husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach, not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous, one that can rule well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity, not a novice, lest he be lifted up with pride, and fall into condemnation of the devil: moreover, he must have a good report of them that are without, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.' 1 Tim. iii. and in Tit. i. A bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God, not self-willed, nor soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; but а lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate, holding fast the faithful word, &c. for there are many unruly and vain talkers,' &c.

6

Now here you may see the ordination of bishops; and if they do not succeed in these steps and precepts as the apostles have laid down, they do not succeed the apostles; for if he be of 'ill behaviour, not given to hospitality, nor apt to teach freely, (as they did,) and if he be given to wine, and a striker, and greedy of filthy lucre, and not patient, but a brawler, and covetous, and not the husband of one wife, and cannot rule his own house well, and hath not his children in subjection and in gravity, and is a novice, and puffed up in pride, and hath an ill report from them without, and self-willed, and soon angry, not sober, just, holy and temperate, &c. Such follow not, nor succeed the apostles in their ordination and succession, nor in their life and power of the Holy Ghost, but were reproved by them: now likewise, concerning deacons, if they be not grave, and if they be double-tongued, or given to much wine, or if greedy of filthy lucre, if their wives be not grave and sober, but slanderous, they are such as do not follow the apostles in their ordinations and succession; therefore, the apostle says, 'first they must be proved, and then let them use the office of a deacon, &c. being found blameless:' and likewise the apostle saith, they must hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience; (mark in a pure conscience,) and faith is a mystery; and therefore all such that are not qualified according to the apostles doctrine to Timothy and Titus, do not follow and succeed the apostles in their spiritual succession and ordination: and moreover the apostle saith, follow us, as we follow Christ, and walk as ye have us for an example;' and they coveted no man's gold, nor silver, nor apparel, and said, although he preached the gospel, ye had nothing to glory of; and what is my reward? (says he,) verily, that when I preach the gospel, that I make the gospel of Christ without charge.' 1 Cor. ix.

And now you that do not follow the apostle in these things, both in example and life, and to keep the gospel without charge, you do not follow the apostles in the spiritual succession and ordination, neither are

you to be followed, but as you follow Christ, and the example of the apostles.

And all such that forbid to marry, and command to abstain from meats, such are not the succeeders of the apostles in their ordination, and possession of the heavenly power and spirit; but such are speakers of lies, and are such as are departed from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrine of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their consciences seared as with an hot iron. 1 Tim. iv. And in Rom. viii. 'if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Jesus shall quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you: for as many as are led by the spirit of God, are the sons of God; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba Father, which spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God; for the law of the spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and death,' saith the apostle.

Now here was the possession of the apostles, and all true christians, and all that follow them in their succession, and heavenly possession, must be led by the spirit of God, and to have the same spirit to bear witness with their spirits, that they are the sons of God; yea the same spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead, to dwell in them, and to quicken their mortal bodies: so the succession must be in this same spirit, and in the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which makes free from the law of sin and death, and then there will be the fruits of the spirit to shew forth their succession to the apostles, that they do succeed them in the same spirit, in the law of the spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus, that doth make them free men and women from the law of sin and death: so all the succeeders of the apostles in the spirit, can cry Abba Father. And the apostle saith, in Rom. x. how shall he preach except he be sent? &c. And the word is nigh thee in the heart and mouth, and this is the word of faith which we preach,' which were sent (to wit, the apostles,) to preach it.

So all that succeed the apostles, they must be sent of Christ in the same power and spirit, that the apostles were sent from God and Christ, and freely give as they have received from him freely, and preach the same word of faith, which is nigh in men and women, even in their mouths and heart to obey it and do it; for if people go not in the same power and spirit as the apostles were in, and preach the same, they are not succeeders of them in their possession. Now Christ said, I am come in Father's name and my received me not; if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive.' John v.

you

And now is it not clearly seen to this day, that the prophets and apostles, that came in the name of the Lord and of Christ, such were always hated; and they would not receive them: and by sad experience we

have found it in our age, who have been moved by the Lord, and gone in the name of the Lord to speak to priests and professors, many of which you have imprisoned and beat; but if any have come in their own name, such are received by you.

And if Paul had been an apostle by men, or of men, or had received his gospel and ordination by men or from men, men would not have called him a ring-leader, and a pestilent fellow,' &c. And the apostle said, 'they were able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.' So all that follow the apostles in their ordination and succession, must be ministers of the spirit, and of the New Testament, yea, of the spirit that giveth life, and not of the letter that killeth: now they that are ministers, but not of the same spirit that giveth life, and of the New Testament that the apostles were in, do not follow them in their ordination and succession, though they may have the letter. And the apostle saith, we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even by the spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor. iii. 13. And we having the same spirit of faith,' &c.

