wyfe and the beleeveing woman that hath an vnbeleeveing husband cannot liue together as the scripture teachet for the salvation of the vnbeleeveing if they be persequted to death Indeed som therby are forced to comfesse with the mouth that which they beleeue not in heart and so are made true dissemblers in steed of true Christians wherby many men and womeÌ„ are deceaved with dissembling husbands and wyves as wel as the King and State are deceaved with dissembling servants and subjects but the word of God if permission of conscience might be granted would procure vpright puer and vnfeyned husbands and wyves servants and subjects so that thereby neyther Prince nor people should be deceaved for al good shepherds wil devide and seperate and not force slay and persequte for if men and women be found hereticks they shal be seperated from the Church but if they be vnbeleevers they shal not be joyned vnto it vntil they be converted by the word of God much lesse forced Which conversion for ought we know may be at their death if not afore seing the Lord caleth som at the elevent hower so wel as at the first and not at the King and Bs. pleasures Kings and Magistrats are to rule teÌ„poral affayers by the swords of their temporal Kingdoms And Bs aÌ„d Ministers are to rule spiritual affayers by the word and spirit of God the sword of Christs spirituall Kingdom and not to intermedle one with anothers authority office and function And it is a greate shame for the Bs. and Ministers not to bee able to rule in their Church without the assistance of the King and Magistrat yea it is a greate signe they are none of Christs Bishops and ministers of they were they would not be afrayd nor ashamed of their faith nor yet would they perswade Princes and people to persequte and force one another to beleeve them but would use onely the assistance of Gods word and spirit and therwith suffer their faith and doctryne to bee examined proved and disputed both by word and writing And he is a true Bishop who is vnreproveable aÌ„d that is able to stop the mouthes of his adversaries by Gods word and Spirit onely and whose faith and discipline agreeth with the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and maketh no contracictioÌ„ but al those Bishops that force Princes and peoples to receaue their faith and discipline by perseqution doe with Iudas goe against Christ in his members with swords slaues aÌ„d halberos who seing Gods word wil not help them betake themselues with al hast and hazard vnto the authoritie of the King and Magistrate I read that a Bishop of Rome would haue constrayned a Turkish Emperor to the Christian faith vnto whom the Emperor answered I beleeve that Christ was an excellent Prophet but he did never so far as I vnderstand command that men should with the power of weapons be constrayned to beleeue his law verely I also doe force no man to beleeue Mahomets Law Also I read that Iewes Christians and Turks are tollerated in Constantinople aÌ„d yet are peaceable though so contrary the one to the other If this bee so how much more ought Christians not to force one another to religion aÌ„d how much more ought Christians to tollerate Christians when as the Turks doe tollerate them shal we be lesse merciful theÌ„ the Turks or shal we learne the Turks to persequte Christians It is not onely vn merciful but vnnatural and abominable yea monstrous for one Christian to vex and destroy another for difference and questions of Religion and though tares haue ouergrowen the wheate yet Christ wil haue them let alone til harvest least whyle you goe about to pluck vp the tares you pluck vp also the wheat with them as your predecessors haue done who thought they had gathered vp the tares and burned them but you see now that they haue burned the weate in steed of tares Wherfore in al humility aÌ„d Christian modesty I doe affirme that through the vnlaufull weedhooke of persecution which your predecessors haue used and by your maiesty and Parliament is still continued there is such a quantity of wheate plucked vp and such a multitude of tares least behinde that the wheate which remayne cannot yet appeere in any right vissible congregation And now beloved soueraigne and Parliament I know that through ignorance you doe persequte as did also your predecessorâ—s Amend your lives therefore and turne that your sinns may bee put away when the tyme of refreshing shal come from the presence of the Lord who before hath shewed by the mouth of his holy servant Iohn that the woman meaning the church shold fleye into the wildernes for a tyme tymes aÌ„d half a tyme from the presence aÌ„d persecution of the Serpent And that the wynepresse shold bee troden without the Citty vntil â—loud came out of the wynepresse vnto the horse brydels by the space of a thousand and sixe hundred furlongs and thus he hath fulfilled it Now therefore I humbly beseeth you suffer not your Bishops and ministers any longer to perswade to force your