enemies and praying for them and seekes not vengeance upon their adversaries but they bear all things patiently and such are the servants of God and not transgressors of his law nor the iust lawes of man And if such doe suffer by a law that law is uniust and so is that Magistrate that executes that law and that suffering is not for evill doing but for a good conscience sake and the Innocent can rejoyce in such suffering but the executioners thereof shall howle and weep So that in all ages there was such suffering which was not for evill doing but for the exercise of a pure conscience and such sufferings there are at this day and this is because the unrighteous and the uniust beares rule which subverts the law and turnes true Iudgment backward and oppresseth the seed of God and rules over it in Tyrany and this is where darkness rules in the heart and Ignorance in the mind and true Iudgment is wanting for light is called darkness and darkness light and good is put for evill and evill for good and truth is called heresy and error is called truth and because of this the righteous are Iudged uniustly and falsly condemned and the guilty are set free and thus is Iudgment turned quite backward where the seed of enmity ruleth above the seed of God and such a government is not blessed but made a curse unto that dominion where it is seated and this is because such are set to rule and govern who are not ruled and governed by the Lord but are in the transgression of the Iust and righteous law and are uniust men and not reconciled unto God upon whose shoulders the government lyes and the execution of the law in their power who cannot minister true Iudgment nor discerne of different causes among men And therefore all magistrates are to weigh and be considerate in all these things and so to act and Iudge among men as they may give a good account unto God and all men and when a cause is brought before them to give Iudgment of or any accused unto them that they should execute the law upon they should by the spirit of the Lord first try into the ground and nature of such matters to know whether it be a wilful and purposed wrong or injury done between man and man or it be of ignorance or want of better knowledge or such like or whether it be a matter of conscience or about religion or the worship of God whereupon the controversy dependeth and if it be a matter of wilfull and purposed wrong or of ignorance then good reason and justice will teach a Magistrate to defend the Innocent from wrong or to restore his wrong by true iudgement that his person and estate be freed from all wrong and preserved and that the wrong dealer be restrained and punished and iudged iustly according to his offence but if it be a matter of conscience about religion or the worship of God then the magistrates with their law ought not to meddle therein or to iudge of such matters for these things concerning the things that are spirituall are out of their Iurisdiction and not in their power to iudge of and if the controversy between man and man depend about such causes not having reflection upon persons or estates but onely about spirituall matters then magistrates with their lawes ought not to Iudg in these causes but spiritual men ought onely to give their iudgments hereof as they have received from God and though men be in controversy about religion and the worship of God yet if they be men of peace not wronging one another in their persons or estates they ought to be both protected in a good government by the iust and righteous laws and here the sword of Iustice is laid onely upon the evill doer to be a terror and a punishment to him and to limite and restrain him from wrong dealing and this is the end wherefore it was ordained of God to be among men and not to be laid upon the conscience to oppress and afflict the tender consciences of the upright whose minds are exercised in the law of God for such should have praise that doe well by the sword of Iustice while it is a terror to all evill doers whatsoever and this is the perfect and wherefore the law was added and the practise of it herein by faithfull and Iust executors is well pleasing and acceptable to the Lord And now as concerning this one thing which is oppression in the Nation brought forth through the uniust and false execution of the lawes whereby many tender consciences are afflicted and not for any wrong or evill doing but for the excercise of a pure conscience Whereas many for conscience sake doth deny and cannot pay any thing to maintain a steeple-house or place of worship which the people of the world doe worship in and where they commit Idolatry neither can they for conscience sake pay any thing to uphold such worship and such a ministery and ministers which are not of Christ nor ever were sent of him but of Antichrist and such by which the people are led in blindness and error as manifestly doth appear through the whole land And yet the magistrates some of them being blind and Ignorant as the people doth compell many people by their Writs and orders and Iudgments to maintain a Priest and steeple-house which for conscience sake they deny to maintain and yet by authority from the magistrates are the Innocent mens goods spoyled by distress and great oppression excercised upon many poor people to maintain and uphold the ministry and worship of this generation which is not of God but against him and many hereupon are cast into prison and others have their goods taken from them by violence and great havock is made in the countries about this matter Now first it may be considered that to deny uphold and maintain a steeple-house and place where Ignorant people in tradition do meet to