THE Measuring ROD OF THE LORD, Stretched forth over all Nations, and the Line of true judgement laid to the Rulers thereof;  
Wherein all governors and Rulers, Potentates and Powers are measured; and all Governments and laws weighed in the true weight; wherein they all may see how far they are degenerated from the Law of Righteousness, and the Rules of wisdom, which was in the beginning, before Tyranny, and Persecution, and Rebellion had showed itself;  
Also showing the end that will come upon all those Rulers and Governments, Rules and laws that have been made in the apostasy, which is to be all overthrown, and all that which is acted out of God's power, to be thrown down by him, unto whom all Power is committed.  
Showing also that they in whom the power of God is made manifest, cannot be subject to any Usurper, or to that power which is gone from the life of God.  
Also an Advertisement to all the Rulers upon the Earth, that they may wait for the Restorer to be revealed in the Nations, to make up the Breaches, and to crush that down which hath made the Breach, that so Righteousness may cover the Earth, and gladness of heart may possess the People.  
Published for the information of all the Rulers upon Earth:  
By one who waits to see the Kingdoms of the World to become the kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ, that he alone may rule for ever and ever, called FRANCIS howgil.  
London. Printed for Giles Calvert, and are to be sold at the Black-spread-Eagle at the West end of Paul's 1658.   

The measuring rod of the Lord stretched forth &c.  
LIsten oh World, harken oh Earth, and all the Inhabitants thereof, give ear, oh all Nations that are therein, and all the Isles thereof, draw near ye Potentates thereof, ye▪ Emperors, Kings, Earls, Dukes, Nobles, Princ●pallities, and Dominions, my mouth shall speak the thing that is right, and my lips shall utter forth understanding, my tongue shall declare unto you the counsel of the most high, and what he is bringing to pass in the latter days, he that is higher than the highest hath said, he that is greater than the greatest hath spoken, the whole World lies in wickedness, and thick darkness is over the World, his way is perverted, his counsel is despised, and all Nations is out of order, notwithstanding the multitude of their counsellors, and notwithstanding all their wisdom, yet folly is brought forth in the midst of the Nations.  
Because they have asked counsel and not at the Lord, and taken advice and not at the holy One, therefore violence is set up as an Ensign, and wickedness runneth down as a river, and cruelty and opression as a mighty stream, the whole Earth is full of folly and madness, and all the people thereof are degenerate and grown out of the Image of God into a monstrous and strange nature, the prophets are all fools, the diviners thereof are mad, and they being degenerate themselves from the life of God, have not turned the people from their iniquity, but hath led them into further blindness, darkness, ignorance, and deceit, and hath made the Word of truth of none effect through their traditions, & hath taught for doctrine the precepts of men, & the traditions of them who are out of the Faith, and out of the life, and out of the power of God, and the Counsellors they have established wickedness by a law, they themselves being stranged from the life of God, therefore violence is broken forth into the earth as a flood, and now all Kings, Rulers, Potentates of the Earth who have given their power to the Whore, who sits upon many waters, and the waters are kindreds, and tongues, and people, and Nations, yea all Nations have been drunk with the cup of her Fornication, and being all gone forth from the life, in which the Prophets and the holy men of God lived in, and were established in; the Nations are become as waters, reeling to and fro, hither and thither, unsettled, unstable, there the Whore hath her seat, and all having drunk of her cup of Iniquity and Fornication, even of Mystery-babylons' cup, and are inflamed therewith; and so reels to, and fro, as the waters, and are as the waves of the Sea unstable, by her who hath made all Nations drunk, and by them who have been made drunk with her, even all Nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, have the Prophets been slain, and the witnesses slain, and none to bury them, not in mystery-Babylon, who is drunk with the blood of the Saints, and they that have drunk of her cup of Fornication, even all the Kings, Nobles, Potentates of the earth, they have acted the like, and have slain the appearance of God, where ever it hath been brought forth, and the red Dragon hath stood ready to devour the heir, which is borne of Mystery-jerusalem which is the Mother of all who are borne from above, who are heirs of the promise of eternal life, and the powers of the earth hath joined their power to the Dragon, who cast out floods of venom after the Child, which is brought forth by the woman, which is clothed with the sun: and now the powers of the earth taketh part with the Dragon, and their authority and dominion that they exercise is by his power which arises out of the bottomless pit; and shall go into perdition, and he hath deceived the Nations long, and all hath exercised their power against him who is the heir of the promise, the first-born of every Creature, who is higher than the highest, and greater than the greatest, and have changed his laws, and made them void, and hath set up the law of sin and death, & hath established unrighteous laws by the power of darkness, in which all Nations hath been involved in, since the Dragon hath power, and whosoever would not obey those laws and customs, and constitutions, the Dragon hath had power, and all that have joined to him for a time, to kill, to imprison, to destroy, and they who have been exalted have had thought to weary cut the Saints of the most high, and to root out the memorial of the just, that he and all his adherents, might reign for ever, in the kingdom of unrighteousness, and in the dominion of darkness, which is the devils dwelling place, and residence for ever, who is at enmity against God, and the Children of light, which worship God in spirit and truth, in life and righteousness.  
Now is the time drawing near, and he who is the desire of all Nations appeareth, the ancient of days is coming, whose throne is established in righteousness for ever, who will break the head of the Dragon, and will lay hold upon him, and chain him up that he deceive the Nations no more, and all you Emperors, Kings, Dukes, Earls, Nobles, Lords, and Potentates, who have joined to him, your kingdom shall be rent from you, and your hands shall grow weak, that you shall not be able to defend yourselves against him who travels in the greatness of his strength, who is coming up against you, as a Lion greedy of his prey, and will devour at once all his enemies, that thought in their hearts to reign for ever, and to settle themselves in iniquity for ever: now the time draws near when he will put down the authority of the dragon, and of the beast, and the beast with many heads and horns, and their rule shall come to an end, and he will dash you one again another as broken pitchers, till you be consumed and brought to nought, and be worn out as a motheaten garment, and will overthrow your laws and customs, which is made in the night of ignorance, and blindness, and will change your customs and the times, and will reduce the earth again into its first purity, and you that have ruled, shall serve and be tributary; and as you have had a time of rejoicing over the witnesses (who hath troubled your earthly and devilish peace) and slain them as sheep for the slaughter; a time of mourning is coming upon you, when you shall say alas, alas, for your glory shall pass away, and your renown shall wither; and for your dominion which shall grow so weak, that you shall not be able to resist him who travels in the greatness of his strength, and treadeth the winepress of the wrath of God, who is mighty and strong to judge the Whore, and all they that have committed fornication with her, and have drunk of her cup, and are inflamed with Adultery, and cannot cease from sin, but burns in envy against the appearing of the manchild who is heir of the promise, yea of life everlasting, born heir to the inheritance which is incoruptible, unto whom all power belongeth both in heaven and earth, who will subdue the lower power, and powers of darkness, and tread them under foot, and all who act from that power which is below the life, below the truth, below the light, that power will he (and all whom he brings out of the grave, and raises above the grave) tread down under foot, which stands but in the earth wherein dwells unrighteousness.  
Although thy teachers and diviners in the oh earth, who preacheth a diunation of their own brain, & from the imagination of their own hearts, hath made you believe, oh you powers of the earth, who are in the fall, in the transgression of the life, that you were the higher powers, every Emperor, King, Duke, Earl, Nobles, Lords, and that all were to stoop to your wills, how contrary soever they have been to God, but you and they must know, there is one higher than the highest, who is King of kings, and Lord of Lords, who alone will judge the hearts of his people, and their consciences, for he will not give his glory to another, although you have long usurped it, since the days of the apostasy, and would have had all to bow to that power which hath transgressed the life, and is gone from the power of God, oh long hath been the night of ignorance, and darkness, and great hath been the apostasy in the earth, since the days of the Apostles, and since the false Christ's and false prophets entered into the World, which Christ said should come, and cry lo here, and there, and should deceive many, yea all the world wondered after the beast, and John, sa● it all lie in wickedness, and the time that Christ prophesied of came to be fulfiled in the days of John, and he saw it; Matt. 24. 23, 24. that many false prophets and Antichrists, were gone out into the World, out from the life, out from the truth, cut from the light, wherein the Saints had fellowship, who wrote forth the Scriptures, and he said they were gone into the World, and he said the whole World lay in wickedness, and so they went from holiness into wickedness, and from the father's love into the love of the World, and Peter and Jude, who lived in the same age, they saw them that went in the error of Balaam, and in the way of Cain, and in gainsaying the Power, being turned from it like Corah, and also their hearts were exercised with covetous practices, So John saw they were come, 1 John 2. 18, 19, ver. Little children it is the last times as you have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now there are many Antichrists, whereby we know its the last time, and Peter saw that false Apostles should come, who should make merchandise of the people, and prophesied of it, as you may read 2 Pet. 2. 2, 3. and in the 14, 15. verses, you may know them by their fruits, having eyes full of adultery; and cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls, and hearts they have exercised with covetous practices, and they were the cursed children; and these had forsaken the right way, Christ the way and his command also: freely ye have received, freely give, and they laboured to keep the gospel without charge, who were true Apostles, but these false prophets, deceitful workers, Antichrists and false Apostles, they were gone in Balaam's way, after the ways of unrighteousness in Cains way, in Coras way, in Antichrists way, cut of Christ's way, and these false prophets, false Apostles, they spoke swelling words of vanity, and did allure through the lusts of the flesh, and they like the rest of the false Prophets gone before them, cried peace, and promised peace unto others, while they run with them into riotousness, and while they put into their mouths, and these promised liberty to themselves and others, while they themselves were servants of corruption, and Jude bore witness that they were turned from the Grace of God into lasciviousness, and wantonness, even from the grace that taught them to deny ungodliness, and was sufficient to preserve them from these errors before mentioned, but they went from it, and from the light and life of men, and denied him, and owned another, even him who abode not in the truth (the foundation of God) but went out of the truth, and so are bottomless or without foundation, and there is the very centre, ground and residence of all the false prophets, Antichrists, deceivers, all comes from or out of the bottomless pit, and leads to perdition.  
And Paul if not in that age, yet in the next age after lived, & he saw the mystery of iniquity already begin to work, 2 Thess. 2. 6. and Paul an Apostle of Christ wrote to Timothy his Son that the spirit spoke expressly some should depart from the faith, and they should speak lies in hypocrisy 1 Timothy 4. 1, 2. and in the 2 of Tim. he gave him notice what fruits they should bring forth, they that departed from the faith, Chap. 4. ver. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. yea a great apostasy from the faith there was, while Paul was yet living, for he writes to Timothy 2. Tim Chap. 1. this thou knowest, that all they which were in Asia, be turned away from me, and there were a great people in Asia, for great persecution he suffered in Asia, and stayed 2 years in Asia, Acts. 19 ver. 10. In so much that all they that dwelled in Asia heard the word of the Lord, yea and divers great men and of the chief of Asia were his friends, Acts 19 ver. 21. so its manifest there were 2 great people, for Acts 19 26 verse, not only at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia this Paul hath persuaded, and turned away much people, said Demetrius: and Paul writing to the Corinthians, saith 1 Cor, 16. 19 the Churches in Asia salute you; and John writes to seven, Rev. 1, 4. Rev. 11. and as was said before, all was departed from the faith, even all they that are in Asia are turned away from me, and the Apostle wrote to Titus; Titus. 1 ver. 10, 11. that there were many unruly, and vain talkers, and deceivers, who subverted whole houses, teaching the things they ought not, for filthy lucre.  
