( ?0'm' € ^m ^^■^«r*i :c^^^^ .t^ ^i \\^t Sriywln^frir/ ^^f. ^ PRINCETON. N. J. ^ Division Section ■ SCd_ death of her jjnly^God and S_a,viour t^^^ord^it^ua Ojinst. _ ^^^^ — Verae Fidei Gloria eft Corona Vitas. o L u M E O F SPIRITUAL EPISTLES: BEING The Copies of feveral LETTERS Written by the two Uft Prophets and Messengers of God, yohn Reeve "dsxA Lodowicke Muggleton ; CONTAINING Variety of Spiritual Revelations^ and deep Myftcries, manifefting to the Elecft Seed the Pre- rogative Power of a true Prophet j who, by Virtue of their Commiffions, did truly give Bleffings of Life Everlafting to thofe that believed their Declara- tions 5 and to all defpifing Reprobates the Curfe or Sentence of Eternal Damnation. COLLECTED By the great Pains of Alexander Delamaine the Elder, a true Believer of God's laft Commifiion of the Spirit. INTENDED At firft only for his own Ipiritual Solace 5 but finding they encreafed to fo great a Volume, he leaves it to his Pofterity, that Ages to come may rejoice in the com- fortable View of fo blefled and heavenly a Treafure. Tranfcribed from Alexander Delamaine's Original Copy by tobiah Terry, a true Believer of the like precious Faith in the true God the Man Chr'iji Jefus, which moft holy Faith the reprobate World defpifes. This printed by Subfcription in the Year i jc,^. The Sacred Remains, with the Soul's Mortality, and the Anfwer to William Penny was re-printed by Subfcription in the Years 1751, 1752, and 1753, which is an Example for Generations to come. PREFACE. IN this Paper Book is contained feveral Writings and Letters to feveral particular Perfons -, feme to the Believers of this Commiffion of the Spirit, and others to Unbelievers that were moderate, and fome to thofe that were Defpifers, as will be feen in thofe that read them. \ Thefe Writings and Letters were written by Jobn Reeve and Lodowicke Mullet on., the two lail WitneiTes and true Prophets that God will ever fend, to the End of the World. Thefe Writings and Letters were gathered from many Parts of England, and copied out of the original Letters fent by Joh?i Reeve and myfelf, by a true Believer, and one of the Bleffed of the Lord to Eternity, namely, Alexander T>elamaine the elder. He hath taken a great deal of Pains to gather thefe Letters from all Parts, and to copy them out in this Book, and to fend the Originals to the Parties again. Thefe Writings and Letters are diflind: from all that have been printed, and never was public to the World, although we have printed and publiihed many Books to the World, wherein Life and Death hath been {tl before all People. And fome few hath chofen Life rather than Death, and hath believed our Report concerning thofe two A 2 great PREFACE. crreat Myiteries, how God became Flefh, and how the Devil became Flefh, Upon thefe two dependeth Salvation and Damnation of Men and -Women j which Multitudes of People, who hath feen thefe Books,' and heard of them, their Eyes being blinded, and their Hearts hardened, hath gone that broad Way of defpifmg the Myftery of God, and the Myflery of the right Devil, and fo hath gone the broad Way into eternal Deflrudion, and hath chofen Death rather than Life. And tho' there is enough printed to make the Man of God perfect, as to Life and Salvation, to Eternity 5 yet, after my Deceafc, whoever fhall come to hear thefe Letters read in this Book, if they have any true Light of Faith in, them, will fee how the Blelling of Heaven did run in the Days of a Prophet, and how ,h.appy were thofe Perfons that were under it 5 and fhall -;iwifh they had lived in thofe Days, and fhall rejoice they are counted worthy to hear thefe Letters that never were printed. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. A N i A N ACROSTIC K. P erufe with Joy, my Friends, thefe facred Lines R eeve and Muggleton wrote by Power divine, I nfpir'd by Chriji the God whom we adore, JV" o more our God will fend till Time's no more. 2" his Writing long in Manufcript did lie * E v*n now made publick to the faithful Eye, D ominion, Power, and Praife to God on high. B y Friends f thefe Letters together were coUedled, T ea then tranfcrib'd, and now in Print perfefted. 5 uch was the Soul's Defire of a dear Friend that deeps ||, XJ nto us hath made known thefe facred Sheets % B ut Praife to God 'tis done by fome Expence, S uch Truths to fee, how great the Recompence ! C ombine in Love ye Sons of Faith, and fing, R eturn all Praife to Cbrifl your God and King. / t was for us his precious Blood was fpill'd, P our'd forth his Soul, yea the Almighty kill*d : 7* hen at the Time decreed my God arofe, I n Triumph over Death and all his Foes j 0 n high afcends eternally to reign, N ow we are longing till he comes again. * In the Hands of Mr. CeoJ^, Diftiller, at Vaux-Hall, Surry, \ Alexander Delamaine and lobiah Terry. ij Ihgmas Tmpkinfont in his Preface to the Aiis, QVQihy Carter, February 16, 1661. '. 7 The Prophet Muggleton'^ Letter to the Believers in Cambridge- ihire, London, Auguft 9, 1661. 9 The The CONTENTS. 7X1^1. r.r^^eJM^ggV&myXeifer/oZM^^ Sudbury, -No- vember 28, Tb6i. Fage 11 Tbs Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, April 7, 1662. . 13 ^he Prophet Muggieton*!! X^/;*^ to Mrs, Dorothy Carter, April 12, 1662, 15 'The Prophet Muggleton* j Letter to Mrs. Bladdwell, a Believer y May 30, 1662. 16 The Prophet MuggletonV Blejftng to M-j. Sarah Short, June ' 2, 1662. i'8 Ihe Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, July 19, 1662. 2Q The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mrs. Dorothy Carter, London, July 14, 1662. 24 The Prophet Muggleton'j Blejftng to Mrs, Ellen Sudbury, Auguft II, 1662. 28 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. Richard Sudbury, November 3, 1662. 29 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mrs. Dorothy Carter, ^ , ■ London, November 28, 1662. 31 \^* iP^c Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to one Sufannah Frith, a Quaker^ London, November 28, 1682. 32 \^he Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. Richard Sudbury, ^, V E)ete'mber 8, 1662. 34 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mrs. Eizabeth Carter, London, December 11, 1662. 39 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, London, December 15, 1662. 40 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Sir Thomas Twifden, Rootam in Kent, January 6, 1663. 43 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Carter, Apiil 3, 1663. 47 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Dorothy Carter, London, May 8, 1663. 49 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. Richard Sudbury, May 19, 1663. 50 The Prophet Mtiggleton'j Letter to Mrs, Ellen Sudbury, Lpndon, May 19, 1663. SZ The me c U NT E N T S. "Th Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Dorothy Carter, London, June 19, 1663. Page 55 7he Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Dorothy Carter, London July 18, 166^. " The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Goodwife Vv^ids, WiL'iam Young, and Thomas Martyn, of Kent, London, Auguft The Prophet Muggleton's Letter to Chriftopher Hijl, Sep- tember 23, 1663. 5r The Prophet Muggleton'/ Letter to Mr, Thomas Tompkin- Ion, London, December 9, 1664. e^ The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mr. Charles Cleve, ,Mr. Thomas Parke, Mr. Francis Hampfon, all of Cambridge, ^ April 24, 1 67 1. "^ y The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Cork in Ireland ; being the Sentence of Damnation upon twenty-ftx fakers there., Auguft II, 1673. ^7 The Prophet Muggleton*j Letter to Mr. George Gamble j being the firfi to him after he came to fet his Seal to the true Faith, March 6, 1672. p^ The Prophet Muggleton's Letter to Mr, Jeremiah Mols,! ^ y^/"" being the Jirft after his believing the Commi3on of Truth i J/' ■ March 6, 1672. ^D^ The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Marfden, May 20, 1672. Q2 ^ ' The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to William Wood, September 26, 168 1. "^ The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. George Gamble, January 12, 1678. o^ The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Major John Dennifon, February 24, 1678. ' ,0^ The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Michael Pett, February 25» 1678. nj^ The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr, Thomas Nofworthv, March 3, 1678. ,0^* The Prophet Muggleton'j Bleffmg to Alexander Delamain, jun, November i8, 1678. m The Prophet Muggleton'j Litter to Mrs. Mary Scott. Oao- bcri2, 1681, . ; ,12 a The The C U JN 1 ii M 1 ^ ^he Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Faggerter, June 22, 1682. Page 122 ^he Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Rebecca Hall, January 20, 1684-5. ' 126 "The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Ifabclla Malum, ^aker, Oaober i, 1674. 132 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. Thonlas Tonnpkin- fon, July I, 1675. H^ *rhe PropherMug%\t\.(^i\'s Letter to Mrs. Sufanna Mofs, Sep- tember 5, 1675. , 14^ The Prop)het Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Mary Gamble, March 6, 1684-5, H9 A Copy of Mrs. Elizabeth Rots Ble/fmg, wrote hy the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, December 5, 1678. 154 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to his Kinfman Mr, Roger Muggleton, December 14, 1678. ^55 The Prophet Muggleton' j Letter to Mr, Thomas Tompkin- fon, July 29, 1679. '5^ The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. James Whitehead, December 31, 1676. ■^ / / ' /• The Prophet Muggleton'^ Letter to Mr, Thomas Tortipkin- fon, July 24, i68o. i^^ The Prophet Muggleton'5 Letter to Mr. Henry Henn, Augult 20, 1675. , _ *7o The Prophet Muggleton'^ Letter to Mrs, Ann Jacklon, Au- guft a9, 1683. ^ ,,. ^ J73 The Prophet Muggleton's Letter ts Mr. William Sedley, January 12, 1683. ^77 The Prophet Muggleton'^ Letter to Mr, Capp, upon his Death-Bed, March 15, 1683. 1^0 The Prophet Muggleton'^ Blejfing to John Mellford, April 12, 1687. ■ ^^ ^\^ The Prophet Muggleton»J BkJJing to Thomas Ladd, July 15, 1687. , J A "^ The Prophet Muggleton'j BleJJing to James Whitehead, Au- guft 27, 1687. -'- '- -^^^- ^'121 ^ ^^Z The Prophet yiu^^X^ton's Letter to Mary Gahibte^'Au^ 20, 1687. ^ - „ o J^^f^ The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. mtn Sudbury, February lo, 1665, "' ' J9^^ The C U N 1 E JN 1 «. J'he Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. Charles Cleve, March 15, 1665. Page 196 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mr. Thomas Tompkin- Ibn, March 17, 1665. 198 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mr. Jofeph Whitworth, May '19, 1665. 199 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to one John Hyde, 06lober 27, 1665. 208 the Prophet Muggleton*j Letter to Mr. Martyn, January 16, 1666. 213 The Prophet Mnggleton'j Letter to Mr. Wilham Ferfhall, . January 19, 1666. 217 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mr. James Brocke, March 30, 1666. 220 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mr, Edward Delamaine, a Baptiji- Preacher, June 16, 1668. 224 The Prophet Muggleton*^ Letter to Mrs. Mary Parker, Auguft 13, 1668. 240 The Prophet Muggleton'5 Letter to Mrs. Dorothy Carter, Auguft 30, 1672. 241 The Prophet Muggleton*i Letter to WilUam King, a Quaker ^ Odober 3, 1672. 245 The Prophet Muggleton x Letter to Mr. Thomas Tompkin- fon, Oftober 16, 1672. 250 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. George Gamble, February 14, 1673. ^5^ The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mrs. Eleanor Sudbury, Auguft 6, 1683. 255 The Prophet Muggleton*J Letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Wheately, , September 24, 1684. 258 A Letter prefented to Alderman Fouke, Lord Mayor of Lor\- don, with a Declaration unto the Recorder Steel, the Lord Chief Jujiice Rowles, and the whole Bench and Jury, an(i in general, to all Civil Magifirates and Juries in the fVorld^ from the Prophets John Reeve and Lodowicke Muggleton. 261 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to one Robert Beake, July II, 1664. a 2 266 The The CONTENTS. 'The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to one Mr. Fletcher, June 25, 1666. Page 282 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mr. Harrifon, Odober 6, 1666. 288 The Prophet Muggleton'j Litter to Mrs. Frances Man, con- taining her Bleffmgy January 23, 1674. 292 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Dickinfon,- jun. being her Bkjfingy March 6, 1674. 294 Pofifcript of a Letter to Mrs. Futerell. 295 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Rebecca Hall, May 1, 1683. 296 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Hampfon, June 1 1, 1674. 298 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Prefton, and ta her Hujband iikewife. May 14, 1672. 301 The Prophet Muggleton'j X^/Z^r /c? Mrs. Mary Scott, July 19, 1683. 306 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Rebecca HalJ, October 18, 1684. 309 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Atkinfon, February 12, 167 1. 317 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to John Lad, April 23, 1669. 321 Copy of the Anfwer (of the Prophet Muggleton'jJ unto a Letter which our Brother Lad had fent him^ Auguft 26, 1676. 322 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Robert Pierce, Auguft 2, 1680. 326 The Prophet Reeve'j Epijile to his Friend, difcovering the dark Light of the fakers, September 20, 1654. 335 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Elizabeth Hooton, ^aker, January 26, 1668. 338 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Parker, May 25, 1668. 343 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, May 25, 1668. 345 Tht Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Thomas Tompkinfon, May 26, i668. 347 The The CONTENTS. ^he Prophet Muggleton*j Letter to pull down the high Exalta- tion of L,awrence Claxton, December 25, 1660. Page 348 ^he Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mrs. Dorothy Carter, September 12, 1662. ^51 ^he Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Chriitopher Hill, Novem- ber 16, 1662. 052 i:he Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Thomas Highfelld, Juljr 31, 1663. 355 Ihe Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. Sudbury, December 13^ '^^^3' 358 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Dorothy Carter, Fe- bruary 7, 1665. 362 The Prophet Muggleton'i BleJJing to Mrs. Anne Lowe, now the Wife of Alexander Delamaine, y^w. July 5, 1667. 365 The Prophet Muggkton' s Letter Mrs, Dorothy Carter. 0^6 j The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mrs. Parker, June 14, 1669. 374 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mr. Thomas Tompkin- fon, March 20, 1670. " 376 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mr. John Leavens, Odo- ber 6, 1662. 378 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, Janu- ary 13, 1671. 381 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Charles Yeeles, Thomas Millerd, and John White, Auguft 22, 168 1. 385 The Prophet M\jigg\tiQn' s Letter to Mr. James Whitehead, Auguft 30, 1681. 388 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to William Wood, Sep- tember, 26, 168 1. 300- The Prophet Muggleton'i Blejing to Mrs. Sarah Weft, Fe- bruary 22, 1 68 1. 2Q2 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Flaggetter, June 25, 1683. ° 394. The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Alexander Delamaine thi elder^ June 25, 1683. 3^5 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to William Penn, January . 23, 1673. 398 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to John Harriot, July 16, ^^n- . 399 The The CONTENTS. fhe Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. "William Hall, 1668. Page 402 Copy of Mrs, Anne TomkinfonV Bleffing^ by the Prophet Mnggleton, July 10, 1684. 404 7he Prophet Miiggleton'j Letter to Mr. James Whitehead, Auguft 12, 1684. 406 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Wheatley, September 24, 1684. 410 The Prophet Mugg!eton*i Letter to Mrs. Prifcilla Whitehead, containing her Blejfing, September 24, 1685. 412 The Prophet Muggleton'f Blejfmg to Afrj. Mary Whitehead, June I, 1686. 414 ^he Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mrs. Anne Delamaine, February 3, 1687. 416 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mrs, Sarah Delamaine, December 14, 1691. 417 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, May 19, i66g. 419 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to one Rice Jones. 421 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to. Mrs. Dorothy Carter, April 3, 1663. 423 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Dorothy Carter, November 7, 1662. 425 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mrs. Dorothy Carter, No- vember 14, 1663. 426 The Prophet MuggletonV Blejfmg to Mrs, Dorothy Carter, November 27, 1663. 428 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mrs. Elizabeth Carter, April 19, 1664. 431 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, June 14, 1669. 433 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mr, Thomas Tompkin- fon, June 19, 1669. 435 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, Au* guft 30, 1669. 43S The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to. Mrs. Mary Parker, Au- guft 30, 1669. 440 The Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mr, Thomas Tompkin- fon, January 31, 1669. 442 The The CONTENT S. 'The Prophet Muggleton^j Letter to Mr. Goodwyn, February 4, 1669. Page 443 '^he Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. Thomas Tompkih- fon, September 6, 1669. 444 The Prophet Mugglecon'y Letter to Chriftopher Hill, Septem- •ber 9, 1669. 446 ■ The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. Thomas Tompkinfoh, Odtober 4, 1669. ^, 447 The Prophet Maggleton's Left^r to Mr. Thomas Tompkin- fon, December 4, 1669. 449 The Prophet Mugglecon':^ Letter to Mr. Thomas Tom^kih- fon, April 25, .1670. 450 The Prophet Muggleton^i Letter to Mr. Thomas Tofripkifi- fon, December 17, 1670. , '452 Thie Prophet Muggleton'j Lett& io }^4rs. Dorothy Carter, ■ ^ March i^t 1671. -455 The Prophet Muggleton*^ Letter to Mr. Thomas Tompkin- fon, Odober 16, 1672. 459 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. Thomas Tompkin- Ton, January 19, 1673. 4^0 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr. Alexander Delamaine, fen. June 8, 1671. 463 The Prophet Muggleton's BleJJing to Mrs. Anne Lowe, now the Wife of Alexander Delamaine, fen. July 5, i d^'j. 464 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs, Ellen Sudbury, No- vember 4, 1667. 