APPENDIX C

He says, "Ignorance abounds in thy old men and rudeness and wildness in thy youth. Thy people are without the knowledge of God and perish for lack of knowledge. Thou art even as a wild, unfilled garden which bringeth forth no pleasant fruit. Thy vines are as the vines of Sodom, and thy fruit is loathsome to the Lord's taste. Wild grapes and sour grapes are brought forth in thee, which the Lord hath no pleasure in. Ye bring forth fruit unto yourselves, and not unto the Lord. Ye kindle a fire and warm yourselves with your own sparks. Ye sacrifice to your own net and think to be heard for your much babbling and your many performances. Abundance of the first-man's wisdom is among you; it leads you and guides you, and not the Spirit of God. Through your own wisdom, which is devilish, you conform to the saints' words and to their practices in outward appearance, and make yourselves like the saints and bow unto your own images and likenesses which ye make, and are grown wise and full of knowledge, but it is not the wisdom of God, nor the knowledge that will endure forever, for ye neglect the one thing which is only needful to eternal life. Your buildings are high, but they are not upon the true foundation, for many of you stumble at the corner stone. Your sprinkling children is a cheat. All that believe therein are deceived. Your singing of David's experience in rhyme and meter is a very lie unto you. Your worship is but idolatry, and it will not cover you in the day of the Lord. Though none be like unto thee, O London, in profession, nor any city hardly can compare with thee in respect of the multitude of thy gathered assemblies and self-separates. Yet all this will not avail thee when the Lord searcheth thy heart, which is found not perfect, but full of vain glory and lust and pleasures of the flesh.

All ye that thirst for the Lord and desire the knowledge of his ways, unto whom iniquity is a burden which you desire to be freed from, who have long sought the Lord and have not yet found him, who have prayed and had no answer and have been weary and heavy laden and found no rest, I say to you, save yourselves from this untoward generation. Come ye out of these abominations, that ye may be delivered from the wrath. Fear the Lord and do not offend him in any thing. Stand in awe and transgress not. Love righteousness and truth. Touch no unclean thing and the Lord will receive you. Meddle not with their worships, bow not to their images, nor sacrifice to their idol gods. Have no fellowship with them in their profaneness, nor yet in their hypocrisy; but hearken ye to the voice of the Lord, that ye may know his judgments in your hearts and his law and covenant established with you. Depart from all iniquity, cast away all your idols, and forsake all your lovers. Give not yourselves to the ways and pleasures of this world, but give yourselves to charity, soberness, and meekness, and above all things be upright in heart toward God and toward man. Speak the truth one to another and let no guile dwell in your lips, nor a deceitful tongue in your mouth. Cease from all vain glory and vain customs and fashions of the world, which are evil.

Attached to this "Testimony concerning London," is the following, viz:

A Warning to all sorts of people.

Ye merchants and traders and traffickers, and all ye that buy and sell, be plain and upright hearted and lie not, swear not, dissemble not for gain unto yourselves, for that is cursed of the Lord and the gain that is thereby received. Speak the truth every man to his neighbor. Flatter not such with whom you deal by feigned words of guile, whilst secret over-reaching lodgeth in your hearts to make a prey upon your neighbor or brother, for this is evil in the sight of the Lord. But speak the truth in all things, and let your yea be yea and your nay nay in all your common occasions, for whatsoever is more is evil. What is advantaged unto you through deceit, or lying, or a multitude of vain words? It shall be a curse unto you, and not a blessing to you or to your children. Let the truth guide you in all your dealings one with another, and let the fear of God be in your hearts in all your enterprises both by sea and land.

I warn you all, seek not by any evil means to enrich yourselves, neither oppress one another in any thing wherein you deal, for you know not how long your time shall be upon earth nor how soon the day of account will come wherein every word and every work shall be brought to judgment. Yea, for every idle word shall ye give an account, and all those words are idle which are not spoken in the fear of the Lord. Therefore live and act in the fear of God, that you may be blessed in all that you do.

And all ye whom the Lord hath blessed with riches and increase, see that you abuse not that which God hath blessed you withal, but in all things that it be used to the glory of the Lord and not wasted in excess upon the lust of your own minds, for the creation is the Lord's, and all things are given by him and taken away at his pleasure, and he maketh rich, and he maketh poor whomsoever he will. Therefore every man be content with his own, and covet not one another's, nor defraud one another to enrich yourselves, for it is cursed of the Lord.

And all ye handicraft-people and laboring people, fear ye the Lord continually, and use no deceit, nor craft, nor policy in what you do. Seek not to blind men's eyes by fair out-sides, neither to cozen and cheat the simple by slighty work, but let the truth guide you, and that will teach you to do for all men as ye would they should do for you, and this is acceptable in the sight of God. Let your commodities be just and right, and let all your labor be with a single heart, and do all things as in the sight of the Lord, and then you cannot do evil, if the fear of God be before your eyes. The evil in all things will be denied, and the corruption that is entered into all callings and trades will be judged out. And be examples one to another of truth and righteousness; and cozen not nor cheat one another, nor use many words, nor vain gestures, but own the Lord to be your teacher who will teach you truth, to do it and to speak it in all things.

