then might our Ministers lawfully demand them as their dues but they nor we cannot find it so it were denyed under the Law and we have no Gospel for it therefore saith the Lord Ye rob me in tythes and offerings Malachy 3.8 9 10. Ministers are your Ordinances the same that Christ instituted to his Disciples otherwise they be but humane or mens Ordinances set up by your father Bishops You say we walk above Ordinances it is confessed we walk above your ordinances in that we walk up to the Ordination of Christ and his Disciples which you deny to the people which is the true administration of the everlasting Gospel which we be all ingaged to plead for even that truth and no better foundation can any man lay then that of our Lord and his Disciples and so far as ye preach forth that doctrine so far we will obey you and no further Is your Authority and Calling from the Royal Priesthood or from the Levitical Priesthood there can but one of them stand which is the new and living way consecrated to men Hebr. 10.21 He is our High Priest over the House of God and he hath laid the foundation So follow him according to Gods Order and appointment The Ministerial Duty BRethren beloved in the Lord I am bold to write unto you for a more stability and amplitude of the Church Hence it is that God hath oftentimes spoken by the mouth of his Prophets saying I will put my Law in your hearts and write it in your inward parts So that in those times and at that day people shall be inherently taught of God and shall be free from mens teaching and void of preaching But some may say To what end shall this be To this objection there be divers answers As for the first Jeremy the 32. I will give them one heart for the good of them and their children after them this promise actually is made out to his Elect in that state of knowing God Secondly Every one shall live under his own Vine Meaning Christ and his spirit with the life of God dwelling in us which shall be our teacher For ye shall all know me saith the Lord. That is under the New Covenant which is his third or fourth dispensation Verily there were a knowing of God before the Law or Gospel was taught For it is said about the 7. of Genesis that blessed Noah walked with God And Abraham before the Gospel he was taught of God and lived by faith and it was accounted to him for righteousness which passed all the outward declarations Now under the Gospel here is a knowing of God too though as yet under a humane power which may then be taken away Jerem. 31. vers 34. They shall teach no more every man his neighbour or his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest of them And at that time there shall be a far higher and clear seeing and beholding of God when Freedome hath taken off the curse and Justice hath destroyed all oppression then preaching may cease for your children shall be as aforetime and your off-springs shall be prosperous and so it was before and so it shall be after this Ministry may cease Our Saviour by his Disciples settled the Church and laid the foundation which is called the living stone which were the Gospel setled about 1600 yeares agone which were a sufficient foundation and our preaching hath been little lesse then 100 yeares or thereupon which is contrary to the Gospel which they held forth for Christ and his Apostles held forth the outward with the inward saying If ye will be my Disciples ye must leave all to follow me Ye must not onely follow me in spirituall things but put off your carnal things this was his Disciples care to the Church that not any should want and in case of necessity none should know their own which if we were so taught of God it should do so likewise that is to do the works of the second Table with the first Table and that would truly adorn the Church of God and truly I much marvel how our preachers have fallen from this doctrine It is a great starving the creatures of God that some have too much and some destroyed by wants and in this our Ministry can shew no true calling in that the livelihood of the Creation is withheld from them which be Gods creatures and our Ministers will not lay open the ungodly abuse of them that carry the world on so for the Ministers of righteousnesse should have an outward calling as well as an inward and in case they fail in any of them they are then but Truth-breakers and fail in their Message to God and will not lay open those full Truths therefore saith the Lord Ye shall be inwardly taught of me and all know me and whosoever hindereth this work of restoration they be but murtherers of truth and justice whether they be ministers of men for behold and see what oppression is taken away by your preachings There were a two-fold curse under the old Law which in part is taken away the inward and spiritual curse is taken off by the sufferings and power of Christ now this outward curse still abideth with us and so shall do till the horn of oppression be broke and for that end God plagued the earth after the fall of Adam saying it should bring forth bryers and thornes which are wicked men Rulers as bryers in the hedge of Gods garden now I can assure you that are the Vine-dressers if you do not cut out all these bryers and abominable branches out of his hedge it will shew ye are not faithful to him nor good Stewards in your places Now this three or fourfold curse lying so heavy upon man as first a natural curse in lying under a sad and dark dispensation which is a spiritual dissertion which every one of us lye under till God comes in to our soules And thirdly that legall curse which is the hand-writing of ordinances under a general declaration of Gods Justice Now these three Curses being taken away and censured by the Lord Christ yet there is one curse more for us to take off which is our oppression in the world as man to man which eateth out all Christian community and causeth men to lead brutish lives in respect of that life they should continue in under him which is our life Now this outward curse being so inordinate amongst us that I think men and ministers be all inherently accursed that they cannot neither will they see the evill of an oppressing State which canseth all to be out of order Now God hath taken off three curses from of man which we could not have done by our selves the fourth is left to man or mens power that they should thorowly purge the world of all transgression and of every cursed thing behold all your affaires are left upon the record of your consciences
