and have the chiefest place in the assemblies, whom Christ cried woe against, Matt. xxiii. And such as go in the way of Cain in envy, and after the error of Balaam for wages, gift, and rewards; these have been your teachers, and these you have held up. But who love the light, are taught of God; and the Lord is coming to teach his people himself, and to gather his from the hirelings, and from such as seek for their gain from their quarter, and from such as bear rule by their means: the Lord is opening the eyes of foolish people, that they shall see such as bear rule over them. But all, whose eyes are shut, are such as the prophet spake of, that have eyes, and see not; but are foolish, upholding such things. Therefore, poor people, as ye love your own souls, consider the love of God to your souls, while ye have time, and do not turn the grace of God into wantonness. That which shews you ungodliness and worldly lusts, that should and would be your teacher, if ye would hearken to it, for the saints of old witnessed the grace of God to be their teacher, which taught them to live soberly and godly in this present world. And ye that are not sober, this grace of God hath appeared unto you, but you turn it into wantonness, and so set up teachers without you, who are not sober, not holy, not godly. Here you are left without excuse, when the righteous judgment of God shall be revealed unto you all who live ungodly. Therefore to the light in you I speak; and when the book of conscience shall come to be opened, then shall you witness what I say to be true, and you all shall be judged out of it. So God Almighty direct your minds (such of you especially who love honesty and sincerity,) that you may receive mercy in the time of need. Your teacher is within you, look not forth; it will teach you both lying in bed, and going abroad, to shun all occasion of sin and evil.'

G. F.

As the foregoing was directed to all the inhabitants of Ulverstone in general, so it was upon me to write also to those more particularly, that did most constantly follow W. Lampitt, the priest, there; and unto these I wrote thus:

"The word of the Lord God to all the people that follow priest Lampitt, who is a blind guide. Ye are such as are turned from the light of Christ within, which he hath enlightened you withal; ye are such as follow that which Christ cried woe against, that goes not in Christ's way, but in the Pharisees' way, as ye may read Mat. xxiii. which

our Lord Jesus Christ cried woe against. He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever: but him ye own not, while ye follow such as he cried woe against; though under a colour ye make a profession, and Lampitt, your priest, makes a trade of Christ's and the saints' words, as his fathers the pharisees did make a profession of the prophets' words, and of Moses his words. Woe was unto them who had not the life, so woe is unto you who have not the life that gave forth the scriptures, as your fruits have made manifest. For when the Lord hath moved some to come amongst you to preach the truth freely, you have knocked them down, beat, and punched, and haled them out of your assemblies. Such a people serves thee, oh Lampitt, to make a prey upon, and these are thy fruits; oh let shame, shame, strike thee and you all in the faces, who make a profession of Christ's words, thou and they, and yet are stoners and strikers, and mockers, and scoffers. Let all see if this be not a cage of unclean birds, spoken of in the scriptures, which they who had the life of the scriptures spake of; and such a company of people thou deceivest, and feedest them with thy fancies, and makest a trade of the scriptures, and takest them for thy cloak. But thou art manifest to all the children of light; for that cloak will not cover thee, but thy skirts are seen, and thy nakedness appears. And the Lord made one to go naked among you, a figure of thy nakedness, and of your nakedness, and as a sign amongst you, before your destruction cometh; that you might see that you were naked, and not covered with the truth. To the light in all your consciences I do speak, which Christ Jesus doth enlighten you withal: it will shew you the time you have spent, and all your evil deeds you have done in that time; who follow such a teacher, that acts contrary to this light, and leads you into the ditch. And when you are in the ditch together, both teacher and people, remember, ye were warned in your life-time. And if ever your eye come to see repentance, and you obey the light of Jesus Christ in you, you will witness me to have been a friend of your souls, and that I have sought your eternal good, and written this in dear love to you. And then will you own your condemnation, which you must all own before ye can come into that blessed life of which there is no end. But ye, who hate the light because your deeds are evil, this light is your condemnation, and will be: and when your condemnation is come upon you, remember ye were warned. Oh that ye would love this light, and hearken to it. It would teach you, both as you walk up and down about VOL. I.

N

your occasions, and as you lie upon your beds, and would never let you speak a vain word: in loving it you love Christ; in hating it, you bring the condemnation thereof upon yourselves. And to you this is the word of God, from under which you can never pass, nor ever escape the terror of the Lord in the state you are in, who hate the light." G. F.

Amongst those who were the chief hearers and followers of this priest Lampitt of Ulverstone, there was one Adam Sands, who was a very wicked false man, and would have destroyed truth and its followers if he could; to him I was moved to write thus:

'Adam Sands,

To the light in thy conscience I appeal, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of righteousness; the Lord will strike thee down, though now for a while in thy wickedness thou mayest reign: and the plagues of God are due to thee, who hardenest thyself in thy wickedness against the pure truth of God. With the pure truth of God, which thou hast resisted and persecuted, thou art to be threshed down, which is eternal, and doth comprehend thee; and with the light, which thou despisest, thou art seen; and it is thy condemnation. Thou as one brutish, and thy wife as an hypocrite, and you both as murderers of the just, in that which is eternal, are seen and comprehended; and your hearts searched and tried and condemned by the light. The light in thy conscience will witness the truth of what I write to thee; and will let thee see that thou art not born of God, but art from the truth, in the beastly nature and if ever thy eye see repentance, thou wilt witness me a friend of thy soul, and a seeker of thy eternal good.'

