Spirit of God dwells in them; yet ceafeth he not to intreat and exhort, yea, and to give them certain Orders in this Matter.

Befides all thefe Reafons, which are fufficient to convince any unprejudicate Man, the fecret Approbation of God's Spirit accompanying us in this Thing, together with the Fruits and Effects of it; which Hundreds can witnefs to, whofe Needs have been supplied, and theinfelves helped through divers Difficulties; and the Teftimonies or fome already, and of many more Orphans and Fatherlefs Children, who have found no Want neither of Father nor Mother, nor other Relations, through the tender Love and Care of God's People, in putting them Fatherless in Trades and Employments, and giving them all Children needful Education: Which will make it appear, put Apprentices. e're this Age pafs away, to thofe that have an Eye to fee, that these are not the meer Doings and Orders of Men; but the Work of him who is appearing in ten Thousands of his Saints, to establifh not only Truth, but Mercy and Righteousness in the Earth.

2. To com.

And for that End therefore, in the fecond Place, pofe Differ. this Order reacheth the taking up and compofing of ences in Differences as to outward Things, which may fall in outward out betwixt Friend and Friend, for fuch Things

the Church

Matters.

may fall out through the Intricacies of divers Affairs, where neither hath any pofitive Intention to injure and defraud his Neighbour, as in many Cafes might be instanced. Or if through the Workings and Temptations of him, whofe Work is to befet the Faithful, and People of the Lord, and to engender, fo far as he can, Strife and Divifion among them, any should step afide, as to offer to wrong or prejudice his Neighbour; we do boldly aver, as a People gathered together by the Lord unto the fame Faith, and diftinguished from all others by our Joint-Teftimony and Sufferings, that we have Power and Authority to decide and remove thefe Things among

among ourselves, without going to others to feek Redrefs. And this in itself hath fo much Reafon, that I cannot tell, if any that are not wholly prejudicate or obftinate, can blame it. For if we be of one Mind concerning Faith and Religion, and that it be our Joint-Intereft to bring all others unto the fame Truth with us, as fuppofing them to be wrong, what Confidence can we have to think of reclaiming them, if the Truth we profefs have not Efficacy, as to reconcile us among ourselves in the Matters of this World? If we be forced to go out to others for Equity and Juftice, because we cannot find it among ourselves, how can we expect to invite them to come among us, when fuch Virtues, as which ftill accom pany the Truth, are neceffarily fuppos'd to be wanting? Should we affirm other wife, it were to deftroy the Truth and Faith, we have been and are in the Lord's Hand building up: And indeed the Spirit and Practice of fuch as oppofe us herein, hath no lefs Tendency.

Moreover, befides the enforcing and intrinfick Reason of this Thing, we have the Concurrence, Approbation, and Comfort of the Apostle's Tefti, mony, Cor. vi. Dare any of you, having a Matter against another, go to Law before the Unjust, and not before the Saints? If it be objected, Do you Objection. reckon all unjust that are not of you? Think ye all other People void of Justice?

to Law be.

I anfwer, though the Apoftle ufeth this Ex- Believers preffion, I am perfwaded, he did not reckon all not to go others unjust, that had not received then the Christian fore the Faith. Unjuft,&. There were, no doubt, moral and just Men among the Heathen; and therefore the fame Paul commends the Nobility of Feftus, he reckons them there unjuft in respect of the Saints, or conparatively with them, as fuch as are not come to the juft Principle of God in themfelves to obey it and follow it: And therefore though he accounts them, who are leaft efteemed in the Church, capable to

decide

decide fuch Matters, yet he supposeth it safer to fubmit to their Judgment in fuch Cafes, though it were by taking Wrong, or fuffering Wrong, than to go before others to the greater Reproach of the Truth. We hope, though many Occafions of this Kind have fallen in among us, fince we have been a People, none have had juft Occafion to decline our Judgment. And though some should suppose themfelves to be wronged; yet if they should go bring their Matter before others, we might fay as the Apoftle faith in the aforementioned Chapter, Ver. 7. This were thereby a Fault in them, and would evidence a greater Care of fome outward Concern, than of the Honour and Intereft of Truth: And therefore fuch as have a tender Regard that Way, would rather fuffer, what to their Apprehenfions may feem wrong. For in Matters, wherein two Parties are oppofite in The Cafe the Cafe of Meum and Tuum, it is fomewhat hard to and Tuum. please both; except where the Power of Truth, and

of Meum'

Going before Unbelievers

the righteous Judgment thereof reaching to that of God in the Confcience, hath brought to a true Acknowledgment him that hath been mistaken, or in the Wrong; which hath frequently fallen out among us, to the often refreshing and confirming our Souls in the certain Belief, that Chrift was fulfilling his Promises among us, in restoring Judges, as at the first, and Counsellors, as in the Beginning.

