A WARNING FROM THE Lord God of LIFE and Power UNTO THEE O CITY OF LONDON AND TO The SUBURBS round about thee To call thee and them to repentance amendment of life without which you cannot see God Be ye separated from your Priests and from your Idolatrous Worship and touch not the unclean thing that the Lord may receive you Written by one who follows the Lamb and desires the welfare of all Souls as I was moved thereunto by the Eternal and true Spirit of God being quiet and still in my habitation And something also to the scattered Seed of God which hath been held in bondage under Pharaoh the Task-master Who am hated by the unwise and foolish in heart and am reproachfully call'd a QUAKER ESTER BIDDLE LONDON Printed for Robert Wilson at the Black-Spread-Eagle and Windmill in Martins neer Aldersgate 1660. A Warning unto the City of London and the Suburbs round about c. O The day and hour of thy Visitation is now O City of London with all thy Suburbs and likewise the day hour and time of Gods righteous Judgements is at hand and will be executed upon thee in flames of fire from heaven O my soul mourneth for thee and my bowels is troubled and my heart is pained within me to see thy desolation my eyes runneth down as a Fountain for the misery that is overtaking thee O the fury of the Lord it is terrible and who may stand when it waxeth hot and burneth as a flaming fire O repent repent repent for thy wickedness surmounteth the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah thy pride and ambition far exceedeth Jerusalems Jerusalem had one Temple to worship in and it was commanded of the Lord to be built and the Lord commanded them to worship in it but according to your imaginations so is your worship and as your streets are so are your Idols Temples and thy Idolatrous Worship the abomination of desolation sitteth where it ought not and the Seed that belongeth to Immortal Life is buried in thee O London London how art thou fallen and from whom art thou gone astray even from the righteous Judge and pure God of heaven and of earth O! thou art dead and dying from the true worship and service of the Lord which is in Spirit in truth thou art groaping at noon-day and thy light is not risen out of obscurity that should give thee the knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ although the measure of Gods grace hath called thee to repentance and doth strive with thee against thy pride cruelty hard-heartedness and oppression but thou wilt not lend thine ear unto it neither doth the grace of God teach thee but to the contrary art thou led unto persecution by that spirit which leadeth into transgression O! how many of the Lords dear servants Lambs and Babes hath the Lord sent into thy streets high-wayes and Idols Temples to declare what they have seen tasted and handled of the Word of Life and hath proclaimed this notable terrible day which they see is coming upon thee to declare unto thee thy sins transgressions and how great the indignation of the glorious God will be executed upon thee by reason of them and for clearing their consciences and being obedient unto the Commands of the Lord some of them hast thou stoned and some imprisoned and cruelly beat and unmercifully used them of which doings the Lord taketh notice and heareth the groans of the innocent and the cries of the oppressed O! it s entered it s entered into the ears of the Lord God of Sabbath who knoweth how great our sufferings is in this City and in all quarters of the whole earth where we have been sent we have groaned under cruel oppression and tyranny by unjust Judges and unrighteous Rulers especially by our own Countrymen and in the Land of our Nativity for which my spirit is troubled because we all profess the name of Christians and own Christ in words to be a Saviour but in works and life you deny him and by this thing is the name of the Lord blasphemed amongst all them who doth not own Christ at all whom you call Heathens but truly their life condemns yours they having no Law are a Law unto themselves and they shall rise up in Judgement with this Generation who draweth nigh unto the Lord with their lips and their mouths but their hearts is far from God O the Lord God will be eased of such a vain Religion as this he that seeth thee in secret is the munition of rocks he will reward thee openly his Sickle shall pierce thy heart and his sword shall rip up thy bowels pain sorrow and anguish shall overtake thee as a woman in travel and from it thou shalt not escape O friends as a woman hath pain before she bringeth forth so certainly and surely must you feel the pangs of death before you know the Birth immortal and if that this be not witnessed there is no seeing of God nor no inhabiting of his holy Hill where alone dwelleth purity holiness and righteousness for ever O search and try you who are Citizens of this mortal City which may truly be called Sodom and Egypt for in thee is the Son of God crucified and put to open shame Do you feel or know a part in another City which is immutable which fadeth not away Do you eat of the hidden Manna which corrupteth not or do you drink of the Blood of