A few Words to all People concerning the present and succeeding Times.
WHoso is wise amongst the People
Consider what I say;
Great things to pass the Lord will bring
In this the later day.
For now out of Captivity
shall little Judah walk,
And poor oppressed Israel,
with all her feeble folk.
Yea, now while Pharoah doth oppress
the Seed, which now must reign;
And Herod killeth with distress;
yet all their work is vain:
Though Chaunting Priests with forgeries
poor silly souls delude,
Yet oft God's Witness doth arise
against what they intrude.
Though many people do backslide
from that which once they knew,
And, with the wicked now deride
God's servants, who are true.
Though we l [...]ke sheep appointed are
to suffer at man's will,
Yet dying we the Truth declare,
though men our bodies kill▪
It is God's [...]ness in each man
in secret shall arise
To plead for us, when no man can
for Conscience peace devise.
When we in Prisons are opprest,
and from the Rulers sent,
God's Witness then doth break their rest,
to move them to repent
Oh! happy now dear friends we are,
who have obey'd the Light,
Which doth for us our cause declare,
when we are out of sight.
Yea, this I say, for ever blest,
and none shall take our Crown,
Nor yet deprive us of our rest,
by treading of us down.
Let now Jerusalem rejoice,
her children shall be free.
They now do hear the Bridegrooms voice
and Zions King they see▪
Who doth the Prison-doors unlock
down in the Dungeon deep,
He pierceth through the hardest Rock,
that he our souls may se [...]k▪
Into his bosom now return
all ye that with me weep,
And do in secret with me mourn;
the Lord our soul wil keep.
Let no high thought in us be found,
lest it lift up our mind;
But in true humbleness abound,
for here true peace we find.
In Aegypt's darkness wise men talk,
who do the Light despise,
While we in Goshen in it walk,
in whom it doth arise.
That which the Prophets did foretel,
and good men pray'd should be,
Now in it with the [...] we dwel,
in measure as we see.
Our boldness great, and confidence,
in weakness doth arise,
As we do keep in the true sence,
which doth the World despise.
When we before the Rulers stand,
none think what then to say;
The Lord our strength is near at hand
to guide us in that day.
Yea, when the Lord doth stop our speech,
we waiting in his fear,
Our patience shall God's Witness reach,
when men no words shall hear.
For Christ in silence like a Lamb,
did to the [...] come,
And as a sheep [...] the shearer,
so did he then stand dumb.
False [...]udgemens on him wise men gave,
th [...] did his life condemn,
In scorn they brought him to the grave,
and did the Truth contemn.
God's Martyrs dear in every place,
like sufferings under-went,
When they were used with disgrace,
yet they abode content.
Now is the time of suffering
begun in the last day,
Which shall the Beast to ruine [...],
and' [...] Kingdom must decay.
Although destruction be in hand
for us a people poor,
It wil bring darkness o're the Land
in which shall die the Whore.
And Antichrist with all his train
with toyle themselves shall vex,
For they shall see their Labour's v [...]in
God's servants to perplex.
All Babels Rulers sore shall grieve
At that which they shall see,
When none their City can relieve,
destroyed it must be.
Strong is the God that wil annoy
thee with his vengeance sore,
And in his fury thee destroy,
where thou shalt cry and roar.
The time is short thou hast to reign,
though thou sit'st like a Queen,
Yet thou shalt perish in disdain;
the like was never seen.
Thy Kingdom now is very dark,
and blackness doth abound,
It's now too late for thee to heark▪
repentance can't be found.
When sentence past, none can reverse,
the K [...]ng of Heavens Decree,
Thy scoffing cannot make it less,
what he wil do with thee.
At his approach thy strength shall fail,
thy stubborn heart shall mourn,
With horror then thy self bewail,
for thou shalt be forlorn.
Thy lying mouth shall then be shut,
thy vaunting turn'd aside;
Thou from thy Lovers shalt be cut,
then down shalt come thy pride.
Thy wise men and thy Captains all
together so combine,
That ye together all may fall
within a little time.
The Work is such you do oppose,
so weighty and profound;
The like before it never rose,
your wisdoms to confound.
No Weapon forged, now shall stand
against God's chosen One,
Whose iron Rod is in his hand,
For he must reign alone.
Yea, all that will not bow to him,
in shivers must be broke;
For he will shatter every Limb
with his destroying stroke.
The Child is born this Work shall [...]e
eff [...]cted in this kind,
And suddenly these things shall be;
for little is behind.
Yea many are the Children young
who shall these things behold,
And are the Nations yet among,
but God wil all unfold:
And to his little ones reveal
his wonders great and strange;
What he will do, that he may heal
the Nations at their change:
How Kings and Princes shall bow down,
their glory then forsake;
And at their feet shall cast their Crown,
that they may now partake
With him and those who have been poor,
and whom this World despise;
Yet of true Riches they have store,
though they walk in disguise.
