will satisfie for all sins and trangressions against you and your Church as in your Mother Church of Rome Whenas indeed all the bodily Exercise together with all the Gold and Silver in the World is not able nor sufficient to expiate or satisfie for one sin committed against God Christ and the true Church neither did the true Church in any Age since Christianity was in the World ever absolve or acquit sins and transgression against her for Money It 's time to consider your way and amend and cease to exercise deceit and violence over the People for selfish ends and if you have no better Way Means and Arguments to inform perswade and convince people that you are of the True Church because you have Power and Compulsive Laws on your side and can destroy their Liberty Estate and Lives through streight Imprisonment in nasty Goals this being the Way and Means of the False Church whose Weapons are and were alwayes Carnal there are a People whom God hath raised up in this Age and instructed in the pure Christian Religion whose goods you may spoyl whose bodies you may torture and imprison and whose blood you may drink also sooner then force and compel them by your unchristian means to become conformable Members to your Church Now we seeing our selves thus abused and that they over-run the Rules of their own Court to hasten us into Goal we again moved for a Prohibition at the Exchequer-Bar and the chief Banon shewed himself just and moderate and was ready to grant the same their Council refusing to plead further in their behalf their own Lybel saying that the greater part or some part of the Parish made the Rate dissatisfied their Council and would then plead no further only prayed time till the first day of the next Term which was the second instant betwixt which time as the sequel plainly proves Doctor Parr with other had made way so far in the matter by devised untrue Allegations and other wayes that our Request of a Prohibition might not be answered for when our Council pleaded they were very much discountenanced by some of the Judges with Words Nods and Frowns and though they pleaded Law in the case it was not regarded only the chief Baron shewed himself very just and impartial and declared his Opinion That a Prohibition did property lie in the case but seeing his Brethren were of another Opinion he should leave it Now it is to be observed that the Court could not without man fest partiality deny a Prohibition until false Allegations were devised and pleaded in open Court to overturn our Suggestion therefore Doctor Parr with the rest had by Untrue Information and Large Fee or to use some of their own words Large Grezing fitted and prepared their Council to plead very grand Lyes or Untruths and produced an Oath in Court together with the Witness and Testimony of Doctor Parr to affirm to the same The particular Lyes were as followeth First That there was a Necessity to pull down the said Church the Pillars being Wood bowed and rotten the Roof and South Wall ready to fall many being hurt and wounded with the fall of part of the same Secondly That Dr. Parr and some others did contract with the Workmen for 120 l. to build the Chancel South-Porch new Enlangments and he and others paid distinctly for those parts and that it was not included in the Parish-Rate himself giving Fifty pound part of the Hundred and Twenty pound agreed for the Building the same Thirdly That all the Parishioners yea every man were satisfied and had all paid their Money only Twenty Four Quakers and that the whole Assesment upon them was not above Forty pound the greatest amongst them being not above Fifty shillings These with other things to the same effect being affirmed as with a Face of Brass in open Court though great Untruths yet great Credit we judge by reason of the Presence and Testimony of Doctor Parr was by three of the four Judges given to them and all that could be urged to the contrary rejected and sleighted and though by our Council we much pressed to go to Tryal if we did not prove our Suggestion we would give them Cost yet nothing that could be said on our parts would prevail the burthen of the Plea against us being NONE BUT QVAKERS MY LORD NONE BUT TWENTY FOUR QVAKERS MY LORD As if when people have the Nick-Name of a Quaker put upon them they then lose all their Right and forfeit all their Priviledges as Men and the Benefit of the Law of their Native Country as if to have the Frowns of the Church were sufficient to turn them out of the Protection of the King Law and Government and to have their Liberties Estates and Lives exposed to Ruin and that Dr. Parr is of this Opinion appears by his own words speaking that day being the second of the third Moneth called May to one in this manner and words THAT THE QVAKERS WERE NONE OF THE KING's SUBJECTS This Saying doth not become a man of his Profession it shews plainly what spirit rules in his Heart under all his Talk of Religion and Christianity he is a great way off the Mind and Spirit of Christ Jesus whose Minister or Servant he pretends to be It may truly be said of him as Christ said to his Disciples Luke 9.54 who desired to have Liberty to command Fire to come down from Heaven to destroy those that would not receive him it 's said He turned and rebuked them and said they knew not what