A Just PLEA AGAINST SWEARING, And against the National Worship OF ENGLAND: Briefly demonstrating the Grounds and Reasons why we choose rather to Suffer, then to Bow to either of them.  
By a Sufferer for his Testimony against them, known by the name of Ja. Picton.  
The blood-thirsty hateth the upright, but the just seek his soul,  Prov. 29. ver. 10. 
They build up Sion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity,  Micah 3.10. 
By Swearing and lying, killing and stealing, and committing adultery they break out, and blood toucheth blood; therefore shall the Land mourn,  Hos. 4.2. 
And it shall come to pass in that day( saith the Lord) that the heart of the King shall perish, and the heart of the Princes: and the Priests shall be astonished, and the Prophets shall wonder,  Jer. 4.9. 
For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that brought forth her first child; the voice of the daughter of Sion that bewaileth her self, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Wo is me now, for my soul is wearied because of murtherers.  
LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1663.   

A just plea against Swearing, and against the National Worship of England, &c.  
IN all ages and generations, great and manifold have been the snares of the enemy to catch and entrap the innocent; among others in this age, this hath been made much use of, to persecute, imprison banish, and make havoc of the goods of thousands in this nation of England within these few years; viz. not swearing and denying those things which are contrary to Christian practices, and the imposed Forms of Worship, as their practise do evidently demonstrate, by enjoining and forcing men and women with penalties of outward laws, to own and bow unto such a form of Worship, such a Priest, such a time and place as they shall appoint, contrary to the practise and example of those that feared the Lord in all ages, as the Scriptures of truth do testify: And though much have been spoken by other friends in several parts of this nation tending to the clearing of this truth, which might have satisfied any unbiased Judgement, and caused them to cease persecuting upon this account, and let the innocent go free; yet notwithstanding being tossed upon their Horns from one to another, and from place to place, least the persecutors of those places where I suffer being not desirous to be informed of the truth should not seek after what hath been spoken by others a far off, and so should continu● willingly ignorant of the just grounds and reasons why we choose rather to suffer for the testimony of the truth revealed in us, than obey mans will commanding the contrary; and that it is not Stubbornness and self-will, as it is alleged against us; knowing the terror of the Lord, and the danger they are running unto by persecuting the innocent, it lies on me in love to their immortal fouls to clear my conscience towards them why we cannot Swear, nor Bow to their Worships set up by the authority of the Nation: so whether they will hear or forbear I may be clear in the sight of God, they in excusable.  
First, As concerning Swearing we find it forbidden by Christ, who is our leader and our example all along in his words while on earth in that former body which suffered at Jerusalem: also we find the same Spirit which spoken through him all that is contained of him in the Scriptures of truth, bearing witness unto the same Truth in us, which gives us assurance of the infallibility and truth thereof; and that there is in it no falsehood nor lies, 1. Joh. 2.27. & Chap 3.24 & 4, 13. The words are plain Math. 5.34. and Isa. 5.12. where all Swearing is straightly and absolutely forbidden, without any wresting of the words, adding thereto, or diminishing from them.  
Object. But the common Objection is, that it is forswearing and vain swearing that is there forbidden.  
