destroy them without remedy. To the Algerines I wrote more particularly, concerning the cruelty they exercised towards Friends and others, whom they held captives in Algiers. When I had finished that service, and visited Friends in their meetings at Kingston, I went further into the country, and had meetings amongst Friends at Worplesdon, Guildford, Esher, Capell, Patchgate, Worminghurst, Bletchington, Horsham, Ifield, Ryegate, Gatton, &c. and so came back to Kingston again, and from thence to Hammersmith. And having spent some days in the service of truth amongst Friends at Hammersmith, Battersea, Wandsworth, and thereabouts I crossed over, by Kensington, to Hendon, where I had a very good meeting on first-day; and went from thence to London.

When I had been about ten days in London, I was drawn again to visit Friends in the country; and went to Edmonton to Christopher Taylor's, who kept a school for the education of Friends' children. I had some service amongst the youth, and then went towards Hertford, visiting Friends in the way. At Hertford I met with John Story, and some others of his party; but the testimony of truth went over them, and kept them down, so that the meeting was quiet. It was on a firstday, and the next day being the men's and women's meeting for business, I visited them also; and the rather because some in that place had let in a disesteem of them. Whereupon I was moved to open the service of those meetings, and the usefulness and benefit thereof to the church of Christ, as the Lord opened the thing in me; and it was of good service to Friends. I had a meeting also with some of those that were gone into strife and contention, to show them wherein they were wrong; and having cleared myself of them, I left them to the Lord. After another public meeting in the town, I returned towards London by Waltham-abbey, where I had a public meeting the first-day following, and another with Friends in the evening. Next day I went to Christopher Taylor's at Edmonton, and staid a day or two, having some things upon me to write for the service of truth. When I had finished that service, I went to London by Shacklewell, where was a school kept by Friends, for the breeding up young maidens that were Friends' daughters.

I abode at London most part of this winter, having much service for the Lord there, both in and out of meetings; for as it was a time of great sufferings among Friends, I was drawn in spirit, to visit Friends meetings more frequently, to encourage and strengthen them by exhortation and example. The parliament was also sitting, and Friends were diligent to wait upon them, to lay their grievances before them. We received fresh accounts almost every day of the sad sufferings Friends underwent in many parts of the nation. In sceking relief for my suffering brethren, I spent much time, together with other Friends who VOL. II.

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were freely given up to that service, attending at the parliament-house many days together, and watching all opportunities to speak with such members of either house as would hear our just complaints. And indeed some of the members of each house were very courteous, and appeared willing to help us if they could; but the parliament being then earnest in examining the popish plot, and contriving ways to discover such as were popishly affected, our adversaries took advantages against us (because they knew we could not swear nor fight,) to expose us to those penalties that were made against Papists; though they knew in their consciences we were no Papists, and had experience that we were no plotters. To clear our innocency and stop the mouths of our adversaries, I drew up a short paper to be delivered to the parliament; as followeth⚫

'It is our principle and testimony to deny and renounce all plots and plotters against the king, or any of his subjects; for we have the spirit of Christ, by which we have the mind of Christ, who came to save men's lives, and not to destroy them. We desire the safety of the king and all his subjects. Wherefore we do declare, that we will endeavour, to our power, to save and defend him and them, by discovering all plots and plotters, which shall come to our knowledge, that would destroy the king or his subjects. This we do sincerely offer unto you. But as to swearing and fighting, which in tenderness of conscience we cannot do, ye know that we have suffered these many years for our conscientious refusal thereof. And now that the Lord has brought us together, we desire you to relieve and free us from those sufferings, and that ye will not put upon us to do those things which we have suffered so much and so long already for not doing; for if ye do, ye will make our sufferings and bonds stronger instead of relieving us. G. F.'

About this time I received two very envious books written against truth and Friends; one of them by a doctor (so called) of Bremen, in Germany, the other by a priest of Dantzic, in Poland. They were both full of gross falsehoods and reproachful slanders. I found it upon me to answer them, and that I might not be overmuch interrupted by other business and company, I went to Kingston upon Thames, where I wrote an answer to each of them, and also to some other scandalous papers which had been printed and scattered about to misrepresent Friends.

While I was there I wrote also the following paper, to persuade the magistrates to moderation towards dissenters, and take off their edge to persecution. Because it should have its full service, I directed it

To all the rulers, magistrates, and law-makers in England, Scotland, and Ire-. land, from the highest to the lowest, and to all other magistrates every where in that which is called Christendom; desiring their health, peace, tranquility, life, and salvation in Christ Jesus, the Lord of glory, and the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, and is the King of kings and Lord of lords, to whom all power in heaven and in earth is given, and who will reward every man according to his words and works.

You that bear the name of christian magistrates, my desire is that you may all be found in Christ, and not only have the name, but be made partakers of his divine nature; that ye may be not only sayers of the word, but doers of the word, not only professors of Christ, and talkers of Christ, but let Christ rule in your hearts by faith, and be walkers in Christ. For as Christ's great apostle saith, "As every one hath received the Lord Jesus Christ, so let him walk in him; for in him there is peace." If all that profess Christ did walk in Christ, they would walk in peace, and be in unity; for the apostle exhorted the christians in his day to keep the unity of the spirit, which is the bond of peace, yea of Christ the King of kings' peace. All christians who have the scriptures, and are not in this spirit of Christ, are not in unity one with another, and so have broken this bond of peace, which should knit and unite them together. Likewise all that profess the truth of Christ should live in it; for it is peaceable, and the gospel is the gospel of peace; which if all christians lived in, they would be at peace one with another, and in the glorious fellowship of the gospel. And if all christians kept in the fear of God, which is the beginning of the pure, heavenly, peaceable, and gentle wisdom, which is easy to be intreated, (above that wisdom which is earthly, sensual, devilish, and destroying,) there would be no difference and destroying about matters of religion.

