A BRIEF NARRATION OF THE EXAMINATION OF Geo. Bateman Vpon five ARTICLES in a Charge laid against him by Henry Eddan and others With the Sentence of the Bench in Ordering him to be committed to the Jayl the last general Sessions of Peace holden in the City of Durham the 5th of April 1654. Divers honest people being present who can witness with the truth of what is here declared The which Sentence let the world Judge whether Just or Unjust For the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel and the men of Judah are his pleasant plant he looked for Judgement but behold Oppression for Righteousness but behold a Cry Isa 5.7 Fear none of those things that you shall suffer for the Devil shall cast some of you into Prison that ye may be tryed and ye shall have tribulation ten dayes Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a Crown of Life Rev. 2.10 London Printed Anno Dom. 1654. IT is not unknown to those who know any thing of order and course in former dispensations that when God began to make himself more manifest to the sons of men then in former ages and to appear strongly for the making his name glorious in chusing out and delivering some people from the evils and bondages of the world we see upon such occasions what hurly burly was alwayes raised in those Kingdoms where such a work was to be brought to pass as in Egypt when God was about to deliver Israel and likewise when Christ appeared in the flesh though at that time the world had peace and the Land where Christ was born was brought into a quiet condition by Caesar yet when Christ was born indeed what tumults were raised the history of Scripture will declare Now we see it plainly recorded that those who were the greatest and most eminent in raising those persecuting tumults were the Priests and holy people so called and the Magistracy who were blinded by the Priests in all ages it hath been found that the generality of the national Priest-hood and formal holiness were the greatest opposites to God the truth of this is verified by the Prophets in many places being so well known it needeth no further proof and in the time of Christs appearing in the flesh which was the neerest appearance of God to men of all his former appearances yet the more neer that God appeareth to the Son the more violent will the Priests and outward formalities appear also and as the truth of this was made apparent when Christ came in the flesh so this shall be come to pass and be compleated when he shall come in a far more neerer appearance then ever viz. when he shall appear in Spirit and maketh himself manifest in the hearts of his people the which appearance shall be as far hid from the beholding and believing of the generality of the national Priesthood and outward formality as his appearance in the flesh was to the Priests Scribes and Pharises in those dayes and as in these days the looking at the observation of some part of the Law and Circumcision blinded them by reason of the lust in their hearts so that they could not close with Christ in the flesh even so shall it be when he beginneth to appear in Spirit the Priests and outward formalities shall be blinded by looking at Christ in the flesh by their carnaland fleshly apprehensions of him whereby they shall create a Faith to themselves which being joyned to the lust in their heart from whence they shall be made the greatest enemies and persecutors of Christ in spirit and his Saints in whom he is and who are to bear witness of the truth thereof for the mysterie of God must be fulfilled in its time and in the fulfilling of this Mysterie there will be Persecutors and people to be persecuted and the more neer that the Mysterie of God becometh fulfilled the more mystical will the persecution be and will it not be thought very strange to see any such thing now amongst us in this present age when so many mens lives have been lost for the peace and liberty of the Saints as is pretended and when the present Government seems to be established amongst us tending to the very same end yet who can believe that under all this any persecution of Christ and the Saints should arise but for all the blood that hath been spilt and for all the fair raised forms of worship and for all the liberty that is yet attained do not think that the persecution of the Saints is at an end for under all and out of all this outward holiness and liberty so much spoken of shall arise a persecution which shall be suitable for the time of the Mysterie and whosoever you be that are true Saints indeed take notice of this for the peace is not yet compleated for the Mysterie of God is not yet finished and he that rides on the white Horse with his Army is not yet unmounted nor will be until the Saints warfare be accomplished and the Kings and great men the Dragon and the Beast and all the false Prophets and the worshippers of the Image and those who have received the mark of the Beast be all of them overcome but in the interim be of good comfort and valiant for the truth though the Devil prevail to cast some of you into prison for so it must be until the time of the end I need not go far for proof of this truth who am a prisoner my