was wonderfully with them in this Dispensation that very many came off from the barren Mountains and out of the sandy Deserts and were here refreshed without Money without Price and the Bread was broken freely to the Hungry and Water given freely to the Thirsty And not only so but likewise our Vessels were filled with the same whereby our Hearts were made glad and caused the Springs of Life to break forth out of our Bellies and the Bread of Life to dwell within us that we needed not to go forth out of our own Houses having an Holy Anointing within us to supply the wants of our Souls and lead us into aâ—â— Truth And the Lord did daily add unto the Church and raised up many to go forth in the Power to Preach the Everlasting Gospel whereby the Church multiply'd and encreased to the astonishment of the Nations How low and humble were they in their Spiritâ— how few were they in Words Their yea was yea and their nay nay Ah! let me take up a Lamentation How are the Mighty fallen How have the Stars ceased to give their Light How are the Poor distressed and the Young Ones bruised by the High Mountains and Lofty Cedars whose Habitations were once in Heaven but now upon the High Places of the Earth to impose upon the Conscience and to Establish an Arbitrary Power by a Law these are the armed Beasts and the many Antichrists which break the Unity in Spirit and the Bond of Peace This brings in Divisions causeth Differences contentions and Emulations It roots up the good and eats as doth a Canker whereby the Unity is divided and the Peace broken But the Unity that the Lord approves of is for every one to act acâ—ording to his measure and growth in the Truth All are not strong therefore all cannot be in the â—â—me Exercise no more than a Child can be found 〈◊〉 the Exercise of a Man So that the disuniting-Spiâ—it doth not barely lie in being of another Mind â—nd Judgment but in the imposing of its Judgâ—ent and Practice which appears plainly by Paul â—â—o clearly judged that the ground of the Diffeâ—â—nces in the Church lay very much in the judging â—â—e another in Meats and Drinks c. It 's the great Promise of the Father in these latter â—ays That he will write his Laws in our Hearts â—â—d put his Spirit into our inward Parts to lead us â—â—to all Truth and out of all appearances which â—â—s Spirit manifests in us to be in the Imitation â—nd after the Traditions of Men. Is it then reasonable for the Spiritual Man to be â—ound in the practice of doing before a Law writâ—en but rather wait at the Feet of Jesus till God â—eveals And he that walks according to this Rule 〈◊〉 all know his Doctrine and be led to behold his â—lory and Witness an Unity in Spirit with his â—rother though in a different Exercise How doth this differ from the World's and the â—â—xoman-Unity which is to yield subjection to 〈◊〉 Order of the Body so called though no â—anifestation within And this Unity they glory 〈◊〉 by this is their Kingdom upheld from this they â—â—e able to boast Who is able to make War with 〈◊〉 Who can stand before us Do not all fall that â—â—ve risen up against us Are not these the high â—elling Words of proud Babel whose towring thoughts must be abased Whose practice hath been to Crush the Tender Ones in their Bodies Souls and Spirits This Language hath minâ— Ears heard this practice hath mine Eyes seen to the grief and wounding of my Soul This combined Unity I have no pleasure in its Nature is known by its Image its Birth by the exercise of its Power My Friend Observe What difference is there in these things between George Fox and the Papists The one saith No Liberty out of the Church The other No Liberty out of the Power Saith the Papist What Liberty to the Sectary No What Liberty to the Heretick No. And George Fox saith What Liberty to the Presbyter No What Liberty to the Independant No What Liberty to the Baptist No. Liberty saith he is in the Truth The difference lies only here The one hath greater Power to compel than the other The Papists say Believe as the Church Believes So likewise saith G. Fox But I say Nay I am not to believe a thing barely because the Church believes it but because it 's manifested in me else 〈◊〉 am to wait till God Reveals it I was told the abovesaid by two there present The Church of Rome claims a Power of Excommunication of them that will not submit to their decent and comely Order though in it self the thing be meerly Circumstantial Ceremonial or as they term it indifferent and their reason is It Judgeth the Power and smites at the Authority and say they it 's an Inlet to Division and thereby is Unity violated Behold a resemblance thereof it hath been often said unto me The Hat is nothing but it is out of the comely Order it judgeth Friends who are in the Power who testifie against it and it breaks the Unity and therefore we cannot suffer such to Marry or Bury nor to partake of any Priviledge as a Member of the Body and this is in the substance Excommunication For Excommunication chiefly lies in a Man's being deprived of the Benefits and put out of the Protection of the Law as also from being a Member of the Church The Severity is the same with us for where â—ould I Marry or Bury if we were an intire Nation Or how can I take a Wife without a Witness Or how can I have a