again to the power, where he left; and what he went from, he must come down again to that. So now, before all these wicked spirits be got down, which are rambling abroad, friends must have patience, and must wait in the patience, and in the cool life; and who is in this, doing the work of the Lord, he hath the tasting and the feeling of the Lamb's power and authority. Therefore all friends, keep cool and quiet in the power of the Lord God; and all that is contrary will be subjected: the Lamb hath the victory, in the Seed, through the patience.

If any have been moved to speak, and have quenched that which moved them, let none such go forth afterward into words, until they feel the power to arise and move them thereto again: for after the first motion is quenched, the other part will be apt to get up; and if any go forth in that, he goeth forth in his own, and the betrayer will come into that.—And all friends, be careful not to meddle with the powers of the earth; but keep out of all such things and as ye keep in the Lamb's authority, ye will answer that of God in them, and bring them to do justice, which is the end of the law. And keep out of all jangling, for all that be in the transgression, they be out from the law of love, but all that be in the law of love, come to the Lamb's power, in the Lamb's authority, who is the end of the law outward. For the law being added because of transgression, Christ, who was glorified with the Father, before the world began, is the end of the law, bringing them that live in the law of life, to live over all transgression: which every particular must feel in himself.'

More was then spoken to many of these particulars, which were not taken at large as they were delivered.

me.

After this meeting was over, and most of the friends gone away, as I was walking in John Crook's garden, there came a party of horse, with a constable, to seize on 1 heard them ask who was in the house, and somebody made them answer I was there. They said I was the man they looked for; and went forthwith into the house, where they had many words with John Crook, and some few friends that were with him. But the Lord's power so confounded them, that they never came into the garden to look for me, but went their way in a rage. When I came into the house, friends were very glad to see them so confounded, and that I had escaped them. Next day I passed from thence, and after I had visited friends in several places as I went, I came to London, the Lord's

power accompanying me, and bearing me up in his ser

vice.

I had not been long come to London, before I heard that a Jesuit, who came over with an ambassador from Spain, had challenged all the Quakers to dispute with them at the earl of Newport's house: whereupon some friends let him know that we would meet him. Then he sent us word he would meet with twelve of the wisest learned men we had: awhile after he sent us word he would meet with but six; and after that he sent us word again he would have but three to come. We hastened what we could, lest, for all his great boast, he should put it quite off at last. When we were come to the house, I bid Nicholas Bond and Edward Burrough go up, and enter the discourse with him, and I would walk awhile in the yard, and then come up after them. I advised them to state this question to him, whether or no the church of Rome, as it now stood, was not degenerated from the true church, which was in the primitive times, from the life and doctrine, and from the power and spirit, that they were in? They stated the question accordingly, and the jesuit affirmed, that the church of Rome now was in the virginity and purity of the primitive church. By this time I was come to them. Then we asked him whether they had the Holy Ghost poured out upon them, as the apostles had? and he said, no. Then' said I, if ye have not the same Holy Ghost poured forth upon you, and the same power and spirit that the apostles had, then ye are degenerated from the power and spirit which the primitive church was in.' So there needed little more to be said to that. Then I asked him what scripture they had for setting up cloisters for nuns, abbeys and monasteries for men, and for all their several orders; and for their praying by beads, and to images, and for making crosses, and for forbidding of meats and marriages, and for putting people to death for religion? "If' said I, 'ye are in the practice of the primitive church, in its purity and virginity, then let us see by scriptures wherever they practised any such things.' (For it was agreed on both hands, that both he and we should make good by scriptures what we said.) Then he told us of a written word and an unwritten word. I asked him what he called his unwritten word: he said, "The written word is the scriptures, and the unwritten word is that which the apostles spake by word of mouth; which' said he, are all those traditions that we practise.' I bid him prove that by scripture. Then he brought the scripture, where the apostle says (2 Thess. ii. 5), "When I was with

'That is' said he,' I

you, I told you these things." told you of nunneries, and monasteries, and of putting to death for religion, and of praying by beads, and to images, and all the rest of the practices of the church of Rome, which he said, was the unwritten word of the apostles, which they told then, and have since been continued down by tradition unto these times.' Then I desired him to read that scripture again, that he might see how he had perverted the apostles' words; for that which the apostle there tells the Thessalonians, he had told them before, is not an unwritten word, but is there written down, namely, that the man of sin, the son of perdition shall be revealed, before that great and terrible day of Christ, which he was writing of, should come: so this was not telling them any of those things that the church of Rome practises. In like manner the apostle, in the third chapter of that epistle, tells the church of some disorderly persons, he heard were amongst them, busy-bodies, who did not work at all; concerning whom he had commanded them by his unwritten word, when he was among them, that if any would not work, neither should he eat; which now he commands them again in his written words in this epistle, 2 Thess. iii. So this scripture afforded no proof for their invented traditions; and he had no other scripture-proof to offer.' Therefore I told him, this was another degeneration of their church into such inventions and traditions as the apostles and primitive saints never practised.

