VVO to thee City of Oxford, thy wickedness surmounteth the wickedness of Sodome; therefore repent whilst thou hast time, least I consume thee with fire, as I have done it; therefore harden not your hearts, least I consume you, and my wrath burn like fire, and I consume you in my fierce anger, and so be brought to nought; for thou hast joyned hands with thy sister Jerusalem; therefore will I uncover thy nakedness, and thy shame will I unfold that the beast in thee may be discovered that sitteth on many waters; for thou art full of wickedness, thy hands are full of deceit, the well-favoured harlot lodgeth in thee, the mother of witchcraft; and now I am raising my swift witness to confound her ways: I am the light of the world and do enlighten every one that cometh into the world, saith Christ Jesus. I am the sure foundation, and he that buildeth upon me shall have eternal life; I have mourned for you as one mourneth for her first born, and you would not come unto me that you might live: I have knocked and called, and none would hear; therefore will I thunder out my Judgments upon this wicked generation which hath not the fear of God; therefore the wicked shall see it and tremble: horror and terror, and pain shall take hold upon them as upon a woman in travel, and many shall cry, but there shall be none to deliver them; therefore repent whilst I give you a day, least you become as fruitless trees which cumbers the ground, for every plant that my heavenly Father hath not planted, will be pluckt up by the roots, and therefore repent whilst I give you a day, for I gave Iesabel a day, and I gave Jerusalem a day, but they would not; therefore mind what I shall say, and where I do speak be still, and low, and wait in silence, and then you shall hear a voice saying, this is the way walk in it, and if any have any desire to walk in this way, I will be with them, and guide them, and there shall you find sweet paths, and plentious redemption. Therefore for your souls health; for it was for the good of your souls that I took upon me the seed of Abraham, and became the likeness of sinful flesh, were it not that I loved the world; t [...]erefore I would not have you go astray as sheep without a shepheard, scattered up and down upon every Mountain and Valley, and carried away with every winde of doctrine; but now am I a raising up my own seed which hath been so long under Pharaoh the task-master, Oxford thou task-master, Pharaoh thou oppresser which opresseth the Just seed within thee, in setting up thy own righteousness and wisdom, which shall grow as ragged as an old garment that moths hath eat, and I will make thee know that my righteousness endureth from generation to generation, and so for ever. And now let hills be removed, and mountains be dashed to pieces, and the strong hold be levelled; for a day there is coming that will make the keepers of the house tremble, woful and terrible will that day be to the wicked, whilst the strong-man keeps the house all is at peace, but when a stronger than he cometh, he then must be turned out; I came not to bring peace but war, saith Christ Jesus, and now turn in your eys from beholding vanity; for that eye looketh from Christ, and that nature is accursed from God, for Christ Jesus is pure, and can behold no vain thing: Esau is accursed from God, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated, for out of Abraham shall my name be called. Death reigneth over all men till they be regenerate and born again: and they that be born again of God sin not, but their sins are forgiven them; therfore repent that your sins may be forgiven you also, the master hath given you a tallent to see how you will improve it, that you may be found faithful Stewards, that when the Lord shall call for that which he hath given you, that when the Lord comes He may say, come yee good and faithful Stewards, enter into your Masters joy: but for the wicked, go ye cursed and ye that forget God shall be cast into hell. Praises, praises to the Lord, that he is raysing up his own Saints to Judg the earth: and many now do witness their Judgments true, but to the wicked Judgments are terrible: and none but them cometh to see the fresh springs of eternal life, but they that live in the life of them that gave them forth, and there they will come to see the filthiness of these two wicked Cities, how they ly wallowing in their blood, and their blood shall be required at their own hands; for they that come forth of Oxford & Cambridge, they are such as Isaiah was sent to, to cry woe against, greedy dumb-dogs that never have enough, and love greeting in the Market-places, and long prayers in the Synagogues and the upper seats at feasts, and be called of men Masters; they are filthy bruit-beasts which maketh my people to err, therefore the ground is cursed for your sakes: thorns and thistles shall it bring forth for your sakes until you return to Adams first estate. And now I have shown you the way that you should walk in, take heed to the light that shineth in a dark place: light shineth in darkness, & the darkness comprehendeth it not; therefore repent that the darkness may be taken away, and so become children of the light, and not children of the night, but children of the day; for they that walk in the day stumble not, because they have the light with them: but they that walk in the night stumble, because they are in darkness; And now let the light search you, for Christ Jesus is now searching Jerusalem with Candles, and not one corner of it must go unsearched. Beware of seducers that cometh in sheeps cloathing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves; for such Christ Jesus spoke of that should come in the latter days, Oh Oxford thou art full of filth, thy Priests are all corrupt as brass and iron is corrupt and cankered, so is this City full of hainous sins thou art full of pride and covetousness, thou art poluted in thy blood, and joyns house to house, and field to field, until there is no place left for the poor. God exalteth the poor in spirit, but the rich he sendeth empty away; it is the humble and lowly mind trembles at my Word, that I teach, and now see in you, and search in you whether you are not in Cains ways, murdering and killing the just in you, and whiping, and stocking them that the Lord hath sent to you; therefore repent and do so no more, take heed and do so no more, least I render my plagues double on thy head; and when the book of conscience is opened then shalt thou witness this to be true; therefore remember that thou wast forewarned in thy life time, therefore wait in silence till the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts, then will you come to witness sweet springs, fresh ones of eternal life; but for the wicked they be like the raging Sea that tosseth to and fro, that casteth up nothing but mire and dirt: your hearts are full of dirt, and filth, thy pride shall become as filthy rags upon the dunghil; therefore sit down and bethink thee what thou art, thou art but dust and ashes: and cannot I kill and make alive, cannot I cast down and raise up, spread abroad and bring together: yea, my hands have done all these things; I am a gathering all my sheep together where they have been scattered in this dark and cloudy day, I will bring them from under Pharaoh that they may have one Master, one Shephard, and one sheepfold; the true Shephard will lay down his life for his sheep: but the hireling will fly when persecution comes; and therefore will I gather my sheep out of their mouths, and he that hath an ear let him hear; and therefore will I pour out my Iudgments upon them, to cut down and burn up & to destroy; for it is to the cutting down of pride, of filth, of covetousnes voluptuousnes, and all wicked ways, & what delight is in the pride of life? If thy conscience accuse thee, what peace canst thou have? therefore have I sent light into the world, but men love darkness rather then light, and there is their condemnation. Christ Jesus is the eternal life, and they that come to witness him in power and glory, cometh to witness Christ Jesus the substance; and this light will lead thee out of all forms & shaddows, and in it will come to see all things have an end but Christ Jesus, and he endureth for ever; and therefore build upon him that endureth for ever, build not upon the sand, for the waves beating to and fro, they bring the sand into the Sea and so the builder looseth his work, and he that waiteth upon me shall not wa [...] in vain, but have eternal life: it is them that endureth to the end shall be saved: it is not him that cryeth Lord, Lord, but them that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven shall be saved; and see whose will thou art doing, & see if thou be not in thy own will & man in his own will hath never seen God at any time; for Adam when he was in his fallen estate, he was driven out from God, & so alienated from God & see if you be not vagabonds as Cain was, for Cain was a vagabond & a runagate, he slew the just, and so dost thou▪ therefore thou hast run after other Gods, & hast cast my righteous Law behind thy back; and therefore am I coming to rip up all hearts, it is I that tryeth the reins, it is I that knoweth the thoughts long before, annd how can you hide your selves from such a God as I? I will render Judgments upon the head of the wicked, and all the world shall see the Glory of God; for he is arising in his Glory to Judg the earth, with righteous Judgment and equity will he Judg the earth, and the wicked shall see it & tremble; and now am I looking for the corn & wine & oyl I gave to feed the poor, but you have spent it upon your lusts; the whole Creation groans under you, for your evil deeds & corrupt language: in Cains nature you are, and death speaketh of the fame of God. Powerful, Powerful is the God of Glory in all his works his ways past finding out, and to them that live in Christ Jesus, they know the mind and will of God their guide and keeper; but to the wicked he is a destroyer, to destroy their wicked ways with fire and with a sword to cut down the fruitless branches; for what is the wild grape-tree good for? men cannot make any Instruments of the wood; therefore it is good for nothing but to be cast into the fire: so shall the wicked; for Tophet is prepared of old for them that will not obey Gods Word, and his servants, but obey sin and Satan; and therefore will I pour out my seven vials upon the seat of the beast, the wicked beast is in every wicked heart, and therefore sink down & wait and see how thy soul lyeth in death, drowned in filth, smothered in wickedness; therefore repent that that which presseth down thy soul may be taken away, for the soul is mine, and I desire nothing of any but my own, and that with advantage; for he is the sloathful servant that improveth not his Masters goods; & therefore from him that hath a little, that little he hath shall be taken away & given to him that hath most, and he that hath an ear let him hear: and while you have time prize it; Remember you are warned in your life time, and all left without excuse.
Hester Biddle.
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