worship is not a matter of willfull or purposed wrong dealing or the breach of any bargin or contract between man man but it is a matter of conscience to the people of God for a good consciencie fake they cannot do such a thing as to maintain a place of worship which abomination is committed in by Ignorant rude people who are without the fear of God as daily is manifest it is not manifest that by denying of this they Iniure any mans person or estate in any thing which belongs unto him by lawfull bargin contract or otherwise neither is there any reason or equity in this matter that any should be forced compelled by Iniustice oppression to uphold a house of worship which others worship in and not they and they knowing that worship to be abomination to the Lord also and not the true worship of the true God and their is no Iustice nor religion in it that any should be
A MESSAGE FOâ— INSTRUCTION TO All the Rulers Judges and Magistrates to whom the Law is committed shewing what just Government is and how far the Magistrates power reacheth and what the Sword of Justice is to cut down and what it is to defend Whereby they may learne and be directed to discern betwixt the guiltless and the guilty and betwixt a matter of wilfull wrong by evill doers which they are to punish and a matter of conscience by men that fears God which they are to be a praise unto and not a terror and in particular divers causes are discovered which are proved to be matters of conscience and not of wilfull wrong though many therefore are unjustly persecuted and afllicted as evill doers With an exposition of some parts of the Law for the edification of such as desires to judge righteously between man and man who would discern of different causes and justify the Righteous and condemn the evill doers By a friend to righteousness and a lover of just judgement who desireth the increase of good Government E. B. LONDON Printed for Thomas Symmons at the Bull and Mouth neer Alders-gate 1658. A MESSAGE FOR INSTRUCTION c. Concerning government and Magistracy this I have to say IT is an ordinance of God ordained of him for the preserving of peace among men for the punishing and suppressing of evill doers and for the praise and safety of them that doe well that mens persons and estates may be preserved from the violence and wrong dealing of evill men And for this end government was ordained of God to be set up in the earth by the Institution of the Lord that righteousness should goe free and the wicked be bound and limited Now such as handle the Law and are executors thereof who are ordained of God to iudg and govern the people ought to be iust men fearing God and walking in his Law and hating and denying every false way that people may receive examples of righteousness and holy and lawfull walking from their Conversations and they that are set to govern the people ought to have the spirit of true and sound Iudgment to try into the root of all causes whereby they may be able to discerne of different causes and to give iust Iudgement in all things and such will iudge by equall measure for God and not for man but without respect of persons and such will be a terror to transgressors and will strengthen and encourage them that doe well and then the execution of the Law will answer the end wherefore it was added for because of transgression was the law added to slay transgression and to bind under the transgressor and to make him stand in awe and be afraid for the just law reacheth to the just witness of God and answereth it in every man and he that walkes in the law of God and hath his heart therein exercised the law of man hath no power over him to condemne him but it justifies him and defends him and preserves him from all wrong but who doth not walk in the law of God but is excercised in evill and transgresseth the light and pure law of God in his conscience by doing evill by wrong unjust dealing then the law of man takes hold upon him and binds him judges him Condemns him for the evil done by him contrary to the light in his own conscience which answereth to the just execution of the law in condemning of him And this is the work of the law in the hand of faithfull executors who justly executeth the just law in defending and preserving the iust and Innocent men from wrong doing and in condemning and iudging the ungodly and evill men for wrong doing whereby the witness of God in them both may answer to the Iust government in defending the one and in condemning the other and this is a good savor to God where the iust lawes are iustly executed by iusâ— men But where unrighteous men are in power and the execution of the law in their hands that are themselves transgressors such will not iudg for God but the good lawes will be subverted unto wrong ends from their proper vertue and the hands of the wicked will be strengthened and the evill doers will escape unpunished and the Innocent will suffer and Iustice and true Iudgment will be turned backward for when the wicked beares rule the people cannot rejoyce nor Iustice and true Iudgment cannot be received from men who are themselves unjust and unrighteous for though the lawes may be good and iust yet the executioners thereof being evil and themselves transgressors worthy of condemnation by the law the transgression of the law in others cannot iustly be Iudged by such who are themselves guilty of Iudgment and therefore the lawes will be subverted and iustice and true iudgment neglected because such as handle the law knowes not God but are in the transgression of the righteous law and of the iudgment thereof are themselves guilty Soe therefore they that handle the law should be men iustified according to