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1713.

But now, fays he, Where the Kingdom of God is preached, every Man is at Liberty, and hath an Opportunity to be preffing into it' (and I add, without paying for it) Luke xvi. 16. But where the Kingdom of Satan is preached (which is Sin Term of Life) the People have Liberty to fly from it.' Further he fays, If any refufe the Counsel of God against themselves, it is their own Fault.'

Anf. If any do fo, it is their own Fault indeed; but to refufe the evil Counsel of a finful Minifter, is a Virtue, and no Fault at all.

Again, They have a Price put in their own Hand, although being Fools, they have no Heart to im• prove it.'

We are willing to be counted Fools by fuch Wifelings; but let him know, that Wisdom himself said, He that will be wife, must first become a Fool.

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He proceeds, and fays, It was a Privilege to them that were invited to the Marriage of the King's Son, though they made light of the Invitation, and would not come,' Matt. xxii.

Anf. Those that rightly come to the Marriage of the King's Son, the Lamb of God that takes away the Sins of the World, muft put off the Garment spotted with the Flesh, left it be faid to them, Friend, bow cameft thou in hither, not having on the Wedding Garment ? Let every true Chriftian fear, left he bring on himself that awful Sentence, Depart from me all ye that work Iniquity, I know you not; notwithstanding they had eat and drank in his Prefence, and in his Name they had caft out Devils, and done many wondrous Works, and he had taught in their Streets; yet nevertheless, because they were found in the Acts of Sin, they muft depart from him.

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Now, fays he, Every Inhabitant partaking in the publick Privilege of a Gofpel Miniftry, Realon and Justice requires, that every one fhould bear a Part of

• the

the external Charge, in order to the Maintenance of 1713 • it.'

Anf. But every Perfon not partaking of what he calls fo, and believing that, as thefe erroneous Priefts preach it, to be a Bondage, and not a Privilege; to force fuch to pay too,is altogether unreasonable, and great Injustice; let all fenfible Chriftians judge.

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4thly, He fays, It is warrantable from Scripture, that fuch Inhabitants as refuse to pay any Thing towards the Support of the Miniftry, fhould have their juft Proportion taken from them by legal Diftrefs.' Anf. We want him, or any of his Brethren, to fhew us that Warrant from Holy Scripture; for he hath not done it yet: And were fhall we find that it is warrantable from Scripture, and the Doctrine and Practice of Chrift and his Apoftles? For what he has produced from Holy Scripture, has fairly proved to the contrary; and as for his Legality, that great Word, 'tis only what others of his Spirit have pleaded in former Ages. Did not Nebuchadnezzar perfecute the Servants of God by a Law? Could not they fay they fuffered legally? Did not the Jews fay concerning our Lord, We have a Law, and by that Law he ought to die? Did not the People of Massachusetts make a Law, and by it hang the poor innocent Quakers? Did not all thofe fay, that thofe fuffered legally? And do not fome of the N. E. Minifters juftify it in their Pulpits to this Day, though others there are (I believe) really forry for it?

Ob, but (fay our modern Teachers, who have Money for it) we hope you will not compare us Chriftians to Jews and Heathens.

Why not, if found in their Practices? For when once People go to perfecute others for their confcientious Dif fent, it is moft certain they go from the Spirit of Christ, as may fairly be proved from Chrift's own Expreffions, and doubtless all Perfecutors are Antichrifts, notwithstanding their fine Gilding of it over with the Words Legal Diftrefs, and Profecution.

1713.

In his fourth Page he begins thus, For it is a juft and legal Debt, as has already been proved' (to thofe that agree to it, and contract it, he fhould have added.)

Anj. But unjust and illegal to thofe that cannot for Confcience Sake confent to it, and therefore 'tis a Mistake in him to fay, It has already been proved;' for he hath not, nor can he prove it (to force any by a coercive Power) to be confonant to the Holy Scrip

tures.

In Page the 4th he fays, God has given his Minifters a juft Right to fome Proportion of every Man's Eftate, in the Place where they minifter."

What, Jews, Heathens, and all? What, every Man whatsoever? Where proves he that? For my Part, if I were a Minifter for Money, Ifhould think that what I got from other People against their Wills, would never profper, but would be a Curfe to, and upon me, and tend to the Confumption of the rest of my Eftate, rather than augmenting of it: And I have heard fome moderate Minifters, who have Money for their Preaching, fay the fame.

