that he brings forth yet take notice of this that as the seed unto which the promise was who were in the Faith and obeyed through Faith they had a Law so they in unbelief had also a Law as the seed worshipped the living God through a lively and a living Faith and so sinned not in so doing the seed of the serpent imitated a worship and worshipped in death and unbelief and as the Laws of one was equal such as David and Solomon the other was unequal such as Jeroboam and Rehoboam and as the one set up equity by a Law the other made a Law to set up iniquity And the seed they sought not their own honour but the honour of him who was their reward but the seed of the evil doer sought himself and his own honour and as the spirit of the Lord breathed forth it self and spoke the truth in the power of God deceit uttered forth lies in hypocrisie and in the power of death and as the upright lived unto God in the spirit deceit lived unto the flesh and unto him who hath the power of death which is the Devill and as they fulfilled the Law of God who were led by his holy spirit of God into all truth the other followed their own imaginations and answered the deceit and foolish mind and they whose understanding was darkened loved them and had pleasure in them So it may be truly said many Nations Rulers and ruled sit in the Region of the shaddow of death and the living God is forgotten among them one against another they are seeking one anothers ruine all in the violence in the cruelty Therefore all Rulers and Potentates of the Earth Magistrates and Governours under the whole face of Heaven hearken unto the words of my mouth and listen unto understanding that you may be partakers of the happiness and felicity which God is shedding abroad now in the latter dayes that so the Restorer you may know in your Regions and the deliverer in your Nations and the maker up of the breach in your Dominions that he who is the desire of all Nations may be revealed among you He which must restore is not born of man nor cometh not to a People or a Nation in the will of man neither seeks he himself but the glory of the Father who hath sent him to seek and to save that which is lost and to heale the breaches and to destroy that which hath made the breach that so all Nations who receive him believe in him may be reconcil'd unto him and one to another that the Earth may injoy rest the Regions quietness therefore all be warned not to look forth in your wils for there you will not receive him but slight him as many before you have done and so lie down in sorrow and weary your selves in vanity and lie down in infamy and never come to see his dignity Now he of whom I declare unto you is the Son of God who is the light of the World and the life of man and hath lightened every man that cometh into the World which light wherewith all men are inlightned is not contrary to the Law of God which indures for ever but one with it and this will let you see violence treachery murder envie wrath maliciousness drunkeness whoredom lying cursed speaking stealing defrauding cheating cosening rioteousness pride arogancy emulation contention strife hatred persecution cruelty opression I say the light which comes from Christ by whom the World was made will shew you that all these things is sin and evil in the sight of God and also will let you see there is a ground from whence these and all other evils proceed which ground is in all the Sons of men in the transgression till it be removed and these things before mentioned be the fruits that grows from it and buds forth themselves in all Nations and in every man in every Nation so the Earth is filled with violence and the grapes are as Sodom the fruit as Gomorrah whom God overthrew and till these things be done away and these fruits wither and the root from whence they arise be removed out of every particular man who is a Ruler he cannot be a blessing to a Nation neither rule for God in a Nation neither will he or can he be a terrour to all these things before mentioned While he himself is in those for he cannot destroy his own life neither will iniquity set up righteousness nor the worker of iniquity advance Christ Therefore listen to the words of my mouth and despise not counsell least you perish among fools and go down to the horrible pit where there is everlasting misery unto all perpetuity Now God that made both Heaven and Earth and all things that therein are he is light and with him is no darkness at all he never changes his purity nor alters his righteous decrees his eye is pure and alwaies fixed to behold all the works of the Sons of men and he searches the heart of man with his eye and pierceth through the secret places and is near to every man although man do not see him he is invisible and eternal and his Law indures for ever and the unalterable decree by which sin is judged and reproved in the World and in every particular man and every man who hearkens and hears the words of the pure Law which judges all sin in man receiveth the sentence of death in himself and is judged by the righteous words of his mouth and so sin in the particular comes to be