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<DATE>10-1-14</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>A <HI>Word of Coun&s;el,</HI> IN THE Love of God, To the Per&s;ecuting <HI>Magi&s;trates &amp; Clergy,</HI> For them to Read and Con&s;ider.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">But chiefly to tho&s;e of the City and County of <HI>Glou|ce&s;ter,</HI> that have been active to carry on that unchri&s;tian work of <HI>Per&s;ecution,</HI> again&s;t their hone&s;t Neighbours, for the exerci&s;e of their tender Con&s;ciences towards God in mat|ters of Religion, by whom many have been great Sufferers.</HEAD>
<P>OH that you would be Warned, and take Coun&s;el in time, whom God hath &s;pared alive to &s;ee this Day, wherein <HI>Liberty of Con&s;cience</HI> is granted to all to Wor&s;hip God as they are pre&s;waded in their own Minds; and now con&s;ider, I entreat you, and repent and return to the Lord, and humble your &s;elves before the mo&s;t high God, that he may pa&s;s by your Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, and blot out your Sins, and &s;hew Mercy unto your Souls before you come to a Dying-Bed; and for time to come do
<PB N="2" REF="2">Ju&s;tly, love Mercy, hate Oppre&s;&s;ion, and walk humbly before the Lord, and with us prize the Mercy of the Lord, who has put a &s;top to your Heats and Pa&s;&s;ions, and inclined the <HI>King</HI> to grant free <HI>Liberty of Con&s;cience</HI> to all, and hath declared, <HI>That Con&s;cience ought not to be forced in matters of meer Religion,</HI> and this none that live in the Doctrine of Chri&s;t (which is, <HI>to do as they would be done by</HI>) can be again&s;t; therefore it is good for all to prize this Mercy, and to receive it from the Hand of the Lord with thank|ful Hearts, and pray unto the Lord to continue this Favour unto us unto the end.</P>
<P>And although you have in time of Per&s;ecution drove on the Work very furiou&s;ly again&s;t us, with a de&s;ign to Ruin us (as &s;ome have been heard to &s;ay) becau&s;e we could not Conform, and come to your Church, and at that time you would not hearken to Coun|&s;el when it was given you, yet the Lord hath put it into my Heart once more to warn you, to mind the things that belongs to your Peace, before they are hid from your Eyes; for there is yet a Door of Mercy open for you, if you Repent with &s;peed, and meet the Lord by amendment of Life, before the Door of Mercy be &s;hut again&s;t you; therefore &s;hut not your Ear again&s;t the Coun&s;el of the Lord; for I can truly &s;ay, that I &s;eek the Peace and Wel|fare of your Souls, and that you &s;hould con&s;ider and lay it to Heart, how you went on without Gods Fear, as th&ocirc; you did not con&s;ider that you were but Mortal Men, and that the Immortal God did &s;ee your Cruelty and Hard-heartedne&s;s again&s;t his People, how you made a Prey upon the Widdow and Fatherle&s;s, and pulled the Sheaf from the Hungry, and the Fatherle&s;s from the Brea&s;t; &s;uch are they that rebel again&s;t the Light, <HI>Job</HI> 24. <HI>Chap.</HI> and &s;uch was your Fury, that you regarded neither Age nor Sex; but now you have an opportunity to look back and take a view of your evil Works, and cea&s;e to do Evil, and learn to do Well, that you may find Favour with God, which is that I de&s;ire to &s;ee, alth&ocirc; I have been a great Suffer by you, who denied me Ju&s;tice; but I with many more cryed unto the Lord in the time of Tribulation, who&s;e Ear was open unto our Cry, and he found a way, which was un|expected for our deliverence, prai&s;e forever to his worthy Name.</P>
<P>And this day of Liberty, if you prize it, may prove a great Ble&s;&s;ing to you, which prevents you from acting more Cruelty
<PB N="3" REF="2" MS="y">again&s;t the Lords People. I write not this to upbraid you, but in Love to warn you, <HI>to do as you would be done by</HI></P>
<P>You Magi&s;trates of the City and County of <HI>Glouce&s;ter,</HI> who have been active in this unchri&s;tian work of Per&s;ecution again&s;t an In|nocent People, if this &s;hould come to your Hands, I entreat you to read it with Moderation, and take Coun&s;el in time, for as I have &s;ometime &s;aid to &s;ome of you, Good Coun&s;el will not hurt you, or any Man. Oh, that I may prevail with you to take Coun&s;el of the Lord, and obey the Light of his Son Chri&s;t Je&s;us in your own Hearts, that will teach you to do as you would be done by, and not to continue in &s;uch an unchri&s;tian frame of Mind, &s;till to Oppre&s;s the Poor. I was grieved to hear that you keep the Poor Man <HI>Wil|liam Bowley</HI> out of his Money, and denied him a Tryal at the la&s;t Se&s;&s;ions, gave Vote again&s;t him in the Court at <HI>Cirence&s;ter,</HI> the 8th Month 1687. he was fined Twenty Pound for Preaching, when he did not Preach; and he was a great Sufferer before, as you know, and as &s;everal that were there will te&s;tifie upon Oath, if called thereunto</P>
