NOW all you people and Prieſts of the Earth, amongſt all your obſervings and gatherings of Doctrine, obſerve with me, and take diligent notice of theſe few, ſhort, plain Doctrines, or Leſſons from hence, and tremble, and repent; to wit, 1. That workers of iniquity are a filthy and bloody people. 2. That lewd Prieſts or Teachers are murtherers, and layers in wait for blood 3. Where the Prieſts or Teachers are nought, ſuch as follow them are not good; and ſo like Prieſt, like people, as here. 4. Lewd Prieſts, and murtherous-minded men, (falſe Teachers) have in all ages been many a mighty band, fitted to devour.

But Hoſea! how didſt thou eſcape this bloody people, and theſe murtherous Prieſts, theſe lewd workers of iniquity? Did they not murther or impriſon thee, or ſue thee at their Courts for a diſturber of their peace, or for a ſlander? How didſt thou, poor Lamb, eſcape theſe Wolves, theſe boody murtherous Prieſts and people. Thy brother Amos, the Prophet, was accuſed by one of theſe murtherous Prieſts for a conſpirer againſt the King in the midſt of the Houſe of Iſraol, and that the Land was not able to bear his words, Amos 7. 10, &c. And thy brother Jeremiah was caſt into a dirty Dungeon, almoſt unto death, beſides the other beatings, and ſtockings, and impriſonings that he ſuffered from one of theſe lewd Prieſts Jer. 20. 1, &c. and the ſinful Princes, for his witneſs ſake in that generation, as it is to be ſeen in Jer. 38. and other places of that Book: And thy brother Zacharias, ſon of Barachias was ſlain by this bloody generation between the Temple and the Altar for his witneſs ſake, Matth. 23: 35: And all the See Mat. 23. 34, &c. Lu. 13. 33, &c. & ch. 22. & 23. reſt of thy brethren were evil intreated of this bloody murtherous generation of Prieſts and people for their teſtimonies ſake: And the Heir himſelf Chriſt Jeſus the Head, when he appeared, was cruelly murthered by theſe bloody Prieſts, and ſuch as followed them, and conſented with them; and that for witneſſing forth truth againſt the wickedneſs and lewdneſs of the bloodie City and venemous Prieſts, their Teachers, as is all over in the Scripture of truth to be read, and is now alſo in theſe preſent daies found true in experience by all thy ſuffering Brethren and Siſters, Oh Prophet! who are reproached and perſecuted of this preſent evil-generation of the Prieſts (the Teachers) and the people under them, under the Nick-name of Quakers. And therefore we having ſuch a Cloud of Witneſſes and fellow-ſufferers for the truths ſake going before us, we may be comforted and incouraged in all our tribulations knowing that we are hereunto called, not only to believe, but alſo to ſuffer for Chriſt his Name ſake, that ſo we may fill up the meaſure of the afflictions of Chriſt in our fleſh for his bodies ſake, which is his Church.

Further, oh all people! you may hence obſerve and take diligent notice for your good, that it hath been an old cuſtome of the worlds Teachers, ſuch as are called of men Maſter, Matth. 23. and who preach for hire, Mic. 3. and ſeek their gain from their quarter, Iſa. 56. I ſay, that it hath been an old cuſtom of ſuch Wolves to murther ſouls and people of God; for in ſome Scriptures is mention made of the ſpiritual, and in others of the bodily murther that they had and would be guilty of. And further take notice, that theſe banding Prieſts are a lewd generation, which in other expreſſions is all one as to ſay, Thieves, Whores, & Harlots; and ſo indeed are they alſo in Scripture uſually ſaid to be, and therefore typed and ſet forth under the name of painted whoriſh Jezzabel, and the wel-favoured Harlot, and here under the ſimilitude of Troops of Robbers waiting for a man; and Paul calls them Miniſters of Satan, having a form of godlineſs, denying and reſiſting the power and truth of godlineſſe: And therefore (oh all people!) you are exhorted by the ſpirit of truth to turn away from them, yea, and commanded to come out from amongſt them upon pain of eternal death, Jer 23. throughout. Rev 14. 8, 9, 10, 11. Rev. 18. throughout. 2 Cor. 11. 13, 12, 15. 2 Tim. 3. 5, &c. Rev. 2. 20, &c.

