own which purifies our consciences from dead Works and keeps our minds undefiled by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3 5. The third accusation is That we deny the Sacrament which is an Ordinance of Christ. Ans. For the word Sacrament there is no such Scripture which speaks of a Sacrament therefore we do deny you and your Sacrament and your Bread and Wine which is carnal and feedâ— the carnal which must die and your communion is in that which is carnal in the creatures and Drunkards and Swearers have fellowship together with you in those things and all lyars covetous ones prophane and idolatrous ones eats of the bread and drinks of the cup and sits at the Table which is the Table of Devils And this is your Sacrament which stands without in carnal bread and wine and feeds the carnal which oppresseth and murders the Seed of God within you and you say Christ hath left that as an Ordinance for you to practice which is false which we deny but the Supper of the Lord we own The Cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ And the bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ for we being many are one bread for we are all partakers of that one bread 1 Cor. 10.16 17 21 22. And this is the bread which came down from Heaven he that eateth thereof shall never dye And this Bread we all eat of and this cup we all drink of and this is that which is practised and commanded in the Church of Christ and so we sit at the Table of Christ and cannot sit nor have fellowship with the Table of Devils And they who sit at your Table and your Sacrament and eat of your Bread and drink of your Wine they dye for it is not the bread of life and you who eat and drink it do not discern the Lord's body for it is spiritual and your Sacrament is carnal and so you eat and drink damnation to your selves not discerning the Lords body feeding the carnal with the carnal and so we deny your Sacrament to be any Ordinance of Christ or the Supper of Christ 1 Cor. 11.29 The fourth Accusation is That we deny the resurrection of the Body Ans. And that is false for at the sound of the last Trumpet the dead shall be raised they that have done good shall arise to the resurrection of life they that have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation And we preach Christ risen from the dead and if the dead rise not then is our preaching vain and your faith is also in vain and you are yet in your sins who know not this resurrection Christ risen from the dead in you 1 Cor. 15.14 15 16 17. But some man will say How are the dead raised and with what bodies do they come 1. Cor. 15.35 Thou fool that which thou sowest thou sowest not that body that shall be but bare grain it may chance of wheat or of some other grain but God giveth it a body as it pleaseth him and to every seed his own body There is also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial and the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another there is one glory of the Sun another glory of the Moon and another glory of the Stars for one star differs from another star in glory So also is the resurrection of the dead it is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption it is sown in dishonor it is raised in glory it is sown in weakness it is raised in power it is sown a natural body it is raised a spiritual body 1 Cor. 15.35.36 37 38. Now this I say unto you all That flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Gâ—d neither doth corruption inherit incorruption 1 Cor. 15.50 51 52. But this is to you all a mystery who are in the first nature whose understandings are not enlightned by the light of Christ who live in your forms notions and professions of these things in the Letter feeding your carnal minds with the Letter which is death and killeth and so your minds are drawn from the Light of Christ within you into outward observances of meats and drinks bread and wine divers washings carnal Ordinances which were figures of the time then present Heb. 9.9 10. and you deny Jesus Christ the Substance who is the true Light that enlighteneth every one that cometh into the World Now to the Light in you all I speak which Christ Jesus hath enlightened you withall and if you love this Light it will lead you out of all your carnal Ordinances and Worships and divers Washings which stand in the first covenant which was before Christ and is done away in Christ the second covenant and it will lead you to worship God in the spirit and into the doctrine of Christ to yea and nay in all your communications But all who are got up high in forms and profession you are not yet come to yea and nay but are out of the doctrine of Christ and walk contrary to the Light of Christ in your consciences which Light shall be your condemnation that hate it John 3.19 20. though you be got up high in your forms and notions and words of the Saints conditions who spoke in the light and from the life And you who have the form but not the life shall be condemned by the life and you who hate the light shall be condemned with the light and life which gave forth the Scriptures The fifth Accusation is That we do not honor Magistrates nor are subject unto Authority but are disturbers and breakers of the peace Ans. Justice we own and righteousness and all who love the Light of Christ which he hath enlightened them withall it will lead them to act Justice And all Magistrates I charge you in the presence of the living God to act according to that which is pure of God in the conscience And all Magistrates who act according to that of God in the conscience are honored by those who fear the Lord and walk in obedience to that in the conscience and those who act justice according to that in the conscience they do not bear the sword in vain for that in the conscience is according to the law of God and all you Magistrates who are set over the people to do Justice and execute the lavv upon offendors this is the Word of the Lord to you To mind the Light of Christ in your consciences and it vvill cause you to act according to the place of a Magistrate But if you suffer Svvearers and Drunkards or Lyars or Oppressors or false Weights or Strikers or Quarrellers or Fighters and do not punish them or Whoremongers or Idolaters or idle persons vvithout a calling thou that passeth by these things dost not act justice according to the lavv then thou acts not
