nature of God, and the form and nature of the right devil; and the difference betwixt the seed of reason, and the seed of faith, and the nature of a commission.

The knowledge of these things when they are sunk deep into the heart and do not remain only in the head; I say they will make you wiser than your fathers, and will yield you more peace and satisfaction to your mind, than all the religions and opinions in the world besides can do ; because the knowledge of these things, it gives a peace which the world cannot give; nor no righteousness which is acted or wrought by the seed of reason, let it be ever so pure, it is but the righteousness of the law; and by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified, but by the righteousness of faith are we justified in the sight of God, and hath peace in God; and this justification and peace, it doth arise from the seed of faith which is God's own nature, and this is that which is called in Scripture the divine nature of God; where it is said, speaking to believers, We are partakers of his divine nature: now if God hath a divine nature, of necessity he must have a person, for there can be no nature of God, angels, man, nor any other creature nor thing, but it must have a person or substance; now a spiritual substance hath a nature as well as that which is natural.

So that God having a divine nature, he must needs have a spiritual, heavenly, and divine substance; and according to the faith of the Scriptures, this substance of God is no other but the form of a man, and this God-Man is no other but Christ Jesus, which is the Alpha Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, he that was dead and is alive, and behold he is alive for evermore. Neither can there be any true peace to any upon the earth, but in the believing it

was God that poured out his soul unto death, and rose again, and is now living in that same body; and the faith in this gives true peace to the mind here, and the assurance of eternal life hereafter, which can never be known but in and by a commission, this being the last, and of the highest nature; which I am glad that you do confess a belief in, which is more than I did think you would have done when I was with you, for you being wrapped up and entangled with Jacob Bemon's principles and disciples with a little smatch of the Quakers, that there would have been no room for truth to take place in you; but I see now it is otherwise, for now you would wish to see me; but when I was with you I could discern no such thing, neither can I tell as yet whether ever I shall see you again, except you do come to London about some business. I shall be glad to see you, but if ever I have any occasion to come within twenty or thirty miles of you, I shall come and see you.

I understand by your letter that you are got into the bishop's court, that is a thing that is common every where in the countries, but as for us at London, we are very quiet as to that; so people will forbear meeting, and pay tithes and taxes, they may live quiet enough here; but I have been in Cambridgeshire and spent the most part of this winter, and they are cited into the bishop's court for not going to church, and some for not baptizing their children, as you are, but there is none of this faith that doth go, except one or two that are weak and fearful, and loth to part with a little money to preserve a good conscience free from idolatry; but some of our friends have been cited in very oft, and would not appear, but at last the apparitors did arrest them

with a writ to appear at the Quarter-Sessions, and there they were made to pay ten shillings a piece, so that they could do them no further harm for six month's time; others again, if they did appear at the first summons, they paid seventeen shillings, and were discharged; for it is only a money business.

Therefore my advice to you is to give the apparitor his fee; if you do give him something more than what is stated by their laws, perhaps he will put out your name, if not, appear at the court, and pay the charges of it; for there is no oaths, nor any thing else imposed upon you, but only pay the charges of the court and be gone; but if you let it run till you be suspended, that will be taken off for eight shillings, for it is only to get money: now there is some baptists, and others, that will not pay any money at all, so that they do proceed to excommunication : now what the event of their excommunication is I cannot hear, but I do advise all our friends rather to part with a little money, for that is it that all courts do look for; and so preserve their temporal well-being, and their conscience, free from idolatry; for money is Cæsar's, Therefore give Cæsar the things that are Cæsars, and God the things that are his; for all tribute and taxes which is laid upon the people, by the power of the nation, whether it be the spiritual courts so called, or the civil courts, it is all Cæsar's tax, and so ought to be paid by all those that love peace of conscience better than money.

Therefore my advice is that you would do as beforesaid, for I know a little money will let you free in this

matter.

No more at present, but my love to yourself. I

rest.

May 19, 1663.

LODOWICKE MUGGLETON.

A Copy of a Letter written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, bearing date from London, May the 19th. 1663.

Dear Friend, in the true Faith, Ellen Sudbury.

I AM glad to hear a few lines from you, and though you have not been well in body, yet I perceive you have grown more strong in the faith of this commission, and in the assurance of eternal life, which is the chiefest and greatest thing that can be attained in this life; which faith of yours shall carry you up here in this life, and not only so, but according to your faith it shall be unto you, for you shall see your God face to face, in that kingdom of eternal glory. And this faith which you have in this commission of the Spirit, is that earnest of the Spirit which is the evidence of things not seen, and the substance of things hoped for. There is no knowing of God, nor any things above the stars, but by faith, therefore without faith it is impossible to please God, neither can a man please himself without faith, for great and wonderful things have been done by the power of faith; and yet the peace of mind, and the assurance of eternal life, is greater than all. For the time was, when as I would have given the whole world if it had been in my power; nay, I would willingly have laid down my life to have procured favour with God, or to know my eternal happiness, but could not; but now eternal life is freely given me, made known to me, I am not, so willing to lay down my life as I was before; for before, I thought to procure peace with God by suffering, which could not be; but now, by faith, I

have obtained the assurance of eternal life without laying down my life.

So that what I suffer now it is from life, and not to gain life, which all men which have not this faith do suffer to gain life, and not from any true life of faith; neither can they say the life that they live is by the faith of the true God, as we can, for if God hath never a person, (as they say) there can be no true faith at all: therefore be not you discouraged because of the fewness that believe or receive this commission of the Spirit; for if there should be none but yourself in those parts, yet your faith and blessedness, which hath been declared upon you, shall bear you up, and confirm you the more, both of the truth of the Scriptures, and of the doctrine that is held forth by this commission of the Spirit, for the Scriptures are full of sure examples; here and there one, that did receive a prophet in the name of a prophet. And as for William Watson's tempting of you to speak evil of me, I know that is the nature of the devil so to do. And as for his going up and down with Richard Farnesworth's letter, saying that he durst, and himself speak evil of me, that belongs only to the devil so to do, especially those that are damned by me; for it is not Richard Farnesworth's letter, nor all the men in the world, and letters, that can or shall take off his damnation again. But if William Watson do but read, or hear my answer read to Richard Farnesworth's letter, he will have small cause to boast of that letter.

I hope our friend Dorothy Carter hath taken a copy of it before now, expecting that she will send it to you, though I did not desire her so to do when I sent it, yet I hope you have it before you receive this.