no time of repentance can be found by you And further you say He the Lord hath always been a ready help in time of need never did his poor servants seek his face in vain neither did he ever lend a deafe eare to the voyce of their weeping To which I answer Verily it 's true he is always a ready help for us his servants in time of need neither did we ever seek his face in vain even when we lay under the grievous oppressions of the enemy nor you your selves some of you sought not in vain while your hearts were upright with him but had the deliverance desired by you out of the hands of all your enemies their necks to tread upon but it is not so now inasmuch as you are become vain formal seekers hypocritical fasters a deaf ear will the Lord lend to you to the voice of your weeping til you remove the oppression from off the neck of the distressed you shal seek his face find no answer from him for the vision shal fail unto you and though you houl unto him and call upon him yet will he hide his face more more leave you to your selvs wil not regard the voice of your crying though you have found him a present help in time of trouble of your need in the day of your integrity yet trouble destruction shall come upon you no help from him shal you find till you return to him with all your hearts and spirits and lay down your own crowns and exalt him the Lord of glory who is now appearing in power And further you say in the midst of such unequalled signal mercies how great hath been is your ingratitude and unfruitfulness To this I answer Truly have you spoken to your own shaâ—◠〈…〉 ingratitude and unfruitfulness exceeds many that went before you 〈◊〉 justly were cut off for the very sins of which you are highly guilty and more may I add unto your confession how great hath been and is yoâ—r oppressions and pride and vain-glory and self-exaltings and hypocritical fastings and confessions with your mouths when your heaâ—â—â— are far from the Lord yea as your mercies hath been unequalled so your sins cannot be numbred as though you sinned that Grace might abound or did evil that good may come or took liberty to your own hearts lusts from your former mercies and deliverances received Then further you say Should the Lord say unto you as once he did unto Ephraim Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone that same Sentence would be your desert as insensibility is your crime so it might be too justly made your punishment Answer Yea verily the Lord may say so unto you many of ye Rulers of England is joined to Idols let them alone and that same sentence is your desert but Insensibility is not wholly your crime for you have had a day of visitation from the Lord in warning of you by the mouth of his Servants and you are not altogether unsensible of your crime of great oppressions and false worships and Idol Shepherds Oblations which you are joined unto and your punishment will justly be the same for the time comes that it shall be darkness and night upon you and you shall seek the Word of the Lord but shall not finde it for God will smite your Idol Shepherds and break down your Idol Altars of vain Tradition and the Lord will leave you to your selves to wallow in darkness and in the way of death and the Servants of the Lord shall let you alone and shall no more weary themselves with seeking to reclame you And further you say VVho hath been melted with mercy who hath been broken by Iudgements a sinful Nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evil doers children that are corrupters they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger they are gone away backward why should ye be stricken any more ye will revolt more and more And further you say As those sad words do Characterise us as fitly as these of Iuda so if that sad destruction should also be our doom we could not but acknowledge the Lord is righteous in all his wayes Answ Verily few of you have been melted by mercies or broken by Judgements but are a sinful Nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evil doers and ye have read your own character fully for you have forsaken the Lord and are children that are corrupters and are gone away backward and provokes the holy One of Israel to anger and true is it why should you be stricken any more or warned for you will revolt and turn aside more and more how truly have you numbred up the sum of your own Estate even to your shame and confusion of face and to the justifying of the Lord when he in vengeance appears to judge 〈…〉 even assuredly that sad denounciation will be your doom 〈…〉 Judgements shall overtake you when the Seed is gathered 〈…〉 among you even desolation of Cities and madness of Prophets 〈◊〉 will smite you together with confusion and you shall not bring 〈◊〉 deliverance in the Land neither shall the Nations have