you have set up Courts and Proceedings which are not to be found in the Scriptures And your first work is to enquire of the Town-Officers who are your Intelligencers if there be any people within their Parishes that do not go to their parish-Parish-Church and hear Divine Service and if there be any such then they must present their Names and Dwellings into the Court and then your next work is to send a Paritor with a Summons from the Authority of your Court unto such parties so presented and to require them to appear before you and when many have simply appeared according to your Summons you commonly ask them If they go to their parish-Parish-Church and hear Divine Service or something to that purpose And though they give you an Answer according to the Scriptures of Truth you will not be satisfied with it but excect they will conform to what you would have them you proceed to Excommunication and so return it to the Temporal Power to cast them into Prison and if they do not appear to your Summons you also proceed in like manner and so you make the Magistrates your Servants and the Sheriffs your Bailiffs For upon the return of your Excommunication to the Magistrates they direct their Writ to the Sheriffs and the Sheriffs arrest the partie or parties by their Warrant and so cast them into prison and keep them in prison upon your account and here you are the cause of laying heavy burdens upon some mens shoulders for you address your selves to the Magistrates and procure their Writ and they issuing forth their Writ to the Sheriffs in answer to your minds the Sheriffs are thereby forced unto Execution though they well know that such upon whom the Writ is to be Executed do not at all deserve such corporal punishment as Imprisonment for as to People in Corporations they well know one another as being Neighbours together and for Sheriffs of Corporations to be forced to execute a Writ upon their Neighbours which unto them are well known to be honest and well-disposed men and such as are of good report and also serviceable in their places and callings doth not this bring a burden upon their Consciences in so doing and yet being compelled and forced to it they do not see how to avoid it as wanting strength to gainsay it and by that means there are many of them brought to do such things in such cases as are against their own Consciences and thereby draw burdens and trouble upon their Consciences And is not this a heavy state which you plunge People into by your proceedings as to cause them to do that which is against their Conscience and so bring them into trouble of Conscience And there may be a question whether any Law in force do bind the Sheriffs to execute a Writ of that nature in such a manner but that is left to their own examination and finding out And now are these things either like Spiritual Men or Judicious Temporal Men And is this your Church Censure to cast out honest People and cause them to be Imprisoned because they cannot for Conscience sake conform unto you do you not believe your selves that there is good cause to object against your proceedings in such cases by which honest People are so exposed to sufferings for you do not only Excommunicate them and cause them to be cast into Prison but you also judge them unworthy of common dealings and society amongst men And if any have to do with them by way of dealing or come in their company by way of society then they must become lyable unto the same Judgment and Cesure of your Court And so your proceedings tend to destroy common dealings and society among Neighbours which the Law of the Nation taketh care to preserve for the Law hath great regard unto common dealing and trading and would not have any man to be discouraged in it because it is a principal upholder of the Nation by supplying all outward wants from one hand to another And you judge and censure this which the Law of the Nation encourageth and so your proceedings are found to be against the Law of the Nation and consequently destructive to the Nation And are not such proceedings worse than the Jews against the young man whose eyes Christ opened for they did but cast him out and all they had against him for so doing was only because he would not deny him by whom his sight was restored to own their sayings And what have you more against those People called Quakers save only that they dare not deny Christ Jesus to own your practice and yet you proceed further against them than did the Jews against the young man for you cause them to be cast into prison and we do not read that the Jews did so by him so you are found in a worse spirit than were the Jews who only cast the young man out and no more but that will not satisfie you except the body be cast into Prison And was it not the Jews that Crucified the Lord of Life Now if your Church was a true Church and your service Divine then you would seek to gain people by Love and not proceed against them in such a manner But your fruit makes your Church and service manifest what they are who persecute honest harmless people that dare not defile their Consciences with polluted things and may not people go to the Church and hear Divine Service except they go to your Steeple-house and hear your matter And may not people perform Divine Service without they hear what you have to say for Service standeth in performing and not only in hearing for many may hear the true Spirit in its reproof and yet not obey it to become servants to it and such are not in Divine Service though they may hear the Divine Spirit And may not people meet with the Lord and hear his Divine Spirit and perform Divine Service in no other place but where you would appoint them Would you be limiting the Holy One and keeping people in bondage by your limitations for if they cannot conform unto you then you cast them out from you and so cast them into prison And is not your limitation the very ground of this Bondage And is the not-going to your Steeple-house a Fact of so high a nature as to be Excommunicated and cast into prison for refusing If it be then shew the offence against God and his Truth or otherwise you cast people into prison without shewing any cause and that is against the Law of the Nation for no Free-man is to be Imprisoned without cause shewed and the Quakers are Free-men and you Imprison them by your proceedings without shewing cause for the cause must be some offence against God and his Truth and the Offence is to be proved by two or three Witnesses or otherwise it is not an offence of that nature as to come under Excommunication and consequently a Prison And as
