Lord Chap. 17. Let them be confounded thaâ— pâ—â—sâ—cute 〈◊〉 but let not me be confounded let them be disâ—â—id bâ—â— lâ—â— not me be dismaid bring upon them the day of evil and desâ—roy theâ— with double destruction I say these things will cry for Vengâ—ancâ— from the God of Heaven as in the dayes of old when Christ came near unto Jerusalem the consideâ—ation of these things caused him to weep over it saying O Jâ—râ—sâ—lâ—â— Jâ—rusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest thâ—â— thâ—â— are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thee This is thy state and this is thy condition O London with thy Magistrates and Rulers how often hath the Lord waâ—ned you and ye would not be warned to leave off Persecuting for matters of Conscience in the Worship and Servicâ— of God in the dayes of your former Rulers which were many how often were they warned by the Servants of the Living God concerning this thing And now in this your Day you have been often warned both you and your King to let Conscience go free and you have made Promises and the words of your King have been we should never suffer for Conscience sake so long as we lived peaceably And again you are warned at this time both you and your King that you leave off Persecution and let the Spirit of the Lord teach the Children of the Lord how to Worship him for it is written in the Scriptures that the Spirit teacheth them how to Pray and Worship as they ought and as many as are the Sons of God are led by the Spirit of God therefore do not think or believe that such can be limited to any dead Form of Prayer or Worship set up by the Precepts and Commandments of men therefore be warned of these things and if you are not it will be your utter ruine and it is not for evil-doing nor rebellion against the Lord nor the good Laws of your King that we are killed thus all the day long and counted by you as Sheep for the slaughter but because we keep our Consciences clear in being obedient to his Living Word and Spirit which purifies our hearts that we are so used by you and because we that know the Lord are resolved though he suffer you to kill us we will not fall down to your dead Image nay it is not so much as a true Image of a true Worship nor Worship in any other way but the same which he himself shall teach us for he is a Spirit and in Spirit will be Worshipped and all they that Worship him after the Precepts and Commands of men Worship they know not what Now all this Cruelty and Persecution is done and suffered to be done that that saying might be true spoken by the Spirit in Generations past They hated me without a cause and he which is born of the Flesh persecutes him that is born of the Spirit for the enmity of the Serpents Seed is against the Seed of the fâ—â—e Woman because it is begotten and born of God which cannot sin in bowing to that which is begotten and brought forth by the wicked one for there is a Seed begotten and a Birth brought forth by the undefiled God in England that serveth the Lord in bearing Witness as it did in all Ages and Generations against the Seed of Evil-doers And in the Persecutor is this Seed a prick Saul Saul why persecutest thou me it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks This is that Seed of the Kingdom which Christ told the persecuting Jews Luk. 17.21 was within them And this is that which Paul told the Gentiles of Rom. I. that which may be known of God is manifested within them This is a Talent given to the evil and slothful servant and a Prize in the hand of a fool he wanting an heart to improve it to the praise of the Giver This is the day of small things and the weakness of God it being compared unto a Leaven hidden and a grain of Mustard-seed not grown This is small in its beginnings yet chosen of God elect and precious A precious Stone and sure Foundation to all that have tryed believed and proved it he is precious and the head of the corner but to the wisdom of man and wise-builders such as build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity is he a stumbling stone and rock of offence at this day and had not the Lord God of Sabbaths left this Seed in fallen man even we had all been as Sodom and Gomorrah whom the Lord overthrew and repented not This is the Candle of the Lord which all ye Persecutors put under a bushel and that Light by which Job that righteous Magistrate walked through all darkness which all ye oppressors of the poor in spirit lie in This is that which did convince the persecuting Jews in themselves that Christ was a good man and Pilate also so that he notwithstanding all the cry of the multitude Crucifie crucifie him could find nothing worthy of death in him And this was it which almost perswaded King Agrippa to be a Christian And this is it which all Persecutors and Compellers about Religion grieve and do violence to in themselves first The light of the body is the eye God said I will guide my People by mine eye This all blind guides put out in themselves It is the god of this world in you Spiritual-men falsly so called with the seeming honour and glory thereof which blindeth you and shutteth your ears lest you should hear what this good