THE Prisoners Uindication WITH A Sober Expostulation AND REPREHENSION OF Persecutors By Iohn Gratton What mean ye that ye beat my People to pieces and grind the faces of the Poor saith the LORD God of Hosts Isa. 3. 15. Lord how long shall the Wicked Triumph How long shall they utter and speak hard things They break in pieces thy People O Lord and afflict thy Heritage they slay the Widdow and the Stranger and murder the Fatherless Psal. 94. 3 4 5 6. LONDON Printed and Sold by Andrew Sowle at the Crooked-Billet in Holloway-Lane near Shoreditch 1683. To all Persecutors both by Words and Actions A few words for the clearing of my self and the Truth I profess in real Love from him that seeks the good of all Mankind in general having real Love to all especially the Houshould of Faith who are redeemed to God out of the Vncleanness of the World who are in Scorn called Quakers UPon the 16th day of the 6th Moneth called August 1680. I being at Backewell about my trading it being a Fair was by two or three Bailiffs arrested by virtue of a Writ of Excommunicato Capiendo for not coming to the Parish Church so called and not appearing at the Spiritual Court though I had appeared several times and had offered to the Parish Priest that if he could make it appear that I was in an Error by clear Scripture I would take him for my Friend And further That if he could make it appear from clear Scripture that it was my duty in the sight of God to come to the Parish Church and conform to them that I would do it but did not find it his business to seek to inform me at that time or any other being not so charitable as to bid me come another time and he would discourse with me But being after this never cited to the Court again was upon the day aforesaid taken and sent to Darby Goal a very strange way to convince me of any Error if I be in any where I remain a Prisoner After I was sent to Prison many false charges were flung after me to render me and Truth odious to the Country-People who were ready to wonder why they should send such a peaceable man to Prison and I was by my Persecutors so highly accused to be An Heretick A Factious Fellow The Ringleader of a Factious People yea a Blasphemer an Enemy to Caesar and a dangerous Fellow and a Spreader of dangerous Principles and what not and all to make the People think hardly of me and believe if they could against their Belief that I was some dangerous man insomuch that they said I was not fit to live especially not fit to be loose in a Country for by keeping me in Prison they had hopes to scatter the rest At the hearing of these strange and malicious false Calumnies I was not a little grieved not for my self but others who I heard were ready to think hardly of me because such Reports had gained some Credit with some that were thought both wise and sober they believed them because others believed them those others believed them because my Persecutors who are looked upon by most to be spiritual men reported them amongst these black-Mouth'd uncharitable men I could not have one to come at me to shew me my reported sad Condition but in Prison I must lie come what will come of Wife and Children so that then my Wife went with two Friends more to the Arch-Deacon so called and shewed him the unreasonableness of my suffering and the need of my liberty but his words were great Charges as aforesaid though he never discoursed me about Religion in his life its true he also said That he would come to me and discourse me and if I was in the right and he in the wrong I should come out of Prison and he would go in for me but he yet fails to make his words good And I do declare to all that may see these Lines that if I cannot make it appear that he is wrong and I right I then will be content to stay where I am only I would be judged by unprejudiced men to the Truth and such as are not partial nor make no outward Gain of the Scriptures Many others have desired my Enlargement some by Letters and some have gone in Person but all fails except I will conform and pay the Charges they have been at in laying me in Prison which thing I cannot or dare not do For First I believe I ought not to conform to the Worship that now by the Priests of this Nation is maintained by their preaching and practice I do not mean by their Purses for both they and it cost the People dear 2dly I believe that though it be after the way which they call Heresie yet that the Worship I now own is the true Worship of God and do find by good and great experience that the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who is a Spirit doth approve and own it so to be for the Worship I own and believe is the true Worship of God is that spoken of in Iohn 4. 