self for no other cause but for the testimony of the mysterie of the truth as it is in Jesus and for my plain discovering of the false Priests and for the clear demonstrating between the shaddow and the substance of truth setting forms in their proper place and the substance in its place he which is a thing so far beyond the understanding of our blinde Priests that they have combined together though secretly to take away my life if possible and yet will they not be seen to act any thing against me themselves but make others to become their stalking horses and to shut the bolts that they have made as thou shalt see hereafter but before I come to the thing intended I will give the Reader a short discovery of some things that tend to making more plain to the understanding the things that are to follow In the first I would have thee to know that it was put upon me a year and a half since to write some things which might be useful for the present times either to convince or to be as a witness against many which things thou mayest see in a book penned and owned by me called The Arrow of the Almighty shot out of the Creatures bow c. In which book there is something that hath not pleased as many of the unsent Priests as have seen it for therein I believe they have found such truth laid to their charge as they can no
I confess I spoke make of it what you can with that looks up a Scotch Priest he being in the company and said Gentlemen I am a Minister of the Gospel and am bound in conscience to speak against that blasphemer and to stand for the corporeal body of Christ with that he speaks two or three Scriptures some about his body ascending and some about his coming again in the same body and asked me if I would deny these I turned to him and said friend whatsoever the Scripture saith I own and my belief shall go with yours as far as the Disciples saw him but this I say to you again if you can prove it that Christ hath a corporeal body in heaven then I say still I will prove it as well that there are horses in heaven with that the poor Priest for proof went to his own belief and said that Christ was in heaven having a body of flesh blood and bone just such a one as himself had where he stood The most of the Justices ascenting to what the poor Priest affirmed because it suted with their own principles took the tale out of his mouth and did conclude the truth of what he said and then asked me if I would deny that Christ had a corporeal body of flesh blood and bone in heaven I still replyed to them if they could prove him to have such a body I could as well prove it that there were horses in heaven which saying was such a strange saying to them that they knew not what to make of it but blasphemy at least and so would they have it recorded When I perceived the great ignorance of the most of the Justices I said unto them Gentlemen be pleased for I shall end the controversie and clear the truth hereof in one word and that shall be by Scripture too and I hope you will not deny Scripture look into the 19. Chap. and 11. verse of the Revelation of Saint John and there you shall see that the last vision that John had of Christ he saw him on a white-horse therefore think not strange at what I say being I speak but what I can make good by Scripture yet for all this though the Scripture be so plain in many places to this very purpose in the literal sense yet could they not get by this horse to be in heaven but this they can believe that Christ is in heaven with the foresaid body and much murmuring was amongst the bench about this horse but still they stumbled at him because he seemed to make gross what they affirmed of Christ but here were the most of them still at a stand and I perceiving them so puzled in this clear thing and found them so weak in understanding the very letter of Scripture I told them plainly that I perceived them ignorant and if they had not better knowledge in the Law of the Land then they had in the mysterie of Divinity that they were too ignorant for the place in which they were the which when they heard they were not a little displeased that they should in the least be questioned for their ignorance in Divinity though they had made themselves fully known to be ignorant in the very letter of Scripture but the horse in heaven stumbled them not so sore but this other saying pinched them twice as hard and then Will begun to work And Justice Vane said unto me they would make me know my contempt of Authority to which I said let not your own wills be Judge but let me know what Law I have transgressed in any thing laid against me in my Charge which is truly stated or in any of my behaviour before you or in any contemptible speeches given you and wherein I have transgressed I shall yield my self to suffer what can be justly imposed upon me for the breach of that Law this I desired of them divers times but could not in the least shew me what Law I had transgressed when I could not obtain this reasonable and lawful request of those who were the elder Justices I turned to the new Justices viz. Mr. Eddan one of my Accusers and my Judge and said unto him Mr. Eddan you who are one of the new Justices I