I. MY FRIEND, Whomsoever Thou art that deals in Slaves, or hath had any Fellowship therewith, in the Love of God that desires the Peace and the Restora­tion of the whole Creation, do I now Salute Thee, that thou mayest consider that Principle and Foundation on which this Practice stands, since for every idle Word we must give an Account, and on all our Actions are established an Eter­nity, and whomsoever we yield our selves to Obey, his Servants we are, whether of Sin unto Death, or of Obedience unto Life.

II. For what comes from God, leads unto God; and what comes from the De­vil [Page 2] (who became such by Rebellion) un­to Death and Hell, where he is Centred; from whom, all Wrath and Violence pro­ceeded. He was not Created such, nor his Angels, as is observed in the Epi­stle of Jude, that they fell from their first Estate, and from their Habitations God created them in: Which great Fall and Debasement to Lucifer, so proud a Spirit that he is termed the Son of the Morning, and being thus defeated in his evil Purpose, raised in him a Princi­ple of Envy against God, and all the Cre­ation, which the Lord made very good, according to his own Nature, and made Man the Top of the Creation, a living Soul, an Image of his own Eternity, who is all Love and Goodness in himself, and his Works are accordingly; and while Man stood in this upright Life, all was perfect Peace and Love, throughout the whole Creation of God, until Evil was introduced by the Insinuations of the Ser­pent, that envy'd the Happiness thereof, and enticed our first Parents to Eat of the forbidden Fruit, that was good of it self, being created by the Lord, but Evil unto them, in that they disobey'd the Holy Commandment. So that the Lord Cre­ated not Death, neither, has he Pleasure [Page 3] in the Destruction of the Living, but thro' Envy of the Devil came Death into the World; and they that do hold on his Side, do find it so, drawing it to them, by Disobedience; as Eve immediately and Adam Instrumentally, giving Ear to the Temptation, whereby the Mind be­came captivated to Lust, which being Conceived brought forth Sin, and Sin finished brought forth Death, both to the inward and the outward Man, and a Suffering and Degeneracy, throughout the whole Creation, which groans and travels in Pain to be Delivered, even un­til now, through the Evil Property and barbarous Disposition of the Natural Man; yet through the Mercy and good Will of God, in the Promised Seed of the Woman, he was not thus left, but put in a Capacity of being restored to his Original Purity and Uprightness, where­by he Governs the Creation, in Love and Tenderness, that they partake of the Benefit of his Redemption.

III. And these two Births are emi­nently shewed unto us in Cain and Abel; Abel's Geniture being of the Lord, through the Promised Seed, unto which he was united, gave his Sacrifice Accep­tance, [Page 4] which raised Envy in Cain, who rejecting this high Birth, as many now do, he became One with the Evil Pro­perty that was introduced by his Father the Devil; and his Works of Violence and Oppression (the height of Wicked­ness in respect to Men) he brought forth, which in Time spread over the whole Earth, for which the Lord destroyed them by the Deluge: And thus Cain's Race ended, but his Image and Life re­mains in all them that Act in the same Principle.

IV. Neither can these Negroes be proved, by any Genealogy, the Seed of Ham, whom Noah Cursed not, saith Josephus as being too nigh of Blood: But Noah's Curse on Canaan the youngest Son of Ham, is thought a suitable original for the Negro Trade: But the Curse is not so extensive, as you would have it, but is thus expressed, Cursed be Canaan, a Servant of Servants shall he be, unto his Brethren. So that he was to Serve the meanest of the Offspring of Shem and Japheth; but the Time came that the Canaanites were destroyed with a Mighty Destruction, according to the Promise of the Lord, D [...]. vii. 23. and Josephus, [Page 5] Lib. 4. Chap. 8. and other places. And their Land given unto the Seed of Abra­ham, as the Lord shewed him in a Vision, when he sojourned therein amongst the Canaanites, that then had Possession of it, Genesis xii. 6, 7. also Judges the v. De­borah in her Song, rejoyces that the very Stars in their Courses fought against Sisera, which is more fully expressed by Josephus, Lib. 5. Chap. 1. & 6. that the Lord fought against the Canaanites, with Hosts of Judgments, until they were destroyed: So that their Race is ended, as well as that Dispensation; how then can these Negroes or Indians be Slaves to Christians, who are the Lord's Free­men? But if these Negroes are Slaves of Slaves, according to the Curse; Whose Slaves then must their Masters be?

V. It was the Murderous Spirit of the Brethren of Joseph, that Sold him to the Ishmaelites, the Seed of the Bond-Wo­man, and they again Sold him into E­gypt, add though they paid for him by Bargain Twenty Pieces of Silver, yet it did not excuse them from Theft, as we may see by the Testimony of that Righ­teous Man, when in the Dungeon, Indeed, (saith he) I was stoln out of the Land of [Page 6] the Hebrews, Gen. xl 15. And those things being Writ for our Learning, let us shun their Sins, that we may escape their Punishments; for God is a God of Justice, by whom Actions are weighed, who regards all his Works, and will Recompence all Wrongs; and it is as consistent with his Justice to Revenge the Cause of the Oppressed, as it is with his Mercy to Reward the Just.

VI. And what greater Unjustice can be Acted, than to Rob a Man of his Liberty, which is more Valuable than Life; and especially after such a manner as this, to take a Man from his Native Country, his Parents and Brethren, and other natural Enjoyments, and that by Stealth, or by way of Purchase from them that have no Right to sell them, whereby thou receivest the Theft, which is as bad. And take them amongst a People of a strange Language, and unnatural Cli­mates, which is hard for them to bear whose Constitutions are tendered by the Heat of their Native Country; for God that made the World, and all Men of one Blood, that dwell upon the Face of the Earth, has appointed them Bounds of their Habitations, Acts, 17.26. Shall we [Page 7] we then undertake to remove them, wheresoever Interest shall lead us, to sell them for Slaves, Husband from Wife, and Children from both, like Beasts, with all their Increase, to the vilest of Men, and their Offspring after them, to all Eternity: Oh! hard Lot! Oh! Eternal sinking in Iniquity; without Bottom or Bounds, as to the Will of Man, therefore as Jacob said, of Simeon and Levi, In­struments of Cruelty are in their Habitations; O my Soul, come not thou into their Secret, nor be united in their Assembly; for in their Anger they slew a Man, (but these have slain many) Cursed be their Anger, for it is fierce, & their Wrath, for it is cruel, to keep the Creature thus in Bondage, whereby we entail Sin on our Posterity, ad Infinitum, tho' our Saviour says, he that dies therein, where he is gone shall never come. Like the Jews when they crucified Christ, de­sired his Blood might remain on them and their Children; and yet so blind were they, as many are now, thro' being ac­customed to Sin, that they see not this Trade to be an Evil, tho' it is manifest to a Child in the Light: But if the Light in us becomes Dark, how great is that Darkness, that sees not the Ground and Tendency of this Practice, and the De­sign [Page 8] of the Enemy against the Church of Christ, in causing the Name of God to be Profaned, and the Truth to be Evil spoken of; as though the Principles thereof led to it; which has Scandalized and hindered the Gospel of Christ a­mong the Heathen, and Burthened the Upright, and offended tender seek­ing Souls, and caused them to dwell as alone, from all Societies, where this Practice is indulged, and especially in the Ministry, lest they should have Fellowship with that, that contradicts the Gospel of Christ; and yet desires no­thing more, than to be One with the Spirits of those that are not defiled with this Iniquity, that now Works in the Mystery, in this Time of Peace, a­mongst those that pretend to the Dis­pensation of the Son of God, and yet have not fulfilled the Law of Moses, un­to which Negroe Masters would recur for the Justification of their Practice; but let all such be Silent in the Cause of the Gospel, neither let them charge the Law of God foolishly, which expressly forbids either the Stealing of Men, or the receiving them, under the Penalty of Death. Ex. 21.16. Therefore deceive not thy own Soul, for according to thy [Page 9] Sowing so shall thy Reaping be; if to the Flesh, Corruption, but if to the Spirit, Everlasting Life.