Ans. If he had forbidden no more, he had no need to have given them any new precept, but turned them back to Moses, as he did in many other cases; because Moses his words seemed to be of more credit among them than his: Moses they knew( said the Jews) and the Prophets, but him they know not; false swearing and vain swearing were strictly forbidden by him, but these words have the same Emphasis, force and analogy as the precedent verses, where the Law saith, Thou shalt not commit adultery, the Law took hold on the outward fact, and punished not until then; but he who came and comes to fulfil the Righteousness of the Law, reaches more home, searches the heart, judges the thoughts, and condemns the very looking on a woman to lust after her, cuts down the transgressor at the root, whereby it might not bud again. So here the Law saith, Thou shalt not forsw ear thyself; but I( saith he, going nearer to the root of the matter) say unto you, Swear not at all, and instances in particular ways whereby they did swear, neither by Heaven, nor by Earth, nor by Jerusalem; nor by as much as the hair of thy head; nor,( as James guided by the same Spirit saith) by any other Oath, so that by these words, any other Oath, swearing by Books, and kissing them, is as strictly, plainly, positively and solemnly forbidden, as by Heaven, Earth, Jesusalem &c. For Jerusalem was in those dayes( being the place where the Lord had placed his Name, and appeared unto his people) of great esteem among the Jews, and in their blind zeal by custom and tradition( through ignorance of the God that appeared there) as much adored as the Book is now by those who know not in Spirit and Truth, that living God who revealed unto his people the truth therein declared; so that you now, as they then, suck the shell instead of the kernel, and take the husk for the grain, adore the place, instead of him that fills and comprehends all places; and the sound of words, more than him that gave forth the matter; 
Jere. 5.2.7, verses,  so that I may upon the same occasion reprove you in Jeremies words. Ye swear by them that are no Gods, and though ye swear, ye swear falsely. Yea, ye have committed two evils, ye have forsaken the fountain of living waters, and digged unto yourselves broken Cisterns that will hold no water.  
2dly. 
Witness Bi●… Iron-sides l●… treatise.  The Law as given forth by Moses( as certain of your own Bishops do affirm whose words are credible among you was of force, and binding only to the Jews, who at that time were the onely chosen people of all the earth; to whom the Law, 
Rom. 3.2.  the Ordinances and Oracles of God were committed; so that no other nation were tied to the observation thereof; no, not after their conversion from gentilism and Heathenism, to the Lord, but onely they, as it was concluded by the Apostles, and brethren met together concerning this very matter, when some would bind the Gentiles converted to the faith, to the observation of Moses his Law, whose decree was that they lay no other burden upon the Disciples, but that they abstain from fornication, from pollutions of idols, from blood, 
Acts. 25.  and from things strangled. And Paul was afraid he had spent his labour in vain upon the Galatians, 
Gal. 4.10.  because they were apt to go back to the customary observation( according to the Law) of dayes, months & yeares; so that we being the off spring of the Gentiles, were not bound( if we had lived in Moses his time) by his own Law to observe it in the manner and circumstantials thereof as given forth by him; so that swearing is absolutely forbidden by Christ who in us fulfils all righteousness, was never binding unto us by Moses his Law, and to whom it was binding there is no mention of any penalty, as fines, imprisonment, or banishment, if they did not.  
3dly. Besides, I may lawfully say of this precept of Moses concerning swearing, as it was said of old concerning divorcement, that Moses because of the rebellion and disobedience of the people towards the Lord as also their falsehood and deceitful dealing one towards another enjoined the people upon special occasions to such an Ordinance in the beginning, when there was no hardness of heart, no disobedience nor deceit; it was not so, the ground and reasons moving Moses to such a precept, were different then now they are; then it was when the people had at any time backslidden from the Lord, broken their Covennat and Vows by disobedience, and following their own wills; whether King alone, or King and people together, as they had offended jointly or severally, they were called again unto the Lord by his servants the prophets to humiliation for their former offences, and to make solemn Vows and covenants not to backslide again, so that the end of this was to renew the Vows, and bring into the covenant of their God an apostatised and backsliden people, neither did the prophets require it of those who had not backsliden, as now it is. In the beginning when man was in the image of God there was no covenant breaking, and so consequently no need of renewing it by swearing and Vowing; so that the cause of this was hardness of heart, which from the beginning was notso.  
4thly. The cause of that swearing required by Moses was apostasy from the Lord, and yet left without an external penalty if they did not swear; and now those are required to swear, who are in Covenant with the Lord, to set up man above God head of the Church, whereof Christ alone we own our head so that the matter requiring oaths is altered and turned quiter contrary.  
5thly, Another Objection is, that an oath of confirmation is an end of all strife; how shall we believe one another( say they) or decide controversies without an Oath.  
