amongst whom the Lord sent this his dear Servant and Messenger George Fox with the Message of Life at the publishing whereof in the Demonstration of the Spirit and Power of Jesus Christ the aforesaid John Camm my dear Father with John Audland Francis Howgil Edward Borough Richard Hubberthorn and many Hundreds more were convinced and their hearts opened as was the Heart of Lydia in former days and by the Revelation of the day of God and the inshining of his Heavenly Light in their Hearts they came to see that they wanted the lively possession of what they had made a great profession of which profession several of them had esteemed of as great riches of all which they came to be spoiled their Wisdom that stood in words only being confounded they became as Fools and at the Revelation of Jesus Christ they consulted no more there with but it became as Dross and Dung in comparison of the excellent Knowledg of Jesus Christ revealed by his Spirit to regenerate them and sprinkle their Hearts and Consciences from dead words to which they were Stangers notwithstanding their great profession under the sence of which great was the Gry and the Lamentation of many unspeakable for the day of the Lord was dreadful and terrible upon every high and exalted thing and many lofty ones and tall Cedars high in profession were bowed down under the mighty hand of Gods Power and Judgment begun at the House of God the Heart his Temple and by the Spirit of Judgment and Burning the eternal God entered and begun his blessed Work in order to redeem purge and make clean Vessels for his own use and service through and by whom he might carry on his blessed design and work in the Nations to the Glory of his Eternal Name And John Camm amongst many others was bowed down under the mighty Power of the Lord and the operation of the blessed Spirit was effectually known in his Heart and Soul whereby he was made willing to take up the Cross and become a Fool for Christ's sake forsaking the World and all the Glory Delights Pleasures Wisdoms and Riches of it of which he had enjoyed a share equal if not above many of his degree for naturally he was a Wise Man in Worldly matters having at that time great concerns and dealings therein and the World seemed to smile upon him and the riches and glory of it had exceedingly encreased and was then likely to encrease more yet notwithstanding all this the Lord so prevailed by his Power and Spirit in his Heart that he was made willing to part with all and counted it a blessed exchange to be made an Heir in Christ of that durable Riches laid up in Heaven that his Soul had Travelled for so that it was no hard thing for him to forsake all for Christ's sake and become a despised Follower of him through many Tribulations And after a day of great trouble and inward exercise through the blessed operation of that Spirit of Judgment and Burning wherein he saw the old Heavens and Earth to pass away as a Scrole and all things to be made new even as a prepared Vesselâ— the Lord filled him with his Power and Spirit and put his Word in his Mouth called him from all his outward concerns and enjoyments to publish the same word in the Demonstration of his eternal Power unto which he of a ready mind was made obedient and Travelled into all the Northren Countries to the Borders of Scotland and to London to declare the Message of the Lord to Oliver Cromwel then called Protector being accompanied by dear Francis Howgil who were two of the first that published the Message of Truth in that City as in this our day gloriously revealed and made known In a little time after his return from London he with J. Audland F. Howgil Edward Borough and Richard Huberthorn who have all blessedly finished their Course and time here in that blessed Work which the Lord called them unto being entred into the Joy of the Lord the Labours together with part of the Travels of Francis Howgil Edward Borough and Richard Huberthorn are already collected by other Brethren to which the Reader is referred these five Brethren Travelled out South-ward John Camm and Edward Borough through the middle of the Nation the others through other parts as the Lord directed them and after some time they all met together with several other Brethren at London where the Lord had a great Work but after some time John Camm and John Audland were called towards Bristol after that time Travelling together where and in the Countries adjacent was a Door effectually open'd unto them and many Hundreds were by the Word and Testimony of Truth by them published convinced and turned to God many of whom have to this day kept their Integrity to God and are their living Epistles and can bless the Lord on their behalfs who made them instrumental in his Hand to beget them again into a lively hope in Christ the Lord through whom they have a strong hope to receive an Inheritance amongst the Sanctified being prepared to the Kingdom of glory everlasting How gloriously the Lord appeared in that City and the Countries adjacent and how he prospered his Work in the Hands of these his Servants how great and manifold their Labours Travels and Perils in those Parts I am not able to relate but shall leave in hope that some one or other of my Brethren in those Parts may be engaged to perform some part of that work who may have a larger knowledge thereof as being present with them in many of their exercises which were not a few to my knowledge but such was their zeal for the Lord and the prosperity of his work that their very lives was not dear unto them for the Lord the Gospel and his Peoples sake but to spend and be spent they were freely in the will of the Lord given up their care and watchings being for the prosperity of his work continually And being that my Father was but naturally of a weak constitution of Body inclining to be Consumptive by the many and daily Travels that he underwent his outward Body did waste and his strength spend exceedingly having a most violent Cough so that for several Years before his death he was never able to walk on Foot half a Mile at one time nay many times he was not able to go up one pair of Stairs into a Meeting-place without help yet nevertheless while the Meeting continued through the enlivening Power and Spirit of God would have been over the sence of his Bodily weakness but after the Meeting was over many times as one ready to be dissolved In this outward weakness he Travelled through many Countries and places of the Nation to the confirming and strengthning of the Flock of God for several Years sometimes taking me along with him to wait upon him his weakness being grown so great that he was not
aforesaid burying place at Birkrigge-Park And although the departure hence of these two faithful Brethren and true Labourers in the Lords Work whose presence with and Labours amongst us was comfortable and joyous may be loss to me and many others yet in this we are satisfied that its their gain being freed from their Labours and their Works follow them and that they are entered into the Kingdom of eternall Glory where thev shall live to Magnifie the Lord World without End. Amen And though their outward Bodies be gone to the dust and therefore their bodily presence we are deprived of yet their Spirits are enjoyed and their lives are amongst us and Preaches and their Names and remembrance is and shall be a sweet Memorial and good Savour to Ages and Generations to come being numbred amongst the Lord's Worthies and the Valiants of his Israel who never turned their Backs of their Enemies neither fainted in their greatest exercises but their Bows like Josephs always abode in strength being helped by the Mighty God of Jacob before whom all Nations is but as the drop of a Bucket or the small Dust of the Ballance whose Breath doth slay the wicked and his right hand doth crush his Enemies and his blessed Work begun he hath determined to Prosper since he will finish and put an utter end to transgression that he may reveal bring in and establish his everlasting Righteousness and cover the Earth with his Truth as with a Garment and the Kingdoms of this World must become the Kingdom of the Lord and his Christ whose right it is to reign and will reign when he hath overturned and overturned till his Scepter be lifted up over all and his Government be extended from Sea to Sea and from one end of the Earth to the other and his Sion be beautified with Salvation and Jerusalem become the praise of the whole Earth even thus exalt thy name O God saith my Soul from hence-forth and for ever more That the Righteous may sing of thy Praise and tell of thy Wonderous Works and extol thy Holy Name and Power over all to reign and rule World without end Amen From Apleby Goal the place of my present confinement for the Testimony of Jesus This 14th of the 12th Month 1680. Thomas Camm The Testimony of Ann Camm concerning John Audland her late Husband deceased COncerning my dear Husband John Audland deceased I am under Obligation to bear this following Testimony as one that had the advantage beyond all others to know as well his Qualifications endowments and Gifts given him of God whether Spiritual or Temporal as also his great Labours and Travels in that blessed work and service of the Lord his Truth and People that he was in the Morning of the day called unto and preserved in in all fidelity and faithfulness to the spending of his natural strength to the end of his days and finishing of his Course here in order to be swallowed up in eternal Joy for evermore The eternal God who by his Providence joyned us together in Marriage in our young days in his blessed Counsel also caused his day to spring from on high upon us in the marvelous Light and bright shining whereof he revealed his Son Christ in us and gave us Faith to believe in him the eternal Word of Life by which our Souls came to be quickned and made alive in him and also in and by the quickning Power of his holy Power we were made one in a Spiritual and Heavenly relation our hearts being knit together in the unspeakable love of Truth which was our Life Joy and Delight and made our days together exceeding comfortable as being that whereby all our temporal enjoyments were sanctified and made a blessing unto us How exceeding dear and kindly affectionate Husband he was to me I am far short in ability to declare but in a word shall say that I believe few ever enjoyed a greater blessing in a Husband then I in him and notwithstanding that I loved his company and the enjoyment of him with me above all the World yet nevertheless in submission to the Will of God whose chosen Vessel he was and also in respect to the honourable Service of Truth and the publication thereof which he was called unto I could freely give him up as to be separated from in the outward a great part of our time after we were convinced of Gods blessed Truth and made living Witnesses of the vertuous Life and powerful Operation thereof as in this our day gloriously made known to the everlasting joy of our immortal Souls But before this blessed work came to be effected great was the warfare and inward exercise that my dear Husband underwent under the chastizing Hand of the Lord and the Spirit of Judgment and of burning that was at work in his inward parts in order to sanctifie him for the Lords own use and service for when the Lords blessed and honorable day Broke upon him he was high in Notion and Profession imagining that he had been filled with durable Riches and Wisdom but in the Light of this day he saw the emptiness of it all while he wanted the Substance Life in the eternal Word and by the same to be sanctified throughout Therefore under the sence of this great want many and great were his Sighs and Groans and his Tears not a few Days and Nights of Sorrow many a one he underwent the Word and Power of the Lord being as a Fire revealed within him to burn the great building that he had been erecting and setting up of Hay Wood and Stuubble and in this exercise I also had a share with him and in great Lamentation I have heard him often Sorrowfully say Ah! what have we been doing what have we been labouring for or what availeth our great Profession all our building tumbles down our Profession is high as the Wind the Day of the Lord is upon it and his Word as a Fire consumes it as dry Stubble and put 's an end unto all empty Professions and high Notions without Life or Substance to all the Wisdom of fallen man we must forsake the World and all its glory it s all but Vanity and Vexation of Spirit 't is a Saviour that I long for 't is him that my Soul pants after Oh! that I may be comprehended into his Life and over-shadowed with his Glory sanctified throughout by his Word and raised up by his eternal Power To this effect did his Soul often Travel before the Lord and the Lord who had called him for the purpose of his own Glory was nor unmindful of him but had regard to his blessed work begun to prosper the same that so out of the Furnace of Affliction a pure and clean Vessel might be brought forth And then the Lord plentifully poured upon him of his holy Spirit filling him with all Wisdom and Power to publish and proclaim his everlasting Gospel and to bring Glad-tidings to the poor the Day
largely discourse of things relating to Religion and the Duties thereof in so much that amongst a Society then gathered or separated from the common National way of Worship he became an eminent Teacher and highly esteemed of amongst them and not only so but many times he would have gone to Chappels or the Parish Steeple house where there was some Idle Sottish Priests and there would have Preached and abundance of People was taken and affected with him and in great Multitudes would have flocked after him Now being grown upward of twenty years of Age he took to Wife a Sober Vertuous and Religious Maid of the same Separated Society called Ann Newby of Kendal and the Lord made them a great Comfort and Blessing each to other while they both lived together which was about thirteen years Since the Death of her Husband the Lord by his Providence hath Blessed me with the enjoyment of her being given me to Wife But in the fulness of God's appointed time as aforesaid the Lord sent his Messenger and Servant George Fox and by the Message of Life by him Preached in the Demonstration of the Spirit and Power of the Lord Jesus Christ This John Audland was reached the first time that ever he heard him and he received George Fox into his House being fully satisfied that he was one that possessed what he himself had but a notion and profession of and then by the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the Light of God's eternal day he came to see the emptiness of his great Profession and high flown Notion and that all his own Righteousness was but as filthy Raggs Dross and Dung so that he sat down in silence and astonishment like Job for many daies and great and weighty was the Work of the Lord upon his Spirit being as a Man stript of all his earthly Wisdom and his Profession being confounded and brought to nought under the exercise of the Hand of the Lords Power he did Mourn and Weep bitterly biding adieu adieu to all the World and all the empty Professions therein a great Hunger and Thirst the Lord having raised in his Heart and Soul for a Saviour one of a Thousand that could give a Ransom for his Soul and redeem him from the Pit of Corruption for he saw all his great Profession all his Wisdom and Knowledge could not help him but it was the Lord alone that his Soul Thirsted for who heard his Cries and Mourning in a time acceptable and in a day of great compassion and revealed his saving Health and redeeming Arm of eternal Power in alarge measure by which he raised him up fitting and filling him with all Wisdom and Strength for the performance of that Work and Service that the Lord had predestinated himfor and to be concerned in to the Glory of his eternal Name in gathering home the out-casts of Israel and the dispersed of Jacob who had been held under a strange King in great and most grievous Bondage to which Work the Lord in a short time called him anointing him to Preach and Publish Redemption in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Poor and deliverance to the Captive exile the Year of Jubile And the day of Vengeance upon the Wicked in which Work he was found faithful being filled with power and might from on high and girded with the strength of the Almighty And leaving all outward concerns and enjoyments he faithfully Travelled through many parts of the Nation and the Dread Wisdom and Majesty of the eternal God was with him and the mighty and high exalted ones bowed before the Lord and his Power in all places wherever the Lord called him and many Hundreds were Convinced and turned to God through him as a chosen Vessel and prepared Instrument in the Hand of the Lord of Hosts Glory Glory to God for ever saith my Soul The blessed remembrance of this mighty and notable day of the Lord and the splendant breaking forth of his Glory in the Morning thereof in this Nation often and at this time breaks my Heart and makes my Spirit rejoyce in the God of my Salvation and his eternal Power and Presence that was with this and other of his faithful Servants in the first Publishing of the Gospel in this our day can never be forgotten by many but the great and blessed Work that the Lord hath wrought by the Arm of his holy Power revealed in and through his Servants is greatly to be admired for ever for many thousands of his Israel hath the Lord gathered and brought home that were afar of and hath given them a City with Foundations whose Walls and Bulwarks is Salvation in which Praises waits for him and is sounded sorth unto the Lord and the Lamb that sits upon the Throne Reigns for ever more As he was diligent and laborious in the Work and Service of the Lord in many parts of the Nation so was he furnished for that Service as the effects and Fruits thereof hath abundantly demonstrated in many places where the Lord made him as a Father through the Word of his Power and Spirit to beget and turn many to God but most especially in and about Bristol and several Counties in the West of England where many can speak and bear Testimony to the effectual working of that Word of Reconciliation that God had given him to publish by which they were turned from Darkness to the blessed Light thereof In those Countries and many others his Labours and Travels were great being often accompanied by my Father John Camm as long as he had strength outwardly to Travel their Hearts being firmly knit together as David and Jonathan by the Bond of unspeakable Love their very Lives being endearedly bound up in each other in which Bond of Love their Unity was kept inviolated unto the end whereby their Labours and Travels together were-very comfortable and joyous being perfectly of one heart and spirit and minding the same things the glory of God and the gathering of his Israel in which Service they spent their daies strength After my Father John Camm grew weak of Body and at last was taken away Oh how John Audland would often bemoan the loss of so dear a Companion and faithful Brother he being left behind to bear the Burthen of many weighty Travels and Concerns yet through and over all the Lord assisted him to the end I was from my Child-hood very intimately acquainted with him and loved him with a Brotherly Love before we were brought into the blessed Way and Life of Truth as now revealed after which we became more inwardly acquainted and endearedly bound up together in a more Heavenly and Spiritual relation the Fellowship therein being our Life and Joy and therefore can give a certain account of the Gift and Graces of God by which he was adorned and beautified inwardly and outwardly He was a Man beloved of God and all good Men and esteemed of by most that knew him of a