VII. Had Friends, stood clear of this Practice, that it might have been answer­ed to the Traders in Slaves, That there is a People call'd Quakers in Pensilvania, that will not own this Practice in Word or Deed, then would they have been a burning and a shining Light to these poor Heathen, and a Precedent to the Nations throughout the Universe, which might have brought them to have seen the Evil of it in themselves, and glori­fyed the Lord on our Behalf, and like the Queen of the East to have admired the Glory and Beauty of the Church of God. But instead thereof, the tender Seed in the Honest-hearted is under Suf­fering, to see both Elders and Ministers as it were cloathed with it, and their Offspring after them filling up the Mea­sure of their Parents Iniquity; which may be suffered till such Time that Re­compence from him that is just to all his Creatures, opens that Eye the God of this World has blinded. Tho' I would not be understood to pervert the Order of the Body, which consists of Servants and Masters, and the Head cannot say [Page 10] to the Foot, I have no need of thee; but it is the Converting Men's Liberty to our Wills, who have not, like the Gibeonites, offered themselves willingly, or by Con­sent given their Ear to the Door-post, but are made such by Force, in that Na­ture that desires to Lord it over their Fellow-Creatures, is what is to be ab­horred by all Christians.

VIII. Love to God, and Hospitality to Strangers, was recommended under all Dispensations, Whereby, saith the A­postle, some have entertained Angels una­wares, whose Mission was to the righ­teous Souls that sought the Good of all Men; as was testified of just Lot, that his righteous Soul was grieved with So­dom's Filthiness, which by the Apostle is linked with Murderers of Fathers, and Murderers of Mothers, and Men-stealers, all which by the Law are under the Sentence of Death. And were you so living in the Body as to be sensible of the Suf­ferings, some Souls go through on this Account, surely you would not be guilty of it, but act as they that shall be judg­ed by the Law of Liberty. Besides, how can a Christian, zealous for the Name and Cause of Jesus, desire those in [Page 11] his Family, that are not of the same Belief with him. Was it not the Mind of Jo­shua, tho' under the Law, that he and his House would serve the Lord.

IX. Also Abraham, in whose righ­teous Seed all the Families of the Earth are blessed, is eminent for his Regard to the Lord's Covenant, in that he cau­sed all his Houshold, both Children and Servants, whether born in his House, or bought with Money, to be circum­cised with him, that they might keep the Way of the Lord,Gen. xviii. 9. So that herein Abraham fought them to the Lord, in the Faith, which was account­ed to him for Righteousness, and his End was answered, for Abraham belie­ved God with all his House, which, had he come by them as we do by the Ne­groes, or Indian Slaves, they would hard­ly have regarded Abraham, or believed in the Lord, or his Ordinance. But does this appear in this Trade, that we seek them to the Lord and his Gospel, or their Liberty and Property to us and our Children, let the Impartial judge, since we go for them for that very End: Therefore you are short of the Law, which must be fulfilled before a higher [Page 12] Dispensation is known, which Moses te­stifyed of, that those Souls that would not obey should be cut off; yet Moses was faithful in that Dispensation, in mi­nistring to Pharaoh and Egypt for their Oppression. And tho' they held Israel as an Abomiation, yet it did not excuse them from being overthrown, and brand­ed accordingly with the Name of the House of Bondage throughout all Genera­tions. And then Israel could not offer their Offerings, neither could they sing the Lord's Song in the strange Land, but hung their Harps on the Willows when they were captivated in Babylon, whom John the Divine saw should be o­verthrown, as a great Milstone in the Sea. Then will the Saints be glad and rejoice, that have not defiled themselves with any of her Merchandize, the worst of which is Slaves and Souls of Men; and those Virgin Souls, whose Garments are not spotted with the Flesh, but are thus redeemed from the Earth, can sing the Song of Moses the Servant of God, and the Song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy Works, Lord God Al­mighty! just and true are thy Ways, thou King of Saints! Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorifie thy Name! for thou [Page 13] only art Holy, for all Nations shall come and worship before thee, for thy Judgments are made manifest. And when we wit­ness this Gospel, Oh! how does the Love of God in us abound, for the Wel­fare and Restoration of every living Creature, and especially Mankind, that we may be redeemed from Babylon's Sins, whereby we may escape her Plagues.

X. But to return to the Law, that was given to a hard-hearted People, un­to whom many Things were suffered on that Account, that they made Captives of those they were at War with, and drove out the Inhabitants that possessed the promised Land, which they had for­feited by their Wickedness; but what is that to us, who are not at War with these Negroes, neither can we say their Country is given unto us, or that we have a Command or a Dispensation for the Trade; (a Permission you have, and so had Judas to betray Christ, and so do you betray the Truth for Gain) yet ready are you to fasten on the hardest Thing that was suffered to them, while you pretend to the Dispensation of that Grace and Truth that comes by Jesus Christ. Yet even amongst the Jews, if [Page 14] One became poor, to be sold unto a Brother, or to a Stranger, any of his Kin may redeem him; or, if able, he may redeem himself; and the Price of his Redemption shall be according to the Number of Years to the Year of Jubilee; and if he fails of these Opportunities of Redemption, the Jubilee shall release him, not only from Servitude, but shall restore him to his Family and Possession.

XI Also, according to the Law of God, Exod. xxii. 3. if a Thief cannot make full Restitution to the Owner, he shall be sold for his Theft; which Law, were it in Force now, or Thieves con­fined to Bridewels according to demerit, would more suppress Theft than Cutting them off in their Sins; for Idleness be­ing generally the Cause, it might be re­moved by teaching them Labour, which may redound both to their and the pub­lick Benefit, and give them Opportunity to go out of the World in a better Con­dition. Or if our Minerals or Manu­factures were improved by the Labour of such Criminals, they would be a li­ving Testimony, to warn others by their Bondage and Slavery, and a just Recom­pence for their idle Practices, which lie [Page 15] heavy on those that have done us no Wrong: Yet in that Love that cements the whole Creation, and beareth all Things, I would advise my Brethren whether Indian, Moor or Tawney Slave for whom Christ has suffered, therefore let us his Creatures submit with Patience to what our Lord has permitted in this World, as believing that there is an E­ternal Region which swallows up this, wherein he will vindicate his Justice. Therefore for his Sake who suffered for us, in whom we may be free indeed, and over the Heads of our Oppressors, and over our present Suffering, whereby we may chearfully, for our little Time here, fulfil our daily Task, and gain the Love of those we are under in the Land of our Captivity, which will prevent evil Words amongst us, and Severity and Cruelty to­wards us, or otherwise they will treasure up unto themselves Wrath against the Day of Wrath, when we possess a boundless Liberty, in our eternal Habitations, in which we have a large Room when we are centred thereto.

