beads, nor to sing by outward organs; but the apostle said, he would sing and pray in the spirit: for the spirit itself "maketh intercession; and the Lord, that searcheth the heart, knoweth the mind of the spirit.”

To take counsel of the dead, was forbidden by the law of God; they were to take counsel of the Lord. He hath given Christ in the new covenant, in his gospel-day, to be a counsellor and a leader to all believers in his light. Men are not to run to the dead for the living; for the law and testimony of God forbids it. Those Jews, that refused the running waters of Shiloh, the floods and waters of the Assyrians and Babylonians came over them, and carried them into captivity: and they that refuse the waters of Christ, are overflowed with the flood of the world, that lieth in wickedness. They that asked counsel of stocks and stones, were in the spirit of error and whoredom; they were "gone a whoring from God." Hosea iv. 12. And they, that "joined themselves to BaalPeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead, provoked the Lord's anger, and brought the Lord's displeasure upon them." Psal. cvi. 28, 29. So here ye may see, the sacrifices of the dead were forbidden. The living know that they shall die; but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward: for the memory of them is forgotten, Eccles. ix. 5. "Wo to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin." Isa. xxx. 1. G. F.'

When I had staid about a month in London, I got out of town again; For by reason of the many hardships I had undergone in imprisonments, and other sufferings for truth's sake, my body was grown so infirm and weak, that I could not bear the closeness of the city long together; but was fain to go a little into the country, where I might have the benefit of the fresh air. At this time I went with my son-in-law, William Mead, to his country-house called Gooses in Essex, where I staid about two weeks; and among other services, that I had there, I wrote the following paper:

'A distinction between the true offering and sacrifice, and the false, in the old and new covenant.

The Lord saith, "He that sacrificeth to any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed." Exod. xxii. 20. So no god is to be minded, nor sacrificed to, but the Lord God. It is death to sacrifice to any other god, save the Lord. The Lord saith also, "Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread." Exod. xxiii. 18. So that sour heavy leaven must not be offered with the Lord's sacrifice. Again, the Lord saith; "Thou shalt not build an altar of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it." Exod. xx. 25. VOL. II.

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Therefore have a care of polluting the altar with your own tools, you that profess to offer the spiritual sacrifice.

Jonah said, "He would sacrifice unto the Lord with the voice of thanksgiving," when he was in the fish's belly: and there he prayed unto the Lord. Jonah ii. For Jonah in the whale's belly had no lambs, nor rams, nor outward sacrifices to offer.

The Lord forbids his people to sacrifice with harlots. Hosea iv. 14. And the Lord forbids his people to offer sacrifice of the blind, lame, sick, or that which was deformed, or had any blemish: as in Mal. i. and many other places. So they that offer spiritual sacrifice, must not offer the blind, lame, blemished, or deformed sacrifice to God.

The scribe saith unto Christ, "To love God with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices." Mark xii. 33. "And when Jesus saw, that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, thou art not far from the kingdom of God." v. 34. To love God, and their neighbour as them. selves, was more than whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices in the time of the law; therefore all offerings and sacrifices in the time of the gospel, if there be not love to God and to their neighbour as themselves, avail nothing.

David said, "Let them sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing." Psal. cvii. 22. These are the sacrifices that the Lord requires of his people, more than outward sacrifices. David said, "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of mine hands as the evening sacrifice." Psal. cxli. 2. Here David looks upon his prayer to the Lord, and the lifting up of his hands to him, to be accepted with the Lord, as much as the outward incense, and the outward evening sacrifice. Again David says, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psal. li. 17. (See also Isa. lvii. 15. and chap. lxvi. 2.) These are the sacrifices that David said God would accept, and not despise; which are beyond the unbroken spirit, and uncontrite heart, with outward offerings and sacrifices.

The adversaries of the Jews would have joined with them towards the building of the temple, saying, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him." But the Jews refused them, and said; "Ye have nothing to do with us, to build a house unto our God." Ezra iv. 2, 3. Here ye may see God's people refused their building with them, and their sacrifice. Solomon saith, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord." Prov. xv. 8. (See also Isa. i. 11. and chap. lxvi. 3.) Solomon also saith, "Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with

strife." Prov. xvii. 1. Now let all people consider what good your house full of sacrifices doth with strife, when a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, is better? Consider all people, if ye live in wickedness, your sacrifice is an abomination to the Lord.

Again, Solomon speaking of the sacrifice of fools, saith, "They consider not, that they do evil." Eccles. v. 1. Fools are such as do not walk in the spirit of God, or begin in the spirit, and end in the flesh, like the foolish Galatians: for the spirit of God is the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and cannot join with the sacrifices of the dead, nor of the fools, nor of the wicked, whose sacrifice is abominable; who grieve and quench the spirit of God: by which the spiritual and righteous offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul saith, he was the "minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the holy ghost." Rom. xv. 16. So ye may see, that all the acceptable offerings and sacrifices to God must be sanctified by the holy ghost. The same apostle saith to the Corinthians, "Ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God, in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Cor. vi. 20. And to the Romans, he saith, "I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Rom. xii. 1. This is the duty

of all true christians.

