FIrst, In the Book concerning the order of Fasting, for the averting of God's heavy Visitation upon many places of this Realm; which Fast was appointed to be observed with­in the Cities of London and Westminster, and places adjacent, on Wednesday the 12th. of July (so called) and both there and in all parts of this Realm, on the first Wednesday in every Moneth, &c. These following Confessions and open acknowledgements of the causes of this heavy Visitation, are very remarkable, and se­riously to be laid to heart, by both Rulers, Priests and People, who are concerned therein, as that with speed they ought to repent and turn from those causes, and endeavour the rectifying of what hath been amiss, and make restitution while yet there remains a little space of breathing, that so thereupon, both this temporal Judgement, and eternal wrath and misery may be escaped, where yet there remains any place of repentance.

Observe, that in the warning given of the Fast, its given in these words, viz. And with penitent hearts to pray unto God to turn these Plagues from us, which we through our unthankfulnesse and sinful lives have deserved, &c. And especially they are to take heed that they spend not the day, viz. of the Fast, in playes, pa­stimes, idlenesse, haunting of Taverns and Alehouses, lacivious wantonnesse, surfeiting or drunkenness, for which and other sins of our Nation, the heavy displeasure and wrath of God is fallen upon us. And that among the Prayers in the Letany to be said by the People after the Minister, its thus confessed, viz, For our trans­gressions multiplied against thee as the sand of the Sea shore, might justly bring over us a deluge of thy wrath; the cry of our sins that hath pierc'd the very heavens, might well return with showers of vengeance upon our heads, while our earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, what wonder if thou commandest an evil Angel to pour out-his Uial into our Air to fill it with infection, and the noysom Pestilence, and so to turn the very breath [Page 4] of our life into the savour of death unto us all, &c. O let us live, and we will praise thy Name, and these Iudgements shall teach us to look every man into the plague of his own heart, that being cleansed from all our sins, we may serve thee with pure hearts all our dayes, &c. Now as for these Confessions before, they are very true and remarkable; and these great abominations and cry­ing sins, which greatly abound in this Nation, both among Priests and very many of their followers and upholders, have greatly provoked the most High, and grieved his holy Spirit, and vexed the righteous souls of his people, who cannot joyn nor have unity with such a Church and Priesthood as this, that's guilty of such gross iniquity and provocations against God, as these mentioned are; which have even pierc'd the very Heavens, which whilst you (that are so deeply concerned herein, do pray to be cleansed from all your sins, and to serve God with pure hearts all your dayes) do neither really endeavour so to be cleansed, by ceasing to do those wicked acts whereof you are guilty, and inclining to the witness of Truth in your consciences, that in secret reprehends and re­proves you, nor yet believes that such a state is attainable in this life by any, as the being cleansed from all your sins, and serving God with pure hearts (for your Priests believe it not, but oppose it, though they pray for it) how can you but have the Plague in your own hearts, they being given up to rebellion and hardness? and how can you but fear death and destruction, which many both of the lofty and proud ones, Priests and People are greatly surprised with the fear of, who thereupon have fled from these Cities of London and Westminster, and have left the poor and oppressed in it, where many of the servants of Christ called Quakers do still lye in prisons and nasty holes, meerly for their conscience towards God, for assembling together in his fear, and worship in [...]pirit; for which many are sentenced for Banishment into strange and forreign re­mote Plantations, from their native places and Relations, and en­deavours have been much used for the transporting of them (some of which being already Shipt away from hence) Oh, the great op­pressions, and both unchristian and inhumane proceedings and usage that many have met withal upon this account, both by their long imprisonment, and so many being crouded together in prisons nigh a year after they were sentenced, that for want of convenient room and accomodation, being so crouded up and oppressed in [Page 5] such nasty holes and places of cruelty and slaughter, this hath oc­casioned the death of many innocent persons, both Men and Maids. Oh! do not these inhumanities, cruelties and oppressions, even pierce the Heavens? and should you not have confessed this your great crying, and Land-ruining sin of persecuting and destroying the poor and innocent people of God? though you have omitted that among your Confessions, yet you cannot clear your selves in the sight of God herein, but his witness will pursue you whither ever you go; and as if there were not cruelty enough used to destroy the innocent in prisons, or as if the destroying of them here, in this City and Nation, would be too much taken notice of where they and their innocency is known.

