you and thou are in the doctrines of devils: what! shall we say that God is the author of sin? God forbid. Rom. vi. They that transgress the commandments of God, provoke him to anger, and though God created the evil, Isa. xlix. 7. yet his commandment was to man, that he should not go into it, Gen. ii. 17. Gen. iv. 7. Ezek. xviii. but when he did, he transgressed the command of God. So he who saith, if ye murder, God is the author of it; if ye persecute, God is the author of it; if ye do unrighteously, God is the author of it; you that murder, persecute, and do not righteously, are of him that kept not the command of God, of whom ye are, John xliv. that would persecute and murder. Thou art gone out of the command of God, and joined with the devil, 1 John iii. 8. that went out of the truth. The devil went out of his estate, and the woman hearkened to him, and went out of her estate, and man hearkened to the woman. Gen. iii. The Jews went out of their state, when they persecuted, Matt. xxvii. 25. Cain went out of his state when he murdered, and Balaam went out of his state when he coveted the wages of unrighteousness. Gen. iv. The christians went out of their estate, since the days of persecution, and admired men's persons. Numb. xxii. Jude xi. Core went out of his state when he gainsaid the truth. Numb. xvi. Jude xi. The false prophet, and antichrist, which is the beast, and the mother of harlots, went forth from the state of the apostles, 1 John ii. 19. which hath been since the days of the apostles. And so all wars, and fightings, and adversaries, arise from being out of the truth, James iv. there is pride, and Lucifer. Isa. xiv. and that is it, that is of old ordained to condemnation, Jude iv. and to be kept down and to be condemned everlastingly, and there the time shall be witnessed when it shall be fit for the fire, and death and hell, and the false prophet, and the dragon, and the serpent, cast into it. Rev. xx. 14. But the leaven is known that leavens into the new lump, 1 Cor. v. 7. the everlasting fire that burns for ever, Mark ix. 46. How have the professions, forms, and religions, fallen from, and lost the state that Christ was in, the prophets were in, Abraham was in, David was in, Moses and the apostles were in: and remain in a form of their words, 2 Tim. iii. 5. and murder them that enjoy their life, and persecute them. The devil abode not in the truth. John viii. 44. Adam and Eve abode not in the truth, but transgressed. Gen. iii. Cain abode not in the truth when he murdered Abel. Gen. iv. The Jews abode not in the truth, but crucified the just. James v. 6. Antichrist, and the false prophets, since the days of the apostles, and the beast, abode not in the truth, 1 John ii. 19. that made war against the saints. Rev. xiii. And here are the murderers, the envious, the persecutors, and fighters, whose sacrifice God never accepted, Gen. iv. 5. in all ages: and these are they that persecuted those that were in the truth, whose sacrifice God VOL. III.

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`not traditions are not worse than heathen: but they that observe traditions are as the heathens, and are out of the apostles' doctrine, in their own traditions and rudiments, and are offended at those that will not touch them. Robert Semple, priest of Lesmahaga, came to George Weare, of Saffield, to reason with him, and he laid down these following things for his doctrine and principles: his first doctrine and principle was, to prove the lawfulness of being called of men master, standing praying in the synagogues, going in long robes; and he mentioned Ezra's pulpit of wood, upon which he stood, and read the law to the people; and for the rest he said nothing, for his mouth was stopped concerning these things, being found in the steps of the Pharisees, Matt. xxiii. We do grant that Ezra had a pulpit of wood, but you profess yourselves ministers of the gospel and Presbyterians, and are ye fain to run to Ezra in the law, for a pulpit? Now you have showed yourselves what you are, and brought your deeds to the light. But the priesthood was made by the law of God; so were you never. That priesthood is changed, and the law changed also by which it was made, and pulpit and tithes ended; and Christ the everlasting priesthood witnessed: so thou and you have proved yourselves no ministers of the gospel of Christ Jesus, the power of God, and the wisdom of God, the everlasting priesthood, who is the end of priests, pulpits, and tithes, that were true in their place. So you that have got up another pulpit, tithes, temple, like readers of the law, and not like ministers of the gospel, are separated from the apostles, and are in the delusion, and from Christ the everlasting priesthood, Heb. vii. and are those that Jude 19. and 2 Pet. ii. speak of. You are they that separate themselves, having not the spirit that they were in who witnessed against pulpit, tithes, and priesthood, and witnessed Christ the everlasting priesthood; which pulpit, tithes, and priesthood ye are crying up, and so are antichrist,

