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<DATE>2007-10-23</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed text and corrected markup.</ITEM>
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<VID>118908</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE
WOFULL CRY
OF
Unju&s;t Per&s;ecutions, and grievous Oppre&s;&s;ions
of the People of God in <HI>England,</HI> through the
Inju&s;tice of &s;ome of her Rulers, and wikedne&s;&s;e
of Teachers and People, who ha&s;ten to fulfil
the mea&s;ure of their forefathers cruelty.
WITH A
LAMENTATION
Over them all who rewards the Lord evill for
good, and is a warning to them all for repen|tance;
&s;hewing that the coming of the Lord is nigh.
AND
This may &s;erve for an An&s;wer in full, to all &s;uch
who have Per&s;ecuted by violence, by Word or Writing
the innocent people in &s;corn called QUAKERS.
WITH
<HI>A SHORT ADDITION,</HI>
Which &s;hewes unto all, the ground of Per|&s;ecution;
in its fir&s;t cau&s;e, and the enmity which
is betwixt the two &s;eeds, is clearly di&s;covered,</P>
<P>By a Friend to the &s;uffering Seed of God, <HI>E. B.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI>
Printed for <HI>Giles Calvert</HI> at the Black Spread-Eagle, near
the We&s;t end of <HI>Pauls.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE
READER.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>READER,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THIS is &s;ent a|broad
into the
World, that all
people may &s;ee
what is brought
forth in this Ge|neration
again&s;t
the Innocent, who &s;uffer cruel
things for well doing, and not for e|vil;
and the words of Chri&s;t are
fullfilled, who &s;aid, <HI>As they have
done unto me, &s;o will they doe
unto you: And the time comes,
that who&s;oever kills you he
<PB REF="3">
will think that he doth God
good &s;ervice.</HI> And this is now
come to pa&s;&s;e, according as he hath
&s;aid, to our rejoycing, and to the
&s;orrow of all our enemies. And as
any is moved herein, this is to be gi|ven
to the hands of the Per&s;ecu|ters
and of them who have done e|vil
again&s;t the Lords people, as a
gift unto them from</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>a friend, Who is at pre&s;ent a &s;ufferer un|der
Bonds for the te&s;timony of
Je&s;us Chri&s;t, through the wick|edne&s;&s;e
of men (but mo&s;t e&s;peci|ally
by the &s;uppo&s;ed Mini&s;ter
of this Town) </SIGNED>
<DATELINE>in <HI>King&s;tone</HI> up|on
<HI>Thames.</HI>
<DATE>The 7 Month,
1657.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="discourse">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>The Wofull Cry of unjust Per&s;ecutions and
grievous Oppre&s;&s;ions of the people of God,
in<HI> England,</HI> through the Inju&s;tice of &s;ome
of Her Rulers, and wickedne&s;&s;e of Teach|ers
and People, who hasten to fullfill the
mea&s;ure of their fore-fathers cruelty.</HEAD>
<P>_OF a truth the Lord is ari&s;en, and he hath
cau&s;ed the light of his countenance to
&s;hine forth upon his people, his day is
dawned, and the brightne&s;&s;e of his glory
is &s;hining forth as the &s;un at noon day,
his everla&s;ting arme is &s;tretched forth to
lead out of captivity his own cho&s;en, the
days of perfect freedome is approaching, he that brings
health, peace &amp; liberty to all Nations is come &amp; coming, who
will re&s;tore the breaches, and &s;ubdue all things under him|&s;elf,
that he may reign for ever and ever, who alone is wor|thy
(for he hath all power in his hand, and he brings to pa&s;&s;e
what&s;oever he will, that all men and Nations may fear be|fore
him, and tremble at his dreadfull pre&s;ence, who hath
power in his hand) to change Times and Lawes, Orders, De|crees
and Governments, the hearts of all men he can turn
what way he li&s;teth, and he pulleth down one and &s;etteth up
<PB N="2" REF="4">
another, and what&s;oever is in his heart to do, his power can
bring it to pa&s;&s;e: who would not fear before him and reve|rence
his Name? Who would not be afraid to offend him?
who giveth unto man breath and takes it away in a moment;
all Nations are as the drop of a bucket before his eternal eye,
he dwells in the high and holy place, and his habitation is
high above the world; he inhabits eternity forevermore, and
yet abideth, and walketh, and dwelleth with the children of
men, that fear his Name and tremble at his Word; he hath
been as a &s;tranger, as one not known, for men have been &s;e|perated
from him by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and have been ignorant
of his wayes; he hath been as one hidden for many ages,
and hath been wor&s;hipped ignorantly, and hath winked in
the time of ignorance, but now he calleth all to repentance e|very
where: Ble&s;&s;ed are they that wait upon him, that they
may know him and their &s;ouls may live, and now the purpo&s;e
of his heart is to bring in his &s;cattered people into the fold of
peace, where Chri&s;t Je&s;us is the &s;hepherd, and his people
&s;hall dwell in &s;afety, and &s;hall be a free people, to wor&s;hip
him in the Spirit and in the Truth, and every yoake of bon|dage
&s;hall be broken, and the oppre&s;&s;ed &s;hall be &s;et free, and
Chri&s;t &s;hall reign, and his Government above &s;hall be e|&s;tabli&s;hed
over all the world, mans honour &s;hall be laid in
the du&s;t, and the pride of all fle&s;h &s;hall be &s;tained and the
glory thereof &s;hall wither as a flower, the loftine&s;&s;e of all
fle&s;h &s;hall be laid low, and the Lord alone &s;hall be exalted,
and his people, which now are oppre&s;&s;ed, &s;hall repleni&s;h and
fill the earth: All corrupt men and Rulers their &s;trength
and might &s;hall utterly fail them, and men that fear God
and love righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hall take their place, and all things
&s;hall be changed, and the world &s;hall be turned up-&s;ide
down.</P>
<P>But becau&s;e of this is all the world troubled, and the Hea|then
is on a rage, and the people do imagine vain things, and
men of high degree and low degree, and of all &s;orts, have &s;et
them&s;elves again&s;t the Lord, that they might &s;top the pur|po&s;e
of the mo&s;t high, and their hearts within them burn be|cau&s;e
<PB N="3" REF="4">
of envy, and the Devil hath &s;tirred up all &s;orts of peo|ple
to work for him, and to uphold his kingdom and h<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">s
power, he is come down in great rage, knowing that his
time is but &s;hort, and hath filled the hearts of all his &s;ervants
with de&s;pite and ravening envy again&s;t the &s;eed of God.</P>
<P>The heads of the people, they have con&s;pired together
again&s;t the Lord, and again&s;t his truth; and have decreed
unrighteous decrees, that they might prevent the purpo&s;e of
the mo&s;t High. Many of the Rulers and Judges, as mem|bers
of the bea&s;tly power, rather than of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, hath
unju&s;tly judged and fal&s;ly impri&s;oned and trodden under
foot the meek and upright, who fear the Lord and walk in
his way, even &s;uch who have come from under the &s;ubjecti|on
of the wor&s;hip and power of the Bea&s;t, which all the
world had wondered after, hath the Bea&s;t rai&s;ed his force a|gain&s;t.
How many hundreds in this Nation have been im|pri&s;oned
fal&s;ly, and &s;uffered grievous abu&s;es unju&s;tly for
righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake, and not for evil doing, as a te&s;timony
again&s;t this generation of Judges and people, and for a te|&s;timony
that they are of God, who have in patience born
the &s;ufferings, and the cruelties of the wicked, many have
&s;uffered the lo&s;&s;e of liberty and riches, and &s;ome the lo&s;&s;e of
life, for the exerci&s;e of a pure con&s;cience towards God, and
for the Kingdom of Je&s;us, many have &s;uffered under the po|wer
of wicked men, for declaring again&s;t &s;in and iniquity,
in Townes, Steeple-hou&s;es, or high wayes, and for crying a|gain&s;t
pride, and vanity, and idolatry, and coveteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,
and the wickedne&s;&s;e of Rulers, Prie&s;ts, and People, who&s;e
deceits and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions hath abounded in this generation,
and others have deeply &s;uffered grievous cruelties, becau&s;e
they could not &s;wear &amp; re&s;pect per&s;ons with hat or knee and
&s;o were witne&s;&s;es for the Lord and his Kingdome, which
&s;tands in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and again&s;t the power and kingdom
of the Bea&s;t; which &s;tands in iniquity, in fainedne&s;&s;e and
flattering titles, and di&s;obedience to the Son of God, and
many hundreds are wofull unju&s;t and oppre&s;&s;ed &s;ufferers at
this day, by fal&s;e impri&s;onment and &s;poiling of goods, be|cau&s;e
<PB N="4" REF="5">
they cannot pay Tithes, that abominable and crying
oppre&s;&s;ion, by which the Bea&s;t chiefly maintains his fal&s;e
Prophets, and becau&s;e the unchangable Prie&s;thood is witne&s;|ed,
and the changable denied, and Chri&s;t the light of the
World followed, therefore is this &s;uffering laid upon the
ju&s;t, and many are &s;ufferers under hard tasks, becau&s;e they
cannot maintain the Idol temples, and Idol wor&s;hips, and
Idol Prie&s;ts, which the power of Antichri&s;t upholds again&s;t
the power of the Son of God, and again&s;t the new Cove|nant
of life, where God in &s;pirit and in truth is wor&s;hipped
without re&s;pect of places, dayes, or men, or things; and the
true wor&s;hippers, they wor&s;hip God in the &s;pirit and in the
truth, and cannot be &s;ubject to dayes, places, or things, ap|pointed
and ordained by the power of men and fal&s;e pro|phets;
and how many unju&s;t fines and fal&s;e inditements have
been mo&s;t illegally charged upon the innocent, in many
Courts and Judicatories through this Nation, and all in the
defence of the kingdom of the man of &s;in; le&s;t his authority
&s;hould be abated, and the authority of Chri&s;t Je&s;us exalted;
many cruelties have been done, and inju&s;tice acted both by
Rulers and People, again&s;t &s;uch which no evil could ju&s;tly be
charged again&s;t, nor yet the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of any ju&s;t law,
by any one of them; O! horrid grievances and cruel oppre&s;|&s;ions
hath been brought forth in this Nation, by &s;uch who
&s;hould have ea&s;ed the oppre&s;&s;ed, and &s;et at liberty the cap|tives,
&s;uch who &s;hould have judged ju&s;tly the cau&s;e of the
poor, and heard the call of the oppre&s;&s;ed, have turned judg|ment
backward from the poor, and equity have found no
place to enter, but truth hath fallen in the &s;treets, and ju&s;tice
and mercy have peri&s;hed from among men, and the poor
hath been oppre&s;&s;ed, and they that have departed from ini|quity
have been made a prey to the mouthes of devouring
Lions, for &s;ome of the Judges have been as ravening Wolves,
and as greedy devouring Foxes, the Lambs of Chri&s;t have
been cha&s;ed by the wicked, and his power for their life; O
how have the oppre&s;&s;ed groaned in this Nation, under fal&s;e
judgment? to ages and generations for ever, may it be recor|ded
<PB N="5" REF="5">
for a witne&s;&s;e again&s;t this generation of cruel hearted
men, whom the bea&s;t and fal&s;e prophet hath rai&s;ed in his de|fence,
and again&s;t the Kingdom of Chri&s;t Je&s;us and them
that follow him, how full have the mo&s;t part of the pri&s;ons
in all this land been with guiltle&s;&s;e &s;ufferers under cruel bon|dage,
with unju&s;t dealings and fal&s;e judgments, have gone
forth from &s;ome of your mouthes, you that have been &s;et to
judge over the people, who &s;hould have been a terror to the
wicked, but have rather &s;trengthened the hands of evil doers,
and been a terror to righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;o much as is po&s;&s;ible,
the great whore which &s;its upon the bea&s;t, hath made your
Rulers drunk and &s;tagger with envy and hatred and per&s;ecu|tion,
and works of wickedne&s;&s;e again&s;t the upright; Wo is
me for you, what have you brought forth? even iniquity by
Decrees, and inju&s;tice by Ordinances, and fal&s;e judgment by
Lawes; alas, alas, your de&s;truction cometh as an armed
man upon you. Was ever the like heard, or any pre&s;ident
in any generation before you, for impri&s;oning ju&s;t men, for
declaring again&s;t &s;in and the abominations of the times, as
you have done many, and for impri&s;oning men becau&s;e they
cannot put off their hat to you and re&s;pect your per&s;ons,
and &s;o tran&s;gre&s;&s;e the law of God, and becau&s;e they cannot
&s;wear, and &s;o break Chri&s;ts command? For this you have
impri&s;oned many, and cau&s;ed them to &s;uffer becau&s;e of this,
may not you fear and tremble before the Lord God, and
your faces gather blackne&s;&s;e at this, when you con&s;ider it?