had some office in a Regiment and did sometime preach among his sincere and sober Companions that loved him wel according to his knowledg and judgment at that day and he obtained a good Report amongst such as were lovers of Religion And when it pleased the Lord God everlasting to raise us up to be a People in the North parts and through great Tribulations and extream distresses within and without which we passed through were we raised up of the Lord to be a holy and chosen People This same Person was one among the first of us whose heart the Lord touched with the sence of his Power and Kingdom and amongst us he had the mighty operation of the Power of God experienced in his heart Great afflictions and tribulations for many weeks was he exercised in through the dispensation of the Grace and Spirit of Christ Jesus he was in that state and while therein exercised for many dayes a wonder to all that beheld him as one passing out of the body as one under the deep sence of the hand of the Lord under the operation of his Power thus it was with many of us and particularly with him Till such time as the same Power that killed made alive as wounded also â—eâ—led as brought down also raised up and then being raised up in the holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ he was made a Minister of the Everlasting Gospel to preach Repentance Conversion Salvation and Remission of sins and accordingly went forth in the Name and Power of the Lord Jesus the Saviour of mâ—n kind and was a Minister of the glad Tydings of Salvatiâ—n in many parts of this Land and elsewhere to the conversion of many Souls to God for his Ministry was made effectual by the Almighty Power of the Lord to turn many from darknesse to light from the power Satan to God and there are thousands who can in the Spirit of the Lord bear Testimony to the power and verity of his Ministry in many Countreys where he travelled for he laboured much in divers places and was very diligent and faithful in the work of the Lord and suffered imprisonment divers times and was hardly dealt withal and persecuted in Chester Cambridge and in Norwich prisons and other places and he was found faithful in all his Tryals among his Brethren and alwayes ready to do his service in what he was called unto with a willing mind being truly in body soul and spirit given up to the service of the Gospel of Christ Jesus a dispensation of which was committed unto him that he might serve the Lord in his Generation and though he how hath finished his Testimony in this World yet the remembrance of him lives with us in the Spirit of Jesus and he is accounted among the faithful Sufferers a Martyr for the witnesse of the Truth which ever liveth And for the space of nine years he laboured and travelled in the work of the Gospel aforesaid in most of the Counties of this Nation and was well known for his faithfulness among the Churches of Christ He was but little in stature in his outward man and of weak Constitution of body and was slow of speech and often more ready to hear then to speak he made little appearance in the manhood of Excellency or Authority but was contemptible among men yet he was very wise and knew his season when to speak and when to be silent and when he spoke it was with much discretion and deliberation in weaknesse of word many times yet reached perfectly the matter intended by him and his speech was with Graâ—e and in the fear of God and had Authority in the Spirits of men and was of savour and sound judgement though in weaknesse of the manhood expressed for he answered not mens Wisdom in excellent stile of words but the witnesse of God in sincerity of speech he was a Person of sound judgement in divine Mysteries and of good experience in the operations of the power of God and knew the passing through divers conditions of the inward man and was able to speak to many estates of man passing under the dispensations of the Grace of God he could well inform the mind of a person in an afflicted and tossed state of terrour and judgement and his Ministry was often savoury and seasonable and felt in the pure life though his words were plain and homely and no beauty in them to mans Wisdom and God made him and his service a blessing to many who shall speak for him in their own Consciences He was of a loving genâ—le and good disposition and acceptable was his Company to them that knew him and were like-minded a good Companion in all Conditions not soon moved into passion of either grief in Adversity or of joy in Prosperity nor had he a Spirit taking offence upon light occasions against any but watched for Good over all and not for Evil He was a man of peace and loved it and walked peaceably among his brethren in honest kind familiarity And I am perswaded in my Soul according to the