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 buffetings 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 saâ—e one in one room and the other in 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 joined to the Fountain and were made sensible of the benefit of your praâ—ers O the sorrows the mournings the tears but those that sow in tears shall reap in joy A true sorrow â—egets a true ioy and a true Crosse a true Crown For when our sorrows did abound the Love of God did abound much more the deeper the sorrows the greater the joys the greater the Cross the weightier the Crown Dear Friends and Brethren marvel not that Israel is not gathered our Judgement remains with the Lord and so do our Labours for it was not for want of travel nor pain nor love to their souls for we could have been contented to have fed upon the Grass on the ground so we might have had ouâ— freedom amongst them For had it not been for the great opposition they would have followed after us as Chickens after a Hen both great and small But oh the swelling seas the raging and foaming Waves Stormy Winds and Floods and deep Waters and high Mountains and Hills hard Rocks rough wayes and crookedâ— paths tall Cedars strong Oaks fruitless Trees and corrupted ones that cumber the ground and hinder the righteous Seed to be sown and the noble Plants from being planted Oh! they shut up the Kingdom against the simple-hearted and hide the key of knowledge from the innocent ones and will not enter into the Kingdom themselves nor suffer them that would enter but stir up the Magistrates to form carnal Weapons thinking to prevent the Lord of taking to him his Inheritance and to dispossess his Son who is heir of all that he might not have a dwelling-place amongst them nor a habitation nigh them because that his Light will discover their darkness and his brightness will burn up all their abominations and marr their beauty and stain their glory their pomp and their pride that it may perish as the untimely Figs and fall as the Flower of the Field and wither as the Grasse upon the house-top Oh the Belly of Hell the Jaws of Satan the whole Mysterie of iniquity is at the height and all manner of abominations that make desolate stands where it ought not and is upholden by a Law That upon pain of death none must speak against it nor walk contrary to it But praises to our God he carryed us forth to declare against it daily Oh the blind Câ—ides the seducing spirits that do cause the people to err and compel them to worship the Beast and his Image and to have his mark in their fore-heads and in their hands and to bow to Pictures and painted Walls and to worship the things of their own hands and to fall down to that which their own fingers have fashioned and will not suffer them to look towards Sion upon pain of death nor to walk towards Jerusalem upon pain of Faggot and Fire but must abide in Babel and believe whatsoever they speak or do to be truth But oh the wayes the worships the â—ashions forms customs traditions observations and imaginations which they have drawn in by their dark Divinations to keep the poor people in blindness and ignorance so that they perish for want of knowledge and are corrupted because the way of truth is not made known among them they are all in the many wayes out of the one true and living way and their ways be so many and so monstrous that they are unrehearsible but the Lord our God hath kindled a fire in the midst of them that will consume all forms fashions customs and traditions of men and will burn up the bryars thorns and tares stubble and fruitless Trees and corrupted ones and will blast all the fruits works and labours of wicked and ungodly men with the Mill dews of his wrathful indignation and will scatter all his Enemies with the Whirl-winds of his displeasure They do not know the Scriptures Their Bibles would grieve any honest heart to behold them because of the corruption They said Our Bibles were false I asked wherein The Fryar said Maccabees was not in them I said if any were taken from them yet the rest might be pure but if any were added to them then they were corrupted He askt me Whether I did not think it meet for every one to bow at the Name of Jesus I said Yea. He said Jesus and bid me fall down or bow my body I told him My heart and whole body was bowed under the Name of Jesus but â— should not stoop to his will nor any man 's else He that departeth from iniquity boweth to the Name of Jesus but those that live in sin and wickedness do not stoop to the Son of God And he told me they stood in the same Power the Apostles did and were guided by the same Spirit as they were I asked why they did abuse their Power then and make use of Carnal Weapons He said they did not they were all spiritual their Inquisition their Chains and Irons and all is spiritual And he asked Whether we judged them all damn'd that were not of our Judgement I said Nay we had otherwise learned Christ those that were in a Reprobate condition to day the Lord may call them out of it to morrow for what I know He said They did judge us damn'd and all that were not of their Faith I told him Man's Judgement we did not matter A VISION IN a Vision of the night I saw in the Firmament six Suns one at a distance from the rest that did appear to be but half an hour high the other five stood four-square one in the middle and they did cross over each other the highest did not seem to be above an hour high And when I did awake I was
