unto thee against Israel and against Judah and against all the nations It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive them their iniquity and their sin I observe here 1. Jeremiah had no assurance that the Jews would read or hear what he wrote there was only a probability of it It may be the house of Judah will hear Yet he was commanded to write in a book the judgments of God that hung over their heads for their sins 2. When Jeremiah was hindered from preaching as he formerly had done ver 5. I am shut up I cannot go into the house of the Lord. God prescribed this way as the most likely means to bring them to repentance for Jeremiah to write unto the Jews Write all these words that I have spoken to thee against Judah It may be the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way 3. Though these Informers should not hearken to the counsel that I have given them yet whether they will hear or whether they will forbear it is the mind and will of God that sinners should be called to repentance Ezek. 2.7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them whether they will hear or whether they will forbear for they are most rebellious 4. Scorning is a great sin and bringeth down mighty judgments Prov. 19 29. Judgments are prepared for scorners Jer. 22.28 Now therefore be ye not mockers lest your bands be made strong Yet though these Informers should prove scorners we must not conclude their case desperate but use means to bring them to repentance both reproving them for their sin and letting them see there is mercy for them if they will turn when they are reproved for their sins Prov. 1.22 23. How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and the scorners delight in scorning and fools hate knowledg Turn at my reproof behold I will pour out my spirit upon you I will make known my words unto you But if they will persist in their sins and scorn those means that are used to bring them to repentance their scorning will not hurt me but themselves Prov. 9.12 If thou scornest thou alone shalt bear it And let such persons consider what is said Prov. 3.34 Surely he scorneth the scorners And Prov. 1.24 to the 32. 5. If none of these Informers should vouchsafe to read what I have written for the convincing them of their sin yet it may fall into the hands of their friends and relations and they may hereby be put upon mourning and praying for them and endeavouring their conversion 6. As for their being enraged at what I have written I shall reply 1. Our Lord Jesus spake nothing but the truth yet many of the Jews were so incensed against him that they would have thrown him down headlong from an high hill Luk. 4.28 29. And all they in the synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the City and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their City was built that they might cast him down headlong Yet he did not forbear reproving them for their sins though he was hated by the world on this very account for testifying that the deeds thereof were evil Joh. 7.7 The world cannot hate you but me it hateth because I testifie of it that the deeds thereof are evil Yea though their hatred arose to such an height as that they wont about to kill him yet he taught them and reproved them for their sins v. 14 19. Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went into the Temple and taught none of you keepeth the law why go ye about to kill me Joh. 8.40 And now ye seek to kill me a man which hath told you the truth 2. If God shall touch any one of their hearts and reclaim them from their evil ways instead of being enraged they will bless God and be thankful to them whom God makes instruments of keeping them from sin When David was kept by Abigails advice from shedding of blood he was thankful to God for putting it into Abigails heart to come to him and thankful to her for her good counsel 1 Sam. 25.32 33. And David said to Abigail Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging my self with mine own hand Nabal was a son of Belial who had requited David evil for good To be kept from persecuting the servants of God is as great a favour as to be kept from avenging a mans self on a son of Belial And if David was so thankful to God the author and Abigail the instrument of his preservation from sin why should not these men in stead of railing and fretting say in their hearts Blessed be the Lord God of Israel that sent this man to shew us our sin and blessed be he and blessed be his advice To prevent mistakes and the uncharitable censures that some may be ready to pass upon this ensuing discourse I do freely and sincerely declare that I have no design to take off any Magistrate Officer or any other persons from using all due care and diligence to prevent tumults and Insurrections but only to lay open the greatness and prevent the growth of their sin who under a pretence of preventing seditious Meetings do suppress religious Exercises The discovery of the folly of these men and their practises being a likely means to put a stop to their sinful proceedings as the Apostle speaks of those that resist the truth 2 Tim. 3.9 But they shall proceed no further for their folly shall be manifest unto all men as theirs also was CHAP. I. THere are certain men risen up in this Nation called INFORMERS whose trangression saith within my heart that they are wandred out of the path of life and are going on apace in the broad way that leads to destruction I have not only heard of them but I have met with some of them in the very act of their sin When I had considered their ways I thought my self obliged to endeavour the turning them from their sinful courses For I find in the Law of Moses a strict charge given to him that meeteth his Neighbours Ox or Asse going astray to bring it back though his Neighbour be his enemy Exod. 23.4 If thou meetest thine enemies Oxe or his Asse going astray thou shalt surely bring it back to him again It is a greater act of Charity to bring back a sinner that is gone astray from God than to bring back an Oxe or an Asse of our enemies that was gone astray from him And we are under stronger obligations to endeavour the
preaching to the Gentiles Matt. 10.5 6. These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying Go not in the way of the Gentiles and into any City of the Samaritans enter ye not but go rather to the lost Sheep of the house of Israel 4. Let the Gentiles come to us and be circumcised after the manner of Moses and we will receive them and then they may hear Preaching in our Synagogues every Sabbath-day and be sure of Salvation For Salvation is of the Jews Joh. 4.22 5. The Church of the Jews hath been a glorious Church the only visible Church in the world for some thousands of years and these men preaching to the Gentiles will diminish the glory of this famous Church Their great Apostle teacheth us that their riches will be our diminution Rom. 15.12 6. Hitherto we have had but one Church and now by their preaching to the Gentiles we are like to have many more Churches erected 7. These men are cast out of the Synagogue by the general consent of the Jewish Church Joh. 9.22 The Jews bad agreed already that if any man did confess he was the Christ he should be cast out of the Synagogue And may we not forbid an excommunicate person preaching 8. Neither these men that preach nor the Gentiles that hear them do observe the Rites and Ceremonies of the Law of Moses which the Church of God hath observed ever since Moses gave them to us Act. 21.21 They are informed of thee that thou teachest all the Jews that are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses saying that they ought not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customes The Jews might have pleaded these and several other excuses for their forbidding the Apostles preaching to the Gentiles yet none of these did keep off God's wrath from them And therefore let not the Informers shrowd themselves and seek to hide their sin under specious pretences which shall be enquired into more particularly afterward but lay to heart the greatness of their sin in hindring these Ministers from preaching the Gospel of Christ whereby men may be saved 4. Arg. They that do not receive Christ's Ministers nor hear their words shall be in a worse condition than the men of Sodom at the day of Judgment Matt. 10.14 15. And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when ye depart out of that house or city shake off the dust of your seel verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of Judgment than for that city The men of Sodom and Gomorrah will be in a very miserable condition at the day of Judgment for they were exceeding great sinners Gen. 13.13 The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly They were such sinners as that the Lord rained down fire and brimstone upon them And that fire which consumed the men of Sodom was a forerunner a declaration and testimony to the world of the eternal fire which they and other impenitent sinners should suffer in the other world Jude v. 7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire And And yet our Lord Jesus who best understood how every man's case shall go at the day of Judgment in regard he himself is the Judge of the world asserts it for an undoubted truth verily I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable at the day of Judgment for the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah than for them that do not receive those Ministers whom he sends or do not hear the Word they Preach And if so how dreadful will the condition of these Informers