peace in 〈◊〉 â—â—yes while you revolt when you are stricken and persecute the 〈◊〉 when they warn you And in the day of your recompence you shall indeed confesse to your â—â—â—â—â—mnation that the Lord is righteous in all his wayes and furâ—â—â—r you say How deeply have you grieved your God in not mourning as you â—â—ght for that prophanenesse and barrennesse that is so ripe amongst you even 〈◊〉 such meanes of knowledge and grace and in not being sensible under 〈◊〉 making a sanctified use of those rebukes you have of late received Answer Yea you have and doe daily even in your set daies and â—â—nes of Fasting deeply grieve the Lord God in not mourning and fasting with a heart prepared to the Lord but in hypocrisie and even for strife and debate indeed ignorance and prohanenesse and barrennesse abounds among you and you are ripe therein to be cut down for the fire even the more ye are inexcusable because you have neglected the messages of the grace of God and means of knowledge from the mouth of the Lords despised servants whom you have persecuted even in cruelty some of them unto death and have imprisoned others unjustly while your false Prophets and Diviners have been set up by you who have dawbed you with untempered morter and you have made your hearts unsensible by hardening your hearts against reproof and rebukes which some of you of late have received the messengers of which rebukes have been evil and shamefully entreated in your Towns Steeple-houses and Highwaies and elsewhere in your Dominions and how should you but be ignorant and prophane and barren while you cannot receive the message of Light but stumbles at Christ Jesus the Light of the world and cannot believe in the
and unthankfulness among you and the cause why you abuse the mercies which you do enjoy having lost the sence of the former dealings of the Lord with you Further you say all which with other the grievous sins of these three Nations call aloud upon all the good people in them to lay low in the sight of our offended God and by Prayer ond Humiliation a way which in our deepest distresses we have found both our duty and comfort to tread in to seek to appease his wrath and that he will be pleased for his own Names sake to remove whatsoever accursed thing there is amongst us and that as he is our God so we may be his people Answ Indeed many more grievous sins is highly abounding in these three Nations your own oppressions and self-seeking honors and vain glories in your self-performed righteousness which your persecution of the Innocent by grievous and unjust Fines and Imprisonments not regarding the cry of the poor which lies under the heavy hand of oppression of you subordinate Rulers these abundantly adds to the measure of the iniquity of these three Nations all which abominations cries aloud for vengeance upon the heads of some of you rather then for humiliation for sin cries not for humility this is your ignorance but the good people of Gâ—â— doth lay low in his sight who ye highly offend every day and 〈◊〉 you and suffers under your iniquities though you reward 〈◊〉 them with persecution and hard censures of cruel dealing till 〈◊〉 your wickedness you repent and turn from it all your Prayers 〈◊〉 Hâ—miliations and set dayes of seeking God in your rebellious Hyâ—â—â—tâ—cal hearts shall never appease Gods wrath but the rather shall 〈◊〉 â—â—ereunto and kindle it more abundantly against you away with 〈◊〉 oblations and false divining Prophets they are a weariness to â—â—â—â—d and his hand is against them while your hearts are upright 〈◊〉 him and though sometimes some of you have found God near 〈…〉 distress when you called upon him even when your hearts were 〈◊〉 a measure upright with him yet in vain you now set your selves to 〈◊〉 him and your cry he will not hear nor his wrath shall not be appea◠〈◊〉 for you have truly confessed the cursed thing is amongst you even 〈◊〉 Idolatry of the deepest nature both in Teachers and people and â—ll you repent and remove every burden from off the innocent the acâ—â—sed thing cannot be taken away but for his Names sake which is Eâ—â—ty and Justice Judgement must he bring upon your heads and unto you â—e will be a God of vengeance and unto him shall you be a people of his Curse except you break of your sins by righteousnesse and your â—â—â—â—ities by shewing mercie to the poor Further you say and this you desire That he will infatuate the Counsels and defeat the designes of all those that labour to exalt themselves against the â—â—terest of his Son and his people Ans Friends you or some of you are the men which seeks to exalt your selves and not with and therefore against the interest of the Son of God and his people instance the unjust suffering of many of Gods people who know the Son in them to rule them under your Laws upheld by you and