fountain can yield salt water and fresh but your skirts are discovered upon your face and you shall be made manifest to them that yet see you not and shall be a by word to nations ye proud prophane hirelings ye treacherous priests of England from you prophaness is gone forth into all the land who by your lyes and by your lightness hath caused many to erre the Lord God will root you out without hand and the very savour of your root shall become loathsome to the earth which is weary to bare you and your foundation shall be utterly swept away and no place for it shall be found for you have been founded upon and upheld by the beastly nature and seed of enmity within and without of which now the Lord God of endless strength is making an utter end and none shall be able to deliver out of his hand therefore is a cry heard among you to the hills and to the mountains of the earth to hide and cover you from the wrath of the lamb against whom you make war who is the light of the world and your condemnation whose deeds are evil but the mountains shall be overturned with the fierce indignation of the Lord and cast into the sea of confusion and torment with you who strive to hide you from the day that makes manifest and from the stroke of his righteous judgements and the fury of the Lord God Almighty will sweep the land of evil doers and no place shall be found for the worker of iniquity but shame and confusion of faces shall come upon you and you shall gnaw your tongues for pain and shall curse your God and your King for a dreadful and bitter day is fastning upon you all who are in the enmity against the meek spirit in Cains nature vagabond from God in the earth where your names are written and not in the Lambs book of life that was slain from the foundation of the world the foundation of transgression when envy and pride and vain glory had a 〈…〉 spirit was slain by it hear this ye that have an ear to hear for he shall reign and get the victory that was dead and is alive for evermore and hath the key of David and shall overcome and have the dominion and rule and authority over all the kingdomes of men ô ye foolish and without understanding I have ye not read that the lamb that vvas slain is worthy to receive power riches wisdom strength honour glory and blessing and that he shall prevail though ten Kings make war with him consider this ye that strive with your maker by whom you will be broken in pieces like a potters vessel and was it not the Dragon which is cast out of heaven that makes war with the lamb and was it not the Divel which had great wrath when he saw he had but a short time and was it not the great red Dragon the old serpent that made war with the woman and the remnant of her seed who kept the Commandements of God and had the testimony of Jesus these are them the divel the serpent and his seed makes war against against them that keep the commands of God and have the testimony of Jesus who saith believe in the light and how can ye believe which receive honour one of another and saith swear not at all and they shall hale you out of their Sinagogues and bring you before rulers and governours for my namesake and this shall turn to you for a testimony mark for his sake that saith swear not at all for his namesake that respecteth not the person of any man for his namesake that saith how can ye believe that receive honour one of another for his namesake that testifie against the works of the world that are evil haled out of the Synagogues brought before rulers persecuted and despitefully used for his sake for keeping his commandements and bearing his testimony against whom the serpent and his seed makes war heer 's the testimony but the woman that brings forth the man child against whom the dragon cast out his flouds of reproch and persecution 〈◊〉 hid from the face of the serpent glory to the Lord for ever And is not the lamb the light of the holy city where the dogs that bite and the unclean devouring beasts shall not enter but are shut out and all lyers and unbelieving who believe not in the light of the world in the lamb of God that taketh away the sin whose Kingdome and glory is hid from the wise and prudent of the world whose face to them is marred and his forme more then the sons of men who know not the bride the lambs wife for the glory of the kings daughter is within and not of the visible world therefore the world knoweth her not and the Princes of this world never knew the Lord of glory who lighteth every man that cometh into the world hearken ye bitter spirits ye hasty rash and high minded men whose wrath and pride blinds your understandings that you cannot perceive the invisible and eternal things of God but are tossed in the sea of confusion and darkness and cannot rest consider these things are not we whom you hate and persecure and make a great stir and noise about as a city set on a hill which cannot be hid and unknown to you yea verily we are and are not we whom you grievously afflict without cause as the light of the world and the salt of the earth now and can you endure the savour of them that fear the living God and worship him in the spirit and in the truth amongst you are you not like the horse that smells the battel afar off and rageth when he hears the sound of a trumpet but the trumpet of the Lord God is sounded out of Sion and you shall tremble and your whole foundation shall be shaken the Lord hath spoken it Come let us try you ye that cry peace and cry for peace can you endure to be tryed by the light of the son of God who seek not honour from men but is meek and without guile and saith swear not at all and saith I came not to send peace on earth but a sword come how do you feel his life and words that respecteth not the person of any man and denies the glory of the world and testifieth against the evil thereof without respect of persons whether in rulers priests or people and saith how can you believe that receive honour one of another and seek not the honour that cometh from God onely are his words peace to your life and do you savour them well as a joy to you or are they as a sword in your bowels and cuts you to the heart as Stephens did when he spake to the Council Scribes Priests and Elders and people who gnashed on him with their teeth and stoned him for the testimony of Jesus come try your peace whether it be in the earth upon which
