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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
end_n	law_n	priesthood_n	tithe_n	1,449	5	10.7437	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41067	A touch-stone, or, A perfect tryal by the Scriptures, of all the priests, bishops, and ministers, who have called themselves, the ministers of the Gospel whose time and day hath been in the last ages past, or rather in the night of apostacy : they are tried and weighed by the Scriptures of truth, and are found out of the life and power of the scriptures, and out of the spirit and doctrine of them that gave them forth, and quite contrary to their principle and practice, both Papists and Protestants : unto which is annexed, Womens speaking justified, &c.	Fox, Margaret Askew Fell, 1614-1702.	1667 (1667)	Wing F639; ESTC R7178	82,431	96

we are all partakers of that one Bread 1 Cor. 10. Here is no speaking of Remembrance but the real partaking of the one Bread this is the living Bread that is come down from Heaven Christ saith I am the living Bread that came down from Heaven if any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever and the Bread that I give you is my Flesh that I will give for the Life of the World The Jews wondered at this and said Will this man give us his Flesh to eat Jesus said As the Living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father So he that eateth me shall live by me and except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood ye have no Life in you But this is not except you eat Bread and drink Wine ye have no Life in you for Christ saith My Flesh is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed John 6. These things said Jesus in the Synagogue as he Taught And many of his Disciples when they heard this said It was a hard saying who can hear it But Christ saith unto them It is the Spirit that quickeneth the Flesh profitteth nothing The Words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life And so it is the Spirit that is the Living Bread and those that live in the Spirit and feed in the Spirit and meet in the Spirit they eat the Flesh of Christ and drink his Blood and this Spiritual Bread was that which the Apostles broke and they that continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship in breaking of Bread and in Prayers it is said They continued daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house Acts 2. And this Bread was that living Bread that Christ said came down from Heaven And when the Disciples met together on the First day of the week to break Bread Paul preached unto them until midnight surely this was Living Bread else it could not have been the Communion of the Body of Christ 1 Cor. 10. And this was a Mystery which Swearers and Drunkards know not and therefore they set up that which is outward and temporal as the Apostle saith because they are blind of the Spiritual Eye and so as the Apostle saith That which can be seen is Temporal but that which cannot be seen is Eternal 1 Cor. 14. 18. But this is hid from their eyes and thus much for this Particular which they call the Sacrament of the Lords Supper They have also several other vain Practices which they have no Example in Scripture for as praying over the Dead and for the Dead which the Apostle exhorted from when he writ to the Thessalonians he saith But I would not have you ignorant Brethren concerning them which are asleep that ye sorrow not even as others which have not Hope for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again so they also that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 1 Thes 4. Here is nothing of praying for them nor over them after they are dead but they manifest by their prayers that they have not a true Hope nor Belief in Christ Jesus who is risen from the dead And become the First-fruits of them that sleep 1 Cor. 15. The like may be said also of their Churching women and Marrying people with Rings but it appeareth that the main end of these Practices are to get money of people for they have no Example in the Scriptures that the people were married with a Priest neither in the Old-Testament nor New ye do not read that Abraham and Sarah were married with a Priest and Isaac took Rebecca to wife and Laban gave Jacob Leah and Rachel but not by a Priest The Apostle saith Marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled but he doth not say that they should be married by a Priest or with a Ring But it is manifested that this Generation of Priests that have set up such Imaginations and Inventions as these are the same that the Apostle prophesied of unto his Son Timothy that good and true Bishop where he saith Now the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some should depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils speaking Lyes in hypocrisie having their Consciences seared with a hot Iron forbidding to Marry and commanding to abstain from Meats 1 Tim. 4. Now let the Reader but seriously read this Chapter and consider whether these be not they both Papists and Protestants who marry people as before mentioned and yet forbid to marry all that will not marry according to their way and will though the Apostle saith They may marry whom they will only in the Lord 1 Cor. 7. 