THere is a Letter come to our hands, sent to John Reynes, which bears thy name, and is for the Distribution of a considerable sum of Money towards the relief of them that are in such capacity as the Letter in several passages of it makes mention; wherein we find our Names, amongst others, assigned by thee to dispose of a part of it, to such as are [Page 2]in need, sickness, or other kind of adversity whatsoever, amongst us the People called Quakers, so stiled by thee; the consideration whereof, together with the things contained in thy Letter, caused us deeply to way these things before the Lord, lest we should do any thing in this matter, that might hurt the Truth, or grieve the bles­sed Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we, blessed be his Name, have received, whereby we are established for ever; and we stood in fear before the Lord, and were not hasty in this matter; and some of them whom thou hast named in thy Letter were altogether unwilling that we should meddle with that assigned to us, lest we should pertake of the accursed Thing, which will be spoken to in its place; and weighing things on every hand, at last, those that have subscribed the Acquittance did think it meet, that we might at the present receive the Money, and the only reason that prevai­led with us to-take it in our hands, was, lest any that had been hereto­fore convinc'd of Gods Everlasting Truth, but now turned from it, (as thou art) and yet go under that name; these receiving it, might in this (as in other things) bring reproach upon the blessed Truth of the Lord God; which to prevent, we did secure the Money in our own hands, until we might have an opportu­nity to sent it back to thy self; Note, The Money he sent was received by a Stranger, by our ap­probation, and after receipt, was sealed up, and the very same sent back to him. that so the People, who are the Lords for ever in the Covenant of Light, (yet by the World called Quakers) might stand clear from the accursed thing, which is the price of blood, as we shall make manifest in due place. Robert thou art not ignorant that our ac­quaintance at the first, Note also, This Ro­bert Rich had a con­vincement, and was a while among the peo­ple of God, called Quakers, but he soon turned from them, for their way was to strait for him to walk in. came upon the occasion of thy being convinc'd and submission to the Ever­lasting and Unchangable Way and Truth of the Living God, and we have a Testimony (and it lives in our hearts) for that pure Way which (blessed be the Lord) we are established in, al­though many (as thy self) have turned their backs upon it: our God whom we serve and bow before, he is Light, unchangeably so; and we bear witness, in him is no darkness at all; it is written in our hearts by the Finger of Gods Spirit, that we shall never forget the kind­ness and love of God towards us, who had waited and mourned [Page 3](in the secret of our Souls) for the appearance of him who is the desire of all Nations; yet to them that believe not in the true Light that John bears witness of, His Countenance is more marr'd then any Mans; but blessed be the Name of God for ever, that we received the Light, the Way to walk in; we bear witness for the Lord, it is everlastingly Pure, and the unclean cannot walk therein; it was to us, it is so to all them that believe in the Light, and abide in it, it is an Everlasting Morning to the Soul, and gives pure satisfacti­on; and we are fully perswaded in the Light and Power of the Lord it is so; we are kept by it, it is the mighty Power of God to Salvation, to us who believe in the true Light; there is a treasure in him for all that are in want; oh, that the Nations that are yet in darkness and blindness of mind were awakened, that they might come to partake (with us) of the true treasure, it enricheth them that have been poor outcasts, that had no rest, that had no rest for the weary Soul, we bear a witness and hold forth a true testimony al­though the backsliding in heart be grieved thereby, that Christ Jesus (the Lord from heaven) is come, that delivers and saves from sin, it is the Comfort and Consolation of them that have been in the travail, and led into Captivity under the sore bondage of the cruell Enemie of the Soul to know the Deliverer come, it is so, blessed be the holy Name of the Lord for ever, we testifie of the true Translation, known and come into, which we have a part in, we know the pure Power of the Son of God taking place in our hearts, and it hath overcome the power of the wicked one; and this is more to us then ten thousand worlds; and because of the savour of his good ointment, do ye Virgins love the Lords Christ, and cry Hosanna to him; I mean all who receive the truth in the love of it, and have kept their habitation in God, he hath been, he still is a stay and strength to