imposeth on the Consciences of all his Subjects and that upon a most severe and capital punishment Whoso falleth not down and worshippeth Dan. 3.6 shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace All conformed to this Law except a few godly Jews and against them some envious pick-thank Caldeans complained to the King and accused Shadrach Meshach and Abednego that they would not conform and designed to persecute them to their destruction They informed the King Dan. 3.12 13 14. These men O King have not regarded thee they serve not thy gods nor worship the Golden Image which thou hast set up Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded them to be brought before him and examined them who stoutly professed their Religion and confidence in God. Then the King commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heat and these men were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace But to the astonishment of the King and all the Persecutors they were delivered and the King blessed the God of Heaven Blessed be the God of Shadrach Dan. 3.28 Meshach and Abednego who hath sent his Angel and delivered his servants that trusted in him and have changed the Kings word and yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any God except their own God. The King and the Persecutors were convinced and a Decree was made that none should speak amiss of the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego Of this King it is said When his heart was lifted up and his mind hardned in pride he was deposed from his Kingly Throne Dan. 5.20 21. and they took his glory from him and he was driven from the sons of men and his heart was made like the beasts and his dwelling was with the wild asses they fed him with grass like an ox and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till he knew that the most high God ruled in the Kingdoms of men and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. 5. Dan 6.4 5 c. In the time of King Darius there were envious Persecutors of godly Daniel who sought occasion against him concerning the Kingdom but they could find none occasion or fault They would fain have removed him from his Preferments to have made way for themselves and when they could find no default in him as to his Civil imployments forasmuch as he was faithful as most Nonconformists are neither was there any error or fault found in him Then the Persecutors said We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him concerning the Law of his God. Hereupon they sought to intrap him and acquaint the King That all the Presidents Princes Governours Councellors and Captains a great publick Councel had consulted together to establish a Royal Statute and to make a firm Decree That whosoever shall ask a Petition of any God or man for thirty days save of thee O King he shall be cast into the den of Lions and they prevailed with the King to sign the Decree Then Daniel when he knew that the Writing was signed he went into his house and his windows being open in his Chamber towards Jerusalem he would avow his profession and worship not withstanding the Law to the contrary he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime This provoked the Persecutors they inform the King of it who was willing to save Daniel but they insisted on the Law of the Medes and Persians which altereth not Hereupon Daniel was cast into the Lions Den but his God preserved him and he was taken forth again the next day but the Persecutors and their Wives and Children were cast into the Lions Den and the Lions had the mastery of them and broke all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the Den. 6. We may come to the highest of Persecutions to that of our blessed Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus His persecution began betimes shortly after he was born and continued till his Death and will continue against his Members till his coming again in Glory Matt. 2.13.16 Herodes Ascalonita sought the young Child to destroy him and when he saw that he was mocked of the Wisemen he was exceeding wrath and sent forth and slew all the Children that were in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof from Two years old and under according the the time be had diligently inquired of the Wisemen This bloody persecutor as Josephus relates was severely punished by God for his barbarous persecution of our Saviour Josephus Antiquit. l. 17. c. 7. l. 17.7 De Bello Judaic c. 21. Mat. 4.1.2 Mat. 12.14 Matt. 22.15 Matt. 26.3.4.59 47. and of these innocent and young Martyrs The grand Persecutor Satan tempted the Lord of Life in the Wilderness when he fasted Forty days and Forty nights After the Miracles which he had wrought it is said that then the Pharisees went out and held a Councel against him how they might destroy him Then they consulted how they might intangle him A publick Councel of the chief Priests Scribes and Elders consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty and kill him and to this end all the Councel sought false Witness against him to put him to death His own Servant betrays him the Multitude with Swords and Staves from the chief Priests and Elders of the People apprehend him and lead him to the Councel Matt. 26.66.67 who pronounce their Sentence against him He is