A Loving ADVERTISEMENT Unto all those who Join Together TO PERSECUTE the INNOCENT.  
 and Herod consulted together in this abominable Work, and were made Friends; although before, they were at enmity, as you may see in Luke 23. and in the same chapter you may read, how Pilate called together the high Priests, the Rulers, and the People, who had joined together, and falsely and vehemently accused the Innocent; and when those Persecutors were come (mark how Pilat's words run) Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: Behold (saith he) I have examined him before you, and I find no fault in him: Notwithstanding their many Accusations, as you may read of in that Chapter; no, nor yet Herod neither; for Pilate Sent him to Herod to be examined, and they found no cause for what they did, as Pilate himself confesseth no less than three times before them all, as you may see in vers. 22. and yet for all this, those wicked Persecutors enmity was so great against the Truth, and their love to Christ Jesus so small, that they joined together with Judas their Informer and crucified the Holy One. Oh consider this you wicked Persecutors, who have set your hands to the Devil's work! did he not enter into Judas before he Informed against Christ? O consider whose work you are a doing! and see whether the Scriptures do not testify unto the same ever since Cain and Abel? Oh be advised, and do not slay Gods Witness in your hearts, as Pilate and Herod, and the rest of that wicked Crew did: for you may see there was something in Pilate and Herod which let them see there was no fault in Jesus; they had a Witness for him in their hearts, which if they had loved and obeyed, they would not have slain the Lord of Life: But they did then, as you do now, rebelled against it, and counted it of no value, and chose rather to please wicked men, who did then, as you are now doing; they brought their Law to cover their wickedness; and said, By their Law he ought to die; and so they violated the righteous Law of God, which is Light, which manifested in their hearts there was no fault in him. Oh! consider this, you envious Persecutors, and turn to the Light of Christ Jesus, which shineth in your dark hearts, and read your states their; and cease your evil doing before it be to late, lest the god of this World blind your eyes, and harden your hearts, and bring you to destruction, as he did Judas who was Resister of the Light; I shall appeal to the Witness for God in your hearts, and come let us be tried by it: Have you not done as bad as those before mentioned, yea rather worse; for you have reproachfully slandered, and faslly accused us behind our back, and caused many of us to Suffer the loss of our goods, without Examination or Accusation to our Faces; in this you outstrip the cruelty of those beforenamed, and the Heathen also; for they permitted Paul to be examined, and also to speak for himself, as you may see in the Scripture, which you call your Rule, and yet do err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the Power of God; for if you did, you would not wrong and persecute your innocent Neighbours, who do you no harm, but desire the everlasting good of all, even of our greatest Enemies. Oh, do you do by us as you would have us do by you! would you have us persecute and tear away your Goods, because you go to your worship? or because you will not come to ours? or would you not think it very hard to be so dealt by? Oh, come and be tried by your own rule! And read from the beginning to the end, and see whether the Persecutors were not the false Worshippers in all Generations, and the true Ones the Sufferers; and were not they as high in their wisdom and Learning as you are, who Crucified Christ, and set your Original over his head of Greek, Hebrew, and Latin? and they counted him of too low a degree for them to receive, and they mocked, and scoffed, and derided him, and thereby manifested their enmity against him, and his Followers then, as you do yours now against us.  
Come down you  Persecuotrs, and bow before the Lord, and turn to his witness in your hearts which reproveth you in secret, and testifieth for us; and it hath made many of you to confess to our innocency and harmlesness, notwithstanding the many false aspersions that the wicked hath cast upon us; and although we have a witness in your hearts for us, yet your mercies are still cruelties towards us. Oh, do not think to hid yourselves from the allseeing Eye of the Lord! for assuredly his righteous Judgements will find you out, & then all false cover will be too narrow: do you think your law will plead for you then, or them who set it forth excuse you? Oh no! then the righteous Law of God which you have violated and broken, and disobeyed now: will then rise up in judgement and bear witness against you, therefore leave off all your false cover for your persecution; for they are but deceit, and will deceive you, and stand you in no stead, when you come to account for your deeds done in the body.  