into contempt who are seeking honour and glory to your selves in the earth whose peace is your life who love the praise of men and pleasures more then God a sword is coming upon you all and you are for the slaughter of the great King who is our lawgiver and Saviour and our peace who is come a light into the world and is the true light that lighteneth every man that cometh into the world meek and lowely upon the wild asses coalt hear this ye deaf and see ye blind and be still and hearken ye flouds of ungodly men who compass the Saints about and the beloved city with lies and plottings of falsehood whereby you think to weary out the dear children of the most high fire is coming down from God out of heaven to devour you and you shall not be able to quench it ye are the pricking briars to the house of Israel ye are the thorns the dross and the stubble the Lord God Almighty of power will you consume the decree is sealed against you a witness I am for the eternal God of life against you all in all your deeds of darkness and hard speeches my outward life is not deer unto me ye devouring beasts of the field I have given it up and you may take it for he that departeth from iniquity is become your prey But the Lord God will plead our cause in righteousness and his eternal witness the light in your consciences will answer your condemnation to be just and your destruction to be of your selves for you have been warned from time to time by the servants of the Lord without you and reproved by the light his true prophet within you that you might escape flee from the wrath to come which if you proceed in the harness of your hearts in afflicting his dear children it will over take you and because of these things my soul is moved knowing the terrors of the Lord against you and a doleful lamentation is on me and my very bones are pained and my heart is hot within me the whole earth is moved with the fierce indignation of the Lord his vengeance plagues and eternal judgements without mercy do I proclaim against you all from the mouth of the Lord God of hosts except you speedily repent for you have greived his spirit and you have afflicted his dear children these many months yet have you been intreated by them with many tears and often warned and the Lord have we even intreated for you as Abraham did for Sodome Moses for Pharaoh that you might not wholly be condemned with an utter overthrow but rather that you might repent and live but our righteous souls are vexed and grieved with your pride rebellion and filthy conversation from day to day and no answer from the Lord have we concerning you but the red sea of his wrath wherein you will be utterly swallowed and drowned and not one will be left and fire from heaven as snares upon you will be rained for every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire and every plant which my heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted up Consider this ye that forget God ye that forget mercy whose bowels are shut up whose hearts are hardned from his righteous dreadful fear lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you for our God is a consuming fire and is terrible to the heathen that know him not whose fire is in Sion and his furnace in Jerusalem and from thence our deliverer comes who turns away ungodliness from Jacob. But is not envy persecution and oppression ungodliness and wrath pride and injustice are not these things ungodliness and unrighteousness consider and weigh it in the even ballance the light in your consciences to which I speak which will answer the truth without covering and is my witness in you all for the Lord God and heareth my voyce therefore stop not the ear lest you are shut out for ever then shall you cry but he will not hear you and is not the wrath of God to be revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men or is envy pride cruelty oppression tiranny and persecution and laying snares for the innocent and harmeless without cause is this good fruit or the fruit of the spirit of God who among the saints in these things is your example or doth the heavenly plant bring forth such fruit nay verily will Gods witness answer me and are any the sons and children of God but who are joyned to the heavenly plant or led by his spirit which guides unto all truth out of unrighteousness into soberness quietness love peace patience long-suffering humility and gentleness c. and are not the children of God in these things manifest and are not the children of the divel in the other ground bringing forth other fruit of the curse also manifest But if you will not hear nor lay these things to heart and give over afflicting oppressing and grieving my dear children and tender babes that cry unto me night and day and give glory to my great and dreaful name by returning from the evil that is in your hands I will destroy you and your seed from off the face of the whole earth blot out your name from under heaven and your remembrance shall stinck and be a grief to my chosen yet shall they rejoyce over you when the smoke of your torment shall ascend up for ever and ever saith the Lord God Almighty For thus saith the Lord God these people whom you hate and seek many waies to ensnare and take counsel together against and abuse and persecute and imprison whip stone revile and reproch by the name QUAKERS who abide faithful to my son the light of the world that lighteth every man that cometh into the world they are dear unto me my chosen my dear children my beloved ones and he that toucheth them toucheth the apple of mine eye whose cry is entred into my ears and my pitty is towards them and my bowels are moved for them for whose sake I will reprove Kings and kingdomes shall be overthrown that rise up against them and every tongue that rise up in judgement against them will I condemne for I the Lord search the heart and try the reins and will reward every man according to his deeds Therefore consider these things ye proud and scornful men who are of the birth born after the flesh persecuting the birth of the spirit being moved with envy wrath which is of the Divel against an innocent people whom the Lord God will preserve and doth though out of your sight whom the God of this world hath blinded and all you false teachers deceitful workers who use your tongues both to pray and also to lye flander and revile whose hearts are exercised in covetous practises and yet sometime for a cloke will speak against it as if one