guilty of death then they spit in his Face buffet him and smite him After all this they still take councel against him to put him to death they bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the Governour who when the Rabble cried out Crucifie him Matt. 27.28 29.30 34. released Barrabas and scourged Jesus and delivered him to be crucified but of all others the Soldiers used him most spitefully they mocked him put a Crown of Thorns upon his Head spit upon him Jo. 19.34 smote him and led him away to crucifie him They gave him Vinegar to drink mingled with Gall and pierced his side with a Spear after he was dead Thus was our blessed Redeemer rewarded by men for all the good he did for them they persecuted him to death who brought them Eternal life and glory But it were presumption to speak of that glorious Passion and all the Persecution of the Lord of Life in this small Treatise and by so weak a hand which the Pen of the Holy Ghost hath described Joseph Antiq l. 18. Eutropius L. 7. We may only Observe of his Persecutors that Judas hanged himself Pilate and most of the Councel that condemned him were as Eutropeus and others affirm afflicted with many and sharp miseries in thâ—ls life and with violent deaths besides their
Exercised the Office of Legislator of Judg and of King. Selden holds that he was in truth Selden de Synedr l. 2. p. 62. Regem fuisse Mosen revera c. King or Prince of the Israelits according to Divine Institution But this may be censured of too much curiosity I have the rather insisted thereon to shew that he who was the meekest man upon earth and highly indulged Gods people was a King and it will become all Kings to imitate his Pattern 5. Upon the same Ground I proceed to the Indulgence of Joshua Moses Successor who was also Prince or King in Israel He had the same authority as Moses had delegated to him from God and consented to by the people who promise him Josh 1.16 All that thou commandest us we will do and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go according as we hearkened unto Moses in all things so will we hearken unto thee We do not find that he was severe against any Dissenters from his Opinion but in his admirable Expostulation with the people he leaves it to them If it seem evil unto you this day to serve the Lord Josh 24.15 chuse you this day whom you will serve whether the Gods which your Fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the Gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell Then he makes and declares his own profession of Religion But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. He sought not to convince the people by severe Laws and punishments but by meek Exhortations and Admonishments reasoning the matter with them If ye forsake the Lord Josh 24.20 and serue strange Gods then he will turn and do you hurt Josh 24.21 22 23 24 25. and consume you after that he hath done you good And the people said Nay but we will serve the Lord. And Joshua said Ye are witnesses against your selves that ye have chosen the Lord to serve him and they said We are witnesses Now therefore said he put away the strange Gods which are among you and incline your heart unto the Lord God of Israel So Joshua made a Covenant with the people and set them a Statute and an Ordinance in Shechem This way of meekness and Indulgence Joshua held the best way to perswade the people to Conformity to put away the strange Gods which were among them and to incline their heart unto the Lord God and it is an excellent precedent to be followed 6. The next in order is to consider of the Indulgence which the Judges and Kings gave to the people of Israel whereof there is not much to be gathered more than what is before remembred in general in the times of Moses and Joshua The times wherein there was no King in Israel that is no Governour nor Government when every one did that which seemed right in his own eyes relate to Civil as well as Spiritual matters and were rather times of Anarchy than of Indulgence But both the Judges who were Monarchs and a kind of Kings and the Kings by name did generally indulge all Persons in matters Spiritual except in cases of Blasphemy Idolatry or breach of the known Law of God. To write the Particulars of these times would take up too much of ours they are obvious in the Holy Story which every servant of God will take delight to read And throughout all the passages of them it will appear that they were indulgent to different perswasions in matters of their Law wherein as to Expositions and some weighty points there were many different opinions whereof there will be occasion to make some mention by and by and that these Dissenters were not punished It will likewise be manifest that all Indulgence in matters of this nature proceeded from the Judges and Kings who by their Exercise thereof shewed that the Right of Indulgence was in them though the Cases before mentioned were not to be dispenced with but by sinning against God and transgressing the Law which he had given unto his People and which will not be done by granting an Indulgence now desired 7. Time will be wanting to insist on these and I must omit many other examples in the Word of Truth of Indulgence in Spiritual matters and come to that which may serve instead of all others the unerring