at more than the place where the worship is performed Joh. 4.21 23. It seems irrational and not candid to say no worse to shut these men out of the Churches and then to reproach them and persecute them because they preach not in Churches but in private houses and barns and where they best can 3. A stable is a more contemptible place than a dwelling-house or barn yet because there was no room in the Inn our Lord Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger after he was put into his swadling-cloths Luk. 2.7 She brought forth her first-born Son and wrapped him in swadling-cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the Inn. And shall we think any place too mean for us to assemble together in seeing our Lord Jesus humbled himself so far as to be born in a stable Plea 7. We cannot believe it is such a great sin as you have said to molest and persecute these men for if it were we should be greatly troubled in our Conscience and should have no quiet in our minds night nor day but we are under no trouble of Conscience for what we do and therefore we think we do not sin in molesting them Ans 1. A man may be a great sinner and yet have no trouble in his Conscience for his sins yea it may be a hard matter to convince him of his sins Whoredom is a great sin Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judg Yet Solomon speaks of some that live in this sin and say they have done no iniquity Prov. 30.20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman she eateth and wipeth her mouth and saith I have done no wickedness Oppression and Murther are grievous sins yet some men have such seared Consciences that they are no more troubled at these sins than if they were innocent persons Zech. 11.4 5 Feed the flock of the Slaughter whose possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty and they that sell them say Blessed be the Lord I am rich Jer. 2.34 35 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents I have not found it upon secret search but upon all these yet thou sayst because I am innocent surely hss anger shall turn from me To kill the Disciples of Christ is an exceeding great sin yet some are under such a spirit of delusion that instead of acknowledging their sin they think they do God good Service Joh. 16.2 They shall put you out of the Synagogues yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think he doth God Service 2. It hath been already proved by many Arguments out of the Word of God that this practise of yours is exceeding sinful and abominable in the sight of God and therefore if you have no terrours of Conscience for what you have done it is because your hearts are so hardened that you are grown past feeling Plea 8. But if our persecuting these men were so great a sin surely God would send some great Judgment upon us either fire would fall from Heaven and consume us or the earth would open its mouth and swallow us up or some other strange punishment would befall us but God lets us alone and we thrive and prosper in the world and therefore we can't think this is such a great sin Ans 1. God oft-times lets great sinners alone and doth not punish them for their sins in this world because he reserveth them to be punished at the day of Judgment 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust to the day of Judgment to be punished Job observed in his time that there were persons that did remove the land-marks and violently took away the flocks and fed thereon oppressed the Widow and the Fatherless and grind the face of the poor and committed other abominable sins and yet God did not punish them for their sins Job 24.2 to the 12. Some remove the Land-mark and violently take away flocks and feed thereon They drive away the ass of the fatherless and take the widows exe for a pledge and yet God layeth not folly to them And David observed of many in his time that were great oppressers and afflicters of Gods people and yet they prospered and did not meet with troubles either in life or death as other men did but had even what heart could wish though they were ungodly sinners Ps 73. from v. 3. to the 12th 2. Glory not in this that God lets you alone in your sinful ways and suffers you to prosper For it 's a token that he intends to destroy you for ever Ps 97.2 When the wicked do spring as the grass and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever 3. It may be the hand of the Lord is lifted up and hath gone out against you several ways since you took up this practise of Informing though you take no notice of it Isa 26.11 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people yea the fire of thine enemies shall devour them 4. Though you do not meet with judgments in your Bodies Estate or Families yet it may be God hath smitten you with spiritual judgments When Pharaoh oppressed Israel and would not let Israel go to worship God besides the Plagues that reach the outward man God sent Plagues upon Pharaoh's heart Exod. 9.14 I will at this time send all my Plagues upon thy heart And how did God send all his Plagues upon Pharaoh's heart It was by giving him up to Judicial hardness Exod. 10.1 And the Lord said unto Moses Go unto Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart It 's a grievous curse to be given up of God to obstinacy of heart Lam. 3.65 Give them sorrow of heart or as it is in the Margin obstinacy of heart thy curse unto them So Vatablus give them obstinatum cor an obstinate heart When God