A just and Lawful TRYAL OF THE Teachers and professed Ministers Of this age and GENERATION BY A perfect proceeding against them And hereby they are righteously examined justly weighed and truly measured and condemned out of their own mouths and judged by their own professed Rule viz. the Scriptures and thereby are proved to disagree and be contrary to all the Ministers of Christ in former ages and to agree and concur with all the false Prophets and deceivers in their call in their maintenance and in their doctrines and conversation and practice And being brought to the Bar of Justice these things are truly charged against them and legally proved upon them and their own professed Rule the Scripture have judged them guilty Whereunto is added A short Description of the true Ministry of Christ and of his lawful and just maintenance according to the Apostles examples and now again justified by the people of God called Quakers in England By a friend to England's Common wealth for whose sake this is written and sent abroad Edward Burrough LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Bull and Mouth neer Aldersgate 1660 A just and lawfull TRYAL THE time of tryal is come wherein the Lord is trying the hearts of all men and now it is manifest what lodgeth in the hearts of all man kinde and by the fruit every tree shall be judged The Lord hath beheld the wickedness of this generation and it is very great and comes not short but rather abounds all other generations that have gone before Wickednesse is grown high among Teachers and people and the measure of iniquity is fulfilling daily Come let us reason together What think you was there ever such a generation of Teachers as this is Have they any example that ever went before for their wickedness to whom may they be compared or with whom shall we parallel them And because they say the Scripture is their Rule therefore will we try them by it and their own mouths shall condemn them and such they shall be concluded to be whose example they do follow be it Ministers of Christ or be it deceivers unto the Apostles and Ministers of Christ they are compared but are found quite contrary in many things and their practise fitly sutes and agrees with all the false Prophets deceivers and thus I shall prove them according to Scripture wherein these men that are Teachers do disagree to the Apostles Ministers of Christ which he sent forth in former generations and wherein they do agree with the deceivers and Antichrists and false Prophets that have run and not been sent 1. And first of all the Apostles and Ministers of Christ were made Ministers of Christ by the gift of the Holy Ghost and by power from on high onely and what they Ministered unto others they had freely received from Christ and had handled felt and tasted of the word of life But the Teachers of this generation doth not agree with them in this for they are made Ministers by natural learning and education and the knowledge of Arts and by the ordination of men and by powers of this world and not by the gift of the Holy Ghost and they spake that which they have heard out of books and studied for by Arts and which they have received from man and not that which they have received only from the Lord 2 The Ministers of Christ they were approved of God and called by his spirit into the work of the Ministry and were not of man neither by man But many of these are approved of man and not of God and called by man and maintained by men in their Ministry and herein they do differ and disagree for as I said the Ministers of Christ were made Minister by the Holy Ghost and not by natural learning but these are made Ministers by natural learning or otherwise and not by the gift of the Holy Ghost 3. Again herein do they disagree The Ministers of Jesus Christ went up and down through the World declaring the word of the Lord freely at any time in the Market-places and in the Synagogues and in the Streets and went from Countrey to Countrey and were strangers upon earth not having any certain dwelling place or any great Parsonages But these settle themselves in a certain place for so much money by the year and spend their time in ease and pleasure and lust of the flesh selling to the people for money what they preach and herein they disagree the Ministers of Christ preached freely as they had received freely but the Ministers of this age sells for money what they preach to the people and thus they differ in their call to the Ministry and in their practice in the ministry and in their maintenance also as is made manifest to many 4. Again the Ministers of Christ preached to bring people into fellowship with God by preaching of the Gospel through converting sinners unto the knowledge of the truth and by no other way did they make Christians nor counted any so but such as had repented and were changed by the spirit But the Teachers of this age do make Christians by sprinkling them while they are Infants before they preach the Gospel to them or before they repent of their sins and they bring them into fellowship by traditions and a vain shew of baptism and not by the spirit of God and herein also they disagree the one counted none Christians but such as were converted by the spirit of