condemned and all these changeable things is trodden under foot which is acted and brought forth from the changeable mind of man and so all Laws Constitutions and Decrees which is made in the will of man comes to be thrown down by his righteous Law which proceeds out of the mouth of the righteous God who is light and so as his unchangeable and unalterable decree comes to be set up in every particular Ruler Governour and himself judged with the just he comes to bear his rule for the just and answers that which is just in every man and no longer can he act against well doing but is a leader and an incourager of it in all and is a terrour to the unjust and so comes to know the dominion again which man lost through disobedience and transgression Now all you powers of the Earth wait that you may come to see that feel it revealed in your selves to wit the Law of God from the mouth of God that so you following it sin may be judged in your selves you come to know the one Lord the Lawgiver which leads man back out of sin transgression by his Son whom he hath sent into the World that all men through him might believe in the Father be restored out of sin transgression unto life eternal where death hath no entrance so all who waits upon the light of the Son of God and is obedient to it they come to feel his power and his decree which cannot alter its property or verity all who comes to be guided by it you will come to see that which unites you unto God one Nation to another in the Covenant of God! Oh that all your eyes were opened that you might see that which belongs to your peace the well being of all Nations that so the power of the flock might be refreshed among you and this I speak unto you a change must be witnessed in your selves before you will cease acting in the changeable mind now the time draws near the Lord will try you for the Earth must be left without excuse and he will have all warned for God will no longer be limited and therefore take heed how you gainsay any or resist any vvho may declare unto you the counsell of God and cause them not to be persecuted or hurt but all be calme and moderate and learn vvisdom from above from him vvho hath inlightned you that you may come to deny your selves and follovv him vvho condems all self actings and self vvill in man and all Customs Lavvs and Worships Traditions that is made in the vvill of man that so he unto vvhom all povver is committed may be feared and vvorshipped in spirit in life truth and righteousness that so all sedition rebellion treachery and unrighteousness may be cleansed out of the Earth and that all quarrelling fighting contention may end and people come out of that vvhich the svvord is against that so the svvords may be beat into Plovvshares and the spears into pruning hooks that so violence may be done avvay and cruelty svvept out of the Nations that the dominion of God may be set over all and his truth advanced above all that the Kingdoms of the World may become the Lords his Christs and blessed are they that stoop unto his Scepter vvho judges the Nations in righteousness and the people vvith equity who is the Salvatâ—on of all his people for evermore and a hiding place in the day of trouble LONDON The 20. of the 2. Moneth 1658. THE END
THE MEASVRING ROD OF THE LORD Stretched forth over all Nations and the Line of true judgement laid to the Rulers thereof Wherein all Governours and Rulers Potentates and Powers are measured and all Governments and Lawes weighed in the true weight wherein they all may see how far they are degenerated from the Law of Righteousness and the Rules of Wisdome which was in the beginning before Tyranny and Persecution and Rebellion had shewed it selfe Also shewing the end that will come upon all those Rulers and Governments Rules and Lawes that have been made in the Apostacy which is to be all overthrown and all that which is acted out of Gods power to be thrown down by him unto whom all Power is committed Shewing also that they in whom the power of God is made manifest cannot be subject to any Usurper or to that power which is gone from the life of God Also an Advertisement to all the Rulers upon the Earth that they may wait for the Restorer to be revealed in the Nations to make up the Breaches and to crush that down which hath made the Breach that so Righteousness may cover the Earth and gladness of heart may possess the People Published for the information of all the Rulers upon Earth By one who waits to see the Kingdoms of the World to become the Kingdomes of the Lord and his Christ that he alone may rule for ever and ever called FRANCIS HOWGILL London Printed for Giles Calvert and are to be sold at the Black-spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1658. The measuring rod of the Lord streched forth c. LIsten oh World hearken oh Earth and all the Inhabitants thereof give eare oh all Nations that are therein and all the Isles thereof draw near ye Potentates thereof ye Emperours Kings Earles Dukes Nobles Princâ—pallities and Dominions my mouth shall speake the thing that is right and my lips shall utter forth understanding my toungue shall declare