A Cry for Repentance.
REpent, repent ye tradeſmen of London; repent ye Merchants & great men of the City, the Day of the Lords hand is coming upon you; the day of the Lords Wrath is to be poured upon you who have lived in wickedneſſe, fulneſſe and gluttony, and ſerving the creatures more then the Creator, who is God bleſſed for ever; and ſerving your luſts more then Chriſt, and making your Bellies your Gods, fatting up your ſelves with the Creature, until you have forgotten God, until you grow proud and wanton: Alas! heap not up Treaſure upon earth, where Thieves, and Ruſt, and Canker is, but conſider all of you what Treaſure you have in Heaven: Ye Tradeſmen, and of whatſoever Calling you follow turn to the Lord by Repentance: Ye Watermen and Fiſhermen repent, and put away your evil, & turn to the Lord to Repentance whileſt you have a day of Mercie offered you: Ye poorer ſort of people, who are drudging labouring and toiling in the earth under the great ones, repent: All ye ſmall and great, is not your labor for2 the mouth and Apparel, yet your Appetite, your Luſt and Eye is not ſatisfied: Ye Teachers of the people, called Prieſts, who are got into the high places; Repent, and give over deceiving them, that ye may be found in the life of what you profeſſe: And ye Rulers and Magiſtrates of what ſort ſoever, high and low, ſmall and great, repent, repent, that ye may be found all in Juſtice & Judgment, that this may run down your Streets, and in them righteouſneſſe reign, and the Streams and Floods of ungodlineſſe may not run down, but be ſtopt: Ye proud and idle people, men andwomen, repent, and come to acknowledge the Lord the Creator; and ye proud of the earth, great, rich and ſmall, turn, turn to the Lord: And all you Lawyers repent whatſoever, that oppreſſion may be taken off, and exacting there may be no more; and mercie may be ſhewed to the helpleſſe, and the Jaws of the wicked may be broken that would woory and rend, and tear the innocent to pieces, that the oppreſſed, the needy, and the helpleſſe may be ſought out, and of his burthen eaſed that the Lord may bleſſe you: And all ye Husbandmen, Tillers of the earth, or Keepers of Cattle, repent, that your mindes may be brought out of the earth, and ye turned unto the Lord, and that your mindes may be brought out of the greedineſs of gain; ye buyers and ſellers of Cattel, and all others that are greedy of Gain, greedy after the earth greedy after riches, greedy after faſhions, for this will men and women deſtroy one another, the world of ungodly ones will deſtroy one another with lies and flatterie, through greedineſſe after Gain and the earth; Repent, the voice and ſound of Repentance is cried through you all, which reacheth to the root of you all; and the Ax is laid to the root of the Tree, and every Tree that doth not bring forth good fruit to the Lord God muſt be caſt into the fire; for the cry and voice of Repentance is ſounded and ſounds through you all, rich and poor, ſmall and great: All Tradeſmen, Lawyers, Merchants, Seamen, Husbandmen, Traders among Cattel, Judges, Juſtices, Rulers and Magiſtrates, and ye idle people of the Land, repent, for the day of the3 Lords Wrath is at hand; his Vial is to be poured out on you all. And again all you Tradeſmen, Merchantmen whatſoever, or Rulers, or Judges, or Juſtices, or Lawyers, or Huſbandmen or buyers or ſellers of Cattel, keepe to yea and nay in all your communication, whatſoever is more is evil: Is it not as wel to ſay yea, and nay, as to uſe ſo many words? Is it not as good to keep to yea and nay to keep you out of the evil? This is the Word of the Lord God to you all men whatſoever.
And again you Tradeſmen, Merchantmen of all ſorts whatſoever, buyers and ſellers, ſet no more upon the thing you ſell or exchange but what you will have; is it not better and more eaſe to have done at a word, then to ask double or more? Doth not this bring you into many vain words, and complements, and talks that fills the vain minde? This is deceitful before God and man. And is it not more ſavoury to ask no more then you will have for your Commodity, to keep to yea and nay in your Communication, when you converſe in your Calling, then to ask more then you will take? and ſo is not there the many words where's the multiplying of ſins? This is the Word of the Lord to you, Ask no more then you will have for your Commodity, and keep to yea and nay in your Communication, and here will be an equal ballancing of things, and a conſideration before you utter words, and a uſeing of this world as though you uſed it not; and a poſſeſſing as though you poſſeſſed not; and ſo you will come to ſhew a life like Chriſtians, and the ſpirit like Chriſtians, & you a people in Chriſts Doctrine, that loves his Doctrine which keep to yea & nay in your communication; & you wil not be a people that be high, and proud, and loftie ſo a child ſhall trade with you as a man, becauſe of the Equitie, and yea & nay, and righteouſneſſe & true weighing of things, and true conſideration of things, and people ſhall not be afraid of one cheating the other, or deſtroying one the other where truth and equitie is among them, and mercie and righteouſneſſe, and no more is ſet upon the thing then what they wil take, who are in their yea and nay in their Communication4 here is the conſideration before words be uttered, and where the power is over the tongue, the life of a Chriſtian is ſeen.
