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<DATE>2008-04-04</DATE>
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<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
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<P>THE VISITATION Of the Rebellious Nation of IRELAND.
And a Warning from the Lord proclaimed, to all the Inhabitants thereof, to make their peace with him before his long &s;uffering come to an end. With a Lamentation over its unfruitfulnes and Rebellion after &s;o many Vi&s;itations. And an Exhortation to all the hone&s;t hearted, to meet the Lord by repentance, while the pati|ence of the Lord continues. Or the &s;ealing of the Lords te&s;timony unto all &s;orts of people in that Land, by his &s;ervants, after their &s;e|veral months &s;ore labours, and travells, and &s;ufferings therein, who loved not their lives for the &s;eeds &s;ake.</P>
<P>Al&s;o &s;ome particular Papers, written in that Nation, to &s;everall &s;orts of people.</P>
<P>I. <HI>A Warning, to the Heads, and Rulers, and People of</HI> Dublin.</P>
<P>II. <HI>An Information to the Heads, and the ground of the Law laid down to the Judges, and Ju&s;tices, and to all that handle the Law through that Nation.</HI></P>
<P>III. <HI>An Exhortation &s;ent to the chiefe Commander and his Councell, and the ju&s;t cau&s;e of the Innocent laid before them.</HI></P>
<P>IV. <HI>The unju&s;t &s;uffering of the ju&s;t declared, and their appeal to the ju&s;t witne&s;&s;e of God in all mens con&s;ciences.</HI></P>
<P>V. <HI>A Challenge to the Priests of</HI> Dublin, <HI>to try their God, and their Mini&s;try, and their wor&s;hips.</HI></P>
<P>VI. <HI>A Di&s;covery of the Idoll dumb Shepheards in that Nation, and a Lamentation over their &s;tarved, and &s;trayed flocks.</HI></P>
<P>VII. <HI>An Invitation to all the poor de&s;olate Souldiers, to repent, and make their peace with the Lord, and their duty &s;hewed them, what the Lord requires of them.</HI></P>
<P>By them who are &s;ufferers, for the &s;eeds &s;ake; waiting for the buil|ding of di&s;tre&s;&s;ed <HI>Sion: F. H. E. B.</HI></P>
<P><HI>London:</HI> Printed for <HI>Giles Calvert</HI> at the We&s;t end of <HI>Pauls.</HI> 1656.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="discourse">
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<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>THE VISITATION OF THE Rebellious Nation OF IRELAND.</HEAD>
<P>_ALas, alas, woe is me for thee thou de&s;olate Nation of <HI>Ireland,</HI> thou art to be pittied, and lamented, becau&s;e of thy back&s;lidings, and rebellion again&s;t the Lord, thou a|bounds in iniquity, and thy tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions cannot be numbred. O thou art a fruit|le&s;&s;e habitation, and barren of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and mercy, and true judgement; even from the head to the taile, thou art corrupted, and thy wickedne&s;&s;e is marked before the Lord: thy Rulers, and Teachers, and people, are all gone out of the way, and are di&s;obedient children, having back&s;lided from the pure wayes of the Lord God, a deceitfull heart is found among them, and a lie is in their hand; even the be&s;t of men are as a bryar, and the mo&s;t upright among men &s;harper then a thorn hedge; a cur&s;ed &s;eed hath taken root in thee, and fruit of a cur&s;ed ta&s;t is abundantly &s;prung forth; thou art turned into the degenerate plant of a &s;trange
<PB N="2" REF="3">
vine unto God, and are become abominable in his eye; thy vines brings forth a &s;oure grape, and the Lords &s;oule hath no delight therein; thou art altogether untilled, and thy flowers gives an ill &s;mell; thy inhabitants have &s;et them&s;elves to doe wickedne&s;&s;e, they imagine mi&s;chiefe upon their beds and brings it forth in the morning, cruelty is their weapon again&s;t the innocent, and hard heartedne&s;&s;e is their defence again&s;t the upright.</P>
<P>Woe is me for thee thou de&s;olate Nation, who hath rejected the coun&s;ell of the Lord, and neglected the day of thy Vi&s;ita|tion, wherein the Lord would have gathered thee, but thou would&s;t not; How often hath the Lord &s;poken unto thee, and thou wilt not hear his call? By judgement hath he &s;poken, and by mercy hath he drawn, but thou refu&s;e&s;t to returne, and wilt not be reclaimed, but continues in thy Rebellion again&s;t the Lord, and forgets the work of his hand, in ages and gene|rations pa&s;t; even &s;ince the beginning ha&s;t thou been a Land of wickedne&s;&s;e, and a people of a cur&s;ed &s;eed, drinking up ini|quity as an Oxe that drinks up water, and fild up the mea&s;ure of Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, till the Lord was forced in grievous judge|ments to deale with thee, even his wrath in a day broke forth upon thee, and the fire of indignation was kindled in thee, and thy Princes were cut off in fury, and thy inhabitants fell by the plague and &s;word in great numbers, and thou was given up to be a prey to thy enemies in thy trea&s;ures, and the cruell hearted took the &s;poyle, thou wa&s;t laid levell in the du&s;t of deep mi&s;e|ry and confu&s;ion, and thy lamentation and &s;orrow was heard among the Nations, and the &s;troke of the Lords hand was hea|vy upon thee, and his judgements was ju&s;t upon thy head, and he gave no re&s;t unto thee for many years, but thou wa&s;t as a trembling leafe and as a for&s;aken bough, and thou wa&s;t made de&s;olate and comfortle&s;&s;e, and mi&s;ery girded thee about, and then thy &s;tout heart was brought down into &s;orrow when the Lord contended with thee; but now thou ha&s;t ea&s;e from thy bitterne&s;&s;e, and a day of re&s;t from thy &s;ore trouble, yet ha&s;t thou forgotten the day of thy di&s;tre&s;&s;e, and art againe more abun|dantly exalted, and thy &s;ins are much more encrea&s;ed, the pride
<PB N="3" REF="3">
of thy heart is become equall with <HI>Sodome,</HI> and thy tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ions are encrea&s;ed to her number and thy rebellion again&s;t the Lord is grown more high, and through mercies and delive|rance art thou waxen fat, and now thou kicks again&s;t the Lord, and in thy heart &s;ayes, Who is he?</P>
<P>O when wilt thou con&s;ider, what the Lord hath wrought? when wilt thou call to minde his ju&s;t and righteous dealing? who ha&s;t forgotten the day of thy former vi&s;itation, and is be|coming more vile in the &s;ight of the Lord, by thy &s;ecret hypo|cri&s;ie of deceitfull profe&s;&s;ion, then thou wa&s;t in thy open pro|phane&s;&s;e, when thou laye&s;t naked in thy open &s;ins.</P>
<P>O De&s;olate Nation, the Lord once and againe hath &s;tretch|ed forth his hands unto thee, in pitty for thee, and he &s;ent his &s;ervants and witne&s;&s;es to warn thee of the&s;e thy tran&s;gre&s;&s;i|ons, and to call upon thee to awake thee out of thy carele&s;ne&s;&s;e, and he gave thee a glorious day of vi&s;itation, and free tenders of &s;alvation, wherein thou might&s;t have made thy peace with him, and repent thee of thy &s;in; And his &s;ervants were faith|full in thee, and lamented over thee, and gave them&s;elves to be &s;pent for thee, and gladly &s;uffered the reproach of the heathen, and the cruelty of the wicked, that thereby thou might&s;t be re|claimed out of thy Rebellion and wickedne&s;&s;e, and they gave their back to the &s;miter, and loved not their life unto death, nor prized not their liberty unto bonds, but diligently in &s;uffe|rings, and labours, and perplexities, called unto thee, and through thy Townes and Cities proclaimed the vi&s;itation and me&s;&s;age of the Lord concerning thee, and was accounted as &s;heep for the &s;laughter, that they might fini&s;h their Te&s;timony to the gathering of thee, but thou would&s;t not, but ha&s;t to this very day &s;topped thy eare from coun&s;ell, and hardned thy heart again&s;t reproofe, and contemned the day of thy vi&s;itation, and hereby added to thy mea&s;ure of wickedne&s;&s;e in dealing cruelly with the Lords &s;ervants, who rewarded them evill for good, and entreated them &s;hamefully, and laid thy hand of oppre&s;&s;i|on upon them, and rejected their me&s;&s;age of glad tidings, and would not be in&s;tructed in the way of the Lord unto &s;alvation,
<PB N="4" REF="4">
but gave heed unto the fal&s;e vi&s;ions of thy lying Prophets, and took coun&s;el again&s;t the Lord of thy Inchanters, &amp; per&s;ecuted the faithfull by unju&s;t Impri&s;onments, and dealt wickedly with the Lords cho&s;en, and made unrighteous decrees in thy wrath, and &s;ealed them in thy cruelty, and made a purpo&s;e in thy heart to root out the Seed of <HI>Jacob,</HI> and to lay wa&s;t the Lords Heri|tage.</P>
<P>O <HI>Ireland,</HI> hereby in the Name of the Lord (thus far) I &s;eal my Te&s;timony in faithfulne&s;&s;e unto thee, and binds up my many burdens, and travells, and reproaches, and Tryalls, and &s;ufferings in thee, in a few words, which is the word of the Lord concerning thee.</P>
<P>Yee Heads, and Rulers, that &s;its upon the Throne, Repent, and turne to the Lord, from whom you are grievou&s;ly revolted by wofull back&s;lidings, a grievous &s;in have you committed, a gro&s;&s;e &s;um of hainous abomination is recorded again&s;t you, the righteous God will meet you in his judgements, and once more will appear in the fire of Indignation again&s;t you, and your mountains of pride, and vaine-glory, and &s;elfe-exaltation, &s;hall be layed wa&s;t, as your enemies were before you, and as you have thought to doe (to root out the Seed of <HI>Jacob,</HI> and to &s;poyle the tender grapes of the Lords vintage) even &s;o &s;hall it be done unto you, and your de&s;truction cometh as an armed man, and you cannot e&s;cape, nor fly to hide your &s;elves, from the wrath that cometh, which is kindled already to devoure the plea&s;ant Palaces of your wicked hearts delight.</P>
<P>Woe is me for you; you that are exalted upon your moun|taine of ea&s;e and liberty, having forgotten the rock from whence you are hewn, who were rai&s;ed out of weakne&s;&s;e to re|prove the mighty, and gives not glory to the Lord, neither con&s;iders what he hath done for you, but are become ingrate|full, and di&s;obedient children, and of a double heart and tongue, profe&s;&s;ing liberty of the pure con&s;cience, but living in corrupt fle&s;hly bondage, oppre&s;&s;ing the ju&s;t, and &s;laying the holy One, and neglecting the cry of the innocent, having made your fin|gers as heavy as your Fathers loynes; the hand of the Lord is
<PB N="5" REF="4">
again&s;t you, and his wrath will break out upon you, who &s;trengthens the hand of evill doers, and gives liberty in your dominions, unto the &s;cum of the Nations, to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e your Land in peace, and will not give place unto the Seed of <HI>Jacob,</HI> but fortifies your &s;elves again&s;t him, and will not &s;uffer him to inherit; how full is your Land of murderers, of drunkards, of lyars, and &s;wearers, and of prophane per&s;ons, of &s;ugitives, and vagabonds, and runnagades, who is protected by your Law, to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e in peace? but in wrath have you turned your &s;word a|gain&s;t the upright, and have made Lawes to limit the Spirit of the Lord, and to uphold deceit.</P>
