can separate In which Light and Life do I salute thee my dear Husband with my Children wishing you to embrace Gods love in making his Truth so clearly manifest amongst you whereof I am a Witness even of the everlasting Fountain that hath been opened by the Messengers of Christ who preach to you the Word of God in season and out of season directing you where you may find your â—aviour to purge and cleanse you from your sins and to reconcile you to his Father and to have unity with him and all the Saints in the Light that ye may be fellow Citizens in the Kingdom of Glory Rest and Peace which Christ hath purchased for them that love him and obey him What profit is there for to gain the whole World and lose your own Souls Seek first the Kingdom of God the Righteousness thereof and all other things shall be added to you Godliness is great gain having the promise of this life that now is and that which is to come which is fulfilled to me who have tasted of the Lord 's endless Love and Mercies to my soul and from a moving of the same love and life do I breath to thee my dear Husband with my Children my dear Love salutes you all my Prayers to my God are for you all that your minds may be joyned to the Lighâ— wherewith you are lightned that I may enjoy you in that which is Eternal and have community with you in the Spirit He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit one heart one mind one soul to serve the Lord with one consent I cannot by Pen or Paper set forth the large Love of God in fulfilling his gracious Promises to me in the Wilderness being put into Prison for God's Truth there to remain all dayes of my life being searched tryed examined upon pain of death among the Enemies of God and his Truth standing in jeopardy for my life until the Lord had subdued and brought them under by his mighty Power and made them to feed us and would have given us money or clothes but the Lord did deck our Table richly in the Wilderness The Day of the Lord is appeariâ—â— wherein he will discover every Deed of darkness let it be done never so secret the Ligâ—â— of Christ Jesus will make it manifest in every Conscience the Lord will rip up all coveringâ— that is not of his own Spirit The God â—f Peace be with you all Amen Written in the Inquisition-Prison by the hand of Sarah Cheevers for the hand of Henry Cheevers my dear Husband give this fail not I do not well remember that this was one of the surprized Letters A Letter to a Kinswoman of S. C. S. P. MY dear Kinswoman I dearly salute thee with thy Husband and thy tender Babes I am not unmindful of thee nor of thy Love that thou shewed'st to me I know thou shalt not lose thy reward thou hast found refreshment in it for it was of the Lord My Burthen was weighty for the Lord I â—ould have fled the Cross but praises be to â—he Lord that kept me to it that I might â—ot lose the Crown I was straitned in it till I gave up to it Praised be the Name of our God for ever Amen Stand fast in the Lord â—et none take thy Crown The God of Power preserve and keep thee low and single in his fear pressing forward to the price of an interruptible Crown of Glory Peace and Rest â—ut of all strife Keep to the pure Life watch the Enemy keep thy mind staid in the measure of God's Grace that is able to make thee wise unto salvation and to give thee an inheâ—itance with the rest of the Children of Light My tender lamb fear and dread the living God keep in his presence go not out to let in the Enemy to break thy peace and to darken thy understanding and to vail over the pure from beholding thy Saviour Incline thine ear to him give up to a daily Cross to thy own will Stand single empty wait upon the Lord to be fill'd with his Fulness let him be all thy treasure ask of him he giveth liberally Believe and thou shalt receive his Promise is large I have found it so Having nothing yet enjoying all things I have â—asted handled and felt of his everlasting Love and indurable Riches my life is rapt up in it I have found Him whom my sâ—â—â— loveth Oh! what might I do to set hiâ— forth He is the choicest of ten thousands therefore doth my soul love him My life is given up for him his Truth for to declare Lord guide me in thy path and keep me in thy fear Amen My dear Aunt My dear love and life is with thee and I do embrace thee in the Arms and Bosom of my Eternal Fathers love with thy dear Husband and little Ones Another in the same Paper to Friends MY dearly beloved Sisters Friends of Truth I dearly salute you in the Light Life and Love of our God which is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost wherein I do rejoyce and have union with you My Life is given up to serve the Lord. Oh how my soul travels for the Seed of God's Kingdom to be sown throughout all Nations for the gathering in of Christ's scattered Flock and for the destruction of sin and Satan For our God is weighing the Mountains in Scales and the Dust in an equal Ballance He is pulling down the mighty and raising the meek humble lowly he is feeding the poor and hungry with good things but the rich he sends empty away My dear Babes and Lambs feed of the sincere Milk of the Word of Life that you may grow up in it and wax strong in spirit to praise the Lord and to glorifie him who is worthy Be strong in the Lord and in the Power of his Might seek him earnestly call upon him continually let your whole Meditations be staid in him alway Seek him earnestly deny your own thoughts and words give heed to the Light bring all your deeds to it give up all that is contrary to be slain stand single empty naked before the Lord that you may be filled with the Streams of his everlasting Love Oh my dear hearts our God is full of love stand not back press forward let nothing hinder you the Lord calls for you My Son give me thy heart The Promise of our God is as large to you as to any if you can believe your straitness is in your selves For God is a full Fountain abundance of love runs forth to them that can trust him I can witness it in the barren Wilderness he caused streams of living Water to break forth I cannot express it it is so large therefore doth my soul thirst after you my dear Ones the love of God is to you My dear Sisters I have you in my remembrance and do pray to my God and your God that you may be enlarged in your measures
to the ends of the Earth to the astonishment of the Heathen and the amazement of the Ungodly to the preparation of all Nations to appear before the dreadful Presence of our Lord God Almighty to be stript of all false coverings and to be left without excuse Glory and Praises be to our God for ever Amen who hath made us eye-witnesses of his mighty Work and helpers together with you according to our measures to the chaining down of the Powers of darkness and to the defacing of that painted Harlot Mystery Babylon with all her Lovers to the utter overthrow of Antichrist with all his wicked Kingdom Amen The day is dawning the Sun of Righteousness is arising over all Nations for to make a clear separation to gather in his own Flock and to scatter the proud in the imaginations of their own hearts to feed the hungry to heal the sick and to bind up the broken hearted to cloath the naked to visit the spirits in prison and comfort the Mourners in Sion to cause the heavy-hearted in Jerusalem to rejoyce Oh my dear Friends who are precious in the sight of our Heavenly Father partakers of his Divine Nature living Stones and holy Assemblies wherein dwelleth the fulness of God Almightie's Power and Strength Riches Glory Wisdom Counsel Knowledge and Understanding he is the Rock of Ages the sure Foundation the Ark of the Covenant of the Promise of everlasting Blessedness Amen My dear and precious Ones whom my soul loveth my heart delighteth in you and my spirit rejoyceth greatly because of the excellency of God's Almightiness amongst you so that you are a dread to the Nations Kings Princes and mighty Men of the Earth shall bow before the Power of Almighty God by whom we stand and all shall be brought under the Foot-stool of Christ his Government and he alone shall reign in Righteousness and rule the Nations in Judgement then shall the cry of the Poor be heard and the sighing of the Needy be eased and the yoke of Wickedness be broken and the Oppressed shall be set free the Image of Christ restored and the Image of that subtile Serpent defaced destroyed and utterly cast down for ever Amen so saith my spirit Glory honour laud and praise be given to our Lord God Almighty for ever Amen A sweet Salutation is this from the breathing forth of my pure Life to the same Life in my Spirit joyning in my measure a sufferer for the Seeds sake Glory to the Lord who hath counted me worthy Farewel farewel my dear hearts My dear Yoke-mate K. E. dearly salutes all Friends Oh ye holy Assemblies whose hearts are wholly joyned to the Lord I with you in the Life and Power of the Almighty God do travel for the raising of the Seed and the gathering in of the lost Sheep of the House of Israel Oh! blessed be the Day wherein the Lord called me and counted me worthy to suffer for the Seeds sake Praise praise the Lord for me ye blessed of the Lord in whom the living Praises are found in the living Fountain of God Almighty the Fulness that filleth every empty soul in the Streams of Love Life Light Strength Riches Immortality and Eternal Glory So Truth Joy Peace and everlasting Blessedness remain with you all for ever Amen My Life is given up for the Service of the Lord Bonds Chains Bolts Irons Double-doors Death it self is too little for the Testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God so the Seed be gathered it is but a reasonable Sacrifice Bonds and Afflictions betide the Gospel of Christ He that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer Persecution it is an evident token My dear Friends my Light my Life my Love hath perfect Union in the Eternal Spirit of the living God and remains with you all for ever Fathers Elders Pillars Nursing-Mothers in Israel true Israelites indeed in whom is no guile My dear Salutation and breathing forth of my Eternal Father's Love is to all the breathing Seed begotten of the Heavenly Father Peace Mercy and Truth be multiplied among you all for ever Amen Pray for us that we may have boldness over our Enemies to fulfil the righteous Will of our heavenly Father and be kept faithful in his Will for ever Amen Streams of Love and Life flow from a living Fountain to you all my dear Friends Our Love remaineth ever with you all Amen Present this to the hand of L. C. L C. Thou Nursing-Mother in Israel peace be to thee for ever Amen Thy dear Brother Daniel Baker in the Covenant of Life in obedience to the Lord hath visited us to the amazement of our Enemies Glory be to the Lord for ever Amen He hath been a faithful Steward indeed worthy to be had in remembrance in the Book of Israel for ever Amen Whatsoever for the Truth we suffer our Reward is with us and our innocent Life will clear us Amen Written by me Sarah Cheevers a Prisoner in the Inquisition for the clear Testimony of the Lord Jesus This 11th Month of the year 1661. NOw after I had received these Papers though not through little straits and difficulty with jeopardy of my precious Life which my God sweetly through all preserved Glory to his Name my heart was as it were overcome with the loving-kindness and salvation of the living Lord and in his savory Life my mouth was filled with thanksgiving and praises to my God and I said in my heart on this wise Who am I O Lord or what was my Father's House or what is the Land of my Nativity that I a poor afflicted and despised Worm should be raised up to see and perceive what mine eye mine eye in thy Eternal Power and pure Life beholds Oh my God! thou hast known the innocent travel of my Soul which I right-well know the same is not hid from thee even from the day of my birth unto this moment through no small trials and tribulations and through the exercise of manifold temptations yet behold my Life is preserved at this time And Oh my heart my mind my soul my spirit in thy pure undefiled Life and Vertue blesseth thy Name thy pure Name which thy Virgins love and live in and in the same they glorifie thy Beloved and the Wings of thy Majesty overshadoweth them and their delight is under the secret shadow of thy Almightiness blessed be thy Glory blessed be thy undefiled Power blessed and magnified be thy pure Wisdom and let the same be so even in the Tabernacles of the Just for ever Thou Lamb of Immortality the Thrones the Kingdoms and Eternal Dominions are thine and over all thy Throne is and shall be exalted and thy Lambs behold thy Glory and thy Majesty in this the day of thy terrible and glorious â—ppearance Wisdom Riches Glory Power Might and Dominion everlasting with Eternal Salvation over all to thy Name Amen saith my spirit in the Life which is was and for ever shall be the same
