TO THE Present Authority OR Heads of the Nation of England.  
This among others is my Testimony which for the Lord is given, as well to them that were in Authority, as to the suffering Seed which hath lain under and suffered hitherto by both those Powers.  
〈◊〉 the Leviathan O Lord that sporteth in the Sea, he who is King over all the Children of Pride; put thy hook in his nostrils, and do thou bruise his head, eternal God of Power.  
●●●ce O Daughter of Zion, and be exceeding glad, yea let it be told her thy King cometh unto thee, meek, sitting upon an ass, and a colt the fool is an ass, of whom the Prophets and holy men of God have foretold.  
Which in time past were not a people, (yea but a few years past) but we are the people of God, called out of darkness into his marvelous light, that ye might show forth the high praises of him that hath called you.  
THe bowels of the Father of mercies hath been felt in this Nation of England and the Dominions thereof, which hath largely appeared in that he hath spared it, though a treacherous Nation, a rebellious and backsliding people; yet mercy hath been showed towards all: O the height, and length, and breadth, and depth of the ●●ve of God how unsearchable are thy ways, and thy works past ●●●ng out?  
And first towards Thee and You that are in AUTHORITY 〈◊〉 this mercy been showed. That the Lord hath brought thee in, 〈◊〉 thy life, and given thee another day to try thee, and not shut 〈◊〉 out for ever, so that mayest not thou and you say that have been partakers of this mercy, It is of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not? Lamen. 3.22. Therefore beware of forgetting his mercy, and that your hearts be not hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and that you turn not from his grace into wantonness, nor walk despitefully against him, or his people.  
2. He hath brought a day of Adversity upon many, because of backsliding and hardness of heart, which also is in mercy to make them to consider, in the day of adversity to consider, (Eccl. 7.14.) which in the day of prosperity they would not do, but having possessed themselves of the seats of others, sat at ease in the flesh, and proved unfaithful to the Lord and his people, having provoked the holy One of Israel against them, and have broken COVENANT both with GOD and MAN, that they may in the day of their adversity remember what in the day of prosperity they easily so got.  
3. And as he led Israel of old by a right way to a City of habitation through a land of drought and pits to prove them and try them, and so far hath the Lord brought his people now, his chosen ones whom he hath called, that the powers of darkness shall never overtake you, nor reach beyond you for his mercy endureth for ever. But he will prove you and try you that hath bounded the Sea, that it could not overwhelm, and by his own arm hath kept through the mighty waters that they have not prevailed, that you might know who hath done these things for you; and when he shall purely have purged away thy dross, and taken away all thy tin, then will he restore thee Judges as at the first, and counsellors as at the beginning, (Isa. 1. 25, 26.) To go in and out before the people to give righteous judgement; men of Courage, fearing God and hating covetousness. So that friends the day of his purifying and purging must be known, therefore abide it, and be not disquieted nor troubled in your minds; And the day of his purifying is come, for the Lord is equal in all his ways, and just and righteous in all his doings: And where Tribulation hath or shall abound, Consolation shall abound much more; and where much Mercy and favour from the Lord hath been showed, much humility and thankfulness will be required, which is that the Life may praise him. So England hath its day of Mercy, its day of trial, to try all, that all might be seen what spirits they are of; otherwise know that you to whom this large Mercy hath been reached, and have so largely partaked thereof, which calleth for the depth of humility, and the greatest return of thankfulness; I say otherwise will come upon you the depth of misery, and the greatest horror and anguish will come upon you as upon any people.  
Therefore ye Rulers dread God's mighty power, who have now your day of Prosperity; serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice before him with trembling, kiss the Son, and bow unto him who hath enlightened you; for if his wrath be kindled, yea but a little, happy then will they be seen to be who put their trust in him, whose light in the conscience convinceth of sin and evil, and shows you all that ever you have done, the hard speeches that you have spoken, the evil actions you have acted, the vain thoughts you think, this is the CHRIST, the Saviour of the World, the LIGHT which showeth you in that 〈◊〉 you are not safe, which if you turn to the Light and own it, that will lead you to Christ the salvation wherein your safety is, therefore believe in the LIGHT, believe in the LORD Jesus CHRIST that you may be safe, when the overslowing scourge shall come upon the World, the wicked and ungodly to sweep them all away. Now that is a measure of him in you all that showeth you all these things, which if you love it, you love Christ from whence it comes, but ●…aring the Light, and walking contrary unto it, you hate Christ who hath enlightened you, and that Light will be your condemnation, which would have restored and healed and helped you abiding in it, and loving, and opened unto you the mystery to have known Christ within the hope of glory; for all things that are reproved, are reproved by the Light, and whatsoever maketh manifest is LIGHT. So give not thy strength to thine enemy, but eye the Lord thy mind turned to his Light, his purpose, his mind, his will concerning thee, that thou mayest answer it and be established, and not to resist lest thou be overturned, for thy breath is in thy nostrils, and thou art but a mortal man; but mind the Lord God and his everlasting Truth, his Light to lead thee, and counsel to direct thee, lest thou stumble and fall and be broken, for much and large mercy hath been showed to thee, & you all, therefore take heed that you abuse not his mercy, nor reject his council, but show mercy unto others; and as you would have the Father of mercies forgive you, so in like manner do you forgive them that have offended you, or trespassed against you; for there hath a cry run through