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<NAME>Enrique Valdivia</NAME>
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<P>THE Grand Oppre&s;&s;or, Or, The Terror of TITHES; Fir&s;t FELT, and now CONFEST:</P>
<P>By WILLIAM ERBERIE.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>G. D.</HI> for <HI>Giles Calvert,</HI> and are to be &s;old at the Sign of the Black Spread-Eagle at the We&s;t End of <HI>Pauls,</HI> 1652.</P>
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<HEAD>The Sum of a Letter written to one of the Commi&s;sioners in <HI>South-Wales, Aprill</HI> 19. 1652.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_YOU willed me to write unto you con|cerning the hundred pound which you were plea&s;ed to promi&s;e pre&s;ent paiment of, if your Trea&s;ury were not empty:</P>
<P>But &s;ince I &s;aw you la&s;t, the Lord ap|peared &s;o terribly unto me, that (ha|ving <HI>torn the caul of my heart</HI>) he di&s;covered the hy|pocri&s;ie and covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e that lay hid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 13.8.</NOTE> and clo&s;e co|vered in my fle&s;h.</P>
<P>That which brought it forth (next to the eternal &s;pirit and everla&s;ting burnings within me) was a bu|&s;ine&s;&s;e of Tithes, which I took at fir&s;t from your hands as a maintenance allowed me by the Lord, in you and the re&s;t of the honourable Commi&s;&s;ioners, who in much love appointed this as a portion for my poor Family, and as a reward for my former &s;ervices and &s;ufferings for the State, and the Saints in <HI>Wales.</HI></P>
<P>Which unde&s;erved favour (as I thankfully acknow|ledge) &s;o did I quietly po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the &s;ame in &s;ilence and quietne&s;s of mind, till the Lord God Almighty began to <HI>roar like a man of War,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 42.13, 14</NOTE> <HI>and to cry like a woman in tra|vel</HI> within me, bringing forth him&s;elf in that I &s;hall now declare unto you, and to the Churches in <HI>Wales.</HI></P>
<P>I told you Sir in private, that in my late publique
<PB N="2" REF="3">Teachings I was carried forth contrary to the inclina|tions of my own Spirit, willing rather to &s;it &s;till in &s;ilence, and &s;piritual retirements with my God, wait|ing for his glorious appearance with power in all his people.</P>
<P>But &s;o it was, that by a &s;peciall providence I came a|broad to the people, whom I acquainted that to my pre&s;ent apprehen&s;ion, I was not certain that I had any call from God or man, or from my &s;elf, but meerly by a &s;trong hand, I know not how, I was thru&s;t forth into the Harve&s;t, where I was immediatly met with the noy&s;e of Tythes in this manner:</P>
<P>The fir&s;t Scripture I opened, not to preach, but one|ly to expound, (according to the Teaching of God in mee) was <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 61.1, 2.</P>
<P>There I &s;aw and &s;aid, that God in Chri&s;t had glad tidings to &s;peak, and great things to doe (in the&s;e la&s;t dayes al&s;o) for three &s;orts of people; for the poor, for the oppre&s;&s;ed, and for the Pri&s;oner.</P>
<P><HI>The meek</HI> thats the <HI>poor,</HI> as Chri&s;t interprets <HI>Luke</HI> 4.18. <HI>the broken hearted,</HI> thats the <HI>oppre&s;&s;ed,</HI> as every Coun|ty can te&s;tifie, and the <HI>opening of the pri&s;on doors to them that are bound, is good tydings for the Pri&s;oner.</HI></P>
<P><HI>This day</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>is this Scripture fulfilled in your <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ares;</HI> and this have we heard and &s;een in our dayes, God &s;o appearing in the pre&s;ent powers, that 'twas hoped this was <HI>the acceptable year of the Lord,</HI> for the people of the Land to look for their long expected and promi&s;ed liberty to the Captives, who, by an Act of Ju&s;tice and Mercy from the Parliament of <HI>England,</HI> are &s;et free from their &s;everall Pri&s;ons, (yea, from for|rain captivity in part) as the fir&s;t fruits of that follow|ing Redemption which the oppre&s;&s;ed, and the Poor of the Nation doe likewi&s;e hope for.</P>
<P>But before I heard of that News, I had formed my matter in this Method;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>March</HI> 7.</NOTE> the fir&s;t moneth of the year I began to &s;peak for the poor from the&s;e Scriptures
<PB N="3" REF="3">on &s;everall Sundayes, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 61.1, 2. and 14.32. <HI>Zeph.</HI> 3.12. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 72.4.</P>
<P>With this la&s;t I began the &s;econd moneth for the op|pre&s;&s;ed, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 72.4.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Aprill</HI> 4. <HI>May</HI> 2. to 30</NOTE> (as afterward I ended the third moneth with the Pri&s;oner, from <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 42.6, 7, and 49, 8, 9. <HI>Zach.</HI> 9.11, 12.) but before that I &s;pake for the oppre&s;&s;ed, from <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 72. <HI>v.</HI> 1.4. that when <HI>the King and his Son &s;hould come to raign, he would break in pieces the op|pre&s;&s;or,</HI> oppre&s;&s;ion mu&s;t cea&s;e, and the oppre&s;&s;ed mu&s;t have ea&s;e.</P>
<P>The next fir&s;t day of the week, I &s;pake from <HI>v.</HI> 12, 13, 14. That <HI>the bloud</HI> of poor <HI>oppre&s;&s;ed men is mo&s;t pre|cious in the eyes of God,</HI> for he <HI>eyes them</HI> and all their op|pre&s;&s;ors as another Prophet phra&s;eth it, <HI>Zach.</HI> 9.9.</P>
<P>Upon this God began (as I &s;aid before) to roar in my Spirit, and I to hear nothing within me but the cry of the oppre&s;&s;ed, 'twas far (me thought) from my tem|per to tread on a worm, or to oppre&s;&s;e the poore&s;t creature in the world, but &s;till 'twas told me both wa|king and &s;leeping that God would <HI>break in pieces the oppre&s;&s;or,</HI> and that the <HI>bloud</HI> of the poor was <HI>precious in his &s;ight.</HI></P>
<P>Then the oppre&s;&s;ion of Tithes came to my eares, and the cry of the oppre&s;&s;ed filled my heart, telling me, That I and my children fed on their fle&s;h, that we drunk their bloud, and lived &s;oftly on their hard labour and &s;weat.</P>
<P>All the Petitions again&s;t Tithes were pre&s;ently pre|&s;ented and &s;pread before me by God, who asked, Is it not the gain of oppre&s;&s;ion that thou and thine live on?</P>
<P>Truly Sir, there was never a day went over my head, but I heard &s;omething of him from God, and from men al&s;o, who, not knowing the working and wrath that was within, did continually hit me in the teeth with &s;omething of Tithes.</P>
<P>One came to my Chamber, a worthy Gentleman from
<PB N="4" REF="4"><HI>England,</HI> complaining of the Commi&s;&s;ioners of <HI>Mon|mouth</HI>-&s;hire, who (as he came along) had a meet|ing at Chri&s;tchurch, to take a more &s;trict account of each mans Tithes, and that he met with many poor country men in the way crying out of their oppre&s;&s;ion, and that (as they &s;aid) by the people of God.</P>
<P>Another day an hone&s;t man of our Country, comes in and tells me, he had formerly taken a good bargain of Tithes from the Commi&s;&s;ioners or <HI>Glamorgan</HI>-&s;hire, but he had no re&s;t in his &s;pirit from the time he farmed it from them, but was continually tormented till he de|livered it up, which he did (as he &s;aid) very quickly, el&s;e he thought in his heart he had run &s;tarke mad out of his wits.</P>
<P>And truly Sir 'twas &s;o with me in this, though I have been <HI>afflicted from my youth, and &s;uffered the terrors of the Lord to di&s;traction,</HI> yet (for the time) I was never &s;o di&s;tracted, confounded, and filled with feares in all my former temptations, as in this of Tithes.</P>
<P>And yet this trouble was not like tho&s;e legall terrors I &s;uffered of old, but it was like fire in my bones, which I beleeve is the eternall Spirit, and everla&s;ting burnings, which will &s;hortly break forth upon all the oppre&s;&s;ors of the land, to burn up their fle&s;h, fulne&s;&s;e, and tho&s;e fair buildings which they have rai&s;ed on the ruines of others, enriching them&s;elves in the Nations poverty.</P>
<P>The fire that was within me had new fuell ca&s;t there|on, which to my feeling increa&s;ed to feircer flames, for every day I opened my Bible to read (the remembrance of Tithes coming &s;till to my mind) the fir&s;t line that darted in mine eyes, was alwayes &s;omething again&s;t Oppre&s;&s;ion, as <HI>I&s;ay</HI> 5.7, 8. <HI>Micah</HI> 2.2, 3, 8, 9, 10. <HI>ver.</HI> Again, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 9.16, 17, 18, 19, 20. <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 30.10, 11, 12. <HI>Jer.</HI> 22.17. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 7.19. The&s;e and many other Scri|ptures came not in by way of a Concordance, nor yet as &s;ought out by me, but they found me out, &s;o that I once feared to open the book any more.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="4">
<P>But there <HI>was a book within me,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 29.18.</NOTE> which though I would &s;hut, and be willingly deaf to what was written therein, yet I was made to hear with a witne&s;&s;e, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 33.14. <HI>The &s;inners of</HI> Zion <HI>are afraid, fearfulne&s;&s;e hath &s;urprized the hypocrites, who among us &s;hall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us &s;hall dwell with the everla&s;ting burn|ings? he that walketh righteou&s;ly, and &s;peaketh uprightly, and de&s;pi&s;eth the gain of Oppre&s;&s;ion, &amp;c. he &s;hall dwell on high, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>This was my morning thought, which made me ri&s;e up quick from my bed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>April,</HI> 8.</NOTE> and after &s;econd thoughts I ha&s;tened away to Church, where the Sheriffe and Judges were expected to come unto &s;ermon, there I re&s;olved in the face of all the Country to ca&s;t off the gain of Op|pre&s;&s;ion, and burthen of Tithes, intending (with their Honours leave) in the end of all, to have &s;poken a few words on <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 68.5. But the Judges not coming that day to Church, the Preacher did no more but expound in the pue (there being but a thin Audience) upon this my former re&s;olutions fell, and I thought within my &s;elf, &s;urely the Lord would not I &s;hould openly meddle with this point, nor be too &s;crupulous in an outward thing, as this of Tithes, &s;o I quietly heard the Man, and God al&s;o, in the very words then read, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 7.7. <HI>Surely Oppre&s;&s;ion maketh a wi&s;e man mad, and a gift de&s;troyeth the heart.</HI></P>
<P>For all this I returned home without the lea&s;t touch, or trouble of con&s;cience, &s;aying, now I &s;hall have peace and be &s;till, provided for as formerly, I have been to <HI>offer up my I&s;aack,</HI> my beloved Tithes, but the Lord hath &s;pared it and accepted me; I &s;ee <HI>a Ram caught in the bu&s;h for a Sacrifice,</HI> that is, my carnall mind and ima|gination, for now I looked upon this of Tithes but as a fle&s;hly outward thing, a poor low bu&s;ine&s;s for any &s;piri|tuall man to be &s;crupulous of, therefore I &s;aid, I would go to my <HI>heights</HI> again, if once I might <HI>&s;ee the King in his beauty, and the land that is very farre off,</HI> I&s;aiah 33.16.17.</P>
<PB N="6" REF="5">
<P>The next day I came to your chamber, where I was welcomed with re&s;pect and kindne&s;&s;e, but before I could &s;leep that night I was awaked again, and the Lord be|gan to <HI>an&s;wer in the &s;ecret place of Thunder,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 81.7.</NOTE> he that <HI>de&s;pi&s;eth not the gain of Oppre&s;&s;ion &s;hall not dwell on high.</HI></P>
<P>Then down I came to the deep, and dwelt that night in the dark, in the &s;hadow of death, yea, in the belly of hell, I cryed the next day al&s;o, <HI>O Lord I am oppre&s;&s;ed, un|dertake for me, I&s;ai.</HI> 38.14.</P>
<P>This Scripture was that dayes Text; when I was to &s;peak good things to the oppre&s;&s;ed, I heard nothing but bad newes and &s;ad tidings to my &s;elf, &s;tanding there under the <HI>gain of Oppre&s;&s;ion,</HI> I could experimentally tell this truth, that God would plague the oppre&s;&s;or, in who&s;e &s;tead (me thought) I was that day <HI>chattering like a Crane, and mourning as a Dove,</HI> in my cry, <HI>O Lord I am oppre&s;&s;ed, undertake for me,</HI> it was an&s;wered, thou art an <HI>oppre&s;&s;or of men,</HI> and now thou art ju&s;tly oppre&s;&s;ed by God.</P>
<P>That was the &s;umme of that morning exerci&s;e, how men oppre&s;&s;e God in mans oppre&s;&s;ion, and then that God oppre&s;&s;eth al&s;o their &s;pirits as they doe his.</P>
<P>Truly to that time I never found the experience of this &s;o true, <HI>The love of money is the root of all evill,</HI> evill of &s;in and of puni&s;hment, for by this I began, not onely <HI>to erre from the faith,</HI> and from tru&s;ting on God, but <HI>to be pierced through with many &s;orrowes, yea, to be drowned in perdition and de&s;truction,</HI> 1 Tim. 6.9, 10.</P>
<P>And yet how often did my de&s;ire to be rich make me fear to be poor, and my proud heart &s;eek to &s;ilence the cries of God and men within me, to &s;hift off the thoughts of oppre&s;&s;ion, and the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of Tithes, as a thing not belonging to me, but for the States to reform? Again, my heart told me, that Tithes are now new modled and &s;et in another form, with &s;ome moderation al&s;o.</P>
<P>And again, Tithes are coming into the Trea&s;ury of
<PB N="7" REF="5">the Common-wealth, God forbid &s;aid one within me, but thought I, why may not I take at pre&s;ent this free gift from the civill powers, as the Pa&s;tors, Teachers, and Preachers of the Go&s;pel in <HI>Wales</HI> this day, who are maintained by Tithes.</P>
<P>Oh this renewed my former troubles, enraged tho&s;e terrors, telling me, if now I be &s;ilent, I &s;hould not onely betray my Country, and the Governours of our Com|mon-wealth to the judgement of God, but be ba&s;e, and lye to the Churches, not &s;peaking the truth, which many poor Chri&s;tians, not attending to, doe daily wound their weak con&s;ciences by a little too much worldli|ne&s;&s;e (as in other things) &s;o in farming of Tithes, which all the godly Preachers and people of God in <HI>Wales,</HI> did formerly profe&s;s, preach, and pray again&s;t.</P>
<P>Thus many Mini&s;ters al&s;o are un&s;en&s;ibly fallen into a new light, which them&s;elves condemned in others, for my part I follow the old, and profe&s;&s;e, that I can &s;ee yet nothing in Tithes but the <HI>gain of Oppre&s;&s;ion,</HI> continued and kept up meerly by Mini&s;ters, and Church-Members, who being men of power this day, might ea&s;ily prevaile to remove this and many other oppre&s;&s;ions, at lea&s;t, with the people of the Land to petition the pre&s;ent Governours, to ea&s;e the oppre&s;&s;ed of their burthens, as to relea&s;e the pri&s;oners from their bonds, and to re|leive poor families with bread by a publick &s;tock.</P>
<P>I &s;peak not now of tho&s;e Tithes which are part of mens temporal e&s;tates, but of &s;uch Eccle&s;ia&s;tick revenues appointed at fir&s;t for Popi&s;h Prie&s;ts, now for Preachers of the Go&s;pel, this being a greater oppre&s;&s;ion than the tithes of former times, my &s;pirit was oppre&s;&s;ed by the Lord, till I had quite thrown away this abhomination, and burthen of the Land.</P>
<P>Thus then to me it is pre&s;ented as more oppre&s;&s;ive than Prie&s;tly Tithes; &s;econdly, more oppre&s;&s;ive than Popi&s;h Tithes; and thirdly, than Prelatick, or Presby|terian Tithes heretofore.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="6">
<P>Fir&s;t I &s;ay, Prie&s;tly Tithes under the Law had the command of God. Secondly, 'twas not forced on men by the power of the &s;word, but either freely given by the people, or urged by the Prophets with promi&s;es and threats to &s;uch who were di&s;obedient or unwilling: Thirdly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 14.28, 29.</NOTE> the Prie&s;ts did not eat up all the Tithes them|&s;elves, but as there was a yearly Tithe for the Prie&s;t, &s;o every third year, there was a tithe for the poor; Oh, that the poor might have their Arrears out of the unrea&s;onable gain of Go&s;pel-Prie&s;ts. Fourthly, Prie&s;ts under the Law had but the tenth, our Preachers of the Go&s;pel take up the fifth or fourth of mens lands and labours. Fiftly, the Prie&s;ts who had Tithes paid them, had no other portion or temporal e&s;tate as mo&s;t of our Mini&s;ters have, who may therefore preach the Go&s;pel freely, if they can.</P>
<P>Secondly, they are more oppre&s;&s;ive than <HI>Popi&s;h Tithes</HI> in forrain parts, <HI>France,</HI> the Kingdome of A&s;&s;es (as 'tis called) hath not &s;uch an oppre&s;&s;ion in Tithes for their Prie&s;ts, as our Prote&s;tant Teachers and Preachers of the Go&s;pel doe burthen this free Nation; for as 'tis cre|dibly reported by &s;ome, who have long liv'd in <HI>France,</HI> that there and in <HI>Spain</HI> al&s;o, onely Tithe of hard corn is paid, that is, of Wheat and Rye, but no Tithe of Barley, Oates, Pea&s;e, Beans, Fitches, Tills, much le&s;&s;e Tithe of Hops, Hemp, Flaxe, Saffron, or of garden Hearbs.</P>
<P>Secondly 'tis not the tenth &s;heaf as ours, but onely the twentieth &s;heaf of Wheat and Rie is paid with them. Thirdly, if there be but nineteen Lambs, there is none, if thirty nine there is but one Lamb for the Prie&s;t, as one of twentie, and two of fortie is his Tithe, but our Go&s;pel-Prie&s;ts mu&s;t have one Lamb of ten, yea, one of &s;even if there be no more. Fourthly ours have not onely the tenth Lamb, but tithe of the Wool of the nine remaining, wherers the Popi&s;h Prie&s;t hath no tithe of wool at all. Fifthly, They take no Tithe of
<PB N="9" REF="6">calves, hay, hay-gra&s;&s;e, or ju&s;tments, much le&s;s tithe of pigs, gee&s;e, apples, eggs, and of every thing almo&s;t the poor live on our Go&s;pel Mini&s;ters mu&s;t have their tithes.</P>
