To the People of England
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A95606.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
To the People of ENGLAND.
OYe people of England, whose iniquities are broken forth like the breaking of the Sea, whose mire and filth appears in every place; O what an evil savor is come up in every place; The Land stinks before the Lord because of the abominations that makes desolate in every place. Oh! the filthy May-Poles that Heathenish thing, how they stand up in every place, some Naked, some Painted, and decked with Flowers, Garlands, Ribbans and such foolish things, after the custom of the Heathen of old that knew not God; And Oh! with what Shoutings, abominable Drinkings, foolish Dancings and Noises have they been brought in and set up in thy Towns and Villages, Oh! poor naked England, as if thou hadst lost all taste and savor of Christian Religion; And what will the Heathens and Papists say when they hear the report of thee and thy Children? Old and young even mad after their Idols, and none scarce any courage left to help in these things, the hands of all even as it were fallen down in thee, and few but a company of hidden mourners lays the things to heart that are ready to overwhelm thee. Oh! the cry, the cry of thy sins O England is grown great, & thou hast been often warned by the Lord God, but thou hast not repented, but even hardened thy heart, and fitted thyself for destruction; And what shall the Lord now do unto thee, but even open the Flood-gates of his vengeance, and cause his wrath to come upon thee, judgment upon judgment, misery upon misery, till thou be brought low and be made very small, and in the dust it may be thou wilt remember the Lord, and cry unto him.
But Oh! what Lamentation shall be taken up for thee and for thy Teachers in the midst of thee O wretched England; for thy Teachers have also manifested themselves to every eye to be a company of self-seeking men, striving one with another about the Fleece, but none helping or healing the diseases and wounds of the poor torn scattered flock, but everyone cries give, give, they all look to their own way, their gain from their quarter, and fear not me saith the Lord God; the best of them is as a briar, and the most upright among them as a Thorn-hedge; And now is the Lord arising, and he that hath overcome is coming in his mighty Power to dash the Potsheards of the earth together and break them one against another, and Babylon the Great shall fall and be a place for Dragons, and be no more inhabited by▪ any son of man, as the Lord hath said, forever.
So howl ye Wildernesses, and rejoice ye fruitful Fields, for the Lord hath visited Zion and comforted his afflicted, and the Kingdom shall be the Lord's, and the haughtiness of the world shall be humbled, and the loftiness of their looks shall be brought low, that the Lord God alone may be exalted for he is worthy; And this is our holy Hope, and living Confidence, and faithful Witness, who are counted worthy of God to bear his reproach amongst you O people under the name of Quakers.
So people cease striving against the Lord and his witness in you, and devise not evil against the innocent, but fear the Lord and in time repent, least his fury break in upon you, and his fiery Judgments be multiplied upon you, which none can stop or quench, for yet the day of your visitation is not wholly past.
Tho: Taylor:
London, Printed for Thomas Simmons, 1660.