the earth to the Lord for forgiveness to the people, and to spare the Nation, and the Lord for his own Seed sake hath spared and not destroyed: ought you not to be one with the Lord in his work, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, ready to forgive? Now if you harken to the Light, to Christ the mighty Counsellor, his Light will lead you to perform his will, wherein your safety is; and not to act or do any thing contrary to it, to be ready to forgive, and not to seek revenge, but to leave that unto the Lord; for being kept to the light of Christ in you, you will be kept in a sensibleness of your low estate, and of God's mercy toward you that hath spared you and not cut you off, but lets you have another day to try you, and the Light you keeping your minds to it, wherewith Christ hath enlightened you, who lighteth every man that cometh into the world, harkening to it will keep you low, humble and sensible, obeying it; For the deeper and larger that God's mercy hath been towards you, the deeper will be your misery if you resist it, and neglect so great salvation, but the Light harkening to it and obeying it, will break your hearts, and melt you down into the love of God, wherein he hath and is manifesting himself unto you: Therefore prize your time and pass not over the day of your Visitation and Salvation, and when you have done all that you can, if you go on stubborn to resist the Light, resist the Power of God, you cannot change the purpose of the Lord God, nor alter the thing that hath gone out of his mouth, whose purpose is to exalt his Son over all, righteousness over all, Truth over all, wherein all iniquity must have its mouth stopped, which is the work of his day, that Christ the Head, the true Light of the World, in all things might have the pre-eminence, and not mortal man; who is King of Kings, Lord of Lords, of whose dominion there's no end, whose Right it is. Et le fleau de Dieu ne peult empescher loewre de Dieu. God's Rod cannot hinder his work; For the best of men in the unconverted state, not turned unto God, is but a Rod, the Rod of God's wrath, in the wrathful nature, unmortified, unbridled. Or as saith the prophet, the best of them is as a briar, the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge, Mic. 7.4. So read what you are, and what state you are in, and what you are for in the wrathful nature, and not come to the Light of the Lamb which is meek and merciful in you. And the Rod of God cannot hinder the work of God this day wrought in the hearts of his people, & which he is bringing to pass in the Earth, And though God hath borne and suffered long, and suffers many things yet; Trades to fulfil the lusts, and such Places and Callings wherein the Sons of men yet stand, Observation of days, times and outward things, which the suffering Seed shall arise over all, who is then above all principalities and Powers, which the chief Priests with their Guard, and carnal weapons cannot keep down. And behold he cometh, and is come that creates all things new, a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, which is the work the Lord is bringing to pass in the Earth. And this is the thing that all people are to wait for, their minds turned to the Light of Jesus who hath enlightened them, to be renewed into the Image of him that created them, in righteousness and true holiness. And this all sober minded people may take notice of, that so they may come to serve the Lord in newness of Life, and not in the oldness of the letter. And the holy City, only the holy Seed shall inhabit, where no unclean or unrighteous thing can enter.  
For which Seeds sake the Nation hath been spared and is not consumed which hath been the intercessor towards the father for it, whose cry hath gone up; spare the Nation, forgive the People, and destroy it not, and the Lord God exceeding gracious and long-suffering, abundant in mercy and truth, hath harkened and heard, and spared the Nation hitherto and not consumed it, for the sake of his own Seed, which otherwise had become as SODOM, and been like unto GOMORRAH, who in the days of ignorance suffered long, and in this day wherein Light and knowledge is broken forth, is he seen to be exceeding merciful, gracious, long-suffering, the same that ever was, the Rock of ages, the righteous strength and stay, a God glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders; This is our God we have waived for him, who led Israel by a right way to a City of habitation, and destroyed SODOM, and the cities round about, which adulterated and abounded in pride, pleasures and wantonness, in whom the number of them that wrought righteousness was not found which was sought for.  
And so the Lord God, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in mercy and truth, rather than he will destroy ENGLAND for his own Seed sake, the righteous Seed which he therein hath found, will again shake and overturn the HEADS and rulers, Priests and Sacrificers with whom his controversy is, the Leaders of the People that have caused them to err, and have caused the Nation to be in heaps. For the Lord's controversy is with the Guides, the Rulers, the Teachers, and Instructors in Nations, that have caused the people to go astray, and wandered out from the Light, wandered out from the power of God, and fountain of living mercies, who will make their name as a byword and hissing to all Nations, that shall yet revolt though they have been smitten, and walk contrary to his Light and out of his Council, yea the Land hall spew out her Inhabitants, that all people may dread and fear his Name, and be one with him in his work, and not sin against him, nor grieve his Spirit, nor it resist, lest the fire of his jealousy break forth, who will arise to deliver his people, and bruise the head of the Leviathan that hath spotted in the Sea, and great things the Lord hath and is bringing to pass, the day shall declare it, which he will hasten for his Elect sake. And every beast shall be known in its kind, for man was made upright, but became as the beast that perisheth, and thence hath proceeded all that pushing and thrusting at one another with their horns, which in the beginning it was not so; and every tree shall be known by its fruit: And now is the Axe laid unto the root of the tree, every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is to be hewn down and cast into the fire, mark every tree, none excepted that is unfruitful.  