<P>Thirdly &s;ince the Independent Pa&s;tors are turnd Par|&s;ons and Preachers of the Go&s;pel, Pari&s;h Prie&s;ts; the burthen of Tithes hath been more oppre&s;&s;ive in them, than in the Prelates and Presbyters heretofore. For fir&s;t, The&s;e were Nationall Mini&s;ters, and did &s;ervice to every Pari&s;h in the Nation, therefore the National maintenance was more of right proper for them, but the Independent Churches, &s;eparating from the Nati|on, and profe&s;&s;ing a Go&s;pel-practice, cannot for &s;hame deny their own Principles, as to keep up Tithes, but rather to look for a maintenance from their own Chur|ches, or to live of the Go&s;pel, if they preach to the World, I &s;ay of the Go&s;pel, that is, to live by faith in God, who will doubtle&s;&s;e feed his &s;ervants, and cau&s;e men freely to contribute unto them who preach the Go&s;pel freely. Secondly, The Tithes formerly were never &s;o farmed out to Commi&s;&s;ioners friends, who rackt the poor Pari&s;hioners to rai&s;e their own private gain, though they get forty or fiftie &s;hillings yearly by the bargain. Thirdly, as 'tis more rea&s;onable for the Pari&s;h to farm their own Tithes with the former a|batements, &s;o in the&s;e times of publike Taxes, Contri|butions, and nece&s;&s;ary burthens on the Nation, the op|pre&s;&s;ion of Tithes is more intollerable, but our Inde|pendent friends load the people, who hoped to have been ea&s;ed of all by their meanes. Fourthly, Godly men in <HI>Wales,</HI> who have &s;uffred much for the State, and in tenderne&s;s of con&s;cience could not pay Tithes to the Prelates of old, yea, who were indulged in tho&s;e dayes, are now forced not onely to that, but to pay all their Arrears of Tithes formerly &s;pared. Fifthly, as Tithes under this oppre&s;&s;ive Form was fir&s;t e&s;tabli&s;hed by the Churches of <HI>Wales,</HI> who have given example for the Engli&s;h to follow the pattern and oppre&s;&s;ion; &s;o con|&s;ider
<PB N="10" REF="7">what the Churches there have gained by this, even more Officers in the Church than ever Chri&s;t comman|ded, as Commi&s;&s;ioners, Trea&s;urers, Seque&s;trators and Collectors for Tithes, a thing which neither Law nor Go&s;pel, nor former Ages ever heard of. Sixt|ly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 6 8, 9.</NOTE> God compareth &s;uch unto <HI>Thieves and Robbers: Gilead is a Citie of them that work iniquitie, and polluted with bloud,</HI> or as the Margen reads, <HI>cunning for bloud: And as Troops of Robbers wait for a man, &s;o the companie of Prie&s;ts murther in the way by con&s;ent;</HI> the <HI>Geneva</HI> notes <HI>Gilead</HI> to be the Citie where the Prie&s;ts dwelt, and the <HI>companie of them</HI> was like a Synod or Cla&s;&s;is. Inde|pendents and Presbyters agree together and con&s;ent in <HI>Tithes.</HI> Seventhly, Doe not the Churches by this rob God al&s;o, (this at lea&s;t being a Typical expre&s;&s;ion of their &s;piritual robberie) <HI>Will a man rob God? yet yee have robbed me,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 2.10, 14, 17. Mal. 3.7, 8, 13.</NOTE> <HI>&s;aith the Lord: But ye &s;aid, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings,</HI> Mal. 3.8. Pray ob&s;erve in this and in the former Chapters how oft God &s;eeks to convince the Prie&s;ts &s;ix times together, but the Prie&s;ts will by no meanes be convinced by God him&s;elf of their manife&s;t hypocri&s;ie. Secondly, That God &s;peaks to the Prie&s;ts in both Chapters is plain from <HI>Mal.</HI> 2.1. <HI>And now, O ye Prie&s;ts, this word is for you,</HI> and 'tis their word al&s;o, <HI>Mal</HI> 3.14. <HI>What profit is it that we have kept thy Ordinances, and walked mournfully,</HI> Or as the Hebrew reads it, <HI>walked in black,</HI> that is their garbe, as <HI>Baals Prie&s;ts</HI> are called <HI>Chemarim,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zeph. 1.4.</NOTE> or Black coats: Now, <HI>What profit is it</HI> (&s;ay they) <HI>that we have kept thine Ordinance?</HI> It is not Ordinances, but thine Ordinance, the Lords Ordinance (as I &s;hall &s;hew another time) is the Spirits pre&s;ence and power from on high, this was the fir&s;t Go&s;pel-Ordinance, the Bapti&s;m of the Spirit and of Fire, for the appearance of the Spirit was on every Ordinance of the Go&s;pel,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 1.4, 5. Acts 2.38. Acts 8.6, 28.</NOTE> in water-Bapti&s;m, there was the promi&s;e of the gift of the Spirit, and the power of the Spirit in &s;ome vi&s;ible gifts appeared with every one
<PB N="11" REF="7">that did baptize in breaking of bread,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.13. 1 Cor. 14, 15. 2 Pet. 1.12.</NOTE> they dranke into one Spirit, they did &s;ing in the Spirit, pray in the Spi|rit, preach the Go&s;pel with the holy Spirit &s;ent down from heaven; yea, in truth, all outward Ordinances of the Go&s;pel were but the Ordinances of man, though appointed by God, the appearance and power of the Spirit was the Ordinance of God, but <HI>what profit</HI> (&s;ay the Prie&s;ts) <HI>is it that we have kept thine Ordinances,</HI> waited on the Spirit, there's no profit in this.</P>
<P>Truly, the Spirits pre&s;ence was more waited on, and the Saints in <HI>Wales</HI> were far more &s;piritual before their Church-fellow&s;hip, more &s;imple-hearted, &s;incere, &s;elf-denying, and dying to the world, yea, though they walkt in Ordinances, there was no talk then of Ordinances, they were dead unto them (it being the worlds Reli|gion) the Saints were all drawn up to the Spirit, which made them to be &s;coft of the world, which now they follow in their principles, practice, and de&s;ire of profit? <HI>What profit &s;ay they?</HI> Oh, there is no profit in the Spi|rits pre&s;ence in the Ordinance of God; the power of men, the Ordinance for Tithes, and maintenance for Mini&s;ters hath more profit with it.</P>
<P>Well Friends, you mu&s;t &s;hortly walk in black, and mournfully with your Forefathers, the Prelates and Pres|byters, becau&s;e you follow their &s;teps in the height of your Spirits, and lowne&s;s of your walkings, in your worldly de&s;igns, in your de&s;ires for profit, your tithes, augmentations, con&s;olidations, Church offerings and &s;uch things, unheard of in Go&s;pel-times, yea, it was a &s;trange language to latter dayes.</P>
<P>But how doe the Prie&s;ts <HI>rob God in tithes and offerings?</HI> the people rather &s;hould be &s;aid to rob the Prie&s;ts in this, and yet it is proved before that all was &s;poken of the Prie&s;ts, <HI>they rob God in Tithes.</HI></P>
<P>Certainly there's a My&s;tery in this (as in all other legall expre&s;&s;ions (<HI>Mal.</HI> 1.11. <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 66.23.) For as Gods <HI>Tith or tenth</HI> is that &s;mall remnant of his people
<PB N="12" REF="8">re&s;erved from the Churches Apo&s;ta&s;ie, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 6.13. <HI>In it &s;hall be the tenth,</HI> &amp;c. So the <HI>Lords offerings</HI> is all the <HI>people of the land: Bring yee all the Tithes into my &s;torehou&s;e that there may be meat in mine hou&s;e, Mal.</HI> 3.10. The Lords Hou&s;e is of a larger building then the gathered Churches have &s;et up, as you may &s;ee <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 66.19, 20. Where many Nations, yea, &s;trange and &s;avage people are brought into the hou&s;e of God, who (I beleive) in his due time will gather the&s;e three Nations into one Church, (as the fir&s;t fruits of his glory and fame to the world)</P>
<P>So then the <HI>whole Nation</HI> is the <HI>Lords offering,</HI> a Nation to be offred unto God. God is now rob'd of this offering by our Go&s;pel-Prie&s;ts, not onely the Tithes, the &s;cattered Saints, but the Nation, even the Lords offering God is robbed of by the gathered Churches and their Prie&s;ts.</P>
<P>For &s;o it is clearer expre&s;t by <HI>Malachy,</HI> c. 3. v. 9. <HI>Ye are cur&s;ed with a cur&s;e, for yee have robbed me, even this whole Nation,</HI> not that the whole Nation did rob God, as the words &s;eem to import, but taking away the word [even] not in the Hebrew, the &s;ence is clear, <HI>ye have robbed me this whole Nation;</HI> that is, as <HI>[God with us]</HI> is the Nations Motto, &s;o God in the Nation, or the whole Nation, as the offering or people of God, the Independent Churches will not own, though the Pres|byters in this are of a better judgement, who profe&s;&s;e the Nation to be in Covenant with God, and his peo|ple, and upon this account baptize all their children, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>But &s;ure 'tis a truth not onely in the My&s;terie, but in the Hi&s;torie or Letter, The Prie&s;ts in Tithes and Of|ferings doe <HI>rob the whole Nation,</HI> for the Nation is even ruined by the oppre&s;&s;ion thereof, Therefore our Go|&s;pel-Prie&s;ts, who by the power of the &s;word take up their Tithes, or other wayes force a maintenance from the people, are called thieves and robbers by God.</P>
<PB N="13" REF="8">
<P>Oh how &s;ecretly and &s;uddenly is the day of the Lord, or the Lords day &s;tollen upon the Churches of <HI>Wales,</HI> Chri&s;t being come as a Theif in the night to &s;poil them of all their glory and honour, yea, their goodne&s;s is quite gone, and carried away into captivity.</P>
<P>For how hath <HI>God prophaned the Princes of the Sanctu|ary,</HI> or <HI>the holy Princes,</HI> as the Hebrew reads.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 43.28.</NOTE> The <HI>ho|ly Princes</HI> in Church and Commonwealth are not onely become <HI>prophane,</HI> covetous, cruel, cunning for bloud, but they are prophaned by God, this the <HI>holy Princes</HI> will not hear that God &s;hould prophane any man, but now they may learn by experience, and be made to cry at la&s;t; <HI>Lord, why ha&s;t thou made us to erre from thy wayes, and hardned our hearts from thy fear,?</HI> I&s;ai. 63.17.</P>
<P>Oh what prophane&s;&s;e is this, that the holy Princes &s;hould be not onely proud, peevi&s;h, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but thieves and robbers in the way, to rob the whole Nation,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 43.28.</NOTE> to rob God and man at once?</P>
<P>No wonder, <HI>God doth give Jacob to the cur&s;e, and I&s;rael to reproaches:</HI> This is wor&s;e then hanging it &s;elf to have the cur&s;e of God, and the contempt of man; truly it is far from my temper to reproach any man, much le&s;&s;e the people of God, but if God &s;hall give them to the reproach and the cur&s;e, what man can help it.</P>
<P><HI>I will &s;end a cur&s;e upon you, and cur&s;e your ble&s;&s;ings, yea, I have cur&s;ed them already, becau&s;e ye have not laid it to heart,</HI> Mal. 2.2. <HI>Behold I will corrupt your &s;eed,</HI> (or as the Margent reads, <HI>I will reprove your &s;eed,</HI> and not onely the Word you preach, but the tithe-corn you gather for pay, and the tithe of your cattle too, <HI>I will &s;pread their dung on your faces, and the dung of your &s;olemn fea&s;ts, and thanksgiving dayes,</HI> when ye look up to ble&s;s my Name, <HI>I will &s;pread dung on your faces,</HI> v. 3.</P>
<P>And then it followes <HI>one &s;hall take you away with it, v.</HI> 3. One, Who is that? Sure there needs not the &s;trength of many, but <HI>one</HI> man, yea, a babe in Chri&s;t can take away the Church with the Prie&s;t from their &s;et|led
<PB N="14" REF="9">places. How ea&s;ie is it for <HI>one,</HI> for a very child, with his little finger to pu&s;h down all the Churches in <HI>Wales,</HI> being fallen already by their own divi&s;ions and defile|ments in wor&s;hip, and in their walkings al&s;o, their wrath, worldline&s;s, and which is wor&s;e, the thing of Tithes, wherewith they have foul'd their fingers.</P>
<P><HI>Yee are departed out of the way, yee have cau&s;ed many to &s;tumble at the Law, (or in the Law) yee have corrupted the covenant of</HI> Levi, <HI>v.</HI> 8. Whats the Covenant of <HI>Levi?</HI> Oh to live in the Lord alone, to look for maintenance from him onely, no other maintenance but him&s;elf, for he was <HI>Levies</HI> portion.</P>
<P>Thus it was with <HI>Levi,</HI> and the Prie&s;ts of old under the Law, the other Tribes had portions in the land, but the Lord God alone was <HI>Levies</HI> portion, and yet his al|lowance was from all, &s;o <HI>Levi</HI> wanted nothing, though he had no portion but the Lord. Thus 'twas with the Apo&s;tles and Primitive preachers of the Go&s;pel,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 22.35.</NOTE> they went forth <HI>without &s;crip or &s;ilver in their pur&s;es,</HI> yet they <HI>wanted nothing,</HI> and having <HI>nothing, they po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed all things,</HI> 2 Cor. 6.10.</P>
<P>But our Go&s;pel-Prie&s;ts mu&s;t have portions in the Land,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 2.9.</NOTE> or pay in their hand, el&s;e they will not preach: Therefore &s;aith God, <HI>I have made you contemptible and ba&s;e before all the people.</HI> Truly Sir, as I was forcibly carried forth to &s;peak at fir&s;t, &s;o now to write my la&s;t, which I pray receive as the words of a dying man, de|&s;iring to dye to all things below God to my own life and livelihood.</P>
<P>Others preach for a hundred pound a year, I have now preached to lo&s;e it, in which indeed I have found my life, and a better livelihood in the Lord, who hath promi&s;ed that he will not <HI>leave me, nor for&s;ake me,</HI> Hebr. 13. And truly you may beleeve me, I have more con|tent, quietne&s;&s;e, comfort in my pre&s;ent lo&s;&s;e, and low e&s;tate,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. 5.7.</NOTE> then in all my gainfull Tithes.</P>
<P>I then laboured to be rich, I now learn to bee poor,
<PB N="15" REF="9">to be Independent indeed, to <HI>depend on no man,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Micah 5.7.</NOTE> <HI>not to wait on men, nor the &s;ounes of men,</HI> but on the mercifull providence and di&s;po&s;e of God for my abode and be|ing. Thus &s;aith the Lord God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 49.11.</NOTE> <HI>Leave thy fatherle&s;&s;e children, and I will pre&s;erve them alive, and let thy widdows tru&s;t in me,</HI> my children are now fatherle&s;&s;e, and my wife a widdow, but God will be a father to them and a husband to her, yea, her Phy&s;itian al&s;o according to promi&s;e, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 58.6, 7, 8. But all men are my fle&s;h al&s;o, and becau&s;e I would not <HI>hide my &s;elf</HI> from them,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 58.7.</NOTE> I had it once in my thoughts to take this hundred pound at pre&s;ent, and to give it as a publike &s;tock for the poor of <HI>Cardiffe.</HI></P>
<P>It was pre&s;ently an&s;wered unto me,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 61.8.</NOTE> <HI>I hate robbery for burnt offerings,</HI> &amp;c. God will &s;hortly provide for the poor, though Man will not: Yea, men &s;hall at la&s;t, whether they will or no, when God &s;hall ap|pear in them as fire to burn up all their fulne&s;&s;e, when <HI>the ru&s;t of their &s;ilver &s;hall eat up their fle&s;h as fire,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames 5.3. I&s;ai. 2.20.</NOTE> when they &s;hall <HI>ca&s;t their Idols of &s;ilver and gold to the Moles and the Batts,</HI> who lye now in the du&s;t, and flie in the dark. La&s;tly, In the day of wrath,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 7.19.</NOTE> when they &s;hall ca&s;t their &s;ilver in the Streets, then God will find a way to feed the <HI>poor out of the bellies of the rich,</HI> who &s;hall not onely make re&s;titution accord|ing to their &s;ub&s;tance, but &s;hall vomit up all that they have &s;wallowed, yea, it is a wonder, <HI>their chil|dren &s;hall &s;eek to plea&s;e the poor,</HI> and re&s;tore all their goods, <HI>Job</HI> 20.10, 15, 18. compared; I am waiting for the fulfilling of his Word, which God will ha&s;ten this in his due time, in mean while, I can but pitie the poor, and the rich al&s;o, even the great Oppre&s;&s;or, who&s;e plague is coming, I have no more to &s;ay, but to a&s;&s;ure you that I am in truth:</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Sir,</SALUTE> <SIGNED>Your much ingaged Friend and Servant in the Lord, <HI>WILLIAM ERBERIE.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="10">
<PB REF="10" MS="y">
<P>THE Sword Doubled To cut off both the RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED;</P>
<P>Drawn forth in two following Di&s;cour&s;es, By WILLIAM ERBERIE.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>ISAIA<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> 31.4.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Thus hath the Lord &s;poken unto me, like as the Lyon and the young Lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of Shepherds is called forth again&s;t him, he will not be afraid of their voyce, nor aba&s;e him&s;elf for the noi&s;e of them; So &s;hall the Lord of Ho&s;ts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the bill-thereof.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>G. D.</HI> for <HI>Giles Calvert,</HI> and are to be &s;old at the Sign of the Black Spread-Eagle at the We&s;t End of <HI>Pauls,</HI> 1652.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="11">
<PB N="19" REF="11">
<HEAD>To the Independent Pa&s;tors and Teachers in <HI>Wales,</HI> and in <HI>England</HI> al&s;o.</HEAD>
<P>_THE great de&s;ign that <HI>God hath to doe</HI> this day is to <HI>undoe man,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zeph. 3.19. Hag. 2.22.</NOTE> and the migh|ty ones of the earth <HI>by dividing and de|&s;troying</HI> that oppre&s;&s;ive power upon the <HI>&s;tates and &s;pirits of men,</HI> that the <HI>outward and inward man</HI> may have deli|verance at la&s;t, and perfect liberty to <HI>&s;erve the Lord in holine&s;s and righteou&s;ne&s;s before him without fear all the dayes of our life.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 1.75.</NOTE> This was the end of <HI>Chri&s;ts fir&s;t coming in the fle&s;h,</HI> and of his &s;econd <HI>in the Spirit,</HI> by which as <HI>the man of &s;in,</HI> the <HI>great whore Babylon</HI> mu&s;t be de&s;troyed: &s;o divided <HI>into three parts,</HI> as in the &s;laugh|ter of <HI>Midian,</HI> by the <HI>annointing</HI> by the Spirit of the Lord, or God manife&s;t in our fle&s;h, by whom all <HI>yokes</HI> and burthens are removed, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 10.26, 27.</P>
<P>Now <HI>Babylon</HI> or the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> being the <HI>great Oppre&s;|&s;or</HI> in <HI>Church</HI> and <HI>Common wealth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 17.3.</NOTE> in the <HI>Civill</HI> and <HI>Ec|cle&s;ia&s;tick e&s;tate</HI> (for the <HI>Bea&s;t</HI> carries the <HI>Whore</HI>) both mu&s;t be broken, as all the Prophets, and <HI>John</HI> the la&s;t doth prophe&s;ie: <HI>Babylon is fallen, is fallen,</HI> and a third fall wee &s;hall &s;ee anon. <HI>How hath the Oppre&s;&s;er fallen,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;aiah 14.4.</NOTE> <HI>the golden citie, the Lord hath broken the &s;taffe of the wic|ked, and the rod of the Rulers:</HI> The rod of Oppre&s;&s;i|on appears not to men, but in the civil e&s;tate, and the &s;taffe of the wicked there, but we &s;hall find it more in the rulers or ruling Elders of Churches, we lookt for