scattered from all the rest of the Ships and could never see them again And so the Name of the Lord be magnified for ever over all whose Name is a strong Tower to all that can trust in him It is laid upon me to manifest the large love of God to us in our greatest extremity when we knew nothing but that we should be burnt for many dayes together Then in a Vision of the night I saw a large Room and a great Wood-fire in the Chimney and I saw the eternal Son of God sitting in a Chair by the fire in the form of a servant And likewise I saw a very amiable well-favoured Man-Child sitting in a hollow Chair over the fire it had no clothes on but a little fine linen about the upper parts it did not appear to be above three quarters old the fire did flame on every side of it yet the Child did play and was merry I would have took it up for fear it should have been burnt but he that sate in the Chair bade me let it alone I turned me about and I saw another heavenly Angel of God's presence standing a little wayes off it was not Gabriel and then he that sate in the Chair bade me take up the Child and it had no harm Let him that readeth understand And then I did awake and I called to my Friend Sarah and bid her she should not fear for the heavenly Host of God's Presence did follow us and as we do believe who can harm us though they did bind us to a stake yet shall they never have power to kindle fire upon us And Sarah answered she did know without our heavenly Father they cannot touch a hair of our heads And the Lord said However it be it shall go well with you And so we magnifie the Name of the Lord night and day and he is worthy to be praised for evermore Amen Ka. Evans There came to Malta whilst we were in the Inquisition twenty sail of Ships out of France and Spain to joyn with the Caveliers in Malta to fight against the Turks as the Keeper told us and the fear and dread of the Lord fell upon me and the Lord commanded me to prophesie against them and I cryed out daily saying God is angry God is angry and they cannot prosper go not forth to murther nor to kill one another Christ came not to destroy life but to save it This I told many as they were in hearing yet there was great triumphing and glorying in blood and in the strength of Pharoah all the time they were there And the night before they went forth I saw in a Vision a broad Tub of blood and it did run over on each side into the water and defiled it that I could have none to drink and I was exceedingly troubled in spirit And this did signifie their great slaughter and fight upon the Sea with the Turks and they returned with great loss and their joy was turned into sorrow and their mirth into mourning because they would not be forewarned Sa. Cheevers To the English Fryar Malachi THou art a bloody Persecutor of God and his eternal Truth and the Messengers thereof go whither thou wilt the righteous God will follow thee and find thee out dig never so deep thou canst not hide thy self from the Light Cruelty hard-heartedness vain-glory hypocrisie lying blasphemy pride unbelief all manner of wickedness lodgeth within thee thou in thy measure art the sinck of Hell thy mouth uttereth perverse things the poyson of Asps is under thy tongue thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity thou art for eternal burnings Thou saidst thou madest thy self a holy man having wit and learning so thou becamest a Prelate or a Bishop and studied Divinity fifteen years and by it thou camest by thy Ordination to be a Father of Learning a Saviour of Souls thou saidst thou hadst received vertue to remit sins and thou didst offer to take our blood upon thee and to save our souls and bodies and wouldst have us to pray in the name of such a holy Father as thou who art a Catholick and didst kneel down often and speak many bitter wishes that you were in the true Faith But glory be to the Name of our God for ever the Light did discover thee when thou camest under many false covers and colours thy lyes and blasphemies were manifested to us by the Light and by the Light judged and condemned and we preserved and justified O thou perverter of the pure way of Righteousness thou child of the Devil thou deceiver of souls the Lord will require the souls of the simple at thy hands thou hast caused them to err from the living God thou Lucifer thou shalt be cast down from thy seat with all thy whoredoms into the bottomless pit there to remain for ever Amen And the Lord Jesus Christ alone shall reign over all the powers of darkness unto the ends of the Earth and the powers of darkness discovered defaced and utterly destroyed with the brightness of his coming then shalt thou and thy kingdom with all your carnal weapons that you have formed to uphold you be thrown down and overturned and thou and all such deceivers as thou art shall be cast into utter darkness with the lyers unbelievers Sorcerers fearful blasphemers blood-thirsty there to receive your reward weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth for ever then shall you know with Dives one drop of cold Water from us whom you have afflicted for the Testimony of Jesus and the Word of God will not stand you in stead to cool your tormented tongues for your Blasphemies Thou hast slighted the day of thy Visitation thou hast had line upon line and precept upon precept declared to thee of the good Word of God but thou hast made a mock and said it was a foolish thing thou didst want men of learning and wit thou hast learning and tongues Oh! dost thou not see thy folly Hath not God chosen the foolish things to confound the wisdom of the wise and to bring to nought the counsel of the prudent In the Light thou art known by the Light thou art judged and condemned Thy Gospel is carnal that doth uphold thy Kingdom Iniquity double-doors Chains Bolts Iron Whips Racks Halters Quarterings Cruelties Blood-thirstiness what wickedness is there that is not in your Kingdom you will cheat and cozen one another and will tolerate all manner of vice and say it is pardonable and will remit their sins if they will believe in you and pray in your name Thou wouldst have us pray by thy spirit after thee and say Mass and Pater noster and pray to Saints departed and thy Jesus and Mary with Beads and Crucifixes and cross our foreheads and chins Oh thou Antichrist wouldst thou have us turn from the Spirit of the living God which is pure and holy to pray to stocks and stones thy dead gods which cannot see nor hear nor
live without spiritual food than our temporal bodies can without temporal food He said That we did never hear Mass We said we did hear the voice of Christ he only had the words of eternal Life and that was sufficient for us He said We were Hereticks and Heathens We said they were Hereticks that lived in sin and wickedness and such were Heathenâ— that knew not God He asked about our Meetings in England And we told them the truth to their amazement And they asked Who was the Head of our Church We said Christ And they asked What George Fox is And we said He is a Minister of Christ They asked Whether he sent us We said No The Lord did move us to come The Friar said We were deceived and had not the faith but we have all virtues We said that faith was the ground from whence virtues do proceed They said If we would take their holy Sacrament we might have our liberty or else the Pope would not leave us for millions of Gold but we should lose our souls and our bodies too We said the Lord had provided for our souls and our bodies were freely given up to serve the Lord. They askt us If we did not believe Marriage was a Sacrament We said it was an Ordinance of God They askt us If we did believe men could forgive sins We said none could forgive sins but God onely They brought us that Scripture Whose sins ye remit in earth shall be remitted in heaven We said all Power was Gods he could give it to whom he would that were born of the eternal Spirit and guided by the same such have power to do the Fathers Will as I answered a Friar also in the City of Naples and they were silent the Power greatly working We asked them wherein we had wronged them that we should be kept Prisoners all days of our lives and said Our innocent blood would be required at their hands The Friar said He would take our blood upon him and our journey into Turky too We told him the time would come he would find he had enough upon him without it They said The Pope was Christ's Vicar and we were of his Church and what he did was for the good of our Souls We answered The Lord had not committed the charge of our souls to the Pope nor to them for he had taken them into his own possession glory was to his Name for ever They said We must be obedient We said we were obedient to the government of Christs Spirit The Friar said None had the true Light but the Catholicks the Light that we had was the spirit of the Devil We said Wo to him that calleth Jesus accursed Can the Devil give power over sin and iniquity then he would destroy his own kingdom He said We were laught at and mockt at â—f every one We said What did become of the mockers It was no matter He said We did run about to preach and had not the true Faith We said the true Faith is held in a pure Conscience void of offence towards God and man and we had the true Faith And he said There was but one Faith either theirs or ours and ask'd us which it was We said Every one had the true Faith that did believe in God and in Jesus whom he had sent but they that say they do believe and do not keep his Commandments are lyars and the truth is not in them He said it was true but he did thirst daily for our blood because we would not turn and urged us much about our Faith and Sacrament to bring us under their Law but the Lord preserved us They said It was impossible we could live long in that hot room So the next week-day they sate in Council but Oh how the swelling Sea did rage and the proud waves did foam even unto the clouds of Heaven and Proclamation was made at the Prison-Gate we did not know the words but the fire of the Lord flamed against it K. my life was smitten and I was in a very great agony so that sweat was as drops of blood and the Righteous One was laid into a Sepulcher and a great stone was roll'd to the door but the Prophecy was that he should rise again the third day which was fulfilled But the next day they came to sit upon Judgement again but I say in the true Judgment they sate not but upon it they got up unjustly above the Righteous and upon the same they sate a Child of Wisdom may understand and they brought many Propositions written in a Paper but the Friar would suffer the Magistrate to propound but few to us for fear the Light would break forth But they ask'd how many Friends of ours were gone forth in the Ministry and into what parts We told them what we did know They said All that came where the Pope had any thing to do should never go back again We said the Lord was as sufficient for us as he was for the Children in the fiery Furnace and our trust was in God They said we were but few and had been but a little while but they were many Countries and had stood many hundred years and wrought many Miracles and we had none We said we had thousands at our Meetings but none of us dare speak a word but as they are eternally moved of the Lord and we had Miracles The Blind receive their sight the Deaf do hear and the Dumb dâ— speak the Poor do receive the Gospel the Lame do walk and the Dead are raised He asked Why I look'd so whether my Spirit was weak I said Nay my body was weak because I eat no meat it was in their Lent He offered me a Licence to eat flesh I said I could not eat any thing at all the terrors of death were strongly upon me But three nights after the Lord said unto me about the eleventh hour Arise and put on your clothes I said When wilt thou come Lord He said VVhether at midnight or at Cock-crow do thou watch My Friend and I arose and the Lord said Go stand at the Door And we stood at the door in the Power of the Lord I did scarce know whether I was in the body or out of the body And about the twelfth hour there came many to the Prison-Gate We heard the Keyes and looked when they would come in They ran to and fro till the fourth hour and the Lord said he had smote them with blindness they could not find the way And we went to bed where I lay night and day for twelve dayes together fasting and sweating that my bed was wet and great was our affliction The tenth day of my fast there came two Fryars the Chancellor the man with the black Rod and a Physician and the Keeper and the Friar commanded my dear Friend to go out of the room and he came and pull'd my hand out of the bed and said Is the Devil so