and their Adherents be at the day of Judgment who do not only not receive the Ministers of Christ nor hear the Word they Preach but endeavour to suppress their preaching and will not suffer those that would hear and embrace them to attend upon their Ministery persecuting them that Preach from house to house which is a greater sin than barely not to receive the Preachers of the Word Obj. We do receive Christ's Ministers and do embrace his Gospel although we hear not these men neither suffer others to hear them but do what we can to suppress them And therefore the fore-mentioned Scripture doth not touch us 1. Though you receive the Gospel of Christ with your ears yet your opposition that you make against the Ministers shews you have not received the Gospel of Christ into your hearts For this makes the woolf lye down with the lamb and keeps the Asp and the Cockatrice from hurting the sucking child Isai 11. And makes the briar to become a mirtle-tree and the thorn a firr-tree Isai 55.11.13 2. Persecuting those that preach and hear the Gospel is a greater sin than not to receive the Ministers of Christ nor hear their words And if you be one of those that persecute the Ministers of Christ this Scripture will do more than touch you it will take hold of you and fall heavier upon you than if all the rocks and mountains were cast upon you 5 Arg. The Judgments threatned and executed upon them that by their informing against and betraying the people of God into the hands of their enemies have brought them into trouble do plainly evince the greatness of the Informers sin I pass over the remarkable Judgments that have been executed on this generation of men in our days if any one would be at the pains to make a collection of them it might be a warning to others But I shall wave these and mention only some examples out of the Scripture the truth whereof is questioned by no man that believeth the Scripture to be the Word of God Doeg turned Informer and informed against Ahimelech the Priest for entertaining David at his house and enquiring of God for him and giving him Victuals and giving him the Sword of Goliah 1 Sam. 22.9 10. And by this information he so incensed Saul that he slew those Priests that had entertained David But now mark what a grievous curse fell upon this Informer Ps 52.5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever be shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling-place and root thee out of the land of the living That this curse is denounced against Doeg for informing against Ahimelech for entertaining David at his house is evident from the title of the Psalm A Psalm of David when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said unto him David is come to the house of Ahimelech The curse denounced against Doeg is very dreadful consisting of these branches 1. Eternal destruction and that from the hands of God God shall likewise destroy thee for ever As he had been the destruction of the Lord's Priests so God should destroy him but with a more terrible destruction they were
conversion of a sinner than to bring back the straying Oxe or Asse of an enemy on several accounts For 1. The Soul of a man is of more worth than all the Oxen and Asses upon the face of the earth yea the Soul of the meanest man is of greater value than the whole world Mark 8.36 What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul 2. It is far more dangerous for a sinner to go astray from God than an Oxe or an Asse to go astray from his owner For the Oxe that goeth from one Master may find another that may take care of it or the Oxe may get a subsistence by ranging abroad as well as abiding at home or if the straying Oxe should be slain its misery endeth with its life But the sinner that goeth astray from God unless he be brought to repentance will fall into the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone and will perish eternally 3. God hath a greater right to the Souls of men than any man hath to his Oxen or Asses Ezek. 18.4 All souls are mine They are the work of his hands and therefore he may claim a greater propriety in them than any man can in those things which he hath bought with his money or calls his own on the account of any other title 4. We are more obliged to bring unto God who is our Soveraign Lord our heavenly Father our dearest Friend that which is his own when gone astray from him than we are to bring back to our enemy his Oxe or his Asse when we meet it going astray If then he that meeteth his enemies Oxe or Asse going astray be under a strict charge to bring it back Thou shait surely bring it back to him again how much more are we obliged to endeavour the conversion of a sinner when we meet him going astray from God though he be one of the greatest enemies we have in the-world When I had considered not only the swift destruction these Informers bring upon their own Souls but also what mischief they have already done and may further do unto men fearing God if not reclaimed how many they draw to be partakers with them in their sin what temptations needy and malicious men may be under to follow their pernicious ways what great guilt is brought upon the Nation by their means I thought with my self that the leading these men to repentance would conduce to a publick good as well as be an act of kindness to their own Souls and so was the more confirmed in my resolution to endeavour the converting them from the error of their ways The most effectual way to reclaim these men from their evil ways seems to me to be this To demonstrate out of the word of God the greatness and the dangerous nature of this sin which I conceive they either know not or at least do not consider it For that is the most powerful means that can be used for converting a sinner Psal 19.7 The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul If the word of God will not prevail with them to turn from their evil ways though one should arise from the dead either one of the Saints that hath been in heaven and should tell them what a glorious Kingdom they shall lose if they persist in their sins or one of their fellow sinners should come out of hell and tell them what torments they have felt in that Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone and they will certainly come into that place of torment if they go on in their evil ways yet this would not perswade them to repent Luk. 16.29 30 31. They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them And he said nay father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent And he said unto him If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead For my more orderly proceeding with these men I shall use this method 1. I shall shew what Informers I mean and aim at in this Discourse 2. I shall premise something concerning the persons whom they molest and the work for which they molest them 3. I shall by several arguments endeavour to convince them of the greatness of their sin 4. I shall answer their Plea's whereby they excuse their sin 5. I shall draw some Inferences for their and others instruction The Informers I design in this Discourse to convince of the evil of their ways are such as either for the love of money or out of malice or a blind zeal or any other evil principle under a pretence of suppressing seditious Conventicles go to the Assemblies where those Ministers commonly called Nonconformists do pray to God in the Name of Jesus Christ and do read the holy Scriptures and preach the Gospel and if they find them either Praying or Preaching they procure Officers to break up their Assemblies or else they go to the Magistrates and by the Information they give against those present at the foresaid Assemblies they stir them up either to imprison the Minister or to fine him or such of the people as they think good in great sums of money The reason why I deal with these Informers only that come to and raise up trouble against these Assemblies where those Ministers called Nonconformists pray to God and instruct the people are these 1. I have observed that their chief design and endeavour hath been to molest those Meetings 2. I have no knowledg what is said or done at other Meetings as never to my remembrance having been present at any of them and therefore will not justifie nor condemn them but shall leave that to those that are concerned therein In order to the conviction of these Informers of the evil of their ways I shall premise three Propositions 1. Those Ministers whom they persecute are righteous men and there are many righteous persons that frequent their Assemblies 2. Praying and preaching which are the works for which they are persecuted are good works 3. These Ministers that are persecuted by these Informers for praying and preaching are true Ministers of Jesus Christ and are called of God to preach the Gospel I shall briefly prove these three Propositions 1. These Ministers whom these Informers persecute are righteous men to evidence this consider 1. They are sound in the Faith they believe all things that are written by the Prophets and Apostles They imbrace that Faith which is professed in the Protestant Churches and particularly they own the established Doctrine of the Church of England although they have different apprehensions about the Discipline Soundness in the Faith is requisite to make a man a righteous man although that alone be not sufficient for Heresie is a work of the flesh which will shut a man out of the Kingdom of heaven as well as Idolatry Adultery Drunkenness or such like sins Gal. 5.19 20 21. 2. They are righteous
