all and hath drunk of the cup of fury at the hand of the Lord who have suffered hunger famine pestilence and earthquakes and the darkening of the Sun and the Moon lost her light and the Stars have fallen and the pillars of heaven hath been shaken the Earth hath been removed out of its place as a Cottage and you have cryed out in the midst of all this he hath forgotten to be gracious and is his mercy come to an end The womb hath been shut up desolation and sorrow losse of Children and widowhood in a day came upon you Oh yee tossed afflicted and not comforted that have been as Eunuchs dry and barren as in the drought of summer that have been as Pelicanes and as Doves who have sorrowed for the losse of her Mate and as one in sorrow for the losse of her first born who have been in bitternesse and none could comfort you I am one with you your state I know I love you eternally yea yee are my brethren and sisters for ever sealed in my heart and engraven to be read for ever I see you I behold you I kisse you and embrace you with an holy kisse of everlasting love which overcomes death and hell which love thinks no ill yee that are made partakers of this love knowes what I say Yee that have waited for him and wait and suffer the spoyling of all I am married unto you I came forth of the same womb which is eternity free for ever free borne not in bondage because the Prince of this world is judged and cast out and the glory of the Lord revealed Come forth yee Sonnes and Daughters of Jerusalem which is free from above utter forth your voyce sing aloud the Bridegroome is come and is coming and yee that have suffered the spoyling of all rejoyce for evermore lift up your voyces as Trumpets He is come he is covered with Righteousnesse as with a Robe his countenance is as the morning his eyes is brighter then the Sun his voyce is life eternall salvation is round about him he dwells in eternall life life is in his right hand and joy is in his presence and peace for evermore he is a tryed stone he is a Rock which the righteous flyes to he hides his under his wings and covers them with his feathers Beauty beauty glory glory eternity eternity Almightiness Almightiness power riches honour dignity and dominion strength wisedome and goodnesse fullnesse satisfaction eternall treasure durable riches infinitnesse is his name for ever unexpressible I am filled with his love and power he opens the windowes of Heaven he raines his showres as silver drops and as fine Myrrhe as sweet odours he nourishes the young he carries the Lambs in his arms of love he drives gently them that are with young he is true and faithfull for ever he keeps Covenant he is long-suffering and kind who can declare his power I am lost in the incomprehensible being of eternall love Oh my dear ones come up hither fellow Citizens of Jerusalem which is from above who is our Mother which few know but you who are written in the Lambs book of life found forth his praise trumpet forth his power declare his name among the people that it may sound into the eares of Generations to come this is he we have waited for this is he who hath begotten us to himself to raign with him the Lamb upon Mount Sion as Kings and Priests and Judges of the Prince of darknesse death and hell for ever salvation honour and glory be to him for ever eternall infinite praises praises to him for ever who was dead and is alive and lives for evermore King of Kings for ever Majesty glory and power and eternall renown is in his right hand for ever his redeemed ones lives for ever dwells followes lives in him for ever no Beast can touch the mountaine where he dwells but he dyes for ever Come away my beloved ones drink abundantly and be refreshed and praise his name for ever eternally I am shed and spilt among you never so as now never to be separated out of the eternall onenesse sound forth his praise declare his word let it to goe forth as thunder let the Heathen bow let the Princes of this world fall and the Kings worship at his feet for ever let the disputers tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth for ever let all flesh keep silence for ever Babylon is fallen and become the habitation of Devills for ever the Judge of all the world hath confounded and cursed her language for ever God is risen and sits upon his Throne eternall wisedome is come and the Ancient of dayes all carnall shall be confounded stop all mouths in the dust for ever Eternity shall speak and judge for ever whom he binds is bound for ever whom he looseth he looseth for ever whom he remits are remitted the Devil is chained the grave gives up her dead and the sea and hell all is judged by him that lives for ever O beloved ones who are the children of my eternall father who have eaten at his Table and drunken of the new wine in the Kingdome of God who are nourished and dandled upon the lap of everlasting love who suck at the breasts of everlasting consolation your beauty is comely I am ravished I am filled I am filled with love to you all I am sick of love your beauty hath ravished my heart come sit down my dear Lambs together in the fold where no Wolf can come and let us rejoyce together and sound forth his praise who hath washed us and cleansed us and covered us and made us worthy to enter into the fold the Bride-chamber to eat with him of the bread of life for ever at the eternall Table of life the Bridegroom is come friends of him I know you rejoyce greatly because of his voyce And now my dearly beloved ones follow him