AN Assembly Lecture OR A SERMON, Held forth at a CONVENTICLE. UPON THIS TEXT, Saints Practise, Chapter, 1. Verse 1. It is Lawful for the Saints to Cheat the Wicked.  
By a Maintainer, of the Saints Privilege, and Liberty of Conscience.  
Veritas, acerba.  
Printed in the Year. 1674.   

It is lawful for the Saints to Cheat the Wicked.  
AS the Saints are Innumerable, so their Privileges are Infinite: The Stars of the Sky may be told; in counting the Sands of the Sea, or the Dust of the Field, we may come to one that is Last; the Ocean has its Bounds, but the pretended Saints Privileges are beyond Measure, they are Boundless. There is no State, no Power, no Law, can Rule them, but like the Wind which Blows where it listeth, they are freed from all Control, and subject to nothing but the Directory of their own Will and Appetite.  
This is the Compass by which they Steer, this is the Hand which shows the Time, let the Sun of Truth say what it will. The Infallibility of the Pope is much talked of, the Prerogative of the Grand Sultan is very High and Imperious, but the Saints Privilege is Elevated above them all; and was it lawful to say, that it always went astray, yet may we be assured, it never Errs, 'tis never out o'th' way.  
The Saint's Privilege cannot be perfectly Defined, for there is nothing more General, its Essence cannot be known: Only this we can say, that the Saints Privilege, is the Saint's Privilege.  
But that you may have some Hints of this Metaphysical superstitious accident, I will describe it (although imperfectly) yet as plainly as its Nature will afford.  
Some derive the word Privilege from Lex & Privata, and define it to be Lex Privata homini irrogata; a Private Law given to a Man. But considering it is the Saints Privilege (that singular Privilege) we are to handle, as most agreeable and suiting to the Saint, I shall derive the word from Lex & Privatio, and so define it to be Legis Privatio; a Privation, and taking away of the Law, for it is therefore called Privilege, because it Exempts them from the Power of the Law, and divides them from the common Condition of Mankind.  
And here I am prevented of parting and distributing this general thing, Privilege, into the several sorts; for I am fallen into the Mouth of Division before I was ware, I am fallen amongst the Saints, and upon their Privilege, which is so proper to them; that as that Distinguishes them from all the People of the World, so they distinguish that from all other sorts of Privileges, and both of them together, Cut, Divide, and Mangle the whole Universe into Parties, Sects, and Factions.  
This Saintly Privilege belongs to those Men who are commonly called Separatists, fanatics, etc. These are those Medusa's Heads, on which grow many Snakes, Serpents, that are full of Venom, and yet have lovely Flattering Outsides, such as would Deceive Eve again, if she Lived in Paradise; and do beguile her Progeny at this day, devouring Widows Houses, even with their long Prayers, and by Groans and Whinings, delude the Multitude, as Mahomet did with Fits. A form of Godliness they have, but their Hearts are full of Impieties, their Minds full of Treasons and Rebellion, their Hands full of Rapine, Blood, Murders and Regicides; witness the Tragedy of the late Times.  
But not to Describe them only by the Habits of their Minds, wheresoever you see a man exalted in a Meetinghouse, doing penance in the surface of a White Cap, environed with an Assembly-Cloak, or a Freeze Coat, which helps in stead of a Hum, or a Ha', to spend time, by pulling forwards the Coat, first on one Shoulder, then on the other, whilst the more unwilling Matter, which sticks below, is pulled up, and brought to Utterance: Wheresoever you see one thus Clad, Whining and Groaning as if he Laboured for Life; the posture of his Eyes in one Extreme or other, either turning up the Whites to Amaze and Affright the Spectators, or shutting of them close, as ashamed of himself, the Place and Company. This is one of those Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: This is the Sounding Brass and Tinkling Cymbal: This is one of the Adders which Grows on the Head I mentioned before; and the Subject to which the Saint's Privilege doth appertain.  
You may meet these Serpents Crawling up and down in other Shapes, differing from the former, some with Beads in their Hands, others with no Superstitious Relics I'll assure you; no, not so much as a Hatband on their Hats, or a Ribond on the lower Covering of the outward Man; a Fry whose Lenten Faces show they were Spawned of Shotten Herrings, and meet together only to compare Uncouth Looks. There are many more, which I forbear to Enumerate, reserving them for another place, and so I pass from the Unclean Cage where this Bird (the Saint's Privilege) Rousts, and come to its Object, about which it is Employed, and the end for which it is used, as also the Principles from which it moves.  
