you will eternally answer before the pure powerful dreadfull God take heed of abusing your power he hath betrusted you with in establishing any Law which is contrary to Scripture and the righteous Law of God in the conscience as those did whom the Lord drave out and destroyed before you in his wraâ—â—nd overturnd in his fierce displeasure which if you uphold those Lawes they made in their wills or any other which is contrary to the righteous Law of God in the conscience and rule according to them Lawes and exercise the power committed to you to bind the Lawes upon the consciences of the children of the Lord whom he hath chosen out of the world and made his jewels to fear an oath in obedience to the righteous Law which sayeth swear not at all which if you by these unrighteous Lawes take advantage against the righteous seed concerning the Law of their God them to ensnare under your power that you on them may satisfie your wills This I declare to you from the eternall God of Heaven and Earth It is hard for you to kick against the pricks for what is done to his people he takes it as done to himself and better a Milstone were hanged about your neck and you cast into the Sea saith Christ then to offend one of these little ones that beleeveth in his name and obeyes his command who saith swear not at all and now is manifesting his power in his people that all them may know between those that swear and them that fear an oath which if you them that fear an oath oppress this know the Lord God will plead their cause as he did the cause of all his people in all ages and destroyed those that oppressed them as in the time of Pharaoh and in the time of Nebuchadnezzar and in the time of Hamon in the reigne of King Ahasuerus and in the time of King Herod whom he smotein his righteous judgements and consumed him with worms Acts 12.23 for persecuting his people and robbing him of his glory the righteous justice of God he manifested upon the enemies of his people is left upon record you to foâ—ewarn that you touch not his chosen anointed people nor do his Prophets no harm for whose sakes the Kings rebukes and all that oppresse them as is recorded in Scripture of truth and hath been witnessed before your eyes in destroying the Bishops and the King that oppressed the people of God by their power in binding Lawes upon them contrary to the righteous Law of God in their consciences and you Rulers of England who promised to the Lord God if he would deliver those that oppressed his people into your hands and give you power over them you would take away all Laws that burtheâ—ed the consciences of his people and they should have free liberty to worship him in spirit and in truth according to his Law written in their own hearts and according to your desires the Lord appeared while you in his counsell stood and gave all into your power according to the desires ofyour own hearts and now is the time of your tâ—y all wherein the Lord is trying all you this day whom he hath put power into your hands which if you now forget the Lord God who appeared to you when you were little in your own eyes in the day of your distresse and deny to perform your promises you made to the Lord when he delivered you out of the hands of those that sought your lifes but contrary to all your promises abuse your power you are betrusted with to build up again you seemed to destroy which cost the price of so much blood in establishing Lawes which are contrary to Scripture and the righteous Law of God in the conscience and by them think to scatter the power of the holy people and to weary out the Saints of the most high God in turning judgement backward and keeping justice a far off that truth falleth in the streets and â—quity cannot enter so he that departeth from evill maketh himself a prey to your wills and the Lord God seeth it and is displeased with you that there is no judgâ—ment for his people therefore to you this is the word of the Lord that abuse your power you are betrusted with in perverting judgement as before written thus saith the Lord God The pit you dig for my people you shall fall into it your selves and my people I will deliver by the arm of my mighty power and according to your deeds I will to you repay and recompence fury and vengeance to you my adversaries and will you sweep away with the beesome of my wrath except you repent and your blood shall be upon your own heads and you shall not escape but come to your end and none shall help you He that hath an ear to hear let him hear And be forewarned now in this day of your visitation wherein the Lord hath to you sent you to forewarn of the evill that is coming upon you that you may speedily to him return and lay your Crowns in the dust at the feet of Jesus Syons King and in his counsel stand which is the light in the conscience that in you witnesseth against every vain thought and wicked imagination and in the light wait his power you to guide to perform your promises and to take away all Lawes contrary to Scripture and the righteous Law of God in the conscience that the righteous Law of God may be your guide which is the guide of all the children of God then will the Lord God of Heaven and Earth be with you and with the arm of his mighty power destroy all that plot or rise up against you before whom he will make the unrighteous powers of the earth to shake