466 The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mr, Thomas Tompkin- fon, September 2 I, 1668. 467 The Prophet Muggleton*^ Letter to Mr, Thomas Tompkin- fon, December 14, 1668. 469 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr, Thomas Tompkin- fon, February 16, '673. 470 The Prophet Muggleton's Letter to Mr, Alexander Delamaine, ^^fenior. May 16, 1673. 471 Wpe.:Prop/jet Muggleton'j Letter to Mr, Jofeph Mofs, Auguft II, 1673. 472 The Prophet Muggleton'^ Letter to Mr. Thomas Tompkinfon, Auguft II, 1673. 474 The me v^ L^ XN 1 iL IN I o. ^he Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs. Dorothy Carter, January l6, 1674. 475 ^he Prophet MuggletonV Letter to Mrs, Ellen Sudbury, April 7, 1671. 47^ Ithe Prophet Muggleton' ^ Letter to Mrs» Dorothy Carter, Fe- bruary I, 1682. Page 480 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to John Gratton, Odober 8, 1674. 4^3 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Lydia Brooks, containing her Blejfmg, Odober 24, 1668. 485 The Prophet Muggleton'j Letter to Mrs, Ellen Sudbury, July 19, 1684. 48^ The Prophet Muggleton'i Letter to Mrs. Anne Jackfon, Oaober 18, 1684. 488 The Prophet Muggleton'x BleJ/ing to Mrs. Mary Whitehead, November 17, 1687. ' 49^ AN [ o A N E P I S T L T O T H E RECORDER S r E E L, OBober 28, 1653. SIR, YO U may remember at the Sefllons in the Old- Baly, on O&ober 14, and 15, we had a Trial before your Honour j and, Sir, you may remem- ber, we gave your Honour Notice before our Trial, that you had no Commiffion from God to be the Judges of Matters of Faith concerning God ; for you muft underftand that all Spiritual Power wholly refides in God*s Perfon, or in the Perfon of God, until his Pleafure is to communicate it unto his Creatures ; whofe Pleafure it was to make Choice of us Two only to be the Judges of Biafphemy againft the Holy Spirit, becaufe no Man clearly knew, the Lord until we were commiflionated by Voice of Words from Heaven, to declare what the true God is; yet notwithftand- ing, your Honour, with the Jury, gave Sentence againft us as Blafphemers, becaufe we declared Jefus Chrijl to be the only God, and everlafting Father ; and that there was no other God in Heaven or in Earth but the Man Jefus only. Sir, We muft tell you, that we cannot break the Civil- Law, but we are made Examples in fulfilling of it to the whole World : Wherefore whofoever tries us by the Law of the Land, it is allowed as if he tried his God by the Civil- Law as the Jeivs did, becaufe we cannot break your Law, but fulfil it as aforcfaid, Let your Honour judge whether ' - ' B the to the Sentence of eternal Death upon our Accufers be not juft j for we did them no Wrong in Word or in Deed. They came to our HoufeG, and fpake evil Things they knew not, as moft Men do i and we, in Obedience to the Commiffion of God, returned their Blafphemy upon their own Heads, which provoked them with a Warrant to bring us before the Lord- Mayor •, who joining with our blafphemous Perfecutors, he came under the Sentence of eternal Death with them. Is it not a marvellous Things that you that are Magiftrates fhould want the Spirit of difcerning to judge between the Law of the Scriptures, and the Law of the Land ? Do you not underftand that the Civil- Law inftrudls no Man in the Knowledge of God ; therefore you that are inverted with Authority from Men to judge all Manner of Accounts concern- ing the Breach of the Civil- Law, you ought hot to take upon you to judge Prophets, who cannot defire to break your Law : For, by the Power of him that fent us, we cannot wrong any Man in his Perfon or Eflate, although they would kill us } yet amongfl you there is Sentence given againft us to remain fix Months in Prifon, for declaring the Man Je[ui to be the only God and Everlafting Father j which )0u think is Blafphemy. Wherefore once more from the Lord JefuSi we forewarn you, before it be too late, forthwith to declare unto us, the Lord's MefTengers, that you difown the Ver- didl to be Blafphemy that the Jury brought in againft us 5 v/hich if you difobey, then in Obedience unto the Commif- fion of the Lord Jefus^ with thofe Gentlemen of the jury that are guilty of that unjufl: Sentence from the Prefence of the Lord Jtfiis Chrijl, eled Men and Angels, we pronounce you Gurfed and Damned^ Soul and Body, to all Eternity. John Reeve ^ and Lodowkke Mu^gkton^ the two laft Spi- • ritual WitnelTes and Prophets, and only Miniflers of the everlafting Gofpel, by Commifllon of the Holy Spirit of the Lord Jefns Chrijl^ God alone j bleffed to all Eter- nity. An [3] An Eptftle of John Reeve to Chriftopher Hill. N the Eternal true Jefm^ my Soul fakues you all : I have received your Love-Tokens, which is a Veffd of Syder and a Six-pence : My Joy in the Lord is encceafcd by your Communion with each other. I truft to the Praifeof his Glory, his Light and Love (hall abound in you more and more, for the ftrengthening you in the Inward Man, and confound- incy all Gainfayers in your outward Converiations : Neidier I nor ^ny Wife are in perfeft Health •, efpecially my Wife, who is very ill, and has been fo about fix Weeks: So hoping of your Wellfare to his infinite Grace, I commend you, and remain your Friend and Brother in Chnfi Jefus. Our Eldtr Brother, JOHN REEVE. P. S. Brother Chriftopher, If my Mother comes up, pray tell her fhe need not trouble herfelf about any more Goods at prefent, but a Bolfter and a little more Covering for the Bed 5 and as for that you fent for, you fhall have it next Week, God willing. An Epiflle of John Reeve to Chriftopher Hill;, ^/z/^^ London, July 17, i757« Loving Friend in pure 'truth, I Received the Six Shillings and the Hat, and the Eigh- teen Pence you fent me as a Token. 1 am not a little joyed for our Brother Martyn's Likelihood of Recovery, with your Wife's fafe Delivery. But my chiefeft rejoycing for you all is, your Reality to the Things you have re- ceived from our ever Loving Father, which is the living Jelus in a bodily Form ; this is a Riddle to your Eled Brethren, even through the whole World, unlefs it be Co a few. Oh J ^ 3 2 blened [4J blefled are you that you are of that Number, unto whom it is in feme Meafure unfolded j for by this Means you are dshvered from all carnal Bonds of outward Forms, and are fate down ia Placet hrough inward Enjoyments,which none can take from you. Brother, I fliall be careful in what your Mother-in-law requireth : — Thus not nameing any more, but my tender Love to all you that enjoys this Truth, 1 commit you to the molt High, and remain eternally yours in all Righteoufnefs, JOHN REEVE. P. S. My PVife's kind Love to you all. The Prophet MuggletonV Blejftng to Mrs, Elizabeth Dickinfbn of Cambridge, dated Augufi 2-8, 1658. Dear Friend, in the eternal Truth, Elizabeth Dickinfon j my Love remembered unto you and your Husband, as being in the fame Faith alfo. A M very well perfuaded of your eternal Happinefs, and I would willingly fay unto you, as our Lord did in an- other Cafe to the Woman that was troubled with a bloody IfTue, who faid within herfelf, that if (he could but touch his Garment, fhe fhould be made whole j and according to her Faith it was unto her, for (he felt in herfelf that (he was heal- ed of her Plague, and not only fo, but (he had A(rurance of cveriafting Life, which was far beyond the Health of her Body. Which Faith of hers did' draw Virtue out of our Lord, which made him to fay, that Virtue was gone out of him ; and he look'd round about to fee her that had done this Thing, and he faid unto her. Daughter, thy Faith has made thee Whole, go in Peace, and be Whole of thy Plague • as if our Lord (hould fay it was her own Faith that did fetch Virtue out of him, and ic was her own Faith that did heal herfelf 5 as if [5] if he had no H^nd in the Thing, he was but the Objeft of her Faith ; it was her Faith that did draw that from the Objed ; and ib it is with you, John R.eeve and myfelf, the chofen Witnefles of the Spirit, we having the Commiflion and Burden of the Lord upon us. We are made the Objefl of your Faith, and as your Faith is ftrong in this Commiffion of the Spirit, fo fhall the Virtue fiow from it to your eternal Reft and Peace, fo that you fliall be perfedly whole as to the Relation to the Fears of eternal Death, as thaC Woman was in her Body of the bloody Iffue ; and your Faith being in me, as the Objedl in Relation to the Commiflion of the Spirit, it is your Faith will make you Whole j for my Faith is in you concerning your eternal Happinefs. Let yours be in me, and you (hall fare no worfe than I do ♦, for you fhall have the ^ End of your Faith, even the Salvation of your Soul, as well as I -, and that you may be fure I do declare you one of the blefled of the Lord to all Eternity. But as for thofe Fears that do arife in you from the Weaknefs of your Nature, or from a Diftemper in Nature, I cannot promife you Delive- rance frpm it, but it is very probable that the Aflurance of Eternal Life will mitigate and weaken the other. I thought good to write thefe few Lines unto you for farther Confirma- tion of your Eternal Happinefs after Death. No more at prefent, hut reft your faithful Friend and true Prophet of the Lord, LODOWICK MUGGLETON. jitt An Epiflle from the Prophet Muggleton to Chriftopher Hill, dated Januray a, 1660. Ibis comer fling Claxton to be given with Care to his loving Friend^ Chriftopher Hill, at Maidftone in Kent. Loving Brother, Chriftopher Hill, in the Spirit of this Com- mijfion^ and to all the rejl of the Believers of this Commijfion at Maidftone i« Kent, I fend greeting. I Would have you to ferioufly mind and confider thefe Lines as follows. There hath of late Days happened a great deal of Dif- ference between fome of the Believers of this CommifTion here in London, and Lawrence Claxton ; whereby the Believers have complained to me, that Lawrence Claxton hath carried himfelf fo proud and Lord- like over others that have been of a lower Comprehenfion than himfelf-, likewife he hath been fo full of filthy covetous Avarice, which hath not had fo much as the very Colour or Shew of natural Righteoufnefs in it. So I taking thefe Things into Confideration, did fend my Daugh- ter to tell him, that if he did exercife his Spiritual Pride any more, that I would take away his CommilTion from him ; which he at the firfb did feem very fcornful at, as if he could ftand by Virtue of John Reeve*s Words without me, as did afterwards appear 5 but yet concerning my Daughter's Words concerning my Authority, he did feem hypocritically to fubmit, and to acknowledge himfelf to be but a Servant unto me, and unto the Believers of this CommifTion. But it hath appeared fince to be otherwife, and that there was a curfed Pride that Jay in his Heart, and for that Purpofe he hath written a Book, called, The loft Sheep found -, where in the latter Part of that Book, he hath proudly exalted himfelf in John Rrvee^s Place •, for he hath quite excluded me out of the Commmiflion ; fo that there is none now but John Reeve^ and he that hath the Spiritual CommifTion \ therefore you fhall find find in that Book, and more efpecially in the Epiftle of that Book • Whereas he doth call it very oicen our Coramiffion •, fo there is no true Confidence, as he fays, but in our Com- miffion • His Meaning is John Reeve and himfelf, for he hath quite excluded me, and hath gotten himfelf into John Reeves Chair and Place ; therefore 1 would have you fenouny to mind and perufe that Part of the Book which doth treat upon the Commifllon. For I fuppofe you have die Books lent unto you as well as others have •, there you ftiall find a great deal of fpiritual Pride affuming to himfelf thofe high Titles which never did belong to him, neither did John Reeve, nor I^ ever give to him -, which Books of his, with other Words and Paffages that hath happened of late, hath made an everlaft- ing Difference between us two in this World : Therefore 1 would have you, and all the Believers of this Commiflion, to underftand, that 1 have utterly difowned that Part of the Book, that doth treat of the Commiffion 5 and for that Purpofe I did fend my Daughter to burn fome of them before his Face. Likewife I have utterly difowned Lawrence Clapton, for ever being a Meffenger or Bilhop, or Servant any more unto this Commiffion. Neither fliall I own any Thing that he fhall fay or do in Reference to this Commiffion. Therefore E do exhort you, and all the refl of the Believers, not to ftumble or ftagger in your Faith concerning Claxton, as if your Hap- pinefs of eternal Life did depend upon believing of him td be a Meflenget or a Bilhop ^ for though he fhould be cut off to Eternity, yet is the Foundation of God fure and true ; that is the Commiffion of God, as it was given to John Reeve and Lodowide Muggleton^ by Voice of Words from God ; but as for Claxton, he had his Commiffion from Man ; therefore Man can take it away again j for he hath ftood all this while but by my Affiftance, and at my Will and Pleafure. There- fore as long as he kept himfelf in Obedience as a Servant unto this Commiffion, he had my Authority and Affiftance on his Sidealfo. I did bear with many Infirmities of his Nature, but this Spiritual Pride of his hath been much like unto the loft Angel, which thought himfelf as fit to rule and govern as his Maker was: Nay, more fit, and therefore hz would have been itt God*« [ 8 ] God's Room and Place, that he might have governed the Holy Angels. So Wkew'ik ih'is, Lawrence Claxlo/i^ not think- ing it enough to be faved by this CommilTion, or to be a bare McfTenger or Servant to it j but hath, Angel-like, afpired To high as to get into John Reeve's Chair or Place, and (o he is now beconne the chief CommifTioner, which is far above a Servant or Meflenger j therefore he doth very often in that Book call it our Lommiffion, as \^ John Reeve and he were the only Commiffioners, and that I, which God gave to be Jchn Reeve's Mouth, is quite thruft out, fo that I am made but a Fellow-labourer with him in this Commiflion. But Lawrence C laxlon ftiall know that there is yet a Pro- phet in Jfrael, that hath Power over him. For as John Reeve was like unto Elijah, foam I zs Eli/ha, and that his place was but as Gehazi, and could ftand no longer than my Will and Pleafure was, becaufe the Burthren of the Lord lyeth wholly upon me, which is the Commiflion of the Lord. Therefore my Counfel and Advice to you all of this Faith is, that you would ftand fteadfaft in your Faith unto the Dodlrine of the true God, which haih been delivered unto you by John Reeve and myfeif, and that we Two are the laft Prophets and Witnefies unto the true God the Man Chrijl J ejus. Again, my Counfel and Advice unto you, and the reft of the Believers there about you is, that you would allow Law- rence Claxion no more Maintenance Weekly as you have done formerly 3 but let him betake himfelf to fome Employment in the World, as well as the reft of the Believers do : For I CO net fee it fit that he and the Serpent his Wife ihould be maintained in Idlenefs and Pride ; for there is no more Ufe for him in this Commiflion ; therefore to what Purpofe ftiould you allow him any Maintenance, which is made lower than yourfelves in this Commiflion. For I have utterly difowned him upon any fuch an Account, as to be a Meflenger or Bifhop, or Servant any more unto this Commiflion. For I fliall not own whatfoever he fliall write or fpeak concerning this Com- miflion any rrsore ; for it will be well if he have fo much Faith in this Commiflion as will dive his own Soul. Therefore I fhould rather advife you to preferve fome Part of that which you did allow Claidon weekly towards the Re-printing of that Book [9] Book of ours which hath the dark Print, and towards the Printing of the nth of tlie Rev6lationSf for 1 (hall make as much hafte of it as I can •, becaufe, I fuppofe, that this will be the laft: that ever will be let forth by this Spiritual Commif- (ion : For r cannot conceive that there can, or need be any more fpoken concerning this Spiritual Commiffion, than hath beenrelated in all our Writings, and will now be in this of the .iith of the Revelations. I fpeak this, becaufe there is very few left of the dark Print *, for there hath been more enquiring after them of late than formerly, becaufe that Book hath the moft highefl and heavenly Myfterics contained in it, but that the Print is fo bad, that it doth make every one almoft weary of reading it. ^^ Therefore my Judgment is, that it would be better Work, and more Glory to God, and Honour to thisCommifTion, to give fomething weekly, for or towards the Printing of that Book again 5 and let Claxton fliift in the World as others have done before him j for you are not bound now I have difowned him, not to look no more upon him than you are to look upon the weakeft Believers of thisComraiflion ; no, nor fo much neither. Therefore let not your Thoughts be troubled concerning Claxton i for moft Part of you did believe the Commiffion btfcyvQ Claxton came, and will do after he is gone; therefore as' he came to this Commiirion by Man, therefore by Man is his CommifTion taken from him again i and fo your Burthen, which he hath laid upon you, may be taken off you. ■^ I would dcfire you to read this Letter to all the Believers of this CommifTion there about you, though fome of them are unknown to me, with my Love to yourfelf and Moiher Wylde, and Martyn the Thatcher, and Martyn the Tanner, and his Wife, and his Daughter, and all the reft that have a Love to this Commiffion. I defire you to let me hear frorn you as foon as you can conveniently. Written by Lodowick Muggleton, the laft true Prophet and^ IVitnefs unto the true Gcd^ the Man Chrift Jefus. P. S, Tou may fend to me in Great Trinity-Lane, next D cor in. the Sign of /£?f Black- Boy and Hand, London, J^w. 2. 1660.^ C /^^' [to] «' J^^ -4'' '"'' '^ An Epiftle of the Prophet Lodowick Mug- gleton'^ to Chriftopher Hill, ^c. Ho his Loving Friend^ Chriftopher Hill, and to all.therefi thatlovs this Commijfion •, or that an in the Faith of it, Feb. 5, i66o. I Received your Letter, being dated .7^«. 20, but I having other Occafions of late than /ordinary, fo that I could not fend you an Anfwef" j becaufe,, fince- I have difowned Lawrence Claxion, there hath been more reforting unto me than formerly •, for there hath been fome Strangers that (eemeth to have great Affection to the Dodrine of this Commifiion, and fome of them have fome Tnings of this World confi- derably, which hath promifed me to be fome Affiftance un- to me in there-printing of the dark pririted Book again ^ which hath encouraged rne to go on with' it j therefore I have almoft prepared it for the Prefsj wiiich, if the Printer have but a Care to do it according to the Directions which is given him, it will be a moft excellent Piece of Work •, , for their is the moft decpeft Myfteries contained in it as ever was penned by Man thefe thirteen hundred Years, or ever /will be again; therefore there is much looking after them now a late, but there is never a one to be had but that which I muft print the others by. I hope it will be ordered fo, that it will be very delightfome to read, fo that People may the more clear- ly underftand thofe deep Myfteries contained in it ; but as for that which I am about, will aot be ready for the Prefs yet a while, though I have almoft gond through the Heads of the Chapters. Yet I muft write it again before it is fit for the Prefs J which will take a great deal of Time, which I cannot fpare as yet, becaufe this dark Print will take up fome Time in the correding of it fit for the Prefs, and the looking to it when the Printer is a doing it, that it may not be fpoiled as it was beford I d6 iri'tend to put it into the Prefs in a Fortnight or three Weeki at the firthcft j therefore I deftre you, that have have Faith in it, if .you can, to raife forty or fifty Shillings to- wards it in three Weeks or a Month ; but if you cannot do fo much, let it be what you can ; only let me hear before, and then I fhall order Things other wife here in London^ &c. I do find in your Letter as if your Hearts were troubled be- caufe of your Meetings being put down, and the Oaths to be impos'd upon you. But as for your Meetings being put down, what need you care ? Cannot you live by your own Faith for a Time, without meeting together on thofe Days called Sundays ? Cannot you fee and talk with one another as you fee Occafion on the Week or Working-days, for what you fufler upon any fuch Account, when as this Commiflion layeth no fuch Bond upon you, but rather to the contrary ; for as long as the Powers of the Nation doth forbid you to go to any Meetings, do you obey them, and keep all at Home -, but if the Powers of the Nation doth command you to go to Church to their publick Worfhip, then I fay you are to fufFer what Penalty the Powers of the Nation will lay upon you, rather then to worfhip in the Houfe of Baal . For this Worfhip of the Spirit, which is now,' hath no vifible Forms of Worfhip at all belonging to it, neither is there any NecefTity for any Pub- lick Meetings at all. So that as for your Meetings being put down, there is no Caufe of Trouble or Sorrow at all, but rather a Caufe of Joy. But the Oaths which will be impofed uppn you, may caufe Matter of Trouble upon your Spirits, becaufe I cannot fay that any Believer of this Coqimiflion can, with Safety and Peace to his own Confcience, take any of them both 5 becaufe if you take an' Oath of Allegiance, which doth fcem to bethe mofl eafieft Oath • yet there you are bound, it needs be, to fight for the prefent Power, or ^\k you niuft break yeur Oath ; fo that there is great inconvenrency. in tak- ing that Oath to a tender Confcience, :.• ,•, And as for the Oath of Supremacy, it cannot be junderftood by thofe that have Faith in the true God, that the King is the fupreme Head of the Church of God, or that he is their Defender of their Faith.} for the Powers of the Nation if they did know of it, they, would rather, inftead of defend- ing and upholding it, overthrow and deffroy it \ -but thofe that are of the fame Faith of the Church of Eng- C 2 laud^ [ I. ] land, the King is the' fupreme Head of that Church, and the Defender of their Faith. Therefore thofe People that are of the Faith of the Church of England^ Scotland^ .and Ireland^ what need they to fcruple the taking of the Oath of Supremacy, feeing they are of the fame Church as the Powers of the Nation is of, as aforefaid. — But this Oath was efpecially in- tended and made for the Papfti in Queen Elizabeth's Time and Days, but now it is laid as a Snare iipon all the free-born People of England^ that they might find out all thofe whofc Confciences are tender, which dare not Iwcar at all, as there are many here in London that will not fwear at all ; but I confefs that you that live in the Country are to be pitied more upon that Account than we that are here in the City ; becaufe here a Man may go in a Crowd and never be mifs'd ; but in the Country there is no Place for a Man to hide his Head, but they will find him out.— So that my Advice to you is, that you would take no Oaths at all, not that hath Rela- tion to fighting or unto cublick Worfhip : For how can you fight for to defend the King, when as you are not to defend yourfelves, but rather to fuffer what the prefent Powers doth lay upon you -, only this, I would advife you to pay according to your Abilities, what Taxes foever the Powers of the Nation doth lay upon you, whether it be by Way of Tithes or any other Taxes whalfoever, fo that Ccefar may have the Ihings that are Casfar'j, and God the Things that are God^S} therefore I fhallgive you an Example of fome of the fakers here in Loudon concerning this Thing. There was in the Time of the late Troubles, concerning thofe Fifty Monarehy-men, Search made into every Houfe, which was fufpefted for Arms, whereby they took many of the Baptijis and of the fakers upon Sufpicion j upon which the fakers where carried before a Juflice, which Juftice propofed the Oath unto them : One of the fakers anfwer'd, faying, *' We cannot fwear to defend the King, for we cannot defend ** ourfelves, much lefs to fight to defend another; but this " faid he, we are willing to do, to pay what Taxes the King " fhall lay upon us to the utmoft of our Abilities j and if the ••< King will take thofe Goods we have, he Ihall freely have " them. [13 ] *= them, for to fwear for him we cannot do it." Thejuftice being fo convinced at their Sincerity in that Thing, fent them away without taking any Oath at all, and bid them go Home to their own Houfes in Peace j but on the next Sunday following, thefe fame Men would needs go to their Meeting again, not- withftanding the Proclamation of the King was againft all private Meetings, yet their Zeal was fo great, or elle wilful!, that they could not live by that Light within them ^ but muft needs meet together, contrary to the King's Proclamation- and fo the fame Men were taken at their private Meeting, and carried to Newgate^ and there they remain to this Pay j fo that now their Sufferings is rather for Evil-doing, then for Well-doing: Seeing they are not required to meet together on the Sabkaih-Day^ neither by God nor Man : No more at prefent concerning thefe Things aforefaid, but exhorting you to hold fl-eadfaft in the Faith of this Commiflion unto the Death, that you may receive that Crown of Eternal Glory which is fet before you, which is the Knowledge of the true God, and the right Devil, which hath not been fo clearly manifefled fince the World began, as it hath been in this Spiritual and laft WitnefTes of the Spirit. No more at prefent, kit 1 rejl your Brother in the true Faith of the true God Lodowick Muggleton. P. S. We are all well in London, and there is none of the Faith here that I know of that have had the Oaths propound- ed to them as yet, I fuppofe becaufe the Number is few. Your Brother Andrew is well, but as for your Brother Ralphs I have not feen him ever fince he came from you out of the Countty. I pray let me hear from you as foon as you can con- veniently concerning that Bufinefs in the Beginning of the Let- ter. London, February 5, 1660, Give this with Care. r^4] .1! An Epifth of the Prophet Lodowick Mug- gleton to Chriftopher Hill, Feb. 75, 1660. Brother Chriftopher, and all the reft of the Faith in Kent. ;/;; -; ' ; Referved your Letter, and am gla<^ to hear that you are {0 well fatisfied in your Minds concerning the Oaths, and ihe other Things therein contained. But as for the Money 1 made tmention, that cannot be rais'd, only twenty Shillings you fay will be rais'd, with their Names that doth give it. 1 am very well fatisfied with that, for I am very loath to be fo much burthenfome unto thofe of the Faith in the Country, therefore I fhall prefs the more upon fome here in London^ becaufe it will arife to a great deal of Money more for the printing than I thought it would j but I fuppofe I fhall raife Friends that will enable me, and 1 fuppofe about twelve Days hence the Printer will begin to put it into the Prefs, therefore you may fend the twenty Shillings according as you have exprefs'd in your Letter. Alfo I underftand by your Letters, that Lawrence Claxton hath fcnt you a Letter, wherein he doth declare, that he is the fame in Revelation as lie ever was, and thinks by Pen it cannot be declared what the Difference was j but when he (hall fee your Faces, he fhall make appear what the Differences is : He did fend a Letter into Camhr'idgejhire^ which was much to the fame Purpofe as yours was, only there was fome Ex- prefiions in it, which Expreflions are fuch like as thefe. Thofe unheard Tranfadions concerning him, which he could not exprels, but when he did fee their Faces he would open the: Difference more clearer unto them. Therefore I would have you obferve and confider that his Pen and his Tongue together, could fet forth his Spiritual Pride and Lordlinefs, with fome other Pradices which hath made this great Diffl^rence, but his Pen is not able, nor his Tongue neither, to be humble in his Mind, and to fee his Spiritual Pride and filthy covetous Avarice, for if he could, his Pen might as eafily declare what the Ground and Caufe [ 15 ] Caufe of all this Difference is as well and berte^ than when he fhall fee your Faces ; but he doch think by his c^oodly Words and Prefence, as being the fame in Revelation as ever he was, to over - power your Spirits, that you might think that the Difference between him and I, bat that it might cafily be reconciled. Likewife your Defire isrthat I would fend you Word whether you may relieve him as a Believer or no. My Anfwer is this, that you may not relieve him, neither as a MefTenger nor as a Believer of this Commiffion, becaufe he is an excommunicated Perfon by the Commiffioner himfelf, and is feparated from having any Union with me in Spiritual Matters. Therefore you that are Believers in or of this Com- miffion, ought not to have any Society with him in Spiritual Matters: Let his Pretence of Revelation be ever fo much, you are not to mind him nor regard it, for it is nothing worth unto you, for what the Commiffioner doth not own, you are not to have any Regard unto it. Therefore let not his Pretences of being the fame in Reve- lation nor his goodly Words be any way a Means to trouble your Spirits about it j for he is caft out of Heaven, even as the Angel was from the. Prefence of God and the holy Angel into this Earth-, fo even is Claxton cafl; out of Heaven ; that is, .from.hayi^g^y^^^"^"''^"^^" ^''^'^ ^"^^ Prophet or Commiffioner of' tlie" Spirit, of with thofe Believers of the Spirit, lo that as the' Angels 'W^^ c^ftout, not only from the Prefence of God, bgt;alfe)' Fron) the Prefence of the Holy Angels 5 fo likewife fit is not only call out from the jPrelence of the Prophet, but from the Prefence of the Believers alfo, and as the Angel was caft into the Earth, fo likewife is he caft into the World, and let the World relieve him, for that is large enough, and as for his Revelation, if he hath fo much in himfelf as will bear up his own Soul into eternal Happinefs it is well, but No-body elfe will be ever a whit the better for it •, for I would not have you fo ignorant as to think, that after a Man is excomma- nicated or caft out of this Commiffion, though his Under- ftanding be greater, and his Language more glorious than in any one of the fame Faith, yet he that hath theleaft Know- ledge in a Commiffion is to be minded and refpefted of all thofe of the fame Faith. But [ '6] But on the contrary, if a Man have never fiich great Parts, if he be difowned or caft out by the CommifllGner, the Be- lievers are bound to difown him out of their Society, and not to reheve him as a Believer of this Commiffion • only this I fhall give the Liberty to do, that if he comes amongft you, you may eat or drink with him, or give him Lodging as you would unto a Stranger, but not to mind any of his Say- ings with Reference to his being a Believer, or to what I have done concerning him : I fay in thefe Things you are not to mind him nor regard what he (hall fay or do of that Na- ture. No more at prefent, but expelling to hear from you as foon as you can, I reji your Brother^ in the true Faith of Jefus, the only true God, LODOWICK MUGGLETON. London, February 25, 1660. ACOPYofaLE rTE R written by the Prophet Lodowick Muggleton, to Mrs, Dorothy Carter, near Chefterfield^ bearing Date February 13, 1660. Lov'mg Friend, r^~ Hough unknown to me in the natural or vifible Sight J^ of the Body, yet by that invifible Difcerning which I have of your Spirit by thofe few Words which you have made mention of in your Letter, wherein I find that the Spirit of Truth hath blown upon your Heart, in that it hath made you willing for to feek and to enquire after the Knowledge of thefe two WitnefTes. Therefore I (hall give you a Word or two to in- form you who thefe two WitnefTes are, and in Tome Mcafure how [ 17] how their Teilimony is received : Therefore I would iiave you to mind and obferve thefe Lines as followeth. That as There are three that bear Record in Heaven, 7he Father^ the JVord and the Spirit • and thefe "Three are Onc^ that is thefe Three are One difiin^ Perfon in the Form of a Man •, fo likewife then is Fhree that doth bear Witiiefs on Earth. namely, the Spirit^ Water and Bloody and thefe 'Three do agree in One. Now obferve, thofe Three upon Earth, are thele Three Commiffions which fi^iould be a6led forth upon the Stage of this World. Which Three CommifTions are thefe. Hrfl^ The Commiffion of Mofes and the Prophets. Secondly, The Commiffion ot Chrifi and the Apoftles. Thirdly, The Commiffion of the Holy Spirit, which Com- miffion of the Spirit is now extant in the World at this Day, -and hath been here in England thefe nine Years, and the Sound of it hath gone through many Parts of Chriftendom, as in this Part of England, Scotland^ Ireland, New Engla?td, Vir- ginia, Barbadoes, and many other Places, I will not here mention i but the Doftrine of the Commiffion of the Spirit hath been very little received in the World ^ but the moft that hath received it, is here in London, and in Cambridge- floire^ and in Kent. In thefe three Places there is a few that is very well grounded in the Belief of this fpiritual Commiffion ; but one Caufe why there is fo few that doth receive it, is becaufe there is no vifible Forms of Worlhip belonging to this fpiritual Commiffion, but doth altogether confift of the Knowledge of the true God and the right Devil, with the Place and Nature of Heaven and Hell, with the Forms and Nature of Angels and the Mortality of the Soul. And upon thefe fix Principles in the Knowledge of them • dependeth all the eternal Happinefs of Man. Therefore becaufe it will be too tedious to write all thefe Things, I have fent you a'Book -, thefe Books that were written by thefe twoWimeffes ; they are bound up altogether, and they will inform you who thofe two Witnefles arc, with their Names, and the Voice of God that fpake to them and their Me'flages, with their Dodrine, which they (hould fet forth with many deep Myfteries which is hard to be underftood. D - Like- [ i8] Likewife I have fent you fome Books of his whicli he hath written in Behalf of this Commiflion ; and as for the Names of thofe two Prophets, you will find them in the Books, and the Place where they live ; only one of them, fince the Book of the Mortality of the Soul was written, is dead •, namely, John Reeve, but Lodowick Mitggleton is yet living in Great ^rinity-Lar.e^ over againft one Mills's, a Brown Baker. There is in that Book, which is bound, all that was written by the two WitnefTes and Prophets themfelves •, and there is laid down in thofe Writings the true Grounds of all Divinity, which doth confifl in the Knowledge of the true God, and the right Devil, with the Knowledge of the two Seeds, is fhofe two Keys that doth open the Gates both of Heaven and 'Hell i and there is none now in this World, that hath the Keys given unto them, but thefe two Prophets and WitnefTes of the Spirit only. Written ly Lodowick Muggleton, the laft true Witnefs and Prophet unto the Man Chrift Jefus, glorified. It was your Lot to employ a Man for to buy thofe Books which hath been damned by the Prophet's Daughter, fome eight or nine Months fince, for oppofing of thofe Books ^ and the Revelation of his Commiflion •, therefore the Man re- membering thefe Books, and the Sentence, will neither under- take to carry them, nor to lay down the Money for them ; becaufe he hath a Prejudice both againft the Books and the Perfons that wrote them. Therefore I fhall defire Mrs. Grif- fith for to take fome Courfe that thefe Books may be conveyed to you, and let her give Orders how they may be fent, and how the Money may be conveyed to her again j for then I ihall defire Mrs. Griffith to fet her Name to the Diredion of this Letter. LODOWICK MUGGLEfON^ [ ip] A CO P Y of aLEtl E R, written by the Prophet Lodowick Muggleton^, to Mr. Edward Burton, in Derbyililre^ hearing Date the izth of January, 1681. Loving Friend, Edward Burton, I Received your Letter dated the o^d of January^ by our Account here at London^ 1681, but by your Account 1682 ; and as for your other Letter from your Brother-in-law ^omkinfon^ I received, and the Cheefe : The Token of your Love 1 received alfo, and dD know that your Brother-in-law, and your Son, have fpent a great deal of Money to get your Releafe by the Laws of the Land, but to no Purpofe. 