God we might The Captain spake to us with tears in his eyes and told us what they had done for us but could not prevail It is this Inquisitor said he the rest were made free you have preached among these people he said We told him we were called upon the Testimony of our Conscience and the Truth that we have witnessed forth among them we should stand to maintain with our blood He said If they could get us off he would freely give us our passage and provide for us and the Vessel was his own We told him his love was as well accepted of the Lord as if he did carry us He offered us money he saw the Lord would not suffer us to take any He took our Names We told them they took us out of our way and put us into the Inquisition and bid us change our minds and we could not the Lord had changed us into that which changed not if they would burn us to ashes or chop us as Herbs to the Pot. The Friar said We did not work which was false we had Work of our own and did work as we were able We told him our Work and Maintenance was in England And they said It was true He said We would not accept of the Inquisitors Diet. We did not know who did prepare for us we did receive our meat as we had freedom in the Lord. Then he said We had suffered long enough and too long but we should have our freedom in few days and that they would send to the Pope for an Order And there were many English Ships that way but the Captain saw it was a very hard thing so that it grieved him to the heart He prayed God to comfort us and he went away and we do beseech God to bless and preserve him unto everlasting Life and never to let him nor his go without a blessing from him for his love he did venture himself exceedingly in that place But after he was gone they arose up against us with one accord The Inquisitor came up into a Tower and lookt down upon us as if he would have eaten us and they did try us for our lives again and did shut up our doors many Weeks we could not tell for what at length the Inquisitor came into the Tower again and Sarah was moved to call to him to have the door opened for us to go down into the Court to wash our clothes Then he gave command for the door to be opened once a week and in a little while 't was open ever day But great was our affliction indeed and she told him if we were the Popes Prisoners we would appeal to the Pope and he should send us to him But them in the Prison with us especially the Friar were mortal Enemies to us but yet they would have fed us with the choicest of their meat and would gladly give us whole Bottels of wine if we would receive it and were greatly troubled because we did refuse to eat and drink with them and did persecute us exceedingly but the Lord did visit them with his dreadful Judgements the Friar was tormented night and day his body did perish the Doctors and Chyrurgeons did follow him a long time And there were two or three English Ships there came into harbour and Sarah saw the coming of them in a Vision of the night and there was great pleading for us that we saw but she heard a Voice saying We could not go now So we were mad willing to wait the Lords time Then they sent for us forth when the Ships were gone and askt us If we would be Catholicks And we said we were true Christians and had received the Spirit of Christ and he that had not the Spirit of Christ was none of his The English Consul told us of the Ships and said They would not let us go unless we would be Catholicks and that we must suffer more imprisonment yet and said he did what he could for us One of the Magistrates shewed us the Cross We told them and said We did take up the Cross of Christ daily which is the great Power of God to crucifie sin and iniquity so we told them that one of their Fathers did promise us our liberty We did think that Friar was too tender-hearted to stay among them he did take a great deal of pains for us the Captain said We told him he would never have cause to repent it the blessing of God would be upon him for any thing he should do for us for we were the Servants of the living God and he promised us our freedoms in a little time This following I D. B. received from them in other Papers to Friends O Dearly beloved Friends Fathers and Elders and Pillars of Gods Spirituall House and Brethren and Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ in the measure of Love and Life of our God do we salute you all and do embrace you in that which is Eternal and we do greatly rejoyce and glorify the Name of our Heavenly Father that he hath counted us worthy to be partakers of the death and sufferings of his blessed Son with you though we be the least of God's Flock yet we are of the true Fold whereof Christ Jesus is shepherd and he hath had as tender a care over us as he hath had of any of his Lambs which he hath called forth in this the day of his Power and hath carried us through and over as great afflictions as most of our Brethren and sufferers for his Name both in mockings scoffings scornings reproaches stripes contradictions perils at Land and perils at Sea fiery tryals cruel threatnings grief of heart sorrow of soul heats and colds fastings and watchings fears within and frightings without terrible temptations and persecutions and dreadful imprisonments and buffettings of Satan yet in all these our tryals the Lord was very gracious unto us and not absent himself from us neither suffered his faithfulness to fail us but did bear us up and keep us from fainting in the midst of our extremity we had not another to make our moan to but the Lord alone neither could we expect a drop of mercy favour or refreshment but what he did distil from his living Presence and work by his own strength for we sat one in one room and the other in the another near a year as Owls in deserts and as People forsaken in solitary places then did we enjoy the presence of the Lord and did behold the brightness of his glory and we did see you our dear Friends in the Light of Jesus and did behold your order and stedfastness of your Faith and Love to all Saints and were refreshed in all the faithful hearted and felt the issues of Love and Life which did stream from the hearts of those that were wholly joyned to the Fountain and were made sensible of the benefit of your Prayers O the sorrows the mournings the tears but those that
you come to love it and to have your minds staid upon it you will feel the Incomes of God's Power to administer condemnation upon the transgressor that keeps the pure Seed in bondage in you For Sion is redeemed through Judgement and her Converts with Righteousness Paul saith If thou believest in thy heart the Lord Jesus and confessest with thy mouth that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with the heart man believeth unto Salvation And we do believe and see and taste and handle of the good Word of Life and have received the Spirit of Truth to lead us into all Truth and doth bring all things to our remembrance without any visible thing And Paul wrote to the Galatians saying My little Children of whom I travel in birth till Christ be formed in you Where Christ is formed within there needs no form without the outward form is called an Earthen Vessel or an Earthen Tabernacle or an Earthen House but Christ Jesus is the express Image of his Fathers Glory or Substance which is Light and Life Now the Image of Christ is a pure and a holy Image a meek and a Dove-like Image an innocent and a Lamb-like Image a righteous and a glorious Image Christ in you the hope of Glory saith the Apostle to the Saints The Lord our God hath given to every man a measure of the manifestation of his own Spirit to profit withal which is the Light in the Conscience the true Teacher of his People it is the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation that appeareth to all men and it teacheth all that come to believe in it and to love and to be guided by it to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to walk soberly righteously holy and godly in this present world and it will deal plainly with every one none need to fear being deceived by that in them which doth condemn them for sin and evil But they that live in Pride are deceived already they that live in Covetousness are deceived already and they that live in Lusts or Drunkenness are deceived already or in Lying Swearing Adultery or Idolatry are deceived or in Hypocrisie and Deceit Hard-heartedness or Cruelty they are deceived already for those you know are fruits which do proceed from a deceived heart being corrupted for want of knowledge My People perish for want of knowledge saith God He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his and he that hath the Spirit of Christ ought himself to walk as Christ walked Now Christ was no Persecutor he never imprisoned any nor ever put any to suffer but He and the holy Prophets and Apostles were made to suffer as evil doers this we know The Day of the Lord is hot and terrible against all sin and iniquity and that nature from whence it doth proceed and We are a WO for all them that are laying up of a Fuel for it This is God's Truth whether you can receive it yea or nay I am ready to seal it with my blood if the Lord shall call me to it Whosoever shall interpret this Paper before the Lord Inquisitor so called I charge thee in the Name of the living God as thou wilt answer before his dreadful presence to interpret it word by word as it is written without adding or diminishing Katherine Evans THe Friar then came to me and askt me why I did not work I said unto him What work dost thou do He said he did write I told him I would write too if he would bring me Pen Ink and Paper and I would write Truth He said He would not that we should write for St. Paul did work at Rome and we might get nine or ten grains a day if we did knit that is three half-pence I told him if we could have that priviledge amongst them that Paul had at Rome under Caesar which was a Heathenish King we would have wrought and not have been chargeable to any Paul lived in his own hired house two years with a Souldier to look to him and had Friends of the same Occupation to work with him and could send where he would and whosoever would come to him might and he taught them in the Name of the Lord Jesus and no man forbad him So I askt him Whether he knew the holy War of God yea or nay if he did I told him he then did know we could not be without exercise day nor night Then his mouth was stopped and he spake no more to me of work But though our affliction of body was very great and our travel of soul was greater yet we did knit Stockens and gave to them that were made serviceable to us and did make Garments for the poor Prisoners and mended their Clothes which had need and were made helpful to them all to their condemnation that did persecute us But we could not work at the Friar's will nor any mans else but as we had freedom in the Lord. As I was weak in my bed the Friar came to me and said We did deny the Scriptures I told him they did deny them we did own them and hold them forth thou dost know it He was in a rage because I said they denied the Scriptures and bid me eat my words again and threatned death upon me I said Christ Jesus was the Light of the World and had lighted every one that cometh into the World which Light is our Salvation that do receive it and the same Light is the Worlds Condemnation that do not believe in it Then he said He would lay me in Chains where I should neither see Sun nor Moon They say The Father hath almost killed you said he but I will kill you quite before I have done He had a Book in his hand and he did study in it I told him he did comprehend the words in his carnal mind and he was wroth and said he would give me to the Devils to be tormented I said I deny the Devil and all his works and workers Some would come unto the Prison upon their Saints dayes and ask us what day it was We did answer We did not know neither did we observe dayes nor times months nor years Then answer would be made It was St. Joseph's day or some other Saint and St. Joseph should punish us that night because we did not observe his day We answered We did know the Saints to be at peace with us and we did not fear them We further said Paul did call it beggarly Elements and Rudiments of the World to observe days times months and years and their mouthes would be stopt for a time Then came the Friar another time and told me it was seventeen dayes to their Christmas and said the Virgin Mary conceived with child that day being the same day he spake to me on as if she did go with child but seventeen dayes And he said the next day was Lady Ann's day the Virgin Mary 's Mother a