6

Now here was the apostles' possession, and all that follow them in their possession, ordination, and succession, must behold the same glory as they all did, and know the same changing from glory to glory, even by the spirit of the Lord, and they must be in the same spirit of faith, else they do not follow the apostles, and true christians in their ordination and succession. And the apostles saith, 2 Cor. vi. in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings, by pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness,' &c. Now all you that follow the apostles in their succession, you must approve yourselves as the ministers of Christ, by your patience, by your pureness, by your long suffering, by knowledge, by kindness, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness, and by the Holy Ghost: but now if you say, you have not the same Holy Ghost as the apostles had, then you cannot approve yourselves, neither can you follow them in the same ordination and succession as the apostles were in: and you that be the strikers, and imprisoners, and afflicters of people for religion, you do not follow the apostles in their ordination and succession, that were stripped, imprisoned, and afflicted.

And the apostle saith, 'ye are the temples of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, and I will be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord God Almighty;' now

here was the possession of the apostles and true church: now all that follow the apostles in their ordination, and succession, and possession in the true church, they must follow them in their sonship and daughtership, and must be such as God dwells in, and walks in, if not, and they will not have him to dwell in them, and walk in them, and so to be the sons and daughters of God, then they do not succeed the apostles and true church in their possession: and the apostle saith, Gal. iii. ' 'for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus; for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ: so all that follow the apostles and the true church in their succession, must be in the same light and power, and faith in Jesus Christ, which Jesus Christ hath been the author of, and all must look to him for it, and so all children of God in this faith, that brings them to have access to God, and victory over that which separates from God.

So all must succeed in this one faith, and they that are baptized into Christ, must put him on; not make a profession of him without them, and not put him on; if they do, they do not follow the apostle, and the true church in their succession.

6

And the apostle saith, Gal. iv. because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father:' [mark,] into your hearts: now all that do succeed the apostle and true church here, it must be in the same power and spirit they were in, that they may cry Abba Father: and the apostle, in Gal. v. saith, walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh:' and again he saith, 'if we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit;' mark, (us the apostles and the true church, and true christians :) now if ye do not walk in the same spirit as the apostles and true church were in, then ye do not succeed the apostles and true church in their succession, and ordination, and possession that they were in; but do fulfil the lusts of your flesh now the apostle saith, the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, meekness, long suffering, temperance, &c. against which there is no law,' &c. Now if you do not walk in the spirit, you do not succeed the apostles in their ordination by the spirit, neither do you succeed them in the fruits of the spirit; but are in the fruits of the flesh, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, sedition, heresy, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revilings, and such like. And the apostle tells you plainly, that they that do such things, shall not inherit the kingdom of God, and therefore, look all Christendom, at your fruits, and see whom you do succeed; and the apostle saith, Gal. vi. 'for he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.'

Now no man can sow to the spirit; but such as be in the same spirit

of God and Christ, that the apostles were in, and they that be not in the same spirit that they were in, are not their succeeding seedsmen in their ordination by the Holy Ghost, then such sow to the flesh, and of the flesh they reap corruptions, and not everlasting life; mark this all you seedsmen, what a crop you may reap of corruptions, that are sown to the flesh, who have not sown in the same power and holy spirit as the apostles sowed withal, and to: and the apostle speaking to the Ephesians of his knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets, by the spirit: now you that do not succeed the apostles in this spirit of revelation, you do not know the mystery of Christ as the holy prophets and apostles did, though you may have the form: and the apostle saith, in Ephes. ii. 18. for through him both have an access by one spirit to the Father, and in whom ye also are built together an habitation for God, through the spirit.'

So all you that do follow the apostles and the true church in their succession, it must be in the same spirit of intercession, that gives access to the Father, and by the same spirit built together for an habitation of God.

And all you that deny having the same spirit the apostles had, how can you be built together an habitation for God, or have access to the Father: and the apostle saith, finally, my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might; put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil; for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and rulers of darkness, &c. And take unto you the helmet of salvation, and sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.' And now mark, they that follow the apostles in their succession and ordination in the true church, they must be in the same power and might, and the same helmet of salvation, and shield of faith, and their feet must be shod with the same gospel of peace, and their loins must be girded with the same girdle of truth, and the same breastplate of righteousness, and they must have the same sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, with which they must not wrestle with flesh and blood, but spiritual wickedness, &c.

weapons,

Now you that are not in the same power of the same spirit, nor the same faith, truth, righteousness, gospel, salvation, and armour of God, you are not the successors of the apostles in their in their armour, in their wrestling, who wrestle with flesh and blood; neither are you able to stand against the wiles of Satan: and the apostle saith, 2 Cor. x. iv. we do not war after the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual, mighty through God to the plucking down of strong holds,' &c.

VOL. V.-24