grow from Grace to Grace till we come to the perfect stature of the fulness of GOD in Christ Ephesians 4.13.14 15. That we henceforth be no more Children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the slight of Men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive But speaking the Truth in Love may grow up into him in all things which is the Head even Christ Oh Praises to GOD for ever for this means this is the means if you make use thereof that shall make you wise unto Salvation not the wisdom of this World nor the Princes thereof that comes to nought which is humane and diabolical the wisdom of the Serpent the forbidden Tree of which GOD said In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die die to the life of Innocency but live to Man's own Will Wisdom and Skill which the Apostle Paul calls Death it self and the Apostle James 3.15.13 calls it Earthly humane and devilish Wisdom and it may well be called so for it doth the Devils work it lifts Men up above all that is called GOD to admire themselves to kiss their own hand Idolizing their own Gifts Wisdom and Parts Reason Honesty Knowledge and Art And where 's the Man that adores not himself here And can there be greater Idolatry than this for a Man to pride himself Pharisee-like in his own attainments This was Nebuchadnezzar's Sin which provoked the Highest to throw him to the Beasts of the Field Dan 4.20 28 29. till he knew that the Most High rul'd in the Kingdoms of Men and this is the crying Sin of Mankind now to think well of themselves their own Righteousness and Holiness and to follow their own wills conceits and opinion of good which indeed is false as to know much learn much to discern many Sciences and in some to aim to become Gods as might be spoke more fully to had I time yet at the same time all their humane Wisdom and Knowledge doth not shew them that this was Adam's Fall the biting of the Apple and his bitter death Therefore said GOD I think to Tyrus Thy Wisdom hath blinded thine Eyes Therefore Oh Man that wherein thou judgest Adam thou condemnest thy self thou art the Man that eats of this forbidden Tree while thou art following thy own Will and Wisdom which is the head of the Serpent that must be bruised by the Power of Christ before thou canst come to that Estate which Christ spake of by which we must enter Matth. 18.3 the Kingdom of GOD to wit As a little Child Oh my GOD Is this the station we must all come to to be Converted and become as a little Child before we can enter thy Eternal Kingdom of Everlasting Joy Peace and Rest Then how far LORD must the Wise and Prudent of this World travel back to undo all that ever they have done by the Serpents cunning Wit and sensual Wisdom To be stript of all their Glories in natural Parts Gifts and Arts both of Flesh and Spirit To stand as naked in themselves before Thee the pure God as Adam when he transgressed before they can be cloathed with thy Innocency and Humility for if we consider the state of a young Infant it knows nothing but to lye at the Breast and suck the Milk that nourishes and causes it to grow it hath no cunning contrivance of will or wit to preserve it self from danger you may do what you will with it it cannot help it self but if any thing ails it that it suffers it cries for the Breast Just so it is with the Regenerated Man the New-born Man that Christ our Saviour spake to Nicodemus of But did this wise Man tho' a Ruler in Israel understand what Christ meant No no more than the Teachers and Rulers of this Generation But as Bishop Vsher said As Parrots by rote Nor would these give themselves the trouble of that but for their Self-Interest in one kind or other some for yearly maintenance others for Name and Fame or to be highly esteem'd of for their Gifts and Parts therefore all of this sort comes short of the Life of Inocency therefore what can be expected when the Priests and Rulers of Nations or Kingdoms are so corrupted with By-ends and Self-respects But that the People should be infected with the same pestilential Disease of Poyson and Sedition both against God and Man and corrupted with all manner of gross Impieties both publick and private Sins which calls aloud for Vengeance when the Iniquity thereof is fully ripe But to the aforesaid Rabbies Doctors and great Scholars these were the Men that crucified Christ in the Days of his Flesh and are not these the Men in our days that crucify the Lord of Life afresh and puts him to an open shame by their wicked and impious Lives by which the whole World is fill'd with Atheistical Spirits that denies God and Christ Are not these the Anti-christs that preaches Christ in words but in works denies both the Father and the Son yet these are the Men that carries the World before them that pretends to know all things as to resolve any point in Divinity and give the Interpretation of any place of Scripture and so fill the World with their Expositions But what fruit to God hath all this Blustring brought forth For the Tree is known by its Fruit saith Christ Have they set up their Lights that the VVorld may see their Holy and Righteous Lives Are their Conversations in Heaven and so transformed and made new Creatures Do they live the inward and spiritual Life of the VVord they preach Are they dead to the VVorld and the VVorld to them Doth the Life of Christ shine in them and by them so that they live no longer to themselves but to Christ and so fetch'd off their own Bottoms that they are ingrafted into Christ the LORD of Life and Glory But wo and alas is it not quite contrary to all this Are not these the Men that follows the World most wallowing in the Pleasures Profits Honours and Humour thereof having Mens Persons in admiration because of their advantage seeking greeting in publick Places causing Men to fall upon their Knees adoring them as Gods and loving the uppermost Seats at Feasts making long Prayers to get the praise of Men being mightily desirous of Vain-glory and the Wealth of the World but if these fail they are dead and heartless therefore all these things discovers where they are below in the World and not above with GOD but if you be the true Ministers of Christ and Christians indeed shew your Humility and Self-denial let the life of Christ appear in the fruits thereof for you know Christ in all his Doctrine calls for fruits and what he called upon others for he shewed forth himself in Life and Practice For said he A good Tree cannot bring forth evil-Fruit and you know the Tree that did not bring forth Fruit was Curs'd Therefore