Wisdom of God But the same Cross is to the outward Jew or Christian a stumbling-block and to the wise Greek that 's exalted and puft up in the knowledge above and over the Meek Life foolishness as saith the Scripture 1 Cor. 1.18 19. THe Cross of Christ I do imbrace Which gives an entrance into Grace Both Sin and Death it doth deface And makes me run a glorious race A Crown of Life I do obtain And Sin and Death is daily slain And Christ himself alone to reign Thorow the Cross I do obtain The Cross of Christ is more to me Than all the treasures I can see It brings me to my resting-place For to behold God's lovely Face The Cross of Christ is Power indeed Against the Serpent and his seed And Salvation it doth bring To all that do believe therein The Cross of Christ is my delight It doth uphold me day and night It keeps me from the power of sin Through Christ who is my heav'nly King Without the Cross I cannot be From Sin and Death at all set free The Cross alone doth crucifie Transgression Sin Iniquity It doth break down the Middle-wall And slayes the Enmity withal And makes of twain one perfect man So renews Christ for me again The Cross of Christ it doth destroy That nature that doth disobey In those that do themselves deny And take it up most willingly And daily bear it after him Who is our Lord our Prince and King And not at all to let it down Till they come to enjoy the Crown The Cross of Christ is Power and Life It doth destroy all mortal strife It keepeth from the power of Sin All those that love to walk therein All that do own Christ Jesus Cross Through self-denial they must pass For to be purged from their sin And no longer live therein The Cross of Christ doth operate Through every vein and vital part The heart and reins to cleanse from sin Of them that 's exercis'd therein All they that live in wickedness Are enemies to Christ Jesus Cross For ev'ry sin and uncleanness Doth pierce the Life of Christ Jesus Perfect Love and breathings of undefiled Life to the Seed of God greeting THe streams of Beauty pure bright That springeth up both day and night My love to Truth doth me constrain In Prison ever to remain If it in truth be so that I Cannot be set at liberty My dear Redeemers face so bright Doth shine upon me day and night His Countenance doth exceed all Captivity and Bondage thrall My pure and undefiled Love Which cometh from a harmless Dove Within whose brests doth still remain God's perfect praises to maintain I have not time nor place to show The Love which from my heart doth flow The blessing of th' Almighty be On Jacobs Seed eternally And let it make its sure abode Upon the Heritage of God Amen K. E. THese Writings following are Copies of divers Letters which they had written to their Friends and near Relations in the time of my visitation of them But it came so to pass that as they were handing the same through the Grate of the Prison by the hand of another man to be communicated to my hand being then present in the Room also that the said Letters were intercepted and in the first place communicated to the Pope's Lord Inquisitor and he forthwith sent for the Consul and charged him to get the same truly copied forth Then the Consul was wrath with me that he should be exercised with so much trouble But in the Light and Counsel of my God I seeing and knowing that there was nothing in them but what came from a good ground of Innocency and Truth and pure natural Affection I was moved in bowels of tender Love lest the said Letters should be finally miscarried or shut up in obscurity therefore I propounded to the Consul If that were such a trouble to him if he would let me have the Letters I should copy them out truly And after some time he consented and gave them into my hand and laid it upon my Conscience to perform as I had said which I did with gladness of heart not in submission to his Will but in obedience to the God of Love and Peace which guided me in the same and so after I had finished them I gave the fair Copies into the Consul's hands for his Lord Inquisitor And so in the wisdom of the Lord which is wiser than the Serpents I obtained the very desire of my heart for his Truth and Peoples sake and retained the Original Copies and in the endless Love and Power of the Lord Almighty which was and is with me and accompanied me blessed and magnified be the Power of his excellent Majesty and Glory Amen over the heads of the lofty Mountains and barren Hills I brought the Treasures of a blessed and good ground away with this body in which I am so that they were not only in my hands but also the precious substance and vertue of the same that accomâ—anied them even in my heart within my â—osome and the Words of wisdoms Life did I wear as a Chain of precious Stones and Diamonds about my neck as Bracelets and Ornaments of a comely and delicate chaste Bride about my hands and loins and behold the Almighty Lord and King of Eternal Life that had so mightly preserved me in the shadow of his haâ—â— of Almightiness which stopt the moutâ— of devouring Lyons and chained and limitted the ravening and devouring wiâ—â— Beasts of the Forrest even he the King 〈◊〉 blessedness and endless Glory filled mâ— heart with his spotless and unexpressiblâ— Love And as I lay upon the deck of thâ— Vessel in which I was a Passenger and 〈◊〉 stranger among Men of many and diveâ—â— Nations in the morning of the day I feâ—â— and beheld the exceeding Glory of thâ— Lord under the secret shadow of his Almightiness in a Vision of God and in thâ— same I beheld the Bride the Lamb's Wife prepared for the Bridegroom 's coming and why should not I declare somewhat oâ— the felicity that mine eye in the Eternaâ— Life of blessedness saw albeit the Reâ—â— is unutterable which I felt and know how to be silent in the Father's Presence where every Babe knoweth my voice which iâ— to give a sound in their ears to whom I write and not to spread Pearls before Swine that will defile and trample oâ— 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 Sun as a Bridegroom rejoycing 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 Anointed 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-tyding 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 and 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 Fame 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 dwell in your Land Of rest and peace In righteousness I' 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 shall make you afraid Within the perfect Love there is no fear So in the Father's sight ye 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 Eriend 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 hapned so that the Copies of the Letters of the Lord's Prisoners were left in the hands of their Enemies in a strange Land it is seen meet to insert them among thâ— rest of their Writings for the good of many of their own Nation of England who may right-well savour the tender love and vertue of true and pure natural Affection not only to their Kindred and Fathers House but also to their own Country all of which they were truly called to forsake as was good old Abraham our Father who in obedience to the good Word Commandment of the Almighty God went forth not knowing whither he went even as these poor Women 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 out-stretched arm of Dignity and excellent Power is defacing and staining the Pride of all Glory and bringing into contempt all the Honourable of the earth that 's out of order and bringing down the haughtiness 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 Husbandmans right hand for which the God of Heaven is visiting the Nations as in the ancient dayes Albâ—it he hath long time held his peace in the habitation of his Holiness where his Honour dwelleth but behold behold he is arising in the Greatness of his strengâ—h 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 and hearts of the Hypocrites and 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 Katherine 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 faithful Husband Friend and Brother begotten of my Eternal Father of the immortal Seed of the Covenant of Light Life and Blessedness I have unity and fellowship with thee day and night to my great Refreshment and continual Comfort Praises Praises be given to our God for evermore who hath joyned us together in that which neither Sea nor Land can separate or divide My dear heart my Soul doth dearly salute thee with my dear and precious Children which are dear and precious in the Light of the Lord to thy endless joy and my everlasting comfort glory be to our Lord God eternally who hath called you with a holy Calling and hath caused his Beauty to shine upon you in this the day of his Power wherein he is making up of his Jewels and binding up of his faithful Ones in the Bond of everlasting Love and Salvation among whom he hath numbred you of his own free Grace in whâ—ch I beseech you dear hearts in the fear of the Lord to abide in your measures according to the manifestation of the Revelation of the Son of God in you keep a diligent watch over every Thought Word and Action and let your minds be staid continually in the Light where you will find out the snares and baits of Satan and be preserved out of his Traps Nets and Pits that you may not be captivated by him at his will Oh my dear Husband and
Children how often have I poured out my Soul to our everlasting Father for you with Rivers of Tears night and day that you might be kept pure and single in the sight of our God improving your Talents as wise Virgins having Oyl in your Vessels and your Lamps burning and cloathed with the long white Robes of Righteousness ready to enter the Bed-chamber and to sup with the Lamb and to feed â—t the Feast of fat things where your souls may be nourished refreshed comforted and satisfied never to hunger again My dear hearts you do not want teaching you are in a Land of Blessedness which floweth with Milk and Honey among the faithful Stewards whose mouths are opened wide in Righteousness to declare the Eternal Mysteries of the everlasting Kingdom of the endless Joyes and eternal Glory whereinto all the willing and obedient shall enter and be blessed for ever My dear hearts the Promises of the Lord are large and are all Yea and Amen to those that fear his Name he will comfort the Mourners in Sion and will cause the Heavy-hearted in Jerusalem to rejoyce because of the glad-tydings They that do bear the Cross with patience shall wear the Crown with joy for it is through the long-suffering and patient waitings the Crown of Life and Immortality comes to be obtained The Lord hath exercised my Patience and tryed me to the uttermost to his praise and my eternal comfort who hath not been wanting to us in any thing in his own due time We are Witnesses he can provide a Table in the Wilderness both spiritual and temporal Oh the endless Love 〈◊〉 our God who is an everlasting Fountain 〈◊〉 all living Refreshment whose Chrystal streamâ— never cease running to every thirsty Soul thâ—â— breatheth after the springs of Life and Salvation In our deepest Affliction when I looked fâ—â— every breath to be the last I could not wish 〈◊〉 had not come over Seas because I knew it wâ—â— my Eternal Father's Will to prove me with my dear and faithful Friend In all afflictions and miseries the Lord remembred Mercy and did not leave nor forsake us nor suffer hâ—â— Faithfulness to fail us but caused the sweâ—â— drops of his Mercy to distil upon us and the brightness of his glorious Countenance to shine into our hearts and was never wanting to 〈◊〉 in