God and knew the operation of Gods spirit and the other counts all Christians that are sprinkled when they are Infants while they are without the operation of the spirit of God and converts them not unto God by their preaching but tells them they are Christians before they preach to them 5 Again they differ in Doctrine for the Ministers of Christ preached Christ the light of the World and said he lighted every man that cometh into the World But the Teachers of this age contend against that and saith every man is not enlightned by him but some have no light from Christ and the Ministers of Christ they turned people to the light from the darkness and from Satans power to the Power of God But the Teachers of this age doth not turn people to the light of Christ within but to the Saints words without or to some other thing and are divided among themselves and so in effect cryes Lo here and lo there is Christ in this from or that form but the Ministers of Christ said he was within people or else they were Reprobates 6. Again the Ministers of Christ said Christ was the word and the Scripture was a Declaration of what they believed But the Teachers of this age saith the Letter and the Scripture is the Word and saith it is the Instrument wherby God saves souls saith it is both the writings and the things signified and saith it is the foundation
of foundations but thus the Ministers of Christ never spoke of the Letter and thus herein they differ and disagree the one preacheth Christ to be the Word The other preacheth the Letter and the Scripture to be the Word The Ministers of Christ said Christ was the foundation but these say the Scripture is the foundation and herein they are contrary and sheweth by their Doctrine another spirit then was in the Apostles 7. Again the Ministers of Christ said they spoke wisdom among them that were perfect and said As many of us as are perfect be thus minded and said that the end of their Ministery was to present every man perfect in Christ But the Teachers of this age denies persection and say None must be perfect in this life and if any preach up perfection that it is to be attained they say it is Error and damnable Doctrine Nay they say none shall ever be free from sin or ever have victory over their sin nor overcome the body of sin while he be upon Earth But the Ministers of Christ witnessed they were more then conquerers and that they had put off the body of death and were free from sin and were the servants of Righteousnesse And herein also they differ and are not of one spirit and we know that the Ministers of Christ were guided by the spirit of God which held forth these Doctines and we know the Teachers of this age that their spirit must needs be of the Devil because it holds forth and Practiseth what the Ministers of Christ did not but the contrary 8. Again the Ministers of Christ were persecuted and suffered cruel and grievous things for righteousnesse sake as you may read in the Acts and did not render evil for evil to any man for they suffered patiently But the Teachers of this age are not persecuted but are Persecutorâ— and causeth men to be put into prison and to be banished out of Towns and sues people at the Law and seeks occasions against the people of God and herein they disagree and are not of the same spirit as they were which were Ministers of Christ but sheweth a spirit contrary 9. Again the Ministers and Apostles of Christ were not chargeable to any but made the Gospel without charge and free and laboured with their own hands and did not live idely but were often in cold hunger and nakedness and perils and tryals but the Teachers of this age live in pride and covetousnesse and fulness and doth not work with their own hands but makes the Gospel of Christ chargeable for many hundred thousand pounds in a year doth but maintain them which they have out of poor mens labours and so these differ and disagree from the Ministers of Christ and shews they are not of that spirit that they were guided by but are guided by a contrary spirit because they are contrary in their call and in their doctrine and practise and maintenance 10. Again the Ministers of Christ preached by the splrit according as the spirit gave them utterance and somtime continued preaching till midnight But the Teachers of this age are limited by a glasse and preacheth by a glass and when the hour is out their time of peaching is ended and that which they have studyed for before-hand that they preach and not that which they have received immediately from the spirit of God And herein do they disagree and in many things more which after may be declared 11. Again the Ministers of Christ said Ye may all prophesie one by one that all might be edified and as every one had received the gift of Christ so they might minister to others and desired that all the Lords people were Prophets and Sons and Daughters did prophesie But the teachers of this age will not suffer all to prophesie one by one neither will allow any to preach as they have received from Christ without such qualifications and learned Arts and ordinations of men and they will not allow a woman to prophesie or speak among them and all might speak the word of the Lord faithfully that had it and