flood of scorn contempt bitter railing false accusations scandalous papers and lying Pamphlets upon them by whom they have been poured out against me The Lord frustreth the tokens of the Liars and maketh Diviners mad he turneth wise men backwards and maketh their knowledge foolish but he confirmeth the word of his servant and performeth the Counsel of his Messengers Isa 44. And now in this Faith and assurance I do shut up this my Vindication and preparitory Testimony Declaring unto all people whom it may concern That it is the Lord has mooved me and his Spirit which has stirred me up My heavenly Bridegroom is come and has given me courage with an humble boldness and holy confidence to speak the truth in all faithfulness and to fear no man but God alone in whose strength I stand to encounter with all discouragements from my own understanding will affections former thoughts and principles within and with all opposition from difficulties dangers temptations of friends and conspiracies of enemies without I am sensible any of these things would be too strong for me a worm of no might or strength but I have renounced my self and laid down my own wisdom and will in this work and am given up to all the will of God herein standing upon my watch and having in his power put on the whole Armor of God the Shield of Faith the Brestplate of Righteousness with my Loyns girt about with truth and my feet shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of peace having taken the Helmet of Salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God Praying alwaies with all prayer and suplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints In this spiritual warfare and combate I am called to wrestle not only against flesh and blood but against Principalities and Powers against the Rulers of the darkness of this world and against spiritual wickedness in high places and must have no respect of persons because of advantage but be faithful to God and his Word sparing neither Friend nor Brother in matter of Truth nor calling good evil or evil good nor puting light for darkness or darkness for light but obeying God and not Man loving him above all keeping his Commandments and pleasing him although the whole world should be displeased Man has made my Cup very bitter and my Cross very heavy for obeying God but my God has sweetned my Cup and caused it to overflow with draughts of Love my God has made my Yoak easie and my But then light because he bears me and them he draws me and binds me with Cords to the Altar his left hand is under my Head his right Hand doth Embrace me and his Banner over me as Love I must not I will not be affraid to make my boast of my God by whose Almighty Power I have been hitherto helped and upheld or else I had perished in my afflictions When the compassion and bowels of man were shut up the tender mercies of God were opened When it was come to Mordecay's pinch Israel's distress Paul's streight God appeared My extremity was his opportunity he beheld my affliction the sorrows and Agonies of my Soul my groans my prayers my cries my appeals ascended up for a memorial before him and were had in remembrance with him And he will arise and that right speedily he will make haste and not tarry but send relief from Heaven and save me and all the poor of his Flock who heat the voice of their own Shepheard and follow him but a stranger they will not follow He will smite the Rocky heart he will convince the Consciences of men he will bring down all them that glory in appearance in face and not in heart he will make a speedy decision he will turn the stream and flood of scorn and contempt cast upon me and his poor despised ones in me he will arise to our joy and they shall be ashamed that have hated us without a cause and cast us out for his Name 's sake saying Let the Lord be glorified I have committed my way unto the Lord who judgeth righteously who will not suffer the guilty always to go undiscovered and unpunished He will take the Cup of trembling out of my hands and put it into the hands of them who have afflicted me who have said unto my Soul Bow down that we may go over and he will make their own Tongues to fall upon themselves and will measure out unto them again the measure they have meeted The Lord has said it and he will perform it The Lord will plead my cause and the cause of all his meek ones but his anger is kindled against all Formality Hypocrisie Idolatry and Prophaneness He knows the secrets of all hearts we are all open and naked in his sight there is no dissembling in his sight no mocking before him no outward Form no empty Opinion can shelter from his wrath Upon the 13. of the Twelfth Month 1673. The Lord wonderfully discovered to me the unprofitableness of the best outward forms of Religion without the Power and what a great deal of blindness injustice false accusations barbarous usage bitter and cruel zeal with all manner of wickedness has at this day taken Sanctuary in the exactest Forms according to the Letter which are without the Spirit yea in enmity against it It was the time four eminent Professors of the people called Baptists did in a most rough and severe manner come to deal with me to accuse me falsly and blindly and bitterly to rebuke me although I was then in a very weak and dangerous condition of body And I mention it here because it is a time in remembrance with the Lord and God was in that very season pleased to open mine eyes to show me where Babylon was what Spirit she was built upon and how the Lord would begin to strike at her and throw her down and then it was he called me out from her that I might escape the anger I then saw was