Revelations nor Visions Oh! how may I do to set forth the Fulness of God's Love tâ— our Souls No tongue can express it no hearâ— can conceive it nor mind can comprehend it Oh the ravishments the raptures the glorioâ—â— bright-shining Countenance of our Lord God who is our fulness in emptiness our strength iâ— weakness our health in sickness our life iâ— death our joy in sorrow our peace in disquietness our praise in heaviness our power in aâ— needs or necessities He alone is a full God unto us and to all that can trust him he hatâ— emptied us of our selves and hath unbottomed us of our selves and hath wholly built us upon the sure Foundation the Rock of Ages Christ Jesus the Light of the world where the swelling Seas nor raging foaming Waves nor stormy Winds though they beat vehemently can be able to remove us Glory honor and praises is to our God for ever who out of his everlasting Treasures doth fill us with his Eternal Riches day by day he did nourish our souls with the choicest of his Mercies and doth feed our bodies with his good Creatures and relieve all our Necessities in a full measure Praises Praises be to him alone who is our everlasting portion our confidence and our rejoycing whom we serve acceptably with reverence and God-like fear for our God is a consuming fire Oh my dear Husband and precious Children you may feel the issues of Love and Life which stream forth as a River to every soul of â—ou from a heart that is wholly joyned to the â—ountain My Prayers are for you day and â—ight without ceasing beseeching the Lord God of Power to pour down his tender Merâ—ies upon you and to keep you in his pure fear â—nd to encrease your Faith to confirm you in 〈◊〉 Righteousness and strengthen you in beâ—â—ving in the Name of the Lord God Almighty that you may be established as Moâ—â—â— Sion that can never be moved Keep yâ—â— Souls unspotted of the World and love 〈◊〉 another with a pure heart fervently serâ—â— one another in love build up one another 〈◊〉 the Eternal and bear one anothers burdeâ— for the Seeds sake and so fulfil the Law oâ— God This is the Word of the Lord untâ— you my dearly beloved Dear hearts I do commit you into the hand of the Almighty who dwelleth on high anâ— to the Word of his Grace in you who is ablâ— to build you up to everlasting Life and eternal Salvation By me who am thy dear anâ— precious Wife and Spouse in the Marriage 〈◊〉 the Lamb in the Bed undefiled K. E. My dearly beloved Yoak-mate in the Worâ— of our God doth dearly salute you Salutâ— us dearly to our precious Friends in all placeâ— I do believe we shall see your faces again wiâ—â— joy Dearly salute us to T. H. R. S. and hâ—â— Sister S. B. and his Daughter N. M. aâ—â— his dear Wife with all the rest of our deâ—â— Friends in Bristol T. C. and his dear Wiâ—â— and Daughter and all Friends in Bristol 〈◊〉 else-where J. G. and his precious Wife Children and Servants with all Friendâ— Our dear Love to E. H. with her Husband and Children at Alderberry The Original of this was written in the Inquisition in Malta in the 11th Month of the year 1661. Sarah Cheevers to her Husband and Children MY Dear Husband my love my life is given up to serve the living God and to obey his pure Call in the measure of the manifestation of his Love Light Life and Spirit of Christ Jesus his only begotten Son whom he hath manifested in me and thousands by the brightness of his Appearing to put an end to Sin and Satan and bring to light Immortality through the preaching of the everlasting Gospel by the Spirit of Prophesie which is poured out upon the Sons Daughters of the living God according to his purpose whereof he hath chosen me who am the least of all but God who is rich in mercy for his own Name sake hath passed by mine Offences and hath counted me worthy to bear testimony to his holy Name before the mighty Men of the Earth Oh the Love of the Lord to my Soul my tongue cannot express neither hath it entred into the heart of Man to conceive of the things that God hath laid up for them that fear him Therefore doth my soul breath to my God for thee and my Children night and day that your minds may be joyned to the Light of the Lord Jesus to lead you out of Satans Kingdom into the Kingdom of God where we may enjoy one another in the Life Eternal where neither Sea nor Land
never changeth My dear and faithful Friends I am often refreshed in you when the Light brings you to my remembrance then do I feel the springs of Love and Life which ariseth from the pure Fountain of Eternal refreshments to my joy and comfort wherein I am made to praise and glorifie my God and your God who hath redeemed us out of the Chains of darkness and Kingdom of blackness into the everlasting brightness glory joy and perfect blessedness for ever to dwell in the enjoyment of his living presence as we abide faithful to Eternity in his presence is fulness of joy and at his right â—and is pleasure for evermore My prayers are night and day without ceasing to our Heavenly Father that not one of his begetting may ever turn or slide back but that every one may press forward towards the Mark of the price of the high calling in Christ Jesus who is our Life and Glory and so all may come to wear the Crown of Life and Immortality triumphing in the everlasting Blessedness of the Heavenly Riches and Eternal Joy and Happiness that 's perfect for ever Amen Oh! my dear Brother and Sister we are all Children of our Father begotten in the everlasting Seed of the Promise of Eternal Life and Salvation Oh my precious Friends wait patiently with me alwayes in the pure Fear of the perfect and pure God who hath an eternal Treasure full of everlasting Riches and ready to distribute them to all his dutiful Children Glory and Praises be given to his blessed Name for ever Oh my Beloved ones your love to me is written in the Records that cannot be lost Dear hearts glorifie our God in my behalf that ever he counted me worthy to suffer for his Name I hope to see youâ— faces again yet once more with joy and gladness with my dear yoke-fellow in the Lord's Work before we go hence and be no more seen So in the tender bowels of pure Love do I take my leave of you at this time The everlasting peace and blessedness be upon you and upon the whole Israel of God Amen Dearly salute us to all Friends This was written in the Inquisition at Malta in the 11th month of the year 1661. Katherine Evans There was another Letter and Paper which was intercepted but I have it not here with me it being sent home from Legorn Yet here followeth more of their Writings to Friends and to my own particular which at several times I received from them unknown to their Oppressors A Copy of a Letter that I was moved to write the next day after I came to the Island and City and communicated to their hands DEar Lambs Peace be unto you Amen Now seeing that the Everlasting God and Father of all Truth hath in his tender love fatherly mercy and bowels of compassion through the tryals of manifold sufferings and temptations hitherto even to this day upheld and preserved you in the Innocency and its Testimony against the contrary although sometimes I know that you have tasted the sentence of death in your selves and even as it were ready to despair of life yet in the living Testimony of Innocency in the answer of a good Conscience I Daniel bear you Record in the Covenant of Life the same remaineth with you and you are in it a good sweet savour to the Lord and his Eternal Truth and People Oh! blessed for ever be his Name yea and my very heart and life blesseth and magnifieth the Lord on your behalf Wherefore my dear Friends be faithful full of Faith and the living invisible God of Peace is with you and will not forsake you seeing it is so and much more you know which might be declared Oh! I am moved in the Bowels of my Father's Love as one with you in tryals and the exercise of manifold temptations to stir up your pure and innocent minds by way of remembrance and also to beseech you to take heed to the Testimony of Life that 's undefiled and manifest in you and to dwell in the same which retains the Joy and Comfort of the Lord and his Peace which you know is not of the World and so to watch and beware of the Enemy that is near to tempt to make shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience and to dispair and so to betray not only your own innocent long-sufferings but also the Testimony of the Lord God of our Life for which you have so long suffered and by the pure Divine Vertue of the same have you been to this day preserved so that the Lord who is and will be your reward hath not been wanting to you on his part Oh faint not but lift up your heads and be faithful still as I am not otherwise perswaded concerning you and I am well perswaded that in his own Covenant and Way Deliverance will come to the Seed and ye know if the same come not in his own Covenant of Truth in the Light of his Countenance it cannot be well but your nay you know is to be nay and so to stand in the Truth against the contrary whatsoever our God permits unreasonable men to inflict upon the outward or visible body and the same also will work for his Glory and also for the Good and Eternal Peace of his innocent suffering Lambs notwithstanding Your tender Brother D. B. ANd when this with other Papers I had through not a little difficulty communicated to their hands over the heads of our Enemies I was moved to speak my Message as from the Lord of Life to them after I had offered up my body and to lay down my Life for these poor Innocents my dear Friends and so with my voice I saluted them in the Lord's Truth as they stood at the Prison-Grates with these words in the behalf of the general Assembly of the Saints in light to wit The whole Body of God's Elect right dearly owneth your Testimony and you are a sweet savour unto the Lord and his people And forasmuch as one of these poor afflicted Lambs replied and said on this wise as if it was a trouble to them that they could not be more serviceable Then my heart being melted and my bowels of pity mercy and compassion being moved I said That it was a wonderful mercy of the Lord in as much as they were preserved in their own measure of Truth and pure Innocency for which my heart praised the Lord for what mine eye saw which right dearly affected my heart and we were well refreshed at that season in the sweet presence of our living God albeit our bodies were at a distance but so as we could behold each others face through the Prison bars of Iron in the Inquisition Now for so much as in the Wisdom of God it is seen meet that the fore-mentioned and following Writings which came from their hands might appear to publick view that thereby every Member of the one Body may have a right understanding and not only