the Soul, whereby they are preserved that they do not faint in their minds, notwithstanding the several trials and temptations that they have been exercised in and with, and here we come to anchor, here for ever is our Rest: if Enemies rise on the one hand or the other, either from the world, who per­secute because of the Name of God, and our worshiping him in Spi­rit and Truth; or those Enemies that once were convinc'd, and saw the gate that is narrow, and the way that is streight, and have taken offence at the good way of the Lord, yet [mark] to us that abide, [Page 4](it is sealed for ever) it is a pleasant way, it was in times past to those that walkt in it, it is to us who love the pure path, in it they did (we doe) finde and inherit life everlasting, we said we were come to Anchor and Rest for ever, there is a consent in the soul it is a durable Rest, to all them that are come to anchor and rest in the pure living power of the living God, and cease from their works; blessed be the holy Name of God some have attained by him to know the Saviour come to work in the soul the works that are acceptable unto God, and standing in the unchangeable truth they are no more their own, but setled upon the Rock the everlast­ing foundation where no change is, no variableness nor shadow of turning; whoever comes into that we speak of, and dwells in it, they are come to Mount Sion that cannot be moved; doth not the unchangeable Power of the living God, cause the pure minde to mount up above all earthly things, and to converse in heaven? and so they know this to be true in him, that he the Lord hath made them a willing people in the day of his power; truly they that a­bide in it, they run the Race that is set before them, and do not faint; they walk in the way of Life, and are not weary of follow­ing the Lamb of God that taketh away Sin, wheresoever he goes; [mark] our witness for God is, his Standard is set up, and his Salvation is revealed, and the certain sound is gone forth, and ma­ny have prepared themselves to partake of the Supper of the Lamb, where the blessedness for ever is known, we declare of no other Standard but this, the unalterable power of the living God, to be set up in the heart of man and woman, whereby Salvation may be wrought, and deliverance from Sin may be witnessed, and the Name of God magnified for ever, and we speak to the praise of his Name, power from Christ is come into the hearts of many, where­by they have overcome the devil, For he that is in us is stronger then he that is in the world, and we are joyned in the Covenant of light, to walk with the Lord for ever; there is a seal of love set upon the heart by his spirit, the pure force whereof hath constrain­ed many to give up, and they are throughly perswaded, that nei­ther heights, nor depths, things present, nor things to come, or whatsoever can be named shall be able to separate them from the hope that is in Christ, and that because they are kept by the mighty power of God, which we have experience of, is above and stronger [Page 5]then the power of the devil, and in all our trialls and tribulati­ons, although never so many, we speak in reverence of his holy Name, we have no whether else to go, nor any thing else to put our trust and considence in, but the power of the living God, and his Arm hath been made bare for our deliverance from that thral­dome and bondage in which we were kept heretofore notwithstand­ing our belief, until Christ by the Will of God was revealed in us, to our unspeakable comfort, and we cannot be removed from the hope of the Gospel, which is the power of God to Salvation, to as many as truly believe, and know Christ to be made unto them (by God) Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Re­demption, and our hope it reacheth within the Vail; and blessed be God we are stedfast in him who is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever, but many have turned aside from the way of Life, and are sna­red in holes, and some (as in time past) after they had tasted the good Word of God, and of the power of the world to come. yet have fallen away; yet (if possible) it is the true desire of the heeart, they may be restored and brought back into the Light of Life and fold of Christ, where they may lie down in peace. It is declared before how we came to be acquainted with thee at the first, some of us very well yet remember, the first occasion of seeing thy face, it was in owning, and also bringing on their way those first Messengers of the Gospel that came to us, that brought the glad tidings of Salvation, dear Edw. Borough, and Francis Howgel; then at that time thou didst appear to have dear and tender love to that Truth of Christ we pro­fess, and to our great comfort and consolation do enjoy; and after, it is yet remembred, some of us visited thee, when thou wast in