the Earth and in Wantonness ye have nourished your Hearts as in a Day of Slaughter and so forth Were not such to Weep and Howl And therefore don 't you think this Day won't come upon you that are found in these things Therefore be you Warned in time And doth not the Apostle command you Ephes 5.16 To redeem the Time for the Dayes are Evil And therefore see how you can redeem your Time that is past for does not the Apostle tell you what the Fruits of the Flesh are and what the Fruits of the Spirit So see what Fruits you bear and of what sort And don't you read in Rom. 1. of such that gave themselves up to Vile Affections and were filled with Unrighteousness Fornication Wickedness Covetousness full of Envy and Murder Debate and Deceit taking all things in the Evil Part Whisperers Backbiters Haters of God Doers of Wrong Proud Boasters Inventors of Evil Things Disobedient to Parents without Understanding Covenant-Breakers without Natural Affections such as never cease from Sin which Men though they knew the Law of God how that they which commit such things are worthy of Death not only do the same but have Pleasure in them that do them Rom. 1. And therefore consider these things all you who are found in these Practices and Amend lest God's Wrath and Judgments break forth suddenly upon you ere ye be aware For do not you know that The Vnrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Adulterers nor Idolaters nor Wantons nor Thieves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Extortioners nor Railers shall inherit the Kingdom of God Therefore ye must forsake all these things if ye expect to inherit the Kingdom of God as you may see in 1 Cor. 6. And don't you read of some that in Words professed God but in their Works denyed him And have not they that have professed themselves Christians brought a great Dishonour to Christianity yea among the very Turks and Heathen by their Drunkenness Whoredoms and Uncleannesses Cozening and Cheating and Cursing and Swearing Thefts and Murders so that amongst the Turks it is become a By-word What! Dost thou think I am a Christian Therefore oh that that Holy Name whose Name is above every Name by which you are called that you should walk so unworthy of it as to cause his Holy Name to be Blasphemed and knowing there is no Salvation by any other Name under Heaven but by the Name of Jesus Oh! therefore that every one that names his Name would Depart from Iniquity and might walk as he walked And let your Moderation ye that be called Christians be known unto all men for the Lord is at hand and sees all things and will render unto every Man according to his Works And don't you know ye must give an Account for every Idle Word and therefore ought they not to be Gracious and season'd with Grace And whether therefore you Eat or Drink or whatsoever you do do all to the Glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 Now there is no Waster Drunkard Glutton that can Eat and Drink to the Glory of God but to the Dishonouring God Devouring and Destroying his Creatures and Consuming them upon their Lusts and feeding themselves without the Fear of God And if all Christians did mind this Whether they Eat or Drink that they do it to the Praise and Glory of God there would be no Drunkard no Destroyer no Devourer nor Waster of God's Creatures found in Christendom And likewise Whatsoever you do to do it to the Praise and Glory of God Mark Whatsoever you do In this no Christian would Dishonour God in this they would alwayes have the Lord before their Eyes and his Fear placed in their Hearts And therefore whether we live we should live unto the Lord and whether we dye we should dye unto the Lord So all that are true Christians do live dye unto the Lord But they that live in Pleasures are dead whilst they live as in 1 Tim. 5. And consider ye what the Prophet Hosea saith to the professing Jews that did not live according to the Law of God nor the Prophets and may not the same be said unto you that profess your selves Christians but live not according to the Gospel Saith the Lord I gave them Corn Wine and Oyl and multitude of Silver and Gold c. And therefore I will return saith the Lord and take away my Corn in the Time thereof and my Wine in the Season thereof and I will recover my Wool and my Flax given to cover their Shame And therefore consider this ye Christians What I say if the Lord should stop the Earth from Increasing for the Lord has given you Corn Wine and Oyl Silver and Gold Wool and Flax which you consume and destroy upon your Lusts the Lust of the Eye the Lust of the Flesh and the Pride of Life which is not of the Father so that you should not have so much Corn as to feed you and as much Flax Wool as to cover your Shame think you would it not be Just with the Lord so to do Let the Witness of God in your Consciences and your daily Practice and the Scriptures answer and testifie against you For truly when I was in Lancaster-Prison I looked out of the Bars of the Window in the Tower and saw the Angel of the Lord God with his Drawn Glistering SWORD shaking it over this Nation to Execute God's