faithful subjects suffer hard and cruel things long and sore imprisonment and cruel and sharp whipping and stocking and unjust banishment out of Towns and Cities yea Friends its hard to be expressed and large to be declared how many of the Lords servants do and have suffered great injustice in these Nations through the abuse of good Government and degeneration of Magistracy from its perfect state and place whereunto it was ordained of God in the beginning and moreover great have been the abuses by stricking and beating and halling and kickings and revilings and reproaching whereby many have suffered unrighteously and not relieved nor defended by such in Authority as ought to have done it neither the evil doers at all corrected and punished as ought to have been though known to men in power and thus it is happened to us in our age well doers are punished as transgressors and evil doers go free and thus its manifest Magistracy and Government Rulers and Lawes are greatly degenerated and subverted from what they ought to be according as the Lord ordained them for all this may be proved particularly so that the Nations are out of good order and the State of Government and Rule degenerated and men in Authority and places of trust corrupted not being in their own hearts ruled by the spirit of the Lord and therefore they cannot rule for him among men justly and righteously as the Lord requires and also so great hath been the degeneration in Government in these Nations of late years that many faithful and just men that have been in great places of trust both in Martial and civil affairs through the envy and evil surmising of others have been turned out of all place and Power and not suffered to give their judgement amongst men but been cast off as unprofitable though no evil could be charged against them whereby the Lord hath been offended but all things and places of men must be new moulded and corrected and purged and regenerated that true judgement may flourish and righteousness and truth prosper as in the beginning and this will the Lord suddenly bring to pass by his own Power and if thou oppose it thou shalt not prosper but be cut off and taken out of the way For the spirit of the Lord hath been provoked to wrath because of these things and his anger is kindled against the Nations and he hath overthrown and will once more overthrow till he come whose right it is to Rule whose shall be the Government and Kingdoms and all his enemies shall be slain And as for the publick Ministry as now it is in its present Estate we certainly know and testifie from the Lord unto thee and to the whole Nations that it is not the same Ministry of Christ which the Apostles had nor by the same power and spirit but is wholly degenerated in Call in practice and in maintenance and in all things from what the Ministry of Christ was in the dayes of the true Churches before the Apostacy and it is as now it stands in degeneration not of God nor in the power and spirit of Christ Jesus nor hath it the same end and effects as the Ministry of Christ once had but it s tasted and tainted with the spirit of Antichrist which long hath ruled in the world and it s become a grievous oppression in the Nations and people are not converted nor turned to God from their evil wayes but remains unprofited and to say no more of it though much I might say what I affirm of it I may prove by the Scriptures against the wisest of them before thee if thou please viz. That as now the Ministry stands it is not perfectly the same Ministry the Apostles had but is degenerated from what the Ministry of Christ was in the dayes of the Apostles and true Churches before the Apostacy and if ever God touch thy heart thou wilt see it so when the Spirit of Christ is chief Judge in thee thou wilt witness this to be true and then may not thy power uphold any thing which is contrary to God when Government is purged and made pure from all its present degeneration Again there are many and divers sorts of Sects and gatherings of People and Professions in Religion of several contrary Judgements and opinions and worships in these Nations and these People over whom thou art set to Rule are divers and devided in their wayes and minds and Professions of Religion some looking for and seeking after Christ in such a manner and others after another manner all crying loe here is Christ and thus he will come and loe he is there and so will he appear and some are inventing and supposing such a Government the best and others contrary to that and many are as distracted in their thoughts not knowing what to seek or what to look after some are for such a Government and Religion and others for another and peradventure each one of all these may seek to thee for protection against such as opposeth them commending and justifying their own way and Sect and Form and Religion against all others and craving Lawes to maintain themselves and their Sect and to stop and limit all other wayes as Heresie because differing from them and they will each of them turn and wrest the Scriptures from the mind of the spirit that gave them forth to prove their own opinions and Professions to be right against all others but now thou maist know that the Scriptures were given forth by the one Spirit of God and is the testimony of one truth of one favour of one true worship and one onely true Religion and not many and divers wayes and them