acted in by some of your selves and you say in your hearts you will not have this man to reign over you for you own not the bringers of that Message but uphold your false Prophets which speaks smooth things to you and cries Peace while you follow your own wayes and verily herein you go to seek God against your selves to your own destruction as being some of you the very men guilty of the Abominations which you set and propound to your selves in your humiliation to pray against your eye is blinde and your hearts unbelieving and ye know not what you do and your own counsels and designes or so much of them at least as is against the Innocent is sure to be infatuated and defeated and you shall receive from the Lord the answer of your requests upon your own heads for you labour against the Interest of the Son while you seek to binde any mans conscience to this or that Worship Again you say That he will be pleased in a most special manner to 〈◊〉 his presence to those who are entrusted with the management of the Aâ—â—â— these Nations Answ If you do his will and fulfill his Ordinance of Justice and â—quity towards all men not seeking your selves in any thing 〈◊〉 Lord in all things and wait on him in his Light by which Christ â—â—â—neth every one of you to be guided thereby in all your wayes 〈…〉 presence you may enjoy in a special manner in the managing of all â—â—fairs to his glory but if you keep not the conditions of the Lord in fâ—â—â—ing his honor onely and in denying your selves his presence you 〈◊〉 not finde with you but shall be filled with desolations and contentâ—â—â— and the Nations over whom you are entrusted shall not have peace 〈◊〉 deliverance in your dayes but they under you shall have confusion 〈◊〉 oppressions and the special presence of the Lord shall not be shoâ—◠〈◊〉 you or to them and remember this is a warning to you Again you say That he will appear the mighty Counsellor experimentally 〈◊〉 them Answ If you stand in his counsel and walk in uprightness of heâ—â—â— before him in the Light of Christ Jesus then will he appear to be mighty in his counsel with you and for you otherwise shall you be given up to follow the counsels of your own hearts which shall never bring forth good but evill to your selves to your whole Nations and this shall you know experimentally by the Light in your own consciences Again you say That he would in all things spirit you unto the work 〈◊〉 which you are called and give you unity among your selves even the best â—â—â—ty that of the Spirit in the best Bond that of Peace that as you are a people abâ—â—â—ding in mercies so you may abound in returns Answ The work is great unto which you are called and shall hardly be accomplished by you except you receive the Spirit of the Lord to be ruled therewith in your own hearts for if you rule for him you 〈◊〉 first be ruled by him mark and ordered with his light which will condemn every evill affection in you and this is the Spirit of unity in the best bond of peace which is most precious which brings forth a humble walking with the Lord in all righteousness before him and being led every one in particular with this spirit and united to God and one to another in not seeking your selves but the Lord This is the way where Gods blessing is received and a returning unto him of praise for his mercies but I wish you are not rather adding sin unto sin and fulfilling the measure more and more of your transgressions till the wrath of the Lord break
forth against you to confound you for ever Again you say And that at last through the unwearied goodness of our God 〈…〉 after such memorable revolutions may be setled upon the sure 〈…〉 truth mercie and peace and his people henceforth being deliverâ—â—â—â—â—â—â—â—ies may serve him without fear in holiness and righteousâ—â—â—â— all the days of their life 〈◊〉 Verâ—ly the goodness of God haâ—h been unwearied to these three 〈◊〉 in many respects it appeareth and many memorable revolutiâ—◠〈◊〉 to pass in this last age even in cutting down one power 〈◊〉 of oppressions after another till many great mountains â—â—â—red and the Nations levelled and the Lord is now bringing his 〈◊〉 â—â—rk to pass in overturning once and again till his Reign and his 〈◊〉 be exalted over all in truth and righteousness and if you shorâ—â—â— your hand in your oppositions and persecutions your selves shall 〈◊〉 overturned that God may in righteousness settle these Nations 〈◊〉 remains as a wavering leaf and as an ungirded vessel full of 〈◊〉 â—â—d distraction fears and jealousies even among your own selves 〈◊〉 in your ways and thoughts in Truth Mercy and Peace but in 〈◊〉 sayings and Oppositions and Confusions stand tottering like a 〈◊〉 â—â—edge and the proud is exalted and the poor is despised and 〈◊〉 that love Sion are set at naught and verily you go not the way