subjects or any others to their faith and Church by perseqution neyther suffer them therewith to defend their faith and Church against their adversaries if they have not any thing from Gods word against vs let them yeld and submit themselves if they thinck they have any thing against vs let them betake themselves onely to Gods word both in word and wryteing for the whole Scripture is given by inspiration of God to that purpose and is profitable to teach to reprove to correct and to instruct in righteousnes that the Man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto al good works With which Scripture and not with fyer and sword your Majestyes Bishops and ministers ought to be armed and weaponed And whosoeuer shall not heare the words of such Bishops and ministers then such Bishops aÌ„d ministers are commanded by Christ not to to imprison burne ban and hang them but to shake the dust of theyr feete against them for a witnes when they depart from them affirming that at the day of judgment it shal bee easier for Sodom and Gomorrha then for such persons And this com of Christ did his Bishops and ministers obey as you may read By which and by that which follow your gratious may and Princely and honorable Parliament may perceave the will and mynde of our Lord and Saviour Christ vnto whose mercy I commend you and to the word and wisdom of his grace which is able to build further and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctifyed Amen Your faithfull and loveing subject Leonard Busher Not Furbusher Certayne reasons against perseqution FIrst because Christ hath not commanded any King Bishop or Minister to persequte the people for difference and judgment in matter of Religion Secondly because Christ hath commanded his Bishops and ministers to
are the Martyrs which in al ages have and doe suffer death imprisonment and bannishment since the first perseqution and we never reade nor ever shal reade that the Apostoliq Church or such as have derived their faith and discipline of her did ever persequte Therfore I humbly desier his Majesty and ParliameÌ„t with al godly carefulnes to consider that it is not possible that the Church of Rome caled Catholiq or those that are descended of her and have decived their faith and discipline froÌ„â—her ever was or could be the Apostoliq Church caled primitive Church or she that is descended froÌ„ her seing the scripture saith the Apostoliq church caled in scripture the womaÌ„ hath a place prepared of God in the wildernes a thousaÌ„d twe hoÌ„dred and sixty dayes from the presence of such as did persequte her Now then I beseech you coÌ„sider may it be possible that the church of Rome caled in scripture a mistery great Babilon the Mother of whoredoms abominations of the Earth the woman that sitteth vpon a scarlot coulered beast full of names of Blasphemy the womaÌ„ arayed in purple scarlet guilded with gold pretious stones pearles haveing a cup of gold in her hand ful of abominations filtines or her fornication the woman that is drunken with the bloud of Saints with the bloud of the martyrs or witnesses of Iesus by her beastly perseqution was or could be ever the Apostoliq Church or are those that are descended from her seeing the scripture saith she hath a Place in the wildernes prepared of God where she shold be fed a thousand two hundred sixty dayes from the presence of her persequtors If so be you wil have the Church of Rome and those that are descended from her to be the true Apostoliq Church then it wil follow that the Church caled the woman and did flye into the wildernes from her persequtors was and is the false Antichristian Church and also it will follow that those which we account to be the Martyrs and witnesses of Iesus were not of the true Apostoliq church but were obstinate persoÌ„s and heretiks even as their adversaries in Rome Spaine England and els where did persequte adjudge and execute them far But if you wil have the Prophecy of the Apostles to be true aâ—◠〈◊〉 beleeve their holy writings and also wil have the Martyrs that have bene burned ban hanged aÌ„d imprisoned to be of the true Apostoliq Chur then it will follow and that justly according and agreeable to the scriptures that the Church of Rome and those that did aÌ„d doe persequte are descended from the false Antichristian Church caled a mistery great BabiloÌ„ the mother of whoredoms abominations of the Eearth c which was and is druncken with the bloud of Saints martyrs of Iesus seing they have her Antichristian faith and lordly discipipline and for the defence and maintenance therof wil also burne bannish hang and imprison so hot aÌ„d fiery zealous that therby they shew plainly that they walke so just and even in the steps and paths of the Mystical woman great Babilon their bloudy parent mother so even I say as if they studied her lyeing and Hypocritical doctrine her deep and divelish devinity her blasphemous princely and daÌ„gerous dignity and her beastly bloudy and