I Do believe that very many among you are not unsen­sible of your own unfruitfulnesse, and unfaithful dealing to God-ward; and I know that ye may not deny, but if ye had stood in your former integrity, that is to say, when ye were little in your own eyes, when compassion was no stranger, and tendernesse was well known amongst ye, then was the hire­ling and all his Jewish, and Popish trumpery sentenced, and li­berty of conscience vowed; I say if ye had stood in that integri­ty, ye might have been instrumental to have saved much of the innocent blood that hath been shed, for which I know the Lords hand will be speedily and eminently revealed upon some amongst ye, who have connived at cruel murthers, when as the blood of the innocent hath been laid before ye; as James Parnels in the first place was; but since him many others have drank of the same cup, even to death; And I am sure the Lord will rebuke princes for our sakes, and let the most sturdiest oak amongst ye know that the indignation and fierce wrath of the dreadful God is kindled, and his righteous judgement is nigh, even at the door, and a sudain and terrible breach will he make amongst ye, at unawares, when ye look not for his coming; for verily his righteous spirit is grieved at the cruelties that are done, & although ye hedge your selves up with many spears and think to surround your selves with battleaxes, yet the same spirit, which ye have many of ye like fools gone about to limit, [Page 4] will suddainly break through all your contrivances, and a day of mourning will overtake ye, although for the present ye are not troubled like other men; but suffer the Prophets, and messengers of the living God to be slain before your faces; yea I know the righteous have perished, and none of ye have laid it to heart, so as to remedy it, and if any of them be mo­ved of the Lord to come among you, some of ye have even shamefully and cruelly entreated them, madly resisting the holy One in his way; but let the most surliest among ye know that the blood of the innocent hath reached heaven, and he will not spare ye.

And now that none of ye from the General to the meanest sentinel may be ignorant what innocent blood I mean; It is the blood of such who did believe, and declare that Christ is come in the flesh, and so durst not uphold a Jewish or Popish priest-hood by paying of them tythes; and some for going in­to a Mass-house, and desiring the hireling to fear the Lord, and turn from the evil of his wayes, or asking a sober question, and for not swearing, which is the breach of an especial com­mand of Christ, who sayes swear not at all; many others drag­ged out of their peaceable meetings, without the breach of the least Popish law whatsoever, and thrown into dungeons, and nasty holes, amongst theeves and murtherers; other being upon their knees at prayer, have been taken up by the hair of the head, & some thrown into prison without so much as a Mittimus, & there kept for many moneths; others have been stoned, knockt down with clubs and stones, mangled with swords, and run into the body, and abundance of such cruelties I might name, besides the exceeding great number of our friends that have been whipt as vagabonds, and committed to prison for vaga­bonds, and yet, be it known to the whole World, we have not a begger amongst us.

One and the same woman hath been committed for not coming, and coming to the Steeple-house, although she spake not a word to either Priest or people; others have been invited by the Magistrates in my hearing to the Steeple-house to have a dispute, and yet afterwards was committed to prison, but the cause of the innocont which of ye have pleaded? or what Justice hath there been done to the poor Nazarenes? [Page 5] when any of us have been falsly, and contrary to all manner of Law, imprisoned for the space of a year more or lesse, there is some would have us call it a favour, when as for shame they are forced to deliver us.

When some of the Lambs of God have been brought to the bar, the Judge hath asked the plaintiff, what he had against the Prisoner, he answered, he abused me, he abused me; wherein? why said the plaintiff, he bid me fear the Lord, and this he cal­led an abuse; and many such rediculous absurdities I might name, that hath been committed by the Anti-christian Ro­mish Clergy, and those upon whom that beast rides, in these our yet bad-reformed times; but I shall wade further into that Sea anon.

Friends, It is not unknown to me, the exceeding largeness of your borders in the earth and your being at much ease in the flesh, having more then heart can wish, many of ye not having the least sympathy with Jacobs troubles, being as ye think safe­ly wrapt up in fig-leaves, having on a phylactary of the best make, yet the dreadful God of hosts will fall in among ye at unawares on every hand, if ye speedily repent not, and lay to heart the sufferings of the innocent, and forthwith relieve the oppressed, your latter end will be worse then your beginning; where is that spirit of tendernesse that was once among ye, that dearly loved mercy and justice? have ye turned the love of God backwards? Oh! ye have given him just cause utterly to forsake ye; have ye sold your selves to do wickedly? and instead of growing from strength to strength, and from grace to grace, ye have turned the grace of God into wantonnesse and oppression, swearing, and for swearing, vowing and not performing, all which the Lord our God hates; and let not the most lofty Ceader of ye all be deceived, the Lords arm is not shortned, and asuredly he will visit for these things.

What, hath victories, treasures and spoyls so puffed ye up, that ye quite forget your selves, & your poor brethren? and be­cause ye have overcome the oppressors, do ye therefore op­presse? but the same Lord lives as ever, and thats our assur­ance, that he will make all his enemies his foot-stool (appease that in your selves which would be angry) and honestly consi­der if ye do not uphold the enemies of God, and Gods people [Page 6] at this day, yea I know there was a spirit amongst ye once, that would have grieved in your very hearts, and have thought it your very shame, that the people of God should have lain rot­ting in Goals even to death for not swearing, or putting off a hat, and for not putting into the hirelings mouth, which ye all may, and I do believe for the most part do know that he is e­ven your own implacable enemy; do not all go along with them like fools to the stocks, till a dart strikes sheer through your li­vers? I say there was a time when the hireling and his Jewish and Popish trumpery was all sentenced, and the brand of the con­querer, and other Tyranies vowed to be taken off, but ye are for-sworn, and the Lord will not hold them guiltlesse, that have so often called God to witnesse, and not performed, as some of ye have done, although you may say in your hearts, he defers his coming; & because judgement is not speedily execu­ted, therefore the wicked are set in their heart to do evil; and my friends, I am sure the blood of the innocent shall never cease to cry, till such time that the seed of God be delivered, and fully discharged from their deadly prisons, and nasty holes, where many of the most pretious Saints of the Lord are thronged, where some already have sealed their Testimony with their blood, and several others are languishing even at the brink of death; and all this, and much more is suffered to gratifie the hireling that irreclameable relique of popery.

May not all that are wise in heart plainly see that the Priests of this Land war with flesh and blood, and for principalities, and powers, and their weapons are indeed carnal, and not spiritual, who no longer then their mouths are cramed and filled, they prepare war, and murders men for their bellies, and have had the blood of several already? Oh cruel gluttony, and most accursed appetite, that nothing can stanch or satisfie but blood! Oh, let them have blood to drink, and let the whores cup be filled brim full with the indignation and dregs of the wrath of the Almighty God. If we were the wolves, as the hirelings sayes we are, and they the sheep or Lambs, I am sure all people will confesse with me, that it is not the nature of sheep and Lambs to devour and kill the wolves, but the wolves did of old, as these do now, kill the sheep, and devour the innocent Lambs.

I have read and doe believe that the good Shepherd laid down his own life for the Sheep, but I do not read that he e­ver took away the life of any. So my dear Friends, honestly consider who ye are for, and who ye uphold; for verily, if ye lay down your lives and perish for and with their deceipt, I am bold in the Lord God to declare it unto you all, from the highest to the lowest, that they are falling, and mine eye sees it; and it is impossible for ye to defend or secure them from the just name of Antichrists false prophets, deceivers, greedy dumb dogs, who can never have enough, but still seeks for his gain from his quarter; (mark that, he seeks it) as the false Prophets did of old; for there is few or none that are not forced, yea very few that brings his gain to him, but himself, or some one for him seeks all the quarters of the field till he finds the poor brow-sweating husband-man (who eats the bread of carefulnesse all the year long) no sooner he finds him, or his corn or hay, but he presently tels out the tenth sheaf, or tenth Cock, and so sets his thiefs mark upon it, and calls it his own. Compare him to the false prophet, which is spoken of in Mich. 3. read the whole Chapter, and see if there be any more diffe­rence then there is betwixt a thief and a ravenous Lawyer, or a Judge, whose hands and affections may be full of bribery, and yet hangs a thief. Friends, lay aside prejudice, and honestly Judge.

Ye may remember that Moses said, a Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up like unto me, him shall ye hear in all things (mark, and truly consider the word all▪) he doth not say, him shall ye hear in some things onely, but him shall ye hear in all things; and it comes to pass, that he that will not hear this Prophet, shall be cut off. Now that Prophet who was the Promise, the Vow and Oath of God, commands in express words, saying, Swear not at all; though it was said by them of old, thou shalt per­form thy Oaths to the Lord, but I say, swear not at all; and I am sure he that goes about to inforce any one to swear by any Oath, obeys not that Prophet, and is to be cut off; and that Prophet strictly and positively commands his Mini­sters, saying, Be ye not of men called Masters, without the breach of which command and title of Master, the hireling is not compleat.

For when a youngling goes first to Oxford▪ to learn the trade of Devination, they call him a fresh-man, and continues for three years or thereabouts by the name of an undergraduate, and then he takes the degree of Batchelour, but yet he may not preach, except it be by that which they call Ex Gratia; and in other four years time, he commonly takes the degree of Ma­ster, and then he hath authority to say what he pleaseth, for an hour together, and calls it the Word of God; and he must not be contradicted, upon pain of six months imprison­ment, although half his discourse consists of what Ovid, Plato, Aristole and Diogenes, &c. did, which they call Heathens; and yet what he saith in that place, must pass for sound doctrine, and they call it the Word of God; for when he steps into his stall, and hath spoken some words, which he calls prayer, he bids them hearken to the Word of God, and there like a Lawyer or a Trumpeter he sells them hisThe false Prophet steals the word from his Neighbour, and boasts in other mens lines. own breath, and the words of the fore­mentioned heathenish Authors, with many more that he hath thieved together & stol­len from his neighbour, which with his title of Master is an infallible mark of the false prophet. Yet your divelish law is such, that none must speak to him in the time of his false worship, his going to or coming from the Mass-house, and at [...]is own house he will not be seen; so that as far as in you lies,) [...] [...]use the people to perish for want of knowledge; but that w [...]h limits the Holy One, must be cut off; for he speaks where he will, and when he will, and by whom he will, although it be by the Carpenters Son, or Peter a fisher-man, who hath no Letters, and was no Orthodox man (upon your account) yet it shall break all your bonds asunder, and shatter all your contrivances to dust. Why will ye believe a swearing Priest, that desperately and wickedly breaks the absolute command of Christ, and teacheth others so to do? Christ says, Swear not at all (mark) not at all, What not a Ju­dicial oath before a Magistrate, being called thereunto by the Authority of the Nation? Nay, Swear not at all, neither by Hea­ven nor by Earth nor by any other Oath (Judicial, or) whatsoever; thus said the great Prophet, the Everlasting Priest, the Son of God, the Saviour of the World; and it very shortly comes [Page 9] to passe that he that will not hear him, shall be cut off from a­mongst the people, and no swearer or liar can possible enter the Kingdom: and he that will swear will lie, and the liar is for the lake, and shall have his portion without, with dogs, witches, and sorcerers.

