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
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
or what was my Father's House or what is the Land of my Nativity that I a poor â—â—flicted 〈…〉 should be raised up to see and perceive what mine eye 〈◊〉 eve in thy Eternal Power and puâ—e Life beholdâ— Oh my God! thou hast known the innocent travel of my soul â—hich 〈…〉 know the same is not hid from thee even from the day of my birth unto this moment through no small trials and tribulations and through the exercise of manifold temptations yet behold my Life is preserved a at this time And oh my heart my mind my soul my spirit in thy pure undefiled Life and Virtue blesseth thy Name thy pure Name which thy Virgins love and live in and in the same they glorifie thy beloved and the Wings of thy Majesty overshadoweth them and their delight is under the secret shadow of thy Almightiness blessed be thy Glory blessed be thy undefiled Power blessed and magnified be thy pure Wisdom and let the same be so even in the Tabernacles of the just for ever Thou Lamb of Immortality the Thrones the Kingdoms and Eternal Dominions are thine and over all thy Throne is and shall be exalted and thy Lambs behold thy glory and thy Majesty in this the day of thy terrible and glorious appearance Wisdom Riches Glory Power Might and Dominion everlasting with Eternal Salvation over all to thy Name Amen saith my Spirit in the Life which is was and for ever shall be the same which liveth and abideth for ever and fâ—deth not away In the same I commend thy dear tender Lambs to be preserved according to thy unsearchable Wisdom and counsel of thine own heart to thy everlasting Renown and Glory and their Eternal comfort and joy and felicity with thy Saints and Angels in the Light of thy countenance and in everlasting remembrance in the powerful and Eternal Kingdom of Immortality if I be no more in this World when this body is gone to its place according to thy Eternal Purpose and Decree in thy Eternal Counsel so be it saith my spirit yea and Amen saith my soul which blesseth and magnifieth thy Eternal Name in asmuch as thou hast so far fulfilled thy living Word of Prophesie and not onely so but much more also in the desire of my heart in the behalf of thy dear tender suffering and long-suffering Seed of thine own bowels for which be innumerable Praises Wisdom Salvation Glory and Dominion to thy holy Name Amen Amen MY right dearly and well-beloved Friends of Eternal Life of the Church of the first-born of the living God which is the Pillar and ground of Truth of which Christ Jesus our Lord is the alone and onely Head Peace be unto you in him who is arisen in his pure immortal life and hath brought Life and Immortality to light through the Word of his Power and his Eternal Gospel of Peace which is not hid from us but it 's clearly manifest in us by his coming who ariseth with healing in his wings Glory Dominion living endless praises Immortal to his Name now and for evermore and let all the upright in heart with my precious life say Even so Amen Dear suffering and long-suffering Lambs ye know that as I came in the Eternal Love and Peace of Immanuel God's Lamb to visit and serve you and minister to your necessities the which in the same Life and Peace and in the integrity and uprightness of heart and in its pure innocency my God knoweth and behold I call your Life that 's manifest in you in which is our perfect unity as Members of one Body to bear me record That I have endeavoured in the good will of my God to perform the same and verily the hand and blessing of Almighty God is with me and hath blessed me and so my reward is with me and my work hath been manifest before me even in the Light of his Countenance that liveth for ever and this Scripture is fulfilled in me also The Father worketh hitherto and I work So my dear Friends I have honestly and nakedly before the Lord cleared my Conscience so far concerning you and on your behalf which is my reasonable service and so I leave the same to the living Testimony of the Lord Jesus which you hold and for which I am satisfied and in the behalf of the whole body of God's Elect you have so long suffered So the Eternal God of Power Dominion and Glory of Heaven and Earth consolate support and strengthen you to the end that your Testimony may be finished with joy to his ever â—asting praise to whom onely it belongs and so my Spirit in the Light and Life Immortal saith Even so Amen Farewel dear Lambs I am your true Brother D. B. Joseph was not made known to his Brethren the first time though his Bowels earned towards and over them till at last he could no longer forbear crying out with tears saying I am Joseph your Brother and little Benjamin the youngest he dearly loved you know This 5th day of the Week and the 30th of the 11th Mo. 1661. When my face you do not see Wait in the Eternal Life and then remember me So farewell and feel the Well-spring of Life This and many other Papers was communicated to each others hands which are seen meet not to be added hereunto with the jeopardy of my life and what else did attend us but magnified and for ever blessed be the living Lord and his Goodness Wisdom and Salvation who prospered his Work and Workers in his own Life of lasting Righteousness through and over self over all that which must dye and go to its place Amen DANIEL Here followeth somewhat relating to the Travel and Service of D. B. which he hath freedom to giveforth