desire you to let me know what Law I have transgressed and wherein I have offended that I may satisfie Justice but he could not answer me one word but blushed exceedingly so I could not obtain this favour though but just and lawful neither of old Justice nor new but being inraged against me they caused the Clerk to Record my words as they fell from my mouth and would have wrested all that I spoke but that the Clerk of the peace and some other bare true witness of what I said and so out of what I had spoken they caused the Clerk to draw up a new Charge against me to be presented to the Judges of the next Assizes a true Copie whereof I here present to thy view In open Sessions of the Peace holden at the City of Durham the fifth day of April 1654. Geo. Bateman appearing here in Court and having read unto him the Articles and Charge laid against him by the Grand Jury the last General Sessions of the Peace amongst which being questioned whether Christs body of flesh and blood be in heaven he answered that if they would maintain Christs corporeal body to be in heaven he would maintain horses are in heaven and he said further that if the Bench had no more Judgemennt in the Law then they had in Divinity they were ignorant people or words to that purpose and also said Mr. Eddan you are a new Justice come let us see wherein I have offended Wherefore and for his misbehaviour and evil carriage in the Court it is ordered by the Bench that he shall finde Sureties for his good behaviour and to answer the premises at the next Assises or General Goal-delivery and he is by the Court Committed to the Goal untill he finde such Sureties By Order of the Court. Now Reader thou mayst be judge by what law they have commited me to Prison and thereby mayst thou see how things are carried on among the Justices of this County and for thy better satisfaction I will discover unto thee what it is they have charged upon me for my misbehaviour and evil carriage in the Court. That which they charge me with for misbehaviour and evil carriage in the Court is because I sometimes smiled upon them in my speaking to them the which is my ordinary gesture in speaking to any man it being a natural instinct belonging to my complexion and can no more be removed then my bodily life and whoso hath any judgement in natural addiction will conclude that where such an instinct is anger malice and envy hath no great residence in that heart the which I know by experience and as many as have known me are able to witness that to smile in my speaking is as ordinary
as to draw my breath and let others Judge of me what they please I am in as much favour with my own constitution as any that I know and praise God for it c. Now when some of the Justices saw me smile in my speaking they censured me that I laughed them to scorn and said they would make me know my contempt of them and thus they gave it the names beforesaid the which when I heard that they took offence where none was given I said Gentlemen be not offended at me for my boldness and my smiling upon you I am no God to change my own nature and it is an instinct in my nature and do not censure so as that I do it in any contempt to you but rather judge justly for I profess unto you all I have neither anger nor malice upon me nor towards you for any thing that you have said or done to me for I plainly tell you God beareth up my spirit and I know my cause is just and there is no guilt upon my conscience and therefore I cannot fear before you may you not rather judge by my smiling that I am not offended at you but nothing would stand for currant but what their own wills led them to and no way but Record my favourable countenance for misbehaviour and evil carriage in the Court and so it stands upon Record Now Readers you may learn something out of this to know how to behave your selves before our Justices if you tremble and look sadly and speak weakly and question nothing that they say be it with or against you then is your behaviour right but thou hadst best take heed to thy self as thou comest before them with any infirmity of body which they are ignorant of for in case thy lips be so short that they will not cover thy tooth it s two to one they will say thou girnnest at them and then thou mayst to Goal for thy misbehaviour in the Court But Reader I must tell what difference I found amongst the Justices on the Bench and must freely confess that Justice Leddell hath more judgement in the things of God then all the other six that sat with him and I clearly acquit him for having any hand at all in my commiting to Goal and when he perceived the ignorance of the other Justices he would gladly have made them understand the truth of things as they were in Scripture and would have had them to have understood me right in all things but all to no purpose for their Wills must be Judge and neither the Law of God nor the Law of the Nation was to come in place And likewise when the Jaylor himself saw how things were carried on against me was forced to speak and said Gentlemen it is but reasonable and lawful that you should judge the man by the Law for in case he were a Theif or a Murderer or any other Felon he