Paul who was a Minister of Christ, he exhorted the people, say­ing, so walk as ye have me or us for an example; I leave it to all that have any sobernesse; and have not made a bargane with Hell and Death, if it be in the least safe for us to walke as we have the hireling for our example, that will swear, and teach others to swear, and say its lawful, and strike with his fist, and knock men down, and imprisons men to death for their bellies, as many of the Goals in England can witnesse▪ proud, cove­tous, heady and high-minded undeniable they are, and are these men to be learnt of? surely nay; with my very life I de­ny them to be of God, or Christ, who saies, Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly, and He nor none of his Ministers did ever im­prison any, stock, whip or murder any; but their own backs they willingly gave to the smiter, and their cheeks to have the hair pluckt off, and were accounted as the off-scouring of the earth, their names cast out as evil doers, and were shamefully intreated, persecuted and killed, as false, yet true, and were called pestilent fellows, subverters of the Law, and turners of the World up-side down, ring-leaders of Sects, &c. So suffers the servants of the living God at this day, and as they have done unto me, so will they do unto ye, saith Christ; The servant is not greater then his Lord; and he that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution.

And all this was done to them of old, as is to us at this day, even by the same Generation of high-priests, high in profession, and spoke as big swelling words, and made as much ado about their New Moons, Sabbath-dayes, Tithes, Temple, Circum­cision, Bull, Goat, Ram and heifer; all which were but a sha­dow of good things to come; as the Priests of England do about their Masse-house, Gleab-land, Tithe-sheaf, Lamb, Calfe, Wooll, Goose, Pig, Mortuary, Peter-pence, Bread, Wine, and Baby-baptism; but as they did, these do now hate the Light, but it was, and is because their deeds were and these are evil, and did as these do now, deney to hear the prophet in all [Page 10] things; and it came to passe that they were cut off, and these in­evitably shall be.

And my dear friends, if ye share with their iniquities, ye shall partake with their plagues; search your selves, and consider with that of God in your consciences, for there truth will speak; And see if many amongst ye are not run, and running head­long into the unbelieving state, seeking honour one of another; ones a Knight, and another is a Lord, and another angry because he is not a Lord; but amongst ye all the heritage of the Lord God is neglected.

Which amongst ye, that most of all quarrels for these bub­bles, that hath not said it would never be a good World so long as there was a Lord in England? and likewise swore a­gainst a house of Lords, and yet love and retain the name, the nature and the same thing, Oh! deny your selves of these no­things, and take up the crosse, which will crosse nothing but your lusts, and see if it be possible for ye to be re-discipled once again; for verily at the present ye are not so much as in the way to please God; Was there any of this stuff amongst ye some years since? remember your selves, have ye paid your [...]ows, and kept your integrity? the lying lips, and the de­ceitful tongue the Lord hates, and think ye the Lord will not visit for these things?

☞ Yea, His dread and terrour will fall amongst ye shortly, if not suddainly, and although ye may hate to be reformed, and laugh me to scorn, or persecute me to death, yet its the truth of the living God to every individual amongst ye; there was once a praying spirit amongst ye, that would have said, Lord honour us with successe and victory, and we will honour thee with doing of justice, and relieving the oppressed; and liber­berty of conscience was promised with hands lifted up, with tears in your eyes erected to heaven-ward, with many a true sigh and groan which could not be uttered; and if ye did not promise to the Lord before the battel at Dunbar, that that grand Idol, and oppression of Tythes should be taken off, if the Lord delivered ye that day, then say I am a lyar; The Lord hath performed, but ye have failed; and instead of gi­ving all power, all glory, and all honour to God, ye honour one another with blaspemous titles, the hireling being your [Page 11] example, who write to one another at this day by the name of reverend Brother, reverend Sir, and reverend Master, which is blasphemy; for reverend is the name of him, and onely him, that made heaven and earth; may it please you [...] worship, may it please your Lordship, may it please your honour, &c.

Now if all honour (mind the word, all, which will not admit of the word, some, to be joyned with it in that place) doth be­long to God alone, as I am sure it doth, there is not the least of Room for your fond appellations which ye give and re­ceive one of another; How can ye believe, that receives honour one of another? Oh! Let Moab come down before she be compelled to serve, and the Lord stain all your honours in one day; for I am sure some of ye he will overtake with speed, and their memo­ries shall rot, but the name of the just shall live for ever; there­fore let every soul of ye be subject to the higher powers, which is higher and above the transgressor; and see if yet there be any remorse in ye towards your poor brethren, who as I said before are languishing in nasty holes, and several dead, most of them dead and alive, being such who have freely offered up their lives with ye, in the actual service for the Common-wealth, in the heat ofIt is the same man that was called Round head, that is called Quaker; therefore let all that are in authority, be asham­ed to see us thus dealt with. the day; and I am sure we have not forfeited our right in the least, or pur­chased your indignation, by either plots or rebellion against ye, although ye have sufficiently provoked us, by suf­fering far more to be laid upon us, then as we are men could be borne, and me thinks our peaceable, patient, and innocent carriage cannot but smite ye to the very heart; I am sure it hath reached Heaven, and if ye were not in the deepest slumber, even the sleep of death, ye would not lame your selves to uphold the in­terest of a company of gormandizing Priests, who creep into the Mass-house, and there speak a devination of their own brain, or make a plot in the week days, and there discover it, and bid others keep holy upon that day, upon which they keep market; and tell the people if they do not pay their Tythes, they rob God; and it may be threateneth those that are behind to sue them, or send them to prison forth-with; so that upon [Page 12] that day which he exhorts others to keep holy, he doth all manner of work that tends to his quarterly gain.

Can that be the Ministry of Christ that murthers men for their bellies? Nay, it is impossible; for the Ministers of Christ laboured with their own hands; and took by violence from no man, neither were they so much as burthensome to any, much lesse stocked, caused to be whipped, imprisoned, or smote with their hands, but with them laboured, and knocked down no man, nor imprisoned any man to death for their bellyes, but in this some of these at this day do glory.

And yet if any be moved of the Lord to tell any one of these cruel men that their glory is their shame, or their belly is their God, its much if some Priest-ridden Justice or another do not send him to the Goal for it.

I shall also shew ye the rope of sand wherein many of these Priests have been wrapt: Henry the 8. was a Papist; the same Henry the 8 was a Protestant, and called himself Defender of the Faith. Edward the 6 a Protestant, Queen Mary a Papist, Queen Elizabeth a Protestant again. King James was both for and against Bishops. King Charles he was called a Church-Pa­pist, yet loved Bishops and Book of Common Prayer so well, that an open war was declared against him, which hath cost an in­numerable quantity of blood and treasure; he and his Bishops extirpated, swore, vowed and declared against, and others have taken possession; yet I shall seal it with my blood, That there is 1200 Priests in England that are as bad as those 12 Bi­shops were; so that at the best we are but where we were, after all this fighting, killing, and being killed, pulling down, and setting up; and all men may plainly see, that have not done away reason, and sold themselves to the spirit of prejudce, that the best of their religion is but till further order, and the change of a King, or the change of a Queen, or the alteration of a go­verment puts them out of order, and to seek for their religion, tell they have received further order from man, or at least till they have studied what religion the King or Chief Ruler ad­heres to, and there they will seemingly imitate; There they were, and there they are tell further order, and the best of their Religion will reach no further, but tell further order.

So that by this ye may plainly see, that the hireling in former ages was testified against; and the Lord was not without a witness, though oppressed then, as at this day.

And as for the Tithes, which Antichrist the Pope vomited [Page 15] forth of his mouth, and was first introduced by Augustine, one of his Fryers here in England; I might say something in par­ticular of it; but being a Christian, and believing and know­ing that all shadows and types whatsoever must give leave to the substance; and also, knowing that the good thing is come, and the great Prophet heard; And others who believe in Christ, having more then sufficiently refell'd what is possible to be said in honour of that Idol; Therefore I set my feet upon that dunghill, being with my self by all the reasonable and unconcerned men in the Natons, troden upon in their hearts.

And for such as are yet unsatisfied, I refer them to Anthony Persons Book; andThe book is sold by Giles Calvert, at the sign of the black spread Eagle, at the west end of Pauls; the price a­bout six pence. I do not question but it may satisfie, set­tle and establish all men against the very foundation, birth and bringing in of that bad thing; except I say, the greedy receiver, who is so greedy of filthy lucre that he can never have enough; and is unsatisfied, unsetled and unstable in all his wayes.

For when a Priest dyes, and the Parsonage be great; Oh! how the rest will swarm about the Donator, and hunt like dogs that runs for the carcase of a dead horse; and it may be ten of them at least shall pretend a call; and if by whining, flat­tery, symony, or subtility any one of them can procure it, its much if in his very first Sermon he be not so prophane as to begin with a lye in his mouth, and tell the people, being cal­led amongst ye by the Lord, and brought into this place by his Providence; Whereas indeed it is the gain of that quar­ter, which its like may be much bigger then that from whence he came, and it is theirs, and not them for which he really came, or hunts; and that's his call.

Yea, I know some of them may fitly be compared to Crows, Dogs and Rooks, that when the Beast is sick, the Ra­vens will pick his eyes out before the dogs shall get him; so some of them in my knowledge have been trying for the Par­sonage before the incumbent hath been quite dead. Now from the bottom of my heart I do believe, that the Cut-pur­ses and Goal-birds, are not more disingenious towards one a­nother [Page 16] (as men) then some of these men are, in case a fat Parsonage be to be parted by the teeth amongst them; so that their godliness is not great gain, but their great Parso­nage is their great gain, and their quarterly gain is their God.

And that they are very disingenious (hear what I have farther to say of them) I have many times asked several of these hired men, why they did pillage and take away from those that did not hire them, set them a-work, nor come to hear them.

Their common answer was, and is, Their Church was open,So doth [...]e gates of Hell, & who as will may enter. and who as will may come; and it is not our faults (say they) if they come not. I answer, so is every trades-mans shop in the Nation, or very same Parish; and he may as well say to those which are not his, but another mans customers; My shop stands open, and I have as good ware as another, & thou mayest have it if thou wilt, its my trade, and my goods are to be sold. (An­swer) I like them not, I will not have them. Now I ap­peal to any reasonable man upon earth, if he (the said trades-man) should lay hold on me, and take away my cloak, coat, bed-cloaths, brass, pewter, cattel, corn, &c. for his goods, which I like not, and by me refused; and by him undelivered to me. Admit him to be a seller of good books, as the Bible, and other Just mens works and writings. I say, I appeal to the whole World, whether this man that so takes away my goods, be not as real a thief in the sight of God, and good man, as him that robs upon the high way. [Page 17] And by this, all true men may plainly see the unjust af­flictions, persecutions, bon­dage and oppression the seed of God lyeth under at this day by the seed of the evil doers and cruel men, who lye in wait to devour widows houses, and destroy the inno­cent; Even as a troop of Robbers lie in wait for a man to murther in the way by consent, they hunt every man his neighbour with a net. And that they may do evil with both hands earnest­ly, some of us they did di­strain, and sue in the Exche­quer for one and the same matter, Where the greedy Lawyer asketh for a reward, and the great man uttereth forth his mischievous desires; so they wrap it up, Mich. 7. 2, 3.

And there is a smoother tongued sort, amongst these deceivers, that I have heard often affirm (if a man would do away his reason and be­lieve them) that it is not they which persecute and im­prison, but the chief Magi­strate; the same sayes their father the Pope.

If any Clergy-man belong­ing to the whole See of Rome, be but known to have a hand in blood, he is for ever made ir [...]egular; But that Prince [Page 18] that fills his inquisition the fullest, and burns most Here­ticks (as they call them) he shall have the largest pardon, for so many sins to be com­mitted, and his name shall be had in most reputation a­mongst them, otherwise hee shall be cursed, if not excom­municated.

