the Scriptures of Truth c. This is to inform you That all our Books and Declarations that for these many years have been published to the World do clearly testifie to the contrary but yet for your sakes this is now given forth That God who is the Only Wise Omnipotent and Everlasting God we do Own and Believe in who is the Creator of all things both in Heaven and in Earth and the Preserver of all that he hath made who is God over all blessed forever to whom be all Honour and Glory and Dominion and Praise and Thanksgiving both now and for evermore And that Jesus Christ is his Beloved and Only Begotten Son in whom he is Well-pleased who was Conceived by the Holy Ghost and Born of the Virgin Mary in whom we have Redemption through his Blood even the Forgiveness of Sins who is the express Image of the Invisible God the First-born of every Creature by whom were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in the Earth Visible and Invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers And we do own and believe that he was made to be as Sin or an Offence and Curse for us who knew no Sin and was Crucified for us in the Flesh without the Gates of Jerusalem and that he was Buried and Rose again the Third Day by his own Power for our Justification and we do believe that he Ascended up into Heaven and now sitteth at the Right-Hand of God And that this Jesus is the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and our Foundation so that there is no other Foundation to be laid but what is laid even Christ Jesus and that he tasted Death for every man and shed his Blood for all men that he is the Propitiation for our Sins and not for our Sins only but for the Sins of the whole World For saith John the Baptist of him Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sins of the World John 1.29 And we do believe That he is our Alone Redeemer and Saviour even the Captain of our Salvation who saves us from Sin as well as from Hell and from the Wrath to come and destroyes the Devil and his Works who is the Seed of the Woman that bruises the Serpent's Head to wit Christ Jesus who is Alpha and Omega the First and Last That he is as Scriptures of Truth say our Wisdom Righteousness Justification and Redemption neither is there Salvation in any other For there is none other Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved it is he alone who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls he it is that is our Prophet whom Moses long since testified of in Acts 3.22 23. A Prophet shall the Lord our God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you and it shall come to pass that every one that will not hear that Prophet shall be Destroyed from among the People He it is that is now come and hath given us an Understanding that we may know him that is true and a Rule in our Hearts even his Law of Love and of Life in our Inward Parts which makes us free from the Law of Sin and Death And we have no Life but by him For he is the Quickening Spirit the Second Adam the Lord from Heaven by whose Blood we are cleansed and our Consciences sprinkled from Dead Works that we might serve the Living God by whose Blood we are purchased And so he is our Mediator that makes Peace and Reconciliation between God offended and Us offending being our Surety of the New Testament and the Oath of God the New Covenant of Light Life Grace and Peace the Author and Finisher of our Faith Now this Lord Jesus Christ the Heavenly Man Emanuel God with us we all own and believe in whom the High Priests raged against and said He had spoken Blasphemy and the Chief Priests and Elders of the Jews took Counsel together and put him to Death the same whom Judas betray'd for Thirsy Pieces of Silver which he had from the Priests who gave a Large Sum of Money to the Souldiers to broach a Horrible Lye namely that they should say That his Disciples stole him away by Night whilst they Slept And after he was risen from the Dead you may see in the Acts of the Apostles how that the chief Priests and Elders Persecuted the Disciples of this Jesus for preaching Christ and his Resurrection this we say is that Lord Jesus Christ whom we own to be our Life and Salvation Now concerning the Holy Scriptures We do believe That they were given forth by the Holy Spirit of God through Holy Men of God who spoke as Scriptures of Truth say As they were Moved by the Holy Ghost in 2 Pet. 1.1 and that they are to be Read and Believed and Fulfilled and he that fulfils them is Christ And are profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction and for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all Good Works 2 Tim. 3.16 and are able as Divinely Inspir'd to make us Wise to Salvation through Faith in Christ Jesus And we do believe That the Scriptures are the Wordâ— of God