sackcloth on my loins As to the Prophet Jeremy Chap. 7. 29. and so I became obedient in the singleness and innocency of my heart unto the God of Heaven of my life as a dreâ—dful sign against the Whorish Church of Rome and against all her Heads and Horns throughout the world And I then signified to the Master of the ship in which I was a passenger how that I did believe that God would soon give opportunity for the Fleet of ships to pass away after this service of God was performed after I had used many perswasions to the end that he might suffer my body on that wise to be cast among the wicked idolaters lyars and murtherers which are like the troubled sea So the ship-Master let my body be on this wise 〈◊〉 over board from the ship God having provided a great 〈◊〉 to swallow up that which sled from his presence so often and so it happened that it was upon one their called Holy-dayes or Saints days namely the day called Holy-Thursday So I being cast on dry land passed through their streets directly until I came into the Mas-House or Idolater temple among the Idolaters where I found the Fryer or Priest at the high Altar down upon his knees in his white Surplice adoâ—ing of the Host which is a Chalice or a piece of bread which they call the real substance of the body of Christ after their unclean spirit of darkness hath muttered some words over it which they call Consecration and after I had stood a season viewing this Idolatry with the indignation of the Eternal God set up within my heart against the same I turned my back-part upon the Priest and his dead God and dumb Idols at the high Altar and in the holy Commandment of life eternal my face was set towards the people and I be held them a certain season in the power of God in which I stood I saw the multitude of ignorant people upon their knees also worshipping the dark inventions and imaginations of their sottish leaders and blind guides and they know not what and in the Lord's time which mine eye had a circumspect heed unto I then spread forth my arms and stript off my Vesture and rent the same from top to bottom in divers pieces and cast them from me with indignation And then I took my Hat off my head which was the uppermost covering of the outside of a man and cast the same under my feet and stamped upon these things and the nakedness appeared with the sack-cloath covering to their astonishment and then with a clear voice I sounded Repentance three times and gave testimony as the sound of a trumpet among them that the life of Christ and his Saints was arisen from the dead and so passed away sounding the same words of the Lord's Message with Repentance through the streets as it were flying from the Idols temple and from Idolatry and Idolaters until I came to the sea-side and there was I moved to kneel down and pray and give thanks to the living Lord who had so wonderfully preserved me in doing his pleasure and good will on earth and he suffered no man to touch or do me harm And the next day following the Lord God gave opportunity accordingly as I had let the Ship-master know I believed would come to pass and it was so and all the Fleet did partake of the blessing But how many of them rewarded me men of my own Nation to whom I also continued a sign which they spake bitter things against the Lord my God saw the same and smote them with rebuke and astonishment in his displeasure who in his wise determinate Counsel ordained me for many dayes and nights to be tryed on this wise and to fall among divers temptation afterwards the which as a mighty 〈◊〉 of surrounded and beset me on every hand immediately after I had done the good will in his all-sufficient power and strengths thus the Enemy with his subtilty in a mysterie was suffered to compass me about to steale away my peace and reward with my God in whom the same is hid and then I was in a blessed condition though sometime veiled for a little season and then the Fathers countenance was hid from mine eye and therefore was I troubled Yet blessed are ye when you fall among divers temptations saith one and verily they were even as thorns in my flesh yea as Messengers of Satan suffered to buffet me for a season even as the servant of God witnessed who was wrapt up into the third Heaven What if I should somewhat testifie so was it with me lest I should be exalted above measure so that I was made to bow and fall upon my face and cry day and night to the Lord of Eternal life that had respect to the tears of the innocent and bowed the strength of his arm to support the lowly And so his Almightiness gave ear to the sighs and groans of my distressed state and had respect unto the voice of my mourning as a Dove or Pelican in the Wilderness and verily his Grace I found sufficient to save and preserve my innocency in its sweet life of holiness to the Lord through all this and that which letted salvation to his Name Amen So his strength is made perfect in weakness