The chief Use of this Privilege is, to compass and bring about the Designs of the Saint: His Designs are twofold, namely, Profit and Honour; Avarice prompts him to Enrich himself, and Pride puts him upon seeking Reputation in the World; he loves to be Admired, and Esteemed amongst the Brethren, as a precious Heavenly minded man; but in the mean time he Aims at Worldly Interest, and the Obtaining some Benefit to himself: And to accomplish this, what better Course can he take then Satan did when he first tempted Mankind, that is Allure them with the discerning Knowledge of Good and Evil; and here he must Teach them what is Good, and what is Evil: He is Good, and therefore must be followed; others are Evil, and therefore must be avoided, and when he has persuaded the silly Multitude into this Belief, than he is likely to have a fruitful Harvest, and his Barns filled with a plentiful Crop, and his Projects will go on successfully; but in this Career he will meet with many Obstructions; many Laws will oppose him, Religion will hinder him, the Settled Government of most States and Kingdoms will Thwart him; wherefore to clear the way, and overthrow Laws, Religion and Kingdoms, he must Fly to the Saints Privilege, which being Skilfully managed, will procure his Heart's desire.  
Before the Apparition of this Harpy, was the Time Men call the Golden Age; Religion was then Embraced for its own sake, not to cover other Designs; Men strove to be Religious indeed, rather than to be thought so: The common Concern of all was to serve Heaven, and love one another: Such! such, was the Uniformity of that Age, Peace and Plenty kissed each other, and Universal Obedience to the Laws, made the Governors happy, and the Subjects blessed. But when this Saint's Privilege started up, Ten Thousand Mischiefs did accompany it, Pride, Envy, Strife, Covetuousness, and innumerable other Sins were its Lifeguard; thence followed Faction, Schism, Treason, Rebellion, Murder of Princes, Destruction of Religion, Laws, States, and Kingdoms.  
As Lucijers' ambition caused him to attempt the Dethroning of God Almighty, so this Saint's Privilege makes them set their Mouths against Dominion, and speak evil of Dignities, whilst Meekness, Humility, Religion, and true Christian Piety persuade them otherwise.  
Thus have we, so briefly as we could, Represented to you the Saints Privilege, whereof we intent to speak; and although this Privilege is manifold, as you have already heard, yet at this time we will only take a Branch of it, which is that contained in the Text, namely,  It is lawful for the Saints to Cheat the Wicked. 
In which words, observe with me Four Things: First the Act, namely, To Cheat. Secondly, The Actors, which are The Saints. Thirdly, The Patient, or Object of this Action, namely, The Wicked. And Fourthly, The Quality of the Act, that is, Lawful: It is lawful for the Saints to Cheat the Wicked.  
And first of the Act, To Cheat: Cheat is a word of a large Signification, it comprehends all Sin, and extends to all Vicious Actions; there are many words Equivalent to this, and are used in the same sense, as to Defraud, Cousin, Deceive, Delude, Over-reach, Beguile, Betray, and the like; and of Affinity with these, are Deceits, Covin, Fraud, Delusion, Treachery, Imposture, Hypocrisy, etc. And from hence Knaves, Impostors, Traitors, Deceivers, Hypocrites, Dissemblers, etc. receive Denomination; and all these agree with our Saint in the Text.  
Cheating is the chief Instrument of the Devil, and the Engine by which he brings about his greatest Works, by this he brought Destruction upon Mankind, beguiling our first Parents with his Insinuating Flatteries, subtly taking upon him the form of a Glittering Serpent; first catching the Eye, our Senses, that thereby he might have Entrance, to lay hold upon our souls.  
Oh! how prevalent are subtle Flatteries, especially those which come with such specious pretences, as this Serpents did: Yea, hath God said, ye shall not Eat of every Tree of the Garden? Doth he say that if you do, ye shall surely die? I tell you, nay, ye shall not die, For God doth know that in the day ye Eat thereof, than your Eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods, knowing Good and Evil. I say, how prevalent and  are such plausible Temptations! otherwise, methinks the Commands of the great Creator, so newly Imposed, immediately after the Creation, might have Deterred the Creature from sin; the fear of Death, one would think, might have restrained the Appetite, let the Object have been never so desirable; surely the posture of the Serpents Turning and Twining, seeming to go one way and another, but in truth goes neither, might have made them suspect him; No, Knowledge, and to be as Gods,, are such Temptations, that Innocency itself cannot resist them.  
