Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	word_n	world_n	wrath_n	463	3	7.1209	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77975	The vvofull cry of unjust persecutions, and grevious oppressions of the people of God in England, through the injustice of some of her rulers, and wikednesse of teachers and people, who hasten to fulfil the measure of their forefathers cruelty. With a lamentation over them all who rewards the Lord evill for good, and is a warning to them all for repentance; shewing that the coming of the Lord is nigh. And this may serve for an answer in full, to all such who have persecuted by violence, by word or writing the innocent people in scorn called Quakers. With a short addition, which shewes unto all, the ground of persecution; in its first cause, and the enmity which is betwixt the two seeds, is clearly discovered, by a friend to the suffering seed of God, E.B.	Burrough, Edward, 1634-1662.	1657 (1657)	Wing B6058; Thomason E927_1; ESTC R207590	26,005	39

evil work and you have not known that there is no divination against the holy seed O! what will become of you when he Lord is arisen to plead with you for these things the cruelty and oppression of the Rulers shall be added to your account and the sin of the people which you have swallowed down it shall be laid to your charge for you have strengthened the hands of evil doers so that none could turn from his evil way but have by you been hardened therein and from you prophanesse have gone forth to the ends of the earth Woe woe is approaching what account will you render in the day of the Lord you will all be speechlesse in that day when the swift witnesse doth arise therefore to all you I am moved to write who have set your selves to gain-say the truth and to write against the people of the Lord whom you call Quakers who walk in the truth and have received the truth from the Lord whom you have reproached and slandered in secret and also in open print in the face of the world and have laid many cruel and false charges and accusations against them and to all that hath or ever shall hereafter bend your tongues and pens to utter wickednesse and falshood by writing or otherwise Repent and cease your wickednesse for the wrath of the Lord is kindled against you and take this for an answer in full to all your books and false reproaches we are of God and he that is of God heareth us and the whole world lyes in wickednesse and we have the testimony that we please God and he is our God and we are his people and he hath chosen us and we have chosen him and the name of the Lord is our strength and his covenant of life is with us and among us hath he fullfilled his promise and his spirit is poured forth and sons and daughters do Prophesie and one king reigns upon mount Sion and the night to us is far spent and the day is dawned and the darknesse of the night which long hath overshadowed the world in which no man could work is from us fled and the marvellous light is risen and we are them whom God hath gathered according to his promise Ezek. 34. from the mouthes of Idol-shepherds which once made a prey upon us and the glory of the Lord is revealed and the time is come of Restoration and of bringing back out of the captivity of darknesse where all have laid with a vail of darknesse spread over all their faces and we are eye-witnesses of his glory and it is given us to taste and feel and handle the Word of Life which lives for ever therefore I say unto you all it is a little thing to us and not respected to be reproached by you our life you cannot reach nor our glory deface and you we know to be them who God never sent but must fullfill your measure of wickednesse till the time of your overthrow which draws near upon you all and despisable shall you be to all that fear the Lord and love his wayes for your nakednesse and shame shall be uncovered and them that have loved you shall be filled with the indignation of the Lord against you all your writings and books and lyes and Senders and false reproaches uttered in publick and private shall go into the pit from which they came and shall return upon your own heads and when your vail of slanders and false aspersions is taken off then shall we as we are appear and till then all your evil brought forth against us we bear in patience and love your revilings rather than your praise wherefore with shame put off your armour and lay down your crownes and stop your mouthes in the dust and bow and tremble before the just God and before the lamb who is risen to make war against the beast against you his fals Prophets whose generation must grow feeble and become weaknesse in this the day of the Lord your time is at an end wherein it was given you to reign and to seduce and deceive the Nations and now shall the sonne of God be exalted and the kingdoms of this World shall become the Kingdomes of Christ hear and consider this all ye that exalt your selves against the Lord and his way and are established in the throne of unrighteousnesse under the beastly power if any man hath an ear to hear let him hear the light is risen and these things are made manifest and with the light of