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<NAME>Simon Charles</NAME>
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<HEAD>Propo&s;als for propagation of the GOSPEL, Offered to the PARLIAMENT:</HEAD>
<BYLINE>By Capt. ROBERT NORVVOOD.</BYLINE>
<P>_THe occa&s;ion of my pre&s;entment of the&s;e at this time, is, my being charged of Bla&s;phemy, (or being a Bla&s;phemer) at the Committee for propagation of the Go&s;pel, by M. <HI>Scot</HI> Chair-man thereof.</P>
<P>Quere, <HI>Whether a Member of the &s;ame Committee be not guilty of the &s;ame Bla&s;phemy (if it be &s;o adjudged?)</HI> Then <HI>whether there weer not as much rea&s;on for me to propo&s;e, as for him to receive Propo&s;als?</HI> But if it &s;hall not be found Bla&s;phe|my, then <HI>Whether M.</HI> Scot <HI>ought not in Equity and good Co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">|&s;cience, give open and publike &s;atisfaction, for &s;o open and pub|like an Injury and Scandal.</HI></P>
<P>That I do, and ever did acknowledge both Heaven and Hell, and the&s;e as di&s;tinct as light and darkne&s;s, all who know me can witne&s;s; and my Book dedicated to the Parliament, intituled <HI>Par&s;on</HI> Simp&s;on's <HI>Excommunication excommunicated,</HI> (where that Subject, with the other of the Soul is di&s;cour&s;ed, and to which I could not have an&s;wer to this day) doth fully te&s;tifie: A certain local limitted place being only by me deny|ed. And to &s;ay that the Soul of man is of a Divine E&s;&s;ence, or of the E&s;&s;ence of God, is no more (if rightly under&s;tood) then to &s;ay that the Soul is Immortal; or that it was breathed into man from God; or that
<HI>in him we live, and move, and have our Beings.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="2" REF="2">Hath Capt. <HI>Norwood</HI> been, or is he an Oppre&s;&s;or or Viola|tor, a Slanderer, Backbiter, or Murderer of his Neighbor? Hath he been, or is he a Swearer, Drunkard, or Adulterer, according to, or after the fle&s;h? No of a truth, he walks contrary to the&s;e: Yet reckon I not my &s;elf ju&s;tified herewith or hereby, nor judg I any therefore. What then? Why, he hath bla&s;phemed the abominable Arrogancies and U&s;urpations of the Clergy, who would &s;it in, upon, and over all mens Con&s;ciences! (Wit|ne&s;s M. <HI>Shidrach Simp&s;on</HI> in my ca&s;e) who have ever done, and &s;till would make the Civil Magi&s;trate their whips and rods, their Jaylors, Butchers, and what not?</P>
<P>The extreme de&s;parate and vilde deceits of the Lawyers, in the whole cour&s;e or management of the Law in all the &s;eve|ral Courts of Ju&s;tice, the&s;e indeed I have bla&s;phemed; and this hath been the only and alone cau&s;e of all my &s;ufferings, and being charged with Bla&s;phemy again&s;t God; which whether I am &s;uch, I leave to the judgement of all who know me, have &s;een or read my writings.</P>
<P>Being thus occa&s;ioned to make this pre&s;entment, and having (as I &s;uppo&s;e) equally with others the liberty of throwing in my mite, and that with you whatever is propo&s;ed &s;hall not finde the le&s;s or more acceptance in re&s;pect to the Propo&s;ers thereof; (becau&s;e that were to have the truth in re&s;pect of per&s;ons contrary to the Scriptures command) Do therefore humbly offer to be con&s;idered,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, What the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t in its very true and real nature, property, and end, in very deed and in truth is? The true and very knowledge whereof, may give light and directi|on in, for, or to its propagation or promulgation.</P>
<P>The end wherefore I propo&s;e this, is, le&s;t whil&s;t we pretend or intend its propagation, we do not in deed and in truth (&s;o much as in us lies) work or bring forth its overthrow and de&s;truction.</P>
<P>Secondly, That which next I &s;hould offer to be con&s;idered is,</P>
<P>How far any man or men what&s;oever, are impowered, con|&s;tituted, ordained, and appointed by Chri&s;t thereunto? or wherein the aptitude and fitne&s;s of any unto &s;uch a work may or doth con&s;i&s;t?</P>
<P><PB N="3" REF="2">The knowledge of, or true information in the former, will ea&s;ily give us the under&s;tanding and &s;ight of this latter.</P>
<P>That which I take to be the Go&s;pel, is <HI>Love, Peace, good Will towards men:</HI> Luke 2.14. <HI>Be ye merciful, as your hea|venly Father is merciful; who cau&s;es his rain to fall, as upon the good, &s;o upon the bad; as upon the ju&s;t, &s;o upon the unju&s;t.</HI> Matth. 5.45. <HI>Love your Enemies, do good to them that hate you; Ble&s;s them that cur&s;e you; Pray for them who de&s;pite|fully u&s;e you.</HI> Luke 6.27,28. <HI>In this are the children of God. and the children of the Divel manife&s;t; Who&s;oever doth not Righteou&s;ne&s;s, is not of God, neither he that loveth not his Bro|ther: For this is the me&s;&s;age we had from the beginning, that we &s;hould love one another. Not as</HI> Cain, <HI>who was of that wicked
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word">, and &s;lew his Brother.</HI> 1 John 3.10,11,12. <HI>Hereby have we perceived love, that he laid down his life for us; therefore we al&s;o ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren:</HI> v. 16. <HI>Hereby we know we are tran&s;lated from death to life, becau&s;e we love the Brethren. He that loveth not his Brother, abideth in death; he who hateth his Brother, is a man-&s;layer; and you know no man-&s;layer hath eternal life abiding in him:</HI> v. 14, 15. <HI>Do good to all men, especially to the hou&s;hold of faith. Every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God; he that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love. And herein is the love of God manife&s;t, that whil&s;t we were &s;inners Chri&s;t died for us:</HI> 1 John 4.7,8. <HI>A new Commandment</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>give I unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you:</HI> John 13.34. And we mu&s;t know, Chri&s;t and his commands are one and the &s;ame; his Word and his command is not one thing, and him&s;elf another: And <HI>he came to &s;ave &s;inners, the chief of &s;inners;</HI> as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, and him&s;elf al&s;o, <HI>I came not to call the righteous, but &s;inners to repentance; for the whole need not the Phy&s;itian, but tho&s;e that are &s;ick:</HI> Again he &s;aith, <HI>For judgement I am come into this world, that they which &s;ee not, might &s;ee;</HI> the following words will be very well worthy the con&s;ideration of mo&s;t men, which is, <HI>and that they who &s;ee, might be made blinde:</HI> John 9.38. The Phari&s;ees that heard him an&s;wer, <HI>What? are we blinde al&s;o?</HI> Chri&s;t an&s;wers them, <HI>If ye were blinde, ye &s;hould have<PB N="4" REF="3">no &s;in; but now you &s;ay we &s;ee, therefore your &s;in remaineth.</HI></P>
