The blovdy tenent, of persecution, for cause of conscience, discussed, in a conference betweene trvth and peace vvho, in all tender affection, present to the high court of Parliament, as the result of their discourse, these, amongst other passages, of highest consideration.

CHAP. II.

DEare Truth, I have two sad Complaints:

First, The most sober of thy Witnesses, that dare to plead thy Cause, how are they charged to be mine Enemies, contentious, tarbulent, seditious?

Secondly, Thine Enemies, though they speake and raile against thee, though they outragiously pursue, imprison, banish, kill thy faith∣full Witnesses, yet how is all ve••illion'd o're for Iustice 'gainst the Hereticks? Yea, if they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and blow the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of devouring Warres, that leave neither Spirituall nor Civill State, but burns up Branch

and Root, yet how doe all pretend an holy War? He that kills, and hee that's killed, they both cry out, It is for God, and for their conscience.

Tis true, nor one nor other seldome dare to plead the mighty Prince Christ Iesus for their Authour, yet both (both Protestant and Papist) pretend they have spoke with Moses and the Prophets, who all, say they (before Christ came) allowed such holy persecutions, holy Warres against the enemies of holy Church.

Truth.

Deare Peace (to ease thy first complaint) tis true, thy dearest Sons, most like their mother, Peace-keeping, Peace-making Sons of God, have borne and still must beare the blurs of troublers of Israel, and tur∣ners of the World upside downe. And tis true againe, what Salomon once spake: The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out Water, therefore (saith he) leave off contention before it be medled with. This Caveat should keepe the bankes and sluces firme and strong, that strife, like a breach of waters, breake not in upon the sons of men.

Yet strife must be distinguished: It is necessary or unnecessary, godly or ungodly, Christian or unchristian, &c.

It is unnecessary, unlawfull, dishonourable, ungodly, unchristian, in most cases in the world, for there is a possibility of keeping sweet Peace in most cases, and if it be possible, it is the expresse command of God that Peace be kept, Rom. 13.

Againe, it is necessary, honourable, godly, &c. with civill and earthly weapons to defend the innocent, and to rescue the oppressed from the vio∣lent pawes and jaws of oppressing persecuting Nimrods, Psal. 73. Iob 29.

It is as necessary, yea more honourable, godly, and Christian, to ••ight the ••ight of faith, with religious and spirituall Artillery, and to contend earnestly for the faith of Iesus, once delivered to the Saints against all op∣posers, and the gates of earth and hell, men or devils, yea against Paul himselfe, or an Angell from heaven, if he bring any other faith or do∣ctrine, Iude vers. 4. Gal. 1. 8.

Peace.

With the clashing of such Armes am I never wakened. Speake once againe (deare Truth) to my second complaint of bloody persecu∣tion, and devouring wars, marching under the colours of upright Iu∣stice, and holy Zeale, &c.

Truth.

Mine eares have long beene filled with a threefold dolefull Outcry.

First, of one hundred forty foure thousand Virgins (Rev. 14) forc'd and ravisht by Emperours, Kings, and Governours to their beds of wor∣ship and Religion, set up (like Absalems) on high in their severall States and Countries.

Secondly, the cry of those precious soules under the Altar (Rev. 6.) the soules of such as have beene persecuted and slaine for the testimony and witnesse of Iesus, whose bloud hath beene spilt like water upon the earth, and that because they have held fast the truth and witnesse of Iesus, against the worship of the States and Times, compelling to an uniformity of State Religion.

These cries of murthered Virgins who can sit still and heare? Who can but run with zeale inflamed to prevent the destowring of chaste soules, and spilling of the bloud of the innocent? Humanity stirs up and prompts the Sonnes of men to draw materiall swords for a Virgins chastity and life, a∣gainst a ravishing murtherer? And Piety and Christianity must needs a∣waken the Sons of God to draw the spirituall sword (the Word of God) to preserve the chastity and life of spirituall Virgins, who abhorre the spirituall defilements of false worship, Rev. 14.

Thirdly, the cry of the whole earth, made drunke with the bloud of its inhabitants, slaughtering each other in their blinded zeale, for Conscience, for Religion, against the Catholickes, against the Lutherans, &c.

What fearfull cries within these twenty years of hundred thousands men, women, children, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, brethren, si∣sters, old and young, high and low, plundred, ravished, slaughtered, murthe∣red, famished? And hence these cries, that men ••ling away the spirituall sword and spirituall artillery (in spirituall and religious causes) and rather trust for the suppressing of each others God, Conscience, and Religion (as they suppose) to an arme of flesh, and sword of steele?

Truth.

Sweet Peace, what hast thou there?

Peace.

Arguments against persecution for cause of Conscience.

Truth.

And what there?

Peace.

An Answer to such Arguments, contrarily maintaining such persecution for cause of Conscience.

Truth.

These Arguments against such persecution, and the Answer pleading for it, written (as Love hopes) from godly intentions, hearts, and hands, yet in a marvellous different stile and manner. The Arguments a∣gainst persecution in milke, the Answer for it (as I may say) in bloud.

The Authour of these Arguments (against persecution) (as I have beene informed) being committed by som then in power, close prisoner to Newgate, for the witnesse of some truths of Iesus, and having not the use of Pen and Inke, wrote these Arguments in Milke, in sheets of Pa∣per, brought to him by the Woman his Keeper, from a friend in London, as the stopples of his Milk bottle.

In such Paper written with Milk nothing will appeare, but the way of reading it by fire being knowne to this friend who received the Pa∣pers, he transcribed and kept together the Papers, although the Au∣thor himselfe could not correct, nor view what himselfe had written.

It was in milke, tending to soule nourishment, even for Babes and Suck∣lings in Christ.

It was in milke, spiritually white, pure and innocent, like those white horses of the Word of truth and meeknesse, and the white Linnen or Armour of righteousnesse, in the Army of Iesus. Rev. 6. & 19.

It was in milke, soft, meeke, peaceable and gentle, tending both to the peace of soules, and the peace of States and Kingdomes.

Peace.

The Answer (though I hope out of milkie pure intentions) is re∣turned in bloud: bloudy & slaughterous conclusions; bloudy to the souls of all men, forc'd to the Religion and Worship which every civil State or Com∣mon-weale agrees on, and compells all subjects to in a dissembled uniformitie.

Bloudy to the bodies, first of the holy witnesses of Christ Iesus, who testifie against such invented worships.

Secondly, of the Nations and Peoples slaughtering each other for their severall respective Religions and Consciences.

Notes

• a great complaints of Peace.
• Persecu∣tors sel∣dom plead Christ, but Moses for their Author.
• Strife di∣stinguish∣ed.
• 1. Ungod∣ly strife.
• 2. Godly strife.
• A three∣fold dole∣full cry. Christs worship is his bed, Cant. 1. 16. False wor∣ship there∣fore is a false bed.
• The cry of the soules un∣der the Altar.
• A cry of the whole earth.
• The won∣derfull providēce of God in the wri∣ting of the Argu∣ments a∣gainst per∣secution in Milke.
• The An∣swer writ in Bloud.