THE Sence and Compassion of what is likely to be thy final Condition, doth con­strain me to write thus unto [...], and to admonish thee with the following Words of Truth. I do see with an Eye of Faith, That They which do iniquity, shall be cast into a furnace of fire, there shall be wailing and gnashing of Teeth, Mat. 13.41, 42. For if it is not so, Jesus Christ must be a Liar and Deceiver: But as certain as he is Christ, viz. the Anointed One of God, there shall be such a thing: And he therefore made it known to warn and testifie unto all the Sons and Daughters of Men, That they do not Iniquity; and so they shall not come to that Place of Punishment and Torment.

And seeing that thou thy self hast so long, and dost yet live in and practice Iniquity (or In-equity) thou art therefore concerned herein; and thou art in great danger of future Con­demnation, and Eternal Misery: Which will be upon thee, unless thou dost confess and for­sake thy own Iniquity) when thy soul is slipt out of this Tabernacle of Flesh, and must appear before that God with whom there is no respect of Persons, and who hath given such a Law to Mankind of every Nation, Country, and Language, and to all the Generations which shall pass through this Earth, as is declared in Scripture, as thy own Conscience, and the Spirit of thy Mind may somewhat judge, and conceive hereof before hand: for that would willingly set thee safe as to the dreadful and doubtful uncertainty of thy own Eternal state ann Condi­tion, if thou wouldest set thy Conscience as in the sight of God, and wouldest suffer it to have its proper, full and perfect work. Hearken not, or be sure not to trust thine own Everlasting Happiness or Misery, to the suggestions and sayings of those who call themselves Bishops and O­verseers; who say they are sent forth to Minister unto thy Salvation, and that of others. But thou art cautioned again, not to hearken unto, or at least not to trust unto them. For the Enemy of Souls hath raised a Mist, and cast a dead sleep over those Watchmen, that they are become blind, and see only on the worldly corrupt side, or They are dumb Dogs, they cannot bark sleeping, lying down loving to slumber: They all look to their own way, every one for his Gain from his Quarter, and so they are destitute of the truth, supposing that Gain is Godliness: Their principal business is how to keep or get Preferment; They study and endeavour how to please and not to offend; though it be to sooth and be silent as to the sin and transgression of the Rich and Mighty People, as if they were only to have their Portion in this Life, and after Death to suf­fer a greater Punishment and Misery. For the Bishops and Pastors should seek to turn away Ini­quity from Jacob, and to turn many to Righteousness, but instead of that they do strengthen the hands of evil doers, that none doth return from his Wickedness by promising him Life, by vainly as­suring People, that they shall go to Heaven, though they go on in their own ways, and after their own Thoughts. But notwithstanding all the Multitude of our Modern Pharisees, who by reason of that, and their Justifying themselves before Men, they have the fashion as yet on their side, the Word and Judgment of God doth pronounce, and will determine them to be Mi­nisters of Satan, transformed into Ministers of Righteousness; for they do rather Minister unto the destruction of Souls, by preaching and speaking for the deceiveableness of Ʋnrighteousness, so long, that day by day they perish in it. And they do rather keep People in, than lead them out of the Mystery of Iniquity.

But setting aside all deceitful workers, and corrupt handlers thereof, hearken and attend unto what the Scripture (which is able to make thee Wise unto Salvation) saith expresly and clearly of it self: For as Laban said, It must not be so done in our Countrey, to give the younger be­fore the first-born, Gen. 29.25. So is the current, moaning and requiring of the whole Law of God; for it is not consistent with that Righteousness and EQUITY where with the Lord will judge the World, Psal. 98.9. It must not, or it ought not to be so done in this Nation of the Earth for thee who art sprung out of the Loins of thy Father, to have his Right and Inheritance before his Death, or willing Resignation. The same I have more at large demonstrated in my Discourse on 2 Cor. 10.4. and more particularly in page 21. to which I refer thee, and beseech thee to read and consider what is there noted out of the Scriptures of Truth, as thou wouldest wil­lingly obtain Eternal Salvation, and avoid Everlasting Misery.

And it being the declaration of the Mind and Will of God, that such a thing is an Iniquity, viz. a thing not equal; for thee, who art his Creature, to act yet contrary (let me tell thee plainly and be not angry thereat; for the fault is in thy self who dost commit this Iniquity, and not in me who do only Admonish of and Reprove the same:) This is downright Disobedi­ence and Rebellion against thy God. In which if thou continuest, thou art now under his Wrath and Displeasure; and when thy Breath is out of thy Nostrils, thou wilt fall under his severe Punishment, and suffer the Vengeance of Eternal fire; for that will be allotted unto thee, if thou dost now in the days of thy Flesh give thy self over, Jude 7. to the things which are contrary to his Law. Either thou wilt Repent of this thy sin and Disobedience, or thou wilt not. If thou wilt not obey God who commands, That the Wicked restore the Pledge, and give again what he had Robbed, Ezek. 33.15. Thou wilt be in certain danger when thou diest to be Mi­serable for ever: But if thou dost come to Repentance, the sooner thou dost, it will be bet­ter for thee throughout all Eternity. For the sooner any one comes to Repentance and lives in Obedience, God is the better pleased with that Man or Woman, and he will give to such a more full Reward hereafter. Even the Souls will discern and perceive this so far, that even when they are let slip into Eternity, they will wish that they had served and obeyed the Lord in those days of their Flesh, in which they did continue in Despising and Transgression. So that from the Day of the Date hereof ( October 19. 1691.) or rather from the day that this Word is delivered and made known unto thee, Thou art hereby put in mind and exhorted; yea, thou art Charged and Commanded from the Law of the Lord thy God, to give up again and resign thy Kingdom and Inheritance, unto him whose Right it is; and then thou shalt find favour in the day of thy Death. Thou art to do this purely out of Conscience and fear of the Lord, and only out of Obedience to the Word of his Grace, and for the Salvation of thine Immortal Soul.

