these cumber God's earth? Let that of God in all consciences answer, and who are in the wisdom, judge. And further if one get a pair of breeches like a coat, and hang them about with points, and up almost to the middle, a pair of double cuffs upon his hands, and a feather in his cap, here is a gentleman; bow before him, put off your hats, bow, get a company of fiddlers, a set of music, and women to dance. This is a brave fellow; up in the chamber; up in the chamber without, and up in the chamber within. Are these your fine Chistians? yea, said they, they are Christians. Yea, but, say the serious people, they are out of Christ's life, and out of the apostles' command, and out of the saints' ornament. And to see such as are before described, as are in the fashions of the world before mentioned, a company of them playing at bowls, or at tables, or at shuffle-board; or each taking his horse, that hath bunches of ribbons on his head, as the rider hath on his own (who, perhaps, hath a ring in his ear too) and so go to horse-racing, to spoil the creatures; oh, these are gentlemen indeed, these are bred up gentlemen, these are brave fellows, and they must take their recreation, for pleasures are lawful. And these in their sports set up their shouts, like unto the wild asses; they are like unto the kine or beasts when they are put to grass, lowing when they are full. And here is the glorying of them beforementioned; but it is in the flesh, not in the Lord: these are bad Christians, and shew that they are gluttoned with the creatures, and then the flesh rejoiceth. And here is bad breeding of youth and young women, who are carried away with the vanities of the mind in their own inventions, pride, arrogancy, lust, gluttony, uncleanness: so eat and drink, and rise up to play. This is the generation which God is not well-pleased withal; but their eyes are full of adultery, who cannot cease from evil. These be they that live in pleasures upon earth; these be they who are dead while they live; who glory not in the Lord, but in the flesh. These be they that be from the life, that the scriptures were given forth from; who live in the fashions and vanities of the world, out of truth's adorning in the devil's adorning (who is out of the truth) and not in the adorning of the Lord, which is a meek and quiet spirit, which is with the Lord of great price. But this ornament and this adorning is not put on by them that be adorned, and have the ornament of him that is out of the truth; and that is not accepted with the Lord, which is accepted in their eye.'

G. F.

Moreover it came upon me about this time from the Lord, to write a short paper and send forth, as an exhortation and warning to the pope, and all kings and rulers in Europe; a copy of which here follows:

'Friends,

Ye heads, and rulers, and kings, and nobles of all sorts, be not bitter, nor hasty in persecuting the lambs of Christ, neither turn yourselves against the visitation of God, and his tender love and mercies from on high, who sent to visit you; lest the Lord's hand, arm, and power, take hold swiftly upon you, which is now stretched over the world; that is turned against kings, and shall turn wise men backward, and will bring off their crowns to the dust, and lay them low and level with the earth. God and Christ will be king, who gives crowns to whomsoever obey his will; and this is the age wherein the Lord God of heaven and earth is staining the pride of man, and defacing his glory. So you that profess Christ, and do not love your enemies, but on the contrary do shut up and imprison them, who are his friends; these be marks that you be out of his life, and do not love Christ, who do not the things he commands. The day of the Lord's wrath is kindling, and his fire is going forth to burn up the wicked; which will leave neither root nor branch. They that have lost their habitation with God, be out of the spirit, that gave forth the scriptures, and from the light that Jesus Christ hath enlightened them withal; and so from the true foundation. Therefore be swift to hear, and slow to speak, and slower to persecute for the Lord is bringing his people to himself, from off all the world's ways, to Christ the way; and from off all the world's churches, to the church which is in God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; and from off all the world's teachers, to teach his people himself by his spirit; and from off all the world's images, into the image of himself; and from their likenes ses into his own likeness; and from off all the world's crosses of stone or wood, into his power, which is the cross of Christ. For all these images, and crosses, and likenesses, are among them, that are apostatised from the image of God, the power of God, which is the cross of Christ, which now fathoms the world, and is throwing down that which is contrary to it; which power of God never changes.

Let this go to the kings of France, and of Spain, and to the pope, for them to prove all things, and to hold that which is good. And first to prove, that they have not

quenched the spirit: for the mighty day of the Lord is come, and coming upon all wickedness, and ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men, who will plead with all flesh by fire and by sword. And the truth, and the crown of glory, and the scepter of righteousness over all shall be exalted; which shall answer that of God in every one upon the earth, though they be from it. Christ is come a light into the world, and doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world; that all through him might believe. He that feeleth the light that Christ hath enlightened him withal, he feeleth Christ in his mind, and the cross of Christ, which is the power of God; and he shall not need to have a cross of wood or stone, to put him in mind of Christ, or of his cross, which is the power of God manifest in the inward parts.'

G. F.

Besides this I was moved to write a letter to the Protector (so called) to warn him of the mighty work the Lord hath to do in the nations, and shaking of them; and to beware of his own wit, craft, subtilty and policy, or seeking any by-ends to himself.