the sword is to come or whether he is your peace that brings the sword upon the earth who seeks not honour from men who is the condemnation of them whose deeds are evil And see if you can endure the salting with fire and the day of tryal and the hour of temptation that will come upon all them that dwell on the earth to try them and do you not dwell on the earth who are seeking earthly honour and imprisoning for it and will not the sword of Gods righteous judgements come upon you for these things see how you exceed your father who did but tempt and not imprison the son of God when he would not bow down nor worship him think on this and tremble ye seed of evil doers and consider your vvaies and the vvhole course of your life and the end thereof and see if you can dvvell vvith devouring fire and vvith the everlasting burnings for a fire the Lord God of our life is kindling among you and the thickets of the forrest and the ravenous beasts and the false Prophets shall be consumed by it and the day is at hand that a sword shall be upon your right arme and it shall be dryed up and your right eye shall be utterly darkned and you shall look for light but behold darkness and dimness and blindness and anguish and vexation of spirit with bitter lamentation and for a comforter but there will be none because you have despised reproof and did not choose the fear of the Lord but have said in your hearts there is no God and what Lord shall controle us therefore Gods righteous witness the light in your consciences which makes manifest the hidden things of dishonesty will judge and condemne you for all your ungodly deeds and hard speeches that you ungodly have committed and spoken against him and his dear children and that is nigh you wh ch will tell the matter and he that seeth in secret will reward you openly according to the works of your hands and will let you see all that ever you have acted in vvhose living povver and life I novv vvarn you to consider your vvaies and repent vvhile you have yet time and prise this your visitation lest it stand a dreadful vvitness for the Lord God against you and the thing that belong to your eternal peace be for ever hid from your eyes and your house left unto you desolate This is a warning from the spirit of the living God in his servant who suffers in the spirit of meekness for his precious truths sake who desires not the death of a sinner but rather that he might turn from his wickedness and live and am in the house of correction at Winchester where I have freely given up my life in the will of God if it be to the finishing my testimony against a sinful and adulterous generatition to which prison I was sent as a wanderer from the town in which I was born and which is in the same county and have been kept neer 12. months because I cannot promise to go home against whom no evil or breach of law hath been charged though too Assises and four Sessions have past in the time of my imprisonment who am of the world called William Bayley A voice and visitation of God to the Inhabitants of the Isle of Wight THe Lord God Almighty of heaven and earth who is the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Jacob is risen with his eternal dreadful power to gather and to scatter and no people powers or nations shall be able to stop his way for he in whose presence all the nations of the earth are but as a drop of a bucket is risen as a Giant to the battlel and he who maketh war in righteousness is gone forth conquering and to conquer out of whose mouth goeth a sharp two edged sword with which he will slay the wicked and cut the heathen that rage asunder for the Lord God of life and terrible Majesty is now risen to judge for the meek of the earth and to plead the cause of the poor against him that is too strong for him and is now making inquisition for blood and he remembreth the cry of the humble for the year of his redeemed is come and the day of vengeance is in his heart he proclaimeth liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison doors to them that are bound who hears the groanings of his pretious seed and for its sake is come down to deliver Therefore woe thick darkness and dreadful plagues vvill come upon Pharaoh and all his host vvho oppresseth the righteous seed the born of God in the land of your darkness and house of bondage for the Prophet of the Lord God like unto Moses vvho setteth before man good and evil life and death the blessing and the curse vvhich God hath raised up in the midst of his brethren vvhich all are to hear he is novv trying Pharaoh or the sons and daughters of men vvho are hardned from his fear vvho loves the darkness rather then the light because their deeds are evill and refuseth to let that go vvhich groaneth and doth sigh and cry for deliverance and hungers and thirsts after righteousness vvhich being desolate and trodden under foot in many it mourneth unto him and the cry of it is entred into the ears of the Lord God of rest and this is the seed vvhich the Lord is gathering into his gardner of eternal dominion and peace and all the chaffe vvhich about it oppresseth though in a profession without the life and power of the seed will the Lord God consume with the unquench able fire Therefore take heed and be you warned of the Lord God of heaven all ye rulers governers and people of the earth and all you of this isle and whom the Lord God Almighty hath moved many of his dear servants in the dreadful pure power of his might and in the bowels of love to visit your souls I say take heed of striving to hinder this the great mighty and powerful work of Gods love amongst the Children of men as you will answer it before the throne of God and of the Lamb who is the light of the world and lighteth every man that cometh into the world to whom all judgement and power is committed who is now come to judge the world in righteousness and the people with his truth and he must reign till all his enemies are brought under his feet the Lord God of everlasting strength hath spoken it for he is now coming in ten thousands of his saints to convince all that are ungodly among you of their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him who is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world who upon them will execute the judgment written for now is the Lord of life fulfilling his promise which he hath spoken by his former