HEare the Word of the Lord ye Rulers and Magestrates of England, thus saith the Lord God, who is come near unto you in judgement, that ye may all be tryed; and therefore try your selves whether ye be in my power which is the higher Powers that every soule is to be subject unto, for there is no power but of me; and all that are in this Power, rule for me, and not for themselves, nor in the will of man, but in my will, and for me, saith the Lord. And if ye be the higher Powers, then are ye also subject unto me even un­to my Law, which is the light in you and so your Power is of me, and every soule is to be subject unto you for my sake. Now all that are not in my power, rule not for me, but for themselves, because they are gone out from my Spirit and Pow­er, into that which doth resist my Power, in which the Enmity is against my Seed, unto which the damnation is to: Now unto this power, none is to be subject for Conscience sake; but for Conscience sake suffer according to my will, because it is that which prevailed over man at the first, when he turned aside, and went out from me into the power of darknesse, which I had separated from me; and so I drove him out, to wit, man from my presence, and placed my Flaming Sword to keep him out from my life, who was shut up in death, as I had said unto him, out of which that power he had chosen, could not deliver him, nor by any other could he be Redeemed, but by my Sword by which he is kept out; in which stare are all Man-kind in now who are in their falne nature gone out from my Spirit, and so are gone out from my Power, which is the life, by [Page 4]which the whole Creation is to be Ruled and Geverned▪ And now in this state, though men are standing in the place of Ma­gestrates, and professing themselves to be such as doe Rule for me; yet being gone out from me, are gone [...] from the power which is of me, and by me saith the Lord; and are holding up another power, which is of another Kingdom, that doth op­pose it self against my Kingdom and Power, unto which every soule is to be subject.

And now, all you who professe your selves to be Christian Magestrates, and to maintain my Law, consider whether ye be such, yea or nay; see whether ye have owned my Son, whom I have sent a light into the world, unto whom is given all pow­er both in Heaven and in Earth, unto whom every Knee must bow, and every Tongue confesse; ye that say, ye maintain my Law, see whether you have known and owned the Law-giver; for there is but one Law, and one Law-giver which is Christ; And this Jesus Christ is to be known within you, which is the Immanuel, God with us, even God manifested in the flesh, as also saith the Scripture, the which if you reject to know and beleeve in, you have rejected my Law, and gone out from my power, which you professe to Rule in, and Govern by, and to have owned with your Mouthes; and all who are sound here, their professions will not cover them, whose works deny me, for all they doe is in my sight abominable, and unto every good work they are reprobate.

And now, O you Magestrates, consider whether you have Ruled for me, or for your selves, saith the Lord God, and see whether you have not been Crucifying to your selves my Son, whom I have sent a light into the world, and so have Crucified and slain my power in you, by which you should have Ruled your selves first, and so the Nations over whom you are pla­ced; for if a man rule not his own house, how should he take care for the Church of God? And now, how can it be other­wise, but that you should be found having your hands in per­secuting the righteous Seed, even my Sons and Daughters, saith the Lord, which I have chosen out of the world, to bear wit­nesse to my name? For had you known, and owned me, you [Page 5]would have known and owned my servants, sons and daugh­ters also; but my words are fulfilled, If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; and if they had known me, they would have known you also; but they have not known you, because they knew me not: And now you Magestrates, confi­der whether ye are of me, even in my power; Doth now my witnesse which I have placed in you (that bears witnesse to my name) testifie against you, or for you? See whether by it, you are not condemned in your selves, for I the Lord God who hath not left my self without a witnesse in any of the sons of men; Therefore I say to you, doe ye now honestly consider and hearken unto me, and in the coolnesse of the day you will hear, and on your Beds, for I the Lord God am he, who searcheth your hearts, and shew unto you your thoughts, and the intents of your hearts: Now enter ye into my secret place, commune with your own hearts, and be still, and see there what my wit­nesse doth testifie unto you, for that is your state before me, saith the Lord; and if your hearts condemne you, I am greater then your hearts: And I the Lord, who am the true and faith­full witnesse, that cannot lye, am near unto you all, and will be a swift witnesse against you; and also will come near unto you in judgement, to pleade with you: And this will I doe to try you, even as I have tryed them that have gone before you: And if you will not indure my judgements, but turn them to Gall and Wormwood, and kick at them with the heel, as they did; then will I come against you in my fury, as I did to them. And this I did to have healed them, but they would not be hea­led, therefore were they everturned▪ For thus saith the Lord God, I, even I am he, that wounds, and heals, and kills, and makes alive. And now, if ye will not suffer your selves to be wounded, then shall you not be healed; and if not killed, ye shall not be made alive: For he that saveth his life, shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it. If any can receive this, let him receive it.