if you abide faithful in his counsel and wil make you a terrour to the evil doers and a pâ—aise to them that do well and will bring you into the eternall peace and rest he hath prepared for his people but if you reject his counsell and cast his righteous Law behind your backs as you have done and follow the counsel of your own hearts all that have an eye to see read and understand Prov. 29.1 He that hath been often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy and in that day I shall be clear of your blood who in love to your soules hath not hid the counsel of God from you which he hath made known to me that you may be left without excuse in the daâ— of the Lords anger when hee doth perform what he hath spoken Then shall I be remembred whom the world knows by name William Dousbery and by some of you that professes to minister justice cast into prison and there kept in the common Goal in Northampton for the word of God and Testimony of Jesus Christ From the Goal in Northampton the 25 day of the 4 month 1655. O England England over all in
THE DISCOVERY Of the great enmity of the Serpent against the seed of the Woman which witnesseth against him where he rules both in Rulers Priests and People Whose hearts are now made manifest in this great day of the Lords power wherein he is sending his Sons and Dâ—ughters in the power of his spirit to run to and fro to declare his word WHICH Discovereth the state of England who according to her own lusts hath heaped up Teachers to her self that hath spoken smooth things to her calling her the beautifull Church and Spouse of Christ but in the day of tryall she is found in enmity to Christ in his appearance in his children and to be in the estate deluded from the spirit of truth recorded in 2 Tim. 4.2.3 Which cannot indure sound Doctrine having itching eares and turns them away from the truth to fables and now are Englands Teachers tryed she hath leaped up to her self and their doctrine proved and their Ministery made manifest in the great enmity they manifest against Christ in persecuting the bodies of his Saints them to destroy whom he hath sent to preach freely his eternal Word for which they are stoned beaten and imprisoned and many of Englands Teachers whom she upholds stirs up the people so to doe Being deceived not regarding what is spoken that neither fornicator nor idolator nor a adulterer nor effeminate nor abuser of themselves with mankind nor covetous nor drunkards nor revellers nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 10. A true testimony of him the world knows by name William Deusbery and in scorn calls Quaker who hath been by them imprisoned in York Darby Leicester and Northampton where he is now kept in the common Goal for the word of God and testimony of Iâ—sus Châ—ist Also his Call to the Ministry of the everlasting Gospel by the still voyce of the Spirit of God and his mighty power destroying with the flaming sword the disobedient that would not stand in his counsell and causing the soul to submit to his counsel the light that comes from Christ in it to wait on him to open the seales of the Book and make known the mystery of eternall life to the soul the Scripture testâ—fieâ—h is in Christ the truth of it to know as it is in Iesus The word of the Lord to all in England whom the Lord hath betrusted with power from the highest to the lowest to see the peace be kept and to judg the cause of the People with righteous judgement VVith a lamentation over all in England who oppose Christ in his spiritual appâ—arance and to slight the day of your visitation to your own destruction From the common Goal in Northampton the 25. day of the 4. month 1655. LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the VVest end of Pauâ—s 1655. The Discovery of the great enmity of the Serpent against the seed of the woman which witnesse against him where he rules both in Ruler Priest and People Oh people in England AM I become your enemy because I tell you the truth and deales plainly with you in declaring the minde of the Lord unto you which in the eternal riches of his love he hath made known unto me by the word of God and testimony of Jesus Christ for which word and testimony I suffer outward bonds and persecutions as my Lord and Master did who was called a blasphemer Belzebub the Prince of Devils by the High Priests who cryed to the unjust Magistrates to deliver him up into their hands that their persecuting murthering spirits that thirsted after his blood might be satisfied which the unjust men in Authority to doe them a pleasure in satisfying their wills abused their power and delivered him up and though they proved not any thing against him they put him to death calling him a blasphemer and he sealed his testimony with his blood And all my holy Brethren Prophets and Apostles were called Blasphemers Hereticks Seducers and Deluders by the false Prophets High-Priests and Pharisees then who professed the name of God in words but denyed him in their practises and persecuted his children who were guided by his word under the names formerly written as I and my brethren is now persecuted by the same generation which professe God and Christ in words but denying him in their practises living in pride and pleasures envy and muâ—der every way persecuting and seeking to destroy the bodies of the Saints of the most high