to 〈◊〉 the Nations upon the true foundation but backsliders from the 〈◊〉 truth what is the foundation upholding iniquity and establishâ—â—â— false Prophets and Diviners by a Law and such who the Lords 〈◊〉 is against who upholds the horrible filthy thing and abominatiâ—â— of the earth and confusion is upon them till they be overthrown â—â—â—er to deceive the Nations more therefore hear ye deaf and look ye â—â—inâ—e and understand ye hard-hearted love Truth and Mercy and â—â—ce in your own hearts and depart from Iniquity and cast away yâ—â—r Idols and cease from evil and learn to do well and put away the evil of your own doings and turn to the Lord in this the day of your consolation and to the light of Christ Jesus wherewith he hath â—â—â—ned you take heed thereby to be guided every one in particular 〈◊〉 fear and tenderness towards God and towards man not ruling in Tyranny and Oppression nor making Laws in your own wills accordiâ—g tâ— your own thoughts as some that went before you have done till they were cut off as you are witnesses who were made in the hand of the Lord their executioners and if you follow in any measure their example of wickedness take them for an example in a cursed end in love â—o all your souls this I write and not to shame you in your wickedness but rather that you may repent and that you may know how to exercise your selves in the Law of God towards the Nations and that every burden may be removed and the oppressed may go free and the hands of iniquity may be broken and this is the Fast accepted of the Lord required of him from you which if you observe wiâ—◠〈…〉 hearts a Blessing will the Lord make you unto the Nations 〈…〉 sent age and unto your selves for evermore but if you 〈…〉 hearts against the Lord and tread in the steps of your fore 〈…〉 seek to limit the Holy one or to binde the tender consâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 Lords People then shall you fall into their perdition and 〈…〉 up in everlasting confusion and your memorial shall stinâ— iâ— geâ—â—â—â—â—â—ons to come and shall be a hissing among the Heathen Kingdâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 deliverance will God bring another way unto his people 〈…〉 throw if you walk not in the council of the Lord. And whereas upon the consideration and purposâ—◠〈◊〉 said you have ordered that a day be observed and kept 〈◊〉 solemn humiliation and seeking the face of God through the â—â—diation of Christ in England Scotland and Ireland 〈◊〉 which in much tendrrnesse of spirit I desire to say that 〈◊〉 you seek his face in the hardnesse of your hearts and in 〈◊〉 way of your own peecepts while the yoke of the greaâ—â—â—pressions in these Nations are not broken from off the 〈◊〉 of the poor his fece shall you not behold though you sâ—â—â— it but in vain shall you weary your selves and shall traâ—â—â— without issue as to that which you desire and his counteâ—â—â—â— shall be hid from you till he shew his face for evil against you and not for good and to you it shall be said To what pâ—â—dose is your Oblations and Solemn Meetings Who hath required it at your hand even your own doings and appointed Altars of Inventions which the Lord cannot accept from you therefore give ear yee Mountains and listen yeâ— tall Cedars if you establish the false Prophets which makes a prey upon the people through covetousnesse and which acteth the abominations of Israel in preaching for hire and in divining for money and in crying peace to the wicked by a Law and maintain them through the oppression of the poor in the crying oppression of Tythes or otherwise imposing such things upon the tender consciences by any Act or Statute made or allowed by you God shall not hear your cry nor answer your requests nor ever establish you in peace nor the Nations over which you are set likewise if you make a Law or allow such a one to bee acted â—â—ich any way may tye or limit the spirit of 〈◊〉 any of his servants from reproving the aâ—â—â—â—oâ—s of the times in Rulers Teachers or Peoâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 streets or Temples or places otherwise 〈◊〉 time whatsoever the Lord will not hold you 〈…〉 â—ay assuredly if you do but hide your face 〈…〉 suffering of such who through the wickedâ—â—â—â— some under you may be afflicted upon such â—â—â—â—â—nt you shall not be altogether innocent but 〈…〉 shall be upon you likewise if any for conâ—â—â—â— sake deny to answer upon any account accorâ—â—â—â— to the former vain customes of the Nations â—â—â—d up thereto in ignorance and blindness in huâ—â—â—â— traditions and thereupon suffer imprisonment â—â—â—ing or otherwise whatsoever by any order from 〈◊〉 or from any of your subordinate powers you 〈◊〉 be guilty in the sight of God of that suffering 〈◊〉 â—â—e innocent in such a cause much more shall you â—â—ilty