Witness if to be one is lyable to the same Misery Selected Bodies ought to be found in the Exercise of Moderation Tenderness and Mercy as if they were a Nation I always find when once such put forth their Hands to afflict for Conscience sake as their Power groweth strong so doth their Oppression But perhaps they would say We do not eject for Conscience sake but because of an obstinate Will which opposeth Friends The Papists justifie themselves by saying of the same I remember a Judge likewise made the same reply when a Friend mentioned Conscience Certainly it cannot be an Evil in one and Right in the other no more than it is Cruelty in the Papists Persecutions and Just in the Protestants It will be a noble Example in those that stand upon the Advantage-ground to Act in Moderation Tenderness and Mercy And although it is the Policy of the World's Churches c. under a pretence for Unity not to hear the tender Conscience yet the Church of Truth will and where they are found will account them as Brethren and not to think it a sufficient ground to refuse them after Admonition if they persist but to wait till God perswades them And this is the Royal Law of Liberty the other is the Yoke of Bondage from which we are not to be entangled after the
Traditions of Men. This great Charter of Liberty is violated and greatly broken in many particulars If I have a Cause before the Elders but especially if I am a Dissenter it 's frequently urg'd give it to Friends if I do not a farther Snare is offered namely Dost thou believe Vs to be in the Power of God If I say Yea then What wilt thou not leave it to the Power of God in Friends Thou art in confusion to believe Vs to be in the Power and yet durst not trust to the Judgment of the Power To my knowledge this is a capital Crime accounted What greater Usurpation can there be than this to claim my Right from me into their Breasts For though the Elders may be preserved in the Power this Year or Season they may apostatize from the Truth and yet claim the same Prerogative over my Propriety hereby a Tyranny may be entail'd upon my self by laying of such a Foundation A most incomparable Instance is the Church of Rome who was in the Power and Glory of God howbeit through Pride she lost it yet gain'd through Subtilty the Prerogative before mentioned to give up unto her Judgment and to believe as she believes to the Destruction of many thousands So that it clearly appears the Spirit that claims such a Power under pretence of being in the Power is the Spirit of Exaltation and I know that those Persons that have been most confident in the claim under the same pretence have committed great mistakes and thereby Truth hath been depressed and Error cherished I suppose I may affirm that in all Ages Truth hath not been persecuted as Truth but as Error I could instance that many in the great Assemblies in London have not only been dissatisfied with the rest of their Brethrens Actings though they made use of the Name of the Lord. Both these cannot be right yet both claim the same Power in Judgment Otherwhiles submit through fear unto the Judgment of the more eminent though it doth not at all correspond with their understandings If one part of the Body be liable to mistakes why not the other And if the Spirit as they are a Body is to be Judge and Determiner of Things by what Spirit shall I know which is in the right How needful is it therefore to be joyned to our own in the particular considering how lyable man is to err â—â—a in petty Matters And I know an Oppressive â—ct done by a Select Body having Power is by cry few clearly discerned but when done by a â—rivate Person every weak-sighted Man can then â—iscover it to be an Oppressive Act And so the evil â—ctions of Great Ones are judged less Criminal and the Persons less Faulty than in Justice they â—â—ght to be The Churches of Men are still setting up themâ—â—lves one above another but the Assemblies of the â—â—e Church are all equal having Christ the Light â—â—ally present with and in them and therefore Friends of one place cannot say they have Power over Friends in another place seeing all may be â—â—able to have Christ the Light alike in and among them else Christ his Spirit in several place should be above and under themselves But Chriâ—â— in each Assembly of the Faithful is their Heaâ— and this Head they do not leave to set up a flesh Head to themselves whether it consists of one many of them seeing Antichrist doth as stronâ— invade Christ's Headship in many as in one Maâ—â— in a Councel as in a Pope in George Fox and 〈◊〉 Body as either This Spirit of Antichrist in G. Fox c. would wrest from me what I am not willing to part withal to wit my Conscience under no less Penaâ—â— than Excommunication which is as far as them lies the loss both of Heaven and Eartâ— of Heaven by Excommunication of Earth 〈◊〉 Deprivation and this without Redemptioâ— unless complying with his or their Will aâ— Pleasure and for no other cause than for 〈◊〉 omittance of a very small Ceremony which 〈◊〉 hold necessary to Salvation like the Circumcisâ—â— of old who Preached Vnless they were Circumeâ—â—â— they could not be Saved But perhaps they will 〈◊〉 We do not Excommunicate thee yet we canâ—â—â— own thee in thy Error I answer It 's one thâ—â—â— not