A few Words to all People concerning the present and succeeding Times.  
WHoso is wise amongst the People  
Consider what I say;  
Great things to pass the Lord will bring  
In this the later day.  
For now out of Captivity  
shall little Judah walk,  
And poor oppressed Israel,  
with all her feeble folk.  
Yea, now while Pharaoh doth oppress  
the Seed, which now must reign;  
And Herod killeth with distress;  
yet all their work is vain:  
Though Chanting Priests with forgeries  
poor silly souls delude,  
Yet oft God's Witness doth arise  
against what they intrude.  
Though many people do backslide  
from that which once they knew,  
And, with the wicked now deride  
God 's servants, who are true.  
Though we l●ke sheep appointed are  
to suffer at man's will,  
Yet dying we the Truth declare,  
though men our bodies kill▪  
It is God's ●●●ness in each man  
in secret shall arise  
To plead for us, when no man can  
for Conscience peace devise.  
When we in Prisons are oppressed,  
and from the Rulers sent,  
God's Witness than doth break their rest,  
to move them to repent  
Oh! happy now dear friends we are,  
who have obeyed the Light,  
Which doth for us our cause declare,  
when we are out of sight.  
Yea, this I say, for ever blest,  
and none shall take our Crown,  
Nor yet deprive us of our rest,  
by treading of us down.  
Let now Jerusalem rejoice,  
her children shall be free.  
They now do hear the Bridegroom's voice  
and Zions' King they see▪  
Who doth the Prison-doors unlock  
down in the Dungeon deep,  
He pierceth through the hardest Rock,  
that he our souls may se●k▪  
Into his bosom now return  
all ye that with me weep,  
And do in secret with me mourn;  
the Lord our soul will keep.  
Let no high thought in us be found,  
lest it lift up our mind;  
But in true humbleness abound,  
for here true peace we find.  
In Aegypt's darkness wise men talk,  
who do the Light despise,  
While we in Goshen in it walk,  
in whom it doth arise.  
That which the Prophets did foretell,  
and good men prayed should be,  
Now in it with the 〈◊〉 we dwell,  
in measure as we see.  
Our boldness great, and confidence,  
in weakness doth arise,  
As we do keep in the true sense,  
which doth the World despise.  
When we before the Rulers stand,  
none think what then to say;  
The Lord our strength is near at hand  
to guide us in that day.  
Yea, when the Lord doth stop our speech,  
we waiting in his fear,  
Our patience shall God's Witness reach,  
when men no words shall hear.  
For Christ in silence like a Lamb,  
did to the 〈…〉 come,  
And as a sheep 〈…〉 the shearer,  
so did he then stand dumb.  
False ●udgemens on him wise men gave,  
th●● did his life condemn,  
In scorn they brought him to the grave,  
and did the Truth contemn.  
God's Martyrs dear in every place,  
like sufferings underwent,  
When they were used with disgrace,  
yet they abode content.  
Now is the time of suffering  
begun in the last day,  
Which shall the Beast to ruin 〈…〉,  
and'● Kingdom must decay.  
Although destruction be in hand  
for us a people poor,  
It will bring darkness o'er the Land  
in which shall die the Whore.  
And Antichrist with all his train  
with toil themselves shall vex,  
For they shall see their Labour's v●in  
God's servants to perplex.  
All Babel's Rulers sore shall grieve  
At that which they shall see,  
When none their City can relieve,  
destroyed it must be.  
Strong is the God that will annoy  
thee with his vengeance sore,  
And in his fury thee destroy,  
where thou shalt cry and roar.  
The time is short thou hast to reign,  
though thou sittest like a Queen,  
Yet thou shalt perish in disdain;  
the like was never seen.  
Thy Kingdom now is very dark,  
and blackness doth abound,  
It's now too late for thee to hark▪  
repentance can't be found.  
When sentence past, none can reverse,  
the K●ng of Heaven's Decree,  
Thy scoffing cannot make it less,  
what he will do with thee.  
At his approach thy strength shall fail,  
thy stubborn heart shall mourn,  
With horror then thyself bewail,  
for thou shalt be forlorn.  
Thy lying mouth shall then be shut,  
thy vaunting turned aside;  
Thou from thy Lovers shalt be cut,  
than down shalt come thy pride.  
Thy wise men and thy Captains all  
together so combine,  
That ye together all may fall  
within a little time.  
The Work is such you do oppose,  
so weighty and profound;  
The like before it never rose,  
your wisdoms to confound.  
No Weapon forged, now shall stand  
against God's chosen One,  
Whose iron Rod is in his hand,  
For he must reign alone.  
Yea, all that will not bow to him,  
in shivers must be broke;  
For he will shatter every Limb  
with his destroying stroke.  
The Child is born this Work shall ●●e  
effected in this kind,  
And suddenly these things shall be;  
for little is behind.  
Yea many are the Children young  
who shall these things behold,  
And are the Nations yet among,  
but God will all unfold:  
And to his little ones reveal  
his wonders great and strange;  
What he will do, that he may heal  
the Nations at their change:  
How Kings and Princes shall bow down,  
their glory then forsake;  
And at their feet shall cast their Crown,  
that they may now partake  
With him and those who have been poor,  
and whom this World despise;  
Yet of true Riches they have store,  
though they walk in disguise.  