<PB N="20" REF="12">the wicked onely in the world,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 7.10, 11</NOTE> but &s;ince the rod is bud|ded, pride hath blo&s;&s;omed, and <HI>wickedne&s;&s;e is grown up co a rod;</HI> the wicked may be found in the Church, in <HI>I&s;rael</HI> it &s;elf: The Church I call now the people of God, in Church fellow&s;hip or not; but as <HI>among my people, &s;aith God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 5.26.</NOTE> <HI>are found wicked men, who &s;urpa&s;&s;e the deeds</HI> of the wicked: &s;o &s;ince God hath <HI>prophaned the Princes of the Sanctuary,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;al. 43.26.</NOTE> <HI>or the holy Princes,</HI> as I &s;aid before; there are principall men among the people of God, for whom the Prophet mu&s;t cry and howle, becau&s;e <HI>the Sword is drawn forth both again&s;t the righteous and the wicked,</HI> Ezek. 21 3. And <HI>again&s;t all the Princes of I&s;rael,</HI> ver&s;e 12. Yea, the Sword is doubled the third time, the <HI>Sword of the great men, which enters into their privy Chambers,</HI> (or clo&s;e&s;t Councels) <HI>and the point of the Sword is &s;et again&s;t their gates,</HI> (or Governments) that <HI>their hearts may faint, and their ruines be multiplied, ah it is made bright, and wrapt for &s;laughter,</HI> ver&s;e 14, 15.</P>
<P>But among <HI>all the holy Princes</HI> there is one e&s;pecially whom the Lord calls upon, <HI>Thou prophane wicked Prince, who&s;e day is come, when iniquity &s;hall have an end,</HI> ver&s;e 25. <HI>Remove the Diadem, take off the Crown, this &s;hall not be the &s;ame, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>As King and Lords had an end, and twice the Sword hath been again&s;t the <HI>Prclatick</HI> and <HI>Presbyterian</HI> party, &s;o the Sword being doubled, <HI>the third time will &s;mite that prophane and wicked Prince,</HI> whatever he be, who is the Oppre&s;&s;or, who is <HI>imperious, proud, peevi&s;h, covetous, cruell and cunning</HI> for bloud; oh the Sword of the Lord will find him out, for 'tis <HI>wrapt for &s;laughter,</HI> 'tis wrapt, I &s;ay, and <HI>&s;ecretly 'twill come forth,</HI> to cut off the man that &s;tands before God, to oppo&s;e <HI>the appearance of God in men,</HI> to oppre&s;&s;e the &s;pirits of men, and the Spirit of God in them, <HI>the Sword of his mouth &s;hall &s;lay him,</HI> 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2.8.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not now meddle with matters of State, nor of &s;ecular men (though the&s;e al&s;o may come under the
<PB N="21" REF="12">King of <HI>Babylon</HI>) but our Lords &s;pirituall are tho&s;e here who are called <HI>the King of</HI> Babylon, <HI>again&s;t whom thou &s;halt take up a Proverb or a taunt, &s;aying, How hath the Oppre&s;&s;or cea&s;ed? The golden City</HI> cea&s;ed, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 14.4.</P>
<P><HI>The golden City</HI> is the mo&s;t glorious Church &s;tate, or the people of God in highe&s;t honour and glory; this <HI>is the golden City,</HI> or (as the <HI>Geneva</HI> reads) the <HI>Gold thir|&s;ting City, the exactre&s;&s;e of Gold,</HI> as the margin notes.</P>
<P>None doe more exact, and more thir&s;t after Silver and Gold this day, then <HI>the people of God in &s;pirituall power,</HI> and therefore no wonder they doe &s;o oppre&s;&s;e both the &s;tates of men, and the &s;pirits of men, yea, the Spirit of God, as may be &s;een at large, <HI>Micah</HI> 2.2, 6, 7. compared with 8, 9, 10. ver&s;es, <HI>Even of late my people is ri&s;en up as an Enemy, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Oh the great Oppre&s;&s;or! how the earth doth rejoyce at the ruine of that man, <HI>who &s;mote the peogle in wrath</HI> with a <HI>continuall &s;troke, that ruled the Nations in anger,</HI> (no|thing of love, mercy, and goodne&s;&s;e to mankind, or the poor, appeared in him) <HI>but he per&s;ecuteth and no man hin|eth,</HI> &s;aith the Prophet, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 14.6, 7, 8.</P>
<P>And as the <HI>whole Earth is merry at his fall,</HI> &s;o <HI>hell from beneath is moved for him, to meet him at his coming it &s;tirs up, the dead, even all the cheif ones of the earth, and all the Kings of the Nations ri&s;e up from their Thrones, they &s;ay, art thou al&s;o weak as we? art thou become like unto us?</HI> ver&s;e 4.10.</P>
<P>What are the <HI>people of God,</HI> and <HI>Princes of I&s;rael the holy Princes, &s;o prophane?</HI> Is the <HI>prophane Prince of I&s;rael &s;o weak?</HI> weak as the imperious whori&s;h woman? <HI>Ezek.</HI> 16.30. Art thou &s;o weak as we? weak in thy pa&s;&s;ions and petti&s;h Spirit? art thou become like unto us, as one of the Kings of <HI>England,</HI> or the Princes of <HI>Wales?</HI> What man would think, that the Church or People of God &s;hould ever come to this, to oppre&s;&s;e both God and man, good and bad at once? But this is naturall to &s;pirituall men in Church formes, yea, to the fle&s;h of the be&s;t
<PB N="18" REF="13">Chri&s;tians,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3.3. Gal. 4.29.</NOTE> who may for a time be very fle&s;hly, and yet the children of God, as <HI>I&s;hmael was Abrahams &s;onne after the fle&s;h, per&s;ecuting him that was born after the Spirit;</HI> yea, Saints by calling may be called carnall, much more <HI>when they are become &s;o wi&s;e after the fle&s;h, &s;o mighty, and &s;o noble,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1.26.</NOTE> which mu&s;t have an Almighty power of the Spirit, to make them fooli&s;h, and weak, and ba&s;e, and nothing, to bring to nought things that are; the great things and Conque&s;ts here attained by the people of God was when they were nothing, now being &s;omething they are overcome by all, and by them&s;elves.</P>
<P>When men doe adore the people of God, and idolize them as <HI>the Gods of the earth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zeph. 2.11.</NOTE> then a thou&s;and to one, <HI>God does befoole and fami&s;h them,</HI> and they fall to be proud, and to oppre&s;s the world, yea, their own Brethren, and their Father al&s;o, even the mo&s;t high God, appearing in lowe&s;t Saints above them in grace, and the knowledge of our Lord, in &s;implicity, in purene&s;&s;e, and peace, and in patience al&s;o.</P>
<P>Well this is the thing that God will <HI>doe with his own,</HI> he will <HI>undoe them,</HI> either by the high di&s;coveries of him|&s;elf in them, as the Prophet was, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 6.1. who came to this, that he &s;aw him&s;elf, though as good as the be&s;t, yet as bad as the wor&s;t, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 3, 5. Or el&s;e he will undoe them, by di&s;covering that without to the world which is within in the heart,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 8.38. Iam. 3.6.</NOTE> what <HI>a plague is</HI> in it? <HI>what a &s;inke and &s;ea of &s;in?</HI> yea, a hell is in the tongue, this the Saints will not &s;ee, but God does, and men &s;hall, when he &s;hall turn their in&s;ide out, their hidden hypocri&s;ie &s;hall appear to all, for they &s;hall openly <HI>practi&s;e hypocri&s;ie,</HI> as men doe gro&s;&s;e prophanene&s;s, for <HI>the vile per&s;on &s;hall be no more called liberall, nor the Churle &s;aid to be bountifull, &amp;c.</HI> I&s;aiah 32.5, 6, 7. &s;ee it.</P>
<P>Alas man, <HI>Thou mai&s;t give all that thou ha&s;t to the poor yet have no love:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 13.3. Tit. 3.4. 1 Ioh. 4.16.</NOTE> Oh belye not the Spirit of God in thee, for <HI>God is love, and good to all mankind,</HI> while thou art a <HI>murtherer</HI> in hating <HI>thy brother, John</HI> 3.15. yea, in not
<PB N="23" REF="13">loving him &s;o as to <HI>lay down thy life for him,</HI> ver&s;e 16. much more in not laying out thy livelihood, and <HI>this worlds good,</HI> ver&s;e 17. not onely for the godly, as they &s;ay, but for any man that needs thee, who is both thy brother and <HI>thine own fle&s;h,</HI> I&s;aiah 58.7.</P>
<P>Nay tis not enough that thou art no Oppre&s;&s;or, as I &s;aid before, but <HI>to loo&s;e the bands of wickedne&s;&s;e,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 58.6.</NOTE> <HI>to undoe the heavy burthens, to let the Oppre&s;&s;ed goe free, and to break every yoak is the duty of love, if there be power in thine bands to doe it.</HI></P>
<P>But when the people of God are &s;ilent, and &s;it &s;till, &s;eeking onely &s;elf, not &s;en&s;ible of the <HI>burthens of the op|pre&s;&s;ed,</HI> of the <HI>Pri&s;oners bands,</HI> nor of <HI>poor families who cry for bread,</HI> how dwelleth the love of God in them, &s;aith <HI>John.</HI></P>
<P>Well, want of love, be&s;ides worldline&s;&s;e, wrath, and that oppre&s;&s;ive power in the Churches,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 49.7. I&s;ai. 19.2. Ier. 51 49.</NOTE> is the cau&s;e why they are &s;o divided among them&s;elves, yea, <HI>God divides them</HI> (as he did <HI>prophane them) he &s;ets Brother again&s;t Bro|ther, Ruler again&s;t Ruler, one ruling Elder again&s;t another.</HI></P>
<P>'Tis Rule and Government the Churches &s;till aime at, therefore they not onely da&s;h one again&s;t another, but are like to de&s;troy that civill Government, and the Go|vernours they depend upon, for &s;ince the Apo&s;tacy, the Churches have ever had a dependance on worldly powers, and undone the powers with them&s;elves, and therefore our pre&s;ent Governours are wi&s;e to beware of men.</P>
<P>But Men, and Mini&s;ters, and Churches, as we &s;ee, are divided this day like <HI>Babylon</HI> into three parts, as we &s;hall &s;hew anon, and &s;o their de&s;truction is of them&s;elves; I &s;ay, they &s;eek for rule, and this ruines them.</P>
<P>Now there is a threefold kind of Government among men <HI>Monarchy, Ari&s;tocracy,</HI> and <HI>Democracy;</HI> the fir&s;t is as of the King, the &s;econd is like that of the Parliament, the pre&s;ent Government &s;ome compare to the third, though it appears not yet, but Parliament and Army have voted
<PB N="24" REF="14">the Supream power to be in the people.</P>
<P>Well, the Churches mu&s;t have power and rule al&s;o, the Prelatick Church was <HI>Monarchicall,</HI> all were ruled by one, by an Arch-Bi&s;hop, the Kingly Power or Pre|rogative fell by that: The Presbyterian Church is an <HI>Ari&s;tocracy,</HI> the Elders or chief of the&s;e govern as 'twere in a Parliament, and Parliamentary priviledges was like to fall by them, if not fallen already: The Inde|pendent, or baptized Churches (both is one) are a pure <HI>Democracy,</HI> for not the ruling men, or Mini&s;ters, but all the Members, have equall power to order and ordain as they profe&s;&s;e, and therefore called Independent, I wi&s;h they were &s;o, but if they have a dependance on the Civill or Martiall power, 'twill be wor&s;e for both, if both be not wi&s;er than former times.</P>
<P>A word to the wi&s;e, 'tis my folly to u&s;e &s;o many to un|der&s;tanding men as the Mini&s;ters are, e&s;peciall Indepen|dents, being men of parts, power, policy, and of piety al|&s;o many; I &s;hall fear none of them, becau&s;e I love them all, and they me, though wrath at pre&s;ent may appear in both, as it doth among them&s;elves ('twas &s;o once be|tween God and his own people of old, a perfect-hatred, <HI>loathing and abhorring one another.</HI>)</P>
<P>Well, the Vials are yet full of the wrath of God, when the&s;e are poured forth, Love will appear, that is, the Lord him&s;elf in us all, who will bring forth light out of dark|ne&s;&s;e, and love out of our divi&s;ions: And as he <HI>in wrath remembers mercy,</HI> &s;o in much love, I pray you, remember</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your, <HI>WILLIAM ERBERIE.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<PB N="25" REF="14">
<HEAD>A Scourge for the A&s;&s;yrian, the great OPPRESSOR:</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>ZACH 11.8.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Three Shepherds I cut off in one moneth, my &s;oul loathed them, and their &s;oul abhorred me: <HI>That is, the glo|rious Appearance of the great God in men, is mo&s;t abhorred by &s;eeming godly men, and Mini&s;ters, or</HI> three Shepherds, <HI>whom God therefore loathes, and hates all</HI> their performances, as they hate his ap|pearance; <HI>the hatred of both is perfect,</HI> for his &s;oul loathes them, and their &s;oul abhorreth him.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_AS Chri&s;t is the <HI>glory of the Father,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1.1.3. Iohn 14.10. Ioh. 15.23, 24 I&s;ai. 8.18. Hebr. 2.12, 13 compared.</NOTE> the appearance of God, or <HI>God manife&s;t in fle&s;h;</HI> &s;o <HI>God</HI> in <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> the <HI>Father in him,</HI> was that which was mo&s;t hated by the <HI>Church of the Jews,</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;t in us;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 14.11 Eph. 5.30. Heb. 2.11. compared.</NOTE> Chri&s;t in the Church is abhor|red by the <HI>Chri&s;tian Churches;</HI> who not knowing the <HI>Deity</HI> nor the <HI>humanity</HI> of Chri&s;t in|deed, will not acknowledge the <HI>Father</HI> to be the <HI>God|head of Chri&s;t,</HI> nor his <HI>brethren to be his humanitie,</HI> in whom the fulne&s;&s;e of the Godhead is &s;o embodyed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.12. Eph. 4.13. compared.</NOTE> that he being the <HI>head,</HI> and they the <HI>members,</HI> they and he make <HI>one perfect man,</HI> in whom God appears to be <HI>all in all,</HI> 1 Cor. 15.28.</P>
<P>This <HI>My&s;terie of God, even the Father,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col 2.2.</NOTE> <HI>and of Chri&s;t</HI> is
<PB N="26" REF="15">therefore abhorred by the <HI>&s;hepherds,</HI> or Pa&s;tors of Churches,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 1.16. Eph. 1.17. Col. 1.27. compared.</NOTE> becau&s;e they knew not the <HI>Father</HI> in the Son, nor the <HI>Son</HI> in the Saints, nor the <HI>Spirit</HI> in both, which would reveal <HI>this glory in them,</HI> God in their Fle&s;h, that is <HI>Chri&s;t in us the hope of glory,</HI> which now they <HI>hate and abher,</HI> not having higher di&s;coveries of God, then what they have read in traditional forms of <HI>do|ctrine received,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.8.</NOTE>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 1.17. 1 Ioh. 1.1. Rom. 9 1. Heb. 1.3.8. Col. 1.15.13 Col. 2.9. compared.</NOTE> <HI>and invented by men.</HI></P>
<P>For as the Father is <HI>the invi&s;ible God</HI> inhabiting eter|nitie, &s;o Chri&s;t is <HI>God vi&s;ible,</HI> the Image or out-goings of God, the glory of the Father (in fle&s;h) the appearance of God, (as I &s;aid) or <HI>God manife&s;t in fle&s;h,</HI> who in the &s;pi|rit was from the beginning, and will be to the end, though this <HI>my&s;tery of Chri&s;t</HI> was not manife&s;ted to men till the <HI>fulne&s;s of time,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 9, 6. Ioh. 5.19, 20, 30. Iohn 8.28. Iohn 14.10 compared. 2 Cor. 13.4. 1 Pet. 1.21. P&s;al. 68.1. P&s;al. 68.18. Eph. 4.10. Ioh. 16.28. Iohn 17.8.</NOTE> when the <HI>mighty God, the everla&s;ting Father</HI> appeared in fle&s;h, taken of a Virgin, then the <HI>Son was born,</HI> for God was brought forth in fle&s;h, and was manife&s;t in fle&s;h <HI>by mighty works and words which he &s;pake and did,</HI> while he lived in the dayes of his fle&s;h, but in his death, <HI>God crucified that fle&s;h to him&s;elf,</HI> which af|terward <HI>he rai&s;ed to glory, God ri&s;ing</HI> or revealing him&s;elf gloriou&s;ly therein, then God <HI>a&s;cended up on high,</HI> that is, <HI>God in fle&s;h</HI> did a&s;cend not onely to <HI>heaven,</HI> but far <HI>a|bove all heavens,</HI> into his own <HI>eternall abi&s;&s;e, and incom|prehen&s;ible being, and unacce&s;&s;ible light,</HI> whence the <HI>bright|ne&s;&s;e of his glory proceeded,</HI> and came <HI>forth in fle&s;h</HI> in the fulne&s;s of time, as we &s;aid before.</P>
<P>But this My&s;terie was not <HI>made known nor manfe&s;ted</HI> to the <HI>Sons</HI> of <HI>men,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 3.5.</NOTE> till God who <HI>a&s;cended up in fle&s;h,</HI> &s;ent down the <HI>Spirit from on high,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 68.18. Eph. 4.8.</NOTE> when he not onely <HI>recei|ved gifts for men,</HI> or as Hebrew reads, <HI>received gifts in the man, but gave gifts unto men;</HI> that is, the &s;ame Spirit and power of God, dwelling in the fle&s;h of Chri&s;t, ap|peared in the Church which is called Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.12. becau&s;e the <HI>Son</HI> was <HI>revealed,</HI> or known in the Saints, and they in the <HI>Son,</HI> and <HI>both in the Father,</HI> all perfect in one; for which cau&s;e the Spirit is called the
<PB N="27" REF="15"><HI>promi&s;e of the Father,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 1.4. Rom. 8.25.17</NOTE> and the <HI>Spirit of the Son</HI> in the Saints <HI>cryed, Abba Father,</HI> God being a Father to them as to him, his God and theirs. For though the Spirit be called the Spirit of the Son, yet he received and &s;ent it from the Father, therefore the Spirit is &s;aid to <HI>proceed</HI> onely from the <HI>Father,</HI> &amp;c. it is the <HI>promi&s;e of the Father,</HI> the power of God from on high, which the Saints received from and with the Son, they being Sons and coheirs with him, <HI>Joh.</HI> 15.26. This My&s;tery of Chri&s;t though once <HI>manife&s;ted to the Apo&s;tles and Pri|mitive Saints by the Spirit,</HI> and &s;ince &s;hut up as a <HI>&s;ealed book</HI> by the apo&s;ta&s;ie or &s;pirit of Antichri&s;t in the Churches, yet the <HI>book will be open, the my&s;tery will be ma|nife&s;t again, for the my&s;tery of God &s;hall be fini&s;hed,</HI> and fully known at la&s;t, <HI>Rev.</HI> 10.7.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 1.4. Rev. 2.8.</NOTE> But as Chri&s;t is <HI>the fir&s;t</HI> and <HI>the la&s;t,</HI> he who <HI>was, is, and is to come,</HI> of Chri&s;t <HI>was</HI> vayled in the Law, and <HI>is</HI> revelaed in the Go&s;pel, (though but in part) the full Revelation of Chri&s;t Je|&s;us is <HI>to come,</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t the <HI>&s;ame ye&s;terday, and to day, and for ever,</HI> not Chri&s;t after the fle&s;h, for that was not till <HI>the fulne&s;s of time,</HI> but Chri&s;t in the Spirit,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.8.</NOTE> <HI>God manife&s;t in fle&s;h,</HI> was both <HI>ye&s;terday</HI> under the Law, and in the <HI>day</HI> of Go&s;pel-di&s;pen&s;ation, and in the third di&s;|pen&s;ation now approaching, he will abide <HI>for ever.</HI></P>
<P>There was a change indeed from Law to Go&s;pel, when the Spirit of Chri&s;t fir&s;t came into the Church; the &s;tate of the Go&s;pel changed al&s;o, when the <HI>Spirit</HI> of <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> came in power, and the Churches fell by the Apo&s;ta&s;ie; when Chri&s;t &s;hall come the &s;econd time <HI>in &s;pirit and glory, time &s;hall be no more,</HI> no more change of things &s;hall be, for <HI>all things and times &s;hall appear in eternity,</HI> which is the third di&s;pen&s;ation, as the fir&s;t was <HI>ye&s;terday,</HI> the &s;econd to <HI>day,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 10 6, 7.</NOTE> &s;o the third is to be <HI>for ever.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hall not now &s;peak at large of this third <HI>di&s;pen&s;ati|on,</HI> onely as <HI>God is both Father, Son, and Spirit;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 5.7.</NOTE> So God being manfe&s;t to his people in this threefold di&s;covery