to own a Man in a particular and anotâ—â—â— thing so to disown him as wholly to exclude 〈◊〉 from Protection For if I am once accepted of a Member and after cast off as not being a Membeâ— I shall leave it to the Sober what to call it Perhapâ— they will say This casting off was not for the thing as indeed it hath been said unto me but for tâ—â— Contempt I may rather say Sure the greater the â—ruelty to lay an Injunction upon so small a matter â—â—at draweth after it so deep a Censure as to cast 〈◊〉 man out of the Church Suppose a Magistrate â—â—d command a trivial matter some Ceremony or â—â—her under pain of Treason and should proceed â—gainst the Infringers of this Command as Traiâ—ors it were much to be doubted whether the â—ommand did not partake more of Cruelty than â—â—e Disobedience of Contempt For where Auâ—â—ority shall so far lose it self as to lay so great a â—eight upon so small a matter it rendreth it self â—ontemptible and then it 's no marvel if it be conâ—â—mned having made it self contemptible What â—ill our Lord do unto these that shall be found beatâ—â—g their Fellow-servants and driving them from â—â—eir Dwellings Again whosoever squares his Actions in things â—â—gious by the Spirit 's requirings he is a bad â—â—â—rit c. Whosoever would be governed by the â—â—at Law To do as he would be done unto he is 〈◊〉 of the Truth He that will not do what others â—ould have him to do he is wilful stubborn and â—â—stinate If the Body saith It is to be so or not so tho' two thirds of them are otherwise minded 〈◊〉 are silent and if it shall happen for one to â—â—ose the thing with much moderation and the 〈◊〉 two thirds shall in their spirits unite with him 〈◊〉 notwithstanding a few of the combined Elders 〈◊〉 bring him to the Bar and unless he will own â—ondemnation Judgment shall pass against him â—â—th such an imperious Authority that the others â—re not open their mouths so that their arbitrary Commands they can impose upon their Fellow-Members They proceed further saying He that will not submit to the Body opposeth God and 〈◊〉 Truth And they make the Body the Touch-stonâ— saying This is according or not according 〈◊〉 Truth as the Body hath Unity or not Unity with it and so by this practice the Spirit of the Lord is to be tryed and judged by the Body This 〈◊〉 two parts to deprive us of the Law of the Spirâ—â— and to bring in a tyrannical Government it woâ—â—â— lead us from the Rule within to subject us 〈◊〉 Rule without It is asserted in Print that if I believe the Light within me directs me to a
good Friends â—â—t others though exemplary in their Conversations who cannot yield and comply against 〈◊〉 light in their Consciences to some of their proâ—ings are subject to their Jealousie Censure 〈…〉 an Ejection In days past the Lord raised up a Moses to 〈◊〉 Ruler and Leader to his People Israel who 〈◊〉 then under Types Figures and Shadows and 〈◊〉 Lord spake to his People by his Servant Moses But another Administration more glorious is eâ—â—blished to wit The Dispensation of the Soâ—â—â— God whom Moses prophesied of who speakâ— from Heaven who is the end of all Figure Types and Shadows he who is the substance of 〈◊〉 Types c. is now the Great Captain and Leaâ—â— of his People makes use of and lays by what â—â—struments he pleaseth reveals his Mind sometime to one sometimes to another without respect 〈◊〉 Persons or Bodies as he pleaseth That there may 〈◊〉 no glorying but in the Lord He abaseth the proâ—â— and exalteth the humble hides his mind from 〈◊〉 High and Mighty from the Wise and Prudent 〈◊〉 reveals himself unto Babes and therefore he neâ—eth not a Fox nor a Body to conveigh his 〈◊〉 unto his People he being himself their Teach 〈◊〉 and hath planted his Laws in their Hearts and â—â—ven them an holy Anointing to know the Spirit of Truth from the Spirit of Error And albeit the Kings of the Earth exercise Lordship and Authority over their People yet it oughâ— not to be so among the Disciples of Christ being 〈◊〉 Brethren But for the greatest to be well contented to serve in the meanest employment if the Loâ—â— requires it as to be served to hearken and suâ—â—â—â— to the Voice of his Spirit in the least Babe 〈◊〉 in the greatest or as in the Body And I affirm the Lord did not raise them up to â—ring us off from the barren Mountains to feed â—pon them who are now become a Deâ—art nor â—â—om under our Oppressors to turn Oppressors themselves Let them remember the Army it is â—â—eir Figure and if the Lord's anger waxed hot against them for their Unfaithfulness what will be â—â—e Portion of these who have so deeply Apostaâ—zed fram clearer Manifestations Many of the most Eminent have had potent Imâ—â—â—ses to give forth solid and sound Arguments or Liberty of Conscience and have pleaded â—â—ongly for the same yet George Fox was heard to 〈◊〉 in a selected great Assembly thus Though many friends have writ for Liberty of Conscience I never â—â—â—d the Word it is not a good Word no Liberty to the Presbyterians no Liberty to the Papists no Liberty to the Independants no Liberty to the Baptists 〈◊〉 Liberty is tâ—â—e only in the Truth and saith 〈◊〉 no Liberty out of the Power In Answer unâ—â— this Truth gives Liberty unto the weak yet 〈◊〉 weakness in the Truth Since the Spirit is withdrawn they