upon the throne of Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall make manifest unto men, what the foundation is of the power of the civil magistrate, and that he ought not to meddle with spiritual things, which God hath reserved himself, not allowing any man to touch them upon pain of eternal death, but those only by him anointed for that purpose: first, we declare that the Scriptures were given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit; therefore, except the magistrates were inspired with the same spirit as those that speak the Scriptures, they ought not to judge any man by them, but ought rather to yield obedience themselves unto holy Writ, or they must perish to eternity. Again, we declare from the Holy Spirit, that since God became flesh, no civil magistrate hath any authority from above to be the judge of any man's faith, because it is a spiritual invisible gift from God, that gives a man assurance of everlasting life; but the magistrate's authority is to judge the civil laws of the land, which is grounded only upon reason; but the things of eternity are from God, who is from eternity to eternity, therefore faith is the evidence of things hoped for, and reason is judge of things that are visible as for you that are skilful in the law of reason, as soon as you hear an action to be a breach of the law, you understand presently what punishment belongs to the fact; therefore the Apostle saith, The magistrate is the minister of God for good to them that do well, and a terror to the evil doer. Again, we declare from the Lord, that no magistrate, by his power from the law of reason, ought to usurp the law of faith into his authority, because the law of reason is utterly ignorant of the law of faith, the one being carnal, and the other being spiritual; therefore, what magistrate soever takes upon him to be

the judge of us, who are the messengers of faith in the true God, they are enemies to the Lord Jesus Christ, and shall surely perish to eternity. Again, from the Lord Jesus we forewarn you that are magistrates, before it is too late, that you tread not in the lord mayor's steps, presumptuously to take upon you to judge this commission of the two-edged sword of God put into our mouths, which, if you are left so to do, it will cut you in sunder from the presence of our God to all eternity; for our God is a consuming fire, who did pronounce us cursed to eternity, had we not obeyed his voice; therefore we perfectly know whoever is left, great or small, to speak evil of this commission, which God hath put unto us, by calling it blasphemy, delusion, a devil, or lie; in so doing, they have sinned against the Holy Ghost, and must perish, soul and body, from the presence of our God, elect men and angels, to all eternity; for God hath chosen us two only, and hath put the twoedged sword of the Spirit into our mouths, as beforesaid, that whom we are made to pronounce blessed, are blessed to eternity, and whom we are made to pronounce cursed, are cursed to eternity; and this power no mortal can take out of our hands, neither will our God any more give such power unto men whilst the world endures. Therefore, you that are judges of this earth, be wise and learned, and meddle with those things which you know in this world only, and call not your God to account at your bar; for whoever arraigneth a prophet at his judgment-seat, it is all one as arraigning his God, for a prophet cometh in the name and power of his God; therefore he that despiseth the prophet, despiseth him that sent him. Again, we declare from the Lord Jesus, if any magistrate pretends to be a preacher of the Gospel,

he having no commission from our God so to do; if he preach any more after we forbid him, then we have full power to pronounce the sentence of eternal death upon him, and it is so unrevocable. Again, we declare from the Lord Jesus, that the cause why so many magistrates and ministers must suffer the vengeance of eternal death, is, because with one consent they fight against the true messengers of God, with the temporal law invested upon them by men. Again, woe would have been unto us, if we had come in our own name; but we know that God sent us, as sure as he sent Moses, the prophets, and the apostles; and that great authority, as to be judges of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, we only are invested withal: Wherefore, you magistrates that are not yet under this sentence of eternal death from the Lord Jesus, our counsel is, if you desire blessedness in the life to come, that you would not meddle to be the judges of spiritual things, knowing you have no commission from the Lord. Remember the counsel of Caiaphas, the high priest, if it be possible, and prevent the lord mayor's eternal curse.

The Prophet Reeve's Epistle to his Friend, discovering the dark Light of the Quakers; written in the Year 1654, September 20.

Loving Friend,

CALLING to mind the letter thou readest to me, which was sent thee out of the country, I am moved to present these lines to the view of thy ponderous spirit; for as words of truth, flowing from a real foundation, drew forth humility and love to God and man, from that soul that hath received an hearing ear, so likewise thou mayest know the glittering words proceeding from man's carnal wisdom, is that which hath occasioned many men to be exalted above measure, and to imagine himself so essentially united to the Divine Glory, that at length that man hath been so bewitched through the adorations of men and women in deep darkness, with high conceits of his own spiritual wisdom, that he hath been willing to deny his creaturely condition, and to embrace the holy titles and honour of an infinite Creator. Yea, and to say in his heart and tongue also, that there is no spiritual God or personal glory in the least, but what is in man only, notwithstanding, as sure as the Lord Jesus liveth, both he and all that is in him must turn into silent death and dust for a moment; yea, and would so remain unto all eternity, if there were not a distinct personal Majesty living without man, to raise him again to everlasting sensible glory or shame, according to the royal plea

sure of that God, that neither will nor can give his glory to another.

My dear Friend,

Be not deceived with men's crafty words, who have no true spiritual distinction in them; for if any mortal man have dwelling in him the eternal Spirit, all the motions, thoughts, words and actions of that man must needs be as pure, holy and powerful as God himself, because thou knowest they proceed from a pure, holy, and glorious spirit. But, of the contrary, if thou perceivest a measure of light only abiding in thee, which thou in mercy hast received from an everlasting Jesus without thee, then thou often seest darkness in thee as well as light; for light entered not into sinners to make them spiritual gods one over another, but shined into them to discover their natural enmity, continually warring against a God of eternal love towards them; and not only so, but to prevent also their former darkness from tyrannizing in them for ever, yea, and to consolate their elect brethren by their spiritual experiences.

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Wherefore, from a divine gift which I have freely received from an unerring Spirit, I say unto thee, that those men which labour to persuade their hearers, that if they diligently harken to the light that is in them, they may attain to such a power, as to be dead in this body from all kind of inward darkness, sin, or evil, have uttered the falsest doctrine that ever was declared to men. Moreover, if the light of life eternal be thy guide, thou must needs know then, it was neither the justifying light of Christ within man, no, nor the spirit of Christ without man, that moved those men to speak or write to the