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<DATE>2007-10-31</DATE>
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<NAME>Jonathan Blaney</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<STC T="W">G2001</STC>
<STC T="T">669.f.22[67]</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99870184</BIBNO>
<VID>163649</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="body of declaration">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>A DECLARATION Of &s;ome of tho&s;e People in or near <HI>London,</HI> called ANABAPTISTS, That own, and beleeve, that Gods love, in the Death of his Son, is extended to all men; and that are in the belief and practice of the doctrine of Chri&s;t, contained in <BIBL><HI>Hebrews</HI> 6. 1, 2.</BIBL></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Humbly pre&s;ented to the High Court of <HI>PARLIAMENT,</HI> and the People of this Common-wealth.</HEAD>
<P>WHereas the people in this Nation called (though fal&s;ly) <HI>ANABAPTISTS,</HI> are repre&s;ented as the onely men cau&s;ing tho&s;e &s;ad, and much to be lamented troubles, that hath lately hapned in the Common-wealth; and as if they were &s;uch, who would indeavour the &s;etting up their own Intere&s;t and Religion, by taking away the Lives, and &s;hedding the Blood of others; yea, and as if they were utter Enemies to Magi&s;tracy: The&s;e, and &s;uch like Calumnies, being by the Tongues of the Malicious, or Ignorant ca&s;t upon them, we think it our duty, being as well as others concerned, to publi&s;h to the world our Innocency therein, though in this we have peace, that in our Con&s;ciences we know, (the mo&s;t high God bearing-us witne&s;&s;e) that in tho&s;e things we are wholly mi&s;-repre&s;ented. And truly, in this we can rejoyce, (we knowing our &s;elves fal&s;ly reported of, and reproached) that we &s;hould be &s;o accounted, con&s;idering that Gods People in no Age did e&s;cape &s;uch foul A&s;per&s;ions: for who was accounted the <HI>troubler of I&s;arel</HI> but <HI>Eli&s;ha?</HI> and who a <HI>Pe&s;tilent Fellow,</HI> and a <HI>mover of Sedition</HI> but <HI>Paul?</HI> We do therefore, in behalfe of our &s;elves, declare, (before the Lord, who, &s;hould we not &s;peake the truth, would be a &s;wift witne&s;&s;e again&s;t us) to Magi&s;trates and People, that all men may have a right under&s;tanding touching us.</P>
<P N="1">I. That we have not, neither do we de&s;ire, or &s;eek the Blood of any; no, not of our greate&s;t Enemies that hate us, and do, or &s;hall de&s;pite|fully u&s;e us: but de&s;ire their good as our own, and believe it our duty to &s;eek it by all lawfull means we can, de&s;iring to be found followers of Chri&s;t, who came not to de&s;troy mens lives, but to &s;ave them, who accordingly laid down his life for his Enemies, and hath commanded us that we love our Enemies, and do good to them that hate us. And although we have been repre&s;ented as men thir&s;ting after blood, and de|&s;igned to cut our neigbours throats; We do hereby declare, that we are &s;o far from &s;uch a wicked thing, and do &s;o much abominate the thoughts thereof, that the Lord, who is our Record, knoweth that it is upon our hearts, as our bounden duty, to a&s;&s;i&s;t and defend the Nation, this City, and our Neighbours as much as in us lie, from &s;uch violence, again&s;t whom&s;oever they are that &s;hall at any time attempt it, if called thereunto by the Magi&s;trates of this Nation.</P>
<P N="2">II. We do declare, that, as for Magi&s;trates, we own them to be Gods Mini&s;ters, and that they bare not the Sword in vain, but have their power given them by the Lord, to the end, they might be a Terrour to them that do Evill, and a Prai&s;e to them that do Well.</P>
<P N="3">III. We Declare, that it's our Duty, enjoyned us by the Lord, to &s;ubmit to them in all things, and to obey every Ordinance of Man for the Lords &s;ake, <HI>viz.</HI> when they &s;hall command things civil and lawful, then in tho&s;e things actively to obey them; and when they &s;hall com|mand us to do things relating to Religion, and contrary to the light of our Con&s;ciences, then (though we cannot actually obey them) we ought (and doubt not, but through the &s;trength of Chri&s;t Je&s;us our Lord, we &s;hall) pa&s;&s;ively obey by &s;ufferings, and that joyfully, when called to it, without re&s;i&s;ting.</P>
<P N="4">IV. We Believe, and Declare, that it's not our bu&s;ine&s;s to meddle with their State Affaires, or the Government of the Common-wealth, un|le&s;&s;e by them duly called thereunto, further, then according to the will of God, to pray that we may live a peaceable life under them, in all god|line&s;&s;e and hone&s;ty.</P>