even so it is in truth in which I set to my seal of my right hand that God is true in which life J give thanks to his Name of Power and Defence the which over all Nations is to be exalted in the hearts of his Saints as in the ancient dayes yea and much more abundantly in the Light of his bright-shining countenance in which his Eternal and excellent glory and pure dreadful Majesty for ever hath his holy habitation to whom be endless Dominion with praises living and everlasting over all Amen Written in Newgate this 5th Month the 18th day 1662. where he suffereth Bonds together with many Brethren of Truth for one and the same Testimony of the Lord Iesus not for evil doing or speaking but against the same For we suffer because we cannot otherwise but meet together in the Name and Fear of God neither swear at all neither by Heaven nor by Earth nor by any other Oath Matth. 5. James 5. 12. D. B. A Copy of a Paper which was written in the Spanish Tongue and delivered the same day that I was upon the service directed as followeth Viz. For the Governor and Inhabitants of Gibâ—etore in the Kingdom of Spain BEhold behold the great day of God is come and of his wrath and of the wrath of his Lamb is come and the hour of his Iudgements is come Wherefore Oh Inhabitants of the earth Repent Repent Repent and fear God and give glory honor to him that made Heaven and Earth and the Fountains of Waters Wo wo wo to the Inhabitants of the earth And I heard another voice from Heaven saying Come out of her my people that ye partake not of her sins that ye receive not of her plagues These are the words of the power of Christ that is contrary to the false Church Behold behold Plagues Plagues Plagues are coming upon the Church of Rome and upon her Heads in England in all parts of the world And the Woman which thou sawest is that great City which reigneth over the Kings of the earth and he saith unto me the waters which thou sawest where the Whore sitteth are Peoples Nations Multitudes and Tongue c These words with a Paper in Lâ—tâ—ne with honest words of truth was delivered with many more Scriptures in their own Language that they may read understand repent cease from idolatry from all â—ngodliness that the blessings of Eternal life might arise through Judgments have room among the Nations to the eternal glory renown of the Lord God over all who is blessed for ever Amen The End Prov. 29. * The wise may judge Job 21. Job 24. 13 John 13. 20 Isaiah 57. 20.
blessedness and endless glory filled my heart with his spotless and unexpressible Love And as I lay upon the deck of the Vessel in which I was a passenger and a stranger among men of many and divers Nations in the morning of the day I felt and beheld the exceeding glory of the Lord under the secret shadow of his Almightiness in a Vision of God and in the same I beheld the Bride the Lamb's Wife prepared for the Bridegroom 's coming and why should not I declare somewhat of the felicity that mine eye in the Eternal Life of Blessedness saw albeit the rest is unutterable which I felt and know how to be silent in the Father's presence where every Babe knoweth my voice which is to give a sound in their ears to whom I write and not to spread Pearls before Swine that will defile and trample on them That mine eye mine eye hath seen and perfectly beheld the Free-born from above coming out of the Wilderness covered with goodly and comely Raiment white and clean as the light of the Sun or as a Stone most precious clear as Chrystal and mine eye beheld a Crown which was embraced in the Arms of the Bridegroom and the Crown was well adorned with many Stars which did excel each other in glory and mine eye beheld the Son as a Bride groom rejoicing over the Virgin-Bride of his Espousal so that I was even sick with pure and undefiled love Mine eye mine eye did so affect my heart so that I awaked in the same in the morning of a clear day and I looked and behold the Sun was arisen-above the Horizon of the Earth and Waters and my Life abundantly blessed and magnified the living Lord my King and my God the Rock of my strength and saving health of his Annointed and behold I had seen a Vision of God in the morning-Light and the sweet solution of the same was given me to treasure up within my very heart till an appointed time and season the children of the Morning-light may right-well read the same as they sit together in their several places that 's over and above the earth and be comforted and refreshed at the joyful sound of the same voice that brings the glad tydings of the good things yea and my Spirit with you the blessed of the Lord shall bless his Name who is the mighty God in the midst of us Even so Amen Ha-le-lu-jah Praise ye the Lord Salvation to his Name Ye Saints in Life Free from all strife Your voice sound forth the same My Life shall sing To Sion's King His Love in peace and glory Who hath so free Begotten me Into his Life that 's