the law and free from the transgression that they may the more iustly punish reprove and condemn it in others and may minister Iustice and true Iudgment through the law to all people under them and no man ought to be respected in Iudgment but every mans cause ought to be heard the poor as well as the rich and their matters diligently sought into and all ought to receive iust iudgment from Iust men by the iust law for the law is a defence about all the righteous to defend and preserve them in peace and freedome from all their enemies who are to be limited by the law as I have said And they that are reconciled to God whose consciences are excercised towards God in all things they are not under the law nor the law hath no power over them for the law is fullfilled in them by Christ who teacheth them in all things to walk without offence towards God and all men in truth and in righteousness to God and all men and such the law of man is to defend and not to Iudg them to iustifie them and not to condemn them and to be a praise to them and not a terror and such setteth to seal that the law is iust and good and holy who walketh in iustness in goodness and holiness and doth not transgress the good lawes of any nation but walk void of offence towards all for they walk not in the flesh but in the spirit and are doers of the law and not breakers of it and so comes not under the guilt of condemnation in any thing but are iustified in all things for the light of Christ leadeth them into all truth and so out of all condemnation their wayes are righteous and pure and their workes are iust and equall towards God and all men and they seek not the wrong of any mans person or estate but seekes the good of all forgiving their
that is offended or troubled because the hat is not put off and bowed and the people of God are not carefull to please or offend that in men and men as such for they know nothing of God nor any man that truly fears God will be offended at the want of a hat bowed to him and thus it is a matter of conscience unto many and for a good conscience sake they doe deny to honour and subject themselves by obedience to any man as he is a man out of the fear of God and in the glory of the vaine world expecting reverence out of the fear of God and contrary to his Law which forbids the respect to persons and all honour which is not according to God for who doth fear to offend a man as a man without the fear of God and doth obey honour any man by putting off the Hat before him or otherwise and not onely in the Lord such are servants to the wicked one and not unto God who fears the wrath of the wicked and subjects in honour to please the wicked by putting off and bowing the Hat and such like and such knows not the excercise of a pure conscience to God so this is a matter of conscience to deny to honor and to please wicked men as such by bowing the Hat and no man in justice ought to be made to suffer because of it for the Law of God justifies it and that Law and iudgement is corrupt and perverted which condemns it And likewise though many deny to swear at all though not to testifie the truth yet they do not wilfully wrong hereby to any mans person or estate but it is a matter of conscience unto them and with a good conscience they cannot swear but doth deny it upon all conditions because Christ hath commanded not to swear at all and the Apostle doth exhort above all things not to swear and therefore it is a matter of conscience unto many and not a matter of purposed wrong towards any man and though here it may be obiected But for want of oath a iust man may loose his iust cause because iudgement depends upon witness by oath to that I answer that is because the Law is not according to Christ by which the iudgement comes but is uniustly grounded upon the breach of Christs command viz. swearing and whether ought the man to be blamed or condemned as a transgressor who keeps Christs command and cannot swear at all upon any tearms or whether that Law ought not to be corrected and regulated to be according to the Law of Christ and all that which is contrary in the execution thereof to be condemned and removed that a just mans witness may be given and taken upon occasion without an oath and his just cause may goe on against his enemies by just judgment grounded upon the naked truth in plainess testified without swearing this is to be considered and though it be again obiected but many say some makes more conscience and are more afraid to testify falsly upon oath then upon bare words without an oath so to have the truth known wholly that is the end of the oath to this I answer a man that truly and uprightly fears God will be as much afraid make as much conscience of speaking falsly as of swearing falsly and out of a good conscience will testifie as truly as if he swore and for others who fears to swear falsly and doth not so much fear to speak falsly without oath this is because there is a greater punishment to such and it is accounted a greater offence among men to swear falsly then to speak falsly and for the correcting of that the punishment and offence should be changed and such as testify falsly without oath may be accounted offenders and punished as such who swears falsly and this will bind the wicked in a sufficient fear and cause them to be afraid of testifying falsly even as much as of swearing falsly if the testimony in causes among men of such evill persons who cannot make conscience of lying nor speak the truth without swearing it ought the rather to be had and to be done by binding by a Law and punishing if he testifie a lie then by causing him to continue in the breach of Christs command but however still I say