kindled against her And however they are now justifying themselves and their proceedings against me and have condemned the Innocent yet an appeal has been made to God and accepted by him and he will search out this matter and make a true and manifest judgment of it for there is nothing hid from him and this matter is now become a publick figure Yes I am satisfied God will speedily arise and decide this controversie and he has shown me when I have been thinking his Chariot wheels move slowly that then his motion has been swiftest And that whatever seems to hinder and work against me does indeed help on and work things to a more full and perfect end And although I should be surrounded and beset on every side and left alone in the midst of all discouragements from within and without yet can I believingly call to all that fear the Lord to come and behold the
shall be dispised by the wise and prudent of this world yet Wisdome is justified of her Children and that God who has commanded me to go forth in his Name will by a Divine power go before me making way for me and subduing the Spirits before me which I am to deal with and will also by a Divine presence support me in the midst of all those sufferings his work can bring me into Out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings God has ordained strength because of his Enemies that he might quell the Enemy and the avenger Psal 8. 2. And I declare I have no wrath discontent or revenge in my Spirit against the person of my Husband or of any of his abettets but am taught by the forgiveness of God freely to forgive all the Injuries he has done me and my hearts desire and prayer to God who can alone change the heart is that he may be converted and saved and I bow my Soul to the Father of lights that the Eyes of all my persecutors may be opened some of which I judge to be the Lords People however acted in this matter by a Zeal without knowledg God is love and he that dwells in love dwells in God and God in him And however I am censured and reproached by persons who judge onely according to outward appearance but not Righteous judgment that I have unduly left my Husband I do for the satisfaction of all plain hearted ones that may be offended at their reports herein Declare first That it would be very easie for me from the great Law of self-preservation to justifie my present absence from my Earthly Husband to all persons who have learn't to judg of Good and Evil not onely according to the outward Act but the inward Spirit and Principle and who have tenderness enough duly to weigh the various Tempers of minds and the different circumstances of Bodies Forasmuch as the Natural constitution of my mind and Body being both considered He has in his barbarous actions towards me a many times over-done such things as not only in the Spirit of them will be one day judged a murdering of but had long since really proved so if God had not wonderfully supported and preserved me But my natural life through the springing up of a better not being otherwise considerable then as it is my duty to preserve it in a subserviency to the will and service of that God whose I am in Spirit Soul and Body I will not urge any thing of this nature as my defence upon this occasion having learnt through the mercy of God not to be affraid of him who can only kill the Body but can do no more I do therefore secondly in the fear of him who can kill both Soul and Body further declare That I was forced to fly to preserve a life more pretious than this natural one and that it was necessary to the peace of my Soul to absent my self from my earthly Husband in obedience to my Heavenly Bridegroom who call'd and commanded me in a way too terrible too powerful to be denyed to undertake and finish a work which my earthly husband in a most cruel manner hindered me from performing seizing and running away with my Writings And however man judges me in this action yet I am satisfied that I have been obedient to the Heavenly Vision herein not consulting with flesh and blood All the clouds of afflictions troubles sorrows and deaths upon the outward man are nothing compared with those of the inward man when the life of our Souls is angry and withdraws himself cutting off the sweet beams of a spiritual communion between himself and us This was my case and I am not affraid or ashamed to say my Soul 's beloved has abundantly owned me in this matter and whilst men have done all they can to break my heart he has bound up my Soul in the bundle of Life and Love and he pleads my cause and takes my part and has spoken by his Word with power and authority from Heaven saying I shall abide wâ—th him and he will abide with me and come and Supp with me and never leave me nor forsake me And he bids me take no thought what I shall eat what I shall drink or wherewith I shall be cloathed but cast all my care upon him for he careth for me And I am enabled in his power to role my self upon him and my heart is fixed trusting in him and comforted with his word in which he has caused me to hope having no confidence in the Arm of Flesh knowing that the Earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof and that he knows all my weaknesses and wants and my willingness to work so far as he inables me that my own hands may administer to my necessity that I may not be burdensome to any And he has assured me that the man of the earth shall oppress no more no more shall I return to be under the hands of the hard-hearted Persecutors unless he become a new-man a changed man a man sensible of the wrong he has done me with his fierce looks bitter words sharp tongue and cruel usage And I do further