so but also a sensible feeling not only of the tryals sufferings in part of these innocent Lambs but also of the Consolations of each other as fellow-Members of the infinite Body of which Christ Jesus the Lord is both King and Head in whom be endless dominion and pure glory and eternal salvation Amen And so I being as it were constrained to publish the acceptable Words that sound and savor of pure innocency and clear truth for the Elect's sake in the same Love and Life I am the more free hereunto even as a Child that differs but little from a servant as I am in the Fathers Love Power and Grace of Life fitted to serve the undefiled Life of the least in the Kingdom of Blessedness and to administer comfort or what else I have received from the Eternal Fountain or Fulness for the use or service of either body mind soul or spirit of my own flesh or family seeing no man ever hated his own Flesh and he is worse than an Infidel that provideth not for his own Family especially them of his own House This is a sweet Salutation to Gods Elect Church in England and Ireland RIght dear precious and Heavenly Ones whose Beauty shineth bright and at whose Name the hearts of the Heathen do tremble We who through the everlasting Mercies of our God are Members of the same Body and are held in strait Captivity and hard Bondage for witnessing forth the same Testimony and Covenant of pure Light Life and Truth of our God with you dear and faithful Ones indeed We here in the same Covenant of pure Love and bowels of tenderness do dearly salute and imbrace you all glorifying and praising our eternal Father for you all who hath counted us worthy to partake of the fellowship and sufferings for the Bodies sake with you in tribulations fiery tryals manifold temptations fastings watchings heats and colds and cruel threatning and persecutions perils by Sea and perils by Land standing in jeopardy of our lives year after year and looking every hour day and night for many Weeks together when we should be brought out to Execution but though Proclamation was made and they came up to the very Gate with a Drum and Musquets to fetch us out to destroy us yet the Lord God of everlasting strength who in the deepest of all dangers and greatest extremity when all hopes were past did but blow upon them with the breath of his nostrils and they did fly as dust before the Wind for which we do intreat all Friends to glorifie our God on our behalf for never did the Lord our God work greater Deliverance for any than he hath done for us from time to time who are the least and weakest for what we know that ever the Lord our God sent forth in so great and weighty a work but all things are possible with him who made and created all things It is he alone which carrieth on his own Work by his own mighty Power and the glory shall be his own for evermore Amen Oh our dearly beloved Friends did you know but the third part of the Afflictions the Lord our God hath carried us through you would say The Lord hath wrought as great a Miracle in our preservation as ever he did in raising Lazarus out of the Grave And in the greatest of our afflictions we could not say in our hearts Father would thou hadst not brought us hither but cryed mightily to our God for Power to carry us through whatsoever should be inflicted upon us that the Truth of our God might not suffer through our weakness And the Lord did hear us and answered us in righteousness and carried us on with all boldness and made our fore-heads as Flint our brows as Brass in the faces of our Enemies that whensoever we were brought forth upon tryal all fear was taken away that we stood as Iron-Gates and Castle-Walls in the faces of our Enemies so that they said we would fain be burned but we answered No we would not willingly be burned but if our heavenly Father doth call us to suffer in that kind for his Name sake he will give us power to go through it and we have great cause to believe it for our Lord God never called us to do any service for him but he gave us power and made way for his own Work glory and praise be to his holy Name for ever Dearly beloved Friends marvel not why Israel is not gathered in all this time it is not for want of labour nor travel nor grief nor pain fasting nor mourning nor weeping nor love to their souls but it is because of the great Oppression For here are a willing people but they dare not until the Lord make way for them Truly Friends we have not been idle since we saw your faces nor have we had much ease to the flesh but do travel night and day for Sion's prosperity and perfect joy and for the reparation of Jerusalem and her pure praise though our sorrows are deep and our afflictions grievous yet we do wait with patience to reap the peaceable fruits of righteousness and enjoy the benefit of our uprightness Praises be to our God for ever he hath kept us by his power and holiness that our Enemies have not one jot or tittle against us but for the Truth of our God and that we could not joyn with them so they would not suffer us to have one line of refreshment but stript us out of all so that we could not 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 afflictions our God did draw nigh unto us and 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 tryals 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 persecution 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
of his Love or else we had fainted long ago Oh! let all who know the Lord praise and glorifie his holy Name for ever and ever Amen Dear Friends farewel in the Lord. From us who are in outward bonds in the City of Malta for the Testimony of JESUS Glory be to his Name for ever who hath counted us worthy We are in health at present blessed be God Ka. Evans Sa. Chevers Several other Writings to D. B. whilst he was in MALTA OH thou tender-hearted one whom our God and our eternal Father hath sent to relieve us his poor innocent Lambs in hard bondage and deep captivity which thou art an eye-witness of none can receive or discern it but those that do see it But our heavenly Father who hath respect to the rest of them that believe in his Name hath sent thee to be an eye-witness in some measure of what we have undergone Oh my dear precious and endeared one thou meek Lamb thou innocent Dove who dost bear the likeness beauty and brightness of that unspotted One that is come in the Volumn of the Book to do the Will of God We can give in our Testimony for thee that thou camest here in the Power Authority of the Most High to which the tall Cedars were made to bow and the strong Oaks to bend praises praises be given to our everlasting God for evermore Oh my dearly beloved Brother thy beauty shineth indeed thou art all glorious within and without thy Garments are perfumed with all delightsom scents We smell the sweet Odours thereof and do feel the fulness of Love and Life which runs from thy tender heart day and night to us and in the same Unity of Love do our hearts stream forth to thee as thou knowest full well Oh how have our hearts and bowels been melted for thee our heads and eyes have run with tears and our souls have been poured forth to our heavenly Father for thy preservation and we did truly labour to see thy face before thou camest Glory and praises be given to our Eternal Lord God Amen saith our spirits that he doth vouchsafe us so great a mercy as to behold the face of so precious a Friend We do beseech God to moderate us with his Eternal Spirit that we may alwayes be mindful of his mercies and never to let his benefits slip out of our minds We have been near death many times when we had none to come near us but those that preached death and destruction to us I have lain twelve dayes or more in a fast in strong travel night and day that my dearly beloved Yoke-mate would have been glad if the Lord would have taken me out of the body because of my great affliction Then the English Friar which was here came up and down to us and would say to my Friend She is ready to depart send for me and take notice what tormentt she will be in a thousand Devils will be about her to fetch her soul to Hell because she will not be a Catholick And after we were parted we were called to fast so that my Friend was so weak that she put on such linnen upon her head as she thought to lie in in her Grave We did eat but little in a month together when our money was almost done till we did know the mind of the Lord what to do Then thy did run to and fro like mad men and the Friars did come and say The Inquisitor sent them to tell us we might have any thing we would eat and they did say it was not possible that ever creatures could live with so little meat for so long a time together They did bring us meat and say the English Consul did send it It was a glorious Fast indeed the Lord did appear wonderfully in it praises be given to him for ever Amen We were very weak because the power did work so strongly I had no manner of food in my body five or six days together We did lie in our clothes because we had no strength to put them off nor one to make our bed Then we did speak to the Friar that we might come together but he said they had no such order if we would have a Physician we might And there we lay none knowing from morning to morning whether we were dead or alive We were kept quiet and still till the Lord's time was come they brought many things for us to eat Then the Lord said Thou mayest take as freely as if thou hadst laboured for it with thy hands I will sanctifie it to thee through the Cross And he said unto Sarah she should eat of the fruit of her hands and be blessed And we did eat and were refreshed and glorified the Lord We did cry mightily unto the Lord night and day that we might not eat nor drink to offend him we would rather dye The Lord was well pleased with our Sacrifice and did increase our strength and administred comfort to us honor and glory be to his blessed Name for ever In the lowest of all our conditions we were kept a top of all the mountains so that they could not make us shrink or bow one jot or tittle to any of their Precepts or Commands Yet the Friars have commanded us in the name of their god to kneel with them in prayer The time is too little for me to disclose the twentieth part of the terrible tryals but whensoever we were brought upon any tryal the Lord did take away all fear from us and multiplied our strength and gave us power and boldness to plead for the Truth of the Lord Jesus and wisdom of words to stop the mouthes of the gainsayers that they would be made to say We spake Truth they could never say otherwise But they would say We had not the true Faith but we had all Virtues Oh dear heart if it be our Eternal Fathers good pleasure to carry thee away without us we do beseech our heavenly Father to bless and give thee a prosperous return and to feed thee with the fulness of the blessing of the powerful Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ Amen And we do believe we shall not want thy prayers nor the prayers of all the Faithful that we may keep faithful to the end so that our God may be glorified his Church and People may be refreshed and rejoyced and we may receive our Reward with the rest of the Lord's Lambs Our Life is with the for oh thou art full of Love thou tender-hearted one who hast offered up thy sanctified body and purified life in obedience to the Lord for us poor afflicted Lambs with thee and companions in tribulations trials and persecutions and in perils at Sea and perils by Land Oh thou precious Lamb of God great is thy reward in Heaven great will be the Well-spring of joy that will arise in thee in thy Journey Oh thou happy one indeed whom the Lord our God hath made choice
of amongst his faithful Flock and endued with so much power to come into such a place as this not the like in all Europe by their own report and all others and to stop the mouths of Lyons and to trample upon the heads of Serpents Scorpions and Vipers of the Earth and they could not hurt thee their stings are taken out of their heads and out of their tails Glory Honour and everlasting Praises be given to our God for evermore of all that know him for he is worthy And the Lord bless thee and thine for ever Amen and encrease thy strength and multiply thee abundantly in every good Gift and Grace and prosper all thy undertakings that thou mayest be approved for ever before the King of Saints in the General Assembly of the Most High and stand before the Throne of his Majesty with joy unspeakable and full of glory Amen Amen saith our spirits Dearly beloved pray for us that we fall not nor fail whereby our Enemies may have any advantage to rejoyce and say We served a God that could not save us and called upon a God that could not deliver us as if we were like them to call upon stocks stones pictures and painted walls and dead things that cannot see hear nor speak through their throats We do beseech thee to tell all our dear Friends Fathers and Elders the Pillars of the spiritual Building with all the rest of our Christian Brethren that we do desire their Prayers for we have need of them HOw strong and pow'rful is our KING To all that do believe in him He doth preserve them from the Snare And Teeth of those that would them tear We that are sufferers for the Seed Our hearts are wounded and do bleed To see th' Oppression Cruelty Of men that do thy Truth deny In Prisons strong and Dungeons deep To God alone we cry and weep Our sorrows none can learn nor reade But those that in our path do tread But He whose Beauty shineth bright Who turneth darkness into Light Makes Cedars bow and Oaks to bend To him that 's sent to the same end He is a Fountain pure and clear His Chrystal Streams run far and near To cleanse all those that come to him For to be healed of their sin All them that patiently abide And never swerve nor go aside The Lord will free them out of all Captivity Bondage and Thrall LEt E. C. know that his Exhortations I do dearly imbrace and do witness it to be an eternal Truth I have had large experience of it the Lord hath carried me on in much difficult service so that many times the way hath been stopt up that to the eye of Reason