holy Among his Saints Messengers His fame my heart shall sound Because their life is free from strife In love that doth abound My prayers in the life that 's clean shall from the same ascend Unto the God of Love and peace that he may you defend To perfect love and unity that it may more abound for so your fame in his pure Name Doth give a certain sound Unto the Nations round about your same aloud shall sing to call them all both great and small To bow to Sion's King Your Gates alwayes Of perfect praise Full wide shall open stand that all may come i' th free-born Son Th' Light to dwel in your Land Of rest and peace in righteousness T'th living way that 's holy so you shall sing and fruit shall spring Within the City holy The Vine that 's true shall compass you That sit under his shade with great delight in his clear sight None shal make you afraid Within the perfect love here is no fear So in the Father's sight you are right dear My bowels and my soul my very heart To you ye living Saints extends much could I write in the true light But ye can read my Friends Without a Book of words Which finally may end My mind that 's clean Come read the same Behold I am your friend In Jacob's Land Where he did stand I' th place that 's blest Where he did rest Who like a Prince prevail'd with the true Lord of Might Who also blessed him even in the morning-Light Selah And seeing that it happened so that the Copies of the Letters of the Lords Prisoners were left in the hands of their Enemies in a strange Land it is seen meet to insert them among the rest of their Writings for the good of many of their own Nation of England who may right-well savour the tender love and virtue of true and pure natural affection not onely to their kindred and Fathers House but also to their own Countrey all of which they were truly called to forsake as was good old Abraham our Father who in obedience to the good Word and Commandment of the Almighty God went forth not knowing whither he went even as these poor and many more who are deemed by the wise of this world foolish things not well considering how that the Lord hath chosen the poor of this world and made them rich in faith and also chuseth base things and weak things and foolish things to confound the things that are mighty and to bring to nought things that are to the end that no flesh should glory in his presence who with his mighty hand and outstretched arm of Dignity and excellent Power is defacing and staining the pride of all glory and bringing into contempt all the honorable of the Earth that 's out of order and bringing down the haughtiness and loftiness of man who shall know that it is the everlasting and terrible God of Eternity when he ariseth to shake terribly the Earth that presseth down and oppresseth the Seed of his Bowels and trampleth on the principal Wheat that came out of the good Husband-mans right hand for which the God of Heaven is visiting the Nations as in the ancient days Albeit he hath long time held his peace in the habitation of his Holineess where his Honor dwelleth but behold behold he is arising in the greatness of his strength even as a Lyon over his prey or as a Lyonness bereaved of her young for out of Sion hath he uttered his voice and thundered forth the Majesty of his powerful Word of Salvation through the Gate of his beloved City Jerusalem from on high free-born which hath ecchoed into the ears hearts of the Hypocrites surprized the double-minded with fear on every hand for he hath cryed and yet will in the spirit of his Prophesie through his Sons and Daughters in whom he which is holy dwelleth to make waste Mountains and Hills and to devour at once as in the ancient dayes and my spirit saith Even so the Lord hasten it Amen for his Elects sake Katharine Evans to her Husband and Children For the hand of JOHN EVANS my right dear and precious Husband with my tender-hearted Children who are more dear and precious unto me than the apple of mine eye MOst dear and
The Lord saith Thou shalt not make to thy self the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or in the earth beneath nor in the water under the earth thou shalt not bow to them nor worship them but I the Lord thy God only He was so mad he called for the irons to chain Sarah because she spake so boldly to him She bowed her head and said to him Not onely my feet but my hands and my neck also for the Testimony of Jesus His wrath was soon appeased and he said He would do us any good he could he did see what we did was not in malice the power had broken him down for that present they came to us often saying If you would do but a little you should be set at liberty but you will do nothing at all but are against every thing We said We are against nothing that is of God but would do any thing that might make for God's glory Many did think we should not have been heard nor seen after we were in the Inquisition but the Lord did work