unto you the Counsell of the most high and what he is bringing to pass in the latter dayes he that is higher than the highest hath said he that is greater than the greatest hath spoken the whole World lies in wickedness and thick darkness is over the World his way is perverted his Counsell is despised and all Nations is out of order notwithstanding the multitude of their Counsellers and notwithstanding all their wisdome yet folly is brought forth in the middest of the Nations Because they have asked Counsell and not at the Lord and taken advice and not at the holy One therefore violence is set up as an Ensign and wickedness runneth down as a river and cruelty and opression as a mighty stream the whole Earth is full of folly and madness and all the people thereof are degenerate and grown out of the Image of God into a monstrous and strange nature the prophets are all fooles the diviners thereof are mad and they being degenerate themselves from the life of God have not turned the people from their iniquitie but hath led them into further blindness darkness ignorance and deceit and hath made the Word of truth of none effect through their traditions hath taught for doctrine the precepts of men the traditions of them who are out of the Faith and out of the life and out of the power of God and the Counsellors they have established wickedness by a law they themselves being stranged from the life of God therefore violence is broken forth into the earth as a flood and now all Kings Rulers Potentates of the Earth who have given their power to the Whore who sitts upon many waters and the waters are kindreds and tongues and people and Nations yea all Nations have been drunk with the cup of her Fornication and being all gone forth from the life in which the Prophets and the holy men of God lived in and were established in the Nations are become as waters reeling to and fro hither and thither unsetled unstable there the Whore hath her seate and all having drunk of her cup of Iniquity and Fornication even of mystery-Babylons cup and are inflamed therewith and so reeles to and fro as the waters and are as the waves of the Sea unstable by her who hath made all Nations drunk and by them who have been made drunk with her even all Nations kindreds tongues and people have the Prophets been slain and the witnesses slain and none to bury them not in mystery-Babylon who is drunk with the blood of the Saints and they that have drunk of her cup of Fornication even all the Kings Nobles Potentates of the earth they have acted the like and have slain the appearance of God where ever it hath been brought forth and the red Dragon hath stood ready to devour the heir which is borne of mystery-Ierusalem which is the Mother of all who are borne from above who are heires of the promise of Eternall life and the powers of the earth hath joyned their power to the Dragon who cast out floods of venome after the Child which is brought forth by the woman which is clothed whith the sun and now the powers of the earth taketh part with the Dragon and their authority and dominion that they exercise is by his power which arises out of the bottomless pit and shall goe into perdition and he hath deceived the Nations long and all hath exercised their power against him who is the heire of the promise the first-born of every Creature who is higher than the highest and greater than the greatest and have changed his lawes and made them void and hath set up the law of sinne and death hath established unrighteous Lawes by the power of darkness in which all Nations hath been involved in since the Dragon hath power and whosoever would not obey those Lawes and customs and constitutions the Dragon hath had power and all that have joyned to him for a time to kill to imprison to destroy and they who have been exalted have had thought to weary cut the Saints of the most high and to root out the memoriall of the just that he and all his adherents might reign for ever in the Kingdome of unrighteousness and in the dominion of darkness which is the Devills dwelling place and residence for ever who is at enmity against God and the Children of light which worship God in spirit and truth in life and righteousness Now is the time drawing near and he who is the desire of all Nations appeareth the ancient of dayes is coming whose throne is established in righteousness for ever who will break the head of the Dragon and will lay hold upon him and chaine him up that he deceive the Nations no more and all you Emperours Kings Dukes Earles Nobles Lords and Potentates who have joyned to him your Kingdome shall be rent from you and your hands shall grow weake that you shall not be able to defend your selves against him who travells in the greatness
