YOU who are this day fasting for strife and de­bate, that you may smite with the fist of wic­kednesse, and that you may exalt your selves in pride, vainglory and oppression one over another, and perscute and imprison the just, and be as Lords over Gods heritage, exer­cising authority one over another, seeking honor one of ano­ther, each man seeking his own good, and not the good one of another, pleasing your selves in lying vanities, corrupting your selves in those things which the righteous Law of God forbiddeth, sporting your selves in this the day of the Lord, who is stealing upon you all as a Thief in the night, so is he coming upon you unawares, who are this day mocking God and your own souls, and are with and in Cains nature, offe­ring [Page 2]a Sacrifice to God, but the just witnesse of God in the particular is murdered, & you with your sacrifices are shut out from the Lord God of Sabboths, whose rest you come not into, but are feeding upon the Serpents food, which is to know and not obey, and the young Serpents are nourished, and the old Serpents head is not broken, iniquity lodgeth in the heart, and wickednesse ruleth in the inward parts. From the image and life of God you are all fallen, and are gone a­stray from your Maker, and are erred from the right way, & gone a whoring after your own inventions, and have com­mitted fornication with strange flesh, the thoughts of your hearts are evill, and on your beds doe you imagine mischiefe one against another, and by deceit and defraud have you fil­led your houses with the treasures of Egypt, and darknesse is in your dwellings, even thick darknesse that may be felt, and from your eyes are the things of God hid, and a veile is over you, and the seed is in bondage, the partition wall is yet standing, and you are found without among the Dogs, and the Sorcerers, and the wild beasts of the field, in the nature of the Wolf, subtile and devouring, both the Lamb-like Spirit within, and the Lambs without, the Flock of God is scate­red, and the thorns choke the seed, the fruitlesse trees are not cut down, the brambles cover the ground, and fruit to God is not brought forth, but wild grapes and leaves, and airie imaginations in the subtilty above the light, where the Serpent is twining to keep his hold, and this is the reaso­ning in mans will, which is not brought to the Crosse, nei­ther are the corruptions of the flesh crucified, but you goe on in your sins from day to day, and even hate to be refor­med. Was Sodome and Gomorrah guilty of any sin that is not found this day among you? Are you not drinking down iniquity as the Oxe drinketh down water? Nay doe you not even say in your hearts that you are delivered to commit all these abomidations? Woe, woe unto you, the Lord God of the whole earth hath a controversie with you, his judgements are as swift as lightning, he is coming and is come to try you, and to weigh you all in the just Ballance, and now all your coverings are too narrow, all you who have made lies your refuge, and turned the grace of God into wantonnesse, [Page 3]sporting your selves in this the mighty day of the Lord, and are found in excesse, pride, drunkennesse and gluttony, yet painted whited walls, guilded Tombes, painted over with Saints words, but enemies to the Saints life, even for you am I made to take up a lamentation for the woe and the misery comming upon you by reason of your haughtinesse, and the stoutnesse of your words through the hardnesse of your hearts, which are not circumcised, nor purified by faith, but in them perversnesse and the love of this World, hath gotten a room in stead of God, and so the old Bottles are full of stinking stuffe, and the Inne is filled with the Guests of this World, and there is not room for Christ the Light, Life, and Sonne of God to be born up to take away the sin of the World, though you professe him, and talk of him, yet you complain for lack of power, whereas we bear testimony that he is come who is the power of God, and unto him that saves from sinne is all power committed both in heaven and earth, in whom, and by whom alone this Sonship is received, and the victory over the world, which knowes not God, among whom you are seen in the light that comes from Christ the son of God, who made all men of one blood to dwell up­on the face of the earth, and upholds all by the word of his power, in whom we live, move, and have our Being, as the Poets have written, and as the wise and learned of the earth have said, who came not to feel after him, and find him before whom the Hills tremble, and the tall Ce­dars bow, he who is comming to turn, your Waters into Gall of Wormwood, and your coverings into burning pitch, and his jealousie will smoke, like fire against you, who are as stubble ready dried, cut off from the stocke and withe­red: woe unto you workers of iniquity, is not your day at hand, that you must depart for ever, and be no more seen? Hath not hell inlarged her self for the double min­ded ones? Yea now is the day wherein the wrath of God shall be revealed from Heaven upon all unrighteousnesse of men, who hold the truth of God in unrighteousness. [Page 4]This shall come upon all you who have chosen your own way, and are departed from the living God.

