hath led his people into, and which the enemy in his agents, labours so hard to lead them out of. For the enemy well knows, that the tendency and service thereof, is to detect and discover his secret workings, and to bring his deeds to light and judgment; and therefore he strives with might and main to overturn it, crying out through his instruments, Away with your order, let every one be left to his liberty. By which seemingly fair and specious plea, not only the loose, disorderly, factious spirits have been let up, and encouraged to greater boldness and licentiousness, but some simple and well-meaning Friends also, not seeing the design of Satan therein, have been misled thereby, and made use of by the enemy, and the more subtle of his instruments, to oppose the good order of truth. Thus hath the enemy wrought, and sought to lay waste the work of the Lord. But the Lord, magnified be his holy name, hath not been wanting to his people, who in sincerity of heart have diligently waited on him, and trusted in him; for he hath all along raised up some, whose eye he hath opened to see the design and working of the evil one; and whose spirits he hath engaged to stand up in a faithful testimony against him, contending for the way of truth. Which, when they in whom the ene. my wrought, perceived and found they could not run over the heads of Friends, and carry things on as themselves pleased, they set themselves in a heady wilful spirit, to raise disturbances in meetings for business, by en

couraging and abetting such heady, loose, contentious and disorderly persons as would join with them; thus hardening themselves, and provoking the Lord to give them up to blindness and hardness of heart, till at length the enemy prevailed so far upon them, as to work them by degrees, from discontent to prejudice, then to enmity, and so at length, in divers places, to an open defection, apostacy and separation.

Now, although I know, my dear Friends, that ye who have kept your habitation in the light of the Lord, and whose eye is single therein, have a clear sight and understanding, that the spirit which hath thus wrought and fought against the truth, is not, nor can be of God, but is of the wicked one; and although the fruits it hath brought forth, through the agents and instruments in and by which it hath wrought, viz. making disturbances in meetings, to the breaking the church's peace; causing divisions amongst Friends; publishing to the world most wicked, malicious, railing and scandalous books against Friends, (an effect of the greatest enmity) shutting and keeping Friends out of their common meetinghouses, in which they have a just right and property, and not suffering them to meet there. in, which is a part of the persecution inflicted on Friends by the world, and at length also set up separate meetings, in opposition to the meetings of God's people; although, I say, these fruits are sufficient of themselves to dis

cover and manifest to an unclouded mind, what spirit that is and must needs be, which hath brought them forth, yet inasmuch as some, partly through weakness of judgment, and partly through personal affection to some of those leading separatists, are yet in danger to be betrayed by their fair words and feigned speeches, wherewith they lie in wait to deceive, I feel a concern remain upon my spirit, in the love of God, to warn all such, that they join not with, nor give countenance unto that spirit that hath thus wrought against the Lord, and against his people.

For Friends, in the holy fear of the living God, and in the openings of the spring of his pure life in my soul, at this time, and from the certain knowledge and clear demonstration which I have received from him therein, I testify and declare unto you, that this spirit, which in this day hath run out, and hath drawn out some into opposition against the way and work of the Lord, into division and separation from the people of the Lord, and from the holy assemblies which the Lord hath gathered, and by his powerful presence hath owned, and daily doth own; this spirit, I say, is the same with that which hath formerly wrought, in other appearances, against the truth in our time; and is the same with that spirit that wrought against the work of the Lord in the days of the holy apostles. This mystery of iniquity then wrought, and caused many to turn aside, and to leave the right way

of the Lord, and to forsake the assemblies of God's people, Heb. x. 25. Yea, and to run into separation too, Jude 19. Upon whom the Holy Ghost hath set his brand; that they were sensual, having not the spirit. And many close and sharp testimonies did the Lord give forth through his servants in that day against this spirit, and against those that were joined to it, and acted by it, as may be seen in the holy scriptures.

Yea, Friends, this spirit that hath led some now to set up their separate meetings, is the same that led Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, to set up his separate altar at Bethel, of which you may read, 1 Kings, 12th and 13th chapters. He was afraid, that if the people should continue to go up to the house of the Lord, to do sacrifice there, as they had been accustomed to do, and as the Lord had required, they would then forsake him, and return to the Lord again. And this spirit now is afraid, that if they whom he hath seduced and drawn aside, should still frequent the assemblies of God's people, and continue to meet with Friends as before, that heavenly power which is eminently manifest in the meetings of God's people, might at one time or other reach unto them, touch their hearts, open the right eye in them, and give them to see the mischief and misery he is leading them into. And therefore to prevent this, and to keep his captives close unto him, he hath contrived to set up separate meetings, in opposition to the meet

ings of God's appointment, as Jeroboam set up his separate altar, in opposition to the altar which God hath commanded to be set up; and to keep the people from going thereto. And so subtilly did this spirit work then, as well as now, that Jeroboam contrived to have his false worship bear some resemblance to the true; that he might the more easily beguile the people; for he ordained a feast like unto the feast that was in Judah, 1 Kings xii. 32. But it was in the month which he had devised of his own heart, ver. 33. Mark that, there is a blot upon it; how fair or specious soever the worship he set up appeared or seemed to be, yet it was but the device of his own heart; it was neither appointed by God, nor accepted of God. For you may read in the 13th chapter, that the Lord sent a prophet, a man of God, out of Judah to Bethel, and he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and prophesied the destruction thereof by Josiah; which was afterwards outwardly fulfilled, as you may read, 2 Kings xxiii. 15, &c. Now Josiah signifies, the fire, or burning of the Lord. And in the holy dread of the living eternal God, I declare, the fire of the Lord is kindled, and kindling against this accursed separating spirit, and against its work, and against all those that join with it therein. Therefore, all fear before the mighty God, and stand still and consider your ways; and let none resist or reject the warning of the Lord, lest such be hardened to destruction.

For