39. Yet if they be not married with a Priest and according to their way they account it no Marriage And thus they run themselves quite off from the Scriptures as bad as they that never heard of them for though they profess them in words they are utterly and quite out of them in their Practices And that they abstain from Meats and cause people so to do this is well known to be their common practice all which the Apostle saith Are the Doctrines of Devils and so here I have found them in their practice and I will leave them These with many more frivolous things which might be mentioned as their keeping of Idle dayes and causing people to do so but what hath been said before may give people a sight of their practices that they are quite contrary and opposite to the Rule of the Scriptures And thus much for the Fifth Head which is their Practice The Sixth is their Maintenance and this is as contrary to the Scriptures of Truth as any of the rest They profess themselves to be Christians and Gospel-Ministers and yet will not be content with Gospel-Maintenance but their Gospel is dead and so cold that they preach to People that it will not quicken them out of their dead and natural estate and therefore they dare not trust themselves upon their maintenance nor cast themselves upon the freedom or liberality of the people And so when the Power and Spirit of the Lord Jesus was lost and the Revelation of Jesus by which the Apostles preached then when the Apostacy came in those that got up into the Popes Chair took upon them to find out a way whereby they might compel people to maintain them however they maintained themselves and so they started back from Christs Rule and his Apostles and stept into the Imitation of some part of the Levitical Priesthood under the Law which best suited their own ends And that being made ready to their hands they soon go● it set up and established by a Law and then those that were Christians and stood to the Principles and Faith of Christianity who knew that the Priesthood was changed and the Law also and could not pay them Tythes then they were ready prepared for

voice that spake unto him when he was struck down unto the earth with the sight of a Vision said unto him Arise stand upon thy feet for I have appointed thee for this purpose to make thee a Minister and a Witness both of these things thou hast seen and of those things in the which I shall appear unto thee delivering thee from the People and from the Gentiles unto whom now I send thee to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God Acts 26. And according to this the Apostle confessed himself when he mote to the Romans I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians both to the wise and the unwise so much as in me is I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the Power of God unto Salvation to every one that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek for therein is the Righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith and the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men because that which may be known of God is manifested in them for God hath shewed it unto them And thus the Apostle goes on exhorting and teaching the Romans in the 1st and 2d. Chapters and telleth them That God will render to every man according to his deeds to them who by patience continue in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality and eternal life but unto them that are contentious and do not obey the Truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath For saith he there is no respect of persons with God for as many as have sinned without the Law shall perish without the Law and as many as have sinned in the Law shall be judged by the Law for not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified c. And in the 10th of the Romans where he is speaking of his hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel he tells them That Christ is the end of the Law to every one that believeth For saith he the righteousness of Faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thy heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring Christ up again from the dead but what saith it The Word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the Word of Faith which we preach And when he wrote to the Hebrews he rehearseth the New Covenant that the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah had prophesied of and saith This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those dayes saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their hearts and in their minds will I write them Heb. 10. These with many more places of Scripture might be instanced of the Apostles how they ministred both in Preaching and Writing And in the first Epistle of John he saith That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes and our hands have handled the word of Life This we declare unto you that ye may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. Here was a right Minister of God that would have had those he wrote to to have been in fellowship with him who was in fellowship with the Father and with the Son and therefore he saith unto them These things I write unto you that your joy may be full This then is the message which we have heard from him and declared unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth but if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin And again the same Apostle saith A new Commandment I write unto you which thing is true in him and in you because the