Shall not I visit for these things saith the Lord Shall not my Soul be avenged on such a Nation as this A Wonderful and Horrible Thing is committed in the Land the Prophets prophesie Falsly and the Priests bear Rule by their means and my People love to have it so What will you do in the End thereof Now consider Do you not bear Rule by your meanes and do not the People love to have it so and was not this a horrible thing committed in the Land and reproved by the true Prophet And yet will you hold up that which he reproved And read Jer. 23. Such as prophesie Lyes in the Lord's Name and the Lord never sent them and he never commanded them And Vers 11. He saith both the Prophet and the Priests were Prophane and the Lord had found their Wickedness in his House and therefore thus saith the Lord I will feed them with Wormwood and make them to drink the Water of Gall For from the Prophets of Jerusalem is Prophaneness gone forth in all the Land I never sent them saith the Lord yet they ran I never spake to them yet they prophesied How long shall this be in the Hearts of the Prophets that prophesie Lyes Yea they are Prophets of the Deceit of their own Hearts which think to cause my People to forget my Name by their Dreams And these were they that did steal the Word from their Neighbours Behold saith the Lord I am against them for these are them that cause my People to Err. Read the Chapter throughout and read your selves by it wherein as in a Glass you may see your Physiognomy whether you be like Jeremiah or them And in Isa 56. He was a true Prophet and spoke forth freely And do not you make a Trade of his words read from the 10th verse to the end his Watch-men are blind they are all ignorant they are all Dumb Dogs they cannot bark sleeping lying down loving to slumber yea they are greedy Dogs that never have enough and they are Shepherds that cannot understand they all look to their own Way every one for his Gain from his Quarter Mark that who looks for his Gain from his Quarter Are ye not found among them walking in their Steps Come say they we will fetch Wine and we will fill our selves with strong Drink and to morrow shall be as to day and much more abundant And in Ezek. 13. you may see what Morter-Makers they were and what Builders and how that God would break down their Wall that they had built even such as had prophesied a Vision of their own brain a lying Divination and yet the Lord had not spoken to them nor sent them and these went to polute God's People for Handfuls of Barley and for Pieces of Bread as you may read in the Chapter throughout And see if you be not found in the steps of such as the Prophet reproves and who with your Lyes have made the Hearts of the Righteous Sad and strengthened the Hands of the Wicked that he should not return from his Wicked Way But God will deliver his People out of your hands and ye shall know that he is the Lord. And in Ezek. 34. when the Lord sent Ezekiel his Prophet to cry Wo against the False Prophets and Shepherds who fed themselves and cloathed themselves with the Wooll c. when they should have fed the Flock But the Diseased they did not strengthen the Sick they did not heal the Broken they did not bind up neither brought again that which was driven away but with Force and Cruelty have they Ruled but the Lord will gather his Sheep from their Mouthes and is gathering of them and hath gathered many that they may not be a Prey unto you any more and he hath set one Shepherd over them Christ Jesus So read this Chapter throughout And read Mich. 3. where you may see whether or no you be not in the steps of them whom he was sent to cry out against Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my People to Err that bite with their Teeth and cry Peace and they that put not into their Mouthes they prepare War against them And have we not found it so Did you not say a Blessing to us and preach Peace to us while we put into your Mouthes but when we could not put into your Mouthes did you not prepare War against us and did not the Lord say That the Son should go down upon you and it shall be dark unto you the Priests teach for Hire and the Prophets divine for Money yet you lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us none Evil can come upon us And therefore shall Sion for your sakes be ploughed up as a Field and Jerusalem shall become a Heap and the Mountains of the House as the high places of the Forrest So now mark what Barrenness and Heaps of people comes to let your own Consciences and the People judge And Mal. Chap. 2. And now O ye Priests this Commandment is for you If ye will not hear if ye will not lay it to heart to give Glory to my Name saith the Lord of Hosts I will send a Curse upon you and will curse your Blessings yea I have cursed them already because you do not lay it to heart Behold I will corrupt your seed and spread Dung upon your Faces the Dung of your Solemn Feasts and one shall take you away with it So consider your selves whether you be not under this Curse or no by your practice And in Mat 23. There you may see how Christ taught the Multitude and his Disciples both but take notice how we shall know them that walk out of his Commands read the Chapter throughout They to wit the Scribes and Pharisees loved to have the uppermost Rooms at Feasts and the chief Seats in the Synagogues and greetings in the Markets and to be called of Men Masters and to go in Long Robes and that which they do is to be seen of Men But be not ye called of Men Masters for one is your Master even Christ and all ye are Brethren and he that is greatest among you shall be your Servant c. Mark this Command do not you scoff at And he that will not give you the Cap and the Knee the World's Manners lying in such things you call them Ill-bred Clowns but see how many Woes Christ pronounceth against such as walk in their steps And if you had been in the Prophets and Christ's dayes you would possibly have called them Railers And you may see in the latter end of Matthew what a Rage the chief Priests and Elders were in against Christ though they could tell by Scripture when Herod had gathered them together where Christ should be born For you may see in the 27th Chapter When the Morning was come all the Chief Priests and the Elders of the People took Counsel against Christ Jesus to put him to
burnt down most part of the Houses at the Bridge but we desire in our Hearts if it be his Will That his Wrath may pass from them And yet I cannot nor do not see how well they should escape and go Unpunished since people give themselves up to such Debaucht Talk and Wicked and Slanderous Speeches which manifests the Wickedness of their Hearts For an Evil Man out of the Evil Treasure of his Heart brings forth that which is Evil out of the abundance of his Heart his Mouth speaks Luke 6.45 Now therefore O Barbadians I Warn you to take heed and Repent lest the Judgments and Wrath of the Lord break out like Fire suddainly upon you and as a Thief in the Night in an Hour when you little Dream of it For alas I do see that that makes my Heart even ready to Tremble almost to speak of the Judgments and Plagues that this Corrupt Nature brings upon a Land Where alas is Vertue to be found among you where is Sobriety where is Moderation as the Apostle saith let your Moderation be known to all men the Lord is at hand Phil. 4. where is Modesty where is Love Unfeigned where is Holiness and Righteousness the Blessed Fruit of the Spirit of Life and Holiness to be found but rather the Fruits of the Flesh O! what a Great Crop may be gather'd of these And so that Birth of the Flesh judgeth of others to be like it self Know this If you Priests were the Ministers of Christ then such things would be Reproved by you and you and your People would receive us gladly when we come among you in the Name and Fear of the Lord and Visit you in Love and not have raised such false Report and Wicked Slanders of us and cast so much Dirt Filth upon our Faces to mar us so that it is much to be feared that you have lost the Day of your Visitation you having Rejected those whom the Lord hath sent in Love to Visit you here And 't is no Wonder considering that this has been the Practice of the False Prophets and Shepherds and Priests of Old to raise Lying Slanders upon the Truth and so do you as you may see all along in the Scriptures of Truth O! what Rage and Malice what Envy and Cruelty did the Priests and Jews who profest themselves to be the Children and People of God and Children of Abraham the Faithful act against the Prophets of the Lord against Christ his Apostles see Joh. 8.39 40 c. But withal mark their End what became of them all its said The Name of the Wicked shall Rot but the Name of the Righteous shall never be blotted out and Psal 37.35 c. And thus you Priests and others of your Gang who they are you may guess have broacht publisht these Lyes and Slanders whose Minds and Tongues seem wholy bent to do Mischief and to speak Evil of the Righteous But a Lying Tongue God abhors Psal 119.163 And Tophet is prepar'd of Old for such as you may read in Rev. 21.8 Now we may say What Christianity is amongst the People here and what Religion have they been taught And truly this is not Civil nor Neighbourly done of such as have raised up these Slanders and Lyes whereof G.F. was not guilty nor ever heard of them before so that it seems the Father Mother of these Lyes are here in this Island and therefore query whether you Priests Baptists have not been the Men-Mid-Wives to forward the birth of them O! where is Modesty and where is Vertue that should be in your Minds and Mouthes where is Truth in your Inward Parts Yea some of these filthy things have been in the Minds Mouthes of some who have been of some Repute amongst you yea and of the Teachers too which is a very strange thing had it been only the rude rabble of people it had not been worth the taking notice of but for such as look upon themselves as Men of Repute amongst you to have such things in your minds and mouthes it is very strange had they any regard to their own Credit and Reputation though I shall name none but you all know your selves who you be therefore it is good for you all to Repent of these things and seek after Vertue and after Peace Truth and Holiness without which no man shall see God and after the Lord Jesus who teaches no such Lyes nor Slanders but destroyes the Lyar and Author of Lyes Another Slander they have got up here That G.F. should Hang Ribbons upon peoples Arms by which means they were Bewitcht Which was first forg'd by an Independent Priest one of Oliver Cromwell's News-Mongers who put it into his Weekly-News-Book and when he was question'd where he had the Information first he said it was a Woman and then afterwards said it was a Man that told him of it but never could we get from him the Name of that Man or Woman or of the Town and Country where he or she lived to this day And this Lye and Slander went for credit it being printed in the Dyurnal and the Priests likewise publisht it in their Pulpits and others would Swear that their Brother Independant Priest caused it to be put into the News-Books when they perceived many of their Hearers to forsake them who would not put into their Mouthes any longer therefore they raised this Slander thinking thereby to cast a Stumbling-block before the people to stop them from coming to embrace the Truth but they were deceived in that for that manifested their Folly the more and their Lyes and Slanders and confirmed the people the more in the Truth And these Independants were the first that gave the Nick-name of Quakers as one Bennet at Darby 1650. And then likewise they rais'd Slanders That we deny'd God and Christ and the Scriptures which were all Lyes and then the Presbyterians Independants and Baptists set their people to Scoff and Mock us calling us Tremblers and Shakers and Quakers in that day what not when they had the day of it the Tythes and Pulpits and the Power in their Hands But the Lord God when he had brought the King into his Power then he shook't them out of their Pulpits their Tythes and Esther-Reckonnings and Midsummer-Dues c. and made such Shaking Quaking Quivering amongst them as Rock't and Shook't them out of their Great Benefices laid their Maintenance levil with the Earth insomuch as that they durst hardly Creep into a House to Meet so the Lord hath given them Shaking and Quaking and Trembling and Quivering enough who were the first Raisers of that Nick-name in calling the People of God Quakers So that they have had a Dreadful Day of Trembling since that And therefore let others take heed and mind the Example of all these Lyars and Slanderers that are gone before them And because that G. F. and some Masters of Families had some Meetings