the 11th Month of the year 1661. Sarah Chevers 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 onely 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 and 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 entered 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 joined 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 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 Saviour 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 and 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 Lords endlesse love and mercies to my soul 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 joined to the Light wherewith you are lightened that I may enjoy you in that which is Eternal and have community with you in the Spirit He that is joined 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 days 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 appearing wherein he will discover every deed of darkness let it be done never so secret the light of Christ Jesus will make it manifest in every Conscience the Lord will rip up all coverings that is not of his own Spirit The God of Peace be with you all Amen Written in the Inquisition-Prison by the hand of Sarah Chevers for the hand of Henry Chevers 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 shewedst 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 would have fled the Cross but praises be to the Lord that kept me to it that I might not 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 let none take thy Crown The God of Power preserve and keep thee low and single in his fear pressing forward to the prize of an incorruptible Crown of Glory Peace and Rest out 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 inheritance 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 tasted handled and felt of his everlasting love and indurable Riches my life is wrapt up in it I have found him whom my soul loveth Oh what might I do to set him 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 Thy dear Aunt My dear love and life is with thee and I do embrase thee in the Arms and Bosom of my Eternal Father's love with thy dear Husband and little ones Another in the same Paper to Friends MY dearly beloved Sisters and 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 rejoice and have union with you My Life is given up to serve the Lord. O 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 Skales and the Dust in equal 〈◊〉 Ballance He is a pulling down the mighty and raising the meek humble lowly he is a feeding the poor and hungry with good things but the rich he sends
expect one drop of mercy favour nor affection but what our Heavenly Father did distil upon us from his living presence and work for us by the operation of his own Arm of strength and power But dear Friends though a long Winter and many sharp and terrible storms have past over our heads so that we cannot express our sorrows so likewise we cannot declare our joys Oh! in the midst of all our afflâ—ctions our God did draw nigh unto us an did speak comfortably unto us with many sweet and precious promises and did never suffer his faithfulness to fail us nor was he wanting unto us in Visions and Revelations Oh how doth he appear in his glory beauty and brightness so that our souls are ravished and wrapped up with his living presence and glory many times so that we do not dare to look out at our long sufferings nor trials but do press forwards towards the fulness of joy and blessedness which our Eternal Father hath prepared for all them that love him and walk in obedience to him and we know the deeper our sorrow is the greater our joy shall be and the heavier our Cross the weightier our Crown as we abide faithful And we do believe that neither Principalities nor Powers nor sufferings nor imprisonment nor pesecution nor life nor death shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour Amen Dearly beloved Friends though our bodies are bolted up in the Rocks and Caves of the Earth yet our spirits you know nonâ— can limit nor confine to any place And we do behold your order and steadfastness of your faith and labour of love and are daily refreshed in all the faithful-hearted Oh dear hearts the remembrance of the least of you is precious Oh! the Rivers of tears that have distilled from our eyes whilst we do think upon you for joy because of your growth and flourishing in the Truth Oh! you are Virgins indeed who have Oyl in your Vessels and your Lamps burning and are cloathed with the long white Robes of Righteousness and are adorned with the Ornaments of pure Beauty and glorious brightness abundance of you to our joy and comfort and we do pray night and day That every Babe of our Heavenly Father's begetting may prosper even as we desire our own souls should prosper and that every one may be kept out of incumbrances and use the World as if they used it not but every one's mind spirit heart and soul may be exercised in the Eternal by the Power of God out of the earthly out of the visible out of the carnal and perishing things of this life so as to trust in it into the heavenly into the spiritual into the invisible into that which never changeth sadeth nor waxeth old where every one may dwell in the enjoyment of the presence of the Lord for in the presence of the Lord is fulness of joy and at his right hand is pleasure for evermore Oh! that every one may be emptied of your selves and unbottomed of your selves that you may build wholly upon the sure foundation and anchored so fast