that are of divers judgements and worships and Religions and yet all pleads proof from the Scriptures for what they Professe and practice all such perverts the Scriptures and wrests them who are thus divided and unsetled in Religion and they shew that none of them hath the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures which spirit leads into all truth and in it is the true worship of God and the true Profession and practice of true Religion and that spirit onely understands its own words in Scripture but all these divers Sects and heaps of People that are divided in worship and about Religion hath not the Spirit of God that gave forth Scriptures to lead them into all truth and guide them in the perfect way and pure Religion which the Apostles and Churches of Christ were in in their dayes but all these many Sects that are thus devided are risen up since the dayes of the Apostles and are of another spirit and of a false Religion and as for such called Ministers they will be hurrying about thee and flattering thee with fair and crafty words and smooth Petitions and requests for protection and establishment from thee and for large maintenance and stipends and Tythes And possibly they may complain to thee against such as cannot give them hire
moved in the bowels of pitty to lay before thee who am thy friend not in flattery but in an upright heart who wisheth well unto thee in the Lord A Friend to the Kingdom of Christ and not of this world but an heir of Immortality with the Son of God called EDWARD BURROUGH The Original of this was given to the hands of Oliver Cromwell then Protector in the third moneth of the Year 1657. For the hands of Oliver Cromwell called Protector FRIEND I am moved to write to thee from the occasion of being with thee yesterday and I take liberty from the true love and pitty stired up in my hart towards thee who am thy friend and wisheth well unto thee in the Lord even that salvation thou mayest receive and that thy way may be blessed upon earth and the fruits of the knowledge of God might more abound in thee and the fruits of ignorance lesse which doth appear which I wish might be cut off before they wholly over-grow thee and remove the blessing far from thee in this life and in the life to come and bring upon thee destruction for the fruits of all unrighteousnesse brings death sorrow and misery and the light of Christ in thee shall answer in all things to the justnesse of the judgements of the Lord Thou sayest in effect that thou wouldest not or thou desirest not our persecution or that we should be persecuted by cruelty or unjust imprisonment now consider what the cause is that what thou desirest not to be done yet is done thou having power in thy hand onely to prevent what thou wouldest not have done is it not thine own unfaithfulnesse to the principle of God in thee which beareth witnesse against the persecution of the innocent or is it that thou mayest please men and therefore rather suffers wickednesse to abound and injustice and oppression to be acted against the poor making it appear thou art willing to do the false teachers of this Nation and wicked men a pleasure then to own the people of God in relieving them and easing their cruel burthens and oppressions laid upon them by unjust men for a word of thy mouth or the shew of thy countenance in dislike of these many cruel and unjust persecutions would bind the hands of many blood-thirsty men and stop the mouths of many devourers and therefore because of thine own unfaithfulnesse doth that come to passe which thou desirest not and so I must needs say this appears to be evil in thee to say in effect thou approvest not or thou desirest not our persecution and yet it is done when the power is in thy hand to remove it and this in much love and great pains I declare unto thee in the fear and Councel of God Further thou sayest thou art not guilty of these persecutions acted unjustly upon us Again consider I say thou canst not be cleared in the sight of the Lord God from them being acted under thee and in thy name in the day of the Lord the light of Christ in thee shall answer this for there seemes to be rather a favouring of them in thee and by forbearance of the actors of cruelty by which their hands are strengthened then any dislike shewed by thee in bearing thy witnesse as thou oughtest to do against them for thou knowest of some in this City and elsewhere whom we know to be just men who suffers imprisonment and the losse of their liberties because for conscience sake they cannot swear and many others in this Nation furthering cruel things upon the like or same ground even for well doing and not for evil which oppression might be removed and their unjust sufferings taken off by thee by a word from thy mouth or pen and this makes it to appear that thou canst not be clear in the sight of God in these things because not helped by thee who hath the power to help it and this is true love I give thee to understand in the day of recompence shalt thou know the Lord will not clear thee except thou repent and ease the oppressed other things thou speakest about the light of Christ which lighteneth every man that cometh into the World with the light of life or with the light of condemnation and about the Ministry of this Nation with some other things which I had a desire to have answered if time had been seasonable and thou willing to have heard but