time against the outward Governours to overturn them by an outward power or force then let us also suffer as I said before by a just Law And if he that sends us forth will not provide Food and Raiment for us then let us want and if we cannot live of our Gospel which we Preach without an outward Law to compel us an outward Maintenance and if our Ministry will not stand without it then let us want whereon to live and let our Ministry fall And let none be compelled to uphold another's Meeting-place concerning their Worship for that is Oppression but let every one uphold their own and that sort of Professors that will not uphold the Place where they meet to Worship let their House fall and then it will appear where the earthly Spirit lodgeth for they that compel others to uphold another's place of Worship do but cover and strengthen the earthly Spirit therefore let there not be such havock made of Peoples Goods as hath been of late upon many who could not give to the upholding another's Meeting-house for that is out of the equality in the Oppression and Tyranny So come into that which is equal and keep in that and that will bring you to act that which is equal and just unto all and to break all outward Laws that are not equal and just but tend to Tyranny and Oppression and truly there are many Laws and Customs in this Nation whereby the Innocent are opprest so wait to feel the Power of God that ye may Rule and Govern in that for the Lord and feeling the Power of God and keeping to that it will bring you out of all deceit and transgression in the particular and so to stand over all deceit and transgression in the general and it will also bring you to judge righteously without respect to persons and this will reach to the Witness of God in all Consciences So wait to feel the higher Power to rule over the evil doer in the particular and to know and feel the Authority of God there and then ye will come to rule over all evil doers in the higher Power even in the Authority of God and then that of God in all Consciences where ye come to Rule shall answer to your Government But if ye give way to the evil doer in the particular and let him have the Liberty there mark that then that will cause the Just to suffer in the particular and then the same will give way and liberty to evil doers without whereby the Just without will come to suffer also Therefore keep to the Power of the Lord in your particulars you who have felt it and that will bring ye to do Justice unto all without partiality and this will make you honourable in the hearts of the People and then shall Righteousness Truth Equity Mercy and Justice prosper over all and be exalted and all deceit unrighteousness and unrighteous wayes shall be confounded So remember He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the Fear of God Something after ANd all ye that are Officers and Rulers now who have tasted of the pure Power of the Lord God and have felt it stirring in you against all Oppression and Tyranny whereby also ye were made to witness against the back-sliding of others even to the losing of your Places some of you some being turned out and others that could not stay for Conscience sake Well keep to the Power of the Lord which ye have felt and do not abuse it but wait in it that ye may be kept low in his fear that so those who are come to see their back-slidings and do repent them may come to have unity with you and you with them in that which kept you in any measure out of the back-slidings and which hath also brought them to see theirs and to repent of it for that is but one in you both it is even the measure of the pure God which is given you to profit withal therefore in that all wait to receive the Wisdom which is from above that in it ye may all be preserved and kept in unity together and that therein ye may be instruments for the settling and preserving the outward Peace and just Liberties of the People of these Nations which are under your charge But verily much of the Wars which have lately been entred into have not been for the Peace Safety and Well-being of these Nations for the Power being lost Pride and Lust was the ground of them Therefore all mind the Lord's Wisdom and Counsel that peradventure ye may find and see a way how to stop them lest ye bring Enemies upon heaps both upon your selves and these Nations for yet verily breaking breaking overturning and yet overturning will be among all those that will not submit to the Counsel of the Lord and wait in his Light to be led and guided in his Wisdom for he will be known to Rule in the Kingdoms of men and he will exalt his own Name over all Many are your Enemies within and without therefore be not high-minded but fear lest they prevail over you The Lord is near unto all those that fear him and trust in his Name to deliver them but those that go out of his Fear and trust in the wisdom or arm of flesh they shall be broken the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Given forth in the former part of the 3d. Month 1659. By one who loves the prosperity of the Truth and the good and well-being of all Creatures GEORGE FOX the younger A few plain Words to be considered by those of the Army or others who would have a Parliament that is chosen by the voices of the People to Govern the three Nations Wherein is shewed unto them according to the Scriptures of Truth that a Parliament so chosen are not like to