A CALL TO Christendom In an Earnest Expostulation with Her to prepare for the Great and Notable DAY of the LORD That is at the Door By William Penn. LONDON Printed and Sold by T. Sowle near the Meeting-house in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-Street and at the Crooked-Billet in Holywell-lane near Shoreditch 1694. A CALL TO Christendom AWake O Christendom Awake and come to Judgment for the Great and Notable Day of the Lord is drawing apace upon thee prepare to meet him thou and thy Children for the Hour of his Judgement hasteneth upon you as Travail on a Woman with Child in which all your Works shall be tried and that by Fire For the Day of the Lord shall burn as an Oven and all the proud and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble Yea by fire and by sword will the Lord God Almighty plead with all flesh with all fleshly Worshippers and Workers who live after the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof And with the Spirit of Judgment and the Spirit of Burning that is with Spiritual Judgment and Burning will he visit all Ranks and Regions upon the Earth Yea his holy Terrors shall take hold of the Rebellious and Anguish and Distress shall fill the Souls of the Guilty The Faces of Nations shall gather paleness and their Knees smite together because of the Anger of God that is kindling against them and his fierce Wrath that is revealing from Heaven against all the ungodly but more especially against the Children of the Mystery of Iniquity 'T is in this day that the Kindreds of the Earth shall mourn with a great Lamentation O Christendom Thou hast long sate as a Queen that should never know sorrow Great have been thy Pretences and large thy Profession of God Christ Spirit and Scriptures come let me Expostulate with thee and thy Children in the fear and presence of him that shall bring every word and work to Judgment God is pure and the pure in heart only see him Now are you pure Do you see him God is a Spirit and none can worship him aright but such as come to his Spirit and obey it Do you so Christ is the Gift of God have you received him into your Hearts Does he rule there Then have you Eternal Life abiding in you If not you are not true Christians The Spirit of Truth leadeth into all Truth and the Children of God are born of it and led by it But are you led into all the holy ways of Truth born of this Eternal Spirit Then you follow not the Spirit of this World nor do your own wills but the Will of God You profess the holy Scriptures but what do you witness and experience What Interest have you in them Can you set to your Seal they are true by the work of the same Spirit in you that gave them forth in the holy Antients What 's David's Roarings and Praises to thee that livest in the Lust of this World What 's Paul's and Peter's Experiences to thee that walkest after the Flesh O you that are called Christians givâ— ear a little unto me for I am prest in Spâ—rit to write to you Read with patiencâ— and consider my words for behold what I have to say unto you concerneth your Eternal Good GOD hath so loved the World that he hath sent his only Begotten Son into the World that those that believe in him should have Eternal Life And this Son is Christ Jesus the true Light that lighteth every one coming into the World and they that abide not in him the Light dwell in Darkness in Sin and are under the Region and Shadow of Death Yea dead in Sin and see not their own states neither perceive the sad Conditions of their own Souls They are blind to the things of God's Kingdom and unsensible of true and spiritual Life and Motion what it is to live to God And in that state are alienated from God without true Judgment and living Knowledge and under the Curse For in Jesus Christ the Light of the World are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge Redemption and Glory they are hid from the wordly Christian from all that are captivated by the Spirit and Lusts of the World And whoever would see them for therein consist the things that belong to their Eternal Peace must come to Christ Jesus the true Light in their Consciences bring their Deeds to him love him and obey him whom God hath ordained a Light to lighten the Gentiles and for his Salvation to the ends of the Earth Light and Salvation are joined together and none can come to Salvation but as they come first to the Light and submit to the manifestation of it which leadeth to Salvation For the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the Light of the Lamb Christ Jesus Light and Sanctification are also joined together If we walk in the Light as God is in the Light the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son shall cleanse us from all sin And Light and Life Eternal are joined together For in the Word that was with God in the beginning and was God by whom all things were made that were made was life and that life the light of men And this is the Testimony of Jesus I am the light of the world he that followeth me shall not abide in darkness but have the light of life Yea it is Eternal Life to believe in him in Christ the Light to receive embrace and to follow him And this is that true Light saith the same beloved Disciple that lighteth