ness, whoredom, and all unrighteousness God doth forbid. So consider, and be not deceived; 'Evil communication corrupts good manners.' Be not deceived, God will not be mocked with vain words; the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness. Therefore obey that which convinces you of all evil, and tells you that you should do no evil; it will lead you to repentance, and keep you in the fear of the Lord. look at the mercies of God, and prize them, and do not turn them into wantonness. O eye the Lord, and not earthly things!"

Besides this, I wrote the following to Colonel Barton, who was both a justice and a preacher, as was hinted before :--

"FRIEND, "Do not cloak and cover thyself; there is a God, who knoweth thy heart, and will uncover thee; he seeth thy way. "Woe be to him that covereth, and not with my Spirit,' saith the Lord. Dost thou do contrary to the law, and then put it from thee? Mercy and true judgment thou neglectest; look what was spoken against such. My Saviour said to such, 'I was sick and in prison, and ye visited me not; I was hungry, and ye fed me not; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in.' And when they said, 'When saw we thee in prison, and did not come to thee,' &c., he replied, 'Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of these little ones, ye did it not to me.' Thou hast imprisoned me for bearing witness to the life and power of truth, and yet thou professest to be a minister of Christ; but if Christ had sent thee, thou wouldst bring out of prison, and out of bondage, and wouldst receive strangers. Thou hast been wanton upon earth, thou hast lived plenteously, and nourished thy heart, as in a day of slaughter; thou hast killed the Just. O look where thou art, and how thou hast spent thy time! O remember thyself, and now, whilst thou hast time, prize it. Do not slight the free mercy, or despise the long-suffering of God, which is great salvation; but mind that in thee which doth convince, and would not let thee swear, nor lie, nor take God's name in vain. Thou knowest thou shouldst do none of these things; thou hast learned that which will condemn thee; therefore obey the light, which doth convince thee, forsake thy sins, and look at the mercies of God; and prize his love in sparing thee till now. The Lord saith, 'Look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved; cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils.' Prize thy time, and see whom thou servest; for his servant thou art whom thou dost obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousIf thou serve God, and fear him, thou wilt not blaspheme his name, or curse, or swear, or take his name in vain, or follow pleasures and wantonness, whoredom, and drunkenness, or wrath, or malice, or revenge, or rashness, or headiness, pride or gluttony, greediness, oppression, or covetousness, or foolish jestings, or vain songs. God doth forbid these things, and all unrighteousness. If thou profess God, and act any of these things, thou takest him for a cloak, and servest the Devil. Consider with thyself, and do not love that which God hateth. He that loveth God, keepeth his commandments. The Devil will tell thee, it is a hard thing to keep God's commandments; but it is an easy thing to keep the Devil's commandments,

ness.

and to live in all unrighteousness and ungodliness, turning the grace of God into wantonness. But let the unrighteous man forsake his ways, and turn unto me, saith the Lord, and I will have mercy. Turn ye, why will ye die? saith the Lord.'

"Howl, ye great ones, for the plagues are pouring out upon you! Howl, ye oppressors, for recompense and vengeance is coming upon you! Woe unto them that covetously join one house to another; and bring one field so nigh unto another that the poor can get no more ground, and that ye may dwell upon the earth alone; these things are in the ears of the Lord of Hosts. Woe unto him that covetously getteth evil-gotten goods into his house, that he may set his nest on high, to escape from the power of evil."

CHAPTER IV.

1650-1651.-A trooper visits George Fox from an inward intimation-declines a commission in the army, and is put in the dungeon-confutes one who denied Christ's outward appearance, from whence a slander is raised against Friendstestifies against capital punishments for small matters-writes for more speedy justice to prisoners-intercedes for the life of a young woman, imprisoned for stealing, who is brought to the gallows but reprieved, and afterwards convincedagain refuses to bear arms, and is committed close prisoner-writes to Barton and Bennet, justices, against persecution-addresses the convinced and tender people against hirelings-to the magistrates of Derby against persecution, and foretelling his own enlargement and their recompense-is greatly exercised for the wickedness of Derby-sees the visitation of God's love pass away from the town, and writes a lamentation over it-a great judgment fell upon the town -he is liberated after a year's imprisonment-visits Lichfield-preaches repentance through Doncaster-many dread "the man with leather breeches ". -goes to steeple-houses, as the apostles did to the temples, to bring people off from them -is denied entertainment, and ill-treated at some places-refuses to inform against his persecutors-many are convinced in Yorkshire, amongst others, Richard Farns worth, James Naylor, William Dewsbury, Justice Hotham, and Captain Pursloe.

WHILE I was yet in the House of Correction, there came unto me a trooper, and said, as he was sitting in the steeple-house, hearing the priest, exceeding great trouble came upon him; and the voice of the Lord came to him saying, "Dost thou not know that my servant is in prison? Go to him for direction." So I spoke to his condition, and his understanding was opened. I told him, that which showed him his sins, and troubled him for them, would show him his salvation; for he that shows a man his sin, is the same that takes it away. While I was speaking to him, the Lord's power opened him, so that he began to have a good understanding in the Lord's truth, and to be sensible of God's mercies; and began to speak boldly in his quarters amongst the soldiers, and to others, concerning truth (for the Scriptures were very much opened to him), insomuch that he said, “his colonel was as blind as Nebuchadnezzar, to cast the servant of the Lord into prison." Upon this his colonel had a spite against him; and at Worcester fight, the year after, when the two armies were lying near one another, two came out from the king's army, and challenged any two of the Parliament army to fight with them; his colonel made choice of him and another to answer the challenge. And when in the encounter his companion was slain, he drove both his enemies within musket-shot out of the town, without firing a pistol at them. This, when he returned, he told me with his own mouth. But when the fight was over, he saw the deceit and hypocrisy of the officers; and being sensible how wonderfully the Lord had preserved him, and seeing also to the end of fighting, he laid down his arms.

