that these doctrines of baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, are to be laid aside, because the apostle saith, “Leaving these principles, let us go on to perfection;" for thereby he meaneth only in regard of his pressing, urging, and inculcating thereof upon them; as appears by the words of the former chapter in the last verses: otherwise he should wish them to lay aside the doctrine of the resurrection, eternal judgment, and faith towards God, which he presseth unto in the after part of this very epistle.

If this be a great difference between the ministration of Moses in the time of the Old Testament, and the ministration of Christ, and of the gospel; that the ministration of Moses and the Old Testament was not to continue, and the ministration of the gospel is to continue: then surely the ordinances of Christ are still to abide. Now look into 2 Cor. iii., and there plainly you shall see this difference: "If the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, (at ver. 7,) how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?" Ver. 11, "For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious." He makes this difference between the ministration of the gospel and that of Moses, that one is to be done away, and the other remains. Now if the ordinances were not to continue and remain, what difference would there be, as concerning this matter, between the ministration of Moses and the ministration of the gospel? But the apostle here plainly speaks that this is the difference, the ministration of the one to be done away, the ministration of the other doth still continue; therefore the ordinances and the appointments of Christ do still remain.

If there shall be ordinances in the most glorious times that are to come, when there shall be a full pouring out of the Spirit of God upon the children of men, then certainly they are to remain now. And if you look either upon the last of Isaiah, the iiird of Jeremiah, the xivth of Zechariah, or upon other scriptures where mention is made of the most glorious times that are yet to come; ye shall find that there is mention made also of ordinances in those times. Only let us look into the xith chapter of the Revelation, and ye shall find there, at the 15th verse, "The seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms

of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." Here are plainly the glorious times spoken of that are yet to come. Well, shall there be any ordinances then? Yes; for at the 19th verse," And the temple of the Lord was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament." What is this but ordinances? The ark, the visible sign of the presence of God in way of ordinances; and the temple open, though it was shut before. But it is said in the latter end of the book of the Revelation, there shall be no temple. True, no Jewish temple, for there he speaks in that chapter of the conversion of the Jews, and the bringing in of the Jews; but a christian temple shall then be opened again, though shut before in antichristian times, in those glorious times the temple shall be fully opened again. Now, I say, if that in those more glorious times, when the Spirit shall be fully poured out upon the children of men, there shall be ordinances, then certainly they are now to continue; but so it is surely, therefore, the appointments, institutions and ordinances of Christ are still to continue; we are to acknowledge, receive and submit unto these appointments, and to hearken unto Christ our great Prophet herein.

But what need of ordinances, for I enjoy God most in private; when I go unto God alone, when I am all alone in prayer I enjoy God more than I do under the public ordinances, and therefore what need of them?

Do you enjoy more of God in private; what, more than ever you did in public? Where wert thou then converted? Wert thou not converted under the public ministry? Ordinarily men are converted by the public ministry; and now you have some good affections in private, doth that good affection that you have in private arise to a higher enjoyment of God than your first conversion to God? Do you think that a little affection or drawing out of the heart in private, doth arise to a higher enjoyment of God than your first turning to him? This cannot be. Is it not an easy thing for a man to think that God is most enjoyed when his heart is most affected? It is possible a man's heart may be more affected when God is less enjoyed; such is the deceit of our hearts. God is most enjoyed where God is most served. But, now, suppose God were more enjoyed in private than under public

ordinances, I do but suppose it, yet were this no reason why a man should lay by the public ordinances: for you are sometimes in your closet at prayer, and there you enjoy God; sometimes you are below at dinner and supper, and you have some enjoyments of God there. But, I pray, tell me, whether do you enjoy God more at your ordinary dinner and supper or in your closet in prayer? Surely I enjoy God more in my closet in prayer. And is this a reason why you should never dine and sup again? Yet, notwithstanding, how do people reason thus: I enjoy God more in private, therefore I must lay by the public.

But yet I have not only mine own experience, but I have the experience of divers other precious souls: I know some men and women that have left the ordinances, the public ordinances, and they profess that they never enjoyed more of God than since they have left the ordinances; I have not, therefore, mine own experience only, but I have the experience of divers other gracious people.