do greatly â—oast the Power is as much and as fresh as ever it so they would be more refreshed with it and 〈◊〉 with Sleep in their Assemblies and their Unity as entire as ever Yet verily sharper Contentions 〈◊〉 seldom found amongst any People To prove his I will set down two notable Examples it is between four famous and eminent Elders First Tho. Salthouse and John Balton T. S. bâ—â—â—g a man of some Moderation and Tenderness used his endeavours to beget a Reconcilement between the Practicers and Forbearers of the Hat in Prayer and to receive each other as Brethren though they differ in that particular thing but that high and hot-spirited Elder J. B. called him false Prophet reputed him worse than the Forbearers and opposed his Ministry untill with much ado a Reconcilement was made by a condescention on both parts The other is between G. Fox and Sam. Newton who being a man of some Honesty and Cleanness in his Spirit was against having of a Person to Act in their behalf as in relation to Sufferings whose Conversation Preached not Righteousness but G. F. opposed him with so much wrath and violence that some there present thought he would have strucken him he being a person so rightâ— qualified and accomplished for George's Interest Such is the swelling Pride of this Luciferian that he gave forth a Paper That his Marrirge with Margaret Fell was a Figure of the Marriage between Christ and the Church I may more justly believe it to be a Figure of the great Apostacy from the Truth and barrenness in the Truth He likewise declared That his Marriage was above the state of Adam in his Innocency in the state of the second Adam who never fell This Paper was so ill Resented and so much dislik'd that it was called in again and a rare thing it was to get a sight there of albeit through an accident I had a View of it The abovesaid Samuel Newton and John Bolton to give them their due have not taken a little Pains Labour and Travel to bring to Light and to Judgement such unheard of Practises of beastly wantonness and filthy uncleanness that it is hard to believe the excess thereof But John Bolton hath or had a Confession in Writing from one or two of the Female Persons concern'd of the Debauched Actions to declare the truth thereof yet notwithstanding they met with such great Obstructions and Opposition that they cannot accomplish a thorow Examination of it because it toucheth many Eminent Ones in the Ministry who from day to day resorted unto them and giving them these Appellations Innocent Lasses and Daughters of Sion Sometimes it comes to pass that two approved of in the Ministry will oppose and Judge each other in publick Assemblies in the Name of the Lord but to prevent the evil effects therof the next day Persons shall be appointed to declare the Greatness of their Unity and the Oneness in their Spirits But least there should be a misapplication of what I have Written when I express the Body I do declare my meaning is The Second Days Meeting at Devonshire-house with some other Principals in other Countries who are their Abettors and not the whole Body of the People called Quakers for I am assured and well know that very many have not bowed to this Golden Image with whom my Soul hath Unity and with whom I am Refreshed And moreover I meet with many who will freely open their Hearts to me with grieved and sorrowful Spirits to behold what Domineering and what partial Judgment is practised what Severity and Tyrany is Exercised at this Meeting but especially against Dissenters But say they it is out of our Power to Redress it until God doth Change their Hearts or give 〈◊〉 more Power reckoning themselves at present toâ— weak to grapple with these Goliah's unless thâ—â— little Stone be given them to smite them on their Foreheads or Words to this purpose Let us trust in the Lord and wait upon him with patience in Faith which overcomes the World that he will thresh the Mountains and rebuke the High and Mighty who are Exalted above their Measures and exalt his Truth over all that Justice and Righteousness may flow as a River to the rejoycing of his Oppressed People and to the Praise and Glory of his Name for ever From a deep Mourner in Israel to behold how the Earth is filled with Violence and the Righteous Seed Oppressed Dear Friend It hath pleased the Lord to raise thee up to bear a Testimony against an Adulterous Tyrannical and an Hypocritical Generation let the Word of the Lord therefore have a free passage in and through thee and Consult not with Flesh and Blood Watch against the Enemy lest he darken thy Understanding that thou canst not distinguish between the Precious and the Vile Mix not thy own Thoughts with the Motions of the Spirit keep in the Fear and in the Humility that an exalted Spirit may be kept out Build thy House upon the Rock of Ages and stand in the unchangeable without wavering that thy Conversation may be without Blemish thy Judgment withot Error and thy Love unto the Truth without Dissimulation Be Faithful unto the Lord's Requirings that Disobedience may not enter Rember the Root bears the Tree and the Tree the Branches if the natural Branches were cut off through unbelief and thou with thousands grafted in be not high minded but fear From a Little hidden One of the Flock of Jesus