you in the day of Gods Righteous Iudgments O therefore be not stout against the Lord but fear and tremble before him let his Dread be upon your Spirits and do not offend him nor provoke him against you and this Nation lest he tear you to pieces and number you for destruction lest he overturn you suddenly and deface your glory in its morning Oh how happy would you be if you would regard the Lord and reverence him and take him before you and not go beyond in any thing what his purpose and pleasure is who hath given you this one day to try you if so be that any of you shall learn his fear and turn from your Iniquities that you may be blessed and not confounded Oh therefore consider what the Will and Purpose of the Lord is towards you and wherefore you are raised up and may fulfil his purpose and not your own Oh then this day should be made happy unto you but the contrary works I mean if you do Oppress and Persecute and seek to destroy his Heritage and Rule in Oppression and Tyranny then the God of Heaven shall cut your day short and diliverance he will bring to this poor Nation without you and even contrary to you and his hand shall be turned upon you and your Mountain though never so great and high shall be laid low and an Infant of the heavenly birth shall leap over it and shall say Where is that lofty Babel that exalted it self agâ—â—â—â— my God And as for us we are a very poor contemned and despised People even since we were a People unto this very day and have nothing at this present nor heretofore to glory in from any Power that hath ruled but the Power Spirit and Presence of God in our Tribulations Afflictions Persecutions and unjust Sufferings these things have been our portion even from all all have troden upon us in Contempt and Scorn and accounted us as Sheep for the slaughter and we have not to glory in any Government that hath been since we were a People we cannot justifie one or another but we say they have all been Oppressors and we have groaned with deep sighs unto the Lord under the burden of their unrighteous dealing and herein we assent with you if you say they have been unjust men we say the same and if you say their Government hath been Oppression and Unequal we say the same if you say you have suffered cruelty and unrighteously by them we say the same if you lay they have Ruled by Will and Forci more then by Law and Equity we verifie the same and if you can say you have suffered Afflictions and Tribulation by them so have we in another manner and far more unjustly Wherefore we cannot justifie them nor will not plead for them in opposition to you but we partly beleive we may receive as much Equity and good Reason from some of you as we did from some of them and thus we have been a suffering People even without cause And at this day we are threatned by the rage of men as if we should be cut off and destroyed but we regard not those things but do respect the Lord whom we fear and Worship in our hearts and if we outwardly perish among them that may perish yet it is for Righteousness sake and because of the matters of Gods Kingdom which we hold and if you do Destroy us for this cause we are clear and Innocent blood will be upon you and the guilt thereof will sink you into misery here or hereafter Oh take heed and desilenot your selves nor load your Consciences with our guiltless sufferings as many others have done before you even to their ruin and wofull destruction you are yet in a great measure clear from our Oppressions we have not much Iniquity yet to charge upon you in our Cause of Afflictions Oh it will be well for you if you keep your selves clear the less will be your Iudgement and the better success will you have in your Cause for Friends the weight of Innocent Blood it hath a loud cry and God will hear it and if you burthen yourselves with it it will soon overweigh you therefore keep clear and condemn them by your Practises that have said they would not Persecute for good Conscience sake but have done it even contrary to all Pretences and Engagements and if you who professe not so much in words towards that thing would do it how should your Practise condemn their Hypocrisie in the Sight of God Men and Angels but however I warn you and do leave it at your door and do say unto you Persecution for Conscience sake is the crying Sin which drawes down vengeance upon Kings and Governments be you warned through the fall of others least confusion come upon you as it hath come upon many others for that cause and be not too confident in your way nor too furious against your enemies but remember your breath is in your nostrils and he that gave it you can soon take it away And as for you we have no enmity towards any of you nor do we sick the hurt of your Persons nor can we rise up in Rebellion against you or seek your Destruction by Craft or Policy neither indeed can we seek Covenant or League with you by flattery it is true you are yell in Authority over us outwardly and as you are so we shall â—d subjection to you in any of your just Commands and in all things it is our Principle to obey you either by doing or suffering yet we cannot bow nor fawn nor flatter nor deny our Principle nor our Religion of which we are perswaded by the Spirit of God in our Consciences that it is right and according to God but I say we cannot revoke our Principle neither for advantage to our selves nor yet to save our lives you must find us constant not changeable as others are who turn every way for their own advantage and ery up this or the other and pray and fight on the behalf of any thing which may make for their advantage but God is grieved with such Spirits yet we are otherwise minded and must only own your Government and Authority as it is just and brings forth Righteousness so we can own it and bow before it but as otherwise if it be Unjust and Oppression we must patiently suffer under it whatsoever you have power to do and this is all the peace we can make with you or the Engagement that we can bind our selves in towards you though we cannot but own that this Day is given you either in mercy or in judgement to you yea and we cannot but own that you may be Gods Executioners yea what if we say that you may be raised up to avenge our Cause upon our Oppressors though still we must bear witness against that wicked loose prophane Spirit that lives and abounds in some of you and among you and workes Unrighteousness