Read Scripture, and ſee if theſe things be not ſo, and fear the living God, and bow to truth, and be exhorted and perſwaded all people now at length to learn wiſdom, and to underſtand whom you follow; for you ſee the Scripture tells of murtherous lewd Prieſts that ſtood over the people for Teachers in former days; and in Chriſts time there was Scribes and Phariſees, hypocrites, who were taken by the blind people to be ſufficient guides and Teachers, whom Chriſt called blind guides, children of the Joh. 8 25. Matth. 23. devil, painted Sepulchres, whited Walls, yea Vipers and Serpents. And ſo you people that gather together to the Steeple-Houſe, which you call your Church, when you hear your Teachers, who now-a-daies go under the name of Miniſters with you, take a Scripture, and out of it chuſe a verſe (or ſo) of a chapter, according to their wills, for filthy lucre, and calls it their Text, and from it draws Doctrines, and Reaſons, and Uſes, as they call them, ask them whether there be any ſuch company of falſe Teachers now-a-daies in England to be found, as this Scripture ſpeaks of, who as troops of Robbers wait for a man, ſo wait to murther in the way by conſent; and who they are, and what, and who they murther; and with what they murther; and how theſe murtherers may be knovvn; vvhat be their fruits, for by their fruits ye ſhall know them, ſaith Chriſt. And ask them further, Whether theſe falſe Teachers vvhich the Prophet Hoſea here calls lewd murtherers be not the ſame in nature with thoſe vvhich Iſaiah in the 56. chap. and 10. v. of his Propheſie, calls greedy dumb dogs, that ſought their gain from their quarter, and could never have enough: and the ſame that Jeremiah ſpoke of in ch. 5. ver. 1, 2. & 23. ch. of his Propheſie, throughout, That ſtole the word from their neighbor, and uſed their tongues, and ſaid, he ſaith, when the Lord never ſent them, and ſo could not profit the people at all. And vvhether they be not the ſame that Micah the Prophet (Mic. ch. 3. 5, &c.) ſpeaks of, who preached for hire, and divined for money, and spake peace to the wicked for the gift ſake, but if any put not into their mouths, they prepared war against them, and yet like all hypocrites vvould lean upon the Lord in vvords, & ſay, Is not the Lord amongſt us? no evil ſhall come unto us. And whether theſe murtherous Prieſts vvere not one with thoſe that Chriſt Jeſus cried vvo againſt in Matth. 23. who were ſayers, and not doers; who loved to be called of men Maſter, and bound heavy burthens upon the people, and touched them not with one of their own fingers, but ſhut up the kingdom of heaven againſt men, and would neither enter in themſelves, nor ſuffer others. And finally, ask them whether ſuch men now as ſtand over the people for Teachers, though under another Name, and making another profeſſion in words, yet if they be found in the foreſaid ſteps, doing the foreſaid deeds of thoſe forementioned falſe Teachers, are not to receive the ſame judgement, and to be cried againſt and denied, and forſaken by all the children of light now, as formerly, yea or nay.

And now Hoſea, thou holy Prophet of God, thou haſt ſaid and laid down theſe two Doctrines or high Charges againſt the people in general, and againſt the Prieſts in particular: The firſt, That the people in general are polluted with blood. The ſecond, That as Troops of Robbers wait for a man, ſo the company of Prieſts murther in the way by conſent: How doſt thou prove and make theſe good, for the Gileadites are deeply concerned in it; and they will have thee to make it good, or ſuffer for default? Yea, by the ſpirit I make it good, thus: Gilead is a (ity polluted with blood, becauſe they are ſuch as work iniquity; and the Prieſts murther in the way by conſent, becauſe they commit Iewdneſſe: And this is witneſſed not only by the Scriptures, but alſo by the ſame ſpirit of truth that gave it forth in all the children of light to be ſo. But Hoſea, thou muſt not be tried per pares, that is, them of like condition or quality with thee, to wit, the holy Prophets and children of God, who are Witneſſes with thee againſt the abominations of their times, and ſins that rules in Prieſts and people, for that will not ſatisfie nor ſerve the Gileadites turn, for ſo the great men of all ſorts in City and Countrey would be found faulty: But theſe Prieſts and people think it fit (according to their Nation-Law) to have a Judge, and Juſtices fit upon the Bench, and to have a Jury of Inqueſt ſummoned and to have a Bill of