Having thus cleared his conscience to the priests, it was not long before a concern came upon him to write again to the justices, which he did as followeth.
‘I am moved to warn you to take heed of giving way to your own wills. Love the cross, and satisfy not your minds in the flesh; but prize your time while you have it, and walk up to that you know, in obedience to God; and then you shall not be condemned for that you know not, but for that you do know, and do not obey. Consider betimes, and weigh yourselves, and see where you are, and whom you serve. For if you blaspheme God, and take his name in vain; if ye swear and lie; if ye give way to envy, hatred, covetousness, and greediness, pleasures, and wantonness, or any other vices, be assured then, that ye do serve the devil; but if ye fear the Lord, and serve him, ye will loathe all these things. He that loveth God, will not blaspheme his name; but where there is opposing of God, and serving the devil, that profession is sad and miserable. O prize your time, and do not love that which God doth forbid; lying, wrath, malice, envy, hatred, greediness, covetousness, oppression, gluttony, drunkenness, whoredom, and all unrighteousness, God doth forbid. So consider, and be not deceived, evil communication corrupts good manners. Be not deceived, God will not be mocked with vain words; the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. Therefore obey that which doth convince you of all evil, and telleth you, that you should do no evil. It will lead to repentance, and keep you in the fear of the Lord! O look at the mercies of God, and prize them, and do not turn them into wantonness. O eye the Lord, and not earthly things!’
Besides this, he writ the following to Nathaniel Barton, who, as was hinted before, was both a justice, and a preacher.
‘Friend,
‘Do not cloak and cover thyself: there is a God who knoweth thy heart, and will uncover thee; he seeth thy way. Wo be to him that covereth, and not with my Spirit, saith the Lord. Dost thou do contrary to the law, and then put it from thee? Mercy, and true judgment thou neglectest: look what was spoken against such. My Saviour said to such, “I was sick and in prison, and ye visited me not; I was hungry and ye fed me not; I was a stranger and ye took me not in.” And when they said, When saw we thee in prison, and did not come to thee, &c. He replied, “Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of these little ones, ye did it not to me.” Friend, thou hath imprisoned me for bearing witness to the life and power of truth; and yet professest to be a minister of Christ: but if Christ had sent thee, thou wouldst bring out of prison, and out of bondage, and wouldst receive strangers. Thou hast been wanton upon earth; thou hast lived plenteously, and nourished thy heart, as in a day of slaughter: thou hast killed the just. O look where thou art, and how thou hast spent thy time! O remember thyself, and now, while thou hast time, prize it, and do not slight the free mercy of God, and despise the long suffering of God, which is great salvation; but mind that in thee, which doth convince thee, and would not let thee swear, nor lie, nor take God’s name in vain. Thou knowest thou shouldst do none of these things: thou hast learned that which will condemn thee; therefore obey the light, which doth convince thee, and forsake thy sins, and look at the mercies of God, and prize his love in sparing thee till now. The Lord saith, “Look unto me all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved:” and, “Cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils.” And friend, prize thy time, and see whom thou servest; for his servant thou art, whom thou dost obey, “Whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness.” If thou servest God, and fearest him, thou wilt not blaspheme his name, nor curse, nor swear, nor take his name in vain; nor follow pleasures and wantonness, whoredom, and drunkenness, or wrath, or malice, or revenge, or rashness, or headiness, pride or gluttony, greediness, oppression or covetousness, or foolish jesting, or vain songs; God doth forbid these things, and all unrighteousness. If thou professest God, and acteth any of these things, thou takest him for a cloak, and servest the devil: consider with thyself, and do not love that which God doth hate. He that loveth God, keepeth his commandments. The devil will tell thee, it is an hard thing to keep God’s commandments; but it is an easy thing to keep the devil’s commandments, and to live in all unrighteousness and ungodliness, turning the grace of God into wantonness. “But let the unrighteous man forsake his ways, and turn unto me,” saith the Lord, “and I will have mercy. Turn ye, why will ye die?” saith the Lord.
‘Howl ye great ones, for the plagues are pouring out upon you! Howl ye oppressors, for recompence and vengeance is coming, upon you! Wo unto them that covetously join one house to another, and bring one field so nigh unto another, that the poor can get no more ground, and that ye may dwell upon the earth alone: these things are in the ears of the Lord of Hosts. Wo unto him that covetously getteth ill-gotten goods into his house, that he may set his nest on high, to escape from the power of evil.’
It has been said already, that some of G. Fox’s friends were moved, as well as he, to preach the doctrine of truth; and in this year it also happened, that Elizabeth Hooton, of whom mention hath been made before, from a true experience of the Lord’s work in man, also felt herself moved publicly to preach the way of salvation to others, being the first woman preacher, by what I am informed, among those that began now generally to be called by the name of Quakers. Yet I have found in a Dutch book, printed at Dordt, in the year 1647, and called, History of the Troubles in England, concerning the various Sects risen there, that among other persuasions at London, there were also women that did preach in large meetings, and were heard by many with great satisfaction; so that the preaching of a woman was not such a novelty as otherwise it might have been.
In the foregoing year it hath been said, that some Scotch Commissioners having been with Charles II. in Holland, were returned to Scotland; and though the King at first seemed backward to consent to the Presbyterian Covenant, yet seeing no other way open to the Scottish throne, he came to other thoughts, and so went over to Scotland, and made his entry into Edinburgh, through the gate on which were placed the quarters of the Earl of Montrose, who having endeavoured not long before to subdue the Scots, had been beaten with his forces, and, being taken prisoner, was executed. The young King being now come into Scotland, seemed willing to comply as much as he could, thereby to ingratiate himself, not only with the Scots, but also with the English, if possible; and in order thereunto, he gave forth a declaration at his Court at Dumfermling, dated the 16th day of August, 1650, and in the second year of his reign, as it is there said, in which declaration, I meet with the following words:—
‘Though his Majesty, as a dutiful son, be obliged to honour the memory of his royal father, and have in estimation the person of his mother, yet doth he desire to be deeply humbled and afflicted in spirit before God, because of his father’s hearkening to evil counsels, and his opposition to the Work of Reformation, and to the Solemn League and Covenant, (by which so much of the blood of the Lord’s people hath been shed in these kingdoms,) and for the idolatry of his mother.’
Here the King confessed openly, that his father’s house was guilty of great crimes, and plainly signified, that the nation indeed had been wronged by his father’s behaviour; and he seemed to promise amendment, if he came to be restored. In the meanwhile, they began to see in England, that the Scots were like to make head against them: and therefore they ordered to send General Fairfax with an army thither; but he showed himself unwilling to go, chiefly, as it was believed, by the advice of his wife, who hearkened to the counsel of the Presbyterian preachers; and these thought it would contribute to their own settlement, if those of their own persuasion in Scotland were not resisted. But the Parliament, many of whose members were independents, did not matter that; but resolved, since Fairfax resigned voluntarily, to create Oliver Cromwell general of the national forces, in the room of Fairfax. Which being done, Cromwell was sent with an army to Scotland, and beat the Scots not far from Edinburgh, whereby that city not long after yielded to him.