1 cannot fee but that all your Labour, Charge and Expence is all loft J neither do I know any Thing of the Proceedings in thofe Cafes •, but do underftand that he that was employed to manage your Caufe, hath deceived you of your Money,, and the Courts alfo. Therefore if you can get any of your Money again of him that hath deceived you, it will do well i but to the Thing you defired of me, is whether you may not go to the Church once or twice, feeing they require no more •, but as for the receiving of the Sacrament, you fay you will not do-, but you hearing I gave Mr. Powell Leave to go to the Church, you made bold to fend to me, whether you may go to the Church or no, to free you from the Malice of your Enemies, whereof you fay you have fuffered the Lofs of loo /. all ready. Anfwer^ That fince I have feen the bad EfFeds of giving Leave to Mr. Powell to go to Church but once, I am refolved never to give Leave any more to any Perfon whatfoever 5 for after he went once to Church, that the Prieft had got faft hold of his Right-hand, he would not let him go, till he had faft hold of his other Hand alfo : That is, till he had made him go to Church often, and to receive the Sacrament and to baptize his Child, which hath been a great Dilhonourto me and all D 2 the [ ^-o] ^'he Believers of this Commillion of the Spirit, and an ever- lafting Shame to himfelf amongft all that know him, both to Saints andl>vils-, neither is he yet dt^Iivered out of his Trou- bles, notwithftanding he has wounded his own Soul, and loft his Credit in this World, Cwhich I ft-ar will never be repaired again,) and wafted his Eftatc to keep himfelf out of Prilon i io that I fee he had better have gone to Prifon at the firft, and never have put in Bad, but ftood the Trial of the Court ; then would he have ken an End of all his Troubles in a fhorc Timi;, and would have had the Love and Pity of all Saints, and of many Devils-, but by fubmirting unto them, hath loft them all : For this I muft tell you, that the Ecclefiaftical Authority doth now ride upon the Temporal Power, even the Laws of the Land. So that if a Man be fued in the Spiritual Court, or upon a Spiritual Account, even that Knack of not going to Church, the Temporal Law, which is the Birth - right of every EfigUfh?nany cannot free and deliver any Man from Punifh- ment. This I have had Experience of in my Sufferings j and had I known as much at the firft as I did afterwards, I would have laved a great deal of Charge and Expence in putting in of Bail, and Court Charges, fo often as I did, but would have lay in in jail at firft, and have fpent that Money in Prifon^, then would my Sufferings have been ended quickly. Therefore he that would keep his Confcience clear as to God, muft be fure to fuffer Perfecution for his Confcience Sake, or lol'e the Peace of his Confcience, which is of more Value than all the Riches of this World. Now what 1 have fufl^ered upon a Spiritual Account, it was meerly for the Commiflion of God put upon me, and the Caufe of Mr. Poivellh Suff^erings was for extravagant Words, which he ought not to have fpoken •, and I underftand that the Caufe of your Sufferings, is not becaufe you were a Believer of Muggleton, but rather a Sider of Papifts •, v/hich has been- the Grounds of all your Sufferings, and hov/ to deliver you out of this 1 cannot cell. But feeing you cannot iell nor let you*^ Land, nor put your Son into it without paying fuch a Sum c Money in Goods and Chatels, and Conformity to the Church c' England, againft the Peace of your own Confcience, n v Advice is, that youfhould rather go to Prifon as others do ; IS [ ^' J as Quakers, Baptifts, and others do, and fpend your Eflate itV the Jail, and leave your Eftate to the Management of them you can confide in j for the Law of England cannot Im- prifon a IV[an*s Body, and take away his Goods and Land too ; forfufferyoii nuift,! k'c, either make Shipwreck of the Peace of your Confcience, or Shipwreck of your Eilate : But 1 would rather advife you to keep your Faith and a good Confcience to- wards God i and in a little Time you may fee a Deliverance y ior I have feen feveral Perfons that have been in the Jail upon the like Account i yet in fix Months 71me of Impriibnment have been delivered. This is but cold Comfort that I can give you j it is like a Cup of cold Water in the Name of rhe Difciple. But it will be the Reward of a Difciple's Peace of Confcience, as cold Water to cool the Tongue of Confcience from Reafoning, to and fro in the IVIind. But I perceive by your Letter, that, they will not except now of your Perfon going to Prifon ; neither will they put you in Prilon, but had rather have your Goods or Land ; and becaufe you did not appear at the firft Procefs or firft Summons in your own Perfon, and make your Defence what Religion you were of, then would the Court have fined you fo much Money as 20 /. for the firfl Fault, or have lent you to Prifon for fix Months, without Bail or Main- prize. But in regard you made no perfonal Appearance from Seffions to Sefiions, they knowing you to be a Man of Eflate, they had rather have your Eftate than have your Perfon in Prifon i and your employing a falle- hearted Man to manage yout' Drfence according to Law, hath coft you more Money than would have fatisfied your Adverfiries, and hath done you no Good, but a great deal of Hurt, in that it hath enraged your Enemies, fo that nothing will fatisfy their Rage but ynur utter Ruin, either of your Peace of Confcience, or elfe of your whole Eftate; firft of your Goods, and afterwards of your Land; fo that your Condition is defperate, and lam afraid you muft be forced to make a defperate Cure, wiiich will be thus: Before any other Proccefs can come forth", to drive all your Cattle off your own I>and, and fell them by D^'grees ; and as for your Houfhold Goods, Corn, Hay, and whacfoever is moveable, take it ofi^ the Land, and carry ic away j. [.. ] away •, and take your Wife and Children, and live in fome Place, and hire Ground in fome other Place, and leave the bare Land for the King to take away; for the King cannot fell it, neither dare any Man buy it •, and in a little Time your Land may be reftored to you again, or to your Son, upon rea- fonable Terms, I know an Example much like this in Kent^ there was a Landed- Man, and his Land, fome of it was lett to other Tenants of his, but the Man himfelf had no Goods nor Chattels but what he could remove •, fo that they could not get any Goods confiderable ; fo they went to feizehis Land, the third Part for the King ; but no Man would buy any fuch Land of the King, becaufe his Title was not good to a free-born Man's Land, and this was for not going to Church, but they agreed with the Man for 20 I. only, it coft him 10/. more Charges, Bailiffs and others; (o the iVIan enjoyed his Land ever fince. For my Part, I cannot fee how you can poffibly be delivered from utter Deftrudtion, and keep the Peace of your Mind, but this Way, you may leave your Son, and whom you will, up- on the Land, to look after it, and fome Neceffaries for them that is not of confiderable Value, and let the Officers and them do as well as they can. This is my Advice in this Matter, but leave it to your own Confideration to do as you pleafe, SOf with my Love^ with my Wife*s Love, remembered to youy and to your Wife, I take Leave, and reft- your Friend, Lodowick Muggleton. January the 12th, 1681. The Prophet Lodowick Muggleton'j Letter to William Cleve, near Cambridge, 1665. jj/'llliam Cleve^ 1 received your Letter by your Brother, dated March ihQ 3d, 1665, which Lines lam very forry to hear or read ; though I have heard much more than you re- late, but I never did love to hear of other Folks Sins, but always [ ^3 ] always love to hear of their Righteoufnefsi but Meflengers of God are always troubled with other People's Sins more than with their own, neither have the Sins of others been a fmall Difgrace and Difparagement to me, becaufethey own me upon a fpiritual Account, fo that I even could wifh I had never been a Meflenger of God -, yet I knov»'ing it was the Portion of my Lord himfelf, and others of his Meflengers, to bear the Shame and Reproach of the Sins of others, 1 am made the better able to do the fame j for the Shame and Reproach of other's Sins doth refledl upon me and all in my Condition, yet the Punilhment of Sin will be t© them that ad it. And whereas you fay you was drunk with Wine and Beer, and upon that you committed Adultery, to that I fay, if it had been but an A61 of Drunkennefs, or a bare A6t of Adultery, though they are both wicked Adls, yet they would have been more tolerable of Forgivenefs than this A6t of yours was-, for you aded with one that was neither Maid, Widow nor W^ife, but a coinmon Whore ; and not only lo, but a defiled Whore, defiled with the Pox, for (he is now in the Hofpital for Cure, and you having to do with her, you have received of the fame Difeafes with her ^ for Dodor Powell doth affirm you have it, but not quite cured. Alfo he doth upbraid Mr. Fort, me, and all the Believers that own me j faying this is their Faith, they can get the Pox and then come to me to be cured;, he Ipeaking this to Mr. Newfome and you, fo that we are all adianicd to own fuch Believers; thatfo this CommilTion is mightily afham- ed by thofe Things lying heavy on us all. But I have no Oc- cafion to aggravate your Sins, but would rather have fmothered it, neither fhould I have difcovered it to any, though the Cry of it hath been founded in my Ears by others ; yet I flop- ped even my Ears againft it, as one not willing to hear, and the Reafon why, becaufe you own Truth ; but had not the Power of Truth in you, which Power 1 could nor, nor cannot give if it be not planted in your Nature. 1 can- not help that, and as for my fpeaking Peace to your troubled Soul, 1 would to God I could do fo, and be juftified in my own Confcience i but I cannot fpeak Peace to Sins of that Nature, though your Sin is not that unpardonable Sin which can never be forgiven in the World to come. But your Sin [ *4 ] Siiiis more hard to be forgiven in this World, than the other;, for the Sins you have aded it carries the Cn^'fe immediately along with ic all the Days of a Man's Life j but the other afore- faid may do well enough in this Life; but: the Curfe v/ill fol- low hereafter. So that this is all that I can fay unto you, that for my Part I fliall neither juftify you nor condemn you ; neither will God condemn you himfelf for it •, but if you can by your Faith, Repentance and Newnefs of Life, encoun- ter with your Sin, and recover ' the Peace of your Confcience, and the Health of your Body, I (hall be very glad you may ; for Sin is a ftrong Enemy. So I mufi leave your Faith and the Guilt of your Sin to flrive together, and which getteth the ViSiory^ will be Lord j and Jq I reji in Sorrow for you. LCDOWICK MUGGLETON. FIN IS. A Co vx of a LETTER, written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to his lov- ing i^r/>;?^ Chriftopher Hill, at Maidftone, in Kent. Jan. 2, 1 6 6 1 • Give this with Care, Loving Friend, Chriftopher Hill, MY Love remembered unto you and to all the reft of the Believers of the Commiflion of the Spirit there with you. Thefe are to let you'underfland, that I re- ceived your Letter, dated November the 29th, 1661, with your kind Tokenj and the eighteen Shillings in Mo- ney -, and it came very feafonable, becaufe I have been at more Expence of late than ordinary ; for my Daughter Sarah hath been fick of the yellow Jaundice ever fince, and doth remain fo ftill, which was the Caufe I did return no Anfwer all this while ; becaufe her Death hath been much feared by fome in London^ and there is no Certainty yet that flie will efcape, tho' ihe is not fo extream fick as fhe was. Alfo, there hath been another Trouble upon me to add unto the other, which is this : I being a long Liver in the Parifli, it fell to my Lot to be chofen Scavenger, and I muft either hold or fine^ and if I fhould have held 1 might have loft nothing, but I fhould have been entangled with Oaths ; therefore 1 ra- ther chofe to pay down the Fine, which was Twenty Shillings, before the Parifti would chofe another in my Room. Now I fhall write a few Lines concerning fome particular Things in your Letter. The firft Thing is concerning fome that do profefs an Ac- knowledgment of this CommilTion, but do not live the life of itj B becaule becaufe they go to publick Meetings, which indeed cannot (land with true Faith in a Commiffion. For, look what Laws a Commiffion doth fet up are to be obferved by the Believers- of it -, and the Laws of this CommifTion of the Spirit are Spi- ritual, and do worfhip God in Spirit and Truth, without any vifible Forms of Worfhip, as the Worfhippers of BaalhiLvey for though there was an outward, vifible Form of Worfhip fet up by Mofes and the Apoftlcs, and they were to be obferved in their Times and Places, becaufe they had Commifllons from God fotodo; and the Believers in their Commiffions were happy in yielding Obedience unto them: But when publick Worfhip is let up by Men, without a CommifTion from God, it becomes a Will-Worihip and Idolatry, a Thing which is an Abomination unto the Lord. Therefore, whofoever fhall make a Shew, or a ProfcfTion of faith in this CommifTion oi the Spirit, and yet go to Worfhip with the Idolaters of the Nation, I fhall not look upon any fuch Perfon to have any true Faith in the true God, nor in this CommifTion of the Spirit i neither can they have any true Peace, nor the AfTurance of everlafling Life: for he that will not deny himfelf and take up his Crofs for Truth's Sake is not worthy of it •, and I am fure, there is as little fufTering by the Believers of this CommifTion for their Faith Sake, as ever there vs^s of the other two CommifTions. Again, this CommifTion of the Spirit doth lay as little, and iefs Bonds upon the Believers of it than any of the other two abovementioned did*, for this CommifTion requires nothing but Faith in the Ht:*art, which works by Love, without any outward Ordinances of vifible Worfhip, which is a great Burthen to bear to thofe that are under them. It would afk a whole Sheet of Paper to clear this Thing 5 but I fuppofe, that they which are truly enlightened in the Power of the three feveral CommifTions, may underlland and be fatisfied in what I have faid in this Letter, and in thofe Books of ours that you have amongfV you, concerning the Worfhip that doth belong unro the three feveral CommifTions^, they all of them dif- fering one from the other, neither is the one bound to obferve the other ; but every CommifTion, and the Worfhip belonging to it, is to be obferved by the Believers of it, in its Time and Place, when it is in being, and not when it is out of Date, The [3 ] The other Thing, which is of Concernment in your Letter, is, that you have a Monthly Contribution, and your Define is to have my Judgment in it, which is very pleafing unto me, and I do like it very well, it being a good Work, and I am glad that you are fo free amongft yourfclves j becaufe it was al'Aays againft my Nature and Spirit to lay any Engage- ment and Burthen upon the Believers of this Commifllon, neither fhall I : But in regard you are free to lay it on your- frlves, it being fure a good Work, 1 do freely give you my Confent unto it ♦, therefore do as your own Freedom gives you leave and profper. So refteth your Friend in the true Faith, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. London, Jan. 2, i66t: My kind Love remembered unto yourfelf and all the true Be- lievers in thofe Parts in general, as if it were in particular to every Perfon, An Epistle of the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton'j to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury. Feb. 17, 1661. ■Friend in the true faith, Ellen Sudbury, I Received your Letter, but no Date unto it j but for the Subftance of it doth favour of true Light, which doth arife from the Seed of Faith in you, in receiving the Decla- ration of this Commiffion of the Spi/it, which is as Light fet upon a Hill, or in a Candleltick, to give Light unto all in the Houfe, and not to be put under a Bufliel. For every commiflionatcd Man is the Candle of the Lord, which gives Light nuio the whole Houfe j which Houft is che S>tt(.\ of Fdith, as it was faid by Mofes, That he wai faithjid in all his houje : 1 hat is, he was faithful in all his Commiflion, which was of tiie Law, he being the candle of the Law, to en- B 2 lighten [4] lighten the Seed of Reafon id the outward Letter of the Law. And this Commiflion of *"he Spirit is the Candle of the Lord: to enlighten the Seed ot Faith in the ipiricual Underftcinding of the Scriptures, which doth confift but upon fix Principles: As to know the true God, his Form and Nature, the right Devil, his Form and Nature, the Phice and Nature of Hea- ven, and the Place and Nature of Heil, the Perfons and Na- ture of Angels, and the iVIortality of ihf* Soul. Upon the Knowledge of thefe fix Principles dependeth the- eternal Happinels of Man ; neither can ai y Man come to the Knowledge of them but by this Commiflion of the Spirit,, which is the Candle of the Lord, to light the Seed of Faith,. the Way to eternal Bleflednels. And though 1 have named fix Principles, yet whofoever doth but underftand two, namely, the true God, and the right Devil; upon thefe two d'pendeth the other four, with many deep Myittries, which will flow from the Knowledge of thefe Principles aforefaid. And as for your Emptinefs and Weaknefs, in Refpedt of what you have formerly had, I am very glad of it i there is the more Room for Truth, to fill your Heart up with Faith, and Experience in the Heavenly Myfteries, which is declared by the Witnefles of the Spirit •, for many thoufands are fo full of their own Righteoufnefs, and of Talk upon the Letter of the Scriptures, that there is no Room for Truth to enter into their Hearts. Thefe now, in this CommifTion, are in the fame Condition as thofe were in Chn/l*s Time, which had Eyes, but did not fee, and had Ears, but did not hear^ and had Hearts but did not underfliand. And the Caufe was, and is ftill. Men and Women being fo full of their own Righteoufnefs, which is of the Law, that there is no Room in their Hearts for Truth,, which is the Righteoufnefs of Faith to have any. Entrance into them. But the Thing, which is of the greatefl Weight in your Let- ter is, concerning the Sin againft the Holy Ghott j which hath lain heavy upon you, you fearing you had committed it by queflioning the Truth of the Scriptures, and Cbriji to be the true God. I would have you to take Notice of this, that none can com- mit the Sin againft the Holy Ghoft, but that Man or Woman ^ that [5] that hath defpifed Prophefy. Now you cannot defpife Prophe- fy except you do oppofe, vilify, and fpeak Evil of that Man that is ft-nr ot God, that hath the Spirit of Prophefy^ for this I would have you w know, that there can be no finning againft the Holy Gnolt, but in the Time of a'Commiffion; for if a Man be fcf.t of God, he is fent by the Holy Ghofl:, and who- foever doth ddpife that Man, that is fent of God, he defpif- eth him that f itthim, and fo he comerh to commit that unpar- donable Sin, which will never be forg^^en him in this World, nor in the World to come : And this was commir.red in the Days. of Chri/ij and in the Apoftles Commiffion, as you may know by