Govern for God and the good of his People Also something to the other part of the Army and the New Committee who turned out or own the turning out of the late Parliament GReat are the cryings out of some of you of the Army and the People of these Nations concerning the dissolving of the late Parliament and it appears with a pretence of a very great Zeal that you have for Liberty Equity and Justice and the general good of the three Nations and you appear in a great fear that if the People lose the enjoying of Parliaments that then they shall lose their Birth-right and their Liberty both as Men and as Christians and that Equity shall be laid aside and that the People must be Ruled over by a Tyrannical Power of rebellious men whose Wills must be the Laws that the People must obey But you say if the Parliaments be chosen by the People then in effect the People make their own Laws to be Governed by because they chose their Law-makers themselves and this is England's Birth-right you say and it is just and equal that the People should
means can any resist his Will Or if he will do it by outward means cannot he provide it himself contrary to man's expectation Therefore Dread ye the Maiesty and Power of the Lord and fear before his Dreadful Name Friends I must deal plainly with you in the sight of God who hath made me a Prophet to the Nation I may not flatter any of you My Life is in the hand of my Maker and not one hair of my Head can fall to the ground without his Providence He hath redeemed my Soul from Hell and my Mind from the Earth and he hath given me his good Spirit to lead me I am henceforth no more my own but I am the Lord 's who hath formed me for his Praise and hath brought me forth that I may sound forth his powerful Truth amongst the People Therefore must I not fear Man neither must I be afraid of the Sons of Men. Verily your Spirits are seen to be too high for the Work which God will have to be wrought in the Earth and you are found in that your selves which the Lord will work against And he is loaded with the pride and excess that ye and many in the Nation are in and his Soul abhors the Vanity Musick and Pleasures which ye delight in Oh how hath Iniquity abounded since ye came into place and how is Oppression and Cruelty encreased and continued upon them that seek the good of all Now consider this That which the Lord was wroth with you for and threw you and your friends out for before he will not own that now nor that you should revive and establish that again For the Lord's Controversie is yet against those things though he hath thrown out a treacherous People who perverted his Cause Therefore try your Foundation before you build and settle for verily whatsoever is not founded upon CHRIST JESUS the Rock of Ages whether it be in things Religious or in things Civil the higher it is built the greater will its fall be and every ones work must be tryed by fire what Foundation soever they build upon and great will be the Destruction and Consumation for nothing but what can abide the fire shall remain And verily there is exceeding much both in Governours and Governments Laws Ministry Profession Trades and in the Constitution of them as they now stand and in the Conversations of the People which is to be utterly destroyed by the fire of the Lord's Jealousie and the day hastens which will try every man's work of what sort it is and that which is for the fire neither high words nor outward strength shall be able to save it Oh! The Spirit of the Lord is grieved and pressed with the Iniquities and Whoredoms of this Generation Oh! the Waste and the Spoyl that is made of the Lord's Creatures excess in Apparel excess in Diet and deceitful Feastings and Banquetings and each strive to exceed one another not scarce knowing what to invent to eat and to drink or to put on or what Musick or Images and Vanities to invent to please the Carnal Eye and Ear and in the mean time your own flesh or them of the same blood lye go sit or stand in your streets crying for a piece of Bread and many of your Lame and Blind and Sick and others both in Prisons and other places are ready to Famish Oh! Consider these things speedily and mock not at the Lord's Menssengers as some before you have done when they have been warned as you now are lest your bonds be made strong also and lest the Lord smite you with a Curse and send you Famine or Want in the room of your Abundance and Superfluity and Rags instead of Ribbons Feathers Gold and Silver Lace and Gorgious Attire and howling and mourning instead of your Musick Songs and Oaths Oh! It 's hard to utter the abomination that flows and swells in this Nation it is a shame to the Rulers to suffer these Stage-playes Mount-banks and vain Sports and Shows whereby the Lord is greatly dishonoured and foolish People are cheated of their money and the Creation is devoured and wasted and Mens lives sometimes endangered Oh! How have men invented mischief and vanity to stir up lightness and vanity one in another Oh ye Rulers is not this a horrible wickedness that a man who hath his right natural senses should be suffered to feign himself to be a Natural Fool and that he should be suffered to speak any light vain words he pleaseth even what he can invent to stir up lightness and vain laughter among you Have you not manifested your selves to be slighters of the Apostles Doctrine read Eph. 4.29 5.4 And is this an honour for