a love to these men you would pity them under their affliction Job 6.14 To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend Be it so that God hath a controversie with them it doth not become you to trample them under your feet Is 47.6.11 8 Arg. As they are Ministers of the Gospel your sin is exceeding great in hindring them in the exercise of their Ministry and persecuting them for Preaching the Gospel For 1. To misuse the Lord's Messengers and his Prophets is a sin that brings down wrath without remedy 2 Chr. 36.15 16. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers but they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets until the wrath of God arose against these men until there was no remedy 2e God will smite through the loins of those that rise up against his Ministers Deut. 33.12 Bless Lord his substance and accept the work of his hands smite through the loins of them that rise up against him and of them that hate him that they never rise again This is Moses his Prayer which he puts up for Levi when he was blessing the Children of Israel before his death v. 1.8 The tribe of Levi was separated by the Lord to bear the Ark of the Lord and to Minister to him and to bless in his name Deut. 10.9 And therefore what is here spoken of Levi belongs to all the Ministers of the Gospel what Moses prays for in the behalf of Levi that God will do to the Ministers of the Gospel and to them that rise up against them He will bless their substance and accept their works he will strike through the loins of them that rise up against them And what is that 1. He will give them a fatal stroke he will give them such a deadly wound that they shall never recover it he will break in pieces their power and strength The loins may signifie a mans strength Joh. 40.16 Lo now his strength is in his loins 2. He will not only punish themselves in a dreadful manner but he will visit this their sin upon their posterity from generation to generation persecuting the Ministers of the Gospel is a sin which God visits not openly upon the fathers but the children and the childrens children unto the third and fourth generation Exod. 20.5 The loins does signifie a mans posterity 1 Kings 8.19 Thy Son that shall come out of thy loins 3. The loins signifie sometimes the mind or understanding as 1 Pet. 1.13 Gird up the loins of your mind And if loins be taken in this sense the meaning is Lord give them up to a reprobate mind and that is a sore judgment and a very dreadful token of the wrath of God Rom. 1.18.28 And it 's usual with the Lord to smite the enemies of his Ministers with this judgment And it 's rare if ever such persons rise again that are thus smitten of God Now those whose loins God will strike through that they rise not again are such as hate and such as rise against the Sons of Levi that is the secret and the open enemies of the Ministers of the Gospel There are some that hate them but conceal their hatred these are secret enemies and there are some that manifest their hatred by rising up against them these are open enemies 3. The Ministers of the Gospel are Christ's Embassadors sent into the world to treat of peace between God and men 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then we are Embassadors for Christ as though he did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God What injuries are done to an Ambassador of an earthly Prince he takes them as ill as if they were done to his own person If the Ambassador be reviled plundered imprisoned interrupted in the delivery of his message the Prince takes this as ill and will punish it as severely as if it had been done to himself So doth the King of Heaven who is King of Kings take all injuries done to his Ambassadors as done against himself 1 Thess 4.8 He therefore that despiseth despiseth not man but God who hath given us his holy Spirit And what is said of despising is true of all other affronts and injuries which are offered to the Ministers of the Gospel the Lord takes them as done to himself Obj. If these men were Prophets or Apostles and could work miracles if then we should molest them we should think our selves worthy of death One might fear the wrath of God should break forth upon us but they are but ordinary men subject to the same passions and infirmities as other men are and therefore we can't think there is such danger in opposing them Ans 1. Ordinary Pastors and Teachers are of God's sending and appointing they are of divine institution as well as Prophets and Apostles 1 Cor. 12.28 God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers after that Miracles Eph. 4.11 He gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers It is God gives and God sets Pastors and Teachers in his Church as well as Apostles Prophets and Evangelists 2. The Apostles and Prophets though holy men of God and guided by an infallible Spirit yet were but men subject to the like passions as we are Elias was an eminent Prophet yet is said of him Jam. 5.17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are Barnabas and Paul were eminent Apostles yet when the men of Lystra would have adored them as Gods and done Sacrifice to them they cryed out Sirs why do you these things we also are men of like passions with you Act. 14.15 They that despise the Ministers of the Gospel in those days would have despised the Prophets and Apostles had they lived in their days for they that were enemies to the power of Godliness despised the Apostles and Prophets then even as many do now the Ministers of Christ Take an instance of the Apostle Paul who though he was full of the Holy Ghost yet some thought and spake contemptibly of him 2 Cor. 10.2 Some think of us as though we walked according to the flesh v. 10. His letters say they are weighty and powerful but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible Many other vilifying expressions were given concerning this Apostle which I forbear to mention 3. A man may be a true Minister of Jesus Christ and yet be able to work no miracles John the Baptist was a true Minister and lived in the time when the gift of miracles was frequently given yet it 's said of him John did no miracle Joh. 11.41 And some that had the gift of miracles were destitute of true Grace Matt. 7.23 24. And therefore we should not decry a man as no Minister of Christ because he can't work miracles especially seeing working of miracles is now ceased 4. Our Lord Jesus would have every one
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
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
