‘And I must tell you plainly, as for these men called ministers, in this nation, the way of their setting up, and sending forth, and the way of their maintenance, and the way of their standing and defence, and in every particular of their being such, they are the greatest and most woful oppression in the nation; even the most abominable and unjust cruelties and tyrannies are acted through them, as any other thing in the nation; and they are, (as such aforesaid,) the woful cause of the nation’s groaning under merciless dealing; and there is upon their account, the guilt of blood, injustice, and oppression lying upon this nation; their iniquities, their iniquities, cry for vengeance upon their own heads; for they are full, they are full, and the measure thereof is near finished, and God’s eternal vengeance is their next reward from the eternal God. What shall I say of them, but this? The earth is oppressed by them, the inhabitants groan under them, and the righteous God is vexed through them, and they are the very men of high indignation and fierce wrath, and all their practices, (as such,) are the fuel of his anger, to be consumed by the fire of his jealousy; the nation is weary, and its inhabitants, and the Lord is weary, because of these men: and is this the ministry cried up by you as godly and pious? &c. Are these the men that the nation must be forced to maintain in their pride and idolatry? Is this the ministry that must be encouraged? Well, if these be the men, and this the ministry which must be established and encouraged by you, in so doing you shall never prosper, but thereby gain the displeasure of the Almighty unto you, to bring a curse upon all your doings, even because hereof; for I must tell you, the hand of my Lord is against them; and whosoever shall seek to defend them, shall not prosper in their doings, because their oppressions, cruelties, deceits, and abominations, are nigh finished and fulfilled; wherefore take heed unto yourselves, for this is my Master’s advice unto you; let this ministry alone, and join not yourselves to Baal, lest you perish, neither take part with antichrist any longer, neither be ye fighters against the Lamb and his kingdom; but free the nation, and let all its inhabitants be freed, from the cruel tasks and yokes of such men, and such a ministry as aforesaid; uphold it not against the Lord, for if you do, you shall never be established, and this is from the mouth of my Lord unto you.
‘And, last of all, my Master hath a people in this nation, even a suffering people, that have borne the burden of the cruelty and injustice, and wickedness, both of rulers and teachers, who have, as it were, trodden them down, and made them a very prey to their devouring mouths; the very cry of their sufferings hath reached unto heaven, and the very sound thereof your ears have heard; and this people are greatly beloved, and my Lord will assuredly honour them, and his hand shall be continued to preserve them and defend them against all their enemies whatsoever; and he doth reserve them to himself, and for a glorious work that he hath to do by them; and he hath formed them for himself, and they cannot join with any of the horns of the great beast, neither can a place of honour pervert them from their perfect way; but my Lord, he compasseth them about on every side, and hath kept them in the midst of trials, reproaches, and sufferings, and covered them in the heat, and in the storm, till his pleasure is to make further use of them. They are his, and not their own; and they must fulfil his will, and none besides; and they lie at rest in him, while mountains are overturned, and while one potsherd of the earth breaks another; and this must be even till the appointed time: and to say no more of them, though much more might be said, they are had in remembrance before the Lord, to do with them even for his own glory, and for the nation’s perpetual good; and to the authority of the Most High, through them, shall kings of the earth, and nations of the world bow and tremble; wherefore, ye men, touch them not, neither do ye afflict them, even as you hope to prosper; remember their cause, and suffer it not always to be rejected, as it hath long been, but keep yourselves free from the injustice and cruelty of them that have gone before you, who have been merciless, and oppressors of that people, even till my Lord hath confounded them, and brought them into confusion; for there is the weight of blood, tyranny, and oppression, lying upon the nation in that people’s cause, and my Lord will revenge them in his season; and though they are not weary of their sufferings, but are in the patience which beareth all things, yet the nation can never be happy, nor its government ever blessed, while this people are held in bondage; and their sufferings are deeply considered of the Lord, and the season thereof is expiring towards an end; and when this cometh to pass, then wo unto the kingdom of antichrist, and to the whore and false prophet, even when their strength is dried up, by which they have made war against the Lamb and his followers: yea, wo unto them; great fearfulness shall be upon all the world when the king of that people reigns upon the earth, and the time is at hand: blessed is the man that waiteth for it, and blessed is he that is not offended in his coming, but is prepared to receive him in his appearing, which suddenly cometh upon all the world.
‘And thus I have told the Lord’s present message unto you, which I received from him, and thus far I am clear; and whether you accept it, or reject it, my peace and reward is forever with him, who am a subject of his kingdom, and a friend to this nation, however otherwise judged by ignorant men.
E. BURROUGH.’
The Ninth month, 1659.
Now how soon after these sayings of Burrough, ‘Your estates shall not be spared from the spoiler, nor your necks from the axe; your enemies shall charge treason upon you, and if you seek to stop the Lord’s work you shall not cumber the earth very long,’ were fulfilled, we shall see shortly.
About this time also he wrote several epistles to his friends, wherein he so powerfully exhorted them to faithfulness and steadfastness, that thereby he hath procured to himself a name that will never die; as living still in the remembrance of thousands, though he long ago went the way of all flesh, having laid down his life in bonds for the testimony of Jesus, as will be said in its due place.
There is also extant a piece of a letter written about this time to the cavaliers, which, whether done by E. Burrough, or by George Fox the younger, or by George Bishop, I cannot tell: but thus it speaks:
‘The very spirit of pride and oppression, and idolatry, is entered into them, (viz. your enemies,) and now lives in them in as high a measure as ever it lived amongst you; and their iniquities are well nigh finished, and the Lord will one way or other correct and reprove them; and they shall be dealt with in like manner as they have dealt with you; for they were no more than a rod in the hand of the Lord for a season, and they must also be broken and cast into the fire; and whether the Lord may ever make use of you to reprove them, as he did of them to reprove you, this I determine not, but leave it to him who can discover whatsoever he will, by what instrument he pleaseth. It is true, you have made many attempts to be revenged upon them, but you have not hitherto prospered; but could you be humbled, and come into the meek Spirit of the Lord, then might you prosper; hitherto the Lord hath always defeated you, and bowed you down under a people as unworthy as others; but their time will come to an end. Submit therefore unto the will of the Lord in what is come to pass, and seek not vengeance to yourselves, and then the Lord will avenge your cause; for the iniquities of your adversaries are ripe. And Charles Stuart must either be converted to God, and ruled by him, or else he can never rightly rule for God in this nation; though this I believe, it is not impossible but that he may be a rod upon them that once smote him: and their oppressions and ambitions may receive a check through him.’
Among several other eminent preachers, Stephen Crisp was now also become a public minister of the word of God; and it was about this time that he went to Scotland, to preach the gospel there, and to edify the churches with his gift.