Did ever any that were &s;et to judge in the earth among men
&s;o abu&s;e their power, and &s;ubvert it &s;o, quite to another end
than wherefore it was committed to them? May not &s;hame
cover you all, to commit men to pri&s;on for the exerci&s;e of
pure con&s;cience towards God, becau&s;e they cannot &s;wear,
or re&s;pect mens per&s;ons, or maintain Idol-&s;hepherds, and
Idol-temples and wor&s;hips, which is abomination to the
Lord; and for taking peaceable men out of peaceable meet|ings,
and out of their travel on the High-wayes, and fir&s;t
whipping them, and &s;ending them to pri&s;on, the example of
this which you have done, never went before in any age and
<PB N="6" REF="6">
therefore have you exceeded in oppre&s;&s;ion, in inju&s;tice, in
cruelty and fal&s;e judgment; all your fore-fathers the Pope
nor Bi&s;hops, hardly ever brought forth &s;uch things; but the
Lord will reckon with you, and plead the cau&s;e of the op|pre&s;&s;ed
again&s;t all you oppre&s;&s;ors; yea, and will give unto
you a recompence of reward according to your works; ye
that have exalted your &s;elves again&s;t the innocent, &s;hall be
brought down to the du&s;t of mi&s;ery, and the Saints &s;hall
reign and rejoyce over you, when the Kingdom of Chri&s;t
Je&s;us the Lamb &s;hall be &s;et up over you all, and your bea&s;t|ly
power da&s;hed to pieces as a Potters ve&s;&s;el, when he whom
you have per&s;ecuted and his followers &s;hall rule with a rod
of iron, and break you a&s;under; and this &s;hall &s;hurely come
to pa&s;&s;e, therefore con&s;ider it, ye that thus deal in your an|ger
again&s;t the Lord and his cho&s;en, for the Lamb &s;hall get
the victory over the Bea&s;t, and over you all that &s;eek to de|fend
him, and that &s;trive under his power; for they that are
with the Lamb are Called, and Faithful, and Cho&s;en: O!
therefore be awakened, be awakened, ye heads, and Judges,
and Rulers of the people, remember and repent, the Lords
hand is &s;tretched forth again&s;t all oppre&s;&s;ion and oppre&s;&s;ors,
and his wrath is kindled again&s;t the wicked ones, and his po|wer
to overthrow his dominon which long hath reigned in
the Nations, and now though he &s;eeks to defend him&s;elf a|gain&s;t
the Lamb and his followers by inju&s;t dealing, yet the
out-&s;tretched arme of the Lord &s;hall bring deliverance to his
cho&s;en, who hath been made havock upon, in their liberties
and in their e&s;tates; &s;ome cruelly &s;uffering in pri&s;on, and o|thers
by &s;poiling of their goods, and none of the&s;e for evil
doing, but upon fal&s;e &s;u&s;pitions, and envious jelou&s;ies, and
&s;ecret &s;urmi&s;ings, without any ground of occa&s;ion given;
but by wickedne&s;&s;e have many of you &s;ought occa&s;ion to
make offenders, by laying &s;nares for the feet of the harm|le&s;&s;e
and innocent; you have made men offenders for a
word, and perverted innocent words and actions, that you
might make to your &s;elf a ground to per&s;ecute, and have
&s;ought a cloake to cover your cruelty in the &s;ight of men,
<PB N="7" REF="6">
but naked and bare are your hearts made manife&s;t in the
&s;ight of the lord, who hath looked down from heaven, and
con&s;idered the&s;e things, and hath regarded the unju&s;t &s;uf|ferings
of his people who&s;e liberties, and e&s;tates, and good
names have been &s;poiled through inju&s;tice, by grievous bur|thens
laid upon &s;ome, becau&s;e they could not pay Tythes
(that hainous oppre&s;&s;ion) to &s;atisfie the unmercifullne&s;&s;e of
cruel men, and many &s;uffers at this day, unju&s;tly in the &s;ight
of God, and illegally al&s;o in the &s;ight of men; and &s;ome
&s;uffer the &s;poiling of their goods, rather by way of robery
and theft, than by ju&s;t execution of judgment in proceeding
of ju&s;t law; this can largely be witne&s;&s;ed, and this is brought
forth by &s;ub&s;ervant Officers to you that are &s;et to judge, and
you to them are evil examples, and &s;trengtheners of their
malitious hands, &s;ome of them are not a&s;hamed to take &s;ix|times
the value of what is unju&s;tly claimed for the u&s;e of a
fal&s;e teacher and deceitful hireling who rides upon the bea&s;t,
and make you their &s;ervants to oppre&s;&s;e the poor, to uphold
them and maintain them in their pride and vanities, but the
Lord hath con&s;idered the&s;e things, and he hath numbred the
oppre&s;&s;ions again&s;t you, wherewith the ju&s;t have been grie|ved
and oppre&s;&s;ed under you, he hath counted this cruelty
and recorded all your unju&s;t dealing, which you have (or
&s;uffered to be) brought forth, yea the day of account ha&s;ters
and the tearm draws near upon you, wherein the ju&s;t and
righteous Judge of heaven and earth will call you to account
who will plead the cau&s;e of the poor, and of the unju&s;t &s;uf|ferer,
and oppre&s;&s;ed, again&s;t you all, who are oppre&s;&s;ors the
innocent pro&s;ecute again&s;t you, and the begging of the poor
is heard, which calls for vengeance upon you. In the Re|cord
of ju&s;tice, what account will you give to the Highe&s;t|power,
who rules over heaven and earth, for impri&s;oning
ju&s;t men for crying again&s;t &s;in, and declaring again&s;t the
wickedne&s;&s;e of this age; this &s;hall be proved again&s;t you in
the day of the Lord; Is your an&s;wer ready, or will not
your mouthes be &s;topped and you &s;peechle&s;&s;e, when righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e
it &s;elf pleads again&s;t you? And what can you plead
<PB N="8" REF="7">
for fining men, and impri&s;oning them, for not re&s;pecting
your per&s;ons, and bowing with hat and knee, and becau&s;e
they could not &s;wear; this hath &s;ome of you done; will
you have any thing to &s;ay in the cau&s;e of the&s;e things, when
Chri&s;t Je&s;us comes to reign and his Saints with him, unto
whom the government and the authority, and rule &s;hall be
given: though now they are per&s;ecuted, and as the refu&s;e
of men accounted by you, unto whom they are become
a prey, to act your oppre&s;&s;ion and cruelty upon; and be|cau&s;e
they render not evil for evil, therefore is the impuden|cie
of &s;ome men the more encrea&s;ed, and their hardne&s;&s;e of
heart enlarged; and becau&s;e judgment is not &s;peedily exe|cuted,
therefore are the hearts of &s;ome men &s;et in them to
do evil. O! what a &s;ad reckoning in that day, and what
large indictments and verdicts for your oppre&s;&s;ion, will be
read again&s;t you, and proved to be ju&s;t in the &s;ight of God
and men; a &s;ad thing will it be upon you, when laid to
your charge by the Lord, for cau&s;ing men to &s;uffer becau&s;e
they could not &s;wear, nor re&s;pect per&s;ons, nor uphold the
deceits of fal&s;e wor&s;hips and teachers, nor cea&s;e to cry a|ga<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">n&s;t
&s;in, in your Townes and Steeple-hou&s;es. O! be &s;tir|red
up out of your &s;ecurity, you Heads, and Rulers, and
Judges, and Officers, even all you be awakened who have
turned your &s;word again&s;t the peaceable, and been a terror
to righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e as much as you could, which you ought
not to have been, and &s;o your power you have abu&s;ed, and
&s;ubverted it to another end than wherefore it was commit|ted
to you: in&s;tead of defending the upright you have of|fended
him, and in&s;tead of being a terror to the wicked, his
hand hath been &s;trengthened through your wicked pre&s;i|dents;
this is the truth, as the light in all your con&s;ciences
&s;hall witne&s;&s;e in the day of the Lord; O! how hath ju&s;tice
and true judgment been neglected, and oppre&s;&s;ion and cru|elty
abounded, the like in generations pa&s;t hath not been
know<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ words"> the Lord is now ari&s;en, and hath &s;aid, I will ea&s;e
<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ words"> enemies, and take vengeance upon my adver&s;aries,
<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ words"> done wickedly again&s;t him and his people, till the