Vengeance and the Court was all as a Flaming Fire And this I saw before the beginning of the Dutch War before the Plague and before the Fire And now I say again If God Almighty that created all for his Glory and gives the Increase of all For the Earth is the Lord's and the Fulness thereof and Whether you Eat or Drink or whatsoever you do you should do it to the Praise and Glory of God and now if you do not but consume the Creatures of God upon your own Lusts and with Gluttony and Drunkenness waste and destroy them and live Wantonly Wickedly and in Pleasures on the Earth which is a Mark that such are Dead from God and Christ whilst they live Now I say if God Almighty the Creator should stop the Earth from Increasing with Cattel and other Creatures and bring a FAMINE upon you how could any but say The Lord is Just in so doing For look over Christendom and see what Voluptuousness Drunkenness Excess Rioting Debauchery Oaths Cursing and Swearing that makes the Land to mourn Do you think there was the-like in Sodom and Gomorrah whom God fet forth as Examples of his Wrath and such as suffered the Vengeance of Eternal Fire who followed Strange Flesh Therefore Dread all ye that defile your selves and follow after Strange Flesh see Jude Though you may think ye sit as Queens and glorifie your selves in your Pleasures and may say in your Hearts Ye shall see no Sorrow but alas Wo and Torment will follow
A Warning TO ENGLAND And to all that profess themselves CHRISTIANS Who Have the Form but deny the Power of Godliness that they Sin No More lest a worse Thing come to them Let this be speedily dispersed George Fox As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him Colos 2.6 For even our God is a Consuming Fire Heb. 12.29 Printed in the Year 1674. A WARNING TO ENGLAND c. This is to all ye People that are call'd Christians that walk not in the Spirit of Christ to consider your Lives and Conversations and for to see how unlike you are unto Christ and his Apostles which all True Christians are to walk as he walked and as the Apostles and the true Christians in the Primitive Times did and your Conversations should be in Heaven as theirs was AND now all you that do not walk as you have the Apostles for Examples and to walk as Christ walked as in 1 John 2.6 If the Lord God Almighty who is the Creator of all and the Lord Jesus Christ by whom all things were made shou d deal with you as you deal with him who spend his Creatures upon your Lusts and devour them and consume them immoderately I say If the Lord God that created all and gives the Increase of all and upholds all by his Word and Power For the Earth is the Lord's and the Fulness thereof I say If the Lord God should restrain the Earth from Encreasing and all other Creatures which give you Food for Three or Four Years what a Condition would you be in that destroy them so upon your Lusts If the Lord God should bring a FAMINE and stop I say the Earth from yielding its Increase to you that so destroy and consume his Creatures upon your Ungodly Devouring Lusts Wasteing so much avinly which would nourish so many both in Cloaths and Dyet as are ready to Famish and Starve for Want Have not you seen how the Lord God hath brought the Sword among you And are not you as Proud and as Vain without his Fear as you were though so many have been consumed by Sword Then did not he bring the Plague and swept away many Thousands thereby and scattered you out of your City of London And then after did not he bring the Fire to the Astonishment of many And what if the Lord should hinder the Earth from Increasing how could you but say It were Just with the Lord so to do and to bring a Famine upon you seeing that you do not Repent and Amend your Lives and Fear and Serve him that made you And all these good outward Creatures which he has given to you and daily gives in his Mercy that you might serve and fear him and not to consume them upon your own Lusts and has given you Rain and Fruitful Seasons now what if the Lord should Restrain his Hand in those things from you that do so devour them and consume them and waste them upon your Lusts Could you say any other wise but The Lord is Just in so doing seeing that you amend not your Lives Wayes Words and Doings and are such that feast and are feeding your selves without all Fear as you may see in Jude 12. and so are the Clouds without Water and Trees without Fruit. So if God should send you Clouds without Water in them and your Trees without Fruit remember the Fig-Tree that Christ cursed that did not bear Fruit and think upon your selves you are all Trees but see what Fruits of Righteousness of Godliness of Virtue and of Holiness you bear to God for without Holiness none shall see God And therefore take heed of promising your selves Liberty whilst your selves are Servants of Uncleanness and Corruptions as in 2 Pet. 2. And when you Destroy Consume and Devour God's good Creatures upon your Lusts do you think of God Don't you feed without any Fear of God And do not many live after that sort as they did that said Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall dye as in 1 Cor. 15.42 And doth not the Apostle say That every Creature of God is good nothing ouâ—ht to be refus'd if it be receiv'd with thanksgiving for God hath created them to be received with Thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the Word of God and Prayer And now when you destroy the Creatures upon your Lusts with Gluttony Greediness and Drunkenness you are not in a Capacity then of Praying or giving Thanks but of Cursing Swearing Damning and Murdering and all other Evils you are subject to run into and then often brings Misery and many Evils upon your selves and Families Tim. 1.4 Now Every Creature of God is good Mark and nothing ought to be refused if it be received with Thanksgiving for God created them to be received with Thanksgiving And the Thanksgiving must be given to him that created them and therefore you ought to receive no Creature but with Thanksgiving to the Creator and you ought to give him Thanks that created all to his Glory and if you do not you are of them that feed without all Fear of God your and their Creator And they that take the Creatures in God's Fear with Thanksgiving will not destroy them nor consume them upon their own Lusts and they are sensible of the Goodness of the Creatures and of the Goodness of God that gave them And they that feed without the Fear and are the Clouds without Water and the Trees without Fruit and devour consume destroy and waste the Creatures of God upon their own Lusts destroy their Bodies and Souls their own Families Wives and Children and bring themselves to Rags and Beggery And such are not sensible of the Goodness of the Creatures nor the Goodness of the Creator and from such God had no true Thanks but his Name is Blasphemed by such daily And though many may say that We say Grace before Meat and after but you should live in Grace and not turn from the Grace of God into Wantonness and walk despightfully against the Spirit of Grace for the true Giving of Thanks to God is with the Spirit of Grace and Supplication Zach. 12.10 Jude 14. So they cannot truly give Thanks to God that turn the Grace of God into Wantonness and walk despightfully against the Spirit of Grace and therefore Quench not the Spirit 1 Thess 5.19 And the Lord saith What hast thou to do to take my Name into thy Mouth and hatest to be reformed And every one that names the Name of Jesus is to depart from Iniquity else Christ will bid such as do not depart from Iniquity Depart from him this is a sad Sentence for the Saviour and Redeemer and Mediator to bid them Depart from him ye Workers of Iniquity for I know ye not So though you may say Grace as you call it with your Lips yet if you feed without Fear and work Iniquity Christ won't own such And James saith Ye have lived in Pleasures on
to drink the Wine of Giddiness as in Psal 60.3 c. And in Psal 80.5 Thou hast fed them with the Bread of Tears and gave them Tears to drink in a great Measure And do ye think that ye Christians that feed your selves without the Fear of God and consume his good Creatures upon your Lusts must not be fed with the Bread of Tears and have Tears to drink from the Hand of the Lord. And in Isa 56.12 Come ye say they to wit the Shepherds or the Watch-men I will fâ—â—â—h Wine and we will fill our selves with Strong Drink and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant And were not these reproved by the Prophets And are not such reproved now by the Gospel And in Isa 28.7 8. For all their Tables are full of filthy Vomitings Now look into your Houses of Drunkenness ye called Christians and see what Filthiness is there and by such Doings ye Devour the Creation and cause the Drink of the Thirsty to fail which would do them Good which you destroy and do your selves Hurt withal And the Prophet Isaiah saith But they have erred because of Wine and are out of the Way by Strong Drink The Priests and the Prophets also have erred by Strong Drink they are swallowed up with Wine they are gone astray through Strong Drink they fail in Vision they stumble in Judgment Come try your selves by these Scriptures ye that call your selves Christians and ye Priests and Prophets and see whether by Strong Drink ye have not stumbled in Judgment and erred in Vision and are some of you swallowed up with Wine And does not the Prophet cry against the Pride and the Drunkenness of Ephraim And do not many now that are called Christians take a Pleasure and Pride in making others Drunk And were not such threatned with judgments and cryed against then And are nor such to be Warned now as then And now take heed lest this come upon you as is spoaken of in Isaiah 24. The Earth shall be clean emptied and utterly spoiled the Lord hath spoaken it because the Inhabitants of the Earth have transgressed his Laws and changed his Ordinances and broâ—â—â—â— his Everlasting Covenant therefore the â—â—â—se devours the Earth and the Habitations thereof Then the Wine faileth and all that were of a merry Heart do mourn the Mirth of Tabrets ceaseth the Voice of them that Rejoyce endeth the Joy of the Harp ceaseth the Earth lamenteth and fadeth away the