A few words to all people concerning the present and succeeding times. Raunce, John, 17th cent. 1662 Approx. 14 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2009-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A92182 Wing R320 ESTC R220531 45789388 ocm 45789388 172699 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A92182) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 172699) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English Books, 1641-1700 ; 21241:246 or 2646:4) A few words to all people concerning the present and succeeding times. Raunce, John, 17th cent. 1 sheet ([1] p.) s.n., [London : 1662] Signed: The last day of the 4th month, 1662. John Raunce. Place of publication suggested by Wing. In verse. Reproduction of original in: British Library and Friends' Library (London, England). Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Christian poetry, English -- Early modern, 1500-1700. Broadsides -- England -- 17th century. 2007-07 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-08 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2008-07 Emma (Leeson) Huber Sampled and proofread 2008-07 Emma (Leeson) Huber Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A few Words to all People concerning the present and succeeding Times . WHoso is wise amongst the People Consider what I say ; Great things to pass the Lord will bring In this the later day . For now out of Captivity shall little Judah walk , And poor oppressed Israel , with all her feeble folk . Yea , now while Pharoah doth oppress the Seed , which now must reign ; And Herod killeth with distress ; yet all their work is vain : Though Chaunting Priests with forgeries poor silly souls delude , Yet oft God's Witness doth arise against what they intrude . Though many people do backslide from that which once they knew , And , with the wicked now deride God 's servants , who are true . Though we l●ke sheep appointed are to suffer at man's will , Yet dying we the Truth declare , though men our bodies kill ▪ It is God's ●●●ness in each man in secret shall arise To plead for us , when no man can for Conscience peace devise . When we in Prisons are opprest , and from the Rulers sent , God's Witness then doth break their rest , to move them to repent Oh! happy now dear friends we are , who have obey'd the Light , Which doth for us our cause declare , when we are out of sight . Yea , this I say , for ever blest , and none shall take our Crown , Nor yet deprive us of our rest , by treading of us down . Let now Jerusalem rejoice , her children shall be free . They now do hear the Bridegrooms voice and Zions King they see ▪ Who doth the Prison-doors unlock down in the Dungeon deep , He pierceth through the hardest Rock , that he our souls may se●k ▪ Into his bosom now return all ye that with me weep , And do in secret with me mourn ; the Lord our soul wil keep . Let no high thought in us be found , lest it lift up our mind ; But in true humbleness abound , for here true peace we find . In Aegypt's darkness wise men talk , who do the Light despise , While we in Goshen in it walk , in whom it doth arise . That which the Prophets did foretel , and good men pray'd should be , Now in it with the 〈◊〉 we dwel , in measure as we see . Our boldness great , and confidence , in weakness doth arise , As we do keep in the true sence , which doth the World despise . When we before the Rulers stand , none think what then to say ; The Lord our strength is near at hand to guide us in that day . Yea , when the Lord doth stop our speech , we waiting in his fear , Our patience shall God's Witness reach , when men no words shall hear . For Christ in silence like a Lamb , did to the 〈…〉 come , And as a sheep 〈…〉 the shearer , so did he then stand dumb . False ●udgemens on him wise men gave , th●● did his life condemn , In scorn they brought him to the grave , and did the Truth contemn . God's Martyrs dear in every place , like sufferings under-went , When they were used with disgrace , yet they abode content . Now is the time of suffering begun in the last day , Which shall the Beast to ruine 〈…〉 , and'● Kingdom must decay . Although destruction be in hand for us a people poor , It wil bring darkness o're the Land in which shall die the Whore. And Antichrist with all his train with toyle themselves shall vex , For they shall see their Labour 's v●in God's servants to perplex . All Babels Rulers sore shall grieve At that which they shall see , When none their City can relieve , destroyed it must be . Strong is the God that wil annoy thee with his vengeance sore , And in his fury thee destroy , where thou shalt cry and roar . The time is short thou hast to reign , though thou sit'st like a Queen , Yet thou shalt perish in disdain ; the like was never seen . Thy Kingdom now is very dark , and blackness doth abound , It 's now too late for thee to heark ▪ repentance can't be found . When sentence past , none can reverse , the K●ng of Heavens Decree , Thy scoffing cannot make it less , what he wil do with thee . At his approach thy strength shall fail , thy stubborn heart shall mourn , With horror then thy self bewail , for thou shalt be forlorn . Thy lying mouth shall then be shut , thy vaunting turn'd aside ; Thou from thy Lovers shalt be cut , then down shalt come thy pride . Thy wise men and thy Captains all together so combine , That ye together all may fall within a little time . The Work is such you do oppose , so weighty and profound ; The like before it never rose , your wisdoms to confound . No Weapon forged , now shall stand against God's chosen One , Whose iron Rod is in his hand , For he must reign alone . Yea , all that will not bow to him , in shivers must be broke ; For he will shatter every