I could not have a way made either by Sea or Land Oh! if thou didst but know what experience I had of the mighty hand of the Lord in making a way thou wouldst wonder Once my way was stopt and my persecution was so hot that I sate in a Field all night to wait upon the Lord to make way for me to do the work he laid upon me I could not get lodging for money in the Town nor City it was at Salisbury where I was whipt in the Market And the next morning I went through the City by the Watchmen and they took no notice of me Wheresoever the Lord did send me into what Land or City or place soever if they did put me out never so oft he would make me go till I got victory save in the Isle of Man there was a Souldier came to my Bed side with a naked Sword and took me by the Arm and hall'd me out of the Bed at the tenth hour of the night and carried me on Ship-board When I put on my clothes I did not dare to rise That place lies upon me yet and I have motions to Edinburgh in Scotland I was never there The Lord did make me to do him service to almost all the mighty men in England and Ireland insomuch that I cryed oft to my God saying Lord what wilt thou do with me that am so foolish to go to such wise men If I were wise I did not care if thou didst carry me to the end of the Earth The Lord said The foolish things must confound the wise and he would carry me before the mightiest men in all the earth to bear his Name before them and I should have victory wheresoever I went And I do believe the Lord and we both are made willing to wait the Lord's time which is a time of peace and joy safety and happiness And we do bless laud praise and magnifie his holy Name that he sent so heavenly a Messenger to relieve strengthen comfort and refresh us in our great necessity which is a mercy beyond expression all Friends that do understand it will say so Glory and everlasting praises honour power and dominion be given to our eternal Lord God for evermore of us and all that know him Amen Amen saith our Spirit Oh true and Faithful Brother into the Arms of everlasting Power and Holiness Strength and Mightiness Purity Righteousness do we commit thee to be kept and preserved and prosperously carried on in thy Journey The powerful blessing peace joy and happiness of the Majesty of the Most High God go along with thee to preserve and protect thee for ever Amen Amen Pray for us dear Heart that we may recive strength to overcome that we may sing the Song of Moses and the Lamb and the 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 go 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 Farewel farewel dear Heart farewel 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 left 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 thée 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 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 liars 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 that 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 deaths door I have lain very weak three weeks at a time There are many for us as far as they do dare The Lord sayes 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 rejoyce 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 faithfull 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 carried thee along in so weighty a work and hath prospered thee therein praises be given to his blessed Name for ever who hath inclosed 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 shadow of his Almightiness 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 clearly see in the Light Eternal Honour and Glory be to his Name for ever who is called Wondeâ—ful 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 Satan who hath winnowed us with every bait winding and twining sleights that he hath Praises be to our God for ever who hath perserved 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 I will confirm my Covenant unto thée 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 be refreshed and the God of Life Peace encrease the same multiply your strength abundantly Amen Malta 10th d. 11th m. 61. 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 O Lord How long will it be before thou wilt send thy Messenger whose feet are beautiful coming upon the Mountains bringing glad-tydings 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 rejoyced and our bodies strengthned 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 will be thy Reward Thy labour of Love we do bear Testimony cannot be forgotten nor thy Faith unfeigned put out of remembrance it is written in the Book of Life for ever and it will be registred and read in the House of Israel eternally The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it and he will perform it Farewel in the Lord. By us Katherine Evans Sarah Cheevers OH our dearly Beloved precious Friend and Brother right honourable indeed for ever We dare not look out at thy departure because we stand in the will of our Maker The blessing of the Almighty be upon thee for ever and make thee flourish in all thy endeavours Thou art called by the Name of Daniel Baker in the midst of thine Enemies thou art in the hand of thy Maker And this the Lord hath spoken where-ever thou dost come thy Glass shall not be broken until thy Sand be run Oh! this day is this Prophesie fulfilled in our sight When they have done dealing treacherously they shall be dealt treacherously withal the Lord doth steal in upon them Praises be to his Name Dear heart salute us dearly to thy dear and precious Wife with all dear Friends in the Covenant of Grace Peace Dear heart farewel farewel K. E. S. C. Another Letter from Sarah Cheevers to Friends in Ireland to be read among the Assemblies of Saints in Light OH all ye righteous Ones whose dwellings are on high in the Fulness of beauty holiness and glory whose Name and Fame reacheth
them for when we did fast in obedience to the Lord they were greatly troubled so the Keeper asked me whether we would not eat meat to morrow yea or nay I was smote that I durst not say but what the Lord will we shall do When the morning came there was a great Triumph amongst them and there sounded a Trumpet near us in reference to the Lord Inquisitor Immediatly the Word of the Lord came unto us saying We must not eat Bread nor drink VVater in thrée dayes nor I K. must not speak word in that time but be silent and sit upon the ground in the Inquisition with very little clothes on nothing upon our heads but ashes no stoken nor shoe on and the last day Sarah had nothing at all but one petticoat on and they kept much ado and said we would mort and go to the Devil because the wind blew very cold So in the end the Lord opened Sarah's mouth in Prophesie against their Superstition Idolatry and unclean conversation they came wondring and look'd upon us but could not tell what to say for we were very dreadful to them So the time being expired of our Fast the Lord opened my mouth in praises and with singing these Verseâ— following All praise to him that hath not put nor cast me out of mind Nor yet his mercy from me shut as I could ever find Infinite Glory Laud and Praise be given to his Name Who hath made known in these our dayes his strength and noble fame Oh none is like unto the Lamb whose beauty shineth bright O glorifie his holy Name his Majesty and Might My soul praise thou the only God a Fountain pure and clear Whose Chrystal streams spreads all abroad and cleanseth far and near The Well-springs of Eternity which are so pure and sweet And do arise continually my Bridegroom for to meet My sweet and dear beloved one whose Voice is more to me Than all the Glory of the Earth or Treasures I can see He is the glory of my life my joy and my delight Within the bosome of his Love he clos'd me day and night He doth preserve me clean and pure within his Pavill'on Where I with him should be secure and saved from all wrong My soul praise thou the Lord I say praise him with joy and peace My sp'rit and mind both night and day praise him and never cease O magnifie his Maâ—estie his Fame and his Renown Whose dwelling is in Sion hie the glory of his Crown O praises praises to our God sing praises to our King O teach the People all abroad his praises for to sing A Sion Song of Glory bright that doth shine out so clear O manifest it in the sight of Nations far and near That God may have his Glory due his Honour and his Fame And all his Saints may sing anew the praises of his Name And after I had sung the Lord commanded me to go to the Well in the Court and drink Water the first thing I took So in obedience to our tender Father and God of health and power we went and drank much Water in the sight of the Prisoners we were very dry and they cried out in their language saying We would kill our selves and go to the Devil S. washed her head in cold water and we never had so much as the snuff in our noses After that they did admire and said It was the Lord that did command us and preserve us if they should have done so they should have died So the Lord was glorified and we were comforted And many a time were we made a dreadful sign and wonder to them that it can never be forgotten Praises praises to our God who wrought it in our hearts K. E. For the hands of our right worthily beloved Friends RIght dear and precious Friends in the Eternal Truth and Covenant of Life and Immortality yea Right Honourable indeed who are strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Peace Love and Salvation with whom my soul is refreshed nourished and cherished day by day and my spirit is supported and my heart is comforted with the well-springs of Eternal Life that stream from the Fountain and Rock of Salvation for which my soul doth truly magnifie the God of Life that giveth Life with you my Eternal Friends according to my measure in which I dearly salute and imbrace you in the heavenly unity of divine vertue Praises praises to our pure holy and wise God and Father of the Eternal Fulness of all Blessedness who doth give me of the same richly to enjoy so that I do mount up with wings as an Eagle and do run and am not weary and walk and am not faint because I do see of the travel of my soul and am satisfied the Glory is the Lord's whose mighty Power doth the work yea everlasting praises laud honour and dominion to the Lord of lords King of kings over all Scepters Thrones Tongues and Languages for ever to rule and reign world without end Amen and Amen O precious and wel-beloved Brethren Fathers and Elders the Pillars of God's spiritual Building whom my soâ—l right dearly loveth yea verily the Lord our God hath not raised renowned honoured nor exalted you higher in the heart mind spirit and soul in any one member in all his whole Body than he hath in me according to my measure the God of my Life and sweet Salvation doth know that you have been and are in my thoughts of right dear remembrance so that my life hath not neither doth it seem dear to me to save you harmless ever since I first saw your faces God Almighty bless and preserve you out of the hands of unreasonable men and encrease and multiply his whole Church and People in strength life and power and add unto you daily such as shall be saved and number in his Israelites indeed in whose mouths there is no guile out of every Kindred Tongue and Nation both Jew and Gentile bond and free so many as are appointed Heirs of Eternal Salvation Amen Amen saith my spirit And the Lord keep you all in the Power Dominion and Authority over the Heathen and all the dark Powers that do corrupt the Earth for ever Amen Oh dear and worthy Friends I can do no less than put you in remembrance of our gracious Deliverance out of the Inquisition in our eternal Father 's own time and way and according to his own will none wrought it but himself that he alone may have the Glory Honour and Renown of his own mighty Work in the hearts of you and all the faithful-hearted and from Sea to Sea and from Island to Island yea verily the Voice is gone forth to the ends of the Earth to the praise honour and glory of the strength of our powerful Lord God and here is our joy and here is our Glory and here is our Crown that our pure holy perfect and wise God is magnified And is not our
