was given to him and what was taken from them is a robbing of him and also declareth that such as rob him in those things are accursed Malach. 3. 8 9. But ye will say those that gave these things were idolatrously devoted I answer Thou that abhorrest idols doest thou commit sacriledge Rom. 2. 22. Our Church in the days of King Henry 8. King Edward 6. and Queen Elizabeth took sufficient care for that matter Therefore take heed least ye by running away from idolatry split your selves upon sacriledge and robbing of God but rather do right to God in restoring these things that ye may be blessed The next thing is that ye do right unto all men from the highest to the lowest and that you restore to every one what is his Birth-right and due by the Laws of the Land according to the intention of our worthy predecessours that made them And that ye neither alter nor destroy those Laws they being experimentally found to be the best in all the World for the government of a people according to the word of God Insomuch that before this time Brittain might have been called the glorie of the whole earth for righteousness towards God and man if they had not come short in the execution of the Laws according to the true meaning thereof for the Laws are good though the administratours thereof being corrupted have through bribery many times wrested them and thereby wronged the subjects and it is a notable Character of the beast or Anti-Christ that he shall think to change times and Laws Daniel 7. 25. Therefore it were good that ye would leave off your destroying of our Laws and changing of times 3. The third thing is That ye restore the government of the Church and preserve the Laws and Ordinances thereof as well as of the state according as they were established in the beginning of these troubles And that for the better purging and taking away of all abuses and errours crept in since that time ye advise with such conscientious learned sober and honest Bishops and other Orthodox Clergie and Lawyers as be most able to direct you as from the mouth of God But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees I mean the Presbyterian or Puritanical faction who have brought all this misery upon themselves and us for though they be now so sensible of their errours that many of their Ministers and Ring-leaders do begin to creep toward the Bishops good old way yet it will not be wisdom to trust them least their old Leprosie break out again And now in the name of God Almighty I testifie and affirm unto you that this is the very minde of God and of the most conscientious and judicious men in the Kingdom which here I present unto you to be done for the good and happiness of the Nation Therefore as I said whilst ye stand in the station wherein ye are now I dare not for my part lie so grosly agrinst the truth mine own conscience as to call you a Parliament for I have proved by the Scripture in my book called A voice from Heaven written in the year 1651. That the late Parliament which was rightly called together at first by doing those unreasonable actions which the beast spoken off Rev. 13. was to do according to the Scripture became that beast Now the beast being wounded by a sword and dissolved yet liveth in its acts that ye are the Representative or image of the same beast Rev. 13. 11 12 13 14 15. And what penalty is appointed for any that giveth any Title of Honour Worship or reverence to the beast or to his image is evident Rev. 14. 9. 10. And truely let me tell you mine own infirmities also that it is no small grief unto me that I am confined upon pain of eternal damnation not to give you the Titel and reverence that ye expect from these three Kingdoms for I am confident that some of your intentions and meanings are good though your errours and want of true understanding be very evil so that it is harder for to bring you or such as profess so much knowledge to a right understanding then it is to bring them that never made any profession of religion at all to acknowledge the truth for as the Lord Christ found more true understanding and Faith in Heathens and Publicans then in the self-conceited Pharisical Jews Matth. 21. 31 32. So now those that seems to have nothing of value in them by the judgement of your precisians I finde to be most capable to understand and to believe the saving truth that I now declare for the open prophane through infirmities and weakness of the flesh being right firm in the true principles of Faith are better then those who profess outward holiness with errours in judgement faith yea and are more humble and consequently more capable to receive the truth Luke 18. 10 11 12 13 14. But I hope better things of you though I thus speak That notwithstanding the great difference between King Charls and you ye shall finde him to be a Child of God and appointed to be the most eminent servant of Jesus Christ in all the World and that ye will be yet his most glorious subjects to vindicat him from all the aspersions laid upon him and to wound the head of his Enemies and yet Truly Gentlemen if I should believe reports there is small cause for me to stand so much for him for I heard it of a certain that some eminent pretended friends of his who thinks to bear a great sway in this Kingdom have positively said That when he cometh to his Throne he must of necessity put me to death Because say they I laid too much honour upon his Father and did blaspheme therein but I believe they are not able to prove their assertion from scripture against me though they take up the teners of the Pharisee for a man may blaspheme God the King but to joyn God and the King together in one is no blasphemy by Scripture rule but howsoever I shall both do him right not be danted at their ignorant threats for I believe the King shall have such wisdom to rule that all things will not be done as such ignorants would for though they think the revolutions of these times to be nothing but accidental changes yet wiser men who shall then bear rule with the KING when he cometh to his Throne will finde and believe that these revolutions and changes came to pass even to fulfill the words and promises of God which are laid down in Scripture as they are and have been opened and declared by me these twenty years in some measure by Gods assistance and appointment And whereas many say the Kings bloud lies upon this man and that man and that the King cannot pardon such and such a man and that he can never be reconciled to such a party or parties I am sure you that so think or
