Tranquillity In few words Who can reckon the many Impieties of several sorts that break in upon the Kingdom of Christ at this great Breach The greatest and Sum of all is a Breach in the Communion of Saints in the Offices of Love The mischievous Effects of Divisions are so many Arguments for Union And that which doth prejudice sober Minds against the present Course of Informers and armed Men is That it tends to the extinction of Love and to enlarge the Division And for Union sake I desire the following Considerations may have the force of Arguments But before I come to propose them I desire it may be noted 1. It is and must be acknowledged that the King is Supreme Governor over all Persons and Causes Ecclesiastical and it belongs to his Office to protect and promote the true Christian Religion and preserve it from what is contrary and destructive to it 2. As the Offices and Duties of the Supreme Power seated in the Kings of England and Bishops and Pastors have been always distinguished by our most approved Writers as may be seen in Bishop Bilson of Subjection Bridges of the Supremacy Andrews Tortura Torti c. Dr. Nowel against Dorman which Dr. Reynolds brought to Hart in the beginning of their Conference who said That if we gave to Princes no more than Dr. Nowel did he did agree with it and King James himself 3. When the Magistrate exerciseth his Power by executing of Laws it is the Duty of the Pastors of the Church to use the Key of Doctrine that spiritual Means may be applied to the Souls of Men according to the prescription of our Saviour 4. Distinguish between Laws in their Intention and the Application of them which hath often fallen into such hands as turn them away from their Intention and do not observe them as a Rule to themselves in their Proceedings 5. No Apology is made or to be made for any seditions Practice or Doctrines for violation of Peace Subjection and Righteousness c. De vobis quidem dixisse Apostolum legimus quòd non sine causa gladium geratis ministri Dei sitis vindices in eos qui malè agunt sed aâ—ia est causa Provinciae alia est causa Ecclesiae illius terribiliter gerenda est administratio hujus clementer Commendanda est mansuetudo St. Aug. Epist 150 ad Apringium We may distinguish between peccata spiritualia secularia between spiritual Sins and secular His duplicibus peccatis puniendis c. In punishing these two Sins God hath ordained a twofold Sword or Punishment a spiritual Sword for spiritual Sins which is the Word of God and for secular and outward Sins a secular Sword namely Caesar's Joan. Brentius de Jure Magistratûs in Anabaptistas Again we may distinguish between both kinds of Sins and Evangelical Duties The Dissenters are not prosecuted for Infidelity Heresy c. or for seditious Doctrines or for secular Crimes and Offences but for meeting in such Numbers for Religious Exercises and Ordinances and for this only because in a manner different from the Church of England that is without the Liturgy as hath been said and should be kept in mind And the Prosecution begins by Informers usually false and wicked Persons that make a Trade of it and ends in Fines Imprisonments and corporal Sufferings The manner of doing their Work or Office is with prophaneness Impiety with what Wrath and Terror they can possibly cast a peaceable unarmed People into The Informers rush in with Bellowing and Roaring with Oaths and Impiousness Sometimes the Souldier comes in with his Pistol cock'd and threatens he 'll pistol any one that stirs he 'll crack the Preacher's Crown or pistol him These Things inserted to several Uses and for several Reasons which might be given I do present you with the Confiderations I. Can an Evangelical Union of Christians and Churches be ever hoped for by Anti-Evangelical Means and Instruments Aggravate their Religious Exercises in a manner different from the Liturgy as proceeding from Minds tainted with no less than Heresy and to be a direct and formal Schism and tending to corrupt and not to edify the Souls of Men What Means and Instruments more proper and effectual to attain a blessed Unity and to preserve a Christian Church than what are appointed by our Lord and Saviour Certainly he took care to preserve the Purity of Faith Doctrine Worship and Unity of the Faithful or else he did but according to what he blames in a Man that begins to build what he cannot finish sets up a Kingdom in Satan's Kingdom a Church in the Dominions of the World which would run into Confusion and Ruine from within it self except he took a course to preserve it To call and convert and not to keep but to lose had not been to act answerably to the glorious Name of a Saviour Since his Manifestation in the exercise of his Mediatory Office he fulfilled all Offices in his own Person as Prophet Priest and King After his Ascension he taught and directed his Church by his Spirit in his Apostles and Ministers and since their Decease by his Holy Spirit and revealed Will and Laws