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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<PB REF="1">
<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>THE TESTIMONY Of the Everla&s;ting GOSPEL Witne&s;&s;ed through Sufferings.</HEAD>
<P>_WE the Pri&s;oners of the Lord who are called and cho&s;en to this Work of the Mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pel of Ghri&s;t, and to bear Te&s;timony to the Truth, which freely we have received, and do freely declare; and do covet no mans gold nor &s;ilver, nor meat, nor drink, nor ap|parell, God is our witne&s;&s;e, who&s;e honour and glory we &s;eek, and not our own, but do labour in the Lords work, being chargeable to no man, but this doth the Spirit of God te&s;tifie to us dayly, that in them that receive our Te&s;timony, and in them that per&s;ecute us are we a good &s;avour unto God, both in them that believe, and in them that pe|ri&s;h, and that we may fini&s;h our Te&s;timony and Work of the Mini&s;try committed unto us, we love not our lives unto death, but are reviled per&s;ecuted, and &s;hamefully intreated by this perver&s;e Generation, who have no Law to act any thing again&s;t us by, but their own wils, for the Law of God doth witne&s;&s;e us and our Mini&s;tery to be of God, and for &s;etting up righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in the earth our Mini&s;tery is; and they who do act again&s;t the &s;ervants of the living God, do act again&s;t God, for the Law of God which is perfect, we witne&s;&s;e to be fulfilled in us, who are come to the Mini&s;tration of the Spirit, and through the Law are be|come dead to the Law, and by the Spirit we come to know &s;in, which raigned till the Law came which is perfect, which taxes hold upon e|very tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion; and Chri&s;t we witne&s;&s;e the end of the Law, who came to fini&s;h tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and make an end of &s;ins, and where there
<PB N="2" REF="2">
is no tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion proved, there can be no Law added, and we who &s;uffer here in <HI>Norwich,</HI> there is nothing proved again&s;t us that comes un|der the breach of the Law: For as I was moved of the Lord, I came to <HI>Wymondham,</HI> and in the Meeting hou&s;e, when the Prie&s;t had ended, and all the people &s;ilent, I &s;poke the Word of the Lord to them, in love to their &s;ouls, and for the deliverance of the &s;eed of God out of captivity, and for this I was &s;ent to <HI>Bridwell,</HI> and the next day being called before the Magi&s;trate, but nothing was proved again&s;t me, though he accu&s;ed me of &s;omething which I &s;poke not, nor none did prove it again&s;t me, and he him&s;elf confe&s;&s;ed that he did not hear me &s;peak that he accu&s;ed me of, though he him&s;elf was in the multitude, and heard as the re&s;t did. Then he asked me if I would promi&s;e him not to come in the publick Meeting hou&s;e again in the like manner, and I &s;hould have my Liberty to meet in Town, or where I would: I An&s;wered, if I was moved of the Lord to come thither again, I &s;hould come, and when I did tran&s;gre&s;&s;e or do any wrong, let him add the Law upon me, for there is no Law in the Nation that doth binde any from coming to the Publick meeting hou&s;e, who come in the &s;ame manner as I did, to declare the Word of the Lord freely to the people, then in his will he made a <HI>mittimus,</HI> and &s;ent me to pri&s;on, and the next day by his own warrant di&s;charged me of all that was laid to my charge in the <HI>Mittimus,</HI> and yet I am kept in pri|&s;on nothing ju&s;tly being charged again&s;t me, having &s;uffered impri&s;on|ment above ten weeks, and &s;ince I was committed was called before the Magi&s;trates, and the Maior, and before the Committees who &s;it as Mi|ni&s;ters of the Law, and nothing they could finde worthy of bonds, nor that I had broken the Law, yet did not &s;et me at liberty, but keeps me &s;till in pri&s;on, and I being &s;hut up in a hole among&s;t thieves, and not &s;uffered to have my Liberty Publickly; I am moved of the Lord to de|clare it publickly, that all Rulers, Magi&s;trates and people in the Nation may &s;ee that in &s;tead of the Law, per&s;ecution is acted, where three of the &s;ervants of the Lord is now impri&s;oned in <HI>Norwich,</HI> one becau&s;e he would not Promi&s;e to come in the Steeple-hou&s;e again to declare the Word of the Lord; and another is committed by a <HI>Mittimus,</HI> and the &s;ub&s;tance of that charged again&s;t him in it, is, That he &s;aid, he came to declare the Truth, and another becau&s;e he declared again&s;t him and ungodline&s;&s;e openly in the &s;treets: Oh, be a&s;hamed all the powers of the earth, who have &s;et your &s;elves again&s;t the mighty power of God, who is now coming to di&s;cover you, and lay you naked, who by the Light of God are &s;een, and to the children of Light are made manife&s;t,