gives a man an obstinate heart he gives him a dreadful curse what sadder token of God's displeasure than when God lets him alone in his sins as he did Ephraim Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone Hos 12.14 Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly Whence I infer God is provoked to anger most bitterly with those sinners whom he lets alone and suffers to go on in their sins without rebuke For whom he loves he rebukes and chastens Rev. 3.19 5. Though God out of his patience bear with you and give you time and space to repent yet if you repent not sudden and unavoidable destruction will come upon you Prov. 29.1 He that being often reproved hardneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Job speaking of oppressors and I conceive Informers to be guilty of oppression tells us how oft-times God takes them away in a very sudden and
preaching to the Gentiles Matt. 10.5 6. These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying Go not in the way of the Gentiles and into any City of the Samaritans enter ye not but go rather to the lost Sheep of the house of Israel 4. Let the Gentiles come to us and be circumcised after the manner of Moses and we will receive them and then they may hear Preaching in our Synagogues every Sabbath-day and be sure of Salvation For Salvation is of the Jews Joh. 4.22 5. The Church of the Jews hath been a glorious Church the only visible Church in the world for some thousands of years and these men preaching to the Gentiles will diminish the glory of this famous Church Their great Apostle teacheth us that their riches will be our diminution Rom. 15.12 6. Hitherto we have had but one Church and now by their preaching to the Gentiles we are like to have many more Churches erected 7. These men are cast out of the Synagogue by the general consent of the Jewish Church Joh. 9.22 The Jews bad agreed already that if any man did confess he was the Christ he should be cast out of the Synagogue And may we not forbid an excommunicate person preaching 8. Neither these men that preach nor the Gentiles that hear them do observe the Rites and Ceremonies of the Law of Moses which the Church of God hath observed ever since Moses gave them to us Act. 21.21 They are informed of thee that thou teachest all the Jews that are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses saying that they ought not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customes The Jews might have pleaded these and several other excuses for their forbidding the Apostles preaching to the Gentiles yet none of these did keep off God's wrath from them And therefore let not the Informers shrowd themselves and seek to hide their sin under specious pretences which shall be enquired into more particularly afterward but lay to heart the greatness of their sin in hindring these Ministers from preaching the Gospel of Christ whereby men may be saved 4. Arg. They that do not receive Christ's Ministers nor hear their words shall be in a worse condition than the men of Sodom at the day of Judgment Matt. 10.14 15. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when ye depart out of that house or city shake off the dust of your seel verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of Judgment than for that city The men of Sodom and Gomorrah will be in a very miserable condition at the day of Judgment for they were exceeding great sinners Gen. 13.13 The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly They were such sinners as that the Lord rained down fire and brimstone upon them And that fire which consumed the men of Sodom was a forerunner a declaration and testimony to the world of the eternal fire which they and other impenitent sinners should suffer in the other world Jude v. 7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire And And yet our Lord Jesus who best understood how every man's case shall go at the day of Judgment in regard he himself is the Judge of the world asserts it for an undoubted truth verily I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable at the day of Judgment for the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah than for them that do not receive those Ministers whom he sends or do not hear the Word they Preach And if so how dreadful will the condition of these Informers and their Adherents be at the day of Judgment who do not only not receive the Ministers of Christ nor hear the Word they Preach but endeavour to suppress their preaching and will not suffer those that would hear and embrace them to attend upon their Ministery persecuting them that Preach from house to house which is a greater sin than barely not to receive the Preachers of the Word Obj. We do receive Christ's Ministers and do embrace his Gospel although we hear not these men neither suffer others to hear them but do what we can to suppress them And therefore the fore-mentioned Scripture doth not touch us 1. Though you receive the Gospel of Christ with your ears yet your opposition that you make against the Ministers shews you have not received the Gospel of Christ into your hearts For this makes the woolf lye down with the lamb and keeps the Asp and the Cockatrice from hurting the sucking child Isai 11. And makes the briar to become a mirtle-tree and the thorn a firr-tree Isai 55.11.13 2. Persecuting those that preach and hear the Gospel is a greater sin than not to receive the Ministers of Christ nor hear their words