The Christian Church had all Power within it self before the Conversion of Emperors and Civil Potentates and since they became Nursing-Fathers and Nursing-Mothers the Church hath lost nothing of her spiritual Power by it for the Magistrate's Power is not privative but accumulative If Penalties Mulcts Fines Imprisonments and forcible Coertion had been so necessary it had been necessary to convert and set up Christian Emperors and Kings armed with a Civil Power as soon as he had given Success to his Ministers in calling a Church out of the World Yet this is not to be wrested to this very Construction as if the Church could do as well without a Christian Magistrate as with him It only pretends to shew us that our Lord Jesus hath left us Means and Directions sufficient for the preservation of his Church in Purity and Unity and that those Prescriptions are most likely to produce his Ends. Three things are pernicious to the Christian Church 1. Corruption of Doctrine and Heresy 2. Disunion and Schisms 3. Scandal in our Lives and Manners Our Saviour hath taken care to keep his Church from or to reform and purge it of all manner of pernicious Acts and Works of Satan and the Flesh And it lay upon him so to do more than upon the most Christian Magistrate or Pastor because he redeem'd his Flock with his own Blood and took upon him to be the Head of it and all the Honour he receives from the World is from his Church in it and therefore it concerns him so to govern his Church that he may be honoured in it and by it To this end the Lord promised to send his Spirit who is the Spirit of Revelation and Truth who leads Christ's Disciples into all necessary and saving Truth and the Spirit of Union with Christ
to eat and most remarkably visited in his Family His Brother Informer J. H. about two Years after the Act against Conventicles came out threw up the Trade as unprofitable and since he became an Auditor of Mr. M. C. And one time this J. H. was informed of by new Informers as being present at a Meeting there and was fined 5 s. He was a very serious and devout Hearer After Sir John Hartopp was chosen Knight for Leicester-shire against a great Opposition they who voted for him were called Hartopians and a Revenge was contrived upon the Protestant Dissenters of H. To that end one J W was made Constable who indicted them all not one spared upon the Statute of Twenty Pounds per Month which Fines amount to so great a Sum that understanding Persons compute if the whole Town of Harborough were to be sold for ready Money one Moiety of the Purchase would not discharge the Fines In Decemb. 1679 this Jo. W was thrown into Northampton-Goal and tho none came in against him at the Assizes the Judg saw sufficient cause to continue him in Prison but upon great Sollicitation he was bailed till the Summer-Assizes Within three Weeks after his coming home to Harborough he took upon him to be Informer for the King At the Summer-Assizes he appeared to save his Bail and to receive a Sentence of Condemnation as it proved from Judg Ellis and Monday following was appointed for Execution but it was by some means not publickly known procured he might be respited till Thursday following at which time there was a vast Confluence of People come together from the Town and Country a great way about who knew him to be a grand Malefactor to see Execution But in the Nick of Time a Reprieve came down as some have said without the King's Knowledg So little abash'd was he at the Sentence of Death that within an hour after he committed his common Sin in the Goal as was reported upon good Credit And on the expected Execution-Day he made himself merry at the great Concourse that came to the sight of it But after this he came home again and made great Brags that the Fanaticks should repay his Charges of procuring Reprieves and other Charges which cost some hundreds reckoning his Moiety would come to Four Hundred Pounds But as he could not leave the pursuit of his evil Deeds so the Justice of God pursued him and took him for Horse-stealing Coining c. and Vengeance fell upon him at Wisbich where he was after many Escapes once again condemned and executed There is a Successor of his near the same place and three of his perjured Hirelings who take no warning as yet and may in time become Examples to them that take no warning They can to appearance as freely forswear themselves as they can speak being hardned in Sin and sensless of Hell and having Countenance dare shew their Faces At East-Salcomb in Devon there dwelt one Joan Baston a Widow aged and blind who for a supposed Conventicle kept at her House Anno 1673 was fined Twelve Pounds and for non-payment of it was threatned with a Goal After some Weeks the Officers came and broke open her Doors and carried away much Goods above the value terrifying her over and over with the Goal and as was conceived labouring to extort dangerous Words from her They sold as many Goods as were worth thirteen