children of Israel, that after God had delivered them out of Egypt, believed not, whom God destroyed; therefore it is good for the saints to contend for the faith and grace of God, that comes by Jesus, which saves them, and brings their salvation, seeing there is so many that turn the grace of God into wantonness, and contend for their body of sin, and death, and imperfection to the grave, and walk despitefully against the spirit of grace, and seeing so many speak evil of those things they do not know, and deny the power and spirit the apostles had, which would give them knowledge, for what they know they know naturally as brute beasts, the worst sort of creatures; now are not all your tongues natural, and learning natural? did they not begin at Babel? and did not Pilate and the Jews set them a-top of Christ when they crucified him? and hath not the beast and the whore (mentioned in the Revelations) power over the tongues, that sits upon the waters? and are not the tongues called waters? but Christ is risen above them, and all natural things; and may not a parrot be taught to speak any language? and is not all what ye know, ye know naturally, that say, you have not the same power and spirit of God, and Holy Ghost as the apostles had? pray you come, try yourselves, and measure yourselves by this scripture, and see if you be not found in these practises, that Jude warns the church of; for how can ye know spiritually, that deny the light that shines in the heart, to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus, who mock at this light, and call it natural, and the Quakers' idol.

And further the apostle saith, Woe be unto them, for they have followed the way of Cain, and are cast away by the deceit and error of Balaam's wages of unrighteousness; these are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, without all fear feeding themselves, clouds without water, carried about with winds, corrupt trees without fruit, twice dead, and plucked up by the roots, they are the raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame (and have we not seen you rage sufficiently?) they are wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever; these are murmurers, complainers, walkers after their own lusts, whose mouths speak high swelling words of vanity, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage, (mark, there is the ground of their preaching,) but beloved, remember the words which were spoken before of the apostles, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that they told you, that there should be mockers in the last times, which should walk after their ungodly lusts (these are makers of sects, fleshly, having not the spirit) of some have a compassion, in putting a difference, and others save with fear plucking them out of the fire, and hating even the garments spotted by the flesh.'

And now come ye professors and teachers, and try yourselves by these scriptures; do not you plead for the body of death and sin to the grave?

and doth not that spot the flesh? and have you not men's persons in admiration because of advantage? and are not you wells without water, the living water, and wandering stars from one thing to another, and trees without heavenly fruit, that say you have not the same spirit and power the apostles had? and are not some of you (I fear) twice dead and plucked up by the roots? then you cannot grow; and have you not gone in Cain's way of persecuting, and Balaam's way for the wages of unrighteousness, contrary to Christ's command, freely you have received freely give?' pray try, and see if you be not found in his error, and these evil practises.

And have not you gone in Core's way, gainsaying the power and the spirit as the apostles were in? and did not the same gainsay that in the apostles' days? and does not the apostle say, 'They that have the form of godliness, and not the power, from such turn away?' that is, they that have not the power, and spirit, and Holy Ghost the apostles were in, turn away from such; so try yourselves by these scriptures, and see whether ye be found in the practice of the apostle, or such as he cried against here, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage, and makers of sects; look how many sects there are amongst you in Christendom; and what can you walk after else but your ungodly lusts, who say, you have not the same spirit the apostles had to walk after, who plead for your carrying your body of sin, and death, and imperfection to the grave.

And also another scripture ye bring in Mat. xxviii. 'go and teach all nations,' &c.

Now consider, most sects will bring this; for papists, presbyterians, independents, baptists, and others, will bring this scripture for their call, and say, Christ bids his disciples, 'go, and teach all nations,' &c. But mark, do you go into all nations? hath Christ spoken to you, and bid ye go into all nations, as he bid the apostles? if so, then you are disobedient; how is it then that you settle down in great bishoprics and parsonages, and are ready to jostle and thrust one another out for them; but will you go any further than you may have a fat parsonage or benefice provided by some magistrate or great person, or have a law to compel people to give you a maintenance; the apostles trusted the Lord, and went out without bag, &c. and freely as they had received, so did give freely, but will you go any further than there is a fat benefice or parsonage? And if this be your call, as you pretend, why do not you go among the Turks, Tartars, Blacks, and Indians, and give unto them freely, as Christ gave himself freely, who had power to lay down his life, and take it up again? and he hath tasted death for every man freely, and hath enlightened every man with his heavenly divine light freely; and the grace of God which brings salvation, which appears unto all

