A WARNING from the Mouth and Spirit of the LORD, through his Servant to the People of ENGLAND, That they may Forsake their Wicked and Ungodly Wayes, by true and unfained Repentance, least the unalterable Decree from the Lord go forth against them, and they perish in the great and terrible Day of the Lord, which is to come upon all the ungodly and prophane.
Also a few Words of Exhortation and Comfort to the People of GOD.
OH People of ENGLAND, Repent while you have a day, least the Lord God consume you; you have been often warned by the Lords messengers, but you have refused to hearken, but go on in your stif-neckedness and rebellion: the Lord hath a controversie with you, you black Egyptians, the curse is coming upon you, it hastens, it is at the door, it is ready to seaze upon you; what will become of you? you cannot escape Gods heavy hand, you have given your power to the [Page 2] beast, that you may work wickedness by a Law; but know assuredly, the Lord will scourge you, for ruine will be your end, unless you repent; for the Lord God will not be mocked by you any longer, you stout-harted ones, that go on to provoke the Lord God to anger, his plagues is coming upon you, you cannot escape Gods fiery indignation which is coming upon you; repent speedily least you perish, and there be no remedy for you, the Lord will cut you off, the day hastens he will spare you no longer unless you repent, why will not you take warning? his jealousie is kindled against you, your downfal hastens, destruction is your portion from the Lord God, I write it (or declare) your sentence is determined, as sure as Oliver Cromwells was, the pit is ready for you, you cannot escape it, my heart is troubled within me for you, my soul pitties you and therefore warn you as I am moved of the Lord, that you may take warning, and slight it not, it is the word of the Lord to you, whether you will hear, or forbear, yea the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, to awaken you to repentance, and to fear the Lord God, and to cease from sin and evil, works of the Devil, lust, pride and wantonness, and idleness, which abounds amonst you, which are the sins of Sodom; your doom is coming upon you, unless you repent, destruction will be your end, thats your wages, due to such works as you bring forth; the fiery wrath and indignation of God is kindled against you, plagues is your portion, destruction will be your end; Repent I say again from the Lord, and take warning, least you perish, and be cut off; as they before you were, and there be no remedy for you; the fire is kindling and kindled, that must and will burn you up, ye proud and lofty ones, who set your selves against the Lord, and will have none of his Counsel, but hardens your hearts, and stops your ears against the many warnings you have had, time after time, and day after day, and year after year, saying why will ye dye, ye children of men; your blood be upon your own heads, you are warned, and I shall be clear of your blood, when misery and destruction comes upon you.
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life, for God sent not his Son into the world to condemne the world, (and so to destroy the world justly for sin) but for this very end, that they might be saved; this is my testimony for [Page 3] Lord, that he desires not the death of any one of you; therefore I say in Gods fear and dread come to repentance, own the light of Jesus Christ in your consciences, that shews you sin and evil, a measure of this light you all have, thou drunkard, thou whoremonger, thou unclean person, whoever thou art, this light in thy conscience reproves thee for thy wickedness, and shews thee the danger that thou art in, and the way to come out of sin, and escape the danger, but thou regardest it not but goes on, like the dog to the vomit, adding drunkenness to thirst, sin unto sin, as if there were no God to take notice of thy wickdness; but know assuredly he will plead with thee for thy wickedness and ungodliness, and will overturn thee whoever thou art (be thou high or low) withall the ungodly, and cast you all into the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone, wo will be your portion, destruction your end, and death will be your wages.
