gottest higher than the fowls of the air. Now thou art run amongst the beasts of prey, and art fallen into the earth; so that earthliness and covetousness have swallowed thee up. Thy conceitedness would not carry thee through, in whom was found the selfish principle, which hath blinded thy eye. Thy back must be bowed down always; for thy table is already become thy snare." G. F. This Justice Sawrey, who was the first persecutor in that country, was afterwards drowned. - Such I wrote also to William Lampitt, the priest of Ulverstone, thus :"THE word of the Lord to thee, O Lampitt! who art a deceiver, surfeited and drunk with the earthly spirit, rambling up and down in the Scriptures, and blending thy spirit amongst the saints' conditions; who hadst a prophecy, as thy father Balaam had, but art erred from it, as thy father did; one whose fruit hath withered (of which I am a witness), and many who have known thy fruit, have seen the end of it, that it is withered, and do see where thou art in the blind world, a blind leader of the blind; as a beast wallowing and tumbling in the earth, and in the lust; one that is erred from the Spirit of the Lord, of old ordained for condemnation. Thou art in the seat of the Pharisees, art called of men master, standest praying in the synagogues, and hast the chief seat in the assemblies; a right hypocrite in the steps of the Pharisees, and in the way of thy fathers, the hypocrites, which our Lord Jesus Christ cried woe against. with the light thou art seen to be, and by the light art comprehended; which is thy condemnation, who hatest it, and will be so eternally, except thou repent. To thee this is the word of God; for in Christ's way thou art not, but in the Pharisees', as thou mayest read, Matt. xxiii., and all` that own Christ's words may see thee there. Christ, who died at Jerusalem, cried woe against such as thou art; and Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. The woe remains upon thee, and from under it thou canst never come, but through judgment, condemnation, and true repentance. To thee this is the word of God; to that of God in thy conscience I do speak, which will witness the truth of what I write, and will condemn thee. And when thou art in thy torment (though now thou swellest in thy vanity, and livest in wickedness), remember thou wast warned in thy lifetime. When the eternal condemnation is stretched over thee, thou shalt witness this to be the word of the Lord God unto thee; and if ever thy eye shall see repentance, thou wilt witness me to have been a friend of thy soul." G. F. Having thus cleared my conscience to the justice, and to the priest of Ulverstone, who had raised the first persecution in that country, it was upon me to send this warning in writing to the people of Ulverstone in general. "CONSIDER, O people! who are within the parish of Ulverstone; I was moved of the Lord to come into your public places to speak among you, being sent of God to direct your minds to him, that you might know where you might find your teacher; that your minds might be staid alone upon God, and you might not gad abroad without you for a teacher; for the Lord God alone will teach his people; and he is coming to teach them, and to gather them from idols' temples, and from the customary worships, which all the world is trained up in. God hath given to every one of you a measure of his Spirit, according to your capacity; liars, drunkards, whoremongers, and thieves, and who follow filthy pleasures, you all have this measure in you. This is the measure of the Spirit of God, that shows you sin, and evil, and deceit; which lets you see that lying is sin; and theft, drunkenness, and uncleanness, all to be the works of darkness. Therefore mind your measure (for nothing that is unclean shall enter into the kingdom of God), and prize your time while you have it, lest the time come that you say with sorrow, we had time, but it is past. O! why will ye die ? why will ye choose your own ways? why will ye follow the course of the world? and why will ye follow envy, malice, drunkenness, and foolish pleasures? know ye not in your consciences that all these are evil and sin? and that they who act such things, shall never enter into the kingdom of God? O! that ye would consider, and see how you have spent your time, and mind how ye do spend it, and observe whom you serve; for 'the wages of sin is death.' Do not ye know, that whatsoever is more than yea and nay, cometh of evil? O! ye drunkards, who live in drunkenness, do ye think to escape the fire and the judgment of God? Though ye swell in venom, and live in lust for a while, yet God will find you out, and bring you to judgment. Therefore love the light, which Christ hath enlightened you withal, who saith, 'I am the light of the world,' and who doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world. One loves the light, and brings his works to the light, and there is no occasion at all of stumbling; the other hates the light, because his deeds are evil, and the light will reprove him. Thou that hatest this light, thou hast it; thou knowest that lying, drunkenness, swearing, whoredom, theft, all ungodliness, and all unrighteousness, are evil. Christ Jesus hath given thee light enough to let thee see these are evil. This light, if thou lovest it, will teach thee holiness and righteousness, without which none shall see God; but if thou hatest this light, it is thy condemnation. Thus are Christ's words found to be