wonderfully for us and his Truth For they new built the Inquisition and there were many Labourers for a year and a half and the great men came to see the building and we were carried forth with great power to declare in the Name of the Lord Jesus not fearing the face of man the Lord was our strength But behold they threatned us with Irons and Halters for preaching the Light so boldly and they said None ought to preach but Prelates to a Bishop as they use to say in England Now their Lord Inquisitor so called and the Magistrates were kept moderate towards us and gave order we should have Ink and Paper to write to England But we were hindered still and vve do believe they would have set us at liberty had it not been for the Fryars it was they that wrought against us still to the Pope and to the Inquisitor and we told them so They sought three quarters of a year to part us before they could bring it to pass and when they did part us they prepared a bed for Sarah and their own Catholicks lay upon the boards that had not beds of their own When we were parted the Lord would not suffer me to keep any money I knew not the mind of God in it Their Fryars came and said We should never see one anothers faces again but the Inquisitor should send me my food But the Lord would not suffer him to send it Sarah did send me such as she could get neare three Weeks then the Fryar came and askt me what I did want I said one to wash my Linnen and something hot to eat I was weak He sent to Sarah to know if she would do it for me She said she would And by that means we did hear of each other every day The Fryar said You may free your self of misery when you will you may make your self a Catholick and have your freedom to go where you will I told him I might make my self a Catholick and have a name that I did live when I was dead and said he had Catholicks enough already he should bring some of them to the Light in their Consciences that they might stand in awe and sin not He said He would lose one of his fingers if we would be Catholicks I said it was Babylon that was built with blood Sion was redeemed through Judgement They would have had me to a Picture set at my beds head for a representation I askt them if they did think I did lack a Calf to worship And whether they did not walk by the Rule of Scripture The Fryar said They did but they had traditions too I said if their traditions did derogate or discent from the fundamentals of Christ's Doctrine the Prophets and Apostles I denied them in the Name of the Lord. He said they did not I askt him where they had their Rule to burn them that could not join with them for Conscience He said St. Paul did worse he gave them to the Devil and that they did judge all damned that were not of their Faith And he askt whether vve did judge them so I said No We had othervvise learned Christ. I askt him vvhy they did bind that vvhich the Lord did not bind and set tyes chains and limits where the Lord did not as in meats and drinks or in respect of dayes or times vvhich the Apostle called beggarly Elements and rudiments of the wâ—rld and forbidding to marry a Doctrine of Devils said I. He could not tell vvhat to say but told me That Saint Peter was the Pope of Rome and did build an Altar there and the Pope was his Successor and he could do what he would I denied that and said We never read any such thing in Scripture for Peter Christ's Apostle had no money to build Altars he himself did offer Sacrifice upon the Altars made vvithout hands And he said We were but a few and risen up but late and they were many and had stood fourteen hundred years and God was a lyar if they had not the true faith for he had confirmed it to them by a thousand miracles I said the fevv number and the little Flock is Christ's Flock He askt if vve vvere then all the World said he I said our saith was from the beginning Abol was of our Church and the world by wisdom did not know God He went to Sarah with the same temptation and she told him also that Abel was of our Church He said Abel was a Catholick and Cain and Judas were so She said Then the Devil was a Catholick and she would not be one He threatned her and told her how many they were She said Daniel was but one and if there were no more but she her self she would not turn but took her fingers and shewed them if they would tear her joint-meal she did believe the Lord would enable her to endure it for the Truth So they went from one to another thinking to entangle us in our talk but we were guided by one Spirit and spake one and the same thing in effect so that they had not a â—ot nor tittle against us but for righteousness sake Our God did keep us by his own Power and Holiness out of their hands honor and praises be given to his powerful Name for ever He the said Fryar came to me another time like a Bear robbed of her Whelpâ— and told me if I would be a Catholick I should say so otherwise they would use me badly and I should never see the face of Sarah again but should dye by my self and a thousand Devils should carry my soul to Hell I asked him if he were the Messenger of God to me He said he was I said What is my sin or wherein have I provoked the Lord that he doth send me such a strait Message He said Because I would not be a Catholick I said I
