unrig hieous Decrees and that write grievousnesse which they have prescribed to turn away the Right from the poor of my people that Widdows may be their Pray and that they may Rob the Fatherlesse Isa. 10. 1 2. Therefore hear what the Lord saith by his Prophets to Thee and all Oppressors What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces and grind the face of the Poor saith the Lord of Hosts Isa. 3. 15. Hear ye this all ye that forget God and the fool hath said in his Heart There is no God And what hast thou said O Richard Brown hast not thou said as he hath said And are not his Actings as thine For they are corrupt they have done abominable works there is none that doth good The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the Children of Men Ps. 14. 1 2. to see if there were any that did understand and seek God but ver 3. They are all gone out of the way they are altogether become filthy there is none that doth good no not one Vers. 4. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge who eat up my People as they eat Bread and call not upon the Lord. For they have corrupted themselves their Spot is not the Spot of his Children they are a perverse and a crooked Generation Deut. 32. 5. A sinful Nation a People laden with Iniquities a seed of Evil-doers Children that are Corrupters they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the Holy One of Israel they are gone away backwards Isa. 14. Yea they have deeply Corrupted themselves as in the dayes of Giliah Therefore he will remember their Iniquities he will visit their Sins Hos. 9. 9. For they have shamed the Counsel of the Poor because the Lord is his Refuge Behold thy self O Richard Brown see what thou art now doing For the wicked watcheth the Righteous and seeketh to Slay him Psal. 37. 32. Yea he Plotteth against the Iust and Gnasheth upon him with his Teeth Vers. 12. Yea they have Drawn out their Sword and bent their Bow to cast down the Poor and Needy and to slay such as are of an upright Conversation But hear O ye Seed of God what the Spirit saith And see O Richard Brown what thy Reward shall be and so it shall be with all Persecutors and Persecuting Spirits Their Sword shall enter into their own Heart and their Bows shall be broken Vers. 15. For the Armies of the Wicked shall be Broken but the Lord shall uphold the Righteous Vers. 17. Therefore depart from Evil and do Good and dwell for ever for the Lord loveth Iudgement and forsaketh not his Saints But the Seed of the Wicked shall be cut off Vers. 27 28. Therefore O Earth Earth Earth Hear the Word of the Lord For saith the Prophet Vers. 35. I have seen the Wicked in great Power and spreading himself like a Green Bay-Tree Yet notwithstanding or for all that he passed away and lo he was not Yea I sought him but he could not be found for the Wicked shall perish and the Enemies of the Lord shall be as the Fat of Lambs they shall consume yea into smoak shall they consume away Vers. 20. For the Transgressors shall be destroyed together and the Hand of the Wicked shall be cut off Vers. 38. For saith that upright Man Iob 21. 17. How often is the Candle of the wicked put out And how often cometh their Destruction upon them God distributeth Sorrows in his anger they are as stubble before the Wind and as Chaff that the storm carryeth away God layeth up his Iniquity for his Children he rewardeth him and he shall know it his eyes shall see his destruction and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty One dieth in his full strength being wholly at ease and quiet his Breasts are full of Milk and his Bones are moystened with Marrow and another dieth in the bitterness of his Soul and never eateth with pleasure And thus O Richard Brown the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath yea so saith the Prophet Isai. 5. 24. For as the fire devoureth the stubble and the flame consumeth the Chaff so there Root shall be Rottenness and there Blossom shall go up as dust for now will I arise saith the Lord now will I be Exalted now will I lift up my self ye shall conceive Chaff yea shall bring forth stubble your breath as fire shall devour you and the People shall be as burning of Lime as Thorns cut up shall they be burned up And thus O Earth the Curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked But he Blesseth the Habitation of the Iust Prov. 3. 33. For behold or take notice of it O Richard Brown that God will not cast away a Perfect man neither will he help the evil doers for they that hate thee shall be clothed with shame and the dwelling place of the Wicked shall come to nought Job 8. 20 22. And thus O Mayor the Eyes of the Wicked shall fail and they shall not escape and their hope shall be as the giving up of the Ghost Job 11. 20. For saith that Holy Man Job 8. 11. Can the Rush grow without mire Can the Flagg grow without water whilst it is yet in its greenness and not cut down it withereth before any other Herb So are the pathes of all that forget God and the Hypocrits Hope shall perish whose Hope shall be cut off and whose trust shall be as a Spiders Web he shall lean upon his house but it shall not stand he shall hold it fast but it shall not endure For saith the Prophet Isaiah they hatch Cockatrice Eggs and weave the Spiders Web he that eateth of their Eggs dieth and that which is Crushed breaketh into a Viper Their Web shall not become Garments neither shall they cover themselves with their works their works are works of iniquity and the Acts of violence are in their hands as they are in thine their feet run to evil as do thine and they make hast to shed Innocent Blood as thou doest their thoughts are thoughts of Iniquity wasting and destruction are in their Pathes The way of Peace they know not and there is no Iudgement in their goings they have made them Crooked Paths whosoever goeth therein shall not see Peace no more shalt thou Isai. 59. 5. c. For the wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt There is no Peace saith my God to the wicked Isai. 57. 20. for saith the Prophet David Psal. 7. 11. c. God judgeth the Righteous and God is angry With the wicked every day therefore if he turn not he will whet his Sword he hath bent his Bowe and made it ready he hath also prepared for him the Instruments of death he ordaineth his Arrows against the Persecutors Then beware O Mayor of London for see what the great Man hath done
likeness of his Death we shall also be in the likeness of his Resurrection Rom. 6. 5. And saith our Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 6. I have planted and Apollo watered in a Gospel Church and saith Hosea of the Church of old Ephraim is Planted in a pleasant Place Hos. 9. 13. though Ephraim did not bring forth good fruits to God and therefore Ephraim must be weeded for Ephraim shall bring forth his Children to the Murtherer Therefore thou and such as thou art O Richard Brown are but Weeders of Gods Garden those Plants that are of our Heavenly Fathers Planting thou mayest root up For my Father saith Christ John 10. 29. is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of his hand Then look about you O you Seed of God for ye are made partakers of Christ if ye hold fast your Confidence stedfast unto the End Heb. 3. 14. I must confesse it is high time the Weeders were at work for the Weeds are grown high in the Church of Christ but if thou shalt pluck up and offer violence to the choice Flowers and fruit-bearing Branches to God our Gardener will be very angry with thee nay I question whether he will not turn thee out of his service therefore it is requisite thou beest good in thine Office and for the Information of thy Judgement in order to the Reforming of thy violent Actings Read I beseech thee what God hath done with such violent Weeders Isaiah 10. from 5. to 20. Amos 1. and Isai. 13. all the whole Chapters And as Gods People are his Garden So Christ taketh a delight in them For he walketh in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks Rev. 1. 12 13. Revel 2. 1. Yea saith the Spouse Cant. 6. 2. My beloved is gone down into his Garden to the Beds of Spices to feed in the Gardens and to gather Lillies to smell those Fragant Gifts and Graces of the Spirit which are so delightful to me as that I even feed upon them I pluck them even with as much delight as men pluck Lillies and their Choice Ripe and full blown Fragant Flowers and vers 11. I went down into the Garden of Nuts to see the fruits of the valleys and to see whether the Vines Flourished and the Pomegranates Budded to see how the young Ones those Babes those Lambs those young Men in the Faith have profited in the Profession of the Gospel and those Vines how they flourish those strong Men and Fathers whether they bring forth Fruit as well as Leaves whether they have the possession as well as Profession of the Gospel how they flourish yea how they abound in every good Work And in Cant. 4. 16. The Spouse being sensible of the want of the constant breathings of the holy Spirit which saith our Saviour is as the Wind Blowing where it listeth she cryeth out Awake O North Winde and come thou South blow upon thy Garden that the Spices thereof may flow out Let my beloved come into his Garden and eat his Pleasant Fruits as if she should say without thee by the incomings of thy Spirit we can do nothing we cannot shew forth Love Joy Peace Patience Long-suffering Gentleness nor Goodness Meekness nor Temperance without the Breathings of that Holy Spirit of thine therefore give us what thou requirest from us and then come into thy Garden and feed of thine own And now O Weeder consider what thou hast done thou shuttest up the Garden Doors that are within thy Jurisdiction thou rootest up the Flowers Vines and Plants throwest them on heaps and lockest them up in noysom Prisons Holes and Dungeons amongst noisom and very infectious Weeds Indeed more I might say but I shall forbear yet not forbear to tell thee that the Mr. Gardener seeth and beholdeth it And I shall mind thee of the words of that Kingly Prophet Psal 10. 13 14 15. Wherefore do the wicked contemn God he hath said in his heart thou wilt not require it But thou hast seen it O Lord thou beholdest mischief and spite to requite it with thy hand the Poor yea every one of thy poor Flock committeth himself unto thee thou art the help of the Fatherless Break thou the Arm of the Wicked saith that Holy Man vers 15. and of the Evil man seek out his wickedness till thou find none But I shall say and that in the singleness of my Soul O Lord give Richard Brown a sence of the Evil of his wayes let him see O Lord the ugliness of a Persecuting Spirit and whence it is shew him wherein he hath failed in all his Acts of Violence and Oppression and cause him to hear a Word from Heaven and that from thy Son for the Eternal good Benefit and well-fare of his poor Soul saying Brown Brown why Persecutest thou me and let him know that thou O Lord God of recompences wilt surely requite cause him O Lord to be so sensible of the Evil of his wayes as that he may search out his own Iniquities Transgressions and Sins and that he may set them before him and may be sensible of them in their several aggravations as that he may see himself a nothing Creature without a Saviour And that he may so close with thy Son Jesus upon his own terms as that of a Persecuting Saul he may become a Preaching Paul that so he may Build again that which as to thy People he hath destroyed and may destroy as to himself that which he hath builded that so he may purge out that old Leaven as he may become a new lump unto thy self when he shall be translated out of the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of thy Dear Son that so as he hath Squandered away thy Portion ruined thy Heritage troden down thy Vineyard and as much as in him lieth slain thy tender Lambs Sheep and Flock shut up thy Garden rooted up thy choice Vines Fragant Flowers and Budds of Spices So O Lord for the time to come he may as much as in him lieth repair thy Portion rebuild thy Heritage repair thy Vineyard Re-inliven thy Flock and replant and replenish thy Garden that so thy People O Lord may see that Prophesie of the Prophet Isaiah in a good measure fulfilled to them in their days that Kings Rulers and Governors may be their nursings Fathers their Queens shall become their nursing Mothers Yet Holy God if it shall be thy will to suffer thy People yet to undergo the hand of Persecution Teach every one of thy faithful Ones readily and willingly to say Not as I will but thy Will be done And as thou hast brought them forth in Suffering times So for the sake of thy Son Jesus give Suffering Spirits and Suffering Resolutions that so they may in the midst of their distresse Glorifie thee by their Patient willing couragious and undaunted behaviour And O Lord Inable them by the Incomings of thy own Spirit so as that they may suffer purely and alone for their