is the plaintiffe may speak out of envy being his own cause he can be no witnesse for himself which sheweth your lawes are unjust and shall not stand and your Judges and Lawyers may restore there be three sorts of theft one is an incorrigible wicked theef that will do it come life come death many times out of envy to his brother or his neighbour this is a thief with a witnesse the second is a covetous theef which stealeth to enrich himself these are both of an high nature The third is a thief of necessity being miserable poor and wanting it is a saying amongst us that hunger breaks the stone walls we see poverty causeth extremity and extremity causeth necessity and necessity hath no law in case of conscience yet we cannot justifie the sin of theft and putting all into Gods hand is to say The Earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof What art thou O man to controverce with God! are thy goods thine own or the Lords they were his before they were thine and thoâ—â—anst not deny it for all blessings proceed from God and they are and were from him before they were thine and if thou beest not a godly person thou enjoyest that which is not thine own and then thou art but a usurper and worse in Gods account then the poor theef that stole for need then let as put this in as a caveat and let us consider it is enough to suffer need and want and not to suffer death too There be many other things which trouble Power and State which to relate I cannot have time now winding up with our Saviour and his disciples in case of necessity they plucked the eares of Corn and being reproved by the Pharisees Christ said Remember David when he an hungred how he was took of the shâ—w-bread and did eat The House of God and Original Priesthood THe reason of my writing is for an establishment of Gods House upon the old foundation by a pattern from our Father Abraham and by an offering to Christ so long before his appearing in the flesh This Original act was for Gods house dues saying Thou shalt bring the first fruits of all thy land into the house of the Lord thy God Which had an allusion to the tythes or tenths of their substance which was a gift to the Altar of God for the poor in his house And I cannot find but such Ministers as take away Church Rights be guilty of the sin of Sacriledge in robbing Gods House Blessed Abraham in the 14 of Genesis paid tythe of all to the Lord under the name of Melchizedeck but now our Ministers have eat up that ordinance and taken those benefits to themselves blinding the people and to that the Lord complaineth Malachi the 3. saying Ye have robbed me in tythes and offerings bring the Tythes into my storehouse In the Apostles time they did not onely keep up Gods house but they sold their possessions and brought it to all the Apostles feet yet now if Gods house were restored it might be good to the Common wealth of Israel The Lord saith Hagg. 1.4 Ye go to your seiled houses but my house lyeth desolate and ye Ministers know this if ye bring not Tythes into Gods house as Abraham did so must ye do if ye do not then God shall destroy your Temples built with stone Now these priviledges of Gods house are very ancient though for gotten yet in the more later times of the Gospel the people did minister to the Lord of their substance as you may find in Luke 8. by Joanna and Susanna and all the Apostles did minister unto him out of their treasury which sheweth God had a house whatever our Ministers have done with it and truly if women could do their duty to Gods house it is a shame for men and Ministers to Omit their service to his house custome to whom custome belongeth Let us pay our vowes to the Lords house in all the peoples sight for now he will sit to purifie the sons of Levi and will purge Jerusalem from her blood and will come near you in Judgment Malachi 3.9 And my brethren take heed God is angry with you in that you have destroyed the offering of his Temple I do not mean an offering of Bullocks and Goats nor any such thing moral or Mosaical but to do all to the ancient Order of Melchizedeck which is Christ the Mediatour of a new Covenant by his eternal Priesthood which was and is a more higher Priesthood then yours Abraham payed Tythes of all to Christ long before any Law was and it is an Order upon record to Gods house that cannot be denyed and it shall destroy all carnal Covenants or mens ordinances which endure but from man to man but this of our Saviour is and shall be for an endlesse life ye shall keep the charge of the Sunctuary and of the Altar that there be no wrath any more upon the house of Israel Now ye Ministers I am to summon you to perform your great Offering which you cannot deny Numb 18.28 Ye shall offer up unto the Lord your Heave-offering of Tythes which ye receive of the people Now as Aaron offered up toe Levites so must ye to Gods House to settle them in their ancient place and so bring again the Captivity of that Ordinance so that all Priests Levites and Ministers must all consecrate the gifts of Tythes unto the Lord and his House And ye Ministers for changing these Ordinances ye be included under the seventh Vial of Gods wrath poured out upon the beast Revel 16.17 declareth a voyce out of the Temple of God saying It is done Now in the mystery of the Vials pouring forth the Decree of God was finished though all things not yet effected which time were to bring forth and now is revealed upon the beast which is the great plague of the world that we lye under which is seven Ordinances or Vials of his wrath whereof this curse hath been poured out upon all and not onely a curse but a curse under these seven Ordinances which Jew and Gentile hath not as yet made up these seven breaches of unity which is a full standing up for Gospel Truths which being thus omitted by Minister and people causeth him to complain saying What are those wounds in thine hand then he said unto me They were those wherewith I was wounded in the house of my friend So that it grieved God to see prophanenesse both in priest and people saying I took my staffe beauty and cut it in sunder that I might break my Covenant made with Jacob. Now when the Lord shall cut asunder the other staffe bonds which is now among us then all your prison gates shall be open and there shall be a standing up for the eternal Priesthood in every Nation Zach. 11.3 there is an howling of the shepherds for their glory is spoyled verse the 15. he saith Take to thy self the instruments of a foolish