<P>Oh! how indu&s;trious have you been all along to drive on this unchri&s;tian Work; for a poor Widdow that had got a little Corn to make her Bread, <HI>viz. Sarah Simons,</HI> which &s;he had gleaned in the Harve&s;t; and another poor Widdow that had bought half a <HI>Bacon Pig,</HI> to feed her Fatherle&s;s Children, and your &s;curvy Or|der frighted Men, &s;o that they took it all away, and you threatned to Ruin us all, and did your endeavour to effect it, and bring it to pa&s;s, and think you the Lord will not vi&s;it for the&s;e things; but what &s;aith the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah, Wo unto them that decree unrighteous Decrees, and that write Grievou&s;ne&s;s, which they have pre&s;cribed to turn away the Needy from Judgment, and to take away the Right from the Poor of my People, that Widdows may be their prey, and that they may rob the Fatherle&s;s.</HI> Con&s;ider this I entreat you, now you have time, whether you have not purcha&s;ed this Wo to your &s;elves by your Orders and Decrees, that you have made again&s;t the Lords People&mdash; Read your Portion <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 17.14. <HI>And behold at Evening tide Trouble, and before the Morning he is not; this is the Portion of them that Spoyl us, and the Lot of them that Rob us.</HI></P>
<P>Many of our Per&s;ecutors hath the Lord removed by Death, &s;ince Per&s;ecution fir&s;t began in this Town, and them that have
<PB N="4" REF="3">been active and furious again&s;t us within the&s;e Thirty Years la&s;t pa&s;t, hath the Lord taken away, &s;o that there is not one of them left, till this la&s;t Storm, and Three of them hath been taken away al&s;o; this one would think would make others fear to go on in the &s;ame Work. Give me leave to make mention a little of your Dealings towards me, how in the Year 1682. by War|rant Signed by Sr <HI>Thomas Cuttler</HI> and <HI>James George,</HI> to the High Con&s;table of <HI>Cirence&s;ter,</HI> I was taken up in the Street, and carryed before the &s;aid <HI>James George,</HI> and &s;ent to <HI>Glouce&s;ter Ca&s;tle,</HI> whom I told when I was before him, The Lord would plead my Cau&s;e with him, and the &s;ame mea&s;ure he meeted would be mea&s;ured to him from the hand of the Lord; and &s;o it came to pa&s;s, for before I was di&s;charged, the Lord took his Wife from him, who had taken me from my Husband, and the &s;aid <HI>James George,</HI> after I was di&s;charged, came to our peaceable Meeting with &s;everal Officers, and the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Gluce&s;ter</HI> with him; and when they came in, I was making Supplication to the Lord; and the Bi&s;hop &s;aid, <HI>Is this the Woman you were &s;peaking of,</HI> he &s;aid <HI>Yes my Lord,</HI> then he laid his hands upon me, and &s;hoo<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">k me, and pulled me by the Arm &s;o hard, that he had almo&s;t pulled me backward, &s;aying, <HI>Woman you &s;hould give over, and obey the Kings Officers.</HI> But I cho&s;e rather to obey God then Man, and the Lord was with us, ble&s;&s;ed be his name, and his Power was over all, and he did pre&s;erve me out of the fear of Man at that time. And the Bi&s;hop &s;aid to the Ju&s;tice, <HI>Take their Names;</HI> but I took no notice of him, but continued until I had ea&s;ed my Spirit before the Lord, who is worthy of all Prai&s;e and Glory for his Good|ne&s;s to his Poor Di&s;pi&s;ed People. The Ju&s;tice &s;et fines upon Friends, and Twenty Pounds upon <HI>Richard Bowley</HI> for Praying in the &s;aid Meeting. Thus People may &s;ee how the Magi&s;trates and Clergy joyn together to Per&s;ecute us, and by the&s;e fruits Peo|ple may &s;ee that he is not a true Chri&s;tian Bi&s;hop (not like Chri&s;t the Shepherd and Bi&s;hop of the Soul) as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of in <HI>Timothy and Titus:</HI> who &s;aid, <HI>A Bi&s;hop &s;hould be Blamele&s;s, not &s;oon Angry, of good behaviour, given to Ho&s;pitality, apt to Teach, no Striker, but Patient, not a Brawler, but a lover of good Men, Sober, Ju&s;t, Holy, Temperate,</HI> whether this Bi&s;hop was &s;o qualified, I &s;hall leave the Under&s;tanding Reader to judge.
