Fannaticks Testimony against Swearing I say shew your selves as great Enemies to me as you will my Resolution is and God assisting me ever shall be according to the Requirement of King Iesus to Love You though you be mine Enemies and as much as in me lieth to do Good to You though ye Hate Me Yea and the Best Good too yea and as much as in me lieth to bring you to that Chiefest Good to that One Thing Necessary and also earnestly to Pray for You though you Despitefully use Me And this is the way by which I shall evidence my self to be a Child of that Father who sent his Son to Die for Thee for Me and for All the Sons and Daughters of Adam A Parley AND now O Richard Brown before I Retreat from thy Quarters I shall sound thee a PARLEY although I may say to my self and the Peaceable People of God as once Hezekiah said to Israel of old 2 Chron. 32. 28. We need not be dismayed notwithstanding all the Rude Multitude that is with thee For with Thee is an Arme of Flesh but with Us is the Lord our God to Fight our Battels for us Though we are on the Strongest side and have the Best places of Defence For the Name of the Lord is a Strong Tower the Righteous flee to it and are safe Prov. 18. 10. And they that trust in the Lord are as Mount Zion that cannot be Moved but Abideth for Ever Psal. 1. 25. Yea when Sinners in Zion are Afraid and when Fearfulness shall Surprise the Hypocrite then He that walketh Righteously and speaketh Uprightly Isa. 33. 14 c. then He that despiseth the Gain of Oppression He that shaketh his hands from taking of Bribes He that stoppeth his Ears from hearing of Blood that shutteth his Eyes from seeing of Evil as do many of the Peaceable Ones amongst the Baptists He shall dwell on High his Place of Defence shall be the Munition of Rocks Bread shall be given him yea that Bread of Life that once came down from Heaven his Waters shall not fail for he shall drink freely of the Waters of Life Revel 22. 17. I say again though we are of the Strongest side yet seeing thou hast some of the Souldiers belonging to the Captain of our Salvation in thy Custody I shall desire if thou shalt think fit to come to a PERSONAL TREATY with thee Provided that thou wilt allow me but the Law of Arms to go and come Freely and without Interruption during that Treaty And I then question not but in a very short time by the Help of the Spirit of Peace we shall conclude of such a Sound Lasting Firme League and Covenant that will prove like the Law of the Medes and Persians which altereth not For I am verily perswaded and that from mine own former Condition that God hath yet some other thing to do by thee or upon thee So that if thou do what thou doest against Gods People singly and alone for Gods glory thy Judgement not yet being rightly Informed I do really believe that thou shalt yet be an Instrument in the hand of God of much Glory to him as once was thy Brother Saul and my Brother Paul Who what he did he did it out of Zeal to God and in his Ignorance and Unbelief and therefore he obtained Mercy as he saith himself Phil. 3. 6. 1 Tim. 1. 13 16. But if thou hast any other end in what thou doest Thou mayest go on and please thy Fancy if thou wilt and fulfil thy Lust if thou pleasest but thou shalt miss of thy End to attain Glory if that be thy End For if Gods Glory the Good of thine own Soul and the Benefit of Others be not thine End then thy End to Eternity will be but Miserable For God made Thee and I and All Men for his own Glory in producing of which he hath promised us Glory But if God be not Glorified by us he will be Glorified upon us For God will not want his great End Therefore O Richard Brown be perswaded in Gods Fear and as thou tenderest the Eternal good benefit and welfare of thine own Soul to consider thy End and thy End thy End what it is in doing what thou doest do and thy End what it will be if thou yet continuest doing what thou hitherto hast done And if thou shalt be willing to such a Treaty possibly it may be that which experimentally I have known with others may tend to thy Information in order to thy Reformation that so thou mayest be wrought up to a Conformity to the Will and Mind of God when thou shalt be Transformed into the Likeness of Gods dear Son that so thou mayest be translated into his Kingdom of Grace here in order to thy Reigning with him in Glory hereafter And this O Richard Brown the Searcher of all hearts knoweth is my chief and ultimate End in this my Alarm even thy souls good to Eternity But if thou shalt refuse to answer my Desire in this my Parley but wilt still go on in thy Acts of Violence and Oppression I shall without Violence or the least force of Carnal Weapon make a Peaceable Retreat and Retire into my Closet where my Soul shall weep in secret for thee and al Tyrannical Oppressors and shall cry out in the Words of Him who went up and down doing Good who left Himself as a Pattern for us to walk by Who said of them that Crucified Him Father forgive them they know not what they do THE END