bitter against us for Righteousness sake in-so-much that we stood in great hazard of our lives many a time we did feel their slaying Instruments drawn so that we had even the sentence of death in our selves but the Lord prevented them and preserved us and great was our travel of soul night and day the glory is the Lord's whose mighty Power did the work everlasting praises honour and dominion over all to our pure holy and perfect Lord God world without end Amen Now for the satisfaction of all Friends concerning our deliverance out of â—he Inquisition this is a true and brief Relation Three quarters of a year before Daniel Baker came to Malta the Consul for the English came to us and said the Inquisitor sent him to know if we would be Catholicks yea or nay We answered we were true Christians He said if we would be Catholicks we might dwell at Melita or go to England We said we were the Servants of the true and living God One of the Magistrates said we were not Christians neither had we the Cross of Christ We answered we were Christians and had received the Spirit of Christ which made a Christian and he that had not the Spirit of Christ was no Christian and we had the Cross of Christ without the Cross there was no Salvation the Cross of Christ is the Power of God unto Salvation to every one that believeth He said If we would not be Catholicks we must suffer long Imprisonment by the Popes Order That was not true I had an Answer in my Conscience against it And in a little time after they told us if we would kiss the Cross we should be freed out of Prison and go to the Consul 's till a convenient passage did present to carry us for England for the Pope had sent word they should take it into their consideration and set us free for England without doing any violencce as we heard and we did believe it because we had a more sure word of Prophecy than did use to proceed out of their mouthes we told them we could not kiss the Cross to get our liberty neither did we desire our freedom on any such terms but we looked every day when they would call us forth to kiss the Cross and we did pray and cry mightily to our Eternal Father to prevent them in it and to preserve us out of it for the Tempter was very strong within and without so that I took little rest for many dayes and nights seeing the great danger it would plunge us into for I saw the painted walls and the Crosses set before me but the gracious God of power who did appear in our Afflictions and revealed his Will to me in a Night-Vision saying Touch not taste not handle not but wait diligently upon me you have two things yet to work over before you can be set at liberty We knew the Cross was one but we knew not what the other was The next time the Consul came he told us that the Inquisitor said If any one would engage for three or four thousand Dollers to be paid if ever we came thither again we should be set at liberty but he said no more of the Cross but the Obligation was the second thing that we were to work over but I could never see nor dare desire any man to be engaged for us because I do know all Decrees Laws Tyes Bonds and Chains and Precepts of men must be broken through the righteous Decree of our mighty Lord God and upon the same consideration we were made willing to wait till the Lord should break this Chain also that no other dear Friend or Lamb of God might suffer for the same thing no God forbid Then it pleased the Lord to send Daniel Baker who in obedience to the God of Heaven did offer up body for body yea life all for our liberty but could not be heard but the Inquisitor said If any would engage for the payment of three or four thousand Dollers to be paid if ever we came there again we should have our liberty but otherwise we must die in the Prison for that was the Pope's Law but we knew it was left to his consideration so we told them we could not engage nor desire any to engage for us because it was out of the Covenant of God and our yea was yea and our nay was nay and we did not believe that ever it was the mind of God that we should return thither again So Daniel departed in the Love of God and they sent to England to Friends and to other Islands to the English Merchants for some to engage for us that we might have our liberty but the Merchants sent word they were not willing to answer their unreasonable demands for the payment of so many thousand Dollers if in case we returned thither again There were many that did seek for our liberty that were not of us because they knew our cruel and strait bondage and terrible afflictions and were willing to engage what was reason but because our just and wise God would make his Power known for his own honour he would not suffer any thing to prevail for our Deliverance insomuch as we could understand but what he wrought by his invisible Power in the hearts of our Enemies It was given into my heart half a year after Daniel came thence that if I could speak with the Inquisitor he would grant us our liberty and in a little time he came to the Inquisition-Court-Chamber and we heard of it and desired to speak with him which he granted us and we told him we had wronged none we had defrauded none neither was guile found in our mouthes but we had suffered innocently almost four years for Conscience-sake and we knew they had no peace in our sufferings So the Inquisitor was very courteous to us and promised our liberty in a few dayes and he said he would send for the Consul and get him to engage for five hundred Dollers to be paid for us if ever we came again in case the Consul did deny it he would send to Rome to the Pope for an Order to set us at liberty without an Obligation So we were contented to wait the Lord's time who had often promised us That we should have our liberty in a day when we thought not of and at an hour when we were not aware and good was the Word of the Lord and faithful in all his Promises About two weeks after the Inquisitor came to the Inquisition with his Lieutenant and other of the Magistrates and a Consul for the English and he sent the Proctor of the Court to call us forth before them and when we came he told us the Consul would engage for the payment of five hundred Dollers if ever we returned thither again We not knowing at present whether it was the mind of our heavenly Father that the Earth should help the Woman yea or nay yet waiting
in the Feâ—r of God it was brought to my remembrance that the Lord had said we had two things to work over before we could be set at liberty So they used many words but we eying the Lord yet answered them in the Spirit of meekness They called for half a sheet of paper and the Chancellour asked what he should write but the Lord stood up for his own glory so that they had not power to write one Letter The Lieutenant said they would talk of it another time and they did ask us whether we would not return back again to our Husbands and Children if it were the will of God We answered It was our intent in the will of God so to do The Lord Inquisitor took his leave very courteously of us and desired our prosperous return into our Country and likewise the Magistrates with the inferiour Officers not requiring penny or penny-worths for any Fees or Attendance that we had among them in that time but as we saw our freedom in the Lord we gave the Keeper and some poor men something for Conscience sake So we departed in peace according to the compleat example of the holy men of God kneeling down and desiring our heavenly Father never to lay to their charge what they did unto us because they knew us not so this Scripture was fulfilled that he made our enemies our footstool and they that hate us without a cause to be at peace with us So we were delivered in Power and great glory out of the Inquisition into the Consul's hand to be sent for England as opportunity did present The Consul said that he did engage for us after we were out of the Inquisition but we could never find that it was true So we were kept eleven weeks at the Consul's house before they could have a passage to carry us out of their Coast and the Cross was so heavy and the travel of souls so great that as to the visible all hopes were past that I could live in the body but all things are possible with God who by his mighty Power hath removed Mountains and subdued the Earth and broke through the double-doors locks and bolts and Iron bars and all the chains of wickedness every unrighteous Decree and by his high mighty Hand and strong outstretched Arm hath returned our Captivity that Jacob may rejoyce and Israel may be glad magnified be the Name of our Eternal Father for ever yea Honour and Glory Power and Dominion over all to him who ruleth on high world without end Amen And when we had been at the Consul's house eleven weeks there came one of the King's Frigats called the Saphire the Captain 's name was Samuel Titswel The Grand-Master sent to the Captain of the Saphire to entreat him to stay the Ship all night to take up almost forty Passengers The Captain made himself unwilling because he had no product but lay out in the Road a league from the City The Grand-Master writ to him he knew his brother at England would not deny him such a courtesie to take in twenty four Knights Cavalliers and their servants and two Quakers and so he staid till the next day it was for his great advantage Upon pain of death the Cavaliers must not see us heretofore but our heavenly Father doth know how to bring his own purposes to pass and none can hinder him Oh! that we should be put on board with so many of them and one was the Inquisitors own brother as he said and was as like him as if the same man as I told the Captain before I knew who he was he spake to the Captain often that we might not want any thing that was in the Ship and he told us if we were at Malta again we should not be persecuted so for as soon as he saw our faces he said he would not differ with us he and some other of them laid to the Captain If we went to Heaven one way and they another yet we should all meet together at the last But we held out Christ Jesus the Light of the World to be the alone way to the Father And great was our labour from day to day But our own Country-men were much worse than most of them so that they bid us go back to Malta again and said the English would use us worse than the Maltezes So when we came to Legorn the Ship could get no product and if we would go a-shoar there we might go into the Lazaretta for forty dayes And so the King's Agent desired the Captain to carry us as far as he could till he met the General and then he would provide a passage for us if that Ship was commanded back again for if he should have left us there in Lazaretta the Agent must take order for us he said according to the King's Order The Merchants shewed us no small kindness and treated us with much love and sent us Wine and Bread and a great many good things for our refreshment the Sea was high so that they could not conveniently come to us but they told the Captain they would come and if we would have money or any thing else whatsoever we would write for they would send it to us We had but little money but being we were coming for our Country we saw but little freedom to take up money And the Captain promised as we should not want any money nor any thing else till we came to England so he should not have taken any money for our passage because it was the King's Ship but he received several Dollers which victualled the Ship So he hasted thence and came to Tarloone and there he could get no product but all the Malta Knights were set a-shoar into Lazaretta so we came to Malago and there the Captain had product but he did not dare to make any long stay there for fear the Fleet should be before him at Tangeer He was sent before the Fleet out of Turkie with Letters to Malta and to Legorn and other places and we had some service for the Lord in every Harbour So we came to Tangeer above two weeks before the Fleet came The Captain said it was above an hundred pound out of his way because he made so much haste The Lord did hasten him for his Work 's sake as it was clearly manifested to us all along The Captain said we must not go a-shoar till he had spoke with the Governour 's Excellency So we went a-shoar as we were moved of the Lord and great was our Work for the Seeds sake Oh! oh great are the Abominations of the wicked in that place none worse than English-men for swearing lying pride drunkenness whoredoms and such like so that our righteous souls were vexed day and night with their unclean conversation and the pure Spirit of the Lorâ— was grieved and the Seed of God was pressed even as a Cart is pressed with sheaves So we declared boldly against