<PB N="3" REF="2">
though your deceits hath laid hid and covered long, both Prie&s;ts and Magi&s;trates: but now are ye di&s;covered by the Light, and the Life is come to try you, and now you are found to per&s;ecute the Saints, which you profe&s;&s;ed your &s;elves to be, till you were proved and tryed by the Light, as now you are; Prai&s;es eternall be to the Lord God for ever|more.</P>
<P>Now the&s;e things being acted in the name of the Law, and the pre|&s;ent government, and Lord Protector, and Rulers and heads of the Nation, being ignorant of what tyranny and per&s;ecution is acted pri|vately in their Names; Therefore I am moved of the Lord to declare it Publictly, that the heads and Rulers of the nation may &s;ee and con&s;ider whether any &s;uch tyranny be Protected to be &s;et up in the Nation in|&s;tead of the Law of ju&s;tice; for the innocent doth cry for equity and ju&s;tice in their Courts and Se&s;&s;ions, but in &s;tead thereof tyranny, per&s;e|cution, and cruelty, &s;o having di&s;charged my duty in clearing my con&s;cience to you before the Lord: The &s;in lyes at your doores, who hath a power put into your hands, if you do not improve it in breaking the bondes of wickedne&s;&s;e, and &s;etting the oppre&s;&s;ed free: for the Law of ju&s;tice and equity we own, and have de&s;ired to be tryed by, but are denyed it by tho&s;e called Ju&s;tices of Peace: and here to you and all the world we declare the Truth, and are not afraid of the faces of men, who would devour us, for we have no mans per&s;on in admiration for advantage nor &s;elf ends, but in plainne&s;&s;e and &s;inglene&s;&s;e of heart de|clare the truth, re&s;pecting no mans per&s;on, but do honour all men in the Lord, but not with eye &s;ervice as men plea&s;ers, but in &s;inglene&s;&s;e of heart do we all things as unto the Lord.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>A &s;ervant and a witne&s;&s;e of Je&s;us in the bonds of the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, and a pri&s;oner in Norwich Ca&s;tle, RICHARD HUBBERTHORN.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<DIV2 TYPE="warrant">
<PB N="4" REF="3">
<HEAD>Norwich,</HEAD>
<P>THe&s;e are to require you to to take into your cu&s;tody <HI>James Lan|ca&s;ter</HI> herewith &s;ent, who lately came to this City from <HI>North|&s;eal,</HI> in rhe <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">land of <HI>Walner</HI> in <HI>Lanca&s;hire,</HI> and can &s;hew no law|full cau&s;e for his coming hither, but onely to declare the Truth (as he cals it) and did in the publick market place in this City, gather together a great company of rude and idle people, to the di&s;turbance of the peace of this City, and him &s;afe keep untill he &s;hall be delivered from thence according to the Law, and hereof fail not: <DATE>This 9th of <HI>December,</HI></DATE> to Mr <HI>Edward Hunt</HI> keeper of the common pri&s;on in the &s;aid City.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Thomas Tofte</HI> Maior.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>ANSVVER.</HEAD>
<P>The cau&s;e of my coming I did declare before one of your Ju&s;tices called, and was examined before him; I told him it was to &s;ee a friend in the Ca&s;tle, who was Pri&s;oner there, and after I had been there with him was moved to go where their Mini&s;ter of the Law, called, was &s;it|ting in a hou&s;e neer the Ca&s;tle, who &s;aid little unto me, becau&s;e it was undenyable that a &s;poke, who own Ju&s;tice, and rea&s;oned with the peo|ple in the &s;ame room of the things of God, and &s;o came and was pa&s;&s;ing out of the City a quarter of a mile, the Word of the Lord came to me, Thou mu&s;t go back again, and witne&s;&s;e forth my Name in their Market among the people, and at his command I was obedient, and went and declared forth that was given me to &s;peak among&s;t them, which made the people a&s;toni&s;hed, and many did follow me as you call them, rude, in running to hear the Truth declared forth in the Market, as the A|po&s;tle of Chri&s;t, who rea&s;oned in the Markets dayly, and went from Ci|ty to City, preaching the Go&s;pel of the Kingdom, and were per&s;ecuted from city to city, this is called di&s;turbance now as it was then, and what peace did I break, going on declaring forth the Truth, which none could object again&s;t that heard it, and by your Officers called, as he &s;aid, he might know the ground why I &s;poke &s;o, and &s;hewed him I was commanded of the Lord, and being brought by him before one ju&s;tice called, was examined, and could not find me by his Law a tran&s;gre&s;&s;or, and bade him carry me to the Maior, and he did &s;o, and he did examine me upon the grounds of my faith, and of my outward means, where
<PB N="5" REF="3">
