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
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
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
wickednesse which was great in the sight of the Lord Oh remember this every one of you and come to the witnesse of God in you and be humble and meek and lowly and let the Lords fear be in your hearts and be of a tender spirit having your mindes exercised in purity in holinesse and in righteousnesse and exalt not your selves nor be lifted up in your hearts in the pride and vain glories and honours of this World least the Lord cast you down and make your name and posterity a reproach as he hath done many before you even for that cause was the generations of the Stewarts cast out and if you walk in the same steps and do the same things and become guilty of the same abominations and suffer the Children and Servants of the Lord to be persecuted as many are at this day some until death shall the Lord spare you nay he will cause you to feel his hand of judgement and bring you down with sorrow and he will vex you in his wrath and smite you with his rod more and more till you learn his fear and depart from all your iniquities and the Lord will deface your glory and pull down your crown and he will make you know that he is the Lord that doth whatsoever he will Wherefore humble your selves under the hand of God and search your own hearts and cast out the abhominations that vexeth the spirit of the Lord and suffer not the people of the Lords pretious flock to be devoured and made a prey to the wicked for because of this the rod of affliction cometh upon you and may suddenly break you to pieces but mind the seed of God in you which is oppressed and wait to know the power of the Lord which will redeem you out of sin and death and reconcile you to God and bring you into fellowship with himself to enjoy peace and rest for your soules that you may be made heires of the inheritance of an endlesse life and this would make you truly honourable and will be more satisfaction to you and joy and content and true rejoycing then all worldly crowns and worldly glories which will waste and consume away and leave you miserable and remember that you are now warned from the Lord God by whom I am moved to write this unto you in dear and tender love to you all and one day you shall witnesse it And as concerning the Quakers so called who are accounted as vile in the sight of men and are cast out of all power and place in the Nation being despised of all and also are reproached persecuted and imprisoned and all manner of evil and injustice unrighteously done and spoken against them by wicked and corrupt men in authority yet are they the Children and Servants of the living God and greatly beloved of him and are as dear to him as the apple of his eye and his power and presence is with them and the time is at hand that the Lord will make their persecutors fall and their enemies bow and tremble though now they suffer unjustly and are troden down as not deserving a place on the earth yet it is for righteousnesse sake and because they shew forth the image of the Father and not for evil doing and will not their sufferings lie upon you for many hundred have suffered cruel and great things and some the losse of life though not by yet in the name of the Protector and about a hundred at this present day lies in holes and dungeons and prisons up and down the Nation and some at this time are sick nigh unto death whose sufferings cries for vengeance and the Lord heareth the cry wherefore save your selves and let the innocent be delivered and the cruel bonds of oppression broken and the exercise of a pure conscience go free without persecution and then the Lord will turn away his anger and cease to smite you with his rod which hath been upon you and he will give you peace and make you blessed if you come to be lead by his spirit into all truth and though these innocent Lambs of Christ suffer thus under this present power yet are they not enemies to you but are friends to your persons and families and pitties you and loves you and desires well for you in the Lord that you may repent and be healed and even that your hearts may be opened to receive refreshments to your souls and that you may be established in righteousness and truth over all your enemies and may not be confounded nor your posterity brought into reproach which is hastening upon you and though our love be disputed we accounted hateful in your sight and looked upon with derision yet we bare all things in patience truly desiring your returning and repentance and not your destruction but if these doleful sufferings of the Lords poor Lambs be continued by this present power it will destroy you and undo you and break you and confound you and the Lord will not cease to smite you with his rod of sharp rebukes and he will make you know his Peoples cause shall not be unpunished Oh did you but know how hundreds have and do suffer how the bodies of some have been tortured by stocks and cruel whippings and how some lies sick in stinking holes and dungeons on the ground or a little straw at best ten or often more in a prison together and sometimes their own friends not suffered to come to visit them with necessaries Oh did but your eyes behold or your hearts perceive the greatness of the cruelty which some of the Lords dear servants and your faithful friends undergo it would make your hearts ake and your spirits to tremble and all this is done in the name and under the Authorty of Protector therefore how should the Lord but lay it to your charge and afflict him and his family he will make you know there is a God that can do whatsoever he will and that