hear this letter to you, or not, which you think convenient. So I shall say no more at present, but rest

Your friend in the true faith,

LODOWICKE MUGGLETON.

London, March 15, 1665.

A Copy of a Letter written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Thomas Tompkinson, of Sladehouse, in Staffordshire, bearing Date from London, March 17, 1665.

Dear Friend in the true Faith, Thomas Tompkinson,

I RECEIVED your letter by a friend, William Hall, which came lately from Mrs. Carter (it was dated Feb. 11, 1665,) and I am glad to hear of your joy and confidence in the truth, and that your wife is so stedfast in the faith of this commission of the Spirit. She will lose nothing by it, neither in this life, nor in the life to come, if she hold out to the end; neither need you much to wonder how much faith should hold all the reprobates in the resurrection to eternity. For I say unto you, this earth is big enough to hold them all, if they were ten thousand times ten thousand more than there is, or will be, at the end of the world. For consider, half the world will be saved, count children of the elect seed, and the reprobate seed; for all children will be saved dying in their childhood;

though of the reprobate seed, they shall be raised to the same glory the angels are in, from whence their father, the lost angel, fell.

And as for your being chosen church warden the next year, my advice unto you is, that if they choose you, either fine, or else hire a man in your room, and he will take a churchwarden's oath; for it is unlawful for any believers to take that oath, or to serve that place here in London. Any man whose conscience is tender, or not tender, may either fine or hire, which he please; for there is very few places of this nature in England, but money will buy them out; but if men will go against the light of their own conscience to save their money (as I have known some do) I cannot help that; but it is better to part with silver, than to part with peace of conscience.

I perceive you have received John White's letter; so I shall say nothing unto that, nor concerning the thing you speak of in your letter, but I shewed him your letter, and I suppose his letter to you doth specify something concerning the thing you speak of. But what contract is between you two I know not, but a little glimpse of it, so I shall leave it to you two to treat about it.

This is all at present, only my love to yourself and your wife, and that we are all well at present. I rest and remain,

Your friend in the true faith,

LODOWICKE MUGGLETON.

London, March 17, 1665.

A Copy of a Letter written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Joseph Whitworth, at AbbotsBromely, in Staffordshire, bearing Date May 19, 1665.

Joseph Whitworth,

I RECEIVED a letter from you, bearing date April 16, 1665.

In your letter I find something of the seed of faith to arise in you concerning this commission of the Spirit, though there is not that full satisfaction, not as yet, in the thing declared by us, the witnesses of the Spirit, as there is in others, who have more experience of the doctrine of the true God and the right devil, with many other heavenly secrets declared by us, than you have heard of yet.

Nevertheless, your faith in time may arise to that perfect assurance and full satisfaction in your mind as it hath in many others at this day.

Further, I must tell you, that there hath not been a man upon the earth that hath had the assurance of eternal life abiding in him, not this 1350 years, 'till this commission of the Spirit came forth into the world.

Yet this I say, many were saved through election in that time, but had no assurance of it in themselves; for this is the great benefit people have by a commission, they do by faith attain to the assurance of their particular election, and so consequently to the assurance of their eternal salvation. And it is to be attained to no other way, but by faith in him whom

God doth send; for the true ambassadors of God can declare what the true God is in his form and nature, and what the right devil is in his form and nature, the place and nature of heaven, the place and nature of hell, the persons and natures of angels, and the mortality of the soul.

On these six principles, the knowledge of them, dependeth all the eternal happiness of mankind.

These six principles, and many more heavenly secrets, which were never made known before by prophet or apostle, are declared and published by us, the witnesses of the Spirit, in those writings set forth by us.

And as you say, if you had read them all, most of your queries, if not all, would have been answered. But I perceive you have had but a little of them, and how the case is with you.

I shall take so much pains as to give answer to your queries, though there is greater things in print, and that which will satisfy the heart of man if understood. But to satisfy your desire, I shall answer as followeth :

First query is, Whether God hath elected some men and women to eternal happiness, and reprobated others unto endless misery, or not?

Answer. As to this I say, That God hath elected some men and women to eternal happiness, and reprobated others to endless misery.

This was the faith of Moses, the prophets, and apostles; also it is the faith of us, the witnesses of the Spirit: for God said unto Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and whom I will I harden.

This was spoken in relation to Pharaoh, and to rebellious Israel, and with relation to Jacob and Esau.

Therefore it is that the apostle Paul doth instance Jacob and Esau, to those Jews in his time that did question God's election.

All the apostles preached of election, but more especially the apostle Paul doth use many arguments for it, as may be read in the epistle to the Romans; so that he was mighty strong in his faith for election and reprobation; for who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?

So that you must mind, that if there be a number of people elected of God, there must of necessity the other number of people be reprobated of God; for if all were elected, what need there be any talk of reprobation, or eternal damnation?

And if any shall say it was a temporal reprobation, as many have done,

To that I say, the election and reprobation the Scripture speaketh of, it was altogether in relation to a spiritual and eternal happiness; for if God loved Jacob and his seed, and hated Esau and his seed, he was reprobated.

So that there is two seeds, namely, the seed of Adam, and the seed of the serpent; Esau being the seed of the serpent, therefore reprobated; Jacob being the seed of the woman, that is, the seed of Adam, therefore elected.

So that there being two seeds, there must needs be election and reprobation, for both cannot be saved. This was the faith of the prophets and apostles, and is the faith of us the witnesses of the Spirit.

Second query. And as for those who are so elected, whether by generation according to birth, who are the sons of Adam to eternal felicity, and those which are the sons of Cain to endless misery or not?

Answer. To this I say, That the election of God