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<DATE>2014-10-06</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140721.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>A REQUEST TO THE JUSTICES Not to Make Convictions Without Hearing the Accu&s;ers and the Accu&s;ed Face to Face in Matters about RELIGION: According to the Law of God (and the Roman Laws,) in many SCRIPTURES cited both out of the OLD and NEW TESTAMENT.</HEAD>
<P>WE do intreat the <HI>Iu&s;tices of Peace</HI> not take any Witne&s;s or Information from <HI>Informers</HI> again&s;t us, to convict us behind our backs, until you hear us together Face to Face: And we do be|lieve that would ea&s;e you of a great deal of Trouble in your Courts and Se&s;&s;ions: for in &s;ome places the
<PB N="2" REF="2"> Ju&s;tices have &s;een many of the Informers have &s;worn Fal&s;ly a|gain&s;t us, to have been at a M<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">eting, when &s;ome of us the &s;ame time have been in the Cou<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">try, and other<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ave not been at a Meeti<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">g that day, as in &s;everal places have be<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">n pr<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ved in open Court; and the In<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ormers have been ca&s;t: &s;o that if we and our Accu&s;ers were bro<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ght face to face before a Ju&s;tice of Peace be|fore Conviction many of our Cau&s;es would there end, and never trouble your Courts nor us further. And therefore we intreat you to Read the&s;e Scriptures following&punc; and yo<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> may &s;ee what the Law of God and the Roman Laws &s;ay in behalf of our Ca&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Nicodemus</HI> &s;aith, (who was a Ruler of the <HI>Jews</HI>) when Chri&s;t was accu&s;ed by the Officers of the <HI>Jews,</HI> and Chief Prie&s;ts and Phari&s;ees, <HI>Doth our Law judge a<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">y Man before it heareth him, and knoweth what he doth?</HI> John 7.45.51. And was not the <HI>Jews Law,</HI> the <HI>Law of God?</HI> which <HI>Nicodemus</HI> calls <HI>Our Law.</HI></P>
<P>And the Lord &s;aid to <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> the Chi<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">f Magi&s;trate, <HI>Both the Men between whom the Controver&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">is, &s;hall &s;tand before the Judge,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>And the Judge &s;hall make diligent &s;earch; and if the Witne&s;s be a fal&s;e Witne&s;s, and have te&s;tified fal&s;ly again&s;t his Brother; then &s;hall <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">e do unto the fal&s;e Witne&s;s, as he thought to have done again&s;t his Brother,</HI> Deut. 19.15, 16.</P>
<P>And <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>A Fal&s;e Witne&s;s &s;hall not be unpuni&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">d; and he that tells Lies &s;hall not e&s;cape,</HI> Prov. 9.5, 9. And <HI>Solomon</HI> heard the two Women concerning the dead and the living Child, Face to Face, 1 <HI>Kings</HI> 3.16.</P>
<P>And again, it is &s;aid, <HI>For all man<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">er of Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>which a<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">other challengeth to be his; the Ca&s;e of both Partys &s;hall come before the Judge.</HI> [Mark, Both Partys] Exod. 22.9. And was not this the Law of God from Mount <HI>Sinai?</HI> that &s;aith, <HI>Both Partys &s;hall come before the Judge,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>And the Lord &s;aid, <HI>The</HI> Jews <HI>were to have one manner of Law, as well for the Stranger, as for one of their own Country,</HI> i. the <HI>Jews,</HI> Lev. 24.22. So here was no hearing of any Ca&s;e or Tre&s;pa&s;s to make any Conviction before the Judge, but Face to Face.</P>
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<P>And when the Officers brought Chri&s;t Je&s;us before <HI>Caiaphas</HI> the High-Prie&s;t, where the Scribes and Elders were a&s;&s;embled; <HI>The Chief Prie&s;ts and Elders, and all the Co<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">n&s;el &s;ought Fal&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;es again&s;t Je&s;us, to put him to Death, but found none; at la&s;t came two Fal&s;e Witn<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;es,</HI> and &s;aid, <HI>This Fellow &s;aid, I am able to de&s;troy the Temple of God, and build it again in three days,</HI> Mat. 26.59, 60, 61. John 18.12. Luke 22.5, 2.</P>