life and death are in his hand and all creatures are as clay in the hand of a potter and he rules in the Kingdoms of men and pulleth down one and setteth up another according to his pleasure but if the love of God be with-holden from you it is because of disobedience to him and your transgression Wherefore be obedient to him and love his wayes and judgements that he may make you more happy with a Crown Immortal that never fades away and remember once more the Lord hath warned you by a Friend unto you in the Lord E. BURROUGH Written the 1. day of the 7. month called Sept. 1658. Copies of this were delivered to divers of his Children and Kindred the day before he died To thee Richard Cromwel called Protector of these Nations is this moved of the Lord God of heaven and earth to be written for thy Instruction from him THere is a great mighty Innumerable people come coming up out of Aegypts Land
love to thee in the Nations and in thy Family for a season till their own ends of advantage be accomplished and may in the very time hatch evil against thee and secretly invent to uncover thy nakedness and betray thee for many men are treacherous but thou receiving a measure of the Wisdom of God it will guide thee over all such and thou wilt see into the hearts and spirits of men and to discern between love unfained which will seek thy good not self that love which is fained which will flatter thee and blind thy Judgement and lead thee into snares and such as will the least flatter thee will be the most true to thee so beware and let not vain flatterers and proud ambitious and ungodly self-seeking men nor drunkards nor covetous nor politick and deceitful men and spirits have any place in thy heart nor in thy house nor in places of authority and trust in thy Government for such men will be a snare unto thee and a dishonour to thee and the cause of Gods wrath curse against thy person family and whole Nations for such men God will not bless nor thee nor the Government for their sakes this thou wilt find true one day therefore chuse unto thee such men as fears God who are just and humble and upright-hearted who are sincere and faithful to the Lord who hath the Wisdom of God and true nobility of spirit in righteousness and simplicity free from the prophanness of this evil world let such be thy companions to wait upon thy person and to Govern and Rule in thy Family and Nations and let such be put in trust who will not be treacherous for such are blessed and will be a blessing to thee and the whole Government and we know that the Lord gives respect and regard to the upright that fears his Name and such he will accomplish his work by to thy renown and the peace and happiness of the Nations more then to craft and policy and the wisdom and subtilty of this world for thereby the Lord will never fulfil his work nor prosper a Ruler nor his people and if thy strength and defence be there and not in the Lord and his pure Wisdom only thou canst not prosper but the Nations men will over-reach thee beguile thee and thou cannot be happy nor thy Government be kept in peace but a little measure of the fear power and wisdom of the Lord God from heaven in thy heart amongst such as are thy Counsellors to guide you Govern you will be of more value and worth unto thee in thy place and condition then all worldly policy and wisdom and craft which with God is not regarded nor of him ever blessed and if thou deny the Lord and righteous men and chuse thy own way and this worlds wisdom that 's from below then thy trust and strength shall pierce thee and make thee feeble and of all others thy state will be the most miserable if thou be given into the policy and deceipts of treacherous men so be wise and seek the Lord that he may be thy trust and put not confidence in vain man whose heart is deceitful and desperately wicked And as concerning the condition of these Nations they are in a broken state much devided and divers in Judgements and far out of good order for there is much corruption and abuse in all orders and places of men and much to be purged out and Judged both in Magistracy and Ministry before righteousness peace and truth union joy and faithfulness can embrace one another amongst the Inhabitants of the Nations for both are in a diversion degeneration from what they were at the first ordained of God and this I could clearly manifest unto thee for the Nations are but newly come out of Popery having put off but part of the dress of that polluted Whore and the garments of professions in Religion yet smell thereof as not being throughly purged from her abominable Idolatries and superstitions as thou maist see when the Lord opens thy eye to view the present state of all things As for Magistracy it was ordained of God to be a dread and terrour limit to all evil-doers to be a defence praise to all that do well to condemn the guilty to justifie the guiltless but the exercise thereof at this day inthese Nations is degenerated and some that are in authority are greatly corrupted and regards not the Just and pure Law of God to Judge onely thereby but oppresseth the poor by injustice and subverts the good Laws of God and men to a wrong end and use abusing Authority and turning the sword against the Just whereby true Judgement is turned backward the innocent made unjustly to suffer for righteousness sake through the corruption of men in Authority and didst thou but know what we know in this particular it would pierce thy heart Why It is frequent amongst some of the Judges Magistrates to commit a just man to prison impose some great fine up on him and to cast him into a dungeon or hole among thieves and murtherers for a long season for no other offence or