people and prescribe the Lord a way and a limit in your several Nations and dominions they shall not be able to deliver themselves neither you but the helper and the helped shall both fall together the strengthener and the strengthened shall grow feeble their loines weake so that they shall not be able to stand before him who is the higher power and the greatest digniâ—y who will rule over all usurpers and over all the children of pride the Dragon the beast and the false prophet and teller of lies shall have their portion in the lake that burns Then shall the ransomed of the Lord and the righteous seed whom the Nations have slain and persecuted the prophets and holy men of God and all that have been slain for the testimony of Iesus rejoice over the deceit and it shall be sung in that day the Lord God omnipotent reigneth who will ascend above all principallities and powers thrones and dominions and tread down all under his feet that the earth may be filled with his glory and behold he cometh quickly in a moment and suddain destruction shall be upon his enemies and the breath of his mouth shall make all melt away that hate the Lord and their remembrance shall rot for ever and ever Therefore oh all ye powers of the earth who are the sons of fallen Adam whose power ariseth out of the earth in which the Devill dwells and the serpent feâ—ds who bear rule but not by the Lord who sits as judges in the earth and yet your judgment is from the earth and from below know this you shall all be judged with the just and all your unrighteous decrees lawes constitutions ordinances and edicts which is made in the fallen wisdome you and they both together will be cast aside as a thing of nought and must all be judged with the just therefore repent and turn to the Lord of heaven and earth that you may know his righteouss judgment set up in your hearts and the spirit of in justice and error purged out of your hearts or else you judge not for God for all the lawes constitutions and ordinances which are made in the fallen principle and fallen wisdome to have all these in the head or in the memory so that he may act in a Nation or Kingdome according to the letter of a law prescribed in a Nation that doth not at all make a man an able minister of justice or a magistrate for God for the root being unholy and corrupt and erronious from whence those lawes were given forth the branches is unholy also the ground being corrupt the tree bad the fruit is bad also and so all nations who are degenerate from the life of God their lawes and constitutions doth alwayes imbondage the regenerate so the heart being deceitfull and unrighteous such lawes proceeds forth which doth oppress the upright in heart and all or most of the lawes in all nations are received by tradition from generation to generation since the scattering of Israell who received the law from Gods own mouth by the hand of Moses a Magistrate of the Lord and a judge over Israell and so heapes of decrees statutes and ordinances there is in the nations which doth not answer that of God in the conscience of every man and so that which is pure of God in the conscience of every one cannot be subject to those lawes and tradiâ—ions but rather suffers as many thousands have done cruell deaths and great oppression all this dark time of Antichrist reign and of the beast in all nations since the apostacy and death raigning over all the sonnes of the first Adam in the transgression death hath breathed forth it self upon the face of the earth for sin entering and death by sinne it rules in the heart and exerciseth his power which stands in unrighteousness and so all mankind in all their acting can do nothing for God but against him and against his people who are redeemed out of the region of death and so all law-givers and law-makers and lawes which stands in the will of man and in the unrighteous principle will the second Adam the Lord from Heaven the restorer of mankind utterly overthrow abolish and take away their power for the law-giver shall come out of Sion who ever in all nations that ever come to see him must see him come from thence whose appearance shall be as a lamp that burnes and he shall change the customes and the times and the lawes and overthrow all them that stands in the curse for he shall lead out of death and out of its path and from under the law of sin and death that all that heares him and comes to be subject to his law shall deny all those lawes in the very ground and bear their testimonie against them which stands in that nature that transgresseth the life and therefore give ear all nations and all Emperors Kings Monarkes Lord Iudges and rulers of the earth in all nations he is come and coming whose right it is to judge the earth in righteousness and the people with equity even he unto whome all judgment is committed and he hath appeared as the sonne of God in the north region of the world in power and majesty and great glory and hath made the mountaines meâ—t before him and he hath dried up all the springs of Babylon and hath made the Cedars bow and made the trees of the forrest to shake and the sturdy oakes hath he cut up by the rootes and turned a pleasant land into a wilderness and hath made the wilderness to blossome and hath changed the customes allready and hath broken deaths covenant and hath overthrown the mighty men yea even the horse and his rider and hath taken off their chariot wheeles in the day of battail and it hath been a dreadfull day and a sore slaughter as in the dayes