God where the righteous seed is raised up which witnesseth against their unrighteous practises and discovers them in their secret hypocrisie which is hid under their voluntary humility which causeth them to appear what they are and manifests what was hid in their hearts under their faire coverings of outward formes and profession of Religion which they now manifest forth by their fruit whose children they are in obedience to their father the Devil who was a persecuter and a murtherer from the beginning whose works they now doe that professe Christ in words but denies to be guided by his spirit for his spirit is no persecuter and so are they made manifest in what they doe to all that have eyes to see that they are strangers to Christ while they continue in Cains nature persecuting the righteous seed without a cause as he did and doth in this Nation both in the North of it and in other Prisons in severall places of it there hath been cast into them the Saints and Children of the most high God for obeying his will in witnessing forth his eternall Word that he hath made manifest in them And no breach of any Nationall Law proved against them but a Popish Law made in Queen Maries Reigne which some hath suffered under and many others of the Saints and Children of the most high God they have persecuted and cast into prisons and not the breach of any Nationall proved against them but in the pride and envy of their hearts doe they persecute the innocent to satisfie their own wills as I am a witnesse against them who have persecuted me and cast me into prison under the name of a Seducer as they say for the Seducing of the people of this nation and for suspition of Blasphemy and breaking of the publick peace in dispersing principles contrary to the truth of the Gospel and peace of the Nation and not any accuser appeared to my face to prove what they charge against me as is formerly written either by the Law of God or the Law of the Nation but the Serpent in whom he rules hath manifest his enmity against me whom the Lord hath redeemed from the Earth and sent to preach the everlasting Gospell to those that dwell upon the Earth and to witnesse against the wickednesse of the dark world that the deeds thereof are evill for which testimony the world that hates the light that comes from Christ whom they ever persecuted to fulfill the measure of their fathers iniquities hath me
ease was in mourning to a God I knew not nor none could tell mee where I should get acquaintance with him In the place where I was in the outward being in a Town called Allathorp nigh Pocklington in Yorkshire but hearing of a people about Leeds that walked more strictly in profession of the name of God then any did where I was I had no rest in my spirit till my Parents in the flesh sent me thither to be an apprentice not regarding what Calling so I might be amongst those that feared the living God that I might be acquainted with the God of my life who had created me for himself and the desires the Lord raised up in me was answered when I was thirteen yeers old of my naturall birth I was bound an apprentice to a Cloâ—k-maker in a Town called Holdbeck neer Leeds and as I heard so it was there was much speaking of God which they called preaching and professing him in words from the letter of the Scripture what the Saints had spoken forth so intimating the Saints practice in their carnall wisdom seeking the Kingdom of God in outward observations as I had done before I came there but when I met with none that could tell me what God had done for their soules in redeeming them from the body of sin which I groaned under and separated me from the presence of God though I walked strictly with them in their outward observations running to hear one man after another which they called Ministers yet I found no rest nor peace to my weary soul but the flaming sword the righteous Law of God cryed in me for a perfect fulfilling of the Law of God and did meet with me where-ever I was that I could find no peace in that worship of God the world hath set up as in receiving the bread and wine which they told me was the seals of the Covenant which were long ere I durst receive it because I saw not my self prepared for the evil of my heart stood before me and when I was to receive it I sought the Lord to keep me by his power that I might receive it worthily and when I did receive my desire was the Lord would seale up his love to my soule but I found nothing sealed up to my soul with it Then much fear seized upon my soul for a long time after and Iudas condition was cast into my mind until it were shewed that the seal of the Covenant was the Spirit of Christ and no outward element and the supper was the body and blood of Christ which the world doth not know nor I at that time but was made to wait for the manifestation of it to me Then I durst joyn no more with the world in that practise nor in their practise in singing Davids conditions which they called Psalms for the light in my conscience let me see the evil of my heart that I was not in Davids condition the sence of which stopped my mouth and while they were singing I did mourn and weep for want of the pure spirit that David had that caused him to sing neither could I apply the promises which they told me belonged to me for I found no promise belonging to that nature but the wrath