GOD the substance of all Goodness which this excellent spirited Man bears Record to who if we may believe the ancient Writers this Holy Man lived some hundreds of Years before Moses's time as is made out in the Epistle to the Reader the description of this great Treasure is said to be found engravened upon a Smaragdine Table in the Valley Ebron after the Flood If GOD ever appeared in any Man saith the Epistle to the Reader he appeared in him that a Man who had not benefit of his Ancâ—â—ors knowledge being the first Inventer of the Art of communicating knowledge to Posterity by Writing or Engraving should be so deep a Philosopher and high a Divine seems to be a thing more of GOD than of Men therefore it was the opinion of some that he came from Heaven not born upon Earth The Original saith the Epistle so far as is known to us is Arabec and several Translations thereof have been published as Greek Latin French and Dutch but never English before by the famous Doctor Everard so far the Epistle to the Reader Behold how the LORD visited the Children of Men before the Flood and by this blessed Man's Writing how the Spirit of God wrestled and strove sending his Messengers as it were from Heaven to reform and reclaim them from their evil ways but they grieved his holy Spirit and scorned his Messengers till they had provoked him to say Gen. 6.3.12 My Spirit shall not always strive with Man but the Breath shall cease from before me which I have made And then their destruction came as a Whirl-wind And hath it not been the same in all Ages But now the beginning hath near found an end of all 〈◊〉 for the Day of the LORD is come wherein he will do his Wonders of Old and the Mighty GOD is risen in the Power of his Might to plead with all Flesh and to destroy those from off the Earth that will not be gathered to him in this the day of his Patience and long Suffering and for this end hath he sent Messenger upon Messenger Embassador after Embassador to declare His Mind and Will and not only so but his Judgments are now begun in the Earth yet the Inhabitants thereof doth not learn Righteousness therefore the destroying Angel hath received his Commission and of this you have been often warned I am a witness for the LORD he is clear of your Blood Also a few Months ago by a Servant of the LORD's who came two hundred Miles to deliver this Message and the thing is come and coming to pass which he Prophesied of therefore Oh King and Queen for the LORD's sake and for His endless mercy sake Take the Censer Numb 16.46 and put Fire of the Altar and Incense therein and hasten with all your Might to make an Attonement for the People for there is Wrath gone out from the LORD the Plague is begun both in City and Country I am a Witness of what my Eyes have seen and Ears heard therefore Oh let not the King who is the Magistrate of the Highest bear the Sword of the LORD in vain but let him be Valiant for the Truth upon Earth and take the courage of Joshua the zeal of Phinehas and the humility of Jehoshaphat to go forth in the Strength of the LORD to make War with the Enemies of GOD that keeps his Divine Majesty from His Right to rule in the Souls of the Children of Men and this shall be your present and future Happiness to stop the prophane and boundless flood of Ungodliness that overflows these Kingdoms of the King and Queens Dominions together with that accursed Idolatrous thing Covetousness Hatred Malice Deceit Double-dealing Lying Slandring Cheating Treachery betraying Trusts and Innocence into the hands of Murderers besides all the Sins of Sodom and Jerusalem when it was destroyed these things brought the Wrath and Vengeance of GOD upon them and these Sins cries aloud yea louder and louder in the Ears of the LORD GOD for Plagues Woes and Vengeance upon this Land and good reason for it For you have I known saith the LORD above all the Families of the Earth therefore will I punish you you have I loaded with my Mercies and Benefits you have I opened the Windows of Heaven to and showred down Blessings upon that there hath not been room enough to receive them you have I brought to a Land that flows with Milk and Honey and yet this hath been a small thing with me saith the LORD But I have given you the Gifts and Graces of my Holy Spirit by which you have been made rich with the Knowledge of my Will but you have deck'd your selves with my Jewels Ezek. 16. and bestowed my Gifts upon your Lovers and gone a whoring from me saith the LORD after your own Inventions therefore thus saith the LORD Because you have rewarded me Evils for all my Goodness therfore will I visit you and take away my Corn my Oil my Wine my Milk and my Honey because you would not serve me in the injoyments of all these Mercies you shall serve your Enemies in the want of all these except you speedily repent O England England What lamentable Lamentation shall I take up for Thee if ever there was a Day to call for the Mourning Women Now it 's come therefore you that are well skill'd in Mourning Jeremiah 9.17 20. Come away and do not stay let nothing hinder you to join with me in this Work with rended Hearts and bowed down Souls teach your Daughters to mourn and every one your Neighbour to lament that our Eyes cast out Teers and Eye-lids gush out VVater let us cloath our selves in Sackcloth and roul our selves in the Dust in Fasting and Prayers night and day crying vehemently and incessantly to the Lord that we may be ready to enter into the Ark before the Flood comes to drown all Earthly Habitations with their Foundations For all Flesh hath corrupted its way therefore the End of all flesh is come up before the Lord and by Fire and Sword will God plead with all Flesh and the Carkesses of men shall be as Dung upon the face of the Earth They shall die of Sickness and Diseases I will spend mine Arrows on them and my Sword shall devour yea Flesh of Kings Captives and Potentates of the Earth Thus will the Maker of all Things ease Himself of His Enemies and avenge Him of His Adversaries for because His Mercy and long Suffering will not humble Sinners his Righteous Judgements will Therefore Oh England England Repent repent repent otherwise what lamentation shall be taken up for thee Oh that my Head were full of water and my Eyes a Fountain of Teers that I might weep day and night for the Destruction that comes as a VVhirlwind upon Thee O Land where the Sins of Sodom are found where the â—ins of Jerusalem are found where the Sins of Jamaica and Cicilia are found In Thee Oh Land is found the Blood of