Indictment found againſt thee, and then if thou plead thy innocency, and ſay thou art not guilty of doing them any wrong, but only thou ſpoke as thou was moved by the ſpirit of God; then thou muſt have, as they pretend, a fair trial, (for thou muſt know that the Gileadites cannot believe thy Witneſs, nor any for thee from that ſpirit only) but this fair trial muſt not be by ſpiritual men, who only are able to judge of ſpiritual things, for the Gileadites know not their voice no more then thine, Oh Prophet! but it muſt be further, by another company of theſe men whom thou haſt ſaid are workers of iniquity, and polluted with blood, and ſo are parties; and theſe muſt judge of thee; and theſe (ſayes the world) are a Grand Jury, a company of ſubſtantial men of the Country, ſworn men (Mark, out of the Doctrine of Chriſt, for his yea is yea, and his nay is nay, without an oath.) And theſe men (the Grand Jury) muſt bring in their Verdict (as they call it) againſt thee, for they have found thee guilty, (for thou haſt nothing on thy ſide but plain truth, without mans teſtimony, or an oath) and the Judge of the Court (one of the chief men among the Gileadites that is verſed in Law matters) thinks it fit thou ſhould be fined to pay a ſum of money for thy offence, (oh Prophet! thou man of God!) and be kept in priſon (Summer and Winter, that matters not) until thou pay it: But what (oh Prophet!) if thou haſt neither liberty in thy ſpirit, nor outward ability to pay thy Fine, What courſe muſt be taken with thee? Well, for that (O Prophet!) Gilead matters not, but impriſoned thou muſt remain, for ſo Gilead will be quiet of thee, and thou cannot come into their Synagogues, Markets, nor other Aſſemblies, to cry againſt their ſins, and diſturb them, for the people and Prieſts would live quietly in their ſins, and they would not be diſturbed neither in the time of their ſervice, nor otherwiſe. And Hoſea, that thou mayeſt have no occaſion to find fault with the Jury or the Judge, one of theſe Prieſts whom thou haſt by the ſpirit declared to be murtherers and lewd men, have taken an oath in open Court againſt thee; and doſt thou think that though 〈1… pages missing〉 ded for a witneſſe againſt this generation of cruel hearted men, whom the beaſt and falſe prophet hath raiſed in his defence, and againſt the Kingdom of Chriſt Jeſus and them that follow him, how full have the moſt part of the priſons in all this land been with guiltleſſe ſufferers under cruel bondage, with unjuſt dealings and falſe judgments, have gone forth from ſome of your mouthes, you that have been ſet to judge over the people, who ſhould have been a terror to the wicked, but have rather ſtrengthened the hands of evil doers, and been a terror to righteouſueſſe, ſo much as is poſſible, the great whore which ſits upon the beaſt, hath made your Rulers drunk and ſtagger with envy and hatred and perſecution, and works of wickedneſſe againſt the upright; Wo is me for you, what have you brought forth? even iniquity by Decrees, and injuſtice by Ordinances, and falſe judgment by Lawes; alas, alas, your deſtruction cometh as an armed man upon you. Was ever the like heard, or any preſident in any generation before you, for impriſoning juſt men, for declaring againſt ſin and the abominations of the times, as you have done many, and for impriſoning men becauſe they cannot put off their hat to you and reſpect your perſons, and ſo tranſgreſſe the law of God, and becauſe they cannot ſwear, and ſo break Chriſts command? For this you have impriſoned many, and cauſed them to ſuffer becauſe of this, may not you fear and tremble before the Lord God, and your faces gather blackneſſe at this, when you conſider it? Did ever any that were ſet to judge in the earth among men ſo abuſe their power, and ſubvert it ſo, quite to another end than wherefore it was committed to them? May not ſhame cover you all, to commit men to priſon for the exerciſe of pure conſcience towards God, becauſe they cannot ſwear, or reſpect mens perſons, or maintain Idol-ſhepherds, and Idol-temples and worſhips, which is abomination to the Lord; and for taking peaceable men out of peaceable meetings, and out of their travel on the High-wayes, and firſt whipping them, and ſending them to priſon, the example of this which you have done, never went before in any age, and therefore have you exceeded in oppreſſion, in injuſtice, in cruelty and falſe judgment; all your fore-fathers the Pope nor Biſhops, hardly ever brought forth ſuch things; but the Lord will