the world in all men shall they be witnessed to be truth and the state of things as they are at this day and if you can discerne the times and the signes of times and the changing of times here you may read and understand blessed are all that have an ear to hear TO all ye Heads and Rulers Judges and Magistrates Mayors Bailiffs Goalers and Constables and all others whatsoever governors Priests and people who have and do persecute the children and servants of the Lord the Saints of the most high God who feareth the name of the Lord and walketh in his way who are not of this world but redeemed out of it and are despised among men as all the generation of the just every where to all you persecuters and violent doers this is a word from the Lord God Repent repent for evil have you done in his sight and vext his soul and grieved his spirit and heaped up wrath against the day of wrath and multiplyed your transgressions and the measure of your Iniquities are well nigh filled up ye have set your selves against the Lord and your hands you have strengthened against his people you have rejected the day of your visitation and you have not regarded the day of your salvation you have plainly made it manifest that you are that generation which killed the just and that you are of the seed of evil doers the works that you have brought forth do plainly declare that you will not Christ to reign amongst you nor his government to rule over you who have thus persecuted the innocent without cause by false imprisonments and false judgments and hard dealing and reproachings and revilings consider your waies and what you have done search your hearts and let it take place in you all how have you persecuted the just how have you stretched forth your hands and dealt cruelly and violently with the meek of the earth how have you troden under foot the poor and needy and greatly oppressed the upright hearted who have not rendred evill for evill but forgiven you and prayed for you and wished well unto you and born in patience without complaining all your injustice and cruelty and have not sought vengeance against you even such hath God chosen more than many and them you have despised and persecuted more than any and laid heavie bonds of oppression upon them and doubled their task through your hard-heartednesse least the seed of God

because they could not swear respect persons with hat or knee and so were witnesses for the Lord and his Kingdome which stands in righteousnesse and against the power and kingdom of the Beast which stands in iniquity in fainednesse and flattering titles and disobedience to the Son of God and many hundreds are wofull unjust and oppressed sufferers at this day by false imprisonment and spoiling of goods because they cannot pay Tithes that abominable and crying oppression by which the Beast chiefly maintains his false Prophets and because the unchangable Priesthood is witnesed and the changable denied and Christ the light of the World followed therefore is this suffering laid upon the just and many are sufferers under hard tasks because they cannot maintain the Idol temples and Idol worships and Idol Priests which the power of Antichrist upholds against the power of the Son of God and against the new Covenant of life where God in spirit and in truth is worshipped without respect of places dayes or men or things and the true worshippers they worship God in the spirit and in the truth and cannot be subject to dayes places or things appointed and ordained by the power of men and false prophets and how many unjust fines and false inditements have been most illegally charged upon the innocent in many Courts and Judicatories through this Nation and all in the defence of the kingdom of the man of sin lest his authority should be abated and the authority of Christ Jesus exalted many cruelties have been done and injustice acted both by Rulers and People against such which no evil could justly be charged against nor yet the transgression of any just law by any one of them O! horrid grievances and cruel oppressions hath been brought forth in this Nation by such who should have eased the oppressed and set at liberty the captives such who should have judged justly the cause of the poor and heard the call of the oppressed have turned judgment backward from the poor and equity have found no place to enter but truth hath fallen in the streets and justice and mercy have perished from among men and the poor hath been oppressed and they that have departed from iniquity have been made a prey to the mouthes of devouring Lions for some of the Judges have been as ravening Wolves and as greedy devouring Foxes the Lambs of Christ have been chased by the wicked and his power for their life O how have the oppressed groaned in this Nation under false judgment to ages and generations for ever may it be recorded for a witnesse against this generation of cruel hearted men whom the beast and false prophet hath raised in his defence and against the Kingdom of Christ Jesus and them that follow him how full have the most part of the prisons in all this land been with guiltlesse sufferers under cruel bondage with unjust