23 24. They that Worship God aright worship and serve him in Spirit and in Truth and saith our Saviour The Father seeketh such to worship him 3dly Seeing our Lord Christ Jesus did set up appoint and command this Worship therefore I believe I ought not to leave it and run to another Worship that is no where commanded either by Christ or any of his Apostles thinking thereby to save my Estate and to live at liberty in the World and enjoy those natural Rights and Priviledges I am free-born Heir to which I see the Drunkard Swearer Curser and Proud Wicked Person is not deprived of though he be so Wicked Lastly Seeing I do those things I believe I ought to do and have not given any just occasion of Offence or done wrong to any man therefore can I not own my self in a fault and give Moneys for a Pardon to them that while they are pardoning others are therein committing the highest Sins they can approach unto for if I have sinned it is against God and to him I look for Mercy but in this I am not by him accused or judged as a sinner but owned and justified by him and can say Its God that justifies me who shall condemn me Now should I come to my Persecutors and own my self an Offendor and buy their Absolution and conform to their invented Ceremonies then should I by so doing give God's Spirit and my own Heart and Conscience the Lye from which I hope without offence I may take liberty to say Good Lord preserve me But seeing I must have no better treatment from my Persecutors than a Prison which indeed hath alwayes been the way of argument that the false Prophets in all Ages have taken with things of the like Nature as Fines Whips Lyons Dens Firey Furnaces Faggots and such like I desire they will be
pleased to suffer me to treat them a little with a few Arguments which are in my mind and when I have done I shall leave them to do as it shall please God to suffer them as to me and desire they may consider and consult their own profit Eternally and not forget that e'er long both them and I must appear before the Judgment seat of Christ to give an Account of the deeds done in the Body whether they be good or evil And first I enquire of you that persecute me and others whether if it was so as you say falsly it is That I was a Heretick a factious Fellow c. what command precept or example you have from Christ or his Apostles to lay me in Prison seeing I am a peaceable man and just in my dealing pays to Caesar his Due as many that know me will witness But instead of a command for Persecution doth not our Lord Christ prohibit it several times It may be you will say It s no Persecution that 's done in this kind to an erronious Person c. Though may be for all that he is so called by you who call Light Darkness and Darkness Light is a true Christian and Servant of Jesus Christ but by his Persecutors adjudged to be otherwise and said and thought to be that he is not which indeed is my case at present Yet I say again doth not Christ prohibit all manner of Violence Cruelty Imposition and the like when he bids his Followers to love their Enemies not Persecute their Friends and whatsoever they would that men should do unto them to do so unto men saying This is the Law and the Prophets and said With what measure you mete it shall be measured to you again Is this obeying Christ's command in laying men in Prison For you would not be so done unto for your faithless Faith and worthless Worship and though you profess to love God yet while you in Works deny him I shall not much heed your Profession for he is a true lover of him that keeps his Commandments it will be so found one day when those that pretended to Preach Prophesie in his Name and in his Name cast out Devils shall be bidden depart from him workers of Iniquity And if those that preach in his Name and prophesie in his Name and in his Name cast out Devils be sent away from him because they for all that were workers of Iniquity what do you think will be the Portion of those that come in the Name of Man and Preach and Prophesie in Man's Name and by Man's Authority only are held up and instead of casting Devils out tell People They must live in Sin all the dayes of their Lives make People content to let the Devil keep the House hurry them on into Iniquity Transgression and Sin all the dayes of their Lives and for all this tell those very People that they are Christians and though they do those things they ought not and leave undone those things they ought and are miserable Offenders in whom there is no Health yet while they put into the Priest's Mouth are owned as a dear Brother and Sister and so called when they are buried by him though may be they have killed themselves by a drunken-bout Oh! how dreadful will the end of these things be It s a grief to my Spirit to think of it But farther did not Christ command that both Tares and Wheat should grow together And doth not these two Words Wheat and Tares comprehend all mankind What can you make for your Practices here If I be a Tare you should let me alone till the day of the Harvest For what hast thou to do saith the Apostle with another man's Servant to his own Master he stands or falls And Christ Jesus shewed a Reason also why he would have men to let them alone and both grow together For saith he lest while you pluck up the Tares ye root out the Wheat also Which clearly shews that men may be mistaken especially those that have not an infallible Spirit for its the Spirit of God that 's infallible which searcheth and makes all