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governor heard Paul, and Ananias the high-priest, and the elders that accused Paul, face to face, Acts xxiv. And when the high-priests and chief of the Jews accused Paul to Festus, he heard Paul and his accusers, and them that witnessed against him, face to face, Acts xxv. Doth the law of God, or did the Roman law, or doth the law of the land judge any man, before he and his accusers, and they that witness against him, be heard face to face?"

This somewhat moderated the justices; and after this several friends that had been illegally prosecuted and fined, entered their appeals; upon trial whereof they were acquitted, and the informers cast: which was a great discouragement to the informers, and some relief to friends.

A little before the time came for the choosing new sheriffs for the city, they who stood to be chosen, desiring our friends to give their voices for them, I writ a few lines, tending to discover what spirit they were of, and how they stood affected to true liberty; and it was by way of inquiry, thus:

* Do any here in London, who stand to be chosen sheriffs, own that Christ, that was crucified without the gates of Jerusalem, to be the light of the world, that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, who saith, “Believe in the light, that ye may become the children of the light ? And are any of you against persecuting people for their religion and worship of God in spirit and truth, as Christ commandeth? For Christ said, I am not of this world, nor my kingdom: and therefore he doth not arbeid his spiriteal worship and pure religion with woritis and carnal weapons. And Christ said. "Swear not at all;” and his apostle James saith the same : bet will not youn forve us to swear, and so to break Christ's and his apostle's commands, in potting oaths to us? And Christ saith to his apostles, Freely we have received, freely give.” Will not you force us to give Lthes and maintenance to such teachers as we know God hath mot semi? Shall we be free to serve and worsh Gol and see his and his Son's commands, if we give our voices tretix for you? For we are unwilling t give our voices for such, as wi, imprison and perserine us, and sool our goods.”

But whatever they were that stand to be chosen. I observed there was a hand and strife in the sorts of the people that more to choose: whzerior i ven a few lines de de short amongs; Chom. Graciet thus:

To the People who are choosing Sheriffs in London.

'People,

All keep in the gentle, and peaceable wisdom of God, which is above all that that is earthly, sensual, and devilish: and live in that love of God that is not puffed up, nor is unseemly; which envieth not, but beareth and endureth all things: and in this love ye will seek the good and peace of all men, and the hurt of no man. Keep out of all heats, and be not hot-headed; but be cool and gentle, that your Christian moderation may appear to all men: for the Lord is at hand, who beholds all men's words, thoughts, and actions, and will reward every one according to their works and what every man soweth, that shall he reap.'

Now had I some inclination to have gone into the country to a meeting, but hearing that there would be a bustle at our meetings, and feeling a great disquietness in people's spirits in the city about choosing sheriffs, it was upon me to stay in the city, and go to the meeting in Gracechurch-street upon the first-day of the week. Wm. Penn went with me, and spake in the meeting; and while he was declaring the truth to the people, a constable came in with his great staff, and bid him give over, and come down; but William Penn held on, declaring truth in the power of God. After a while the constable drew back, and when William Penn had done, I stood up, and declared to the people the everlasting gospel, which was preached in the apostles' days, and to Abraham; and which the church in the apostles' days did receive, and came to be heirs of. This gospel, I declared, was sent from heaven by the Holy Ghost in the apostles' days, and is so now; and was not of man, neither by man; but by the revela tion of the Holy Ghost. And now this gospel is preached again (as John saw, and said it should be) to all nations, tongues, and peoples; and all people now are to hear Christ the prophet, in this his gospel of the new covenant. For as Moses said, "Like unto me will God raise up a prophet, and him shall ye hear in all things:" so, said I, this prophet, Christ, is come, and all the Jews in spirit, the true believ ing Christians in the light, who have the law of God writen in their hearts, and put into their minds, are to hear Christ in his gospel, new testament, and new covenam which is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesu bruises the serpent's head (which is the head of enar, and makes free from the law of sin and death. shewed that all whom Christ quickens and maas