And John, who wrote the last in the Revelations, he writes that the whole World wondered after the beast, and his power was so great, that it was said who is able to make war with the beast, & they worshipped the beast, saying, who is able to make war with the beast Rev. 13. ver. 3, 4. and the beast that arose out of the Sea, having seven heads, and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his head the name of blasphemy, and the Dragon gave him his power, his seat, and great Authority, and he opened his mouth in Blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his Name and his Tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven, and it was given him to make war with the Saints, ver. 6. 7, and to overcome them, and power was given him over all kindreds, tongues, and Nations, and all that dwell upon the earth, ver. 9 shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life, shin from the foundation of the World, this Beast receiving his power and authority from the Dragon hath prevailed; he rose out of the Sea, the Waters upon which the whore sits, and the waters are kindreds, tongues and people, and the Beast arose out of the Sea also, that the whole World wondered after and worshipped, and John that saw this coming 14 or 15 hundred years ago; so that in a few ages after the Apostles all was worn out, the life lost, the Dragon had power, the Beast had power, and all wondered after him, and the Whore had made all Nations drunk with her Fornication; and then she came to sit upon many Waters, Kindred, Tongues and People, hears the Waters, hears the Sea out of which the Beast rose, who received his power from the Dragon, and this is he who upon his head had the names of Blasphemy, and all kindreds, tongues, and Nations whose names were not written in the lamb's book, they who honoured the Beast, and worshipped the Beast, and said who is able to make war with him, admired his power, and submitted unto him; and he hath had power, and hath prevailed against the saints, did overcome them, and the Dragon hath made war with the Seed which keep the commandments of God, and the testimony of Jesus, all this was seen many Ages ago, and what work the Dragon hath made in the Nations and in the Earth, where he hath had dominion and prevailed, and what a raging the roaring lion hath kept in the Earth is evident, seeking to destroy them in whom the seed remained, and to destroy them in whom the power of God was, or the least measure, and so the false, Prophets, deceivers, Antichrists, which wenout then, which the Apostle saw, they cried up that power which was from the life of God, and hath cried it up for the higher power, and said all aught to be subject to it, and said who is able to make war with the Beast, for the false Apostles and Deceivers and Antichrists went from the Grace of God, and from the light, and from the power of God, into the World and into that Nature, which all kindreds, and tongues, and people walked in, and into the power that acts the Children of disobedience, and joined with that power upon which the Whore sits: and they taught Nations and People to admire this power, and to admire the Beast because of his Heads and Horns, and Crowns and Names; and hath wrought miracles before the Beast; and this power which the Beast had received from the Dragon, this power admires the false Prophet, and the false Prophet the Beast; so that none could buy nor sell, nay nor live, but that had his mark or the number of his name, and so all hath been in utter darkness, and the deeds of darkness hath spread themselves over the Earth; For the Whore who is adulderated from God; and the Dragon, and the Beast, and the false Prophet, all have acted from that power, which is below the truth, and below the life, which power is at enmity against the truth and the life and against the light; and this power overspread all Nations, and the Sun being set, the night came over all, and the shadow of death over all Nations, and a veil and a covering hath been spread over all: and so out of the midst of thick darkness all hath acted this long and dark night of ignorance in the apostasy, wherein the Dragon hath had power, and the Beast, and that power hath been admired and set up, which hath transgressed the life, so that any who have been zealous for the truth, and have kept the testimony of Jesus, and the spirit of prophecy; the false prophets in all Nations, who are from the testimony of Jesus, have called to the Beast to slay and to kill and to destroy the seed of the woman, which is clothed with the Sun, and so the Beast exercising his power which is from below, have killed and destroyed them who were subject to the higher power.  
And what torturing and Massacring, and persecution, what burning and strangling there hath been, what cruel deaths many have been put to, over all Nations and in all Nations, where the beast have had power, who makes war against the life, so that the streets have run with blood, and all being gone from the life and power of God, they set up themselves to be Judges over men's consciences, and they who were in the error, they cried out of heresy, and they that are gone from the truth into a lie, the ground of Blasphemy, they cry out of Blasphemy, and under the horns of the beast, and under the heads, and the crowns of the beast, what Cannons constitutions, edicts, and laws have been in all Nations, what traps, gins, and snares have been laid in every Nation, yea, every home hath pushed, and every head hath lifted up itself against Christ the head, and every mortal crown hath advanced itself against the crown of glory, and against the immortal crown, so that it might be said as Eliah said, the altar of the Lord hath been broken down and his prophets and his witnesses slain, none hath escaped the rage of the Beast.  
Yet there hath been a few who have kept their garments clean, and were not defiled with women, nor with the Harlot, those who feared the Lord, and durst not offend the righteous law of God in their consciences, but hath denied whole counsels who were erred from the faith, and all the powers of the earth in which the beast bore rule, but rather choose to suffer cruel deaths, than to let go the profession and possession of their faith, whose blood cries under the Altar, how long oh Lord, holy, just, and true, will it be ere thou avenge our blood, which blood and cry is entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts, who will speedily take vengeance on the Nations, and dash them one against another, and will break down that power which hath slain the witnesses, yea, and hath gainsaid the power of God, and all Nations who are from the life, in which the holy men of God lived, and in that nature still which persecuted the life of God wherever it did appear in any measure, yea, swelled up and climbed to the very top of iniquity, which is Satan's Crown and glory, and the priests, and they that went out from the light into the World, in John's days, and Peter's days, who then taught for filthy lucre, and did subvert whole houses from the faith, ever since that time hath spread themselves over the Nations, and hath begotten people into a form and into an image, without the life, and so hath worshipped the beast and his image.  
And the deceit being entered then, and images then being set up, one on this wise, another on that, and some have had an image of many mixtures, such an image as the priests of England, Scotland, and Ireland worship, and hath got a law to guard it, that whosoever will not bow to it, the furnace is heat hotter to throw them into it.  
Object. And if any say, why I say so, or how do I make that appear.  
Ans. I answer thus▪ the Cardinals, Jesuits, and other Romish priests had a law made to protect their idol, the Mass, and if any spoke to him that was sacrificing to the Image, or idol, then three months' inprisonment, but now if any declares against the Image, that the priests of England, Scotland, and Ireland have set up, every one is to pay five pound, or six months' imprisonment in a house of correction, and there be tortured, and whipped, and shamefully entreated, ne'er to the loss of life, nay it's now so much the more hotter now than ever.  
None must come near the house of their idol God or Image, but must be counted a breaker of the peace, nor speak to a deceiver, and say he is so, nor a hireling and say he is so, nor to a covetous priest and say he is so, and can for proof bring half of his parish to witness the truth of this, but if he speak the truth never so clear, he must to prison or pay five pound, or the house of correction, and there be whipped, and stocked, and fettered, and chained, and tortured, and so it is manifest that those magistrates, who had a hand in making of this law have outstripped the magistrates in the time of Mary, when the Pope had domination in his height in these nations.  