<P>Therefore Repent of this your &s;in, who hath endeavoured to prevent the Lord; and humble your &s;elves ye lofty, for the purpo&s;e of your hearts are broken, and a &s;cattered Seed remains in your Dominions, which the Lord will ble&s;&s;e, and which you cannot be able to &s;uppre&s;&s;e, and as pricks in your eyes will it &s;tand a witne&s;&s;e again&s;t you in your hypocri&s;ie, and cruelty, and the more ye lay yokes upon it, the more it will &s;pring forth.</P>
<P>Therefore be wi&s;e ye Rulers, and Judges, and leave to ima|gine mi&s;chiefe, and lay your hands upon your mouths, and o|pen them not any more, and turne in your minds to the light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, wherewith you are enlightned, and it will let you &s;ee what you have done, and will &s;et your &s;ins in order be|fore your eyes, and will ju&s;tly reprove you, who have not done, as you would be done unto, but have ca&s;t the Law of God behind your backs, and not regarded the call of equity, and if you love the light of Chri&s;t it will change your mindes, and will bring you to Repentance from &s;in unto God, and from the Dominion of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">an unto the Kingdome of Chri&s;t Je&s;us; the light is your Teacher if you love it, and will guide you in the wayes of God, but if you goe on in your wickedne&s;&s;e, it is your condemnation eternally, and &s;hall &s;eale to the ju&s;tne&s;&s;e of the judgements of God when they come upon you; now you have time and a faire warning, prize the day of your vi&s;itation before the decree of vengeance be &s;ealed again&s;t you, and re|pentance be hid from your eyes, lay it to heart, you are but
<PB N="6" REF="5">
men and not God, and your &s;trength fle&s;h and not &s;pirit; if you own the light it will manife&s;t the will and coun&s;ell of the Lord unto you, and give you power to act righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e unto God, wherein you will be accepted; Con&s;ider, lea&s;t you goe down to de&s;truction, and there be none to deliver you.</P>
<P>ANd unto all you that doe profe&s;&s;e the name of the Lord, and have got the forme of the Saints wor&s;hip in your imaginations, and have &s;eparated your &s;elves into an outward conformity, without the power of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e brought forth in you, and would be called members of the Church of all &s;ects and &s;orts; Repent ye, of your hypocri&s;ie, and &s;top your mouthes in the du&s;t, for you are weighed in an equall ba|lance, and are found wanting; and are tryed by the &s;earcher of hearts, the light of the world, and are found corrupted; de|ceitfull are you in the root, and cur&s;ed in your branch, of deep and &s;ecret hypocri&s;ie, pride and coveteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and the love and glory of the world, and fle&s;hly exaltation abounds among you, as branches of the root wherein you grow; and how can you bring forth good fruit out of your cur&s;ed ground? your knowledge is bruiti&s;h and vaine, and your outward conformi|ty is a wearine&s;&s;e to the Lord; for you are found fighters a|gain&s;t him, and oppo&s;ers of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and denyers and con|temners of his light, by which he hath lightned every man that comes into the world; you &s;tumble at the foundation and builds upon the &s;and, one of you building a wall, and another daubing it with untempred morter; your hearts are not up|right with the Lord, but flatters your own &s;oules; which of you hath denyed the world for Chri&s;t, or what have you laid down for him? in your vaine imaginations you wor&s;hip God ignorantly, making his Commandements voyd through your tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>You &s;tand in the cur&s;ed Nature, alive to the world, follow|ing the vaine delights thereof, re&s;i&s;ting the way of the Lord, through your wi&s;dome, which is fooli&s;hine&s;&s;e with God, you have the profe&s;&s;ion of the Scriptures in your naturall know|ledge, but you are without the life thereof; out of the unity
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of the one &s;pirit of life in &s;everall meanings, and opinions, which is death; and in vaine conceits are you &s;cattered upon the bar|ren mountaines, where your &s;oules are &s;tarved, and &s;trayed, in the cloudy and dark day; and you are devoured under your dumb Idoll Shepheards, who are in <HI>Cains</HI> way of wickedne&s;&s;e, and in the &s;teps of all the fal&s;e Prophets, and of the Scribes and Phari&s;ees, fulfilling their mea&s;ure of wickednes and per&s;ecution, again&s;t them is the wrath of God kindled to con&s;ume them as &s;tubble; they preach for hire, and they divine for money, and they &s;eek for their gaine from their quarter, and they run, and was never &s;ent, and you are not profited by them, but are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.</P>
<P>Awake ye Profe&s;&s;ors, God calls unto you, give eare unto his voyce, Come out of <HI>Babylon</HI> and turne unto <HI>Sion,</HI> that her de&s;olate places may be builded, you wander abroad in the darkne&s;&s;e, groping as blind men, your profe&s;&s;ion will wither, and all your knowledge will con&s;ume away, and your righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is abomnation to the Lord, your pray|ing God hates, and your oblations is a wearine&s;&s;e to him, for you are in the enmity again&s;t God, and the Serpents head is not brui&s;ed.</P>
<P>Come down ye Cedars, who are exalted above the Cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, and make not a cloak of the Saints words to cover your unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; grievous is your Idolatry, who have painted your &s;elves with the likene&s;&s;e of the Saints life, and bows to the Image &s;et up in your imaginations, drawing near God with your mouths, but with your hearts going after your co|veteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: Repent, the day of the Lord is coming upon all fle&s;h, and meet the Lord, and prepare his way; and bow your heads you lofty Oakes, who &s;aith in your hearts you are the onely people, but your lying hearts deceives you, and you are found naked and without a covering.</P>
<P>All ye that de&s;ire after the way of the Lord, of all &s;orts of people who are &s;imple and hone&s;t hearted, whether prophane or profe&s;&s;or, you have a day of vi&s;itation from the Lord, yet &s;tretched forth unto you, Come ye unto the Lord, and for&s;ake
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all your lovers, lay a&s;ide your evill hearts which hath led you a&s;ide from the way of &s;alvation, and now learne the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wi&s;dome, and mind the one thing needfull, which is of great prize, even the &s;alvation of your &s;oules, pre&s;&s;e after, and come out of the broad way of per|dition, wherein the world goes on to de&s;truction, and enter into the &s;traight way, where the unclean walks not; cea&s;e from all the deceitfull wayes and wor&s;hips of the world, and love truth, and walk in &s;implicity.</P>
<P>Cea&s;e from all your Idoll Temples, for God dwells not in them, but his Saints are his Temples, wherein he dwells and walks: cea&s;e from all your Idoll wor&s;hips, and feigned pray|ers, and prai&s;es, for God is not wor&s;hipped in vaine traditions, as in ob&s;erving dayes, and times, and outward things, but in Spirit and truth is he wor&s;hipped, and &s;uch he &s;eeks to wor&s;hip him, and a broken &s;pirit and an upright heart is accepted with him. Cea&s;e from all your Idoll Shepheards, and Prie&s;ts of <HI>Baal,</HI> that preaches for hire, and divines for money, and &s;eeks for their gaine from their quarter, for they profit not the peo|ple at all, who are ever learning while they live upon earth, and none able to come to the knowledge of the truth: therefore cea&s;e from man, and wait upon the Lord, who is now ri&s;en to teach his people by his Spirit in his way of truth and righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, in his peace and purity, where his ble&s;&s;ing is received from his pre&s;ence, which is with all that fear him.</P>
<P>Therefore awake, awake, out of darkne&s;&s;e, and love not to &s;lumber in the dark night, which long hath ruled over you; this is the day of your returne, and of your vi&s;itation, wherein the Lord would gather you; Therefore re&s;i&s;t not the love of the Lord, wherein he calls you to repentance from dead works to &s;erve him in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; but every one turne your minds inward to the light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, wherewith every one of you is lightned, which light is it which convinceth you of &s;in, and lets you &s;ee your evill deeds, and whom you have &s;erved, and how you have &s;pent your time; the light &s;hines in darkne&s;&s;e, and reveals unto you the &s;ecret intents of your dark hearts, and doth &s;ecretly reprove the wicked purpo&s;es of your minds:
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with this light in your con&s;ciences, your &s;ins are written, and all that ever you have done is recorded; and this light &s;hall be the &s;wift witne&s;&s;e, of the condemnation of the wicked, in the day of the Lord; and by it all your works will be brought to remembrance, and your &s;ins will be &s;et in order before you, to receive judgement by Chri&s;t Je&s;us: And here is the free love and gift of God unto you, who hath given you a light to guide you in his way; if you own it, and wait in it, it will ma|nife&s;t the judgements of God again&s;t &s;in in you, and will con|demn &s;in in your fle&s;h, and will reveal the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God to be your covering; if you dwell in the light, it is your teacher, and way unto life eternall, and if you bring all your deeds to it, it will reprove every evill word and work, and give you di&s;cerning of things that differ it will manife&s;t the &s;ecrete&s;t deceit of your hearts, and the windings of the Serpent, and will be judge thereof, till unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e be taken away, and a birth brought forth from above, and born of another nature and &s;eed, which if you be not born againe, you cannot enter into the Kingdome of God.</P>
<P>Therefore in the fear of the Lord all con&s;ider, and &s;earch your &s;elves, in tender love to all your &s;oules I write: You mu&s;t be judged in the fle&s;h, that you may be ju&s;tified in the Spirit, and you mu&s;t be made poor, and emptied of all your knowledge, and wi&s;dome, that you may be filled and made tru|ly wi&s;e. So if you believe in Chri&s;t Je&s;us the light, and life, of the world, your hearts will be clean&s;ed by the word of God, which endures for ever; and the Covenant of peace will be e&s;tabli&s;hed with you, where &s;in is no more remembred, being condemned, &s;o now you have all time, this is to you all a war|ning, as I was moved of the Lord.</P>
<P>Repent, the dreadfull day is at hand, and meet the Lord, by confe&s;&s;ing and for&s;aking your &s;ins, and prepare the way of the Lord, his coming draweth near, lea&s;t his judgements come up|on you unawares, and his wrath &s;weep you away in fury, and your Nation become more cur&s;ed then the re&s;t: All your ap|plying of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, while your &s;elves are &s;inners, is to no purpo&s;e, for no hypocrite can enter into life, nor none
