was very well this voyage, but some of the Friends were sea-sick. A fine passage we had, and all came safe and well to land; blessed and praised be the name of the Lord for ever!

The next day, being first-day, we had two meetings at Benjamin Furly's where many of the town's people and some officers came in, and all were civil. Benjamin Furly or John Claus interpreted, when any Friend declared. I spent the next day in visiting Friends. The day following, William Penn and I, with other Friends, went towards Amsterdam, with some of that city, who came to Rotterdam to conduct us thither. We took boat in the afternoon, and, passing by Overkirk, came to Delft, through which we walked on foot; and then took boat again to Leyden, where we lodged that night at an inn. This is counted six Dutch miles from Rotterdam, which are eighteen English miles, and five hours sail, or travelling; for our boat was drawn by a horse that went on the shore. Next day taking boat again, we went to Harlem, fourteen miles from Leyden, where we had appointed a meeting, which proved very large. Many of the town's people came in, and two of their preachers. The Lord gave us a blessed opportunity, not only with respect to Friends, but to other sober people, and the meeting ended peaceably and well. After meeting we passed to Amsterdam, accompanied by several Friends of that city and of Alkmaer.

Next day was the Quarterly Meeting at Amsterdam, to which came Friends from Harlem, and Rotterdam, and with them those of our company, whom we had left at Rotterdam, viz. Robert Barclay, George Keith and his wife, &c. The meeting was at Gertrude Dirick Nieson's. A very large and serviceable meeting it was. William Penn and I were drawn to open many things concerning the order of the gospel, and to show the benefit and service of Yearly, Quarterly, and Monthly Meetings of men and women. We had another meeting at Gertrude's the next day, more public, and very large, at which were professors of several sorts, unto whom the way of life and salvation was largely and livingly opened; which they hearkened very attentively to, none making any objection to what was declared. In the afternoon we had another meeting in the same place, but less, and more private. The day following we had a meeting of Friends only, wherein by joint agreement were settled several meetings, to wit, Monthly, Quarterly, and a Yearly Meeting, to be held at Amsterdam for Friends in all the United Provinces of Holland, and in Embden, the Palatinate, Hamburgh, Frederickstadt, Dantzick, and other places in and about Germany; which Friends were very glad of, and it hath been of great service to truth.

Next day an exercise came upon me concerning that deceitful spirit which wrought in some to make divisions in the church, and the care of

the churches being upon me, I was moved to write a few lines to warn Friends of it, as followeth :

ALL Friends, keep over that spirit of separation and division, in the peaceable truth, and in the seed of life, which will wear it all out, and outlast it. For the Lamb will have the victory over all the spirits of strife, as it hath had since the beginning; and they will wither as others have done: but all that keep in the seed, which is always green, shall never wither; as Friends have been to this day kept. If any have backslidden, thrown off the cross, grown loose and full, and gone into strife and contention with their earthly spirits, and therein plead for liberty, this spirit taketh with loose, earthly spirits, and cries imposition to such as admonish them to come to the life, light, spirit, and power of God, that they may be made alive, and live again with the living. Upon this admonition their spirits rise into contention and strife, and separation, turning against the living, in their loose earthly spirits, which would have the name of truth, but are not in the nature of it, but are for eternal judgment of the living seed. This is it which doth deceive, but it is judged by that which doth undeceive and save.

'Amsterdam, in Holland, the 5th of the 6th month, 1677.'

G. F.

This being first-day, we had a very large meeting, there coming to it a great concourse of people of several opinions, Baptists, Seekers, Socinians, Brownists, and some of the collegians. Robert Barclay, George Keith, William Penn, and I, did all severally declare the everlasting truth among them; opening the state of man in the fall, and showing by what way man and woman may come into the restoration by Christ Jesus. The mystery of iniquity and the mystery of godliness were very plainly laid open, and the meeting ended quietly and well.

The day following, George Keith, Robert Barclay, and William Penn, leaving me and some other Friends at Amsterdam, set forward towards Germany, where they travelled many hundred miles, and had good service for the Lord, Benjamin Furly going with them, and interpreting.

That day and the next I staid at Amsterdam, visiting Friends, and assisting them in some business concerning their meetings. Three Baptists came to discourse with me, to whom I opened things to their satisfaction, and they parted from me in kindness. I wrote a letter also to the princess Elizabeth, which Isabel Yeomans delivered to her, when George Keith's wife and she went to visit her.

'Princess Elizabeth,

I HAVE heard of thy tenderness towards the Lord and his holy truth, by some Friends, that have visited thee, and also by some of thy letters,

which I have seen, which indeed is a great thing, for a person of thy quality to have such a tender mind after the Lord and his precious truth, seeing so many are swallowed up with voluptuousness, and the pleasures of this world; yet all make an outward profession of God and Christ one way or other, but without any deep inward sense and feeling of him. For it is not many mighty nor wise of the world that can become fools for Christ's sake, or can become low in the humility of Christ Jesus from their mighty state, through which they might receive a mightier estate, and a mightier kingdom, through the inward holy spirit, the divine light and power of God; and a mightier wisdom, which is from above, pure and peaceable: which wisdom is above that which is below, that is earthly, sensual, and devilish, by which men destroy one another about their religions, ways, worships, and churches: but this they have not from God nor Christ. The wisdom which is from above, by which all things were made and created, which the holy fear of God in the heart is the beginning of, keeps the heart clean. By this wisdom are all God's children to be ordered, and with it come to order all things to God's glory. This is the wisdom that is justified of her children. In this fear of God and wisdom, my desire is, that thou mayest be preserved to God's glory. For the Lord is come to teach his people himself, and to set up his ensign, that the nations may flow unto it. There hath been an apostacy, since the apostles' days from the divine light of Christ, which should have given them the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus ;" and from the holy spirit, which would have led them into all truth; and therefore have people set up so many leaders without them, to give them knowledge; and also from the holy and precious faith which Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of, which faith purifies the heart, and gives victory over that which separates from God; through which faith they have access to God, and in which faith they please God, the mystery of which is held in a pure conscience. And also from the gospel which was preached in the apostles' days (which gospel is the power of God) which brings life and immortality to light in man and woman, by which people should have seen over the devil that has darkened them; which gospel will preserve all them that receive it in life and immortality. For the eyes of people have been after men, and not after the Lord, who doth write his law in the hearts, and puts it into the minds of all the children of the new covenant of light, life, and grace; through which they all come to know the Lord, from the least to the greatest: so that the knowledge of the Lord may cover the earth, as the waters do the sea. This work of the Lord is beginning again, as it was in the apostles' days; people shall come to receive an unction in them from the Holy One, by which they shall know all things, and shall not need any man to teach them, but as

the anointing doth teach them; and also to know what the righteousness of faith speaks, the word nigh in the heart and mouth to obey it, and to do it. This was the word of faith the apostles preached; which is now received and preached again, and is the duty of all true christians to receive. So now people are coming out of the apostacy, to the light of Christ and his spirit; to receive faith from him, and not from men; to receive the gospel from him, their unction from him, the word; and as they receive him, they declare him freely, as his command was to his disciples, and is still to the learners and receivers of him. For the Lord God and his son Jesus Christ is come to teach his people, and to bring them from all the world's ways to Christ the way, the truth, and the life, who is the way to the Father; and from all the world's teachers and speakers to him the speaker and teacher, as Heb. i. 1. and from all the world's worshippers, to worship God in the spirit and in the truth, which worship Christ set up above sixteen hundred years ago, when he put down the Jews' worship at the temple at Jerusalem, and the worship at the mountain where Jacob's well was; and to bring people from all the world's religions, which they have made since the apostles' days, to the religion that was set up by Christ and his apostles, which is pure and undefiled before God, and keeps from.the spots of the world; and to bring them out of all the world's churches and fellowships, made and set up since the apostles' days, to the church that is in God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Thes. i. 1. and to bring to the unity and fellowship in the holy spirit, that doth mortify, circumcise, and baptize, to plunge down sin and corruption, that has got up in man and woman by transgression. In this holy spirit there is holy fellowship and unity; yea, it is the bond of the Prince of princes, the King of kings, and Lord of lords peace: which heavenly peace all true christians are to maintain with spiritual weapons, not with carnal.

'And now, my friend, the holy men of God wrote the scriptures as they were moved by the holy ghost; and all Christendom are on heaps about those scriptures, because they are not led by the same holy ghost as those were that gave forth the scriptures; which holy ghost they must come to in themselves, and be led by, if they come into all the truth of them, and to have the comfort of God, Christ, and them. For none can call Jesus Lord but by the holy ghost; and all that call Christ Lord without the holy ghost, take his name in vain. Likewise all that name his name are to depart from iniquity; then they name his name with reverence, in truth and righteousness. O therefore feel the grace and truth in thy heart, that is come by Jesus Christ, that will teach thee how to live, and what to deny. It will establish thy heart, season thy words, and bring thy salvation, and will be a teacher unto thee at all times. By it thou mayest receive Christ, from whence it comes; and as

many as receive him, to them he gives power not only to stand against sin and evil, but to become the sons of God: if sons, then heirs of a life, and a world and kingdom without end, and of the eternal riches and treasures thereof. So in haste, with my love in the Lord Jesus Christ, who tasted death for every man, and bruises the serpent's head, that has been betwixt God and man, that through Christ man may come to God again, and praise him through Jesus Christ the Amen, the spiritual, heavenly rock and foundation for all God's people to build upon, to the praise and glory of God, who is over all, blessed for evermore. 'GEORGE FOx.

THE bearer hereof is a daughter-in-law of mine, that comes with Gertrude Dirick Nieson and George Keith's wife, to give thee a visit. G. F.'

The princess Elizabeth's answer.

DEAR FRIEND,-I cannot but have a tender love to those that love the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom it is given not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him: therefore your letter, and your friends' visit, have been both very welcome to me. I shall follow their and your counsel, as far as God will afford me light and unction: remaining still 'Your loving friend,

'Hertford, the 30th of August, 1677.'

ELIZABETH.

Next day John Claus and I passed to Buyckslote, Purmerent, and Alkmaer, about thirty miles from Amsterdam. We went to a Friend's whose name was Willem Willems, where I had a meeting that night. I had another next day, which was larger: several professors came, and all was quiet and well. After the meeting I visited some Friends; then taking boat, passed to Hoorne, counted the chief city in North Holland. We lodged at an inn; and, taking wagon early next morning, we passed to Enckhuysen, where we took ship for Friesland; and, landing in the afternoon at Workum, took water, and rode upon the high bank of the Friezen seas, till we met two Friends coming with a wagon to meet us, with whom we went to Harlingen, the chief sea-port town in Friesland. We went to Hessel Jacobs' whither several Friends came to visit us that night. Next day we visited the Friends of the place; and I wrote a paper, directed, 'To all them that persecute Friends for not observing their fast-day.'

The day following being first-day, Friends had a meeting there, to