things manifest even the deep things of God And we have had sufficient experience that under pretence of plucking up the Tares which is contrary to Christ's command the Devil hath laboured with all his Might to root the Wheat out of the World and though Christ saith He came not to destroy mens Lives but to save them yet the Devil came to kill destroy mens Lives not to save them But we find Christ rebuked his Disciples when they would have had Fire from Heaven and told them They knew not what Spirit they were of My Kingdom is not of this World He did not come to be Lord King in an outward manner and make men yield to him by outward force for if so then would his Servants fight but he came to set up his Kingdom within in the Hearts of men so that it was promised by the Lord that he would give him for a Covenant to the People and would create new Hearts in them and write his Law in them and put his fear in their inward parts and be their God So when Christ came he said to them The Kingdom of Heaven is within you and said the Prophet He shall sit as a refiners Fire and fullers Sope to purifie the Heart that it may offer an Offering in Righteousness It s true the Apostles in their weakness forbad those that they found casting out Devils in his Name because they did not follow him but did Christ approve of it nay he rebuked them saying He that gathers with me scatters not He that is not against me is for me Methinks this might be taken notice of by you Priests that persecute me and others you have seen some of your drunken Hearers become very sober men after they have come to hear the Quakers as you call us preach some of your Swearers Cursing Proud Prophane Hearers become very Careful Livers both in Words and Deeds And what doth this grieve you Methinks you should think such men as these that prevail so upon Peoples Hearts to be good men men of your side if you be for God and should like Christ who you call your Lord and Master rather rebuke such as forbid us than forbid us your selves and when like Peter and Iohn we dare not but speak the things we hear and see and are commanded not then to take us and put us in Prison and so stop up the Mouthes of them God hath opened and be angry with them though they do what they do freely and look for no part of your great Revenues neither Remember you do not desire to be so done by and also its worth your notice taking that those our Saviour Christ whipt out of the Temple were Buyers and Sellers What would you think if such must be whipt out of your Steeple-houses now and such
only be admitted to Preach as would do it freely in them But though he did whip such out as aforesaid yet we never read that he whipt any in or that if any would not come to that place that then he imprisoned them or fined them or the like no he was a Shepherd tender and loving unto them if one went astray his way to fetch them in hath been and is ever by his gentle calls unto them and reproving rebuking and checking of them in their Hearts by his Spirit and following of them with his righteous Judgments in their inward man So that for want of true peace with God many have returned again to him who shews them wherein they offend and when they return there is more Joy in Heaven over one Sinner that repents than ninety nine Just Persons that need no Repentance Iust Persons mark that these are none of your Church of miserable Offenders But let me ask you Is not Faith the gift of God And that which is not of Faith is Sin is it not If so then I ask what you had gained if you could make a man chuse rather to conform to your Worship yours I call it contrary to his Faith and Conscience than lose his enjoyments of Wife Children Liberty and Estate any more then a Hypocrite one that seemed to be that he is not nay may I not say any better than a plain Heretick for I take him to be a Heretick that is condemned of himself that allows himself to do that he condemns himself for And truly this way of persecuting men for their Faith and Conscience is the only way to bring them to become Hypocrites and Hereticks and is the way such men have gone in to hold up their Idolatry and Superstition in all Ages witness Baals Prophets and the old Serpent knows it well enough therefore it was said in the Revelations That the Devil should cast some of you into Prison Some of whom some of the Servants and faithful Witnesses of Jesus who would not could not worship the Beast But further suppose I wanted Faith and a right understanding of the things that belong to my everlasting Peace do you think that a Prison will be a means to bring me into the true Faith Can the Prison Walls rectifie my understanding or give me Faith and Wisdom Did ever Christ command the use of a Prison or Fine or any thing of that nature to men that would not hear him nor believe him What ground have you for this shew us your Foundation for these Actions and bring Command Precept or Example for them from Christ or his Servants and then I shall think better of you but if not let me tell you one Day you may find your portion to be what the Prophet said Wo to him that