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
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
them for it He went and told the Inquisitor of it and he laught at him I saw it and felt it in that which is Eternal I was moved out of that Room before he came again and when he came he brought one of the Inquisitors men with him and two very good Hens and said The Lord Inquisitor had sent them in love to me I said his love I did receive but I could not take his Hens for it was not the practice of the Servants of the Lord to be chargeable to any while they have of their own He said We must not count any thing our own for in the Primitive times they did sell their Possessions and laid them down at the Apostles feet He said We should not want any thing if they did spend a thousand Crowns I believe he wouâ—d have had us laid down our money at his feet He said I was proud because I would not take the Inquisitors Hens when he sent them me in charity I asked whether he kept me in Prison and sent me his Charity He said It was for the good of our Souls he kept us in prison I told him our Souls were out of the Inquisitors reach or his either He told me before If we had not been going to preach we might have gone where we would I askt him What should our souls have done then and why their love should extend more to us than to their own Family They could not charge us with Sin and they did commit all manner of Sin they might put them into the Inquisition and bid turn He said again We had not the true Faith and shewed me his Crucifix and askt me If I thought he did worship that I askt him what he did do with it He said It was a Representation I said it did not represent Christ for he was the express Image of his Father's Glory which is Light and Life I said if he could put any life in any of his images he might bring them to me And I askt him what Representation Daniel had in the Lyons Den or Jonas in the Whales belly they cryed unto the Lord and he delivered them He said I talkt like a mad woman I talkt so much against their Idols He was in a rage and said He would give me to the Devil I bid him give his own I am the Lord 's He stood up and said He would do by me as the Apostles did by Ananias and Saphira He stood up and opened his mouth and I stood up to him and denied him in the Name of the Lord the living God and said he had no power over me And away he went to Sarah with the Hens and told her that I was sick and the Lord Inquisitor had sent two Hens and I would be glad to eat a piece of one if she would dress one of them presently and the other to morrow Mark this Deceiver this Lyar But she standing in the Counsel of the Lord answered him accordingly as I did and he carried them away again We did not dare to take them the Lord did forbid us He said You would fain be burned because you would make the World believe you did love God so well as to suffer in that kind I said I did not desire to be burnt but if the Lord did call me to it I did believe he would give me power to undergo it for his Truth and if every hair of my head was a body I could offer them up all for the Testimony of Jesus He came twice to know whether I had not been inspired of the Holy Ghost to be a Catholick since I came into the Inquisition I said No he said We were he said We called the Spirit of the Holy Ghost the Spirit of the Devil We said the Spirit of the Holy Ghost in us will resist the Devil We told him the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost was never wrought in the Will of man nor in man's time but in the Will of God and in God's time He asked How we did know a clean from an unclean Spirit We said An unclean spirit did burden the Seed of God and dam up the Springs of Life and a clean Spirit would open the Spring of Life and refresh the Seed it was a Riddle to him but he said it was true he would assent to pure Truth sometimes We asked him Whether every man and woman did not stand guilty before God of all the Sins they ever committed before Regeneration He said Yea. And he did confess all their Learning and Languages in their places was but to serve the Lord. We told him all their Praying Preaching and Crouding was no more accepted than Cain's Sacrifice unless they were moved of the eternal Spirit of the Lord. We askt him If he that was in them was greater than he that was in us and why they had not overcome us all that time We were very sensible of their workings day and night He said Because we resisted still We askt him for our Bibles He said We should never see them again they were false We said if they were conjuring Books they had no warrant from the Lord to take them from us They alwayes came two Fryars at a time and they would fall down and howl and wish bitter wishes upon themselves if they were not in the Truth We would deny them and preach Truth to them the Light of the Lord Jesus in the Consciences of every one to lead them to a pure life and did ask them where the pure and holy Life was and what all of them did do that the People did live in sin and all manner of wickedness