<P>God or Chri&s;t, who&s;e end it is (as the Scriptures te&s;tifie) to magnifie the exceeding greatne&s;s, the richne&s;s, the freene&s;s and fulne&s;s; the heights, lengths, bredths, and depths of his mer|cy; the wonderful glorious dimen&s;ions of it, mu&s;t &s;uffer the greate&s;t &s;inners; that &s;o he may publi&s;h him&s;elf, his Go&s;pel, the greate&s;t &s;alvation, preach the exceeding greatne&s;s of his power, and &s;o &s;ave and deliver them from their &s;ins: as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Sin hath therefore abounded, that the grace of God might &s;uperabound:</HI> yet I &s;ay as <HI>Paul</HI> al&s;o &s;aid, <HI>Let us not therefore &s;in.</HI></P>
<P>This then (if I mi&s;take not) is the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, or rather, Chri&s;t's Go&s;pel; This is the me&s;&s;age and me&s;&s;enger God &s;ent into the world; for the me&s;&s;age and me&s;&s;enger mu&s;t be one and the &s;ame thing; This is that Son of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, or ra|ther, that righteous Son God &s;ent into the world: Chri&s;t he preaches what him&s;elf and his Father indeed and in truth are; commands and promi&s;es what we &s;hould and mu&s;t be and do, if we receive his me&s;&s;age, his promi&s;e, and obey his command. We &s;ee Chri&s;t did not &s;peak and preach only, but he did, and appeared really in all things to be the &s;ame which he preach|ed; prays when they were putting him to death, <HI>Father, for|give them, they know not what they do:</HI> (&s;o doth <HI>Stephen</HI> al&s;o) and heals his ear who came to apprehend him, which <HI>Peter</HI> had cut off; gives his life for his enemies: And this is that <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks of <HI>Love, not in dead word, but in deed and in truth, in the life and power of it; which love</HI> (as the Scriptures te&s;tifie) <HI>is God:</HI> and <HI>which</HI> (as
<HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith) <HI>thinketh none ill, but it beareth all things, &s;uffers all things, endures all things: Love it covereth all &s;ins;</HI> Prov. 10.12. <HI>Love, it worketh none ill to his Neighbour;</HI> Rom. 13.10. And this is that promi&s;ed in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 2.2,3,4. <HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s in the la&s;t days, that the mountain of the Lord's hou&s;e &s;hall be e&s;ta|bli&s;hed in the top of the mountains, and &s;hall be exalted above the hills; and all Nations &s;hall flow unto it. And many people &s;hall go and &s;ay, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the hou&s;e of the God of</HI> Jacob; <HI>and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths&punc; for out of<PB N="5" REF="3">Zion &s;hall go forth a Law, and the word of the Lord from Je|ru&s;alem. And he &s;hall judge among the Nations, and rebuke many people: and they &s;hall beat their &s;words into plow-&s;hares, and their &s;pears into pruning hooks: Nation &s;hall not lift up &s;word again&s;t Nation, neither &s;hall they learn war any more.</HI> and in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 11.6,7,8,9. <HI>The Wolf al&s;o &s;hall dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopard &s;hall ly down with the Kid; and the Calf, and the young Lyon, and the Fatling together, and a lit|tle childe &s;hall lead them. And the Cow and the Bear &s;hall feed, their young ones &s;hall ly down together; and the Lyon &s;hall eat &s;traw like the Ox: And the &s;ucking Childe &s;hall play on the hole of the A&s;pe, and the weaned Childe &s;hall put his hand on the Cockatrise den. They &s;hall not hurt nor de&s;troy in all my holy mountain: for the earth &s;hall be full of the know|ledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea.</HI> And in <HI>Jer.</HI> 31.31,32,33,34. <HI>Behold, the days come, &s;aith the Lord, that I will make a new Covenant with the hou&s;e of I&s;rael, and with the hou&s;e of Judah: Not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my Cove|nant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, &s;aith the Lord. But this &s;hall be the Covenant which I will make with the hou&s;e of I&s;rael; After tho&s;e days, &s;aith the Lord, I will put my Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they &s;hall be my people. And they &s;hall teach no more every man his Neighbour, and every man his brother, &s;aying, Know the Lord: for they &s;hall all know me, from the lea&s;t of them unto the greate&s;t of them, &s;aith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their &s;in no more.</HI> There you have Chri&s;t promi&s;ed as a living life, dwelling and abiding in the &s;oul, or law written in the heart, &s;o that we &s;hall not at all hang upon the lips of men, or have any need or u&s;e of their teachings. Whether this then be not in deed and in truth the very reall and true Go&s;pe of Chri&s;t, or Chri&s;t's Go&s;pel; God's Spell, or good Spell; is offered and left (together with the &s;everal Scriptures quoted, with many others coherent thereunto, which for brevity &s;ake I omit) to your due in&s;pection, and &s;erious con&s;ideration. And if this be <PB N="6" REF="4">indeed and in truth Chri&s;t's Go&s;pel, God's Spel, or good Spell, as it's &s;uppo&s;ed it will not by any be denied: The next thing to be con&s;idered, is,</P>
<P>How far any man or men what&s;oever are impowered, con|&s;tituted, ordained, appointed, fitted, furni&s;hed, enabled, or anointed by Chri&s;t hereunto; all the&s;e names &s;ignifying indeed but one and the &s;ame thing; for he who is not fitted, furni&s;hed, enabled or anointed thereunto, is not impowered, con&s;tituted, or|dained, or appointed by God or Chri&s;t thereunto; the ordinati|ons of men in this point will not do except they could give the thing al&s;o; the inward anointing as well as the outward.</P>
<P>Therefore the Apo&s;tles, although they had the promi&s;e, yet they were not to &s;tir, they were not to go forth to preach the Go&s;pel, until them&s;elves had received the Go&s;pel, the promi&s;e of the Father; until they were indued with power from on high; <HI>Luke</HI> 24.49. <HI>And behold I do &s;end the promi&s;e of my Father upon you; but tarry ye in the City of Jeru&s;alem until ye be indued with power from on high:</HI> Acts 1.8.