<PB N="28" REF="16">of him&s;elf, declares the <HI>third di&s;pen&s;ation,</HI> a third di&s;co|verie of him&s;elf unto them, and in them.</P>
<P>God <HI>under the Law</HI> and to the Fathers before was known as <HI>the Father.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32.6. Rom. 1.9. Rev. 22.17.</NOTE> In <HI>the Go&s;pel</HI> God was known, as <HI>the &s;on,</HI> or the knowledge of the Son was peculiar to the Go&s;pel-di&s;pen&s;ation. The third will be <HI>pure Spirit,</HI> when nothing but Spirit and power &s;hall appear, when God &s;hall be all in all: For although Go&s;pel-believers were baptized into the name of Father, Son and Spirit, yet what they po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed was but <HI>the fir&s;t fruits of the Spirit,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.23.</NOTE> there will be a full harve&s;t, flouds, and <HI>Rivers of waters of life which no man can pa&s;&s;e over,</HI> when the <HI>earth &s;hall be full of the knowledge of the Lord</HI> (or as another Prophet adds) <HI>full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 47.5. I&s;ai. 11.9. Hab. 1.14. Zach. 14.8. Rev. 22.1. compared.</NOTE> <HI>as the waters cover the Sea,</HI> I&s;ai. 11.9. <HI>Hab.</HI> 2.14. There the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb, God even the Father, and Chri&s;t the Fathers glory &s;hall be fully known by men;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 21.22. Rev. 22.4.</NOTE> For as <HI>Chri&s;t is the appearance of God,</HI> &s;o when <HI>God &s;hall appear in men</HI> they &s;hall know how Chri&s;t <HI>was</HI> under the Law, and as he <HI>is</HI> in the Go&s;pel, and will be the &s;ame <HI>for ever.</HI></P>
<P>All that I know at pre&s;ent of Chri&s;t is this, he was under the Law in <HI>Forms:</HI> In the Go&s;pel hee appeared in <HI>Fle&s;h;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 2.13. Heb. 9.28.</NOTE> he will appear wholly <HI>in Spirit,</HI> in Spirit one|ly the <HI>appecarance of the great GOD and Saviour &s;hall be,</HI> and yet <HI>manife&s;t in the fle&s;h of men,</HI> that is, all the tran&s;actions of God, or all that God did in the fle&s;h of Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 12.5. Rev. 11.8, 11, 12. 1 Cor. 6.2, 3. Obad. 21. compared.</NOTE> &s;hall vi&s;ibly appear in the fle&s;h of men; the birth of Chri&s;t, his life, death, re&s;urrection, and a&s;cention &s;hall be &s;een in us, men &s;hall &s;ee us <HI>a&s;cend in a cloud,</HI> to &s;it in heaven to <HI>judge the world and Angels,</HI> and to bee <HI>Saviours of men in mount Zion at la&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>For the <HI>Lamb &s;hall bee in mount Zion, and with him we &s;hall be,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 14.1.</NOTE> <HI>having his Fathers name on our foreheads,</HI> that's the full di&s;covery of God in us, and men &s;hall &s;ee God, even the Father in us with Chri&s;t, &s;o cleerly manife&s;t as <HI>written on our foreheads.</HI></P>
<PB N="29" REF="16">
<P><HI>Mount Sion</HI> is not an outward Church-&s;tate, as the Churches now imagine, and call them&s;elves, though they be indeed the <HI>daughter of Babylon;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 2.7.</NOTE> but <HI>Zion is</HI> the <HI>&s;tate of all the Saints in the Spirit as they are in God, and God in them:</HI> For as <HI>Zion</HI> was the place where God dwelt; &s;o all the Saints from the beginning of the world have been &s;till waiting for this, for the full di&s;coverie of God in them. <HI>Glorious things were &s;poken of Zion,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 87.3.</NOTE> and the people of God both under the law, and in Go&s;pel|di&s;pen&s;ation were &s;till going on <HI>from &s;trength to &s;trength,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 84.7.</NOTE> <HI>till every one of them appears in Zion before God.</HI> Every one appears at la&s;t in Zion, <HI>Rev,</HI> 14.1. not onely the <HI>hundred and four&s;core and four thou&s;and,</HI> who go before, and are the fir&s;t fruits unto God, <HI>v.</HI> 4. but a number|le&s;s company of men, (<HI>who&s;e voyce was as many waters, and as a mighty thunder,</HI> ver&s;. 2. For as the hundred four&s;core and four thou&s;and is the ju&s;t number of the &s;ealed ones. <HI>Rev.</HI> 7 4. &s;elected out of the twelve Tribes, who were fir&s;t called the <HI>Church and people of God,</HI> typi|fying tho&s;e in the la&s;t dayes who &s;hall be <HI>redeemed from men, and the fir&s;t fruits unto God,</HI> as we &s;aid before; &s;o afterward there will be a company of people called to God whom no man can number, <HI>Rev.</HI> 7.9. But the&s;e come to <HI>Zion through great tribulation, through the bloud of the Lamb in them,</HI> v. 14. that is, through much &s;uffe|ring, through the <HI>fellow&s;hip of Chri&s;ts &s;uffering, and con|formity to his death</HI> they come to ri&s;e, and raign with him, having <HI>palms in their hauds;</HI> that life of Go&s;pel-Saints which was <HI>hid with Chri&s;t in God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3.3.</NOTE> &s;hall appear in God, and the life of God &s;hall appear in the Saints at la&s;t, thus Chri&s;t <HI>their life &s;hall appear in them with glory.</HI></P>
<P>This glorious appearing of the great God, ri&s;ing up in higher di&s;coveries of him&s;elf in men, is that which hath been ever mo&s;t oppo&s;ed and per&s;ecuted; I &s;peak not now of the times under the Law, nor Go&s;pel, nor yet of former appearances, &s;ince the Apo&s;ta&s;ie. But
<PB N="30" REF="17">to goe no further then our own age, what we have heard and &s;een: How was the appearance of God in the Fir&s;t Reformers, yea, in our Prelates and Bi&s;hops per|&s;ecuted as here&s;ie by the Popi&s;h Hierarchie! Next the hone&s;t Presbyters or Puritans how were they oppo&s;ed by the &s;ame Prelates, who &s;uffered before? Thirdly, the&s;e Presbyterians formerly them&s;elves in a &s;uffering condition, per&s;ecuted the appearance of God in tho&s;e of higher forms and fellow&s;hips, as the Independent Churches; and the&s;e likewi&s;e are ready to oppo&s;e and per&s;ecute the &s;pirits of the Saints, who in wor&s;hip and doctrine are of higher di&s;coveries then them&s;elves.</P>
<P>The doctrine of <HI>God and of Chri&s;t</HI> for &s;ub&s;tance is the &s;ame in all the Saints, though their apprehen&s;ions dif|fer, or are divers rather. And who is ignorant of this, that the appearances of God in one man, hath not been the &s;ame as it was formerly in him&s;elf? and yet all have been going on from <HI>&s;trength to &s;trength,</HI> at lea&s;t in their de&s;ires and aimes toward Zion.</P>
<P>Though I am but a child in underdanding, and in yeares al&s;o to &s;ome of our Elders, yet here I ob&s;erved four great &s;teps of Gods glorious appearance in mens preaching.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, how low and legall were their teachings, as they learnt the way of preaching from Mr. <HI>Perkins, Bolton, Byfield, Dod,</HI> and <HI>Dike,</HI> mo&s;t ble&s;&s;ed in their ge|neration, by whom, and &s;uch conforming Mini&s;ters, more men were converted to God, then ever &s;ince in any period of time.</P>
<P>Next the Doctrine of free Grace came forth, but with le&s;&s;e &s;ucce&s;&s;e or fruit of conver&s;ion, by Dr. <HI>Pre&s;ton, Sibs, Cri&s;pe,</HI> yet many before converted were confirmed and comforted by their words.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the letter of Scripture, and the fle&s;h of Chri&s;t hath been highly &s;et up by both the famous <HI>Goodwins,</HI> the one, Ma&s;ter <HI>John Goodwin</HI> like <HI>Apollos</HI> being migh|ty in Scriptures and &s;trength of rea&s;on; the other ex|cels
<PB N="31" REF="17">in &s;pirituall di&s;cour&s;es of Chri&s;ts death, re&s;ur|rection, a&s;cen&s;ion, and interce&s;&s;ion, yet much accord|ing to the fle&s;h; for he meddles not with the My&s;tery of Chri&s;t in us, of his dying in us (as Mr. <HI>Dell</HI> in part di&s;covers) but all of Chri&s;t without us, which though a truth, yet not the whole truth, nor that &s;pirit and truth which Chri&s;t &s;pake of;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 6.63. 2 Cor. 3.6.18.</NOTE> for <HI>as the fle&s;h profiteth nothing, but the quickning &s;pirit that dwelt therein;</HI> &s;o the the Apo&s;tles had a <HI>mini&s;tery of the &s;pirit</HI> to carry men through the fle&s;h of Chri&s;t into the Father, that eter|nall Spirit dwelling in him and them, and &s;o to draw them up into the &s;ame fellow&s;hip with him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Again this good man &s;peakes much of Chri&s;t in the fle&s;h, not as <HI>he is in the Father, and we in him, and be in us,</HI> which is the &s;um of our &s;piritual knowledge, and all we &s;hould know of Chri&s;t after his A&s;cen&s;ion, <HI>Joh.</HI> 14.20.</P>
<P>Thirdly, he brings us no further then to the <HI>vail of his fle&s;h,</HI> not <HI>through it into the holy of holie&s;t,</HI> into the God|head it &s;elf, that is, into the Father, for Chri&s;t was but our fore-runner, <HI>Hebr.</HI> 6.19, 20.</P>
<P>Fourthly, though the vail of <HI>his fle&s;h</HI> be <HI>a new and li|ving way into the holie&s;t,</HI> yet not that fle&s;h as <HI>living,</HI> but as dead and <HI>crucified, became the living way, Heb.</HI> 10.20. (as with God) I &s;hall &s;hew another time.</P>
<P>Fifthly, that worthy man brings men to the <HI>way,</HI> but not to the <HI>Truth and Life:</HI> Now Chri&s;t was all, Fir&s;t, the <HI>way, for no man cometh to the Father, but by me,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 14.6.</NOTE> now 'tis a vain thing to keep men &s;till in the way, to &s;tand &s;till in the way, and not to goe on by Chri&s;t into the Father, <HI>into the holie&s;t,</HI> and thus was Chri&s;t <HI>the Truth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 14.3.</NOTE> al&s;o <HI>taking us into the Father with him&s;elf,</HI> for as this was <HI>eter|nall life to know the Father to be the onely true God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 17.3.</NOTE> <HI>and Je|&s;us Chri&s;t whom he hath &s;ent:</HI> &s;o Chri&s;t was &s;ent, or God even the Father was manife&s;t in his fle&s;h, that <HI>we might &s;ee God in us, as he was in him,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 17.21, 23, 24.</NOTE> <HI>and our life with him in God:</HI> La&s;tly, thus <HI>Chri&s;t is the life,</HI> and thus he that
<PB N="32" REF="18">hath the Son hath life, that is, the Son being once re|vealed in us, reveals the Father in us al&s;o, God in our fle&s;h as in his, and we living with him in God alone, <HI>Joh.</HI> 14.19, 20. 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 5.11, 12.</P>
<P>This is the knowledge of Chri&s;t in the Spirit, and this is the fourth &s;tep which &s;ome have attained to, holding forth Chri&s;t in the Spirit, as Mr. <HI>Sedgwick,</HI> Mr. <HI>Sterrie,</HI> Mr. <HI>Sprig</HI> and others, the&s;e with their fellows are nee|re&s;t Zion, yet are they not come into it; for as every Prophet &s;hall one day <HI>be a&s;hamed of his vi&s;ion;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 13.4.</NOTE> yea, pro|phe&s;ie it &s;elf &s;hall fail: So it is manife&s;t the&s;e men are of a <HI>dark and deeper &s;peech then can be ea&s;ily under&s;tood,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 33.19.</NOTE> therefore it is not Zion, when there &s;hall be &s;uch a glo|rious appearance of God in men, that all &s;hall &s;ee and hear him in them, and as they <HI>&s;hall &s;ee eye to eye, when the Lord &s;hall bring again</HI> Zion,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 52.8.</NOTE> (or bring forth him&s;elf cleerly in us, who are now in captivity, or he rather captive in our fle&s;h) &s;o men &s;hall hear God him&s;elf in us, for &s;o it is in the Hebrew, <HI>Zach.</HI> 8.23. not <HI>we have heard that God is with you,</HI> but (we will go with you for) <HI>we have heard God with you, and in you.</HI></P>
<P>Then man &s;hall be nothing, and God &s;hall be all in all, yet man &s;hall be all in God, and nothing but God &s;hall appear in man. This glorious appearance of the great God in man, the <HI>three Shepherds,</HI> the Pa&s;tors and Teachers doe <HI>indeed abhor,</HI> they <HI>hate his appearance,</HI> (as I &s;aid) and he <HI>abhors</HI> all their performances.</P>
<P>But who are the&s;e three Shepherds? the Pa&s;tors of Churches: What their cutting off is my former Letter &s;hewed, to &s;uffer the cur&s;e of God, and contempt of men: How God cuts them off? It is by unchurching them, and by confounding or dividing them, the Lord doth fir&s;t unchurch them, burns up the Church with fire, <HI>Zachariah</HI> 11.1. there he calls <HI>Lebanon to open the doors,</HI> that the <HI>fire may come in to burn up the talle&s;t Cedars.</HI> Whats Lebanon but the Temple, for it was built with that: Who are the Cedars? but the talle&s;t
<PB N="33" REF="18">Members, the <HI>principall of the flock:</HI> What is the <HI>fire?</HI> but the Spirit of the Lord: as the Lord God calls upon <HI>Lebanon,</HI> &s;o he commands that the <HI>Church doors</HI> may be open <HI>for the fire to enter,</HI> and the &s;pirit to burn up all their chiefe&s;t members and Mini&s;ters, for &s;o it is <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 2. <HI>The mighty men, or the gallants are &s;poiled,</HI> yea, there is a <HI>howling of the &s;hepherds for their glory is &s;poiled,</HI> v. 3. Their Church-fellow&s;hip and forms is that they glory in; God &s;poils them, <HI>and &s;tains the pride of all their glory,</HI> yea, he burns it up; How? By fire; <HI>The bapti&s;me of the Spi|rit and of fire</HI> was the fir&s;t Go&s;pel-Ordinance,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 1.4, 5.</NOTE> or that which fir&s;t &s;et up the <HI>Church in a Go&s;pel-order.</HI> Fire will be the la&s;t that &s;hall burn up the Churches, who becau&s;e they would not, as the Primitive Saints did, wait for the Spirit to build them, the Spirit &s;hall come to burn and con&s;ume them at la&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, God cuts them off, confounds and divides them, he cuts them into three parts as we &s;hall &s;ee by and by.</P>
<P>Thus then the <HI>three &s;hepherds</HI> are the Pa&s;tors of all the Churches or whole Mini&s;tery of the Church;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 16.30. Rev. 17.2.</NOTE> for as the Apo&s;tate Jewi&s;h Church was a Type of the Chri&s;tian Church now under the Apo&s;tacie (the <HI>whoredomes of I&s;rael,</HI> typifying the <HI>great whore,</HI> who&s;e fornications and the wine thereof in their forms of doctrine and fal&s;e wor&s;hips) as we &s;hall &s;hew another time; &s;o <HI>Junius</HI> well notes the three Shepherds to &s;ignifie the whole teach|ing Mini&s;tery of the Jewi&s;h Church,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Vid. Junium</HI> in Zach. 11.</NOTE> for the Phari&s;ees Sadduces, and E&s;&s;enes (&s;aith he) were the onely, Pa&s;tors or Teachers, who did in&s;truct the people in the Word of God, as Prelates, Presbyters, and Independents are the whole Mini&s;tery of the Church of <HI>England</HI> this day.</P>
<P>The&s;e are divided not onely in Wor&s;hip, and Di&s;ci|pline, but in doctrine al&s;o, e&s;pecially in three things 1. In the free grace of God, which &s;ome call Antinomiani&s;m. 2. In the free-will of man, which otherscall Pelagiani&s;m. 3. In the death of Chri&s;t, or univer&s;al Redemption
<PB N="34" REF="19">of mankind thereby, which both Presbyters and Inde|pendants abhorre as Pagani&s;me, though neare&s;t the <HI>Go&s;pel indeed.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hall not now &s;hew the cau&s;e of all tho&s;e divi&s;ions in Doctrine, being engaged onely at pre&s;ent to prove their defilements in the wor&s;hip of God, and in their walking with men.</P>
<P>Yet this is one cau&s;e of their former difference and divi&s;ions in Doctrine,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 2.42.</NOTE> becau&s;e <HI>the Apo&s;tles Doctrine,</HI> being before all Go&s;pel-Ordinances, is out of order in the Churches,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6.3. 2. Tim. 1.13.</NOTE> who not content with that <HI>forme of &s;ound words,</HI> and <HI>whol&s;ome Doctrine delivered</HI> by them, doe follow the childi&s;h Dictates of Fathers, the Decrees of Coun|cels, being a company of Bi&s;hops, with &s;uch Creeds, Confe&s;&s;ions, and Catechi&s;mes, formed by them (and reformed Churches) who&s;e conformities and fooleries in formes of wor&s;hip, though our Churches cannot chu&s;e but &s;ee, yet with a blind devotion they follow all their formes of doctrine, not &s;uffering a doubt or the lea&s;t debate to pa&s;&s;e upon their rea&s;on and judge|ment therein.</P>
<P>How injudicious this is with ingenuous men let all men judge,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 3.12.</NOTE> for if I <HI>tell you of earthly things,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>and yee beleeve not, how will yee beleeve if I tell you of hea|venly?</HI> all outward wor&s;hip is but an <HI>earthly thing:</HI> Now if all Fathers and former Churches have erred in wor&s;hip, why not, I pray you, may they not erre in Doctrine, in heavenly and hidden things in the high My&s;tery of God and of Chri&s;t? e&s;pecially &s;eeing the Apo&s;tles did prophe&s;ie of <HI>&s;uch deceit to come in this, by vain</HI> Philo&s;ophy,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.8.</NOTE> and metaphy&s;icall &s;peculations of the Deity, <HI>by the traditions and inventions of men, the rudiments of the world,</HI> the rudiments, that is, the A. B. C. or com|mon Catechi&s;mes, which is the Religion of the world, and of little Children.</P>
<P>Another cau&s;e of divi&s;ions in Doctrine is this, the confidence of men and Mini&s;ters, who conceive, that