of God abode upon mee for my disobeying his counsel in me the light in my conscience but being ignorant it was his counsell I departed from it and lent my eare to those without that said they spoke from the mouth of the Lord so was deceived and caused to erre by their lies that did draw mee to seek the Kingdom of God in observations without but the word of the Kingdom was in mee and executed the righteous justice of God upon my adulterous heart that took councell and not at his mouth till I was consumed and my body was brought so weak I was not able to answer the expectation of him whom the Lord hath placed me with though my conscience was clear I did what I were able and he in his carnal wisedom thought I were in a consumption and was in mind sometimes to have sent mee away to my friends in the flesh and othersome times he would have the men the world calls Doctours to apply some things to my body for my recovery but I was not free to let them but once for fear of giving them offence for I knew my infirmity was the evil of my heart that separated mee from the presence of my God and how to be freed from it none told me and when I found no help in outward observations in reading praying hearing or meditating of what I heard my sorrow and misery was so great it constrained me to run to those the world calls Ministers and Professours which appeared to me had most acquaintance with God to ask them what I might do to be saved and they spoke smooth things to me to beleeve in the name of Jesus Christ and to apply the promises but that he was to be found within me none told me which added to my sorrow telling me to believe in Christ I knew noâ— where he was then at that time did the wars begin in this Nation and mine eyes being sâ—ill abroad to do something in outward observations for my life The men called Ministers cried â—uâ—se ye Merâ—z bâ—cause they went not forth to help the Lord against the mighty Then I was willing to give my body to death in obedience to my God to fâ—ee my soule from sin that I might escape the wrath I lay under and get acquaintance with him I jâ—yned with that little remâ—ant which said they fought for the Gospel but when I was amongst them I found as much ignorance of the Gospel as was in thâ—se I had been with none told me what the Gospel was but the dead letter which is the outward tesâ—imony and declaration of the Gospel which is Christ who is the glad tidings to sinneâ—s but they called the dead letter the Gospel as I had heard before so I found no rest to my soul amongst them Then I heard there was in Scotland a refoâ—med Church who they said walked in the fear of the Lord I journâ—yed into that country and to Edenbourgh where I found nothing but formality their Teachers calling to the people to seek the Kingdom of Heaven in outward observations as I had heard in England Then I returned back to England again and went amongst those that called themselves the Church of Christ who is callâ—d by the names Anabaptists and Independents who were setting up a more glorious image in outward observations and said they were the children of God but I could not joyn with them for the testimony of his love my soul wanted And then the Lord discovered to me that his love could not be attained in any thing I could doe in any of these outward
observations so in all these my turnings in my carnall wisdom seeking the Kingdom of God in observations without thither the flaming sword turned which kept the way of the tree of life and fenced me from it and cut me down and rent all my fig-leave coverings and neuroyed that minde that looked out to seek the Kingdom of Heaven in observations or to hearken any more to hear the word of the Lord from man then my mind was turned within by the power of the Lord to wait in his counsel the light in my conscience to hear what the Lord would say And the word of the Lord came unto me and said put up thy sword into thy scabard if my Kingdom were of this world then would my children fight knowesâ— thou not that if I need I could have twelve legions of Angels from my Father which word enlightned my heart and discovered the mystery of iniquity and that the Kingdom of Christ was within and the enemies was within and was spiritual and my weapons against them must be spirituall the power of God Then I could no longer fight with a carnall weapon against a carnall man for the dead letter which man in his carnall wisdom called the Gospel had deceived me but then the Lord discovered to me the deceits of all these men in England that were seeking the Kingdom of Heaven in outward observations And the messenger of the Covenant forth of his mouth proceeded the two edged sword with which he slayes his enemies cut me down and caused me to yeeld in obedience to put up my carnall sword into the seabbard 〈◊〉 leave â—â—e Army Then I returned to my outward habitation and calling I had in the world and there laboured with my hands my mind being turned within to wait upon the Lord in the way of his judgements and this I witnesse the administration of Moses in which Cain is banished Esâ—u rep obated Pharâ—oh plagued the first born of Egypâ— slain and my wiâ—l brought in subjection for the Lord to do with me what his will was if he condemned he might and if he saved me it were his free love and in this condemned estate I lay crying in the depth of misery