receive the King in peace and if it be his blessed will that the Parliament and State would not bring utter ruine upon themselves and upon this distracted Nation Now after I had interpreted this bloudy Vision he was very well satisfied in his spirit and desired me to interpret the other Vision which he had within a quarter of an hour after the former but he said it never troubled him as the other did and I said it shall be also done for it may be there is more of comfort in that then there is of sorrow in this The Interpretation of the second Vision THen said I whereas you saw your self in a Field newly sown with Wheat That signifies that now there shall be a new Kingdom established again here in Brittain more glorious then ever was upon earth Jer. 33. 14 15. Isa. 44. 2 3 4. Psal. 126. 6. Matth. 3. 12. And whereas you saw a companie of milk white Doves upon that Field all in a round ring or circle The Ring or Circle signifies the endless everlasting and everstanding Court that shall be raised and established here again And the companie of milk white Doves signifies the spotless Nobles that have continued faithfull all this time Therefore both they and their seed shall Triumph gloriously in the Court for ever Isa. 66. 22. Psal. 84. 2 10. Psal. 65. 4. Song 2. 14. And whereas you saw one Dove alone in the middle of the Ring or Circle which did shine like the Sun in brightness by that Dove is signified the King who in due time will shine like the Sun over all the earth to answer the expectation of all Nations and fulfill the promise of our Lord Jesus so that Jews and Turks shall then acknowledge Jesus Christ to be the onely Saviour of Souls Psal. 68. 13. Psal. 24. â— 8 9 10. And after I had interpreted his Visions he called for Pen and Ink and wrote them and left them to my disposing but I desired him to get them fairely written and that I would get the Interpretations of them also fairely written and that he should carry them to the Lord General Cromwell and a Petition with them to shew his case and condition telling him that the General was a good man and would perhaps do something for him And then he was inclinable to take my counsel but two dayes after he came again to see me and brought his wife with him I propounded the same motion to him again saying that it was best for him to go with his Visions to the Lord General And he answered me saying That one Mr Wilde as he heard was then and had been a long time prisoner in Newgate for declaring a vision that he had seen and that if his Excellencie should send him to prison upon it both he his wife and children might come to starve by that means But said he I refer it to God and your disgression to publish it in due time according as God shall direct you Then I considered how I had prayed and that God sent the visions to him as a conduit to convey them to me and to answer my prayers and as a Talent for me to give an account off therefore I moved him no more to that purpose And the man presently after being much troubled in minde at his wants and crosses in the world went to Virginia with some friends of his to trie his Fortune there Now the reasons why I look upon these visions as an immediat warning from God to this Nation are these five following 1. Because he was not factious on any side or a seeker after new opinions but was well grounded in the true Christian Faith of the Church of England believing the truth of it and without dispute resting constantly in the same Faith that he was taught in at first and hence I do gather that he was beloved of God who shewed him those Visions 2. Because I saw that he had not a spirit of pride or revenge in him for although he lost all he had in these times for no cause but onely that he was peaceable yet did I never hear him speak a word against the Parliament or any other that had wronged him but contrarily sought for a place under any of them to get anywhere a poor honest living patiently waiting on God without any pride or thoughts of revenge 3. Because that after he had seen the Visions though he said to me that he was never so troubled before yet now had he no rest in his spirit untill he got a satisfactory Interpretation to them from me and then had perfect rest and peace in minde concerning the Visions 4. Because I saw it was the fruit of my prayers to God who since he called me to this his peculiar service never denied me any thing that was needfull for me to know and whereby to warn this Nation Therefore whatsoever others think of these Visions I shall look upon them as certain truths consonant to the Scriptures which suddenly will come to pass 5. Because that from the time I had these Visions thus left with me unto this present it hath been a great burthen to my spirit so that I finde it impossible for me to keep them in silence and have rest And although I had rather be a Jonah then a Jeremy in pronouncing of judgement and that England might become a Ninive and not a Jewry in matter of repentance Jonah 3. 4 10. Jer. 25. 8. Jer. 39. yet Gods decree must stand Isa. 46. 9 10 11 12 13. and the stout harted shall bow down to it ye stand upon your sword saith God And I will call for a sword against it throughout my mountains saith the Lord God every mans sword shall be against his brother Ezek. 33. 16. Ezek. 38. 21. Amos 5. 6. That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn my sword Ezek. 21. 5. Therefore be thou instructed Oh Jerusalem lest my Soul depart from thee lest I make thee desolate a Land not inhabited Jer. 6. 8. Now I have given you an account of these Visions to the intent that God might be glorified you profitted and my self eased of my burthen I shall endeavour to inform you further of what I see and discern in Scripture concerning this Nation but I shall direct my speech chiefly to those Gentlemen of the Representative now at West-minster and then to the rest of this Kingdom beseeching all of them to consider what I have said in my former books the one called A voice from heaven and the other An Eccho unto that voice and take special notice of the dates of those books and likewise how those sayings are come to pass since they were published and lay them to heart seriously and then consider that if I keep a clear conscience I must declare the truth Admonitions to all the People of this Kingdom but chiefly to those that have the power in their hands By ARISE EVANS MEn and brethren I beseech
