High in this World thorow your Sufferings and between such as have acted against you for self ends and have insulted over you and have made themselves Great and Rich in this world thorow your Afflictions and Sufferings for they who have walked in that way are hereof guilty they havenot acted Righteously nor walked in good Conscience if such Suffer by you for that cause it cannot be called Persecution nor is it for the Name of Christ nor can such have Peace with God But we being clear from the sin of such we cannot suffer as such but if we suffer by you it is Persecution and our sufferings will be upon you Quer. 5. Whether the great Afflictions and Sufferings sustain'd by him this divers years from the Subjects if his own Nation and the guilt thereof do lie upon all the Subjects in general Or whether upon any or some paâ—icular Sects and Sorts of people many which now are arisen and if upon any particular Sect and Sort who are such more than others distinguish them from others and clear your selves if you can from the guilt of his Sufferings Answ. As for the Afflictions and Sufferings sustained by him so far as they were Iust and Righteous Iudgment from God because of iniquity can no man be charged with but that is on Gods account who was pleased to chastise with Afflictions and Sufferings and no man can be blamed with Injustice for that Affliction which cometh from the Hand of God upon whom Injustice may not be charged by any one whatsoever and so far as his Sufferings were unjust the guilt thereof doth not lie upon all the Subjects in general nor upon every particular sort of people alike but upon some more than others and such are easie to be distinguished from others if it be considered who they are that first raised the War in this Nation against the King And who was it that first Preached and Prayed up the War and prosecuted it against his Father And who is it that cast out the Bishops and Prelates from their places and took their Revenues and Benefices and are become men as Corrupted as Covetous and Self-seeking as Proud and Ambitious as Unjust Persecutors as ever the men were which they cast out And the guilt is partly upon such who cast out others in pretence of Refarmation but did it not And who is it that hath gotten great Estates in this Nation and Worldly Honour and raised themselves from nothing by the Wars and by your Suffering and became ambitious and insulting over others though they first began the War in this Nation and pretended great Reformation in the Civil State as well as the other had done in Church State And who get the Estates Titles of their Enemies pretended to free this Nation from all Oppressions but have not done it but have continued the old Oppressions and have been striving among themselves who should Rule and who should be great but have not Ruled for God nor in Iustice and Equity though they first Warred against the King and carryed it on and removed the King and Lords and that Government and all this in pretence of Ruling better and in a better Government and yet kept not Engagements nor Promises made in that case Upon such is the guilt of the Suffering of the King so far as his Sufferings are unjust even upon Hypocrites who have â—alked in these steps who as I have said first made war against the King and got great Estates and quite forgotten the cause once pretended by them and now in flattery Cries up King and Kingly Government again though this many years they have seemed to be opposite against it upon such as these may the guilt aforesaid in measure be charged And though there are risen many Sects and Sorts of People since the beginning of the Wars yet in the beginning there was but one sort that were in a capacity to raise and prosecute War against the King and upon such there is guilt to be charged in the sight of God who have foregone their Principles and been deceitful both to God and men And as for Us who are called Quakers we are clear from the guilt of all his Sufferings and in the present Capacity wherein we now stand and under the actings of that Spirit which now we are of we have no part in the guilt of these Iniquities we have not cast out others and taken their places of great Benefices neither have we made war with carnal weapons against any never since we were a People mark neither have we broken Oaths and Engagements nor promised freedome and deliverance and for self ends and Earthly Riches betrayed as others have done what we pretended to and in many particulars it doth appear that we are clear from his Sufferings for we have been a Suffering People as well as they by the same Spirit which caused them to suffer which hath been much more Cruel Wicked and Unjust towards us than it hath been towards them though our Persecution hath been in another manner but what they have done against us we can freely forgive them and we would have you to follow the same example and if you could accuse them in many things so could we but this is not a time to accuse one another but to forgive one another and so to overcome your Enemies or else you will appear in the same Spirit that so he that condemns them cannot justifie you though we do condemn as well as you them that have pretended Reformation