of Christ Jesus his Command and because we will not Transgresss his Command and the Apostles we say The will of the Lord be done And we do say it is not well for Christians to Persecute or Imprison such as Obey the Command of Christ who in their communications use Yea and Nay according to his Doctrine and if their Yea be not Yea and their Nay Nay and if we break our Yea and break our Nay then let us suffer as much for breaking of That as others for breaking their Oath This Imprisoning and Fining us because we cannot Swear to the breaking of the Command of Christ hath got up since the Apostles dayes for which doing so and practice among the Apostles and Church in the Primitive Times there is no Command nor Example And we desire to have who pay their Taxes and Assessments as much Liberty as Stage-Players and Mountebanks and Ballad-Singers who meet together in hundreds to the Dis-honour of God and likewise all other Playes which we do not hear are called Tumultuous Meetings as ours are who meet together to Edifie one another in that which is good to worship God And this is allowed in the Scripture They that feared the Lord spake often together whom the Lord heard and these were cast out and hated in the dayes of Isaiah for they were such as trembled at Gods Word but Sports and Playes the Scripture does not allow of but the Lord by his Servants Rebuked such Let no one be put to Death for Cattle or Mony but let them Restore and if they have not wherewith let them Labour till they have in the thing that is good and so that they may have space to Repent and this is agreeable to the Scriptures Let all Writs and Indictments Subpaena's Warrants have no more put in them then the things that are truly charged against him and all Laws drawn in a short Volume that all may know them that all things may be kept wholesome and sweet that to the Lord God you may be a good Savour and let all Prisoners that have layen four or five yeares in Goales Prisons and Houses of Correction be brought out to a Tryal before their Accusers and see who there is that Accuses them and let them not lye to perish in Goales and Prisons that mercy and Tenderness Justice and Truth may flow among all people that to the Lord you may be a good Savour and in your Generations and a Praise to God And again concerning Religion and severall Opinions and Judgements in the Worship of God let every 〈◊〉 speak his Judgment speak his Opinion Let all Magistrates keep peace with his Magistrates Sword and keep down the Hand and Fist of People that they shall not strike with their Fists Clubs Swords and Staves for Envious Persons Strikers and Man-Slayers the Law is against and let the Magistrates be like Gameliel who said If it was of God it would stand if it was not it would fall who said to others They should take heed lest they were found fighters against God so let the patience of an Heathen be an Example to Christians which indeed them that professe the Name of Christ should be beyond Gamaliels so whatsoever Opinions Judgements that are not of God will fall but take heed do not fight against it lest you be found fighters against God and consider Christs mind who said Let the Tares and the Wheat grow together till the Harvest Therefore you may see he stopped his Disciples from pulling up lest they should pull up the Tares and Wheat together and so prevented that danger therefore mind that Caution And Saul before he was converted in his first birth was a Persecutor running up and down from the Chiefe Priests with his Packet of Letters to hale and persecute from City to City such as lived in the Life of Christ Jesus but of this Action he Repented when he was converted and the Apostle had no such Agents as the Jews Chief Priests had with packets of Letters to persecute and hale them from City to City and they that have done so since the dayes of the Apostles gone up and down with their packets of Letters haling and persecuting such as have been in the Life of Christ Jesus have been like the unconverted Jews and Priests and Saul but not like the Church in the Primitive Times and converted Paul So here you may see the converted and the unconverted he that is in the birth born of the Spirit and he that is in the birth born of the Flesh And concerning of what Sort of People the Lord made use of and spake to in the Old Testament and concerning also what sort his Son CHRIST JESUS made use of and spoke to in the New Testament in the Old such as were Herds-men Plow-men Keepers of Cattel Gatherers of Fruit Threshers of Corn Keepers of Sheep and these were hated of the World as Abel a Keeper of Sheep and Moses a Keeper of Sheep and Jacob a Keeper of Sheep anâ—â—he Prophet David a Keeper of Sheep and these confounded the World and such like as these speak forth the Scriptures And Christ chose Fisher-men for Soul Gatherers Paul a Tent-Maker c. And these had not been at Universities and Schools of Learning to Train them up in but Christ Jesus was their Teacher who did not call many of the great Doctors and Learned men who is the same to day yesterday and for ever both God and Christ And if he make use of the same and such like now be not offended if he fill the earth with his Knowledge and cover it with the same as the water the Sea let none be Troubled and Offended For all the Children of the Lord shall be taught of Him and in Righteousness shall they be established and great shall be their Peace according to Esaiahs Prophesie Esay 54. Which Prophesie many of Us do witness And likewise we do witness