for it s said in Exod. 20.1 God spake all these Words saying c. meaning the Ten Commandments given forth upon Mount Sinai and in Rev. 18. saith John I testifie unto every man that heareth the WORDS of the Prophesie of this Book if any man addeth unto These and if any man shall take away from the WORDS not Word of the Book So in Luke 1.20 Because thou believest not my WORDS and John 5.47 15.7 14.23 12.47 So that we call the Scriptures as Christ and the Apostles call'd them and as the Holy Men of God call'd them namely The WORDS of God Another Slander and Lye they have cast upon us is namely That we should teach the Negars to Rebel A Thing we do utterly abhor and detest in and from our Hearts the Lord knows it who is the Searcher of all hearts and knows all things and so can witness and testifie for us that this is a most Egregious and Abominable Untruth For that which we have spoken and declared to them is to exhort and admonish them To be Sober and to Fear God and to love their Masters and Mistresses and to be Faithful and Diligent in their Masters Service and Business and that then their Masters and Overseers will Love them and deal Kindly and Gently with them And that they should not beat their Wives nor the Wives their Husbands nor multiply Wives nor put away their Wives nor the Wives their Husbands as they use frequently to do and that they do not Steal nor be Drunk nor commit Adultery nor Fornication nor Curse nor Swear nor Lye nor give Bad Words to one another or unto any
you And did not the Apostle speak of a company that were Heady High-minded and Lovers of Pleasures more then Lovers of God Self-willed and Covetous that had got a Form of Godliness but denyed the Power thereof from whom he commandeth to turn away read your selves in 2 Tim. 3.3 4 5. And truly Friends I must needs say to you I never heard so much debauch'd Language and Hellish Lyes as has been cast unjustly and wickedly upon me since I came into this Island which grieves my Soul that ever such should be in Peoples Mouthes and that you Ministers should gladly be Entertainers if not the Fomenters and Preachers of them where-with you have filled and poysoned Peoples minds with wicked Lyes I say and false and filthy Slanders and so corrupted them O! how can ye be otherwise called then Teachers of Lyes and Lyars even such as love and make a Lye Rev. 22.15 and such as are given up to believe Lyes see their sad End in Rev. 21.27 And when you cannot with all your Lyes provoke and stir up the Magistrate to Persecution then you persecute us with your Tongues But I hope that many of the Magistrates will come to see you so as that you shall not get to ride on them and spur them on for if you should you would make them your Drudges just as the Priests of old spurred up Pilate when they got over him to Persecute and Crucifie our Lord and Saviour But consider it well the same spirit and nature is in you that would Crucifie Christ who is revealed now in his People For have there not been Sauls among you with their Packet of Letters to Persecute the People of God in this Island of late read but Priest Lessley's and some other Priests Petition which they sent or delivered to the Governour and Council here a Copy whereof is hereunto annexed And what hath he and others done this last Assembly convened 't is well known Were not the Chief Priests the Authors of Saul's Packet for had he not a Packet from them But now it seems you Chief Priests are grown more bold for you can go your selves with your Packets to this last Assembly I say O! is it not a Shame that you who call your selves Ministers of the Gospel should go to the Magistrate to perswade them to persecute Christians And do you think that the Magistrates have no other Work to do in this Island even to do Justly and to love Mercy and walk Humbly with God and to take Care of the Preservation and Right Governing of the people in Righteousness and in Holiness and that every man may be preserved in their respective Estates and to see that all do to others as they would have others do unto them and to see that the Island may be preserved in Peace and to take Care of that which is for the Good of this Island and Property of its Inhabitants As for Religion that belongeth to God for it came from God and Christ Jesus who is the Author of every mans Faith and sets up his Worship which is in the Spirit and in the Truth and is to rule in the Hearts of his People who receive that Religion from above that is pure and undefiled in God's Sight and so God and Christ must have a place in man to dwell in to wit the Heart that so he may have his Due his Worship and Honour from and by them But to return to your Slandâ—â—â— namely that I should hang ribbons upon peoples arms and that I brought a young Women from England to be nought with her And