and whether Words and Forms would serve without Life and Power He was as bloody a fiery Serpent as ever was born of a woman and did strike as hard at our Lives and would hold up his hand often to strike us but had never the power he would quickly be cut down that he would say we were good women and he would do us any good He was compelled to work for us sometimes and would say it was for God's sake and would have us thank him for it We would tell him those that did any thing for God did not look for a reward from man He said We were the worst of all creatures and we should be used worse than any the Turks Arminians Protestants and Lutherans should be used better than we We said the pure Life was ever counted the worst and we must suffer we were the Lord's and could trust him let him do what he would with us we did not fear any evil tydings we were setled and grounded in the Truth and the more they did persecute us the more stronger we did grow We were bold and valiant for God's Trâ—â—h that whatsoever we did suffer we could not fear We were separated One year I had neither Fire nor Candle in that time above two hours none did bring me any nor I had not freedom to call
for any The Fryars went to Sarah and told her if she would she should go forth of the Prison and say nothing nor do nothing She said she would upon that account He said they would come in the morning and so they did but the Lord saw their deceit and fore-warned Sarah and bid her mind Esau who sold his Birth-right for a morsel of meat and Judas that betrayed his Master for thirty pieces of Silver That when they came she was strengthned against them and said she stood in the Counsel of God and could take up nothing in her own will they had not power to have her forth They said the Inquisitor said If we did want Linnen Woollen Stockens Shooes or Money we should have it But there was a poor English Man heard that Sarah was in a Room with a window next the Street it was high he got up and spake a few words to her and they came violently and hall'd him down and cast him into Prison upon Life and Death And the Friars came to know of us whether he had brought any Letters We said No I did not see him They said they did think he would be hang'd for it He was one that they had taken from the Turks and made a Catholick of him Sarah wrote a few lines to me of it and said She did think the English Friars were the chief actors of it we had a private way to send to each other I wrote to her again and after my Salutation I said Whereas she said the Friars were the chief actors she might be sure of that for they did hasten to fill up their measures but I believe the Lord will preserve the poor man for his love I am made to seek the Lord for him with tears and I desired she would send him something once a day if the Keeper would carry it and I told her of the glorious Manifestations of God to my Soul for her comfort so that I was ravished with Love and my Beloved was the chiefest of ten thousands and how I did not fear the face of any man though I did feel their arrows for my Physician is nigh me and how I was waiting upon the Lord and saw our safe return into England and I was talking with G. F. to my great refreshment The Name of G. F. did prick them to the heart I said it was much they did not tempt us with Money I bid her take heed the Light would discover it and many more things let it come under what cover it would And this Paper came to the Friars hands by what means we could never tell but as the Light did shew us the Lord would have it so it smote the Friar that he was tormented many dayes and he translated it into Italian and laid it before their Lord Inquisitor and got the Inquisitor's Lieutenant and came to me with both the Papers in his hand and askt me If I could read it I said yea I writ it O! did you indeed said he And what is it you say of me here That which is truth said I. Then he said Where is the Paper Sarah sent bring it or else I will search the Trunk and every where else I bid him search where he would He said I must tell what man it was that brought me the Ink or else I should be tyed with Chains presently I told him I had done nothing but what was just and right in the sight of God and what I did suffer would be for Truth 's sake and I did not care I would not meddle nor make with â—he poor Workmen He said For God's sake tell me what Sarah did write I told him a few words and said it was truth Said he You say it is much we do not tempt you with Money And in a few hours they came and tempted us with Money often So the Lieutenant took my Ink and threw it away and they were smitten as if they would have fallen to the ground and went their way I saw them no more in three Weeks but the poor man was set free the next morning They went to Sarah and told her that I had honestly confest all and that she was best to confess too and threatned her with a Halter and to take away a Bed and Trunk and her Money to have half of it for me She answered she might not fend to me any more She askt him Whether he was a Minister