Freinds I having been under a burden concerning you these severall
months, and seeing the judgements of Gods hand over your heads, my
hart hath trembled, and many times I have besought the Lord for you that
he would not cut you off in your sins; but that he would open your understandings,
and give you spirits of discerning to see what it was that hinderd
the work of the Lord from going on. Yea, I have risen out of my bed in
the night season, and besought the Lord for you, and feeling the weight lye
hevy upon me, I made preparation to come unto you; but the Lord said unto
me thou shalt stay my appointed time, so I waited sometime longer, till the
lord cleared this time unto me, and I am come a hundered and fifty miles in
obedience to the Lord; so this is the message that I have from the Lord to
you: therefore beare the word of the Lord, this is the word of the Lord
God unto you, if you will stand in my counsell and they my voice; then will I
delight to doe you good, and you shall reigne over all my enemyes, but if you
[Gap in transcription—2–3 lettersflawed-reproduction]e your selves, and forget my word, and set up the abomination which my
[Gap in transcription—2–3 lettersflawed-reproduction]ateth, or joyne with them that set up even the Preists that preach for
lies, and the Prophets that divine for mony; then will I bring my righteous
judgements upon you, and you shall partake with them in their plagues, for I
will pour out my wrath upon them for all the false lies that they have tould
in my name, therefore in the presence of the Lord I charge you that you
give item no forced maintenance, nor oppresse people in their behalfe, but let
their folly make them manifest, for what they sow that must they reape,
therefore quit your selves like men, and joyne with those that fear the Lord,
and take councell at the Lord with them speedily: for your time is very
but that you may escape in the day of the Lords wrath, for his indignation
rekindled against the wicked, and woe, woe, woe unto them that obey him not,
therefore incline your ears and heare that he may establish you upon earth,
and make you vessels to honour, but if you be disobedient, confusion from the
God of heaven shall come upon you; so in clearing my conscience in the Lord
I have peace who am a lover of your soules.

Freinds unto you I write whose hearts the Lord hath touched any measure;
yea verily I have felt something amongst you, which hath looked
toward God to which I direct you, and take to you men fearing God, and go
on with your faces towards God, taking away all oppression of Laws which by
upon the consciences of the Lords people; yea remove the we[Gap in transcription—1–2 lettersflawed-reproduction]g of gold cu[Gap in transcription—1–2 lettersflawed-reproduction]
of your camp even Tithes, for it brings the curse upon you, as doth the
abomination of the false Prophets which I mentioned before and let in no
feares upon your spirits of a greater party withstanding you, for I testify
unto you in the presence of the living God if you be faithfull in these things
the Lord requireth of you, then will the Lord strike your enemies with dread
and confusion of face shall cover them, and he shall give you victory over them
but if you distrust the Lord, and joyne with his enemies to set up these abominations,
dissolation from the Lord will suddenly come upon you, and your
portion shall be with the hipocrites, for the Lords wrath is kindled against
the wicked, and woe unto them that withstand his work, for the Lord will overturn,
overturn till it come into his hands whose right it is, and this is
the word of the Lord God unto you, therefore dread and fear before him, for
the Lord God will surely bring to passe all that he hath spoken unto you by his
handmaid, who is known by the name of,

There is a great darknesse over you, and confusion amongst you, and
the wisedome of the wise Men seemes to be confounded, and I feele [Gap in transcription—1–2 lettersflawed-reproduction]
renting and tearing, in a wrong mixed amongst you all, and there is the will
and pollicy and craft and an ambitious spirit up in both parties striving on
against another, and the life of God you doe not perceive: render doth anything
yet appear from you that the seed of God can joyne with [Gap in transcription—2–3 lettersflawed-reproduction] [Gap in transcription—2 lettersflawed-reproduction]y the Lord
prosper for the good in all and among all is vailed, and confusion is fallen upon A2r 3
upon the wise part, and simplicity, &c. the naked truth is buried, and Melove
thought to carry on by pollicy, and each to be more polliticke then others,
God to prevaile thereby, but that shall never rule for God in our Law, but
God will lay a weight upon it, and it shall be strucken into confusion, and another
thing must appeare to rule then yet hath appeared, and this Nation
shall never more trust to the pollicy and wisedome of Men, but the truth, and
innocency shall be the trust of all good people, and you’l be broken more and
[Gap in transcription—1–2 lettersflawed-reproduction]re, till you learn righteousness and fear, friends consider, for the state of
things appeares darke, and misery and great destruction may come, except
the Lord prevent it.

