ALL the holy men of God they spoke forth freely, and when any spoke for Hire, it was a filthie and a horrible thing, and the Lord did abhor it, and sent forth his true Prophets to crie out against them. Isaiah 55.1, 2, 3. Isaiah spoke freely, and he was sent to crie out against them that did not speak forth freely without Hire, Isa. 56.10, 11, 12. His watchmen (saith he) are blinde and cannot see, they are dumb doggs, yea greedy doggs that can never have enough, every one looks for his gain from his quarter: They did so then, and do they not so now? every one looks for his gain from his Quarter where he is, and for great Means, (those that have eyes to see, may see) and the Lord abhorrs it. Ieremiah he spoke freely, and was sent to crie out against them that did it for Hire, Jerem 5. A horrible and a filthie thing is committed in the Land, the Prophets prophesie false things, and the Priests bear rule by their Means, and the people love to have it so. It was so then, but is it not so now? do not the Priests bear rule by their Means over you, and do not you love to have it so? O foolish people, that have eyes to see and cannot see, ears to hear and cannot hear, hearts and cannot understand; but what will you do in the end, saith the Lord? All people see if you hold not up this filthie thing which God sent his true Pro­phets to crie against. Ezechiel he spoke freely, and spoke against them that spoke for the Fleece; see Chap. 34. see if your Shep­herds do not teach for the Fleece? But (saith the Lord) I will take them out of their hands, they shall no more be meat for them, neither shall they feed themselves any more of the Flock, but (saith [Page 2]the Lord) I will take them out of their Hands, and I will feed them my self, and be their Teachers. Now the Lord is comming to teach all his freely, and there is no Teacher like him, and they that are taught of the Lord deny all teaching without; if you would be taught of the Lord, cease from your Hirelings. Micah spoke freely, and was sent to cry against them that did not; Chapter 3. saith he, The Prophets divine for money, and the Priests preach for Hire, and they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord amongst us? They did so then, and do they not so now? But (saith the Lord) they ran but I did not send them, therefore they shall not profit this people at all. See Jeremiah 23. the Lord will not have his gifts to be bought and sold; they are worse then Simon Magus, for he would have bought the Spirit, but these Buy and Sell the Letter for carnall ends, and acts (as in Stage-Playes) for money; but the Lord abhorrs it, therefore hold it not up. Hosea 6.9. he spoke freely, and spoke against them then, and said, As a troop of Robbers wait for a man, so the company of Priests they murther in the way by consent. Micah saith in the 3. Chapter, Put into their mouthes and they cry peace, peace; but if you put not into their mouthes, they prepare warr against you. Try your Priests, and let the Scriptures be sulfilled, see if they will not go to Law with you? and if they doe, you shall see that they were never taught of Christ; for (he saith) if any man sue thee at the Law, and take away thy Coat, let him have thy Cloak also, Now if they were sent of Christ, they would abide in his Doctrine, for he that abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, is a Devid, Matth. 5.40. and Christ when he sent forth his, he bad them take neither Bagg nor Scrip, but (saith he) freely ye have received, freely give; and if they were taught of him, they would obey him and keep his say­ings: but those that buy their Wares, they must either set them forth at a greater rate, or else lose by them, and then they would lose their Masterie which they have got by their Learning, and their M [...]a [...]s. All the Teachers of the world they are Masters by their Learning and their Benefits; those that were taught of Je­sus [Page 3]Christ, they were not so; see Mat. 23. but he taught them to deny it, and they abode in his Doctrine. You do not read in all the Holy Scriptures, that any of the Holy men of God were Cambridge or Oxford Schollers, or Universitie men, or called Ma­sters; but (on the contrary) they were plain men, and laboured with their hands, and taught freely, as they had received it freely from the Lord,: read the Scriptures, and you may see what sort of men they were which taught the People; Abe [...] he was a Shepheard, Gen. 4.2. Jacob a Keeper of Sheep, Gen. 30.31. Moses a Shepheard, Exodus 3.1. Elisha a Ploughman, 1 King. 19.19, 20. Amos a Herds-man, Amos 7.4. Paul a Tentmaker, Acts 18.3. Simon and Andrew were Fishermen, Mark 1.16. Matthew was taken from the receipt of Custome, Mark 2.14. they were not wise and learned men, as the Scribes and Pharisees were, which Christ cried wo against; (saith he) Wo to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, ye binde heavie burthens, and grievous to be born, and lay them upon the poor, and your selves will not touch them with one of your fingers. You may say, the Scribes and Pharisees did so, who were the enemies of Jesus Christ; but do not the Priests so now? is not the poor burthened by them, and oppressed by them, and they are Rulers and Lords over them? Do they not sit in the same Seats that the Scribes and Pharisees had? they had the chief­est places in Assemblies, have not your Priests so now? they had the uppermost rooms at Feasts, have not your Priests so now? they went in long Robes, do not your Priests so? they were called of men Masters, are not