such who out of a good and tender conscience doe deny to swear ought not to be persecuted and punished as great offenders for while this is done the Law and good Government is perverted and authority is greatly abused to another end then wherfore it was ordained of God that Law and authority must needs be uniust which oppresseth or punisheth the exercise of a good conscience as for evill doing and this shews the blindness and ignorance of men in authority to whom the Law is committed who discerns not neither makes a difference betwixt things done in the fear of God and in the excercise of a good conscience towards him and things done out of an evill minde to evill intents purposely and wilfully to wrong and iniury mens persons and estates for all Magistrates ought to learne this and to distinguish that their power and authority may iustifie the one and condemn the other that true iustice and sound iudgement may spring forth in the earth and in the Nations that all the upright and well doers may reioyce and live in rest and peace and all the workers of iniquity and such as doe evill may be afraid and fear to offend iust men and iust Laws and thus would the name of the Lord be great in the earth among men and such a Government renowned for ever and such Magistrates would be a praise to generations after them and a blessed example to ages to come But now some may say obiect how shall this be known who can tell and discern of such causes and who it is that doth their works out of the excercise of a good conscience and who doth their deeds out of an evill minde to an evill intent and so is wrong dealing worthy of punishment this is a doubtfull cause may some say and difficult to be known and understood But to this I answer and say To all such as have the spirit of the Father and are led thereby and in their iudgement guided therewith this is an easy thing to discerne and an easy matter to know and find out and such as cannot discerne and distinguish in such matters hath not the spirit of God nor the spirit of true and sound iudgement neither is indeed ordained of God nor fit to iudge the people nor the honour of a ruler and iudge belongs not to such a one who cannot find out a matter nor know and iudge between the precious and the vile how to iustifie the one and how to condemn the other and indeed this is the reason and cause of so much iniustice and oppression brought forth at this day because the spirit
of sound iudgement is wanting and such as are set to iudge hath it not to try and discern and give iudgement by it and therefore light is put for darkness and darkness for light and good is called evill and evill good and true iustice and iudgement is perverted and turned backward and the guiltless is condemned guilty But I say if the work be done by a man out of a good conscience and as a matter of conscience then he doth it in the fear of God and in the Cross to his own will and in meekness and tenderness of heart not seeking himself in what he doth but is willing to suffer for the truths sake and for what he doth and will not resist evill or the false iudgements of men but patiently and quietly bears all things for the Lords sake and in all what he doth or suffers he gives the glory to the Lord who works his works in him and gives him strength and patience willing to suffer for them But againe I doe answer by men that hath the spirit of sound iudgement to rule and guide them this cause is easy to be discerned and the difference may be known betwixt a thing done out of a good conscience and for a good conscience sake and a thing done out of an evill mind and purpose and to an evill end to the wrong and iniury of another for the ground from whence the works doe proceed are contrary and the spirit by which the works are wrought are contrary and the purpose and end to which they are wrought are contrary and the spirit of God and of sound judgement may and doth put a difference betwixt the ground acting and end of all works for it is the ground from whence all works doth spring and the end unto which they are brought forth that makes all mens works good or evill to be iustified or to be condemned and where the measure of the spirit and power of God is the ground of and leader in a work that work as I have said is done in the fear of God and in uprightness of heart and in love and tenderness and meekness and patience without seeking or exalting self but the glory of the Lord is onely sought by that man in all such his works But on the contrary where an evill heart and minde brings forth works to an evill end and to the wrong of others such works are maliciously and wilfully and enviously and peevishly done in frowardness and headiness and not in the fear of God nor in uprightness of heart but with a double minde and in secret or without the Counsell of God seeking himself in his works and not the Lord and such works are wicked and wrought by wicked men who transgresseth both the Law of God and of men and must receive according to their deeds and the Law that is equall must pass upon them which the light of Christ in their own consciences may answer to when they are condemned for their ungodly works against which light they act and that is the reason and cause wherefore their works are evill and to be condemned by the Law for who acteth according to the light of Christ and is led thereby fulfilleth the Law or it is fulfilled in him and his works are wrought in God and are the testimony unto men that he is of a good conscience and for a good conscience sake his works are done and such men and works are not to be condemned but iustified And this is for instruction to all them that bear rule who are Magistrates