all might minister as they had received it this was order in the Apostles dayes among them but this is now counted confusion by the Teachers of this age and if any speak to them or any among them many such are made to suffer cruelty or imprisonment or such like by their means and herein they disagree and shew that they are guided by another spirit than the Ministers of Christ were guided by and so are not his Ministers but Deceivers 12 Again the Ministers of Christ declared what they had heard and seen and felt and tasted of the word of life and none of them did boast in another mans line but what they all had received of the Lord that they declared and not their own inventions and commended themselves to every mans Conscience in the sight of God and they did not provide themselves Studies full of books to gather out of in a weeks time what to preach on the first dayes as the Teachers of this age do who by vain study and humane learning frames up and notes it in a Book an hour or two hours discourse to the people And herein they disagree and shâ—ws that they are guided by a spirit contrary to the Ministers of Christ 13. Again the Apostles and Ministers of Christ were called from their Herds and from Nets from their receit of Customâ— and from their Callings and by receiving the Holy Ghost were made Ministers of Christ and did not seek peoples money to themselves but sought the people to God and went through aruel sufferings and persecutions many times that they might hold forth the way of life and truth to all people But the Teachers of this age they are trained up from their child-hood in Arts and Sciences rising by degrees from one vanity to another till at last they arrive to the function of a Minister of Christ as they call it and few or none of them hath been called from their ordinary calling to preach the Gospel for such a one is hardly allowed of to preach among people and they seek peoples mony to themselves and not the people to God And herein they disagree and shews another spirit then was in the Apostles 14. Again the Ministers of Christ were led and guided by the spirit of Christ and did not fulfill their own wills nor the wills of men and they brought people to the feeling of the spirit of Christ in them to teach them and after they had begotten people to God they said they needed no man to teach them but as the anointing within them taught them But the teachers of theis age follows their own spirits and are subject to the wills of men if men admits them to teach they do but if men deny them then they do not preach but the Apostles did not thus for when men forbid
them to teach they did not cease to preach but went on boldly declaring the Name of the Lord And these teachers do not bring people to know the spirit of Christ in them neither can any through their preaching receive the anointing to dwell in them that so they do not need any man to reach them but people are ever learning as long as they live and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth people are not profited at all and in this thing they disagree and shews another spirit then the Apostles were guided by even the spirit of Antichrist 15. Again the Ministers of Christ were low poor meek sober humble men such as did not exalt themselves nor maintain themselves in pride and fulness by receiving of poor peoples labours But the Teachers of this age are proud and heady high-minded selfe-willed and exalted spirits living in idleness pride and fulness and receives of the labours of poor people and herein they disagree for the Apostles were often in cold and hunger and great sufferings and perplexities but these are as fed horses the proudest of all people and the most covetous of any men and all men must bow to them and call them Masters which is quite contrary to Christs command And thus they shew another spirit then what the Ministers of Christ were guided by and if another spirit it must needs be the spirit of the devil for either the spirit of Christ leads men or the spirit of the devil And now seeing that the Teachers of this age brings forth fruits contrary to the Ministers of Christ it shews that they are not guided by the spirit of Christ because in their calling in their Ministery in their maintenance in their life and conversation and in their doctrine they are not the same but quite contrary to the Apostles and Ministers of Christ what can we conclude of them we have concluded already that such are deceivers whose works are of another nature and who are guided by another spirit than the Ministers of Christ were for Christ saith Every tree is known by its fruits And this is sufficient what I have said and if need require it may further be made to appear in the sight of the whole world and sufficiently proved that they differ in all these things mentioned and in many more and are not one with the Apostles neither in call nor practice nor maintenance nor in doctrine nor in conversation nor in any other thing but doth disagree and is quite contrary so as it is concluded these are not the Ministers of Christ though they profess themselves to be so because they bring forth fruits quite contrary to the spirit of Jesus which the spirit of Jesus did and doth reprove and