The PROPHET APPROVED, BY THE WORDS Of his Prophesie coming to passe.

BEING A Declaration of the Message which Daniel Baker received from the Lord to the Parlia­ment, Counsel of State, Officers of the Army, Mayor and Aldermen of the City, met together the 6th day of this 8th month in the place falsely called Christ-Church in London, which day was set apart for Thanksgiving, but proved a day of persecution, and voluptuous feasting, to the grief of Gods Spirit.

Also a Letter from Daniel Baker, to the Mayor and Recorder of London.

Published by Thomas Hart.

That people may see the Lord hath his Prophets in this land.

LONDON, Printed for Thomas Simmons, at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate, 1659.

To the Serious Reader.

OFten hath the Lord warned the Rulers of these Nations by his Ser­vants and Prophets, in these late years and moneths; But they (high and stiff-necked) have slighted instruction, and cast reproofe be­hind them, even until the judgement threatened and foretold of, hath o­vertaken them one after the other, because none of those that succeeded in the Rule and Government have hitherto laid it to heart, but when the Lord hath sent his Servants to them, they have likewise refused and re­jected the Counsel of the Lord, and so have provoked him against them; often was Oliver Cromwell advised of the Judgement of the Lord against him and his family, if he did not repent, and when Gods decree was sealed up against him to cut him off, he was let to know it about a moneth before it came upon him, and how the Lord would also stretch forth his hand against all that was high and lifted up in the Rule of these Nations, even from the one end thereof to the other, which shortly after came to passe; When Richard Cromwell came to the Government, he also was warned and foretold of what at last he found come upon him, likewise his packt as­sembly was told of their doom, together with their new house of Lords again established to the dishonour of the Lord of Heaven; The Army, when the Rule as well as the power was in their hands, for a little season, before the return of the Long Parliament, were likewise warned to beware of that spirit which had led them aside and betrayed them from their first love, even that spirit that is against liberty of Conscience (which was once clearly asserted by them) they were bid to remember Ama­leck (the Soul murthering, and conscience-binding Clergy-man) and what they did unto them by the way when they were coming out of Egypt, how they smote the hindermost of them, even all the feeble and week when they were faint and weary, even Amaleck who feared not God, that his name, even the spirit and power of persecution in the Clergy man should be by them blotted from under Heaven; but the Army not hearkening to the counsel of God then given, drunk a fresh of the Whores cup of sorce­ries till they reeled and fell under her feet; of which also they were warn­ed a second time, and foretold of this hour that is come upon them, as may may be seen in a book tituled Mene Tekel.

At last the long Parliament being returned by the providence of the Lord to try them again what they would do for God and his people, were often [Page]cited to their duty, and made acquainted with what the Lord expected from them; they also turning their backs upon the way of the Lord, and despising the Counsel of his servants, went on in the way of those the Lord had newly brought down, were often told, the Lord would rebuke them, and at last when they, with the Councel of State and Officers of the Army, were meet together with the Mayor and Aldermen of London in the Stee­ple house (falsely called Christ-Church) as they pretended to thank God, (but the Lord abhorred their sacrifice) this servant of the Lord Daniel Baker was moved of the Lord to go to that place, where he spoke part of what the Lord commanded him, but they would not hear him, but suffered him to be haled away, and beaten, and abused, and flung into Newgate (by the rude rabble;) the substance of what the Lord required him to speak to them, he had writ down just before he went to the Steeple-house, which I here present to thy view, also the words he got forth amongst them as they were haling him down, whereby thou mayest see how the Lord hath left them without excuse, having warned them of what he would bring upon them if they repented not, who were so far from hearing and fearing the words of the Lord by his servant to them that the greatest part of them of the Parliament were ready to make or confirm a law, to keep the servants of the Lord from speaking, though according to the will and com­mandment of the Lord, in their steeple-house, like those that went before them; wherefore especially (and for that they delaied to deliver the Na­tion from the oppressor on every hand) hath the Lord so soon laid them aside with dishonour.

Nor let the Army think they shall escape the dreadfull hand of the Lord, breaking and confounding them also if they come not forth with true zeal for God and his people, and for the general good of all the peaceable people of this Nation, and deny themselves; I say, if they do not lay forth them­selves for the Lord and his people (especially) and for the good of the whole Nation in General, but do labour to secure themselves, under and by a corrupt interest, they shall not prosper, for the Lord will break and confound them, and they shall be spued forth.

Here follows what the Servant of the Lord had writ down be­fore he went into the Steeple-house aforesaid.

WHither are ye turning aside, O ye lofty mountains of the Earth, to nou­rish your hearts as in a day of slaughter, by which you condemn the Just, and betray the Innocent who do not resist you.