the Lamb Have you yet found peace with the Lord Are you reconciled unto the God of Jacob Are you saved or saving from your sins Or have you seen the Lord and the place where the mighty God dwelleth if not your Religion is all in vain and if you do not speedily repent you shall die in your sins and where he is you shall not come This will be his answer unto you who is the Alpha and Omega the first and the last Depart ye workers of iniquity I know you not O this will be sad tidings unto you who have got a fair covering but it s not of the Spirit of God which the Lord will rent off in the day when he shall take peace from the earth O ye Inhabitants of this bloody City cast away every man from him the Idols of Egypt with your gods of gold and silver of precious stones and goodly houses and make no longer your belly your gods least God cut you off in this day in which he is slaying the wicked with the First-born of Egypt the Lord will choak Pharoah with all his Host in the Sea of confusion O! a night of darkness is a coming upon thee and upon all thy neighbour Cityes O! a thick cloud covereth thee mists and fogs is spread upon thee thy glory is staining thy honor is laying in the dust and thy mortal Crown shall be thrown into the pit thy destruction is coming upon thee at noon-day thou shalt look for light
by the seed up to God and many there is whose faces are turned towards Sion the City of our solemnity there to praise the Lord in that City the morning stars meet together and the Sons of God shoot for joy and singeth Halelujah to the Highest the Bridegroom is come he hath betrothed them to himself who cannot but rejoyce his Table is prepared where the Lambs and Babes eateth and is satisfied there is a river as clear as Christal which runneth softly of which all drinketh freely and is satisfied O! here is fulness of joy to be reaped in this City honor glory and dignity inhabiteth here O! come hither all ye ignorant unwise and simple ones who knows not a stay to your minds nor a resting place for the soal of your feet neither satisfaction for your souls O! come and drink and eat freely with us without money and without price for we have found him whom our souls loveth who is the choicest of ten thousand and the chiefest in the whole earth he hath been exposed from amongst us for many years but now is he come contrary to the whole earths expectation to visit and redeem his people and to get himself a name in the earth Glory be to him who hath been as a stranger upon the earth for ages and as a wayfaring man to tarrâ— for a night for Generations but glory for ever he is well known in Sion for he hath comforted the mourners therein and he hath revived the fainting spirit and hath bound up the broken-hearted the feeble knees hath he strengthened the blind he causeth to see and the lame to go upright the Leopard is cleansed the dead is raised the deaf heareth the dumb speaketh all this is done by Sions King in this the latter day and our eyes hath seen it O! what tongue is able to expresse the Noble acts of our God O! its unutterable and undeclarable words are too short Declarations must end but the life by which they are written liveth in it self for ever and ever O! all ye dear and tender ones who doth abide either by Sea or Land dwell in the pure life in the single being in the lovely estate let not your minds be captivated by any created object or visible thing but feel the birth immortal to be brought forth and reign over the world and you espoused to Christ Children of the Lamb Heirs of the world which is without end let him be your beloved alone who is light and life beauty and strength wisdome and prudence altogether lovely and glorious whose day is glorious and perfect and all must be perfect that walks in it therefore be ye holy as he is holy without which none shall see God who is immutable and dwelleth in everlasting burnings no flesh can see him and live O! the notable terrible day of the Lord will suddenly come upon all slothful and disobedient ones who idly spendeth away their present time and hideth Gods money in the earth but an account one day must you all give when the last Trumpet shall sound then shall you come to Judgement the Just to the Resurrection of Life and the unjust to everlasting torments therefore be awakened all ye that have been long convinced of the truth of God arise and shake off the dust of the earth plough up the fallow ground of your hearts with the power of God let judgement be brought forth unto victory let the Sickle reap the earth that the righteous branch may come forth which you hold in bondage thorough your negligence and unbelief O! dishonor the Lord no longer with your out-side profession which is as a shell without a kernel which God will rent off it will not cover you no longer for it is deceit and a hypocritical Religion which is covered over with fair words and a fair gloss on the out-side and within side is rottennesse and putrifying sores O! this is loathsome in the sight of the Lord woe be unto all from the Lord God of heaven and earth who holdeth the truth of God in unrighteousnesse O! your coverings will be too