Spirit of God saith as it is written by the Prophet If thou canst reade thy state do Who is so blinde as he that is perfect and deaf as the Lord's Messenger that I send seeing many things but thou observest not Hear ye deaf and look you blind that you may see the Lord is wâ—â—â— pleased For his Righteousness sake he will magnifie the Law and make it honourable but this is a people robbed and spoyled they are all of them snared iâ— holes and they are hid in prison houses they are for a prey and none delivereth for a spoil and none saith Restore Who among you will give ear to this who will hearken and hear for the time to come Thou that art compelling to worship in the Form thou settest up with carnal Laws thou wouldst blind all them whose eyes the Lord God hath opened in this day of his Power in which he hath caused his day to spring from on high which will cover thy day and stain thy glory whose fading crown is mortal and doth not endure throughout all generations but it is upon the head of the fat valleys where run the pleasant streams and where the springs of waters are ye Persecutors drink not of The Lord hath caused his Day to spring and he hath enlightned the Earth from his holy Habitation everlasting Glory is revealed which will stain the glory of the World England shal be as a
the Earth give you unto the Lord the honour due unto his Name do not you limit the Lords pure eternal Spirit by making Laws how he should be served and worshipped in this thing you rob the Lord of his honour who is a Spirit and doth teach his People in Spirit how to worship him therefore limit ye not the Holy One of Israel for he is a great King above all kings and a God of gods which saith My Glory will I not give to another And unto all you Magistrates and Governours and all the rest of your inferior Officers in England high and low from him that sitteth upon the Throne to him that openeth and shutteth the Prison doors this is the Word of the living and true God Persecution will break you all to pieces but if you honour me and give unto me that which alone to me doth belong which is to â—ule in the hearts of my People let me be Lord Judge and â—aw giver in all spiritual things and let me be heard of all my Saines in all matters of Worship and spiritual Service then will I honour you and all my Children whom I â—â—â—ch my self they shall honour you also for my Names sake and if your Souls be subject unto the higher Power thâ—â—ight of the World Christ unto whom I the Lord have committed all Power in Spiritual matters then shall all the Souls whom I have begotten into my Power and gathered from all the false wayes and worships that they should not be 〈◊〉 prey any longer to the teeth of the greedy Wolves unto the chief Bishop and Shepherd of their Souls be subject unto you and all your righteous Commands for Conscience sake but if otherwise ye will still exalt your sâ—lves above sâ—y Throne which is the lowly and contrite Spirit ye shall be lightly esteemed by me and all my Saints and Children also they shall bear their Testimony against you and your unrighteous Laws whereby you would force them to worship God contrary to God's Witness which I the Lord have placed iâ— their Consciences to be their teacher and guide in â—ll things And though you seed them for these things with Bread of Affliction and givâ— them Water of Adversity to drink and are killed â—ll the 〈◊〉 long by you yet their Teacher shall never be râ—moved into a corner any more I the Lord who will not leave thâ—â—â— comfortless in a Prison but will rend through Rockâ— and Wâ—lls of stone to comfort and consolate the lowly heart 〈◊〉 spoken it And all the while ye are causing them to suffer and filling up the meâ—sure of your sin even in going beyond your Commission as they did whom God overthrew before you for ye have a time set with the Lord and a work for him ye have to do which is to make manifest Hypocrites and that the thoughts of many deceitful hearts who have made a Profession of God but are enemies to his Life may be revealed and their work 〈◊〉 manifest of what sort it is and all Coverings râ—nt but only that of the Spirit of the Lord which his Children and Lambs are covered withal this ye cannot rent though ye are pulling hard at it And all Foundations may ye overturn which are not upon the Rock break al Gatherings and Assemblies which are not gathered into the Name of the Lord and every Church which hath seemed but hath not been the true House of God may ye dash to pieces and all may be made to change their Religion and Conform to any thing and lick up their own Vomit again but only those who are translated by the Power of the Lord out of Darkness into Light and gathered out of all the false Churches in England which are many into the true Church in God which is but one the pillar and ground of Truth these things before mentioned may ye do and yet stand but ye have not to do with the Lords Anointed which are covered with his living Spirit which is eternal and pure Wo be to them which touch these that have no help but what standeth in the Name of the Lord neither any foundation have they but that of God which all the Prophets and Apostles