great Examplar our Lord Jesus whose infinite wonderful indulgence and mercy to his unworthy Creatures gives a sharp rebuke to all persecuting earthly powers and fully instructs them to give indulgence to those over whom he hath set them Our blessed Redeemer God Omnipotent knew the inclinations and opinions of all mens hearts and ways who were just and righteous who were wicked and ungodly who were sincere and who were hypocrites who were faithful and who unbelievers Yet was he graciously pleased to make no distinction 1 Tim. 2.6 Acts. 10.43 John 3.15 but indulged all both Jew and Gentile just and unjust righteous and sinful he gave himself a Ransom for all that whosoever believes in him shall have remission of Sins shall not perish but have everlasting Life Our Jesus who inhabiteth Eternity liveth for ever and can do whatsoever pleaseth him was pleased in his great humility and mercy to Mankind to come down from Heaven upon the Earth and to take our vile Nature upon him How unfit is it for sinful Dust and Ashes whose Breath is in their Nostrils who are but as of yesterday to ascend the Throne of God to take his Authority on them to sit in Judgment upon the Hearts and Consciences of Men The Lord of Life and Glory humbled himself and became obedient to death even the death of the Cross that he might thereby purchase his Enemies eternal Life How unanswerable to this is it for Powers made of Dirt and without Foundations to condemn their Friends to death that will not be of the same judgment with these Rulers The searcher of Hearts allows a freedom to all mens Hearts and Consciences to serve him in such ways as they think most agreeable to his Divine Will. How unfit it is for any earthly Govornours to attempt an alteration of the frame of the hearts of men to compel them to serve God in such ways as are most agreeable to the will of the Governours and contrary to the Hearts and Consciences of those whose good only is concerned Christ exhorteth all to Kindness and Indulgence Luke 4.18 and affirms That he was sent to heal the broken hearted How unfit it is for his Vicegerents to wound yet more the broken hearted He was sent to preach deliverance to the Captives How contrary is it to proclaim imprisonment or banishment to those whom Christ hath made free He was sent to recover sight to the Blind those who are sent by him have no Commission to put out the Eyes of those that see to torment and punish their Brethren because they see not with their Rulers Eyes Christ was sent to set
third It should have been Cain's joy to see his Brother accepted It should have been his sorrow to see that himself had deserved a rejection His Brother's example should have excited and directed him Could Abel have stayed God's fire from descending Or should he if he could reject God's acceptation and displease his Maker to content a Brother Was Cain ever the further from a blessing because his Brother obtained mercy How proud and foolish is malice which grows thus mad for no other cause but because God or Abel is not less Good It hath been an old and happy danger to be holy This hath commonly been the ground of Persecution mens piety begets envy and envy raiseth persecution from proud and ungodly men who having the world at will because others are more acceptable to God than themselves therefore they in pride and envy persecute them as Cain here did his Brother Abel If there be an evil heart there will be an evil eye and if both these there will be an evil hand Cain persecuted and murthered his Brother Abel for his Religion How early saith our Bishop did Martyrdom come into the World The first man that died died for Religion Who dare measure Gods love by outward events when he sees wicked Cain standing over bleeding Abel whose Sacrifice was first accepted and now himself is Sacrificed Death was denounced to man as a curse yet behold it first lights upon a Saint How soon was it altered by the mercy of that just hand which inflicted it If death had been evil and life good Cain had been slain and Abel had survived Now that it begins with him that God loves Oh death where is thy sting This may comfort godly men being under Persecution and though it should reach to death yet it would be their happiness And for the condition of their Persecutors it will be like that of Cain who because he persecuted his Brother was cast out from the protection of God. He that feared not to kill his Brother fears now that whosoever meets him will kill him the troubled conscience projecteth fearful things and sin makes even cruel men cowardly God saw it was too much favour for Cain to die he shall live but for a curse banished from God carrying his Hell in his bosom and the brand of Gods vengeance in his forehead God rejected him the Earth repines at him men abhor him himself now wisheth that death which he feared and no man dares pleasure him with a murder How bitter is the end of him yea without end still Cain finds that he killed himself more than his Brother and in time all Persecutors will find that they have persecuted themselves more than their dissenting Brethren 2. The next Persecution which I shall mention is that of Pharaoh persecuting the Israelites and this was upon a Ground of Spiritual matters Exod. 3.18 The message which God sent by Moses unto