To the Inhabitants of the Earth.  
OH Earth, Earth, Earth, hear, fear, dread and tremble before the Lord God of Power; for with Strength is he risen to make inquisition after his Seed which is sown amongst you; and now turn in and see what an account you can give: for of a truth every one of you in particular have received a talon of the Lord; wherefore stand in awe, and commune with your own hearts, and see what use you have made of your Lord's money, who are found beating and imprisoning of your fellow-servants, and are found in Pride, Drunkenness, Gluttony, Strife, Envyings, Murmuring, Cursing, Swearing and Lying; Weep, howl, and roar all you, who are found lovers of Pleasures more than lovers of God, and have put the Day of the Lord afar off; who hath visited you days without number, and would often have gathered you, even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings, but ye would not; therefore, behold, Desolation is near unto all the unprofitable servants: for utter darkness must be their portion, and weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth; because, when I called none did answer, and when I spoke none would hear, saith the Lord; therefore is the Day hastening which shall burn as an oven, and all the evil-doers shall be cast therein. And as I was made sensible of these things, with my mind stayed upon the Lord out of visible things, a Love sprang up in me to the precious Seed of God, which lies hid in your earthen vessels; and in this Love was I constrained to lay pen to paper, only to show you, how way may be made for the deliverance of this Seed: And though many Warnings have been sent into the World by the Servants of the Lord, yet notwithstanding, this doth not clear me in his sight; for a necessity being laid upon me concerning those who are yet sensible of the gift of God, which is given to every one to profit withal: Therefore, to you that are sensible of such a manifestation of God's Love, be faithful, and deal faithfully with your own hearts concerning these things which are here delivered; I say, turn in and consider what you are a doing, and how it stands with you, that if the Lord should require your Lives at your hands, what an account can you give before the Lord God? for if you do well, you shall be accepted; but if not, sin lies at your doors; for the Vials of God's Wrath are to be poured forth, and the last Trumpet is to be sounded; therefore you dead, Arise, arise, and come to Judgement: for through the clouds is God coming, and through the thick darkness is he breaking; that way may be made for his Light to spring through all that arises contrary to itself, that his Work may be carried on by his powerful and outstretched Arm of strength: for he will break to pieces all that arises contrary to himself; for as Potter's vessels will they be before him, who refuse to let Him reign, whose right it is: for of a truth our God is arisen to plead his righteous Cause with all the Inhabitants of the Earth; for the Cause of the poor and needy is come before him: Therefore ye high and lofty ones consider what you are a doing; for certainly, it is now required of all, both high and low, rich and poor, to come away and bring their deeds to the Light, for there you are to be tried, even by the touchstone of his lovingkindness, which hath weighed you in the equal balance, and you are found too light; therefore sink down to God's secret Witness, which cries daily unto you to return: Repent, ye backsliders, and his free Love you will find, to which if you take diligent heed, you will do well, and will come to be made partakers of this same free Love which is laid up in store for those that fear his Name, and walk uprightly before him: for I am constrained to beseech you in tender bowels of love to your souls, that you would be reconciled to the Lord; for that which is to be known of God is manifested within you, even as it is written, a manifestation of the Spirit is given to every one to profit withal; and this is his Love to you, which stands a Witness against all sin and evil in your own Consciences; and as this is minded, obeyed and followed, it will lead out of sin and evil, into Righteousness, Holiness and Purity of life; for that which reproves you in secret, when no mortal eye seeth you, for lying, swearing, cheating and cozening, and all manner of sin and evil, is the Spirit of God's Love, which as you keep your minds to it, it will teach you to live godly, righteously and soberly in this present world: Therefore be awakened all you who have a sensible feeling of God's gift, which will not deceive you, but deal plainly with you, and instruct you in the path of Righteousness: come away therefore and try this true Teacher; for God is at work for the glory of his Name, and the Redemption of his Seed; (Let him that readeth understand) I speak this to those who have not lost their sensible state of the Love of God, which is made known to mankind; and as your ears are open to this true Teacher, he will tell you all that ever you have done, and then will it be given you to know that this is he indeed, which is come to save his People from their sins: Therefore come forth out of Babylon's sins, or else with her must you partake of her plagues; for the Vials of God's Wrath are to be poured on Babylon, and all those that with her in her sins are partakers, they must also partake with her in her plagues, even ye Babylon's Priests and People, blind leaders of the blind; therefore into the ditch must ye fall together: for the great Whore it is who hath set herself like a Queen, and hath said in her heart, Aha! I shall feel no sorrow; who hath made the Nations drunk with the Cup of her Fornication, and hath rode upon the Beast and false Prophets, and hath made herself drunk with the Blood of the Saints; with her is God's Controversy to be known, and with her will he plead, who hath carried a golden Cup in her hand, and hath deceived many therewith. Let them that read, understand: for Kings will he bind in Chains, and their Nobles in fetters of Iron, for the Redemption of his Seed: for the Refiner is come with his Fan in his hand, who will thoroughly purge his floor, and the Dross and the Tin will our God thoroughly sweep away; wherefore lift up your eyes and behold, for the Harvest is near, wherein the Wheat is to be gathered into his garner, but the Tares must be burnt with unquenchable fire. Lament, lament therefore all you that are senseless of these