for the Truth 's sake and Friends satisfaction THe intent of the Spirit of the Lord within my heart and mind stirring me up to write somewhat concerning my travel from my Native Countrey Kindred and Father's House being freely given up to serve the Lord his Truth and People in the Power and Gospel of God I having no imposition or necessity at all laid upon my Conscience as from any mortal man but certainly it was a pure necessity from the living God of Heaven Earth many of his faithful servants Messengers sons daughters that were are as dear precious to me as my own life may beat me record on the Lords behalf unto the truth of what I write on this wise surely in the counsel everlasting the thing was hid from me then whether ever I should return to my Native Countrey or not However in the love and favour of God and in his fear set up within my heart was I given up with my body also offered as a living Sacrifice which was but my reasonable sacrifice to give a sound to the Nations afar off of the mighty day of our God and his blessed Truth the Light of Jesu-manifest in every Conscience in which Light we
said Do you beâ—ieve in the Saints and pray to them We said We did believe the Communion of Saints but we did not pray to them but to God onely in the Name of Jesus Christ. He asked Whether we did believe in the Catholick Church We said We did believe the true Church of Christ but the Word Catholick we have not read in Scripture He asked if we believed a Purgatory We said No but a Heaven and a Hell The Fryar said We were commanded to pray for the dead for those that were in Heaven had no need and they that were in Hell there is no redemption therefore there must be a Purgatory He asked if we believed their holy Sacrament We said We never read the Word Sacrament in Scripture The Fryar replied Where we did read in our Bibles Sanctification it was Sacrament in theirs He said Their holy Sacrament was Bread and Wine which they converted into the Flesh and Blood of Christ by the virtue of Christ. We said they did work Miracles then for Christ's virtue is the same as it was when he turned Water into Wine at the Marriage in Canaan He said If we did not eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God we had no life in us We said the Flesh and Blood of Christ is spiritual and we do feed upon it daily for that which is begotten of God in us can no more live without spiritual food than our temporal bodies can without temporal food He said that we did never hear Masse We said We did hear the voice of Christ he onely had the words of eternal life and that was sufficient for us He said We were Hereticks and Heathens We said they were Hereticks that lived in sin and wickedness and such were Heathens that knew not God He asked about our Meetings in England And we told them the truth to their amazement And they asked Who was the Head of our Church We said Christ. And they asked What George Fox is And we said He is a Minister of Christ. They asked Whether he sont us We said No the Lord did move us to come The Fryar said We were deceived and had not the faith but we had all virtues We said that saith was the ground from whence virtues do proceed They said If we would take their holy Sacrament we might have our liberty or else the Pope would not leave us for millions of Gold but we should lose our souls and our bodies too We said the Lord had provided for our souls and our bodies were freely given up to serve the Lord. They askt us if we did not believe Marriage was a Sacrament We said it was an Ordinance of God They ask't us if we did believe men could forgive sins We said None could forgive sins but God onely They brought us that Scripture Whose sins ye remit-in earth shall be remitted in heaven We said All Power was God's and he could givâ— it to whom he would that were born of the Eternal Spirit and guided by the same such have power to do the Fathers Will as I answered a Fryar also in the City of Naples and they were silent the Power greatly working We asked them wherein we had wronged them that we should be kept Prisoners all dayes of our lives and said Our innocent blood would be required at their hands The Fryar said He would take our blood upon him and our Journey into Turky too We told him the time would come he would find he had enough upon him without it They said The Popes was Christ's Vicar and we were of his Church and what he did was for the good of our souls We answered The Lord had not committed the charge of our souls to the Pope nor to them for he had taken them into his own possession glory was to his Name for ever They said We must be obedient We said We were obedient to the Government of Christ's Spirit The Fryar said None had the true Light but the Catholicks the Light that we had was the Spirit of the Devil We said Wo to him that calleth Jesus accursed Can the Devil give power over sin and iniquity then he would destroy his own Kingdom He said We were laught at and mockt at of every one We said What did become of the mockers It was no matter He said We did run about to preach and had not the true Faith We said the true Faith is held in a pure Conscience void of offence towards God and man and we had the true Faith And he said There was but one Faith either theirs or ours and askt us which it was We said Every one had the true Faith that did believe in God and in Jesus whom he had sent but they that say they do believe and do not keep his commandments are