experience I had of him for many years he abhorred dissention and strife among Friends and was never the real occasion intendedly by himself of any difference and dissention among brethren and what further is Truth of him I leave it to the just God whose testimony is true and never fails Among many others that were taken from Meetings and sent to Newgate according as ye have â—eard This same Person of whom I am now treating was in like manner rudely and violently taken on the 22 th day of the 4 th Month last out of a Meeting in the Bull at Aldersgate and carried before Richard Brown who used violence to him with his own hands in pulling his Hat down upon his head so that he brought his head near the ground and then he Commirted him to Newgate where he remained till the Sessions and was then indicted among the rest for being at an unlawful Meeting c. as it is said and he being throng'd up in Prison among the rest of us it pleased the Lord to visite him with sickness of body and in 10. dayes space always growing weaker and weaker in that time he deceased and laid down his body in peace About two days before his departure some of his dearest Friends went to visite him and sate by him a space and spoke somwhat to him and asked him if any thing was upon his Spirit he might now speak it to his Friends His answer was That there was no need to dispute matters for he knew the ground of his Salvation and was satisfied for ever in his peace with the Lord God and we know said he one another wel and what each of us can say about those things and spoke no further And the 17 th day of the 6th Month he departed this life and was gathered up to his Fathers the Generation of the just and though he be gone in that
vve ovvn and vvitness and as for our equality or unity vvith God vve that believe in him are one vvith him as the Scripture saith and as Christ prayed for us that believe John 17.21 that we might be one in him and in the Father and unity vve must confess for that is a doctrine â—ffirmed by the Apostles of Christ that as he is so are vve in the vvorld and he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are both one and so vve deny no doctrine but vvhatsoever is a doctrine vve vvitness it And to say that vve corrupt the doctrine of justification that is false for vve are freely justified by his grace and so do vvitness the doctrine of justification and vvho are true vvitnesses of it do not corrupt it but if vvhile vve seek to be justified by Christ vve our selves be found sinners is Christ therefore the Minister of sin God forbid Gal. 2.17 but herein doth the Priests of the World corrupt the doctrine of Justification professing to be justified by Christ while they themselves are found sinners and say that God doth account them righteous in Christ but unrighteous in themselves and so would make Christ the minister of sin and to justifie or save his people in their sins and not from them and so by them the doctrine of justification is corrupted and the Scripture perverted and the grace of God by which the Saints are freely justified is turned into wantonness and so by their faigned words in hypocrisie they cast thick clouds and vails of darkness over the peoples mindes to keep them in ignorance of the redemption of their immortal souls which is to be redeeâ—â—d by the blood of the Lamb they saying that the soul came indeed from God but is not of the being of God and yet in the 51. page tels of turning the whole frame of the soul to center in him again if it must centre in him again then it was in him before and so let thy confusion stop thy mouth Now let all consider in the light which comes from the immortal God whether Gods being is not in life and immortality and whether there is an immortal life but from the same being For God breathed into man the breath of life and through the breath of life he became a living soul Now the breath of life came from the life in which the being is and so to the people I say you have a light which comes from the same life in which the soul lived unto God in the beginning before death passed over which light is made manifest to lead out of death into the life from whence it came and to witness again a living soul and the breath of life and so to be wiser then all your teachers and to know him who hath all souls in his hand who breathed into man the breath of life and he so became a living soul and when he doth the evil the anguish is upon it and to feed atop those mountains which you have wandred after in the forgetfulness of God having forgotten God days without number Rom. 2.9 But now the light is come and knowledge begins to increase and shine in the hearts of the children of light to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and these things live in us Therefore we are his witnesses who is the light and life of men and did only for the seed sake let forth our knowledge of the mystery of God that they may be gathered into the fold among the Lambs of Christ for the day of scattering hath been long but now is the day of gathering begun wherein all they shall rejoyce that fear the Lord. 2 Cor. 4.6 And whereas many other accusations are charged upon us falsly for the name of Christ by the Priest yet seeing Christ the true Prophet hath said it should be so because they know not the Father nor him who hath enlightned every one that commeth into the World therefore can we bear all things being manifest unto God and to all men to be witnesses of those things which he saith we deny His accusations are these That we deny the Resurrection of the body the last