World is feeble and decayed the Proud People of the Earth are weakened they shall not drink Wine with Mirth Strong Drink shall be bitter to them that drink it the City of Vanity is broken down every House is shut up that no man cometh into it There is a Cry for Wine in the Streets all Joy is darkened the Mirth of the World is gone away Surely this shall be in the midst of the Earth among the People as the shaking of an Olive-Tree and as the Grapes when the Vintage is ended Now consider these things ye that profess your selves Christians and are the Transgressors of the Gospel and the Commands and Law of Jesus as these Jews did the Law of God and his Ordinances under the Old Covenant Do ye think this Curse and Judgments wonâ—t come upon you that are found in these Practices And in Isa 5. VVo unto them that rise up early to follow Drunkenness and to them that continue untill Night till Wine doth inflame them and the Harp Vial Timbrel and Pipe and VVine are in their Feasts but they regard not the VVork of the Lord nor consider they the VVorks of his Hands Therefore does not the Lord say he will lay his Vineyard waste and it shall bring forth Bryars and Thorns And therefore take heed ye Christians so called that practise such things lest your Vineyard be laid waste also And VVo unto them sayes the Prophet that are mighty to drink VVine and to them that are strong to pour in Strong Drink which justifie the VVicked for a Reward and take away the Righteousness of the Righteous from him and call Evil Good and Good Evil. Therefore as the Flaming Fire devours the Stubble and as the Chaff is consumed of the Flame so their Root shall be as Rottenness and their Bud shall rise up like Dust because they have cast off the Law of the Lord of Hosts and contemned the Wine of the Holy One of Israel Therefore is the VVrath of the Lord kindled against his People and he hath stretched out his Hand upon them c. And now consider ye this that profess your selves Christians and are found in these Practices Have not ye cast away the Command and Law of Jesus Christ and contemned his Instructions who sayes Be ye Holy as I am Holy without which none shall see the Lord And ye ought to walk as Christ walked And won't he render Vengeance in Flames of Fire against all such as obey not the Gospel and walk not as becomes the Gospel And did not the Lord bring his Judgments upon the Jews for such Actions And do you think he will clear you of such Actions because ye make a Profession of Christianity and the Gospel Nay nay be not deceived God's Wrath and Righteous Judgments will be revealed from Heaven against all Ungodliness and Unrighteousness of Men and therefore Amend and Repent lest these Judgments come upon you at unawares When you and your Priests are crying Peace Peace sudden Destruction comes upon you as it did upon Sodom and the Old World And you that be found out of the Power of Godliness as the Jews were found out of the Law of God do ye think that the Stone won't cry out of the Wall and the Beam out of the Timber shall answer to it against you that delight in Sin and Wickedness This Vision is plain saith the Lord he that runs may read it and the Vision is for an appointed time but at the last it shall speak Hab. 2. Therefore while ye have time Repent and give over pleading for your Sin and Body of Death Wickedness to the Grave for there is no Repentance there and as the Tree falls so it lies Therefore cease to sin and break off your Iniquities by Repentance For the Grave cannot confess to the Lord nor Death cannot praise him and they that go down into the Pit cannot hope for the Truth but the Living the Living shall confess thee as I do this day the Father to the Children shall declare the Truth thus saith Hezekiah Isa 38.18 19. And you may see these Evil Works and Workers before mentioned to wit Drunkenness Vncleanness c. are the Works of such as go into Hell for the Scripture saith All that forget God and do wickedly shall be turned into Hell as afore-said and so into that which burns with Fire and Brimstone and therefore saith the Prophet Hell hath enlarged her self and opened her Mouth without Measure and their Glory and their Pomp and he that rejoyceth among them shall descend into it Isa 5.14 Therefore consider this all ye Drunkards and Unclean Persons that feed your selves without Fear and destroy devour the Creatures of God upon your Lusts lest Hell swallow you up which has opened its Mouth without Measure be surâ— it will except you speedily Repent and Amend your Lives and Doings and turn unto the Lord. Though you may call Drunkenness and Vncleanness Good-Fellowship and call others Fools that won't follow you into the same Excess of Riot yet it is the bad Fellowship for the Good Fellowship is in the Good Spirit of God which mortifies these Evils and the Works of the Flesh which are manifest as Adultery Fornication Vncleanness Wantonness Envy Murder Drunkenness Gluttony c. whereof I tell you says the Apostle that they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Gal. 5. Worâ—ester-Prison this 1st of the 11th Moneth 1674. G. F. THE END