withal against me, that you might persecute me the

more.

Yet nevertheless, I am not afraid of your seeing my writings, nor ashamed of the doctrine contained therein; nay, I am not afraid if the king's majesty himself should see it; for my writings are more for the honour of the king, than any dishonour.

Therefore, if you please to send a messenger or carrier to London, where I live, and send money, they shall have it, for they cost a great deal of money the printing, neither will I lend any; for I find by experience, that when books be lent they are worse liked than when they are paid for: but if I had thought that you had desired to see it in love, you should have had not only one, but three or six presented unto you to peruse.

But I think most magistrates and people have forgot the Scripture language, which saith, forget not to entertain strangers; for some in entertaining strangers have entertained angels: as righteous Lot and faithful Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and divers others, that have received prophets in the name of a prophet, and so have received a prophet's reward, which reward is no less than the blessing of eternal life; which I suppose all men would willingly have: but instead of receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet, the people receive him as a blasphemer, a liar, and deceiver, and persecute him, and so instead of a prophet's blessing they receive a curse of eternal damnation.

This I know to be true, by great experience, these twelve years; for I have found more malice in the country where I have been a stranger and a pilgrim (as most prophets were) nay they will neither receive me themselves, nor suffer others that would; yet I

meddle with no man, neither do I invite any one to come where I am, but would rather they would forbear coming near me; for most people come to me only to try me, to catch words out of me, as the Scribes and Pharisees did to the Lord Jesus Christ, that they might have something to accuse me of to the rulers.

But I hope you being a ruler of the people (for every judge is a ruler) will not be an accuser and persecutor yourself; but if you be I shall be made able by the power of faith to bear it.

And what I have written, and the sentences I have and do pronounce, I shall willingly (if the laws of England will do it) seal it with my blood.

But it would be better and more commendable to do as Nicodemus (a ruler in Israel) did, which came to Christ by night to ask him questions.

Surely Nicodemus did not come to entrap and catch Christ in his words, whereby to have something against him to persecute him, but asked questions in love, desiring to be resolved; which was a good character, that this ruler came to Christ in love, and that he was an elect vessel,

C

It would be good for all rulers if they could follow his example in spiritual matters; for indeed rulers are to be learned and wise, to declare the matters of this world (as David doth say in the Psalms) for God hath chosen few rulers to be prophets to declare his mind. And that is the very cause so many rulers did persecute the prophets and apostles; you may read, that the rulers of Israel did persecute the prophets, and the rulers of Israel did persecute the apostles w

Likewise I have had my share of persecution by the rulers of England, for these twelve years; but

what they and all persecuting rulers have got by it will do them but little good, for they procured no less than the sentence and seal of eternal damnation to themselves; neither will they be delivered from it; for no persecutor of a prophet, as he is a prophet, can be saved, that prophet not being guilty of the breach of the civil law of the land.

Therefore it is good for judges and rulers of the land to mind the place they are set in, and to judge of those things they know, viz. the laws of the land: and let them do righteous judgment according to the known law of the land, and they shall do well, and not to meddle with that which God hath reserved to himself, and will give power and judgment in spiritual matters to whom he please.

Therefore I should desire you to persist no further in persecuting of men for spiritual matters, lest you persecute the truth instead of a lie, and call that blasphemy which God doth own to be revealed by his Holy Spirit, and so come within the compass of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, a sin that never will be forgiven in this world, nor in the world

to come.

Neither would I have you to think scorn to be advised by one so low, and you so high; for my power is as great in spiritual matters as yours is in things of

nature.

And as your commission is to be judge from the king which I do own, so is my commission in spiritual things from the King of Heaven.

And as your commission will bear you out in all things you do according to the law of the land; so will my commission from God bear me out in what I do upon a spiritual account.

I have been more large than I did intend, but

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things of this nature cannot be expressed in few words, as other things may be; but I shall say no more at present, but rest,

LODOWICKE MUGGLETON.

And if you would be any further informed of me, and my writings, you may have, for twenty-pence, a book, at my mother Martyn's, called, The Quaker's Neck broken, that will inform you further both of me and my writings.

From Rootam in Kent,
January 6, 1663.

A Copy of a Letter written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Elizabeth Carter, dated April 3, 1663

My dear Friend, Elizabeth Carter,

I READ over your letter, and though the lines of your letter are but few, yet I find they are very pithy, and full of substance; which I am much rejoiced to see, and so much the more, in that one so young should grow so far in perfection of faith, as to know that the words or writings of faith should speak peace to the soul of a believer, and to cast yourself upon this rock, and if you perish, to perish there; which you have done well, for you cannot but grow in peace and satisfaction that casts itself upon a true

prophet, it is as if they did cast themselves upon God himself, for a true prophet is in God's stead, and they that receive him so, shall receive a prophet's reward, which is no less than eternal life.

For this I would a little inform you further, that there is no man nor woman, but they must have some prophet or minister or other, to pitch their faith upon, else they cannot be quiet in their minds, except they be Atheists.

And seeing there is a necessity that there must be a sandy foundation and a rock, or a false and a true; and this sandy foundation is so large, that almost all the world doth build upon it; and the rock is so little, that there can but few build upon it; it hath but one Chief Corner-stone, even God himself; but the world builds all upon the sand that have never a cornerstone at all to bear up their building, when the storm of death comes.

Therefore you may see what, a multitude of messengers, ministers, and ambassadors there is in this world, of all sects and opinions, and every one of the messengers have store of people which do build upon them, which may be evident to a discerning eye that they all build upon the sand; and that there should be but one true prophet in the world at this day, and that such young ones as you, and Elizabeth Smith, should build upon this commission of the Spirit, which is a sure rock of salvation.

There are other young ones in other places, which I find to be rather more confident, and do grow more in the faith of this commission than some that are of older years. The cause why it is so, is, because they were catcht in faith's net before any other form of religion had laid hold on them.

I write these few lines to you for the further con