Death And in Matth. 26. there assembled together the Chief Priest and Elders of the People unto the Pallace of the High Priest named Caiphas and consulted how they might take Jesus by Subtilty and so kill him And Judas Iscariot one of the twelve went unto the Chief Priests and covenanted to betray him unto them for thirty Pieces of Silver and so he delivered Christ unto them For he came with a great multitude with Swords and Staves from the Chief Priests and Elders of the People and so apprehended him and brought him before the High Priest and Scribes and the Elders of the People And the Chief Priest and the Elders and the Council sought False Witnesses against Jesus to put him to Death and yet found none At last there came two False Witnesses and said This Fellow said He would destroy the Temple of God and in three dayes build it up And the High Priest rose up and said to Jesus answerest thou nothing What is it these witness against thee And Jesus held his peace What would you have said would you not have answered He was guilty And the High Priest adjur'd him by the Living God to tell him whether he was the Son of God And when Jesus confest the truth then the High Priest rent his Cloaths and said He hath spoken Blasphemy what think you And they answerd He was guilty of Death And they spit in his Face and buffetted him Here is the Work of the Priests and smote him with their hands and mockt him and said Prophesie to us thou Christ who it is that smote thee And the chief Priests and Elders perswaded the Multitude to ask Barabbas and to destroy Jesus the Just And so is it not the practice of you now to let the Thieves Murderers and Adulterers and Drunkards at Liberty and persecute the Just And after they had Crucified him the chief Priests and Pharisees came to Pilate flattering and saying Sir We remember that this Dreamer said while he was yet alive After Thee Dayes I will Arise again therefore let the Sepulchre be made sure until the third day lest his Disciples come by Night and steal him away and so say unto the People He is arisen from the Dead so the last Error will be worse then the first See what a pittiful Fright these Priests were in whose Cause was not good But when Christ was risen indeed and the Watch had acquainted the Chief Priests of all things that were done concerning Jesus then they assembled together with the Elders and took counsel and gave the Souldiers a large sum of Money to say His Disciples came and stole Him away by Night while they slept So if in case this should come to the Covernours Ears we will secure you said the chief Priests and the rest See how they were Teachers of Lyes here And after Christ was risen see what work the Priests made against his Disciples in the Acts of the Apostles chap. 4. What an Assembly there was of them in examining the Apostles and how they threatened them That they should speak no more in the Name of Jesus nor teach but their Answer was Whether it was right to obey God or Man judge ye So they threatned them and let them go And in Acts 5. See how the High Priest was full of Indignation and all that were with him against the Apostles and laid hands on them and put them in Prison So this was the Work still of the Priests all along you see and how the Lord still Delivered his People And in Acts 7. You may there see the High Priest and his Council examined Stephen and at last put him to Death So that you may see their Work was against Christ and his though they had a Profession And in Acts 9. See there how Saul breathed out Threatnings and Slaughter against the Disciples of Christ and how he went to the High Priest and desired Letters to go to Damascus and he had his Packet with him but the Lord met him by the way and sent him upon a contrury Arrand as he hath met with many in these latter dayes Praises be to the Lord forever But afterwards when Saul was turned Paul which signifies Marvelous in Acts 14. you may see how the Professing Jews stirred up the Gentiles and made their minds evil-affected against the Apostles As it s now the manner of Professors this day who are without the Possession to stir up the Rude Multitude against the Professors and Possessors of Christ. And in Acts 20. There you may see how the Jews laid wait for Paul on purpose to destroy him And in Acts 21. how the Jews cry'd out Help Men of Israel against the Apostle and the people ran together and took Paul and went about to kill him had he not been secured by the Captain who was a Heathen And in Chap. 22. Paul there acknowledgeth what he was when he followed the High Priest and how there were more then Forty Men that had bound themselves with a Curse That they would neither Eat nor Drink till they had killed Paul and this they declared to the Chief Priests and Elders who did not reprove them but the Captain delivered him again For those that had bound themselves with a Curse were of the Jews and of the Gang of the Chief Priests And in Chap 24. See there how Ananias the High Priest and Elders came against Paul with many Accusations but still he was delivered out of their hands And how the High Priest and chief of the Jews came to inform against Paul to Pestus Acts 25. And so you may see how they to wit the Priests still continued and persisted in their sad Work of Persecution and Blood all along both against the Prophets of old and against Christ and the Apostles then and against Christ now who is manifested in his Children and People And here you may see that the Birth born of the Flesh persecutes him all along I say that is born of the Spirit from Generation to Generation And what soul clamarous Words and corrupt Language they had against Christ and his Prophets and Apostles which were the Fruit of the Evil Spirit and so is now where-ever it is and with such unfruitful Works of Darkness there is no Fellowship to be had but rather to reprove them And therefore let all Bitterness and Anger and Wrath and Clamour and Evil-speaking be put away from you with all malice Eph. 4.31 32. and Fornication and Uncleanness and Covetousness let it not be once named amongst such as becometh Saints Eph. 5.3 and also all Filthiness Foolish-talking and Jesting which are not convenient but rather giving of Thanks to God through Jesus Christ the Redeemer For this we know That no Whoremonger nor Unclean Person nor Covetous Man which is an Idolater hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of God and of Christ and they that think or speak otherwise are such as deceive the People with vain words and for such
things cometh the Wrath of God upon the Children of Disobedience Now consider all you that call your selves Ministers and others in Christendom so called Christ Jesus is the Seed's-Man and he sows the good Seed which is in Man's Heart now some Hearts be a High-Way and those Fowls in them that are bred by the foul spirit take it away and some is sown upon Stony Ground where 's not much Earth but is scorch't by the heat of Persecution and some again is sown upon the Thorny Ground Thorny Hearts where it grows a while and then the Thornes the Cares of the World choaks it but that which is sown upon Good Ground brings forth good Fruit abundantly to the Glory of God and Christ the Seed's-Man Now Christ in a Parable 〈◊〉 speaks of a Housholder that sowed good Seed in his Field and his Servants said Didst thou not sow good Seed whence then hath it Tares He answered An Enemy hath done this They replyed Wilt thou that we go and gather them up Nay saith he lest ye gather the Wheat also let both grow together till the Harvest The Field is the World the Good Seed are the Children of the Kingdom of Christ the Tares are the Children of the Wicked One the Enemy that sowed them is the Devil the Harvest is the end of the World and the Reapers are the Angels So Christ he would not suffer his Disciples to gather the Tares lest c. Now what 's the matter with you and others who will be Gatherers when Christ hath forbidden you lest you pluck up Wheat instead of Tares seeing it is the Angels Work to sever the Wheat from the Tares and the Wicked from the Just And therefore whose Servants have you been in all Christendom who will venture the gathering of the Tares and instead of them have been plucking up the Wheat as witness all the Martyrs and Bloody Persecutions since Christ's time but these Tares at the End of the World the Angels shall cast into the Fire where shall be Weeping and Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth c. And Luke 9.55 When Christ sent to a Village of the Sameritans to make ready for him and they did not receive him his Disciples said Lord Wilt thou that we command Fire to come down from Heaven to consume them even as Elias did but Christ rebukâ—t them saying Ye know not what spirit ye are of the Son of Man is not come to destroy mens lives but to save them Now mark If the Disciples of Jesus Christ did not know themselves what spirit they were of who would have had Fire to come down from Heaven upon such as would not receive Christ how do you know what spirit you are of and all those since the Apostles dayes that do persecute people about Religion by Imprisoning them c Now had they and you known what spirit you are of you would not Persecute but seeing you do not therefore it is you will have the People of God persecuted and so are under the Rebukes of Christ who came to Save and nor destroy And therefore since you do not know what spirit you are of your selves we cannot trust our Bodies nor our Souls nor Spirits in your hands And you see you have no Command from Christ or the Apostles to persecute for Christ saith All Power is given to me both in Heaven and Earth c. What to do To destroy the Devil and his Works the Enemy the Adversary and Destroyer of Mankind Christ he is so far from that that he commands us To love one another and to love Enemies but this Command hath been little regarded in Christendom Christ spake to such as built the Sepulchres of the Prophets and garnisht them whom their Fore-Fathers had killed and yet these Builders killed the Son Have not we the same Builders now that would kill him and persecute him where he is revealed in his People Truly ye bear witness that you allow the Deeds of your Fore-fathers who did kill them and their Children built and garnisht their Sepulchres that so all the Righteous Blood from Abel to Zacharias yea to this very day will come upon this Generation of Persecutors whereof in our dayes we have seen sad Examples how the Lord hath cut several of them suddenly off who have been found persecuting his People and Beloved Ones his dear Lambs And saith Christ The Servant that says in his Heart My Lord delays his coming and begins to smite his Fellow-Servants and Eat and be Drunken the Lord will come in a day when he looks not for him when he is not aware of it and will cut him assunder and will appoint him his Portion with Unbelievers Mat. 12. And therefore take ye heed who smite the Servants of God and Hand-Maids of God lest the Lord come in a Day or in an Hour when you are not aware and cut you assunder with his sharp two-edged Sword and appoint you your Portion with Hypocrites and Unbelievers and therefore the People of God are alwayes to be in a readiness waiting for the Appearance of the Lord Mat. 24. And Blessed is that Servant that the Lord finds so doing he will make him Ruler over his House that gives them their Meat in due season Now consider you Strikers this and all you Smiters and Persecuters you do not watch for Christ's coming no no but you put the Day and Hour afar off and you do not know how soon either of them may come of cutting assunder and of your Weeping Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth and your Portion which you are like to have with Hypocrites And Christ further saith Luke 19.27 Those mine Enemies which would not that I should Raign over them bring hither and slay them before me Now consider this you that will not have Christ to Rule and Raign in his People no nor in your selves Do you think that you shall escape the Sword of his Judgments and of his Mouth and the Wrath of the Lamb And did ever Christ though he was called a Blasphemer and as Belzebub and that he had a Devil and a Deceiver yet though he had all Power in his Hands given to him in Heaven and in Earth yet he did not persecute any of them but rebuk't his Disciples Neither did he give any such Command or Advice to his Apostles but rather the contrary viz. That they should love one another and love Enemies Now then who hath given you this Power to persecute and beat another mans Children and Servants Let us know your Original and your Antiquity Now whereas you may say That Lay-men and Mechanick Men are not to meddle with the Scriptures but you onely that have got the Original of Hebrew Greek and Latine I Answer Was not the beginning of the Originals in Babel For was not all the Earth of one Language before And had not Pilate these Originals when he crucified Christ And did he not write a Title upon his Cross in Hebrew Greek and Latine