breach of any Law but because he cannot put off his hat to them and respect their persons by bowing the hat or knee and many others that fears God and for Conscience sake cannot swear upon a book by kissing it laying hand upon it because Christ saith swear not at all though they deny not to do and speak the truth in all things as in the presence of God and all men and many others that because they are moved to cry against sin and declare against the iniquities of the times in Teachers Rulers and People that highly abounds perhaps in a Market or Steeple-house or High-way or other place as they are moved of God and many others because for conscience sake they cannot pay Tythes nor give mony and wages to a maintain a Priest or false Teacher that they receive no profit by or to maintain a steeplehouse where the world worships in vain traditions and not in the spirit and power of God and many have been taken out of peaceable meetings where they were waiting upon the Lord and some out of their Innes and friends houses and many have been taken on the way travelling about their lawful occasions and some from their callings and labours and for these causes through the envy of wicked men and without any just conviction of the breach of any Law or any lawful tryal or examination have hundreds of just men being wholly innocent been sent to prison and layed many Moneths and some for years or whipt and put in the stockes and grievously abused by cruel executioners of wicked mens envy and injustice and upon such grounds onely and for such causes mentioned and without the transgression of any just Law have and do at this day many hundreds of
believe without any further knowledge that daily advantage they seek against thee by subtil conspiracies and secret plottings of maliciousnesse in their evil hearts seeking by all means if it be possible how to be avenged and not sliping any advantage how to revenge themselves and the cause of their King and of these scattered under thy Government is not a few but rather the greater number who thus stands in affections to thee with no better purpose of good towards thee then to destroy thee by any means if it were in their power and to take away thy Name in reproach such is the cruelty and desperatenesse of some of them their own lives are not dear unto them to take away thine I have felt the strength of their rage against thee which carries them above sence or fear to forego any danger that they might see their desired end of thee their malice towards thee is so seated in their wrathful hearts that it cannot easily be quenched I know the Lord hath cursed them and their endeavours to this day and thou hast had dominion and power given thee of God to bruise them and to break them to pieces and what thou hast done unto their King should not be reckoned against thee by the Lord if now thou wert faithful to what he requireth of thee for because of the wickednesse of that generation which was grown to the full did the Lord raise thee up as a plague upon them because of their unrighteousnesse oppression and tyranny and they were made as slaves and bondmen under thy power and without the Lord can they not at any time do any thing against thee but what and if for thy wickednesse in the sight of God he should make them instruments in his hand to accomplish his wrath upon thee even like as he made thee once his instrument to overthrow them and such hath been the Lords doings even to overthrow his enemies one by the other and to use the wicked as a rod in his hand to break them one against another like potsherds and by that which comes to passe in these Nations thou seems no lesse then to tread in their steps and in a measure already goes on in their way in oppressing through Tyranny or suffering it the people of God whose cause the Lord will assuredly plead against thee one day who now suffers under thee in patience and who can tell the purpose of the Lord or what he may bring to passe concerning this thing in raising up the wicked to be a plague to wickednesse and in suffering the oppressors to overthrow oppressions this is by me in love to thee in sencerity declared and by thee with soberness and in the fear of God it is to be considered Again there is another people scattered through all these Dominions who is not thy friends nor wishers well unto thee or thy Government who secretly murmures against thee and envies thee and even seekes God against thee and thy Government which they judge to be not according to God and bowes not to it in love though they are forced to submit for a time hoping continually if not hatching other wayes of Rule and Government to the overthrow of thee and thine and these are more honest and upright and just in the sight of the Lord then the former and indeed they are not nor their purposes accursed of the Lord for many of them have been sufferers and faithfully served their Nation with perfect purpose of freedom to the Lords People and they have at this day perfect zeal for God and for his wayes though not altogether according to knowledge yet some of them are not far from the Kingdom of God though they seek it not wholly in the right way nor looks onely with a single eye yet doth not the Lord hate them altogether because of their integrity towards him and zeal for him who some of them have suffered imprisonment for truth and righousness sake as they have wholly thought and their suffering hath not been altogether slighted by the Lord and these are they known by name of the fifth Monarchy of whom there is more then a few with them that wishes well unto them who will rise up for them rather then for thee many of whom propounds well in their minds though they have not