and Governours and Iudges of the people that they may now be wise and learne wisdome how to iudge righteously and iustly among the people that they may fulfill the will of God in what he hath called them unto even that they may cherish and defend and strengthen such as doe well and all whose pure consciences are purely excercised may live in peace and rest under such a Government and all evill doers may be bound limited and iudged and may stand in awe and be afraid and thus iustice and true iudgement would be advanced and equity would run down as a mighty streame and the Nation would be blessed and yeeld content and satisfaction to her Inhabitants and hereby might the Rulers and Iudges gain unto themselves a good report and an honour and renown would the Lord Crown them with all in generations to come Wherefore all ye Rulers and all ye that are set to iudge the people be now awakened to iust iudgement and to a sound discerning and put on the spirit of true iudgement even the spirit of the Lord that you may receive it to be taught in all things how to walk with God that you may answer his call and the end of your authority in judgeing justly all sorts of men rendring to every man according to his deeds even condemnation and judgment to evill doers and a praise and defence to all that doe well and this is written in love to you all shewing you how to put a difference betwixt the precious and the vile and between the just and unjust that you may be the more happy if this you observe not leaving your names a reproach and a scorne to after-ages which is the effect which doth follow all such as perverts Iustice and turns true iudgement backward with misery and destruction upon themselves and posterity for evermore A true and faithfull Exposition of some part of the Laws of England ALl ye Magistrates Iustices of the Peace Mayors and all other Ministers of the Law and all ye to whomsoever the Law is committed I doe warne you all to take heed to your selves that ye fulfill the will of the Lord in iudgeing righteously and executing true iustice and iudgement and let not envy nor false suspitions nor iealousies have any place in you but with a single eye try all things and with an upright heart iudge for God and not for man and beware of causing the innocent to suffer whose consciences are exercised towards God though they be contrary to the world in their ways iudgments for if you cause such to suffer you doe not execute true iudgement but subverts the Law and the Lord will require that suffering of his people at your hands Now consider the Law was not made for a righteous man but for transgressours such whose consciences are not exercised towards God and such your sword is to be laid upon to be a terrour to them and not to the innocent for they should have praise that doe well and you must take heed least you abuse your power to another end then wherefore God hath ordained it for the Law was added because of transgression to slay the transgressour and that is the end of the Law Now you must take heed of causing any to suffer upon bare suspition or evill iealousies when as no transgression is truly charged nor iustly proved against them before you and you are not
to be both accusers and Iudges of any one in any cause You have a late act for the taking up and punishing of idle loose and dissolute persons such as are vagrants and wandering Rogues vagabonds and sturdy beggars Now this Law is good if it be duly and iustly executed upon such as are truly guilty herein and it is right that sturdy Beggars and Rogues and idle and disorderly persons should be taken up from wandering and set on work in some good imployment in the Creation which may maintain themselves and prevent them from worse things But now you must take heed of iudging any to be such who are not really so for many of the servants of the Lord now as it was in generations past are moved to leave their own Country and dwellings and relations and goe abroad in the Nations to preach the Gospell of Christ and to bear witness of his name in the world to the turning of people from the ways of sin and death to the way of righteousness and truth and it may be such cannot give you an account or sufficient cause of their travelling abroad so as to satisfie you For that is lawfull in the sight of God which you may not iudge to be so for Gods ways are not mans ways neither his thoughts as mans thoughts Therefore I say unto you if you cause any such of the servants of the Lord to suffer by that Law you abuse your power and subverts the Law for such are not vagabonds nor idle dissolute persons nor Rogues nor sturdy beggars No more than Christ was who had no where to lay his head and the Prophets and Apostles were some of which had no certain dwelling place but left their Countries and relations and wandred up and down the world from town to town and from one Country to another even as the servants of the Lord doth by the same spirit at this day who can no more be truly judged for Vagabonds and Rogues c. than Christ and his Apostles could be who were a perfect example to us in these things For it is a lawfull occasion in the sight of God whatever you judge of it to travell up and down not being burthensome or chargeable to any to bear witness for the name of the Lord and against all sin and iniquity that people may be reformed and instructed in the right way Therefore you must make a speciall distinction in your iudgements between such as are Rogues and idle and dissolute persons who are hurtfull to the Creation and such as are innocent and harmeless and not of evill behaviour though you may through preiudice otherwise iudge of them this is to informe you