ALL THE PROCEED AT THE SESSIONS Of the Peace holden at Westminster, on the 20. day of june, 1651. against Thomas Tydford, Elizabeth Sorrell the Elder, Margaret Dunlape, Anne Burley, Frances Bedwell, Elizabeth Sorrell the Younger, and Thomas Kearby.  
Together, with their several Examinations and Behaviours before the Justices, and the Petition of six of them, as also their Recantation; with the sentence and punishment of Thomas Kearby, for his blasphemous impiety, and wilful obstinacy.  
To which is added a Postscript, to deter all men to avoid such horrid blasphemies.  

This is perused (and thought fit to be published) by divers of the Justices of the Peace within the City and Liberty of Westminster, for satisfaction of the Public.  
July 22. 1651. E. H.   
LONDON, Printed by Thomas Harper, 1651.   


The Examination of Thomas Tydford Elizabeth Sorrell the elder, Margaret Dunlape, Anne Burley, Frances Bedwell, Elizabeth Sorrell the younger, & Thomas Kearby, etc.  
THomas Tydford being asked where John Robins, alias Roberts dwelleth, he saith he knoweth not, nor what trade he is of, but he doth believe that the said Robins, alias Roberts, is the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and saith that the wife of the said Robins, alias Roberts, shall bring forth a man child that shall be the Saviour of all that shall be saved in this world; he affirmeth further, that Cain who slew his brother Abel is the third Person of the Trinity, and that those that deny it, deny their own salvation; he saith further, that the said John Robins, alias Roberts, hath power to raise the dead.  
The mark of M Thomas Tydford. Exam. by Laurence Whitaker.  
All the above named Examinants' agree with Thomas Tydford, and affirm the same, and put thereto their hands at the same time.  


The mark M of Margaret Dunlape.  
Anne Burley.  
Thomas Kearby.  
Elizabeth Sorrell signior, ❀ her mark.  
Elizabeth Sorrell junior, her ‖ mark.    
Frances Bedwell, she believes it by signs that she hath seen done by him the said Robins, alias Roberts, (viz.) by striking a woman dead, and raising her again.  
Frances + Bedwell her mark.   
Upon their Examination and Confession of those damnable errors and blasphemies aforesaid, they were all committed to prison without bail or mainprize until the next General Sessions of the Peace for the City and Liberty of Westminster to be holden the 20. day of June, than next following, and then to receive their trial for the said blasphemies: but in the mean time they sent this ensuing petition to Mr. Whitaker, only Thomas Kearby remained still obstinate in his blasphemous way, and would not join with the Petitioners therein.  

To the Right Worshipful, Laurence Whitaker, Esquire, one of the Justices of the Peace for the City, and Liberty of Westminster.  
The humble Petition of Thomas Tydford, Anne Burley, Elizabeth Sorrell, and her daughter Elizabeth Sorrell, Margaret Dunlape, and Frances Bedwell.  
Sheweth:  
THat your poor Petitioners having through their own folly and weakness been wickedly and shrewdly seduced, and led aside into most dangerous and damnable errors even to blaspheme against God himself thorough the wicked craft, policy, and delusions of the Devil, and that wicked Wretch John Robins, and the rest of his wicked Confederates; but the Lord our God who is rich in grace and mercy to those his poor creatures who are seduced by Satan and his wicked instruments, hath showed great grace and mercy to the souls of your Petitioners, convincing them by his own spirit, by his blessed word of truth, 2. Thes. 2.3.4.9. and 10. verses, that the said John Robins, alias Roberts, and the rest of his wicked Confederates are such that are led aside by the spirit of the Devil, and made use of by him to lead aside poor silly women and others into most damnable errors and blasphemy against God, after the manner and working of Satan, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, whereby we your poor Petitioners have been also seduced, for which they are much grieved and repent from their very hearts for all their folly and wickedness, humbly begging mercy and grace from our God, and desire to be throughly humbled before him for our great wickedness herein.  
And do humbly crave pardon for our offences done against your Worship, and the Laws of this Commonwealth by our folly and wickedness, and as the Lord hath now showed mercy to our souls by opening our eyes to see our sins and errors herein; we believe and humbly beseech your Worship to show grace and mercy to our poor bodies that lie in great misery and want, having given all that we had to those vild wretches, out of conscience to God, and they having now forsaken us, who were before all maintained from one common stock and treasury.  
Therefore your Petitioners humble request to your Worship, is, that we may be set at liberty without bail, because we have no friends or acquaintance here in the City, but are all in the Country, because our abode was formerly there, and that we may be freed from paying fees to the Keeper of the Prison, we being very poor, and want money to buy us bread.  
And we shall ever pray, etc. 

Anne Burley.  
Thomas Tydford.  
Frances Bedwell.  
Elizabeth Sorrell the elder.  
Elizabeth Sorrell the younger.  
Margaret Dunlape,     
After the delivery of this Petition to the right Worshipful Laurence Whitaker, one of the Justices of the Peace for the City and Liberty aforesaid (viz.) upon the 15. day of June, Anno Domini, 1651. the Petitioners being brought, and before him they owned this foregoing Petition to be made by their earnest desire, being convinced, declared their hearty sorrow for holding the foresaid blasphemous and erroneous opinions, and their great offences committed against God, and the Laws of this Commonwealth, and in token thereof gave in then this Recantation, as it follows verbatim.  

The Recantation of Thomas Tydford, Frances Bedwell, Anne Burley, Elizabeth Sorrell the elder, Elizabeth Sorrell the younger, and Margaret Dunlape, taken by Laurence Whitaker Esquire, on the 13. day of june, 1651.  
WHereas we whose names are subscribed, did before the right Worshipful Laurence Whitaker Esquire, one of the Justices of Peace for the County of Middlesex, and Liberty of Westminster, aver and maintain that one John Robins, alias Roberts, is the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and that the child that is now in the womb of the said Robins, alias Robert's wife, is the Saviour of all that shall be saved in this world, and likewise that Cain who slew his brother Abel is the third Person of the Trinity, and those that deny it deny their own salvation; and that the said John Robins, alias Roberts, hath power to raise the dead, all which abovesaid opinions we do now through God's infinite mercy to us, confess and acknowledge to be erroneous, damnable, and blasphemous, and hereby do fully and absolutely renounce and disclaim them: In testimony whereof we have hereunto ser our hands this thirteenth day of June, 1651.  


Thomas Tydford.  
Frances Bedwell.  
Anne Burley.  
Elizabeth Sorrell the elder.  
Elizabeth Sorrell the younger.  
Margaret Dunlape.     
Upon this Petition, Submission, and Recantation, Mr. Whitaker did take bail for their appearance at the Sessions following, viz. the 20. of June last, where they appeared, and humbly prayed the mercy of the Court, acknowledged their former tenants specified in the Examinations aforesaid, and their Petition and Recantation to be made by their special direction, being convinced as in their Petition is specified: The Court then demanded the grounds & reasons for their former opinions, of which they said they could give no reason, but only the persuasions and reports of Robins, which they believed, and God having justly for their former wickedness left them to themselves, were brought in, and seduced by the policy of the Devil, who will let slip no opportunity to advance his Kingdom; upon this they were ordered to send for good bail to appear at the next Sessions, and to be of the good behaviour in the mean time, and so putting in bail, and paying their fees were dismissed.  
Then was Kearby called, who came before the Court like a mad man, reviled the Court, and cursed them, but being afterward more temperate, acknowledged himself to be a sober rational man, he was examined upon every particular branch of his former Examination, which he refused to deny, whereupon the Court made this ensuing Order.  

At the General Sessions of the Public Peace holden for the City and Liberty of Westminster upon Friday the 20. day of June, 1651. before Thomas Latham and John Hooker Esquires, and others the Justices assigned to keep the public Peace in the said City and Liberty, and also, etc.  
FOrasmuch as Thomas Kearby hath upon his Examination taken before Laurence Whitaker Esquire, confessed that he doth believe that John Robins, alias Roberts, is the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and the said Kearby said that the wife of the said Robins, alias Roberts, shall bring forth a man child that shall be the Saviour of all that shall be saved in this World; he affirmed further, that Cain who slew his brother Abel, is the third Person of the Trinity, and that those that deny it, deny their own salvation; he said further, that the said Robins, alias Roberts, hath power to raise the dead, all which is most blaspheamous, and against the honour of God, and against an Act of this present Parliament in this case lately made and provided. It is now therefore ordered that the said Thomas Kearby (who was brought to the Bar and charged there with the offences aforesaid, who refused to deny the same, and carried himself uncivilly in the face of the Court, and cursed and reviled the Justices in open Court) be removed from hence to the Gatehouse prison, from whence he was brought, and shall be immediately removed from thence to the house of Corection for the said City and Liberty, there to remain for the space of six months without bail or mainprize, according to the direction of the said late Act: and the Keeper of the said house of Correction is hereby strictly required to set the said Thomas Kearby to hard labour, and to give him corporal punishment as occasion requireth.  
Examined by John Watson, Deputy to the Clerk of the Peace.    

Postscript.  
IT is a Maxim among Scholars, contra Principem non est disputandum; ergo, there is no arguing with Robins by Scripture, since in acknowledging himself to be God, he must needs deny the Author of the Scriptures; he is a God he says, but shows no Miracles to confirm his Godhood, hath none of mankind, (but blasphemers) nor any of the creatures at his extraordinary command, cannot open the Prison doors, procure his own liberty, or followers from restraint, nor make so much as one poor silly Worm, or do any thing at all extraordinary, more than blaspheme God in an unheard of manner.  
Zeno the Philosopher observed much that Blasphemers and Atheists at their deaths would then ask God and the World forgiveness, this he said confirmed him more in the belief of a Deity, than the Disputes of all the Philosophers in the World.  
And I am confident, who ever sees Robins but at his death, will find his mind altered, or whoever is in his company at any time, when the Lord of Host shall thunder from Heaven, will soon perceive his Mortality, which will not consist with Divinity, and understand his fear as well as know his blasphemy: Caius Caligula that wicked Emperor, who made acount no other to be God but himself, yet when he heard the Almighty thunder, and saw the lightning, he would cover his head, and hid himself under his bed for fear; whence should this come, but out of a conscience and for fear of God, which he had dishonoured? nor did God suffer him to live long on earth unpunished for his blasphemies, for shortly after he was slain by his own servants. Alexander's usurping the name of a God was no pleasure to him at his death, he was then forced to confess his mortality, and so you may be sure will Roberts before he depart this life, and his Disciples will find another manner of God than he. I have read of one Hanno who taught Birds to sing Hanno is a God, and then let them lose in the Air, and wherever they came they cried Hanno is a God; as also Mahomet with his Pigeon which he made so tractable as to pick Wheat out of his ear, and persuaded the people 'twas the Holy Ghost; here was some show of a Miracle, but this fellow will outface us without a Card of ten, a mere nothing.  
What can be more derogatory to the alsufficiency of Christ's sufferings, then to maintain there must another Saviour come to fill up what he could not perform? If any such had been to come, doubtless our Saviour would have foretold it, he would not among the other things he told us of, have left out so material a matter; he tells us of false Prophets, but of no more Saviour's: But if Robin's Heir, I say if his son prove a daughter, sure his few Disciples will then leave him.  
What can be more blasphemous, and more derogatory to the Holy Trinity, then to affirm himself God the Father, his Brat (in posse) the Saviour of all that shall be saved in this World, and (his Brother) Cain (without God's great mercy) the third Person in the Holy Trinity? His conscience in all this must needs give his tongue the lie, and except God give him a repenting heart, he may be assured his sin is no less than that against the Holy Ghost, which shall never be forgiven in this world, nor in the world to come: however it cannot come far short of it; and let men take heed how they run into such sins, for upon such offences God is not easily appeased.  
What a patched Trinity doth he produce? viz. Himself, his son, and Cain, (brother Vagabonds) who in stead of reigning together as Gods in Heaven, without God give him (I mean Roberts) unfeigned repentance, may enjoy one another's company in the black Abyss for evermore.  
If he have power to raise the dead, there is work enough not far off to try his skill; here are good store of Churches and Churchyards about the City, and upon which he may make experiment; or of those that are going there to be interred. But I have heard one of his Disciples lately say, that Robins is Moses, and a Prophet sent from God to redeem and bring home the Jews, and all the people of God that belong unto him, to the true worship of God: Whereunto I shall say, we cannot believe matters of so great consequence, upon bare words; for we must prove the spirits if they are of God. And Matt. 11.13. All the Prophets prophesied until John, and after him we read of no more that are to come, but false ones; except ye take the Orthodox Ministers of the Gospel for Prophets, which if so, it will not be denied.  
Besides, Christ nor his Apostles have in any place in sacred Writ foretold of any extraordinary Prophet; Christ, Moses, and Elias are already come, and we must look for them no more till they come in the Clouds to judge the Earth, and to execute vengeance upon those that know not God, or deny him: I say we cannot justify the receiving of thy opinions, unless thou bring clear Scripture Texts to confirm them, the Disciples would not receive a Paul before Barnabas had testified of him, Acts 9.26.27.  
If thou art a Prophet, prove thy Authority as Moses to Israel and Pharaoh, and as our Saviour did to John, when he sent to him to know of him, if it were he that were come, or was he to look for another; Christ bade them tell John what things they had heard and seen (viz.) the blind see, the lame go, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the poor receive the Gospel (are not taught to blaspheme it.) Christ used these tokens to answer John, because we should not hazard eternal happiness in believing every one that says he is God, Christ, Elias, or a Prophet, for what ever was written before time was written for our learning: And when Roberts can bring all these signs, we shall say more to him. And we have an express command, that if an Angel from Heaven teach us any thing dissonant to the word of God, believe him not: And let all that can hear or read the Scriptures, judge of the vast contrarieties betwixt Robin's Tenants and them; 'tis as much difference as betwixt Heaven and Hell, light and darkness, truth and falsehood.  
I have heard also the said Disciple give out, that Robin's either hath, or shall have power to divide the Sea as Moses, and pass over on dry Land: the Thames is near, he may do well to try experiments there first.   
FINIS.