<PB N="9" REF="7">
patience of the Lord is near an end, and his longe &s;uffering
fini&s;hed, and his judgments will he make known upon his e|nemies
in this generation, that ages to come forever may be
warned not to oppre&s;&s;e the innocent, as the&s;e have done by
fal&s;e accu&s;ations, and unju&s;t judgment, and wicked proceed|ings,
and becau&s;e of it, the wrath of the Lord is kindled, and
his viols of indignation &s;hall be poured upon the bea&s;t, and
upon the fal&s;e Prophet, and all their power &s;hall be &s;mitten
in one day.</P>
<P>And O what wickedne&s;&s;e hath abounded in the people al|&s;o,
to help up the mea&s;ure of the Rulers &s;ins, that may re|ceive
the recompence together; how have the people of
all &s;orts abu&s;ed the innocent lambs of Chri&s;t, whom he hath
called? What beatings, and &s;tonings, and brui&s;ings, and o|ther
abu&s;es, in Townes, and High-waies, and Steeple-hou|&s;es,
its hard to be expre&s;&s;ed and large to be declared: &s;ome
have been wounded night unto death, others brui&s;ed till
blood have gu&s;hed out, and others ca&s;t down in the dirt and
punched with feet and troden upon, and many have been in
danger of their lives, &s;ome have been knocked down with
&s;taves and thir cloaths rent, and their hair torne off their
heads, and &s;ome have been pur&s;ued after with throwing
&s;tones and dirt at them, and many halled, and tumulted, and
lugged, and hurried up and down in cruel manner, to the
danger of life and oppre&s;&s;ion of the creature, and others
have been whipped, and la&s;hed, and put into cruel torment
of their bodies, by engins framed of purpo&s;e to torment the
bodies of the harmle&s;&s;e, as <HI>Che&s;ter</HI> and <HI>Carlile</HI> may witne&s;&s;e,
and others have been halled before rulers, and fal&s;ly &s;lan|dered
to the taking away of life if the Lord had not preven|ted,
more than mercy of men, and having been unmercifully
and unju&s;tly &s;ent to pri&s;on, there have they &s;uffered cruel|ties
from the Goalers or their &s;ervants, by beatings, or pun|ni&s;hings,
or threatnings, or cruel words, and ca&s;ting into
dungeons, and great abu&s;es &s;hamefully acted upon them,
and other pri&s;oners have made a prey upon them, by t<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">king
away their cloaths and meat, and beating of them, and a|bu&s;ing
<PB N="10" REF="8">
them divers waies, and murtherers have had more
priviledge of freedom in pri&s;ons and in tryals, than the&s;e
who are innocent, and the&s;e things thus acted contrary to
their own law, hath pa&s;&s;ed without reproofe from many in
Authority, though it have been brought to their door, and
in this manner have the children of God, the Lamb and his
followers been per&s;ecuted without cau&s;e, or any evil works
brought forth by them, and legally proved again&s;t them;
but for well doing, and not for evil, hath the wicked vented
their malice again&s;t them, that the more the Bea&s;t and his
power hath fullfilled wickedne&s;&s;e, the &s;ooner may be his de|&s;truction.</P>
<P>And O what &s;corning, and reviling, and lying, and &s;lan|dering,
and evil &s;peeches, with mockings, and cruel words of
envy, and tearms of cruelty again&s;t the innocent, hath this
generation brought forth in this day, wherein the dragon
with his Angells hath joyned battel again&s;t the Prince of
righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and they that follow him, and whole Gog
and Magog is gathered together, to compa&s;&s;e the Camp of
the Saints about, and to fight again&s;t the beloved City, the
Judges and Rulers, with their train of &s;ub&s;ervant officers, as
Bayliffs, Clarks, Goalers, Con&s;tables, with all that to tho&s;e
belonged, have with a high hand per&s;ecuted and laid oppre&s;|&s;ions
by hard-heartedne&s;&s;e, upon the backs of the poor and
di&s;tre&s;&s;ed, and the &s;corners, and liers, and prophane wretch|es
have bent their tongue again&s;t the ju&s;t, in uttering lies,
&s;landers, reproaches, back-biting, nick-namings, and fal&s;e|accu&s;ing,
and all manner of evil &s;peehes, and fal&s;e reproach|es,
and the ju&s;t have been burthened by all this; and thus
they that have been departed from iniquity have been a
prey to Rulers to act their inju&s;tice upon, and to the peo|ple
to utter their &s;landers, and to do cruelty again&s;t; and
the teeth of evil doers have been &s;et on edge, to bite and de|voure,
and to &s;atisfie their maliciou&s;ne&s;&s;e upon the &s;uffer|ings
of the upright people, and from the Judge upon his
throne, to the begger upon the high-way; all have had their
hand dipped in this cau&s;e of cruel and unju&s;t per&s;ecution, and
<PB N="11" REF="8">
the Lord hath con&s;idered and harkened from his holy habi|tation,
and numbered up the &s;umme of all your iniquities
that he may repay and recompence upon your heads, wo
unto you unju&s;t Judges, and corrupt men, who have abu&s;ed
your power. And wo unto all that do oppre&s;&s;e by hard
dealing, who have offended the ju&s;t, and defended the unju&s;t:
Wo unto all you &s;corners, liers, back biters, and reproach|full
tongues; the Lord is coming to take an account. Your
&s;ins cry for vengeance again&s;t you, and though your hands
and tongues have been &s;trengthened to &s;peak and act un|godline&s;&s;e,
by the evil example of your rulers, yet your own
iniquity &s;hall you bear in the day of the Lord, and though
your rulers and judges have been &s;trengthened in their un|ju&s;tne&s;&s;e
and mercile&s;&s;ene&s;&s;e, by the fal&s;e lying teachers and
diviners of fal&s;e vi&s;ions, which have &s;een vanity, yet their
own iniquity &s;hall they bear, &amp; every man &s;hall die for his
own &s;in; Wo unto your teachers they have eaten up the
&s;in of rulers and people, and covered iniquity and tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion,
by flattering and lying words; they have daubed
with untempered morter, and healed up the wound deceit|fully,
and cryed peace, peace, to the wicked, that have walk|ed
in the imaginations of their own hearts, when unto &s;uch
the Lord never &s;pake peace.</P>
<P>And now whereas the Rulers and people have &s;tretched
forth their hands to vex the Lords people, and have through
unju&s;t judgment, and grievous oppre&s;&s;ions, and unmercifull
dealings, troden the innocent under foot, and made them
a prey to their mouth, and divers waies have per&s;ecuted in
cruel manner the followers of the Lamb; yet al&s;o have the
wi&s;e men of this world, even the Prie&s;ts and Teachers, who
have led the people, and have cau&s;ed them to erre, and have
&s;et them&s;elves as in battle array again&s;t the Lord and his way
and people; How have you hardened your hearts and made
your forehead as bra&s;&s;e, again&s;t the Word of the Lord, and
you have been as the fountain of all this wickedne&s;&s;e acted
again&s;t the ju&s;t, and &s;trengtheners of the hands of ungodly
men; the Heads and Ruler, you have &s;trengthened in their
<PB N="12" REF="9">
cruelty, of fal&s;e judgments by your arguments of &s;trife;
in &s;ubtiltly you have been as nur&s;ers of all this per&s;e|cution
and wickedne&s;&s;e, and have interceded for
oppre&s;&s;ion, to cau&s;e the ju&s;t to groan, whom the Lord hath
rai&s;ed to te&s;tifie again&s;t you; the judges they have given re|gard
unto you, and the people they have taken you for ex|amples,
who have been cur&s;ed pre&s;idents to the Rulers and
people, who have followed your cruel &s;teps of malice and
envy; and from the head to the tail, they have drunk in
your poi&s;onus doctrines; and made them&s;elves drunk there|with,
and out of rea&s;on, in their furious zeal of madne&s;&s;e,
and all have taken council together to &s;lay the harmle&s;&s;e
from off the face of the earth; &s;ome by fal&s;e judgment and
oppre&s;&s;ion, and others by cruel abu&s;ings, as beatings, and
&s;tonings, unheard of, or unequalized in generations of late.
