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A63318 A true account of the great tryals and cruel sufferings undergone by those two faithful servants of God, Katherine Evans and Sarah Cheevers in the time of their above three years and a halfs confinement in the island Malta. Also, how God at last by his almighty power effected their deliverance, and brought them back into the land of their nativity. To which is added, a short relation from George Robinson, of the sufferings that befel him in his journey to Jerusalem; and how God saved him from the hands of cruelty when the sentence of death was passed against him.; This is a short relation of some of the cruel sufferings (for the truths sake) of Katharine Evans & Sarah Chevers, in the inquisition in the Isle of Malta Evans, Katharine, d. 1692.; Cheevers, Sarah, d. 1664. aut; D. B. (Daniel Baker), fl. 1650-1660. 1663 (1663) Wing T2369A; ESTC R222517 121,326 292

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never changeth My dear and faithful Friends I am often refreshed in you when the Light brings you to my remembrance then do I feel the springs of Love and Life which ariseth from the pure Fountain of Eternal refreshments to my joy and comfort wherein I am made to praise and glorifie my God and your God who hath redeemed us out of the Chains of darkness and Kingdom of blackness into the everlasting brightness glory joy and perfect blessedness for ever to dwell in the enjoyment of his living presence as we abide faithful to Eternity in his presence is fulness of joy and at his right ●and is pleasure for evermore My prayers are night and day without ceasing to our Heavenly Father that not one of his begetting may ever turn or slide back but that every one may press forward towards the Mark of the price of the high calling in Christ Jesus who is our Life and Glory and so all may come to wear the Crown of Life and Immortality triumphing in the everlasting Blessedness of the Heavenly Riches and Eternal Joy and Happiness that 's perfect for ever Amen Oh! my dear Brother and Sister we are all Children of our Father begotten in the everlasting Seed of the Promise of Eternal Life and Salvation Oh my precious Friends wait patiently with me alwayes in the pure Fear of the perfect and pure God who hath an eternal Treasure full of everlasting Riches and ready to distribute them to all his dutiful Children Glory and Praises be given to his blessed Name for ever Oh my Beloved ones your love to me is written in the Records that cannot be lost Dear hearts glorifie our God in my behalf that ever he counted me worthy to suffer for his Name I hope to see you● faces again yet once more with joy and gladness with my dear yoke-fellow in the Lord's Work before we go hence and be no more seen So in the tender bowels of pure Love do I take my leave of you at this time The everlasting peace and blessedness be upon you and upon the whole Israel of God Amen Dearly salute us to all Friends This was written in the Inquisition at Malta in the 11th month of the year 1661. Katherine Evans There was another Letter and Paper which was intercepted but I have it not here with me it being sent home from Legorn Yet here followeth more of their Writings to Friends and to my own particular which at several times I received from them unknown to their Oppressors A Copy of a Letter that I was moved to write the next day after I came to the Island and City and communicated to their hands DEar Lambs Peace be unto you Amen Now seeing that the Everlasting God and Father of all Truth hath in his tender love fatherly mercy and bowels of compassion through the tryals of manifold sufferings and temptations hitherto even to this day upheld and preserved you in the Innocency and its Testimony against the contrary although sometimes I know that you have tasted the sentence of death in your selves and even as it were ready to despair of life yet in the living Testimony of Innocency in the answer of a good Conscience I Daniel bear you Record in the Covenant of Life the same remaineth with you and you are in it a good sweet savour to the Lord and his Eternal Truth and People Oh! blessed for ever be his Name yea and my very heart and life blesseth and magnifieth the Lord on your behalf Wherefore my dear Friends be faithful full of Faith and the living invisible God of Peace is with you and will not forsake you seeing it is so and much more you know which might be declared Oh! I am moved in the Bowels of my Father's Love as one with you in tryals and the exercise of manifold temptations to stir up your pure and innocent minds by way of remembrance and also to beseech you to take heed to the Testimony of Life that 's undefiled and manifest in you and to dwell in the same which retains the Joy and Comfort of the Lord and his Peace which you know is not of the World and so to watch and beware of the Enemy that is near to tempt to make shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience and to dispair and so to betray not only your own innocent long-sufferings but also the Testimony of the Lord God of our Life for which you have so long suffered and by the pure Divine Vertue of the same have you been to this day preserved so that the Lord who is and will be your reward hath not been wanting to you on his part Oh faint not but lift up your heads and be faithful still as I am not otherwise perswaded concerning you and I am well perswaded that in his own Covenant and Way Deliverance will come to the Seed and ye know if the same come not in his own Covenant of Truth in the Light of his Countenance it cannot be well but your nay you know is to be nay and so to stand in the Truth against the contrary whatsoever our God permits unreasonable men to inflict upon the outward or visible body and the same also will work for his Glory and also for the Good and Eternal Peace of his innocent suffering Lambs notwithstanding Your tender Brother D. B. ANd when this with other Papers I had through not a little difficulty communicated to their hands over the heads of our Enemies I was moved to speak my Message as from the Lord of Life to them after I had offered up my body and to lay down my Life for these poor Innocents my dear Friends and so with my voice I saluted them in the Lord's Truth as they stood at the Prison-Grates with these words in the behalf of the general Assembly of the Saints in light to wit The whole Body of God's Elect right dearly owneth your Testimony and you are a sweet savour unto the Lord and his people And forasmuch as one of these poor afflicted Lambs replied and said on this wise as if it was a trouble to them that they could not be more serviceable Then my heart being melted and my bowels of pity mercy and compassion being moved I said That it was a wonderful mercy of the Lord in as much as they were preserved in their own measure of Truth and pure Innocency for which my heart praised the Lord for what mine eye saw which right dearly affected my heart and we were well refreshed at that season in the sweet presence of our living God albeit our bodies were at a distance but so as we could behold each others face through the Prison bars of Iron in the Inquisition Now for so much as in the Wisdom of God it is seen meet that the fore-mentioned and following Writings which came from their hands might appear to publick view that thereby every Member of the one Body may have a right understanding and not only
Wisdom of God But the same Cross is to the outward Jew or Christian a stumbling-block and to the wise Greek that 's exalted and puft up in the knowledge above and over the Meek Life foolishness as saith the Scripture 1 Cor. 1.18 19. THe Cross of Christ I do imbrace Which gives an entrance into Grace Both Sin and Death it doth deface And makes me run a glorious race A Crown of Life I do obtain And Sin and Death is daily slain And Christ himself alone to reign Thorow the Cross I do obtain The Cross of Christ is more to me Than all the treasures I can see It brings me to my resting-place For to behold God's lovely Face The Cross of Christ is Power indeed Against the Serpent and his seed And Salvation it doth bring To all that do believe therein The Cross of Christ is my delight It doth uphold me day and night It keeps me from the power of sin Through Christ who is my heav'nly King Without the Cross I cannot be From Sin and Death at all set free The Cross alone doth crucifie Transgression Sin Iniquity It doth break down the Middle-wall And slayes the Enmity withal And makes of twain one perfect man So renews Christ for me again The Cross of Christ it doth destroy That nature that doth disobey In those that do themselves deny And take it up most willingly And daily bear it after him Who is our Lord our Prince and King And not at all to let it down Till they come to enjoy the Crown The Cross of Christ is Power and Life It doth destroy all mortal strife It keepeth from the power of Sin All those that love to walk therein All that do own Christ Jesus Cross Through self-denial they must pass For to be purged from their sin And no longer live therein The Cross of Christ doth operate Through every vein and vital part The heart and reins to cleanse from sin Of them that 's exercis'd therein All they that live in wickedness Are enemies to Christ Jesus Cross For ev'ry sin and uncleanness Doth pierce the Life of Christ Jesus Perfect Love and breathings of undefiled Life to the Seed of God greeting THe streams of Beauty pure bright That springeth up both day and night My love to Truth doth me constrain In Prison ever to remain If it in truth be so that I Cannot be set at liberty My dear Redeemers face so bright Doth shine upon me day and night His Countenance doth exceed all Captivity and Bondage thrall My pure and undefiled Love Which cometh from a harmless Dove Within whose brests doth still remain God's perfect praises to maintain