and Warred against you upon that account And when they had gotten victory did not reform but became Oppressors themselves as well as others and became Cruel towards others that would not say and do as they and for this Cause the Lord hath brought them down and may justly suffer others to deal with them as they have dealt with others yet notwithstanding I must still say and it is my judgment that there was very great Oppressions and Vexations under the Government of the late King and Bishops under his power which the Lord was offended with and many good People Oppressed by for which cause the Lord might and did justly raise up some to oppose and strive against Oppressions and Injustice and to intend and press after Reformation in all things and that principle of Sincerity which God did raise in many in the beginning of the Wars which in some things acted them forth and carryed them on in opposing Oppressions and pressing after Reformation this Principle I can never deny but acknowledge to it though many soon lost it and became Self-seekers forgetting and foregoing the Cause pretended to having lost Sincerity and became corrupted in their way and Injustice and Oppression abounded by them and because hereof are they condemned in the sight of the Lord and not by me Iustified because they have lost Sincerity and turned the War and all the Proceedings into Self-seeking and therefore is God
their Affliction but they have already been told of their Treachery and what would come to pass And Oh that they could now humble themselves before the Lord and confess to the Iustice of this their Affliction they might yet partake of his Mercy through great Iudgments And as for you Oh that you would consider these things and by whose purpose you are restored and from what cause and for what end it is accomplished Oh that you would mind what your work now is and that you would not exceed your Permission for you are raised up for an end and there is a work for you to do Oh that you could do it with respect unto the Lord it should be the better for you Oh those men that have long Sate as Princes in this Nation and Pretended and Vowed and promised Reformation in Church and State but they have not done it as they ought but as great Oppressions and Injustice as great Superstitions and Idolatries both in Church and State were continued and carried on in their dayes as in dayes before them Oh how abominable have these things been multitude of words might demonstrate but now their reproof and Iudgment is come and their fall is just upon them Who should pitty them or mourn for them seeing they have deserved all this and much more which has yet happened unto them as some of them may confess and those things their Treachery Unfaithfulness Oppressions I mean must needs be avenged one way or another How often hath it been foretold them yea it hath been often said unto them that God would bring them down and destroy their Power they have been told that these things were not right neither could they escape unavenged and it new appears as if the day were come and if you must be their Executioners and must execute the wrath upon them who shall prevent you or say unto you stay your hand Or rather who of them that sees these things shall not be patient while you take vengeance for ths Lords sake and for the sake of his People whom they have long Vexed and Opppessed Nay who of the Lords People shall not say let the Lords will be done and his Iustice Executed upon his Enemies If this be your work that you are called to must it not go on till it be finished They have been Hard-hearted and Oppressors towards others and by a Hard-hearted People may not the Lord justly deal with them and be a Plague unto them in that very manner that they have sinned against him for this is usual with the Lord even to destroy Oppressors by the Wickedness of others and often he Rebukes the sin of a People by a People as bad as themselves he may justly give unto men from the hands of others what they love in their own hearts and even as those men have loved Pride and Ambition over others and Oppression and Hard-heartedness towards others even so and much more may justly be done unto them and that according to the Will of the Lord and if this be your work designed you by the eternal hand who shall prevent you But yet Oh that you would consider and that you would have some respect unto the Lord lest you out-go the end of your Restoration You would indeed be happy if you could forgive your Enemies if you could reward them good for their evil and you would be happy if you could not exceed the measure of your permission be not too Hard-hearted towards them but shew Mercy And Oh you must take heed lest you cause the Righteous to suffer with the Wicked and that you cause not the Innocent to groan and mourn in your execution of Gods purpose upon the ungodly you must be a ware lest while you punish Offenders you smite not them that are free Oh that you had hearts this to understand and that you could walk in the path of fulfilling Gods pleasure and not go further I mean though you may be raised to be a Plague upon Hypocrites and Disobedient and Treacherous men and to avenge Gods Cause and his Peoples but you are