lyars and the truth is not in them He said it was true but he did thirst daily for our blood because we would not turn and urged us much about our Faith and Sacrament to bring us under their Law but the Lord preserved us They said It was impossible we could live long in that hot room So the next Week-day they sate in Council but oh how the swelling Sea did rage and the proud waves did foam even unto the clouds of Heaven and Proclamation was made at the Prison-Gate we did not know the words but the fire of the Lord flamed against it K. my life was smitten and I was in a very great agony so sweat was as drops of blood and the righteous one was laid into a Sepulcher and a great stone was roll'd to the door but the Prophesie was that he should arise again the third day which was fulfilled But the next day they came to sit upon Judgement again but I say in the true Judgement they sate not but upon it they got up unjustly above the righteous and upon the same they sate a child of Wisdom may understand and they brought many Propositions written in a paper but the Fryar would suffer the Magistrate to propound but few to us for fear the Light would break forth but they askt how many friends of ours were gone forth in the Ministry and into what parts We told them what we did know They said all that came where the Pope had any thing to do should never go back again We said the Lord was as sufficient for us as he was for the children in the fiery Furnace and our trust was in God They said we were but few and had been but a little while and they were many Countreys and had stood many hundred years and wrought many Miracles and we had none We said we had thousands at our Meetings but none of us dare speak a word but as they are eternally moved of the Lord and we had Miracles the Blind receive their sight the Deaf do hear and the Dumb do speak the Poor do receive the Gospel the Lame do walk and the Dead are raised He
it and defie it which I did do in the Name of the Lord and it did wither vvith all the rest After it vvas gone the English Consul came to us with a Scribe and he brought us a doller from a Master of a Ship that came from Plymouth I told him I did receive my Countrey man's Love but could not receive his Money He askt me What I wouâ—d do if I would take no money I said the Lord was my portion and I could not lack any good thing I said to him We were in thy House near 15. Weeks didst thou see any cause of Death or Bonds in us He said No. I askt him how he would dispence with his Conscience for telling us He would have us before the Inquisitor and thou didst know that Room vvas provided for us and had not we been kept alive by the mighty Power of God we might have been dead long since He said How could I help it I said We are the Servants of the living God and were brought here by permission and in the Spirit of Meekness gave in our Testimony for the Lord in faithfulness and told you the truth as it is in Jesus and called you all to repentance and fore-warned you in love to your souls of the evil the Lord is bringing upon you if you do not repent He said However it be it will go well with you Mark that I told him he required a sign of me when vve vvere at his house if we were the servants of the Lord God I gave him a sign from the living God and my friend gave him another from the Lord to his shame and destruction for ever I askt him Whether it were not true we spake to him he said it was but how should he help it I said Thou art a condemned person and stands guilty before God yet nevertheless repent if thou canst find a place He smil'd upon the Scribe in deceit but his lips did quiver and his belly trembled and he could scarce stand upon his legs He was as proper a man as most was in the City and full and in his prime age O! he was consumed as a Snail in a shell which was a sufficient sign for the whole City if their hearts were not harder than Adamants He said How should he help it He might have helpt it but he was as willing to prove us as any of them all He was sworn upon his Oath to protect the English and their Ruler bid him let us go about our business and said He were honest women and then he might have let us go before we were under the black Rod. Then he went to Sarah with the Doller she told him she could not take the Money but if he had a Letter for us she should be free to receive that He said he had not any He askt her what she did want She said the Lord was her Shepherd she could not want any good thing but she did long for her Freedom He said That you may have in time He told us we should have ink and paper to write But when he was gone they vvould not let us The next time we heard of him he was dead We could have rejoiced if he had dyed for righteousness sake for the Lord delighteth not in the death of a sinner The Fryar was gone to Rome and they said he must stay there till we came There was great working to send us there but the Lord did prevent them that they could not send us there Then the Lord did work to bring us together again after so long time we had been parted There vvere five doors between us with Locks and Bolts but the Keeper had not power to make them fast but as Sarah could undo them to come where I could see her but could not speak to her for there were them that did watch us night and day yet she being moved of the Lord did come to my door by night she must come by the Fryars door he and the Doctor of Law were together and they did set