<PB N="5" REF="3" MS="y">And in the Tenth Month 168<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">. <HI>James George</HI> &s;ent a Warrant to the Con&s;table of <HI>Cirence&s;ter,</HI> who &s;aw me going to a Neighbours Hou&s;e, they run after me, and took me into Co&s;tody, and had me to the petty Se&s;&s;ions at <HI>Barn&s;ley,</HI> three miles from <HI>Cirence&s;ter;</HI> in the Cold Winter Sea&s;on, not con&s;idering my Age and Weakne&s;s, but hurried me up and down at their plea&s;ure, tho they knew me a weakly Woman, and it was Fro&s;t and Snow, yet they had no Regard nor Pity, and from the Petty Se&s;&s;ions, they &s;ent a Mitti|mus to &s;end me to <HI>Glouce&s;ter</HI> Goal, where I lay three Years and four Months, and <HI>James George</HI> gave the Goaler a charge not to let me go without the Gate, &s;o great was their Fury and Rage again&s;t me. Oh! but the Lord was with me, and by his Power did pre&s;erve me.</P>
<P>Oh! con&s;ider you mu&s;t all give an account to God, and ap|pear at the great Tribunal Seat of Chri&s;t, in the great Day, and receive a Reward for the deeds done in the Body, whether Good or Evil; then how can ye Judges and Ju&s;tices &s;tand before the Lord in that Day, if you do not repent of your Cruelty (again&s;t his People) in joyning Hand in Hand to oppre&s;s the Poor. I warn you all that have had a Hand in this Work, from him that &s;its upon the Seat of Judgment; to your mo&s;t Inferiour Officers, and all People every where whom this may concern, to repent of what is pa&s;t, that the Lord may pa&s;s it by, for the time that is pa&s;t cannot be recalled, and the time that is to come you have no a&s;&s;urance of; therefore the pre&s;ent time is your time: Oh! prize the long &s;uffering of the Lord, which to you-ward hath been exceeding large, &s;paring your Lives, when he hath cut off &s;o many on the Right Hand, and on the Left, and hath given you time to return unto him, before his long &s;uffering comes to an end; and his Fury breaks forth again&s;t you, from which none c&acirc;n deliver&mdash; Remember your ca&s;ting us into Pri&s;ons, &s;poyling Goods, Riffling Hou&s;es, taking Money-Boxes, and putting Mo|ney in your own Pockets, breaking Doors, with your own Hands as <HI>Richard Per&s;ons,</HI> Chanceller of <HI>Glouce&s;ter,</HI> did, and endeavoured to do, making u&s;e of an Iron-Bar, to break open the Door of <HI>Na|thaniel</HI> and <HI>Daniel Roberts,</HI> then of <HI>Cirence&s;ter;</HI> becau&s;e they could not ea&s;ily do it, called for Gun-powder to blow it open, and when they got in, Seized the Goods, tendered the Oath to the
<PB N="6" REF="4">young Men, as a &s;nare, and they refu&s;ing, were both committed to Pri&s;on, having none left to Mannage their Trade, which to outward things might have Ruined them, had not the good Hand of the Lord appeared for their help, who&s;e mercies never fails them that fear him.</P>
<P>And when &s;at together to wait upon God, to Wor&s;hip him in the Pri&s;on, <HI>Richard Per&s;ons</HI> came in, and laid violent hands on a Friend, <HI>Henry Perton,</HI> that was &s;peaking, pulling him by the Gray-Hairs of his Head, and held up his Staff at him, and Reviled him, with many Reproachful Words, and &s;aid, <HI>it was a Conventicle,</HI> and laid fines upon us, Twenty Pound for the Preacher, and Five, and Ten Shillings apiece upon the re&s;t, and fined &s;ome that were not in the Meeting, &s;eeing their names in the Goalers Li&s;t, as the un|der Keeper &s;aid; I would have the Clergy con&s;ider, whether the&s;e Arguments were like to Convince us; the&s;e things were not done in a corner, therefore I hope none will be offended for Pub|li&s;hing of them, and I &s;ee no Rea&s;on why any can blame us, for Non-conformity, &s;ince &s;uch Fruits are brought forth by you, we have been forty, &s;ome times Sixty Pri&s;oners in the County Pri&s;on, be&s;ides near Twenty more belonging to the City Pri&s;on, Men