light, wherewith the God and father of light hath 'illuminated thee, and unto which thou art now turned; in which as thou abideft, with thy mind rightly exercifed in the fear and dread of the Lord God, thou wilt be preferved out of the vain janglings of the angry, peevish, and perverfe profeffor, and kept clean from the fins and pollutions that are in the prophane world. O how many profefs God and Christ, according to the hiftorical knowledge of both, but ' never come to the myftical and experimental know'ledge of them! No, it is utterly impoffible, that any thing fhould bring to the internal knowledge and experience of the work and will of God, but the light and fpirit only, by an inward revelation and operation and fuch as entitle themselves to Chrif tianity, whilft ftrangers to the terrors of the Lord for fin, and to a purgation from it, by the fiery trials of his inward judgments, as well as outward ' tribulations (who is as refiner's fire, and as everlasting burnings to all the workers of iniquity) they are of the fynagogue of Satan, and fubjects of the god of this world, whofe throne is in the hearts of the children of difobedience unto the heavenly light within and therefore in the name and authority of the Lord God of heaven and earth, I teftify, that the way for every man and woman to come to God < (whom darkness can have no access to, for to it is he inacceffible) is to bring his or her deeds to the light in him or herself, and fee if they be wrought in God, or by him: if they be, the fire cannot confume the 'pure gold; if they be not, judgment with the light will pafs, on God's behalf, upon the creature, from whence there is no appeal, without due repentance, and turning to the light, in it to walk in thought, 'word, and deed, in which the nations of them that be faved muft walk and live for ever.

And because of the righteous judgment this heavenly light brings (for, for judgment is it come into the world) upon the profeffor, that is at eafe in the outward courts of profeffion (that were given to the • Gentiles

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Gentiles to tread down, and which were left out in the measuring the evangelical temple of God) therefore is he fo nettled, vexed, and in enmity, faying, "You deny the fcriptures; you renounce Chrift; you "fet up your own works, and your light is infufficient," with fuch-like. O but the wife man loves reproof, and the way thereof is life to his upright foul but this thou muft expect from the carnal, fleshly, and hiftorical Christian of the outward courts and fuburbs of religion, who is an enemy to the fpiritual feed, that fees to the end of all meats, drinks, washings, figures, and bodily exercises: but as thy mind is kept ftayed upon the light, thou wilt have a good understanding given to thee, and a right difcerning, whereby to comprehend and con⚫ found all that which may let or ftop, whether it be within, or whether it be without for this know, that the very fame PRINCIPLE that gives LIGHT, administers strength, knowledge, life, raiment, and all that shall or can be needed in the fpiritual journey to the eternal reft: fo, dear friend, unto that I • recommend thee, befeeching thee to dwell in it, for by it are all things, that are either reproveable or justifiable, made manifeft, and whatsoever can be known of God (whom to know effectual is life eternal) is manifefted within. And, O the peace! O the joy! O the heavenly refreshment that they <witness, that know a paffing, (not from one form to another) but from death and darkness, unto life and light, and are in the spiritual travel from Egypt's land, through the ftate of condemnation for fin, (which is MOSES in fpirit) unto juftification, through life eternal, which is the gift of God by JESUS < CHRIST. The Lord God eternal preferve thee, and keep the stayed in thy mind, out of all wanderings, doubtings, or murmurings, in holy faith, refignation and patience, till thou witneffeft his king'dom to be come, and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven; that fo thou mayeft be a fpiritual candle in thy place, giving light in the life of ⚫ righteousness,

righteousness, to the eclipfing of all the dim appearances of the former righteoufnefs, that is among the carnal and hiftorical Chriftians there-away (who talk of Chrift in fwelling words of vanity, but leave the cross behind) which they are to be convinced of, ⚫ and condemned for, by the holy paraclete, as well as for the groffeft of their iniquity, both being an abomination to the Lord. And if thou doft freely give up, counting nothing dear, to answer the Lord's heavenly vifitation of love and light unto thee, by living in the cross to the fin, righteousness and judgment that are of this world, and teftifying to the spiritual invisible way of falvation, as in the light ⚫ thou haft received, and yet mayeft receive, experi⚫ mental knowledge, glory, immortality, and eternal life will be thy inheritance, when time shall be no more: only this I would leave in eaution with thee, think not that thou haft attained all that in the holy ⚫ vifion of light may be prefented to thee, but rather in the light wait to feel the heavenly power to arife, that is able to bring into the actual enjoyment of thofe ftates; and when thou comeft thus experimentally to know the work of God wrought in thyself, thou canst with boldnefs fpeak, as one knowing whereof thou affirmeft, having tafted and handled of the word of life, whether as an hammer, fire, fword, a washer and reconciler.