Ans. When man was in the image of God, there was no deceitful dealing nor strife, so consequently no need of swearing to decide it: as strife and deceit brought in swearing, so those that are come to the Son, are come to the image of God out of strife, unto that state which was before strife and contention, and swearing was: Take away the cause the effect will cease, come to the Son and he will make free from strife and contention the causes of swearing, 
●… blata causa ●… itur effect.  and consequently from swearing itself among us who are come to the Son, who fulfils the Law.  
6thly. As for the manner of swearing among the Jews, Moses ties them not to any form of words, but leaves it to the freedom of their own Spirits, both when they renewed their Covenant with the Lord, as also in testifying the truth between man and man, which condemns the binding to a form of words, and kissing books.  
Among other nations they swore by that which they esteemed most; 
●… ph. 1 5.  as by their idol Gods which most nations had appropriated to themselves; some by Malcham, others by the Life and prosperity of their Emperours; as by the life of pharaoh, by the prosperity and fortune of Caesar, whatsoever they did most adore, they swore by, and kissed them; in imitation of this the Nation of England setting the book( as the Papists the Crucifix) in the room of God, swear by it as though it were their God, so that in this very point( though they call themselves Christians) they take the heathen for their example, not Christ nor Moses.  
So the sum is this of all that hath been spoken, Moses required it of the Jews a particular Nation to whom the Law was given because of Covenant breaking, bound no other nation to it, nor added no penalty in case they did not swear, but left them to the Lord to deal with as he saw fit, never required such oaths as these neither for matter nor manner, nor any beathen Kings, of Christians; it was a sufficient plea for them when brought before rulers to say, Christiamus sum, and they were urged no further to swear, as knowing their freedom that they could not swear, and belie●ing the verity of their speech that they could not lie; and they that are come to Christ are come out of swearing in general to Yea and Nay, or if the matter requires( being not bound so narrowly to such words) to make what we aver more credible, to call God to record( as Paul did) that it is, or is not, so.  
So it is, clear and evident to any unprejudiced Spirit that we suffer for our pure obedience to Christs commands, and our blood will be too h●avy a burden for our persecutors to bear in the day when all that they have done shall be laid open, bare & naked before them; neither Kings, nor Princes, nor all the powers of the earth, shall be able to deliver them from the righteous judgements of the Lord do unto them for their deeds done in the body Oh be ashamed and blushy, call not yourselves Christians any more until you repent of your former actings, put away your abominations, cease to do evil, let the innocent go free, and be wholly changed in your Spirits, then come and let us reason together, perhaps some of you who are not altogether hardened in heart, seared in conscience, and given up to reprobation may find place of repentance, which is the desire of my soul.  
As for your Worship, 
Corruptio ti●… a est ●… na.  it differs nothing in the ground from the worship of those you call heathens, but of them both is worst, because you profess to know more than they, and being in the same persecuting blood thirsty nature practise no better than the darkest of them: All nations walk in the name of their God, what hath most influence upon their spirits and is most suitable to their tempers and inclinations or natural Climate wherein they have their being, that they love best and follow, every nation according to it's custom & tradition set up some way or other to worship they know not what; So the right eye being blinded, and the light of Christ not headed, having nothing else to guide them, are lead by the Prince of the power of the air, to do whatsoever their apostatised hearts lusts after; and either through prescriptions, customs or tradition, imagining there is some Deity to be adored, being ignorant who he is, nor how he is to be known, in their dark apprehensions and chambers of imagery, frame and invent to themselves in their own will a form and way of worship, contrary to the true worship of the Lord, which is in Spirit and truth, and would make the heads of the nations defender of their worships, whereby they are often overthrown, and Cain-like, murder those that know better, and cannot bow to it. Some for Mahomet and the Alcaron, some for Masses and Images without; others, their imaginations and corrupt wils, as Common-Prayers( so called) Directories; some for Church-Faith, sprinkling of Babes with a little water, Bread and Wine, which they call Sacraments; all agree enforcing to it by outward compulsion, and wresting maintenance for it, as well from those who own it not, as those who do own it: thus all the world lies in hard-heartedness, and like Nebuchadnezzars Image, in confusion; some in more gross darkness, others being not so deep in the pit of degeneration, see those that are deeper in the fall; and because they are not in the same sphere and height of the Climate to it, not agreeing in every particular, kill, and murder one another about their religions, each esteeming his own best, would fain maintain it, and keep it up as Cain, nabuchadnezzar, Herod, Nero, and others of the same Nature did; and to him that hath the longest sword all bow, 
●… janglng ●… s, Choristers, ●… d Organs.  call him the defender of their Faith, and swear him so, and bind themselves with an oath to submit to whatsoever worship they set up, and whosoever will not, at the sound of their music, must bear the penalty of their Law provided to maintain it: what doth the worship of the English Nation differ from this? and wherein are they better than the fore-mentioned, their practise being the same in every particular.  
