churches, that they should practise and observe any such days? Let us see where this command is written. Did not the apostle say to the Galatians in the fourth chapter, "But now, after that ye have known God, or rather ye are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years; I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain." And in the third of Galatians it is said, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth," &c. And in Galatians the fifth, the apostle exhorts them to "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free:" and moreover said, "be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

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'Doth not this manifest there were some teachers that were drawing the church of the Galatians into these beggarly elements, and bringing them again into bondage, in observing of days, months, times, and years? It was the apostle's work to bring them out of those bondages and beggarly elements; therefore, when they were going back again into observing days, months, times, and years, he was afraid that he had "bestowed his labour upon them in vain:" and he exhorts them to "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ Jesus hath made them free, and not to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage:" and again signifies, “ that they had been once entangled with that yoke of bondage and beggarly elements." But O! how are people called christians, since the apostles' days, gone again under this yoke of bondage, and these beggarly elements, in observing days, months, times, and years, let their practice declare. Nay, do not both Papists and Protestants force people to observe days, months, and times? And therefore, is not the apostle's labour and travail bestowed upon Christendom in vain, which was to bring people from under such beggarly elements and that yoke of bondage, (which the law did require,) to "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free, and not to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage?" It was and is Christ that hath made and doth make his people free from these beggarly elements; therefore, the redeemed are to "stand fast in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free." This liberty all true christians are to stand fast in: they are made free by Christ, and not by man; for man, without the spirit and mind of Christ, seeks to force and compel Christ's followers, such as he hath made free from the yoke of bondage, to outward things that the law commanded, to the observing of days, months, times, feasts, and years. From such weak, beggarly elements, those that know God, or are known of God and Christ, are to stand fast in their liberty, and not come under nor be entangled with the yoke of bondage again, seeing he hath made them

free. For they that are in such things, and would force others to them, are gone from that which gives the knowledge of God, and have not stood fast in the liberty wherewith Christ makes free.

'Concerning prayer, we do not read that ever Christ or his apostles did seek by force to compel any to fast or pray with them. But Christ taught them how they should pray, and be distinct from the hypocrites. His words are as followeth: "When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are; for they love to stand praying in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men, &c. But when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father, that seeth in secret, will reward thee openly. But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the Heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore, like them; for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him," &c. As the apostles and saints did, so do we; we pray in secret, and we pray in public, as the spirit gives us utterance, which helps our infirmities, as it did the apostles and true christians: after this manner we pray for ourselves, and for all men both high and low.

"Concerning fasting, Christ saith, "Moreover when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. But when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."

'You may see in Isaiah lviii. what the true fast the Lord requires is, where it is said to the prophet, "Cry aloud, and spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins; yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God; they ask of me the ordinances of justice, they take delight in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness; ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen, saith the Lord; to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?" So this fast that the Lord requires, is not to lay

yokes, to oppress, and lay heavy burdens, and to make fast the bands of wickedness; but to loose and break such things.

Further, concerning the true fast the Lord requires, "Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor, that are cast out, to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from from thy own flesh? (Do you keep this true fast?) Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee, the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am: If thou take away from the midst of thee the yokes, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light arise out of obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon-day. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not," &c.

'Here is the practice of the true fast the Lord requires of his people; and to them that observe this fast, the Lord saith, "When they call, he will answer." You may see what glorious and happy comforts they receive from the Lord, that keep this true fast; but such as fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fists of wickedness," to make their voices to be heard on high, to afflict their souls for a day, to bow down their head as a bulrush, and loose not the bands of wickedness, nor undo every heavy burden, break off every yoke, and let the oppressed go free, that does not deal his bread to the hungry, clothe the naked, and bring the poor to his house, but hides himself from his own flesh;" such fasts and fasters the Lord doth not accept, neither hath he chosen them. These appear to men with their disfigured faces, hanging down their heads as a bulrush for a day, like the hypocrites, to fast, as Christ speaks in Matt. vi.

Is it not the command of Christ, that in their fast they should not appear unto men to fast? And now you, that would force us to shut up our shops on fasting days, or for a day, does not this fast appear to men? and is not this the fast, that the Lord saith in Isaiah," he doth not accept?" for he saith, "Is this the fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul, and bow down his head as a bulrush," &c. "Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?" Isa. lviii.