every man that cometh into the world Now this Light shineth in Darkness in the Children of Darkness in their dark Hearts in their black Souls and defiled Consciences but in this Darkness they comprehend it not Neither can man know the Nature and Benefit of it whilst he rebelleth against it for the Virtue and Excellency of it is shut up and hid from the Children of Disobedience To as many as received him of old gave he power to become the Children of God and they that did his Will knew his Doctrine to be of God and of Power and Efficacy to their Salvation But this is the great Condemnation of the World at this day that though God hath sent his Son a Light into the Hearts of all Men and Women to manifest and reprove their evil deeds and to save them yet they love Darkness they love the Lusts and Imaginations of their vain Hearts better than this holy Light that is given unto them for Salvation They chuse Barrabas rather than Jesus Yea they have set up other Lights than Christ Jesus God's great Light and other Prophets than Christ God's great Prophet and other Priests than Jesus the High-Priest of the New Covenant But they are dark Lights false Prophets and blind Priests All that came before me saith Christ are Thieves and Robbers And all that Pray Preach Sing Worship c. and not by the Light and Spirit of
Judgment is come and no more worship the Beast Do you fear God in Truth and in Sincerity Then are you fearful of offending the Lord and tender of God's Glory then are your Hearts kept clean then are you wise to Salvation and so you can glorifie God indeed otherwise your Prayers and Praises are not Evangelical in God's sight But tell me O ye Gospellers is the Hour of his Judgment come to you Is it begun at your Houses yet How do you feel it Hath it broke your Hearts Hath it contristed your Spirits Have ye known the Godly Sorrow The Chastisements of the Lord and Rebukes of the Almighty Hath his pure Eternal Word divided yet betwixt your Souls and Spirit the Joynts and Marrow Have you ever been weary and heavy laden with Sin Hath it been a Burden to you Did you ever cry out in the Agony of your Spirits yet Men and brethren what shall we do to be saved O! who shall deliver us from the Body of sin here and the wrath to come the Travel of the holy Antients if not you are yet strangers to Christ and his Kingdom And if you die in that state where he is gone you shall never come For Sion God's City must be redeemed through Judgments and her Converts through Righteousness Yea the House of God cannot escape it wherefore said one of old If Judgment begin at the House of God where shall the ungodly and sinner appear O Wo to them that live without the Judgments of the Lord Wo to them that cast his Reproofs behind their Backs and live in earthly Pleasures fatting up themselves in their Lusts and Pleasures as for the day of Slaughter and treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath O the Antient Saints lived not thus they worked out their Salvation with fear and trembling yea they gave all diligence to make their Calling and Election sure Which way do you work out yours Habakkuk that holy Prophet his lips quivered and his belly trembled that his Soul might rest in the day of trouble Is this your state Or are you not rather Worshippers of the Beast at this day Lovers of the worldly sensual voluptuous Life walking in the lusts of the Eye the lusts of the Flesh and pride of Life like Rebellious Israel of old forgetting God days without number But this know that All that forget God shall be turned into Hell Oh! what is become of the Fatherly Visitation made to your Progenitors those good beginnings sow'd in Persecutions and Martyrdoms Have you answered the Loving-kindness of God therein Have you advanc'd in the Way of Righteousness Are you become an holy Nation and a peculiar People to God Zealous of good Works But have you not betaken your selves to the Wisdom and Learning of this World to make Ministers and deserted the Spirit of the Lord and fled to the Power and Policy of this World to defend and protect you and not to the Name of the Lord which hath always been the strong Tower of the Righteous Nay are you not divided one against another and turned Persecutors for Religion your selves denying that Liberty to others you took for your selves Ah! Where is the Royal Law of Doing as you would be done unto Thus have you decayed and degenerated into a Worldly Clergy and a Carnal People holding and maintaining Reformed Words in an unreformed Spirit Yea are not the same evils Pride Passion Malice Wars Bloodshed Persecution Deceit fleshly Lusts Wantonness vain Pleasures and Sports yea all manner of Worldly-mindedness to be found in you that were in the Persecutors of your Fore-fathers and against which your most serious and best Ancestors faithfully testified So that the difference now is about Words and Sentences and not about the Life Nature and Spirit of pure and undefiled Religion and Men are to be known now by their Denominations and Subscriptions to certain Human Creeds Man-made Faiths and Forms and not by the Spirit and Image of Christ Jesus by the nature of the true Sheep and by that holy Vnction that was the Bond of the heavenly Fellowship of the