your Priests so now, do not they hold the same things that they did, and yet say they are sent of Christ? they are worse then the Scribes and Pharisees, for they sat in Moses Seat, pretending to do justice, but did not: for Moses was a just and faithfull servant, set over the people, a man fearing God, and hating covetousnesse; but they were covetous and laid heavie burthens upon the people, and were Masters whereas Moses was but a servant. And Jesus Christ himself said, VVo unto you Scribes and Pharisees, and Hypocrites. They knew [Page 4]much, and said fair, but they did not act accordingly; their words and works were not one, therefore it was Hypocrisie; and it is the same now that it was then, with those that say one thing and do another: it is not the hearers but the doers that shall be justi­fied. Now Christ is come to set free from these heavie burthens, and to ease the people of them; his Ministery is free and not bur­thensome; those that are sent of him, are to be as be was; but the Priests that professe to be sent of him are not so, they are got in­to a Seat above the Scribes and Pharisees; they sit but in Moses Seat, pretending to do justice, but they did not as they said; so the professed Ministers are got up in the Seat of Christ, to take off oppression, but they are Oppressors; for the Ministery of Christ is to feed the hungry, and to cloath the naked, and let the oppressed go free, and to throw down those abominations which the Lord hath sent his true Prophets to crie out against, as Pride and covetousnesse, and drunkennesse, and lying, and swear­ing, and oppression; but it is held up and contended for by them; for they are the Kings of Pride in Towns where they are, and their Wives go in their Hoods, Vails, and Rings, which are odious to the Lord, and poor people are burthened by them; instead of setting free they keep in bondage. Where is the hungry fed by them? Where is the naked cloathed? Where is the op­pressed set free? Christ saith unto his, Be not ye called Ma­sters, but they do not obey him, that professeth to be sent of him; and Christ is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever. Jesus Christ said there should come salse Prophets in Sheeps cloa­thing, but (saith he) inwardly they are ravening Wolves; making fair shews, and professing God and Christ in words, but in w [...]rks deny him; having fine words, fair pretences, green and flourishing in profession, high in Notion, having a form of godlinesse in words, but deny it in life and conversation; inwardly [...]ey are r [...]vening Wolves, full of wrath, anger, and envy, and ma­liciousnesse, pride and covetousnesse; but (saith Jesus Christ) By their fruits ye shall know them: for every Tree is known by its [Page 5]fruits: and (saith he) They will say and do not. See what Paul speaketh in 2 Timoth. 3. vers. 1, 2, 3, 4.5, 6. he seeing false Teachers going forth, gave a description how they might be knowne; Of this sort are they (saith he) proud, covetous, self-lovers, boast­ers, heady, high-minded, railers, false-accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those which are good, lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God; having a form of godlinesse, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away. First look at the Trees, and then at the fruits, and see if this sort of men be not such now, and have been so a long time; but the Lord is risen in the hearts of the people, and hath opened their eyes that were blinde, and causes them to see clearly, and bids them let their light shine forth to others that sit in darknesse. But he is comming to take away the Vail that is spread over all Nations, and then shall they see clearly; but those that have eyes may see, that this sort of men preach now, and that for Hire, which is contrary to the Doctrine of Christ. Do not proud men preach? Do not covetous men preach? Do not self-lovers preach? Do not heady high-minded men preach? Do not railing men Preach? Do not false-accusing men Preach? Do not men that are despisers of those that are good Preach? Do not men that live in pleasures Preach? and all those sorts of men Preach, and Hirelings too, oppressing and burthening the Creati­on? Those that have eyes may plainly see, that these were never sent of God; the Ministers of Christ were what they spoke, they walked answerable to their Ministery, that it might not be blamed; and that the Ministery of Christ might not be burdensom, they walked as Examples to others. Can a proud man lead off from pride? he may speak against it, but if he speak against it and live in it, he is an Hypocrite. Can a covetous man lead off from covetousnesse, or can a drunken man lead off from Drun­kennesse? or can a malicious man lead off from maliciousnesse? Can an Oppressor lead off from oppression? Can a man that fol­lows pleasures lead off from pleasures and wantonnesse? or a man that follows the wayes of unrighteousnesse, can he lead off [Page 6]from them, he may speak against them, but if he speak against them, and live in them, or any of them, he is an Hypocrite, and one that Jesus Christs speaketh of, that sayes and does not, and so is an evill example, a pattern to follow the wayes of ungodli­nesse. The Ministers of Jesus Christ were examples for others to walk by, see Titus 1. They were blamelesse as they Stewards, of God, not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine; no strikers, not gi­ven to fifthy lucre: where is your example among all your profest Ministers? they were lovers of hospitalitie, they were lovers of good men, they were holy, they were just, they were tem­p [...]rate: where is your example? they were what they spoke. Paul laboured night and day that he might not make the Gospel of Chr [...]st burthensome, but (on the contrary) that he might be an example to them that followed him: where is your example? See what Paul saith to the Thessalonians, saith he in 2 Thess. 