Judgment Heaven and Hell Are enemies to all the Ordinances of Christ are not true mortified persons and our doctrine tendeth not to destroy sin That we are the common sink of all Heresies and enemies to civility and good manners Ans. Our doctrine is the same as is testified of in the Scripture of truth and where it is received remission of sins is received it being the same that our Example the first-born amongst many brethren the first begotten from the dead preached vvhich Gospel vve preach to every creature vvhich Gospel is the povver of God and where it is received doth both destroy sin and sanctifie them throughout in body soul and spirit and by it is the members vvhich are upon the earth mortified for this is the povver that raised up Jesus from the dead and doth also quicken out mortal bodies by his Spirit that dvvelleth in us in vvhich the Scripture is vvitnessed which was a Treatise of those things which was knovvn and surely believed amongst the Saints and vvhich saith they that are asleep in the dust of the earth shall rise some to everlasting life and some to everlasting shame and contempt and from â—he true foundation vvitnessing these doctrines vvhich the Apostles did not lay again the foundation of Repentance from dead vvorks and faith tovvards God of the doctrine of baptisms and laying on of hands and of the Resurrection from the dead and of eternal â—udgment Heb. 6.12 for vve having learned vvhat it is to be baptised for the dead deny such as say there is no â—esurrection of the dead the first fruiâ—s of this Resurrection is Christ 1 Cor. 15.22 of which â—hey tâ—at are of Christ are witnesses of these things and they come to know each seed in the light through the figures and through the parables Now in the parables I say to you that seed which you sow in the earth whether it be Wheat or other grain you sow not that body which shall be but God giveth it a body as pleaseth him If it be so in the earthly parable then learn to know the seeds and the nature of them which God giveth to each of them it s own body there is heavenly bodies and earthly bodies â—he glory of the heavenly is one and the glory of the earthly is another and so all being turned to the light which you are enlightned withal you in it will know the things that differ both the seeds the bodies and the glories and so let every one be a witness of what they profess of the things of God for by the Spirit of the Lord have we received the knowledge and so are made witnesses of these thingâ— which our brethren the Prophets and Apostles of Jesus Christ hath testified in the
sound of Christ as a light hath never been heard where sin and iniquity is discovered but that which hath brought forth these things may well be called an untimely birth which ntver saw the Sun not never knew the light which Christ hath enlightned every man withall which cometh into the world for a little of this fruit doth manifest that tree from whence it springs so we shall judge the tree by it's fruits Another fruit from this tree is to give his testimony of the Law of Faith which is this How far the Law of Faith may be said to be written upon every mans heart is not given unto me to understand only this glimpse I have of it That it appears to have had an influence upon the heart of man by those sacrifices which were offered up to God before the publication of the positive Law wherein as well Cain as Abel offered sacrifices Gen. 4.4 Answ. This testimony doth not proced from the word of Faith in thy heart for that would give an understanding how the Law of Faith is written in the heart as well as how the Law of Works is written and this thy glimpse which thou sayes thou sees from the proposing of the promise and the influence which thou sayes thou seest upon the heart of man by the Sacrifices of Cain as wel as Abel offered unto God if this thy pretended light and glimpse which is so far of Christ be truly weighed and tryed it may prove but a vain vision and a divination of thy own heart as all who consider thy testimony of the Law of Faith in saying that the discovery thereof ariseth from what is without and that it had never been known nor never thought of nor never would it or could it rationally have come into the heart of man to have conceived such a thing but from the declaration of God in his promise Here it doth appear Faith is a mysterie to thee and thy eye hath not seen it nor the ear heard neither hath it entered into thy heart to conceive Faith in the working and operation of it And in that thou sayest well that it was not given thee to understand how it is written upon every man's heart and thou had done well if thou had not stretched thy self beyond the line of thy knowledge and understanding for thou thy self confessest that unto those first believers Abel Enoch Noah Abraham Isaac Jacob Moses David Daniel and the rest there was communicated unto them a Spirit of Faith and a Light sutable and proportionable whereby they were enabled to behold Christ who was the object of their Faith Then if it did arise from the Spirit of Faith within them the Light of Christ who was the Author of their Faith it did not arise from the Declaration of God in the promise without so that the mysterie of Faith vvhich is held in a pure conscience is yet to be learned vvhich vvas vvitnessed amongst the Saints So vvhen thou vvrites again of the Lavv of Works or the Lavv of Faith or the discovery vvhich the Lord maketh to his creature under the diversity of these administrations keep back to the measure of the gift of God and then vvil thy testimony be no larger