apostles had, nor have heard God and Christ's voice; and so if such will try themselves by the scripture, they may see, neither scripture nor the spirit is their rule for their life and practice; for they that rebel against the spirit of God, and resist the Holy Ghost, rebel against God, his prophets, Christ Jesus and his apostles, and his people to this day, though they make a profession of the words given forth by the Holy Ghost, and find fault with their forefathers for persecuting the prophets, Christ, and the apostles, and the martyrs, yet they follow them in their persecuting spirit, and are direct heirs to them, following them in their succession, the birth of the flesh, that will persecute him that is born of the spirit, making a profession of the scriptures given forth by the birth of the spirit, and yet rebelling against the spirit, and resisting the Holy Ghost, which moved all the holy men of God to speak forth the scriptures, and the same Holy Ghost is the key to open them again; and they that are in the Holy Ghost, are in the succession to that spirit the apostles were in; and they that are in the Holy Ghost, are in the succession to the church-fellowship, that was in the primitive times, and are in the suc cession of praying in the Holy Ghost, and comfort of it, and the succeeders of feeding the flock, and the overseeing it in the Holy Ghost that the apostles were in; and they that are the spiritual successors of the apostles, are in the Holy Ghost that leads them into all truth, as it led the apostles into all truth.

And in Ezek. xxii. 25. to the end, there is a conspiracy of the prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey, they have devoured souls, they have taken the riches and precious things, they have made many widows in the midst thereof, (to wit, Jerusalem,) her priests have broken my law, and have defiled my holy things, they have put no difference betwixt the holy and the profane, the clean and the unclean, &c. and I am profaned amongst them, her prophets have daubed with untempered mortar, seeing vanity and divining lies, saying, thus saith the Lord, when the Lord hath not spoken; the people of the land have been violently oppressed by spoiling and robbing, and they vexed the poor and the needy; yea, they vexed the poor against his right; I sought for a man amongst them that should make up the hedge,

and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.

Now consider this, ye priests, prophets, and professors in Christendom, try yourselves, and see if you be not found in this spirit as these priests and prophets were in under the law? have ye not broken the gospel and the command of Christ, as they broke the law? have you not made many widows and fatherless by casting in prison for your tythes? have not you said, thus saith the Lord, and the Lord never spoke to you? have not ye been like ravening lions for your prey? have not you vexed the poor and needy, and stranger by oppressing and spoiling? and is not this contrary to the gospel and Christ's command, who saith, freely ye have received, freely give.' So measure yourselves and your practice by this scripture.

. And Christ saith John x. an hireling will flee because he is an hireling, and cares not for the sheep.' And hath not this been fulfilled amongst the hirelings in this our age? and Christ saith, the thief com: th not, but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I am come that ye may have life, and have it more abundantly, and all that come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them, [mark,] did not hear them, and I am the door of the sheep, if by me any man enter in, he shall be saved, and go in and out and find pasture;' and therefore, come now and try yourselves by Christ's own words, who is the good shepherd, and hath laid down his life for his sheep; and therefore what say you of all them that have killed and destroyed about religion since the apostles' days, and say they have not heard the voice of Christ? do not these steal their words from their neighbours, and run, and God never sent them? and are Christ's sheep to hear thieves and robbers? and is it not Christ which lighteth every man that cometh into the world? is not he the door, and must not every one that entereth into his pasture, enter in by the light, or else how can they see the door without the light, which comes from him who is the life: for it is said, the light which shines in the heart, gives the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus, who is the door.' So they cannot enter in to Christ the door, but by the light that gives the knowledge; so try yourselves, all ye that say, Christ hath not enlightened every man that cometh into the world with a heavenly and divine light, how, you will come into the door without this light? and whether you that deny it do not keep people yet in darkness, among the hirelings, and thieves, and robbers, and from the good shepherd that lays down his life for his sheep, and are climbing up some other way? but Christ's sheep hear his voice and follow him, who is the same to-day as yesterday, and so forever, though you say there is no hearing his voice now a-days.

