less sinners, by preaching the ministration of death, are as far from the spiritual knowledge of the law as the other is from the power of the gospel: both these are Antinomians, for they make void both the law and the gospel; the former daringly presumes on the mercy of God without an evidence; and the latter, as Paul says, is alive without the law, in its spiritual meaning. The Lord deliver his own children from the dreadful delusions of them both!

I am informed of what the Reverend Gentleman reproached me with to his society about my name, &c. If this is any part of the ministry that he has received from the Lord to fulfil, he should not have stopped there, but he should have brought in Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Paul, and many more, for the crimes of their natural state were as bad as mine. When the Lord converted Paul to the faith the church glorified God in him; but my conversion has given such an offence, that many have dishonoured God in me: but it is a comfort to me, that my friends are obliged to rake into my unconverted state for matter of reproach; and is, I think, a demonstrable proof to the world, that they are at a loss to find any scandal in my life since I have known the Lord.

It is true what the good man affirms about none of the ministers giving me the right-hand of fellowship; but it is no great grief to me, nor would their right-hand be an infallible testimony of my being approved of God, either as a believer,

or a preacher. The witness of God's Spirit is sufficient to prove me a believer, and God setting his seal to my doctrine, is a sufficient proof of my being a preacher sent of God. And I can see that some who refuse the right-hand of fellowship to me, whom Christ has received, will give their right-hand to them that never knew what fellowship with the Saviour meant. This God has loudly proclaimed to the world, by suffering many, after they have received the right-hand of fellowship, to wander out of the way of understanding, and to remain to this day in the congregation of the dead, Prov. xxi. 16. Indeed, Sir, I see that various connexions and the right-hand of fellowship have been fatal to many young preachers; and I trust I shall be enabled by grace to see that it was good for me to stand alone. God has promised to withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly; therefore, if the right-hand of fellowship was essential to my salvation, or essential to my usefulness in the church of God, he would favour me with it; but as I see it has lifted many souls up into pride and errors, I shall remain contented without it.

me,

As to the rest of the reproach that he cast upon it is a scandal to him as a man, much more so as a gentleman, a scholar, and a Christian; therefore I shall pass it by; he may think better of it by and by. He is not like those whom I have contended with; he has only levelled a little artillery personally at me: he is not like the others,

who have blasphemed the word of God; therefore I would willingly believe that he did not speak as he meant; and this appears plain by his charging the whole society to keep it all a secret, which, if the word of God and his own conscience had justified, there had been no call for such a charge; for whatever the Lord says unto us in secret, we may warrantably proclaim on the house-top.

I hope God will give me a heart to love him, and to pray for him; and it is the earnest desire of my soul to Almighty God, that he may keep him from being seduced from the purity and simplicity of the gospel.

I doubt my dear Father Carnal will be weary of this long epistle, but your own importunity has set the cruse a springing, and I am determined not to stop till the oil is stayed. I hope these alarming circumstances of apostasy will rouse up the servants of God; if so, I think it will terminate in God's honour, and in his people's good. We have got many things to be purged out of the church, and the fan will surely come amongst us. We have got many strange connexions, which are kept up by a contracted spirit, and cemented together by prejudice against others. This is building up the old partition wall which the Saviour came to destroy, and which every gospel trumpeter ought to level, like the walls of Jericho, even to its foundation. We have likewise many human inventions, such as pompous places of worship, an half-hearted gospel, an organ, fine

singing, &c. in order to blunt the edge of persecu tion, that the offence of the cross may cease, and the rich worldlings make a profession without being exposed to contempt for religion. These things have patched up a peace where God himself declared war, and therefore the fan must come to purge the floor, and to separate the chaff from the wheat, Jer. xxiii. 28. I am much mistaken if these things are not some of the beginnings of sorrow. We have many good ministers of Jesus Christ, who, in attempting to oppose others, have warped sadly from the truths of the gospel, in order to represent those as erroneous who have stood fast in their own testimony for God. I hope these will look about them, own and cleave to their own standard, as they see so many attempting to run away with the banner of the church.

Others are declaring, that the third part of the Bible has only a moral meaning, though the Holy Ghost says, that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God." Others tell us, that many parts of the scriptures are indelicate, though the Almighty declares that every word of his is pure, Prov. xxx. 5. Others find fault with a 'spiritual interpretation of the word of God, except scholastic rules are observed; though the Holy Ghost says that "no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." We have got other labourers in the vineyard, who are chaining up all their followers to their own pews, whether they are fed

there or not these lead them out of one bondage into another.

You know, Sir, that many poor souls have stole into Monkwell street Chapel, and though they have got a blessing under my ministry, they have not dared to come again, unless they stood at the door, or behind it, incog. for fear their pastor should see them and if they have bought a book of mine, it was obliged to fly into the closet, like a nightbird by day, for fear of the reader's being excommunicated for having it in his possession. This is bringing the necks of poor sinners out of one yoke into another; bringing them from under the bondage of the law, that they may submit to the yoke of priestcraft. "Take my yoke upon you," says the Saviour, "and learn of me." He that will be great, let him be servant of all, says Christ. A preacher is to take the oversight of his flock, without an eye to gain; neither are they to be lords over God's heritage, 1 Pet. v. 3. And, in effect, to lord it over the flock of God, is too much like being a rival to the King of kings and Lord of lords, Rev. xix. 16. Surely such souls may complain, and say, as Zion of old did, "O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name," Isaiah xxvi. 13. Reader, call no man Master, for one is your Master, even Christ, Matt. xxiii. 8, 6. Therefore call no gospel minister Rabbi, Rabbi, for God has strictly forbidden mas