power to effect it because their intent is not altogether according to the Lord yet are many of them free from that whereof thy self is guilty and some of them are cast out and wholly rejected without any just cause as they suppose and these things have grieved their spirits and not onely kindled their rage and envy but moved their sincerity and honesty against thee wherefore they are not thy friends but rather thy enemies and would not stand by thee or with thee in thy need but rather I suppose would arm themselves against thee and thy power who highly charges thee as they suppose justly too with unfaithfulness and such like for they see that is not accomplished which hath been promised by thee but the contrary even one finger is become as heavy as was once the loynes and their spirits are grieved against thee for such causes and who knowes but that the Lord may take the occasion to trie thee and prove thee by them for their hearts are high against thee and thy Government and that upon good ground as they sincerely think Again there is through thy Dominions a People gathered and gathering dayly by multitudes who are called and chosen of him and faithful to him who hath owned him above all things and whom he hath owned and will own in the sight of the whole world and will encrease them to a numberless number according to his promise and even those the Lord is making many who are redeeming out of the world into the Government and Kingdom of Jesus Christ and these thou knowest are great and grievous sufferers by many hard and cruel oppressions from those who are in authority in thy Government even unjust imprisonment and fines and burthensome taxations in many things hard to be expressed and they undergo grievous persecutions under thy Government and wholly unjustly in the sight of God and also are cast out of all power and place in it and almost out of all subjects priviledge too many of them being counted as vile amongst men though they are not so in the sight of the Lord Justice and righteousness and true Judgement they cannot have in all these Nations not from thy self nor subservant Judges of whom hardly can their cause be heard but are deprived of their proper right and of subjects freedom in Judicatories and exposed to all wrong that may be by unjust men through unjust Judgement and these things are not unknown to thee and therefore art thou inexcusable in the sight of the Lord and guiltie of their sufferings in his presence who hath power to prevent it but doth it not and these thus suffering in thy Government
which is justly according to God in which righteousness and truth Justice and true Judgement may run down and all the contrary may be stopped and chained and limited and confounded and then that which thy father left undone the Lord will fulfil through thee and doing these things the Lord would make thee truly honourable and happy and blessed in this life and in the life to come but in doing the contrary the Lord will make thee a curse and take thee away in his Judgements and thy name shall be left a reproach to ages for ever and if thou do rule in oppression and cruelty and suffer the innocent to be destroyed for want of true Judgement then shall thy dayes be fewer then thy fathers if thou be disobedient to him the Lord shall cut thee off and thy memorial shall rot and this is the Word of the Lord God to thee And as for this afflicted sojourning people they desire nothing to thee but truth peace righteousness no more of thee but Justice Justice and true Judgement and that they and their little ones which to them are brought forth may sojourn in peace and quietly pass through the Nations till they come up to the Land of Promise and they may not carry away of the glory nor riches of this world with them nor seek great places of honour from thee nor be hurtful to thee nor the people nor to mankind in their sojourning only what the Lord Commands them that they must do and what he forbids that they must not do for they have chosen the Lord to be their Leader and to give him their obedience in all things and thy Government so far as it is according to God they will not destroy nor rebel against but are true friends thereunto subject in all things and if thou walk with the Lord and chuse him for thy Counsellor and abase thy self and altogether exalt him and preserve his people that fear him then shalt thou prosper and thy name shall be greater then was thy fathers the numberless number of this now distressed people will be unto thee a strength and stand by thee in thy day of trouble and defend thee and thy just Government and their hearts shall cleave to thee and thou shalt prosper for their sakes and none of thy enemies shall shall have power over thee to destroy thee though many may seek for thy life Wherefore my friend awake awake and now consider the day of thy visitation is present and thy fathers is past and now thou hast a time to gain unto thy self everlasting honour and renown or otherwise to leave thy name a curse and a reproach for evermore do thou hearken to the voice of the Lord and fear his dreadful Name and bow before our God that made Heaven and earth who rules in the kingdoms of men and pulleth down one and setteth up another at his pleasure and as he will and he will make thee know that he lives and reigns over all and doth whatsoever he will and if he smite thee none shall heal thee and if he wound thee none shall comfort thee Therefore take him for thy Counsellor and beware of the wicked counsels of men for thou hast many enemies and they would rejoice to see thy fall and if the lord be not on thy side thou cannot long stand but if thou be obedient to him and preserve his people and break