darkness is past and the true Light now shineth Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall abide in you ye shall also continue in the Son and in the Father These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you but the Anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same Anointing teacheth you of all things and is the truth and is no lye even as he hath taught you ye shall abide in him for ye have an unction from the holy one and ye know all things 1 John 2. Here is sound firm and wholsome Teaching that these holy men of God taught those that they taught but contrary to their teaching have Inventions and Teachings of men been for many Ages and Generations in this dark Night of Apostacy in which the pure and holy and glorious Church of Christ hath been gone into the Wilderness where she hath had a place appointed her of God until the One thousand two hundred and threescore dayes were accomplished which John saw Rev. 12. But now she is coming forth again glory to the Highest for ever And the Man-child which hath been caught up to God and to his Throne is coming to Rule all Nations and now are these Ministers of darkness which have ministred in the night coming to be seen now that the day appears For God that hath commanded Light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts and hath given us the Light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ which is the Son of Righteousness by which we see and comprehend them all So to proceed to the particulars The first thing that I except against in matter and form of their Worship Viz. All sorts of Preachers and Teachers that are out of Christ and his Apostles Spirit Doctrine and Rule is the taking a part or portion of Scripture for a Text and adding thereto their own Inventions which they study out of their own brain and also bringing other Authors who have done the like many of them not Christians but Heathens and thus make an Image and set up and deceive poor peoples souls and keep them everlearning but never come to the knowledge of the Truth and are more ignorant of God than many Heathens that never professed Christ nor the Scriptures and so it is ordinary with them to bring the Heathens words in that which they prepare for them and stir them up and this is quite contrary to Christ and the Apostles practice It is true Christ took the Book when it was delivered unto him and he opened and lookt upon it and found a place

without dissimulation abhor that which is evil cleave to that which is good And thus the Apostle goeth on with gracious Exhortations Rom. 12. to the end of the Chapter not preferring one before another but every one to abide and wait in their Gifts Also when he writeth unto the Ephesians he writeth thus I therefore the Prisoner of the Lord beseech you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called with all lowliness and meekness with long-suffering forbearing one another in Love endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace There is one Body and one Spirit even as ye are called in one Hope of your Calling one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one God and one Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Ephes 4. And in this Chapter he also goes on in opening of the manifestation of the Gift of the Spirit of God and in holy Admonitions even to the end of the Chapter Which Gift he saith is given for the Work of the Ministry for the perfecting of the Saints for the edifying of the Body of Christ And this Doctrine and Ministry is contrary to those Ministers which have been of late that limit and bind under their Power which Power is contrary to the Power of God and his Spirit as they themselves will confess for they cannot say they have the same Power and Spirit that the Apostles had and yet they inflict Punishments and lay Oppressions and Burthens and Bondages by their Laws upon those that do not follow and obey their Doctrine and Practices which is quite contrary to Christ and his Apostles For there is but two Wayes Truth and Error Light and Darkness So let the wise and honest in heart judge what a condition the Saints of God are in while this Power of Darkness Ruleth And thus much for the Second Particular of their Practice which is Binding and Limiting and keeping in Bondage those that are under their Power The Third Particular of their Practice is That they upbold and carry on many of these Practices before-mentioned by causing People to Swear in their Courts or upon any other occasion what they like and preach up Swearing and allow of it and hold it up in all occasions whatsoever And in this they are absolute Breakers of the special Command of Jesus Christ and also out of the Doctrine and Practice of Christ and his Apostles and contrary to their Testimony For Christ Jesus when he was in his Sermon on the Mount and was rehearsing the Heads of the Law as we said before he mentioned this also again Ye have heard that it hath been said to them of old time Thou shalt not Forswear thy self but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oathes but I say unto you Swear not at all Matth. 