Now the time of my commitment to the house of correction being nearly ended, and there being many new soldiers raised, the commissioners

would have made me captain over them; and the soldiers said they would have none but me. * So the keeper of the house of correction was commanded to bring me before the commissioners and soldiers in the marketplace; and there they offered me that preferment, as they called it, asking me, if I would not take up arms for the Commonwealth against Charles Stuart? I told them, I knew from whence all wars arose, even from the lust, according to James's doctrine; and that I lived in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars. But they courted me to accept their offer, and thought I did but compliment them. But I told them, I was come into the covenant of peace, which was before wars and strifes were. They said, they offered it in love and kindness to me, because of my virtue; and such like flattering words they used. But I told them, if that was their love and kindness, I trampled it under my feet. Then their rage got up, and they said, "Take him away, jailer, and put him into the dungeon amongst the rogues and felons." So I was had away and put into a lousy, stinking place, without any bed, amongst thirty felons, where I was kept almost half a year, unless it were at times; for they would sometimes let me walk in the garden, having a belief that I would not go away. Now when they had got me into Derby dungeon, it was the belief and saying of people that I should never come out; but I had faith in God, and believed I should be delivered in his time; for the Lord had said to me before, that I was not to be removed from that place yet, being set there for a service which he had for me to do,

After it was noised abroad that I was in Derby dungeon, my relations came to see me again; and they were much troubled that I should be in prison; for they looked upon it to be a great shame to them for me to be imprisoned for religion; and some thought I was mad, because I advocated purity, and righteousness, and perfection.

Among others that came to see, and discourse with me, was a person from Nottingham, a soldier, that had been a Baptist (as I understood), and with him came several others. In discourse he said to me, "Your faith stands in a man that died at Jerusalem, and there never was any such thing." I was exceedingly grieved to hear him say so; and I said to him, "How! did not Christ suffer without the gates of Jerusalem through the professing Jews, and chief priests, and Pilate ?" And he denied that ever Christ suffered there outwardly. Then I asked him whether there were not chief priests, and Jews, and Pilate there outwardly? and when he could not deny that, then I told him, as certainly as there was a chief priest, and Jews, and Pilate there outwardly, so certainly was Christ persecuted by

* The English nation at this period was much engrossed with the great subjects of religion and politics, and both were mingled together in strange conjunction. The chief rulers of the Commonwealth, more especially Oliver Cromwell, had contrived to interweave their own views on spiritual matters into the minds of the soldiers; who, in those days, commonly united, with the profession of arms, the profession also of Christianity. The unsettled state of the country caused them to be stationed in considerable numbers in most of the principal towns of the north, where several of them had made acquaintance with George Fox during his imprisonment, and were so much impressed in his favour, that it appears they were desirous, as the time of his release drew near, to engage him in the capacity of their captain.

them, and did suffer there outwardly under them.

Yet from this man's

words was a slander raised upon us, that the Quakers denied Christ that suffered and died at Jerusalem; which was all utterly false, and the least thought of it never entered our hearts; but it was a mere slander cast upon us, and occasioned by this person's words. The same person also said, that never any of the prophets, or apostles, or holy men of God, suffered any thing outwardly; but all their sufferings were inward. But

I instanced to him how many of them suffered, and by whom they suffered and so was the power of the Lord brought over his wicked imaginations.

There came also another company to me, that pretended they were triers of spirits; I asked them what was the first step to peace, and what it was by which a man might see his salvation? and they were presently up in the airy mind, and said I was mad. Thus they came to try spirits, who did not know themselves, nor their own spirits.

In this time of my imprisonment, I was exceedingly exercised about the proceedings of the judges and magistrates in their courts of judicature. I was moved to write to the judges concerning their putting men to death for cattle, and money, and small matters; and to show them how contrary it was to the law of God in old time; for I was under great suffering in my spirit because of it, and under the very sense of death; but standing in the will of God, a heavenly breathing arose in my soul to the Lord. Then did I see the heavens opened, and I rejoiced, and gave glory to God. So I wrote to the judges as follows:

"I AM moved to write unto you to take heed of putting men to death for stealing cattle or money, &c. ; for thieves in the old time were to make restitution; and if they had not wherewith, they were to be sold for their theft. Mind the laws of God in the Scriptures, and the Spirit that gave them forth; let them be your rule in executing judgment; and show mercy, that you may receive mercy from God, the judge of all. Take heed of gifts and rewards, and of pride; for God doth forbid them; they blind the eyes of the wise. I do not write to give liberty to sin; God hath forbidden it; but that you should judge according to his laws, and show mercy for he delighteth in true judgment and in mercy. I beseech you to mind these things, and prize your time, now you have it: fear God, and serve him; for he is a consuming fire.'

Besides this, I wrote another letter to the judges, to this effect :"I AM moved to write unto you that ye do true justice to every man; and see that none be oppressed, or wronged, or any oaths imposed; for the land mourneth because of oaths, and adulteries, and sorceries, and drunkenness, and profaneness. O consider, ye that are men set in authority be moderate, and in lowliness consider these things. Show mercy to

:

the fatherless, to the widows, and to the poor; and take heed of rewards or gifts, for they blind the eyes of the wise; the Lord doth loathe all such. Love mercy and true judgment, justice, and righteousness, for the Lord delighteth therein. Consider these things in time, and take heed how ye spend your time. Now ye have time, prize it; and show mercy, that