upon the Rock of Ages that neither the swelling Seas nor the foaming Waves nor stormy Winds though they beat vehemently may ever be able to remove you Oh dear Brethren in the life and power you may feel the issues of Love and Life which stream as a River to every soul of you from the hearts of us that are wholly joined to the Fountain Glory and everlasting praises be given to his holy Name Our whole souls spirits hearts and minds are given up to serve the Lord in whatsoever he requireth of us as he shall make it manifest unto us And we do blesse his Name for ever that he hath found us worthy of so high a calling as to bind Kings in chains and Nobles in fetters of Iron Our prayers are continually for the advancement of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus throughout the whole Earth for the gathering of the Seed of the Elect of God and for the raising of it up over the Seed of the Serpent in power and great glory to bear rule and to have dominion over the whole World that the Kingdoms of this World may become the Kingdoms of our Lord Jesus that he may rule in his Princely Power and reign in his Kingly Majesty whose Right it is that the knowledge of the Lord may cover the Earth as the Water covereth the Sea that all the Children of the Lord may be taught of the Lord and be established in Righteousness that so the Mourners in Sion may rejoice and the heâ—â—y hearted in Jerusalem may be right glad The Lord God of Power hasten it for his own Name 's sake and for his Elect's sake that lye in captivity under the hands of the dark Powers of the Earth either spiritual or temporal Amen Amen saith our spirits Dear and precious Friends and Brethren pray for us that we may finish our Testimony to the glory of God and to the praise of his holy Name and to the comfort of all that love his appearing and to our own eternal salvation and to the shame and confusion of all that hate the Lord Jesus and persecute his Truth So in the pure Vnity of the Covenant of Light Life Peace Love and everlasting Righteousness do we take our leaves of you all at this time hoping and believing we shall see your faces once again before we go hence and be no more seen Dear Friends pray for us Though we were in many streights and hardships by reason of the oppression yet whilst our minds were staid upon the Fountain we saw no want but our tender Father whose heavenly eye was ever over us saw our necessities sent his right dear and precious Servant and 〈◊〉 and faithful Steward Daniel Baker to administer to our necessities both spiritual and temporal he came not in his own time will nor strength but in the Will and time Strength and Power of the Almighty God at whose presence the Mountains were removed the tall Cedars were made to bow the strong Oaks to stoop Oh wonderful He went to the Lord Inquisitor the Popes Deputy to demand our lawful Liberty which would not be granted unless he and we would write to Messaena or Legorn to some English Merchant to be engaged for four thousand Dollers Which Proposition being out of the Covenant of Light we durst not stoop to it but our dear Brother in Christ Jesus offered his body for our liberty but it would not be granted nothing would serve but one to engage for four thousand Dollers to be paid if ever we come into these parts again Then in obedience to the Lord he offered up his Life for our Freedom but all would not serve the Will of our God be done Oh dear Friends greater Love was never heard of than for a man to lay down his Life for his Friend Oh! it is worthy to be recorded in remembrance of him for ever here he came up and down to administer to us with his Life in his hand time after time So the Lord God of Power reward him double into his bosome for ever Oh how did he refresh our souls spirits minds and bodies through great tryals
unto me in a dream and said There were two English Friends in the City which did plead for our liberty in our behalf and he had taken all fear away from them and made them bold And in a little while after the Magistrates sent for us forth and askt us whether we were sick or whether we did want any thing and were very tender to us and said we should write to England and bid the Scribe give us Ink and Paper he said he would but he was so wicked he did not They did not tell us of any English that were there but there was one Francis Steward of London a Captain of a Ship and a Fryar of Ireland which came to the City together for what we know and they did take great pains for us and went to their Ruler and the Inquisitor and to several Magistrates and Fryars and the new English Consul with them and wrought much amongst them that all were willing to let us go save the Inquisitor they said and he said He could not free us without an Order from the Pope But we had many heavy Enemies besides which vvould not be seen but they obtained the favour to come and speak with us which was a great thing in such a place They sent for us to the Court-Chamber and the English Consul askt us if we were willing to go back to England We said if it were the Will of 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 witnâ—ssed 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 he Vessel was his own We cold him his love was as well accepted of the Lord as if he did carry us He offered us money he savv the Lord vvouldâ— 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 changâ— 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 Fryar 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 