<HI>Ye &s;hall receive the holy Gho&s;t:</HI> Here's a further confirmation of the promi&s;e; but yet they &s;tir not, <HI>Acts</HI> 2.1.4. there it is &s;aid, <HI>They were all filled with the holy Gho&s;t:</HI> Now have they the performance of the promi&s;e; now and not before were they Commi&s;&s;ioned, ordained, impowered, or appointed; becau&s;e now, and not before really and actually anoynted, and then indeed were they anointed or bapti&s;ed, in, with, or unto the preaching of Chri&s;t's Go&s;pel unto others; and then they indeed do go forth preaching, bapti&s;ing healing all manner of di&s;ea&s;es ca&s;ting out divels, and the like; freely they had received, and freely they were to give; and &s;o indeed they did: as <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aid to the Cripple whom he healed; <HI>Silver and Gold have I none, but &s;uch as I have, that give I unto you: Ri&s;e up and walk: And he lift him up by the hand, healed him, and he walked.</HI> Thereby manife&s;ting and declaring, what the Go&s;pel, what the Anointing, what the Mi&s;&s;age or Me&s;&s;age was they had re|ceived, and accordingly did give forth the &s;ame; as is declared.</P>
<P>And indeed nothing can give that which it hath not, or more then it hath; neither can any thing act beyond the <PB N="7" REF="4">power or ability it hath received: If the power be of men, the anointing of and by men, why accordingly is and mu&s;t needs be in its &s;peakings and goings forth, its actings and ope|rations; for no &s;tream can run higher, or above its head or &s;pring: <HI>That which is born of the fle&s;h: is fle&s;h; that which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit:</HI> If it be from men, its living is and mu&s;t needs be in and upon men, and its returns unto men; If of and from God, its living is and will be only in and upon God, and its returns only unto or into God. Wherefore it is as Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>John</HI> 5.44. <HI>How can ye believe who receive Honour one from another, and &s;eek not the honour that cometh from God alone:</HI> Whence I argue, He that hath not him&s;elf received the Go&s;pel in deed and in truth, He that hath not received the me&s;&s;age (as is before declared) that hath not received it in life and power, that is not thus anointed of God, cannot him|&s;elf in deed and in truth preach the Go&s;pel unto another: He who preaches the Go&s;pel, mu&s;t be Go&s;pelized, Evangelized, mu&s;t be in very deed and truth the very thing he &s;peaks and preaches.</P>
<P>The Go&s;pel is not, the kingdom of Chri&s;t is not letter, or dead word onely, but it is life and power; it is not a dead Chri&s;t, but a living Chri&s;t, or Chri&s;t indeed and in truth dwel|ling or living lively and powerfully in fle&s;h, manife&s;ting, preach|ing or &s;peaking forth it &s;elf by or through fle&s;h, and that not in or by dead word or letter only, but in power and life, de|clared by real, &s;en&s;ible, and &s;utable acts, as is before quoted; according as is al&s;o in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.2,3. <HI>Ye are our Epi&s;tle, writ|ten in our hearts, which is under&s;tood and read of all men; in that ye are manife&s;t to be the Epi&s;tle of Chri&s;t, mini&s;tred by us; and written (not with Inke, but) with the Spirit of the living God; not in Tables of &s;tone, but in the fle&s;hly Ta|bles of the heart.</HI> Thus as the Go&s;pel was received in power, &s;o was it again preached or given forth in power; What <HI>Paul</HI> had received, that he al&s;o communicated: which what it was, you there &s;ee.</P>
<P>Wherefore I leave it to be duly weighed and con&s;idered, whether it be not nece&s;&s;ary that he who goes forth to preach the Go&s;pel of God or Chri&s;t, or Chri&s;t's Go&s;pel, or God's <PB N="8" REF="5">Gods Spell, or good Spell, be not thus ordained; appointed, impowered or anointed of God, as is before expre&s;&s;ed; And that he do indeed and in truth receive his power or anoynt|ing, not from below; not from men, but from God, or from above.</P>
<P>And then, Whether any are-thus ordained, appointed or anoynted? and who, and where tho&s;e are?</P>
<P>And then, if there be any &s;uch,</P>
<P>Whether they do not highly di&s;honour their Lord and Ma&s;ter, in &s;eeking power from below, or from men; con|trary to the example of Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles; yea, con|trary to the very nature of the thing, or power it &s;elf they pretend to?</P>
<P>It was &s;aid by &s;ome of the Clergy at the Committee, To what end or purpo&s;e was it for them to propo&s;e any thing to the Parliament, were it not in their power, or the power of the Magi&s;trate to make Lawes in &s;uch ca|&s;es, and to puni&s;h the Breakers of tho&s;e Lawes &s;o made?</P>
<P>As much as if they had &s;aid, To what end is it for us to preach and proclaim the Go&s;pel of God or Chri&s;t, although ordained, impowered, con&s;tituted, appointed, and anoynted thereunto by God or Chri&s;t, except you (the Civil Magi&s;trate) do not, or will not onely tolerate and allow us, but incourage and protect us al&s;o therein; nay except you al&s;o follow after us with your &s;words to cut all their throats, who believe not as we believe; who do not hear or receive the things we &s;ay and &s;peak although we can indeed and in truth give no better rea&s;on, nor &s;hew any better Commi&s;&s;ion then our bare &s;ay &s;o? Which whether it be not quite contrary to a Go&s;pel Spirit, I leave to be con&s;idered; yea contrary to Chri&s;t's and the Apo&s;tles both precepts and practi&s;es; <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.38. to the end,
<HI>Ye have heard that it hath been &s;aid, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I &s;ay unto you, That ye re&s;i&s;t not evil: but who&s;oever &s;hall &s;mite thee on thy right cheek, turne to him the other al&s;o. And if any man will &s;ue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak al&s;o. And who&s;oever &s;hall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to<PB N="9" REF="5">him that asketh thee: and from him that would borrow of thee, turn thou not away. Ye have heard that it hath been &s;aid, Thou &s;halt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy: but I &s;ay unto you, Love your enemies, ble&s;s them that cur&s;e you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which de|&s;pight &s;ully u&s;e you, and hate you: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his &s;un to ri&s;e on the evil, and on the good, and &s;endeth his rain on the ju&s;t, and unju&s;t. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the &s;ame? And if ye &s;alute your brethren onely what do ye more then others? do not even the publicans &s;o? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.</HI></P>