<P>Now here you may &s;ee in the High Prie&s;ts Court, the Fal&s;e Witne&s;&s;es were brought Face to Face again&s;t Je&s;us before the High Prie&s;t.</P>
<P>And after, when they led <HI>Je&s;us</HI> unto <HI>Pilate</HI> the Governour; the Chief Prie&s;ts and Scribes &s;tood up, and vehemently accu&s;ed him; &s;o <HI>Pilate</HI> the <HI>Roman</HI> Governour, heard Chri&s;t, and his Fal&s;e Accu&s;ers and Witne&s;&s;es, namely, the Chief Prie&s;ts and Scribes, Face to Face, before he condemned Chri&s;t, <HI>Luke</HI> 23. from 1. to <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">6.</P>
<P>And the <HI>Roman</HI> Chief Captain of the Ca&s;tle in <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> when <HI>Paul</HI> was accu&s;ed of the <HI>Jews,</HI> commanded the Chief Prie&s;ts which accu&s;ed <HI>Paul,</HI> and their Coun&s;el to appear before <HI>Paul</HI> and him Face to Face, and &s;et <HI>Paul</HI> before them; &s;o this <HI>Roman</HI> Captain, a Soldier, heard <HI>Paul</HI> and his Accu&s;ers Face to Face, in matter of Religion, and not only &s;o, but delivered him out of their envious hands. A brave Act of a <HI>Roman</HI> Souldier, as you may &s;ee i<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Acts</HI> 22.30. and 23.1, 2, 3, 4.</P>
<P>And this Captain &s;ends <HI>Paul</HI> to <HI>Cae&s;area</HI> unto <HI>Faelix</HI> the Go|vernour, and gives a Relation how he heard <HI>Paul</HI> and his Accu|&s;ers Face to Fa<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">e, in matter of Religion: And <HI>Faelix</HI> the Governour &s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">d to <HI>Paul, <HI>I will bear thee when thine Ac|cu&s;ers are al&s;o come.</HI></HI> So we &s;ee that <HI>Faelix</HI> the Governour, did not hear <HI>Paul</HI> till his Accu&s;ers were come Face to Face, <HI>Acts</HI> 23.35. And after five days, <HI>Ananias</HI> the High Prie&s;t d<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;cended with the Elders, and with a certain Orator, called <HI>Tertullus,</HI> and &s;aid to the Governour <HI>Faelix, We have found this
<PB N="4" REF="3"> Man</HI> (namely <HI>Paul) a pe&s;tilent Fellow, and a m<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ver of Sedition a|mong all the Jews throughout the world, and a Ringleader of the S<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ct of the</HI> Nazareens. Here this Governour <HI>Fael<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">x</HI> heard <HI>Paul</HI> and the Chief Prie&s;ts, Fal&s;e Accu&s;ers, and Witne&s;&s;es again&s;t him in matters of Religion, Face to Face. But <HI>Paul</HI> cleared him&s;elf from their Fal&s;e Accu&s;ation before them, <HI>Acts</HI> 24. whole Chap. And when the High Prie&s;ts and Chief of the <HI>Jews,</HI> Informed <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> again&s;t <HI>Paul</HI> at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> behind his back, when <HI>Paul</HI> was at <HI>Cae&s;area</HI> a Pri&s;oner; <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> did not make a Conviction of it behind <HI>Pauls</HI> back, upon the High Prie&s;ts and Chief of the <HI>Jews</HI> Information. But <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> an&s;wered them like a Wi&s;e Man, and &s;aid, <HI>Go down to</HI> Cae&s;area, <HI>which among you are a<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">le, and accu&s;e this Man,</HI> to wit, <HI>Paul.</HI> So they went to <HI>Cae&s;area,</HI> and laid grie|vous Complaints again&s;t <HI>Paul,</HI> which they could not prove.</P>
<P>So here you may &s;ee, <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> did hear <HI>Paul</HI> and his Accu&s;ers, in Matters of Re<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">igion and Wor&s;hip, Face to Face. And <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> &s;aid to King <HI>Agrippa; When I was at</HI> Jeru&s;alem, <HI>the Chief Prie&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> and Elders of the</HI> Jews <HI>Informed me again&s;t</HI> Paul, <HI>and de&s;ired to have Judgment again&s;t him. To whom I an&s;wered, 'Tis not the manner of the</HI> Romans <HI>to deliver a Man to die, before he that is <HI>Accu&s;ed</HI> have his <HI>Accu&s;ers</HI> Face to Face, and have licen&s;e to <HI>An&s;wer</HI> for him|<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="3 letters">f concerning the Crimes laid again&s;t him.</HI> So the&s;e made not Convictions behind back.</P>