of Gibea or as in the valley Jehosâ—phat and a sorrowfull day hath come and great mourning as Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo for one post hath met another and the news hath been Babylon is taken at both ends and he hath over-run the multitude of Egypt and trampled upon them as the prancing of horses in battel so that the mighty are fallen by him and the strong hath not been able to help themselves against him who hath come as one that trod the winepress and now hath overturned the powers of death hell and the grave and hath broken deathes covenant and will put an end to all changeable lawes and hath and will establish his law which indures for ever ever and now heare all that are left unspoyled are angry and all that worship the Beast are left unslain blasphemes him and speakes eviâ—l of his name and of his wondrous workes which he hath done in tâ—is day as in the land of Egypt and in the fields of ZOAN for he hath turned the waters into blood and hath cut all the fresh springs and hath
escaped the rage of the Beast Yet there hath been a few who have kept their garments clean and were not defiled with women nor with the Harlot those who feared the Lord and durst not offend the righteous law of God in their consciences but hath denied whole councells who were erred from the faith and all the powers of the earth in which the beast bore rule but rather chuse to suffer cruell deathes than to let goe the profession and possession of their faith whose blood cryes under the Altar how long oh Lord holy just and true will it be ere thou avenge our blood which blood and cry is entered into the eares of the Lord of hosts who will speedily take vengeance on the Nations and dash them one against another and will breake down that power which hath slain the witnesses yea and hath gainsaid the power of God and all Nations who are from the life in which the holy men of God lived and in that nature still which persecuted the life of God wherever it did apear in any measure yea swell'd up and climb'd to the very top of iniquity which is Satans Crown and glory and the preists and they that went out from the light into the World in Iohns dayes and Peters dayes who then taught for filthy lucre and did subvert whole houses from the faith ever since that time hath spread themselves over the Nations and hath begotten people into a form and into an image without the life and so hath worshipped the beast and his image And the deceit being entered then and images then being set up one on this wise another on that and some have had an image of many mixtures such an image as the preists of England Scotland and Ireland worship and hath got a law to guard it that whosoever will not bow to it the furnace is heat hotter to throw them into it Object And if any say why I say so or how do I make that appeare Ans. I answer thus the Cardinalls Jesuites and other Romish Preists had a law made to protect their Idoll the Mass and if any spoke to him that was sacrificing to the Image or Idoll then three months inprisonment but now if any declares against the Image that the Preists of England Scotland and Ireland have set up every one is to pay five pound or six months imprisonment in a house of correction and there be tortured and whipt and shamefully intreated nere to the loss of life nay it s now so much the more hotter now than ever None must come near the house of their Idoll God or Image but must be counted a breaker of the peace nor speake to a deceiver and say he is so nor a hireling and say he is so nor to a covetous Preist and say he is so and can for proofe bring halfe of his parish to witness the truth of this but if he speake the truth never so clear he must to prison or pay five pound or the house of correction and there be whipt and stocked and fettered and chayned and tortured and so it is manifest that those magistrates who had a hand in making of this law have outstript the magistrates in the time of Mary when the Pope had domination in his height in these nations And the Preists â—ow who in these Nations who have set up their Image of many mixtures and one year they make one and another year another and what as that power likes the best that is gone out of the life and power of God that they present to the authority of the Nation as an Image of a more comely stature than the former and then authority makes a law to guard it and so it may truly be said as it was said to Israell hath any other Nation changed their God but Israell had changed from the living God to them by nature which are no Gods and so hath these Nations gone from God the Fountaine of life and from the power of God and hath set up an Image in which is no life instead nay they are not content with their Image but it growes old and then paâ—ches up another of many mixtures one while the Masse that was held forth as their publick profession and then Prelacy and the book of common Prayer and then Presbytery and the Directory mixt and made up Ignorance Blindness and of the fragments of Popery and their own invention and this now is set up for all to bow to one while one thing which they