!

HE allows p. 108. that thofe of whom 'twas faid of old, that the Priests did teach for Hire, and the Prophets divine for Money, were reckoned falfe Prophets and bad Priefts: But he tells us, their Fault was not in taking Money, but in teaching falfe and corrupt Doctrine, to get Money by. As if preaching true Doctrine with a covetous View of getting Money were no Fault at all.

PAGE 109. He fays, Ifby Minifters preaching for Hire, you mean all that take Money for preaching, for the fupport of themselves and their Families, and you make all these the Hirelings our Saviour fpeaks agaift, you directly reproach our Saviour, who ufeth the very fame Words himself, in reference to Preachers, that the Labourer is worthy of his Hire,' Luke x.. 7. But if the Word Hire in that Place means nothing of taking Money, his confequence is of no Force: And that it has no fuch meaning, will appear without doubt to him that fhall read the whole Verfe with the next; viz. And in the fame House remain,eating and drinking fuch Things as they give: For the Labourer is worthy of bis Hire. And into whatfoever City ye enter, and they receive you, eat fuch Things as are fet before you. When our Opponent fhall have convinced us, that the Hire himself and his Brethren receive, is no other than this Text makes mention of, we will forbear calling them Hirelings from that Time forward; but fo long as they continue to make precontracts for fetled maintenance, without which they will not preach we must think that Appellation not improper. His Inftance of the Apostle Paul, who tho' he had a Power of receiving a free Maintenance, refused in several places to make use of it, but laboured with his own Hands that be might not be chargeable, is far from proving

proving the Lawfulness of aftinted and forced one. And tho' it were lawful to receive a free Maintenance, viz. to eat and to drink fuch Things as were fet before them: Yet the Apostle Paul pro pofes as Matter of good Example,the not accepting even of that; and teftifieth for himself, Silvanus, and Timotheus, that they laboured Night and Day, that they might not be chargeable to any of the Theffalonians, Not, faith he, because we have not power, but to make our felves an Enfample unto you to follow us. 2 Theff. iii. 8, 9. A Pattern for others to Work as they had done, for their Living. So when Paul, having fent to Ephefus for the Elders of the Church, who met him at Miletus, there preach'd to them, he clofes a Sermon with a Difcourfe concerning Gofpel Maintenance, first afferting his own Practice, and then recommending it to their Imitation, I have coveted no Mans Silver, or Gold, or Apparel, yea, you your felves know that thefe Hands have miniftred to my Neceffities, and to them that were with me. I have fhewed you all things, how that fo labouring ye ought to fupport the Weak, and to remember the Words of our Lord Jefus, bow be faid, it is more blessed to give, than to receive. Acts xx. 33, 34, 45.

UPON which Paffage of the Apoftle, Dr. Hammond thus Paraphrafeth, In locum, I have ⚫ not endeavoured to make any worldly Advantage by my preaching, but you can witness for me that I have, by working at my own Trade of making Tents, maintained my felf and those that are with me. I have, as by Words, fo by Actions alfo demonftrated to you, how that fuch as ye, that is, Bishops and Governors of the Church, are to take Care of the Sick and Poor (fee 1 Cor. xii.) and rather endeavour, by pains taking, to enable your felves to relieve Vothers,

others, than to be chargeable and burdenfom to others, according to that faying of Chrift, • (not recorded in the Gospels) That 'tis a bleffed and heroical Thing to give to others out of a • Man's own Earnings, and this infinitely more blaffed, and better becomiug a Chriftian, than to be relieved by others..

OUR Adverfary clofes this Section with a Piece of Raillery against the Quakers, They have, fays he, little Reafon to rail at others for their taking Money for preaching, when they themfelves that are the Preachers among them grow generally fo rich by it, and there are fo few of them who work with their own Hands, ⚫ and none of them that are not chargeable to others, and fome of them especially of their Travelling Preachers, well maintained out of ⚫ their publick Stock, which they keep for the Service of Truth, as they are pleased to call the propagating of their Religion thro' the Nation and to other foreign Parts.'

ALL this he either invents, or takes upon truft, for it has not any Foundation of Truth; fince 'tis well known, that however it may have pleafed God to bless the honeft Labour, Trade, and Industry of some of them, yet they have not generally grown rich; and of thofe who have, we defy him to produce one Inftance of any one of them that became fo by preaching. They do generally Labour with their own Hands, and are many of them fo far from being chargeable to others, that they are liberal Contributors to the relief of the Poor and Needy, esteeming it with the Apostle, more bleffed to give than to receive. As to the Maintenance of their travelling Preachers out of the publick Stock,

he

he talks at Random of what he understands not they are not maintained out of the publick Stock, tho' if they were, it would be all of free Gift, not Compulfion, and for the real Service of Truth, as the Propagation of their Re ligion, which is the fame with pure and primitive Chriftianity, is by them moft properly called.

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BUT that our Opponent may clearly fee, how Different the Principles and Preaching of their Travelling Preachers are from those of himself and his Brethren, we fhall transcribe the following Words of one of them; They are fays he, none of Chrift's Workmen who feek for their wages from the World, for his he fends freely into the World, who never ask'd any Thing of the World; but first planted a Vineyard, then eat the Fruit of it; first fowed in hope, and then were Partakers of their hope; and where they had fown Spirituals, and the Seed came up, there they reaped Carnals, and fo liv'd of the Gospel and not of the World.

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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 to bring it. But who art thou that fayft 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? Stop thy Mouth for ever being • counted a Minister of Chrift, who art not content with his Allowance, as his have always been, for God is not changed, nor his Wor fhip, nor Worshippers. 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

who fo argue; for never was the Righteous nor that Seed begging Bread. Against that defponding mind do I bear witnefs, who was fent • without Bag or Scrip, into the most brutish parts of the Nation, were none knew me, yet wanted I nothing; In Prifons, in Beatings, in Stonings, in Mockings, my Joy I would not change for all the Parfonages in the World, nor fhall any Hireling partake of it.

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SECT. VIII.

Of the Trinity.

He begins thus,

Quest. ARE People bound to believe what their Minifters preach to them, who do not pretend to be immediately infpired and infallibly guided by the Spirit in all they Teach?

Anfw. THO' People are to have a great Regard for their Lawful Teachers, whom • God has fet over them; yet they are not bound to believe what ever they preach to them, fhould they pretend ever fo much to immediate Infpiration, and Infallibility, in all they Teach, without first trying it by the Infallible Rule of the Scripture, which we are fure was given by immediate Infpiration.' We agree with him, that the meer Pretensions of any Man are no fufficient ground for another Man's Faith; and are therefore willing that all our Doctrines and Practices be tried by the Scriptures: For we admit, as well as our Opponent, that no

• thing