Wherefore assemble your selves together oh ye great Mountains, that the invisible everlasting God may poure forth upon your heads his indignation, and shatter and break you to pieces, and confound and over­turn your devises, and give you up to the deceit and imagination of your own hearts lusts, forasmuch as you have vexed and grieved the eternal and invisible spirit of the most high whom you pretend to honour, but too manifest that your own you prefer before him and his Counsel.

Wherefore hear the Word of the Lord ye strong Oaks and lofty trees, your counsels are not good, and you have soon turned aside (out of the way) therefore the Lord of Hosts will meet with you, and with his besom of destruction will he sweep you all away in his anger, if you yet repent not speedily, and subject to the spirit of meek men, holy men, and of sound judgement in you.

Are not the eyes of all the honest hearted in the Nation, looking for this spirit to break forth in its power and life in the midest of you, and to shine over the Nations, that the Heathens round about might be amazed, astonished and con­founded, and come to know that the power, and dread, and life of the everlasting God is in the midst of you?

And is it a time to feed your selves without fear, and to run greedily into the excesse of Ryot, to devour the Creatures, and to destroy the Creation upon your ungodly lusts?

Wherefore the indignation of the Lord as a fire is kindled, [and many of you shall feel it] against you▪ And wo be to the Hypocrites, the Lords soul abhors your prayers and solemn assemblies, the day of your Calamity is at hand, for ye have wea­ried the Lord of Hosts with your hypocrisies from time to time; why should ye be smitten or warned any more, seeing you have thus in the eyes of all people tempted and evil requited the Lord God, strong and powerful, dreadful is his e­verlasting name, who will take vengeance and ease himself of his Adversaries, who deal deceitfully with the everlasting (the I am, a) consuming fire.

Hear followeth the words which the Lord put into D, Bs, heart to speak or give forth, which stands a testimony upon the heads of Parliament, Army, Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of London met together the 6th day of this 8th moneth, being the fifth day of the week, at the Steeple-house (falsely called Christs-Church) wherein obedience to the Lord, his body was given up to suffer, and the Testimony was thus given forth from him at that place, saying;

HEar, hear, hear the word of the Lord, oh ye mountains and Inhabitan [...]s of the earth; the day, even the day of Gods visitation is upon your heads, for ye have chosen the way that is not good; wherefore assemble your selves together, oh ye strong Oaks, that the Lord might poure upon your heads his Indignation, for deceit and hypocrisie the Lords soul abhors.

As sure as the Lord over-turned them that went before you, so sure will the Lord overturn you.

Friends,

KNow ye that I am a man free-born in this Nation (the land of my Nativity) and have faithfully served my generation in the late wars and commotions from time to time against the common enemies, name­ly the Kings, the Dutch, the Portugal, French, and Spaniard, and what I have from time to time suffered, at present I mention little; besides the wounds and shedding of my blood, with my bone: shot and shattered to pieces, and taken out of my body; And there was a time and times also, in the behalf of the Nation, I could say to one, goe, and he goeth, and to ten, come, and it was so; and to a hundred, do this and that, and it was done: but this is past away as the dust before the wind; but behold I am this day in bonds for exercise of a pure conscience, in obedience to the invisible pure Spirit of the Lord God, in my heart, to which my soul is become subject; for its the higher power, and the most high that searcheth my heart, knoweth my heart, that I speak the truth in his fear and dread in the truth, and lye not.

Now that you may not be altogether ignorant of what you have done, In the Lord have I freedom now to write to yee, to the end that you might have a more perfect understanding, what hath already been past concerning me, before and since the time of my imprisonment, and that yee might be altogether left with­out excuse in the time of your tryall before the throne of the Lamb, slain since the foundation of the world, whether you now hear or forbear; but if the eye and ear of a good understanding be opened in you, to hearken to the cry of the op­pressed within you, and without you, and let it go free by breaking the bonds of wickednesse within and without you (Read within and understand) of a truth my soule, into which the Lord God hath breathed his pure breath of life, and thereby it now only lives; will exceedingly rejoyce in the Lord, otherwise my soule in secret (as hitherto) shall mourn and lament over the oppressed seed, untill the Lord, strong and mighty, arise to render vengeance upon the head of the oppressor, and to plead in truth with his righteous judgements, the cause of the innocent, who are the signs and wonders of these latter dayes, as in the dayes of old.

Now if you can believe my words, O ye men that shall dye? hearken and hear, and bear with me a moment, which I know you will, if you subject to the measure of that noble, just, equall, pure, meek principle, or spirit that was in Moses, and be­hold I tell yee, is in you also, but 'tis exceedingly oppressed, let it arise to hear me, for to that only I desire to be manifest.