VOL. V.-8

And the apostle saith, let no man condemn you in meats, or drinks, or in respect of a holy-day, or new-moons, or sabbath-days, which are but a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.' Now mark, for people to jangle about such things, is but about shadows of things to come, and that which the kingdom of God stands not in, but the body is of Christ; so Christ and his body is to be minded, who is the substance of such things, that were figures, types or shadows of him; and he is to be minded, who is the head, and the substance, and life of all.

And further the apostle saith, let no man at his pleasure bear rule over you, by humbleness of mind, and worshipping of angels advancing himself into those things which he never saw, rashly puffed up with his fleshly mind, and not holding the head,' &c.

Now consider this, all ye that say, there is no hearing of God's voice now a-days, nor Christ's voice, and you have not the same power and spirit the apostles had.

Therefore, come try yourselves by the scripture, which you say is your rule, are not you they that bear rule with your pretended humbleness of mind, advancing yourselves into Christ, the prophets' and apostles' words, which you never saw in that spirit that gave them forth, and rashly puffed up in your fleshly minds: now consider whether people must own such as the apostle cried against in his day, now in our days, I say, they that do hold Christ Jesus the head, to be their teacher, and their prophet, and their shepherd, whether they must hold up such, yea, or nay? and further the apostle saith, if ye be dead with Christ from the ordinances of the world, why as though ye live in the world are ye burthened with traditions? touch not, taste not, handle not, which all perish with the using, after the commandments and doctrines of men, which things indeed have a show of wisdom in a voluntary religion, &c. [mark,] a voluntary religion, then it is not the religion that is pure, which James speaks of, &c.

Therefore, whether or no we must not follow the apostles here in our age, as the saints were in their age, and not to touch, taste, nor handle the doctrines of men, or commandments of men, which will perish with the using, though they may have a shew of wisdom in a voluntary religion; them that be not dead with Christ may follow such traditions and ordinances of men, and touch, taste and handle that which perisheth with the using; but they that be dead and risen with Christ, cannot follow such things, as in Col. 2. So try yourselves by this scripture whether you follow the apostles' doctrine, or such as he forbad.

And in 1 Tim. iv. the apostle saith, the spirit speaks expressly that some shall depart from the faith in the latter times, and shall give heed to the spirit of error, and doctrines of devils, which speak lies in hypo

crisy, having their consciences seared as with an hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them that believe and know the truth; for every creature of God is good, and ought not to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.'

Now come and try yourselves, all ye that forbid meats and marriages, are not you these that the apostle prophesied of, and the spirit spoke of, that are departed from the true faith that the apostles were in, and are in the spirit of error, and doctrine of devils, which speak lies in hypocrisy, having your consciences burned with an hot iron, and are out of the belief and the truth that the apostles were in, and so see not the end of God's creating of his creatures, to be received with thanksgiving, who saith, every creature of God is good, and nothing ought to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer; so not sanctified to you that forbid them, neither do ye know the end of God's creating them. So be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap, for he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruptions, but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. Gal. vi. 7, 8.

Now come try yourselves all ye teachers in Christendom, and look into your fields or vineyards, and see what you have there sown, and see what a great crop of corruptions and all manner of evils you may reap out of them; for you saying you have not the same spirit, and plough, and flail, and faith that the apostles had, then you cannot sow unto the spirit, by which you might reap life eternal; and though you may have all the scriptures from Genesis to the end of the Revelations, if you have not the same spirit as they had that gave them forth, you cannot sow to the spirit, neither are you successors of the prophets and apostles, except you are in the spirit that gave forth the scriptures. And the apostle saith 'let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself only, and not in another.' So now try yourselves ye priests and teachers, and prove your own work, and see what joy ye have in it; to rejoice in another man's work, the prophets' or apostles', is not to rejoice in your own work, the work that God hath wrought in you; and if you come to this, you must come to the light (as Christ said,) to see whether your works be wrought in God, that ye may have joy in him, and in yourselves in his spirit. Again the apostle saith, let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.' Gal. vi. 6.

Now is not this the scripture which you bring for your maintenance? but what is this to prove your forced maintenance by, and to cast people in prison, if they will not give you tythes, or midsummer-dues, Easter