Wherefore our Saint taking pattern from the great Deceiver, forms all his Impostures and Delusions, in the same Mould that Satan did his, and sets before the People the Temptations of Knowledge, Religion, the spirit of Light, to be as Gods, Liberty, Freedom, etc. telling them that if they follow him, and do as he directs, their Eyes shall be opened, and they shall know themselves to be the only precious chosen people of God, freed from the spots and defilements of the World, freed from the powers of the Earth, and from the Obligation of Laws, either of the Church or State, whilst in the mean time, they make Room for Rebellion, and Implicitly teach their Followers to disobey the Almighty and his Vice-gerents.  
For which purpose there must be (and is already published) a new Book of Ethics, to teach the World to break Laws with a good Conscience; wherein it is Asserted, that penal Laws may be broken, and that by the Intent of the Lawmaker, who imposes a Mulct or penalty upon the Offender, and thereby commutes the Obedience for the Penalty. Excellent Doctrine! and I doubt not but it will be well Improved; better cannot be Expected from a Tavern, Alehouse, or Meetinghouse, where penal Laws are daily broken: But surely though the Law be so in his Conscience, who is a notorious Offender, and must use Clouts to wrap up the Sores of his Conscience; yet other men obey the Law, and are subject to every Ordinance of Man for Conscience-sake, and do not wilfully offend that they might pay the Penalty, but think the Law is Obligatory in Conscience, and the Penalty is added by way of Aggravation, to Deter men from the Offence: For if the Intent of the Lawgiver was not to have sincere Obedience, his Laws would be rather Tricks to get Money, than Instruments for the better Ordering and Governing Societies.  
And if Obedience be Due in this manner to Laws (as without all doubt it is) and the Scripture enjoins us to be subject to them: How dare we obstinately and resolutely Disobey them? How dare we meet in Conventicles, which is forbidden by the Law, being found by sad Experience dangerous to the State, and the occasion of Strife and Division, those destructives of Humane Society? How dare we? Why, I must appeal to our Saint in the Text, who has an Answer ready prepared for him by his great Master; who, as I have already shown you: Preached, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat, etc. So our Saint, yea, doth the Law say we shall not meet, etc. I tell you, that you may; we have a Privilege in Conscience, to Transgress and Break what Laws we please: It is lawful for the Saints, etc.  
Here I might Expose our Saint to shame enough, by discovering his Nakedness, and pulling off that Vizard with which he doth deceive the World; but when I consider that 'tis impossible to Enumerate half his Cheats, and they are so frequently Practised that every one meets with them, I purposely forbear a particular Account, referring you to the History of the late Times, where they swarm.  
And instead of a Catalogue, I present you with a Chariot, which like Phaeton's, sets the World on Fire. This Chariot is the Saints Cheat I now speak of, the Wheels are the Ignorance of the People, and the Admiration they have of him: The Horses that draw this Chariot, are his Pride and Covetuousness: Our Saint is the Driver, and a Conventicle is his Whip.  
I have spoken of the Chariot already, which has a Stage almost in every Town of all Countries, and Travels up and down the World, being carried to every thing; by the Horses, Pride and Covetousness: I will now say somewhat of the Wheels, Ignorance is a good Wheel, on this the Chariot runs swiftly; where the People are Learned, the Chariot moves slowly, Letters are like Clogs, and good Rudiments are such a Burden, that it cannot stir; where men are well Educated in the Prinicples of Religion, our Saint's Cheat can hardly pass, but amongst the Ignorant it runs post. And this wheel has a good Fellow, namely, the Admiration which the People have for our Saint, for when he has once Insinuated himself into them, so that they have a good Opinion of him and Admire him, than the Chariot gets ground, and flies merrily; then all he says is Gospel, and nay, more Authentic than the Gospel; for Calvin was so Admired by a— (you may know him by his Speech) that he professed if St. Paul were Alive, and to Preach the same hour that Calvin did, he would leave St. Paul, and go to hear Calvin: You may believe him, for Calvins Writings are followed and preferred before St. Paul's. Oh brave Wheel! well Greased! and Excellently well fitted to the Chariot!  