Also if any are under, or liable to be under the Sentence of Death for Theft, let them submit unto it as just unto them, having broken a known Law which ought [Page 16] to have been obeyed, not only with Re­gard to the Natural Life, but in an espe­cial Regard to its striking at Unjustice, which leads to an eternal Death; there­fore with Submission to the Law of Man, but chiefly with true Repentance before our Lord that was crucified between the Thieves for Sinners, let us, like the pe­nitent One on the Cross, confess to the Justness thereof for our evil Deeds, and seek unto Him for Mercy, in which Con­dition he was received into the Lord's Favour; therefore despair not; yet, as the Other was hardned, presume not. Tho' certain it is, they suffered under the Power of Darkness in the Jews which rejected the Son to set free Bar­rabbas the Murderer, and they crucified the Thieves, all which is contrary to the express Letter of the Law of God, and the Law of Equity, which goes no far­ther for Theft than to make Restitution in Substance or Service, which is more fully expressed by Josephus, Lib. 4. ch. 8. which our Friend George Fox preached in his Time, as answering the Law of God, and the just Principle in all, which was before Transgression was, or the Law against Sin was, which is holy just and good in its Ministration of Judgment, [Page 17] against all Transgression, and is an Evi­dence to such as break it, how far short they are of the Ministration of Righ­teousness in the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ, which contradicts not, nor falls short of, but fulfils the outward Law, which is so exact in the Ministration of Justice and Equity, that it ap­points Breach for Breach, Eye for Eye, Tooth for Tooth, Burning for Burning, and Blood for Blood, and that one Man­ner of Law shall be as well for the Stran­ger as for one of their own Country, Lev. xxiv. 20. which also commands that they neither vex a Stranger, nor oppress him, seeing they were Strangers in the Land of Egypt, Ex. xxii. 21. And it ma­ny Times occurring that these Strangers the Negroes, have not the same Admi­nistration of the Law to them as is to others, and that the Whites also are li­able to the Sentence of Death for Theft, which being contrary to the Law of God, and through the Regard which tender-minded People have to the Life of Man, hinders them from prosecuting the Law on Thieves, or Serving in Offices, or on Juries, tho' best qualified for such Servi­ces, and would be very glad to the ut­most of their Power to suppress Theft, [Page 18] or any other National Evil, but dare go no farther than the Law of God admits of, therefore cannot be instrumental to hurry into Eternity such unhappy Crea­tures, who being void of the Fear of God, and under the Instigations of the Devil, would rather hazard an untimely Death than be confined to labour for an honest Livelyhood; But when the Sen­tence of Death is passed on them, and they wait for their eternal Habitations according to their Deeds, the Deceit of the Enemy is then discovered, and his false Supports fall, and they with them, into the most miserable Condition, that they would then be glad of the worst Terms of Labour, which before a small Share for their Crimes (it being the An­tidote for Idleness) or Captivity, the Re­verse of Nature, which will subdue the wildest of Creatures) might have pre­vented, as some Parts of the World have had good Experience of. And these Things bearing upon my Spirit, under Suffering with the Afflicted, that their Cause may be considered; it is not that Sin should be countenanced, which God hath forbidden, but that Judgment may be mixed with Mercy, according to the Law of God, which has such Regard to [Page 19] Mercy, which always was to overshadow the Judgment-Seat, that it enjoyns Com­passion, not only to the Widow and Fa­therless, and Strangers, and Servants, but even to the inferiour Creatures, tho' they belonged to an Enemy, as Ex. xxiii. 4, 5. If thou meet thine Enemy's Ox, or his Ass, going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again; and if thou see the Ass of him that hateth thee, lying un­der his Burden, thou shalt surely help with him. And the 12th Verse, Six Days thou shalt do thy Work, and on the Seventh Day thou shalt rest, that thine Ox and thine Ass may rest. But perhaps thou'lt say then, Doth God take Care for Oxen? Yes, verily, the Law hath so guarded against the hard-hearted Jews, that it tenderly regards the very Birds of the Air, that if thou find one of their Nests by the Way as thou goest, that the Dam should not be taken with the Young; and tho' five of them should be sold for one Farthing, yet not without the Father, unto whom every Hair of our Head is numbred; then if I abuse one of them, will it not groan unto its Creator, who made it of his good Pleasure, and every Thing that hath Breath gives him Praise; who when he was intreated for Nineveh, [Page 20] the Seat of Violence, he had a Regard also for the Cattle, and does hear their innocent Complaint; as we see, when Balaam in his Anger smote the Ass with a Staff, that the Lord opened the Mouth of the Ass to reprove the wrathful Pro­phet, who coveted the Gain which the Righteous-Seed cannot live on, or sub­mit unto. A good Man, saith Solomon, is merciful to his Beast: The Beast serves us, and should we not be ungrateful for their Service if we take not due Care of them: For the Nature and Spirit of a Man may be known by his Government over the inferior Creatures, which the Lord created for his Glory, and the Ac­commodation of Man. And should not we, in Love and Thankfulness to him that made them (in which Sense we are Brethren) and in Gratitude for their Ser­vice, take Care that they have Food and Rest, and what else is convenient for them? and not only for our own Profit, but from a Principle of Justice in my self: For should I receive Benefits from them, and yet be so barbarous as to de­ny them what is necessary, then certainly I have estrayed from the righteous Law of God written on my Heart. And if I should kill or torment any of God's [Page 21] Creatures, only to satisfie my Will, I act unjustly, and shew forth the Tor­mentor my Master, and the same Mea­sure will be mete to me again; and tho' it were a Snake, or a Beast of Prey, let us take Care of entring into the same Beastly Property to destroy it. The Creature made not it self, nor was it cre­ated in vain. Neither should we oppress the Creation, by coveting to winter more Creatures than we have provided suffi­ciently for. Would this be doing as we would be done by? Were we going a Voy­age to Sea, would we not lay in Store for the worst Weather and the longest Time? in which Duty the very Bee and the Ant are Instruction to us; and shall we want Wisdom, or neglect to provide for the Creatures under our Charge, when our Interest is bound up therein? Neither should we deface their Beauty, by Cut­ting off their Ears, or other Ornaments which God has given them, according to his Law in Nature, for Defence from Flies and Weather; and yet we go to the very Indies for Fans and Umbrella's, which are for the same Service to us; for which the very Indians upbraid us, for Robbing the Creatures of their natu­ral Covering, and yet cover our selves [Page 22] with borrowed Hair, which is unnatural, which shews the great Degeneracy & Fall of Man from his first Creation; but as Man comes to be restored again thereto, thro' Christ, he acts in that Nature, which can­not exert it self otherwise than in pure Love and Tenderness towards all the Creation of God. And were we come to this innocent Life, of doing as we would be done by throughout all the Creation, whereby we could not inculcate any Principles in our Children, that proceed from the wrathful Nature, then should we much more enjoy our selves, and they would easily be subdued by Love, which universally governs without a Sword, so that the very dumb Creatures have a Sense of it, and are governed by such in Peace, not finding Matter to raise the wrathful Nature in them: For as Love begets Love, so does Wrath beget Wrath, and they that take up the Sword shall perish by it: So that every Sin brings its own Suffering; as we may observe by our neighbouring Province of South-Ca­rolina, when the Inhabitants in their Commerce with the Indians, would force their Wives or Captives from them, tho' for Debt, for which they sold them for Slaves; which when the Indians beheld, [Page 23] it soon raised the same Property in them, to the Loss of many Lives, and the de­molishing of their Situations; and many fled in Canoes and Periagua's to Sea for Safety, rather than expose themselves to the Fury of the Indians; who before were a peaceable People to them that were in Peace; which gave Robert Bar­row and Company Victory over them, and was their Safeguard beyond the Sword, and remains so throughout all Generations; which gave them Occasion to bless the Lord, who removed their Indian Captive by Death, that nothing might appear to contradict that Love which united us in the Beginning as Bre­thren, by whom we were supported, which in Gratitude makes them near un­to us, who made Room for us without Resistance, as a Land given unto us by the Providence of God, which the Sword could never have done; and they as a wise People perceived these Things, and may judge many of us, that have betray­ed their Innocency by our evil Exam­ple, being derogated from that Love which might have been a Means of Bap­tizing them into the Nature of the Gos­pel, both the Indians and the Ethiopians also, which excepts not nor despises any for [Page 24] their Complections: Remember Miriam was smote for it with a Leprosy, tho' under the Law, being gone from the Testimony, which is the same in Male or Female, White or Black, whereby we are brought into Favour with the Lord; as in the Time of the Prophets, when Jeremiah was under Suffering in the Dungeon, the only Interceder for his Liberty was Ebedmelech. the Ethi­opian, for which he was singularly in the Lord's Favour, and rewarded according­ly, as one that put his Trust in the Lord, Jer. xxxix. 18. Also under the Gospel, there was not the least Exception against the believing Ethiopian's partaking of the Priviledge of Baptism; therefore let us not forbid or hinder them to be baptized, but stand clear of these Things, which the righteous Seed throughout the Uni­verse (which makes up the true Church) is redeemed from, who are in the Faith that a more general Purgation will be, whereby numberless Numbers will be brought in, and the Lyon's Nature will be subdued by the Lamb's, that the Child may play with the Asp at the Mouth of the Cockatrice's Den; for not any Thing hurts or destroys in this Prin­ciple, neither makes afraid. But what [Page 25] have they to do with Peace, who would impose that on another they would not bear themselves? Did not they lay a Precedent to the Indians, or Turks, or Spaniards, to do to them as they had done to other Nations? And what can we say against Bondage for Bondage? Which caused the Legislative Power, wisely to make Laws against making or receiving Indian Slaves, seeing the Evil Ground, and the Fruit it brought forth; for every Principle acts in its own Centre in Nature, as the Loadstone draws what has Affinity with it self. So when the Sun draws up the Clouds from the Sea, which empty themselves over the Uni­verse, how industriously does it center towards the Ocean again, from whence it was raised, and had its own Being. So what has its Original from Covetousness, which is the Root of all Evil, and so leads to Wrath and Violence to effect it, must needs leaven us into the same Na­ture, that we may support it by the same Power; therefore we cannot expect That to be blessed to us, which is the Product from an Evil Root, for then Satan would be divided against himself.

[Page 26]XII. Tho' I am sensible that some well-meaning People have unthinkingly run into it, neglecting the Oracle of God, have looked at others, and especially those who have presumed to mention the Lord's Name, and to take his Cove­nant into their Mouths, who are the greatest of Deceivers, and have betrayed them into this Practice, as if it was no Evil, till they have seen their own Cap­tivity and Bondage, and that they have been led astray by the others Hypocrisy, & then they would gladly have been clear, and to have come to their former Con­dition; for whose Sakes am I thus con­cerned, that you may wait upon the Lord to know his Will concerning you, who is able and willing to help the Sin­cere out of it, that would freely part with all for his Sake, and their own Re­demption, knowing that Sin must bear his Judgments, that we fall not short of his Mercies; for how can any Man in this Gospel Dispensation, whose Con­science is not seared, die in Peace, to leave these poor Creatures in such un­happy Circumstances; for though their Matter might grant them all Enjoyments but Liberty, how does he know what [Page 27] barbarous Hands they may fall into when he is gone, which then would make their Bondage and Severity more grievous to them; which often happens; for those that are trained up in this Sin, become more hard & dark than the rest of humane Race; which I have often experienced in my Travels amongst Men concerned; and the more Men have pretended to Religion, the more dark have they been, striving to cover their Sin.

