A Seasonable warning, and serious Exhortation to, and Expostulation with the Inhabitants of Aberdene: concerning this present Dispensation and day of God's living Visitation towards them.  
GReat, unutterably great, O ye Inhabitants, is the Love of God which flows in my heart towards you, and in bowels of unspeakable compassion, am I opened, am I enlarged unto you, in the sight and sense of your conditions, which the Lord hath discovered and revealed unto Me. O that your eyes were opened, that ye might see, and behold, this Day of the Lord, and that your ears were unstoped to hear His voice, that cryeth aloud, and calleth One and All of you to Repentance; and that your hearts were softened, & inclined to discern and perceive this blessed hour of His present Visitation, which is come unto you. He hath lifted up a Standard in the midst of you, and among your Brethren; He hath called already a Remnant, and enrolled them under His Banner, and he is calling All to come, he hath not left one without a witness: Blessed are they that receive Him, and hear him in this day of his appearance. He hath sent forth, and is daily sending forth his Servants and Messengers, to invite you to come and partake with Him of the Supper, of the Feast which he hath prepared; and among many others, whom at sundry times he hath caused to sound forth His Testimony: I also have in the Name and Power and Authority of God, proclaimed his everlasting Gospel among you, and preached, and held forth the glad tidings of this glorious dispensation, which is Christ manifesting and revealing himself in and by his Light and Spirit in the hearts of all men, to lead them out of all unrighteousness, and filtheness, both of Flesh and Spirit; unto all righteousness, truth, holiness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. But because many of you have despised this Day, and as ye have made merry over God's witness in your hearts, not liking there to entertain Him in his meek, lowly, yet lovely appearance; so have ye despised, mocked and rejected, that which testifieth to this witness without you. Therefore was I commanded of the Lord God, to pass through your streets covered with Sackcloth and Ashes, calling you to repentance, that ye might yet more be awakened, & alarmed to take notice of the Lords Voice unto you, and not to despise these things which belong to your peace, while your day lasteth, lest hereafter they be hid from your eyes. And the command of the Lord concerning this thing, came unto me that very morning, as I awakened, and the burden thereof was very great; Yea, seemed almost insupportible unto me, (for such a thing until that very moment, had never entered me before, not in the most remote consideration) And some whom I called to declare to them this thing, can bear witness, how great was the agony of my Spirit, how I besought the Lord with tears, that this Cup might pass away from me: Yea, how the pillars of my Tabernacle were shaken, and how exceedingly my bones trembled, until I freely gave up unto the Lords will. And this was the end and tendency of my testimony, to call you to Repentance, by this signal and singular step, which I as to my own will and inclination, was as unwilling to be found in, as the worst and wickedest of you, can be averse from receiving, or laying it to heart. Let all and every one of you in whom there is yet alive the least regard to God, or his fear, consider and weigh this matter in the presence of God▪ and by the Spirit of Jesus Christ in your hearts, which makes all things manifest, search and examine every one his own Soul, how far this warning and voice of the Lord is aplicable unto them, and how great need they have to be truly humbled in their Spirits? Returning to the Lord in their inward parts, with such true and unfeinged Repentance as answers to the outward clothing of Sack cloth, and being covered with Ashes. And in the Fear and Name of the Lord, I charge all upon this occasion, to bewarr of a slight, frothy, jeering, mocking spirit, for though such may be permitted to insult for a season, yet God will turn their laughter into howling, and will laugh when their calamity cometh; and such are seen to be in one spirit with those who spat in the face of the LORD JESUS, and buffeting him, bid him prophesy who smote him. Therefore consider, O Ye Inhabitants, and be serious, standing in fear; Where are ye who are called Christians? Among whom it is become a wonder, A stone of stumbling, or matter of mockery, or a ground of reproach, for one in the Name of the LORD, to invite you to Repentance in Sackcloth and Ashes: Would not the Heathen condemn you in this thing? And will not Niniveh stand up in judgement against you? How is it that ye that are called Christians, can willingly give room to every idle Mountebank, and can suffer your minds to be drawn out to behold these sinful divertisments, which indeed divert the mind from the serious sense of God's fear? The people can be gathered there, and neither the Magistrates complain of tumult, nor yet Preachers nor Professors cry out against it as delusion, or madness. O my Friends consider, can there be any more strongly deluded, then for people daily to acknowledge and confess they are sinners, and sinning, in words; and to startle at that which did so lively represent unto them, what they own to be their condition▪ Were it in good earnest, or were it from a true sense of your sins, that ye so frequently seem to acknowledge them, ye would not despise, nor overlook that which calleth you to repentance for it. How is it that you can so confidently array yourselves in all manner of gaudy, and superflous Apparel, and exceed in lustful poudering and perfumes, and yet are ashamed and amazed at Sackcloth and Ashes; which according to your own acknowledgement, is so suitable to your states? Is not this to glory in your shame, and to be ashamed of that which ought to be, and would be your greatest glory, to wit, true and unfeinged Repentance. I shall add that which upon this occasion I declared unto you; I was for a Sign from the Lord unto you, I desire ye may not be among those that wonder and perish, but rather repent and be saved. And this is my Testimony unto you, whither you will hear or forbear, I have peace with my God in what I have done, and am satisfied that his requirings I have answered in this thing. I have not sought yours but you, I have not coveted your gold or silver, or any thing else; nor do I retain, or entertain the least hatred, grude, or evil-will towards any within or without your gates, but continue in pure and unfeinged love towards all and every one of you, even those who do most despise or reject me, and my Testimony, being ready to bless those that curse, and to do good to those that dispitfully use me, and to be spent in the will of the Lord for your sakes, that your souls may be saved, and God over all may be glorified; for which I travel, and cry before the Throne of Grace, as becometh  
This came before Me to signify unto you by writing, at Urie the 12. of the first Month. 1672. A Servant of the Lord Ies●s Christ, ROBERT BARCLAY.   