Servants of the Lord Jesus having received the everlasting Gospel from the Angel of Gods presence to Preach in the demonstration of his Mighty Power with which indeed they were filled John Camm was an Ancient man full of Zeal and Fervency in the Gospel endued with the precious Gift of discerning and sound Judgment terrible to the man of Sin and full of bowels and tenderness to the travelling Souls Sharp and terrible to the evil but sweet and Friendly to the tender and well inclined unto the way of Righteousness not sparing his weak body which he offered up even unto Death to serve the Lord God in his blessed work of gathering which he saw in a plentiful manner to his great satisfaction a farther Testimony of him as to his Country Life Travels and Death is given by his dear Wife and Thomas Camm his Son and his Wife to which I refer His memory is blessed and his place is among the living Ancients in Jerusalem John Audland was a younger man of a sweet ruddy and amiable Countenance and of a chearful Spirit one of the Wise in heart filled with the excellent bright sparking glorious Power of the Lord God everlasting in which he appeared many times so filled that immortallity shined in his Face and his Voice was as Thunder therein dreadful in the Strengh of the Lord of Hosts against the man of Sin and those in Covenant therewith terrible in the dread of God against the Workers of iniquity but livingly tender to the sensible Travellers and poor in spirit Ah! my Soul hath a sensible remembrance how the Doctrine given him of Christ Jesus dropt as dew and sweetly descended as the refreshing Rain He was a Labourer indeed Night and Day in the Labour of the Gospel in which he extreamly spent himself and his fervent and unexpressible Travells in and about the City of Bristol I am well satisfied laid a Foundation for the wasting his natural Life which was spent and offered up for the Truth and in the work of it and indeed he with dear honourable John Camm was instrumental in the Hand of the Almighty God of our Gatherings and the spending their lives and strength was most in their Labours and Travels amongst us in the City and adjacent parts of which I was an eye and ear witness being with them frequently These two faithful Ministers of Christ Jesus came to the City of Bristol in the 5th Month 1654. and first they came amongst a seeking people who kept one day in the week in fasting and praying waiting for and breathing in Spirit after the Morning and Visitation of of God and Day of Redemption and amongst us they spoke the powerful Word of Life in the dread of his Name that lives forever and we were seized on and smitten even to the Heart and that Day and the Visitation of it over took us which we had longed and waited for and from Darkness to the marvellous Light of the Lord we were turned Some Meetings we had before the more general gathering in and about that City which began on this wise On a first day in the morning I went with these two Servants of God about a mile and half from the City to a little spring of Water where I often had spent many Solitary hours in my tender years seeking the Lord where we sat some time and drank of the spring After some hours of the morning were spent I saw in them a great travel in Spirit Trembling J. A. said let us be going into the City so we came to the Street called Broadmead to a house where were several People met together enquiring after these two men of God. John Audland was under a great exercise of Spirit and said Is here any one that has any interest in any Field An ancient man said I have in a Field prety near notice being given to the People in the house they came forth and as we went along people in the Streets went also to the Field called Earls-mead so that we came a pretty number where some Seats or Stools were brought Dear John Camm began to speak renderly and in great Zeal directing to the heavenly Grace of God and â—estifying against Sin and Iniquity fervently to which some were attentive in this season I perceived a great exercise of Spirit on my dear Friend and Father in Christ Jesus J. Audland who very much trembled After dear John Camm stood down he stood up full of dread and shining brightness on his countenance lifted up his Voice as a Trumpet and said I proclaim spiritual War with the Inhabitants of the Earth who are in the Fall and Seperation from God and Prophesie to the sour winds of Heaven and these words dropt amongst the Seed and so went on in the mighty Power of God Almighty opening the way of Life But ah the seizings of Souls and prickings at heart which attended that season some fell on the Ground others crying out under the sence of opening their States which indeed gave experimental Knowledge of what is recorded acts 2. 37. Indeed it was a notable day worthy to be left on Record that our Children may read and tell to their Children and theirs to another Generation that the worthy noble Acts of the Arm of Gods Salvation may be remembred which have been the way of the Lord leading his Servants through Generations c. At this Meeting many were effectually convinced and from Darkness to Light turned after which our Meetings grew larger and larger They visited the Meetings of them called Independants and Baptists testifying amongst them in great power the things given them of God directing the poor and needy in spirit that saw their want of the Lord Jesus Christ no longer to seek the Living amongst the Dead but look from the Mountains and Hills dead Ways and Worships unto Christ Jesus the Foundation of Life and Salvation and there was added unto the gathering daily and great dread was round about and in our Meetings under the seasonings of the holy Ghost Oh! the Tears Sighs and Groans Tremblings and Mournings in the sight of the middle will of partition that we saw then in our awakened States that stood between us and the Lord and in the sight and sense of our spiritual wants and necessities Oh! the hungrings and thirstings of Soul that attended daily and great travels of Spirit to obtain through the working of the mighty Power of Gods dominion and Spiritual Victory over the Enemy of our Souls who had lead us in the Paths of Death and Darkness and indeed as the Visits of Gods holy and ever blessed Day was signal and unexpressible as aforesaid so I Testifie in the fear and dread and awe of God Almighty we received the Gospel with a ready mind and with broken Hearts and affected Spirits and gave up to follow the Lord fully casting off the weights and burdens and the Sin that easily besets and from the evil ways and vanities of this
and Life for evermore in which Power and Life I am with you bound up and sealed and continues forever to be your dear Brother in the Unity of the Spirit and in the Bond of Peace And Grace Mercy Peace Love and Unity from the Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied in you and amongst you and the God of Power Peace and Love keep you pure and single and preserve you for evermore Moved of the Lord farewell Your Dear Brother in that which never changeth John Audland John Audland's Letter c. DEarly beloved ones in the Lord Jesus Christ Grace Mercy and Peace from God be multiplied to you and in you you my dear ones whom my Life reacheth out unto with whom I am present in the eternal Spirit of the living God in the pure eternal Love and Life of God do I Salute you and greet you as with a holy Kiss the Love of God which is shed abroad in my heart runs forth freely to you Lambs of God Babes of God to you my Life doth reach Little Children who are begotten to a lively hope by the Resurrection of the Dead to you I write from the pure Life to the stiring up of your pure minds that in the pure mind you may abide in the lively hope quietly to wait for the Revelation of the Son of God in you which is ready to be revealed now in the last time that you may witness him the sâ—eond time without Sin unto Salvation who comes to condemn Sin in the Flesh who is now making himself manifest to take away Sin that you may witness him without Sin the Lamb without Spot who takes away Sin to know him and be in him without which there is no knowledg of him and to abide in him who gives an understanding to know him which is eternal Life this to witness to you this is the Word of the Lord little Children that you may wait as new born Babes to be fed with the sincere Milk of the Word that by it you may grow up into him and in him who is the Word which reconcileth to God which Hammers down all deceit which burns up all the dross which treads down all the wicked under his Feet whose Vesture is dipt in Blood who treads the Wine Press whose Arm alone brings Salvation to this People whose Name is called the Word of God which Word doth divide and separate betwixt the precious and the vile which Word is nigh you in your Hearts and in your Mouths abide in it and wait upon it and take counsel at it continually as at the Oracle of God by which hearing comes and faith comes which gives the victory over the World and leads you to deny the World little Children Heirs of another World so in that continue which hath turned your minds from the World towards God from the Darkness to the Light which leads up to Christ from the World and guides unto God and keeps in the way to eternal Inheritance which never fades that through many tribulations you may see the entrance into the Kingdom where the World is overcome and he raigns who overcomes the World so abiding in him you abide in peace out of the World where there is trouble and there is your reward verily my dear ones all the sufferings of this present World is not worthy to be named with the Glory that is revealed at the revelation of the Son of God so in the Light abide which leads up to the perfect Day and walk as Children of the Day redeeming your time and prising your time the large Love of the Lord and his benefits may never slip out of your minds so in the presence of the Lord do I exhort you my beloved ones in the Lord and charge you to abide in him that you may grow up in the Unity of the Spirit and keep the Unity that which goes out breaks the Unity and to you this is the Word of God little Children Your Brother in the unchangable Love in the eternal Vnity of the Spirit John Audland The 28th day of the 8th Month 1654. A Letter sent unto Charles Marshall by John Audland 1654. I am moved to write unto thee to stand still in the Light which shows thee thy wretched state by that Light thou comest to see thy self where thou art and how thou hast spent thy time thy knowledge of God and profession of God now comes to wither that which thou hast gathered without perisheth and stands thee in no stead Now in that that shows thee thy condition wait that the judgment of the Lord may be made manifest in thee upon the head of the wicked and through judgment Sion may be set free Abide in that which is the condemnation of all that 's wicked both within thee and without thee start not aside from the judgments of the Lord for his judgments are righteous and all his ways are equal if thou art brought as low as Hell yea if thou come to say there is no hope let Patience have her perfect work in thee and stand still and see the Salvation of God and a way will be made beyond thy understanding for the deliverance of the oppressed for the freedom of his chosen for the bringing of the Prisoner out of the Prison-House Now Friend from the Lord do I speak unto thee to wait in the Light that shews thee thy condition that thou mayst know one of the Days of the Son of Man which came not to send peace on the Earth but a Sword and to kindle a Fire and thou wilt love to know his judgments he comes to shut and to open thy right Eye must be pluckt out and that Eye opened which the Prince of the Air hath blinded in the Chrildren of disobedience Abide in that which judgeth do not labour to get peace to that that 's now wounded that the Judgments of the Lord may pass through the Earth and the Serpents head come to be bruised and the promise of God be made manifest unto the seed and through judgment the door of Mercy comes to be opened Judgment upon the unjust is mercy to the just which hath been oppressed by the unjust And to thee this is the Word of the Lord he that comes to the Worlds end comes to his Wits end before that World be known which never shall have end and that fruitful Field must become a barren Wilderness and the pure Plant of Gods own planting must spring out of a barren Ground so in the Light which is of God by which thou seest thy condition stand and wait for the Power of the living God to be made manifest in thee that that which hath been high might be brought low and that of low degree exalted and to thee this is the Word of the Lord to that in thy Conscience I speak by which Light thou now standest condemned by which Light all that walk in it are justified and led up to God and the precious seperated
of the great Travel that was upon them because of the mighty Power of the Lord which was made manifest in them for the bringing down of that which had been exalted against him and for the restoration of the oppressed Captive that deliverance might be known from the power of Satan and from the bondage of Corruption that we being set free wherein we were held might serve the Lord in Truth and Singleness of Heart and wait upon him and follow the leadings of his Spirit in the exercise of our Hearts and minds in Serving and Worshiping the Lord our God And so the God of Heaven hath revealed and made manifest the Way of Life and Peace the Way wherein Comfort and Satisfaction to the Soul is found the Gate of Mercy even the entrance to the everlasting Kingdom of Rest and Joy for evermore which although it be strait and narrow and a cross to the fleshly part and earthly ground and wisdom yet it is easie pleasent and delightful living in the Spirit and becoming little even as a Child for so must he become that enters in at the strait Gate to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God So we have found the way of everlasting Peace through the rich Mercy and tender Visitation of the Lord walking in the Spirit and living in that which mortifies the deeds of the Flesh being subject to the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Here is rest to the Soul here is the sweet Visitations of the Lord known which are as the former and latter Rain to refresh the lowly in Heart and Poor in Spirit Here waiting upon the Lord the strength is renewed and here the Lord speaks Peace to People even as they are in Christ the Power of God growing up in him who is the Truth and the Life they are possessors of lasting Peace which God speaks not to the wicked which is the Portion of the upright in Heart and as the Lord hath made manifest the way of Peace Life and everlasting Happiness he hath also discovered the contrary even the way of misery darkness and destruction the way which is broad and many in the lusts of the Flesh take pleasure in it following the motions of the Flesh and the desires of the carnal mind resisting the motions of Gods good Spirit and hating the blessed Light of the Lord Jesus Christ and so spend away their precious time and in this state that is to say in the Flesh resisting the Spirit of the Lord they cannot serve God nor please him nor worship him in Truth though they may profess him in words and draw near him with their Mouth yet being in the Flesh contrary to the Spirit of Truth the Ear turned away from hearing of God's Law their Prayers are Abomination their plowing is Sin their sacrifice is as Cain's not accepted by the Lord no Peace from God no ture Rest no Satisfaction no beholding the Countenance of the Lord nor no assurance of the Eternal Inheritance which never fades away but an earnest of wrath pain misery anguish and trouble which will come upon all who live and dye in Disobedience of the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ And so we see the Way of Life to all that believe in the Name of the Lord Jesus and the way of death to all who live in unrighteousness and are not changed by the power of God and translated from Death to Life and from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of the dear Son of God. And these things are of great concernment unto us and we see it is very needful to wait upon the Lord and to follow the motions of his Spirit that we may feel his Power to preserve us in his Will out of the evil of the World that so in the Power of the Lord our God we may war a good Warfare and finish our Course with joy And verily this a matter of great weight unto us even to have our hearts exercised towards the Lord in obedience to his Will in what he requireth of us that we may have a Conscience void of offence towards him And so the Day of the Lord God being come and his Eternal Power made known in many hearts by which many are raised to serve him and obey him yea to worship him according to his own Will and the leadings of his good Spirit We are even constrained by the Power of the Lord to meet together in his Name and Fear to wait upon him and to worship him and also to exhort one another in his holy Power as the Spirit of the Lord directs yea and so much the more as the day appeareth And this we find also to be according to the Scriptures of Truth and practice of the Servants of the Lord in former dayes who did not forsake the assembling of themselves together but met often and sometime in one place and sometime in another as they were directed in the fear of the Lord And they that feared the Lord spake often one unto another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a Book of Remembrance was written for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his Name And they shall be mine saith the Lord in the day that I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own Son that serveth him And this was in a time when the proud were called happy and they that wrought wickedness were set up and they that tempted God were delivered yet even in such a time did they that feared the Lord speak often together and also in the time when the Gospel of Christ was published by the Apostles and Ministers of Jesus many were brought into the obedience of the Truth and were gathered from the Jews Worship and way of service and they to wit the Jews could plead more justly for the Antiquity of their way of Worship and their order in their Worship then many who this day profess themselves to be Christians and a reformed Church and in that time did they meet together sometime in a Chamber sometime in an House and sometime in an upper Room as the Lord directed them and as they had opportunities and gathered Churches which met at Houses and waited upon the Lord and exhorted one another and might all speak one by one as the Spirit of the Lord led them that all might hear and all be comfored And we do not read that the Jews made a Law or the Romans either who at that time had the Principality that they should not meet above four together or if they meet five or above they should be fined Indeed the Jews who believed not were bad enough and persecuted the Saints from City and haled out of Houses they that professed the Name of Jesus and sometimes scourged them but they are evil examples to be followed and its pitty that any who profess themselves Christians should do the like to any that meet