Fathers by his Prophets but hath in these last dayes spoken to us by his Son who is Heir of all things by whom the World was made c. For as the Apostle saith Acts 3.22 that Moses said A Prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you And so now we do witness that God hath raised him up and him we do hear and so I say we do witness the Teachings of God by his Son Jesus Christ the Anointed of the Lord So that we are not now without a Prophet and a Priest nor without a Shepherd and a Bishop nor a Minister And we do certainly know That the Son of God is come and he hath given us an Understanding that we know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ and this is the True God and Eternal Life 1 John 5.20 and he hath given us an Understanding so that we now find that Wisdom and Satisfaction in him which we could never purchase neither for Gold nor Silver nor for Pearls the beginning whereof is the Fear of God and departing from Evil as you may see in John 28. at large And therefore the Apostle saith Heb. 12.25 See that you refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on Earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven And in Heb. 3.7 To day if you will hear his Voice harden not your Hearts as in the Provocation in the Day of Temptation in the Wilderness c. So we are to hear his Voice that speaks from Heaven yea and that while it is to day and not to put it off till to morrow Now you that do so and say that there is no hearing of God's Voice nor of Christ's Voice now adayes and that there 's no speaking from Heaven now adayes are not your Hearts hardened and have you not hardened them to the purpose do not the Fruits of your Hearts bespeak it with a loud Voice And if God's and Christ's Voice be not to be heard now adayes I would willingly know of you how he doth exercise his Offices in his Church namely his Kingly Office as he is sole Head of his Church and his Prophetical and Priestly Offices and his Office of a Bishop and Shepherd who feeds them with Life and over-sees and rules them by his Power and Spirit Now do not say He doth not exercise his Offices in his true Church because you do not feel the exercise of them in yours who lies knocking at the Door of your hearts as a Priest and a Prophet c. and you will not let him in if so how then can he exercise his Offices and how can you hear his Voice when you harden your Hearts and like the deaf Adder stop your Ears and will not hearken to the Voice of the Charmer charm he never so wisely And how can you see him when you close your Eyes Pharisee-like so that you are not like to see him exercise his Offices but the Blind lead the Blind into the Ditch which is a corrupting place and there they corrupt and plead for their Corruptions for term of Life Whereas we can and do now hear his Voice and obey it and so can love our Enemies in Obedience to Christ's Command and love one another And we know the Lyars who say they Love God and yet Hate their Brother He is a Lyar saith the Apostle For he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen 1 John 4.20 And he that hates his Brother is a Man-Slayer And we know that no Man-Slayer hath Eternal Life abiding in him For as the same Apostle saith We know the Message which we have heard from the Beginning That We love one another not as Cain who was of that Wicked One and slew his Brother And wherefore slew he him Because his own Works were Evil and his Brother 's Righteous Marvel not my Brethren if the World hate you 1 John 3.11 12 13. And so 't is no Wonderment to us that the World hate us for saith Christ the Heavenly Man It hated Me first And this Cain was the first Persecutor about Religion and where-ever this Persecuting is we know that is of Cain of his Spirit of his Nature Seed and Off-spring from whence is the Reprobation since the World began in the Devil and old Adam out of Christ since I say the World began whereas the Election is in Christ the Seed of the Woman by whom the World was made who was glorified with the Father before the World began But the Reprobation I say is in the Devil and old Adam that seed where all the Vessels of Dishonour are Whereas they are the Vessels of Mercy and of Honour that have received Christ in whom is the Election only And therefore as we said before Marvel not if the World hate us as the Reprobate Seed hated the Elect Seed Cain hated Abel and Esau Jacob and this you may see in 1 John 3.10 In this the Children of God are manifest from the Children of the Devil whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God neither he that loves not his Brother And in Heb. â— 10 where the Apostle sets forth the Children of the New Covenant saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their Mind and write them in their Hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People Now these are God's People of his Elect Seed and he is their God who hath written his Law in their Hearts c. and this we witness praised be the Lord for evermore for his New Covenant and Work in us And in the next Verse saith he You shall not teach every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know him from the Least unto the Greatest c. And so we know that the Knowledge of the Lord shall cover the Earth as the Waters cover the Sea For the Lord saith Look unto me and be saved all the Ends of the Earth Here all are invited to Salvation And in another place saith he I will give him for a Covenant of Light the Glory of Israel and he shall be my Salvation to the Ends of the Earth And so now the Church is coming out of the Wilderness the Bride the Lamb's Wife and the Bride saith Come and the Spirit saith Come Here is the Call to Christ the Saviour who is the Way to God and there is no other Way to the Father but by him neither is there any Salvation by any other Name under Heaven but by the Name of Jesus in whose Name we are gathered and there is no other Foundation to be laid but what is laid even Christ Jesus who is the Top and
Ministers of Christ Nam est haec Tunica Filij tui you understand me though certainly Christ never sent them and so consequently will never own them to whom he doth and will say namely to these Priests that say they Prophesied in his Name and in his Name cast out Devils Depart ye Workers of Iniquity I know ye not What saith Paul Gal. 4.28 c But as then he that was born after the Flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit what follows even so it is now Christ I say never sent such but Antichrist that is one contrary to and against Christ though they care not to mind or heed it neither will they believe it But such are of those that as Scripture saith Ran before they were sent as in Jer. 23.21 32 c. I have not sent these Prophets saith the Lord yet they Ran mark that I have not spoken to them yet they Prophesied Behold I am against them that Prophesie False Dreams and do tell them and cause my People to Err by their Lyes and by their Lightness yet I sent them not and commanded them therefore they shall not profit this People at all saith the Lord. Mind that well For whom the Lord of Hosts who is KING of Kings and LORD of Lords sends commissionates or imployes as Ambassadors upon his Errand he sends them Dove-like with an Olive Branch of Peace and Love in their Hearts and with Words of Reconciliation in their Mouthes out of his Ark which the Apostle terms The Ministry of Reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.18 to wit to Reconcile God and Man Offended God and Rebellious Offending Man to publish the Gospel of Peace and proclaim Glad-tidings of Good Things whose Feet are Beautiful Rom. 10.15 and Good-will towards poor and undone Man Now consider if so how far short do you come who falsly pretend and profess your selves to be the Ministers of Christ in these our dayes of the true Apostles and Ambassadors of the Lord Jesus the only Ruler of Princes and Prince of Peace in that their day Who notwithstanding pretend your selves to be Ministers of Reconciliation and yet are found and experimented to be Ministers of Separation Divisions and Persecutions even to Nasty Prisons Bonds and Blood who instead of putting on the Spiritual Armour to fight the Lord's Battels do Harness your selves and prepare War to fight the Old Dragon's and the Devil 's and Antichrist's Quarrels Who instead of handling the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God and Power of God to Salvation use a Sword of Steel so that I may say to you as the Apostle said to him whom he calls an Instructer of Fools and a Teacher of Babes Rom. 2.20 c. Thou that sayst or preachest a man should not Steal dost thou Steal Thou that sayst a man should not commit Adultery c. Mark well that So say I. Thou that sayst a man should not be Drunk art thou Drunk Read Isa 28.7 8. But they also have Erred through Wine and through Strong Drink are out of the Way The Priest and Prophet have Erred through Strong Drink they are swallowed up of Wine they are out of the Way through Strong Drink they Err in Vision they Stumble in Judgment for all Tables are full of Vomit and Filthiness so that there is no place clean Again Thou that sayst a man should not commit Adultery dost thou commit Adultery Read Jer. 29.21 23. Which Prophesie a Lye unto you in my Name because they have committed Villany in Israel and have committed Adultery with their Neighbours Wives and have spoken Lying words in my Name c. And mind you not that Whoremongers and Adulterers God will Judge Heb. 13.4 And such shall not enter the Holy City New Jerusalem Rev. 21.8 The Lord I say sent his Ambassadors to proclaim Peace whereas you sound forth a Trumpet to Alarum Battels and to Provoke Instigate and Stir up to Wars to Fightings and Imprisonings to Destroy Kill and Murder Nations and Families and Persons in the particular even such whose Desires and utmost Endeavours are to live Peaceably Harmlesly and In-offensively towards God and towards Men as they persecuted Paul And yet I say such is the Cain-like spirit of too too many amongst you who seek the utter Ruin and Destruction and thirst after the Blood which is the Life of the Poor Despised People of God Whereas Christ acertains us whose Steps you should follow to do Well That he came not to Destroy Men's Lives but to save them But you on the contrary walking in Antichrist's Bloody Steps and so contrary to his Noble Precept and Practice are come it seems here to this Island not to save men's Lives but to destroy them not to seek after their Good but their Goods insomuch that the Inhabitants Eyes begin to be open which you had shut so as that they in measure see your Deceits and Juggles whereby now you do clearly manifest whose you are so that he that runs may read who as Scripture of Truth saith Fight with the Fist of Wickedness Whereas an Evangelical Bishop that is a True Minister of Christ should be Blameless Sober and of Good Behavior not given to Wine no Striker nor Greedy of Filthy Lucre nor Covetous Now Mark Are not you on the contrary guilty of all these Things if not of much more But Friends let me tell you in Seriousness That unless you Repent if it be not too late already if Time be not past and your Day over if I say you be not sealed up to Destruction as many of God's People witness their sealing up unto Salvation Repent I say betimes ere the Dismal and Dreadful Decree be gone forth from the Presence of the Lord against you who are found beating your Fellow-Servants or rather the Lord's Servants who are not your Fellows it had been better you never had been born as he said of his Betrayer mind that well and that a Mill-Stone were hanged about your Neck c. you know what follows For alas what will become of you when the Righteous Judge shall come to Judgment who will then after a strict Inspection Reward every man according to his Works O! Whither then will you or can you betake your selves to hide you from the Wrath of the Lamb when he shall say Bring hither those mine Enemies that would not have me to Rule over them and Slay them before me this is the Portion of such You may indeed cry to the Mountains and to the Hills to the Greater and to the Lesser to hide you from Him but alack all in Vain for that will not avail that will not prove a Sufficient Cover no it will be to your great Grief Horror and Amazement found too Short a Covering If you be as you pretend your selves to be the true Orthodox and not Hetrodox that is the True Evangelical Ministers of Christ Where are your Evangelical Fruits Where is your Love your Righteousness your Meekness your
Patience your Good-will towards all men your Good Exhortations in the Way of Peace with all Long-Suffering and Forbearance But instead thereof do you not bring forth the Fruits of the Flesh viz. Envying Strife Malice Contention Drunkenness Covetousness Whoredoms Uncleanness Persecution rendring Evil for Good instead of rendring Good for Evil and Cursings for Blessings instead of Blessings for Cursings Of such Christ bids us beware of in Matth. 