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england_n	king_n	name_n	scotland_n	3,955	5	8.5404	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41852	One out-cry more against tythes unto the chief ruler of the nation of Engand [sic] and all that are with him of God permitted to be in present authority, whether Parliament, Councel or Army; by whatsoever name or title known or called: but in a more especial manner, to such of them as are yet remaining faithfnl [sic] unto the former declared for, and never to be forgotten cause of King Jesus, who are such as have not departed, through sinning against the light of a good conscience, ... And yer notwithstanding, you that are in present power know these things, do even as he did, suffer the saints in your name, and by your power daylie to be imprisoned, and otherwayes afflicted; and that you may not be ignorant thereof, I have been moved to make the same known unto you by way of declaration, which is grounded upon the Holy Scriptures; wherein is contained the manner of our sufferings, and by whom: ... Written the beginning of the second month, 1657. by Isaac Grayes, prisoner for the cause of Christ in the Wood-street Compter, London, ...; One out-cry more against tythes unto the chief ruler of the nation of England.	Graye, Isaac.	1657 (1657)	Wing G1626; ESTC R220318	27,098	37

ONE OUT-CRY More against TYTHES Vnto the Chief RULER of the Nation of ENGAND and all that are with him of God permitted to be in present Authority whether Parliament Councel or Army by whatsoever Name or Title known or called But in a more especial manner To such of them as are yet remaining faithful unto the former declared for and never to be forgotten Cause of KING JESUS who are such as have not departed through sinning against the light of a good conscience by opposing such as would have promoted the same nor have sought by any secret endeavours to hinder and obstruct the performing to God Almighty and making good unto his poor every-wayes-wronged people viz. All those many National-Engagements Declarations Remonstrances Protestations Vows Oaths and Covenants with solemn Appeals which unto him were in the dayes of greatest distress made for obtaining deliverance from Sions destroying bloody Enemies to the end Christs Kingdom might be advanced and Satans Kingdom of Tyranny defaced and the Government of the Lord God of Israel by his holy just and good Laws Ordinances Statutes and righteous Judgements be established in the room of the Popes destroying Power which upholdeth wicked devouring men as yet to tyranize over the dear Saints and Servants of God for their consciences as much as ever they did in the Kings time who in his Days regarded not what tyranny by his Power and in his Name was done against the Members of Christ as did appear by his suffering of them to be so inhumanely used as they were both by imprisonments banishments and setting of them gagged in Pillories burning of them with hot Irons and cutting off their ears from their heads besides whipping and stocking with many more bloody cruelties all which cruelties being by the King suffered and connived at was the only cause why the wrath of God with his revengeful Judgements came upon him his posterity and the three Nations of England Scotland and Ireland c. And yet notwithstanding you that are in present Power know these things do even as he did suffer the Saints in your Name and by your power daylie to be imprisoned and otherwayes afflicted and that you may not be ignorant thereof I have been moved to make the same known unto you by way of declaration which is grounded upon the Holy Scriptures wherein is contained the manner of our sufferings and by whom Together with serious Advertisements concerning the abuse of Power and the abominations of Priesthood the wickedness of Lawyers with them combining for to destroy the Just from off the earth Written the beginning of the second Month 1657. by ISAAC GRAYES Prisoner for the cause of Christ in the Wood-street Compter London where I have been kept above three years Given forth for the sake of such as with my self do suffer for the testimony of Faith and a good Conscience For if I build again the things which I have destroyed I make my self a transgressor Gal. 2. 18. And thinkest thou this O man that judgest them which do such things and dost the same that thou shalt escape the judgement of God Rom. 2. 3. Let all such therefore take heed that their own wickedness of backsliding do not come when it is too late to correct them let him that is wise in heart read with understanding Jer. 2. 