dealings and false judgments have gone forth from some of your mouthes you that have been set to judge over the people who should have been a terror to the wicked but have rather strengthened the hands of evil doers and been a terror to righteousnesse so much as is possible the great whore which sits upon the beast hath made your Rulers drunk and stagger with envy and hatred and persecution and works of wickednesse against the upright Wo is me for you what have you brought forth even iniquity by Decrees and injustice by Ordinances and false judgment by Lawes alas alas your destruction cometh as an armed man upon you Was ever the like heard or any president in any generation before you for imprisoning just men for declaring against sin and the abominations of the times as you have done many and for imprisoning men because they cannot put off their hat to you and respect your persons and so transgresse the law of God and because they cannot swear and so break Christs command For this you have imprisoned many and caused them to suffer because of this may not you fear and tremble before the Lord God and your faces gather blacknesse at this when you consider it Did ever any that were set to judge in the earth among men so abuse their power and subvert it so quite to another end than wherefore it was committed to them May not shame cover you all to commit men to prison for the exercise of pure conscience towards God because they cannot swear or respect mens persons or maintain Idol-shepherds and Idol-temples and worships which is abomination to the Lord and for taking peaceable men out of peaceable meetings and out of their travel on the High-wayes and first whipping them and sending them to prison the example of this which you have done never went before in any age and therefore have you exceeded in oppression in injustice in cruelty and false judgment all your fore-fathers the Pope nor Bishops hardly ever brought forth such things but the Lord will reckon with you and plead the cause of the oppressed against all you oppressors yea and will give unto you a recompence of reward according to your works ye that have exalted your selves against the innocent shall be brought down to the dust of misery and the Saints shall reign and rejoyce over you when the Kingdom of Christ Jesus the Lamb shall be set up over you all and your beastly power dashed to pieces as a Potters vessel when he whom you have persecuted and his followers shall rule with a rod of iron and break you asunder and this shall shurely come to passe therefore consider it ye that thus deal in your anger against the Lord and his chosen for the Lamb shall get the victory over the Beast and over you all that seek to defend him and that strive under his power for they that are with the Lamb are Called and Faithful and Chosen O! therefore be awakened be awakened ye heads and Judges and Rulers of the people remember and repent the Lords hand is stretched forth against all oppression and oppressors and his wrath is kindled against the wicked ones and his power to overthrow his dominon which long hath reigned in the Nations and now though he seeks to defend himself against the Lamb and his followers by injust dealing yet the out-stretched arme of the Lord shall bring deliverance to his chosen who hath been made havock upon in their liberties and in their estates some cruelly suffering in prison and others by spoiling of their goods and none of these for evil doing but upon false suspitions and envious jelousies and secret surmisings without any ground of occasion given but by wickednesse have many of you sought occasion to make offenders by laying snares for the feet of the harmlesse and innocent you have made men offenders for a word and perverted innocent words and actions that you might make to your self a ground to persecute and have sought a cloake to cover your cruelty in the sight of men but naked and bare are

the wicked vented their malice against them that the more the Beast and his power hath fullfilled wickednesse the sooner may be his destruction And O what scorning and reviling and lying and slandering and evil speeches with mockings and cruel words of envy and tearms of cruelty against the innocent hath this generation brought forth in this day wherein the dragon with his Angells hath joyned battel against the Prince of righteousnesse and they that follow him and whole Gog and Magog is gathered together to compasse the Camp of the Saints about and to fight against the beloved City the Judges and Rulers with their train of subservant officers as Bayliffs Clarks Goalers Constables with all that to those belonged have with a high hand persecuted and laid oppressions by hard-heartednesse upon the backs of the poor and distressed and the scorners and liers and prophane wretches have bent their tongue against the just in uttering lies slanders reproaches back-biting nick-namings and false-accusing and all manner of evil speehes and false reproaches and the just have been burthened by all this and thus they that have been departed from iniquity have been a prey to Rulers to act their injustice upon and to the people to utter their