<P>This, indeed and in truth, is The Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t; or, this is Chri&s;t's Go&s;pel indeed and in truth: and it lies not in a few out&s;ide preachings, prayings, baptizings, humiliations, thank&s;givings, and the like; not in any or all the outward vi&s;ible Forms of admini|&s;tration what&s;oever, that ever were, are, or &s;hall be; but this written in the heart, this &s;pirit living and dwelling in us in life and power; &s;peaking and preaching, acting and working it &s;elf forth by real, vi&s;ible, and &s;en&s;ible demon&s;trations; which the be&s;t of us all I fear, notwith&s;tanding our &s;o high preten&s;ions, are &s;o far from being anointed with, &s;o as to preach to others, that we cannot, nor are we able to bear almo&s;t the very hear&s;ay of it from others.</P>
<P>Now this living life of God in our &s;pirits, or this law of God written in our hearts by the Spirit of God, is indeed and in truth the Go&s;pel: upon whom&s;oever it falls, it will make all his earth|line&s;s and fle&s;hline&s;s to tremble and fall; and he who looks upon it, will pre&s;ently lower all his &s;tately plumes: there is Chri&s;t's pre|cept: for pre&s;ident, look into <HI>Luk.</HI> 9.54,55,56. when being refu&s;ed to be entertained and received by the Samaritans, <HI>John</HI> and <HI>James</HI> would that they might, as <HI>Elias</HI> did, command fire from heaven to have con&s;umed them:
<HI>but Je&s;us rebuked them, &s;aying. Ye know not of what &s;pirit ye are: for the Son of man is not come to de&s;troy mens lives, but to &s;ave them.</HI> So when <HI>Peter</HI> attempted his re&s;cue from tho&s;e who came to apprehend him, he reproves him, &s;aying, <HI>He that kills with the &s;word, &s;hall peri&s;h by the &s;word:</HI> and further &s;aith, he could pray unto the Father, <PB N="10" REF="6">and he would &s;end him more then twelve legions of angels but his kingdom is not of this world; as he &s;ays
<HI>Joh.</HI> 13.36. <HI>My Kingdom is not</HI> &amp;c. <HI>if my kingdom were of this world my &s;ervants would &s;urely fight for me: but now my kingdom is not from hence.</HI></P>
<P>Wherefore then &s;ince Chri&s;ts kingdom is not of this world, as indeed and in truth it is not, but diametrically oppo&s;ite and contra|ry to it; therefore is it not to be propagated &s;upported maintain|ed, or defended, with or by any the weapons of this world: And that whenas he him&s;elf would not, in his own per&s;on, or by any other, defend him&s;elf, or be defended by any outward force, vio|lence, or power what&s;oever; I offer it to con&s;ideration, whether any other man or men what&s;oever, may or ought to do it. And if his Kingdom be &s;piritual (as it's &s;aid it is) what then &s;hould carnal weapons do in it or about it? And then, whether tho&s;e who give coun&s;el to States and Commonwealths herein, give not coun&s;el evidently and eminently de&s;tructive to them? For no one com|mand, precept, or pre&s;ident is there given for it by Chri&s;t, or any of his Apo&s;tles, who brought, preached, and publi&s;hed the Go|&s;pel; but the quite contrary, as hath been &s;hewed.</P>
<P>I would next offer to con&s;ideration, what &s;urer or better preten|&s;ion the pre&s;ent Clergie have, may, or can have, to the Chair of
<HI>Peter,</HI> to the power given from on high, to the appointing or an|ointing of the Father, then hath the Romi&s;h, Epi&s;copal, or other Clergie, that what they propo&s;e, preach, or publi&s;h, &s;hould be more obliging or binding then others?</P>
<P>And then, whether they can pretend any more or further to the &s;pirit of infallibility, for the opening tho&s;e my&s;teries of the King|dom, the my&s;teries of Chri&s;t; or to open, unfold, and truly to declare Chri&s;t, who is the My&s;tery of my&s;teries: <HI>Great is the my&s;tery of godline&s;s, Chri&s;t manife&s;t in fle&s;h.</HI> Perhaps they think it ea&s;ie, (let them take heed, that, le&s;t &s;eeing, they be made blinde;) but Chri&s;t him&s;elf &s;aith, in <HI>Matth.</HI> 11.27. <HI>No man knoweth the Son, but the Father.</HI> Or whether they be able to unriddle the riddles, open the parables declared by Chri&s;t: for it's written, <HI>Without a parable &s;pake he not:</HI> Or to un&s;eal the book &s;poken of by <HI>John</HI> in the
<HI>Revelations.</HI> And if any man under&s;tand not the&s;e my&s;teries as they do, unfold or open the&s;e riddles or parables according to their &s;ence, meaning, or interpreta|tion,<PB N="11" REF="6">he mu&s;t pre&s;ently, without all doubt or peradventure, be an Heretick or Bla&s;phemer.</P>
<P>And then, from the con&s;ideration of what Chri&s;t and his Go|&s;pel, as it is held forth unto us in the Scriptures quoted, and many other coherent thereunto, whether the con&s;tituting or appointing any other laws by any, in reference to the promulgation and pro|pagation thereof, other then are by him&s;elf expre&s;ly commanded and appointed, be not derogatory unto, if not a denying of Chri&s;t him&s;elf, whom we lay and affirm to be the onely and alone King, Prie&s;t, and Prophet, in and unto his Church and people.</P>
<P>And then, whether it be not (upon the fore-going grounds) indeed and in truth the &s;pirit of Antichri&s;t. as in their predece&s;&s;ors, &s;o now ri&s;en up again in the&s;e their &s;ucce&s;&s;ors, labouring and en|deavouring, by all the force and power they can, and by all the &s;ubtil devices they are able, to engage, &s;tir up, and incite, the pre|&s;ent, powers for the &s;upport, defence, and maintenance of their own kingdom, under colour and pretence of defending the Kingdom of Chri&s;t, which he di&s;claims (as is before proved;) and under the notion of &s;uppre&s;&s;ing Bla&s;phemy and Here&s;ie, that &s;pirit doth not, in very deed and in truth, aim at, labour and endeavour the &s;uppre&s;&s;ing of the very Truth it &s;elf; as it hath con&s;tantly been &s;een to this day (though perhaps, and I do verily believe, many of them &s;ee or know it not.) Verily, Truth is &s;eldom or never heard in out-cries again&s;t others; it's &s;eldom whi&s;pering again&s;t, or &s;ecretly backbiting of any: Truth is &s;trong, and therefore not ea&s;ily oftended: it willingly hurts no man, becau&s;e it knows no man can hurt it. Verily, that's not worth owning, that will not &s;tand alone by it &s;elf: Wherefore I &s;ay, Let them alone, to &s;tand or fall to their own ma&s;ter: and if Chri&s;t be their Ma&s;ter, what need they fear?</P>
<P>I &s;hould therefore offer: As you have already broken the Head of that Abaddoni&s;m in this Nation, that &s;ame per&s;ecuring &s;pirit, that &s;ame &s;pirit of divi&s;ion and dividings: &s;o, that you would al|&s;o cut off its Tayl. Not that I would have them, or any other, in|jured, troubled, per&s;ecuted, or mole&s;ted: no; for that were con|trary to the Go&s;pel, as is already declared: it were contrary to that rule al&s;o which &s;aith, <HI>Love thy neighbour as thy &s;elf,</HI> and, <PB N="12" REF="7"><HI>Do to all men as thou would&s;t they &s;hould do to thee;</HI> nay, as thou would&s;t God &s;hould do to thee; and, Do not that unto ano|ther man, that thou would&s;t not another man &s;hould do to thee. And indeed, herein is the fulfilling of the whole Law, and <HI>on this</HI> (as Chri&s;t &s;aith) <HI>hangeth</HI> or dependeth <HI>all the Law and the Pro|phets:</HI> this being, indeed and in truth, all in all: this, and this onely, being the onely and alone nece&s;&s;ary and fundamental thing, &s;o far as I can, or ever could under&s;tand: It, and it onely, &s;erving and enduring in and unto all &s;orts of men what&s;oever. Where|fore it is, that <HI>Paul,</HI> (in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI>