5. Now Christ being the fulfilling of the Law and the end of the Law as the Apostle saith for Righteousness and being that one Offering that hath been offered up once for all in which he said Lo I come to do thy will O God he hath taken away the First that he might establish the Second and when he had offered one Sacrifice for Sin for ever he sat down at the right hand of God expecting his Enemies to become his Foot-stool And the same Apostle saith when he is speaking of his Priesthood And in as much as not without an Oath he was made a Priest For saith he those Priests to wit those that were under the Law were made without an Oath but this with an Oath by him that said unto him The Lord sware and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec c. Hebr. 7. So this is he that is the Oath of God and the Promise of God the Substance and Performance of all that God swore and promised unto Abraham and unto his Seed for ever this the Apostle makes very clear in the foregoing Chapter where he saith When God made a Promise to Abraham because he could Sware by no greater he Swore by Himself saying Surely in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thee And so after he had patiently endured be obtained the Promise Wherein God willing more abundantly to shew unto the Heirs of Promise the Immutability of his Counsel confirmed it by an Oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to Lye we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the Hope set before us which Hope we have as an Anchor of the Soul both sure and stedfast which entereth into that within the Vail whither the Fore-runner is for us entered even Jesus made an High-Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec Hebr. 6. Surely all will confess that this is he whom God the Father promised unto Abraham by an Oath as also of whom David said The Lord hath sworn and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec These are the two Immutable things which the Apostle saith here in which God shews the immutability of his Counsel which both here meet in Christ Jesus the Sum and Substance of all For surely he is the Seed which God promised to Abraham if we will believe the Apostle Gal. 3. 16. Also he is that Priest that is for ever that ever liveth to make intercession for us and this is he that the Apostle saith At his Name every Knee shall bow and every Tongue confess Then I say let all Mouthes be stopt in speaking against him and opposing of him who hath said But I say unto you Swear not at all he that is the Sum and the Substance and the Performance of all that God hath Sworn and hath put an end to the Law under which Oathes and Swearing was allowed he had full Power as well to put an end to Oaths as he had to put an end to the Sabbath For he said the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath which was one of the Ten Words and Swearing was none of them And surely those that disobey Christ Jesus his Commands who is the Sum and Substance of Gods Oaths and the fulfilling and end of the whole Law surely they blaspheme against that Holy One. For the Apostle said He that despise Moses Law died without Mercy under two ar three Witnesses how much more sorer punishment suppose ye shall be thought worthy for them who have trodden under foot the Son of God c. Hebr. 10. All those that are Fighters against God and Holders up of Swearing against Christs Command they will find It a fearfull thing to fall into the Hands of the Living God But they have three Objections First That God Swore Secondly That the Angel Swore Thirdly That the Apostle saith Men verily Swear by the Greater and an Oath for Confirmation is to them an end of all Strife In answer to these three First For what the Lord

hath Sworn concerning Christ it is already proved and fulfilled in Christ but it is said in Isa 45. where the Lord by his Prophet was speaking that Israel should be saved and he saith Look unto me and be saved all ye Ends of the Earth for I am God and there is none else I have Sworn by my self the Word is gone out of my Mouth in Righteousness that to me every Knee shall bow every Tongue shall swear Now the Apostle Paul rehearseth these words again when he writ unto the Philippians where he saith If there be any Consolation in Christ if any Comfort of Love if any Fellowship of the Spirit if any Bowels and Mercies fulfil ye my Joy and let the same mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the Form of God c. Where he rehearseth the Humility of Christ even to Death upon his Cross in which he became a Saviour as the Lord by his Prophet said Even to the Ends of the Earth Wherefore saith the Apostle God hath highly exalted him and given him a Name above every name That at the Name of Jesus that signifieth a Saviour every Knee shall bow of things in Heaven and things in Earth and things under the Earth and that every Tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of the Father Philip. 