if by any means in any cause upon any â—â—â—â—ition men be compelled by any authority of this â—â—â—â—ion to swear likewise if any suffer for not bowâ—â— the hat or knee to any of you or of your Judges 〈◊〉 under-Officers and thereupon be accounted transgressors the Lord shall account such things oppression from your hands and tyrannie and cruelty and you shall not escape unpunished as the Lord lives these and many more abominations which of late have abounded in these nations cries for vengeance against some of you who have had your hand deeply dipped in such oppressions and therefore to you this is a warning to break off these sins by righteousness and these evils by true repentance lâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Fasts prove onely for strife and to smite wiâ—◠〈◊〉 fists of wickedness Clear your selves and 〈◊〉 your hands from these abominations lest the fruiâ—â—â—â— them be given you to eat for food and let this O ye Rulers be acceptable counsel unto you that the dayes of happiness may appear and the long expected and wailed for day of liberty may yet dawn through this dark night of bondage which overshadows your heads that you cannot behold the glory of the sonne and herein shall you be established and we shall have cause to bless the Lord for you and with you otherwise you shal never be renouned but all your counsels and purposes shall fail and be cursed of the Lord and evill shall be upon you and upon the Nations for your sakes ANd all you that fear God listen and give audience and let the fear of the Lord bee before your eyes and keep your selves pure from the iniquities which the rest loves to drink in and though your power be shorter and your vote lower then the uprightness of your hearts desires yet unto God be faithful in bearing your testimony for him and against all that which with the light of Jesus you see to be contrary to him and be awakened vnto righteousness judgement and mercy the light is springing over your heads and the day of the Lord is dawning out of darkness and a seed is sown in your dominions which cannot bee rooted out til 〈◊〉 over-spread the Earth with the precious â—â—â—of and though it be striven against to be 〈◊〉 up yet shall the branch and root thereof bee â—â—â—â—gly renouned for it is of the true Jew and he â—â—â—lls before it shall never more rise up again And this is by a true Lover of your Souls in faithfulness unto God Given forth for your sakes who fear the Lord E. B. FINIS ERRATA PAge 8. line 34. for ere read are and add is after it in the same line p. 10. l. 33. read with for which p. 11. l. 9. add not before upright p. 12. l. 22. add and after selves p. 13. l. 18. r. stands for stand and in line 21. read backslides for backsliders and in l. 21. r. which for what and in l. 22. r. whom for who p. 14. l. 17. r. great for grean and l. 19. for fece r. sace p. 15. l. 11. for answer r. swear page 16. l. 8. for wdiled r. waited
these are they that are in the Disputes and Coâ—â—â—tiâ—â—s 〈…〉 about the Leteer drawing their own consequences and deductâ—â—◠〈◊〉 it in their own wisedome and knowledge and sensual underâ—â—â—â—â—â— and those lose the substance and know not that which is certain 〈◊〉 Jesus in them to be Ruler over them but are as dry trees to be pâ—â—â—â— up and all their Profession will wither and all their pretended 〈◊〉 will perish and their shew of things in the outward appearance 〈◊〉 be confounded who know not the Light of Christ to guide them 〈◊〉 Light is the ground of true love and tenderness and brings to the kâ—â—â—ledge of things certain out of the contention of things disputable But further you say In allowing difference in Formes more power 〈◊〉 divide Christians then agreements in Fundamentals has to unite the◠〈◊〉 of the dangerousest and fruitfullest seed that hath been sown by the Eâ—â—â—ous One. Answ Christians are they that follow Christ Jesus who are not so only in name but in practice and they are one and cannot be diviâ—â—â— as they walk in the Light which comes from Christ who is the fâ—â—â—â—tion or fundamental Principle of the Religion which is not in forâ—â— but in power â—greeing in the foundation and in the whole building But Friends you seem to charge the late Powers of the Nation if 〈◊〉 your selves yet some part of your Body which now is in power 〈◊〉 great things with no less then to be Satans Seedsmen for if alloâ—â—â— difference in Formes be the dangerousest and fruitfullest seed that ever was sown by the Envious one as you say it is then who do you blame either the foregoing Parliaments of which some of you have been and so cannot be clear from that evil or the Protector himself and this seems to be a very great charge upon him whose judgement is appearingly to give allowance unto difference in Formes to be the Seedâ—man of Satan or to allow