slanders and to do cruelty against and the teeth of evil doers have been set on edge to bite and devoure and to satisfie their maliciousnesse upon the sufferings of the upright people and from the Judge upon his throne to the begger upon the high-way all have had their hand dipped in this cause of cruel and unjust persecution and the Lord hath considered and harkened from his holy habitation and numbered up the summe of all your iniquities that he may repay and recompence upon your heads wo unto you unjust Judges and corrupt men who have abused your power And wo unto all that do oppresse by hard dealing who have offended the just and defended the unjust Wo unto all you scorners liers back biters and reproachfull tongues the Lord is coming to take an account Your sins cry for vengeance against you and though your hands and tongues have been strengthened to speak and act ungodlinesse by the evil example of your rulers yet your own iniquity shall you bear in the day of the Lord and though your rulers and judges have been strengthened in their unjustnesse and mercilessenesse by the false lying teachers and diviners of false visions which have seen vanity yet their own iniquity shall they bear every man shall die for his own sin Wo unto your teachers they have eaten up the sin of rulers and people and covered iniquity and transgression by flattering and lying words they have daubed with untempered morter and healed up the wound deceitfully and cryed peace peace to the wicked that have walked in the imaginations of their own hearts when unto such the Lord never spake peace And now whereas the Rulers and people have stretched forth their hands to vex the Lords people and have through unjust judgment and grievous oppressions and unmercifull dealings troden the innocent under foot and made them a prey to their mouth and divers waies have persecuted in cruel manner the followers of the Lamb yet also have the wise men of this world even the Priests and Teachers who have led the people and have caused them to erre and have set themselves as in battle array against the Lord and his way and people How have you hardened your hearts and made your forehead as brasse against the Word of the Lord and you have been as the fountain of all this wickednesse acted against the just and strengtheners of the hands of ungodly men the Heads and Ruler you have strengthened in their cruelty of false judgments by your arguments of strife in subtiltly you have been as nursers of all this persecution and wickednesse and have interceded for oppression to cause the just to groan whom the Lord hath raised to testifie against you the judges they have given regard unto you and the people they have taken you for examples who have been cursed presidents to the Rulers and people who have followed your cruel steps of malice and envy and from the head to the tail they have drunk in your poisonus doctrines and made themselves drunk therewith and out of reason in their furious zeal of madnesse and all have taken council together to slay the harmlesse from off the face of the earth some by false judgment and oppression and others by cruel abusings as beatings and stonings unheard of or unequalized in generations of late O ye Priests and Teachers and wise men and Scribes how many of you in this Nation joyned hand in hand to betray the innocent by your false doctrines and lying divinations and have filled and sought to do so the mind of the people with slanders and false reproaches and lying imaginations and many conceptions and jealousies against the people of God many of you have made it your study work to bring forth evil by cunning arguments to suggest into the hearts of people that they might not enter the kingdom and even so have you been shutters of the kingdom of heaven against men and would not enter your selves nor suffer others that would Wo unto you you have taken away the key of knowledge and lost it and multitudes of false aspersions and lying assertions have you brought forth without fear by wicked consequence and lying productions that you might take away the key of knowledge thereby and hide it from men and lay stumbling blocks of iniquity before the people to stop the way of the upright and you have travelled to seek occasions of evil against the just and watched for the halting of the innocent that you might glory and rejoyce in their fall and without any occasion by words or actions you have taken offence and made offences by evil surmisings to blind the eyes of people that your Idolatry might not be discovered nor the way of righteousnesse shine forth O be ashamed and repent for to account must you Come and the sin of Rulers and people whom you have blindly led will be charged against you who have given them wicked examples of cruelty in your pulpits you have spent time in rayling and slandering and lying to infuse evil into the minds of men against the truth and many books have you given forth and sent abroad from your lying pens out of your vain studies of false prophesie and mens hearts have been filled with your damnable doctrines of Devils wherewith the simple have been poysoned and the innocent betrayed even great numbers of books and lying scroules have gone through the nation from some of you filled with false divination and intents of evil against the way of the Lord and his people and worse than Balaam and far exceeding him have you been you have sought enchantments to curse the people whom God hath blessed altogether and some of you have done it to your evill reward of your