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that works wickedne&s;&s;e, hath eternall life abiding in them, but are in the death, which hath pa&s;&s;ed over all men, and the cur&s;e remaineth upon the di&s;obedient, and all in the fir&s;t nature are children of wrath.</P>
<P>Therefore every one wait in the light, that you may be chan|ged, and take up the daily Cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, that your own wills, affections, lu&s;ts, and de&s;ires, may be crucified, and you may become dead to the world, and may live unto God, in his nature and likene&s;&s;e, that your &s;ouls may be &s;atisfied therewith; and all that hunger and thir&s;t after righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;hall be filled with the true food.</P>
<P>Therefore wait, all you that fear the Lord, and meet toge|ther in his coun&s;ell, and wait for his Law that you may walk therein, and lay a&s;ide the works of darkne&s;&s;e, which are made manife&s;t by the light, and al&s;o condemned, in all that come to <HI>Sion.</HI> Spend not your time in the vaine deceits of the world, nor follow not the delights thereof, for according to your works mu&s;t you be judged in the day of the Lord. Depart from iniquity, and all the works of the fle&s;h, pride, and cove|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e, lying, &s;wearing, and double-dealing, and all the fruits of unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, let them be judged, and let the time pa&s;t be &s;ufficient that you have wrought evill, and now returne, and work righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in God, by the light, which all that lovees, works in God.</P>
<P>And deceive not your &s;elves, with a deceitfull covering, of &s;elfe making, and &s;elfe righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, profe&s;&s;ing the Scriptures in your carnall minds, which was given forth by the Spirit, and is not under&s;tood, but by the &s;ame Spirit; while the fir&s;t na|ture &s;tands alive in you, you cannot plea&s;e God, but is in the enmity again&s;t him: humble your &s;elves, and come down to the light&punc; and &s;earch your hearts thereby.</P>
<P>Woe unto the lofty, and high minded, who will not be in|&s;tructed, but hates reproofe. Woe is unto all lyars, and &s;wea|rers, and whoremongers, and vagabonds, and prophane per|&s;ons&punc; &s;uch cannot inherit the kingdome of God, nor enter to within the gates of the City, but are to be troden in the wine|pre&s;&s;e of the wrath of God for ever and ever.</P>
<P><PB N="11" REF="7">Therefore awake, awake, ye carele&s;&s;e and unbelieving, and fear and tremble ye children of di&s;obedience, who hates the light, and loves your evill deeds, and upholds your fal&s;e Pro|phets, whom God never &s;ent, and will not own the Lord to be your teacher, the light in your con&s;cience is your condemna|tion, for this is the condemnation of the world, that light is come, and men hates it.</P>
<P>So be you warned all people, the day of the Lord is at hand, and now he calls, therefore hear his voyce, and hearken to his light, which is of Chri&s;t, which onely is needfull to &s;alvation; and there is no other name given for &s;alvation. And if you will not hear and receive this day of vi&s;itation, which in love appears unto you, you &s;hall hear in the day of vi&s;itation of ven|geance; and behold the Lord comes quickly, make &s;traight his pathes; the light is your teacher if you love it; and your con|demnation if you have it.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Written from <HI>London,</HI> to go abroad in the Nation of <HI>Ireland,</HI> as a vi&s;itation to all &s;orts of people, and is the &s;ealing of the Lords te&s;timony unto that land, as moved of the Lord, in love, and pitty, to lo&s;t &s;oules,</DATELINE>
<SIGNED>by Edw: Burrough.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="discourse">
<PB N="12" REF="8">
<HEAD>A Warning to the Heads, and Rulers, and people of <HI>Dublin.</HI></HEAD>
<P>HEar the word of the Lord oh ye Inhabitants of the City of <HI>Dublin,</HI> ye Rulers, and Magi&s;trates, Governours, Collonels, Captains, and Souldiers, and all ye people of the City, and ye Inhabitants of the Land of <HI>Ireland,</HI> my word is to you all, &s;aith the Lord.</P>
<P>Oh thou City of <HI>Dublin,</HI> in the day of thy calamity, when &s;orrow, fear, paine and tribulation was upon thee, when thou was compa&s;&s;ed about with adver&s;aries, who cryed ah, ha! we will make thee as a plaine, and as a wilderne&s;&s;e, as we have done the re&s;t of the Nation: And they &s;aid in their hearts none &s;hould be able to deliver you out of their hands, but &s;aid, we will cut off and de&s;troy at once, that our &s;elves may be exalted; I the Lord who changes not, was as a fortre&s;&s;e, and as a bulwark about thee, and made thy heart couragious again&s;t them, and delivered thee out of their hands, even from a peo|ple who&s;e hands was full of blood, and who&s;e mercies were cru|elty, and who&s;e hearts were hardned again&s;t me, and had &s;ould them&s;elves to work evill in my &s;ight, and counted it their glory to de&s;pi&s;e my name, and to abhor all righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in their hearts: And in that day when they opened their mouths wide, as a Leviathan, to &s;wallow thee up, and make thee a heap of &s;tones, and a de&s;olation; Then I made thy walls as iron, and thy gates as bra&s;&s;e, and thy batteries &s;trong, and guarded thee, and compa&s;&s;ed thee about with my &s;trength, and I made thy face as an Adamant again&s;t them, and delivered thee by my out|&s;tretched arme, and by my power, out of their hands, and brake the teeth of thy enemies, and put a hook in their jawes, and brake them before thee as a potters ve&s;&s;ell, and powred out my indignation again&s;t them as a flood, and my wrath as a &s;tream &s;wept them all away, and I gave their carka&s;es to fall by
<PB N="13" REF="8">
the &s;word, and for the fowles of the aire to feed upon, and hath made them peri&s;h in my wrath, and cut them off in my &s;ore di&s;|plea&s;ure, and made their names &s;tink in the Nations, and their Princes are ca&s;t out as a withered branch, and are peri&s;hed with the uncircumci&s;ed, and their glory and renown is turned into reproach and everla&s;ting infamy, and are rotten and become as dung and as mire to tread upon in the &s;treets. Therefore thus &s;aith the Lord unto thee oh <HI>Dublin,</HI> and to thy Inhabitants O Nation of <HI>Ireland,</HI> take heed and beware lea&s;t thou be lifted up in thy heart, and &s;ay, my hand hath done all this, but give glo|ry and honour to me, &s;aith the Lord, who am the God of the living, who dwells in the light; and now beware that the &s;ame root of bitterne&s;&s;e &s;pring not up in thee, as did in them whom I ca&s;t out before you.</P>
<P>And oh you Rulers and Heads of the people, I have &s;ent to try you, and this I require of you, Doe ju&s;tice, love righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and ea&s;e the oppre&s;&s;ed, and take heed of &s;eeking your &s;elves, and your own honour, and glory, and renown in the earth, nor Lord it not over your brethren, who have born a part of your &s;uffering, and the Nations, in the heat of the day: Lift not up your &s;elves as the Gentile Lords whom I ca&s;t out, who exerci&s;ed dominion one over another, and did grind the face of their brethren, and made them as &s;laves, and intreated them &s;hamefully; and becau&s;e of this I ca&s;t them out, and hath given their dominion to others, and their hou&s;es and lands you po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e, which you builded nor planted not. Now there|fore take heed unto your &s;elves, and be of a perfect heart be|fore me; For my righteou&s;no&s;&s;e is to be revealed in the earth, and now I am about to declare my name, and my power and my glory will I reveal in the earth, and will poure out my Spi|rit upon my &s;ons and my daughters, whom I have, and will &s;end abroad to publi&s;h my name, and declare my cou&s;ell to the ends of the earth, that the Nation may know me, whom for many generations they have wor&s;hipped ignorantly. There|fore be ye all warned, &s;tint not me, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ words"> not me the holy one of I&s;rael, &s;aith the Lord, by your power, nor make no Law a|gain&s;t me &s;o as to think in your hearts to make me &s;ubject to
<PB N="14" REF="9">
any creatures will, for I am the Lord who works, and who &s;hall hinder? and will bring my purpo&s;e to pa&s;&s;e and none &s;hall let; therefore I &s;ay unto you, limit not me, how, where, by whom, and when I mu&s;t &s;peak, for I have cho&s;en the weak things to confound the wife, the mighty, and the honourable: and now I will be no longer flattered with words, but he that is of an up|right heart will I honour, and he that &s;eeks him&s;elfe will I aba&s;e; therefore now while you have time prize it, and neglect not the day of your vi&s;itation.</P>
<P>And oh you Rulers, uphold not the&s;e by a Law whom I have made the people of my cur&s;e, who have devoured Gods heri|tage, and have flattered the Nations, and their Princes, and their Rulers, and have &s;ought them&s;elves, every one &s;eeking for his gaine from his quarter, for with them, above all, my con|trover&s;ie is again&s;t, and my wrath &s;hall be accompli&s;hed upon them, for they have cau&s;ed my people to erre, and they that &s;aid they have &s;poken in my name know me not, therefore my people is lo&s;t becau&s;e there hath been no vi&s;ion among them: But now &s;aith the Lord, a &s;tem is &s;prung up, and the &s;tar of <HI>Ja|cob</HI> &s;hall ari&s;e, and the earth &s;hall be filled with light, and my righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hall flow as a &s;tream; and my glory have I, and will I to my &s;ervants reveal, who have denyed and doe de|nie them&s;elves and follow me, unto them is my will revealed.</P>
<P>Therefore hearken oh ye people, and give eare thou Nation of <HI>Ireland,</HI> and all your people from highe&s;t to the lowe&s;t, thus &s;aith the Lord, Though thou be parched, and thy skin peeled off thee, and become as a wilderne&s;&s;e, and as a reproach, and as a lamentation for all that pa&s;&s;e by; thy walls I will build, and thy breaches which is as the Sea will I make up, and thou &s;halt be no more a proverb, nor a reproach, nor a hi&s;&s;ing to the Na|tions, and to all that pa&s;&s;e by; for becau&s;e of unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e the Land &s;aid I wa&s;t, and gave it to the &s;poiler; &s;o now if thou wilt hearken unto me, I will rep&s;eni&s;h thee againe, and the rem|nant that I have &s;pared &s;hall be ble&s;&s;ed&punc; Therefore all ye peo|ple give eare, and take need of lying &s;wearing, cur&s;ing, drun|kenne&s;&s;e, coveteou&s;ne&s;&s;e whoredom, drunkenne&s;s, hypocri&s;ie, di&s;&s;imulation, and wor&s;hipping &s;trange Gods, for tho&s;e and
<PB N="15" REF="9">