7.15 20 c. Who come in Sheep's Cloathing but inwardly are Ravening Wolves for by their Fruits ye shall know them O! that you would in time think upon the Great Account I speak to you as one who wishes well if not better then your selves to your Immortal Souls that you shall without all controversie render to the Lord at the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. For if the Death of the Body be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The King of Terrors as it is in Job to the Reprobate O! what will in that day that Death be when Christ shall say unto the Left-Hand Goats Depart ye Cursed into Everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil c. Why What 's the Matter Because they visited not his Imprison'd Ones how much more then in regard they were the Means and Occasion of their Imprisonments weigh well his words in Mat. 25. In that I say he came and found you beating that is Persecuting your Fellow-Servants O! how then will you be able to appear and shew your Faces before the Lord who have made it your great Concern as much as in you lies to provoke and stir up those in Power in this Island as witness your several Petitions to them to War Imprison and Trouble the Innocent Whereas you should endeavour to perswade people To beat their Swords into Plough-Shares and their Spears into Pruning-Hooks so that Nation might not lift up Sword against Nation neither learn War any more Isa 2.4 A Mercy which the Lord long since promised should come to pass and is now beginning to be fulfilled but endeavoured to be obstructed by the Contradictions of such as you but all in Vain But take heed of limitting the Holy One of Israel of with-standing his Accomplishments lest you be found Fighters against God and if so expect that justly with that Apostate Julian that may make you cry out with him in the Anguish of your spirits Vicisti me Galilee For know this That no man ever stood it out against the Lord and Prospered man has stood it out against another and Nation against a Nation and Kingdom against a Kingdom and have Prospered but none ever stood it out against God and Prosper'd O! Where is your Love your Charity so rendred that suffers long and is Kind that Envyeth not that vaunteth not it self that is not Puffed up that behaveth it self not Unseemingly seeketh not her own is not easily Provoked thinketh no Evil Rejoyceth not in Iniquity but Rejoyceth in the Truth Beareth all things Believes all things Hopeth all things Endureth all things Of which I may say with your allowed Poet Terras Astrae reliquit as Justice so Mercy and Compassion are departed from you For where are your Bowels of Compassion Have you not rather stir'd up others to Fight and set at Variance c. that instead of a Concord have set at Discord O! what Rents and Divisions what Animosities and Enmities you and your Fellows have made over all Christendom so called Have you not been only Partners but the chief Fomenters Complotters and Broachers of all the Mischief done Therefore your Coat above all other Coats are like to give an Heavy Account namely You of the Black Robe here in this Island like the Chimrims i. e. Eorum qui nigras induunt vestes as it is rendred in the Margent by Arius Montanus in Zeph. 1.4 and as Junius has it Nomen atratorum who have set all the World at odds and on Fire whereas you should have perswaded them to love one another and to bear one with another you have been I say the Sad Instrumens to learn them Strife and Contention to teach their Hands to War and their Fingers to Fight against the Lamb and his Followers who are clothed in White Linnen which is the Righteousness of the Saints and of Christ so that one Neighbour by your means hath hated another and sought the Destruction one of another and Persecuted and Imprisoned one another for your Lusts sake your Covetousness sake your Prides sake your Envy your Malice sake your Fables sake your Corrupt Doctrines and Divinations sake which are the Fancies and Product of your airy Imaginations and Accurst Birth of your own fiery Brain that have been hatcht there and conceived in the Chamber of your Imagenary Ezek. 8.12 these being part of the Inventions that men have sought out as the Wise Man saith Eccl. 7.29 and as he who was greater then Solomon saith Teaching for Doctrines the Traditions of Men and so make void the Law of God to whom you are like in all things the very Picture of your own Father in John 8.44 O! where will you abide when the Books shall be opened and all these things shall in order be set before you O! that you would be Wise to consider your Latter-Ends ere the Evil Day come if I say you Repent not of the Evil of your Doings when the Lord shall hurl you down and tumble you head-long into the Bottomless-Pit of Perdition there forever seal you up from the Presence of the Lord into the Abiss Isay of Destruction and Eternal Misery such as will never have an End because Time then shall be no more but after Thousands of Millions and Miriads of Years are as far from the End of their Misery as at the first Moment of it from whence I say there shall be no Redemption No no as you have been the Cause of all the Righteous's Sufferings Imprisonments and Persecutions and Deaths you shall be Imprisoned there and bound Hand and Foot and cast in there forever Luke 11.48 49 50. as saith the Lord in the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant just such Servants many of you are Who Treated his Fellow-Servant Cruclly and dealt Hardly with him whereas his Lord had great Compassion on him in forgiving him all that he owed him whereupon his Lord was Wrath and delivered him to the Tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him And look as certainly as you have or shall fill'd any of us with Sorrows and Grief so shall you drink the Dregs of our Cup as the Apostle saith to this purpose it is a Righteous Thing with God to Recompense Tribulation to them that Trouble you 2 Thes 1.4 5 6. You shall I say drink even of the Wine of the Wrath of God which is poured out without Mixture of the least Pitty or Mercy into the Cup of his Indignation and shall be Tormented with Fire and Brimstone in the Presence of his holy Angels and in the Presence of the
one else For there is something in them that tells them That they should not Practice those Evils or any other before mention'd Which if notwithstanding they should do them that there are but two Ways the one that leads to Heaven where the Righteous go the other that leads to Hell where the Wicked and Debancht Whoremongers and Adulteres Murderers Lyars Thieves go To the one the Lord of Heaven and Earth will say Come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World but to the other he will say Depart ye Cursed into Everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels The Wicked into Everlasting Punishment but the Righteous into Life Eternal Mat. 25. Now consider Friends that it s no Transgression for a Master of a Family to instruct his Family himself or else some others in his behalf but rather that it is a very great Duty lying incumbent upon them As Abraham did and Joshua did as to the first the Lord said I know that Abraham will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the Way of the Lord to do Justice Judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him And as for Joshua said he Josh 24.15 And if it seems Evil unto you to serve the Lord choose you this Day whom you will serve whether the Godds which your Fathers served that were on the other side of the Flood or the Godds of the Amorites in whose Land ye dwell But as for me and my House we will serve the Lord. And further consider this That it is a Duty lying upon us to Pray and to Teach Instruct and Admonish those in and belonging to our Families it being the Command of the Lord the Disobedience to which will incur the Lord's Displeasure as you may see in Jer. 10.25 where it s written Pour out thy Fury upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the Families that call not upon thy Name Now Negars Tauny Indians make up a very great part of Families here in this Island for whom an Account will be required at the Great Day of Judgment when every one shall be Rewarded according to his Deeds done in the Body whether they be Good or whether they be Evil In that Day I say of the Resurrection both of the Good and of the Bad of the Just and of the Unjust when the Lord shall be revealed from Heaven with his Mighty Angels in Flaming Fire taking Vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with Everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power when he shall come to be Glorified in his Saints 2 Thess 1.8 Here follows the Addition VVHereas divers Reproachful Speeches by some of the Priests and People of the Island of Barbadoes were cast upon George Fox since his arrival here its manifest that the Devil was the Author of them to prevent and pervert the Minds of People from the Living Truth of God and the Right Way to God to wit Jesus Christ of whom the said G.F. inform'd the People that so they might all come to inherit Christ Jesus and so inherit the Substance viz. Christ their Teacher their Way their Prophet of whom Moses prophesied long since That him they should Hear their Bishop to Over-see them and their Shepherd to Feed them and their Minister that Ministereth Grace and Life and Truth unto them who is their Rock and Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and of us who in Scorn they call Quakers yea of that Christ who bruised the Serpent's Head and destroyes the Devil and his Works So he is the Way to God to the pure God who is the Pure Foundation of many Generations is the Life of all Mankind that have Life for as they all dyed in the first Adam so the Life they have is in the second Adam to wit Christ Jesus by whom the World was made who was Glorified with the Father before the World began Now I say every one must receive him in whom they have Life Eternal who is the Son of God and so receiving him they receive the Faith of the Son of God and receive his Blood that sprinkles their Hearts and Consciences from dead Works that so they might serve God in the new Life in Christ Jesus I say that Christ Jesus that was Crucified without the Gates of Jerusalem who was born of the Virgin Mary and was Dead and Buried whom Judas betray'd to the Chief Priests for thirty pieces of Silver who afterwards arose out of the Grave even the third day though the Magistrates and Priests set a Watch a Guard of Souldiers upon his Sepulchre and the chief Priests gave the Souldiers large Money to say That his Disciples stole Him away by Night This Christ I say is our Life who Dy'd for our Sins and is Risen for our Justification who remains in the Heavens at the Right hand of God until the restitution of all things And we say He is Manifested and Revealed in us and we are in him by his Light Power and Spirit and he hath taught us what to believe in to wit the Light as you may see in John who saith He is the Light and commands us to believe in the Light that we may be the Children of Light And so we are Believers in the Light to wit Christ Jesus and have the Witness within our selves And after we believ'd we were seal'd by the Spirit of Promise and we can set to our Seal That God is True in all his Prophets and Promises concerning his Son and the Doctrine of the Apostles that preacht Christ's Birth and Life Miracles Sufferings his Death and Resurrection So we do confess him before men to be our Shepherd our Way and our Foundation and the Head of his Church and he is our Bill op our Minister and our Priest who is made higher then the Heavens Holy and Harmless and this we are not ashamed to confess before men Now as for the Filthy and Unsavory words that have been cast upon me they are all False O! that People should bend their Tongues to invent filthy Lyes and that others should be given up to believe a Lye So that Say … of Christ is fulfilled They shall speak all manner of Evil◠you for my sake But yet this we can truly say The Lord forgive them if it be his will if that they have not sin'd out their day and we do earnestly desire their Repentance if there be any place found for Repentance But truly it is much if God's Wrath and his Sore Judgments do not fall heavy upon them in this Island a great measure whereof they have seen and felt already and that not long since both by the Plague that swept Multitudes away as with a Besom and by a very great Fire that
TO THE Ministers Teachers AND PRIESTS So called and so Stileing your Selves IN BARBADOES BY GEORGE FOX Printed in the Year 1672. To the Ministers Teachers and Priests so called and so stiling your selves in BARBADOES COnsider seriously what a Charge you take in hand do you not pretend to watch for and over Peoples Souls and to present them to God Have you presented any to God Nay Can you present any to God unless you be in the same Power and Spirit the Apostles were in which is an Immortal Power Spirit to present the immortal Soul to the immortal God Do you pretend to watch for the spiritual and everlasting Good of the People but do not you watch more whatever your pretences are for their Goods which you call your Revenues then for that O! how is it that there is so much raging which wars against the Soul amongst you yea such abundance of Fleshly Lusts and Fleshly Talk in the Hearts and Mouthes of People Do you not pretend to cure their Souls and to be the Curates of them And if so can you make the Soul Perfect If you present them to God must they not be perfect here For will you present an unperfect Offering to a perfect God Do you not pretend that you Plough in Hope And have you the Spiritual Plough that turns up the Fallow Ground And if so how comes it to pass that there are so much Weeds upon your Ground and that your Land lies fallow in that there 's so little Fruit brought forth to God Look upon your Field every one of you or whether are you idle and do not plough but beat the Air and so do not you pretend that you thresh in Hope Now have you the Spiritual Flayl and if so How chances it that there is so much Chaff And do you not plead for Imperfection and a Body of Sin and Death that people must necessarily have while they live upon Earth Then do you not plead for Chaff and not for the Wheat And look upon your Fields and look upon your Vineyards and see what abundance of Chaff there is Have you not been the Seeds-men of the Flesh who sow to the Flesh and not the Seeds-men of the Spirit who sow to the Spirit For he that sows to the Flesh must of the Flesh reap Corruption and so look what a goodly Crop you have and he that sows to the Spirit he reaps Life Eternal But do you believe that every one hath a measure of the Spirit for you to sow to And do you believe that every one is enlightened by Christ Jesus the Light and their Saviour that you may turn them from Darkness to the Light and from the Power of the Devil to God or rather that you turn them from the Power of God to the Devil and from the Light to Darkness Examine your selves and consider for you must give an Account to God Have you heard Christ's Voice and God's Voice immediately from Heaven Hath he sent you to Preach or have you ran before you were sent And have you not