Of the Horses, Pride or Covetuousness, I cannot tell which Excels. Pride has most Mettle, but Covetuousness is the surest Drawer. To be Applauded for Excellent parts, for a Singular man, for a Gifted man, for a Leading man; to be called Rabbi, to be esteemed a sure Guide of Souls, a true setter of Conscience, to be Wiser than those that follow him; To have Silence made at a Conventicle, and be set above the rest by Head and Shoulders; to have Liberty to Speak what he pleases, and that more to the Nodification, than edification, of the beholders, for they Edify little, but Nod much; I say these preeminences puff up, and sometimes move the chariot briskly, a little pride many times induces a great cheat, yet this Horse is often jaded; for although our Saint's ambition makes him aspire above Heaven itself, yet frequently have I known, when covetuousness draws one way, and pride another, covetuousness has got the better, and went away with the Chariot: To be head of an Assembly, sole Teacher, and Instructor, not subject to Law or Magistrate, is very acceptable; but a Good Living, a Fat Benefice, has made our Saint leave them all, and be Subordinate to Legal Authority: Nay, this Horse has been so strong, that it hath drawn the Chariot to Simon Magus, to help our Saint in, even by one of his Contracts.  
Covetuousness hath made him Prey upon the Brethren themselves, he has warmed their Zeal so hot, by pressing the Duty upon them, of Raising Money to Build a Conventicling House, that they have Contributed, and given him Money enough to Build one; and when he has Built it, he has made Use of the House for himself, and turned the Brethren out; telling them the House was not so Convenient as he thought it would have been, and that he knew of another Place, much more convenient, for the Service; and hath wrought upon them so, that they have made a new Collection, and Built another House: And thus our Saint has served them Two or Three times, and Choosed them of Two or Three Houses one after another.  
Ah! This Horse Covetuousness, is an unruly Beast, he draws our Saint to all manner of Viecs, to Lying, Hypocrisy, Falshhood in Dealing, nay, even to the sins of the Flesh; many, yea, many a time hath he drawn our Saint to his Neighbour's Wife, and there so Kicked and Frisked, that he hath thrown our Saint upon her; Ah! threw him even upon her.  
Truly, this Horse is so Ungoverned, that no man can Live in quiet near our Saint, he Breaks down his Neighbour's Fences, eats up his Grass, and his Corn, and is so often taken Damage Fefant, that was he not a serviceable Horse, and very profitable to our Saint, he would not keep him.  
But so long as he Draws the Chariot well, our Saint will not part with him, his Neighbour must endure him.  
One Faculty this Horse has, which makes our Saint highly prise him, he is an excellent stretcher of Conscience, no Bars and Tenter hooks can stretch Cloth half so well; take him in a Morning when he is Fresh, and put him to our Saint's conscience, he will draw it so wide, that 'twill swallow any thing.  
Having given you an Account of the Horses; in the next place, we come to handle the Whip: And considering the Horses appear to be so good, so Mettlesom, and such sure Drawers, one would think our Saint needed no Whip; Yet a Whip is very needful, and that will appear to you in these particulars: I do not intent to speak any thing in Disparagement of the Horses; for I agree there cannot be Two more serviceable Horses in the World, and were they in an Ordinary man's service, without all doubt a Whip would be altogether unnecessary. But you must understand, our Saint is a very hard Rider, he Drives furiously, I never met him in my life but that he was above three quarters speed, upon common occasions he Rides post, and about Matters more than ordinary, he Rides as Jockeys ride Races; in a Furlong and a Half he leaves the man, that Rides for the Midwife above a Furlong behind him. Now for such a Hotspur as this, you will agree that a Whip is requisite; But what Whip? Not any Whip, not a common Whip, it must be a Whip of many cords, that hath many Lashes, it must be a Whip suitable to our Saints designs, and therefore surely a Whip of his own making is best, and that's a Conventicle: For this has many Cords, many Lashes, it hath many Rich, and they serve as so many Cords for the Horse Covetuousness; It hath many Admirers of our Saint, and they serve as so many Lashes for the other Horse Pride: These Motives are the Spurs that prick on the Palfreys which hurry away the Chariot. Our Saint is never so Rampant as at a Conventicle; there his Pride Snorts and Prances, spurns at Government, condemning and contemning all those that are not of his Way, and scornfully pitying all those poor lost Creatures that Gainsay a Meetinghouse. Ah poor souls! they live in sin, there is no hopes of them, they know not Good from Evil, they are stupefied, and have no sense of the Joy, and Refreshments, that we have at our Meetings, etc.  