XIII. Which leads me to caution all that have not defiled themselves there­with, to shun it as thou valuest thine own Soul, which should be more to thee than the Gain of the whole World; that if thy Father should offer to give thee Slaves, center thou to the WIT­NESS of JESUS in thy Soul, which cannot consent to Sin, and in the Openings of the Universal Love of God in Christ for all Mankind, resist the Temptation, whereby thou mayst come over thy Parents for Good, by thy de­nying an Interest so near to thee. I offer nothing but what I desire to rule my Life by, and take to my own Soul, un­der the same Temptation; for I am so far from any Antipathy to the Black [Page 28] People, that if it was a Trade ordained of God, I would lay out my Interest that Way.

But I have not so learned Christ, as to think, much less to believe, that the E­ternal Love of the Father, in him that suffered that ignominious Death of the Cross, for the Redemption of the whole Creation, should allow his Followers in the most arbitrary and Tyrannical Op­pression that Hell has invented on this Globe; which would better become the Religion of Mahomet, which was intro­duced by humane Force, than for the Ministers of the Prince of Peace: For he that would propagate the Gospel thereby destroy it. Therefore let us wait for Access to the Throne of Grace, that we may have Admittance to the Balance of the Sanctuary, to weigh these Things; and then put in thy Lordliness and Riches, and Estates founded on Op­pression; and tho' thou hast built a Town with Blood, and established a City with Iniquity; and thou could'st put in the Glory of the whole World, which pas­seth away, and is but according to the Prince of the Power of the Air; and then see if it will answer to the Loss of eternal Riches, to thy Soul, which cost [Page 29] the Blood of thy Redeemer; under the Sense of which am I thus drawn forth unto thee, that if it should please the Lord I might be of Service but to one Soul, I should be sufficiently recompen­ced for my thus exposing my self to the Censures of Men; and for this Labour of Love, and the Groans and Supplications that have been offered up unto the Lord Night and Day, that this Trade, with the whole Train of Iniquity attending it, might be swept out of all Churches that make Mention of thy Name; that the Knowledge of thee, the Lord, might spread over the Universe, whom to know is Life eternal; that thy Gos­pel may be preach'd in the true Property of it, to the Drawing in of Souls unto thee; that the Light of the Moon may be as the Sun, and the Light of the Sun as Seven Days; and that all Op­pression and Violence, that has hindred the Progress of thy Truth, may be cen­tred, with the Author thereof, to the Pit that is Bottomless.

XIV. And tho' I esteem my self les than the least of all his Mercies, and the unworthiest to offer my Mite, yet the Lord knows the Sufferings I have gone [Page 30] through on this Account, and especially by False Brethren, who, like Korah, Dathan and Abiram, have known the Work of the Lord, and his Deliverance through the Sea, from the Oppressors who were overthrown therein, yet after­wards return to the same Nature which strikes at the Life of the true Seed; to fit under their Ministry, but more to join with their Spirits in Prayer, who are Spots in our Feasts of Charity, which is Love; though I would not be under­stood to despise the least Child in the Truth, that may offer a few Words in Prayer or Praise, tho' never so brokenly, if in the Life and Sense of what is offer­ed; but it is those that have covenanted with this Iniquity, for themselves and their Posterity to all Eternity; there­fore, saith Drixelex, shall Men be pun­ished to Eternity because they would Sin to Eternity; even as God is eternal; if he would suffer it, which burdens the Church, and the true Ministers thereof, with the dry Repetition of their old Ex­periences; and no Marvel, for Satan himself is transformed like unto an Angel of Light, and his Ministers according to the Ministers of Righteousness, whose End shall be according to their Works, [Page 31] and tho' they might have been of Service in Time past, yet if thro' their wicked Lives and Practices the Power with­draws, let not such Spirits usurp Autho­rity to teach in the Church, who are worse than those that withstood Moses; or that shipwrack Faith and a good Con­science in an open Apostacy, are not so pernicious, as this Practice in those that are esteemed Ministers of the Son of God, and are owned and suffered in the Chur­ches, to tell of the Goodness of the Lord in the Form and Words of Truth, and yet deny him in Actions; which leads the young Generation that have not known the Lord, nor yet the Works that he has done for Israel, to think Friends were thus in the Beginning; but my Soul, in Fellowship with them in the Spirit, hath witnessed better Tidings of them, who quitted themselves like Men, and the Lord's Power and Spirit was with them, in their Labours and Sufferings, under Oppression even unto Death, in which they rejoiced, that they were counted worthy to suffer with the Seed that Suf­fered, which forever reigns over the Heads of Oppressors, tho' they may wrongfully assume their Names, and their Master, and his Gospel, which is clear, [Page 32] and denies all such that would introduce this abominable Practice into the Church of Christ, which ministers Death and Darkness over the Churches; like the fallen Star that opened the Bottomless Pit, and let out the Smoke thereof, which darkned the very Sun and Air, and even perverts the very Order of the Cre­ation, that not any thing therein has its natural Savour, while such a Darkness has happened to those that bear the Name of our worthy Elders, should so lay waste their Testimonies which they maintained with their Blood; for had you denyed them and their Master, you had never been capable of plunging my Soul into such Sufferings and Death, where I had been swallowed up, and re­mained unto Eternity, had not the Lord, who is rich in Mercy, given me a secret Hope which sustained me, and shewed me his Way in the Sea, and his Paths in the great Waters, where he anchored my Soul unto himself, from all Flesh; and brought to my Remembrance his Works of Old, and the Times that were past, when his Candle shone upon my Head, and when by his Light I walked thro' Darkness; and the Religious Edu­cation I had, tho' in the Church of Eng­land [Page 33] being governed by one, whose Pray­ers and Tears to the Lord, and good Counsel to us, in the very Power of Truth, did more subdue our evil Natures, than Correction; which gave me, though a Youth, a Sense at my first Landing in these Parts, the Inconsistency this Trade had with a Christian Education; but es­pecially with the Sense I had of the Truth of God, and the Extension of his Goodness in this Gospel Dispensation, wherein he has singularly manifested his Love unto all Men; in the Sense, and un­der the Shade of which, I have set with great Delight, and the Overflowings of his Goodness has been sweet to my Taste, and because of the Flavour of the good Ointment, which hath spread to the ve­ry Border of the Garment, therefore hath my Soul loved and delighted in him, as the universal Love of the Father. And after all these Favours, 0 Lord, and thy manifold Mercies and Visitations of Love, shall I disbelieve thee in whom there is no Offence? that hast pronounced thy Woe to the Offender against the least Believer in thee, that it were better a Milstone were hung about his Neck, and that he fathomed the Bottom of the Sea! Or shall I disbe­lieve thy Truth, which testifies against all [Page 34] the Unrighteousness and Ungodliness of Men? And blessed be thy holy Name, who gave me a secret Hope, and mani­fested unto my Soul how this Practice was suffered, to try who would sell thee and thy Truth for Gain; who givest the Bles­sing to those that are not offended in Thee!

For where no Temptation is, there is no Victory; therefore let us come be­yond Custom and Tradition, or we shall not differ from a Jew, a Turk, or a Pa­gan, who remain such according thereto; but let us center to the Spirit of Christ in our own Hearts, that we may know the Truth for ourselves; and in the Fear of the righteous Judge of Quick and Dead, consider these Things; that we may be able to stand Tryal when all our Actions, Words and Intentions must be accounted for, in that Day when nothing can stand before him, but what is of his own Nature: Therefore, whatsoever we find to do, let us do it with our Might; for Time is short, and our Works are for Eternity.