for evermore in the eternall light and life where we were bred brought forth and nourished and are unknown to all the world but me you know and I know you in one who is the condemnation of the world and in him I meet you and leave you in his arms I lye down with you in the bosome of eternall love life peace joy and rest for ever where none can make us afraid Bandon in Irela the 7 Month 55. My name yee know my voyce yee know this is to all my beloved brethren who are redeemed from the Earth Francis Howgill TO THE CAMP OF THE LORD IN ENGLAND TO all you called chosen elected and beloved of the Lord who are of the true circumcision made without hands of the seed of Abraham who are Jewes indeed not after the flesh but in the spirit unto whom belongs the everlasting promise and Covenant whom God hath and is fulfilling in you so establishing with you We your fellow-Citieens of the heavenly Jerusalem which is the mother of us all and of the same body
understanding and of glory which no mortall eye can behold and of life which no flesh can live in Oh my beloved come up hither and I will shew you what God hath done for you he hath rebuked the Sea and driven back the floods of waters which compassed you about and he hath scattered your Enemies with a whirlwind and he hath given you to feed upon the flesh of Kings and of Captaines Can you call to mind the doings of your God and his marvellous works brought to passe and not cry out in praises for evermore O drink and be refreshed and eat and be satisfied for ever and let your soul delight it self in fatnesse the planting of the Lord you are and his own purchased possession he hath separated you from the womb and hath called you out of kindreds and ye are the Royall seed of the off-spring of the Lord Almighty and all Nations shall call you blessed And O thou North of England who art counted as desolate and barren and reckoned the least of the Nation yet out of thee did the branch spring and the Star arise which gives light unto all the Regions round about in thee the Son of Righteousnesse appeared with wounding and with healing and out of thee the terror of the Lord proceeded which makes the Earth to tremble and be removed out of thee Kings Princes and Prophets did come forth in the name and power of the most High which uttered their voyces as thunders and laid their swords on the neck of their Enemies and never returned empty from the slaughter Though I be as by the waters of Babylon in a strange Land and as a Pilgrim and stranger destitute but not forsaken as dying but behold I live yet if I forget thee let my right hand forget her cunning and let my name be blotted out of the Book of life O how I love the holy seed which in my eye is precious no man can hinder my boasting of thee for I am sealed among you in the Record of Eternall life to be read among you in the light where I am known to you and where my unity stands with you in the love and life which never changes and you are my Mother and my Brother and Sister who doth the will of my Father Our God is a consuming fire and his habitation is compast about with dread and terror The Heathen shall see and fear and the inhabitants of the Earth shall tremble our God is everlasting burnings and it is tempestuous round about his Throne and he Raignes for evermore and though thou be despised and set at naught and counted as the off-scouring of all things and the scorn of the Heathen yet thy King Raignes upon Mount Sion and if he utter his voyce all flesh shall tremble and before him thy Adversaries shall fall and thy persecutors shall be confounded for thou shalt never be forgotten of thy God but with his arm will he defend thee and compasse thee about and thy seed shall be encreased and thou Jerusalem shalt be made the praise of the whole Earth for among you is laid the sure foundation and the tryed stone Christ Jesus the light of the world upon whom you have believed which unto the Nations is a stumbling-stone but unto you precious bring in your testimony and set to your seale is there salvation in any other but in him who is the light of the world nay there is no redemption wrought but by him nor no deliverance but through him his is the Kingdome the power and the glory and he is become all in all and you are no more of this world but are of the chosen Generation and of the Royall Priesthood a people Redeemed unto whom there is none like among the thousands of Israel and Judah whose God is the Lord whose Saviour is the Prince of Righteousnesse who covers your heads in the day of battel and smites your Enemies in the hinder parts and wounds them in the forehead And now my beloved let his name be had in remembrance for evermore and let his praises be declared throughout Ages to come and walk you worthy of his everlasting love wherewith he hath loved you more then your brethren let his name be exalted by righteousnesse by purity and by a blamelesse life and bring forth the fruits of righteousnesse and peace and let your light shine forth into the world and your good works abound plentifully for you are as a City set on a hill and as a lighted candle to shine abroad and are created unto good works Let faith hope love and Unity be encreased among you and let mercy and judgement and equity flow down and be establisht for ever never to be removed Let joy and long-suffering and meeknesse and temperance spring out and be you perfect as your heavenly father is perfect Stand upon your watch Tower and be not shaken nor drawn aside to follow any other Gods nor to bow to any other Image nor joyn your selves to strangers and mingle not your seed with the adulterous Generation nor take not nor give not in marriage with them but keep your selves from the Idols of the Heathen be not defiled with them but abide in your strength you know where it lyes by which you may work good and be preserved from evill and you need not that any man teach you for you are taught of God and are far from oppression Ye Children of light worship your God for ever who is light and in whom is no darknesse at all who is the same and changes not whose mercy endures for ever Be followers of the Lamb as undefiled Virgins and let your soule scorn the glory of Babylon and Aegypt for ever for you are not your own but are bought with a price no more to serve your selves but the Lord God of Israel for ever Put on your Armour and gird on your sword and lay hold on the spear and march into the field and prepare your selves to battel for the Nations doth defie our God and saith in their hearts Who is the God of the Quakers that we should fear him and obey his voyce Arise arise and sound forth the everlasting word of War and Judgment in the ears of all the Nations sound an Alarum and make their ears to tingle Our Enemies are whole Nations and multitudes in number of a rebellious people that will not come under our Law which ariseth up against us and will not have our King to Raigne but tramples his honour under foot and dispises his Law and his â—tatutes and counteth his subjects as slaves and bondmen Stand upon your feet and appear in your terror as an Army with Banners and let the Nations know your power and the stroke of your hand cut down on the right hand and slay on the left and let not your eye pitty nor your hand spare but wound the lofty and tread under foot the honourable of the Earth and give unto the great Whore double and give her no rest day nor night but as she hath done so let it be done unto her and give her double into her bosome as she hath loved blood so give her blood and dash her children against the stones and let none of the Heathen Nations nor their Gods escape out of your hands nor their Images nor Idols but lay wast the fenced Cities and tread down the high walls for we have proclaimed open War betwixt Michael our Prince and the Dragon Your Captains are mighty men and your Leaders are skilled to handle the sword and they are riding on before you Arise Worm Jacob and fear not but thresh the mountaines to dust for God hath given thee the power of thy Enemies to tread upon and they shall fly before thee and shall fall by thy sword there is none too strong for thee nor no inchantment against thee but thou art blessed blessed world without end Therefore all ye Lambs of my father and ye Camp of the Lords Host wait upon him to fulfill his will for he hath put it into your hearts to make War in righteousness against the Beast and the false Prophet and cursed be every one that riseth not up to the help of the Lord against the mighty the Beast is mighty and the false Prophet is great and they keep the Nations under their power but O thou Beast and thou false Prophet you shall be tormented together thou Beast upon which the false Prophet sits whom thou upholds by thy Law and defends by thy unrighteous power thy power is limited and it shall be taken from thee and thou shalt be overcome and the Lamb shall get the victory and into the pit and lake of fire shall you be turned to have your resting-place And thou false Prophet which hath deceived the Nations and scattered the inhabitants thereof and builded by fraud and daubed with untempered morter thy judgement is past upon thy head already and the Decree of our God is sealed against thee thy smoke shall ascend for ever and ever and of thy sin there is no forgivenesse nor of thy torment no remission Over you doe we and shall for ever rejoyce and sing and over your God and your King the Dragon that old Serpent cursed be he and his memoriall for ever Ye Lambs of the true Shepheards fold with whom my soule resteth whether ever I behold you outwardly yet my heart is with you and I am one of your fold and I lye down with you under the shadow of the Rock upon the Mountain which the Beast cannot touch where we are safe from all our Enemies and am to you well known to be read in your hearts in the Record of the Lambs Book of life and known only to the world by the name of Edward Burrough Written at Dublin City in Ireland To the Camp of the Lord in England LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the signe of the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate 1656. FINIS
THIS IS ONELY TO GOE amongst FRIENDS TO all the seed of Abraham who are Jewes indeed and Israelites in whom is no guile who are of the true Circumcission made without hands Who are of the off-spring of David and of the Church of the first born who are the first fruits unto God yee Royall off-spring of the Rocke of Ages who have come out of the everlasting washing my deare Brethren called Quakers who have eaten your bread with feare and trembling whom your brethren hath cast out Oh how I love you my soule is knitt unto you my heart and life breathes after you I am one with you in suffering and in joy ye are the choycest of the flock yee are the fairest of all the children which is brought forth Oh my beloved ones though I be among the Tents of Kedar as without where the Voyce of the Lord hath neither been heard nor known it you I