not raised to be Oppressors of the Lords People nor to destroy his Heritage this is not your work God hath not called you to Destroy and Persecute them that fear his Name and tremble at his Word though you have Power to be avenged on your Enemies And Oh that your hearts could understand this that you might distinguish in your proceedings between executing of Iustice upon Transgressors Persecution for Conscience-sake the one you have to do but the other is forbidden you of the Lord and you ought not to do it for if you Persecute any for good Conscience-sake or because they are of such and such an Assembly of People and Worships in such a way if you inflict Tribulation upon any because hereof or because they are such or such in their Profession and Religion then you persecute for Conscience-sake and you go beyond the End and by the Path for which you were raised and if you turn your Hand and Power to persecute for good Conscience-sake then you divert the End and Purpose of this your Restoration and the Lord will require it of you if that you go beyond his Permission and Assignment and go beyond his Pleasure in Persecuting his People and so turn your Power to a wrong Use and End O then the Lord shall suddenly confound you and he will find out instruments that shall fulfil his Wrath and Iustice upon you as he hath found you fit to execute Wrath upon others and therefore do not O do not persecute any for Conscience-sake if you have nothing against them but concerning their Faith and Worship and their Religion do not lay your hand upon them nor let them be touched for if you do the Lord will take it as a heinous offence against him and in this life or hereafter he will Plague you for it and you shall not escape unpunished and therefore I say once more to you as the advice of your Friend let no man be persecuted for his Faith and for his Religion-sake but make a distinction between inflicting wrath upon offenders that have been hypocritical and deceitful and that have made themselves rich through the ruins of others and that will how to any thing or any kind of Worship for their own ends and between such who have a Principle and do stand by it and are humble and acted in the principles of sincerity and follows that way of Religion which they suppose and are perswaded is the best and the rightest all such ought to have their Liberty under you in their Profession and Faith and Worship and ought not to be Persecuted while they live Peaceably as men with one another and towards all men and the God of Heaven requires it of you and your Standing or your Fall the Blessing or the Curse unto you depends hereupon and this you shall find to be true unto
you in the day of Gods Righteous Iudgments O therefore be not stout against the Lord but fear and tremble before him let his Dread be upon your Spirits and do not offend him nor provoke him against you and this Nation lest he tear you to pieces and number you for destruction lest he overturn you suddenly and deface your glory in its morning Oh how happy would you be if you would regard the Lord and reverence him and take him before you and not go beyond in any thing what his purpose and pleasure is who hath given you this one day to try you if so be that any of you shall learn his fear and turn from your Iniquities that you may be blessed and not confounded Oh therefore consider what the Will and Purpose of the Lord is towards you and wherefore you are raised up and may fulfil his purpose and not your own Oh then this day should be made happy unto you but the contrary works I mean if you do Oppress and Persecute and seek to destroy his Heritage and Rule in Oppression and Tyranny then the God of Heaven shall cut your day short and diliverance he will bring to this poor Nation without you and even contrary to you and his hand shall be turned upon you and your Mountain though never so great and high shall be laid low and an Infant of the heavenly birth shall leap over it and shall say Where is that lofty Babel that exalted it self agâ—â—â—â— my God And as for us we are a very poor contemned and despised People even since we were a People unto this very day and have nothing at this present nor heretofore to glory in from any Power that hath ruled but the Power Spirit and Presence of God in our Tribulations Afflictions Persecutions and unjust Sufferings these things have been our portion even from all all have troden upon us in Contempt and Scorn and accounted us as Sheep for the slaughter and we have not to glory in any Government that hath been since we were a People we cannot justifie one or another but we say they have all been Oppressors and we have groaned with deep sighs unto the Lord under the burden of their unrighteous dealing and herein we assent with you if you say they have been unjust men we say the same and if you say their Government hath been Oppression and Unequal we say the same if you say you have suffered cruelty and unrighteously by them we say the same if you lay they have Ruled by Will and Forci more then by Law and Equity we verifie the same and if you can say you have suffered Afflictions and Tribulation by them so have we in another manner and far more unjustly Wherefore we cannot