And now O you Rulers and Magistrates, Is it not time for you to know judgement? therefore flight not the day of your visitation; for this is it wherein I the Lord God am warning [Page 6]you, and proving you, whether you will now turn unto me at my reproof; and now goe to, and see whether my witnesse I have placed in you, will not testifie against you, that I would often have gathered you; but ye, (like to old Jerusalem) would not be gathered; therefore if you will not be gathered, but continue in your rebellion against me, this shall ye have at my hand; Ye shall be scattered, who despise the riches of my goodnesse forbearance, and long suffering; and my goodnesse leads you not to repentance, but after the hardnesse, and im­penitency of your hearts, treasures up to your selves wrath, against the day of wrath, and revelation of my righteous judge­ments; for according to your deeds will I reward you, saith the Lord. But my desire towards you is, as my witnesse in all your Consciences will testifie unto you, which hath not con­sented to your sins, nor takes delight in your destruction, but that you may all live, and not die. And now thus saith the Lord God, If ye will turn now unto me, and keep my judgements, and not depart from my Counsell; then will I heale you: which if you love the light, and come to the light, and bow down unto it, and beleeve in it, and diligently hearken to it; then will you come to know true judgement, wisedom, under­standing, and the fear of me, even the true power, in which you should rule and govern the Nations; but if ye reject the light, then doe you reject me, and put away true judgement from you, and goe from my power in which you should rule.

And therefore O ye Magestrates, be you warned from me, saith the Lord God, that ye goe not from my Counsell, for then woe be to you, if ye turn from my Prophet, which I have raised up unto you, to be your Councellor, saith the Lord; for whosoever refuseth to hear the voyce of that Prophet, that I have raised up, that soule shall be cut off from his people. Now if you heare the false Prophets, the Priests of England (they will make you vain, for they have rejected my Prophet, that Moses my servant prophesied of; the true light, that lighteth every man that commeth into the world,) they will leade you out from my Prophet, and Son, out of my Councell, saith the Lord God: for they have gone out from me, and so have re­jected [Page 7]my Councell, and have not stood in it, as the false Pro­phets that Isaiah, Jeremy, and Ezekiel Prophesied against: Now, my sheep heare my voyce, they know me, and will fol­low me; and a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voyce of strangers.

And now, O ye Rulers, and Magestrates, try your selves by what spirit you are led, and be no more deceived by them who daube with untempered Morter, and cry peace, when there is no peace; for from the least of them to the greatest, they are all given to Covetousnesse; even both the Prophets and Priests, every one dealeth falsly, for they have healed your wound de­ceitfully, crying peace, when there is no peace, saith the Lord. But to whom of you shall I speak, and give warning, that ye may hear and fear before me? behold your Ears are uncircumcised, that ye cannot heare: for behold, the light of the Lord is unto you a reproach, ye have no delight in it; and so my power by which you should rule and govern the Nations, you will not know, because you delight not to know me, saith the Lord: Therefore be you all warned, now you have time, that ye prise it, for my Spirit shall not alwayes strive with you, as it hath not striven with them that have gone before you, who rejected me, therefore were they consumed, saith the Lord God.

