Jews he proceeded in his work and took Peter and put him in Prison thinking about Easter time when the People wanted some sport and the Priests some blood to mingle with their Sacrifice and howling Prayers then to have brought him forth to be a Prey to those blood-sucking Wolves but it pleased the Lord to send his Angel and deliver his Servant out of all their hands But this Herod the Persecutor was a wicked proud man and the Angel of the Lord smote him for his wickedness and the Wages he received was to be eaten with Worms Let all proud blood-thirsty men think of these things Again it was the unbelieving Jews that stirred up the People to persecute Paul Barnabas expelled them out of the Coast of Antioch and also it was the Unbelievers that did the like in Iconium and when the Apostles came to Lycaonia and had preached and many believed their Testimony then those unbelieving Jews turned Informers adn went after them and made an Uproar and caused Paul to be stoned and drawn out of the City near dead Again when Paul and Silas was as Instruments in the hand of God to cast out a Damsel a spirit of divination then they that had the gain of her Southsaying saw themselves at a loss they like Priests turned Persecutors and caused the Apostles to be beaten with many stripes and to be put in Prison but mark those men were not led by the true Spirit to persecute but by that cursed spirit of Divination and Southsaying so let all such at this day see who is their Leader Again it was the Unbelievers at Thessalonica and lewd Fellows of the baser Sort that set the City in an uproar and assaulted like the Sodomites the house of Jason to have brought out the Disciples to have mischiefed or murdered them and they drew Jason the man that had the Meeting at his House and several Believers before the Rulers crying out these that have turned the World upside down are come hither also we have many in England that loves to be called Believers rather then Persecutors but if a Tree may be known by its fruits let the meek in heart compare and judge Again Demetrius and his Wicked Company which made Silver Shrines for Diana and were false Worshippers they also persecuted the true Worshippers crying out Our Craft is in danger as also our Temple and Goddess whom all the World worshippeth Again it was Unbelievers false Worshippers that stirred up the People against Paul when they found him in the Temple and they set Jerusalem on an uproar and went about to kill him and the Priests and false Worshippers said he was not fit to live and they threw dust into the Air and the nimble fingered Priest commanded Paul should be smitten on the mouth and they informed Festus and Foelix and Agrippa against him and lest their own smooth Tongues should not lye fast enough they got or hired Tertullus to be their Informer and Orator against Paul Oh they would fain have been sucking his blood for he was the worst Enemy they had as for spoiling their trade and discovering their hypocrisie and these Priests were the chief in all his Sufferings and long Imprisonments and the Apostle shews who it was that led these Priests thus to persecute for when he wrote to one of the Churches he saith He purposed to have seen them but at present Satan hindred so we would have all People see whose work they are doing that persecutes and prisons the Servants of the Lord and again it is written The Devil shall cast some of you into prison and so along throughout the Scriptures And since the Apostles through this long night that hath been over People according to History we find good men and true Worshippers have been persecuted by Blind Wicked men who were false Worshippers And because many in these late dayes makes it their business to insence the Rulers and inform them against the Righteous I have viewed over the holy Scriptures to see what root they sprang from and whose steps they tread in First I find the Devil is called the Accuser of the Brethren he also informed against Job for in those dayes the Sons of God met together and the Devil was not pleased thereat so he endeavoured to accuse Job before the Lord and the stress of his words were to render Job a Hypocrite that he loved his Oxen and Camels and Sheep and things of that nature more then he loved either God or his Religion and if the Lord would but suffer all he had to be taken from him then he would deny his Religion and curse his God to his Face so the Lord gave Satan leave to try what he could do Then Satan went out from the Presence of God it was a true Saying for no Persecutor abides in his Favourable Presence so then he drummed upon the spirits of the Sabeans and Caldeans Mark they were a wicked Stock and raised them up by the Alarum of Hell so they put on their Swords and came and killed Jobs Servants and took away his Cattel as you may read at large nevertheless Job stood firm to his Religion And the Sons of God met the second time then the old Informer came again to the Meeting and informed against Job ad he had done before and desired a greater penalty might be laid upon him seeing he still retained his integrity and the Sons of God still kept up their Meeting so Satan desired he might have leave to touch this Flesh and his Bone you may see how Satan loves to crush the Righteous to pieces but the Lord would not commit Jobs Life into his hand only his Flesh See what thou canst do Satan with thy Stones and with thy Whips and with thy Stocks and set thy Children to beat him and make him sore from the crown to the foot and when all was done the Devil proved a false Witness and Job proved a true Worshipper and the Lord blessed him and gave him more Children and Cattel