And they suffered great hardships for this their love and
good-will; being often stocked, stoned, beaten, whipped, and imprisoned,
though honest men, and of good report where they lived; that had left
wives, children, and houses and lands to visit them with a living call to
repentance. And though the priests generally set themselves to oppose
them, and wrote against them, and insinuated most false and scandalous
stories to defame them, stirring up the magistrates to suppress them,
especially in those northern parts; yet God was pleased to fill them with
his living power, and give them such an open door of utterance in his
service, that there was a mighty convincement over those parts.
And through the tender and singular indulgence of judge Bradshaw, and
judge Fell, and colonel West, in the infancy of things, the priests were
never able to gain the point they laboured for, which was to have
proceeded to blood; and, if possible, Herod-like, by a cruel exercise of
the civil power, to have cut them off, and rooted them out of the
country. But especially judge Fell, who was not only a check to their
rage in the course of legal proceedings, but otherwise upon occasion; and
finally countenanced this people.
Pages:
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77