O London least my Soul depart from Thee least I make Thee Desolate a Land not Inhabited And may not his Servants say especially now they pull them so violently from their Meetings even Men Women and Children as a man may say and force them into Prison-holes and Dungeous I say may not they justly cry out and say with that Prophet Ier. 6. 10. To whom shall I give warning that they may here Behold their Ear is uncircumcised and they cannot hearken Behold the Word of the Lord is to them a Reproach they have no delight in it And vers 13. For from the least of them even to the greatest of them every one is given to Covetousness and from the Prophet even to the Priest every one dealeth falsely And may we not safely say to England at this day with the same Prophet Jer. 5. 30. That a wonderful and Horible thing is committed in the Land The Prophets prophesie falsely and the Priests bear Rule by their means and the People love to have it so But what will ye do in the End thereof For O Richard Brown when the Lord shall make Inquisition for Blood he Remembreth them he forgetteth not the Cry of the Humble Psal. 9. 11. For Precious in the sight of the Lord are the death of his Saints Psal. 116. 15. I mean the peaceable tender Lambs of Jesus that little Flock who are quietly Keeping the Word of Christs Patience waiting upon him in all his Ordinances Appointments and Administrations that are so much slighted villified and under valued by Men in this our Day Therefore know O Mayor that whilst thou art Haling the Lords People to Prison and Indeavouring with all that little Petty Mite of Power thou hast allotted thee to bring them at an under that then thou art but doing the Devils drudgery for so saith the Spirit Revel 2. 10. Pear none of those things which thou shalt Suffer Behold the Devil shall cast some of you into Prison that ye may be tryed And you shall have Tribulation ten dayes From whence O Richard Brown I would have thee and all Persecuting spirits to Note what the Spirit saith in the Text Behold or take notice of it the Devil shall cast some of you into Prison I say again let all persecuting spirits know yea and behold I say again lest they should seem to have some Colourable Excuse at that great day of Account when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to the Gospel Rom. 2. 16 I say I would fain have all persons in Places of Authority know that as they are set as Magistrates they are by the Appointment of God to be a terrour to evil works and a praise to them that do well Rom. 13. 3. But to Imprison Punish or Banish from the Land of their Nativity any that own the Gospel of Christ upon a Scripture Account is to prove themselves Persecutors for I shall challenge the ablest and Learnedest Persons in this Nation that can wash their hands of Roomes Traditions to shew any such Warrant from Gods Word in the least for as I shewed to the King in my Fanaticks Mite cast into His Treasury in the first Impression in Pages 12. and 13. and in the last in Pag. 9. and 10. that a Minister of the Gospel is not to be as a General in a Army to Frighten Beat and Fight men into Faith but as an Embassadour to perswade to Invite gently to treat with and to intreat into the way of God the one being Evangelical or Gospel but the way of force being Diabolical and of the Devil and whilst they are made believe they are doing Gods Work for saith Christ Iohn 16. 2. the time will come that when they shall kill you they shall think they do God good service They are then manifesting themselves to be Drudges to that Evil One for so saith the Text Rom. 12. 10. The Devil shall cast some of you into Prison c. But here some may object and say That this is a Text out of the Revelations and the Revelations is very Mysterious and the Text may mean something else To which I Answer That I judge it is meant literally and that it shall be Actually performed as we see in a Measure it is at this day the which is a great Confirmation of my Faith in the Truth of it So that what I have seen and felt and heard that Declare I as in other so in this case and therefore I shall farther Answer that though the Devil hath not as I know off nor ever had any Power Actually as a Commission Officer as a Mayor or Iustice of Peace so to do yet Instrumentally he may so do in and by Men that are so Commissionated and although I cannot truly say that ever any Mayor either of this or any other City or any Iustice of Peace of this or any other City Town or Borrough was ever a Devil simply so considered yet I must take leave to think who is in Men when they Act so contrary to the very Heathen and have not learned or rather by reason of much Blood-shed are hardened and blinded that they cannot see how to act as meer natural men or Heathens that walk onely by the Light of Nature Even to do by another as freely as they would have another do by them So that though I cannot say that any Mayor or Iustice is a Devil yet I can safely and upon a good account say with our Apostle Ephes. 2. 2. That there are some who walk according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the Power of the Ayre the spirit that now worketh I pray mind it the spirit that now Worketh in the hearts of the Children of Disobedience And there are some that are led Captive by the Devil at his Will 2 Tim. 2. 26. And such shall fall upon the People of God when the Devil their Master hath a Commission Signed and not before for the Devil knew Iob long before he could do him any harm for the Lord said unto Satan Hast thou considered my Servant Iob that there is none like him in the Earth a perfect and an npright man one that feareth God and Escheweth Evil Job 1. 8 9 10. Then Satan answered the Lord and said Doth Iob fear God for nought hast thou not set an Hedge about him and about his house and about all that he hath on every side thou hast blessed the Work of his hands and his Substance is increased in the Land therefore we find that the Devil said Put forth thine hand now and touch All that he hath and he will curse thee to thy Face And the Lord said unto Satan Behold All that he hath is in thy Power onely upon him put not forth thine hand So or when he had his Commission Signed Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and the next news we hear of Iob the Sabeans are Commissionated by this
General the Devil to take away to kill and to slay for so saith the Text vers 14. And there came a Messenger to Iob and said Thy Oxen were Plowing and the Asses feeding beside them and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them away yea they have slain the Servants with the Edge of the Sword and I onely am escaped to tell thee and the Devil being in a rage against this good man vers 16. The fire of God saith the Servant came down from Heaven and hath burned up the Sheep and the Servants And in vers 19. The Winds smote the four Corners of the house wherein his Sons and Daughters were and killed them Whence I would note That Winds and Fire though the Creatures of God yet when the Devil hath a Commission they are in his Power and in his hands to bring his Design about as that Man of Sin his Instrument shall be by him also Commissionated Revel 13. 13. to call for fire from Heaven in the sight of Men. I hint this the rather because the time I judge is very neer when that shall be Acted forth that so those that see it may be confirmed and strengthened in the present Truth for the Image shall be made of the Beast that had his wound by a sword and did live and that when it doth come yea may know it to be of the Devil that grand Impostor and not of God though that fire as this in Iobs case shall and did come down from Heaven But to proceed And the next newes also that Iob heareth is That the Devil Impowers the Armies of the Caldeans who come forth in three Bands who also killes slayes and takes away And if the Devil will do any thing to the Person of Iob he must Cogg for a new Commission and when he hath it he must not touch Jobs Life Job 2. 4 5 6. By vertue of which Commission he presently brings him full of Boyles from the Crown of the Head to the soal of the Feet yea he brings him as low as possible he can even to the very next door to death he brings him as near to it as we use to say almost as four pence to a Groat even to the Dunghill yet his Life he must not touch And whilst Iob yet holdeth his integrity the Devil comes into his Wife to perswade him to Relinguish his Confidence and to let go his Integrity that so he might have his End as I sear he hath in this time of tryal into many a Proud Covetous Carnal Faithless Woman to perswade their Husbands to Swear or Ingage themselves out of Prison contrary to the Requirement of the Lord Christ Matth. 5. 34. Swear not at all Rather then lose outward Pomp Pleasure Pride Profit Preferment and what upon an outward account is to preserve an outward being little considering what will be the Bitterness of it hereafter From which case of Iob before I go farther I would have all men in Christian Love to take notice especially Londons Trades-men that Buy and Sell and get great Gain I say I would have them and all to take notice 1. That the Devil knowes how Men have their Incommings how they are preserved and how they are blessed who could give so Ready an account to God of what Iob had both at home and abroad and how all was preserved and that they a voyd his Baits in their Traiding both in Buying and Selling. 2. Observe That whilst Men act in the fear of God doing good having and Eschewing Evil that then God taketh special notice of them and Hedgeth them about 3. Observe That the Devil hath no Power on such Persons neither He nor his Instruments till God give them a Commission 4. That if such Persons keeping close to their God by fearing him and Eschewing evil should be by the Commission of God under the Devil or his Instruments hands that then they should not be cast down but take notice that it is but for the Tryal of their Faith and the Increase of their Graces And therefore first I would beg all Gods People in all cases to keep close to God in his own way fearing him and avoiding all appearance of evil that so God may keep close to them and blesse them with all Blessings both Spiritual and Temporal and might Hedge them about on every side Secondly That if God should Suffer the Devil or his Instruments to cast any of them into Prison That then Iob-like they hold their Integrity to the advancing of Gods Glory and the Eternal Benefit of their own Souls for Blessed is he that Indureth Temptation for when he is tryed he shall receive a Crown of Life which the Lord hath promised to them that Love him James 1. 12. For they that shall be with the Lamb are Called and Chosen and Faithful Revel 17. 14. Again We see that King David himself though a Man after Gods own heart became an Instrument in the hand of the Devil Satan or that evil one to bring down Gods wrath upon Israel even to the Destruction of threescore and ten Thousand in three dayes time as I shewed fully in my Fannaticks Mite cast into the Kings Treasury in Page 51 52. of the the first Impression and in the Last Edition in Page 38 39. from 2 Sam. 24. compared with 1 Chron. 21. 1. Yea and also the Lord Christ saith to his People that they shall be haled before Kings Rulers and Magistrates for his Name sake Mark 13. 9. And as that Evil one makes use of Kings Rulers and Magistrates good Men and wicked Men some by one means and some by another to punish Gods People So secondly he maketh use of Learned Men gifted Men and Teachers as his Instruments to seduce and draw off if possible from the Simplicity of the Gospel and from the Truth as it is in Iesus And such are called Bewitchers Seducers Deceivers False Teachers and false Apostles And all this he doth by these Instruments that he may bring poor Souls to Himself for saith that Servant of the Lord such are false Apostles Deceitful Workers Transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ and no marvel for Satan himself is Transformed into an Angel of Light therefore it is no great thing if his Ministers be Transformed into the Ministers of Righteousness Yea such of which there are many whom the Lord Christ telleth us off Mat. 7. 22. who in that day will say unto him Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out Devils and in thy Name done many Wonderful Works who shall say unto them I Professe I never knew you Depart from me you Workers of Iniquity So also saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 2. 1. But there were false Prophets among the People as also there shall be false Teachers among you who shall privily bring in Damnable Heresies yea so saith our Apostle Acts 20. 29. Know this also that after my departure shall greedy Wolves enter in
