A Book of Warnings OR THE VISITATION OF THE LORD'S Love To The KING and his PARLIAMENT The NOBILITY and GENTRY The ARCH-BISHOPS and BISHOPS c. The PRESBYTERY The INDEPENDENTS and BAPTISTS The PEOPLE of these Nations Thorough His Servant GEORGE BISHOPE But the end of all things is at hand be ye therefore sober and watch unto Prayer 1 Pet. 4. 7. LONDON Printed for Robert Wilson and are to be sold at the Black-spread Eagle and Wind-Mill in Martins Le Grand 1661. To the KING and both Houses of PARLIAMENT Friends YOU have time to Work and it is not long The Lord hath been very Gracious unto you and Done for you above What ye were able to Ask or Think as it is at this Day He hath Replenished Your Sorrows and Troubles with Joy and Peace and made Your Dominion larger than Ye could Wish What is there that Your hearts can reasonably ask that You have not Was ever Such a Day seen by a People as by You Was ever such a Wonder wrought to make You so Did the Earth ever know the like Or can the Records of Ages parallel it Was it not as much beyond Your thoughts and that not long since as You are above Your Enemies Could Ye have thought that Ye should be Rulers over these Nations and so as at this Day some few years since Was it not Done in a Moment as it were without Blood or Price of War which brought and long kept Ye under How calm How still How in subjection are these Nations at this Day Have Ye an Enemy Can Ye think of one that can hurt You The Hearts the Persons the Purses of the Generalitie of the Nations are Under You. A large Dominion a goodly Heritage England the fairest and best of Nations England the most secure and safe of Nations England the fattest and most fertile of the Nations Men prompt and ready and bold and active A Seed Plot of Understanding An Academy of Learning A Nation of Men A Warlike Nation A People whom the Lord hath owned above any people A People whom the Lord hath appeared to save more than any people A people whom He hath sought to gather whom He hath gathered many of them into his Rest and who know the Lord. This is your state this your Condition and thus hath the Lord done for you that ye may observe his Statutes and keep his Judgments that ye may live and it may be well with you and your posterity after you and that ye may know his Rest which is Eternal as he hath given you here a Rest temporal And now what doth the Lord require of you but that you Do Justly and love Mercy and walk humbly with God that you break every yoke and unbind every burden and let the Oppressed go free That you love Justice and Judgement that you rule for God who hath brought you into Rule and hitherto preserved you That you take not upon you to Rule over his Kingdom or to prescribe to his Dominion Whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and his Dominion that which shall never have end that of him in the Conscience That ye make not his innocent people to suffer who suffered with you and by and under your Enemies who have good will towards you and all men though they war with the Spirit of iniquity which holds Mens souls in Captivity with Weapons that are not Carnal but Spiritual who desire your everlasting welfare and that it may be well with you and yours for ever who are innocent as to you neither hath there been any ill-will found in them against you in thought or in deed who are peaceable in the Land and seated in it by Natural Right who consist of Many Thousands of Families Men Women Children and Servants Natural English who wrong no man who resist not Evil who are good Examples of Holiness of Virtue of Temperance and Testimonies against Evil which causeth the Wrath of God to come upon Nations and to afflict and destroy them Whose Desire is that none may perish but that all might come to the knowledge of the truth The Lord God hath called them the Lord God is with them the Lord God hath kept and will keep them as they abide with him The Lord God hath made them to stand and will make them He hath made them a People and they shall be so He hath observed all that hath been done for and against them and he hath recompenced and will recompence it they fear before him they dare not displease him they may not set up Man above him they must obey him before man they obey man in him He cannot see them wronged and not require it they are his Jewels his People are and as the Apple of his eye He that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of mine eye saith the Lord they tremble before him and of him stand in awe who is Lord of Heaven and Earth they fear not man whose breath is in his Nostrils because they may not Their fear towards him is not taught by the precepts of men because it ought not Christ Jesus saith so Matt 15. 7 8 9. Ye Hypocrites saith he to the Pharisees well did Esaias prophesie of you saying This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth and honoreth me with their lips but their heart is far from me But in vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrine the Traditions of men And the Lord by his Prophet Isa 29 13 14. Wherefore the Lord said Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth and with their lips do honor me but have removed their heart far from me and their fear towards me is taught by the Precepts of men Therefore behold I will proceed to do a marvellous Work amongst this people and a wonder for the Wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the Understanding of their Prudent shall be hid They worship God in spirit and in truth neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem because the Father seeketh such to worship him whom the Son saith will be so worshipped God is a Spirit saith he and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth Woman believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father Ye worship ye know not what we know what we Worship for salvation is of the Jews But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him John 4. 21 22 23 24. They cannot bow to any thing but what 's of the Lord in his Worship because the Lord hath sworn As I live saith the Lord every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God Rom. 14. 11. They cannot owe their Consciences to any but to God because He is Lord of Conscience They cannot but meet together to Worship God and to wait upon him