deadly discipline Through the continuaÌ„ce whereof not onely the Apostoliq Church is continued stil in the wildernes aÌ„d desert of this world but also the jewes and others both in great Brittayne and al over the world are kept back from the knowledge of Gods holy word the onely order and ordinance Christ hath appointed for the gathering of his Church together out of al places of the world And so long as perseqution continue you cannot trye the spirits of the many false prophets that are gone out into the world as the holy Apostle doth loveingly advise and admonish you But like the Pastists must be tyed onely to the spirits of your loedly Bishops and their Ministers who wil have alboth King Prince and people to receave their spirits and therefore wil not have any others to preach and print with in the Land least their lyeing doctrine and Lordly discipline be discovered and disclaimed And in steed of disputing and wryting by the word and spirit of Christ against their adversaries they wil cruelly persequte and fight against them by fyer and sword and Spirit of Antichrist from whom they are descended and succeeded both lynealy and of great antiquite Wherefore I humbly beseech the King and parliament that you will betymes listen vnto the holy spirit in the mouth of the prophet which faith bewyse now therfore yee Kings be learned or instructed yee judges of the earth serv the Lord in feare rejoyce in trembling kisse the son of God least he be angry and ye perish in the way of perseqution when his wrath shal suddeÌ„ly burne Let not therfore the Kings of the earth band themselves with the Bs ministers of Antichrist nor Princes assemble themselves together against the lord and against his anointed That is against Christ and his church seing both he and she breake your bands and cast your coardes from them Yea her seed overcometh you by the bloud of the lamb by the word of their testimoni for they love not their lives vnto death Beware then in tyme least you offend any more of these litle ones that beleeve in Christ seeing Christ saith it were better to have a milstone hanged about the neck drowned in the depth of the Sea then so to doe He meaneth that it were better for you to loose your lives then any way to consent to the offence of such litle ones that beleeve in Christ See then I pray that they be not despised burned bannished hanged aÌ„d imprisoned For their Angels alwayes behold the face of Christs Father in Heaven And remember he saith the tree is knowen by his fruit but persequting of Christians is an evil fruit And that a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth foorth good things but persequting of ChristiaÌ„s is no good thing And that for every ydle word men shal speak they shal give accounts at the day of judgement How much more for every wicked and cruel deed of perseqution as burning bannishing hanging and imprisoning of those that coÌ„fesse with the mouth beleeve with the heart the Lord Iesus that God raysed him from the dead whose lawes and ordinances they are carefull to keep and obey Christ saith that such shal bee saved and yet you feare not to burne bannish hang and imprison such But if you beleeve that God will avendge his elect beware of persequting his servaÌ„ts that cal on his name specialy such as witnes his truth against the abominations of Antychrist Suffer not your Bishops to destroy those
King or Emperor because it is an heavenly name and tytle how much lesse can it beloÌ„g or be due vnto vs your Maiestys vnworthy subjects and schollers And for so much as we now vnderstand the Lord be praysed therfore that the holy and heavenly name and devine tytle of spiritual lord is as much yea as high and greate as the name and tytle of a spiritual God and also that it is a name aboue evry name which God the Father hath given vnto Christ onely to the end that evry knee shold bow vnto that onely and heavenly name and that evry tongue shold confesse that Iesus is the Messiah the Lord vnto the glory of God the Father that in al things Christ might have the preheminence for he alone is the head of the Chuach which is his body The which cannot bee so long as we or any other Bishops do hold and retayne that devine high and super excellent name and tytle of spiritual lord Because then it caÌ„not be said that God hath so highly exalted him as to give him a name aboue evry name seeing our names and tytles are also spiritual and are caled spiritual lords so wel as the son of God Iesus the Messiah The remembrance hereof most gratious soueraigne doe make vs to tremble before God and the king And therfore we most earnstly desire your sacred Majesty and the whole Parliament to dischardge and release vs of these fearful names and tytles that doe onely belong to the Son of God Iesus the onely spiritual lord that God hath given vnto his Church Moreover we doe according to the truth acknowledge that if wee shold any longer retayne these devine and high names of spiritual