And the priests ●ow, who in these Nations, who have set up their Image of many mixtures, and one year they make one, and another year another, and what as that power likes the best, that is gone out of the life and power of God, that they present to the authority of the Nation as an Image of a more comely stature, than the former, and then authority makes a law to guard it, and so it may truly be said, as it was said to Israel, hath any other Nation changed their God, but Israel had changed from the living God, to them by nature which are no Gods, and so hath these Nations gone from God, the fountain of life, and from the power of God, and hath set up an Image in which is no life instead, nay, they are not content with their Image, but it grows old, and then pa●ches up another of many mixtures, one while the mass that was held forth as their public profession, and then Prelacy and the book of common Prayer, and then Presbytery and the Directory mixed and made up: Ignorance, Blindness and of the fragments of Popery, and their own invention, and this now is set up for all to bow to, one while one thing which they call faith, and another while another, and heaps of confused confessions, but are all out of the life and from the true Faith.  
And now they have manifested themselves to have no Faith, and to be without faith, and are unagreed upon it, instance that which is called the humble petition, and advice presented to O. P. by the late Parliament, that there may be a public confession of faith made and recommended, as the public profession, and also that none may speak or write against, under a penalty, but this Image the Lord hath by his immediate hand from Heaven cursed, and confounded them that would have founded it, before it ever came to be set up, ah silly silly, that ever they who should profess godliness, should so shame themselves and all their teachers, for the teachers are not agreed yet of their faith, so they have either no faith, or else many forms which is feigned, and in this they are not yet agreed, and so being out of the true faith, in which the Saints had fellowship; in the unity of the faith they are all in distraction, and confusion, head, and tail, in the jar, in the strife about words, and a form of words, and how many Confessions and forms and Images is there set forth, and people still Ignorant of the mystery of faith which is held in a pure conscience, and wants that which is the evidence of things not seen, and wants that which should let people see him who is invisible, and oh how is people lost in the midst of these feigned, formal, divinations, and how are the Rulers in most Nations lost in the midst of their counsels, being gone from that which should be a terror to evil doers, and should be for the praise of them that do well.  
And what if all people in all Nations were constrained under a penalty to hold such a form of words, and to consent to such a confession, doth this any more but make hypocrites, when a man is not first persuaded of those things in his mind by the spirit of truth, is this any more, but fainedness, how long hath the God of this World bl●nded the eyes of people, whole Cities, towns, and countries, because they have gotten a formal Confession, made by a Priest, who is out of Christ's doctrine, in the steps of the false Prophets, and in the practice of the false Apostles, and deceitful workers, and when they have made a Confession, or a Catechism, as they call it, and hath gotten over the words, and can say them over, now judges they have faith, and are sound Christians, when they are Ignorant of the first principle or of faith towards God, and so are carried on in the mist of darkness, and ignorance, and knows not yet repentance from dead works.  
Object. But some of the Rulers, and Potentates of the earth may say, we have not persecuted them for well doing, but for heresy, and blasphemy, and sowers of sedition, and because they have not submitted to obey our constitutions and laws.  
Ans. Deceit hath never wanted a cover hitherto, neither hath or can the serpent want subtlety, for it's his nature by which he liveth: Nabucadnezar made a law, that whosoever would not obey, should be cast into the furnace, and might not all his magistrates have said to Shadrak, Meshach, and Abednego, that they were not subject to the King's decree, and therefore judge they suffered deservedly, and did not the Jews who were uncircumcised in heart say, when they took up stones to stone Christ, we stone thee not for thy good work●s, but thou being a man maketh thyself God, and the Jews stoned Paul, and Stephen, and put Peter, and John in prison, they said they were movers of sedition, and ringleaders of Sects, but the chief priests and the false prophets, had always their hands, in conspiring against the life of the just, but persecutors were ever blind, and yet were so conceited, that they saw, that they said to Christ are we also blind, but the seed of falsehood hath sitten as Judge long, and hath laid the heritage of God wast, and hath set itself in God's Temple as the true heir, and judged the heir not worthy to live, and thousands of thousands have been put to cruel deaths, and a numberless number hath suffered since the Apostles days, and since the apostasy came in, yet these which have done these things would be called Christian Magistrates, and Ministers of justice, and those teachers who have called to the rulers to punish such as heretics, and Seducers, they would be counted the ministers of Christ, and such Nations who are out of the life, they would be counted holy.  
Oh nay, Christ came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them, and all you rulers in all Nations, who goes under the name of Christendom, who are upon the earth, and all you teachers that are therein, whose actions and lives, doctrines, and principles, and practices, are contrary to the life of righteousness, and contrary to the doctrine of Christ and the practice of the holy men of God, you are all out of Christ's nature, and out of the divine nature, in the dragon's natu●e, and in the corrupt nature, in the nature in which all the disobedient and the rebellious are in, who are heirs of wrath and eternal vengeance, therefore repent ye of your iniquity, and tremble before the Lord God of heaven and earth, who is roaring from his dwelling place, and uttering forth his dreadful voice, at the sound thereof all Nations shall fear, and be astonished, and the fenced Cities, in which you dwell, shall be horribly afraid.  
Behold the time of restoring, is come, and coming, and the year of God's controversy with zions enemies is aproching near you, and he who sits and judges in righteousness, hath showed himself, will rule over the heathen as with a rod of Iron, and will pour forth his plagues upon all the families of the earth, that calls not upon his name, but despises it, and tramples upon it, the earth is filled with violence, cruellty and opression, yea it is broken forth as a flood, and the Nations is covered with unrighteousness, as with a garment, the beast hath exercised his power, and hath overcome and prevailed long over the heritage of God, and the mountain of the Lord's house is made desolate, all is void and without form, deceit enthroned, truth trampled upon, Judgement turned backward, and the devil reigns a King, equity hath found no place, mercy is shut out of doors, cruelty is entertained, temperance and moderation hath no residence, lust, uncleanness, excess, riotousness, and wantonness, is loved as though it were the way to eternal felicity, pride, hypocrisy, and dissimulation is taken pleasure in, sobriety and meekness hath no dwelling place, but is thrown aside, folly and madness is set up as the greatest wisdom, and the wisdom which is from above counted the greatest folly; the fear of the Lord is slighted, God's pure law thrown behind their backs, the Nations and the people therein are compassed about with darkness as a wall, and with ignorance as a curtain, and with blindness as with a strong fence, they are situated in the region of death, and at the side of the pit, and yet saith no evil shall come near us, nor sorrow touch our tabernacle, and is in a dead sleep of security, wrapped up in the slumber of iniquity, involved in utter darkness, folded up in the deep pit of ignorance; and desires not the knowledge of wisdom, neither to walk in her path, but her way is grievous unto them, and the eye lid of the morning is unto them as the shadow of death.  