thefe Words of Chnjl to the Jews, when, as they faid, he ca/i out Devils hy Belzebub the Prince of Devils. Here they called the Holy Spirit of Jefus2i Devil, and this was that Sin againfl the Holy Ghoft And fo you may fee in the A5fSy the Apoftles anci Stephen amufing the Rulers of the Jews^ fay- ing, you always reftji the Holy Ghojl as your Fathers did ; and this refifting of the Holy Gholt was that unpardonable Sin. And there have been more Men and Women that have finned againft the Holy Ghoft within thefe ten Years, than there hath thofe thirteen hundred and fifty Years-, for I know of near up- on a thoufand that have finned that Sin, for which they have been damned to Eternity j for we have given them the Sentence of Condemnation for no other Sin, but for the Sin againft the Holy Ghoft, in that they have defpifed the Spirit of Prophecy, becaufe they had it not themfelves^ for it is the Nature ot Rea- fon to defpife Prophefy, being convifled of its own Wifdom or legal Righteoufnefs of the Law. For this I do by infalli- ble Rule of Faith in the Scriptures know, and by my own Ex- perience thefe ten Years, that there hath been more Religious Perfons, who had an outfide Righteoufnefs, hath committed the Sin againft the Holy Ghoft, for which they have been damned to Eternity. I may fafely fay, almoft forty to one that hath had no Righteoufnefs in them at all •, for no Man or Woman can commit the Sin againft the Holy Ghoft, bur in the Tim, and the Widow Adams, and her Daughter jlnne, and Goodman Warrhoys and Singleton ^ and his Wife, and all the reft of the Faith, And when your Conveniency will ferve, certify them concerning my not coming to fee them thif Time. No more at prefent, but reft your Friend in the eternal Truth, the laft Commiflioner of the Spirit, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. Augufi 9, i66r. ^CoPY of a LETTER wrote by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, bearing Date November 28^ 1661, Friend, IHave received your Letter, though unknown to you in the Body ; yet, I perceive by your Letter, that Light hath fhined into your Heart, by the Declarations of this Commiflion i)f the Spirit, which I defire may encreafe and grow in you, fo C 2 that that you may become wifcr than your Teachers, or that So- ciety which you have been formerly acquainted with, notwith- rtanding it is counted Weaknefs and Ignorance in you : Yet, if your Faith doth grow in the Knowledge of the Dodlrine of this Commiffion of the Spirit, your Weaknefs will be ftronger than their Strength, and your Ignorance will prove wifer than their Wifdom-, becaufe their Wifdom, which counts your Wifdom Ignorance, is the Wifdom of Reafon, which is the Devil, and your Wifdom is the Wifdom of Faith, which is the Wifdom of God ;■ becaufe it leads you to the Knowledge of the true God and the right Devil, with the Knowledge of the Place and Na- ture of Heaven, and the Place and Nature of Hell, with the Perfons and Nature of Angels, and the Mortality of the Soul. Upon the Knowledge of thefe fix Principles dependeth the eternal Happinefs of [vjan, in which Jacoh Bemon was utterly ignorant 5 yet he doth talk of a God, and a Devil, and of. Angtlsj but knows nothing of the Perfon and Nature of them. Yet his philofopkical Light was above all Men that doth pro- fefs Religion, until this Commiffion of the Spirit came forth, which hath brought Jacob Bemon' s Light, and many other high Lights, down very low within thefe ten Years, as you may read, in our Writings if you have them all, and if you have them not all, fend to me, and I will help you to them, and they will inform you further than I can by Word or Pen. The Books that were written by us the Witnefles of the Spi^ rit, are thefe : Firji, A I'ranfcendani Spiritual Treatife. Secondly^ An Epiftle to the Minijlers. 'thirdly^ A Letter to the Lord Mayor of London.. Fourthly, A Remonft ranee. Fifthly, A Divine Loohng-Glafs. Sixthly., The Mortality of the Soul. Thele were all written by us the Minifters of the Spirit. There is one more, which I fhall fet forth, which I fuppofe will be the laft that will be fet forth by me. It \^the Inter- pretatlon of the eleventh Chapter of the Revelation, which is much defired by many. You fpeak as if I had fome Thoughis to come down, and that fomebody did fpeak fomcthing to that Purpofe : But I do not [ ^3 ] not know why they (hould fay foj for I do not remember that I did fay any fuch Thing, neither had I any Ground to fay fo, becaufe I do not know any one in thofe Parts that hath any fuch AfFedlions to me, or to the Dodrine held forth by me, except it be one Dorothy Carter, and one Edward Frewterill, at Chefier- feldy elfe I know none by Name in thofe Parts that hath any Affedtions to thefe Things. Now this Edward Frewterill was a great Be?nGmJi before he had heard of our Books ^ yet, ne- venhelefs, i am encouraged by your Letter to come and fee you, but it will be next Summer firft, and then 1 am to go into Cam- bridgejhire, and that is a quite contrary Way from you ; yet I am unacquainted in thofe Parts, yet I have been at Harhorougb, in Northampton/hire , and at AJJ:by de la Zoucb^ in Leice/ter- fhire \ tiiere have been fome ot my Name, which did live at Notthigham^ they were of Kin to me; but Kindred h.uh been of little Value to me from a Child. If you be acquainted with Duroihy Carter^ and Edward Frewterill, let me know ir, and whether you had the Books by their Means or no. No more at piefent, but reft your Friend in the Faith of the true God the Man, Chrift Jefus in Glory, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. You may direfl your Letter to me as you did before, in Great Trinity- Lane, over againft the Lion and the Lamb. A Copy of a LETTER ^isjritte?t by th& Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury. April 7^ 1662. I Received your Letter dated March 28, with the enclofed to Mr. Hatter, which he coming to my Houfe at that fame Time the Letter came, I gave unto him^ at which he was very glad to fee, and he reading of mine, was the more refrefhed is bis Mied to hear of your Love, Faith, and Cm] and Stedfaftnefs in this Commifiion of the Spirit. Airo I fhewed it to my Daughter, and to others of the Faith, which doth much rejoice at your Faith and Satisfadion you have in the Underftanding of the Truth, in that you are made Partaker with us in the hke precious Faith, which doth confift in the right Underftanding of the true God and the right De- vil ^ the Rife of the two Seeds, and the Diftindion of the three Commiflions, which no more in the World doth know at this Day, but the Believers of this Commiffionof the Spirit only ; becaufe they have no true Spiritual Foundation as a Rock, but their Foundation is upon the Sand, even all the Teachers in the World, and the Quaker's Principle or Foundation is the worftof ?.ll -, though it feemeth to be the beft of all in Righteoufnefs of Life ; yet the worftof all in Point of Dodlrine : And that they will find in the End, though they may fiourifli for a Time ; for no Quaker, nor any other that hath heard of this Commiflion of the Spirit, and of the Dodrine declared by it, and doth not underftand it, and believe it, they cannot be faved. Jet their Holinefs of Life be never fo much ^ for God hath not Regard unto the Righteoufnefs of Life, except it doth proceed from Faith in the true God ; which no Quaker, nor any other Man hath, but thofe that have Faith in this Commiflion of the Spirit. Therefore it is that they do all fight againft the true God, and againft the Commiflion of the Spirit; but I am refreflied at your Experience and Growth in Grace and Knowledge of the true God •, and in that you have Eyes, and can fee, as Chrijl faid unto his Difciples, Blejfed are your Eyes, for they fee ; for many haih EyeSy hut they fee not. Alfo 1 am. glad to fee that your Underftanding is enlightened to fee the true Interpretation of Scripture, which is given by this Commiflion of the Spirit j and this Book of The eleventh of the Revelation is very little clfe but Interpretation of many Places of Scripture, befides the Chapter itfelf, which will enlighten the Underftanding in the Knowledge of the Scriptures more than all that hath been writ- ten before j therefore I have fent you three of them ; becaufe if there Ihould be any others befides yourfelf, that fliould have any Affeflion to them befides yourfelf, let them have them ; but I fhall leave that to your Difcretion, do what you will with ihem. I PC- [ '5] I received a Letter from Edward FrewteriU^ and your Aunt Carter^ with the Money, bfaring Date March the 19th, '661 ; but 1 have not fent them any Anfwer as yet, nor no Books ; but I do intend to fend this Week, if the Carrier be in Town. And as for my coming down into the Country, I do much rejoice at yours and your Aunt CurHs*s Affedion in defiring of me to come, which 1 do intend to do, but I think, it will be about James-tidee for I muft go into Cambridge/hire about Midfum- 7Mr^ and after 1 have been there, I do intend to fee you. ^() being in Hafte, I reft your Friend in the true Faith, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. Mr. Hatter remembers his Love unto you. My Daughter remembers her Love, with others of the Faith, unto you. London y A^ril jthy, 1662-. ^ Copy of a LETTER wrote by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs, Dorothy Carter, of Cheflerfield, hearing Date April iZy i66a* Loving Friend in the true Faith, Dorothy Carter, I Received the thirty- five Shillings of Holland's Man. AlfO' I received the enclofed Letter as it was dired:cd. I am glad to hear of your Faith in this Commiflion, and of your Affedlions and Forwardnefs in Things of this Nature, and of your Daughter's Faith in the true God. I fhall not write to you, but of thofe Things that are expeded by you, that is, of my coming down to lee you. I do intend to come about James-tide, for I mufl go about Midfummer into Cambridge/hire j that Journey is but ftiort, I can return again in twelve or fourteen Days Time.. In [16] In the mean Time you may read over this Book, which I believe will give yoa more Light in the Scriptures, than all that ever you have read •, I have fent you fix of them. Let Mr. Fr£wterill have one ; as for the reft, difpofe of them as you olcafc. If there be any Need for any more of them, fend to mV, and I will fend them. I have fent three to your Coufm Suubury on Monday laft, by the Nottingham Carrier ; he goeth forch on Monday. No more at prefent, but my Love remembered to you and • your Daughter, having. an Intent to fee you at the Time ap- pointed. I reft your Friend in the Faith, as it is in Jefus, LODOWICKE iVIuGGLETON. Mr. /7(^//^r and my Daughter remember their Loves unto you, and your Daughter, and Mr, frezuterilL ^ Co ^ Y of a L ETTER wroU by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, /(? Mrs. ■ Bladdvvell, a Believer^ hearing Date May 30, 1 66 2. Tr'iend Mrs. Bladdwell, IUiidtrftand by Mrs. Chitwood and my Daughter, that you are defirous to be declared one of the blefled Ones of the Lord by me, which I do believe that you are of ihat Seed which is appointed unto eternal Happinefs, therefore you have been prcferved even to the laft Hour, which is the eleventh Hour of the Day •, for the twelfth Hour is the Hour of Eternity, when, as no Man can work, neither will there be any Need of the Wo*l< of Faith any more, becaufe Eternity enters in at the twelfth Hour. I fay you have been preferved as Nicodemus was, to be born again by the Words of Chrijl^ when he was okii fo now for you to be born a^ain by tnis CommifTion of the Spirit, when you [ 17 1 you are old, ic is a Thing which I have not known, no, not fince this CommiflTion hath been upon me, that one fo old as you are fhould believe Truth, when it is declared, even at the laft Hour. It cannot be expeded by me, neither of God himfelf, that yx)u fliould grow to any Maturity in the Know- ledge of the true God, and the right Devil, with many other Heavenly Myfteries, as if you were but in the fixth or ninth Hour of your Age ; but it is well for you that ever you was born, that you were of that Seed that was capable to believe in this CommifTion of the Spirit, when as you did hear of it, which is a;great Providence unto you, being caught in the Nee of eternal- Happinefs, which is the Commiflion of the Spirit, before^ you departed this Life. But however, whether your Underftanding or Knowledge do encreafe or no, fo as to difcourfe to the convincing of others that are Enemies to Truth, yet let your Faith be ftrong in what you have received by reading in thofe Books, which have been written by the Witnefles of the Spirit, and in Vindication of this Commiflion, and you fhall fare no worfe than I myfelf ihall do. In which Faith you fo living, and fo dying, (I not queftioning you in the lead) I do declare your Soul and Body happy and bleflTed to Eternity. By Lodowtcke Muggleton^ one of the lafl: two "WitneflTes and Prophets of theCommifllon of the Spirit unto the High and Mighty God, i\\tM:m Chrijl J efus, in Glory. May 30, 1662. D th( [i8] The Prophet Lodowlcke Muggleton'^ Bleffing to Mrs. Sarah Short. 'Tranfcri bed from a Copy drawn from the OriginaL Given to her by him ^ June a^ 1662. Dear Friend, in the eternal Truth. A/n, Shorti " ... ; v ^ Underftood by a Word or rwo that Mrs. Chitw^odfp^ike, J^ that you were not well fatishcd in chofe Words chat I /pake unto you concerning your eternal Happinefs, as if. J did not jook upon you to be of the Seed qt' Faith, or one of the Blef- fed of the Lord, btcaufe, I bad you not be troubled in your Mind concerning that, for you fliould fare no worfe than my- self did, and \vhat could 1 lay more; for if I had not looked upon you as one of the Seed of Faith, I fhould never have faki fo unto you; tor I nevcrdid fay fo unto any, but unto thofc which I do really believe to be of the Seed of Faith, efpeciaily unto thofe that do afk it out of Singjeneis of Heart, as I do beheve you did ^ but this 1 would have you to confider, that a Prophet cannot give Faith and. Revelation unto any, whereby they may find, thofe Refrefliments and joy of Heart. It muft arife from your own Seed pf Faith, neither can it ariie i no Oaths, nor any Thing elfe impoied upon you, but only pay the Charges of the Court and be gone ; but if you let it run till you be fufpended, that will be taken off for eight Shillings, for it is only to get Money : Now there is fome Baptifts, and others, that will not pay any Money at all, fo that they do proceed to Excommunication : Now what the Event of their Excommu- nication is I cannot hear, but 1 do advife all our Friends rather to part with a little Money, for that is it that all Courts do look for -, and fo preferve their temporal Well-being, and their Confcience, free from Idolatry ; for Money is CJ/ar''s, There- fore give Casfar the Things that are Caefar's, and God the Things that are his : For all Tribute and Taxes which is laid upon the People, by the Power of the Nation, whether it be the fpiri- tual Courts fo called, or the Civil Courts, it is all C^^y^r's Tax, and fo ought to be paid by all thofe that love Peace of Con- Icience better than Money. Therefore my Advice is that you would do as beforefaid, for 1 know a little Money will let you free in this Matter. No more at prefent, but my Love to yourfclf. I reft LODOWICKE MUGCLETON. May 19, 1663. A Copy [53] y^CoPY of a LETTER nsorttten by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, hearing Date from London^ May the 19th, 1663. "Dear Friend in the true Faith, Ellen Sudbury. I A M glad to hear a few Lines from you, and though you have not been well in Body, yet I perceive you have grown more ftrong in the Faith of this Commiffion, and in the Af- furance of eternal Life, which is the chiefeft and greateft Thing that can be attained in this Life j which Faith of yours fhall carry you up here in this Life, and not only fo, but according to your Faith it jhall he unto you, for you /hall fee your God Face te Face, in that Kingdom of eternal Glory. And this Faith which you have in this Commiflion of the Spirit, is thai Earneji of the Spirit which is the Evidence of Things not feen^ and the Subjiance of Things hoped for. There is no knowing of God, nor any Thing above the Stars, but by Faith, therefore without Faith it is impoffible to pleafe God, neither can a Man pleafe himfelf without Faith, for great and wonderful Things have been done by the Power of Faith : And yet the Peace ol^ Mind, and the Affurance of eternal Life, is greater than all. For the Time was, when as I would have given the whole World if in had been in my Power; nay, I would willingly have laid dowJi my Life to have procured Favour with God, or to know my eternal Happinefs, but could not ; but now eternal Life is freely given me, made known to me, I am not fo willing to lay down my Life as I was before ; for before, I thought to procure Peace with God by Suffering, which could not be ; but now, by Faith, I have obtained the Affurance of eternal Lite without laying down my Life. So that what I fuffer now it is from Life, and not to gain Life, which all Men which have not this Faith do fuffer to gain Life, and not from any true Life of Faith ; neither can they fay the Life that they live is by the Faith of the true God, as we can, for if God hath never a Perfon, (as they fay) there C 54] can be no true Faith at all : Therefore be not you difcouraged becaufeof the Fewneis that believe or receive this Commifllon of the Spirit ; for if there fhould be none but yourfelf in thofe Parts, yet your Faith and Blefiednefs, which hath been declared upon you, fhal) bear you up, and confirm you the more, both of the Truth of the Scriptures, and of the Dodrine that is held forth by this Commiflion ot the Spirit, for the Scriptures are full of fure Examples ; here and there one, that did receive a Prophet in the Name of a Prophet. And as for William WatJon*s tempting of you to fpeak Evil of me, I know that is the Nature of the Devil fo to do. And as for his going up and down with Richard Farnefzvorth^s Letter, faying that fe durft, and himfelf fpeak Evil of me, that belongs only to the Devil fo to do, efpecially thofe that are damned by me •, for it is not Richard Farnefworth*?, Letter, nor all the Men in the World, and Letters, that can or fhall take off his Damnation again. But if William Watfon do but read, or hear my Anfwer read to Richard Farnejworth'' ^ Letter, he will have fmall Caufe to boafl of that Letter. I hope our Friend Dorothy Carter hath taken a Copy of ic before now, expeding that fhe v;^ill fend it to you, though I did not defire her fo to do when I fent