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<HEAD>O <FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>blazon or coat of arms incorporating the Commonwealth Flag (1649-1651)</FIGDESC>
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<HEAD>&leaf; By His Highne&s;s: A PROCLAMATION PROHIBITING The Di&s;turbing of <HI>MINISTERS</HI> and other <HI>CHRISTIANS</HI> in their A&s;&s;emblies and Meetings.</HEAD>
<P>_IT having plea&s;ed the Lord, by the manifold Mercies and Deliverances which he hath wrought in and for the&s;e Nations of late Years, and the Ble&s;sings wherewith he hath ble&s;&s;ed the Endeavors of the Good People thereof, in making them Succe&s;sful again&s;t his and their Enemies, to crown Vs with this, as not the lea&s;t Token of his Favor and Good Will to Vs, That there is a free and uninterrupted Pa&s;&s;age of the Go&s;pel running through the mid&s;t of Vs, and Liberty for all to hold forth and profe&s;s with &s;obriety, their Light and Knowledge therein, according as the Lord in his rich Grace and Wi&s;dom hath di&s;penced to every man, and with the &s;ame Freedom to practice and exerci&s;e the Faith of the Go&s;pel, and to lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godline&s;s and Hone&s;ty, without any Interruption from the Powers God hath &s;et over this Commonwealth, nay with all ju&s;t and due Encouragement thereto, and Protection in &s;o doing by the &s;ame; A Mercy that is the Price of much Blood, and till of late years denyed to this Na|tion, as at this day it continues to be to mo&s;t of the Nations round about Vs, and which all that fear God among&s;t Vs ought duly to con&s;ider and be thankful for in this Day, wherein God hath &s;o graci|ou&s;ly Vi&s;ited and Redeemed his People; His Highne&s;s, as He reckons it a Duty incumbent upon him, and &s;hall take all po&s;sible Care to Pre&s;erve and Continue this Freedom and Liberty to all Per&s;ons in this Commonwealth fearing God, though of differing Iudgements, by protecting them in the &s;ober and quiet exerci&s;e and profe&s;sion of Religion, and the &s;incere wor&s;hip of God, again&s;t all &s;uch who &s;hall; by impo&s;ing upon the Con&s;ciences of their Brethren, or offering violence to their Per&s;ons, or any other way, &s;eek to hinder them therein; So likewi&s;e doth He hold him&s;elf equally obliged to take Care, That, on no pretence what&s;oever, &s;uch freedom given &s;hould be extended by any beyond tho&s;e bounds which the Royal Law of <HI>Love</HI> and <HI>Chri&s;tian Moderation</HI> have &s;et us in our walking one towards another; Or that thereby occa&s;ion &s;hould be taken by any to abu&s;e this Liberty to the di&s;turbance or di&s;quiet of any of their Brethren in the &s;ame free Exerci&s;e of their Faith and Wor&s;hip, which him&s;elf enjoies of his own. And His Highne&s;s cannot but &s;adly lament the woful di&s;temper that is fallen upon the Spirits of many profe&s;sing Religion and the Fear of God in the&s;e dayes, who in&s;tead of a &s;uitable return to the Lord our God for this Liberty, and all our other Mercies, and appearing in an an&s;werable carriage by a Spi|rit of tenderne&s;s and forbearance one towards another, and provoking one another to Love and good Works, are found in a Spirit of bitterne&s;s towards their Brethren, biting and devouring, hateful and hating one another, and while&s;t they pretend the Liberty which Chri&s;t hath purcha&s;ed for his People, do openly and avowedly, by rude and unchri&s;tian Practices, di&s;turb both the Publique and Private meet|ings for preaching the Word, and other Religious Exerci&s;es, and vilifie, oppo&s;e, and interrupt the Pub|lique Preachers in their Mini&s;tery, whereby the Liberty of the Go&s;pel, the profe&s;sion of Religion, and the Name of God, is much di&s;honoured and abu&s;ed, and the Spirits of all good men much grie|ved. His Highne&s;s therefore, having had many informations from divers parts of this Commonwealth of &s;uch Practices by divers men lately ri&s;en up under the names of <HI>Quakers, Ranters,</HI> and others, who do daily both reproach and di&s;turb the A&s;&s;emblies and Congregations of <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> in their Publique and Private Meetings, and interrupt the Preachers in di&s;pen&s;ing the Word, and others in their Wor|&s;hip, contrary to ju&s;t Liberty, and to the di&s;turbance of the Publique Peace, Doth hold him&s;elf obliged by His Tru&s;t to Declare His di&s;like of all &s;uch Practices, as being contrary to the ju&s;t Free|dome and Liberties of the People, which by the Laws and Government of this Commonwealth they ought to be Protected in; And doth hereby &s;trictly Require and Command all Per&s;ons what&s;oever, That they forbear henceforth all &s;uch irregular and di&s;orderly Practices. And if in Contempt hereof, a|ny Per&s;ons &s;hall pre&s;ume to offend as afore&s;aid, We &s;hall e&s;teem them as Di&s;turbers of the Civil Peace, and &s;hall expect, and do require all Officers and Mini&s;ters of Iu&s;tice to proceed again&s;t them accor|dingly.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Given at <HI>White-Hall</HI> <DATE>the 15. day of <HI>February</HI> 1654.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
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<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>Henry Hills</HI> and <HI>John Field,</HI> Pri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">ers to His Highne&s;s, MDCLIV.</P>
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