19. LONDON Printed for the Author and some of them are to be sold at the Black-More neer Fleet-Bridge 1657. The unlawfulness of the National Priesthood with their unjust demands proved by way of grounds reasons laid down according to the holy Scriptures why there ungodly Wages of Tythes by the suffering persecuted and every wayes afflicted Members of Christ Jesus in this their day of faithfulness to him are denyed as by this following Declaration will be made appear HUmbly sheweth unto you O ye Rulers of the people the abominations which are committed in the matters of tythes by the called Ministers of England and others for as much as that it doth evidently appear by the Law of the Lord God of Israel Tythes were given to Levi and his sons and to such as with them were appointed of God unto the Office of the first Priesthood and none else who had a commandment to take tythes of the people according to the Law that is of their Brethren as may appear of vvhich Priesthood the Priests of this Nation are not for they cannot prove themselves made by the Law of God as the first Priesthood vvas neither can it be made appear they ever received from the Lord God of Israel any such commandment for their taking tythes of the people of England as the Aaronical and Levitical Priesthood did for their taking tythes of their Brethren the children of Israel as for the Priests of this Nation it vvill appear they never vvere made Priests of God but by the late Bishops who themselves vvere formerly made by the Pope of Rome as I shall make appear tovvards the later end of this Treatise by the Lavvs and Statutes of this Nation And again I find that the Priests the Levites and all the Tribe of Levi had no part of Inheritance vvith Israel and therefore vvere they appointed to eat the Offerings of the Lord made by fire because they had no Inheritance amongst their Brethren for the Lord vvas their Inheritance Read Deut. 18. v. 1 2. And as it doth appear by Moses in his refusing to give them any possessions of Lands vvith their Brethren after God had given them victory over such of their Enemies as they became possessors viz. of the Lands of those many Kings vvhich vvere slain of them by the edge of the Svvord and nothing vvas by Moses given to the Tribe of Levi because said he the Lord God of Israel vvas their Inheritance as he had said unto them Josh. 19. 3 c. And again it doth and may appear that the Lord God of Israel did appoint Store-houses unto vvhich the people were expresly commanded in the time of the first Covenant for to bring their tythes that thither the Widovv the Fatherless and Stranger might also come within the Gates of the Priests to be filled by which it is manifest That the Widovv Fatherless and Stranger had as much right to the Tythes as the Priest through vvhich relief there vvas not a beggar in Israel neither vvere they the Priests and Levites permitted to persecute any upon Trebble Damages vvho did not bring their Tythes according to the Commandment of the Lord for they that did neglect vvere cursed vvith a curse as it is evident Mal 3. Novv the contrary doth appear among the Priests of England whom I have heard often say They vvere of Gods ovvn Tribe of Levi and yet live in the practise of such abominable things and do also justifie such as with them do the same as never vvas committed nor done in the time of the first Priesthood as is daylie made manifest in that unsufferable vvickedness of theirs in taking

convented and by them brought before such a company of forsworn murthering Lawyers whose continual practice is to engage themselves against the consciencious people of this Land even against their Commissions in the matter of Tythes as I have already declared for that the Law saith None shall expound it no other wayes to give remedy for tythes then what it doth of it self plainly express whereby cause of Action may be given or Suit commenc●t in the Courts temporal against any person or persons which shall refuse or deny to set out his or their Tythes or shall detain with-hold or refuse to pay his Tythes or Offerings or any parcel thereof but that in such cases the persons or parties being Ecclesiastical or Lay-persons have cause to demand or have the said Tythes or Offrings in every such case in the Spiritual Courts according to the Ordinance of the first part of this Act and not otherwayes And thus unto you the Rulers have I made it plainly appear by the Lavvs and Statutes of this Realm That it is utterly unlawful for your Temporal Judges to give judgement in the matters of Tythes against the Saints as they dayly do in such Courts as are called Temporal Courts viz. The Exchequer Common-Pleas and in that other Court or Place called the Chancery which is called a Court of Equity If lyes may take place or rather a Court of Iniquity through which deceivable Name of Equity many people have made their Addresses from out of other Courts into that in hopes of gaining right there but have found as much wrong and have met with much inconscionable dealings as ever they did before the Lawyers being all agreed to destroy the poor wronged people that have been forced to seek help where none is to be had through their ignorance of not knowing that the Lawyers Tyade is upheld and maintained by fraud and wrong as doth appear in this great controversie of Tythes there shall need no other proof against them then this of Tythes as doth appear in their wresting and abusing the Law in that cause through which they promote all manner of injustice against the Saints by whom they both suffer imprisonment and also the spoiling of their Goods contrary to the Laws and Statutes of this Nation which in themselves require