destroyed with a temporal destruction but he shall destroy thee for ever 2. God threatens to take him away and pluck him from his dwelling-place which words speak his anger yea hot displeasure and that is very dreadful David was afraid that God should deal with him in his anger O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure But as for Doeg the words speak God to be full of fury against him He shall-take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling-place 3. Destruction to him and all that belong to him He shall root thee out of the land of the living He shall utterly ruinate thee and thine leaving thee neither root nor branch or the rooting him out of the land of the living may refer to the depriving him of eternal life Let then the Doegs of our age consider this dreadful curse who if they see or can hear of an house where the Ministers of Christ are praying to God or giving the bread of life to hungry Souls they go and tell the Magistrates and get Warrants to distrain and get away their goods from them What became of those Informers against Daniel who finding him at Prayer went and accused him to the King as a transgressour of the Law and got him cast into the Den of Lions By the just judgment of God these men and their wives and children were cast into the Den of Lions and rent a-pieces Dan. 6.11.13.24 These Informers do the like in our dayes if they find the servants of God Praying and Preaching they go and accuse them to the Magistrate and get them punished and may they not justly fear that though they have no punishment here the King of Kings will cast them into a worse place than the Den of Lions at the day of Judgment even into the bottomless pit where they shall be tormented of roaring Lions for ever and ever Haman who informed against the Jews and got a decree to destroy them came to a miserable end he dyed upon a pair of Gallows fifty foot high But above all other examples I would have these Informers take notice what befel Judas for informing against Christ He fell into such a woful condition that it had been good for him that he had never been born Matt. 26.24 After he had betrayed Christ he was in such a distressed condition that he was weary of his life and went away and hung himself Matt. 27.5 After he had hung himself he fell down headlong and burst asunder and his bowels gushed out Act. 1.18 And after he was dead and his Soul was out of his body it was carried into hell-torments v. 25. See Pisc Now what was it that this Judas did to Jesus Christ he did not accuse him to Pilat he did not nail him to the cross he did not thrust a spear into his side but this he did he betrayed him into his enemies hands by discovering who and where he was Therefore as Christ to warn us of Apostacy said Remember Lot's wife So may I say to Informers Remember Judas Obj. Why do you tell us of Judas he was a damned wretch we curse him to the pit of hell for betraying our Lord Jesus Christ we would have been torn in pieces and suffered a thousand deaths rather than we would have done such an act as Judas did we abhor Judas as much as any man upon the face of the earth Ans 1. You do the same thing in effect as Judas did and in judging him you condemn your selves Rom. 2.1 For our Lord Jesus accounts that they which persecute his members persecute him Act. 9.4 5. Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And he said who art thou Lord And the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest Saul did not persecute Jesus Christ in his own person for he was at God's right hand out of Saul's reach but he persecuted the members of Christ and the Lord Jesus counted himself persecuted in the persecution of his members what is done to the least of his members he takes as done to himself Matt. 25.40 Now as Judas did he was guide to them that took Jesus Act. 1.16 He knew the place where Christ was and got Officers and Soldiers to go along with him so do ye 2. You are in some respects worse than Judas for Judas repented of what he had done He made an open confession of his sin he made restitution of the Money he had taken you do none of these things In stead of your repenting you glory in your sin and are more and more hardened in your evil courses Judas did not bring Officers to take Christ whilst he was Preaching to the people or Praying to God He did not disturb him in his worship but you come in the time of Prayer and Preaching the Word as though you neither feared God nor regarded Man and in a prophane manner rush upon these men while they are serving God 3. Even thus the Scribes and Pharisees of old seemed to disdain their Forefathers killing the Prophets and said If they had lived in their days they would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets and they builded their tombs and garnished their Sepulchres pretending to honour them Matt. 23.29 30. Yet they killed our Lord Jesus and the Apostles 6 Arg. The very neglecting acts of mercy towards the Members of Christ as not feeding them when they are hungry not clothing them when they are naked the not-visiting them when they are sick and in prison will cause the Lord Jesus to cast men among the devils into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Matt. 25.41 42 43 44 45. To take away by violence the food and the rayment of the Members of Christ is a greater sin than not to feed them when they are hungry and not to cloth them when they are naked To throw them into Prisons and thereby to impair their health is a greater sin than not to visit them when sick or in prison If they shall be cursed by Jesus Christ and be cast into everlasting fire among the Devils who do not feed cloath and visit the Members of Christ when hungry sick and in prison nor take them in when strangers of how much sorer punishment shall these Informers and their Adherents be thought worthy of at the day of Judgment who do take away the food and rayment of the Members of Christ and will not suffer them to dwell in peace in their own houses but thrust them into prison and that for righteousness sake 7 Arg. These men have been several years under affliction having suffered the loss of their livelyhoods and been exposed to other troubles and it is greatly displeasing unto God that affliction should be added to his people when they are under affliction Zech. 1.15 I am very sore displeased with the Heathen that are at ease for I was but a little displeased and they helped forward the affliction Had you
commit a trespass in the accursed thing and wrath fell on all the Congregation of Israel and that man perished not alone in his iniquity What was Achan's sin which brought wrath upon all the Congregation of Israel we find Achan himself confessing it to Joshuah Josh 7.20 21. Achan answered Joshuah and said Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus and thus have I done When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babilonish garment and two hundred shekles of Silver and a wedge of Gold of fifty shekles weight then I covered them and took them and behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent and the Silver under it The sin of these Informers seems to me equal if not greater and as likely to bring down wrath upon the Nation as Achan's sin and that for these Reasons 1. The men of Jericho were God's enemies and they and their substance were accursed of God Josh 6.17 The city shall be accursed even it and all that are therein But the righteous and all they have are blessed of the Lord Ps 3.8 Thy blessing is upon thy people not only their persons are blessed but their substance also Deut. 33.11 Bless Lord his substance See also Deut. 8.4 5. Now is it not as great a sin for these men to oppress God's friends who are the blessed of the Lord and to take away their substance which is under the blessing of God as it was for Achan to take away silver and gold and rayment from the men of Jericho which were God's enemies and both they and all that they had were under his curse 2. Achan committed his sin secretly he hid what he took in his tent Behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent He laboured to cover his sin but these men declare their sin as Sodom They are not afraid to sin openly in the sight of all men And the more openly and impudently a mans sin is committed the more provoking to God to send down his Judgments 3. Achan confessed his sin and thereby gave glory to the God of Israel Josh 7.20 These men glory in their shame and will not be brought to acknowledge their iniquity 4. Achan was punished for his trespass all Israel stoned him with stones and burnt his house with fire Josh 7.25 But these men are so far from being punished that they oft-times go away with a reward Another instance of a whole Nation suffering for the sin of one man we have in David's case David's numbring the people provoked God to send a Pestilence which in three days time slew seventy-thousand men 1 Chron. 