O ye Prie&s;ts, and Teachers, and wi&s;e men, and Scribes! how
many of you in this Nation joyned hand in hand to betray
the innocent, by your fal&s;e doctrines and lying divinations,
and have filled (and &s;ought to do &s;o) the mind of the peo|ple
with &s;landers and fal&s;e reproaches, and lying imaginati|ons,
and many conceptions and jealou&s;ies again&s;t the people
of God; many of you have made it your &s;tudy work, to
bring forth evil by cunning arguments, to &s;ugge&s;t into the
hearts of people, that they might not enter the kingdom,
and even &s;o have you been &s;hutters of the kingdom of hea|ven
again&s;t men, and would not enter your &s;elves, nor &s;uffer
others that would.</P>
<P>Wo unto you, you have taken away the key of know|ledge
and lo&s;t it, and multitudes of fal&s;e a&s;per&s;ions, and ly|ing
a&s;&s;ertions have you brought forth without fear, by wick|ed
con&s;equence and lying productions, that you might take
away the key of knowledge thereby, and hide it from men,
and lay &s;tumbling blocks of iniquity before the people, to
&s;top the way of the upright, and you have travelled to &s;eek
occa&s;ions of evil again&s;t the ju&s;t, and watched for the halt|ing
of the innocent, that you might glory and rejoyce in
their fall, and without any occa&s;ion by words or actions, you
<PB N="13" REF="9">
have taken offence, and made offences by evil &s;urmi&s;ings, to
blind the eyes of people, that your Idolatry might not be
di&s;covered, nor the way of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hine forth. O
be a&s;hamed and repent, for to account mu&s;t you Come, and
the &s;in of Rulers and people, whom you have blindly led,
will be charged again&s;t you, who have given them wicked
examples, of cruelty in your pulpits, you have &s;pent time in
rayling, and &s;landering, and lying, to infu&s;e evil into the
minds of men, again&s;t the truth, and many books have you
given forth and &s;ent abroad from your lying pens, out of
your vain &s;tudies, of fal&s;e prophe&s;ie, and mens hearts have
been filled with your damnable doctrines of Devils, where|with
the &s;imple have been poy&s;oned, and the innocent be|trayed;
even great numbers of books, and lying &s;croules
have gone through the nation from &s;ome of you filled with
fal&s;e divination, and intents of evil, again&s;t the way
of the Lord and his people, and wor&s;e than Balaam,
and far exceeding him have you been: you have &s;ought en|chantments
to cur&s;e the people whom God hath ble&s;&s;ed
altogether, and &s;ome of you have done it to your evill re|ward
of your evil work; and you have not known that
there is no divination again&s;t the holy &s;eed. O! what will
become of you when he Lord is ari&s;en to plead with you for
the&s;e things, the cruelty and oppre&s;&s;ion of the Rulers &s;hall
be added to your account, and the &s;in of the people which
you have &s;wallowed down, it &s;hall be laid to your charge;
for you have &s;trengthened the hands of evil doers, &s;o that
none could turn from his evil way, but have by you been
hardened therein, and from you prophane&s;&s;e have gone
forth to the ends of the earth. Woe, woe, is approaching,
what account will you render in the day of the Lord? you
will all be &s;peechle&s;&s;e in that day, when the &s;wift witne&s;&s;e
doth ari&s;e; therefore to all you I am moved to write, who
have &s;et your &s;elves to gain-&s;ay the truth, and to write again&s;t
the people of the Lord, whom you call Quakers, who walk
in the truth, and have received the truth from the Lord,
whom you have reproached and &s;landered in &s;ecret, and al|&s;o
<PB N="14" REF="10">
in open print, in the face of the world, and have laid ma|ny
cruel and fal&s;e charges and accu&s;ations again&s;t them, and
to all that hath, or ever &s;hall hereafter bend your tongues
and pens, to utter wickedne&s;&s;e and fal&s;hood by writing or
otherwi&s;e. Repent and cea&s;e your wickedne&s;&s;e, for the
wrath of the Lord is kindled again&s;t you, and take this for
an an&s;wer in full to all your books, and fal&s;e reproaches; we
are of God, and he that is of God heareth us, and the whole
world lyes in wickedne&s;&s;e, and we have the te&s;timony that
we plea&s;e God; and he is our God, and we are his people,
and he hath cho&s;en us, and we have cho&s;en him, and the
name of the Lord is our &s;trength, and his covenant of life is
with us, and among us hath he fullfilled his promi&s;e, and his
&s;pirit is poured forth, and &s;ons and daughters do Prophe&s;ie,
and one king reigns upon mount Sion, and the night to us is
far &s;pent, and the day is dawned, and the darkne&s;&s;e
of the night, which long hath over&s;hadowed the
world, in which no man could work, is from us fled,
and the marvellous light is ri&s;en, and we are them whom
God hath gathered according to his promi&s;e, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 34.
from the mouthes of Idol-&s;hepherds which once made a prey
upon us, and the glory of the Lord is revealed, and the time
is come of Re&s;toration, and of bringing back out of the cap|tivity
of darkne&s;&s;e, where all have laid, with a vail of dark|ne&s;&s;e
&s;pread over all their faces, and we are eye-witne&s;&s;es of
his glory, and it is given us to ta&s;te, and feel, and handle the
Word of Life, which lives for ever, therefore I &s;ay unto you
all, it is a little thing to us and not re&s;pected to be reproach|ed
by you; our life you cannot reach, nor our glory deface,
and you we know to be them who God never &s;ent, but mu&s;t
fullfill your mea&s;ure of wickedne&s;&s;e, till the time of your o|verthrow,
which draws near upon you all, and de&s;pi&s;able
&s;hall you be to all that fear the Lord and love his wayes, for
your nakedne&s;&s;e and &s;hame &s;hall be uncovered and them
that have loved you &s;hall be filled with the indignation of
the Lord again&s;t you, all your writings, and books, and lyes,
and Senders, and fal&s;e reproaches uttered in publick and
<PB N="15" REF="10">
private, &s;hall go into the pit from which they came, and
&s;hall return upon your own heads, and when your vail of
&s;landers and fal&s;e a&s;per&s;ions is taken off, then &s;hall we (as
we are) appear, and till then all your evil brought forth a|gain&s;t
us we bear in patience, and love your revilings rather
than your prai&s;e; wherefore with &s;hame put off your ar|mour,
and lay down your crownes, and &s;top your mouthes
in the du&s;t, and bow and tremble before the ju&s;t God, and
before the lamb, who is ri&s;en to make war again&s;t the bea&s;t
&amp; again&s;t you his fal&s; Prophets, who&s;e generation mu&s;t grow
feeble and become weakne&s;&s;e in this the day of the Lord,
your time is at an end, wherein it was given you to reign, and
to &s;educe and deceive the Nations; and now &s;hall the &s;onne
of God be exalted, and the kingdoms of this World &s;hall be|come
the Kingdomes of Chri&s;t, hear and con&s;ider this, all
ye that exalt your &s;elves again&s;t the Lord and his way, and
are e&s;tabli&s;hed in the throne of unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, under the
bea&s;tly power, if any man hath an ear to hear let him hear,
the light is ri&s;en, and the&s;e things are made manife&s;t, and
with the light of the world, in all men &s;hall they be witne&s;&s;|ed
to be truth, and the &s;tate of things as they are at this day,
and if you can di&s;cerne the times, and the &s;ignes of times,
and the changing of times, here you may read and under|&s;tand,
ble&s;&s;ed are all that have an ear to hear.</P>
<P>TO all ye Heads and Rulers, Judges and Magi&s;trates,
Mayors, Bailiffs, Goalers and Con&s;tables, and all others
what&s;oever, governors Prie&s;ts and people, who have, and do
per&s;ecute the children and &s;ervants of the Lord, the Saints of
the mo&s;t high God, who feareth the name of the Lord, and
walketh in his way, who are not of this world, but redeem|ed
out of it, and are de&s;pi&s;ed among men, as all the genera|tion
of the ju&s;t every where; to all you per&s;ecuters and vi|olent
doers, this is a word from the Lord God: Repent, re|pent,
for evil have you done in his &s;ight, and vext his &s;oul,
and grieved his &s;pirit, and heaped up wrath again&s;t the day of
wrath, and multiplyed your tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions and the mea&s;ure
<PB N="16" REF="11">
of your Iniquities are well nigh filled up; ye have &s;et your
&s;elves again&s;t the Lord, and your hands you have &s;trength|ened
again&s;t his people, you have rejected the day of your
vi&s;itation, and you have not regarded the day of your &s;alva|tion,
you have plainly made it manife&s;t that you are that
generation which killed the ju&s;t, and that you are of the &s;eed
of evil doers, the works that you have brought forth&punc; do
plainly declare that you will not Chri&s;t to reign among&s;t
you, nor his government to rule over you, who have thus
per&s;ecuted the innocent without cau&s;e, by fal&s;e impri&s;on|ments,
and fal&s;e judgments, and hard dealing, and reproach|ings,
and revilings, con&s;ider your waies and what you have
done, &s;earch your hearts, and let it take place in you all,
how have you per&s;ecuted the ju&s;t, how have you &s;tretched
forth your hands and dealt cruelly and violently with the
meek of the earth, how have you troden under foot the poor
and needy, and greatly oppre&s;&s;ed the upright hearted, who
have not rendred evill for evill, but forgiven you and pray|ed
for you, and wi&s;hed well unto you, and born in patience
(without complaining) all your inju&s;tice and cruelty, and
have not &s;ought vengeance again&s;t you, even &s;uch hath God
cho&s;en more than many, and them you have de&s;pi&s;ed and
per&s;ecuted more than any, and laid heavie bonds of oppre&s;|&s;ion
upon them, and doubled their task through your hard|heartedne&s;&s;e,
lea&s;t the &s;eed of God &s;hould grow; grieveous
yoaks have you laid upon it by fal&s;e impri&s;onments, and un|ju&s;t
fines, and illegal proceedings, by beatings, halings, a|bu&s;ings,
reproaches, and revilings, all manner of evil have
been acted and &s;poken again&s;t the generation of the ju&s;t, by
you and under you in your judicatories and juri&s;dictions, in
your Corporations, high-waies, Townes, and Goals, and o|ther
places.</P>
<P>O! what have you? done con&s;ider, and &s;uffered to be
done under you, lay it to heart what havock of the people
of the Lord in their per&s;ons and e&s;tates, and what cruelty
exerci&s;ed upon them through your robellious hearts, with|out
any evil ju&s;tly charged upon them, or breach of any law
<PB N="17" REF="11">
ju&s;tly proved again&s;t them, for well doing and not for evil
have you cau&s;ed them to &s;uffer: For crying again&s;t iniquity,
and reproving &s;in in the gate, and for bearing witne&s;&s;e to
the truth, and again&s;t all unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e which abounds in
this generation; &s;uch have you fal&s;ly judged to be offenders,
and cryed a confederacie again&s;t them, and &s;trengthened the
hands of the wicked, and cau&s;ed the innocent to groan. O!
what will you do in the day of your vi&s;itation, when the
Lord ari&s;eth to plead with you, to whom will you fly for re|fuge,
and to whom will you cry for deliverance? Shall not
the Lords &s;oul be avenged upon you, yea from the lea&s;t of
you to the greate&s;t? You &s;hall feel his hand of judgment,
even all you who have had your fingers dipped in the unju&s;t
&s;ufferings of the dear &s;ervants of the Lord, whom he hath
called to place his name with for ever, who are his faithful
witne&s;&s;es in this perver&s;e generation, and by your per&s;ecut|ing
of them have you proved them to be the people of God,
in the &s;ight of all Nations, and it is for a te&s;timony unto
them, that they are of God, and again&s;t you, that you are
of the Devil; and Chri&s;ts words are fullfilled upon them, to
their rejoycing, and to your &s;orrow, who &s;aid, <HI>The time
comes, that they &s;hall &s;peak all manner of evil fal&s;ly, and per|&s;ecute
you, and think they do God &s;ervice that kills you, and
ca&s;ts you from among them, and the Devil &s;hall ca&s;t &s;ome of you
into pri&s;on.</HI> And the&s;e things you have done, and fullfilled
Chri&s;ts words again&s;t your &s;elves, for a witne&s;&s;e again&s;t you,
and to &s;hew that you are enemies to Chri&s;t and to his king|dom,
and that you will not have him to reign (as I have
&s;aid: Therefore when hee reigneth, hee &s;hall &s;ay, bring
hether tho&s;e mine Enimies and &s;lay) them before
me.</P>
<P>O! what will the ju&s;t Judge of true judgment, the God
of Heaven and Earth render unto you, when he ari&s;eth to
plead the cau&s;e of the poor and needy, and to deliver his
Inheritance from under your oppre&s;&s;ion into perfect free|dom?
