the world, and the apostates from the truth, the Lord's power is over them all, and Christ reigns; and the Lord saith, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper," Isa. liv. 17. And now friends, you are not insensible how many weapons have been formed against us, who are the sons and daughters of God; and the Lord hath restrained them, according to his promise; they have not prospered. And the Lord said, "Every tongue that shall rise up in judgment against thee, thou shalt condemn :" so God hath given such a power to his children, to condemn all the tongues that shall rise up in judgment against them, and this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.. And you are not insensible of the many tongues that have risen up against us in judgment, yea, of apostates and prophane. But in and with the truth, and the power of God, according to the promise of God, every tongue that riseth against thee thou shalt condemn. So it is not one tongue only thou shalt condemn, but every tongue that shall rise up in judgment against thee thou shalt condemn. So the Lord giveth this power to his servants and children, to judge the evil tongues, and he doth restrain the weapons formed against them, so that they shall not prosper against his children that he hath begotten: praises and honour be to his holy name for ever. Amen."

G. F.

Soon after this meeting was over, the Yearly Meeting began at York; which because of the largeness of that county, and for the conveniency of friends in the northern parts, had for some years been held there. And inasmuch as there had been some hurt done in that place, as some division made there, by some that were gone out of the unity of friends, it was upon me to write a few lines to friends of that meeting, to exhort them to keep in the pure, heavenly love, which brings into and keeps in the true unity. And that which I writ was thus :

'Dear friends and brethren in Christ Jesus,

Whom the Lord by his eternal arm and power hath preserved to this day, all walk in the power and Spirit of God, that is over all, in love and unity; for love overcomes, and builds up, and unites all the members of Christ to him the head; for love keeps out of all strife, and is of God. And love and charity never fails, but keeps the mind above all outward things, or strife about outward things, and is that which overcomes evil, and casts out all false fears and it is of God, and unites all the hearts of

his people together in the heavenly joy, concord, and unity. The God of love preserve you all, and settle and establish you in Christ Jesus, your life and salvation, in whom ye have all peace with God. And so walk in him, that ye may be ordered in his peaceable heavenly wisdom, to the glory of God, and the comfort one of another. Amen.'

London, the 27th of the Third month, 1689.

G. F.

Being much wearied and spent with being at many large meetings, and in much business with friends, during the time of the yearly-meeting, and finding my health much impaired thereby, I went out of town with my daughter Rouse, to their country-house near Kingston, and tarried there most of the remaining part of the summer. In which time I sometimes visited friends' meetings at Kingston, and writ divers things for the service of truth and friends. Amongst those things that I writ there, one was an epistle to friends in Barbadoes, and it was as followeth :

To all friends in Barbadoes, that are convinced of God's truth.

My desires are that ye may live and walk in his peaceable truth, and shew forth, that ye are children of the light and of the truth; for the heavenly, gentle and peaceable wisdom is justified of her children. But debate, strife, wilfulness, and laying open one another's nakedness and weakness, that is not heavenly wisdom's children's doing (but Ham's) nor from the Spirit of Christ, nor such as bite and tear one another; that is from a devouring spirit, and not from the Spirit of Jesus, which clothes and covers that which is uncomely, and can forgive. And now my friends, you profess that truth, which is beyond all the world's ways; therefore see, that you do excel them in the heavenly, gentle wisdom, that is easy to be intreated; for the wisdom of the world is not easy to be intreated, and some. times will not be intreated at all. And now pray see, how you do excel the world in wisdom, in virtue, in kindness, in love that is over hatred, in meekness, and lowliness, and humility, and in sobriety, civility and modesty, and in temperance and patience, and in all that which is called morality and humanity (which will not act any thing below men or unmanly) and to shew forth true Christianity, and that ye are the converted and translated believers in Christ, dwelling in the love of God, that beareth all things, and endureth all things, and is not puffed up, and envies not. For they that be out of this love of God and Christian charity, are nothing, but as a tinkling cymbal and a sound