XV. Therefore let us try if the Dis­pensation of the Prophets will allow this Practice; and if we will not believe Mo­ses nor the Prophets, neither will we be [Page 35] persuaded tho' one rose from the Dead. The Prophet Isaiah, who was eminently favoured with the Knowledge of the Hu­miliation and Passion, and Office of Christ, and the Government and Glory of his Church, tho' for Brevity-fake I shall only mention what the present Occasion may require; of the Passion of Christ he saith, Chap. liii. 6. The Lord hath laid on him the Iniquity of us all: He was oppres­sed and afflicted, who had done no Vio­lence, neither was Deceit found in his Mouth, as is there more fully expressed. And he declares of his Office thus, Chap. lxi. 1, 2. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good Tidings unto the Meek, he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim Liberty to the Captives, and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable Year of the Lord, and the Day of Ven­geance of our God, against Sin; and tho' this may chiefly regard the inward Man, which is the better Part, yet the Mystery does not destroy the History, as we may see Chap. lviii. 6. where the Lord ordains the Fast that he will accept of, which is to loose the Bands of Wickedness, to undo the heavy Burdens, and to let the Oppres­sed [Page 36] go free, and that ye break every Yoke; or in vain were all their Oblations and Sabbaths to him, who delights in Mercy rather than Sacrifices; which Passage our Friend George Fox made use of against the Oppressors and Persecutors of those Times, when they suffered for their Te­stimony by the Oppressors, both in their Liberty and Property, and some to Ba­nishment out of their Native Country, but not to be Slaves for ever; yet how did the Lord deliver them, and frustrate their Enemies, and afflict the Nations at that Time with the Sword abroad, and Fire, and Pestilence, and Dissentions at home: And shall we disregard those Providences, and go beyond them in Op­pression, who have known the Lord's Judgments against Sin, and his great Mercies and Goodness unto us; for which if we fall short, in humble Thankfulness to praise his Name, by a holy and just Life, of how much severer Punishment shall we be worthy! When Judgment begins at the House of God, where shall this Unrighteousness appear; which is far short of the Duty commanded in the next Verse, that thou deal thy Bread to the Hungry, and that thou bring the Poor that are cast out, to thy House; when thou [Page 37] seest the Naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thy self from thine own Flesh: Then shall thy Light break forth as the Morning, and the Glory of the Lord shall be thy Rere-ward, &c. The Pro­phet David, in his Address to the Lord, saith, Psal. xv. 1. Who shall abide in thy Tabernacle, or dwell in thy holy Hill? it's answered, He that walketh uprightly, and worketh Righteousness. Agreeable to the Prophet Isaiah, xxxiii. 15, 16. He that walketh righteously, and speaketh up­rightly; He that despiseth the Gain of Op­pressions, and shaketh his Hands from hold­ing of Bribes, and stoppeth his Ears from Blood, and shutteth his Eyes from Evil: He shall dwell on high, his Place of De­fence shall be the munitions of Rocks, Bread shall be given him, his Waters shall be sure. Also Ezekiel, xviii. 5. If a Man be just, and do that which is lawful and Right, that hath not oppressed any, but hath re­stored to the Debtor his Pledge, and hath spoiled none by Violence, with other Duties there enjoyned, He is pronounced Just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. But on the contrary, He that commits these Evils, for the Iniquity that he hath done he shall die, his Blood shall be upon him. But if he begets a Son that hath seen and [Page 38] considered his Father's Iniquity, and shuns the same, and regards his Duty, he shall not die for his Father's Sin, but shall sure­ly live. Also in the Days of Jeremiah, Chap. xxxiv. 17. when the Servants were set free according to the Law of God by Moses, and afterwards brought them again into Bondage, for which, saith the Lord, to the Sword, to the Pestilence, and to the Famine, and I will make yen to be removed into all the Kingdoms of the Earth. Also another of the Prophets sums up our Duty in Doing justly, loving Mercy, and walking humbly with the Lord. Now separate from Custom and thy Profits (which thou must soon leave, if they leave not thee) and consult the true Oracle, which lives and abides for ever, that cannot lie, or consent to Sin. If to steal, or force these People from their Birthright, which is a Country re­mote from us, with whom we have no Quarrel (tho' was there a proclaimed War, it's contrary to the Law of Nations to rifle and captivate Enemies, without putting them in some Capacity of Re­demption) neither do they owe us any Thing; How then have they forfeited their Country and Liberty, to entitle me to them? And if so, must the Children's [Page 39] Teeth also be set on Edge? Is this just or equal? And to live on another's La­bour by Force and Oppression, is this Loving Mercy? And to keep them Slaves to us and our Posterity to all Eternity, is this Walking humbly, with thy God? Thus to Lord it in the Creation, that admits of no Release, or Year of Jubilee, to the Creature: Which leads me to a Passage in which our Saviour instruct­ed his Followers, by the Precedent of a little Child; and that he that would be greatest, should be Servant to all, for the Children of this World Lord it in their Ge­neration (in which they are wiser for the World than the Children of Light) but it shall not be so amongst you. And, We are all, saith the Apostle, Children of Wrath, as well as others by Nature; which by this Practice is unhappily advanced in our Children, from their Infancy; who quickly perceiving their Power over the Negroes, grow proud and idle, as natu­rally as a Branch springs from and par­takes of the Nature of the Root that bears it; which to support with Fulness of Bread (which was the Overthrow of Sodom) oppress and abuse their Slaves, and these in the same Nature oppress the dumb Creatures, till Cruelty and Vi­olence [Page 40] cover the whole Earth: And then what became of the Old World, for the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive, which hath often visited us, both imme­diately and instrumentally, whereby our Ground hath been often watered, and if it brings forth Bryars and Thorns, it is nigh unto Cursing; in the Sense of which my Desires have been unto the Lord, for the eternal Welfare of every Soul; having nothing against the Person of any Man, but at the Evil, that must end where it had its Beginning: For had you a Liberty in the Truth for this Trade, I should be so far from begrudging you, or spying it out with an evil Eye, that I would freely partake with you therein. But it is so far wide thereof, that if this is not an Evil there is no Evil in the World but what Tradition and Custom makes such. Neither do I begrudge your Profit thereby, knowing right well Man's Life consists not in the Abundance of his Possessions; having known how to be full and to be hungry, how to abound and to suffer Need, in desolate Parts of the World, yet content with what the Lord's Providence provided for me, and was more Enjoyment to me than to be a Captive in a King's Court.

[Page 41]XVI. Also under the Dispensation of John the Baptist, who was the greatest of Prophets, who preached Repentance as an Introduction to the Kingdom of Heaven at Hand, who was the Voice crying in the Wilderness, Prepare ye the Way of the Lord, make his Paths strait; his Testimony was, to do Violence to no Man, without excepting either Indian or Ethiopian. And what greater Violence can be acted, than to rob a Man and his Posterity of their Liberty, so long as they remain in this Region?