it, yet I hope you have it before you receive this. Therefore let the Devil Watfon^ and all they that are under the Sentence of this CommifTion, rage and do what they can, they Ihall never take away that AlTurance of eternal Life from you, neither (hall they deliver themfelves froin that Damnation which I have pronounced upon them. No more at prefenr, but my Love to yourfelf. I refl your Friend in the eternal Truth, LODOWICKE MuGGLETON. A Copy [ 55 ] y^ Copy there is none of them that dare fpeak Evil of that which they did formerly own, neither was there ever any Families ruined by tollowing u=, but many Families have beera upheld and preferved by us. How is it poflible that any Families (hould be ruined by us, when we never lay any Burthens upon any -, for my Part, all the while that John Reeve was living, I never had Two-pence of all the Believers in England, except it was of one Gentleman, but have fpent many a Pound for the CommifTion-Sakc j for I do believe I was above forty Pounds the worfe in my Eftate for this Commifiion, for I did not live of the Gofpel, as the Apo- files did, without Working ; I have been more true in that Particular than ever any Apofble was, or ever any Quaker was, for there cannot be fo many Speakers of the Quakers but they muft be maintained by their Difciples, which 1 never was, neither was John Reeve, for John Reeve's Wife and his Daughter did get moft Part of his Living, for if he had got no more than what was given him, it was but little, for he never laid no Burthen upon any •, if they were moved to give him fometimes IS. IS. td. or 2s. 6d. fo it was, he never compelled any, I but 1 5^ ^ . but they did it freely of themfelves, which could not ruin any Family •, neither was he ever drunk in his Life, to rr.y Know- ledge, for he was too innocent and fober-natuied a Man to b; drunk: But I conceive this Evans is miftaken in the Man, I believe it was John Reeve's Brother, for he, indeed, towards his latter End, was grown a Drunkard and Sot, and, 'perhaps, this Evans was of his Society, which was upon the Rant, and the Ranters indeed did ruin many Families. There have been divers others that have laid Afperfions upon John Reeve^ be- caufe of his Brother's foolifii Pradlice ^ but, as for himfelf, he was, in that Point, as a Child that weaned is i but no Body can help People's believing of Lies, no more than we can help believing of Truth. Therefore let the Quakers believe what they will of John Reeve, that will not deliver them from the Sentence which he and I have pafled upon them ; and as for this Evans, but that I think he is miftaken in the Man, I would have fent the Sen- tence to him for his Lies. And as for my coming down to fee you, I cannot poffibly promife you at prefent, but I do think our Friend Mr. Hatter muft go into Torkjhire about a Month hence at the fartheft, and he doth intend to be one Night at Mr. Sudhury\, for that is in his Way, fo that he cannot come to you, but I fuppofe he will fend you Word when he will be there, fo that, if you can, you may meet with him there, and, if I can poffibly, I will come along with him, for I have a Defire to fee you all over again i and the more, becaufe Mr. Sudbury hath given fuch Teftimonies of his Faith in the true God, and his Defire to fee me. No more at prefent, but my Love to yourfelf, your Daughter, and Elizabeth Smith, and all the reft of our Friends in the Faith. Tour Friend in the eternal Truth, LODOWICKE MUGGLETOM. A Copy L 59 ] ^Copy of ^LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Dorothy Carter in Chefterfield, bear- ing Date from London^ July the i8th, 1665. Dear Friend^ I Thought good to give you Notice, though lam uncertain myfelf, but, I think, Mr. Hatter will be at Mr. Richard Su3ury*s on W'ednefday Night, being the 23d of July^ and if he does come, as I fuppofe he will, for he 'muft come then or not at all, for he cannot ftay above a Day longer if he comes at all ; and if he comes out on Monday or 'Tuefday, I do intend to come along with him, but if he doth not come at all, I will come myfelf the next Week after 5 but, if you can, be at Ellen Sudbury*^ on TVednefday next, that you may fee Mr. Hatter, for he goes no nearer you than Nottingham ; and if you do lofe your Labour in feeing him, you may take Comfort in feeing your Coufin Sudbury, for I cannot give the Certainty of ir, yet I thought good to fend by the Poll this Saturday Night, elfe I could net convey any Notice of it to you, for he muft come at a Day's Warning, fo that no Letter could be conveyed unto you, neither can he ftay at Ellen Sudbury*^ but one Night ; and as for my ftaying with you longer than I did before, that I cannot do, but 1 do intend to ftay with you about fo long Time as I did before. So being in hafte, I fhall take Leave, with my Love remem- bred unto yourfeU, and unto your Daughter, and Elizabeth Smith, and all other Friends. I reft Tour Friend in the eternal 'Truths Lodowicke Mucgleton. I 2 J Copy [ 6o ] A Copy of a LETTER written by the Prophet LoDOWiCKE Muggleton, to Goodwife Wylds, William Young, and Thomas Martyn, of Kent^ dated from London, Auguft 27, 1663. IUnderftanding that you three are fallen in your Minds from that true Faith, and fpiritual Worfhip, which doth belong to this fpiritul CommilTion, and fo have given up your- felves to worfhip as the Priefls of the Nation do ; for I un- derftani that you three do all go to Church, to fave yourfeives from fuffering a little Damage in your outward Eftates, which you will find contrary to your Expe6lations. 1 thought that you had been very well fatisfied about that the laft Time I was with you j but your Faith was not tried as it is now. Yet you, Goody Wylds^ had no Intent to go to the publick Worfhip; then, however, you did pretend unto me it was but for the Trial of other Believers ; but now it doth appear otherwife ; and Thomas Martyn could fay unto ycu, that you fhould lofc your Peace, and be damned to the Grave's Mouth, and yet he himfelf fhould do the fame Thing, there being at that Time no Trial put upon him. Oh ! how ftrong is Mens Faith v/here there is no Trial of it •, but that Faith which doth endure the finery Trial to the End fhall receive the Crown of Life. But I perceive that you, becaufe you were blcffed by John Reeve^ think you fliall not be damned, though you do bow your Knee to Baalj or worfhip Baal : But 1 would not have you fo ignorant as to think, that you can fhew yourfeives at Church, to fave your Eftates, and yet not to worfhip a falfe God. Is not all the Worfhip of the Nation fet up by Man ? And if Man command you to worfliip, or elfe to pay your Money, if you do obey to fave your Money, do you not worfhip as the Nation doth ? And if the Worfliip of the Nation be true, then the Worfhip of God in Spirit and Truth (which [ 6i ] (which this Commiflion of the Spirit holds forth) miift be falfe. For, deceive not yourfelves, you cannot ferve God in Spirit and Truth, and give your Bodies to the Worfliip of the Nation •, for where the Heart is, there is the Body alfo ; and where tiie Body is, there is the Heart •, and it can be no otherwife : Therefore do not blind your Eyes as to think that you may fhew yourfelves at Church to fave yourfelves from Sufferings, and yet own this Commiflion of the Spirit, you are mightily miftaken if you think to do fo. But I have learned Expe- rience by this your Fall, you Goody JVylds and 'Thomas Marlyn^. which were the ftrongeft in Faith, Revelation, and Experience in this Commiflion of the Spirit in all that Country, and yet the leaft able to fuffer any Thing for it, nothwithftanding this Commiflion of the Spirit hath freed you from Abundance of Bondages and Entanglements which other Sefts do undergo ; a Yoak which our Fathers, the Apoftles and Saints did undergo in their Times. Thefe Things this Commiflion of the Spirit hath freed the Believers of it from that Bondage, which all other Se<5ls are under to this Day : And yet now there is a little Trial, hew few is there that will hold out to the End.. And if your Faith cannot abide the Trial of lofing a little Money or Imprifonment, what would you do if it were Death itfelf, as all other Commiflions have fuffered Death for their worfhipping of God, contrary to the Worftiip of the Nation > neither doth this Commiflion lay fuch a flrift Law upon the Believers of it, as Chrift did upon his ; for except a Man would forfake Father and Mother, Wife and Children, Houfe and Land, for his Sake, they were not worthy of him. But you will not for- fake the Temptation of your Hufband, nor the other two the Brawling of their Wives, for the Faith's Sake \ but you have done much like unto Ahah 5 you have fold yourfelf to work Spiritual Witchcraft, through the Temptation of your Hufband, and their wicked Wives. For this I fay to you, that Temptations will come, but happy are they that are not overcome by Temptations j for our Lord was tempted of the Devil, but not overcome. And fo hath all Prophets, Apoftles, and Saints, been tempted by the Devil. [ 6a ] Devil without, as well as by the Devil Reafon within. But thofe as have overcome the Temptations of the Devil without, and the Devil v/ithin, they fiiall come forth as Gold tried in / the Fire. But I perceive you three have been overcome by the Temptation of the Devil without and within both. You, by the Devi! your Hufband without you, and the other two by the Ser- pents their Wives without them, with fome other By-ends, which your Reafon the Devil did lay hold on, which have overcome the Seed of Faith in you, and hath carried it captive into Prifon, and hath made Shipwreck and Spoil of your Faith i neither do I.think that you will ever be delivered into that Liberty and Aflbrance of eternal Life as you had before; for you have quenched the Spirit of Truth and Revelation, which did run as a River of living Water in you : It will run but little in you now, hardly to bear you up into the Affurance of eternal Life ; for you know not what you have done in for- faking the Worfhip of the Living God, and joined to the Worfliip of the Nation. For if their Worlhip be true, then this Worfhip we have profefled is falfe. Again, did not this Commjflion of the Spirit deliver you. Goody fVyldsy from all your Sins, which were more and greater than ordinarily is committed by other People j and not only fo, but your Faith in it, and Thomas Martyn\^ it made you ftrong in Faith, Revelation, and Experience, above ail in that Country. It was a Crown of Glory upon your Heads j but you have pulled it off your Head, and trampled it under your Feet, by bowing your Knee unto5^<^/, for you were much like unto Sampfon for Strength. For your Faith and Revelation in this Commiffion of the Spirit did break all the Cords of the Philijlineh afunder^ that is, all the Arguments and Reafonings, which other Seds brought from the Scriptures to bind you withal j but now you are become like Sampfon, when his Hair was cut he was like another Man, and fo had his Eyes pulled out. So it is with you, you are become now like other Men, for your Eye of Faith is pulled out, and your Eye of Reafon will be pulled out Ihordy alfo^ fo that you will be as weak in the [ 63 ] the true Faith as other Men, or any other Experience: For the Devi] hath caught you faft enough now, he hath got you to bow down to his Worlhip. Let it be out of Hypocrify, or out of Sincerity of Heart, the Devil matters not for that, you have yielded Obedience unto him, and you wilJ have much ado to get out of the Snares of the Devil to your Lives End, think*oJ/-it what you will; for it is a dan- gerous Thing to fi(r<^ that Grace might abound, becaufe you think you fliall no? be damned to Eternity for it, therefore you will do defpite to the Spirit of Grace, fo that you may be fet down, like prophane Efau, who fold his Birthright for a Mefs of Pottage. What have you done lefs than he, who have valued the Fears of the Lofs of Ibme of the Goods of this World, more than a good Confcience, and Faith towards God, which gives the Affurance of eternal Life, which I am certain you will lofe the Senfe of? Neither will your Mefs of Pottage be any bigger for what you have done, but rather the lefs ; for it muft be as Cbrifi faid in another Cafe, he that is willing to lofe his Life fhall fave it ^ fo, on the contrary, you that are willing to fave your Mefs of Pottage, you fhall lofe it. For I fay, it is hard for the Devil to get a Mefs of Pottage in this World as it is for the Saint^ let them bow down e'er fo much ; for you will fee, in a fhort Time, what Profit it will be unto you in this World. Neither will you eat your Mefs of Pottage with that Peace of Mind as you had before -, for this Art of yours, it will be as Gall and Wormwood in your Pottage ; k will be worfe than playing at Cards, and being drunk, or all the Sins that you committed in the Days of your igno- rance. For God was always more angry at IfraeVs wor- Ihipping a falfe God, than any other Sin whatfoever ; be- caufe other Sins were Infirmities of Nature, which Nature cannot avoid, it being naturally prone unto it. But this bow- ing down to worfhip that which you know to be falfe, neither do you do it becaufe you own it to be Truth, but only thro' flavifli Fear of fuffering fome Lofs in this World ; which Thing is worfe feven Times than if you had owned it to be the true Worfhip of God, as other People do. Therefore [•54] Therefore do not deceive yourfelves, and count it your Li- berty, as if you had more Liberty in Point of Worfhip, by this Commiffion of the Spirit, than the Reft of the Believers have •, for fome of the Believers of this Commiffion have faffered more in their outward Eftates than ever you would have done, yet they have thought themfelves happy in that they kept their Hearts pure and undefiled from that Spiritual Whoredom to worfhip a falfe God, or bow to the falle Worfhip, contrary to tlie Faith they have in this .Commiffion of the Spirit : For if all the Believers of this Commiffion of the Spirit fliould do as you have done, it would be but a vain Thing for them to difpute or plead for the Dodrine of the true God, and the right Devil, with many other heavenly Myfteries, which no other Forms of Worfhip do know. And as you have been Inftruments to publifh and make known this Doflrine, which Thing was a Crown of Honour upon your Heads, but now you have done the greateft Difhonour to this Commiffion of the Spirit that could be done; fo that your Glory will be your Shame. For it will be but a vain Thing for you to profefs any Faith in this Commiffion of the Spirit any more i for I fhall never own you as I did before, neither can 1 have that Love and AfFedtion for Truth's Sake, as I had before-, neither do I care for ever feeing you any more. "Yet I fhall bear the Shame of it, and though you fhould all of you fall, fo that I ffiould be left alone, as Elijah was, yet my Faith fhall bear me up. And if you find the fame Peace as you did when you lived in the Obedience of Faith of this Commiffion of the Spirit, then hath God revealed no Truth unto me. I fhall fay no more, but leave you to the Worfhip of the Nation, and as fallen from the true Faith in the true God. LODOWICKE MuGGLETON, London, Auguji 29, 1663. One of the true lafi Prophets unto the true God. A Copy [ 65 ] ^^•CoPY of a LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton to Chrifto- pher Hill. September aj, 1663. Loving Friend Chriftopher Hill, I Received yours, with the Letter inclofed, wherein I per- ceive that your Family is affiifted with the Small-pox. It I fhould fay I am forry for it, it would not eafc you e'er the more ; for thefe Things are natural to all, and falls all alike to all. So that Time puts an End to all Difeafes, and to Life itfelf : So that Death and Life is always at Strife one with the other, and fo it will be as long as the World doth endure. But when Time fhall be fwallowed up into Eternity, then (hall there be no more Death to the Seed of Faith, nor no more Life to the Seed of Reafon ; for Death (hall fwallow up the Seed of Reafon*s Life and Heaven into that eternal Death. So on the contrary, the Seed of Faith's Life Ihall fwallow up that Death and Hell into eternal Life. For great is the Power of Faith and the Power of Reafon. The one goes into the Power of Death and Drunkennefs, and the other into the Power of Life and Light eternal. It is well, and 1 am glad you are fo ftedfaft in your Faiih, notwithftanding the laft Proclamation. 