Dyet 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 〈◊〉 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 every 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 Fryar were mortal Enemies to us but yet they would have fed us with the choicest of their meat and would gladly give us whole Bottles 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 Fryar was tormented night and day his body did perish the Doctors and Chyrurgions 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 made 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 Fryar 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 received from them in other Papers to Friends D. B. O Dearly beloved Friends Fathers and Elders and Pillars of Gods Spiritual House and Brethren and Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ in the measure of Love and Life of our God do we salâ—te you all and do embrace you in that which is Eternal and we do greatly rejoice and glorifie 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 Gods 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 carryed us through and ever as great afflictions as most of our Brethren and sufferers for his Name both in
faithful Husband Friend and Brother begotten of my Eternal Father of the immortal Seed of the Covenant of Light Life and Blessednesse 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 joined 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 which 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 at 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 joys 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 rejoice 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 of our God who is an everlasting Fountain of all living refreshment whose Chrystal streams never cease running to every thirsty soul that breatheth after the springs of Life and Salvation In our deepest affliction when I looked for every breath to be the last I could not wish I had not come over Seas because I knew it was 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 his faithfulness to fail us but caused the sweet 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 us in Revelations nor Visions Oh how may I do to set forth the fulness of God's Love to our souls No tongue can express it no heart can conceive it nor mind can comprehend it Oh the ravishments the raptures the glorious bright-shining countenance of our Lord God who is our fulness in emptiness ourstâ—ength in weakness our health in sickness our life in death our joy in sorrow our peace in disquietness our praise in heaviness our power in all needs or necessities He alone is a full God unto us and to all that can trust him he hath 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 cannot 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 rejoicing 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 you from a heart that is wholly joined to the Fountain my prayers are for you day and night without ceasing beseeching the Lord God of Power to pour down his tender mercies upon you and to keep you in his pure fear and to encrease your faith to confirm you in all righteousness and strengthen you in believing in the Name of the Lord God Almighty that you may be established as Mount Sion that can never be moved Keep your souls unspotted of the world and love one another with a pure heart fervently serve one another in love build up one another in the Eternal and bear one anothers burdens for the Seeds sake and so fulfil the Law of God This is the Word of the Lord unto you my dearly beloved Dear hearts I do commit you into the hands of the Almighty who dwelleth on high and to the Word of his Grace in you who is able to build you up to everlasting life and eternal salvation By me who am thy dear and precious Wife and Spouse in the Marriage of the Lamb in the bed unndefiled K. E. My dearly beloved Yoak-mate in the Work of our God doth dearly salute you Salute us dearly to our precious Friends in all places I do believe we shall see your faces again with joy Dearly salute us to T.H. R.S. and his sister S.B. and his daughter N.M. and his dear Wife with all the rest of our dear Friends in Bristol T.C. and his deart Wife and Daughter and all Friends in Bristol or else-where J.G. and his precious Wife Children and Servants with all Friends 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
away nor waxeth old from us whom the Lord hath counted worthy to beaâ— his Name and to suffer for his sake to all our Christian Friends Fathers and Elders Pillars of Gods spiritual House Brethren and Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh my dear Husband with our dear and precious Children Lambs of God and Babes of Christ begotten of the Immortal Seed of Light Life and Truth with us and all the whole Family of everlasting blessedness Pray for us believingly all things are possible with our God So my Dearlings in the arms of everlasting love do I take my leave of you the blessing and peace of the Most High be upon you ever Amen Amen Oh my dear Husband praise the Lord that ever thou hadst a Wife that was found worthy to suffer for the Name of the Lord Inasmuch as I can understand the moving of the Spirit of God My dear and faâ—thful Yoke-fellow Sister and Friend is worthy to be embraced of all friends for ever the deeper the sorrow the greater the joy the heavier the Cross the weightier the Crown This was written in the Inquisition at Malta of us Malta the 11th Month of the