You vagabonds, you out-casts, your destruction hastens, the cup is ready prepared, you must drink of the cup of Gods fury, your day hastens, I say from Gods plagues you cannot flee, you wrong doers, ye seed of evil doers, ye cursed children, ye Babylonish bratts, ye proud and lofty ones, ye sturdy oaks of Basan, ye hireling Priests and deceivers that feed your selves with the fat, and cloath your selves with the wool, your judgement and downfall hastens, you must perish altogether, the fiery wrath and indignation of God is kindling and kindled against you, you shall utterly be consumed unless you repent and cease from your oppression; ye Egyptian task masters, the Lord God hath spoken it that he will plead with you, ye drunkards of England, ye priests, to you I speak that have drunk the blood of Gods people, blood must be given you again, you are worthy of it; plagues is coming upon you, your destruction hastens, your portion is ready for you, drink it all you must, the dreggs must be wrung out of you, from the hand of a just God you cannot fly, nor escape, he will pursue you, and over-take you, and you shall be overwhelmed under Gods fierce wrath which hastens to come upon you, your end is near, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, verily it shall come to pass; ye cursed speakers that have daubed, and daub with untempered morter, crying peace to the wicked, whilest they with you go on in wickedness, ye Ephraimitish drunkards the curse is coming upon you, your plagues must be doubled, you are worthy of it, you [Page 4] commit sin and cause the people to sin by your wickedness and ungodly practices, the Devil is your master, your God is your bellies, widows houses you have devoured and go on to devour, you bark for your bellies and steale for your backs, and make merchandize of souls, and pitty not the poor that is in want; ye dumb and greedy dogs the Lord God will stop your mouths in the day of your calamity which is coming upon you, you are of Cains brood; you Ishmaelitish Marchants, your trading shall cease and none shall buy your wares any more, nor none shall pitty you nor regard you, you Babylonish whores a night robe is coming upon you, blackness of darkness shall be your covering, ye idle shepherds that feed your selves but not the flock, your goard must wither, and you must consume and perish together, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, it shall certainly come to pass.
A day of howling and bitter lamentation is coming upon you, ye fat kine of Basan, the sword of the Lord is prepared, it is fourbushed and made ready to cut you down and to destroy you, even by the word of his mouth, it shall pierce through your hearts and wound and slay you, and not one of you shall escape, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it; ye turn coats of England, ye weather-cocks ye time-servers, ye back-sliders, ye revolters, ye sons of Belial, God will certainly destroy you, ye shall not escape Gods hand, the day hath made you manifest already what you have been and are; ye time-serving Priests, the decree of the Lord is gone forth against you, Priests and people must perish together, death must be your portion from God, the sting is coming, the worm will gnaw you in your inwards, the Sun will burn and scorch you, the vialls of Gods wrath is to be powred forth upon the Sun, which will burn and dry you up, the day shall make it manifest; famine and pestilence is to come upon you, the word of the Lord shall perfom it; you shall pine away with hunger and sudden destruction, yea a fearfull end shall come upon you, your mountains and hills cannot cover you in that day when God will come to give you a just recompence for all your wickednes; a bitter cup without mixture, you must all drink, the Lord God hath spoken it, the two edged sword of the Lord must cut and make way through the Earth, you ripen apace, you hasten to your latter end, the cup of trembling and sorrow you must drink, nowicked worker must go unpunished.
But the Lord will preserve, and spare, and make up his jewels, and will be their Rock, refuge, shield, and defence, and hiding place, in that day; but the wicked and all the ungodly shall perish without remedy, and unrecoverable shall their stroke be; coals of fire shall be kindled upon the heads of the wicked, their plague nor sore shall not be cured, nor healed, dung shall cover your faces, and you shall cry out, and curse your God, whom you have so long served and woshipped; this shall come upon you as a just recompence for all your wickedness that you have done and committed against the Lord; the stone shall fall upon you, you stony-hearted ones, it will sink you under the wrath of God Almighty, the bow is bending to shoot at you, the dart shall strike through your liver, your faces shall be covered with blackness, you shall be hurled to and fro by the whirlwind of Gods wrath and fury which is to come upon you, wofull will be your end, your pride shall be marred, ye Moabites, and your glory defaced, strength shall be taken from the strong men, in that day, the fire is kindling that shall burn their bones, they shall be very dry, they shall hang down their heads, and go feebly, all the day they shall roar like beares, they shall mourn, and there shall be none to comfort them, they shall sit in ashes, they shall lick up dust, they shall spew up that again, which they have swallowed down, they shall be sick of it, and die without recovery; a winter is coming, they shall be frozen in the inwards, the pale Horse shall tread them under feet, their arm shall rot, their leggs shall be lame, their eyes blinded, their ears stopped, their hearts hardened, their bellies shall swell, their thighes shall rot, their end hastens, unless they repent; prize your time, you have yet a little space.