In the mean time Covetuousness claps his Tail betwixt his Legs, lays his Ears close to his Head, and Leers at the Rich and Wealthy Brethren! he pulls the Chariot hard, towards the Sister's Silver and Gold Bodkins, and with such Concupiscence, that sometimes he gets Bodkin, Sister and all.  
'Tis very fit I should now tell you how our Saint handles his Whip, and in doing this, I must show you the place, where Policy hath Taught our Saint to put the Whip: That Alehouse, that Inn, that Tavern, is best Situated, and most Dexterously contrived that hath a Thorough-fair (as 'tis called) in it, for by that convenience Custom is gained; so our Saint, that hath all the Tricks of a Tavern, or Tippling-house, hath likewise this, and places his Conventicle where there may be a Common Way or Passage thorough it, in hopes thereby to Catch some silly Gudgeon or other, that comes near his Not, so Mountebanks gain company; And he well knows that many Persons fall into the Lose Sport of Pidgeon-Holes, merely upon the occasion of passing by them: Therefore with wont Craft doth our Saint order his Conventicle.  
It follows, that I accost the Driver, but he looks so Jehu-like, that I dare not Meddle with him, qua Driver. I shall meet with him in the Text, being the second Thing I desired you to observe therein: It is lawful for the Saints to Cheat the Wicked.  
I have at large Treated of the Act contained in the Text, namely, The Cheat: I am now come to the Actors, and those you see are Saints; what kind of Saints, partly appears by that has been said, and shall be showed here more fully.  
Some divide Mankind into two sorts, viz. The Godly, and the Ungodly: In truth and reality, our Saint must be Ranked under the latter Head, for ('tis too plain) his Actions show him to be one of that Party. But he has a Privilege (the Privilege I spoke of before) to be accounted and reckoned amongst the Godly; and as one of that Form we must take him here, in respect of his Privilege, to be Reputed so, but not in respect of his Practices, for they show him to be quite another thing. I promised you to sub-divide those general Heads of Separatist, Fanatic, etc. and present you with the several sorts and fries, that are contained under them; but seeing the Distinctions would be Infinite (so much have they been ever given to Division) I should confound you with subdivisions, and new names: For every Sect takes up a new Name, with the old Villainies, they change the Name, but retain the Sin: As those which were called Pharisees of old, are now called Presbyterians, and the like in a hundred Instances. Therefore I purposely pass by the particulars, and hope our Saint will not Quarrel with me for it. But you may know them by these Marks. Their Words and their Works never agree. They are Opiniated of themselves, and condemn all others. A Lie in a Brother's Mouth, is truer, than Truth itself in another man's. They suspect and conclude all men to be Wicked, but themselves. They begin all their Mischiefs, in the Name of the Lord, when they Act the greatest Wickedness in the World; they will bear down all, that it is the greatest piece of Piety, and Religion in the World. That which is unjust in another man's case, is most just in theirs. They will believe none but the confiding men of their own Party. By these Marks and many more like them, you may know the Saint meant in the Text. In a word, the World is his Stage, and he is to Act the Devil's part, a part that has been Acting ever since the World began, and will not be Finished, until the World's end.  
From the Actor or Agent, I turn to the Patient, the Persons that are to be Cheated, and those are the Wicked: The Wicked! But who are they? In short, they are all those that do oppose the Saints. Oppose them! In what? In any thing. For if that which doth agree with the Saints is Righteous, then that which doth disagree with the Saints is Unrighteous; hence it proceeds that our Saint doth and may Rail against Government, against the Laws, against Princes, against Civil and Ecclesiastical Rulers, for these Oppose the Saint, and therefore are wicked, yea, very wicked, and may be Cheated. But the Breakers of penal Laws, as the Vintners that sell Wine above the Rates; the Merchants who steal Customs; they that draw Ale without Licence; those that Play at forbidden Games; they that keep Bawdy Houses, and Conventicles in them: These are not the Wicked intended in the Text, no, they are not Wicked, they are Friends: These agree with us, with our Saint to break Laws; a Tippling House, without Licence; yea, a Bawdy House, where there is a Meeting, is like unto, nay, it is a Meeting House.  