Now fuppofe, any fhould be fo pettifh, or humerous, as not to agree in fuch Matters to the Judgfrom the ment of his Brethren, and to go before the UnbeJudgment lievers; for though I reckon them not fuch Unbelievers thren, is a as the Heathen of Old, because they profefs a Faith Dishonour in God and Chrift; yet I may fafely fay, they are

of the Bre.

to the Truth,

Unbelievers as to thefe Principles and Doctrines which we know are the Truth of God; and in that Sense must be Unbelievers as to him, that fo appealeth to them from his Brethren. I fay, fuch as fo do, first commit a certain Hurt, and Evil, in ftain

ing

ing the Honour and Reputation of the Truth they profess; which ought to be dearer to us than our Lives. And even in that outward Matter, for which they thus do, they run a Hazzard, not knowing whether Things fhall carry, as they expect: If they loose, they have a double Prejudice; if they gain, it is a too dear Rate, even with the Hurt of Truth's Reputation, which their outward Advantage cannot make up. If then, it be unlawful to do Evil, that Good may come on it, even a fpiritual Good; far lefs is it lawful to do a pofitive Evil of fo deep a Dye, as to bring an evil Report upon the good Land, and give the Uncircumcifed an Occafion to rejoice: Out of the uncertain Hope of an outward Gain, it is far better to fuffer Loss, as the Apostle very well argues in the Place above mentioned.

Indeed, if there be any fuch, have been, or appear to be of us, as fuppofe, There is not a wife Man among us all, nor an honest Man, that is able to judge betwixt his Brethren, we fhall not covet to meddle in their Matter; being perfwaded, that either they, or their Cause is nought. Though, Praises to God, among all thofe that have gone from us, either upon one Account or other, I never heard that any were fo minded towards us; but the most Part of them having let in the Offence of fome Things, or Perfons, have had this unanimous Tefti- Apoftates mony concerning us, that generally we are an honeft concerning and upright-hearted People.

But whatever Senfe our Enemies, or Apoftates have of us, who look afquint on the Face of Truth, and can fee nothing aright in thofe they love not, or are prejudicate againft; this we can fay in the laft Place, befides the Reasons and Scripture above declared, that the good Fruits and Effects, which daily abound to the Houfhold of Faith, in this, as well as the other Parts of the Government the Lord is establishing among us, doth more and more comG mend

Testimony

us.

Priefts

forced Mainte

ceived a deadly Blow.

mend it unto us; and confirmeth our Hearts in the certain Belief of that, which we can confidently testify in good Confcience, that God hath led us hereunto by his Spirit; and we fee the Hand of the Lord herein, which in due Time will yet more appear; that as through our faithful Teftimony, in the Hand of the Lord, that Antichristian and Apostatized Generation, the National Miniftry, hath received a deadly Blow by our discovering and wicnance and neffing against their forced Maintenance, and Tythes, Tythes, have re- against which we have teftified by many cruel Sufferings of all Kinds, as our Chronicle shall make known to Generations to come, fo that their Kingdom, in the Hearts of Thousands, begins to totter and loofe its Strength, and fhall affuredly fall to the Ground, through Truth's prevailing in the Earth; fo on the other Hand do we, by coming to Righteousness and Innocency, weaken the Strength of their Kingdom who judge for Rewards, as well as fuch as preach for Hire, and by not miniftring Occafion to thofe, who have heaped up Riches, and lived in Excefs, Luft, and Riot, by feeding and preying upon the Iniquities and Contentions of the People. For as Truth and Righteousness prevails in the Earth, by our faithful witneffing and keeping to it, the Nation fhall come to be eafed and difburdened of that deceitful Laywers Tribe of Lawyers, as well as Priefts, who by their and Intri- many Tricks, and endless Intricacies, have rendered ment Con- Juftice, in their Method, burdenfome to honeft troverfies. Men, and feek not fo much to put an End, as to

by Tricks

cacies fo.

foment Controverfies and Contentions, that they themselves may be ftill fed and upheld, and their Trade kept up. Whereas by Truth's Propagation, as many of these Controverfies will die by Mens coming to be lefs contentious; fo when any Difference arifeth, the Saints giving Judgment, without Gift or Reward, or running into the Tricks and endlefs Labyrinths of the Lawyers, will foon compose them. And this is that we are perfwaded, the Lord