things; for be it known unto you that the day is at hand, and on you shall it come as a thief in the night, and for your unprofitableness your talents must be taked from you, and into utter darkness must you be cast, and a night of destruction must you feel, who refuse to walk as Children of the Day, but live in wantonness as if there was no God: but, if his Mercies will not allure you, his Judgements will affright you, and then will you call to the Mountains to fall upon you, to cover you from the Wrath of Him which now calls unto you for newness of life: For the day is far spent, and the night cometh wherein no man can work; therefore, repent, repent, and cease from the evil of your doings, or else you shall surely perish; for Judgement is begun at the House of God; and if the Righteous scarcely be saved, what will become of the Ungodly? and where will the sinner appear, which turns God's grace into wantonness, and casts his Law behind their backs, and will have none of his Counsel; but harden their hearts, and stiffen their necks, and walk stubbornly before the Lord? Why, for such doth my soul mourn, and I could even take up a complaint for them before the Lord all the day long, for the sake of the Seed of God, which lies in bondage under your Egyptian nature; and because of these things the Curse of Egypt and the Plagues of Pharaoh is to be your portion, and the portion of all those who refuse to let the Seed of God go free. And be it known unto you all who shall read these lines, That the powerful God of Jacob is arisen in strength, as in the days of old, for the sakes of his Chosen Seed; therefore, touch not his Anointed, do his Prophets no harm, ye stiffnecked and rebellious generation, a seed of evil-doers; for as your fathers did, so do ye, in whose Courts are found all the righteous blood of the Saints and Martyrs in the days of old, even from the blood of Abel until now, it is all to be required of this Generation. And be it known unto you, O ye rebellious Children, that God's Controversy is with you, and with you will he plead in Justice and Righteousness, concerning your Destruction which you bring upon yourselves; for, this is the Cry that is gone through the Land, Why will you die, why will you die you sinners, and why will you not come to him who is Life? therefore is your destruction of yourselves, for our God is clear of every man's blood, their blood shall be upon their own heads; for God in his infinite Wisdom hath chosen us, who are as a poor despised people amongst you, to walk in a blameless life before you faithfully; who, as we have received of the Lord, so have our Lights shined before you; and as we have been kept in our measures, so have we cleared ourselves concerning this wicked and adulterous generation; for long furrows have been ploughed on our backs, because with your evils we could not join; but the rod of the wicked shall not always rest upon the backs of the Righteous: Therefore you Saints, lift up your heads and rejoice in the Lord, who hath chosen you out of this present evil world, and hath redeemed you to be a Peculiar People to himself; who in time past did run with them into the same excess of riot, but now are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; so that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit; for the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, hath made us free from the Law of Sin and Death; and here he helpeth our infirmities, and doth work all our works in us and for us through the Cross, which by us is taken up and followed: And here we can leave all behind us, and nothing is too dear for us to lay down for the Testimony of a good Conscience; and our Faith hath been tried amongst you concerning these things, and this hath been and is the Lord's large Love to us, who hath not left us in our trials, but hath delivered us, and hath been with us in six troubles, and in seven hath he given us courage and boldness, that under his Banner we should be Noble Warriors, against all that arises contrary to the Lord, against whom (you will be made to say) it is in vain to strive; you Unbelievers who cannot believe our report, when to you we have been made to bring glad-tydings of the Gospel of Peace; Oh you hardhearted, you unbelievers, no marvel if you perish! for you wonder at the works of our God, and yet you cannot believe in them; for, the axe is laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is to be hewn down and cast into the fire: Therefore consider this, all you high and lofty ones, and lay it to heart; for these Warnings are not come forth in vain. Ye generation of Vipers, how do you think to escape the Wrath of God who neglect so great Salvation? who have itching ears that cannot endure sound Doctrine, do you think to flee from the Wrath of God? I tell you, Nay; If ye live after the flesh, you shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live for to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. woe, woe unto all you who are found eating and drinking, and rising up to play! and this is the reason that Playhouses and Bear-baitings are appointed, where you daily meet together on heaps to fulfil the lusts of the flesh; but those that fear the Lord are kept out of their own hired-houses, and are made to stand in your open streets to worship God, as they are persuaded in their own consciences. Lament, lament for these sins, for God's Controversy is with all you who are found in this state, and as Witnesses do we stand against you: For the candle of the wicked is to be put out, and then a woeful day will be known unto all those who are left in darkness; they will not know whither to go, & then no marvel if they stumble and are offended: for, Behold, in Zion is laid a stumbling-stone and a rock of offence unto all those that walk in darkness, on whom this stone will fall and grind them to powder. Let them that have ears to hear, hear; for the Earth is to be judged, and the Light is to shine. And so to God's pure Witness in every conscience do I refer my Cause, which will seal to the truth of my Lines; which are written for no other end but for the sake of the Seed of God, which my soul longs (yea, and travels daily) for the deliverance of, that it might be brought out of Captivity; who am one that is had in derision daily; and by the name of Quaker am I known to scorners, but to sober people, known by the name of  
A. GILMAN.   

LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1663.