years, reading, travel and obfervations made the religion of my education the religion of my judgment: my alteration hath brought none to that belief; and though the posture I am in may feem odd, or strange to you, yet I am confcientious; and (till you know me better) I hope your charity will rather call it my unhappiness, than my crime. I do tell you again, and here folemly declare, in the prefence of Almighty God, and before you all, that the profeffion I now make, and the fociety I now adhere to, have been fo far from altering that Proteftant judgment I had, that I am not confcious to myself of having receded from an iota of any one principle, maintained by those first Proteftants and reformers of Germany, and our own martyrs, at home, against the Pope, and See of Rome. "On the contrary, I do, with great truth, affure 1678. you, that we are of the fame negative faith, with W. P's fe cond speech the ancient Protestant church, and, upon occafion, to the comfhall be ready, by God's affiftance, to make it ap- mittee of pear, that we are of the fame belief, as to the moft parliament. fundamental poffitive articles of her creed too. And, therefore it is, we think it hard, that though we deny, in common with her, thofe doctrines of Rome, fo zealously protested against, from whence the name Protestants; yet that we fhould be fo unhappy as to fuffer, and that with extreme severity, by thofe very laws on purpose made against the maintainers of thofe doctrines, we do fo deny. We chufe no fuffering, for God knows what we have already fuffered, and how many fufficient and trading families are reduced to great poverty by it. We think ourselves an useful people: we are fure we are a peaceable people; but, if we ftill fuffer, let us not fuffer as Popish recufants, but as Protef teftant diffenters. "But I would obviate another objection, and that none of the leaft, that hath been made against us, viz. That we are enemies to government, in [13] genb ral, Parliament and the ral, and particularly difaffected to this we live under: I think it not amifs, but very feasonable, yea, my duty, now to declare to you, (and that I do with good confcience, in the fight of the Almighty God) firft, that we believe government to be God's ordinance; and next, that this prefent government is established by the providence of God, and law of the land, and that it is our chriftian duty readily to obey it, in all just laws; and wherein we cannot comply, through tenderness of confcience, in all fuch cafes, not to revile, or conspire against the government, but, with chriftian humility and patience tire out all mistakes about us; and wait their better information; who, we believe, do as undeservedly as feverely treat us; and I know not what greater fecurity can be given by any people, or how any government can be easier from the subjects of it. you "I fhall conclude with this; that we are so far from efteeming it hard, or ill, that the house hath put us upon this discrimination, that, on the contrary, we value it as we ought to do, for an high favour, (and cannot chufe but fee, and humbly acknowledge God's providence therein) that fhould give us this fair occafion to discharge ourfelves of a burden we have, not with more patience than injuftice, fuffered but too many years under; and I hope our converfation fhall always manifeft the grateful refentment of our minds, for the juftice and civility of this opportunity; and so I pray God direct you." The committee agreed to infert in a bill, then prorogued; depending, a provifo, or claufe, for relief, in the Quakers cafe complained of; and the fame did pafs the notrelieved House of Commons: But before it had gone through the House of Lords, it was quafhed by a fudden prorogation of the parliament. 1679. He writes About this time, and the following year, the divers trea- people's minds being hurried and difturbed with tifes, &c. rumours of plots, apprehenfions of a French inva 7 fion, and defigns to fubvert the Proteftant religion, and introduce Popery, he writ and published feveral pieces by way of advice to his friends, the Quakers, in particular, and alfo for fettling the minds of the people in general, and turning them to their real and beft intereft, both in a religious and political fenfe; among which was published, in the year 1679, that excellent treatise, entitled, "An addrefs to Proteftants of all perfuafions," &c.And in the year 1681, there being a fresh perfecution against his friends, the Quakers, in the city of Bristol, W. Penn writ them the following epiftle, (which is here inferted as a specimen of his writing on fuch occafions) for their Chriftian confolation and encouragement, directed, "To the friends of God in the city of Bristol," "This fent to be read among them, when affembled to wait upon the Lord." 1681. friends in "My beloved in the Lord," "I do hereby fend amongst you the dear