reckon with you, and plead the cauſe of the oppreſſed againſt all you oppreſſors; yea, and will give unto you a recompence of reward according to your works; ye that have exalted your ſelves againſt the innocent, ſhall be brought down to the duſt of miſery, and the Saints ſhall reign and rejoyce over you, when the Kingdom of Chriſt Jeſus the Lamb ſhall be ſet up over you all, and your beaſtly power daſhed to pieces as a Potters veſſel, when he whom you have perſecuted and his followers ſhall rule with a rod of iron, and break you aſunder; and this ſhall ſhurely come to paſſe, therefore conſider it, ye that thus deal in your anger againſt the Lord and his choſen, for the Lamb ſhall get the victory over the Beaſt, and over you all that ſeek to defend him, and that ſtrive under his power; for they that are with the Lamb are Called, and Faithful, and Choſen: O! therefore be awakened, be awakened, ye heads, and Judges, and Rulers of the people, remember and repent, the Lords hand is ſtretched forth againſt all oppreſſion and oppreſſors, and his wrath is kindled againſt the wicked ones, and his power to overthrow his dominon which long hath reigned in the Nations, and now though he ſeeks to defend himſelf againſt the Lamb and his followers by injuſt dealing, yet the out-ſtretched arme of the Lord ſhall bring deliverance to his choſen, who hath been made havock upon, in their liberties and in their eſtates; ſome cruelly ſuffering in priſon, and others by ſpoiling of their goods, and none of theſe for evil doing, but upon falſe ſuſpitions, and envious jelouſies, and ſecret ſurmiſings, without any ground of occaſion given; but by wickedneſſe have many of you ſought occaſion to make offenders, by laying ſnares for the feet of the harmleſſe and innocent; you have made men offenders for a word, and perverted innocent words and actions, that you might make to your ſelf a ground to perſecute, and have ſought a cloake to cover your cruelty in the ſight of men, but naked and bare are your hearts made manifeſt in the ſight of the lord, who hath looked down from heaven, and conſidered theſe things, and hath regarded the unjuſt ſufferings of his people whoſe liberties, and eſtates, and good names have been ſpoiled through injuſtice, by grievous burthens laid upon ſome, becauſe they could not pay Tythes (that hainous oppreſſion) to ſatisfie the unmercifullneſſe of cruel men, and many ſuffers at this day, unjuſtly in the ſight of God, and illegally alſo in the ſight of men; and ſome ſuffer the ſpoiling of their goods, rather by way of robery and theft, than by juſt execution of judgment in proceeding of juſt law; this can largely be witneſſed, and this is brought forth by ſubſervant Officers to you that are ſet to judge, and you to them are evil examples, and ſtrengtheners of their malitious hands, ſome of them are not aſhamed to take ſix times the value of what is unjuſtly claimed for the uſe of a falſe teacher and deceitful hireling who rides upon the beaſt, and make you their ſervants to oppreſſe the poor, to uphold them and maintain them in their pride and vanities, but the Lord hath conſidered theſe things, and he hath numbred the oppreſſions againſt you, wherewith the juſt have been grieved and oppreſſed under you, he hath counted this cruelty and recorded all your unjuſt dealing, which you have (or ſuffered to be) brought forth, yea the day of account haſtens and the tearm draws near upon you, wherein the juſt and righteous Judge of heaven and earth will call you to account who will plead the cauſe of the poor, and of the unjuſt ſufferer, and oppreſſed, againſt you all, who are oppreſſors the innocent proſecute againſt you, and the begging of the poor is heard, which calls for vengeance upon you. In the Record of juſtice, what account will you give to the Higheſt-power, who rules over heaven and earth, for impriſoning juſt men for crying againſt ſin, and declaring againſt the wickedneſſe of this age; this ſhall be proved againſt you in the day of the Lord; Is your anſwer ready, or will not your mouthes be ſtopped and you ſpeechleſſe, when righteouſneſſe it ſelf pleads againſt you? And what can you plead for fining men, and impriſoning them, for not reſpecting your perſons, and bowing with hat and knee, and becauſe they could not ſwear; this hath ſome of you done; will you have any thing to ſay in the cauſe of theſe things, when Chriſt Jeſus comes to reign and his Saints with him, unto whom the government and the authority, and rule ſhall be given: though now