2. So here the Apostle hath omitted those words Every Tongue shall Swear and saith Every Tongue shall Confess as a Faithfull Witness and an Obedient Servant of Christ Jesus whom he saith is the Lord who hath said Swear not at all Now since that the Apostle as a Witness of Christianity and an Obeyer of Christs Commands hath left out the word Swear and hath put in Confess according to Christs own Words who said He that confesseth me before men him will I confess before my Father which is in Heaven Now since that Christ and his Apostles have left us this Example who saith not Swear before men but Confess before men who are they that dare Oppose and Gainsay Christ Jesus and his Apostles under a colour of what the Law saith and what the Prophet saith and that the Angel Swore But as the Apostle saith unto which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son Who said Swear not at all When he bringeth his First-begotten into the World he saith And let all the Angels worship him and of the Angels he saith Who maketh his Angels Spirits and his Ministers a Flame of Fire the Angels are his Messengers and Servants as may be read in the Revelations And what hath any one to do to bring that where the Angel Swore by him that liveth for ever and ever that Time should be no longer when he was upon his Message and Service which the Lord sent him about What is this to men that have the Command of the Son of God upon them who hath said Swear not at all Unto which of the Angels said he at any time Sit thou on my right hand until I make thine Enemies thy Foot-stool But unto the Son he saith Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever a Scepter of Righteousness is the Scepter of thy Kingdom Let all such as contend with the Almighty in this matter read Hebr. 1. and see how they can answer him there And as for that where the Apostle saith An Oath is for an end of Strife this he saith when he speaketh of the Assurance of the Oath of God he bringeth a Comparison of them that Swore when Swearing was lawful under the Law For men saith he Swear by the greater and an Oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife Now there is none have the reason of a man but they may see the Apostle speaketh of such as did use Swearing because he said An Oath for confirmation was to them an end of all strife and so it was under the Law but Oaths for ending of strife were never used among the Christians for Christ had commanded to the contrary and the Apostle manifested the contrary when he wrote to the Philippians as is proved before Moreover the Apostle James who wrote to the twelve Tribes scattered up and down who were they that had the Law that enjoyned Swearing and under which they practised swearing for a confirmation and an end of strife as the Apostle saith before even to them the Apostle James when he writes to them of the suffering of affliction that they should be as examples to endure he saith Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that he is very pittiful and tender of mercy but above all things saith he my Brethren Swear not neither by Heaven neither by Earth neither by any other Oath but let your yea be yea and your nay nay lest ye fall into condemnation Jam. 5. And into this state of condemnation are the Teachers and Leaders of our Age fallen who are not only Swearers but Teachers Upholders and Forcers to Sware and preach it up for Doctrine to Swear and in this oppose and gain-say Christ Jesus and all his Apostles and all that bear testimony to his Name and Truth and Word and obey his Command such suffer by them and under them and if they bring them into their Courts for any thing because they cannot pay them Tythes or because they cannot pay them Steeple-house Dues and Easter Reckonings when they have sued them except they will Swear they cannot put in their Answers and then they get out Writs and cast them into Prison And thus they that profess themselves to be Ministers of Christ and the Gospel make havock of his Flock But surely he will come and seek his Sheep and search them out And thus much for the third Particular of their practice which is their causing People to Swear The fourth Particular that they practise without ground from Scripture is Sprinkling Infants with water upon their heads and faces and some plunge them all over which we do not find Christ or his Apostles did the like with Infants It is true there was brought unto Christ Little Children that he should put his hands on them and pray and he laid his hands on them but his Disciples rebuked them but Jesus said Suffer little Children and forbid them not to come to me for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 19. Now Mark saith That he took them up in his Armes and put his hands upon them and blessed them Mark 10. And Luke saith They brought unto him Infants that he might touch them but when his Disciples saw they rebuked them but Jesus was displeased with them and said Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God Verily I say unto you whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little Child shall in no wise enter therein Luke 18. Now by all these Scriptures it doth appear that

them with Laws and Penalties to clap upon them and so force them by compulsion And thus they have laid a weight of Oppression upon poor people ever since the dark Night of Apostacy came on and have taken from them the tenth part of their Lands and a tenth part of their Flocks and Herds and the tenth part of their Labours and thus poor people been made a prey unto their wolvish mouths And in this they have not done justly neither according to the Priesthood under the Law nor under the Gospel For the Children of Israel when they were to come into the Land of Canaan they were utterly to destroy all the Places where they worshipped their Gods and they were to overthrow their Altars and break down their Pillars and burn their Groves with Fire and hew down their Graven-Images and these Priests we are now speaking of set Images up and they were to come unto the Place which the Lord their God was to chuse out of all the Tribes to put his Name there and saith the Lord Thither shall you bring your Burnt-Offerings and you Sacrifices and your Tythes and your Heave-Offerings of your hand Deut. 12. And at the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the Tythes of their encrease the same year and to lay it up within thy Gates and the Levite because he hath no inheritance with thee and the Stranger and the Fatherless and Widow which are within thy Gates shall come and shall eat and be satisfied that the Lord thy God may bless thee Deut. 14. 