'Peter also saith, in his general epistle to the church of Christ; "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." 1 Pet. ii. 5. So every man and woman must come to the spirit of God in their own hearts, if they offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. For as Christ saith, "Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt." Mark ix. 49. And in the Old Testament ye may see, all their outward offerings they were "to season with salt." Levit. ii. 13. A type and figure of Christ, who "gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savour." Ephes. v. 2. Therefore all his people must be baptized with the holy ghost and with fire, that they may be salted with fire, and every sacrifice salted with salt, with the spirit of grace, that is poured upon all: so that they may offer up this spiritual sacrifice, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

'Samuel said to king Saul, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burntofferings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? behold to obey is better than sacrifice; and to hearken, than the fat of rams." 1 Sam. xv. 22. So ye may see all offerings and sacrifices are nothing, if there be not a hearkening to the Lord in his spirit, and an obeying of his voice. Christ told the Jews, who were outward sacrificers, that he

would have mercy and not sacrifice: and bid them "go and learn what that meaneth." Matt. ix. 13.

G. F.

'Gooses, the 28th of the 2d month, 1687.'

The beginning of the third month I returned to London, and continued there till after the Yearly Meeting, which began the sixteenth, and was very large; Friends having more freedom to come up out of the countries to it, by reason of the general toleration and liberty now granted. The meeting lasted several days; and at the close thereof it was upon me to write the following lines, to be dispersed among Friends every where, as "A word of counsel and caution to them to walk circumspectly in this time of liberty."

Dear friends and brethren in the Lord Jesus Christ,

THE Lord by his eternal arm and power having supported you in all your sufferings, great spoiling of goods, and tedious imprisonments, only for serving and worshipping the living God that made you; who gave up wife and children and goods, and suffered the spoil of them, and imprisonment for his truth and name's sake; the Lord by his infinite power and mercy, having been pleased to open the king's heart towards you, by which you are set at liberty from gaols, and the spoilers of your goods are stopped, whereby ye may follow your callings, confess Christ Jesus, and call him Lord by the holy ghost, in your assemblies, without being cast into gaols, or having your goods spoiled. Dear brethren, a great concern lies upon me from the Lord to write unto you, "That none may abuse this liberty, nor the mercies of the Lord, but prize them;" for there is great danger in time of liberty of getting up, and getting into ease, looseness, and false liberty. And now, seeing, that ye have not the outward persecutors to war with in sufferings, with the spiritual weapons keep down that which would not be subject to Christ; that he, the Holy One, may reign in your hearts: that your lives, conversations, and words may preach righteousness and truth; that ye may all show forth good ensamples of true believers in Christ, in virtue and holiness, answering that which may be known of God in all people, that ye are the sons and daughters of God; standing fast in that righteous, holy, liberty in Christ, the just and Holy One, that has made you free, over the loose or false; shunning the occasions of vain disputes, and foolish questions of men of corrupt minds: for the serpent was the first questioner of Eve, who drew her and Adam out of the truth. Therefore as ye have received Christ, live and walk in him, who bruises the serpent's head, who is your safe sanctuary; in whom ye have election, reconciliation and peace with God. Therefore live in the peace which ye have from Christ, which is not of this world; be at peace one with

another, and seek the peace of all men in Christ Jesus: for blessed are the peace-makers. Labour to exercise a good conscience towards God, in obedience to him in what he requires, and in doing to all men the thing that is just and honest; in your conversations and words giving no offence to Jew or Gentile, nor to the church of God. So ye may be as a city set on God's Sion hill, which cannot be hid; and may be lights to the dark world, that they may see your good fruits, and glorify your Father which is in heaven: for he is glorified in your bringing forth good fruits, as ye abide in Christ, the vine, in this his day of life, power, and light, that shineth over all. Therefore all that believe in the light, walk in the light, as children of the light and of Christ's everlasting day; that in the light ye may have fellowship with the Father and the Son, and one with another; keeping in the unity of his holy spirit, in the bond of his holy peace, in his church, that he is head of. My desire is, that God's wisdom every where may be justified of her children, and that it may be showed forth in meekness, and in the fear of the Lord in this his day, Amen.

G. F.'

By that time the Yearly Meeting was over, I was very much wearied and spent: wherefore about a week after I got out of town to a Friend's house a little beyond Edmonton, where, and at South-street, I abode some time, and had meetings amongst Friends there; and at Winchmore-hill and Berry-street. Having my mind continually exercised in the things of God, the sense of his infinite goodness and mercy to mankind, in visiting them, after they had transgressed and rebelled against him, and providing a way and means for their return to him again, was very much upon me; and in the opening of the spirit of of truth, I writ the following paper on that subject:

'GOD, who made all men and women, though they have transgressed his commands and laws, rebelled against him, hated his light, grieved his spirit, and walked despitefully against his spirit of grace; yet he who is merciful, would have all to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. All that come to the knowledge of the truth, must know it in their inward parts; I say, the grace and truth, which comes by Jesus, all that know and find it, know and find it in their hearts. Such find the hidden man of the heart, the pearl, the leaven, the lost piece of silver, and the kingdom of heaven within. For until all come to the light and truth in their hearts, they have been strangers to these things, in Adam in the fall, from the image of God, his light, power and spirit, and kingdom. But Christ, that never fell, brings man and woman again, that follow him, to know these things, and to know the truth, him the Saviour, and brings them into his image, and his everlasting kingdom.