Saints of Old And you that are called Reformed with the rest of the Subdivided Sects what better are you for your Names Are ye Regenerated yet Are you Reformed from the Lusts of the Eye the Lusts of the Flesh and the Pride of Life from the Devil and all his Works Are you born of the incorruptible Seed that liveth and abideth for ever And are you come out of the corruptible things and doth Christ lead you Is the Government of your Souls upon his Shoulders Tell me is it the New Birth that which is born of God through many Tribulations the New Man Created in Christ Jesus that calleth God Father in your Prayers and that maketh mention of him in your Preachings Or is it the first Birth of the earth earthly the old Man the corrupt and unregenerated Nature that which is born of the Flesh that is to say of the Seed of the Evil One the Father of all the fleshly Lusts Inventions Imaginations and Traditions of Men that taketh pleasure in the vain and wicked Sports and Pleasures of this Apostate World that forget God and turn his Grace into Wantonness reproaching nick-naming and persecuting the Children of Regeneration with scornful Names and cruel Punishments calling God Father as the Jews did and Crucifying Christ afresh by a vain Conversation at the same time O you Degenerated Christians of all sorts yea all the several Sects in Christendom that have deserted your first Love and degenerated from the Life and Power of Primitive Godliness with the Light of Christ Jesus in your Hearts examine your selves God hath lighted your Candle search and try your selves see how it standeth with you as to your Eternal Condition before you go hence and be no more in this World Consider are you in the true Faith of Christ or no For without true Faith none can please God and without pleasing him no Man can be saved The Devils believe yea and tremble too that is more than Thousands called Christians do and so far they are short of the very Devils Have you Faith Let 's try it in the Name of God What is it for Faith Doth it overcome the World Doth it live and depend upon God Can it forsake Country and Kindred Turn out Ishmael Offer up Isaac Live a Pilgrim a Stranger in the World Doth it work by that love which can forsake all for Christ's Names sake Doth it fight against the Devil Resist his fiery Darts Overcome his Assaults and Temptations And finally purifie the Soul to God's use Is this your Faith O you carnal outside-Christians No such matter for you live in the flesh fulfilling the Lusts thereof and your care is what you shall eat drink and put on and how you should get the Mammon Friendship and Glory of this World Examine your selves and prepare for the Day of the Lord hasteneth upon you And have a care
Jesus they go before Christ before Christ cometh before he prepareth their Hearts and toucheth their Lips with a Coal from his Heavenly Altar and perform Worship in their own Will Time and Power and stay not for his Leadings And therefore all such rob Christ of his Office who is the Leader of the true Christians their Heavenly High-Priest to anoint them and offer up their Sacrifice to God for them and Prophet to let them see and know by his Light in their Hearts what they ought to do according to the New and Everlasting Covenant I will write my Law in their hearts and put my Spirit in their inward parts and they shall be all taught of me saith the Lord. Now this is the Question to the whole World called Christian Do you see with this Divine Light Have you searcht your Hearts with it And are you anointed by this High-Priest with his holy Vnction that leadeth into all Truth Doth this Heavenly Prophet give you Vision and reveal the Father to you Is he your Eye your Head your Wisdom Do you live move and have your life and being in him in Praying Preaching and Singing yea in your whole Conversation Are you renewed into this Life and Image And have you heard his Voice and seen his Shape Are you Witnesses of his holy Rebukes his pure Judgments the Shame and Death of his Cross Is he the Fountain of your Knowledge The Author of your Faith O consider Are you of those that have spoke with Jesus That have been taught in the School of his holy Cross Students in his Heavenly Academy O have you drunk of his Cup and been baptized with his Baptism Tell me in the Fear of the Lord God you that call your selves Christians doth he go before you and lead you as a Master teacheth his Disciples and a Captain leadeth his Souldiers And do you follow him in all the weighty things of this Life And doth he order your Minds and rule your Affections If not you are Thieves and Robbers for you rob Christ of his Office For God hath appointed him to be the Leader and Ruler of all People yea 't is God's Decree and those that he leadeth not in their Thoughts Words and Works shall never come to God for all must come to God by him that is by his Light and Spirit ruling in their Hearts which sanctifieth regenerateth and converteth the Soul to God And the Cause of the Confusion and Contention that is about Religion in Europe at this day is That Men have deserted this true Light and holy Spirit and so are degenerated from the life and power of pure and unspotted Religion and have attempted to comprehend Christ's