spoils and is not spoiled Therefore I could gladly desire even in pity to your own Souls that you would consider your doings not that I am so much grieved for my own suffering for Truth 's sake no though my poor Wife and Children are near and dear to me yet blessed be the Lord I have Faith in God concerning them and believe he will take care for them and me too and can trust the Lord upon all accounts blessed be his Name forever though it is hard and will be so found one Day to you that part me from them to be stript from them for my obedience to God and laid in Prison and by you reported to be one of the worst of men Oh! this hath been the old way and manner of Old the Serpent and his Instruments have taken with the Servants of Jesus Christ witness Paul's Accusers and Persecutors We said they have found this Man a pestilent Fellow a mover of Sedition a Ring-leader of the Sect of the Nazareans c. And the great Rabbies of those dayes the Scribes Phrisees High Priests and Rulers that persecuted our great Lord and Master Jesus Christ accused him to be an Enemy to Caesar a Blasphemer and a Deceiver c. And you that are my Persecutors are you not much like these men aforesaid who persecuted Christ and his Apostles and cryed to the Rulers for help in your proceedings against me And though some of you never saw me as I know of and none of you ever came to discourse me or see wherein I was mistaken as to my Faith and Principles yet you can fling it out That I am a dangerous Person and a Deceiver and runs up and down the Country to delude People Oh! these your Lyes and False Charges will one day be remembred except you Repent which I desire you may And as I said before consider your doings and see who you run parallel with you are but Men you may be mistaken seeing you are not led by an infallible Spirit and therefore cannot be sure your selves are in the right but you go by conjectures and rest upon the Judgment of ancient Fathers reverend Divines Heathen Authors or your own Conceivings or the like and are uncertain and leave the People unsatisfied and so manifest your selves to be such as are not sent with the Lord's Message received from God himself as by all your uncertain beating the Air is manifest to every one whose Eyes the Lord hath opened So that here is great danger if I should leave Christ the true Light and teacher of men who now appears by his pure Spirit in my Heart and shews me the things that do belong to my Peace and follow you that I should then be led to act both in Principle and Practice and do those things I ought not and leave undone those things I ought to do and then I could not escape being a miserable Sinner and Offender in whom there is no health Now suppose I should contrary to my Faith and Knowledge come to you and live and dye in Error for fear of being here kept in Prison and brought to Poverty in the World which blessed be the Lord I value not in comparison of my Peace with him the God of Peace and think to plead with God and say I did what I did in submission to man's Will who said they were the Ministers of Christ and was forced to it by the chief Priests of our Country and must either submit to their Wills or lie in Prison my Goods spoiled my Wife and Children impoverished so that I did what I did only to save my Estate and have my Liberty c. or else I would not have done it for it was against my Faith and Conscience and because of the fear of Man Will this excuse me If not then I ask you Can you excuse me to God and assure me of it that if I will conform to your Worship and give you Monies for a Pardon of my true obedience to God in disobedience to you For so indeed the case lieth if not that you cannot excuse me if you should or could force me to sin against God then why should
us Cheats Hereticks false Prophets and what not this is and hath been our entertainment amongst you and is mine at this day in Prison because I cannot dare not play Hypocrite and go contrary to my Faith But you will say may be That my Faith is not true Faith but I believe an Error I answer you cannot prove your Charges against us from clear Scripture which saith That it is not only given unto us to believe but also to suffer for his sake we believe in But it no where saith it s given us also to make others suffer that do not believe And suppose I did want a right understanding and true Faith I say again do you think that a Prison will help me Can a Prison give Faith Can Prison Walls rectifie mens Understandings Lay aside these Carnal Crutches and bring Spiritual Weapons Truth is sufficient to plead its own cause and Faith is the gift of God It s only base Cain's salfe Worship that forceth He that will not worship the Beast or receive his mark in his Forehead or in his Hand must be killed or no man must Buy or Sell with him at least So Error and Enmity Envy and Cruelty alwayes go together but the Truth is received for its own worth and it s the manner and nature of true Faith to work by Love pure Religion and true is loving God above all and our Neighbours as our selves and in this love we should visit the