Another course is lately taken with near 60. of them, tending more speedily and hiddenly to destroy & kill the poor innocent Lambs, in their being forced on Ship-board by rude souldiers and others, into an insufficient old leaking Vessel, intended for their Transporta­tion, where they cannot lye dry in their beds, and where also the deck is so low over them, that they are fain to creep under it; since which four of the Prisoners, died on Ship-board, and many more of them are sick; and this was since the observation of the said Fast: but do you think that this Fast or observation of a day, will either avert God's heavy Judgements, or be accepted of him, whilst his innocent servants are thus persecuted as sheep for the slaughter, for the true and spiritual worship, when instead of loos­ing their bands, and removing their heavy burthens, and letting them who are oppressed go free, their bonds and burthens are made stronger and heavier, when as you should have removed their hea­vy burdens, and released them out of prisons, which you have not, so as the Cry of their sad sufferings remains against you; when as the Lord said by his Prophet, Isa. 58. Is not this the Fast I have chosen, to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy bur­dens, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoak? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and to bring the poor that are cast out to thy house, and to cover the naked, &c. But where is this Fast ob­served among you? and how do you manifest any forsaking of these great evils which you are guilty of, which your bare Con­fessions, without a real forsaking of them, will never obtain Re­mission to you at the hand of the righteous God. And, Oh the the hardness of heart, and want of pity and Christianity, that is [Page 6] in this Nation amongst men one to another in these times of di­stress and calamity, and how far they are from observing the true Fast wherein there should be a fasting from strife, cruelty & oppression, which causeth the Land to mourn, and greatly incurs the displeasu [...]e of God against this City and Nation, whilst as is confessed in the order of the said appointed Fast, concerning the misery and di­stress of a number of hungry souls in many places, either almost starving for lack of food, being sick with eating unwholsom meats, as it's said, so that even hardness of heart is greatly apparent in the members of Englands Church one against another, who are not willing either to harbour or entertain one another in their houses in times of distress; the Egyptian fear having so universally seized upon the spirits of men in this day, and even the dread and horrors of death pursues the guilty on every hand. Oh! that men would be awakened to see what poverty, miseries and calamities ap­pr [...]ach this City and Nation which (if the Lord prevent not,) will greatly m [...]ke for its undoing, which are occasioned through their great provocations against God, which though they neither repent nor reform, yet are made to confess them in part, as the cause of Gods anger now appearing against them: As also in that Exhortation fit for the time (as is said) annexed to the Prayers in the said Book, in these words, viz. In these evil dayes of ours, our transgressions in number more, and in degrée more hainous then those of Israel, have filled full the measure of iniquity, and caused God to fill full the cup of his wrath, and given us the deadly wine to drink: The people of Israel required meats for their lusts, and the people of England nourish their lusts for their meats, giving over themselves to surfeiting and drunkennesse; and as those that make their belly their God, and their glor [...] [...]ir shame, are become a by-word to neighbour Nations, for [...] and belly-chear, &c. Which Confession is very true upon [...] of this Nation, but especially of the Priests, who many of them are leading Examples to the people, both in Gluttony and Drunkenness, &c. making their belly their God; insomuch, that many of them are become the common and Table talk therein of the vulgar sort, who are their own followers: so that we are not to be blamed, nor ought to be persecuted as we are, for not joyning with them in worship, or not conforming with them, they being thus filthy and abominable in their lives and conversations; so as [Page 7] men cannot in truth nor reason look upon that to be a true Church, that's either made up of such Members, or hath such for its Leaders: And now if after the Bishops and Priests have laid down these gross evils mentioned, which are in their own Church, as the cause of Gods displeasures in sending forth this Pesti­lence, they would lay the cause elsewhere, upon all the dissenters from them, and so put it from themselves, or any of them, and say it's because they have not rid the Nation of (or banished) the Quakers and other Sectaries, that strive with their Princes and Priests (as is said) &c. This will neither clear, nor yet cover them, whilst both their own Confessions here mentioned, and the great fear of death by this Calamity that hath surprized many, of both the Priests and their followers (divers of the great Priests of Lon­don being fled upon it, and left their Flocks, and left poor Curates, or such like Hirelings behind them) this doth manifest how deeply they are concerned in the cause of the present Calamity. As also its apparently unrighteous and false judgement to impute the cause to their not sending the Quakers out of the Land, when as this Pestilence did not appear in this City (nor was this Nation troubled with it for several years before) till there was a going about to banish Us called Quakers; and for the accomplishing whereof, our Persecutors have not been wanting in their endeavours: howbeit, as they have encreased their cruelty against us, the Plague hath encreased, and the Lord hath apparently many times, crossed, ob­structed and confounded them in their undertakings, when they have gone about to send some of us away, though hardness of heart, pride and violence hath so much taken place, that they will not see, but pursue and persecute the Innocent, till their Plagues and Calamities be increased upon them to their ruine, if they stop not, in these harsh and cruel proceedings against us, who are innocent and clear from any sedition or evil deportment, either against Prince or Nation, though very unjustly we have been often ac­cused in this particular, and almost upon every flyi [...] report of any sedition or Plot, we have been the people liable to suffer, and unjustly to be imprisoned, without any ground, reason, or abso­lute colour thereof against us; but herein we partake of the Son of God his sufferings, who was proceeded against, even to death, by his persecutors, not only as a Blasphemer, but as a seditious Per­son, as making himself a King, and so for being an enemy to Caesar, [Page 8] when as his Kingdom was not of this world; so the Priests and Rulers joyned together in Enmity against him, and he was hated by them without a cause, as we are. And although it has been cu­stomary to the Priests in our age to exalt themselves over others by the help of the Magistrates, and to mix their own interests with the Princes (accusing people with striving with their Princes, and with their Priests) and so to accuse others with sedition, as if they were clear themselves; yet, who have been more forward to preach up War, and louder Trumpets to stir the people up to fight then many of them have been? When they have been jealous that, that side would not serve their turn, that, they have preached against and cursed; as also, upon every change of Government, how have they turned their tale, and changed their form of Wor­ship, and endeavoured to ingratiate themselves into favour with them that were (or like to be) the uppermost, and all for their own ends; let the Nation herein testifie against them.

