such wicked men; but God hath and will let me see my desire upon mine enemies, and bring them down to destruction, O Lord my God, for they have hated me without a cause, and hateth thee that sent me. Also I have had experience of the prophet Jeremiah's condition, Jer. ii. ver. 19. I know not that they had devised devises against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree, with the fruit thereof; that is, let us destroy this Muggleton and his doctrine, which is the fruit of the tree, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered. I have had great experience that wicked men have had several devises against me, saying in their hearts, let us destroy the tree, with the fruit thereof; and let us cut this Muggleton off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered. Every true prophet is the tree, and his doctrine is the fruit thereof. The reprobate, the seed of the serpent, cannot endure that any man should eat of the tree of life, and live for ever; the serpent would have all to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil as himself doth, therefore he devises how to destroy the tree, that is, the prophet, and the fruit thereof, that none of the seed of faith might receive his doctrine, that is eat of the tree of life, and live for ever; therefore it is that the seed of the serpent hath devised devises against me, to destroy me and my writings, which is the fruit, that I might be cut off from the land of the living, that my name may be no more remembered; that is, if wicked men could but destroy me, and burn my writings, then my name would be cut off from the land of the living, and be no more remembered, as they think, because then none could believe me. Thus I have been compassed about with wicked ungodly men, and sometimes with subtil serpents, who

who hath had many devises against me, to destroy me and my writings; but the God of my salvation hath delivered me out of their hands hitherto, that my life is yet preserved; and the Lord God of truth, that judgeth righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them that are thy enemies as well as mine; for unto thee have I revealed my cause, and shall wait on thee for the execution of thy wrath upon those wicked, ignorant, blind-dark devils, that hath not so much as the light of thy law written in their hearts. Thus I have given you but a little account of my long experience of the burthen of the Lord upon me; I have complained as little of it as ever any prophet did, but of these late years I have been compassed about with wicked men more than heretofore, yet I have given less cause of late than before; but as the saints hath increased, so hath mine enemies increased more and more. I have writ these lines unto you because you did beg them of me, because it is seven years since you received a letter from me, so that I could not well deny your request; so I have presented these lines unto you for your further consolation, with my love to you also.

I take leave, and rest your friend in the true faith of the true God,

LODOWICKE MUGGLETON.

Postern, near Moor-lane, London,

August 26, 1676.

A Copy of a Letter written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton to Mr. James Whitehead, of Braintree, bearing date from London, December 31, 1679.

Loving Friend in the true Faith, James Whitehead,

I RECEIVED your letter, dated December 26, 1679, by the hand of your neighbour. And I had an hour or two's discourse; but the man said little, and objected less against what I said; only that he was troubled that he had lived to this age, and should be so ignorant of the Scriptures, and of matters of salvation; yet he stuck at continual prayer unto God. I gave him advice to let prayer alone, and to act righteousness between man and man, and let God do what he would with him after death.

This did I do when I was in your condition; for, said I, there is no question but you have prayed unto God this many years, to give you peace of mind, and assurance of salvation. For that is the desire of all men, that the soul might enter into rest in this life; then doth a man cease from his labour of prayer and worship, which he worketh in the fiery furnace of his mind, to make up his full tale of prayers and holy duties, thinking God will reward him with peace of mind, and life, and salvation, seeing he hath wrought eleven hours in the day in God's vineyard of the righteousness of the law; yet we see that man that wrought but one hour in God's vineyard of faith, he received his penny of everlasting life presently, which was the assurance of life everlasting in himself, even in this life; so that his work is done, and is entered

into his rest, as God entered into his rest from the work of creation.

Likewise the penny those had that wrought eleven hours of the day, it was credit, reputation, and honour, amongst men of the world, being thought righteous godly men, by the people of the world. This is that penny that most religious people do receive for their prayers and holy duties. This I know to be true; and it is a good penny to have honour and credit with men in this world; but this penny doth not satisfy the mind of those that work eleven hours in the day, as that penny doth that worketh but one hour in the righteousness of faith; which was the cause those men did grumble; and it is the cause now that righteous men do grumble, that a few men that believe Muggleton should be sure of their salvation in this life; and we that have wrought all our lives long in the righteousness of God's law, cannot have that penny of satisfaction of mind.

Indeed this would cause any righteous man to grumble, as I myself did when I was in their condition; so that the penny of this world is that penny God doth give to all legal righteous men: and the penny of assurance and satisfaction of mind, is that penny God doth give to those that truly believe in his messengers, though it be in the last hour of their lives.

Many things were spoken, and the man said little, only complained of his ignorance. The man is moderate enough, and able to hear and bear what was spoken; nor doth not deny, nor receive any thing for absolute truth, to receive it for his own satisfaction, as I can perceive.

It is something a hard thing, when a man is old, to enter into his mother's womb to be born again, as

Nicodemus said; but as Christ said, It is possible with God, and it is possible with faith, though it be impossible with reason to understand; for I have known elder than he have been born again by this commission of the Spirit.

I would not have you let him hear this letter; but if he come to you perhaps he may speak something to you, whereby you may perceive whether he did like or dislike any thing he heard or saw.

Thus, with my love, and my wife's love, remembered unto yourself, and to your wife, and Mr. Nicholls, and the rest.

Also Mrs. Man doth remember her kind respects unto yourself. I take leave, and rest,

Your friend in the eternal Truth,

LODOWICKE MUGGLETON.:

London, December 31, 1679.

I am willing that John Lad, and you, and all of you, if it be convenient, to have a meeting with this Finch, as he requireth, to see what he can say for himself; and if he give occasion of a sentence, you may pass it upon him if he denieth and forsaketh the blessing, and sold the books in contempt and dislike, or doth any ways say he was deceived by believing them or me, then you may justly give sentence upon him, never to have any discourse more with him in matters of religion; and if you think it convenient, you may read this letter of mine which follows, unto him, or as many as he will allow to hear it; but let your discourse be first with him, then will