without any hopes of deliverance by any thing I could do to pacifie the wrath of God till the administration of the Prophets that witnessed to my soul therewhere free redemption laid up for me in the Lord Jesus and by the power of the word of their testimony there was a secret hope raised up in me to wait for his coming there I waited till the administration of 〈◊〉 and I witnesse that of all that is born of a woman there is 〈◊〉 â—â—reater then Iohn for he is a burning and a shining light who discovered more of the mystery of iniquity in me in his administration and the sence of my condition was more manifest the cry of my condemned soul was great and could not be satisfied I breathed and thirsted after Christ to save me freely through his blood or I perished for ever and in this condemned estate I lay waiting for the coming of Christ Jesus who in the appointed time of the father appeared to my soul as the lightnings from the Eâ—st to the West and my dead soul heard his voyce and by his voyce was made to live who created me to a lively hope and sealed me up in the everlasting Covenant of life with his blood then I witnessed the wages of sin and death and the gift of God eternal life through Jesus Christ my Lord and I witnessed according to testimony of Scripture death reigns over all from Adam to Moses and Moses untill the Prophets and the Prophets untill Iohn and from this day the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force there is no rest to the soul till Christ bee manifest and this the Scripture witnesseth and I witnesse these Scriptures fulfilled in mee in the year according to the account 1645. The witnesses that stood before the God of the earth and had power to plague the earth having finished their testimony the 〈◊〉 ascends out of the bottomlesse pit and makes war against 〈◊〉 and kill them and their dead bodies lay in the streeâ— of the great Citty spirituall Sodom and Aegypt where our Lord was crucified and this Scripture was fulfilled in me in the year according to account 1648. Then Kindreds tongues and the Nations of the earth made merry over the witnesses and I see the abomination that maketh desolate which is spoken of by Daniel the Prophet standing in the holy place where it ought not and then was I led by the Spirit into the wildernesse and tempted of the Devill that the Scripture might be fulfilled Luke 4.1 In that day and hour of temptation which was in the time as the lines following giveth testimony I witnessed these Scriptures fulfilled in me of Pauls condition wherein he complained as I then did who found a law in my members warring against the Law of my mind that when I would do good evil was present with mâ— the sence of which caused me to cry Oh wretched man that 〈◊〉 who shall deliver me from the body of this death And as 〈◊〉 crying to the Lord to free me from the burthen I groaned under the word of the Lord came unto me saying My grace is sufficient for thee I will deliver thee and by the power of his word I was armed with patience to wait in his counsel groaning under the body of sin in the day and hour of temptation untill it pleased the Lord to manifest his power to free me which was in the year according to the account 1651. The spirit of life from God entred into the witnesses and they stood upon their feet then great fear fell upon all that saw them and the Temple of God was opened in Heaven and I saw in his Temple the Ark of his Testament and there were lightnings voyces thunder earth-qâ—akes and great hail then mystery Babylon the great the mother of harlots and the abomination of the earth which made all Nations drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication she was discovered in me and God remembred her when the mighty day of the Lords power was manifest upon her Jesus Christ was revealed from Heaven in flaming fire pouring vials of wrath upon her and rendring vengeance upon all in me that knew him noâ— and disobeyed his Gospel and purged away the filthy nature that did me imbondage with the spirit of judgement and with the spirit of burning so through the righteous law of life in Christ Jesus I was made free and am from the body of sin and death and through these great tribulations my garment is washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb who
thee I lament who persecutes the Sons and Daughters of the most high God he hath to thee sent thee to forewarn of the evill day that is coming upon thee O That thou in this day of thy visitation did know the things belonging to thy peace which the living God tenders to thee in this day of his mercy wherein he waites on thee to be gracious unto thee and to make thee the glory of all the Nations of the world and in all thy straits for thee appeared and in his mighty power hath destroyed all that did secretly plot and rise up against thee to establish unrighteous Lawes and them bind upon the consciences of those that feaâ—ed the Lord in thee and walked humbly before him according to the measure of light received and now hath he appeared in the day of his mighty power in thee O England to exalt the Kingdom of Christ in the hearts of his Saints and hath sent them to preach his everlasting Gospel in thee to turn the mindes of the people from darknesse to light which comes from Christ in it to waite for his power to guide out of all sin and uncleannesse