Again, its thus confessed, viz. In sum, the holy Word of God, and the Ministry thereof, is not justly reverenced, but despised; his holy Sacraments either totally neglected or abused in many places, neither rightly administred nor [...]eceived, &c. The holy Service and publick worship of God, in the beauty of holiness, not frequented as it ought, &c.

To which I say, indeed it's very true; the holy Word of God, and the true Ministry, (which is not of man, nor by man, but ap­pointed and sent of God) has been very much despised, and the true Ministers persecuted and imprisoned, by the means or cause of such as are made Ministers by the will of man, and their upholders, who are like Priests and like people, many of them given to sur­feiting drunkenness, making their belly their God, and to idleness, haunting of Taverns and Alehouses, lacivious, wantonness, &c. as is confessed, whom we cannot look upon to be in the beauty of Holiness, nor in the holy service or worship of God therein; for who can b [...]g a clean thing out of an unclean? And as for the word Sacr [...]nt, it was reckoned by some of the Learned, to be­long to Divine things, who put Sacrament for Mystery, which is not outward or carnal things; but if your Sacraments (so called) in many places, be neither rightly administred nor received, it is a very sad and unreasonable thing to compel people to receive them where they are not rightly administred, or else to make them [Page 9] suffer imprisonment or spoyling of their Goods, for not frequent­ing your Parish-Churches (so called) when in many of them there are no right administrators of those things you would force men to, but such as are in hypocrisie and superstition. (as is afterward confessed) again, its added) viz. The Portion of God is invaded, his Altars robbed of Tythes and Offerings, and holy things of all sorts profanely and sacriledgiously devoured, &c.