it was, and what quantity it was, and being not a&s;hamed, declared my &s;elf at full to him of both, as it will further appear by an examination before the Rulers of this City, and &s;o by the Maior, as afore&s;aid, am here in their bonds and impri&s;onments doth abide me in obedience to the com|mands of the &s;ame that <HI>Paul</HI> was guided, and &s;o by the &s;ame generation of Rulers as was in tho&s;e dayes am I here a &s;ufferer, and to die, if I be called to it, for a te&s;timony of a good con&s;cience, and in the Market I cleared my con&s;cience in witne&s;&s;ing forth the Truth, Chri&s;t Je&s;us the Light of the world, who hath enlightened every one that comes into the world, and cald people to repentance, and &s;aid the mighty day of the Lord was coming, let all fle&s;h dread and fear before him, and bade them take heed to the Light of Chri&s;t in them, which &s;hewed &s;in and evill in them, loving it theere was their teacher; hating it there was their condemnation; this was the Word of the Lord &s;ent by me, which was no peace to earthly hearts and minds, but a &s;word, as Chri&s;t &s;aith, and this was di&s;turbance of the peace of the City of <HI>Norwich</HI> called, by the Rulers, who now am in their bonds for this declaring, let all judge what peace it is they live in, when the Word of the Lord di&s;turbs them: But to that of God in all con&s;ciences am I &s;ent to &s;peak, which is his own witne&s;&s;e again&s;t tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion in man, and by it man &s;ees his tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and acting contrary to that, there is mans condemnation; but who as loves it, the Light of Chri&s;t in the con|&s;cience, their deeds are brought to it to be tryed, that they may be made manife&s;t, and here is the wicked nature di&s;turbed, and judged in the particular, and they are called di&s;turbers, in whom the Light of Chri&s;t doth guide in the Generall, and to that which doth di&s;turb the wicked nature do we &s;peak, that &s;in and unju&s;t dealing may be confounded, and the &s;oul brought from under it, that God alone may be glorified, to whom honour and glory belongs.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>A Servant of the Lord to exhort people to the light of Christ in them, that they may be turned from their dark wayes they lived in, to &s;erve the living God in Spirit and in truth. JAMES LANCASTER.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE>From <HI>Norwich</HI> <DATE>the 13. of the 10. <HI>month.</HI> 1654</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="part">
<DIV2 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="6" REF="4">
<HEAD>An Epi&s;te written in the bonds of the Go&s;pel, to be publi&s;hed abroad among&s;t the Inha|tants of ENGLAND, Rulers, Magi&s;trates and People.</HEAD>
<P>I A Pri&s;oner of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, doe unto all the world clear my con&s;cience in the pre&s;ence of the Lord, and am free from the bloud of all men, who &s;eek the bloud of the innocent, and by the wickedne&s;&s;e of the deceitful hearts, would in&s;nare the &s;imple, and num|ber them among&s;t tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors, who are not found in any tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, but are &s;et free by the Son, and are heirs of the promi&s;e, according to the will of God, who hath called me out of the world to te&s;tifie again&s;t the world, that their deeds are evill; and for the &s;ame am I hailed be|fore the Judgement &s;eats, again&s;t whom there is no Law, for in the Law of God, which is according to that in every mans con&s;cience, doe I abide, and am free from all bondages, and Lawes without, that are acted in the will of man, and by &s;uch a Law is the innocent per&s;ecuted, and ca&s;t into pri&s;on, to &s;uffer among&s;t the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors, that the Scripture might be fulfilled upon them as Chri&s;t &s;aid, <HI>as they have done unto me, &s;o &s;hall they doe unto you, the Servant is not greater than the Lord,</HI> John 15. 18, 19, 20, 21. and this we are witne&s;&s;es of, and are brought to &s;uffer for his name &s;ake, and am not onely willing to &s;uffer, but to die for the te&s;timony of Je&s;us: Though all the chief Prie&s;ts and Rulers. which are not called by the Law of God, as the Mini&s;ters of God, and of God, were, but doe &s;eek to in&s;nare and bring into bondage that which God hath &s;et at liberty, for it is the &s;ame nature that doth impri&s;on the &s;eed within, which doth impri&s;on and per&s;ecute the Servants of the Lord, in whom the &s;eed is rai&s;ed up without in the Saints: And whereas I am &s;ent to the Goale of <HI>Norwich</HI> by a Mittimus by the hands of the Rulers, I am moved of the Lord to clear my con&s;cience unto all the world, that I am free and not guilty of what they lay to my charge, though by it they &s;eek to per&s;ecute.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="warrant">