his hand and power against them that so turn their hand and power against his people for obeying him and exercising their Consciences towards him in waiting upon him and worshipping him according to that which he hath made manifest to them and such will be more inexcusable for persecuting now than the Jews were in former dayes for then the Saints met together and professed the Name of Jesus which the Jews did not say they believed in Besides it was in appearance such a new way and so different to the Law and manner of Worship which the Jews had that they had some seeming colour in their way but now for they that profess the Name of Christ and the Sicrptures of the New-Testament and the Saints Practice and Christ's Commands to be obeyed for these all things considered to persecute people for owning the Commands of Christ for practising the same things which they cannot but read the Saints practised and to hale people and commit them to Prison for meeting in the Name of Jesus to Worship God and to wait upon him yea and to be so far from cherishing such as to act the very parts of them that made havock of the Church and haled out both Men and Women and was exceedingly mad and caused some to Blaspheme and committed to Prison for the same things it doth appear to be great evil and to be even Sin against knowledge against their own Prefession as Christans and cannot be parallel'd with any of the Saints but with the Persecutors who hated and evilly entreated the Servants of the Lord in former Ages who never could accomplish their end though they caused many to suffer and now to put all out of doubt and to give all who opposeth the People of God in the way of God an absolute answer that they shall not be able to accomplish their end and therefore it would be far better to be quiet and to mind the Royal Law of Christ lest they by acting contrary do bring innocent suffering and Blood upon their own Heads and incur God's heavy Yoke of displeasure against them yea and a Fire be kinded in their own Bowels and a Worm which shall not dye and a dart strike through the Heart and Liver and so the end be as bitter as Worm-wood and as sharp as a two edged Sword these are Instruments of War which the Lord hath in his Quiver which is reserved for the Day of Battel when God pleads with all Flesh by Fire and by his Sword when the slain of the Lord shall be many when he will rain Snares upon the wicked Fire and Brimstone and grievous Tempests this is the Potion of their Cup But indeed we do desire the Conversion and Salvation even of our Persecutors and therefore to put all out of doubt as is before said that there is no prevailing against the Lord nor against the Sion of the Holy One in whom the Lord is We say the living God of Heaven and Earth hath made manifest unto us the Way to Life and called us to walk in it and united our Hearts together as many as live in his Power to serve him and to wait upon him and to meet together to Worship him in Spirit and Truth and we are perswaded to obey the Lord and believe in the Lord that he will strengthen us in his Way and Will unto the end For our strength is in the Lord and not of our selves who hath called us to follow him through good report and bad report and not to deny his Way because of sufferings but to endure in patience and let the Lord plead our cause in the Hearts of his Enemies Obj. And if any say Why will you not swear And why will you meet seeing there is a Law against you Ans For these two things we say We dare not disobey the Lord for fear of punishment or suffering outwardly and we meet together in the Name and Fear of the Lord Because the Lord God of Life requireth it of us that we should meet in his Name and Power and wait upon him and edifie one another in his Love and Life and in our Meetings waiting upon the Lord we have the presence of the living God of Life with us and the feeling of the vertue of his Love in our Hearts and he lifts up his Countenance upon us yea and comforteth us by his free Spirit whereby we know and are assured that it is according to the mind and will of the Lord and that he speaks Peace unto us And this being the real Truth let all the honest-hearted judge how we can in Conscience leave that which God requireth of us in obedience to which we have God's presence with us and do that which Man requireth of us contrary to the Truth in observing of which we should fall into Condemnation and feel God's anger and the Testimony of his Spirit against us to judge us which would be greater sufferings in the inward Man then all the outward sufferings which we may meet with for in these being faithful the Lord comforteth our Hearts 2. Again We meet together to wait upon the Lord because we fear the Lord God he hath placed his Fear in our Hearts and we know him to be great and mighty a great King above all Kings and a great God above all God s that is able to do whatsoever he will in Heaven and in Earth and in the Kingdoms of men and we know he is worthy to be Worshipped and to have the Heart given up unto him for he hath Power to change the Heart which Men by all their force cannot do and to give true and lasting Peace which the World can never take away and his Fear being in our Hearts we account him Lord and Ruler in our Consciences and worthy to be obeved in Heart Soul and Spirit And because we fear him more than Man we are bound in Duty to obey him for he hath power over both Soul and Body which Man hath not for Man can but kill the Body he hath not power to kill the Soul neither hath he power to redeem the Soul neither can Man convert the Soul by any force or penalty outwardly therefore Man doth but labour in vain for he can neither kill nor cure the Soul but the Lord whom we fear hath Power and is able to kill and to make alive And because we fear him more than Man therefore we chuse to obey him rather than Man and to meet in God's Fear And this being our Condition let the sober-hearted judge How can we deny the Lord who hath all Power and hath quickned us and redeemed our Souls from Death and go to obey Man contrary to Christ's Doctrine who hath no power over the Soul. Surely as we stand in God's Fear and Counsel we may not do this Evil and Sin against our God. 3. Again we meet together to wait upon the Lord because God hath made it manifest to us and perswaded
able many times to get on or of his Horse without help through all which the Lord brought him his faith being fixt in his power and his life and whole delight was in the prosperity of Truth and Righteousness in the Earth amongst the Sons of Men. He was a Man that was richly furnished with the gifts of the holy Spirit always patient in his great exercises and weakness of a noble Spirit and exceeding grave in his carriage and deportment profound in judgment and of a quick discerning a sharp reprover of the World and the Wickedness therein as also all deceitful Hypocrites with disorderly walkers who made profession of Truth but walked not according to the Rule thereof Unity of the Brethren was his joy and Souls delight and therefore whatever appeared to break the same his Sword was keen upon to Wound his Ministry was weighty and deep and very powerful not pleasant to the itching Ears that loves smooth words but reached to the witness of God and tended to the refreshment of the Seed of the Kingdom where it was growing and springing up in the Hearts of Gods People also to the weary tossed and afflicted he had often a word in season to their Consolations being very tender over the good in all he had openings and sights of many things to come and he would often say there would come a day of Famine and that in that day many that had made a great shew would but be like the stony Ground or the broken Bow in the day of Battel he would also often say that his other Son my Brother would be an Esau a rough Man and not love the Truth but be a Grief and Exercise to his Mother but she would have Comfort of her other Children all which is fulfilled when he grew near his end his weakness encreasing he had great joy as he always had in the company of Friends that were faithful of which many came to visit him and many times he would have been wonderfully opened with the Power of the Lord and overcome with the sence of his Love and Peace and a fresh Testimony thereof he would often bear to the great refreshment of Friends and his Family when he lay in great weakness upon his Bed. His great care in all his Travels was that the Gospel of Christ which he had to publish might be without charge for all he had or enjoyed of outward things was freely given up to the Service of Truth so that he was willing to lay out part of the same in his Travels also his Heart and House was open to entertain all Friends that came in Truths Service having a great Comfort therein he was a pattern of faithfulness in suffering for Truth 's Testimony though never much in Prison yet his Goods were often spoiled or taken away which he suffered joyfully in Truth 's Testimony against Tythes in which Testimony and all other relating to Truth he was ever firm and never shrunk in the least his frequent Exhortations was to all Friends and his Family to be valiant and noble for Truth and to keep their Faith in God's power and never to look out or consult with the Wisdom of the World. He did often call his Children and Family together and exhort them with much fervency of Spirit to fear the Lord and walk in holiness of Life as becomes the Gospel that they had believed in and would often pray to the Lord for us and bless us in his Name some Months before he died he would often call for me to be with him for he loved me entirely and it was my joy and delight to serve and obey him in all things and many times he would wonderfully extol the Name of the Lord and praise him for his goodness and great mercy counting his bodily weakness a happiness being sanctified unto him by that Word eternal which had sanctified his Soul and made him an honourable Vessel to the praise of his God under the sence of which he would say How great a benefit do I enjoy beyond many who have such a large time of preparation for Death being dying daily that I may live for ever with my God in that Kingdom that 's unspeakably full of glory my outward Man daily wasts and moulders down and draws towards its place and center but my inward Man revives mounts upward towards its Place and Habitation in the Heavens in the sence whereof his Soul would often wonderfully magnifie the Lord. That very Morning that he departed this Transitory Life he called my Mother the Children and Family unto him gave us many good and seasonable Instructions to fear the Lord love his Way and Truth and walk in it with upright Hearts charging us to be kind and loving one unto another telling us that his Glass was run the time of his Departure was come he was to enter into everlasting Ease Joy and Rest charging us all to be patient and content with our parting with him as to the outward and so presently fainting passed quietly away into a sweet Sleep whereupon we were all so overcome with Sorrow and Weeping some of us aloud as one out of Sleep he was again a wakened and desired to be a little help'd up in his Bed speaking to this effect My dear Hearts you have wronged me and disturbed me for I was at sweet Rest you should not so Passionately sorrow for my departure this House of Earth and Clay must go to its place but this Soul and Spirit was to be gathered up to the Lord to live with him forever where we should meet with everlasting Joy so again taking his leave of every one of us and charging us to be content with his Departure lay down and we being troubled and reflecting upon our selves for the disturbance we had given him through our Impatience endeavoured Contentedness and in a little time he departed as to the outward but lives with us in the Spirit and being Dead his Life Preaches and is a sweet savour to the Lord and his People His Distemper was a Cough and Consumption And he departed this Life in 1665. being the seventh day of the Week and the next day was his Body laid in Friends Burying Place at Birk-rigg-Park he being the first that was Buried in that Place John Audland was Born in the same County not above a Mile from Camsgil his Parents and Kindred of good Repute who when he was but a Child was of a very ripe and quick wit of Understanding and Apprehension though somewhat inclineable to youthful Play execept which never addicted to any Vice about the Age of seventeen or eighteen Years the Lord inclined his Heart to Sobriety and reading the holy Scriptures and to be very Religious in what was then manifested so that he chose the Company and Society of the best and most Religious in that day and having a large Understanding and great Memory he became able in the Knowledge of the Scriptures and could
World departed Oh! the strippings of all needless Apparel and the forsaking of superfluities in Meats Drinks and in the plain self-denying Path we walked having the fear and dread of God on our Souls that we were afraid of offending in word or deed our Words were few and savory our Apparel and Houses plain being stripped of superfluities our Countenances Grave and Deportments Weighty amongst those we had to do with Indeed we were a plain broken-hearted contrite spirited self-denying people our Souls being in an unexpressible Travel to do all things well-pleasing in the Sight of God for our great concern night and day was to obtain through Jesus Christ the Great work of Salvation and thereby an assurance of the everlasting Rest and Sabboth of our God and in those days Oh! the unexpressible Labour Travels and spending of the Strength of these Servants of the most high God in great Assemblies in that City and Countries round about our Meetings were so large that we were forced to meet without doors and that in Frost and Snow In which Meetings Oh! the extending of Voice of these Servants of God to reach over these great multitudes when several thousands have been assembled together and as the Work of the Lord increased so the Enemy was at work in Priests and People in those dayes who stirred up the Youth of the City into a tumulting like the men of Ephesus and once we had a very great tumult that the Streets were crowded and these two Servants of the Lord were seized upon by the multitude and were in great hazard But the Lord signally delivered them as in dayes past he had done his Servants on such occasions and all came to be quieted and our Meetings peaceable and many grew in Grace and in the Knowledge of God and Christ Jesus which is Eternal Life much more of particulars I might write but affecting brevity for several reasons I say in short such was the effectual working of the Almighty Power of God and makings bare of his Arm of Salvation that attended those Servants of the most High and the great work of our Gospel meeting with the various Trials and exercises that attended them and us that were the fruits of their Labours in the Lord that my Tongue cannot express what I was an eye and ear witness of and a Soul sharer in Therefore to the God of this bright Morning of our day of Visitation ariseth springs up as in Covenant with himself through Christ Jesus holy heavenly high Praises Might Majesty and Dominion is ascribed to the Lord God and the Lamb. So let it be saith my spirit in fear and trembling through Ages and Generation for ever and evermore Ameu And now dear Friends every where but more particularly in and about the City of Bristol who have seen the Morning of the day of God break forth in our Age as aforesaid and by the divine Light thereof have seen the darkness that has covered the people expelled in which darkness people have been Ignorant of the true and living God and his precious work of Salvation in which ignorance they have performed their worship even in the same nature that they are sinning and rebelling and grieving the Good Spirit of God which all ought to be subject too now it pleasing the divine Being in his infinite love and tender pity and compassion to look down upon us whilest in the Land of Egypt and House of Bondage spiritually and to send forth his Light and Truth to give us a sence inwardly of the deplorable states of our Souls in the separation from and depravation of the enjoyments of the Lord which sence and sight begat in us living Breathings and a holy Cry after the knowledge of him we saw our selves ignorant of and he in the fulness of the Dispensation of time visited us as afore mentioned of which dear Friends we were right glad although when the Lord discovered our states he laid Judgment to the Line and Righteousness to the Plummet and gave to us the Cup of Trembling in which was the Wine of Astonishment which was in mercy to our Poor Souls that could not be redeemed but by Judgment poured on the nature that had separated us from God and on us as joyned thereunto and here although Sin revived we begun to dye to it O Good day and precious season worthy worthy both to be remembred by us and our Off-spring through Generations for although it was the season of the Administration of Condemnation yet was it glorious and in this season the Almighty God by his spiritual Trumpet sounded to us that the end of this his spiritual Appearance was to root out lay waite and utterly destroy the nature of Sin and Iniquity that had divided and separated us from God and hindred the good things from us of his Heavenly power and Kingdom and we were perswaded the set time was come for clensing and sanctifying the Temple and fitting it for the pure immortal God and did not we begin inward as in the day of Hezekiah that the Temple might be clensed throughly in every part for in the outward Temple they clensed first the inward part of the House of the Lord and so came along to the Porch until the Temple was throughly clensed Indeed in the Morning of our precious Day of Visitation the Ax was laid to the Root of the corrupt Tree and the Hammer to the hard Rocky Heart and the spiritual Fire kindled in the Stubble Now dear Friends in the Word of Truth I say unto you search with the holy Light of Christ Jesus how this work has prospered in your Souls see whether you that knew a right beginning first in the inward part have come along faithfully in the work of Sanctifying the Heart and the Temple from the inward part to the outside see whether the Root has not escaped the Ax the rocky Heart the Hammer and the Chaff the Fire for if it has the cause is not in the Lord nor in his Power but in your disobedience and negligence going from the Ax Hammer and Fire and so sparing the best as disobedient Saul and Israel did so the Root of bitterness sprang up against the work of God and bringings forth of his heavenly wisdom To the holy plain speaking Witness of God I speak earnestly desiring and entreating all to have a single regard to that which will duely and rightly apply these things and let all see whether that nature be alive that the holy Power of the Lord did work against in the beginning and if so see the cause which being seen will deeply humble and seize on the spirits of all concerned Oh! what a day have we had how has the good Husbandman been at work in his Vineyard how did he plant in a fruitful Hill with the choicest Vine he digged pruned and gathered out the Stones and Hedged and Walled about and after all he looked for good Fruit but where the unspeakable
