not called thy name Pashur, but Magor Missabib,' which by interpretation is fear round about; and thou Pashur, and all that dwelleth in thy house shall go into captivity, and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there shalt thou die, and be buried, and all thy friends to whom thou hast prophesied lies: so there was the end of the false prophet and his friends, see in Jer. xx. and take heed ye priests of Christendom of this, that breed up your sons in the way of the false prophets, who were strikers and persecutors of the true.

"Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture saith the Lord; therefore, thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto the pastors that feed my people, ye have scattered my flocks and thrust them out, and have not visited them; behold I will visit you for the wickedness of your works, saith the Lord, and I will gather the remnant of my sheep out of all countries, whither I had driven them, and will bring them again to their fold, and they shall grow and increase, and I will set up shepherds over them to feed them, and they shall dread no more,' &c. So here the Lord is the gatherer of his sheep unto his fold, which the false shepherds have scattered and thrust them out of, whom the Lord will visit; mark ye this, ye papists, priests, &c., of Christendom, that are found in the work of the false, and give over eating the sour grapes, and setting your teeth on edge against God's sheep, that are gathered into his fold.

And the Lord saith, I have seen the foolishness of the prophets of Samaria, that prophesied in Baal, and caused my people to err;' and further the Lord saith, I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem, filthiness and adultery, and walking in lies, they strengthen also the hands of the wicked,' [mark,] that none can return from his wickedness, they are all unto me as Sodom,' says the Lord, those were sad prophets' and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah;' sad people, sad professors. So measure yourselves ye priests and shepherds, and people now a-days with these, and try whether ye be in their steps or not? therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets, I will feed them with wormwood, and will make them drink the water of gall, for from the prophets of Jerusalem, (which was the highest place of worship,) is wickedness gone forth into all the land:' now this is the food the Lord will feed them withal. So mark, this is to be your food, who are found in their steps and practice, you priests in Christendom.

Again, thus saith the Lord God of hosts, hear not the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you, and teach you vanity, and speak the vision of their own hearts, and not from the mouth of the Lord;' and here it is clear we are not to hear such as do not speak out from the mouth of the Lord which is God's command; and is it not said, that none VOL. V.-3

hath any thing from the mouth of the Lord now a-days, and there is no hearing of his voice?

Moreover the Lord saith, 'I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran, I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesy, but if they had stood in my counsel, and had declared my words to the people, then they would have turned them from their evil way, and the wickedness of their inventions.'

And now here you may see what is the cause that people are not turned from their evil ways, and from their wicked inventions, because the prophets run and God never sent them, and speak, and he never spoke to them, and stand not in the council of God. Now might not those false prophets say, we have the words of the Lord which Moses and the prophets spoke,' as you now say ye have the words that Christ and the apostles spoke, yet not from the mouth of the Lord? so would not the true prophets have reproved you, who are found in the false prophets' practice?

I have heard saith the Lord, what the prophets said that prophesy lies in my name, saying I have dreamt a dream :' mark, still they go in God's name, and use his name, as all the false doth that God never sent nor spoke unto.

But saith the Lord, how long do the prophets delight to prophesy lies, even prophesying of the deceit of their own hearts; think they to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams, which they tell every man to his neighbour as their forefathers have forgotten my name?' so it is but the deceit of their own hearts, and a dream, if it be not from the mouth of the Lord, though they may run and tell it in the name of the Lord; but the prophet that hath a dream, let him tell his dream, and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully; what is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord? is not my word even like a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the stone? and therefore saith the Lord, behold I will come against the prophets that steal my word, every one from his neighbour;' [mark,] that steal God's words, and therefore consider all you prophets and teachers, that do not speak from the mouth of the Lord, do not you steal God's words from your neighbour? will not the Lord come against you? for do not you all steal his words that have not the word from the Lord's mouth? then are not you all chaff?behold saith the Lord, I will come against the prophets which have sweet tongues, and say, he saith it,' (to wit, the Lord,) oh! is not this deceit ? and are not many found in this practice? try yourselves though your tongues be never so sweet, and let not means of lucre blind your eyes.

And behold, saith the Lord, I will come against the prophets that prophesy false dreams, and to tell them, and cause the people to err by

their lies, and by their flatteries, and I sent them not, saith the Lord, nor commanded them; therefore they bring no profit to this people, saith the Lord.' And therefore, it is clear those that God commands not, nor sends, bring not profit to the people then, nor now; but they feed the people up with flatteries and with lies, therefore examine yourselves, and your fruits; for the wickedness of these false prophets, and priests and pastors, and such as followed and held them up, I will bring saith the Lord upon them an everlasting reproach and perpetual shame that shall never be forgotten,' as may be seen throughout Jer. xxiii. and do you think, that ye that are found in their practises, that these things are forgotten of the Lord, and that he will not visit you for the same? and though the Lord sent unto them his prophets and servants rising up early, but they would not hear, nor incline their ears to obey, but inclined their ears after those false prophets, priests and pastors; is it not so now? Jer. xxv. examine yourselves by the scripture.

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Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes, that Jeremiah is worthy to die, and he told them, if they put him to death they would bring innocent blood upon themselves, and upon their city, and upon the inhabitants thereof; for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears;' and this stopped them from putting him to death, as you may see in Jer. xxvi.