a trap to take her in and many did watch about the Prison and would complain Then she was lockt up again but they had no peace in that till the doors were open again then we did sit in the sight of each other to wait upon the Lord so that our voices were heard far the Magistrates vvould hear and bow to it sometime then the complainers were weary and did work to have us brought together and we did wait and pray and the Magistrates would come in and look upon us many times but would say nothing to us There were of divers Nations brought into the Inquisition Prisoners and the Fryars and the rest that were great would go in their way to make Christians of them and we were made to stand up against them and their vvays and deny them in the Name of the Lord and declare the truth to the simple-hearted continually if vve did suffer death for it We could not endure to hear the Name of the Lord blasphemed nor his pure Way of Truth perverted nor the ignorant deceived They did vvrite all they understood of vvhat vve spake and sent it to the Court-Chamber before the Inquisitor and Magistrates but the Lord did blast it vvith the Mildevvs of his vvrathful indignation and burnt it up vvith the brightness of his Son and vve rejoiced in our God but still our burdens continued very heavy and our righteous souls vvere vexed vvith the filthy Conversation of the Wicked and the pure Seed of God vvas prest from day to day that our spirits did mourn and our hearts vvere grieved because of the hardness of their hearts and their Rebellion against their Maker vvho vvas so gracious to them to suffer them so long in all their abominations and vvaited to be gracious to them and knock at the Door of their hearts calling for Justice Mercy and Humility but behold Oppression Cruelty and Self-Exaltation notvvithstanding the Lord did strive so much vvith them and sent so many undeniable truths and inâ—allible testimonies of the coming of his Son to Judgement and so clear a manifestation of the vvay to eternal Salvation given forth of his ovvn mouth by his eternal Spirit and having us for an example vvho vvere kept by his Povver and Holiness they had not a jot nor tittle against us but for righteousness sake though they had vvinnovved and fanned us so long Glory honor and praises be given to our God for ever O they would not let us know of any English Ship that came into the Harbour as near as they could but the Lord would make it manifest to us We had a great working and striving in our bodies but we knew not what it meant the arrows of the Wicked did flye so that my soul was plunged and overwhelmed from head to feet and the terrors of the unrighteous had taken hold of us and the flames of Hell compassed us about then the Lord appeared
we spake one and the same thing being guided by one Spirit They would go from me to Catharine they would bid her speak as Sarah did and so she did to their condemnation Praises to the Lord Amen A Paper sent from them to the Pope's Lord Inquisitor in MALTA For the Lord Inquisitor and his Council c. MEns persons I cannot admire they that do admire and respect any man's person do it because of advantage and such are transgressors the Apostles St. James and Jude say In obedience to the Lord in love to your souls from the Fountain of Love and Springs of Life that stream forth to the refreshment of the whole City of God am I constrained to visit you with these few Lines and I beseech you to read it with the Spirit of Moderation and Meekness and see that nothing in you arise up against it for it is God's Truth Christ Jesus who is the Light of the world which hath enlightned every one that cometh into the world saith This is Life eternal To know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent New the knowledge of God is Life Eternal and there is no other way to come to this knowledge but to have the mind turned from darkness to the Light out of the visible to that which is invisible viz. the Light in the Conscience which conviâ—ceth of sin and iniquity when no mortal eye can see you and as 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 â—n bondage in you For Sion is redeemed through Judgement and her Converts with Righteousness Saint 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 tâ—ste 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 Saint 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 Father's 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 withall 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 pâ—esent 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-doâ—rs 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 Katharine Evans THe Fryar 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 a 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 would knit that is three half pence I told him if we could have that priviledge amongst them that St. Paul had at Rome under Caesar which was a Heathenish King we would have wrought and not have been chargeable to any St. 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 for bad 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 Stockins and give to them that were made serviceable to uâ— 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 vvork at the Fryar's Will nor any man 's else but as we had freedom in the Lord. As I vvas vveak in my bed the Fryar 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 denyed the Scriptures 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