call faith and another while another and heaps of confused confessions but are all out of the life and from the true Faith And now they have manifested themselves to have no Faith and to be without faith and are unagreed upon it instance that which is called the humble petition and advice presented to O. P. by the late Parliament that there may be a publick confession of faith made and recommended as the publick profession and also that none may speak or write against under a penalty but this Image the Lord hath by his immediate hand from Heaven curst and confounded them that would have founded it before it ever came to be set up ah silly silly that ever they who should profess godliness should so shame themselves and all their teachers for the teachers are not agreed yet of their faith so they have either no faith or else many forms which is feigned and in this they are not yet agreed and so being out of the true faith in which the Saints had fellowship in the unity of the faith they are all in distraction and confusion head and taile in the jarr in the strife about words and a forme of words and how many Confessions and forms and Images is there set forth and people still Ignorant of the mystery of faith which is held in a pure conscience and wants that which is the evidence of things not seen and wants that which should let people see him who is invisible and oh how is people lost in the middest of these fayned formall divinations and how are the Rulers in most Nations lost in the middest of their counsells being gone from that which should be a terror to evill doers and should be for the praise of them that do well And what if all people in all Nations were constrained under a penalty to hold such a form of words and to consent to such a confession doth this any more but make hypocrits when a man is not first perswaded of those things in his mind by the spirit of truth is this any more but fainedness how long hath the God of this World blâ—nded the eyes of people whole Cities Townes and Countryes because they have gotten a formall Confession made by a Priest who is out of Christs doctrine in the steps of the false Prophets and in the practice of the false Apostles and deceitfull workers and when they have made a Confession or a Catechism as they call it and
hath gotten over the words and can say them over now judges they have faith and are sound Christians when they are Ignorant of the first principle or of faith towards God and so are carried on in the mist of darkness and ignorance and knowes not yet repentance from dead workes Object But some of the Rulers and Potentates of the earth may say we have not persecuted them for well doing but for heresie and blasphemy and sowers of sedition and because they have not submitted to obey our constitutions and lawes Ans. Deceit hath never wanted a cover hitherto neither hath or can the serpent want subtilty for it s his nature by which he liveth Nabucadnezar made a law that whosoever would not obey should be cast into the furnace and might not all his magistrates have said to Shadrak Meshach and Abednego that they were not subject to the Kings decree and therefore judge they suffered deservedly and did not the Jewes who were uncircumcised in heart say when they took up stones to stone Christ we stone thee not for thy good workâ—s but thou being a man maketh thy selfe God and the Jewes stoned Paul and Stephen and put Peter and Iohn in prison they said they were movers of sedition and ring-leaders of Sects but the cheife Preists and the false prophets had allwayes their hands in conspiring against the life of the just but persecutors were ever blind and yet were so conceited that they saw that they said to Christ are we also blind but the seed of falshood hath fitten as Judge long and hath laid the heritage of God wast and hath set it selfe in Gods Temple as the true heir and judged the heir not worthy to live and thousands of thousands have been put to cruell deaths and a numberless number hath suffered since the Apostles dayes and since the apostacy came in yet these which have done these things would be called Christian Magistrates and Ministers of justice and those teachers who have called to the rulers to punish such as Hereticks and Seducers they would be counted the ministers of Christ and such Nations who are out of the life they would be counted holy Oh nay Christ came not to destroy mens lives but to save them and all you rulers in all Nations who goes under the name of Christendom who are upon the earth and all you teachers that are therein whose actions and lives doctrines and principles and practices are contrary to the life of righteousness and contrary to the doctrine of Christ and the practice of the holy men of God you are all out of Christs nature and out of the divine nature in the Dragons natuâ—e and in the corrupt nature in the nature in which all the disobedient and the rebellious are in who are heires of wrath and eternall vengeance therefore repent ye of your iniquity and tremble before the Lord God of heaven and earth who is roreing from his dwelling place and uttering forth his