the Chief of you to have a company of Men and Boys drest up with Ribbons and Bells about their legs and one acting like a Fool with a Ladle in in his hand dancing before you even like a company of mad distracted men making a noise like a company of Carriers Horses Oh! the Life of God is grieved with these things and all that fear his Name loath them and it is a shame that ever such things should be suffered in a Land Therefore O ye Rulers let all this ungodliness and superfluity of naughtiness be laid aside and receive with meekness the ingrafted Word which is able to save your souls Jam. 1.21 and that will teach you to love even your Enemies and to forgive them and to put a difference between the pretious and the vile And it will keep your hands from blood and your hearts from desiring after it if you will obey it and it will shew you with what God's Controversie is both in your Government and Worship and Conversations and it will teach you to deny it Yea if you will own its Teachings it will teach you to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live godly righteously and soberly in this present world Tit. 2.11 12. But if you will not return to the Word which is nigh in your mouths and in your hearts that you may obey it and do it Deut. 30.14 Rom. 10.8 verily this know that neither your Strength nor Wisdom shall be able to deliver you from the just hand of the Lord which shall find out all his Enemies Therefore if you would escape the overturning hand of the Lord Repent speedily and humble your selves before the Lord and forgive your Enemies love Mercy Compel none to your Worship nor to uphold your Teachers and be willing that the Lord alone should send forth Labourers into his Harvest and that he may lead them by his own Spirit that they may speak as that gives them utterance and limit or quench it not but let all have their Freedom to Worship God in the Spirit who know it according to the manifestation of it which is given to every man to profit withal Joh. 4.23 24. 1 Cor 12.7 for such a Worship the Lord owns And take away that grievous Oppression
Designs Oh England England How oft hath the Lord God smote thy Rulers and Mighty and Proud men how oft hath he laid their Honour in the Dust Yea how oft hath he Overturned and Confounded thy Mighty men even thy Men of War with thy Princes Nobles and Captains of Thousands Hundreds and Fifties O how oft hath he Overturned thy Governments and Changed thy Governours But how few of them have so regarded the Out-goings of the Lord in all these things as they ought to have done And how few of them have rightly Weighed and Considered the Causes for which the Lord hath brought or suffered so many Changes in the Land Or have those who saw the Causes that provoked the Lord of Hosts thus to Act lalaboured so to remove them as they ought to do or might have done Nay assuredly they have not for the Lusts of this World and the Pride of Life hath blinded the minds of most and such who have seen what their Duty was the honour of this World and that cursed Self-interest hath stopped and hindred most of them from doing those things which they saw they ought and which they had opportunity also to have done Oh! how have the new Governours in almost every Change of late cryed out of the Tyranny and great Oppression of those whom they did Succeed And how have most of them Vowed unto God Declared to and Promised the People That they would remove the Burdens and Oppressions that the fore-going Rulers had Laid and Continued upon them But alas very few of them have regarded their Vows Declarations and Promises either to God or Man but in Treachery and Deceit have they gone on serving themselves and their own Lusts and not the Lord nor their Generation faiâ—hfully For although many of them have been very large in Promises and Good Words whereby they have long sought to Deceive the hearts of the People yet it is but very Little that hath been done for their true Liberty because that wicked Spirit which seeketh to make it self great by the Ruine of others hath Ruled and doth yet Rule in the hearts of many Rulers this is of the Devourer and Destroyer who cannot forgive Enemies but cryes out of Rebellion and Treason labouring to exasperate the Spirits of others that so occasions may be gotten if possible against them thereby to bring them under and keep them in Bondage Oh England England Such is thy Sad Estate and Condition that several of thy Rulers are and have been as roaring Lyons even greedy to Devour and many of thy Teachers have been and yet are like Troops of Robbers robbing and spoyling of many of thine Inhabitants Oh! How have most of thy Priests Temporized and Daubed with every Power as they have come up in the many Changes How have they encreased Envy Wars and Destructions amongst thy Rulers and People How have they one time Cryed up and Prayed for the same Thing which at another time they have Cryed down and Prayed against Oh! Who shall ever believe them Their god is their Belly and who is it that many of them would not joyn unto if thereby they might be upheld in Pride Idleness and Fulness How oft would they Change again and again And what Idolatry is there that many of them would not run into for their Bellies sake Ah poor Nation Are they not yet striving to kindle a Flame within thy Bowels Hath not the Lord divided them And are they not labouring with all their might to Divide and