would have you to know, that there can be no sinning against the Holy Ghost, but in the time of a commission; for if a man be sent of God, he is sent by the Holy Ghost, and whosever doth despise that man, that is sent of God, he despiseth him that sent him, and so he cometh to commit that unpardonable sin, which will never be forgiven him in this world, nor in the world to come: and this was committed in the days of Christ, and in the apostles commission, as you may know by these words of Christ to the Jews, when, as they said, he cast out devils by Belzebub the prince of devils. Here they called the holy Spirit of Jesus a devil, and this was that sin against the Holy Ghost. And so you may see in Acts, the apostles and Stephen amusing the rulers of the Jews, saying, you always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did; and this resisting of the Holy Ghost was that unpardonable sin. And there have been more men and women that have sinned against the Holy Ghost within these ten years, than there hath those thirteen hundred and fifty years; for I know of near upon a thousand that have sinned that sin, for which they have been damned to eternity; for which we have given them the sentence of condemnation for no other sin, but for the sin against the Holy Ghost, in that they have despised the spirit of prophecy, because they had it not themselves; for it is the nature of reason to despise prophesy, being convicted of its own wisdom or legal righteousness of the law. For this I do by infallible rule of faith in the Scriptures know, and by my own experience these ten years, that there hath been more religious persons, who had an outside righteousness, hath committed the sin against the Holy Ghost, for which they have been damned to eternity. I may safely say, almost forty

to one that hath had no righteousness in them at all; for no man or woman can commit the sin against the Holy Ghost, but in the time of a commission, nor then except he doth despise that prophet, messenger or minister, which is sent of God for his doctrine, and in so doing he hath committed that unpardonable sin, which very few religious persons, that hath talked with me, or seen our writings, that hath escaped it.

Loving Friend,

I have now finished, I suppose, my last book of the interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelations, and have prepared it ready for the press: and there is many here in London, and elsewhere in the country, that have a great desire to have it out, but it will cost such a deal of money the printing, that it will be much ado to be raised; for the printing of the Divine Looking-Glass did cast me much behind hand, and this will cost more, because the times are so troublesome concerning printing, that I have much ado to get it printed at all. But the printer knowing of me, I printing so much, concerning this commission, knowing that they are dispersed unto private persons, and not sold public in the stationer's shops, he is willing to undertake it with some more gain than formerly.

Therefore, if there be any of your acquaintance that hath any affection unto truth, if they have any freedom in themselves, to contribute something towards the printing of it; what they are made free I shall not lay any burthen upon them no where: if I can get money enough to pay the printer one half down, he will set about it a matter of ten days F

hence, and the other half must be paid when he hath done, which is supposed will be about Easter.

I shall desire to hear from you before that time, if you can: I do intend after this is out to see you this

summer.

I have had a letter since I had yours, from your aunt Carter, and am glad to hear of her faith and confidence in the truth, and of the affection that is in her daughter unto truth. I do intend to send her an answer unto it.

No more at present, but rest your friend in the true faith of Jesus, the only God blessed for ever,

LODOWICKE MUGGLETON.

London, Feb. 17, 1661.

A Copy of a Letter written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to the Believers in Cambridgeshire, bearing Date from London, Aug. 9, 1661.

Brother Dickinson, and to all the rest of the Believers in Cambridgeshire,

MY love remembered unto you and your wife, and unto all the rest of our friends there with you.

My writing unto you this time is to certify you, that my daughter is come well home, and I am informed by her, that you and other of the believers doth expect that I should come into those parts this Bartholomew-tide, because I did send a letter a great while ago somewhat to that purpose, because

then I did expect that my daughter would have come up to London long before that time; but since she did not, my mind is altered as to that thing; because I do not see it necessary, nor convenient to come this year, because my daughter having been there so long with you, hath set such a fire about the country, that will not be quenched in a fortnight or three weeks time, therefore not convenient that I should come suddenly after her.

Therefore my desire is, that you may be stedfast in your faith, and that will rectify and uphold you in the midst of all opinions, and be not fearful and unbelieving, that is, afraid of every reed that is shaken with the wind: for, consider your sufferings for your faith in these times cannot extend unto death, as it hath in other commissions.

And yet you see how the believers in other commissions have suffered the spoiling of their goods, and the passing through death itself, rather than shrink in their faith. And you see the martyrs, which had no foundation, but an infinite spirit; yet, if they should have flinched from their faith, they would never have been able to have gone through those fiery trials as they did; which faith of theirs did carry them through death itself with great joy; for none can tell what the power of faith is until it be tried.

Now there is none of your trials that are the believers of this commission of the Spirit, that can reach so far as death, nor surely to any punishment on your bodies, only some charges, or perhaps imprisonment, which is not worth the naming, and who would sell faith and a good conscience, and the assurance of eternal life, for a mess of pottage! which many a one at this day hath so done, and will do.

I perceive by my daughter, that your thoughts are

as if I should not have such affection to you as I had before, because our brother Burton is come away from you. I would have been glad if it had been so appointed, that he might have stayed with you yet; nevertheless my love and desire shall be nevertheless unto you, and shall come and see you as when he was there; for if he should have stayed there I should not Lave come this year, because of those things aforesaid, and the hinderance of that book that is now in hand. Therefore I shall desire, in the bonds of peace, that ye love one another, and bear with one another's weakness, so that the weakness be not absolute sin or wickedness; for you are but few, and have many enemies, therefore walk as children of the light, that you may know the end of your faith, which is a crown of eternal life; that you may receive the end of your faith, which God the righteous Judge, shall give unto all those whose faith doth hold out to the end in the belief of the true God, which hath been declared by this commission of the Spirit.

My love remembered unto Charles Cleve, Thomas Parke, and goodman Dovie, and the widow Adams, and her daughter Anne, and goodman Warrboys and Singleton, and his wife, and all the rest of the faith. And when your conveniency will serve, certify them concerning my not coming to see them this time.

No more at present, but rest your friend in the eternal truth, the last commissioner of the Spirit,

August 9, 1661.

LODOWICKE MUGGLETON.