look over all to him, who is able to deal with them, and reward them according to their works. God Almighty preserve you all in Christ Jesus, in whom you have rest, life, and peace, Amen. 'Southgate, the 28th of the 2d month, 1689.'

G. F.

'Christian Shroder, president of the council, Emanuel Dilger, N. Gadecken, and N. Fraterus, deputy of the council, and the rest of the magistrates and priests.

'We have seen your order, and your breathing out persecution against that little flock, the lambs of Christ, that live under your jurisdiction in the city of Dantzick, and that you have imprisoned and banished two by the hangman out of the government of your city; and others you threaten to do the same to, with great punishment if they return. Likewise you threaten those with punishment they rent their houses of, if they let them have their houses either to live in, or meet in to serve and worship the Lord that made them. Truly, I am heartily sorry for both your magistrates and priests, that go under the name of christians, and show such immoral, inhuman, unchristian actions, below the royal law of God, which is "to do to others as you would have them do unto you." For would you think it was moral, humane, or christian, or according to the law of God, if the king of Poland, who is of another religion than you, should banish you out of your city by the hangman and call you murderers of souls? Could you say but this was according to the law of God," to do unto you as you would have done unto others?" If you say, you have the sword, the horn, and the power: blessed be the Lord that hath shortened your sword, your power, and your horn, that it reaches no further than your jurisdiction of Dantzick: and you do not know how long God may suffer you to have your horn, your power, and your sword. We are sure you have not the mind nor spirit of Christ; and the apostle saith, "They that have not the spirit of Christ are none of his." Rom. viii. And Christ bids Peter "put up his sword ;" they that draw the sword concerning him, to defend him and his worship and faith, should perish with the sword. Peter and the apostles never drew the outward sword after, but said their weapons were spiritual not carnal, and they did not wrestle with flesh and blood. Christ never gave any such command, that they should banish any by the hangman, that were not of their religion, or would not receive it. Are not you worse than the Turks, who let many religions be in their country, yea, christians, and to meet peaceably? Yea, the Turkish patroons let our friends that were captives meet together at Algiers, and said, "It was good so to do." You are worse than those barbarous people at Sa

lee, who do not profess christianity; for you profess Christ in words, but in works deny him. Did you ever find, either in scripture or history, that any persecutors prospered long? You are worse than they are in the Mogul's country, who they say permits sixty religions in his dominions; and many others might be mentioned, which you are worse than them all in your cruelty and persecution of God's people only for meeting together in the name of Jesus, and serving and worshipping God, their Creator. No, they must not breathe in their natural air, neither natural or spiritual, in your dominions. I pray, where had you these commands from? Neither from Christ nor his apostles. Do not you profess the scriptures of the New Testament to be your rule? But I pray you, what scripture have you for this practice? It is good for you to be humble, to do justice, love mercy, call home your banished, and love and cherish them; yea, though they were your enemies, you are to obey the command of Christ, and love them. I wonder how you and your wives and families can sleep quietly in your beds, that do such cruel actions, without thinking the "Lord may do to you the same!" You cannot be without sense and feeling, except you be given over to reprobation, and your consciences seared with a hot iron. But christian charity doth hope that you are not all in that state; but that there may be some relenting or consideration of your actions among some of you, either according to the law of God or his gospel.

From him that desires your temporal and eternal good and salvation, and not destruction, Amen.

'Middlesex, the 28th of the 2d month, 1689.'

G. F.

'Peter, thou mayest translate this into High Dutch, and send them; and you may print it, if you will, and send it abroad: and translate that part of the letter that is to Friends into High Dutch, and send to them.'

Having staid in the country about three weeks, I returned to London a little before the Yearly Meeting, which was in the third month this year, and was a very solemn, weighty meeting; the Lord, as formerly, visiting his people, and honouring the assembly with his glorious presence, to the great satisfaction and comfort of Friends. After the business of the meeting was over, it was upon me to add a few lines to the epistle, which went from the meeting to Friends, after this manner :

DEAR FRIENDS AND BRETHREN,-Who have known the Lord's eternal arm and power, that hath preserved you upon the heavenly rock and foundation, and hath built your house upon it; you have known many winds, tempests, and storms that have risen out of the sea, where the beast rose, and many raging storms that have risen by apostates of seve

ral sorts; but the seed that bruises the serpent's head, and is the foundation of God's people, stands sure. Dear friends and brethren, though there be great shakings in the world, the Lord's power is over all, and his kingdom cannot be shaken. Therefore, all ye children of God, children of the light, and heirs of his kingdom, a joyful, peaceable habitation keep in; keeping out of all the heats, contentions, and disputes about things below. "Lay hand on no man, nor nothing suddenly," lest they should be puffed up with that which fades, and so come to loss; but mind the Lord's power that keeps open your heavenly eye, to see things present and to come, and in that ye will see and handle the word of life. Dear friends, every where, have power over your own spirits. As God hath blessed you with his outward things, have a care of trusting in them, or falling into difference one with another about these outward things that are below, which will pass away. But all live in the love of God, and in that live in peace with God, and one with another. Follow the works of charity, and overcome the evil with the good to all; for what good have all the tinkler's done, with their cymbals and sounding brass? They always bred confusion, and never did good in any age; tinkling with their cymbals and sounding with their brass, to draw out the simple to follow them. It is good for all the children of God to keep in their possessions of life, and in the love of God that is everlasting. As for all the tumults of the world, and the apostates from the truth, the Lord's power is over them all, Christ reigns, and the Lord saith, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." Isa. liv. 17. Friends, you are not insensible how many weapons have been formed against us who are sons and daughters of God, and the Lord hath restrained them according to his promise; they "have not prospered." The Lord said, "Every tongue that shall rise up in judgment against thee, thou shalt condemn;" so God hath given such a power to his children to condemn all the tongues that shall rise up in judgment against them, and this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, "Their righteousness is of me," saith the Lord. You are not insensible of the many tongues that have risen up against us in judgment, yea of apostates and profane; but in and with the truth, the power of God, according to the promise of God, Every tongue that riseth against thee thou shalt condemn." It is not one tongue only thou shalt condemn; but every tongue that shall rise up in judgment against thee thou shalt condemn. The Lord giveth this power to his servants and children to judge the evil tongues, and he doth restrain the weapons formed against them, so that they shall not prosper against his children that he hath begotten. Praises and honour be to his holy name for ever! Amen! G. F.'

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Soon after this the Yearly Meeting began at York, which, because of the largeness of that county, and for the conveniency of Friends in the northern parts, had for some years been held there. And inasmuch as there had been some hurt done in that place, by some that were gone out of the unity of Friends, it was upon me to write a few lines to that meeting to 'exhort them to keep in pure heavenly love, which brings into and keeps in the true unity.' Which was thus:

'Dear friends and brethren in Christ Jesus,

'WHOм the Lord by his eternal arm and power hath preserved to this day, all walk in the power and spirit of God, that is over all, in love and unity; for love overcomes, builds up and unites all the members of Christ to him the head. Love keeps out of all strife, and is of God. Love, or charity, never fails, but keeps the mind above all outward things, and strife about outward things. It overcomes evil and casts out all false fears. It is of God, and unites all the hearts of his people together in the heavenly joy, concord and unity. The God of love preserve you all, and establish you in Christ Jesus, your life and salvation, in whom ye have all peace with God. So walk in him, that ye may be ordered in his peaceable heavenly wisdom, to the glory of God, and the comfort one of another, Amen.

'London, the 27th of the 3d month, 1689.'

G. F.

Being much wearied and spent with many large meetings, and much business with Friends during the time of the Yearly Meeting, and finding my health much impaired thereby, I went out of town with my daughter Rouse to their country-house near Kingston, and tarried there most of the remaining part of the summer. In which time I sometimes visited Friends at Kingston, and wrote divers things for the service of truth and Friends. One was an epistle to Friends at Barbadoes; as followeth :

• To all Friends in Barbadoes that are convinced of God's truth.

'My desires are that ye may live and walk in his peaceable truth, and show forth that ye are children of the light and of the truth; for the heavenly, gentle, peaceable wisdom is justified of her children. But debate, strife, wilfulness, laying open one another's nakedness and weakness, is not the practice of heavenly wisdom's children, (but of Ham's,) nor from the spirit of Christ; neither such as bite and tear one another; that is from a devouring spirit, not the spirit of Jesus, which covers that which is uncomely, and can forgive. My friends, you profess that truth which is beyond all the world's ways, therefore, see that you excel them in the heavenly gentle wisdom, that is easy to be intreated; for the

wisdom of the world is not easy to be intreated, and sometimes will not be intreated at all. Pray see you excel the world in wisdom, in virtue, in kindness, in love that is over hatred, in meekness, humility, sobriety, civility, and modesty, in temperance, and patience, and in all morality and humanity, which will not act any thing below men nor unmanly. Show forth true christianity, and that ye are the converted and translated believers in Christ, dwelling in the love of God that beareth all things, endureth all things, is not puffed up, and envies not. For they that are out of this love of God, and christian charity, are nothing but as a tinkling cymbal and as sounding brass, and are discontented, murmurers and complainers, full of doubts, questions, and false jealousies. Keep that spirit out of the camp of God: for do not you read in the scriptures both of the New and Old Testament, that the end of such was misery? therefore, in the love of God, build up one another; for love edifies the body of Christ, and he commands his believers to love enemies, and to love one another; by this they are known to be the disciples of Christ. But to live in envy, strife, and hatred, is a mark that they are no disciples of Christ; "for he that loveth not his brother abides. in death, and whosoever hates his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. But they that love the brethren are passed from death to life." 1 John iii. 14, 15. And, "if a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen? and this commandment have we from God, that he who loveth God loves his brother also." chap. iv. 20, 21. Therefore, "love one another;" for love is of God, and hatred is of the devil, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knows God. All are children of God by creation, therefore in that state they are to love their neighbours as themselves, and "to do unto all men as they would have them do unto them." Secondly, God pouring his spirit upon all flesh, (or all men and women,) all that are led by the spirit of God, are the sons of God, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, and are in fellowship in the everlasting gospel, and in unity in the spirit, the bond of peace. They that go out of this unity, out of the bond of peace, and do not keep it, break the King of kings' peace; but they that keep in the unity and fellowship in the spirit, and walk in the light, have fellowship one with another, and with the Father and the Son. It is not every one that talks of the light of the world, of righteousness, of Christ, and of God, but he "that doth the will of God." Therefore, my friends, strive to excel one another in love, in virtue, in good life and conversation; and strive all to be of one mind, heart, and judgment in the spirit of God; for in Christ all are one, and are in peace with him. The Lord