ought to be judged by the Law and you ought to shew him what part of the Law he had transgressed for where there is no Law there is no transgression Then Iustice Vane answered and said he had best hold his peace for in answering for me he was as bad as my self and should be made a party with me if he would not hold his peace So nothing vvould serve but to prison I must go and the Clerk of the Peace vvas to let me hear the order of the Court vvhich was that I must to prison untill I found sufficient Sureties for my good behaviour and to ansvver vvhat they had laid against me at the next Assises So vvhen I heard the order of the Court I told them I had not broken any knovvn Lavv of God or of the Land and my behaviour had been such that I vvould find no Surety at all but rather chused to take the portion of a prisoner and so continue untill the next Iudge release my bonds either by setting me free by the Lavv of the Nation or to bring me into further bonds by the same Lavv for to Authority I submit and desite nothing but to be Judged by the known Laws either for freedom or bonds yet let me say thus much more for Iustice Leddel when the rest of the Iustices gave order for my committing he would not in the least give his consent but disclaimed from what they had done When I saw their full determination I turned to Justice Eddan who was one of my accusers and one of my Judges he being a man of great note amongst fools for his religion and seeking to advance Gods glory and I said unto him Sir you are a great religious man and I know you take your self for a Christian let me plainly know whose example you follow can you prove that either Christ or any of his followers did ever persecute or bring any before Magistracy and so into bonds for their principles At which he blushed again and could not so much as answer me one word but before I conclude I will plainly demonstrate to Justice Eddan who is his God and what his religion is and what reward he may expect when every one is to be rewarded according to their work Now for his religion I very well know what it is being made up of the Presbyterie principles and doth not much differ from the Papists but onely in a few gross circumstances but in substance one and the same and yet doth his principles hold a more nearer correspondency with the Scribes and Pharisees then with the Papist Yet the Scribes and Pharisees out-passed him for zealous walking according to the rule of Scriptures the which I can very well prove and herein were they to be preferred before him now herein standeth the greatest difference between him and them and that is the Scribes and Pharisees had Circumcision and the Ceremonial Laws and he hath a fleshly apprehension of Christ and some duties and when they come to be well compared together there is not much difference in the substance onely the difference doth chiefly consist in the circumstances now herein he and they agree in one and that is in persecuting Now the Scribes and Pharisees had the Scriptures and owned God upon that account and walked most circumspectly to what they knew of God by Scripture and yet our Saviour plainly told them they were of their father the devil because they went about to kill him for telling them the truth and sheweth further the nature of their father by a twofold character viz. that he was a murderer and a lyar Joh. 8.40 c. Now this I plainly prove that though Justice Eddan pretend faith in Christ and call God his father yet he is of the devil his father and his works he lusteth to do and that is to lie and murther as I shall plainly shew him for herein I prove him to be a lyar in stating things wrongfully upon me in my charge consisting of five Articles and four of them false as was
plainly proved and herein I prove him to be a murderer in stating lies in my Charge the which he thought to be contained within the Act against blasphemy that thereby he might take away my life And further when nothing could prevail of what he had falsly charged upon me yet gave consent to put me in prison without any Law but onely the Law of Will let him not turn his eyes from his own dealings for he is caught in his own snares and without repentance let him make ready to receive his reward the which is due to him for his work and let him own his portion amongst those set down in Rev. 21.8 amongst which liers and murderers are stated Now I proceed to speak a word in generall to all the Justices who were the cause of my committing to prison Sirs you who have been the cause of inclosing my body within the stony walls of the prison-house of the City of Durham to you I speak and do truly own Magistracy as an excellent ordinance of God and the persons in that place ought to resemble God in the true executing of Justice in punishing the evil and in shewing mercy to the good and for the delivering the oppressed from the hands of the cruel and bloody man is it so with you then will your deeds make the same manifest but for my part I must tell you whether you will see or no that I have found to the contrary and have cause to cry for true Justice and right Iudgement but long may cry to you before I shall attain it I much doubt