of his Ministers whom he sends to Preach the Gospel received with love and honour and all kindness shewn to them as well as to his Apostles and Prophets And to engage us to an honourable willing and chearful reception of them he telleth us that he will take it all one when we receive his Ministers as if we received himself or his Father Joh. 13.20 Verily verily I say unto you he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me It is not said He that receiveth my Apostles or he that receiveth my Prophets but he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me And that we may be assured thereof he adds a double asseveration Verily verily I say unto you Hence I argue If he that receiveth whomsoever Christ sendeth receiveth the Lord Jesus Christ then he that receiveth or persecuteth any of the Ministers of the Lord Jesus whom he sends to preach his Gospel receiveth and persecuteth the Lord Jesus himself 9 Arg. It is Satan that stirs up men to betray persecute imprison and make war against the servants of Christ when Judas took up a resolution to betray Jesus Christ it was the Devil that put this motion into his heart Joh. 13.2 The Devil having put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simons son to betray him When there is trouble raised up against those that keep the Commandments of God it is the Devil that stirs up men to raise up persecution against them Rev. 12.17 And the Dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the Commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus This action of betraying imprisoning and persecuting the servants of Christ is such a fulfilling of the Devils will and hath so much of the Devils nature in it that the Holy Ghost calls the betrayers and persecutors of the people of God by the name of Devils Joh. 6.70 71. Have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is a Devil He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon for he it was that should betray him being one of the twelve Why was Judas called a Devil It was for betraying the Lord Jesus Rev. 2.10 Behold the Devil shall cast some of you into Prison The Devil did not appear in his own person and hale these Saints into Prison but he stirred up evil-minded men to do his work and they fulfilling his lusts are called by his name Did the Informers consider that it was the Devil put it into their hearts to disturb these Assemblies where Prayer is made to God and God's Word is Preached it would startle them and make them draw back unless they were wonderfully hardened in their sin 10 Arg. These men whom you afflict and molest are righteous men as hath been before proved And it is a mighty sin to afflict righteous and just men There are different degrees of sins some are small sins others great sins others mighty great sins This sin of afflicting the just is among those that are mighty great sins Amos 5.12 I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins they afflict the just they take a bribe and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right The Prophet having taxed Israel of being guilty of mighty sins and if any should ask what mighty sins they were guilty of he presently adds They afflict the just See the greatness of this sin in several particular 1. All the wrongs and injuries done to righteous men the Lord takes as ill as if done against himself Zech. 2.8 He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye The eye is the tenderest part of the body and the apple of the eye the tenderest part of the eye a touch on the apple of the eye is more grievous more afflicting than a blow on the back or hand it is not said he that killeth you he that beateth you with many stripes but he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye intimating that the smallest afflictions the least troubles that are brought upon righteous men are exceeding grievous to God he counts what is done to them as done to the apple of his eye There are no afflictions brought upon righteous men but he esteemeth himself afflicted in their affliction Jer. 63.9 In all their affliction he was afflicted when they are in misery their miseries are not only grievous to them but they grieve his Soul also Judg. 10.6 His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel And what a monstrous sin is this for a creature to presume in his heart to do that which afflicts and grieves the Soul of God in whom we all live and move and have our being and to strike at the apple of his eye 2. Righteous men are nearly related to God they are his servants Ps 116.6 Truly I am thy servant I am thy servant They are his friends Joh. 15.14 Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you They are God's children Gal. 3.26 Ye are all the children of God by saith in Jesus Christ They are members of Christ's body 1 Cor. 12.27 Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular And it must needs be an horrible sin to abuse to imprison to fine to hale out of their meetings the servants the friends the children of God and the members of Christ when they are about their Masters work when they are worshipping and serving their heavenly Father 3. The Lord beareth a great love to righteous men Ps 146.8 The Lord loveth the righteous And how contrary is this to God's Will that you should afflict those whom he loveth 4. Righteous men are blessings to the places where they live Prov. 11.11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted what was promised to Abraham Gen. 12.2 I will bless thee and thou shalt be a blessing belongs to all the members of Jesus Christ Gal. 3.9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham And therefore they that afflict and persecute righteous men are not only unthankful for but they are enemies to their own good for they partake of many blessings for righteous mens sake What Laban said to Jacob Gen. 30.27 I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake The same might those Villages and Cities say where righteous men dwell did they observe the dealings of God with them we have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed us for these righteous mens sake 11 Arg. The practise of these men who punish or cause to be punished righteous men for praying to God and for Preaching and Hearing God's holy Word is greatly prejudicial to the whole Kingdom and that on several accounts 1. As it brings down National Judgments one man's sin may cause a whole Nation to suffer Achan's sin brought God's wrath upon all the Congregation of Israel Josh 22.20 Did not Achan the son of Zera
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