Yet the Least under the Dispensation of the Kingdom, is greater than John; who have witnessed the divine Life, that is hid with Christ in God; who at sun­dry Times, and in divers Manners, spake in Time past unto the Fathers, by the Prophets (which chiefly regarded moral Duties, between Man and Man, to do as we would be done by) but he hath in these last Days, spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed Heir of all Things, by whom also he made the Worlds; who does not destroy, but ful­fils and swallows up all the foregoing Dispensations, as the Rock they pointed to, which is the Everlasting Sabbath that gives Rest to the whole Creation of [Page 42] God; who in his Sermon on the Mount, pronounces the Merciful Blessed, in that he shall obtain Mercy; and makes this Comparison between the Law, and the Gospel which signifies Good Tidings, that whereas it was said, Thou shalt not kill; the Lord there saith, Whosoever shall call his Brother a Fool, shall be in Danger of Hell Fire; and if thy Brother Trespass a­gainst thee, 70 Times 7 in a Day, saying I repent, thou shalt forgive him. And ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour, unto which the Jews added by their Tradition, and hate thine Enemy; which was not in the Law of Moses, but was in their own hard Hearts: But Christ saith, Love your Enemies, bless them that curse, and do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute you, by which we shall have Victory over the Heads of our Adversaries. And whereas it was said, Thou shalt not for­swear thy self, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oath; he saith that is the Yea and Amen, Swear not at all. Accord­ingly the Apostle James, writing to the Twelve scattered Tribes, who accord­ing to their Law were to swear by the Lord, and perform their Oath unto him, saith, Above all Things, my Brethren, [Page 43] Swear not, but keep to Yea and Nay, lest ye fall into Condemnation. And tho' A­braham swore his Servant that ruled all he had, that he should not suffer his Son to take a Wife of the Canaanites, whom he knew were to be cut off; yet now under the Gospel, we see Swearing ex­presly forbidden. And tho' Abraham paid the Tythes of the Spoils of his E­nemies, which the Lord hath now pro­hibited, unto whom Abraham and Moses must give Place, who saith to his Mini­sters, Freely ye have received, freely give. The Priesthood, saith the Apostle, being changed, that took Tythes, and the Commandment disanull'd that gave them, which made nothing perfect, which the bringing in of a better Hope did, by which we draw nigh unto God, through him who is not after the Law of a car­nal Commandment, but after the Power of an endless Life, which setteth free from Sin and Death; by so much was Jesus made a Surety of a better Testa­ment, established upon better Promises; which shews the Preference of the Gos­pel to the Law which was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ; and we beheld his Glory, as the only Begotten of the Father, full of Grace [Page 44] and full of Truth; and of this Fulness have all received, having all heard, but all have not obey'd; who hath now com­manded, and even constrained by his Love all Men every where to repent; since all have partook of the Riches of his Goodness, which should lead us thereto; therefore there is no Cover for our Dis­obedience, which brings Ignorance of God, and the Knowledge of his Will, which will not excuse us from that Wrath, which is revealed from Heaven against all them that know not God, and obey not [...] Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who at his Birth into the World, the Multitude of the heavenly Host gave Glory to God in the highest, and pro­claimed Peace on Earth, and Good-will to Men; which was manifested to the beloved Disciple John, in his Revelation in the Isle of Patmos, who saw an Angel fly in the midst Heaven, having the ever­lasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the Earth, which was to every Nation, Kindred, Tongue and People: But if an Angel from Heaven should preach any other Gospel, than this of Good-will to all Men, let him be accur­sed: For the universal Love put no Dif­ference between us and the Jews; if so, [Page 45] where had we of the Gentiles Race been? if all were not in a Capacity of being re­stored by Christ; who in his great Lo­ving-Kindness and Compassion to poor lost Man, left his Father's Glory to take on him the Fashion of Man, that he might become a Propitiation for Sin, according to his Promise in the Beginning, when Man fell like the Tempter by aspiring to a higher Condition; who partaking of all Things in himself as the Head, must needs deface the whole Creation, which cried loud for Justice, and awa­ken'd the Wrath and Displeasure of God, due thereto, which moved the eternal Love to commiserate Mankind in this Condition, and to frustrate the Design of the Enemy, and exalt his own Grace, which prevailed over the Wrath, where­by the Creation might be redeemed (through the promised Seed) from this evil Quality, and the Author of it; for which End Christ was manifested in the Flesh, and in the Spirit; who as the Fa­ther worketh, so doth he work, to bring forth his Wonders in all Regions, and centers, and Principles, whether of Love or Wrath; and those that believe in the Mysteries of God, and come to the knowledge of his Love, rejoice in the [Page 46] Boundlessness thereof; which will aggra­vate the Crimes of those, who having re­sisted this Goodness, become blinded with their own Wickedness, saying, Judgment is not executed upon us, (as tho' the Justice of God was limited to this Region) for all Things, say they, continue as they were before we commit­ted these Things, the Sun and the Rain we have in its Season, and Riches in­crease upon us, therefore will we enjoy our Pleasure in all Voluptuousness to the full, as the Reward of our Lives, and persecute him that opposes us (who ab­staineth from our Ways as from Filthi­ness) for when our Breath is extinguish­ed we are as the Beast, our Body shall be turned into Ashes, and our Spirit vanish as a Vapour. As this Trading in Souls bespeaks; as tho' the rational Soul, created and infus'd by the Lord in Man, which distinguishes him from the Beast, could be confined to a Body of Earth, or extinguished with it; tho' we see, the nigher the Body is to its Dissolution, the more sensible and apprehensive is the Soul of its eternal Duration, in a Ha­bitation suitable to its Nature, and to what it hath witnessed and had Unity with, in the earthly Tabernacle, which [Page 47] is centred to its Original as a Seed, which will be cloathed with its own Body, whether of Light or of Darkness; there­fore while we have the Light, let us walk in it, that we may be raised to a glori­ous Immortality with the Saints in Light, forever to adore and admire that Power by which we were redeemed; that dwelt in that Body, that suffered the Wrath due to us; in which he perfected the Will of God, who went about doing Good; giving Sight to the Blind, and causing the Lepers to be cleansed, and unto the Poor is the Gospel preached freely; by him who dispossess'd the Devils, where­by the Creature that was in Bondage and Captivity was set free; by the great Ju­bilee and Prince of the Law of Liberty, not only to the Jews, but to all Nations; who when he was reviled, reviled not a­gain, but suffered all things from his E­nemies, for whom he waded through that bitter Conflict in the Garden, which he finished on the Cross, when the Sins of the whole World was upon him, under which he cried, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me! and he that had known Hunger in the Wilderness, now suffered Thirst, and they gave him Vi­negar to drink, in which the Scripture [Page 48] was fulfilled; and when he had received it, he said, It is finished and he bowed his Head and gave up the Ghost. Oh! the unparallel'd Love of Christ, the im­maculate Lamb, to Enemies! for whom he prayed on the Cross; tho' he had Power over all Creatures, in Heaven and Earth, that he might have com­manded Legions of Angels for his Deli­verance: But such was the Love of our Redeemer, in whom there was no Of­fence, to suffer for Offenders! in which is manifested his great Mercy, and won­derful Love and Charity, which the An­gels themselves cannot fathom! the infi­nite Extension of the Love of God in Christ, which is incomprehensible! yet unto us is this Grace given, that we might partake of the unsearchable Riches of Christ; which neither Principalities, nor Powers, whether of Angels, or Men, or Devils, should be able to separate us from him, who is both Precept and Pre­cedent to his Church; and if the Green Tree thus humbled himself, much more shall the Dry. Shall we Lord it in the Creation, in Opposition to his Command which saith, It shall not be so amongst us; Or can we behold him in his Sufferings he went thro' for Sin, and yet commit [Page 49] these Things whereby we should crucify him afresh, and put him to open Shame, and deny his Gospel, which brings Life and Immortality to those that obey the Light thereof; a Measure of which is given to every Man, to make known the Mystery, which from the Beginning of the World hath been hid in God, who created all Things by Jesus Christ, who in the Beginning moved by his Spirit on the Face of the Deep, for the carrying on and perfecting of the outward Crea­tion; so he moveth in our Hearts by his Spirit for our new Creation in Christ, whose first Appearance may be as a Grain of Mustard-Seed against Sin, yet as the first Work of Faith we are to believe in it, as a Measure of the Revelation of Christ, which was promised should first reprove for Sin, which was in order to bring those that obey it out of Sin; whereby, like the Leaven in the Meal, we may be changed into its Nature, by which we encrease in the Faith, and the Comforts thereof are known; which can­not proceed from Nature, because it con­tradicts the Natural Man, which wars a­gainst it, to keep the Creature in Bon­dage to Lust: Neither will the Devil re­prove for Sin; for then Satan would war [Page 50] against himself. Therefore let us not despise the Day of small Things, but love the Appearance of the Spirit, till Christ is formed in us; that being bap­tized into his Death, we may be made Partakers of his holy Life, and blessed Resurrection; and then shall we know, not only the Imputing, but the Impart­ing and Partaking, of the Blood, which is the Life; and the Life of Christ infu­sed in Man, gives Light to manifest what is contrary to the Mind of Christ, and gives Victory over the World, the Flesh and the Devil, that he should not miss of Salvation by it that abides in it. But some will say, Revelation is ceased; for whose Sakes have I thus simply deliver­ed my Sense thereof, as believing it the Foundation of all true Religion: For if Revelation is ceased, the true Know­ledge of God, and of Christ, is ceased; for, saith the Text, No Man knows the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son reveals him; and no other Founda­tion can any Man lay, than that which is already laid, which was the Founda­tion of all the Righteous Generations, who drank of the same Rock on which the Church stands; not on Peter who was a Man, in whom, as such, we are [Page 51] not to trust, but on the Eternal Word that revealed Christ to Peter; which who­soever is founded thereon, the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against them: But herein is the Offence and Scandal to the Gospel, which causes some to disbelieve, through beholding those that profess and Preach these excellent Principles, are as deep in this Practice, and more dark than others; and no Marvel, that those that have known the good Word of God, and tasted of the Powers of the World to come, if such turn from this Grace into Wantonness that their Fall should be ac­cordingly; tho' they might have been Instruments, to have convinced or con­founded the Gainsayers, and have turned the honest Seekers to Righteousness, whereby they might have shone as Stars fixed in the Firmament of God's Power; yet are by this Trade drawn down to the Earth, where Pride will not suffer them to remain contented, in their pro­per Element, but darkens and troubles the Churches with their dead Doctrine, whereby they keep the Dead in Death; as our worthy Elder and Father in Christ, George Fox, observed, that such as had heard the Lord's Voice, and come out of Egypt, and through the Red Sea, and [Page 52] praised God on the Banks of the Sea­shore, where they have beheld the Good­liness of Israel's Dwelling; also such who in the Gospel. Times can preach Christ in Words, but forsake him in Life, to fol­low the Wages of Unrighteousness, like Balaam; these he saw in the Vision of Life, were and would be the greatest of Deceivers, who lead the World after them by their evil Example, into the same Fleshly Liberty from Christ, whom none can touch but those that are clean, neither can any receive him but the true Virgin, that hateth the Garment spotted with the Flesh; for it was the Virgin that conceived and brought him forth; for this ye know, that no Whoremonger or unclean Person, nor covetous Man, who is an Idolater, hath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ, and of God; How then can a Minister of Christ own such a Practice, in himself or Flock, or they in him? who cannot mention Jesus as the Re­deemer, but it must overturn this Trade, with all the Ungodliness attending it. And this Knowledge being so plainly discovered unto us, it will not avail to say, by this Craft we have our Wealth, therefore greatly to be adored is this God, that brings this Profit to us. It were bet­ter [Page 53] that our Sins went before-hand to the Line of Judgment, that our Actions may be levelled and squared by it, and that Righteousness may be put to the Plumb­line, which will discover the Uprightness thereof; that we may be polished and made fit for our eternal Habitations with God, who will recompence to every Man according to his Deeds; therefore let not Dust and Ashes contend with its Ma­ker, but submit the Work to Trial; and if it contradicts the foregoing Dispensa­tions of Angels, and of Moses and the Prophets, and even John the Baptist, who testifies he was to decrease, how shall it agree with the Dispensation of Christ? who in his Bodily Appearance, wherein he laid down to us many Duties, yet he sums up all in this new Command­ment, that we love one another, as the Badge unto the World of our Disciple­ship; for he that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him; and not only so, but we are to love our Enemies; for if we forgive not Men their Trespasses against us, how shall we expect Forgiveness of Christ, who died for us, when Enemies; which is the highest Expression of Love, in which his Gospel consists, and those that have [Page 54] receiv'd it in the Power of it, beat their Swords into Ploughshares, and their Spears into Pruning-hooks, having no Use therewith; whose Weapons are not for the Destruction of the Body, yet mighty through God, to cut down Sin in the Creature; that the Spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord Jesus, who first loved us, therefore do we love him; and in this do we manifest it, by keeping his Commandments; and he that dwel­leth in Love, dwelleth in God who is Love, and God in him by his Spirit, which gives Boldness in the Day of Judgment, when none will be able to stand before him, but those that are clo­thed therewith; who when he commis­sionated his Disciples to preach unto the World, before whom the very Devils were subject, because of the Power that dwelt in them; yet when some resisted the Power, it raised the Zeal of the A­postles, to desire that Fire might have fell from Heaven to have destroyed them; and tho' they produced a Precedent of one of the Prophets, in a former Dispen­sation, yet they were rebuked by our Lord, that they knew not what Manner of Spirit they were of.