expect one drop of mercy favour nor affection but what our Heavenly Father did distil upon us from his living presence and work for us by the operation of his own Arm of strength and power But dear Friends though a long Winter and many sharp and terrible storms have past over our heads so that we cannot express our sorrows so likewise we cannot declare our joys Oh! in the midst of all our afflâ—ctions our God did draw nigh unto us an did speak comfortably unto us with many sweet and precious promises and did never suffer his faithfulness to fail us nor was he wanting unto us in Visions and Revelations Oh how doth he appear in his glory beauty and brightness so that our souls are ravished and wrapped up with his living presence and glory many times so that we do not dare to look out at our long sufferings nor trials but do press forwards towards the fulness of joy and blessedness which our Eternal Father hath prepared for all them that love him and walk in obedience to him and we know the deeper our sorrow is the greater our joy shall be and the heavier our Cross the weightier our Crown as we abide faithful And we do believe that neither Principalities nor Powers nor sufferings nor imprisonment nor pesecution nor life nor death shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour Amen Dearly beloved Friends though our bodies are bolted up in the Rocks and Caves of the Earth yet our spirits you know nonâ— can limit nor confine to any place And we do behold your order and steadfastness of your faith and labour of love and are daily refreshed in all the faithful-hearted Oh dear hearts the remembrance of the least of you is precious Oh! the Rivers of tears that have distilled from our eyes whilst we do think upon you for joy because of your growth and flourishing in the Truth Oh! you are Virgins indeed who have Oyl in your Vessels and your Lamps burning and are cloathed with the long white Robes of Righteousness and are adorned with the Ornaments of pure Beauty and glorious brightness abundance of you to our joy and comfort and we do pray night and day That every Babe of our Heavenly Father's begetting may prosper even as we desire our own souls should prosper and that every one may be kept out of incumbrances and use the World as if they used it not but every one's mind spirit heart and soul may be exercised in the Eternal by the Power of God out of the earthly out of the visible out of the carnal and perishing things of this life so as to trust in it into the heavenly into the spiritual into the invisible into that which never changeth sadeth nor waxeth old where every one may dwell in the enjoyment of the presence of the Lord for in the presence of the Lord is fulness of joy and at his right hand is pleasure for evermore Oh! that every one may be emptied of your selves and unbottomed of your selves that you may build wholly upon the sure foundation and anchored so fast upon the Rock of Ages that neither the swelling Seas nor the foaming Waves nor stormy Winds though they beat vehemently may ever be able to remove you Oh dear Brethren in the life and power you may feel the issues of Love and Life which stream as a River to every soul of you from the hearts of us that are wholly joined to the Fountain Glory and everlasting praises be given to his holy Name Our whole souls spirits hearts and minds are given up to serve the Lord in whatsoever he requireth of us as he shall make it manifest unto us And we do blesse his Name for ever that he hath found us worthy of so high a calling as to bind Kings in chains and Nobles in fetters of Iron Our prayers are continually for the advancement of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus throughout the whole Earth for the gathering of the Seed of the Elect of God and for the raising of it up over the Seed of the Serpent in power and great glory to bear rule and to have dominion over the whole World that the Kingdoms of this World may become the Kingdoms of our Lord Jesus that he may rule in his Princely Power and reign in his Kingly Majesty whose Right it is that the knowledge of the Lord may cover the Earth as the Water covereth the Sea that all the Children of the Lord may be taught of the Lord and be established in Righteousness that so the Mourners in Sion may rejoice and the heâ—â—y hearted in Jerusalem may be right glad The Lord God of Power hasten it for his own Name 's sake and for his Elect's sake that lye in captivity under the hands of the dark Powers of the Earth either spiritual or temporal Amen Amen saith our spirits Dear and precious