narrow to cover you and your beds will be too short to stretch your selves on for the Lord is come to torment you O! the Lake is prepared for you that burneth for ever O! what will you do when the Lord shall appear to strip you and to uncrown you and bereave you of all your mortal glory and lay your honor in the dust then without repentance there will be no enjoying of Gods presence which giveth life to the weary soul O repent repent ye Aliens and strangers who are yet without the knowledge of the pure God and knows not an entrance into an undefiled being which is made without hands O! come and sit down where we have sate abhorring our selves in dust and ashes we have lain as they that have been dead of old and our sorrow has been our sin and our beauty hath been turned into ashes and our glory as stubble and our hour as the morning dew and our wisdome as a shadow which hath been and now is not O consider all ye Kings and Princes Dukes and Earls Lords and Ladies Governours and Magistrates Priests and Jesuites this will the Lord do by you as he hath done by us he will lay your habitations wast who respects not the person of any but you shall sit as a Widdow that is rebuked of husband and children bemoaning her self even so shall you be But if you are willing to endure this straight way and narrow gate wherein nothing that is of this world shall enter but must be laid down and if you will deny your selves and take up your daily crosse and follow the light whom you have grieved and wounded with your whoredomes and idolatry whithersoever he goeth then shall you be with us where we are and eat and drink with us of the living Bread and Water of Life and see him who is invisible who cannot be seen but by Faith and this Faith purifies the heart and maketh pure as God is pure O! Come unto the Fountain of Life and drink freely with us O! Christ hath invited all upon the whole face of the earth poor and rich to come into his banqueting house and to eat freely of the Bread of Life and to drink of the still waters of Shilo which satisfieth the hungry soul O! come to our Shepherd who hath laid down his life for his sheep O come and see how good he is and where he feedeth his flock at noon-day O! come into his Fold who is all love and life and gaineth unto God the hungry soul and reconcileth every tyred spirit which panteth after him and blessed are all they who feeleth satisfaction with the Lord it is better then wine or oyl and all who joyneth issue with the Seed of God they know a more durable encrease for they encrease in wisdome purity and holiness and so dwelleth with the Lord in their measures O! all
durable neither will thy Faith remain it is as the raging Sea whose waves are up and down and thou art tossed in thy mind as a Ship upon the Sea driven with a mighty wind thy hope is in man and it faileth thy joy is dying and will die away O! therefore put thy trust in the living God and not in man whose breath is in his nostrils that thou mayest be saved from the day of wrath which will suddenly come upon the families of the earth All Nations shall partake of his wrath and all Tongues of his fury for all flesh hath corrupted its way before the Lord all flesh hath sinned and come short of the glory of God so all flesh must know the wrath of God executed upon the wicked for the Lord hath determined a Consumption to come upon the whole earth therefore O earth earth hear the Word of the Lord and be thou separated from your uncleanness and live before the Lord that all the dayes of thy appointed time thou mayest wait till the change comes for nothing but life will stand before the Lord who is immortal And know this of a truth that this is written in pure love to thy soul O London the righteous is oppressed in thee and the innocent cryeth in thy streets by reason of oppression O! feed the hungry and cloath the naked and hide not thy self from thy own flesh for you are all made of one blood and one mould upon the face of the whole earth He that saith he loves God and doth not feed the hungry and cloath the naked and judge the cause of the poor and needy he is a lyar and doth not the truth And know this ye Judges and Rulers and Magistrates that there is a Judge above you which will call you to an account and will judge you out of the book of Conscience and give you a full reward and you shall all know in the day when the Lord rips off all coverings and takes peace from the earth that there is a Deliverer in Sion which will deliver his righteous seed and none shall hinder and although we are despised in thee and hated by thee yet the Lord who is the everlasting Councellor and Prince of Peace he is our Redeemer who is the portion of our cup and the lot of our inheritance we have none in heaven but him nor upon earth that can deliver but he he wil plead our cause with them that hate us and our innocency shall appear as the Sun in her ful strength we shall be as a morning without clouds when the Lord shall arise and take the honor to himself and exalt his Kingdome above the heavens and his Dominion above the stars then shall Jerusalem be the praise of the whole earth and they shall