<HEAD><HI>The Mittimus:</HI> NORVVICH.</HEAD>
<P>The&s;e are to require you to take into your cu&s;tody the body of <HI>Chri&s;topher Atkin&s;on</HI> herewith &s;ent, who lately came into this city from <HI>Kendall</HI> in <HI>We&s;t|merland,</HI> and can give no account of his livelihood, nor &s;hew any lawfull
<PB N="7" REF="4">
cau&s;e of his coming hither, but onely to declare the Truth, as he calls it.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>THO. TOFTE Mayor.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>ANSVVER.</HEAD>
<P>To the&s;e things, for which I am accu&s;ed, and am impri&s;oned by the Rulers of this City, I am bold to declare the truth, that out of Countries and kinreds hath the Lord redeemed me, and called me forth to declare his name abroad, for which cau&s;e I am apprehended as a Vagrant, though my habitation and being is known in the earth, and for declaring his name abroad who hath thus called me, am I brought before Rulers, and ca&s;t into pri&s;on for te&s;tifying the life and power of that which they them&s;elves profe&s;&s;e in words, who thus impri&s;oneth and per&s;ecuteth the righteous &s;eed of God where it is brought forth. And here let the Ru|lers of <HI>Norwich</HI> be witne&s;&s;es again&s;t them&s;elves, that they are of that generation that put our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t to death, by a law in their own wills, contrary to the will of God: and what would they have &s;aid of Chri&s;t, who had no habitation in the earth, no not &s;o much as to lay his head, if they had been in his dayes; by this Law he might have been per&s;ecuted and impri&s;oned, and him they doe per&s;ecute and impri&s;on, in &s;o much as they doe it unto the lea&s;t of his, they doe it unto him, as it is made manife&s;t; and if they had been in the times of the Apo&s;tles, who&s;e words they doe profe&s;&s;e, would they not have per&s;ecuted them by this law, who &s;aid they had no certain dwelling place, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 11. and the world was not worthy of them, and &s;uch doe they per&s;ecute now as are redeemed from the world, and by it &s;uffer continually.</P>
<P><HI>Cain</HI> was a Vagabond, who &s;lew his brother, and &s;uch as live in anger and envy, &s;uch hath no habitation in God, but &s;uch actions and bea&s;tly nature we deny, and are redeemed from &s;uch things, and our habitation is in God; and here let the Rulers of <HI>Norwich</HI> &s;top their mouthes and be a&s;hamed, who are found per&s;ecutors of the Saints of the mo&s;t high God, without the breach or colour of any law, or any tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion &s;aid ju&s;tly to our charge, who are free born Engli&s;h men, who&s;e Country and habitation we declared, and yet in their Mittimus doth deny it.</P>
<P>And whereas I am accu&s;ed of gathering multitudes of rude people together, it is fal&s;e, as the City of <HI>Norwich</HI> &s;hall te&s;tifie, for I was quietly in a hou&s;e with them that were my friends, and I did not goe forth into their &s;treets, but the rude multitude came in, which they and the Prie&s;ts call Chri&s;tians, and broke the peace, and this the Mayor of the Town
<PB N="8" REF="5">
came in and &s;aw, who &s;aid, there was no revelation now, but of the De|vill, and &s;o denyeth both Chri&s;t and the Scriptures, which &s;aith, No man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will re|veal him; Now let all judge whether he be fit to rule for God, who denyes the Covenant of God, who gave him for a Covenant and a Lea|der to the People, and the Maior coming in to our Meeting, where the rude multitude was, as he cals it, had nothing where of to accu&s;e us, but de&s;ired me in love to come to him the next day, which I did, and by a warrant without any examination, I was &s;ent to pri&s;on for a time, till I was called to examination again, being free from the breach of any Law am I here retained in pri&s;on for witne&s;&s;ing forth a good con&s;cience before God and man, thus to all the world have I cleared my con&s;cience in the pre&s;ence of the Lord, that what I &s;uffer is for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;es &s;ake, without the breach of any Law, and &s;o I remain a &s;ufferer this day for the Te&s;timony of Je&s;us who am a &s;ervant to the Truth, and a Friend of <HI>I&s;raels</HI> Commonwealth.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Who&s;e name in the fle&s;h is <HI>Chri&s;topher Atkin&s;on,</HI> a Pri&s;oner of the Lord in <HI>Norwich.</HI></SIGNED> <DATELINE>From the Gaol of <HI>Norwich</HI> <DATE>13. 10.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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