And if you be one of those that persecute the Ministers of Christ this Scripture will do more than touch you it will take hold of you and fall heavier upon you than if all the rocks and mountains were cast upon you 5 Arg. The Judgments threatned and executed upon them that by their informing against and betraying the people of God into the hands of their enemies have brought them into trouble do plainly evince the greatness of the Informers sin I pass over the remarkable Judgments that have been executed on this generation of men in our days if any one would be at the pains to make a collection of them it might be a warning to others But I shall wave these and mention only some examples out of the Scripture the truth whereof is questioned by no man that believeth the Scripture to be the Word of God Doeg turned Informer and informed against Ahimelech the Priest for entertaining David at his house and enquiring of God for him and giving him Victuals and giving him the Sword of Goliah 1 Sam. 22.9 10. And by this information he so incensed Saul that he slew those Priests that had entertained David But now mark what a grievous curse fell upon this Informer Ps 52.5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever be shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling-place and root thee out of the land of the living That this curse is denounced against Doeg for informing against Ahimelech for entertaining David at his house is evident from the title of the Psalm A Psalm of David when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said unto him David is come to the house of Ahimelech The curse denounced against Doeg is very dreadful consisting of these branches 1. Eternal destruction and that from the hands of God God shall likewise destroy thee for ever As he had been the destruction of the Lord's Priests so God should destroy him but with a more terrible destruction they were
of the Church of England If any man will put such a harsh sense upon these words The practise of the Church of England that he will have none understood but the conformable part of the Church of England Yet in this sense it may be pleaded It is not contrary to the practise of the Church of England for men that have been brought up at the University and after their examination of their fitness for the work of the Ministry have been ordained and set apart thereunto with fasting and Prayer to preach sound Doctrine and before and after their Sermons to pray to God in the name of his Son for things agreeable to his Will which is the practise of these men But if it be said it is the practise of the conformable Clergy in England to use the forms of Prayer prescribed by the Liturgy which these men do not I answer It is the practise of the Ministers of the Church of England to pray with other Prayers when in their Pulpits both before and after Sermon than what are prescribed in the Liturgy so that praying in other words and in another method than what is prescribed in the Liturgy either before or after Sermon in Publick Assemblies as the Non-conformists do is not contrary to the practise of the Church of England 2. Neither is praying and preaching without having the Liturgy read to the Assembly contrary to the practise of the Church of England For at Funeral Sermons the reading of the Liturgy is often omitted And it was the usual practise at the chiefest Church in Cambridge and I suppose still is continued where the Vice-Chancellor Masters and Fellows of Colledges and other Students assemble together to have praying and preaching both in the forenoon and afternoon every Sabbath-day without the use of the Liturgy in that Assembly Also when there is Concio ad Clerum which is frequent in Term time there is praying to God and preaching his Word without the use of the Liturgy And yet I suppose no man will say These are none of the Church of England 3. It is no crime to use different words and different methods in preaching so they that preach do preach sound Doctrine And why should it be esteemed such a great crime to use different forms and Methods in Prayer provided that they that pray pray to one and the same God in the name of one and the same Mediator for things agreeable to the Will of God 4. As for the Informers that plead they have Law for what they do if this were a truth which yet I will not grant them I would advise them to consider how contrary their practise is to the Laws of God I might name many instances I will mention but two or three Pro. 25.15 Lay not wait Oh wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous spoil not his resting-place Isa 16.3 4 Hide the out-cast bewray not him that wandreth Let my out-casts dwell with thee Moab be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler If Moab who was a stranger to the Common-wealth of Israel was to shew that humanity towards the Israelites when in a suffering condition as not to bewray him that wandred but to hide them permit them to dwell in safety to be a covert from the face of the spoiler Then what shall we say to them that profess themselves Christians and yet are so far from hiding and being a covert to the servants of God that they lye in wait to betray them and endeavour to spoil them of their goods Zech. 8.12 Let none of you imagine evil in your heart against his neighbour and love no false oath for all these are things that I hate saith the Lord. When you are contriving how you may do evil to these men you are