I have not time nor place to show The Love which from my heart doth flow The blessing of th' Almighty be On Jacobs Seed eternally And let it make its sure abode Upon the Heritage of God Amen K. E. THese Writings following are Copies of divers Letters which they had written to their Friends and near Relations in the time of my visitation of them But it came so to pass that as they were handing the same through the Grate of the Prison by the hand of another man to be communicated to my hand being then present in the Room also that the said Letters were intercepted and in the first place communicated to the Pope's Lord Inquisitor and he forthwith sent for the Consul and charged him to get the same truly copied forth Then the Consul was wrath with me that he should be exercised with so much trouble But in the Light and Counsel of my God I seeing and knowing that there was nothing in them but what came from a good ground of Innocency and Truth and pure natural Affection I was moved in bowels of tender Love lest the said Letters should be finally miscarried or shut up in obscurity therefore I propounded to the Consul If that were such a trouble to him if he would let me have the Letters I should copy them out truly And after some time he consented and gave them into my hand and laid it upon my Conscience to perform as I had said which I did with gladness of heart not in submission to his Will but in obedience to the God of Love and Peace which guided me in the same and so after I had finished them I gave the fair Copies into the Consul's hands for his Lord Inquisitor And so in the wisdom of the Lord which is wiser than the Serpents I obtained the very desire of my heart for his Truth and Peoples sake and retained the Original Copies and in the endless Love and Power of the Lord Almighty which was and is with me and accompanied me blessed and magnified be the Power of his excellent Majesty and Glory Amen over the heads of the lofty Mountains and barren Hills I brought the Treasures of a blessed and good ground away with this body in which I am so that they were not only in my hands but also the precious substance and vertue of the same that accom●anied them even in my heart within my ●osome and the Words of wisdoms Life did I wear as a Chain of precious Stones and Diamonds about my neck as Bracelets and Ornaments of a comely and delicate chaste Bride about my hands and loins and behold the Almighty Lord and King of Eternal Life that had so mightly preserved me in the shadow of his ha●● of Almightiness which stopt the mout● of devouring Lyons and chained and limitted the ravening and devouring wi●● Beasts of the Forrest even he the King 〈◊〉 blessedness and endless Glory filled m● heart with his spotless and unexpressibl● Love And as I lay upon the deck of th● Vessel in which I was a Passenger and 〈◊〉 stranger among Men of many and dive●● Nations in the morning of the day I fe●● and beheld the exceeding Glory of th● Lord under the secret shadow of his Almightiness in a Vision of God and in th● same I beheld the Bride the Lamb's Wife prepared for the Bridegroom 's coming and why should not I declare somewhat o● the felicity that mine eye in the Eterna● Life of blessedness saw albeit the Re●● is unutterable which I felt and know how to be silent in the Father's Presence where every Babe knoweth my voice which i● to give a sound in their ears to whom I write and not to spread Pearls before Swine that will defile and trample o● them That mine eye mine eye hath seen and perfectly beheld the Free-born from above coming out of the Wilderness covered with goodly and comely Raiment white and clean as the light of the Sun or as a Stone most precious clear as Chrystal and mine eye beheld a Crown which was embraced in the Arms of the Bridegroom and the Crown was well adorned with many Stars which did excel each other in Glory and mine eye beheld the Sun as a Bridegroom rejoycing over the Virgin-Bride of his Espousal so that I was even sick with
Children how often have I poured out my Soul to our everlasting Father for you with Rivers of Tears night and day that you might be kept pure and single in the sight of our God improving your Talents as wise Virgins having Oyl in your Vessels and your Lamps burning and cloathed with the long white Robes of Righteousness ready to enter the Bed-chamber and to sup with the Lamb and to feed ●t the Feast of fat things where your souls may be nourished refreshed comforted and satisfied never to hunger again My dear hearts you do not want teaching you are in a Land of Blessedness which floweth with Milk and Honey among the faithful Stewards whose mouths are opened wide in Righteousness to declare the Eternal Mysteries of the everlasting Kingdom of the endless Joyes and eternal Glory whereinto all the willing and obedient shall enter and be blessed for ever My dear hearts the Promises of the Lord are large and are all Yea and Amen to those that fear his Name