who as a cloud of Witnesses against this Generation suffered Persecution which is Christ in them the hope of Glory yea Glory it self Righteousness Peace and Joy which is full of glory which blessed be the Lord the World cannot take from us if ye touch these and number these with Transgressors ye touch the Apple of God's Eye and ye your selves will be found Trangressors if ye persecute and spoil these O ye Magistrates and Bishops the Lord will break you with breach upon breach yea you have persecuted spoiled many of them already and it will be your ruine unless ye speedily repent it is the eternal Word of the Lord God unto this Generation Persecution will undo you Yet thus is it written by the Prophet Jeremy 18. At what time I speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it if that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil I also will repent of the evil I thought to do unto them O that there were but such a heart in you to consider this before it be too late and the Lord destroy you with double destruction And thiâ— doth â—y Soul believe and it is established in my heart for eveâ— thâ—t all your Weapons of Cruelty your grievous and unjust â—â—ws which ye have made with the Consent of your Lords Spiritual to waste and destroy Families and banish the innoâ—â—â—â—t People of the Lord called Quakers shall all work together in the end for their good and drive them even the Chilâ—â—â—â— and Pâ—ople whom he hath blessed so much neaâ—â—â— unto himself and the more they are oppressed so much the greater will be the Cry of the Oppressed against you and it will be with the oppressed Seed of God as with Israel in the â—and of Egypâ— the more they were Oppressed the more they Multiplied and all the wisdom of this World and the persecuting Poâ—â—â—s of Hell and Death shall never hinder it nor stop the Work which God is working nor quench the Light and Spark which â—ust become a strong Nation the Holy One of Israel hath spokâ—n it Neverthelâ—ss ye are doing your endeavour and taking wise Counsel and Advice as Pharaoh did with the Magicians of Egypâ— how â—o â—oot out the Name of Israel from under Heaven and to that â—nd yâ— have established your cruel Commandments and sâ—â—lâ—d your Decrees of Oppression against them and all this will but opâ—n the ears of the Lord to hear them and cause hiâ—â—o stâ—â—tâ—h out his Arm to save them in your destruction for thâ— Lord heareth the cry of the Afflicted the Lord loâ—sâ—â—h â—hâ—â—onds of the Prisoners and ill will it be with you whâ—â— thâ— Souls of the wounded cry out This madâ— Jâ—â—â—â—â—iâ—h cry unto the
Again Whether Christ be not come the unchangeable High Priest he which puts an end to all Shadows changeable Priests and Worship whether he be not given for a Covenant of Light and whether all the Nations of them that are saved must not walk in it the same that Moses by the Spirit the man of God spoke of saying A Prophet like unto me shall the Lord your God raise up him shall you hear in all things and whether that Soul must not be cut off out of the Land of the Lord which hearkens not unto him only even him who saith Learn of me and ye shall find rest to your Souls and that when I go away I will send you the Spirit of Truth the Comforter which shall lead you into all Truth And what do you think of them which have heard and learned of the Father and are come to the knowledge of him which to know is Life and Peace eternal as he is obeyed and his voice followed who saith My Sheep hear my voice and a stranger they will not follow What will become of them I say that have eaten of the true Bread and drunk of the living Fountain which as a Well of living Water springeth up in them even them that believe in the Name of Jesus if these shall fall away and in their hearts turn back into Egypt to you again and feed upon the Husks which satisfie not and drink Water out of your broken Cisterns even the puddle waters of Babylon from which all that fear the Lord let them be separated as we are whom ye persecute lest they partake with you of the Woes and Plagues he is bringing upon you because of the blood of the Innocent and the oppression of the Poor I speak that I may be refreshed let come on me what will good is the Lord and his mercy endures for ever the Lord is gracious and full of compassion but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruelty the Lord will most certainly do by you as you have done by us and such a day is the Lord bringing upon all Persecuters the like was never seen in England the mean while in patience we possess our Souls and commit the keeping both of them and our Bodies whom ye shut up for his Names sake whose witnesses we are in cruel Prisons as into the hands of a faithful Creator Thus saith the Lord Hear me O my People hearken unto me O my Nation for a Law shall proceed from me and all my Children shall be taught of me What may you judge of your selves then that say Hearken unto us Pray Sing and Worship God as we teach you for a Law is proceeded from us and all that will not Conform thereunto all that will not Pray and Worship God according to the Precepts and Commandments we have prescribed they shall be