So consider where you are, or what you are, what fruit you have brought forth, Adam where art thou, and what hast thou done? for every man shall be either blessed in his deed, or accursed in his deeds, act, or thing done; therefore he that doth truth bringeth his deeds to the Light, that they may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God, but every one that doth evil hateth the Light, neither cometh to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved. So that the Lord hath waited, and doth wait to see what fruit will be brought forth, and when the fruit is seen, then will the power either have unity with it or deny it, and will stir against the unfruitful works of darkness, either in Son or Daughter, Male or Female which it can have no unity or fellowship withal, the Light's power cannot which is pure, nor them that are in it, but rather reprove them, and give warning of what they see in the Light is approaching, going on in such a state out of the Light and contrary to it, which Light is true and now shineth, glory be unto the Lord for evermore, and brings to a true discerning; and saith Christ who is the Light, ye shall know them by their fruits.  
And so take heed of setting up that which the Power hath stirred against, or doth stir against, lest you provoke him to build up that which God hath thrown down, and will throw down, what is it but to bring your work into confusion? Hath not the almighty arm thrown down the Lordly BISHOPS before, that Lorded it over men's faith, and over their consciences, and will you now set them up? and likewise stained the glory of those Mastering Priests that are called of men Master, bear rule by their means, and hold up the horrible filthy thing committed in the Land, that the glory of his only begotten may appear full of grace and truth, who saith, learn of me, he doth not say go to them that teach for hire, and divine for money, nor follow them that prophesy falsely, and bear rule by their means, that cry Peace Peace unto people while they put into their mouths, but if they once come to withhold, or can no longer hold them up, then presently to make War against them.  
Therefore to hold up such which the pure Spirit of God hath cried down, will but bring your work into confusion, which are out of the Christian life, for they did not exercise Lordship and Authority one over another, the true Christians did not, but the Heathen that knew not God. And the Apostles, the Disciples, and true Ministers of Christ were not called Masters, but were Servants, and a Minister is a Servant; and said Christ, be not ye called of men Master, for one is your Master, who cried against them that were called of men Master, have the uppermost Rooms at Feasts, chief seats in the Synagogues, and greetings in the Markets, and loved to be called of men RABBI, Father, and Master, Christ cried woe against such, as you may read Math. 23. And his Sheep hear his voice, who hath enlightened them, and cannot follow hireling, stranger, nor thief; Therefore take heed what you do, lest the Lord bring your work into confusion. For to set up one sort of people and throw down another, is not the way to be established, but to set up truth and righteousness, and throw down oppression, iniquity, deceit and filthiness in any, which keeping to the righteous Law of God written in the heart to answer it, will lead thee to exalt righteousness, and that will exalt thee, so that thou mayest answer that of God in every man, and that is the way to still, and cool, and lay the heats and buslings in people's minds. For not answering the witness of God in people, many temptations are put upon them, to lie, to flatter, to deceive, and so are careless to answer thy act or thing done, or as their own word is, make no Conscience of the thing, because it doth not answer that of God in the Conscience which lays all, and quiets all, and he that sinneth against the Light in his own Conscience and resisteth it, sinneth against God, and whosoever resisteth shall receive to himself damnation.  
Therefore have God on thy side, and his Truth, than thou need not matter who there be against thee; and be one with his witness in all, let that be for thee, and do thou answer it, and so thou wilt have a friend in every one's house. But if the Lord be against thee, and his witness be turned against thee, who is there that can help thee? Therefore stand in the counsel of God, obey his Light, and that will lead thee and you, otherwise your work will run into confusion; yea my soul pities you, and I am grieved to see what will follow if you disobey and harden your hearts, and turn not to him that smites you, even blackness, and darkness, and confusion: for assuredly dreadful will your condition be who withstand the day of your tender visitation, and prove unworthy of the large mercy of the Lord that hath been showed towards you, for by fire and by sword will the Lord plead with all flesh, and by a skilful people hath and doth the Lord plead with them that went before, and by a fierce people will he plead with them that follow after, that shall reject his council, and disobey the Light wherewith he hath enlightened them.  
And whosoever shall draw back from the truth of God made manifest in them, or prove deceitful to the witness of God in themselves, having an eye towards you, and so settle again upon their old Lees, their latter end will be worse than their beginning, and a day of weeping, howling, and lamentation will be their Portion from the Lord.  
W. S.  
THE END.   

London, Printed for Robert Wilson at the Sign of the Black-spread-Eagle and Windmill in martin's I. Grand, 1660.