There was about this time an order for the trying of ministers (so called) and for approving, or ejecting them out of their places or benefices; whereupon I writ a paper to the justices, and other commissioners, who were appointed to that work. Of which paper the copy here follows:

'Friends,

You that be justices, and in commission to try ministers, who have so long been in the vine-yard of God, now see, whether they be such, as are mentioned in the scriptures, whom the prophets, Christ and the apostles, did disapprove of; and if they be such as they disapproved then, see how ye can stand approved in the sight of God, to let such go into his vine-yard and approve of them; who will admire your persons, because of advantage, and if you do not give them advantage, they will not admire your persons. Such Jude speaks of. See if they be not such as teach for filthy lucre, for the love of money, covetous, such as love themselves, who have a form of godliness, but deny the power, from such the apostle bids turn away. The apostle said their mouths should be stopped who served not the Lord Jesus, but their own bellies, being evil beasts, slow bellies, who mind earthly things. Paul gave Timothy an order to try ministers by; he said, they must not be covetous, nor

given to wine, nor filthy lucre, nor a novice, lest being lifted up into pride, they fall into the condemnation of the devil: these he was to try and prove without partiality. Now take heed of your approving such as he disapproved, for since the apostles' days, such as he disapproved have had their liberty; and they have told us, the tongues were their original, and that they were orthodox men; and that the steeple-house, with a cross on the top of it, was the church (the papists' mass-house, you may look on the top of it, and see the sign.) But the scriptures tell us, all the earth was of one language before the building of Babel; and when Pilate crucified Christ, he set the tongues, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, on the top of him. And John tells us, that the beast had power over the tongues, kindreds, and nations; and that the whore sits upon the tongues, of whose cup all nations have drunk, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her; and John said, the tongues are waters. Christ gives marks to his disciples, and to the multitude, how to try such as these that you are to try. They are called of men master; they love the chiefest seat in the assemblies; they be sayers but not doers; and, said he, they shall put you out of the synagogues, and seven woes he denounced against them, and so disapproved them. Christ said false prophets should come, and John saw they were come; for they went forth from them, and since the world hath gone after them. But Babylon must be confounded, the mother of harlots, and the devil must be taken, and with him the beast, and the false prophet must be cast into the lake of fire; for the lamb and his saints over all must reign, and have the victory. The Lord God sent his prophets of old, to cry against the shepherds, that sought for the fleece, Ezek. 34. and to cry against such shepherds as seek for their gain from their quarter, and never have enough, Isa. 5. 6.; and to cry against the prophets that prophesied falsely, and the priests that bore rule by their means; which was the filthy and horrible thing, Jer. 5. And if you would forbear to give them means, you would see how long they would bear rule. There was in the old time a store-house for the fatherless, strangers, and widows, to come to and be filled, and they did not prosper then who did not bring their tithes to the store-house. But did not Christ put an end to that priesthood, tithes, temple, and priests? And doth not the apostle say, that the priesthood is changed, the law is changed, and the commandment disannulled? Might not they have pleaded the law of God that gave them tithes? Have ever any of the

priests prospered that take tithes since, by the law of man? Was not the first author of them since Christ's time the Pope, or some of his church? Did the apostles cast men into prison for tithes, as your ministers do now? As instance, Ralph Hollingworth, priest of Phillingham, for petty tithes, not exceeding six shillings, hath cast into Lincoln prison a poor thatcher, named Thomas Bromby, where he hath been about eight and thirty weeks, and still remains a prisoner. And the priest petitioned the judge that the poor man might not labour in the city to get a little money towards his maintenance in prison. Is this a good savour amongst you, that are in commission to chuse ministers? Is this glad tidings, to cast in prison a man that is not his hearer, because he could not put into his mouth? Can such as be in the fear of God, and in his wisdom, own such things? The ministers of Christ are to plant a vine-yard, and then eat of the fruit; to plough, sow, and thresh, and get the corn, and then let them reap; but not cast them into prison for whom they do no work. Christ, when he sent forth his ministers, bid them give freely as they had received freely; and into what city or town soever they came, inquire who were worthy, and there abide, and what they set before you (said he) that eat. And when these came back again to Christ, and he asked them if they wanted any thing, they said no. They did not go to a town and call the people together, to know how much they might have by the year, as these that are in the apostacy do now. The apostle said, have I not power to eat and to drink? But he did not say to take tithes, Easter-reckonings, Midsummer-dues, augmentations, and great sums of money; but have I not power to eat and to drink? And yet he did not use that power among the Corinthians. But they that are apostatized from him, will take tithes, great sums of money, Easterreckonings, and Midsummer-dues; and cast them into prison that will not give it them, whom they do no work for. The ox's mouth must not be muzzled that treads out the corn; but see if the corn be trodden out in you, and the wheat be in the garner. This is from a lover of your souls, and one that desires your eternal good.'

G. F.

Now after I had made some stay in the city of London, and had given forth the several foregoing papers, and cleared myself of what service lay upon me at that time there, I was moved of the Lord to go down into Bedfordshire to John Crook's house, where there was a great