'I do declare the mighty day of the Lord is come and coming, and the Lord God is come to teach his people himself by his Son (Hebrews i.) who bruises the serpent's head, that false teacher, that led Adam and Eve from God their teacher. God will teach his people by his Son, the teacher of Adam and Eve in paradise, before they fell, disobeyed the Lord and forsook him, and followed the serpent; whose head Christ bruiseth, and renews man and woman up again into the image of God which Adam and Eve were in before they fell: glory and honour be to God through Jesus Christ, who hath called us by his Son into his glorious image, to serve and worship him in his spirit and truth; which holy spirit and truth the devil is out of, and cannot come into.

I desire all christian magistrates to take heed of persecuting any, though they differ from you in matters of faith, worship, and religion. For Christ saith, "Let the tares and the wheat grow together till the

harvest;" and he forbade such as would be plucking up tares: the reason was, "Lest they should pluck up the wheat also;" for Christ said, it should be his angels' work to separate the tares from the wheat. Moreover Christ said, they should go into everlasting punishment that. did not visit him in prison in his members; then what will become of them that cast him into prison, where he is made manifest in his members! Oh! lay these things to heart! A day of judgment will come, vengeance and recompense upon every one according to their works.

To those disciples, who would have had fire to come down from heaven to consume them that would not receive him, he turned about, rebuked, and told them, "They did not know what spirit they were of; for he came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them."

Therefore, let all magistrates and priests, in that which is called Christendom, consider who have destroyed men's and women's lives since the apostles' days, because they could not receive the religions, ways, and worships, which they have made and set up; have they known what spirit they have been of? are they not all reproved by, and come under the judgment of Christ? therefore, let all persecution be laid aside concerning religion; let love bear the sway, to overcome evil and enemies; let patience oversway passion in all, that all may retain the heavenly reason and the pure understanding, that your moderation in true christianity may be known to all men. For have you not the Turks, Jews, Tartars, Indians, and Atheists' eyes upon you? therefore, be in unity, and let not the name of God and Christ be blasphemed amongst them by means of any that bear the name of christians. So God may be glorified by all and in all through Jesus Christ, who is over all, who calls all to peace, and is blessed for ever.

'I would have you to be as noble as the Bereans, and search the scriptures of Christ and the apostles. Where did he or they give any command to imprison, banish, persecute or put to death any that would not receive or conform to them, or that were contrary-minded to them in religion, or differed from them in matters of worship?

'Again I desire all christian magistrates to search both scriptures and chronicles, and see what was the end of all persecutors, and what judgments came upon them. What fell upon Cain, who was the first persecutor for matters of faith and sacrifice? did not he become a vagabond and a fugitive in the earth? what became of the old world that grieved God, and Noah, a preacher of righteousness? what became of Sodom that vexed just Lot? what became of Pharaoh that persecuted God's people in Egypt? (though the more he persecuted them the more they grew,) what became of Ahab and Jezebel that persecuted the Lord's prophets? and what became of Haman that would have destroyed the Jews? what became of the Jews and Jerusalem that perse

cuted Christ and the apostles? what was the end of all these? are they not become vagabonds in the earth, and driven away from their native country? therefore, I beseech you in the love and fear of God, be so noble as to search both scripture and history, and let not your divine understanding be clouded. What will become of the beast and whore spoken of in the Revelations, with their false prophets, that have drank the blood of the saints, martyrs, and prophets of Jesus? must they not all go with the devil, who is a murderer, destroyer, and adversary of mankind, into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone? ye may be sure that spirit that stirs you up to persecution, let it be in whomsoever it will, is not of Christ, and of his lamb-like nature, who takes away the sins of the world, not the lives of men.

Paul was a persecutor, a haler to prison, before he was converted to christianity, but never after. And therefore are not all in Saul's nature, let them be of what name or profession soever, that are persecutors, and unconverted into Paul's life of christianity? He said the life that he lived after he was converted, was by faith in the Son of God; and that he lived, yet not he, but "Christ lived in him," who came to save men's lives, and not to destroy them. This life should be the life of all christians now, which Paul in his converted state lived in. And the apostle saith, "The law is good, if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless, for the ungodly and sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, and for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, liars, and perjured persons." 1 Tim. i. So the law in its place is good against such. Again the apostle says, "The law was added because of transgression." Gal. iii. 19. Here all magistrates may see what the law in its place is good against, and what it was made for and against, and what evils, the apostle says, it takes hold upon. He does not say, the law should be laid upon men that differed from them in their religion and judgment, nor upon righteous men. So you may see in what condition the law is good, and what it was made against; not against righteous men, against whom they have nothing, only because they differ from them in matters of religion; letting manslayers, whoremongers, perjured persons, ungodly, profane persons, liars, &c. go unpunished; so do not use, nor execute the law lawfully, as the apostle says; "The law is good, if a man use it lawfully." Therefore it ought to be used lawfully; which law, the apostle says, is for the punishment of evildoers, and a praise to them that do well, as may be seen. Rom. xiii. So, as the apostle said, "We do not break the law, nor make it void; but we establish the law." Rom. iii. 31. This is from him who desires the eternal good and salvation of you all in Christ Jesus, Amen. G. F.

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'Kingston upon Thames, the 4th of the 1st month, 1680-1.'