again again and again but we see the Conclusion is a Prison a Dungeon but this I am confident of that he that fitteth in the Heavens doth laugh such violent Actions to scorn and the Actors of such Oppressions he will have them in Derision yea I say again the Lord will have them in Derision for so saith the Lord by the Mouth of a King Psal. 2. 1. c. Why do the Heathen rage and the People Imagine a vain thing the Kings of the Earth set themselves and the Rulers take Counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed saying Let us break their Bonds asunder and cast away their Cords from us But in the midst of all these Contrivances as in Belshazzars case Dan 5. 5. there is a Hand-writing in the way that will cause some Trouble the which I cannot but declare and it is no more but the words of the Text for saith the Spirit of the Lord in vers 4. He that sitteth in the Heavens shall Laugh and who can hinder him yea the Lord shall have them in Derision and who shall gain-say it But give me leave in Christian Love to go on to give this Caution in the words of the same Man of God in v. 10. Be wise therefore O ye Kings be Instructed yea Iudges of the Earth ye Iudges before whom the peaceable People of God often in your Circuits are Haled And you Iudges of the Earth that are to Seal Decrees against them I say again take good heed in Gods fear what ye do to them for saith the Prophet to the People of God and that to their great comfort Zach. 2 8. He that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of his Eye a tender place a choice thing yea they are his Sons and Daughters 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. His Iewels Mal. 2. 17. His choice ones that shall be his such as he himself will spare as a man spareth his own son that serveth him And if you will not spare them look to it the Lord will have you in Derision the Lord will Laugh you to scorn O then be instructed ye Judges of the Earth for ye judge not for man but for the Lord And will you not spare the peaceable Sons and Daughters of God that he would have spared If King Charles should say to you Spare such or such a man that comes before you would you dare to Condemn and Execute him How dare you then Arraign Iudge and Condemn to Prisons and strong holds an Dungeons the Sons and Daughters of the great God who are so near and dear to him and such of whom the Lord Christ saith He that receiveth you receiveth me Mat. 10. 40. And in as much as ye did it not to one of these littles ones ye did it not unto me Mat. 25. 45. And Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Acts 9. 4. Therefore upon the Seat of Iudgement Remember Mercy for he shall have Iudgement without Mercy that hrth shewed no Mercy Jam. 2. 13. I would not here be mistaken I do not plead with you Iudges that you should pervert Judgement far be it from me so to do but if ye find a Baptist such as I am now pleading for a Malefactor let my Tongue cleave to the Roof of my Mouth or my Pen fall out of my hand if ever I either speak or write in Vindication of any or of my Self if found in the way of evil-doing But if after the way which you call Heresie I or any are found worshipping the God of our Fathers I say again and again I hope I shall by Divine assistance plead and write if possible And herein I would have you all to take that safe Counsel and good Advice of one of your Brethren a Doctor of the Law Acts 5. 34. who said vers 38. Refrain from these men and let them alone for if this Counsel or this Work be of man it will come to nothing but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest ye be found fighting against God And it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God Heb. 10. 31. For our God or the God of the Baptized People is a consuming fire Use Moderation therefore I forewarn you lest the fire of this God fall suddenly upon you as once it did upon Sodom and Gomorrah and the Neighbouring Cities for their abominations Be wise therefore O ye Kings be Instructed ye Iudges of the Earth serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce before him with trembling Kisse the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled ye a but a little Blessed yea I say again Blessed are all they that trust in him Psal. 2. 10 c. O then I beseech you in Gods fear have a care both Prince and People what ye do in shutting up the peaceable Meetings of the quiet People of God such as would according to the requirement of the Lord do Gods Work in Gods way they would not neglect the assembling of themselves together as the manner of some is but would Exhort one another daily whilst it is called to day who according to the Requirement of the Lord by his Apostle 1 Tim. 2. 1. would first of all make Prayers Supplications Intercessions and giving of Thanks for all men for Kings and all that are in Authority for King Charles and all his Courtiers for Mayor Brown and all his Citizens And for Iustices of Peace in all Cities Corporations Towns and Borroughs with all their Gentry Citizens Manufactures Yeoman and Rusticks that God would open the eyes of their understandings so as that they might see what they are a doing and how they on all hands are rendring to God for all his Benefits bestowed upon them in making and in so Eagerly prosecuting that Proclamation to shut up those peaceable quiet harmless and In-offensive Meetings of Gods People to the hindring as much as in them lyeth their Prayers from Ascending up to God and his Blessing from Descending upon them in which however they have and shall manifest themselves to be our Enemies yet I shall let them know that notwithstanding their thus using us we dare not neglect our Duties in praying for them for that is the Requirement of our Lord and Master King Iesus who as he saith Swear not at all Mat. 5 34. so also he saith vers 44. Love your Enemies Blesse them that curse you do good to them that hate you and Pray for them that despitefully use you And for my own part I dare no more omit the doing of the One than I dare yield to the acting of the other And therefore O Richard Brown I shall let thee know that get me into thy Clutches when thou wilt and get a Commission to offer me up as soon as thou canst yet know that in the words of my Brother Stephen he who first taught Gods People how and in what manner to Suffer Acts 7. 60. I shall in his words say
destruction of the flesh or of that fleshly part that caused him so to offend that so the Spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord 1 Cor. 5. 5. Even so it is with me it is in Love I bear to thy soul that I do it and for the ease of Gods People and therefore I shall let thee know that a desperate Wound must have a desperate Cure for Extreams must have Extreams to Cope withall and Ulsers must have flesh to feed upon not skin It is neither Smoothing nor Soothing thee up in thy condition that will do thee any good but harm therefore in the faithfulness of my Soul I must tell thee that thy condition is not to be dallyed withall And as the honest Lawyer as aforesaid dealeth with his Clyent so shall I with thee and let thee know That if that grim Sergeant Death shall but once Arrest thee upon an Action of Battery in the Name of the great Iehovah at the Suit of King Iesus for Persecuting him in his Poor Members and shall charge thee in his Declaring with a Brown Brown Why Persecutest thou me He will recover such dammages of thee at that Great Tribunal that he will deliver thee to the Iaylor he will commit thee to Prison and so thou shalt not come thence till thou hast Paid the uttermost Farthing Therefore be perswaded to agree with thy Adversaries quickly whilst thou art in the way Mat. 5. 25. And take that advice of the Prophet Isai. 55. 6. Seek the Lord whilst he may be found and call upon him whilst he is near Let the wicked forsake his Wayes and the unrighteous man his Thoughts and let him return unto the Lord for he will have Mercy and to our God for he will have Compassion And secondly I must also with the honest Physitian let thee know that thou hast a very soul Body and overflowing with gross Humors that are very apparent the which may easily be distinguished without either feeling thy Pulses or casting thy Water for thou hast several confused Distempers as thy Belly swelling with a Timpany of Pride and thy Body full of the dropsical Humors of Uiolence and Oppression And thou art deeply infected with that unsatiable disease against the People of God called Apetitus Caninus And yet in a deep Consumption of common humanity pitty and true piety patience penetency and purity love lenity and true loyalty meekness moderation and true manhood yea and like Ephraim of old Hos. 7. 9. thou hast gray hairs here and there upon thee and thou dost not know it and like that Angel of the Church of Sardis Rev. 3. 1. thou hast a Name to live and art dead and with that Leader of that Laodicean Church Rev. 3. 17. supposest thy Condition to be very good and that thou art Rich and that thou hast need of nothing and knowest not that thou art poor and wretched and miserable and blind and naked For thy Actings plainly discover thee to be what thy Profession is not But saith our Saviour By their Fruits ye shall know them Do men gather grapes of thorns or figgs of thistles Matt. 7. 16. Do men pretend to be Christians and yet act so unlike Christ and the Primitive and Present Christians What! a Child of God and of a Persecuting Spirit I must confess a Wolves Nature wrapt up in a Sheeps Skin is that which our Saviour hath foretold we must expect in these latter days and they 〈◊〉 so far from being his as that he forewarneth his People of them and requireth his to beware of them What! a Son to the God of Peace Rom. 16. 20. and yet a Persecutor A Brother to Christ the Prince of Peace Isa. 9. 6. and yet a hater of his Church which is his Body Col. 1. 24. A man pretending to be led by the Spirit of God for if a man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8. 9. whose fruit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness meekness and temperance Gal. 5. 22. against which there is no Law Yet thou shewest thy self to be so far from being led by that Spirit as that thou wouldest fain find out a Law to be put in rigid execution against those peaceable quiet Baptists that are led by that Spirit And because thou nor thy cruel Brethren Magistrates in several Counties as you pretend your selves to be godly and christian yet finding no Law of King Iesus for any such cruel abominable actings as you execute upon persons to fulfil your own lust and malice therefore ye are forced to lay claim to the Proclamations of King Charles and before there came forth one for your turns some in Lincoln-shire made use of that against Swearing and Debauched persons who imprisoned Iohn Watts and others in that County and William Iefferyes Matthew Caffin and our Brother Millar with others were questioned upon that Proclamation also as evil doers in the West Countrey near Dorchester So that common Proverb in them is fitly to be applied which saith It is an easie matter to find a stick to beat a Dog withal yet if King Charles had not made that Proclamation against our quiet and harmless Meetings ye had missed of your cruel and malicious Ends And I must plainly say that if he had not made it he had shewed some respect to us for then he had continued us as he found us till a Parliament had restrained us but the making of this and refusing to take it off till a Parliament looks with such a dreadful face as that it hath frightned many a poor weak soul into a perswasion to Swear contrary to the Requirement of Christ who saith Matth. 5. 34. Swear not at all but let your Yea be Yea and your Nay Nay for what is more than this cometh of evil or of that evil One For saith he Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven So that our Yeaes and Nayes should be more than other mens Swearings and therein we should be as faithful to King Charles in what we undertake as our Brethren of Holland are to their States But see O Richard Brown whether thy violence herein doth not evidence thee to be one that is acting in the fruits of the flesh the consequences whereof are very dangerous for saith our Apostle Gal. 5. 20. The works of the flesh are manifest some of which are these which are so predominant in thee even hatred variance emulation wrath strife and envyings of which I have tould you in times past that they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Thou that art so eager to force persons to Swear against the Pope dost thou fight with Roms Engines Imprisonment Banishment the Gallows Fire and Faggot And now let me ask thee O R. Brown Where are thy sences Dost thou pretend to own the Gospel of Peace Eph. 6. 15. the God
Isa. 5. 1. I will sing a song to my welbeloved a song of my welbeloved touching his vineyard my welbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill and he fenced it and gathered out the loose stones thereof and planted it with the choicest Vine And Vers. 7. The Vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Iudah are his pleasant plant And saith the Lord by his Prophet Zech. 12. 2. Behold I will make Ierusalem a burthensome stone and a cup of trembling unto all the people round about and vers 3. I will make Ierusalem a burthensome stone for all people all that burthen themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it Then let all Persecuting spirits have a care how they tread down Gods Vineyard for saith the Prophet Ier. 50. 10 11. For Chaldea shall be a Spoil all that spoil her shall be satisfied saith the Lord Because ye were glad because ye rejoyced O ye Destroyers of my People Then have a care of thy self O Richard Brown for God will have a Controversie with thee for thy treading down his Vineyard for he is the Husband-man yea so saith our Saviour Iohn 15. 1 2. I am the true Vine and my Father is the Husband-man every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh it away So that thou art but a drudge a servant to lop off the fruitless branches and therefore know that thou art not set on work either to cut off fruit-bearing-branches nor the Vine but thou behavest thy self hitherto as if thou wert set on work to root up the Vine even King Iesus and therefore know that in the midst of thy fury thou mayest make more haste then good speed and therefore in the Name of the Lord I am come to let thee know that this Stone cut out off the mountain without hands Dan. 2. 34. this Stone which the builders rejected the same is made the Head of the Corner and this is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes Therefore have a care of being too sie with him for whosoever shall fall upon this stone he shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind him to powder Yea so saith our Vine Matth. 21. 42 44. Then have a care of thy self O Richard Brown for if he fall upon thee he will break thy Lordship to pieces for he shall fall on the feet of the Image and break it to pieces Dan. 2. 