that I should lie with my Sister and such-like stinking and filthy Lyes have you and your Auditors reported of me which no sober man I am sure will give Credit to being full well known that I was never tainted or blamisht with any such Uncleanness So that with David I may say False Witnesses did rise up they laid to my Charge things that I knew not Psal 35.11 Certainly many of you are and have been naught your selves this way else you would have vertue in your mouthes rather then have such things as a modest Ear abhors yea such filthy stuff and wicked Lyes as these which came from the Devil who is the Father of them are your Parishes fill'd with For I would have you know that I abhor detest and scorn such things it being well known in England I say that I was never tainted with the least Unclean action nor thus taxed till I came here amongst you but what is in your own Hearts that you cast upon me so that ye fulfil Christs Words who foretold They should speak all manner of Evil against you falsly for my Name 's sake And indeed it is for Christ's sake that you do it So that we can be exceeding glad and rejoyce in Christ Jesus in that it is for his sake that we are thus evil spoken of But know this and be assured of it the time will come that he will appear for our glory and to your shame and confusion For We would have you to understand that we have an esteem of our Bodies for our Bodies the Lord hath honoured with his mercies and they are Vessels of his honour and Temples of Christ and of God and of the Holy Ghost and not for Adultery and Fornication Truly I could not but wonder and stand amazed to hear of such soul beastly and unmannerly and uncivil Language as I have heard since I came here What is this Gospel Teaching O but consider what the Scriptures speak concerning slanderous Tongues and of lying Lips and of such as have Venom under their Tongues and the Poyson of Asps What do you not believe that God will judge for these things and sweep away the Refuge of Lyes and take the Reproach from off his People Would you have the same Measure measured to you as you have done to me and the rest of us Surely you have not had so much as Common Civility or Humanity much less Christianity for if you had had either you would have come and spoken to me when I was in the Island and not have railed against me behind my back and incensed others against me Was this Humane or Christianly or Neighbourly done Judge ye But alas what shall I say I do very much fear that the Hand of the Lord God will suddenly come upon many of you with his swift Destruction The Lord did visit and that not very long since this Island with two sore Judgments the one of Fire the other of the Plague but alas what Repentance what Change have they wrought in you and upon you What saith the Prophet of the Lord in Isa 26.9 When thy Judgments are on the Earth the Inhabitants of the World will learn Righteousness But alas are you not rather worse then you were before and hardened more then you were before Pharoah-like as it is in the 10th verse Let Favour be shewn to the Wicked yet
force People to observe dayes came not this Power and Wisdom first from the Pope and not from the Apostles nor from Christ Jesus if you have it from Christ Jesus and the Apostles let us see where it is convince us with Scripture And where I say do you find in Scriptures that Christ or his Apostles did ordain the day you call Christ-Mass and the rest of the dayes attending it which you call Holy-dayes But to say the Truth you may rather term them Unholy by reason of the Ungodly and Debaucht Heathenish Practice So that whereas you pretend to Honour the Lord Jesus in and by them you do no other indeed but dishonour him and do Persecute others that will not do as you do and so break the Command of God who saith Six dayes shalt thou labour c. and here your Command is that they must play more then Six Dayes Now tell me if you can how many hundred of years after Christ and the Apostles were these days first observed as Holy-dayes and set apart to be kept as you do now keep them O! the Whoredoms and Debauchery and Drunkenness the Excess Sensual Pleasures Carnal Delights Carding Diceing Dancing that these dayes are filled up with so that the Devil hath more Work done him in these dayes then in many other dayes before or after So let the Witness of God in your Consciences answer Yea or Nay and let all Sober People judge whether or no I speak not Truth when I say God is more dishonoured and his Name prophanened and taken in vain and blasphemed more in the twelve Holy Dayes so called then in three times the number of them let I say your Consciences and all sober people judge So here you may see how the Apostle judged them that did observe days But consider whether or no doth the Kingdom of God stand in Meats and Drinks and Washings and in Days Nay nay it stands only in Righteousness and in Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost which Kingdom all people are in the first place to seek after And then concerning your Fasts in Lent c. the Lord will say Who required these things at your Hands as it is in Isa 58.3 4. Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest or regardest not c. Behold saith the Lord in the day of your Fasts you find Pleasures and exact all your Labours ye fast for Strife and Debate and to smite with the Fist of Wickedness Ye shall not fast as ye do this day to make your Voices to be heard on high Is it such a Fast as I have chosen a Day for a man to Afflict his Soul Is it to bow down his Head like a Bull-Rush And wilt thou call this a Fast see the Contents of the Chapter above where it is reproved for Hypocrisie But is not this the Fast that I have chosen saith the Lord To loose the Bands of Wickedness to undo the heavy Burdens to let the Oppressed go free and that they break every Yoak Is it not to deal thy Bread to the Hungry c. Now whether your Fast be such yea or nay let your own Consciences judge And the Apostle commands us to pray every-where lifting up holy hands without Wrath or Doubting 1. Tim. 2.8 Now consider this are not your hands like those fists of Wickedness and are you not full of Wrath and Doubting or are your Hands Clean and Holy Let the Witness in your Consciences judge and see if those Actions and Practices be not found among you as was amongst them whom the Prophet speaks of here which is called Hypocrisie as was said before And did not Judas carry the bag who was a Thief who betray'd his Master And are not they for his Bag and Money to hold it by intayle even all who are the Betrayers of Christ now in this day where he is made manifest in his People I say do they not betray him now and seek to crucifie him in his members or his members for his sake And is it not the Son of Perdition spoken of 2 Thess 23. who exalts himself above all that is called God whom Christ will destroy with the breath of his mouth and the brightness of his coming Look into your selves and read this if you can But are not such now worse then Judas who carried the Bag for we never read that Judas persecuted any for not putting into his bag as too too many now a dayes do and have done who will not go without the bag And are not all such Transgressors of Christ's Command who bids them go without a bag or Scrip and Freely you have received Freely give How will such answer Christ think you at the day of Judgment when they are brought before his Throne and before him at his Judgment Seat who then will say unto them Depart you Cursed c. but to his Sheep on his right hand Come ye Blessed of my Father c. and so enter thou into the Joy of the Lord and the other into everlasting Punishment who have been persecuting others for Worshipping the living God in Spirit and in Truth which Worship Christ Jesus set up above 1600. years since as you may read in John 4.23 24. Now Friends to look into your Families and into your own Practices are not we to see that first you are to be approved before you do minister both you and your Families For are we not to try all things and to follow you no farther then you follow Christ And were not thâ—â—ereans accounted Noble in that they searcht the Scriptures to see whether or no that which the Apostle had delivered them were according to the Law and the Prophets And must we be more ignoble then they think you and now to try whether you are in the steps of the true Prophets and of Christ and of the Apostles or in the steps of those False Prophets they cryed out against must we not try here by the Scripture viz. by the Prophets words and by Christ's and his Apostles Words Then for the Trying you the Apostle saith in 1 Tim. 3.1 2 3 c. A Bishop must be Blameless the Husband of One Wife Vigilant Sober of Good behaviour given to Hospitality apt to teach not given to Wine no Striker not Greedy of filthy Lucre but Patient not a Brawler nor Covetous one that ruleth well his own House having his Children in subjection with all Cravity Now are you Blameless are you Sober of Good behaviour and are you given to Hospitality are you apt to teach 'T is Storied of one Parson Gray of this Island being at a Feast the custom was for the Cups to be often handed about one of Brandy the other of Sack but as for the Sack the Parson cared not much for it having had enough of that Liquor whereupon said the pretended Reverend Parson when he saw the Cup of Sack come about again which he cared not for Lord saith he If thou wilt let this Cup