spirit they were of for the Son of Man came not to destroy men's Lives but to save them and his Disciples and Ministers indeed are of the same Mind and Spirit now But what would this Spirit and Opinion do with the Quakers and such as do not comply with his Mind and Understanding in and about Matters of Church and Worship Let him seriously consider the extent thereof this unnatural bloody Conceit of his viz. That if people please not the Priests or transgress against their Church then they cease to be the King's Subjects and lose their Birth-right as men and the Benefit of the Law of their Native Country Would not this Notion Judgment of his lead him into that Ravenous Appetite which some Priests had in the Prophets dayes which he compared to Dogs yea greedy dumb Dogs that could never have enough bear the Roughness of the Speech being they are the Prophet's words read vers 10 and 11. of the 56th chapter of Isaiah and see if England doth not abound with such blind ignorant ravenous Watchmen there spoken against who when people put not into their Mouthes they prepare War against them such there were in the Prophet Micah's time and such there are now in England that preach for Hire and divine for Money c. read the third chapter of Micah's Prophecy against the Cruelty of Princes and the Falshood of Prophets and Priests
to live in their native Country as their Brethren the ancient Christians were in Ages and Generations past I say as they suffer for Righteousness sake in Conscience to God not as Evil doers they shall have the Answer of a good Conscience and enjoy the Presence of the Lord which is better then Life and all those things you threaten to deprive them of and they shall live the Life and dye the Death of the Righteous and enter in and inherit the Crown of Life when you that are of a bitter spirit a persecuting envious spirit against your Neighbours who have done you no Wrong and yet profess Christ and Christianity shall see your selves shut out and when trouble anguish sorrow pain perplexity of spirit and horror of conscience shall attend you in your Houses and upon your Beds for the Hand of God will lie heavy upon the Evil-doer and Cruel Men and Vengeance is the Lord's and he will repay it and to him they can commit their Cause and appeal to for Justice seeing their Importunity though like the poor Widow's to the Unjust Judge cannot prevail with men They are known viz. the people called Quakers to be a quiet peaceable people among their Neighbours in all parishes Towns Cities and Countries where they dwell throughout England and great Observers and Honourers of the End of Magistracy and true Christian-Government which is a praise to them that do well and a terror to them that do evil and are true Subjects to the King and obedient to all the good and wholsom Laws of their native Country which tend to preserve men Liberties Properties Persons and Estates not for fear of Punishment but for Conscience sake and they are ready to obey every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake in all things relating to the Things of a Man giving Caesar his due and readily paying all Rates and Taxes that tend to the Good and Service and Preservation of their Neighbours and Country-men which is proper for any Christian men to do but in things relating to God and his Worship and Conscience they cannot endure to be imposed upon they rather chuse to obey God then Man in all such Matters and rather chuse to suffer the spoiling of their Goods imprisonment of their Bodies and give up their Lives also then submit to the Wills and Commands of men in Matters of Religion Church and Worship contrary to their Consciences and the perswasions of the Spirit of God in their own Hearts knowing it is a grievous thing to fall into the Hands of the living God and to sin against Light and Knowledge for fear of suffering therein they would not only be like the Common Sinners of the Times but worse who in their common Service daily confess They do that which they should not do and leave undone that which they should do who confess they have no Health in them but are full of putrified Sores from the crown of the Head to the sole of the Foot I say they would be worse then these if worse can be and would be Abomination in the sight of the Lord and a Stink in his Nostrils and his Righteous Soul would be vexed with them from day to day and they would not enjoy the Light of his Countenance which to them is better then the encrease of Corn Wine and Oyl They can say and that truly in the sight of God That they desire the good of all men and have Love and Good-wil to all their Neighbours and country-men and can truly pray for their enemies though they use them despightfully and do desire they may see the evil of their wayes and repent that they may enjoy Blessings and Peace temporal and eternal And if any thing to the contrary as Evil Thoughts Evil Will Prejudice or Enmity arise in them or among them against any they judge it with the Light and Spirit of God as an Evil inconsistent with their Profession of Christianity and directly contrary to the Life and Nature thereof for they have do declare own it their duty to live walk according to the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus and to know the same written in their Hearts and this