right should be done but contrary to that these Law-breakers do force Jury-Men through their being ignorant of the Law commonly to forswear themselves by giving up false Verdicts against their consciencious Neighbors in the matter of tythes by their fining for the ungodly Plaintiff against the poor Defendant for not dividing or setting forth and not paying their predual Tythes or for taking or carrying away the same before the tenth part be divided or set forth by which unlawful proceedings of wicked Plaintiffs before ungodly forsworn Judges in their Secular courts the Saints do greatly suffer by the Priests and others of their Antichristian Tribe who by them are well bribed for their pains so that betwixt the one and the other this poor Land and people is brought under the guilt of those horrible crying sins which Israel of old in their dayes suffered to be committed amongst them although they were the Lords beloved people unto whom he sent his holy Prophet to give them warning that the Lord had a controversie against the inhabitants of the Land for suffering those abominations through which there was no truth or mercy nor knowledge of God amongst them for by swearing lying killing and stealing and committing Adultery they brake out and blood touched blood therefore the Word of the Lord unto them was by the Prophet declared That the Land should meurn and every one that did dwell therein should languish with the Beasts of the field and with the Fowls of heaven yea the fishes also of the sea shall be taken away read Hos. 4. 2 3 4. The fore-promised matter being well considered by such as yet do live to fear the Lord may justly give their judgement for God That both the Rulers and people of this Nation are under the guilt of all those sins and are in danger of coming to suffer sad judgements from the Lord for that the Priests and the Lawyers and such as with them do live upon the gain of oppression are yet suffered to be the actors of all manner of wickedness that in this Land is committed under pretence of Law by whom this forementioned scripture is fulfilled as hath been by them made manifest from the beginning of all our troubles who yet do confederate together to divide the people from holding amity one with another that thereby they may hinder the promoting the cause of truth and the establishing of Justice through which wickedness of theirs when time was in dividing the people from the King and setting him against the people Justice by him was wholly neglected although he was much sought to by the people of God for to see the same duely administred as he was permitted of God to be the chief Magistrate of the three united Nations of England Scotland and Ireland but he not standing in the counsel of God would not hearken unto the desires of his people but grew weary in hearing them whereupon no more addresses by them unto him was made wherefore his end suddenly upon him came and therefore justly did the God of Justice deliver him up into the hands of those which sought his life Let good heed therefore be taken by you that are in present Power least the cause be forgotten which brought him to suffer the pangs of death for know you the Lords hand is not shortned but is stretched out still for to reach you also forth from all your Guards of Guns Swords and Pikes which by multitudes of men is made use of for to defend you yet notwithstanding your strong Arm of flesh you may take notice the King had as great a power in his time as you and was more esteemed regarded and beloved by the people as to the generality then possibly can be imagined you are but yet he not doing that which was right in the sight of God you see was cut off Oh therefore that you may remember with all speed for to establish Justice that so you may rule for him for the good and well-being of his poor distressed and every wayes afflicted and persecuted people who are at this day frustrated of all hopes of mans doing Justice and therefore cry they unto the Lord for to be delivered from the hands of their oppressors seeing hitherto you have denyed their redemption notwithstanding you have sworn unto the Lord you would give them deliverance This know therefore your time to perform what you have engaged and promised is almost past therefore what you do do speedily for I behold your night a coming and then will all your Works cease and then vvil all your intentions with former pretences come to be frustrated and annihilated and your memorials vvill also be blotted out

avvay peoples Cattel out of their yards and Goods out of their Houses for pretended Tythes upon trebble Damages which is three for one against the express Lavv of God vvhereby it doth and may appear unto such as are vvith my self of the seed of Israel That it is not only the Priests fault alone who are not of God but you sin in suffering of them as you are the Rulers of the people who do permit them in your Name and by your Povver to do what they do These evils rightly considered doth give a discovery that you are departed from the Lord God of Israel whom you once declared for as doth appear by your taking part vvith the Priests who are his Enemies or else if it were not so your consciences would teach you to obey observe and keep the Laws Statutes Commandments Precepts and Judgements of the Lord as vvell as my self vvho for keeping the same do suffer which would not be if you did stand in the counsel of the Lord vvhich then you vvould seek to do his will by seeing his Laws duly and truly executed upon such as are the breakers thereof vvhich vvould cause your dayes to be prolonged in the Land vvherein ye yet live as so many Enemies to that most holy God whose just and righteous Laws yea even hate to obey observe and keep and in effect do amongst your selves conclude That the Government vvhich God Almighty did appoint his people to be governed by according to his righteous Order vvhich by you is not judged good enough nor wise enough to be governed by in your generations as is evident by your ruling of the people with such Laws as you and other transgressors before you did from Imagination make and set up to oppose the Laws Commandments and Statutes of the onely wise God for vvhich vvickedness of theirs so committed the just judgement and vengeance of the Lord hath from one generation to another destroyed both them and theirs from off the earth and yet you are not sensible for what they have been cut off although he hath made use of you as Instruments in his hand to cut off the late King for his disobedience to the Lord God of Israel who stood not in his counsel but vvas driven aside by the flattery of wicked Priests and Lawyers as you are although little notice by you is taken thereof I therefore desire from my heart in love to your souls that you did fully understand and know wherefore the Lord did permit you to put the King to death and then you would seek how to do his vvill and not your own and then who do you think would harm you but because you do not therefore it is that you delight not in the Law of the Lord as King David his servant did for which cause plots and conspiracies are daylie and justly ●y him suffered for to be contrived against you which hitherto hath been discovered to that end and purpose that you might be warned for to return unto the Lord from the evil of your doings before destruction in good earnest doth come upon you and then it will be too late to seek repentance or to wish you had unto God and his people paid your vows now know that through your disobedience unto him whom you have promised reformation unto and yet have not performed what you have so promised the number of of oppressors under you have taken boldness for to increase at which the lying National Priests do rejoyce who do in like manner make their boast and say That they will have Tythes paid unto them upon force by such people as do refuse for conscience sake or else they will take away their goods which daylie they do in your Name that are the chief Rulers of these three Nations viz. England Scotland and Ireland and by your Power they also imprison the Saints as they did in the Kings time for that they cannot in conscience pay Tythes the Priests excusing the manner of their tyranny so committed doth lay the fault and blame upon you they saying they are enforced to do what they do because you require of them Offerings or first Fruits which they cannot pay unto you unless the people first pay the same by way of Tythes unto them now if it be so betwixt you and the Priests then where is that Liberty of Conscience performed with your former Engagemens Declarations Remonstrances and those many Oaths Vows and Covenants discharged which were made in the sight of heaven in the dayes of your distress when you were entrusted by the people of God as their servant to fight their Battels viz. at Dunbar Worcester-Fight and several other places as you cannot but remember was put forth under pretence of Publike Liberty but are all yet unperformed with your last Promise also which you made to my loving friend Mr. Iessie and several other friends concerning your taking away of that yet continued Antichristian Oppression of Tythes which should be done said you by the third day of Siptember which was in the year 1654. or if they were not taken away then you bid them call you Juglers Novv knovv that had this last Promise vvith your former Remonstrances Engagements and Protestations c. been by you really intended for to have been performed according to vvhat you pretended then my self vvho formerly have made redress unto you and many more of the dear Saints and faithful Servants of the Lord God of Israel could not have been by you suffered for to be thus ruinated in our outvvard Estates many of us as are and yet notvvithstanding our persons kept prison for that vve cannot sin against our consciences in paying Tythes in vvhich Prison I have been many times in danger of being throvvn into the Hole through poverty vvhich hath made me unable of my self for to provide moneys for to pay my Chamber-Rents so that if my sufferings must for conscience sake be by you stil continued then that you vvould be pleased to shevv some compassion unto me by taking care for to have my Chamber-Rent satisfied I shall remain very thankful to