opportunity to perform their desires And although Mr. Feack do affirm before his congregation that the General and Parliament as he calls it are yet in Babylon but he shall finde to his sorrow that they will inshort time obey the truth and come out of Babylon Therefore all ye of the Kings party give up your selves to God in prayer and serving of him with a holy and sober life not giving your selves to rayoting drinking swearing nor working of plots for the Children of this World are wiser in their generation then the Chilnren of God Luke 18. 8. and God would not have you to use any such wicked means whereby to establish your selves and get the glorie from him but rather to stand still wait and behold the salvation of God that ye may give him the glorie of your salvation And as for you that are Ministers pray and preach with fervencie of Spirit and by the power of the same Spirit laid down in the holy Scriptures glorifie God strengthen the hearts of the people in the Faith and thereby overcome your adversaries and glorie not so much as ye do in your vain Phylosophy Coloss. 2. 8. which by a faithfull Soul is of no more esteem in regard of the word of God in Scripture then chaff is in comparifon of Wheat Jerem. 23. 28. 2 Tim. 3. 14 15 16 17. And I dare affirm that a sincere plain man with his meditating and studying the Scriptures onely and conversing with the like shall attain to a more excellent power to maintain his Doctrine then many of you have so that for all your learning if ye be not so expert in the Scripture as he is he will overthrow you Therefore if ye expect the blessing of restoration Matth. 17. 11. Mark 9. 12. Acts 3. 20. 21. leave your luke-warmness and be more diligent in searching the Scriptures and in preaching them lift up your voice like a Trumpet Isai 58. 1. and 64. 1. to rouse the people out of their slumbering sins to be fervent in prayer that the Lord would rent the heavens and come down to deliver his people from the hands of their oppressours that we may praise him with songs of deliverance What is the reason that the Bride-groom doth not come Matth. 25. 5 6 7 8 9 10. Is it not because the Bride doth not make her self ready to receive him what is the reason that some of you count me a Blasphemer in what I say concerning King Charl Is it not your ignorance of the Scriptures Matth. 22. 29. What is the reason that though ye have the truth on your side yet ye are not able to incounter in Dispute either with the plain Countrey-men or Mechanicks or Heriticks of these times Is it not because of your ignorance of the Scriptures and Luke-warmness for ye onely desire to know them but afar off Ah this negligence will never make us happy ye shame your selves that Childe which neither by prosperity nor adversity will be brought home to his Father is a lost Childe Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things 2 Tim. 2. 7. If ye be the servants of Christ your word should be a word of power such as all your enemies could not be able to gain-say nor resist Luke 21. 15. Acts 6. 10. yea one of you should chase a thousand and too put ten thousand to flight Deut. 32. 30 31. if ye did but obey the voice of the Lord I must needs confess I speak these things unto you with grief of heart for seeing ye walking as men who have not the Spirit of courage and boldness as the Apostles had in adversitie Acts 4. 13 19. Acts 5. 28 29 30 31. I doubt very much what will become of you whether God will not cast you off and put into the Ministry men according to his own heart that will serve him with more diligence and fervency with greater boldness and courage not fearing the faces of men though persecutours I do not thus speak to all the Ministers but to the proud envious ignorant and negligent that will neither do the work of God themselves nor allow of such as do it for many of this sort I know there beâ— and some of them have come to cavell with me and to despise me because God hath made me more bold then they in delaring the Truth But suppose now that a man should meet one of our great Officers walking in the fields having a new scarlet Cloak and enter into discourse with him if the man in the midst of their discourse should snatch the Cloak off his back and rent it into twelve pieces and give him ten pieces of it again saying the Lord will divide the Army and give you ten parts thereof ye shall prevail would not such kind of Ministers as you condemn this man for his so bold an act Yet he might be a Prophet of God therein the thing come to pass as truly now as it did when such a thing was done by the Prophet Ahijah 1 Kings 11. 28 29 30 31. but these men are miserable comforters Again I finde a contrary spirit not onely in the Ministers but in the generality of the Kings party also some do suppose that it is impossible for the King to come in because say they these men now in power are so strong and mighty speaking as if they were the Sons of Anack by their account Numb. 13. 27 28 29 30 31 32 33. Others there be of Calebs spirit Numb. 14. 24. who speak comfortable words to the people and declare the hopefull things which they conceive surely God is well pleased with these and they shall injoy their desires But for the other let them take heed as the Lord saith Numb. 14. 34. Least they shall know my breach of promise And if our adversaries had regard to the works of the Lord against them they might see what is become of the most eminent of them that rose against the King How fell Essex Brook Hampden Hotham and his Son how fell Hurry Poyer Waller Brown Massey and Love yea Fairfax and Bradshow are falling how did all the Presbyterians sall out of the sadel whereis the five treacherous Members that withstood the late King at first It is true one yet remaineth to drink the dregs of his fellows cup Where is the great Ministers that preached the people into tumults and rebellion Do they not stink now in the Nostrils of those whom they preach'd up How is their glorious Parliament as it were sunk quick to Hell How hath Scotland and their great ones there been punished for their rising against the King as a just reward of their folly for of all men living they should never have done so how did the immediate hand of God appear against Marleborough it being one of the first Towns that arose in England and made them a wooden God to mock the King How is Coronet Joyce that first laid hands on