thou shouldest not have appeared in such lightnesse especially when speaking of the things of God which did grieve the spirit of the Lord and vex the righteous soul which behaviour with some words which thou utteredst with the Light of Christ is to be condemned and which I do judge with the life of God and yet doth tender and preserve the measure of justnesse and honesty which is in thee but thou art high above the principle of God and cannot receive the teachings of the Father into that mind which is Light and unstable for the Councel of God is manifest to the meek and to the lowly but there is much in thee to be judged when thou comest to the witnesse of God in thee and as concerning the light of Christ at which thou stumblest by which every man that comes into the World is enlightened in short this I say the Light to thee is given of God and it must thou own to be thy onely teacher to receive by it from the Father and to be guided by it in all things if ever thou inherit Gods Kingdom of righteousnesse and peace and this is the word of the Lord to thee and as concerning the Ministry of England for which in part thou seems to plead thus I say in plainnesse generally it is not of God but of Anti-christ and the Lord is against it for it is the ground of the greatest oppression of the poor in its maintenance as any one particular abomination which this day is in the Nation and this is the truth from the Lord and if thou set thy self to uphold them by any law made or to make against such whom God hath raised to bear witnes against them their wayes and idolatries thou shalt fall with them into perdition and be overthrown amongst them in the just and righteous judgements and this is the word of the Lord to thee for God is risen of a truth to make war against the beast which long hath reigned and against the false prophets which hath long deceived the World and I warn thee with hold thy hand from helping them if thou mean to be preserved or blessed in thy person in thy family and in thy Armies for as I said to thee the Kingdom of Christ is setting up by his own power and all must bow and become subject thereunto he needs none of thy policie nor the strength of thy arm to advance him yet would he have thee nor to prove thy self an open enemy thereof by doing or suffering to be done cruelty and
direct thee in all things and thy immortal soul will be satisfied with the bread that cometh down from heaven which the Father giveth and the Covenant of God and the mercies of David that are sure will be revealed and his promise fulfilled in thee and life and immortality brought to light through the Gospel which is the power of God which destroyes and puts off and confounds the first man and his knowledge and wisdom and his sin and righteousness all which is in transgression against the life of God and the Gospel the power of God being received it will raise up the seed of God in thee and bring thee to know the second Adam the image of the Father which the Devil hath nothing in but he overcomes the Devil who hath been the Lamb slain by transgression since the foundation of the world and he it is that comes out of death that must take away thy sin and destroy it and cover thy nakedness and create thee a new and give thee acceptance in the Father whereby thy soul in him may be refreshed and a habitation in him thou maist have when this world is no more and for this thou oughtest to wait above all things And friend thou hast need of the Wisdom of God which is from heaven to guide thee in all thy affairs that by it thou may be preserved from the will of thine enemies and from all that hate thee that their eye may be blinded that watch for evil and their wisdom and policy confounded and brought to nought that hatches mischief against thee so feel a measure of the Wisdom of God in thee to guide thee in dread and Authority and thy enemies will be afraid for to walk in the fear of the Lord and in his Wisdom and Authority in Justice truth and righteousness that will make thee a greater terrour unto thy enemies then all worldly policy and craft the Nations will over reach thee if thy strength be there and if Judgement Justice and Righteousness be neglected by thee how should the Lord honour thee and defend thee nay he will bring dishonour and give thee into the will of thy enemies for want of truth and just Judgement causeth a Land to mourn and her People to sit as a widow comfortless wherefore love Judgement truth and righteousness and walk therein and thou wilt leave a praise behind thee and a witness to other Ages that thou hast served the Lord in thy generation and then thy memorial shall never die nor thy name come into reproach among the heathen wherefore let all oppression be removed and let the just go free and let Judgement and righteousness run down and be thou a praise and a blessing to all that do well and a rerrour and a dread to all the contrary arise and stand up for the Lord and he will give thee strength and victory and will make thy horn as Iron and thy hoof as brass to push down down and tread under the high places of Idolatry in all the Apostatized Churches both Papists and others out of the life of the Apostles and as thou comes into the life the Apostles were in then thou wilt see and fathome over all this Profession of Christ and all these Churches that are without the life of Christ which is come up in the Apostacy and as the