off from all the World's Worships, to know the Spirit of Truth in the inward Parts, and to be led thereby; that in it they might worship the Father of Spirits, who feeks fuch to worfhip him: Which Spirit they that worshipped not in, knew not what they worshipp'd.

AND, I was to bring People off from Jewish • Ceremonies, and from Heathenifb Fables, and from Men's Inventions and windy Doctrines,, by which they blowed the People about, this Way ⚫ and the other Way, from Sect to Sect; and all their beggarly Rudiments, with their Schools and Colleges, for making Minifters of Chrift, who are indeed Minifters of their own making, but ⚫ not of Christ's. And all their Images and Crof fes, and Sprinkling of Infants, with all their Ho ly-Days (fo call'd) and all their vain Traditions, which they had gotten up fince the Apostle's • Days, which the Lord's Power was against; and in the Dread and Authority thereof was I • moved to declare against them all; and against all that preached, and not freely; as being fuch, as had not received freely from Christ.

HERE we fee, this Messenger, whom the Lord had first fitted and prepar'd by his Wisdom, Power and Spirit (by whofe Miniftry Thousands were turn'd to Chrift in themselves, and the true Wor fhip of the Father in Spirit and Truth) was glad that he was fent by God to preach his everlafting Gospel and Kingdom; and a Neceffity was laid upon him, as on the Apostle of old, fuch a Neceffity (to ufe Milton's Words *) as made him willing to preach the Gospel GRATIS; a strong Obligation felt within him, which was felt by the Apostle; and let any one judge, whether this was not a better

* See Page 110.

Commiffion

Commiffion and Authority than the Ordination of any Bishop, or even of the Pope himself.

Now as thefe Messengers and Minifters of Chrift had received their Commiffion to preach, from the Love of God first wrought in their Hearts, fo by the fame Love were they constrain❜d to call to, and invite others to come and partake with them, of the Love of God in Chrift Jefus, which they had experienced: And at the fame Time to declare against all Hireling Minifters.

In this Manner does that Messenger, by whom our Author was convinced, invite and call to People: You poor fcattered Sheep, who have been scattered by thefe Hirelings, come out of the World and Worldly Cares and Pleasures, and return to the Lord in Spirit, he is within you, and there, if you wait in Spirit, you fhall hear him speak to your Spirits, to the directing your Minds out of all the Works of Darkness and Sin, up to God where no Sin is, nor unclean Thing can come. He is not to be found in the • World, nor formal Worships, nor in human • Wisdom and Learning; but he is only to be <found as he reveals himself freely, to those who patiently wait for him in Spirit.

Dear People, To you that love the Lord above all earthly Things, and yet have not your • Minds directed where to wait for him, to you I fpeak, to your Souls, that lie in Death till they hear the Voice of the Son of God: He is near you, who is the Way to the Father: Look not out, He is within you: That which I know declare I unto you, and the Way I know, where I have found my Beloved, my Saviour, my Redeemer, my Hufband, my Maker, who hath • fet me above all the World, my Sins, my Fears, my Sorrows, my Tears, into his Love, to live ' with

⚫ with him in Spirit for ever; but dying daily to • all visible Things: Praises, Praises to my Father for ever.

THE Night is far spent, the Day is at hand; ⚫ come out of Darkness all that love the Lord, into his marvellous Light, where you fhall fee • what you have been, and what you are redeemed from, that you may live and praise the Lord; for it is the Living that praise the Lord, and ⚫ not the Dead: Arife, come out of Death, come away, and let us rejoice together in his Love, ⚫ in the Life of our King, even fo, Amen.