unity it s like the precious Ointment on the head that ran down upon the Beard even Arons Beard and went down to the Skirts of his Garment as the Dew of Hermon and as the Dew that descended upon the Mountains of Sion for there Mark the Lord commanded the blessing even Life everlasting This was the state the holy Power of the great God gathered a people into For concerning them it is left upon record they continued daily in fellowship and that with one accord Now dear Friends we clearlysaw felt and understood in the precious Morning of our tender Visitation that the same ancient Power of the Lord that wrought powerfully first to disunite us from the nature which separated us from God and then to bring us up into unity and fellowship with himself in his dear love and therein one with another For here ever was and is the the Foundation of the true Unity even that of the Spirit in which love the Body edifies it self and is increasing and building up a holy Habitation for God through the Spirit so then all abiding and growing up in the love of God and walking with him in the divine nature Unity encreaseth amongst all the Members and Branches taken out of the wild-Olive and planted into and abiding in the Vine of Life Christ Jesus our Head and Law-giver and here the Church of Christ grew up into a state of being clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her Feet Ah! precious blessed sweet and glorious station But did it always thus continue in the Apostles dayes Ah! no the old Serpent the Enemy of mans welfare wrought powerfully and cunningly first to draw forth from the R oot of Life and out of the holy Love and spiritual subjection to this glorious Power that had gathered them to a daily inward walking with God and to draw out of a spiritual exercise of the Spiritual Cross and holy Watch as before has been demonstrated c. And then fruit from another Root was brought forth as the Reader may note in several Epistles and in John's Testimony to the seven Churches of Asia Then the Power of the Lord that had gathered them moved to exhort to put away bitterness Wrath Anger and Clamour Evil-speakings and Malice Ephes 4. And now dear Friends with your Lamps trimmed and burning look inward searching every corner of your Hearts that clear unto your own understandings every one of your states may appear as it is in the sight of the pure al-seeing God that so all the Enemies darknings and vailings and turnings aside by what way or means soever may be clearly with the Light of the Lamb seen and discovered And tender Friends those that have seen the sweet lovely precious stateof Unity and Concord that the excellent Power of the Lord God Almighty gathered into and was gathering into in the blessed morning of our day and the spiritual advantages comforts joy refreshments and divine Satisfaction that attended the Church of Christ in this true and spiritual Unity with our the Lord Jesus Christ and one with another and on the other hand Head the anxious exerising consequences of the Enemies prevailing to break unity and of the lamentable effects thereof so that all the true hearted sincere spirited to God cannot but on the on Hand admire prize and unexpressibly esteem the precious Unity And on the other hand greatly dread the turnings aside and going out of it For those who have kept their Habitation and lived to God as they have tasted and enjoyed the sweetness and beheld the amiableness of this Unity and Amity so they have felt the sorrows and anguish of the effects of the contrary which have caused them to go many days and months with bowed down Souls crying to the Almighty God of tender compassion Night and Day under the unexpressible weight thereof and the tender God of Love bowed his ear to the cry of the Poor and sighing of the Needy and has arisen in the might of his Power and the Majesty of his Glorious Presence hath relieved and his holy Arm has been made bare through which he hath redeemed his Darling from the Dog and his dear ones from the Devourer and still continues working to bring into this precious unity in the holy Light of Life with God in Christ Jesus and one with another And now dear Friends every where unto you and to the Generation coming after I have this Warning and tender Advice to leave behind me in the Name of my God that hath been with me in my Travels in his Power Work and Labour of the Gospel of Life and Salvation Keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace and let none give way to a prejudicing Spirit which leads into secret Whisperings Back-bitings and such like evil and pernicious Fruits the working of which Spirit is like a Moth in a Garment dividing destroying spoyling and eating up for indeed as Sion is a City at Unity with it self under the seamless Garment of Christ Jesus and there all are well and safe growing increasing and flourishing so when the Spirit abovesaid prevails to draw out of Sions Gates and from within her Walls of Salvation Oh! what deplorable work and havock will it make in its Growth and Progress working as I said before of the Moth gradually and secretly first but as it prevaileth and increaseth in its growth and strength it will appear as a roaring devouring Lyon seeking whom it may devour and swallow up Here comes in Pride and haughtiness of Spirit puffed up with the abundance of injoyment of outward things Emulations Heart-risings evil Jelousies Bitter-speakings Detractings and abundance of evil Fruit ariseth from this evil Root of Bitterness which Root and Fruit is to be brought under and sunk down under the eternal Judgment of the holy glorious sweet Power of the Lord. And therefore Friends I say unto you in the Name of the Lord God eternal let none give strength or any incouragement or nourishment any way to this Spirit in any of its murthering workings in any Heart but let it be looked on as a Vagabond and Fugitive in the Earth and so as it is kept out of the Camp of God and from Israels dwellings by the sweet living bright Power of the great God of heaven and earth it will perish under Truths Judgement set up in every soul and so the nature thereof as well as its evil rending and dividing fruits will be worn out and destroyed for ever And then all keeping in the first love pure fear living awe and holy dread fearing to offend our God and tender Father persevering in an inward keeping the holy Watch and abiding in Subjection and Obedience to the spiritual Cross in staidness of Mind soundness of Judgment and clearness in Understanding you see Comprehend and Fathom all the Enemies Devices Temptations and Snares and the Lord God beholding you in a stedfast Habitation of Obedience and spiritual tenderness before him
and the voice of a Stranger And by the Spirit of the living God are we gathered up together up to God to worship him in Spirit and in Truth and are of one Heart and of one Mind and of one Soul and have all one Teachers and peak all one thing And we being all taught of the Lord are far from Oppression though we be Oppressed and for the Truths sake was I moved of the Lord to lay this before thee that our Conditions may be known that the Truth may not suffer under the reproach of the Heathen who live after the Flesh and Persecute them who live after the Spirit A word more to clear thy mistake when we spoke unto thee that the Lord would make thee an Instrument in his Hand to establish the Gospel wherein thou apprehendest us that should be established by an outward Law that was not our desire nor we spoke no such thing but we witness the coming of Christ in his Kingdom is not by Might nor Power nor Pomp nor Glory from without nor by any Law which is in the will of Man but our desires were that there should be no Law upon Religion for it needs no Law to defend it for pure Religion and undefiled is this to loose the bands of Wickedness and set the Oppressed free and take off every Yoke And where pure Religion is exercised this is the Fruits and if thou be guided by the pure Light of God shining in thy Conscience and the righteous Law set up in thy Heart and the Spirit of God thy Teacher then there need none â—â— desire thee to take away those Laws that ensnare tender Consciences and so they who pretend Conscience and are not guided by the pure Law of God will be seen by those who dwell in the Spirit to have erroneous Consciences and so this Law will take hold of them and the righteous Law is upon the Transgressor and limits the carnal Mind and fleshly Will but doth not limit the Spirit but is at Unity with it And therefore Friend to thy Conscience I speak and witness this to be true in the Presence of God that as thou art guided by this pure Light in thy Conscience and this Law of the Spirit set up in thy Heart thou canst not deny us for we are none of those which dispise Government and defile the Flesh who pull down others to set up themselves but all unfruitful works of darkness we deny and seek to advance the Government of Jesus Christ alone and love all and have unity with all who are here and honour all Men in the Lord and have fellowship with those whose Conversation is as becomes the Gospel of Christ and they who Rule and Live here cannot suffer any outward Law to take hold on us who stand in obedience to the Commands of Christ for there is no Condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord sets free and commands obedience take heed how thou suffer any Law to limit that Spirit for they who are brought into the obedience of the Spirit are dear unto him as the Apple of his Eye and his care is over them and the Lord will free them from their Oppressors And thus were we pressed in Spirit to lay before thee our conditions and the conditions of our Brethren who are gathered into the eternal Unity where there is no Rent nor Schism that thou might not be ignorant of those things and to shew thee that our desire is not for any outward thing or self-advancing for all self we deny for we came contrary to our own will and we declare this unto thee contrary to our own will and if thou stand not in thy own will thou wilt hear us and own us in advancing the Lord Jesus Christ upon the holy-Hill of Sion that the Law might go out of Sion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem and this we wait to see accomplished and his promise fulfilled in those who govern the Nations that the Kingdoms of the World may become the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ And thus we have laid our selves naked before thee in the Presence of God and cleared our Consciences to thee and leave it to that which is pure in thy Conscience to judge Take heed for he that is in high Places is subject to many Temptations This I was moved of the Lord to Write unto thee who is a Servant of the Lord and a lover of thy Soul called John Camm For E. V. and the rest of the Flock of God in and about Banbury DEarly beloved Friends and Brethren in the eternal everlasting Covenant of Love and Life doth my Soul dearly salute you all who in your Measures keep in the same Love and Life and grows up in your stature which is well pleasing to God Oh my dear Hearts in the Life and Power of God which casts down Sin and slayes the enmity and gives you Victory and Dominion over the World which keeps you and preserves in the hour of Temptation which shall come upon all men upon the Earth to try them but you abiding in the pure Eternal living Measure of God dwelling in his Life and Power which is your Rock and hiding place shall be kept out of the same which the Enemy hath laid to take your Souls and here is your safe dwelling place so the Lord God of Power in his Life and Power keep you all in your dwelling place which is the Lord that with the Measure of him you may be guided which leads up into the Land of Righteousness into the Holy City where the uncircumcised and the careless and disobedient cannot come so with Bowels of dear and tender love unto you all who are Children of my Father and kept in his work I bid you farewel in the Lord and in him I am your dear brother for evermore John Camm My Wife and little Thomas dearly salutes you who are faithful in your places farewel As for my outward health it is much like as it was I grow weaker in the outward man but in the Lord is my strength and my support continually Glory and pure Praises be unto him for evermore Amen J. C. John Camm's Letter the 5th day of the 11th Month 1654. to Friends DEarly beloved in our Head and Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ our dear love in him Salutes you all yea truly the same love runs out unto you all who wait upon the Lord and abide in your Measures that we are loved with all of our Father and we are your Epistles written in your Hearts not with Pen and Ink but with the Spirit of the Living God and then you who are guided by the Light which comes from Christ Jesus may read us daily and truly you are dear and precious unto us as you abide and dwell in your Measures yea truly ye are our very Lines and the Seal of
wait upon him in singleness of Heart to be taught by him every one of you walking in the Light which leads up to him there you will see the Lord present with you but going out from the pure Light the Vail is drawn and the Enemy lodgeth upon the Vail then ariseth Doubts and Fears Questions and Troubles then you look back to that which is behind and forget the Mark which is before but dwelling in the Light and in the pure Fear of the Lord your minds will be stayed patiently to wait as the new-born Babes to be refreshed with the Milk of the Word and then you will know the gentle leadings of the Father and the green Pastures and the still Waters and the Dew from above upon the tender Plants and the watering of the Plants that you may grow as Plants of God planted into the true Vine growing in the Vine sitting under the Vine and abiding in the Vine that you may be Trees of Righteousness the planting of the Lord that God alone may be exalted in you Oh dear ones our Bowels flows out to you and is poured out to the Lord for you we are bound to you even with the Bond of Love even the same Love as we had loved withal the same runs out freely to you and as we said to you the same we say again prize the day of your Visitation that you may know the things that belong to your eternal Peace and dwell in the Light and walk in the Light and meet together in the pure Fear of the Lord and dwell in Love and have no Fellowship with the unfruitful works of Darkness but reprove them and thou that reproves must be clear or else thou judgeth with that which must be judged so judge your selves first every one let self first be judged and condemned and that which judgeth and condemneth self let that speak and act and reprove unfruitful works and then your Fellowship will be in that which condemns self and then you will meet in the fear of the Lord and discern between the Righteous the Wicked and know the Voice of Christ and follow him and be subject to his Yoke and indure the Cross and rejoyce in the Cross of Christ and Minister in the Cross and have no Unity with that which is out of the Cross who mind earthly things such are Enemies to the Cross such are in the Hypocrisie and in Presumption speaking high words but run before the Light and lead up into the Air. Therefore all dear Friends we do Exhort Charge and Command you to walk in the Light and in the Cross that you may have Unity in the Life of God and that you may discern between the Holy and Prophane and receive not every spirit nor believe not every spirit In the Bowels of Love do we beseech you to walk worthy of your Calling Holy is he that hath called you Holiness becomes his House for evermore let the Holy guide your minds and it will lead you into Holiness into Pureness into Meekness into Love into Unity to watch over one another and to mind the good of one another and to be of one Heart of one Soul of one Mind all guided by one Spirit and walking in one Light all pressing on in one way which leads to Life and so all will come to witness one Life and one Teacher and you will see the Word within and the Law within and the Fear of the Lord within which will keep your Hearts clean and then Wisdom will be made manifest in you and the secrets of the Lord revealed in you which secrets are revealed to Babes not to the Wisdom of the World so dwell in Wisdom that you may know what speaks and to what you speak that none cast a Pearl to Swine but keep in the Unity and wait in Patience waiting for the Promises to be fulfilled in you when trouble comes be content wait low in Patience when Joy comes be low in the pure Fear and keep low and dwell in the pure Wisdom of God and the Lord God of Light Life and Power be with you and go along with you that you may grow up in him and have Dominion over the World that you may all dwell within and mind the Just to guide your minds continually we are with you written in your Hearts you may read us daily we even Travel with you and long after you that you may all wait to know Christ formed in you that we may rejoyce together for evermore over the Heads of our Enemies Dear Hearts in the eternal Love and Life of our God do we reach to your dwelling in the pure Life you will see and feel us present with you and we have Unity with as many of you as are faithful in your Measures so every one in your Measure wait upon the Lord that you may know Redemption from the World and so be witnesses of the Son of God by the same Witness as raised up him by which he bears witness against the World by the same Spirit you being raised will bear witness against the World so every one dwell in that which Judgeth the Earthly and works out the Earthly that you may know the Earthly wastes and the Earth grow feeble and the Gods of the Earth famished and the ground of Thoughts and Imaginations removed and the Covering taken off and the Vail rent and the Serpents head bruised and the Seed of the Woman brought forth which all the Promises are unto Yea and Amen in Christ which Seed is but one which Seed is Christ which Seed will not Bow and Worship the Devil for all the glory of the World but overcomes and gets the Victory So all be watchful when Temptions come keep low and still in patience wating upon the Lord that he may be feared and honoured who will provide a way to escape So dear and tender ones in the pure Light of God wait and there you will grow in discerning in Wisdom in pure Fear and there Love will be increased in and among you and the Unity of the Spirit will be known so all walking in the Spirit you will not fulfil the Lust of the Flesh Dear Hearts we write to you to stir up your pure minds by way of Remembrance Little Children keep your selves from Idols The mighty God of Life keep and preserve you in the pure Life of God Farewel your Friends in the Unchangable Everlasting Bond of Love and Peace Brethren and Companions to all who are in Tribulation in the Kingdom of Patience of Jesus Christ Read this amongst Friends at the Meeting Hereford the 25th day of the 7th Month 1654. John Audland and John Camm Edward Pyot DEar Heart we are now at Hereford but we are ready to go this day Ten Miles to a Meeting at Branyard we had two Meetings yesterday at Captain Hirings House the Governor and his Wife was there the latter part of the day and the joy of the