and their Wives, and &s;ome Women big with Child, Men and Women together in a clo&s;e Pri&s;on, where other &s;ort of Pri&s;oners came a|mong&s;t them, and &s;uch was their cruelty, both unchri&s;tian and un|human, that they would not &s;uffer <HI>Ann</HI> the Wife of <HI>Richard Grive,</HI> being near her time, to go to her own Hou&s;e to Ly-in, &s;he promi|&s;ed, and &s;ome offered to Engage &s;he &s;hould return to the Pri&s;on again after &s;he was Delivered, as &s;oon as &s;he was able, but the Cruelty of Alderman <HI>Shingleton,</HI> and Dr <HI>Fowler</HI> Magi&s;trates for the City of <HI>Glouce&s;ter</HI> was &s;uch, that they with&s;tood it; alth&ocirc; &s;ome &s;ober Women, that were no <HI>Quakers,</HI> &s;ought to them on her behalf, and had prevailed with the re&s;t, if Docter <HI>Fowler</HI> and Alderman <HI>Shingleton</HI> would con&s;ent, but they were &s;o far from con&s;enting, that Alderman <HI>Shingleton,</HI> &s;aid, <HI>That if his Mother was alive, &amp; come upon her Knees to him, he would not grant it,</HI> as an Aldermans Wife, that did &s;olcite him, told me; but it plea&s;ed God to find out a way for her, the time of the A&s;&s;izes was near, and Judge <HI>Levens</HI> gave or|der to the Keeper of the Pri&s;on to let her go Home, &s;o &s;he was brought forth over their Heads, who were tryed to the full, &amp; made
<PB N="7" REF="4" MS="y">manife&s;t by their Fruits, and the great God takes notice of the Oppre&s;&s;ors of his people, and he cut them both off, and &s;topt their Fury; but if they had lived and come to Repentance, it would have been more Joy and Comfort to us; and ye Per&s;ecutors, how can you excu&s;e your &s;elves, who have Impri&s;oned many of our Friends to Death? &s;everal died Pri&s;oners while I was Pri&s;oner in the Ca&s;tle. An aged Blind-man, <HI>Thomas Holborne,</HI> he was thru&s;t into Pri&s;on, and not brought before any Magi&s;trate, and <HI>Ralph Langley</HI> Pri&s;oner &s;everal Years, till he died al&s;o, and &s;everal others; this kind of Ki<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1+ letters">ing we have had from your Hands, and &s;ometimes our Friends have been Beaten and Brui&s;ed, by knocking and throw|ing hither and thither till they Died, this I have &s;een; and not|with&s;tanding &s;o many Died, that was &s;tronger then I, yet it plea&s;ed God to pre&s;erve me alive, to &s;peak well of his name, and tell of his wonderous Works, and once more to put you Per&s;ecutors in mind of the things that belong to your Peace; and Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord, he is now ri&s;en for his <HI>Sion</HI> &s;ake, that you have been Ploughing as a Field, and when her Enemies, have done the wor&s;t they can, the Lord will make his <HI>Sion</HI> an Eter|nal Excellency, and his <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> the Prai&s;e of the whole Earth: And as you can &s;ee Per&s;ecution to be evil in others, look upon it &s;o in your &s;elves, and repent in Du&s;t and A&s;hes, and remember who &s;aid, <HI>The Wi&s;e-Mans Eye is in his Head, but the Fools Eye is abroad to &s;ee and &s;py faults in others, and blame others for doing that they them&s;elves are guilty of.</HI> Me-thinks the Eye-lids of the Morning of this day of Liberty, that is dawned and lifted up be|fore you, might bring you to a &s;ight of your &s;tate in this matter, but if this will not prevail upon you, turn in, to the Light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, in your own Hearts, that is al-&s;ufficient to &s;hew you your inward State, and how the&s;e evil Works hath brought Death over you; that we may &s;ay, <HI>Darkne&s;s hath covered the Earth, and gro&s;s Darkne&s;s the People;</HI> therefore it is time to ri&s;e from the Dead, that Chri&s;t may give you Life, and receive his Light, that will lead you into the way of Peace.</P>