into union and fellowship with the Father of light which many of you people in England seemed to desire above all things and content to give up your lives to withstand them that did appear to bind any unrighteous law upon you and by it to take advantage against you concerning the Law of God which you professed to love and to delight in your liberty in it more then in your nearest and dearest relation or life or any outward injoyment and all you in that day who were faithfull to the Lord according to the measure of light manifest in you the Lord God did appear for you and in his mighty power hath scattered those that stood up in enmity against you to bind Lawes upon your consciences which is contrary to Scripture and the righteous Law of God in the heart and the Lord hath given you power over all those your enemies and now have you free liberty which they cannot take from you to worship God in spirit and in truth according to the desires you seemed to manifest in the day you cryed to the Lord when you were in distresse and now is the Lord come to visite you in his tender mercy and hath sent his Ministers to preach his eternal word freely without money or price in season and out of season to reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine which many of you people in England who promised the Lord to worship him in spirit and in truth now his counsell rejects and turns to the teachers you have heaped up to your selves according to your own lusts who cryes peace peace to you in what you do while you put into their mouths and now is the time come to the fulfilling the Scripture in you who have itching eares and cannot indure sound doctrine but turns from it to fables which if you continue in your carelesse mindes slighting this day of your visitation and not like to retain God in your knowledge God will give you up to reprobate mindes that professe you know God but in works deny him being abominable and disobedient and to every good work reprobate upon whom the Lord will get his glory in his righteous judgements and if the Lord in his everlasting love had not left a seed in thee O England thou with all thy teachers whom thou hast heaped up according to thy own lusts would have become as Sodom but for his own seed sake whom he hath blessed he will do good to the inhabitants of England who stands faithfully in his counsell to be guided by his power and will scatter all those that stand in opposition to his righteous seed Christ whom he is exalting in the hearts of his elect and chosen people in England to rule for ever over all that stand in enmity to him this is the day the mighty God is giving all power unto his son Jesus to whom every knee shall bow and all you proud stubborn self-willed lofty ones that hates the light of Christ in you that witnesses against sin in the secret of the heart and conscience and it rejects and denies to be guided by it but turns to the counsell of your own hearts and the Teachers you have heaped up according to your lusts and with them sits at ease in the flesh and turns the grace of God into wantonness and forgets the loving kindnesse of the Lord who delivered you by the arm of his mighty power when enemies compassed you on every side and gave your lives for a prey when they were nigh unto death and now you abuse your liberty to walk with your teachers according to your lusts and with them commit this filthy and abominable thing in the land the Priests to teach for hire and the Prophets that divine for money and you people love to have it so but what will you do in the end thereof which day you put afar off and do not regard but that you shall not be ignorant of the mind of the Lord and left without excuse in the mighty day of the Lords anger who hath sent his servants and children early and late to forewarn you of the evill day that is coming upon you if you doe not speedily repent and turn to the Lord but slight this day of your visitation then shall the things now belonging to your peace be hid from your eyes and your end shall be according to the word of the Lord I declare to you thus saith the Loâ—d All these my enemies that will not that I shall rule over them bring them hither and slay them before me and this is your portion you enemies of Christ that hates his counsel as is before written he will you consume with the breath of his mouth and the brightnesse of his coming which will overtake you that sit at ease in the flesh as a theef in the night and in flames of fire will render vengeance on you that disobeys his Gospel and will give to every one of you according to the works done in the body and you shall not escape from Israels Judge Syons King who will all his people deliver and you proud lofty ones under bring by his mighty power to the praise and glory of his righteous justice who alone is worthy God over all blessed for ever Amen Remember you are warned in your life time and prize this day of your visitation while the Lord in patience and long-sufferance waites to be gracious and mercifull to you if you speedily return to his counsell which is the light of Christ in your consciences that shewes you sin and wait in it for his power to lead you to repentance and to cleanse you from sin and in the straight way of self-denyal and the daily crosse you to guide in obedience to the Father of light then will the Lord God