the Civill Law if that will take hold of the offence or by some other way if nothing will satisfie you but her blood take some present course that may put an end to this great difference but if you think this be too grosse or more then the offence requires then I beseech you for the Lords sake to consider your own actings in this thing whether you do not as much as in you lyes carry on the same designe though more closly from the eyes of the world but sure before the Lord it can appear no other but the hunting after her life nay is it not more then to take off one single life at once or which is greater cruelty for a Tyrant to take a man life at once or by degrees and then your selves be judges whether your proceedings towards her be not a killing all the day long for you cannot be ignorant that she hath no livelihood amongst men but what she earns by her hands and your defaming her in this manner cannot in an ordinary way but deprive her of that and so at last bring her blood upon you if you say you acquaint none but the Saints with it that is evident to the contrary for your open publishing it in the Councell of War caused the world to take notice of it and yet your spirits rest not here truly dear friends as the evil spirit wrought in her one way when with you so consider whether the same spirit do not highly work in you at this time another way the Lord give you understanding in all things But if her life be not that which you aim at then is it these divine discoveries of life and light which God makes out to the world by her if it be so then you are to know that he is too stronge you strive with but about this I would a little quere first whether do you think that because such evils were manifest in her when with you therefore it is impossible now that any good should be brought forth by her do you not hope to grow better and better But secondly is it not Gods usuall way to manifest himself there highest where in time past he was by the evil spirit kept lowest yea doth he not suffer himself for this very end many times thus to die in appearance and to leave a soule to it self that so it may see what it is in it self and so learn to die to it self that so he may have the more glorious resurrection in that soul I beseech you for the Lord sake to consider these things as for her outward person I conceive she cares as little for it as you can therefore you may take your fill of trampling on it but I beseech you be carefull how you medle with the spirit that breaths in her for surely brethren I know not what spirit manifested it self in her while with you I am sure and I speak nothing but the truth that I have found a most divine spirit in her as far as I could discern and that which comes to the spirit and life of things and in this methinks you should rejoyce for truly I have heard many professors and professions but to my knowledge I never heard one come so near the power I do not speak this as being affected with any person party or opinion I blesse my God I am now in his strength delivered from that though some have falsly affirmed my being deluded by her but I am confident I can say with Paul and that not onely repeating the letter but in truth that those things which I have received have not been from man nor woman nor any other thing but by the meer revelation of Jesus Christ in me God manifesting himself in my own flesh and therefore they much wrong both her and me that affirm it but especially they wrong or speak a lye of that God that did it for me and because I hear it so reported amongst you I thought good to write one word to clear it that so whether you will hear or whether you will forbear the word of truth might judge you give not ear therefore to all you heare though from brethren least you be brought into a snare for since the defection of the Churches men yea good men have been such lovers of themselves and their own opinions that they will speak largely upon little ground to keep up their own glory God having not yet undone them for were they once undone men they would willingly be what God would have them however the world accounts of them there is another thing which came to my ear that it should be given into the Councel by your two witnesses that the said Mrs. Poole should say that you cast her out for difference in judgement and when Coll. Reeth and Coll. Harison asked to whom she spake it they said to some of Abington now indeed my husband said to you that he thought such a thing but when he came home and see so little ground for his thoughts I think he had but little comfort in telling you so and then brethren if you upon such slender grounds should act in this strange manner against her affirming this thing so publikely I think you have cause to be humbled for it and justly to repent of your evil I desire you to bear a little with me for truly it appears to me rather to be your rage of spirit then your true love either to her or truth for me thinks it would savour more of a true Christian spirit if you had first spoken with her and have seen what change the Lord hath wrought in her as knowing that Mary out of whom seven Devils had been formerly cast was made the first messenger of Christ Resurrection yea and she must bring it to the Apostles and not the Apostles to her You say in your letter that you left her to the judgement of the great day and I beseech you brethren do you not again take her into your own daie for truly I believe that daie in a measure hath come upon her and the Lord himself is at work with her therefore do not feare but the work will bee well done onely we as well as she must have patience in it and surely this is the confidence that I have concerning her that she hath seen evill in that estate she walked in with you and certainlie God is good to her in this shewing her what an abominable spirit of wickednesse may be hid under the greatest practices and professions of externals not that these are the cause of it no the gold and the silver is mine saith the Lord but we bestowing it upon our lovers and making our selves great with his ornaments he is fain in love to us to take us from them or they from us and so finde out a more speciall administration to perfect us in Oh the infinite riches of our God! where doth his bountie end sure his waies of love are unsearchable
