After I had finished these services, I returned to London, where I staid about a month, labouring amongst Friends in the work of the Lord, both in public meetings for worship, and in those relating to the outward affairs of the church. Then feeling my spirit drawn to visit Friends about Enfield, I went to Waltham Abbey, where I had a very precious meeting, and another at Flamstead Heath. Having spent some time amongst Friends thereabouts, and had divers good meetings at Edmonton, Enfield, Winchmore-hill, and other places, I came back to London a little before the Yearly Meeting, which was in the third month, 1681. It was a very precious meeting, in which the glorious presence and power of the Lord was eminently felt and enjoyed.

Some time after it came upon me to write the following epistle:

To the Quarterly men's and women's meetings that are gathered in the name and power of Jesus:

CHRIST, the second Adam, who is both head and husband of his church, the redeemer, purchaser, Saviour, sanctifier, and reconciler of his sons and daughters to God, I say his presence (to wit, Christ's) feel among you, to exercise his prophetical office, in opening you with his light, grace, truth, power, and spirit; and to exercise his office, as he is a bishop, to oversee you with his light, grace, power, and spirit, that ye do not go astray from God. As Christ is a shepherd, feel, see, and hear him exercising that office, who has laid down his life for his sheep, is feeding them in his living pastures of life, and makes them to drink of his living, eternal springs. Let him rule and govern in your hearts, as he is king, that his heavenly and spiritual government all may live under, as true subjects of his righteous, peaceable kingdom, which stands in righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy ghost, over satan and his power, the unclean, unholy ghost, and all unrighteousness. So all ye subjects to Christ's kingdom of peace, if ye want wisdom, knowledge, life or salvation, Christ is the treasure; feel him the treasure among you. And every one, as ye have received Christ, walk in him in whom ye have peace; who bruises the head of the serpent, the author of all strife, dis traction, and confusion: yea, you have peace with God, and one with another, though the trouble be from the world and the world's spirit. Therefore, my dear friends, brethren, and sisters, love one another with the love that is of God shed in your hearts, that ye may bear the marks of Christ's disciples, and it may appear that Christ is in you, and ye in him, so that God Almighty may be glorified among you. Whatever ye do, let it be done in the name of Jesus, to the praise of God the Father, keeping in unity in the holy spirit of God, which was before the unholy spirit was: which holy spirit is your bond of peace, yea, the holy King of kings and Lord of lords, his peace, And in this holy, pure spirit is

your eternal unity and fellowship; in which spirit of truth ye serve and worship the God of truth, who is God over all, blessed for ever, Amen. So the Lord guide you all with his word of patience, word of life, power, and wisdom, in all your actions, lives, conversations, and meetings to God's glory. My love to you all in the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom all things were made, who is over all, the first and the last.

'London, the 9th of the 4th month, 1681.'

G. F.

About this time I had occasion to go to several of the judges' chambers, upon a suit about tithes. For my wife and I, with several other Friends, were sued in Cartmel Wapentake Court, in Lancashire, for small tithes, and we had demurred to the jurisdiction of that court. Whereupon the plaintiff prosecuted us in the exchequer court at Westminster; where they ran us up to a writ of rebellion, for not answering the bill upon oath, and got an order of court to the sergeant to take me and my wife into custody. This was a little before the Yearly Meeting, at which time it was thought they would have taken me up; and according to outward appearance it was likely, and very easy for them to have done it, I lodging at the same places where I used to lodge, and being very public in meetings. But the Lord's power was over them, and restrained them, so that they did not take me. Yet understanding a warrant was out against me, as soon as the Yearly Meeting was well over, I took William Mead with me, and went to several of the judges' chambers, to let them understand both the state of the case, and the ground and reason of our refusing to pay tithes. The first we went to was judge Gregory, to whom I tendered mine and my wife's answer to the plaintiff's bill; in which was set forth, that my wife had lived threeand-forty years at Swarthmore, and in all that time there had been no tithe paid nor demanded: and an old man, who had long been a tithegatherer, had made affidavit that he never gathered tithe at Swarthmore Hall in judge Fell's time, nor since. There were many particulars in our answer, but it would not be accepted without an oath. I told the judge, that both tithe and swearing among christians came from the pope; and it was matter of conscience to us not to pay tithes, nor to swear; for Christ bid his disciples, who had freely received, give freely; and he commanded them, 'not to swear at all.' The judge said, there was tithe paid in England before popery was. I asked him by what law or statute they were paid then? but he was silent. Then I told him, there were eight poor men brought up to London out of the north about two hundred miles, for small tithes; one of them had no family, but himself and his wife, and kept no living creature but a cat. I asked him also, whether they could take a man and his wife, and imprison them both for small tithes, and so destroy a family? If they could, I desired