true, and fulfilled among you; you that hate this light, set up hirelings, and idols' temples, and such priests as bear rule by their means; such shepherds as hold up such things; who are called of men masters, and have the chiefest place in the assemblies, whom Christ cried woe against, Matt. xxiii.; such as go in the way of Cain in envy, and after the error of Balaam for wages, gifts, and rewards; these have been your teachers; and these you have held up. But they who love the light, are taught of God; and the Lord is coming to teach his people himself, and to gather his own from the hirelings, and from such as seek for their gain from their quarter, and from such as bear rule by their means. The Lord is opening the eyes of people, that they may see such as bear rule over them. But all, whose eyes are shut, are such as the prophet spoke of, that 'have eyes and see not,' but are foolish, upholding such things. Therefore, poor people, as ye love your own souls, consider the love of God to your souls, while ye have time, and do not turn the grace of God into wantonness. That which shows you ungodliness and worldly lusts, should and would be your teacher, if ye would hearken to it; for the saints of old witnessed the grace of God to be their teacher, which taught them to live soberly and godly in this present world. Ye that are not sober, this grace of God hath appeared unto you, but you turn it into wantonness, and so set up teachers, who are not sober, not holy, not godly. Here you are left without excuse, when the righteous judgment of God shall be revealed upon all who live ungodly. Therefore to the light in you I speak; and when the book of conscience shall come to be opened, then shall you witness what I say to be true, and you all shall be judged out of it. God Almighty direct your minds (such of you especially who love honesty and sincerity), that you may receive mercy in the time of need. Your teacher is within you; look not forth; it will teach you both lying in bed, and going abroad, to shun all occasion of sin and evil.” G. F. As the foregoing was directed to all the inhabitants of Ulverstone in general, so it was upon me to write also to those more particularly, that most constantly followed W. Lampitt, the priest. To these I wrote thus:— "THE word of the Lord God to all the people that follow priest Lampitt, who is a blind guide. Ye are such as are turned from the light of Christ within, which he hath enlightened you withal; ye are such as follow that which Christ cried woe against, that go not in Christ's way, but in the Pharisees' way, as ye may read, Matt. xxiii., which our Lord Jesus Christ cried woe against. He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever but him ye own not, while ye follow such as he cried woe against; though under a colour ye make a profession, and Lampitt, your priest, makes a trade of Christ's and the saints' words, as his fathers, the Pharisees, made a profession of the prophets' and of Moses's words. Woe was unto them who had not the life, so woe is unto you who have not the life that gave forth the Scriptures, as your fruits have made manifest. For when the Lord hath moved some to come amongst you to preach the truth freely, you have knocked them down, beat, and punched, and haled them out of your assemblies. Such a people serve thee, O Lampitt, to make a prey upon, and these are thy fruits. O! let shame, shame, strike thee and you all in the faces, who make a profession of Christ's words, and yet are stoners, and strikers, and mockers, and scoffers. Let all see, if this be not a cage of unclean birds, spoken of in the Scriptures, by those who had the life of the Scriptures. Such a company of people thou deceivest, and feedest them with thy fancies; thou makest a trade of the Scriptures, and takest them for thy cloak. But thou art manifest to all the children of light; for that cloak will not cover thee; thy skirts are seen, and thy nakedness appears. The Lord made one to go naked among you, a figure of thy nakedness, and of your nakedness, and as a sign amongst you, before your destruction cometh; that you might see that you were naked, and not covered with the truth. To the light in all your consciences I speak, which Christ Jesus doth enlighten you withal. It will show you the time you have spent, and all the evil deeds you have done in that time; who follow such a teacher, that acts contrary to this light, and leads you into the ditch. When you are in the ditch together, both teacher and people, remember, ye were warned in your lifetime. If ever your eye come to see repentance, and you obey the light of Jesus Christ in you, you will witness me to have been a friend of your souls, and that I have sought your eternal good, and written this in dear love to you. Then will you own your condemnation; which you must all own, before you can come into that blessed life, of which there is no end. But ye, who hate the light, because your deeds are evil, this light is your condemnation. O! that ye would love this light, and hearken to it! It would teach you, both in your daily occupations, and as you lie upon your beds, and would never let you speak a vain word. In loving it, you love Christ; in hating it, you bring condemnation thereof upon yourselves. To you this is the word of God, from under which you can never pass, nor ever escape the terror of the Lord, in the state you are in, who hate the light." G. F. Amongst the chief hearers and followers of this