Rend thy Inhabitants yet more and more Yea surely and it is just with the Lord to suffer it to be so because of the greatness of their Abominations which are daily encreased Ah poor Land How art thou overspread with Wasters and Spoylers who like Caterpillars devour thy Pleasant Fruit. Oh! the Whoredoms and Idolatries that are daily committed and acted in thee Who can Declare them Oh! thy Chief City thy Chief City that Bloody City Can its Abominations be Parallel'd in the Earth Surely it hath exceeded Sodom in Wickedness The Lord is very Angry with a great part of its Inhabitants and his Vengeance is nigh to come upon them Wo unto you Whoremongers Drunkards Gluttons Swearers Cursers Blasphemers Cheaters and Idolaters Wo unto you Proud Wanton and Prophane Vain Persons Wo unto you Mountebanks Stage-Players Bear-Baiters Gamesters and all manner of Abominable Workers and you that Build up Towers Scaffolds and vain Heathenish Representations and such like and make and garnish Images to draw Peoples minds after Idolatry and for your cursed Gain and Lusts in pretence of Honouring your King Oh! How are People drawn into Gazing and Wondring after these Abominations It grieveth the Righteous Soul to behold such great Wickedness Oh! You Wicked and abominable Workers Devourers of the Creation The Lord God will meet with you in a time when ye are little aware of Him He 'l Stain your Pride Vain Glory and Idolatry and give you your Portion amongst Devourers except you speedily Repent and your Abettors Strengthners and Helpers forward of such Ungodliness that do it knowingly and Delighters therein The Lord will not acquit you He 'l smite you for these things and that right soon Oh! Ye Idolatrous People Do you think that the Lord God of Pitty and Patience suffered your King to hide himself from his Enemies in an Oak for that end that ye might Devour his Creatures in making an Idol of it Is this the use you make of that which you say was God's Mercy towards you Is not this the way to turn those things that might have been Mercies to you into Plagues and Judgements Oh! How do you Dayly provoke the Lord against Your selves and your King Oh! You Wicked Workers How dare you make Representations of Destruction and Ruine How dare you make a Sport of such things Verily your Provocations are great wherewith you provoke the Just God And it will be Just with him to bring Ruine Desolation and Destruction upon you and your City Verily great is the Judgement that is nigh you and your sins draw it on you apace Do you think that the Lord cast out Back-sliders Hypocrites and Vnfaithful men to set up and establish Idolaters and open Prophane Persons Nay surely Therefore Tremble ye Wicked Workers and Howl ye Prophane Idolaters for the Mighty and Terrible day of the Lord is near to break out upon you Thus saith the Lord God I 'le Scatter I 'le Scatter I 'le Split Divide and Separate I 'le Break and Dash to pieces and none shall be able to Gather Bind up or Ioyn together For mine Anger is kindled and my Jealousie shall burn till I have devoured mine Enemies saith the Lord. Therefore ye People of Enland that yet live in wickedness who have not wholly sinned out the day of your Visitation To you I now speak You that feel the Lord yet striving with you O Return Return speedily unto the Manifestation of his Spirit whereby he
through Him might believe Mark through Him who lighteth every man that cometh into the World John 1.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. and God is Light 1 Joh. 1.5 and God and Christ are One Joh. 10.30 1 Joh. 5.7 So you that be turned from the Light which shews you sin and evil mark what you are turned from you are turned from the Way and from the Truth and from the Life and from the Covenant of God and from the Power of God and from the Word of God and so from God and Christ from whence the Light doth come and into the Darkness you are turned and gone and the Prince of Darkness ruleth in you Eph. 2.2 that so you cannot find any power over your own perverse Wills nor over your Lusts nor over any Sin there being gone from the Light in your own particulars in which Light if you believed and waited in it you would receive power to overcome sin but you not believing in the Light you believe in him who leads you from the Power of God into sin and there he perswades you that you must live in sin so long as you live upon the Earth and you have believed and received this Doctrin of him and you teach it to others and so are become the Devils Ministers and so you deny the end for which the Son of God was made manifest which was to destroy the Works of the Devil and to take away sin 1 Joh. 3.8 Mat. 1.21 and yet many of you feed your selves with hopes of Life and Salvation but your hopes are vain and will perish be not deceived God will not be mocked for such as you sow such shall you reap Gal. 6.7 8. Ye that live after the flesh fulfilling the lusts thereof you shall surely dye if ye repent not speedily Rom. 8.13 and you that sow to the flesh shall of the flesh reap Corruption The day of the Lord hasteth greatly wherein you must give an account unto him who will judge you righteously and reward you according to your deeds done in the Body and all you who have been slothful and have hid that in the Earth which the Lord gave you to profit withal you will be turned into utter darkness Mat. 25.30 John 12.35 Therefore while you have the Light