to know by what law? he did not answer me; but only said, that was a hard case. When I found there was no help to be had there, we left him, and went to judge Montague's chamber. With him I had a great deal of discourse concerning tithes. Whereupon he sent for our adversary's attorney; and when he came, I offered him our answer. He said, if we would pay the charges of the court, and be bound to stand trial, and abide the judgment of the court, we should not have the oath tendered to us. I told him, they had brought those charges upon us, by requiring us to put in our answer upon oath; which they knew before we could not do for conscience sake; and as we could not pay any tithe, nor swear, so neither should we pay any of their charges. Upon this he would not receive our answer. So we went from thence to judge Atkyns' chamber; and he being busy, we gave our answers and our reasons against tithes and swearing to his clerk; but neither could we find any encouragement from him to expect redress. Wherefore leaving him, we went to one of the most noted counsellors, and showed him the state of our case, and our answers: he was very civil to us, and said, 'this way of proceeding against us, was somewhat like an inquisition.' A few days after, those eight poor Friends, that were brought up so far out of the north, appeared before the judges; and the Lord-was with them, and his power was over the court, so that the Friends were not committed to the Fleet. Our cause was put off till the next term, (called Michaelmas term,) and then it was brought before the four judges again. William Mead told the judges, that I had engaged myself never to meddle with my wife's estate. The judges could hardly believe that any man would do so; whereupon he showed them the writing under my hand and seal; at which they wondered. Then two of the judges and some of the lawyers stood up and pleaded for me, that I was not liable to the tithes; but the other two judges and divers lawyers pressed earnestly to have me sequestered, alleging that I was a public man.' At length they prevailed with one of the other two judges to join with them, and then granted a sequestration against me and my wife together. Thereupon, by advice of counsel, we moved for a limitation, which was granted; and that much defeated our adversary's design in suing out the sequestration; for this limited the plaintiff to take no more than was proved. One of the judges, baron Weston, was very bitter, and broke forth in a great rage against me in the open court; but in a little time after he died.

After the Yearly Meeting I tarried about a month in London; then went into Sussex to visit Friends there, amongst whom I had many large and very precious meetings in divers parts of that county. Yet I spent not much time in Sussex, but returned pretty soon to London, whither I felt drawings in my spirit; and had very good service for the Lord there, both in public meetings and amongst Friends. When I had tarried some

time in London, I went to Edmonton; and from thence into Buckinghamshire, where I visited Friends at several meetings in the upper side of that county; and then went by Henly to Reading, where I tarried several meetings. I went no farther westward at this time than Ore, where I had a very large meeting; after which, striking through the edge of Oxfordshire, I had a large and very precious meeting at Warborough, in which the glory of the Lord shined over all. Many Friends came to this meeting out of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hampshire. From thence I passed to Ilmore, in the Vale of Buckinghamshire, where we had a glorious meeting. The day following I returned to Mary Pennington's. From whence I visited the men's and women's Monthly Meetings at Hungerhill, and some other meetings thereabouts; then passed to Watford, where was a marriage of two Friends, at which I was present. A very large meeting we had on that occasion, and the Lord's power was over all. I went from Watford to Longford, in Middlesex, visiting Friends at Uxbridge in the way. At Longford we had a large meeting, it being on first-day, and the presence of the Lord was preciously felt amongst us; blessed be his name! I passed from Longford to Kingston, visiting Friends as I went, at Staines and Sunbury. At Kingston I abode with Friends two meetings, wherein we were sweetly refreshed together in the Lord. Passing from thence towards London, I had a very precious meeting at Wandsworth: then crossing over to Hammersmith, I had a good meeting there; which was the larger by reason of a burial, and there being a pretty openness in the people on that occasion, I had a fine opportunity to open the way of truth amongst them.

