First LETTER.

I Received a Letter from thee the Week before last, which was sent by thy Uncle Bolton: There were a great many kind Expressions in it, and in thy Sister Clopton's like­wise. I acknowledge my self much obliged to you both, and to the whole Family, for many repeated Kindnesses, and if my School had not engrossed so much of my Time, I would have taken Opportunity to answer my dear Friend's Letter e're now, and upon that Account my Delay will be the more excusable,

The News thou hast heard of my late Change, is really true, I cannot conceal it, for it is what I glory in; neither was it any Prospect of temporal Advantage that induced me to it, but a sincere Love to the Truth, and pure Regard to my own Soul: Neither can I be sufficiently thankful to God, that he hath let me live to this glorious Day, and not cut me off in the Midst of my Sins and Provocations against Him; He is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to Repentance: He hath brought me off from the Forms and Shadows of Religion, and let me see in a more illustrious Manner what is the Life and Substance of it, as he found me in some Degree faithful to that Measure of Light and Knowledge he hath bestowed on me, whilst I was in the Communion of the Church of En­gland; therefore he was pleased of late, as I humbly waited upon him, to make known to me greater and deeper Myste­ries of his Kingdom: And I can truly say, that I find by daily Experience, as I keep low and retired into that pure Gift which he hath planted within me, Things are every Day more and more cleared up to me, and the Truth shines and prevails greatly over the Kingdom of Darkness; And if I should now turn my Back upon such Manifestations as these, and entangle myself again with the Yoke of Bondage, surely I should grieve the Holy Spirit: So that he might justly withdraw his kind Operations, and never return more to assist and comfort me: For God is not mocked; Religion is a very serious and weighty Thing; Repentance [Page 4] and Salvation are not to be trifled with, nor is turing to God to be put off till our own Time, Leisure or Conveniency, but we must love and cherish the least Appearance of Christ, not slighting or despising the Day of small Things, but em­brace the first Opportunity of following Christ in any of his Commands: When he speaks, there is such Force and Au­thority in it that we cannot stend to cavil, dispute, or ask Questions; for unless we will be so obstinate as to shut our Eyes against the Sun, we must needs confess to the Truth of his Doctrine, and presently strike in with it. And therefore, when for several Weeks I had lived more pri­vately and retiredly in London than was usual, Fasting twice or thrice in a Week, or sometimes more, spending my Time in reading the Scriptures and in Prayer to God, this was a good Preparation of my Mind to receive the Truth which he was then about to make known to me: I lamented the Er­rors of my past Life, and was desirous to attain a more excel­lent Degree of Holiness than I had discovered in the Church of England. In this religious Retirement God knew the Breathings of my Soul, how sincere I was, and resigned to him when alone; I wanted him to set me free, and to speak Peace and Comfort to my Soul, which was grieved and wea­ried with the Burthen of Sin: For tho' I had strictly con­formed myself to the Orders and Ceremonies of the Church of England, and had kept myself from running into any great or scandalous Enormities, the Fear of the Almighty preserv­ing me; yet still I had not that Rest and Satisfaction in myself which I desired and greatly longed for; I found, when I had examined my State and Condition to God ward, that Things were not right with me.