esteemed Rebels to the King and all their Goods taken away and at last after long imprisonment they shall be banished out of the Nation and all this is done and intended to be done by the consent and advice of you Lords Spiritual Whether Chiist who is the chief Bishop of the Soul and Shepherd of the Sheep ever gave you or any which were true Ministers and Bishops such authority Or whether all this be not from Antichrist's Power and the Dragon 's that slew the Saints which had the Testimony of Jesus and Word of God There are several Scriptures which speak of forcing and compelling which the Persecutors make themselves a Covering of but this was in the time of the Law when their Worshiâ— was outward â—nd they were compelled to it by an outward Law all which Christ put an end to and said God is a Spirit â—â—d they that worship him acceptably must worship him in Spirit and in Truth But this I say unto all you high and low great and small that persecute and imprison about Religion You have imprisoned and done violence to the Just and Holy One in your own hearts the good Spirit which God who is a Spirit hath given to instruct you that you have grieved and rebelled against and â—herefore all that will not do the like must be imprisoned their Goods spoiled and their Persons banished All that will not kill the Witness in themselves must by you be killed for its sake all the day long All they that will not make shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience and lay the Heritage of God waste and tread the holy City under their feet and blaspheme the Temple of God and them that dwell therein their Families must be laid waste by your consent and they themselves who fear before the Lord and at the remembrance of his Holiness they must be counted Hereticks and Blasphemers by this Generation You have rejected the Word of the Lord and will have none of Wisdoms Counsel and therefore must they which walk in the Light of the Word who are Wisdoms Children and justified by Christ who is God's Wisdom and Righteousness be condemned by you who are only wise to do evil The god of this world he it is that blindeth thee with the seeming glory and honour so that thou canst not see nor discern the things that be of the Spirit of God and now thou being blinded thy self thou Persecuter about Religion whoever thou art thou wouldst with cruel tortures make all to see with thy vailed eye thy own house being left desolate and overthrown by strangers desolate I say of the Spirit any otherwayes than to reprove and convince thee and the true knowledge of God thou wouldst lay waste the Temple of God without thee and the House which is a House of Prayer indeed wouldst thou have to become an habitation of Devils and Deâ— of Thieves like thine own thou hast banished the goâ—tâ—e reproofâ— of the good Spirit of God and the Word which is nigh thee out of thine own heart and hast set up another thing besides the Fear of the Lord which is to depart from evil and now thou being banished like Cain for thy rebellion from the presence of the Lord art wrath and thou wilt spoil all their Houses and Goods and lay their Dwellings desolate and though thou cannot banish them from the presence of the Lord as thou art thy self thou wilt do thy endeavour to make them miserable upon the Earth if thou canst not kill them thou wilt banish them under the name of Traitors and they shall be whipt and imprisoned under the names of Vagabonds thus thou art building thy City with blood but still thou art in a Land of fear and but a Vagabond thy self in the Earth whilst we poor despised People called Quakers who are free born of the Seed that is immortal by this Generation have not so much as a place whereon to lay out heads but in Prisons and nolsom Dungeons and all this is because we cannot bow to the false Worships the false Prophets the Beast and Dragon is setting up and establishing with carnal
Decrees as are made by you Lords spiritual And when the Apostles cast any out of the Church we do not reade that they took such a way as you do when you excommunicate that they must neither buy nor sell for Paul saith I write unto you that you should not accompany with Fornicators yet saith he not altogether with Fornicators of this world for then must you go out of the world But if any that is called a Brother be a Fornicator or covetous or an Idolater or a Railer or a Drunkard with such a one do not eat For we have nothing to do to judge them that are without but them that are within saith Paul 1 Cor. 5.11 12. but these we reade of in the Revelations to be the Dragon 's and Beast's and false Prophet's weapons which slew the Saints and killed them that had the Testimony of Jesus which is the Word of God And there you may reade all this Compelling is not of God but the Devil not of Christ but Antichrist neither was it ever found in the true Church but in the Synagogues of Satan You may reade your selves your â—oot is one with Judas whose Bishoprick was taken from him because he persecuted the poor and need man and your Weapons are not Spiritual but such as the High Priests were that came with Judas to apprehend Christ so all your Decrees and Laws