28 29. and chap. 26. 12. But these Tythe-Mongers of the Gospel Times have neither fed Widows nor Fatherless but what they could get of them they have taken from them and many poor Widows have been cast into Prison because they could not for Conscience sake pay Tythes and many poor fatherless children have had their goods taken away for the same but this is none of Christ's nor his Apostles Example And as they have taken up ways that have been neither according to Law nor Gospel so let them stand Usurpers as they are and Lorders over Gods Heritage But let them know for all this that they must come to Judgement and the Lord will plead with them in his day and time For when Christ Jesus sent forth his Disciples their great business was not to look after their Bellies for they were not to provide neither Gold nor Silver nor Brass in their Purses for they had received freely and they were freely to give Matth. 10. 8 9. Also when he sent out the Seventy they were neither to have Bread nor Money Luke 9. And the Apostle Paul when he took leave of the Churches he told them He knew that after his departure would come among them grievous Wolves not sparing the Flock he saith I have coveted no mans Silver or Gold or Apparel Ye your selves know that these hands have ministred unto my necessity and to them that were with me I likewise shewed you all things how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus how he said It is more Blessed to give then to Receive Acts 20. 33 34 35. But the Ministers in these dayes think it more blessed to receive then give for they accustom the one more then the other And again the Apostle saith Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and the Stewards of the Mysteries of God Moreover It s required of a Steward that he be found faithfull For I think God hath set forth us the Apostles as it were appointed to death for we are made a Spectacle unto the World to Angels and to Men We are Fools for Christs sake but ye are Wise we are Weak but ye are Strong ye are Honorable but we are despised Even unto this very hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place and labour working with our own hands being reviled we bless being persecuted we suffer it being defamed we entreat we are made as the filth of the world and as the off-scouring of all things unto this day 1 Cor. 4. This is far different from those that have called themselves Gospel Ministers they will be sure of certain abiding places and instead of working with their hands they make all people work for them So this Scripture tries them and thir Practice Moreover when the Apostle writeth to the Thessalonians he saith Your selves Brethren know our Exhortation was not of deceit nor of uncleanness nor in guile but as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel even so we spake not as pleasing men but God which trieth our hearts For neither at any time used we flattering words as ye know nor a cloak of covetousness God is witness nor of men sought we glory neither of you nor yet of others when we might have been burthensom as the Apostles of Christ but we were gentle among you even as a Nurse cherisheth her children So being affectionately desirous of you we were willing to have imparted unto you not the Gospel of Christ onely but also our own souls because ye were dear unto us For ye remember Brethren our labour and travel labouring night and day because we would not be chargeable to any of you we preached unto you the Gospel of God Ye are Witnesses and God also how holily and justy and unblameable we behaved our selves among you that believe As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a father doth his children 1 Thes 2. Here was a dear and faithfull Minister of God that abhorred to be burthensom or chargeable even to them that believed as he manifesteth in his next Epistle where he saith For ye your selves know how ye ought to follow us for we behaved not our selves disorderly among you neither did we eat any mans bread for nought but wrought with labour and travel night and day that we might not be chargeable to any of you Not because we have no power but to make our selves an Example for you to follow us For even when we were with you we commanded you that if any would not work neither should be eat 2 Thes 3. This is hard Doctrine for our Lords Deans and Deacons who are got so high that many of them are almost the greatest men in our Land so that it will be no easie matter to bring them down into the Apostles Steps and Paths that they were in But however it may let them see that they are gotten up to the highest Pinacle of the Temple whither the Devil carried our Saviour and would have had him to have cast himself down but Jesus was too strong for his Temptations and said It is written Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God Matth. 4. But it is to be feared that those who have climed so high have been taken with