And all ye young men and apprentices, learn ye the fear of the Lord and take heed of temptations, lest ye be destroyed both soul and body by them. Learn not to dissemble, nor to defraud, nor take instructions how to cozen and cheat, but first seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and then all outward things shall be added unto you. Give not yourselves to any evil. Beware of wine and women which steal away the hearts of many. Give not yourselves to vanity, nor fulfil the desire of your own minds in any thing. Covet not after riches, neither study how to be proud and vain-glorious.

Give not yourselves to craft and human policies, nor to deceive any people, but fear God and keep his commandments and be subject to your masters, and obey them in all things that are good and be dutiful to them in that which is just and righteous, but deny them in whatsoever is evil. Learn not craft and policy from them, neither vice, nor drunkenness, nor cozening, nor any other thing which is evil, but rather reprove those things, than in the least to follow them. If you do the truth and speak the truth in all things, and keep yourselves from whatsoever is evil, then will the Lord bless you outwardly and inwardly, and the knowledge of God will be your crown in old age.

Cease from all gaming, and vain sporting, and from all wantonness and vain pleasures, and from all the works of the flesh, for they that follow such things shall neither prosper in this world nor be blessed in the world to come. Wherefore take heed to yourselves all ye that are young in the world. Be not overcome of evil nor follow evil devices, but stand in awe continually and offend not God who gives you life and health and all good things.

And all ye masters and heads of families, this is a warning to you. Be examples of all good in your families unto your children and servants. Rule in authority in the fear of God, but not in tyranny nor of a rigorous mind. Teach and instruct in fear, and not in cruelty. Give no bad example in pride, vainglory, drunkenness, dissimulation, or any other evil thing, but stand as a terror over all evil and as encouragers of all good. Bind not the conscience of any under your power. Curb sin only, and reprove not righteousness. Seek ye to be taught of God, and then may you instruct all under you in his way.

Be pitiful towards your children and servants, and pass by offenses rather than punish them with cruelty. And make not a prey upon your servants to serve your own ends only, seeking your own good only, and not theirs, for such things are evil in the sight of God and are to be condemned. Let no excess neither let want be in your families, but that which is honest and right. Love that in all things, and follow it. Let not your anger and passion exceed when offense is given you, and do not correct in cruelty but in a good understanding; and walk in the truth, and fulfil the will of God and not your own, and this is of great price and acceptable in the sight of the Lord.

And all ye tavern keepers and inn keepers, fear the Lord God and oppress not your guests, neither feed the lust of any till they be drunk, for that is cursed of God both in you and them, and that which he will be avenged of. Oh great is that abomination among you. Much of the good creature is vainly and wickedly spent and abused in your dwellings. Your advantage stands in the abuse of the creatures by excess, and the Lord is grieved with you because of that.

And all sorts of people, rich and poor, high and low, masters and servants, parents and children, buyers and sellers, tradesmen and laborers, hearken to the counsel of God and seek to know his will to you in all things, that you may do it, in following all that is good and denying all that is evil, that your souls may live. Let not the devil lead you, nor his temptations overcome you in any thing, but resist him in whatsoever he would lead you into, which is against God and contrary to him.

Repent of all evil that ever you have acted, and let the Lord be your guide, that you may not utterly perish and your city be destroyed for your sakes. The Lord's love is towards you and he waits to be gracious unto you, and desireth your return, rather than your destruction, and would heal you if you did wait upon him, and would bless your city and make you happy in it, if you do his will and deny your own.

I am a friend unto all your souls, and a publisher of peace, and of glad tidings to all that thirst for the Lord, and he hath given me power to warn you of all your iniquities and abominations, to deny them, and to warn you to follow that which is good. Oh, that ye knew in this your day the things which belong to your peace, which now ye may know before they be totally hid from your eyes, and there be no place for repentance nor time of returning. This day will come upon many and they cannot escape it, who now harden their hearts against the way of their own peace and even scorn to be reproved for their transgression. Such my soul pities, who are going in the way of destruction and running hastily into perdition.

I have many times been made sad by reason of such when I have measured the condition of all people. Upon my bed I have pondered what abomination was in thee and what would be the end thereof, and I have desired nothing so much as that I might faithfully warn thee, and free myself and the Lord from the blood of all men. Deep thoughts have been upon me concerning what the counsel of the Lord is unto you all, that I might manifest the truth, and discover the abominations, and I have not spared to cry repentance unto sinners, that sinners might be converted and turn unto the Lord. And thus far I am clear of the blood of all men, and the Lord is clear, and if the wicked perish, it is because of their unbelief and gainsaying of the Lord.

This is the testimony which I give unto thee, and unto all thy people. O London, hearken and consider! This is the day of your visitation, and there is not another way to life, nor to escape everlasting death and destruction, than that which the Lord hath showed you. Blessed is he that can receive it, and they that deny it do utterly perish without mercy.

I am as a stranger among you, yet well known to the Lord, and the testimony of God concerning you shall stand for ever, for it is true and shall not be confounded, though the wicked reject it to their own destruction.

Edward Burrough

London, the 15th of Sixth month, 1657.