For the Law of God cannot be altered, or reversed, or dispensed withal; nor yet may People think by a stricter Observation of some of the Commandments, to make atonement for the neglect and violation of others. Thou didst well in putting out an Order for the strict ob­servation of the Lord's Day. For notwithstanding every way, whether in pretence or in truth, God's Laws is obeyed, it is better than the open Contempt and Violation thereof. If in the deep of thy heart, thou dost not much care whither God's Commandments are kept or not, but thou didst thus to deceive and ingratiate thy self with Godly and well-meaning People, and here­by to strengthen the more (though it is not possible to make Right) thy present Ti [...]le; all this is Gross Hypocrisy. Shall not God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the Heart. But if thou didst this out of a Good Mind towards God, and out of a desire for the saving of thine own Soul, then thou wilt hearken unto, and receive this further Word of Instruction, viz. As we must come out of Egypt quite, and not leave an Hoof behind, Exod. 10.26 So if thou wouldst arrive at the Heavenly Canaan, thou must abstain from every Transgression of any other Command­ments of the two Tables. Thou art not to pick and choose, or Article with God which to do or observe, and which to neglect; but if thou wouldst be where David is, thou must practise [Page 3]the same as He did, For all his Judgments were before me, and I did not put away his Statutes from me, Psal. 18.22. It is not simply the Observation of a Monthly Fast, which is pleasing and acceptable unto God: For Jesabel did proclaim a Fast, when she was to take away Naboths Vineyard. And the Spirit of God saith expresly by Jeremiah 14.12. When they fast I will not hear their Cry, and when they offer burnt Offerings and an Oblation, I will not accept them, but I will consume them by the sword, which hath been exactly fulfill'd in many chosen Men of England, who have been sent out into the Neighbouring Nations, or into Ships, and there they have dyed, or been killed by the Grievousness and Instruments of War. And by the truth of that which we now see and know, it is a certain token that God will not hear and accept all your several Acts of Religion and Worship: But as he speaks in the tenth verse of the same Chap­ter, He will remember your Iniquity, and visit your Sins. For though to forget and utterly take off from the Remembrance of them, ye mention only King James; and to excuse your selves, ye speak Reproachfully and Contemptuously of him, against whom ye have dealt treacherously, see Mal. 2.14. Micah. 7.6. yet he is thy own natural Father: But chiefly, He is a Creature whom God hath placed in such a Relation, and concerning whom he hath given such Laws, Orders and Rules, which the People have transgressed, and done otherwise than they shewed and commanded. He was our King, but our People did not keep his Commandments, nor re­gard the Oath of God, Eccles. 8.2. which they had taken unto him, so that your sins are not against King James, but against God. The Prophets throughout their Writings, do abundant­ly speak against Sin, Iniquity and Trangression; all which which are general things, which are reduced into such and such particular Acts. And here again the People fly out, and hope to excuse and save themselves. But God answers them in short, Wherefore will ye plead with me, ye all have transgressed against me saith the Lord the Lord of Hosts, Jer. 2.29. And since it is Transgression, What an unreasonable and unaccountable thing thing is it? That any Creature should continue and persist therein? For a Worm to wriggle with its Maker, to stand as it were at plain Opposition and Defiance with the great Creator and Governour of the World; That a dying Creature of five or six Foot long, should os yet exalt it self, Exod. 9.17. against the great God, unto whom the whole World is but as the dust of the balance, and who is from Everlastigg to Everlasting. No Creature would dare or presume to do according to this manner, if God were not out of sight, and if he did not keep silence; and also it is be­cause he doth render present punishment: But for these reasons the Children of Men are so refractory and contemptuous against him. Whereas it would be better for them if they did consider and fear, how that the same word, which doth mention, how that no Man hath feen God at any time, John 1.18. God doth hold his Peac even of old, I [...]a. 57.11. That sentence against an evil Work is not executed speedily, Eceles. 8.11. The same word speaketh expresly of the Glorious appearing of the great God, Titus 2.13. That the Lord shall appear to he Joy of some, and the shame of others, as may be seen, Isa. 66.7. Our God shall come, and shall not keep si­lence, Psal. 50.3. And I will punish the World for their Evil, and the Wicked for their Iniquity, and I will cause the Arrogancy of the Proud to cease, and will lay low the Haughtiness of the Terrible. Isa. 13.11. which last hath already been fulfill'd in the foregoing Generations; and is daily now fulfilling in the several Persons of Men and Women, as they die and go away, and then doth the Word begin to be fulfill'd, and these shall go away into Everlasting punish­ment, but the Righteous into Life Eternal: Mat. 25.46.

Is it not for thee, O Mary, to obey God? If thou dost, it will be accepted: But if not, Sin lieth at the Door; which (when thy Breath is out of thy Body) will let into Everlasting Misery: for this Word (which is truly gather'd out of Scripture, is stedfast, and every Disobedience and Transgression receiveth a just Recompence of Reward. He that Believeth and Obeyeth, shall be sav­ed; but he that Believeth not, nor yet Obeyeth, shall be damned.