Hard heartedness Covetous Earthly mindedness and altogether and do you think to escape the righteous Judgments of God that knows all these things and yet live in the same Sins to provoke the Eyes of his Glory No you shall surely drink of the same Cap except you speedily repent the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it and your outward Services your outside Profession of God and Godliness your Religious Duties your Holy Orders From the Throne to the Dunghill in Profession out of the Life of Jesus shall not be able to deliver you from the Plagues and Judgments that is to come and coming speedily upon this Land without a sincere Repentence for the Earth groans to be deliver'd of such Hipocrites such useless Branches that brings forth no Fruit neither to God nor Man But again to the former Christ said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy Soul with all thy Strength withall thy Might and thy Neighbour as thy self for upon these two hang the Law and the Prophets So then here is the very stint of Religion now how far this goes must be examined into And God said Thou shalt have no other Gods but me now if it had not been for this Command the Flesh might have said These are thy Gods Oh Israel that brought thee out of Egypt thy Silver Gold and precious Stones hath wrought all thy wonderful and unheard-of Deliverances for you know they made a Calf of their Treasures and danc'd about it whilst Moses was with God in the Mount receiving a Law against all such Abominations And now the Lord of the whole Earth is come again to search out the Iniquity of our Times and are not you found in the same Steps of your Fore-fathers serving your Gods of Silver and Gold and all worshiping the Works of our own hands admiring your selves ways and works Adoring them as Gods although the LORD hath commanded saying Thou shalt have no other Gods but me So here is the Breach of this Command and also of the other two for Christ said we cannot serve GOD and Mamon therefore if you give your Love to any of these GOD cannot have All Then how much less hath he when all your hearts all your Souls all your Strengths all your Mights all your Loves and Delights is given up to serve your Idols of Silver and Gold your Pride Self-Interrsts Glories and Honours these have your Hearts these have your Loves and Delights and whilst these your perishing Gods have all the Everlasting GOD your Creator and Maker must have none And thus you 〈◊〉 God of his Right and turns his Glory into shame and again Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self Pray consider how far this Command extends for Christ brings it into an equal Competition do you suffer your selves to want any Food or Raiment or other Necessaries that is fitting for your outward Body to serve its Necessities the same care you should take for your Neighbour that their Bodies and Minds might be the fitter to serve their Maker with all humble Thanks-giving and Christ said Whatsoever ye would that Men should do unto you do ye that unto them I humbly gave the Queen in writing how the aforesaid might be accomplish'd but if your are wanting in this your Duty to your Neighbour how will you perform the weighty Matters of the Law for this is as it were but the External Service the outside Duty of Christianity yet no Christians nor no Exceptance with Christ without it which Christ calls the Unrighteous Mamon Wherein saith he if you are unfaithful who shall commit to you the true Riches so that when you have performed all the Will of God in this point and made your Neighbour equal so far as I have treated of Nay if you shall give all your Goods to the Poor as some have done that have not had that knowledge of God that you have which shames you and will be a swift Witness against you in the Day of Account yet hear as I said before you must not rest for this is but one part of your Duty of Christianity the neglect of which hath been the cause of so many Thieves and Robbers in the Land This is the outward Service that is not to be left undone But there is further Service an inward Service wherein you must give your selves all up to GOD for him to work in you all his good pleasure whereby he may transform thee into himself to be made like unto him in all things But for the carrying on of this Great Work thou must wait upon GOD in silence in the silence of all flesh and suffer him to speak pray work and do all in thee for hear the LORD will disrobe thee of all thy Gifts and Parts and strip thee stark naked as ever thou was born For naked thou cam'st into the World and naked must thou return Stript not only of thy filthy Garments spotted by the Flesh but all the Riches of thy Spirit before thou art clothed with change of Raiment the rich Robes of Eternal Life for it is the poor in Spirit that receives the Kingdom Hear the Soul stands naked having nothing of its own neither Words nor Works to present it self before the LORD nothing but its Poverty its Nothingness its Insufficiency bringing all its little Ones before the Eyes of his Glory to move His Excellency to cast His Eye of Mercy and tender Compassion and spread the Skirt of His Eternal Love over it Here 's the place where GOD will work Wonders hear he will arise in the Power of His Might