and the day that cometh, shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; it shall leave them neither root nor branch. O friend, if the love of God were in thee, thou wouldst love the truth, and hear the truth spoken, and not imprison unjustly. The love of God beareth, and suffereth, and envieth no man. If the love of God had broken your hearts, you would shew mercy; but you do shew forth what ruleth you. Every tree doth shew forth its fruit: you do shew forth your fruits openly. For drunkenness, swearing, pride, and vanity, rule among you, from the teacher to the people. O friend, mercy, and true judg ment, and justice, are cried for in your streets! Oppression, unmercifulness, cruelty, hatred, pride, pleasures, wantonness, and fulness, is in your streets; but the poor is not regarded. O take heed of the Wo. Wo be to the crown of pride! Wo be to them that drink wine in bowls, and the poor is ready to perish. O remember Lazarus and Dives. One fared deliciously every day, and the other was a beggar. O friend, mind these things, for they are near; and see, whether thou be not the man, that is in Dives's state.'

I wrote also to the court at Derby thus.

'I am moved to write unto you, to take heed of oppressing the poor in your courts, or laying burdens upon poor people, which they cannot bear; and of false oaths, or making them to take oaths which they cannot perform. The Lord saith, "I will come near to judgment, and will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the false swearers, and against the idolaters, and against those that do oppress widows and fatherless." Therefore take heed of all these things betimes. The Lord's judgments are all true and righteous, and he delighteth in mercy; so love mercy, dear people, and consider in time.'

Likewise to the ringers, who used to ring the bells in the steeple-house, called St. Peter's in Derby, I sent these few lines:

Friends,

Take heed of pleasures, and prize your time now, while you have it, and do not spend it in pleasures, nor earthliness. The time may come, that you will say you had time, when it is past. Therefore look at the love of God now, while you have time; for it bringeth to loath all vanities

and worldly pleasures. O consider! Time is precious. Fear God, and rejoice in him, who hath made heaven and earth.'

Now, while I was there in prison, divers of the professors came unto me to discourse with me; and I had a sense, before they spake, that they came to plead for sin and imperfection. And I asked them whether they were believers, and had faith; and they said yes. Then I asked them in whom; and they said, in Christ. Then I replied, if ye are true believers in Christ, you are passed from death to life, and if passed from death, then from sin that bringeth death. And if your faith be true, it will give you victory over sin and the devil, and purify your hearts and con sciences (for the true faith is held in a pure conscience) and it will bring you to please God, and give you access to him again. But they could not endure to hear of purity, and of victory over sin and the devil; for they said, they could not believe that any could be free from sin on this side the grave. Then I bid them give over babbling about the scriptures, which were holy men's words, whilst they pleaded for unholiness. And at another time another company of professors came, and they also began to plead for sin. And I asked them whether they had hope; and they said yes: God forbid but we should have hope. Then I asked them what hope is it that you have; is Christ in you the hope of your glory? Doth it purify you, as he is pure ? But they could not abide to hear of being made pure here. Then I bid them forbear talking of the scriptures, which were the holy men's words. For the holy men, that wrote the scriptures, pleaded for holiness in heart, life, and conversation here; but since you plead for impurity and sin, which is of the devil, what have you to do with the holy

men's words?

Now the keeper of the prison, being an high professor, was greatly enraged against me, and spake very wickedly of me but it pleased the Lord one day to strike him so, that he was in great trouble and under great terrors of mind. And as I was walking in my chamber, 1 heard a doleful noise; and standing still, I heard him say to his wife: Wife, I have seen the day of judgment, and I saw George there, and I was afraid of him, because I had done him so much wrong, and spoken so much against him to the ministers and professors, and to the justices, and in taverns and alehouses.' After this, towards the evening, he came up into my chamber, and said to me, I have been

as a lion against you; but now I come like a lamb, and like the gaoler that came to Paul and Silas trembling.' And he desired that he might lie with me; I told him, that I was in his power, he might do what he would but he said nay, he would have my leave, and he could desire to be always with me, but not to have me as a prisoner ; and he said he had been plagued, and his house had been plagued for my sake. So I suffered him to lie with me; and then he told me all his heart, and said he believed what I had said of the true faith and hope to be true: and he wondered that the other man that was put into prison with me did not stand to it, and said that man was not right, but I was an honest man. He confessed also to

me, that at those times when I had asked him to let me go forth to speak the word of the Lord to the people, and he had refused to let me, and I had laid the weight thereof upon him, that then he used to be under great trouble, amazed and almost distracted for some time after; and in such a condition that he had little strength left him. When the morning came, he arose, and soon after went to the justices, and told them that he and his house had been plagued for my sake: and one of the justices replied (as he reported to me) that the plagues were on them too for keeping me. This was justice Bennet of Derby, who was the first that called us Quakers, because I hid them tremble at the word of the Lord. And this was in the year 1650.