he will comfort the Mourners in Sion and will cause the Heavy-hearted in Jerusalem to rejoyce because of the glad-tydings They that do bear the Cross with patience shall wear the Crown with joy for it is through the long-suffering and patient waitings the Crown of Life and Immortality comes to be obtained The Lord hath exercised my Patience and tryed me to the uttermost to his praise and my eternal comfort who hath not been wanting to us in any thing in his own due time We are Witnesses he can provide a Table in the Wilderness both spiritual and temporal Oh the endless Love 〈◊〉 our God who is an everlasting Fountain 〈◊〉 all living Refreshment whose Chrystal stream● never cease running to every thirsty Soul th●● breatheth after the springs of Life and Salvation In our deepest Affliction when I looked f●● every breath to be the last I could not wish 〈◊〉 had not come over Seas because I knew it w●● my Eternal Father's Will to prove me with my dear and faithful Friend In all afflictions and miseries the Lord remembred Mercy and did not leave nor forsake us nor suffer h●● Faithfulness to fail us but caused the swe●● drops of his Mercy to distil upon us and the brightness of his glorious Countenance to shine into our hearts and was never wanting to 〈◊〉 in Revelations nor Visions Oh! how may I do to set forth the Fulness of God's Love t● our Souls No tongue can express it no hear● can conceive it nor mind can comprehend it Oh the ravishments the raptures the glorio●● bright-shining Countenance of our Lord God who is our fulness in emptiness our strength i● weakness our health in sickness our life i● death our joy in sorrow our peace in disquietness our praise in heaviness our power in a● needs or necessities He alone is a full God unto us and to all that can trust him he hat● emptied us of our selves and hath unbottomed us of our selves and hath wholly built us upon the sure Foundation the Rock of Ages Christ Jesus the Light of the world where the swelling Seas nor raging foaming Waves nor stormy Winds though they beat vehemently can be able to remove us Glory honor and praises is to our God for ever who out of his everlasting Treasures doth fill us with his Eternal Riches day by day he did nourish our souls with the choicest of his Mercies and doth feed our bodies with his good Creatures and relieve all our Necessities in a full measure Praises Praises be to him alone who is our everlasting portion our confidence and our rejoycing whom we serve acceptably with reverence and God-like fear for our God is a consuming fire Oh my dear Husband and precious Children you may feel the issues of Love and Life which stream forth as a River to every soul of ●ou from a heart that is wholly joyned to the ●ountain My Prayers are for you day and ●ight without ceasing beseeching the Lord God of Power to pour down his tender Mer●ies upon you and to keep you in his pure fear ●nd to encrease your Faith to confirm you in 〈◊〉 Righteousness and strengthen you in be●●ving in the Name of the Lord God Almighty that you may be established as Mo●●● Sion that can never be moved Keep y●● Souls unspotted of the World and love 〈◊〉 another with a pure heart fervently ser●● one another in love build up one another 〈◊〉 the Eternal and bear one anothers burde● for the Seeds sake and so fulfil the Law o● God This is the Word of the Lord unt● you my dearly beloved Dear hearts I do commit you into the hand of the Almighty who dwelleth on high an● to the Word of his Grace in you who is abl● to build you up to everlasting Life and eternal Salvation By me who am thy dear an● precious Wife and Spouse in the Marriage 〈◊〉 the Lamb in the Bed undefiled K. E. My dearly beloved Yoak-mate in the Wor● of our God doth dearly salute you Salut● us dearly to our precious Friends in all place● I do believe we shall see your faces again wi●● joy Dearly salute us to T. H. R. S. and h●● Sister S. B. and his Daughter N. M. a●● his dear Wife with all the rest of our de●● Friends in Bristol T. C. and his dear Wi●● and Daughter and all Friends in Bristol 〈◊〉 else-where J. G. and his precious Wife Children and Servants with all Friend● Our dear Love to E. H. with her Husband and Children at Alderberry The Original of this was written in the Inquisition in Malta in the 11th Month of the year 1661. Sarah Cheevers to her Husband and Children MY Dear Husband my love my life is given up to serve the living God and to obey his pure Call in the measure of the manifestation of his Love Light Life and Spirit of Christ Jesus his only begotten Son whom he hath manifested in me and thousands by the brightness of his Appearing to put an end to Sin and Satan and bring to light Immortality through the preaching of the everlasting Gospel by the Spirit of Prophesie which is poured out upon the Sons Daughters of the living God according to his purpose whereof he hath chosen me who am the least of all but God who is rich in mercy for his own Name sake hath passed by mine Offences and hath counted me worthy to bear testimony to his holy Name before the mighty Men of the Earth Oh the Love of the Lord to my Soul my tongue cannot express neither hath it entred into the heart of Man to conceive of the things that God hath laid up for them that fear him Therefore doth my soul breath to my God for thee and my Children night and day that your minds may be joyned to the Light of the Lord Jesus to lead you out of Satans Kingdom into the Kingdom of God where we may enjoy one another in the Life Eternal where neither Sea nor Land