By this let the simple-hear­ted compare and infer, &c. Now my belief is, that if the Priests of England have free­ly received, and will freely give, and not exact, torture and murther the innocent for their bellies, nor be burthen­some to no man, but freely give, and freely receive, & he which preaches the Gospel to live up­on it, I do believe in my very heart God will be very well plea­sed. Priest, try him and trust in him, and do not take the benefit of a bad Law which thou hast procured by thy sollici­tous implacability; For verily it quite lames thee, and all rea­sonable men see thee, and the feeble insufficiency of thy Gos­pel which can neither stand, nor procure thee meat for thybel­ly, without the help of an outward Law and Sword, which is onely to protect mens persons, and not to suffer a cruel man to take away from a poor man, and a faithful denizen of the same Nation, a hundred pounds for a hundred shillings.

So do not cover thy self under the Magistrate, and sneak to them, and make him or them the absolute Author of thy wic­kedness; but leave off thy filthiness, and let him that hath stollen, steal no more, but rather restore, and learn to labour with thy own hands, and the labourer is worthy of his hire, and the work-man of his meat, and I am freely content that he which hireth any man should be forced to pay him his wages; but I am sure it is not in the least equal amongst men, [Page 19] for me to pay another mans work-man, although all the work he doth may seemingly be logically or syllogistically true. Ergo, it may or it may not, admit all that he doth to be of the best sort, that is false, and his divinations, and immagina­tions almost like truth it self, I hire him not, I set him not at work, I'le not pay him his wages, I'le give him no meat.

And if for this my Testimony against the hireling, which I still say, could not stand, nor have a being as a mercenary hireling, if it were not for the Sword; I say, if for this my Testimony my life be called for, I may not say, I matter it; for my Redeemer lives, and I know for this very end and pur­pose hath he raised me up, even to bear my Testimony with my life to the death, against the false-hired Antichrist of this Nation, even to the Gates of Rome his Original, and very late Antecessor. And this am I truly bold in the Lord to declare without fear, what is possible to be done against me, by them or their adherents, although I know they are the onely pre­parers of War against the innocent.

And these bad men come from Oxford and Cambridge▪ which they call the two Fountains, Nurseries and Eyes of the Nation, and Religion; but indeed they are the two sinks of ini­quity.

And when a youngling goes first thither to learn the trade of Preaching, before he hath the authority of a Law, to take away the sixth or seventh part of any mans Estate in the Na­tion. When he comes first to Oxford, before they have taint­ted him, or made him stink with their abominations, they call him a fresh man; and those that are in mess with him, like greedy dogs rob him of his very meat, and get him in a ring, and tear his cloaths off his back, and make Rhimes upon him, and if he complain they beat him, and to cozen or steal any thing from him, these cage of unclean birds think that their honour; and this the World calls an Academy for the Edu­cation of young Gentlemen, and a place to train up able Mi­nisters. And out of these two Fountains (Oxford and Cam­bridge, or rather sinks of iniquity) uncontradictably flowes the grand grievances of this Common-wealth.

In the first place, from thence comes that spiritual and tem­poral thief, the most pestilent hireling; from thence comes [Page 20] the terrible and lawless Lawyer, under whose oppression the whole Nation smarts, who with the Priests swallow up the one half of the land, the Lawyer as well as the other, accord­ing to his now ungodly practice and constitution, utterly op­pressive, and altogether useless, being the badge of the con­querour; who squeese the people most grievously, and utterly undoes many, yea, very many.

From thence comes the Atheistique Physician, who hath au­thority to give what he will to men; And if he poysons them, its a Doctor hath done it, and theres an end.

From thence comes the Conjuror, Astrologer, and Fortune­telling witch; and all these are bad and cruel grievances, and hated of God, and his arm is made bare against them. And was (as it is now) fully seen by all the honest people of England, within these ten years, and then all these Monsters were eve [...] at the pits brink, ready to be cast in from whence they came▪ Then was the good Physician nigh, O ye army-men, and a Chan­cery was setting up in every mans breast, and the Witch had but little life left, and the hireling with all his inchantments, and what he could possibly say, for his deceit, was become to ye as a thing of nought, and God was teaching his own people then as he doth at this day, and that covetous man was thought use­lesse, and his brawling by ye was very little, or not at all regar­ded; and have ye seen the Son, and many of ye tasted of the good word of God, and the World to come, and the power of an endlesse life, and yet believe lying lips, and cherish deceit, and maintain oppression, licking up that which ye once even with detestation vomited forth? & are ye not bewitched in running after the hireling into the Masse-house, to look for the Truth, where, and from whom I believe in my heart most of ye know its not possible to be found? Nay verily, those that believe in Christ, sees him as he is nigh them in their hearts, and in their mouths, for he hath enlightened every man that cometh into the world, and the spiritual eye sees him a Saviour nigh them, and in them, who saves his people from their sins, and lets them see their sins, and perfects them from their sins, if they serve no other gods but him. And why do ye yet hope for the thing seen? Oh he is come a light into the World; but the World founded in your hearts which slew and slayes the Lamb, [Page] that receives him not, but loves darknesse rather then light, but it is because your deeds are evil, and so doth not like to retain God in your knowledge, although he hath been there & ye did once know God, and that grace of God which brings Salvation hath appeared unto ye, and to all men, but some give them­selves up to a reprobate minde, and to believe lies (Mark) they give themselves up, the light being two low a thing, and per­fection to high, and there all the wordly wise men in the World at this day perish; which of the Rulers hath believed on him? none but a poor people, that for conscience sake cannot be sub­ject to the cursed Popish lawes, and heathenish customes, not a mighty man, nor a Noble man, not a Lawyer, nor one of them which the World calls an Orthodox man hardly among them; For there is no Worldly preferment nor treasure to be desired, for he hath not whereon to lay his own head, and his visage is, and was more mar'd then any mans, a stumblingstone, and a rock of offence he is, but blessed are they, and onely they that are not offended at him nor his little ones, for verily they are to him as the apple of his eye▪ and woe to them that despise him in his members, although they are not found in the pallace, nor on the throne, nor in the high-places com­mitting spiritual wickednesse, making ungodly gain of the Prophets, his and the Apostles words, as it was of old, not ma­ny mighty, not many noble; and although many are and may be called, few are chosen for the way is streight, and few there is that enters; yea, the way is streight, and the lusts of the flesh, and the pride of life, cometh not there, and whose life is without his portions without; and in the e­ternal kingdom there is no room for the bending, twining, sycophant, who hath the persons of men in admiration, because of dishonest gain, I say such enters not into his rest, neither know they the true Sabbath, although they keep a great bussle and sow pillows under one anothers elbowes, and cry, the ordinances, the ordinances, and have their set dayes times, and places for their worship, giving one another bread and wine once in a weak, or once in a moneth, & eats, drinks, and puts on unworthily all the week and moneth besides; and it may be when they have consulted, and contrived before-hand a thing in their own hearts, and in their own imaginations it is already [Page 22] done; then these pretend (in their own wills) to fast and pray, and dayes must be set apart for fasting and praying, when as the jawes of the wicked, in the general, and in their own particulars are not broken; fasting and prayer in my very soul I own; But what mean ye, that ye beat my people to pie­ces, and grind the faces of the poor, saith the Lord of hosts; think ye that I will visit for these things? yea, he will vex ye in his fierce wrath, and remove ye in his hot displeasure; and whilest ye regard iniquity in your hearts, I will not hear your prayers, nor have respect unto your fasts saith the Lord, (Mark) if ye regard iniquity in your hearts, or feed oppression, or suffer the witch or prisoner in your own particulars, in and amongst you to live, I will not hear your prayers saith the Lord; nay the Lord loves and hears the prayers of such as pay their vowes, and keep their integrity, and tremble at his word; [...]nd the broken and the contrite spirit, and the upright hear­ted the Lord delights in, and those that walk humbly with their God, and are not exalted above what is called God, because of this worlds preferment; I say, with the single­hearted, and such who dispise not the day of small things, who speaks the truth to and of their neighbour, and do to all men as they would they should do to them; Such he delights to dwell with, but the lying lips and the deceitful tongue God hates, & the prayers, fasting, fond humility and hanging down the head for a day like a bul-rush are all abomination before the just and holy God; and whilest ye regard iniquity, and have respect to the workers thereof, the Lord hath no regard to your set dayes, services and prete [...]ded humiliations, I say, whilst ye regard iniquity, and live in uncleannesse and pride of life, ye are but mockers of the righteous God who will not be mocked by ye, for his eyes are pure, and cannot behold the beholders and upholders of oppression.

Oh my friends, how can ye pray, talk of God, conscience, and liberty of conscience, whilest ye suffer your poor brethren to be tormented and afflicted with cursed laws made in the re­probate will of a dark Pope? and do ye not augment fuel to his fire, and call it liberty of conscience? Is not his 3 months imprisonment made six? I believe that if it should have been said to many of ye within this ten years, that these cruelties [Page 23] should have been acted, inflicted, and tollerated to be acted and inflicted upon the innocent, by a law, and true liberty of con­science infringed and wholly struck at, whilest some of ye had breath; I do believe that ye would have answered as one man, as the King did the Prophet, Dost thou think thy servants are dogs? that these things shall come to passe in our dayes; But many were deceived in ye, and so was I, and in the end ye will deceive your own precious and immortal souls.

And the Priests, for whom ye have thus ha [...]arded, and made your selves enemies to God and good men, are most exquisite and absolute enemies to your selves, Magistrates, Government, and Governours longer then they please them, and boast of their Diana; and for plotters and plot-contrivers, disturbers of governments, sowers of seditions, and causing other men to be seditious, they are at this time, and have been of old, the very pests of this Nation, and he that is, or shall be acquainted with the History of England cannot but witness with me against them, But that they are so fresh in most mens memories, I could name some of their late Tragedies, for which some few of them have felt the hand of Justice; but thus much I know is well known to most men, that those whom they blesse, the people bless, and whom they curse, the people curse; also this may be taken no­tice of, that they never did, nor do adhere to the Rulers, but when they would have their own turnes served, or are necessi­tated, or their false wayes and worship in Jeopardy by the people of the Lord, making some in-rode or other upon their deceit; at other times it's I and my King, and il'e be rul'd, if hee'l be rul'd by me; and if the Rulers should but deny them their end, for which they onely flatter them and others; I say it's well if they do not teach the people to rebel and say, to kill them is no murther, and themselves have a hand in it; and if the Rulers should but demand one or two years re­venue of these men throughout the Nation, of that which in­deed is none of their's, (and they say themselves tythes is the chief Magistrates, and he may do what he will with them) or sell but their Mass-houses with the jangling Bells, although it were to carry on a war with Rome against the very Pope himself, I say it is well if they did not thereby take occasion to prepare and hatch a War at home, and curse the Magistrates bitterly, [Page 24] and do what in them lyeth to poyson the people, and disaffect them to the present Goverment, notwithstanding at present they cry a loud for, and to it, (but it is for their augmentati­ons) and blesse it, but it is with the same mouths they'l curse it if crost, and do it as much harm, as now they do it good in praying for it, which is none at all.