<P>Its well known that we have been a &s;uffering People all along, ever &s;ince we were gathered by the Lord out of the Evils of the World, and have &s;uffered under every Power that hath been up|permo&s;t, for above Thirty Years to my knowledge, &s;ome in one
<PB N="8" REF="5">kind, and many under that cruel Oppre&s;&s;ion of <HI>Tythes,</HI> by the Prie&s;ts, which is &s;till continued upon us, under which many of the Inhabitants of this Land groans for deliverance, and the Lord God is able to remove it; but knows be&s;t in what &s;ea&s;on further to appear in his Power to effect it; but the Lord may &s;uffer it to continue for the farther manife&s;ting &s;uch hireling Prie&s;ts, who&s;e Practices towards us have manife&s;ted &s;ome of them to be as bad as the wicked Informers, by their Spoyling, Riffling Hou&s;es, and driving Cattle away by droves, as hath been common for them to do, and the&s;e Practices of theirs di&s;covered them to be in the &s;teps of the fal&s;e Prophets, and in the &s;ame Spirit that the wicked Informers were in, that de&s;ire to Live by other Mens Labour, and to enrich them&s;elves by the Spoyl of their Neighbour; this &s;hews them to be of the &s;tock of them mentioned in Scripture, <HI>that Feed of the Fat, and Cloath with the Wool, and make a Prey of the Flock;</HI> &s;o by the&s;e Fruits People may &s;ee they are no Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, for he &s;aid to his Di&s;ciples when he &s;ent them forth, <HI>Freely have you received, freely give.</HI> But their Fruits of Covetuou&s;ne&s;s makes them ill pre&s;idents to their Hearers, and &s;uch Work of the Teach|ers, makes their Hearers, that are of an evil Inclination, to fol|low their Foot&s;teps, as the Scriptures &s;aith, <HI>The Leaders of the People cau&s;e them to Err, and they that are led by them are de&s;troyed.</HI></P>
<P>The Per&s;ecutor <HI>I. G.</HI> the Prie&s;t of this Town, he &s;et his hand to a Petition with Ju&s;tice <HI>George,</HI> and others of this Town, to &s;end to the late King to beg our Meeting-Hou&s;e, under pretence to make a Work-Hou&s;e for the Poor, <HI>Judas</HI> like, who when the Wo|man with the Box of Sp<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">kenard came to anoint <HI>Je&s;us</HI>'s Head, &s;aid, <HI>What need all this wa&s;te, it might have been &s;old and given to the Poor;</HI> but the Scriptures &s;aith, <HI>He &s;aid it not, becau&s;e he loved the Poor, but becau&s;e he was a Thief and carried the Bag.</HI> So &s;ay I concerning this Prie&s;t, he did not this becau&s;e he loved the Poor, but becau&s;e he had the mind of a Thief, and coveted his Neighbours Hou&s;e, this di&s;covers him to be no true Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel, becau&s;e he falls &s;hort of doing the Works for the Law, which &s;aith, <HI>Thou &s;halt not covet thy Neighbours Hou&s;e, nor any thing that is his:</HI> and Chri&s;t commands Men <HI>To do as they would be done by.</HI> So this Work of his is contrary to both Law and Go&s;pel; but if People are willing to have &s;uch Blind Guides, and Sleepy Watchmen, to be their
<PB N="9" REF="5" MS="y">Teachers, let them take them and pay them, and not force others to pay them, that know they are Blind, becau&s;e they cannot &s;ee their own Works of what &s;ort they are; for when a Friend went to enquire of him about the Petition afore&s;aid, he confe&s;&s;ed his Hand was to it, and that he thought it would be a kindne&s;s to us to take the Meeting-Hou&s;e from us, would he take it as a kind|ne&s;s to be &s;o &s;erved? I leave it to Gods Witne&s;s in his own and others Con&s;ciences to judge; for the &s;ame God that hath helpt us, will help us again, if we keep our Integrity to him; He that hath brought us out of the fiery Furnace of Affliction, and was Afflicted with us, will do the &s;ame again and again for them that &s;uffer for him; that &s;aid to <HI>Saul, Why Per&s;ecute&s;t thou me? It is hard for thee to kick again&s;t the Pricks.</HI> He it is that pricks the Per&s;ecutors in their Con&s;ciences, it is He our Enemies have been Per&s;ecuting in his People, and he is able to deliver, and will, he that hath an Ear to hear let him hear, and that can receive it let him; for the Breath of all Living are in the hands of our God, then who &s;hall we fear be&s;ides him, the God of all our Mercies and Ble&s;&s;ings, to whom be Glory forever, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="testimony">