Death And in Matth. 26. there assembled together the Chief Priest and Elders of the People unto the Pallace of the High Priest named Caiphas and consulted how they might take Jesus by Subtilty and so kill him And Judas Iscariot one of the twelve went unto the Chief Priests and covenanted to betray him unto them for thirty Pieces of Silver and so he delivered Christ unto them For he came with a great multitude with Swords and Staves from the Chief Priests and Elders of the People and so apprehended him and brought him before the High Priest and Scribes and the Elders of the People And the Chief Priest and the Elders and the Council sought False Witnesses against Jesus to put him to Death and yet found none At last there came two False Witnesses and said This Fellow said He would destroy the Temple of God and in three dayes build it up And the High Priest rose up and said to Jesus answerest thou nothing What is it these witness against thee And Jesus held his peace What would you have said would you not have answered He was guilty And the High Priest adjur'd him by the Living God to tell him whether he was the Son of God And when Jesus confest the truth then the High Priest rent his Cloaths and said He hath spoken Blasphemy what think you And they answerd He was guilty of Death And they spit in his Face and buffetted him Here is the Work of the Priests and smote him with their hands and mockt him and said Prophesie to us thou Christ who it is that smote thee And the chief Priests and Elders perswaded the Multitude to ask Barabbas and to destroy Jesus the Just And so is it not the practice of you now to let the Thieves Murderers and Adulterers and Drunkards at Liberty and persecute the Just And after they had Crucified him the chief Priests and Pharisees came to Pilate flattering and saying Sir We remember that this Dreamer said while he was yet alive After Thee Dayes I will Arise again therefore let the Sepulchre be made sure until the third day lest his Disciples come by Night and steal him away and so say unto the People He is arisen from the Dead so the last Error will be worse then the first See what a pittiful Fright these Priests were in whose Cause was not good But when Christ was risen indeed and the Watch had acquainted the Chief Priests of all things that were done concerning Jesus then they assembled together with the Elders and took counsel and gave the Souldiers a large sum of Money to say His Disciples came and stole Him away by Night while they slept So if in case this should come to the Covernours Ears we will secure you said the chief Priests and the rest See how they were Teachers of Lyes here And after Christ was risen see what work the Priests made against his Disciples in the Acts of the Apostles chap. 4. What an Assembly there was of them in examining the Apostles and how they threatened them That they should speak no more in the Name of Jesus nor teach but their Answer was Whether it was right to obey God or Man judge ye So they threatned them and let them go And in Acts 5. See how the High Priest was full of Indignation and all that were with him against the Apostles and laid hands on them and put them in Prison So this was the Work still of the Priests all along you see and how the Lord still Delivered his People And in Acts 7. You may there see the High Priest and his Council examined Stephen and at last put him to Death So that you may see their Work was against Christ and his though they had a Profession And in Acts 9. See there how Saul breathed out Threatnings and Slaughter against the Disciples of Christ and how he went to the High Priest and desired Letters to go to Damascus and he had his Packet with him but the Lord met him by the way and sent him upon a contrury Arrand as he hath met with many in these latter dayes Praises be to the Lord forever But afterwards when Saul was turned Paul which signifies Marvelous in Acts 14. you may see how the Professing Jews stirred up the Gentiles and made their minds evil-affected against the Apostles As it s now the manner of Professors this day who are without the Possession to stir up the Rude Multitude against the Professors and Possessors of Christ. And in Acts 20. There you may see how the Jews laid wait for Paul on purpose to destroy him And in Acts 21. how the Jews cry'd out Help Men of Israel against the Apostle and the people ran together and took Paul and went about to kill him had he not been secured by the Captain who was a Heathen And in Chap. 22. Paul there acknowledgeth what he was when he followed the High Priest and how there were more then Forty Men that had bound themselves with a Curse That they would neither Eat nor Drink till they had killed Paul and this they declared to the Chief Priests and Elders who did not reprove them but the Captain delivered him again For those that had bound themselves with a Curse were of the Jews and of the Gang of the Chief Priests And in Chap 24. See there how Ananias