and Men at their Wits Ends expecting what the End of those things will be and an Eternal End abides it to every one either of joy or sorrow for ever and ever But if it be otherwise and that condemn you which should be your Peace and that plead against yee which you should now mind to plead for you in that Day and be a Witness to the Lord that yee have not hearkned nor heard nor obeied nor received Instruction nor drawn near to the Lord but you would do as yee listed and serve your pleasures more then God and consume his Creatures on your Lusts and swear by and blaspheme his Name and make no other use of your time then to please your selves and not the Lord nor of your Estates but in order thereunto and your time be over and the Day of your Visitation be closed up and at an End then it will be sad indeed and better it had been for you that you had never been born when with Rich Dives you who have had in your life-time your Pleasure must be tormented for ever and ever Therefore my Friends whilst yee have time mind it Let not the gracious hour of the Lord 's tender Visitation pass Over you but be yee gathred unto it Come into his Arms now they are Open approach unto him now that he calls upon you It 's your need not his that makes him call on you Come to him when he calls He knows your state He knows what it will be for you to be Undone for ever He knows the power of his wrath though man doth not He knows how it will sink how it will lay Low how it will bring to the dust how it will bow the Pride of Man and lay his Haughtiness in the Dust and how intollerable it is He calls that yee may hear whilst yee have time He calls that your souls may live Why will yee die O house of Israel Return and your souls shall live He desires not your death he hath sworn it This is a testimonie of it that he calls upon you and that he calls upon you you know because yee find that in you which shews yee Evil and judges yee for Evil and tells yee what yee should do and Answers to what I have said to you And this is the power of God to salvation to as many as believe in it and obey it It 's stronger then the Powers of Darkness It steps thorough it It comes before it it shews yee what the Enemy is doing and where he is leading you and what 's the Path and whither it tends and shines before you for you to see the Path of Life to walk in it it will lead you into the Path of Life as you believe in it heed it and obey it And this is the loving kindness of God to you and his free Grace and his Mercy his Redemption if you will receive and accept it For to as many as received him it was that to them he gave power to be called the Sons of God even to as many as believe in his Name which were born not of Blood nor of the will of man nor of the Flesh but of God Who was in the World and the World was made by him and the World knew him not who came unto his Own and his Own received him not Live not then in Pleasures for he that liveth in pleasure is dead whilst he liveth But draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto you Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts yee double-minded Be afflicted and mourn and weep Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up Come to that which judgeth you and love that which shews you and follow that which draws you Least the hour of your Visitation pass Over you and you be swept away by the over-flowing scourge which is near to come on the head of the wicked So will ye feel my Love and the Arms of the Lord which seeks to draw you with the Cords of a Man with the bands of love of which I am Witness vvho so moves in me to you-wards whose love is to you and who am willing in any thing in the Will of God to be serviceable unto your Eternal Welfare and that which is here which is desired by him who is Your Friend GEO. BISHOPE To the Arch-Bishops so called and Bishops Deans and Prebends Chancellors and Chorâ—sters and the rest of the Priesthood and its Officers under Episcopacy in these Nations Friends EVery Plant that my Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up saith Christ And you being not Plants of his planting ye will be rooted up Therefore look to your selves and see in this your hour whether ye be Plants which he hath set which shall not be rooted up Look thorough the New Testament so called the Scriptures of the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus and see whether ye have any footing there or in the Garden of God where they planted who were sent of him who were able Ministers of the New-Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter kills but the Spirit giveth life 2 Cor. 3 6. See whether ever Jesus Christ planted such a thing in his Church as to be called Fathers or Reverend Fathers or Right Reverend Fathers seeing that he said unto his Disciples Call no man Father on the eartâ— for one is your Father which is in Heaven Matt. 23. 9. And seeing of the Lord it is said Holy Reverend is his Name Psal 111. 9. And whether this be Right or in God seeing it is Out of the Scriptures and from the Church of Christ which is in God 1 Thes 1. 1. And none of the Gifts which when he ascended up on high and led Captivity captive he gave unto men which were some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the Unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4. 8 to the 14. And seeing that Christ Jesus himself calls not himself Father but the Son though he be the Head of the Church Col. 1. 18 And whether These be not Names of Blasphemy And whether the Woman which John saw being carried away by the Angel which had the seven Vials in the Spirit into the Wilderness was not sitting on a scarlet coloured Beast full of Names of Blasphemy Rev. 17. 1 3. And whether she was not drunken with the Blood of the Saints and with the Blood of the Martyrs of Jesus Ver. 6. And whether these be not some of the Names Again look and see whether Lords Arch-Bishops and Lord-Bishops or any such thing be