Oh Friends! Why will ye joyn your selves, to that unpro­fitable harlot, who ye long since know was deviated, and ut­terly whored from all that is truth; and I do believe it is fully known to many among ye they that are gone out of the way, & altogether become unprofitable, I know none of them that doth good, no not one, for the most part their throats are an open Sepulchre, and the poyson of Asps is under their lips, and Gods fear is not before their eyes, the best of them is but as a bryar, and the most upright is sharper then a thorn hedge, Micah 7. 4. For out of the evil thoughts of their [...]ee Ti [...]us I. [...]hap. 7. to [...]he end. hearts proceeds persecution, murtherers and blasphemies, and unto them in their unbelieving state and damnable doctrine of imperfection nothing is, nor indeed can be pure, but even their mindes and consciences is wholly de­filed, and although they may professe to know God, in their practises they absolutely deny him; for in preaching up sin tearm of life, which is the Devils kingdom, they are abomi­nable, [...]au [...]s Ep. [...]o the Lao­ [...]iceans, v. [...]. 9. and unto every good work reprobate, they are hurters and doers of violence to good, sober and temperate men, i [...] they put not into their mouths, self-willed, soon angry, strikers, and given to filthy lucre they are, they are high-minded andJohn 5. 19. Read Rev. 20. Rev. 13. 15. unruly, vain talkers and deceivers, whose mouths must be stopped and turned away from, although they have subverted whole houses and Nations, teaching things that are utterly false, for filthy lucres sake, and such are lyars, evil beasts and slow-bellies, and this witness is true; wherefore let them be rebuked, and their mo [...]ths stopped. For with the whole World they do lie in wickedness, and the number that Satan hath deceived by them is as the sand of the Sea, and they have had power to kill the Saints that would not worship the image of the beast, and hath caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, bond and free, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their fore-heads; And none could buy or sell, save [Page 25] he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the num­ber of his names, read Rev. 13. and if the present Rulers of the earth have not drunk of the whores cup, how came these Priests by this Law? I say, is not the Popish Queen out-done, and her three months imprisonment made six? so that these have a Law at their command, and I am sure a terrible Law hath it been to us-ward: Such a Law the Jews had, and by our Law, said they, he ought to die, for he is a blasphemer; and what was his blasphemy? Why say they, he sayes he is the Son of God; So as false, yet true, they put the holy One to death; and the English Priests Original, was set over the Originals head by Priest-ridden Pilate; Oh my dear friends! perish not with them, nor for and with their gain-saying generation; but like wise men, keep your eyes in your head, and let that woman which hath so fowlly transgressed be silent; and let not transgression plead for, and uphold transgression, and transgressors; But ask your husband at home, for the wo-man is not permitted to speak in the Church, nor about Church matters, but the the Daughters of the Lord, as well as his Sons, shall, and at this day do prophesie, and God is one in the Male, as in the fe­male, and the Womb that is barren, is accursed, as well in the Male, as in the Female, but the Woman is to be silent in them both; But the seed and birth which is immortal, which sins not, doth, and may speak, if the Lord open the mouth in the Female-man, as-well as in the Male-man; and if the Lord o­pen the lips, let the whole creation shew forth his prayses, but let Eve for ever be silent; And I know from the Lord God the barren womb is cursed, and such who cannot in some measure witness the marriage, are undone; but the true Virgin that hath not many lovers, is a holy state, and she which is begotten of God, as the Lord moves, may utter words, and Minister to the seed in others that all may be edified, the deaf made to hear, the blind to see, the sick healed, and the saving health made known, the dead raised, the Lame walk, and the dumb made to sing for joy, and in this Ministry and Gospel Phaebe, and Pris [...]illa may labour with Paul, or any other the holy Wo­men at this day; a seal of whose Apostle-ship I am, and if you keep your eyes in your head, and behold the Original in ye, and ask that Husband at home, ye will seal to, and witnesse [Page 26] with me, that God is truth, and is one in the Male and in the Female; for it is the fools eye that is abroad, but the wise mans eye is in his head, and the head of every man is Christ Jesus; and he gives to all men and women, a measure of him­self to profit withall, and all his gifts are good and perfect, and leads to no other thing but unto perfection; but no Bastard, nor the thief who steals the words from his neighbour, and boasts in the lines of other men, shall never inherit, though he be as goodly to look at, as Ishmael and as Orthod [...]x as the high Priest, yet he is the son of the bond-wo-man within, from whence death, immagination, and brain-study speaks a devi­nation of its own; there the merchants of spiritual Babylon trade, wch is called confusion; but all this while the royal seed is in bondage, and the voice of the King is not heard within, without which the children of the Kingdom cannot live, and the voice of a stranger the sheep will not hear, and the thief or spi­ritual vagabond, although it be Cain or Lord Esau himself, with the Son of the free and first-born must not co-habit; for the life of the one is the death of the other, and that must become a servant which hath caused the seed to bow; they who know the Original, know and feel what I say, and the simple heart­ed that are among ye may understand me right well; but for those who are withered under the name of professors, and are onely old in profession and iniquity, who rise up early to con­trive for self, in whom the earth hath choaked the seed, by them I do not expect to be rightly understood, or justly con­strued, for their life at the present is not in that wch discerneth and judgeth all things, and in the Lords work they have been very unfaithful; I shall not say much, but it is very much if ove [...] the Lord trust some of them again, but rather suffer a stranger to take and do that which was once in their posession▪ and will it not be just, if he who formed them, doe shew them no favour, but smite them as they have suffered others to be smitten? and will it not be equal if the Lord reveal himself most eminently against them, [...]uite racing down their magni­ficency, and for ever lay their honour in the dust.

And if any who are in authority, be yet indeed really affe­cted with the wayes and false worship of the hireling, and of­fended with me for this my Testimony for the Lord, and a­gainst [Page 27] the false hireling; We who are called Quakers shall in the fear of the Lord be willing to meet them, or a chosen number of them face to face, before the chief Rulers, Parliament or Councel, and there approve our selves in our practise for re­ligion by the words of the Scriptures, and the example of the holy men of God, and if we refute not the common hireling, and whatsoever he is possibly able to say for himself, or against us (proving what he saies by Scriptures) let the reasonable ma­gistrates be judge; I say, if we do it not, let us be used more bloodily and cruelly then we yet are (if possible) and we shall in that matter freely submit unto, and be convicted by the Scripture, which some of them are so impudent to say we de­ny, and is their own rule, though that which gave them forth is our rule, and is not contrary to the Scrip­ture, so far as they are not polluted by false meanings put up­on them, which in their purity in themselves do not own; But however there is sufficient to silence the brawling hire­ling, for warrant from them he hath none for his preaching for hire, or a set maintenance by a Law; I say again, let us discourse our Religion with the false hired man, before ye, and if then it be found that we hold any thing for Religion, which is con­trary to sound Doctrine, or in the least derogatory to Scrip­ture; and if our practice, faith, hope, and order be not according to the command of the Lord Jesus, the example of the Pro­phets, the Apostles, the holy men of God and Ministers of Christ, then countenance, or discountenance as ye shal see cause.

And till then in the fear of the Lord God I warn you all, from him that sits upon the throne, to the meanest officer of peace or war, Souldier or Subject whatsoever, speak not evil of Dignities and Powers, and things ye know not, but at least stand still and behold the salvation of our God, and lend not your power to the slaying of the innocent Lambs of Christ; for verily if the Rock fall upon ye, or ye upon it, it will grinde ye all to dust.

Therefore my dear friends, do not presume to sin all the dayes of your appointed time, and clap hands with the oppressor, and uphold a bad generation to do wrong to the innocent, but be ye holy, and do equally, be ye perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect, and as he is, so be ye in this [Page 28] (very) evil World, that when ye come to die, ye may have no­thing else to do but to die, and enter into the rest. Where­fore be wise in heart, for the Lord requireth truth in the in­ward parts, and that ye do unto all men as ye would be done unto.

Nicodemus saith unto them; Doth our law judge any man before it hear him and knoweth what he doth? Jo 7. 50, 51. And I would have ye to exceed Nicodemus or at least be as noble as he was, who came to Jesus, but by night; the Officers answered, never man spake like this man; Then answered them, the Pharisees, Are ye also decei­ved? have any of the Rulers, or of the Pharisees believed on him? but this people who know not the Law are accursed, John 7. 46 47 48 49 Shouldst thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore wrath is upon thee from before the Lord; and Jehosaphat went out again thorow the people, from Beer-sheba to Mount-Ephraim, and brought them back unto the Lord God of their fathers; And he set Judges in the Land thorowout, and said to the Judges, take heed what ye d [...]; for ye Judge not for man, but for the Lord; Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon ye, take heed, and do it, for there is no iniqui­ty with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord faithfully, and with a perfect heart, 2 Chron. 19. 2 4. 5 6, 7 9. And the Lord will shew himself strong in the behalfe of them, whose hearts are perfect towards him.

I say Joshua went through the Land, and set Judges in eve­ry City, and brought them back unto the Lord God of their Fathers, he also overthrew the high-places, burnt up the groves, destroyed idolatry, raced down the Images, and stamped to powder the things and places which were polluted, though once commanded of God, and that it is as needfull for some to go thorow England and our Cities to place and set Judges as at the beginning. I shall here lay open, and before the World, some few of the Idolatries, and heathenish customs, that are in use and practice in one of our Cities namely Oxford, which ye hirelings call one of the famous Universities, nur­ceries for Religion, springs, fountains, or eyes of the Nation, from whence cometh the blind guides, who leadeth the blind, and blindeth too too many; but I think if the Nation were [Page 29] blind of that eye, and that spring were dryed up, which indeed is but a standing puddle, & that deceit might no more issue out of her, happy were it for many pretious souls, which are ru­ined by the breath, and stinke of her nostrils, And if she hath not need to be visited, read some few of her statutes, which are as followeth, and then judge her, and her trades-men, and when thou hast read them, if she be worthy of life, let her have it, if of death, let her die, for there is thousands of witnesses a­gainst her, and her Popish off-spring, in this the day of the Lord, everlasting praises be given to his Name, who hath made known, and revealed his truth to babes, and the contemptible and despised ones of the World, and hath hid it from the wise and vultrous eye.

In the first place see what the Independants in King James his reign had against the Universities and their brood, for which they were called Brownists in the Book entituled, An Apologie or defence of such true Christians as are commonly, but un­justly, called Brownists, Printed 1604.

