A Serious MEDITATION UPON The Deal of God with England, and the State thereof in general.  
O England! thy day of visitation from the Lord, hath been exceeding large, and his deal with thee exceeding wonderful, when thou wast in distress and cried unto the Lord, he heard thee, and delivered thee from thy oppressors; but Oh how quickly hast thou forgotten the loving kindness of the Lord, and the Deal of thy God Remember the days that are past when thou wast in bondage and slavery, and desired freedom to Worship the Lord, and the Lord heard, and granted unto thee thy desire, and also made known the way of his Worship within thy Borders, in thy Towns, in thy Streets, in thy Assemblies, hath the Lord proclaimed the Way of Life and Salvation, by his Children and Servants: But oh how hast thou required the Lord for his loving kindness! How hast thou entreated his Servants with Prisons, Whip, and Revile! who bore their Testimony against thy Wickedness, against thy Pride and Covetousness, and Idolatry; but oh how hast thou rejected the Counsel of the Lord! and hath chosen thine own ways, and followed thine own Counsel, and hardened thy heart, and stiffened thy neck: even like a Rebellious people, that would none of the Law of the Lord, and therefore thou must eat the fruit of thy own do, and confess that the Lord is just in all his ways, and Righteous in all his judgements; for thou hast sinned against the Lord, in that thou hast not performed thy Promises, which thou made in the Day of thy Distress; and therefore Distress must come upon thee again, to bring thee to remember those things and repeat, which if thou do, the Lord will have mercy upon thee, and heal thy back-slidings, but if thou do not, but continue in thy Rebellion, the Lord will continue his Judgements upon thee: Should not the long-suffering of the Lord lead thee to Repentance, and his gentle deal with thee by correction, cause thee to understand that he loves thee? but if thou wilt not receive instruction, by all his gentle deal, but wilt go on in thy wickedness; What canst thou then expect, but the Indignation of the Lord to fall upon thee? What dost thou think if thou continue in persecuting the Servants of the Lord, (to wit) those that tell thee of thy Wickedness, thy Pride and Covetousness; dost thou think that that will turn the Judgements of God from thee? surely nay, that will but hasten Woe and Misery upon thy own head; Oh what a day of visitation hast thou had! How many times hath the Lord delivered thee! and now it may be said by thee, as it was once concerning Israel of old; yea they turned back and tempted God, and limited the holy one of Israel; they remembered not his Hand, nor the Day when he delivered them from the Enemy: Is not this thy condition oh England? although indeed the Lord hath a remnant in thee, that do not bow their knees to Baal, nor pour out drink-offerings to the Queen of Heaven; and this remnant are those which thou calls TROUBLERS OF THY PEACE, which trouble thee much, like as Elia troubled Israel, and this remnant that Woman Jessabel, (I mean thy false Church that paints herself) would have destroyed, that so her false Prophets which feeds at her Table, might not be Troubled, but Trouble must come upon them, and their peace must be broken; and although Jessabel cause a Fast to be Proclaimed, yet God will execute his judgement in thee, and if thou say in thy heart, wherefore come these things upon me? for the greatness of thine Iniquities are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare, for the Lord hath seen thy Adulteryes, and thy Neighing, the Lewdness of thy Whoredoms, and thine Abominations on the Hills, in the fields; Woe unto thee oh England! Wilt thou not be made clean, when shall it once be?  
Oh! What a large profession hath been made in thee? What a talk of Godliness and Christianity, but alas what is found in thee? Doth not Pride and Envy abound in thee? and hath not these things greatly displeased the Lord? and for this cause is the anger of the Lord kindled, which will devour the Briars and Thorns in one day, and in that Day whether will you flee? and where will you leave your glory? you that have gloriyed in professing the Gospel and Ordinances, and even made this a Covering for your Wickedness and Abomination, who under a pretence of seeking the Glory of God, have sought honour to yourselves, and to make your Names great on the earth: Is it not even thus oh England? and, Hath not thy Prophets that divine for money, and thy Priests that preach for hire, have not they flattered thee in thy Iniquities? Have not they cried, Peace to thy Rulers, even until the finger of the Lord hath broken forth against them, and they have been confounded? And wilt thou not for all this receive instruction ●or correction, but still go on in thy Wickedness and Rebellion against the Lord? What wilt thou revolt more and more, and show more and ●ore Cruelty to the Servants of the Lord; surely than more and more of the Indignation of the Lord thou must feel: What is it now become a trouble to thee to have sin reproved in thy gates? Dost thou make him an offender that speaks the truth? And do those men that testify against thy Wickedness, break thy Peace, the peace of thy Rulers, and the peace of thy Priest? And do thy Prophets, that divine for money, and Priests that preach for hire, do they tell thee, that it would be a happiness to thee, if thou were rid of those men that reprove thee for thy Wickedness? Do not they even thus oh England? And do not many of thy People think and say the same? What would it be thy happiness to sin without reproof? surely, nay; for if once they whose souls are vexed with thy filthy conversation, were driven out of thee; then would thy misery come, and the Lord would make thee desolate, even like Sodom, and Gomorrah, which was overthrown, for an example of his Righteous judgements unto all that would not receive Instruction.  