<P>And here you may &s;ee, the Chief Prie&s;ts and Elders of the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">ws,</HI> would have acted contrary to their own Law, <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">he Law of God, (for <HI>Nicodemus</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Doth our Law judge a Man before it hear<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> him?</HI>) and contrary to the <HI>Roman</HI> Law, which <HI>doth not judge a Man, before his Accu&s;ers be brought Face to Face, and he to an&s;wer for him&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">lf,</HI> as you may &s;ee <HI>Acts</HI> 25. to the end. And <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> &s;aid to King <HI>Agrippa, That after Examination,</HI> (namely, hearing of both parties Face to Face) <HI>it &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">em'd to him a thing unrea&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">nable to &s;end a Pri&s;oner to</HI> Augu&s;tus Cae&s;ar, <HI>and not withal to &s;ignify the Crimes laid aga<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;t him,</HI> Acts 25.26.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="3">
<P>So if the Law of God in the Old Te&s;tament, and the Roman Law, did hear Men Face to Face, concerning matters of Out|ward things and Religion, (for <HI>Pauls</HI> ca&s;e was a matter of Reli|gion, and in this the <HI>Roman</HI> Captain and the Governours did hear <HI>Paul</HI> and his Accu&s;ers Face to Face, before they made a Con|viction, or &s;ent <HI>Paul</HI> to <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI>) then &s;urely <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> &s;hould not <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ct below the Law of God and the <HI>Roman</HI> Laws, to Convict People behind their backs; &s;o that they cannot hear nor &s;ee their Accu&s;ers Face to Face, till after Conviction,</P>
<P>And likewi&s;e in <HI>Acts</HI> 6.7. The Chief Prie&s;ts heard <HI>Steven</HI> and the Fal&s;e Witne&s;&s;es again&s;t him Face to Face, in matters concerning Religion, before they &s;toned him to Death. But in <HI>Acts</HI> 25.15. The Chief Prie&s;ts and Elders were &s;o envious and mad, that they would have had Judgment of <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> again&s;t <HI>Paul</HI> beh<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">nd his back. But <HI>Fe&s;tus</HI> an&s;wered, <HI>'Tis not the manner of the</HI> Romans, <HI>&amp;c. before he that is accu&s;ed have his Accu&s;ers Face to Face, and licen&s;e to an&s;wer for him&s;elf, concerning the Crimes laid again&s;t him.</HI></P>
<P>And therefore we do intreat you to con&s;ider us in the&s;e things; and let not Convictions be made upon u<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>behind our backs,</HI> by &s;uch as we know not what qualities they be of, nor who they are; but let our Con<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ictions be Face to Face, that we may be heard <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">efore we be Convicted, according to the <HI>L<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">w of God,</HI> and the <HI>Romans Law,</HI> which is but rea&s;on. And it is commonly &s;aid, <HI>That the Laws of the Land, are grounded upon the Law of God, Scrip|ture and Rea&s;on.</HI></P>
<P>In <HI>Gen.</HI> 3.9, to 19. you may &s;ee, after <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eve</HI> had <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ran&s;gre&s;&s;ed the command of God, how the Lord examined them, and heard what they could &s;ay for them&s;elves, before he pa&s;&s;ed Sentence on <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eve,</HI> and upon the <HI>Serpent.</HI> And not only &s;o, but he &s;aid, <HI>The Seed of the Woman &s;hall brui&s;e the Serpents head.</HI> Chri&s;t Je&s;us, who through Death de&s;troyes Death that Man and Woman were bro<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ght into, by eating
<PB N="6" REF="4"> that which God forbad. And likewi&s;e de&s;troyes the Devil, the power of Death: <HI>For as in Adam all dies; even &s;o in Chri&s;t &s;hall all be made alive,</HI> 1 Cor. 15.22.</P>
<P>And in <HI>Gen.</HI> 4 9, to 16. you may &s;ee, the Lord examined <HI>Cain,</HI> and asked him, <HI>Where is</HI> Abel <HI>thy Brother?</HI> after he had killed him, and the Lord &s;aid, <HI>What ha&s;t thou done? The Voice of thy Brothers Blood cryeth unto me from the Ground;</HI> which was a Witne&s;s again&s;t <HI>Cain.</HI> And &s;o here yo<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> may &s;ee the Lord examined <HI>Cain,</HI> before he made a Conviction upon him, and Condemned him. And do you think the Lord could not have <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ondemned <HI>Cain,</HI> and have pa&s;&s;ed Sentence u<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">o<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> him, without asking where his Brother <HI>Abel</HI> was; but to give Example?</P>
<P>And in <HI>Gen.</HI> 6. <HI>God looked upon the Earth, and behold it was Cor|rupted. For all Fle&s;h had corrupted his way upon the Earth.</HI> And the Lord &s;aid, <HI>My Spirit &s;hall not alwa es &s;trive with Man,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>I will de&s;troy Man, whom I have created, from the face of the Earth.</HI> Here the Lord look't upon them, and &s;trove with them, before he de|&s;troyed them.</P>
