were prisoners at Denbigh in Wales, that many Friends there were under great sufferings for the testimony of a good conscience. In the tender sense whereof I was moved in the love of God to visit them with a few lines, as a word of consolation to them in their sufferings; and of exhortation, to stand fast in the testimony committed to them, after this

manner:

DEAR Suffering lambs for the name and command of Jesus! be valiant for his truth, and faithful, and ye will feel the presence of Christ with you. Look at him who suffered for you, hath bought you, and will feed you, who saith, "be of good comfort, I have overcome the world :" who destroys the devil and his works, and bruises the serpent's head. I say, look at Christ your sanctuary, in whom ye have rest and peace. To you it is given not only to believe, but to suffer for his name's sake. They that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution by the ungodly professors of Christ Jesus, who live out of him. Therefore, be valiant for God's truth upon the earth, and look above that spirit that makes you suffer, up to Christ, who was before it was, and will be when it is gone. Consider all the prophets, Christ, and the apostles, who suffered and were persecuted; but they were never persecuted as true men, but as deceivers, and yet true. Christ is the same to-day as yesterday, a rock and foundation for your age and generation, for you to build upon. I have written concerning you (after I heard your letter,) to Friends in Cheshire to visit you, understanding that you belong to their Quarterly Meeting: I desire some Friends of your county would go, and lay your suffering condition before the Monthly or Quarterly Meeting in Cheshire. I have written likewise to Richard Davis, that some of that side may go and visit you, and see how your condition is. My love is to you in the Lord, who alone is your support. G. F.

London, the 27th of the 11th month, 1682.'

Because the magistrates were many of them unwilling to have fines laid upon meeting-houses, they kept Friends out in many places, setting officers and guards of soldiers at the doors and passages; yet sometimes Friends were fined for speaking or praying, though it were abroad. One first-day it was upon me to go to Devonshire-house meeting in the afternoon; and because I had heard Friends were kept out there that morning, (as they were that day at most meetings about the city,) I went somewhat the sooner, and got into the yard, before the soldiers came to guard the passages: but the constables were got there before me, and stood in the door-way with their staves. I asked them to let me go in: they said 'they could not, nor durst not; for they were commanded the

contrary, and were sorry for it.' I told them, I would not press upon them; so I stood by, and they were very civil. I stood till I was weary; then one gave me a stool to sit down on and after awhile the power of the Lord began to spring up among Friends, and one began to speak. The constables soon forbade him, and said, he should not speak; and he not stopping, they began to be wroth. But I gently laid my hand upon one of the constables, and wished him to let him alone. The constable did so, and was quiet; and the man did not speak long. After he had done, I was moved to stand up and speak: and in my declaration said, 'they need not come against us with swords and staves; for we were a peaceable people, and had nothing in our hearts but good-will to the king and magistrates, and to all people upon the earth. We did not "meet under pretence of religion to plot and contrive against the government, or to raise insurrections;" but to worship God in spirit and in truth. We had Christ to be our bishop, priest, and shepherd, to feed us and oversee us, and he ruled in our hearts; so we could all sit in silence, enjoying our teacher. So to Christ their bishop and shepherd, I recommended them all.' I sat down, and after awhile was moved to pray, and the power of the Lord was over all; and the people, with the constables and soldiers, put off their hats. When the meeting was done, and Friends began to pass away, the constable put off his hat and desired the Lord to bless us: for the power of the Lord was over him and the people.

After this I went up and down, visiting Friends at their houses, who had their goods taken from them for worshipping God. We took an account of what had been taken from them: and some Friends met together about it, and drew up the case of the sufferings of our Friends in writing, and gave it to the justices at their petty sessions. Whereupon they made an order, 'that the officers should not sell the goods of Friends which they had in their hands, but keep them till the next sessions;' which gave some discouragement to the informers, and put a little stop to their proceedings.

The next first-day it was upon me to go to the meeting at the Savoy; and by that time it was gathered, the beadle came in; and after him the wild people, like a sea, but the Lord's power chained them all. The spirit of the Lord went through and over all, and they were quiet, and we had a glorious, peaceable meeting; blessed be the Lord for his unspeakable goodness! This was in the twelfth month, 1682.

In the first month, 1683, I went to Kingston upon Thames. As I went to the meeting, I met the chief constable who had been at the meeting-place, and had set watchmen to keep us out; yet he was pretty civil, and the watchmen let Friends have a couple of forms out, to sit

upon in the highway; so Friends met together there, and a very precious meeting we had; for the refreshing presence of the Lord was with us, in which we parted in peace.

Having visited and encouraged Friends there, I returned to London, and went to the meeting at Bull and Mouth, where the constables with their watchmen kept a guard, to keep Friends out of the house. So we met in the street; and when any Friend spoke, the officers and watchmen made a great bustle to pull him down, and take him into custody. After some other Friends had spoken, it was upon me to speak. I said, 'heaven is God's throne, and earth is his footstool: and will ye not let us stand upon God's footstool to worship and serve the living God?' while I spoke, they were quiet; and after I had cleared myself, we broke up our meeting in peace. This was on the sixth day of the week.

On the first-day following I was moved to go to the meeting at Gracechurch-street. When I came there, I found a guard set at the entrance in Lombard-street, and another at the gate in Gracechurch-street, to keep Friends out of the meeting-place; so we were fain to meet in the street. After some time I got a chair, and stood up in it, and spoke largely to the people, opening the principles of truth to them, and declaring many weighty truths concerning magistracy, and the Lord's prayer.' There was, besides Friends, a great multitude of people, and all was very quiet; for the Lord's power was over all, and in his time we broke up our meeting, and departed in peace.