as he is chief in outward Government and so in general tearms he includes his Interest and good in theirs and their Interest and Good in his own and do not you proceed to Excommunicate and Imprison such People and do you not make them uncapable of common dealings and society amongst men and do you not make them uncapable of having any benefit by the Law as complainants and do you not judge them unworthy of the Kings Protection and is not this to make a distinction between the King and his People for no common good as to outward things can arise to the sufferers and as the King concerns his own good in the good of his People by a joynt Interest do you not wrong the King by intruding upon his Interest Surely the mind of the King as it is manifest and your proceedings which you practise are at a great distance and much contrary one to the other for you plainly endeavour to blot out that known Truth which he would have imprinted forasmuch as you destroy the common good of his People in which it so nearly concerns his own And now upon what Foundation will you have your building to stand and by what will you uphold your work in which you are so busie for your work is found contrary to the Law of the Nation and contrary to the Spirit of Truth and contrary to the Scriptures of Truth and contrary to Christianity and contrary to Reason and contrary to the Law and the Prophets and contrary to the Doctrine of Christ Jesus and contrary to what is manifest to be the Kings mind and where will you have a Foundation to build your work upon for as it is found contrary to all these weighty things so by their Authority your work in cases of Conscience may well be questioned yea the Law of the Nation may justly question you and the Spirit of Truth may justly question you and the Scriptures of Truth may justly question you and Christianity may justly question you and Reason may justly question you and the Law and the Prophets may justly question you and Christ Jesus may justly question you and the King may justly question you and what can your Foundation be but the love of money which is the root of all evil And these things are opened thus fully and largly that you might see your selves as in a glass others might see you with open face And what sad effects have ensued the execution of temporal Laws which have related to Spiritual things was not such a Law pretended when the Lord of Life was condemned and was not such Laws pretended when the Martyrs suffered and are not such Laws now pretended by which the Innocent and Guiltless are punished and hath not the prosecuting of such Laws been the occasion of destroying the natural Life of many innocent People at this day and doth not this fill your hands with blood and how can you say that you wash your hands in innocency and so approach to God's Altar if your hands be full of Blood And that is the end of your Laws and proceedings in cases of Conscience for such Laws never brought prosperity in their execution but alwayes have been destructive and so brought calamity and misery and it need not be declared what hath hapned by the execution of such Laws both as to years past and the time present for the blood of many declares it and the loss of Estate declares it and the long suffering Bonds and Imprisonment declares it and the sound of this Declaration is higher and louder than Tongue or Pen can declare and will not the Lord make inquisition for these things yea surely he will find out the work of every one and the guilty he will by no means clear therefore love Mercy before you offer Sacrifice for until you love Mercy and live in it all your Sacrifices and Prayers are but as empty shadows and though you may offer and make many of them yet whilst you mingle them with violence and oppression they never reach the Throne of Grace to find acceptation and so the showrs fall not down upon you with a blessing and that makes Briars and Thorns spring out of the ground unto persecution And as for the Quakers you may as easily force the Sun to go backward as force them into your practice and observation or you may as easily restrain the showrs from falling as restrain them from worshipping God in his Spirit for as they fulfil the mind of God by yeelding their obedience and service unto him so they cannot fulfil or satisfie your minds by yeelding their obedience and service unto you and if you were spiritually minded you would never endeavour to force and compel them by the power of temporal Laws but the wrong being greatest to your selves even so they pitty you as well knowing the terror that will come upon you and therefore they labour to perswade you for your own good and do not count them your enemies because they tell you the truth in plainness but be warned to forsake the evil of your doings and live in love and peace as becometh Christians for Christ Jesus must Reign and have the Glory THE END
