by the Powers of the Earth whether these be not false Prophets and Ministers of Antichrist let them go under what Name they will and whether it be the Name of a Minister and Bishop that makes him truly so or the Nature and Power of God which first gave them the Names Yea or Nay And whether these Marks and Characters are found in your Church and Ministry or whether they be not rather found amongst the Church and Ministers of the People called Quakers which by your consent and advice are made this day in England to suffer such cruel things as they do and are like to do Whether the marks of the Beast and Characters of the false Prophets and Merchants of Babylon which traded with the Bodies and Souls of men be not rather found amongst you by whose consent and advice they are caused so to suffer Again Whether Paul were not a faithful and true Bishop who said Though we live in the flesh yet do we not war after the flesh but the weapons of our Warfare are spiritual and not carnal Moreover he said We are counted as the off-scouring of all things being defamed we entreat neither saith he do we wrestle with flesh and blood mark this ye that have put or at least suffered it so to be so many thousands of innocent People in close Prisons wherein many of them have lost their lives but with Principalities and Powers of Darkness and with spiritual Wickedness in high Places mark Spiritual wickedness was against Paul as at this day it is against them that follow his steps And whether your Warfare be the same Paul's was and against the same if yea then why do you not use the same weapons the Apostles used namely found Doctrine for a Bishop must be blameless and faithful as the Steward of God holding fast the faithfull Word that thereby he may be able with sound Doctrine mark not with Prisons spoyling their Goods and banishing which destroyes the handy-work of God and spills their blood but with sound Doctrine he must Paul saith be able both to convince and stop the mouths of gain-sayers Now if ye be found in the Faith as they which watch for the Soul ought to be even in that Faith which is a Mystery to all that mingle their Sacrifices with Blood and was once delivered unto the Saints then Answer these Queries and do not cry out Heresie a Blasphemy and run to your Carâ—al Weapons and Carâ—al Laws for help as the persecuting Jews did against Christ and the Apostles when they were not able to resist the Spirit and Power by which they spake Again If your Church be true and Ministry also then why is it not upheld according to the Truth as it is in the Scriptures declared to be in Jesus then according to Paul's words 1. Cor. 5.12 What have ye to do to judge them that are without or to sue them for Maintenance that are without are ye not greedy which would feed upon the Milk of the Flock ye keep not and eat the Fruit of the Vineyard ye neither dress nor plant them that are without your Church if it be true leave them to God's Judgment as Paul saith What have I to do to judge them that are without So I say What have you to do with us who have denied both you and your Church root and branch many years since What have ye to do to Excommunicate and cast them out that for the Lord's sake have separated themselves from both your Church and Ministry because they have no Faith to believe it is the true Church and Lamb's Wife and whatsoever is not of Faith is sin but rather that Mystory Babylon which John Rev. 17. vers the last said Ruled over the Kings of the Earth and all Nations have drunk of her Cup and were become unstable as Waters even her Cup in whom was found the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and your Ministers the Merchants thereof which must weep and mourn over her for men will not buy her Merchandize as afore-time the Merchandize of Gold and Silver and precious Stones and of Pearls and fine Linen and Purple and Silk and Scarlet and Cinamon and Odours and Oyntments and Frankinscence and Wine and Oyl and fine flower of Wheat and Beasts and Sheep and Horses and Slaves and Souls and Bodies of Men the Merchants of these things which are made rich by her shall stand a far off for fear of her torment weeping and wailing saying Alas alâ—â—â— I that great City which was clothed in fine Linen and Purple and Scarlet and deck'd with Gold and precious Stones and Pearls and every Ship-master and Company in Ships and Saylors and as many as traded by Sea stood a far off and cryed when they saw the smoke of her burning What City is like unto this great City that reigneth over the Kings of the â—arth For in this day even in this day that is dawned in England must Babylon be destroyed and all her Merchants mourn and all their great Riches brought to nought and she that hath sate as Queen upon many Waters and hath been called the Lady of Kingdoms shall know Widowhood and loss of Children Therefore rejoyce over her thou Heavens and holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you of her And a mighty Angel took up a Stone like a great Mill-â—one and cast it into the Sea saying Thus with violence shall that great City Babylon be thrown down and be found no more at all Again I do not read in the Scriptures among any of the Acts of Christ's Apostles and Churches by them gathered who had all Power in Heaven and Earth committed to them that after Excommunication or casting them out of the Church they did ever spoil the Goods or Imprison any such and that they should not be suffered to buy or sell but be banished as is done in England by the consent and advice of you that seem to be Pillars of the Church These things hath my Soul weighed and upon Consideration of good advice and in the counsel of the holy pure God I am bold to Conclude that these Marks and Characters are not of the Lamb or his Ministers but of the Beast and false Prophets and Apostles transformed being found amongst you I charge you in the Name of the Lord not to be true Bishops and Ministers of Christ neither were ye ever made so by the Holy Ghost and the Power of God as they were we reade of in the Scriptures nor your Church true but false and a Nest of unclean Birds and Synagogue of Satan and place where his seat is set witness all the Prisons of England and the spoiling of their Goods who for Conscience sake are imprisoned witness also Newgate in London how many of the Lord's People have been kept there until death a sufficient witness is the whole Nation of them that fear the Lord in whose heart is his Law against both you and your Church
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