they are perſecuted, and as the refuſe of men accounted by you, unto whom they are become a prey, to act your oppreſſion and cruelty upon; and becauſe they render not evil for evil, therefore is the impudencie of ſome men the more encreaſed, and their hardneſſe of heart enlarged; and becauſe judgment is not ſpeedily executed, therefore are the hearts of ſome men ſet in them to do evil. O! what a ſad reckoning in that day, and what large indictments and verdicts for your oppreſſion, will be read againſt you, and proved to be juſt in the ſight of God and men; a ſad thing will it be upon you, when laid to your charge by the Lord, for cauſing men to ſuffer becauſe they could not ſwear, nor reſpect perſons, nor uphold the deceits of falſe worſhips and teachers, nor ceaſe to cry againſt ſin, in your Townes and Steeple-houſes. O! be ſtirred up out of your ſecurity, you Heads, and Rulers, and Judges, and Officers, even all you be awakened who have turned your ſword againſt the peaceable, and been a terror to righteouſneſſe as much as you could, which you ought not to have been, and ſo your power you have abuſed, and ſubverted it to another end than wherefore it was committed to you: inſtead of defending the upright you have offended him, and inſtead of being a terror to the wicked, his hand hath been ſtrengthened through your wicked preſidents; this is the truth, as the light in all your conſciences ſhall witneſſe in the day of the Lord; O! how hath juſtice and true judgment been neglected, and oppreſſion and cruelty abounded, the like in generations paſt hath not been known, but the Lord is now ariſen, and hath ſaid, I will eaſe me of my enemies, and take vengeance upon my adverſaries, who have done wickedly againſt him and his people, till the patience of the Lord is near an end, and his longe ſuffering finiſhed, and his judgments will he make known upon his enemies in this generation, that ages to come forever may be warned not to oppreſſe the innocent, as theſe have done by falſe accuſations, and unjuſt judgment, and wicked proceedings, and becauſe of it, the wrath of the Lord is kindled, and his viols of indignation ſhall be poured upon the beaſt, and upon the falſe Prophet, and all their power ſhall be ſmitten in one day.

And O what wickedneſſe hath abounded in the people alſo, to help up the meaſure of the Rulers ſins, that may receive the recompence together; how have the people of all ſorts abuſed the innocent lambs of Chriſt, whom he hath called? What beatings, and ſtonings, and bruiſings, and other abuſes, in Townes, and High-waies, and Steeple-houſes, its hard to be expreſſed and large to be declared: ſome have been wounded nigh unto death, others bruiſed till blood have guſhed out, and others caſt down in the dirt and punched with feet and troden upon, and many have been in danger of their lives, ſome have been knocked down with ſtaves and thir cloaths rent, and their hair torne off their heads, and ſome have been purſued after with throwing ſtones and dirt at them, and many halled, and tumulted, and lugged, and hurried up and down in cruel manner, to the danger of life and oppreſſion of the creature, and others have been whipped, and laſhed, and put into cruel torment of their bodies, by engins framed of purpoſe to torment the bodies of the harmleſſe, as Cheſter and Carlile may witneſſe, and others have been halled before rulers, and falſly ſlandered to the taking away of life if the Lord had not prevented, more than mercy of men, and having been unmercifully and unjuſtly ſent to priſon, there have they ſuffered cruelties from the Goalers or their ſervants, by beatings, or punniſhings, or threatnings, or cruel words, and caſting into dungeons, and great abuſes ſhamefully acted upon them, and other priſoners have made a prey upon them, by t • king away their cloaths and meat, and beating of them, and abuſing them divers waies, and murtherers have had more priviledge of freedom in priſons and in tryals, than theſe who are innocent, and theſe things thus acted contrary to their own law, hath paſſed without reproofe from many in Authority, though it have been brought to their door, and in this manner have the children of God, the Lamb and his followers been perſecuted without cauſe, or any evil works brought forth by them, and legally proved againſt them; but for well doing and not for evil, hath the wicked vented their malice againſt them, that the more the Beaſt and his power hath fullfilled wickedneſſe, the ſooner may be his deſtruction.