The Jews who would Messiah know
and are as yet behind,
In them the Light now dawn will shew
where they they the Christ may find.
The Gentiles who in darkness have
been buried in their sin,
Shall now come forth of that dark grave
where long time they have been.
Now is the time for Jews to turn,
and Gentiles to awake;
In many hearts the Light doth burn,
which shall all Nations shake.
Yea Kings and Kingdoms they shall reel,
Light shall their Powers rent,
Great strivings in them they shall feel,
to move them to repent.
No Laws man makes can Light arrest,
nor Prisons it contain:
No Banishments can it oppress;
In Conscience Light must reign.
The Gallows, Sword, Faggots and Fire,
these Instruments are vain,
With which man may himself out-tire
yet still the Light remain.
God's Witness true in this last age,
by whom he wil contend
With Kings and Rulers in their rage,
that so they may amend,
And set his captive people free,
their Conscience to enjoy,
That they may have their liberty,
and none may them destroy.
Oh happy Nation where thy King
and Rulers shall bow down
Unto the Light which now doth spring,
they shall receive the Crown
Of immortality and bless
which never shall away.
Their honor then shal be endless,
and glory not decay.
But England yet into thine ears
this dreadful voice I send,
That thy destruction's very near,
if thou dost not amend.
All Sodom's sins in thee are found,
the old world's wicked way;
Iniquity doth now abound,
God's people to destroy:
Nothing thou dost so much neglect
as truth and righteousness.
God's ways thou wholly dost reject,
and lovest wickedness.
All whoredoms drunkenness and Oaths,
in these are thy delight;
And all that God and good men loaths
is pleasant in thy sight.
Oh! England do not so forget
God's mercies towards thee.
A little time is left thee yet
that happie thou mayst be;
If thou dost suddenly repent,
and from thy sins depart;
Embrace God's truth which he hath sent,
and it will change thy heart;
But if thou stubbornly go on,
yet hear what I do say,
The Lord will not let thee alone,
but he will bring a day
Of bitter howling over thee,
in which thou shalt lament,
The time which can't recalled be,
that then thou mayst repent:
Against thee then God will reveal,
his wrath shal thee destroy,
In his displeasure with thee deal,
then perish shal thy joy.
For with strange plagues, sword & famine
the Lord will with thee plead;
Yea then thus he will examine
thee suddenly with dread.
Oh Land! thou fruitful, thou shalt pine,
thy Cities must decay;
Thy people proud, who are so fine,
their glory shal away,
Oh London! great shal be thy wo,
who shal lament thy case?
For in thy streets [...] grow
God will thee so debase:
For thy oppression, and thy pride,
for thy backsliding state;
For that the truth thou dost deride,
and goodness thou dost hate:
For that thou dost God's servants beat,
imprison, and misuse;
The simple-hearted thou dost threat,
and innocent abuse:
Religion now with thee is vain,
Idolatry hath place;
Lukewarmness is imbrac'd again,
and all that may disgrace
God and his truth, Christ and his Lambs▪
it may be found in thee:
And all that can increase truths bands
by wickedness is free:
Who is opprest save righteous men,
who in vile prisons lie;
Arise, O God, for these things then,
yea loud now is the crie
Of thine Elect in every place,
How long Lord, Holy, True:
Wilt thou not hasten on thy pace,
against the wicked Crew.
Yea this I say, let all awake,
the day is very near,
In which God will in vengeance shake
the Earth, that all may fear.
Let Kings and Judges now be wise;
let all men soon repent;
Let sinners from their rest arise,
the night is now far spent;
The great day of the Lord's at hand▪
who shal abide his ire;
Or who before him then shal stand,
who is devouring fire.
Then Kings and Captains, bond and free
shall at his presence quake;
Then all into dark holes would flee,
when he the Earth shal shake:
Then in the ragged Rocks and Caves
you'l seek a place to hide,
Who use God's People worse then slaves,
then they not you'l abide.
Even then when Earth in fire shal burn
and Elements melt with heat,
When heavens like scrowls away shal turn
God's anger then shall threat:
Because his patience then shal cease
to all his enemies,
And onely judgments shal encrease
to all Eternities:
Where gnashing teeth with weeping cries
for evermore shal be
To such as do God's truth despise,
and follow vanities.
Oh now dear suffering friends rejoice!
Redemption will not stay
From us who have made Christ our choice,
before the evil day,
When Prisons, Sword, Gallows and Fire
shal compass us about,
He will help us when in the mire,
and guide us when we doubt.
All tender Friends I dearly greet
you in the Lord of Life;
And in his patience which is sweet,
fare well where is no strife.
Yea in that Love which suffereth long,
for ever let us dwel;
And in God's Truth let us be strong,
in this I say farewel.
The last day of the 4th month, 1662.
JOHN RAUNCE.