justifie them nor will not plead for them in opposition to you but we partly beleive we may receive as much Equity and good Reason from some of you as we did from some of them and thus we have been a suffering People even without cause And at this day we are threatned by the rage of men as if we should be cut off and destroyed but we regard not those things but do respect the Lord whom we fear and Worship in our hearts and if we outwardly perish among them that may perish yet it is for Righteousness sake and because of the matters of Gods Kingdom which we hold and if you do Destroy us for this cause we are clear and Innocent blood will be upon you and the guilt thereof will sink you into misery here or hereafter Oh take heed and desilenot your selves nor load your Consciences with our guiltless sufferings as many others have done before you even to their ruin and wofull destruction you are yet in a great measure clear from our Oppressions we have not much Iniquity yet to charge upon you in our Cause of Afflictions Oh it will be well for you if you keep your selves clear the less will be your Iudgement and the better success will you have in your Cause for Friends the weight of Innocent Blood it hath a loud cry and God will hear it and if you burthen yourselves with it it will soon overweigh you therefore keep clear and condemn them by your Practises that have said they would not Persecute for good Conscience sake but have done it even contrary to all Pretences and Engagements and if you who professe not so much in words towards that thing would do it how should your Practise condemn their Hypocrisie in the Sight of God Men and Angels but however I warn you and do leave it at your door and do say unto you Persecution for Conscience sake is the crying Sin which drawes down vengeance upon Kings and Governments be you warned through the fall of others least confusion come upon you as it hath come upon many others for that cause and be not too confident in your way nor too furious against your enemies but remember your breath is in your nostrils and he that gave it you can soon take it away And as for you we have no enmity towards any of you nor do we sick the hurt of your Persons nor can we rise up in Rebellion against you or seek your Destruction by Craft or Policy neither indeed can we seek Covenant or League with you by flattery it is true you are yell in Authority over us outwardly and as you are so we shall â—d subjection to you in any of your just Commands and in all things it is our Principle to obey you either by doing or suffering yet we cannot bow nor fawn nor flatter nor deny our Principle nor our Religion of which we are perswaded by the Spirit of God in our Consciences that it is right and according to God but I say we cannot revoke our Principle neither for advantage to our selves nor yet to save our lives you must find us constant not changeable as others are who turn every way for their own advantage and ery up this or the other and pray and fight on the behalf of any thing which may make for their advantage but God is grieved with such Spirits yet we are otherwise minded and must only own your Government and Authority as it is just and brings forth Righteousness so we can own it and bow before it but as otherwise if it be Unjust and Oppression we must patiently suffer under it whatsoever you have power to do and this is all the peace we can make with you or the Engagement that we can bind our selves in towards you though we cannot but own that this Day is given you either in mercy or in judgement to you yea and we cannot but own that you may be Gods Executioners yea what if we say that you may be raised up to avenge our Cause upon our Oppressors though still we must bear witness against that wicked loose prophane Spirit that lives and abounds in some of you and among you and workes Unrighteousness
even to the dishonour of God throughout this Nation this Spirit we bear witness against that it is evil and brings forth bad effects in every City and Town throughout the Land whereby the Lord is provoked against you and this Nation in an high measure Oh that you would consider of it while there is time to be corrected and amended before it have brought forth unpardonable Iniquities which it hastens to fulfill and draws down wickedness as with cords Oh the excessiveness in Drinking and other vanities Oh what destroying of the good Creatures it greives the hearts of the Righteous and vexeth the Sober minded to consider it and also their is a great deal of Hipocrisie and deceitfull-heartedness amongst many I have considered this thing and it is a vexation to the Lord and cannot but be detestable to you even in that many contrary to their Principles Engagements and Promises Covenants do now cry you up for to save themselves their Lives and Estates who have been deeply engaged against you publiquely and privately and yet now in Hypocrisie are fallen in with you such their proceedings are loathsome to God and your present Cause is no better because of such though as for some of you that have stood to your Principle and suffered for it this long while in your state you are more honourable and rather justified Oh let the King fear and reverence