and this is nothing to serve for you to prove your forced maintenance by, and to force a maintenance from people by; for the apostle says, As every man is persuaded in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, but of a cheerful heart, for God loveth a cheerful giver;' so here the church was left to their freedom; but you dare neither trust God nor the church for your bellies; but try yourselves and your practice by this scripture.

And again, in Phil. iv. you bring this where the apostle saith, 'When I was in Thessalonica, ye sent once and again for my necessity, not that I desired a gift, but I desired the fruit, which may farther abound to your account; now I have received all, and have plenty; I was even filled, after that I had received of Epaphroditus that which came from you, an odour that smelleth sweet, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasant to God, and my God shall fulfil all your necessities through his riches and glory in Jesus Christ.

Now measure yourselves by this scripture, ye priests of Christendom, and see if ye be equal with the apostle, who did not desire a gift; for this is nothing for your purpose to force a maintenance from people by; he desired only the fruits of his vineyard which he had planted, which was as a sweet smelling sacrifice to God; for he learned to be full and to be hungry, and to be abased, and to abound, and also to want, he had learned this lesson of Christ, which ye have not yet learned at your schools, and you are never like to learn it of Christ, if ye say there is no hearing of his voice now a-days.

And in 1 Thes. iv. the apostle writes, and saith, That ye study to be quiet, and to meddle with your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we command you, and that you behave yourselves honestly towards them that be without, and that nothing be lacking among you.' And in 2 Thes. iii. 'We are persuaded of you through the Lord, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you, for ye yourselves know how that ye ought to follow us; for we behaved not ourselves inordinately amongst you [mark] neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but we wrought with our hands, and travelled night and day, because we would not be chargeable to any of you, not but that we had authority, but that we might make ourselves an example for you to follow us; for even when we were with you, this we warned you of, that if there were any that would not work, he should not eat; for we heard that there are some that walk among you inordinately, and work not at all, but are busy bodies; therefore, they that are such we command [mark,] and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that they work with quietness, and eat their own bread.'

Come, all ye priests and teachers in Christendom, measure yourselves here, and try yourselves whether ye observe the apostles' command

here, and have him for your example, and whether ye be the successors of him in his example; the apostle did choose to work day and night, rather than he would be chargeable to the church; but are not you chargeable, that throw in prison and spoil people's goods that ye do not preach to? how dare you say the scripture is your rule, and that you are successors to the apostles, when your lives and practice speak quite contrary and you are to study to be quiet, and with quietness to eat your own bread, and not another man's, and especially them that ye do no work for; for you would think it an unreasonable thing for a tradesman to come unto you for money for his ware, from whom you had no work, and force you to give him money for it, or to throw you into prison? and then is it not as strange for you to ask people for money, that have had none of your ware, and if they will not give it you throw them into prison? is this your studying to be quiet, and labouring with your own hands, and eating your own bread with quietness? I think not; and doth not the apostle say, if any man obey not our sayings or command, mark, [or note,] him, and have, no company with him that he may be ashamed;' mark this all ye that disobey Christ's and the apostle's command also.

In 1 Tim. iii. 1. This is a true saying, 'if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desires a good work:' so now ye bishops and elders, who say the scripture is your rule, come and be tried by this scripture, you that desire this office, this good work.

First. A bishop must be unreprovable and blameless; are you so?

Secondly. He must be the husband of one wife, watching, sober, modest, given to hospitality, apt to teach:' now mark, are ye found in these practises? let your fruits and the consciences of people speak.

Thirdly. Not given to wine, no striker, [mark, no striker nor persecutor,] not given to filthy lucre, but gentle, no flatterers, not covetous;' so consider, ye bishops in Christendom; are ye no strikers, not given to wine nor filthy lucre? are you gentle and not covetous, nor fighters? let the country and your consciences, and your fruits speak, and God and the scripture judge.

Further, a bishop must be one that can rule his own house honestly, having children under obedience with all honesty; for if he cannot rule his own house, how shall he take care for the church of God; he must not be a young scholar, lest he be puffed up; he must also be well reported of them which are without, lest he fall into rebuke and snare of the devil.

And now come try yourselves, ye bishops, by these scriptures; do you rule your own house well? are your children under obedience with all honesty? look into your families; are you no fighters nor strikers? are you not covetous, and given to filthy lucre? and if ye cannot rule your VOL. V.-6

own house well, how can ye rule the church of God? and let the prisons testifiy if ye priests and ministers be not covetous; and are you and they of a good report without? how can that be, when you take people's goods from them, and cast them into prison, that doth not hear you? and doth not this bring a bad report upon you?