After I was come to London, I was moved to write the following paper concerning that spirit which had led some who professed truth, into strife and division, and to oppose the way and work of the Lord:

FRIENDS,-You that keep your habitation in the truth that is over all, do see that it is the same spirit which leads the back-sliders and apostates now from the spiritual fellowship and unity of the church of Christ, that led Adam and Eve from God. This spirit was the same that was in the world, which got into the Jews when they were gone from the spirit of God; and then turned against God and his prophets, and against Christ and his apostles. That spirit led them to be as bad as Pilate, or worse. The enmity or adversary was got within them against the truth, and those that walked in it, and the spirit of the Lord; so that they killed and destroyed the just. This was the spirit of the devil, the destroyer, who sought not only to destroy the truth, but the order of it, and those that walked in it when true christianity was planted among the possessors of the light, grace, and truth, the holy gospel faith and spirit, who enjoyed Christ in their heart. But when some began to err from the spirit and faith, to VOL. II.

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hate the light, disobey the gospel, turn the grace of God.into wantonness, walk despitefully against the spirit of grace, turn from the truth, crucify to themselves Christ afresh, and put him to open shame; these were they that let in the spirit of the world, who held the form of godliness, but denied the power thereof; and troubled the churches in the apostles' days. When the spirit of satan had got into such, they were more troublesome to the church than the open persecutors without. These got into the assemblies to deceive the hearts of the simple; having the good words and fair speeches, the sheep's clothing. Paul, Peter, John, Jude, and James, had much to do with such, to keep them from troubling the church of Christ; for they are out of the light, power, and spirit; therefore, the apostles of Christ exhorted the saints to keep to the word of life within; to the anointing: to the grace, truth, and holy spirit in their hearts. This foul spirit will profess all the scriptures in words; but by the spirit of God, which is holy, that spirit is tried, and its fruits. So the apostates went from the power and spirit of God, and turned against the prophets and martyrs of Jesus; and became the whore, whose cup all nations drank of. The dragon with his tail threw down many of the stars, and would have devoured the woman with his flood; but the woman, the true church, was preserved, for the gates of hell cannot prevail against her; and then the dragon made war with her seed. So the dragon, the whore, beast, and false prophets, all made war against the Lamb and the saints, but the Lamb and the saints will overcome them, and have the victory. And now the everlasting gospel is preached again to all nations, tongues, and people; and many are gathered into the gospel, the power of God, turned to the light, which is the life in Christ, grafted into him, and are come to walk in the order of the new covenant of light and life, in the gospel of peace and salvation. The same spirit that opposed the apostles and the churches in their days, opposes now; yea, it is the same that opposed Christ and disdained him, that disdaineth God's servants now. The same that opposed the prophets, and rebelled against Moses, opposes and rebels against God's servants and people now. It is the same dark, blind, disobedient, faith-. less, wilful, jealous spirit, that persecutes some with the hands, and others with the tongue. It is the same spirit that is now going about, sometimes like a roaring lion, sometimes like a twisting serpent to tempt, to deceive and to devour, in those that have fair speeches and good words, the sheep's clothing, in a form of godliness, under pretence of light and liberty, but, deny the power thereof, and inwardly are ravening wolves. If it were possible they would deceive the very elect. But the elect are in the covenant of light and life, in the power of God over them, and in Christ, who will grind them to pieces, and slay all his enemies with his spiritual sword, who will not have him to rule over or in them. In Christ