Friends Thomas Creasman ^ [Christopher] and Cuthberd Stedham Craston, & Cuthbert Studholm


Your noyse is come vp to London wt hauock wt Imprisonment is come vp before ye sober people
what Imprisonment what bridling what Making hauock of and spoyling the Goods of people
haue you made within these few yeers, vnlike men as though you had neuer read scriptre
or to bee men yt minded ym is this the End of Carliles Religion is this the End of your -
ministrÿ and is this the End of your church Christiannity profession ŷou haue shamed itt
by your follÿ and madness and blinde Zeale was it not alwayes the worke of ye blinde

Guids

watchmen and Leaders and false prophetts to prepare war agt them yt would not putt
into thire mouthes and haue you not binn the priests pack horses and Executioners wn
they sen[purr] you vp to beare ye Swoard agt ye Just doe you not Runne on agt Creatures
that cannot hould vp such as always ye scriptures did testifie agt yet will you lift

vp your vnholy hands and call vpon god with your poluted lips and pretend afast wch is
full of strife and debate did your harts neuer burne wthin you was you neuer Come to
Question your Condition are you wholy giuen vp to doe the Diuills Lusts persecute where
is your louing Ennimies where is your Entertaying strangers where is your ouercoming Euell
with good where are your teachers that cann stopp ye Mouthes of gainesayers and Convince
Gainesayers and such as appose them Selues haue you noe ministers of ye spirit noe souldirs
with Spirittuall weapons hanging forth Christ Cullers but all ye Draggons the -
murderers ye persecutors Arme of flesh Caynes weapons Cheife preists Counsells Judas
multitude wth sourds and staues Sodoms Companÿ Rageing aboute Lotts house like preists
and princes agt Jerÿmÿ who cryed agt them yt woulde bee ruled by thire meanes like
the Draggon beast and greate whoare and false church wch should cast into prison and
Kill and persecute whose weapons are you bearing should not ye false church ye whoare
make marchandize of Beares and Cattle and oyle to the very soules of men and hath -
not all this binn since the true church went into the wilderness read reuelations ye
12th doe you not Reade and see wt a spiritt you are of and what a pitt you are in bottom
lis and haue you not Dishonored the place of Justice and Authority what turned
your swoard backwards like mad men who are a prayse to the Euell Doer and would
bee aterror to the good with all force and might to stop the way of Justice doeth
not the Lord thinke you behould your actions, how many haue you wronged how many
haue you prisoned persecuted and putt out of your sinagoges are you them yt must
fulfill ye prophicÿof christ matthew ye 23.th John 16th Read the Scriptures and see how
vnlike you are to the prophetts Christ and his appostles and what a visage you haue
like vnto them that persecuted ye prophetts Christ and ye apostles and found in their Steps
wresling wth flesh and Bloud and not wth principallitys and powers and spirittuall wicked
=nes in high places but flesh and bloud and yr teachers prisoning and persecuting for out
=ward things and you their Executinors wch haue not binn the like in all the nation, the
hauock made the spoyling the goods of people taking Away thire oxen beares sheepe Corne -
and the woole and houshold stufe goods and giue them to the preists, them that haue donne
noe worke for them more like moss troopers then ministers of the gospell they take
ym from freinds sueing ym in your Courts and fineing them because they will not break the
Commands of christ yt is because they will not sweare and thus you acte agt. them that
Doeth not lift vp ahand against you and as much as you <xxx turne against them you
turne agt christ but hee is Risin that will plead their Cause and you cannot bee hid for
your workes is come to light and ye End of your ministrÿ is seene wt it is for, for means
and yee haue Dishonnored the truth ye Gospell and are them that make it Chargeable, you
haue lost your Glorÿ you haue Dishonored your Selues persecution was Euer blind and
madd Read the apostle wt hee saith of him selfe when hee was in your nature Exall
=tation and pride and your lifting vp your Selues haue Brough you to this not being
humble not Doeing Justice nott loueing mercÿ and when such as haue binn ^[beat and] brused by your
Rude Companÿ (to whome you are apraise) haue come and layd things before you yt you -
might haue Done Justice preserued and keept peace (you as knowing they would nott
sweare) haue putt an oath to them and this haue binn your trickes and Couer whearby you
would not doe Justice to the Just but by this meanes haue gone on still further to -
Encoradge the Euill Doer but the lord sees your harts if you was not men past feeling you
would feare and treamble before him the god of the whole Earth, who is Risin who will stayn
your Glorÿ and Marr your pride and Deface your Beautey and laÿ it in the Dust

London: Library of the Society of Friends, MS Vol 376 (Spence MS) fol. 85r
© Image copyright of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain