from his devouring Lips And as for any other thing in his Paper it is not worth answering to nor worth minding but his wickedness will turn upon his own head and he shall bear the burthen of his own words onely he queries whether this be not the Pestilence that walks in Darkness And the Flouds that the Dragon hath cast out of his Mouth to drown the Woman Is not this the mark of the Beast who opened his Mouth in Blasphemy And are not these the Unclean Spirits that came out of the Mouth of the Dragon and out of the Mouth of the false Prophet Answ. Now the Pestilence that walks in Darkness is the Plague that is out of the Light Sin and Death and Misery which smites the Ungodly and he sees it not And the Floods which the Dragon cast out is the Floods of Persecution and Cruelty viz. The imprisoning until death and spoiling peoples Goods for Tythes and Money as the Priests have done And the Dragon gave power to the Beast that compell'd all to worship and that carried the Whore the false church and the true Church has bin fled into the Wilderness for many Generations and the false church the Whore has sate as a Queen and given her cup to drink the false church of Rome and the false church of the Protestants all which are of the Whore these have all been carried by the Beast which the Dragon gave his power to and they have all persecuted the Woman the true Church the Mark of the Beast he compell'd people to receive compell'd them to worship and they open their mouthes in Blasphemy that deny Christ and deny the Light and that say they are Iews and are not this is Error and Blasphemy which the Beast opens his mouth in against the Saints and against them that dwell in Heaven and the unclean spirits are the spirits of Devils that are out of the Truth and these the Dragon casts our in Slanders and Reproaches and Lyes such as this Author has done and of that Generation is he Christ said False Prophets should come and Iohn saw in his dayes they were come and he saw the world gone after them of that Generation are you and now the Lord is gathering people from you again and Babylon must fall and all her Merchants howl and weep and these things have been which the Scripture speaks of the Woman is now coming out of the Wilderness again and the Whore must be rewarded and sorrow is coming upon her as she has done unto the Saints so shall the Saints do unto her And in the Conclusion he saith Worthy Sir to this Member of Parliament it will be your Honour to stand in the Gap to stop the violence of this Hellish Torrent that is so high that it sounds from Dan to Beersheba and threatens Iudgment to our Israel c. Answ. Here is the Conclusion of thy matter which is the sum of it a running to the Powers of the Earth for help what have you Ministers lost the Lord to be your strength that you must flee for help to men to defend you from the Spirit of God in his People Must they make Laws to establish you and set you up Is not this the Whore that road upon the Beast and that the Beast carries Is not here a Description of her out of the mouth of this Author Is he crying to you to persecute the Innocent It is true the Seed of God is risen the Elect Seed that is able to make War against the Beast and against the false Prophets even with the Word of the Lord and is he offended that Truth is risen so high and would he have some Fire and Faggot again in Smithfield and some Persecution and Banishment acted upon the People of God Is this the standing in the Gap and stopping Violence or would he have it done this way Yea Judgments indeed are threatned to your Generation for if God will not destroy you soon enough you will destroy your selves and your own Iniquity will be upon you and the wickedness of the Wicked shall slay him But my Counsel is not only to that particular Member but to the whole Body of them That they be wise and take heed what they do for the Eye of the Lord is over you and his Hand can dash you in pieces and if you be Oppressors of the People of God and will not relieve the Oppressed the Innocent and break the Bonds of Oppression the Lord will break you in pieces for this is the Rock that hath broken all before you Persecuting people for Conscience sake and if you go in this way your Destruction shall be the most lamentable of any that was ever yet before you Do you not yet see the Wickedness of this Generation will you yet contend for them Surely you might learn Wisdom even by their Folly and if you do not shut your eyes there needs no more discovery then their own present wayes and works Wherefore consider the Day of God's Visitation is upon you make good use of your time lest the Lord breaks you down and never build you up and let the Spirit of the Lord have its Liberty and limit it not for if you do you shall never prosper nor never be made a Blessing unto the people under your Charge Remember you are warned by a Lover of your Souls ANd Friends Great Things hath the Lord done in these Nations in your dayes and that by the Face of your Authority and there has a Spirit stirred in some of you and in the Army which the Lord hath appear'd with and yet the Work of the Lord is not finished but greater things then these hath the Lord to accomplish amongst us and in this Nation and these things that have come to pass have been but as the preparing of the way for the bringing about of greater things It is true many Mountains have been removed and some Oppressions taken off and excellent things have bin promised and doubtless by some of you really intended but alas the Work hath long remain'd unfinished and many of your best Friends are almost weary with waiting to receive the end of their Hopes and Desires and many are even fainting concerning the Good Old Cause though of late it hath seem'd to be revived by you yet it goes but easily forwards and even so little is its growth since your late Meeting that many are thinking themselves to be in a deceiv'd condition by you Why They see that wicked Clergy's Interest more prospering then the just Freedom of the People And this I say unto you in the Name of the Lord That while that Interest of this false Priesthood I mean is so much favoured and defended you can never prosper nor the Nations be ever happy under you for it is one of the greatest Oppressions this day in the Nation the maintaining and upholding of this Ministry by Tythes and other unrighteous Wages and the
till this time and at this opertunity of going to Dunkirk not having any knowledge outwardly what their Wayes and Practices were not having any knowledge I say by my sight and particular hearing concerning them without me otherwise then what the Spirit of the Lord within me did make manifest Though from a Child the Spirit of the Lord in me hath abhorred Popery and all that which savours of it But now having been an eye and ear Witness in a little measure of their Practices and Doctrines this I have to say to them and all men Blindness and Ignorance covers them as with a Mantle and they are wrapped up in the body of Darkness and gross Darkness they do dwell in and all their Wayes and Worships are but the Works of Darkness which they are led on in by the false feigned spirit of Imagination from one Generation to another being exercised therein And the sense of the Spirit of Life they have not but have wholly lost it and they know nothing at all of the Leading of it nor of its Teaching This they hiss at as a thing of nought when it is spoken of to them They have even sold themselves into the Land of Ignorance and Blindness and they hate to be reformed they are settled upon a false Foundation even the Traditions of men which the Lord will break down and their whole Building will fall And when I consider how thousands and ten thousands lie in the Captivity of Blindness and Darkness under them my Heart is rent for them upon the consideration how they are led in Darkness and Blindness and how they rest in a false confidence which will destroy their Souls and the Blood of many rests upon the heads of them that leadeth them for they that lead them cause them to err and the Blood of Souls will be required at their hands And as for the Poor and common Sort of them there is a pitâ—y in me for them because they are led by the Blind and are out of the Way but as for the Priests and Iesuites and Clergy men they are to be cut off with the edge of the Sword of the Lord God and the Wo is unto them and no Pitty because they cause the People to err and keep the People in Ignorance and Blindness under their false and unrighteous Wayes and Worships And this I know The Word of the Lord is gone forth against the whole Body of the Romish-Church from the Head to the Tail of them will God plead with them the time is at hand and his Eye shall not pitty neither shall his Hand spare to punish them The Decree of the Lord is sealed and he will take Vengeance upon their Unrighteous Laws which binds the Consciences of People and limits the Spirit of the holy One their Unrighteous Ecclesiastical Laws I mean under which is defended all manner of Idolatry and they compel people to be Idolaters by a Law and whereby they drink the Blood of the Saints and of the Martyrs But the Lord will take Vengeance upon them and disanul their Covenants and Decrees and his Spirit shall not be limitted but shall rend them to pieces even their Laws and Cruelties and Inquisitions by which they are defended and their Religion upheld in the World and whereby they kill the Just and murder the Innocent that are better then they for the fulness of time is come and all these shall be tumbled down for their unjust Laws and Inquisitions are the main strength and Pillars of their Church whereby their Church and Worship doth stand and if they had not these cruel Laws and Inquisitions to defend themselves by in their Religion they would be soon prevailed against for they have nothing of the Spirit and Authority of God to stand in nor to fight with against such as do oppose them but their Weapons are Carnal and Devilish and by Murders Oppressions and Tyrannies they do defend themselves and when these things are broken down then their Church cannot stand long And as sure as the Lord lives so shall it come to pass a Generation shall accomplish it and in the Generation of the Righteous Seed it shall be finished their Laws shall be broken down and Murders avenged and their weakness shall then appear and their Whoredoms and Idolatries and all their Abominations shall be made naked and uncovered and judged by the Lamb and them that follow him whom he will gather to fight his Battel And if the People were but sensible hereof as in measure I am through the Zeal of the Lord it would raise up the Spirit of zeal in them all to seek vengeance and the overthrow of all their unrighteous Laws and Inquisitions and Murders which keeps people in Darkness and Ignorance and kills the Just that the Creatures may be saved and Tyranny condemned And when once the Lord doth but reach forth his Arm then shall People be awakened to mind what I now say Who would spare their own lives for the accomplishing of such a Work that the Spirit of the Lord may have liberty and that which limits it may be dashed to pieces and that the Earth may be set at liberty and all Europe made free from the Cruelties and Tyrannies of Antichrist and of the Whore And to all you Papists I say and to all the Body of the Church of Rome prepare prepare for the Lord God is coming up against you in his dreadful Power his Word of eternal Judgemnt is gone forth and his Vials are full of Wrath to be poured forth and he will be avenged upon your Tyrannies and Murders and unequal Laws and subdue them before him And his Dread shall fall upon your Consciences ye that are Idolaters Hypocrites Ignorant wretches wilful Persons and Bond-slaves of Satan the Plagues of God and the Wrath of the Lamb shall reach unto your high Throne Repent repent for the Lord's Wrath is kindled against you and if there be any among you that feareth the Lord let him deliver his own Soul by turning from your Abominations least the Lord come upon you and destroy you altogether Give up your Inquisitions give up your unjust Laws and cease to murther the Innocent and torment the Righteous I demand this of you on the Lord's behalf Vex not the Lord any longer for his Patience is turned into Anger against you and his Long-suffering will become Fury to devour you And no little service we had in Dunkirk among our English Army divers Meetings we had in the Town and declared the Message of Salvation And I must commend the spirit of our English men for moderation more then the men of any other Nation and I did many times clear my Conscience among them both as they were men Sons of Adam and in relation to an eternal State did direct them to the Way of Happiness out of Sin and Wickedness that they might come to God preaching the everlasting Gospel that as they were Sons of Adam in
behold his Invisibility Who can reach his endless Beeing He filleth Heaven and Earth and of his Fulness every Creature in Heaven and Earth receiveth and by him doth subsist though it is only given unto Man-kinde to behold and perceive of him it is only his Gift unto his Saints that fear him to understand of his Wayes and in us he hath opened of his Fulness and Treasure even in our Hearts and the divine Mystery of this Infinite God is revealed and discovered in the Hearts of the Sons of Men whom he hath chosen and he hath given us to enjoy and possess in us a Measure of that fulness that is in himself even a Measure of the same Love and â—ife of the same Mercy and Power and of the same divine Nature and a Measure of the same heavenly quality and property which is in him in all fulness dwelleth in us his Saints by measure even in all that are born of him in whom the Immortal Birth is brought forth which is of his own nature and is Immortal Spiritual Holy Meek Merciful even as the Father for the quality of him that hath begotten is in us that are begotten of him we bear his Image and are of the Father Partakers of his Substance Immortal and Infinite and are one with him in Nature and Fellowship and perfect through him that dwells in us and hath changed us into his likeness these things ye know if ye be born from above and if the Immortal Birth live in you and you be constant in the Faith then are you Heirs through it of the everlasting Inheritance of eternal Life and already have received the Earnest and Assurance thereof and all are yours because you are Christ's and he is God's and you have the Father and the Son And this Life and Immortality is brought forth in us and Infiniteness it self dwells with us and eternity possesseth us and Fulness it self is shed abroad â—n our Hearts and we have the Treasure of Life of Wisdom of Knowledge and of divine Fulness in our Tabernacles of Clay which also are sanctified by his Word and Power to be fit Habitations for the eternal God to dwell in And oh what love is this with which we are beloved by him Oh what Mercy is this of which we partake from him Who are become the Sons of God and Children of the most High in whose earthen Vessels dwells Immortallity and Life and Infinite Substance being gathered into his Shepherds Fold of defence where we have Immortal Food and are established on the holy Mountain where nothing can destroy and are at rest and peace and under the shadow of the Rock of Ages that Hell nor Death nor wrath of Man can terrifie Oh what Eye hath seen this what Ear hath heard it and what Heart hath perceived it and not admired the loving-kindness of the Lord who among you are Witnesses of this that sayes not great and Infinite is the Lord and Immeasurable in Mercy and Truth and Righteousness Oh Friends if you know these things and if ye receive daily of this Fulness and if the Measure of that Immortal Life be risen in you and hath raised up you with it self into its own fulness which once was descended out of its own fulness of eternal Rest and Strength and was manifest in its Measure in poverty and weakness in your Hearts in the feeling of Afflictions and Wrath because of Sin but it descended to suffer all and to bear Transgression that you might be raised with it into its Life and Glory and Fulness and if this be finished and effected in you Oh then how shall you not live to his Glory and Praise in your Generation and in Love and Peace and Unity with himsel and one with another and magnifie him in Soul and Spirit that hath called you and chosen you and now works all your works in you and for you and you live by him because he lives in you But though it is thus that some are entred into the Rest and have received of his fulness and have the Testimony of Life and Assurance in the Father and are risen with Christ yet are you and we and all the Children of the Father so set and placed in this Creation as that there is an Enemy to be ruled over and also a service to be fulfilled by us for the Lord that hath chosen us and therefore watchfulness and faithfulness is required from us and unto this I cannot but exhort you all even to walk in the Fear of the Lord in watchfulness and faithfulness in Humility and Meekness in Truth and Justice and in every good thing and that you fulfill the Will of the Lord in all things whatsoever the Motions of his own Life draws you unto that every Member of his Infinite Body which is highly exalted at his right Hand may be preserved in dominion over Sin and Death and also may shew forth the Honour and Glory and Praise of him who is the Head even Christ whose vertue hath an ointed every Member and is shed abroad through the whole Body I say Friends of every Member is required the duty and service thereunto partaining according as it is placed of him that the Treasure of Life may shew forth its vertue in one manner or another through you all in all well-doing to the glory of him who is God above all and that in the sight of your Enemies whom you know watches for evil and would rejoyce in any occasion against you that they might speak evil of the Lord because of you you may walk without offence in the answer of a good Conscience and if you walk as such as are the Lord's you will cut off all occasions from them that seek it and they will be confounded and you preserved in the blessedness and peace everlasting and you will grow in Immortallity and into the knowledge and fulness thereof more and more till you know the Father even as you are known of him And be not unmindful of the Word of the Lord which begat you which first entred into your Hearts and wrought mightily in you to the wounding and destroying of Death and Enmity and remember the Travel of the dayes past and the Indignation which once you felt because of Sin through the Word of God and the Word endures for ever of which you are begotten and if any appearance of Iniquity or motion thereunto arise in you into desire to be fulfilled the Word will quench it and give you dominion over Sin and Death and save you from the effects thereof for the Word changes not but is the same alwayes but if man change and pervert his Way into Iniquity it reproves and corrects and so delivers him for this Word keeps clean the Heart and it sanctifies and also keeps in subjection the mortal man with all his thoughts desires and actions and destroyes the Man of Sin the sinful Man by whom the whole Creation hath been corrupted and
shall conquer by the sword of the Lord which the Lord hath put into their hands over Countries and Dominions For O Nation the Lord is with them and thy unjust Rulers and Officers cannot hurt them not a hair of their heads shall perish without my heavenly Father It is for a testimony of their Fathers love to them that they suffer shame and reproach and some of them imprisonment by the unjust Rulers and for a witness against them that some of them are brought before them the Lord is chusing the weak things of this World and he is making manifest his Counsels to Babes and revealing his Counsel and eternal Truth to Children and keeps his hidden Treasures from the eyes of the Wise and vulturous ones Praises praises be to him for evermore For the Lion of Judah is opening and hath opened the Sealed Book let all his Saints rejoyce for evermore This is the day of thy Visitation O Nation wherein the Lord speaks to thee by the mouth of his Servants in word and writing therefore return to the Lord thy God from whence thou art fallen Now will the Lord gather his Jewels and Chosen ones out of thee and will raise up the dead which lies slain under thy Teachers and Pharisees which makes a prey upon the people which was never sent by God to speak unto thee O Land Hear the Word of the Lord Depart from all thy Teachers for the Lord hath drawn his Sword and lifted it up against the false Prophet and the Vials of Indignation shall be poured upon him and upon all that upholds him in his Whoredoms and Witchcraft by which he deceiveth the simple therefore lest thou be partaker of their Plagues depart from them And all people mind that measure of Light within you which the Lord hath lightened every one of you withal for the Lord is risen to teach his people himself and he is fulfilling his Prophesie in thy ears O Nation they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will put my Law in thine inward parts and write it in their hearts Ier. 31. 33. The Lord is about his great and wonderful Work in thee and all the Wars and Contentions in thee O Land hath but been a making way for this Work of the Lord and hath not been the Work which the Lord hath purposed This Work is made known to them that feareth the Lord and abideth in his Counsel The Lord will overturn overturn the Nation and will create new Heavens and new Earth wherein shall dwell righteousness in which all the Chosen of the Lord shall rejoyce for evermore And all the Kings and Nobles shall cast down their Crowns before this Glory And all the men of War shall lay down their Armour and Weapons of War And Nation shall not lift up a Sword against Nation any more For the Lord will establish Righteousness and Peace this will the Lord bring to pass in thee O England through the destruction of that which now liveth and through the Resurrection of that to Life which now lieth in Death Hear O Land give ear O People for the Lord of Heaven and Earth is now turning the World up-side down all old things shall pass away all things shall become new by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh and the slain of him shall be many corrupt Judges and Officers will the Lord sweep away and their name shall no more be found in the Nation the fire is kindled and the sword is drawn happy is he that keepeth himself from fighting against the Lord in this his Work and happy are ye O Brethren that stands faithful to the end to see these things accomplished great shall be the battel it is now begun many shall see death and shall yet live to see these things TO all the Despised and Contemned ones who are Persecuted and shamefully entreated by the Generation of the Chief Priests and by them who live in the highest Profession in the Word outwardly ye who are the scorn of the Nation and the derision of all the Heathen and are called Quakers you are my brethren children of my Father have been brought forth by the same Womb and have sucked the same Breast Ye are chosen out of the world out of all worldly glories and earthly excellencies and are not of this world and therefore the world hateth you you are brought out of the broad way of the flesh and are separated from all the world in their ways worships and forms of religion and are redeemed out of the mouths of all Idoll dumb Shepherds and hath one Shepherd and are gathered from all the mountains and out of all the desolate disinhabited places and are come into the pleasant sheepfold where is green pastures and fresh springs of living Waters By Faith with Abraham are ye come out of your native Country from among your kindred and out of your Fathers house And with Moses have you forsaken the glory of Pharaohs house and chosen rather to suffer affliction among the poor despised people than to have enjoyed the pleasures of sin but great shall be your reward ye Contemned ones glory and honor and everlasting happiness is prepared for you if you stand faithful to the end the Lord is with you as a mighty terrible one and therefore shall all your persecuters be ashamed and confounded the sound of a trumpet is heard among you which makes all Nations at a stand and all the Heathen to wonder and all the Rulers Nobles and chief Priests are in consultation combining together to suppress the Army of the Lord of Hosts which he is gathering together fear not nor be dismaid for the sounding of your trumpet causes an alarum and makes all the inhabitants of the Land to tremble and all bows before the sound of it for the sound of it is terrible to the Nations to all Kingdoms and Dominions the Lord of Heaven and Earth is your Captain which rides upon the Clouds and whose glory is above the World and therefore in the battel shall you obtain the conquest and all your enemies shall be put to flight and one of you shall chase a thousand for he is with you who hath all power in his hand and all your enemies are limitted by him therefore be not discouraged at the raging and swelling words of your Adversaries but be bold and valiant and faithful to him for his is the victory and by his own Right Hand will he get himself the victory Ye are my fellow Souldiers and fellow Members of the same body and my joy in the Lord stand faithfull to the Lord and be bold and valiant for the Truth upon Earth for you hath the Lord chosen of all the Families of the Earth to place his Name among you and he will glorifie his
sit-upon the Throne unto the Slaves and Bond-men that are made a prey The Lord's Controversie is against you and the mighty terrible Day of the Lord is coming upon you wherein he will plead with you because of your Transgressions which cannot be numbred but do exceed theirs in former Generations who were cut off by his outstretched Arm. Therefore thus saith the Lord Now also will I arise as a mighty man of War and will appear in my Majesty to gather the Nations and to fan them and to try them in the wind of my Wrath and to purge them and to refine them in the Furnace of my Fire of Indignation and Jealousie And this from my mouth is a Warning to you and a Sound in your ears by authority from my Spirit To thee Oliver Cromwell called Protector THus saith the Lord My Controversie is against thee because thou hast not been faithful to the end in my Work but hast taken thy rest and ease and pleasure upon thy high and lofty Mountain of Pride and vain Glory and hast set up thy self to be worshipped exalting thy own Horn and hast not fully given Glory and Honour to me of that which I have done by thee but in thy heart boasts thy self against me who hath hewed with thee and made thee an Instrument in my Hand to do my Will upon my Enemies and now thou performest not thy Vows made to me in the day of distress but thou hast broken Truce with me and now thou sufferest grievous and hainous Oppression and Cruelty and Tyranny to be acted in thy name upon my People whom I have chosen and elected to exalt my Name by by unjust Imprisonments and grievous Persecution do they suffer in thy name which the Cruel-hearted make a cloak of for their cruelty and even such who have been thy Enemies thy name is a cloak unto to hid their cruel intents and wicked purposes against my People whom they tread upon and this is not unknown to thee and therefore the less excusable art thou in my sight and the greater will my Judgments be upon thy head which suddenly I will bring upon thee except thou repent and return to thy first integrity which if thou dost I will honour thee next unto my Chosen and give thee the necks of Princes to tread upon and their Dominions for thy Inheritance otherwise thus shall it be done unto thee if thou wilt not hear and obey my Voice saith the Lord. To all ye his Council THus saith the Lord My Controversie is against you because ye are one with him and every whit fully guilty of his Transgressions and feed him and your selves in the valleys of vain glories with vain shews and hopes and your endeavours are more to secure your selves from Mischief and Plots and wicked Intentions which remain in the hearts of the Rebellious against you then to defend and preserve the Innocent for you neglect to take off Oppression and to ease the Oppressed but make your Fingers as heavy as your Fathers Loynes who were cast out before you and the same Laws stand still in force by which Tyranny and Oppression is acted and the same false Prophets you establish by a Law which deceive the Nations and flatter you by subtil Speeches and there is no pure Reformation wrought in the Earth but you with your power joyn with the first Beast who was wounded by a grievous blow of fury to make War against the Lamb and his Followers and you seek to set up that which I am about to throw down and you are not ignorant of the grievous Cry of the poor under the burthen of oppression laid upon them by your Laws by which they unjustly suffer the imprisonment of their Bodies and the spoiling of their Goods and you suffer this wickedness to be done and shut up your compassion and the hands of Evil-doers hereby are strengthened through your forbearance they are hardened in their cruelty and because you profess more of the Name of the Lord then some that have gone before you and perform as little the greater is your abomination and the deeper is your hypocrisie and the greater will my Judgments be upon your heads except you speedily repent and walk in my Counsel which if you do honourable in Counsel will I make you and your Renown shall Generations to come exalt otherwise if you refuse my Word to hear I will make you a Reproach and a Curse to Ages for ever To all ye Iudges and Lawyers and your Train and to all that handle the Law THus saith the Lord My Controversie is against you because of your abominations for you are the very Actors of the allowed Oppressions and in judging for Gifts and Rewards and Bribery some of you have exceeded all that ever went before you and many just Causes of the Poor have been neglected for want of a large Gift and many unjust Actions of the rich men have you pleaded against Equity for advantage to your selves your Council have respected Persons and in Bribery and Gifts have you delighted and thereby have made your selves as Lords in the Earth and have set your selves upon high Hills and you have followed the counsel of your own heatts and your human wit and learning in seeking out the justness of a Cause and in judging thereof and my righteous Law of Justice have you not regarded to be your Rule but through the policy and craft have you hidden the simplicity of the Law from the Ignoraâ—… in unknown Languages and obscure Sentences and your wills many times have been your Law and true Judgment have you turned backward and made a Feâ—… against Equity that it could not enter Some of you are guilty in a high degree of that cruelty and tyranny which of late years hath been acted upon the Innocent yea you have grinded the face of the Poor imprisoned the Harmless and laid heavy burdens and oppressive bonds upon the Guiltless who have not transgressed any Law much less the Law of Righteousness you have made my free-born Children your Slaves and have highly attempted to sit Lords in my Thrâ—… of Conscience and some of them have deeply suffered by some of you for the exercise of their pure Consciences because they could not Swear or worship and respect your Persons nor pay Tythes that grievous Oppression nor bow to your wills and lusts in things of the like nature of Cruelty And you are guilty in a gross sum of upholding the false Prophet which prophesieth Lyes and falsly with flattering words of guile and he covers himself under your shadow and under your unjust Law which is his staff and strength and he riâ—… upon the Beast till you be both taken alive and cast into the Lake of everlasting Indignation The Cup of my Vengeance will awaken you and my Law 〈◊〉 for ever condemn you and my Counsel of Equity shall plead against you in the Court of Justice and my eternal Judgment from my Throne of
I say would not many Sects ere this day have prevailed one against another had not the Powers of the Earth stopped and limitted whom they would and given liberty to set up whom they would But now the Light of the Day is arisen and hath appeared and the Lord is making a Way to establish his own Religion by his own Power and he is gathering his Seed who shall wax stronger and stronger and shall prevail through all Opposition through all false Sects and false Worships of the Earth and they shall wax weaker and weaker and shall never be established in Righteousness but they and the Power that upholds them shall be broken together and this will the Lord bring to pass in his Day And thus I have shewed you what true Religion is and how it cannot be established and how it may be and what the Authority of earthly Rulers is and how far it extends and do shew that true Religion cannot be settled thereby but by the Lord alone it must and that it is the Work of Christ's Ministry and not of earthly Power by violent Laws to establish Religion And this is a testimony from the Lord God of Heaven and Earth to ye Rulers and Parliaments that make Laws and minister Laws meddle not with Religion to establish one Sect or Sects and to limit and throw down others but fear the Lord God and wait for his Wisdom and remember that that hath been a Rock whereupon many before you have been split and brought into confusion even when they have gone about to limit or stop or establish Religion how have they been confounded and never had success from the Lord to such endeavors for the Lord hath never shewed countenance for many Generations to such as have attempted to make men religious by outward Laws and to settle Nations therein by outward Laws Wherefore now be wise ye Rulers and kiss the Son for the Wrath of the Lord is already kindled and he will break in pieces and dash Babylon's Children against the Stones and confound the great Whore the false Church and all false Sects her Daughters who have been brought forth and set up in Nations ever since the Woman the true Church hath been fled into the Wilderness and the Beast hath carried the Whore born her and upheld her and she hath journeyed through Nations upon the Beast and the Beast hath defended her if any man hath an Ear let him hear and this is a Visitation to ye Rulers and to all that make Laws and minister Laws By a Friend to Righteous Men. E. B. Satan's Design DEFEATED In a Short Answer to a Manuscript sent by a Priest out of Sussex to a Member of this present Parliament full of railing Accusations whereby he hath secretly smitten the Innocent by a secret desiring the Persecution of the People of God But herein his Folly and Madness doth appear that while he hath accused others falsly himself is found guilty of the same thing With Invitations of Love to the present Authority that they may save themselves from being the Executioners of the Priests malice least the Lord destroy them A Certain Paper being come to my hand which is said to be written by one Priest Iackson and sent to a Member of Parliament containing divers Particulars charged as Errors upon the dispised People called Quakers wherein he saith he hath set down some of their Tenents which they maintain unto which Manuscript I am moved to write something in answer as to clear the Truth from his foul Aspertions which he casts upon it to the intent that the said Member of Parliament and the whole House may be better satisfied and resolved wherein they doubt of every Particular that the Truth may appear when as the foul Vail of the Darkness and Slanders is removed That the Holy Scriptures are not the Word of God nor the Saints Rule of Faith and Life neither is it the duty of every one to search them Answ. The Holy Scriptures that were given forth by the Spirit of the Lord as holy men of God were moved they are the Words of God and a Declaration and a Treatise Luke 1. 1. and that which the Saints had handled and tasted of the Word of Life that they declared forth in Words and Writings Acts 1. 1. and the Scriptures as they were given forth by the Spirit of God are a true Declaration of what is to be believed and practised in relation to eternal Salvation It is a true Testimony concerning God and his mighty Works and of Truth and Righteousness and it is a Testimony also of the Devil and what he is and of his Deceits and Errors and Uâ—righteousness so the Scriptures are Words given forth by the Spirit but Christ is the Word that was before the Scriptures were for in the begining was the Word of God and the World was made by it and the Word shall endure for ever and Christ's Name is called the Word of God And though the Scriptures are profitable and were given forth to be read and to be fulfilled yet they are not the Rule and Guide of Faith and Life unto the Saints but the Spirit of God that gave forth the Scriptures that is the Rule and Guide the Teacher and Leader into all Truth and them that are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God and if you walk in the Spirit saith the Apostle you shall live and as many as walk acording to this to wit of the Spirit Peace is upon them and so the Spirit of God is the Rule of the Saints Faith and Life and the Spirit leads them to walk in the fulfilling of the Scriptures and according to them And as for all the Priests in England who do profess the Scriptures to be their Rule out of their own Mouthes will God judge them who are found walking contrary to the Scriptures in Life and Doctrine and Practises while they cry it up for their Rule and condemn all that will not say as they â—ay And the last part of this Proposition is utterly false for we never do assert that it is not the duty of every one to search them but we bid every one search the Scriptures and every one ought to search them but yet we say that none understands them but who have the Spirit that gave them forth nor none can profit thereby but by the Spirit that gave them forth which works the same Truth in the Heart which the Scriptures without declare of and this I do affirm they are the Words of God and the Spirit of God is the Rule of Faith and Life to the Saints and all men ought to search the Scriptures and to believe what is therein written and to receive and enjoy Christ who is the Substance and the End of all Things the first and last the beginning and ending and in him the Scriptures are fulfilled and finished They do deny the Doctrine of the Trinity and that Christ
which hath been of the false Woman and not of the Elect Spouse that is married to the Lamb. 6. That forcing and compelling of Persons by any outward Law and Authority to be of such or such a Religion and to conform to such a Way of Worship is the Worship of the Beast and of the Whore and not the Worship of God and to kill and persecute Persons for the exercise of Conscience and because they will not be of such a Religion and cannot conform to such Worship is of the Devil and the Dragon and not of God nor according to him and that your Church herein is not Successor of the Apostles and the true Church of Christ but is of the Beast and the Whore which Iohn saw was to come in his time and which we see are come in our dayes and have ruled for Generations and I affirm that Persons so made conformable by force and violent Laws to such a Religion and Worship are but two-fold more the Children of the Devil and are not at all converted to God thereby but becomes Idolaters whom God will judge 7. That none upon Earth are true Members of the true Church of Christ having a portion in the Inheritance of Eternal Life but such who are gathered out of the World by the preaching of the Gospel and are changed and renewed by the Power of the Lord God in the Heart and are led by his Spirit within them into all Truth and are joyned unto Christ the Head and gathered into the Eternal Unity of the Infinite Body by the same Spirit and Aâ—ointing dwelling in them and of such onely doth the true Church of Christ consist now in this present time as it did in the Apostles dayes but of such Members doth not your Church consist in this present Age neither is it in the Order and Government of the Spirit of Truth but in the Form without the Power therein was its beginning and its standing at this day 8. That the time is at hand and the Day of the Lord draws near and the fulâ—ess of time is approaching wherein great Babylon shall be thrown down and fall to the Ground and the Lord will be avenged on her and will render Judgâ—ents unto her and the Beast and Whore and false Prophets unto whom the Kingdoms of the World have been subject shall be taken and cast alive into the Lake and the Devil and Satan shall deceive the Nations no more but the Kingdoms of this World shall be changed and become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ whose Kingdom shall be revealed in Power and great Glory in the hearts of his Chosen And the Church of Rome and all the false Sects and Churches upon the Earth will the Lord God overthrow and his true Church shall be gathered out of the Wilderness and the Beauty of new Ierusalem of the holy Church the Lamb's Wife shall be as Glorious aâ— before she fled thither and before she was troden down of the Gentiles and the Lord God Almighty shall be known and his Tabernacle shall be with men These things I assert to you in the Name of the Lord and the truth thereof is certain and should be ready to argue and dispute these things with any sober Person amongst you upon equal tearms and to prove the Infalibility hereof by the Spirit of the Lord and according to the Scriptures wherefore consider of them in Patience and Meekness and believe in the Light of Christ which is in your Consciences which Christ hath lightened every man that cometh into the World withall that you may come to the knowledge of the Truth and out of all false Wayes and if any of you will return an Answer hereunto in behalf of your whole Body and can be able to clear your selves in Writing from what is charged upon you it shall be gladly received by me and a Reply iâ— Meekness returned to you for the further mâ—nifestation of Truth that Truth and Righteousness may clearly appear and be embraced and all Deceit and and false wayes of Antichrist may be confounded and denyed and who are in the Truth shall be confirmed and who are in the Error may have Warning now in the Day of the World's Visitation The Lord is coming to Judgment who will judge the Secrets of all Hearts and the whole World in Equity Dunkirk the 20th of the 3d Moneth 1659. By a Friend unto Righteousness and a Lover of all Souls E. B. These Propositions were sent to them in Latine This was sent to the chief Rector of the Jesuits Colledge in Dunkirk in Latine FRiend thy wisdom and thy knowledge is earthly and sensual and thereby canst thou not know the Things of the Kingdom of God thou canst neither learn them thy self nor teach them to others for thou art but a blind Leader of the Blind And thus saith the Lord God unto thee The Fruitless Tree is standing in thee that brings forth no Fruit unto God and the Head of the Serpent is not broken in thee that deceives the Soul nor the Body of Sin put off that burdens the Just and the Sword shall cut thee to pieces even the Sword of the Lord it shall slay thee And Friend The time is at hand that the Lord will make thee know that thou art and hast been in thy Life time a Dishonour to him and that thou hast not served him but thy self and the Devil and thy Heart is not right in his sight but is corrupt and deceitful for thou art tryed and measured and thou art found wanting in all things and God will judge thee and the Witness in thy Conscience shall answer his Judgments and all thy Idolatrous Practices and Profession of Religion and Church and Ministry thy many Prayers and thy Works of Righteousness all this shall not hide thee from the Wrath of the Lamb though now thou art hardened â—nd utterly unsensible yet the Stone shall fall upon thee that will grind thee to Powder and thou shalt not escape but the burden of thy own Iniquities shall weigh thee down into Perdition except thou speedily repentest Therefore fear and tremble before the Lord God and remember thou art warned by one that seeks the Peace of Souls but makes War by the Sword of the Spirit against the Kingdom of the Devil and Antichrist in whomsoever it stands And Friend answer me this one Query What is that Whore that hath sate upon Multitudes and Peoples and what is that Golden Cup in her Hand and what are the Abominations and Fornication of which her Cup is full which she hath caused the Kings and People to drink and with which she hath deceived the World Answer me this and subscribe thy Name E. B. ANd now this I have to say concerning the Church of Rome to them and to all the World as having been in a measure an eye and an ear Witness of their Idolatrous and false Wayes Practices and Doctrines never having in all my dayes
Transgression they might come to be healed and come into Christ the Power and Wisdom of God and might be saved Again as they were Soldiers and as they were an Army I was moved to speak much unto them that they might know what their service was there in that state sometime saying unto them It was possible the Lord might have some good work to do by them if they were faithful and not seek themselves but the Glory of the Lord. And at one time being sent for by Governor Lockhart where there were many Officers with him and we had much discourse with them and this lay upon me to declare in the Name of the Lord unto them that if they did enterprize any business as they were an Army in a spirit in opposition unto us and in that spirit that did reject us and deny us and gain-say us then should they never prosper in any enterprize whatsoever but if they went on in any degree in the Fear of the Lord and in that Spirit that was among us then should they overcome their Enemies and none should have power over them nor overcome them And after I was parted from them this following Paper was upon me to write unto the whole Army in general both to Officers and Soldiers To the English Army to Officers and Souldiers Friends I Am moved to clear my Conscience unto you in the sight of the Lord to warn you that you may all learn Wisdom and the Fear of the Lord God and may stand in his Counsel alwayes for that will be a defence unto you at all times and therein will you prosper in the Lord's Work and chiefly unto you the small remnant of our English Army in and about Dunkirk I say unto you Officers and Souldiers Fear the Lord God and walk in his Wisdom and every particular Person amongst you inquire of the Lord â—hat he requires of you inquire of the Lord I say and know his Will and be obedient unto it in all things and so shall you prosper in standing in God's Counsel and in performing his Will and so shall you be exalted and have victory over your Enemies even as you seek the Honour of the Lord and his Glory for if you honour him and do that which is acceptable to him he will honour you and set you atop of all your Enemies and he will make way through the Mountains even by you for the further appearance of his Glory and he will honour you as his Work-men if you be faithful to him and walk in his Counsel and Wisdom till he hath prepared his own way by you for assuredly it is not in vain but the Lord had some end in it to himself in bringing you to that Place and what do you know but he may have some good Work for you to do It is possible there is more in his Heart and in his Purpose concerning you then yet may be discovered to you wherefore it is good for you that you wait upon the Lord to know his Will fully concerning you that you may do it and fulfill it and therein shall be your Crown but on the contrary dependeth your misery and destruction And this I do know That the Lord hath owned and honoured our English Army and done good things for them and by them in these Nations in our Age and the Lord once armed them with the spirit of courage and zeal against many Abominations and he was with them in many things he called them to and gave them Victory and Dominion over much Injustice and Oppression and cruel Laws and he was with them till that a spirit of vain Glory and Ambition and Self seeing and the Honour of this World entered into some and defiled the whole Body and made it deformed and void of its former beauty and of its valour and nobleness also at which the Anger of the Lord was kindled and against you also was his Hand turned with the loss of his Presence because the sincerity and the faithful Principle was almost choaked and the Good eaten out from amongst you by the false spirit of Self-seeking and Vain Glory which was entered into the Hearts of many but this is to the Army in general and to say no more of it to you onely that you might search your own hearts and may be purged and may again return to the old spirit of Righteousness which will reach after the liberty of the people and the freedom of the Nations and that all Oppression may be broken down to the dust before you and be subdued by you as your Prey and that there be no more a looking back by you for rest and ease in the flesh in great Houses of residence till you have visited Rome and inquired after and sought out the Innocent Blood that is buried therein and avenge the Blood of the Guiltless through all the Dominions of the Pope the Blood of the Just it cryes through Italy and Spain and the time is come that the Lord will search it and seek it out and repay it and it would be your honour to be made use of by the Lord in any degree in order to this matter whether the Lord will revenge the grievous blood-guiltiness that lies upon them by himself without an Instrument or whether by you or others as an Instrument whether this way or another that God will do it this I determine not but this I do know The time is not long that he will one way or another avenge and revenge the Blood of the Just upon the murderous Head and this I also believe that the Lord will do it or make way hereunto even by you the men of our English Nation if you be faithful to him and do what he requires of you for what are these few poor Islands that you have run through and laid many Mountains low they are but little in comparison of the great part of Christendom in which Idolatry and grievous Oppressions do abound which the Hand of the Lord is against and which he will take Vengeance upon Oh did you but see and perfectly know the Cruelties the Oppressions the Idolatries the Murders and all whatsoever that is Evil both in Civil and Ecclesiastical State that is brought forth and rules in full Power in all the Pope's Dominions I do say Were you but fully acquainted with all these things and also of the purpose of the Lord which is speedily to visit them with his Rod it would awaken you and stir you up and it would set your spirits on fire of a great Zeal with Desires of no greater Honour then to be Instruments in any degree towards the executing of so goodâ— a Work even towards the relieving of the Oppressed and breaking the Bâ—nds of Cruelty that the Nations may come to Rest and may no more be captivated with the Chains of Antichrist I do say it would be your greatest Honour to be Instruments in such a Work and do you know what
been in these Nations for divers years and how he hath proceeded to overthrow and overturn Powers and Authorities Princes and Rulers and made them of no account before him and though the Instruments which God hath used in that matter in plucking down Men and Powers have been as much corrupted as those that have been overturned and whenas the measure of Iniquity in one was filled up the Lord threw that Power down even as it were by the Iniquity of another and because of the Oppressions of Rulers amongst us the Nation hath groaned and been left without a Comforter from any man and could not repose Confidence in its Princes and Rulers and this was that the Nation might look unto the Lord and that through him they might be saved and expect healing from him alone and in all these Overturnings you need not fear but the Hand of the Lord hath been in them and his Arm hath suffered and even brought these things to pass and therefore why should you murmer against God be unsatisfied in what he hath done for it s he alone and not another that must settle a happy and lasting Peace both in Church and State and he that must establish true Religion and reform the Laws and secure our Liberties and preserve our Lives and encourage all Vertue it is the Lord that will do all these things for this Nation and it s not any other in whose Hand the Salvation of a Person or a Nation is and how he shall do this and by what means leave that to the Lord limit him not to or from any thing for if the Nation can be but patient and still he will bring to pass these things in his day and season Wherefore O Nation and City Be still be still and be patient under the Hand of God which is upon you combine not Mischief one against another nor desire the overthrow one of another but be still be still this is the Word of the Lord to you be at quiet in your spirits and wait upon the Lord to receive what he brings forth For O ye Apprentices and Young-Men of London your rude proceedings in these causes will but destroy your selves and your City if you proceed any further for what is a multitude of men but as Bryers and Thornes in battel before the Lord if he purpose a Work you cannot prevent it and if he prevent a Work its vain for you to endeavour it these things are in the Hand of the Lord and Nations are unto him as Clay in the hand of a Potter but now I do not speak as your Enemy for I love your City wish it well Alack neither will I justifie the Army nor the men that you oppose in opposition to you for their ways are corrupted I know and their own Ends they seek and they are for Condemnation some of them and their Iniquities are fully ripe and God will bring them down but yet let you them alone the Lord will deal with them and he can execute his Judgement with his own Hand without you and if you can be but quiet for a little season it will make for your Peace hereafter but if your spirits rage and swell you may work Misery unto your selves and to your City but you cannot redeem it from Misery So do no talk of the Church as if you would Fight to uphold it leave that to the Lord for Christ will look to that to Govern it and Preserve it out of all and from all its Enemies and it belongs not unto you but that which the Lord requires of you is Patience and Submission to his Will and to be still till he appears with Salvation and Deliverance to this City and Nation to deliver them from all Oppression and Oppressors whose Coming is at hand and blessed are all they who are found in Patience at his Coming London the 10th Moneth 1659. TO THE Present Assembly MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT AT WESTMINSTER The Consideration of a Servant of the Lord upon the Present State of Affairs presented unto you for to read and consider as Informations unto you concerning present Proceedings in this Nation FRIENDS ALL these Overturnings and almost wonderful Changings that do come to pass in this Nation they are all effected through the Justice of the Lord's Hand and his Hand and Power is in and over all these things and it all Particulars which have happened since your first appearing on the Throne were accompted what hath come to pass but hath been accomplished and suffered to be by the hand of the Lord But particularly of the present state of things and this last Interruption which happened unto you Was it not a just Reproof upon you from the Lord though effected in Ambition and by corrupted Instruments For have you not promised great things unto this Nation in matters of Freedom and Liberty But what have you done Even left this Nation travelling under great and sore Vexations and undelivered from the Bondage of Oppressions though you have had time oftentimes put into your hands wherein you might have done good things for the Lord and for this Nation and Righteousness might have been established amongst you and in the Nation but you neglected many precious dayes and effected not many good things It would be large to instance the particular Oppressions that yet remain almost upon all sorts of people in this Land which might have been removed long ere this day had you bin faithful to God But because from day to day you have been rather careless and served your selves more then the Lord therefore hath he suffered you to be interrupted once and again and reproved by a Generation of men as unfaithful as your selves Well But to pass all this though much may be said you are now again at the stern of Government and on the Throne and I dare not but say it is of and by the Lord and that he hath done it contrary to the expectations of many and what his End is in it remains with him but I am sure one Cause is that you may execute part of his Wrath upon that Treacherous Generation of Hypocritical and Deceitful men some of the Army I mean some of whom have been deceitful to God and treacherous to the Nation and who have been fearful Hypocrites by a shew of Religion more then others and have mocked God as it were and his People I need not say to you how that many of them were raised up from a low Estate and instead of servnig the Nation became their Lords and Oppressors they have abused the Lord's Mercy to them and exalted themselves and became as great Oppressors and as grievous to the Nation as ever they were that went before them and some of them took the very Titles and Estates of their Enemies and followed their evil spirit also though the Lord was Long-suffering to them and gave them a day and put opportunity into their hands wherein they might have done good
bring your fear upon you to your utter confusion though you are making defences all that you can for your selves and your Kingdom and this seems to be 〈…〉 â—â—y wherein every mans heart is tryed and every man and sort of People is pouring forth the Maliciousness of their Hearts against the poor People in scorn called Quakers What say the Papists and Episcopal men Quakers are 〈◊〉 New Sect and Deceivers c. And what say the Presbyterians and the Independanâ—â— of them Oh! they are Seducers they are Witches they are false Prophets they are Vagabonds not worthy of Countenance c. nor any Place of Trust in the Nation c. What say the Anabaptists of them O! they are Blasphemers and Hereticks and Irregular Persons and distructive to Gospel c. This and such like is the Cry of these and all sorts of people against a poor despised People whom the Eternal God hath made dreadful unto them all who shall be a Rod in his Hand to break them and confound them and utterly to destroy their Antichristian kingdom for they are beloved of the Lord though hated of all men and though the whole Body of the Beast and Antichrist and every Horn of his head do set themselves to War against the Lamb and his Followers and though all these sorts of people mentioned and some others do at this day pour out their Fury and Malice against this People yet shall they not be confounded for their Trust is in the Living God and as sure as the Lord lives The Fear that People have of the Prosperity of this People shall come upon them and without Weapon or Arm of Flesh or the Multitude of an Host of Men will their God dash their Enemies to pieces And all ye Sects whatsoever that are risen in Opposition against us what do we regard your Fury and Madness against us What do we fear your Reviling you uncircumcised Philistines We mock at your Terror and we reject your Strength as the Strength of a Straw we despise your Authority which is not of God as the Authority of so many Bryars and Thornes we can glory over you in the Lord What are you and from whence did you come is not Babylon your City and is not the great Whore your Mother and the Mother of Harlots your Nurse and what is your growth but even like the Grass of a Summer's growth that 's soon cut down and withered and like the Leaf of a Summer Tree that utterly perisheth in Winter The Mighty Day of the Lord is at your Door Confusion is begun amongst you and the Sword of one may destroy another and the Strength of one shall tear another and the Remnant that is left shall be destroyed and we must overcome them without Sword or Carnal Weapon and this shall come to pass in a day and the Eye that is yet blind shall see it and the Child that is yet undelivered shall be a Conqueror over the Beast and over his Image and over all your false Sects and over every Horn that is risen up against the Lamb and his Followers the time of the Lamb's Kingdom is at hand Behold behold ye Mountains of the Earth The Sentence of Eternal Vengeance will pass upon you ye Hypocritical Professors ye Pastors Elders Members and Ministers of Churches so called the Decree of the Almighty is coming out against you you have provoked him by your Wickedness towards him and his People even to the Destruction of your own selves wherefore Tremble before the Lord for his Dread and the weight of his Hand shall be upon your Consciences Oh Nation mourn over thy iniquities which have provoked God against thee and if men turn not unto him his sore Judgment will be upon thee we are not for this Party or the other neither do we justifie one side in opposition to another for we see the Earth is corrupted and all sorts of men that are this day striving one sort against another are in a wrong way and in a wrong spirit and we cannot side with any of them but we rather mourn over the Nation who is torn in pieces by the ambitious spirit of her pretended Rulers and we desire the repentance of all and not the destruction of any and we are for Gods part and not for men E. B. AN ANSWER TO THE Great Cry The QUAKERS will soon FALL A Great Cry in the World hath been by many people of all sorts As for the Quakers they will soon fall and come to nothing they will stand but for a while as other Sects have done before them For many Sects that have â—â—de a great stir for a time they have come to nought and so will these they will fall and â—â—â—e to nought in a Year or two or the like and they will forsake this Way And this Noise and Stir about them will come to an end and they will have a Fall And thus and after this manner do the People of the World Cry and say one to another To this I answer O ye Fools and Blind that thus do judge and say ye are ignorant and sottish Children and know not the Way of the Lord nor his Judgments neither do ye know his Secrets nor have entred into his Counsel who told you thus or by what spirit have you received it and do ye not speak as ye would have it and because you would have it so do ye not therefore speak it Ye Fools and Blind whose Hearts are hardened I tell you nay your words shall never come to pass but you and all our Enemies shall be found Lyars and as you say of others so shall it come to pass upon your selves and that which you desire for others it shall fall upon your own heads Again I tell you nay we shall not fall nor be decreased nor come to â—â—â—ght but the Truth shall stand forever and we shall be encreased through the World and shall be the Renowned People of the whole Earth For we are of them whom the Lord is gathering from off the barren Mountains and out of the Mouthes of all dumb Shepherds whom the Lord will feed and keep as the Sheep of his own Pasture over whom the Seed of David Christ the Heir of Heaven and Earth is chief Shepherd and he is set over us and he rules in Equity and Righteousness And them we are spoken of Ezekiel 34. which are the Sheep of God's Pasture and the Lord hath sought us out even as a Shepherd his Sheep and we shall not fall as ye suppose And we are them spoken of in the Revelations whom the Lord is bringing through great Tribulations and making us white in the Blood of the Lamb and redeeming us through his Sufferings And we are of that Numberless Number spoken of which shall stand with the Lamb upon Mount Sion for we are of the Seed which is coming up out of Egypt and shall replenish the whole Earth And ye Fools and Blind will
God of which you have tasted in a good Measure and in the Meek and Peaceable Spirit of the Lamb be at Peace and in Unity with him and one with another even as Members of one spiritual Body that the Head may be honoured through you and that each Member serve one another in Love and Respect not any exalted above what ought to be nor striving for prehemenence above one another but that each Member may know his Service into which the Lord hath called you for that is a blessed Thing to dwell in Love and Unity and to know and to be known to one another in the Lord and the contrary bringeth the Curse where Strife and Enmity lodgeth that is excluded out of the Body and is of the Kingdom of Death and not of the Lamb but is of the Body of Antichrist and not of his Body who is exalted at God's right Hand And see that you walk in all Wisdom wait that you may be wise and that Wisdom it self may be justified of you by walking therein and then you will answer the divine Principle of Equity in your Enemies and you will cut off that which seeks ' occasion against you and turn backward the slanderous Tongue and confound the Destroyer which seeks occasion every moment Oh how pretious is Wisdom it s a Pearl it s better then Strength or Riches Wisdom is the chief of the Gifts of God it comes from the Fountain and it leads answerable unto him who is the Giver thereof Oh wait for Wisdom that she may possess your Hearts that she may go in and out before you and may be the beginning and end of all your works and so shall your Enemies have no occasion against you but you shall be preserved in perfect Peace for Wisdom is a preserver of Soul and Body even that Wisdom that is from above which is pure and peaceable and leadeth into all the Ways of Peace Truth and Righteousness and take heed that none be led aside into Snares and Temptations of the Wicked and thereby make shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience and the whole Work of God and so lose your Joy and Peace in God and come short of an Immortal Crown to which you are begotten but be faithful to God in all things and deny not your Principle nor the perswasion of God's Spirit in your Consciences in any thing neither for the Love nor Terror of this World for that is honourable to be faithful to a heavenly Principle even whether in death or life to be found walking answerable unto the Will and Mind of God as you have received the knowledge thereof but if any turn aside in the day of Tryal the Lord will have no pleasure in them but his displeasure will be against them unto their Destruction and such shall not be reckoned among the Righteous but they are blotted out of the Book of Life even such who are Hearers and not Doers of the Will of God whose Hypocrisie the Lord will judge in the justness of his Judgments And live in Patience in all Tribulations and in a still and quiet Spirit for the Lord is there his Presence is enjoyed in a still and patient spirit and such receive of his Mercies even of his hidden Manna and heed not the Tribulations that are in this World but mind your Peace that is in Christ that is everlasting and be settled in your minds and fully perswaded to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes whether in Death or Life and let nothing separate you from that Love of God which you have received not Powers of Darkness neither Love nor Terror of this World but keep in the Dominion of God that his Spirit may be lifted up in you as the Standard even when floods of Temptations and Persecutions ariseth against you which are but for a moment and they will pass away but Truth and Righteousness will remain and cannot be shaked and the Purpose of the Lord is Good unto us and not Evil not to destroy us nor suffer us to perish for we are his and he hath chosen us and he hath placed his Name with us and for his Name sake which we bear he will do great things for us he will visit his Heritage and defend it with his mighty Power and therefore be in Patience concerning all things whatsoever that cometh to pass And the Lord having brought us out of Egypt and often appeared unto us in great Love and Favour and his Eye is over us at this day and he hath not thus far delivered us now to destroy us if we live and walk in the Power of the Lord God and feel his Life and Vertue and heavenly Authority in our own Hearts the Lord will not suffer our Enemies to prevail against us so as utterly to extinguish us from off the Earth though some of us may be tryed far if not to seal our Testmony with Blood but if so it shall hasten the Glory of the Lord and cause it to shine forth abundantly and it will fill up the Measure of Iniquity to the utter destruction of Antichrist and for this cause our Lives are not pretious unto us nor do I desire further to give Testimony by words if the Testimony of our Blood be required for I know though power may be given them over the outward Man yet we have a Life which they cannot touch and a Peace and Victory in the spiritual Kingdom which no man can spoil us of and we are given up already whether to glorifie God in the Body or out of the Body so he is glorified we have our reward for what is our reward but this That we may see the Name of the Lord exalted and but that our Confidence is sure and our Faith and Patience stedfast that we shall behold the Glory of the Lord and his Kingdom and the overthrow of Sathan and Antichrist the Beast and the false Prophet our dayes would be sorrowful and our Life a Death and our Labour and Travels a Vexation and a Grief but our Faith is confirmed by many Witnesses that the Kingdoms of the World must become the Kingdoms of Christ and Mystery Babylon must fall in whom the Soul of the Righteous hath been slain and the Purpose of the Lord must certainly be effected and no man upon the Earth shall prevent it and this is our Faith and therefore our Travels Labours and Affliction are not grievous to us even because the Presence of the Lord is with us And as for me the Salutation of my dearest love is to all the Saints every-where even with that love wherewith I am beloved of the Father do I love all them that are begotten of him but unto you more especially my love is abounding amongst whom I am known in faithful Labour of the Gospel of Christ who never sought yours but you and I hope you have the Witness of me in your own hearts even as I have of you and that in the