when you are waiting in it, when your hearts and minds are gathered into it, when in the strength of it you are travelling, feel me, when it runs from the fountain into your vessel, when it issues gently, like new wine, into your bosoms, when the strength and power of it you feel, when you are overcome with the strength of love, which is God, then feel me present in the fountain of love, wherein are many mansions. You children of the Lord, feel me wrapt up with you in the pure love, which destroys the love which is in enmity with God, which warreth against the seed, which proceedeth from the Father of Love, the God of Truth. Let nothing separate you from this love, which is my life; neither words, nor thoughts, nor 'nothing else, enter betwixt which is contrary to it, for it will stain the place of its abode. So, dear children, who are begotten by love into the covenant of life and love, keep daily in it; this is the portion that God hath given to His children, to continue in His love, which is the life of the seed, which is raised by the power of the endless love of God in the creature. I am full of the quickening power of the Lord Jesus Christ, and my lamp is filled with pure oil, so that it gives a clear light and pleasant smell; and I shall enter with my beloved into eternal peace and rest, wherein I am swallowed up; with the life of it I am filled, and in it I shall depart with everlasting joy in my heart, and praises in my mouth, singing hallelujah unto the Lord, who hath redeemed me by His living power from amongst kindreds, tongues, and nations. And now the day of my departure draweth near; I have fought a good fight, I have kept the holy faith, I have near finished my course, my travelling is near at an end, my testimony is near to be finished, and an eternal crown is laid up for me, and all whose feet are shod with righteousness and the preparation of peace, even such whose names are written in the Book of Life, wherein I live and rejoice with all the faithful seed for evermore. Written by a servant of Jesus Christ.

This was given forth the 23d day of the Eighth month, 1659, at Boston, in New England, and he suffered the 27th of the same month.

WILLIAM ROBINSON.

A call from death to life, and out of the dark ways and worships of the world, where the seed is held in bondage under the merchants of Babylon.

Oh, you my dear neighbours and people in the town of Shipton, Wighton, and elsewhere, where this may come, who have long been spending your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which doth not satisfy, as I have done, oh, "come buy wine and milk without money and without price," while it is held forth to you, lest the day come that you be deprived of it; for long hath the Spirit of the Lord been striving with you, as it did with me, but you have resisted it time after time, because it testified against you, when you went on in sin, and reproved in secret for the evil of your doings, therefore you do not regard it, but fly from it. So, in bowels of tender love to you all do I speak, and in love and pity to your souls; prize the love of God, and His tender mercy and forbearance to you, that He did not cut you off in the height of your iniquity, but hath spared you until this day, though you have long taken pleasure in sin, not regarding God that made you; yet hath His Spirit been striving with you many days and years, as it did with me, and hath reproved you time after time, for the evil of your doings; but you regarded it not, though it often called on you, in love and meekness, to depart from your iniquity, and that which you have been addicted to; it hath reproved and called you that have been addicted to drunkenness, lying, and swearing, to depart from these things, for they are evil; and it hath called upon you that are proud and covetous, to depart from them, and hath reproved you, that have been wild and wanton, and given to sports and pleasures, to depart from them, and run on no longer in vanity; but you did not regard it, but took pleasure in sin. Oh, consider, dear neighbours and people, what you have been doing ever since you came to years of maturity, and let the witness of God in you all, which is faithful and true, arise and answer, and it will let you see that you have provoked the Lord, and vexed His righteous

soul from day to day, and have pressed Him with your sins and iniquities, as a cart is pressed with sheaves; yet hath He borne it with patience, and hath suffered long, not willing that you should perish and die in your sins; but still He hath waited year after year upon you, to be gracious to you; but you have refused to return and hearken to His call and counsel, but have run on in the broad way. As your forefathers have done, so do ye, and follow their customs and traditions, which are vain, and will not profit you at all in the day of the Lord, when He comes to call you to an account how you have spent your time; so consider, and lay it to heart, before the evil day come upon you, lest the Spirit of the Lord cease striving with you; for verily the day is coming on apace, that the Spirit of the Lord will cease striving with man, who puts the day of God far from him; then will it be said, "He that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still." So, dear friends and people, young and old, prize your time, while you have it, and do not slight the counsel of the Lord any longer, lest the day of your visitation, which cannot be called again, pass over your heads at unawares; and, as I said before, spend your money no longer for that which is not bread, in following diviners of lies, for they cause you to err and go astray, by their lies and by their lightness, like sheep without a shepherd. For they are blind watchmen, which lead you out of the way, like troops of robbers, to devour you, and make merchandise of your souls, as they did upon me and thousands besides, whom the Lord had delivered, as birds out of the fowler's net; so, being escaped from them, we see their deceit and subtle hypocrisy, which long hath lodged in them, and therefore we cannot but declare against them, because they are seen to be such as devour widows' houses for dishonest gain, and make a prey upon you, as they have done upon us; for they seek their gain from their quarter, and feed themselves with the fat, and clothe themselves with the best of the wool, as the false prophets did of old, which the true prophets declared against; and with the same light that the true prophets saw the false prophets of old, do we see these priests in this gen