spoken and yet God never spoke to you and say Thus saith the Lord as those did who were reproved in Jer. 23.21 or Have you been called of God as Aaron was or Have you taken that Honour upon your selves having a Call of Men and not as Aaron had And Christ saith to his Apostles Go and teach all Nations and else-where he saith The Gospel must be preached amongst all Nations Mark 13.10 Now did Christ set his Apostles down in Parishes for so much a Year that the People should be like a Free-hold and that the People should be Tenants for Life or until they could hear of a bigger Benefice Is this your Practice or theirs to wit the Apostles of Christ Now consider Christ I say saith Go teach all Nations Have you obeyed his Commands or have you heard his Voice as was said before or are you of those that have climed up another way and what doth Christ call such And if you be Ministers of Christ are you not Teachers of Blacks and Taunies to wit Indians as well as of the Whites For is not the Gospel to be preached to all Creatures And are not they Creatures And did not Christ taste Death for every man And are not they Men And was not he a Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World as well as for the Saints And so consider if the Gospel was to be preached unto all according as Christ commanded why do you not teach the Blacks and Taunies here You may it may be say There is nothing to be gotten of them What have they not Souls for you to watch over and to cure Are they not part of your Parishioners if not the greatest part And why do you find fault with the Quakers so called for teaching of their Families and instructing them to wit the Blacks and Taunies and Whites Does not the Lord say That Abraham he knew would instruct his Family And were not all his Men-Children to be Circumcised And are not all Men and Women now to be Circumcised with the Spirit of God But it seems your Blacks c. are taught to Swear and to Curse and to say God Dam them and many of them do Swear almost at every word which they have been taught and learned here among you called Christians for they learn no such kind of Speech in their own Country And is not this sad that Christians who profess Christianity should have such things amongst them For Christ saith You must not Swear at all in Mat. 5. and in Jam. 5. who taught them true Christianity And is it not the Duty of every Master of a Family that so these may come to know their Duty to God and to Man Now first Consider your own Lives and the End of your Preaching whether you do not preach your selves and for your selves and seek theirs you preach to and not them Examine your Hearts truly before God for to him you must give an Account Have you not laid aside this Command of Christ namely Freely you have received freely give and to invite the People To come for Wine and Milk without Money and without Price Isa 55.1 Now can you do so without Hypocrisie How can you say so and not blush when you will do nothing without Price nor give any thing without Money but will have so much a Year of every one in your Parish or else No Penny No Pater Noster The Apostle saith He coveted no mans Silver nor Gold nor Apparrel but laboured with his Hands to supply his own Necessities and the Necessities of others and that he might be an Example to all that followed him remember the words of our Lord Jesus how that it is a more Blessed Thing to Give then to Receive Acts 20.33 34 35. Now do you follow the Apostle Paul herein and is he your Example What do you think the People have no Eyes in their Heads to see
you And did not the Apostle speak of a company that were Heady High-minded and Lovers of Pleasures more then Lovers of God Self-willed and Covetous that had got a Form of Godliness but denyed the Power thereof from whom he commandeth to turn away read your selves in 2 Tim. 3.3 4 5. And truly Friends I must needs say to you I never heard so much debauch'd Language and Hellish Lyes as has been cast unjustly and wickedly upon me since I came into this Island which grieves my Soul that ever such should be in Peoples Mouthes and that you Ministers should gladly be Entertainers if not the Fomenters and Preachers of them where-with you have filled and poysoned Peoples minds with wicked Lyes I say and false and filthy Slanders and so corrupted them O! how can ye be otherwise called then Teachers of Lyes and Lyars even such as love and make a Lye Rev. 22.15 and such as are given up to believe Lyes see their sad End in Rev. 21.27 And when you cannot with all your Lyes provoke and stir up the Magistrate to Persecution then you persecute us with your Tongues But I hope that many of the Magistrates will come to see you so as that you shall not get to ride on them and spur them on for if you should you would make them your Drudges just as the Priests of old spurred up Pilate when they got over him to Persecute and Crucifie our Lord and Saviour But consider it well the same spirit and nature is in you that would Crucifie Christ who is revealed now in his People For have there not been Sauls among you with their Packet of Letters to Persecute the People of God in this Island of late read but Priest Lessley's and some other Priests Petition which they sent or delivered to the Governour and Council here a Copy whereof is hereunto annexed And what hath he and others done this last Assembly convened 't is well known Were not the Chief Priests the Authors of Saul's Packet for had he not a Packet from them But now it seems you Chief Priests are grown more bold for you can go your selves with your Packets to this last Assembly I say O! is it not a Shame that you who call your selves Ministers of the Gospel should go to the Magistrate to perswade them to persecute Christians And do you think that the Magistrates have no other Work to do in this Island even to do Justly and to love Mercy and walk Humbly with God and to take Care of the Preservation and Right Governing of the people in Righteousness and in Holiness and that every man may be preserved in their respective Estates and to see that all do to others as they would have others do unto them and to see that the Island may be preserved in Peace and to take Care of that which is for the Good of this Island and Property of its Inhabitants As for Religion that belongeth to God for it came from God and Christ Jesus who is the Author of every mans Faith and sets up his Worship which is in the Spirit and in the Truth and is to rule in the Hearts of his People who receive that Religion from above that is pure and undefiled in God's Sight and so God and Christ must have a place in man to dwell in to wit the Heart that so he may have his Due his Worship and Honour from and by them But to return to your Slandâ—â—â— namely that I should hang ribbons upon peoples arms and that I brought a young Women from England to be nought with her And that I should lie with my Sister and such-like stinking and filthy Lyes have you and your Auditors reported of me which no sober man I am sure will give Credit to being full well known that I was never tainted or blamisht with any such Uncleanness So that with David I may say False Witnesses did rise up they laid to my Charge things that I knew not Psal 35.11 Certainly many of you are and have been naught your selves this way else you would have vertue in your mouthes rather then have such things as a modest Ear abhors yea such filthy stuff and wicked Lyes as these which came from the Devil who is the Father of them are your Parishes fill'd with For I would have you know that I abhor detest and scorn such things it being well known in England I say that I was never tainted with the least Unclean action nor thus taxed till I came here amongst you but what is in your own Hearts that you cast upon me so that ye fulfil Christs Words who foretold They should speak all manner of Evil against you falsly for my Name 's sake And indeed it is for Christ's sake that you do it So that we can be exceeding glad and rejoyce in Christ Jesus in that it is for his sake that we are thus evil spoken of But know this and be assured of it the time will come that he will appear for our glory and to your shame and confusion For We would have you to understand that we have an esteem of our Bodies for our Bodies the Lord hath honoured with his mercies and they are Vessels of his honour and Temples of Christ and of God and of the Holy Ghost and not for Adultery and Fornication Truly I could not but wonder and stand amazed to hear of such soul beastly and unmannerly and uncivil Language as I have heard since I came here What is this Gospel Teaching O but consider what the Scriptures speak concerning slanderous Tongues and of lying Lips and of such as have Venom under their Tongues and the Poyson of Asps What do you not believe that God will judge for these things and sweep away the Refuge of Lyes and take the Reproach from off his People Would you have the same Measure measured to you as you have done to me and the rest of us Surely you have not had so much as Common Civility or Humanity much less Christianity for if you had had either you would have come and spoken to me when I was in the Island and not have railed against me behind my back and incensed others against me Was this Humane or Christianly or Neighbourly done Judge ye But alas what shall I say I do very much fear that the Hand of the Lord God will suddenly come upon many of you with his swift Destruction The Lord did visit and that not very long since this Island with two sore Judgments the one of Fire the other of the Plague but alas what Repentance what Change have they wrought in you and upon you What saith the Prophet of the Lord in Isa 26.9 When thy Judgments are on the Earth the Inhabitants of the World will learn Righteousness But alas are you not rather worse then you were before and hardened more then you were before Pharoah-like as it is in the 10th verse Let Favour be shewn to the Wicked yet
will he not learn Righteousness c. O! it is not the work of Christ's Ministers to fall upon the Righteous and persecute the Innocent and let Swearers Drunkards Whore-Masters and Adulterers go free And do you not pronounce the Blessing of God to be upon them and Peace be unto them all in the State and Condition wherein they remain unconverted For are not the words general in the close of your Service And is this the best Entertainment you can afford Strangers viz. To Slander and Belye them Is this the best Provision you have for them in your Houses Surely these are very course Complements from such Persons as are lookt upon by others and by themselves too as Men of no small Breeding But this is no good Breeding nor manifests good Education but bespeaks the Educator not to be of Christ nor of God and this is the Production and Fruit of your Studdyings Is this to follow the Apostle's Advice who exhorts To Studdy to be Quiet 1 Thes 4.11 And 2 Tim. 2.15 16. Studdy to shew thy self approved of God a Workman that needeth not be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth but shun Prophane and Vain Babblings for they will encrease to more Ungodliness c. And saith Solomon Prov. 12.22 Lying Lips are an Abomination to the Lord but they that deal truly are his Delight And in chap. 10.18 He that hideth Hatred with Lying Lips and he that uttereth a Slander is a Fool. And Psal 101.5 Who so privily Slandereth his Neighbour him will I cut off Read Rom. 1.28 29 30 c. And consider you that call your selves Ministers Are the Scriptures of Truth of no value of no use with you nor with your People which saith That whosoever is angry with his Brother without a Cause shall be in danger of the Judgment And whosoever shall say unto his Brother Racha shall be in danger of the Council But whosoever saith unto his Brother Thou Fool shall be in danger of Hell Fire Mat. 5.22 Now do you not know what this means Ought not this to be more seriously heeded by you Priests and your Hearers as you would not undergo the Penalty or how can you How dare you bring your Gift to the Altar before you be reconciled to your Brother And you that persecute or go about to persecute are you not of the number of those that mingle their Sacrifices with Blood O! what will become of you that persecute and speak all manner of Evil against God's People for Christ's sake Hesaith Blessed are the Merciful for they shall obtain Mercy But what then will likely be your Portions who ate Cruel and Unmerciful Further he saith Blessed are the Meek for they shall inherit the Earth What then will become of you who are Furious and Envious Again saith he Blessed are the Peace-Makers for they shall be called he Children of God Then what will become of you who stir up to Contention Dissention and Persecution this is no Gospel no Glad-tidings How can you say the Lord's Prayer Forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us So mark you are no more forgiven then you do forgive Mat. 25. Depart you Cursed into Everlasting Fire c. Why what 's the Matter For saith he I was an Hungred and ye gave me no Meat I was Thirsty and ye gave me no Drink c. But you may answer and say Lord When saw we thee a Hungry or a Thurst or a Stranger c Then will he say Insomuch as you did it not unto the least of these you did it not unto me And these shall go into Everlasting Punishment There you see the Sentence is given already you have heard it and you may read it there about the latter end And Mark If he dealt so with those then that did no good how much more sorer