declare That in the true reason of the case I have not left my Husband but he me That I do own every Law and Command of God in the letter of his word to be right and true and do submit to every rule given forth by the Spirit of God to govern the relation of Man and Wife in the Lord. And that I always stand ready to return to my Husband or to welcome him to me and have signified so much to him by several Christian friends provided I may have my just and necessary liberty to attend a more then ordinary call and command of God to publish the things which concern the peace of my own Soul and of the whole Nation In which work I stand not in my own will but in the will of him who has sent and sealed me as the day will very quickly declare and decide this matter between me and my Husband and all his abettors To which day I do here appeal for my justification not doubting but that God to whom I have committed my cause will speedily arise and cause my Innocency to break forth as the Noon day For I do hereby declare in the presence of the most holy God that I have no revengful worldly or sinister end in this matter but am against my own natural will obeying God herein And I do in all tenderness admonish and caution all my Enemies and all persons whatsoever to whom these Papers shall come that they take heed least they hurt themselves in reproaching me and that they do not set themselves to justifie by the letter that Spirit that is to be condemned or to condemn that Spirit which it ownes and allows And that they take heed least they urge the letter of any command against the Spirit of it and so
wonders of the Lord for my deliverance I cry'd unto him when there was none to help me and in a deep sense of my own unworthyness and nothingness my Soul was humbled and laid low at his foot and my heart was lifted up to him and he raised me from the Grave and took fast hold of me at that very time when heso wonderfully healed me which was the 3d of the 11 month 1670. Then was the full communion between Christ and my Soul the Love knot the comly bands of Marriage then did he espouse me unto himself for ever and enable me to follow him and give up my self as a thank-offering unto him no more to be my own but the Lords subjecting my self to all his will as a chast Virgin holy in lip and life pure and undefiled in heart Then did the Lord my God say unto me I even I am he that comforteth thee who art thou that thou shouldest be affraid of a man that shall die and of the Son of Man which shall be made as Grass And again he said he was come to Judge the Fatherless and the opressed that the Man of the earth may no more oppress And many more pretious Promises did the Lord make to me when he first called me to write what man has been so offended with and his word was and is my support and he has comforted me therewith assuring me as soon as I had done his will I should receive the promises And he afterwards revealed to me what I did not then know that my oppressions and deliverance had a Publick Ministry and meaning wrapt up in them that it must be seven years before I could perfect that writing and the Lord would bring forth his end in all this and give an open Testimony to the world that he had chosen and called me to write to glorifie him And now I have done his will my deliverer is come to make good his word and set me free from the oppresion of Man and to bear witness against him that has wounded and oppressed me for 18 years and more severely is his anger kindled against them who have so deeply wounded me since the time of my healing and who have made me an Heathen and a Publican for no other cause but obeying the word of the Lord and following him And as near as New-Years day is before that day the Lord will begin to cast a cloud of his anger upon all them that have done me so great wrong and persecuted me without a cause and stroak after stroak will follow until all Hypocrisie be discovered and formality thrown down and whole Babylon sinck like a stone never to rise up any more and let not the minds of any be lifted up to scorn me because I have said God will begin to appear in my behalf within so short a time for my God has a many times over made that Season of the year eminently signal to me in the dispensations of his grace and providence towards me Then was I enter'd into my aflictions then was I in an extraordinary manner healed and chosen and call'd to write what has occasion'd so many persecutions to me from formal and literal professors and now it will be compleatly 7 years since my healing and the Lord has made known the end of all his dispensations to me and has revealed to me that I shall now receive the promises having done his will and be made partaker of his blessing for he will fulfil his word to bind up the Broaken hearted and proclaim liberty to the Captive and open the Prison doors and I shall no more be under the oppression of man and he has also revealed to me what wrath shall fall upon the same spirit throughout the Nation which every where oppresses the true seed as I have been oppressed by it and the deliverance which is drawing nigh through terrible things in righteousness to all his poor and meek ones A more full accompt of which things and how the Lord has lead me into this ministry and witness I am with all convenient speed preparing for the Press and had before this been made publick had not my Enemies hindred by seizing and destroying my writings And in the mean time I beg of all Persons to whom this paper shall come that they will for their own sakes lay a side all prejudice and try me my Spirit and Testimony according to the word of God and wait patiently upon the Lord to know his mind in this thing and in love to themselves take heed how they rashly reproach and condemn me and my witness least they should in so doing run against that Hiding of power the Prophet Habakuk mentions chap 3. 