then he had before the time of Persecution Wherefore Oh all ye Sons and Daughters of Job stand fast unto God and to his Worship and be valiant for the Truth upon Earth Wiched proud Haman also he learned of his father to be an Informer against Gods peculier People and told the King That their Laws differed from his and therefore it was not meet they should have their liberty but he would give the King ten thousand Tallents of Silver into his Treasury if the King would but give way to him to destroy in one day all the Lords People and all this envy rose in this proud Haman chiefly because good Mordecai would not get up an bow or put off his Hat to Haman no sooner had the King granted Hamans request but the Informer commands thâ— Scribes Lievtenants and Governours to aid him and â—uilds a Gallows intending it for Mordecai but the Lord lâ—â— the King see Hamans
ever their leaves may be for shew yet it is but a wild degenerate Plant of a strange Vine as is manifest by its Fruit seeing it proves a sowre Grape which is to be cast into the Wine-press of the fierce Wrath of the Almighty who knows how to reserve the Wicked for that day of punishment And I would have the Reader to observe how all along in the time of the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and since to this very day the chief Instruments of Satan in the Work of Persecution is and hath been the Priests and false Prophets and Hirelings with their Bishops and Popes and such unwise Kings and Rulers who opened their ears to hearken to their Whisperings and Lyes and Slanders and murdering counsel against the Righteous and by hearkening to those kind of Evening-Wolves and helping them to suck the Blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus how hath Kingdoms been shaken and Governments overturned them and their Families cursed so perished in the hot displeasure of the Lord and their memorial hath rooted and stinks to this very day as the Enemies of God and so that which was written in the Second Psalm hath been and will be fulfilled Why did the Heathen rage and the People murmur the Kings and Princes band and assemble together against the Lord and his Truth saying Let us break their bands and cast their cords from us but then mark He that sitteth in the Heaven shall laugh the Lord shall have them in dirision and speak to them in his Wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure and crush them as with an Iron Scepter and break them in pieces like a Potters Vessel and so this is according to that saying He rebuketh Kings for the sake of his People and commanded them not to touch his Anointed neither harm his Prophets and wo be to them that break this Commandment But some will say Ought not every Christian to obey the King I say Yes in all Righteousness actively but if any Kings command contrary to God and make Laws contrary to the royal Law of Love and Righteousness then the Commands of god and his Law of Truth is to be kept only and the other witnessed against not by Plotting or raising Insurrections but passively in a Lamb like Spirit undergoing those Penalties that shall be inflicted until the Lord plead with the Oppressor and avenge his Elect that cries unto him night and day and have no Helper in the Earth and this is according to the Saying of Christ My Kingdom is not of this World therefore my Servants must not fight And this is the Faith and Patience of Saints to stand still and see the Lords Salvation and Preservation whilst they that are killing with Swords perish and are devoured one of another But say some men Ought you not to conform and be of the same Religion that the Governours of the Land are pleased to establish And if they make a Law to compel you thereunto Are you not Rebels if you do not actively obey seeing we have a Christian King c To which I answer By this Rule then I may not know what Religion I must be of next seeing the Papists and Presbyterians and Independants and others profess themselves Christians and we have seen how one gets up after another and every one sets up a new kind of Worship and cries You must obey the higher Power and bow down to my Fashion of Religion So if I should manifest my self as a Cloud carried about with every Tempest of mens brains and foolish conceits and such as can do see I little question but rather then suffer deeply they can conform to the Turks Alcoron or in the end wheel about to be Atheists and worship the visible Sun Moon and Stars or fall down to Nebuchadnezers Image if there be but Musick c. But he that is really a Christian will stand to the Worship that Christ set up which is in the Spirit and in the Truth which is the same to day as yesterday and will remain when Popish Dreams and Inventions of giddy headed men will have an end for the standing Rule that Christ hath appointed for his People to walk by is not a Mass-Book nor the Fragments thereof covered with other names but it is the Spirit of Truth which he promised should lead and guide them and that it should abide and remain with them for ever So here is the unchangeable Way and Rule and Worship set up by him who is King of Kings and this is the higher Power unto who the soul is to be subject for it s written All Power in Heaven and Earth is given unto him therefore let all proud flesh tremble before him and let none think to rob him of his Prerogative lest they be driven to eat Grass with Nebuchadnezer and so be made to know there is one will rule in the Kingdoms of men But say many People What do you think of the present proceedings against Fanaticks and do you think it safe to suffer such great Multitude to meet together and was it not time to