to praise the Lord and to be kept in a sensible feeling of his Power daily and that you may encrease in wisdom strength and power over God's Enemies The Blessing of the Lord God Almighty be with you and preserve you by his mighty Power unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen Salute me to my Sister S. R. there is a tender Plant in her I do feel it to my comfort praises be to the Lord. I am in health I praise the Lord and do want nothing the Lord is my portion I cannot want he hath deckt my Table richly he hath anointed my head with Balm it runneth down the skirts of my cloathing Written in the Inquisition-Prison at the Isle of Malta by a sufferer for the Seeds sake Farewel at this time Amen Your dear Sister in the Lord Sa. Cheevers Another from K. E. to her Husband and Children with somewhat from both the Lord's Prisoners to Friends the which was taken with the rest of the Letters in the Inquisition and copied out for their Lord Inquisitor DEar Husband with my dear Children I beseech you together to wait in the patience having your minds alwayes staid upon the Lord Keep out of incumbrances for that is the Enemies opportunity to step in when the mind is gone forth to vail the pure and darken the understanding and so hinder you of the pure enjoyment of beholding the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Take no more upon you than you are able to perform in the Spirit of moderation and meekness for that is in the sight of God of great price See the Lord going before you in all your occasions that you may be prosperous in all your undertakings wait diligently upon the Lord to be seasoned with his Grace that you may come to a pure understanding of the m●●ons of his Eternal Spirit and a true kno●ledge of the operation of his hands you will be able with all Saints to comprehend what is the heigth and dept● and length and breadth of the riches ● his Grace and Love towards mankind ● Christ Jesus our Lord Amen saith my spirit This is the Counsel of the Lord unto yo● I do often remember M. H. I do desire she may be brought up in the fear o● God and want for nothing that is convenient for her salute me to her dearly I have been very sensible dear Husband of thine and our Children and many dear friends more of your sorrowful souls mourning hearts grieved spirits troubled minds for us as being Members of one Body Christ Jesus being our Head we must needs suffer together that we may rejoyce together a true sorrow begets a true joy a true Cross a true Crown We do beleive it is our heavenly Fathers will and purpose to bring us back as safe to England as ever he brought us thence for his own glory though we are some of the least of Christ's Flock yet we do belong to the true Fold and our Shepherd hath had as great a care of us as he could have for any of his Lambs and hath brought us through great affliction praises be given to his glorious Name of us and you and all that know him for ever Though we are absent in body in the will of God from you yet we are present in spirit in the will of God with you and do receive the benefit of all your prayers daily and do feel the Springs of Life that do stream from all the faithful hearted to our great refreshment and strengthening After our money was gone the Lord Inquisitor with the rest in Authority put a great allowance in one of their servants hands for our maintenance because we could take no money our selves the Lord of Heaven did forbid us to meddle with any and he did send to know whether we did want any clothes he would send it to the Prison to us This was the large love of our God to us and we were made contented with that we had till the Lord God who is rich in mercy and full of all Grace and is never unmindful of any which trust in his Name of his everlasting love did send his faithful Messenger whose feet are beautiful and face is comely cloathed with a bright shining Garment from the Crown of the head to the soal of the foot and came in great power and strength indeed armed with the whol● Armour of Light and drest in the Majesty of the Most High and being commissione● of the Higher Power went to the Lor● Inquisitor to demand our lawful liberty which would not be granted except we could get some English Merchants of Legorn or Messaena to engage 4000 Doller● that we should never come into those parts again The Lord who alone is ou● Life and