As for a sober and plausable Conversation in the Eye of the World, I know that was a very easy Attainment; a good natural Temper, with the Advantage of a liberal Education, will quickly furnish a Man with Abilities for that, so that he shall be looked upon as a Saint, and very spiritual, when per­haps in Chains of Darkness, in the Gall of Bitterness, and in the very Bond of Iniquity. If this Sort of Righteousness would have done, perhaps I might make as fair Pretensions that Way as some others: But, alas! I soon saw the Empti­ness and Unsatisfactoriness of those Things: This is a Cover­ing that will not protect or hide us from the Wrath of the Almighty, when he comes to Judgment: 'Tis not a Man's [Page 5] natural Temper, nor his Education, that makes him a good Christian; this is not the Righteousness which the Gospel calls for; nor is this Truth in the inward Parts, which God requires: The Heart and Affections must be cleansed and purified before we can be acceptable to God; therefore it was Death to me to think of taking up my Rest in a formal Pretence of Holiness; wherein, yet, I saw, to my Grief, Abundance of People wrap'd themselves; slept securely and quietly, dreaming of the Felicity of Paradise, as if Heaven were now their own, and they needed not trouble themselves any more about Religion: I could not entertain so dangerous an Opinion as this, for then I should be tempted to take up my Rest by the Way, whilst I was travelling towards the promised Land. I think I made a little Progress in a holy Life, and through God's Assistance I awakened some of my spiritual Enemies whilst I lived in the Communion of the na­tional Church. I thank my God, I can truly say, whilst I used those Prayers I did it with Zeal and Sincerity, in his Fear and Dread; but still, I ceased not my earnest Supplica­tion to him in private, that he would shew me something more excellent, that I might get a compleat Victory over all my Lusts and Passions, and might perfect Righteousness before him; for I found a great many Sins and Weaknesses daily attending me: And tho' I made frequent Resolutions to forsake those Sins, yet still the Temptation was too strong for me, so that often I had Cause to complain with the A­postle, in the Bitterness of my Soul, O wretched Man that I am, who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death! Who shall set me free, and give me Strength to triumph over Sin, the World and the Devil? That I may in every Thing please God, and there may not be the least Thought, Word or Motion, Gesture or Action, but what is exactly agreeable to his most holy Will, as if I saw him standing before me, and as if I were to be judged by him for the Thoughts of my Heart next Moment. O divine Life! O seraphick Soul! O that I could always stand here for here is no Reflection, no Sor­row, no Repentance! but at God's right Hand there is per­fect Peace, and a River of unspeakable Joy. O that we might imitate the Life of Jesus, and be throughly furnished unto every good Word and Work! This was the frequent Breathing of my Soul to God when I was in the Country, [Page 6] but more especially after I had left my new Preferment of a Chaplain, and took private Lodgings in London: In this Re­tirement I hope I may say, without Boasting, that I was very devout and religious, and I found great Comfort and Re­freshment in it from the Lord, who let me see the Beauty of Holiness; and the Sweetness that arises from an humbled mortified Life was then very pleasant to my Taste, and I rejoiced in it more than in all the Delights and Pleasures of the World.

And now it pleased God to shew me, that if I would in­deed live strictly and holily as becomes the Gospel, then I must leave the Communion of the Church of England; but knew not yet which Way to determine myself, nor to what Body of Men I should join, who were more orthodox, and more regular in their Lives. As for the Quakers, so called, I was so great a Stranger to them, that I had never read any of their Books, nor do I remember, that ever I conversed with any one Man of that Communion in my whole Life: I think there was one in Foxly while I was a Curate there, but I never saw the Man, tho' I went several Times to his House on Purpose to talk with him, and to bring him off from his wild and mad Enthusiasm, as I then ignorantly thought it to be: As for that Way, I know it was every where spoken a­gainst; he that had a Mind to appear more witty and inge­nious than the rest, would chuse this for the Subject of his profane Jests and Drollery; with this he makes Sport, and diverts the Company; for a Quaker is but another Name for a Fool or a Mad-man, and was scarce ever mention'd but with Scorn and Contempt. As for Drollery, I confess I was never any great Friend to it; but indeed if all was true that was laid to the Quaker's Charge. I thought that they were some of the worst People that ever appeared in the World, and wonder'd with what Face they could call themselves Christians, since I was told they denied the fundamental Ar­ticles of the holy Faith, to which I ever bore the highest Ve­neration and Esteem; and notwithstanding I had always lived at the greatest Distance from that People, and was very zea­lous in the Worship of the Church of England, and upon all Occasions would speak very honourably of it, moreover was content to suffer some few Inconveniencies upon that Ac­count, (as thou very well knowest) yet my Father still look'd [Page 7] upon me as inclining to the Quakers; and some Years ago signified to a Friend, he was afraid I would become an En­thusiast; and whilst I was at Bungan School he sent me two Books to read that were writ against the Quakers, one of which was John Faldo's, who hath been sufficiently exposed for it by William Penn.