Oh how is thy SILVER become Dross! And thy LIBERTY become bondage! Oh how art thou gone Backward, and not Forward! even doting upon thy old Idols, and not content that they should worship them that have set their minds thereupon; but thou wouldst also Compel that remnant in thee, that are followers of the Lamb, for whose sake the Lord hath long spared thee, and yet thou art so foolish, and unwise, (as much as in thee lieth) to hasten on thy own Destruction: What may wickedness be tolerated in thee, and not be reproved? Is this the Liberty that thou now seeks after? wouldst thou have Wickedness established by a Law, and the reprovers thereof be condemned? Is it not even thus within thy borders? And yet for all this thou wilt lean upon the Lord, and say, is not he amongst us, no evil can come unto us? and cry peace, peace, even till destruction come upon thee from the Lord: Oh how often hath the Lord invited thee! and even with his Love sought to draw thee unto himself; but thou hast refused his loving invitation, and grieved his holy Spirit from time to time: so that if the Lord say, as he once said, concerning Ephraim, it is but just; England is joined to Idols, let it alone; and then desolation and misery will come upon it. When I would comfort my heart against sorrow, it is even faint within me, to consider what WARNINGS, from Time to Time hast thou had, and this thou hast, and dost account thy trouble: But greater trouble shall come upon thee from the Lord, except thou repent: Oh how hast thou chosen thy own Ways and followed thy own Coun●els, and would have Ministers of thy own making, and Prophets which would flatter thee in thy Wickedness, and Prophecy smooth thing unto thee, even the deceit of their own hearts, and this thou hast loved rather than plain and honest dealing; and now what shall the Lord do unto thee for those things? Shall not he recompense thee according to thy ways and do? and in that day thou shalt confess to his Righteus judgements. How have thy Priests stirred up thy Rulers against a harmless people? even like as Amazia the Priests of Bethel did, who complained against Amos the Prophet, saying, Amos hath conspired against the King, the Land is not able to bear his words; is it not even thus among thy Priests, Oh England! and alas, What have this People done against thee, I mean the despised remnant which are called QUAKERS? What evil have they done, that thou art so mightily troubled? What do thy Priests say concerning them, do they say they are Heretics, and such like? But How, When, or Where did they prove it against them, within thy borders? it is good for all thy Inhabitants, Oh England, to consider of this matter, and not Imbrue their hands in the Bl●●● of the Innocent; for of a truth the Lord hath raised this People up within thy borders, to make thee a happy and a blessed Nation, for even in HIM, in whom they have believed, the Nations comes to be blessed, even in JESUS-CHRIST the Covenant, the Light which is given for salvation to the ends of the earth, of whom they have born, and do bear their Testimony within thy borders, of which Testimony they need never be ashamed; which if thou shouldest always reject, and go on in thy Rebellion, thou wilt be most Unhappy and Miserable, even the worst of the Nations: and therefore it is my desire in the bowels of love, as being one of thy Inhabitants, who wishing thy welfare, and happiness, that thou mayest seriously Meditate upon the deal of God with thee, and upon his loving kindness which hath been, and yet is Tendered unto thee; and that thou mayest return to the Lord, is the earnest desire of my soul; lest it be said to thee, as Christ once said to Jerusalem; O ENGLAND ENGLAND, thou that killest the Prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy Children together, as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings, but you would not? Oh that thou hadst known in this thy Day, the things that belong to thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes.  
JOHN BRAITHWAIT.  
THE END.