Friends and Brethren pray for us that we may finish our Testimony to the glory of God and to the praise of his holy Name and to the comfort of all that love his appearing and to our own eternal salvation and to the shame and confusion of all that hate the Lord Jesus and persecute his Truth So in the pure Vnity of the Covenant of Light Life Peace Love and everlasting Righteousness do we take our leaves of you all at this time hoping and believing we shall see your faces once again before we go hence and be no more seen Dear Friends pray for us Though we were in many streights and hardships by reason of the oppression yet whilst our minds were staid upon the Fountain we saw no want but our tender Father whose heavenly eye was ever over us saw our necessities sent his right dear and precious Servant and 〈◊〉 and faithful Steward Daniel Baker to administer to our necessities both spiritual and temporal he came not in his own time will nor strength but in the Will and time Strength and Power of the Almighty God at whose presence the Mountains were removed the tall Cedars were made to bow the strong Oaks to stoop Oh wonderful He went to the Lord Inquisitor the Popes Deputy to demand our lawful Liberty which would not be granted unless he and we would write to Messaena or Legorn to some English Merchant to be engaged for four thousand Dollers Which Proposition being out of the Covenant of Light we durst not stoop to it but our dear Brother in Christ Jesus offered his body for our liberty but it would not be granted nothing would serve but one to engage for four thousand Dollers to be paid if ever we come into these parts again Then in obedience to the Lord he offered up his Life for our Freedom but all would not serve the Will of our God be done Oh dear Friends greater Love was never heard of than for a man to lay down his Life for his Friend Oh! it is worthy to be recorded
redeemed of the Lord Amen Dear heart it is hard for us to part with thee thou wilt feel it The Will of our Eternal Father be done in the pure unity of the blessed Spirit of Light Life Joy Peace and everlasting Glory do we here take our leave of thee at this time hoping to see thy face again with joy in our Lord's time O dear heart our hearts souls spirits and our whole lives goeth along with thee The pure peace of our God rest upon thee Amen Dearly salute us to all Friends for they are dear and precious to us indeed Farewell farewell dear heart farewell Dear heart THou hast cleared thy Conscience towards us in the sight of God and man if here had been many friends what could have been done more concerning us than thou hast done Thou hast stood in great jeopardy ever since and thy life hath been sought for much We have felt it and cryed night and day to our Heavenly Father to preserve thee and safely deliver thee Whatsoever we do suffer we desire the Will of our Heavenly Father to be done in all things if the Lord doth stir up the Earth to help the Woman it is his own free love and upon that account we shall receive it and not upon any other This they spake concerning the money I lâ—â—t with them and for their necessities And the Lord did appear unto me in a Vision of the Night and smote me on the Arm and said Look there is the Pope he will not hurt thee Where he stood in the Room as one forsaken of God and man this was at the English Consuls when there was some fear upon me concerning him Now here is a Roman in the Prison which came hither upon some account he is a a Doctor of Law and differs from them in many things but they are all of one spirit He doth constantly affirm that the Pope hath sent an Order to set us free and he saith they are lyars and false blasphemers if they do say the Pope sent any such Order as they speak of They do meet every day concerning us we do feel them some would have it one way and some another and so they cannot agree because they do act contrary to the Will of God the Lord sets it all on fire and hath burned all they have done these three years concerning us Now where they will look a Reward of their charges we do not know the wise are taken in their own craftiness and the subtile in their own snare There have twelve of them sate in Judgement upon us three years and some have struck hard at our lives so that we have been even at death's door I have lain very weak three Weeks at a time There are many for us as far as they do dare The Lord says there were two with the Inquisitor for us and did plead much with him I did see it in a Night-Vision The English Consul which is dead was with us two several times after we were in the Inquisition he said he would lend us five pounds when we did want but when our money was near done we were made to rejoice greatly and could not take any of any one We did not know the mind of the Lord in it but had we had money we had not known the mighty Power of God Now we are able to trust the Lord where-ever he shall carry us