life of God ariseth in thee thou wilt see who the false Prophets are and deceivers which Christ prophesied of should come and Iohn saw were come in his dayes which hath over-spread the Nations and these are they which hath the sheeps cloathing upon them but inwardly they are ravening Wolves and such are they that will flatter thee for great Benefits and places and large maintenance they have Christs words and the Apostles words the sheeps cloathing but they that put not into their mouthes they will prepare War against them and raven upon them cast their bodies into prison or spoil their goods and wilt thou bring thy name into dishonour to all the Saints upon earth by defending of these in their evil wayes thou oughtest not to do it nor to suffer the innocent to be troden down and destroyed for denying such and witnessing against them that are out of the life of Christ and a great overthrow will the Lord make among those Teachers and such a Ministry that need to be defended by carnal weapons and by stockes and prisons for such Teachers and Ministry is not of Christ as is manifest and as People have been scattered after them for ages so they shall again be gathered from them by the spirit to follow the Lamb whethersoever he goes And take heed these Teachers come not too near thee neither put confidence in them for their hearts are not right before the Lord and they will flatter thee while they hatch evil against thee but stand over them in the Dominion of God and if they sow spiritual things let them reap carnal by a free gift and if they have flocks let them eat of the milk freely given them and if they have planted any thing let them eat the fruit as it comes freely and be not thou combered about maintaining Ministers but free thy self of that burthen neither suffer innocent men to be troden down and destroyed in their persons and estates about the maintaining of such Teachers which is become the grievousest oppression in the Nation And as concerning thy family thou hast need of Gods wisdom to guide thee that thou mayest Rule in Gods Authority over all light loose proud wanton ungodly and deceitful persons take heed of such spirits for they will be a temptation to thee to draw thee into evil and into the world out from God let no such be thy companions nor remain in thy house lest they betray thee with flatteries and honour which perisheth and such professe much love and great duty in words yet they being out of the fear of the Lord cannot be blessed unto thee in their service wherefore love such men and let them be thy companions that fear the Lord and that are solid and sober and upright such as may be good examples before thee which will quench evil and not increase it in thee and though such appear not in flatteries towards thee nor with a double minde yet they will be faithful to thee and such will the Lord blesse unto thee and let no drunkards nor covetous evil minded persons that seeks themselves and not the Lord have place with thee for they will be a dishonour to thee and bring the curse into thy family and love such as makes conscience of their words ways and be not an oppressor of the tender conscience of any but let the Lord be Ruler there both in thy self in all thy family and be of a pittiful tender mind and spirit towards strangers and all people and be kind and long suffering towards all yet let Justice reach to all transgressors and be an example to all
in Authority under thee and let not evil and cruel hearted men bear any place for such renders thee and thy Government dishonourable and by such the Land is filled with violence and the just mourns whereby the blessing is kept far away the curse near ready to devour Now friend if thou come to be guided by the spirit and with the wisdom of the Father then thou wilt bring the Nations into good order whereby the inhabitants may live in peace and perfect freedom from all oppressions and vexations that now is a bondage upon the just and upright for there is great corruption entered into all places and sorts of men and when the Lord toucheth thy heart and makes thee rightly sencible of all things as now they stand then thou wilt see the Ministry as now it stands to be quite degenerated from what the Ministry of Christ was in the dayes of the Apostles before the Apostacie and as it now stands there is much of it which is to be thrown down to the ground and crushed to pieces for it s corrupted altogether even in the way of its setting up and of its Call and in the way of its maintenance and practice in all these things it is corrupted and degenerated from what the Ministry of Christ was before the Apostacy And this may be proved by the Scriptures and so it is not to be upholden by thee but to be corrected and thrown down the rather And likewise in Magistracy thou wilt see great corruption entered and abundance to be purged out for it is much degenerated from the state as it was ordained of God and in the Lawes there is much to regulate and correct when thou comes to the principle of God in thee if ever that arise in thee it will bring thee to thresh down and trample down all unjust men that handles the Law and all such that Judge for gifts and rewards and all such Lawyers that devours the innocent for gifts that will not plead the cause of the poor without great Fees and all the Priests that Preach for hire and the Teachers that teach for filthy lucere and to get