of Christ or a Magistrate if he were a Magistrate he might take her money but she would not give it him And they that were with him said No he should not meddle with any thing He was a bitter wicked man He told her She was possest She answered and said She was with the power of an endless Life The Lord was not wanting to us at any time for Power nor Words to stop the mouths of gain-sayers of his Truth neither in Revelations nor Visions Praises be to his Name for ever He kept us in our weakest condition bold for his Truth declaring against all sin and wickedness so that many were convinced but did not dare to own it for fear of Faggot and Fire There were none that had any thing to say against what we spake but the Friars but would have us to joyn with them There were none did come into the Inquisition but the Judgments of the Lord would be upon them so that they would cry and foam and send for a Physitian many of them The unclean spirits would cry out as much as ever they did against Jesus and would gnash vvith their teeth vvhen we vvere at prayer there vvas a Friar and other great Men the Friar vvould run as if he had been at his wits end and call to the Keeper and he vvould run for the English Frier and he vvould go to the Inquisitor for counsel and sometimes they vvould send him word they should have a remedy I should be sent to Rome and sometimes the Friars would come but had not power to say any thing to me of it The Lord did say unto us Lift up your Voice like the noise of a Trumpet and sound forth my Truth like the shout of a King There vvas one that Life was risen in him but they vvere upon him as Eagles till they had destroyed him he did undergo terrible Judgments all the time he vvas in the Inquisition Our Money served us a year and seven weeks and vvhen it vvas almost gone the Friars brought the Inquisitors Chamberlain to buy our Hats We said vve came not there to sel our clothes nor any thing vve had Then the Friar did commend us for that and told us we might have kept our money to serve us otherwise We said no we could not keep any money and be chargeable to any vve could trust God He said He did see we could but they should have maintained us vvhile they kept us Prisoners And then the Lord did take away our Stomacks vve did eat but
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
Joy your Joy and our Crown your Crown yea really I know it cannot be otherwise For if one of the members of the body do faint or fail or break or start aside it causeth a breach or defect in the whole body So likewise if one member do prosper in his measure be it never so small I know the whole body is strengthened refreshed and comforted and we know you all delight in us and rejoyce over us even as the Bridegroom rejoyceth over the â—ride I do behold it in the Light of Righteousness and receive the benefit of it in the bright shining Countenance of our everlasting Father's Love and our souls do magnifie the Lord of Life and Glory and our spirits do sing for joy that ever we were found worthy of so high and honourable a Calling to bear the Name of our pure perfect Redeemer before the High and Mighty of the Earth and to suffer so long time under them for our pure living Testimony of the pure holy Life of Innocency Oh! praises praises to our God everlastingly world without end Amen Amen In a short time after our gracious Deliverance out of the Inquisition the Lord committed great Judgement to me to pronounce against the City saying That I must prophesie yet once more in his Name and give it out in writing The Cross seemed very heavy but I did not dare to look at it but was obedient to the heavenly Voice and writ the Prophecy O All ye Heads and Rulers Princes and Governours of Malta hearken to the Voice of the Lord. The 25th day of the sixth month called August the year 1662. near the tenth hour of the day the Word of the Lord came unto me saying Thou must prophesie yet once more in my Name to the Heads and Rulers Princes and Governours of Malta the aforesaid City and prophesie saying Thus saith the Lord God of power who made Heaven and Earth the Seas and all things that are therein and is the Preserver of all mankind especially of them that do believe in his Name My wrath is kindled against you and my Judgment is set up amongst you because of your hard-heartedness and unbelief I the Lord God who desire the death of no man but that all should return unto me and live in tenderness and love to your souls I cast in my Servants yet amongst you contrary to their wills and out of their own knowledge to go and forewarn you of the evil that I was bringing upon you with line upon line and precept upon precept of my undenyable Testimonies and unfailable Truths of the glorious and powerful Appearing of my blessed Son the Lord Jesus Christ the Light of the World in thousands of my Saints and People in this the great and mighty Day of my Power for the destruction of Sin and Satan and all the works of darkness all manner of iniquity and uncleanness in this Nation and in all Nations and Counâ—ries