and sits like them but do not forsake your Sins nor own the Cross of Christ so as to live in it and so you give occasion to the World to speak evil of the Gospel of Christ now to such I say from the Lord Depart ye Workers of Iniquity terrible and dreadful is the day that shall come upon you wo unto them that cover with a Covering but not of the Spirit of the Lord Fear the Lord and tremble before him and prize your time while it is called to day for the Lord is near and if he find you eating and drinking with the Drunken he will cut you assunder and give you your Portion with Hypocrites But all my dear Friends dwell in the Power of the Lord and let not your minds be stained but keep single and stand uncovered that so you may discern all those that are covered and reign above them in the eternal living Truth of God to his praise for evermore Praises and Honour to our God for ever who is worthy for all is falling before him My dear Friends the Harvest here is great even all the Fields are white and all the dumb Dogs and idle Shepherds Drones and Loiterers runs quakes trembles and flyes before us but the Sword of the Lord is in the hands of the Saints and this Sword divides hews and cuts down Deceit and so way is made for the pure Seed to arise and raign above all which conquers all Praises be to the Lord for evermore Dear Friends the Work of the Lord is great and many are Convinced of the living Truth and I really see the Lord will raise up to himself a pure and a large People to Serve and Worship him in Spirit and in Truth Farewell My dear Brother and fellow Labourer Edward Burrough Salutes you all in the Lord and the everlasting God of Power keep you all pure to his everlasting Praise All ye Saints of the Lord Praise ye the Lord and Magnifie him for ever Your dear Brother in the Truth John Audland John Audland his Epistle to Friends from Chester City the 5th of the 5th Month. DEar Friends and Brethren in the Eternal Truth of God Members of the same Body partakers of the unsearchable Riches of the love of God which love endures for evermore Oh! my dear hearts press on in the strait way forgetting those things that are behind Every one of you in perticular mind to dwell in the pure fear of the Lord which will keep you pure and single to stand in his counsel that so you may reign above the Earth and rejoyce over the heads of all your Enemies walking in the Light of the Lord And dwell in the Light and with it you will see and know all the wiles of Satan who would lay snares Innocent and in the power of the Lord stand that you in his power may have Victory My dear Friends what I declared to you when I was present with you the same do I now write to you and in the Spirit I am present with you and therefore in the Name of the Lord and in his fear put on boldness put on courage put on strength every one in your measure stand and be faithful in the Work of the Lord as his Witnesses against all the World for unto this are you called to cast off every weight and burthen and to run with patience the race before you the way is strait and narrow no unclean thing must enter nothing that defiles must enter unto this are you all called to put off the old Man with his Deeds to die daily to forsake the World to deny all to lay down your lives and to take up the Cross of Christ daily and have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness God is pure he calls to purity Oh! my dear Hearts as you abide faithful you are my joy in the Lord my Prayers are for you God is my Witness I make mention of you daily to the Lord my dear and tender Plants of God as you grow and increase in the Increase of God my joy will increase Oh! stand stedfast as faithful Servants every one upon your watch that you may pertake daily of the Joy of the Lord and walk worthy of the Love which the Lord hath manifested unto you watch over one another in Love in Bowels in tenderness in compassion to that which is pure and rule over all deceit tread upon it and reign over it dwell in discerning every one and suffer not that to speak which is not of God but all wait in Love and walk in Love and the Body edifies it self in Love and the God of Peace and Love keep you pure to his eternal Praise to all the honest in heart I speak walking in the pure Light of the Lord that you may have Dominion over all the Earth and earthly minds And so such I say who are convinced by the Light of God but doth not walk in the Light How will you escape The Lord is dreadful his Terrour will surprize all Hypocrites the witness of the Lord is against all such and his Judgments will take hold upon you his hand you cannot escape I say to such as I have often told you yea I have told you Weeping such are Enemies to the Cross of Christ and by him are you to be Slain who refuse him and will not have him to Reign over you and therefore by the Dreadfulness of the Lord I charge you to walk in Obedience to that which is committed to you that every one of you may deny those things which the Light in the Conscience bears witness against And I charge you give no evil Example in your Walkings nor in your Meetings in your Meetings be watchful bear Reproof patiently examine your selves let the Light search you and you will see Reproof is to you who doth not walk in the Light and in your walkings be watchful have no fellowship with the world for that which is of the world and you that have fellowship with the world cannot bear witness against the world And therefore come out be seperate touch no unclean thing and fear the living God who searcheth all Hearts and his reward is with him to give to every one according to his deeds But to all you that are faithful the Joy of the Lord is your strength the Arm of the Lord is with you the Sickle is in your Hand thrust in the Sickle for the Earth is ripe the Press is full the Fat 's overflow the Glory of the Lord is appearing to shake terribly the Earth Glory to him for evermore Farewel All my dear Hearts my Bowels run out freely to you I am with you daily in that which will never Wither The Lord God of Power keep you pure every one in your Measure to his eternal Praise my Love is to you all and remember me dearly to all Friends every where Your dear Brother a servant of the Lord and in him can we never be
from the vile all the wicked cast out and the elected alone obtains the Kingdom So the mighty God of Power direct thee and open thy understanding that in his Light thou mayst come to see Light and by the powerful Word may be stripped of all and suffer the loss of all that God alone may be exalted By one who hath suffered the loss of all and through Death is passed unto Life J. A. A Letter sent unto John Audland by his Wife 1654. DEar Brother dearer to me then ever My love flows out to thee even the same love that I am loved withal of my Father in that love Salute me to all my Friends for dear you are all unto me my life is much refreshed in hearing from you I received thy Letters and all my Soul desireth is to hear from thee in the life dear Heart in Life dwell there I am with thee out of all time out of all Words in the pure Power of the Lord there is my joy and strength O! How am I refreshed to hear from thee to hear of thy faithfulness and boldness in the Work of the Lord O! Dear Heart I cannot utter the joy I have concerning thee thy presence I have continually in Spirit therewith am I filled with joy all glory and honour be to our God forever O! blessed be the Day in which thou waft born that thou art found worthy to labour in the work of the Lord surely the Lord hath found thee faithful in a little therefore he hath committed much unto thee go on in the Name and Power of the Lord Jesus Christ from whence all strength cometh to whom be all glory and honour forever O! dear Heart go on conquering and to conquer knowing this that thy Crown is sure So dear Heart now is the time of the Lords Work and few are willing to go forth into it all the whole World lieth in wickedness doing their own work but blessed be the Lord forever who hath called us from doing our own work into his great work O! Marvellous are his Works and his Wayes past finding out O! Dear Heart thou knowest my Heart thou mayst read dayly how that I rejoyce in nothing more than in thy prosperity in the Work of the Lord Oh! It is past my utterance to express the joy I have for thee I am full I am full of love towards thee never such love as this the Mighty Power of the Lord go along with thee and keep thee faithful and valient and bold in his pure Counsel to stand single out of all the World. Oh! Dear Heart all my love to thee is purer then Gold seven times purified in the Fire Oh! pure is he that hath loved us therefore let Purity and Holiness cover us for ever a joyful word it was to me to hear that thou wast moved to go for Bristol Oh! my own Heart my own life in that which now stands act and obey that thou mayst stand upon thy alone Guard so dear Heart let thy Prayers be for me that I may be kept pure out of all Temptations singly to dwell in the Life So fare well Ann Andland John Audlands Letter from Citsester to Friends at Bristol the 26th of the 10th Month 1654. Dear Friends LAmbs and Babes of the most high God who are turned from the ways and vanities of the World and who are brought to wait upon the Lord in patience and singleness being begotten to a lively Hope by the Resurrection of the Dead Grace Mercy and Peace from God be multiplied in you and among you that you may grow up in the eternal Unity and fellowship of the Spirit to walk in the Spirit and to worship God in Spirit and by it you will see and discern all the wayes and vanities of the World and all the worships of the World to be without God in the heathenish nature strangers from the life of God without the Covenant of peace and in the Covenant with Death and Hell unto which there is no peace But the Lord God of life and peace is arising and risen to hew down all deceit and false ways and to set up Righteousness and Purity and to establish his Covenant unto his People and to bring in everlasting peace by Jesus Christ who is come to Preach Peace to the Captives to open the Prison Doors to set free the oppressed and to visit the desolate and to inlarge the Borders of the Barren and his day is dawning among you and the day-Star is appearing in you which will lead to the man-Child and to the Son of righteousness which is eternal Life to know him and be in him and who are not in him death reigns and rules and the Bond of Iniquity and the Chains of Darkness stands and Binds and Prisons the Just which is for condemnation when he appears who will judge the Secrets of all mens Hearts And this is the day of the Lord God wherein he is bringing back the Captivity of his People And you whose minds are turned to him wait upon him in patience having your minds guided up unto him growing together in Love and Unity that the Head and Husband may be exalted in all and then the Bed is not defiled but the Marriage is honourable but the Adulterer God will judge and condemn and such who wander abroad changeth their way and sets up Idols and strange Gods and other Lovers and joyns to strange Flesh and feeds that which is for Judgment and to be fed with Judgment But dear and precious Ones and well-beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ dwell in Judgment the Just delights in it and the unjust comes to be cut down by it and through judgment Sion come to be redeemed and the filthy is destroyed and Purity and Holiness comes to be witnessed the Light is that which condemns the unjust and all waiting in the Light ye have fellowship one with another and your Unity stands in that which is the Worlds condemnation and so against all the World ye stand and bear witness by that which is not of the World but is from above and leads up into that which is above and condemns all that which is below and from below which is contrary to the Light of Jesus Christ which Light shews the Door and guides into the entrance of the eternal Inheritance and shews you the Inheritance which is incorruptible which nothing must inherit that is corruptible so in the Light abide which leads up to the perfect Day that you may all walk as Children of the Day growing up in the true Vine and abiding in the Vine that your Fruit may appear not as the untimely Figs which fall away but as that which is founded upon the true Foundation and will stand and abide in the Day of Tryal so dear and tender Ones grow in Love and let Love be multiplyed among you and wait upon the Lord in the daily Cross that you may be crucified to the World and the
Thou sayest no man since the fall of Adam can perfectly fulfil the Law of God in this Life and therefore cannot merit except it be wrath Reply For meriting the wrath it s thy own but Christ Jesus since the fall of Adam hath perfectly fulfilled the Law of God and there is Salvation in no other and the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit but by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified for the Commandment which was ordained unto Life wrought Death if thou can here thou may In thy sixth and seventh thou sayst that he that hath received a Ministry should wait on his Ministry and take heed to fulfil it and that every Soul must be subject to the higher Power and yeild obedience to every Ordinance of theirs if not contrary to Gods Word Reply Thou slanders us and rails upon us who hath received a Ministry from God and waits to fulfil it and thou receives such as come in their own Name who are made by the will of man and against such do we bear witness by the Power of God unto which our Souls is subject for Conscience sake and to every ordinance for the Lords sake which is not contrary to Gods Word Thou sayest thou art afraid that the Lord hath a controversie with the Church of England Reply Fearfulness surprizeth the heart of the Hypocrite and a controversie hath the Lord with you because of your iniquities misery is coming upon you fearful ones and unbelievers who are no Church of Christ but a Synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not but are a giddy-headed Church as thou confessest Thou sayest Make not the Light within a rule to walk by and yet saith follow the Light within and Teacher within what else Reply The Light discovers thee to be in confusion they that walk in the Light stumbles not and they who love the Light bring their deeds to it and believes in the Light but their deeds are evil who hate it and walk not in it and there is thy condemnation Thou sayest He that entreth not in by the door to wit a true and lawful call but climbeth up some other way the same is a Thief and a Robber and such are the Quakers but he that entreth in by the door is the Shepherd of the Sheep and such are your ancient Divines Reply Here thou as in other places art a false accuser and a perverter of the Scriptures your Divines are not the Shepherd there thou are a Blasphemer who would set up false Christs the true Shepherd laid down his Life for the Sheep and he is the Door and them whom thou slanderest enters in at the Door where no Thief nor no Diviner can enter nor no Hireling which the true Shepherd cryed against And as thou sayest Thou will speak something to our Principles first for judging Reply Thou hast judged us to be Deceivers and Seducers and false Accusations against the Truth thou hast brought and against some in particular naming that John Audland was a Child of the Devil and yet thou hast confessed thou never saw me nor heard me but thou hast not proved wherein which I charge thee to do publikely or own thy condemnation for thy slandring lying and backbiting thy saying that it is so doth not make it to be so and that which thou calls confutation confutes thy self but proves nothing against the Saints judging them whom they saw and discerned to be unlearned for when an Unbeliever came in or one that was unlearned he was judged of all and the thoughts of his heart made manifest and this honour have all the Saints to execute upon the Heathen all the judgments written and the Scripture we own and the Saints Life by which thou art judged and with the Light condemned who judgest and acts against the Saints with that mind that is for judgment The Second is that they are not true Ministers which are called by mans Ministers or by a mediate call from man and this thou goest about to confute by saying that Christ ordained Apostles and Disciples And the Holy Ghost said Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work of the Ministry and that there was Elders ordained in the Church and the like Reply These things proves nothing to thy mediate call or mans Ministry Christ is not born by the will of man and holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost and no Prophesie came by the will of man Paul a Minister and Apostle not by the will of man and that which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God and there is thy mediate call and mans Ministery which the Scriptures speaks not of what Christ did and the Saints did was by the Power of God and the Holy Ghost spoke to them no Voice of that is heard in thy mediate call or mans Ministry therefore denied by them who are guided by the Spirit of the Lord who receives not the Ministry of man but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ and that 's not mans Ministry The Third is that we are to salute no man. Reply this is thy own and in thy confutatiou thou answerst thy self for the Saints Salutation we own and honour all men in the Lord which is more than the Heathen do but we have learned not to fashion our selves according to the World and to deny the customs of the Heathen and their flattering Titles and vain fashions which is without the fear of God who have mens persons in admiration because of advantage and respects mens persons and commits sin and a difference do we put betwixt the Saints Salutation and the vain fashions and customs of the Heathen which Israel was not to observe The Fourth is that the Scripture oughe not to be expounded and that expounding of Scripture is an adding to Scripture and if we add then God will add to as all the Plagues that are written therein and in thy confutation saith Christ expounded Scripture Reply He that adds the Plagues is to be added to him as it is written but thy other words is false and thy own it is your own Imagination of the Scripture which we deny wresting it as thou hast done and adding with thy Envious Spirit against the Truth but that Christ expounded the Scriptures was never denied by us and that he opened their understandings to understand the Scriptures we own and witness and the Spirit of Christ is one in all his Saints and for the lye let it return upon thy own Head. Thy Fift is That it is not lawful to use the title of Master to any and in thy confutation thou saith Christ was called Master and where it is said Be ye not called Masters for one is your Master even Christ thou sayest the meaning is not that it is unlawful to be called Master Reply thou shews thy self to be none of Christs Servant who