and so long as ye keep back the full freedom of Gods bounty and punish your brethren by this oppressing state you lye under a far worse curse and judgement then they that suffer under your yoke and bondage for they suffer but a little outward want and grief which is nothing to your eternal suffering ye Ministers preach on but what oppression is taken away or as we may say what wound is cured Now if Truth were restored and Justice we should then be truly taught of God and preaching might cease Jerem. 32. vers 40. I will put my fear in your hearts that ye shall not depart from me For it is God alone that keepes us in our Christian way and stayeth us up by his helpful Spirit for saith the Lord I will write my Law in your hearts so that we find Gods Spirit is and shall be our onely teacher It is not your external preaching that shall beget soules or actually regenerate it is God that worketh the will and the deed ye may informe or strengthen the weak or keep your people under an outward conformity but not to beget or saved soules for that is Gods ancient work of old called Election therefore ye Ministers ye are called but Labourers in his vineyard to keep things in order But truly we have many Ministers in this Kingdome that are more fit to be taught then to be Teachers yet some of them will say I have begotten many souls as if an outward act could do it But I say no for it is the inward working of God that doth it If God did not work it our Ministers might stand long enough in their Pulpits your preaching doth neither hinder nor further salvation it is onely Gods purpose and not your preservation Paul may plant but God prospereth He is the Foundation of our life and he will teach us Ye shall all know me from the least to the greatest saith the Lord. Why should ye Divines be so high conceited in your selves your way of preaching is not so ancient as the Apostles was neither have ye done so much good as they did in that short time they taught the Gospel for they taught their hearers to throw up the possessions which was true Gospel but I see no such matter by your new found Doctrine and your foundation cannot hold it is something too young For the Apostles foundation was not onely laid 1600 years agone which is ancient but Christ Jesus was their Author and finisher of their Temple and for that cause he suffered which proved it true Gospel But what our Ministers have made on it I cannot tell but this I am sure they have changed those Ordinances of Christ and those which they have erected will hardly be proved true Gospel they carry it on with a power which shall fall with Babylon It is not your Ministery which shall stand for yee divine for money and some of yee will leave your people for gain But the Prophet Esay saith Come buy wine and milk without money But many doth now both buy and sell the word of God as by Funeral-Sermons receiving money Or by a mariage Exhortation Oh what Task-masters bee these to stand two three or four hours in a Pulpit as ye call it Alas it is not your way to save souls it is proper alone to God ye may counsell them or inform your people which all you can do For God saith I will write my Law in your inward parts And what he hath so done you can but preach the Letter to the people But God ministreth the Spiritual guift to the hearer and infuseth grace in the heart It is Christs feet that are beautiful and bringeth salvation all your external preachings without Gods internal work is nothing Yet for all this I have heard some of our Ministers say they have begot souls which is but a vain pamphlet Again I can give relation of a godly man that said such a Minister was his adapted father so that men or Ministers may err in the sectet works of Gods election resting upon vain dictates and self ends which is a meritorious work to do for he that ascribeth any power to himself he taketh away and diminisheth the power of Christ and without the spirit of God what can ye do A Lay man having Gods spirit may do as much as you can do setting your trade aside which is Latin and Logick learned at Oxford and Cambridg which edifieth not the soul you be one against another which sheweth your Temple is not yet built in its own place Levi persecuteth which the tongue and Reuben looketh high so that as yet Judah can have no entrance Behold all your Churches must come to a Synod which is a grand consent to make up one model or holy lump called one unto the Lord for God will not behold all your mental knowings Ye must all know me He will have but one way and one Church which is the ancient foundation and I know none other Therefore come and acknowledge Christ to be your Master-builder Ye shall all know me That is the major or vulgar sort of people shall so know God that they shall put down your power I mean your Ministerial priesthood For God his will and power are both one and he laid them both upon that foundation which we bee all called to build upon I am ashamed of your ignorance both ministers and hearers if otherwise ye know and do not reform and comeout form the people your bloud be upon your own heads For I cannot but speak the things I have heard and seen desiring the Lord of his goodness to open your eys that ye may see this main work Ye shall all know me that is to be King priest and prophet As he is King to govern and as hee is both priest and prophet so to be all our teachers And out Lord saith No man can come unto me except it be given him of the Father So it is not your teachings that shall beget souls for then and at that time there shall bee one Priest one people which is a living under their own Vine Christ Jesus Isaiah 55. He hath given him to be a Leader to them a witness and a Commander to the pesple so that it is Christ Jesus alone that begetteth souls And at that time he shall be the onely teacher when you Priests shall move out of their holes Micha 3. and shall not divine any more when Vision shall cease and we shall come unto him which is the patifical Vision which is our beauty in perfection When all mens teachings shall fail then our true Vine shall be the Teacher when we shall dwell under our own fig-tree ye shall no more say know the Lord for ye shall all know me And to winde up this discourse our Lord saith Joh. 6.45 It is written in the Prophets that they shall all be taught of God So that all of the New Jerusalem shall walk in that Light above