So the Lord God of his remnant and children of light, yet more and more enlighten, confirm and preferve thee, in and by his eternal power, to the end; for they, and they only, come to be faved. I am, in the fellowship of the light, and way of the crofs of Christ,

My love is to thy wife, and falute me kindly to thofe that were at meeting • when I was at Embden.

Thy endeared friend,

W. P.'

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POST

POSTSCRIPT.

Such as can be baptized with that baptifm, and drink of that cup which JESUS was baptized with, and drank deeply of, fuch, and fuch alone, fhall fit at his right-hand in the high and heavenly place: which is a hard faying to all the national and carnal profeffors, but the children of light receive it with thankfulness, and fanctify God in their hearts,'

At this time fundry oppofers, fome of whom being diffenters themselves, had enough to do in time of perfecution, by a cautious privacy, which they called

Chriftian Prudence,' to fecure their own heads from the ftorm the Quakers weathered, began, under the funshine of the king's indulgence, to peep out, and, by gainfaying the truth, to make its defence neceffary: fo that our author, who never turned his back in the day of battle, had plenty of controverfial exercife for his pen, the remainder of this year, and the two next enfuing; about which time likewife he wrote several remarkable letters, fome of which are here inferted; viz.

To Justice FLEMING, a Juftice of Quorum,, and Deputy Lieutenant in Weftmorland.'

T

AHE obligation thy civility laid upon the perfon that is now my wife, when in the north, anno 1664, is, with her being fo, become mine. Not to acknowledge, though I could never retaliate it, were a rudeneis I have not ufually been guilty of; for however differing I am from other men Circa Sacra, and that world, which, refpecting men, may ? be faid to begin when this ends, I know no religion that deftroys courtefy, civility, and kindness; which, rightly understood, are great indications of true men, if not of good Chriftians. Certainly there is fuch a thing as civil uniformity, where a religious one may

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be unobtainable; and methinks there can be nothing more irrational, than to facrifice the ferenity of the one, to an adventurous (if not impoffible) pro<curement of the other. Let men be MEN before CHRISTIANS, and not repute that the best way of ⚫ making them the last, which inevitably destroys the very conftitution of the first. Natural affection, quiet living, honeft commerce, and an exemplary life, fo ftrongly plead for toleration of opinion, that where opinion aims not at the deftruction of government, it is high pity, and not a little injuftice, to molest those that are fo qualified. It is not my purpose to difpute for liberty of confcience, but recommend it. • Several difcourfes are extant, which, with me, feem • irrefutable. I hope the unfuccessfulness of such severity as hath been acted, will be an unanswerable argument with them to leave it, with whom other ⚫ reasons would not prevail; though I cannot think, ⚫ but a person of those parts feveral have reprefented thee to have, would have been satisfied with less cost ' of controversy: for, indeed, there can be nothing more irrational, than to fanfy that external penalties 'fhould work right conviction, or information upon the confcience in the understanding of any. Sure 'I am, it is beneath the true religion to do fo, as well as unbecoming one that has been obferved to use that ill argument against others.

But the scene is changed, and from the feverity of magiftrates, we are fallen under the implacable hate and perfecution of fome Co-Diffenters. It is for our credit they quarrel with us, especially that * they begin truth then beft advocates her innocence ' unto mens confciences, when it is moft queftioned: The lofes nothing by being tried, but the wolf's-fkin, which the wolf in fheep's cloathing is wont to caft. upon her; and I no-ways doubt of that fuccefs in ' our undertaking for her defence. An Independent and an Anabaptift, both preachers, have lately bedirted us in three difcourfes they have published against us, it is faid, with no finall applaufe; but

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• then