4. and that they be watchful over themselves that they be not found dispising Prophecy and quenching the Spirit because of the contemptibleness of the messenger alwaies remembring that God will destroy the Wisdome of the Wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent that be chooses the foolish the weak the base and dispised things of the World yea and things which are not to bring to naught things that are In a word let all Persons so far take the Alarm as to look well to their own Souls where they stand Whither they are founded upon that Rock against which the Gates of Hell shall not prevail whither they are interested in that Covenant of Grace which is ordered in all things and sure and which is all our Salvation in a day of desolation Whether they be in the number of those that are Eating and Drinking with the Drunken and beating their Fellow Servants or of the Family of the true Noah who shall be taken into the Ark and preserved in the day of that Flood of the Divine vengence which is ready to overflow the inhabitants of the Earth What I have here published is according to the word of truth which must be fulfiled in its time It is but a very little while and this matter will be cleared made manifest and determined In the mean while I declare to all the world I am at rest in the will of my God who has not left me without his witness presence and seal in this work and who ever thou art that canst not yet see a Divine Charactar either upon me or it my advice to thee is that thou perplex not thy selfe concerning me but wait patiently upon God and quietly expect the discovery which the day will make herein To the Congregations of the Anabaptists and their respective Pastors THese verses contain the summons complaint and appeal of a despised and oppressed Christian once a member of one of your Churches now by your unjust and unchristian abuse of her made a spectacle to God Angels and Men yea a gazeing stock to this great City and a by-word to the common Rabble Beloved have you so learned Christ Doth the Gospel teach you to defame you neighbour in Coffee-Houses Ale Houses will not that word
spoken by the Holy Ghost to the Apostle James restrain you 1 James 26. If any man among you seems to be religious and bridle not his Tongue but deceiveth his own heart that mans Religion is vain You may sooner hinder the Sun from shining then the truth of God from displaying it self in such manner and by such instruments as he is pleased to chuse who is the Holy one of Israel who will not suffer himself to be limited by man the great God hath put the word of truth in her mouth and dare you forbid her to declare it can your scorn and contempt of the weak instrument frustrate the purposes and Counsels of God no his foolishness is wiser then your imaginary wisdom and his weakness stronger then all your conjoyned power Can you prove that God hath not spoken to her and by her No you dare not produce that Book of hers in yours custody you too well know it would demonstrate her to be in the Truth and your selves shameless Lyars Pray consider if one of your Preachers should be silenced you would presently cry out of Persecution and dare you attempt to silence the Word of God whose sound is gone forth to the ends of the Earth Take heed of resisting deriding a Message sent from Heaven though by a weak Instrument lest you be found guilty of Blasphemies against the Spirit of God but rather to day while you hear his Voice harden not your hearts lest he swear in his wrath that you shall never enter into his Rest It is heard and received by such who love the Truth and submit to the Power of it but if you persist in your Rebellion against it you will find and feel to your cost that Truth is stronger than all Consider these-things Brethren and the Lord give you understanding to judge aright The 5th of the 10th Month 1677. The Lord Awaked me in the Night-Season and by his Spirit taught me thus in Verse and made me Sing unto him a Triumphant Victorious Song over my Enemies with a command from God to send it forth into the World to be answered by the same Spirit of Love Meekness Gentleness Goodness Plainness Lamb-like lowly and Humble for such is the Spirit of Gods Teachings Let us be followers of our Head Christ Jesus as dear Children whom we have for our Example Ephes 5. 1 2. For he that overcometh shall Inherit all things and I will be his God and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters The Promise belongs either to Sons or Daughters walking in the Truth Revel 21. 7. I Am commanded by the King of Kings to send this in the same manner and method he taught it me Let none despise the Spirits teaching quench not the Spirit despise not Prophesie There hath been too much despising and disdaining of me already I pray God forgive them for all their hard speeches and cruel usage of me for they have done they know not what The Lord help us to remember our Creator in the days of our youth and declining years for when we have done all we can to please our selves yet the end of all is death for pride passion self-will bitterness wrath envy malice will yield no comfort at the Judgment Seat where we must give an account of all the deeds done in the flesh whether they be good or evil Eccles 12. 14. Who hath believed our report hath been the cry of old and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed Esa 53. 1. For they have not at all obeyed the Gospel Rom. 10. 