then thy knowledge vvhich is a guilt hath spread over many in these days but this I say Blessed is the man which doth not condemn himself in the thing vvhich he allovveth and vvhich doth not destroy himself vvith the breath of his ovvn mouth but there is a generation which their own breath as fire shall devour them Again concerning the Light which every man is enlightened withal which is thy stumbling-block and rock of offence as it is unto all the rest whose deeds are evil Thou saist God hath not annointed it to that Work nor laid the weight of eternal salvation upon the shoulders thereof it being too weak for that service Answ. Him hath God annointed who is the Light of the World and hath enlightened every man that cometh into the World and there is no work of eternal salvation wrought but in the Light which every man is enlightened withal and this Light is of him and from him which bears the sins in his own body and is not too weak for that service which the Father hath given him to do and this Light is Christ. And whereas some say Hath every man Christ Every man hath Christ to save or to condemn him Christ is as truly the condemnation of those whose deeds are evil as he is the Saviour of them that believe and as those that believe in the Light are already saved by Christ so also those that believe not in his Light which he hath enlightned them withall are already condemned And so Christ is near unto every one to answer every mans work according to the nature of it whether he serve sin unto death or be found in the obedience of truth unto eternal life for now is the day appeared to try every mans Work of what sort it is and now are many offended because the Light is broken forth and their eye is evil because the Lords is good But wo unto the World because of offences if any have the Spirit of a King let him search out the cause of the offence which is now broken forth amongst the children of men that the enmity which is in all sorts of people of all professions should rise up together and become a body the wicked joâ—ning hand in hand preaching and printing and crying for unity which they are making up of enmity that they may be strong against that which the Lord hath now brought forth in his Light and Power to be Witnesses unto him in every place wheresoever he doth call them witnessing forth his Mercy and Truth by which iniquity is purged out and preaching the Gospel to every creature whereby they may come to the knowledge of the truth that they may be saved But in the World it is so come to pass in these days that he that can but give reviling terms and hard speeches against the Light which Christ hath enlightned every man withall calling it natural or insufficient and if they do but revile those whom they call Quakers and put this in the beginning of his Book then it passeth with toleration and hath as good approbation from the World as any of the Priests have for their Ministry but if any man begin to speak of the Light within and the Annointing within and the Word of Faith in the heart and of the Mystery of Faith in a pure conscience and of the sprinkling of the heart from an evil conscience and of believing in the Light as Christ said such a one speaking of these things and not directing his speech in open reproach against them called Quakers the peoples hearts will be fiâ—led with jealousies lest he be one So that even the Light is become a reproach unto them and their derision daily but the Lords hand is
souls then will they confess That it had been well if they had loved the light and walked in it which they have so long hated and despised with those that walk in it and all those which have exercised their strength to shut others out of the Kingdom of God by their Preaching Printing and false Accusations they shall know that while they serve sin they are free from righteousness and do keep others from it But the time is coming that their mouths must be stopped and the Lord wil cause his everlasting righteousness to spread abroad as broad Rivers and streams unquenchable and nothing shall hinder it and this is the day in which the Lord will try those that dwel upon earth as he hath tried many and measured them with a true line and hath found them deceitful although they have made profession of his name and of his words for a cloak for their iniquity But now the light is come into the world and there remains no more cloak for their sins nor hiding place for their iniquity An Epistle concerning the sufferings of friends shewing the Priests wickedness and persecutions GOD hath a great work to do in this generation to pul down the abominations which hath long reigned and many are straightned till it be accomplished and onely such must be exercised in this work who are called chosen and faithful and many have been called but have not been faithful but have destroyed in their works that which they seemed to have established by words and was not faithful to witness the fate of their words by their works so that by a true search we have fouâ—d the words of righteousness in many but we have found the works of righteousness but in few and though God hath shined into the hearts of many by his light yet there are but few children of it in comparison of the disobedient The eye of God hath looked into the world and he sees men differ more in words then in life and conversation and some in words do witnesse for God but in their works deny him As for example How many of late years had a zeal stirred up in them by the spirit of the Lord against the abominations of the Priests and the oppression of the