[This Adam Sands afterwards died miserably.]

I was moved also to write to priest Tatham.

G. F.

The word of the Lord to thee, priest Tatham, who art found out of the doctrine of Christ; having the chiefest place in the assembly, and being called of men, master, and standing praying in the synagogue in the steps of the pharisees, which our Lord Jesus Christ cried woe against. In his way thou art not, but in the way of the scribes and pharisees, as thou mayest read, Mat. 23. There Christ's words judge thee, and the scriptures of truth condemn thee;

for thou art such an one as sues men at the law for tithes, and yet professest thyself to be a minister of Christ, which Christ never impowered his to do; neither did any of his apostles or ministers ever do so. Here I charge thee in the presence of the living God, to be out of their doctrine; and that thou art one of those evil beasts the scripture speaks of, that mindest earthly things, which the life of the scriptures is against. Thou art for destruction in the state wherein thou standest; and it will be thy portion eternally if thou dost not repent. To that of God in thy conscience I speak, which will witness the truth of what I say. Thou art one that goest in Cain's way, in envy, an enemy to God, and from the command of God; thou art one that goest in Balaam's way, from the spirit of God, for gifts and rewards, the wages of unrighteousness. Thou son of Balaam, thou art worse than thy father, for though he loved the wages of unrighteousness, yet he durst not take it; but thou not only takest it, but suest men at the law if they will not give it thee, which never did minister of Jesus Christ; therefore stop thy mouth for ever, and never make mention of them, or profess thyself one of them with the light thou art seen and comprehended, who art light and vain, and speakest a divination of thy own brain, and deceivest the people. That in thy conscience will witness what I say, and will condemn thee, who art one that bearest rule by thy means, which the Lord sent Jeremiah to cry against, Jer. 5, and so thou holdest up the horrible and filthy thing that is committed in the land. And they that do not tremble at the word of the Lord, they are the foolish people that hold thee up; they are sottish children, and have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but not to do good, who are deceived by thee. And such an one thou art, that seekest for thy gain from thy quarter, a greedy dumb dog, that never hath enough, as thy practice makes manifest, which the Lord sent Isaiah to cry against, Isa. lvi. 11, 12. And thou art such an one as the Lord sent Ezekiel to cry against, who feedest of the fat, and clothest with the wool, and makest a prey upon the people. But the Lord is gathering his sheep from thy mouth, that to thee they shall be a prey no longer. Thou enemy of God, here this prophecy is fulfilled upon thee, Ezek. 34, and thou art one of them; I charge it upon thee in the presence of the living God: a hireling thou art, and they that put not into thy mouth, thou preparest war against them. Thou hatest the good, and lovest the evil, which the Lord sent Micah to cry against, Mic. iii. Cover thy lips, and stop thy mouth for

ever, thou child of darkness; for with the light thou art comprehended, and seen to be among them which the holy men of God cried woe against; and by the spirit of the living God thou art judged. In the light, which is thy condemnation, thou art comprehended; thy race is seen, and thy compass known, who art out of the commands of Christ, and out of the doctrine and life of the apostles. Thou art proved and tried, and to thee this is the word of the Lord, and to thee it shall be as an hammer, a fire, and a sword, and from under it thou shalt never come, unless thou repent; who art with the light to be condemned in that state wherein thou standest: and if ever thy eye see repentance, this thy condemnation thou must own.'

G. F.

I wrote also to Burton, priest of Sedbergh, much what to the same purpose, he being in the same evil ground, nature, and practice which the other priests were in. Many other epistles also and papers I wrote about that time, as the Lord moved me thereunto, which I sent abroad among the priests, professors,and people of all sorts, for the laying their evil ways open before them, that they might see and forsake them, and opening the way of truth unto them, that they might come to walk therein; which are too many and large to be inserted in this place.

Now after I had cleared my conscience at that time to the priests and people in those parts near Swarthmore, I went again into Westmoreland; and a company of men with pikes and staves laid wait for me at a bridge in the way, and they light on some friends but missed me. Afterwards they came to the meeting with their pikes and staves; but justice Benson being there, and many considerable people besides, they were prevented from doing that mischief they intended; so they went away in a great rage, but did not hurt any body.

I went from the meeting to Grayrigge, and had a meeting there at Alexander Dixon's house, where the priest (who was a baptist, and a chapel priest) came to the meeting to oppose; but the Lord confounded him by his power; and some of the priest's people tumbled down some milk-pails which stood upon the side of the house, (the house being much crowded); whereupon the priest, after he and his company were gone away, raised a slander, that the devil frightened him, and took away a side of the house while he was in the meeting. And though this was an apparent and known falsehood, yet it served the priests and pro