you for the same through vvhich kindness of yours if I may so finde it I shall be the better enabled for to be kept from perishing till the Lord is pleased to give deliverance some other wayes it may be through the death of my cruel Enemies if it may not come from you for I am wel assured from the Lord a deliverance I shall have from my oppressors ere long And thus having discharged my conscience in what I have already declared I shall return again to my former Matter from whence I am a little digressed Giving of you to know and all in Authority with you That forasmuch as you by your Power do uphold the Priests of this Nation for to take the wages of the Law of the Lord God of Israel by way of tythes which peculiarly was given unto the first Priesthood for their service done

forth by which they are also known to be none of the Ministers of Christ nor Messengers of God but have made themselves fully manifest to be of the remainder of that cursed generation and stock of hypocrites which were devourers of Widows Houses as daylie doth appear which cannot be denyed for there never was greater devourers then they are since the world began who for a pretence make long prayers to accomplish their mischievous designs and was there ever the like praying and preaching in any age as hath been in this our age or last dayes of finishing iniquity under which pretence of theirs the innocent who are departed from evil are become the prey of the devourer but for their reward saith Christ They shall receive to themselves the greater damnation read Matt. 23. 14 c. And saith the Apostle Peter in his second Epistle chap. 2. They shall through covetousness and with feigned words make merchandize of the p●ople and was there ever such merchandise made of a people since they had a being upon the earth as now is made by these called Preachers and Minister's of the Gospel whose wicked fruits hath made them manifest to be those hypocrites and false Teachers which were afore spoken of should proceed from the corrupt Tree from whom the Man of God doth flee to follow after Righteousness Godliness Faith Love Patience and Meekness 1 Tim. 6 11 v. c. in which life they the Priests are not found as doth appear by their upholding and seeking to maintain by the power of the cruel Beast that which Christ hath disannulled because of the weakness and unprositableness thereof for that the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope made perfect whereby we draw neer to God Heb. 7. 18 19 v. c. And now for to take away all obstructions before I procced further I shall give an accompt of my Faith and hope by declaring what Church I am of that I so may remove the cause of jealousie vvhich is too often appearing in the ignorant yea even in such vvhich makes a high profession of godliness I shall therefore give you the Rulers and all that are vvise in heart for to know That I ovvn the Ministry and Ministers of the everlasting Gospel which is not of man neither are they made by man as the Priests of the Nation are but are such as Christ hath made whose foundation standeth sure which shall abide for ever vvhich changeth not neither can it be shaken being built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone Eph. 2. 20. And I do also vvitness and declare That all the Ministers of Christ have accordingly received a perfect Ministry which is free and not burthensome to any because they belong to the true Church whereof Christ is head which is his body according as the Scripture doth with me declare which Church is the Assembly of the Righteous who are holy from which the ungodly are excluded according as it is written Psal. 1. 5. The Lord knoweth the wayes of the righteous but the wayes of the ungodly shall perish I do also own the Ordinances of Jesus Christ which none that are unholy can partake of and the worship of God which is in spirit and truth read Joh. 4. 23. And likewise the Law of God which is holy ●ust and good which never changeth by no diversity of place or time And thus have I in brief declared an account of what Church I am and also of my faith and hope wherein I have truly discharged my conscience in brief and for which I am at this day a sufferer And so far as I can understand from friends which doth give me an account of what they understand from amongst you that there is nothing to be expected from you but more bonds to be laid upon the Saints at which nevvs I finde in my self a comfortable satisfaction for to continue my waiting upon the farther good pleasure of the Lord God of Israel rather then to sin against my conscience by giving way to break his Laws Commandments Ordinances and Statutes for vvhich I have suffered persecution for above this eight years together first by one John Lawson a drunken Priest belonging to the Parish of Basinborne in the County of Cambridge who for Tythes took away my goods and yet notwithstanding was not therewith contented vvhile such time as by his cruelty he drove me to flie with my Family twenty miles from that Town by the reason he had gained a Warrant from the Committees of that County for to carry my body to prison refusing to take Bail