limit them c To which I answer The greatest Meetings that I have seen commonly are at the Play-Houses and if there be danger in a Multitude then to be sure they should be supprest for the Proverb saith The Wicked run together to do Evil but I observe such Meetings as are for PLAYS and singing of BALLADS though in the open Streets are most suffered and rather encreased then otherwise together with Bear-baitings Revellings Race-runnings and much of that nature whereby the Lord is daily dishonoured and the Earth corrupted but I hear of no Fines that are levied upon such Meeters nor Houses nor upon those open prophane Vassals of the Devil who spend their whole time in cheating â—ools of their Money and teaching Youth to be Idle and Wanton and Curse and Swear and so fit them for Baudy-houses and to be Theeves and so in the end to the Gallows And as for the late Persecution in it self I have no reason to believe that it is the Fruit of a right Spirit First Because covetous Bishops and Priests were the chief Founders of it for their own filthy Lucre sake that so as Merchants of Babylon they might have the whole Trade to themselves and also lord over Gods Heritage Secondly Many of those that gave life to it the Nation well knows had more need to sit down and repent in Dust and Ashes and wait to know their own Consciences washed and purged from filthiness then go about to shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against them that desire to enter and also to bring again into bondage such who through Grace have escaped the the pollutions of the flesh that is in the World Thirdly it makes sad the hearts of the Righteous but many that are well known by their Neighbours to be Drunkards Fidlers Players Swearers c. even the worst of men it s like a Feast for them and hereby an Arrow is put into their hands to make the Righteous their Mark and their Estates a continual Prey many of these wicked Instruments bragging what they will be worth in few years but let them remember Judas his End though for a time it may be suffered as in the dayes of Malachi That the proud and such as work wickedness and daily tempt God may be set up and counted happy and yet delivered But as Peter saith Their Damnation slumbreth not for wo be unto such as go in the Way of Cain and Balaam c. Fourthly The Law of God teacheth a man To love his Neighbour as himself and do as he would be done unto and every one shall answer for himself But I do not believe these Rulers that made this late Act would be served so themselves as they have appointed to be done to others and also that one man should suffer for another this is contrary to Gods holy Law and therefore all Kings Princes and Rulers who desire and expect their Laws and Commands to be kept let them be sure themselves to keep the Commands of God and act and walk according to his holy equal Law of Love and Righteousness and this is the way for a Kings Throne to be established and his Family and Kingdom to be blessed and to cause the hearts of the upright to cleave unto him and make his dread heavy to the Workers of iniquity Lastly I observe that Kings and great learned men are very ready to be tempering about Religion pulling down and setting up what pleaseth their Fancies but we see they are not infallible but are often times carried away with their own high thoughts and by lending an ear to such creeping Deceivers that serve not the Lord Jesus but their own PURSES and BELLIES they have many fold more set up false worship and caused People to sin by compelling them thereunto according to History then ever yet they were Bringers to the true Worship or themselves found walking in it and through their darkness have persecuted and slain the Lords Worth yes by many cruel Trials and Tortures judging and condemning them as Deluders and Deceivers Wherefore all high and low come to Christ the Light that so ye may see over the darkness of mens wayes and worships which are full of Envy Strife Persecution and Murder and every evil Work and so come out of them into the new and living Way to the living Worship of the true God which is in the Mountain of Holiness where there is no killing nor destroying but are known to be Disciples of Christ in that they love one another Christ being the Authour and Defender of their Faith which gives them victory over the World and preserves his Church not by CLUBS and DRUMS PIKES and SWORDS in the hands of Drunkards and Cursers and Mockers c. upon the Rock of Life by his own eternal Arm against which the Gates of Hell the Dragons flood of malice nor all the hosts of the Aegyptian Informers and Persecutors shall not prevail Therefore to the higher Power saith the true Church be Glory forever THE END
wickedness and he remembred his People that had no Helper in the Earth and this Informer was hanged and his ten Sons perished and his Estate was given to the Iews and those that had thought to have spoiled their honest Neighbours in the Country they themselves became a Spoil and there perished of them above seventy five thousand Let all such as have a mind of Hamans work take notice whose RULE they walk by and what was the Wages of envious Murderers Also proud painted fac'd Iezebel she was an Informer against the true Worshippers and would have had all the Lords Prophets to have been slain and she informed the King how he might get Estates from his Subjects by setting up false Witnesses so he did follow her counsel but it soon brought a heavy Curse both upon him and his and so will it do upon all those who after him walk in his steps And as for Iezebel the Informer for her Wages she was thrown out into the Street and her blood