What account will you give in that day, when hee
brings &s;wift de&s;truction upon you? And wherewith will
<PB N="18" REF="12">
you an&s;wer him when the &s;ecrets of your hearts are made
manife&s;t, and when the true witne&s;&s;e in you all is awakened,
which will bring to your remembrance all your cruel and
unju&s;t dealing, and all your bitter and hard &s;peeches which in
your envy you have brought forth again&s;t the Lord and a|gain&s;t
his people? What will be done to you his enemies,
when Chri&s;t Je&s;us, whom you have per&s;ecuted, comes to
reign in his Kingdom, and &s;ubdues the kingdoms of this
World, and changeth them into the Kingdoms of the Lord,
and his Chri&s;t, and the Saints which you have oppre&s;&s;ed,
receives the Authority and Dominion? It &s;hall be &s;aid, All
that would not that Chri&s;t &s;hould reign, &s;lay them before
him; when it &s;hall be given to the Saints to bind Kings in
chains and Nobles in fetters of iron, and to execute upon the
heathen all the judgments written; for behold all ye &s;tout
hearted, the Lord cometh with ten thou&s;and of his Saints to
judge the World in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and you &s;hall be con|vinced
of all your ungodly deeds; for the Scriptures mu&s;t
be fullfilled, and as you have done, even &s;o will it be done
unto you, when the &s;uffering of the righteous is fini&s;hed,
and your wickedne&s;&s;e come to an end; when the Lord &s;hall
reign you &s;hall lick the du&s;t off his feet, and all the per&s;ecu|ters
of Chri&s;t &s;hall be trodden down as mire, and the righ|teous
&s;hall rejoyce over them, and the Lord &s;hall mock
when your fear and calamity comes, which come &s;uddenly,
in a day when you expect not, how &s;hall the Lord pardon
you for this? you have &s;inned again&s;t knowledge, and gone
on after warning, and hardened your hearts after reproof,
and the day of your vi&s;itation you have greatly &s;lighted, ye
Rulers have abu&s;ed your power, and ye &s;ubjects have abu|&s;ed
your &s;ubjection, and now con&s;ider what God did in ge|rations
pa&s;t unto the rebellious children, what he did to
<HI>Pharaoh</HI> and all his Ho&s;ts, when his long &s;uffering was fi|ni&s;hed,
how did <HI>Pharaoh</HI> harden his heart, and his cruel
Task ma&s;ters oppre&s;&s;e the righteous, even as you have done,
and they would not let I&s;rael go free to &s;erve the Lord, but
they kept them in bondage; and this way you walk, who
<PB N="19" REF="12">
exerci&s;e cruelty as they did, and laid heavy burthens upon the
innocent grieveous to be born; cruel task-ma&s;ters have you
been over the heritage of the Lord, and in <HI>Pharaohs</HI> exam|ple
of wickedne&s;&s;e have you walked, fullfilling his mea&s;ure
of cruelty, and <HI>Pharaohs</HI> example &s;hall you follow in a cur|&s;ed
end; remember how the loftine&s;&s;e of his heart was bow|ed
down, and how his proud heart was aba&s;ed in the day
that God pleaded with him in his righteous judgments, he
and all his task-ma&s;ters was confounded in a day, and the
bondage of the righteous was broken in a moment, how
was his whole &s;trength of tyranie overturned and turned in|to
weakne&s;&s;e, the righteous were delivered, and he and all
his train overwhelmed in one day, and thus &s;hall it come
to pa&s;&s;e upon you: Therefore con&s;ider this, all ye that full|fill
the mea&s;ure of iniquity, &s;uddenly will the righteous God
be awakened to take vengeance upon you, and the ju&s;t &s;hall
not alwaies groan under your bondage, for he that looketh
from the heaven hath pity upon the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed, for whom
now his arme is &s;tretched out to bring deliverance unto
them, and all their enemies will he confound, who have this
long time ploughed long furrows upon the back of the righ|teous,
the oppre&s;&s;ion, and cruelty, and inju&s;tice, brought
forth in this Nation, it calls for vengeance from Hea|ven.</P>
<P>Alas, alas, woe is me for you, you Heads, and Rulers, and
Judges of <HI>England,</HI> what have you done and &s;uffered to be
done (under you) again&s;t the innocent people of God, who
is as dear to him as the apple of his eye, for they be written
on the palms of his hands, and becau&s;e of the cry of the poor
and the needy will the Lord ari&s;e and plead their cau&s;e. Oh
con&s;ider and let it enter into your hearts, the cruelty and
inju&s;tice that hath been brought forth in this land, and re|member
what God did unto all the per&s;ecuters of old, how
was their &s;trength con&s;umed, and they overturned and de|&s;troyed,
what did he to <HI>Pharaoh</HI> and all his ho&s;t, who per&s;e|cuted
the &s;eed of God, how was he de&s;troyed and the righ|teous
&s;et free; and what was done to <HI>Hammon?</HI> How was
<PB N="20" REF="13">
he ju&s;tly rewarded, who per&s;ecuted the innocent &s;eed of
God? What did God to <HI>Herod</HI> and all his people who per|&s;ecuted
the innocent? and remember what he did unto them
that per&s;ecuted the three children, and them that per&s;ecuted
Daniel, how did they fall into the pit which they had dig|ged
for another, and how were they de&s;troyed, and the in|nocent
delivered, con&s;ider and remember the&s;e things, ye
that &s;uffer the ju&s;t to groan by you.</P>
<P>Search through the records of old, and &s;earch what God
hath done unto all them that lifted up their hand again&s;t
him and his people, and is he not the &s;ame at this day, his
hand is not &s;hortened that it cannot &s;ave his people, and de|&s;troy
his enemies, his ear is not dull of hearing that he &s;hould
not under&s;tand this unju&s;t &s;uffering of his people, though
you live carele&s;&s;ely in plea&s;ure upon earth, while the inno|cent
mournes, yet doth the Lord regard, though you &s;pend
your time in plea&s;ure, and delight your &s;elves in vanities all
the day long, yet the Lord hath taken it to heart, and his
&s;pirit is grieved that his innocent &s;ervants &s;hould lye in holes
and dungeons to be trodden upon, and be accounted as the
off-&s;couring of all things, hardly thought worthy to have a
place on the earth. Oh remember the&s;e things, ye that
are high minded, and con&s;ider what God did to the Bi&s;hops
and their crew of per&s;ecutors in this Nation, your &s;elves are
witne&s;&s;es how the Lord overthrew them, and delivered his
people in a few years time, and as little as you did they think
that they whom they per&s;eceuted, &s;hould &s;o &s;oon come to
have reigned over them, the Lords hand was then again&s;t
oppre&s;&s;ors as it is at this day, do you think the Lord hath
forgotten or that he takes no notice of what is come to
pa&s;&s;e, how &s;hould he forget his people to &s;ave them, or his
enemies, that he &s;hould not recompence them; but know
ye a&s;&s;uredly that the Lord is the &s;ame, and all tho&s;e things
are written in a book, and remembred by him, and he will
judge ju&s;tly and righteou&s;ly in his dreadfull day, Ah let it
enter into your hearts, &s;erve not your &s;elves altogether in the
plea&s;ures of this world, but &s;erve the Lord, and this he re|quires
<PB N="21" REF="13">
of you, let the oppre&s;&s;ed go free, and break every
bond, whereby the innocent doth &s;uffer, and this the Lord
requires at your hands; Oh but I feel great hardne&s;&s;e of
heart, and rather a &s;trengthening of cruel bonds, than a
breaking of them, and you appear rather to be given up to
work wickedne&s;&s;e, and to fullfill the large&s;t mea&s;ure of them
that went before you than otherwi&s;e, unrighteous decrees
are rather e&s;tabli&s;hed than di&s;&s;annulled.</P>
<P>Oh what will be the end of the&s;e things, and what will be
your judgment when the Lord awakens him&s;elf as out of
&s;leep, who hath left you to follow your own &s;pirits to try
you, that it might be known unto all what is in your hearts,
and behold perver&s;ene&s;&s;e lodges in them, and while the Lord
hath looked for ju&s;tice among&s;t you, even the cry of oppre&s;|&s;ion
hath been heard, even a grieveous cry of unju&s;t per&s;ecu|tion
and violence again&s;t the &s;eed of God, and once you
would have been a&s;hamed of tho&s;e things which now you
act without &s;hame, &s;o that which is in your hearts is powred
forth in the &s;ight of the World,</P>
<P>Oh ye Rulers of <HI>England,</HI> the Rulers of the Heathen
&s;hall ri&s;e up in judgment again&s;t you, even they that never
profe&s;&s;ed &s;o much as you have done, they &s;hall be rather ju|&s;tified
than you who&s;e wayes have been more equal than
yours, and le&s;&s;e cruelty brought forth by them than by you,
unto their &s;ubjects, and this makes your &s;in more great, in
that many of you were rai&s;ed from low e&s;tate, and you have
exalted your &s;elves more than is meet, and have cau&s;ed your
very equals to groan under you, by the heavy yoak which
you have prepared for them; well, but the Lord hath li&s;t|ned
and heard, and a book ofremembrance is written, and
he will repay into your <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ words">, the time is not long when
the Lord may &s;catter you and give you unto the will of your
enemies, therefore be awakened and warned, the day of
your vi&s;itation is upon you all.</P>
<P><PB N="22" REF="14">
OH <HI>England</HI> that thou had&s;t known in this thy day, the
things that belong to thy peace.</P>
<P>Oh that thy Rulers and people had known how that the
Lord hath called unto them.</P>
<P>Oh that they had con&s;idered how that his hand hath
been &s;tretched forth all the day long, and he would have
gathered them as a Shepherd doth his flock, but they have
not known, neither have they con&s;idered, and therefore
that which belongs to their peace will the Lord hide from
their eyes, the day of their vi&s;itation is &s;pending apace, and
