Joshua Redivivus, or Mr. Rutherford's Letters

but he made their very enemies take notice of them ofttimes, as men that had been with Jesus. Hath it not been a heart-staying, & hand-strengthening, remark amongst the servants & people of God in our native Land, especially in a declining time, that God did singularly shine from heaven upon, & show his satisfaction in the way, & towards the persons of these of his servants, who stood firm in their opposition to Prelacy; and that he did as signally, one way or other, either sooner or latter, give significations of his dislike of the way & persons of them who turned aside to these crooked courses: And was it ever more visible (as to the latter part) then at this day: It may be that they will think it sufficient to convince me of a•ly, that their greatness & grandeur is such, as if they had monopolized to themselves all the riches & honour of the Nation; but if they will have patience to hear me to Amen, I may possibly convince them of a truth they, are not willing to hear; for I not only grant, that they have forgotten their Master's directions, inhibiting them, to to lift up themselves above their brethren; but I will grant them this also [for they most have much given them] that they have ⟨image 10⟩carried away the primacy, & precedency from the Nobility, on whose necks they now trample; but when all this is granted them, yet they have not convinced me of telling an untruth: they must have leave to put out mine & other mens eyes besides, (which we are not willing to give them; though if any man would gratify his Grace, & their Lordships, he must part with these in the first place; for an implicit faith is the basis & foundation of their Kingdom of darkness, without which, it would fall about their cars, & but overwhelm them in the rubbish, & that would be very sad to them, for I suspect they have no great mind to die) before this come so much as under debate, almost with indifferent men, whither God be angry at their way? His very giving of them up, to persecute his people & servants, says nothing, if it say not this; that what ever be their outward prosperity, he hath classed them with Pharaoh, in pouring out his plagues upon their heart: Is not this seen, that so soon as a man becomes serious in seeking of God; he becomes the butt of their malice, & the mark against which they bend their bow, & shoot the arrows of their indignation?

but he made their very enemies take notice of them oftimes, as men that had been with Jesus. Hath it not been a heart-staying, & hand-strengthening, remarke amongst the servants & people of God in our native Land, especially in a declining time, that God did singularly shine from heaven upon, & shew his satisfaction in the way, & towards the persons of these of his servants, who stood firme in their opposition to Prelacy; and that he did as signally, one way or other, either sooner or latter, give significations of his dislike of the way & persons of them who turned aside to these crooked courses: And was it ever more visible (as to the latter part) then at this day: It may be that they will think it sufficent to convince me of aly, that their greatness & grandure is such, as if they had monopolized to themselves all the riches & honour of the Nation; but if they will have patience to heare me to Amen, I may possibly convince them of a truth they, are not willing to hear; for I not onely grant, that they have forgotten their Master's directions, inhibiting them, to to lift up themselves above their brethren; but I will grant them this also [for they most have much given them] that they have