and make bare His Glorious Arm for the Soul's deliverance Hear the highest makes a Covenant with His Jehoshuas His chosen Ones saying If you will walk in my ways and keep my watch then thou shalt Judge mine House and shalt also keep my Courts and I will give thee a place among them that stand Zacharia chap. 3. Here 's the Reward of all your Travels of all your Warfare of all Wrestlings of all your Holy Violence to take the Kingdom of Heaven by force Here 's the Reward of self-denial and self-abhorrence for the Soul that would be united to Christ must be conformable to Him following him in the ways of His internal Sufferings that purifies the Soul from the pollutions both of Flesh and Spirit and hear it arrives at the Mystical silence where he speaks to it alone in the most secret and hidden parts of the Heart where He teaches it the most perfect and exhalted Wisdom therefore thou art to keep thy self in this Mystical silence if thou wilt hear this secret and heavenly Voice for the perfection of the Soul consists not in speaking much of GOD but in Obedience and in loving Him so much as belongs to Him and you know how much CHRIST saith that is But your silent sublime Meditation is that Elias was in when he heard the still soft Voice in Horch the Mount of GOD
desire his hand to be removed till all is consumed that is for the Fire in this fiery Baptism and if you continue faithful to the end of your Purification in Patience and Long-suffering diligently attending upon His Hand alone for His redeeming Power to redeem you from the Earth and all perishing things whose Fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly purge his Floor and gather his Wheat into his Gardner but the Chaff he will hurn up in this unquenchable fire and then you shall come forth as the Gold seven times refined And farther take this from one that hath upon Tryal proved it for your comfort and encouragement in your Journy that the more diligently you wait upon him in all Conditions you pass through even so much the more shall you receive of his virtuous Life and heavenly Power for by this your continual secreet converse and invisible Union with the Everlasting GOD you will come to be so filled with his divine Love that your Mortal will be swallowed up of the Immortal so that it will become your whole Life and all your Thoughts Words and Works will have their Rice and settled Habitation therein but then you must be sure let nothing come out of the fire unconsumed for hear lies the stress of all your giving up all that which is for the Sword to be cut off and that that is for the Fire to be burnt up for if you keep any thing back that GOD requires to be offered up of any Darling-sin or beloved Dalalie whether Love to the World Name or Fame together with the whole Catalogue that belongs to Self for if Self be in any case whatsoever you must lay the Ax to the Root of that Tree and with all your Strength and Power cut it down for if the Root remains the fruitless Tree will grow therefore Self the accursed Thing must be found out and destroyed Joshua 7.11.22 Before you can prosper in this Holy War to get the Victory over all your Enemies for you know a faithful Souldier intangles not himself with the Affairs of this Life but gives up all to follow him that hath chosen him counting nothing dear to them nor any thing hard to endure for the hope of obtaining the Victory and I entreat you consider how intent he is in the Fight Doth he mind any thing but striking at the Enemy No for if he did he could not overcome it is so in the spiritual Warfare of the Soul It counts nothing dear that it may win him CHRIST JESUS thinking no time long nor any thing hard to endure for the Joy and Beauty that is set before it of its beloved Lord who went before through the bitter Agony of Soul and bloody Passion with Mockings Slanders Reproaches Hatred and Malice of his cruel Enemies and ignominious Death for thee and the Redemption of thy Soul from all Iniquity if thou follow Him the Captain of thy Salvation through his self-denial in Faith and Obedience for it is not only given you to believe but also to suffer for his sake Because Faith without Works is dead and thus the LORD will be found in his own way For I am the Way the Truth and the Life and none can come to the Father but by me saith he Here you see CHRIST is the Way his suffering Life is the Way he hath appointed and also saith He that comes this Way to me I will in no wise cast him off but will pray to the Father that whatsoever you ask the Father in my Name he will give it you even the Spirit of Truth that shall lead you into all Truth and cut of all Errour and will be your Strength in all Weakness for this is that your Souls travels for and hath such bitter Pang as a Woman in Travail to bring forth my Will my most exceptable Will therefore will I deliver you and though you sowe in Tears you shall reap in Joy and tho' you go out weeping and carrying precious Seed you shall return with Joy and bring your Sheaves 126 Psalm 5 6. As one speaking his own Experience with Christ's words said For though Sin the evil Seed be sown when Men sleep and take root with Pleasure and springs up with Delight yet the End thereof is Bitterness Lamentation and unconceivable Wooes But my precious Seed saith Christ is sown with Tears conceived with Sorrow and brought forth with Sighings Nights of Watchings Days of Mourning and with much labour of Spirit and travail of Soul must you see your desire Brought forth and it s not beating the Air that will fight your battels for its a gainst such airy Notions you are to make War and all Spirits of what sorts soever that would possess you with Words and Forms without the power of Righteousness regard them not for nothing less than Victory over Sin will satisfie your immortal Souls Therefore yours is Work and not vain Words and for my part all 's a like to me whether in Forms or out of Forms if they deny the power of Godliness in the Practical-part I say as the Apostle said From such turn away and do as Christ my LORD and Master did turn from the proud Pharisees to the poor