forth the more is the Government unhappy and accursed and the sooner will the Lord overthrow it and bring it to a desolate end and therefore my Friends let this great enemy to your persons government and whole Nation to wit persecution for conscience sake be speedily removed least the anger of the Lord break forth against you and repentance be too late for this know in all ages the Lord stretched forth his hand and in his time he quickly avenged himself for his peoples sake after their innocent sufferings born by them for a season and he is the same and changeth not and the same will he bring to pass therefore I say again be awakned and let that deadly enemy be removed out of the land as you tender your own safety and honour and the glory of the Name of the Lord and his peoples peace even this very enemy to wit persecution for conscience sake for it doth and will obstruct all your good purposes at home and abroad It eats away the affections of all good people from you and it eats out your strength and valour and it consumes the weakness of all your enemies verily it is an enemy that will work your destruction speedily both in this world and in the world to come that of God in ye all shall witness me in the day of the Lord I am your Friend and these things do I write as a Friend unto you as to warn you of that secret enemy so much reigning and rebelling in this Nation which indeed may work a greater distruction upon you then any forreign invader and this in time you may witness to your grief and sorrow if something by you be not done to suppress it all health and peace I wish unto you in the Lord and thus far am I clear from the blood of you and all men come life or death EDWARD BURROUGH The several Copies of this was delivered to Oliver and his Counsel in the 12th month in the year 1657 Oh! OLIVER HAdst thou been faithful and thundred down the deceipt the Hollander had been thy subject and tributers and Germany had given up to have done thy will and the Spaniard had quivered like a dry leaf wanting the vertue of God the King of France should have bowed under thee his neck the Pope should have withered as in winter the Turk in all his fatness should have smoaked thou shouldst not a stood trifling about small things but minded the work of the Lord as he began with thee at first sober men and true hearts took part with thee Oh! take heed and do not slight such least thou weaken thy self and not disown such as the Lord hath owned thy dread is not yet all gone nor thy amazement arise and come out for hadst thou been faithful thou shouldst have crumbled Nations to dust for that had been thy place now is thy day of trial take heed of joining hands with the wicked against the innocent but hear the voice of God and that will keep thee from hardness of heart and mind the Law of God with which thou maist answer that of God in every one and his fear and his dread to be in thy family and that thou maist come to break the jawes of the wicked that rends the innocent and that thou maist be eyes to the blind and legs to the lame and an help to them that cannot help themselves and take heed that any of thy servants that be under thy dominion of quenching the Spirit or limiting the Holy one but wait for the Wisdom of God that with it thou maist order all to Gods glory and all his creatures by which Wisdom they were created and made and that thou maist find the blessing of the Lord God with thee and take heed of flatterers and take heed of wild light spirits that will speak thee fair but mind sober men for there is mischief in many minds but if thou be kept in the power of God and live in it thou wilt live over all and stop and cross and tread under the intents of wicked men and take heed in any thing they be not thy executioners for now thou hast time prize it A lover of thy Soul and thy Eternal good and for establishing Peace and Righteousness amongst the people G. FOX The Original copy of this was delivered to him the 11th month in the year 1657. Dear Friend BE still and in the Counsel of God stand and that will give thee wisdom that thou maist frustrate mens end and calm mens spirits and crumbel men under and arise and stand up in the power of the Lord God the Lambs authority and fear not the face of man but fear and dread the Lord God then his presence and wisdom and counsel thou shalt have to throw down the rubbish and quell all the bad spirits under thy dominion and fear them about thee live in the Lords power and life then to thee he will give wisdom and the pure feeling thou wilt come into whereby thy Soul will be refreshed and it will be thy delight to do the Will of God and thy meat and drink as thou in the pure Eternal Power Counsel Will and Wisdom of God dwells things all will be made plain before thee and to thee from the Lord God in what thou doest for the Lord God thou shalt have peace and the blessing and in that so doing all the sober true hearted people will be one with thee in travels sorrows and pains and then in that a blessing from the Lord will come upon thee will abound to thee and cover thee as thou lives and art kept in the power and dread of the Lord God of Heaven and earth where Wisdom is not wanting nor peace lacking but peace enjoyed and counsel and instruction from the Lord God given and the helping arm and hand that stretcheth over all the Nations in the world thou wilt feel it and with that thou wilt come to break down all mens ends that they have to themselves and the worships that men invent and images they have set up for the arm of the Lord helps the righteous by his hand he carries the Lambs which arm is turned against the wicked stretched over them and the hand of the Lord is against them that do evil in which hand the Soul is and brings it into peace therefore live in the power of the Lord God and feel his hand that is stretched out over the Nations for a mighty work hath the Lord to do in other Nations and their quakings and shakings is but entering So this is the Word of the Lord God to thee and a charge to thee from the Lord God in the presence of the Lord God live in the power of the Lord God of Heaven and earth that will make all Nations to tremble and quake for those be Gods enemies that be out of his power and counsel and be thou faithful to God singlely without respecting any mans person but
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
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