year 1661. Katharine Evans Sarah Chevers From K. E. for two Friends DEarly beloved Brother in the everlasting Covenant of Light and Life do I dearly salute and embrace thee with thy dear Wife my beloved Sister and thy dear Children whom I dearly love in that which 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 blâ—â—â—ness 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 hand 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 always in the pure fear of the perfect and pure God who hath an Eternal Treasure ful 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 your 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. Katharine 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 the 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 and Fatherly mercy and bowels of compassion through the trials 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 trials and in 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 despair 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 virtue 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 publike view that thereby every Member of the one Body may have a right understanding and not onely so but also a sensible feeling not onely of the trials and 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 Father's 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 God's 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 embrace 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 trials 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 Caâ—e 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 flye as dust before the Wind for which we do entreat 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 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 shal 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 here 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 uâ— on with all boldness and made our fore-heads as Flint and our Brows as Brass in the faces of our Enemies that whensoever we were brought forth upon trial 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 join 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
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 Farewell in the Lord. By us Katharine Evans Sarah Chevers OH our dearly beloved and precious Friend and Brother right honorable 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 withall 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 and Peace Dear heart farewell farewell K. E. S. C. Another Letter from Sarah Chevers 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 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 word hath made us eye witnesses of his mighty Work and 〈…〉 with you according to our measures â—o the 〈◊〉 down of the Powers of darkness and to the defacing of that paâ—â—ted Hâ—â— lot Mysterie Babylon with all her Loverâ— to the utter overthrow of Anâ—iâ—hrist 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 rejoice 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 Almighty'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 rejoiceth 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 and 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 honor 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 joining 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 O ye holy Assemblies whose hearts are wholly joined to the Lord. I with you in the Life Power of the Almighty God do travel for the raising of the Seed 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 Seed's sake Praise praise the Lord for me ye blessed of the Lord in whom the living praises are sound 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 Chaine 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 fuâ—fil the righteous Will of our Heavenly Father and be kept faithful in his Will for ever Amen Streams of Love and Life floweth 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 〈…〉 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 a little streights and difficulty with jeopardy of my precious Life which my God 〈◊〉 through all preserved Glory to his Name my 〈…〉 overcome with the loving-kindness and salvation of the living Lord and in his savory Life my mouth 〈…〉 giving and praises to my God and I said in my heart on this wise Who am I oh Lord
have most assuredly believed unto salvation And verily the Power and pure Presence of his Eternal Strength was with me through many hardships trials and tribulations the right hand of the hiding of his Power did sweetly guide strengthen support me even as it did and doth his Lambs whom he so send forth as among Wolves in his Dovelike innocency harmlesness wisdom which is as wise or rather wiser than the Serpents And this Scripture have I well witnessed fulfilled whilst travelling from one Nation to another people as my Father did in the ancient days And on this wise with three more Brethren so freely given up with one consent in the behalf of the Gospel everlasting that is now preaching again to the Nations Tongues and Kindreds We set forward the 16th of the third Month and we sweetly parted with our right dearly beloved Friends Brethren Fathers and near Relations that were flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone and from all our outward acquaintance and Native Countrey in the Will Love and Spirit of our God in the same day from Graveseâ—d we set forth and at the end of 44. days we arrived at Legorn in Italy where we gave a certain sound of our innocent service and