consumed and they overturned and destroyed what did he to Pharaoh and all his host who persecuted the seed of God how was he destroyed and the righteous set free and what was done to Hammon How was he justly rewarded who persecuted the innocent seed of God What did God to Herod and all his people who persecuted the innocent and remember what he did unto them that persecuted the three children and them that persecuted Daniel how did they fall into the pit which they had digged for another and how were they destroyed and the innocent delivered consider and remember these things ye that suffer the just to groan by you Search through the records of old and search what God hath done unto all them that lifted up their hand against him and his people and is he not the same at this day his hand is not shortened that it cannot save his people and destroy his enemies his ear is not dull of hearing that he should not understand this unjust suffering of his people though you live carelessely in pleasure upon earth while the innocent mournes yet doth the Lord regard though you spend your time in pleasure and delight your selves in vanities all the day long yet the Lord hath taken it to heart and his spirit is grieved that his innocent servants should lye in holes and dungeons to be trodden upon and be accounted as the off-scouring of all things hardly thought worthy to have a place on the earth Oh remember these things ye that are high minded and consider what God did to the Bishops and their crew of persecutors in this Nation your selves are witnesses how the Lord overthrew them and delivered his people in a few years time and as little as you did they think that they whom they perseceuted should so soon come to have reigned over them the Lords hand was then against oppressors as it is at this day do you think the Lord hath forgotten or that he takes no notice of what is come to passe how should he forget his people to save them or his enemies that he should not recompence them but know ye assuredly that the Lord is the same and all those things are written in a book and remembred by him and he will judge justly and righteously in his dreadfull day Ah let it enter into your hearts serve not your selves altogether in the pleasures of this world but serve the Lord and this he requires of you let the oppressed go free and break every bond whereby the innocent doth suffer and this the Lord requires at your hands Oh but I feel great hardnesse of heart and rather a strengthening of cruel bonds than a breaking of them and you appear rather to be given up to work wickednesse and to fullfill the largest measure of them that went before you than otherwise unrighteous decrees are rather established than dissannulled Oh what will be the end of these things and what will be your judgment when the Lord awakens himself as out of sleep who hath left you to follow your own spirits to try you that it might be known unto all what is in your hearts and behold perversenesse lodges in them and while the Lord hath looked for justice amongst you even the cry of oppression hath been heard even a grieveous cry of unjust persecution and violence against the seed of God and once you would have been ashamed of those things which now you act without shame so that which is in your hearts is powred forth in the sight of the World Oh ye Rulers of England the Rulers of the Heathen shall rise up in judgment against you even they that never professed so much as you have done they shall be rather justified than you whose wayes have been more equal than yours and lesse cruelty brought forth by them than by you unto their subjects and this makes your sin more great in that many of you were raised from low estate and you have exalted your selves more than is meet and have caused your very equals to groan under you by the heavy yoak which you have prepared for them well but the Lord hath listned and heard and a book ofremembrance is written and he will repay into your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the time is not long when the Lord may scatter you and give you unto the will of your enemies therefore be awakened and warned the day of your visitation is upon you all OH England that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace Oh that thy Rulers and people had known how that the Lord hath called unto them Oh that they had considered how that his hand hath been stretched forth all the day long and he would have gathered them as a Shepherd doth his flock but they have not known neither have they considered and therefore that which belongs to their peace will the Lord hide from their eyes the day of their visitation is spending apace and the night will come and no man shall be able to work and because the Lord hath called and