herein that your iudgements may be according to God and not according to man neither with respect of persons Also you have another late Act for the Observation of the Lords day wherein is inserted that none shall wilfully maliciously or of purpose disturbe or disquiet the publick preacher or to make any publick disturbance in the Congregations Now the Law is good and it is right that all such be punished who doth maliciously wilfully or of an evill purpose disturbe or disquiet any man or people to the danger of breach of publick peace and let all such be punished according to their desert But yet you must take heed in this cause for many of the servants of the Lord are and may be moved by the power of the Lord to come into a Congregation or an assembly of people to declare against sin and iniquity and the ways of wickedness in people or to aske a question soberly of the teacher or to instruct people to edification in the way of the Lord or such like may they do as they are moved and yet not maliciously nor wilfully nor of wicked purpose For it was the Apostles practise and the practise of the Saints to goe in the Synagogues and meeting places and to dispute with the Teachers on the Sabbath days and sometimes they spoke to the people by way of exhortation and the people bid them speak on and yet these were not disturbers of the assembly neither were they malicious men or wilfull neither did they these things to any evil purpose and it was the practise of the Saints that all may speak one by one in the Church when they were assembled together and this is the practise of the servants of the Lord now and yet they cannot justly be condemned by your Law though they come into your assembly as they are moved of the Lord to object or reprove or exhort for they doe it not in malice towards any but in love towards all and they can no more justly be condemned than the Apostles and Saints in the Primitive times who were unto us a just example in these practises as you may read in the Scripture and you may as justly condemn them as us who are guided by the same spirit in the same things Therefore you have need to take heed of condemning the innocent by a Law least you bring innocent blood upon you and you must make a perfect difference between such as comes among you wilfully and maliciously and on evill purpose to disturbe and molest any man or Congregation and such who comes in the name and fear of the Lord who are moved of him contrary to their own wills and in love to all people And in these causes you have need of discerning and sound judgement least you condemn the guiltless and abuse your power and subvert the Law and so bring condemnation upon your selves And as you will answer it before the Lord in his dreadfull day cause not any to suffer through your envy and surmizings or false suspition through over-reaching the words of the Law to a wrong sense and to a wrong end Also it is inserted in the same Act against many evill things as drinking in Taverns Innes Ale-houses strong-water houses or to tipple unnecessarily or any other house c and also against travelling and walking on that day vainly and prophanely c. Now the Law is good that evill exercise be prevented and prophaneness in every respect on that day and on every day and that such be punished that are found in any evill exercise whatsoever But yet you must take heed that none of the innocent suffer hereby for many of the people of God may and doth travell on that day to meet together to worship God and to waite upon him to find his presence and to receive of his refreshments to their souls But this cannot be judged an evill practise or prophane travelling or breach of the Sabbath For we read of a Sabbath days iourney Acts 1. 12. where some of the servants of the Lord returned from Ierusalem to Mount Olivet which is a Sabbath dayes iourny so that such who now travels to waite upon the Lord on that day though it be severall miles to and from the place of meeting cannot iustly be iudged to be
then to offend the Lord and their own consciences neither is there good reason or equity in it nor any part of a good conscience that people by iniustice should be compelled to maintain a minister whom they know is not the minister of Christ by his fruits and effects and workes and practises and so are forced against their own conscience to uphold a man in pride in idleness in coveteousness and in a vain and evill life by unrighteous wages now if their mony were to maintain a man that 's poor or if that man had not of his own sufficiently to preserve his wife and Children from want then it were a work of charity to give something if it were every year or oftner to maintain him and his family and the people of God would not refuse to give something for this end no man should compell them nor have cause to spoyl their goods for it but as he professes himself a minister of Christ and a labourer in the gospel but is not so but lives in pride and the vanities of this world upon such an account they cannot maintain him nor give him any thing at all with a safe conscience neither is there any reason in it that they should for they receive not his ministery neither doth hear him neither doth own him as a minister of Christ nor doth not partake of his labours nor doth not set him on labouring and this is greatly uniust that any man should pay or be compelled to pay by force and oppression wages to a man as his labourer and as his servant who doth not at all labour for him or do him any service neither doth the man partake of his works or labours neither hath any benefit thereby but rather loss and disadvantage because of his labours which he doth for others and not for him