21.2.7 And David said to Joab and to the Rulers of the People Go number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan and bring the number unto me that I may know it And God was displeased with this thing therefore he smote Israel v. 14. So the Lord sent Pestilence upon Israel and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men Let it be considered whether those Informers that go to the Assemblies of these men to take the names of those that worship God in order to the punishing them for their serving God do not sin in as high a degree as David did in the numbring the people For 1. The numbring of the people was not without a president for it was done by Moses at God's appointment in the second year after Israel came out of Egypt Num. 1 2. But to number mens names in order to punish them for being present then and where Prayer is made to God in the name of Jesus Christ and God's Word preached hath not been practised by any persons that have occurred to my observation in reading the holy Scriptures 2. David might have pretended better things to have excused his sin than these Informers have for their practice As by numbring the people he might see the accomplishment of God's promise who promised Abraham a great and numerous posterity and all the Generations from Abraham to David were but fourteen Generations Matt. 1.17 Now that there should be a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew sword and four hundred threescore and ten thousand in Judah beside Levi and Benjamin that were not numbred 2 Chron. 21.5.6 When David heard this great number he might have made this use of it what a demonstration is here of God's faithfulness and power that from one and him as good as dead should spring so great a multitude of men besides women and children Besides he might have said what cause have I to be thankful to God that hath put such honour upon me to make me a King of such a numerous people For in the multitude of people is the Kings honour Prov. 14.28 He might also judge it a point of prudence conducing to his credit and his peoples safety to know his strength that having so many potent enemies on every side he might judge when and with whom to make War and Peace as it becomes a wise and wary Prince to do Luk. 14.31 But these things did not excuse David from sin God saw an irregularity in David whether it were pride or curiosity or neglecting the offering that was prescribed when the people was numbred Num. 12.13 14. I shall not determine 3. David was troubled in conscience for his sin and made an humble confession of it to God 2 Sam. 24.10 And Davids heart smote him after that he had numbred the people and David said unto the Lord I have sinned greatly in that I have done and now I beseech thee O Lord take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly But we hear of no remorse from these men 4. David offended but once in this kind but these men go on in their evil way and often renew their sin 5. David when convinced of his sin was willing to have suffered death so that God would not proceed to punish Israel for his sin 2 Sam. 24.17 And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the Angel that smote the people and said Lo I have sinned and I have done wickedly but these sheep what have they done Let thy hand I pray thee be against me and against my father's house Whereby it is evident that he had no evil design upon the people when he caused them to be numbred But these men that go to these Assemblies to take names and watch them as they come forth in order to the getting them to be punished make it manifest that they have a design upon them to do evil to them 2. The actings of these Informers are prejudicial to the whole Kingdom because righteous men are the strength of a Nation and are blessings to the places where they live Zech. 12.5 The governours of Judah shall say in their heart The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of Hosts their God Prov. 11.11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted When Elisha was
Gospel Every man that hath received talents from the Lord must occupy these talents in the place and station God hath set him in till the Lord takes him off from his work Luk. 19.13 He called his ten servants and delivered unto them ten pounds and said unto them occupy till I come 2. The preaching of God's Word is of greater necessity than our necessary food and if we be of Job's mind we shall esteem it so Job 23.12 I have esteemed the word of thy mouth more than my necessary food 3. Ahimilech might have answered David in the like manner David though thou art hungry there is no necessity I should give thee the Shew-bread there are houses enough where there is bread enough and to spare whither thou may'st go and be welcom and yet neither Ahimelech is reproved nor David for receiving the Shewbread 4. The great ignorance the growth of Atheisme Prophaneness Popery and other dangerous errors in this Nation sheweth a necessity of all the Ministers in the Nation both Conformists and Non-conformists if there were twice as many as there are to lay out themselves to the utmost in preaching the Gospel 9. Whereas the Informers plead they do not persecute these Ministers for praying and preaching but for breaking the Laws of the Nation this is but a vain excuse For 1. The work you find these men about is no other work but praying to God in the Name of Jesus Christ for things agreeable to his Will and preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ or some other religious exercise and for these things you inform against them 2. If you found these men assembled at a Tavern with Bottles of Wine eating and drinking and making merry you would not molest them or if you found them at a play-house to see a Comedy Acted you would not molest them or if they were at a Coffee-house reading a Gazette hearing or telling of news or if you found them assembled at a Dancing-School or at a Fair or Market to buy or sell you would let them alone but if you find them praying or preaching you then make what hast you can to suppress their Meetings and to incense the Magistrate against them And yet will you say you do not persecute these men for praying and preaching 3. If it be your zeal for the Law that carries you out why do you not inform against Whore-mongers Drunkards Swearers Sabbath-breakers and other prophane Sinners who break the Laws of God and men yea why do you not pull the beam out of your own eyes and inform the Magistrate your selves one of another for the crimes against the Law that you are well-known to be guilty of before you go to pluck the mote out of these mens eyes 4. Whether those men break the Law in preaching and praying as you pretend shall be enquired in answer to another of your Pleas. Plea 3. If these men would conform or leave preaching we would not molest them Ans 1. Though these men cannot conform to those things which are imposed and required of such as enjoy Ecclesiastical promotions in this Nation yet the Informers ought not to persecute them for preaching the Gospel though they be such as have a great zeal for conformity For several Reasons 1. Preaching the Gospel is of greater necessity than conformity to the Ceremonies which are acknowledged by the greatest Patrons of them to be but indifferent things 2. Following Christ and his Disciples was of greater consequence than conformity to that which is imposed on such as enjoy Ecclesiastical promotions yet when John saw one casting out Devils and out of his zeal to Christ forbade him Christ reproved him for it Luk. 9.49 And John answered and said Master we saw one casting out Devils in thy name and we forbade him because he followeth not with us and Jesus said Forbid him not for he that is not against us is for us 3. These men cannot conform to the Ceremonies and those other things which are imposed on publick Ministers without sin For suppose these men were under a mistake and there was nothing required but what was lawful yet they judging these things unlawful they cannot comply with them without sin Rom. 14.14 To him that esteemeth any thing unclean to him it is unclean 4. These men conform to the Law of God and to the Doctrine of the Church though they do not conform to the Ceremonies of the Church whereas many that conform to the Ceremonies of the Church are of debauched conversations and live in the transgression of the Laws of God and some are of corrupt judgments And the zeal of the Informers should carry them out rather against such as corrupt the Doctrine than those that scruple the Ceremonies of the Church for the Doctrine of the Church is of more value than all the Ceremonies that being of a divine Revelation these of humane invention that being of necessity to Salvation these being as the chief Patrons of them contend only for order and decency in the worship of God and against such as transgress the Laws of God rather than those that transgress as they say the Laws of men 2. Whereas the Informers would have these men leave Preaching they cannot do so unless they would bring upon themselves the curse of God and of men There is a wo from God against such as are called to preach the Gospel and yet neglect it 1 Cor. 9.16 Yea wo is me if I preach not the Gospel And men would curse them also Prov. 11.26 He that withholdeth corn the people shall curse him But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it The mystical sence of this Proverb several interpreters understand of such as withhold the publishing of the Word they will bring a curse upon themselves but they that dispense it faithfully shall receive a blessing De Doctrinâ cibo animorum intelligi potest juxta mysticum sensum qui abscondit talentum non pascit gregem sibi commissum Maledictus est R. Baynus Samuel thought he should sin if he should cease praying for and instructing the people 1 Sam. 12.13 Moreover as for me God forbid I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you but I will teach you the good and the right may yet the Elders of Israel had rejected Samael from bearing rule over them 1 Sam. 8.5 7. So these men though they have been cast out of their possessions and from their publick places they should sin against the Lord if they should cease praying for and instructing the people when the Providence of God puts opportunities into their hands of praying with them and teaching them the good ways of the Lord. Plea 4. If these men can't satisfie their Consciences without preaching let them preach in their Families and to four or five more of their Neighbours and in so doing they shall fulfil the Law of God and not transgress the Laws of the Nation and then we