you have not heard therefore shall you try and the Lord will give no answer Oh Nation thou art filled with oppression and griveous iniquities and from the head to the foot thou bearest marks of great abominations in thee is found lamentable oppression of the poor and great and grieveous idolatries and Gods righteous soul is vexed in thee day by day the Just groanes and mournes under the heavy hand of oppressors many of thy Goales do witnesse it where many innocent and upright people have suffered unjustly the losse of their freedom without any ground or charge of evil laid upon them Oh what have thy Rulers done Judgment and Justice have they turned backward the cry of the poor hath not been regarded and equity hath not found a place to enter Who would have thought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who have been so high in profession of the Scrip●●●●… should thus have dealt with them who are in the life of the Scriptures this agravates your sinne in that none hath been like you in profession of Religion and in pretences of Righteousnesse and yet you have exceeded others in persecuting and suffering of it the servants of the Lord but it is now made manifest what lodgeth in your hearts under your faire covers of promises words and shewes what deep hypocrisie is this that you should professe liberty of conscience and yet have persecuted hundreds for the exercise of their pure Consciences Is not this to be taken notice of that you should professe that which you do not perform and will not the Lord plead with you because of it in his dreadful day which is hastening upon you as a chief in the night and the wicked shall not escape do you think that he whom you persecute in his members and his members shall sure reign over you do not you know that he is sufficient to avenge himself of all his enemies and do not you believe that

Word of the Lord was even a reproach unto Jeremiah daily and they smote him with the tongue and the chief governour of the house of the Lord smote him and put him in the dungeon and Amos which had been no Prophet not the son of a Prophet but a herdsman he was persecuted by the Priest of Bethel and was commanded not to Prophesie in the Kings Chappel and Amaziah the Priest complained to Jereboam the King against Amos the Prophet and Ezekiel the Prophet could not be received of the people for saith the Lord they will not hear thee for they will not hear me and they were a rebellious house and impudent and hardhearted and would not receive the Prophets words and thus it was in the time of the Apostles and Christ Jesus they were persecuted and some of them put to death for bearing testimony unto the father whom they were witnesses of and against the World what reproaches slanders beatings buffetings scornings tumults uproars and all manner of evil did they suffer in their generation by the seed of the Serpent from the hands of the Rulers and Priests and people Christ was accounted a deceiver and called a devil and a blasphemer and the Apostles were called heretiques deceivers and pestilent fellowes movers of sedition destroyers of the Law and turners of the World upside down and such like All these were of the seed of God that were persecuted and the persecuters were of the seed of the Serpent which brought forth violence and wickednesse and false judgement against the innocent and some were put to death upon the false account of being deceivers and blasphemers If you search through the whole Scripture you may read how the just were persecuted even from Abel who was of the seed of God and all that ever were persecuted for righteousnesse sake were persecuted upon the account of being evil doers and the persecuters judged themselves to be righteous He was the chief Governor of the house of the Lord that persecuted Jeremiah and the people that smote him with the tongue said They knew the Law should not perish from the Priest nor Counsel from the Honourable and it was Amaziah the Kings Priest that persecuted Amos and it was they that seeemed to be religious that persecuted the Prophets and it was the wise Scribes and Pharisees and the chief Priests that handled the Law and that offered Sacrifice that persecuted Christ and the Apostles How zealous were the Jewes in their traditions and observations in their sabboth-keeping and in the dayes of their humiliation in their Temple-worship and in all the Commandments of God They were zealous according to their own thoughts yet were they of the seed of the Serpent and persecuted the seed of God in blind zeal upon false judgment and the persecutors had a name to be righteous and the persecuted were accounted unrighteous and so darknesse was put for light and light for darknesse and them that were well-doers were accounted evil doers and them that were evil doers were accounted righteous And such was the blindnesse of Rulers and people such as prophesied falsly and came in their own name were received for the people loved to have it so when the great abomination was committed but they that came in the fathers name could not be received but were persecuted the Prophets Christ nor his Apostles could not be received