according as the Warrant did express But soon after I had removed my self and Family from his Tyrannie an other Enemy to the Gospel appeared against me viz. one John Budging of the same Town Farmer of the Tythes belonging to the Parsonage who persecuted me at the popish Law and after he had spent some time gained power also for to carry me away to prison notwithstanding he had carryed away a great part of my Corn out of the field through which Tyrannie of his I was forced to forsake my poor Wife and Children which constrained me to put my life upon the danger of loosing by reason I fled to the Army of the Common-Wealth of England for refuge into Scotland where as a Souldier I did engage in hopes of gaining not only victory over such as was then counted our Enemies but also to have seen an end of that their power by which tyrannie and oppression is still promoteed And after the wars of Scotland were over there followed on Worcester-Fight where I was also bodily engaged and after that Field-Battel was fought I returned privatelely home to visite my poor Wife and distressed Family but not long after my adversary obtained intelligence that I was at home and thereupon did send certain sons of Belial for to carry me away to prison which for to accomplish their end did by force of Arms break into my house upon me but being by me strongly resisted with Sword and Pistol they durst not proceed the attempting to come up into my Chambers where I was ready to receive them they perceiving of it did quarrel amongst themselves about raising of the Town for to pull down the house upon my head they threatning sorely to have me forth dead or alive I understanding the same did through the help of the Lord make my pass out of an upper-Windovv leaving my poor Wife and Children to their bloody rage who did accordingly set a drawn Sword to her Breast and did threaten to kill her after they did see I was escaped Many more insufferable cruelties have I and my Family undergone which are too many for me to give relation But to be brief So precious vvas my liberty unto me when time was that the very thoughts of a Gaol was unto me dreadful that vvhile I was at liberty I was in mighty

customs in the Land of those people which the Lord for the same wickedness cast out by which the Land was defiled Lev. 10. 3 c. Lev. 18. 1 Sam. 2. 13 c. Now by what hath been declared it doth evidently appear from the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles which was one Doctrine that they taught the people against their Customs and vain Traditions of the Fathers as they were contrary to the will of the Lord although the Priests of this Nation do make a Trade of maintaining all such filthie customs by which they make merchandize of the ignorant people under pretence of being Ministers of the Gospel although their actions doth witness them lyars to their faces who are proved no other then the Merchants of Babylon and common waged servants of the cruel Beast whose service they promote as by their daylie persecuting such Saints as do deny them and their filthy service wherein they are manifested to be like unto the Leopar which is very cunning in getting his prey as Pline writeth who saith They have such a kinde of smell that all four-footed Beasts are desirous to go after them being allured with the pleasantness thereof but yet the Beasts are so terrified when they see the grimness of their l●oks whereupon it is that when they have inticed them to come near them with the sweetness of their smell then they hide the●r heads and so catch them and pull them in pieces Is not this the manner of the flattering Priests of the Nation and such as are with them confederated who allure the simple by feigning themselves to be the Messengers of God and Ministers of the Gospel by which sweet words they catch the ignorant who indeed are no other then thieves that live by stealing and putting to sail the words of the hol Prophets the Apostles under which pretence they hide themselves from being seen of the ignorant to be such bloody savage Beasts of prey as they are against whom I am engaged by my conscience for to bear witness and also against such Laws Statutes Ordinances Customs and Prescriptions which doth maintain and uphold them which are by Enemies brought in against the Law of a good conscience declaring that they are things void and against Justice which Laws must needs be known and acknowledged by the enlightned of Christ for to be inferior unto the Laws and Ordinances of Jesus Christ who is appointed of the Father to be the true Law-giver unto his people as he is their Saviour who is the Prince of Peace and the heir of all things who is God over all blessed for ever who is the head of his Church whereunto Tythes are not belonging nor forced maintenance permitted she being the Spouse of Christ is free from corruption and sinister affection which the National false Church is not unto which the Priests belong who take tythes according to the Law of their Grandfather the Pope of Rome who first gave their Predecessors Tythes to keep them from corruption and sinister affection under pretence of rewarding of