Publicans and Sinners that wants a Physician and tender his loving kindness to them for the whole needs no Physician but the Sick and what tho many may say we have Eat and Drank in thy presence nay farther cast our Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful Works but what said Christ to all this Depart from me ye workers of Iniquity I know you not This is plain and evident for you to see if you are not wilfully blind it s not all the outward Services of the outward Temple nor the outward Water nor the Holy Duties nor the holy and comply Orders for the worker iniquity hath spoiled all these and made them unholy and uncomly But the latter of these might uave claim'd more right to the aforesaid wonderfull works had they kept to their first works and in the humility of Christ But what they had committed to them when they were in poverty of spirit they have decked themselves therewith and now it serves to make a discourse of though they are gone from the Life of Innocency into the spirit of Craft and subtilty and so are got above the Cross of Christ which is the power of GOD into the Liberty of of the Flesh by which they are become Great and waren â—ich and so bless themselves in the Earth instead of the GOD of Trueth This is Adultery Treachery and Whordom therefore their Portion is with the rest Depart from me ye workers of Iniquity I know you not Others there are who have a Sight beyond Forms but the same Ground remains in them as in the rest very few excepted that I know of yet a more universsal Spirit of Love to all remains in them than the rest Friends to you this is my Advice Take not
up your rest in your sights tho they should reach to the Third-heaven without this life of Christ I have been a treating of and this I can assure you it will be more for your profit when you come together to sit in Dumb-silence than to spend your precious time in Discourses of your Attainments for what are all your Attainments but airy Notions if you come not to the life of Christ for how many have seen the good Land that never entred it and this know That Visions and Revelations may cease for how many have I heard of and knew some that have had all these and yet lives evil Lives witness Balam who from his sight desired to die the Death of the rightous and that his last End might be as his yet through Coveteousness which is Idolatry by his Counsel caused Israel to commit Sin against the Lord tho' to his and their own Destruction Therefore this is a sandy Foundation to build on but if you build on CHRIST the Corner-stone the tried precious and Elected-stone chosen for that use whom the Master Babel-builders have rejected which is the cause of all their Confusion these have conceived a Faith in the air and therefore bring forth nothing but Storms and pestious Winds striving without Foundations and so are driven to and frow but brings nothing to perfection and therefore must be all thrown down and not one stone left upon another before the Holy City the New Jerusalem which cometh down from God can be but therefore as was said Sights Visions and Revelation are little worth but to condemn those that have them if they do not answer the End for which they were given them to wit a holy pure and undefiled life which is the End of all gifts And farther I know a Soul could write a Volume of Sights Visions and Revelations which she hath had above these thirty Years and some that were given highly to justifie her Ways and Works when she was little in her own Eyes and nothing in her own sight it may be Judging and condemning her self for that which he in his Exalted Power hath justified her and for confirmation hath taken her upin to the bosom of his love where she injoyed close and amorous Embraces His sealing to her the precious promises of His Glorious Life and Eternal Love And now among the many Sights Visions and Revelations she may instant one in three Years abstainency somtimes fasting two Days and two Nights together sometimes three Days and three Nights and at the time of this sight three Days and three or four Nights together she being at this time in great Travail of Soul and suffering in Body with conflicts of Spirit she poured out her Complaint before the LORD and said Oh! my LORD If I have found favour in thy sight and what I have done be pleasing unto thee shew a Token of Good to thy Hand-maid that may be as an Anchor to my poor troubled Soul And that very Night she had a Vision of an invisible Glory which is too long to insert here but how it was with her is as followeth Her Sences were all shut up in GOD she was in closs Communion with the LORD she was as she thought wholly desolved out of the Earthly into the heavenly she thought she was as an innocent Child new born and though she had fasted so long together yet she was filled as with new Wine and the heavenly Manna by the strength of which she declared the great things of GOD's holy Law of his Royal Acts and of his heavenly Power and she was filled with his Praise and then no Tongue can tell nor Pen write how it was with her for she was as if she had had a new Body given her in Innocency Joy and Content as it were quite translated out of the Old into the New all over in ravishing Joy filled with unutterable harmonious Praises so lying for many hours in this heavenly Transportation a heavenly Silence came over all and in this Silence these Words were spoken aloud to her This is the Rest wherein I will cause the Weary to rest this is the Life of the Innocent Swain And this was the Token of Good she required which the LORD in his endless Love Answered This and above a hundred times more which she never took up her Rest in though her Sights were attended with his ravishing Life for these heavenly Mansions are given as a Loadstone to draw the Soul of the down-ward Earth up-ward to fix it self in GOD the Fountain of all these ravishing Streams and Beams that comes from his glorious Son of Rightousness lifting up himself in the Soul to draw it after him as Himself said When the Sâ—n of Man is lifted up He will draw all Men after Him But the time is not yet come that