gain all such men will be counted as bryers and thorns by thee to be plucked up by the roots and to be cut up as evil trees which cumbers the ground for such doth corrupt the Land and cumbers it and if ever the Lord doth arise in thee he will reward them by thee according to their wayes whose wayes are corrupt before the Lord And as concerning thy War and Armies abroad in Spain something there is in it known to the Lord seek not thy own honour in it but be faithful and leave the issue of all things to the Lord make no Covenant with Idolators but tread down their idol gods that they have set up and hew down their mountains in which their confidence stands and plow up their ground that the seed may be sowen after thee its honour enough to be the Lords plowman be thou faithful in what the Lord calls thee to and thou shalt have thy reward and seek his honour and he will honour thee and let thy mind be to the Lord in all things and feel his word and power and presence in thee to quench all that which is contrary and then thou wilt be blessed in this life and in the life to come but if thou continue in thy oppression the Lord will suddenly smite thee By a Friend unto thee in the Lord E. BURROUGH This was given to Oliver Cromwel his hands at Hampton Court in the 6 Mon. 1658. about a Moneth before his death For Oliver Cromwel FRIEND THe Lord hath visited thy house because thou hast suffered thy servants to smite the Servants of the Lord and Lambs of Christ and prisoned his Lambs and Sons and Daughters some until death Therefore thy sons and daughters and servants will I take away with death and visit thee and and thy house with sicknesse saith the Lord and thou shalt know that I am the Lord who reigns therefore spare my Sons and Daughters that I may spare thee and thy house and that thou mayest know that I am the Lord Oh! how art thou fallen under men and thy house will suffer as long as my Sons and Daughters and Servants suffers by thee and thy servants and die in prison and you not visiting them nor suffer their own friends to visit them therefore take heed least thou become as weak as water And Friend thou shouldest have invited all the Christians upon earth in all Nations that are against popery to thee to come in and joyn with thee against popery for thou hast had authority stand to it loose it not nor abuse it nor let any other take thy Crown and do not stand cumbering thy self about dirty Priests that flatter thee for means for thou hast had fair warnings and thou hast had power over Nations for Nations begins to be upon heaps and Nations and tongues and multitudes are waters and the beast hath power over them who hath long reigned and they begin to swell and the whore sits upon them neverthelesse do not thou heed nor fear them nor be of a doubtful mind neither fear their amazements but let thy heart be single to God and wait that the seed of God in thee may come until the top stone be layed and invite all them that professe against the Pope in all Nations to joyn with thee against him and do not loose thy Dominion nor authority nor the wisdom of God but with that thou may order all that will keep thee single in heart and mind to the Lord and let thy souldiers go forth with a free willing heart that thou may rock Nations as a cradle and keep thou in the fear of the Lord and all thy souldiers and them that be under thee this is a charge to thee in the presence of the Lord God that thou nor them may lose the dread of the Lord for that is it that strikes terror in the hearts of all people and set all the prison doors open for them to come forth that are imprisoned for Churches and Ministers maintenance and worship and learn the pacience for the Lords work is begun already in other Nations and the patient spirit remaines in the Lords work for that is it that tries stands and abides which gets the victory and obtains the Crown if any hurt come to thee it will be through thy disobedience to the Lord I am a lover of thy soul and Eternal good an establisher of righteousnesse G. FOX Written the tenth of the 6th month 1657. This is for the Protectors Kindred his Wife and Children to be read soberly by them in the fear of God FRIENDS REmember that by the Lord you were raised from a low state and when he will he can abase you and bring you down he gave you the Palace of Princes and threw out the high and mighty before you because of their
yet like ravenous Wolves cast them into prison for bidding them repent and fear God and lay away their pride and their rings points and superfluities and tell them of their costly apparel wearing gold rings and costly apparel as said the Apostle it was not the wearing of gold or costly apparel and such it may be for speaking to them have been cast into prison and for telling them they be out of the Doctrine of Christ now to make all these put them out of Prison again and all those Justices likewise as have cast friends in prison for biding People fear God it may be moved of God to cry repentance through a Town or reprove sin in the gate they cast them into prison as sturdy beggars though men or women of sufficient estates now this gives an evil savour now to make them put them out again that will be for the convincing of People and be a sweet savour and the bringing and shewing the wisdom of the Lord God to thee And friend take heed of having any to compell another to maintain his meeting house or his