down all oppression then thy enemies shall fall and thy foot shall tread them down and the terrour of the Lord shall be upon all that hate thee but thus shall it be done unto thee if thou be disobedient to him and reject his Counsel by his servant I am thy Friend and a lover of thy Soul and seeks thy happiness in this world and in the world to come known to many by of the name of EDWARD BURROUGH The Original of this was delivered to him a few days after he was proclaimed Protector To Richard Cromwel Protector so called FRIEND THou being chief Magistrate of these Nations and Dominions belonging thereunto Carry thy self wisely in the fear of God and take heed of being lifted up but be low and grave and temperate then thou wilt foresee dangers that would happen to thee and come upon thee and not a plot or act against thee but wisdom foresees live in that mind the humility of Moses the meekness of Moses and the humility that Solomon the King speaks of who sayes That before honour was the humility Prov. 15. And keep on thy own leggs in the power and strength of the Lord waiting for his wisdom from above by which all things were made and created with which wisdom thou mayest be ordered to Gods glory and all thou hast under thy hand to his glory that with it thou maist feel the blessing of the Lord God of glory and life with thee whereby thou maist come to see the Law of God and counsel and wisdom and strength from him and understanding and knowledge that with the Law of God received of him thou maist come to answer the principle of God in every man which Law of God the higher Power goes over all transgressors and with that order the Creation which will let thee see as it did Moses that meek man before any transgression was the first transgression upon the earth this Law the higher power to which the Soul must be subject the which is a terrour to the evil-doers a praise to them that do well is higher then all the transgressors evil-doers upon the earth and a terrour to them that do evil which Law and higher Power answers the Principle of God in every one that do evil which goes from that of God in them Now this is for the praise of them that do well for them that do well are led by the Spirit of God and such lives in the power and this Law was not made for the righteous but for sinners and transgressors now there is no sinner nor transgressor upon the earth but first goes from the principle of God in his own particular then he goes out of the fear of God and loses his Wisdom and Counsel and such will turn the sword backward against the righteous which the Law was not made for and by such hath all the righteous upon earth suffered and such hath been all the persecutors upon the earth from the foundation of the world that is first gone from the principle of God in their own selves and have been in authority they have persecuted the just and turned it against the just and made a prey of such as reproves in the gate yea they that departs from sin and evil comes to be their scorn and these were they that made men offenders for a word and compelled others to do such things which they could not but sin against their own Consciences and against the Lord and such the Lord soon cut down and cut off and swept
away and often when things are young they are tender but when they grow up into prosperity they grow wanton and forget the Lord therefore friend live in Gods Wisdom if thou wilt reign in his power and strength then none shall touch thee and all them that fear God will be on thy side and take thy part and be one with thee in all thy sufferings yea till death And friend let no wilde raw flatterers that will be lifted up by gifts rewards or high places bear any Offices for such to thee will be a burthen at last and will clog thee and flatter thee for their own ends shake off such spirits from thee and let no Judges or Justices or Priest be authorized that will persecute men for Religion for such are not in the mind of Christ not the Apostles for they wrestled not with flesh and blood nor watred with it but with the principalities and powers and rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places Eph. 6. 2. that they struck down which caused the enmity amongst people and they did not strike at the Creatures nor wrestle with them with flesh and blood with such they did not war withal concerning Religion and Christ when they would have had fire come down from Heaven to consume them that opposed him and them Christ rebuked them and told them they knew not what Spirit they were of and he said he did not come to destroy mens lives but to save them so all Judges and Justices and Priests that will have mens lives destroyed and war with flesh and blood and wrestle with that about Religion they are not of the mind of Christ and his Apostles the true Ministers for abundance of prisonment to death and blood-shed hath been in these Nations by the blind zeal of Magistrates Judges Justices Priests therefore that 's the cause the Lord hath turned them upside down that they stand not long because they fight against the righteous and the just and wrestle with creatures and flesh and blood such are not worthy to have the names of Magistrates nor Teachers as thou maist read And friend take heed of letting any Goaler bear Office that 's a drunkard prophane swearers as many of them is or letting people lye long in goales twenty or thirty together for such they learn badness together one of another and Goalers be bad examples to them that they are worse when they come out then when they went in And friend take heed of letting any Judges exact upon the people in the poor Countries where they come and their Courts by tricks but keep them