ther the Word of Confolation, and all by the fame
Spirit and in the good Order thereof, to the Convin-.
cing and Edifying of many.

And truly, they waxed Strong and Bold through

Faithfulness, and by the Power and Spirit of the Lord

Jefus became very Fruitful; thousands, in a fhort

time, being turned to the Truth through their Tefti

mony in Miniftry and Sufferings, infomuch as in moft

Counties, and many of the confiderable Towns of

England, Meetings were fettled, and daily there were

added fuch as fhould be faved. For they were Dili

gent to Plant and to Water, and the Lord bleffed.

their Labours with an Exceeding great Increase, not-

withstanding all the oppofition made to their bleffed

Progrefs, by falfe Rumors, Calumnies and bitter Per

fecutions; not only from the Powers of the Earth,

but from every one that lifted to injure and abufe

them: So that they feemed indeed to be as poor Sheep

appointed to the Slaughter, and as a People killed all

the Day long.

It were fitter for a Volume than a Preface, but fo

much as to repeat the Contents of their cruel Suffer:
ings from Profeffors as well as from Prophane, and
from Magiftrates as well as the Rabble, that it may
well be faid of this abufed and defpifed People, they
went forth Weeping and fowed in Tears, bearing Te
ftimony to the Precious Seed, the Seed of the Kingdom,
which ftands not in Words, the Fineft, the Highest
that Man's Wit can ufe, but in Power; the Power
of Chrift Jefus, to whom God the Father hath given
all Power in Heaven and in Earth, that he might rule
Angels above, and Men below; who impowred them,
as their Work witneffeth, by the many that were turned
through their Miniftry from Darkness to the Light,and
out of the Broad into the Narrow Way, bringing Peo
ple to a Weighty, Serious and Godly Converfation; the
Pradice of that Do&rine which they Taught.

And as without this Secret Divine Power there is
no Quickning and Regenerating of dead Souls, so the

b

want

want of this Generating and begetting Power and Life, is the Caufe of the little Fruit that the many Miniftries that have been, and are in the World bring forth. O that both Minifters and People were fenfible of this! My Soul is often troubled for them, and Sorrow and Mourning compass me about for their Sakes. O that they were Wife, O! that they would confider, and lay to Heart the things that truly and fubftantially make for their lafting Peace.

A

Two things are to be briefly toucht upon, the Doarine they Taught, and the Example they lead among all People. I have already toucht upon their Fundamental Principle, which is as the Corner ftone of their Fabrick: And to fpeak eminently and properly, their Characteriflick, or inain diftinguishing Point or Principle, viz. the Light of Chrift within, as God's Gift for Man's Salvation. This I fay, is as the Root of the goodly Tree of Doctrines that grew and branched out from it, which I fhall now mention in their Natural and Experimental Order.

First, Repentance from dead Works to ferve the Living God. Which comprehends three Operations. Firft, A Sight of Sin. Secondly, A Senfe and Godly Sorrow for it. Thirdly, An Amendment for the Time to come. This was the Repentance they preached and preffed, and a Natural refult from the Principle they turned all People unto. For of Light came Sight; and of Sight came Senfe and Sorrow; and of Senfe and Sorrow, came Amendment of Life: Which Doarine of Repentance leads to Juftification; that is, Forgiveness of the Sins that are past through Chrift the alone Propitiation and the Sanctification or Purgation of the Soul from the defiling Nature and Habits of Sin prefent; which is Juftification in the compleat Senfe of that Word, comprehending both Juftification from the Guilt of the Sins that are paft, as if they had never been committed, through the Love and Mercy of God in Christ Jefus ; and the Creatures be ing made inwardly just through the Cleanfing and SanEtifying

difying Power and Spirit of Chrift revealed in the Soul, which is commonly called Sanctification.

From hence fprang a Second Doctrine they were led to declare, as the Mark of the Price of the High Calling of all true Chriftians, viz. Perfection from fin, according to the Scriptures of Truth, which teftifie it to be the end of Chrift's coming, and the Nature of bis Kingdom, and for which his Spirit was given. But they never held a Perfection in Wifdom and Glory in this Life, or from Natural Infirmities or Death, as fome have with a weak or ill mind, imagined and infinuated against them.

This they called a Redeemed State, Regeneration, or the New-Birth: Teaching every where, according to their Foundation, that without this Work were known, there was no inheriting the Kingdom of God.

