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from the truth; and none can declare truth but he that is sent of God. Now the apostles being sent of God, all those that did seem to own their doctrine in their time, and did afterwards decline from it, and turn to the law of Moses, they may be said to fall away, that they had no true faith in the heart, but in the head only. For there can be no falling away, not properly, but they that fall away from truth, or from a true commission, when it is in being upon the earth. For men may fall away from all opinions of religion, or faith, upon the earth, and yet be safe enough; because all opinions in religion in the whole world are taken up by tradition from the letter of the Scriptures.

And so mens faith become traditional also: so that men may easily fall away from that traditional faith, and yet be never the worse. But if any shall fall from that faith he did seem to have in a true commissionated prophet, he shall never return again, but will certainly be damned to eternity. But if true faith doth arise out of the heart, he shall stand sure, and never fall; but shall have the testimony and assurance in himself of eternal salvation. For this I have observed by experience, since God made me a messenger to declare his will, I have observed three sorts of faith, or conditions in man. Some men I have seen to have faith and knowledge in the head, and not in the heart: others again,I have observed to have faith and true knowledge in the heart, and not in the head. Others again I have observed to have true faith and true knowledge in the head and the heart. All these things I know by experience. Now there is but one of these three that is capable to fall away, namely, he that hath it in the head only; yet if a true prophet hath but charitable

thoughts of him that hath it in the head only, he shall stand the longer. But if the prophets good thoughts shall be taken from him, he will fall immediately, and his hopes within him will perish and die. But if men shall have true faith in the heart and head both, or in the heart only in this commission of the Spirit, they shall never fall away, but shall have the assurance of eternal life abiding in them. This many believers in this commission can witness so at this day.

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Thus, as short as I can, I have given you an answer to your queries, which may somewhat more satisfy your mind as to your queries; but in the reading of the books, as to the true doctrine concerning the true God and the right devil, and the interpretation of Scripture, the books will give a great deal better satisfaction to the spirit if understood.

There is a young man of this faith that saw your letter, hath sent you a book, called, The Interpretation of the 11th of the Revelation, by your friend John Terry, with a letter also; his name is John Saddington: so that if satisfaction be not found in the commission of the Spirit, I say it will be found no where. For this I must tell you, that whoever owns free-will, as to the saving of his soul, after he hath heard of this commission of the Spirit, and of the doctrine of election and reprobation, declared by us, the witnesses of the Spirit, I say such will perish to eternity, let their righteousness be ever so great, or think of themselves what they will. For Moses did hold forth the doctrine of election and reprobation, and declared much against free-will, saying, It is not in him that willeth, or in him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. And on whom he will have mercy, he will have mercy; and whom he will he hardeneth.

Also it is the faith of us the witnesses of the Spirit, and of the believers of it, who can witness in their own spirits, that they are elected, and have certain and full assurance of their eternal salvation, and as certain that others are reprobated to endless misery. But I shall say no more at present, but rest and remain,

Your friend in the true faith of Jesus, the only true God,

LODOWICKE MUGGLETON.

London, May 19, 1665.

A Copy of a Letter written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to one John Hyde, living in Jewen, a bookseller, bearing date October 27, 1665.

John Hyde,

I AM informed that you have very much exclaimed against me, as if I had dealt unjustly with you, as if I had done you a great deal of wrong, and not only so, but that I did gripe and exercise lordship over the consciences of others to keep myself in idleness. These are the best of your expressions; so that I shall not take much notice of them, though you have shewed the naughtiness of your heart, and a lie in it. But the thing I would discover unto you, and wherein your heart hath not been right is this:

did not you proffer to bind me a quarter of a hundred of books single towards the printing, because you could not spare money, and that you would have one for yourself; indeed I was unwilling you should do it, and was loth to accept of it, and I said I would pay you for what you did bind for me, not expecting that you should be at the charge, no not so much as to buy one, or to work one out in binding; but you pressed upon me again and again to make up the quarter of a hundred. And you may remember I did ask you, in Mr. Medgate's shop, whether you did intend to have one of them altogether for the binding of a quarter of a hundred? and you said you would have one single. Mr. Medgate doth remember it. But if you would have had them altogether, you should have had them altogether, for that would very near have been worth the binding of them, for you did ask me but 5d. a piece to bind them, neither are they worth any more.

Likewise, did not you, when I was with you, with Mrs. Carter's book concerning the silver bosses, when I paid you 11s. for her book, and my wife's book, did you not then ask me to send so many books as would make up the quarter of a hundred, which was fifteen then wanting. So, through your pressing of me unto it, I did send by my wife, fifteen to make it up; for this I must tell you, if you had not pressed me to it, I would have bound no more than what I had present need of, but would have paid you for those ten that were done before, and there would have been an end of that business. For you might have had so much reason in you, that I would not go bind so many books to lie by me, for they will go off as well unbound as bound. So that the thing would have been no benefit to me to lay out so much money, and take

it in by 6d. at a time, perhaps it may be a year or two before I receive the money in again.

Again, if you did not intend to perform your promise, why did you keep back that one book, according to your agreement, as if you meant to perform your promise; for if you did repent of your promise, you should have sent that book also, and a line or two, that you did repent of your promise, and I would have sent you money to the full, though they were bound contrary to my desire. But through the wicked hypocrisy of your heart, you take offence at me, and rage and rail against me, as if I were an unjust man, or had done such an unjust deed to you, by cutting off such a sum which you did expect. But this I would have you to know, that it was never my nature, when I was in my lowest estate in this world, to covet or encroach upon any, to get any thing from them, no not to the rich; and as to the poor, I was always tender of taking any thing from them, but would rather add unto them, even of that little that I had; though I had power, and now have power, to command what I think fit of those I know can or may perform it, yet I never did in my poverty, much less now in my plenty; for I considered their condition to be mine own, and that I would not have been dealt so by; so that the power I now have, did no ways alter my natural temper in this matter; neither have I got this plenty, whereby I stand in no need of any man, but all men do stand in more need of me, than I do of them. I say I did not get this plenty out of the saints, but Providence hath given it me by my wife, else perhaps I might have been more troublesome to some of the richer sort of saints than now I am. But to let that pass: I will shew you wherein you have shewed the greatest piece of hypocrisy,

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