Pound for Fifty Shillings six Hogsheads valued at Forty Sihllings for nine Shillings and Pewter Feather-Beds c. for Twenty Shillings and demanded of her Tenants her Rent by which means she suffered much This is signed by J. B. and the Story related by another hand and sufficiently attested The Constable having seized J. Baston's Goods told me We have been up and down about our Office seizing the old Woman's Goods This is the Fruit of your Rebellion And as for Mr. Geo. Cawley the Preacher he hath spoken Treason To whom I replied No Sir I hope not Yes said he and if he do not die I will die for him Sir managed that false Accusation against him from which he was cleared at the Assizes The Constable that falsly accused Mr. Coles of S. was taken ill at Exeter and continued ill a Night and a Day On Friday he endeavoured to go homewards with his Neighbours In his Journey a wild Duck flew over his Head and backward and forward at which his Horse made a stop and would not go forward His Company demanded the reason of his Stand he replied he could not go further I see a Fire befere me A while after he went on but the same Fire followed him to and fro all the way homeward After his coming home he fancied Thieves to be about his House attempting to break open the Doors he heard such a Sound and Noise he sent down his Servant-Maid to see who found all fast and quiet She having lighted a Candle he cried out There are some coming up Stairs with great Lights c. Thus he continued till Lord's-Day at Night and about two or three in the Morning died sensless of his Condition Thus it proved true Mr. C. should die or he die for him he died but not for Mr. C. The Constable and Assistants that ransacked the old Widow's House brought forth the Pulpit into the High-Way with half a Hogshead of Sider and therewith a Company of base Fellows drank Healths in the Pulpit and when they had done brake the Pulpit in pieces Edw. Warden's Bible was distrained for his Fine of Three Shillings when other Goods were refused See the Piety of some of our Suppressors of Conventicles Preachers are threatned with Hanging and the Death of Traytors they pull down a Pulpit to set up Healthing in it tear the Pulpit distrain and sell the Bible to choose when they might have choice of other Goods Novemb. 1670 an Information was taken by J. T. Esq and given by certain lewd Fellows against some near Cruse Morchard in Devon The Informers were John Partridg that went always armed for fear of Bayliffs Chr. Short and Jo. Short These lay lurking about the House of Tho. Melshurst suspecting a Meeting Soon after they gave out there had been Praying or Preaching or Expounding there but which they could not tell because they were kept off from the House by a great Bull-Dog which was shortly after poysoned The Justice took a general information whether upon Oath or not is not said and sent out his Warrants to bring certain Persons before him one of which understanding the Informers were in the House desired the Justice to call them and asked the Informers how they could tell there was Praying or Preaching or Expounding and desired to know which was done seeing by their own Confession they were kept off by the Dog The Justice perceiving them to be at a loss for an Answer made Answer for them They might know well enough which it was by the Tone and upon that convicted them and among the
but against his Honour Wealth and Strength Why will Magistrates employ set on and encourage infamous and known lying Fellows How can they believe them that were not Witnesses nor present in the Meeting from the beginning to the end but lay skulking at a distance that went scouting up and down that took Names upon Trust and Hear-say and that cannot tell the Text nor one Sentence of the Sermon nor who the Preacher was Here Regard is to be had to the Credibility of Persons on both sides Are there not as honest just consciencious Persons as Informers I hope I know there are why may not they be believed and the Parties relieved upon their Appeals Is it a sufficient Reason because they swear for the King If for the King as a Party then Judges judg between Party and Party and in doing Justice against the King's Cause as a Party they establish his Throne as a King and thereby act for him If it be for the King's Profit it supposes the Right to lie on his Side first or else it is no Profit but a Worm in his Exchequer What other Reason is there why these Witnesses must be believed Is it because they swear positively in the Affirmative Because some that construe Things in their favour do take this for a Rule that a Negative cannot be proved therefore their positive Swearing cannot be disproved I do think it worthy a few Words to explain it which may help Mens Understanding therefore I say A Negative cannot be proved because it is grounded pardon the Word upon a Non-entity that is There is no such thing therefore such a thing cannot be affirmed and proved Truth is the positive