throughout the whole Earth for all the Wicked shall be brought to Judgement that that which is pure may arise to rule in the hearts of people and I will overturn overturn in all places till I have restored Judges as at the first and Counsellours as at the beginning men of perfect hearts and upright spirits fearing my Name doing the works of Equity and Justice to every one without respect of persons like unto faithful Moses and righteous Samuel and will establish my beloved Son upon his Throne and he shall rule in his Princely Power and reign in his Kingly Majesty whose right it is over all and his own Spiritual Government shall be set up in all places Righteous Rulership and pure Worship in Spirit and in Truth and there is nothing that can prevent the Lord who saith If ye will not hear my Servant which speakeâ—h my Word whom you have proved almost these four years whose life hath been harmless and spotless in pure Innocency amongst you then will I bring Wo upon Wo and Judgment upon Judgment upon you till the living shall not be able to bury the dead my mouth hath spoken it and my zeal will perform it and every man's hands shall be upon his loins for pain for the day of Recompence is come But if you will hear my Servant which speaketh unto you in my Name and return in your minds to the Light in your Consciences which convinceth of all sin and wait upon me in pure silence holy fear dread and awe and deny all evil thoughts words and actions then will I pour out of my Spirit upon you and will make my wayes known unto you and will soon cure you of your diseases and heal you of your pain This have I written in obedience to the God of all Power whom I truly serve in spirit and in truth according to my measure O dear and noble Prince and People receive it from the Lord and not from me and prove the Prophecy in the Spirit of meekness as you are wise and sober-minded men without rashness or hastiness in the fear of the Lord God that gave you life and see whether I have prophesied in mine own name or in the Name of the Lord if in mine own name the things I have prophesied of will not come to pass but if in the Name of the Lord then they will come to pass daily one after another This have we prophesied ever since the time you call Christ's Resurrection as we have been moved of the Spirit of the Lord and delivered it to the Consul to take it to the Grand Master with the rest of the Heads and Governors The Consul threatened me with the Prison again The Lord said Fear not I am thy God And in a few dayes after the Lord uttered his Voice and manifested his mighty Power in great Thunder and Lightning so that it set on fire one of their Powder-houses being near a mile out of the City It was in the eighth month the eighth day of the month in the night according to their account and the wind of the Powder blew down another Powder-house a quarter of a mile from it but the Powder was preserved and it did great execution in the City as they say it blowed down five Houses and broke most of the Glass Windows of both Palaces and all the Merchants Windows in the City and the Magazine where the Merchants Goods were the Doors were blown out of the hooks and the Walls shaken and torn and the whole City was terribly shaken and the doors of the houses drew up so that great fear fell upon them all and we heard a great shreem in the City it was at midnight and they rung out their Bells and there was a great Glass Window in the Chamber where we lay over right our Beds-feet it was very thick Glass and much of it was broken to pieces and beat in on each side of our bed but the Lord did not suffer any harm to us the glory is his own The
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
and redeemed from your sins and from your beloved lusts that war against your souls The works of the flesh are manifest by the Light and as you come to love the Light you will have power over every deed of darkness and to a daily cross to be crucified with Christ from sin and from the beggarly rudiments of the world to live to God God is holy as it is written Be ye holy for I am holy saith the Lord. Holiness becomes the House of the Lord for ever What know you not that your bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost to dwell in The Spirit of the living God cannot dwell with any defiled thing but alwayes bears witness against it If any man defile the Temple of God him will God destroy for the Temple of God is holy Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean No not one Can a Fountain bring forth sweet water and bitter You say you are Christians Do you walk like Christ Paul said Be ye followers of me as I am a follower of Christ And Christ saith Love your enemies bless them that curse you and despitefully use you that you may be the Children of your heavenly Father Christ died for his Enemies He was made sin for us that knew no sin that we might become the Righteousness of God in him What greater Love can there be O turn in your minds and examine your own hearts every one in particular Do you keep Christ's