I Say to such unprofitable talkers, who are willing, and by their own consent do contract with Hell and Death, who stretch themselves forth in big swelling words, and think themselves, it may be, much better, because they are crowded into gathered Churches (as they call them) and it may be of a truth can say something of an antient, and past experience, moving, or appearance of God, to and in them, whereupon their big word and wide-mouthed-boast is; when the poor Souls, or rather proud Pharisees, are at the very top of their vaunting to wit) once in Christ, and ever in Christ; such I many times am moved, ask, Whether they are obeying the Command, doing the Work & Will of Christ, at this time, now, and ever? (Mark) Once in Christ and ever in Christ; and I am sure, he that for ever abides in Christ, must now and ever do the Will and Commands of Christ, and they are not grievous, nor unholy, neither can that man which is impure, [Page 50] imperfect or unholy, observe, obey or do them in the love and belief of them; and He now and ever Redeems, and saves his people from their sins (note that) for he which sinneth is of the [...]evil; Yea, though he be but proud and covetous, and as full of persecution as too too many professors are, which is of the old creature, and such are not new creatures, nor in Christ Jesus▪ now and ever; neither are they purified, as he is pure, who is the substance, the one onely one thing needful, who is the beginning and end of all things, himself without beginning or end, who is not afar of, but nigh at hand, and a ready helper un­to all them who fear him; wh [...] is the root o [...] [...]esse, the Promise come, the Truth, the Oath and admits not of any swearing whatsoever; that's his Command, and it is not grievous for his yoke is easie, and his burthen is light, in, and by whom I see light who sayes, Swear not at all; And he doth not reap, where he hath not first sowen; For he doth enlighten every man that cometh into the World, Male and Female, Bond and Free, Scythian and Barbarian; and a measure of himself is given to every man continually, to profit with all, note, to every man; He was not so selfish as many of ye are, who are in this, and that, and the other form (I do not say all) who do seclude al [...] that are not with ye in your set dayes, bread, wine and Baby Baptism, out of the E­verlasting Kingdom, which was before your fables were But he that is in Christ i [...] a new creature; (Mark) he is, he doth not say, he was, or he shall be, and so warm himself by his own coals, by onely saying, the Righ [...]eousness of Chri [...]t, the Righteous­ness of Christ, is sufficient. But I say, he which confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy; (Mark that) and forsaketh his sins, coming to see the exc [...]eding sinfulness of [...]n and confes­seth and forsaketh with repentance, never to be repented of; That is it which is ever in Christ, and shall find mercy▪ and as many as are led by the Spirit of God, are now, and ever, the sons of God; Such are new Creatures, and onely they; So he who is proud, heady, high minded, covetous, envious, voluptious, seditious, a r [...] ­ler, brawler, striker, lyar, persecutor &c. is not in, but out of Christ Jesus, is no new creature, is not led by the Spirit of God. For that which is in, & of Christ Jesus, is equal & doth not hurt the creature, the handy work of God the Creator; but strikes at the power which captivates the creature, and turns men from darkness [Page 51] to light, and from the power of Sathan to the Power of God; and that weapon which convinceth and coverts men and women in any measure to God-ward, is not carnal but Spiritual, but the outward sword in its place I own, which only is to be laid upon the evil-doer, let it be exactly done; but to touch no man for his Conscience or principle in Religion, provided it be not bloody, so let the bloody hearted Priest look into himself, who murthers men for his belly; How much better is that then the Romish Jesuit, who kills a Protestant for a Heritck; and I am sure, those who do so, are not in Christ Jesus nor new creatures, nor in the Spiri [...]; but of the flesh of old Cain, and in the condemnation; For the Son came not to de­stroy, but to save mens lives; And he and his Ministers struck at, & at this day do strike at the power only, which captivates the creature [to wit] the spiritual wickedness which lodgeth within; Which the car­nal weapon cannot reach, and they struck onely at the Herisie, and the errour, and that which lead into the errour and Heresie, and not at the creature; neither strove they with flesh and blood, (nor for earthly benefit) Nay, they were full of patience, gentleness, long-suffering, forbearing, forgiving all and suffered all things, Yea, themselves to be defrauded, and laboured with their own hands, and were burthensom to no man.

But there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus (note) that are in him; and who are in him? Those that walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; for those who walk after the flesh, cannot please God, and to be but so so much as carnally minded, is death, and the death is not in the Life, which Life, is the Light of men.

But some there were who did taste of the power of an end­less life, & yet fell away; and some there were who were graf­ted into the Vine, and yet became degenerate plants, and the the righteous man may forsake his righteousness; for some were washed, others cleansed or emptied, and yet returned like the sow to the mire, and the dog to the vomit; so that it is plain that a man may fall away, as Lucifer did, and to the same place; for although they once knew God, and have tasted, indeed of the power of God, & the endless Life, yet if they turn that grace of God into wantonness, oppression, pride and excess, & live above the witness of God, which is a forgetting of God, they shall with the wicked at last be turned into Hell. [Page 52] Then it will not be a saying, Once in Christ and ever in Christ; but dying in pride, oppression, persecution and covetousness, which is the root of all evil; I say to such, Once in Hell and ever i [...] Hell. Therefore on this side, time and the grave, whilst ye have time prize it, for the time present is all that is yours, and the dayes past ye cannot recal, and who knows what one day may bring to pass? Wherefore in the fear of the Lord, lay aside your empty drowzy, and onely professing his Name, and being in him, whose Life ye are out of; And turn into him the Light, the Life, who doth enlighten every man that come­eth into the World, and that Life and no other, is the Light of men; him it is by whom the World was made, before it was made, which is, which was, and is to come, and is already come, who is the Word of God, the Original, and first born of e­very creature, the Everlasting Gospel, which hath been preach­ed to every creature, who shews, reproves & checks in secret, for all your evil deeds done openly and secretly, and is as secret, as your most beloved secrets. Oh! wait upon him, and believe in him, for he that knows, obeys and abides in the Life, is a cohire, and hath Life, and shall live for ever; but if ye know him, and obey him not, he is your condemnation; wherefore let him that knows the Lord, fear him, stand in awe and sin not, And that is, once in Christ, and ever in Christ.

So blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh, shall find doing his Will, he shall make him Ruler over all his goods; but if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord deferreth his coming, and in the mean space be a companion with drunkards; the Lord of that servant shall come in a day, when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his por­tion with hypocrites, where there is weeping, wailing, and knashing of teeth. Therefore, watch continually, and pray without ceasing, for you know not what hour the Lord, com­eth, and he that is not upon his guard will be taken, and made a perpetual prisoner.

But it may be alledged, and to me it hath been by the highest professor that I yet ever met with, either preacher or hea [...]er, hath affirmed it come as his doctrine, and belief, that the be [...]t of men, & Saints do, & will sin and have their failings whilest they [Page 53] are in the body, & the best of men, that ever were, had their fail­ings to their dying day; to which I p [...]ssitively answer, that which is in the least faileable cannot be sanctified for that which sanctifi­eth is infallible, and it is impossible that sin and fallibility can be joyned to, or with him who is infallible, and hath not uni­on with any manner of sin, though but a sinful thought; for all manner of sin is evil, and cometh of evil, and is of the evil one, who is as faileable as the faileable accursed doctrine of imperfection, and it, as him; for he is in it, and it in him, and he is the onely Minister and Father of it; but every gift of God is perfect; So that imperfection is the Devils gift, but every good and perfect gift, cometh from and is of God (Mark) but imperfections, sin and failings and all that fails whatsoever, though but an evil thought, com­meth from, and is of the imperfect and faileable Divel who abode not in the infallibility; Wherefore he fails to be s [...]ved, but is a Divel al­though he believe, and they are but poor, or rather no Saints that are not cleansed, purged, washed, and sanctified through­out, ye are cleansed, ye are washed ye are sanctified throughout; and as he is, so are we in this present World, and he that fails to witness this condition, on this side the grave, though he may be covinced of the very truth it self, he may be called, but never chosen.

Friends, it is a high state, yea the very highest on this side the grave, I do not say its impossible not to faile, and alone, to live, move, and do all to, and for the praise and glory of God, and to live and abide in the infallible and not to fail; but, as the Lords witnesse I declare it, He who lives and dies in his sins, imperfections and failings doth fail, and falls short of that Kingdom, where the imperfect or impure cannot enter; for its the pure in heart that sees God, but the wicked he beholds a far off; and the sinner cannot stand before the righteous God in judgement; wherefore as many as be perfectly minded, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for the night com­eth, wherein no man can work.

And there is another sort of idle people, who say Christ hath taken away the guilt of sin, but not the presents of sin, (Oh! seared conscience that hath no guilt for sin) I do not say he hath taken the Devil out of Hell, or J [...] ­das from his own place, neither do I say or think the Devil doth at this day cease to seek whom he may devour; Nay I [Page 54] know he is the Prince of the power of the air, and the Kingdom of darkness is his; Sodom is his throne, and Egypt, and the dwell­ers there are altogether within his Dominion, Mystery-Babylon & her Merchants are his own, & all the children of disobedience, to & all who live in the mistery of iniquity he is a Law-maker; also I say he is a roaring Lion, and continually seeketh whom he may devour, and the most upright that is, or ever was upon the earth, he may tempt, yea, Christ himself, as the words of the Di­vel recorded in Scripture do testifie, but its no sin to be tempted, but the sin is to yeeld to, and do the will of the temptor, and commit the sin; but blessed are they who stand in the power and fear of the Lord▪ and endure the temptation, Adam was ne­ver accursed until he had yeelded, taken and eaten; so its sin acted, and the purpose of your corrupt hearts to sin, if not grose yet little sins, and at least to have your failings tearm of life, and that's it which hinders the union, keeps ye in the unbelief and separates betwixt ye and your maker, and the wages of s [...]n is death, and such as ye sow, such shall ye reap, and if with the hands which are defiled (and not in the pure hope which is perfect) ye plow and sow corruption; What can ye expect to reap, or be in the harvest or day of the Lord, when he makes up his jewels, but tares, corruption or reprobate silver; and of failings and imperfection, ye can reap no other thing; for ac­cording to your faith so will it be unto ye, and failings will fail to be saved, or enter into the rest of him that is unfallible and without fail saves all those that come unto him by faith and a good conscience void of offence towards God and man, (mark) a good conscience towards God, and void of offence towards man, not striking, spilling of blood, or reaping ca [...]nals where they have sow [...], neither spiritual nor carnal.

And although imperfection is the practice, and general preached and received doctrine (of the Church of England so called) I utterly deny it; neither do I trust to be saved as they believe; but I believe they will take it ill, if I should say, they who believe th [...]y may live and die in some failings should not go to Heaven; or if I should say, that is the Hypocrites hope, and will fail; But I do say, if they say its the true hope or living faith which is of God in & by which the Just lives or if that he which lives and intends to die in some failings, sayes the Lord lives with Jere­miah, I say, he, or they swear falsly.

But if we continue faithful, or full of faith in our measures to the end, we shall be saved without fail▪ for he that is in us is greater then he that is in the World, and he that abides in him is pure without failings, and the wicked one cannot touch him though he may attempt it hourly, for a stronger then he keeps the house, and he cannot enter but by our consents, otherwise the whole creation of mankind would be the Divels; for he is the enemy of mankind and his nature is to devour; but the true light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the World, and the ligh [...] with which every man is enlightened, comprehends the darknesse; but the Divel and darknesse cannot comprehend the light; for he that is in us is far greater then he, and is quick and powerful, and divides betwixt the pretious thoughts and the vile, before they come to actions; I say if the watch be kept, and the light believed in, which is in ye, & infallibly is the l [...]fe of men and shewes man all his sins and failings, I say it will discern the thoughts, and dash the brains of Babylons children against the wall; Yea that brain which invents and deviseth evil, and break the cockatrice egg before it is an egg, and mischief shall not be hatched or prod [...]cted; and the same is the sure word of prophe­sie, which if ye take heed unto, ye may infallibly do well, though it be as a light shining in a dark place, tell the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts, for which, wait that ye may be delivered from all your sins and failings, and become the Sons of God.

For as much then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm your selves likewise with the same mind, for he that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceased from sin 1 Pet. 4. 1.

Therefore let the time p [...]st be si ficient, for the end of all things is at hand▪ and to be carnally minded is death.

And if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his, and if Christ be in ye, the bod [...] [...]s dead because of sin.

By a Friend to perfection, and a believer in that un­fallible Jesus, who saves his p [...]ople from their sins, failings, and imperfections, but a pro­fessed enemy to that Hellish doctrine of imperfection.

IN stead of executing, and making just Lawes which should reach that of God in every mans conscience, and be a hook in the nose of the evil doer, and break the jawes of the wicked, I say, in stead of that ye break the hearts of the righ­teous, many of ye, by exercising onely your own wills; others by [Page 85] straining the too many grievous acts, and cruel Edicts lately made, by vertue whereof, together with your insolency, and tyranical wills, ye snatch up the people of God, as they travel up and down about their lawful occasions, and this is common with some of ye to do; when the man is not above ten, fifteen, or twenty miles from his outward home, nor out of the same County, wherein he, or they were born; going to, coming from, or being in a meeting with the Lords people.