Third, To an acknowledgment of Eternal Rewards and Punishment, as they have good Reafon; for elfe of all People, certainly they must be the most Miferable: Who for about Forty Years, have been exceeding great Sufferers for their Profeffion, and in fome Cafes, treated worse than the worst of Men; yea, as the Refuge and Off-Scouring of all things.

This was the Purport of their Doctrine and Miniftry; which, for the most part, is what other Profef fors of Chriftianity pretend to hold in Words and Forms, but not in the Power of Godliness, that has been long loft by Mens departing from that Principle and Seed of Life, that is in Man, and which Man has not regarded, but loft the Senfe of, and in and by which he can only be quickned in his Mind to ferve the living God in Newness of Life. For as the Life of Religion was loft, and the generality lived and worshipped God after their own Wills, and not after the Will of God, nor the mind of Chrift, which ftood in the Works and Fruits of the Holy Spirit; fo that which they preft, was not Notion but Experience, no Formality but Godliness, as being fenfible in themselves,through the Work of God's Righteous Judg

b 2

ments,

K

ments, that without Holinefs no Man Should ever fee the Lord with Comfort.

Befides thefe Doctrines, and out of them, as the. larger Branches, there fprang forth feveral particular Doctrines, that did exemplifie and further explain the Truth and Efficacy of the General Doctrine before obferved, in their Lives and Examples. As,

I. Communion and loving one another. This is a noted Mark in the Mouth of all forts of People conoerning them. They will meet, They will help and flick one to another. Whence it is common to hear fome fay, Look how the Quakers love and take care of one another. Others lefs Moderate will fay, The Quakers love none but themselves, and if loving one another, and having an Intimate Communion in Religion, and conftant care to meet to Worship God and help one another, be any Mark of Primitive Chriftianity, they had it, Bleffed be the Lord, in an ample manner.

II. To love Enemies: This they both Taught and Practifed For they did not only refuse to be revenged for Injuries done them, and condemned it as of an Unchriftian Spirit, but they did freely Forgive, yea, Help and Relieve thofe that had been Cruel to them, when it was in their Power to have been even with them; of which many and fingular Instances might be given: Endeavouring, through Patience, to overcome all Injustice and Oppreffion, and Preaching this Doctrine as Chriftian for others to follow.

III. The Sufficiency of Truth Speaking, according to Chrift's own form of Words, of Tea, Tea, and Nay, Nay, among Chriftians without Swearing, both from Chrift's exprefs Prohibition to Swear at all, Mat. 5. And for that they being under the Tye and Bond of Truth in themfelves, there was both no Neceffity for an Oath, and it would be a Reproach to their Chriftian Veracity to Affure their Truth by fuch an Extraordinary way of Speaking: But offering at the fame time, to be punish'd to the full, for falfe Speaking, as others for Perjury, if ever guilty

of

of it; and hereby they exclude, with all True, all Falfe and Prophane Swearing; for which the Land did and doth mourn, and the great God was and is not a little offended with it.

IV. Not Fighting but Suffering, is another Teftimony peculiar to this People: They affirm that Chriftianity teacheth People To beat their Swords into Plough Shears, and their Spears into Pruning Hooks, and to learn War no more, that fo the Wolf may lie down with the Lamb, and the Lyon with the Calf, and nothing that deftroys be entertained in the Hearts of People; exhorting them to employ their Zeal against Sin, and turn their Anger against Satan, and no longer War one againft another; because, all Wars and Fightings come of Mens own Hearts Lufts, according to the Apostle James, and not of the meek Spirit of Chrift Jefus who is Captain of another Warfare, and which is carried on with other Weapons. Thus, as Truth fpeaking fucceeded Swearing, fo Faith and Truth fucceeded Fighting, in the Doctrine and Practife of this People. Nor ought they for this to be Obnoxious to Civil Government, fince if they cannot Fight for it, neither can they Fight against it; which is no mean Security to the State: Nor is it reasonable that People should be blamed for not doing more for others than they can do for themfelves. And Christianity fet afide, if the Cofts and Fruits of War were well confidered, Peace, with its Inconveniencies, is generally Preferable. But though they were not for Fighting, they were for fubmitting to Government; and that, not only for Fear, but for Confcience Sake, where Government doth not interfere with Confcience: Believing it to be an Ordinance God, and where it is juftly adminiftred, a great Benefit to Mankind: Though it has been their Lot, through blind Zeal in fome, and Intereft in others, to have felt the Strokes of it with greater Weight and Rigour than any other Perfwafion in this Age; whilft they, of all others (Religion fet alide) have given the Civil Magiftrate the leaft Occafion of Trouble in the Discharge of his Office.

b 3

V. Ano