Next day I went to Guildford in Surrey; and having visited Friends there, passed to Worminghurst in Sussex, where I had a very blessed meeting among Friends, free from disturbance. While I was there, James Claypole of London, (who with his wife was there also,) was suddenly taken very ill with so violent a fit of the stone, that he could neither stand nor lie; but through the extremity of pain cried out like a woman in travail. When I heard it, I was much exercised in spirit for him, and went to him. After I had spoken a few words to him, to turn his mind inward, I was moved to lay my hand upon him, and prayed the Lord to rebuke his infirmity. As I laid my hand on him, the Lord's power went through him; and by faith in that power he had speedy ease, so that he quickly fell into a sleep. When he awaked, the stone came from him like dirt; and he was so well, that the next day he rode with me five and twenty miles in a coach, though he used formerly, (as he said,) to lie sometimes two weeks, sometimes a month, with one of those fits of the stone. But the Lord was intreated for him, and by his power soon gave him ease at this time: blessed and praised be his holy name therefore!

After I had had some meetings in Sussex and Surrey, and visited Friends thereaway, I returned to London by Kingston, where I had a meeting

on the first day of the second month, being first-day. We were kept out of the meeting-house by a constable and watchmen, so were fain to meet in the highway. But it being the Monthly Meeting day, and many people being there, the meeting was pretty large, and very quiet; and the Lord's blessed presence was amongst us: blessed be his name for ever!

Being come to London, I went to the meeting at Wheeler-street near Spitalfields, which that day proved very large, and a glorious blessed mecting it was: for the Lord's power and truth was over all, and many deep and weighty things were opened to the people to their great satisfaction.

I tarried in and near London, visiting meetings, and labouring in the service of the gospel, till the Yearly Meeting came on, which began the 28th of the third month. It was a time of great sufferings; and much concerned I was, lest Friends, that came up out of the country on the church's service, should be taken and imprisoned at London. But the Lord was with us, his power preserved us; and gave us a sweet and blessed opportunity to wait upon him, and be refreshed together in him, and to perform those services for his truth and people, for which we meet. As it was a time of great persecution, and we understood that in most counties Friends were under great sufferings either by imprisonments or spoiling of goods, or both, a concern was weightily upon me, lest any Friends, especially traders and dealers in the world, should hazard the losing of other men's goods or estates through their sufferings. Wherefore, as the thing opened in me, I drew an epistle of caution to Friends in that case, which I communicated to the Yearly Meeting; and from thence it was sent among Friends throughout the nation; a copy of which here followeth :

Dear Friends and Brethren in the Lord Jesus Christ,

'WHO is your only sanctuary in this day of storm and persecution, spoiling of goods and imprisonments! let every one's eye be unto him, who has all power in heaven and earth given unto him; so that none can touch a hair of your head, nor you, nor any thing ye have except it be permitted or suffered in this day to try his people, whether their minds be with the Lord or in outward things. Dear Friends take care that all your offerings be free, and of your own, that has cost you something; so that ye may not offer of that which is another man's, or that which ye are intrusted withal, (and not your own,) or fatherless or widows' estates; but all such things settle and establish in their places. You may remember many years ago, in a time of great persecution, divers Friends, who were traders, shopkeepers, and others, had the concerns of widows and fatherless, and other people's estates in their hands.

And when a great suffering, persecution, and spoiling of goods came upon Friends, especial care was taken that all might offer up to the Lord in their sufferings what was really their own, and not any other people's estates or goods which they had in their hands; and that they might not offer up another body's, but that which they had bought and paid for, or were able to pay for. Afterwards several letters came out of the country to the meeting at London, from Friends that had goods of the shopkeepers at London upon credit, which they had not paid for ; who wrote to their creditors, intreating them to take their goods again. And some Friends came to London themselves, and treated with their creditors, letting them understand, "They lay liable to have all they had taken from them ;" and told them, "They would not have any man to suffer by them; neither would they by suffering offer up any thing but what was really their own, or what they were able to pay for." Upon which several took their goods again. This wrought a very good savour in the hearts of many people, when they saw such a righteous, just, and honest principle in Friends, that would not make any suffer for their testimony; but what they did suffer for the testimony of Jesus should be really, and truly their own, not other people's. In this they owed nothing to any but love. So in this every man and woman stands in the free offering, a free people, whether it be spiritual or temporal which is their own; and in that they wrong no man, neither inwardly nor outwardly. Ornan said unto David, "I give thee the threshing-floor, &c. and the oxen for burnt-offerings: and the threshing-instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat-offering, I give it all." But king David said unto Ornan, "Nay, but I will verily buy it for the full price; for I will not take that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt-offerings without cost." 1 Chron. xxi. 22, &c. So it should be his own, and so should it be every man's that offers. You may see here, that David would not accept of another man's gift for an offering to the Lord; he would not offer up that which cost him nothing, but what should be really his own. Psalm cxii. 5. "A good man will guide his affairs with dis

cretion."

'Let this be read in your Monthly and Quarterly men's and women's Meetings.

'London the 2d of the 4th month, 1683.'

G. F.

Some time after the Yearly Meeting I went to Kingston upon Thames to visit Friends; and while I was there, it came upon me to write the following epistle to Friends in general, as a salutation of love, and to stir up the pure mind in them.