Pri­son in Banbury, with dear Richard Farnsworth, and there thou didst bare a witness and restimony for the Living Way and Truth of God; and at that time thou didst appear to have a dear love to, and a tender respect for those People thou now call'st Quakers, above any Peo­ple in the World, and as the only People, and alone Way of God, didst thou then own them, not by the name Quakers, (as the World do) didst thou then call them; but as Friends of God, and Friends to and with thy self in unity and oneness in the Spirit of Truth, for our unity then was (and all that love Righteousness amongst us, they, and they only continue and abide in unity) in the holy Spirit of Truth, which, blessed be the Lord for ever, is become a [Page 6]Guide and a Leader into all Truth. But it is necessary to enquire what Principle thou art of in matter of Religion now; we are not ignorant, that after some small space of time that thou hadst been convinc'd, and had in some degree taken up the Cross to thy will and wayes, in which thou hadst full liberty in the Flesh, before thou cam'st to believe in Christ, the true Light, who shews and makes manifest sin in the heart, where-ever it is, and to as many as receives him, he gives and administers power from himself, to overcome all the works of the wicked One; but thou went out from us, and from the fellow-ship of the Spirit of Truth into another spirit; there is a testimony in the heart for the Lord, that thou departed from the Spirit of Truth, (that is a Guide to God, to all that are lead by it) and joyned to an unclean spirit, and in that thou hast stood, and in that spirit thou hast been a shelter, and a harbour for them that are in the same, apart from, and in a separation from the Truth, and the Spirit of it, and there we find thee yet to continue.

Oh, Robert, when ever thou comes to have a true sence of what thou hast departed from, the Word of Life answered, He is gone from Christ the Hope of Glory, the Fonntain of Life: There is a cry in the Soul while this is writing; What, hast thou lost the beloved Son of God, in whom he is well pleased? Thou hast murthered and crucified the pure Life of Christ, the Heir in thy self, and hast taken the Government into the hand of the Polluted; and in this state thou art speaking of the things of Gods heavenly Kingdom, but notwithstanding gone from the Light in which true fellowship is; for it is now with us, as it was with the cloud of Witnesses that went before, who said, If we walk in the Light, as he is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all Sin: So we find thee gone from the true Fel­lowship that remains unalterable for ever, which is in the true Light and holy Spirit, which, blessed be the Lord for ever, we are (whom thou art got atop of in thy words) baptised into one Body, and have been made to drink into one Spirit. It is no matter at all of what per­swasion in Religion we were before we came to know him that takes away Sin; but now we are, (let the Ranters say whatever they will) in him that is true, and the departure of all them that could not abide and continue with us to walk in the strait Way that leads to Life, it shakes not our confidence at all; for we bear witness [Page 7]for the Lord, and our witness will stand and abide, and cannot be prevailed against, because it is for him, yea, and in him, that we are come to that which all the Prophets bear witness of, and the glory is come, and he is known that hath established the Soul upon the sure Foundation, and all the proud swelling words cannot shake us at all; for we will not know thy words, but we will know thy power, and try that, and there we find thee light, weighing in the Ballance of the Sanctuary: we are called to it to contend for the Truth [mark] once delivered; blessed everlasting God thou hast comforted the hearts of thine in this, (who are kept by thy power) that they shall never fall, because they are built upon the Rock Christ: and we knowing that thou art gone from the blessed Way and Truth of the Living God, and thou wast one of those of the first rank that departed from the Way Everlasting, and joyned with them that got up into the Imaginations; yet them that were thy Leaders in that particular, there was some degree of repenting, and God being gra­cious to them there was a sense of sorrow upon their hearts, of their sin in dishonouring the name of the Lord, and in causing his truth to be evil spoken of for your sakes: but Robert, I never yet heard that thou came to a sence of what thou art departed from, or in what state thou now standest; but that which thou art departed from, and we enjoy, gives us light to see thy condition, and what work thou art working in this thy liberal Contribution; and in this, as to us, what is it more then the Enemy of the Soul did to Christ our fore-runner, when he shewed him