A General Summons FROM THE AUTHORITY of TRUTH UNTO ALL Ecclesiastical Courts AND OFFICERS Wherein they may see what Truth objecteth against their Practice and Proceedings in Cases of Conscience By WILLIAM SMITH And I will punish the World for their Evil and the Wicked for their Iniquity and I will cause the Arrogancy of the Proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible Isa. 13.11 London Printed in the Year 1668. The Epistle to the READER Reader WHere Knowledge is heaped up concerning Truth and the Truth not obeyed and practised it makes the World like a Wilderness or the height of Babel for all People are out of order that do not obey and practise Truth And by how much their Knowledge is large even so much the more Confusion aboundeth because that Knowledge pusseth up the fleshly mind with false notions and conclusions and whatsoever Worship is set up from such a knowledge it only receiveth Life from the Power of Temporal Laws and all such Worships either live or dye as the Law favours them or is against them and such things are gotten up among the apostatized Christians who are gone from the Spirit and Power of God And so Bishops Pastors Vicars Curates and People do erre and go astray from his wayes like lost Sheep as they confess And what is to be expected in such a Worship where the Spirit and Power of God is wanting And what is to be expected from such Bishops Pastors Vicars and Curats as erre and go astray from his wayes like lost sheep Do not such erre and go astray as walk in their wayes who walk not in the way of God And notwithstanding there is a confession of erring and going astray yet People are driven forward in such wayes by the force of Temporal Laws and so People must either erre and go astray or come under the punishment of such Laws Now let the wise and moderate Reader consider whither such are going as erre and go astray from the way of God are they not going to the Chambers of Death and Destruction And is there any cause why People should be forced by Temporal Laws to walk in that way Oh that it might be seriously layd to heart for such as erre and go astray like lost sheep have more need to forsake their wayes that to compel others to walk with them for Christ hath sheep that hear his voice and follow him and those sheep do not erre and go astray from his wayes but feed in his Pasture and rest under his Shadow and he saves them from the Wolf and Beasts of Prey And all such as confess they erre and go astray from his wayes they must turn unto him and follow him who is the Light of the World and Way to the Father and then they will not erre and go astray like loss Sheep but be gathered into the Fold and into the Pasture and there is neither Bishop Pastor Vicar or Curate that can come into this state but as they come to the Light with which Christ Jesus enlightens them for who be from the Light are in Darkness and that is the cause why they erre and go astray like lost Sheep And can any be true Worshippers of God whilest they erre and go astray from his wayes And is not God worshiped in his own way And yet such as confess they erre from his wayes would force others so worship with them but such are seen in the Light and their end is manifest and many are delivered out of such wayes and gathered into the way of God and so he is known to be a Spirit and worshipped in the Spirit and in the Truth which is his own way for his Spirit doth not lead astray from his wayes and they that have received his Spirit and live in it they live in the Truth and they that be in the Spirit Life and Power the outward Law can neither give Life nor bring Death upon their Worship because it standeth in the Substance which endures for ever So Reader be thou mindful to obey the Light with which Christ Jesus enlightens thee and that will keep thee from going astray like a lost sheep for that which goeth astray is a wanderer from the Light which is the Guide in the way of God and they that erre and go astray are following and worshipping the Beast and false Prophet whose habitation is full of Persecution by which the Saints and houshold of Faith are afflicted But now the Lamb sits in Judgment and the Beast and the â—hore and the False Prophet are judged and their House will fall over their heads and those that sit with them and they will feel the â—urden of their house upon them and there will be none to take the burden of Therefore whoever thou art that readest mind that which giveth Understanding that thou mayest be a follower and worshipper of the Lamb and not of the Beast and the Whore and False Prophet for of 〈◊〉 Truth the Lamb and the Saints must have the Victory W.S. A General Summons from the Authority of TRUTH unto all Ecclesiastical Courts and Officers c. Friends YOU have taken upon you a Work of great concernment but how you are qualified and fitted for it is the thing to be considered for there are several Objections may arise against you and this is not the least Whether you be in such a Spiritual capacity as to judge of Spiritual matters or fully to determine cases of Conscience from a spiritual discerning and understanding for many are unsatisfied concerning the proceedings in such cases and it is not without some ground when your practice and proceedings in such cases are truly examin'd and rightly compared with the practice and proceedings of Christ and his Apostles who had power and authority in the true Spirit to try and judge of all things pertaining to the Conscience and though you pretend the same thing and have given your selves the title of Spiritual Men and your Courts Spiritual Courts and so sit to try and judge of things pertaining to the Conscience yet you are not found upon the true Judgment Seat neither do your proceedings in such cases run in a true Line of Spiritual Men before you So that the precept of the Spirit nor the president of Christ and his Apostles are not your Rule for where did they set up Courts to try and judge in such cases And who did they summon to appear before them and who did they Excommunicate for not Hearing their Service or for not appearing to their Summons or for not Baptizing their Children or for not Receiving the holy Communion or for not Repairing Steeple-houses which you call Churches or for not paying Tythes and who did they Imprison or cause to be cast into Prison when they had Excommunicated them Compare your practice and proceedings with theirs and then see if there be not good cause to Object against your practice and proceedings in such cases For