12. the four la&s;t ver&s;es; and the eight fir&s;t ver&s;es of the thirteenth Chapter) after he had reckoned up all the mo&s;t glorious gifts of the Spirit, as Apo&s;tles, Prophets, Teachers, workers of Miracles, Gifts, Healings, Helps, Govern|ments, diver&s;ities of Tongues; but, &s;aith he, <HI>Study earne&s;tly the be&s;t gifts:</HI> and <HI>yet</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;hew I unto you a more excellent way:</HI> intimating, there was &s;omething more de&s;irable, more ex|cellent then all or any of the&s;e; as in the thirteenth Chapter it ap|pears. <HI>And God hath &s;et &s;ome in the church, fir&s;t apo&s;tles, &s;econdarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps in governments, diver&s;ities of tongues. Are all apo&s;tles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? have all the gifts of healing? do all &s;peak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earne&s;tly the be&s;t gifts: and yet &s;hew I unto you a more excellent way. Though I &s;peak with the tongue of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as &s;ounding bra&s;s, or a tinkling cym|bal. And though I have the gift of prophecie, and under&s;tand all my&s;teries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, &s;o that I could remove mountains, and have no charity, I am nothing. And though I be&s;tow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not cha|rity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity &s;uffereth long, and is kinde: charity envieth not: charity vannteth not it &s;elf, is not puffed up; doth not behave it &s;elf un&s;eemly, &s;eeketh not her own, is not ea&s;ily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoyceth not in iniquity, but rejoyceth in the truth: beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.<PB N="13" REF="7">Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophe&s;ies, they &s;hall fail; whether there be tongues, they &s;hall cea&s;e; whether there be knowledge, it &s;hall vani&s;h away,</HI> So that here you &s;ee, Love or Charity is preferred before and above all other things: and the rea&s;on of it (as you &s;ee al&s;o) is becau&s;e it, and it onely, is everla&s;ting: for it is God, or Chri&s;t, as the Scriptures te&s;tifie; God or Chri&s;t made vi&s;ible, manife&s;t, born or brought forth in fle&s;h: Apo&s;tles, Prophets, Teachers, may, nay mu&s;t cea&s;e; nay, all things but it: then it, and it onely, is and can be Fundamental. The Temple, with all the rites, laws, and admini&s;trations thereof, are cea&s;ed, and done away: the Brazen &s;erpent, one e&s;pecial type and figure of Chri&s;t after the fle&s;h, it al&s;o, when idolized, is &s;tamp|ed to powder, and done away: the Prie&s;thood mu&s;t be changed from
<HI>Levi</HI> to <HI>Judah,</HI> as it was in Chri&s;t: Chri&s;t him&s;elf al&s;o, as he was after the fle&s;h, mu&s;t be crucified; that <HI>veil</HI> rent, and done away: as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, he will know no man after the fle&s;h; no, al|though he had known Chri&s;t after the fle&s;h, yet henceforth would he know him &s;o no more: &s;o al&s;o, all tho&s;e things that had their dependence thereupon, or related thereunto; as it is in the <HI>He|brews: Leaving</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>the doctrine of the beginning of Chri&s;t, let us go forward unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of the doctrine of Bapti&s;ms, and laying on of hands, and of the re&s;urrection from the dead, and of the eternal judgement;</HI> as if the&s;e things would not make perfect: if they could, we are not to leave them. The &s;ame thing appears by that which was before cited: <HI>Ye &s;hall no more need teach one another, &s;aying, Know the Lord: for all &s;hall know me, from the greate&s;t to the lea&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>I am &s;o far from having any who in any kinde what&s;oever differ or di&s;&s;ent in opinion from me, therefore to be per&s;ecuted, mole&s;ted, or troubled, that I would have him in all things have the &s;ame re|&s;pect from the State equal with my &s;elf: Provided he keep clo&s;e, fa&s;t, and firm to that rule of doing to everyman as he would every man &s;hould do to him; and &s;o, of not doing that to any man, which he would not any &s;hould do to him. And in this, and this only (to my under&s;tanding) is the care, diligence, and indu&s;try of the Magi&s;trate to be exerci&s;ed; and for the breach hereof, is the &s;word onely to be<PB N="14" REF="8">drawn. Where, or in whom this Go&s;pel is not indeed and in truth preached; where, or in who&s;e heart this Law is not written, or where any man or men what&s;oever are de&s;titute or fall &s;hort in this, or tran&s;gre&s;s herein, then, and therein onely (if at any time, according to the Go&s;pel) is the Magi&s;trate to &s;tep in, and by his power to make up &s;uch neglects or defects: therefore it's &s;aid, <HI>The law was not made for arighteous man, but for the di&s;obedient and &s;inner:</HI> and he who breaks that royal, and onely royal law, Love &s;hall unavoidably &s;uffer in or with the breach thereof.</P>
<P>That I would then humbly, &s;eriou&s;ly and faithfully advi&s;e and move you unto, is, That you would try every &s;pirit, whence it comes, and whither it tends: &s;ee whether it be of God and Chri&s;t, or no: try it by what is here laid down; try it by the Go&s;pel which you would propagate. Can any but a truely-Go&s;pel-&s;pirit, in truth propagate the Go&s;pel, or propagate the Go&s;pel in truth? Take heed le&s;t this &s;pirit, if you receive it, if you hearken unto and embrace it and its coun&s;els, prove not as dangerous and fatal as it hath to tho&s;e who have gone before: and whether by the&s;e means, and upon the&s;e occa&s;ions, many of the truely real, &s;incere|ly godly, upright hearted people of this Nation, have not been, and are very much e&s;tranged from you? And think you that you will be able to &s;pare any &s;uch? Are not hereby divi&s;ions and animo&s;i|ties fomented, cheri&s;hed, nouri&s;hed, and increa&s;ed, betwixt us, and among&s;t us? And will the pre&s;ent &s;tate of things well bear this? Nay, hath not this Commonwealth often lo&s;t, and been bereaved, by the&s;e means and occa&s;ions, of its be&s;t and mo&s;t faithful mem|bers?</P>
