§. Sect. 1 Of the worlds cruelty, in per∣secuting the godly.
WE haue shewed in the former Chapters, what impediments the world, and wicked men cast in the way, to hinder our pro∣fession and practice of the true Religion, which respect their iudgment and affections, their words and outward gestures: and now we are to intreat of those which respect their works and actions. And these are their contumelious and malicious handling of them, and the bitter persecutions which they raise against them, that they may either hinder them wholly from proceeding in the course of Christianity, or at least cause them to goe on with much discourage∣ment and discomfort. The which contumelies and persecutions are great and manifold; as the pursuing of them with all malice and extremity, from place to place, apprehending them as malefactours, haling them be∣fore their Iudgment seats, false accusations, vniust condemnations, impri∣sonments, and banishments, fire and sword, tortures & punishments, exe∣cuted and inflicted in the most exquisite manner which wit and malice can deuise and impose. And this malicious rage of wicked men, the Pro∣phet Esay in liuely manner expresseth: The act of violence (saith hee) is in their hands; Their feet run to euill, and they make haste to shead innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not, and there is no iudgement in their goings. Neither doth the world vse such spite and spleene towards the most out∣ragious offender that euer liued, as it doth to the Saints and seruants of God, for the truth sake. For towards them oftentimes it quite blunteth the poynt and edge of humane lawes, and commonly moderateth and mitigateth the extreme rigour of them in their punishments; but a∣gainst the faithfull it sharpeneth the poynt and edge where none is; yea, deuiseth new lawes, when the old restraine their malice. And whereas they content themselues with those punishments which the lawes deter∣mine against the most notorious and hainous offenders, and when they are forced for the safety and preseruation of humane societies to execute them, they doe it as the Law requireth, and oftentimes with some pity and compassion: contrariwise, when they haue to doe with those, who being Gods faithfull seruants, haue made themselues liable to their lawes, they sport themselues in their torments, and out of meere malice to them for their Religion and piety, they execute the Lawes with all sauage cruelty, adding both by their words and actions, many outrages ouer and aboue those punishments which the Law requireth; as we see in the example of