Limb with his destroying stroke . The Child is born this Work shall ●●e eff●cted in this kind , And suddenly these things shall be ; for little is behind . Yea many are the Children young who shall these things behold , And are the Nations yet among , but God wil all unfold : And to his little ones reveal his wonders great and strange ; What he will do , that he may heal the Nations at their change : How Kings and Princes shall bow down , their glory then forsake ; And at their feet shall cast their Crown , that they may now partake With him and those who have been poor , and whom this World despise ; Yet of true Riches they have store , though they walk in disguise . The Jews who would Messiah know and are as yet behind , In them the Light now dawn will shew where they they the Christ may find . The Gentiles who in darkness have been buried in their sin , Shall now come forth of that dark grave where long time they have been . Now is the time for Jews to turn , and Gentiles to awake ; In many hearts the Light doth burn , which shall all Nations shake . Yea Kings and Kingdoms they shall reel , Light shall their Powers rent , Great strivings in them they shall feel , to move them to repent . No Laws man makes can Light arrest , nor Prisons it contain : No Banishments can it oppress ; In Conscience Light must reign . The Gallows , Sword , Faggots and Fire , these Instruments are vain , With which man may himself out-tire yet still the Light remain . God's Witness true in this last age , by whom he wil contend With Kings and Rulers in their rage , that so they may amend , And set his captive people free , their Conscience to enjoy , That they may have their liberty , and none may them destroy . Oh happy Nation where thy King and Rulers shall bow down Unto the Light which now doth spring , they shall receive the Crown Of immortality and bless which never shall away . Their honor then shal be endless , and glory not decay . But England yet into thine ears this dreadful voice I send , That thy destruction's very near , if thou dost not amend . All Sodom's sins in thee are found , the old world's wicked way ; Iniquity doth now abound , God's people to destroy : Nothing thou dost so much neglect as truth and righteousness . God's ways thou wholly dost reject , and lovest wickedness . All whoredoms drunkenness and Oaths , in these are thy delight ; And all that God and good men loaths is pleasant in thy sight . Oh! England do not so forget God's mercies towards thee . A little time is left thee yet that happie thou mayst be ; If thou dost suddenly repent , and from thy sins depart ; Embrace God's truth which he hath sent , and it will change thy heart ; But if thou stubbornly go on , yet hear what I do say , The Lord will not let thee alone , but he will bring a day Of bitter howling over thee , in which thou shalt lament , The time which can't recalled be , that then thou mayst repent : Against thee then God will reveal , his wrath shal thee destroy , In his displeasure with thee deal , then perish shal thy joy . For with strange plagues , sword & famine the Lord will with thee plead ; Yea then thus he will examine thee suddenly with dread . Oh Land ! thou fruitful , thou shalt pine , thy Cities must decay ; Thy people proud , who are so fine , their glory shal away , Oh London ! great shal be thy wo , who shal lament thy case ? For in thy streets 〈…〉 grow God will thee so debase : For thy oppression , and thy pride , for thy backsliding state ; For that the truth thou dost deride , and goodness thou dost hate : For that thou dost God's servants beat , imprison , and misuse ; The simple-hearted thou dost threat , and innocent abuse : Religion now with thee is vain , Idolatry hath place ; Lukewarmness is imbrac'd again , and all that may disgrace God and his truth , Christ and his Lambs ▪ it may be found in thee : And all that can increase truths bands by wickedness is free : Who is opprest save righteous men , who in vile prisons lie ; Arise , O God , for these things then , yea loud now is the crie Of thine Elect in every place , How long Lord , Holy , True : Wilt thou not hasten on thy pace , against the wicked Crew . Yea this I say , let all awake , the day is very near , In which God will in vengeance shake the Earth , that all may fear . Let Kings and Judges now be wise ; let all men soon repent ; Let sinners from their rest arise , the night is now far spent ; The great day of the Lord 's at hand ▪ who shal abide his ire ; Or who before him then shal stand , who is devouring fire . Then Kings and Captains , bond and free shall at his presence quake ; Then all into dark holes would flee , when he the Earth shal shake : Then in the ragged Rocks and Caves you 'l seek a place to hide , Who use God's People worse then slaves , then they not you 'l abide . Even then when Earth in fire shal burn and Elements melt with heat , When heavens like scrowls away shal turn God's anger then shall threat : Because his patience then shal cease to all his enemies , And onely judgments shal encrease to all Eternities : Where gnashing teeth with weeping cries for evermore shal be To such as do God's truth despise , and follow vanities . Oh now dear suffering friends rejoice ! Redemption will not stay From us who have made Christ our choice , before the evil day , When Prisons , Sword , Gallows and Fire shal compass us about , He will help us when in the mire , and guide us when we doubt . All tender Friends I dearly greet you in the Lord of Life ; And in his patience which is sweet , fare well where is no strife . Yea in that Love which suffereth long , for ever let us dwel ; And in God's Truth let us be strong , in this I say farewel . The last day of the 4th month , 1662. JOHN RAUNCE .