rejoyce in her who now mourneth and say one to another Come let us stand upon Mount Sion and sit down upon the holyhill for our God and his Christ reigneth over all the whole earth O! this is a blessed estate which the â—ighteous doth inherit but as for the wicked they are as stubble throughly dried and the Word of the Lord is as a fire and they must be burned up and be shut without the gates of the City where the Lamb treads the Wine-press of Gods wrath So in the fear of the Lord repent and amend thy life least God sweep thee away into the pit of utter destruction out of which there is no redemption Oh London the Lord God of Heaven and of Earth he is burdened with thy vain Religion who maketh a profession of God and of Christ and yet liveth in lust and vanity pride and vain-glory in swearing and curfing and yet is covered with a covering which the Lord will take away O how doth gluttony abound in thee rioting and sporting in the day time thou knowst not how almost to go along the streets thou art so proud and haughty and the poor in thee are ready to famish for whose estate and condition my heart is pained within me old and young blind and lame lieth in thy streets and at thy Masse-houses doors crying for bread who are almost naked for want of cloathing and fainting for want of bread and yet thou canst passe by them in thy gaudy apparrel and our-stretched neck with thy face decked with black spots which are the marks of the Whore the Beast and the False Prophet which is not the attire of Sarah Abrahams wife Thou knowest not what to eat nor what to drink nor wherewith to be cloathed thy mind is so vain and thy Religion is so aiery and if any of these that are blind or lame or destitute of a being asketh of thee a penny or farthing thou sayest thou hast it not for them O! remember the Lord will call thee to an account and truly a sad day it will be for thee when he shall take thy peace away who hath lavishly spent Gods Creation upon thy lusts and hath not distributed thy morsel to the poor and to the needy the light of Christ in thy Conscience condemns thee for thy not so doing and from that thou canst not fly that shall be thy condemnation for ever if thou hatest it and thy salvation for ever if thou lovest it O! tremble and quake before the Lord ye sons of Sodom and Daughters of Gomorrah who doth inhabit this mortal City which doth-corrupt and will die away your glory the Lord will bring to nothing therefore keep to the light which condemns you that an entrance into the immortal Kingdome you may find Woe be unto all thy Usurers who hoardeth up the unrighteous mammon and doth not lend to the poor and distressed and saith they have it not for them the rust of their money in the Day of Judgement shall rise up against them and Gods swift Witness in their own hearts shall condemn them which lives for ever therefore all ye Usurers Soothsayers and Star-gazers that inhabiteth this place and elsewhere repent for Gods plagues and Judgements is to be executed upon you and upon all that lendeth an ear unto you you Star-gazers and Astrologers who can discern the face of the Sky but doth not know the signs of the coming of the Son of Man whose glorious appearance will discover your dark works that you act in the dark night and tho night shall passe away and you shall know a day of Judgement and see him whom you have pierced of whom the Sun Moon and Stars bears testimony and keepeth their station with God therefore its good for you to know the Rod of God to instruct you in his path and to lead you to his Kingdome and this is the desire of my soul that you may all inhabit peace and rest with the King of Heaven and Earth So know that your day of visitation is now the Lord doth hold forth unto you mercy and peace therefore imbrace it whilst it is tendred unto you least you be shut out and
ye that have followed Christ the Heir of Life and Salvation and doth follow him in the straight way and narrow gate your portion is eternal if you dwell therein and look not out at the over-turnings of men and their power and what they may inflict upon you or cause you to suffer hardships for your Religion which you profess in truth and righteousness but look to the Lord who hath the heaâ—ts of all the Sons and Daughters of Adam in his hand and as a river of water he can turn them whither soever he will therefore my dear beloved friends who are friends of God let us dwell together in the life immortal and let us be compassed about with Gods righteousness and strength for ever that if the Lord suffereth that we should suffer death for our Religion which is pure let us choose it rather then life and joyfully and heartily and patiently imbrace it and bear it for our God is good and in the midst of flames he hath and will be with us and from the waters he will deliver us in the sixth trouble he hath been with us and from the seventh he hath delivered us glory be to him who is as a wall of brass round about us and as a flame of fire he compasseth us about he was with the Patriarchs in the deepest of their calamities the Prophets in times past he upheld and was their meat and drink and in him