Whilst I lived in London in that private retired Manner (I was just now speaking of) walking very humbly in the Sight of God, and having Opportunity to reflect upon my past Life, as I had Occasion to be one Day at a Book-seller's Shop. I happened to cast my Eye on Barclay's Works; and having heard in the Country, that he was a Man of great Account among the Quakers, I had a Mind to see what their Princi­ples were, and what Defence they could make for themselves; for sure, tho't I, these People are not so silly and ridiculous, nor Maintainers of such horrid Opinions, as the Authors of the Snake, and some others, would make us believe. I took Barclay home with me, and I read him through in a Week's Time, save a little Treatise at the End, which I found to be very philosophical, I omitted; but however, I soon read enough to convince me of my own Blindness and Ignorance in the Things of God; there I found a Light to break in upon my Mind, which did mightily refresh and comfort me in that poor, low, and humble State in which I then was; for indeed I was then, and had been so for a considerable Time before, very hungry and thirsty after Righteousness, and therefore I received the Truth with all Readiness of Mind; 'twas like Balm to my Soul, and as Showers of Rain to the thirsty Earth which is parched with Heat and Drought.

This Author laid Things down so plainly, and proved them with such Ingenuity and Dexterity of Learning, and opened the Scriptures so clearly to me, that without standing to cavil dispute, raise Argument or Objection, or consulting with Flesh and Blood, I presently resigned my self to God, and weeping for Joy that I had found so great a Treasure, I of­ten thanked him with Tears in my Eyes for so kind a Visita­tion of his Love, that he was graciously pleased to look to­ward me when my Soul cried after him; so, that tho' be­fore I was in great Doubt and Trouble of Mind, not know­ing which Way to determine my self, yet now the Sun breaking out so powerfully upon me, the Clouds were scat­tered: [Page 8] I was now fully satisfied in my own Mind which Way I ought to go, and to what Body of People I should join my self. So I immediately left the Communion of the Church of England and went to Gracious-Street Meeting. After I had read Barclay, I read some other Books of that Kind, among which was an excellent Piece, tho' in a small Volume, call­ed, No Cross, No Crown: Thus I continued reading and frequenting Meetings for several Weeks together, but did not let any one Soul know what I was about: The first Man I conversed with was G. Whitehead, and this was several Weeks after I began to read Barclay, and frequent their Meetings: By him I was introduced into more Acquaintance, and still the farther I went the more I liked their Plainness, and the Decency and Simplicity of their Conversation: They do not use the Ceremonies and Salutations of the Church of Eng­land, but shake Hands freely and converse together as Bro­thers and Sisters that are sprung of the same Royal Seed, and made Kings and Priests unto God. O, the Love, the Sweet­ness and Tenderness of Affection I have seen among this Peo­ple! By this, says Christ, shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples, if ye have Love one to another. John xiii, 35. Put on therefore, says the Apostle, (as the Elect of God holy and beloved) Bowels of Mercies, Kindness, Humbleness of Mind, Meekness, Long-suffering. Col. iii. 12.

