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Edward Burroughs – The Memorable Works of a Son of Thunder and Consolation
BURROUGHS, EDWARD. The
Memorable Works Of a Son of Thunder and Consolation: Namely,
That True Prophet, and Faithful Servant of God, and Sufferer for the Testimony
of Jesus, Edward Burroughs Who Dyed a Prisoner for the Word of God, in the
City of London, the Fourteenth of the Twelfth Moneth, 1662. [8 lines] [London]
Printed and published for the good and benefit of Generations to come, in the
Year, 1672.
Edward
Burroughs (1634-1662) “a persecuted Quaker, educated in the Church of England,
but became first a Presbyterian and afterward a Quaker. He devoted himself
earnestly to the propagation of the principles of the Friends, and was
imprisoned in 1654. On regaining his liberty, he went to Ireland and labored
there, and afterward returned to London. During Cromwell’s time, though he did
not spare the Protector, he was unmolested; but the government of Charles II,
as is usual with monarchial governments, was less generous, and Burroughs was
put into Newgate, and kept there till his death.” —McClintock & Strong: Cycl. of Biblical, Theol. &
Ecclesiastical Lit., 1:933. This 1672 folio edition is the only edition of
his collected works. “This is now very rare, and held at a high price.”
—Allibone: Dict. of Authors, 1:304.
Sounded
forth of SION;
Which gives a certain sound in the
Ears of all Nations, and is a true noise if a fearfull Earthquake at hand,
which shall shake the whole fabrick of the Earth, and the Pillars of its
standing shall fall, and never more be set up again.
By
Order and Authority given unto me by the Spirit of the Living God, King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords, the One and thirtieth day of the tenth Moneth, in the
Year of the Worlds account 1655. about the fourth hour in the morning, when my
Meditations were on my God, upon my Bed in Kilkenny City, in the Nation of Ireland,
at that time the Word of the Lord came unto me, (from the Righteous Judge of
Heaven and Earth, who was, and is, and is to come, who sitteth on the Throne of
righteous Judgment, judging Nations, and Kindreds, and Tongues, and Peoples,
equally) saying, Write my Controversie with all the Inhabitants of the
Earth, unto all sorts of People, as I will shew thee: By this same Authority and Commission declared, this I send unto you,
the Tribes of the Earth, and this upon your heads shall stand for ever, to be
witnessed by the Light of Christ Jesus, in all your Consciences, in the
dreadfull day of Vengeance, which upon you, O Inhabitants of the Earth, is
coming. Prepare, prepare to meet the Lord, O Nations, Tongues, and People, unto
you all hereby a Warning is come, and a Visitation form the Presence of the
Living God, which you are straitly required to put in practice, as at the
terrible day of dreadfull Vengeance you will answer the contrary.
Given
under my hand, and sealed by the Spirit of the Eternal God who lives for ever.
Through a Servant of the Lord. E.B.
To
thee, Oliver Cromwell, called Protector.
THus saith the Lord, My Controversie
is against thee, because thou hast not been faithful to the end, in my Work,
but hast taken thy rest and ease and pleasure upon thy high and lofty Mountain
of Pride, and vain Glory, and hast set up thy self to be worshipped, exalting
thy own Horn, and hast not fully given Glory and Honour to me, of that which I have
done by thee, but in thy heart boasts thy self against me, who hast hewed with
thee, and made thee, an Instrument in my Hand, to do my Will upon my Enemies;
and now thou performest not thy Vows made to me in the day of distress, but
thou hast broken Truce with me, and now thou suffereth grievous and hainous
Oppression, and Cruelty, and Tyranny to be acted in thy name upon my People,
whom I have chosen, and elected to exalt my Name by; by unjust Imprisonments,
and grievous Persecution do they suffer in thy name, which the Cruel-hearted
make a cloak of for their cruelty, and even such who have been thy Enemies, thy
name is a cloak unto, to hid their cruel intents, and wicked purposes against
my People, whom they tread upon, and this is not unknown to thee, and therefore
the less excusable art thou in my sight, and the greater will my Judgments be
upon thy head, which suddenly I will bring upon thee, except thou repent, and
return to thy first integrity; which if thou dost, I will honour thee next unto
my Chosen, and give thee the necks of Princes to tread upon, and their
Dominions for thy Inheritance; otherwise thus shall it be done unto thee, if
thou wilt not hear, and obey my Voice, saith the Lord.