seeing your own will is the Law you have Judged me by it is not unknown to you I hope how oft I desired in open Sessions to be tryed by the known Laws of the Land in any thing you could object against me or in what mine accusers could truly charge upon me the which you would so oft have turned into blasphemy and yet could shew no law against me for any such offence nor for any other breach of Law either of God or of the Nation yet your wicked wills were so bent against me that instead of setting me at liberty you sought all occasions to increase my bonds and when you could find no just occasion in me rather then the bent of your own wills should be frustrate you would institute new Laws to Judge me by as may appear by these things you have charged upon me in open Sessions for which things you have committed me to bonds the which will truly be made apparent the like hath not been done in any Christian Kingdom where there hath been known Laws to Judge men by are you offended at me for saying if you had no more knowledge in the Law then in Divinity that you were not fit for your places How can you turn your eyes from the truth here of seeing you have laid your selves open to the view of understanding men in not understanding the very letter of Scripture much more will your ignorance appear in Divinity which is chiefly included in the mysteries in Scripture How can you say that you have read the Scriptures and yet be so ignorant in understanding this plain thing which I affirm by Scripture viz. That if you will maintain Christ to have a corporeal body of flesh blood and bone in heaven that I will maintain horses to be in heaven also Ignorant men for so I cannot chuse but call you where would you be or what is it that you would be at or what would you make of this if you vvere to be the onely Judges of this thing Surely blasphemy on my part but great honour to Christ on your part I pray you if you vvould be honoured your selves or if you think you honour God in vvhat you maintain let me have part vvith you for vvhat I affirm is as true as vvhat you affirm if Scripture may be Iudge neither doth vvhat I affirm in the least make void vvhat you affirm though your ignorance cannot apprehend it and if vvhat I affirm be blasphemy yours is no less therefore you must take part of the punishment vvith me or else both parties are vvronged I need not much trouble my self vvith proving you to be ignorant in Divinity for this very thing it self vvhich you have charged upon me will make manifest what your knowledge is when the thing comes to be laid open before men of wisdom And think you not that I have broken a great part of the Law of the Land in that other thing you have charged upon me viz. That when I could not obtain so much Right of you who were Justices of a longer standing as to be Judged by the known Laws of the Nation sure you think when I demanded the same of those who were of a latter being and yet could not obtain it that I had committed a great transgression against the Law or else you would never have been so mad as to Imprison me for it and keep me in bonds until the Iudge of the Assizes should hang me for it and I am sure if the Iudge have not more wisdom and descretion in judging of my cause then you had when you committed me for the cause I am sure enough to lose my life for it but I hope to see the thing better cleared Sirs Consider where you are and what you have done to me for if he that executeth justice without mercy shall be judged himself without mercy how much more judgement will you have for Judging me without either mercy or true Justice Let not your pride and malice blinde your eyes nor let not flatterers deceive you in making you do things contrary to Law for the most high will finde you out one day who will judge rightly both of you and me for he knoweth all the secret turnings and windings in your hearts though you may hide them from men and do not think it a great honor to you when you see some of your poor fellow-creatures stand trembling before you and not knowing how to speak for fear of offending you or for being catched in their words Neither think it any contempt or dishonour to you when men stand boldly before you and when they be able to speak to you things that are right and no offence to the Laws of God or man and have a care as you call such things misbehaviour and evil carriage and commit them to prison for such things as you have done me the which I hope to bear or what ever beside injustice can inflict upon me for so long as I know my cause to be good I will maintain it against you all and if you take away my life for so doing I cannot fear the face of any of you and never shall I desire any favour at any of your hands but what the Law it self will afford me and wherein I am found guilty do not spare me for I assure you where I finde you as you ought not to be when I have to deal with you I shall hardly keep silence except you sew up my lips and cut off my hands I at present say no more to you but hereafter its possible you will hear more of me if occasion serve By me Geo. Bateman Prisoner for the truth as it is in Jesus Durham-Goal the 7th of Apr. 1654. FINIS