<PB N="35" REF="19">Chri&s;tians know God and Chri&s;t already, whereas them&s;elves are ignorant of both,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 1.7. 03 Rev. 5.2.</NOTE> not minding that <HI>God is a My&s;tery,</HI> and that the My&s;tery of <HI>Chri&s;t hath been a &s;ealed Book</HI> ever &s;ince the Apo&s;ta&s;ie, as I have &s;hewn, in a book of <HI>neither Truth nor Error,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nor Truth, nor Error, &amp;c. page 6.</NOTE> <HI>nor Light nor Dark|ne&s;&s;e, but in the evening there &s;hall be Light.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Their darkne&s;&s;e and divi&s;ions hath been cau&s;ed by not <HI>knowing Chri&s;t in the Spirit, nor under&s;tand|ing the My&s;tery of Chri&s;t,</HI> for all Chri&s;tian Religions have been doting onely on the fle&s;h of Chri&s;t: See the Papi&s;ts how they look upon Chri&s;t in a Picture; &s;o Prote&s;tants have their <HI>plea&s;ant Pictures al&s;o,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 2.16, Ezek 16.17.</NOTE> <HI>the Image of a Male,</HI> as the Prophets phra&s;e it, that is, fle&s;hly <HI>ap|prehen&s;ions of Chri&s;t,</HI> which they adore and deifie: thus the <HI>Arminians</HI> and <HI>Socinians</HI> goe no farther than Chri&s;t after the fle&s;h, and the la&s;t e&s;pecially, though religious and mo&s;t learned men, yet look no higher than fle&s;h; yea, the eternall Spirit and infinite God they confine to a place in Heaven, where, &s;ay they, his e&s;&s;entiall pre|&s;ence is, though his power be every where, a very carnall conceit of God and of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>But what my&s;tery can the <HI>Socinian</HI> &s;ee in the Man Chri&s;t, if the Man be not God, or <HI>God manife&s;t in fle&s;h?</HI> is not the Man Chri&s;t <HI>the My&s;tery of God? Rev.</HI> 10.7.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.2. Eph. 3.5.</NOTE> And how can <HI>the My&s;tery of God and of Chri&s;t be mani|fe&s;t but by the Spirit?</HI> 'tis neither &s;trength of rea&s;on, nor reading of Scripture, but the Spirit onely, even the <HI>Spirit of Revelation,</HI> that can prove the Godhead of Chri&s;t, therefore the Apo&s;tle him&s;elf had it, <HI>not as he received it of man, nor as he was taught it, but by the Revela|tion of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> when it plea&s;ed God to reveal his Son in him, &amp;c. <HI>Gal.</HI> 1.12, 15.</P>
<P>For how could the Apo&s;tle, preaching to the Hea|then, prove the Godhead of Chri&s;t by Scripture to them, who owned neither Chri&s;t nor Scriptures? But <HI>Chri&s;t &s;peaking in him,</HI> that is, Chri&s;t in the Spirit,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 13.3.</NOTE> God powerfully acting and appearing in <HI>Pauls</HI> fle&s;h, did &s;o
<PB N="36" REF="20">manife&s;t the My&s;tery to them, that by <HI>the power of God working in him mightily,</HI> he was able to pre&s;ent every man in Chri&s;t, that is, <HI>in God,</HI> and God in them, and <HI>they his Off-&s;pring,</HI> and thus did he prove the Godhead of Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1.28, 29.</NOTE> and that God would judge <HI>the world by the man Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> even by the manife&s;tation of God in <HI>the Saints,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 17.28, 29, 32.</NOTE> <HI>who &s;hould judge the world with them</HI> and in him, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.2.</P>
<P>Indeed to the Jewes, who acknowledged the Scri|ptures, by Scriptures he proved that Chri&s;t was God, yet not the Godhead of Chri&s;t by that, for as Chri&s;t never &s;aid that he was God (but <HI>&s;ent by God</HI>) &s;o he &s;hewed his Godhead to <HI>be the Father dwelling in him, and doing all his works,</HI> which though neither the Jewes nor Di&s;ciples clearly &s;aw in the dayes of his fle&s;h; yet when he &s;hould <HI>depart to the Father,</HI> and the Spirit or <HI>Promi&s;e of the Father</HI> &s;hould be &s;ent, then the power of God appearing in their fle&s;h as in his, he <HI>&s;hewes them the Father plainly,</HI> for as <HI>no man knowes the Father but the Sonne, and he to whom the Sonne reveales him;</HI> &s;o I &s;aid before, that God, even the Father, mu&s;t reveal the Sonne in us, by the Spirit of Revelation to us, el&s;e there is no knowing the Godhead of Chri&s;t at all, <HI>John</HI> 14.10. <HI>John</HI> 16.25, 27, 28.</P>
<P>For <HI>no man can &s;ay that Je&s;us is the Lord,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.3.</NOTE> <HI>but by the Spi|rit;</HI> alas man, what my&s;tery is it that Chri&s;t is God, be|cau&s;e God made the Man &s;o? becau&s;e God gave him that name? gave him that power and glory as God? 'tis true, that Chri&s;t, even the Sonne of God, had all by gift of the Father,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 5.19, 22, 26. ver&s;es.</NOTE> <HI>The Sonne could doe nothing of him&s;elf, God gave him even the Spirit, gave him authority to judge, gave him to have life in him&s;elf</HI> (whereas we have all of him,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 28.18. Iohn 17.2. Phil. 2.6, 9. Heb. 1.8, 9.</NOTE> and by him) <HI>God gave him glory, all power in heaven and earth; God gave him a name above every name,</HI> yea, <HI>gave him to be called God, for God, his God, annointed him to it</HI> above his fellowes; all this proves not the Godhead
<PB N="37" REF="20">of Chri&s;t, but that he was the <HI>Man Gods fellow, that is, equall with God, in the form if God,</HI> as 'tis parallell'd by the Apo&s;tle and Prophet, <HI>Zach.</HI> 13.7. <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.6, 9.</P>
<P>Therefore what <HI>Socinus</HI> &s;aith, that Chri&s;t is God, be|cau&s;e God gave him that name, that power, that glory, and honour, is no my&s;tery, for God can give <HI>to a Worme, to thre&s;h the mountaines, to throw down the earth, to de&s;troy and judge the world,</HI> I&s;ai 41.14, 15. Jer. 51.20.</P>
<P>But what's the My&s;tery of Chri&s;t? <HI>wait for the Spirit to manife&s;t it</HI> to thee and me: <HI>Till the &s;eventh Angell &s;ound,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 10.7.</NOTE> <HI>the My&s;tery of God &s;hall not be fini&s;hed nor fully known.</HI></P>
<P>What a madne&s;&s;e is it then, for men to warr and wrangle about that they know not? Is it not better for us, to wait in peace and patience, forbearing one another, and embracing one another in love, till the Lord God appear in all?</P>
<P>I &s;hall therefore crave pardon of all men, becau&s;e I cannot chu&s;e but &s;ay, that <HI>no man yet knowes God, nor Chri&s;t, nor him&s;elf;</HI> this makes the difference and divi|&s;ion (as I &s;aid before) becau&s;e men are &s;o confident, and therefore contend of the free Grace of God, the free Will of Man, and the Death of Chri&s;t, yet they know not <HI>God as he is,</HI> nor what <HI>Man is in God,</HI> nor what <HI>the Man-God Chri&s;t is,</HI> in the My&s;tery, how in God, and how he is in man: Oh yee <HI>Prote&s;tants, Papi&s;ts, Arminians,</HI> and <HI>Socinians,</HI> an&s;wer me this one que&s;tion; Why did the highe&s;t Apo&s;tle beg the prayers of all the Churches, that he might know the <HI>My&s;tery of Chri&s;t,</HI> that he might manife&s;t it, and that he might <HI>&s;peak as he ought to &s;peak?</HI> Eph. 6.19, 20. Col. 4.3, 4.</P>
<P>You think you know Chri&s;t, and can preach him well enough, we &s;hall be all &s;ilent, and God him&s;elf &s;hall &s;peak at la&s;t, and &s;peak him&s;elf, and manife&s;t him&s;elf unto men: Oh that men could watch and wait in love together to that day!</P>
<P>This is the la&s;t thing I had to ob&s;erve, that all the
<PB N="38" REF="21"><HI>&s;peaking and preachings of men will be &s;ilenced by God</HI> when the Lord appeares: Pray but ob&s;erve in tho&s;e four &s;teps before mentioned, of Gods appearance in men, how the power, efficacie, and fruit of Conver&s;ion hath decrea&s;ed: The Doctrine of Free-grace converted fewer than that legall teaching before; the preaching of Chri&s;t after the fle&s;h by the pure&s;t Churches hath had le&s;&s;e converts yet; yea, tho&s;e who preach Chri&s;t in the Spirit, the mo&s;t &s;eraphick Sermons, call in but few Sinners, though &s;ome Saints may be rai&s;ed, others proud fle&s;h rankle thereby; but as for the Spirit of Je&s;us, where does it appear in mens preaching or pra|cti&s;e, or the power of godline&s;&s;e?</P>
<P>That which I conclude from this is, that <HI>God is going out, and departing from all the preachings of men,</HI> that men may give them&s;elves wholly to publick acts of love one to another, and to all mankind; therefore all <HI>religious formes</HI> &s;hall fall, that the <HI>power of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> may ri&s;e and appear in all:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3.13. Rev. 21.22.</NOTE> <HI>The new Heaven and new Earth, where dwelleth Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, hath no form</HI> of Religion there.</P>
<P>I &s;ee 'tis ha&s;tening by many things, and this to me is the lea&s;t prophetick providence and experience in the pre&s;ent powers of the Nation: when the Parliament of <HI>England</HI> fir&s;t began, oh what &s;peakings were there? what Speeches of &s;everall Members of the hou&s;e of Commons were printed every week? but now the Common-wealth comes on, there is more of Action done every day, and though the Parliament many times &s;ay more than they doe, yet they doe more than they &s;ay, which is be&s;t of all.</P>
<P>Again, I cannot but ob&s;erve, that as <HI>the falling of a Sparrow,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 10.30.</NOTE> <HI>or the &s;malle&s;t hair of our heads, is &s;ubject to the &s;peciall</HI> providence of God; &s;o 'tis remarkable, that all the Parliaments Ordinances are now turned into Acts, for Acts indeed are better than Ordinances, the&s;e are of form, tho&s;e of power; the Army was be&s;t in|deed when they were about their Ordinances, their
<PB N="39" REF="21">Guns, going forth for common freedome, tho&s;e were their Acts, and God did ble&s;&s;e them therein in all their publick actings, and in their publick Spirits, but as for their publick &s;peakings, their Declarations, Prote&s;tati|ons, Remon&s;trances, 'tis not worth a ru&s;h: So are their Councels of War, when judging the Con&s;ciences of men in the My&s;tery of Chri&s;t (a mo&s;t high pre&s;umption:) yea, all their fa&s;ting and prayer before God is not worth a pins head, till they repent and return to their fir&s;t principles, to the power of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, to Ju&s;tice, and Mercy to the Nation, without all &s;elf-&s;eeking, &s;triving for the univer&s;all good of mankind, even for Papi&s;ts and for Jewes them&s;elves, to live with freedome and comfort among us, <HI>Mal.</HI> 1.9, 10, 11. compared with <HI>Mal.</HI> 3.4, 5.</P>
<P>This is the <HI>glorious appearance of the great God,</HI> not to talke and prate of things, but to be working and acting, to be ever doing good, as <HI>Chri&s;t did alwayes to all,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 10.38.</NOTE> and though there was a Mini&s;tery of men once to &s;peak al&s;o glad tydings and good things to men, yet &s;ince the Apo&s;tacy, that <HI>Apo&s;tolick Mini&s;tery being &s;ilenced,</HI> and the <HI>manifold gifts of the Spirit</HI> cea&s;ed, and no man &s;ent of God to <HI>preach the Go&s;pel which the holy Spirit &s;ent down from Heaven,</HI> all is but earth and man that is &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.12.</NOTE> the number of the <HI>bea&s;t being the number of a man,</HI> Rev. 13.16.</P>
<P>And though God hath hitherto <HI>fed and led the wo|man in the wilderne&s;&s;e,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 12.6.</NOTE> <HI>and cau&s;ed men to mini&s;ter &s;ome truth and peace to his</HI> people under the Apo&s;tacy, yet this was but <HI>his Free-grace,</HI> and high <HI>Prerogative of love,</HI> who as not tyed to meanes, &s;o by a fal&s;e Mini&s;tery could convey light and comfort to his own; but now God is pouring vials of wrath on that which was once lovely, upon the Sun and air, upon the light of man, upon the meanes, and tho&s;e mediums that receive it, Rev. 16.8.17.</P>
<P>Again, &s;eeing the man of &s;inne, the my&s;tery of ini|quity,
<PB N="40" REF="22">is now more revealed in the Temple of God than ever, and the mini&s;tery of men is di&s;covered every day not to be of Gods appointment, as Prelates, and Pres|byters, and pure&s;t Independent Pa&s;tors, cut off by the Lord him&s;elf: it is therefore judged, that not onely the whole Mini&s;try, but all the preachings of men, will &s;hortly be &s;ilenced by the glorious appearance of God.</P>
<P><HI>Be &s;ilent O all fle&s;h, for the Lord is rai&s;ed out of his holy habitation, Zach.</HI> 2.13. Why if man be &s;ilent, what will God doe among men? <HI>A Father of the fatherle&s;&s;e, and a Judge of the widow, is God in his holy habitation, P&s;al.</HI> 68.5. that is, God will &s;o appear in men, that in&s;tead of &s;peakings, they &s;hall goe forth in actings of love to mankind, and to the mi&s;erable part thereof, to the <HI>poor, to the oppre&s;&s;ed, to the fatherle&s;&s;e, and the widow,</HI> and to all that want that which we abound in.</P>
<P>As this was once <HI>pure Religion, and undefiled before God even the Father,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1.27.</NOTE> <HI>to vi&s;it the Fatherle&s;&s;e and widow in their afflictions, and to keep our &s;elves un&s;potted of the world;</HI> &s;o the neglect of this is charged on the Apo&s;tate Chur|ches, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 1, 23. <HI>Jer.</HI> 5.28.</P>
<P>Alas, what is it to &s;end Preachers abroad before the burthens and oppre&s;&s;ions of the people be ea&s;ed? <HI>I&s;rael it &s;elf could not hear,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 6.9.</NOTE> <HI>becau&s;e of the &s;ore bondage in Aegypt;</HI> I &s;ay, not all burthens taken off, becau&s;e the charge of the Common wealth encrea&s;eth, but why may not rich Citizens, racking Landlords in the Country, and mighty moneyed men, be made immedi|ately to rife in their payments, that poor Farmers, La|bourers, and hone&s;t Trade&s;men may be &s;pared? Why not oppre&s;&s;ion be pre&s;ently ea&s;ed, at lea&s;t of Lawyers and Tithes? Why not a Trea&s;ury for the poor, when &s;o many thou&s;ands a year can be found out to give to the rich? would that hinder the publick more than this? It is the goodne&s;&s;e of the State indeed, to honour and conferre gifts on high de&s;erving men, but it is di&s;ho|nourable
<PB N="41" REF="22">and ba&s;e for &s;uch to receive it, who neglecting the publick good, &s;eek their private gain, who would &s;eem to be Saints and &s;elf-denying men, yet forgetting their vowes to God and men, care not though the poor and the oppre&s;&s;ed &s;ink, &s;tarve, and dye, &s;o they may live fat, and full, and free from tho&s;e evils.</P>
<P>Gifts are as bad as bribes, when Ju&s;tice and great things are to be done in a Nation, for as a bribe blindes the eyes, and they <HI>&s;hall never &s;ee the King in his beauty,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ay. 32.15. Eccl. 7.7.</NOTE> <HI>who &s;hake not their hands from holding of bribes, and de&s;pi&s;e not the gain of Oppre&s;&s;ion;</HI> &s;o <HI>a gift de&s;troyes the heart,</HI> that the mo&s;t publick &s;piritted man dares not think a good thought, much le&s;&s;e to &s;peak or act for common free|dome and the good of mankind, while money &s;tops the mouth, choakes and <HI>de&s;troyes the heart.</HI></P>
<P>They &s;ay indeed the time is not yet come, but <HI>is it a time to receive monie?</HI> &s;aid <HI>Eli&s;ha:</HI> Oh &s;ay others,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 5.26. I&s;ai. 51.14.</NOTE> you are to ha&s;ty, &amp;c. but the <HI>captive exile ha&s;tened that he might be lco&s;ed, and that he &s;hould not dye in the pit, nor that his bread &s;hould fail:</HI> If the&s;e men were bam&s;hed but for a year, or their Babes without bread for a day, they would not delay ju&s;tice and mercy to men, &s;eeing the Lord <HI>comes riding on a &s;wift cloud,</HI> to judge and raign, and to <HI>ha&s;ten Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> I&s;ai. 16.5.</P>
<P>Let <HI>Mercarius Politicus</HI> tell you the rea&s;on of State, and &s;hew you <HI>if men were religious ind<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">d, that is, righte|ous, ju&s;t, hone&s;t, plain, &s;imple hearted people, they might quickly doe</HI> what they &s;ay: what's that? <HI>Take away the iniquity of the Land in one day;</HI> the iniquity, that is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach 3 9.</NOTE> the oppre&s;&s;ion, &amp;c. <HI>I will take it away in one day;</HI> how &s;o &s;pray?</P>
<P>When God &s;hall appear in men,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">See the Lord of ho&s;ts, or Armies de|fence, pag. 23.</NOTE> <HI>and men act in the immediate power of God,</HI> when the power that God and man hath put into their hands is improved to the ut|mo&s;t, <HI>without fear of man,</HI> and with full <HI>confidence in God,</HI> oh what a <HI>world of good might be done in one day?</HI> all the proud enemies, oppre&s;&s;ors, the unrighteous riches, the
<PB N="42" REF="23">unju&s;t gaines, the great reveneues &s;uddenly got, yea all the <HI>iniquity of the Land would be taken away in one day.</HI></P>
<P>This would be <HI>Go&s;pel indeed, and glad tydings to the poor,</HI> and make all the oppre&s;&s;ed in the Land to &s;ing, for this is <HI>the everla&s;ting Go&s;pel</HI> which &s;hall be preached, <HI>not in wordbut in power,</HI> not as the Go&s;pel at fir&s;t, in &s;peaking, or <HI>preachings, but in publick actings, the everla&s;ting Go&s;pel</HI> &s;hall goe forth in the la&s;t times, as I &s;hall hint anon, and another time (with God) more fully prove, that the <HI>preaching of the everla&s;ting Go&s;pel</HI> is not the mini&s;tery of man, nor is that <HI>Angel</HI> a man or Mini&s;ter; but the <HI>Angel of the Covenant, Chri&s;t in us,</HI> God in our fle&s;h, that is, God fully manife&s;t in us &s;hall mini&s;ter him&s;elf to us, God &s;hall mini&s;ter him&s;elf to men, a pure Mini&s;tery of the Spirit &s;hall be, the Spirit &s;hall onely mini&s;ter both light and love among men, &s;alvation, and &s;trength, &s;uffi|ciency, and fulne&s;&s;e of all good things to the whole Creation at la&s;t.</P>
<P>This <HI>glorious appearance of the great God and Saviour in men,</HI> is that which is mo&s;t <HI>abhorred by Mini&s;ters and Pa&s;tors, three Shepheards,</HI> whom the Lord <HI>loaths and di|vides</HI> becau&s;e they will not be drawn up to union, and love to mankind, to whom they are rather cruell, <HI>their throat an open Sepulchre,</HI> and their feet <HI>&s;wift to &s;hed bloud;</HI> that is, they will &s;peak no <HI>good will to man,</HI> but &s;wallow down the mo&s;t and de&s;troy them, not owning <HI>all men as their own fle&s;h,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 58.7.</NOTE> and God the eternall Spirit dwelling in them, therefore God divides the Shepheards with their flockes, da&s;hing one again&s;t another, cau&s;ing <HI>every man of them to eat the fle&s;h of his brother,</HI> Zach. 11.9.</P>
<P>True, it is but <HI>fle&s;h and fle&s;hly formes</HI> the Churches fight and contend for, the cau&s;e of all the contention is in the Shepheards or the Mini&s;ters, the Church-members, poor &s;oules would be quiet, and come up again to walk in the Spirit; but becau&s;e the Members will follow, not the Head, but their fellowes, Members and Mini&s;ters,