He will draw all Men after him therefore we must wait for the Day of his Power we must wait at Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father which is that He will pour out His Spirit upon all Flesh Jâ—â—â— for hetherto the highest Attainment that hath attended the Life of CHRIST hath been but a glimps of that Glory that is ready to break forth were we but ready for it But is this the way for the Bride to make her self ready to meer the Bridegroom for her to pride her self with the Bridegroom's gifts and that her rich Attier should be the cause to take her Love and Affections off her Bridegroom who should be clean humble and chast to meet her Lord Thus the Harlot having oâ— this Attire is taking for the chast Spouse and virtuous Bride but the Day of her Discovery is at hand wherein she shall be stript naked and bare and then her shame will appear to all But to the aforesaid Attainments the greatest of which hath been but as the Voice of one crying in the Wilderness prepare the Way of the LORD and make straight ways in the Desert for all that hath been hetherto must lay their Mouths in the Dust and say as Iohn Baptis I am not be nor worthy to unlcose his Shooe-latchet because I must Decrease but He must Increase Therefore this is the Work of our Day to know the increase of his Grace of which there shall be no End to know in our Souls and Bodies the fellowship of his Sufferings and to be Baptized into his Death and then we shall know the Resurrection of his Glorious Life the Lamb of GOD that taketh away the Sins of the World who shall change our vile Bodies and make them like his glorious Body to praise Him Evermore World without End Once more I have discharged my service to GOD and Duty to you not of my one Mind or Will for had it stood with my Will I had never been concern'd more with this Generation after I had delivered the three first books to the King and Queen but having delivered the last of the three Titled to Queen Mary going in
Fleetstreet the precious presence of the LORD accompaning Me being filled with Joy and returning thanks to the LORD for his great goodness and manifold Mercies in given me power and strength to do his exceptable Will and finding my self clear as I thought of the Blood of all I communed thus with the LORD in deep humility That if I had found favour in his sight and that I had finished the Work he had given me to do then I might return to him in peace for my Eyes had seen his Salvation Upon these Words a mighty Power fell upon me that operated in all parts of my Body and a strong powerful Voice Said Arise and thrash Oh Daughter of Sion for I will make thy Horn Iorn and thy Hoof Brass Upon these Words I was greatly bowed down in deep humility weeping before the LORD and humbly beging his assisting Power and heavenly Wisdom to fulfil His holy devine Will in all things that His pleasure was to require of me Then after this I wrote another Printed-book to the King and Queen and four Papers in writing at several times which I delivered into their one hands and then after I had delivered those Writings I wrote another Book which I had almost finished but this coming so forceable upon me I laid that by and this hath been longer in hand than I expected when I begun it for indeed all things looking so â—ark and dismal I rather expected some dreadful Judgment would break â—orth before this Book would be finished and seeing so little notice taken â—n the general of all the Patience and Long-suffering Judgments and boundâ—ess Mercies of the LORD But all manner of Wickedness and open Proâ—hainess appearing openly with an impudent face saying Who is the LORD â—hat we should fear him and seeing Wickedness rage as a pestilential Fever and the Angels of darkness let loose out of the Bottomless-pit and Hell â—eign on Earth I thought in my self these are the Evil-days wherein the Prudent are to keep silence and the Days of Vengance are at hand I threw the writing out of my hand as Moses threw the Tables of Stone out of his hand and concluded all in vaine that was spent in labour of Love upon this Generation which is passing away like the Smoak of a Furnace for thought I the time is come That he that is wicked must be wicked still and he that is righteous shall be righteous But in this Exercise of Mind the power of his Love broke in upon me who was never weary in Well-doing and charged me with Neglect of my Duty that would a-mount to his Glory and the Good of Souls Upon this I hastned again to the Work I had laid a-side and since I have grudg'd the time that hath been spent from it and now I have given you an Account why it was not committed to the Press before now The next is the Salutation of the Love of God to all of what Perswasion soever whether in Forms or out of Forms through out the whole Universe that loves no Iniquity but the Truth as it is in Jesus my Soul hath fellowship with you herein and if you presevere to the end of all Iniquity to destroy the Root and Ground of all Evil that the Righteous Seed which is Heir of the Kingdom of Glory may be sown in the good Ground which will bring forth Fruit to God an Hundred Fold Friends of all Perswasions that are in this Work all the Promises are yours the Blessing of the everlasting Hills is upon your heads the Eternal God is your Refuge and under his Arms you shall be preserved for ever he shall cast out the Enemy before you and by the Power of his Word destroy them then Israel the Fountain of Jacob shall dwell alone in safety in a Land of Wheat and Wine his Heavens shall drop the Dew Blessed art thou Oh People saved by the LORD the Sheild of thy help which is the Sword of thy Glory therefore thine Enemies shall be in subjection unto thee and thou shall tread upon their high Places Deut. 33.27 28 29. But the Hipocrite the Proud the Covetous the Malicious the Back-biter Lier and Slanderer shall have their Portion in the Lake the Self-ended shall wither the Luke-warm GOD will spew out the Wicked of the World and Sinners in Sion God will thrust a-way as Thorns that cannot be touched with hands therefore must be burnt up in the place