And some of the elders said, that Micah prophesied in the days of Hezekiah, and told him that Zion should be ploughed up like a field, and Jerusalem should be as a heap, and the mountains of the house should be as the high place of the forest, but Hezekiah did not put him to death; and Uriah, he prophesied against the city of Jerusalem, he prophesied to king Joachim, and to all his men of power, and princes, and the king sought to slay him, but Uriah heard it, and went into Egypt, but the king sent for him from thence, and slew him; but the hand of Ahikam was with Jeremiah that they should not give him to the people to put him to death; and have not many of the priests imprisoned, and sought the life of many of God's prophets now a-days, that have declared against you the like things?

And Hananiah a false prophet, which took the yoke off Jeremiah's neck, and prophesied lies unto the people, then Jeremiah made him yokes of iron, and Jeremiah said to Hananiah, hear now the words. that the Lord hath sent unto thee, thou makest these people to trust in a lie, therefore, thus saith the Lord, I will cast thee off from the earth, this year thou shalt die, because thou hast spoken rebelliously against the Lord: so Hananiah, the false prophet died the same year, in the seventh month. Jer. xxviii.

Again, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, let not your prophets and your soothsayers that be amongst you deceive you, neither give ear to your dreams which ye dream; for they prophesy to you a

lie in my name; I have not sent them saith the Lord.' So their ears are to be unto the Lord, and not to the dreams of their false prophets, nor their own.

And you may see what became of Shemaiah the false prophet, who prophesied unto the captivity, and sent letters in the name of the Lord to them in Babel; thus saith the Lord [of Shemaiah,] 'because he had prophesied unto you and I sent him not, he hath caused you to trust in a lie, therefore, thus saith the Lord, I will visit Shemaiah and his seed, he shall not have a man to dwell amongst his people, neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people saith the Lord, because he hath spoken rebelliously against me, saith the Lord.' Therefore, see ye priests in Christendom, how dangerous it is to speak lying words in the name of the Lord, and say, thus saith the Lord, when the Lord never spoke unto them; and go about to make him the father of their lies; but such you may see the end of, which were reproved by the true prophet, Jer. xxix. and such shall not enjoy the good of the land, though they may haul and pluck from people for a time. And in Jer. xxxvii. 15. where the princes were angry with Jeremiah, and smote him, and laid him in prison in the house of Jonathan, and put him in the dungeon: and in the 28th verse, they desired that Jeremiah might be put to death; for he weakens the hands of the people, then said Zedekiah, the king, 'behold, he is in your hands; for the king can deny you nothing, then took they Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Melachia, and they let him down with cords into the dungeon, and there was no water but mire; so Jeremiah stuck fast in the mire, and Ebedmelech, the blackmoor, told the king that they had done evil in casting Jeremiah the prophet into the dungeon, and he dieth for hunger; and so here the blackmoor had more mercy upon him than his own countrymen, the professing priests and Jews, and the king bid the black-moor take thirty men with him, and take up Jeremiah before he died, and so he took old rags and clouts, and bid Jeremiah put them under his armholes between the cords, and so they drew Jeremiah out, as in Jer. xxxviii. and Jeremiah remained in prison till the children of Israel went into captivity to Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar's chief steward took Jeremiah in and said unto him, 'that he loosed him this day from his chain that was on his hands, and if it please thee to come with me unto Babel, come and I will look well unto thee, but if not, tarry still, behold all 'the land is before thee, whether it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.'

So here is seen the moderation of this heathen to the Lord's prophet, and the fulfilling of the Lord's prophets' sayings upon all the false priests and prophets; for he was bound in a chain to have gone to Babylon amongst the rest, till he understood who he was; and this chief steward of Nebuchadnezzar did say unto Jeremiah, the Lord thy God hath

pronounced this plague against this place, and now the Lord hath brought it to pass, and done it according as he hath said, because you have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.'

Now here you may see, here this heathen could see the fulfilling of this word of the Lord upon the rebellious professing Jews and Jerusalem, for sinning against the Lord, and not obeying his voice; and see how this heathen could believe in the Lord, and speak of the Lord, which had not the scriptures, which was Nebuchadnezzar's chief steward, as in Jer. xl. And have not many of the Lord's prophets found more moderation and civility amongst the heathen, than from the outside professing christians?

And in Lament. ii. 14. where he speaks of the flattering prophets, and saith, Thy prophets have looked out vain and foolish things for thee, and they have not discovered thine iniquity to turn away thy captivity, but have looked out for thee false prophecies and causes of banishment.' And so instead of discovering to people their iniquity, which is the cause of captivity and banishment from the Lord, you teach people to plead for their body of sin, and death, and iniquity to the grave, when all is buried together, then for ten or twenty shillings give them a funeral

sermon.

And in Lam. 4. 13. For sins of her prophets, and the iniquity of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, they have wandered as blind men in the streets, and they are polluted with blood.' See how Jeremiah laments over these poor people, to whom the false priests and prophets were the cause of so much misery; and was it not because of those false priests, scribes and pharisees that destruction came upon the Jews and Jerusalem in the days of Christ, who would neither own him themselves, nor suffer others; and is it not the same cause that brings misery upon all Christendom now, even the sins and iniquities of the priests and people?

And in Jer. xii. there you may see how the false priests were like to foxes that worried and destroyed the sheep and lambs; son of man prophesy against the prophets of Israel, that prophesy out of their own. hearts,' so it was not from the Lord, thus saith the Lord God, woe unto the foolish prophets that follow their own spirits, and have seen nothing, Oh Israel, thy prophets are like unto foxes in the waste places; ye have not risen up in the gaps, neither made up the hedges of the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.' So is not this the mark now of all the false prophets that follow their own spirits and see nothing, who say, they have not the same spirit as the prophets and apostles had? Is not this your confession both in old and new England, and other places? and how can you make up the hedge, or stand in the