Oh England, England! haſt thou not had a large experience of their Innocency towards thee? Which of them haſt thou found contriving any miſchief againſt thee? Or, were ever any of them, ſince they denied the Inſtruments of War, proved guilty of plotting againſt thy Peace? Ah why then do thy Princes proceed thus ſeverely, and ſuffer ſome unreaſonable men to act thus unworthily againſt them? Wilt thou needs haſten the heavy Judgments of God upon thee? Canſt thou think he will forget to plead his Controverſie with thee? Haſt thou not ſins enow beſides, that do highly provoke Him, but thou muſt needs add this to the reſt, that thou wilt be found fighting againſt the Mighty God that made thee, by dealing thus cruelly with his innocent People, who were born within thy borders, and have all-along been ready to ſhew kindneſs unto thee, in the ſecret of their hearts breathing to thy God for thee, that his fierce Anger (if it were his holy Will) might be turned away from Thee, and thy People humbled, and their Souls from the power of Sin and Satan ranſomed, and ſo the Righteous God be reconciled unto them?

Why wilt thou contend thus with the God of Sions Innocency? How long wilt thou perſiſt thus in thy ſpirit of Obſtinacy? Wilt thou ſuffer thy ſins to ſound a defiance to the God of all thy Mercies? Hath Preſumption lull'd thee into ſuch a dangerous ſleep of carnal ſecurity, that thou art paſt all ſenſe of danger or miſery that may come upon thee? Canſt thou be ſo imprudent, as to apprehend or imagine that thou ſhalt proſper in this thy Perſecution? Will that God who is ſo jealous of his Honour, ſuffer thy ignorant dreaming Prieſts, and thoſe devouring Cormorants (the Biſhops Courts) to intrude into his Throne, and not give them a Rebuke? Will He not viſit for this thing? Mark their latter end.

Which of you all, O ye Prieſts of the Nation, who preach for hire, and divine for money; and you that are ſo willingly their Inſtruments of Cruelty, I ſay, which of you all do deal with this Innocent People, as you would have them do unto you? If God ſhould ever ſuffer any of them to have Authority in the Nation, whom now you ſeek to trample on, Would you be well contented, if they ſhould ſeek to lord it over your Conſciences, as you do over theirs; and cage your bodies up in Priſons, as you have done ſome of theirs; and endeavour to baniſh you from your Wives and Children, becauſe you could not baniſh the Fear of God out of your hearts; and caſt away the comfort (and make ſhipwrack) of Faith and a good Conſcience, and ſo come under the terrour of a wounded ſpirit, which who can bear? Tell me, I ſay, and let God's Witneſs in your Conſciences give an Anſwer to me; Would you not count it hard meaſure if ſuch a yoak ſhould be laid upon you? Conſider of this in a cool ſpirit, when paſſion is down: And then tell me alſo, if every one muſt not anſwer to God for his own Soul? And while people walk honeſtly and live peaceably in the Nation, is it the Magiſtrates work or duty to impriſon them, or endeavour to baniſh them out of the Land of their nativity? Did ever any of the good Kings of Iſrael do as you have done againſt an innocent People? Or, which of Iſraels Rulers or Judges, who lived in the fear of God, can you produce for your Preſident herein?

Oh England, England! is Innocency become ſuch in unpardonable crime, that thou thus preſumeſt in thy blinde zeal to perſecute it with more venome or bitterneſs of ſpirit than thou doſt the Common Vipers in the Nation, in whom Iniquity abounds with an Impudent forehead? O that thou wouldeſt well conſider of this, now in this thy day, before • he ſignal Judgements of thy God do ſeize upon thee! O that thou couldſt bridle that furious ſpirit in thee, that is ſo bitter againſt God's People! which if thou doſt not endeavour to do, and that timely too, let me tell thee, God will give thee a bitter Cup to drink, and then verily thou muſt drink the very dregs of it: If thou wilt ſtop thy ear to the ſound of his Voice, who in the ſecret of the heart lets thee ſee the evil of thy doings, and would have thee ceaſe from thy Iniquities, and turn unto the Righteous God; I ſay, if thou wilt perverſly go on in the frowardneſs of thy heart, and wilfully perſiſt in this thy Perſecution, Know this from the LORD, The Hand of God will be againſt thee, his Controverſie, his great Controverſie He will plead with thee; and then, O England, England, what will become of thee? A day of Miſery will come upon thee: Sorrow and Pain will take bold of the Perſecuting Spirit, whoſe delight is in Cruelty. The Fire of the Lord will be kindled againſt it, and will not be quenched until the Myſtery of Iniquity be utterly conſumed, Root and Branch.