the glory of this World, and saith, All this will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me: for now we being brought under, as to outward things, by the late Fire, and thou being in fulness, as to outward things, it seems a sit time to lay thy snare to entrap our feet, and by this means love, as thou call'st it, to overcome us, who had (whilst thou wer't yet in London in that unclean spirit, to which thou wast joyned) denied thee, and that spirit, and thou so continuing, we are still the same as we were when thou departed from us; and say, (if thou continue where thou art) Thy Money perish with thee; for we have learned in all estates to be content; and we know our God whom we serve is able, and all-sufficient to provide for us: it is our glory for ever, that we come to know him that takes care for us, and we know he makes provision according to our need; and so we deny thy Sacri­fice, [Page 8]for it is the price of Blood, (as was hinted before) for thou hast slain the pure tender innocent Life that was arising in thee, the tender Bud, it scarce ever came to blossom, it was nipt, the subtil Foxes spoil the tender Grapes; that Birth thou speaks of was strangled before it was brought forth. And all that are baptized, and come to that Unction the Apostle speakes of, which is true, there is no lie in it; the Soul even blesseth and magnifieth the Lord for ever, that we are come to that pure Spring of Love and Life that satisfies the Immortal Soul, and there is no Lye in it, neither will it joyn or partake of a Lye in another; therefore all that have been made partakers of it, and come to know the worth thereof in some degree, they had need walk humbly before the Lord for ever, and prize his love, and also stand in the watch, lest through negli­gence or carelesness, they giving not heed to the pure Light of Life, which is the Gift of God, in which the Wisdom which is from above is placed; all that come to it, and have kept their virginity, have not been spoiled through vain deceit, and a false flattering love, that neither for fear, nor favour of others, but in singleness of heart are given up to the Lord, to walk with him in the Covenant of his own Light and Life, [mark] they need not strive after excellency of words, for their Kingdom is not in that; but they are come to know the Brest-plate of true Judgment, the Judgment of the Li­ving God is placed in it for ever; and all them that dwell in the un­alterable Truth of the Lord our Righteousness, prize his mercy to you for ever; Oh, the excellency of the pure Power of the pure Life of the Son God; and without all doubt, the Virgins that fol­low the Lamb, the Light, whither he goes, [mark] they have this treasure in earthen Vessels: Oh, ye faithfull ones that have kept your dwelling, and have abode under the Wings of the Almighty, exalt and magnifie for ever the alone precious, glorious, living, sa­ving strengthning Power of the Living blessed God, your and our All is in it; and (without the preciousness of this, in a setled stayed mind, the want whereof, and the neglect to attain the Wisdom that is from above) that is for ever pure; it is true in our dayes, as in the dayes past, The Sluggard, the Sloathfull (I in my Soul can desire there were none such) they are clouthed in Rags; [mark] the pure Life calls and cries out to the Lord, that all, and every one in the particular would labour and strive and watch to that, so there might [Page 9]not one that profess the Name of the Lord be barren, but all be ac­quainted with the Excellency of Gods Power, and be enriched with it, no one going before another, but a standing in the unalterable Power of the Lord, for the growth and comforting of the pure Life in all; this is that we were made partakers of in the beginning, we did, we do inherit Life, the preciousness whereof is beyond the utterance of all words, and all the deceitfull ones that are gone out from the pure Appearance of the Lord, and his pure Light, and are made wise in many of the words of Truth, yet are out, and against the Power of Truth, although they come amongst us with their ly­ing wonders from day to day, (Robert) as thou and thy Company did in the beginning; but your sins remains, and your folly was made manifest, and blessed be the Name of God, Truth, and the Power of the Lord is established over the heads of all the unclean in heart; and so we deny thy gift. But, Robert, there is another end in send­ing thy Contribution to Seven Churches, as thou call'st them, thou sayest that these might more fully discern the mind of thy Lord in this figure of Love and Amity to them; in the reading thy Letter there was a belief that there was a mystery in thy imagination about these Seven Churches; it is declared before that thou wast one of the first that run out in the imagination to the dishonour of Truth, thou