Message of Salvation and of-its life and blessedness coming upon the Nations as a weight either to condemnation or justification as the same is received or rejected among them And thus as we had opportunity among the men of our own Nation the Jews and others we gave a sound and the blessing of the God of Heaven and his Presence was with us whether the Nations of men did hear or forbear but the Witness of God in sundry was reached and the same answered in us And herein we are so far well satisfied whilst others were hardened who defied us and our Testimony as their uncircumcised Fathers always did resist and gain say the truth that saves from sin and so finally from its condemnation And it came to pass after that we had waited upon the Lord to understand his good will and pleasure he answered us in the joy of our hearts and we received his counsel and communicated of the same to each other's satisfaction in the love of God in which we were wel confirmed to obey the same until the death as the Lord our God might have permitted for his Name 's sake who then further ordained us to be separated viz John Stubs and Henry Fell to pass on towards Alexandria and my dear brother and companion Richard Scostrop with me to pass Eastward to Smyrna and Constantinople in Asia and after a little season we parted in the goodness of God And when 24. dayes were finished having in the mean time touched a little season at the Island Zant we arrived at Smyrna But behold it came to pass immediately at out coming there was not a little stir together with the evil surmizings and what else arising up as a flood with threatnings breathed forth from the Apostate Christians especially men of no small degree of our own Nation against us when Turks Jew Greeks Heathens and others were not altogether so evil affected as to let us from the exercise of our Conscience void of offence towards God and man and so to hold forth the example of the harmless Life and unblameable Conversation in all equitableness in Doctrine Life and Practice of what we professed in the midst of them But oh how the Christians by Name in Asia who should first have received the Word of saving-health how did they defie and reproach not onely us but our living Testimony and Message of Blessedness which day by day was sounded in their ears notwithstanding the Lord God lay not what they did against us to their charge when they have most need of Mercy and Peace with God if happily repentance unto life be witnessed by them who know not what they did yea and my spirit is ready to say Amen for their sakes that hated us without a cause as the same unbelieving nature did our Lord and Maâ—â—er whom we love serve and honor in the same and therefore keep his sayings which are not grievous to us in that one and the self-same Spirit which reproves the World for sin in which we worship him as the Father the which guideth into all truth from all evil concerning which we wel admonished their minds to subject to the one and to avoid and turn from the other each having their proper effects attending them as anguish woes judgements and disquietments upon the soul and conscience that doth evil and contrariwise blessings peace glory honor and the goodness of God attending the soul of man which worketh good in the Light of the same excellent Spirit of God which exerciseth the Conscience in temperance and sobriety meekness and gentleness of Christ. And on this wise we besought the men of our own Nation together with many more in them parts that they may become a sweet savour of the pure life of Christ and Christianity indeed and in truth which tends to answer the Witness of the Eternal God manifest in Turks Greeks Jews Heathens and Apostate Christians among the dark Nations where they have their conversation Yet I am constrained to express somewhat of their manner of dealing with us to our good Wherefore men of reasonable and honorable understanding may bear with me to the end that the honest-hearted may be informed to beware of a persecuting Spirit which is not of God neither ever was it born of him Their threatnings encreased daily and they burthened themselves exceedingly with us whose deportment and behaviour they were made to confess to as did the Consul and divers others which in truth they could not say otherwise but that it was temperate innocent harmless and unblameable in our conversation Magnified be the Lord and blessed be his Grace of Life by which we in submission to the same were guided herein But because our Testimony was not for but against whatsoever might be said in truth to be evil unjust or unequitable which is dishonorable therefore were we hated of the high and lofty to the disquieting of their own rest day and night because they burthened themselves so with the truth and innocency of the Lord's Testimony which our Life held forth among them who received not the same in his love that they migâ—t be saved not onely from sin but also from the wrath to come So they forthwith sent a Message from Smyrna to the great City Constantinople to the King's Embassador of England and besought him to expel us out from among them of Asia that we might not have a being in the extent of their Authority in visiting them on this wise as by the annexed Warrant thou that reads the same may understand A Copy of the Warrant which they produc't and prosecuted WHereas we are informed that there is lately arrived with the Zant Frigot one Daniel Baker with his Companion commonly called Quakers