Thus, my dear Friend, I have given thee an Account of my Proceedings on this Affair. As to my bodily State, if thou desirest to know what it is, I may acquaint thee that I have my Health as well as ever, and I bless God I have Food and Raiment sufficient for me, so that I want no outward Thing; and I have the Necessities and Conveniencies of Life liberally. Let us not burthen our selves with taking Care for the Vanities and Superfluities of it; let us possess our Vessels in Sanctification and Honour. 1 Thes. iv. 4. And as we bring our Minds into perfect Subjection to the whole Will of God, so let us bring our Body to the most simple and na­tural Way of living, being content with the fewest Things, never studying to gratify our wanton Appetites, nor to fol­low the Customs and Honours of Men, but how we may so contract our earthly Cares and Pleasures, that we may bring most Glory to God, most Health and Peace to our own Souls, and do most Service to the Truth; and if this be our Aim, [Page 9] certainly a very small Portion of the Things of this World will suffice us: Seeing we are Christians, we should there­fore earnestly pursue those Things which bring us nearest to God, and which are most perfective of humane Nature; for what is more than a Competency seems to be a Burden to a generous philosophical Soul, which would breath in a pure Vehicle, that so it may have a quick Sense and Relish of all Blessings, both of the superior and inferior Worlds.

Thou knowest, my dear Friend, that Religion is a very serious Thing, and Repentance is a great Work, and one precious immortal Soul is of more Worth, than ten thousand perishing Worlds, with all their Pomp and Glory: There­fore let us take Courage, and be valiant for the Truth upon the Earth, let us not content our selves with a Name and Profession of Godliness, let us come to the Life and Power of it; let us not despond of getting the Victory; we have a little Strength for God; let us be faithful to him and he will give us more Strength, so that we shall see the Enemy of our Peace fall before us, and nothing shall be impossible unto us: I say, my Friend, let us be faithful to that Measure of Light and Knowledge which God has given us, to be pro­fited and edified by it in a spiritual Life, and as God sees we are diligent and faithful to work with the Strength we have, he will more and more enlighten us, so that we shall see to the End of those Forms and Shadows of Religion wherein we have formerly lived; but if he sees we are about to take up our Rest in those Shadows, that we grow cold and indifferent in the Pursuit of Holiness, running out into Notions and Speculations, and have more Mind to dispute, and to make a Shew of Learning and Subtility, than to lead a holy and devout Life, then 'tis just with God to leave us in a carnal and polluted State, to continue yet but in the outward Court, where we may please our selves with beholding the Beauty and Ornaments of a worldly Sanctuary, and never witness the Vail being taken away, and that we are brought by the Blood of Jesus into the Holiest of all, where alone there is true Peace with God, and Rest to the weary Soul. I could say much more upon this Head if Time or Leisure would give Leave.

As for a particular Answer to thy Letter, I have not Time now to give it; and for the present let this general Answer [Page 10] suffice: And if thou wilt consider Things in their pure ab­stracted Nature, and not suffer the Prejudice of Education to sway thee, but in Fear and Humility wilt search out the Truth for thy self, thou wilt find that there needs no other Answer to thy Letter than what I have already given; for by waiting on God, and diligently seeking him, thou wilt find Answer to it in thy own Bosom, and this will be much more full, clear, and satisfactory than I, or any other Man living can pretend to give thee, or any other Friend who hath lov­ingly wrote to me, for whom I desire, with all the sincere-hearted in the Church of England, that they may come to witness the Almighty Power of God, to save and redeem them from every Yoke; and that they may see clearly to the End of those Things which are abolished, and come to the Enjoyment of spiritual and heavenly Things themselves, is the daily Prayer and deep Travil of my Soul, God knoweth. 'Till I can be more particular, if thou please thou may'st communicate this to them, and let them know that I am well, and thank them for their kind Letters. Let us re­member to pray for one another with all Fervency, that we may stand perfect in the whole Will of God, Amen, saith my Soul. I am thy most affectione Friend and Servant in Jesus.

Second LETTER.