<P>You have now &s;een (according to my under&s;tanding) what the very Go&s;pel indeed and in truth is; and what &s;pirit it is that mu&s;t indeed and in truth propagate this Go&s;pel; even a Go&s;pel|&s;pirit, an Evangelized or Evangelical &s;pirit: and, indeed and in truth, none el&s;e can, as hath likewi&s;e been &s;hewed and proved. You may likewi&s;e now in part determine, where, or whether there be (at pre&s;ent, or as yet) in very deed and truth, any &s;uch &s;pirit, or no; whatever the thoughts and high preten&s;ions of &s;ome men are. Then, it's not (I humbly conceive) unworthy con&s;ideration, whe|ther that Chri&s;t, that <HI>man-childe,</HI> according as S. <HI>John</HI> &s;peaks,<PB N="15" REF="8">was not, before that great de&s;ection in the Apo&s;tles times, taken up again into heaven, there to remain until the appointed time; for whom, or for who&s;e coming again in greater power and glory then before, all who have the fir&s;t fruits of the &s;pirit, in great, ful, and a&s;&s;ured hopes and expectations, do and mu&s;t wait, bearing their witne&s;s in &s;ackcloth to him, and to that day of his appearing, with watchfulne&s;s: when, by whom, or at what time, the book &s;hall be un&s;ealed, all the my&s;teries of Chri&s;t and his Kingdom made ma|nife&s;t, opened, or revealed. Wherefore being, if I mi&s;take not, in that juncture of time, where it is &s;aid, that it was <HI>neither day nor night, but in the evening it &s;hould be light,</HI> I conceive that great care &s;hould be had of &s;tigmatizing any with bla&s;phemy and here&s;ie, but rather leave it to the Great Day to declare them.</P>
<P>Wherefore, for propagation of the Go&s;pel (if it may be by us done) I &s;hould humbly offer, that there be a removal, &s;o far and &s;o much as may be, of all and every thing, which, in its own na|ture and property, is evidently and eminently, vi&s;ibly and certainly de&s;tructive or contrary thereunto.</P>
<P>As fir&s;t, that inqui&s;ition be made for, and repeal had, of all &s;uch Statutes, Orders, Ordinances, and Acts of Parliament, any ways tending that way: for it's better (if I may &s;o &s;peak) that many Errours and Hereticks e&s;cape unpuni&s;hed by the Civil Ma|gi&s;trate (had he indeed a rightful power thereunto) then that one true witne&s;s of Chri&s;t &s;hould &s;uffer; that many tares &s;hould re|main in the field, and grow together with the wheat until the time of harve&s;t, (as Chri&s;t him&s;elf &s;aith) when it's ea&s;ie to di&s;tingui&s;h, then by plucking them up before, endanger the wheat al&s;o. The earth hath done, may do, nay, mu&s;t help the woman, though ma|ny fal&s;e Prophets may, nay &s;hall ari&s;e, in&s;omuch that they &s;hould deceive the very elect, if it were po&s;&s;ible; but it's not po&s;&s;ible: and it's nece&s;&s;ary (as the Scripture &s;peaks) that &s;uch &s;hould be; that they which are approved may be made manife&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, that all compul&s;ive and forcible maintenance for &s;uch who call them&s;elves the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, be al&s;o removed and done away, becau&s;e it's contrary to the rules of the Go&s;pel, and to the command of Chri&s;t, which &s;aith, Take onely the things that are &s;et before you by tho&s;e who receive you: but they were<PB N="16" REF="9">not to carry away any thing with them; for they were not to have &s;o much as a &s;crip to put it in: and were onely to ca&s;t off the du&s;t of their feet again&s;t them that received them not.</P>
<P>Thirdly, that there may be no outward compul&s;ions or enforce|ments of any, to receive their, or any other mens doctrines or principles; neither that any mulcts, fines, bani&s;hments, or any other corporal puni&s;hment, be inflicted upon tho&s;e that receive them not, or who write, preach, or &s;peak again&s;t any others; &s;o that no affronts, injury, or violence, be done by the one unto the other: becau&s;e the&s;e things al&s;o, as is before declared, are humbly conceived to be diametrically oppo&s;ite and contrary to Chri&s;t and his Go&s;pel. I &s;hall, for further confirmation, offer to your con&s;ideration that in <HI>Luke</HI> 12. where Chri&s;t is likened unto a man that had taken a journey into a far country, and bids them therefore have their loyns always girt about, and their lamps burn|ing, waiting for their ma&s;ters coming; pronounceth him ble&s;&s;ed that thus continues watching, becau&s;e he knows not what hour he will come in: he ble&s;&s;eth that &s;ervant that giveth forth the por|tion in &s;ea&s;on; but he who &s;hall begin to &s;mite his fellow-&s;er|vants, even that &s;ervant he will cut off. Wherefore according to the Law, he who injures not his brother in any kinde, let him not in any kinde be injured by his brother: and herein may the Civil Magi&s;trate interpo&s;e, (as I conceive) if his help and a&s;&s;i&s;tance be required: but if the one will forgive, pardon, and pa&s;s by the in|jury and offence of the other, it's better.</P>
<P>I &s;hould la&s;tly offer, that tho&s;e who are growing up into, or unto the &s;pirit of the Go&s;pel, or unto a Go&s;pel-&s;pirit, be not, con|trary to the&s;e rules, rejected, injured, or mole&s;ted; but rather (I &s;ay rather) cheri&s;hed.</P>
<P>There are other things might be propo&s;ed; being &s;uppo&s;ed to be done by others, I omit them, and leave you unto this rule, <HI>That what you would any other man &s;hould do to you, that do you, or let be done unto them:</HI> and &s;o, <HI>Whatever you would not that any other man or men &s;hould do unto you that do not you do nor let be done unto them:</HI> for, what mea&s;ure you mete unto others, mu&s;t and &s;hall be mea&s;ured unto you again; becau&s;e God is ju&s;t.<PB REF="9" MS="y">Let us be in or under what time or di&s;pen&s;ation &s;oever; be it mixt, as neither dark nor light, neither day nor night, neither perfectly under the di&s;pen&s;ation or admini&s;tration of the Law, nor yet un|der the di&s;pen&s;ation or admini&s;tration of the Go&s;pel; but as it were partly the one, and partly the other; This rule will be light and &s;trength unto you in this, yea and in all otherthings, &s;tates, and conditions what&s;oever, (as is before noted) even
<HI>as a light &s;hining in a dark place,</HI> if well looked upon, duely weighed and con&s;idered.</P>
<P>As &s;uppo&s;e the que&s;tion &s;hould be, Whether the Jews &s;hould be tolerated among&s;t us, or no This Law and Go&s;pel &s;aith Yes; be|cau&s;e we would, if under their power, that they &s;hould tolerate us. And herein I meddle not with States-men, nor that which is called <HI>Rea&s;on of State</HI> but leave that and them to &s;tand and fall to their and its own ma&s;ter (I &s;peak <HI>ad rem</HI>;) I &s;peak onely to what is pro|po&s;ed, and &s;o much cried up, and called out for; which, now it is decalred but in the letter onely, how few receive it lo but when it is or &s;hall be decalred, manife&s;ted, or preached, as it is indeed and in truth in the power of it, few, I fear, will be found to embrace, own, &s;hew forth, and practi&s;e the &s;ame in its life and power. Though I could &s;ay &s;omething al&s;o as to that which is called <HI>Rea|&s;on of State,</HI> or State-Rea&s;on, or rather, State-Police: but that's not my bu&s;ine&s;s here, nor at this time.</P>