To which I answer, many such things have the Priests brought forth, & pretended for their own ends, as if their concernment here­in were Gods concernment for them; but they were Robbers of God in the time of the Law, who with-held the Tythes from the Storehouse, where the Fatherless, Widows, and Strangers were also to be relieved out of them, Deut. 14. and so whilst the Law for Tythes, upon a Divine account, is owned by the Priests to be still in force (though many of them have laid down that Plea) are not they guilty herein of this Robbery and Sacriledge (as they count it) and so condemned out of their own mouths, whilst they claim Tythes by Gods Law, but will not suffer them to be disposed of according to the end for which they were first given; for in the time of the Law it was said, Ye have robbed God in Tythes and Of­ferings, bring ye all the Tythes to the Store-house, &c. Mal. 3. And What havock and spoyle have they made of many poor men, both in their persons and Estates, by imprisoning many and spoyling their Goods, far beyond the value of the Tythes demanded, for that they for conscience sake could not put into their mouths, nor pay them Tythes, to satisfie their greedy insatiable desires, they judging that they have no right to them by the Law of God, for many reasons; and that they proceeded from the Pope, in their being imposed for the use of the Priests; for before were they not deemed pure Alms? whilst they were a free gift to the Church (that was then) and for the relief of the poor in it (from whence was that saying in some old Laws derived, viz. of their being due to God and holy Church) till the Clergy robbed the Poo [...] [...]y pro­curing them into their own hands, by the force of Law▪ made in the times of Apostacy, wherein the professed Christians became estranged from the Life and example of the true Christians and Ministers. And while they force both the Tythes from people, and from many take more by manifold then the Tythe amounts to, why do they blame others for robbery, when they have so [Page 10] robbed, spoyled and oppressed them, and have even burthened and caused the whole Nation to groan under their covetous practices and Antichristian yoaks, they being against Christ, and repugnant to his Law, and the innocent Example of his Ministers, so that the earth is grown so sick of them, that its ready to vomit them out, as it hath done, with many that went in their steps before them, and will do with all the workers of iniquity and Oppressors, who are partakers with them; against whom let the great cry of oppres­sion testifie in most Country Goals in this Nation, wherein many of the Innocent servants of Christ deeply suffered, either because they cannot joyn with them in their worship, or maintain them. And against these Oppressors and Persecutors (who have acted more like ravening Wolves, then either like God's People, or Sheep of his Pasture) we must confess Christ in principle and example, as he hath changed the Priesthood of Levi, and disanulled the Law and Commandement which upheld the Tythes, Offerings, and Altars. See Heb. 7, 8, 9, 10th. Chapters. And in the Light and Spirit of our God we know an Altar, one Offering, and a Tabernacle, Sanctuary, or House that's Heavenly, which is the substance or Antitype and end of the outward or worldly Sanctuary, Temple, Tythes, Offer­ings, carnal Ordinances, &c.

And moreaver it's added, viz. Our hypocrisie and superstition, open profaneness, and irreligion against God himself, and gene­rally for our dissolute and licentious and most unchristian conver­sation of all sorts (most directly contrary to the righteous Laws and great Example of the most holy Iesus our Lord) the Name of God is polluted, and his blessed Gospel evil spoken of amongst the adversaries of Truth, through us; so that we néed séek no further, the cause is apparent why the Plague is broken out a­mongst us, God having threatned us in his Word as the people of Israel, that because we will not obey the voice of the Lord to do all his Commandements and his Ordinances which he com­mands [...] he will smite us with a Consumption, and with a Fever, and with a burning Ague, and cause the Pestilence to cleave unto us, until he hath consumed us from the Land; and thus much of the cause of the Pestilence.

Now you that have such a large Confession, and who are herein guilty, both of hypocrisie and superstition, open profaneness, and most unchristian conversation, of all sorts, &c. which is the appa­rent [Page 11] cause why the Plague is broken forth; your own Confession will stand against you in the Judgement, if you go on in that sin­ful state, and persist in your unchristian conversation, which greatly appears in your unchristian proceeding against such as are of tender consciences, to imprisonment and banishment who dissent from you, which they have ground enough for, against you, whilst you act thus directly contrary to Christs example, who came not to destroy men lives, but to save them; and if you do not reform from these great iniquities and abominations, to remove your sins out of the sight of God (which you confess to be the remedy that re­mains) but still go in your unchristian conversation of all sorts, in which is included, your persecuting and oppressing the Innocent, and the Widows and Fatherless, for which God threatned Israel with his wrath and indignation; it will fall heavy upon you, when you you do not only so, but also make many Widows, and Fatherless, and strangers from their own Land (so far as you are permitted) by going about to Banish innocent men from their Wives, and Fathers from their children: does not this cry in the ears of the Lord? and may you not dread and tremble before the Lord God, and be afraid of his heavy Judgements and displeasure, which you incur by these your iniquities? and if the Lord should give you a little respite by abating the present calamity, and you thereupon harden your hearts the more against us, and think to persecute us afresh, know that assuredly, the Lord can fall upon you afresh with his Judgements, which you cannot escape if you persist without repentance and reforming; and though that many that are inno­cent as infants, and others (who have not contributed to those gross evils, and great provocations mentioned) may be taken away in the time of this Calamity and Pestilence, do not you (who are our Persecutors,) thereupon think to put the cause of it from your selves, you being so deeply guilty, according to your own Confessi­ons; for all upon whom outwardly this may or does come, though occasioning their death, are not guilty of the cause of it; as mentio­ned, for the Lords going about thus to thin, & thus to depopulate this City or Nation, both of many old and young, was first occasioned by the great inquities and crying sins of Persecution, Oppression and unchristian conversation of all sorts; but those that are innocent, and the righteous who are taken away from the evil to come (which their enemies do not consider) they are taken away in [Page 12] mercy, as to them, and their fear is not like to their enemies fear, who are surprized with an Egyptian fear, and ready to be consumed with terrors; who though the Lord hath smitten, and doth smite as in the dayes of old, yet they return not to him; See Amos 4. And furthermore, this following Confession of your own I leave with you, touching these great and gross abominations that are found among you, who persecute us who are innocent herein, for our Conscience and Religion, because we cannot conform nor joyn with you in worship, among whom such pollutions are found as is here confessed, viz. The people of Israel committed whore­dom with the daughters of Moab, and are there not many of the daughters of England too like to those of Moab? and too many Zimiries amongst us, whose fornication are notorious and scan­dalous in the sight of the world, who care not to conceal their a­bominations, blush not at their crimes, but impudently boast and glory in their shame, and therefore no marvel if God himself stand forth to plague the Land for them: Add to these, that we have perhaps with David lifted up our hearts because of the mul­titude of our people; magnified our selves, that we are a mighty and populous Nation, placing our confidence in the arm of flesh, and ascribing to our selves, and to our own strength or skill, our valour or conduct, that honour and victory over our enemies, which God hath purchased unto himfelf for his own glory.