the night will come, and no man &s;hall be able to work, and
becau&s;e the Lord hath called and you have not heard,
therefore &s;hall you try and the Lord will give no an|&s;wer.</P>
<P>Oh Nation, thou art filled with oppre&s;&s;ion, and gri|veous
iniquities; and from the head to the foot thou bea|re&s;t
marks of great abominations; in thee is found lamen|table
oppre&s;&s;ion of the poor; and great and grieveous ido|latries;
and Gods righteous &s;oul is vexed in thee day by
day, the Ju&s;t groanes and mournes under the heavy hand
of oppre&s;&s;ors, many of thy Goales do witne&s;&s;e it, where
many innocent and upright people have &s;uffered unju&s;tly
the lo&s;&s;e of their freedom, without any ground, or charge of
evil laid upon them.</P>
<P>Oh what have thy Rulers done, Judgment and Ju&s;tice
have they turned backward; the cry of the poor hath
not been regarded, and equity hath not found a place to
enter.</P>
<P>Who would have thought <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1+ words">, who have been &s;o
high in profe&s;&s;ion of the Scrip<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="4+ letters"> &s;hould thus have dealt
with them who are in the life of the Scriptures, this agra|vates;
your &s;inne, in that none hath been like you in
profe&s;&s;ion of Religion, and in pretences of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e;
and yet you have exceeded others in per&s;ecuting (and &s;uf|fering
of it) the &s;ervants of the Lord, but it is now made
<PB N="23" REF="14">
manife&s;t what lodgeth in your hearts; under your faire
covers of promi&s;es, words and &s;hewes, what deep hypocri|&s;ie
is this that you &s;hould profe&s;&s;e liberty of con&s;cience,
and yet have per&s;ecuted hundreds for the exerci&s;e of their
pure Con&s;ciences.</P>
<P>Is not this to be taken notice of, that you &s;hould profe&s;&s;e
that which you do not perform; and will not the Lord
plead with you becau&s;e of it, in his dreadful day, which is
ha&s;tening upon you, as a chief in the night, and the
wicked &s;hall not e&s;cape; do you think that he whom you
per&s;ecute in his members and his members &s;hall &s;ure
reign over you, do not you know that he is &s;ufficient to a|venge
him&s;elf of all his enemies; and do not you believe
that he could command thou&s;ands of thou&s;ands to fight
for him, and to revenge his Cau&s;e? Hath the con&s;iderati|on
of the&s;e things no room in your hearts, or are your
hearts wholy &s;hut up from all compa&s;&s;ion towards the
Lords people? Surely to vengeance will the Lord be a|wakened,
and he will tread you down as mire in the
&s;treets; and as you have done, and &s;uffered to be
done to the Lords people, even &s;o &s;hall it be done unto
you.</P>
<P>THere are only two Seeds in the World, and there
are but two and no more, to wit, the Seed of God,
and the Seed of the Serpent; and the&s;e two are contrary
one to the other, in their bringing forth, in their time,
and in their ends, they differ in their Nature, in their
fruits and works, and in their reward; and the&s;e two are
at continual enmity one again&s;t another, and never was,
is, or &s;hall be reconciled, the life of one is the death of
the other, and where the one doth live, the other doth
dye, and where the one rejoyceth, the other is made &s;or|rowful,
and where the one is in freedom, the other is in
bondage, and where the one is Ruler, the other is a &s;lave
and in captivity, and thus are they contrary, where the
<PB N="24" REF="15">
one brings forth fruit, the other is barren, and the one is
rewarded with the overthrow of the other, and the one of
the&s;e is ruling in every creature man and woman, and
growing and bringing forth fruit from it &s;elfe through the
creature; the fruits of the one is ble&s;&s;ed for ever, and the
fruits of the other is cur&s;ed for ever, and betwixt the&s;e two
there is no concurrence or agreement in any thing what|&s;oever,
they differ in likene&s;&s;e, and their fruits differ in
appearance, the fruit of the one is love, and peace, and
unity; the fruit of the other is hatred, and envy, and trou|ble,
and enmity; the fruit of the &s;eed of God in the crea|ture,
is truth, and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and faith, and pati|ence,
long-&s;uffering, and temperance, and joy, and peace
in the Lord, with all other things which are good, and ju&s;t,
and pure; but the fruits of the &s;eeed of the Serpent are of
another nature, as lying, theft, murther, di&s;&s;imulation,
drunkenne&s;&s;e, and whordomes, hypocri&s;ie and all un|righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,
which is not according to God, but contra|ry
to him; and by the&s;e &s;everal fruits proceeding through
the creature, do we know every creature, and &s;o judge of
him to be the child of God, or the childs of the Devil;
in the election, or in the reprobation, for through whom
the fruits of the &s;eed of God doth &s;pring forth, we know
&s;uch are not of the Devil; and through whom the fruits of
the &s;eed of the Serpent doth &s;pring forth, we know &s;uch
are not of God. And the&s;e two &s;eeeds are now &s;triving
in the earth, the one again&s;t the other, and they in whom
the &s;eed of God rules, are per&s;ecuted by them in whom the
&s;eed of the Serpent rules; for they in whom the &s;eed of
God rules are born of God <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> of his Spirit, and they
in whom the &s;eed of the Serpent rules are born of fle&s;h, and
minds the things of the fle&s;h, which &s;hall not endure for e|ver,
and &s;o every one that is born of the fle&s;h, is of the &s;eed
of the Serpent, or the &s;eed of the Serpent rules in him, and
every one that is born of the &s;eed of God, the &s;eed of God
rules in him, &s;uch are per&s;ecuted for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake, by
<PB N="25" REF="15">
the &s;eed of the Serpent wich is at enmity again&s;t the &s;eed
of God, which cannot fullfill the will of the Serpents &s;eed,
nor be &s;ubject to his lawes, for the &s;eed of God cannot be
&s;ubject to the Serpents &s;eed in any thing, but is &s;ubject to
God, and not to any thing that is contrary to him; but
rather &s;uffers impri&s;onment, and cruelties, and bonds,
under the &s;erpents &s;eed than in the lea&s;t to bow to
it.</P>
<P>So this is the ground of all per&s;ecution and enmity, which
is betwixt the two &s;eeds, which &s;eeks the overthrow each of
other, but who are of the &s;eed of God, knowes that they
are of God, and that the whole world lyes in wickedne&s;&s;e,
under the government of the &s;eed of the Serpent; and
&s;uch where the &s;eed of God is brought forth, hath the te|&s;timony
in them&s;elves that they are of God, and have be|lieved
in the Sonne of God who is the light of the world,
and knowes him to be the foundation and the rock of ages,
and the gates of hell cannot prevail again&s;t him, nor the
enmity of the Serpents &s;eed overcome him, nor they that
are builded on him; and this is a te&s;timony for the &s;eed of
God, and again&s;t the &s;eed of the Serpent in all the World,
that it is per&s;ecuted of the &s;eed of the Serpent, and &s;poken
all manner of evil of by the World, according to the
words of Chri&s;t, which are fullfilled upon us to our rejoyc|ing,
who are of the &s;eed of God, and to the trouble of all
our enemies, who are of the &s;eed of the Serpent. And
otherwi&s;e it cannot be, but that they who are born of the
fle&s;h mu&s;t per&s;ecute them who are born of the &s;pirit; for
becau&s;e of the enmity that is placed between the two &s;eeds,
the one cannot love the other, nor have fellow&s;hip the one
with the other, and which of our fore-fathers the Prophets
and Di&s;ciples of Chri&s;t, which were of the &s;eed of God,
were not per&s;ecuted, hated, and reviled, and reproached
by your fore-fathers who were of the &s;eed of the Serpent,
and they, no more than you, could receive the knowledge
of God and his waies, but ever de&s;pi&s;ed the path thereof,
<PB N="26" REF="16">
and counted the wi&s;dom of God fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e, and &s;tood in
the enmity again&s;t God and his people, and all their wayes,
and they that were of the &s;eed of the &s;erpent ever called
truth error, and the way thereof here&s;ie and blalphe|mie.</P>
<P><HI>Jeremiah, Amos,</HI> and the re&s;t, were called deceivers and
mad men, and &s;educers of the people, and evil was done
unto them, <HI>Jeremiah</HI> was put in the &s;tocks and in the dun|geons,
by the Rulers of that generation, who were of the
&s;eed of the &s;erpent, even the Prophets of God who were
&s;ent of God, and were witne&s;&s;er of his name in truth
and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, were acounted and called deceivers,
and were per&s;ecuted by impri&s;onments, and &s;ome unto death
as you may read in the Scripture, <HI>Jeremiah 20. Amos</HI>
7.</P>
<P>The&s;e with others who were &s;ent of the Lord to bear
te&s;timony of God and again&s;t the Rulers, who executed not
true ju&s;tice and judgment, but were oppre&s;&s;ors of the poor,
who judged for gifts and rewards, and again&s;t the fal&s;e
Prophets and Prie&s;ts that ran and had not been &s;ent, who
u&s;ed thir tongue, and &s;aid the Lord &s;aith, and the Lord
had not &s;poken to them, who prophe&s;ied fal&s;ly, and preach|ed
for hire, and bare rule by their means, and made a prey
upon the people, the&s;e were of the &s;eed of &s;erpent, and
did per&s;ecute them that bore witne&s;&s;e again&s;t them, that
were of the &s;eed of God.</P>
<P>The Word of the Lord was even a reproach unto <HI>Jere|miah</HI>
daily, and they &s;mote him with the tongue, and the
chief governour of the hou&s;e of the Lord, &s;mote him and