The inferiour Magistrate, who for the most part are made drunk with rage, and the zeal-drunk Prosolytes who lie in wait as a Troop of evil-doers in every corner, hales the friend of the Lord before that Magistrate and if he be good for no other thing, he'l serve to swear, and to bear false witness for the Beast, and against the innocent; and to cause him to be whipped for a Vaga­bond, and committed to a bad prison among thieves and mur­therers, under whose commitment, and cruel usages several of the precious Lambs and servants of the Lord, have laid down the outward man, and finished their testimony with their blood. But let all such Magistrates know from the highest to the lowest, that blood will persue the vagabond; and let all such swearers know that the curse of God is entailed upon the h [...]use of the swearer, and let all the heathen round about know, that he which whips stocks, prisons & tortures the creature for his religion, shall never turn any from darkness to light; nor from the power of Satan to the power of God, although he may mangle and kill the creature, and wholly mar the workmanship of the Creator; But the true weapon which converts, is not a carnal whip, but a spiritual sword which will slay the persecutor, and eats up the ha­bitation of the evil doer, and drives out the transgressor; who from the beginning was a fugitive, and a Vagabond; who slew his righteous brother, as ye do now, because he was righteous, and for the same cause; and the flesh alwayes persecuted the spirit, but the spiritual man never persecuted any (mark) that, not any, so be certain ye are wrong, and doing of wrong, and the wages of unrighteousness if ye repent not ye shall receive.

And it may be, some others according to the example of Jesus our Lord, are moved of him to visit those who are so imprisoned by ye, as is before expressed, and to Minister to their necessities as [Page 59] need requireth; but your in humanity is such that ye have often­times taken them up as Vaga­bonds But the wholsom Act made by Queen Elizabeth was to whip Vaga­bonds, and sturdy beggars, mark, and sturdy beggars, and if the richest hea­then in the Nation can make it appear that any one thats called a Quaker, & is so owned by us, hath asked a morsel of his bread or a draught of his drink, he shall have a hundred fold requital, for a begger we deny, as a thief, for that which begs covets and desireth that which is none of his own, and that which covets will steal; but the Queen who made a good Act, and is said to be one of our best Princes, her's ye have most wickedly perverted; and wretched Queen Mary who was bloodier then the Boar of York, and made a cursed Act against the Pro­testants of 3. moneths imprisonment her's ye have made 6. so compare your selves with the best of Princes and the worst of Tyrants, and see who ye are most like. and whipped them also, of the very same cup many of the most dear and precious Mini­sters and messengers of the Lord have drank and tasted; be­ing moved of the Law, to passe from City to City, and from Country to country to visit the seed of God as the holy men of God did of old; and did not sit down in a personage house and so became the hireling of a Parish (constituted and appoint­ed by the Pope Dionisius was the first that caused the division of Parishes in England, and Augustine a Monk▪ the first that preached up tythes, to Edel­bert, King of Kent. Pope, against whom ye would force others to swear) And there Simon Magus-like, pretend to sell that which can­not be bought for tenths nor fi [...]ts; but let their money and Ministry (or rather my­stery of iniquity) perish. I say they did not creep into a Mass-house: with four or five jangling bells in it; and there sing Davids Psalms in Rhime, and meeter, step from the Pew to the P [...]lpit: and there tell the people a story by the glass, and exact the tenth prt of their labours, and estates for it; and these brawlers are upheld by an Act of Parliament, by which ye called Justices, & Judges with the composition of your own wils, pretend to Act, and imprison, stock and whip true men as Vaga­bonds, but its because your selves are out of the councel, and dwell not in the habitation of God, and are real wanderers, al­though yee may have a house called after your own names as Cain had: a City after his sons; and yet was a Vagabond.

And as for the oath of objuration me thinks ye need not be so busie to administer to others to swear against the Pope, and all [Page 60] Popery when your Mass-houses stinks so much of Popery. Your laws your Terms, your Courts, your Universities, your Colledges, your Orders, your Christened Bells j [...]ngling to the Mass-house, with the Popes Cross on the top of her; your Lammas, Michaelmas, Christmas, and Candlemas, your Tythes, your Gleab Land, your par­so [...]age-houses, your Mass-houses standing East and West, your mortuaries, your burial of your dead.

Your manner of mourning forMoondeag from the Idol of the Moon. Tuescodeag from the Idol Tuesco a goddesse. Wooden'sdeag from the Idol Wood­den one of the Saxon gods. Thorsdeag from the Idol Thor. now called Jupiter. Frydeag from the Idol Friga another of the Saxons gods now called Diana or Venus. Saterdeag from the Idol of Saturn. them; &c. the names of your months, your weeks, and days of your w [...]ek; naming and sprink­ling of your children, your wha [...] not which pertains to your wor­ship, and is not all this and very many other things which ye use, Popish, Jewish and hea­thenish? and yet ye would force the innocent whom ye know for conscience cannot swear at all; to take an oath to abjure the Pope, which would be to swear against your selves, but because of oathes the Land mourns.

And if I hear a wicked wretch swear, and many times blaspheam the name of the dreadful and living God with bloody oathes, and if I complain of that wicked man to a Magistrate that he hath, in my hearing, sworn many oathes, to the grief of my very soul, and dishonour of my maker, but except I will also swear and enter into the same sin, & the guiltless make himself guilty, he which did in the first place offend the pure God, shall not be punish­ed; but on the contrary if the true man do but speak to this man called Justice in plainnes of speech; such as the servants used to the Lord of li [...]e: and the same Lord to his servants, or do not put of my hat to him, and bow which I dare not do le [...]st my Maker should take me away, I say its much if I go not to prison my self, or at least exceedingly rebuked, which I my self am a witnest off, and this is turning of Justice backward, so that except a man will break a positive command of the Lord Jesus, the sword will not be laid upon the evil doer; but is born in vain, and not for the praise of them which do well; the wicked Magistrate bids me [...]wear, and sayes I may swear, or take a judicial oath; the Papists he sayes bow down to an image, and wear a crucifix or an agnus dei about [Page 61] thy neck, its but to put thee in mind and for a remembrance; but Christ the oath and hope in me, who was before judicial oathes or images were, says swear not at all, and above all things my bre­thren sayes James swear not; and I had rather be accounted as one of his brethren, by keeping the commands of the Lord Jesus by not swearing, then by swearing to be made a friend to Caesar or a companion to the Prince & the command of the most high God is, thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image nor bow down to them, and so let the Papists and yee, part this matter between yee, for yee are a like guilty, the one breaks the command of God, the other of Christ; and he that breaks one is guilty of all.

The King bid or commanded that all should bow to his image which he had set up, the three children refused, and obeyed God ra­ther then the accursed Edicts of a King, the King gave command that they should be thrown into the fire, and into the fire they were cast with their hats on; were they Rebels, yea or nay? and whether is it better to obey God or men judge ye? But except I will rebell a­gainst the Lord, and make my self a transgressor of the royal Law; I shall not have the benefit of your Law, and except I will swear▪ I cannot desend or come by my own, nor hardly keep my self out of a Goal, So vile are your Lawes, and many the Ministers of them; and the guilty do go free, and the heart of the righteous is grieved, and the righteous man doth perish; and few or none layes it to heart; but the Lord our God, treasureth up all these things with many more of your iniquities, and if yee think he will not visit for these things, yee deceive your selves, and are deceived because the truth doth not guide ye [...].

The good Magistrate is worthy of double honour but it con­sisteth not in my hat; for that waxeth old, as doth my o [...]her gar­ments, and may be burnt, and turned to ashes, and become dong, or I may throw my hat upon the ground and set my feet upon i [...], is then the Magistrats honor in the dust? & do I tread upon his honor when I tread upon mine own hat? Nay, the good Magistrate is still wor­thy of double honour, and for a good man some will dare to die, and so I dare for the good Magistracy; [...]ut to sawn & c [...]ing to any mans person, I may not; It is the good Magistrate thats worthy of double honour, the office (good Magistrat [...]) in the man, not the bad man because he is in the office; and to every ordinance of man I submit & am no rebell, therefore let me (and all Gods people) have [Page 63] the benefit of your best Laws. And your worst doth not require me to put of my hat, swear, or appear by an Attourny, my self being in the Nation and willing to appear, but admit ye had a corrupt Law, or an act for every violence which is acted; I believe some of ye heretofore when ye lived under the oppression of wicked Magi­strates and unright [...]ous Lawes, (which are yet standing) would have said that the welfare of the people was above theSalus po­puli suprema lex. Law.

Paul says that an oath is for the end of strife among men, (mark) but the same Paul says walk not as men but as Saints; and although they of old time sware to the Lord and performed their oathes to the Lord, and the Lord performed THE substance to them which oathes was a type of, and the oath and vow is come in the flesh, who sayes swear not at all; but if Paul or John who was the greatest born among women should should affirm or had affirmed it to be lawful to swear, ile not believe John but rather chuse to hear, believe and obey the great & mighty Prophet in all things, but the persecutor, and he that will not hear this Prophet, and bring all his deeds to the light, and to the witness of God in him, and there try if they be wrought in God, shall be cut off; Notwithstanding he may pretend to have an Edict or a law from man, for what he doth. And if he commit murther, and all manner of wickednes most greedily, man can pardon one another by an Act, or call it chance­medly, man slaughter, petti-laseny, &c. and Hang another man for the fame fault because he cannot read, and this amongst the rest is persecution, and is not equal nor doing as a man would be done unto.

And like a naked and simple hearted man, I shall hear declare unto all the world the words of the living God to me when I was but onely able to die for the truth, and not able to write, dispute or controvert for it, when as heretofore I have met with an able skilful cunning deceiver.

This was the word of the Lord, and thus said the Lord unto me, If an Angel should pretend to come from heaven and should affirm unto thee, that that Ministry is of God or Christ, which in the least persecutes, stocks, whips imprisons, strikes or causeth to be strucken, sweares or causeth others to swear for his dishonest gain believe him not; For they obey not the great Prophet and they shall be cut off.

But we, as the holy men did, gladly suffer all wrongs, and our [Page 62] selves to be defrauded, freely giving up our outward man and sub­stance without resisting to death, to the merciless persecutor; but the mercen [...]ry hireling who is the only cause of our persecution, is so far from being found in these the holy men and Ministers of Christs practices, that they wrong all men, and all men are defrauded by them, most cruelly exacting where they never lent, pulling where they never planted, cloathing with the fleece they never wrought for, feeding with the fat and sweet they never sweat for, in short by force they exact and reap all manner of carnals, where they have not sown spirituals, nor carnals; And them who are called teach­ers have and do exceedingly Erre, and greater injustice and cruel­ler rapeness were never commited by men, then there hath been by this Legion of evil doers, but for their labours if they repent not, they shall be called the least in the Kingdom Isaiah said they were all blind and ignorant and dumb dogs that never had enough, and Jeyemiah; said that the Prophets prophesied falsly, and the Priests did bear rule by their means, and Ezekiel said they fed themselves, and not the flock; Micha said they Preached for hire, and Divined for money, and Hosea said they were as a Troop of robbers that did waite for a man, so the company of Priests did murther in the way by consent; Reader I pray thee read Isai. 56. 10. 11. Jer. 5. Ezek. 34. Mich. 2. 11. Hosea 6. 9. and compare the English Priest and see if there be any more difference then there is betwixt a Monk, and a Monk and a Pope, and a Pope..