many more abominations that was committed among the peo|ple, I ca&s;t them out, and made them a reproach, and executed my wrath upon them. Therefore fear me, who am near, who inhabites eternity, and dwells in the light; I am near, &s;aith the Lord, and my light is revealed in your con&s;ciences, and there mind my light which convinceth and &s;hews you every one your &s;ins, and love it, and bring all your deeds to be tryed by it, and there you will &s;ee me revealed in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, to all you that waite upon me, and keep your &s;elves from the pollution of the heathen, and &s;o the way of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e you will know as you hearken unto me, &s;aith the Lord, who dwells in the light, which is the life of men, and &s;earcheth the hearts of the &s;ons of men by the light. Therefore unto the light take heed, this is pre|&s;ent with you, in which God manife&s;ts him&s;elfe, here is all your teacher loving it, here is your condemnation, hating it, as Chri&s;t &s;aith who is the light. So all people of the Nation, I have clea|red my con&s;cience unto you, as I was moved of the everla&s;ting God; And &s;o be you all warned, lea&s;t the &s;ame thing come upon you as did upon them whom I ca&s;t out and trod under foot, &s;aith the Lord.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Dub. <DATE>16 of the 6 Month, 1655.</DATE></DATELINE>
A lover of your &s;oules, and one that hath borne with you in &s;uffering, and &s;hall rejoyce with you as you own the Lord, who hath vi&s;ited you, called after the fle&s;h,
<SIGNED>Francis Howgill.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="discourse">
<HEAD>An Information to the Heads, and the ground of the Law layed down to the Judges and Ju&s;tices, and to all that handle the Law in that Nation.</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<P>ALL ye Heads, and Rulers, and Judges, and Coun&s;ellours, and all you that &s;it in Coun&s;ell together in the Seat of Ju&s;tice and Judgement, from whom the Law doth goe
<PB N="16" REF="10">
forth into the Nation, and all you that handle the Law take heed to your &s;elves, for the living God of power is judge of you and over you all, to you all I &s;peak the word of the Lord, with|out re&s;pect to any of your per&s;ons (but is a lover and re&s;pecter of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and true judgement, and ju&s;tice) that I may &s;tand clear of your blood, for God hath laid it upon me to give you warning, which if I doe not your blood will be upon me, and if this you refu&s;e to hear and obey, your blood be upon your &s;elves for ever.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t Je&s;us is the light of the world, the true light, which lightneth every man that comes into the world, and by which every one of you is lightned, which light, if it you love and be guided by, it will lead you out of the worlds way and nature and unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and will give you an entrance into eter|nall life and peace, and an a&s;&s;urance in Chri&s;t when this world cea&s;es to be, and in this world it will teach you how to &s;erve God in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in your generation, and to give righteous judgements and coun&s;ell among your brethren without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, for the Law of God re&s;pects no mans per&s;on, nor Ju&s;tice regards not the per&s;on of the mighty; the light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us in all your con&s;ciences, and in all mens con&s;ciences, is ju&s;t, and one with Chri&s;t, and one with the Law of God, in its mea|&s;ure, and condemneth the unju&s;t and all works of wickedne&s;&s;e, who again&s;t it doth act; by which light every one of you be|ing guided, your own con&s;ciences in particular will be exerci&s;ed towards God and towards men, and by him you being ruled and judged will know how to rule and to judge for him in the world among men, who are required for God to rule and judge in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and equity, and none can rule for God but who are ruled by him, with his light which &s;hines in the con&s;cience, by which you being governed, will by it governe in the earth righteou&s;ly. You are not to judge for gifts and rewards, for if you doe you judge not for God but for your &s;elves, and you and your judgement is to be judged and condemned with the righteous Law of God which is free but &s;uch who fear God and hates coveteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and gifts and rewards, are to bear rule, and &s;uch will handle the Law righteou&s;ly, and will be a terror to e|vill
<PB N="17" REF="10">
doers who doth not fear God but acts contrary to the light of Chri&s;t in their own con&s;ciences, and &s;o tran&s;gre&s;&s;es the ju&s;t Law, and brings them&s;elves under the guilt and &s;o under con|demnation, and &s;uch a Government will &s;tand for the prai&s;e of them that doe well and encouraging of the upright, but if &s;uch bear rule and handle the Law which know not God nor is not ruled by him, the&s;e will abu&s;e the Law, and will be a terrour to righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and good works, and will &s;trengthen the hands of evill doers and will let vice and wickednes e&s;cape unpuni&s;hed. This I &s;peak in love to all your &s;oules, to the informing of all your minds, that you may know your place and how to exalt ju&s;tice and judgement; the light of the Son of God, by which every man is lighted, is but one in all, ju&s;t, righteous, and equall, the &s;ame in him that hates it and tran&s;gre&s;&s;es the righteous Law, as it is in him that loves it, and judges all tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions. And this light of Chri&s;t, by which all men is lightned, is the &s;eate of ju&s;tice and of true judgement, and the ground of all good whol|&s;ome Laws, and every Law that is contrary to it is for condem|nation by it: Therefore I &s;ay, waite in the light, by which you are lightned, to receive the pure Law of God to judge all cau|&s;es by, and make no Law in your own wills, nor act not in &s;uch Laws made by the will of man, for &s;uch Laws is oppre&s;&s;ion, and tyranny lodges in them, and fal&s;e judgement, and &s;uch God hath and will ca&s;t out, who acted from that ground. So be ye warned by their fall, and judge not after your own thoughts, nor &s;en&s;uall carnall wi&s;dome, nor follow not your own wills, nor the coun&s;ell of your own hearts, but &s;tand in Gods coun&s;ell, and fear his name, and tremble at his pre&s;ence, and waite to be gui|ded by him in his holy Law, which all unrighteous coun&s;ells, and vaine affections, and fal&s;e judgements will condemn in your own hearts, &amp; then you will truly know how to judge your bre|thren in equity &amp; righteou&s;nes, how to reward well doers, &amp; how to puni&s;h evil doers according to the mea&s;ure of their tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ions, and according to the light in their own con&s;ciences, by which they being convinced from your Law of the evill of their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, will confe&s;&s;e your Law and judgement to be ju&s;t and equall, and you to be righteous Judges; here you judge
<PB N="18" REF="11">
for God, and bears not the &s;word in vaine, but is a terror to tran&s;gre&s;&s;ours, and to the di&s;obedient, and lawle&s;&s;e, again&s;t which the Law was onely added to &s;lay unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, but it was not made for the righteous who&s;e con&s;ciences are exerci&s;ed towards God and towards man, by the pure Law of God writ|ten in the heart, and upon &s;uch and over &s;uch your Law hath no power, for they are one, and in union with that Law which is righteous and doth witne&s;&s;e the ju&s;tne&s;&s;e, and goodne&s;&s;e, and holine&s;&s;e of it, but if you make a Law in your own wills, and judge by &s;uch a Law, then you will make the innocent &s;uffer, and oppre&s;&s;es them who walks in the Law of God and in the exerci&s;e of a pure con&s;cience, Chri&s;t was put to death by &s;uch a Law, and the Saints in all generations was per&s;ecuted by &s;uch Laws which was made in the will of man contrary to the will and Law of God; therefore take heed to your &s;elves lea&s;t God hew down you and your Law together, and condemn you by his righteous Law eternally, which Law of God needs not to be made but is made already, and to be witne&s;&s;ed by the light in every mans con&s;cience to ju&s;tification or condemnation, and is revealed in all that love righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. So take heed what you doe, and know your place and the length and breadth of your Law which is committed to you, which is to keep the outward man in good order, and the Nations in peace and truth, and from theft, and murder, and adultery, and fighting and quar|relling, and drunkene&s;&s;e, and wronging one another, and &s;uch like; &s;uch who acts the&s;e things walks contrary to the light, and &s;o brings them&s;elves under the penalty of the Law; but over the inward man your Law which is outward hath no pow|er to bind, to limit, or to tie too or from any way of wor&s;hip in Religion, but let Religion defend it &s;elfe, and lay not your Law upon the con&s;cience to exerci&s;e dominion over it, for it is Chri&s;ts &s;eat in whom he will rule, lea&s;t you be found tyrants and numbred for de&s;truction, nor limit not the Spirit of the Lord how, when, where, and by whom it mu&s;t &s;peak, for the holy men of God in all ages ever cryed again&s;t &s;uch Laws as was con|trary to the Law of God, and did limit the Spirit of the Lord, and again&s;t &s;uch Rulers as did judge fal&s;e judgement, and for
<PB N="19" REF="11">
gifts and rewards, and again&s;t &s;uch Prie&s;ts and Prophets as prea|ched for hire, and divined for money, and &s;ought for their gaine from their quarter, and made a prey upon the people, and through coveteou&s;ne&s;&s;e made merchandize of &s;oules; therefore be ye warned, if &s;uch you uphold by a Law which acts tho&s;e things which the Scripture declares again&s;t, which the holy men of God gave forth by his Spirit, the Scripture which you profe&s;&s;e &s;hall &s;tand a witne&s;&s;e again&s;t you, and the Law of God will condemn you, and God will lay your honour in the du&s;t, and ca&s;t you out of the &s;eat of Judgement, as he hath done the power of the King &amp; Bi&s;hops before you, but judge the cau&s;e of the poor &amp; needy, of the widow &amp; fatherles, &amp; joyn mercy with judgment, and lay your &s;words upon oppre&s;&s;ion and all tyranny and wrong dealing, that the land may be clean&s;ed of evill doers, and equity and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e may flow down, and the Nation in good or|der may be kept in peace and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and &s;o God will e&s;tabli&s;h you among his children, who are taught of him alone, and are far from oppre&s;&s;ion, to the light of God in all your con|&s;ciences I doe &s;peak which if you make Laws contrary to it, and judge contrary to it, it is the eternall condemnation of you, and of your Lawes and judgement. And remember you are warned in your life time, and my con&s;cience is cleared to you, and in the day of the Lord you &s;hall witne&s;&s;e me to be true, and this to be the word of the Lord to you, whether you will hear or forbear. Written to you by a friend of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and true judgement from the Spirit of the Lord, as moved of him in love to all your &s;oules, to go abroad among the heads and Rulers and Judges in <HI>Dublin</HI> and el&s;e where through the Nation of <HI>Ireland,</HI> from one who is called a <HI>Quaker</HI> by &s;corners who&s;e name in the fle&s;h is,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Edw: Burrough.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>Written at</HI> Dublin <DATE><HI>the 23 of the 8 month, 1655.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