And O what ſcorning, and reviling, and lying, and ſlandering, and evil ſpeeches, with mockings, and cruel words of envy, and tearms of cruelty againſt the innocent, hath this generation brought forth in this day, wherein the dragon with his Angells hath joyned battel againſt the Prince of righteouſneſſe, and they that follow him, and whole Gog and Magog is gathered together, to compaſſe the Camp of the Saints about, and to fight againſt the beloved City, the Judges and Rulers, with their train of ſubſervant officers, as Bayliffs, Clarks, Goalers, Conſtables, with all that to thoſe belonged, have with a high hand perſecuted and laid oppreſſions by hard-heartedneſſe, upon the backs of the poor and diſtreſſed, and the ſcorners, and liers, and prophane wretches have bent their tongue againſt the juſt, in uttering lies, ſlanders, reproaches, back-biting, nick-namings, and falſe-accuſing, and all manner of evil ſpeehes, and falſe reproaches, and the juſt have been burthened by all this; and thus they that have been departed from iniquity have been a prey to Rulers to act their injuſtice upon, and to the people to utter their ſlanders, and to do cruelty againſt; and the teeth of evil doers have been ſet on edge, to bite and devoure, and to ſatisfie their maliciouſneſſe upon the ſufferings of the upright people, and from the Judge upon his throne, to the begger upon the high-way; all have had their hand dipped in this cauſe of cruel and unjuſt perſecution, and the Lord hath conſidered and harkened from his holy habitation, and numbered up the ſumme of all your iniquities that he may repay and recompence upon your heads, wo unto you unjuſt Judges, and corrupt men, who have abuſed your power. And wo unto all that do oppreſſe by hard dealing, who have offended the juſt, and defended the unjuſt: Wo unto all you ſcorners, liers, back biters, and reproachfull tongues; the Lord is coming to take an account. Your ſins cry for vengeance againſt you, and though your hands and tongues have been ſtrengthened to ſpeak and act ungodlineſſe, by the evil example of your rulers, yet your own iniquity ſhall you bear in the day of the Lord, and though your rulers and judges have been ſtrengthened in their unjuſtneſſe and mercileſſeneſſe, by the falſe lying teachers and diviners of falſe viſions, which have ſeen vanity, yet their own iniquity ſhall they bear, & every man ſhall die for his own ſin; Wo unto your teachers, they have eaten up the ſin of rulers and people, and covered iniquity and tranſgreſſion, by flattering and lying words; they have daubed with untempered morter, and healed up the wound deceitfully, and cryed peace, peace, to the wicked, that have walked in the imaginations of their own hearts, when unto ſuch the Lord never ſpake peace.

And now whereas the Rulers and people have ſtretched forth their hands to vex the Lords people, and have through unjuſt judgment, and grievous oppreſſions, and unmercifull dealings, troden the innocent under foot, and made them a prey to their mouth, and divers waies have perſecuted in cruel manner the followers of the Lamb; yet alſo have the wiſe men of this world, even the Prieſts and Teachers, who have led the people, and have cauſed them to erre, and have ſet themſelves as in battle array againſt the Lord and his way and people; How have you hardened your hearts and made your forehead as braſſe, againſt the Word of the Lord, and you have been as the fountain of all this wickedneſſe acted againſt the juſt, and ſtrengtheners of the hands of ungodly men; the Heads and Ruler, you have ſtrengthened in their cruelty, of falſe judgments by your arguments of ſtrife; in ſubtiltly you have been as nurſers of all this perſecution and wickedneſſe, and have interceded for oppreſſion, to cauſe the juſt to groan, whom the Lord hath raiſed to teſtifie againſt you; the judges they have given regard unto you, and the people they have taken you for examples, who have been curſed preſidents to the Rulers and people, who have followed your cruel ſteps of malice and envy; and from the head to the tail, they have drunk in your poiſonus doctrines; and made themſelves drunk therewith, and out of reaſon, in their furious zeal of madneſſe, and all have taken council together to ſlay the harmleſſe from off the face of the earth; ſome by falſe judgment and oppreſſion, and others by cruel abuſings, as beatings, and ſtonings, unheard of, or unequalized in generations of late. O ye Prieſts, and Teachers, and wiſe men, and Scribes! how many of you in this Nation joyned hand in hand to betray the innocent, by your falſe doctrines and lying divinations, and have filled (and ſought to do ſo) the mind of the people with ſlanders and falſe reproaches, and lying imaginations, and many conceptions and jealouſies againſt the people of God; many of you have made it your ſtudy work, to bring forth evil by cunning arguments, to ſuggeſt into the hearts of people, that they might not enter the kingdom, and even ſo have you been ſhutters of the kingdom of heaven againſt men, and would not enter your ſelves, nor ſuffer others that would.