of the World but were persecuted in it and lawes and decrees were made against them whereby they suffered unjustly upon grounds suspitions and jealousies for that way was called heresie in which the true God was worshiped Christ was called a deceiver and the wisdom of the World could not receive the knowledge of the things of God and as it was then so is it now in every particular if any man hath an ear to hear he may hear and a heart to understand he may perceive for now is the seed of God and the seed of the Serpent at enmity striving one against the other and the one persecutes the other in this generation as ever it was we are persecuted upon the false account and false judgement of being evil doers and deceivers and our persecuters accounts themselves righteous and zealous for Gods waies and such as are false Prophets and deceivers are accounted true Ministers of Christ even them that preach for hire and seek for their gain from their Quarter and through convetousnesse by feigned words makes merchandise of soules such were and such are deceivers and were never sent of God and yet such in this generation are accounted Ministers of Christ and such as are Ministers of Christ who walk in the Doctrin of Christ as they have received freely so do they freely give and seek not advantage themselves but are persecuted and reviled for righteousnesse sake such are accounted and falsly judged deceivers and so true judgment is turned backward good is called evil and evill good deceivers are called Ministers of Christ and Ministers of Christ are called deceivers and thus people in this generation erres in judgment and persecutes the righteous who are of the seed of God And it was ever the Ministers of Christ that were persecuted and never any of them persecuted any nor ever any of the deceivers persecuted for righteousnesse sake but they ever persecuted the just and sought to the Rulers and to the Elders of the people for violence to be done unto them that feared the Lord and witnessed against their wickednesse it was the Chief Priests and them that handled the law which caused Christ and the Apostles to be persecuted Amaziah sought to Jereboam to have Amos persecuted and as it was then so it is now How doth the Teachers of this Nation seek to the Magistrates to have the innocent persecuted and yet these men are zealous for their performances and duties in the set dayes of humiliation and lectures and even they think they do God good service in imprisoning the innocent they have great zeal without knowledge as the Jewes had and they are strict in their Sabboth keeping in their singing and praying c. But yet is violence done to the just and true judgment and justice neglected and therefore all that which they perform to God is abomination in his sight Oh what complaining is by the Teachers of this N●tion to the Magistrates What crying out for defence shewing that they want the spiritual armour and dare not trust the Lord What plotting and contriving against the seed of God by the seed of the Serpent who ever was a persecutor and never was persecuted What lawes and decrees are brought forth against the Lords people as traps to ensnare their fee like as it was in the dayes of old even like unto Artaxerxes the King who made a Decree and gave commandment that the City of God should not be builded and this was from the information and complaining of Rhehum the Chancellor and Shimshai the Scribe who brought certain accusations to the King

your hearts made manifest in the sight of the lord who hath looked down from heaven and considered these things and hath regarded the unjust sufferings of his people whose liberties and estates and good names have been spoiled through injustice by grievous burthens laid upon some because they could not pay Tythes that hainous oppression to satisfie the unmercifullnesse of cruel men and many suffers at this day unjustly in the sight of God and illegally also in the sight of men and some suffer the spoiling of their goods rather by way of robery and theft than by just execution of judgment in proceeding of just law this can largely be witnessed and this is brought forth by subservant Officers to you that are set to judge and you to them are evil examples and strengtheners of their malitious hands some of them are not ashamed to take sixtimes the value of what is unjustly claimed for the use of a false teacher and deceitful hireling who rides upon the beast and make you their servants to oppresse the poor to uphold them and maintain them in their pride and vanities but the Lord hath considered these things and he hath numbred the oppressions against you wherewith the just have been grieved and oppressed under you he hath counted this cruelty and recorded all your unjust dealing which you have or suffered to be brought forth yea the day of account hasters and the tearm draws near upon you wherein the just and righteous Judge of heaven and earth will call you to account who will plead the cause of the poor and of the unjust sufferer and oppressed against you all who are oppressors the innocent prosecute against you and the begging of the poor is heard which calls for