doing that which the Lord hates The greatness of your sin and your contrariety to the Word of God hath been so fully set out in the former Chapter that I shall need to add no more on this head only I shall mention this The Laws by which we shall all be judged at the last day are the Laws of God and therefore we should do nothing here but what we can give a good account of at the day of Judgment Jam. 2.12 So speak ye and so do ye as they that shall be judged by the Law of Liberty Plea 6. If these men would preach and meet in Churches we would not molest them but we hate this meeting in houses and barns and such like places Ans 1. But why should you be so much offended at preaching in houses and other retired places when as our Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles preached not only in the Temple and the Synagogues but in private houses and ships and other places where the people could come conveniently to hear them Jesus Christ preached in an house when there was as many as the house could hold even to the very doors Mark 2.1 2. It was noised that he was in the house And straight-way many were gathered together insomuch as there was no room to receive them no not so much as about the door and he preached the word unto them He preached out of a ship Luk. 5.3 He entred into one of the ships which was Simons and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the Land and be sate down and taught the people out of the ship He preached sometime upon the mountains Matt. 5.1 2 And seeing the multitudes he got up into a mountain and when be was set his Disciples came unto him and he opened his mouth and taught them He did not decline preaching in any place where he had an opportunity to dispense the Word And as Jesus Christ so also his Disciples preached in houses as well as in the Temple and in the Synagogues Act. 5.42 And daily in the Temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus Christ Act. 20.20 I kept back nothing from you but have shewed you and have taught you publickly and from house to house For the space of two years Paul preached in his own house and received all that came to him and no man forbade him Act. 28.30 31 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house and received all that came unto him preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence no man forbidding him And sometimes their Meetings and Preachings were very private Gal. 2.2 Joh. 21.19 2. Could these men enjoy publick places to preach in they would choose them rather than private houses not that they place any holiness in them or think the worship of God more acceptable in one place than in another but because of the conveniency of them Act. 17.24 God that made the world and all things therein seeing he is Lord of heaven and earth dwelleth not in temples made with hands It 's the worship and worshipper that God looks
work or give them a reward for what they do are partakers of their evil deeds As the adversaries of the Jews hired men to hinder the building of the temple Ezr. 4.5 They hired counsellers against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus So some men that are adversaries to these Meetings and are ashamed to appear in this odious work themselves do hire men fit for their turn to carry on this evil design Let such persons remember what a mark of displeasure the Lord left upon the Moabites for hiring Balaam to curse Israel Not only the men of that generation but their posterity was excluded for ever from coming into the Congregation of the Lord for this sin Neh. 13.1 2 On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people and therein was found written that the Ammonite and Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water but hired Balaam against them that he should curse them Howbeit God turned the curse into a blessing All that clense their hearts from sin and walk according to the rule of the Word are as dear to God as the children of Israel were of old yea they are God's Israel Ps 73.1 Truly God is good to Israel even to such as are of a clean heart Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of God And if God were so angry with the Moabites for hiring Balaam to curse Israel that he would not suffer them to come into the Congregation of the Lord for ever Then how much more will God's anger be kindled against those that profess themselves Christians and yet hire vain persons to persecute such as are Israelites for worshipping and serving the Lord Inf. 3. Are these Informers guilty of such a great sin then let me advise such as are or hereafter may be tempted to turn Informers in the words of Solomon Prov. 1.10 11 12 13 14 15. My Son if sinners entice thee consent thou not If they say come with us let us lay wait for blood let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause We shall find all precious substance we shall fill our houses with spoil Cast in thy lot among us let us all have one purse My Son walk not thou in the way with them refrain thy foot from their path Let no proffer of any reward tempt you to persecute innocent men for serving God for such as lye in wait against the innocent lye in wait to destroy their own soul Prov. 1.11 18 Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause They lay wait for their own blood they lurk privily for their own souls It is mentioned by the Psalmist among the Characters of those that shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven that he must be one that will not be hired by any reward to do any hurt to an innocent man Ps 15.1 5 Lord who shall abide in thy tabernacle and who shall dwell in thy holy hill He that back-biteth not with his tongue nor doth evil to his neighbour nor taketh reward against the innocent Remember our Lord Jesus when the Devil offered him all the Kingdoms of the world and all the glory of them to have committed one act of sin he rejected his proffer with disdain Matt. 4.6 7 8. As the gaining the whole world could not tempt Christ to consent to one act of false worship So no gain should tempt you to disturb the true worshippers of God that worship him in Spirit and Truth So as to hinder one act of true worship Inf. 4. Let the Friends Relations and Acquaintance of these Informers as they love their Souls pity them and pray to God for them and reprove them for their sins and plead with them to turn from their evil ways If you let them go on in their sins without reproving them you have no love for their souls but you hate them in your hearts Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him And if they do not or will not hearken unto you plead with God for them that he would give them repentance and pull them as fire-brands out of the fire before they fall into everlasting burnings And watch your seasons to deal with them when God shall lay affliction upon them that is a good season to be dealing with them for they that are as the deaf adder in the day of prosperity and will not hearken unto any good counsel have their ears open to instruction in a day of trouble Job 36.8 9 10. Inf. 5. If these Informers and their adherents be guilty of such great evils then it concerns those that are placed in the condition of watch-men upon Mount Zion to warn them of their sin and to warn others also that they be not partakers with them in their sins For if they dye in their sins and they have given them no warning their blood will be required at their hands Ezek. 3.17 18 Son of man I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel therefore hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me when I say unto the wicked Thou shalt surely dye and thou givest him not warning nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life the same wicked man shall dye in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thy hand Inf. 6. Caution to those that are sufferers by these Informers Let neither the greatness of their sins nor the greatness of your sufferings who are persecuted by them provoke you to return evil to them for the evil they have done unto you Rom. 12.17 Recompence to no man evil for evil Vengeance belongs unto God and not unto us and therefore we must not go about to avenge our selves on those that injure us v. 19 Dearly beloved avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath for it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. Our Lord Jesus hath taught us that we must love pray for and do good to the worst enemies we have in all the world even such as hate us curse us use us despitefully and persecute us Matt. 5.44 But I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you These men are the rod of God and therefore look beyond the instruments to the hand of the Lord who correcteth you that he may make you partakers of his holiness and humble your selves under his mighty hand and turn to him that smiteth you and then the Lord will turn all your sufferings to your advantage And as you must not offer any violence to these men so neither should you fret nor be cast down at their prosperity
people of God shall have such a day of trouble as never was since the world stood 2 Thess 1.6 7 8 9 It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you that are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of God and from the glory of his power CHAP. V. Humble Advice to Magistrates not to countenance these Informers nor to suppress the Non-conformist Ministers or their Meetings SEeing these Informers are wont to address themselves to the Magistrates and bring false accusations to them against these Ministers called Non-conformists informing them that they keep Seditious Conventicles and do thereby excite and stir them up to imprison or fine those Ministers and suppress their Assemblies I shall crave leave before I conclude this discourse humbly to advise and request those Magistrates to whom these Informers address themselves for assistance in their undertakings First That they would not give any countenance to this generation of men that take upon them the employ of being Informers Secondly That they do not at their instigation punish the Ministers and Servants of Christ when no other Crime can be proved against them but that they have been praying to God in the Name of his Son or that they have been Preaching or hearing his Holy Word 1. My humble request to you is that you would give no countenance or encouragement to this sort of Men. And that for Gods sake in whose stead you are placed in the world for your own sake and for the Kingdom sake that guilt and wrath come not upon your selves and upon the Kingdom for the sake of these Informers that they be not multiplyed and increased Give me leave to touch briefly on these Heads 1. You are Gods Vicegerents you stand in his Room and Rule in his stead When God made Moses Ruler over Aron and the people of Israel he tells him Thou shalt be to him instead of God Exod. 4.16 You rule and judge not for your selves but for the Lord who stands by and observes what you say and what you do and therefore you had need take heed what judgment you pass upon every man that comes before you 2 Chron. 