the eternal God knowing he is but mortal man and his breath in his Nostrils and let him keep himself clear from Persecution for Conscience-sake for that will destroy Kings and Governments who are guilty thereof and let him be Meek and Sober and take the Lord before him in all his proceedings or else he cannot prosper his Day and Time is now present that Gods purpose is to try him if he Rule in Righteousness and Truth in Equity and Iustice he may be blessed But if otherwise he Govern and walk not in reverence to the Lord and spare his People the God of Heaven shall rebuke him and deliver his People another way Consider of these things in a sober mind Read them over in meekness This was written about the middle of the 3d. month called May From a Lover of your Souls Edw. Burrough A few QUERIES I do return to you for you to Consider and Answer relating to the present Affairs and Proceedings in this Nation even to all you that are called and known by the Name of ROYALLISTS and CAVALIERS that are really so and have Suffered for that Cause Query 1. TO what do you Attribute the first Cause of the Advancement of this present Government And whether or no ye believe that there was any thing of the purpose and hand of the Lord by intending and bringing these things about without expectation by you and contrary to the great strength of your Enemies who are suddenly of a great and high Mountain made a low Valley and you of a low and troden down Valley suddenly raised up into a great Mountain And to what do you Attribute this Changing and Overturning of Power and Authority and Rulers even them that have been as Princes and Potentates to be Rebels and them that have been accounted as Rebels and Traitors to be Rulers and Governours I say to what do you Attribute these things on their first Cause whether to the Pollicy of some or to Accident or to good Fortune as some call it Or whether you believe in your Consciences that the Lord God by his secret Power hath purposed and suffered the effecting and accomplishing of these things Quer. 2. And if you believe that there is any thing of the band and purpose of the Lord in doing or suffering these Transactions Then wherefore and for what Cause do you believe hath he done these things Is it because you are more Righteous in the sight of God than they who are cast out before you and because he loveth you and hateth them Or whether it is not because they have proved Treacherous and Deceitful and not answered unto the Lord what he requireth of them but sought themselves and forgot the Lord and took your Estates and Titles of Honour upon them and pretended a better Government and to Govern better than that way of Monarchical Government but did not but were Oppressors even as others before them And is not this the Iust Cause wherefore the Lord hath suffered these Overturnings May not we justly that are neither of you Attribute this to be the very Cause wherefore the Lord hath brought them down and raised up you over them whereas if they had repented of their Sins and been faithful to what the Lord required of them and what themselves pretended to and had indeed Governed Iustly and Righteously and freed the Oppressed and answered unto the Lord in an Equal Government according to his Law Whether may it not be believed that these things had never thus been brought to pass Quer. 3. Whether or no you believe that there is a GOD so mighty in Power and so wise in Counsel and Purpose that can Turn and Overturn you and your Power and lay you low even as others and raise up others who are now as low as you hà ve been for divers years Whether you believe that there is a GOD that by his Power can effect such a thing and accomplish it in his wisdom And whether do you not believe in your Consciences that he will do it if you do not please him and fear his Name and forsake allwickedness and if you be Oppressors and cruel-heated as others have been and do not Rule in Righteousuoss and Equity And whether you believe not that the Lord doth watch over you with his eye that sees you and marks all your wayes Whether do you consider that the Lord looks for good fruit from you and that you should free the Land from Oppression which if you answer not the Will of the Lord in what he requires Whether do not you believe that he is so Wise in Counsel and Mighty in Power that he can and will whether by Means or without Means Overturn and Confound YOU and your Government Quer. 4. Whether you believe in your Consciences and do acknowledge unto God that there was any thing of his IUSTICE in your late Sufferings for these divers years Or whether all of them or no part of that Suffering which hath been upon you were any whit Iust as from the Lord And whether there was not a great Measure of Iniquity filled up in Monarchical Government and a great Measure of Oppression upon the poor people of this Nation by their Lords and great men And whether this Rebuke and Reproof that you have had in this measure of Suffering that hath been upon you was not in some measure Iust as from the Lord that you might be humbled before him though it is by me acknowledged that your Enemies these I mean who are now cast out before you brought great guilt upon themselves in