Is not this the Fast that the Lord hath chosen, to loose the bands of wickedness (observe) wickedness is a band which must be broken before man comes to offer up living Sacrifices well pleasing unto God, who requireth to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoak? Con­sider, is the oppressed seed of God let goe free? The seed to which the promise belongs, or is not the inquity born upon the shoulders of him that is the Light, whereby he is pressed down? And are you not laying heavy burdens upon the neck of the poore? Is not the poore oppres­sed, and the rich live in oppression? Is not the Fatherlesse, the Widow, and the Stranger oppressed within your gates? Have you not evill intreated the Servants and Messengers of the Lord of Hosts whom he sent to warn you? And some to be signes and wonders among you, as Isaiah, who walked naked and barefooted, Isa. 20.3. 1 Sam. 19.24. That you may see your nakednesse, and repent of your loftinesse, and come down from your high mountaines, where you are making your Nests above the starres of God in your airy imaginations from the first wisdome of the first man, from the earth sensuall and Divellish, where the Prince of the aire rules in all the sonnes of disobedi­ence, who are wise to doe evill, and subtile Foxes in that knowledge which puffeth up, and there you stand like strong Oakes, and fed horses, fatted for the day of slaughter, whose sinnes are ripe unto judgement, whose measure of wicked­nesse is even at the full, and you your selves the ser­vants of finne, fitted for the Wine-presse of the wrath of the Lord God Almighty, who is comming a swift witnesse against you, and from his presence you shall not flye, Therefore prepare to meet the Lord, for the day is at hand that your iniquities shall be rewarded upon your own heads, and you shall receive from the Lord the just reward of all your doings, and every mans heart shall be made manifest in the sight of God, and by the witnesse of [Page 5]God in every mans conscience, shall God be acknowledged to be just, by which the mouth of proud flesh shall be stopped, and the conscience shall be awakened by the wit­nesse of God, that did alwayes testifie against deceit, and sinne, and hypocrifie, and when the endlesse judgements of God are upon you, and his everlasting torments have taken hold upon you, then shall my witnesse in every mans conscience witnesse for me, that in love to your souls I was moved to write this for a warning to you all, that to the Crosse you might come, to the true light of Christ, that lighteth every man that commeth into the world, that all men through him might believe even in him that is the light, the Corner Stone refused by all you wise Builders, who build above the light which to you this day is a stone of stumbling and a Rock of offence, even Christ the light, the true Teacher that in secret condemnes for sinne, who is the Heir, and is now come, whom all you wicked husband­men that have not brought forth fruit unto God, are now slaying in your own particulars and persecuting in us his members, that if possible you might murder the Heir Christ the light, and so the Inheritance be yours. But it is in vain for you to kick against the pricks, the light in your Consciences which checks in secret for sinne, is and will be your condemnation whilst you fight against it and hate it, and the measure of the breath of life will kindle a fire in your bowels, like a stream of brimstone for ever, which shall never be quenched, nor depart from you wicked and ungodly men, whose sinnes have exceeded many, and whose wayes are right in your own eyes, and hate to be reformed, and despise, stone, persecute and imprison them whom the Lord hath sent to warn you, whose blind zeal is like Ierusalems, from whose eyes the things of God are hid, and your madnese like unto Sauls, who thought to doe many things against the name of Jesus Christ the Light.

And doe not many of you fight against the Light, and so are found fighters against God, who is now come to try [Page 6]you and to search you and according to your deeds shall you all receive.

And now who among you will hear this? Who among you will regard? Are you not covered with a deep sleep that so the Destroyer may come upon you unawares? Who hath an eye now to see, and a heart to understand? Who will regard this, and return from the evill of his wayes? Who will lay it to heart, unto him is the day of grace offered, let him return and that with speed, and let the rest, look for their portion according to the words written.