Take notice of these your ample and large Confessions, and con­sider your latter end, you that are herein guilty, both high and low, and how you have rejected the Lord God and his counsel, in confiding in the arm of flesh, by which you and your Priests have gone about to set up and establish your Religion, Church and Wor­ship, by persecuting, imprisoning, and banishing such as are innocent and conscientious towards God, in his Light and Spirit; though you confess, that in preparing your selves to leave this world, what one thing is more necessary then a charitable heart towards all, let God's witness in you all judge and testifie against you herein, whose cruel practices and unchristian-like proceedings against the inno­cent, manifests both your want of charity, love, and moderation, and natural affection: And as to the large Apology that's made for mens avoiding of the Contagion, as for not mingling the sound with the sick, but to shun and avoid the persons and places that are in­fected, and that we should be careful to avoid it, &c.

[Page 13]But why do you then keep so many innocent persons, both men and women thronged in prisons for their consciences, both in Lon­don and many other places, in these you reckon dangerous and con­tagious times? And whether doth it not appear to be rather out of a design to destroy them, then any charitableness, to imprison such persons in or about this City (in such a place of Mortality as New­gate, wherein men are liable to be infected or stifled till death) for meeting innocently together to serve and worship God in Spirit? What will be the end of such, both uncharitable and inhumane proceedings against innocent persons, to confine them in such places of slaughter and cruelty? Let the righteous God judge in this case, who though he either can preserve or take away mens lives as he pleaseth (and hath wonderfully preserved many of his servants in that place) yet it's quite contrary to the charity pretended by you, either to imprison or confine harmless persons in such places, to murder and destroy them.

And now we see, that that custom of the Priests, accompanying of the bodies of the dead unto the grave, which is accounted Christian and laudible, and their commending them in decent man­ner to their Rest (as is said) and their reading and praying over the dead. This they are fain to lay aside in divers places, for fear of the Contagion, which their superstition will not bear them up above, and so now they can plead for no more to accompany the dead, then is needful for their Interring. Herein they may see how they are put to it and confounded, and how the Judgement of God has appeared against them, and their inventions by which they have vexed him, till the Plague is broken forth, as of old, Psal. 106.29. but how have many of their Church exclaimed against the people called Quakers, for not burying their dead according to the Po­pish way, or their superstition and invention, which is counted de­cency; and how in many places have the bodies of the dead been forced from them upon this occasion? and not only so, but some of our friends at Amersham, had both the corps rudely forced from them, and were lately imprisoned in Buckingham-shire, for accom­panying the dead towards the burying ground, with unparalleld and unreasonable proceeding against the Innocent, did cry through the Countreys. Many and innumerable are the injuries which we have undergone since we were a people; but we commit our cause [Page 14] to the Lord God, and desire him to judge and make decision in righteousness, between us and our Oppressors; and where yet a place of repentance remains for any of them, they may haste to find it, that remission of sins may be received, which we have sought and desired for our enemies, by often warning and inform­ing them, as not desiring the death of sinners, but rather that they should return and live; but how many have slighted their visi­tation, and stopped their ears, and made their hearts as an Adament, as those that are hastning on their own destruction and perpetual misery, I leave it to the All-seeing and only wise God, and his just witness in all to determine? who will rebuke Princes and Nations for his own Name and suffering Seeds sake, with which I am a sufferer.