34 35. Fourthly As Gods People are his Portion his Heritage and his Vineyard so they are his Sheep and his Flock for he is our God and we are the People of his Pasture and the Sheep of his hands Psal. 95. 7. For know ye yea I say again and again know ye ye Persecutors Know ye that the Lord he is God it is he that hath made us and not we our selves we are his People and the Sheep of his Pasture And thus he led his Flock of old by the hand of Moses and Aaron Psal. 77. 7. Thus did he by and to his Flock of old under that Legal dispensation and he shewed himself valiant for his Flock and his Sheep and that by the hands of Moses and Aaron Witness those ten Plagues he brought upon that Oppressing Tyrant Pharaoh King of Egypt for saith the Lord Exod. 3. 7 8. I have surely seen the Affliction of my People which are in Egypt yea and so he doth in England for it is not fair pretences that can blind his eyes or stop his ears for saith he I have heard their cries by reason of their Task-Masters that would violate their Consciences for I know their sorrows and am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians and he is the same God still for he can both see hear and will in his due time deliver For they are his Sheep and if they can but behave themselves like Sheep if they can but suffer their Wool to be torn off their Backs by such Bryary Brambles Thorns as thou art O Richard Brown if they can but according to the Requirement of that Shepherd and Bishop of their souls 1 Pet. 2. 25. that great Shepherd of the Sheep who became so through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 13. 20. I say if they can but follow his example who left himself an example for them 1 Pet. 2. 21. who although he was the great Shepherd yet he was oppressed and afflicted and he opened not his mouth Yea he was led as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before the is dumb so opened he not his mouth Isai. 53. who requireth that his Sheep should learn of him for saith he I am Meek and Lowly in heart and they shall find rest for their Souls Mat. 11. 29. who also requireth Luke 21. 19. that in their patience they should possesse their Souls And if they can but follow the word of Command given out of the Mouth of this great Shepheard the Captain of their Salvation who himself was made perfect through Sufferings Heb. 2. 10. I say if they would but observe his word of Command Mat. 24. 6. that when they shall hear of Wars and Rumours of Wars Nation against Nation and Kingdom against Kingdom that then they be not troubled But with the Flock of God gone before them that they stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord Exod. 14. 13. for he will come down in flaming fire to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of Christ 2 Thes. 17. 8. But upon Mount Zion or to the Flock of God shall be Deliverance and there shall be Holiness and the House of Iacob or the Seed of Faith shall possesse their possessions Obadiah 17. For saith the Prophet Isai. 34. 1 2 8. Come near ye Nations and hear and hearken ye People Let the Earth hear and all that is therein the world and all things that come forth of it for the Indignation of the Lord is upon all Nations and his fury upon all their Armies for it is the day of the Lords vengeance and the year of recompences for the controversies of Zion For saith the Prophet Zech. 9. 16. And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the Flock of his People for they shall be as the Stones of a Crown lifted up as an Ensign upon his Land O then have a care Opppressors both how and whom ye oppresse for it will be your own safety 5. For as they are his Portion his Heritage his Vineyard and his Sheep and Flock So they are Gods Garden for so saith the Lord Cant. 4. 12. A Garden inclosed is my Sister my Spouse The people of God are his Plants yea so saith the Lord Christ Mat. 15. 13. Every Plant that my Heavenly Father hath not Planted shall be rooted up for if we have been planted into the
A Fannaticks Alarm Given to the MAYOR IN HIS QUARTERS By one of the Sons of Zion become BOANERGES To Thunder out the Judgements of God against Oppression and Oppressors Together with some Flashings of Pure Gospel-Lightnings really intended for the enlightning the Eyes of the Understanding even to the beholding of Him who is Invisible By HENRY ADIS a Baptized Believer undergoing the Name of a Free-willer and also most ignomineously by the tongue of Infamy called a Fannatick or a mad man Wo to the Bloody City Nahum 3. 1. For they professe that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and to every good work reprobate Tit. 1. 16. For I have seen Violence and Strife in the City Psal. 55. 9. For they eat the Bread of Wickednesse and drink the Wine of Violence Prov. 4. 17. LONDON Printed for the Author an Upholâ—ster living in Princes Street near Covent-Garden 1661. A Fannaticks Alarm Given to the MAYOR IN HIS QUARTERS By one of the Sons of Sion become BOANERGES O Earth Earth Earth Hear the Word of the Lord Ier. 22. 29. To Thee O Richard Brown I speak in the Words of the great Iehovah given in into his Servants and Prophets by his Eternal Spirit by vertue whereof thus saith the wisest of men The Merciful man doth good to his own Soul but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh O man consider thy wayes what hath been thy Work for these many years last past What good didst thou do to thine own Soul in thy mercy thou shewedst to the Kings Friends at Abington Were not thy tender mercies there the mercies of the wicked even meer cruelty Prov. 11. 17. And now the Tide is turn'd art thou ready to say of thine own Violent Actings as once old Iacob did of Simeon and Levies cruel dealings against the Shechamites Gen. 49. 7. Cursed be mine anger for it was fierce and my wrath for it was cruel Or rather art thou not going about to plaister up that old inveterate malignant and festred Sore with a far worse Plaister than was the Sword that made that Wound So that it may be said to Thee in the words of the Prophet Ier. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots no more canst thou do good that hast been accustomed to do evil Art not thou now with double and triple diligence breathing out Threatnings and Slaughter Saul-like against the Church of God as if they had been or at present were the Kings greatest Enemies but hadst thou ever been a Scholar in Christs School and hadst been tutored by his Usher that Holy Spirit of Truth whose Fruit is Love Ioy Peace Long-suffering Gentlenesse and Goodnesse Meeknesse and Temperance Thou wouldest then have taken out a far easier Lesson than Cruelty Violence Malice and Oppression and wouldest also have experimentally known that Christs Laws teach the best Loyalty to Earthly Princes and the purest Love to our very Enemies And now I speak of Love give me leave O Richard Brown to speak some few words in love to Thee who appearest by thy violent Actings to be a bitter Enemy to King Iesus in persecuting him in his Members and therein pretendest thy self to be a great Friend to King Charles the contrary whereof I hope will be manifested hereafter in this discourse in its due place In the mean time in love I shall let thee know my End of this my Alarm that so I might prove my Thundering to be natural consisting as well of Lightning if possible to the enlightning the eyes of thy understanding as well as to shew Thee the Judgements of God against thy Violent and Inhumane Dealings to which purpose I am at this time come to beat up thy Quarters and in Christian Love to deal with Thee and to speak after the manner of men like a Consciencious Lawyer to lay before Thee the worst of thy Case like an Honest Physitian to shew the True state of thy Body like a careful Chyrurgian to search thy noysome and festred Ulcers to the quick and with that charitable Samaritan Luke 10. 34. pour in Wine and Oyl that thy Wound may be both searched and supled that so if possible thy Soul may be saved in the day of the Lord. And herein I shall follow the example of the Lord himself Isa 1. who that he might the better perswade Israel to a thorow Reformation and a perfect Return to him his God he first layes before him the evil of his wayes telling him as I by his assistance in his words shall tell Thee That from the Crown of thy Head to the Sole of thy Foot there is no whole part in Thee thy Head is Sick and thy Heart is Faint thy Hands are full of Blood Therefore Wash thee make thee Clean put away the evil of thy Doings cease to do Evil learn to do Well seek Iudgement relieve the Oppressed Iudge the Fatherless and plead for the Widdows keep men no longer in thy cruel Custody to make so many Fatherless and Widdows as it is at this day in keeping those many poor Innocent harmlesse Baptists and others under restraint in doing which thy danger therein I shall lay down before Thee by Thundring out the Iudgements of God against such Violent and Oppressing Actors that so as in a Glass thou mayest clearly read thy self both what thou art and what thou shalt be or what will hecome of Thee And then give thee in some Clear Bright and Glorious Flashes of Pure Gospel Lightning to enlighten thy Inward Man in order to thy Recovery out of this thy Miserable Poor Blind Naked and Despicable Condition even to the Translating thee out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Gods Dear Son unless thou beest wanting to thy self In order whereunto I shall once more cry out and say O Earth Earth Earth Hear the Word of the Lord for thus saith the Lord by his Prophet Isa. 33. 1. Wo unto Thee that spoilest and thou wast not spoiled that dealest Treacherously and they dealt not Treacherously with Thee when thou shalt cease to spoil thou shalt be spoiled and when thou shall make an end to deal Treacherously they shall deal Treacherously with Thee For God is a just God and many times dealeth with the Sons of men by the Law of Retaliation for Adoni-bezek said Threescore and ten Kings having their Thumbs and their great Toes cut off gathered their meat under my Table as I have done so God hath done to me Judges 1. 7. And Nathan said unto Divid Seeing thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the Sword of the Children of Ammon Therefore the Sword shall never depart from thy House 2 Sam. 12. 9. So also saith Samuel to Agag King of the Amalakites 1 Sam. 15. 33. As thy Sword hath made women Childless so shall thy Mother be Childless among women and Samuel liewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal Therefore Wo unto them that decree
should be Solemnized rather with Sober and Serious Considerations and with Mature Deliberation not whether it should be done or no but that it be done with Holy and Earnest Desires to God that God would Fit Furnish and Enable him with such Gifts Endowments and Quallifications from Above and with such Wisdom Courage and Boldnesse that thereby he might be able to go in and out before this People so as that he might be Exemplary in his being a Pattern to his Subjects both in Pitty and Patience Mercy and Moderation Iustice and Indulgence Piety and Purity Courtesie Chastity Charity and Faithfulnesse that so there might be like King and like People even to the pulling down of all Vice with Stage-Playes May-Games and Pastimes and Establishing of Truth Vertue and True Piety and all things that may render a Nation Amiable in the Eyes both of God and Man that so God who is the God of Mercy Truth and Peace may in much Mercy Heal our Distempers and Build up our Nation and so Unite the Hearts of all the people of England one to another that though they differ in Iudgement so as that they cannot have close Communion one with another yet they may have so much Love one for another as that they may have Union one with another that so there be not such difference in Affections as to become Enemies one to another even to the leading into Captivity and casting into strong Holds Prison-holes and Dungeons as it is at this day although for the Producing and Propagating of Truth they may Write and Discourse one with another that so Erroneous Persons may read themselves and their Actings as in a Glasse and so may reform and amend But instead of shewing persons wherein their failing lies thou hast violently haled poor Innocent Persons to Prison who did not injure nor wrong Thee in the least in which Actings of thine towards them Thou hast used so much rigor as that thou hast done it even with much Indignation even to the grinding of thy Teeth So that thou hast done that which caused God once to complain against Israel of old Amos 5. 7. who turned Iudgement into Wormwood and caused Righteousnesse to cease in the Earth Thou hast not at all shewn Mercy Threfore O R. Brown Hear what the Lord saith by his Servant Iam. 2. 13. For he shall have Iudgement without Mercy that hath shewed no Mercy and Mercy rejoyceth against Iudgement For thou hast by thy Violent Actings contracted that Misery upon thine own Head that the Prophets of old did on them by their prophaneness Ier. 23. 15. For thus saith the Lord concerning these Prophets Behold I will feed them with Wormwood make them Drink of the Water of Gall for from the Prophets of Ierusalem is prophaneness gone forth into all the Land as thy Violence hath done from London Therefore may it not justly be said to London as once the Lord said to Ierusalem because of the Violence that was sound in Her by reason of Her Bloody and Cruel Actings which sounded forth over the Land as thine hath done from the City For thus saith the Lord God Ezek. 24. 6. Wo to the Bloody City to the Pot whose Scum is therein and whose Scum is not gone out of it bring it out piece by piece let no lot fall upon it And again Vers. 9. to 15. Thus saith the Lord God Wo to the Bloody City I will even make the Pile for Fire great Heap on Wood kindle the Fire consume the Flesh and spice it well and let the Bones be burnt Then set it empty upon the coals thereof that the Brass of it may be Hot and may Burn and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it that the Scum of it may be consumed She hath wearied her self with Lies and her great Scum went not forth out of Her Her Scum shall be in the Fire In thy Filthinesse is Lewdnesse because I have Purged Thee and thou wast not Purged thou shalt not be Purged from thy Filthines any more till I have caused my Fury to rest upon thee I the Lord have spoken it it shall come to pass and I will do it I will not go back neither will I spare neither will I repent according to thy wayes and according to thy doings shall they judge thee saith the Lord God or the Great Iehovah Therefore saith the same Prophet Ezek. 30. 1. The Word of the Lord came unto me saying Son of Man Prophesie and say Thus saith the Lord God How ye wo worth the Day For the Day is near even the Day of the Lord is near a cloudy Day it shall be the time of the Heathen For saith the Prophet Nahum 1. 2. God is jealous and the Lord revengeth and is furious the Lord will take Vengeance on his Adversaries and he reserveth or layeth up Wrath for his Enemies The Lord is slow to Anger and great in Power and will not at all acquit the Wicked the Lord hath his way in the Whirlwind and in the Storm and the Clouds are the Dust of his Feet he is a terrible God behold his Great Power For he rebuketh the Sea and maketh it dry and dryeth up all the Rivers Bashan languisheth and Carmel and the Flower of Lebanon languisheth The Mountains quake at him and the Hills melt and the Earth is burnt at his Presence yea the World and all that dwell therein Who can stand before his Indignation And who can abide in the fierceness of his Anger His fury is poured out like Fire and the Rocks are thrown down by him The Lord is good a strong hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him But with an overflowing Flood he will make an utter end thereof and darknesse shall pursue his Enemies Therefore saith the same Prophet Nahum 3. 1. Wo to the Bloody City it is full of Lies and Robbery the Prey departeth not The noise of a Whip the noise of the ratling of the Wheels and of the pransing Horses and of the jumping Chariots The Horse-man lifteth up the brigh Sword and the glittering Spear and there is a Multitude of slain and a great number of Carcasses Because of the Multitude of the Whoredoms of the well-favoured Harlot the Mistress of Witchcrafts that selleth Nations through her Whoredoms and Families through her Witch-crafts Behold I am against Thee saith the Lord of Hosts and I will discover thy skirts upon thy Face and I will shew the Nations thy nakedness and the Kingdoms thy shame And I will cast abominable filth upon Thee and make Thee Vile and will set Thee as a Gazing Stock For saith the Prophet Ier. 6. 7. As a Fountain casteth out her Waters so she casteth out her Wickednesse Violence and spoil is heard in her before me continually is Grief and Wounds Wherefore saith the Lord Ier. 6. 8. Be thou instructed O Ierusalem And may not the Lord say to London at this day Be thou instructed
not sparing the Flock also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away Disciples after them c. Such whom he telleth us do lie in wait to deceive Ephes. 4. 14. And thus we evidently see the Devil hath his Civil and his Ecclesiastical Instruments his Spiritual and his Temporal Engines that if he cannot get men to relinquish the Wayes of God by a Persecuting Hand then he striveth what he can to poyson them with False Doctrine Errours and Heresies and the one he endeavoureth to do generally at all times the other but when he hath a Commission So that it may be said to Persecutors yea and to the Devil himself as once the Lord Christ said That he nor they can do nothing except it be given them from above John 19. 11. For as the Devil must have his Commission Signed before he or his Instruments can Act any thing against Gods People So Secondly he is Limited for ye shall have Tribulation ten Dayes ten Dayes is his time Limited And as I said before I Judge and that upon an Experimental Account that this Text is meant Really and Actually that it shall be performed So I fear that some that have Experienced it so to be have and do own it strictly in the Sence of Ten Natural or Artificial Dayes following one successively after the other consisting of twenty four hours a piece or else they would not have made so much haste out of Prison as they did some by Swearing and others by Engaging to the Dishonour of that God they serve the Blemishing of his Truth and the Disencouraging and stumbling of weak single-hearted Souls and the great burthen of their Brethren under the same Sufferings For we are not to Limit the Holy One of Israel how long his ten Dayes shall last or in what Sence it is meant Some through Mercy lay above ten Weeks and had ten Moneths been added to those ten Weeks and ten Years to those ten Moneths they durst not in the least have entertained a Thought to have gained their Enlargement to the Dishonour of their Master by Swearing to King Charles contrary to the Law of King Iesus who saith Mat. 5. 34. Swear not at all As to the ten Dayes Imprisonment we know it possibly may be some Years as the Apostle Paul was who had worn out two Years at Rome after he had appealed to Cesar where the story of the Scripture leaveth him under Bonds Acts 28. 30. But Gods time of Deliverance is the best time for deliverance through Mercy some have had it and therefore I am Desirous that others should wait for it But this was and is the great Confidence and Comfort of some of Gods People that the Devil is Limited as to his Power as well as to his Time He can go no farther than his Bounds For all that he hath is in thy Hand said God to the Devil Onely upon himself put not forth thy Hand Job 1. 12. And Satan appeared before the Lord a second Time Job 2. 3. And the Lord said unto Satan Hast thou considered my Servant Iob who still holdeth his integrity although thou movedst me against him without a cause From whence I for my own part have great cause to Rejoyce yea and I do Rejoyce in that Causelesly I and others of our Judgement were haled to Prison and injuriously Printed as Traytors and that by the Good Hand of our God upon us our Innocency is cleared and we cleared without Fees I say again it was the Good Hand of our God upon us and we must to his Praise acknowledge it But to our Matter The Devil hath done what he can to Iob and yet Iob holds his Integrity But the Devil will not so leave him for saith the Devil Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his Life put forth now thine hand and touch his bones and his flesh and he will Curse thee to thy Face And the Lord said unto Satan Behold he is in thy Hands but save his Life Here is a new Commission and a new Limitation whence we may still take notice of the Providential Care that the Great God hath of his poor Faithful Ones for saith our Saviour Are not two Sparrows sould in the Market for one Farthing and not one of them shall fall to the Ground without your Heavenly Father But the very Hairs of your Head are all numbred pray mind it are all Numbred Fear ye not therefore ye are of more Ualue than many Sparrows Doth God take care for Oxen 1 Cor. 9. 9. Doth God take care for Sparrows And will he not take care for you if you in his strength stand firm to his Requirements O ye of Little Faith God gives his Servants Gifts and Graces and God requires an Improvement of those Gifts and Graces that so he may have the Glory of them And therefore the next thing considerable in the Text is That the Devil shall cast some of you into Prison ten Dayes that you may be Tried mind it Souls it is that you may be Tryed And now Friends look to your selves you that were not willing in times of Prosperity to keep close to the Words of Christs Patience will hardly with Patience lie in a Prison or a dark Dungeon in this hour of Temptation that shall come upon all the World to try them that dwell upon Earth to try those that live upon the Earthly Vanities of the Earth upon Creatures and Creature Comforts I say look to it for I am verily perswaded and that by the Word of the Lord that God hath yet a finer seive to bring his people thorow And as I said in my Fannaticks Letter in page 19. God is now going to gather Congregations out of Congregations and Churches out of Churches Oh! how many are there that have already fallen through this Course Seive and these no mean Ones neither This little Ridling time me-thinks it seems to me like the Dragons Tail spoken of Rev. 12. 4. That drew the third part of the Stars after it and cast them to the Earth cast them into the World again for their earthly Mindednesse I could wish that such souls would seriously consider the danger they are in from Heb. 6. 6. Oh consider this all ye that forget God lest he take you away and there be none to help Psal. 50. 22. Christ is now sitting as a Resiner and Purifier of Silver Mal. 3. 3. And he will purifie the Sons of Levi and purge them as Gold and Silver that they may offer an Offering in Righteousness He is now at work with his Fullers Soap and how can they be cleansed that will not endure the scouring Water of Persecution Therefore know that if ye will not endure the Heat of the Furnace if ye will not hold out the Tryal if ye will not trust to the Refiners skill and wait his Leasure if yea will Leap out of the Fire if you will shrink thus
in the wetting if ye will neither endure the Fullers scouring nor the Refiners Purifying you cannot expect to offer a Pure Sacrifice in Righteousnesse Consider Friends that God is now provoking you to jealousie by a People which upon a Scripture account are not a People as he did Israel of old Rom. 11. 11. And will you be as stupid as they Have they not lain by you Have you not seen their Courage their Constancy and their Boldnesse both in their Sufferings and their Meetings And can you give out so easily Have we not a far better ground to Suffer then they Have we not Larger Promises than they For Eye hath not Seen Ear hath not Heard neither hath it ever entered into the Heart of Man to conceive what God hath laid up for them that Love Him Oh I beseech you Consider if such things be laid up for them that Love Him Let us examine our Wayes and see whether we have Loved Him his Laws his Statutes his Ordinances and his People as we ought to have done Have we had that Love to the Lord his People and the whole Creation as we ought to have had Hath the Conversion of Souls been esteemed in our Eyes Hath the Establishing and Confirming of Souls been delightful to us Have we laid forth our selves to make the Wayes of King Iesus Amiable Lovely and Desirable to all men Have we by our Constancy in our Assemblings together according to the Requirement of the Lord gone on with Christian Courage and Boldnesse not Fearing the Wrath of the King O Friends Consider whether the Love of King Iesus who laid down his Life for you that you might Live to Eternity or the Wrath of King Charles hath been most taking upon your Affections The Breach of whose Proclamation take it at the worst that can be imagined could but bring you to the Grave that cannot contain nor hold you long For the Sea shall give up the Dead that are in it And Death and Hell or the Grave shall Deliver up the Dead that are in them And all shall be judged every Man yea every Man according to his Works And at which time if our Wovks are not found Perfect before God the second Death must be our Portion Oh! That they were wise that they understood this that they would Consider their Latter End Deut. 32. 29. O Consider what your Actings have been may not the Lord Christ say to you as once he said to his Disciples Mat. 26. 40. What could you not watch with me one hour What could ye not hold it out with the Foot men how think ye you will be able to run with the Horse men And may not I say to you in the words of our Apostle Gal. 5. 7 8. You did Run well who did hinder you that ye should not obey the Truth This perswasion cometh not of him that called you who said Mat. 5. 34. Swear not at all Oh Consider Friends the saying of our Apostle in vers 9. How that a little Leaven Leaveneth the whole Lump How many eyes are and have been upon you and such as you are that do thus undervalue the words of your Master King Iesus What can be expected from poor Souls such as are but Tender Lambs of Iesus O I beseech you have a care for you that have known much from you God will require the more O then have a Care and Consider that so ye may give up your Account with Ioy and not with Trembling Oh that they were wise but to set Eternity before their eyes that so they might please God not at all fearing the faces of Men. Yet herein I would not be mistaken yea I say again I would not herein be mistaken for I do not in the least perswade to Rebellion against King Charles to Gratifie King Iesus for that is not agreeable to his Law But I would have them in obeying King Iesus to obey King Charles and in obeying King Charles to obey King Iesus As thus I would have them obey King Iesus in all his Laws Statutes Ordinances and Appointments not Fearing King Charles nor his Proclamations And yet I would have them according to the Requirement of that Servant of King Iesus Rom. 13. 7. To Render to King Charles Custom Tribute Fear and Honour I would have them Obey King Iesus and to be so careful to avoid Forswearing as not to Swear for that Yesterday and this to Day and the other to Morrow for to Day and against to Morrow as it is at this day with Thousands But I would have them so to avoid the danger of Forswearing in every Case as that I would have them in no Case to Swear at all according to Mat. 5. 34. Iams 5. 12. The which in my Fannaticks Testimony against Swearing is cleared And yet I would have them according to the Requirement of King Iesus to be as faithfull in their Yeas and Nays to King Charles yea and Faithfuller too than those his Subjects that Ram Dam Rend Tear Swear and Forswear I would also have them so fear King Iesus as that I would not have them fear King Charles for Rulers are not set up for a Terrour to good Works but to the Evil Rom. 13. 3. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the Power do that which is good and thou shalt have praise of the same for he is a Minister of God to thee for good but if thou do that which is Evil be afraid for he beareth not the Sword in vain for he is the Minister of God a Revenger to execute wrath upon them that do Evil Rom. 13. 3 4. But here me-thinks I hear multitudes will be ready to object and say If King Charles was set up for this end and had the Sword of Iustice for this Cause put into his hands why is it as it is with us at this day Why are we in several Goales and Dungeons in most Counties in England when we are found no evil Doers when they have nothing against us in any thing save in the matters of our God who saith by his Son Swear not at all Nay why are and have been several Imprisoned that have sworn And why have some Persons been forced to pay Fees as Traytors though they have Sworn before they were put into Prison and not taken from Meetings neither but from their own habitations if the Magistrate as the Scripture saith be set up to be a praise to them that do well why were we thus rudely Hurryed Why cryes out several in Newgate are we thus cruelly Imprisoned by Richard Brown and kept in without Tryal Why were we cry out some thirty of them committed to Newgate the 10th Day of Abib Exod. 13. 4. or the first Month from our peaceable Meeting out of Beech-Lane by the City Marshal and the rude Rabble and saw not the face if a Magistrate till the Eighteenth day after that we were carryed before him the tenderest of whose Mercies are meer Cruelty
I say if serving of God peaceably and quietly with Reverence and Godly Fear be good in the Sight of God How can those answer the turning the Edge of the Sword of Iustice upon them before the great Jehovah who put that Sword into their hands and if so Why are the poor peaceable People of God that are no Turkish slaves but the free born Commoners of England thus enslaved Why must the Sword of Oppression thus be suffered in the hands of Richard Brown instead of the sword of Iustice Why are the several Justices of Peace in the several Counties of England thus suffered to disturb the Peace of the Innocent Lambs of Jesus in their peaceable Meetings And if any man shall ask me the reason why I question these things I must Answer them in the words of Little David in that 1 Sam. 17. 29. What have I now done is there not a cause Is not that great Goliah of our times defying the Host of the Israel of God that Rome-bred Monster Persecution Is it not now vaunting it self against both the Cause and People of God Is it not now pulling down those that cannot drink drunk go like Anticks Spot and Paint Whore and Rant Rend and Tear Swear and Forswear Is not this a Cause why the People of God who will evidence themselves so to be now to stand up for Purity Piety Peace Mercy Truth and Iustice and in such a time as this boldly Couragiously Manfully to fight the Lords Battel and to lay about them with the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Joh. 6. 17. and chiefly and more frequently to meet together and with a peaceable gentle holy violence come with great Zeal into their several and respective Meetings to pray to the Lord and set their shoulder to the Work as one Man to offer an Holy Violence to the Throne of Grace that God would let King Charles see what he hath done for him and also what he doth expect from him that so the End of his faithful Subject in casting that into his Treasury may be effected To which purpose it shall be my request to all my Brethren that they would both privately and Publickly Meet at their Publick Meetings to cry Mightily to the Father by the help of the Spirit in the Name of his Son King Iesus that he would Assist King Charles in that needful work of Self-Examination and due Consideration Not forgetting the Great the Mighty and the Noble of the Land nor thee Richard Brown although thou art so cruel But to remember also all Iustices of Peace yea and all the Nation in general that are thus bent against Gods People with such a spirit of bitterness that God would let them see how they requite the Lord for his Benefits bestowed upon him and them and to them in doing so much for him their King To which purpose that it may be the more Effectually done I say to them all as I do to Henry Den about Swearing in my Fannaticks Testimony against Swearing in Page 45 that they would call for and crave the assistance of all in that Page mentioned that so they may if possible have one Word of God from the ablest of their Learned Men for their thus imprisoning and abusing the Fock of God or any man else for their worshipping their God because they cannot worship with them I say again I would have every soul be fully satisfied herein before they proceed farther that so they may have the Word of God for their Warrant as a Foundation of their Faith herein for saith the Apostle Rom. 14. 23. Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin For Faith is the full perswasion of the heart of Man grounded upon the Promises of God and wrought in us by the Spirit of God So that if thou hast not a Word of God for thy Warrant as a Foundation of thy Faith herein thy Faith is no more Faith but Fancy and therefore have a care Soul who ever thou art though never so great I say again in the fear of the Lord have a care that the Lord say not one day to you that are thus found persecuting his People for worshipping him not at all harming you as once he said by his Prophet to Israel of old Isai. 1. 12. Who hath required this at your hands Why have you Ensnared Inslaved Imprisoned and evilly Intreated my People when I have done so much for you when I have given you so much Liberty so much Freedom so many Priviledges and Injoyments and can ye not suffer the Members of that Body of which my Son Iesus is the Head no Liberty at all When King Charles wanted his Kingdoms Wealth Liberty Subjects Armies Arms Ammunition Magazines and Store-houses Sumptuous and Fair Buildings Parkes and Chases Meadows Fields and Pastures Ships and Shipping with all that He hath and all that He doth enjoy and all this He hath by His own shewing again and again from the hands of our Father that Loved us and gave his Son to Die for us yea He hath what He hath from the hands of our Father who is so to us by Promise not onely by Creation but also by Regeneration and Adoption yea we have his Word for it 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. And by his assistance have performed the conditions and I have his Seal for my Son-ship Ephes. 1. 13. and through Mercy I speak not Parrot-like but what I have through Grace seen and known felt and looked upon and handled that I declare it is that which giveth me boldness now Acts 4. 13. and will give it me at the day of Judgement 1 Iob. 4. 17. And although we are his peaceable and quiet Subjects by the appointment of our Father yet he careth not for us but is desirous to be rid of us and no Roome fit for us in all his Territories but a Prison and in these Prisons the Dungeon and that by many thought to good for us too although we never deserved such things at his hands I am sure he promised us better things and that upon conditions too the which on our parts were never yet broken nor never shall be let him deal with us however he pleaseth yet our peaceable Meetings are broken and our Forms and Accommodations in those Meetings broken to pieces Demollished and burned and that by the Rude Rabble and should we were it our Principle be but half so Tumultuous as these are that at every turn have to do with us we should then be looked upon as very dangerous Persons such as there might be some colour of Imprisoning but blessed be the Lord we are not such and yet are and have been Imprisoned and in Kent several have been Haled away to Maidestone who now lie there and our Brother Crosse who a short time before with his own hands presented a moderate and an honest Petition into the Kings Hand in order to the procuring a Liberty according to the Kings Promise
herein that when thou gavest an Alarm to Oxford Wallingford Banbury or any other of the Kings Quarters whether thou didst not as well therein mind thy Friends of their Duties as well as thou didst desire to put the Kings Friends to hardship and upon Difficulties And finding so much cause for it as I do occasioned partly by the Rigour of others in places of Authority in other parts as well as by thy cruelty to those our Friends who are as good Friends to Kings Charles as those with such Eagerness thou didst formerly put to such hardship Imprison and hang up I have I say good reason upon this account to say what I have said And if thou seem to take Exceptions at my saying we are as good Friends to King Charles as those thou so dealt withall To this I shall answer and let thee know that thou art a far greater Enemy to King Charles the Second herein then thou wast to his Father King Charles the First King Charles the Second and the Duke of York in thy so hastily hanging up and making such Havock of his Friends at Abington or else where But to speak in the Language of David though in another case 1 Chron. 21. 17. As for these poor Sheep what have they done Pick and chuse take the Offenders if thou findest them such and hang them up if thou judgeâ—â— meet but 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 Suffer for nor with the Guilty nor the peaceable with the violent I say again that thou didst never do the King nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 greater Myschief in the height of all thy fury against them and their Friends then thou doest King Charles the Second 〈…〉 God 's People their Liberty when they should 〈◊〉 their several and respective Meetings praying to the Lord yea and crying mightily to the great Iehovah for his assistance and help to be showred down upon him that as he hath given him such a Benefit as to enjoy himself again in this Land of his Nativity that so God would enable him to make sutable Returns for such Benefits bestowed considering the great Danger of the neglect of it that will redound both to him and his people as I shewed him in my Fannaticks Mite cast into the Kings Treasury as in the whole discourse of it is evident and not onely so but also to pray for the great Council that are now going to Sit that God would blesse it both to the King and his People and that what they do they might be directed by the Lord so as that they might be a Blessing both to the King and his People to the setting a period to these Oppressions that are upon the Free-born People of England who several of them have been and are Imprisoned without any Just and Legal Cause and that the Oppressor might cease out of the Land and that there might be no more leading into Captivity and that complaining in our Streets might have an End that the Alarm of War and the sound of the Trumpet might be banished our borders that so the People of the Land might beat their Swords into Plow-shares and their Speares into Pruning-hooks that all may act out of a Principle of peace with them who some of them onely are Fighting the good fight of Faith that so they may lay hold of Eternal Life the Weapons of whose warfare are not Carnal 2 Cor. 10. 4. That they in their Meetings might also Pray for their Enemies and them that hate them and despitefully use them and for thy Self O Richard Brown that God would shew thee what thou art now doing that the Lord Christ would cause thee to hear a Word from Heaven saying Richard Richard why persecutest thou me I am Iesus whom thou Persecutest O what Benefit would this be O Richard Brown to thy poor Soul I say again what a Benefit would it be to thy poor lean languishing sick Soul to find thy Self to become a Preaching Paul of a Persecuting Saul Didst thou but know the Efficacy of the servent Prayer of a Righteous Man though poor though mean though despica ble in the Eye of the world though unlearned as to Humane Learning yet a Prayer of such a man accompanied with Faith and made to the Lord in the Name of Jesus Christ by the help of his own Spirit that helps our Infirmities that Spirit that is from the Lord and knowes the Mind of the Lord that makes Intercessions to the Lord with Sighs and groans that cannot be uttered and he that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the minde of the Spirit because he maketh Intercession for the Saints according to the will of God Rom. 8. 26 27. And now O Richard Brown consider with thy self seriously what harm such a Prayer would do thee the King or his People nay consider with thy self and that seriously too whether thou dost not do evilly in what thou doest do in that thou blockest up the Meetings of Gods People such as thou hast nothing at all against in the least but as to the matter of their God I say again and again yea and I could wish with all my Soul that I had but such a voyce as that I could but speak it so as that thy Soul might be truly sensible of it that we are some of us an Innocent harmless People such whom thou nor any man as to actions of violence or any manner of ill will either to the King or his People in the least unless it be for wishing and desiring the same thing to King Charles the second thy Self and all his Subjects as once our aged Brother Paul did to King Agrippa Acts 26. 29. I would to God that not onely King Charles and thou O Richard Brown but all that are Englands Subjects this day were altogether as to my Principles both to God and man as I am And now O Mayor I would have thee seriously to consider what my End intended in this my Giving thee this Alarm is and if thou doest not know as I fear thou doest not in the singleness of my soul I shall let thee know it is not for any Revenge I bear thee for God is my witness I lie not I do it not for any such End but that if possible thou mightst make a right Improvement of it and that thou mightst for the time to come even quit thy Self like a Man yea that thou quit thy Self as thou pretendest thy Self as a Christian that so thou wouldst in the Spirit of Love Meekness and Moderation if thou hast it instruct persons that are out of the way and not to cause them to say of thee as the Indians said of the Spaniards that were once so cruel to them That if a Spaniard went to Heaven they did not desire to come there Yea I say I shall let thee know that as the Lord Christ intendeth not a destruction to that Soul that he requireth his Church should be delivered up unto Satan but that it should be for the