Redeemer moved our dear Brother to offer his own body to redeem ours but it would not be received then he offered to lay down his own dear and preciou● life for our liberty Greater love can n● man have than to lay down his life for hi● Friend the Lord will restore it into his bosom double his service can never be blotted out his Name is called Daniel Baker his outward being is near London a right dear and precious heart he is The blessing strength and power of the Almighty be upon him and his and overshadow them for ever Amen Greater comfort could never be administred to us in our conditions Glory honor and praise to our God for evermore Amen This is a dear and sweet salutation in that which never changeth fadeth away nor waxeth old from us whom the Lord hath counted worthy to bear his Name and suffer for his sake to all our Christian Friends Fathers and Elders Pillars of Gods spiritual House Brethren and Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ O my dear Husband with our dear and precious Children Lambs of God and Babes of Christ begotten of the Immortal Seed of Light Life and Truth with us and all the whole Family of everlasting blessedness Pray for us believingly all things are possible with our God So my Darlings in the Arms of everlasting Love do I take my leave of you the blessing and peace of the Most High be upon you ever Amen Amen Oh my dear Husband praise the Lord that ever thou hadst a Wife that was found worthy to suffer for the Name of the Lord inasmuch as I can understand the moving of the Spirit of God My dear and faithful Yoke-fellow Sister and Friend is worthy to be embraced of all friends for ever the deeper the sorrow the greater the joy the heavier the Cross the weightier the Crown This was written in the Inquisition at Malta of us Katherine Evans Sarah Cheevers Malta 11th Month of the year 1661. From K. E. for two Friends DEarly beloved Brother in the everlasting Covenant of Light and Life do I dearly salute and embrace thee with thy dear Wife my beloved Sister and thy dear Children whom I dearly love in that which
bitter against us for Righteousness sake in-so-much that we stood in great hazard of our lives many a time we did feel their slaying Instruments drawn so that we had even the sentence of death in our selves but the Lord prevented them and preserved us and great was our travel of soul night and day the glory is the Lord's whose mighty Power did the work everlasting praises honour and dominion over all to our pure holy and perfect Lord God world without end Amen Now for the satisfaction of all Friends concerning our deliverance out of ●he Inquisition this is a true and brief Relation Three quarters of a year before Daniel Baker came to Malta the Consul for the English came to us and said the Inquisitor sent him to know if we would be Catholicks yea or nay We answered we were true Christians He said if we would be Catholicks we might dwell at Melita or go to England We said we were the Servants of the true and living God One of the Magistrates said we were not Christians neither had we the Cross of Christ We answered we were Christians and had received the Spirit of Christ which made a Christian and he that had not the Spirit of Christ was no Christian and we had the Cross of Christ without the Cross there was no Salvation the Cross of Christ is the Power of God unto Salvation to every one that believeth He said If we would not be Catholicks we must suffer long Imprisonment by the Popes Order That was not true I had an Answer in my Conscience against it And in a little time after they told us if we would kiss the Cross we should be freed out of Prison and go to the Consul 's till a convenient passage did present to carry us for England for the Pope had sent word they should take it into their consideration and set us free for England without doing any violencce as we heard and we did believe it because we had a more sure word of Prophecy than did use to proceed out of their mouthes we told them we could not kiss the Cross to get our liberty neither did we desire our freedom on any such terms but we looked every day when they would call us forth to kiss the Cross and we did pray and cry mightily to our Eternal Father to prevent them in it and to preserve us out of it for the Tempter was very strong within and without so that I took little rest for many dayes and nights seeing the great danger it would plunge us into for I saw the painted walls and the Crosses set before me but the gracious God of power who did appear in our Afflictions and revealed his Will to me in a Night-Vision saying Touch not taste not handle not but wait diligently upon me you have two things yet to work over before you can be set at liberty We knew the Cross was one but we knew not what the other was The next time the Consul came he told us that the Inquisitor said If any one would engage for three or four thousand Dollers to be paid if ever we came thither