and their elders and members are made mediately; and so have all erred from the power and spirit of God, and this is since the days of the apostles. For all elders and officers of the church of God, are made immediately by the spirit; for the church is spiritual; else how should they see the things that are immediate, or behave themselves in the church of the living God, which is the pillar and ground of truth, the church which is in God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? The power of God rules and orders people when there is no outward government. Nay, it strikes down the government of men, and governors, as in the days of Daniel and Pharaoh, and in many other places of scripture is mentioned; the power of God strikes down government and governors who are out of it, and this is the power that is honoured, which strikes down false governors and government, and this is not a fancy, as you ignorantly say.

P. And ye say, 'Christ doth not forbid to be called of men master in the expression of civil honour; and we will warrant a pulpit from the scripture Ezra's example.' And ye say, 'they that stand praying in the synagogues are reproached as antichrist,' &c.

A. They that pray for money, and preach for money, and get up a pulpit, and plead Ezra's example, they might have pleaded that the Pharisees' had the chiefest seat! They are ignorant of Christ, the light, the life, and the power; who came to put an end to Ezra, and the pulpit both; who preached up and down the mountains and wilderness, and denied the Pharisees' praying, and all that are got up there without the power. And that is antichrist that is got up in the long robe, and praying for money, and pleads Ezra's pulpit; and saith it is a civil honour to be called of men master,' and so slights and transgresses Christ's commands, and calls it civil respect: these, I say, are they that have gotten the sheep's clothing upon their backs, but are inwardly ravened from the spirit of God, and deceive the world. But now their hypocrisy cannot be hid, but must come to light, and be published upon the house top; and the light must be given to the whole house, and not put under the bushel; and the children of light shall shine, that men shall come to glorify their Father which is in heaven. And you antichrists in the apostacy have got up in Ezra's pulpit, which comes to an end.

P. They say, 'It is a civil respect to say "you" to one.' Again, 'Christ laid down the very reason why his disciples should take neither gold nor scrip, but wholly depend upon the means due unto them for preaching,' &c.

A. When saw we the Newcastle priests go out in this manner, without gold or scrip, and wholly depending on the preaching of the gospel? Or when saw we any of them called ministers of England do

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so?-go without a scrip, depending only upon preaching the gospel? Nay, are not their petitions for maintenance, flying up and down the nation to the magistrates, enough to shame both magistrates, and church, and themselves too, if they had any shame! (for it seems that their flock and vineyards will not maintain them!) enough to shame all the people that ever they have preached to, and make them turn their backs on them. For they cannot say that they have lived upon the gospel, but they have lived upon the state, and what they have got by ravening. He that lives upon the gospel gets a flock and gets a vineyard, but ye are found in the pope's maintenance, tithes and offerings from men, and not in the maintenance which Christ allowed to his disciples, whom he is with to the end of the world. Now these are state's ministers made by man; and so have their allowance put in and taken out by men. So being out of the allowance of Christ, which he gives to his disciples, you may see ye are out of their steps; and will appear to all sober people to be in the apostacy, ravened from the spirit of the living God, and the power the apostles were in. Paul said, 'Have not I power to eat and to drink;' not great sums of money, stipends, and glebelands, and tithes, set forth by the magistrates. And the apostles often would not use their power to eat, though they had power. And never did any of the prophets or apostles preach to people by an hourglass, nor had they, when any spoke within the term of their hourglass, a law to prison them; that is the beast that doth so, that quencheth the spirit, and is not the ministry of Christ. And do not many of you shake the glass, and think the time long? And you could not tell when to give over, and would run all into confusion but for a glass. And is not this carnal glass your limit? See how ye can preach without it, and tell well when ye have done without a sickness in your spirits, which must have a carnal glass to limit them: which shows man hath not power over his own spirit. The power of God knows when to speak, and when to keep silent. And so all your

preaching is by the glass, which is a limit of your earthly spirits, who have gone from the spirit the apostles were in, and preached by; but that which ye study out of old authors, the sheep's clothing, ye sell yearly by the glass. Is that your measure? The priest's measure that he measures out to people! Look in any steeple-house almost and see if the priest have not a measure, or it may be, measures a day. Do not call this the weakness of the people; for many people are ashamed of these things, that you should give them but two glasses a week. Now would it not be more honourable so lay by your glass, and come into the spirit, and preach by the spirit, and to speak as it moves and gives utterance, and quench it not in any? that so all may learn, and all may be comforted in your church. And 'you' to one, is not a form of

sound words; so not civil, but to be condemned, and shows you have not learned your accidence nor grammar.

P. Such as tremble at the word of God, and work out their salvation with fear and trembling, are judged to be notorious, bringing back to the covenant of works.'

A. Nay the power of God, that works out salvation with fear and trembling, brings off from the covenant of works, and brings above all the powers of wickedness; and so that is what brings the people of God to be persecuted, and hated, living in the power and seed of God. And no one knows salvation but who knows fear and trembling.

P. It is a delusion for one to witness an immediate call, and others to witness with them that they are so called.'

A. Were not the apostles and saints written in one another's hearts, and one another's epistles there? and were they not called immediately, and did they not witness one another as it is now?

P. And ye say, 'Some of them go naked. And another came and said, he had a call immediately from heaven to take away the priest's hour glass.' And speak of their mean apparel.' And 'the forsaking the world, though they neglect their families. And they run up and down in places and streets, or steeple-houses to vent their doctrine,' &c.