Law was the Guide of Man-kind before Sin entred the World before outward Laws were written in Tables of Stone or in a Book And those that are led by this Law of the Spirit of Life are the righteous Men and righteous Women against whom there is no Law being living Witnesses of its power and vertue making them free from that and giving them Victory and Dominion over that because of which the outward Law was added viz. Sin And these own all good Laws outwardly and will not transgress against them And the Law as saith Paul Is not made for the Righteous but for the Wicked 1 Tim. 1.9 10. or Lawless and Disobedient for the Vngodly and for Sinners for Vnholy and prophane for murtherers of Fathers and murtherers of Mothers for man-slayers for Whoremongers for them that defile themselves with mankind for men-stealers for Lyars for perjured Persons and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound Doctrine c. And whoever talks and professes the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus and lives under the power of Sin and Death or continues in evil-doing they are no true Subjects to it nor lovers of it nor walkers in it but a shame and a Scandal to the Christian Religion and Strangers and Alians from the Common-Wealth of Israel and the Law of Sin and Death rules in their Minds and Members and leads them Captive into Evil and these are in great Bondage to the Lust of the Eye the Lust of the Flesh and the Pride of Life And these are the Children of disobedience in whose Hearts the Prince of the Air the Prince of Darkness Rules and leads them to Envy Hate and Persecute their Neighbours about Religion which was never the work of a true Christian For he that hateth his Brother is a man-slayer 1 John 3.15 He that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen 1 John 4.20 Be Serious consider your Work and Condition and see how you stand in the sight of God and mind God's witness in your own Consciences and hearken to the Voice thereof and it will Infallibly inform and shew you whether the Spirit of Christ and Christianity which is the Spirit of Meckness Gentleness Kindness and Brotherly love rules in your Hearts or the contrary and the Voice of this whether it be with you or against you is as a Thousand Witnesses and all that sleight and disregard its Voice and stop their Ears at the Reproof thereof while the day of their Visitation lasts Time will come upon them and the Night will overtake them wherein they shall hear its Voice whether they will or no and be judged according thereto Conscience is compared to a Book and the
A BRIEF NARRATIVE Of the Proceedings of Doctor Parr And some of the Parishioners of Mary Magdalen-Bermonsey in the County of SURREY Against certain People called Quakers Inhabitants of the said Parish for not Paying and Complying with an Illegal Tax laid under pretence of Repairing their Church Shewing how some of the said people did endeavour as of right belongeth to every English man to defend themselves from the Rigor and Cruelty of the Ecclesiastical Courts about the same by seeking to gain a Prohibition to stop the Proceedings in the Bishop's Court and to bring their Unreasonble Illegal Imposition of 1800 l. upon the said Parish to tryal at Common Law and by what Means they have been prevented therein Also an EXHORTORY REPREHENSION upon the whole Published to prevent a Misunderstanding concerning the said people who are and may be more presented as that they in Enmity Stubbornness and Self-willedness have refused to pay towards the said Rate and occasioned a Charge to the said Parish Whereas in Truth the Cause of their endeavour to defend themselves was to keep their Consciences void of Offence to God and Men To God in not yielding to Repair an Idols Temple for so they believe it to be To Men in that their Proceeds therein were contrary to all the known Law in being And having done their endeavour in trying the Courts of Judicature and finding Iniquity in the place of Judgment and the Cause of the Poor sleighted they are clear in their Consciences and can leave their Cause to God and lie down in Peace and Good Will to all men But the gnawing Worm that never dyes will fasten upon the Wicked in the Day of Account Eccles 5.15 And moreover I saw under the Sun the Place of Judgment and Iniquity was there and the Place of Righteousness and Wickedness was there Printed in the Year 1677. To the Reader Friend THou mayst understand we live in a Nation whose Laws and constituted Government excels most Nations in the World being very tender and careful in defence of its Inhabitants Liberties Persons Estates and Lives from the Wills and Arbitrary Power of lawless unreasonable Men and every English man hath a Birth right and Inheritance in this Law and it is the Just Interest of every honest man to endeavour to keep up this Standard and Bulwork of Property Lives and Liberties against all that would invade them or attempt to rob and spoil them of either 'T is true there is much Failure and Corruption in the Executive Part of this well framed law and government there is so much Partiality Self-interest and Iniquity got into the Place and Seat of Judgment that many times the clear Stream and Current of Justice and Equity is stopped defiled and corrupted and it 's a very hard thing for a poor