<P N="5">V. We Declare, that the National Mini&s;ters we di&s;own, as not being the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and their ways and wor&s;hip, as not the true wor&s;hip appointed by Chri&s;t now in the Go&s;pel; and in particular, we declare again&s;t their &s;prinkling Infants, and their cruel, and inhumane forcing of maintenance by Law, or otherwi&s;e from any: yet notwith&s;tanding, we declare, that we do de&s;ire their good, and that they may injoy Common Freedom in the Nation, equall with others.</P>
<P N="6">VI. We believe, and Declare, that all men what&s;oever, ought to have their liberty in point of Con&s;cience; and that no Magi&s;trate hath re|ceived power from Chri&s;t to puni&s;h for, or to compel any to this or that form of Religion.</P>
<P N="7">VII. We do Declare, that we our &s;elves, and all other of what per&s;wa&s;ion &s;oever they are, if found to walk contrary to the Ju&s;t Lawes of the Nation, ought by the Magi&s;trats thereof to be puni&s;hed, according to the demerit of his or their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and not in the lea&s;t to be tollera|ted therein.</P>
<P N="8">VIII. We Believe and Declare, That we ought not; yea, and that it were &s;inful for us to maintaine our Religion by a Carnal Sword, or to a&s;&s;ert any Spirituall cau&s;e or thing thereby.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, We Believe and Declare, that all the kingdoms of the earth, are by right Je&s;us Chri&s;ts, and his Saints; and that <HI>He,</HI> and <HI>They,</HI> &s;hall one day po&s;&s;e&s;s them, which &s;hall be the <HI>Fift,</HI> and <HI>La&s;t MONARCHY</HI> upon Earth; for which time we wait, as pilgrims and &s;trangers: and do again Declare, that in the meane time, it's our duty to obey the Powers that are, (as above &s;aid) and not to a&s;&s;ert his Kingly Power, and Au|thority by any other Sword than the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; and do hereby Declare again&s;t all &s;uch as &s;hall &s;o do, as not owned by us in &s;uch a practi&s;e: So far are we from &s;etting up our &s;elves, or a&s;&s;erting our Religion, by taking away the lives, or &s;hedding the blood of any.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="postscript">
<HEAD>POST-SCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P><HI>PEradventure &s;ome may que&s;tion why we &s;hould publi&s;h this Declaration, &s;eeing there was two publi&s;hed before it; to &s;uch we give the&s;e Rea&s;ons for &s;ati&s;faction.</HI></P>
<P N="1">I. <HI>Becau&s;e that, dated</HI> December <HI>the 12. 1659. we cannot in all things clo&s;e with, Therefore, fora&s;much as</HI> we, <HI>who go under the &s;ame Notion with them of being</HI> ANABAPTISTS, <HI>thought it our duty to manife&s;t our non-con&s;ent with them, in their &s;ewing pillows under the elbowes of the Mini&s;ters of the Nation; and their want of boldne&s;&s;e, to witne&s;&s;e again&s;t their Babyloni&s;h Wor&s;hip; which is al&s;o the rea&s;on why we Declare again&s;t tho&s;e National Mini|&s;ters, more than again&s;t any other.</HI></P>
<P N="2">II. <HI>Secondly, becau&s;e in that Declaration, bearing date</HI> December <HI>29. there is not every thing that was upon our hearts to Declare; yet, this we te&s;tify to all men, That what they do Declare, we own as avery hone&s;t thing, and in nothing di&s;&s;cent from it; but do Judge that they have u&s;ed much plainne&s;&s;e, and manife&s;ted much fidellity to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and do beare the &s;ame te&s;timony again&s;t the fir&s;t, dated the 12. of</HI> December, <HI>as they do.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM>John Griffith</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Gurney</ITEM>
<ITEM>Charles Latham</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Daniel</ITEM>
<ITEM>James Eachell</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Foxwel</ITEM>
<ITEM>Jo&s;hua Palmer</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Williams</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Purver</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Field</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Tomkins</ITEM>
<ITEM>Edward Stevens</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Bull</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Martin</ITEM>
<ITEM>Francis Wilcocks</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Howard</ITEM>
<ITEM>George Cooper</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Hinton</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Knight</ITEM>
<ITEM>Thomas Hull</ITEM>
<ITEM>Richard Groom</ITEM>
<ITEM>Edward Hull</ITEM>
<ITEM>Randal Emerton</ITEM>
<ITEM>Will. Tomlin&s;on</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Tiddman</ITEM>
<ITEM>Mich. Butterfield</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Ridal</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Grace</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>Thomas Milbourn</HI> for <HI>Samuel Cleaver,</HI> near the Stone-Chappel in <HI>Pauls-Church-yard.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
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