On the sixth day of the eighth moneth, and fifth day of the week, tidings came to me of a feast for the Mayor and Aldermen, Parliament and Army that day, upon which I weighed and pondered in my mind, whether it were a time to feast, and the Nation with her free-born inhabitants, so greatly oppressed un­der such grievous yoaks and bonds of wickednesse, and so many poor, naked, blind and lame, that wants bread, and such great things promised by such wise men, (and whether the Lord God will not visit for these things) and were going to [Page 2]eat and to drink, and nourish their hearts, as in a day of slaughter; and imme­diately the power of the indignation of the Lord stirred within me, and his word, which is the higher power, I felt to be quick and powerfull, moved, and I im­mediately subjected to its command, which was to speak these words in the Au­dience and presence of you all assembled together, whether you can believe me or not, or hear, or forbear; these words the everlasting God put into my heart, and in obedience to his invisible spirit of life, I speak them forth, as yee may remember, if you did mind, thus, in the old Masse-house, called Christs Church.

Heare, heare, heare the word of the Lord, O ye Mountains and Inhabitants of the earth, the day, even the day of Gods visitation is upon your heads, for yee have chosen the way that is not good, wherefore assemble your selves O yee strong oaks, that the Lord might poure upon your heads his indignation, for de­ceit and hypocrisy the Lords soul abhorres.

And if thus to obey the Lord God be a transgression of any of your Decrees or Laws, behold here is a body prepared to suffer, let Gods witnesse, the light of Christ in your consciences judg, & whether it be not better to obey God rather then man, judge yee; But if you reply, and say, thou madest a disturbance, thou didst disturb the Minister that was praying, and we had a Law which was founded upon Queen Maries, that blood-thirsty persecuters Law, which was three moneths imprisonment, after due accusation and examination heard, and conviction of two witnesses before two Justices of the Peace; mark that, to any one that should on purpose maliciously, or contemptuously disturb the Preacher; and because her Law was not severe enough for the Priests, Oliver Cromwell and his Councel added three moneths more to it, but I have fulfilled that Law, by suffering under it with many more, as a testimony against it, and the Founders and Builders up of it, for ever; but this late Parliament have made this Law null and void; However, thou oughtest to be had to prison, and to suffer; what? without a Law? because thou disturbest us, and we cannot believe that it is according to Christ or his Apostles doctrine, though we call the Scripture our Rule, may ye say in your hearts, and God is a God of order, and he is not the Authour of confusion; To which I answer, he that speaks true and sober words, in obedience to the moving and commandment of the Lord, without respect of persons, dayes, place or time, is not disorderly, nor the Authour of confusion; and if you were in all things guided by Moses, Christ, his Prophets, and Apostles spirit; yet opprest in bondage, in you, ye would know it: but they are disorderly, that break forth into confusion, and are like Bears, Lions, Dogges, and wolves, in their devouring nature, to rent, tear, and devour, knock down, dragge, and offer violence, and buffeting a poor single Lamb, or Friend of Christ, both in and out of the Syna­gogue, or Masse-house, and dragge the poor Saints before the Judgement Seat.

Neither is it contrary to the Apostles doctrine, who spake (by the Spirit of Christ Jesus the light in him) who said, if any thing be revealed to another that sits by, let the first hold his peace; and as many poor wise men that were among you, even they might have seen and felt, that I was not out of the Apostles do­ctrine, neither spake contrary to the pure spirit that gave forth the Scriptures of truth, but stood up a certain time in the fear & dread, and power of the Lord God, before I spake forth the words, so that the Priest had time to have stopt & held his peace; & if he had done so, together with the bruitish People, or rude multitude, [Page 3]it would have been good order, and according to the Apostles doctrine, and Scriptures of truth; and after I had spoken the words of the Commandement of the Lord forth, I know I should have departed in Gods fear and peace orderly as I came in; yet notwithstanding, I neither resisted, nor offered violence to ei­ther man, woman, or child, and it would have been a noble thing of any of you Magistrates, chief Captains, Colonels, or Souldiers, and according to your place, to have called out or used means to have restrained the disorderly, rude, bruitish people, from dragging, pulling, or tearing me to pieces, or from buffeting me in the face, and from pulling my hair, and beating, and dragging me, See Act. 23, 9, 10. Even in and forth of your high place of worship, and from dragging me to prison, contrary to your Laws without Mittimus, or being called before any of you, who should without delay have heard a lawful triall, and true witnesses, with due ac­cusation, that you might then have signified the crimes to the Goaler, and this had been but reasonable; and in such a matter, him whom the Priests and professors, and profane of England, call a Heathen, Namely, Festus, was more noble, and will judge you, See Acts 23.27. verse, but they, who all of them are called Christians, but more like, yea, and far worse then Heathens, that know not the dreadfull God among them, in their rage and enmity dragged and threw me into the Goale New-gate, & after they had thus thrown me into the Goal, as if I had been a dead dog, or swine, they beat me there with a staff, besides, one unreasonable merciless man struck me over the bare head with a staffe, even in the Idols Temple, be­ing at the same time dragg'd between four or five men.