<P>More might be &s;aid for their reception and toleration&punc; As fir&s;t, We cannot be perfect without them: &s;econdly, Our &s;alvation came by their &s;tumbling or falling; and that as their dimini&s;hing was the riches of the Gentiles, how much more &s;hall their abun|dance be and if the ca&s;ting off of them (onely for a time) be the reconciling of the world, what &s;hall their receiving be, but life from the dead I (as <HI>Paul</HI> the Apo&s;tle of the Gentiles argues, in <HI>Rom.</HI> 11.) So that we are but in a condition of death, or dead condition (at lea&s;t comparatively) until they be received in again. And again, he &s;aith, <HI>Boa&s;t not thy &s;elf again&s;t
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span">: be not high-minded but fear; le&s;t as God <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1+ letters">ared not the na|tural branches, &s;o he do not &s;pare thee, but that thou be broken off al&s;o as they were.</HI> The whole Chapter is worthy a mo&s;t &s;o|rious, con&s;ideration. We daily pray for them; let it therefore<PB N="18" REF="10">really and truly appear that we be what we &s;eem (or would &s;eem) to be.</P>
<P>I leave it, in the la&s;t place, &s;eriou&s;ly to be con&s;idered, Whether in all Ages, Kingdoms, and States, the Clergie have not been the chief, if not the onely occ&s;ioners, if not the &s;omenters, hatchers, plotters and contrivers of all the con&s;iderable or eminent trea&s;ons, treacheries, con&s;piracies wars, and blood&s;hed, thorowout all or mo&s;t part of
<HI>Europe;</HI> and that under the name or notion of pro|pagation of the Kingdom and Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t. All (whether they have been Princes Kingdoms States, or private per&s;ons) who have at any time, in any age, di&s;&s;ented from, di&s;owned or di&s;a|vowed their preachings or practices, their doctrines or principles, have by them been con&s;tantly pur&s;ued with Excommunications, Execrations, Sword, Fire, and Fagot; and yet they are all for the Go&s;pel. You &s;hall finde that this &s;pirit hath ri&s;en up in and with every degree, &s;ort, or &s;ect of them, as all our Hi&s;tories do unani|mou&s;ly declare (I &s;peak onely as to the generality; there are good and godly, peaceable and quiet-minded men among&s;t them, but it is <HI>rara avis in terra</HI>:) as if indeed it were intailed to them, or they intailed to it. This is the anointing they have received, an anointing from belowe, from the bottomle&s;s pit; not from heaven or from above: it's not a Go&s;pel-anointing; <HI>ecce &s;ignum,</HI> the tree is known by its fruits: you &s;hall finde them one day cry|ing out, <HI>Here&s;ie, here&s;ie, bla&s;phemy, bla&s;phemy, fire, fagot,</HI> what not? and the next day, <HI>Ho&s;anna to the Highe&s;t:</HI> that's here&s;ie and bla&s;phemy to day, nay this hour, which the next day or hours is &s;ound Orthodoxal truth. Have not our eyes o&s;t &s;een, and our ears oft heard this thing? Is it not now at pre&s;ent &s;een daily among&s;t us? I never yet have &s;een, read, or heard, that the Clergie were true to the intere&s;t of any Kingdom, State, or Commonwealth, any longer then &s;uch Kingdom, State or Com|monwealth was true to their private and particular intere&s;ts and accommodations.</P>
<P>The former Clergie would be &s;till crying up and praying for the Hou&s;e and Tribe of <HI>Levi,</HI> although they pretended &s;omewhat from Chri&s;t al&s;o, who was of <HI>Judah:</HI> but had they plainly or di|rectly held from <HI>Judah,</HI> from Chri&s;t, they had upon all accounts
<PB N="19" REF="10">lo&s;t all manner of claim to their Tythes or Tenths; therefore they will hold and derive from <HI>Levi,</HI> which indeed was the be&s;t and &s;afe&s;t claim. But whence the&s;e men hold, claim or derive, I know not, nor, I think them&s;elves neither: &s;urely they finde their foundation to be weak and rotten, they take &s;o much care, u&s;e &s;o much diligence and indu&s;try for its &s;upport. Why, fear not, if you and your doctrines have their foundation in and upon Chri&s;t, they &s;hall, they mu&s;t &s;tand, let the windes blowe, the floods beat. Why, man, Chri&s;t is a Rock.</P>
<P>Oh, but they bla&s;pheme our God, and that we cannot bear with; &s;uch the Magi&s;trate mu&s;t puni&s;h.</P>
<P>Why <HI>James,</HI> why <HI>John,</HI> ye know not what &s;pirit ye are on: let God alone to avenge his own quarrel; <HI>Vengeance is mine, &s;aith the Lord and I will repay it.</HI> Think you, is not your God &s;trong enough, or wi&s;e enough? But hear what <HI>David</HI> &s;aith; <HI>Lord my goodne&s;s</HI> (or, my righteou&s;ne&s;s) <HI>extends not unto thee, but unto the Saints on earth:</HI> And if our righteou&s;ne&s;s (which is our &s;trength) reach not him, as in truth it neither doth, nor can do; Will our unrighteou&s;ne&s;s or &s;ins (think you) which is our weakne&s;s, reach or exten'd to him? Be not &s;o ignorant: God can|not be moved more or le&s;s, either with this or that: for he is wholly or altogether unchangable. But let me tell you, You bla&s;pheme him, in &s;etting him below him&s;elf, as he is in his own pure nature and e&s;&s;ence, ever and always the &s;ame, from eternity to eternity; an unchangeable <HI>IS.</HI> You bla&s;pheme him, in pro|claiming him to the world to be a cruel, mercile&s;s, and unnatural Father. Will the father de&s;troy the &s;on of his loyns? and will God do &s;uch a thing, think you? Doth not Chri&s;t tell you, if your earthly parents know how to give good gifts unto their chil|dren, much more doth your heavenly Father? Will God, think you, puni&s;h a man that's born blinde becau&s;e he cannot &s;ee, neither is it at all in his power to get him&s;elf eyes? But you would have men puni&s;hed for denying Chri&s;t, although none can know or ac|knowledge him, without the power, help, and a&s;&s;i&s;tance of him who is altogether above and beyond his reach and power: for, as hath been before cited, <HI>None can know the Son, but the Father:</HI> And again, <HI>None can call Je&s;us the Chri&s;t, but by the Spirit.<PB N="28" REF="11">No man cometh unto me, except the Father draw him.</HI> And yet you &s;ay. This is the minde, will, or command of God. Is not this extreme highly to bla&s;pheme, or bla&s;t the &s;ame, do to &s;peak very evilly of God, and to cau&s;e others to do &s;o al&s;o? Con&s;ider who &s;o much as your &s;elves do in very deed and in truth bla&s;pheme the true and very God, and his Chri&s;t and the true and very Go|&s;pel of the true and very Chri&s;t. Let all the world &s;ee, and hear, and judge. Whatever is unrea&s;onable, is none of Gods &s;pelling or telling; is not the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, or is none of Chri&s;ts Go|&s;pel. Nature, or rather, Rea&s;on or Lightim nature; &s;aith to all men, in all things, <HI>Do to all men as you would be done unto:</HI> but grace, or Gods &s;pell or Good &s;pell the rea&s;on or light therein (for there is Rea&s;on in Grace and Go&s;pel, as well as in Nature, as I could &s;hew you; but enough) &s;aith, or tells you; <HI>Do good to them that do evil to you, love your enemies; pray for a pity &s;ave, deliver, help relieve, &s;uccour, comfort,</HI> &amp;c.