Then further thou saith it being in September George Cowlishaw being asked by the said Coppinger if there had been none of those People called Quakers at Bristol he answered no now this is false some of us who is so called was then at Bristol and here I shall take many People to witness against thee for we had Meetings then in Bristol the tenth day of the Mouth called September we had a Meeting at the Fort the thireenth day of the same Month a Meeting at the Red-Lodge in Bristol and at both Meetings there were several Hundreds of People and likewise a Meeting at Fieltin the fifteenth day of the same Month and the seventeenth day we had a Meeting at Bishford and Hundreds went out of the City of Bristol to that Meeting the nineteenth day we had another Meeting at the Red-Lodge and several other Meetings we had in about Bristol in the same Month called September which will all bear witness against thee that thy slander is false and thy Oath false who saith we were at Bristol in September which he hath said on his Oath we were not and here I have proved thy information false again it is full of confusion who saith that Coppinger said that none came so near him as the Quakers and that he met with two in London of his own order and yet he saith to the Informant if that he loved his Religion and his Soul he should not hear them and yet saith they came near him and was of his own order which is false we deny such Lyers and their Order and here he is proved to be in confusion let all that can discern judge Again the man that took the Oath as thou sayest said that Coppinger was one of the Franciscan company and had taken upon him the Order at Rome or Italy here the Informant hath made himself guilty of and liable to the Law in such cases provided who was privy to him who said he had taken up that Order and did not discover him but let him go and then accuseth those that are Innocent which bear the Name of Quakers Now here thou art made manifest to be a false Accuser and a Slanderer I have proved that we came to the City of Bristol in the Month called July before the Fair and likewise that we were at those Meetings before-mentioned and several other Meetings we were at in and about Bristol in the Month called September and this Oath before-mentioned being the ground of a Warrant given forth by the Magistrates of Bristol and several of our Names therein expressed we who had been at Bristol whose names were there mentioned came all forth of Westmoreland near unto Kendal none of us having never been out of the Nation but we lived and walked in and at our own Habitations as that Country can bear witness to our Places and Beings and here your Lyes and Slanders are made to appear and utterly denyed and William Prynne here thou art clearly detected who slanderest the Innocent living in the Spawn thou speaks of the Poison of Asps being under thy Tongue and spuing out thy Venom against the harmless and thy Informant is proved to be guilty in not discovering the man he speaks of which he hath on his Oath said that he confessed to him he had been at Rome and taken upon him the order of a Fryer of the Franciscan company Now here let all people take notice of the dealings of the Magistrates who gave out a Warrant against the Innocent whom they cannot justly prove any thing against whereof they do accuse them and yet lets him go free who concealed the said Coppinger which on his Oath declared that the said Coppinger confessed himself to be one of that Order and we deny all of his Order who lives in lyng and confusion or any such to speak amongst us for we know the Voice of Christ from the Voice of the Stranger so the Devil being the Father of Lyes and a Lye being thy Foundation thou art taken with a Lye in thy Mouth and so adds Lye unto Lye and builds one Lye upon another and then thou cryes against thy own Lyes for thou canst prove no such thing by us as thou accusest us of saying that the Quakers use inchanted Potion Bracelets Ribbands Sorcery and Witchcraft which is false and thou like the raging Sea casts up thy mire and dirt O! thou full of all mischief and Enemy to all Righteousness I charge thee or any of thy Companions of the same Order who lives in lying to prove any such thing by us and make it appear publickly as thou hast accused us or let thy Mouth be stopped and own thy condemnation and confess thy deceipt and call in thy filthy Paper and take shame to thy self for know this that the Lord God will plead with thee for all thy hard speeches and justly by him shalt thou be rewarded and we utterly deny and do bear witness against all such filthy wayes and practises of all such Frogs as thou mentions and against thee who prints Lyes as I have already proved and Lyars must be cast into the Lake and here I have found thee and proved thee in the intoxicated giddy-headed condition thou speaks of who art already deceived and need be deceived no farther and thou art fallen into the Pit thou digged and they for whom thy Net was spread being Innocent are escaped and thy folly is unmasked and thou art clearly detected and proved to be in error in thy very Foundation and so all thy building is made void and if thou cannot begin upon better evidence let thy Mouth for ever be stoped and let shame cover thy Lips and repent of the evil of thy wayes lest the Wrath of the Lord break out against thee and there be no remedy to the Light in thy Conscience I speak and remember that thou are warned Friend thy Spirit is savoured and tryed and now this is the end of thy zeal who art become a Persecutor of the Life which thou hast professed in words and now thy zeal appears without the knowledge of God and so there is many unsavoury speeches in thy Paper put forth by thee William Prynne which worth the mentioning are not but thou hast manifested the end of thy Profession who appears now to be one of those giddy headed English men thou speaks of and as touching leading silly Women Captive laden with sin and led away with divers lusts ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth to thee this home shall I return who appears to be in this state learning alwayes and silly for how many years hast thou been learning and now dost resist the Truth with thy unclean Spirit as Jannes and Jambers did the Children of Israel which was comming out of Egypt with their corrupt Spirits So with what Measure thou measurest it shall be measured to thee again good weight running over pressed down And Friend in the day of
thy calamity remember whom thou hast despised in the day of thy prosperity and what thou hast rejected with thy full Stomack and now loaths the Honny-Comb and the precious and the vile chuseth and so one with the Harlot art become the Light doth thee comprehend thou sayst there was trembling or quaking in the Host in the field and among all the People the Garrisons and the Spoylers they also trembled so it was a very great trembling or quaking this for thy self shall stand when thou thy self canst read a Spoyler and see thy self in the field the strong man that must bow himself and thy fenced Cities must be broken down and thy Garrison with all thy carnal Weapons then the Host shall thee fail and then trembling and quaking will not be despised which stands with a pittiful compassion to all Souls and quaking and trembling doth not despise for thou unmasked thy self in this Paper hast to be a Scorner and Scoffer at Gods righteous Seed which he upholds with his Arm for which thou shalt give an account to the Light in thy Conscience which changes not is it spoken And whereas thou William Prynne saith that Coppinger confessed that he speak about thirty times at London among them called Quakers it is false he did not speak amongst us who are so called but them that have spoken amongst us their Names we know and so we whose Names are subscribed bear witness against that untruth thou hast published in Print Amors Toddert Simon Dring John Bolton William Creake Gervase Roberts Henry Clerk Robert Dring William Kaymond Richard Davies William West A Reply to an Additional Paper put forth by William Prynne in his Lying Enlarged Edition FRiend thou pretending a reply to that which is before printed in a Paper put forth by thee bearing the same title which thou saith is the second Edition enlarged to thee I shall reply that the things which I proved stands good and not detected by thee but thou art clearly detected and proved to make a Lye thy Foundation and now in thy lying enlarged Edition thou hast gathered up more Lyes and sent them abroad into the World and full of Venom thou art spawned from the Serpent crawling in the mire like the Frogs thou speaks of casting up thy filth and foaming like the Sea and when thou hast gathered up a heap of Lyes together thou wouldst cast them upon the Children of Light who in scorn are called Quakers who denies thee among the rest of the Vermine and giddy-headed brain-sick Generation and were thou not blind thou would not uttet forth such confusion Babylon is thy Habitation the destruction of thy City is hastning apace Misery and Lamentation from the Lord God is comming upon you the burthensome Stone will Grind you to Pieces Thou saith the chief exception is against Cawlishaw his Oath is untrue for sayest thou though we were in Bristol and went to two Meetings yet that was unknown to Cowlishaw Reply Here thou hast confessed that the Oath is untrue in that he swear the thing he knew not which thing proves contrary to what he swear and this again proves thy Foundation false who saith we had not been at Bristol and swear the thing he knew not as is before expressed Thou sayst we spoke to those People then not under the notion of Quakers but only of Anabaptists and Independants Reply This is false Lye to Lye thou adds take them away and thy refuge is gone we did not speak to them as Anabaptists or as Independants and this many of the People will witness for us and against thee and there was several in that City that knew us to be of those People that were called Quakers which proves another Lye upon thee Thou sayst when the Meetings were in September we began to take upon us the Name and Title of Quakers and thos Meetings was after Cowlishaw's conference with Coppinger who adds that about eighteen dayes after Reply Thy covering is too narrow by the Light thou art discovered for the Information saith it was in September and then were we in Bristol and the words about eighteen dayes after which still proves the things false we being at Bristol then at those publick Meetings before-mentioned and that we began to take upon us the title of Quakers then is false and with such filthy stuff thou makes up thy enlarged Edition Thou saith this convinceth Audland of a slander and double lye First in accusing Cowlishaw for making a false Oath which his own answer to it justifieth it to be true Reply This is a double lye for plainness of speech I use and gives a Lye the name of a Lye first I am not convinced that he is slandered for the Oath is proved to be false in affirming that wich he knew not and that which was not and that the answer justifies it to be true is false again for the Answer proves it absolutely untrue Secondly thou saith in averring that he and his Companions were moved by the Lord and his eternal Spirit to leave their own Habitations and Callings in the North to come to seduce the People of Bristol Reply Let shame cover thy lips if thy heart be not hardned thou wilt blush are these my words or thy own I charge thee to be a Slanderer and a false Accuser of the Brethren these words was never uttered by me all seducers and seducing by the Spirit of God is denyed and witnessed against and thou art witnessed against by the Spirit of God that thou art full of Venom froth and filth which is not worth raking up after thee thy Heart is overcome with it let it return into the Pit from whence it came where the Frogs lodge who are thy companions Again that which is spokn as touching the breach of the Law in not discovering Coppinger but concealing him and letting him depart is true according to the Law and thy evading it by seeming to cover it by Coppingers hasty departure and the suspension of the Laws thou saith to that purpose doth no whit prove the contrary and had not your envy transported you beyond the bounds of equity you would be ashamed to publish such a thing but it 's clearly seen whom you shout at and whom you would devour though you pretend the Jesuits they are so near of kin to you you can let them go and after conference with them as thou saith Cowlishaw had with Coppinger who confess themselves to be such thou concealest them and bringst in their words to slander the Innocent and Truth ever suffered under reproachful Names and Tongues in which thou hast not a little share thou fils up thy Measure and accordingly shall thou be rewarded Thou saith I except against thee for averring that the Quakers are but the spawn of Romish Frogs Jesuits and Franciscan Fryers and to deny this is alledged that they came out of the North and thou saith to come out of the North is a shrew'd sign â—f
together in the Fear of the Lord to serve him and walk peaceably in Godliness Fear And why may not more than four meet together lawfully to Worship God in the account of God and all just men why may not Ten Yea and Why may not a hundred and more Provided still it be to Worship God and serve him And why may not also some come in amongst them who are Unbelievers that are ignorant of the way of Truth that they may come to hear and learn and be convinced of all and go away and confess that God is there of a Truth and if there be more that come upon the same account it is also approved Sure that was a great Concourse of People when the Disciples were met in one place where three Thousand were pricked to the Heart at one time Had it been justifiable in the Jews at that time to hinder such gatherings of People together or such Speakers as were who spake as the Spirit of the Lord gave them utterance The Jews were very angry with them and commanded them to speak no more in the Name of Jesus but they obeyed God rather than man and spoke boldly the Word of the Lord and the Lord was with them yea and filled their Hearts with joy and comfort though sometime they were put in the Stocks and sometime in Prison So we do verily find both by the the Testimony of the Spirit of God in our Hearts and also by the Testimony of the Scriptures That our meeting together to Worship the Lord and to wait upon him is according to the mind of God and also to the practice of the Saints in former days and although we be of the suffering-side as the Saints were in times past yet we are content in the Will of the Lord to give up unto him in all these things And surely if they that cause us to suffer did but diligently mind and consider their way and Weapons which they go on in and war with they may find themselves to be on the persecuting-side and see the Saints did not so neither War with such Weapons for the Saints Weapons were not Carnal but Spiritual and mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds for 't is the spiritual Weapons that can and doth conquer the man of sin within and can subdue every high thought and imagination and bring under whatsoever is contrary to the Will of God 'T is the Eternal Word of the everlasting God that is quick and powerful sharper than any two-edged Sword which divides within where no carnal Weapon can divide And if any think we be not in the Way of the Lord let them come forth with spiritual Weapons or with the best they have laying aside all carnal Weapons Club and Staff Force and Compulsion for that will never overcome a spiritual Enemy it may kill outwardly but cannot kill spiritual wickedness and coming forth with these Weapons this is like men that profess Christianity and would be far more comely amongst the sober and honest-hearted People and far more like to the Saints then haling out of Houses by force with earnal Weapons and casting into Prison for no other thing but owning the Doctrine of Christ and meeting together to Worship God. And then this is offered as the prevailing Argument There is a Law made lately that will not allow you and if you do we must fine you or we must take your Goods or commit you to Prison or cause you to forfeit your Estates Therefore we charge you give over if not we must proceed against you and break your Meetings with carnal Weapons Oh! where is the Spiritual Weapons the Power to convince gain-Sayers Gospel-Ministers that went forth without Club or Staff for say we convince our Consciences or else we dare not do it for we may not disobey the Lord because of these things Obj. Well then say they you will be ruinated have you no Wisdom will you spoile your selves with these things Ans More is the pity say we that we may not serve the Lord and Worship him but such sufferings will he exercised upon us by a people that profess themselves Christians and reformed ones too Well we say we must commit our cause to the Lord and even give up all to him who knows how to deliver the righteous out of all their trouble Obj. Ay but say they cannot you meet four and no more Ans We say We may not limit the Lord neither in the things of God must we order our selves And again if some could stoop to that it would not serve neither Obj. Then say they you must be forced and then you or some of you will yeild and then we will boast ever you with those Ans But we say that force with carnal Weapons by pains and penalties as it was not the way of the Lord nor the practice of the true Christians so neither doth it effect the end for it will never make men truly religious neither will it be for the better in the end to them that go about so to compel no nor yet any comfort in the mean time for there is a Prick that meets with the Presecutors now and then which stops their furious driving and gives them no ease in their Way as it was with Saul while he Persecuted the Saints and brought them bound both Men and Women that believed in the Lord Jesus and he is not a good example in that to be followed for he made havock of the Church entering into every House and haling men and women committing them to Prison having Authority from the Chief-Priests and being exceedingly mad against them Acts 8. 3. and Chap. 26. 10 11 as he after wards confessed and as he went to Damascus with Authority and Commission he was struck down for all his Authority and heard a voice saying to him Why persecutest thou me it is hard for thee to kiâ—k against the pricks And it will be very hard for all such who persecute the Children of the Lord the Lord will smite them one way or another if they be not smitten to their Conversion But if the Lord smite them often and they still go on to sin more and more he will ease him of his Adversaries and avenge him of his Enemies and smite with an irrecoverable stroke Obj. And if it be objected That these were Jews that aid not profess Christ that thus persecuted the Christians and it was evil done of them but we are a Reformed Church and we do it in zeal to Christ that people might be all of one way and the Law doth allow us to it Ans 'T is answered thus The Jews had a zeal for God which was not according to knowledge and they had a Law also by which they judged the Holy One that he ought to dye but although they supposed they did God service and for the defending of the Law yet indeed they fought against God and they had as much to say
for their way of Worship it being ancient and they which differed from them their way was but new in appearnce I say the Jews might plead for their Way far more groundedly than many now especially people who neither Live in their Way of Worship according to the Jews under the Law no not yet according to the Saints in the Primitive times And those that profess themselves Christians and yet persecute the Innocent they are far more guilty than the Jews were inasmuch as they both profess more Light and also walk so quite contrary to their own Profession yea and to the example of Christ whom they profess and the true Christians who said Love your Enemies pray for them that persecute you not persecute them that pray for you Neither had the Saints such Weapons to bring people into their Church as is now used but spiritual Ones mighty through God and went forth in his Power this brought People to be of one Heart and one way and to serve the Lord with one mind which force with carnal Weapons will never accomplish to bring people to be of one way Obj. And as it s said But some will yeild and then we will rejoyce in that Ans 'T is answered That 's a bad Work to force People and compel them to deny that which God hath made manifest to them to be Truth and the greater is their Sin that so do 'T is said that Saul compelled some to blaspheme against the Name of Jesus when he raged so against them but he afterwards confessed it as a great Sin And though some did so or do so yet that is no confirmation to the Persecutors that they are in the Way of God no nor yet a true Testimony against the persecuted that they are not in the Way of God neither doth it truly convert men at all Indeed force and compulsion may make some men conform to that outwardly which otherwise they would not do but that is nothing of weight their Hearts are never the better but are rather worse and more Hypocrites than before for force doth but make Hypocrites at the most for it is God alone by his Powerful Word of Life operating in the Hearts of People that changeth them and reneweth them in the Spirit of their minds and brings them into the true Service and Worship even to draw near him with their Hearts and to Worship him in Spirit and Truth and it 's out of man's power and that which God doth not require of men at this day to force by penalties and carnal Weapons to this or that Worship and is absolutely against the Practice of the Saints and the Spirit of Jesus as also against Christ's Royal Law which is Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you even so do ye unto them Now let every man make it his own case He saith his way is the way of God and anothers is not Well then would he be forced to leave his own way and to go to the other which he is not satisfied of to be occording to the mind of God especially when nothing is offered to convince his Conscience or perswade his mind and understanding but Force and Compulsion Surely no man would be so dealt with in his own case Obj. But if it be said We have Power and a Law and we are wise and learned men and we would not be forceed from our Religion but we would force people to ours Ans This hath no weight in it at all for you ought to put your selves in the same capacities as them you deal with are and to consider your selves in their condition they are as strongly it may be more perswaded in their Consciences by the Spirit of God that their Way is right than you are of yours Well then weighing these things would you be forced Would you have others to deal so with you if you were in their condition and they in yours Let God's Witness answer in all Consciences and see if these ways of forcing in matters of Conscience to God wards be not quite contrary to the practice of the Saints and to the Royal Law of Christ Obj. Besides though it be said But we judge we are in the right and our way is the true way Ans It 's answered You may be mistaken many hath that have had thoughts their way was right and while you have not the infallible Witness of God's Spirit with you to testifie to your way peradventure you may err as the former Forcers have done and then you cause people to Sin if you could force them to Blaspheme and to deny as Saul did for if he that turneth a Sinner from the error of his way who hath erred from the Truth doth save a Soul and hide a multitude of Sins then they that force people from the Way of God and cause them to err doth bring Souls into death and so bring Innocent Blood upon themselves yea the Blood of Souls which will be a great weight in the Day of God's account Obj. But if it be further said How then How must we do there is so many ways that People might be brought to one way to serve God Ans Do what God requireth of you and no more and then we shall never suffer by you nor under you Do justly love mercy and walk humbly with your God this is better than the fâ—t of Rams 't is better than all the outward Sounds and Ceremonies and bodily exercise while the heart is far from the Lord And if you judge you are in the right and your way is right come forth then with spiritual Weapons mighty ones in the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and let us see you shine forth in his Image let this be your covering your white Robes even the Righteousness of Christ which is the Righteousness of the Saints and let us see your meekness patience gentleness and good example your readiness by word and deed to convince Gain-sayers in the Power and Gospel of Christ your love to Enemies your selfdenial your subjection to the Cross of our Lord Jesus Oh this would reach our hearts then God's Witness would answer to you and this would answer the good part in all and this is the way to bring people to be of one mind in the Truth this is God's way this is the way the Saints walked in this is the way we love and desire and this also would be of good report amongst all good people but the contrary force and compulsion with a hasty froward proud envious Spirit with Staff and Club and carnal Weapons and Stocks and Prisoning of People against whom there is no occasion but concerning the Law of their God and matters which are really of Conscience to God-wards We say this will never be justified by the Lord nor effect the end neither nor be of good report amongst sober People nor answer the good part in people And moreover the Lord God of Life will turn
Years We say Men are not true Christians by Generation neither by an outward Profession but by an inward Change in the Heart wrought by the Power of God in the Regeneration And so if it be but a few Years in comparison since we or any of us were changed and turned to the Lord yet it was in the time when the Lord was pleased and saw good to visit us and we can truly say it was an acceptable day and time when we were turned from Darkness to the true Light and from the power of Satan to God And we are glad of it and can say Blessed be the Lord for it if it had been but yesterday that any of us were renewed in the Spirit of our minds to God for it is matter of Joy to us that the Lord hath gathered us in our day and time from off the barren Mountains into his Fold to wait upon him and to receive teaching and satisfaction from him This is far more to us to know the Lord changing us in our day and bringing us to know the things that pertain to our everlasting Peace than to have a large Profession of the Saints Words and yet to be out of the Saints Life and out of the way where true Peace and Rest is found to the Soul and so the Lord having manifested his Truth to us and brought us into the Religion in which he manifests his Presence to us we are content to wait in the Will of the Lord and may not forsake our Religion nor the Assembling of our selves together because Man saith to the contrary but walk according to the Gift of God by which only it is that true and faithful Service is performed unto him 4. Again we meet together to wait upon the Lord that our Consciences may be kept clear towards him that we may have the answer of a good Conscience towards God which if we should walk contrary to that which the Lord hath made manifest here would be shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience for so it was formerly if any forsook the Lord and his Truth after they had tasted of his good Word if they fell away from that which they had once known and professed of the Truth and Gospel of Jesus they made shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience and then they could not have the answer of a good Conscience neither had they Peace with God and what remained if they continued so but a certain fearful looking for of Judgement and fiery Indignation which will devour And therefore we knowing the preciousness of the answer of a good Conscience towards God do prize it and esteem it as a Jewel of great worth and we may not forsake the Way of the Lord wherein we have the answer of a good Conscience because of outward Force and go into that in which we should suffer Anguish and have a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and a sting in our own Consciences therefore we can put it to all who fear the Lord to judge of if it be not safe for us to abide in the Way of the Lord and to be faithful to him though we may meet with Sufferings in this World. 5. Again we meet together in the Fear of the Lord and own the doctrine of Christ to live in it because we are perswaded in the Fear and Power of the Lord God of Life who is our strength that nothing shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which we have in Christ Jesus our Lord the Love of God is so Comfortable and his Favours is so refreshing to us and the Testimony of his Spirit is so satisfactory in our Hearts that we are perswaded nothing will be able to separate us our Strength is in the Lord and he is all-sufficient to keep us through all by his mighty Power unto the end waiting upon him and abiding in his Power he is able to save to the uttermost and this were the Saints formerly perswaded off that nothing should be able to separate them from the Love of God and they met with many hardships and were oftentimse cruelly intreated and shamefully handled as the Scriptures declare yet through all the Lord was with his people and comforted their hearts in their following of him and the Love of God abounded to them and in them and they were Conquerors through him that loved them Now if any at that time denyed the Truth for fear of man or any other thing they came to suffer in their hearts and to feel sorrow in their inward man for when iniquity enters into the heart it darkens the understanding and also the creature loseth the sence of the Love of God and if there be not Repentance and a returning unto the Lord Iniquity grows more strong and love grows cold in such and the heart grows worse and worse and is hardned by degrees against the Lord and his people and then there is a separation from the Love of God and the feeling and earnest of sorrow and tribulation upon every one that doth evil therefore we are perswaded that it is safe for us to wait upon the Lord in the way which he hath made manifest unto us that so we may receive the Power to renew our strength that we may walk on in the Path of Life and nothing separate us from the Love of God which we have in Christ Jesus Shall tribulation or affliction or Principalities or Powers separate us from the Love of God Shall force by carnal weapons or Prisons cause us to deny that which God hath made manifest unto us Is there Powers against us Thrones against us well this is safe for us to abide in the counsel of God that we may always feel his Love in our hearts and if we suffer let us suffer here because of our faithfulness to the Lord If we must go to Prison let us stand in the Power of God that his Love and Life blessing and heavenly Presence may be with us Better to suffer outwardly in Prisons and Holes and have the Love and presence of the Lord with us then to disobey the Lord and walk contrary to his gift and so suffer inward anguish and sorrow of heart and some thing separate us from the Love of God and then who can speak peace to us if the Lord speak trouble but if the Lord speak peace it 's no matter though man may speak trouble though the wrath of man may rise high yet he that doth whatsoever he will in Heaven and in Earth he can make it to turn to his Praise and the rest of it he will restrain and blessed are they that have the Lord with them on their side he speaks peace to them in the midst of all his love refresheth our Hearts and so to put all out of doubt we are perswaded in the Power of the Lord that nothing will be able to separate us from the Love which we have in our Saviour and here it
before they are sent Therefore all Friends I exhort you in the Light to dwell which comprehends all such Spirits and in the savour keep having Salt in your selves that you may be able to savour and try all Spirits for there are many false Spirits gone out into the World but in the Light they are all comprehended and by it judged and condemned and all dwelling in the Light the Unity will be kept and among you there will be no Division Strife nor Contention but in it is pure Union Strife and Contention is out of the Light and ye have not so learned Christ and take heed that none of you make an Image and set up a golden Calf of that which you brought out of Egypt and fall down and worship it and so bring the Wrath of God upon you I mean take heed of your Wisdom which is from below which are your Jewels while you are in Egypt but now coming out of Egypt that Language and that Wisdom is to be forgotten and left behind and by the Light of Christ it is to be condemned and stamped upon to powder The Whirle-Wind of the Lord's wrath scatters it and so you grow up into the pure Wisdom which is from above to depart from Iniquity which is Understanding and here you will come into the fear of the Lord which will keep you in awe out of the Evil and preserve you in your Innocency and keep you in Humility out of Presumption and so the eternal love of God shield you and defend you in the day of Tryal and in the hour of Temptation and preserve and keep you in his eternal Counsel to stand and abide now and evermore Amen This is to be sent from thee to Bristol to be read amongst Friends at their Meetings Sent from the Hand of your Brother John Camm Dear Friends I Can see but little freedom from my Disease I cannot say I am any better then I was when Robert Wastfield parted with me at Banbary and though I have longing Desires to see your Faces I know not whether the Lord will afford me that opportunity or no but in his Will I stand desiring that if it be his Will I may see your Faces again but in the Light dwell and grow up into the Life and then I see you am present with you and then we can never be seperated My dear love from my very Life with my Wife 's flows out to you all who love the Lord Jesus Christ and abide in his Light and grow up in his Life where our Union is kept and truly we cannot express our Love which flows out to the Seed of God amongst you the God of Power give it deliverance that it may rejoyce over the World in you all that God over all may be exalted and his Name glorified I desire to hear from you in the Lord. Your Loving Brother John Camm To all dear Friends who Love the Light in and about Bristol Dear Friends YOu whose minds are turned towards God by the pure Light of God to wait upon the Lord in his Fear Grace and Mercy and Peace from God be multiplied in you and amongst you that you may grow and abound in the pure Life of God growing up every one of you in the particular in your own Measure having your minds stayed upon the Lord to wait upon him in singleness of heart to be taught by him every one of you walking in the Light which leads up to him there you will see the Lord present with you but going out from the pure Light the Vale is drawn and the Enemy lodgeth upon the Vale Then ariseth Doubts Fears Questions and Troubles then you will look back to that which is behind and forget the Mark which is before But dwelling in the Light and in the pure Fear of the Lord your minds will be stayed patiently to wait as new born Babes to be refreshed with the Milk of the Word and there you will know the gentle leading of the Father and the green Pasture and the still Waters and the Dew from above upon the tender Plants and watering of the Plant that you may grow as Plants of God planted into the true Vine growing in the Vine sitting under the Vine and abiding in the Vine that you may be Trees of Righteousness the planting of the Lord that God alone may be exalted in you Oh dear ones our Bowels flow out toyou and is poured out to the Lord for you we are bound unto you even with the bond of Love even the same Love as we are loved withal the same runs out freely to you and as we said to you the same we say again prize the day of your Visitation that you may know the things that belong to your eternal Peace and dwell in the Light and walk in the Light and meet together in the pure Fear of the Lord and dwell in the Love and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but reprove them and thou that reprovest must be clear or else thou judgest with that which must be judged so judge your selves first every one let self first be judged and condemned and that which judgeth and condemneth self that speak and act and reprove unfruitful works and then your fellowship will be in that which condemns self and then you will meet in the fear of the Lord and discern between the Righteous and the Wicked and know the voice of Christ and follow him and be subject to his Yoke and endure the Cross rejoyce in the Cross of Christ and minister in the Cross and have no unity with that which is out of the Cross who mind earthly things such are Enemies to the Cross such are in the Hypocrisie and in Presumption speaking high words but run before the Light and leads up into the end Therefore all dear Friends we exhort charge and command you to walk in the Light and in the Cross that you may have unity in the Life of God and that you may discern between the holy and prophane and receive not every Spirit nor believe not every Spirit In the Bowels of Love do we beseech you to walk worthy of your Calling holy is he that hath called you Holiness becomes his House for evermore let the Holy guide your mind and it will lead you into Holiness into Pureness into Meek ess into Love into Unity to watch over one another and to mind the good of one another and to be of one Heart of one Soul of one Mind all guided by one Spirit and walking in one Light all pressing on in one Way which leads to Life and so all will come to witness one Life and one Teacher and you will see the Word within and the Law within and the Fear of the Lord within which will keep your hearts clean there Wisdom will be made manifest in you and the secrets of the Lord revealed in you which secrets are revealed to Babes not