Nevertheless he that weighs all things in an even balance, before whom all Nations are but as the drop of a bucket, he is appearing in his power, and thundering from his holy place, who will make the Nations shake as an olive leaf, and the Isles tremble before him, who is uttering forth his voice as the sound of many waters, which shall make all the Potentates, and mighty of the earth bow, the eyelids of the morning is opened, and the Sun is rising to his height, and the dark air is scattering by the breath of his mouth, and so all things shall appear in the earth as they are, and every thing under the face of the Heaven shall be brought to light, and all the powers of darkness discovered, and the works, and workers of iniquity shall no longer be hid, but shall be discovered by the light of the son of God, and shall be judged and cendemned by the life of righteousness, and blessed are they who know a hiding place in him, when his overflowing scourge passeth over the Nations which is already made ready to execute his judgement upon the heathen that know him not, oh who may abide his presence, when he appears in his power and maj●sty and glory, all the ungodly of the earth, sha●l be as driven stubble before his bow, and shall fly before him, nevertheless the pursues shall overtake, and the destroyer shall lay hold upon them, and all the ungodly shall hear the sentence, go ye cursed from the presence of the Lord into the pit of everlasting destruction.  
And when this day comes upon the Nations, all your prophets, diviners and teachers, who are out of the life of Christ, who have flattered you and told you, you were the higher power, and you must sit as judge in the things of the Father, & Lord it over the consciences of people, and prescribe the Lord a way, and a limit in your several, Nations, and dominions, they shall not be able to deliver themselves neither you, but the helper and the helped shall both fall together, the strengthener and the strengthened shall grow feeble, & their loins weak, so that they shall not be able to stand before him who is the higher power, and the greatest digni●y, who will rule over all usurpers, and over all the children of pride, the Dragon, the beast and the false prophet, and teller of lies, shall have their portion in the lake that burns.  
Then shall the ransomed of the Lord, and the righteous seed, whom the Nations have slain, and persecuted; the prophets, and holy men of God, and all that have been slain for the testimony of Jesus, rejoice over the deceit, and it shall be sung in that day, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, who will ascend above all principalities and powers, thrones and dominions, and tread down all under his feet that the earth may be filled with his glory, and behold he cometh quickly in a moment, and sudden destruction shall be upon his enemies, and the breath of his mouth shall make all melt away that hate the Lord, and their remembrance shall rot for ever and ever.  
Therefore oh all ye powers of the earth, who are the sons of fallen Adam, whose power ariseth out of the earth, in which the devil dwells and the serpent fe●ds, who bear rule but not by the Lord; who sits as judges in the earth, and yet your judgement is from the earth, and from below, know this, you shall all be judged with the just; and all your unrighteous decrees, laws constitutions, ordinances, and edicts, which is made in the fallen wisdom, you and they both together will be cast aside as a thing of nought, and must all be judged with the just, therefore repent and turn to the Lord of heaven and earth, that you may know his righteous judgement set up in your hearts, and the spirit of in justice and error purged out of your hearts, or else you judge not for God, for all the laws, constitutions, and ordinances, which are made in the fallen principle, and fallen wisdom, to have all these in the head or in the memory, so that he may act in a Nation or kingdom, according to the letter of a law prescribed in a Nation; that doth not at all make a man an able minister of justice or a magistrate for God for the root being unholy and corrupt and erroneous, from whence those laws were given forth, the branches is unholy also, the ground being corrupt, the tree bad, the fruit is bad also, and so all nations who are degenerate from the life of God, their laws and constitutions doth always embondage the regenerate; so the heart being deceitful and unrighteous, such laws proceeds forth which doth oppress the upright in heart, and all, or most of the laws in all nations, are received by tradition from generation to generation, since the scattering of Israel, who received the law from God's own mouth by the hand of Moses a Magistrate of the Lord, and a judge over Israel; and so heaps of decrees, statutes, and ordinances there is in the nations which doth not answer that of God in the conscience of every man, and so that which is pure of God in the conscience of every one cannot be subject to those laws and tradi●ions, but rather suffers, as many thousands have done, cruel deaths, and great oppression all this dark time of Antichrist reign, and of the beast in all nations since the apostasy; and death reigning over all the sons of the first Adam, in the transgression, death hath breathed forth itself upon the face of the earth, for sin entering and death by sin it rules in the heart, and exerciseth his power which stands in unrighteousness, and so all mankind in all their acting, can do nothing for God but against him; and against his people who are redeemed out of the region of death, and so all lawgivers, and lawmakers, and laws which stands in the will of man, and in the unrighteous principle, will the second Adam, the Lord from Heaven, the restorer of mankind utterly overthrow, abolish and take away their power, for the lawgiver shall come out of Zion; who ever in all nations, that ever come to see him must see him come from thence, whose appearance shall be as a lamp that burns, and he shall change the customs and the times and the laws, and overthrow all them that stands in the curse, for he shall lead out of death, and out of its path; and from under the law of sin and death, that all that hears him and comes to be subject to his law, shall deny all those laws in the very ground, and bear their testimony against them, which stands in that nature, that transgresseth the life, and therefore give ear all nations, and all Emperors Kings, monarchs, Lord, judges, and rulers of the earth, in all nations he is come and coming, whose right it is to judge the earth in righteousness, and the people with equity, even he unto whom all judgement is committed, and he hath appeared as the son of God in the north region of the world in power and majesty and great glory, and hath made the mountains me●t before him, and he hath dried up all the springs of Babylon, and hath made the Cedars bow; and made the trees of the forest to shake; and the sturdy oaks hath he cut up by the roots; and turned a pleasant land into a wilderness, and hath made the wilderness to blossom, and hath changed the customs already, and hath broken death's covenant, and hath overthrown the mighty men, yea even the horse and his rider, and hath taken off their chariot wheels in the day of battle, and it hath been a dreadful day and a sore slaughter, as in the days of Gibea, or as in the valley Jehos●phat and a sorrowful day hath come, and great mourning, as Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo, for one post hath met another, and the news hath been, Babylon is taken at both ends, and he hath overrun the multitude of Egypt, and trampled upon them, as the prancing of horses in battle, so that the mighty are fallen by him, and the strong hath not been able to help themselves against him who hath come as one that trod the winepress, and now hath overturned the powers of death, hell and the grave, and hath broken death's covenant, and will put an end to all changeable laws, and hath and will establish his law which endures for ever & ever: and now hear, all that are left unspoyled are angry, and all that worship the Beast, are left unslain, blasphemes him and speaks evi●l of his name, and of his wondrous works which he hath done in t●is day, as in the land of Egypt, and in the fields of ZOAN; for he hath turned the waters into blood, and hath cut all the fresh springs, and hath slain the first-born of Egypt, at which Pharaoh and all his wise men, and all the Egyptians are angry, and still resists the Lord, till they will, with the rest who have resisted him, be swallowed up of the Deep.  