they rejoyced and with him they suffered and finished their testimony in faithfulness he was unto the Disciples a stay and a staff salvation and righteousness even their exceeding great reward their houses was filled with his life and power he was a mouth of utterance unto them he carried them thorough great tryals he was their meat and drink and they fed upon him in a weary Land even so can we truly say that he hath been with us in a vast howling wilderness in a strange Land and amongst strange people who have not truly worshipped the God of heaven and earth he hath been our stay and the upholder of our head in the day of battel Glory be to him who is our Rock who never leaved nor forsaked any that fears him but he watereth them with the dew from heaven and maketh them green as the grass or tender plants he cloatheth them far beyond the Lillies in the field he giveth breath and life and length of dayes for ever in his sight therefore all who have known this cloathing let it dwell with you for ever and let your hearts be upright in his sight your consciences exercised continually in the sight of God and men and the Lord God of heaven and of earth preserve us all in all and over all and thorough all up to himself The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ which is perfect and the peace which standeth for ever keep your hearts and minds staid upon him for ever out of all mortal and dying things London the 16th of the 12th Moneth 1659. E. B. Something after O London who shouldâ—t be as a nursing Mother unto thy Nation and a Pattern and Example unto all Nations for in thee and from thee doth the Law proceed and Councel is given forth which should be pure and thy Law direct whereby the Just and Innocent might be Judged in Righteousness thy Judges and Rulers should Judge for God and be guided by the just Law of God in them but for want of true Judgement and Equity the Just is oppressed and the Innocent and Harmless groaneth for want of Righteous Rulers and Godly Judges and wholesom Lawes O London thou hast sacrificed upon the Mountains unto sirange gods and that 's Cains sacrifice which the Lord accepteth not neither doth he regard your Joy and Mirth for your joy is but for a moment saith the Lord but your sorrow is for ever and for ever and your torment world without end O! my Soul lamenteth for thee to see what an estate thou art in all above the witness of the pure God in ungodliness lust pride and wantonness you spend Gods Creation upon your lusts pride and vain glory O! let the Seed of the Lord arise in you and condemn you and bear witness for me and the rest of us who are called and calling out of you and are redeeming from amongst you up to God and our Souls is sorrowful for to see how you neglect the pure way of God And likewise the day of your visitation my heart did even bleed within me to see your sacrifices knowing from whence it came and whether it went and to whom it was offered And I could have wept day and night to have seen the path of Righteousness trodden down and all trampling upon the Seed of God which lyeth low in you some in drunkenness others in swearing and taking the Name of God in vain some in pushing and haling and beating the Lambs of God and all in disorder dishonouring of God on the 21th of the 12th Month 1659. your evil works and words did exceed in that day and night and it shall rise up in Judgement against you that day and night shall you remember with all the rest of your time ill spent to your torment and utter overthrowing and know this that God will call you to Judgement and give you your portion with the hypocrites unless you repent and amend your lives therefore every one who hath any true desires after the Lord be ye separated from the wickedness that is acted in this City and from the actors of it that you may find your desires to be satisfied your souls raised up out of the pit saveth from the condemnation which is coming upon all workers of iniquity the Lord spareth and suffereth but for a time until he hath gathered his remnant from amongst you and made up his Jewels which shall live in his house for ever Then desolation and misery and a woful cry shall be heard in your streets and your houses shall be left unto you desolate and your Idols temples shall be a habitation for Owls and Birds the Satyrs shall dance there they shall be a habitation for every unclean spirit your Priests shall preach no more your Diviners shal go mad God wil dry up the tongue of the Egyptian Sea who hath opened a door of mercy in this City in due season and hath given you yet a Day to repent in but remember thy Day will be over as thy Sisters Sodoms and Gomorrahs their time was spent and the Day of their visitation is passed the Lord spared the Righteous even Just Lot whose Soul was grieved with the ungodly conversation of the wicked even so is ours this day with the unjust and impure conversation of thee O London but Juâ—t is our God and Righteous for evermore who is able to deliver us and hath delivered us out of the flames which shaâ—â— come upon you our God beholdeth all your unjust proceedings with his Seed for which he will