seeing they are not guided by the spirit of JESUS because their fruits are contrary to it then must they needs be guided by the spirit of Antichrist and so are the Ministers of Antichrist and doth his works by his spirit And further I shall shew wherein they do agree with the false prophets and false Apostles and wherein they are like unto them in their Ministry and practise and doctrine and conversation and if the marks of deceivers fall upon them in the sight of all people why should they not hear it And if the same works be proved to be acted by them which the false Prophets and deceivers acted then why should it be thought a thing incredible among men that these are deceivers 1. First the false Prophets â—un and were not sent and they did not profit the people at all for they stood not in the counsel of God and so they turned not any from their iniquity but rather strengthened the hands of the evil-deer so that none could turn from their wickedness and they spoke a vision of their own heart and not from the mouth of the Lord and they said still to the wicked The Lord hath said ye shall have peace and to every one that walked after the imaginations of their own heart they cryed No evil shall come upon him and the Priests and the Prophets were prophane as you may read Ier. 23. And this is a fit parallel for the Teachers of this generation they can shew no call from God nor by his spirit neither is people profited by them as expâ—rience doth shew and teach through this Nation they do cry peace to the wicked and count all Christians and Followers of Christ that are but sprinkled when they are infants though they live in wickedness and from them as from the Prophets of Israel is prophaness gone forth into many Nations and a wicked example of evil these give to all Nations neither do these speak from the mouth of the Lord but a vision of their own heart and what old Authors say and at the best but what the Saints of the Lord said before them and this is no more as done by them then stealing the Prophets words or the word from their neighbour Again you may read how the false Prophets used their tongues and said the Lord saith it when God had never spoken to them but onely what they had stole from others who were the Prophets of the Lord and this is a fit example to the Teachers of this age and a true parallel between them for these dare not own that ever they heard the voyce of the Lord imediately nor that they spoke from the month of the Lord immediately but useth their tongues and saith the Lord said so by such a Prophet when as themselves have not received the word from the Lord and the Lord was against such who prophesied lies as did the false Prophets of Israel as the Teachers of this age do as it is manifest and the Lord is against them and herein do they agree and concur with the false Prophets in their call and are in concord with the deceivers of old 2. Again the false Prophets and blind watchmen of Israel they were ignorant and they were greedy dumb dogs that never cold have enough and they look to their own way and every one sought for his gain from their quarters and they were drinkers of wine and strong drink and boasted that to morrow should be as this day Isay 56. And this is a fit parallel with the Teachers of this age for they are blind watchmen and doth not discover to people the wickedness of their waies and no less can be said of them than that they are greedy dumb dogs for they all look to their own way and every one of them hath a quarter a Town or a Parish from which they seek their gain and some of them are lovers of wine and strong drink as daily experiences witness and herein the Teachers of this generation are proved to succeed the false Prophets in the same works and sheweth they are guided by the same spirit because they so fitly agree and concur in their works and this is plain to
He that plants a Vineyard may eat of the fruit thereof and he that keeps a flock may eat of the milk of the flock this Paul said though he would not make use of his power herein but wrought with his hands that the Gospel might not be chargeable but what vineyards have the teachers of England planted or what flocks do they keep their vinyards proves not tender grapes but wild sowr grapes wild vines and not vines to bring forth acceptable fruits and their flocks proves not flocks of sheep but wild rude people who are in the nature of wolves and Lyons and if the Magistrates Law were not their vineyard nor the flock would hardly yield them any maintenance the Apostles planted first a vineyard and gathered the sheep before they reaped or eat any of the fruits but the teachers of England differ from them in this for they know what they must have before they plant or before they seed their flock and differs from the Apostles practice who first planted a vineyard and gathered a flock before they could receive any crop and they would not then use their power but kept the Gospel of Christ without charge so that this scripture will not prove the Priests actions lawful in preaching for sums of mony and some other Scriptures they bring to prove the lawfulnesse of their preaching for hire which may all be answered as these are and whatsoever they can obâ—ect wil