A WARNING TO THE RULERS in SURREY, etc. WITH A true Relation of some of the Passages at Kingston Sessions, set forth for the prevention of false Reports.  
Upon the 9th. day of the 8th. Month 1662. at the Quarter Sessions at Kingston up Thames, many of the Lords people (called Quakers, with others) being brought thither to be tried were Innocently attending the Court for justice; and some of them seeing the unequal and Illeagal proceed of the Court, were exceedingly burdened and oppressed, so that they could not forbear, but in the zeal of God cried against their perverting, and deferring of Justice and Judgement, contrary to Law, Equity and pure Reason, which is, or aught to be the very ground and foundation of the Substance of all National Laws which are or aught to be made for no other end, but for suppressing of Vice, wickedness & unrighteousness; & for the kerbing & punishment of Evil doers as saith the Scripture of truth, The Law is not made for the Righteous but for Sinners etc. So that it is clearly evident that the end of the Law is for the cutting down of Sin, & transgression, and not for punishing of Innocent harm less people, as it is to much used, and executed at this day in many places, to the sadning the hearts of many thousands of sober godly people; who fees and perfectly discerns, that Justice is perverted, and Judgement is turned backward; the edge of the sword of Justice is now turned against the Innocent, and such as truly fear God, with which they seek to cut down truth and Righteousness where ever it doth appear; and in the defence of the unrighreous Generation, who at this day go on in their exceeding gross Abomination, as it they were Licenced by Superior powers, but to the grief of many sincere hearted it is seen to be to much tolerated, that it cannot be avoided, but undouboedly the severe Judgements of the Righteous God must shortly be manifested to the final dissolation of such as are the cause of these things, without speedy Conversion, therefore it is full time for all the wicked to Repent, and cease from their cruelty and oppression, before the day of destruction come, which hasteneth, and cannot be avoided without humility and true unfeigned Repentance: for this I say in a clear and true discerning in the zeal of God's Glory, that the almerciful God of Justice is Angry with the unrighteous proceed of the heads of this Nation; And his wrath is kindled as a mighty flame against the abominations of the times, which will burn and Consume the wicked, who are as Stubble and Chaff before the fire; so that I say it is now full time to Repent least the day determined, for the Consumption of the wicked come upon you, as a Thief in the night, as it came upon them which God overturned before you: and you be cut off in the height of your Iniquity, and so perish Eternally; but the Lord knows my heart, that I desire not the destruction of any man's person, but rather the Conversion the whole Creation of mankind; neither doth the compassionate God of bowels of infinite mercies desire the death or destruction of any, but had rather all would turn from the evil of their ways, to find mercy and live; so that Wisdom concludeth that every man's destruction is of himself, that he alone is the very cause of it, and not the Lord whose mercies are over all his works; so that if you harken not to the Counsel of the most High, and speedily repent and amend your Lives, you shall certainly know that your destruction is of yourselves; as Israel's was, who rebelled against the Lord and refused to hear his voice, and kicked against his reproof; and despised his Servants and Messengers, as ye have done and do at this day; Oh that you would hear the Lord and answer his call, that ye might live and find mercy; this is the worst my Soul desires for you: Oh make not lies your Refuge as the Wicked have done in all Ages; cast not that from you upon others, which truly and properly belongs unto you, lest you further provoke the Lord, do not accuse an Innocent people with Acts of Violence, who cannot lift up a hand against any man in Anger for a thousand words; have not we been a suffering people ever since God raised us, when we have been beaten and abused, we have not resisted when we have been by unmerciful people smitten on the one cheek, have not we turned the other, let the witness of Truth in all your Consciences answer; can you stand clear in the sight of God and Just men; if you unjustly accuse a suffering people, with that which you are guilty of yourselves? will not the patiented Innocent sufferings of the Lords people stand as a living Testimony against you, for ever, if you should cast any aspersions upon such as cannot lift up a hand against any man; cannot in any wise render evil for evil to any man; now if you do go about to cover your unequal proceed against the Innocent, with your Acts of Violence, and false aspersions, you shall know that our God will right us and clear our Innocency, to the shame and confusion in the end: And now I shall appeal to the Witness of God in you, and in all others who took a Real & true view of your proceed at Kingston Sessions, was not you the Original cause of the Tumult and uproar in the Court; you who are in Commission for the Ministration of Justice; did not you defer Justice, which the Law saith is a denial of Justice, and was not that the very cause that made the