nor by any order from him for he knowes his labouts to be nothing but vanity and a cheat and deceiving of people and for him to be compelled to maintain such a man in such ill imployment against his conscience this is uniust and unreasonable and what man in the world would do it or be compelled thereunto without crying out of great oppression as to maintain a man with great wages as his labourer and servant who doth not labour for him nor serve him but labours against him as much as is possible and this is the very cause between the Preists of England in their maintenance in claiming of it and receiving of it and the people of the Lord who doth deny to maintain them or confess any lawful due they have to challenge any of them And also it is a very shame to the people of this Nation for whom such ministers do labour who cannot maintain their own ministers themselves who labours for them and of whose labours they do partake but others are compelled by iniustice to maintain them who doth not partake of any of their labours nor set them to labour but denies them and their labour on that account and yet are forced to pay them wages and this is uniust and unreasonable that men should be constrained by force to pay other mens servants which works and labours for other and not for them and what man in the world having reason in him would do it or be forced to do it without complaining of heavy iniustice as to maintain another mans servant with wages who works for others and not for him neither was hired by him nor set on work nor receives any benefite by him but another hires him and partakes of his labours and yet he is compelled against all reason and equity to give him his wages all will conclude this were uniust and not according to God but against him and this is the very cause between the people of God who cannot pay to maintain false teachers and the people of the Nation who hires such teachers and receives of their labours and teaching and yet compells others to give them wages contrary to good reason and Iustice and against the excercise of a pure conscience And above all the magistrates blindness and Ignorance and the uniustness and wickedness of some of them doth appear to their shame by whose authority these things are done reaching out their power in those things further than they have received power from God and abusing the law and iust government and subverting it to another end than wherefore God hath ordained it for the magistrates power and authority is not to be laid on mens consciences to oppress and Imbondage the tender consciences of the lords people in forcing things to be done contrary to good reason and against a good conscience and by these things is the land filled with violence and oppression and the Innocent and iust doth deeply groan till the Lord arise to plead their cause and to bring deliverance unto them through the destruction of all their enemies and he will break down all the bonds of cruelty and oppression and will take away every yoak that doth burden and oppress the upright that his people may be a free people from all uniust men and the people of the Lord doth claime this as their priviledge belonging to them by the iust Laws of God and men to worship God in spirit and in truth and to uphold and maintaine that worship onely without being compelled by force to maintaine any other whatsoever and they claime as right unto them to maintaine what Ministers and uphold what ministry as they know is sent of God by which people are profited and which they have received the knowledge of God through by his spirit and to be free to maintaine how and as the Lord leads them unto without being forced by any Law or unequall authority to maintaine the false Prophets and hirelings and deceivers who lives in pride and excess through the oppression of the poor and innocent and such as Ministers of the Gospel of Christ the people of the Lord cannot maintaine but rather gives themselves to suffer heavy and cruel things by unjust and wicked men who violates the just Laws of God and man and the suffering is for a good conscience sake for righteousness sake and not for any wrong or evill doing and for a testimony that they are of God and for a witness against their enemies that they are of the Devill who doth his works and these makes war against the Saints and the Lamb and the Beast seeks to kill all that will not worship him for he hath been great in the earth and his seat upon Nations and who hath been able to make war against him for many generations againe there is another suffering great and grievous which is unjustly laid upon the people of God which suffering is not for evill doing but for a good conscience sake as is manifest as because many are moved of the Lord by his spirit to goe into the Steeple-houses and meeting places or other places to reprove sin and