19.6 Take heed what you do for ye judg not for men but for the Lord who is with you in the judgment And seeing you stand in Gods stead and rule and judge for him Look how the Lord God would carry himself if he were in your Places so ye ought to carry your selves whom he would encourage those you ought to encourage whom he would rebuke and reprove those ye ought to rebuke and reprove Now consider with your selves if the Lord Jesus Christ were on Earth and were in your place and these Informers came unto him to complain against his Servants for praying and Preaching and hearing his Word what are your thoughts and what do your Consciences tell you he would do in this case would he countenance or reprove and Punish them surely he would give no Countenance to such vile persons in such a sinful undertaking 2. By asisting these men you will bring down Gods Wrath upon your selves and the Nation Upon your selves To evidence this weigh what was said by the Prophet to Jehoshaphat 2 Chr. 19.2 Shouldst thou help the ungodly and love them that bate the Lord Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. This Wrath came upon Jehoshaphat for helping Ahab in fighting against the Syrians Here let it be considered 1. That Jehoshaphat was a great man he was King of Judah he was also a good man v. 3. Nevertheless there are good things in thee in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the Land and hast prepared thy Heart to seek God Yet neither his greatness nor his goodness kept of the wrath of God from him for helping an ungodly man 2. Ahab whom Jehoshaphat helped was a King King of Israel And it might seem good policy for one neighbouring Paince to help another Because by helping Ahab he might have had his help another time against the adversaries of Juda yet neither did this excuse him 3. The Persons against whom Jehoshaphat helped Ahab were the Syrians And the Syrians were Idolaters that Worshipped strange Gods 2 Chr. 28.23 They were also great enemies to the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah Jer. 9.12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind and they shall devour Israel with open Mouth They were a People devoted to destruction 1 Kings 20.42 Now if Jehoshaphat incurred the displeasure of God for helping Ahab because he was an ungodly man to suppress the Syrians who were Idolators and enemies of Israel and Judah How can you think but that you shall bring down the Wrath of God upon your selves if you help these Informers who go about to oppress and suppress the Servants of the true and Living God while they are worshiping serving the Lord. If it be said It doth not appear to you that these Informers are ungodly men and such as hate the Lord you do not judge them like Ahab that had sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord. If you did then you might fear God would be angry with you for being helpful to them To that I answer 1. If you please to peruse those demonstrations which I have given out of the Scriptures of the Evil of their ways in the second of Chron. you may be convinced that their practices are not consistent with godlyness In some respects those men are worse then Ahab for when Ahab was reproved by Elijah for taking a possession of Naboths Vineyard which he had gotten by unjust means he humbled himself before God and Fasted and rent his Cloaths and lay in Sackcloth 1 Kings 21.27.29 But we hear of no Humilliation from these men after they have been reproved for taking into their possession other mens Goods which they obtain by undue means And as you will bring the Wrath of God upon your selves so also upon the Nation if you countenance and incourage this sort of Men. When the Rulers do not punish evil doers they bring guilt and Wrath not only upon themselves but upon the Nation where they live how much more if they give encouragement to them Nehe. 13.17 18. Then I contended with the Nobles of Judah and said unto them what evil thing is this that ye do and prophane the Sabbath day Did not your Fathers thus and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this Citie yet ye bring more Wrath upon Isarel by prophaning the Sabbath They were the meaner sort of the People that prophaned the Sabbath such as bare burthens trode the Winepress sold Fish and other wares v. 15.16 And because
the painful accursed death of the Cross to save lost Souls 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners And great care should be used that we do not hinder the obtaining that for which Christ shed his precious blood The greatest good we can do for any man is to further and the greatest hurt is to hinder his Salvation 5. It is recorded to the honour of Hezekiah that he was an encourager of all that did faithfully dispence the word of God 2 Chr. 30.22 Hezekiah speak comfortably to all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord. And as he did incourage the Ministers of Gods word so God did wonderfully bless him 2 Chr. 31.30 Hezekiah prospered in all his works And it is recorded of Herod as one of his chief sins that he imprisoned one of Gods Ministers Luk 3.19 20. But Herod the Tetrarch being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philips wife and for all the evils which Herod had done Added this