man who is oppressed and abused by his Neighbour to get Relief but this is not to be attributed to the Law but to the Abusers and Corrupters of it whose Work is to pervert the End of all good Law and Government which is to be a Terror to the Evil-doers and a Praise to them that do well where-ever this just End is not answered such do not rule nor judge for God let them pretend what they will but are Contemners Despisers and Perverters of the Law of God and all good men In this Case of ours we apprehend our selves Arbitrarily contrary to Law imposed upon by a sort of rash inconsiderate men who have run themselves upon a Work more proper for a Parliament then a Parish and if they had a Reward accordingly they would receive but their desert and it being to do a Work illegal and so ‖ For the Truth of this we may appeal to the Consciences of many of the Inhabitants of Magdalen Parish whether they their Neighbours were not more sober temperate grave and wise and guilty of less sin and Transgression against God and man twenty or thirty years ago then at this time if so then wherein are people profited by the studied Sermons of Hirelings needless and unprofitable to our selves and Neighbours we were willing to stop their Ecclesiastical Proceeds otherwise we should have been passive and silently suffered the weight of the leaden Hands of unholy Church whose Mercies are very Cruelties witness the Popish Inquisitions and cruel Torture and Burnings of conscientious men and the Protestants Goals Whips Stocks Cutting off Ears and Stigmatizing and Hanging also as in New-England upon the account of Church Religion and Worship all which we testifie against as directly contrary to and inconsistent with the Pure Christian Religion and Church of Christ as is signified in short in what follows but is according to the Whore or false Church whose Weapons are carnal and not spiritual who is and hath been since the Apostacy very busie in Christendom in spoiling peoples Goods imprisoning and torturing their Bodies and sometimes killing them also and making her self drunk with the Blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus Now it 's so far from the Nature and Life of the true Church to inflict Corporal Punishments for Spiritual Offences or to hurt any man's Liberty Person and Estate in this World about the things of the World to come as Faith Conscience and Manner of Worship that it is both unnatural and unreasonable for if People do err in their minds and understand things relating to their future Estate amiss and are of an unsound Judgment in the things of God and in matters relating to his Kingdom c. Spiritual-weaponed Men and not Goalers and Executioners of corporal Punishments are to deal with such People and inform and restore them with the Spirit of Love and Meekness if they can according to the Example and Doctrine of Christ Jesus his Apostles and primitive Christians who never used outward Force and Violence or corporal Punishments to compel People to be of their Religion Christianity came not this way into the World neither is it or ever was it upheld or propagated by such means it 's a Gospel of Life and Salvation and brings Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men and the true Ministers of it being endued with Power from on High in the universal Love of God perswaded men to be reconciled to him by turning them from the Darkness within to the Light and Grace of God Within from the Power of Satan within by which their minds were captivated to the Spirit and Power of God within that they might receive Remission of their Sins and Inheritance among them that are sanctified And if people would not receive them into their Houses or build them some Houses to preach this Gospel to them in they were not to call for Fire from Heaven upon them nor send their Bodies to Goal or take away or spoil them of their Earthly Treasures because they would not receive their heavenly Treasures nor own and believe them to be Dispensers and ministers of it let all that pretend themselves
will hear or forbear they shall find it Truein the Day of Account The 17th of the 3d Moneth 1677. Something after VVHereas the Cry against the Quakers is That they are Disobedient to the Law Enemies to Magistrates Haters of the Ministry of the Gospel and no Friends to the Lawyers and that they would overthrow good Government pull down Churches but build and repair none c. In Answer to which we in short say thus much That this Charge is utterly without just Cause and directly false For First We are obedient to the whole Law either actively or passively and our Principle and Profession leadeth us to obey every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake not for fear of Punishment but for Conscience sake and herein stood the Christian Obedience in the primitive times to every Law and Ordinance of Man that tended to the Encouragement and Praise of them that did well and to the Terror of those that did Evil to other Laws Ordinances and Commands of Men which did not carry this along with them they were never actively obedient but Witnessers against them and Sufferers by them as might be evidenced at large by a multitude of Examples throughout the whole Scriptures and every Conscientious Christian Man must needs acknowledge that God