Doctrines without Christ's Light and to know the Things of God without the Spirit of God And being thus miserably erred by wicked Works from the one Spirit of Truth they have wandred into the fallible Conceits and Opinions of Men. And in this State one Party hath contended against another From Words they have fallen to Blows and the strongest hath opprest the weakest And not knowing what Spirit they were of have called light darkness and darkness light putting the Sheep's-skin upon the Wolf and the Wolf's-skin upon the poor Sheep of Christ endeavouring by carnal Weapons to enforce their Opinions and to extort Conformity by worldly Laws and Punishments to their Perswasions All this is out of the Light Life and Doctrine of Christ Jesus and in the Spirit of Darkness Confusion Strife and Blood-shed which is the Devil All which Babel must and shall come down by the Light Power and Spirit of Jesus now rising in the World and Hell Death and the Grave shall not be able to hinder it For the set time the appointed time of the Father is come and the Judgment is begun O ye that are called Roman-Catholicks tell me are you truly Catholick that is of an Vniversal Spirit Then you will not persecute but love all and be tender to all Are you truly Roman and Successors of that Antient Apostolical Church Then you walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit yea the Spirit of Christ dwelleth in you and you are led by the Spirit of God and can call him Father in Truth and Righteousness and the Word of God in the Heart is your Teacher and not the Traditions of Men for so the Romans of old time were instructed O consider if you are true Successors you must follow them in the same Nature Spirit and Life for in that only standeth the Christian Succession to wit in Christ And every Branch Person or Church that abideth not in this great Vine is rejected for the Fire Therefore deceive not your selves as the Jews of old did with crying The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord and saying We have Abraham to our Father and to us belong the Fathers Covenants Law Priesthood and Chair of Moses For as the Apostle said of old so say I to you His servants you are whom you obey and he that worketh Wickedness is of the Devil So that Christ's Successors are they that take up his Cross follow him and that abide in his holy Doctrine that keep his Commandments and themselves unspotted from the World And those that follow the Lust of the Eye the Lust of the Flesh and Pride of Life are not of Christ nor of the Father but of the World Subjects to the Prince of the Power of the Air and Successors of Sodom Gomorrah Egypt Tyro Sidon and persecuting Jerusalem and not of the harmless self-denying holy Suffering Spouse of Christ Jesus that is ruled in all things by her Husband her Head her Lord. O search and try with the Light of Jesus if you are not degenerated from Primitive Simplicity and Purity For great are the Abominations of all Sects that flow like a Deluge throughout your Countries Repent and Turn to the Ancient Apostolical Spirit and Life that you may enter into the Rest of God O you that call your selves Evangelicks or Gospellers are you Evangelical Are you saved from the Lusts and Pleasures and dead Worships of the World by the mighty Power of God which is the Gospel and led by an Evangelical Spirit If not you are not yet Redeemed you are not yet under Grace which is the Gospel-state For you are not taught by it but rebel against it how then are you true Gospellers Men of Gospel-liberty Men of Deliverance and Redemption to whom Immortality is brought to light as it is to all that truly know and receive the Blessed Gospel that are yet Subjects and Servants to Sin How can you sing the Song of the Lamb that are not delivered by the Lamb but by your vain Conversations Crucifie the Lamb and do despite to the Spirit of Grace and that every day The true Gospellers are those that receive the Angel's Message who is the great Preacher of the Everlasting Gospel viz. Fear God Give glory to his Name for the hour of his
lest you partake 〈◊〉 of the Plagues that God hath prepared for Babylon she that calleth her self the Lamb's Bride and is an Harlot committing Fornication throughout all Nations and Sects that is those that by a lying Spirit have had their Hearts seduced from God and his holy Fear yet in Words profess'd to be his People who call themselves Jews but are not Christians and are not but of the Synagogue of Satan being Strangers to the Circumcision in Spirit and the Baptism that is with Fire and with the Holy Ghost With Fire to consume the fleshly Nature and with the Holy Ghost to beget the heavenly Nature in Man O the Downfal of this great City and the Desolation of this false Church through all the Sects in Christendom is come and coming yea in one day shall it be accomplisht even in the day of the Appearance of Christ who is the Second Adam the Lord from Heaven who by the Brightness of his Coming and by the Breath of his Mouth in the Hearts of Nations shall reveal and destroy this great Antichrist this Man of Sin in Man that sitteth in the Place of God yea exalted above all that is called God requiring Conformity to all his Inventions and Injunctions upon