'Therefore, all God's people are to keep the true fast of the Lord from debate and strife, and the fists of wickedness; that "fast that breaks the bands of wickedness, undoes every heavy burden, breaks every yoke, lets the oppressed go free, deals bread to the hungry, clothes the naked, and brings the poor that are cast out to his own house." Every

one that keeps this true fast, their health shall grow, and when they call, the Lord will hear them; "he will be their guide continually, satisfy their souls in drought, make their bones fat, and they shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Now you, that keep not this true fast, when you call upon the Lord on your own fasting-days, does the Lord answer you, and say, "Here am I?" Doth the Lord guide you continually? Are your bones made fat by him, and your souls satisfied in drought? Are you like a watered garden, and like a spring whose waters fail not? You that keep not this true fast, do you not want these waters which fail not? so your souls are not satisfied in drought, but your bones are lean, and you hear not the voice of the Lord, who saith, "Here I am:" so you lose the heritage of Jacob, and ride not upon the high places there; but come under. Therefore, every man and woman, shut your hearts against all manner of evil whatsoever, and trade not with Babylon's merchants of confusion; but keep the supernatural day of Christ, that is sprung from on high, that is kept by believing and walking in the light of Christ, and being grafted into him. This will bring you to the true fast, from feeding upon any evil, and to the true praying in the spirit, as Christ and the apostles have taught. The fruit of the spirit is love, &c. The birth of the spirit is not a persecuting birth; but he that is born of the flesh will persecute him that is born of the spirit, because he will not follow the birth of the flesh, with its weak, beggarly elements, that entangles with its yoke of bondage, and its observing of days, months, times, fasts, feasts, and years; which the birth of the spirit is to stand fast against in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made it free.

'Do you not know that the Turks keep their sabbath on the sixth day, the Jews upon the seventh day, and the Christians meet together on the first day of the week? And that day which the Turks keep, the Jews' and Christians' shops are open; and that day the Jews keep, Christians' and Turks' shops are open; and the first-days, that the Christians keep both Jews' and Turks' shops are open? The Turk does not force the Jews nor the Christians to shut up their shops on their meetingdays, but lets them have their liberty in Turkey. And where do you read that ever the Turks forced any Christians to observe any of their holy days, fasts, or feasts? if not, should not Christians be beyond the Turks in giving liberty to all tender consciences to serve God, seeing Christ and the apostles command not nor force people to observe holy days, or times, or months, or years, but should pray always in the spirit, and fast always from strife and debate, from all manner of sin and evil; and that will keep down the fist of wickedness, and the bond of iniquity? why should not people of a tender conscience have their liberty to exercise their consciences towards God, that they may have a "good con

science always, towards God and man," to perform that which God requires, and "to do unto all men as they would have them to do unto them, and to love their neighbours, as themselves;" seeing so many debauched, evil and seared consciences, as with a hot iron, have liberty in their loose lives and conversations, and in their loose words, whose tongues are at liberty to swear and curse, and their spirits at liberty in drunkenness and uncleanness? let the magistrates look and see how this evil seared conscience hath its liberty to be exercised in all manner of evil things all Christendom over : which is a great shame and dishonour to God, Christ, and christianity, yea, and humanity. Therefore why should not God's people have liberty to exercise their good and tender consciences towards God and man? the mystery of faith, which Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of, is held in a pure conscience; and should not the work of the true christian magistrate be to encourage the exercise of this pure conscience towards God and man, and to discourage the exercise of this evil seared conscience that dishonours both God and Christ, and true christianity? if not, how are they a praise to them that do well, and a terror to evildoers ?

Concerning the not putting off our hats to men. Many under the name of Christians, having taken offence at us because we could not put off our hats, and bow down to them; which we find no command from Christ or his apostles for, but rather to the contrary. For Christ saith, "I receive not honour of men," (mark, he did not receive honour of men :) and further, "How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that comes from God only?" Now Christ declares it to be a mark of unbelievers, that seek "honour one of another," and seek not that "honour that comes from God only;" and is not the putting off the hat, and bowing with it, an honour to men, which they seek one of another, and are offended if they have it not? Do not the very Turks mock at the christians in their proverb, saying, "The christians spend much of their time in putting off their hats, and showing their bare heads to one another?" Should not those be beyond Turks, that bear the noble name of christian, above seeking honour one of another, and persecuting them that will not give it, when all true believing christians should seek the honour that comes from God only? which is the duty of all true believers in Christ Jesus, for he would not receive honour of men. And," he that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth upon him." John iii. 36. Is not the Turks' proverb a reproach to the christians, who say, "That the christians spend much of their time in putting off their hats, and showing their bare heads one to another?" Have you not fined and imprisoned many, because they would not put off their hats to you, and show you