forgett not if I doe let the tongue cleave to the Roofe of my mouth and lett me never speake more in the name of the Lord who is my life and the portion of my Cup for ever Oh what shall I say unto you none knows your beauty nor innocency nor glory but them who are redeemed out of Kindreds and Nations and tongues and People and Countries Who follow the Lambe whithersoever he goes For the name of my God and your God who is liing and lives for evermore is in your foreheads you are his off-spring and the fruit that came out of the eternall womb begotten by the eternal word of life which lives for ever and are norished at the eternall table in the everlasting mansion-house of my father which is in heaven none so faire none so beautifull none so glorious none so Rich you are Crowned with love for ever you are cloathed with righteousnesse for ever you eat of the tree of life which heales the Nations and of the bread of life that nourishes you up for ever and drinks of the living waters which runs fresh beautifull and coole in it you are bathed and suppled and made white you are builded upon a Rock storms cannot move you tempests cannot make you afraid in this you have been and are like to be tryed your Armour is righteousnesse on the right hand and on the left your City is free the Gates stand open day and night and a Wolf nor Lyon nor any Beast can enter no not so much as a flying Fowle Oh how goodly is thy Tents O thou seed of Jacob the Elect whom he hath chosen O how pleasant is your scituation the Tower of David Mount Sion stands sure and cannot be moved Oh who is a people like unto you saved by our God that lives for ever His love is large he is kind he is long-suffering he is faithfull and keeps Covenant and his Promises are Yea Yea He is the Amen the first and the last Come forth my dear brethren set forth his praise declare his name among the Heathen publish his name among the Congregations let the Earth be filled with his love and power that his Judgements may be declared and his Statutes that they sound in the eares of Generations to come O yee that are convinced of the truth of our God wait in that which doth convince and keep your minds to it and love it and follow it whether it leads you and it will lead you to know the gift of God which leads to repentance from dead works to serve the living God who dwells in the immortall light and take heed of looking back at the pleasures of sin you have formerly lived in but wait upon the pure light of Christ Jesus in patience that so you may see the enmity which is against God and it slain in you daily that so you may see him that is the Saviour of the soule and take heed of rebelling against the Lord who hath given you a measure of his true light to lead you from sin if you love it unto righteousnesse from whence it comes even from the righteous Judge of all the world who judgeeth every man out of the Book of his conscience and so prize the everlasting love of God to your soules that you may see him who lives for ever And all Babes who are born again who have suffered the pangs of death and know the indignation of the Lord against sin and the terrour of the Lord against the man of sin who have roared for the disquietnesse of your hearts who have born the indignation of the Lord and are come to the giving forth of the Law where there is thundring and earthquakes and terrour and great haile and fire and smoke even such as was not since the beginning in so much that you could not hear his voyce and live nor see his face and live Stand still in patience and let it have its perfect work in you and bear the indignation ye that are in it if you endure the tribulation with patience hope you will see and a time of refreshment will come endure the Crosse that the mortall and earthly and carnall may be judged and the ground shaken and taken away and that you may see the living hope to stay your minds upon And yee who are enlivened and doth witnesse the Law of righteousnesse set up in you which is a Schoolmaster and keeps in the fear stand in it and keep in the fear low in sobernesse and calmnesse and then you will see your hearts purified daily and the cursed nature judged which is out of its course and it bridled and subjected and the Law which is pure and holy and eternall which stands for ever in power and force against the transgressour to judge all unrighteousnesse and so wait that you may see the Lyon tamed and the wild Heifer yoked and the yoke of Christ born and the wild Colt tamed by him upon which never man sate before then and not till then is Hosanna sung And all wait in your measures dear Babes that the milk of the word you may see and be nourished by it and grow up as living branches about the Table of the Lord And all you Young men and Virgins that know virginity keep your virgin-you in whom the Prince of this world is judged and cast out and the righteous Law of God revealed and given forth in which you stand and walk and hath peace from him who is the Law-giver and Judge who hath saved you from your iniquities and blotted out your sins for his owne name sake You who knowes the living water and Spirit of which you are born again and witnesses the birth which enters into the Kingdome of God where no mortall or unclean Beast can come Keep in the life and power of God which limits all and chaines all under that the life of the Son of God may live and speak in you and be bould in the dread of God stand and that which leads into slavery keep out And now being made