When the God of peace treads Satan under the feet of the soul that was once captived by him, there it is known whose the kingdom and the power and the vietory and the dominion is.

And this is true blessedness begun, carried on, and upheld by the pure, sanctifying power of the word of life in the heart; and the birth which is born of God, knows it to be no delusion, but the truth as it is in Jesus. And such are obedient to the holy church of God, and to the holy ministry, which he hath brought out of the wilderness; and know of what nature the churches and ministry have been, which have appeared and been set up in the world, since the true church fled into and was hid in the wilderness, and was fed there by the Lord God of life. The devil hath long trausformed himself into the likeness of an angel of light, and cheated and beguiled souls; while the false church hath reigned, antichrist sitting in the temple, the man-child having been caught up to God, and the true church in the wilderness; and men have generally put darkness for light, and light for darkness. But blessed be the Lord! the true light, which shone in the apostles' days, now shines again; and discovers the mystery of iniquity, and the golden cup of abominations, wherewith the earth hath been made. drunk; and Satan falls down like lightning before the power of Him, on whom the true church leaned, when she came out of the wilderness, and still leans, and will lean upon for ever; and the gates of hell shall not be able to prevail against her.

And blessed be the Lord! who hath brought many wanderers and distressed ones to the sight of the true church, and to delightful obedience to her, whose voice is not different to Christ's, but one with it; and such are in fellowship with the Father and Son, and with the saints who dwell in the light. These are clothed with the Lamb's innocency and righteousness, and do not dwell in darkness nor in sin; having crucified the old man with his affections and lusts, and put off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, and put on the new man which is created in

Christ Jesus, in the righteousness and holiness of truth. They that are here dwell not in fancies, nor feed on fancies, but on eternal life, in the pure pastures of life, where the Shepherd of the inward and spiritual Israel feeds his holy flock day by day.

As for the Romish church, or any other church built up in the apostasy from the spirit and life of the apostles, the Lord hath given me to see through them, to that which was before them, and will be after them. And O dear brother! if thou couldst but rightly wait for and meet with the holy, regenerating, purifying power, which in tender love I testified to thee of; it would lead thee to that which is the true church indeed, which hath been persecuted by the dragon and false church, and the blood of her seed made drunk by the bloody, dragonish church, for many ages.

The Lord hath made me thy brother in the line of nature; oh that thou wert my brother in that truth, which lives and abides for ever! Oh that thou knew the church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, the Jerusalem which is above, which is free, which is the mother of all who are born of the regenerating virtue and power!

20th of Seventh Month, 1676.

I. P.

FRIEND,

TO SIR WILLIAM ARMORER (So styled.)

The weighty sense of an eternal condition after this life, hath been upon my heart from my childhood; and it is often with me, that I must give an account to God, when I pass out of this transitory world, of all things done in the body; and shall enter into eternal rest and blessedness, or eternal woe or misery.

This causeth me to call upon the Lord daily, for grace and wisdom from him; that my conscience, being cleansed through the blood of his Son, may be kept void of offence, both towards him and men. ingly, but in the fear of the

And truly (I speak not boastLord, and in the sense of his

goodness and tender mercy to me), my heart is preserved in love and innocency towards those, who most injuriously, and without provocation on my part, have taken away my liberty, for aught I know, for my whole lifetime. What thou further intendest towards me, the Lord knows, to whom I have committed my cause: but this is on my heart to express to thee, because, when I was with thee, thou spakest words to this purpose, that we wished thee hanged, or would be glad if thou wert hanged. God, who knows my heart, is witness, that I wish thee no evil, neither to thee nor thy family; but wish thou mayst avoid all such things, as may bring his wrath and curse upon thee, either in this world or the world to come.

And, friend, do not provoke the Lord by afflicting those that fear him; but cease to do evil, learn to do well; and this will please the Lord, and is more acceptable to him than all the worship that can be offered up to him without this.