Clark to say Amen but that every one maintain his own meeting house and if he will have a Clark to say Amen let him pay him his wages and every one if he will have a Minister to maintain his Minister for ther 's many thousands in the Nations that they need not to say unto them know the Lord that hath the Law of the Lord written in their hearts and put in their minds and are come under his Government and knowes Christ to be their Teacher and hears him as God said This is my beloved Son hear ye him and the Apostle said to the Hebrewes God spake to our Fathers by the Prophets and visions but now in these last dayes he hath spoken to us by his Son whom he hath made heir of all things and upholdeth all things by the word of his power And friend let no drunkard nor swearer or prophane man keep Innes Taverns or Alehouses but such as fears God whose houses are wholsom to lodge travellers that no young nor old People may be nursed up in such idle places to act wickedness and to keep Games and sports and things to play in their houses on purpose for people to spend and passe away their time in vanity now this is an ill savour to a Christian life and which is common in the Nations And friend let none that is called a Minister that comes and creepes under thee for maintenance Tythes and augmentations let him first go plant and plough and thresh and get a flock and then let him reap and eat for that is the Apostles counsel take it to thy side and then thou wilt not be cumbered with Ministers then thou wilt come to know the publick service that belongs to thy place which is to do Justice And friend let no officer whatsoever that is covetous after gifts or sums of mony rewards or Bribes let no man that is such bear office for the gifts rewards and Bribes blindes his eye and make him he cannot do Justice for because of such the helpless is not helped and the jawes of the wicked is not broken and for that cause the Lord brings Judgement upon a Land and men are blinded with earthly honours gifts rewards and high places and puffed up with honours and do not see it how the Lord brings Judgement upon them and overturns them with his hand yet they take not notice who are crying peace peace but sudden destruction comes upon them so thy time is now consider as thou stands in the Wisdom of God and lives in his fear counsel and dread and feels his hand and arm and stands in his Wisdom and power thou wilt prosper and reign but if any earthly honour blind thee the Lord will come upon thee when thou dost not see it and turn thee into the earth which the earthly honour comes to and where God layes it down in the dust but whose honour is from him that 's from above and hath his Wisdom and Power by which he made all the creatures they shall reign with the Lord God in his Power strength and arm And friend take heed how thou let any perverse peevish crosse malicious Justice or Magistrate whatsoever bear any office that will not do Justice except they have earthly honour but are in strife and peevish against them that cannot give it them such Magistrates have left the Counsel of Solomon but its honour for men to do justice and it will be an honour for thee to do Justice and see that Justice be done and the greatest comfort in the world to thee in that thou wilt have peace with God everlastingly and happiness for ever and his blessing and know a world that hath no end so the Lord God Almighty preserve thee in his Wisdom Counsel and strength over the heads of his enemies in thy self and in the world both that thou maist come to live in that which comprehends the world which was before the world was made in that and with that thou maist come to order the creatures by which Wisdom of God they was made and created to his glory And friend take heed of putting of honest godly men out of the Army or putting them out of place being Justices and such as fears God in so doing thou wilt blame thy self and weaken thy Authority and remove thy self out of the hearts of them that fears God From a lover of thy soul and thy eternal good and establishing of righteousness G. F. From the Church of Christ and Elect Assembly called of the Lord and gathered by his spirit and redeemed by his Power from amongst men out of all the many false Sects upon earth into fellowship with the Father and with the Son to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes and we are named in scorn and known in the Nations by the name of Quakers To thee Richard Cromwel chosen to be Protector and chief Magistrate Governour of these Nations of England Scotland and Ireland a faithful presentation and salutation by a servant of the Church WE are rightly and truly sencible in all things of the mighty hand of the Lord God who brings all things to pass by his own Power and according to his will and in heaven and earth and over the Kingdoms of men he ruleth and Reigneth he buildeth and breaketh down and planteth and plucketh up and he pulleth down one and setteth up another and who may say what doest thou or why dost thou it for he is a great God and a mighty and his Majesty is terrible and all things in heaven and earth and all the sons of men are at his disposure whose dominion is from everlasting to everlasting and he may be feared and had in reverence by all creatures that hath life and breath And in particular we are sencible of his great and mighty Power who hath of late years in these Nations