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XI. Here you may see the heavenly and spiritual gifts that God and Christ gives to his ministers, are not to be bought and sold for money, and they that do, are in the bond of iniquity, and gall of bitterness, like Simon Magus.

CHRIST said to his apostles, disciples, and ministers, when he sent them forth to preach his gospel, freely you have received, freely give. So the ministers of the gospel are distinct from the ministers and teachers of the law; for they had tithes and offerings, and other things for ministering and teaching the law, and that which the law commanded in the old covenant and testament, which law served until Christ came in his gospel and new covenant, and new testament, and sent forth ministers of his new covenant and new testament, whom he made able ministers of the spirit, not of the letter, which sowed to the spirit, not to the flesh, and of the spirit they reaped life eternal. And to them that he sent forth he said, freely you have received, freely give; namely, his gifts that are perfect, his grace, &c. his spirit or holy ghost, that comes from the Father and son, his faith, which he is the author and finisher of, his everlasting glorious gospel of life and salvation; these are heavenly, spiritual, and divine things, which they received freely from Christ, and they were to give them freely again to people, and they were not to sell and bargain with people for so much a year, and to sell them these spiritual gifts; for by the laying on of the apostles' hands many received the holy ghost. And Simon Magus proffered the apostles money, and would have bought this gift, that on whomsoever he laid his hands, they might receive the holy ghost; but the apostle told him, that he was in the gall of bitterness, and the bond of iniquity, that thought the gift of God could be bought and sold for money; so are all they that be in his belief. And though Paul plant, and Apollo may water, yet they give this water of life freely. And the general proclamation, both by Isaiah and John in his Revelations is, 'Oh every one that thirsteth, come freely to the waters of life.' So they were to eat and drink the heavenly food freely, and hear the gospel freely, and what the spirit saith to the churches; so they were to come without money, and without price, and not to spend their money for that which is not bread, and their labour for that which doth not satisfy. And all that thirsted were to come without money, and without price, and hearken diligently, and their souls should live. So heavenly and spiritual things, and the gifts of God, are not to be bought and sold for money; though they did eat of their carnal things, and what was set before them, that did minister spiritual things to them; though in the time of the law, tithes were called holy, but they are not in the gospel, for

Christ makes all things holy; and his ministers that freely did give his spiritual things, and bid them give them freely again, they did believe in Christ, and trust in him for outward things; and when that he sent them forth without bag or staff, and when they returned again, he asked them if they wanted any thing? And they said nay: for he was able to supply them he sent forth, when he was able to feed so many with a few loaves and fishes. And when the disciples had been toiling all night with their nets and could catch no fish, but Christ bid them cast their net again into the sea, which they did, and drew it out, and at his word the net was full of fish. And therefore whom Christ sends forth with his power and holy ghost, and saith unto them, Freely you have received, freely give,' these dare trust Christ both with carnal and temporal things, both for themselves and families, and such labour to keep the gospel of Christ without charge, so that none can say, it is a chargeable gospel. And the apostles, and they that did succeed them in the same spirit, did convert more Jews and heathen to Christ by their free preaching, than ever the Papists and Protestants have done this thousand years; for they converted them with the spiritual weapons and armour, which Christ armed them withal, but have not Protestants and Papists made them turn from one sect to another with carnal weapons?

And in the old testament they had singers, and so they have now in their cathedrals. But singing in the grace, and singing and praying in the spirit and the holy ghost, this is in the gift of God, this is not to be done for money, but freely, as the grace of the spirit of God moves them in his wisdom, in his gospel day. And the apostle saith, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, but not the wisdom of this world? For Job saith, that wisdom cannot be purchased for gold, silver, nor pearls; for such things cannot be equalled nor valued with the gift of God. For all the ministers of God and Christ in the new testament, their heavenly and spiritual gifts and things, which they have freely received from Christ, they are freely to give them again, for they are not to be valued, equalled, nor purchased for gold, silver, nor precious stones. For they that think they can either be bought or sold for money, they are in the spirit of Simon Magus, and not in the holy ghost, nor spirit and power of Christ, that the apostles were in.

And the apostle saith, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief.' Heb. xiii. 17. And the apostle said in Acts xx. that the holy ghost had made them overseers.

Now the ministers and teachers both of the Protestants and Papists, bring these scriptures, and say, they are ministers that do watch for

the souls of people, that they may present them to God, &c. and call themselves the curers of souls. And yet they say, they have not the same power and holy ghost that the apostles had; and yet they will confess and acknowledge that the soul is immortal, and that God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul, and in his hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. Job xii. 10.

Now the hand of God is immortal and spiritual, and is it like that they should watch for the immortal soul, and cure it, and are not in the same holy ghost and spirit of Christ, and power of God that the apostles and overseers were in, in the primitive times? And is it like that any should present the immortal souls to the immortal God, and cure them without the immortal power and holy ghost that the apostles were in? For both the Papist and Protestant teachers have confessed, that they have not the same power and holy ghost that the apostles were in. Therefore, I say, they are not like to cure the immortal souls, and present them to the immortal God, without the same power and holy ghost that the apostles were in.

Now all the priests, ministers, and teachers, both of Protestants and Papists, pretend to preach the everlasting gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believes. But how unlike is it they should know the everlasting gospel, the power of God, and preach it, and have not the same power and holy ghost that the apostles had? Therefore, I say, such cannot preach the everlasting gospel, and power of God, and not be in the everlasting power and holy ghost.

