command of Christ, which saith, freely you have received, freely give :' come try yourselves by the scripture, which you say is the rule, whether your actions be not found short of Christ's command, and the apostle's doctrine and charge to Timothy, the man of God.

And in 2 Tim. iii. the apostle tells Timothy, that in the last times perilous days should come, that men should be lovers of their own selves, covetous, proud, boasters, cursed speakers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, intemperate, fierce despisers of them which are good, [mark, fierce despisers of them which are good,] traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, [mark,] having a form of godliness, but have denied the power thereof, therefore, from such turn away, [mark,] for of this sort are they which creep into houses, leading silly women captive, laden with sins, and led away with divers lusts, ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth; and as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these resist the truth, men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith; but they shall proceed no further, for their madness shall be manifest to all, as their's was.

Now come ye priests and professors, and all others called christians, measure yourselves and try yourselves by these scriptures; are not you lovers of yourselves, and covetous, and proud boasters; and are not the cursed speakers and disobedient to parents found among you? and are not you unthankful and unholy, and do not you plead for unholiness as long as you live, and say there is no overcoming the body of sin here? and hath not your covetousness appeared in spoiling people's goods? and are not you to be turned away from, according to the apostle's doctrine? and have not you been false accusers, and intemperate, and fierce despisers of them which are good? and without natural affection, when you imprison so many for your bellies, and make so many fatherless and widows, such as you did no work for? is not this without natural affections, and have not you a shew of godliness, and a profession of Christ's and the prophets', and apostles' words? and have not you, and do not you deny the power and spirit of the Holy Ghost, that the prophets and apostles were in? and do not you keep people always learning, and leading of them, that they may be always paying of you, yet they are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth? and is not this a sad learning, and a sad leading? and are not you and your people laden with sins and divers lusts? for do not you tell the people, that both you and them must carry the body of sin, and death, and imperfections to the grave? and are not you and your people laden with your body of sin? and is not this a great load to carry all their life long to the grave, and there to be buried altogether with it, where there is no repentance? and do not you keep your people always learning, always under your teaching,

that they may be always paying, and resist the truth, like Jannes and Jambres, that resisted Moses, and are reprobates concerning the faith that should give victory over the load of sin? and hath not, and is not your madness here seen, as Jannes' and Jambres' was? and is not the apostle's doctrine to be obeyed now, as then, who bid turn away from all such,' though you may have a form of godliness, yet deny the power thereof, as they did in the apostle's time; for hath not the highmindedness appeared, and your loving pleasures been manifest to them that be in the power of God, and turn away from you? try yourselves by the scripture, and let God and Christ judge.

And the apostle saith, 2 Tim. iv. he chargeth Timothy to preach the word 'in season, and out of season.' Come, professors and priests, measure yourselves by this; in season, may be you will say, is when the sun shines, and out of season, is when there is a storm; but there is more need to look after the sheep when the storm is, than when the sun shines; for when there is a storm, is there then not most need? so try your practice by the scripture, but then Demas will forsake Paul, and embrace the world; and have not many done like Demas herein? let that of God in your conscience speak, and God and Christ judge.

And the apostle bids Timothy 'fly from all youthful lusts, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace with all them that call on the name of the Lord with a pure heart.' Come, try yourselves by this scripture, and if you were found according to Paul's exhortation, it would be well; but do ye own such people as call upon the Lord with a pure heart? do you believe there is any such people now, that call upon the Lord with a pure heart? that is contrary to your principle and belief, who say people must carry a body of sin and death to the grave: we never read in the scriptures that ever Christ or his apostles preached up such a doctrine, that people must carry a body of sin and death, and imperfection to the grave; but they preached up holiness, pureness and perfection; and bid them be perfect, and to follow the apostles, and to walk as Christ walked.

And Paul writes to Titus of the qualifications of bishops and elders, how that they must be unreprovable, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, who are not slandered with riot; [mark,] neither are disobedient; for a bishop must be unreprovable as God's steward, not forward, [mark,] not angry;' try yourselves, 'not given to wine;' prove yourselves, no striker, nor persecutor;' examine yourselves, not given to filthy lucre;' measure yourselves with your rule, the scripture, and see whether you are not given to filthy lucre; for,' said the apostle, 'there are many disobedient and vain talkers, chiefly they of the circumcision.' Now this circumcision was a command of God; this outward circumcision they cry up, and leave the circumcision of the heart;

but the apostle saith, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake; one of themselves, even one of their own prophets said, the Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow-bellies; this witness is true, wherefore reprove them sharply, that they may be found in the faith.'

So ye see here, what and who must be reproved, and how these lucre prophets can speak one against another, and call them liars, evil beasts, and slow-bellies; and is it not the practice of such now, that are found in these steps, and such now as teach for filthy lucre, as can cry up outward commands and the letter, and make a mock of the spirit's moving and leadings: so we see these could cry up circumcision, an outward command, for filthy lucre's sake, as many do now talk of the letter, but cannot endure to talk of the light, and Christ being manifested within, and will not come to that lest it should reprove them; but it is their condemnation; for they profess they know God, but by works thay deny him, and are abominable, and to every good work reprobate, see Tit. i. and examine yourselves by it. And Paul bids him, above all things, show thyself an example in good works, with uncorrupt doctrine, with gravity and integrity.' So now, do you prove yours, and see whether you are found such examples in such works and uncorrupt doctrine; for as James saith, chap. ii. as the body without the spirit is dead, even so faith without works is dead,' Now this faith purifies the heart and gives victory, and without it people cannot please God; and this faith works by love.