and To his pertender falutation of my unfeigned love, that is held fecuted in the fellowship of the lafting gofpel of peace, Bristol. that has many years been preached and believed amongst you, befeeching the God and Father of this glorious day of the Son of man, to increase and multiply his grace, mercy and peace among you; that you may be faithful, and abound in every good word and work, doing and suffering what is pleafing unto God; that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God; which it becomes you to be found daily doing; that fo an entrance may be administered unto you abundantly into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, that is an everlasting kingdom. My beloved brethren and fifters, be not caft down at the rage of evil men, whofe anger works not the righteousness of God; and whofe cruelty the Lord will limit. Nothing strange, or unusual, is come to pass, it makes well for them, that eye the Lord 1681. W. Penn, to his perfecuted friends in Bristol. in and through thefe fufferings: there is food in affliction, and though the inftruments of it cannot fee it, all fhall work together for good to them that fear the Lord: keep your ground in the truth, that was, and is the faints victory. They that fhrink, go out of it; it is a fhield to the righteous: feel it, and fee, I charge you by the prefence of the Lord, that you turn not afide the Lord's end towards you, in this suffering, by confulting with flesh and blood, in eafing your adverfaries; for that will load you. Keep out of bafe bargainings, or conniving at fleshly evafions of the cross. Our Captain would not leave us fuch an example: let them fhrink that know not why they fhould ftand; we know, in whom we have believed: he is mightier in the faithful, to fuffer and endure to the end, than the world, to perfecute: call to mind thofe bleffed ancients, "That by faith overcame of old, that endured cruel mockings and fcourgings, yea moreover, bonds and imprisonments, that accepted not deliverance, (to deny their teftimony) that they might obtain a better refurrection:"-They were ftoned; they were tempted; they were fawn afunder; they were flain with the fword; but ye have not fo refifted unto blood; and it fufficeth, I hope, to you, that the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment, to be punished; when it may be truly faid, "It fhall go well with the righteous, but very ill with the wicked." The Lord God, by his power, keep your hearts living to him; that it may be your delight to wait upon him, and receive the bounty of his love; that, being fed with his daily bread and drinking of his cup of bleffing, you may be raised above the fear and trouble of earthly things and grow strong in him, who is your crown of rejoicing; that, having anfwered his requirings, and walked faithfully before him, you may receive, in the end of your days, the welcome fentence of gladnefs. Eternal riches riches are before you, an inheritance incorruptible: prefs after that glorious mark: let your minds be fet on things that are above, and when Christ, that is the glory of his poor people, fhall appear, they fhall appear with him in glory; when all tears fhall be wiped away, and there fhall be no more forrow, or fighing, but they, that overcome, shall stand as Mount Sion, that cannot be removed." "So, my dear friends and brethren, endure, that you may be faved, and you shall reap, if you faint not. What fhould we be troubled for? our kingdom is not of this world, nor can be shaken by the overturning here below. Let all give glory to God on high, live peaceably on earth, and fhew good will to all men; and our enemies will at last, fee they do they know not what, and repent, and glorify God, our heavenly Father. O great is God's work on earth. Be universal in your spirits, and keep out all ftraitnefs and narrowness: look to God's great and glorious kingdom, and its profperity: our time is not our own, nor are we our own: God hath bought us with a price, not to serve ourselves, but to glorify him, both in body, foul and spirit; and, by bodily fufferings for the truth, he is glorified: look to the accomplishing of the will of God, in these things; that the measure of Chrift's fufferings may be filled up in us, who bear about the " dying of the Lord Jefus;" elfe our fuffering is in vain. Wherefore, as the flock of God, and family and houfe-hold of faith, walk with your loins girded, being fober, hoping to the end, for the grace and kindnefs, which fhall be brought unto you, at the revelation of Jesus Christ, to whom you and your's are committed: his precious fpirit minifter unto you, and his own life' be fhed abroad plenteously among you, that you may be kept blameless to the end. I am your friend and brother in the fellowship of the fuffering for truth, as it is in Jefus, "WILLIAM PENN. Worminghurt, the 24th. of the Twelfth month, 1681," 瞥 |