should be Solemnized rather with Sober and Serious Considerations and with Mature Deliberation not whether it should be done or no but that it be done with Holy and Earnest Desires to God that God would Fit Furnish and Enable him with such Gifts Endowments and Quallifications from Above and with such Wisdom Courage and Boldnesse that thereby he might be able to go in and out before this People so as that he might be Exemplary in his being a Pattern to his Subjects both in Pitty and Patience Mercy and Moderation Iustice and Indulgence Piety and Purity Courtesie Chastity Charity and Faithfulnesse that so there might be like King and like People even to the pulling down of all Vice with Stage-Playes May-Games and Pastimes and Establishing of Truth Vertue and True Piety and all things that may render a Nation Amiable in the Eyes both of God and Man that so God who is the God of Mercy Truth and Peace may in much Mercy Heal our Distempers and Build up our Nation and so Unite the Hearts of all the people of England one to another that though they differ in Iudgement so as that they cannot have close Communion one with another yet they may have so much Love one for another as that they may have Union one with another that so there be not such difference in Affections as to become Enemies one to another even to the leading into Captivity and casting into strong Holds Prison-holes and Dungeons as it is at this day although for the Producing and Propagating of Truth they may Write and Discourse one with another that so Erroneous Persons may read themselves and their Actings as in a Glasse and so may reform and amend But instead of shewing persons wherein their failing lies thou hast violently haled poor Innocent Persons to Prison who did not injure nor wrong Thee in the least in which Actings of thine towards them Thou hast used so much rigor as that thou hast done it even with much Indignation even to the grinding of thy Teeth So that thou hast done that which caused God once to complain against Israel of old Amos 5. 7. who turned Iudgement into Wormwood and caused Righteousnesse to cease in the Earth Thou hast not at all shewn Mercy Threfore O R. Brown Hear what the Lord saith by his Servant Iam. 2. 13. For he shall have Iudgement without Mercy that hath shewed no Mercy and Mercy rejoyceth against Iudgement For thou hast by thy Violent Actings contracted that Misery upon thine own Head that the Prophets of old did on them by their prophaneness Ier. 23. 15. For thus saith the Lord concerning these Prophets Behold I will feed them with Wormwood make them Drink of the Water of Gall for from the Prophets of Ierusalem is prophaneness gone forth into all the Land as thy Violence hath done from London Therefore may it not justly be said to London as once the Lord said to Ierusalem because of the Violence that was sound in Her by reason of Her Bloody and Cruel Actings which sounded forth over the Land as thine hath done from the City For thus saith the Lord God Ezek. 24. 6. Wo to the Bloody City to the Pot whose Scum is therein and whose Scum is not gone out of it bring it out piece by piece let no lot fall upon it And again Vers. 9. to 15. Thus saith the Lord God Wo to the Bloody City I will even make the Pile for Fire great Heap on Wood kindle the Fire consume the Flesh and spice it well and let the Bones be burnt Then set it empty upon the coals thereof that the Brass of it may be Hot and may Burn and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it that the Scum of it may be consumed She hath wearied her self with Lies and her great Scum went not forth out of Her Her Scum shall be in the Fire In thy Filthinesse is Lewdnesse because I have Purged Thee and thou wast not Purged thou shalt not be Purged from thy Filthines any more till I have caused my Fury to rest upon thee I the Lord have spoken it it shall come to pass and I will do it I will not go back neither will I spare neither will I repent according to thy wayes and according to thy doings shall they judge thee saith the Lord God or the Great Iehovah Therefore saith the same Prophet Ezek. 30. 1. The Word of the Lord came unto me saying Son of Man Prophesie and say Thus saith the Lord God How ye wo worth the Day For the Day is near even the Day of the Lord is near a cloudy Day it shall be the time of the Heathen For saith the Prophet Nahum 1. 