estates.

eration, for their fruits make them manifest what trees they are; for they sue men at the law for tithes, and take them by force, like false prophets; and they prepare war against those who cannot put into their mouths for conscience' sake, and with cruelty and oppression cause their goods to be taken from them, to satisfy their wills and greedy desires. So they make themselves manifest to be of that generation, and to walk in their steps, that the true prophet spake of, who were greedy, dumb dogs, that can never have enough, as thousands do witness at this day; and you may see it to be so with the priests of this generation, for in Balaam's steps they are walking, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, as they do in this generation, but they exceed him in cruelty; for though he loved it, he did not sue for it; but these priests do in this generation, of which I am a witness, and thousands besides, who have suffered by them, to the spoiling of their goods and Oh, it is seen, it is seen in this our day, that the filthy and abominable thing is committed in the land, as it was of old, the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and the people love to have it so. "But what will you do in the end thereof?" saith the Lord Almighty, for they have daubed you up with untempered mortar, and are physicians of no value to you; for they have long been sewing pillows under your arm-holes, and have spoken smooth things to you, in healing that in you which is for destruction, and seeking to kill that which should live, that so they might rule over you, as kings in the earth; and you to worship the beast and his image, who is making war with the Lamb; but the day of their downfall is at hand, and the Lamb shall have the victory, and rule and reign in His people for ever and ever; for now He is arisen in the power of His spirit, with great dominion and authority, to slay the wicked, and cut down His enemies that resist Him in His way. And they that will not have Him to reign over them must fall before Him, who is our head, who will render vengeance in flames of fire upon all His enemies. So, dear people, be awakened, and stand up to judgment, and live no longer in carelessness and carnal security, but own the light of Christ to be your guide; for a

measure of it is given to every one of you to profit withal; and it is nigh you, in your hearts and in your mouths,, the Word of Faith which is able to save your souls; so all take heed to it, that by it you may be quickened and revived again out of your fallen estate, wherein you lie, by reason of your transgressions, which have made a separation between you and your Maker; and verily I say unto you, except ye be regenerate and born again, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. So, dear people, young and old, I speak to you all as one, consider how you have spent your time, and let a true search pass through you all, that you may see whom you have been serving all your time; "for servants you are to whom you do obey." So, dear people, be not deceived, for God will not be mocked; such as you sow, such you must reap from the hand of the Lord, and receive according to your deeds, whether they be good or evil, who will give a reward to every man according as his works shall be; for He is a God that will not wink at wickedness, nor let the transgressor go unpunished; to whom "every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess," who created heaven and earth, whom we serve and worship, who is our Lord and king, and captain of our salvation; our leader and guider, and our preserver night and day; our mighty and strong one, the mighty God of Israel is His name, the Wonderful Counsellor and Prince of our Peace, whose presence is with us, to the confounding of our enemies that rise up in opposition against us; for He who is our life goes before us, to tread down our enemies under His feet, who is terrible to the wicked, and all that forget Him must be turned into hell, where the worm dies not, and the fire never goes out; the swearer and the liar must go thither; that is their portion; the drunkard and the whoremonger must go thither; the proud and the covetous cannot escape the damnation of hell; and all they that live Dives-like must partake of Dives' torment, which is coming upon them, from which they cannot escape nor fly; and all such must go into the lake with the beast and the false prophet, which have long borne rule by their means in England, and in the nations abroad, "For they have devoured my flock and the sheep of my pasture," saith the Lord Almighty,