And now O ye Heads and Rulers, happy had you been if you had taken the coun&s;el of the Lord, and &s;ubmitted to have obeyed his word, which came to you as moved of him, but in that you have neglectted, &amp; have made Laws in your will, &amp; exerci&s;ed Lord&s;hip over the con&s;cience, and have limited the Lord, and have purpo&s;ed to be a terror to good, and &s;trengthned the wicked&punc; and have not regarded the will of God, but have per&s;ecuted and impri&s;oned the innocent, and judged after your own hearts; therefore according to the word of the Lord, your blood will be upon your own heads, for you have not taken warning, and I am clear thereof for ever.</CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="20" REF="12">
<HEAD>An Exhortation &s;ent to the chiefe Commander and his Coun&s;ell, and the ju&s;t cau&s;e of the Innocent laid at their door.</HEAD>
<P>WE who are &s;ervants of the Lord of Ho&s;ts, who is the Protector of heaven and earth; we who &s;tand in his fear, and knows his coun&s;ell, are moved of him who lives for ever, who is, I am, and there is none be&s;ides him; to clear our con&s;ciences, and our Lords truth, from the lies and &s;landers which are ca&s;t upon us, and the good way of the Lord, which envious Spirits who are proud and knows nothing, that cannot abide &s;ound doctrine, doth reproach and &s;lander us, and by fal&s;e accu&s;ations lay things to our charge which we never knew; therefore we being innocent and clear cannot but deny and bear witne&s;&s;e again&s;t all tho&s;e proceedings, which is not accor|ding to the Law of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and equity, and lay them at your door, whom it nearly concernes.</P>
<P>Unto thee <HI>Henry Cromwell,</HI> who is Commander in chiefe for the affaires of <HI>Ireland,</HI> and to thy Coun&s;ell we write. We have &s;een two &s;everall Warrants under your hands, dated at <HI>Dublin,</HI> and in them both you &s;ay you have received information at your board, of great di&s;orders, and di&s;turbances of late in the County of <HI>Corke,</HI> and places adjacent, by <HI>Francis Howgill</HI> and <HI>Edward Burrough.</HI> This we &s;ay unto you, Your Informer hath declared an untruth at your board, and we de&s;ire that you may make it appear wherein we have made any di&s;turbance, or di&s;order, all the&s;e things in your Warrents we denie, and doe charge you in the name of the God of ju&s;tice to &s;end for them that &s;o informed you, that have &s;o abu&s;ed you, and are &s;o bold and impudent, as to declare unto you any &s;uch thing, and &s;o hath cau&s;ed you to bring guilt upon your &s;elves, in &s;ending out your Warrants to bring the Innocent before your judgement &s;eat, and cau&s;ed us to be dragged a hundred miles from place to place, as malefactors, and as though we had done &s;ome crimi|nall act, and when we have come before you, you had nothing to lay to our charge, but hath endeavoured to give &s;entence of
<PB N="21" REF="12">
bani&s;hment of us out of your Nation, who are free born Engli&s;h men, and have alwayes been faithfull and true to the Common|wealths intere&s;t from fir&s;t to la&s;t, even untill now, neither have been burthen &s;ome to your Nation, nor tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed any known Law of the Nation, and you have judged us before our accu&s;ers come, and herein you doe us great inju&s;tice, and you act con|trary to the Law of equity, and that which you your &s;elves in your own ca&s;e would not allow; to that in all your con&s;ciences I &s;peak. Oh that ever you &s;hould thus requite the Lord for his love and mercy, in breaking the yoak of the oppre&s;&s;or from off your necks, and now power is given into your hands to re|lieve the Innocent, and to &s;et the oppre&s;&s;ed free, to execute judgement and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e upon the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors, whom the Law is again&s;t: and this doth God require of you, that his will may be done, and your wills denyed, that &s;o the Nation may be e&s;tabli&s;hed in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and that your latter end may be better then your beginning; but if you goe on in the way you are beginning, and turne ju&s;tice backward, and let equi|ty fall in the &s;treets, and not &s;uffer judgement to enter, then mi&s;ery will be your end.</P>
<P>Woe is me, for you have all forgotten the rock from whence you were hewn, and the deliverances of the Lord to you in the time of di&s;tre&s;&s;e, yea you have forgotten, and your hearts are lifted up, and by your policy think to e&s;tabli&s;h your own wills, and to limit the holy one a way, and &s;et up your &s;tandard by his, and tru&s;t in the arme of fle&s;h; what is become of the liber|ty of tender con&s;ciences you have &s;poken of&punc; and we have enga|ged with you to purcha&s;e? and is it ended in this? Oh horrible hypocri&s;ie! that they who bear witne&s;&s;e again&s;t all &s;in, and iniquity, and again&s;t all deceit, that they &s;hould now be made a prey of. And we charge all in the name of the living God, in <HI>Ireland</HI> to convince us of evill, or the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of any Law; and if it cannot be done, let none lay hold on us, to a|bridge us of our liberty, lea&s;t you bring guilt upon your &s;elves. And doe not take coun&s;ell at them&punc; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">or hold them up, who are hirelings, and in the &s;teps of the fal&s;e Prophets walks, and in the error of <HI>Balaam,</HI> who &s;peaks for gifts and rewards, who in all
<PB N="22" REF="13">
generations re&s;i&s;ted every appearance of God in his Saints; and now would make all bow to their Image, and they bend their tongues, and reports lies, and makes lies their refuge, the hand of the dreadfull God of Heaven and earth is again&s;t them, yea the Lord will thunder from Heaven again&s;t them, they &s;hall be blown away in the whirle wind of Gods wrath, who have perverted the way of the Lord, becau&s;e they &s;tand not in the coun&s;ell of the Lord, but &s;latter you, as they have done the Prin|ces in all generations, till all was laid wa&s;t together.</P>
<P>Woe is me for you, have you con&s;ulted, have you taken coun&s;ell together again&s;t the Lord, and his &s;ervants, whom he hath &s;ent unto you, and doe ye thus requite the Lord already? Have you &s;ent out your decree, to &s;hut out and root out the &s;eed of <HI>Jacob</HI> in a day, whom the Lord hath made choice of a|bove all the families of the earth, &s;urely your decree will be broken, and your cords will be but as a bulru&s;h; for them whom you now &s;et at nought is precious in the eyes of the Lord, and unto our God &s;hall you bow and wor&s;hip at his &s;eet. Con&s;ider if there be any hone&s;ty left among you, what is become of all the per&s;ecutors of old? what became of the Bi&s;hops, and what became of that power that held them up, are they not all &s;unk as a &s;tone into the Sea, and become a reproach? And will you tell of reformation, and yet act in the &s;ame foot&s;teps? if you go on you are at the bank of de&s;truction, and at the &s;ides of the pit, and you will be made as a ruinous heap, and as de&s;olate as mount <HI>E&s;au&punc;</HI> which is a place for Dragons; was not per&s;ecution ever blind? would they ever own them&s;elves to be &s;uch? for verily if you knew us, you would not have done &s;o unto us. When <HI>Herod</HI> &s;tretched out his hand to vex certaine of the Church, the next you hear of him he is eaten up of worms; the dread of the Lord of Ho&s;ts is upon all the proud, and lofty, and high oaks, and the wind of the Almighty &s;hall blow them all down root and branch, and all your &s;trength, in which you tru&s;t, if you take coun&s;ell at <HI>Aegypt,</HI> will become as a bowed wall, and as a rotten hedge; and God will make them that exalts them&s;elves again&s;t him, as a dunghill, and as the Princes of <HI>Gog,</HI> of <HI>Me&s;ek,</HI> and <HI>Tuball,</HI> which are all peri&s;hed among the re&s;t of the uncir|cumci&s;ed.
<PB N="23" REF="13">
Oh ye pot&s;heards doe you think you can limit the Lord, will he be in&s;tructed by you? he that reproves him let him an&s;wer it&punc; Can you command the wind that it blow not upon the earth? Can you &s;top the waves of the Sea, and &s;ay unto them be &s;till? Can you &s;top the bottles of Heaven that it raine not? If you cannot, all be &s;ilent, and &s;trive not to re&s;i&s;t the Lord in his own work which he is bringing to pa&s;&s;e in this his own day, he will confound the wi&s;dome of the wi&s;e, and bring to nought the honourable of the earth, and make all as a plaine before him, who can with&s;tand him? Oh ye pot&s;heards feare and tremble before him, who is a con&s;uming fire to all the ungodly, who is vi&s;iting the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ours with vengeance dread and fu|ry, and putting into their hands a cup of trembling, and making <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> a burthen &s;ome &s;tone, all that meddle with it &s;hall be wearied, they &s;hall faint and bow them&s;elves, and &s;ink under it, and be cru&s;hed as with a cart wheel to pieces, and their names &s;hall rot from under heaven, and all &s;hall know our God is the living God, yea the God of gods, yea there is none like him; and know this, no power you had of us except it had been from above, we were with you in the City of <HI>Dublin&punc;</HI> near three months, &s;ome of us, and none laid hands on us, but the time was not come, and till the te&s;timony of the Lord was near fini&s;hed, which he &s;ent us to doe, none could lay hands on us: and know this, though this be a time of temptation and tryall, yet it &s;hall be for the furtherance of the Go&s;pell of Chri&s;t; and though you think in your hearts by &s;ending us out of your Nation that &s;o all will cea&s;e, and deceit will &s;tand without mole&s;tation; I tell you, nay, even the children who are yet in the womb &s;hall be brought forth and bear witne&s;&s;e again&s;t the deceit of this ge|neration. And know this, there is a &s;tump which is but little, which is bound about as with iron and bra&s;&s;e, and out of it &s;hall &s;pring fire that &s;hall be kindled and flame to the torment of all them who wor&s;hip the Bea&s;t and have received his mark, and to the tormenting of all the fal&s; Prophets in the Nation, and it &s;hall burne and none &s;hall be able to quench it&punc; many &s;hall bear wit|ne&s;&s;e unto us, that we came not in our own names, but in the name of the living eternall God&punc; who by his power hath ac|compli&s;hed
<PB N="24" REF="14">
his own work, for his own glory, and many &s;hall ble&s;&s;e us in the name of the Lord; and all our oppo&s;ers &s;hall gna&s;h their teeth, and gnaw their tongues for paine, for the torment that is coming upon them; all that have re&s;i&s;ted the coun&s;ell of the mo&s;t high God&punc; and have gaine-&s;ayed the Lord, they &s;hall peri&s;h in their gaine-&s;aying, and we are clear and free from the blood of all men in this Nation thus far, yea of every City Town and Village unto which we were moved to goe, and the blood of all the re&s;t be upon tho&s;e that have re|&s;i&s;ted us, and a good &s;avour we are unto God in them that have believed in his name, of whom we have borne true witne&s;&s;e un|to, and in them that peri&s;h we are clear in the &s;ight of God.</P>