[Page 55]And when Christ was offered up, and ascended on high, that they knew him no more after the Flesh, yet according to his Promise, he gave the Apostles and Believers a larger Dispensation of the Ho­ly Ghost, which taught them all Things, and brought all Things to their Remem­brance; by which they witnessed his Di­vine Life formed in them, in the Abound­ings of which they ministred, to the bringing in of Multitudes into the same Spirit, in which is the Unity, that they were of one Heart and Mind, who had all Things common, through the Love that abounded in them; as is fully ex­pressed in their Doctrine and Epistles, that they sought them to the Lord, not their Property, much less their Liberty, to merchandize them to their own Ad­vantage: If so, Christianity had not so much flourished, that Multitudes were converted by that Name and Power which they preached, whereby there were ad­ded to the Church daily such as should be saved; tho' they were much persecu­ted and oppressed by the Spirit that then ruled in the Children of Pride; yet the Truth gave them Dominion over their Enemies, while they abode in it.

[Page 56]XVII. But in Time getting into Fa­vour with Princes, and partaking with their Dignities, were carried away there­by from the Power; who then began to intermix with the Heathen in their Cus­toms and Grandeur, and to model the Church accordingly; and losing their first Love and Unity, in which they stood cemented in one Body, which being now broke, gave the Adversary Advantage to introduce many Traditions into the Churches, contrary to the Law of God; and so quarrelled with one another about Ceremonies and Creeds, and many Things mentioned on Record, regarding the outside Appearance, and setting up of separate Powers, more than Righteous­ness (by which the Sheep of Christ are distinguished at the great Day) which clouded the Churches, and brought a ge­neral Apostacy over the Christian Na­tions.

XVIII. Yet the Lord often raised his Prophets and Ministers, to testify against their Practices; who proceeded to a Re­formation, not only of Principles, which of themselves are dead, like Faith with­out Works, but of Doctrine and Pract­ice, [Page 57] according as the Day appeared, un­to which they were faithful, having seal­ed their Testimony with their Blood, as an Army of Martyrs, from whence have proceeded, as the Seed of the Church, many righteous Plants, who have at sun­dry Times made a large Progress toward a Reformation; which was not so fully accomplished, until the Lord singularly favoured our worthy Elders and Fathers, with the Knowledge of his Truth, as it is in Jesus, which gave them an Under­standing that the humane Part in Man, which is from the Earth, tho' never so learned, cannot act in Things divine, which is beyond its Sphere; therefore they found a Necessity to throw them­selves on a higher Power, that worked in them; which by the Discoveries it made, was known to be a divine Light, and Grace from Christ, for the Salvation of every Man that cometh into the World, that gives heed thereto; that they may witness the Ministration of Condemna­tion, to the very Root of Iniquity; which is to be consumed in the Fire, that a Way may be opened to a more glorious Ministration of Righteousness, performed by the Spirit of God, which makes up the Baptism of Christ, where­by [Page 58] we have Fellowship one with ano­ther; and the Blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, thus circulated in his Mem­bers, cleanseth them from all Sin, by which a Divine Communion and Fellow­ship is partook of between Christ and his Church, who cannot live without that Bread which cometh down from above, and that Water that is in Believers a di­vine Well springing up in them to ever­lasting Life. But these Points of Doc­trine not being my immediate Concern, but as it may discover the Perfection of their Principles, and the Inconsistency this Trading in Bondslaves hath with the Testimonies of these last Promulgators of the good Old Gospel, of the Good-will of him who appeared unto Moses in the Bush, in which they were constrained to mini­ster of that same Love that abounded in them to others, without Exception, that they might partake of the same Salvation by it; and there are many living Wit­nesses, that are as Seals of their Testimo­nies, that they were of God, having par­took of the same divine Life and Power with them, who were in their own Eyes, and the Estimation of the World, as the Offscouring of all Things, because of their Weakness and Meanness; by which is ma­nifested [Page 59] to be the Lord's Strength and Pow­er thro' them, who chose the weak Things of the World to confound the mighty; who as with the Jaw Bone of an Ass slew the Philistines Heaps upon Heaps, that no Flesh should glory in its Wisdom, or Strength, or Riches, but in the Know­ledge of the Lord, which exerciseth Lo­ving-kindness, Judgment and Righte­ousness in the Earth, For in these Things I delight, saith the Lord; and this was the very Drift of their Testimonies, which they recommended in the Power and Love of God, unto all Men among whom they travelled, without which they declared Fasts, and Sabbaths, and Sacrifices, were unacceptable unto him; yet they were Sons of Thunder against all Persecution and Oppression, whether in Liberty, or Estate, or Person, that all might enjoy Freedom, both inwardly and outwardly; as may be seen by their Epistles to the then Powers, and especially to the Priests of the Nations, who in those Times were so dark, that they oppressed the Poor of their own Flock, and even those that could not receive of their Ministry; be­ing come to an Understanding, that no Oppressor can be a Minister of Christ, nor have Fellowship with those whose [Page 60] Life is in the unrighteous Mammon, got­ten by Oppression, which Geo. Fox calls an unreasonable Cruelty and Bondage, which is contrary to the Nature of the Gospel they were Sharers of: And shall we think to perfect by the Flesh that which was begun in the Spirit? which caused them to lay down many Things, not only for their present Evil, but because of the evil Ground and Original from whence they sprung; for if the Root be evil, the Fruit cannot be good, but cursed unto us, in that it eats out the Good like a Canker in many Families where I have dwelt; which I was sensible proceeded from this evil Discipline to our Brethren and Chil­dren, whereby we may draw our whole Race after us to Destruction by such a barbarous Education, which is the High Road thereto, that it hath spread over some Nations like a Leprosy. Remem­ber Dives in Hell feared his Brethren fol­lowing him, not from a Principle of Love in the Damned, but as far as he had been instrumental to their Damnation, they might add to his Torment. And what hath more introduced Iniquity amongst us, and hindred the divine Birth from coming forth, than this Trade? There­fore let every Soul that regards its own [Page 61] Good, beware that they defile not their Habitations by touching therewith, and further the Work; for if there were no Buyers, there would be no Sellers; was the Cause removed the Effect would cease; which would directly stop the Trade, and manifest to every open Eye, the Capti­vity of those that have them. But this is not to be while the Devil rules in the Children of Disobedience; yet let us that profess (as all true Christians are) to be led by the Spirit of God, which changes not, but as in the Beginning, so does now lead those that obey it into all Truth, which selected them from the World. to bear their Testimonies against the Cor­ruptions of the Times, and to confess, and proclaim many excellent Doctrines of the universal Redemption by the Grace of God, unto which they directed us, and recommended their Testimonies as a Safe­guard to us from Deceivers, by which there is an infallible Discerning of Spirits, and discovers the Ground and Tendency of every Thought and Principle, where­by we come forward to Perfection, ac­cording to the Measure of the Gift of Christ, that is perfect, which to the Glo­ry of the eternal Truth, of God is own­ed, thro' that Power that raised Jesus, [Page 62] as the first Fruits of the Resurrection from the Dead, who is the Well-Spring of all our Mercies, thro' his Blood, and is ascended on high, making Intercession for us, and has given Gifts unto Men for their Perfection. But what hast thou to do with this Dispensation, that hast not discerned thy own Spirit and Condition? How shalt thou minister to Spirits in Pri­son? Thou, that teachest a Man should not steal, but work with his Hands the Thing which is good; and yet dost thou become a Receiver, which by the out­ward Law is judged together? and blame Aegypt and Babylon for Oppression, and yet be guilty of the same Practice? As nothing is more hateful than Oppression, which will make a wise Man mad, so what can more contradict it self, than to deny the Use of the Carnal Sword, and yet receive of the Prey, which at best is but gained by the Power thereof? So that this Trade is far wide of Friends Principles in the Beginning; and is so to all them that are led by the same Truth: And shall we be so implicit, as not to see so unjust a Practice, which the darkest Times or Apostacy has not exceeded? To what Purpose then is it to such to pretend to a Reformation? But it is not [Page 63] so with the Honest-hearted, that mourns with them that mourns, and suffers with the Sufferers, even in the natural Body, and much more in the spiritual Body, that nothing might be suffered in the Mi­nistry of the Gospel that sacrifices to an Idol, which hurts the tender Conscience that has a Zeal for the Promotion of the Truth, knowing that the Luke-warm the Lord will spue out of his Mouth, unto which he will not return: Which is an Answer to those, who finding that their Testimonies against Oppression return upon their own Heads, they would have this Practice left passive, as if a Man's Liberty was a Matter indifferent: But, Beloved, was it your own Case, you would then make it, as indeed it is, the weighty Matters of the Law, Judgment, Justice, and Charity which is Love, which is the greatest of all.