To all ye his Council.
THus saith the Lord, My Controversie
is against you, because ye are one with him, and every whit fully guilty of his
Transgressions, and leed him and your selves in the valleys of vain glories,
with vain shews, and hopes, and your endeavours are more to secure your selves
from Mischief, and Plots, and wicked Intentions, which remain in the hearts of
the Rebellious against you, then to defend and preserve the Innocent; for you
neglect to take off Oppression, and to ease the Oppressed; but make you Fingers
as heavy as your Fathers Loynes, who were cast out before you; and the same
Laws stand still in force, by which Tyranny and Oppression is acted; and the
same false Prophets you establish by a Law, which deceive the Nations, and
flatter you by subtil Speeches, and there is no pure Reformation wrought in the
Earth; but you with your power joyn with the first Beast, who was wounded by a
grievous blow of fury, to make War against the Lamb and his Followers; and you
seek to set up that which I am about to throw down, and you are not ignorant of
the grievous Cry of the poor, under the burthen of oppression laid upon them by
your Laws, by which they unjustly suffer the imprisonment of their Bodies, and
the spoiling of their Goods, and you suffer this wickedness to be done, and
shur up your compassion, and the hands of Evil-doers hereby are strengthened,
through your forbearance they are hardened in their cruelty, and because you
profess more of the Name of the Lord, then some that have gone before you, and
perform as little, the greater is your abomination, and the deeper is your
hypocrisie, and the greater will my Judgments be upon your heads, except you
speedily repent, and walk in the Counsel, which if you do, honourable in
Counsel will I make you, and your Renown shall Generations to come exalt; otherwise,
if you refuse my Word to hear, I will make you a Reproach, and a Curse to Ages
for ever.
To all ye Judges, and Lawyers, and
your Train,
and to all that handle the Law.
THus
saith the Lord, My Controversie is against you, because of your abominations,
for you are the very Actors of the allowed Oppressions; and in judging for
Gifts, and Rewards, and Bribery, some of you have exceeded all that ever went
before you, and many just Causes of the Poor have been neglected for want of a
large Gift; and many unjust Actions of the rich men have you pleaded against
Equity, for advantage to your selves; your Council have respected Persons, and
in Bribery and Gifts have you delighted, and thereby have made your selves as
Lords in the Earth, and have set your selves upon high Hills, and you have
followed the counsel of your own heart, and your human wit and learning, in
seeking out the justness of a Cause, and in judging thereof; and my righteous
Law of Justice have you not regarded to be your Rule, but through the policy
and craft have you hidden the simplicity of the Law from the Ignorant, in
unknown Languages, and obscure Sentences; and your wills many times have been
your Law, and true Judgment have you turned backward, and made a Fence against
Equity, that it count not enter. Some of you are guilty in a high degree of
that cruelty and tyranny which of late years hath been acted upon the Innocent;
yea, you have grinded the face of the Poor, imprisoned the Harmless, and laid
heavy burdens and oppressive bonds upon the Guiltless, who have not
transgressed any Law, much less the Law of Righteousness; you have made my
freeborn Children your Slaves, and have highly attempted to sit Lords in my
Throne of Conscience, and some of them have deeply suffered by some of you, for
the exercise of their pure Consciences, because they could not Swear, or
worship and respect your Persons, nor pay Tythes (that grievous Oppression) nor
bow to your wills and lusts in things of the like nature of Cruelty: And you
are guilty in a gross sum, of upholding the false Prophet, which prophesieth
Lyes, and falsly, with flattering words of guile, and he covers himself under
your shadow, and under your unjust Law, which is his staff and strength, and he
rides upon the Beast, till you be both taken alive, and cast into the Lake of
everlasting Indignation. The Cup of my Vengeance will awaken you, and my Law
will for ever condemn you, and my Counsel of Equity shall plead against you in
the Court of Justice; and my eternal Judgment from my Throne of Righteousness
shall proceed in sentence of wrath, and my faithful Evidence, the Light in your
Consciences, which hath been Eye-witness of your villany against me, shall
testifie against you, and shall accuse you guilty of everlasting Torment,
except you repent.