joyned to them that could not indure the Yoke, and to the Ranters; and after some small space of time, when that Cloud of Darkness was blown over, a second assault from the Bottomless-Pit ariseth, through that Poetical Instrument John Perrot, who set up and promoted the keeping on the Hat in Prayer and Supplication to God, and that was not the only thing by which he sought to destroy and overturn the precious Truth of the Living God; (but it will stand for ever) the second thing whereby this Instrument, that was as thy fore-runner in this matter, he wrote that Epistle for Unity and Amity, and to take away the hedge of Opinions, and so to unite all together in one, this was the work of this nimble Poet; and after­ward, when he could not effect his work to espouse and joyn us to the world, that are in wickedness (who were escaped from Sodom, and were gotten to Soar, the place of rest) then himself, after all his profession that he made of denial of this World, and the Fashion thereof, for a more enduring Substance; yet at the last turned into the Earth, [Page 10]and sought the preferment thereof, and built again the things which before he had destroyed, and so in that sinfull state laid down his body, and so is a warning unto thee; for, if thou continue in that Apostising spirit, in which thou went'st out from Gods Truth, thou also wilt likewise perish; but yet it is the desire of the Soul that thou mayst repent, and come to Salvation; and the glorious Salvation that we testifie of, and are joyned together in, is the pure Life and Power of Jesus Christ; and blessed for ever be the Name of the Lord, we abide therein; and all those that did partake with us of the Grace of God in the Light of Christ Jesus, and after a while drew back, and fell from it, we very well know Gods Soul harh no pleasure in them: Therefore, having received power from Christ, we warn thee in the Name of the Lord, to return to that which first convinced thee, which was the pure Light and Spirit of Christ, that thou mayst know it to clense and sanctifie thee, and to lead and guide thee in the Everlasting Way of Holiness, which will administer comfort to thee in the latter end.

We omitted of purpose the naming of those Persons which thou speakest of in thy Letter of direction to John Reynes, because of our intention to make this Paper sent unto thee publick; unto whom thy further request is, to receive the Thirty pounds, and therewith to provide a Dinner or a Supper, thy words are, which I chiefly do, for the raising of my dear Friend Lazarus, viz. the Love of God; we are not unquainted, blessed be the Lord for ever, how the Love of God was raised up in our hearts; we have in some degree spoken of it before, but yet its needfull to say, that the Lord in an acceptable day reach'd to our Souls, to let us see, that without Christ we were utterly undone and lost for ever; and we had been long seeking him, even through almost all Forms of Religion, that had a Form of godliness amongst them; but we could not find the Beloved of the Soul there; for in those several Forms we come to know, that Christ the Second Adam, the Lord from Heaven, his Countenance is more marr'd then any mans; but when in the Ministration of the Gospel, and by it alone we came to be acquainted with the pure Power of the Lord God, we very well yet remember how that Power of God wrought in our Souls, even to an utter loathing of all manner of sin and evil, and it begat an everlasting love in our Souls to the Li­ving [Page 11]God, and to one another, who by a visitation in his Spirit and Power had drawn us with the Cords of pure Love; and this Spirit and Power of the Lord Jesus Christ, this, and this only is able to raise up the Love of God in man, and also to preserve for ever that Love in the heart; for by the Power therof are we preserved, and therein do we rejoyce, and our Joy can no man take from us: But what love is that which is raised up in good fellowship, as the World call it, in eating and drinking, is it not the love of such a god, whose god is Bellies, who mind earthly things to raise up the Love of the true God in the hearts of men and women? but undoubtedly a Din­ner or Supper in the outward will not raise up the Love of God in the heart; that which sheds it abroad in the heart, that alone can raise up pure Love to the pure God, and this we are acquainted withal: and we do believe that thou speakest thy own condition in those words, viz. Which hath been long pining away, through a tedi­ons and sore famine of contention and strife, even unto death: Robert, we very well yet remember when thy self, with others, departed from the Unalterable and Everlasting Living Holy Way of God, what strife and sore contention did you and your Company make in our Meetings and Assemblies, to the wounding the hearts of many that did truely love and