at more than the place where the worship is performed Joh. 4.21 23. It seems irrational and not candid to say no worse to shut these men out of the Churches and then to reproach them and persecute them because they preach not in Churches but in private houses and barns and where they best can 3. A stable is a more contemptible place than a dwelling-house or barn yet because there was no room in the Inn our Lord Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger after he was put into his swadling-cloths Luk. 2.7 She brought forth her first-born Son and wrapped him in swadling-cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the Inn. And shall we think any place too mean for us to assemble together in seeing our Lord Jesus humbled himself so far as to be born in a stable Plea 7. We cannot believe it is such a great sin as you have said to molest and persecute these men for if it were we should be greatly troubled in our Conscience and should have no quiet in our minds night nor day but we are under no trouble of Conscience for what we do and therefore we think we do not sin in molesting them Ans 1. A man may be a great sinner and yet have no trouble in his Conscience for his sins yea it may be a hard matter to convince him of his sins Whoredom is a great sin Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judg Yet Solomon speaks of some that live in this sin and say they have done no iniquity Prov. 30.20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman she eateth and wipeth her mouth and saith I have done no wickedness Oppression and Murther are grievous sins yet some men have such seared Consciences that they are no more troubled at these sins than if they were innocent persons Zech. 11.4 5 Feed the flock of the Slaughter whose possessors slay them and hold themselves not guilty and they that sell them say Blessed be the Lord I am rich Jer. 2.34 35 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents I have not found it upon secret search but upon all these yet thou sayst because I am innocent surely hss anger shall turn from me To kill the Disciples of Christ is an exceeding great sin yet some are under such a spirit of delusion that instead of acknowledging their sin they think they do God good Service Joh. 16.2 They shall put you out of the Synagogues yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think he doth God Service 2. It hath been already proved by many Arguments out of the Word of God that this practise of yours is exceeding sinful and abominable in the sight of God and therefore if you have no terrours of Conscience for what you have done it is because your hearts are so hardened that you are grown past feeling Plea 8. But if our persecuting these men were so great a sin surely God would send some great Judgment upon us either fire would fall from Heaven and consume us or the earth would open its mouth and swallow us up or some other strange punishment would befall us but God lets us alone and we thrive and prosper in the world and therefore we can't think this is such a great sin Ans 1. God oft-times lets great sinners alone and doth not punish them for their sins in this world because he reserveth them to be punished at the day of Judgment 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust to the day of Judgment to be punished Job observed in his time that there were persons that did remove the land-marks and violently took away the flocks and fed thereon oppressed the Widow and the Fatherless and grind the face of the poor and committed other abominable sins and yet God did not punish them for their sins Job 24.2 to the 12. Some remove the Land-mark and violently take away flocks and feed thereon They drive away the ass of the fatherless and take the widows exe for a pledge and yet God layeth not folly to them And David observed of many in his time that were great oppressers and afflicters of Gods people and yet they prospered and did not meet with troubles either in life or death as other men did but had even what heart could wish though they were ungodly sinners Ps 73. from v. 3. to the 12th 2. Glory not in this that God lets you alone in your sinful ways and suffers you to prosper For it 's a token that he intends to destroy you for ever Ps 97.2 When the wicked do spring as the grass and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever 3. It may be the hand of the Lord is lifted up and hath gone out against you several ways since you took up this practise of Informing though you take no notice of it Isa 26.11 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people yea the fire of thine enemies shall devour them 4. Though you do not meet with judgments in your Bodies Estate or Families yet it may be God hath smitten you with spiritual judgments When Pharaoh oppressed Israel and would not let Israel go to worship God besides the Plagues that reach the outward man God sent Plagues upon Pharaoh's heart Exod. 9.14 I will at this time send all my Plagues upon thy heart And how did God send all his Plagues upon Pharaoh's heart It was by giving him up to Judicial hardness Exod. 10.1 And the Lord said unto Moses Go unto Pharaoh for I have hardened his heart It 's a grievous curse to be given up of God to obstinacy of heart Lam. 3.65 Give them sorrow of heart or as it is in the Margin obstinacy of heart thy curse unto them So Vatablus give them obstinatum cor an obstinate heart When God gives a man an obstinate heart he gives him a dreadful curse what sadder token of God's displeasure than when God lets him alone in his sins as he did Ephraim Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone Hos 12.14 Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly Whence I infer God is provoked to anger most bitterly with those sinners whom he lets alone and suffers to go on in their sins without rebuke For whom he loves he rebukes and chastens Rev. 3.19 5. Though God out of his patience bear with you and give you time and space to repent yet if you repent not sudden and unavoidable destruction will come upon you Prov. 29.1 He that being often reproved hardneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Job speaking of oppressors and I conceive Informers to be guilty of oppression tells us how oft-times God takes them away in a very sudden and
work or give them a reward for what they do are partakers of their evil deeds As the adversaries of the Jews hired men to hinder the building of the temple Ezr. 4.5 They hired counsellers against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus So some men that are adversaries to these Meetings and are ashamed to appear in this odious work themselves do hire men fit for their turn to carry on this evil design Let such persons remember what a mark of displeasure the Lord left upon the Moabites for hiring Balaam to curse Israel Not only the men of that generation but their posterity was excluded for ever from coming into the Congregation of the Lord for this sin Neh. 13.1 2 On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people and therein was found written that the Ammonite and Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water but hired Balaam against them that he should curse them Howbeit God turned the curse into a blessing All that clense their hearts from sin and walk according to the rule of the Word are as dear to God as the children of Israel were of old yea they are God's Israel Ps 73.1 Truly God is good to Israel even to such as are of a clean heart Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of God And if God were so angry with the Moabites for hiring Balaam to curse Israel that he would not suffer them to come into the Congregation of the Lord for ever Then how much more will God's anger be kindled against those that profess themselves Christians and yet hire vain persons to persecute such as are Israelites for worshipping and serving the Lord Inf. 3. Are these Informers guilty of such a great sin then let me advise such as are or hereafter may be tempted to turn Informers in the words of Solomon Prov. 1.10 11 12 13 14 15. My Son if sinners entice thee consent thou not If they say come with us let us lay wait for blood let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause We shall find all precious substance we shall fill our houses with spoil Cast in thy lot among us let us all have one purse My Son walk not thou in the way with them refrain thy foot from their path Let no proffer of any reward tempt you to persecute innocent men for serving God for such as lye in wait against the innocent lye in wait to destroy their own soul Prov. 1.11 18 Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause They lay wait for their own blood they lurk privily for their own souls It is mentioned by the Psalmist among the Characters of those that shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven that he must be one that will not be hired by any reward to do any hurt to an innocent man Ps 15.1 5 Lord who shall abide in thy tabernacle and who shall dwell in thy holy hill He that back-biteth not with his tongue nor doth evil to his neighbour nor taketh reward against the innocent Remember our Lord Jesus when the Devil