ONe thing lies in my spirit which is a great burden unto me; therefore I cannot but speak a word or two more unto you my fellow-creatures. O you poor people of England, my soul is sore troubled for you, because you are made slaves and bondmen to the wisdom of the flesh! My heart within me is broken, because of the Prophets, that hath scat­tered my flock, and hath not visited them saith the Lord, Jer. 23.2.9. Jer. 23.2, 9. They speak a vision of their own hearts, not from the mouth of the Lord. v. 16. They say still to him that despiseth me, the Lord hath said ye shall have peace: and to him that walketh after the imaginations of his own heart, no evil shall come upon you, ver. 17. The Prophets are the Task-masters of Egypt, and are ser­vants to the King of Egypt, who is King of darkness, they lay heavy burdens upon you, they make you make brick, and gather the straw your selves. Exod. 5.6, 7.Exod. 5.6, 7. They lay heavy burdens up­on mens shoulders that are grievous to be borne, and will not help with one of their singers: they cry out against men if they will not hear them preach, then they are fallen away from God, and from grace, are men of errors, charging the people they should have no society, or communion with any of those that cannot submit to their humane teachings; they lay heavy burthens upon their own hea­rers, telling them they must be much in prayer, and much in hearing the publick means, though they know not what true praying, and what true teaching is: they bid you be much in fasting, hearing, and weeping; and if you do so, there is no doubt but you shall be saved; here they make you make brick, and to gather the straw your selves.

O you poor sons and daughters of Adam, the Lord hath seen and heard your affliction!Hosea 2.14. He is come to deliver you out of this Egyptian bondage, and to bring you into the [Page 2]wilderness, and there you shall serve him; for he hath prepared for you some Moses's, that shall go before you, and lead you into Canaan, your land of rest and peace; For now I will arise, saith the Lord, and stand up to deliver my people; therefore wo unto the Pastors that destroy and scat­ter my flock, Jer. 23.1, 2. and have not visited them; therefore I will visite upon you the evil of your doings. Je. 23.1, 2. Wo unto you Scriles and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you shut up the Kingdom of Hea­ven against men: for ye neither go in your selves, neither suf­fer ye them that are entred, to go in. Wo to you blind guides, ye pay Tith-Mint, and Annice, and Cummin, and have neglected the weighty matters of the Law, which is Righteousness, Mercy, and Judgment; Therefore wo unto you false Prophets saith the Lord, for I have seen folly in the Prophets of Samaria, they prophesied in Baal, they caused my people to err by their lyes, and by their lightness; for they are weighed in the ballance of God, and are found too light. The Priests preach for hire, and the Prophets divine for money; yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? no evil can come upon us. Math. 23,Matth. 23. Micah 3.11. Zeph. 3.3, 4. Mich. 3.11. Zeph. 3.3, 4. Therefore, wo unto you blind guides, for the fierce anger of the Lord is gone forth in fury against you: a grievous whirle-winde it shall fall grieviously upon the head of the wicked: the anger of the Lord shall not return until he hath executed Judgment, until he hath performed the thoughts of his heart. Now in these latter days ye shall consider this perfectly, I have not sent these Pro­phets, yet they run: and I have not spoken unto them, and yet they prophesie; Behold I am against the Prophets saith the Lord, that steal my word, every one from his neighbour, Behold I am against the Prophets that use their tongues and say, thus saith the Lord.

You have stollen these words from your neighbour, and so speak from hear-say, and not from the mouth of the Lord, What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord, other [Page 3]men have labored in preaching, and writing & you are entred into their labors: or else what do you do with your studies full of old books of other mens writings? reading them, spending your time in lasiness; for you must have a whole week to study 2 Sermons out of other mens works adding somthing of your own to it, making the people be­lieve it is the word of God, when indeed it is but the wisdom of the flesh. Here you make the people spend their mony for that which is not bread, and their labour for that which satisfieth not, Isa. 55.2.Isa. 55.2. You will not preach without they give you so much money by the year, here they spend their money. Secondly, You feed them with husks, without the kernel, and they cannot be satisfied with your husks; for what is the chaff to the wheat saith the Lord? if they had stood in my Counsel, and had caused my peo­ple to hear my Word, then they should have turned them from their evil ways, and from their evil doings. Jer. 23.Jer. 23. Therefore thus saith the Lord, her Priests in the midst thereof are like Wolves ravening the prey to shed blood, to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain, her prophets have dawbed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and devising unto them, saying, thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken to them, yet they say, the Lord saith, Ezek. 22.27, 28.Ezekiel 22.27.86. 2 Thes. 1.7. Zach. 13 2. Behold the Lord com­eth in flaming fire, to render vengeance to all his ene­mies, to burn up all the false Prophets and unclean spirits, 2 Thes. 1.8. Zach. 13.2. For thus saith the Lord, My watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant, they are greedy dogs, which can never have enough, and they are shep­herds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, eve­one for his gain from his quarter: they stand praying in the Synagogue, and are called of men, Master;Matth. 11.27. therefore Christ cries, Wo against them. Math. 23.