3.7, 8. he was an example, and not he, but the rest also, and the people were taught by their godly conversation to walk accordingly; for (saith he) your selves know 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 travell night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any, but to make our selves examples unto th [...]m that follow us: where is your example? see 1 Thes. 2.5. for (saith he) we use not flattering words, as ye know (he called them to witnesse it) neither a cloak of covetousnesse, God is witnesse: they were so free from covetousnesse, that they called God to witnesse it, who searches the Hearts: Nor of men sought they glory, neither of them, the Thessalonians, nor of others, when they might have been burthensome; but were willing not onely to impart the Gospell of Christ unto them, but their own souls also, they were so dear unto them: Verse 9. The love of God is so where it is made manifest in realitie. They laboured night and day, because they would not be chargeable to any of them, and preached the Gospell freely, as they had received [Page 7]it from the Lord, Ye are witnesses, and God also (say they) how holily, and justly, and unblamedly we behaved our selves among you. Where is your example, for freenesse, for holinesse, for blame­lesnesse? and they both exhorted and comforted them, as a Fa­ther his Children. The Ministers of Christ did so; but the Mi­nisters of the world they are without among the false Prophets, all Preaching for Hire, and making the Gospell of Christ burdensom, which is contrary to Jesus Christ. He that saith he is in Christ, ought to walk as he walked; did ever he Preach for Money, or did he give forth command for his to take Hire? how dare any of you Hirelings say you are sent of Christ? did he say one thing and do another? was he not what he spoke in all things? were not his Ministers examples for others to walk by, and exhorted o­thers to minde their conversation: saith Paul, Be ye followers of [...]e as dear Children, even as I am a followor of Christ; and Christ saith, Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart. Now those that were his true Ministers they followed his example, and they exhorted others to follow them; and he that is taught of Christ now, abideth in his Doctrine, but he that abideth not in the Do­ctrine of Christ, is a Devill; and he that saith he is in Christ, ought to walk as he walked, in all holy conversation. Then you that p [...]ofesse your selves to be his Ministers, and to be sent forth from him, where did you receive a Commission of him to be taskma­st [...]rs? or to take Hire, or to be proud, or covetous, or to live in p [...]easures, or to live in Hypocrisie, to say that you are not. They [...]t were sent forth by him, were sent freely, and to undo the heavie bu [...]dens, and to be examples for others to walk by. Where did you receive your Masterie? Christ saith, Let him that is greatest among yo [...] be your servant, and Christ is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever. Where did Christ make use of outward means to back him? but he denied it, and was persecuted by it? Where did he envie, and ha [...]e, and oppresse any? Walk according to him if you be sent of h [...], and do not persecute, and hate, and envie, and go to Law, fo [...] neither he nor his did; and if you be sent of him, make proof [Page 8]of your Ministerie, as they did that he sent forth, and cause not the Gospell of Christ to be burdensome and blamed by you. The true Ministers gave no occasion of offence in any thing, that their Ministerie should not be blamed, see 2 Cor. 6. vers. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.10. But in all things approved themselves as the Ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in prisons, in tumults, in labours, by watchings, by fastings, by puritie, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindnesse, by the Holy G [...]ost, by love unfeigned, by the Word of truth, by the Power of God, by the armour of righteousnesse, on the left hand and on the right, by honour and dis­honour, by evill report and good report, as deceivers, and yet true, as unknown, and yet well known, as dying and behold we live, as chastened and not killed, as sorrowfull yet alway rejoycing, as poor and yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things. See where such examples as these are to be found now amongst your professed Ministerie? His Ministers were persecuted of the world, be­cause they were to declare against the vanitie of the world: but the Ministers that the world sets up, live in the vanitie of the world, and are persecutors, vain, light and prophane in their lives and conversations, and so are patterns of ungodlinesse, walk­ing on in Hypocrisie, and persecuting the Saints of the most h [...]gh God, whom the Lord hath redeemed from the vain conversat [...]on of the world: His Ministers were never persecutors. VVo to he Idol-Shepheards, wo unto them, for they have gone in the way of Can, and have runn greed [...] after the errour of Balaam, for reward, [...] perished in the gain [...]ing; and so shall them, except they rep [...]t.