George Weare bade him prove his practice for sprinkling of infants, and whether or no they were not to believe before they were baptized. He said, the promise was to Abraham and his seed. George answered him, it was not to seeds, as to many, but to thy seed, which is Christ. Robert, the priest, said, 'That seed, Christ, was natural,' contrary to the apostle's doctrine, Gal. iii. 16. who said, Christ was the power of God, 1 Cor. i. 14, 15. and Christ the mystery, Col. i. 2. 7. The first man is of the earth, earthly, the second man is the Lord from heaven, heavenly, 1 Cor. xv. The spiritual man judgeth all things, 1 Cor. ii. 15. The seed of the woman bruiseth the serpent's head, Gen. iii. 15. And the promise is to the seed, and the seed is Christ the power of God. And Christ the seed is the spiritual man, and so not natural, but the priest said the seed is natural. Now let all see in this whether he be not given up to delusion to speak lies in hypocrisy, 1 Tim. iv. 1. to delude and deceive people for dishonest gain, Ezek. xxii. 13. Which seed, he

it is the magistrates that ye stir up to do it. It is not said, the priests did slay and crucify Christ, but Pilate; but the priests had power amongst the multitude to persuade the multitude to ask the murderer, Matt. xxvii. (who had murder in their hearts,) and Pilate did the thing. And did not God overthrow Jerusalem, and destroy the power of the magistrates there, and priests both? and hath not God done it in many ages for executing the priests' malice, and their envy against the just, and his anointed? Have not ye many examples set down in the scripture, in which ye may all take notice of it? Therefore take heed, all ye magistrates, how you execute and avenge the malice, and wickedness, and envy of any one against the just: for 'the envy of the envious, and the wickedness of the wicked shall slay himself,' Ps. xxiv. 21. and the righteous shall see it. Therefore, you that are called christian magistrates, execute not, neither be ye executioners of the madness, and envy of those who call themselves ministers of Christ; that would have you to slay, to stone, to stock, to prison, and to put to death them that are contrary to them. Those are murderers in Cain's way, manslayers, wrestlers against flesh and blood, and not ministers of the gospel, which saith, love enemies; and render to no man evil for evil, Matt. v. 44. And this differs from the scribes and Pharisees, who loved their own, and persecuted others, and stoned others, and drew the magistrates to do it. But, say the ministers of Christ, we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places.' Eph. vi. 12. Now those ministers that would have the persons of men slain, are like Cain that slew Abel, and Jezebel, the beast, and false prophets. Gen. iv. 1 Kings xxi. They who stone, imprison, and put to death, are as the Jews' priests, and those magistrates that execute their malice are as the Jews' magistrates, unchristian magistrates. And so those are they that are wrestling, stoning, imprisoning, and striking against flesh and blood. And in the mean time spiritual wickedness rules among them; and rulers of darkness in high places, where flesh and blood are wrestled against. So in this state both ministry and magistracy are blind, and are out of the fear of God; they turn their sword backward whilst they are executing the priests' malice, and the priests will strengthen the hands of evil doers. And provoking to slay, and wrestling against flesh and blood, and so do not profit the people at all, but stir up the multitude against the just, that they may keep themselves in their place for their own ends, admiring the magistrates' persons, and men's, because of their advantage, Jude xvi. and respect their persons; who show they are out of the faith, (James ii.) which gives victory over the world, 1 John v. 4. and out of the doctrine of Christ and the apostles. Now the magistrates are for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well: who walk in the life, which he