presentment comes before you whereby you may proceed and that you cannot act in proceedings without some matter for a ground unto which is answered That if you would but as diligently search and examine such things among our selves as you do other things among poor counâ—ry pâ—ople it is believed that you might find mâ—tter sufficient as a ground to set you upon motion and that is the proper place where you are to begin for such things are offences against God and his Truth and the Law very fitly takes notice of them as offences worthy of punishment and the Quakers are not against the punishment of evil-doers And if you would begin in your own house and make it clean then clean people would have some delight to dwell with you for they that are washed and sanctified by the Spirit of the Lord they cannot joyn to any unclean thing therefore observe the Law and its directions as to your selves before you be so busie to execute it upon others But you rather choose to take notice of such things as may increase your gain than of such things as may profit the soul. And because of these things the Land mourneth and is distressed for you have neither precept nor president from Christ and his Apostles for such proceedings neither can such as follow Christ own your practice and proceedings in such cases for it is below a Christians Life and they that be in the Christians Life do suffer by you that profess Christianity out of the Life And is it not below spiritual men to plead Laws and Statutes for their proceedings in cases of Conscience Have you no other Power and Authority in such cases but what is given you by Laws and Statutes if you have then shew plainly upon what ground your Authority standeth and if you have no Authority in cases of Conscience but what is given you by Laws and Statutes do you not thereby take away the Authority and dignity of Christ Jesus and do you not as much as in you lieth go about to unthrone him from this right For what Law can reach the Conscience but the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus And what Power is able to Judge the Conscience but the Power of Christ Jesus and what Authority can govern the Church and keep it in Discipline and Order but the Authority of Christ Jesus And would you take away his Right and give it to another or take it your selves Doth not this manifest that you want his Spirit Power and Authority and so the Magistrates must help you by their Power and Authority and their Laws in some cases must be the ground of your proceedings and in other cases your own Inventions without Law and that makes your Excommunications null and void for the Magistrates have not that power given unto them as to what they do for you in such cases though you or some before you may have urged them and drawn them to provide Laws for you yet they are all dead in themselves as wanting power to serve unto that end for which they are provided because the Conscience is not to come under the power of any man in things pertaining to God and though we that are called Quakers do own Magistrates as they are for the punishment of evil-doers and for the praise of them that do well which is their proper place as Magistrates and in such cases we are actively subject to their Power not only for fear but for Conscience sake yet wherein they extend their Power to the Conscience and thereby would give you power to exercise Lordship over the Conscience we cannot in that place be actively subject because in so doing they give you power to intrude into the Authority of Christ Jesus And as for Conscience sake we are actively subject to their Power in their right place so for Conscience sake we cannot be actively subject when they stretch their power unto spiritual things which is out of their place and both these are for Conscience sake unto us who are cal'd Quakers For as we dare not deny the one for Conscience sake we cannot own or submit to the other for Conscience sake And what more is to be expected from us as to active obedience to the Magistrates power but only in cases which pertaineth to civil things And have we ever refused or denyed obedience to their Power in any such case And as to your proceedings by the Magistrates Power in cases of Conscience it might be some satisfaction unto many People if you would openly declare by what Laws and Statutes you maintain your Courts and Proceedings and in what Kings time they were made For if you have not the temporal Power to warrant and maintain you then you only move as Birds in the air which have no certain Centre and this is the ground why we that are called Quakers deny your practice and proceedings in cases of Conscience as not being warrantable by the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus nor according to the Scriptures of Truth And we know that no temporal Power or Law can maintain your proceedings against the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus for it is he alone that hath Power and Authority to rule and govern the Conscience and not any besides him and so in cases of Conscience your proceedings are without Power and consequently void in Law for without Power there is not any offence can be truly tried or punished And herein you are found wrong doers by your proceedings and you pull down your own building by pleading Laws and Statutes for your proceedings in such cases and moderate people do see that you are not spiritual as you pretend but only in some things have the Magistrates Sword on your side by which many become subject more out of fear than for Conscience sake And because we cannot for Conscience sake be conformable in such cases therefore you proceed against us and inflict punishment upon us and that is contrary to Reason which is counted the root of the Law For it is not a reasonable thing that the exercise of our Consciences should come under your power to be punished whilest as to Civil things we are not found guilty of any offence and this we do maintain against you to be a truth And therefore as to us your proceedings are of no more force than as you drive them forward in the strength of your own wills and yet there is a great noise that we will not obey the Laws nor be subject to Government and that we are a willful People and deserve to suffer Now we would have our Accusers to shew us plainly what Law we disobey and in what Kings time that Law was made and also shew us wherein we are a willful People and deserve to suffer for we do not know any thing by our selves in such matters neither can such an accusation lye upon us for as to all things which the Law requireth which