again we should be set at liberty but he said no more of the Cross but the Obligation was the second thing that we were to work over but I could never see nor dare desire any man to be engaged for us because I do know all Decrees Laws Tyes Bonds and Chains and Precepts of men must be broken through the righteous Decree of our mighty Lord God and upon the same consideration we were made willing to wait till the Lord should break this Chain also that no other dear Friend or Lamb of God might suffer for the same thing no God forbid Then it pleased the Lord to send Daniel Baker who in obedience to the God of Heaven did offer up body for body yea life all for our liberty but could not be heard but the Inquisitor said If any would engage for the payment of three or four thousand Dollers to be paid if ever we came there again we should have our liberty but otherwise we must die in the Prison for that was the Pope's Law but we knew it was left to his consideration so we told them we could not engage nor desire any to engage for us because it was out of the Covenant of God and our yea was yea and our nay was nay and we did not believe that ever it was the mind of God that we should return thither again So Daniel departed in the Love of God and they sent to England to Friends and to other Islands to the English Merchants for some to engage for us that we might have our liberty but the Merchants sent word they were not willing to answer their unreasonable demands for the payment of so many thousand Dollers if in case we returned thither again There were many that did seek for our liberty that were not of us because they knew our cruel and strait bondage and terrible afflictions and were willing to engage what was reason but because our just and wise God would make his Power known for his own honour he would not suffer any thing to prevail for our Deliverance insomuch as we could understand but what he wrought by his invisible Power in the hearts of our Enemies It was given into my heart half a year after Daniel came thence that if I could speak with the Inquisitor he would grant us our liberty and in a little time he came to the Inquisition-Court-Chamber and we heard of it and desired to speak with him which he granted us and we told him we had wronged none we had defrauded none neither was guile found in our mouthes but we had suffered innocently almost four years for Conscience-sake and we knew they had no peace in our sufferings So the Inquisitor was very courteous to us and promised our liberty in a few dayes and he said he would send for the Consul and get him to engage for five hundred Dollers to be paid for us if ever we came again in case the Consul did deny it he would send to Rome to the Pope for an Order to set us at liberty without an Obligation So we were contented to wait the Lord's time who had often promised us That we should have our liberty in a day when we thought not of and at an hour when we were not aware and good was the Word of the Lord and faithful in all his Promises About two weeks after the Inquisitor came to the Inquisition with his Lieutenant and other of the Magistrates and a Consul for the English and he sent the Proctor of the Court to call us forth before them and when we came he told us the Consul would engage for the payment of five hundred Dollers if ever we returned thither again We not knowing at present whether it was the mind of our heavenly Father that the Earth should help the Woman yea or nay yet waiting
and redeemed from your sins and from your beloved lusts that war against your souls The works of the flesh are manifest by the Light and as you come to love the Light you will have power over every deed of darkness and to a daily cross to be crucified with Christ from sin and from the beggarly rudiments of the world to live to God God is holy as it is written Be ye holy for I am holy saith the Lord. Holiness becomes the House of the Lord for ever What know you not that your bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost to dwell in The Spirit of the living God cannot dwell with any defiled thing but alwayes bears witness against it If any man defile the Temple of God him will God destroy for the Temple of God is holy Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean No not one Can a Fountain bring forth sweet water and bitter You say you are Christians Do you walk like Christ Paul said Be ye followers of me as I am a follower of Christ And Christ saith Love your enemies bless them that curse you and despitefully use you that you may be the Children of your heavenly Father Christ died for his Enemies He was made sin for us that knew no sin that we might become the Righteousness of God in him What greater Love can there be O turn in your minds and examine your own hearts every one in particular Do you keep Christ's Commandments Christ saith If you love me you will keep my Commandments Christ's Command is