all to so saying and so doing not saying one thing and doing another for they have made many people come up to them 200 miles and when they have come they have said they do not mean as they speak and this be their tricks as by their writs they must appear personally and then when they come they must appear by Attorneys or Counsellers when the poor man knows his cause well enough himself And friend take heed of holding up the Priests and them called Ministers and giving them means and maintenance for which they do not work least in thy name they sue the people and cast in prison till the death and so make thy name to become a cloak for their persecution for who sets them on work let them pay them their wages and whom they work for let them give them their meat and that will be like the Ministers of the Gospel and now thou being free of these things keep thy self so And friend here is a great talk of Religion and Ministry and Profession and Christianity but if thou did but feel that which we feel and see it would grieve thy heart so much pride and haughtiness and loftiness amongst people and hard heartedness that there is so many beggers cripples blind lame men and women and children on their knees women lying with children in their lapps up and down every corner in the streets and high wayes and Steeple house doors throughout this great rich City that never knew want and do not know many of them what to eat and drink and put on now if these things enter into thy ears and tenderness strike thee and thou consider thou wilt feel it Now there hath been a cry of the Jewes hard-heartedness that turned against Christ now friend consider the Jewes that took Tithes had a Store-house to put it in and the Tenths were enough for to relieve the strangers fatherless and widowes that there need not be a begger amongst them Now I say the Tithes of this Nation would give strangers fatherless and widowes and Priests enough both if they had Store-houses to put it in that there need not be a begger amongst them as there was not amongst the Jewes but then you must own Christ is not come in the flesh for these Tithes were set up since the dayes of the Apostles for they preached them not up but down as Heb. 7. but they have been preached up since the Apostacy when all the want hath been and before the Apostacy among the true Christians there was no want among them every one had for his necessity now look amongst all the Magistrates and Ministery hear and see how things are out of order though there should be never such true Lawes given forth yet putting them into such corrupt Magistrates hands they will never act them but wrest them and pervert them and turn them against the righteous and by that the just suffers And friend let none bear the office of Judge Sheriff Justice or Minister that 's headdy perverse and peevish for such often slay themselves by their envy and it eats out the good in them and they will be a burthen to thee and a grief both thou living in the Power and Wisdom of God the simplicity in thee will be burthened as it is in us and thou dealing in truth it will stand by thee and answer the Principle of God in every man for such causes many poor men to go away with sorrow and grief And let no man bear office whatsoever his office may be that would have honour before he have humility for such will more mind honours below earthly and favours of men then Justice and are out of Solomons steps who said before honour is humility And friend take heed of giving Titles to men nor do not learn to do it but mind Elihu that young mans counsel that spake to Iob that great rich man the Judge who said if I give Titles to man which he had not learned to give Titles to men his maker would soon take him away as thou may est read Iob 3d. and the last And friend it is a just thing for thee to make all those Ministers that have cast into prison abundance of the servants of the Lord God because they could not put into their mouths that for which they did not work for nor never hired and
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
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
and Tythes but may reprove their evil and covetousness and wickedness Begging for Lawes against such and crying out against Error and Herefie because some may be moved to cry against their deceits and oppressions and for the like causes they will run about thee and seck their own advantage and this we know their nature and spirit is such and hath been for many ages But now friend do thou stand in Gods Authority out of and over all such Teachers and Sects and come not under any of them that have the form of godliness but want the Power who are in the Apostacy from the life and pure Religion that the Apostles were in nor believe them not that shall say loe Christ is here or loe he is there or who shall Ascend to fetch him from without or when shall he come from far to save his People go not thou after any of all these but hearken to the word of God in thy heart and know that Christ is within thee else thou art reprobate neither do thou take in hand to exalt any one of these Sects or some of them above others neither defend and maintain any of them against others of them nor tollerate not one of them above another for if thou do it will betray thee and the Nations Peace and set all spirits on fire about thee and while one is pleased and may pray for thee others will be vexed against thee and curse thee wherefore be not troubled about these things nor cumber not thy self about Religion how to establish it for it is in Gods hand onely to establish his worship and Religion it belongs to him as he will and not as man by his policy and wisdom but stand free