<HEAD>A Few Words to the Inhabitants of the Town of <HI>Cirence&s;ter</HI> (or el&s;e-where) for them to Read and Con&s;ider.</HEAD>
<P>ALl you my Neighbours, Kindred and Acquaintance, both Profe&s;&s;ors and Prophane, that have had any hand in the late Per&s;ecution, or been encouragers of that unchri&s;tian Work, di|rectly or indirectly, or tho&s;e that have laid their Hands on the Prey in taking away and exacting on your hone&s;t Neighbour more then the value of the Fines &s;pecified in your Warrants, th&ocirc; &s;ome of you have been ready to &s;ay, to excu&s;e your &s;elves, <HI>That it was much again&s;t your minds to meddle with it, but that you were put upon it, being Officers, and could not help it.</HI> To which I An&s;wer, Your diligence and readine&s;s to lay your Hands on, and taking much
<PB N="10" REF="6">more then the value of the Fines, contradicts all your pretences, and brings the guilt upon you of contributing to our Sufferings; but this day of Tryal, that the Lord &s;uffered to come, was not only to try his People, but to try others al&s;o, when the Reins were let loo&s;e, and a Door opened to Violence and Oppre&s;&s;ion, and many that were of an evil Inclination were ready to make a Spoyl and a Prey; &s;o this day hath made you manife&s;t, for all your fair pretences, th&ocirc; &s;ome are ready to &s;ay, to cover them&s;elves, <HI>What they did then was according to Law;</HI> but this covering will prove too narrow to hide you from the Al-&s;eeing Eye of the Mighty God, and from the &s;troke of his Hand in the day of Account, when the Lord comes to reckon with you, then how will you &s;tand be|fore him, or excu&s;e your &s;elves of the guilt of adding to our Suf|ferings? your readine&s;s to cut out, to fell and di&s;po&s;e of it, when it was in your Hands, &s;ignifies that you were willing to encourage the Work, and the hard-heartedne&s;s too; as appears in the Ca&s;e of <HI>John Stevens,</HI> in taking &s;o much from him more then the value of the Fine, to &s;eek the Ruin of him and his Family, the Lord will plead his Cau&s;e with you, and bring &s;hame upon you for acting &s;o contrary to Law, in dividing the Spoyl, and putting it into your own Pockets; Repent and make Re&s;titution, that le&s;t it lie as a weight upon you in the day of account; therefore never plead Law to excu&s;e your &s;elves, for it will lie at your Doors, and ma|nife&s;t you to be of the &s;ame Spirit of them of old that Crucified <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> and to excu&s;e them&s;elves &s;aid, <HI>We have a Law, and by our Law he ought to Dye.</HI> So they pleaded Law, as you do now; but that will not excu&s;e you no more then it did them, for the Law of God is again&s;t you, that &s;aith, <HI>Thou &s;halt Love thy Neigh|bour as thy &s;elf, and thou &s;halt not covet any thing that is thy Neigh|bours;</HI> but how unrea&s;onable you have been with your Neigh|bours, in taking much more then the value, let Gods Witne&s;s in your own Con&s;ciences an&s;er; and you that have bought it out of Covetou&s;ne&s;s, becau&s;e you could have it at a cheap rate, or taking it away, and have furni&s;hed your hou&s;es with it, you will be found Guilty before the Lord; therefore Repent, for if the Lord was an|gry with <HI>E&s;au,</HI> becau&s;e he &s;tood, and looked on when <HI>Jacob</HI> was Spoyled, and laid his Hand upon the prey, &s;o that he threatened to lay his Mountaine wa&s;te, how think you to e&s;cape, that are