Secondly, They deny immediat Revelation from Heaven which I and all the Saints have, and do witness; there­fore [Page 4]they deny the Father and the son; For no man knoweth the Father but the Son, Mat. 11.27. and he to whomsoever the Son will re­veal him. Math. 11.27.

Thirdly, They deny the Scripture: for the Scriptures declare, that all the holy men of God in all ages, the Lord made known himself to them, by Revelation. Here yee make God mutable and changeable,Mal. 3.6. Heb. 13.6. which is blasphemy; for saith he, I am God and change not, and this we witness, Mal. 3.6. for He is the same to day, yesterday, and for ever. Heb. 13.8.

Fourthly, They deny perfection to be obtained while creatures live in this body of clay: here also ye deny the Scripture, which holds out perfection, to be obtained while the creature lives, or never. Gen. 17.1. Matth. 5.48. 1 Pet. 5.10.

• First, Ye deny God, Deut. 32.4. Matth. 5.48. who is perfect in himself, and all the Saints are made perfect as they are gathered up into Him. Gen. 17.1. Deut. 18.13. Eph. 4.11, 12, 13. Heb. 6.1.
• Secondly, They deny the enjoyment and life of the Saints and holy men of God, which they were come to, and lived in, and did witness the same to all the world, Gen. 6.9. Psalms 37.38. 1 Cor. 2.6. Phil. 3.15. here they are lyars and deceivers, and keep poor people in their sins and filthiness; for they tell them they shall never be per­fect while they live in this body of clay, and so people go on in pride, covetousness and oppression, envy, malice, and bitter cruelty, and contention, lying, swearing drun­kenness, lust and uncleanness, with all kind of wicked­ness, so that none returns from his evil doings; Therefore [Page 5]wo, wo unto them, for they go in the way of Cain, and are in the error of Balaam, who love the wages of unrigh­teousness, and so deny Christ who was perfect, and the Apostle who said, as he is, so sre we in this world; for he was perfect, and so must we be: and he that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure, 1 John 4.17. chap. 3.3. chap. 2.6. There is a voice of the howling of the Shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young Lyons; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled. Zech. 11.3. This is the word of the Lord, Wo to the Crown of pride, to the drunkards of E­phraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, Isaiah 28.1. The Pride of Israel doth testifie to his face therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity: Judah also shall fall with them: they shall go with their flocks, and with their heards to seek the Lord, but they shall not find Him, He hath withdrawn himself from them. Hos. 5.5, 6. Therefore my Counsel is, that you would leave off decei­ving poor souls, and let the Lord who is an everlasting teacher, teach them;
  Psa. 23. Isa. 40.11.
  for He will lead them in the paths of Righteousness, for Psalm 23. He will lead his flock like a shep­heard, and carry his Lambs in his Arms, and carry them in his bosome, and gently lead them that are with young. Isa. 40.11. But as for you he will spew you out of his mouth, and ye shall be as unsavory salt under the foot of men:
  Jer. 28.26.
  because ye have taught rebellion against the Lord, Jer. 28.26. And I will gather my People from all places whither ye have driven them, and will set shepheards over them, which shall not be lacking, saith the Lord,
  Ier. 3.15.
  for I will give them Pa­stors according to my own heart, saith the Lord, Jer. 3.15. they shall build up the old waste places, they shall raise up the former desolations, that you and your fathers the Priests have made; for they shall be called the Priests of the Lord,
  Isa. 61.4.5.
  and men shall call them the Ministers of our God. Isa. 61.4.6. They shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord, [Page 6]out of all Nations upon Horses, and Chariots, and Litters, and upon Mules, and upon swift beasts to my holy Mountain Jeru­salem, saith the Lord; as the Children of Israel bring an offe­ring in clean vessels unto the House of the Lord, I will also take of them for Priests, and for Levites saith the Lord; for New Heavens, and New Earth, which I make, shall remain be­fore me, saith the Lord: so shall your seed, and your names re­main from one new Moon to another: and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come, and worship before me saith the Lord. Isa. 66.20, 21, 22, 23. verses.