the Promise of God who said he would make A New Covenant not according to the Old For he said I will put my Law in their Minds and put them in their Hearts whereby they shall not have need to say to one another Know the Lord for all shall know Him from the Greatest to the Least and I will be to them a God and they shall be me to a People c. And this we Witnesse And so we need not to have Teachers saying Know the Lord. So therefore we need not be compelled to such Teachers who would keep us alwayes in Teaching that we might be alwayes paying of them who keeps us alwayes Learning under whose Teaching we were never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth under whose Teaching we were kept in Reprobation from Faith which Christ is the Author of now unto whom we look and need not say to one another Know the Lord. And Christ is the Head of every Man who is Our Head who is Our Leader who is Our Way and we need not
notwithstanding all this Trial of us by which ye have Tried us under cruel Sufferings and have not found us Guilty of Plots Insurrections Tumults against the King or the Peace of the Nation or any Mans Person or Estate Our Liberty is not Restored to us as to meet together to Worship God according to the Kings Word and Declaration which is but a Just thing We not being found to be such as his Proclamation Limits who have made ill use of his Indulgence neither have we Forfeited our Liberty Therefore it is not Equity to Number us amongst such who have Forfeited their Liberty Now therefore our defire is That a Proclamation may be set forth that we may have our Liberty seeing we have not Forfeited it according to the Kings Word and that men may not run upon us with Arms Clubs and Staves which are not Christians Weapons to run upon people who are met together to Worship God which is the Spiritual mens place to medle with Spiritual Things And it is the Son of Perdition that sits in the Temple of God which Exalts himself above all that is called God who must be destroyed by the Brightness of his coming and by the Breath of his Mouth And have cryed the Ministers we cannot serve our bellies of the people if we have not the Magistrates Swords to compel and forbid people not to meet together to Worship God and pray together and declare his Goodness and confess his Name for with the mouth confession is made to Salvation You may as well bid us deny GOD our SALVATION and not confess our selves to be Christians and to live without the fear of God for they that feared God met often together as in Malachy whom the Lord heard And is not the Scripture full of these sayings that the Saints should tell of the Wonders of God and declare what God had done for their Souls And what Christians limit us from this And must we be limited from confessing Christ before men Is not Christ ashamed of them before his Father that be ashamed of him before men And must Sons and Daughters be limited from Prophesying upon whom the Lord hath poured his Spirit And doth not the Apostle say Quench not the Spirit And is not this his Doctrine And doth not God say Limit not the Holy One and Despise not Prophesy And doth not the Apostle say God is not Worshiped by the Handy-works of Men by that which mens hands have wrought set up for Worship That is a large word but God is worshipped in Spirit and Truth This is Christ Doctrine And let none be compelled to the publique Worship nor Fined nor Imprisoned for that was never the Practice nor Doctrine of Christ nor the Apostles to compel any against their own Consciences who were not first perswaded by the Spirit of God This is from the People of God called Quakers and Subscribed by Vs this 13th day of the 3d Month 1661. G. Fox J. Stubbs F. Howgil H. Fell. R. Hubberthorn R. Scostrop POST-SCRIPT LEt no one be Persecuted about Religion Worship Ministers-Maintenance let all be done freely in Bounty and Love as it was among the true Churches in the Primitive Times for Cain killed his Brother about Worship Religion and Sacrifice which Cain built a City by that you may see he was a Ruler for which Fact Killing his Brother God said He was a Fugitive a Vagabond in the earth for Murthering and Killing his Brother The Jews by the Law of God were for to kill Hereticks and False Prophets that were setters forth of strange Gods and this they were to do by the Law of God which Law of God Christ ended who hath all Power in Heaven and in earth given unto him who was the chiefe Magistrate upon the earth And the Jews in a pretence of killing the False Prophets they killed the True Prophets and stoned them to death before Christ the great Prophet came in the Flesh and they crucified him and caused many of the Apostles to be Persecuted and Killed and they thought they did God good service having Gods Law to kill such that set forth strange Gods or another way therefore they thought they did God good service in killing the Prophets killing the Son killing the Saints and so do all Religions else as do the Antichrists and Papists that have killed and put to death so many hundreds that were contrary minded in Religions which with them was Vagabonded from God by which the earth hath been stained with the blood of the Innocent in Killing Persecuting and putting to Death about Religion since the Apostles dayes And the Church went into the Wilderness Rev. 12. Yea the very earth hath not yeilded her increase but it hath brought a Curse upon it though they have been Sacrificers and Killers as Cain which Sacrifice God hath no respect to but to