So you that deny overcoming sin and evil, and the body of sin and death on this side the grave, have not this true faith which gives victory, and in 1 Pet. v. ' he writes to the elders who was also an elder, that they should feed the flock of God, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, not as though ye were lords over God's heritage, but that ye be examples to the flock.' Now mark, and come and try yourselves, ye priests and teachers of Christendom, and elders: do not ye feed your flocks for filthy lucre's sake? where is there any amongst you, but they are as lords and masters over God's heritage; yea, and have the title of lords and masters, though it be contrary to Christ's command, as in Matt. xxiii. and in Luke xxii. 25. So look in all your bishopricks, popedoms, and other jurisdictions, and see if you do not feed your flocks for filthy lucre's sake, and not willingly and freely, as Christ commands; and see if you have not lost the example of the ministers and elders, whom the Holy Ghost made overseers: and is not the succession of all Christ's ministers to be in the Holy Ghost, as the apostles were in, and try yourselves by the scripture, as you see in 1 Pet. ii. 3. And in 2 Pet. ii. there you may see how Peter describes the false teachers and false prophets, and how many shall follow their damnable

ways, by whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of, and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandize of you, whose judgment lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not,' he compareth them to the fallen angels, whom God spared not, that had sinned, but cast them into hell, and under the chains of darkness to be kept unto damnation;' and compares them to Sodom, and the old world that was destroyed, who walk after the flesh, and the lusts of uncleanness, and as natural brute beasts, &c. having eyes full of adultery, that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls; they have hearts exercised with covetousness, &c. which forsaking the right way, have gone astray, following the way of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;' mark, and try yourselves by this scripture. They are wells without water, and clouds that are carried away with the tempest up and down, to whom is reserved the blackness and darkness forever; for in speaking the high swelling words of vanity, they beguile with wantonness through the lusts of the flesh, them that were clean escaped from them, who are wrapped in error,' mark, in error, a sad wrapping, promising themselves liberty, and are the servants of corruptions; for of whomsoever man is overcome, even to the same is he in bondage, but it had been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness;' but the proverb is come upon such, the dog is turned to his vomit, and the sow that was washed, to the wallowing in the mire again.'

So come, try yourselves, ye teachers, by this chapter, who say ye have not the same power and spirit the apostles had, see if ye be not found in these practises, who shall receive the wages of unrighteousness, as they who count it pleasure to live deliciously for a season: spots they are, and blots, delighting themselves in their deceivings, in feasting with you: so ye may see these could creep amongst the church, and such in their very works deny the Lord that bought them; as now many will say, that Christ did not die for all men, and what is this but to deny the Lord that hath bought all men? though all men do not live to him that believe it, yet he tasted death for every man;' and ye may see those false teachers and prophets, they had high swelling words, and a profession, but their life was quite contrary to Christ and the apostles: so all you that profess the scripture to be your rule, come try yourselves by it, and see whether you be found in the life and practice of the apostles, or these false prophets, which they declared against; for the good words ye may get, and the sheep's clothing, but out of the sheep's nature and life, but try yourselves by 2 Pet. ii. throughout, whether you walk in the apostles' steps and doctrine, or in the ways of such as they testified against. And in 1 John ii. there you may see how he describes the false prophets and antichrists, who said then, they were come already,' and therefore exhorted the saints to keep to the anointing within them, which they had

received from God, and they needed not that any man should teach them, but as the same anointing doth teach them, and as it did teach them, they should continue in the Father and the Son, and these things have I written, concerning them that seduce you: so seducers, deceivers, false prophets, and antichrists, drew people from this anointing within, being gone out from it themselves, though they might keep the sheep's clothing, and outside profession, and the prophets' Christ's and the apostles' words, but resisted the Holy Ghost, like the pharisees and chief priests; and then they might say, as you do now, that they had not the same Holy Ghost as the prophets and apostles had. And John saith, whosoever abideth in Christ sinneth not, neither can he, because the seed of God remains in him;' but do not you say, they must sin while they live upon the earth, and carry the body of sin and death to the grave; and is not this contrary to John's doctrine; but John saith, he that hath this hope, purifies himself as he is pure,' but do not you say, you cannot be pure on this side the grave, and there is no overcoming of sin on this side the grave; and is not this opposite to John's doctrine again; so what is your profession of the scripture worth in that hope which doth not purify, which is the hope that will perish? and John saith, little children, let no man deceive you, he that doth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous,' mark, is righteous; this was the present time, before they go to the grave: and do not you deceive people, that say, they cannot be righteous, but must have and carry that unrighteous body of death and sin to the grave.

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And John saith, whosoever hates his brother is a man-slayer, and no man-slayer hath eternal life abiding in him, and he that hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and knows not whither he goes, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.' And do not you hate your brethren for whom Christ died, when you persecute and cast them in prison to death, and spoil their goods; come, try yourselves by the scriptures, and by 2 John iii. for Christ that tasted death for all men, he gives a command to love one another, and to love enemies; to love them which love one again, this was the pharisees' love, which they had in their outward profession without life; but come and try yourselves, ye teachers and professors in Christendom, by that which you say is the rule, and see if the scriptures will not find you to be men-slayers, and that you have not eternal life abiding in you, as the saints had, that loved God, Christ, and one another, and enemies. And in the third epistle of John, he saith, because that for his name's sake,' to wit, Christ's, they went forth and took nothing of the Gentiles;' and now mark, do not you take of others who are not of your church; and the apostles that went forth for Christ's name's sake, took nothing when they went forth among the Gentiles, but do not you take of them, whom you call heretics, and