And doth it not show that you are puffed up, and that you are fallen under rebuke, and the snare of the devil; let your consciences, and your fruits, and the prisons, and them that are without, and the scripture speak, which you call your rule to be tried by, and God and Christ judge. Likewise, deacons must be grave and honest, come, let the deacons be tried by scripture also, not double-tongues, (they must not be doubletongued, take notice) not given to wine nor filthy lucre, (mark the deacons,) having the mystery of faith in a pure conscience; likewise their wives must be honest, not evil-speakers, but sober and faithful in all things; come, try your wives here, ye bishops and deacons. And likewise, ye deacons, ye are to be the husband of one wife, as the bishops must, to be the husband of one wife, and such as can rule their children well, and their own household; so mark, and look into your households, and among your children, and see how they are ruled: but you bishops, whether papists or others, who not only tie yourselves from marriage, but also forbid it to priests and bishops, how do you succeed the apostles or those primitive bishops therein? do not you do worse? and is not that contrary to the apostle's doctrine, who calls it the doctrine of devils to forbid marriage, 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2, 3, and doth not the apostle tell you, you must hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience; and is it not your principle, that people must carry about them the body of death and sin to the grave? then you cannot hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience, which is the gift of God, that purifies the heart, in pleading for that which doth defile it, term of life.

And the apostle saith, let them first be proved, (to wit, bishops and deacons,) then let them minister, if they be found blameless.'

Now ye bishops and deacons, are you blameless from filthy lucre, and from covetousness, and no fighters or persecutors? are you blameless concerning your children, wives, and families? are you blameless to them that are without? are you blameless concerning your tongues? are you blameless in being apt to teach, and in watching, and sobriety, and hospitality, and blameless of evil speaking, and not given to much wine, and unreprovable in these things? for the apostle saith, first you must be proved concerning these things, and then to be approved if you are found blameless of these things, else by the apostle's doctrine you are not to minister, and ye that are found in these things, cannot be the successors to the apostles.

So let your houses, your families, your lives, your fruits, and the gaols,

and the scriptures speak, and the people that are without, and God and Christ judge, whether you are clear from these things which the apostle

reproves.

And the apostle who desired others to follow him, as he followed Christ, and mark them for their examples, who coveted no man's silver, gold, or apparel, and eat no man's bread for nought; but can you priests say so, that have taken goods from people, and cast them in prison, and have done no work for them, and they had nothing from you; is not this eating other's bread for nought? but the apostle bids Timothy be an exam. ple unto them that believed, (that is, to the church,) he was to be an example in word and in conversation, and an example in love, and an example in spirit, and an example in pureness, for in so doing he both saved himself and them that heard him. 1 Tim. iv. So try yourselves here by the apostle's command, and see what example you give.

And in 1 Tim. vi. the apostle saith to Timothy of such that think gain is godliness, 'from such separate thyself;' what think ye of this ye priests? if ye had not gain, should people have any of your preaching? and then is not your gain your godliness, and from such the man of God must be separated; and is not this to measure religion by riches? try yourselves by this scripture.

But the apostle saith, 'godliness is great gain,' if a man be content with what he hath, for nothing we brought into the world, and it is certain we shall carry nothing out, and therefore, having food and raiment, let us therewith be content; for they that will be rich in this world fall into temptation and snares, and many foolish and noisome lusts, which drown men in perdition and destruction.

And now measure yourselves ye bishops and priests, and professors, and see if you be not fallen into these temptations and snares, and many noisome lusts, and drowned in perdition and destruction, who have disobeyed the command of Christ, which is, 'freely ye have received, freely give;' so there is not to be a looking after gain then, which the man of God is to separate himself from them that do: for the desire of money is the root of all evil, which whilst some lusted after, they erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows; but thou man of God flee these things, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, patience, and meekness,' &c.

Now here you may see what the man of God must flee from, and what he must follow after; but come measure yourselves you that teach for money, and are lovers of money, and others, have you not got the root of all evil, that lust after it in your hearts; and are not you pierced through with many sorrows? and are not you erred from the faith that gives victory? and say, there is no victory from the body of sin and imperfection on this side the grave: and are not you erred from the

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 despiser sof 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,