oppressed cry aloud for Justice, which you could not endure to hear; which you should have appeased doing Justice, and executing true Judgement, without deferring or perverting; consider would not this have kept all spirits down quiet and peaceable which you neglected; better then all your acts of violence; And did not your setting on the under Sheriff with the Bailiffs & Officers to clear the Court cause the outcry that was made? Let the truth in you answer; was ever the like heard of, that the Bench should set the Sheriff on work to drive out by force and violence, Prisoners attending for Justice; is not this a shame to Authority, to see, hear of, and allow such things; what need was there for sending for aid and assistance, when there was not a hand lift up against you; And did not those which came with Guns, Clubs and Staves, with the Sheriff and Bailiffs and other Officers make the uproar, was it not them with the Rude Multitude which made the great out cry, and noise, who with fury and violence fo●st the Prisoners out of the Court, beating & abusing of the Innocent, who cried aloud only for Justice; but instead of answering the cry of the oppressed by doing Justice, caused them to be grossly abused, some being pulled down from their places (where they were waiting in expectation to be called to Trial, who was brought thither on purpose to be Tried) and some their Coats rend in pieces, and others thrown down the stairs with violence to the endangering of their Lives and is not this your own do which is contrary to good order & Government, will not this be too short & too narrow a Covering for to hid your Illegal proceed againsft the Innocent nay, will it not render you odious in the sight of God, and Just men, who sees through and over all such things; I was an eye witness of these things, and saw clearly the very ground and only cause of the Tumult and uproar in the Court; And I cannot but in the name and fear of God declare it, and publish abroad for the prevention of false Intelligence, that the Innocent may be cleared from all such things, which indeed and in truth, we are clear from in the sight of God in whose sight we stand Justified as to that particular, what ever may be charged against us, or laid upon us, for this I assert with perfect & true knowledge, that if the Sheriff had kept his place, & the Bench not deferred but executed Justice & Judgement according to righteousness there had been no Tumult, nor outcry, or uproar at all in the Court, for these things specified was the very ground & Original cause of it; and truly these things gives an ill savour to the Country, to suffer Innocent men (attending for Justice) to be beaten, & grossly abused, and their  rend in their presence, even in the face of the Court Oh what a dishonour is this to the King and Supreme Authority in this Nation, that such men as these should be in Authority to cause the Innocent thus to suffer, by deferring Justice and Judgement: Should not the Ministers of the Law inform the Ignorant, and not seek to Ensnare and Entangle them, is it not the place of a Minister to open the Law, and to Instruct such as are Ignorant; and should not Justice be Ministered without delay, and not put men off by deferring the time upon pretended excuses; should not such be cleared in open Court, by Proclamation; who have none come against them to accuse them, and should not the Accuser be brought to the Bar before the Accused, and so have a Trial and quit, or know his punishment, Read and answer these things in the Line of Truth and Righteousness, and then you may see whether you stand clear or no, in your late proceed before the Lord and such as fear him; doth not your own Law condemn you for the neglect of these things; And instead of bringing men to a Trial without delay who desire Justice; did you not put them off, and seek to Entangle them with Bonds & Covenants, & would have had such as suffered divers Weeks close Imprisonment, to have given Bond for their future appearance, at the next Sessions, when you know it is contrary to our principles and ordinary practice; so that it is clearly seen, that you seek to Ensnare us, and keep us in Bonds and not do us Justice as the Law requires, which ye must answer for at the Righteous Tribunal before the great Judge of Heaven and Earth, from whom you cannot hid yourselves: Oh Horrible will not these gross Abominations hasten Gods Judgements, let the Truth in all heart's Judge; although you in Authority shut your Ears against the cry of the oppressed, (who are bound by the Law of Truth in their own hearts, to perform their Covenants and Promises) and though you will not hear nor relieve them, yet know this in truth the Ear of the God of Judgement is open, and he will hear and answer the Cries and Groans of the afflicted and will plead our Cause against all our oppressors, and our Enemies shall be rewarded according to their Works, and ye shall not escape his hand who refuse to do Justice, and oppress the Innocent; For the same measure you meet withal, shall be measured to you again; saith the God of Equity.  
By a Lover of justice and judgement who waits to see Truth and Righteousness Reign and flourish in this Island, and at present a sufferer in Innocency for the Testimony of jesus. John Harwood. White Lion Prison in Southwark this 22d. day of the 8th. Month 1662.   
THE END.  

Printed for Thee 1662.