YOU, that have been the Teachers and the Leaders of the people long, you, who say, The Priests lipps preserve knowledge, and they shall seek the Law at his mouth: Now consi­der, what have you taught the people, and what they have learned of you? Is it not to persecute the innocent? and to hale out of your Synagogues? and to stone and to beat them whom the world knows not? whom the Lord hath sent as Lambs among Wolves, into the Towns, Villages and Mar­ket places, and Synagogues, to witnesse and declare in the name of the Lord, against all unrighteousnesse, and preaching repentance unto all, even to them of the highest place of worship, and to a crooked and perverse generation, who have been long learning of you, that cannot your selves cease from sin, 2 Pet. 2.14 Neither are they by you brought to the knowledge of the truth, so as that they need not any man to teach them, but are still learning, and are not come to the knowldge of God, whom to know is life eternal, but are found this day in that, in which the knowledge of God is not, and in that nature which murdered Abel, and stoned the Prophets, and crucified Christ, and slew his Apostles, and yet you all professe the Scriptures, but upon you the Scriptures are ful­filled, who are in these dayes haling, and causing to be haled out of your Synagogues, and persecuting from Citie to Citie, the harmlesse Lambs of Jesus Christ, who saith unto his, These [Page 8]things shall they do unto you, because they know not the Fa­ther nor me, John 16.2, 3. Doth not your evill savour come up into the nostrils of the Lord? And is not your nakedness seen by all the children of the light, who walk in the light? Are not both you & your hearers a seed of evil doers? and are you not fierce despisers of them that are good? And doe you not daily cry out against those that are dead unto sin, and alive unto righteousnesse? And doe you not even hate him that walks in the paths of peace, and the steps of innocencie? Is not there a noyse amongst you against the Lambs of Christ? Are you not stirring up the Rulers against them, as your fore­fathers did, Acts 4.1. &c. Acts 5.17. John 11, 47. Are you not seeking to your earthly Magistrates to defend your pro­fession with their carnall sword, which must be by persecu­ting and imprisoning the Lambs of Christ, who break not your Magistrates law, nor yet the law of God, and if you have ought against us, you should come and declare it before our faces, or let us have liberty to speak when the Lord moves any of us to come to you; but fill yee up the measure of your Fa­thers, the chiefe Priests, Scribes and Pharisees, in whose steps you are found, read Matth. 23. who denyed Christ the light, and called him a deceiver, and one that had a Divel, and the Carpenters son, and stirred up the Rulers and the rude people to crucifie him, and they themselves gave their voice against him, whom they had hired Judas to betray, and after his re­surrection they hired Souldiers for large money to declare lies of his Disciples and him, who was just, and afterwards were enemies to his innocent Lambs, who had waited in obedi­ence to Christ the light, and so received that Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive, by which they were indued with power to go forth into the Towns, Villages, and Syna­gogues, declaring against the false worships even of Priests and people, though they had the Oracles of God, Latin Greek and Hebrew, and Moses preached among them every Sab­bath day, yet were they in the false worship, and deniers of Christ the light of the world, and his Ministers and servants, who were foolish and contemptible in their eyes, as we are [Page 9]this day in the eyes of you who are in the wayes of your Fa­thers, consulting with the Rulers against such as come in the name of the Lord, to declare against your oppression, and un­just practices, and such are brought by you, and your hearers, to suffer imprisonment, and losse of goods (if not death it self) even by you, and those that you have been long teaching, and are of your Church as it is called, by whom the Church in God doth suffer, as is witnessed in Devon Goal, wherein many of the servants of the living God have been kept prisoners, who have not broken the Law of God nor Man, and this is done by those that are taught no better by you Priests of Devonshire? Is it not a shame to your Ministry to bring forth such fruits in the generality of your hearers? Did they ever imprison any for conscience sake, who were taught by the Ministery of Christ the Light, to deny un­godlinesse? and are not your hearers in ungodlinesse, the which we bear testimony against and all ungodlinesse? there­fore we suffer this day by the seed of evill doers, who have taken many of the servants of God in the high­wayes, as they were going to visit the members of Christ in prison, and took twenty shillings from one of them, who was going to relieve the members of Christ in pri­son, and sent him to prison also. Another had ten shil­lings taken from him, and others had their writings and other things taken from them. Some others were put out of your Synagogues, brought before Magistrates, and sent to prison, and one died in prison, and this is done by you, and your hearers, yee Priests of Devonshire. Is it not a shame to your Ministery to bring forth no better fruits, in this your Gospel-profession? and the fruits of your Go­spel-hearers, to lay wait as he that setteth snares, and set a Trap to cath men? Jeremy 5.26. to the end, and send them to prison, for going to visit prisoners, whose reliefe from them was taken. Was ever the like heard of in the dayes of the Prophets, or Apostles? Who but those that are as blind as you will follow you any longer? For now [Page 10]as every simple man may see the fruit of your Ministery, which hath plainly appeared in most Townes, and Ports of De­vonshire. At Tiverton, they that depart from evill are made a prey of, and many abuses they receive, and the abusers not punished; but some that have been abused, were also cast into prison, and they who came to visit them, were also persecuted, and they that came in the Name of the Lord, were there persecuted, put out of the Synagogues, and imprisoned.