A. These are the marks they give to us, and to prove us according to the title of their book, 'perfect Pharisees.' The apostles preached as they went up and down, in towns, markets, and synagogues; and they were not Pharisees, but those were that held up synagogues, and tithes, and temple, and priests; so ye have the mark of the perfect Pharisee.' The name is entered into your bowels, and hearts. And as for any being moved of the Lord to take away your glass from you, by the eternal power it is owned: and to take away your limit, your carnal limit to your earthly spirits, that are gone out into the world from the apostles, from the spirit. And if any have been moved of the Lord, to put off their clothes, it has been as a sign among you, to show you you are naked and want the covering of the spirit. And as for any going in mean apparel, and forsaking the world, and coming off from costly attire; was not this the apostles' doctrine? Are ye like the apostles, the messengers of Christ, or the messengers of satan, crying up the world, and its glory, and costly attire ? And who are come to forsake the world, are come out of the sinful neglect of their families, into the wisdom of God that preserves the creation, and is not destructive. And as ye are speaking of perfection, so far as men are perfect, they are perfect in glory, and changed from glory to glory,' and witness perfection upon earth, and see an end of it, as David did, who had outstripped all his teachers. But among all yours, that are kept under your teaching, there is no talk of perfection, so you fall short

of coming to see the end of it. And the one offering, and the blood of Christ, and the new covenant, perfect, blot out, and cleanse from all sin.

And as for all the rest of your unsavoury and hard expressions in your book, judgments and sorrow ye will feel for them; and in the day you are judged the witness in you shall answer.

Thomas Pollard, a member of the church about Litchfield, in his book which he calls, The Holy Scripture clearing itself from Scandals. His principles follow.

P. HE saith, "It is a cavil to say "thee" and "thou" to a single person.'

A. Which shows that he never learned accidence nor bible; it is the language that the saints spoke one to another.

P. He saith, It is wickedness to call the letter of the scripture, and what is gotten from the scripture, brain knowledge,' page 4.

A. The letter is paper and ink, and the letters are carnal, and what is gotten from it without the spirit, is brain knowledge. But the scripture, the thing it speaks of, is spiritual, the word is spirit, &c.

P. He saith, The Lord never said to you as he said to David, that you are "after his heart," or any of your way, or that ever went in your way; and do not destroy all by your doctrine,' page 7.

A. No; David had outstripped all his teachers; so have we, many of us, who have trembled as David did, witnessing the new covenant, Christ Jesus, in which we need not say Know the Lord.' And who witnesseth this, witnesseth the tabernacle of David built. Again, our pay doctrine destroys but men's transgressions, and doth not destroy the smoking flax, and bruised reed ;' and we can say we are after his heart, and God hath said we are after his heart.

P. He saith, And that people may find rest to their souls, take the law and testimony.' See page 9.

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A. Many that have the scriptures, deny the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, and say, prophecy is ceased; so then they may say the spirit is ceased, it is all one: for the law is light,' saith Solomon, and the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.' Now the world cries, the law and testimony are the Old and New Testament; but many may have these, and yet deny the law and testimony, which is the light and spirit of prophecy; for the law and testimony were in the days of Isaiah, before Matthew, Mark, Luke, VOL. III.

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and John, and the epistles and revelations were written. And so they that are not according to the law and the testimony, are out of the light and spirit, in the darkness, though they have all the scriptures, which the law and testimony own in their places. And many may have the scriptures given forth from the spirit of God, and yet cannot have the comfort and rest to their souls, till they come to Christ that the scriptures testify of.

P. He saith, Try the spirits whether they be of God, for many false prophets are gone out into the world,' page 11. And satan transforming himself into an angel of light; and false apostles and ministers of unrighteousness transforming themselves as the ministers of righteousness.' And he saith, If they bring another gospel and doctrine than what is preached, receive them not into your houses, nor bid them God speed.'

A. That which ye now tell people is the gospel, which ye preach, are the four books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, &c. As instance priest Shaw of Aldingham in Lancashire who said so; contrary to the scripture, which saith, 'the gospel is the power of God.' And many may have the four books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, &c. the form, but deny the power, and so deny the gospel, which is the power of God. And so they that deny the power have put the four books for it; and they that have not the Father and the son are not to be received into their houses, as saith the apostle John; for they come in the form, and deny the light, as you do: but he that hath the son and the Father, he is in the power, the substance of the form.

Again, the devil 'transformed himself as an angel of light' before the apostles' decease, and false apostles, devil's messengers, and ministers of unrighteousness were got up before the apostles' decease. And the 'false prophets' were gone out into the world,' and the false spirits, before the apostles' decease, as in John; and since the days of the apostles they have led the world after them, have been received into houses, and corrupted the whole earth, of whom you have been. Therefore the apostles brought the saints then to the anointing within them,' and to the light that shined in their hearts,' which would give them 'the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus,' which light you bring from. And now since the days of the apostles have ye been carried away, swallowed up by such as have not the Father and the son; and are the false spirits that went forth into the world, and the false prophets, and satan, who hath transformed himself as an angel of light,' and the ministers of unrighteousness, and false apostles, who confess they have not the same spirit as the prophets, Christ, and apostles had, so are erred from them, and are the false spirits, false prophets, and false apostles; who have been destroying since the