WHat was the ground of your Zeal, which carried you on in the Years lately paſt, to preach and profeſſe, as you then did, ſeeing now the carnal ſword is taken from you, it is greatly fallen in you, and you are fallen from that Zealouſneſſe that then was with you?

Whether had you ever any command from God, the Higher Power, for the keeping of your Lectures, and other of your Aſſemblings your ſelves together, to preach and pray to God, as you have done? ſeeing now man commands the contrary, you let them down.

Whether was your Miniſters, and your Order of Miniſtring, ordained by the power of God, ſeeing that by the power of man you are put to ſilence; and yet not by force and violence onely, but by words of command?

But if you ſay, We are put out of our Places and Churches, and cannot do as we have done:

Then I Querie, Is not anoher Place as lawfull as that? ſeeing Chriſt ſaith, Whereſoever two or three are gathered together in my Name, there will I be in the midſt of them? And alſo the Miniſters of Chriſt, when they were put out of the Temple and Synagogues, feared not to preach the Goſpel, of which they were made Ministers, though they were commanded of men to the contrary; yet they met together in Houſes, and other Places, as the Scriptures teſtifie.

And have you not Houſes that might ſerve for that purpoſe? And if God ever ſet you on in his work, why do you not go on therein? not fearing vain man, who can but kill the body: and take your Company that have owned you and your Miniſtry, and have denyed the Common-Prayer long ago; and ſeparate your ſelves therefrom; and ſo beare a Teſtimony by your practice publickly againſt it. Or elſe, may it not be ſaid juſtly, That you are an hypocritical Company of Time-ſervers, who in the Time of Liberty preached, and profeſſed againſt it; but now, for fear of Man, and what he may do, conforme thereunto?

Whether did Daniel well or ill, and the Three Children alſo, in diſobeying thoſe Kings Lawes, in their dayes? and bearing a Teſtimony, as Living Witneſſes for the Lord, although Daniel was but one man, to ſtand againſt a King and Nations Decree: and likewiſe the other, but Three againſt the Decree of the mightieſt King in all the Earth at that time; who thought no God could deliver out of his hand? And had Daniel ceaſed praying openly, as many of you have done, and Preaching alſo: and the other Three conformed to that worſhip, as was then commanded, as many of you have done now, to a Worſhip of the like nature; which is to ſay contrary to God: then had they not, I ſay, betrayed their God? O then, conſider what you have done, and are a doing: And alſo, How had the Everlaſting Goſpel been publiſhed, if the Apoſtles had been of your ſpirit? when the Chief Rulers of Jeruſalem charged them to ſpeak no more in the Name of Jeſus. And ſeeing you profeſſe your ſelves to be Miniſters and Servants of him; How is it that your actions are ſo quite contrary to the Faithfull Ones before mentioned now you are tryed in like manner as they were: Upon which ground; may it not be concluded by all people, That you have had but the outſide ſhew, or Covering of the Miniſters and Servants of Chriſt, and have wanted the inſide nature all this while? Dan. 103, 16. Acts 5.28, 29. Some build on the waters, and ſome build on the ſand; But nought but what's o'th rock in this day will ſtand; For the waters will roul and toſs, and the winds will blow; And what's not grounded on the rock, the ſtorm will overthrow; For now the ſheeps covering ſhall be ript off the wolf; And all deceit ſhall be caſt down, into hells dark gulph, Whence never more it ſhall ariſe, the ſimple to deceive; For from all that hath made them a prize, God will them bereave: And they ſhall ſee, who is i'th form, but wants the power; Eze. 34. Read the whole Chap. For they ſhall not ſtand in his trying hour, Which is come, and coming on all profeſſions them to try, Whether they will ſuffer for their Religion, or to eſcape, it deny?

The falſe Church ſtands upon the ſand, and waters; which are peoples, multitudes, Nations, and tongues, Rev. 17.15. which are like the toſſing Sea; Iſa. 57.20. But in the New Creation there ſhall be no more Sea, Rev. 21.1. And yet the Kings of the earth ſhall bring their Glory into the Holy City new Jeruſalem therein, ver. 24. He that reads, let him underſtand; for verily the time's at hand.

TO ſuch as plead it lawfull and good to conforme to the Common-prayer, and hear the Teachers thereof, I querie thus; Whether do you believe, that it is the Spirit of God that leads and guides them to read and performe that Forme of worſhip which to the Common-prayer belongeth? which if you believe not, then how dare you joyn with them, ſeeing it is ſaid, They that are not led by the Spirit of Christ, are none of his? 1 Rom. 8.9. And they that are not for us, are againſt us, ſaith Chriſt, Luke 9.50.