<P>And oh thou City of <HI>Dublin,</HI> thou art as <HI>Moab</HI> at ea&s;e, and art lifted up in thy heart, and rejoycing in thy &s;poyle, and art making thy &s;elfe merry in the abundance of thy delicacies; oh how full of prophane&s;&s;e art thou? oh how full of pride and vaine glory, of deceit and unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, of lu&s;t and filth, lying and &s;wearing, and full of bryars and thorns? a carele&s;&s;e untoward people: Oh your abominations is loath&s;ome to all the children of light, profe&s;&s;ing God in words, but in your lives and works denies him; oh that thou had&s;t known in this thy day the things that belongs to thy peace, a crooked generation you are, the yoke mu&s;t be laid upon your necks, will neither plague, famin, nor &s;word bring thee into &s;ubjection unto the Lord, will neither mercy nor judgement take place in your hearts; Oh how long &s;hall the Lord bear with you? how long &s;hall he &s;pare you? his long &s;uffering is near at an end, his patience is near out concerning you, and then woe woe to him that &s;hall &s;ee the day which will come, the Lord will ari&s;e as a Lyon, and will rend and tear you, and his &s;word &s;hall be bathed in the blood of his enemies, and he &s;hall be wrath as in the valley of <HI>Acor,</HI> and as in the dayes of <HI>Gibea,</HI> and will bring ye down the mountaines, and levell you ye hills, and will make his name known in your overthrow, except ye repent, and they that are round about you, when they &s;hall &s;ee calamity coming upon you, this &s;hall be their Proverbe, This is the City and people that de&s;pi&s;ed the coun&s;ell of the Lord, and contemned the in|&s;truction
<PB N="25" REF="14">
of the mo&s;t high God, and provoked the Lord to wrath, till his patience was worne out, and his long-&s;uffering came to an end, and therefore is this evill come upon them. Therefore gird your &s;elves in &s;ackcloath, and pour a&s;hes upon your heads, houle and weep ye carele&s;&s;e people, mi&s;ery is com|ing upon you, the dreadfull God will vi&s;ite with a &s;courge, and will make you know he is the Lord; ble&s;&s;ed is he that hears, and con&s;iders, and repents, and turnes from his iniquity, before the decree be &s;ealed again&s;t you, which will never be altered. This is the day of your vi&s;itation, and if you contemn it woe unto you for ever, and &s;o we are clear in Gods &s;ight of you all from the highe&s;t to the lowe&s;t, and your blood if you peri&s;h will the Lord require at your own hands, from this time forth and for evermore.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Dublin <DATE>24 of the 12 Month, 1655.</DATE></DATELINE>
We are friends to all ju&s;t power and are &s;ubject to the highe&s;t power for con&s;cience &s;ake, but witnes against all deceit, and unrighteou&s;nes, and again&s;t all that holds the truth in unrigh|teou&s;nes; who are pri&s;oners of the Lord for the te&s;timony of Chri&s;t, our con&s;ciences bea|ring us witne&s;&s;e in the Holy Gho&s;t,
<SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM>Francis Howgill.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Edw: Burrough.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>The unju&s;t &s;uffering of the ju&s;t declared, and their appeal to the ju&s;t witne&s;&s;e of God in all mens con&s;ciences.</HEAD>
<P>TO all ye Collonels, and Commanders, and Officers, and to all the hone&s;t hearted in the City of <HI>Dublin,</HI> and el&s;e where, to whom this may come. Hereby we the pri&s;oners of the Lord for the te&s;timony of Je&s;us, and for the exerci&s;e of a
<PB N="26" REF="15">
pure con&s;cience, doe lay down our cau&s;e before you, and to the light of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in all your con&s;ciences we appeal in this our cau&s;e of righteou&s;ne&s;s and innocency to be judged thereby; We are men fearing God, and working righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and are friends to the Common-wealth of I&s;rael, and are exalters of ju&s;tice and true judgement in the earth, and are &s;ubject to all ju&s;t power, and to every ju&s;t ordinance of man for con&s;cience &s;ake, and have &s;uffered the lo&s;&s;e of all, and have borne part of the burden with you, that we might obtaine the freedome of the righteous &s;eed, and the liberty of tender con&s;ciences, to &s;erve the Lord in his own way, and we are well known to the Lord, though &s;trangers to you, and are free men in the record of heaven, though now &s;ufferers unju&s;tly under your pre&s;ent au|thority, who hath taken the place of exerci&s;ing Lord&s;hip over our pure con&s;ciences, and hath impri&s;oned us, and endeavoured to give judgement of bani&s;hing us, onely upon fal&s;e accu&s;ations and informations, and &s;landers, without the proofe or te&s;timo|ny of any accu&s;ation of evill ju&s;tly laid to our charge. And to you hereby be it known, that not for evill doing doe we thus &s;uffer, for to this pre&s;ent no man hath convinced us of any evill, nor ju&s;tly proved the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of any Law (martiall or ci|vill) again&s;t us, though we &s;tand accu&s;ed of many grievous things, of which we are clearly innocent in the &s;ight of him that lives for ever, and doth nothing more de&s;ire herein but to be tryed by the Law of equity&punc; and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and judged ac|cording thereunto. By vertue of command given unto us, by the eternall Spirit of the Lord came we into this Land of <HI>Ire|land,</HI> contrary to the will of man, not to &s;eek our &s;elves, nor our own glory, nor to prejudice your Nation nor Government, nor to be hurtfull to your Common-wealth, but with the me&s;|&s;age of the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t Je&s;us we came to turn from darknes to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God, and to mini&s;ter the word of reconciliation and &s;alvation freely with|out a gift or a reward unto lo&s;t &s;oules, and hereof God is our witne&s;&s;e, and al&s;o we have the &s;eals of our Mini&s;try, which unto us herein can give te&s;timony by the &s;ame Spirit, and this are we ready to &s;eal with our blood: And the&s;e &s;ix months, and up|ward
<PB N="27" REF="15">
have we laboured in travells, and &s;ufferings, and reproa|ches, and have pa&s;&s;ed through your Cities and Towns in &s;ober|ne&s;&s;e, and meekne&s;&s;e, have we preached the kingdome of God, and have holden forth the word of truth, and the te&s;timony of Je&s;us, and our lives have we not loved till this day, though &s;ome|times dangers on every &s;ide hath be&s;et us, that we might hold forth the faith of Je&s;us, the author of our profe&s;&s;ion, in the ex|erci&s;e of a pure con&s;cience, both by doctrine and conver&s;ation, and herein we are ju&s;tified in the &s;ight of God, and who is he that condemns us? and doth call heaven and earth to record, and the light in all mens con&s;ciences who have heard our do|ctrine, or &s;een our conver&s;ation, to witne&s;&s;e for us herein, and we challenge all you Nation of <HI>Ireland,</HI> our very enemies, to prove the contrary, though otherwi&s;e we &s;tand fal&s;ly accu&s;ed, and fal&s;ly reputed, to be di&s;turbers, and makers of di&s;orders, to the breach of publique peace, and &s;uch like grievous things up|on the fal&s;e information; whereof a Warrant was i&s;&s;ued out from the chief Ruler and Coun&s;ell of <HI>Ireland,</HI> and we thereby was apprehended in the City of <HI>Corke,</HI> and haled by guards, as malefactors to, before the Coun&s;ell in this City, where none of all the&s;e fal&s;e accu&s;ations was or could be proved again&s;t us, nor the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of any known Law could we be convicted of, and though occa&s;ions was &s;ought again&s;t us, yet none could be found, and though &s;nares was laid for our feet, yet were we not entrapped, but was cleared in the &s;ight of God, witne&s;&s;ed by the light in all their con&s;ciences, and was found innocent and without reproofe in the eye of the Lord, and by our innocency was their orders of fal&s;e accu&s;ations made of none effect, and we thus far proved to be guiltles before the throne of true judg|ment; yet notwith&s;tanding contrary to the light in their own con&s;ciences, and contrary to the ju&s;t Laws of the Nations (which afordeth freedome to the freeborn and righteous) were we com|mitted to pri&s;on, without conviction or any guilt charged up|on us, or the lea&s;t appearance of evill towards any mans per&s;on, though fal&s;ly accu&s;ed, yet nothing given true te&s;timony of a|gain&s;t us, whereby our boldne&s;&s;e in the way of the Lord could be di&s;couraged, as having the te&s;timony of the Spirit of God
<PB N="28" REF="16">
bearing us witne&s;&s;e in the Holy Gho&s;t, that in all good con&s;ci|ence towards God and towards man we have lived unto this day, and &s;o are without reproofe in the &s;ight of God and all ju&s;t men; and though upon &s;earch and examination we were found guiltles thus far, yet further hath the enemy the Devil pre|vailed in cruelty again&s;t the innocent, that it is endeavoured that we be bani&s;hed, under the account of vagabonds, which la&s;t ac|cu&s;ation is the mo&s;t fal&s;e and urighteous, for we challenge this, of whom have we begged? or to whom have we been burden|&s;ome? or who&s;e bread have we eaten for nothing? or what evil have we done? where is the te&s;timony of your &s;lande<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">s? but innocently doe we &s;uffer the&s;e things, bearing reproaches, and binding the cruelty done unto us as chaines about our our necks, and as crowns upon our heads, having the a&s;&s;urance that for well doing we &s;uffer the&s;e things from the hands of the Rulers, through the lies and &s;landers of the teachers, who are in <HI>Cains</HI> way of per&s;ecution, till they have fulfilled their mea&s;ure of wickedne&s;&s;e, and be laid wa&s;t as the wilderne&s;&s;e. And this is our cau&s;e, and hereby it comes before you, by the light of Chri&s;t in your con&s;ciences to be judged, if your hearts be not altogether hardned and your minds wholly blinded, and we lay it at the doore to receive &s;entence from you, and without re&s;pect of your per&s;ons, holds forth our guiltle&s;&s;e cau&s;e before you, not begging any thing from you, but herein to clear our con&s;cien|ces, that you may &s;ave your &s;elves from this untoward genera|tion, who&s;e root is corrupt, and fruit bitterne&s;&s;e, for while we have breath from the Lord and injoynment of his pre&s;ence, our duty is to &s;erve the Lord in bearing witne&s;&s;e again&s;t inju&s;tice and all cruelty and oppre&s;&s;ion, and &s;hall appeal to receive ju|&s;tice from the pre&s;ent power which now rules; for in the name of the Lord we challenge our priviledge of freedome as being freeborn&punc; till we be accu&s;ed guilty by the ju&s;t Law of equity, unto which we are &s;ubject for con&s;cience &s;ake, and not to any mans will, but by word and writing is bound by the Law of God to bear witne&s;&s;e again&s;t the unju&s;t proceedings herein of the Heads and Rulers of <HI>Dublin,</HI> and &s;hall &s;eale our witne&s;&s;e a|gain&s;t them, and again&s;t their unrighteous decrees &s;ealed
<PB N="29" REF="16">
in their cruelty again&s;t the innocent with our blood, if there|unto we be called.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Dub. <DATE>26 of the 12 Month, 1655.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED><LIST>