them for their service done for Holy Church as doth appear by the Statute of 24. of Henry the eight chap. 12 by which it is manifest the called Ministers Priests Preachers Parsons Vicars Clarks Curates belong not to the Church of Christ therefore unholy are they who have no right to tythes and upon that consideration ought an evil custom or usage by you the Rulers who profess your selves Christians for to be abolished according to the saying of Judge Cook upon Littleton Now I appeal unto the Saints with you for to judge what greater evil there can be by you permitted answerable to the maintaining of such a generation of men as doth plead for the upholding of such customs and wicked usages as deny Christ and doth command me and all Saints to give Wages unto such as never did nor doth any Work for me or mine surely this must needs be judged to be not onely against reason but against the very being of a good conscience wherein God hath written the Witness of his Eternal Law by which I see all Laws Customs and Prescriptions for to be null and void and are no Prescriptions nor Customs being things void in themselves because against Justice as doth appear in Doctor and Student chapter the second Therefore I say again That all Laws Statutes Customs Usages or Prescriptions which would set up and uphold that which God by Christ hath disannulled and made void is no less then High Treason against God for any of you Rulers for to attempt to maintain that which is against the Law of the holy One of Israel And again The Priests of the Nation who stand by your Power have been both they and their Predecessors so notoriously changing and changeable that they have made nothing perfect and for me to own such as is not of Christ is clearly against my conscience and seeing they are not of Christ nor are found one amongst themselves nor indeed never were as it doth appear by the Laws and Statutes of this Nation which doth declare and manifest they have been always such as did with men and times change according to the wills of such as came to get Rule and Domination over the People unto whom they alwayes became subject as this generation of Priests have done and would again do I am perswaded if an event turn or change of Government should come then would they again quickly appear in their colours or if God should order your hearts that are now in Rule to do his will then would you soon prove what mettle they are made of if you would promise to give every one of them 100. l. a year upon condition they would for bear their preaching as they call it and such as would not should have nothing then I am confident they would be as mute as fish and as dumb as he that never could speak But to hasten that so I may shew and further make manifest that which the Priests can no wayes deny concerning their Predecessors how that they in the time of Henry the eighth some time King of England denyed the Pope and would not own him any longer for to be their chief Head although they had been by him made Priests but yet notwithstanding that they declined him and owned Henry the eight for to be their chief Head rather then they would hazard the loosing of their beastly read the Acts and Monuments of the Church Honors Dignities and Possessions which was brought in and maintained by Tythes And then they again in the time of Edward the sixth made another notable turn and denyed the Mass-Book and received the Book of COMMON-PRAYER at his Commandment And afterward in the time of Queen Mary they denyed the Common-Prayer-Book and received the Mass-Book And in the dayes of Queen Elizabeth they denyed the Mass-Book and again received the Book of Common-Prayer And in the time of the late old Parliament

this generation of Baalamish Priests who love the Wages of unrighteousness being willing for to follow the example of their Makers the late late Bishops denyed the Book of Common-Prayer and received that Pamphlet called the Directory rather then they would offend their great Masters the late old wicked Parliament who for their service done did grant them an Ordinance for to take Tythe-Eggs Pigs and Geese c. which the true Ministers of Christ never did And what they now own I hope is sufficiently made manifest unto all the children of light vvhich makes them unto me of no esteem they being such as care not who they own for their chief Head that matters not to them vvhether he be called of God or chosen by his people seeing they are Christs Enemies as doth appear by their petitioning of you the povvers of the World for to maintain and uphold them in what Christ hath changed by doing the Will of God who is heir of all things which shall abide in the house for ever unto whom the right of Inheritance doth belong whose gift is free and all that are made Ministers by him are free indeed and as they have freely received so do they freely give by which they are known from the Ministers of Antichrist who are of the corrupt Tree as by their fruits they are known Matth. 7. 