The Jews who would Messiah know  
and are as yet behind,  
In them the Light now dawn will show  
where they they the Christ may find.  
The Gentiles who in darkness have  
been buried in their sin,  
Shall now come forth of that dark grave  
where long time they have been.  
Now is the time for Jews to turn,  
and Gentiles to awake;  
In many hearts the Light doth burn,  
which shall all Nations shake.  
Yea Kings and Kingdoms they shall reel,  
Light shall their Powers rend,  
Great strive in them they shall feel,  
to move them to repent.  
No Laws man makes can Light arrest,  
nor Prisons it contain:  
No Banishments can it oppress;  
In Conscience Light must reign.  
The Gallows, Sword, Faggots and Fire,  
these Instruments are vain,  
With which man may himself out-tire  
yet still the Light remain.  
God's Witness true in this last age,  
by whom he will contend  
With Kings and Rulers in their rage,  
that so they may amend,  
And set his captive people free,  
their Conscience to enjoy,  
That they may have their liberty,  
and none may them destroy.  
Oh happy Nation where thy King  
and Rulers shall bow down  
Unto the Light which now doth spring,  
they shall receive the Crown  
Of immortality and bless  
which never shall away.  
Their honour then shall be endless,  
and glory not decay.  
But England yet into thine ears  
this dreadful voice I send,  
That thy destruction's very near,  
if thou dost not amend.  
All Sodom's sins in thee are found,  
the old world's wicked way;  
Iniquity doth now abound,  
God's people to destroy:  
Nothing thou dost so much neglect  
as truth and righteousness.  
God's ways thou wholly dost reject,  
and lovest wickedness.  
All whoredoms drunkenness and Oaths,  
in these are thy delight;  
And all that God and good men loathes  
is pleasant in thy sight.  
Oh! England do not so forget  
God's mercies towards thee.  
A little time is left thee yet  
that happy thou mayst be;  
If thou dost suddenly repent,  
and from thy sins depart;  
Embrace God's truth which he hath sent,  
and it will change thy heart;  
But if thou stubbornly go on,  
yet hear what I do say,  
The Lord will not let thee alone,  
but he will bring a day  
Of bitter howling over thee,  
in which thou shalt lament,  
The time which can't recalled be,  
that then thou mayst repent:  
Against thee then God will reveal,  
his wrath shall thee destroy,  
In his displeasure with thee deal,  
then perish shall thy joy.  
For with strange plagues, sword & famine  
the Lord will with thee plead;  
Yea then thus he will examine  
thee suddenly with dread.  
Oh Land! thou fruitful, thou shalt pine,  
thy Cities must decay;  
Thy people proud, who are so fine,  
their glory shall away,  
Oh London! great shall be thy woe,  
who shall lament thy case?  
For in thy streets 〈…〉 grow  
God will thee so debase:  
For thy oppression, and thy pride,  
for thy backsliding state;  
For that the truth thou dost deride,  
and goodness thou dost hate:  
For that thou dost God's servants beat,  
imprison, and misuse;  
The simple-hearted thou dost threat,  
and innocent abuse:  
Religion now with thee is vain,  
Idolatry hath place;  
Lukewarmness is embraced again,  
and all that may disgrace  
God and his truth, Christ and his Lambs▪  
it may be found in thee:  
And all that can increase truths bands  
by wickedness is free:  
Who is oppressed save righteous men,  
who in vile prisons lie;  
Arise, O God, for these things then,  
yea loud now is the cry  
Of thine Elect in every place,  
How long Lord, Holy, True:  
Wilt thou not hasten on thy pace,  
against the wicked Crew.  
Yea this I say, let all awake,  
the day is very near,  
In which God will in vengeance shake  
the Earth, that all may fear.  
Let Kings and Judges now be wise;  
let all men soon repent;  
Let sinners from their rest arise,  
the night is now far spent;  
The great day of the Lord's at hand▪  
who shall abide his ire;  
Or who before him then shall stand,  
who is devouring fire.  
Then Kings and Captains, bond and free  
shall at his presence quake;  
Then all into dark holes would flee,  
when he the Earth shall shake:  
Then in the ragged Rocks and Caves  
you'll seek a place to hide,  
Who use God's People worse than slaves,  
than they not you'll abide.  
Even then when Earth in fire shall burn  
and Elements melt with heat,  
When heavens like scrowls away shall turn  
God's anger then shall threat:  
Because his patience then shall cease  
to all his enemies,  
And only judgements shall increase  
to all Eternity's:  
Where gnashing teeth with weeping cries  
for evermore shall be  
To such as do God's truth despise,  
and follow vanities.  
Oh now dear suffering friends rejoice!  
Redemption will not stay  
From us who have made Christ our choice,  
before the evil day,  
When Prisons, Sword, Gallows and Fire  
shall compass us about,  
He will help us when in the mire,  
and guide us when we doubt.  
All tender Friends I dearly greet  
you in the Lord of Life;  
And in his patience which is sweet,  
fare well where is no strife.  
Yea in that Love which suffereth long,  
for ever let us dwell;  
And in God's Truth let us be strong,  
in this I say farewell.  
The last day of the 4th month, 1662. JOHN RAUNCE.