The Quality of the Act was the last thing I propounded to speak to, and that appears to be lawful: It is Lawful for the Saints, etc. Here you must understand, that there is a Law written in the Mind, and a Law of the Flesh written in the Members: Our Saint is not guided by the first Law, but by the latter, viz. The Law of the Flesh which wars against that of the Mind, and by this Law, It is Lawful for the Saints to Cheat, etc. Having Explained the Terms, with as much Brevity, as Perspicuity would admit, and shown you the sense of the Words in the Text, viz. First of the Act, and use of Cheating. Secondly, who are the Wicked. Thirdly, who are the Saints spoken of in the Text. I will now send out our Saint full Cry into the world, with Mouth as wide, as ever any was, at the Bull and Mouth by Aldersgate  It is Lawful for the Saints to Cheat the Wicked. 
I my Beloved, it is lawful, full of Law, for the Saints to Cheat the Wicked; those ungodly Wretches, those Drunkards, those profane Sabbath-breakers, those Adulterers, those Enemies, and Persecutors of the Saints, that will not let the Saints enjoy Liberty of Conscience; that deny us the comfort of Meeting, Me the comfort of speaking to you, and you the comfort of hearing me; Me the comfort of seeing you, and you the comfort of beholding me: Me, ah me! that in the Times of Rebellion, had full liberty, to say, and to do, and to teach you to do what we listed; Me! who had not the Bishop's Lawn-sleeves, but their Lands. Ah precious Times! When? When, shall we see those Golden days again?  
In those days I was not accounted a Nonconformist, for I did conform to every thing in Fashion, to every Device the prevailing Party (whereof I was chief) could Invent; Conscience, than had no check, no tie, all things, were Lawful that were Profitable, and the Saints desires, were their surest Guides.  
Conscience had got the Head and Mastery of the Laws, and some of you (my Beloved) do remember, that a Brother might have another man's Estate for ask: Ah goodly Times! to be wished, to be hoped for again, but I leave the success to your Prayers.  
In those days the Text was not in Question, but in Practice: No need of a Sermon upon it, the wicked durst not deny, that the Saints might cheat them; their Goods, their Lands, yea, their Lives were at the Saint's pleasure, and you know we took them when we pleased.  
'Tis unnecessary to remind you by what means we obtained this Faculty, otherwise you may remember, we did, and accomplished all, in the Name of the Lord, we cried out, that Religion was in Danger, and set open the Mouths as well of those who understood it not, as those who did; not a Kitchenwench, not a Groom, not a Scullion, but that could Preach, and although they knew nothing else, yet could tell in what points true Religion was wronged, and how to mend it.  
We Railed against the Rulers, and their Government, and Bellowed and roared for Liberty, as Hogs a Killing, and here we brought in conscience to squeak, which so prevailed, that we Murdered Kings and Princes for conscience sake.  
We destroyed the Government of Church and State, we Killed the Malignants and took away their Estates, and this is the sum of the Saints Privilege.  
And now my Beloved, is it not Lawful to Cheat them that oppose this? yea, it is Lawful; It is profitable, and therefore Lawful.  
And this shall be the only Argument I will use at present to confirm the Text, my own and your Practices sufficiently Illustrate the truth.  

One word of Application, and I have done.  
Is it Lawful for the Saints to Cheat the Wicked? Why this may serve for a use of Consolation, it will comfort us in our greatest Afflictions, let Poverty do its worst we have a Privilege, will help us; common Thiefs they must be Hanged, but we have a Privilege to Cheat. This will fill our Bellies, 'twill fill our Trunks, 'twill assist our Friends, and make Provisions for our Posterity. Ah! what a Blessing do we enjoy! The Wicked in the Text they are kept from it, they must not Cheat: They must starve rather than use this Privilege they must obey the Law, for conscience-sake, Conscience gives us Liberty to Disobey. They must be subject to Magistrates, our Privilege exempts us.  
Secondly, Is it Lawful for the Saints to cheat, etc. Why then I Exhort you to make use of your time, and enjoy this Privilege, whilst you live, for you cannot have it in another World: Nay, if the Law or Reason prevail, amongst Lawgivers, than the Wings of this Privilege will be clipped, therefore use it, whilst you may, whilst Faction doth last, whilst Sedition is predominant, and brings preferment; That so ye may be Furnished with the Mammon of Unrighteousness which will make Friends for you, when ye fail.  