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He goes on further, and fays, And that Part of each Man's Eftate, which God gives Minifters Right to by his just and equal Law.

Anf. By his juft and equal Gofpel he forces none; but leaves every one to be fully perfwaded in their own Minds.

And he must needs fay, That the Gospel Power exceeds the Power of any Law whatfoever.

And the Gospel is free, not forced, as he in vain would endeavour to prove from Holy Scripture. That must be an unjuft Law that forces People to buy whether they will or no, and therefore none of God's Law or Way; for all his Laws and Ways are equal.

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And he alfo fays in Page the 4th, They have as much Power to challenge it as any other Debt or

• Wages.?

Not

Not without People agree with them, and hire them. 1713. (And though they do agree with them, I do not grant that they have any Colour from the New-Teftament to make any fuch Law, even among themselves; it being inconfiftent with the Nature of the glorious Gospel of Chrift.) Upon which a Paffage comes into my Mind between an Indian and a N. E. Minister, well known to fome of their Teachers in New-England, who (for Preaching) took from a Diffenter from the Prefbyterian Way one of his Cows; the Indian afked him why he did fo? The Priest answered, If I hired you to make a Fence for me, would you not expect your Wages? Yes (fays the Indian) but he no hire you; and when me do Man's Work, then Man pay me ; but when you do God's Work, then God pay you.

The poor Indian was in the right, for truly God's Pay is better than all the Silver and Gold in the World.

O but, fay they, bow must we Live?

If they had Faith in God and Chrift, they need not fear a Living in this World.

But, fay they, The People are fo hard-hearted, that if there were not Law for it, the Minifters might farve.

Then their Doctrine must starve the Peoples Souls, or elfe furely they would not let their Bodies starve: That must needs be a lifelefs, dull, dead Miniftry, that will not open Peoples Hearts, fo as to keep the Preachers from Starving; but I think there is no Fear of their Starving, for they generally live like Lords among the People. But let them remember withal, that they are not to lord it over the Heritage of God.

It is, fays be, agreeable to the Doctrine of Chrift and his Apostles, that fuch as refufe to pay their just Debts, fhould be diftrained for the fame, by virtue of the civil Sword among Chriftians.' Rom. xiii.

6 14.

Ans. He should first prove the Debt to be just,
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and

1713. and then this Text would have been to his Purpose: For thofe that contract Debts, ought to pay them.

In Page the 5th, he talks of the Law and Light of Nature, and Reafon, and fays, It is the Law of God written in the Heart,' Rom. ii. 15. He adds, All the Laws of God do fweetly harmonize both one with another, and the Doctrine of Chrift and his Apostles; there is no Manner of Jarr between any of thefe.'

Anf. But there is a wonderful Jarr between the corrupt Nature or Law of Man, and the divine Nature or Law of God; he fhould have diftinguished between the corrupt Nature, Reafon and Law, and the Divine; for except he rightly divides between the Precious and the Vile, he cannot be as the Mouth of God to the People. Now the corrupt and covetous Nature in those that seek their Gain from their Quarter, and preach for Hire, and divine for Money, fays, 'That those that cannot pay them' (tho' for Confcience fake) they must be forced to it, whether they will

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" or no.'

But the divine Nature of Chrift and his Apoftles fays, Freely you have received, freely give. Matt, x. 8. If their Gofpel is not free, they have not received it from Chrift. Also, if they have not received it freely, they may call it their own Gofpel, but it is not Chrift's. And tho' Chrift's Minifters had Power to eat and drink, and to forbear working, yet, fays the divine Nature in the Apostle, I have used none of thofe Things ; neither do I write, that it should be fo done unto me, 1 Cor. ix. 15. And that it is not Covetoufness, that divers Quakers fo called, cannot pay the covetous Priefts, is manifeft; for they take much more, and fometimes double and treble, as I could easily bring many Inítances and living Witneffes to prove what I affert, from Virginia, Maryland, and abundantly in New England (without going over to Great Britain) in which many Thousands of Pounds have thofe legal Minifters

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