<HI>tho&s;e who hate and envie you, who bla&s;pheme or &s;peak evil of you; tho&s;e who &s;in again&s;t you, who per&s;ecute, and would de&s;troy you.</HI> And this, in truth, is Go&s;pel, Good-&s;pell, or true and right telling and &s;pel|ling, or &s;pelling indeed and in truth; when it's thus put together, that is, when the &s;peaking and doing, the heart and the hand, are joyned herein: Chri&s;t did good to &s;inners, loved &s;inners, and gave his life for &s;inners, even tho&s;e who per&s;ecuted and bla&s;phemed him.</P>
<P>The Go&s;pel is properly and truely a Reconciliation, reconciling, or Reconciler rather, of things that differ, are at oddes or enmi|ty; it's the doing away of all enmities, the ca&s;ting down or taking away all partition-walls: the higher the enmity, the greater the oddes; the va&s;ter the difference, the greater, the higher, the more glorious, excellent, and beautiful, is the Reconciliation or Recon|ciler. It is indeed that &s;pirit of life and power, of light and love, which really, truely, and in very deed, reconciles all things unto or takes all things into it &s;elf; it &s;elf being reconciled unto all things: and, in truth, that or he which is not fully, wholly and perfectly, in every jot and tittle, in him or it &s;elf, reconciled to another, can|not po&s;&s;ibly perfectly reconcile, or preach the Go&s;pel of Reconci|liation perfectly, to that other: It's not a bare preaching or &s;peak|ing, but it's real reconciling, or uniting of tho&s;e things which in|deed<PB N="29" REF="11" MS="y">either really do differ, or at lea&s;t &s;eem &s;o to do; and that in the heighths, lengths, bredths, and depths of oddes, enmity, dif|ference, or contrarieties; how el&s;e could the heighths, lengths, bredths, and depths of the Reconciliation or Reconciler appear? 2 <HI>Cor.</HI>
5.18,19,20. <HI>And all things are of God, who hath re|conciled us to him&s;elf by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and hath given to us the mini&s;tery of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Chri&s;t, reconciling the world unto him&s;elf, not imputing their tre&s;|pa&s;&s;es unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of re|conciliation. Now then we are amba&s;&s;adours for Chri&s;t, as though God did be &s;eech you by us. We pray you in Chri&s;ts &s;tead, be ye reconciled to God.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word">
2.11,12,13,14,15,16,17. <HI>At that time ye wore
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span"> Chri&s;t, being aliens from the commonwealth of I&s;rael, and &s;trangers from the co|venants of promi&s;e, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, ye who &s;ometimes were afar off, are made nigh by the blood of Chri&s;t. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us: having aboli&s;hed in his fle&s;h the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordi|nances, for to make in him&s;elf, of twain, one new man, &s;o making peace. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cro&s;s, having &s;lain the enimity thereby. And came and precabed unto them which were afar off and to them that were nigh.</HI> In
<HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 3.8. <HI>This is the grace given to me</HI> (&s;aith
<HI>Paul</HI>) <HI>that I &s;hould preach the un&s;earchable riches of Chri&s;t</HI> (that's the grace given him, he having it fir&s;t preached unto him, <HI>that all might &s;ee the fellow&s;hip of the MYSTERY which was HID IN GOD.</HI> In the tenth ver&s;e there you have Gods end or Intent; which is, that his <HI>MANIFOLD wi&s;dom might be known:</HI> and &s;o prays, in ver&s;.
16. <HI>that God would grant them according to the riches of his glory, to be &s;trength|ned with all might by his &s;pirit in the inner man, that Chri&s;t might dwell in their hearts, that &s;o being rooted and grounded
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 word"> love, they might comprehend with all &s;aints, what is the heighth; length, bredth, and depth, and to know the love of God that pa&s;&s;eth knowledge, that they might be filled with all
<PB N="22" REF="12">the fulne&s;s of God,</HI> (and verily, le&s;s will not do it:) for &s;o long, &s;o far or &s;o much as I apprehend any man or thing to be an enemy unto me, &s;o long, &s;o far, and &s;o much mu&s;t I of nece&s;&s;ity be an enemy unto him or it: there it's &s;aid, <HI>God was in Chri&s;t, reconci|ling the world unto him&s;elf:</HI> how was that? by preaching &s;hew|ing, and declaring him&s;elf fully, wholly, perfectly, every jot and tittle, reconciled unto it. The Go&s;pel indeed is that Load&s;tone which draweth all things unto or rather, and indeed and in truth, that great
<HI>Elixir,</HI> or Philo&s;ophers &s;tone, which turneth all things it touches into its own nature; but it mu&s;t touch them fir&s;t.</P>
<P>I could &s;ay much more; but I bear with you forbear and &s;pare you: I have no evil will unto any of you; I am enemy to none; neither would I hurt any, becau&s;e no man nor no thing, can hurt me; but, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>All things &s;hall work together for my good.</HI></P>
<P>To conclude; were Chri&s;t, or his Me&s;&s;engers his Apo&s;tles, &s;o fearful, &s;o timerons, (it's written of them, that they <HI>preached openly</HI> and <HI>boldly,</HI> and <HI>waxed more and more bold</HI> by their &s;uf|ferings) although the powers were wholly and altogether engaged again&s;t them as the&s;e men are? who, if they have not the powers chiefly and wholly engaged for them, yet are they very little, if at all, engaged again&s;t them.</P>
<P>I would offer it to con&s;ideration, whether the primitive Chri&s;ti|ans would not have thought and judged it &s;ufficient enough; if the Magi&s;trate had not engaged again&s;t them, although he had not in the lea&s;t declared or engaged for them? And would not any rea|&s;onable, any &s;ober, any quiet peaceable-minded man or men now, judge him or them&s;elves to have due and true ju&s;tice and equity done them by the Commonwealth, to have every way, and in all things, equally the &s;ame priviledges and re&s;pects with others, from and by the Commonwealth; which is all that is pleaded for, or de|&s;ired, in reference to every one, as to him&s;elf,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Who is The Commonwealths, under the be&s;t and &s;ure&s;t bonds of love unfained, in all faithfulne&s;s to be commanded,
<HI>Robert Norwood.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<PB REF="12">
<HEAD>Omitted in the Printing, <HI>Pag.</HI> 21.</HEAD>
<P>Col. 1.16. <HI>For by him were all things created that are in hea|ven, and that are in earth, vi&s;ible, and invi&s;ible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him.</HI></P>
<P>As there you &s;ee all things were made by him. &s;o in
<HI>ver&s;.</HI> 20. you &s;hall finde all things to be again reconciled or &s;aved by him.</P>
<P><HI>By whom</HI> (that is, by Chri&s;t) <HI>it plea&s;ed the Father to reconcile all things to him&s;elf, by him whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven: even you that were &s;ometimes alienated, and enemies in your minde by wicked works, hath he now reconciled.</HI></P>
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