troden out with Horses and the Dogs eat her flesh and only the Skull and Feet and Palms of her Hands were left Think of this all you Daughters of Iezabel who are decking your selves in Pride and take delight to mock and scorn and speak evil against the Servants of the Lord. Again Amaziah the Priest turned Informer and told the King That Amos had conspired against him and then charged Amos to be gone further from the Kings Chapel and Court and if he would Prophesie be gone to another Land c. see what an Engion of Satan this Priests was but what Wages had he for his news it was said unto him Thy Wife shall be an Harlot and thy Sons and Daughters shall fall by the Sword and thy Land shall be divided by line and thou shalt die in a poluted Land Again There were several wicked men turned Informers against Daniel that man so loved of God and one that was a true Worshipâ—â—â— now those Informers could not find any thing against him as being Disloyal or Unfaithful in the Kings business therefore they got a Law to disturb him in his Worship but this Noble man would not creep into a Hole or shut his Windows but even as at other times kneeled down and prayed and gave thanks and worshipped the God of his Salvation and as he was so doing the Informers came and took witness and then went and informed the King it may be they told him that they took Daniel in the Notoriousness of the Fact and only thus for worshipping his God he was cast into the Lions Den but the Lord preserved and delivered him in a wonderful manner and then King Darius commanded that the Informers with their Wives and Children should be cast into the Lyons Den so the Lyons had power over them and broke all their bones to pieces and devoured them and this was the Wages of these Informers There was also several proud wicked men that informed against the three Children because they would not bow to false Worship in a day when it was attended with several sorts of Musick but you may read in the Prophets how the Lord sorely punished that wicked stock of Caldeans who were false Worshippers and persecuted the true Worshippers and it was of those also that helped to kill Jobs Servants and fetch away his Cattel about Religion and it is also to be observed that those men that cast the Lord People into the Fire by the heat thereof they themselves were consumed Again it was an old unclean Woman and her proud danceing Daughter that informed against John Baptist and desired his Head but see Herod was unfit to be a Magistrate that could swear to give them whatever could be asked and so cut off that great Prophets head to please one of Jezabels Jmps. Oh how hath the Righteous in all Ages suffered by and under such proud lustfull beastlike spirits and yet the Devil still taught his Instruments in all Ages to brand the Lords people with names of Deceivers and Mad-men and Blasphemers and all sorts of bad names thereby to render them odious but the Truth shines over the Darkness and the memorial of the Righteous is alive in renown but the day is come and coming wherein the memorial of the Wicked shall rot and the name of a Persecutor shall stink and be as a Curse and a Derision Also cursed Judas turned Informer and the Priests gave him thirty pieces of Silver to betray and help them to take Jesus So they got their Clubs and Staves and Weapons of Cruelty and came and took him that they might Crucifie him and how can the Disciples of Christ expect but such as Judas in these days who have betrayed all good Conscience will likewise inform against them but what good did the Money do Judas when the horror and torment of Hell seized upon him then he threw down the Silver and cried I have betrayed Innocent Blood and being without hope of Mercy went forth to hang himself and falling headlong he burst asunder in the midst and all his Bowels gushed out Think of this all ye that turn Informers for filthy lucre sake and mark whose Rule you walk by and whose work you are doing for it s written when Iudas turned Informer then Satan entred him so Christ might well say then to Iudas and his Companions this is your hour and power of Darkness I might even fill a large Volvme shewing through all Ages how it was such as were led by a wrong spirit that persecuted the Righteous Iohn that beloved Disciple was banished by wicked men And those were wicked Instruments that mocked the Lords Prophet saying Go up thou Bald-head so the Lord sent wild Bears and devoured them And it was wicked men that persecuted David and cursed him and it was the Drunkards that made Songs of him and beat and stoned the Prophets And it was such wicked men that called the Apostles Deceivers and Ring-leaders and Pestilent Fellows and movers of Sedition and Bablers and when they were filled with the Spirit of Christ some accused them as being Drunkards and Mad-men and it was the Wicked that often times attempted to stone our Saviour and his Messengers calling him Blasphemer and many reproachfull names as we read at large in the Scriptures of Truth and yet many that profess the Scriptures to be their Rule and to bear the name of Christianity are found directly walking in the steps of those wicked men which the testimony of Scripture goes fully against and it was wicked men that spoiled the Saints Goods formerly about Religion and banished them and smote them on the Cheek and drew them about the Streets and pulled off their Hair so I hope here is testimonies sufficient concerning Persecution to cause all sober understanding men and women to conclude with me that the Root of it is the Father of Envy and Murder and Lyes and that Body and Branches through which it puts forth it self what