men, is given freely. So, if any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, he gives unto all men freely, and upbraideth no man,' Jam. i. 5. And so Christ bids his ministers give freely, as they had received freely; so try yourselves by these scriptures, all ye who neither obey Christ's command, nor do his work. And thou believest there is a God, thou dost well, the devils also believe and tremble,' Jam. ii. 19. and so thou mayest believe there is a Christ, so did the devil, and thou dost well, but see if the devil's belief doth not condemn thee, but thou shouldst shew the works of thy faith and of thy belief, that thy heart is purified, that thy faith be not dead; for a dead faith will plead for a body of death and sin to the grave, but the living faith, the gift of God, is the victory over it, and doth purify, through which faith there is access to God, and in that faith thou wilt please God, which the saints now contend for, which Christ is the author of. And, He that saith he remaineth in Christ, ought even so to walk, even as he walked.' 1 John ii. 6. And he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath him not, hath not life; and he that believeth in the Son of God hath the witness in himself,' 1 John v. 'and he that hath the Son, hath the Father.' So this is more than an outward belief, as the pharisees had of God and Christ to come, or others now, that say he is come, and do not receive him freely into their hearts by faith.

6

And therefore, prove yourselves, examine yourselves, know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates.' So try and measure yourselves by the scriptures here, whether you be in the life and spirit of the prophets, Christ and the apostles, or in the spirit of the false prophets and teachers. This is in love to you all, that you may not sin out your time.

And Paul saith, 2 Cor. xii. 17. Did I make a gain of you, [or peel you] by any of them whom I sent unto you? I have desired Titus, and with him I have sent a brother, did Titus make a gain of you, [or peel you] of any thing? walked we not in the self-same spirit? walked we not in the same steps? Now come priests, try yourselves, do not you make a gain of people yourselves, and by such as you send amongst them? do not you peel the people? do ye walk in the self-same spirit the apostles were in, and in the same steps? let your practice, and that of God in your consciences, and the people, and the scriptures judge, for there is the succession. 2 Cor. xii. 17, 18. And you may see in your own margin notes, such false teachers, who under a pretence of preaching the truth, sought only to fill their bellies, whereas the true teachers sought the people and now come try yourselves by your own marginal notes in the beginning of 2 Cor. and see which of these steps you walk in, and whether you seek the people, or to fill your bellies. And in the marginal notes upon 2 Thes. such as lived idly of other men's labours, were to

be reproved sharply, whom, if they did not obey Paul's admonitions and command, they were to have no fellowship with them. So see and try yourselves, ye priests and teachers, by your own marginal notes, and see whether you are not such as live idly on other men's labour, and so, are such as deserve not only to be reproved sharply, but to be such, as with whom the true church is not to have fellowship. And do not you think there are many Elymases now amongst you, that seek to turn people from the true faith, which Christ is the author and the finisher of, which purifies the hearts of people, by which faith they are justified, and by which faith they have access to the pure God? And will not Elymas plead for imperfection, and a body of sin and death to the grave, think you? and is not this seeking to turn people from the true faith, that gives them victory? but you presbyterians, what is become of your directory that you made, and persecuted us for not following your directory, and not giving you means? And you independents, what is become of your church faith, which you made at Savoy, in eleven day's time? and persecuted us because we would not follow your church faith, and give you maintenance, as many others have done since, because we cannot follow their book worship, which we told you then, and do now, the scripture is a better book than any you can make; and the spirit of Christ is a better directory than yours, who say you have not the same spirit they had, which gave forth scriptures, and yet you will make books for people to worship by; may not Christ's words be verified upon you? If the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch.' But Christ is the author of our faith, and finisher, and not you; and the scripture is a better directory or creed, than any of you all can make, and the spirit is a better directory and leader, that gave the scriptures forth, than yours, which ye have often said, ye have not the same spirit that gave forth the scriptures, and yet will give forth directories, and creeds, and faiths, for other people, and persecute them for not believing, and not joining to it, and not maintaining it, and you that held it up. Now the scriptures were given forth to be believed, fulfilled, and practised, and read; and the church was charged by the Lord to read it, as you may see in Col. iv. 16. and 1 Thes. v. 27. and the law and the prophets were to be read and fulfilled; so we say, read them, and believe and practise them, and wait upon Christ, who doth fulfil them, and by his Holy Ghost leads into all the truth of them; and obey the spirit of God, by which ye may know the things of God. And in Nehem. xix. it is said, 'Thou gavest them thy good spirit to instruct them.' But you may see how they rebelled against it, and rebelled against his prophets that walked in his spirit.

And in Acts vii. 51. you may see the stiff-necked professors and uncircumcised in heart and ears, always resisted the Holy Ghost, as your fathers

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