And now you of my Neighbours and Country, who resist the Spirit of the Lord, and follow the Imaginations of your own dark hearts, and boast yourselves in Wickedness: As your Forefathers did, so do you; they boasted and said, They had the Law and the Prophets, and were Abraham ' s Seed, and had one Father even God; and yet Christ told them plainly, They were of their father the Devil, and his works they were doing; and so are you now, who are a striving against those who worship in the Spirit and in the Truth.  
Oh do not strive to limit the Holy Spirit of the Lord, which is but one in the Male and in the Female! Were not the Scripture's Testimonies to be fulfilled? Oh! when will you witness that Saying fulfilled, which saith on this wise, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all Flesh, and my Sons and my Daughters shall Prophesy? [Mark] It's the Sons and Daughters of the Lord, that are led by his Spirit, and not the Persecutors. Whilst I walked with you in the Broad-way, which leadeth to Destruction, you did not persecute me; but when it pleased the Lord to turn me from Darkness unto Light, and from Satan's power unto his own; then your Enmity began: But when I went along with you to your Worship, I had what this World could afford of the Fatness and Fullness thereof; but I must needs tell you, I had Leanness in my Soul. Oh search and try whether it be not so with you, who have gone this many years! For I went with as much Zeal, as any of you; therefore let not your blind Zeal deceive you: I turned not from you through Enmity against you; but because that dead Worship deceived my Soul; for when Christ Jesus, through his Love unto my soul, did make known his Light in my heart, which showed me the narrow Way, which leadeth unto Life; then I chose rather to suffer with the People of God, then to enjoy your Favour, or all the Pleasures, or Profits, or Honour, this World can afford.  
And all you that think ye are a doing, as you should do, turn unto the Light, that you may see what you are a doing; and may become from Persecutors to be Sufferers, even as Paul was, through his obedience unto the Light; and he thought when he was in Darkness and blind Zeal, that he did as he should do: Oh! therefore take you heed, and be no longer deceived, but turn unto Paul's Light, before it be too late; for the time hasteneth and passeth away, and there is nothing else that will stand you in stead when time shall be no more: O therefore be awakened and arise from the Dead, that Christ Jesus may be your Light and your Leader, as he was David's: For what doth it profit you to read the Scriptures, or to hear of the Promises or Mercies of the Lord unto the Children of Light? This will stand you in no stead, whilst you yourselves are in Darkness, and under the shadow of Death. Oh do not heap up that unto yourselves, which you have no Right unto! for you are in the Darkness, in the Persecuting state, which was, and is always blind: And how dare you in such a state to appear before the Lord? Do you think his allseeing Eye doth not behold your Do? Yes verily; and his Righteous Judgements assuredly will find you out; and then all your talking of that you live not in, will do you no good.  
How often have you and your Teachers been reading and talking of loving Enemies, and of walking in the Light, as Christ is in the Light, and many such like things? and yet are found hating of your soul's Friends, who are telling you the Truth, and reproving you for Evil; and you are so far from walking in the Light, that you remain in your Sins, and plead for so doing until the last: Do you think that the Lord will be limited by you until the last Hour?  
Oh turn to the Reproofs of his Light in your hearts; which maketh manifest the evil of your ways, whilst the Day of God's Love lasteth unto you! that through his precious Judgements your souls may come to be redeemed; for it's through Judgement that Zion witnesseth Redemption, and the honest heart loveth Judgement; and if you will obey the Light, it will lead you into Judgement; and when you come to witness your souls redeemed thereby, than you will witness David's state, who said, O Lord, how I love thy Judgements; and he desired the Lord, to send forth his Truth and his Light, to lead him; and it was his Law, and he walked in it: And if you would do so, you would have the Royal Law of Love in your hearts; and than you would have Fellowship with Jesus, and feel the Effects of his Blood to cleanse you from all sin on this side the Grave, and then you will plead no longer to strengthen the Devil's kingdom; for, if you die in your sins, you will add greatly to his Kingdom; for those that live and die in their sins do never inherit the Kingdom of Heaven; for no unclean thing can come there, but they are for the Lake that burneth forever.  
Written the 9th Day of the 11th Month 1670. By one that wishes well to all Souls, Joan Vokins.