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makes them to sit together in the heavenly places in himself. So that they do not wander up and down, like the fool's eye, in the corners of the earth; nor are their eyes abroad in the world, to sit down in the world's invented seats of religion; but they sit together in him, as the saints did in the apostles' days: and so Christ was and is their treasure of wisdom, life, knowledge, and salvation. Now as I was thus speaking, two constables came in with their great staves, and bid me give over speaking, and come down: but I, feeling the power of the Lord with me, spake on therein, both to the constables and to the people. To the constables I declared, that we were a peaceable people, who meet to wait upon God, and worship him in spirit and in truth; and therefore (I told them) they needed not to ⚫ come with their staves amongst us, who were met in a peaceable manner, desiring and seeking the good and salvation of all people. Then turning my speech to the people again, I declared what further was upon me to them: and while I was speaking, the constables drew out towards the door; and the soldiers stood with their muskets in the yard. When I had done speaking, I kneeled down and prayed, desiring the Lord to open the eyes and hearts of all people, both high and low, that their minds might be turned to God by his holy spirit; that be might be glorified in all and over all. After prayer the meeting rose, and friends passed away; the constables being come in again, but without the soldiers: and indeed, both they and the soldiers carried themselves civilly. William Penn and I went into a room hard by, as we used to do, and many friends went with us; and lest the constables should think we would shun them, a friend went down and told them, that if they would have any thing with us, they might come where we were, if they pleased. One of them came to us soon after, but without his staff; which he chose to do, that he might not be observed: for he said, the people told him he busied himself more than be needed. We desired to see his warrant; and therein we found, that the informer was one Hilton, a north-countryman, who was reputed to be a papist. The constable was asked whether he would arrest us by his warrant on that day; (it being the firstday of the week, which in their law was called the Lord's day) and he said he thought he could not. He told us also, that he had charged the informer to come along with him to the meeting, but he had run away from him. We shewed the constable that both he and we were clear; yet to free him from all fear of danger, we were free to go to the alderman that granted the warrant. Then a friend

that was present said, he would go with the constable to speak with the alderman; which they did, and came presently back again, the alderman being gone from home. We seeing the constable in a strait, and finding him to be a tender man, bid him set an hour to come to us again, or send for us, and we would come to him. So he appointed the fifth hour in the afternoon; but neither came, nor sent for us and a friend meeting him afterwards in the evening, the constable told him he thought it would come to nothing, and therefore did not look after us. So the Lord's power was over all, to him be the glory!

On the fourth day following, it was upon me to go to Gracechurch-street meeting again; for I had heard that they would come to break up the meeting that day. The neighbours it seems were informed so, and a justice had granted a warrant for that purpose; and the constable told a friend, that Hilton the informer had been with him about it. The constable would have had the informer to have gone with him to the meeting, but the informer would not, but would have the constable to go without him whether that put the constable by from coming, I know not, but he did not come. I was in a travail of spirit in the power of God, and was moved in it to go to the meeting; and the Lord's power did chain all down: and though they threatened to bring the red coats, yet none came, nor was there any disturbance; but a glorious, powerful meeting it was, and very peaceable. Glory and honour and praises be to the Lord over all for ever.

Amen.

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During the time I thus abode at London, as I had leisure between meetings, and from other public services, I writ divers books and papers, some of which were printed, and others were spread about in manuscript. Of these, one was directed To the bishops and others, that did stir up persecution; to shew them from the holy scriptures, that they did not walk therein according to the royal law, love their neighbour as themselves, and to do to others as they would be done unto.' Another was, To all the several sorts of professed Christians, as well protestants as papists, whose religion and worship stand in outward observances and ceremonies; pressing them from those words of the apostle Paul to the Galatians, chap. v. ver. 2, 3, 4. (" Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from

grace,") to consider whether they, being gone back into legal observations and shadowy ceremonies (in upholding tithes, offerings, first-fruits, priests-garments, outward altars, temples, lamps, lights, &c. and in observing days, months, times, years, with many other things commanded by the law) were not gone into the same state, that the Galatians were running into; and so were fallen from grace, and become debtors to the whole law.' Another was, To direct and turn all people to the Spirit of God, that they might thereby receive a right understanding, and be able to distinguish between right and wrong, truth and error; that under pretence of punishing evil-doers, they might not themselves do evil in persecuting the righteous." That paper being short, is here inserted:

The Spirit of God, which he hath poured upon all, giveth an understanding to all that are led by it; and who do not quench the motions of it, it doth give them knowledge and understanding to distinguish good from evil, and light from darkness, Christ from antichrist, and the old testament or covenant from the new, and the old way from the new and living way; and the sheep and lambs from the goats and from the wolves; the worship of God, which Christ set up above sixteen hundred years ago, from the dragon's and beast's worship; and all them that worship the works of men's hands, and the will-worshippers, from them that worship God in his spirit and in his truth, in which God's people do worship him; which worship is over all false worships and worshippers. And who believe in the light, which is the life in Christ, do become the children of light, and are the lambs of Jesus. And the lambs do follow the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world; and they will not follow the hirelings, nor the strangers, to be led into strange ways and doctrines, and religions, and churches; for the lambs of Christ follow Christ, the Lamb of God, and do know his heavenly voice. And they do know also, that they, who are without Christ, are dogs and wolves, adulterers, idolaters, liars and unbelievers, who would devour the lambs; but they are in the hand of the Lord, which is his power, that is over all. And such do good in his power unto all; for they have the mind of Christ, who would have all to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. And they that do good unto all, do hurt unto none; for that spirit that doth hurt unto any, is not of God; but that spirit which doth good unto all, and especially to the household of faith, is of God. Christ came not to destroy men's lives,