put him in the dungeon, and <HI>Amos,</HI> which had been no
Prophet not the &s;on of a Prophet but a herd&s;man, he was
per&s;ecuted by the Prie&s;t of <HI>Bethel,</HI> and was commanded not
to Prophe&s;ie in the Kings Chappel, and <HI>Amaziah</HI> the
Prie&s;t complained to <HI>Jereboam</HI> the King again&s;t <HI>Amos</HI> the
Prophet, and <HI>Ezekiel</HI> the Prophet could not be received of
the people, for &s;aith the Lord, they will not hear thee,
<PB N="27" REF="16">
for they will not hear me, and they were a rebellious hou&s;e,
and impudent, and hardhearted, and would not receive the
Prophets words, and thus it was in the time of the Apo&s;tles
and Chri&s;t Je&s;us, they were per&s;ecuted, and &s;ome of them
put to death for bearing te&s;timony unto the father, whom
they were witne&s;&s;es of and again&s;t the World; what re|proaches,
&s;landers, beatings, buffetings, &s;cornings, tu|mults,
uproars, and all manner of evil did they &s;uffer in
their generation by the &s;eed of the Serpent, from the hands
of the Rulers, and Prie&s;ts, and people; Chri&s;t was accoun|ted
a deceiver, and called a devil, and a bla&s;phemer; and
the Apo&s;tles were called heretiques, deceivers, and pe&s;ti|lent
fellowes, movers of &s;edition, de&s;troyers of the Law&punc;
and turners of the World up&s;ide down, and &s;uch like: All
the&s;e were of the &s;eed of God that were per&s;ecuted, and
the per&s;ecuters were of the &s;eed of the Serpent, which
brought forth violence, and wickedne&s;&s;e, and fal&s;e judge|ment
again&s;t the innocent; and &s;ome were put to death
upon the fal&s;e account of being deceivers and bla&s;phe|mers.</P>
<P>If you &s;earch through the whole Scripture, you may
read how the ju&s;t were per&s;ecuted, even from <HI>Abel</HI> who
was of the &s;eed of God, and all that ever were per&s;ecuted
for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake, were per&s;ecuted upon the account
of being evil doers, and the per&s;ecuters judged them&s;elves
to be righteous.</P>
<P>He was the chief Governor of the hou&s;e of the Lord, that
per&s;ecuted <HI>Jeremiah,</HI> and the people that &s;mote him with
the tongue, &s;aid, They knew the Law &s;hould not peri&s;h
from the Prie&s;t, nor Coun&s;el from the Honourable: and
it was <HI>Amaziah</HI> the Kings Prie&s;t that per&s;ecuted <HI>Amos,</HI>
and it was they that &s;eeemed to be religious that per&s;ecuted
the Prophets, and it was the wi&s;e Scribes and Phari&s;ees, and
the chief Prie&s;ts, that handled the Law, and that offered
Sacrifice, that per&s;ecuted Chri&s;t and the Apo&s;tles.</P>
<P>How zealous were the Jewes in their traditions and ob|&s;ervations,
<PB N="28" REF="17">
in their &s;abboth-keeping, and in the dayes of
their humiliation, in their Temple-wor&s;hip, and in all the
Commandments of God? They were zealous according
to their own thoughts, yet were they of the &s;eed of the
Serpent; and per&s;ecuted the &s;eed of God in blind zeal, upon
fal&s;e judgment, and the per&s;ecutors had a name to be
righteous, and the per&s;ecuted were accounted unrighteous,
and &s;o darkne&s;&s;e was put for light, and light for darkne&s;&s;e,
and them that were well-doers were accounted evil doers,
and them that were evil doers were accounted righte|ous.</P>
<P>And &s;uch was the blindne&s;&s;e of Rulers and people, &s;uch as
prophe&s;ied fal&s;ly, and came in their own name were recei|ved,
for the people loved to have it &s;o when the great a|bomination
was committed, but they that came in the fa|thers
name could not be received, but were per&s;ecuted; the
Prophets, Chri&s;t, nor his Apo&s;tles could not be received
of the World, but were per&s;ecuted in it, and lawes and de|crees
were made again&s;t them, whereby they &s;uffered un|ju&s;tly
upon grounds &s;u&s;pitions and jealou&s;ies, for that way
was called here&s;ie, in which the true God was wor|&s;hiped.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t was called a deceiver, and the wi&s;dom of the
World could not receive the knowledge of the things of
God, and as it was then, &s;o is it now in every particular,
if any man hath an ear to hear he may hear, and a heart
to under&s;tand he may perceive; for now is the &s;eed of God
and the &s;eed of the Serpent at enmity, &s;triving one again&s;t
the other, and the one per&s;ecutes the other in this genera|tion
as ever it was we are per&s;ecuted upon the fal&s;e ac|count
and fal&s;e judgement of being evil doers, and de|ceivers,
and our per&s;ecuters accounts them&s;elves righteous
and zealous for Gods waies, and &s;uch as are fal&s;e Prophets
and deceivers, are accounted true Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, even
them that preach for hire, and &s;eek for their gain from their
Quarter, and through convetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, by feigned words
<PB N="29" REF="17">
makes merchandi&s;e of &s;oules, &s;uch were, and &s;uch are de|ceivers
and were never &s;ent of God, and yet &s;uch in this ge|neration
are accounted Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and &s;uch as are
Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, who walk in the Doctrin of Chri&s;t, as
they have received freely, &s;o do they freely give, and &s;eek
not advantage them&s;elves, but are per&s;ecuted and reviled
for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake, &s;uch are accounted and fal&s;ly judg|ed
deceivers, and &s;o true judgment is turned backward,
good is called evil, and evill good, deceivers are called
Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t are called de|ceivers,
and thus people in this generation erres in judg|ment,
and per&s;ecutes the righteous, who are of the &s;eed of
God.</P>
<P>And it was ever the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t that were per&s;e|cuted,
and never any of them per&s;ecuted any, nor ever any
of the deceivers per&s;ecuted for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake, but
they ever per&s;ecuted the ju&s;t and &s;ought to the Rulers, and
to the Elders of the people for violence to be done unto
them that feared the Lord, and witne&s;&s;ed again&s;t their
wickedne&s;&s;e, it was the Chief Prie&s;ts and them that handled
the law, which cau&s;ed Chri&s;t and the Apo&s;tles to be per&s;e|cuted.</P>
<P><HI>Amaziah</HI> &s;ought to <HI>Jereboam</HI> to have <HI>Amos</HI> per&s;ecuted
and as it was then, &s;o it is now. How doth the Teachers
of this Nation &s;eek to the Magi&s;trates to have the innocent
per&s;ecuted, and yet the&s;e men are zealous for their per|formances
and duties in the &s;et dayes of humiliation and
lectures, and even they think they do God good &s;ervice
in impri&s;oning the innocent, they have great zeal without
knowledge as the Jewes had, and they are &s;trict in their
Sabboth keeping, in their &s;inging and praying, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But
yet is violence done to the ju&s;t and true judgment and ju|&s;tice
neglected, and therefore all that which they perform
to God is abomination in his &s;ight.</P>
<P>Oh what complaining is by the Teachers of this N<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">tion
to the Magi&s;trates? What crying out for defence, &s;hewing
<PB N="30" REF="18">
that they want the &s;piritual armour, and dare not tru&s;t the
Lord? What plotting and contriving again&s;t the &s;eed of
God by the &s;eed of the Serpent, who ever was a per&s;ecutor
and never was per&s;ecuted? What lawes and decrees are
brought forth again&s;t the Lords people, as traps to en&s;nare
their fee, like as it was in the dayes of old, even like unto
<HI>Artaxerxes</HI> the King, who made a Decree and gave com|mandment
that the City of God &s;hould not be builded,
and this was from the information and complaining of <HI>Rhe|hum</HI>
the Chancellor and <HI>Shim&s;hai</HI> the Scribe, who brought
certain accu&s;ations to the King again&s;t the people of God,
and called the holy City, a rebellious and bad City, and
that it was hurtfull unto Kings, and danger to endam|mage
the revenue of Kings.</P>
<P>Here was a con&s;piracie by the Scribes and &s;uch as han|dled
the Law, with the King again&s;t the people of God,
and thus it is now, he that hath an eye to &s;ee may &s;ee; how
many petitions have they put to the Rulers again&s;t the peo|ple
of God? What grieveous and fal&s;e accu&s;ations have
they laid to the charge of the innocent, &s;aying they be
Popi&s;hly affected, and di&s;obedient to Government: &s;o that
the &s;eed of the Serpent ever doth hatch evil again&s;t the
&s;eed of God to de&s;troy it from off the face of the earth, and
it was the wi&s;e, and the learned, and the Rulers, whom the
Devil made u&s;e of to per&s;ecute the righteous: it was &s;uch
as <HI>Rhehum</HI> the Chancellor, and <HI>Shim&s;hai</HI> the Scribe, and
<HI>Pa&s;hur</HI> the chief Governor in the hou&s;e of the Lord, and it
was &s;uch as the chief Prie&s;ts and Elders of the people, and
the wi&s;e men of this world, &s;uch as the&s;e it was that per&s;ecu|ted
the righteous, and &s;o it is now, Orthodox men (&s;o
called) Ju&s;tices of Peace, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> whom the Devil makes u&s;e
of; to per&s;ecute the innocent, again&s;t which no occa&s;ion
can be found but concerning the Law of God, as it was
with <HI>Daniel,</HI> as you may read, <HI>Daniel</HI> 6, and 5, 6. again&s;t
him they could find no occa&s;ion that they might pre&s;ecute
him, but concerning the Law of his God, and it was the
<PB N="31" REF="18">
Pre&s;ident and Princes, and Coun&s;ellors and the Governors
which con&s;ulted together again&s;t <HI>Daniel,</HI> who was the &s;er|vant
of God.</P>
<P>And as it was then, &s;o it is now in this generation, they