<PB N="43" REF="23">God <HI>gives them up to their King,</HI> v. 6. Who is that? Sure &s;ome chief Pa&s;tor who commands in Church and Com|mon-wealth: Well, for this, God takes no more care of the Church, but divides them al&s;o; <HI>He breaks the Covenant which he made with all the people,</HI> v. 10.</P>
<P>The Independent Church was built once on a <HI>Cove|nant,</HI> now being a&s;hamed of that, they call it a <HI>confe&s;&s;ion,</HI> others an <HI>ragreement,</HI> God breaks all in pieces even the Covenant. Fir&s;t his <HI>&s;taffe,</HI> Beautie, that is, the <HI>unitie of the Spirit,</HI> v. 10. then his <HI>&s;taffe bonds,</HI> the bond of Peace, for the <HI>brotherhood between Judah and I&s;rael is broken, ver&s;e</HI> 14.</P>
<P>How cleer doth this appear in the pre&s;ent Churches, who by a Law call none brothers but &s;uch of their own &s;ocieties, no Saint what&s;oever, nor yet Chri&s;t were he among them would they call brother, unle&s;&s;e he were of a Church way, and of theirs al&s;o, therefore the bro|therhoood between <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> (the Indepen|dent and baptized Churches) is broken.</P>
<P><HI>Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God almighty,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 15.3.</NOTE> <HI>ju&s;t and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints?</HI> How ju&s;t is it for God to divide tho&s;e Churches that divide them|&s;elves from Saints? How true is their divi&s;ion, when the very <HI>Brotherhood</HI> is broken?</P>
<P>Oh <HI>love the brotherhood,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Peter,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.17.</NOTE> that cannot be &s;aith the Prophet, for there is nothing but wrath and wars to be among them, they mu&s;t be divided and &s;ub|divided al&s;o: <HI>I will deliver the men every one into the hand of his neighbour, or fellow member, and into the hand of his King or Pa&s;tor,</HI> for &s;uch are called Kings in Scripture,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 11.6.</NOTE> Princes of the Sanctuary. Again, &s;aith God, <HI>I will not feed you, that that dyeth let it die, and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off, and let the re&s;t eat every one the fle&s;h of another,</HI> v. 9. that is, tho&s;e fellow-Members who were more moderate and peaceable minded men, not given to common divi&s;ion, are yet de&s;troyed and die in their &s;pirits, by being in Church-fellow&s;hip, for God
<PB N="44" REF="24">breaks the <HI>Covenant that he made with all the people,</HI> v. 19.</P>
<P>This is that I &s;hewed in the mountaines from <HI>Eze|kiel</HI> 37.3. That, <HI>All the people of God this day are a dead divided people,</HI> not onely gathered Churches, but &s;catte|red Saints, the&s;e in their fle&s;h, tho&s;e in their forms and fellow&s;hips.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, they are as dry <HI>bones of the valley,</HI> yea, bones ve|ry <HI>dry</HI> lying in the <HI>open valley,</HI> the lowe&s;t part of the earth, and it is the <HI>open valley,</HI> every one above them who are on the hills may behold and &s;ee how <HI>dead</HI> and <HI>dry</HI> they are; very dry &s;aith he, having neither skin, nor &s;inew, nor &s;trength, nor &s;pirit, nor yet fle&s;h indeed up|on them, not the letter of Scripture for any of their publique Wor&s;hips, common Prayers, &amp;c. nor yet in their walkings doth the fle&s;h Chri&s;t appear upon them in meekne&s;s and lowline&s;s of heart, yea they are not &s;o lowly and loving, as once they were, &s;o humble and ten|derly minded, &s;o &s;elf denying and dying to the world. And as they are dead &s;o divided into two &s;ticks, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 37.16.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">See Zeph. 39. a pure lip and perfect love or union will not be on earth, till the earth or Church, in her divi&s;ions and defile|ments be burnt up with fire, which is <HI>Babylons</HI> la&s;t plague, Rev. 18 8. then men will &s;erve or wor&s;hip God in Spirit, and with one con|&s;ent or &s;houl|der.</NOTE> they are not now called <HI>branches, but &s;ticks</HI> dry, &s;aple&s;s things without any &s;hew of &s;piritual life, yea with out hope to ri&s;e here on earth, as them&s;elves con|fe&s;&s;e, <HI>v.</HI> 11.</P>
<P>But I have better hopes of you beloved, then your &s;elves have: All the Churches indeed &s;hall fall but the Saints therein &s;hall ri&s;e, <HI>Oh my people</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>I will open your graves, and cau&s;e you to come forth out of your graves,</HI> v. 12.</P>
<P>But there the people of God yet are, and this the Lord would haue them know this day, although they will not that they are all in <HI>Babylon, dead dry bon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s,</HI> and <HI>divided &s;ticks:</HI> Dead in <HI>their formes,</HI> divided in <HI>their fellow&s;hips,</HI> and defiled in both, <HI>Zeph.</HI> 3.9. But <HI>Babylon</HI> is yet di|vided into <HI>three parts,</HI> for &s;ince the Apo&s;tacie the Churches have been &s;till divided <HI>into three parts,</HI> as the <HI>Greek</HI> and <HI>Latine</HI> Churches of old, and the <HI>Affrican</HI>
<PB N="45" REF="24">Church that made the third, there was the <HI>Ea&s;tern, We|&s;tern,</HI> and <HI>Southern</HI> Churches: So in the <HI>North</HI> at the fir&s;t Reformation, the <HI>Calvini&s;t, Lutheran,</HI> and <HI>Anabap|ti&s;ts</HI> in <HI>Germany.</HI> Thus it is in <HI>England,</HI> the <HI>Prelatick, Presbiterian,</HI> and <HI>Independent</HI> Churches are <HI>Babylon</HI> divi|ded into three parts.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tolike Churches or Churches of Chri&s;t were but <HI>one bodie,</HI> had but <HI>one Bapti&s;m,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4.4.</NOTE> as there was but <HI>one Spirit</HI> leading all the Saints in one Church way, one <HI>way of wor&s;hip,</HI> one <HI>Church government</HI> was among all the Saints, though there were differences between bro|ther and brother, yea, between one Apo&s;tle and another, yet never was there a divi&s;ion <HI>between Church and Church</HI> as in <HI>Babylon</HI> this day, for the Spirit being then but one, kept the body in one Bapti&s;m. But now the Churches are become <HI>three bodies,</HI> and the&s;e have <HI>three Bapti&s;ms;</HI> Presbyterians <HI>bapti&s;e the whole Nation;</HI> Inde|pendents the <HI>children of beleevers onely;</HI> the baptized Churches <HI>beleevers them&s;elves:</HI> Here is <HI>Babylon</HI> in three parts: Again the baptized Churches are &s;ubdivided in|to three parts, one Church is for <HI>free will,</HI> a &s;econd for <HI>univer&s;al Redemption,</HI> a third count them&s;elves more Orthodox in Doctrine, as the Church of <HI>England:</HI> Nei|ther of the&s;e three baptized Churches dare communi|cate one with another, Oh <HI>Babylon! Babylon</HI> is fallen is fallen, for <HI>Babylons</HI> fall is by divi&s;ion and confu&s;ion;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 10.26, 27 Iudg. 7.25. Ioel 3.12.</NOTE> the Prophet calls it, <HI>The &s;laughter of Midian,</HI> for the <HI>Midianites</HI> were de&s;troyed by their mutual divi&s;ion. This another Prophet calls the <HI>valley of Jeho&s;haphat,</HI> for as the &s;cattered <HI>bones lay in the valley,</HI> Ezek. 37.1. So the valley of <HI>Jeho&s;haphat</HI> hath &s;ome reference to the dry bones, and the divided &s;ticks in <HI>Babylon.</HI></P>
<P>Whats the valley of <HI>Jeho&s;aphat?</HI> 'Tis the divided &s;tate of men oppo&s;ing the appearance of God in his people. See 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 20.23. there is <HI>Moah, Ammon,</HI> and <HI>Mount Seir,</HI> all three of kin to the true Church of God, which tho&s;e three came again&s;t, as the pre&s;ent
<PB N="46" REF="25">Churches pretend to the Primitive Church of Chri&s;t, which yet they oppo&s;e in the Spirit.</P>
<P>Well, let us look into the <HI>valley of Jeho&s;aphat,</HI> thither <HI>cau&s;e thy mighty ones to come down O Lord,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Joel</HI> 3.11. Oh how many mighty ones, and high &s;pirited men are come down <HI>to the valley of Jeho&s;aphat, into divided Churches, Moah, Ammon,</HI> and <HI>mount Seir:</HI> Fir&s;t, two are again&s;t one, then one again&s;t another, for <HI>Moah,</HI> and <HI>Ammon,</HI> &s;tood up again&s;t <HI>mount Seir utterly to &s;lay and de&s;troy, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of mount Seir, each man helped to de&s;troy one another,</HI> 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 20.23.</P>
<P>Thus it was with the <HI>Prelatick, Presbyterian,</HI> and <HI>Inde|pendent</HI> Churches, the&s;e two la&s;t <HI>&s;tood up, utterly to &s;lay and de&s;troy</HI> the fir&s;t both Root and Branch, and now they <HI>help to de&s;troy one another,</HI> as Independent and bap|tized Churches both again&s;t Presbytery, and now <HI>the&s;e two again&s;t each other:</HI> Yea, the baptized Churches them|&s;elves are divided into three parts, are now in de&s;tru|ction by <HI>their own divi&s;ions:</HI> Sure it is by the <HI>annointing</HI> all this is done, the <HI>Spirit</HI> of the Lord in their fle&s;h, which would unite doth now divide them, becau&s;e they will not hear <HI>what the Spirit &s;aith to the Churches.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore it is &s;aid before 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 20.22. <HI>The Lord &s;et ambu&s;hments again&s;t the children of</HI> Moab, Ammon, <HI>and mount Seir,</HI> &amp;c. an ambu&s;hment in <HI>&s;ecret and &s;udden a&s;&s;ault of an enemie</HI> unawares: Oh how <HI>&s;ecretly and &s;ud|denly</HI> hath the Lord come upon the Churches in their <HI>march</HI> and <HI>Church-way?</HI> how hath he <HI>divided them one again&s;t another,</HI> before they were aware of it. This is the <HI>Lords work,</HI> and the <HI>wonder of men,</HI> that men who are all godly cannot joyn in <HI>one Church-way?</HI> why they will not, they &s;hall not, they cannot, for God <HI>divides them in Jacob, and &s;catters them in I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P>As this is <HI>Babylons</HI> judgement to fall by divi&s;ion, &s;o it is the judgement of God on the Churches, for in the <HI>valley of Jeho&s;haphat he &s;its to judge.</HI></P>
<PB N="47" REF="25">
<P>That which I have heard to be Mr. <HI>Brightmans</HI> opini|on, and Mr. <HI>Sterries</HI> &s;ince, was given into my Spirit long ago, that as the &s;even Churches of <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> &s;ignifie the <HI>State of the Apo&s;tolike Churches</HI> inclining to an <HI>apo&s;ta&s;ie:</HI> So <HI>Laodicea</HI> the <HI>la&s;t tipifies the latter Churches</HI> this day, who indeed &s;hall be the <HI>la&s;t in the world,</HI> and the fall of all &s;hall be fir&s;t in <HI>England,</HI> for as Mr. <HI>Brightman</HI> holds <HI>Laodicea</HI> to be the Church of <HI>England,</HI> &s;o the Churches here are <HI>Laodicea</HI> indeed, lukewarm, without heat, or the Bapti&s;m of fire at all, the Lord condemnes the other Churches in &s;ome things, yet in &s;omething he com|mends them, but the Church of <HI>Laodicea</HI> he commends not at all, but condemns altogether, becau&s;e &s;he was <HI>well, and wanting nothing,</HI> no Church-order, no Ordinance is wanting to them.</P>
<P>Whats <HI>Laodicea</HI> in Greek,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> but the <HI>judgement of the people,</HI> the people of God are judged indeed in the <HI>val|ley of Jeho&s;aphat</HI> this day, by their mutuall divi&s;ions to their utter de&s;truction.</P>
<P>Therefore thus &s;aith the Lord, <HI>Three &s;hepherds I cut off in one moneth.</HI> What's this <HI>moneth?</HI> Sure it is a My&s;te|rie. In general it is very &s;hortly, as <HI>Junius</HI> before, for the Lord will now doe a <HI>&s;hort work on the earth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9.28. I&s;ai. 19.1.</NOTE> he comes riding on a <HI>&s;wift cloud</HI> to judge; yea, the Lord <HI>is a wit|ne&s;s toe, and a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e</HI> again&s;t the Churches,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.5.</NOTE> he comes <HI>quickly,</HI> and he will make <HI>but &s;hort work with them.</HI></P>
<P>I will not &s;peak of the Popi&s;h Church which conti|nued &s;o many hundreds of yeers, look but into our own land in the&s;e la&s;t dayes, wherein the my&s;terie of Iniqui|ty hath been mo&s;t manife&s;t, not onely by the Spirit, but by &s;en&s;ible experience, and the event of things in a very little time.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The King could give them no more time. The Parlia|ment gave them ju&s;t &s;o much.</NOTE></P>
<P>Prelacie upheld by <HI>Kingly Power</HI> continued about &s;eventy years, in&s;laving the people of God, like <HI>I&s;raels captivitie of old in Babylon.</HI></P>
<P>Presbyterie reigned but three <HI>years and a half</HI> (the time of the <HI>Bea&s;t</HI>) by <HI>Parliamentarie Authoritie,</HI> for no
<PB N="48" REF="26">longer according to Ordinance their time was to la&s;t.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Armie cannot give &s;o much time as that, for <HI>time &s;hall be no more</HI> Rev. 10.6. nor yet <HI>times, nor half a time,</HI> for thats the 42. <HI>moneths,</HI> the <HI>Dragons</HI> time. Revel. 13.5.42 <HI>moneths</HI> be|ing <HI>three years</HI> and <HI>a half,</HI> that is <HI>time, times, and half a time, time</HI> is one year, <HI>times</HI> two-years, and <HI>half a year</HI> is the half time which &s;hall be no more &s;aith <HI>John,</HI> 'tis now but a moneth, nor forty two, nor time at all.</NOTE></P>
<P>Independency is down in a <HI>moneth,</HI> thats a &s;horter time then the former, they are fallen before they ri&s;e, the whole Armie cannot help them up again.</P>
<P>But what is this moneth? It is that of the <HI>wild A&s;&s;e in the Wilderne&s;s,</HI> the Lord compares the Church to this, <HI>Jer,</HI> 2.24. <HI>A wild A&s;&s;e u&s;ed to the Wilderne&s;s, that &s;nuffeth up the wind at her plea&s;ure, in her occa&s;ion who can turn her away, all they that &s;eek her will not weary them&s;elves, in her moneth they &s;hall find her.</HI></P>
<P>What is the <HI>moneth</HI> that we may find <HI>the A&s;&s;e,</HI> for men weary them&s;elves in vain to &s;eek her, &s;he is <HI>&s;o wild,</HI> and in the <HI>wilderne&s;s</HI> al&s;o, where &s;he <HI>holds up her head,</HI> and <HI>&s;nuffs the wind</HI> as &s;he goes, neither will <HI>&s;he be turned out of her way,</HI> yet in <HI>her moneth &s;he is found;</HI> Whats that! It is the <HI>moneth that &s;he is ready to bear or bring forth,</HI> when &s;he is full of pain and travell, when the <HI>wild A&s;&s;e</HI> is in a <HI>&s;uffering condition</HI> &s;he may be found.</P>
<P>Thus it was with the Churches; The Prelates thought them&s;elves Preachers of the Go&s;pel, how high did they hold their heads, <HI>and &s;nuffe the wind as they went,</HI> but when their &s;uffering time came, the <HI>&s;pirits of Princes</HI> were cut off, the proude&s;t Prelate dared not open his mouth for his eares, that &s;hewed him an A&s;&s;e, for if he had been as he &s;aid a Preacher of the Go&s;pel, all the Parliaments of the world &s;hould not have &s;topt his mouth, but they had no more to &s;ay when they came to &s;uffer, then without &s;eeking a man might find them to be no Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, <HI>for their moneth was</HI> come.</P>
<P>It was ju&s;t &s;o with the Presbyters, when in power with the Parliament, they al&s;o were as <HI>wild as the A&s;&s;e</HI> in the <HI>Wilderne&s;s,</HI> as proud as the Prelates, and held up their heads as high, and opened their mouths (again&s;t hea|ven) as Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel al&s;o, but when <HI>the moneth</HI> of their &s;orrows and &s;ufferings come to an end, they
<PB N="49" REF="26">will be dumb <HI>as the A&s;&s;e,</HI> and as Bi&s;hops were, and un|le&s;s God by a Miracle open their mouth, as <HI>Balaams</HI> A&s;&s;e to &s;peak freely, the next countermand that comes from the Powers can &s;ilence them, or if they &s;uffer the lo&s;&s;e of Tithes, all their mouthes are &s;topt at once, for <HI>their moneth</HI> is come, they are cut off by God, and can preach no more.</P>
<P>Well, the Independent Pa&s;tors and Teachers their moneth comes (and that in one day as <HI>Babylons</HI> plague did) I will not compare the&s;e wi&s;e men to the A&s;&s;e in the Wilderne&s;s, yet truly they will not be turned from their way,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 12.1.</NOTE> but &s;nuffe the wind as they goe (<HI>for it is wind that</HI> Ephraim <HI>feeds on</HI>) Oh, when will their moneth be? Whence can their &s;ufferings ari&s;e, &s;eeing the whole State, and the highe&s;t Souldierie is for them? For all this they mu&s;t &s;uffer, all the world cannot &s;ave them, but what &s;hall their &s;ufferings be? Surely <HI>not from man, nor by man, but by the Lord God they &s;hall &s;uffer,</HI> as it is cleer|ly foretold, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 31.8, 9. <HI>The A&s;&s;yrian is the la&s;t Oppre&s;|&s;or,</HI> for <HI>Egypt</HI> was before. The Churches this day doe <HI>oppre&s;&s;e not onely men in their States, Mic.</HI> 2.2, 8, 9. but the <HI>&s;pirits of men,</HI> ver&s;. 6. Yea, the <HI>Spirit of God</HI> al&s;o, ver&s;. 7.</P>
<P>The pre&s;ent Churches I look upon as the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> the la&s;t oppre&s;&s;or that &s;hall be in the Land, this is the <HI>A&s;&s;y|rian that &s;hall fall?</HI> How! not <HI>by man, and the &s;word not of a mean man <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> devour him, I&s;ai.</HI> 31.8. How &s;hall the A&s;&s;yrians fall be then? Fir&s;t, by fear. Second|ly, by fire. <HI>The &s;inners of Zion are afraid already, and begin to fly to their &s;trong holds,</HI> and hope in an Armie or arm of fle&s;h, <HI>v.</HI> 8. What makes them <HI>fear and fly?</HI> Oh there is an <HI>En&s;ign &s;et up in the Saints,</HI> v. 9. the glorious ap|pearance of God in the <HI>&s;cattered Saints</HI> makes the <HI>ga|thered Churches</HI> quake and fear; but where is the <HI>fire?</HI> Why it is in Zion, <HI>and his furnace in Jeru&s;alem,</HI> v. 9. What is <HI>Zion but the Saints in whom God dwels,</HI> or in whom God di&s;covers him&s;elf to be. Is he not in the Churches
<PB N="50" REF="27">al&s;o? Yea, the Lord is there among them, the <HI>everla&s;ting burnings is in them,</HI> yea, they &s;hall finde and feel &s;hort|ly that <HI>con&s;uming fire</HI> to break forth upon them, and to <HI>burn up all their fle&s;h and forms.</HI></P>