Wo unto you, you have taken away the key of knowledge and loſt it, and multitudes of falſe aſperſions, and lying aſſertions have you brought forth without fear, by wicked conſequence and lying productions, that you might take away the key of knowledge thereby, and hide it from men, and lay ſtumbling blocks of iniquity before the people, to ſtop the way of the upright, and you have travelled to ſeek occaſions of evil againſt the juſt, and watched for the halting of the innocent, that you might glory and rejoyce in their fall, and without any occaſion by words or actions, you have 〈2 pages missing〉 ded] five Marks, and impriſonment until I ſhould pay it; And ſo becauſe I cannot give them money for their unjuſt proceedings againſt me, and unchriſtian dealings with me, I am kept here accordingly in the common Goal a priſoner, yet free, and in that everlaſting Truth of God which cannot be bound, but tramples upon the neck and head of all deceit more then a Conqueror. But from hence all that have eyes may ſee what little liberty truth can yet get in the earth, after ſo much war and words proteſted for it: And therefore whoever thou art that reads theſe things, know, that in England alſo novv if thou vvilt live godly in Chriſt Jeſus, thou muſt ſuffer perſecution; for the Scripture cannot be broken. And this perſecution novv in England ariſeth mainly from the blind zeal that many have for keeping up their Miniſters as they call them, from being ſpoken unto in the Aſſembly, either in, after, or before the time of their preaching, eſpecially on the firſt day of the vveek, by them called the Lords day, and Sabbath day, and this the people are prompted unto by the wicked ſpirit in their Teachers, which cannot endure the light that God hath raiſed up in his people in theſe Iſlands in theſe dayes: and ſo this is the condemnation of all ſuch children of darkneſs, whether Prieſt or People, that light ſhines, and they love darkneſs more then light becauſe their deeds are evil. And ſo all may ſee whether the teachers and people that act in ſuch darkneſs are going; for in the days of Mary the perſecutor, the Law reached only to a puniſhing of ſuch as ſpoke to her Prieſts in the time of their ſervice; but now the zeal of ſome for them is ſo increaſed, that neither in the time of their ſpeaking, nor in their coming nor going from their Steeplehouſe, eſpecially on the day aforeſaid, muſt their Teachers be ſpoken unto, but they will impute it to the party for an ofence, without examining whether there be cauſe for it yea or nay; but the Teacher though he be never ſo falſe in Doctrine, or vicious in life, yet if he be a Pariſh-Teacher, and receive the worlds hire, as Tythes, Glebe-lands, and Augmentations, with the State-allowance, or upon other Accompts be allowed for a Puklike Teacher by the Nation-Law, he is like to be defended; and he or ſhe that ſpeaks to them, though ſuch a one be never ſo deer to God, and ſpeaks truth in that particular never ſo clearly, is like to be puniſhed as an evil doer: And if this be not a provoking of the wrath and hot diſpleaſure of God againſt thee, Oh England! then let him that hath underſtanding declare what more can be: and therefore thou art now in time warned of theſe things, that thou mayeſt by repentance be ſaved from thoſe things that ſhall aſſuredly come upon the wicked. But for the preſent, all poor people every where, who are in the dark minde, unacquainted with the teachings of God in the ſpirit and light of the holy Annoynting, but are following the blind guides that indeavor to get their wickedneſs eſtabliſhed by a Law, your miſery is great and much to be lamented, and the caſe of ſuch of you as have any true breathings after God is to be pitied; and who ſhall deliver you out of your bondage, but he that delivered Iſrael out of Aegypt, and hath in all Ages been a preſent help unto them in the needfull time of trouble, and will ſtill deliver them that fear him out of all adverſity: So wait upon him, and the work is done, and be incouraged all that wait upon him, for there is no end of his goodneſs to us, for his mercy indureth for ever; and before him goeth a devouring fire to conſume the Adverſaries of his glorious Truth round about; and the day is dawned that will leave them neither root nor branch. And in this reſt I am your deer brother, oh all ye free people of God! and in the patience and ſufferings of Chriſt your fellow-ſervant for the imbondaged ſeeds ſake,