2. God is jealous and the Lord revengeth and is furious the Lord will take Vengeance on his Adversaries and he reserveth or layeth up Wrath for his Enemies The Lord is slow to Anger and great in Power and will not at all acquit the Wicked the Lord hath his way in the Whirlwind and in the Storm and the Clouds are the Dust of his Feet he is a terrible God behold his Great Power For he rebuketh the Sea and maketh it dry and dryeth up all the Rivers Bashan languisheth and Carmel and the Flower of Lebanon languisheth The Mountains quake at him and the Hills melt and the Earth is burnt at his Presence yea the World and all that dwell therein Who can stand before his Indignation And who can abide in the fierceness of his Anger His fury is poured out like Fire and the Rocks are thrown down by him The Lord is good a strong hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him But with an overflowing Flood he will make an utter end thereof and darknesse shall pursue his Enemies Therefore saith the same Prophet Nahum 3. 1. Wo to the Bloody City it is full of Lies and Robbery the Prey departeth not The noise of a Whip the noise of the ratling of the Wheels and of the pransing Horses and of the jumping Chariots The Horse-man lifteth up the brigh Sword and the glittering Spear and there is a Multitude of slain and a great number of Carcasses Because of the Multitude of the Whoredoms of the well-favoured Harlot the Mistress of Witchcrafts that selleth Nations through her Whoredoms and Families through her Witch-crafts Behold I am against Thee saith the Lord of Hosts and I will discover thy skirts upon thy Face and I will shew the Nations thy nakedness and the Kingdoms thy shame And I will cast abominable filth upon Thee and make Thee Vile and will set Thee as a Gazing Stock For saith the Prophet Ier. 6. 7. As a Fountain casteth out her Waters so she casteth out her Wickednesse Violence and spoil is heard in her before me continually is Grief and Wounds Wherefore saith the Lord Ier. 6. 8. Be thou instructed O Ierusalem And may not the Lord say to London at this day Be thou instructed
for thou hast an Alarm from one of the Sons of Zion that telleth thee thy Condition is sad and that he is such an one unto thee as once the Lord Christ was to the Woman at the Well of Samaria Iohn 4. 17 29. that he is down-right with thee and telleth thee in plainness of speech what thou hast done and what is thy danger and what thy acts of violence will bring thee to And when Conscience is throughly awaked ask it seriously and desire it to satisfie thee plainly whether it doth judge that thou thy self couldest be willing to be served as thou hast served many a poor man yea many a miserable poor man that thou hast cast into Prison And were thy Children tender and young as possible some of theirs are at thy poor empty and naked house crying out for bread and thou kept in Prison not in a capacity to gain thine own nor theirs even to the wounding of thy Soul and to the great burthen of thy Spirit Ask thy Conscience also whether it ought not to make scruple of an Oath especially in Swearing for and against and whether thou couldest be willing to be forced to Swear one day for this thing and another day against that same thing Ask it also whether it could be willing to be forced to go to such a Worship as is meerly Formal Carnal and in a great measure Papal when it is really convinced of the contrary and whether it could be willing to be forced to maintain an Antichristian Ministery in opposition to the true Ministers of Jesus I say again O Richard Brown if thou art not willing to act as a Christian upon a Scripture account then rouse up and awaken thy Conscience and act but like a meer Heathen and confident I am thou wilt find more comfort in it in the conclusion than thou wilt in thy present actings by many degrees For now thou art Persecuting the People of God not knowing in what Relation they stand to the great God and his Son Jesus Christ for as the whole bulk of mankind was in a lost condition and as our first Parents sold us all by reason of their first transgression so God found a way out of his meer Love to buy us again to himself for so saith our Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. Ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God both in your bodies and in your spirits which are Gods And 1 Cor. 7. 23. Ye are bought with a price be not the servants of men And he that bought us saith by his Son Mat. 5. 34. Swear not at all and yet thou dost imprison men and women because they will not serve men in Swearing for them and when they would have them Secondly We cost God dear even his own Son Tit. 2. 14. yea the precious blood of that Son For so saith the Text 1 Pet. 1. 18. For ye are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious Blood of the Son of God as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Yea by the Blood of him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Blood Rev. 1. 5. and Rev. 5. 9. and Heb. 9. 12 13 26. And so First We are his Portion for the Lords People are his Portion Deut. 32. 