OCR Text |
Show ( to6 ) Co_llic:r's ;ng into the Fire, or cut their own fkroats, as i's DlfitOnarJ faid of the Circumce!lians : HoW WICked then mull: it be in him, ro fuggeft fuch things againft them? And that, If they bad not been Mad, they had been •JVorthy to Dye 5 and yet rhis is the Man that won·r juftifie it. But I fay, If the Rulers of New-E11gland had not been Mad with Op .. preffion (as he implies) they would ha~e co~nr.,; ed them ( as they were ) wonh y to Ltve, they Af·2J-29 having done nothing 'vorthy of Death, or of Bonds. . 2 • 3 r. c. M. Ibid. But I witt inform my Reader of a beteer Vindication for my Country, than aU this (becter indeed he had need, or elfe linle to the purpofe) namely, that they did by a Solem1J 4a aft.ef.; ward-s, Renounce 'vht~tever Laws are agamf! a .JUft Liberty of Confcience. Anfw. When was that Act made and why did he not fer it down, as well as th; Declaration for it ? And did they not, fo late as November 167). (Sixteen Years after they put our Friends w Death) make a Law ( everr ~ee G. F~s in the time of the Wars) 'That every Perfon Cam agai. ' found a·r a ~akers Meeting, fhould be appre:!;'.;~~ · ' hended, Ex Officio, by the Conltable, and by a: l{el.uion. ' Warrant from a Magifirare, &c •. thall be com- ' mined to the Houfe of Correcbon, and there ' to have the Difcipline of the Houfe applied ta ' them, and be kept ro Work with Bread and ' Water, &c. orelfe tO pay ; !, And all Con .. 1£,ate ' ftables negleCting their Duty, &c. to incur the · ' Penalty of 5 l. And the Law againft Imporca .. JLatu£1. ' tion of Quakers1 to be more firitlly executed ; ' and that the Penalty (which was formerly 1 oo l.) ' be in no cafe abated to lefs than 2.0 l. Was this the Renouncing the Laws againft Liberty of Confcience, to revive Old Ones, and make N_ew Ones, even when the Hand of the Lord was up· on you for the former? ( 101 ) C. 1\1. might well fay, Book V. P· 9)· c. r. s AI' That they have feen many b;flances, upon w ht.c h G oc.J Ceuer wint'sc~ might fay unto them, When I would save henltd Relation ef New-England then its Iniauity was but the more her Labors .. , J. . l e) Jifcovered. And did they not accordingly, not 7r,we _s long afcer (or in the Year 1676.) come, and suffermgs, forcibly drive Tho. Curwin and Alice his Wife, & c. P· S· our of rheir Meeting at Bof!on, all along the Street, until they came to the Prifon or Haufe of Cor-re8. ion, whereimo they thruft them, which was of Service, to the Truth, for many People, Rich and Poor came to look upon them, and fame were Convinced ; it being a time of great Tribulation, their Heans failed for Fear ; and the third Day of their Imprifonmenr they brought them down to the Whipping-poll, bur the Prefence of the Lord was manifeft, and bore them over their Cruelty, and they could nor but Magnifie the Name of the Lord, and Declare of his wondrous Works, at which the Heathen were Altonitned~ and fhook their Heads ; and the next Day they· were fet ar Liberty, and went to their Meeting: again, which was Peaceable; for you faw, ir·sr like, it would not do. Of which late Proceedings G. Joy Paraphra-fes thus: . Had the; complied with a wzcked LaJu, And of a Whipping ftooa in common Aw; Five Po~tnds their tender Backs bad Javed, {o They bad been free' J ftom ftripes, to flay or go .~ Nay, were they Criminal, inlarg'd they'd bem; New-England's Law admits of buJing Sin. But for obedient Service to their GwJ, Thus to be beaten 'vith the {courging Rotl.Their Blood doth Cry, anJ lottd for VengeaRce call, Tho' they do heartily forgiv~ them all. |