the High Priest and Elders came against Paul with many Accusations but still he was delivered out of their hands And how the High Priest and chief of the Jews came to inform against Paul to Pestus Acts 25. And so you may see how they to wit the Priests still continued and persisted in their sad Work of Persecution and Blood all along both against the Prophets of old and against Christ and the Apostles then and against Christ now who is manifested in his Children and People And here you may see that the Birth born of the Flesh persecutes him all along I say that is born of the Spirit from Generation to Generation And what soul clamarous Words and corrupt Language they had against Christ and his Prophets and Apostles which were the Fruit of the Evil Spirit and so is now where-ever it is and with such unfruitful Works of Darkness there is no Fellowship to be had but rather to reprove them And therefore let all Bitterness and Anger and Wrath and Clamour and Evil-speaking be put away from you with all malice Eph. 4.31 32. and Fornication and Uncleanness and Covetousness let it not be once named amongst such as becometh Saints Eph. 5.3 and also all Filthiness Foolish-talking and Jesting which are not convenient but rather giving of Thanks to God through Jesus Christ the Redeemer For this we know That no Whoremonger nor Unclean Person nor Covetous Man which is an Idolater hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of God and of Christ and they that think or speak otherwise are such as deceive the People with vain words and for such
one else For there is something in them that tells them That they should not Practice those Evils or any other before mention'd Which if notwithstanding they should do them that there are but two Ways the one that leads to Heaven where the Righteous go the other that leads to Hell where the Wicked and Debancht Whoremongers and Adulteres Murderers Lyars Thieves go To the one the Lord of Heaven and Earth will say Come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World but to the other he will say Depart ye Cursed into Everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels The Wicked into Everlasting Punishment but the Righteous into Life Eternal Mat. 25. Now consider Friends that it s no Transgression for a Master of a Family to instruct his Family himself or else some others in his behalf but rather that it is a very great Duty lying incumbent upon them As Abraham did and Joshua did as to the first the Lord said I know that Abraham will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the Way of the Lord to do Justice Judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him And as for Joshua said he Josh 24.15 And if it seems Evil unto you to serve the Lord choose you this Day whom you will serve whether the Godds which your Fathers served that were on the other side of the Flood or the Godds of the Amorites in whose Land ye dwell But as for me and my House we will serve the Lord. And further consider this That it is a Duty lying upon us to Pray and to Teach Instruct and Admonish those in and belonging to our Families it being the Command of the Lord the Disobedience to which will incur the Lord's Displeasure as you may see in Jer. 10.25 where it s written Pour out thy Fury upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the Families that call not upon thy Name Now Negars Tauny Indians make up a very great part of Families here in this Island for whom an Account will be required at the Great Day of Judgment when every one shall be Rewarded according to his Deeds done in the Body whether they be Good or whether they be Evil In that Day I say of the Resurrection both of the Good and of the Bad of the Just and of the Unjust when the Lord shall be revealed from Heaven with his Mighty Angels in Flaming Fire taking Vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with Everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power when he shall come to be Glorified in his Saints 2 Thess 1.8 Here follows the Addition VVHereas divers Reproachful Speeches by some of the Priests and People of the Island of Barbadoes were cast upon George Fox since his arrival here its manifest that the Devil was the Author of them to prevent and pervert the Minds of People from the Living Truth of God and the Right Way to God to wit Jesus Christ of whom the said G.F. inform'd the People that so they might all come to inherit Christ Jesus and so inherit the Substance viz. Christ their Teacher their Way their Prophet of whom Moses prophesied long since That him they should Hear their Bishop to Over-see them and their Shepherd to Feed them and their Minister that Ministereth Grace and Life and Truth unto them who is their Rock and Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and of us who in