<PB N="11" REF="6" MS="y">found in the &s;ame Practice, ont only looking on, but making a Spoyl and Prey upon your hone&s;t Neighbors; and remember how <HI>I&s;rael</HI> could not pro&s;per, while the accur&s;ed thing remained in the Camp, the <HI>Babyloni&s;h Garment</HI> and <HI>Wedg of Gold</HI> which Covetou&s;ne&s;s had brought in; but when &s;earch was made, it was found among&s;t the Stuff; but till they had put it out of the Camp, it hindred <HI>I&s;raels</HI> Pro&s;perity: Con&s;ider this well I In|treat you, and take heed in time, and put away the accur&s;ed thing from among your Stuff, you that have Bought it, and brought it into your Hou&s;es; and let a diligent &s;earch be made to find it out, and re&s;tore it to the Owners, le&s;t it bring a Cur&s;e upon you. I Write not the&s;e things in Revenge to any, but in the Love of God to warn you all to Repent and amend, that you may find Mercy with the Lord, which is the true de&s;ire of my &s;oul; I can truly &s;ay, and that in the pre&s;ence of the Lord, that I have nothing in my Heart but Love and Good-will to the wor&s;t of our Enemies, and that in Sincerity of Heart, and Up|rightne&s;s of Mind, I truly de&s;ire your everla&s;ting Peace and Welfare, that have hitherto hardened your Hearts again&s;t the Lord, his Truth and People; Return to the Lord, I Intreat you, bow your &s;elves before the mo&s;t High God, who will plead with all Fle&s;h, and call all to an account, and render a Reward to every Man for the deeds done in the Body whether Good or Evil; there|fore con&s;ider well while you have time, and mind the things that belongs to your Peace, before they be hid from your Eyes, for the long Suffering of the Lord will come to an end, who hath &s;aid <HI>My Spirit &s;hall not always &s;trive with Man;</HI> therefore whil&s;t the Spirit of the Lord, his Light and Grace in your own Hearts doth &s;trive to turn you from the evil of your wayes, be willing to imbrace it, believe in it, and take coun&s;el of it, and with your whole Hearts be Subject unto it, and be willing to be led and gui|ded by it, and incline your Hearts in all things to follow it, and it will lead you into Re&s;t and Peace with the Lord for ever.</P>
<P>The&s;e things were as a weight upon my mind to publi&s;h for the Sakes of tho&s;e, that are willing to hearken to Coun&s;el, and take Warning in time, and not reject their own Mercies, for as the Lord &s;aid to the Prophet <HI>Ezekiel, Hear the word at my Mouth, and give them warning from me, when I &s;ay unto the Wicked thou &s;halt
<PB N="12" REF="7">&s;urely Dye, and thou give&s;t him not warning, nor &s;peake&s;t to warn the Wicked from his Wicked way, to &s;ave his Life, the &s;ame Wicked Man &s;hall Dye in his Iniquity, but hss Blood will I require at thine Hand, yet if thou warn the Wicked and he turn not from his Wickedne&s;s nor from his Wicked way, he &s;hall Dye in his Iniquity; but thou ha&s;t deli|vered thy own Soul,</HI> &s;o I can &s;ay in the fear of God, I have once more cleared my Con&s;cience; whether you will hear or forbear I &s;hall be elear of your Blood in the great Day of Account, be|fore the Lord, who laid the&s;e things as a weight upon me to put you in mind of, and ble&s;&s;ed will all be that do hear and fear before the Lord, and receive his Coun&s;el, to whom be all Glory, Honour and Renown, who is worthy over all, God ble&s;&s;ed for ever and ever, <HI>Amen. But tho&s;e that Refu&s;e and Rebel, &s;hall be devoured with the Sword, the Mouth of the Lord hath &s;poken it,</HI> as &s;aith the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>From a lover of Truth and Righteou&s;ne&s;s, having a Te&s;timony again&s;t Cruelty and Oppre&s;&s;ion. <HI>Theophila Town&s;end.</HI></HI></SIGNED>
<DATE>29th 11th Month 1687</DATE></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>THE END</TRAILER>
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