The Complaint of THOMAS GRANTHAM, Minister of Waddington.

IN the greateſt Perſecu­tions, the Chriſtians ever ſet forth their Apologies; look upon Juſtin Mar­tyrs Apologie for the Chri­ſtians, look upon Jewels Apo­logie for the Church of Eng­land; And he that will not hear the Oppreſſed com­plain, is worſe then that un­juſt Judge, that neither fear­ed God, nor reverenced man;3 It was lawfull amongſt the Romans, if a man was unjuſt­ly dealt withall, to Appeal to Caeſar; The great Turke walkes once a moneth in a certaine place to heare any man complain of injuſtice done to him, and he is ſure to have ſatisfaction: Solomon himſelf was much given to do Juſtice to particulars, wit­neſs that Caſe of the two Women ſtriving for the Childe, and the glory of his Throne of Juſtice, ſh•ws that he reſorted to it, what ſhould I ſpeak of Moſes, when he ſate from morning to night judg­of4 cauſes; and Auguſtus, Caeſar was ſo given to it, that Ovid wonders he could be at leiſur to read a little Poem of his; Horace ſets him out highly in this kinde, Qvum tot ſuſti­neas ac tanta negotia ſolus, lib. 2. Ep. 1. What ſhould I ſpeak further, Juſtice is an Attri­bute of God, and Mercy is a higher Attribute; for al­though all Gods Attributes are equal in themſelves, where Juſtice hath her Thouſands, Mercy hath her ten Thouſands; he puniſheth the faults of the Fathers to the third and fourth generation of the Children of5 thoſe that hate him, but ſhews Mercy unto thouſands of thoſe that love him and keep his Com­mandements; Mercy then is the higheſt Attribute in God; And thrice happy are we who have a Ruler whoſe Name implies that Attribute; Whence is Mercy expected to come, but from a PRO­TECTOR? And indeed it hath come unto us, and no queſtion but will continue. That we may all ſay as Ter­tullus the Oratour ſaid, Act. 20. verſ. 2. Seeing that by thee wee enjoy great quietneſs, and that very worthy deeds are done6 in this Nation by thy Provi­dence, &c.

There is nothing grieves a man more than a falſe ac­cuſation laid upon him; but for an innocent man to con­tinue all his life time under the burden of it, and to let a Knave, nay rather a Devill, (for he is called the accuſer of the brethren) to go away vi­ctorious and bragging over the ruine of a man, what pa­tience can beare it? Actum eſt de homine quando actum est de nomine; A man in an ill name is half hang'd.

The Caſe is thus, There7 came two or three ignorant lying men of my Pariſh to the Commiſſioners, and ſaid I was inſufficient for the Mi­niſtery; there was no Oath given, the Commiſſioners without any tryall of me, e­jected me; at my next ſum­mons, ſo ſoon as they read the Article to me, I deſired to be tryed: without any Try­all they ejected me; The Or­dinance runs thus, There muſt be five Commiſſioners at the leaſt; and five Miniſters at leaſt; and if upon Examination or proof made upon Oath, it ſhall appear, and be declared un­der8 the hands of the ſaid Commiſſioners, or Miniſters; who ſhall be preſent at ſuch examination or proof, that the Miniſter or Schoolmaſter is ignorant or inſufficient, then to be ejected; it is repea­ted often that five Miniſters ſhould be there at leaſt; now there was never a Miniſter there preſent, and the five Commiſſioners differed, but let them all agree, there muſt be five Miniſters at leaſt, and I deſire but the Oaths of theſe five Commiſſioners preſent; now in this caſe, I think it neceſſary to ſet9 down the names of theſe five Commiſſioners, Mr: Harvey of Lincoln an Attorney, and Sequeſtrator for Lincolnſhire when time was, the Major of Boston, Mr. Whiting the Chairman for this purpoſe, I ſhould have named him ſirſt but only I ſaw him relye much upon the Attornies diſcretion, Mr: Yarborough, Capt: Tompſon, Capt: Hart: Now Mr: Harvey received a great ſumme of money of my Pariſh ſome years before this Commisſion came down to put me and my Cu­rate out; and upon this ſcore10 I except againſt him; I muſt needs be ſhort, and ſo I bun­dle up all their cruelties as quick as I can. Before ever they call'd me to tryal, they took all my profits of Hay, and corn, for that was the time the fitteſt for them to begin; I was eighteen weeks after that before I was eje­cted; they left me not one farthing to maintain me all this while; now there is two things ſticks in my ſtomach; firſt to have my goods taken away before I be proved to be guilty; ſecondly, when I come to my tryal, to be put11 out without any. Tryall or Examination at all; which is plum againſt the Ordi­nance; As they took my Tenths; take you but notice of the tenth part of their cruelties; they ſummoned me to Sleeford in Lincolnſhire, when my Pariſh was in the Libertie of Lincolne, but two miles from my Perſonage at Waddington, and forced me to ride thirteen or fourteen miles, and to be there at eight of the Clock in the morning, and ſay two or three dayes, and have never a word ſaid to me: All this12 while; they knew I had no money, nor a bit of bread to eate, nor drop of beer to drink, nor bed to lie on; all the relief that I had, was from a very poor Alehouſe; and my enemies did ſtrive to dry up that little ſpring, to ſtarve me, or put me to flight.

Take a little of the witneſ­ſes, one being ſo poor a man, that he could not get to be a Souldier, & was but an Inne­mate lately come to Town; the other confeſſed he went to ſpeak againſt me in heat of blood, becauſe I would not take ſuch a one for my13 Curate; and he being told how he was bred from a boy to be a Coachman to my Lady Grantham, and being charged of Ingratitude, he fell ſo mad, that he openly profeſſed himſelf ſorry for what he had done: there was another that would of­ten come to his Wife, and ſay, Wife let me cut thy throat, for now the evill ſpi­rit is upon me, and I muſt do it whether I will or no; and this he did very often; be­ſides ſtranger things that I will not now ſpeake of: to ſpeak further of the Cruelty14 of theſe five Commiſſioners, and ſome of the dreggs of of my Pariſh: I forbeare at this time to do it; becauſe that I will not ſpot this Pa­per, which I dedicate to my Lord Protector, onely let me end with this as I began, My Lord Protector hath found the hand and finger of God, in Gods Mercy of his deli­verance: and Gods finger, when he pointed him out to thoſe that ſought his ruine: I deſire onely a faire tryall and proof againſt me, and not to be hang'd untill I be tryed.

15Any man may gueſs, that I can write a volume of this; but I end now in brief, and will be bold to ſay, That thoſe men ſhall be more ex­cuſable before God & man; who have ſought my Lord Protectors life, than theſe men who do Tyrannize un­der him, and do ſcratch and bite, and tear and worrie the lives & Eſtates of his peace­able Subjects; for God and man will defend him from treachery; but it was never known that oppreſſing hun­gry barking, ſharking, hol­low bellyed Committee­men;16 of whom Pulpit and Plow hath complained of to every Government, that they brought ruine to it; Let them take notice but of one thing; it is in Gods Law, Thou ſhalt not be an Informer; and if there be a neceſſitie of ſuch Vermin, yet be ſure to cre­dit them as little as you can. If any thing can be proved otherwiſe, I ſhall think my ſelf worthy of the hardeſt cenſure; I have juſt now done, and let them take this for the firſt Al­larm.

Gloria Deo in Excelſis.