OH! ye Mighty men who sit upon the THRONE, that are Exalted into power, and brought into great Authority. Do you indeed know the Hand that brought you up thither? And do you rightly understand the End of your coming into power again? and do you certainly know the Work which God requires at your hands? And do you indeed see the true Leader, which is to Lead in the Way & Work of the Lord? And do you Feel and Witness that your Hearts are truly Encli­ned and Prepared towards the Work of the Lord? Or are you not Ignorant of these Things? And do you not rather feel your Hearts enclined towards REVENG, and to make your selves Great, and to get your selves a Name, and to follow that which is pleasing to your own Eyes, and to Condemn that which God hath Justified, and to Justifie that which God hath Condemned, and doth Condemn?

Let there be an honest search made with the Witness of God in your own hearts, which will shew you the thoughts, and the intents thereof; and think not to flatter your selves, as other have done before you, by conceiving that you are safe enough, because the Arme of Flesh is with you, and at your Command: For verily, verily, Thus saith the LORD GOD, I will yet make the Powers of the Earth to know, that I am GOD, and there is no other; and that I can do whatsoever I please, and my Purpose and Decree shall stand unalterable; and I will bring to pass, the thing that is in my Heart, and none shall let it; for in its season it shall be accomplished.

Oh! Hear ye REBELLIOƲS and live; Be not so stiff-necked and wilfull, like those that went before you (who would not hear Reproof) least I make you a hissing, and scatter you with more dishonor than any, that went before you; for my Anger is kindled, and my Jealousie is waxed hot against the Man of Sin. My Decree is to Dis-throne him, and to take [Page 2]the Kingdom my self, and to slay his Subjects that will not turn at my Reproof, and be subject to my Government, There­fore seek not your selves, neither follow the Devices and Ini­quity of your own hearts any longer, for I the Lord am coming to plead with all Flesh, and I will make mine Enemies know that I have Power to accomplish my own Work, though I should find all the Armed Men, and the Men in Authority against me.

Now this is my DECREE; I will set up Righteousnesse in the Earth, and I will establish Equity and Mercy amongst the people; I will remove Oppression from off the Earth, and I will Search out, and Overthrow the Ground and Foundation thereof, in whomsoever, or in whatsoever it stands; even, as I overthrew Sodom in the dayes of old; and they that will not hast out of it, shall certainly be destroyed, saith the Holy One, who will break the Potsherds of the Earth that withstand him, and Consume the Stubble, the Thorns and the Bryers that set themselves in Battail against him, who is a Consuming Fire.

Therefore, Oh ye HEADS of the People! Consider your Wayes, and weigh your Actions in that equal ballance (the Word of God) which will shew you the thoughts and the intents of your hearts: For verily, the Lord God is highly displeased, and your hearts are seen not to be right before him, Therefore con­sider your foundation upon which you build, least your building fall with great dishonour and loss, when the Storme comes, which shall come to try it.

Mark. Were You, or your Fathers and Friends able to keep your selves in Power, when the Lord formerly appeared against you, to cast You out before your Enemies, because of your Re­bellion against him? Or were your Enemies able to keep you out of power, and themselves in, when the Lord appeared against them to Split and Confound them, and to turn their day into darknesse, and to bring you in as a Flood over them, because of their treacherous dealing with the Lord, and because they perverted the CAƲSE and Power that was put into their hands, [Page 3]serving themselves and their lusts, and not the Lord? Verily, as they were not able to stand, no more will you be able to stand and keep your places (except you Repent) and own that your Enemies had a just Cause put into their hands against you: And so, put a difference betwixt the CAƲSE, and That which perver­ted it, and not judge and condemn both together; for if you do, verily I say unto you, when you have filled up your measures, You will assuredly fall without recovery, though you were ten thou­sand times stronger than you are, and although not one man ap­peared against you with a Carnall weapon.

Consider. Was it a carnall weapon that brought you in? Were you not brought in without a stroke outward? And is not the Lord the same? Is his Hand shortned? hath not he the hearts of all Flesh in his Power? And can he not turn them as he pleaseth? Can he not Root out, and Overthrow whomsoever he will? And if he will do it without outward means, Can any resist his Will? Or if he will do it by outward means, Cannot he pro­vide it himself, contrary to Mans expectation? Therefore, DREAD ye the MAJESTY and POWER of the LORD, and fear before his Dreadful Name.

Friends, I must deal plainly with you in the sight of God, who hath made me a Prophet to the Nation, I may not flatter any of you: My life is in the hand of my Maker, and not one hair of my Head can fall to the ground without his Providence. He hath Redeemed my Soul from Hell, and my Mind from the Earth; and he hath given me his good Spirit to lead me: I am henceforth no more my own, but I am the Lords, who hath Formed me for his Praise, and hath brought me forth, that I may sound forth his powerful Truth amongst the People. Therefore must I not fear Man, neither must I be afraid of the Sons of Men.

Verily, your Spirits are seen to be too high for the Work, which God will have to be wrought in the Earth; and you are found in that your selves, which the Lord will work against. And he is loaded with the pride and excess that ye (and [Page 4]many in the Nation) are in; and his soul Abhors the Vanitie, Musick, and Pleasures which ye delight in.