I have sent thee a little book, as a token of my love, desiring thee to peruse it seriously. Oh! do not endeavor to bring me into such a condition as is there related. I have had greater light, in the way into which the Lord hath led me, than this man had; and in that light I have seen, that I ought not to swear, but to give the "Yea" and "Nay" of truth, which comes from the Christian nature, and is of far more certainty and assurance than swearing. For the man that swears may easily break his oath, but he that keeps to the truth cannot alter his yea and nay, but it stands in the truth; and this our Lord and Master hath set above, and on the top of, and instead of, swearing; which if we should vary from and deny, we should deny him who hath taught us not to swear. Indeed, if we had not learnt it of the Lord, and if it was not by him required of us, we should rather swear than otherwise; for we would very willingly give men satisfaction, in those particulars which they require us to swear about.

Friend, God hath given thee an immortal soul, and doth require of thee righteousness towards thy fellow-creatures,

and temperance and moderation of spirit, and sensibleness of the judgment to come after this life. Thou are stricken in years, and thou hast but a little moment left remaining of thy time; and then it will be determined concerning thy soul, what or how it shall be for ever! Let the words of love, truth, and innocency from me, prevail upon thee to be serious, and to let in the sense and fear of God upon thy heart. Thou hast spent much time in serving man; Oh, spend a little in serving and fearing God! There is somewhat, which is pure, of God, appointed by him to exercise the conscience towards him. Thou hast such a thing near thee. Oh that thou mightest know it, and be joined to it! for till then, thou canst never truly serve nor fear the Lord, but mayst spend thy time here in a vain show, and at last be judged and condemned by the Lord, and lie down in eternal sorrow; which, it is the desire of my heart, may not be thy portion from the hand of the Lord.

This is from a sufferer by thee, who never gave thee the least cause or provocation so to deal with me.

I. P.

DEAR FRIEND,

TO THE LADY CONWAY.

I have heard both of thy love to truth, and of thy great afflictions outwardly; both which occasion a sense concerning thee, and breathings to the tender Father of my life for thee; that thy heart may know and be joined to the truth, and thou mayst live and walk in it, reaping the sweet comfort, support and satisfaction, which God daily ministers in and through it, to his gathered and preserved ones. I am satisfied thou hast need of comforts and support; oh that thou mayst be led thither, and be daily found by the Lord there, where the Comforter doth daily delight to supply the afflicted and suffering ones, whether inwardly or outwardly, with comfort.

And, my dear friend, take heed of that wisdom and knowl

edge which is not of the seed, and which can be held in the mind, without the springing life of the seed. The first day I was convinced, I was not only convinced in my understanding concerning the seed, but I felt the seed in my heart, and my heart was enraptured with the sense and feeling of it; and my great cry to the Lord was, that I might faithfully travel through all the sufferings and death of the other part, into union with and enjoyment of it; and that that wisdom, which was not of the pure living root and nature, might die in me. Now, how I have been exercised and taught since is hard for me to utter. What poverty, what weakness, what foolishness I have been led into! how I have learned, in a sense, out of the reach of the comprehending, knowing mind; how tender I have been of every secret shining of light in my heart; how the Lord hath taught and enabled me to pluck out my right eye, and cut off my right hand, and cast them from me, that I might not see with that eye, nor work with that hand, but be greatly maimed in the sight of men, and in my own sight too.

O friend! wait daily to feel the seed, to feel the seed live in thee, and the most pleasing part of thy nature die, as it can live out of the seed. Oh that thou couldst change all old knowledge, for that which is new and living! The seed is the well receive the seed, then thou receivest the well: let it spring, wait for its springing, wait to know its springing: bear all the trials and judgments, which the Father of life sees necessary to prepare the heart for its springing. Oh, feel that which limits and subdues thoughts, and brings them into captivity and subjection! Be not exercised in things too high for thee-David, the man after God's own heart, who was wiser than his teachers, was not;-but come out of knowledge into feeling, and there thou wilt find the true knowledge given,-arising, springing, and covering thy heart, as the waters cover the sea. And still wait to be taught of God, to distinguish between the outwardness of knowledge-the notional part of the thing known, as it can be comprehended in the mind,—and the life of it, as it is felt and abides in the heart.