<P>And in <HI>Gen.</HI> 11. when <HI>Nimrod</HI> and his Company were b<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ild|ing of <HI>Babel,</HI> the Lord God &s;aid, <HI>Behold, the People are one, and they have all one Language, and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be re&s;trained from them, which they imagine to do</HI> And the Lord &s;aid, <HI>Go to, let us <HI>go down,</HI> and <HI>There</HI></HI> [Mark, <HI>There] <HI>con|found their Language, that they may not under&s;tand one anothers Speech.</HI></HI> So the Lord confounded and &s;cattered them over all the Face of the Earth. So here you may &s;ee what the Lord &s;aid, <HI>Let us go down, and there confound their Languages.</HI> So he confo<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">nded them, and &s;cattered them abroad upon the face of all the Earth.</P>
<P>And in <HI>Gen.</HI> 13.13. <HI>The Men of</HI> Sodom <HI>were Wicked and Sin|ners before the Lord exceedingly.</HI> And in <HI>Gen.</HI> 18.20, 21. The Lord &s;aid, <HI>Becau&s;e the cry of the City of</HI> Sodom <HI>is great, and becau&s;e their Sin is grievous, I will <HI>go down, know,</HI> and <HI>&s;ee,</HI> whether they have done altogether according to the Cry of it, which is come unto
<PB N="7" REF="4"> me. If not, <HI>I will know.</HI></HI> Now 'tis &s;aid in the Margin, <HI>God &s;peaketh after the f<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">on of M<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">n.</HI> That is, <HI>I will enter into Judgment with good advice.</HI></P>
<P>Here yo<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> may &s;ee, before the Lord did de&s;troy <HI>Sodom,</HI> he &s;aid, <HI>I will go down a<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">d &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">e, whether they have done altogether according to the Cr<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 chunk">, which is come to me. If not, I will know.</HI> And do you think any th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ng was hid from the Lord, concerning <HI>Sodom</HI> before? But th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> Lord wou<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">d manife&s;t his Righteous and Ju&s;t Proceedings unto the Eyes o<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> Men.</P>
<P>And when <HI>Tamer</HI> was accu&s;ed as being with Child by Whore|dome, <HI>Judah</HI> &s;aid, <HI>Bring her forth, and let her be burned. And when &s;he was brought forth, &s;he Convicted</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">udah <HI>with his Signet, Brace|l<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">t and Staff.</HI> Which made <HI>Judah</HI> confe&s;s, <HI>That</HI> Tamar <HI>was more Rig<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">teous than he.</HI> So 'tis not good to make Convictions, and give Judgment behind Peoples backs, le&s;t they be made to con|fe&s;s as <HI>Judah</HI> did, <HI>They whom they make Convictions or give their Judgments agai<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t behind their backs, are more Righ<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">eous then th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">y who judge them.</HI></P>
<P>But we do think it very hard, that &s;everal <HI>Ju&s;tices of Peace</HI> &s;hould make &s;o many Convictions in &s;ome places behind our backs, without hearing us and our Accu&s;ers and Witne&s;&s;es Face to Face, who if they did hear us Face to Face, we do believe it would ea&s;e the <HI>Se&s;&s;ions</HI> of a great dea<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> of Trouble, and prevent many Fal&s;e Swearers again&s;t us, as hath been proved in &s;ome Courts; which hath put us to a great deal of Trouble and Charges in the Tryal of our Appeals. And when they have been ca&s;t, &amp; proved for&s;worn, we have had little relief again&s;t them as yet: But the <HI>In|formers</HI> have gone on &s;till But if we were but heard before Conviction, it might prevent many <HI>Fal&s;e Oaths,</HI> &amp; the Trouble at your <HI>Se&s;&s;ions,</HI> &amp; a great deal of Charges we are put unto. So we &s;hall leave all tho&s;e things to your weighty Con&s;ideration, and de&s;ire that the Lord may give you Wi&s;dom and Under&s;tanding to hear and judge of our <HI>Suffering Ca&s;e.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>From the People called <HI>Quakers,</HI></SIGNED>
<DATELINE><DATE>fir&s;t Moneth, 1684.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>THE END.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
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