where they stand But unto those thaâ— fears my Name shall the Sun of Righteousness a-rise with Healings liâ— his Wings and they shall be mine in the Day that I make up my Jewels and I will spare you as a Man spareth his only Son that serves him saith the LORD As I lay on my Bed waiting upon the LORD having my self and alâ— worldly things in a low esteem and value humbling my self to the dust and making Self of no Reputation but having a wonderful great and high esteem of GOD beyond what my Tongue is able to express to love adore and follow him without the least interest of my own let it be ever so holy so it be according to his divine Will And as I was thus giving my self all up to GOD a powerful Voice said Write down thy Poverty which I immediately did and said My LORD and my GOD that I may use no vain Repetitions to Thee but that which comes from me to Thee may be the Begettings of thy own Life Father I beseech Thee be Thou the Begetter of every Thought that rises in me to thee for then shall my Prayer be exceptable to Thee when Thou art the Father of it â— Then may the LORD of Life and Glory say This is my Beloved in whom â— am well pleased For LORD what am I but as the Dust before Thee who am nothing nor can do nothing not so much as keep out a wandring Thought or keep my Mind fixt upon Thee one moment therefore I lie in my own vileness in my own Corruption who am nothing nor can do nothing No righteous LORD without Thee I can do nothing but in thee holy Father and by thy Eternal Power I can do all things Glory be to Thee All weakness is mine but all Power and evenlasting Strength is thine Thou Omnipotent GOD unto whom my Heart and Soul Strength and Might Poverty and Nothingness ye all that is within me doth ascribe unto Thee the Everlasting Majesty all Honour and Glory all Love and humble Obedience with everlasting Praises and Thanksgiving be returned unto Thee the HOLY ONE Amen saith my Soul World without End Amen J. W. And whereas it is thought by some that are strangers to me and my Writings that a Woman did not write these Books which I have puâ— forth but at least say that I have the help of some Man give GOD the glory Jone Whitrow writ every Word I poor nothing unworthy Creaturâ— wrote it I cannot say whether a Word might be mispelt and mended
but otherways my Hands writ them and can produce many Witnesse that saw me write them and I had no help but the help of the LORD neither hath there been any hand with me but the hand of the LORD which was strong upon me till I had finished them And why should it be thought incredible for a Woman to write truth any more than a Man Is the Spirit of the LORD straightned that it cannot operate in a Woman as well as in a Man Is not he able to open the Mouth of an Ass Yes to reprove the madness of the Prophets that trains the People up in such blindness and gross Ignorance Dare you presume to limmit the Maker of all things to any thing that had a beginning Was not his first appearance to Women after his Resurrection who sent Mary Magdalen and the other Mary with the glad Tidings thereof to his Disciples And did he not open the heart of Lidia And did not the Apostle Paul say Help those Women that are Fellow-labourers with me in the Gospel of Christ Philippians 4.3 And Deborah the Prophetess judged Israel and they came to her for Judgment and she bid Barak go to War with Jabin the King of Hasor but Barak though a Man was timerous and fearful and would not go without Deborah went with him and she sung Praise for the great Deliverance But the Honour of the Battel was given Jael the Wife of Hebor Judges 4. And did not King Josiah after he had heard the Law read rent his Cloths and wept therefore the King commanded Hilkiah the Priest and Ahikam the Son of Shaphan and Achbor the Son of Michaiah and Shaphan the Chancellor and Afaiah the King's servant saying Go ye and enquire of the LORD for me and for the People c. So Helkia the Priest and Shaphan the Chancellor with the rest of the Nobles went unto Huldah the Prophetess the Wife of Shallum who dwelt in Jerusalem in the College and they communed with her 2 Kings chap. 22. Hear you may see the LORD made use of Women as well as Men and will make use of them yet more now he is coming to pour out his Spirit upon all Flesh Joel From one that is in Unity and Fellowship with all that fears GOD and keeps his Commandements throughout the Universe Jane Whitrow John Hall 's Vision upon the first Day of the Eleventh Month 1692 3. AS I went to accompany a publick Friend John Cooper to a Meeting I was me-thoughts as it were spiritually in a Glorious place where I stood before the Lord where was also William Warin who had there received an Errand and as it were vanished out of my sight on a sudden and was gone to deliver it but I was left behind And me-thought I saw him that sent William bring forth a very great golden Trumpet of a large size and deliver'd it unto me and bid me Proclaim And immediately after to an Angel that stood by he deliver'd a Sword and bid him smite and me-thoughts the sound of the Trumpet caused such an Allarm that it awakened the very-Dead and as the Sound waxed louder and louder and the Cry great I thought I saw Hipocrites and Back-sliders the sinners in Sion hang down their Heads nay and after sometime quit the room as not being able to abide it the Power of the LORD did wonderfully break in And this by the Command of the LORD I commit to Writing as a Testimony for him which the LORD in his own due time will bring to pass Written at my Habitation at Monkhelsden by a Servant of the Lord whose outward Name is The 27th of the 1st Month. John Hall Upon the 22d of the last Month being the 12th Month my Sister Grace Hall being at a Meeting at Raly with Jane Vickers the Word of the LORD came unto her saying Write and continued as an Exercise upon her On the Night her Sleep went from her after she arose she withdrew into a Chamber and the following Words word by word were given her she not knowing the next Word as she writ whereof she innocently gave me an Account Thus saith the LORD I Have a great Work to do in the