above all that he shut up John in prison Herod was guilty of many evils but this is noted as the principal as that which was above all the rest that he shut up John in prison And as it is a great sin to afflict the Ministers and servants of Christ so it is usally followed with a sore judgment Herod who stretched forth his hand to vex certain of the Church soon after dyed in a miserable manner being eaten up of Worms Act. 12.1 2 3 23. Pharaoh who oppressed Israel and would not let them go to serve the Lord in the wilderness was followed with one plague after another till he was destroyed 6. Rulers ought not to be a terrour to such as do good works but to encourage and protect them Rulers are not a terrour to good works but to the evill Wilt thou then not be affraid of the power do that which is good and thou shall have praise of the same Preaching of the Gospel whereby men may be saved and praying to God in the name of Christ are good works and therefore rulers ought not to be a terrour to any man for these works 7. We are taught and Commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ to pray to the Lord to send forth labourers into his Vineyard because the harvest is great and the labourers are but few Then said he to his disciples The harvest truly is plentious but the labourers are but few Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest To pray for labourers and when God hath sent them forth to molest and trouble them for labouring is to contradict our prayers Let the Ignorance Atheism Profaneness the growth of Errour and the small number of Preachers that are found in the Faith and of an holy conversation be considered and laid to heart and it will evidently appear that there is great need of prayer for more Labourers and of encouraging those that are sent forth and of not suppressing any that are faithful peaceable and diligent in the Work of the Lord. Obj. 1. If it be replyed These informers accuse these Ministers that they keep seditious Conventicles and are ready to give oath of it and as such we are obliged by the Law to suppress them An. 1. Rulers ought to be wise as an Angel of God to discern good from evil 2. Sam. 14 17. As an Angel of God so is my Lord the King to descern good and bad And that is no hard matter in the Noon day of the Gospel to distinguish between Religion and sedition When Job was a Ruler among his People he was diligent to search out the truth of all causes that came before him and when he found any Wicked man oppressing the righteous he was so far from rewarding him that he plucked the Spoil out of his Teeth and if he held it fast and would not let it go he break his Jaws rather than suffer him to hold his Spoils Job 29.16 17. The Cause which I knew not I searched out I break the Jaws of the wicked and pulled the Spoil out of his Teeth 2. These Ministers as was hinted before do abhor seditious Conventicles and are falsly accused by these Informers and Magistrates should be slow to believe their false accusations and not proceed to Act against them till they have searched into the truth of these informations and that for several reasons as 1. The great enmity that is in the heart of the Wicked against Righteous men which makes them eager to do them all the Mischief they can The Scripture speaks so frequently and so fully of this that I shall need to say the less Prov. 4.16 They sleep not except they have done Mischief and their Sleep is taken away unless they cause some to fall Ps 37.19 32. The Wicked plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his Teeth The Wicked watcheth the Righteous and seeketh to slay him 2. They are under a temptation of gain and the Love of Mony is the Root of all evil and therefore it is no wonder if they prove false accusers of them against whom they have a great enmity and by accusing of whom they make a great advantage 3. The rule that is given to Magistrates in the word of God is not to proceed to Punishment upon reports till they have made diligent search and have certain proof of the truth of the fact Deut. 13.13 14 15. If thou shalt hear say Then shalt thou enquire and make search and ask diligently and behold if it be truth and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought among you 3. These Ministers and those that assemble with them are oftentimes judged and sentence passed upon them for to take away their Goods before they have been heard or had their accusers Face to Face yea sometimes before they know who it is that hath accused them and this seemeth to me to be against the Light and Law of Nature which teacheth that a man ought not to be condemned till he hath had his accusers face to face and hath had Licence to answer for himself The Romans had no other Light to regulate them in their judicial proceedings but the Light of Nature yet they observed this Rule not to pass sentence upon a man till he had his accusers face to face and had liberty to answer for himself Act. 15.16 It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to dy before he that is accused hath the accusers face to face and have Liberty to answer for himself concerning the Crime laid against him If the Romans which were Heathens how much more should Christian Magistrates forbear condemning any man till he hath seen his accusers heard his accusation and been Permitted to make his own defence The name of Pilat is odious in the Christian World and will be to all generations for Condemning our Lord