9. Zech. 2. 12. And now Richard Brown consider what thou art doing thou art squandring away the Lords Portion thou wert better by many degrees be doing something else for the very hairs of their heads are all numbred Matt. 10. 30. and he that toucheth them toucheth the apple of Gods eye Zech. 2. 8. Yea so saith the Prophet Moses Deut. 32. 10. speaking of Gods People he found them in a Desart Land in a waste howling Wilderness he led them about and instructed them he kept them as the apple of his eye And this was the Prayer of David when he was in distress Psal. 17. 8. Keep me O Lord as the apple of thine eye hide me under the shadow of thy wings Mens Portions we know are to be employed for the benefit of the Owners and the People and Portion that cost God so dear should be improved for God by setting forth his glory in their several and respective Meetings and increasing their number But thou hast shut up their Meetings and shut them up into Prison-holes and Dungeons O Richard Brown how wilt thou answer the Lord Iehovah for these thy cruel dealings O in the fear of the Lord consider thy ways and the Lords Patience yet towards thee should the Lord be but as cruel to thee as thou art to his Portion his poor peaceable innocent harmless People What dost thou think would become of thee to Eternity Turn back again to the Law-case in Page 32. and read thy doom what it will be except thou agree with him whom thou hast thus made thine Adversary even quickly whilst thou art in the way Secondly As they are his dear Portion by Purchase so they are his Heritage Ioel 2. 17. and God by his Spirit in his servant 1 Pet. 5. 3. requires those that are the Elders over his People that they Lord it not overGods Heritage as the Parish-Priests use to Lord it over their Flocks and the Bishops were wont to Lord it in their Dioces But consider O R. Brown since thou wert L. Mayor how thou hast lorded nay tyrannized over Gods Heritage whom thou by the Lord never hadst an appointment to overlook nor watch over therefore see the danger thou art in for thy so doing as well as others in all other Heathenish Nations for saith the Lord Ioel 2. 2. I will gather all nations and bring them down into the Valley of Iehoshaphat and will plead with them there for my People and for mine Heritage whom they have scattered among the Nations Yea I say O Richard Brown that God will reckon with thee for those that thou hast Imprisoned by which meanes thou hast scattered the Flock and dispersed derided and despised Gods Heritage For thus saith the Lord Vers. 11. Come ye Heathen and I say O Lord Major of London that hast not acted so well as most of the Heathens unless thou Repent thou also shalt there be Reckoned withall and that Reckoning will be terrible for Vers. 16. The Lord shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Ierusalem and the heavens and the earth shall be shaken And Vers. 19. Egypt shall be a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness for their Uiolence against the Children of Iudah because they have shed innocent blood in their land then beware O BLOODY MAIOR Thirdly And as Gods People are the Portion and Heritage of God so they are the Vinyard of God for so saith that Kingly Prophet Ps. 80. 15. They are Gods Vine the Vinyard which his own right hand hath planted Yea so also as saith that Evangelical Prophet
Isa. 5. 1. I will sing a song to my welbeloved a song of my welbeloved touching his vineyard my welbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill and he fenced it and gathered out the loose stones thereof and planted it with the choicest Vine And Vers. 7. The Vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Iudah are his pleasant plant And saith the Lord by his Prophet Zech. 12. 2. Behold I will make Ierusalem a burthensome stone and a cup of trembling unto all the people round about and vers 3. I will make Ierusalem a burthensome stone for all people all that burthen themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it Then let all Persecuting spirits have a care how they tread down Gods Vineyard for saith the Prophet Ier. 50. 10 11. For Chaldea shall be a Spoil all that spoil her shall be satisfied saith the Lord Because ye were glad because ye rejoyced O ye Destroyers of my People Then have a care of thy self O Richard Brown for God will have a Controversie with thee for thy treading down his Vineyard for he is the Husband-man yea so saith our Saviour Iohn 15. 1 2. I am the true Vine and my Father is the Husband-man every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh it away So that thou art but a drudge a servant to lop off the fruitless branches and therefore know that thou art not set on work either to cut off fruit-bearing-branches nor the Vine but thou behavest thy self hitherto as if thou wert set on work to root up the Vine even King Iesus and therefore know that in the midst of thy fury thou mayest make more haste then good speed and therefore in the Name of the Lord I am come to let thee know that this Stone cut out off the mountain without hands Dan. 2. 