love that Light and walk in it there is no occasion of stumbling and if you hate that Light then you stumble at noon-day and there is your condemnation but loving this Light and bringing your works to this Light so far as this Light hath judged you in particular so far you may judge in general for that Judge is but one and waiting in that Light which keeps you in the Fear of the Lord waiting upon the Lord to be made partakers of the precious Faith for the Mystery of Faith is held in a pure Conscience and walking in this Light it enlightens your Consciences and Understandings walking in it you have Union one with another for the Light is but one which will discover all imagined Lights falle Worships Wayes and Churches and draw you to the Church in God the Fountain of Light and their Faith is but one which purifieth the Heart which stands in God which is a Mystery held in a pure Conscience and all who are in it are one if they be ten thousand God Almighty bless direct and keep all you that fear him how to wait upon and walk before him and be low and stand in the Counsel of God that whatsoever you do may prosper but if you go out of the Counsel of God Pride High-mindedness and Oppression and grinding the Faces of the Poor gets up now your minds being guided by that which is pure it is cross to the carnal which oppresseth the Poor in particular if it be not crost and out of it ariseth Pride if the pure Spirit of the Lord be not your guide and head and if there be no oppression within then there is none without for woe is unto him that is covered but not with the Spirit of the Lord Therefore mind every one what you are covered withal John Camm In the Year 1655. The Testimony of George Fox Concerning our Dear Friends and Brethren John Audland and John Camm who were Convinced of Gods Eternal Truth in 1652. and Received it and walked in it and Preached it WHen George Fox came to Furbanck Chapel in Westmoreland John Audland and Francis Howgil was preaching there in the morning but they Preacht freely and there came Major Boosfield and Col. Benson and they were free Preachers in Yorkshire also And in the Afternoon there was a great gathering of People more than in the Morning and so the House would not hold them and so I was moved to go upon a Mountain hard by and the People gathered to the Mountain and sat down though it was then a strange thing to have Meetings any where but in the Church so called because it was holy Ground they thought People were so ignorant then so after Sometime I stood up and said unto them That that Ground was as holy as any other and that Christ did meet upon a Mountain and by the Sea side and in Houses and so did his Apostles and Disciples and though the Jews had a Temple called holy in the old Testament and a Worship there yet Christ had ended that Temple and Worship and set up a Worship in Spirit and Truth and all the true Believers in Christ that received him and his Gospel of Life and Salvation were the true Christians and their Bodies were the Temples of God and Christ of the holy Ghost and many other weighty things were opened in that great Assembly and Many Hundreds were turned from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan to God and received the Grace and Truth that comes by Jesus and by it received Christ in their Hearts and many others precious Truths were opened to them that Day And though the Apostles went into the Jews Synagogues and Temple it was not to hold them up but to bring People off the Jews Wayes Traditions and Ceremonies to Christ the Substance for he was come and is come the same to Day as he was Yeasterday and so forever a Leader a Governour a Prophet a Bishop a Shepherd and a Priest to exercise his Heavenly Offices in his People his living Members his Church which he is the holy Head of and a King to Rule in their Hearts by Faith and as I said before many Hundreds received Gods Truth that Day and Immediately after that Christ the Son of God was revealed in them John Audland and John Camm and several others went forth and Preacht Christ and his Everlasting Gospel and John Audland went to New-Castle and there was cast into Prison for Preaching the Lord Jesus Christ and his Everlasting Gospel by the Priests and Magistrates there and hazarded his Life amongst them and after sometime he and John Camm went up and down the North and at last they went into the South and to London and Bristol and other parts and John Audland as far as Plymouth Preaching Christ and his Gospel and Mightily the Lords Power and Spirit did uphold them and carry them on over the persecuting Spirit both of the Priests and Magistrates who were in a great Rage against them that sometimes they were in hazard of their Lives but they being supported by the Lords Power that is over all especially one time when I came Prisoner out of Cornwall to Bristol there was one Paul Gwin a Baptist got into some of the Magistrates and Professours about the Year 1656. which raised the rude People and the Rabble of the City against the Meeting and John Audland their envy was so great against him that it was the Lords Hand Power that he escaped with his Life and I coming out of Prison in Cornwall that Year to Bristol I came to the Meeting in the afternoon in an Orchard where was a Multitude of People and this Paul Gwin being there the Lords Power did mightily confound him and his Company that he came there no more and John Audland stood up and Declared Gods Truth after I had done and so in the Lords Power came over him and them that would have destroyed him and these two Servants and Sons of God spent themselves in the Gospel and Service of our Lord Jesus Christ who had received Christ and he had given them Power to become the Sons of God c. And through their great Services and Labours in the Lord they spent themselves who had their Tryals and their Sufferings by Professors and Prophane some that proved false Brethren and false Apostles But the Lord gave them Dominion in his eternal Power to the last in which they finished their Testimony and dyed in the Lord and rest from their Labours and are Blessed and their Works follow them and as Christ saith He that Believes though he were Dead yet shall he Live and he that liveth and Believeth shall never Dye Joh. 11. 26. In this Life do they Live and are alive in the Spirit they that come to the Innumerable company of Angels and to the Spirits of Just men made perfect know it Kingston upon Thames the 7th of the 4th Month 1689. George Fox The TABLE THomas Camm 's Testimony concerning John Camm and John Audland Ann Camm's Testimony concerning John Audland and John Camm Charles Marshall's Testimony concerning John Camm and John Audland Charles Marshall's Testimony concerning the Vnity of the Spirit J. Camm 's Letter to O. Cromwell pag. 1. J. C 's Letter to E. V. c. p. 11. John Camm 's Letter to Friends p. 14. J. C 's Letter to Friends in Bristol p. 22. John Camm 's Epistle to Friends p. 29. To all dear Friends in about Bristol p. 40. J. C 's and J. A 's Letter to E. Pyot p. 49. Dear and loving Friends c. p. 50. J. A 's and J. C 's Letter to Friends p. 57. Mabel Benson 's Testimony concerning John Camm her Husband p. 61. J. Audland 's Letter to Friends c. p. 63. J. Audland 's Epistle to Friends p. 70. Dear and well-beloved Friends p. 76. John Audland 's Letter c. p. 84. J. Audland 's Letter to C. Marshall p. 88. A Letter to J. A. by his Wife p. 92. J. A 's Letter to Friends at Bristol p. 95. J. Auland 's Letter to Bristol p. 101. The School-Master Disciplin'd c. p. 107. An Answer to William Prynne p. 129. A Reply to W. Prynne p. 144. John Audland 's Epistle c. p. 155. An Epistle to Friends p. 163. J. A 's Letter to Friends p. 170. J. A 's Letter to a Priest p. 176. The Suffering Condition of the Servants of the Lord c. p. 184. A Question answered c. p. 244. To two or three Persons in a Family p. 252. J. C's to Friends and Brethren c. p. 255. J. A 's and J. C 's to Friends c. p. 262. Dear and Loving Friends c. p. 271. Dear and Loving Friends in the c. p. 277. Friends of God and Brethren c. p. 285. Some Particulars concerning the Law sent to Oliver Cromwell c. p. 297. George Fox 's Testimony concerning John Audland and John Camm p. 326. THE END
of deliverance to the captivated Souls and to say unto Sion that her King reigns And thus the Eternal God having fitted and furnished his dear Servant he called him forth into several parts of the Nation and the Lord appeared with him in his glory and gave him Authority in his Power even to tread upon Scorpions and to put to flight the Armies of the Alians God having given him the Tongue of the Learned to speak a word in season to the Weary and heavy Laden and Wisdom to divide that word aright which he had put in his Mouth to publish in his Name by which he became eminent in his work and service a blessing to Thousands who can bless the Lord on his behalf How great was his Travels in Soul Body and Spirit how unwearied in his Labours and how manifold his Tryals and Sufferings in full is beyond my ability to relate notwithstanding that I knew more thereof then any other living but inasmuch as my now dear Husband hath in his foregoing Testimony in part hinted at them and happily may be added to by some other in or about Bristol where his Labours Travels and Sufferings was exceeding great I shall not much endeavour to under take that work being well satisfied that whether any thing had been related thereof or no it s known to the Lord and lives in the remembrance of Thousands who can testifie to his faithful and effectual Labours in the Word and Gospel in his day and that he counted not his life dear that he might be found in the discharge of a good Conscience in that concern in the sight of God and men who are his living witnesses this day to the praise of the eternal God to whom alone belongs all the Glory for ever He was a man of an exceeding sweet disposition unspeakably loving and tenderly affectionate always ready to lend a helping hand to the weak and needy open-hearted free and near to his Friends deep in the understanding of Heavenly Mysteries willing and able to give advice and counsel to the afflicted and bowed down with whom he alwayes did sympathize in their sufferings he was abundantly filled with Love and endeared kindness to all his Brethren and fellow Labourers in the Gospel and had an honorable esteem of the least that was faithful in that work and his life was bound up in the unity and fellowship of the Spirit with them whatever would in the least appear to break that bond amongst Friends he was sharpe in the Authority of Truth against to judge the same He was greatly beloved and highly esteemed of in the Lord for his works sake notwithstanding not lifted up thereby but preserved in great humility and lamb-like lowliness never seeking to Lord over Gods Heritage but to serve the least for the Gospels sake always detesting self exaltation in whom soever it appeared His Body and outward Strength was much spent through his great Labours for several Years before the Feaver took him of which he dyed so that he under-went many wearisome nights through the exercise of a most violent Cough though he bore it with unspeakable patience and contentedness In the time of his sickness which was sharp and strong upon him after the Feaver took him so that his Sleep was taken from him for several days and nights yet he bore it also with wonderful Patience being always of an exceeding cheerful Spirit Friends daily coming to visit him in abundance from several parts he was often drawn forth in a living sweet Testimony the Lords Power and Life living with him to the great refreshment and tendering of the Hearts of many he was also exceedingly filled with the high Praises of God being as one overcome and ravished in the sence of Gods Love Joy and Peace everlasting When he grew weak he would be helped up upon his Knees and upon his bed sweetly supplicate the Lord in the behalf of Friends present and all the Lords Flock and Heritage every where that they might be preserved in his powerful Truth and out of the evil of the World and that his Truth and Gospel might be more and more spread and published to the gathering of all that appertain to Israel He was greatly afficted in the sence of my Sorrow occasioned by his great weakness which I saw daily to encrease upon him lamenting my desolate ondition to be left so Big with Child as that I was within a few dayes after his Death delivered and therefore did very wisely and tenderly comfort me withal desiring me to give him up freely ro the disposing of the Lord whose he was and enjoyed his pure peace And although it was hard to part with so dear and beleved a Husband yet the Lord strengthened me and I seeing the extremity of his Distemper to be exceeding heavy upon him and to encrease I was made willing to go to him and freely recommend him into the Hands of the Eternal Living God to dispose of him according to his divine Pleasure and unsearchable Wisdom and Counsel whether Life or Death the which added to his ease and my peace in true submission to the Will of the Lord so his Body daily weakning and his Distemper prevailing he notwithstanding being mostly kept sensible to the last continuing in Prayer and Praising the Lord often and again recommending me and his Daughter then living whom he dearly loved into the keeping of his God with Supplication that he would be an Husband to his desolate Widow a Father to his Fatherless Children he sweetly fell on sleep and finished his Course the year time by my now Husband before set down being passed into the fulness of eternal Joy which his Eye was only to and his Soul breathed for more then length of days in the enjoyment of the World or its Riches Glory Glory and eternal Praises to the Lord for ever and for evermore Amen How hard it was and how great a loss to part with so dear and tender an Husband as he was to me it being always I can truely say his joy and delight to add to my ease good and content every way especially my estate and condition being considered is far beyond what I can express the dolour of my Heart my Tongue or Pen is not able to declare yet in this I contented my self that it was the Will of the Lord and that he was taken from the evil and freed from his manifold exercises and that my loss though great was not to be compared to his eternal gain being entered into that everlasting and blessed rest with the Lord prepared in the Heavens for all the faithful Followers of the Lamb through the many Tribulations where being freed from all Pain and Sorrow and Tears being wiped away shall for ever Praise the Lord upon mount Sion Great was his joy in the prosperity of the Work of the Lord in the Hands of his Servants called thereto and who were faithful therein his Soul honoured for their
separated John Audland DEar and well-beloved Friends in the pure Love Life and Unity of the Spirit do I Salute you and Greet you in the Unity of the Spirit am I with you present and our fellowship doth endure forever walking in the Spirit and keeping the Unity of the Spirit then are we present in the Spirit But who walk after the Flesh and live in the Flesh and to the Flesh such are not present in the Spirit who lives not in the Spirit and all such Fruits will dye and wither and fade away Now my dear Friends in love and life wait in your Measure of the Spirit that you may profit and grow up in the Spirit which is pure and purifies and leads up into Purity and Holiness and Righteousness in which stands the Kingdom of God and nothing that is unrighteous can enter into that Kingdom which stands in Righteousness where the Lamb dwells who is the Light of the Holy City which is the Habitation of the Righteous where the Throne of the Lamb is exalted all Crowns cast down and the Lamb alone Reigns and they who follow him whose Garments are washed who have come thorow Tribulation who stands before the Throne singing the Song of Moses and the Lamb who are redeemed from among men Glory Glory for evermore unto him who Reigns over all who is the faithful witness who was dead and is alive and lives for evermore out of whose Mouth proceeds the two edged Sword which cuts and divides which is as a Fire and as a Hammer by which Sword the wicked is slain and none that defiles can escape it for it turns every way to keep the tree of Life and none have right to eat of the Tree of Life but they that enter in at the strait Gate and stands pure before the Throne of the Lamb from his Throne proceeds the River of living Waters where the Hungry Thirsty are refreshed and satisfied and by it the righteous man is planted his fruit shall never wither nor his leaf shall never fade but shall be as a fruitful Branch abiding in the Vine and growing in the Vine Oh my dear Friends abide and continue in that which hath called you and prize the Love of God never let his Benefits go out of your Minds dwell low and single in the Fear of God that you may be kept open and tender in Love and Unity to grow together and there am I with you in Bowels of love and tenderness God is my witness my heart Burns within me to you and my Life reacheth to the Life in you and I have great breathings in my Spirit to the Lord for you Oh let me be refreshed in your growth my well-beloved Ones in whom my Soul delighteth that we may travel on together and feed together on that which lives for evermore and gives Life for ever more be not weary neither faint in your Journey my dear and precious Ones but wait upon the Lord God and your strength shall be renewed daily and your Life refreshed daily be faithful and abide in the daily Cross of Christ endure it and the Enemies of God will be cut down by it and the residue of the Heathen will be Crucified and Christ alone Reign and all those be cut down that would not have him to Reign such are Enemies to the Cross and their end is Destruction have no fellowship with such I exhort and charge you from the Lord who is arisen in his Power to redeem Sion and to take Vengeance upon all his Enemies I am melted to melt you in pure love and tenderness I am even broken to break you the Searcher and Revealer of all Secrets bears me witness that I lve not and I am charged to charge you to abide in the daily Cross of Christ that the Just may reign that the Living God may be exalted amongst you whose name you bear And therefore what manner of Persons ought you to be Oh I even beseech you that you walk worthy of your calling in Bowels of love My dear and well-beloved Ones you bear the Name of the Living God and his Fame thorow you is spread abroad and the Dread of the Lord God takes hold upon the Heathen and now is the Lord making known his Wonders as ever was in any day his strange Act is he bringing to pass and his Work blessed are your Eyes that see and your Ears that hear and who are not offended at his coming but deny all to follow him that you may be found worthy to believe in him and suffer with him that you may Reign with him for evermore Let it not be a light thing to any amongst you that you bear the Name of the holy One but for his glory by whom you are called and whose Name you bear stand single and abide in the Life and follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth that the Heathen may be confounded and scattered who watch against you that they might say where is their God. And now are they gathering together all their Inchanters if so be they might prevail for now the day of their Torment is begun and the Voice of him that hath roared from his holy Place doth pursue them and their can be no hiding place found Terrour Wo and Misery is coming upon all the Inhabitants of the Earth let all Flesh bow and tremble before the Lord his Fire is kindled and his Sword is drawn and his Bow is bent and his Sword shall be made fat with Slain and drunk with the Blood of his Enemies the Sword is doubled that no Flesh may escape from the South to the North Because of the Tidings I am Smitten to Smite the Lion hath roared terrour terrour to all the World the day of Visitation is come the day of Redemption is come the day of Recompence is come the Jealousie of the Lord will burn like Fire and the Word of the Lord is gone forth and by his own Power shall it be fullfiled And the Vials Wrath Judgment Vengeance and the mighty Storm of Hail shall be poured upon the Heathen and who can stand when God doth this And this is his day and by his own Arm shall be performed the Righteous shall shine forever and ever and shall dwell on high their Bread shall be sure their Waters shall not fail the Just God will do Righteously and the Righteous shall not perish with the wicked the Lord hath said it The righteous ones shall be rewarded and shall Inherit the holy Mountain and lie down in the Mountain where the Lion and the Lamb lie down together and the Wrath of the Lamb is as the roaring of the Lion and all who follow the Lamb the Lion goes before them there is your strength my beloved Ones stand stedfast and be faithful and the Lord is with you and no Weapon formed against you shall prevail The mighty Power of the Lord God go along with you to keep you in his pure Power