166 7heH !STORYof the PURITANS. Chap. V, uteri °' y difplace, banifl?, perfecute, and imprifon fuch as will not wear E"zatbe.h, " nor con(ènt thereunto, and at the fame time fay, you fear not to a G " pear before God for fo doing. But if the Corinthians, for eating meat to the offence of their brethren, are Paid to fin againft Chrift, how much " more do you, who not only retain the remnants of antichrift, but " compel others to the fame ? Better were it for you to leave your " lordly dignity, not given you by Chrift, and to fuller afliiétion for " the truth of the golpel, than by enjoying thereof to become a perfe- " cutor of your.brethren. Confider, I pray you, if throughout the whole " fcriptures you can find one, that was firft a perfecutor, and after was " perfecuted for the truth, that ever fell to perfecuting again and repent- " ed. I delire you, in the bowels of Chrift, to confider your own cafe, who by your own confetlion was once a perfecutor, and have ftnce been " perfecuted whether difplacing, banifhing, and imprifong God's S0 children more ftreightly than felons, hereticks, or traytor , e perfe- °' outing again or no? They that make the belt of it, fay, you buffet " your brethren, which if the mailer of the houle find you fo doing " you know your reward. I delire you, therefore, in the bowels of " Chrift, not to reftrain us of the liberty of our confciences, but be a means to enlarge our liberty in the truth and fincerity of the gofpel; and ufe your intereft, that all the remnants of antichrift may be abo- " lifhed, with every plant that our heavenly father has not planted. --- " Signed, Tours in the Lord to command, WILLIAM WHITF., who join. " ethwithyou in every fpeck of truth, but utterly deteefeth whole antichr , " head, body, and tail, never to join with you, or any, in the lea/1 joint " thereof; nor in any ordinance of man, contrary to the word of God, by " his grace unto the church." But neither the arguments nor fufferings of the puritans, nor their great and undiflembled piety, had an influence upon the commoners, who had their (pies in all fufpedled places, to prevent their religious affemblies; and gave out ftriét orders, That no clergyman fhould be permitted to preach in any of the pulpits ofLondon, without a licence from the arch.. bifhop of Canterbury, or the bifhop of London. Refugees en- The perfecution of the proteftants in France and the Low Countries, créafe. was hot and terrible about this time. The king of France broke through all his edifts, for the free exercife of the reformed religion; he banillted their minifters, and much blood was fpik in their religiouswars. In the Netherlands, the duke d'dlva breathedout nothing but blood and daugh- ter, putting multitudes todeath for religion. This occafioned great num- bers to fly into England, which multiplied the Dutch churches in Nor- wich, Colcheer, Sandwich, Canterbury, Maidflone, Southampton, London, Southwark, and elfewhere. The queen, for their encouragement, allowed them
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