XIX. But some object, that they may be brought to the Christian Religion thereby, which is the greatest of Charity. Which discovers the great Darkness this Trade brings with it; tho' the Apostle saith of such, that do Evil for Good to come, their Damnation is just; and it is [Page 64] well known that the Ground of this Trade had no such Intention; however our Saviour's Rule discovers it, By the Fruit the Tree is known, which produces amongst us no such Consequence; for how should you be Instruments to gain them to the Gospel, who have joined, or had Fellowship with their Enemies in Countenancing the Trade, by receiving of the Benefit; but Christ's Church will not be built up by that Power, who is able to take the Kingdom from others, and give it unto them.

And tho' they may be bad in their own Country, yet Vengeance is the Lord's, and he will repay it in his own Time.

And some also offer, that they are un­der such a Necessity to be supported by the Labour of Bondslaves, that they can­not live without them. So might the Masters of the Gally-Slaves answer; But if it is so, it were better to lose that Life, that we may find a Life in Righ­teousness; which I am sensible, in the lowest Ebb of Poverty, cannot submit to any unjust Means for a Living, and yet begs not its Bread, but knows its Sup­port [Page 65] port from the Providence of God, which causeth the Grass to grow for the Cattle, upon whom the Eyes of all Creatures wait, and he gives them their Food in due Season; who opens his Hand, and satisfies the Desire of every living Thing; and shall we distrust this Providence, who are under the Gospel, unto whom the Promise is, if we seek the Kingdom and the Righteousness thereof, all other Things shall be added; sufficient for the Day is the Evil thereof; and much more the Ministers of the Gospel who are to live by it; for surely, if you overflow in Spirituals, that you are able to mini­ster unto the Church for the Good of Souls, you need not go back to the Heathen for Support in Temporals: Yet if these Things offered are contrary to the Openings of Truth in any Soul, let not such be wanting in tender Love to inform me better; which I have endea­voured in a private Manner, but recei­ved not the least Satisfaction of its Con­sistency with either Nature, Reason, Humanity, or Morality, and much less with Christianity: Therefore, because of the Love that I bear to Truth and Just­ice, it remained as a Burden to my Life, [Page 66] until I in some Measure, according to my weak Capacity, expressed my self af­ter this Manner, to lay open the Ground and Nature thereof, as a Caution to those that have not considered it, and that I might discharge my Conscience, before I go hence, as a Duty incumbent to my Brethren; that we may all see our Place and Service in the Creation, during our short Abode in Time, that nothing may hinder our Happiness to Eternity; and tho' some should resist the Truth until their Understandings become dark to that Principle, which would have dis­covered it fully unto them, in the Day of their Visitation, yet the Truth and its Witnesses will be clear of their Blood; tho' their Loss, as Jerusalem's, may be lamented, in that they have resisted so many Visitations of the Love of God; whereby they might, as pruned Branches, have shewn forth the Work of the Hus­bandman, and displayed unto the Hea­then throughout the Earth, the Nature of the Vine that bore them; and then Beautiful would they have appeared un­to them, being shod with the Prepara­tion of the Gospel of Peace, but terrible as an Army with Banners, against the [Page 67] Whore and all her unrighteous Merchan­dize. But how is this Beauty defaced, by thine Eye becoming evil towards thy Brother, which hath darkned thy whole Body; and by how much thou hast been enlightned, by so much the more art thou become dark, or thou wouldst have un­derstood, that all Unrighteousness is shut out of the Kingdom; How then shall the Unrighteous teach, or oversee, or discipline the Church, that have not ru­led for God in their own Houses, but have mixed with the Heathen for Ad­vantage, until they have lost the Savour of the Gospel; which hath been the greatest of Sorrows to those, that are sensible from whence such are fallen, and for all that are concerned or suffer by the Trade. If David so much lamented for the Fall of one beloved Jonathan, how shall the very Earth mourn for the Fall of Multitudes that are born of her! And much more let such Priests or Teachers, that have not preached a better Doctrine than this, either in Precept or Example, let them mourn between the Porch and the Altar, that if it may please the Lord who is Rich in Mercy, to work their Redemption, left while they preach to [Page 68] others, they themselves become Casta­ways, and draw their Flock with them to Perdition. Ah! my Friends! the Consideration of these Things hath been Sorrow of Heart (beyond what may be mentioned) to those that have consider­ed the Worth of Souls. Let such be­hold and see, if there is any Sorrow to be compared to it; which I would ra­ther have chosen to have bewailed in the Wilderness, were it the Lord's Will, than thus to have appeared against a Crime so much in Request; which pro­motes Idleness in the Rich, being fur­nished with Slaves, that it hinders the Poor from Bread; which are Evils in the Commonwealth, and no Doubt had their due Weight with our late Assembly, who in a great Measure have discountenanc'd the Trade, which has given them Honour in the Hearts of the Just, who are refreshed thereby, whose Sup­plications are to the Lord, that he would prosper the Work in their Hands, and rejoice that there are those that seek the Good of both Church and State.

And in the same Love that desires the Welfare of both, is this freely gi­ven, [Page 69] that it may be spread by the Rea­ders amongst such as are concerned in the Trade, or otherwise, as you may see its Service in Righteousness; with­out striking at any Creature, but at the Evil in all, that the Cause may be re­moved, and that the Creation may be governed by Love, and this Practice disowned in all Mankind, and especially by all that name the Name of Jesus, that every Creature under the whole Heavens may be delivered from Op­pression, as well as