on the Lord, retire in spirit to be gathered into his light which he causes to shine in the heart, and into his Son's life and Spirit, which he manifesteth and revealeth there; that ye may eat that which is good, and be satisfied with the fatness of his house, and drink of the river of his pleasFor indeed, the Lord, in this his gospel day, doth make to his children a feast of fat things, and of wines on the lees well refined, on his holy mountain, even in the kingdom which cannot be shaken; and the Beloved doth not only knock at the door of the heart, but comes in, and sups with his, and they with him.

ures.

16th of Eighth Month, 1672.

DEAR FRIENDS,

To THOMAS AND ANN MUDD.

I. P.

Of whose love to me, I have been and am sensible, and to whom I bear true love.

When I was last at Rickmansworth, it was on my heart to visit you; and while I was there with you, true and living breathings did spring up in my heart to the Lord for you. Since, I have often thought of you, and in my desires have wished well concerning you, as concerning my own soul.

Your days here cannot be long; and what ye sow here ye must reap when ye go out of this world. Oh that ye may now so sow to the Spirit of God, as that ye may then reap of him life everlasting!

Last first day, my wife had a letter of George Fox's sent her, which I heard read that night. In the reading of it, I had many thoughts respecting you, and a desire that ye might sincerely and uprightly, without prejudice, peruse it; which I sent unto you the next day for that end. Now, this morning ye were upon my heart; and two or three things rose up in me in reference to you, as very necessary for you, that ye may be safe, and that it may go well with you for

ever.

One was, that ye keep steadfast in that holy testimony of truth, which was given forth among us at the beginning. For this truth is the same, and the testimony of it doth not vary or pass away, but shall last throughout ages and generations, to redeem all that receive it, and are faithful to it. The testimony was, to draw from outward, dead knowledge, and out of dead practices and worships after men's own conceivings, into an inward principle, and into worship in Spirit and truth, both inwardly in the heart, and outwardly in the assemblies of God's gathering.

The second was, that ye keep in the sense, esteem, and sanctified use of those holy instruments which God hath made choice of, both to gather and build up his called and chosen ones. It was never well with Israel, when they slighted Moses (though they many times had exceptions against him), nor when they despised the prophets, whom God sent afterwards (though they were often prejudiced against them also); nor was it well with any of the churches, when, by the subtlety and seeming simplicity of those that endeavored to betray them, or by any other means, they were drawn to think meanly of any of the apostles or ministers of Christ, in their day. And the Lord, who preserved Moses in his day, and the prophets in their day, and the apostles and holy ministers of truth in the first promulgation of the gospel, is the same God still; and doth and will preserve those whom he hath in this age sent forth to publish his everlasting gospel, and to gather his lambs and scattered sheep into holy gatherings and assemblies.

The third was, that ye be daily exercised, guided, and your hearts opened and quickened, by the principle and Spirit of truth; that so ye may know what it is, to walk with the Lord, and to feel the power of the Lord, and enjoy the presence of the Lord; and be led by him out of, and away from, the mysterious workings of the power and spirit of darkness inwardly. For if, through grievous mistake, ye let this into your minds and spirits, instead of the Spirit of truth, ye must needs call darkness light, and light darkness; truth error, and error truth; and so will err from that which

is indeed the way, into somewhat which, in God's sight, is not so. For there is a spirit of delusion as well as of truth; this works in the heart as a minister of righteousness, in a seeming light, and warming the heart with a wrong fire, brings it into a wrong bed of rest, and administers to it a wrong peace, hope, and joy; setting up there a wrong sense, belief, and judgment concerning itself and others. This leads to separate from them that are true, and joins to them that are false; draws from the assemblies and worships of God's gathering, and begets prejudices against, and hard thoughts of, those who are owned by the Lord, and are kept in their habitation by him, who dwells in them, and they in him.

O my friends! the Lord give you the true discerning of this spirit, and of his own Spirit; and deliver you out of the snare of the enemy, and open that eye in you, to which he gives the sight of what is, and who are, of him, and what is, and who are, not of him: that ye may be disjoined from all that is not of God, and joined to the Lord, abiding and walking in him; and may know, that God doth not cast off his holy people, gatherings, and assemblies, but constantly appears in the midst of such as truly and humbly wait for him; glory be to his name!