can find no occa&s;ion again&s;t us (the people of God) either
by doctrin or conver&s;ation, but onely concerning the law
and wor&s;hip of our God, for there is a law again&s;t the law
of Chri&s;t, and all that will not &s;wear contrary to the law of
Chri&s;t, mu&s;t be counted evil doers and Popi&s;h recu&s;ants, and
puni&s;hed, and this is not for any evil in us, but becau&s;e we
cannot tran&s;gre&s;&s;e the law of our God, and al&s;o another
decree, which takes hold upon them that travell to wor|&s;hip
God on the fir&s;t day of the week, whereby the inno|cent
doth &s;uffer and are like to &s;uffer; and not for evil do|ing
is any occa&s;ion again&s;t us, but becau&s;e we will not &s;tay
from the wor&s;hip of our God, but are made to travel that
we may meet together to wor&s;hip him; with &s;uch other
decree; which &s;heweth unto all men that they &s;eek occa&s;ion
again&s;t us concerning the law of our God, not having oc|ca&s;ion
by doctrine, or conver&s;ation, or any other thing; &s;o
for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake are we per&s;ecuted, and not for evil
doing; &s;ome are per&s;ecuted becau&s;e for con&s;cience &s;ake
they cannot &s;tay at their own hou&s;es but are moved by the
Lord to declare the Name of the Lord abroad in the Nati|on,
many by a decree are taken and puni&s;hed as for vaga|bonds,
and this is an occa&s;ion concerning the law of our
God; and Chri&s;t was per&s;ecuted and put to death by an
unrighteous decree, for they had an (unrighteous) law, as
they &s;aid, aad by it he ought to dye, and unrighteous laws
and decrees were made again&s;t the Apo&s;tles, whereby they
were commanded to depart out of their townes, and to
preach no more in the Name of Je&s;us, and by &s;uch decrees
were the Apo&s;tles per&s;ecuted. So that this may &s;hew un|to
all, that our fore-fathers who were of the &s;eed of God,
&s;ome were per&s;ecuted unto death by unrighteous decrees
and &s;tatutes, and as it was then, &s;o it is now, he that hath
<PB N="32" REF="19">
an eye to &s;ee may &s;ee: the &s;ame as ever was is come to
pa&s;&s;e in the earth, the &s;eed of the Serpent &s;triving again&s;t
the &s;eed of God and per&s;ecuting it where it is brought
forth: by unrighteous decrees, how did the late Bi&s;hops of
<HI>England</HI> per&s;ecute the harmle&s;&s;e? What Lawes and Ordi|nances
were then brought forth, whereby violence was done
again&s;t &s;uch as feared the Lord, and then was the &s;eed of the
Serpent &s;triving again&s;t the &s;eed of God.</P>
<P>And this is given forth to &s;hew unto all the World the
cau&s;e of per&s;ecution in its fir&s;t ground, (to wit) the irre|coverable
enmity which is betwixt the two &s;eeds, the one
continually hating and per&s;ecuting the other, and &s;eeking
the overthrow each of other, and the enmity betwixt the
two &s;eeds, is the cau&s;e of &s;trife, the one being innocent, and
the other unrighteous, &s;o it is not for the per&s;ons &s;ake, or a|ny
other thing that the ju&s;t are per&s;ecuted, but it is becau&s;e
of the &s;eed of God, which cannot bow, nor wor&s;hip the &s;eed
of the Serpent, that is the fir&s;t cau&s;e of per&s;ecution.</P>
<P>Again, all may &s;ee what unrighteous lawes and decrees
were and are brought forth to per&s;ecute the innocent,
whereby they have &s;uffered in all generations for righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e
&s;ake, and not for evil doing; al&s;o it may be &s;een, that
it was the wi&s;e, the learned, the Pre&s;idents and Chancellors
and chief Prie&s;ts, and Scribes, who were and are the very
active per&s;ons by whom the &s;eed of God is per&s;ecuted, and
even &s;uch as were and are zealous in their ob&s;ervances and
Sabboth-keeping, and &s;uch like, it was not the poor nor the
fooli&s;h only, which the Devil made u&s;e of to do his work;
but it was the wi&s;e, and the learned, and the chief in Au|thority,
and &s;uch like, it was &s;uch in whom the &s;eed of the
Serpent ruled, who were the active men again&s;t the &s;ervants
of God.</P>
<P>Al&s;o it was through the evil coun&s;el of &s;uch as were
Teachers and Scribes, and handlers of the law, and it was
through the fal&s;e accu&s;ations of the chief Prie&s;ts unto the
Governors and Elders of the people, and &s;o it is now at this
<PB N="33" REF="19">
day, as I have proved; and al&s;o the righteous was per&s;ecu|ted
upon the fal&s;e judgment of others, and they were fal&s;ly
adjudged to be deceivers, and bla&s;phemers, and evil doers,
and upon this account were they per&s;ecuted and as being
fal&s;ly reputed to be de&s;tructive to Government, and reve|nue
of Kings, and upon &s;uch like, and that they made void
the Law of God, and were movers of &s;edition and upon &s;uch
accounts as the&s;e, was the &s;eed of God per&s;ecuted, as it is at
this day; and all men that read this with moderation may
come to the good under&s;tanding, upon what account and
by what in&s;truments and by what means the &s;eed of the &s;er|pent
hath per&s;ecuted the &s;eed of God, even from <HI>Cain</HI> unto
this day.</P>
<P>And this is to go abroad into this Nation, and into the
World, and it is given forth from the &s;uffering &s;eed of God,
to clear it &s;elf in the &s;ight of all men, that not for evil, but
for good are the&s;e &s;ufferings laid upon it. But behold the
Lord regardeth the cry of the poor and of the unju&s;t &s;uf|ferer,
and he will remember his mercy and his covenant with
his own &s;eed; and when it pa&s;&s;es through the fire, he is
with it, and though it be afflicted it cannot be for&s;aken,
though the Lord hide his face from his people, and &s;uffers
grievous things to be done again&s;t them by the wicked, yet
it is but to try them and to prove them, that they may be
found faithfull to him, and the &s;eed of God &s;hall reign in
the earth, and the &s;eed of the Serpent, and his head &s;hall be
brui&s;ed, and is brui&s;ed already, and it brui&s;eth its heel by
following after with per&s;ecution and cruelty, but the &s;eed of
God &s;hall ari&s;e and is ari&s;en, and prai&s;eth the living God for
evermore.</P>
<P>It plainly appears that the &s;uffering of the people of God
in this Age, is a greater &s;uffering and more unju&s;t, than in
the dayes of Chri&s;t, of the Apo&s;tles, or in any time &s;ince:
Queen <HI>Maries</HI> dayes brought not forth a &s;uffering more
cruel, and in many re&s;pects, as doth appear; Fir&s;t, What
was done to Chri&s;t and the Apo&s;tles, was chiefly done by a
<PB N="34" REF="20">
law, and in a great part by the due execution of a law; and
al&s;o the Martyrs in Queen <HI>Maries</HI> dayes, had more ju&s;t ex|amination,
and a more ju&s;t per&s;ecution in law, than the peo|ple
of God have now, for now it is a matter of con&s;cience
among &s;ome of the Magi&s;trates in <HI>England</HI> to ca&s;t men into
pri&s;on, and confine them, and to cau&s;e their goods to be
&s;poiled, without any law or the due execution of a law;
which is utterly contrary to the Charters of <HI>England,</HI> and
hereby it appears the &s;uffering to be more unju&s;t, becau&s;e
what the per&s;ecuters of old did to the people of God, they
did by a law, and by the due execution of a law, but now
many are cau&s;ed to &s;uffer deeply; whom the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion
of no law, good or bad, can be charged again&s;t; and others
&s;uffer without the due execution of a Law.</P>
<P>Again, herein it doth appear to exceed the &s;uffering of
the Saints in former ages, in that many &s;uffer now cruel
things about trivial fooli&s;h matters, as for not putting off
a Hat or Theeing men; and for denying the fooli&s;h circum|&s;tance
of &s;wearing; and we do not read that the wor&s;t of
Tyrants in the Apo&s;tles dayes, or before or &s;ince, ever cau|&s;ed
any to &s;uffer for &s;uch things as the&s;e, or ever que&s;tioned
any upon any &s;uch &s;mal accounts, for hundreds have &s;uffered
upon &s;u&s;pition, when nothing at all can be charged again&s;t
them, and this is contrary to <HI>Magna-Carta,</HI> and in many
other re&s;pects which might be named; this &s;uffering is grea|ter
than hath been in any age, for many have &s;uffered in this
Common-wealth, which have been faithful, and hazarded all
in time of war for the good of the Common-wealth; and
many of them &s;uffer by them who have been enemies and
in Armes again&s;t the Common-wealth, and herein the &s;uffer|ing
appears more intolerable. But doth the Magi&s;trate think
to come to account for the&s;e things, yea the Lord is ju&s;t,
and his way is righteous; What fle&s;h could but be provo|ked
hereby? But the Saints are changed in nature, and are
to fullfill the Will of the Lord by &s;uffering: the cruelty of
men is become exceeding great again&s;t the Lord and his
people.</P>
<P><PB N="25" REF="20">
Again, hereby the per&s;ecution in this age appears more
to exceed former ages, becau&s;e liberty of con&s;cience in the
exerci&s;e of Religion, was never &s;o much promi&s;ed and pro|fe&s;&s;ed,
as in this Nation at this day; and yet for the exerci&s;e
of a pure con&s;cience many are wofull &s;ufferers, even by
&s;uch who in words profe&s;&s;e liberty of con&s;cience them&s;elves;
and yet per&s;ecutes the exerci&s;e of it in others, even for not
putting off a hat or the like to them; the&s;e with many other
things, may aggravate the hainou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the &s;inne of
per&s;ecution to be great and more unju&s;t than in former
Ages.</P>
<P><HI>Alas how is the &s;word of ju&s;tice turned backward, and the
innocent &s;mitten and per&s;ecuted, and that for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;ake
and not for evil doing.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>THE END.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