Poor soul! Wilt thou hang thy salvation upon another man's experience? Hath not our Lord and Saviour Christ said, that many shall say, "Lord, Lord, we have prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many wonderful things in thy name; and Christ will say unto them, Depart, I know you not:" Hath not our Saviour said, "Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, but he that doeth the will of my Father." What is the will of the Father? The will of the Father is, That ye hear his Son, "A voice was heard from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, hear ye him." How can ye hear him, and turn your backs upon Christ's appointments; is this the will of the Father?

But now suppose it be so, that others give in their experiences, some that you look upon as godly and precious; and they say, I never enjoyed more of God than since I have left the ordinances. Are there not also divers godly that have said and say, I never enjoyed more of God than in the ordinances? Yea, and are there not a hundred of those to one of the other? Yea, and are there not some, if you go to experience, are there not some that have laid by the ordinances, and by this time are come home, as you say, by weeping cross? some that were in the last defeat at Burford, who formerly had laid by the ordinances and said they lived

upon God, and in God immediately, stout-hearted champions; yet being condemned to die, they cried out, and said, Oh that I might live but two days longer: Oh, that I might live but one day longer: Oh, that I might live but one hour longer: I am unprepared for death, I know not how to die. And yet these men said before, that the ordinances were nothing, and they lived in God, and upon God immediately; see what it came to, how their experience shrunk. And wilt thou hang the salvation of thy soul upon the experience of such people as these?

But I do not go the way of experience, neither mine own nor others' experience, but I have scripture, at least I think so, and there are three scriptures especially that do persuade me; and the one is that in the Hebrews: "You shall no longer teach your neighbour, but every man shall be taught of God." Another scripture is that in John: "Ye need not that any man should teach you, for ye are taught of God, and have received the unction of the Holy One, and need not that man should teach you." Another scripture is that of Peter: "We have a more sure word of prophesy, unto which ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts." But now the day-star hath arisen in my heart, and therefore why should I attend upon these ordinances any longer?

For answer, Let us I pray consider whether these scriptures do speak any such thing or no.

As for that of the Hebrews, chap. viii., the words run thus: "This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord, (verse 10) I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their heart;" verse 11, "And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother; saying, Know the Lord, for all shall know me." Mark the words, they do not run as they are ordinarily cited by people, viz., They shall not teach every man his neighbour, for all shall know the Lord; but thus, "They shall not teach every man his neighbour, nor every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord." That is, they shall not teach them as if they were to teach heathens, that knew not the Lord, but in gospel times they shall teach a knowing people. If it were only said thus, They

shall not teach every man his neighbour, but they shall be all taught of God, then it were another case; but the words run thus, They shall not teach every man his neighbour, saying, Know the Lord. There is that clause too. That is, they shall not teach an heathenish, unknowing people, but in the times of the gospel, they shall be taught by God, and his ministers shall teach a knowing people.

As for the place in John, ye have it in the 1st Epis. ii. 27: "But the anointing which you have received of him abideth in you, and you need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things." Now if you look into verse 18, you will find that these words are spoken in opposition to antichrist, to the false unction. Xoros signifieth, anointed. Antichrist is the false anointed. Little children, saith he, at verse 18, "It is the last time, and as ye have heard that antichrist (the false anointed) shall come, even so there are false anointeds, but (verse 20, says he) we have an unction from the Holy One." So that plainly, he speaks here of this unction as opposite to the false unction of antichrist. "But (saith he, at verse 27) the anointing which we have received of him, abideth in you, and you need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you." Ye need not be taught by false anointings, and antichristian anointings. That this is the meaning, and that he speaks in opposition to antichristian anointing, appears plainly by the words that go before, at verse 26, "These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you." So the meaning is, ye need not be taught by man, or by those that are falsely anointed, as antichrist is; nor any otherwise need ye be taught by man, but as the same anointing, Christ, teacheth, and Christ teacheth by the public ministry of the word.

As for that place in 2 Peter i. 19, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts." Until; this until, doth not always denote an end of time, the end of that time to be then, which this until doth relate unto; for example, David saith, "I will wait upon the Lord till he shews mercy unto me." Would David wait upon the Lord no longer; when he had the mercy, would he not wait upon