believe and walk in it lest thick darkness come upon you even such darkness as may be felt the day of your Visitation prize lest the things that belong to your peace be wholly hid from your eyes Consider there is a time when the Candle is lighted and when you may see if you search with it what is in the house but mark this time will not alwayes continue with the wicked for the Candle of the wicked shall be put out Prov. 24.20 Yea the Spirit of the Lord shall not alwayes strive with man Gen. 6.3 Therefore cease from your dark imaginations which several of you have got into for whosoever followeth the imaginations and thoughts of his own heart which all who believe not in the Light do they run on in darkness and know not whether they go and such are under the wo putting darkness for Light Light for darkness calling the Spirit of Truth the Spirit of Error and the Spirit of Error the Spirit of Truth Isa 5.20 as all the world do who lye in wickedness and hate the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the Word which Light reproveth you for your wickednes and this Light you call a Spirit of Delusion and Error and you say that those who are guided by it are deluded and led into Error Oh! take heed of Blasphemy against the pure God who is Light Mark the Spirit of Error what it is and what it leads into it is that which abode not in the Truth and it is a Murderer and was so from the Beginning and they who walk not in the true Light they walk and are guided by this Spirit and some by it are led to murder some to steal some to be drunk to swear to lye to cheat and cozen one another to fight to game and some it leads into vain laughter foolish jesting corrupt communication cursed speaking wantonness lust whoredom fornication and into covetousness which is Idolatry into pride variance strife railing back-biting envy wrath and malice false accusing the Innocent and into all manner of ungodliness into feigned love self-seeking dissimulation hypocrisie and feigned flattery and to hate the very appearance of Truth Eph. 4.29 and 5. Gal. 5.19 20. Now examine with that which reproves you for sin in secret and it will let you see that you bring forth many of these cursed Fruits before-mentioned and so are deluded and guided by the Spirit of Error now the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the World comes from the Spirit of Truth and that is the Truth and it witnesseth against all these evil deeds before-mentioned which are out of the Truth and they who believe in the Light which makes manifest sin and evil and wait in it they receive power from him from whence the Light came John 1.12 to abstain from evil and to overcome sin and evil and this I witness and that Spirit which tempts the Creature to evil is the Spirit of Error So we who believe in the true Light which is the manifestation of the Spirit of Truth which is given to every man to profit withal 1 Cor. 12.7 we by it are led out of Error and Delusion into the perfect Truth of God and to act those things which are well-pleasing in his sight Mat. 11.29 they being learned and wrought in the Light which comes from the Son in whom the Father is well pleased Joh. 3.21 and this true Light in us is our Guide and Teacher and this brings us who wait in it to understand the Scriptures of Truth which was given forth from the Spirit of Truth and it brings us into that which the Scriptures speaks of into the Life and Power of God and to witness that which the World talks of for they will talk of Faith in Christ Jesus though they witness not what they speak but we who believe in the Light are made by the power of God Children of the Light and we witness Faith in Christ which Faith purifies our hearts and gives us victory over the World Act. 15.9 1 Joh. 5.4 and the Light leads us into meekness into soberness and love unfeigned into holiness and uprightness into sound and pure Judgement into Mercy into Patience when we are reviled and persecuted and at all times into long-suffering and Truth in the inward parts to do unto all men as we would they should do unto us yea it leads us who abide in it into all Truth Joh. 16.13 and this is not of our selves for it is the free Gift of God who freely gave his Son for a Covenant of Light which ligheth every man that cometh into the World and we who have received the Gift
any that took his Part leave that unto the Lord who will reward every one in Righteousness according to their deeds done in their Bodies And consider how far Christ was from seeking or desiring Revenge when they murdered him as concerning the flesh who said Father forgive them for they know not what they do Oh mind that Spirit and consider he was greater than thy Father and he was free from all Transgression and wherein thy Enemies did evil in any thing against thy Father or Thee and those that took your Part freely forgive them and render not evil for evil unto any man but overcome evil with that which is good O King this were the way for Thee to be established in peace and so to end thy dayes Oh that thy Heart were thus inclined that Mercy and Righteousness and Peace might be found to reign in Thee and that Mercy might Triumph over severity then might'st thou prosper and many of thy Enemies and also of those that are called thy Friends might be converted unto God and so ye might be united in true love one unto another and this were better than conquering by force