dreadfull voice at the sound thereof all Nations shall fear and be astonished and the fenced Cities in which you dwell shall be horribly afraid Behold the time of restoring is come and coming and the year of Gods controversy with Sions enemies is aproching near you and he who sits and judges in righteousness hath shewed himselfe will rule over the heathen as with a rod of Iron and will pour forth his plagues upon all the families of the earth that calls not upon his name but despises it and tramples upon it the earth is filled with violence cruellty and opression yea it is broken forth as a flood and the Nations is covered with unrighteousness as with a garment the beast hath exercised his power and hath overcome and prevailed long over the heritage of God and the mountain of the Lords house is made desolate all is void and without form deceit inthroned truth trampled upon Judgement turned backward and the devill reignes a King equity hath found no place mercy is shut out of doores cruelty is entertained temperance and moderation hath no residence lust uncleanness excess riotousness and wantoness is loved as though it were the way to eternall felicity pride hipocrisie and dissimulation is taken pleasure in sobriety and meekness hath no dwelling place but is thrown aside folly and madness is set up as the greatest wisdome and the wisdome which is from above counted the greatest folly the fear of the Lord is slighted Gods pure law thrown behind their backes the Nations and the people therein are compassed about with darkness as a wall and with ignorance as a curtaine and with blindness as with a strong fence they are situated in the region of death and at the side of the pit and yet saith no evill shall come near us nor sorrow touch our tabernacle and is in a dead sleep of security wrapt up in the slumber of iniquity involved in utter darkness folded up in the deep pit of ignorance and desires not the knowledge of wisdome neither to walk in her path but her way is grievous unto them and the eye lid of the morning is unto them as the shadow of death Nevertheless he that weighes all things in an even ballance before whom all Nations are but as the drop of a bucket he is appearing in his power and thundring from his holy place who will make the Nations shake as an olive leafe and the Isles tremble before him who is uttering forth his voice as the sound of many waters which shall make all the Potentates and mighty of the earth bow the eye-lids of the morning is opened and the Sun is rising to his height and the darke Aire is scattering by the breath of his mouth and so all things shall appear in the earth as they are and every thing under the face of the Heaven shall be brought to light and all the powers of darkness discovered and the workes and workers of iniquity shall no longer be hid but shall be discovered by the light of the sonne of God and shall be judged and cendemned by the life of righteousness and blessed are they who know a hiding place in him when his overflowing scourge passeth over the Nations which is already made ready to execute his judgement upon the heathen that know him not oh who may abide his presence when he appeares in his power and majâ—sty and glory all the ungodly of the earth shaâ—l be as driven stubble before his bow and shall fly before him nevertheless the pursues shall overtake and the destroyer shall lay hold upon them and all the ungodly shall hear the sentence go ye cursed from the presence of the Lord into the pit of everlasting destruction And when this day comes upon the Nations all your prophets diviners and teachers who are out of the life of Christ who have flattered you and told you you were the higher power and you must sit as judge in the things of the Father Lord it over the consciences of
gets head and is set up as a rule and the law of God both in the Ruler and the ruled is throwne behind their back and so deceit leadeth and the changeable mind acteth it self out in every thing that it hath to do withall and so tyranie and opression spreads over a whole Nation and the just suffers in it And hence it is that there are so many several Laws Ordinances and Constitutions and Traditions and Customs among men in many Nations and Countreys and Regions one differing from another and heaps of confusion that hardly in any Nations or few in a Nation knows what is Law there is so much variableness and changeableness amongst the Lawmakers one while setting up another while pulling down and as deceit advanceth it self in any particular Ruler then there must be a Law made and a penalty upon the non-performance as death banishment tortering whipping racking prisonment fining to the utter destruction of many and all the ground of this is because the Rulers are gone from that of God in themselves and then acts in their own wills and by their craft and deceit which stands in the Ground which is cursed and calls this Christian pollicy and wisdom and cruelty becomes a Law and the Devil keeps his Dominion in the Earth and deceit gets a Cover and hides it self Now it was not so from the beginning For as God is one and his Name one