15. who are denyers that Christ is to be come the second Priesthood who is the unchangeable one which shall endure for ever although they believed it not who are such as do teach another Gospel according to what they have been taught of their predecessors who as they are were the upholders of that which Christ hath abolished who do also justifie the maintaining of those places wherein the Nations have served their gods in which places they are now found doing the service of their Mistress viz. the Whore of Babylon although the Lord God of Israel hath commanded that those places should be by such as are his people destroyed Deut. 12. 2. by this their service they make themselves clearly manifest not to be of God nor Christ but men of corrupt minds and being destitute of the knowledge of the truth do suppose their gain which is brought in unto them by tythes through the help of the power of the cruel Beast is godliness whose Ministers they are as doth appear by their false Worship also which by them is promoted for which they have neither precept nor example in all the holy Scriptures therefore are they inforced for to get their Wages of Tythes by a popish Law contrary to such as were the priests of the first Covevenant who imprisoned none for Tythes as they do but as the Lord ordained so did they do and continue who were made by a Law as doth appear Exod. 4. 13 14. Exod 28. who had also a command from the Lord for to justifie them in their Ministry whose power they abused not as the National priests do their power which is of the World whose practise is continually to live upon the abuse of that their power by which they stand who never were called of God as Aaron was Heb. 5. 4. neither did they go to the Magistrate for to get Warrants for to put into the hands of a Constable for to take away peoples Houshold-Goods for Tythes upon trebble damages which is 3 s. for one as these of England daylie do by whom the Saints do continually suffer the spoiling of their goods because they are not the Ministers of Jesus Christ therefore do they not own his Doctrine they being of the World neither can they know him according as it is written Joh. 14. 17 who are such as live in pride covetousness and oppression as their makers the Bishops did who in their day with them their under-Clergy were called the body spiritual or English Church as doth appear by the Statute of 24. of Henry the eight chap. 12. and the same Statute doth further declare That the Kings Queens and Nobles of this Realm so called since the time the Pope had his Domination indowed them the false Church both with Honors and Possessions And again saith the Statute The Pope and the See of Rome did in the time of their rule reserve unto himself amongst other things the tryal of the right of Tythes as doth appear by the Statute of the 26. of Henry the eight some time King of England and in chap. 1 it is declared That he and his Successors were the onely supreme Head of this called Church of England Thus have I made appear the root of these Priests and their fhundation have I also made manifest and discovered not to be of Christ but have proceeded from man who have accordingly erected two places for their breeding up of Priests viz. Cambridge and Oxford which are by them called two Eyes for the furnishing every parish in England with able lying seducers where is also by them Churches built at the charge of the ignorant people wherein is also provided for the service of the whorish Priests Funts and Basons for the management and carrying on of what they so gravely solemnise with much pretended seeming zeal viz. the sprinkling of Infants which they say is baptism but they lye for which piece of cheating service they have never a vvord of Scripture besides their Easter-Reckonings and time of Christmas and Churching or else cheating of Women and their Mortuaries and for the smoke going up peoples Chimneys all which Trade bringeth them in much gain Thus through the assistance of Christ Jesus have I according to the Gospel proved the Priests of the Nation to be no Ministers of Christ nor Messengers of God which is my second ground why I deny to pay them or any else Tythes who are such as the Lord God of Israel for their oppression will feed with their own flesh yea saith he They shall be drunk with their own blood and then shall they know that I am the Lord the Saviour of them whom they oppress Read Isa. 49. 26. And thus the Lawyers wth them may also take notice for the same judgement vengeance that is due to the Priests belongeth unto them also because they are the Executors of the power of the cruel Beast who are the guard of his Throne therefore do they spoile the dear Saints people of the Lord Jesus Christ Prince of Peace King of Righteousness whose people for their obedience to him and are with their persons estates by them continually devoured destroyed in their murtherous Gaols and all for want of such Justice and true Judgment for to be executed upon them for breach of Law as was performed by that honest King called Alpheret who defended the cause of the poor and needy and rescued the right of the oppressed from out of the hands of such destroying Lawyers as did live upon the abuse of his Laws he hanged up Judge Hasf because he saved one Trustram vvhich vvas Sheriff