Thirdly, Is it Lawful (my Beloved) for the Saints to cheat the Wicked? Why this may serve for Exprobration, how justly may we inviegh against the wicked in the Text: Those that oppose our Right, and deny us this Privilege, I say how justly may we inviegh against them, as the most Ungrateful people in the World! In the late Times of Anarchy, when the Saints Privilege was Exalted, 'tis well known, that all the wicked had forfeited, all the Rights, Privilege, Liberties, Estates, and Lives, to us, and yet we, merciful men, spared them, we did not take away all, from all: 'Tis true, we Killed some Thousands, we Sequestered the Malignants, we Recovered the Kings and Bishops Lands, etc. But what is that to the purpose? Are not they Merciful and Kind, who, when they may destroy all, spare some? And did not we spare some when we had power, and it was lawful for us to Kill all? And yet the wicked are ungrateful, that they have forgot our Kindnesses, they make no Retaliation, but would if they could take away from us even the use of Conventicles. Ha! my Beloved, what ungodly Wretches are these! That would not allow us the Liberty of Meeting. Where we have an opportunity, of comforting one another, of easing our Minds, and our Bodies, and Refreshing one another: Where we are Fed with the precious Doctrine, in the Text, and you hear that, and many other such Truths proceed from my Mouth, as if they were God's Word and Divine Revelations. Ha' vile! and ungrateful wicked! that would hinder such Mercies, we seldom Pray, or Preach, but that we remember them, in our Prayers and Sermons, and yet they return us no thanks, so Unthankful and void of Grace are the wicked!  
And since I am fallen upon the Subject of Ingratitude, to show our utter dislike and abhorency of it, I will Reprove it even in you, even in the Saints, that so you may be without spot, without blemish. You know (my Beloved) that by the Act of Confirmation, of Ministers, the wicked were Restored to their Benefices, and then was I put out of a good Parsonage, and if my conscience would have been so wicked as to have conformed; yet could I not have gotten a convenient Benefice, so contrary was that change to the profit and promotion of the Saints. Wherhfore I applied myself to you, and Incited you to the Building of a Meeting House, and the maintaining of a Nonconforming Minister, who should Instruct you, in all the ways of cheating the wicked, and Build you up in Stubbornness, and Stiffneckedness, and so make you a Choice, Select, peculiar People, to Live and Die in Opposition to the Government of Church and State.  
To this you were easily persuaded, and by my pains and the Assistance, of others, I got to help, of my Cloth, and Coif, you are well grounded in the Rudiments of Waywardness, and throughly Educated, in the Doctrine of the Text. But before I could bring you to a perfect Habit; I and my fellow Labourers spent many Drops of Sweat, I could not hold out myself, but was forced to ply you with two or three stirrers up, one after another, and wirry you, as Dogs the Bear, or Bull successively.  
At first you considered our Extraordinary Labour, and (to your Praise be it spoken) you Contributed very Bountifully to all our Wants and Necessities; I myself at one Meeting, have had a Hundred Pounds of the Collection, for my own share, and the Sweat of the other Undertakers, have likewise been Answered by your Drops.  
But now: Ah! It grieves me to tell you of it, I speak it with Tears in my Eyes; you, even you, are very Backward in your Payments and Contributions. You are grown worse than any other Conventicle. There is— his Conventicle Raises Eighty Pound a time, take one time with another: But many a time, ah! many a time have I spent myself upon you, my Bowels have Yerned over you: I say many, many a time, and yet I could not raise a Heart within you, to make a Purse of Forty Pounds at most, no not Forty Pounds.  
And are not these sad Times? Is not this a sad Age? When the Saints are so slow to good Works. Mistake me not, the sadness doth not arise from my Want of that Abundance of Money, your Liberal Contributions, used to Supply me with, but from this, that your Defect herein, is a Sign you are fallen from Grace, 'tis a Sign your Zeal is not so Warm as it has been, 'tis a Sign the Doctrine we Preach has not such an Influence upon you, as it ought. 'Tis a Sign of a Dissolution, and that the World will be at an end. Ah! What shall I say? My Heart is full, my Heart is full. But farewel.  
FINIS