priest Lampitt of Ulverstone, was one Adam Sands, who was a very wicked, false man, and would have destroyed truth and its followers if he could. To him I was moved to write thus : : "ADAM SANDS, "To the light in thy conscience I appeal, thou child of the Devil, thou enemy of righteousness; the Lord will strike thee down, though now for a while in thy wickedness thou mayest reign. The plagues of God are due to thee, who hardenest thyself in thy wickedness against the pure truth of God. With the pure truth of God, which thou hast resisted and persecuted, thou art to be thrashed down, which is eternal, and doth comprehend thee; and with the light, which thou despisest, thou art seen; and it is thy condemnation. Thou as one brutish, and thy wife as an hypocrite, and you both as murderers of the just, in that which is eternal, are seen and comprehended; and your hearts searched, and tried, and condemned by the light. The light in thy conscience will witness the truth of what I write to thee; and will let thee see that thou art not born of God, but art from the truth, in the beastly nature. If ever thy eye see repentance, thou wilt witness me a friend of thy soul, and a seeker of thy eternal good." G. F. This Adam Sands afterwards died miserably. I was moved also to write to priest Tatham. "THE word of the Lord to thee, priest Tatham, who art found out of the doctrine of Christ; having the chiefest place in the assembly, being called of men, master, and standing praying in the synagogue in the steps of the Pharisees, which our Lord Jesus Christ cried woe against. In his way thou art not, but in the way of the scribes and Pharisees, as thou mayest read, Matt. xxiii. There Christ's words judge thee, and the Scriptures of truth condemn thee. For thou art such a one as sues men at the law for tithes, and yet professest thyself to be a minister of Christ; which Christ never empowered his to do; neither did any of his apostles or ministers ever do so. Here I charge thee in the presence of the living God, to be out of their doctrine; and that as one of those evil beasts the Scrip ture speaks of, thou mindest earthly things, which the life of the Scriptures is against. Thou art for destruction in the state wherein thou standest; and it will be thy portion eternally, if thou dost not repent. To that of God in thy conscience I speak, which will witness the truth of what I say. Thou goest in Cain's way, in envy, an enemy to God, and from the command of God. Thou goest in Balaam's way, from the Spirit of God, for gifts and rewards, the wages of unrighteousness. Thou son of Balaam, thou art worse than thy father, for though he loved the wages of unrighteousness, yet he durst not take them; but thou not only takest them, but suest men at the law if they will not give them thee, which no true minister of Jesus Christ ever did; therefore stop thy mouth for ever, and never make mention of them, or profess thyself one of them. With the light thou art seen and comprehended, who art light and vain, and speakest a divination of thy own brain, and deceivest the people. That in thy conscience will witness what I say, and will condemn thee, who art one of those that bear rule by their means, which the Lord sent Jeremiah to cry against, Jer. v.; and so thou holdest up 'the horrible and filthy thing that is committed in the land.' They that do not tremble at the word of the Lord, are the foolish people that hold thee up; they are sottish children, and have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but not to do good, who are deceived by thee. Thou art one of those that seek their gain from their quarter; a greedy dumb dog, that never hath enough, as thy practice makes manifest, which the Lord sent Isaiah to cry against, Isa. lvi. 11, 12. And thou art such a one as the Lord sent Ezekiel to cry against, who feedest of the fat, and clothest with the wool, and makest a prey of the people. But the Lord is gathering his sheep from thy mouth, that to thee they shall be a prey no longer. Thou enemy of God, here this prophecy is fulfilled upon thee, Ezek. xxxiv., and thou art one of them; I charge it upon thee in the presence of the living God; a hireling thou art, and they that put not into thy mouth, thou preparest war against them. Thou hatest the good, and lovest the evil, which the Lord sent Micah to cry against, Mic. iii. Cover thy lips, and stop thy mouth for ever, thou child of darkness; for with the light thou art comprehended, and seen to be among them which the holy men of God cried woe against; and by the Spirit of the Living God thou art judged. In the light, which is thy condemnation, thou art comprehended; thy race is seen, and thy compass known, who art out of the commands of Christ, and out of the doctrine and life of the apostles. Thou art proved and tried: to thee this is the word of the Lord, to thee it shall be as a hammer, a fire, and a sword, and from under it thou shalt never come, unless thou repent; who art with the light to be condemned in that state wherein thou standest: and if ever thy eye see repentance, this thy condemnation thou must own." G. F. I wrote also to Burton, priest of Sedbergh, much to the same purpose, he being in the same evil ground, nature, and practice. Many other epistles also and papers I wrote about that time, as the Lord moved me thereunto, which I sent among the priests, professors, and people of all sorts, for the laying their evil ways open before them, that they might see |