offered him all the Kingdoms of the world and all the glory of them to have committed one act of sin he rejected his proffer with disdain Matt. 4.6 7 8. As the gaining the whole world could not tempt Christ to consent to one act of false worship So no gain should tempt you to disturb the true worshippers of God that worship him in Spirit and Truth So as to hinder one act of true worship Inf. 4. Let the Friends Relations and Acquaintance of these Informers as they love their Souls pity them and pray to God for them and reprove them for their sins and plead with them to turn from their evil ways If you let them go on in their sins without reproving them you have no love for their souls but you hate them in your hearts Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin upon him And if they do not or will not hearken unto you plead with God for them that he would give them repentance and pull them as fire-brands out of the fire before they fall into everlasting burnings And watch your seasons to deal with them when God shall lay affliction upon them that is a good season to be dealing with them for they that are as the deaf adder in the day of prosperity and will not hearken unto any good counsel have their ears open to instruction in a day of trouble Job 36.8 9 10. Inf. 5. If these Informers and their adherents be guilty of such great evils then it concerns those that are placed in the condition of watch-men upon Mount Zion to warn them of their sin and to warn others also that they be not partakers with them in their sins For if they dye in their sins and they have given them no warning their blood will be required at their hands Ezek. 3.17 18 Son of man I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel therefore hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me when I say unto the wicked Thou shalt surely dye and thou givest him not warning nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life the same wicked man shall dye in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thy hand Inf. 6. Caution to those that are sufferers by these Informers Let neither the greatness of their sins nor the greatness of your sufferings who are persecuted by them provoke you to return evil to them for the evil they have done unto you Rom. 12.17 Recompence to no man evil for evil Vengeance belongs unto God and not unto us and therefore we must not go about to avenge our selves on those that injure us v. 19 Dearly beloved avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath for it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. Our Lord Jesus hath taught us that we must love pray for and do good to the worst enemies we have in all the world even such as hate us curse us use us despitefully and persecute us Matt. 5.44 But I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you These men are the rod of God and therefore look beyond the instruments to the hand of the Lord who correcteth you that he may make you partakers of his holiness and humble your selves under his mighty hand and turn to him that smiteth you and then the Lord will turn all your sufferings to your advantage And as you must not offer any violence to these men so neither should you fret nor be cast down at their prosperity
Ps 37.1 2 7 Fret not thy self because of evil-doers neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb Rest in the Lord and wait patiently fret not thy self because of him that prospereth in his way because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass Their feet stand in slippery places and they shall slide in due time Inf. 7. Let all persons both officers and others to whom these Informers resort to desire or require their assistance who are convinced of their evil ways be cautious of affording them any help in carrying on their evil designs lest they become partakers with them in their sin They that are helpers in an evil work are involved in guilt and will receive punishment from the hands of the Lord as well as the chief agents But some may say These Informers threaten to bring us into trouble if we will not go along with them and help to break and disperse the Assemblies of these men it is not love to them or the work they do that makes us go along with them for it is against our Conscience to molest these men either in or for their worshipping of God but we do it that we may not come into trouble Ans 1. Trouble of Conscience is greater than any worldly trouble whatever and harder to be born Prov. 18.14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear If you will act against your Consciences for fear of being brought into trouble it is the way to wound your spirits and a wounded spirit may prove an intolerable burthen to you 2. See how far you are from Moses his spirit he chose affliction rather than the pleasures of sin Heb. 11.25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season But you choose the drudgery of sin rather than to run the hazard of a light affliction 3. As those Informers threaten to bring you into trouble if you joyn not with them in their evil designs so God does threaten wo and wrath to them that spoil those that did not spoil them and deal treacherously with those that dealt not treacherously with them Is 33.1 Wo to thee that spoilest and thou wast not spoiled and dealest treacherously and they dealt not treacherously with thee What hurt did these men do to you that you should assist them that would spoil their goods and their opportunities of serving God whose threatnings are to be dreaded most the threatnings of God or of Men 4. You have more cause to fear offending God than to fear the trouble these men can bring upon you by not joining with them in their evil ways For 1. Which is easier to be born the wrath of these men or the wrath of God The wrath of God is more dreadful than the wrath of all the men in the world 2. God is to be feared more than all the men in the world for there is no man can do such things as God can do unto us The worst that man can do is to kill the body but God can cast both body and soul into hell-fire Luk. 12.4 5. I say unto you my friends be not afraid of them that can kill the body and after that have no more that they can do But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear Fear him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell yea I say unto you Fear him 5. Put your trust in God and labour to do that which is right and pleasing in the sight of God and then you need not fear what these or any other men can do unto you Ps 56.11 In God have I put my trust I will not be afraid what man can do unto me Obj. But these men bring Warrants with them from the Magistrates which require us to go along with them else we would not attend such vile persons as many of these are but when we have a Warrant from the Magistrates to go with them we must be obedient to authority Ans 1. It is your duty to obey your Superiours in all their lawful commands If your Warrants contain nothing in them but what is warranted by the Word of God you ought to do what is enjoyned you therein But if they contain any thing contrary to the mind and Will of God in that case you are to obey God rather than man 2. When the Informers procure Warrants from the Magistrates to give your assistance to them under pretence that there is a seditious Meeting believe not their reports For many of them are false accusers but see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears what is said and done in their Assemblies which they call seditious before you create any disturbance to them And it may be you will be convinced that God is in the midst of them of a truth and that the reports which the Informers raise up of these men and their Meetings are false and slanderous reports When the Pharisees sent Officers to apprehend Christ upon the strange rumours that were spread abroad concerning him in stead of disturbing and bringing him to the Rulers they went away and extolled his preaching Joh. 7.32 45 46. The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him and the Pharisees and chief Priests sent officers to take him Then came the officers to the chief Priests and Pharisees and they said unto them why have ye not brought him The officers answered never man spake like unto this man When you are sent to disturb these men did you attend with humble hearts while they are praying to God and preaching his holy Word I doubt not but you would be convinced in your Consciences that there is nothing said or done at these Meetings that deserveth punishment and that you ought not to offer any violence to them 3. If you find any person under a pretence of Religious exercises contriving insurrections or if you hear them stirring up the people to sedition you may make use of your power to suppress sedition and insurrections I plead nothing for such kind of men but abhor and declare against their practises who use Religious exercises as a pretence to carry on sedition and insurrections 4. When you go to the Assemblies of these men if you find them assembled together in a peaceable manner if you see and hear nothing but praying to God in the name of Christ for things agreeable to the Will of God and preaching the Gospel whereby men may be saved if you hear nothing contrary to sound Doctrine If you see nothing inconsistent with godliness instead of molesting these men or causing them to be punished you should do well to carry the Informers before the Magistrates and acquaint them that in obedience to their commands you have been searching for seditious Meetings but could find none that those men