without money We do question the money in the Consul's hand It will be hard for him to part with it Our Life is with thee A few Lines to D. B. OH our dear and faithful Friend and Brother begotten of our heavenly Father right dear and precious in his sight and beautiful before his presence Dear heart we do glorifie our God in our hearts souls and spirits who hath called chosen and elected thee to come up to the help of him against the Mighty and hath carryed thee along in so weighty a work and hath prospered thee therein praises be given to his blessed Name for ever who hath enclosed thee in his Bosom and Chamber of his everlasting Love and hath hid thee in his private Pavillion where them that would hurt thee cannot find thee because of the shadowing of his Almighâ—â—ness under whose defence thou art kept safe and he doth carry thee upon the Wings of his Power so that the Mountains do become plain before thee which we do see clearly in the Light Eternal honor and glory be to his Name for ever who is called Wonderful Counsellor the Mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace in whom we have fellowship and unity one with another and none can hinder Dear heart we do dearly embrace thy sweet Exhortations thou being sensible of the instigations of Sâ—â—an â—ho hath winâ—owed us with every bait winding and twining slights 〈◊〉 he hath Praises be to our God for ever who hath preserved us and prevented him The Enemies being busie with their Temptations to have us enter into their Covenant thereupon I was moved to write these following words which I communicated to their hands with the former Paper Viz. BEhold the Word of Life arose in me saying this morning Keep to Yea and Nay and I will confirm my Covenant unto thee These Words were spoken to the true Seed that shall inherit the Kingdom the same you know is but one in Male and Female And so the blessing of my Life rest upon you and be with you in the same even in that which hath no end neither fadeth away yea and my Spirit saith Amen Dear Lambs read within and be refreshed and the God of Life and Peace encrease the same and multiply your strength abundantly Amen Malta the 10â—h day of the 11th Month 1661. D. B. Another Paper from them to my hand DEar and precious heart in the Eternal Covenant of Light and Life of our God do we salute thee and dearly embrace thee Oh! what hath the Lord made thee unto us far more precious than we are able to express and great will be thy reward for thy faithfulness to the Lord and thy dear and tender love to us and thy diligent care of us Oh! thou art the Messenger we have cried long for to our Heavenly Father saying How long Oh Lord How long will it be before thou wilt send thy Messenger whose feet are beautiful coming upon the Mountains bringing glad tyding of great joy to us thy poor Captives Now hath the Lord our God answered us at large Praises praises be to his Name for evermore Oh! how are our souls refreshed and our spirits supported and our hearts comforted our minds rejoiced and our bodâ—es strengthened Thou canst never do greater service to the Lord our God than to come into such a place as this is to offer up thy dear life in ransoming us Great was the Power that brought thee and great is the Power that doth uphold thee and Mighty is the Strength which doth preserve thee and great
with intention to come up to this Port and because we sufficieâ—tly have had experience that the carriage of that sort of people is ridiculous and is capable to bring dishonor to our Nation besides other ill-conveniences that may redound to them in particular and to the English in general We therefore will and require you to give a stop to the said Quakers from proceeding any further in their journey either to Constantinople or the present Court of the Grand Signior viz. the Great Emperor of the Turks or to any other place where our Authority extends shipping them away either directly for England or any other part which they shall chuse to imbarque And we do hereby require all Officers and Members of the Factory and Masters and Officers of Ships to be aiding and assisting to you herein And for so doing this shall be your Warrant For our loving Friend Anthony Isaacson Esquire Consul for the English Nation at Smyrna By his Excellency's command Paul Ricoat Secretary Given under our Hand and Seal at our Court at Pare of Constantinople the 19th day of July it should be August for we were not in Asia in the Month called July 1661. Winchels 4. And forthwith this Warrant was dispatcht with a Messenger from the Embassador's Court at Constantinople to Smyrna and behold the Merchants of the Earth and others that could not endure to hear of the sound of Truth received the same not with little gladness poor me wo and alas for them the end of which will not be peace but contrariwise wo and misery and they put the same Warrant in execution and sent a Turkish Janisary and a Drugerman