At Tarington, the servants of the Lord, that preached re­pentance, and that came for the good of Soules, were evill intreated, and snares laid for them, and imprisoned, and the Priest of Tarington said, That Paul was a swearer, and that it was his duty to swear. This he affirmed more then f [...]ur times.

At Plimouth the servants of the Lord severall times suffe­red inhumane persecutions, the like hath been seldom heard of, to be done by those that are called Christians. Much more might be said, and other places named, with the fruits that your ministery hath brought forth; but in this you may be known by your fruits to all that love the light of Christ, who saith of the false Prophets, By their fruits yee shall know them.

And now is Christ the Light come, to deliver his Flock from your mouthes, and he will bring back the lost, and gather home the scattered that have been long devoured by you, the many Pastors who have not brought home to Christ the Light, the lost sheep, but with force, and with cruelty have you ruled over them, who have been scattered by you Shep­heards that cannot understand, Isaiah 56.11. who feed the subtilty in your hearers, and not the simplicity, neither have you ministred to the spirit in prison, nor yet received your ministery from him that opens the prison doore: And now your day is come, the Hireling must flye into the holes, and yet shall you not be hid. And now you carnall prea­ching, through your carnall imaginations and conceivings [Page 11]from the Letter which killeth, to a carnall people, for carnall ends, in carnal, Idoll Temples, High places of beastly worship: This, you are now seeking to uphold with carnall weapons, in the hands of carnal men, and Magistrates, who send the Lambs of Christ into carnall prisons, and all this will availe you no more than it did availe the chiefe Priests, your fathers, who took counsell together how to take Jesus Christ the Light by subtilty, and kill him, and gave their voyce against him: And are not you giving your voyces against Christ the Light? calling it Na­turall, as they called him the Carpenters Sonne. But fill yee up the measure of your Fathers yee blind guides of De­vonshire, that upon you (at whose hand the blood of Souls will be required) may come the curses spoken of in Ma­lach. 2.1, 2. For now is Christ the light made man fest, the second Priesthood who is made a Minister, not after a car­nall commandment, but after the power of an endlesse life, even him that is the light, and the true Shepheard that tea­cheth all to profit, the everlasting high Priest, that leadeth up to God, who committed all power unto him that is the light of the world, which, who so believeth in, and obeyeth, shall not abide in darknesse, as you and your hearrers doe, who are ever learning, but never come to the knowledge of the Truth which makes free: but such as follow him who is the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Cor­ner Stone refused by you, for to you he is a stone of stum­bling; even he, that is the Rock of Ages, the power of God, the Wisdome of God, the Sonne of God, the Light of the World, which whoso followeth, shall have the light of life, and in him receive power to become the Sonnes of God, and so come by the light to the teachings of the Father, and receive the annointings that they will not have need of your teachings.