whom these Informers pretend were met in a seditious manner you found met in a peaceable manner and that they were doing nothing else but praying to God in the name of Christ and preaching and hearing God's holy Word and that you think you should sin against God if you should disturb or punish men for worshipping and serving God under a pretence of suppressing of seditious Conventicles and that in your judgment the Informers ought to be punished as false accusers rather than these men for serving God Under the Law when one man was a witness against another and testified that which was wrong diligent inquisition was to be made and if the witness had testified that which was false the Magistrates were to punish the false witness and not the party against whom he had testified false things and his punishment was to be according to what he had intended to have done against his brother against whom he was a false witness Deut. 19.16 18 19 If a false witness rise up against any man to testifie against him that which was wrong The judge shall make diligent inquisition And behold if the witness be a false witness and hath testified falsly against his brother Then shalt thou do unto him as he thought to do unto his brother so shalt thou put evil away from among you Respect to the command of God should keep Magistrates from being too sudden in crediting and acting upon the testimony of these Informers till according to God's appointment they have made diligent inquisition whether there be truth in what they have testified and if they find them false witnesses they should execute the Law of Moses against them and that for these reasons 1. The equity and righteousness of the Law 2. This would be a means of putting away evil from among them which may be understood two ways 1. It would put away the evil of sin because punishing the false witness would deter others from becoming false witnesses 2. It would put away the evil of punishment for if they connive at false witnesses which oppress innocent persons this will bring down God's Judgments upon themselves as well as these false witnesses Inf. 8. Whereas these Informers and their adherents do not only privately accuse these Ministers and their hearers to the Magistrates but sometimes take upon them to get Officers and Souldiers and come to their Assemblies in a rude and hostile manner and disturb them while they are in the worship and service of God and do put on that impudence as to call to the Minister that is praying or preaching to come down I would advise them to consider two or three things 1. What an irreligious action this is how inconsistent with the fear of God and with the reverence which is due to men made after the image of God to disturb the servants of God for doing those things which are commanded of God in the very time and season that they are worshipping and serving the Lord. God is to be feared at all times and places but more especially the awe and dread of God is to be upon us when his servants are assembled to worship him and we are present at their Assemblies Ps 89.7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all that are round about him Do you fear God greatly when you come into the Assemblies of his Saints and call to them in the time of their devotion to leave off the service of God 2. What befel Uzzah for putting forth his hand and taking hold of the Ark when the oxen that carried it stumbled and the Ark shook God was angry with him and smote him with sudden death 2 Sam. 6.6 7. Uzzah put forth his hand to the Ark of God and took hold of it for the oxen shook it And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah And God smote him there for his errour and he died Uzzah 's taking hold of the Ark was no malicious act no plotted deliberate wilful sin but an errour a rash action yet for this errour and rashness he dyed upon the place where his sin was committed though it is likely he had a good end in what he did If rashness and errour in taking hold of the Ark a type of God's presence among the Jews was punished with such severity in Uzzah what severity may these men expect from God for premeditated and deliberate acts of violence against his servants who are temples of God and have God really and truly dwelling in them by his holy Spirit when they hale them out of their Assemblies and force them to desist from the service of God 3. Remember what befel Jeroboam for stretching out his hand to take the Prophet for delivering the Lords message his hand was suddenly dryed up that he could not pull it in again 1 King 13 14 And it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God which had cryed against the Altar in Bethel that he put forth his hand from the Altar and said Lay hold on him And his hand which he put forth against him dryed up so that he could not pull it in again to him Jeroboam was a King yet for attempting to take hold of a Prophet for doing the work God set him about this remarkable and sudden Judgment of God came upon him If God dealt thus with such a tall Cedar what may the shrubs expect These men that take upon them to lay hold of the Ministers and Servants of Christ while they are about the Lords work and call them to cease may fear lest their tongues should cleave to the roof of their mouths or their arms wither or some other great Judgment should fall upon them in the act of their sin 4 Let that Judgment also which fell upon the Captains and Soldiers that went to Elijah and called to him to come down be minded by those that fetch Officers and Soldiers to the Assemblies of these men and take upon them to call them to come down out of their Pulpits when they are praying to God or instructing the people It concerns these Informers and those Officers and Soldiers that come along with them to be awakened by this Judgment to take heed what they do against these men 2 King 1.9 10 Then the King sent to him a Captain of fifty with his fifty and he went up to him and behold he sate on the top of an hill And he spake unto him Thou man of God the King hath said come down And Elijah answered and said unto the Captain of fifty If I be a man of God then let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty And there came down fire from heaven and consumed him and his fifty The same Judgment of fire from Heaven for the same sin came upon another Captain of fifty and his fifty v. 11 12. The sin of these Informers and the Officers
the painful accursed death of the Cross to save lost Souls 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners And great care should be used that we do not hinder the obtaining that for which Christ shed his precious blood The greatest good we can do for any man is to further and the greatest hurt is to hinder his Salvation 5. It is recorded to the honour of Hezekiah that he was an encourager of all that did faithfully dispence the word of God 2 Chr. 30.22 Hezekiah speak comfortably to all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord. And as he did incourage the Ministers of Gods word so God did wonderfully bless him 2 Chr. 31.30 Hezekiah prospered in all his works And it is recorded of Herod as one of his chief sins that he imprisoned one of Gods Ministers Luk 3.19 20. But Herod the Tetrarch being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philips wife and for all the evils which Herod had done Added this above all that he shut up John in prison Herod was guilty of many evils but this is noted as the principal as that which was above all the rest that he shut up John in prison And as it is a great sin to afflict the Ministers and servants of Christ so it is usally followed with a sore judgment Herod who stretched forth his hand to vex certain of the Church soon after dyed in a miserable manner being eaten up of Worms Act. 12.1 2 3 23. Pharaoh who oppressed Israel and would not let them go to serve the Lord in the wilderness was followed with one plague after another till he was destroyed 6. Rulers ought not to be a terrour to such as do good works but to encourage and protect them Rulers are not a terrour to good works but to the evill Wilt thou then not be affraid of the power do that which is good and thou shall have praise of the same Preaching of the Gospel whereby men may be saved and praying to God in the name of Christ are good works and therefore rulers ought not to be a terrour to any man for these works 7. We are taught and Commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ to pray to the Lord to send forth labourers into his Vineyard because the harvest is great and the labourers are but few Then said he to his disciples The harvest truly is plentious but the labourers are but few Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest To pray for labourers and when God hath sent them forth to molest and trouble them for labouring is to contradict our prayers Let the Ignorance Atheism Profaneness the growth of Errour and the small number of Preachers that are found in the Faith and of an holy conversation be considered and laid to heart and it will evidently appear that there is great need of prayer for more Labourers and of encouraging those that are sent forth and of not suppressing any that are faithful peaceable and diligent in the Work of the Lord. Obj. 1. If it be replyed These informers accuse these Ministers that they keep seditious Conventicles and are ready to give oath of it and as such we are obliged by the Law to suppress them An. 1. Rulers ought to be wise as an Angel of God to discern good from evil 2. Sam. 14 17. As an Angel of God so is my Lord the King