And now oh Nations, who are situated under the whole face of the Heaven, he is coming up against you as a Giant refreshed with wine, and shall run his course, and none shall be able to stop his way, and shall come as Israel, after the slaughter of Edom, with their Garments red; and he travails in the greatness of his strength, and shall make all Nations desolate, who have given their power to the Beast, and will break their Covenants, and throw down your traditions which are Heathenish, and he is bringing a handful out of the North Country, who have been eye-witnesses of his power, Majesty, and Glory, and of his noble Acts, and though but a handful, yet they are blessed, and his increase shall be great, for they shall subdue Nations, and Kings shall be tributary to them, and they shall be his Witnesses to the ends of the World, and shall publish his Righteousness from Generation to Generation, & bear their testimony of him, who lives for ever and ever, who is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, our Righteousness; who hath broken open the Seals of the Deep, and hath made the springs of Life to flow forth as though it issued out of a womb; by which his little ones are refreshed and grow in strength, honour, and glory to him in the highest, whose judgements are just, holy, pure and equal for ever and ever:  
Oh who can stand before him, who hath uttered forth his voice before his Camp, and its very great, devouring fire is before him, and it is tempestuous round about him, and his sword devours much flesh, and all the ungodly shall be slain, heaps upon heaps, so that there shall be none left to bury the dead: A glorious high Throne hath he erected, and he sits thereon, and judges in righteousness, even he before whose face the Heaven and the Earth shall fly away, and the Sea be dried up, oh who can dwell with d●vouring fire, who can dwell with everlasting burning, who can stand when he appears, when he draws out his sword of Justice all Nations shall grow pale, and all the rulers feeble, and the warrior shall not find his hands in the day of batta●l, when they encounter with the Almighty, for his sword shall be fatted with slaughter, and all Nations who resist shall become soaked with blood.  
Oh he is dreadful, who can stand when he appears, who is a consuming fire, therefore all Rulers in Nations, and Potentates of the Earth, fear and dread his holy name, and bow unto his righteous sceptre, lest you be cut off, and perish with the rest of the uncircumcised, who have resisted him, and go down into the nethermost Hell for ever; for assuredly the day of your fanning and trying is near, arm yourselves, put on your Armour, see if you be able to stand in the day of the Lord. Oh, nay you will all be as dust before the whirlwind, and shall be scattered in the fierce anger of the Lord, and all your changeable Laws, Constitutions, Customs, and Traditions, which is brought forth from the changeable principle, which is gone out from the life, and all your turning of th●ngs upside down, shall be as the potter's clay, for he unto whom the eternal being hath committed all Judgement, which he hath appointed to judge in righteou●ness is appearing, and come, and coming, who si●s as a Refiners fire, and sits as Judge among the Gods, who will not give his glory and honour to any other.  
And so all you that b●are rule and not by him, who is the true light which in●ightneth every man that cometh into the World your p●wer other is from another, even from him who is 〈…〉 with the light, for by me saith the L●rd K●ngs rule, and Princes decree Justice, and such as were obedient un●o his righteous Law written in their hearts; as David, Solomor, Jehosaphat, Ezekiah, and the rest of the holy Kings and Princes, who were guided by that which was just & unchangeable, they ruled by his power and decreed Justice, and answered that which was just in every man's conscience, which is one with that power in which they ruled, and from whence they acted, and so a terror they became to none, but evil doers, who were out of the power, and out of the truth, and in that nature which stood up against that powers by which the Princes decreed Justice, and so with the power of God, all these Rulers, and Rules, and Governments, which is not according to the power of the just God, is to be abolished at the coming of him, whose day shall come, and in his power and glory he shall appear, which shall darken and dazzle, extirpate, and utterly destroy all, root and branch together, who is out of his power and against it, so there shall be a very great overturning, such as hath not been from the beginning, neither shall be ever hereafter.  
And then shall the Restorer be seen, who shall restore the Earth into its first purity, and there shall be Judges as at the first, and counsellors as at the beginning; then shall the Earth enjoy her rest, and the Nations their Sabaoth, for the Lord of glory hath considered it, and he hath listened, and a great cry is heard out of all Nations, of the poor, and of the oppressed, and of his Creatures which he hath made, how they have been chopped to pieces, as flesh for the Pot, and ground to dust as though they had not been God's workmanship, and his seed in al● Nations hath been held in great captivity; whose sighs, groans and tears hath pierced through the Clouds, and is entered to the Throne of God, who is now arising to plead the cause of the poor and the needy, and now woe to the World, and to all them that have borne rule, but not by the Lord.   

An advertisement to all the rulers upon earth,  
THere is one only God, the Creator and the bringer forth of all things, whose way is equal, and whose Judgements are just, whose Law is righteous, whose Statutes are pure, answering his own pure Witness in every man under the face of Heaven in all Nations upon the Earth, so as every man in all Nations upon the Earth comes to own God's pure witness in himself, placed by the Lord; he shall be made to confess unto the righteous acting of those Rulers who rule in righteousness, by the righteous law of God; but where any Ruler is not ruled himself, by that which is pure of God which condemneth self, and self-actings in himself, He bears rule, but not in God's Dominion, and so lays yokes upon a Nation, Country or People, to make all submit to his will, decrees, and ordinances, and to deny that which is pure of God in themselves, and then joins to his deceit, and thus iniquity gets head, and is set up as a rule, and the law of God, both in the Ruler, and the ruled, is thrown behind their back, and so deceit leadeth, and the changeable mind acteth itself out in every thing that it hath to do withal; and so tyranny and opression spreads over a whole Nation, and the just suffers in it.  