<P>This is the judgement of God &s;till on the Churches, becau&s;e they would ha&s;ten to a Church-way, not waiting for the <HI>Bapti&s;m of the Spirit, and of fire</HI> to &s;et them in a Go&s;pel-order, or to &s;hew <HI>them a higher glory to be re|vealed in them;</HI> therefore a fire &s;hall come forth of their own bowels to burn them, that is the fire of his jealou|&s;ie: Thus they are gone from one fire into another, as <HI>Ezekiel</HI> tels them, <HI>They &s;hall go out from one fire and a|nother fire &s;hall devour them,</HI> Ezek. 15.7. they are gone out of the <HI>fire</HI> of the <HI>Spirit,</HI> the <HI>fire of his jealou&s;ie</HI> &s;hall con&s;ume them, <HI>Zeph.</HI> 3.3. I &s;peak not now of their per|&s;ons but of that oppre&s;&s;ive. principle and fle&s;hly power, thats the A&s;&s;yrian in them, as I &s;aid once, that of old the people of God <HI>were in Babylon,</HI> but now <HI>Babylon</HI> is <HI>in them,</HI> e&s;pecially in the Churches called the <HI>oppre&s;&s;or, the golden Citie,</HI> I&s;ai. 14.4.</P>
<P>But &s;ee how the fire is come in to the Churches as we &s;aid before, there not onely the Cedars, the talle&s;t and highe&s;t members are burnt,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 11.</NOTE> <HI>v.</HI> 2. but all the mighty men (or gallants) are &s;poiled, even the Mini&s;ters or Pa|&s;tors, for the howling of the Shepherds is heard on high, <HI>v.</HI> 3. &amp;c.</P>
<P>Pray ob&s;erve in all the Proph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> what plagues are foretold to fall upon the <HI>Pa&s;tors and Shepherds of I&s;rael;</HI> but e&s;pecially <HI>Jeremiah,</HI> Ch. 25.34, 35, 36. where there is a great <HI>howling of the Shepherds and principall of the flock, for the day of their di&s;per&s;ion is come,</HI> or their divi&s;ion as we &s;aid before, <HI>Zach.</HI> 11.6, 9. Here they doe <HI>eat every one the fle&s;h of another,</HI> of his fellow or brother, as the Hebrew reads; thus the fellow-members fall out, and the <HI>bro|therhood is broken</HI> between the Churches, <HI>v.</HI> 14. Why? becau&s;e their Shepherds are <HI>cut off</HI> in one <HI>moneth;</HI> whats that? we have &s;aid already 'tis the <HI>day of their &s;ufferings.</HI></P>
<PB N="51" REF="27">
<P>But there may be another &s;en&s;e of this <HI>moneth,</HI> accor|ding to that of the Prophet, <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 5.6, 7. <HI>They &s;hall gee with their flocks to &s;eek the Lord, but they &s;hall not find him, he hath withdrawn him&s;elf from them; they have dealt treacherou&s;ly again&s;t the Lord, for they have begotten &s;trange children, now &s;hall a moneth devour them with their portions;</HI> There are &s;trange men and women Church-members this day, &s;trange children indeed; Ile &s;ay no more of them, the wicked &s;ing, a wonderfull <HI>and horrible thing is committed in the Land,</HI> that is, in the Church: what is that? read <HI>Jer.</HI> 5.26, to 30.</P>
<P>But what is the moneth here? Is it not &s;ome change think you, as the Moon doth every moneth? Sure <HI>the next change or turn of things will overturn all the Churches,</HI> for a <HI>third overturn will be:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 21.27.</NOTE> The fir&s;t was of <HI>Kingly Pre|rogative</HI> by the Parliament, then the <HI>Prelates</HI> fell; the &s;econd was of <HI>Parliamentary Priviledges,</HI> when the Army came up to purge it, then <HI>Presbyters</HI> fell: there will be a <HI>third overturn,</HI> whether for better or wor&s;e I know not, yet I hope well of the Common-wealth, and Rulers thereof, but down goe the ruling Elders with all their Churches, the very next moneth, when a change of things will be.</P>
<P>But thirdly, May not <HI>this moneth</HI> be another thing, yet &s;omething more?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.96.</NOTE> (for the <HI>Commands of God are exceeding broad,</HI> and there is a mighty bredth, height, and length in the lea&s;t word of his) what is the <HI>moneth?</HI> Is it not the <HI>new Moon</HI> &s;poken of &s;o much by the Pro|phets, as a type of that <HI>new Moon and Sabbath</HI> which &s;hall be in the <HI>new Jeru&s;alem,</HI> I&s;ai. 66.22, 23.</P>
<P>What is the <HI>new Moon</HI> then? Truly to me it is <HI>new Light,</HI> as <HI>our life in God alone is the Sabbath</HI> there &s;poken: oh how terrible is this to the Pa&s;tors and Teachers to look for <HI>new light,</HI> much more to look on it, it will dazle and de&s;troy their &s;ight, and make them &s;tark blind, and al&s;o dumb, as we &s;hall &s;ee anon.</P>
<P>Every <HI>moneth</HI> we know the <HI>Moon</HI> receives <HI>new light</HI>
<PB N="52" REF="28">as we call it, then the <HI>new Moon,</HI> though it be the old &s;till; &s;o the <HI>new light</HI> is nothing but the old, even the <HI>everla&s;ting Go&s;pel,</HI> that <HI>glory hid in God before the world,</HI> will come <HI>forth in men</HI> at la&s;t; yea, that <HI>old light of Law and Go&s;pel-Churches,</HI> which hath been <HI>hid</HI> and darkened by the Apo&s;tacy, &s;hall be more fully known, and come forth from all that traditionall knowledge of God which is yet received by men, <HI>Rev.</HI> 10.23.</P>
<P>Oh this <HI>moneth</HI> will be a <HI>day of doom</HI> to the Churches, the <HI>new Moon,</HI> this <HI>new light,</HI> will darken them at <HI>noon day;</HI> pray read <HI>Amos</HI> 8.9. where there is a greater than this yeares Eclip&s;e, the earth is not onely darkened at noon, but <HI>the Sun goes down, and &s;ets at high noon:</HI> What is that? When men think they are in <HI>highe&s;t light,</HI> as Churches look no higher, God doth &s;uddenly <HI>darken them,</HI> and makes them al&s;o <HI>dumb,</HI> ver&s;e 11. for there is none left to preach the Word, being no more to be heard from North to Ea&s;t, ver&s;e 12. from <HI>Scotland</HI> to <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Wales.</HI></P>
<P>Why is all this wrath think yee? <HI>The end is come upon my people I&s;rael,</HI> that is the Church, ver&s;e 2. then there is the <HI>howling of the Shepheards,</HI> and their <HI>&s;ilencing,</HI> ver&s;e 3.</P>
<P>This is wrath indeed, but what is the cau&s;e of all? Sure fir&s;t becau&s;e the Churches <HI>take no care for the poor of the Land,</HI> ver&s;e 4. they may look to their own poor, but the poor of the Land <HI>are &s;wallowed up</HI> by their &s;i|lence, and made to fail, for the Mini&s;ters will not open their mouths, nor &s;peak a good word for them to the pre&s;ent Governours, who doubtle&s;&s;e would and will help the poor at la&s;t, though never moved by the Chur|ches.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, They cannot abide <HI>new light,</HI> therefore darkne&s;&s;e comes as we &s;aid, <HI>when will the new Moon be gone,</HI> &s;ay they, or as the margin reads, the <HI>new Moneth?</HI> this kills the Pa&s;tors and Teachers, this <HI>one Moneth</HI> cuts them off by God.</P>
<PB N="53" REF="28">
<P>But why would they have <HI>this new Moon gone, and the Sabbath pa&s;t?</HI> Oh that they may <HI>&s;ell Corn, and &s;et forth Wheat,</HI> ver&s;e 5. for there is no buying nor &s;elling, nor a &s;titch of work to be done on the <HI>Sabbath.</HI></P>
<P>Wheat, what is that? <HI>What is the Chaffe to the Wheat,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 23.28.</NOTE> &s;aith the Prophet? Wheat &s;ure is the <HI>pure Word,</HI> called the <HI>fat of the Kidneyes of Wheat,</HI> and &s;o the <HI>pure word</HI> is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32.14.</NOTE> it is the fine&s;t fattening thing that man can take, that <HI>immontall &s;eed of the Word, when it is &s;incere, &s;pirituall, and pure,</HI> how pretious, and how powerfull it is? But <HI>what is the Chaffe to the Wheat? Chaffe</HI> hath the form and fa|&s;hion of <HI>Wheat,</HI> but it goes away with the wind, yea, the <HI>Fan of the Lord,</HI> or any <HI>&s;ufferings from men,</HI> as I &s;aid before, blowes away the Chaffe, both the Word and the Preachers of it.</P>
<P>But &s;uppo&s;e <HI>it be Wheat that they &s;ell?</HI> it is but the <HI>refu&s;e of Wheat, as them&s;elves confe&s;&s;e, Amos.</HI> 8.6. what lean, low, and legall teachings doe our Preachers of the Go&s;pel &s;et forth and &s;ell? it is but <HI>the refu&s;e of all,</HI> that which good Mr. <HI>Perkins,</HI> Doctor <HI>Pre&s;ton,</HI> and the re&s;t of tho&s;e pious men left behind; it is not <HI>their &s;pirit</HI> the&s;e men &s;peak with, it is but their words, or the lan|guage of old Writers in a new dre&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Nay mo&s;t of the&s;e Pa&s;tors or Preachers of the Go|&s;pel can goe no farther than the <HI>fle&s;h of Chri&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">A cheif one of the Army would once u&s;ually &s;ay, that the <HI>fle&s;h of Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>letter of Scri|pture,</HI> were the two great I|dols of Anti|chri&s;t. Iohn 6.63. Heb. 4.12.</NOTE> and the <HI>letter of Scripture,</HI> as for that <HI>eternall Spirit</HI> which dwelt in the one, and which &s;pake in the other, they know not; <HI>the fle&s;h profiteth nothing,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, it is <HI>the Spirit that quickeneth, the words that I &s;peak are Spirit and life:</HI> where is that &s;pirituall, <HI>quick, and lively words? Spirit and life it &s;elf</HI> mini&s;tred to men, and in them?</P>
<P>Is it not the <HI>refu&s;e of Wheat that they &s;ell?</HI> when all that is &s;old by them is not worth the knowledge of a Chri&s;tian? <HI>Henceforth,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>know we no man after the fle&s;h, yea, though we have known Chri&s;t after the fle&s;h, yet now henceforth know we him no more,</HI> 2 Cor. 5.16. We know not Chri&s;t now, &s;aith he, but <HI>God in Chri&s;t,</HI>
<PB N="54" REF="29">ver&s;e 19. for &s;o Chri&s;t would be known, onely as the <HI>Fathers Image,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh, 14.9, 10.</NOTE> <HI>he that &s;ees me &s;ees the Father, if thou had&s;t known me thou would&s;t have known the Father,</HI> it was God even the Father who was all in all in his fle&s;h, <HI>who did all, and &s;pake all, in him, and by him;</HI> he was indeed <HI>the way to the Father,</HI> not that men &s;hould <HI>&s;tand &s;till in Chri&s;t,</HI> as I &s;aid before, but by him <HI>goe to the Father, and with him dwell in God;</HI> &s;o he was the <HI>truth,</HI> becau&s;e the <HI>everla&s;ting Father,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 3.18.</NOTE> <HI>the onely true God, &s;ent the Son,</HI> or came forth in fle&s;h, and crucified it al&s;o to him&s;elf, to <HI>bring men to God,</HI> and thus Chri&s;t was <HI>the life,</HI> and our life al&s;o.</P>
<P>For indeed, <HI>all the life, knowledge, and faith of a Chri&s;ti|an, by Chri&s;t as the way, doth tend and end in God,</HI> 1 Pet. 1.21. Yet this is not all, and yet this the Pa&s;tors and Teachers know not;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.17.</NOTE> for <HI>if any man be in Chri&s;t he is a new Crea|ture,</HI> or as the Greek reads, a <HI>new Creation;</HI> why, the greate&s;t of them all goe no higher than the <HI>fir&s;t Creati|on,</HI> as I &s;aid before.</P>
<P>But again, <HI>God in Chri&s;t, and Chri&s;t in men, is a My&s;tery yet that none of the Mini&s;ters of Churches can manife&s;t to the world,</HI> tho&s;e <HI>hidden My&s;teries,</HI> and <HI>Secrets of hea|ven,</HI> that high <HI>My&s;tery of God even the Father, and of Chri&s;t, and the My&s;tery of the Go&s;pel,</HI> the&s;e Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel know not, as I &s;hall &s;hew (with God) ano|ther time.</P>
<P>But now &s;ee what <HI>Merchants</HI> we have in the world, mark it, <HI>they &s;ell Wheat,</HI> nay, &s;hame upon them, they &s;ell <HI>the refu&s;e of Wheat, and &s;ell it; for what?</HI> at the highe&s;t rate that ever was, <HI>the refu&s;e of Wheat,</HI> an <HI>old Sermon,</HI> that is even mouldy with lying by, they will not part with without a price, yea, they &s;ell it them at a dear rate, none will preach now under a hundered pound a year, teach|ing is turned to a meer Trade, he that will give mo&s;t &s;hall mo&s;t Go&s;pel, under the Law all the Prie&s;ts had but the like allowance, Go&s;pel-Mini&s;ters preached freely, yet wanted nothing, now men will not tru&s;t God, but
<PB N="55" REF="29">mu&s;t have beforehand, &s;ome twenty &s;hillings for every Sermon they make, &s;ome fortie &s;hillings a Sermon, yea, there are Pa&s;tors and Teachers in <HI>England,</HI> who have four pound for every Sunday Sermon, be&s;ides four pound every week, for government and gaudies, or eating good cheer.</P>
<P>Doe not the&s;e <HI>make merchandi&s;e of the Word of God?</HI> are not the&s;e <HI>the Merchants which</HI> John <HI>&s;peaks that &s;hall &s;hortly cry, alas, alas?</HI> Rev. 18.15.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 18.15.</NOTE></P>
<P>Was there ever the like heard in the world, <HI>that the refu&s;e of wheat &s;hould be &s;old &s;o dear</HI> by Divines and Spiri|tual men?</P>
<P>Spiritual men &s;aid I? What they who are imployed in Secular and Martiall affaires?</P>
<P>I doe not blame the Governours of our State, for &s;et|ting &s;uch honour and preferment on the heads of Pa|&s;tors and Teachers, <HI>Con&s;tantine</HI> did more, yet more mi&s;|chief followed, and the <HI>Church as they &s;ay, fell a&s;leep in</HI> Con&s;tantines <HI>lap,</HI> &s;o I wi&s;h the wi&s;e and godly Gover|nours of the Common-wealth to con&s;ider:</P>
<P>I pray con&s;ider, is it according <HI>to the order of the Go&s;pel,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 20.28.</NOTE> that Pa&s;tors &s;hould leave their own <HI>Church-fellow&s;hips,</HI> and turn <HI>fellows of Colledges?</HI> Is it according to the Go|&s;pel that Pa&s;tors &s;hould become Princes and Pre&s;idents, Deans and Doctors? Is not this a &s;ecular imployment? and this in the hands of &s;pirituall men, is but the In&s;tru|ments <HI>of a fooli&s;h Shepherd,</HI> as the Lord General <HI>Crom|wel</HI> excellently words it.</P>
<P><HI>This is the great hand of God, and worthy of the con&s;ide|ration of all tho&s;e (Mini&s;ters) who taking into their hands the In&s;truments of a fooli&s;h Shepherd, to wit, medling with worldly policies, and mixtures of earthly power, to &s;et up that which they call the Kingdome of Chri&s;t, which is neither it, nor if it were, would &s;uch meanes be found effectunll for that end, and neglect or not tru&s;t to the word of God, the &s;word of the Spirit,</HI> &amp;c. A Letter from <HI>Dumbar,</HI> p. 11.</P>
<P>That this is not a &s;piritual but a <HI>&s;ecular</HI> power, or
<PB N="56" REF="30"><HI>earthly mixture</HI> appears becau&s;e an Univer&s;itie is pro|perly the School of Nature elevated and improved by Art, not by Religious forms (though the power of it be precious) but by excellencie of learning which Pa&s;tors and Teachers are not much acquainted with, &s;o were fitter men.</P>
<P>Again, It is a very &s;ad <HI>Omen</HI> when Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, and Pa&s;tors of Churches creep &s;o fa&s;t into Col|ledges, not onely becau&s;e <HI>the pro&s;peritie</HI> (or ea&s;e) <HI>of fools de&s;troys them,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1.32.</NOTE> but it is the <HI>Geneva</HI> Note on <HI>Acts</HI> 6.12. That the fir&s;t bloudie <HI>Per&s;ecution of the Church of Chri&s;t &s;prang up and began from a company of Prie&s;ts by the &s;ug|ge&s;tion of &V;niver&s;itie Doctors.</HI></P>
<P>But we are gone too far from Market, we heard be|fore their <HI>&s;elling the refu&s;e of Wheat for Silver;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 8.6.</NOTE> I tell you there is more in that Ver&s;e: <HI>They buy the poor for Silver, and the needie for a pair of &s;hooes:</HI> Or as the &s;ame Prophet &s;peaks,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 2.6.</NOTE> <HI>They &s;ell the righteous for &s;ilver, and the poor for a pair of &s;hooes.</HI> That is, if there be a righteous poor man that &s;eeks the publike good <HI>of the Common-wealth,</HI> or the <HI>good of mankind,</HI> they will either keep him poor, or make him rich, they will &s;top his mouth with a <HI>piece of &s;ilver,</HI> or &s;end him away in a <HI>pair of &s;hooes.</HI> Whats that? &s;et him in a <HI>good office,</HI> or <HI>gainfull imployment,</HI> thats <HI>a pair of &s;hooes</HI> that many an hone&s;t heart is bought and &s;old for.</P>
<P>I wonder that the Prophet &s;hould &s;ay of God, <HI>Thou ha&s;t for&s;aken thy people the hou&s;e of Jacob,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 2.7.</NOTE> &amp;c. <HI>Why? Their land is full of filver and gold, and there is no end of their trea|&s;ures.</HI></P>
<P>Truly it were well the tidings had bin true, That we Chri&s;tians would have no more &s;ilver and gold from the <HI>Indies,</HI> then gold &s;hould not be our God: But now I fear me that <HI>Mammon</HI> is not onely the <HI>god</HI> of the world, but the god of Churches al&s;o, yea many good Chri&s;tians make Mammon and money their God.</P>
<PB N="57" REF="30">
<P>In the Apo&s;tles dayes, <HI>The love of money was the root of all evill,</HI> it lay clo&s;e in the Earth, but now it is <HI>ri&s;en to a Tree</HI> all men may &s;ee that money is mo&s;t loved by good and bad alike.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 7.10.11</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks of a <HI>cloaked covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 2.5.</NOTE> it was much co|vered and kept clo&s;e then, becau&s;e indeed the Churches were &s;o pure and poor, but now covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e walks a|broad by day without any cloak &s;tark naked, that all doe &s;ee and cry &s;hame on the Saints this day?</P>
<P>Oh the <HI>hour of Temptation is come upon all them that dwell on the earth;</HI> True, that <HI>dwell on the earth;</HI> yea,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3.10.</NOTE> tho&s;e who <HI>dwell in heaven</HI> are tempted with it al&s;o, the glory of the <HI>world was the la&s;t and greate&s;t of all Chri&s;ts Temptations,</HI> Matth. 4.8.</P>
<P>I doe not envie your greatne&s;&s;e (God knows) but pitty your goodne&s;s that is &s;o be&s;ieged with great|ne&s;s and Worldly glory, with Silver, and Gold, and Money, and more then <HI>heart could wi&s;h,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73.7.</NOTE> the Lords and Nobles of old could doe better with it becau&s;e Gentlemen born, but when &s;o much money comes into the hands of poor Saints, oh, how they hold it, and hug it, and hunger after more, as dogs after dry hones. Woe, woe to the Churches, and Chri&s;tians this day. Truly Friend, I was forced as fir&s;t to &s;peak, then to write, &s;o now to publi&s;h the&s;e things to the world.</P>
<P>I would much rather have been at home, and &s;ate in &s;ilence, yea better had it been for my fle&s;h and family, if I had (as I &s;aid) even enter <HI>into my chambers,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 26.20.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;hut the door upon me untill the Indignation bee overpa&s;t,</HI> that is, till all the &s;even Vials full of wrath be poured forth; there is wrath enough on the Churches already, their own divi&s;ions would de&s;troy them quick enough; and why then mu&s;t I come forth like a fool, and put my head between their blows.</P>