once and again overturned and overthrowed and changed at his pleasure times and powers and Authorities and Dominions and he hath brought down the mighty from their seats and stained the Crowns and glories of the honourable and broken the stout-hearted and the oppressors and their Governments as potsheards one against another and made the highest of men of no respect before him for he hath pulled down and set up whom he would according to his will and in all these things hath his hand been the very doer and accomplisher thereof that he might be known and feared amongst all People through the whole earth who is the dread and terrour of men and Nations And as for thy Father the late Protector great things and honourable did the Lord do for him in raising him up and casting out his enemies before him and giving him victory and power and renown through Nations and we know the Lord shewed favour to him and gave him strength wisdom and valour and a right spirit and he was called of God into that great work to subdue the grievous tyranies once ruling over tender consciences and to break down the great oppressions which for ages had caused the just to groan and the Lord was with him in victory and went before him and was his defence and preserved him from great dangers and from the wills of all his enemies and made him prosperous against them all but yet we know to say no more of him he did not wholly fulfill the will of the Lord nor the work which he begun but became disobedient and abused his great deliverances and Authority and did not set free the oppressed altogether but left mountains of oppressions and grievous yokes of bondage unbroken down and unsubdued and the Lord smote him and took him away in judgement because thereof And as for thee who art now set up in his stead we certainly believe that the hand of the Lord is in this matter if but to try thee and it is he that hath brought it to passe not expected by any nor much sought after by thy self but it s come to passe a thing out of and contrary to the thoughts and expectations of the whole Nations art thou attained to this place of Government therefore we must acknowledge something of the great hand of God in it being come to pass as out of due season yet may the Lord make it seasonable and we patiently wait to receive what the Lord brings to passe thereby knowing that thou art in the hand of the Lord to do whatsoever he will with thee and concerning thee and if thou fear him and walk with him and chuse him for thy Counsellour and be obedient to him and seek his glory alone and not thy own honour and greatness then the Lord will do great things for thee and by thee and accomplish his own work through thee which fell in thy Father hand and thou wilt be blessed and renowned and honoured for ever and thy name shall be had in respect in generations to come and hereby the present thoughts of many shall be confounded but if thou do harden thy heart against God live carelesly and neglect his cause and despise his Name and honour seek thy own renown and oppresse the just in thee and without thee and suffer the poor to groan under the cruelty and burthen of oppressing men and Lawes in thy Government without relief from thee and go on in usurped Authority as some evil men before thee then shalt thou not prosper but the Lord shall bring thee down and lay his hand of judgement upon thee and thy name shall be a reproach to the Saints for ever and the heavy hand of vengeance shall be upon thee and pursue thee more then any before thee and the Lord will deliver his People by another way and this is not in flattery and fainedness to thee but as the Lord lives our God shall bring it to pass in his day and thou shalt be the witness Wherefore O man seek the face of the Lord and inquire diligently of him and hear his word that thy soul may live and feel a measure of his spirit in thee to lead thee into all truth and set his presence before thy eye alwayes to direct thy steps that he may bless thee with Power Wisdom Authority and Dominion to perform the duty of thy place faithfully towards the Lord and all men as he requires of thee and if thou first seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness and the reconciliation between the Lord and thee and come to feel the Elect seed of God raised up over all the contrary in thee and transgression and thy own will and affections and that which is of the flesh in thee judged and condemned by the word in the heart which makes the immortal soul to live and be refreshed in God and the heir of the promise of God born in thee and hereby shalt thou have an assurance and hope of life Eternal to rest in perfect peace with God when this world is no more but passed away with thee and also in this present time wisdom and valour and true Nobility shall be added to thee and the spirit of Power and Dominion to make men and Nations be afraid and fear and all evil men and such as seeks the hurt of thee and thy Government shall be blasted and confounded and all good men be encouraged and made strong and the whole Nations kept in peace and unity and the truth and peace of God shall hereby flourish amongst us to the honour of the eternal God and to thy renown if thou Rule and Govern for him and by his Spirit and Authority And we are truly sensible of the great charge of this place also of the multitude of perplexities and dangers to thy self occurring and happening thereby dangers from open enemies by their malice and cruel plots and dangers from thy pretended friends and they of thy own house by secret surmisings dangers in Martial and Civil affairs in this Nation and abroad so that we certainly believe nothing save onely the Wisdom of God and his Power can preserve thee carry thee to go through faithfully fulfil so great a place and to discharge it truly in the sight of God and just men neither maist thou be defended and preserved by any other means from the wills and plots and envy of evil men who may watch for evil against thee to destroy thee and blot out thy name and thy fathers posterity out of the Land Wherefore take heed to thy self and fear God that he may bless thee for this is a subtil and crafty generation and the Nations are politick and the Inhabitants thereof wise and deceitful over whom thou art set and with whom thou hast to deal Therefore beware of men for many may seek after thy hurt and some may flatter thee and shew seeming great respect unto thee and profess great service of