is to be obeyed rather then Men when they command things repugnant to his Law and impose upon the Mind Heart Conscience and Vnderstanding contrary to the Light and Law of God therein this is to usurp the Throne of God and to give Laws in his Kingdom which is spiritual and not of this World and where God rules governs in the hearts of men which is and ought to be his Throne and they know his Law (a) This is the New Covenant that God promised and every Christian is to witness the law of God writ in his Heart and his Fear in his Inward Parts and none can be a Christian without it writ therein from whence all just reasonable good Laws outwardly did proceed such cannot transgress against them nor disobey them So it is a manifest spirit of Envy that saith We are disobedient to Law seeing our Conversation among our Neighbours throughout this Nation witnesseth the contrary and they find no just Cause or Occasion against us but in things appertaining to Worship Church Religion and Conscience which indeed are of a spiritual Concern and not belonging to Men of corrupt Minds though they give themselves the Name of spiritual men to make and impose Laws about And as concerning Magistracy and Magistrates whose Work is to judge between Man and Man when they trespass one against another according to Equity and Righteousness without Respect to Persons or any sinister Interest these we truly Love and Honour who bear not the Sword in vain but relieve the Oppressed and judge the Cause of the Innocent and help the Poor against the Mighty 2 Chron. 19.6 7 8. and are a Terror to the Evil-doers these judge for God and not for Men and the Lord is with them in Judgment and the Blessings and Presence of the Lord will be upon them Now it is the Evil-doers that are Enemies to Magistracy and that make and create Trouble to good Magistrates such as break and violate the Law of God and Man and kill and steal and commit Adultery and bear false witness against them and covet their Neighbours Wife Ox Ass nor any thing that is his c. these are they that are Haters of Law and Magistrates and disobedient to Authority Now we are kept by the Grace of God out of these things and do by vertue of the Nature and Power thereof the things contained in the Law which shews the Effect of the Law written in our Hearts and so because we love and obey the Law and Magistrates we fulfil the End of them both But they that say They love and honour the Law and Magistracy and yet are found in the Evil-doing they lye and do not the Truth and would subvert the Law and overthrow Magistracy and all Good Government among men and are direct Enemies to Magistrates Now to those that say we Hate those that are Ministers of the Gospel we say and that truly that it is a False Accusation for we love no men more they are indeed Embassadours of Peace and Reconcilation of Mankind to God and they have the Power of Perswasion and in the Spirit of Love and Meekness do prevail and turn many from the Evil of their Wayes and direct them into the Good Old Way and Ancient Path of Peace which the Righteous in all Ages walked in from Enoch unto this day in which Way the Wayfaring man though a Fool cannot err mark that and seek and enquire for this Way Now all such as pretend to be Ministers of the Gospel and do not do and Effect this Work in and among people it 's an evident sign the Lord never sent them and that they are not in Deed what they profess in Words yet let all know that we hate no men's Persons though we bear witness against Deceit and Hypocritical Pretences amongst men of all Degrees and Professions and would have men to be and to be known to be as they are in the sight of God where all Coverings avail not And to such as say we are no Friends to the Lawyers and that we would overthrow good Government c. We say we are Friends to all men and should rejoyce to see good Government set up among them and especially amongst the Lawyers that that common Honesty and Right might be fulfilled among them as is among other Trades-men who sell a Penny-worth for a Penny And we desire the Law might be declared in such plain terms that the Lawyer Knowledge and Counsel might be certain that he might undertake to do Peoples work and business to their Content if he expect to receive their Money as other Trades-men must And that they would be so honest that when People come to them with a bad Cause which the Law is against that they would Instruct and Advise them better and refuse to appear in it for love of Money Then would Equity enter and Justice run down as a mighty Stream But when Lawyers undertake bad Causes for bad People for love of Money Equity is obstructed and the currant of Justice stopped delayed deferred if not pervented and turned backward and by this means honest men are unjustly vexed troubled and abused trhough the Promisciousness of the Law and the crafty skill Rhetorick and Interest of a bad Lawyer and by these a poor man's Cause though never so good is overthrown all these things we would have amended and have every man honest in his Imployment and do as he would be done by and this only being observed will bring People to be good friends and love one another and live together in Peace as becometh Christians And then we believe the Lawyers would not have so great a trade and Imployment