Ah! How dare you that profeſſe to love Chriſt, joyn with thoſe that are againſt him, who ſaith, My ſheep hear my voyce; and a ſtrangers voice will they not follow! John 10.5. Then if you joyn with, and follow thoſe which you are convinced ſpeak not by his Spirit; do you not manifeſt your ſelves to be none of his Sheep? and if not his ſpirit, then what pſirit, then what ſpirit is it? ſeeing there is but the Spirit of God, and the ſpirit of the Devil, that doth lead or guide the ſpirits of men: O conſider, if you follow theſe, do you not erre from the Spirit of God, according to your own belief or Profeſſion in times paſt?

But if you ſay, You joyn not with them though you hear them, then I querie; What do you amongſt them? What doth the Spirit of God lead you to hear and conform with thoſe that ſpeak by another ſpirit? or do you think to benefit any thing by them towards God, that you believe are contrary to God? and if contrary to God, then they are of the Wicked one; and then the beſt of their Words and Works are ſin; for it is ſaid, The ſacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, Prov. 15.8, 21, 27. yea, and the plowing of them is ſin: And then do you not ſin in joyning with, or hearing them in their ſin, which is the fruit of darkneſſe? And in ſo doing do you not erre from the Scripture? which you have profeſſed your Rule; which ſaith, Have no fellowſhip with the unfruitful works of darkneſs, but reprove them, Eph. 5.11. and come out from amongſt them and touch not the unclean thing, ſaith the Lord, 2 Cor 6.17. and I will receive you.

But if ſome of the Common-prayer Readers do preach ſometimes according to the form or manner of your Teachers which you own, and you think you may lawfully hear them in that:

Then I querie, Whether they can ſerve two Maſters in an hours time? or do the Devils work in one half hour, and Gods in another? Or be the Miniſters of Antichriſt, and of Chriſt, both in one hour? Or whether are they not of that ſpirit, as thoſe were, which the Apoſtle ſpeaks of, who with good words and fair Speeches deceive the heart of the ſimple?—or may they not have a Form of the words of Godlineſſe, and yet deny, and be enemies to the power thereof. And do you not deny the Apoſtles Exhortation in the Scripture, your profeſſed Rule, except you deny and turn away from them? 2 Tim. 3.5.

Theſe things are not written to accuſe you, nor to condemn any thing that is good in you; but rather to provoke you to be zealous in it, and for it: Alſo to put you in minde, to conſider, That much of your zeal in times paſt ſprung not from the power of God, but from your own wills and ſtrength; which is manifeſted by the falling of it: Now the power and arm of fleſh is fallen from you, that which is of men will come to nought: But that which is of God, Men cannot overthrow, Acts 5.38, 39.

So every one that hath any ſincere deſires in you after God, or tenderneſſe of conſcience in you in this day of tryal, take heed how you conform or bow to any thing contrary to that tender Principle in you: for if you do, it will murder thoſe deſires, and alſo deaden and cool the true zeal that is in you; which will not be the way for you to increaſe, but decreaſe to God. Therefore be revived in the true zeal of God, which moves in you, againſt every appearance of evil; and be zealous for Sion the City of Holineſſe, the habitation of God: and come out of Babylon, the Myſtery of Iniquity, and abomination of the Earth; and partake not of her ſin; for if you do, you muſt taſte of her Plagues; the Lord God will not ſpare you. For he wil burn her wals, towers, & buildings, both wood, ſtubble, & ſtones, and againſt the wals wil he daſh & break al her childrens bones; Je. 51.58 And if then in or under her skirts you be found; Then, with his terrible dart he'l ſmise you to the ground: Therefore out of her coaſts ſee that you haſte and fly; Jerem. 51.45. For all that in her live and dwel, a perpetual death muſt die: ver. 57, 39. But Sion ſhall ſtand ſafely, for in her's the corner ſtone, Iſa. 28.16.61.9 And bleſt ſhall that man be, that lays on it his foundation. So all out of the darkneſſe come, turn in unto the light, John 12 35, 36. For without it you cannot ſee to lay your building right, So the Lord direct all the true deſires After his life, through the wilderneſſe; and all the cryers Therein, whoſe faces are turned towards Sion, and make All the hard things eaſie before them, and every crooked way ſtrait; That into Sions coaſts they may come, where none are croſt, but bleſt; And a habitation they may know, even in the Land of reſt, Wherein the Sabboth day is kept, which never ſhall have end: In theſe deſires my ſoul doth reſt, in which I am your friend.