Pharaoh was for an Indulgence in Spiritual matters Let us go we beseech thee three days journâ—y into the Wilderness that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God Exod. 4.3 and let my son go that he may serve me When Moses and Aaron had delivered their Message to Pharaoh and prayed his Indulgence to the Israelites to go and sacrifice to the Lord the Tyrant persecuteth them the more and says Ye are idle Exod. 5.3 ye are idle therefore ye say let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. Exod. 5.13 Exod. 7.20 Exod. 8.1 4. Ver. 8. Go and work no straw shall be given you yet shall ye deliver the tale of Bricks Then is the River turned into Blood and Moses again demands the Kings Indulgence Let my people go that they may serve me But Pharaoh's heart is hardned and Frogs are sent this made him a little relent Intreat the Lord that he may take away the Frogs and I will let the people go that they may sacrifice The Frogs being taken away the Tyrants heart is again hardned He will not let the people serve the Lord. Then Lice are sent and before every new Plague leave is desired for the people to go and serve their God but Pharaoh would not grant this Indulgence as soon as the Plague was removed his heart was hardened and he would not let the Israelites serve the Lord their God. But upon the death of their first-born the King and his Servants are willing Go and serve the Lord as ye have said Exod. 12.31 No sooner are they gone and the Plagues ceased but Pharoah resolves to recall them and to continue his Persecution of them but therein the Judgment of God appeared against Persecutors and his zeal for his people to have this Indulgence by destroying the denyers of it Pharaoh and all his host perished in the Red Sea. 3. The next Persecution which was intended only Esth 3.5 6. was that of Haman against the Jews Such was his pride because Mordecai the Jew did not bow to him and do him reverence that he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone but thought to destroy all the Jews And his pretence for this Persecution was by suggesting to the King Ahasuerus That there is a certain people in all the Provinces and their Laws that is the Laws of their Religion are divers from all people they were Dissenters neither keep they the Kings Laws Esth 3.8 they were absolutely Nonconformists and therefore he concludes and counsels the King It is not for the Kings profit to suffer them The King himself was contented to indulge them but this great Favourite out of pride and his malice to Mordecai and for his sake to all the Jews perswades the King thus If it please the King let it be written that they may be destroyed The King hearkens to Haman's advice and a Decree is sent out to persecute all the Jews to their utter destruction but afterwards through Divine mercy by the means of Queen Esther and Mordecai miraculously prevented And altho here was only a design and intention of persecuting Gods people and not put in action yet such was the jealousie and wrath of God against the Enemies of his people Esth 9 25. that the chief contrivers of this Persecution Haman and his Sons were hanged on the Gallows and near eighty thousand of the Persecutors slain by those whose ruin they designed And the King commanded by his Letters That Haman's wicked devise which he devised against the Jews should return upon his own head which may terrifie all malicious or impious men from persecuting of their Brethren 4. The Persecution which Nebuchadnezzar made may likewise afford us an observation The King made an Image of Gold Dan. 3.1 4 5 6. and had a solemn Dedication of it and a Decree was made and proclaimed That all people when they heard the Musick should fall down and worship the Golden Image which Nebuchadnezzar the King had set up Then this Decree and Law of Conformity highly
punishment in the life to come For the People of the Jews our persecuted Prince foretold what should become of them for their persecutions I send unto you Prophets and Wisemen and Scribes Matt. 23.34 35 38. and some of them ye shall kill and crucifie and some of them ye shall scourge in your Synagogues and persecute them from City to City Then follows the most fearful of all Judgments That upon you may come all the Righteous blood shed upon the Earth from the blood of Righteous Able to the blood of Zacharias Behold your House is left unto you desolate Josephus Eusebius Socrates Scholast c. The Ecclesiastical story sets forth the full accomplishment of this Prophecy the sad calamities which befel the Jews in the Siege of Jerusalem and the taking and demolishing of it and of the stately Temple whereof nothing was left but heaps upon heaps and all buried in Ruine The People carried away Captives lost their Native Country dispersed over the face of the Earth and besides the unexpressible miseries inflicted by Divine Justice on that Generation it reacheth also to all their Posterity who ever since have been wanderers up and down the Earth and sojourners in strange Lands and have had no City or fixed Habitation to dwell in 7. The example and course of the Master was followed by his Disciples that knew him in those times and will be chearfully submitted unto if God shall require it by all such who in our time shall be acquainted with the Lord