such as are of Abels Faith that do not kill but have the spiritual Weapons Therefore let there be an Universall Liberty about Religion and let no Christian persecute a Christian seeing all professe Christ in words but let them be ruled with Spirituall Weapons and their Religion defended with spirituall Weaponed Men else they are but like Cain the Jews Judas and the Papists and not like the Apostles in the Primitive Times who said Their Weapons were not Carnal but spiritual And if you say how should we know the true Disciples of Christ Jesus here is their Mark they are such that love one another hereby they are known to be Disciples and if you do say How shall we know the true Beleevers in Christ Jesus these are they that are passed from Death to Life and such love both Brethren and Enemies Now though there were Haters and Persecutors denyers of the Resurrection Blasphemers of God and Christ who had all power in Heaven and in Earth given unto him the Chief Ruler upon the earth which ended the Law did not Persecute any nor cause any to be put Death to be Persecuted or Banished by the Jews Law but he said Love Enemies here they differed from the Pharisees here was their mark of being Children of the most high God And the Apostle saith He that is born of the Flesh will persecute him that is born of the Spirit So here is each birth and they which are the Children of the Flesh these are not the Children of God the one will persecute and the other is the persecuted and the Apostle bids Overcome Evill with Good So all the true Worshippers that Worship God in the Spirit in the Truth which the Devill is out of these cannot persecute any about Religion Church and Worship but are the spirituall Men and have the spirituall Weapons and these are like unto the Apostles in the Primitive Times Therefore as the Papists have persecuted about their Church Religion and Sacrifice for which example they have had none from the Apostles in the Primitive Times Let none follow their Examples but Christ who
said Love Enemies and wrestle not with Flesh and Blood but Christ said to the Disciples who would have had Fire come down from Heaven to consume them who were contrary minded he reproved them and tells them they knew not what Spirit they were of Wherefore they that do destroy mens lives about Worship Church and Religion do not know what Spirit they are of wherefore how can we trust our Bodies Souls and Spirits into the Hands of such as know not what Spirit they are of themselves Let there be no forced Maintenance to the Ministers that professe the Gospel but let all be done by Freeness and Bounty as it was in the Apostles days for the Papists that set up Tythes and pretend the Law of God hath been since the Apostles dayes which Law of God Christ ended and Tythes both as in Heb. 7. Let no one be put to Death for Cattel or Money or such things as many be but let them Live to restore Four Fold or be Sold for their Theft and to work with their Hands in the thing that is Good according to the Apostles Doctrine and Command of God for the Law of God is Just and Equal and Perfect going over all Transgression answering the Transgressed Principle in all and to all men to do as they would be done by And many say the Lords Prayer Forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that Trespass against us then fall a Persecuting and Revenging although with their Lips they say these words for if they had forgiven there had never been Persecution in the whole Christendom since the Apostles dayes Wherefore they that say these words Forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that Trespasse against us and doe not the things are the Sayers and not Doers like the Pharisees Wherefore consider for CHRIST JESUS the Lord of Life the King of Glory Lord of Heaven and Earth is come to Reign to reward every one according to their Works and give every one a Reward for his Doings Wherefore Fear and Dread the Lord God of Hosts of Heaven and Earth For now you have time Prize it spend it not as a Tale or as one that dreameth pass it not away for man must perish or will perish living in the Earth out of the Life being in the Separation from God Wherefore Fear and Tremble before the Living Mighty God of Heaven and Earth The Lord of Hosts is his Name Now whereas there is a great Noise of Stopping and Imprisoning the Leaders and the Heads of the Quakers Thus Christ is their Head And the Head of every man as in Corinthians and Christ in the Female and he is the Head there who is their Leader to God who destroyes the Devil and his Works and all the Powers of the world cannot limit him Christ who hath all Power in Heaven and in Earth given unto him and He in the Male and Female is King is Head is the Leader is their Commander is their Wisdom Justification and Sanctification is their Redemption and the Resurrection bringing them to God into a Life that is Everlasting without End So Christ is the Prophet and King a King to Rule a Prophet to Teach an everlasting Priesthood that offers up the Spirituall Sacrifice to God He is in Man in the Male in the Female So Christ is in all except they be Reprobates and if he be within he is the Leader to the Father he is the Teacher he is the Head he is the Elder he is the First he is the Last So here is no such thing among the Quakers which know their Election before the World began whose Salvation is wrought out with Fear and Trembling that are Redeemed from all them that have cast the Fear of God behind them and live without it without