Love Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and thy neighbour as thy self and do to all as thou wouldst have all do unto thee Owe nothing to any but love Love is the fulfilling of the pure Law of God which is holy just and good Not one jot or tittle shall pass till all is fulfilled All that come to the Light and obey it come to the fulfilling of the Law for the Law is the Light I had not known sin but by the Law for the Law saith Thou shalt not covet and Christ saith He that breaks one of these least Commandments is guilty if the whole It is not enough to talk of a Christ that suffered at Jerusalem once for all and to make him a cloak to cover your sins be not deceived but let such know he is in every one to condemn for sin and to make every evil deed manifest and to bear testimony against it and to leave all without excuse for all must be tryed by the Light of Christ that lighteth every one that cometh into the world and all that love the Light will bring their deeds to the Light to be approved O but those that hate it it will be their condemnation My endeared Salutation and Greeting to the Seed Immortal in all throughout the whole World Farewel Sarah Cheevers An additional Account of GEORGE ROBINSON'S shewing his Call to go to Jerusalem And how God in his Journey thither was present with and did preserve him from the hands of those who sought to take his Life c. FRIENDS EVen as the Lord in many Ages and Generations past hath called his Servants abroad into many Countries and Regions of the World to bear forth a Testimony unto his glorious and ever blessed Name that people might be gathered to him and be blessed by him even in like manner he hath done in this our day blessed be his Name for evermore And so my dear Friends I being sensible in some measure of the Lord 's great Love in this particular do in dear love both to the Lord and his People shew forth the same In the year 1657 about the beginning of the seventh month thereof as I was waiting upon the Lord in singleness of heart his blessed Presence filled me and by the power of his Spirit did command me to go unto Jerusalem And further said unto me Thy sufferings shall be great but I will bear thee over them all Accordingly about the middle of the aforesaid month I began my Voyage towards Jerusalem and imbarqued with four Friends more in a Ship called The Joshua of London bound for Legorn in Italy where in ahout six weeks time we arrived and soon after we were sent for by the Governour of that place who after examination of us whither we were going and the like said we must not stay ashore but go aboard a Ship there to abide until we could get passage whither we were bound Nevertheless we ●eturned to our Lodgings again where we ●aid some dayes in which time both Eng●●sh and others daily visited us to whom we ●pake the things belonging to God's King●om and then left that place and went ●board a Ship to wait for a passage whither we were bound And in about two weeks ●ime after I left the rest of Friends and ●mbarqued in a French Ship bound for St. John de Acra formerly called Ptolomais and after a few dayes sail we passed by the Island of Malta where Paul suffered shipwrack where we made little stay but hoisted sail and in about two or three weeks time we came to the ruinated City Tirus having met with a contrary wind we were stayed three or four dayes the Inhabitants being Turks and Greeks were moderate towards me and from thence in about one day we came to Ptolomais or St. John de Acra where I remained about eight dayes being much opposed by the Friars in a French Merchants house and ●hen imbarqued in a Vessel amongst Greeks and Turks bound for Joppa but the Wind rising against us we came to an Anchor at Tourtons and on the next morning divers Turks came aboard and demanded Tribute of those called Christians in the Vessel which they paid for fear of sufferings but very unwillingly their demands being very unreasonable and in like manner demanded of me but I refusing to pay according to their demands they threatned to beat the soals of my feet with a stick and one of them would have put his hand into my pocket but the chiefest of them rebuked him Soon after they began to take me out of the Vessel to effect their work but one of the Turks belonging to the Vessel speaking to them as they were taking me ashore they let me alone wherein I saw the good hand of God preserving me and also there being an Armenian present and seeing I rather chose to suffer than to grant them their unreasonable demands he cryed out I was a good Christian I was a good Christian and became very loving unto me whilst he remained with me After this about three or four dayes we came to Joppa and from thence the same day we came to Ramlah or Ramoth in Gilead which as it did appear the Friars at Jerusalem hearing of my coming gave order unto some there to stay me which accordingly was done for I was taken and carried into a house and locked up into a