And you must bring forth good things, and doe some thing which may answer
the good principle of God in all people, that you may gaine the good in
all, to be your friend, for many provoked by reason of these things, and
except you doe remove oppression that hath long been promised to be done,
you cannot be blessed: God requireth it of you to be mindfull of his cause and
the cause of his people, and doe not seeke your selves bow to exalt and to seare
your selves, for it you doe so, and neglect the cause of God, you shall never
be happy: but the Lord will doe unto you as you have done unto others,
he will confound you, before your enemies, therefore lay it to hearts, and doe
the thing that is just, whether it ingage or disengage Men to you doe not seeke
dies nor you confidence in the arme of slesh, for the multitude of an Hoast
shall not save you, but righteousnesse, and the doing of justice that shall defend
you, against all your enemies, is it not high time to remove the oppression of
Tithes, is not that oppression yet finished in the Nation, hath not the sufferings
of the Lords people been sufficient witnesse of Gods anger, because of
that oppression, doubtlesse it is the very crying oppression of our Nation, and
there is a weight of blood cruelty and injustice lying under this great Mountine,
and it is time to be cast down, and being once brought down, and the
people easest from it: it can never be supposed, that reasonable Men will be
[Gap in transcription—1–2 lettersflawed-reproduction]hish as ever to fight to set it up again, and the people loves Liberty, and
never that shall come to them, it will be thankefully received, whether by a
law or contrary to a Law, so now it is brought to your dore that you may doe
something while time is in your hands, for time is pretious, and the Lord
spies it and takes it away e’re ever men are aware, and if you trifle away
your houre about places of honour, and disputations about those things receving
to your owne interest and safety; then your candel shall be put out,
of your names shall dye in reproach, wherefore doe something that is good, A2 that A2v 4
that the Nation may feele ease, that you may answer the expectations of
good men, and confound the thoughts of the wicked, and doe not provoke the
sincerity in men against you, for if you doe, it will be hard for you to be preserved,
and you have better make that your friend, then to have a multitude of
flaterers, they will be but a broken reed to you, therefore love singlenesse of
heart, and let not the men that are of a single heart, be accounted your enemies.
For it is truth and freedome and just judgment and mercy, that
goal men seekes after, and its these things that will please the Nation: It is
not the changings of Governments into new titles and names, but it is truth
and perfect freedome that the best of men delights in, and it is that, that will
satisfie the hungring people, and that will make up the breach of a distracted
Nation, many before you have pretended to doe great things, but we have
found naught but promise breaking, and men of high degree a very lye
and therefore God hath confounded them one against another, and doe not you
goe any longer in that path, doe not cheat with God and your Nation, but let
us see the effect of righteousnesse, that we may behold mercy and justice run
down as a stream, for it is that that our soules longs to see, and we are yet
faint of good hope, concerning you also, except the Lord doth stir up your
hearts, and you be obedient to him, forget not to recompence the Interest of
oppressing Lawes and Priests: and consider the condition of the Nation that
lyes bleeding and wounded for deliverance, let your own interests be the least
in your eye, but have respect to the cause of God and all his people, or else
your day will be cut off in a moment; oh that you would learne to stand in
Gods councell, and that you would enquire at his oracle that only speake
the truth, and that you would cease to goe to Egypt for help, then should it
be well with you, but while it is contrary with you, you cannot be established.
And this is from a lover of righteousnesse.