provoked against them though had they continued in their Integrity and had really performed what some time they pretended and had forsaken all Sin it had not been thus with them neither had this guilt been upon them which now they are like to be accountable for And this is my Judgment concerning these things Quer. 6. Whether or no he may justly think ye and with more safety to himself and happiness to the Kingdoms Tollerate and Allow LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE so called to all the many Sects and sorts of People and Worshippers that are now in being in these Nations Or whether he may Tollerate some and not all Or whether he may Tollerate none but reduce the Government of the Church into the way of Bishops and Prelates as it was in his Fathers dayes Which of these may he do justly and with more safety to himself and happiness to his Government and Kingdoms Answ. We do believe he may and ought justly and with most safety to himself and happiness to the Kingdoms Tollerate and Allow free LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE in all the Matters of Faith and Worship towards God for LIBERTY in exercise of CONSCIENCE in the Matters of Gods Kingdom is a very precious thing to the Lord and very dear in his sight and he is tender of it and I do stedfastly believe he will not bless the Rulers of this Nation that shall deny to the People of this Nation and oppose LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE in the exercise of Faith and Worship towards God for I do know it is not given of God to any Earthly King or Ruler whatsoever to exercise Lordship over the Consciences of People in the Matters of Faith and Worship and the things pertaining to Gods Kingdom for Kings and Rulers are but to Rule over men in a Nation in the Matters between one man and another in outward things and worldly affairs and therein only men ought to Rule in Equity over a Nation or City or Country and Magistracy in this state and for such an end is Gods Ordinance appointed of him for the preserving of Peace and good order among men in outward things and it is a priviledge of the Crown of Christs Spiritual Kingdom to be Lord and Ruler over and in mens Consciences in Faith and Worship and all the Matters of his Kingdom even as and according to his pleasure and as his Spirit leads and guids for and if any man shall assume to prescribe God a way how he must be Worshipped and shall limit his Spirit from this or to the other way of Religion and think to be Lord in mens Consciences in religious Matters such are but Usurpers and are not well-pleasing to the Lord in such their way and Government if they oppress mens Consciences by limiting from or compelling to any such way of Worship or kind of Religion neither are they Ordained to Rule among men for that end not to be King and Iudge and Law giver in Heavenly and Spiritual Matters and this ought not CHARLES the King to do but and if he do it and will not let Christ alone be the Head over his Church it cannot be with safety to himself nor happiness to the Kingdoms nor justly in the sight of God but it will work contrary effects And he may and ought to Tollerate and Allow LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE in the matters of Gods Kingdome to all sorts of People and Worshippers that are in this Nation and let him mind Gods Wisdom how to keep the Nations in peace and good order in all outward and civil Affairs between man and man and between one sort of People and another that none destroy each others persons or estates nor be Oppressors one of another in outward and earthly Matters and that is the place and priviledge of a just King and Ruler upon Earth and to leave Faith and Worship and Duty towards God as every one is perswaded in their own Consciences is the right Way whether they will read the Common-Prayer or Preach and Pray after the order of the Directory or otherwise Or whether they will meet in silence without words and let all these enjoy their way of Religion and Worship in outward peace and not kill one another about their Religion Worship Church and Ministry nor imprison and persecute one another about these things but let them all be preserved as men living in peace one with another in all outward relations and yielding Subjection to good Laws which concerns their outward man and their peace and well-being as Subjects of a Nation but there ought to be no Law of Bondage and Force nor violent Impositions by any man concerning Religion for the Lord alone is sufficient to give Prescriptions and Laws to his Peopâ—â— how he may be served and worshipped and this is the way of good Government in this Nation that only the outward man in outward things be Governed and all Matters of Conscience in Spiritual things be left unto God that his Spirit may therein only rule and have the preheminence and if the King do Rule thus he may be more blessed and in that this Nation hath his word for LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE it is expected for because this hath been wanting to wit the allowance of LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE in Spiritual Matters because of this have been much strife and contention and heart-burnings in the Nation while some Sects of People have been tollerated and upheld and others persecuted for their Religion-sake by Law and this was one of the chief causes wherefore the Presbyterians so called first raised War against the Bishops even because they could not be tollerated but were persecuted while the other were guarded and defended by Law and this was a great cause of enmity which if the Presbyterians so called could have had Liberty and Tolleration at that day for their Worship and Faith it is possible the War against the Bishops had not so far proceeded though when they had gotten Victory they were no less furious towards the Bishops to destroy them than the other had been once against them and this arose by reason of persecuting for Conscience sake because all had not Liberty in the exercise of Spiritual things which if the King had declared at that day Equal Liberty to both in Matters of their Faith and Religion and yet ruled over both in outward affairs and had Authority over the Persons and Estates in Matters not related to Spiritual Worship but left them therein free and in their Religion by such means the War might have been stopped and not proceeded so far as it did and into such destruction and this being now well considered may be an Example to prevent the like hereafter So that I say it cannot be for his safety nor for the good of the Kingdoms to Tollerate some sorts of People and Religions and Persecute others for that will be the very Cause of strife among men it will provoke one sort to destroy another and it will provoke the