And hence it is that there are so many several Laws, Ordinances and Constitutions, and Traditions, and Customs among men in many Nations and countries, and Regions, one differing from another, and heaps of confusion, that hardly in any Nations, or few in a Nation knows what is Law, there is so much variableness, and changeableness amongst the Lawmakers, one while setting up, another while pulling down, and as deceit advanceth itself in any particular Ruler, than there must be a Law made, and a penalty upon the non-performance, as death, banishment, torturing, whipping, racking, prisonment, fining, to the utter destruction of many; and all the ground of this is because the Rulers are gone from that of God in themselves, and then acts in their own wills, and by their craft and deceit which stands in the Ground, which is cursed, and calls this Christian policy and wisdom, and cruelty becomes a Law, and the Devil keeps his Dominion in the Earth, and deceit gets a Cover and hides itself  
Now it was not so from the beginning; For as God is one, and his Name one, his Law is one, which is pure and equal, and unalterable, and endures for ever and ever. Now man being made in God's own Image, answered the pure Law of God, and being God's Image was one with the Law, and the Law was not against him, but was his life and joy, and he had power to obey it; for he was of its own nature, for as God is pure and holy, and the Image which he brought forth man in was pure and holy, and that which was man's guide and rule was pure and holy, here was unity and purity, and he that created, and man that was created was in unity, and then there was no woe, no condemnation, no sorrow, no death, no tribulation, nor anguish, nor wrath, revealed against man who was the Image of God, and he stood in the Dominion of God, and had dominion over that which was contrary, here was no tyranny, here was no cruelty, no prisons, no envy, no persecution, no killing nor destroying, no defrauding, no jar, no strife, no devouring, but all God's creation at unity, and man at unity with God, being partakers of his Dominion, whereby all the Earth was in order, and in that wisdom which changed not, and here man had dominion and power, and ruled in God's authority, and was guided by the higher power, and while he was subject to it, death had no power over him; now this was before sin entered, and before death entered, & before enmity had appeared in the Earth, but now was the Lord King and lawgiver, and Judge, who ruled in righteousness, and man being subject to him, there was no Law against him, nor no guilt of any thing, for transgression was not known in the Earth, and there was no curse, but all was in unity and peace, no changeableness, but all was in the covenant, all the workmanship of his hand was united unto him, and all that he had made was blessed, and all the Creation were partakers of his blessedness, and all stood in the covenant, by which every Creature received power, virtue and dominion, here was one mind, and here was no double, no variation, no mutation, nor change, but the dominion of the everlasting God was felt, which endures for ever and ever, and any other thing was not seen in the Earth, but man crowned with honour, dominion and dignity, wherein could be nothing but rejoicing, and pure peace and joy, now no evil was known, neither was there any such thing, but goodness possessed the whole Earth, and righteousness breathed forth itself in all things in the circumference thereof, and all the works of his hands pleased him, and man made partakers of his pleasure, and was accepted, and not rejected, thus in part I have showed unto you the state of the Earth, and of mankind, and the glory of God's Creation, and the blessedness thereof, but if I could declare unto the whole World, from years' end, to years end, I should fall short, and words would be wanting, to express the felicity and happiness in which man was brought forth in, neither shall any be able to see into those things, or to declare certainly of those things, who come not beyond time, to him who is eternal, who gave them a being.  
But after man had taken of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, and had eat of the fruit thereof; and consented to the beguiler, and to the Serpent, sin entered, and death by sin, man lost his dominion, and became subject to another, and another had power over him, and now the course of nature was set on the fire of Hell, the curse entered, and man dead while he lives; and in that day he eat did die, and death breathed forth itself in the Earth▪ and Cain is brought forth in his own Image, to wit, in the Image of him who was gone out of God's Dominion, and he became a murderer, and slew him that was accepted of God, and here appeared now the enmity, and its life was to destroy, and to murder, and to kill Abel, who believed and offered up a sacrifice, and Cain offered in the unbelief, and was not accepted, so Abel who was just lived by Faith, but Cain who was in the envy and in the wrath, this life was death to him and to his nature, and so all who are out of the Faith, are dead while they live.  
Now after the transgression in process of time, when the seed of fall Adam began to increase in the Earth, being driven out from the presence of the Lord; they spread over the whole Earth, and sought many inventions being gone from that of God in themselves, by which they were united unto him, having broken his covenant, and joined in covenant with death, death acts forth itself against the seed, which is not of its nature, and always sought to embondage it, and to kill it as Cain did Abel, and Esau, Jacob, and Ishmael did unto Isaac and unto his seed.  
Now the seed unto which the promise was received, the Law from the mouth of the Lord, and they that persecuted the seed, invented, and made Laws of their own, according to that nature in which they lived, and so became heathenish in their Fashions, and Laws, and Customs, and cruelty grew up as it was nourished, and leavened into its own nature, and unbelief grew into a mighty stature, and monsters was brought forth in such a strange shape in every thing, that the enmity did appear in, as had not been seen in the Earth before, and and so man being gone astray from the life of righteousness, every thing is abominable, and of a stranger nature, that he brings forth: yet take notice of this, that as the seed unto which the promise was who were in the Faith, and obeyed through Faith, they had a Law, so they in unbelief had also a Law, as the seed worshipped the living God, through a lively and a living Faith, and so sinned not in so doing, the seed of the serpent imitated a worship, and worshipped in death and unbelief, and as the Laws of one was equal, such as David and Solomon, the other was unequal, such as Jeroboam and Rehoboam, and as the one set up equity by a Law, the other made a Law to set up iniquity.  