And the Rulers that suffer these things, are become blind and in a deep sleep, yea, a very deep sleep, even the sleep of death, but let all such know that their Rewarder slumbereth not, neither can his vengeance tarry long, and the despised light within, if they repent not, shall be their sure condemation; for the righ­teous Spirit of the holy One is grieved, and it shall not alwayes strive, and wo be to them who set him at nought, and persecute whips, terrifies or suffers them to be persecuted, whiped or terrified, who speak in his Name, thrusting, causing or suffering to be thrust into dungeons, Bridewells, and bad places, amongst bad people there to be kept in bonds under the hands of cruel men till death, for the testimony of Jesus? Oh! bloody and great, yea very great cruelty, was ever the like done by any who did but so much as profess liberty of conscience. But let all such know from the highest to the lowest, yea to him that sits upon the Throne, to him that grinds at the Mill, they do resist the mighty Prophet whom the [Page 64] Lord our God hath raised up, and he is come, and they shall be cut off, and mine eye sees it; and then the condition of poor Lazarus who is hardly thought worthy to live, will far transcend Dives and all his fellow Gluttons, and these that are at ease in the fl [...]sh, and are not troubled like other men; and lie roleing upon their b [...]ds of pleasure, spending that which was their day in madness, mirth, and folly and making merry over the humble witness o [...] God, saying to themselves tush no eye sees us, but let all such know they are seen, and he that beholds them is not afar off, and a day cometh shortly if not suddenly; when the very highest among them shall be disrobed and utterly made bare, and the greatest that is born among women, shall not hide himself from the ven­geance of my God; who is the avenger, and revenger of the righ­teous, and vengeance is mine saith the Lord and I will re­pay it Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst, after righteousness. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile ye and persecute yee, and shall say all manner of evil against ye falsly: rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven. And the Devil shall cast some of ye into prison, and ye shall have tribula­tion for ten dayes. How long Lord, how long, holy, just, and true..

BUT let all such know, that the lyar is for the lake; for the Just God, who is equal in all his wayes, hath not made any man to be damned, nor created any to that intent, and the destruction of every man is of himself; for God made man after his own image and likeness, and those that are godly are like God, but man hath sought out many inventions, and the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked, and that continually, but God is now and alwayes up­right in all his wa [...]es▪ and his Name is Love, and his Nature is Love, and he is a God of Love, and all the works of his hands are good, and he loves them, and he is a loving Father; and he who sayes, the Father decrees a Soul to Hell from all Eterni­ty, before the creature hath transgressed, or that he was created to do wickedly, he accuses the Just God falsly; but the same Soul that sins, as Adam did, shall dye; for trans­gression brings death, and then, and not till then he becomes a [Page] vessel of dishonour. But he was not intended so by the Holy God in his Creation; And if from all Eternity, a cer­tain and set number be created, pre­destinated, and fore-ordained to be saved, and damned; for what doth the Hireling preach, and for what hath he his hire? I am sure, the decrees of God are yea, Amen, and unalter­able; (Mark that) Judicious Rea­der, and do not be so ignorant, as to give thy money to that Priest, who holds or preaches that doctrine; for under one of the two decrees thou already art. And I do believe, there is hardly a Hireling in England, that will deny it as his belief; but that there is and was from all Eternity, a certain and a set number predestinated to be dam­ned and saved. Oh! how hath and doth this de­ceiver stand, and is upholden and maintained in idleness, to make Mer­chandizes of pretious Souls for his dishonest gain. Oh! who is able to reckon up their deceipts, or the number of the inno­cent that hath and are at this day deceived by them. but the Soul which sins, shall dye the death; for the potter hath power over the clay, and though he hide himself in the remotest part of the Garden, he will find him out, and a vessel of dishonour he shall be; and yet after they have sinned, he desireth not the death of a sinner, although he be dead in sins and trespasses, but ra­ther that he should turn from his wickedness, and live. For, as I live, saith the Lord, I will not the death of a sinner. (Mark) of a sinner; but the persecutor, and he whose tongue is at liberty, who defi­leth his body, which is the Temple of the Lord, him will God destroy, although he be the fattest Bull in Basan, or the mightiest Cedar in all Le­banon, he is but clay in the hands of the Potter, and a vessel of dishonour he will make him. But he that liveth in his fear, and standeth in his councel, and is obedient to the Fathers Commands, which are all possible, and in no wise grievous, him, he makes a vessel of honour, and he is to him as the apple of his eye. Be Holy, be Perfect, be Just in all your doings, all men, and let all (Mark all) that are athirst come, and buy milk freely, and take of the water of Life without mo­ney, and without price. Oh! Come all; and it is in vain to invite them that are predestinated from all Eternity to be damned. What I say unto one, I say unto all, watch; and those that are decreed to Hell, need not watch; but the Lord wil­leth that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth; and he is not like Pharaoh, who willed the [Page 67] people to make brick without straw. Oh! the Creator doth not so, for a measure of himself, he hath given to every man to pro­fit withal. (Mark) to all, so that if he require the full tale of brick, he doth Justly, and his doings are Just, and he is equal in all his wayes; and let not him that is formed, though a sub­ject or a King, say to him that hath formed, Why hast thou made me so? But come unto him, or look unto him all the ends of the earth, and be saved; and the Gospel hath been preached to every creature under Heaven, and it is he that knowes the Fathers Will and doth it not, which shall be bea­ten, but it is impossible that he can do it who never knew it; but knowledge is a delitious fruit, and pleasant to the eye, upon which the reprobate feeds, and whom I will, I ha [...]den; but first he willeth that all men should be saved, or else he might have said, except Judas, except Pharaoh, except Esau, except Pilate the Priests friend, but Gods enemy; Christ knew from the be­ginning who should betray him. (Mark) he knew it, but he did not wil him to do it, for if he had, it could not have been called treachery in Judas; Nay, he willeth not the death of a sinner, but he willeth that all the ends of the earth should look unto him, and be saved; that is his Will and purpose, for which pur­pose he hath and doth enlighten every man that cometh into the World, that all men through him might believe and be saved; (Mark and note that) he willeth all men, I say, he did not except Judas, Pilate and Pharaoh, if they were alive, and had not sold themselves to do wickedly, for which cause they were given up to a reprobate minde; but there is and was some that will not come unto him that they may have life; Wherefore such are ordained to condemnation of old; but they that come unto him, he will in no wise cast off, and whom he loves, he loves to the end, and he that loves him keeps his Com­mands, and he that keeps them not, is of the Devil, and he that is of the Devil, hath no part in him; for God and Belial are not one in any one thing, neither do they live together; and where Jerusalem is, Babylon cannot stand, and where the Light with which every man is enlightened bears Rule, there is no darkness at all, and when it is disobeyed, if heeded, the darkness may be felt.

Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated, before either of [Page 68] those two children had done good or evil. Yea the thing Jacob he loved, and the thing Esau he hated, before either of those two children were begotten or born after the flesh; and those two seeds he onely loves, and hates at this day, and see that there be not a Cain, nor an Esau be among ye, but let the worm Ja­cob be cherished; for it loves the Light, and is the heritage of God; but let murtherous Cain, although he hath been Prince of the whole City, and all hath been called by his sons name, and Lord Esau of the mount come under; for though there was a time when the seed bowed, Jacob's got past; and let the elder serve the younger; for he sold his Birth-right for his belly. Mark, he had it. A Birth-right, or a Right-birth, but he sold it, and afterwards sought it with tears; It was not the earth he wept for, although he sold his Birth-right or Right-birth, which was immortal, for that which was earthly, divelish and sen­sual.

The great God who created Heaven and Earth, willeth that all man-kind should come to the knowledge of the truth, and be saved, and willeth not the death of one soul of his whole handy-work, and the work of his own hands he cannot de­stroy, and that is the infallible and true light, the Son of the Father, who enlighteneth every individual man and woman that commeth into the World, that all through him may believe and be saved, & it is the particular sins of every particular man and woman that is the cause of death, reprobation and c [...]nd [...]n [...] ­tion; and that soul which sins shall die; but for the word Ori­ginal fin, I do not find it in the whole Scriptures, but is a con­trivance of the false Prophets, like unto their baby-baptism; but he that believes in the Light of Christ which he is enlight­ened with, and brings all his deeds to the light, and dwells and abides in the light, and hath the hope in him; He purifi­eth himself as he is pure, and the wicked one cannot touch him.

Again and again, I say, if a certain, and set number from all eternity be predestinated to be saved and damned, What doth the hireling preach for? or for what hath he his hire? I am sure the decrees of the living God, are yea, and Amen, and unalte­rable.

And there is another vaine sort of people who are as igno­rant [Page 69] as they who say that the Scriptures is the word of God, and Mathew Mark, Luke and John the Gospel, and that the Latin, Greek and Hebrew is the Original; as for the word which the Scriptures of truth truly declares of, he was in the beginning, before the Scriptures began, and Heaven and Earth may passe away, with which the Scriptures must passe, but the Word lives▪ and abides for ever, the Letter killeth, but the Word gives Life and is quick and powerful, and sharper then any two edged-sword, and divides assunder betwixt the joynts and marrow, and he that hath the word, hath life; and Simon Magus could not buy the Word for money, but [...] man may buy, learn and have the Scriptures, and be a Judas, and quote them as the Devil did to Christ, and yet be a devil; and the Word became flesh, and dwelt amongst us, and His Name is the word of God, and his vesture is dipped in blood, and the Word is the Light, the Hope, the Way, the Gospel, the Door, the Vine, the Shepherd, the fairest of Millions, the Original, the Kin [...] and King­dom, the way to the Kingdom; and this Way, this Word, this Door, this Hope, this King and Kingdom, this Christ, this Original is above a [...], and all in all, and in ye all, except ye be repro­bates; for the Kingdom of Heaven is within ye, and that which may be known of God is manifest in ye, and these manifestati­ons within doth the Scr [...]ptures of truth truly declare o [...], the same is the Original, and not the Lat. Gr. and Heb. neither is it so much as a help to know the true and Living God, for a man may have the tongues of men and Angels, and yet be without God in the World, and P [...]ate may understand the Latin, Greek and Hebrew full well, and set it over the Originals head, and go to hell with his understanding, and those that have the tongues may be mad, and at this day do wrest the Scriptures to their own destructions, for want of learning; as Peter said, they did of old, calling the book-learnt men an unlearned generation; and him­self had no letters; and it is like Christ spake to none of the meanest letter-men, when he said, they had at no time seen the shape of God, nor heard his voice; and I am su [...] [...] was because they were not good Schollars, n [...]r willing to learn for I am the Lords witness that he is found of all that truly learn to seek him, and learnt of all those that fear him, for his very secrets are with them that fear him, and to know and believe in him, and Je­sus [Page 70] Christ whom he hath sent is absolute life eternal, and he that believes not is condemned already, and to day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, for it is the same voice within, that calls to ye for equity and truth in your inner parts, as did to them of old, it is not another then what the Scriptures truly declareth of, and let him that preaches, or brings a Gospel con­trary to that which they delare of, be an athema maranatha; so it is not sufficient to have the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and be accounted Orthodox and an able Diviner, when the womb is barren, and the eye not kept in the head, and that which brought the wo-to-man, or the wo-man prevail, which is not per­mitted to speak in the Church, but is to be silent, and ask the husband at home (whether they be married, or un­married according to the flesh) and happy, and onely hap­py are they who are espoused to the Lamb, and can witnesse the eter­nal mariage, the unseparable tye, which neither heights nor breadths nor depths, nor lengths, nor tribulation, persecution, principalities, or powers whatsoever can separate.

And he that hath the word of God abiding in him which was in the beginning (before the Scriptures, Prophets, holy men and Apostles were) by whom the World was made before it was made, He deserneth all things, judgeth all things, (Mark) all things, Orthodox, and non-Orthodox, Pilate and his Original, and himself is judged of no man.

And the grace of God which brings salvation hath appear­ed to all men, and that is the true light that doth enlighten e­very man that cometh into the World.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the World, and men love darkness rather then light, because their deeds are evil, for every one that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, least his deeds should be reproved; but he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds might be manifest that they are wrought in God, John 3.