the Envious One to sow the seed which you call dangerous it is not Christians that ere divided it but the Sects and false Opinions men of corrupt minds Thus much in Answer to the words as they are laid down But I rather choose to speak to the mind or intent of the Penmans Spirit of your Declaration which implieth an inclining to be against many Formes and to bind up all into one Forme of Worship and so thereby though some which is evill would be shut out yet would the true spiritual worship of the Saints above all assuredly thereby be excluded and the tender spirits of people who truly seek God would be oppressed But keep your selves from that evill I warn you lest you be broken and never bound up and lay no law nor make no law upon Religion but let Religion defeaâ—â—â—lf only lay your Law upon Peace-breakers and violent 〈…〉 not mens consciences to a Worship by your Precepts eiâ—◠〈…〉 already or by such as may be made if you ease the oppressed 〈◊〉 â—ill establish you in peace if you fulfil his Will herein 〈◊〉 you say In not being fully sensible though the Lord in the depth of 〈…〉 and righteous Iudgements hath for some yeers last past been overâ—â—â— several Authorities in these Nations and hath as it were been pouring 〈◊〉 frâ—â— Vessel to Vessel he hath been pleased ever since his people publikely 〈◊〉 for his Truths still to set up Rulers who have allowed them the free â—â—â—â—ise and profession of them Answ Indeed you are not sensible of the righteous Judgements of 〈◊〉 in overturning several Authorities in the Nation and therefore you 〈◊〉 the same abominations as they did who were overturned till you â—â—so be overturned as they were but takeheed to your selves lest you be â—â—re then poured from Vessel to Vessel even spilt in the dust of misery and never more gathered again Your last part of this particular is false 〈◊〉 that are in the pure Religion and in the exercise of our pure conâ—â—â—â—â— have not from some of you our Liberty but are cast into Goals â—â—d Dungeons and banished out of your Towns and Cities some of us by fâ—â—e that have been Rulers set up if this be doubted by you exaâ—â—â—â— through your Nation true testimony may be given so that here you have spoken better of the Rulers then indeed it is and would make the Nation believe untruths to establish you though I condemn not all but my words is towards the guilty that they may repent lest they perish in their iniquities and be cut off in their transgressions and the Curse be upon you all for somes sake Again you say In that Athiestical and luke-warm spirit too commonly amongst you whereby not only the form but the power of Godliness is reproachâ—â— and accounted as a vain thing but also too many have fallen from their first Love and others esteem themselves rich while they are miserable poor and blind and naked sins which are the highest aggravated by being committed in Countries where the glorious Light of the Gospel shines clearest Answ This you have confessed truly to your own shame in the sight of other Nations your spirit is not onely luke-warm unto righteousness but it is too common among some of you to be zealous and hot in persecuting the way of righteousness and indeed many of you are grosly fallen from your first Love and Integrity and thereby the power of godlinesse is not only reproached by you but persecuted and counted vile and they that live in it oppressed such is your zeal in your dead form some of you that even you count the true way and worship of God madâ—ess 〈◊〉 you are the men that esteems your selves rich while you are 〈◊〉 and blinde and naked and your sins are aggravated the more and higâ—â—â—â— because God gives you warning daily by the mouth of his Servants 〈◊〉 holds forth the Light of the glorious Gospel and bears witness unto your face against your abominations and Idolatries committed by you 〈…〉 all this you continue in your Iniquities and evil entreats the Messâ—â—â—â—â—â— of Peace unto your souls and are the men indeed which is Athi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even many by their works saying in their hearts there is no God and 〈◊〉 truly as you have confessed your sins so must you confess the justness of the Judgements of God upon your own heads if you return not unto the living God and own the day of your visitation Again you say In being more dissatisfied that you have not abtained all 〈◊〉 aimed at then thankful that you have obtained so much as you nâ—w â—â—joy Answ Verily this is not the least of your sins but exceeds soâ—â— others for you aim at that which you shal never obtain til you be thankful and walk worthy of what you enjoy and this is the way ease the oppressed and take off the yoak of the poor and needy and of the Loâ—d you may be heard and seek not your own honor for that is the ground of dissatisfaction