pain of Life Liberty and Estate Nor are any suffered to Buy or Sell in this great City but such as will receive his Mark. Wo to you all in the Name of the Lord that call God your Father and are not Born of him that name his Name and hate to be Reformed That call Jesus Lord and not by the Holy Ghost who take his pure Name into your Mouths and depart not from Iniquity I say to you on God's behalf as God said to the Jews of old your Prayers your Sacrifices and your solemn Assemblies c. in an unconverted state are Abomination to the Lord. No matter for your Names your Pretences your Creeds if you live without God in the World that is without his holy Awe in your Hearts without a Divine Sense of his Presence in your Souls and know not that Godly Sorrow that worketh unfeigned Repentance the only way to Eternal Life Your Worship God loatheth A Dog's neck Swines-blood yea to Bless an Idol or kill a Man is altogether as acceptable with the Lord. O! God is wroth with the feigned Worships as well as common Ungodliness of the World Come to Christ's Spirit be led of it and do not your own Wills but the Will of Christ Jesus and then you shall know the true Worship For the true Ministry and Worship of God stand not in the Will Wisdom or Appointment of Men nor can they be performed by unregenerated Men but in the leadings of his Eternal Spirit by whom all the faithful offer up themselves an acceptable Sacrifice to God not to live unto themselves but to him that hath purchased them 'T is true Christ Jesus died for the ungodly but not that they should continue ungodly but take up his daily Cross and follow him Christ saith Peter hath offered up himself once for all leaving us an Example that we should follow his steps as he was in this World so we should be saith John not conformable to the Rudiments Fashions and Customs of this World that pass away but transformed and renew'd in our minds by the Grace that he hath given us which Grace bringeth Salvation to all that obey it teaching such to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godlikely in this present evil World Because without Holiness none shall ever see the Lord That is God's Decree Wherefore be you not deceived O you Formal and Titular Christians God will not be mocked Such as you sow such shall you reap at the Hand of the Lord Yea for every idle word shall you give an Accompt in the Day of Judgment Think not with your selves you have Christ to your Saviour and you are reconciled to God through Christ and that God looketh not upon you as you are in your selves but as in Christ whilst you walk not after the Spirit but after the Flesh for the Wages of Sin is Death but the Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord To whom Not to them that despise his Light in their Hearts that grieve his Spirit and by a worldly Conversation go on to Crucifie him and who follow not Jesus in the way of Tribulation and Regeneration God is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity and he looketh upon Men and Women to be what they really are and not what they imagine themselves to be Behold he cometh and his Reward is with him and he will reward all according to their Works Sinners while such can no more come into Christ than into God for God is in Christ and Christ is in God Christ is holy harmless pure and undefiled and separate from Sinners And if ever you would have God look upon you to be in Christ you must come into Christ And you can never come into Christ the new and heavenly Man that is undefiled and separated from Sinners till you come out of Sin and the Author of it the Devil the old Man of Sin and leave your wicked Deeds of darkness Therefore be ye separate from every evil Way Christ the Immaculate Lamb of God came not only to save Men from Wrath but from Sin which is the cause of Wrath. Behold the Lamb of God saith John which taketh away the sin of the World Not their Sin that will not believe in him but the Sins of those that are weary and heavy laden that wait hunger thirst and cry for his Salvation whom God hath given for a light to lighten the Gentiles and for his Salvation to the ends of the Earth O you that are called by his Sacred Name Repent Repent Prepare Prepare to meet the Lord who is coming in the way of his Judgments to visit the Inhabitants of the Earth and put away the evil of your doings and turn to him that he may receive you But Wo in the Name of the Lord to all that Rebel against the Light of Christ Jesus who serve another Master and follow another Captain and obey the Prince of the Power of the Air who reigneth in the Hearts of the Children of Disobedience Yea Wo unto all who are covered with a Covering and not of my Spirit that take counsel and not of me saith the Lord Who gather sticks and kindle a Fire of their own and compass themselves about in the Sparks which they have kindled for this shall they have at my Hand They shall lye down in Sorrow Wo from God to all the Will-worshippers who Worship but not in the Spirit and in the Truth their Worship is not available He that Worships God aright is turned to the Spirit and is taught and led by the Spirit And such as have received the Spirit of Christ are not led by their own Spirits nor by the Spirit of this