own perswasion concerning your proceedings you would seemingly clear your selves from persecution But this Covering will not hide you though it be the largest that can be spread over you and if you would clear your selves by it as not being the constitutoâ—s of such Laws then you must needs make the Magistrates guilty and you have no cause at all to do so seeing you reap the Profit and if you would lay it upon them to excuse your selves you requite their pains for you after the worst manner for they are your principal Upholders and Supporters and that breath you live by as to such things you draw it from them and that strength you stand by you receive it from them And have not you or some before you propounded and prescribed such wayes unto them before they have enacted Laws for such purposes And doth not that make you stand originally guilty of the matter And doth not your prosecuting such Laws draw the guilt more upon you though as to what the Magistrates do for you in such cases they are not clear and in time they may come to see it and be weary of it And would you wholly lay your proceedings upon the Magistrates Power and so make them bear the burden of all your work And will that power stand by you in all things you practice or do you not act in many things without their power and do you not thereby plainly do them wrong Now concerning your Steeple-house which you call a Church and bring People into your Courts that cannot pay money towards Repairing it What Law have you in that case And is your Church of that Nature as it must be Repaired with money Will it decay and fall and come to nothing if it be not repaired and upheld with money If that be the nature of your Church as by your proceedings seemeth then People have good cause to absent from it and you have no cause at all to compel any to come unto it for the Church is the Pillar and ground of Truth and it needeth not to be repaired with money because it standeth in the eternal Power and Life which decayeth not and Christ Jesus is the Head and Ruleth over it and is a Husband to it And this is not like an old House that will fall if it be not kept up with money And that is the Church and Church-Government which the Quakers own and submit unto and there needs no outward Law to compel them for the day of his Power hath made them willing and his Love constrains them and so you can neither compel nor restrain them by your Laws for they cannot be compelled to observe that which they know is not true nor restrained from that which they know to be true and whether you proceed against them according to your Law or without Law in such cases it is all one unto them For they do not so much take notice of the outward Law in cases of Conscience as they mind to keep their Consciences void of offence towards God and men So that your proceedings are little unto them whether you render them guilty by a Law or without Law For as their Consciences are void of offence towards God and men so no man can charge an offence to make them gâ—ilty And that wipeth off all your sentences and censures as fast as you give them forth And what Law have you to proceed against people â—or not repairing the fence about the Steeplehouse-Yard and for following honest labour upon those dayes you call Holy-dayes have you not heaped up devices like a Mountain and do not every device bring you some gain and profit and is not that the principâ—l ground why you proceed in them and might their not be a good and sound plea held and maintained against you according to the Scriptures of Truth and might not all your devices be overturned if such a plea could be admitted yea surely your mountain might sâ—on be thrown down if Justice and Equity could but enter therefore you have no cause so highly to lift up your horn seeing you stand upon a slippery place But some may say What is there in all these things which is of concernment as to Life and Salvation for Life and Salvation standeth not in such things but by believing in Christ Yeâ— There is great concernment in these things as to Life and Salvation and they that would come into the true Faith and be a believer in Christ they must deny these things and come out from among them For they that believe in Christ for Life and Salvation they do not yield their obedience to another Power because all Believers obey his commands and not another so here is something of concernment as to Life and Salvation for who are observing such things as Christ doth not command they have not Life and Salvation in him as Believers therefore people are to mind what they obey because they become servants unto that thing and who are obeying any of these things they are certainly in bondage by them and doth not that separate from Life and Salvation in Christ Jesus And unto what do you bring people by your compulsion do you bring them unto Christ or into your own observation And if they cannot bow to your observation then you excommâ—nicate them and cast them into Prison And what command have you for such things according to Scriptures Let us see your Scriptures if you be spiritual men and do not presumâ— above what is written but keep to that which you say is your Rule for the Quakers are noble and search the Scriptures and they find that those things you practice are not so according to Scripture And have not people good cause to be separated from you who erre from the Scriptures and the Power of God And how will you stand by these things in the day when you must give account of all your deeds Will not these deeds appear as evil deeds and will not you appear as evil-doers and what Law will then appear to justifie you before the Judge of Heaven and Earth for you will find him to be a Judge more righteous than your selves and you will not have a plea to hold against him but must bear his Judgement because you have sinned therefore repent whilst you have time and learn to do well And why do you act so furiously against others by the power of the Law and take no notice of your selves by the same Law Is there not a Law for you as well as others Is there not something which the Law taketh notice of as to your selves which properly falleth under the sentence of Excommunication Doth not the Law take notice of Incontenency Usury Simony and Perjury in the Ecclesiastical Courts or Idolatry And doth it not properly relate unto you and brings such things under Excommunication See 5 Eliz. 23. But you here stand silent or rather dead as to any motion and if you say that no such