In the beginning God made man perfect, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul, his life and his breath was from God his Maker, and in him he could have withstood the subtle perswasions of the Serpentine wisdom, and cast it off from creeping and twisting about him, but not standing in the Counsel of his maker, but giving heed to that which would make him wise to know good and evil; that he might practise what he would or liked best, if he liked evil he could cover it over and call it good, and on the contrary good evil, whereby he might condemn it as all the World in that state do at this day. Now man being gone from the Counsel of God became dark, lost his way, gropes in the dark, knows not what he is doing, nor whither he is going, being from that which God hath given to guide him, all that a man doth is evil, and that continually. Now to be from the light the witness in the conscence for God to guide him, is sin and iniquity whatsoever a man doth; for obedience unto the witness, the light, the unction, or the Spirit of Truth in us makes us the Sons of God, and our works perfect and acceptable unto him; and he that is not come to own the witness of God, which is Christ, or the anointing seed what pretence or colour soever he may have) being not lead by that, he is none of Christs, his deeds are evil, and in his own will involves himself more and more in darkness and confusion; there is no other way, no other name whereby a man may come to the Father, but by Christ the Light, the witness for God in man: Wandering and going aftray from that is rebellion, witchcraft and disobedience; to walk close with it, and to be led by it, is the perfect and acceptable service to God the Father, who through his Son, his anointing seed, his Light( which he caused to shine out of darkness) hath called us to be witnesses for his name at this day; and this Light which we own for our leader was given to lighten the Gentiles, and is the glory of his people who obey it, but the condemnation of the old world lying in wickedness; now the woman is coming out of the wilderness clothed with the Light of the Sun, and the Moon under her feet, shining gloriously upon the tops of the high Mountains and Hills, condemning the old World, and by its heat causing the old Heaven and the old Earth to meit away; and our work in this age being to pull down the old building of Babylon, viz. Confusion, to cast down her strong holds and imaginations, and to scatter all the old rubbeges thereof, which must be done ere any ston of the new building be laid, or a new Creation, a new Heaven and a new Earth witnessed; this seems a fowl work, and an unacceptable piece of service unto those who are heaping up confusions, building of Babels imaginations, Castles in the air, and know no other way to re-enter into paradise from whence they came forth, the higher they are gone in this confused building, the more unwilling they are to leave it and the greater across it is to pall it down, yet this I assert for an infallible & undoubted truth, that before a new Creation ( vid.) a new Heaven and a new Earth can be witnessed, every man and woman must come to that which is butted under all, and burdened with the rubbeges and stones of their old corruption; and though it be across to their own will, and destructive to their own building, yea the condemnation of all that was before it, for every one must be redeemed through judgement, must pass through the fire upon the point of the sword and take a across to his own will before he can enter into life, or be Christs disciple: now this is the reason that we are hated and persecuted because we are sent as lights into the World, to condemn the old world for their wickedness, 
Jo. 19.3.21.20.  they loving their evil deeds cannot stand in the Light which passeth true judgement, least their deeds should be detected, and their torment begin( as they suppose) before the time; this is my advice and counsel to all who are yet enemies to God, and hate his appearance, that they come to the Light to have their evil dead, discovered, stand in the judgement, bear the across, let judgement pass upon all which cannot stand in the light, and so through the across be united unto, and one with that birth to which there is no condemnation, but hath peace with God, and joys in him for ever; otherwise there is no peace to the wicked, though he may cover himself a while with vailes of darkness in the body, yet their tabernacle being laid aside in that state without reconcisiation to God in his own way as before mentioned, there is no more place of repentance nor redemption from the grave, no end of their torment for ever; the spirit which abode not in the truth hath no peace with God, neither is there any place to hid from him; therefore be advised, stand in the judgement of God till the enemy be condemned and done away; then will your peace be everlasting.  