that were Officers under the Consul of the English Nation and they came with Harmols viz called Porters with Cain's Weapons and fetcht us from our Lodging before the Consul and the man was courteous and moderate and had his car open then to what we in the reverence and fear of the Lord then said unto him which was his honor who then saw over and beyond that foolish Ceremony of the Hat neither did he burthen himself with the same as many unwisely do the clouding or veiling of the nobility of a good understanding which hath a more noble respect to Equity Justice and Judgement without respect of persons in them where it is set up in its proper and peculiar Authority than to such foolish ceremonies which are below men of Wisdom yet he desired that we might not take it ill as from him in his place of Authority in doing as he was obliged in the prosecution of the Warrant which summoned all Officers and Members of the Factory with Masters and Officers of Ships to be aiding and 〈◊〉 to surprize and banish two innocent naked harmless men that had neither Bow nor Sword nor any such like material or visible Weapon of War to resist evil as Paul and Barnabas had not against whom the hard-hearted Jews cryed out with the same voice Help men of Israel c. and such like stir there was and we let the Consul first know at our first coming that we owned his place of Authority and were ready to submit to any thing that was 〈◊〉 or equitable and at last in this thing we could not submit without suffeâ—ing forasmuch as in the uprightness of our heart and in the innocency of the same were we come so far to do the Will of God and to suffer for it as his hand permitted So with many other expressions I cleared my Conscience as also by Words Sufferings and Writings to the whole Nation there and the Consul seemed to be unwilling to use violence against us that at our departure prayd for them that hated us without a caus knowing not what they did we seeing it could not at that season be otherwise but what the Lord had permitted them to bring to pass not to their justification but as a Judgement among them from the living God who did not onely dispence the visitation of his Love and Salvation day by day among them but he visited them also with the strokes of his displeasure even unto death and destruction And surely he smote and took away of the chiefest and others of them daily And verily my heart often cryed and besought the Lord for them in secret more especially though I was constrained not to cease uttering my voice openly among them and for them while they sought my hurt as many of them I know by the Witness of God in them may remember And so we were sent away as Prisoners or rather as Lambs driven from the Dens of Lyons or from the barren Caves of ravening Wolves whose Nature wooried them Now we had spoken for a passage by a Dutch ship to have gone from thence to Constantinople but before the ship departed Smyrna the Warrant came to the Consul's hands which thou mayest see came not from either them called Turks Jews Heathen Greeks or Barbarians but even from the men of our own Nation Alas alas yea wo and alas for them So the Reader may see what a stir there hath been in the Region of Asia against the appearance of Truâ—h and its innocency in plainness to expel and banish it together with its Message and Messengers out of their coasts or borders and not to have any entertainment or at least to come within the extent of their Authority whatever becomes of them let them go where they will c. So as in effect they say We will not have this man the Light Truth Temperance Innocency its Life and Wisdom from above to rule or have its preheminence over us in our Consciences We will rather chuse to live in the practice of our own evil hearts and ways and therefore thus to their own hurt they say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways and as for the Word of the Lord we have no delight in it Lo they have rejected the Word of the Lord and what Wisdom is in them And such the holy perfect and upright man saw rebel against the Light and said They are of those that rebel against the Light they know not the wayes thereof neither abide in the paths thereof And so with consent they joined together to banish Truth its Message and Messengers of Peace which provoked them to jealousie that believe not who scorned us as fools and what else not honestly considering how that God is provoking the Nations to jealousie and wrath with a foolish people as in the ancient days Deut. 22. was prophesied And such besought our Lord and Master even Jesus to depart out of their Coasts or Borders who loved and fed their Swine upon the Mountains even the Gadarenes besought him to depart who saith He that loveth Father or Mother or what else more than me is not worthy of me and Father and Mother and such Relations are of of more honourable esteem than many Swine And to his Disciples he also saith