whereby ye imprison spoil and banish such as cannot Conform to your Worship nor deny the Lord who hath taught-them how to Worship is not of God but of the Devil so ye are they in Sheeps clothing but inwardly ravened from the Spirit and Power the true Bishops had which Christ said should come And John which wrote unto the little Children in his Epistles said were come already by which he knew it was the last times And John in the Revelation saith All the World wondered after the Beast and this was sixteen hundred years since and said Who was able to make War with him and they received his Mark and his Names which were Names of Blasphemy who blasphemed the Temple of God and they that dwelt therein but only they who loved not their lives unto death whose Names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the World they followed the Lamb wherever he went Now they that are blind in heart and Hypocrites may believe you are true Bishops and Ministers of Christ and your Church the true Church the fearful and the unbelieving who are with you without the Gate of the City of our Solemnity and Place where the Saints worship and serve him day and night they may say Who is able to make War with the Beast False Prophets they may fall down and bow to any thing and all they whose Names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life they may Worship the Beast and so that Scripture will be fulfilled in England written in John's Revelations Chap. 17. where the false Church is compaâ—ed even Mystery Babylon to a Woman deck'd with Gold Pearls and precious Stones this Woman was drunk with the blood of the Saints and yet in her hand was there a golden Cup so fair and beautiful to look upon and behold that she made all the Kings and Great Men to drink of it and so they became subject to her even her in whom was found the blood of all the Saints and Prophets that were slain upon the Earth vers 18. The Woman that thou sawest is that great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth But I say and it is the Truth of God There are a few notwithstanding all this that are Redeemed out of that Earth out of which that Beast which did carry the Woman rose that have not defiled their Garments with this Woman nor bowed to this Baal nor kissed him in whom the Lord hath opened a pure eye that sees an end of all things which had a beginning and are come to the beginning it self the first and the last where there is no darkness nor shadow of death where there is no Oppression nor Cry but the voice of Rejoycing and Salvation is in the dwelling place of the Righteous in which Righteousness is the Lord establishing many And though our outward man perish daily in Prisons and Dungeons under the hands of unmerciful men whose tender mercies are cruelty yet we can rejoyce in the Lord glory all the day long Even in this your day and the power of darkness is the Lord a Light unto us and when all men even almost all say there is a casting down then can our Souls truly say The Lord is the lifter up of our head and though we die daily and are as men appointed by you for destruction yet have we a Life hid from you we have bread to eat and drink ye know not of and in that do our hearts live that seek the Lord and his face continually which all Persecuters and such as do violence unto the blood of any man cannot enter into but are shut out even without the gate among the Dogs and the unclean that can never enter in the portion of whose Cup is not like the portion of Jacob but lamentation weeping and wo. All you Bishops which own your selves to be Ministers of Christ it is in my heart for Truth 's sake which I love before my own life that Truth and the Ministers thereof may be made manifest to ask you a few Questions First How shall one know a true Bishop and Minister of Christ from the false but by their fruits the marks and symptoms the chief Bishop and the true Ministers set them forth by in the Scriptures 2 Cor. 6.4 c. where the Apostle saith In all these things they have proved themselves to be Ministers of God in much Patience in Afflictions in Necessities in Distresses in Stripes in Imprisonments in Tumults in Labours in Watchings in Fastings Mark vers 6. By Pureness by Knowledge by Long-suffering by Kindness by the Holy Ghost by Love unfeigned by the Word of Truth by the Power of God by the Armour of Righteousness on the Right hand and on the Left by Honour and Dishonour by evil Report and good Report as Deceivers and yet true as unknown and yet well known as dying yet behold we live as chastized and not killed as sorrowful yet alwayes rejoycing as poor yet making many rich as having nothing yet possessing all things Mark They were in God whose was the Earth and the fulness thereof they cast their care upon him who said The Labourer is worthy of his meat and he cared for them Whether these things did not alwayes attend the true Prophets Christ and his true Apostles before mentioned And whether these be not the marks of the Lamb and his true Ministers And whether they that are found in the contrary living in pleasures as Lords over Gods Heritage not ruling in the Spirit and Power of God but with cruel Laws made