THESE Meffengers who went forth thus, in the Love of God, to win Souls unto Chrift, were no Ways concern'd before hand, how they should have a Maintenance, but loving Chrift above all, they left what was near and dear to them in this World, and follow'd the Movings of his Holy Spirit, as did the Apoftles of old: And when fome, in Behalf of the Minifters of thofe Times, petition'd Oliver Cromwel and the Parliament, to fettle a Maintenance upon them, Left (as they fay in their Petition) the Want of fufficient Maintenance, fhould lay them open to the Contempt of • their Perfons and Doctrine, and put them upon a • Temptation to hang upon the Favour of their Carnal People, in a Man-pleafing Way, or be forced off of their Gofpel Employment, to attend on Food and Raiment: And lastly, left their poor Widows and Fatherless be driven to Extremities when they are dead, they being able to lay up nothing for them, while they lived.

THIS Petition of the Minifters, was answered by one call'd a Quaker, in a Paper addrefs'd to Oliver Cromwel and thofe in Authority. • It being a Matter of the greateft Concernment to every Man's Confcience that loves Chrift, not

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to uphold any Ministry, under any Prétence whatsoever, which is not fent by Chrift: There ⚫fore take heed, as you tender a pure Confcience, to give Liberty herein, that there be no Forcing to uphold any one Soul that say they are • Minifters; but that every one herein make • Proof of his Miniftry, and fo fhall every Man's • Reward be as his Work. And you Magiftrates ⚫ fhall not need to meddle in this Thing, feeing God never required it at your Hands, to force a • Maintenance, neither under Law nor Gospel.

• BUT if it be faid, this is the only Way to root • out the Ministers of Chrift, I answer, It's the only Way to manifeft the Minifters of Chrift, from the Minifters of Antichrift, and it will root out none but fuch whofe Care is firft for their Bellies, who mind earthly Things, whofe Miniftry ftands and falls by Carnal Things, who would be fure of Wages before they do their • Work; yea many of them have taken Wages these forty or fifty Years, but yet no Work done, nor any brought out of Sin; and these • cry the Workman is worthy of his Wages, and call for Wages from fuch, for whom they do • no Work; but these are none of Chrift's Workmen, who seek for their Wages from the World, for His, He fends freely into the World, who • never afk'd any Thing of the World; but firft planted a Vineyard, then eat the Fruit of it; • firft fowed in Hope, and then were Partakers of their Hope; and where they had fown Spi rituals, and the Seed came up, there they reap⚫ed Carnals, and fo lived of the Gospel, and not • of the World.

AND I demand of any one who owns the Scriptures, to prove a forced Maintenance either under the Law or Gofpel, but they were

freely

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freely to bring it. But who art thou that fayest ⚫ the Times are not fo now? Thee I deny, and thy Miniftry, which follows the Times, and not Chrift, nor the Saints Practice in Scripture; ftop thy Mouth for ever being counted a Minifter of Chrift, who art not content with his Allowance, as his have always been, for God is not changed, nor his Worship, nor Worship6 pers. But if you fay this will foon bring the Minifters to be poor, I fay, you know not God, nor his Care for his, who fo argue; for never 'was the Righteous, nor that Seed begging Bread. Against that defponding Mind do I bear Witnefs, who was fent out without Bag or Scrip, or Money, into the moft brutífh Parts of the Nation, where none knew me, yet wanted I nothing. In Prifons, in Beatings, in Stonings, in Mocking, my Joy I would not change for all the Parfonages in the World, nor fhall any Hireling partake of it.

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AND you that would have others forced to maintain your Teachers, but would not be forced to maintain others who differ in Judgment, tho' nearer the Scripture than yours, how do you fulfil the Law of Chrift, in doing as you would be done by? What is this but to Lord ⚫ it over the Confcience of your Brethren.

WHEN this Evangelical Doctrine began to fpread in this Nation, it fo alarm'd the Hireling Minifters of all Denominations, that they rofe up as one Man against the Publishers of it, and endeavour'd to perfwade the People, that they were Deniers of Chrift and his Ordinances, and that they undervalu'd the Holy Scriptures; and fome who were call'd Independent Teachers, (fuch as Milton fays, fought to be Dependent on the Magiftrate for their Maintenance) apply'd themselves

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