34. this Stone which the builders rejected the same is made the Head of the Corner and this is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes Therefore have a care of being too sie with him for whosoever shall fall upon this stone he shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind him to powder Yea so saith our Vine Matth. 21. 42 44. Then have a care of thy self O Richard Brown for if he fall upon thee he will break thy Lordship to pieces for he shall fall on the feet of the Image and break it to pieces Dan. 2. 34 35. Fourthly As Gods People are his Portion his Heritage and his Vineyard so they are his Sheep and his Flock for he is our God and we are the People of his Pasture and the Sheep of his hands Psal. 95. 7. For know ye yea I say again and again know ye ye Persecutors Know ye that the Lord he is God it is he that hath made us and not we our selves we are his People and the Sheep of his Pasture And thus he led his Flock of old by the hand of Moses and Aaron Psal. 77. 7. Thus did he by and to his Flock of old under that Legal dispensation and he shewed himself valiant for his Flock and his Sheep and that by the hands of Moses and Aaron Witness those ten Plagues he brought upon that Oppressing Tyrant Pharaoh King of Egypt for saith the Lord Exod. 3. 7 8. I have surely seen the Affliction of my People which are in Egypt yea and so he doth in England for it is not fair pretences that can blind his eyes or stop his ears for saith he I have heard their cries by reason of their Task-Masters that would violate their Consciences for I know their sorrows and am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians and he is the same God still for he can both see hear and will in his due time deliver For they are his Sheep and if they can but behave themselves like Sheep if they can but suffer their Wool to be torn off their Backs by such Bryary Brambles Thorns as thou art O Richard Brown if they can but according to the Requirement of that Shepherd and Bishop of their souls 1 Pet. 2. 25. that great Shepherd of the Sheep who became so through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13. 20. I say if they can but follow his example who left himself an example for them 1 Pet. 2. 21. who although he was the great Shepherd yet he was oppressed and afflicted and he opened not his mouth Yea he was led as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before the is dumb so opened he not his mouth Isai. 53. who requireth that his Sheep should learn of him for saith he I am Meek and Lowly in heart and they shall find rest for their Souls Mat. 11. 29. who also requireth Luke 21. 19. that in their patience they should possesse their Souls And if they can but follow the word of Command given out of the Mouth of this great Shepheard the Captain of their Salvation who himself was made perfect through Sufferings Heb. 2. 10. I say if they would but observe his word of Command Mat. 24. 6. that when they shall hear of Wars and Rumours of Wars Nation against Nation and Kingdom against Kingdom that then they be not troubled But with the Flock of God gone before them that they stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord Exod. 14. 13. for he will come down in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of Christ 2 Thes. 17. 8. But upon Mount Zion or to the Flock of God shall be Deliverance and there shall be Holiness and the House of Iacob or the Seed of Faith shall possesse their possessions Obadiah 17. For saith the Prophet Isai. 34. 1 2 8. Come near ye Nations and hear and hearken ye People Let the Earth hear and all that is therein the world and all things that come forth of it for the Indignation of the Lord is upon all Nations and his fury upon all their Armies for it is the day of the Lords vengeance and the year of recompences for the controversies of Zion For saith the Prophet Zech. 9. 16. And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the Flock of his People for they shall be as the Stones of a Crown lifted up as an Ensign upon his Land O then have a care Opppressors both how and whom ye oppresse for it will be your own safety 5. For as they are his Portion his Heritage his Vineyard and his Sheep and Flock So they are Gods Garden for so saith the Lord Cant. 4. 12. A Garden inclosed is my Sister my Spouse The people of God are his Plants yea so saith the Lord Christ Mat. 15. 13. Every Plant that my Heavenly Father hath not Planted shall be rooted up for if we have been planted into the