Lord God against the King and his Government to destroy them both Therefore to reduce the Government of the Church into the State as it stood under the Bishops in his Fathers dayes and to prohibit all others that may differ in Judgment from that this is not the way for Peace and happiness in these Nations nor the way that will be blessed to the Government neither can the Bishops and Prelates justly themselves desire it that only they and their Church-Government should be Imposed and Tollerated and all besides Prohibited for this is not doing to others as they would be done unto and I may hope that their Suffering this divers years may have taught them the worth of Liberty to themselves and so that they will allow to others if it be in their power the same which they have desired themselves in their time of Suffering and they having tasted of some Subjection in Adversity they know the better how to behave themselves in time of prosperity and they may compare others with their own states and may judge that others will as much desire Liberty and from as good Principles in their Worship and Faith as themselves would have enjoyned it in times past and they may have learned to be good to others in that case for which themselves have Suffered and not cause others to suffer for that thing about wch themselves have suffered And I do conclude that he may justly with more safty happiness to his Government Tollerate and Allow LIBERTY of CONSCIENCE in the Exercise of Faith and Worship towards God in all Spiritual Matters even to al sorts of People in this Nation and let him defend their Persons Estates from the wrong one of another by wholsome Laws and let each sort defend themselves in their Faith and Worship in their Church and Ministry by their soundest Arguments and the best Spiritual weapons they have and thus should it be blessed to the Government And whatsoever sort or Sect of People are not contented with this that is to say to Allow the same Liberty to others in Faith and Worship which they do desire themselves are not worthy themselves to be allowed Liberty unto and this every reasonable man may judge Quer. 7. Lastly What is your Iudgement if ye dare declare it concerning the Times and Seasons and the present motions of them And what are your Observations of the present proceedings Are the present Times and Seasons and the proceedings and transfactions in Mercy or in Iudgment to the King and his Subjects If in Mercy to whom is it Mercy And if in Iudgment who are they to whom these things are so If ye be not faint-hearted declare your minds now in your last daies as many think for many say that your ruin is nigh come and if it be not so many are deceived Answ. Yes we dare declare our Iudgment concerning the Times and Seasons for we have received the Iudgment of Truth in our Spirits and never have been nor are we afraid to declare the Truth so far as Truth is necessary to be declared and we say the Times and Seasons are in the hand of the Lord and the motions of them are very swift and the Lord gives to whom and takes from whom Times and Seasons as he pleaseth even as it were in an instant doth the Lord give and change and alter Times Authorities and Things and mortal man ought not to glory in Times or Seasons as if they were certain and unchangable to him for behold the Motions of Times flyeth away and Seasons removeth their course and the most confident of men have no certainty thereof and that because they are in the hand of the Lord that turneth them about and often contrary to mens will and pleasure and therefore let every man be good in his time and fulfill the will of the Lord in his Season before Time and Season be no more but removed from them And as for our Observations they are very many of the present proceedings and transactions first we do observe that there is not any thing of all these transactions that are come to pass but there is a secret hand of the Lord God through them and in them either doing of them or suffering of them to be done and either as the cause by secret purpose or as the means of their accomplishment it is not without him that these things cometh to pass but his eye his hand is over them that man is only blesed which hath respect unto him in all these things that he may do or suffer for the Lord and that he may not rebell against him in what is brought to pass by him Secondly we observe how that the Lord hath given unto many Men a Day and a Time and tryed them what they would do for him and whether they would rule in Righteousness and in Equity but many have proved deceitful and not answered to the Lord what he expected from them and therefore the Lord hath confounded them in their Counsels and suffered them to Clash one against another and made them overthrow one another and one self-seeking man hath been the ruin of another as bad as himself and even many by their own proceedings have prepared a rod and judgment even for themselves and through their blindness of heart which they have been given up to because of their wickedness they have destroyed themselves and given their very enemies advantage over them to afflict them and this we have observed of present proceedings Thirdly We observe that there is a rude prophane spirit highly abounding throughout this Nation that brings forth much bad fruit as drunkenness and wickedness in a great measure which may justly provoke the Lord to wrath and indignation against the Land if it be not forsaken though it be lifted up in this wonderful rudeness in a pretence of glorying on the behalf of the King and his Government yet it vexeth the Lord and it works Sorrow in the hearts of many Sober People who are pondering what the End of this Government may be that is thus rude and prophane in its beginning saying in their hearts how shall the Lord blesse these proceedings and make the end of them happy which are thus void of the fear of God in the first part of them and if a stop be not put and a limitation upon the Spirit it will provoke the Lord to work sudden destruction and overthrown the Nation Fourthly We observe that many Hypocrites and dubble minded men are afraid and terror hath Surprized them who have taken the profession of such or such a Religion on them for a Cloak and hath been in the shew of Righteousness for earthly ends such are afraid and their ends are frustrated and they are turned into confussion and a prophane Spirit abounding over their Hypocrisie and such will deny their Principles and their Faith and will fawn slatter to save themselves this is abominable but men