After this he came to his sacrament of the altar, beginning at the pascal lamb, and the shew-bread; and so came to the words of Christ, "This is my body," and to what the apostle writ of it to the Corinthians; concluding, that after the priest had consecrated the bread and wine, it was immortal and divine, and he that received it, received the whole Christ. I followed him through the scriptures he brought, till I came to Christ's words and the apostle's; and I shewed him that the same apostle told the Corinthians, after they had taken bread and wine in remembrance of Christ's death, that they were reprobates, if Christ was not in them: but if the bread they ate was Christ, he must of necessity be in them, after they had eaten it. Besides, if this bread and this wine, which the Corinthians ate and drank, was Christ's body, then how hath Christ a body in heaven? I observed to him also, that both the disciples at the supper, and the Corinthians afterwards, were to eat the bread, and drink the wine in remembrance of Christ, and to shew forth his death, till he come ; which plainly proves, the bread and wine which they took

was not his body. For if it had been his real body that they ate, then he had been come, and was then there present; and it had been improper to have done such a thing in remembrance of him, if he had been then present with them; as he must have been, if that bread and wine, which they ate and drank, had been his real body. Then as to those words of Christ, "This is my body," I told him, Christ calls himself a vine, and a door, and is called in scripture a rock; Is Christ therefore an outward rock, door, or vine?'O,' said the jesuit, those words are to be interpreted:' So,' said I, are those words of Christ, this is my body. Now having stopped his mouth as to argument, I made the jesuit a proposal thus: That seeing he said the bread and wine was immortal and divine, and the very Christ, and that whosoever received it, received the whole Christ; let a meeting be appointed between some of them (whom the pope and his cardinals should appoint) and some of us; and let a bottle of wine and loaf of bread be brought, and divided each into two parts, and let them consecrate which of those parts they would. And then set the consecrated and the unconsecrated bread and wine in a safe place, with a sure watch upon it, and let trial thus be made: whether the consecrated bread and wine would not lose its goodness, and the bread grow dry and mouldy, and the wine turn dead and sour, as well and as soon as that which was unconsecrated. By this means, said I, the truth of this matter may be made manifest. And if the consecrated bread and wine change not, but retain their savour and goodness, this may be a means to draw many to your church: if they change, decay and lose their goodness, then ought you to confess, and forsake your error, and shed no more blood about it: for much blood hath been shed about these things, as in queen Mary's days. To this the jesuit made this reply: Take (said he) a piece of new cloth, and cut it into two pieces, and make two garments of it; and put one of them upon king David's back, and the other upon a beggar's, and the one garment shall wear away as well as the other.' 'Is this thy answer,' said I, Yes,' said he. Then,' said I, by this the company may all be satisfied that your consecrated bread and wine is not Christ. Have ye told people so long that the consecrated bread and wine was immortal and divine, and that it was the very and real body and blood of Christ, and dost thou now say it will wear away, or decay, as well as the other! I must tell thee, Christ remains the same to day as yesterday, and never decays; but is the saints' heavenly food in all generations, through which they have

life.' He replied no more to this, being willing to let it fall; for the people that were present saw his error, and that he could not defend it. Then I asked him why their church did persecute, and put people to death for religion. He replied, it was not the church did it, but the magis trates. I asked him whether those magistrates were not counted and called believers and Christians. He said 'Yes' Why then,' said I, are they not members of your church? Yes,' said he. Then I left it to the people to judge from his own concessions, whether the church of Rome doth not persecute, and put people to death for religion. Thus we parted; and his subtilty was comprehended by simplicity.

Now, during the times that I was at London, I had many services lay upon me; for it was a time of much suffering. And I was moved to write to Oliver Cromwell, and lay before him the sufferings of friends both in this nation and in Ireland. There was also a talk about this time of making Cromwell king: whereupon I was moved to go to him, and warned him against the same, and of divers dangers; which if he did not avoid, I told him he would bring a shame and ruin upon himself and his posterity. He seemed to take well what I said to him, and thanked me : yet afterwards I was moved to write unto him more fully concerning that matter.

About this time the lady Claypool (so called) was sick, and much troubled in mind, and could receive no comfort from any that came to her; which when I heard of, I was moved to write unto her this following letter:

'Friend,

"Be still and cool in thy own mind and spirit from thy own thoughts, and then thou wilt feel the principle of God, to turn thy mind to the Lord God, from whom life comes; whereby thou mayest receive his strength and power to allay all blusterings, storms and tempests. That is it which works up into patience, into innocency, into soberness, into stillness, into stayedness, into quietness up to God, with his power. Therefore mind, that is the word of the Lord God unto thee, that the authority of God thou mayest feel, and thy faith in that, to work down that which troubles thee; for that is it which keeps peace, and brings up the witness in thee, which hath been transgressed, to feel after God with his power and life, who is a God of order and peace. When thou art in the transgression of the life of God in thy own particular, the mind flies up in the air, and the creature is led into the night, and nature