I Lately received a kind and brotherly Letter from thee, for which I return thee many Thanks. I am now in the Communion of the People called Quakers; and I have Cause to bless God for this happy Change of my Life: I am thro' Mercy brought off from the Shadow of Religion, and am pressing forwards to get Acquaintance with the quickening Power, Life and Virtue of it, if that I may be a Christian indeed, and not in Name and Profession only. I had a great while talk'd and discours'd of Holiness, but did not under­stand what it was to talk with God, to live and dwell in him. [Page 11] Perhaps indeed some may think I made a fair Shew of Piety when I was with you. But alas! I was deeply sensible of my own Faults and Miscarriages and I resolved thro' God's Assistance to enquire after something more Noble and Excel­lent than I had discovered in that State; and blessed be his Name for ever, that God hath answered the Cry of my Soul, and let me see a People that are hated and despised by the World, but are dear to him; for he hath revealed to them the Mysteries of the Kingdom; he hath carried them upon Eagles Wings, and cherished them as the Apple of his Eye. As for me, I have been yet but in the outward Court; and far short of that Truth and Righteousness that is taught and practised among this People: For they are come within the Holiest of all; they are come into a near Communion with God, to behold the Cherubims of Glory that cover the Mercy-Seat, to be fed with the true Manna. These are Mys­teries that are to be revealed unto the Meek and Lowly, but the Haughty, Insolent and Profane, cannot come, near them, nor taste of the Sweetness nor Comfort of them. Indeed the formal traditional sort of People of the World, may talk of these Things as they have heard from others, and in their sober Minntes may have some faint Glimmerings that Way; but to come to a real and inward Enjoyment of them, they can no more pretend to, than to work the greatest impossi­bilities; all their Wit, and Subtility, and Learning, cannot reach higher for to handle of the Word of Life; this is pe­culiar only to those who are content to forsake all, and be­come Fools for Christ, they are those who are in a good Temper to receive and co-operate with the Influence of the Holy Spirit, and have seen the Emptiness and Vanity of all those Things that are so much admired by the World; the Schools, and Universities, and Learned Doctors, and Great Rabbies, have not profitted me; they are ravened from the Spirit of God, and gone out into their own Notions and Speculations, thinking thereby to search out God and com­prehend the Truth. Alas! the Mysteries of God's King­dom are far out of their Reach in their carnal Minds; they weary themselves in vain; the Vulture's Eye cannot pierce into these Secrets; all the great Critick Scholars and Philo­sophers of the World are Fools in these Things, and which they are wearying themselves to find the deep Things of our [Page 12] God, studying and racking their Heads, tossing and tumbling to and fro like a wild Bull in a Net, and knows not which Way to disentangle himself; the more he struggles, the weaker he grows, the faster he is bound; so the more these vain Talkers read, the more they write; the more they cavil and dispute, the further they are from God, and the more they declare their Hatred and Enmity to the Spirit of Christ, and to the Simplicity of the Gospel. I have been a long Time a weary of the Folly and Impertinency of these Men, and chiefly the celebrated Fathers of the Church, as they call them; the Councils and Synods of Old, are now of very small Account with me; I am not ashamed to sit under the Teachings of Women and Mechanicks, howsoever they may seem in the Eye of the World; for they teach me more Christianity, and instruct me more perfectly in a divine Life, than all the studied elaborated Sermons and Discourses that ever I heard at the Universities, or since; their Words are with Power, they are mightily assisted with the Spirit of God, they speak with Majesty and Authority, and there is a native Beauty, Clearness and Solidity of Expression, that shines thro' their Discourses, which is sufficient to answer that groundless Calumny, viz. The Quakers Preaching is Nonsense, and no Body could understand them. This I have heard often refuted by many living Testimonies, so that I do rather think them the best Wits, and the most ingenious Peo­ple in the World; for they employ their Parts and Learning in the Fear of God to his Glory and Service, and to promote the truest Interest of Mankind. As for the little Jests, Wit­tinesses, and vain Pedantry of the Age, which I know the World hath Esteem for, and nothing will please but what a­bounds with such Fooleries. I say, if the Quakers be defici­ent in any of these, it is not for want of Abilities, or because they have less Wit than other Men, but because they have more Prudence and Wisdom to govern it, and that is the Reason why they avoid such childish Vanities, which are so freely used and indulged by others, to the great Dishonour of God and the Christian Religion; and therefore because they do not seek to please a wanton Age, to make People laugh and be merry, nor to entertain that carnal airy Mind with pleasant Stories, fine Notions and witty Expressions of natural Things; from thence it is that they have been shame­fully traduced by the World, as the most ignorant, blind [Page 13] and foolish People that ever made any Profession or Religion, and yet this is the People to whom I have now joined my self in a sincere Love to Truth, God knoweth; and I glory more in this Fellowship and Acquaintance with these Lambs of Christ, than if I were related to the greatest Kings, Lords and Potentates upon the Earth. Oftentimes hath my Spirit been refreshed with theirs, when we have met together to wait upon God; and my Soul still longs and pants more and more to be filled with these divine Comforts: he is ready al­ways to pour down Blessings upon us, if we could qualify ourselves for the Reception of them; if we would put away vain Thoughts, which cloud and darken the Mind, and so hinders the favourable Influence and Iradations of Heaven.