Scorn they call Quakers yea of that Christ who bruised the Serpent's Head and destroyes the Devil and his Works So he is the Way to God to the pure God who is the Pure Foundation of many Generations is the Life of all Mankind that have Life for as they all dyed in the first Adam so the Life they have is in the second Adam to wit Christ Jesus by whom the World was made who was Glorified with the Father before the World began Now I say every one must receive him in whom they have Life Eternal who is the Son of God and so receiving him they receive the Faith of the Son of God and receive his Blood that sprinkles their Hearts and Consciences from dead Works that so they might serve God in the new Life in Christ Jesus I say that Christ Jesus that was Crucified without the Gates of Jerusalem who was born of the Virgin Mary and was Dead and Buried whom Judas betray'd to the Chief Priests for thirty pieces of Silver who afterwards arose out of the Grave even the third day though the Magistrates and Priests set a Watch a Guard of Souldiers upon his Sepulchre and the chief Priests gave the Souldiers large Money to say That his Disciples stole Him away by Night This Christ I say is our Life who Dy'd for our Sins and is Risen for our Justification who remains in the Heavens at the Right hand of God until the restitution of all things And we say He is Manifested and Revealed in us and we are in him by his Light Power and Spirit and he hath taught us what to believe in to wit the Light as you may see in John who saith He is the Light and commands us to believe in the Light that we may be the Children of Light And so we are Believers in the Light to wit Christ Jesus and have the Witness within our selves And after we believ'd we were seal'd by the Spirit of Promise and we can set to our Seal That God is True in all his Prophets and Promises concerning his Son and the Doctrine of the Apostles that preacht Christ's Birth and Life Miracles Sufferings his Death and Resurrection So we do confess him before men to be our Shepherd our Way and our Foundation and the Head of his Church and he is our Bill op our Minister and our Priest who is made higher then the Heavens Holy and Harmless and this we are not ashamed to confess before men Now as for the Filthy and Unsavory words that have been cast upon me they are all False O! that People should bend their Tongues to invent filthy Lyes and that others should be given up to believe a Lye So that Say … of Christ is fulfilled They shall speak all manner of Evil◠you for my sake But yet this we can truly say The Lord forgive them if it be his will if that they have not sin'd out their day and we do earnestly desire their Repentance if there be any place found for Repentance But truly it is much if God's Wrath and his Sore Judgments do not fall heavy upon them in this Island a great measure whereof they have seen and felt already and that not long since both by the Plague that swept Multitudes away as with a Besom and by a very great Fire that
Lamb and the Smoak of their Torment ascends up forever and forever and they have no Rest Day nor Night Can you Friends English that Rev. 14 10. 16.5 6 7. MENE TEKEL You are weighed in the Ballance and are found light so writes the Finger of God and therefore your Kingdom shall be taken from you look for it and all your Ill-gotten Goods and Estates that by your Lyes and False Prophesyings and by speaking Smooth Things Isa 30.10 and Daubing with Untempored Morter Ezek. 22.28 13.9 10. and by all your sowing Pillows under people's Elbows to Keep and Lull them Asleep shall all be Vomited up Thus much I thought meet in Love to write unto you that so you may learn to Fear God Repent Believe and Live forever with the Lord. Barbadoes the 29th of the 1st Moneth called March 1672. From Him that was once of you but now through Mercy is come out from amongst youâ— and bears this Tostimony against you John Hull Read Jer. cap 6. from vers 13. to 19. and Ezek. cap. 34. cap. 13. throughout Postscript Since the writing of this Letter I had Information of some Sad Passages of Priest Walker's Sermon that he Preached before the Rulers of the last General Sessions which occasioned this Postscript OFRIENDS But Seriously weigh the Thing in the Cool of the Day between God and your own Hearts and Consider Seriously Whether it be not Sad to See Him and such who profess your selves Ministers viz. Christ's Ambassadours given to the Churches for Education Consolation Information and Instruction to Stand and Appear so directly Diametrically Opposite and Cross to the very End of your Pretended Work and Ministry Concerning many of whom I fear it may be said That knowingly wilfully and deliberately Oppose Piety and Godliness and Crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and have Condemned