not justifie them for their reaping carnal things and their hire and their eating of the milk of the flock is quite of another nature as is proved then the Apostles practices were and were the people wise they would see and understand these things and not be deluded through perverting of Scriptures and through wresting of them to other ends theâ— wherefore they were given forth and this is written to answer some of their objections whereby they would defend themselves for what though Paul took of other Churches to supply his necessities as sometimes he did yet this wil not prove the lawfulness of their hundreds of pounds by the year most of which they spend in pride and idlenesse so that still this Judgment is true upon them which I have given all objections being answered and all defences being made void and hereof they are guilty as I have charged them and proved it out of the Scripture They disagree to the Ministers of Christ and agrees with the deceivers and in some particulars exceeds them for I believe all the false prophets in Israel did not destroy any whit near a Million and a half of money in a year considering all things it must come to little lesse their funeral sermons their great Tythes and small Tythes and marriages and sprinkling of Infants and Churching of women with other such penuries claimed by the Priests of England with what is given to them out of the Nations treasure which is many hundred pounds a year also considering how much in a year is spent and consumed at two or three Colledges in this Nation in râ—lation to the Ministry as in bringing some up to the attainment of the Ministry as they call it and upon the educators of such with a very great abundance of such like charges consumed out of the Nations treasure which is wasted as in relation to this Ministry spoken of I do not speak against good education and learning which is in its place a vertue as for travellers and many others neither do I account such money vainly wasted and spent But only as to the Ministry of Christ natural learning is not there admitted to make Ministers or to enable them thereunto but that money which is thereupon spent is wasted and consumed and how much is spent in this way and for such an end onely I leave wise men to judge which will make up a large sum in the whole considering all things I say their yearly maintenance may amount to fifteen hundred thousand pounds a year which is a thousand thousands and half a thousand thousand pound Men of weak understandings can hardly reach to know how much it is and that makes me thus plainly expound it A description of the true Ministers of Christ and its maintenance THe day hath appeared that makes all things manifest and the light is arisen that gives to discern between truâ—h error between the true and every false way and between the worship of God which is spiritual and every false worship of the world which is Idolatry and the true Ministry of Christ is known from the false Ministry by their several fruits and signs for hidden things are brought to light and secret things are revealed but now the people of the world both the wise and the foolish thus they object and say Seeing that you do so much condemn our Ministry and Ministers in their caâ—l in their practices in their conversation and in their maintenance what ministry do you own and what Ministers do you allow of and whether would you have any Ministry at all seeing you throw down and declares against such as the Law of the Land sets up and such as we have looked upon to be able Ministers and after this manner the people of this generation begun to reason among themselves saying what would the people do if they had power what Ministers would they approve of and what maintenance would they allow them To all this I do answer and say The true Ministers and Ministry of Christ we do allow of and we would have set up and established and we wait patiently till it be brought to passe even such as are ordained by power from on high and who have received the gift of the Holy Ghost who are called of God into the work of the Ministry such we do approve of to be Ministers of Christ in whom he is revealed and who have received him and are changed by him from death to life and out of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of God and who are born of the spirit and are led and guided by it into all truth and are called by it to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth who are taught by it in all their practices of Religion and in the whole worship of God such we own as have felt the operation of the spirit in themselves and who have tasted handled seen and felt of the word of life which abides for ever and such who goeth in the name of the Lord to Minister and declare freely what they have freely received of God by his Spirit and who preacheth Christ freely as the onely way and means of life and salvation unto all people even such as ministreth him the way the truth and the life the onely justifier and sanctifier and deliverer of â—hem that believe and the condemner of them that believe not and such as ministreth Christ onely the teacher and leader of his people and nothing else besides him and such we allow as onely seeketh and laboreth