tithes preaching both down even as that which denied Christ to be come in the flesh So that if words had been that which would have finished the work the Land had been cleansed before this time of that abomination but the Lord hath brought a tryal upon such spirits whether they will own their testimony through the spoiling of their Goods and imprisonment of their bodys and therefore hath God suffered an earthly power a Law to try them and now they do rather deny their Testimony then suffer by that Law which gives the Priests tithes as for Witnesses most of the baptized people in England have betrayed their testimony and profession in that thing And how are you worthy to be called Saints which bear such a testimony can this equally be compared with the testimony of the Saints of old Did they cry down false worships and false teachers in words and did they uphold them by giving them wages Have you not herein sinned against light Did you not once see that they were never sent of God And will you now uphold them because you cannot suffer for your testimony Is not your paying them wages giving them tithes a greater witness for them then your preaching them down in words is against them and may they not herein rejoyce over you Christ is not herein your example which for this end was born and for this end came into the world to bear witness to the truth and did finish the work which the Father had given him to do and was made perfect through sufferings but such never need suffer who preach down deceit in words and hold it up in workes And the Apostles is not your example for they were in workes that which they declared in words therefore hath God cast you by as not fit to be Labourers in his Vineyard But a people is the Lord raising up whom he is giving his holy spirit unto whose witness to him must stand as well in works as in words who love the truth more then their lives or liberties goods or estates and are valiant for it upon the earth which cannot be subject to the powers of darkness nor the Rulers of the darkness of this world but believeth that whatsoever they deny for Christ in this life they shall receive a hundred fold and in the world to come life everlasting And these are they whom the Father will exercise with his holy spirit in the gathering his seed from the ends of the earth and for the turning of many to righteousness and such shall shine as the stars in the firmament of Heaven when as the false and deceitfull witnesses shall be turned into darknesse because their testimony is not able to endure the tryal for the Lords house must be built with tried stones that the winds of persecutions cannot blow it down and upon such will his light arise who when they are tried are found faithfull and who are counted worthy to bear a testimony in this work though it be through sufferings in this day when the powers of the Earth have set themselves to wear out the Saints of the most High God by changing times and Laws whereby to restrain the liberty of the Lords people whose worship stands in the spirit and in the truth Times they have changed by a Law in making the first day of the week to be their Sabbath but that day is more prophaned then any of the seven And Laws they have changed to get a grouâ—â— to stop the word of the Lord from having free course and 〈◊〉 utterance among â—he people These seek to scatter the power of the holy people and to 〈◊〉 the truth to the ground by their acts of cruelty and deâ—rees 〈◊〉 unrighteousness and by a tolerating cruelty and or pression â—mong a company of Priests which are worse then those in Hosea'â— dayes who then were As a Troop of Robbers that wait for a man eveâ— so the company of Priests murther in the way by consent Hos. 6.9 and saith the Prophet I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel but now we may say We have seen a more horrible thing in the Land of England even a company of Priests taking mens horses from their work their Corn off their field driving away their Oxen and Kine out of their Pasture taking their wool out of their Barns taking away their Brasse and Pewter out of their Houses taking away their Bedding off their Beds even off their childrens Beds Such a horrible thing was never seen in Israel for the Priests Robbery was not so great then as now for they did never so spoile mens goods nor destroy mens Estates nor imprison mens bodies as now in England the Priests have
all feignedness and formality even to dwell in the substance which is the holy life of the Son of God where the true love the heavenly voice and pure joy is felt and known as in the beginning always remembring how the Gospel in power came unto you and how in fear and much trembling it was both preached unto you and received by you with the many blessed effects of its operation vvorking your conversation out of the earthly nature from the earthly body into the heavenly body in which you are able to take up his Cross if it be daily to follow him in the regeneration and newness of life even from the true knowledge of him in whom ye have believed and by whose povver you stand For when we consider the infinite deepness and largeness of that love with which we have been cloathed and have even covered others withal and likewise the many experiences of the Father's dealings with us in working all our Works both in us and for us this cannot but deeply engage our hearts unto him how that ever since we have known him to be our Leader he hath always gone before us preparing our vvay that we might serve him he hath for his seeds sake even reproved Kings and hath quenched