And consider this there are many that acted against thy Father and Thee whom the Lord intends good towards though I know that several of them through Covetousness and Envy have done exceedingly wrong in many things Yet consider how Christ taught his to pray Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And I do verily believe that if they turn unto the Lord and truly humble themselves under his hand and believe in the Light of his Son and obey him that he will freely forgive them all their Transgressions But if thou resolvest to avenge thy self and those called thy Friends which have suffered and to keep under those which are now fallen under Thee by a heavy yoke either in matters of Worship or otherwise I know it will exasperate the spirits of many against Thee and it will raise up the desperate aggravating part in man and so the thing may kindle again in the murdering Spirit And the Lord may suffer it to break forth into blood which if it should it may be the sadest time that ever thou yet sawest for this I know and do stedfastly believe that after God hath tryed his People he will assuredly bring an overflowing scourge upon this Nation and many shall fall and perish by an eminent hand and judgement of the Lord except they repent speedily And verily there is but a little space given to prevent this great Judgement and Destruction because the Lord hath already born long and his patience hath been exceeding great and he hath sent many of his Servants and Prophets to warn this Nation and others and many thousands have believed us and are gathered into Peace with us notwithstanding they see a great Judgement to come upon the Earth and though many have believed us yet alas the far greater part hath either beaten or imprisoned or scoffed at or slighted and rejected us or the Testimony which we hold and some have spoyled our goods and imprisoned some of us to death and some of us have been killed for the Testimony of Jesus and the Word of God And so many in the Nations are waxed worse and worse And when the Lord hath smitten some they have revolted more and more and when he hath raised up others and given them prosperity they have then fed themselves without fear and forgot the Lord and waxed wanton against him Therefore seeing people will neither hear the Prophets of the Lord nor regard the Light of his Son in their Consciences which checks and reproves for sin and evil in secret nor turn to the Lord when he smites them nor regard his Truth when they have prosperity the Lord will leave striving with such a People and bring sudden destruction upon them and deliver his chosen as he did just Lot So we are given up to the Will of the Lord and do patiently wait for his mighty appearance to deliver us who have long been a suffering People who have suffered both by Parliaments Army Protectors and by those called thy Friends also yea we have suffered and been most cruelly entreated even by Rulers Priests and People Professors and Prophane because we could not joyn unto the evil in either but we have been made to reprove them for it and to exhort them unto that which is good and so we must yet do so long as we find the Lord requiring it at our hands though for it we be hated and persecuted unto death yet knowing that it is without cause on our part when we suffer we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ in all our sufferings and our lives are not dear unto us that we may finish our course with joy and our Testimony for the Lord which he hath given to bear though it be sealed with our blood for we certainly know that the Lord is our reward in whatsoever we do or suffer for his Names sake And now O King as thou expects the Blessing and Presence of the Lord with Thee in thy Government Fear and Dread his Presence by standing in awe of his living Witness the Light which he hath placed in thy Conscience to guide and direct Thee in all thy wayes that his wrath may be turned away from Thee that so this Scripture might not be fulfilled upon the People of this Nation God gave them a King in his anger and he took him away in his sore displeasure But if it should prove so I shall have peace for I am clear of thy blood in as much as in plainness I have let Thee see how things have been and how they may or shall be and wherein thy danger stands and how that Righteousness only establisheth the Throne And my desire is if it be the Will of God that thou mightest consider them in the Principle of Life and Wisdom and thereby come to be preserved and saved from that Destruction which in God's Eternal Light I see Thee in great danger of Thus in Innocency and Truth and in Uprightness and Sincerity of heart I have freely declared unto Thee what was laid upon me and it is in true tender and unfeigned love both to thy Soul and Body And that this is true God is my Witness and the Witness of himself in thy Conscience shall answer unto it unto which I leave and commend Thee from which thou canst not hide thy thoughts So to the Lord God of Life be Glory and Dominion and everlasting Praises over all to whom it doth belong Amen Given forth in Harwich Goal in Essex the 16. day of the 3d. Month called May 1660. Where I suffer for the Testimony of Jesus through the envy of the Devil who is the false accuser of the Brethren POSTSCRIPT THough this Treatise was more especially laid upon me to write it unto the KING and therefore to him was it directed