vengeance upon you In the Record of justice what account will you give to the Highest-power who rules over heaven and earth for imprisoning just men for crying against sin and declaring against the wickednesse of this age this shall be proved against you in the day of the Lord Is your answer ready or will not your mouthes be stopped and you speechlesse when righteousnesse it self pleads against you And what can you plead for fining men and imprisoning them for not respecting your persons and bowing with hat and knee and because they could not swear this hath some of you done will you have any thing to say in the cause of these things when Christ Jesus comes to reign and his Saints with him unto whom the government and the authority and rule shall be given though now they are persecuted and as the refuse of men accounted by you unto whom they are become a prey to act your oppression and cruelty upon and because they render not evil for evil therefore is the impudencie of some men the more encreased and their hardnesse of heart enlarged and because judgment is not speedily executed therefore are the hearts of some men set in them to do evil O! what a sad reckoning in that day and what large indictments and verdicts for your oppression will be read against you and proved to be just in the sight of God and men a sad thing will it be upon you when laid to your charge by the Lord for causing men to suffer because they could not swear nor respect persons nor uphold the deceits of false worships and teachers nor cease to cry aga●nst sin in your Townes and Steeple-houses O! be stirred up out of your security you Heads and Rulers and Judges and Officers even all you be awakened who have turned your sword against the peaceable and been a terror to righteousnesse as much as you could which you ought not to have been and so your power you have abused and subverted it to another end than wherefore it was committed to you instead of defending the upright you have offended him and instead of being a terror to the wicked his hand hath been strengthened through your wicked presidents this is the truth as the light in all your consciences shall witnesse in the day of the Lord O! how hath justice and true judgment been neglected and oppression and cruelty abounded the like in generations past hath not been know●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord is now arisen and hath said I will ease 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enemies and take vengeance upon my adversaries 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 done wickedly against him and his people till the patience of the Lord is near an end and his longe suffering finished and his judgments will he make known upon his enemies in this generation that ages to come forever may be warned not to oppresse the innocent as these have done by false accusations and unjust judgment and wicked proceedings and because of it the wrath of the Lord is kindled and his viols of indignation shall be poured upon the beast and upon the false Prophet and all their power shall be smitten in one day And O what wickednesse hath abounded in the people also to help up the measure of the Rulers sins that may receive the recompence together how have the people of all sorts abused the innocent lambs of Christ whom he hath called What beatings and stonings and bruisings and other abuses in Townes and High-waies and Steeple-houses its hard to be expressed and large to be declared some have been wounded night unto death others bruised till blood have gushed out and others cast down in the dirt and punched with feet and troden upon and many have been in danger of their lives some have been knocked down with staves and thir cloaths rent and their hair torne off their heads and some have been pursued after with throwing stones and dirt at them and many halled and tumulted and lugged and hurried up and down in cruel manner to the danger of life and oppression of the creature and others have been whipped and lashed and put into cruel torment of their bodies by engins framed of purpose to torment the bodies of the harmlesse as Chester and Carlile may witnesse and others have been halled before rulers and falsly slandered to the taking away of life if the Lord had not prevented more than mercy of men and having been unmercifully and unjustly sent to prison there have they suffered cruelties from the Goalers or their servants by beatings or punnishings or threatnings or cruel words and casting into dungeons and great abuses shamefully acted upon them and other prisoners have made a prey upon them by t●king away their cloaths and meat and beating of them and abusing them divers waies and murtherers have had more priviledge of freedom in prisons and in tryals than these who are innocent and these things thus acted contrary to their own law hath passed without reproofe from many in Authority though it have been brought to their door and in this manner have the children of God the Lamb and his followers been persecuted without cause or any evil works brought forth by them and legally proved against them but for well doing and not for evil hath