among people or to exhort them unto good and to follow Christ and to deny the wickedness of this world or such like as they are moved some are moved to reprove a hireling teacher who deceives the people and walks in the steps of the false Prophets and lives in pride and vanity and evill contrary to the doctrine and practise of Christ and the Apostles and this practise of the servants of the Lord in reproving evill and exhorting to good is called a disturbance of the peace and an unlawful practise and such like it is falsly judged by unjust men who knows not the spirit of the Lord nor the moving thereof and because of this many innocent men are caused deeply to suffer contrary to a good conscience and some are sent to the house of Correction there suffering cruell things from hard-hearted men and some are put in the Stocks and whipped and others fined and cast into prison and such like sufferings are unjustly imposed upon them and not for evill doing as I have said for though they reprove sin in teachers or in people or exhorts them to good whether in Steeple-houses Markets or other places yet they do not hereby wrong any mans person or estate neither is this any matter of wilfull wrong or to such an intent neither doth it disturb the peace nor is any unlawfull practise but onely out of a good conscience to God and man is it done and it is a matter of conscience to the servants of the Lord to do so and they cannot leave it undone least they should transgress the law of God in their own consciences because they are commanded of God so to do that people may be Instructed in the right way to God and be converted out of every false way and this is the very end of their work and their intent in doing it and they ought not in justice to suffer for it for it is according to the law of God and in reason and a good conscience and the Lord justifies them in it then that law and Iudgment must needs be corrupt and unjust which condemnes the people and servants of the Lord as for evill doers for obeying the commands of God and for the exercise of their pure consciences and no mans person or estate being wronged or Injured but onely sin and wickedness reproved and exhorted from And hereby thus is the law perverted and true Iudgment turned backward and the guiltless is condemned guilty and the guilty is set free and the obeying the commands of God and the excercise of a good conscience is unjustly iudged a transgression and this is a shame and will be great condemnation to such in the day of the Lord by whose Authority this is done even that the excercise of a good conscience even reproving of sin and exhorting unto that which is good to follow that and to forsake all evill should be iudged and punished as a hanious transgression in a nation and Common-wealth professing Christianity and pure Religion and this makes the sin much more great and unpardonable because the practise and faithfull excercise in Christianity and in the pure and true Religion is adiudged transgression condemned by such who professes the same thing in words and yet persecutes and punisheth the excercise of it in others and this shews them uniust iudges and hypocrits who causes the Servants of the Lord to suffer for the practise of that which themselves profess in words to wit Religion and Christianity for I affirme against all opposers whatsoever that it is a practise in Religion according to the Scriptures to goe into the Steeple-houses meeting places Markets Highways or other places and reprove sin and wickedness and cry against evill in Priests and people and exhort to good and to forsake evill and therefore it ought not to be prosecuted and punished but defended and maintained by the just Government of a Common-wealth and by just Laws and Magistrates for this the Lord requireth that justice and truth and true iudgement be exalted and the innocent and upright defended in all their ways of a good conscience and that evill doers and sinners and transgressors be condemned and righteously iudged Also many of the servants of the Lord doe deeply suffer and is deeply afflicted by iniustice for the exercise of a good conscience in other things as because they cannot put off their Hats and bow in respect to mens persons according to the vaine customs of the Heathen and because they cannot swear upon a Book by kissing it and laying the hand upon it according to the idolatrous forme and for such like causes because many cannot fulfill the lusts and wills of men that lives in pride and evill wayes in these and other things therefore are the people of God put to great sufferings though they deny not the honour due to all men in the Lord without bowing the Hat nor to affirme the truth in every cause in faithfulness without an oath now to keep on the Hat which is a cover for the head to keep from cold or heat for healths sake before any man whatsoever though never so great or noble is not any wrong or iniury to the mans person or estate before whom it is done but onely the high minde and the proud nature and that which is exalted above the fear of God which would be Lord over his fellow creatures that same is offended and troubled which bears not the image of God but of the Devil as Hamman was and would be bowed to and had in honour and respected because of knowledge or parts and proud gestures or apparell and the Children of the Lord cannot doe it nor give honour to him nor be subiect and pleasing to that man who is of that spirit and of that nature which is not of God but exalted in pride and vain-glory above the fear of God and against him and would be worshipped and had in honour and reverenced of his fellow-creatures who hath not so much riches in this world as he nor is so proud in apparell as he and because of that he looks to be bowed unto with Hat or Knee and is offended if he be not and then in his pride he rages and is vexed and seeks revenge against such as cannot honour him and respect him in his pride and vaine-glory but as I said this is not done as a matter of wrong unto any though the Hat be not bowed or put off but it is a matter of conscience unto the people of God and for a good conscience sake they doe deny and may not give obedience and honour and respect out of the fear of God to proud flesh and to men which is not in the fear of God which expects reverence out of the Lord and they know it is nothing else that is offended but proud flesh and an exalted mind and a man that fears not God neither walks in his ways I say it is nothing else nor any besides