God in the world and no Assurance of Election who Hire men to Lead them and Teach them where there is Exalting and Heads many over them whom Christ is the Head to Condemnation that hate the Light Among them are the several Masters like Pharisees but to the Disciples he said It shall not be so among you who is the Head of his Disciples their Teacher and Leader so they have but one Head if they be Ten Thousand times Ten Thousand Christ is the Head in the Male and Female and here is no Exercising Lordship among them over one another as among the Gentiles and the Apostate Christians are got into the Lordship and are Offended if they will not give them Earthly Honour And the Lord saith His Children shall be taught of him and they shall be Established in Righteonsness And these are them which the Teachers and Professors of the world persecute And the Lord saith Every one that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh to the Son And the Apostle saith They have the Anointing within them to teach them and they need not man to Teach them but as the same Anointing did Teach them And this he Wrote to the Saints concerning them that did seduce them And he told them many Antichrists and False Prophets were gone out into the World and those be them that be alwayes Teaching them that they may be alwayes paying them but the True Apostles brought people to the Anointing within them and told them That the Grace of God which brought Salvation did Teach them And God had put his Law in their Mindes and writ it in their Hearts whereby they they need not say one to another Know the Lord for they all know him from the least to the greatest And the Apostle said to the Hebrews how that God had spoke to our Fathers by the Prophets at sundry times but now hath spoke unto us by or in his Son which is the Teacher whom we witness thousands to be our Teacher and Head and Leader Why persecutes thou me saith Christ It is hard for ye to kick against that which pricks you in your own Consciences saith Christ in the Male in the Female you cast into Prison you do not Visit Christ there you do not Cloath him you do not Feed him nor give him Drink Oh! where will you appear where will your end be that do not justly did not Christ lay these plainly down saying they cast him in Prison and did not Visit him nor Relieve him when he was Sick and yet now you in Christendom do not see and are so ignorant of him where he is made manifest in his Members in the Male and Female who is their Head and Teacher and Leader into the Righteousness and Truth whom you should Love and you cast them into Prison for meeting together having nothing against them to insnare them and yet you profess the Name of Christ now if you did profess the Name of Christ in Truth you would love Enemies if they were your Enemies and not persecute them that are taught of God and Christ is their Head for God let Cain have the liberty of the earth though he was a Fugitive it it for murthering his Brother And God let the Heretick Nimrod that began to build Babel have liberty in the earth and Scoffing Ismael have liberty in the Earth in the Wilderness And because the Jews had the Law of God who had the Signes Types Figures and Shadows by which they were to kill Blasphemers and false Prophets that drew away from God which Law and outward Carnal Weapons was a figure of the true Spiritual Weapons and of the Word of God Christ Jesus that destroyes the Devil and Blasphemers and false Prophets which were gone out from God and this was done by the Spiritual Weapons yea by the Sword that proceeds out of his mouth therefore the Christians are to love Enemies For they that go about to take away the Heads and Leaders of the QUAKERS as they think they go about to take away CHRIST for he is the Head not many Heads but their Head and Leader for the many Heads is the Beast and is in the World and is in the Fall from God for Christ is their Head and Leader and Way in the Male and Female and Life and Truth who is the way to God the Father who is the onely King Omnipotent Immortal and Everlasting Glory be to him for evermore who hath sent his Son to be our Teacher Saviour Redeemer and our Way and Truth and Life and our Resurrection and our Offering and great Sacrifice by which we are Sanctified and Perfected for ever who is also our Prophet Priest and King and his Command we cannot deny but must confess him before Men even Christ Jesus who hath spoken to us in these last dayes who ends the Law and Priests Temples Tithes Offerings Sacrifices first Covenant and Ceremonies and Shadows and the Carnal Weapons which do kill about Religion and the Son of God bids us Love Enemies Gods Son bids us Love Enemies and Swear not at all And this is the Son of God that speaks from Heaven they that speak from Earth Kill and Persecute one another and say We must Swear and brings it from the Jewes Law which Christ ends or from the Heathens below But we must confess Christ before men For he hath poured out of his Spirit upon all Flesh and his Sons and Daughters and they shall and do Prophesie and the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophesie and this is our Testimony of Jesus Even the Spirit of Prophesie and God hath given to us of his Spirit by which we know his Things and the manifestation of his Spirit is given to every man to profit withall and they that grieve and quench the Spirit do not profit by the Spirit but to their Condemnation and if any one have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his THE END