Commandments Christ saith If you love me you will keep my Commandments Christ's Command is Love Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and thy neighbour as thy self and do to all as thou wouldst have all do unto thee Owe nothing to any but love Love is the fulfilling of the pure Law of God which is holy just and good Not one jot or tittle shall pass till all is fulfilled All that come to the Light and obey it come to the fulfilling of the Law for the Law is the Light I had not known sin but by the Law for the Law saith Thou shalt not covet and Christ saith He that breaks one of these least Commandments is guilty if the whole It is not enough to talk of a Christ that suffered at Jerusalem once for all and to make him a cloak to cover your sins be not deceived but let such know he is in every one to condemn for sin and to make every evil deed manifest and to bear testimony against it and to leave all without excuse for all must be tryed by the Light of Christ that lighteth every one that cometh into the world and all that love the Light will bring their deeds to the Light to be approved O but those that hate it it will be their condemnation My endeared Salutation and Greeting to the Seed Immortal in all throughout the whole World Farewel Sarah Cheevers An additional Account of GEORGE ROBINSON'S shewing his Call to go to Jerusalem And how God in his Journey thither was present with and did preserve him from the hands of those who sought to take his Life c. FRIENDS EVen as the Lord in many Ages and Generations past hath called his Servants abroad into many Countries and Regions of the World to bear forth a Testimony unto his glorious and ever blessed Name that people might be gathered to him and be blessed by him even in like manner he hath done in this our day blessed be his Name for evermore And so my dear Friends I being sensible in some measure of the Lord 's great Love in this particular do in dear love both to the Lord and his People shew forth the same In the year 1657 about the beginning of the seventh month thereof as I was waiting upon the Lord in singleness of heart his blessed Presence filled me and by the power of his Spirit did command me to go unto Jerusalem And further said unto me Thy sufferings shall be great but I will bear thee over them all Accordingly about the middle of the aforesaid month I began my Voyage towards Jerusalem and imbarqued with four Friends more in a Ship called The Joshua of London bound for Legorn in Italy where in ahout six weeks time we arrived and soon after we were sent for by the Governour of that place who after examination of us whither we were going and the like said we must not stay ashore but go aboard a Ship there to abide until we could get passage whither we were bound Nevertheless we â—eturned to our Lodgings again where we â—aid some dayes in which time both Engâ—â—sh and others daily visited us to whom we â—pake the things belonging to God's Kingâ—om and then left that place and went â—board a Ship to wait for a passage whither we were bound And in about two weeks â—ime after I left the rest of Friends and â—mbarqued in a French Ship bound for St. John de Acra formerly called Ptolomais and after a few dayes sail we passed by the Island of Malta where Paul suffered shipwrack where we made little stay but hoisted sail and in about two or three weeks time we came to the ruinated City Tirus having met with a contrary wind we were stayed three or four dayes the Inhabitants being Turks and Greeks were moderate towards me and from thence in about one day we came to Ptolomais or St. John de Acra where I remained about eight dayes being much opposed by the Friars in a French Merchants house and â—hen imbarqued in a Vessel amongst Greeks and Turks bound for Joppa but the Wind rising against us we came to an Anchor at Tourtons and on the next morning divers Turks came aboard and demanded Tribute of those called Christians in the Vessel which they paid for fear of sufferings but very unwillingly their demands being very unreasonable and in like manner demanded of me but I refusing to pay according to their demands they threatned to beat the soals of my feet with a stick and one of them would have put his hand into my pocket but the chiefest of them rebuked him Soon after they began to take me out of the Vessel to effect their work but one of the Turks belonging to the Vessel speaking to them as they were taking me ashore they let me alone wherein I saw the good hand of God preserving me and also there being an Armenian present and seeing I rather chose to suffer than to grant them their unreasonable demands he cryed out I was a good Christian I was a good Christian and became very loving unto me whilst he remained with me After this about three or four dayes we came to Joppa and from thence the same day we came to Ramlah or Ramoth in Gilead which as it did appear the Friars at Jerusalem hearing of my coming gave order unto some there to stay me which accordingly was done for I was taken and carried into a house and locked up into a