Punishment shall be inflicted on those that persecute such c. And so you that do profess and make a Trade of Christ's words for Money and persecute him where and in whom he is made manifest are not you made manifest in the sight of the Son to be the very Antichrist's professing Christ and yet are found Enemies to him and acting perversly against him and to be in the number of those inwardly ravening Wolves in Sheep's Clothing Christ speaks of in Mat. 7. and those evil Trees and evil Ground that bringeth forth nothing but Thistles Bryars and Thornes wherewith to rend and tear and prick the Lambs of God And are you not of the number of those who build up and adorn and garnish the Tombs of the Righteous even Christ's Sepulchre and observe his days and their dayes and yet persecute him and the Saints Where do you read that Christ or any of the Apostles gave any Command unto you for to observe dayes unto them And where was it ever the practice of any of the People of God all along the Bible either to keep Christmas-day or Candlemas-day or Childermas-day or All Saints-day or Michaelmas or Lent c Had you not all these from the Popes And how can you cry out against Popery and yet live in the practice of those things which you have from them and that they have set up If you will have a Mass for your Candles why not as well a Mass for your Cows and your Horses your Sugar-Canes and your Potatos We do not read that Isaac observed his Father's day or Jacob observed Isaac's day or did the Jews observe Joshua's or Moses's or Aaron's day or that any of the Saints did observe the Apostles dayes and called them Holy-Dayes Yea did the Apostles observe Christ's day or Stephen's day or James's day or any of the Apostles and Disciples of Christ and called them Holy-dayes Let us see the Scripture for it For you pretend the Scriptures to be the Rule for your Practices and yet how dare you say so and act quite contrary to the Scriptures of Truth For did not the Apostle leave the People of God to their Liberty in Rom. 14.4 5 6 7. concerning observing of days He that observed a day he was to observe it to the Lord and he that did not regard the day to the Lord they were not to judge one another about such things but you have thrown away this day also that do act contrary in judging and persecuting one another upon this account And doth not the Apostle judge and reprove the Galatians for observing dayes and tells them That they were Bewicht and calls them Fools Gal. 3.1 O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the Truth And chap 4.10 11. Ye observe Dayes and Times and Moneths and Years I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you Labour in vain How came you to be so wise as to observe them and compel others to observe them do you not make your selves wiser then Christ or any of the Apostles What Wisdom is this think you that you should by it
force People to observe dayes came not this Power and Wisdom first from the Pope and not from the Apostles nor from Christ Jesus if you have it from Christ Jesus and the Apostles let us see where it is convince us with Scripture And where I say do you find in Scriptures that Christ or his Apostles did ordain the day you call Christ-Mass and the rest of the dayes attending it which you call Holy-dayes But to say the Truth you may rather term them Unholy by reason of the Ungodly and Debaucht Heathenish Practice So that whereas you pretend to Honour the Lord Jesus in and by them you do no other indeed but dishonour him and do Persecute others that will not do as you do and so break the Command of God who saith Six dayes shalt thou labour c. and here your Command is that they must play more then Six Dayes Now tell me if you can how many hundred of years after Christ and the Apostles were these days first observed as Holy-dayes and set apart to be kept as you do now keep them O! the Whoredoms and Debauchery and Drunkenness the Excess Sensual Pleasures Carnal Delights Carding Diceing Dancing that these dayes are filled up with so that the Devil hath more Work done him in these dayes then in many other dayes before or after So let the Witness of God in your Consciences answer Yea or Nay and let all Sober People judge whether or no I speak not Truth when I say God is more dishonoured and his Name prophanened and taken in vain and blasphemed more in the twelve Holy Dayes so called then in three times the number of them let I say your Consciences and all sober people judge So here you may see how the Apostle judged them that did observe days But consider whether or no doth the Kingdom of God stand in Meats and Drinks and Washings and in Days Nay nay it stands only in Righteousness and in Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost which Kingdom all people are in the first place to seek after And then concerning your Fasts in Lent c. the Lord will say Who required these things at your Hands as it is in Isa 58.3 4. Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest or regardest not c. Behold saith the Lord in the day of your Fasts you find Pleasures and exact all your Labours ye fast for Strife and Debate and to smite with the Fist of Wickedness Ye shall not fast as ye do this day to make your Voices to be heard on high Is it such a Fast as I have chosen a Day for a man to Afflict his Soul Is it to bow down his Head like a Bull-Rush And wilt thou call this a Fast see the Contents of the Chapter above where it is reproved for Hypocrisie But is not this the Fast that I have chosen saith the Lord To loose the Bands of Wickedness to undo the heavy Burdens to let the Oppressed go free and that they break every Yoak Is it not to deal thy Bread to the Hungry c. Now whether your Fast be such yea or nay let your own Consciences judge And the Apostle commands us to pray every-where lifting up holy hands without Wrath or Doubting 1. Tim. 2.8 Now consider this are not your hands like those fists of Wickedness and are you not full of Wrath and Doubting or are your Hands Clean and Holy Let the Witness in your Consciences judge and see if those Actions and Practices be not found among you as was amongst them whom the Prophet speaks of here which is called Hypocrisie as was said before And did not Judas carry the bag who was a Thief who betray'd his Master And are not they for his Bag and Money to hold it by intayle even all who are the Betrayers of Christ now in this day where he is made manifest in his People I say do they not betray him now and seek to crucifie him in his members or his members for his sake And is it not the Son of Perdition spoken of 2 Thess 23. who exalts himself above all that is called God whom Christ will destroy with the breath of his mouth and the brightness of his coming Look into your selves and read this if you can But are not such now worse then Judas who carried the Bag for we never read that Judas persecuted any for not putting into his bag as too too many now a dayes do and have done who will not go without the bag And are not all such Transgressors of Christ's Command who bids them go without a bag or Scrip and Freely you have received Freely give How will such answer Christ think you at the day of Judgment when they are brought before his Throne and before him at his Judgment Seat who then will say unto them Depart you Cursed c. but to his Sheep on his right hand Come ye Blessed of my Father c. and so enter thou into the Joy of the Lord and the other into everlasting Punishment who have been persecuting others for Worshipping the living God in Spirit and in Truth which Worship Christ Jesus set up above 1600. years since as you may read in John 4.23 24. Now Friends to look into your Families and into your own Practices are not we to see that first you are to be approved before you do minister both you and your Families For are we not to try all things and to follow you no farther then you follow Christ And were not thâ—â—ereans accounted Noble in that they searcht the Scriptures to see whether or no that which the Apostle had delivered them were according to the Law and the Prophets And must we be more ignoble then they think you and now to try whether you are in the steps of the true Prophets and of Christ and of the Apostles or in the steps of those False Prophets they cryed out against must we not try here by the Scripture viz. by the Prophets words and by Christ's and his Apostles Words Then for the Trying you the Apostle saith in 1 Tim. 3.1 2 3 c. A Bishop must be Blameless the Husband of One Wife Vigilant Sober of Good behaviour given to Hospitality apt to teach not given to Wine no Striker not Greedy of filthy Lucre but Patient not a Brawler nor Covetous one that ruleth well his own House having his Children in subjection with all Cravity Now are you Blameless are you Sober of Good behaviour and are you given to Hospitality are you apt to teach 'T is Storied of one Parson Gray of this Island being at a Feast the custom was for the Cups to be often handed about one of Brandy the other of Sack but as for the Sack the Parson cared not much for it having had enough of that Liquor whereupon said the pretended Reverend Parson when he saw the Cup of Sack come about again which he cared not for Lord saith he If thou wilt let this Cup
pass from me But shortly after when a Cup of Brandy was coming towards him said he Lord if thou wilt let as many as thou pleasest of those little ones come unto me And after a while the Cup came about again and first the Sack coming towards him it being his turn to drink said he Be not drunk with Wine wherein is Exceses and so put it by in regard he cared not for it but the Brandy coming next saith he but be filled with the Spirit and drunk up the Brandy O! abominable that ever Men should be given up to such vile Affections and to such Atheistical Practices But to return Are you no Strikers no Persecutors What did not Briest Lessley beat and strike George Foster very sorely the Truth of which is made evident to me under the hand of the said G. Foster before his Death the Copy whereof is inferted in the End of this Book Also one John Hopwood Priest in this Island of Barbadoes struck one Charles Bream on the Head as they rod together on the high-Way by which stroke the said Charles received much harm and prejudice and not long after dyed And that you are Persecutors of God's Heritage is evidently manifest by the Humble Petition of William Lessley John Barnard William Johnson John Hopwood Mathew Cray and John Page to the Governor and Council of this Island of Barbadoes the Copy whereof is likewise afflixed to the latter End of this Book But once more to return Are you not Greedy of filthy Lucre are you not Brawlers are you not Covetous Let the People of this Island and your own Consciences judge The Apostle saith in 1 Tim. 6.10 The Love of Money is the Root of all Evil. Now see if all this Evil hath not proceeded from your Root which is the Love of Money And therefore saith Paul Ephes 5.3 but Covetousness let it not once be named amongst you as becometh Saints And yet what is more named and practised among you then Covetousness and covetous Practices and this I say springs from your Root which is the Root of all of you as was said before And this is the Cause that you Priests and others in Christendom so called do endeavour to incense the Civil Magistrate against the Saints and People of God to hold up the Root of all the Evil in you which is the Love of Money Let the People and the Witness in your own Consciences judge Now next as concerning your Families and Children Are they ruled well Do you rule your own House well are your Children in Subjection mark with all Gravity in that 1 Tim. 3.4 Is this so Let the People and your own Consciences judge If that you cannot rule your own Houses well how are you like to take care of the Church of God And are you not lifted up into Pride in your Families Let but the People and your own Consciences judge How can you but fall into the Condemnation of the Devil And moreover have you a good Report of them that are without who are not of your Church What good Report can those that are without give of you Are you Grave are you not double-Tongued c. Let your Consciences and the People judge For you must be approved and then you may minister being found Blameless of those Evils Now concerning your Wives are they Grave not Slanderous are they Sober and do you rule your Own House well Let your own Consciences and the People judge Have you refused Prophane and Old Wives Fables And do your Women adorn themselves in modest Apparrel with Shamefac'dness and Sobriety and not with broidred Hair or Cold or Pearls or Costly Array but which becommeth Women professing Godliness with Good Works 1 Tim. 9.10 Are you not them that suppose Gain to be Godliness from such the Apostle bids to turn away 1 Tim. 6.5 Are you not of them that preach for the Love of Money and would you preach without it and is it not the Root of all Evil which while some coveted after they have err'd from the Faith which gives Victory And are you not of those which preach no Victory here over Sin But was not the man of God to flee such and follow after Godliness and Righteousness Faith Love Patience Meekness Read Timothy for further Tryal and approving you and your Families and also Titus 1.6 7 8 c. Are you Blameless having Faithful Children not accused of Rioting and Unruliness Let your own Consciences and the People judge whether these things be so or no. You profess your selves Stewards of God but are you