lords and lords graces we shold therin be intiteled not onely with a name equal to our lord Iesus the onely begotten Son of God but also we shold be intytled with a name and tytle above your right excellent Maiesty yea above al Emperors Kings aÌ„d Princes of the earth The which alone we doe acknowledge to be a sufficient cause to put vs downe and to depriâ—ue vs of these vsuâ—ped names and blasâ—hemous tytles Also we doe confesse that our pomp and state wherin we now live is more like the Bishops of the Catholiq Church of Antychrist then any way like vnto the Bishops of the Apostoliq Church of Christ vnto whom we acknowledge we ought to bee made like and also to be qualified with the like gifts and graces of the spirit or els in no â—ase we can be meet Bishops for the Church of Christ as the Apostle plainly teacheth both to Tymothy and Tytus c And we must further acknowledge and confesse that our howses howsholds and revenues are more fit aÌ„d meet for princes Dukes and Earles then for the Bishops of Christ VVherfore being moved and stirred vp hereto by the feare of God we earnestly beseech your Majesty and parliament also to disburden vs of this great pomp and state and of our great and Princelyke howses howshols and revenues that so we may be made equal aÌ„d conformable to the Ministers of Christ and then we shal have both hope and coÌ„fort of the world to come although but litle in this except your Majesty and Parliament doe grant free liberty of conscience the which we now do also with the poore distressed Christians most humbly entreat and desire and that for these 4. reasons First because therby the gospel of Christ wil bee set free and at liberty wherby al people both Iewes and Gentils wil be gathered to the Apostoliq faith Church and discipline Secondly because many of your Maj subjects both Men and women who now are forced to disseÌ„ble their religion for feare of our perseqution wil be released and set free from their spiritual bondage aÌ„d slavery wherin we now do hold theÌ„ against their consciences and so they wil becom more faith ful Christians to God and more loyal subjects to your Maj then ever they were before to the salvation of their soules and the saefty of the Crowne and State Thirdly because the poore distressed Christians now bannished and dispersed out of their Fatherland over the face of the earth wil be redeemed froÌ„ greate misery and bondage wherin now no doubt they live and abide because they wil not be in bondage to any other spiritual lord or head then the lord Iesus Messiah alone whose faith and disciplyne they desier onely to learne and obey Fourthy because therby great benefit and comodity wil redound both to your Majesty and to all your subjects within your highnes dominions by the great commerce in trade trafiq both of Iewes and al people which now forâ—ant of liberty of conscience are forced and dryven els where and also from the revennues liveings which we and our glergie doe possesse and from the courts and offiices we hold aÌ„d keep great profit and commodity wil redound both to your highnes and to al your kingdoms we say more profit and commodity then we or any man is able to expresse And therfore we also desier al his maiestyes subjects both greath smale in al love ad feare of God not to be offeÌ„ded or any way moved or grieved when they shal see such a reformation of vs as that famous King Henry the eyght did make of our lordly brethren the Abbots and their Clergye For indeed such a reformation ought to come among vs and our glergy seeing we are no way agreable to the new Testament of the onely spiritual lord Iesus Messiah but are limbs and fellow members of that Antychristian aÌ„d Romish church which in the scriptures is Prophecyed to be abolished and destroyd Now therfore we pray you all let not King David say the Sons of Seruiah are to strong for him for that wil bee vnprofitable for you al. And for conclusion we entreat his Ma and Parlia to enact that as our adversaries com against vs onely with the word of God so we go against them onely with the word of God and not as we have done by civil authority for so our selves may be forced to dissemble Thus it may be the lord wil perswade and work in the hearts of some of the Bishops who wil willingly resigne their Antychristian tytles and Popish pomp and State with their princelike howses aÌ„d lyveings into the hands of the King without any compulsion or constraint But if they doe not yet if it please God to open the kings heart to see their Antichristian and Idol estate aÌ„d the danger aÌ„d damage they cause both to the King Prince and People they wil be compelled therto eveÌ„ as their lordly brethren the Abbots in King Henry dayes were And howsoever it be not regarded or perhaps not descerned yet in the sight of God aÌ„d his people they are greater Idols then their lordly bretheren the Abbots yea greater Idols then the Images of wood and stoone which that famous aÌ„d Godly King Edward