Fatherless and Widdows and not make Widdows and Fatherless in a sence by casting the Father and Husband in Prison this is not to keep unspotted from the World For it s said the World should hate us who are true followers of Christ and persecute us and excommunicate us out of their Synagogues and say all manner of Evil falsly against us yea our Saviour tells us They shall bring us before Kings and Rulers for a Testimony against them But Christ Jesus no where bids his Disciples excommunicate those out of their places of Worship that would not believe nor bring them before Kings and Rulers or cry to Rulers for to put them in Prison Fine them and spoil their Goods Its true he bids them shake the Dust off their Feet for a testimony against them that would not receive their Testimonies but when they would have had Fire from Heaven to have destroyed those that did not receive him Christ rebuked them and said Ye know not what manner of Spirit you are of the Son of man is not come to destroy mens Lives but to save them It s true he tells them The Rulers of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and their great Ones exercise authority upon them But saith Christ it shall not be so amongst you c. Remember what he compared the angry Scribes and Pharisees to who took offence at both Iohn Baptist and himself and indeed almost all that God sent amongst them saith he They are like unto Children sitting in the Market-place and calling one to another and saying We have Piped unto you and you have not Danâ—ed we have Mourned unto you and you have not Lamented c. And is not this like you who are still so Childish to be angry with us because we do not Dance after your Pipe nor Lament after your Mourning Why will you not do as you would be done by You would not take it well to be forc'd to Conform to us would you Then I ask you why will you not be Merciful as Christ commands you As your Father saith he is Merciful who is kind saith he to the Vnthankful and to the Evil Let your Fruits declare you to be Branches of the true Vine and Children of God Have you forgot what 's said of the man that fell among Thieves as he went from Ierusalem to Iericho the Thieves stripped him and wounded him and left him half dead now the Priest passed by and the Levite looked on him also passed by and left him but the good Samaritan took pity on him when he came by and bound up his Wounds poured in Oyl and Wine and set him on his own Beast and brought him to an Inn and took care of him And saith Christ go thou and do likewise Alack how many lie wounded in Sin and Iniquity and naked of all that 's good And must none take pity of them What! though it be a man of another City or Society if he hath Oyl and Wine and will lend a Hand of Help and do good to the Wounded and help the Naked to a Garment why should you be offended It was ill in the Priest and Levite that would not help him themselves and shewed a churlish idle easeful selfish Spirit in them that care not what comes of men so they can eat the Fat and clothe themselves with the Fleece and live at ease But it would have been much worse in them if they would neither a help'd him themselves nor suffer another to help him but if he did take him and cast him in Prison spoil his Goods or put him to Death And Christ saith Wo unto you Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites for ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men for you neither go in your selves neither suffer ye them that are entring to go in Wo unto you Scribes Pharisees Hypocrites for ye devour Widdows Houses yes in our dayes leaves her not a Cow to give her Milk nor a Bed to lie on And for a pretence saith he make long Prayers therefore you shall receive the greater Condemnation Wo unto you blind Guides who lay heavy Burdens and grievous to born upon men but will not touch them with one of your Fingers But saith Christ they walk in long Robes love the uppermost Rooms at Feasts and the chief places in the Synagogues and Greetings in the Markets and to be called of men Rabbi Master But saith he to his Disciples be not ye called Master for one is your Master even Christ and all you are Brethren But perhaps you may say We are not your Brethren Well suppose we were not you ought to love us if we were your Enemies But if we be not your Brethren why do you take Tythes from us For it was never known that the Children of Israel took Tythes of any but only their Brethren see Heb. 7. 5. However you ought to do all things in Charity for the Wrath of man worketh not the Righteousness of God It s said Mercy rejoyceth against Iudgment for he shall have Iudgment without Mercy that hath shewed no Mercy for if ye have bitter Envying Strife in your hearts glory not you are no better than Vnbelievers therefore Lye not against the Truth For saith the Apostle this Wisdom descendeth not from above but is earthly sensual devilish For where Envy and Strife is there is Confusion and every evil work but the Wisdom that is from above is pure peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated full of Mercy and good Fruits without