And now, all you Magestrates and Rulers in England, what is the power ye rule by? Is it of me, saith the Lord? See what it differs from those that were before you, who persecuted the Prophets, Christ, the Apostles, and all the Saints, who bare their testimony to my name, and against the world: And was it my power by which such Ruled and Governed, who were thus persecuting my servants, Sons and Daughters, who could not for conscience sake submit to their wills? And have not the same persecutions in this my day attended them, in all parts of these three Nations, (and else-where) where ever I the Lord have sent them to declare my Message, even to beare testimony to my name, and against the ungodlinesse of men, warning them every where to Repent, left they perished? For behold, I have sent among you Prophets, and wise men, and some of them have you persecuted, by Whipping, Stocking, [Page 8]Stoning, beating in your Synagogues and Streets; some have suffered the tryalls of cruell mockings, and some persecuted from City to City, and some of them have ye killed. More­over I have sent unto you my Son a light into the world, Saying, surely ye will reverence my Son: But they said, this is the Heire, Come, let us kill him, that the Inheritance may be ours: and so they slew the Lord of life, whom I have sent a light into the world, and have preferred and set up above the light, a murtherer; and so the old City Jerusalem, is yet standing, which is called Spiritually Sodom, and Egypt, where the Lord lyeth Crucified. And now ye Rulers and Magestrates, consi­der this, Is it because such men are set up in the highest place of Authority among men, by reason of their greatnesse in the world, and not for their understanding, wisedom, and the fear of my name, are they set up above their Brethren? not in the Lord, but the things of the world; therefore to conclude, that they stand in my power, and are therefore to Rule and Govern the rest of their Brethren: Nay, unlesse they from my power in them Rule for me, the which ye will not doe, if ye pleade not the cause of the poor and needy, strangers, Widows, and fatherlesse; set open the Gates to the Prisoners, and let the oppressed goe free, taking off the heavy burthens, and yoak [...] that have been put upon the neckes of the poor: Seek the good, and not the evill: hate the evill, and love the good, and establish judgement in the Gate, that the spoyled may be strengthe­ned against the strong and mighty, that judgement may run down as water, and righteousnesse as a mighty stream. And can these things be done, while these abominations stands un­taken down? as namely, Law, Priesthood, Temple, Tythes, Worldly Honour, as bowing to men, and respecting their Per­sons, contrary to my Law, the maintenance of which being imposed upon the Consciences of my people, sons and daugh­ters, whom I have set free from all impositions of men, that are contrary to my pure Law in them, and my Covenant esta­blished with them, to walk before me in truth and righteous­nesse, wherein they are to Worship me, even in spirit and in truth, as is made known unto them in the spirit of my Son▪ [Page 9]whom I have given unto them for an everlasting Covenant [...]hat cannot be broken: And now, unlesse my Servants, Sons and Daughters break Covenant with me, cannot submit to such things as are by you imposed on them.

Therefore O ye Magistrates, how doe you Rule for me, when you goe about to force my people to break Covenant with me? Was it not the practise of the Heathen, and wicked Rulers that knew not my name and power by which they should have Ruled, to compell my Servants, Sons and Daughters, to have denied my Name, as Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and the Jewes, and others, who persecuted me, as the Scriptures, my Servants, have spoken forth (by the moving of my spirit in them) have declared of? And come now, O ye Magistrates, and try your selves, what spirit and power ye have been led by: Now if you have been led by my spirit, then are ye my Sons; but see whether it have not been by a lying spirit, which is gone forth into the mouthes of all the salfe Prophets, and see whether they have not prevailed to perswade you, to hearken unto them, whom I have determined a consumption, and an utter destruction to come upon them, and to strip them of all their coverings, that the shame of their nakednesse may ap­pear unto all men; yet, for all this, shall not your guilt be taken away from you, if you turn not to me, saith the Lord; because you have been warned by my Servants from my mouth of their deceit, and have not turned from them, but still you have hearkened to them, to continue the yoake upon the necks of my people, whom I have determined to deliver by my mighty hand, and an outstretched arme, as I did deliver my servants of old, out of the hands of Pharaoh, that cruell op­pressor; even so will I now deliver my servants, sons and daughters; for my hand is not shortned that it cannot save, saith the Lord, neither mine Eare heavy, that it cannot heare, as before I have heard the cryes of my people: And now have I heard their cryes that are come before me, and am now comming to deliver them, that write upon my Name: Therefore consider these things betime, lest ye become such [Page 10]as I the Lord have destroyed from before my Face for their disobedience, saith the Lord God.