for thou hast an Alarm from one of the Sons of Zion that telleth thee thy Condition is sad and that he is such an one unto thee as once the Lord Christ was to the Woman at the Well of Samaria Iohn 4. 17 29. that he is down-right with thee and telleth thee in plainness of speech what thou hast done and what is thy danger and what thy acts of violence will bring thee to And when Conscience is throughly awaked ask it seriously and desire it to satisfie thee plainly whether it doth judge that thou thy self couldest be willing to be served as thou hast served many a poor man yea many a miserable poor man that thou hast cast into Prison And were thy Children tender and young as possible some of theirs are at thy poor empty and naked house crying out for bread and thou kept in Prison not in a capacity to gain thine own nor theirs even to the wounding of thy Soul and to the great burthen of thy Spirit Ask thy Conscience also whether it ought not to make scruple of an Oath especially in Swearing for and against and whether thou couldest be willing to be forced to Swear one day for this thing and another day against that same thing Ask it also whether it could be willing to be forced to go to such a Worship as is meerly Formal Carnal and in a great measure Papal when it is really convinced of the contrary and whether it could be willing to be forced to maintain an Antichristian Ministery in opposition to the true Ministers of Jesus I say again O Richard Brown if thou art not willing to act as a Christian upon a Scripture account then rouse up and awaken thy Conscience and act but like a meer Heathen and confident I am thou wilt find more comfort in it in the conclusion than thou wilt in thy present actings by many degrees For now thou art Persecuting the People of God not knowing in what Relation they stand to the great God and his Son Jesus Christ for as the whole bulk of mankind was in a lost condition and as our first Parents sold us all by reason of their first transgression so God found a way out of his meer Love to buy us again to himself for so saith our Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. Ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God both in your bodies and in your spirits which are Gods And 1 Cor. 7. 23. Ye are bought with a price be not the servants of men And he that bought us saith by his Son Mat. 5. 34. Swear not at all and yet thou dost imprison men and women because they will not serve men in Swearing for them and when they would have them Secondly We cost God dear even his own Son Tit. 2. 14. yea the precious blood of that Son For so saith the Text 1 Pet. 1. 18. For ye are not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious Blood of the Son of God as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Yea by the Blood of him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Blood Rev. 1. 5. and Rev. 5. 9. and Heb. 9. 12 13 26. And so First We are his Portion for the Lords People are his Portion Deut. 32. 9. Zech. 2. 12. And now Richard Brown consider what thou art doing thou art squandring away the Lords Portion thou wert better by many degrees be doing something else for the very hairs of their heads are all numbred Matt. 10. 30. and he that toucheth them toucheth the apple of Gods eye Zech. 2. 8. Yea so saith the Prophet Moses Deut. 32. 10. speaking of Gods People he found them in a Desart Land in a waste howling Wilderness he led them about and instructed them he kept them as the apple of his eye And this was the Prayer of David when he was in distress Psal. 17. 8. Keep me O Lord as the apple of thine eye hide me under the shadow of thy wings Mens Portions we know are to be employed for the benefit of the Owners and the People and Portion that cost God so dear should be improved for God by setting forth his glory in their several and respective Meetings and increasing their number But thou hast shut up their Meetings and shut them up into Prison-holes and Dungeons O Richard Brown how wilt thou answer the Lord Iehovah for these thy cruel dealings O in the fear of the Lord consider thy ways and the Lords Patience yet towards thee should the Lord be but as cruel to thee as thou art to his Portion his poor peaceable innocent harmless People What dost thou think would become of thee to Eternity Turn back again to the Law-case in Page 32. and read thy doom what it will be except thou agree with him whom thou hast thus made thine Adversary even quickly whilst thou art in the way Secondly As they are his dear Portion by Purchase so they are his Heritage Ioel 2. 17. and God by his Spirit in his servant 1 Pet. 5. 3. requires those that are the Elders over his People that they Lord it not overGods Heritage as the Parish-Priests use to Lord it over their Flocks and the Bishops were wont to Lord it in their Dioces But consider O R. Brown since thou wert L. Mayor how thou hast lorded nay tyrannized over Gods Heritage whom thou by the Lord never hadst an appointment to overlook nor watch over therefore see the danger thou art in for thy so doing as well as others in all other Heathenish Nations for saith the Lord Ioel 2. 2. I will gather all nations and bring them down into the Valley of Iehoshaphat and will plead with them there for my People and for mine Heritage whom they have scattered among the Nations Yea I say O Richard Brown that God will reckon with thee for those that thou hast Imprisoned by which meanes thou hast scattered the Flock and dispersed derided and despised Gods Heritage For thus saith the Lord Vers. 11. Come ye Heathen and I say O Lord Major of London that hast not acted so well as most of the Heathens unless thou Repent thou also shalt there be Reckoned withall and that Reckoning will be terrible for Vers. 16. The Lord shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Ierusalem and the heavens and the earth shall be shaken And Vers. 19. Egypt shall be a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness for their Uiolence against the Children of Iudah because they have shed innocent blood in their land then beware O BLOODY MAIOR Thirdly And as Gods People are the Portion and Heritage of God so they are the Vinyard of God for so saith that Kingly Prophet Ps. 80. 15. They are Gods Vine the Vinyard which his own right hand hath planted Yea so also as saith that Evangelical Prophet
know thy self and know his peaceable people but the Lord is now giving thee a Warning by me his unworthy servant then slight it not I say as thou tenderest thine own preservation and as thou prisest thine own peace be at peace with the peaceable People and Flock of God But this ulcerous Fistula in Maximinius becometh not a full cure to his Soul nor a through means of the curing of his inveterate and malignant mind But Pharaoh-like he begins again suddenly after a little ease to disturb the People of God afresh who saith the said Author in the 51. Chapter of his said book striving to exceed others in wickedness began to invent new wicked projects against them putting the Christians to death by fire and sword by barrels full of nails by exposing them to wild beasts or casting them into the sea and besides all this he invented a new kind of torture which was to put out their eyes so that multitudes of men women and children had their eyes put out first with hot Irons and afterwards were tortured in divers strange manners for which Gods Revenge afterwards overtook him c. For bringing an Army into the Field to fight against an Enemy who wanting the assistance of God he was overthrown and so putting off his Royal apparel which saith the story he was unworthy to wear he thrust himself among the common Souldiers and afterwards be took himself to flight and having disguised himself in the habit of a Serving-man he hid himself in Towns and Villages but he could not hide himself from the watchful eye of Divine Providence for after he thought himself in safety he was stricken with a thunder-bolt to the ground his body being so withered and shrunk up with it that it could hardly be known to be the same for it looked like a dried Carcass And saith the said Author in his 52. Chapter when Maximinius intended to plague the Church of God more vehemently his Eyes dropped out of his head and he was left stark blind and that punishment which he had invented against the Christian Martyrs the same by Divine Justice was inflicted on himself who at last living in this miserable manner he began to confess and acknowledg the Christians God affirming that he had found by experience that the Christians God was the true God And seeing God is so Just and so Severe a God let me in his Name and in his Fear desire thee O Richard Brown to consider of thy violent actings and know that he is the same God still and is as Powerful as ever and as Iust as ever and as Severe as ever and as Loving to his own People as ever then be more moderate to his People lest he be as Just and as Severe to thee as he hath been to others For saith the Prophet David Evil shall hunt the Uiolent man to overthrow him Psal. 140. 11. For the Wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God Psal. 10. 4. God is not in all his thoughts For his ways are always grievous thy judgements and far above out of his sight vers 5. He saith in his heart I shall not be moved for I shall never be in adversity vers 6. His mouth is full of cunsing and deceit and fraud under his tongue is mischief and violence Vers. 7. He lieth in wait secretly as a Lion in his Den he lieth in wait to catch the Poor he doth catch the poor when he draweth him into his net he croucheth and humbleth himself that the poor may fall by his strong ones vers 9. 10. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him he hath broken his Covenant the words of his mouth were smoother then butter but war was in his heart his words were softer then oyl yet were they drawn swords Psal. 55. 20 21. He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten he hideth his face he will never see it Psal. 10. 11. Arise O Lord God lift up thine hand forget not the humble vers 12. Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God he hath said in his heart Thou wilt not require it vers 13. Thou hast seen it for thou beholdest Mischief and Spite to requite it with thy hand the poor committeth himself unto thee thou art the helper of the fatherless And notwithstanding thy Fury O Richard Brown The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish but he casteth away the substance of the wicked Prov. 10. 3. The way of the wicked is darkness they know not at what they stumble Prov. 4. 19. For they sleep not except they have done Mischief and their sleep is taken away unless they cause some to fall For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the water of violence Vers. 16 17. Thus whilst Blessings are upon the head of the Iust Uiolence covereth the mouth of the wicked For the memory of the Iust is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot For saith the holy man Iob Chap. 27. 13 c. This is the portion of a wicked man with God and the heritage of oppressors which they shall receive of the Almighty If his children be multiplyed it is for the sword and his off-spring shall not be satisfied with bread Those that remain of him shall be buried in death and his widows shall not weep Though he heap up silver as the dust and prepare raiment as the clay Vers. 20. Terrors shall take hold on him as waters a tempest stealeth him away in the night The east-wind carrieth him away and he departeth and as a storm hurleth him out of his place For God shall cast upon him and not spare he would fain flee out of his hand And as Maximinius as aforesaid would be willing to go into any disguise so that he might make an escape out of the hands of his Enemies yet he cannot by these his evasions escape from the Iudgments of the great God the which he assayed to do but all in vain for the wicked shall not escape for if persons sin out the day of Grace and become Reprobated as to every good work and so have their eyes closed their ears heavy and their hearts hardned as was the eyes ears and hearts of Israel of old even Gods own peculiar People Isa. 6. 9. and Act. 7. 42. possibly they may go on for a time and have no bonds in their death but their strength is firm they may have no trouble as other men neither may they be plagued as other men Therefore Pride compasseth them as a chain yea Uiolence covereth them as a garment their eyes may stand out with fatness they may have more then their heart can wish yet they may be corrupt and speak wickedly and loftily concerning Oppression Psal. 73. 4. c. yet he that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh them to scorn yea the Lord shall have them in derision Psal. 2. 4. And now O Richard Brown I would