for the Quakers you have never yet shewed any such cause upon your proceedings and therefore as to them your Excommunications are void and such falsly Imprisoned who suffer upon that account forasmuch as you have not at any time proved them offenders against God and his Truth which is the cause of Excommunication and they that tryed judged such cases in the true Spirit they proceeded to Excommunication upon such cases as were proved to be an offence against God and his Truth but they did not proceed to imprison any by the power of temporal Laws nor by their own power though such offences were proved against them as might bring them under Excommunication neither did they proceed against those that were without but if any that was called a Brother was a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolater or a Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner they were to put away from among them such wicked persons so mark they were amongst them against whom they proceeded to Excommunication and those that were without they left to be judged of the Lord 1 Cor. 5. For a man is first to be within before he be cast out and when he is within as to profession and then walketh not according to the Rule of Truth and will not receive Admonition to be reformed from his abuses then he is to be cast out as a wicked person So the Apostle did not say If any will not come to our Worship and hear our Service or will not have their Children Baptized or will not receive the holy Communion as now commonly used or be in Error in matters of Religion or Doctrine allowed in the Church or pay not their Tythes or Tenths that then they shall proceed to cast out such as wicked persons He did not lay these things down as a ground for such proceedings but he took notice of the wickedness which was an offence against God and his Truth and so laid down the most principal matters upon which they were to proceed for the casting out such offenders from amongst them and this was their Practice who judged in the true Spirit and cast out offenders by the power of the true Spirit But you cast out such as are not offenders in any such matters and count them unworthy of common dealing and society among men and cause them to be cast into prison by the Temporal Power and so you cast out sober and righteous and godly people whereas they cast out drunkards and fornicators and such as were in transgression but they did not Imprison them and you are doing both and that to a people who are neither drunkards nor fornicators noâ— any way offenders against God and his Truth but live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world and you have not any thing further against them but as to things pertaining to their Consciences of which you are not able to judge so that if you did not first make causes you could find none in the Quakers to give you any occasion to proceed in such a manner against them and besides they are not of you but are separated from you and those causes you make are in themselves so slender and weak as that they cannot any way bear the weight of such proceedings neither ought you to be judgâ— in the case forasmuch as the cause is your own and the Law of the Nation excludeth men from being Judges in their own Cause as supposing that men in their own Cause will eye their own Interest more than the common good and therefore it excludes them from trying or judging in that case and yet you go much further by taking upon your selves the whole matter as in these particulars 1. There is no Cause but what you make 2. There is no Evidence but your own Conclusions 3. There is not any to give Judgment or Sentence besides your selves Now every Cause is to be of that nature as the Law properly in it self will take hold upon by which it cometh under the power of the Law to be determined and every such Cause is to be proved by such Evidence as are not related to it and also to be determined by such Judge or Judges as are no way concerned in the matter and so all parties which may stand any way related unto the Cause either in Evidence or Judgment are excluded But your Proceedings are wholly left unto your selves and your own Interest is involved which makes you parties and what plea can be held against you in such a case to obtain right from you For it is to be understood that you have not made such Causes and gotten power to act in such proceedings as to give judgment against that which you have made or to determine the matter against your own Interest and so it may well and safely be concluded that you are resolved in the beginning how the matter shall end and not any plea though never so good and sound that will help the Defenddant in his Case And here you are beside the Law of the Nation again for every good and sound plea is to be admitted on the Defendants behalf in all Courts of trial and the Defendant is to have the benefit of his Plea so far as it will hold good against the Plantiff and hereby many Plantiffs are overturned in their Cause and all Judges standing equal in Judgement as to the Cause of both parties do suffer the matter so to be tried and proved before them as that they may from a good understanding do right unto the party grieved But you will not admit of any Plea though never so good and sound according to Scripture which is the chief plea on the Defendants part against you yet you will not admit of it to the Defendants benefit by doing him right accordingly but with confidence proceed to Excommunication if there be not Conformity given and so your proceedings are found to be against the Law of the Nation in these particulars 1. In destroying common Dealings and Society among men 2. In Excommunicating and Imprisoning without shewing sufficient cause 3. In being Judges in your own Cause 4. In not admitting the Defendants Plea And as these things are the very foundation or ground of your proceedings and being found to be against the Law it self so the Law doth not properly stand by you neither can you properly stand by the Law for the Law doth not properly stand by any thing that is against it but rather takes hold upon it to suppress it and if this were well minded you would not be admitted to sit in the highest seat of Judgment concerning Spiritual things Now you first cause People to be presented for not going to their Parish Church and then you proceed to Excommunicate and Exclude them and no Plea will be admitted by you in the Case And is the first an offence in your account and is not the latter of as high a nature Surely if there be an offence in the first it
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
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-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-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