his Law is one which is pure and equal and unalterable and indures for ever and ever Now man being made in Gods own Image answered the pure Law of God and being Gods Image was one with the Law and the Law was not against him but was his life and joy and he had power to obey it for he was of its own nature for as God is pure and holy and the Image which he brought forth man in was pure and holy and that which was mans guide and rule was pure and holy here was unity and purity and he that created and man that was created was in unity and then there was no woe no condemnation no sorrow no death no tribulation nor anguish nor wrath revealed against man who was the Image of God and he stood in the Dominion of God and had dominion over that which was contrary here was no tyranie here was no cruelty no prisons no envie no persecution no killing nor destroying no defrauding no jarre no strife no devouring but all Gods creation at unity and man at unity with God being partakers of his Dominion whereby all the Earth was in order and in that wisdom which changed not and here man had dominion and power and ruled in Gods authority and was guided by the higher power and while he was subject to it death had no power over him now this was before sin entered and before death entred before enmity had appeared in the Earth but now was the Lord King and Law-giver and Judge who ruled in righteousness and man being subject to him there was no Law against him nor no guilt of any thing for transgression was not known in the Earth and there was no curse but all was in unity and peace no changeableness but all was in the covenant all the workmanship of his hand was united unto him and all that he had made was blessed and all the Creation were partakers of his blessedness and all stood in the covenant by which every Creature received power virtue and dominion here was one mind and here was no double no variation no mutation nor change but the dominion of the everlasting God was felt which indures for ever and ever and any other thing was not seen in the Earth but man crowned with honour dominion and dignity wherein could be nothing but rejoycing and pure peace and joy now no evill was known neither was there any such thing but goodness possessed the whole Earth and righteousness breathed forth it self in all things in the circumference thereof and all the works of his hends pleased him and man made partakers of his pleasure and was accepted and not rejected thus in part I have shewed unto you the state of the Earth and of mankind and the glory of Gods Creation and the blessedness thereof but if I could declare unto the whole World from years end to years end I should fall short and words would be wanting to express the felicity and happiness in which man was brought forth in neither shall any be able to see into those things or to declare certainly of those things who come not beyond time to him who is eternal who gave them a being But after man had taken of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill and had eate of the fruit thereof and consented to the beguiler and to the Serpent sin entered and death by sin man lost his dominion and became subject to another and another had power over him and now the course of nature was set on the fire of Hell the curse entered and man dead while he lives and in that day he eate did die and death breathed forth it self in the Earth and Cain is brought forth in his own Image to wit in the Image of him who was gone out of Gods Dominion and he became a murderer and slew him that was accepted of God and here appeared now the enmity and its life was to destroy and to murder and to kill Abell who believed and offered up a sacrifice and Cain offered in the unbelief and was not accepted so Abell who was just lived by Faith but Cain who was in the envie and in the wrath this life was death to him and to his nature and so all who are out of the Faith are dead while they live Now after the transgression in process of time when the seed of fallen Adam began to increase in the Earth being driven out from the presence of the Lord they spread over the whole Earth and sought many inventions being gone from that of God in themselves by which they were united unto him having broken his covenant and joyned in covenant with death death acts forth it self against the seed which is not of its nature and alwaies sought to imbondage it and to kill it as Cain did Abell and Esau Jacob and Ismael did unto Isaack and unto his seed Now the seed unto which the promise was received the Law from the mouth of the Lord and they that persecuted the seed invented and made Laws of their own according to that nature in which they lived and so became heathenish in their Fashions and Laws and Customs and cruelty grew up as it was nourished and leavened into its own nature and unbelief grew into a mighty stature and monsters was brought forth in such a strange shape in every thing that the enmity did appear in as had not been seen in the Earth before and and so man being gone astray from the life of righteousness every thing is abominable and of a stranger nature