Blameless Are you not Self-will'd and soon angry Let your Consciences and the People judge Are you Lovers of Good Men If so why do you raise or broach Slanders of them and Lyes of Good Men Are you Just Holy Sober Temperate Let the People and your own Consciences judge Are you not those that preach for Filthy Lucre sake And where are your Epistles written in one anothers Hearts that you are all void of those foregoing Evils mentioned before But rather are you not like them that were always Lyars Evil Beasts and Slow-Bellies which were to be rebuk'd sharply Read the first Chapter of Titus throughout and Rom. 16.18 Doth not the Apostle command us to mark such and avoid such as serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own Bellies and by good Words and fair Speeches deceive the Hearts of the Simple And were they not such as made Divisions among the People and Offences Would you preach but for your Bellies For if you serve the Lord Jesus Christ you would keep his Commands who saith Freely you have received freely give Tit. 3.19 and Phil. 3.19 Read that and consider whether you are not such as the Apostle and People of God have often wept about For do not you mind Earthly things and do not you preach for Filthy Lucre So is not your Godd your Bellies and what is like to be your End you may read there For would you preach without these things And if you be otherwayes minded why do not you follow the Apostle's Example For the Apostle when he had spoken in the 1 Cor. 9. concerning his Powers he told them that he used none of those things nor did he write that it should be so done unto him For he would rather dye then any man should make his glorying void for he had kept the Gospel of Christ without Charge and would not abuse his Power in the Gospel Now have you kept the Gospel without Charge Look over whole Christendom both among Papists and Protestants Independants Presbyterians and Baptists And did not the Apostle say He wrought with his hands to supply his own Necessities and the Necessities of others And in Jerem. 5.29 c. You dare not say but that he was a True Prophet nor dare you say he preach't and prophesied to People for Maintenance or can you make good he had any thing given him for Publishing his Book
And had not he your Originals and was not he an Orthodox man and yet could not see Christ And did not the Priests and the Jews speak Hebrew naturally And the Grecians was not Greek their Natural Language and yet they could not see Christ nor could any of the Priests open Scriptures to the People but incensed them against Christ as you may see John 19. And is it not said in the Revelations That the Beast and the Whore had Power over the Tongues Rev. 13.7 And doth not the Apostle there call the Tongues Waters Chap. 17.15 And in 1 Cor. 13.8 Doth he not say That Tongues shall cease And where are your Originals then Now the Original viz. the Word is not that it that makes Divines for was not John the Divine a Fisher-man and who made him a Divine was it not Christ the Word that made him so For they had no Colledges nor Universities nor Schools to serve Seven Years in as Mechanick Men do and when they are out of their Time then they set up where they can have the best Trading And was not Paul a Tent-Maker and Aquila and Priscilla Tent-Makers and was not Luke a Physitian and was not Mathew called from the Custom and Peter and others of the Apostles were they not Fisher-men and yet were they not Preachers And were not Abraham and Noah Husbandmen and Isaac a Husbandman and a Grazier and was not Lot a Grazier and an Husbandman and were not Moses and David Shepherds and did not Moses keep his Father's Sheep in the Wilderness and David his Father's and was not Jacob a Shepherd twenty years with Laban his Uncle whom he faithfully served and was not Elisha a Plowman and Amos a Herdsman a Keeper of Cattel and a Gatherer of Fruits and what were the rest of them And so were not these Lay-men as you term them and these Mechanick-men that gave forth the Scriptures And can you make a Trade of Lay-men's and Mechanick-men's words whom you allow and approve of and yet will not suffer Lay-men and Mechanick-men to Preach and Teach and Speak now adayes I pray you consider and read the Scriptures and read your selves Did any of these serve Seven years at the School before they went to preach and learn the Seven Liberal Arts or Sciences whereof Musick is one are not they accounted by you University men as the Seven Seals of that Book spoken of in the Revelations and so is the Arms of your University at Oxford which is as much as to say That you are the only Persons that are fit to open those Seals and is not this to give John the Lye who said None was found worthy to open the Seals of the Book but the Lamb the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah Rev. 5.1 2 3 4 5. But what Parsonages or Vicaridges and Benefices had these Lay-men these Mechanicks these Husbandmen these Graziers Shepherds Customers Plowmen Herdsmen and other Tradsmen for Preaching and giving forth these Scriptures or what had Paul and his Fellow-Teat-Makers or Peter and his Fellow-Fisher-Men I pray you let 's see some Scripture for your Revenues and Parsonages Christ saith They shall take no Scrip nor Purse no Money with them and they should be contented to eat such things as are set before them And is there any thing more in the whole World got by any Trade now adayes by all them that serve Seven years or by the Husbandmen before mentioned now in the World that get more by their Callings than you do who call your selves and are called Priests and Ministers all Christendom over both amongst Papists and Protestants than you do I say by these Shepherds words and Plowmen Fishermen and Tent-makers words who never served seven years at your Colledges which were given freely forth at first by which you now get such great Revenues that you will not suffer any others neither Shepherds Plowmen nor Husbandmen nor Fishermen nor Tole-Gatherers hardly to meddle with their Fellow-Fishermen Fellow Plowmen Fellow-Husbandmen Fellow-Shepherds words I pray take the right Measure and the right Weights and measure your selves and see whether you would be so served your selves And do you think that you can open such men's words before mention'd with your Tongues and Languages now Whereas Pilate and the Jews and the Grecians could not open them then and are there better Tools think you to open them now then there were then not a whit It was said by one of your acknowledg'd and own'd Fathers St. Augustine so called upon that verse The Kingdom of Heaven suffers Violence c. saith he to this purpose A company of poor Mechanick and Tradesmen Tinkers Weavers and Cobblers c. do take the Kingdom of Heaven by Violence when such great Doctors and Learned as we are thrown down to Hell But further Is it not written in Isa 54.13 c. All thy Children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the Peace of thy Children In Righteousness shalt thou be Established c. And many shall gather together amongst them but not by me saith the Lord. Whosoever shall so gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake and no Weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every Tongue that shall rise up against thee in Judgment thou shalt condemn c. Now mark Is not this fulfill'd now adayes upon them that are Taught of God yea by you Ministers so called And in John 6.45 where Christ speaking to the Jews saith he It is written in the Prophets They shall be all taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and learnt of the Father cometh unto me Now this we witness this day and therefore it is that there is so much murmuring against us And in Rom. 10. The Word of God is nigh thee even in thy Mouth and in thy Heart That is the Word which we Preach saith the Apostle which every one is to Hear and to Obey And the Apostle relates in Acts 2. when the professing Jews mockt the Apostle saying They were drunk with New Wine Peter answering told them it was the third Hour of the Day and so not likely to be in Drink But this is that which was spoken of by the Prophet Joel And it shall come to pass in the last dayes saith the Lord I will pour out of my Spirit upon all Flesh and your Sons and your Daughters shall Prophesie and your young Men shall see Visions and your old Men shall dream Dreams and on my Servants and on my Hand-maids I will pour out in those days of my Spirit and they shall Prophesie Now this same we witness in our days as the Apostles did in their days And we see your Sun is turned into Darkness and your Moon into Blood verse 20. and your Sun is gone down and your Stars are fallen from Heaven as was prophesied in the Revelations And in Heb. 1.1 2. God at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the
Lamb and the Smoak of their Torment ascends up forever and forever and they have no Rest Day nor Night Can you Friends English that Rev. 14 10. 16.5 6 7. MENE TEKEL You are weighed in the Ballance and are found light so writes the Finger of God and therefore your Kingdom shall be taken from you look for it and all your Ill-gotten Goods and Estates that by your Lyes and False Prophesyings and by speaking Smooth Things Isa 30.10 and Daubing with Untempored Morter Ezek. 22.28 13.9 10. and by all your sowing Pillows under people's Elbows to Keep and Lull them Asleep shall all be Vomited up Thus much I thought meet in Love to write unto you that so you may learn to Fear God Repent Believe and Live forever with the Lord. Barbadoes the 29th of the 1st Moneth called March 1672. From Him that was once of you but now through Mercy is come out from amongst youâ— and bears this Tostimony against you John Hull Read Jer. cap 6. from vers 13. to 19. and Ezek. cap. 34. cap. 13. throughout Postscript Since the writing of this Letter I had Information of some Sad Passages of Priest Walker's Sermon that he Preached before the Rulers of the last General Sessions which occasioned this Postscript OFRIENDS But Seriously weigh the Thing in the Cool of the Day between God and your own Hearts and Consider Seriously Whether it be not Sad to See Him and such who profess your selves Ministers viz. Christ's Ambassadours given to the Churches for Education Consolation Information and Instruction to Stand and Appear so directly Diametrically Opposite and Cross to the very End of your Pretended Work and Ministry Concerning many of whom I fear it may be said That knowingly wilfully and deliberately Oppose Piety and Godliness and Crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and have Condemned and Killed the Just that Resisted not O! read that Within That you should I say Persecute and stir up others to Persecution whose Work should be To Feed and Preserve out of it and Wound instead of Healing and Grieve the Spirit of the Righteous who should further their Joy and Comfort So that such declare themselves with open Mouth to be Physâ—â—ians of No Value And so it is made clearly manifest That none are a Greater Plague to the Church so called both in Corrupting and Deluding it by your Sorceries and Enchantments and also in causing the Sacrifice of the Lord to be by Men abhorred then some of you who would be accounted The SALT of the EARTH But alas it hath lost its Savour so that as Christ saith It is good for Nothing but to be cast out and troden under Foot by men Mat. 5.13 Luke 14.34 Just like those Priests Eli's Sons Sons of Belial by their Debaucheries Wickedness and Whoredoms spoken of in 1 Sam. 2.12 17. compared And instead of being Barnabas's Sons of Consolation are found and experimented to be Boanerges's Sons of Thunder Alaruming to War and to Battels with Confused Noise and Garments rold in Blood O Friends Be Friendly Advised Not to Sadden the Hearts of those whom God would not have made Sad Hazael-like 2 King 8.11 12 13. Is thy Servant a Dog saith he to the Prophet that I should do this Great Thing So Priest Walker and you may happily say Far be it from any of us that we should do this Great Thing that we should Seek Labour and Endeavour by Preaching Teaching or Petitioning the Destruction of the Righteous But take heed take heed that you be not found amongst the number of those that think in so doing i. e. in Killing Imprisoning Plundering and Persecuting them they do God Service you cannot be Ignorant that such there were mention'd John 16.2 where saith the Lord They have put you out of their Synagogues that is Excommunicated or Unchurched them and then Imprisoned them and Spoiling them of their Goods as many Hundreds have been by such as you Yea the Time cometh and is it not now that whosoever shall Kill them thinks he dorh God Service therein O! Read and Consider lest you be found I say to be such such Fools were those by their own Consession in the Book of Wisdom which is good Scripture though placed in that part which is called Appochripha read Wisdom chap. 5. vers 1 2 3 4 5 c. Then shall the Righteous Man stand in great Boldness before the Face of such as have Afflicted him and made no Account of his Labours when they see it they shall be Troubled with Terrible Fear and shall be Amazed at the Strangeness of his Salvation so far beyond all that they looked for Mark Is not this made good now in the Disappointment of the late strenous Endeavours and Actings against the Quakers only of all Dissenters in this Island through the Instigation and Promotion with the greatest Violence and Fury of you Priests especially of Priest Walker W. Lessley and his Son in Law Johnson For as the Psalmist saith Psal 25.20 They speak not Peace but Divise Deceitful Matters against them that are Quiet in the Land whereas the Lord saith plainly Divise not Evil against thy Neighbour seeing he dwelleth securely by thee Prov. 3.29 30 31. Weigh this well and consider Proud Hamon's Devilish Stratagem against God's People and how the Lord Frustrated and Disannulled his designed Acts as he hath and will do yours and wicked Divises in and to their own Ruin in the Book of Esther chap. 8. 9. according to that Psal 7.15 He made a Pit and Digged it and is fallen into the Ditch which he made his Mischief shall return upon his own Head and his Violent Dealing shall come down upon his own Pate Insidit in foveam quam struxit then sollows I will Praise the Lord according to his Righteousness c. It being a Righteous Thing in God so to Reward them whose Wayes are Equal though Man's Wayes are Unequal And Prov. 26.27 But to return to that in Wisdom again And they Repenting and Groaning in Spirit shall say within themselves This was he we had sometimes in Dirision and a Proverb or Parable of Reproach We Fools Accounted his Life Madness and his End to be without Honour How is he numbred among the Children of God and his Lot is amongst the Saints Therefore we Erred from the Way of Truth the Light of Righteousnes hath not shined unto us and the Son of Righteousnes arose not upon us We Wearied our selves in the Way of Wickedness and Destruction c. O! was not this Friends your Work and will not these or the like be your Words and Wages answerable one Day John Hull FOR THE GOVERNOUR And His Council Assembly And all Others in Power both Civil and Military in this Island from the People called QVAKERS With an ADDITION WHereas many Scandalous Lyes and Slanders have been cast upon us to the rendring us the more Odious viz. That we do deny God and Christ Jesus and