and his paths of mercy in which he follows poore fallen man and poore backsliding souls are past finding out how narrow are our capacities we judge as men we may think as some did of David that there is no help for such things in God but all things in truth will be found possible with him even where they are altogether past our thoughts and conceptions and become to us impossible I beseech you therefore be perswaded to bow down to him I know you are conscious that all judgement is not committed unto you and therefore it is possible you may not judge right in this thing for truly brethren we may conceive many things even by the letter it self and yet not living in that spirit that writ the Letter we may erre I pray do not mistake me as if I would any way speak slightly of the letter farther than it speaks of it self no I blesse the Father for it and by sweet experience can say that I was never so confirmed in it now the Lord hath drawn me to him out of it even in that spirit that wrought it I am for the conscionable use of it but I would not abuse it I am sure those men that would set it above the spirit can hardly free themselves from that thing I hope therefore you will not count it your excellency to walk in the letter but rather desire the Lord to perfect you in that spirit that writes the letter for then and never but then shall we be able to walk by right and speak of the letter truly I have not yet acquainted my husband with your letter I shall wait upon God what answer to receive from you for truly dear brethren upon serious deliberation I know not how to approve my selfe faithfull in the eies of God to my brethren here if I should deliver it for God having put it into my hand I must also see clearnes from him before I part with it for though blessed be the father we have a sweet hopefull people amongst us that wait upon God and have fellowship one with another yet whether they may digest such things as you write of I really question therefore it would be unfaithfulnes in me if I apprehending an evil to them or any other should not as much as in me lies prevent it and this I shall do by detaining the Letter till further manifestation from God what to do with it do not judge me in this thing I beseech you I have one Judge even the Lord and he that put it into my hand will at length clear my integrity in it I have nothing to doe for my self in it the Lord knows onely How I may approve my selfe faithfull to men in the Lord and for the Lords sake your desire I exceedingly like that we may be kept from errors and the Lord keepe us from all errors but who must shew us what errour is but the God of truth himselfe wee have lived in error and have suckt them in from our cradles and yet who will speake so much against error as wee stating our selves still in the truth my sweet friends the day of truth is but now dawning upon us and how is it opposed yea by those that are children of truth in their measure yet wee have all looked for it and prayed together for it a long time but truly now wee will not own our prayers but turne away our face from our Saviour because hee comes not in such a garb as we imagined he would when we know it s his prerogative to cloath himselfe with what flesh orgarment he pleases bretheren what would you have doe you not know that a glorious day hath beene spoken of ever since the Prophets and the Apostles Though the day was dawned upon them yet they bid their hearts not to be terrified as if that day were neare for saith he there must be a falling away first and that wicked one be revealed notwithstanding Peter tould them that he was a partaker of that glory that should bee afterwards revealed however saith he you have a sure word of Prophesie to which yee doe well to take heed as if he had said brethren wee have beene with the Lord in the mount and have beheld that excellent glory but yet to you that have not so seene Christ there is a more sure word of Prophesie for visions and revelations doe most especially confirme and strengthen those that have them but here is a word that is spoken to all and is as a light shining in a darke place therefore you doe well to take heed to it till the day dawne and the day Star arise in your owne hearts and you be swallowed up with that glory that now you expect and wait for onely know this that no private spirit can understand these Scriptures that speake of that day it must be the spirit of God alone let us cease from our own Spirits therefore for they are selfish and private bound up to this and that and so it would confine God also but his Spirit is as large as himselfe it s without bonds it s neither here nor there distinct but it is individually every where But that which I desire you to consider from these Scriptures is that this day of falling away hath beene and all the world hath wandred after the