and Killed the Just that Resisted not O! read that Within That you should I say Persecute and stir up others to Persecution whose Work should be To Feed and Preserve out of it and Wound instead of Healing and Grieve the Spirit of the Righteous who should further their Joy and Comfort So that such declare themselves with open Mouth to be Physâ—â—ians of No Value And so it is made clearly manifest That none are a Greater Plague to the Church so called both in Corrupting and Deluding it by your Sorceries and Enchantments and also in causing the Sacrifice of the Lord to be by Men abhorred then some of you who would be accounted The SALT of the EARTH But alas it hath lost its Savour so that as Christ saith It is good for Nothing but to be cast out and troden under Foot by men Mat. 5.13 Luke 14.34 Just like those Priests Eli's Sons Sons of Belial by their Debaucheries Wickedness and Whoredoms spoken of in 1 Sam. 2.12 17. compared And instead of being Barnabas's Sons of Consolation are found and experimented to be Boanerges's Sons of Thunder Alaruming to War and to Battels with Confused Noise and Garments rold in Blood O Friends Be Friendly Advised Not to Sadden the Hearts of those whom God would not have made Sad Hazael-like 2 King 8.11 12 13. Is thy Servant a Dog saith he to the Prophet that I should do this Great Thing So Priest Walker and you may happily say Far be it from any of us that we should do this Great Thing that we should Seek Labour and Endeavour by Preaching Teaching or Petitioning the Destruction of the Righteous But take heed take heed that you be not found amongst the number of those that think in so doing i. e. in Killing Imprisoning Plundering and Persecuting them they do God Service you cannot be Ignorant that such there were mention'd John 16.2 where saith the Lord They have put you out of their Synagogues that is Excommunicated or Unchurched them and then Imprisoned them and Spoiling them of their Goods as many Hundreds have been by such as you Yea the Time cometh and is it not now that whosoever shall Kill them thinks he dorh God Service therein O! Read and Consider lest you be found I say to be such such Fools were those by their own Consession in the Book of Wisdom which is good Scripture though placed in that part which is called Appochripha read Wisdom chap. 5. vers 1 2 3 4 5 c. Then shall the Righteous Man stand in great Boldness before the Face of such as have Afflicted him and made no Account of his Labours when they see it they shall be Troubled with Terrible Fear and shall be Amazed at the Strangeness of his Salvation so far beyond all that they looked for Mark Is not this made good now in the Disappointment of the late strenous Endeavours and Actings against the Quakers only of all Dissenters in this Island through the Instigation and Promotion with the greatest Violence and Fury of you Priests especially of Priest Walker W. Lessley and his Son in Law Johnson For as the Psalmist saith Psal 25.20 They speak not Peace but Divise Deceitful Matters against them that are Quiet in the Land whereas the Lord saith plainly Divise not Evil against thy Neighbour seeing he dwelleth securely by thee Prov. 3.29 30 31. Weigh this well and consider Proud Hamon's Devilish Stratagem against God's People and how the Lord Frustrated and Disannulled his designed Acts as he hath and will do yours and wicked Divises in and to their own Ruin in the Book of Esther chap. 8. 9. according to that Psal 7.15 He made a Pit and Digged it and is fallen into the Ditch which he made his Mischief shall return upon his own Head and his Violent Dealing shall come down upon his own Pate Insidit in foveam quam struxit then sollows I will Praise the Lord according to his Righteousness c. It being a Righteous Thing in God so to Reward them whose Wayes are Equal though Man's Wayes are Unequal And Prov. 26.27 But to return to that in Wisdom again And they Repenting and Groaning in Spirit shall say within themselves This was he we had sometimes in Dirision and a Proverb or Parable of Reproach We Fools Accounted his Life Madness and his End to be without Honour How is he numbred among the Children of God and his Lot is amongst the Saints Therefore we Erred from the Way of Truth the Light of Righteousnes hath not shined unto us and the Son of Righteousnes arose not upon us We Wearied our selves in the Way of Wickedness and Destruction c. O! was not this Friends your Work and will not these or the like be your Words and Wages answerable one Day John Hull FOR THE GOVERNOUR And His Council Assembly And all Others in Power both Civil and Military in this Island from the People called QVAKERS With an ADDITION WHereas many Scandalous Lyes and Slanders have been cast upon us to the rendring us the more Odious viz. That we do deny God and Christ Jesus and