And this is my testimony for the Original, the Lord Jesus, and is according to the word, that Original which was in the beginning before the Scriptures began, to and against all Babilo­nians, from whence came, and is derived all confusion and di­versity of tongues, but in the beginning, it was not so; for God was the Word, and the Word is God.

AH! Poor men and women, repent, repent, repent, for the Lords righteous Judgement is nigh, even at the door, to be poured forth against many of you, who even hate to be reformed; but like evil men and deceivers, wax worse and worse, being as it were rivetted to all manner of sin, & grown old in iniquity; And although you are called Lords, Ladies, Gentlemen and Women, yet for the most part ye are ungentle, untame & without the yoke, your tongues at liberty to blaspheme the Name of the dreadful, pure and living God, and Ishmael-like, scoff and speak evil of dignities and things ye know not, cursers, swearers, fighters and killers one of another, fierce despisers of them that are good many of you are, and yet calls yourselves Gentlemen, &c. When as patience and long suffering is the thing ye truly know not, and soberness with many of ye makes no long tarrying, and with your lusts ye are led captive at the Devils will, and a­mongst many, yea, very many of ye, oppression is your constant in-mate, envy, cruelty, lust, exaltation and pride, the ve­ry [Page] beloved of your bosoms; and in your own particulars ye hurt the innocent, ye grieve that which would be righteous, ye slay and make merry over the witness, swallowing down the cups of pleasure and iniquity, as the Ox drinketh water, ye oppress the seed, ye put the Lord of Life to open shame, ye crucifie him afresh, and that continually; In spiritual [...]ne and Egypt all the day long ye are content to dwell, and in the night season lye down in your beastialities, and in the morn­ing ye rise up early to drink wine, take pleasure, and commit sin with greediness, boiling in your own lusts, overwhelmed in gluttony, & wholly swallowed up in all manner of worldly delight, being dead whilst ye seemingly live, & thus doth many of you consume yourselves, substance and precious time; And do ye think to live Dives his live, and not dye his death? Can ye think to sow to the flesh all manner of corruption all the dayes of your lives, and not reap the same in the day of the Lord? And do ye think as the tree falls it will not lye, and as death leaves, Judgement will not find? (and from Hell there is no Redemption) Oh friends! I can truly say, my bowels ernes for ye, who are called Nobles, and are great in the earth, above any sort of people that are without. Also I know and feel, that the witness of God lyeth near in very many of ye, although the lofty and surly nature is not willing to bow, nor sink down and become one with the witness, which is meek and [...]owly, and calls upon ye in secret for purity in your inner parts. Oh! let the consideration of Eternal Life constrain, and even necessitate ye to turn in the eye of your mind to within, and consider what ye shall do to be saved, for verily the eye of the Lord is pure and runs to and fro thorow the whole earth, and all that's earthly, and cannot behold your present iniquities. Wherefore in the fear of the Lord, cease to do evil, and learn to do well, and let the time past be suffi­cient, least the Lord forthwith dash ye in pieces, and sweep ye from the face of the earth, and your memories utterly rot. Therefore seek the Lord with all your hearts, whilst he may be found, for this is the day of your visitation; but your day passeth away, and the night swiftly cometh wherein no man can work, yet a little while and the Light is with ye; I say, commune with your own hearts, and be still, and in the cool of the day, when your lusts boil [...] not, sink down willingly, joyn and adhere [Page 73] to the measure of God in your consciences which is given to man to profit withall; Oh take it for a leader for it is the true Light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the World, that all men through Him might believe, the same is a swift witnesse; for the Lord against all the evil of your doings, and cannot nor ever did consent to sin; the same is truth, & leads into all truth, & was before the man of sin, the house of Ham, the stock of Nim­rod the cunning hunter, Ishmael the scoffer, Lord Esau of the Mount, bloody Cain, or the Dukes of Edom were, and is before all invention, or the ridiculous Tythes, about which many of you fight, kill, boast and rend many a bloody oath, and when ye have all done, it may be, prove your ancester an ancient mur­therer, come into England with William of Normandy, killed an English man, and took his possession; and as your selves sprang from blood, rage and cruelty, so in the same many of ye con­tinue, but beware that your latter end be not worse then your beginning; great quantities of earth ye have, and the Lords hand is in no wayes shortened towards ye; But verily very ma­ny of ye spend it wholly upon your lusts, and that's not the end for which it was given; but ye are to honour God with your substance and whatsoever he hath given ye, & he that de­files his body, defiles the Temple of the Lord, and him will God destroy; Therefore whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, learn to do all to the praise and glory of God, and do not Lord it over Gods heritage in the General nor in your own particulars, for Christ is in ye, except ye are reprobates; and this know, that no man was, or ever shall be heir of two Kingdoms, and God and Mammon ye cannot please, and if ye truly serve the one, the other with all his lusts ye must deny (Mark) all his lusts ye must deny, and a death ye must feel upon your present lives, & that ye may come to know the birth w^ch is immortal; seek to know the Lord, if it be but as a consuming fire, to burn up and consume your lusts which separates between ye and your maker, for he that en­vies is a murtherer, For love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and know­eth God. If we love one another God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us: God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment, because as he is so are we in this (present) world: there is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment: he that feareth is not made perfect in love. If any man say, I love God, and hate his Brother, he is a lvar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this Commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God, loves his Brother also, 1 John 4. 7, 12, 16, 18, 20. and he that lusts after a woman, hath committed adultery; and I say unto ye all above men and all things, swear not.

And to see a great man a good man, is a rare thing, even an ornament in his Countrey, a strength to the righteous, a sinew to the feeble, a nerve to the oppressed, a help to the helpless; and of all men, if ye could but see and trust in the truth, as it is in Jesus, how transcendently happy might ye be, even in this life, beloved of God and good men, and all evil men māde to fear ye; And I do believe many of ye cannot but see the hireling and his covetousness, deficiency and deceipt, and in some measure see the truth, and the vessel to be good; but to sea in it ye dare not go, for if the greatest of ye deny the hireling his ungodly gain, a war he will prepare, and the waves will beat, the billows boil, and the stormes arise; But help us Lord and we cannot perish, although the greedy man may toss us from one Goal and Dungeon to another, and if there in faithfulness to the Lord we lay down or lives, yet we live for ever and have life Eternal; And that's much better then the airy title of Duke, Lords, Knights, &c. which put them all together, will not buy a morsel of bread in this very life, and in the life to come the Beggar as the King, and his Nobles, and Tophet is not prepared in vain; and it is well if some of yee who are called Noble-men, and cals your selves Christians, be not found in the day of the Lord more ignoble to the now despised Christians then Festus, Agrippa, or Claudius Lycias were to Paul (who were called heathens) but were truely Noble to Paul, and such No­bility I own who puts no man to death, nor hurts no man tell the accuser, and the accused comes face to face, and sends no man to prison, nor keeps any in bonds without signi­fying the cause, and having a just Law from the Lord for his or their detention, thats equal and just, which the Lord help yee to know and obey, for its the just which suffers in yee, and the seed [Page 75] is oppressed and kept in bondage in your own particulars; So wait upon the Lord in his fear, which is the beginning of wise­dom, and yee shall hear a voyce behind yee, saying, this is the way, oh! walk in it; and if ye be obedient, ye shall eat the good of the Land, and obedience is better then sacrifice, and to hearken then the fat of rams; & although your sins be as scarlet, and for number as the sand upon the Sea shore, yet if ye believe in the Light, and love the Light, and bring all your deeds to the Light▪ and see if they are wrought in God, (I [...] so, its a good deed, do it,) and that Light is truth and is no lie, oh! dig deep for it, for its within, though the Inne be thronged with other guests and a vast quantity of iniquity is above the seed, and the whole lump is sowred with the wrong leaven, But the grain, the seed, or lost groat is there, therefore seek diligently and ye shall find, and having found it, sell all and buy the Pearl, and follow the L [...]mb whether soever he goes, thorow good report and bad; Oh! believe in and love the truth, and abide in the truth, and the truth shall make ye free, and purge away all your drosse and Tynne, then are you free in­deed and the blood of Jesus shall cleanse ye from all sin and filthiness both of flesh and spirit and if you forsake your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive ye your sins, and your transgressions he will re­member no more.

And ye who are called Dukes, Lords, Knights, Gentlemen, &c. for the most part have your Education at the same fountain from whence comes the hireling and there have them for your Tutor, & Teacher, and as yet few or none of ye exceed or are much wiser then your Teachers to salvation; Neither indeed are ye like to learn of him who receives the wages of unrighte­ousness, and stands not himself in the councel of the Lord; For if they had stood in my Councel, saith the Lord, they would have turned many from their evil wayes; and had they been the Ministers of Christ, the World had not been so full of wickedness, as at this day it is; but indeed their converts are like themselves, proud, covetous, high-minded, and guilty of all manner of evil, as the best of them will confess themselves to be, and that their best doings is sinful, and full of sin; and if so, which indeed they are, it is impossible they shall convert one Soul to God; for the prayers of the wicked are abomination to the Lord, and the very best sacrifice that can be offered by the [Page 76] hands of an unclean persecutor, who hurts or envies his Bro­ther, or imprisons for his belly, is but as the cutting off a dogs neck, for he that envies is a murtherer; and it is natural for every father to beget a child after his own image; and to speak to the very rational part in ye all, If a man were to teach another man a science or a trade, he cannot, neither is it pos­sible for him to teach another to do that which himself can­not do, neither thinks possible to be done, (Mark) the best of the Priests prayers and teaching are sinful, as themselves con­fesse, and their imperfect prayers, may beget imperfection, lust and uncleannesse, which shall never en [...]r the Kingdom, nor dwell with the holy true God.

So if ye exceed not the wisdom of your tutors and Teachers; and learn of the light, and believe in the Light, which was be­fore Pope, Colledge or Priest was, although every man of yee could preach and pray as well as they can, which is not hard to do; I say, both ye and your prayers are abominable in the sight of the pure God, who hath no regard to the preaching and prophecying of sinful Prophets, and themselves as well as their hearers may be cast-awayes.

And this is a great evil among ye who are called lords, knights, &c. who have great estates, upon which account poor men of­tentimes lends ye great sums of money, and those great estates for the most part ye entail or passe away by some private dis­possession, and by wicked fraudulent wayes, (and in this the wretched Lawyer befriends ye) undoes many poor men, and at your deaths your heirs takes the benefit of the wicked Laws, and sayes to their fathers creditors, he possesseth nothing but what he was born to; but the Lords curse is upon that birth and heir-ship, so that when ye dye, your names stink, and ge­nerations curse ye, and the childe that is unborn is occasioned to speak evil of ye; and in defence of this birth-right as they call it, to be sure the wretched Lawyer will take your heirs part although he knows the whole matter to be unjust, and it may be himself had the greatest hand in the former cheat; so they do not help your sons to heir your estates onely, but your ini­quities also.

And if I should be accounted a sower of sedition, or a subver­ter of the Laws, a turner of the World up-side down, a pesti­lent [Page 77] fellow, or a Ring-leader of the sect of the Nazarenes, and thought not worthy to live, and should be put to death for it; Yet I freely declare, that I trust in, and steadfastly believe and hope in my God, that he will asswage the pride, allay the malice, quite confound, for ever entinguish, and utterly make rotten & blot out the name of Pope at Rome Tithe-monger or Hireling in England, with his Mass-houses and all that is Pope­ry whatsoever, devouring Lawyer, Dukes, Lords, Knights, Courts of honour, and the thing that is now called Gentility. But a Noble-man, or a Gentle-man I truly love, who are truly so?