begg thee in the fear of the great Iehovah to consider thy Condition what it is and how the Case standeth with thee the which that thou mayst the better do the Premises being duly weighed Consider 1. What thou wast 2. What thou art 3. What thou shalt be to all Eternity Secondly Consider seriously 1. What thou hast done 2. What thou art now a doing 3. What thou shalt do to Eternity And Thirdly Consider 1. Where thou hast been 2. Where thou art 3. Whither thou shalt go to Eternity O I beseech thee in Gods fear Consider thy standing thy breath is in thy nostrils as well as others and God may as soon send his Messenger Death to thee as to another for the Lord will abhor the Bloody and Deceitful man Psal. 5. 6. For saith the same Prophet Psal. 55. 23. But thou O Lord shalt bring them down into the pit of Destruction for bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days But what man is he that desireth life and loveth many days that he may see good Depart from evil and do good seek peace and pursue it For the eyes of the Lord are over the Righteous and his Ears are open to their Cry But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut out their Memorial from off the Earth And should the Lord take thee away in this cruel inhumane merciless violent bloody-minded Condition what would become of thee to Eternity for as Death leaveth a man so Iudgement shall find him If Death put a man into the hole of the Earth a cruel an inhumane a merciless a violent a bloody-minded man so shall Iudgement find him Consider I beseech thee that the Fruits of the Spirit are love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness meekness and tempearnce Gal. 5. 22. whilest the Works of the Flesh some of which are manifestly these hatred malice wrath strife envyings murthers the living in any one of which will exclude a man from Heavens Glory Gal. 5. 20 21. And that thou mayest see what I really intend in this my Alarm I shall after the thundring out of Gods Iudgements against Oppression and tyrannical Oppressors I shall I say in Christian Love lay before thee some flashings of pure and glorious Gospel-Light to the refreshing thy soul and to the enlightning the eyes of thy understanding that so thou mayst if thou art willing to it even be recovered out of thy sad condition For as I said in the beginning of my Discourse from Isaiah the first so shall I begin my Conclusion and say to thee and to all Tyrannical Persecuting Spirits Your hands are full of Blood therefore wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before the Lord cease to do evil learn to do well seek Iudgement relieve the oppressed judge the fatherless and plead for the widows And then come and plead with the Lord and if ye so do though your sins were as scarlet they shall be as wooll though they be as crimson they shall be as snow For God is a merciful a loving and a tender-hearted God to poor sinful souls who if ye will believe himself saith As I live I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth but that the wicked turn from his ways and live Turn ye turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye die O house of Israel Ezek. 33. 11. For if the wicked will turn from his all sins that he hath committed and keep all my statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die All his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live Ezek. 18. 21 22. For The Lord is long-suffering to us-wards not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance 2 Pet. 3. 9. O then Richard Brown and all persecuting and violent spirits in the fear of the Lord be perswaded by the Lord to cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will ye die O Mayors of London and Iustices of England For I tell you again and again that I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth wherefore turn ye your selves and live Ezek. 18. 31 32. See the willingness of an offended God to be friends and at peace with an offending soul nay he thinks much of every minutes time that ye spend before ye come to him For hear how he crieth out by that Wise man saying How long I pray mind the tearms How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and ye scorners delight in scorning and fools hate knowledge Turn ye at my reproof And what then may some Poor Ignorant Malitious Envious Cursing Swearing Rending Tearing Persecuting soul say What shall we have upon our Returning Behold this thou shalt have I will pour out my Spirit upon you I will make known my words unto you Prov. 1. 22 23. I will give you my Spirit that shall lead you into all truth John 16. 13. whose operation in you will produce other effects then Envying Slandring and casting into Prison Strong-holds and Dungeons for the fruits thereof are Love Ioy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Meekness and Temperance So that if your sins were never so Red though they be of never so deep a dye yet forsake them and the Blood of a Crucified Iesus shall cleanse you from all sins 1 John 1. 7. For he is the Propitiation for our sins and not for ours onely but also for the sins of the whole World 1 John 2. 1 2. Therefore take that good advice from the Lord given by his servant Peter to those Iewes that were the Actual Betrayers and Murtherers of the Lord Christ Act. 2. 38 39. Repent ye therefore and be Baptized every one of you in the Name of Iesus Christ for the Remission of Sinnes and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost Which Holy Ghost or Spirit of Truth will lead you into all truth and will make a clear discovery of Truth from Error of Light from Darkness I can through mercy say it will do so I have found it and it is the desire of my soul that you and all the men of the world should find and know it And this is one and the great and main cause why I write this Alarm that so thou mightest be made sensible of what thou hast done and what thou hast to do For for my own part I my self have been as Zealous as thou canst be and had I had but as much Power as thou now hast I do really believe unless Conscience had flown in my face I should have done as much as thou hast done And I knowing thy conditon by mine own and by comparing my past with my present Condition I could do no less in Christian love than what I have done For
I through mercy have taken out this Lesson in what the Lord requireth me in what he said to Peter that when I am Converted I should strengthen my brethren And herein I desire to do by another as I would have another do by me And I would if another saw me running headlong to destruction that he should let me know the danger that so I might if possible escape and avoid it And thus O Richard Brown I have done to thee I profess in the presence of the Lord no otherwise than I would have thee or another do to and for me and as I have spoken boldly to thee to let thee know wherein thou hast failed and run thy self into an eminent Danger so I shall be as ready to shew thee a Remedy and shall let thee know what Relief I have found by whom that so thou with me mayest have cause to magnify the free Grace Love and Mercy of that God who hath done such great things for poor worthless sinful rebellious malitious and persecuting Spirits as now thou art and I my self have been And therefore I shall let thee know that there is one Iesus of Nazareth a man approved of God who â—mongst the Iews by Miracles Signes and Wonders was owned of God Act. 2. 22. who was sent forth of God to be a Propitiation through his Blood to declare his Righteousness for the Remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God Rom. 3. 25. For there is no other Name given under Heaven by which men can be saved Act. 4. 12. For him hath God the Father sealed John 6. 27. And herein was the Love of God manifested towards us because that God sent his onely begotten Son into the World that we through him might live 1 John 4. 9. For saith our Apostle Iesus Christ came into the World to Save sinners of whom I am Chief 1 Tim. 1. 15. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and man the Man Christ Iesus who gave himself a Ransom for all to be testified in due time 1 Tim. 2. 5 6. Who came to Seek and to Save that which was lost Luk. 19. 10. Who was that Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World John 3. 29. For God so loved World that he gave his onely begotten Son that Whosoever believed in him should not Perish but have everlasting Life For God sent not his Son into the World to Condemn the World but that the World through him might be Saved John 3. 16 17. For vers 14. As Moses Lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness so also must the Son of Man be Lifted up that Whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have Eternal Life And this is Life Eternal that they might Know thee the onely True God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 17. 3. But he that saith he Knoweth him and Keepeth not his Commandments is a Lyar and the Truth is not in him 1 John 2. 4. So that to Know God upon a Scripture account is to Obey God For Samuel said unto Saul 1 Sam. 14. 22 23. Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in Obeying the voice of the Lord Behold to Obey is better than Sacrifice and to Hearken than the fat of Rams but Rebellion is as the Sin of Witchcraft and Stubbornness is as Iniquity and Idolatry So we see evidently that what God Requireth from a Soul if that Soul do not Obey God in that Requirement God looketh upon that Soul to be a Rebel against him And this is that which maketh many a poor man lie in Prison at this very day that dares not transgress the Requirement of the Lord Christ lest they be found Rebels against Christ who saith Mat. 5. 34. Swear not at all O Richard Brown it is said Rom. 5. 6 8. That When we were without strength in due time Christ died for the Ungodly For God commended his Love towards Us or to the Bulk of Mankind in that whilst we were yet Sinners Christ Died for Us And there is more Ioy in Heaven over One Sinner that Repenteth than over Ninety and nine Iust men that need no Repentance Luk. 15. 7. For this was one End why Jesus Christ came into the World Not to Call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance Matt. 9. 13. For Christ himself said Luk. 24. 46. Thus it is written and thus it behoved Christ or the anointed One to Suffer and to Rise from the dead the third day and that Repentance and Remission of Sins should be preached in his Name among all Nations beginning at Ierusalem And now I am come to preach it to thee O Richard Brown and to all in this Nation to whom this my Alarm shall come that are of a Persecuting Spirit and to all that are in a Carnal Dead Sleepy and a Drousie Condition as to their souls eternal good and shall say to thee and them as once the Lord Christ said to thy Brother Saul Act. 9. 4. O Violent Turbulent Envious Malitious and Inveterate Spirits why Persecute ye Christ in his Poor Peaceable Harmless Innocent Members And therefore I shall say to every such soul that is of this Bitter Spirit as once Peter said Act. 8. 22 c. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee for I perceive thou art in the Gall of Bitterness and in the Bond of Iniquity And let me assure thee O Richard Brown and all others who are so spirited that ye need not desire as Simon desired Peter vers 24. to Pray for him for that God that heareth Prayers unto whom all flesh come Psal. 65. 2. I say that God that heareth Prayers knoweth right well that it is and constantly was my Request at the Throne of Grace yea and when I was in the Dungeon too That God would open the eyes of your Understandings that so ye might have a perfect fight of your Conditions that so both You and your King might be truly sensible of what God hath done for Him and what God hath done for you And that God would shew you all what he doth expect both from Him and You And that he would shew you sensibly how you are but evilly requiting him in Persecuting his peaceable People when he hath given you peace on every side and thus whilst you were and are seeking our Ruine I both am and was praying for the good welfare and benefit of your souls And whilst you were striving to Ruine Us and our Little ones in Our Temporal Estates here I was Praying for You and the Eternal welfare of Yours in Glory And thus I shall tell thee O Richard Brown and all men and that in the very faithfulness of my soul that be as Malitious and as Hateful against me as you will and do with me for this My Alarm My Mite cast into the Kings Treasury My Fannaticks Letter or My