Earth and terrible shall it be to the Wicked but say unto mine Elect on this wise Ye shall be kept in safety if ye obey my Word I will be with the Righteous wheresoever they are if they will but separate the Wicked from among them but if they will not put away the Wicked from among them then shall my Hand be heavier upon the Righteous for the Wicked's sake And say unto the Wicked on this manner There is yet a little space for you if ye will repent of your Wickedness and Turn unto me saith the Lord You may read how it was in the Days of Old it shall be no less in this the Day of my Wrath saith the Lord for though Noah Daniel and Job were righteous and although there be some such non-a-days yet they shall save neither Son nor Daughter they shall save only their own Souls Written by Grace Hall being 16 Years 3 Months and 8 Days old A Letter to a Friend from Jamaca Spanish-Town the 19th of June 1692. Loving Brother This is to give thee a true and satisfactory Account of our Misfortune There hapned on the 7th Instant about half an hour after 11 at Noon a terrible Earth-quake thoughout the whole Island of Jamaca it hath not left a House standing in the whole place that was built of either Stone or Brick nor any thing that was built with the same Meterials but what it hath made insufficient for tho' some of these stand they are not fit to live in neither dare we hardly come near them because of the frequent shakes we still have All those that it hath pleased the Almighty to save in giving them their Lives for a Prey do now think a Negro's house that is walled and daubed witâ— Morter and Thatched the Eves hanging down almost to the ground a pleasant House Hear you may see Colonels and great Men bowing their Bodies to creep into this little Hutch who before had Houses fit not only to receive but to feast in an extraordinary manner a Prince or King as great as England's Monarch upon ocasion and now by this sad Disaster have hardly Bread to eat and never a House to be in The Ground opened at Port Royal where I dwell with a shake and swallowed whole Houses nay the Street I dwell in was in less than 3 Hours after 4 Fathom under Water and nothing of my House to be seen nor any other only one Timber-house which George Philips lived in The shake opened the Earth the Water flew up and carried the People in quick I lost my Wife my Son a Prentice a white Maid and 6 Slaves and all that ever I had in the World my Land where I was ready to raise five Houses and had room to raise ten more is all
sunk a good Sloop may sail over it as well as over the Point I have not saved a Rag nor any Money but I find people kind where I never thought they would all that it pleased God to save was my own life my Daughter Mary and 8 good Slaves but I have nothing to give them to eat Captain Gomings and Captain Martin are both swallowed up and Georg. Philips perished his Wife comes over in the Richard and Sâ—ah Ah Brother If thou didst see those great Persons that are now dead upon the Water thou couldst never forget it Great Men who were so swallowed up with Pride that a Man could not be admitted to speak with them and Women whose Top-knots seemed to reach the Clouds now lie stinking upon the Water and are made Meat for Fish and Fowls of the Air My heart is full yet I cannot forget the Mercy of God to me and many others I rest thy Loving Brother John Pike Part of a Letter to a Friend AND concerning John Hall's Message I think it may be of as great Service as any thing I know for let it be so as you say and believe that it was a Mystery and concerns that People he was sent to deliver it to which for ought I know may very well be My reason is because he was sent to them and to none else besides them yet that will not quit the general for it was revealed to me in a Vision in King Jame's Reign when his Camp was preparing for Hounslow-heath the Destruction of London but the time was never yet shew'd me therefore who knows it may be the City of London as well as the City of Profession whose fair Fabrick shall be laid low and tho' his Message was to that particular People of Ruin and Destruction my Message is to all thro' the Universe where the Iniquity is found and for certain I say again and again in the Word of the LORD That the LORD GOD Omnipotent is risen the Everlasting God is risen to plead with all Flesh For this was the Word of the Lord to me I will sift the Nations as in Ceive and winow them as Wheat is winowed for the Mill. And again said the LORD Children shall lose their Fundamental Laws Again Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet shall they not Disannul what I have Decreed But why do you think that London should scape the Judgments of God any more than Sicily and Jamaca Your Answer may be Because of the Righteous that are in it Do you think there was not one Malines in Sicilia nor one Righteous-soul in all Jamaica where the Earth open'd and swallowed up their Bodies but their Heads left above-ground which the Dogs eat Yes I am sure there was and there was one in the old World and yet it was destroyed but the LORD knows how to deliver his Noah's by getting them into the Ark of his Power and to save his just Lots by flying out of Sodom his chosen Ones that cries Day and Night unto him that no Iniquity may be found in them but that they may be sanctified throughout in Body Soul and Spirit that they may be wise Virgins that hath Oil in their Lamps and their Lights burning that when the Mid-night-cry comes they may be ready to go in with their LORD into the Marriage-Chamber But what think you of those high-flown Professors of our Times that makes such a blustring-noise about Religion some in Forms and some out That have their Hundreds and Thousands and yet let their Fellow-creatures want Bread in and about the City of London Do you think such do not highly provoke the LORD to take away their Hundreds and Thousands from them or them from their Treasures or both perish together by some signal and amazing Judgments As he did in Jamaca and other places who Judas like grudges what is spent upon the LORD in any kind whatsoever J. W.