Oh how hath iniquity abounded since ye came into place! and how is Oppression, and Cruelty, increased and continued, upon them that seek the good of all! Now, consider this, That which the Lord was wroth with you for, and threw you, and your friends out for before, he will not own That now, nor that you should revive, and establish That again: For the Lords Controversy is yet against those things, (though he hath thrown out a treacherous people, who perverted his Cause:) There­fore, try your FOƲNDATION, before you build and settle; for verily, whatsoever is not founded upon CHRIST JESƲS, the Rock of Ages, (whether it be in things Religious, or in things Civil) the higher it is built, the greater will its fall be; and every ones work must be tryed by fire, what Foundation soever they build upon, and great will be the Destruction and Con­sumation; for nothing but what can abide the fire shall remain: And Verily, there is exceeding much, both in Governors, & Go­vernments, Laws, Ministry, Profession, Trades, & in the Constitu­tion of them, as they now stand (and in the Conversations of the people) which is to be utterly destroyed by the fire of the Lords Jealousie, and the Day hastens which will try every mans work of what sort it is; and that which is for the fire, nei­ther high words, nor outward strength shall be able to save it.

Oh! The Spirit of the Lord is grieved, and pressed, with the Iniquities and whoredoms of this Generation. Oh! the Waste, and the Spoyle, that is made of the Lords Creatures, excess in Apparel, excess in Diet, and deceitful Feastings, and Banquetings; and each striving to exceed one another, not scarce knowing what to invent, to eat and to drink, or to put on; or what Musick, or Images and Vanities to invent to please the Carnal Eye and Eare; and in the mean time, your own flesh, or them of the same blood, lye, go, sit, or stand in your streets, crying for a peice of bread; and many of your [Page 5] Lame, and Blind, and Sick, and others, both in Prisons and other places are ready to Famish.

Oh! Consider these things speedily, and mock not at the Lords Messengers, (as some before you, have done, when they have been warned, as you now are) lest your bonds be made strong also, and least the Lord smite you with a Curse, and send you Famine or Want in the room of your abun­dance and Superfluite; and Raggs instead of Ribbons, Feathers, Gold, and Silver Lace, and Gorgious attire; and houling and mourning instead of your Musick, Songs and Oaths.

Oh! Its hard to utter the abomination that flowes and swels in this Nation; it is a shame to the Rulers, to suffer these Stage-playes, Mountebanks, and vain Sports and Shewes, whereby the Lord is greatly dishonoured, and foolish people are chea­ted of their money, and the Creation is devoured and wasted, and Mens lives sometimes endangered.

Oh! How have men invented mischeif, and vanitie, to stir up lightnesse and vanitie one in another. Oh ye Rulers! is not this a horrible wickedness, that a man who hath his right natural senses, should be suffered to fain himself to be a Natural Fool? and that he should be suffered to speak any light vain words he pleaseth, even what he can invent, to stir up lightness, and vain laughter amongst you? Have you not manifested your selves to be slighters of the Apostles Doctrine? (read, Eph. 4.29. & 5.4.)

This Abomination have I beheld several times out of my Prison window. And is this an honor for the Chief of you, to have a company of Men and Boys, drest up with Ribbons and Bells about their legs, and one acting like a Fool with a Ladle in his hand, Dancing before you, even like a company of mad distracted men, making a noise like a company of Carriers Horses?

Oh! the Life of God is grieved with these things, and all that fear his Name loaths them, and it is a shame that ever such things should be suffered in a Land.

Therefore, O ye Rulers, let all this ungodlinesse, and su­perfluity of nautinesse be laid aside, and receive with meek­nesse [Page 4] [...] [Page 5] [...] [Page]the ingrafted Word which is able to sa [...]e your Souls, Jam. 1.21. and that will teach you to love, even your Enemies, and to forgive them; and to put a difference between the pretious and the vile: And it will keep your hands from blood, or your hearts from desiring after it, if you will obey it; and it will shew you with what Gods Controversy is, both in your Government, and Worship, and Conversations; and it will teach you to deny it. Yea, if you will own its Teachings, it will teach you to deny all ungodlinesse, and worldly Lu [...]s, and to live Godly, Righteously, and Soberly in this present world, Titus 2.11.12. But if you will not return to the word, which is nigh in your mouths, and in your hearts that you may obey it, and do it, (Deut. 30.14. Rom. 10.8.) verily this know, that neither your Strength nor Wisdom, shall be able to deliver you, from the Just hand of the Lord, which shall find out all his Enemies.

Therefore, if you would escape the overturning hand of the Lord, Re­pent speedily, and humble your selves before the Lord, and forgive your ene­mies; Love mercy, Compel none to your Worship, nor to uphold your Tea­chers, and be willing that the Lord alone should send forth Labourers into his harvest, and that he may lead them by his own Spirit, that they may speak as that gives them utterance, and limit or quench it not, but let all have their Freedom to worship God in the Spirit, (who know it) accor­ding to the manifestation of it, which is given to every man to profit withal, (John 4.23.24. 1 Cor. 12.7.) for such a Worship the Lord owns.

And take away that greivous oppression of TITHES, and forced mainte­nance; which hath cost some their lives, and many a great part of their estates, who for CONSCIENCE SAKE have been made to witnesse against it. Ʋndoe every HEAVY BƲRTHEN, and break every YOAK, and let the oppres­sed go free; And let CHRIST JESƲS, the everlasting KING, have the prehe­minence in all things, Colos. 1.18. for these things the Lord will have to be accomplished and brought to pass, And if you will not submit to him in this his work, he must and will remove you.

And this further consider, Oh! take heed that none of you, upon your Beds, or elsewhere, devise Cruelty and Oppression, and how to Avenge your selves upon your Enemies, and then, when you are assembled together, con­firm it by a Law, because you have power so to do; for the Lord abhors that, who is appearing to give to every man according to the fruit of their do­ing, and he will not respect any mans person.

Now if by your Strength you can hinder the Sun from rising and setting in its season, and if you be able to stop the Thunder & Lightening from having its operation, or to hinder the Winde from Blowing, and the Raine from De­scending, then may you Hinder the DECREE of the Lord, and by your Strength you may stand in Power and Peace, and Flourish for a long Season, though you serve and Avenge your selves to the full, & though you rebell a­gainst the Lord, and oppress his Heritage.