from them all and neither establish any nor persecute any Sect whatsoever but let them all have their course and season they will fall and perish of themselves and the good old way and truth and the pure Religion only will remain and let them cry one against another and rebuke one another and meddle not thou with that but onely let thy Lawes and Authority preserve mens persons and estates from the wrong one of another that all men may live peaceably under thee and no man wrong his neighbours person or estate and that 's only thy place to rule in outward affairs but not to rule over any mans conscience to compell him to such a worship or to limit from such a worship in Religion that belongs not to thee but to the Lord who alone will be the Ruler and guide and exerciser of his peoples consciences and if thou do medle therein thou shalt not prosper nor be blessed in thy deed so leave the establishing of Religion to the Lord and let all these Sects manifest if any of them have the spirit Power of God in them with them let them shew their weapons of the spirit for onely such as hath the power and Spirit of God in them will overcome and such will be increased and grow and thou nor none can hinder and such that wants the Power and Spirit of God in and with them may flourish in their form for a while but they will be blasted and wither and it is vain for thee or any to uphold such or endeavour to establish them but if thou meddle on these accounts it will undo thee and confound thee therefore be wise and know what the Lord requires of thee perfectly for if thou leave that undone which God requires then shalt thou be condemned and if thou do that which he requires not then shalt thou not be free and this is written in love to thee to inform thy mind how to walk towards the Lord and the people over whom he hath set thee and as for the maintaining of Ministers let that aloue also and be not troubled about it for it was ever the false prophets and deceivers that preached for hire and went after gifts and rewards and sought money and gifts of people and they that do the same now were never sent of God nor are they such as shall convert people to God for who are true Ministers of Christ will not seek to thee nor to men for wages and Tithes and money but live of the Gospel and not compel great sums of money from people to maintain them in their families in pride in fulness and idleness such things are great oppressions in this Nation and a horrible filthy thing in the sight of God and because thereof will the Lords Judgements come upon the land if thou were but rightly sensible what casting into Goals and what suing at Law of poor people and what spoiling peoples goods by destraint and all for and about Tithes and Priests wages it would make thee admire the wickedness of that generation but do thou let them alone for they do shame themselves and undo themselves and loose the hearts of all good people by their own doings and stand over them all in Gods Authority and know a measure of the Spirit of God in thy own heart and thereby thou wilt discern and try and judge of the spirits of all men and their religion and the Spirit will lead thee in the pure Religion to worship God in Spirit and in truth so let not thy mind be cumbered at all about establishing Religion nor about maintaining the Ministers but be faithful to what the Lord requires of thee and learn his will and do it and then thou wilt be blessed and honoured in this world in the world to come And friend know thou that the Lord is doing of a great work in these Nations he is raising up a seed to serve him and to worship him aright and the God of heaven is setting up a Kingdom over the kingdoms of the world and he hath a controversy with all sorts of people in as much as corruption and degeneration is entered amongst all and all must be purged of all orders of men and the evil cast out the work of the Lord is great and mighty and he requires no help from thee nor any man whatsoever for his own arm will bring it to pass yet he would not have thee to gain-say his work and strive against it and seek to quench what the Lord is bringing forth if thou do it then shalt thou be condemned and the Lord will speedily execute his Judgements and remove thee and overthrow thy power and authority into destruction wherefore be passive in this matter and look thou at the Lord and protect and desend mens persons and estates from wrong but meddle not with their opinions and professions in Religions to exalt any of them nor yet to persecute them And as concerning the Armies abroad let faithful and just men that will not seek themselves be put in trust for the Army is of great concernment to thee to stand or fall through them as to mans account and the war against Spain be faithful to God in it and let trusty men have authority the Lord may accomplish something by it to his honour and to thine if thou be meek and humble and walk with the Lord and to say no more about it there is something in it known to the Lord and he may bring it to pass in his season And thus Friend according as it lay upon me from the Lord I have written this unto thee in dear and pure love God is witness and I have cleared my conscience to thee thus far and if thou fall by thy own transgression it will lie upon thy self I have warned thee and I am clear and if thy fall comes remember thou wast advised Who am a lover of Iustice and true Iudgement and a Friend of this Common-wealth and to thee wisheth well in the Lord EDW. BURROUGH London the 18th of of the 8th month 1658. This was delivered to him the 8th month 1658. * This was meant that he should deny to be made King that was in agitation when this letter was written