Ye Porters and other Laborers, and light and looſe people, repent; and all ye labouring people whatſoever, and Judges of the earth, repent, repent, and turn to the Lord God, leſt againſt you the Lords hand be turned ſpeedily, and you be found thoſe that are convinced, and do not repent, to give glory to the Lord God, leſt into the bed of ſickneſſe ye be caſt, and ſudden Judgements and Plagues come upon you, for God is able to abaſe the Pride & Vanitie, who have boaſted in Hils for ſalvation who cannot ſave themſelves; therefore all ye that have lived unrepented, whoſe lives ▪ are not changed, you are them that have cumbred the ground; fruitleſſe Trees that hath not brought forth fruit to God; therefore hath the ſtreams of ungodlineſſe, ſtreams of unrighteouſneſſe, rivers of wickedneſſe, floods of many wate•s running ſo up and down the Nations of the World, which the woman ſet upon which ſits upon the beaſt; ſo hath Chriſtians been an ill ſavour, their Converſation, their Communication, who hath been out of the Yea and Nay, the Righteouſneſſe and Judgement and are more then at a word in their Calling and Trading, and Commerce with people, which the Heathen which are not Chriſtians, theſe judge them as the Gentiles the Jews. Oh ye Chriſtians, let your wayes judge the Heathen, let your Lives, Communication, Converſation judge the heathen; let it not be in the earth, but in heaven; ask no more for the Commoditie you exchange then you would have. You Tradeſmen, Buyers and Sellers of all ſorts, or Hirers of Labourers, at a word ſpeak, and ſee before you ſpeak keep to yea and nay in all your Communications, this will keep you out of the evil, whatſoever is more comes of evil; with this will you come to anſwer that of God in the Heathen, who in righteouſneſſe God will judge. Alas for you! all your Profeſſion of the Scriptures, of the Apoſtles, Chriſts and Prophets words, and you be found out of the life of the Prophets, Chriſt and the Apoſtles,5 ye are but as the Jews were, which Chriſt ſaid the Devil was their Father; and as the Phariſees, Scribes and Prieſts which Chriſt cried wo againſt, called whited walls and graves, vipers and ſerpents, venoming and poyſoning one the other, being not in the life the Scripture was given forth from, are found ſuch as the Apoſtles ſpake of, vain Janglers about words, and vain Diſputers, and bring the Scriptures to oppoſe one another, and diſputing of Chriſt and the Saints words, brings Scripture as the Devil did, are out out of the life that gave it forth, and diſputing about the Body of Moſe, ſuch be in the unrepented eſtate, which eat and drink damnation to themſelves, not diſcerning the Lords Body; therefore be ye warned. This is the Word of the Lord God to you all ye Rulers of the earth, that righteouſneſſe mercy, & judgment and equitie may run down, ſtreaming in the Nation, that the oppreſſed may feel relief, and the peaceable eaſed, and the poor and needy may not be turned away, that this may run down; all that which is called Chriſtendom, that profeſſeth Chriſt who is come to reign, and ſet up his Kingdom in Power, and Authoritie, and Majeſty, who raiſeth up Jealouſie as a man of War in all unrepented ones, that the thoughts of men are full, and their imaginations and conceivings are at work: But the Lord is riſen and riſing, who will make waſte him that hath made deſolate, who will judge righteouſlie, according to the ſecrets of every mans heart, who will enter into the houſe, bind the ſtrong man, and ſpoil his Goods. The heart of all will I ſearch ſaith the Lord, the re•ns of all will I try; the wayes of all will I bring to light; the spirits of all will I manifeſt, and according to them wil I judge, who wil make every one to confeſs that my wayes and judgements are righteous, and rendreth to every one a reward according to his works, whether they be good, or whether they be evil; I come quickly, and my reward is with me ſaith the Lord God Almighty, and there is nothing ſhall eſcape in the heart, but its ſecrets ſhall be revealed, and the things that thou haſt done in the body ſhalt thou give accompt for; I will exalt my kingdom, and ſet it upon the higheſt Throne who tread Dominions and Principalities6 under my feet, who puts down the authority, who bears my Government upon my ſhoulders; the Lord our righteouſneſs is his name, who judgeth according to the ſecrets of every mans heart who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, with which he ſhall ſee when he doth evil, and when he doth wrong, which is his condemnation that hate it; but he that loves the Light which he is enlightned withal, and believes in it, ſhall receive the Light of Life.
And all you makers of Images, and makers of Baubles and Toys to pleaſe the Luſts and Vanitie of people; Repent, repent, leſt God conſume you with the Vanity; Repent, leſt God lay you in the duſt with them, and make you like unto them. And all you that delight in fine Houſes, and Apparel, and the eyes are fixed in thoſe things; repent, leaſt God deſtroy you with them. And all you Star gazers and Tellers of Fortunes, and drawing people to gaze after your fancie more then after the Lord, repent, and be ſilent, and cover your lips, and give over your witchcraft, leſt God cut you off, and deſtroy you, and make a ſudden end of you for your heap of confuſion that hath long reigned and ruled againſt the Lord; Gods Arm is turned, with which he will gather his people to himſelf ▪ the Furnace is prepared; the Oven is provided, and the high buildings ſhall be laid low, and the Cities waſte and without Inhabitants: The Lord God is bringing his people to his City, and many are in their way wandring to it; and many are entred into their reſt. Therefore to you repented ones is this, and to you unrepented ones, that you may come to ſee the way hither out of the earth, clay and unrighteous, the way and path of life, which leads to God the Father of Life: And to you this is the word of the Lord God, from him that dwells in that which comprehends the world, and anſwered this ſhall be with that of God in every one of you,
Have not Ribans, Jewels, Images and Baubles carried away the eyes and hearts of people, which bringeth them to looſe ſincerity; O repent ye whoſe hearts and eyes are given to vanity, leaſt the Lord come upon you like Morter and Clay, and tread you to pieces like Potſherds: