To the Reader.

In the night all the beasts of the field raven; and now many of them are come out of their Dens, into which they must be driven again; for the Lord is now coming, and his Power with him, and his day is appear∣ing to deliver his prisoner, which hath long been in the Pit covered with darkness; and now all the Powers of Hell and Death gather themselves together that they may be broken to pieces against the Heir of Gods Inhe∣ritance, which is not possible should be kept always under the power of death; & as surely as they rise up against the Lord, so surely shall they be broken to pieces; for the arm & power of the Lord is with us, & no inchant∣ment formed against us can prosper; for the Lord hath stretched forth his Page  24 and touched our lips, and put his words into our Mouths, and in this day hath made us a defenced City, and an Iron Pillar, and a Brazen Wall against the whole Land, even all both Priests and People, who deny the Light of the Lord, to be the way of life, and not only against those gross Priests of the Nation, who in their covetousness after money, piercing th•mselves through with many hurtful lusts, having erred from the faith, and having exceeded the false Prophets in other generations, for their ill savour is so come up before the Lord, that he will cause even their own breath to devour them, and their own confusions to make them ashamed. But we have also to war against spiritual wickedness in high places, and the powers of darkness under the form of godliness, and the Beast which is risen out of the Earth, which hath Horns like a Lamb, but is as a Lyon; but with one Light are they seen, and with one Power are they judged, and the secret counsel of the Lord is the strength of them that fear him, in which we reign over all the ways of unrighteousness, and works of darkness, in what appearance soever they come.

And now to thee Jonathan Clapham, and the rest of thy company, art thou not ashamed to go under the Name of a Minister of Christ, and take Tythes, and sue men for Tythes; and thou to number thy self, and take hand with them that are persecuting and casting slanders upon the innocent? And dost thou set forth thy Refuge of lyes, and dost not thou think that all people that read thy book made up with lyes, will not see it, that fear God, and know that will return upon thy pate, had there been no Reply to it? The day hath d•clared thee; a witness shall rise up in thee against thee and thy lyes; that is the Word of the Lord God to thee: What, you that be call'd Independents, now should be setting up your Re∣fuge of lyes, and publish them to the chief Magistrates of the Nation, they will not refuge under them, who be under the shadow of the Almigh∣ty, who do believe and obey the Truth, and fear God! And what, you that be called Independents, sue men for Tythes, cast men in prison for tythes! O shame! cover your lips and faces; and you are they, the wicked Seeds-men, to sow your lyes abroad, and to proclaim thy self a lyar to all the Nation, to say that the Quakers deny prayer; dost thou not think all the Nation will see thee and you to be lyars, who have pro∣cla•med your selves to be lyars, in saying the Quakers be Enemies •o prayer. We are satisfied, and a thousand of people, concerning you, your lyes and slanders, and do see into what you run, and do beseech the Lord to forgive you, for you have a lamentable cup to drink; for you do n•t know what you have done in this great day of the Lord, and what you Page  25 have stood against; and is it not a shame for thee and you that are called Independents, to take Tythes of them, and to sue them up to Lon∣don for tythes, that you do no work for? and to cast them into prison that cannot put into your mouths, whom you do not labour for? Was ever such a company of Ministers of unrighteousness known in any age? And is not all this your fighting against the Saints, and opening your mouths against them, because they cannot put into your mouths, and give you tythes and filthy lucre, and gifts and rewards, and hire. To demand hire of them that have not hired you, is not this unrighteous? You know not what spirit you are of, nor what Cup you are to drink of; the Lord for∣give you. And as for thy Book, all people that fear God, will be satisfied with reading of it. And I tell thee, and all them that are called In∣dependents in the Nation, that are suing, persecuting, and imprison∣ing unto death for tythes, that there is something raised up in the hearts of the people, that will not believe lyes; and many of them are so far satisfied, that they know that your Books are but envy and malice, and stuft full of lyes and prejudice against the innocent, and the Truth; and some of you have a mad blind zeal in persecuting and imprisoning to death; but the Lord will be glorified in your folly; who will carry his Lambs in his Arms; and the more you write and speak against Truth, the more your blindness, madness aod folly, and lyes, and dislike to the people that fear God appears; and your speaking against truth, hath ad∣vantaged truth against your folly and madness; but out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hath the Lord ordained strength, and the Lord and his high hand is with them. Art not thou and you such as the Apo∣stle spoaks of, that serve not the Lord Jesus Christ, but your own bel∣lies, who mind Earthly things, the evil Beasts the Apostles speak of, the slow bellies? Have not you all stained your selves with this? Have not your fruits declared your Earthly minds? and worse than Balaam, who sue them for tythes you do no work for? doth not this load the innocent? Are you them that keep the Gospel without charge? O hide your selves for shame; the day is appearing that the evil beasts shall go into Dens, and men shall go to their labour; but ye keep men from their labours, while you are abroad ravening in the Earth: Are you them that keep the Go∣spel without charge, that now call your selves Ministers, that are suing people for tythes, and if they w•ll not give it you, cast them into prison? Now are you not clearly proved to be them that the Apostle bids us turn from, that are covetous, and make merchandize of the people, which have the form of godliness, but deny the power, which the Apostle bids us turn from, which teaches for handfuls of Barley and Corn, which have Page  26 the love of money, which is the root of all evil, which while you have coveted after, you have erred from the Faith, and pierced your selves through with many hurtful lusts, which the man of God is to flye, as you may read in Timothy and Titus, who are given to filthy lucre, and stri∣kers, and the covetous are disapproved to be Ministers of Christ. Now its manifest that you are given to filthy lucre, strikers and covetous, and do teach for filthy lucre, and will have lucre of them you do not teach to. Your glory is defacing, and your beauty staining; God will stain it, whose end is teaching for filthy lucre, you will force people to give you filthy lucre, and do not teach them: 'Tis a shame to speak of the things you do, how such peoples goods are spoiled who cannot give you Tythes or filthy lucre, which know in their consciences you to be the false Teachers for filthy lucre; take a•ay that your preaching would quickly down; & this makes you so mad and enrage•, like a Lyon that wants his prey, against them that put not into your mouths. Consider, there is a check come up∣on you; to the Light in all your Consciences I speak, which Christ hath enlightened you withall, which lets you see your Saviour if you love it; and if you hate it, it's your condem•ation. And so I am clear of your blood, be it upon your own heads.

And as for William Jenkins Priest in Black Fryars in London who put forth his Epistle for the vindication of Clapham's Book, building his hopes upon it, that it would be of singular service to the establishing of those that were wandering, and against us; now •t is turned to the contrary; for it is of singular service unto us for making your deceit manifest unto the people from your own principles; and so those who consider the things therein published, & the answer to them, w•l labor to find a better founda∣tion to build their faith upon; & they will see that they have long enough taken your words for a ground of their faith, which now the truth hath de∣stroyed, that so every one may be brought to the true Foundation, him that hath enlightened every man that cometh into the world; & this is my de∣sire to the Lord for those that read it, that with the measure of God in them (which hath no end but that God may be glorified) they may both read, understand, & then they wil see what the wisdom of God is hid from, & what it is revealed unto, & the nature of the fruit of every plant will be known; for the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that win∣neth souls is wise. For this end have I written, to cut off the occasions of stumbling from the weak, that the way of life may be kept clear to all who desire to walk in it, and in all them that come to the way of life to walk in it, answering that of God in them, is my labour answered, and my reward received.