beast since the Apostles time therefore how neare may we expect our glory wee should not be troubling our selves therefore still with falling a way but now looke for a rising for sure man hath his day and now the Lord will have his day now seeing this day of the Lord must have a dawning and some Disciples may bee taken up into the Mount before other some it should teach us not to judge our brethren that speake of higher injoyments then we have for wee being behind should rather judge our selves seeing we are more in the day of man and acknowledge our selves so to bee still looking for and hastening to the day of God in which wee may act selfe nor selfishly no longer but our God may bring forth his owne righteousnesse in us and truly brethren you may bee satisfied in this that wee are verily industrious to keepe our selves from error but wee know that in his strength wee shall bee perfected and when himselfe comes and speakes then shall we know that it is hee and truly bretheren I would not have you infidels but believing this day hath taken some unawares and though many may have it in notion yet I am sure that some have it in power I have one thing more to you concerning your Letter and truly I cannot but wonder at it that is how you durst so peremptorily to judge the woman that shee brought a delusion for a vision of God I beseech you consider seriously before the Lord whether you are sure that it was so or no before you make it so publike and send it forth with the authority of a Church surely friends you
will much abuse the authority of your Church in affirming mere supposition for truth the Lord be pleased to open your eys in this thing it may be your father in mercy desires a little to plead with you by a weake Instrument and therefore put the letter into my hand that so he might put some stop to your furious driving truly I can looke upon it no other wayes therefore willingly meet your God in this mercifull act towards you for if you doe not the dumb Asse next time may reprove you I confesse soules I am the weakest of all a poore undone soule in my selfe the Lord alone take all the glory yet if I may bee usefull as being one of the body in keeping you from doing greater evils I shall be willing and rejoyce though I goe under never so great an odium my selfe for sure freinds account of me how you will I am one of you and tenderly affect you and in this thing would have God truly exalted For this grace is given me to love truth under any appearance though indeed that may sometimes appeare to men to bee truth which I cannot close with but I mean any appearance that my God comes in and I hope shal be more and more perfected in it and indeed it is sweet to mee that he hath given me through mercy to know his voyce from a stranger it may be the world may judge me for it because it comes not in their form but I shal rest in the Lord wel brethren if you see mercy to you in that which the Lord hath spoken by me receive it and rejoyce in him it may be I may prove to you as Abigail did to David keep you from shedding blood from avenging your selves with your owne hand the Lord shew us therefore what that scripture meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifices there be many things in the letter of the scripture which we through weaknes may think to be sacrifices as the Pharisees did when God abhors it and will have none of it in such a time as he cals for mercy therefore hee bids us learn what that meaneth we may have it and read it and speak it but to learn the inside of it learn what it meaneth will be our comfort and our Crown and truly my dear friends I am perswaded that this is a time in which mercy is required of us towards our Sister and not such sacrifices If you please to send me a word of an answer leave it with M. Calvert at the Black spred Eagle at the West end of Pauls I do not think it fit as yet that you acquaint my husband with it not for unlawfulnesse sake but conveniency for surely brethren I am not willingly carryed to give you or him or any one offence onely as the Lord manifests it to be his will and then I must leave Father and mother and all and cleave to him Let me have your answer as soon as you can but I beseech you do not answer me but the Lord and then see how you can justifie your selves in him therefore shall I wait for it and dear souls though I am nothing and can doe nothing in my self yet I beseech you do not reject any word of truth love and sincerity that God sends by my hand Job saith He did not reject the cause of his Maid servant when it came before him though the word said they contended with him I can give you more satisfaction if you please how I came by the letter I am sure it was unexpected by me onely the Lord would have it so and therefore all your care must serve the Lords designes to bring it to my hand when my husband was not in town do not therefore look upon me but look to the Lord and use me as kindely as Job did his servant reject not my cause for surely it is not mine I leave you to the Lord in whom I desire rightly to guide you in this thing and am Your sincere loving Sister and servant from the greatest to the meanest of you T. P. Abington â—6 March 1649. Errata in Alarum Page 4. line 1. for have done read have done to be righteous pag. â— li. 27. for and your r. but you your p. 7. l. 5. for are r. were 〈…〉 l. 14. for as appeareth for r. as appeareth in that l. 2. 〈…〉 r. call the l. 22. for call the r. call it the p. 9 l. â—2 〈…〉 taken viz. l. 24. for say r. said p. 11. l. 7. for e are r. yee are 〈◊〉 l. 15. for the sea r. these