And the seed, they sought not their own honour, but the honour of him who was their reward, but the seed of the evil doer sought himself and his own honour, and as the spirit of the Lord breathed forth itself, and spoke the truth in the power of God, deceit uttered forth lies in hypocrisy, and in the power of death, and as the upright lived unto God in the spirit, deceit lived unto the flesh, and unto him who hath the power of death, which is the devil, and as they fulfilled the Law of God, who were led by his holy spirit of God into all truth, the other followed their own imaginations, and answered the deceit and foolish mind, and they whose understanding was darkened loved them, and had pleasure in them.  
So it may be truly said, many Nations, Rulers and ruled sit in the Region of the shadow of death; and the living God is forgotten among them, & one against another, they are seeking one another's ruin, & all in the violence, & in the cruelty.  
Therefore all Rulers and Potentates of the Earth, Magistrates and governors under the whole face of Heaven, harken unto the words of my mouth, and listen unto understanding, that you may be partakers of the happiness and felicity which God is shedding abroad, now in the latter days, that so the Restorer you may know in your Regions, and the deliverer in your Nations, and the maker up of the breach in your Dominions, that he who is the desire of all Nations may be revealed among you.  
He which must restore is not born of man, nor cometh not to a People or a Nation, in the will of man, neither seeks he himself, but the glory of the Father, who hath sent him to seek, and to save that which is lost, and to heal the breaches, and to destroy that which hath made the breach, that so all Nations who receive him, & believe in him, may be reconciled unto him, and one to another; that the Earth may enjoy rest & the Regions quietness; therefore all be warned not to look forth in your wills, for there you will not receive him, but slight him, as many before you have done, and so lie down in sorrow, and weary yourselves in vanity, and lie down in infamy, and never come to see his dignity.  
Now he, of whom I declare unto you, is the Son of God, who is the light of the World, and the life of man, and hath lightened every man that cometh into the World, which light wherewith all men are enlightened is not contrary to the Law of God which endures for ever, but one with it, and this will let you see, violence, treachery, murder, envy, wrath, maliciousness, drunkeness, whoredom, lying, cursed speaking, stealing, defrauding, cheating, cozening, rioteousness, pride, arogancy, emulation, contention, strife, hatred, persecution, cruelty, opression, I say the light which comes from Christ by whom the World was made, will show you that all these things is sin and evil in the sight of God, and also will let you see there is a ground from whence these, and all other evils proceed, which ground is in all the Sons of men in the transgression, till it be removed, and these things before mentioned, be the fruits that grows from it, and buds forth themselves in all Nations, and in every man in every Nation, so the Earth is filled with violence, and the grapes are as Sodom, & the fruit as Gomorrah, whom God overthrew, and till these things be done away, and these fruits wither, and the root from whence they arise be removed out of every particular man who is a Ruler, he cannot be a blessing to a Nation, neither rule for God in a Nation, neither will he or can he be a terror to all these things before mentioned.  
While he himself is in those, for he cannot destroy his own life, neither will iniquity set up righteousness, nor the worker of iniquity advance Christ.  
Therefore listen to the words of my mouth, and despise not counsel, lest you perish among fools, and go down to the horrible pit, where there is everlasting misery unto all perpetuity.  
Now God that made both Heaven and Earth, and all things that therein are; he is light, and with him is no darkness at all, he never changes his purity; nor altars his righteous decrees, his eye is pure, and always fixed to behold all the works of the Sons of men, and he searches the heart of man with his eye, and pierceth through the secret places, and is near to every man, although man do not see him, he is invisible, and eternal, and his Law endures for ever, and the unalterable decree, by which sin is judged and reproved in the World, and in every particular man, and every man who hearkens and hears the words of the pure Law, which judges all sin in man, receiveth the sentence of death in himself, and is judged by the righteous words of his mouth, and so sin in the particular comes to be condemned, and all these changeable things is trodden under foot, which is acted and brought forth from the changeable mind of man, and so all Laws, Constitutions and Decrees, which is made in the will of man, comes to be thrown down by his righteous Law which proceeds out of the mouth of the righteous God, who is light, and so as his unchangeable and unalterable decree comes to be set up in every particular Ruler, & governor, and himself judged with the just, he comes to bear his rule for the just, and answers that which is just in every man, and no longer can he act against well doing, but is a leader, and an encourager of it in all, and is a terror to the unjust, and so comes to know the dominion again which man lost through disobedience and transgression.  
Now all you powers of the Earth, wait that you may come to see that, & feel it revealed in yourselves, to wit the Law of God from the mouth of God, that so you following it, sin may be judged in yourselves, & you come to know the one Lord the Lawgiver which leads man back out of sin, & transgression by his Son whom he hath sent into the World, that all men through him might believe in the Father, & be restored out of sin & transgression unto life eternal, where death hath no entrance, & so all who waits upon the light of the Son of God, and is obedient to it, they come to feel his power and his decree which cannot alter its property or verity,, & all who comes to be guided by it, you will come to see that which unites you unto God, & one Nation to another, in the Covenant of God Oh that all your eyes were opened, that you might see that which belongs to your peace & the well being of all Nations, that so the power of the flock might be refreshed among you, and this I speak unto you, a change must be witnessed in yourselves, before you will cease acting in the changeable mind, now the time draws near, the Lord will try you, for the Earth must be left without excuse, and he will have all warned, for God will no longer be limited, and therefore take heed how you gainsay any or resist any, who may declare unto you the counsel of God, and cause them not to be persecuted or hurt, but all be calm and moderate, and learn wisdom from above, from him who hath enlightened you, that you may come to deny yourselves, and follow him who condems all self actings, and self will in man, and all Customs, laws, and Worships, & Traditions, that is made in the will of man, that so he unto whom all power is committed may be feared, and worshipped in spirit, in life, truth and righteousness, that so all sedition, rebellion, treachery and unrighteousness may be cleansed out of the Earth, and that all quarrelling, fighting, contention may end; and people come out of that which the sword is against, that so the swords may be beat into plowshares, and the spears into pruning hooks, that so violence may be done away, and cruelty, swept out of the Nations, that the dominion of God may be set over all, and his truth advanced above all, that the Kingdoms of the World may become the Lords, & his Christ's; and blessed are they that stoop unto his sceptre, who judges the Nations in righteousness, and the people with equity, who is the Salvat●on of all his people for evermore, and a hiding place in the day of trouble.  
LONDON, The 20. of the 2. Month, 1658.  
THE END.