Chapter XII (3)

“FRIENDS, now are the prophecies fulfilled and fulfilling upon you,
which have been spoken to you by the people of God in your courts,
steeple-houses, towns, cities, markets, highways, and at your feasts,
when ye were in your pleasures, and puffed up, that ye would neither
hear God nor man; when ye were in your height of authority, though
raised up from a mean state, none might come nigh you without bowing,
or the respect of persons, for ye were in the world’s way,
compliments, and fashions, which, for conscience’ sake towards God
they could not go into, being redeemed therefrom; therefore they were
hated by you for that cause. But how are ye brought low, who exalted
yourselves above your brethren, and threw the just and harmless from
among you, until at last God hath thrown you out; and when ye cast the
innocent from among you, then ye fell to biting one another until ye
were consumed one of another. And so the day is come upon you, which
before was told you, though ye would not believe it. And are not your
hearts so hardened, that ye will hardly yet believe, though ready to
go into captivity? Was it not told you, when ye spilt the blood of the
innocent in your steeple-houses, markets, highways, and cities, yea,
and even in your courts also, because they said the word ‘Thou’ to
you, and could not put off their hats to you, that if something did
not arise up amongst yourselves, to avenge the blood of the innocent,
there would come something from beyond the seas, which lay reserved
there, which being brought by the arm of God, the arm of flesh and
strongest mountain cannot withstand? Yet ye would not consider,
regard, or hear; but cried, peace, peace, and feasted yourselves, and
sat down in the spoil of your enemies, being treacherous both to God
and man; and who will trust you now? Have ye not made covenants and
oaths? and broken covenants and oaths between God and man, and made
the nations breakers both of covenants and oaths; so that nothing but
hypocrisy, rottenness, and falsehood under fair pretence, was amongst
you?

“When ye pretended to set up the old cause, it was but yourselves; for
which ye long stuck to sober people, who saw ye would do no good. But
it was a joy for any of you to get up into authority, that ye might
have praise, honour, and respect; and they that were in the
self-denial were a derision to you, from amongst whom that was
banished. Thus ye became the nation’s masters, and not servants;
whereas the greatest of all should be the servants of all. But there
ye lost your authority, not considering your estates, from whence ye
were, and to what end God had raised you up; but forgot the Lord, and
quenched that which was good in yourselves, and persecuted them that
lived in it; and so are grown so gross and perverse, that at last ye
are fit for neither God nor man. Have not ye called the Quakers the
fanatic people, and the giddy heads? But whither now are ye giddying?
into Cain’s city Nod, which signifies fugitive, or wandering? Have not
ye persecuted and imprisoned to death such as God had respect to, and
is now reproving you for their sakes, by them whom ye have hated? Were
not many amongst you cut off for your persecution, and yet the rest of
you would not take warning? Was there not a book of examples sent out
unto you, of what sudden and strange deaths happened to the
persecutors of the innocent; and yet ye would not take warning, until
the overflowing scourge is now coming upon you. Are not ye they that
have killed like Cain, who have killed about your sacrifice, and
mingled the blood of the innocent with it? Hath not God now vagabonded
you, that ye should become a curse upon the earth, who have persecuted
Friends to death? Did not the blood of the righteous cry out of the
ground for vengeance? And will not the blood of the righteous be
required? Could ye think that the Lord would let you sit always with
bloody hands and fists of wickedness? Ah! what is become of all your
feasts and your fasts, the prayers and blessings of your priests?”