After this the justices gave leave, that I should have liberty to walk a mile. I perceived their end, and I told the gaoler if they would set down to me how far a mile was, I might take the liberty of walking it sometimes; for I had a sense, they thought I would go away. And the goaler confessed afterwards, that they did it with that intent, to have me go away, to ease them of their plague; but I told him I was not of that spirit.

This gaoler had a sister, who was a sickly young woman, and she came up into my chamber to visit me; and after she had staid some time, and I had spoken the words of truth to her, she went down, and told them that we were an innocent people, and did none any hurt, but did good to all, even to them that hated us; and she desired them to be tender towards me.

Now forasmuch as, by reason of my restraint, I had not the opportunity of travelling about, to declare and spread truth through the countries, it came upon me to write a paper, and send it forth to be spread abroad both amongst friends and other tender people, for the opening of their

understandings in the way of truth, and directing them to the true teacher in themselves; and it was as followeth :

"The Lord doth shew unto man his thoughts, and discovereth all the secret workings in man. A man may be brought to see his evil thoughts, and running mind and vain imaginations, and may strive to keep them down and to keep his mind in, but cannot overcome them, nor keep his mind within to the Lord: now, in this state and condition, submit to the Spirit of the Lord, that shews them, and that will bring to wait upon the Lord; and he that hath discovered them will destroy them. Therefore stand in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ (who is the author of the true faith) and mind him; for he will discover the root of lusts, and evil thoughts, and vain imaginations, and how they are begotten, conceived, and bred; and then how they are brought forth, and how every evil member doth work. He will discover every principle from its own

nature and root.

'So mind the faith of Christ and the anointing, which is in you to be taught by it, which will discover all workings in you; and as he teacheth you, so obey and forsake, else you will not grow up in the faith, nor in the life of Christ, where the love of God is received. Now love begetteth love, its own nature and image: and when mercy and truth do meet, what joy there is! and mercy doth triumph in judgment; and love and mercy doth bear the judgment of the world in patience. That which cannot bear the world's judgment, is not the love of God; for love beareth all things, and is above the world's judg ment; for the world's judgment is but foolishness. And though it be the world's judgment and practice to cast all the world's filthiness that is among themselves upon the saints, yet their judgment is false. Now the chaste virgins follow Christ, the lamb that takes away the sins of the world; but they that are of that spirit which is not chaste, will not follow Christ the lamb in his steps, but are disobedient to him in his commands. So the fleshly mind doth mind the flesh, and talketh fleshly, and its knowledge is fleshly and not spiritual, but savours of death and not of the spirit of life. Now some men have the nature of swine wallowing in the mire; and some men have the nature of dogs to bite both the sheep and one another; and some men have the nature of lions, to tear, devour, and destroy; and some men have the nature of wolves, to tear and devour the lambs and sheep of Christ; and some men have

the nature of the serpent (that old adversary) to sting, envenom, and poison; "He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear," and learn these things within himself. And some men have the natures of other beasts and creatures, minding nothing but earthly and visible things, and feeding without the fear of God. Some men have the nature of an horse, to prance and vapour in their strength, and to be swift in doing evil; and some men have the nature of tall sturdy oaks, to flourish and spread in wisdom and strength; who are strong in evil, which must perish and come to the fire. Thus the evil is but one in all, but worketh many ways, and whatsoever a man's or woman's nature is addicted to that is outward, the evil one will fit him with that, and will please his nature and appetite, to keep his mind in his inventions and in the creatures from the Creator. O therefore let not the mind go forth from God, for if it do it will be stained, and venomed, and corrupted; and if the mind go forth from the Lord, it is hard to bring it in again: therefore take heed of the enemy, and keep in the faith of Christ. O! therefore mind that which is eternal and invisible, and him who is the Creator and Mover of all things; for the things that are made are not made of things that do appear; for the visible covereth the invisible sight in you. But as the Lord, who is invisible, doth open you by his invisible power and spirit, and brings down the carnal mind in you, so the invisible and immortal things are brought to light in you. O therefore you, that know the light, walk in the light! For there are children of darkness, that will talk of the light and of the truth, and not walk in it; but the children of the light love the light, and walk in the light; but the children of darkness walk in darkness, and hate the light, and in them the earthly lusts, and the carnal mind choke the seed of faith, and that bringeth oppression on the seed, and death over them. O therefore mind the pure Spirit of the everlasting God, which will teach you to use the creatures in their right place, and which judgeth evil. To thee, O God, be all glory and honour, who art Lord of all visibles and invisibles! To thee be all praise, who bringest out of the deep to thyself; O powerful God, who art worthy of all glory! For the Lord, who created all, and gives life and strength to all, is over all, and merciful to all. So thou, who hast made all, and art over all, to thee be all glory! In thee is my strength, refreshments and life, my joy and my gladness, my rejoicing and glorying for evermore! So to live and walk in the Spirit of God, is joy, and peace, and life;