The bed of torment and sorrow is for Jezabels Children, dogs shall devour them in the field, Naiboth shall have his Vineyard again, it shall it yield him fruit, he shall arise and come into his Vineyard, and dresse it, and prune it, and dig about, and fence it, and it shall be no longer a prey to devourers, no thief shall come into it to Rob, nor to destroy, any more, for ever, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, the Word is gone forth, verily, it shall come to passe in the day of the Lord God; Blessed and happy are they that wait for it, the time drawes near, the full Cup of Blessing from God every faithful one shall drink at the [Page 6] hand of the Lord, of Wine well refined (but no ungodly one shall have any) but the righteous shall rejoyce in the Lord for ever, and ever, and all the upright in heart, shall glory in the God of their Salvation, and praise his Name in the Land of the living; the breast shall be opened, for the Babes to suck milk out of, the Lambs shall feed on top of Bether mountains, the Saints shall sing praises, the Lord shall Reign over all, God, and King, sitting upon his holy Throne ruling in his Power, and Dominion for ever and ever, Blessed are they that wait this to see; Zions King must and shall Rule and Reign God over all, Blessed for evermore, Hallelujah to our God, and to the Lamb that sits upon the Throne for ever, and ever.
Thus God will bring to passe his mighty work by his own outstretched arm and power; my friends, keep to the Power, it is able to preserve you, trust in it, it will uphold you in all straits and tryals, it is all sufficient to deliver in time of the greatest danger, the blessing of the Lord God will attend you, as you keep to it, but if you go from it, it will give you sorrow, and you will be weak as other men, this I have learned in the deep; Blessed is the man, or woman, that waiteth the appointed time, for the fulfilling of this, they shall have their part and portion in the Lord, who is and will be to them an exceeding great reward, many are come to partake of it already, blessed and praised be the name of the Lord our God, the season is good, you shall reap if you faint not in your minds.
The Lord God of heaven and earth fill every Babe and suckling with the milk of the word, that they by it may grow up as children, nursed, and nourished, at the breast of consolation and receive nourishment from God the Father of all that faithful are, and learn to be content in time of want, and the Lord will give more in due time; this have I learned, in every estate and condition to be content; the Lord God of heaven open the spring of Life in every one of you, that your souls may be refreshed, nourished and watered, that you may be living branches receiving vertue and sap from the Root and true Vine to grow in it, up to the praise of God; and the God of love and Peace, be with you, bless and prosper his own Work in you, which he hath wrought, with, and by his pure Power; and the endless life of the living, holy wise God, be among you, working in you, out [Page 7] all that which is contrary to him, that the Name of the Lord may be honoured in your hearts, and not dishonoured; and the God of Heaven keep you, my dear Friends, Babes and Lambs of my heavenly Father, and give you of his heavenly Treasures, and keep them, and conceal them not, and learn Wisdom from God, that none of you may spend your portion any longer with harlots, or any lovers whatsoever; and minde Gods fear, alwayes before your eyes, and he that sees in secret will reward you openly, and keep truth on your side; in and at all times be ready to answer Gods Call, in whatsoever his requirings are, and your substance will be increased, and you shall never want food, as you keep faithful and obedient; for the obedient shall eat of the good things, and their souls shall delight in fatness.
The God of Heaven be with you, and his living power accompanie you, you to preserve, guide, govern and order, and counsel you, that you may do nothing whereby his Name may be dishonoured by any of you any longer, but that his Name may be feared, reverenced and obeyed; and prize his love, freegrace and mercy to you, in that he hath spared you, and not cut you off in the midst of your dayes; and improve your time, that you have here to continue, that to his praise you may [...]ive; and the God of heaven open your understandings, to understand and judge aright between the precious and the vile in your particulars, and between that that serveth God, and that which serveth him not;
Which is the desire of your Brother, and fellow-servant in the truth as it is in Jesus, Known among men by the name