to descern good and bad And that is no hard matter in the Noon day of the Gospel to distinguish between Religion and sedition When Job was a Ruler among his People he was diligent to search out the truth of all causes that came before him and when he found any Wicked man oppressing the righteous he was so far from rewarding him that he plucked the Spoil out of his Teeth and if he held it fast and would not let it go he break his Jaws rather than suffer him to hold his Spoils Job 29.16 17. The Cause which I knew not I searched out I break the Jaws of the wicked and pulled the Spoil out of his Teeth 2. These Ministers as was hinted before do abhor seditious Conventicles and are falsly accused by these Informers and Magistrates should be slow to believe their false accusations and not proceed to Act against them till they have searched into the truth of these informations and that for several reasons as 1. The great enmity that is in the heart of the Wicked against Righteous men which makes them eager to do them all the Mischief they can The Scripture speaks so frequently and so fully of this that I shall need to say the less Prov. 4.16 They sleep not except they have done Mischief and their Sleep is taken away unless they cause some to fall Ps 37.19 32. The Wicked plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his Teeth The Wicked watcheth the Righteous and seeketh to slay him 2. They are under a temptation of gain and the Love of Mony is the Root of all evil and therefore it is no wonder if they prove false accusers of them against whom they have a great enmity and by accusing of whom they make a great advantage 3. The rule that is given to Magistrates in the word of God is not to proceed to Punishment upon reports till they have made diligent search and have certain proof of the truth of the fact Deut. 13.13 14 15. If thou shalt hear say Then shalt thou enquire and make search and ask diligently and behold if it be truth and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought among you 3. These Ministers and those that assemble with them are oftentimes judged and sentence passed upon them for to take away their Goods before they have been heard or had their accusers Face to Face yea sometimes before they know who it is that hath accused them and this seemeth to me to be against the Light and Law of Nature which teacheth that a man ought not to be condemned till he hath had his accusers face to face and hath had Licence to answer for himself The Romans had no other Light to regulate them in their judicial proceedings but the Light of Nature yet they observed this Rule not to pass sentence upon a man till he had his accusers face to face and had liberty to answer for himself Act. 15.16 It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to dy before he that is accused hath the accusers face to face and have Liberty to answer for himself concerning the Crime laid against him If the Romans which were Heathens how much more should Christian Magistrates forbear condemning any man till he hath seen his accusers heard his accusation and been Permitted to make his own defence The name of Pilat is odious in the Christian World and will be to all generations for Condemning our Lord
could make up the loss of an hundred Talents to Amaziah is he not able to give you much more than an hundred pounds The blessing of the Lord maketh Rich and he addeth no sorrow with it Prov. 10.12 The Lord can by his blessing make up your loss by prospering you in your callings by casting an Inheritance upon you by the death of Friends by keeping off expensive sicknesses or by giving it to your Posterity and several other ways 3. If for saving an hundred pounds you will sin against God and your own Consciences God can take away more than that suddenly from you Either by Fire or by losses at Sea or decay of Trade or miscarrying of Debtors or by expensive sicknesses or giving you riotous Children or leting you fall into the hand of the Extortioner or divers other ways Or else God can send such trouble upon your Consciences that your Estate shall do you no good but you shall wish an hundred times that you had suffered the loss of all that you have rather than to have sinned against your Conscience What good did Francis Spira his estate do him after he had sinned against his Conscience to preserve his Estate 4. There are more material questions to be asked in this Case than what you should do to prevent the loss of an hundred pounds as What you should do to keep a good Conscience For a good Conscience is more worth than all the world What you should do that you may not sin against God For a man should choose the greatest loss before the least sin What account you shall be able to give of your actions at the day of Judgment For that is the rule we are to walk by So speak ye and so do ye as they that shall be judged by the Law of Liberty Jam. 2 12. We should under go any loss rather than do any action which we cannot give an account of at the day of judgment 5. Give me leave to put you in mind of Balaam what he said what he did and what befel him when he was sent for to curse Israel and to hint something from his example in reference to the Informers that come to you to break up the Assemblies of these men 1. Balaam was sent for by a King and the Messengers that came on the Errand of Balack King of Moab to invite Balaam to Curse Israel were Honourable Persons the Princes of Moab yet he would not go with them till he had consulted with God whether it were his will that he should go with these men and he made them tarry a Night before he gave them their answer and then understanding that it was the will of God that he should not go he resolved not to go with them though sent for by a King Num 22.7 8 12 13 14. 2. The Princes of Moab brought great rewards to give to Balaam v. 9. they made him great profers and Promises if he would go with them v. 16 17 Thus saith Balaam Let nothing I pray thee hinder thee from coming unto me for I will promote thee to great Honour and I will do whatsoever thou saist unto me Come therefore I pray thee and Curse me this People Here are great intreaties in the name of a King Come I pray thee Let nothing I pray thee hinder thee from coming And great promises of great Promotion and giving all that he would ask But what said Balaam till God gave him leave they could not get him to go though Balack would have given him his House and no doubt but Balacks house was a large one fit for a King as full of Silver and Gold as it could hold v. 18. And Balaam answered the Servants of Balaek If Balack would give me his house full of Silver and Gold I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God to do more or less 3. When Balaam was prevailed with to go thinking he had got Leave from God the Angel of God met him holding a drawn Sword in his hand and would have Slain him had not the Asse espyed the Angel and turned out of the way v. 22.23 32 33. 4. When Balaam did go to Balack he did not Curse Israel at all but blessed them though he angred Balack and lost all his preferments thereby Num. 24.10 15. And Balacks anger was kindled against Balaam and he smote his hands together and said I called thee to curse mine enemies and behold thou hast altogether blessed them these three times therefore now flee to thy place I thought to promote thee to great Honour but the Lord hath kept thee back from honour These things did Balaam when he was sent for to curse Israel Here let it be considered 1. Whether our righteousness must not exceed the righteousness of Balaam if we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven seeing he lived and died a South-sayer Josh 13.22 And though he had the gift of Prophesie he is stiled a mad Propher and branded with loving the ways of unrighteousness 2. Whether the people of God in these days be not as dear to him as the people of Israel were of old 3. Whether malè facere be not as had as malè dicere whether to afflict and hurt in deeds be not as had as to hurt in words seeing the curse causless shall not come Prov. 26.2 And sure there is no Divination against Jacob nor Inchantment against Israel These things premised I would crave leave to advise you 1. When these Informers come to you to punish the Ministers of the Gospel for Preaching Gods Word or to break up their Meetings you should do well to ask Counsel of God whether it be his will you should go with these men and do what they would have you do and make them wait your leisure till you be satisfied in your Conscience of the lawfulness thereof Balaam did thus though he was sent for by a King though Princes came to him he would not go till he had advised with God Those Men that come to you are usually mean and beggar'y persons and therefore they may well tarry your leisure I have wondred at the haste of some men who as is reported have left all yea the service of God to follow these men This is far short of Balaam 2. If you be not satisfied that it is the Will of God that you should go with these men whatever entreaties they use whatever arguments they lay before you go not with them Balaam resused to go with the Princes of Moab though entreated though profer'd great rewards when it was against the Will of God These men bring no reward but shame and reproach and the ill will of your neighbours and yet how forward are many to go with them 3. If upon serious consideration you think you may lawfully go with these men take heed you be not deceived and take heed to your spirits that you go with a right Spirit Balaam thought he had gotten leave from God to go