brass, and are discontented, murmurers and complainers, full of doubts, questions and false jealousies. Keep that spirit out of the camp of God; for do not you read in the scriptures, both of the New and Old Testament, that the end of such was misery? Therefore in the love of God build up one another; for love edifies the body of Christ, and he commands his believers to love enemies, and to love one another; by this they are known to be the disciples of Christ. But to live in envy, strife and hatred, is a mark, they are no disciples of Christ: "For he that loveth not his brother, abides in death; and whosoever hates his brother, is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. But they that do love the brethren, are passed from death to life." I John iii. 14, 15. And, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from God, that he who loveth God, loveth his brother also." chap. iv. 20, 21. Therefore love one another; for love is of God, and hatred is of the devil, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knows God. Now all are children of God by creation; and therefore in that state they are to love their neighbours as themselves; and to do unto all men, as they would have them do unto them. Secondly, God pouring his Spirit upon all flesh (or all men and women) all that are led by the Spirit of God, are the sons of God, and heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; and so are in fellowship in the everlasting gospel; and so are in unity in the Spirit, the bond of peace. And they that go out of this unity, and out of the bond of peace, and do not keep it, they break the King of kings peace; but they that keep in the unity, and fellowship in the Spirit, and walk in the light, have fellowship one with another, and with the Father and the Son. So it is not every one that talks of the light, and talks of the word, and of righteousness, and talks of Christ and of God, but he that doth the will of God. And therefore, my friends, all strive to excel one another in love, and in virtue, and in good life and conversation; and strive all to be of one mind, heart and judg ment in the Spirit of God; for in Christ all are one, and are in peace in him. The Lord God Almighty preserve you in him, who is your holy rock and foundation, that is heavenly and stands sure; that ye may all be valiant for the truth upon the earth, and for the Lord and his glorious name, so that ye may all come to serve him in your generation, and in his new creation in Christ Jesus. Amen.

And now, that you are come into so much favour with the magistrates and powers, that they let you serve the office of a constable, &c. without swearing or taking any oaths; hereby Christ's doctrine and command, and his apostle's is set up. And therefore I desire, that you may double your diligence in your offices, in doing that which is just, and true, and righteous; so that ye may excel and exceed all them, that are tied, shackled or bound by swearing or oaths to perform their offices; and you can do it at yea and nay, so say and so do; according to Christ's doctrine and command. For Adam and Eve, by disobeying the command of God, fell under condemnation; and they that disobey the command of Christ, in taking oaths and swearing, go into evil and fall into condemnation. Matth. v. and Jam. 5. So my love in the Lord is to you all.'

Kingston-upon-Thames, the 10th of the Fifth month, 1689.

G. F.

I staid at Kingston till the beginning of the seventh month; where not only many friends came to visit me, but some considerable people of the world, with whom I discoursed about the things of God. Then leaving Kingston, I went to London by water, visiting friends as I went, and taking Hammersmith-meeting in my way. And having recovered some strength by being in the country, when I was come to London, I went from meeting to meeting, labouring diligently in the work of the Lord, and opening the divine mysteries of the heavenly things, as God by his Spirit opened them in me. But I found my body would not long bear the city; wherefore, when I had travelled amongst friends there about a month, I went to Tottenhamhigh-cross, and from thence to Edward Man's countryhouse near Winchmore-hill, and to Enfield; spending a matter of three weeks time amongst friends thereabouts, and had meetings at all those places. Then, being a little refreshed with being in the country, I went back to London, where I tarried, labouring in the work of the ministry, till the middle of the ninth month; at which time I went down with my son Mead to his house in Essex, and abode there all the winter. During which time I stirred not much abroad, unless it were sometimes to the meeting, to which that family belonged, which was about half a mile from thence; but I had meetings often in the house with the family, and those friends that came thither. Many things also I writ, while I was there; some of which fol low here. One was an epistle to the quarterly and yearly

meetings of friends in Pennsylvania, New-England, Virgina, Maryland, the Jerseys, Carolina, and other plantations in America. And it was thus:

'My dear friends and brethren in the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by believing in his light, are become children of his light and of his day; my desires are, that you may all walk in his light and in his day, and keep the feast of Christ, our passover, who is sacrificed for us, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but let all that be purged out; that ye may be a new lump, keeping the feast of Christ, our passover, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Therefore let no leavened bread be found in your houses, nor in your meetings, nor in the camp of God, or household of faith, which are the household of Christ; but all that sour old leaven, which makes people's hearts sour, and to burn one against another; all that must be purged out of the camp of God, and kept out. For the feast of Christ, our passover, must be kept in the new covenant, with his heavenly, unleavened bread of life. The Jews in the Old Testament their feast was kept with outward unleavened bread: and now, in the New Testament, in the gospel-day, our feast is to be kept with the heavenly, unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Therefore friends, I desire you seriously to consider, and to keep this feast, which the apostle directed the church of Christ to keep. Do not you see Christendom, so called, keep their feasts with the leavened bread of malice and wickedness? which makes them so sour, and their hearts to burn one against another, that they have destroyed, and do destroy one another about religion. Therefore all live in the love of God, which keeps above the love of the world; so that none of your hearts may be choaked or surfeited with these outward things, or with the cares of the world, which will pass away but mind ye the world and the life, that is without end, that ye may be heirs of it. And friends, you should strive to excel all, both professor and profane, both in morality, humanity and Christianity, modesty, sobriety and moderation, and in a good, godly, righteous life and conversation, shewing forth the fruits of the Spirit of God, and that you are the children of the living God, and children of the light, and of the day, and not of the night. And serve God in newness of life; for it is the life, and a living and walking in the truth, that must answer the witness of God in all people; that they, seeing your good works, may glorify our Father, which is in heaven. Therefore be valiant for