Jesus to suffer with patience and joy the Persecutions which the Enemies of Christ shall inflict upon them whereof our Saviours predictions was They shall deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you Matt. 24.9 10 13. and ye shall be hated of all Nations for my names sake and then shall many be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another But he that shall endure to the end shall be saved That this was fulfilled in the Persecution of the Disciples of Christ appears too evidently in the Ecclesiastical story and the particulars thereof are too many to be inserted in this short Treatise they may at large and with sorrow be perused in their Authors John the Baptist for displeasing Herodes Antipas in his Doctrine and Opinion about his Brother Philips Wife was imprisoned and afterwards in a kind of frolick beheaded by him Euseb l. 2. c. 4. Jos Antiq. l. 8. c. 9. Acts 8.1.3 This Herod as Eusebius and others testifie was afterwards condemned to perpetual banishment Saul was himself a great persecutor of the People of God he was consenting to the death of Stephen and there was a great persecution against the Church As for Saul he made havock of the Church entring into every House and haling men and Women committed them to Prison And breathing out threatnings and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord Acts 9.1 2. went unto high Priest and desired of him Letters to Damascus to the Synagogues that if he found any of this way Nonconformist whether they were men or women he might bring them bound to Jerusalem This fierce persecutor was miraculously convinced of his sin as all persecutors one day will be and he became himself a persecuted Disciple of Christ Jesus Nero 2 Tim. 4.17 Eutrop. l. 8. whom he calls the Lyon and who was a fierce persecutor of him as Eutropius relates was sentenced by the Senate to whipped to death which although he escaped yet afterwards he slew himself Herodes Agrippa stretched for his hands to vex certain of the Church Acts. 12.1 2. and he killed James the Brother of John with the Sword this persecutor also perished by an horrible death Domitian the presecutor of John the Evangelist Jos Antiq. l. 10. c. 7. Suetonius Eutropius was slain in his Bed by his own servants his Wife consenting to it and his Carkass thrown into the Street by order of the Senate Throughout almost the whole Book of the Acts of the Apostles are stories of the persecution of Christs Disciples I confine my self to those Examples which occur in the Holy story nor can I mention but some of them and must refer those who desire to look more particularly into this matter to the Ecclesiastical story where they will find stories of that horror and bitterness of persecution against the People of God and those who professed the Name of Christ Jesus that would melt a Pious heart and those horrible judgments of God against the persecutors of his Servants that may forewarn all persecutors whatsoever from the wicked ways of persecution and deter them from imposing upon men any thing contrary to that freedom of Conscience which is due to all that profess the Faith of Christ and whosoever by persecution shall seek to take it from them will ensnare themselves in misery probably here certainly hereafter 8. This Chapter may be concluded with some few further Observations upon the Examples before remembred from the holy Scripture By all which it appears evidently that in all times and in all places the People and Servants of God have been under severe persecutions but what hath been the end and issue thereof Eternal joy and comfort I know the Objection is obvious that the Examples before remembred and divers others which may occur are not applicable to the subject matter of our present Discourse they are of persecutions of the People of God and of Christians by Heathens and by the Jews who believed not that the Messias was come but the matter now in Discourse is of injoyning conformity in Sectaries and Schismaticks by the lawful Power and Authority of the Rulers of the Church of Christ and therefore these Examples come not to this matter But if a dissenting Brother do judg or doubt that what is imposed on his Conscience is contrary to the will of God He holds himself equally obliged not to conform thereunto as the Ancient Primitive Christians or the Jews held themselves bound not to conform to the Impositions of Heathen Emperors Governours in matters Spiritual And they do observe that if God shewed so great displeasure for those Impositions of the Heathen upon his People That surely he will be as much displeased at the Impositions of Christians upon Christians and of Protestants upon Protestants in Spiritual Matters and which are not Fundamental and where the publick Peace is not disturbed It may be further observed that in all Examples of Persecution the Power and Authority of the King or Monarch was made use of and by the same Reason and Authority his Power and Right of Indulgence may be exercised The Observation of powring out of the Wrath and Vengeance of God upon the Persecutors of his People hath been before in part noted and may be found throughout the Stories of those Passages And it is a greater breach of Charity and Christian Duty for a Professor of Christ than for an Unbeliever to persecute a