And again, the Papists and Protestant teachers say, they preach the kingdom of God, and the grace and faith of Christ. Grace and faith are the gifts of God and Christ which are perfect, and Christ who ascended on high, gives gifts unto men, to bring them to the knowledge of the son of God, and to the unity of the faith, and unto a perfect man, &c. And the Papists say, they must have a purgatory when they are dead. And the Protestants say, they must have a body of death and sins of the flesh, whilst on this side the grave, and that there is no perfection while upon the earth. And how are such like to preach the faith, grace, and the gifts of God, which are perfect, and are for the perfecting of the saints, and to bring people to be perfect men, when they have not received these perfect gifts freely from God and Christ? And how can they preach the kingdom of God, that stands in righteousness and peace, and joy in the holy ghost, and have not the same holy ghost as the apostles had? And how are such like to preach spiritual and heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of all true christians, where no unclean things enter, and have not the same power and holy ghost that the apostles were in, but follow their own spirits in their

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natural arts, tongues, and sciences, which they have purchased for money? And how are such like to preach Christ, who saith, I am from above, and not of this world? And are such with their natural gifts, tongues, and sciences that are below, like to preach Christ Jesus and the truth as it is in him? And the scripture saith, that none can call Jesus Lord, but by the holy ghost, and they that have not the spirit of Christ are none of his. And therefore, how can such be the ministers of Christ, and have not the spirit of Christ and the holy ghost, that the apostles were in? For the apostle saith, Such as have not the spirit of Christ are none of his;' therefore they are none of his messengers, ministers, and teachers. And the Papist and Protestant teachers which do oppose the true light of Christ, which enlightens every man that comes into the world, which is the life in Christ, who, with their darkness, cannot comprehend it, though it shines in their darkness, and are haters of the light, because their deeds are evil, and will not come to it, because it will reprove them. And so close their eyes and stop their ears to the light, which is the life in Christ, and so will not hear with their ears, nor see with their eyes. So they are not like to be converted to Christ, to heal them, when they stop their ears to the divinity of Christ, namely, his light the life in him, which Christ commands. them to believe in and walk in; and yet, without the light, the life in Christ, pretend to preach him in the flesh, and deny him in his divinity. And the apostle saith, He had known Christ after the flesh, but henceforth he knew him so no more.' But what will the teachers, both of the Papists and Protestants say to this, that deny Christ the true light, which enlightens every man that comes into the world? And such are not like, neither can they preach Christ truly as he was in his flesh, nor him in his divinity. Nor can any, except they be in the same power of God and holy ghost that the apostles were in, that leadeth into all truth, they are not like to preach the truth as it is in Jesus, not being led into it by the spirit of truth. For Christ saith, The holy ghost shall take of mine, and give unto you, and bring unto your remembrance the things that Christ had spoken;' and such are not like to preach the spiritual things that the holy ghost receives of Christ, and have not the holy ghost to receive them. And the apostle saith, The things of God we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but in the words which the holy ghost doth teach.' And you that have not the same holy ghost that the apostles had, are not like to have the words that the holy ghost teacheth, to speak the things of God in, but you speak the things of God in the words that man's wisdom teacheth, by which wisdom the world knows not God nor his things, and so are ministers of the letter and old authors, and not of the spirit.

XII. How that such as kill and persecute people, are not like to convert them, as the apostles did.

AND if that Christ had caused fire to come down from heaven upon the Samaritans to have consumed them, as the zealous disciples would have had him, who were without the true knowledge, for they did not then know what spirit they were of, when they desired such a thing of Christ; but Christ said unto them, that he came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them; and if that they had been destroyed, then there could not have been so many of the Samaritans converted after Christ Jesus was ascended; so that the disciples heard at Jerusalem, and sent to Samaria, Peter and John, to Philip, who was at Samaria, and preached Christ there, and the people there with one accord, gave heed unto those things which Philip spake.

If that king Manasses, that great idolater, had been cut off by the Jews in his idolatry, then he had not repented, as it is said he did.

And if the christians had killed Saul, that great persecutor, then he had not repented and become a christian, and been called Paul. And all those thousands of Jews, that were converted after Christ was ascended, by the apostles, which were not converted before Christ was crucified; if that Christ in the days of his flesh had caused them to be imprisoned, and their goods spoiled, and to be put to death, then they after had not been converted, that opposed him.

And is it not said, that Christ will consume and destroy the man of sin, the mystery of iniquity, who letteth, opposeth, and exalteth himself above all that is called God? So vengeance is the Lord's and he will repay it, and all men and women are to obey the law of God, and command of Christ; love thy neighbour as thyself, and do unto all as they would have others do unto them, which is the law and the prophets, and Christ and the apostles taught it. Now would any have others to burn, or hang, or prison, or spoil their goods, and banish them, because they will not be of another's religion, and forsake their own? And they that will not be done so to themselves, and do think it is hard for others to do so to them; then is it not hard for them to do so to others and will not be so done to themselves? Then do not such that do so to others, as they would not have them do to them, do contrary to the law and the prophets, Christ and the apostles, (to wit,) to love thy neighbour as thyself, and to do to others, as you would have others do unto you?

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