God knoweth in what sense, in what understanding, in what love, in what desire, in what fear, in what knowledge, from him, I write this to you; who am a true friend to you both (in true and faithful love, as in God's sight), and a hearty desirer of your everlasting happiness.

19th of the Twelfth Month, 1672.

TO COLONEL KENRICK.

I. P.

THE gospel dispensation consists in Spirit, and power. The kingdom which Christ and his apostles preached— which the true believers were to receive, and to wait for an entrance to be ministered to them into-stood not in word, but in power. Now there are four sorts of professors of the

Christian religion in this our day, one sort whereof only, are acquainted with the gospel dispensation.

First, There is one sort, which have been nurtured in a profession of Christianity by education, and have improved it by study, but have never known the power, virtue, and inward life thereof; but as men, with the man's part, wisdom, understanding, and seriousness of mind, have considered of the truth and weight of things contained in the Scriptures, and so have received somewhat of the holy doctrine into their natural understanding, and given themselves up to the observation and practice thereof, according as they have apprehended and understood things. These have become more serious and excellent men than others, but fall very far short of the nature and state of Christianity; yea, the strictest among these, many times, become the greatest opposers and persecutors of true Christianity.

Secondly, There are some who have had a taste of the true power, and have had living desires and breathings after it, and a sense of the preciousness and excellency of it; who have also felt the quickening Spirit, and begun therein; and yet have afterwards lost that sense, and centred in a literal knowledge and wisdom about those very things, which they had once some living experience of. These are like salt which hath lost its savor; and it is hard for them ever to be seasoned again; and from among these do rise the greatest persecutors and bitterest persecution_against the life, truth, and power.

Thirdly, There are some, who, though they never came to the distinct knowledge of the power, yet have had a great sense of their want of it, and have abode in that sense; and in all the ways and forms of religion they have been or are in, still seek after it; and reckon no form any thing, but as the power in some measure appears in it; and the cry of their souls is daily after it, and their waiting is for it. These, wherever they are, are of the true seed; these are the birth of the heavenly Spirit and wisdom; these are sheep of the true Shepherd's fold, though not yet gathered home to the fold to which they properly belong. These

are the broken, the bruised, the sick, the wounded, the captives, the distressed, the poor, the naked, &c., to whom the gospel of peace, the gathering, the salvation, and redemption belongs. And the bleating of these is known; yea, their longing and cry after the redeeming and gathering power of the Shepherd is felt, however they may be, at present, prejudiced against that very dispensation of truth, life, and power, whereby the Shepherd gathers.

Fourthly, There are some whom God hath brought to the distinct sense and knowledge of the power. There are some whose minds God hath turned to the inward light and power. There are some whom the Shepherd hath gathered home to the Father's house, where is bread enough, and to the true fold, where is rest and peace enough-some who have seen an end of all perfection, in the legal comprehendings and creaturely strivings after life, righteousness, and holiness, and are come to the commandment which is exceeding broad, and wherein is life everlasting. Now these experience somewhat of the gospel dispensation, and know the difference between being under the law and under grace; and can tell what the kingdom is which Christ preached and bade men seek, and what the gospel is which the poor in spirit receive; and what the healing is which drops from under the wing of the Saviour and Redeemer. And they can tell what justification is, and what sanctification, regeneration, and redemption is; and can distinguish between truth as testified in the letter, and as it is in Jesus; between the law of the letter, and the law of the Spirit, which is written in the new heart and mind, by the finger of God's pure and living power. Now the knowledge of these, the faith of these, the peace, the joy, the jus tification, and sanctification, and redemption of these, differs greatly from all the former; from the two first sorts in nature and kind, from the latter in degree, clearness, and purity. For though all the sheep of the true Shepherd have somewhat of the true knowledge, somewhat of the true faith, somewhat of the true justification, somewhat of the true sanctification, and may at times have some taste of true peace Vol. III.-41