Parr III. Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter. 565 § 289 While the faid two Bithops were fraudulently feeming to fèt us on thi> Treaty, their caufe required them 'outwardly to pretend that they would not have Inc troubled ; Ian uncleritand.I was hill the firlt that was haunted after and perfe- cuted : Andeven while I was in this Treaty, the informers of the City (feu on work by the Bithops) were watching my .preaching, and contriving to load mewith di- vers convietions and fines atonce : And they foundan AldermanJultice even in the. Wardwhere I preached, fit for their Deign, one Sir Thomas Davis, who under- flood net the Laty, but was ready to ferve the Prelates in their own way. To him Oath was made againft me, and the place where I preached, ns for two Sermons, whichcame to threefcorepounds fine to me, and fourfcore to theowner of the place where we aulembled: But I only 'MS fought after and profecuted. § z9o. TheReader mutt here understand the prefent cafe of the City as tofuch things : TheExecution of there Laws, that were to ruine us for preaching, was fo much againft the hearts of the Citizens, that fcarce any could be found to execute them: Tho the CorporationOath andDeclaration had newmoulded the City (and all the Corporations of theLand, except forcefew (asTaunton, &c.) whichwere'utterly dilfolved by it) yet werethe Aldermen for themolt partutterly averfe to filch loi- ployment,fo that whenever an Informer came to them, the, (they forfeitedan fool. every time dint they re£ufed to execute their Office, yet force fhitted out of theway, and foam plainly denyed and repulfed. the Accufers, and one was fued for it ; And Alderman Forthgot an Informer bound to the behaviour for breaking in upon hint in his Chamber againft his will. Two fellows called Strowd and Marifhal became theGeneral Informers in the City, andfume others under, them. In all Londán, notwithitanding that the third parts of thofe great Fines might be given the Informers, very few would be found to do it: And thofe two were prefently fallen upon by their Creditors on purpofe, and Maryhal laid in the Compter for Debt, where he remained for a confiderable time; but Strawd (keepin a Cof- fee-Hoofe) was not fo deep in debt, but was bailed. Had a Stranger ofganother Land come into London, and feen five or fix poor ignorant forryFellows (un- worthy to have been inferiour Servants to an Ordinary Gentleman) hunting, and infulting over the ancient Aldermen, and the Lord Mayor himfelf, and all the Reverend, faithful Miniltera that were ejefied, and eighty nine Churches were deftroyed by the Fire, and in many Parilhes the Churches yet Itanding could not hold a fixth, or tenth part of the People, 'yet thofe that Preached for nothing were profecuted to utter rum, with Poch unwearied eagernefs, fore he would have wondered what thefe Prelates and Profetutors are; and it may convince us that the term e';viuÀu6, given in Scripture to Tome Men (tramlated falle Accufers) is not uumeet: When Men pretending to be the Fathers of the Churchdare turn Mofe half a dofen paltry, filly Fellows that know not what they do, to be, to fo many Thoufand Sober Men, as Wolves among theSheep, to the diltraftion offach aCity, and the difturbance of fo many thoufand for worlhipping God. How lively doth this.tell us, that Satan, the Prince of the Aereal Powers worketh in the Children of Difobedience, and that his King= dom on Earth is kin to fell, as Chrift's Kingdom is to Heaven. § z9r. When I underftood "that the deign was to ruin me, by heaping up' Conviai0ns, before I was heard to (peak for my felt, I went to Sir Thoa,as Davis, and told him that I undertook to prove that I broke not the Law and defired him that hewould pafs no judgment till I had fpbke for my fe f before my Accufers But I found him fo ignorant of the Law, as to be fulig pert-waded, that if the Informers did but (wear in general that 1 kept [án unlan, Al meeting in Pretence of a Religions Exercife in other manner than according to the Liturgy and fradice of the Church of England] hewas bound to takethis general Oath for Proof, and to record a Judgment; and fo that the Accufèrs were in- deed the Judges, and not he : I told him that any Lawyer would loon tell hint the contrary, and that he was Judge whether by particular Proof they made good their general Accufation, (as it is incafe a Man be accufed of Felonyor Treafon, it is not enough that Men fwear that he is a Felon or Traylor; they mutt name what hisPath was, andprove hint' guilty :) And I wasat charge in Feting Counfellors to convince him, and others ; and yet I could not perfwade him out of his miftake; I told him that if this were fo, any two Etch Fellows might defame, and bring to Fines, and Punilbmeit, himM1lf, and all the Magi- Itrates and Parlisment -Men themlelves, and all that meet is the Parifh-Church- es,
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