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The Priests crueltie manifested, &c.
VVHen Christ Jesus (the Dear Son of God) came to testifie against the world, that the deeds thereof was evill,* 1.1 the Priests and their par∣ty held counsells against him, and sought false witness to take away his life, and they accused him for blasphemy, and said, what further need had they of witness against him? Herod also, and his men of war, they set him at nought; and both Pilate and Herod became friends to joyn persecution against him, and that evill seed had their hands in shedding his innocent blood; and af∣ter they had done so by him,* 1.2 his Servants were evilly entreated from the persecuting Priests, and seed of evill doers; Peter and Iohn were put in the Prison, and afterwards beaten, and commanded to speak no more in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but for all that they could not but speak the thing which they had heard and seen: And Stephen were judged by the priests and their counsell, to be a Blasphemer, though he was a man ful of the Ho∣ly Ghost; and so ignorant were they of the Spirit of truth, that they persecuted them that were guided by it; and out of envy and malice & shed innocent blood, and took away Stephens life, by stoning him to death as a Malefactor, under the pretence of a Blasphemer, when no such thing could be proved a∣gainst him, though the Greeks, Libertines, Stoicks,* 1.3 and Epicarians sought to encounter him. And Iohn Baptist he were behaedded by Herods command, though he were convinced, and knew [by that in his conscience] that he were an upright Man. And Paul he were counted a Pestilent Fellow, a mover of Sedition and a Ring-leader of the Sect of the Nazarens, & they cryed out, Men of Israel, holy, this is the man that turneth the world up-side-down; and they drew him out of the Temple, and forthwith, the doors were shut, he were beaten and abused for going into their Markets and Synagogues to reason and dis∣pute with the Iews, and for testifying against the outward Temple, and that Temple-worship, and bearing witness against their deceits, who also was cal∣led of Christ, and both chosen and sent, to turn people from darkness to the Light, and from the power of Satan unto God, Act. 26. Yet so blinde and ignorant of the life of truth were the Priests and their counsell, that they persecuted Paul as they did the rest, and said he was a mover of sedition, and accused him as a heretick, and sought by all means to take away his life, though he told them of his choosing and Call, Commission and sending, they could not be∣lieve him, that knew not the Spirit by which he were guided and sent, who also told them, that in the way which they called heresie, did he worship the God of his Fathers; yet for all that were he imprisoned, beaten, and set in the Stocks:* 1.4 And the same portion from the Priests and their party doth the Servants of Jesus meet with in the world: Wo to the wicked seed of evill do∣ers