<P>But yet God hath appointed a worm to pour out wrath on the Churches, to pour out wrath, and yet in love, to lye under the &s;ame wrath with them, and for
<PB N="58" REF="31">their &s;ake to &s;uffer this, for he that kills with the <HI>&s;word, &s;hall be killed by the &s;word,</HI> Rev. 13.10. 'Tis not my hap|pine&s;s then, but <HI>Woe is me my mother, that thou ha&s;t made me a man of contention to all the earth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 15.10.</NOTE> &amp;c. Fir&s;t, to Prelates. then to Presbyters, now to Independent Pa|&s;tors and Teachers; It is my <HI>mother the Church</HI> hath made me thus, for my Fathers Spirit, the promi&s;e of the Father in me doth teach me better things.</P>
<P>There are better things indeed that the Saints &s;hould wait for, things above Law and Go&s;pel-order, if it were as it was,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 50.45.</NOTE> but is not, things which neither Prophets, nor Apo&s;tles attained to, yet both did write of, and wait for,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.21.</NOTE> <HI>the glory to be revealed in us,</HI> the <HI>glorious libertie of the &s;ons of God,</HI> and of the &s;ons of men al&s;o, even of the <HI>whole Creation;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3.13.</NOTE> the <HI>new Heaven</HI> and <HI>new Earth,</HI> the <HI>new Jeru&s;alem,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 3.2.</NOTE> the <HI>appearance</HI> of the great God in us, when <HI>we &s;hall be like him, and &s;ee him as he is, &s;ee his face, and his name on our foreheads,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 22.1, 2, 3, 4, &amp;c.</NOTE> when there &s;hall be <HI>no cur&s;e, nor cry|ing, nor death;</HI> but the <HI>tree of life</HI> in the mid&s;t of us, the River of <HI>life, cleer as Cry&s;tall</HI> proceeding out of the Throne of God and the Lamb that is in us:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 14.8. Job 20.17. Ioel 3.18.</NOTE> The&s;e are the <HI>living waters,</HI> the Rivers and Brooks of <HI>butter and honey</HI> the Prophets &s;peak of, yea, the <HI>mountains dropping down new wine, and the hills flowing with milk</HI> is more then was in Go&s;pel-times,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 2.</NOTE> the <HI>new wine,</HI> the Spirit which the Apo&s;tles were drunk with at fir&s;t, was but the <HI>fir&s;t fruits,</HI> but a ta&s;te of that which &s;hall be more fully drawn forth in the la&s;t dayes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 9.15. Rev. 19.6.</NOTE> when men <HI>&s;hall drink and make a noi&s;e as through wine, and be filled with bowls,</HI> &amp;c. yea, make a noi&s;e <HI>as of thunder, being the voice of much people in heaven,</HI> and of many Allelujahs. Tho&s;e who &s;hall &s;ing and &s;peak really and indeed the&s;e <HI>gladtidings to men</HI> &s;hall not want <HI>money</HI> nor <HI>meanes,</HI> for <HI>City and Country</HI> (and <HI>Kings</HI> too) &s;hall contribute their <HI>glory to them,</HI> the <HI>City Merchant</HI> &s;hall give them food and raiment, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 23.18. and Country Farmers &s;hall &s;erve their wives and children to plow &s;ow, and reap for them, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 61.4, 5, 6, and 9. ver&s;es, yea,
<PB N="59" REF="31">the Lord God him&s;elf will be ready as a &s;ervant,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 45.11. I&s;ai. 58.9.</NOTE> to wait <HI>on them at their command, and at their call</HI> (<HI>Here am I,</HI> &s;aith he) <HI>to tho&s;e who undoe the heavie burthens, and let the oppre&s;&s;ed goe free, and break every yoke</HI> (from mens &s;tates and &s;pirits) this the everla&s;ting Go&s;pel will doe, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 58.6, 7, 8, 9, 12. ver&s;es compared.</P>
<P>This is al&s;o the <HI>Sabbath</HI> before &s;poken of (which the Mini&s;ters there wi&s;h it were over) not onely to <HI>cea&s;e from our own works,</HI> but from &s;peaking our <HI>own words,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4.10. I&s;ai. 58.13.</NOTE> or from <HI>&s;peaking words</HI> as the Hebrew reads, <HI>v.</HI> 13.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 22.19.</NOTE> The Law in|deed was <HI>a voice of words,</HI> and the preaching of the Go&s;|pel at fir&s;t, was in this far below its own light, at lea&s;t below that glory of the <HI>everla&s;ting Go&s;pel</HI> at la&s;t, which &s;hall not be in <HI>words</HI> or &s;peakings,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 19.8. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> but in the righteous actings of men, the <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;&s;es of Saints,</HI> Rev. 19.8. The <HI>Angel</HI> who is to preach the <HI>everla&s;ting Go&s;pel,</HI> is no particular man, or men (as in the <HI>Go&s;pel-Mini&s;try</HI> at fir&s;t) but the Spirit it &s;elf, even the <HI>glorious appearance of the great God</HI> in Men, and in Magi&s;trates fir&s;t &s;hall Mi|ni&s;ter that <HI>light and love and glory to bee revealed</HI> in us. Thus the <HI>Angel flyes in the mid&s;t of heaven,</HI> &amp;c. Rev. 14.6. the other Angel <HI>v.</HI> 7. is another appearance of God in men.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 21.24.</NOTE> For as the <HI>Kings of the Earth bring their glory</HI> and honour <HI>to the New Jeru&s;alem,</HI> (that of the <HI>New Jeru&s;alem</HI> being the &s;um of the everla&s;ting Go&s;pel) &s;o the&s;e <HI>Kings of the earth</HI> who &s;hall be, are the <HI>ten Kings who burn the whores fle&s;h with fire,</HI> Rev. 17.16.</P>
<P>The <HI>ten Kings</HI> are not a Kingly power, for Monarchy will never burn Mini&s;tery, (the whores fle&s;h) but &s;uch a government of men, <HI>who have received no Kingdome as yet, but receive power as Kings one hour with the Bea&s;t, Rev.</HI> 17.12. as the two Bea&s;ts are fal&s;e Mini&s;tery under &s;everall forms, &s;o the Bea&s;t here is the &s;econd Bea&s;t, (
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The Bea&s;t and the <HI>fal&s;e Prophet were taken,</HI> &amp;c. The Bea&s;t is the fir&s;t Bea&s;t, the fal&s;e Prophet is the &s;econd Bea&s;t <HI>who did Miracles.</HI></NOTE> called the fal&s;e Prophet, <HI>Rev.</HI> 19.20.) who hath two <HI>hornes like a lambe,</HI> this being the pure&s;t Mini&s;terie, and mo&s;t like <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> though indeed of Antichri&s;t, <HI>doing and &s;peaking as the Dragon and fir&s;t Bea&s;t did,</HI> Rev. 23.11, 12.</P>
<PB N="60" REF="32">
<P>To this &s;econd Bea&s;t the <HI>ten Kings with one mind give their power and &s;trength,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 13.14. Rev. 19.20. compared.</NOTE> <HI>and make war with the Lamb,</HI> oppo&s;e and per&s;ecute the high appearance of God in his <HI>&s;uffering Saints,</HI> who are &s;aid to be <HI>with him, who</HI> al&s;o <HI>by &s;uffering &s;hall overcome</HI> at la&s;t, both the <HI>Bea&s;t and ten Kings</HI> with him, <HI>Rev,</HI> 17.13, 14. compared with <HI>Revel.</HI> 12.11.</P>
<P>The <HI>ten Kings</HI> being thus <HI>overcome</HI> by the Spirit of the Lord in his people (and by the &s;ame Spirit appearing in them&s;elves) &s;hall hate <HI>the whore</HI> (with the Bea&s;t) and <HI>&s;hall burn her fle&s;h with fire,</HI> Rev. 17.16.</P>
<P>But before this (as I &s;aid) they had <HI>given their power to the Bea&s;t,</HI> the rea&s;on why they gave it is &s;trange, and &s;hould &s;till all the murmurings of men: <HI>For God put it in their hearts to fulfill his will; and to agree, and to give their Kingdom to the Bea&s;t, untill the words of God &s;hall be ful|filled,</HI> Rev. 17.17.</P>
<P>When the words of God are fulfilled, then the <HI>woman</HI> (that <HI>whori&s;h &s;pirit</HI> or dependance on Men and Mini&s;ters which reigns <HI>over the Kings of the earth</HI>) the ten <HI>Kings &s;hall burn with fire,</HI> that is, by the power and Spirit of the Lord God appearing in them as <HI>Fire.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e ten Kings then &s;eem to me to be a <HI>State Govern|ment</HI> (like ours) who have no <HI>Kingdom as yet</HI> (not yet &s;etled) though the Bea&s;t may make them believe <HI>they are Kings for an hour,</HI> for that little time of the Bea&s;ts reign over them, but the <HI>Kings can doe nothing,</HI> they can doe no more nor longer, then the <HI>Lord puts in their hearts,</HI> as was &s;aid before, therefore when the <HI>Word of God is ful|filled,</HI> and his time accompli&s;hed, The <HI>ten Kings</HI> (though formerly ruled by <HI>the Bea&s;t,</HI> and loving <HI>the whore,</HI> yet now) <HI>hate her, make her de&s;olate, and naked, eat her fle&s;h, and burn her with fire,</HI> Rev. 17.16, 17.</P>
<P>[How beloved were the Bi&s;hops or Prelates to mo&s;t of the <HI>pre&s;ent powers,</HI> in whom yet &s;uch a Spirit &s;ince appea|red, that hath burnt up all tho&s;e, and will them that follow.]</P>
<PB N="61" REF="32">
<P>Tho&s;e <HI>Kings then who bring their glory and honour to the new Jeru&s;alem,</HI> are the <HI>ten Kings,</HI> and the&s;e <HI>ten Kings</HI> are the Chri&s;tian Magi&s;trates (it may be ours) for as the <HI>Nations of them that are &s;aved</HI> are joyned with them, <HI>Rev.</HI> 21.24. &s;o the&s;e <HI>three Nations</HI> I beleeve will be the fir&s;t <HI>&s;aved ones</HI> in the world, from Monarchy, and Tyranny, and <HI>Babylons</HI> captivity, from all Oppre&s;&s;ion and Bon|dage on mens States and Spirits.</P>
<P>The &s;umme of all is this, That the Appearance of God in the Chri&s;tian Magi&s;trate al&s;o, will goe forth as the flying Angel, &amp;c. 2. That fire whereby they burn the Whores fle&s;h; is the Spirit of the Lord God in them. 3. That Spirit which appeared in the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t preaching the Go&s;pel at fir&s;t, will now appear in the Chri&s;tian Magi&s;trate much more at la&s;t. 4. As the <HI>Magi&s;trate</HI> is the <HI>Mini&s;ter of God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13.4.</NOTE> and the onely true Mini&s;ter now (there being none in the Church) &s;o God in the la&s;t dayes will fir&s;t appear with power and glory, not in the Church, but in the Common-wealth, not in Mini&s;ters at all, but in the Magi&s;trate both Civill and Martiall.</P>
<P>The <HI>Lord will &s;ave the Tents of Judah fir&s;t,</HI> Zach. 12.7. And <HI>the Governours of Judah &s;hall &s;ay in their hearts, the</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>The Inbabi|tants of Jeru|&s;alem</HI> are tho&s;e who have the high di&s;cove|ries of God dwelling in them, the&s;e are the &s;trength of the State, the <HI>Chariots and Hor&s;emen of I&s;rael,</HI> as the Generall &s;peaks anon.</NOTE> <HI>Inhabitants of Jeru&s;alem &s;hall be my &s;trength in the Lord their God,</HI> ver&s;e 5. Again, <HI>I will make thine Officers peace, and thine Exactors righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &amp;c.</HI> I&s;ai. 60.17, 18.</P>
<P>Indeed if any man doth but ob&s;erve and follow the foot-&s;teps of the Almighty this day, in his wayes and wonders among men, his glorious Appearance, and his Power, and Goodne&s;&s;e in this Land hath been mo&s;t vi&s;ible to, and by the Magi&s;trate Civill and Martiall, at home and abroad, both by land and &s;ea, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Alas, what have the Mini&s;ters done, but undone them&s;elves and others? and &s;till like to undoe the whole Nation, as the Prelates in the fir&s;t warre, the Presbyters in the &s;econd warre, and though a third warre will not be, yet the pro&s;perity, peace, and happy proceedings
<PB N="62" REF="33">of the pre&s;ent Powers, how had the Independent and Baptized Churches like to hinder? how &s;aucy and in|&s;olent were they about a new Repre&s;entative? yea, no Parliament men, but Church-members, or cho&s;en by them, was once in print: it is more ob&s;ervable, tho&s;e Churches who could never communicate, nor come to|gether before, became as one Congregation, to divide and undoe the Common-wealth if po&s;&s;ibly they could.</P>
<P>Well &s;aid noble Generall again. <HI>We pray you own his people more and more, for they are the Chariots and Hor&s;emen of I&s;rael, di&s;own your &s;elves, but own your authority and power to curb the proud and the in&s;olent, &s;uch as would di&s;turb the tranquility of</HI> England, <HI>under what &s;pecious pretences &s;oever; reltive the oppre&s;&s;ed, hear the groanes of the Pri&s;o|ners in</HI> England (when Lord God holy and true, and a Trea&s;ury for the poor?) <HI>Be plea&s;ed to reform the abu&s;es of all Profe&s;&s;ions, and if there be any one that makes many poor to make a few rich, that &s;uits not a Common-wealth:</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Heu quan|tum e&s;t in Re|bus inane?</HI> that is, A thing well &s;aid, then done, when power is in thine hand, Would ble&s;&s;e thy &s;oul, wife, children, and the land.</NOTE> very well &s;aid indeed. The Lord Generall <HI>Cromwels</HI> Letter from <HI>Dumbar,</HI> pag. 10.</P>
<P>How many <HI>men are made poor,</HI> by making a few <HI>Mini|&s;ters rich?</HI> therefore there is but little good done by the <HI>greate&s;t Mini&s;ters</HI> this day in <HI>England and Ireland;</HI> their whole work is in calling men to <HI>Church, not to Chri&s;t,</HI> in converting <HI>Saints, not Sinners:</HI> alas man, it is not the <HI>Go&s;pel,</HI> but thine own <HI>gain</HI> thou mo&s;t looke&s;t after.</P>
<P>That which you hear of &s;o many <HI>called in Wales,</HI> is not &s;o true as the report, it is but <HI>to Church</HI> that multi|tudes run, and mo&s;t to <HI>the waters,</HI> but alas poor &s;oules, they are &s;till as &s;imple and earthly as ever they were, as ignorant, carnall, and covetous, as little power of god|line&s;&s;e, or knowledge in the My&s;tery of Chri&s;t, &s;elf-de|nyall, &s;incerity, and &s;inglene&s;&s;e of heart: oh they are more double and divided, that light and love which was formerly in <HI>Wales</HI> in good Mr. <HI>Wroth</HI>'s dayes, is dead with him, and quite darkened.</P>
<PB N="63" REF="33">
<P>When will the Lord take away the <HI>reproach of his people</HI> from off all the earth? <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 25.8.</P>
<P><HI>They know not to doe right, &s;aith the Lord, who &s;tore up violence and robbery in their Palaces,</HI> Amos 3.10.</P>
<P><HI>Are yee not as children of</HI> Aethiopians <HI>unto me, oh yee children of I&s;rael?</HI> Amos 9.7, 10.</P>
<P><HI>He is Canaan</HI> (&s;aith the margin) <HI>or a Merchant, the ballances of deceit are in his hand, be loveth to oppre&s;&s;e,</HI> Ho&s;. 12.7.</P>
<P>What <HI>Merchants</HI> the <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> are of the <HI>Word</HI> we have heard before, and what <HI>Merchandize Church-mem|bers</HI> make of the <HI>World,</HI> the world will &s;ee very &s;hortly.</P>
<P>Truly in all that I have &s;aid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37.15.</NOTE> I doe not <HI>condemn the generation of the Righteous,</HI> but the <HI>generations of Vipers,</HI> who under <HI>formes of Religion</HI> eat up their Mothers bow|els, even the <HI>power of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> the <HI>Church of the fir&s;t-born,</HI> yea, <HI>Jeru&s;alem that is above, which is free, and the Mother of us all coming down from God out of Hea|ven,</HI> the&s;e men and Mini&s;ters would hinder and hide in <HI>the Earth.</HI></P>
<P>Again, I doe not judge the <HI>Governours of our State,</HI> nor <HI>State Mini&s;ters,</HI> &s;ent forth by the <HI>power of man,</HI> to civilize and teach the people, to in&s;truct the Nation in <HI>peace and holine&s;&s;e,</HI> and in
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">There be|ing now no <HI>Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel</HI> who can goe forth <HI>freely</HI> to the world <HI>with power from on high; State Mini&s;ters</HI> will never doe good till they <HI>gain the hearts of the people to the pre&s;ent Powers,</HI> in whom God hath &s;o vi&s;ibly appeared, that men cannot; chu&s;e but &s;ee and be con|vinced; that there is yet <HI>more good to be done by them, and for us,</HI> in Gods due time.</NOTE> <HI>honourable thoughts of the pre&s;ent Govern|ment,</HI> which (though yet <HI>clouded under particular cor|ruptions, and crooching under its own greatne&s;&s;e</HI>) will ride on pro&s;perou&s;ly through the three Nations, and ri&s;e a|bove all the Nations round about, in &s;pight of all their threats or attempts, yea, (though there may be a black moneth) yet the glory of the Lord &s;hall cover it, till the <HI>glorious liberty of the Sonnes of God</HI> (and of Men al&s;o) &s;hall ari&s;e as the Sun in this <HI>Land</HI> at la&s;t, as the fir&s;t fruits of freedome, and healing to the world, <HI>Rev.</HI> 21.24. <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.2. compared.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, Let no <HI>Independent Pa&s;tor, nor Presbyters,</HI> pro|fe&s;&s;ing them&s;elves <HI>Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel,</HI> dare to meddle any more with <HI>Tithes,</HI> forced <HI>Contributions,</HI> or <HI>Con&s;olida|tions,</HI>
<PB N="64" REF="34">nor make a <HI>gain of Godline&s;&s;e,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6.5. 1 Tim. 3.3. Iude 11.</NOTE> nor a <HI>Trade of Teach|ing,</HI> becau&s;e the <HI>Servant that knowes his Ma&s;ters will</HI> and doth it not, &s;hall be <HI>beaten with many &s;tripes, Luke</HI> 12, 47. that is, the Lord Chri&s;t will <HI>&s;trip you,</HI> and <HI>whip you</HI> round about the Country.</P>
<P>Surely <HI>I come quickly, Amen, even &s;o come Lord Je&s;us,</HI> oh how <HI>&s;uddenly</HI> is he <HI>come to his Temple?</HI> truly brethren the Lord is come, and now making a <HI>Scourge of</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The lea&s;t Chri&s;tians &s;hall &s;courge the greate&s;t Churches. Ier. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">0.45. Iohn 2.15.</NOTE> <HI>&s;mall cords, to drive the money changers out of the Temple.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The vile per&s;on &s;hall be no more called liberall, nor the churle &s;aid to be bountifull.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But the vile per&s;on &s;hall &s;peak vilanny, and his heart will work iniquity, to practi&s;e hypocri&s;ie, and to utter error again&s;t the Lord, to make empty the &s;oul of the hungry, and he will cau&s;e the drink of the thir&s;ty to fail.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The in&s;truments al&s;o of the churle are evill, he devi&s;eth wicked devi&s;es to de&s;troy the poor with lying words, even when the needy &s;peaketh right.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But the liberall devi&s;eth liberall things, and by liberall things &s;hall he &s;tand,</HI> I&s;aiah 32.5, 6, 7, 8.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</GROUP>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
