Apoftles to win Mens Affection by Love and Gentleness, to allure them by Example, and convince them by the Reasonableness of his Precepts; and he enabled them to prove their Miffion by Wonders and Miracles; all which are directly contrary to the Proceedings of Mahomet, whofe Aim was temporal Dominion, and his Religion Imposture; and confequently Violence was neceffary to propagate both: For Abfurdity can no way be fupported but by Tyranny; but Truth can ever defend itself, and defires nothing but a fair Examination, a free Hearing, and equal Favour.

HE takes every Occafion to caution his Apostles against spiritual Pride, and claiming Superiority over others, or one another: The Powers which he gave them were of another Kind, fuch as were proper to overcome the Prejudices of the innocent and well-meaning, though mifled People; and to confound the Malice and Subtilty of the governing Priefthood; namely, A Power against unclean Spirits, and to caft them out; to heal all manner of Sickness, and all manner of Difeafes; and to raife the Dead. Sure no Clergyman pretends to thefe Powers!

HE

HE bids them provide neither Silver, nor Gold, nor Brafs, in their Pockets; nor Scrip for their Journey; neither two Coats, nor Shoes, nor Staves:

prefume that no Powers.

Much lefs, Coaches. I Clergyman defires these

He orders them, when they come into any Houfe, to falute it; and if they do not receive them, and hear their Words, to depart from that Houfe, and bake off the Duft of their Feet. The Popish Clergy are for fetting Fire to fuch an House, (as they did lately to several) and for burning and damning every one within it.

THE Apoftles Commiffion was to preach Chrift to all Nations, in Matthew; and in Mark, to go into all the World, and to preach him to every Creature. The Popish Priest stays at home, and preaches himfelf only, to his own Parish, for Money.

THOSE who believed in the Apostles, and were baptized, had the Power of casting out Devils in Chriff's Name, and Speaking with new Tongues: They could take up Serpents; no deadly thing they drank could hurt them; they laid Hands upon the Sick, and they recovered. Those who believe in the Popish Prieft, are the best Friends that the Devil has; and instead of cafting him out, for the most part,

bring him in: They can speak Sense with no Tongue; nor dare venture on any Poison, but what proceeds from Gluttony and Drunkennefs, with which they give their Votaries Diseases, instead of recovering them.

THE Apoftles were to be Witnesses of all which they had heard or feen faid or done by our Saviour; and who elfe could be fo? But the Popish Prieft has no other Means of knowing Chrift, than any Layman of equal Abilities, and equal Application; nor can have any greater Motive or Inducement to preach him, except his Hire; which, as it first suborned his Predeceffors to betray his Perfon, and take away his Life, fo it has ever fince been the Occafion of crucifying him anew, by mifrepresenting his Doctrines, and making them fubfervient to worldly Ambition and Interest; a Practice fo univerfal, that no Englishman can set his Foot out of his own Country, but he fees the Clergy perverting the Scripture, and abufing the People.

OUR Saviour himfelf appointed the Seventy Difciples, whom he fent before him two by two, in every Place where he intended himself to go; and gave them Powers almost equal to the Powers of the Apoftles, even to heal the Sick, to tread on Serpents and Scorpions, and over all

the

A

the Power of the Enemy, and that nothing should burt them; but he was fo far from giving any "worldly Authority, that he tells them, he fends them forth as Lambs amongst Wolves; that they fhould carry nothing with them; but whatsoever House they came into, they should fay, Peace to that House, and should eat and drink fuch things as the People gave them; and whatever City they came into, they should eat fuch things as were fet before them, for the Labourer is worthy of his Hire (here it seems the People were to judge what Wages and Hire they deserve); and if any Perfons refused to receive them, they were to go into the Streets, and shake off the Duft of their Feet at them; which was all the Excommunication that they were directed to use, and was nothing else but to leave them in their Sins, and preach to them no longer.

WHATEVER is meant by the figurative and abstruse Texts of binding and loofing, remitting and retaining Sins, is evidently confined to those whom it is spoken to, and seems to have relation to the other World alone.

Now I would be glad to know, By what Rules of Conftruction can the Powers, now claimed by any Set of Clergy in the World, be brought from these Texts, or in what Senfe ecan any Clergyman be faid to be a Succeffor of the

Apostles,

Apostles, more than every Layman of equal Qua lifications.

IF our Saviour had intended to have conveyed down any Powers to any Man, or Set of Men whatsoever, it is impoffible to believe but he would have expreffed himself in the fulleft and most fignificant Words; and left no Doubt behind him, what thofe Powers were, and to whom they belonged. No Statute enacted amongst weak Mortals is penned so loosely: What Lawyer in Westminster-Hall could have found out fovereign Power in the Precept, Feed my Sheep? Or in our Saviour's Promise to affift the Apostles, and perhaps all Christians in general, in these Words, I will be with you to the End of the World?

THE Priests of Delphos, uttering, for the moft part, their Oracles in forry and balderdash Poetry, gave Rise to a waggish Jest amongst the Antients, That Homer could write better Verfes than Apollo, who inspired him. But fure no one among Chriftians will be so profane, as to give Occafion to the Suggestion, that the Attorney General can draw up a clearer and more intelligible Commiffion than the Apostles.

BUT though there be nothing in the Gofpele to justify or excufe the priestly Demands VOL. II.

H

upon