And Friends, this was disorder, tyranny, cruelty, oppression, and injustice, and it had been better you had been found executing true and sound justice and judg­ment, without respect of persons, gifts, or rewards; (when shal it once be?) then to have thus met to feed your selves without fear over the oppressed seed; and Ma­gistrates, that are to rule for God, will, and in his pure noble principle in them, should be just men of truth; a terrour to evill doers, that offer violence in the devouring nature against the innocent, (whose praise is not of men, but of God; and such as rule for and with him) and for these and a multitude of such like things will the everlasting God of truth visit the haughty oppressors, and persecuting priests and Magistrates of Englands Nation, and dominions, whose day of visitation, of salvation, is hastening over their heads, who to this day have rejected its appearance.

And although there was not found among all the multitude, after I had waited two dayes before your Judgement Seat, one man, woman, or child, that did, or could accuse me of the breach of any Law, except it were one or two of you that sate upon the Judgement Seat, did accuse me. Now consider (if you be a little coole) with the spirit of wisdom, meeknesse, and of sound judgement, whither I have done or spoken any thing contrary to any Law or Decree (if you can make it appear, do it without delay; for behold I am yet under your hand, and behold here's a body in which I am prepared to suffer) as I demanded before all the peo­ple assembled before your Judgement Seat, that it was but reasonable, and an equall thing to shew and convince me by the Law before the people, what evill I had done either in word or action, but no Law was brought or admitted to be read to or against me, and so this reasonable thing was denied me; and herein you cannot be said to be noble, while you thus turn the sword against the innocent; and the Lord God will plead with you for it; for the Lord is nigh at hand to try [Page 4]you, and to judge and reward for all your deeds done in every of your particular body; And thou John Ireton, instead of doing Justice, and executing true and sound Judgment, after true searching and enquiring into the nature and ground of a mat­ter, and so to plead the cause of the innocent, whose consciences are exercised to­wards God, this would have been thy honour; but even thou replyedst, and sayedst, Take him away, he is mad. Alas poor man, thou knowest not what thou hast done, and surely I perceive thou dost not yet know or believe, against whom thou, together with the rest of the persecuting Magistrates and Priests of Eng­land, Scotland, and Ireland, have lifted up your hands; and behold this testi­mony I give forth, whether you can believe, or receive it or nay, that here is three of us in bonds in New-gate Goale; namely, Humphry Bache, Anne Gould, and Daniel Baker (committed by your order and wills) who, as sure as the Lord God hath given you and all men breath and life, and all things, so sure are we his Servants and Friends, and worship him in spirit and in truth; for he who is a most pure, invisible, eternal spirit, hath sought and found us, and we are in him that is true, and so is our testimony, and therefore cannot lye nor swear, nor give flattering titles to any man, if we should, the Lord our God, whom we serve, would condemn us, and we assuredly know, that the whole world lyeth in wick­ednesse; and therefore in love to the world on the Lords behalf as his friends, we testify against the deeds and friendships, and honours thereof, for they are evill; and its enmity to our God, who is the living God. And this know assu­redly from my hand, that is guided by the good spirit of the Lord, to write these things, that I am this day in bonds for the testimony of him that saves from sin, and for the exercise of a pure conscience, who desires that in the day and time of your tryal, when the tribes of the earth shall mourn (and they shall look upon him (the Light) whom they have rebelled against, and pierced.)

That these things where Repentance unto life is truly witnessed, may not be laid to your charge, who yet sit in the habitations of cruelty and darknesse, and I am with that which is the condemnation of the unjust, but is the life of the Just.

DANIEL BAKER.

Something after to the Officers of the Army.

Friends, in love to your soules and bodies is this, desiring you to call to Remembrance the many warnings which the Lord our God hath given by his servants to Protectors (so called) and to Parliaments, that they might escape his judgement, which (because of their hard-heartedness, and carelesness towards Gods Councel) hath overtaken them at unawares. And unlesse ye repent, and turn to the measure of Gods Grace, and doe the things that are Right, ye shall not escape. The Righteous lives in ever­lasting peace, but the wicked are shut up in darknesse, till the great and terrible day of our God, which is at hand; wherefore, whilst you have part of a day, prize it, and believe the warnings of the Lord to you, left ye also suffer.

THE END.

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