After this Paper was committed to the Press, some Queries concerning this matter were sent (to a Friend in Aberdene) by One who in the inscription styles himself a sober Inquirer, which mask he quickly pulled off, either for want of wit, or from too much malice against the truth, by spreading these queries, at the same time among several hands, which no truly, sober Inquirer would have done, until he had first received, or been refused satisfaction from him, to whom he particularly directed them. In order therefore to dispel such cloudy Mists, as the Enemy seeks to raise for darkening the day of God's appearance, through his Children: These Answers are judged fit to be here annexed.  
THe Premises, and Queries following upon them, being all one on the matter, the first being positions in general, and the other the particular application of them hereto, they need not different answers, both of them are herein comprehended and employed, as any that will be at the pains to look after the Queries, and compare them, may observe.  
To the first is therefore answered.  
1. R. B. Denies his Message to have proceeded from any Light or Illumination in him as a man, but from the immediate Testimony of the Spirit of God, in his heart a manifestation of which Spirit is given to every man to profit withal, accordnig to the plain testimony of the Scriptures, 1. Cor. 12, 7. 1. john 2. 20. 27. Heb 8 10. 11. 12. The which Spirit, and Anointing teaches all the Saints under the New Covenant, whereunto an audible voice is not required for this is said to be within them, and not without them, nor can it be proven that God spoke always to the Prophets by an audible voice, or that such a thing is requisite to every true Revelation, received from the Spirit, else none could be truly certain that the Scriptures came from the Spirit of God, until they received an audible voice by the outward ear, confirming them of it, nor could any have the assurance of Salvation without the same, both which the generality of Protestants hold needful to Believers, and Cal. Inst. lib. 1. cap. 7 sect. 4. cap. 8, Sect 1. lib. 3. cap, 1, sect. 4. cap. 3. sect. 39 that by the inward, secret testimony of the Spirit, without an audible voice. Nor was john Hus his prophecy of Luther, or George Wisharts of the Cardinal's death alleged to have proceeded from an outward audible voice, and yet proved both true. As likewise several others of latter years, which might be mentioned.  
2. A Message thus delivered from the Testimony of the Spirit of God in the heart, reaches to the manifestation of the same Spirit. in the hearts of those to whom it is delivered, if they wilfully do not resist and shut it out. Thus the Ninivits were reached at the call of jonah, and those who heard Peter, were pricked in their hearts; yet neither the one or the other had such an immediate particular call as jonah and Peter had, but the testimony of the Spirit through these two, touched, reached, and raised that of God in their hearts, and made it applicable unto them. Yet those that despise this Light, and manifestation of God in themselves, may come to jeer, and mock at a message proceeding from it, through another, even as the Scribs and Pharisees did at Christ; and therefore were worthy of condemnation, and judged by the Heathen, such as Tyre and Sidon, and Niniveh, even as it is with those of the same spirit at this day, who while they cry up the writings of the Prophets, & other Scriptures, (as did the Pharisees) are despising Prophesying, or the teaching, or leadings of the Spirit, which the Apostle declared to be the nature of the New Covenant dispensation; and therefore no wonder if according to the Scripture Pro. 28. 18. where there is no Vision the people perish.  
3. The Assisters to this Action, having had the thing declaired unto them, retiering to the inward Testimony of the same Spirit in themselves, did feel union therewith, and such as went along, did not only find a true liberty (which might have sufficed) but some of them a necessity to concur with it. And as for the carrying of the Hat and Cloak, it was altogether extrinsic, being neither essential nor circumstantial to the thing, nor so looked upon by these who did it: Yet the carping thereat shows in the proposer, a critical mind, very void of seriousness, which the Lord, as of purpose to starve, hath permitted him to build that part of the Query in relation to A. H. wife upon a false report, the thing being a manifest untruth.  
And in answer to the second proposition of the premises, it's the alone immediate testimony of the Spirit of God, that can truly discover all false pretenders and delusions, which if any can, let them deny, without overturning the Basis of all Christian Religion, and rendering the faith of the Saints in all ages uncertain.  
R. B.