And since it hath pleased God to visit me of late, and to make known to me excellent Things in Righteousness, he a­lone is to have the Praise and Glory of all, and now I freely resign myself to the Conduct of the blessed Spirit; now let the Truth prosper, now let it run and he glorified in the Earth, let it shine out in its full Lusture, to the Ter­ror and Confusion of all the Enemies thereof, and to the reviving of the Souls of the Hungry and Thirsty, who are ready to faint, waiting for and expecting the Con­solation of Israel, until the Times of Refreshment comes from the Presence of the Lord, who will open a Foun­tain for Judab and Jerusalem, so that Rivers shall run in dry Places: There will he speak Peace to his People, and after they have sat silent a little While in the Dust, suffering pa­tiently the chastizing Rod of his Love to pass over them, he shall then comfort the Daughter of Sion, and say, Arise thou afflicted, and weep and mourn no more, but put on thy beautiful Garments. Oh! Jerusalem, raise thy Head, uncover thy Face, and gird up thy Loins with Strength, see the Day break, and the Morning spread it self upon the Mountains; now the sorrowful Nights of Affliction are gone over, the Clouds are scatter'd and gone, the Sun is risen in its Bright­ness, and now Joy and Peace shall be multiplied; in a little Wrath I hid my Face from thee for a Moment, but with ever­lasting Kindness will I have Mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. Oh! let us wait in Humility of Soul, and Tenderness of Heart, before the Lord, that we may witness this great Change and Salvation wrought in us and for us, [Page 14] that the Scripture may be no more a sealed Book to us, but that we may feel the precious Truths therein recorded to be fulfilled, in our own Particulars. Then there we shall never be weary of praying, and reading the holy Scriptures; we shall never be loath or unwilling to come into God's Presence; for his Love, and the Sweetness of his Ointment, will draw and allure us to dwell always under his Canopy, that we may feel Life and Power to flow from Him who is the Ocean that supplies all the Wants of the Children of Men; and how shall we come to taste of that heavenly Banquet he hath prepared for us, that we may eat and drink at his Table, and that our Souls may delight in Fatness? I say, how shall we attain to this, but by a strict and mortified Life? Certainly the more we retire from worldly Joys, and empty our selves of earthly Comforts and false Delights, the fitter we shall be to receive those that are spiritual and heavenly; and not only to receive and rejoice in them for a Time, but to live and dwell in them for ever, for this is the Life of Jesus; and here the Kingdom of God reigns in the Heart and Soul, by which it is changed from Glory to Glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. And now I would ask all the wife and prudent, all the rich, all the noble and learned Men of the World, what they think of these Things: Whether this is to be learned in their Courts and Palaces? Or whether any of the great Scholars and Universities in Christendom can furnish us with such a System of Divinity as this? No, they hate it, and despise it, and instead of a sober Answer to my Query, they return Scoffs and Contempt. This is Canting they say, and an idle Dream, and forged Chimera of my own Brain, and a great many more opprobrious Names they have for such Enquiries as these. Sometimes, perhaps, they will suffer the Expression, with an hypocritical Shew, will pretend to pity me, calling it an unhappy Effect of Melan­cholly, and too much Retirement from the World; and this they think too much Condesension, that I ought to think my self beholding to them for giving it so mild a Character; for at other Times they deal more sharply, and say confidently that it is Madness, Delusion, Witchcraft, and diabolical En­thusiasm.