the Scriptures of Truth c. This is to inform you That all our Books and Declarations that for these many years have been published to the World do clearly testifie to the contrary but yet for your sakes this is now given forth That God who is the Only Wise Omnipotent and Everlasting God we do Own and Believe in who is the Creator of all things both in Heaven and in Earth and the Preserver of all that he hath made who is God over all blessed forever to whom be all Honour and Glory and Dominion and Praise and Thanksgiving both now and for evermore And that Jesus Christ is his Beloved and Only Begotten Son in whom he is Well-pleased who was Conceived by the Holy Ghost and Born of the Virgin Mary in whom we have Redemption through his Blood even the Forgiveness of Sins who is the express Image of the Invisible God the First-born of every Creature by whom were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in the Earth Visible and Invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers And we do own and believe that he was made to be as Sin or an Offence and Curse for us who knew no Sin and was Crucified for us in the Flesh without the Gates of Jerusalem and that he was Buried and Rose again the Third Day by his own Power for our Justification and we do believe that he Ascended up into Heaven and now sitteth at the Right-Hand of God And that this Jesus is the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and our Foundation so that there is no other Foundation to be laid but what is laid even Christ Jesus and that he tasted Death for every man and shed his Blood for all men that he is the Propitiation for our Sins and not for our Sins only but for the Sins of the whole World For saith John the Baptist of him Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sins of the World John 1.29 And we do believe That he is our Alone Redeemer and Saviour even the Captain of our Salvation who saves us from Sin as well as from Hell and from the Wrath to come and destroyes the Devil and his Works who is the Seed of the Woman that bruises the Serpent's Head to wit Christ Jesus who is Alpha and Omega the First and Last That he is as Scriptures of Truth say our Wisdom Righteousness Justification and Redemption neither is there Salvation in any other For there is none other Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved it is he alone who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls he it is that is our Prophet whom Moses long since testified of in Acts 3.22 23. A Prophet shall the Lord our God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you and it shall come to pass that every one that will not hear that Prophet shall be Destroyed from among the People He it is that is now come and hath given us an Understanding that we may know him that is true and a Rule in our Hearts even his Law of Love and of Life in our Inward Parts which makes us free from the Law of Sin and Death And we have no Life but by him For he is the Quickening Spirit the Second Adam the Lord from Heaven by whose Blood we are cleansed and our Consciences sprinkled from Dead Works that we might serve the Living God by whose Blood we are purchased And so he is our Mediator that makes Peace and Reconciliation between God offended and Us offending being our Surety of the New Testament and the Oath of God the New Covenant of Light Life Grace and Peace the Author and Finisher of our Faith Now this Lord Jesus Christ the Heavenly Man Emanuel God with us we all own and believe in whom the High Priests raged against and said He had spoken Blasphemy and the Chief Priests and Elders of the Jews took Counsel together and put him to Death the same whom Judas betray'd for Thirsy Pieces of Silver which he had from the Priests who gave a Large Sum of Money to the Souldiers to broach a Horrible Lye namely that they should say That his Disciples stole him away by Night whilst they Slept And after he was risen from the Dead you may see in the Acts of the Apostles how that the chief Priests and Elders Persecuted the Disciples of this Jesus for preaching Christ and his Resurrection this we say is that Lord Jesus Christ whom we own to be our Life and Salvation Now concerning the Holy Scriptures We do believe That they were given forth by the Holy Spirit of God through Holy Men of God who spoke as Scriptures of Truth say As they were Moved by the Holy Ghost in 2 Pet. 1.1 and that they are to be Read and Believed and Fulfilled and he that fulfils them is Christ And are profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction and for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all Good Works 2 Tim. 3.16 and are able as Divinely Inspir'd to make us Wise to Salvation through Faith in Christ Jesus And we do believe That the Scriptures are the Wordâ— of God for it s said in Exod. 20.1 God spake all these Words saying c. meaning the Ten Commandments given forth upon Mount Sinai and in Rev. 18. saith John I testifie unto every man that heareth the WORDS of the Prophesie of this Book if any man addeth unto These and if any man shall take away from the WORDS not Word of the Book So in Luke 1.20 Because thou believest not my WORDS and John 5.47 15.7 14.23 12.47 So that we call the Scriptures as Christ and the Apostles call'd them and as the Holy Men of God call'd them namely The WORDS of God Another Slander and Lye they have cast upon us is namely That we should teach the Negars to Rebel A Thing we do utterly abhor and detest in and from our Hearts the Lord knows it who is the Searcher of all hearts and knows all things and so can witness and testifie for us that this is a most Egregious and Abominable Untruth For that which we have spoken and declared to them is to exhort and admonish them To be Sober and to Fear God and to love their Masters and Mistresses and to be Faithful and Diligent in their Masters Service and Business and that then their Masters and Overseers will Love them and deal Kindly and Gently with them And that they should not beat their Wives nor the Wives their Husbands nor multiply Wives nor put away their Wives nor the Wives their Husbands as they use frequently to do and that they do not Steal nor be Drunk nor commit Adultery nor Fornication nor Curse nor Swear nor Lye nor give Bad Words to one another or unto any
with the Negars belonging to friends and did admonish them and Christianly perswade them that they should be content with having but one wife each man of them and that the Wives should love their Husbands and the Husbands their Wives and fear God and not abuse them either with blows or in Bitter Words and that they should not Steal nor commit fornication or Adultry nor do any wicked thing but that they should Serve and Worship the Lord God in Spirit and in Truth and yield subjection to their Masters and those over them and do what they did in Singleness of Heart c. Whereupon some of you Priests have raised as we understand a Slander upon Friends viz. that we have a Design to teach the Blacks to rebel which is a most false Lye whereas indeed it should have been their work who take upon them to be Ministers of Christ to admonish the Blacks and Taunies themselves and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them themselves But was not there a great Professor that said to a Black 's Child Lord bless thee and after did she not as re-calling her words say Lord forgive me as though the Blacks had no souls to save as well as Whites It s credibly reported that once when a Black came to a Steeple-House in time of worship That the Sexton came to him with his Whip and said unto him Get thee out thou Dog what do you here are these the words of Christ for sure the Lord Would have all to be saved And have you no Gospel for Blacks is not the Gospel to be preached to all Nations and peoples and are not the Blacks of some Nations and people did not Christ dye for the Blacks and the Taunies as well as for the Whites and was not his Blood shed for all men and are they not men And must Christ be preacht to some people and not to some others And as for designs we deny disown and abhor all such things We desire that all may live Peaceable under the Governors of their respective Families and under the Government of the Island and nations wherein and amongst whom they are for we are so taught of Christ namely to seek the good of all men and peace with all men And we would have all men to be saved as well as our selves And we Covet none of the People's Money neither Gold nor Silver as you Priests do but as freely we have received so freely we give For we do not come into a Parish to make the People and their goods our Free-Hold for term of life as yours do and pretend and make the people believe that we do watch for their souls as yo◠Priests do and yet never intend it but watch when the harvest comes that you may share in their goods and estates that God hath blest them with encrease And as you know they do in other places watch when the Sows pig that they may have the Tythe Pig and the Tythe Egs c. and watch when the Turkies and Hens hatch that they may have some of the encrease of the Chickins and Goglings c. this is that they watch for And watch when the Corn is ripe and the cocks of hay are made this is that they Gape for gain from their quarter as of old for their goods and not for the good of their souls which if a man give them not nor put into their Mouths then they prepare war against them This I suppose is well known here and these are the Souls they watch for and where they find a bigger Benefice thither do they go for such things it is they watch for and so as the old Proverb is No Penny no Pater Noster For what Pater Noster have any had of you Priests without a Penny in this Island Have you not thrown away that Command of Christ who said Freely you have received freely give And have you not come short of the Example of Paul who saith Acts 20.33 I have Coveted no man's Silver or Gold or Apparel Yea your selves know That these Hands have ministred to my Necessities and to them that were with me that so he might be an Example to all that followed him So that I say Such have not follow'd the Apostle in this particular But is not Demas your Example who forsook the Truth and embraced the things of this present World And the False Prophets and Shepherds are they not your Example who seek for their Gain from their Quarter and Horsleech like think they can never have enough read Isa 56. throughout And seek for the Wool and the Fleece and to make a Prey of the Sheep read Ezek. 34. cap. And preach for filthy Lucre for Hire for the Love of Money that mind Earthly things who are Enemies to the Cross of Christ 〈◊〉 these are the things that such watch for and 〈…〉 … ple's Souls and to get and present these outward things into their Barns and Houses and not to present their Souls to God as the True Ministers did and do and if any one would not give them their Hire though they never set them a work they would Persecute them and Cry Out for the Magistrate's Power to assist them So that are not such as these next a kin to the Order of Begging Friars for do they not Beg of the Magistrate for their Tythes or Maintenance to be paid them And was not the first rise of Tythes from the Pope who raised up and instituted that Order of Fryar Mendicants since Christ's and the Apostles dayes who said Freely you have received freely give So read Jer. 5. Tim. Titus Mich. 3. and see whose Steps such Ministers walk in and Mat. 23. throughout and see if you do not walk in the Steps of them against whom Christ pronounces such Heavy Dizmal and Dreadful Woes THE END