<ITEM>Francis Howgill.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Edw: Burrough.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="discourse">
<HEAD>A Challenge to the Prie&s;ts of <HI>Dublin,</HI> to try their God, and their Mini&s;try, and their wor&s;hips.</HEAD>
<P>WE the &s;ervants and faithfull witne&s;&s;es of the mo&s;t high God, called and cho&s;en of him, and redeemed out of Nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, who are Mini&s;ters of the word of life, and reconciliation, and me&s;&s;engers of glad ti|dings, and &s;alvation, unto captive and weary &s;ouls, our glorying is onely in the Lord, and not in our &s;elves, who are by the world in &s;corne called <HI>Quakers,</HI> who are at this pre&s;ent in outward bonds for the te&s;timony of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in <HI>Dublin,</HI> and who have been in the labour and travell of the Go&s;pell of God, this &s;ix months and upwards, in this Nation of <HI>Ireland,</HI> according to the will of God ordained hereunto, and moved, and com|manded by his eternall Spirit into this his work, for the Seeds &s;ake which is not of this world, to the gathering of it into the fold of everla&s;ting peace, and to the clearing of the Lord from the bloud of his enemies, that they may be left without excu&s;e, by his powerfull word given unto us, and uttered by us (and herein we are a good &s;avor to God, both in them that peri&s;h and in them that believe) and for this cau&s;e have we denyed our deare&s;t and neare&s;t Relations, and loves not our lives unto death, that our te&s;timony we may fini&s;h which is committed to us of the Lord; and becau&s;e of this are we labourers under many burdens, and travells in many afflictions, and &s;ufferings, and are abundantly reproached, and our Lords truth of which
<PB N="30" REF="17">
we bear witne&s;&s;e, greatly infamed, by many &s;landering, and back-biting tongues, e&s;pecially by the Teachers, and profe&s;&s;ed Mini&s;ters, in the eares of their people and hearers, &s;landering us with being Je&s;uits, and deceivers, and &s;educers, and hereticks, and bla&s;phemers, and witches, and &s;uch like; and we of tho&s;e fal&s;e accu&s;ations being clear, and our Lords truth, the te&s;timo|ny&punc; which we hold wholly innocent, and are willing to be tryed, and proved, and made manife&s;t to the Inhabitants of this City and Nation, in the &s;ight of God.</P>
<P>This therefore am I moved to give forth; and hereby in the name of our living eternall God of heaven and earth, whom we &s;erve, and wor&s;hip, in that way which is called here&s;ie, doe &s;end it abroad as a Challenge to to all you Teachers, and pretended Mini&s;ters of what &s;ort and forme &s;oever, and to all you people whom it may really concerne, and e&s;pecially to all you in the City of <HI>Dublin,</HI> and places el&s;ewhere in <HI>Ireland,</HI> to whom this may come, that you meet us in the City of <HI>Dublin,</HI> at &s;ome publique place, at a conveniant time appointed by you, at which place and time if the Lord permit (by the permition of the Coun&s;ell of <HI>Ireland,</HI> who&s;e pri&s;oners we are) we &s;hall you meet then there, to have a faire and &s;ober di&s;pute in the pre&s;ence of all people, who may de&s;ire to be informed, or &s;a|tisfied, concerning us and you, in the&s;e things whereof you can accu&s;e us; and al&s;o of tho&s;e things, by way of &s;ober que&s;tions, which we have to propound to you, not for any end to our &s;elves, not to &s;et up a kingdome of our own (God is our wit|ne&s;&s;e) but that the way of our God may be made manife&s;t, and all deceit, and errour di&s;covered, and all people may be infor|med the way to &s;alvation, and as you are true to your God, and will an&s;wer for him, and are willing to be made manife&s;t in your way of wor&s;hip, and doctrine, and Mini&s;try, you are not to neglect, but hearing to an&s;wer our de&s;ires, and the de&s;ires of many hundreds, that you and we may be made manife&s;t in the &s;ight of God, to all mens con&s;ciences, who are in truth, and who are in errour, that &s;hame and condemnation may come upon the guilty, and truth may be exalted over all deceit.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Given under our hands, </DATELINE>
<SIGNED>who are pri&s;oners for the te&s;timony
<PB N="31" REF="17">
of Je&s;us, who&s;e names in the fle&s;h are <HI>Francis Howgill</HI> and <HI>Edw: Burrough.</HI></SIGNED>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P>You are de&s;ired to &s;end your An&s;wer of the&s;e Propo&s;itions to us, and if you con&s;ent to meet us, let &s;ufficient notice be gi|ven abroad, that the Inhabitants of the City and country may know five or &s;ix dayes time before.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Sent forth the 23 of the 12 Month, from the Sergeant at Armes his hou&s;e in <HI>Dublin.</HI></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</POSTSCRIPT>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P>This was &s;ent to the Prie&s;ts of <HI>Dublin,</HI> but no an&s;wer to this day have we received from them; whereby it is manife&s;t that they are not true to their God, nor willing to be tryed and made ma|nifest, but loves darkene&s;&s;e and hates the light, and back-bites in &s;ecret, and cannot give a witne&s;&s;e openly but falls before the tryall, and truth reigns over them, and is exalted over their deceit.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="discourse">
<HEAD>A Di&s;covery of the Idoll dumb Shepheards in that Nation, and a Lamentation over their &s;tarved and &s;trayed flocks.</HEAD>
<P>THe day of the Lord is approaching, and the day of account draws near upon you the Inhabitants of the earth, the time of your Covenant is expired made with death, and hell, and the Lord God will plead with you, and reckon with you, and give unto you a ju&s;t reward, every one according to your deeds, even the condition of your Bond.</P>
<P>Ye Shepheards, and Pa&s;tors of the flock, and Teachers of the people, what account will ye render to the Lord in the day of his appearing? Should you not have gathered the flock, and fed them, and taught them in the way of righteou&s;nes, &amp; pre&s;erved them from &s;traying abroad, but in&s;tead thereof you have &s;cattered them upon the barren mountaines, and have &s;tarved them, and have &s;trayed them, and led them into by
<PB N="32" REF="18">
paths of idolatry, and made a prey upon them, and have fed your &s;elves of them, and the heritage of the Lord hath been wa&s;ted by you, and the pa&s;tures of the fold eaten up by Wolves, and devourers, and Lyons whelps, which made the flock afraid, driven them into &s;ecret corners of darkne&s;&s;e, leanne&s;&s;e, and po|verty, where they are dead for want of food.</P>
<P>O ye Shepheards your account will be wofull, and mi&s;era|ble, in the dreadfull day which is ha&s;tning upon you; not one lamb have you brought forth to perfection, to lie down in peace in the fold, but have nouri&s;ht it into the nature of a dog; and a wolfe, and you have fed them with &s;wines fle&s;h, and with the husk, and milk they have not received from you, thereby to grow up unto God in his Image; and not one fleece hath the Lord gathered from all your flock, you Teachers, She|pheards, and Pa&s;tors, your debt of wickedne&s;&s;e is a gro&s;&s;e &s;um of great abomination in the Record of account, you have taught innocent children into &s;ubtle hypocri&s;ie, out of uprightne&s;&s;e into guile, you have taught lies in&s;tead of truth, and thereby hath the people been in&s;tructed into error, &s;ects, and fal&s;e opi|nions, and not one child have you taught perfect in the way of the Lord, neither one of your hearers have you pre&s;ented per|fect in Chri&s;t Je&s;us unto the Father, but for gifts and rewards have you taken the charge of the learners, and not one hath come to the knowledge of the truth by you under your teach|ing, for you have been a cur&s;ed example, in pride, in coveteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, in oppre&s;&s;ion, and in hypocri&s;ie, and how could you teach children in the way of purity when your &s;elves have wal|ked in the way of Idolatry, the language of <HI>Babylon</HI> have you in&s;tructed the people, and not one ver&s;e have they learned in <HI>Sions</HI> Record, you have nurtured them in the nature of whore|dome, and their virginity have they lo&s;t.</P>
<P>What will ye doe ye Shepheards, and Teachers, the Arre&s;t of judgement from the Court of equity is come forth again&s;t you, and &s;ealed never to be changed; whether will you fly to hide you? Gods judgements will pur&s;ue you, and your reward will be indignation and vengeance, and your charge will be the devouring and murder of &s;oules, and the flock will be re|quired
<PB N="33" REF="18">
of you, and every Lamb, which carele&s;ly you have &s;tarved, the blood thereof will be put upon your account, and every child you have taught in the way of iniquity, the iniquity thereof will be laid to your charge.</P>
<P>O dolefull reckoning! when the Lord appears, a grievous &s;um are you guilty which you are never able to pay, and ju&s;t he is that calleth you to account, and the truth of his Bill will be &s;ealed with the light in your own con&s;ciences, which is the Lords witne&s;&s;e, which hath been privy to all your abominati|ons, one year after another have you been &s;pared, and intere&s;t upon intere&s;t will be put upon your &s;core, not one day of faith|full &s;ervice and true watching over the flock can you give te&s;ti|mony of, but idle Shepheards have you been, and &s;lumbring watchmen have you proved, and the whole flock hath been devoured, and &s;cattered, and not one lamb is found in the fold, nor one &s;trayed &s;heep brought home from wandring, but the fences of the fold is laid wa&s;t, and the door is &s;hut up, and bol|ted again&s;t him that would enter&punc; and you have removed the pa&s;tures out of the plea&s;ant valleys, into the de&s;olate, and wild, and untilled mountaines&punc; where every wilde bea&s;t playeth, and every de&s;olate bird inhabiteth.</P>
<P>What will you plead for your &s;elves? Oh ye deceitfull Hirelings, who have run and was not &s;ent, by whom the peo|ple is not profited at all: But you leaders of the people have cau&s;ed them to erre in unknown paths, and you have taken the charge of that you were not able to performe, you have wa&s;ted the Ma&s;ters goods, and his children have not been taught the way of holine&s;&s;e; you have &s;pent his portion among Harlots, and have given your Lords mony to abominable u&s;es, nothing is gathered of your vines, but wilde grapes, and &s;owre grapes, which the Lords &s;oule loatheth, no figs of your thorns hath been reaped, but your be&s;t fruit hath been of a loath&s;ome ta&s;t, the mo&s;t innocent among you hath been found guilty of inno|cent blood of &s;oules.</P>
<P>Woe is me for you ye flocks of the&s;e Shepheards folds, alas, alas, your &s;oules are &s;tarved, and your feet are &s;trayed, and into by paths of whoredomes have you been in&s;tructed, and the
<PB N="34" REF="19">
door of the true Shepheards fold hath been &s;hut again&s;t you, and the key of true knowledge hath been hid out of your &s;ight, and ob&s;curity and darkne&s;&s;e hath been ca&s;t before you, and the way of the Lord hath been undi&s;covered to your under&s;tanding, and into &s;ecret and &s;ubtle Idolatry and witchcraft have you been nurtured, and your wound hath been healed fal&s;ly, and it will break out into more incurable dangers. O how have you been driven away into &s;trange pa&s;tures, and into barren heaths, and de&s;arts, &s;cattered loe here, and loe there, by the voyces of &s;tran|gers, now when the Lord is come to &s;earch you, in&s;tead of lambs you are found in the nature of wolves, and dogs, and Lyons, bi|ting and devouring, and &s;corning and reproaching the children of the true &s;eed, and in&s;tead of children of light and truth, are you found &s;trong men of darkne&s;&s;e and errour; how is your nature changed &s;ince the fir&s;t creation in the innocent Image of God, &s;trayed have you been, and not one brought home by your Shepheards into the fold of truth, you have been a prey to devourers, and meat for the wild bea&s;ts of the de&s;olate for|re&s;ts, and a &s;trong language have you learned of the <HI>Egyptians</HI> character, and your delight hath been therein, even you have loved to have the&s;e things &s;o, and like Shepheards like &s;heepe &s;trayers and &s;trayed, devourers and being devoured; what ac|count will you give in the day of the Lord? for your &s;in is writ|ten with a pen of Iron, &s;ealed in your foreheads, children of the womb of wickedne&s;&s;e, a gro&s;&s;e &s;um of abomination is put upon your account, even lovers of darkne&s;&s;e, and haters of the light, how many times have you been called by the true Shepheards voyce, and you neglect and will not be gathered? how many good in&s;tructions have you heard? and what profit have you received? much teaching and many Sermons have you heard, and yet to this day the way of truth have you not learned, but are groping in the dark in blindne&s;&s;e and ignorance, and you blind have been led by the blind, and the mouth of the ditch is opened to &s;wallow you uptogether, and you have refu&s;ed know|ledge and cannot endure to be reproved, you love to &s;tray ra|ther then to be gathered, and you delight in leanne&s;&s;e and po|verty upon the barren mountaines rather then to be fed in the
<PB N="35" REF="19">
fat pa&s;tures of true food. Shall not the Lords &s;oule be avenged upon you? Ye Shepheads and flocks, ye Teachers and people, your debt is &s;ummed into a large &s;um of grievous abomination, the Indictment of vengeance is read, and &s;ealing again&s;t you, proved to be ju&s;t in the Regi&s;ter of heaven, everla&s;ting pri&s;on in the pit of darkne&s;&s;e, and everla&s;ting Bani&s;hment from the pre&s;ence of the Lord is &s;igning again&s;t you, in the eternall Law and righteous decree; the light of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t which &s;hines in all your con&s;ciences will ari&s;e to be the evidence of this ju&s;t proceeding. God is grieved with you, you &s;pirituall Ido|laters. Repent, Repent ye Idoll Shepheards, and deceitfull Teachers, and ye &s;cattered flock, and deceived people; This is the day of your vi&s;itation, and a warning in your eares, the &s;word of the Lord is drawn again&s;t you, and the whirle-wind of his wrath is gone forth, your builded wall &s;hall fall, and the pillars of your habitation &s;hall be &s;haken. God will gather his flock out of your mouths, and feed them in his own fold, and your nakednes &s;hall appear, and your deceits &s;hall be laid open, and your &s;ecret whoredoms &s;hall be di&s;covered, your beginning was in darknes, and your time is out of the light, and your end will be in de&s;truction, now you have all time prize it.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Writ in <HI>Corke</HI> City in <HI>I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">eland</HI> as mo|ved of the Lord concerning the Shepheards and flock, the Tea|chers and people in that Nation.</DATELINE>
<SIGNED>From him who is a lover of all your &s;oules, but a witne&s;&s;e again&s;t all your deceits&punc;
<HI>E. E.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="discourse">
<HEAD>An Invitation to all the poor de&s;olate Souldiers to repent and make their peace with the Lord, and their duty &s;hewed them what the Lord requires of them.</HEAD>
<P>TO all you poor de&s;olate Souldiers of the lowe&s;t rank, who are &s;cattered up &amp; down in this de&s;olate Land of <HI>Ireland,</HI> &amp; lives a carele&s;&s;e and a de&s;olate life, without the fear of the Lord, in lying, in &s;wearing, in drunkenne&s;&s;e, in whoredome, in op|pre&s;&s;ion,
<PB N="36" REF="20">
and in the wickedne&s;&s;e of the world, and are pa&s;t fee|ling and &s;en&s;le&s;&s;e of the operation and power of God, care|le&s;&s;e of your eternall happine&s;&s;e: The dreadfull day of the Lord God is coming, in power the Lord is ri&s;en, and the wrath of the Lord is gone forth, with the &s;trength of indignation and &s;ury will you be be&s;ieged, and fearfulne&s;&s;e &s;hall &s;urprize you. Repent of your tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, and fear and tremble before the pre&s;ence of the living God, who is commander in chiefe over heaven and earth; prize your &s;oules, this is the day of your vi&s;itation, and make your peace with the Lord; the righteous Judge the Lord &s;eeth you in your darkne&s;&s;e, and &s;earcheth you in your de&s;olate ob&s;curity, and the &s;oule is pre&s;&s;ed under your iniquities, and he hath not di&s;re&s;pected any of your per|&s;ons or de&s;olate places, but God is light and hath lightned eve|ry one of you with the true light of life eternall, if you love it and be guided by it or of death everla&s;ting if you hate it and di&s;obey it, and walk contrary to it; that is the light which con|vinceth you of &s;in, of lying, and &s;wearing, and cur&s;ed &s;peak|ings, and drunkenne&s;&s;e, which are the fruits of the cur&s;ed tree, which cumbers the ground of the Lord, which the axe is now laid to the root of, to cut it down and ca&s;t it into ever|la&s;ting burning; and while you act again&s;t this light in your con&s;ciences, you crucifie the life of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and are ene|mies unto him, and &s;ervants of the Devill, and loves your evill deeds, and upholders of the Devills conque&s;t, which is the do|minion of &s;in; this light reproves you in &s;ecret of violence, and fal&s;e accu&s;ing, and all unju&s;t words and actions which are contrary to God, &s;o turne your minds to the light, which will lead you to repentance, from dead works, out of the broad way of de&s;truction, which many are in (as Chri&s;t Je&s;us &s;aith) and it will teach you in your places to &s;erve the living God and to doe violence to no man, but to be terrour, and reprovers, and correctors of all violence, and of &s;uch who lives in it; and it will teach you not to &s;trengthen the hands of evill doers, but to lay your &s;word in ju&s;tice upon every one that doth evill, and it will teach you not to make war but to pre&s;erve peace in the earth; and this is your place and duty required of you from
<PB N="37" REF="20">
the Lord God commander in chiefe, unto whom you mu&s;t all give an account, and receive a ju&s;t reward according to your deeds, everla&s;ting puni&s;hment to him that doth evill; but if you &s;tand in the fear of the Lord, your &s;word will be a terrour and dread to them that fear him not but lives contrary to the light in their own con&s;ciences, which light if you love it is your command to march by, and your rule to judge by, and wea|pon to fight withall, and your chiefe commi&s;&s;ion for duty. And now you have all time take heed to your &s;elves, goe not on in your cour&s;e of evill, nor take not your plea&s;ure in unrighteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, but to the light in your con&s;cience take heed, it is your teacher to God if you love it, or your condemnation from God if you hate it; And this is your termes with the Lord, prize the acceptance of his love to your &s;oules, and the day of your vi&s;itation, lea&s;t you peri&s;h in your rebellion eternally. Written in love to your &s;oules,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Written in <HI>Ireland</HI> at <HI>Caterlough.</HI></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>E. B.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="discourse">
<HEAD>A Warning from the Lord to the Natives of that Nation of <HI>Ire|land,</HI> who are made a cur&s;e, and a prey to be de&s;troyed of your enemies.</HEAD>
<P>REpent, Repent, ye that remaine from being devoured, who&s;e dayes are yet &s;tretched forth, that you may return to the Lord, from whom you are grievou&s;ly degenerated into filthine&s;&s;e, and uncleane&s;&s;e, being a cur&s;ed brood, and are be|come unhuman in your impudent &s;hamele&s;&s;e, practices of un|godlines, and are brazened in your filthine&s;&s;e, and cannot blu&s;h when you have done evill, the plagues of God, and his wrath waites to con&s;ume you from off the face of the earth, you are &s;hut up in blindnes and covered with darkne&s;&s;e which may be felt, and you are as deafe Adders, voyd of under&s;tanding, and pa&s;t feeling, and given up to work all unrighteou&s;nes with de|light, counting it your glory to work wickednes, having &s;old your &s;elves to commit &s;in, you have wholly &s;laine Gods wit|nes, and are become wild and bruiti&s;h as the bea&s;ts of the field, and untamed as &s;avage Colts, the indignation of God is again&s;t
<PB N="38" REF="21">
you, who are as dead trees and withered branches, and &s;corched heaths, not &s;en&s;ible of good nor evill, but as wild A&s;&s;es, who neither fears God nor regards man; to the light in your con|&s;ciences, wherewith Chri&s;t hath lightned you, doe I now &s;peak; Gods murdered witnes &s;hall an&s;wer me, by which you are inex|cu&s;able, for with the light you know lying, &s;wearing, &s;tealing, murder, drunkennes, and whoredom, are &s;ins and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions; the light will let you &s;ee the&s;e abounds among you, by which you are reproved, and eternally to be condemned if you do not repent of the&s;e your grievous abominations: And if you love the light and turne to it, it will lead you out of &s;in, and out of your vaine fooli&s;h traditions, and imitations, and &s;orceries, and witchcrafts, which deceives your &s;oules; and this light in your con&s;ciences will change you into &s;obernes, and humanity, and will lead you into the way of life and &s;alvation, out of the way of death and hell&punc; wherein you walk, to eternal mi&s;ery. There|fore prize your &s;oules, and the dreadfull God fear, and tremble before him ye prophane wretches, and cea&s;e from your filthy, na&s;ty, poluted ways of Idolatry, lying, &s;wearing, &s;tealing, drun|kenne&s;&s;e, and &s;uch like, God forbids with the light in your con|&s;ciences, and he that doth the&s;e things &s;hall eternally peri&s;h in condemnation for ever. And this to you is a warning, in pitty to your lo&s;t &s;ouls, who&s;e hearts are de&s;perately wicked, and &s;et to doe mi&s;chiefe; the vengeance of God is again&s;t you, the light in your con&s;ciences &s;hall witnes me, and ju&s;tifie the Lord, in the day of recompence, when every man receives according to his deeds, the righteous unto life, the wicked unto eternall wrath. Now you have time, prize it; the light is your tea|cher loving it, and your condemnation for ever hating it.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Edw: Burrough.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