But I am content to lie under all these odious Imputation from the World, knowing very well that better Men than I have suffer'd the same things before me, and do, at this present [Page 15] Time. As for my Enemies, I can truly say, I thank God I pity them, and pray for them; they do not hurt me, but themselves. And now, my dear Friend, before I conclude, suffer me a little to speak of thy present Circumstances; for, as God knoweth, my Bowels yearns towards thee in the tender Love of Jesus, I suppose thou art now where I left thee, viz. with the Lord Richardson, so called, in the Ca­pacity of a Chaplain, an Office which I have had a little Ex­perience of my self, since I last saw thee; but was quickly so weary of that servile Yoke, so unworthy of that holy Function I bore, that in ten Days Time I quitted my new Preferment, and left it more freely than ever I un­dertook it. What Peace or Satisfaction thou canst have in such Employment I know not; for my Part, I could find none; my Soul was grieved and burthen'd every Day with seeing and hearing their evil Deeds, beholding their Vani­ties and Excesses; this was a Sword to my Soul and Spirit, it wounded me very deep; and I do solemnly profess, I had rather beg my Bread from Door to Door, than to live in the like Bondage again, where I must be obliged to such Cere­monies and Formalities, to flatter Men in their Sins, to cry Peace, Peace; and to sow Pillows under the Arm-holes of delicate People, that can never bear the least Check or Frown, but expect the mercenary Priest should always laugh or smile in their Faces, even when he sees plainly they are going to Hell and Destruction; and yet I must tell thee, the Family I was in, was looked upon as one of the most sober and regular, as the World goes now; and I must needs say, I did not leave them for any Drinking, Gaming, Swearing or Whoring that I perceived amongst them; in all these filthy scandalous Practices, as far as I could see, they were blameless; but yet I saw their Hearts were not right; for they were Lovers of Pleasures, more than Lovers of God; and thou knowest that he or they, let them be great or small, if they live in Pleasures, grow fat and wanton against Christ; such Persons are dead while they live: I say, whatever their Faith, or Principles, or Professions may be, yet in Religion they are dead.

I shall say no more, but hasten to a Conclusion. If thou desire a particular Account of my Convincement, thou mayst see it in a Letter which I wrote lately to Richard Lake, Junr. [Page 16] wherein I gave him a fair and true Relation of my Proceed­ings in that Matter, what Steps I took, and how God did graciously assist me, when he had raised in me sincere Desire and Enquiries after Truth and Holiness. Dear Friend, I have no more at present, but to let thee know I do most heartily pray for thee, that thou mayst consider Things without Pre­judice, and not suffer any of the Temptations or Allurments of the World to draw thy Mind from God, and to hinder thee in thy Pursuit of Holiness; he that loves Father or Mo­ther, Brother or Sister, or any of the Endearments of this World more than Christ, is not worthy of him; but if thou wilt come into Communion with Christ, and chiefly to follow the Guidence of his Light and Spirit, O what a blessed and happy Rest shalt thou find to thy Soul! O what Rivers of living Waters will spring up in thee, of which thou mayest drink freely, and praise God for all his Mercies and Benefits, that thou mayst indeed come to such spiritual Enjoyments and Refreshments as these, is the sincere Desire of