the violence of fire that was kindled in many hearts against us he hath by his Wisdom put to silence the ignorance of foolish men that he may clear us from all their reproach He hath not only kept us alive in our suffering under the Wrath of our Enemies but in the power of his spirit made us to reign over them and not only over our outward and open enemies but also over the secret smitings of the wicked one which would privily slay the righteous He hath had a tender regard to his innocent ones to keep them out of the snares of the betrayers and to keep them in the unity of his power and love in the which I speak unto you that know these things whose ears the Lord hath so opened that you can try Words and whose eyes also he hath unclosed that you can see that which causeth divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and avoid it for hitherto even until this day have you learned by good experience and some through sufferings that whatsoever hath risen up to oppose the Lord in his Way to quench the strength of his Love or to break the unity of his people whether it hath been by spirit or letter under never so innocent pretences the Lord hath brought it down and confounded it and made it to be as dust under the feet of his Saints so that we may together say to the praise of our God that we knovv the depths of Satan and are not ignorant of his devices Therefore in the sence of this experience put on strenth O ye Arm of the Lord by vvhich he will do great things and through whom he will make his power known to the Nations in setting up his Kingdom and Government and his Peace of which there shall be no end Let nothing hinder the setting up of his Scepter of Truth and Righteousness amongst you and let the Life of Jesus in his Love and Power reign over all the earthly spirits and over the spirit of Jealousie which is strong as death and cruel as the grave which being not received it can hurt nothing but its own habitation in which it lodgeth So keep your selves pure in the love of God and be not partakers of other mens sins walking worthy of the holy and blessed calling in which the Lord hath given you an inheritance among the living And dwel in the spirit of meekness in which the Wisdom and Power of God you will feel to the refreshing of your souls for as you therein abide you are our joy in the Lord and a strength unto us in his Work Another Epistle to Friends IN the life of the Son of God dwell that in it you may be made manifest unto all answering the just and reproving the unjust for he is come to rule who must put down all rule and all authority under his feet and in him is the living dominion felt and the faith in the power which overcomes the edge of the sword and subdues Nations in which is the dread of the Almighty to bring under the stout-hearted even by the power of the holy seed which is spreading abroad in the earth for the finishing the Fathers work in the earâ—h which all are witnesses of who do abide and walk in his light where you may all enjoy your peace with the Lord and be kept in his power over the power and spirit of the world in the everlasting covenant of light and life where you may all feel the growth of the seed in you into the Fathers gift which is the life immortal so dearly beloved and truly begotten in my Fathers love dwell in that which gives you a sight knowledge and feeâ—ing of him who hath begotten you into a measure of his life light power and image and hereby will you all be united into one serving one another in love for God is love and we are his off spring and to the world is he manifest through us as being his natural branches and the breaking forth of his light and power and is as set upon a hill unto which all eys look and from which the sincere and tender take their example so dear hearts in the path of the Just walk which is a shining light which shineth more and more unto the perfect day so as children of it all walk that you to others may be examples and leaders out of darkness and out of the ways of death into the Kingdom of the Father which stands in the Light righteousness and peace and joy in the holy Ghost in which the power and presence of my heavenly Father preserve you and keep you in his living Dominion Reasons why no Imposition ought to be upon mens Consciences by any but the Lord. 1. BEcause no man can perswade the conscience of another either what God is or how to worship him but onely the Spirit which God hath given to instruct man 2 Because to impose any thing upon another mans conscience either to do or practice is not to do unto another as he would have another do unto him and therefore is contrary to Christs doctrine 3 Because all obedience or service that is thereby obtained is for fear of wrath and not from love nor for conscience sake and will but continue so long as that fear or force abides upon them 4 Because thereby no man can make an Hypocrite a Believer but it is possible that thereby he may make many Hypocrites 5 Because that in all forced impositions upon mens consciences there is of the wrath of man exercised which workâ— not the righteousness of God but rather begets enmity one towards another 6 Because that men are not made thereby loving Subjects but forced Slaves 7 Because that by the force of imposing any thing upon men many are thereby hardned in their hearts and resolved to resist when as by love and leaving them free they mâ—ght easily be perswaded of that which otherwise thâ—y will not be THE END Acts 33. Rom. 4.11 John 5.3 Jer. 1.5 6. Luk. 1.66.08 1 Kin. 8.46 John 14.4 Prov. 20.9 John 18.10 Eccles. 7.23