16. To England sweet my Native soyl This summons now I send Her speedy answer I require Before this Year doth end In four and twenty years Declare What evil have I done VVhat all this time they have against My Conversation VVhat cause gave I to make your wrath So hot to burn at me Speak as you 'l answer it to God And let all hear and see In Coffee-House and Ale-House now VVhy do you me Defame VVhy doth your Church a Heathen me And Publican proclaim Speak out and spare not what 's my sin Speak truth in his presence Else God a bitter Cup will give You as your recompence If he who judgeth Heaven and Earth Disowneth what you have done Then to curb you and set me free He 's now most surely come You 'l punish me and think for me No Prison is too ill But whether you or I offend most he determine will I 'm falsly slandered and opprest By men that have no Love But I commit my cause to him who sees and sits above And from his Sanctuary looks and roars out of Sion To shew my Foes he is my God and I his little one He sees my griefs so great the weight I can no longer bear That now he comes to be my Judge The Innocent to clear To restifie he is my Spouse and Husband of my Soul Whom I must serve and keep his Laws though proud men would controul I give no other cause but in the Worship of my God If clean from sin I 'm in his sight my Foes will feel his Rod. The same measure of wrath which they do pour forth upon me According to his word he 'l pour On them as they will see They can't excuse themselves before God for what they have done They hate me ' cause I in Gods word and ways of Truth do run Full eighteen years with grief consum'd and to the Grave bow'd down Because the Lord have rais'd me up to make his power known And bad me shew his wonderous works and glorifie his Name This only nothing else but this a great offence became They rage they Persecute to Death a Woman weak and wan For giving all glory unto God and not to wretched man Now Country-men if I the Truth do not make to appear Disprove me plainly if you can Before the next New Year For after that great wrath expect which on those will burn as fuel Who to their fellow creature were Not merciful but cruel And have no Love to God his way His Truth and holy word But only love themselves as he hath seen and much abhor'd For taking up this heavy Cross to follow the Lord my God Wormwood and gall they give and scourge me with their sharpest Rod. O God arise make hast to judge between my Foes and me O stop their mouths clear me and let not guilty ones go free Now strike at Babylon thou said'st This year thou would'st begin To pour thy Plagues on that great Whore Babylon for her Sin Give Testimony speak aloud O Lord and make them hear To let them know I speak from God And only him do fear Thou knowest O Lord I have no end Doing and suffering this But that thy will obeying I May gain Eternal bliss If King and subjects cannot me disprove in what I say If truth I speak O Lord let them Not take my life away That will not quench the wrath denounc'd For what 's already done Nor can prevent the pouring sorth That wrath which is begun What he hath purpos'd and decreed on Babylon to do Shall suddenly in one day come Her Judgment Plagues and wo. As he revealed hath unto his faithful Servant John Such as ne're was nor e're again the world shall fall upon That for my Native soyl and folks I now could weep and mourn Though they unkind to me no thanks But Grief and Scorn return Only some of the little flock Of Christ I late have seen VVho have to me distrest and left Alone a comfort been Blest be his power who helpt and faith He will my sorrows end I hope he will my foes convince That they their lives may mend Take me O Lord from strife of Tongues as thou hast promis'd me Give rest and peace if so thou please O take me home to thee Let me no longer bear this Yoak And in this vile world stay Think on thy promise Lord and free me before New-Years Day The Ninth of the same month the Lord taught me this Song in the Night IF all Men can't disprove what by me God hath said Then with all England it will be very sad VVhat ye do do quickly before New-Years Day Least after that all your lives be swept away Wo wo to England for what she hath done For woes upon England will certainly come Because she doth not love God with all her heart Nor 〈◊〉 up her self to take his Childrens part Shall I yet doubt when God upholds me then Fear mortal Men who ' ve done the worst they can No lift up thy Head and now rejoyce That God for thee made such a choice A. W. My Maker is my Husband the Holy one of Israel my Redeemer the Eternal ever living God my Father in obedience to his reveiled will do I suffer in obeying his strict commands I offend their are several of his Children that are sufferers with me and are not ashamed of me in my bonds which are for doing the will of Christ Now as they have owned me so God will own them and bless them but for such as are ashamed of me under my reproaches for Christ they in time may be more ashamed for their Neglect in not owning me in the work of the Lord. O my God fulfil thy word and deliver me for thou knowest I have suffered as much Tiranny and Cruelty under a formal profession of Religion as I could have done amongst Turks Heathens and Infidels and if so then what need is it that my Country-men should so highly scorn me as they do for if I live to see New-Years Day over I shall be able to speak to them and ask them how they do and rejoyce when they will have cause to mourn and I now know my friends from my foes and if I out of this world be taken it will be my greater mercy to be singing Halauajah in Heaven FINIS