of Mary, &c." Mark vi. 3. The Jews meant only an outward carpenter, not knowing that Christ was also a spiritual carpenter, who doth build up the fallen estate of man and woman into the image of God, which they were first made in; and had shod them with the gospel of peace, the power of God, which will never wax old; and clothed them with fine linen, that never will wear out; and armed them with armour and weapons, that will never rust; which all the weapons of the wicked can never blunt nor pierce the saints have tried it.' G. F.

Gooses, the 1st month, 1688-9.

It was now a time of much talk; and people too much busied their minds and spent their time in hearing and telling news. To shew them the vanity thereof, and to draw them from it, I writ the few following lines:

'In the low region, in the airy life, all news is uncertain : there is nothing stable: but in the higher region, in the kingdom of Christ, there all things are stable and sure, and the news always good and certain. For Christ, who hath all power in heaven and in earth given unto him, ruleth in the kingdoms of men and he who doth inherit the heathen, and possess the utmost parts of the earth with his divine power and light, he rules all nations with his rod of iron, and dashes them to pieces like a potter's vessel; the vessels of dishonour, and the leaky vessels, that will not hold his living water of life: and he doth preserve his elect vessels of mercy and honour. And his power is certain and sure, and doth not change; by which he doth remove the mountains and hills, and shakes the heavens and the earth. And leaky dishonourable vessels, and the hills and mountains, and the old heavens and the earth, they are all to be shaken, and removed, and broken to pieces, though they do not see it, nor him that doth it: but his elect and faithful do both see it and know him, and his power, that cannot be shaken, and which changeth not.' G. F.

The 5th of the 1st month, 1688-9.

About the middle of the first month, 1688-9, I went to London, the parliament then sitting, and being then about the bill for indulgence and though I was but weak in body, and not well able to stir to and fro, yet so great a concern was upon my spirit on behalf of truth and friends, that I attended continually for many days, with other friends, at the parliament house, labouring with the mem

bers thereof, that the thing might be done comprehensively and effectually.

In this, and other services at meetings and amongst friends, I continued till towards the end of the second month, when being much spent with continual labour, I got out of town for a little while, as far as Southgate and thereabouts. And while I was there, I writ a letter to Peter Hendricks, a friend at Amsterdam in Holland, in which I inclosed an epistle to the friends at Dantzick in Poland, who at this time were under great persecution. And as I writ unto them to encourage and strengthen them in their testimony, and to comfort them in their sufferings for the truth, so also I writ a paper to their persecutors, the magistrates of Dantzick, laying before them the evil of persecution, and persuading them to Christian moderation, and to do unto others in matters of religion, as they would be done unto. Which papers were as followeth :

To Peter Hendricks at Amsterdam, and to Friends at Dantzick, who are under persecution.

'Dear Friend P. H.

With my love to thee and thy wife, and J. Clause, and J. Roeloffs, and all the rest of friends every where in Christ Jesus, who reigns over all. And I am glad to hear that friends are well in all those provinces and places every where except Dantzick; and that you were so diligent in spreading my papers to the strengthening of friends. I have lately printed the life of William Caton, but not made a collection of his books; and I think to send some of them to you, which you may translate and print, if you will; it may be serviceable among friends, especially them that knew him.

'Now concerning dear friends at Dantzick, whom the Lord hath supported by his eternal arm and power to this day; I hope, by the same arm and power he will support them, and in it they will feel his blessed presence with them in all their sufferings; who is over the cruelty of their persecutors, who will hardly let them breathe neither outwardly nor inwardly, in the common air of their natural soil. Which shews both their immorality, inhumanity, and unchristianity, and that they want the counsel of a Gamaliel amongst them; whose actions are below the law of God, to do unto others as they would have them do unto them and God will not bless the doings of such. And however I desire that friends may mind the Lord's power, that is over all, and be valiant for his truth, and

keep upon their rock and foundation Christ Jesus, that stands sure in this time of the heat of the sun of persecution, which is hot upon you; who will not let you, nor suffer you to have so much as your natural houses to work and sleep in, nor meet, nor serve God in: and the Lord doth behold all such actors and their actions: and therefore look over all such actors and actions to him, who is able to deal with them, and reward them according to their works. And so God Almighty preserve you all in Christ Jesus, in whom you have rest, life, and peace. Amen.' G. F. Southgate, the 28th of the 2d mo. 1689.

To the Magistrates of Dantzick:

Christian Shroder, President of the Council, and Emanuel Dilger, N. Gadecken, and N. Fraterus, Deputies of the Council, and the rest of the Magistrates and Priests.

We have seen your order, and of your breathing out persecution against that little flock, the lambs of Christ, that lived under your jurisdiction in the city of Dantzick; and how that you have imprisoned and banished two by the hangman out of the government of your city and others you threatened to do the same to, with great punishment, if they return. And likewise you threaten them with punishment that 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, 1 am heartily sorry for both your magistrates and priests, that go under the name of Christians, and shew such immoral and 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, human, 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 have done unto others? But if you say that you have the sword, and the horn, and the power; but blessed be the Lord that hath shortened your sword, and 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, and 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," as in 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. And 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. And Christ never gave forth any such command, that they should banish any by the hangmen that were not of their religion, nor 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: and at Sallee, those barbarous people, who do not profess Christianity, you are worse than they; for you profess Christ in words, but in works deny him. And did you ever know either in scripture or history, that any persecutors prospered long? And 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 their natural air, neither natural nor spiritual in your dominions: I pray, where had you these commands from? neither from Christ nor his apostles. And do not you profess the scriptures of the new testament to be your rule? but I pray you, what scripture have you for this your practice? It is good for you to be humble, and do justly, and love mercy; and call home your banished, and love them, 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 without sense and feeling, 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, 1688.

G. F.

'Peter, thou mayst translate this into high Dutch, and send them; and you may print it, if you will, and spread

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 3d 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 that sea where the beast rose; and many raging storms, that have risen by apostates of several sorts; but the Seed that bruises the serpent's head, and is the foundation of God's people, stands sure. And therefore, 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. And 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. And lay hand on no man, nor no thing 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. And 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 and follow the works of charity, and overcome the evil with the good to all. For what good have all the tinklers 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. And therefore 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. And as for all the tumults of