would have others do unto its self A Zeale there is in many of you and as to God and something in some of you which is sincere to him but your Zeal is not according to Knowledge for whilest ye go about things in the will of man ye cannot accomplish the Righteousness of God nor doth the sincerity alwayes guide you for then you would not hurt your principle which was once to suffer in making and in a mind that would make others to suffer nor comply to things against your Principle because of suffering For Truth is great and the Righteous is bold as a Lyon and the feeling of a true Witness of God in a Man carries thorough as he abides in it all that he shall meet with because of it and neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other Creature shall be able to seperate between a man and it as he abides therewith and that which turns from it is seperate because in the Testimony of Truth there is the Love of God where the Love of God is it is in Christ Jesus and the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophesie and that which witnesses prophesieth teacheth and it beareth witness to God in this World and to his Truth and that there is nothing greater than it or more to be desired yea it is more desirable than life and this is made manifest when life and all is laid down for it and this glorifies God and is a Confession of him before men as Christ himself made a good Confession before Pontius Pilate And he that confesses me before men him shall the Son of Man also confess before the Angels of God saith he and he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the Angels of God And to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am sate down with my Father in his Throne And he that starts aside never Overcomes and he that doth not overcome cannot sit in the Throne But the fearful and the unbelieving and the abominable and Murderers and Whoremongers and Sorcerers and Idolaters and all Lyars shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death And because thou hast kept the Word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of Temptation which shall come upon all the World to try them that dwell upon the Earth Be still therefore and cool and come into consideration and heed that in you which shews ye what ye have done which shews ye all things that ever ye have done as ye heed it Is not this the Christ And let the time past be sufficient wherein ye have walked according to your own minds and the will of the Flesh which lusteth after envy and return to the Lord to the old state which kept ye tender to God and keeps ye still as ye keep unto it and made ye not to dare to do any thing against him and judged ye when ye so did and judges ye still as ye heed it when ye transgress it This this is the Way to God the Reproof of Wisdom is the way of Life and there is no other It 's from Christ Jesus the chief Shepherd and Bishop of your Souls said the Apostle unto whom ye Return when ye are turned from going astray which turns to him those who are turned from going astray which is that which turns from going astray For ye were as sheep going astray but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your Souls and when the chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away said Peter to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithina elect according to the fore knowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus 1 Pet. 2. 25. And to the Elders that were amongst them who fed the Flock of God that was amongst them and took the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind neither as being Lords over God's Heritage but being Examples to the Flock Chap 5. Ver. 4. This said the holy Man of God Friends the tender Bowels of my Love is to that in you which suffers through all this heat and Lust and the Will and Wrath of Man This Doing that which ye would not be done unto this turning to and for and against this condemning your selves in the things that ye allow this building again the things that ye have destroyed this Violence to your Brother Jacob this rest less spirit any where but where you would your selves this contradictory spirit which is not of God which is meek and gentle and easie to be entreated which doth no wrong which suffers wrong which avengeth not it self whose is Vengeance and who will repay it Which when it suffers threatens not which when it is reviled reviles not again but commits it to him who judgeth righteously and this is the Spirit of Christ The Bowels of the Lord God is the same in me to you I am witness through the shedding abroad of whose Love in my heart to his Seed in you which suffers and in his moving I have written Who am Your Friend who truly desires your welfare in this world and that which is to come Geo. Bishope To the People called Independents and Baptists Friends YOU must come down to that which witnesseth in you which is the Cross of Christ the Power of God to salvation to as many as believe and not live above it and yet think in your hearts that Abraham is your Father for if Abraham were your Father you would do the deeds of Abraham said Christ to the Pharisees but in that ye seek to kill me a man which hath told ye the truth which I have heard of God this did not Abraham Now in that you obey not that which witnesseth in you nor believe in it you do not the deeds of Abraham for Abraham said he saw my day and rejoiced and before Abraham was I am Now in this Day he believed or he could not have seen it and his day he saw or he could not have rejoiced and his Deeds he did whose Day he saw or he could not have believed For I believed therefore I spake And I know Abraham that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do Justice and Judgement that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him and thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness So the Joy is in that which worketh righteousness and that which worketh righteousness is of Abraham and that which doth the deeds of Abraham seeth his day and rejoiceth and that killeth not nor seeks to kill