fear the Name of the Lord, through which strife and contention of yours, together with the Ranters, to which you were joyn'd, you made our otherwayes peaceable meetings to be a scorn to the World, and thereby thou lost the pure Love of God that before did begin to be shed abroad in thy heart by the holy Spi­rit; and now being gone from it, and from the pure Light that leads to it, thou wouldst buy the Gift of the holy Spirit with money, in giving Thirty pounds to make a Dinner or a Supper, for the raising up thy Friend Lazarus, as thou call'st it; but yet thou canst not be in friendship with the pure Love of the Living God whilst thou art out from the way that leads to it; and we advice thee to turn to the Grace of God in which the Salvation is, which, blessed be the Name of God, is become our Teacher, and hath taught us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly and righteously in this present World; in the beginning we had some knowledge of thee in this Grace of God, in which the Love of God is for ever, but not to be bought with money; thou wouldst give Thirty pounds [Page 12]for raising up of the Love of God in the heart, and Judas received Thirty Pieces of silver for betraying Christ, the Love of God: so the Traders in Money, for either buying or selling the Love of God are denied; for they are both from one Root; but we have learn'd to abide in the Living Vine, that we may bring forth fruit unto our Heavenly Father, who hath begotten us unto himself by the Gospel, which is a sure stay to the mind, whereby we are kept in perfect Peace: we shall not meddle much with thy high words with which thou beatest the air, but surely there is a belief, that there was ne­ver yet such a president in the World before; it is very observable to us the state of thy mind in this particular, to advance so great a sum of Money; and weighing the thing in the Ballance of Truth, it is only to draw us back where thou art gone, and joyn us again to the World; but we have entered into our rest: Thou wouldst have the Persons of those thou hast invited bid welcom, and also to remember the spirits of them that were friends to the Bride­groom, and so thy Feast is for the dead and living; but these so compacted together, thou callest the Church of the First-born: and indeed they are the Church of the first-born of thy imaginati­ons, for there is no pattern of it before, and thy Brain is the first that ever pointed out to, or laid a foundation for such a Church, or such a Congregation, unless the Ranters; and therefore those who are of the Church of the First-born, truly so, I mean those that are translated from death to Life, from the power of Satan to the Power or the Living God, and by the Spirit and power of Je­sus Christ are born again, whereby they come out of the old Birth, or rather that Death which is in opposition to the pure Life of the Son of God; and these now come to know the quickning Power of the Son of God in their Souls, whereby they are made alive unto God, and although they were in time past dead as well as others, yet now behold, by the Grace of God they live for ever­more; there abide in Christ the living Vine, and are built on the sure foundation, ye they are come to the Rock of Ages, the tried Stone, which the Master-builders of our Age hath refused; but to us who believe in the true Light, he is for ever precious; and there­fore the Lord for and in behalf of his Everlasting Truth calls for acquitting of our selves as men of God, who love the Gospel of [Page 13]Peace and Salvation, who have received mercy and wisdom from God in it, whereby we can encounter with the Adversary of Gods Truth and Power, although he get unto himself proud swelling words of vanity, to make himself to be admired; yet, in the Name of God, we deny him, for we are not ashamed of the Truth which we received in the beginning, for we come to know it is the Power of God to Salvation, to as many as believe, and continue in the pure unchangable Way, Christ, the Light and Life, who is the same yesterday, this day, and for ever; there is a presure and pure desire that is in the Soul, that all the Flock that are come to partake of the unalterable and pure Wisdom and Life of Christ, would for ever abide and continue therein; the testimony of the Everlasting God is risen in the Soul, there is no assured preservation, as to God, out of this Ark: Therefore all that have been acquainted with the pure measure of the Gift and Grace of God, keep and abide there­in; and then, if the Storms come, and the Floods arise, thou art in that in which the safety is, even in him which is the Beginning and the Ending, he began the Work of God in our Soul, he hath, he doth, blessed be his Name for ever, carry it on in his own strength, and by his own Arm are we delivered and preserved and we have learnt of the Spirit of Truth to trust in him, and we have set to our Seal, and we know him to be the chiefest of ten thousand, and he hath made the upright, the Virgins whose Lambs are trimed, and have oyl in them, who have waited for the Bridegroom of the Soul, his Banner over them is pure Love, every one to know a rest in that which hath no shadow in it; how comfortable is it to that man or woman that is come to be stayed in their minds purely on the Living God, for we have seen an end of all perfection under the Son; but surely the revelation of Christ to the Soul is exceeding glorious in the manifestation of himself in his dwelling and abiding with them that love his Appearance; it is a dry place to that Soul, whatever the words are, that is not in the feeling sence of the pure Life and [mark] unchangeable Power of the Lord God which keeps the heart entire and upright to God, they are compassed about with Salvation that can rest alone in that which is everlastingly one and the same, and all that are tost about with every wind, every spirit, although in the depth of confusion, there is a Lamen­tation [Page 14]for them, in the Soul of the upright, what will become of them that after a long profession of Gods Truth, yet not come to anchor and fix in that which is within the Vail? Oh, that all were come to be rooted and grounded, whereby they might be no more removed from the unchangeable Power of the Living God. But Robert, thou hast given order that the persons of those that are invited may be bid welcom, but rather the spirits of the Friends to the Bride­groom, as thou call'st them be remembred: But in case the Persons of those that are invited to the Feast which thou hast given Thirty pounds to provide a Dinner or a Supper do not appear, how wouldst thou have their spirits remembred? Must it be as the Papists remem­ber those that are deceased of their Religion, to say one or more Masses, that they may be delivered out of Purgatory? Or what otherwise is thy Festival mind to have the Spirits of them that are fallen asleep remembred? Thou hast given a large some of money for a Dinner or a Supper to Feast together, tell us in plain terms, Dost thou mean to remember their spirits by drinking to them, and so remembring them in a Cup of good Liquor, as those Fellowships call it? For thou hast given order that the persons, but rather the spirits of those especial ones be remembred; we must confess, it is such an especial work, and service, and remembrance, that we never yet heard of before, therefore we had need to have an Interpreter one of a thousand.

Or wouldst thou, like the Church of Rome, first canonize and make them Saints, and so remember them by putting up request and supplication to them? If this, or either of these, and if not, we are certainly distinct from thy Festival mind and spirit; but un­doubtedly it is a word of truth to thee, thou art gone out from the pure Living Truth and Spirit of Christ, and what, dost thou think to be made perfect by the Flesh, and in Feasting? Thou ap­pearest to have gotten into a large place, but there is an answer riseth, It is ease in the earthly sensual mind and will; but they only shall be kept in perfect peace whose minds are stayed on God; if any should not yet understand wherein our preservation is, and wherein our strength lies, we stand clear before the Lord, it is not in works of righteousness which we have, or can do, or accord­ing to excellency of speech, or words which we may have of our [Page 15]own, or learn of others, but according to and by his Grace are we saved, and our comfort and consolation for ever remains, as we are kept by the Power of God to continue in the Grace of God, which is our Salvation, and our minds, blessed be the Lord for ever, are stayed on him; Immortality and Life is brought to light by the Gospel which is the Power of God, and the saving health that is revealed by the pure Power of the Lord is come (and blessed for ever be the Name of God) we continue and abide therein: we testi­fie, in the Name of the Lord, let the dangers, trials or temptati­ons be never so great, we have nothing else to trust to, or in, but the alone Arm and Power of the Lord God, which is our Salvati­on, and we cannot be drawn aside from the hope thereof: and so all people, who ever they are, that will partake of Salvation from God, they must walk in the pure Light of the Lord, in which the pure fellowship is known with the pure God, and one with another; and all that believe in the Light, and are made children thereof, and abide therein, they have fellowship with us, and we with them in that which never alters nor changeth, but abideth the same for ever; and upon this Rock Christ, the true Light are we built, and we know the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against them that are built thereon, and here is our Rest for ever.