Finally, this is the sum in brief of what hath been spoken, that whatsoever form or way of Worship any Nation or particular person or persons sets up, not guided and directed thereunto by the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ, or the Light which is Christ, in his own conscience whatsoever he or they may pretend Worship they know not what, their own inventions, comforming outwardly to whatsoever the powers of the Earth sets up, but inwardly their own lusts, what is most agreeable and pleasing to their tempers and Constitutions; some profess Christianity in words, being clothed in sheeps clothing, make outward likenesses and imitations of the Saints, having their word to trade withal, set their thresholds by their thresholds, but inwardly ravening wolves, by their fruits they are known; some are bare and naked without the sheeps clothing, the S●ints words, as the heathens and Indians, of whom there may be more hopes to own the truth, than those that have covered themselves over with the large fig leaves of deceit and hypocrisy: Others make mixtures of the Saints words, and heathenish customs and traditions of their fathers but still phable to comform to whatsoever the powers of the laad requires, will hazard nothing for their religion, this they call wisdom and policy; had Daniel done so he had not been cast into the lion Den, nor the three children into the fiety furnace, neither had any need to suffer under the heathen Emperours, had they obeyed them in what they required, though they were counted the highest powers, and bad Laws of their own making on their sides, as now they bave; yet they that knew the true and living God in all ages, obeied him above man, be his power never so great, and his news never so strict to cause them to suffer for their obedience: And we can solemnly aver at this time, & call the Lord of Heaven & Earth to witness that we suffer for no other thing than the testimony of a pure conscience towards God, namely, because we cannot Swear, being a breach of his Commands, nor own the worship set up in this Nation by a compulfive power, contrary( as we are persuaded in our own consciences) to the will of the Lord to us manifested.  
Now if there be any tenderness of Spirit, or any spark of ingenuity left in you( as there was in Saul when he confessed that David was more righteous than himself) consider, and lay it seriously to heart, what comfort can any receive in that which he is not led unto by the Spirit of truth, and the persuasions of his own conscience; and what evil or detriment can it be to you or your worship, to leave us to our persuasions; you yourselves having the same liberty we desire: Now be cool in your spirits a while, and lay aside your carnal adjoins & prisons; bring all to the touchstone, to the balance of the sanctuary, truth will sose nothing by trial, and that which is able to stand in the Light, in the fire, in the balance to be tried, let it come out, let it stand and continue, and be owned for truth for ever; and what cannot stand, let it be condemned, burnt up, and cast out for ever; so the controversy between us and you will be decided,( as betwen Elijah and Baals priests) and the contention will cease, without banishing our persons, or spilling of blood; which if ye do, ye will have no cause to repent of this.  
And this I leave with you for a testimony ' ere I conclude, that if they leave not off to usurp Gods throne, and take away his prerogative, and leave the Lord alone to guide and direct in his own. Worship, who manifests unto all what be requires of them, verily he will come against you as a lion, and deal with you as traytors to his own dignity, and leave you for an everlasting reproach to all generations: Therefore be wise, O ye Kings and Rulers of the Earth, harken unto the voice of the Lord, and come out of Babylon( her fall is nigh at hand) that ye be not partakers of her sins, lest ye partake of her plagues.  
THE END.