in Being and Reality and therefore Truth can only be affirmed In a Contradictory one Side can only be true If one Man swear a Lie never so positively he positively swears a Negative or a Privative He that swears the Truth tho it be contrary to an affirmative Falshood or Lie swears a Positive Now when an Informer or any other Witness swears positively so and so and another swears the contrary the Judg and Jury who are Judges of Evidence must know that he that swears Truth he only swears the Positive and the other the Negative and therefore in this case they must use their Reason to compare the Credit of the Persons that swear on both Sides and if there be an equality in them they must have regard to Circumstances and find out what Evidence they can Let Juries take heed of the Guilt of a false Verdict when they are tempted and deceived that it is for the King They are to proceed according to the Credit of the Evidence and then it is for the King when they proceed according to Truth Then you are Loya Subjects when you act according to Law for Law is the Rule of Loyalty It is too apparent that too many now do study by what Laws Protestants may be brought into Trouble as Lactantius reports that Domitius Vlpianus de Officio Proconsulis lib. 7. rescripta nefaria collegit ut docere quibus paenis affici oporteret eos qui se cultores Dei confiterentur De Justitia lib. 5. p. 491. Honoured Sirs you have a Law and Laws keep strictly to them and do not your selves transgress them You have Laws against others keep to those Laws and you will not give Dissenters such just cause to complain as they have You have Laws and you have a Religion too in great danger from the Execution of them at this time and in the usual manner if the Judgment of a great part of them who had Ability to judg and Power to declare their Judgments be of any value You have a Law but keep to your Places lest you give great advantage to them that complain of illegal Sufferings Many of you do not like the Laws but besides the Law there is a Penalty and an hundred Pounds will make a Hole in some Justices Estates especially in Towns and Cities who are Tradesmen But keep strictly to the Laws to these Laws and you may venture your Penalty If you were not too forward or too fearful the Informers would fear to come to your Houses as Men afraid to be sent to the House of Correction or a Goal and you may easier defeat them than they recover a Forfeiture upon you with all their Arts of Falshood and Perjury But if you value your Forfeiture above the preservation of the Protestant Religion in a great part of it how will you be able co suffer the Loss of all against Popery And lastly Consider seriously the manifold Manifestations of God in these Things The Judgments of God are rarely and seldom executed because of his Patience and Mercy but they are sometimes that they may be noted and that Men may fear The Lord is known by the Judgments which he executeth This may be called Fanaticisin and vain Observations of weak and superstitious Minds But as it is a Contempt of God not to observe his Providences and his Judgments so Christians in all Ages have made and given Observations of God's Hand stretched out against them that have persecuted his People or helped forward their Affliction You know how unwillingly Pontius Pilate was drawn to deliver our Saviour Who ever accounted Ger. Jo. Vossius below the most learned of his Age He gives this Censure of Pilate's Act Harmon Evang. l. 2 c. 5 p. 246. Cujus injustitiae graves à Deo poenas luit For he who suffered himself to be carried with the Accusations of the Jews which he knew to be false so far as to adjudg innocent Christ to Punishment he also himself circumvented with the false Accusations of the Jews was banished to Vienna as Josephus Lib. 18. of his Antiq. c. 7. Neither did Herod escape unpunished who professed he found nothing worthy of Death in Christ for his cruel handling of him for he was tho for a far different Cause by Caligula banished unto Lions Joseph Antiq. l. 18. c. 25. This might be sufficient to discourage any from being forward or inciting and promoting this Work either by Threats or Promises and to make the unwilling resolute in their Averseness and Forbearance He that said Remember Lot ' s Wife doth expect that all Men should read what God's hand writes upon Examples and declares by his Publick Judgments Tertullian observes to Scapula the Publick Judgments of God for the Persecution of the Christians such as not gathering their Harvests the former Years Rain and the Fires which hung over the City of Carthage all the Night they knew what they threatned who saw them and what the Thunders sounded Nec unquam impiorum scelere in nostrum nomen exurgitur ut noâ—statim divinitùs vindicta comitetur c. Cyprianus contra Demetrianum Omnia haec sunt imminentis â—â—ae Dei signa These are all Signs of the Wrath of God hanging over our Heads And they shall feel the universal and last or