1 wifli you may hold out to the End, and not do as others have done, to put your Hand to the Plough, and look back j that is, to worfhip God in Spirit and Truth, according to the Faith of this Commiffion of the Spirit, and then to turn back to the Worfhip of the Nation, either to gain or fave a Suit of Apparel, which is but a Mefs of Pottage. And as for you, Mother TVyld, if that were her Excufe, as you have written, for her going to Church to try their Spirits, and finding the Prieft to be a Devil, and therefore ihe would not hear him any more j it is but a poor Excufe, not fo good as Jdam*s Fig-Leaves were to cover his Naked- nefs. Now I cannot tell whofe Spirits (he went to try, whether the Saint's Spirits, or the Devil's Spirits •, but let it be which K Ihe [ 66 ] Ihe will, (he went the wrong Way to try Spirits: For if fhe went to try the Devil's Spirits, it was that which they did defire ^ fo that the Devil tried her Spirit to make her fall down and worfhip him, even as he did unto Chriji j fo that Chrijf- did not try the Devil, but the Devil tried him. And if Chrifi had yielded to the Devil's Temptation, as fhe hath done, what would have become of us all, his own Faith and Power, and the Faith of the Eleft ? There v/ouid have been Havock and Shipwreck made of it, and the Devil would have been more than a Conqueror, as he hath been in thofe three. And if fhe did it to try the Spirits of the weak Saints, that was as much as to tempt the Spirit of Truth. For when the Apoftle bad the Believers in his Time try the Spirits, whether they were of God, or no, it was not that they (hould turn back again to the Worfhip of the Law, for to encourage the Devils, that their Worfhip is right, and to weaken the Faith of the Saints. This is not the right Way of trying of Spirits : They had better have fet their own Faith to have been tried by the Devil's, like Gold in the Fire. I am fure it would have yielded them more Peace here, and more Glory hereafter, and as good a Livelihood in this World as they will now have. And as for her knowing the Prieft to be a Devil, fhe knew that many Years before fhe came to own this Commiflion. She need not to have gone to Church to have known that ; for Ihe knew all the Priefts of the Nation, and of all Sorts, were falfe, and not fent of God. And as for her Peace and Satif- fadtion, I (hall let that alone : Yet this I am fure of, if Faith hath not its perfed Work in the Soul, there cannot be that perfed Peace. Neither did I flight her Faithfulnefs to this CommiiTion, but did honour her upon that Account more than all in that Country j which the Fall of her hath done more Mifchief to the Commiflion of the Spirit, than all the reft be- fides : For if flie and they had not been declared blefled by John Reeve, 1 fhould not have mattered it fo much ; for I al- ways had a great Refpedl to thofe which John Reeve did blefs, in cafe I did approve of them. And it was well that Ciaxlon was not declared blefled, either by John Reeve, or myfelf ; if he had, I fliould not have excommunicated him for ever, as now he is. But I lee what a Confufion there will be with the [67] the Believers of this Commifllon when I am dead : For almoft all thofe that di(-adhere unto John Reeve, are fome dead, and many of the Reft fallen away from that Stcdfaftnefs of Faith •, but bleffed and happy are they who hold out to the End. She might have faid to bear it with Patience, had fhe given no Caufe: For I do never ufe to write fo fharply without a Caufe > for I was always naturally inclined to Moderation, Patience, and Long-fuffering with fuch WeaknefTes in the Saints, which I know John Reeve would never have done nor borne. But in Points of Worfhip, God himfelf, and all Prophets and Apoftles, were angry at •, for that is as the Apple of God's Eye : And all the Controverfy in the whole World, Perlecution^ Killing and Slaying, all about Worfhip, from Cain and Abel, in the Beginning of the World, even to this Day, and to the End of the World, and fo forth. Mr. Burton would have Goodman Miles to come up and take fome Order about his Cyder j for he hath let his Houfe to another, and that Man doth want the Room •, fo that he will not let it ftand there. He takes PofTeflion of it next ^uefday^ therefore let him come as fuddenly as pofTibly he can. So rejieih pur Friend in the true Faith, LODOWICKE MUGCLETON. K 2 J COPV [ 68 ] A Copy (t/'^LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr, Thomas Tomkinfon, of Slade-houfe, in StafFordlhirCj hearing Date from Lon- don, December 9, 1664. Loving Friend Thomas Tompkinfon, I Received your Letter, bearing Date, OEloher 2d, 1664, with the Token. Alfo I have perufed your Letter, but had not Time to give you an Anfwer before now to it ; neither have I Time as yet, but becaufe I am to go into Camhridgejhire before Chriftmas^ 1 (hall give you fome Lines for your Satif- fadtion before 1 go, which are as follow : I have taken Notice of fome Paffages in your Letter, which I (hall give fome Anfwer unto. The firft Thing is, Whether Chrijl did know himfelf to be the only God when he was in the State of Mortality, or no ? - You fay you cannot tell > yet the feventh Chapter of our Com- miffion-Book doth fay he did : But Mr. Claxion, in his Wonder of IVonders^ faith he did not know himfelf to be the only God. As to this I fay, it is not much material, whether Chrift himfelf did know himfelf to be God the Father, or not, when he was in the State of Mortality 5 but the Comfort and Benefit that will redown to us 5 it is for us to believe and knowj that Jefus Chrifi was in the State of Mortality, and is the only God and everlafting Father. So that the Happinefs that will be unto us, it is to know and believe that he is the only God, and everlafting Father ; but whether he knew himfelf to be fo at that Time, it is not much material. Yet it is my Faith, that he did not know ; but my Happinefs is, that I know him to be fo : And as for the Apoftles knowing him to be the only ,God, it is not much Matter neither 5 but that Happinefs that is in the Faith in this Commiflion of the Spirit, is to know more of the true God than they did. You [ 69 ] You likewife fay, for the mod Part you pitch upon this Com- miffion of the Spirit, and do begin to clofe in Faith with thofe fix Principles which are treated on by me •, and further you fay, you h ive had fuch Strugglings and Strivings in your Mind about your former Worfhip, and until you could, in fome Meafure, refolve to clofe with me, there was nothing but Trouble and Vexation in your Soul. Furthermore you fay you have gone to the Church by Fits j but now you are refolved to leave it off, though you look 'for nothing elfe but greai; Sufferings. As to this I fay, it is well that you do, for the moft Parr, pitch your Faith upon thefe fix Principles ^ and it would be better tor you if you did venture your whole Soul upon them. And as for the Strugglings in your Mind about Worfhip, there could be no other Thing expedted-, for no Man can ferve two Matters. For if the Worfhip of God in Spirit and Truth be the true Worfhip, that will yield Peace to the Mind, as is held forth by this CommifTion of the Spirit, then, of Neceflity, the Worfhip of the Nation mutt needs be falfe, and fo produce nothing but Trouble. For if the Worfhip of the Nation would give Peace to the Mind, and the AfTurance of eternal Life, then fhould I have found it when my Zeal was in it, and many more that can experience it as well as myfelf, who have believed in this CommifTion of the Spirit. Further you fay, that, come what will come, you will ven- ture your Salvation upon this CommifTion of the Spirit ; and that you do feel thofe Strugglings, which you form.erly had to ceafe. Alfo you fay, be this Truth, or no, that we have declared, you cannot help it •, but muft now, from that Seed within you, venture upon it, in pitching your Faith upon this CommifTion of the Spirit. And further you fay, if it prove a Rock, then you fhall be happy, and your Soul will ftand for ever •, and if I be a true Prophet, then fhall you be fafe, and all thole that have believed it. To this I fay, it is well for you that there is fuch a Refolu- tion wrought in you, as to venture your Soul upon this Com- mifTion of the Spirit, come what will come. For this I fay to [70 ] to you, that nothing venture, nothing have : For if there be no Salvation in this, there was never none in any ; fo that eternal Life is but a Thing ventured. For if God doth fpeak to a Man, we that do not hear him fpeak, yet do believe that Man fpeaketh Truth, who faith God fpake to him, we muft venture our Salvation on his Words, elfe no Peace will arife out of the Heart. This hath been God's Pradbce of old to Prophets and Apoftles j and happy have they been that did believe them, and ventured their Salvation upon their bare Words. And fo it is now by John Reeve and myfelf, we being the laft two chofen WitnefTcs of God ; and whoever doth ven- ture their Salvation upon this Commiflion of the Spirit:, fhall not mifs of eternal Life, no more tl>an thofe did that d^jpended upon Jefus Chriji himfelf •, fo that true Faith in the Thing will make your Strugglings ceafe, as with Relation to eternal Sal- vation ; neither can you, nor any other, help their believing in it, but happy are thofe that are fo caught, and that venture their Souls upon it, it will prove a Rock indeed, and fafe will , thofe be who truly build upon the CommifTion of the Spirit, in that they believe us to be true Prophets. We are as true as Truth can make us i and it is by P'airh that I myfelf do ftand, and it is by Faith that you, and all the Reft of the Believers do ftand. For there is, nor can be, no furer Standing, as to Things of Eter- nity, but by Faith : So that you that believe fhall fare as well as I myfelf J and if any would be more fure than I myfelf, they muft feek it where they can find it, which I am fure is no where to be found, but in believing in them whom God hath fent. You fay the Light of Life, which floweth from the Interpre- tation of Scripture, you of late have tafted of, in that you have believed us to be true Prophets ; and that is a true Commiflion which hath proved to a refrefhing of Heart unto you, and fo becomes Water of Life unto your Soul, and makes you to fee the Truth of our Do(5lrine. Aifo you fay, tho' your Faith be but weak, and your Know- ledge but fmall, yet doth it put forth its Hand towards this CommifTion of the Spirit, and is willing to make itfelf known unto me, that io it may receive Refrcftiments from me, as it hath already received fome Golden Oil, which doth fo chear and I 71 ] and glad your Hearty that you would not part with ft for all the World ; for you do perceive now that you do receive it in the Love of it. So this 1 fay, that the true Interpretation of Scriptures is Light and Life unto the Soul of Man. For the Scriptures, when they were fpoken by Men who were infpired by the Holy Ghoft, their Words were Spirit and Life ; and the true Interpretation of them is as Water of Life unto thofe that underftand them. For the fame Spirit of Infpiration that fpake them, did put Life into them, fo that no Man can truly interpret them but fuch as have the fame Spirit of Revelation as thofe that fpake them. So that true Interpretation of Scripture will be as Water of l^ife, as the fpeaking of them was Spirit and Life: For in the Scriptures is the AflTurance of eternal Life to be found, and no where elfe ; only this, they muft have a true Interpreter, which none can but thofe whom God hath chofcn for that Purpofe. So that it will be happy for all thofe that truly un- derftand the Interpretation of Scriptures, which I perceive you do } which have yielded you fome Refrefhings of Heart unto you, and your weak Faith may grow to be ftrong, and your fmall Knowledge may come to be great •, and then will your Refrefhings of Heart overflow, and continually fpring as a River of living Waters. For the Seed of Faith is a Well that is never dry when it is built upon a Rock j for when a Commiffion doth fmite the Rock, by giving the true Inter- pretation ot Scripture, there will come Water of Life out of it i efpecially when it is received in the Love of it. As you fay you do \ it will be as golden Oil to glad your Heart, and Water of Life to quench the Thirft of Sin, which is of more Value than -can be exprefTcd. , For there is no Balm but in Gilead^ even a perfonal God-Man, Chriji Jefus, which none could, or can, declare, but us the WitnefTes of the Spirit. And happy will it be for all thofe that venture their Souls upon the Declarations and Dodtrine of us, the WitnefTes of the Spirit. You further fay, before you did receive it in the Head, but now fay you it goes down into the Heart •, and fo your Soul begins to cleave to the Doflrine as to eternal Life, and to cleave to me as the only Prophet to fliew the Way to this Life Eternal. And I 7^ ] And in the latter Part of your Letter you fay you fhould be glad if you might receive one Letter from me, but efpecially to hear that your Condition is a Condition of Safety, which would be more Joy to me than all the World's R.ches; be- caule you believe me to be a true Prophet, and fo are able to judge and difcern betwet^n Faith and Reafon. As to this I {ball lay but little^ only this, I am glad even for your own f^ke, that Truth did not only remain in your Head, but is gone down into the Heart; which I make no Queftion but it wiH take deep Root there, which will bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit, even the Fruits of Faith, which is Love to Go.i, Peace of Mind, Obedicnct tc his Worfhip in Spirit and Truth, and unto the Aflurance of eternal Life, which is no where to be fouiid now, but in tfie Dodrine of the true God and the right Devil, which is hcla forth, and declared by us, the chofen Wirnefles of the Spirit : Unto which you have given fufficient Tcftimony ot your Faith in it, and that yo do cleave to the Dodlrine and to me, as the only true Prophet to fhew you the Way to eternal Life. And as for your Condition being a Condition of Safety: To that I fay your Condition is a fafe Condition ; and who- ever buildeth upon this Rock, even this Commiffion of the Spirit fhall never fail. And for your further Satisfaflion, that your Joy may encreafe, and be eftablifhed to enable you to fufter in the Day of Trial when it doth come. I do pronounce you one of the Bleffed of the Lord, both in Soul and Body to Eternity, which is of more Peace than the Tongue of Man can exprefs. PVritten hy ine, LODOWICKE MUCGLETON. The Prophet of the Mofl: High God, the Man Chrijl Jefus in Glory. December 9, 1664. And as for the Book I am about, it will more wonderfully open the Godhead of Chrifi, than all that hath been faid be- fore by us, with many other myfterious Things opened in the Book . [73 ] Book of the Revelation, which were not made known to us before, even almoft all the chief Heads in the Book of the Re- velation, except thofe that I have treated on already $ but I fuppofe it wiW be towards Eajler before I can accomplifh ir, and when it is ready, you and your Brother (hall hear of it. And in the mean Time my Love to your Brother. LODOWICKE MUGCLETON. y^CoPY o/^ LETTER, written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Charles Cleve, Mr, Thomas Parke, Mr. Francis Hampfbn, all of Cambridge, hearing Z)^/^ April 24, 167 1. Loving Friends in the true Faith, Charles Cleve, Thomas Farke, and Mr. Hampfbn, IUnderftood, by Mr. Hampfon, that you three are in fome Trouble, and like to be in more for nor going to Church. Alfo I perceive, you are difputing and reafoning among your- felves, whether you may not go to hear Common Prayer once or twice, to fave yourfelves from Sufferings, feeing you do not deny your Faith, neither do you fuaer tor your Faitii, only you would have my Judgment in it. Firji, As to this, my Judgment is. That I cannot confent to any fuch Thing j for you may as well go twenty Times, or al- ways as once : For, if the Image of Baal be fet up, and you bow your Knee before him once, you may as well do it always. Alfo you mufb mind this, that there muft be fome Witnefs that you bowed your Knee to Baal^ elfe your Suffering will be neverthelefs. For to hear Common Prayer at your own Church is Part of Worfhip to God, and it is the Image fet up in Eng- land for all People to bow to and worfhip ; therefore con- fider what Privilege this Faith hath given you, and what Suf- ferings it hath freed you from, in that it gave you Peace ot L Mil-',; [ 74 1 Mind as to your eternal Happinefs ; it hath freed you from for- mal Bondage of Worfliip j ic hath delivered you from being tied up to Meetings, as all others are : It hath preferved you from thofe Sufferings, which have coft many one their Lives: It hath given you Liberty to pay Tithes, and to defend yourfelves by Law, to keep yourfejves from Imprifonmenc and Sufferings. You have only been tied up to do juitly between Man and Man^ to the utmoft of your Power, and to worfhip God in Spirit and Truth. Only now you muft confider, it is one Thing to worfhip Baal by CompuUion, for fear of Sufferings ; what do you elfe but to take the Mark of the Beaft in your Right-hand ? And al- ways, when you look upon the Palm of your Right-hand, there you will fee the Mark of the Beaft ; for it will be printed in your Minds, and the Remembrance of it will remain to your Lives End. And who would defile a pure Confcience for fear of fuch a (light Suffering as this ? For it reacheth not to inflid any Punilhment upon the Body ; neither is there any Refiftance unto Death, as hath been in other Times for fmailer Matters than this. Alfo confider thofe three Believers in Kent, who had the Bkffing of John Reeve ; yet they, for fear of Suffering and Prefumption together, becaufe they had the Bleffing, they fiid, they could not be damned to Eternity. So they bowed down themfelves three Times (that is, at Church to Baal) and then gave over. But what hath been the Effedh of it ^ Since nothing but Croffes, Sicknefs, Weaknefs, Poverty and Beggary hath, and is ftil), the Fruits that Adion hath brought forth ; befides, the Author of Hope is eaten over with Ruft in them. Alfo confider that loving and good Man Dovey at his Death ; did any Thing trouble him but his going to Church ? Poor Man, he loft his Peace by it •, though I am perfuaded the Man will be happy, becaufe he was true to the Commiffion- but it would have been better for him to have had eternal Life abiding in himfelf, and I Ihould have been more joyful alfo. And if you fhall reafon in yourfelves, that fome that own this Commiffion, and look to be faved by it, and yet can, and do go to Church to fave themfelves, as Phillip fFilliams and Goodman Singleton. To [75 1 To this I anfwer and fay, It is to be confidered, that thefe Men were never off from the Church, becaufe of one Office or other in the Parifli where they lived, and therefore were under the more Snares ; and therefore, as Chriji faid, the more hard for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven j indeed they have been Men that have been rather for Truth than againft it, and fo I have had a Love for all fuch Men as the Lord himfelf had alfo. I know it is poflible with God, though not with Man, to make a rich Man venture all his Riches to worfhip God in Spirit and Truth, and to forfake all idolatrous Wordiip, in Hopes of everlafting Life ; but it is impoffible with me, that am but a Man,, to do it. For let not Men deceive themfelves, it is not Half the Heart for God, and the other Half for the World j for God will have the whole Heart, or none. And he that feeketh to fave his Life by a falfe Worihip, or wrong Means, fhall lofe it 5 and vvould you be contented with fuch a Faith as theirs is, to give one Half of the Heart to God, and the other Half to the World ? I tell you, God will have all the Heart, or none. And a Man fhall know in himfelf whether he hath given God his whole Heart, by calling up what it will coft him. And if he is willing to give all that he hath for Truth's Sake, if it be required j for the whole Heart carries all along with it -, then fhall he have his Heart given him again, and ail that he hath loft for his Sake, fliall be given him again in this Life, and in the Life to come Life everlafting. And except this be, a Man cannot have the perfedt Affurance of eternal Life abiding in him';"" but (hall have fometimes Hopes and fometimes Fears. Alfo this you are to confider, that you have been kept inno- cent and pure, and have not committed fpiritual Fornication thefe many Years, and would you now defile your Confcience with Idols? Oh! Let your Faith be ftedfaft, and have its perfe6l Work in your Souls, and hold out to the End, that you may receive the Crown of Life, which God (hall give you at that Day, which will not be as an Hour unto you after Death before you are in PofTtfTion of it. 1 would advife you not to appear, for you will be condemned, arid then your Caufe will be the worfe ; but keep out of the Way at Seffions^Time, and if you be arrefted afterwards, go L 2 10 [ 1(> ] to Prifon, and never put in Bail for your Appearance j if you do, your Caufe will be far worfe. And as for Thomas 'Parke being a fmgle Man, he may keep out of the Way all this Summer -^ perhaps by next October Things may alter. And as for Charles Cleve^ it he find, when he is in Prifon, that there is no getting off without his utter undoing of his Family, and deftroying the Peace of his own Mind; let him caufe all his Goods and Eftate to be fold, and do what he will with it, and let his Wife and Children be all turned upon the Parifh, and let him live in Prifon himfelf : For, if he go to Prifon uncon- demned, he fhall have full Power to fell his Goods, and do what he will with them j but if he be condemned by a Court, then he cannot, but they will fieze upon his Goods ^for fuch a Parcel of Money as they have judged him to pay, and take twice as much Goods. And as for Mr Hampfon, he being better able in the World than you, let him keep out of the "Way in SelTions-Time, though he do lofe Trade for a litde Seafon, except he can employ one that he can entruft the while i and if he be arretted afterwards, let him put in no Bail to the Serjeant. If a Bribe will not ferve them, let him go to Prifon, and he will come off for a great deal lefs Charges, being not condemned by a Court, and fave his Confcience from any Engagements ^ but if you are not able to endure a Prifon at all, then I cannot tell what to fay to you, but muft leave you to your own Heart's difpofing. This is the befl Advice I can give you to fave yourfelves here, and keep the Peace of your Minds : For I cannot pro- mife to free you from all Troubles. Tour Friend in the true Faith, April 24, 1671. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, -<^Copy [ ^7 ] A Copy of a LETTER, fent by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Cork, in Ireland. Being the Sentence of Damnation upon 26 ^^aliers there. Cork, /« Irel.ind, the nth o/" July, 1673. AT the Quarterly Meetings of Quakers, they have drawn up a Declaration, or Teftimony, in the Behalf of all the Quakers, againft John Reeve and Lodowicke Muggleton 5 where- unto Six and Twenty Quakers have fet their Hands, as a Teftimony againft Reeve and Muggleton. ^he true Copy of this le/iimony, as it came to my Hands, is as followeth, viz. The God of eternal Glory, who, by the Arm of his Jiving Power, hath in thefe latter Days of the World, gathered a Remnant to himfelf, and brought them into Fellowfhip and Acquaintance with him } in whom he hath poured out of his Holy Spirit, according to his Promife, as the Prophets and the holy Men of God in Ages and Generations paft, whereby they are enabled, with an infallible Difcerning, (as in his holy Co- venant and Council they abide) to try the Spirits that come into the World, whether they be of God or not. And whereas there is a Spirit, that hath come forth into the World, and lain lurking in fecret Places for a Seafon, and now begins to enlarge itfelf, by the erroneous Dodlrines of John Reeve and Lodowicke Muggleton fetting forth themfelves to be the two laft Witneffes ot the Commiffion of the Spirit ; the former of which is dead, and the latter, named Lodowicke Muggleton, furviving, hath prefumptuoufly arrogated to him- felf the Power of Bleffing and Curfing, and that irrevocable to all Eternity. Alfo that he, the faid Lodowicke Muggleton^ is the only Interpreter of Scripture in the World, and the only and alone Judge what (hall become of Men and Womea after Death 5 neither Ihail they whom he damns fee any other God • C 78 ] God or pudge but himleif. And that he knows more of Ipiritual Things than ever Prophet or Apoftle did fince.the Beginning 0f the World •, and feme of whole Principles, ex- afliy taken out of fome of their own Books, hereafter follow, viz. John Reeve fets forth, in his Book, called 'tranfcendent Spiritual Treatife, That, Feb. 3, 4, 5, 1651, God, whom he faith is above the Stars, fpake to him by Voice of Words, faying, I have given thee Underftanding of my Mind in the Scriptures above all the Men in the World ; and alfo faid, I have given thee Lodowkke Muggleton to be thy Mouth. And Page the 5th, the faid Reeve, Page 32. Elias was exalted upon the Throne of Glory for a Moment, to reprefent the Perfon of God the Father, and he was made the Protedor of my God, when God becanie a Child. And it was Elias that filled the Lord Jefus with thofe great Revelations of his former Glory, that he poffcffcd in the Heavens, when he was the eternal Father. And it was Elias that fpake thofe Words from Heaven, faying. This is my beloved Son. And the faid Reeve affirms, That if a Man had no Sin in their Bodies, they might live and die, and naturally rife again by their own Power, and in their own Time, as the Lord of Life did. Pag. 33, John Reeve and Lodowicke Muggleton, in their Book called, J Divine Looking-Glafs, on that Scripture, faying. The Lord faid unto my Lord, fit thou on my right Hand j and that is to fay, then the everlafting Father fpake to himfelf. Pag. 46, Lodowicke Muggleton, in his Book called, The Neck of the fakers broken, faith. You can never know Chrifl, nor rhe Father, nor the Holy Ghoft, by the Words of Scripture, nor the Light of Chrift within you, without an Interpreter, there being none in the World at thi? Day but myfelf, as in Rag. IS' P^Z* 45- ^^^'^j ^ ^"^ ^^'^^ ^ ^^ know more in fpiri- tual Things tnan ever Prophet or Apoftle did fince the Begin- ning of the World. And, Pag. 47, he faith, I am the only and al'one Judge what fhall become of Men and Women after Death; neither fhall thofe that are damned by me fee any other God or Judge but me. Pag. 15, he faith. And what Perfon foevcr we determine Judgment upon, it is lo, and there is no revoking of it. Pag. 53, he faith, Though Qhrift be the Truth i 79 1 Truth and the Life ; yet I am the only Declarer what this Truth and Life is : And though Chriji be the Door ; yet I have the Key given me to open the Door to Life eternal. And forafmuch as a faife Rumour hath been fpread abroad, that we, or fomeof us, whofe Names are hereunto fubfcribed, have received the Doftrines and Principles of the aforefaid Reeve and Mugglelon-, whereby fome honeft-hearted may feem to ftumble and ftartle : We therefore, the People of the Lord, called Quakers, at a general Meeting in Cork, for the Province of Mtinfief\ have very ferioufly^in the Council of God, weighed and confidered the Principles and Dodrin^s of the aforelaid Reeve and Muggleton^ and the Spirit from whence they flow and do, in the Name and Authority of the Holy Spirit of Truth, deny that Spirit, as the Spirit of Error, and give our Teftimony againfl the fame, warning and admoniSiing all People in the Fear and Dread of the Lord God of Heaven and Earth, to turn from it, and avoid it. The 19th Day of the fourth Month, 1673. Let this be read in the publick Meeting in the City of Cork, and the fame to be recorded in a Book to ftand as a Tefti- mony againft this blafpheming Spirit for Ages and Genera- tions to come. The Names of thofe that fubfcribed to this Paper, are as William Morris. PFilliam Edmondfon. Robert Sandham. PFilliam Edwards, John Fennelh Thomas Wight. John FoJJage. Francis Rogers. John Bur negate. followeth, viz. George Pattefon. John Gettas. James Dowlyn. Thomas Alley. William End. Phillip Dymond, Chr. Pemiricke, Dan. Savery. War, Phillips. Thomas TVhedden, Jafper Treyos. William Hawkins. John Hammond. George Negnoe. timothy Thohoymouth. Richard Berry. Arthur Johnfon., The . L s^ J T^he Anfwer of Lodowicke Muggleton, to this Paper as followeth, IS H A L L feparate the Quakers Words in their Paper from thofe Words of Reeve and Muggleton, which they have picked out of our Books, being all in Print already, ic will be needJefs to repeat them overagain. Therefore I fhail only give Anfwer to thofe Words of the Quakers, which thefe 26 Perfons above- written, have fubfcribed their Names in the Behalf of all the Reft at their general Meeting at Cork. The Words of Concernment in their Paper I have divided into fix Heads, which are all their own Words •, but as for the Reft of their Paper, being Reeve's and Muggleton*^ Words, as they have picked out of their Books already, and will remain upon Re- cord to the World's End, and to Eternity, both upon the Souls and Bodies of them which truly believe in this Commiflion of the Spirit, who are bleffed, and upon the Souls and Bodies of all thofe that have adually defpifed and blafphemed againft the Do6lrine and Commiffion of the Spirit, declared by Reeve and Muggleton^ who are curfed by them. Therefore 1 fhall dired my Words only to the 26 Perfons above written, that have fubfcribed their Names to this Paper, and not to the whole Affembly that profefleth to be Quakers, thoucrh you fay you fubfcribe your Names in the Behalf of all the Quakers. But I ftiall deal more juftly in my Judgment than you Quakers do in your Judgment ; for Fenn^ and other Quakers have not only given Judgment againft me, but upon all thofe that believe me. But 1 (hall do by you as I have al- ways done, fet my Face againft none but thofe that are found in adlual Tranfgreffion of Blafphemy againft the Holy Ghoft ; for whoever defpifeth us, the Wicneffes of the Spirit, defpifeth God that fent us. And if you had lived in the Days when Chnjl was upon Earth, you would have faid as much to him as you do to me, I. fh% [8r ] I. Firji^ The Quakers fay, the God of eternal Glory, who, by the Arm of his living Power, hath, in this latter Age of th^ World, gathered a Remnant to himfelf, and brought them into Feilowfhip and Acquaintance with him j in whom he hath poured out of his Holy Spirit, according to his Promife, as the Prophets and the holy Men of God in Ages and Generations pad, whereby ihey are enabled, with an infallible Difcerning, (as in his holy Covenant and Counfel they abide) to try the Spirits that come forth into the World, whether they are of God or not. MuggUton's Reply, That the God of eternal Glory is not the Quakers God j why ? Becaufe he hath a fpiritual Body, Form and Shape, like Man, therefore faid to make Man in his own Image and Likenefs j therefore it is that Angels, and all other Creatures in Heaven, do give Glory, Praife, and Honour to the Perfon of God their Creator. For this I fay, there is no Honour, Praife, and Glory can ht received by the Creator, except he hath a Body diftindt of his own- neither can any Creature, that hath Life in the Body, afcribe Honour and Glory, but to a perfonal God, that hath a Body of his own. But the bewitched Quakers, through their Igno- rance and Blindnefs of Mind, do praife and magnify an Infi- nite Spirit without a Body, that cannot be feen, nor compre- hended by Angels, nor Man, nor no other Creature. So that the Quakers are the abfolute one alone People, that are Jed and guided by the Spirit of Anti-Chrifl in this laft Age, who deny both Father and Son to have a Body j for they have imagined the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Chrif]: to be all one Spirit, as is moft true; they are but one Spirit: But they have imagined likewile, that this one Spirit hath never a Body of its own ; therefore the Quakers People are abfolutely of the Anti-Chriftian Spirit, that denieth the Godhead Spirit to have a Body of its own. For this I fay, a Spirit hath no Exiflence no where without a Body, but is a meer nothinc^ at all. And this imaginary God, a Spirit without a Body is'^the Quakers God of eternal Glory, which they worlhip, even a nothing at ail, but a God of their own Imagination : So that their Feilowfhip and Acquaintance is only with fuch a God as they have imagined ; a Spirit without a Body is the Quakers M God [8z ] God of eternal Glory ; and this God, an infinite Nothing, hath poured out of his unholy Spirit of Imagination of Reafon upon tiie People called Quakers, fuch a Spirit, which hath enabled them to defy the Living God, that hath a Body of his own in Heaven, above the Stars. And this imaginary God, a Spirit without a Body, hath given the Quakers Difcerning and Counfel to fight againft the true God, that hath a Body, and to blaf- pheme againft him and thofc he fends : So that the Spirit of Reafon, the Devil, in the Quakers, think they can try the Spirits, whether they be of God, or not, yet Stone-blind, and know not the true God. 2. The Quakers fay, And there is a Spirit that hath come forth into, and Jain lurking in fecret Places for a Seafon, and now begins to enlarge itfelf, by the erroneous Do6innt& of Job ft Reeve and Lodowicke Muggleton^ as they call them. Anfwer. That this Spirit, that hath come forth, which you fay hath lain lurking in fecret Places for a Seafon, it was the Spirit of Chn!i^ the only wife God, that hath a Body now in Heaven, which you Quakers fo defpife, that did authorife John Reeve and Lodowicke Muggleton^ to declare againft that Anti-Chriftian Spirit that reigneth in the World in all Pro- feffions of Religion i in that every Man, by Nature, is ignorant of the Form and Nature of the true God, and that God made Man in his own Image, in refpefl of his bodily Shape and Likenefs, as well as hjs Soul. But all Mera, by Nature, being blind in fpiritual Things, as we ourfelves were, have imagined and framed to themfelves a God that is not, only a Spirit with- out a Body. And this dark Apprehenfion of God hath taken fuch deep Root in all Mens Hearts by Nature, it being an eftab- lilhed Dodrine in the World above thefe looo Years, even from one Generation to another. And the Caufe why this utter Darknefs hath remained upon all Men, as well upon the Elefl as upon the Reprobate, is, becaufe God hath not fent one Man, by Commiflion, to declare the true God this many hundred Years, until now, in this laft Age of the World, he hath fent Reeve and Muggleton. And that hath been the Caufe the whole World hath been over-fpread with this Conceit, that God is an infinite, formlefs Spirit, that hath no Body, Form, or Likenefs of his own. But Reeve and Muggleton were fent forth [83 ] forth by the Authority of this God, that hath a Body of his own, to try the Spirits of all Profeflbrs of the Scriptures in the World J which we have tried, and we do perfedlly know the Height and Depth of every Man's Faith in the World in fpiritual Things concerning his God. And by this fpiritual Knowledge of God, his Form and Nature, we know the Forms and Natures of all Things elfe, in Heaven above, and in Earth beneath -, and in thcTrial of all Mens Religion, we have tried by what Spirit the Quakers are come forth in, and we find, by the Knowledge of the Scriptures, and by the Faith of the Prophets and Apoftles, that the Quakers People are car- ried forth, by the Spirit of ^nti-Chriii^ with an imaginary God, a Spirit without a Body. And that there are no Pro- fefTors of Religion in the World fo abfolute Anti-Chrid as the Quakers People are. To be plain, the Spirit, which they call God, or Chnjiy or the Light of Chrijl within them, is nothing elfe but the Imaginations of Reafon, the Devil in them, they finding the Law written in their Hearts, their Thoughts accu- fing and excufing, they do imagine this Law to be God ; and this Law hath never a Body diftindt from Man. Therefore the dark Imagination in the Quakers Hearts doth think, that this Law, written in every Man's Heart, muft needs be God. This is the Quakers God, that hath never a Body of his own, but Man's Body to dwell in : But this God of yours within you will prove your only Devil to torment you to Eternity. And whereas you fay, this Spirit, meaning Reeve and Mng- gleton^ hath been lurking in fecret Places for a Seafon. To this 1 fay. It hath been almoft as openly declared as the Quakers Spirit hath, and almoft as long it hath appeared in this laft Age of -the World, for Matter of Time, as the Quakers Anti-Chrijiian Spirit hath appeared. It is almoft 22 Years fince this CommifTion of the Spirit hath appeared •, and the Spirit of Anti-Chrijl in the Quakers hath appeared but few Years more. And when Reeve and Miiggleton did appear at the firft, this Declaration and Dodrine was fir more publick than the Appearance of the Quakers ^ why ? Becaufe we wrote our Faith, Dodrine, and Commillion, and printed it to the World, whereby the People took more publick Notice of us than of the Quakers -, for at that Time, there were but few M 2 Qiiakers C 84 ] Quakers of Note •, neither did they print any Thing of their Faith and Dodrine, what they would have People to believe ; and I fuppofe, that, if the firft Book the Quakers wrote to vindicate the Principles of the Quakers Dodrine could be produced, it would not bear fo long a Time as Reeve^s and Muggkton^s Commiffion-Book doth. But however, the Quakers at that Time had Witchcraft-Fits, which did rather fright the Beholders of them than inform their Judgments. But fince that, Mugghton hath caft out that Devil out of many of them, by the Sentence of Damnation upon the chief of them : So that it hath eafed the whole Body of the Quakers of thofe Witchcraft-Fits, that vvere formerly very rife in the Quakers People; fo that now there is hardly a Witchcraft- Fit can be procured amongft them. So that this Spirit^ i\\2Lt Reeve and, MuggletonyNtxt guided by, hath not lain lurking in fecret Places. For 1 do believe, that we have written and printed, if it were poffible to gather them all together, in publick, more than moft of the Quakers in England have written ; however, our Books trouble the World more than any Quakers Books do whatfo- ever. Likewife we were publick enough twenty Years ago with you Quakei:s, when we gave Sentence of Damnation upon four of your chief Leaders, if not the firft Broachers of the Quakers Anti-Chrillian Do6lrine, ^1%, George Fox, the Elder and Younger, both, Francis Howgell and Edward Burr oughes ; thefe F''our as I remember, were the firft Quakers that were damned for denying that God hath a Body of his own, diftind: from Man, and all other Creatures. So that you Quakers have the leaft Caufe of any People whatfoever to fay, that this Spirit hath lain lurking in fecret Places j for this Spirit hath had more Power over thofe People called Quakers, than any other People whatfoever. So that you Quakers, of all People in the World, have the leaft Caufe to fay, this Spirit hath lain lurking in fecret Places. Indeed, we have not followed the Pradice of you Quakers, to compafs Sea and Land to gain Profelites, as many of you have, and you have made them twofold the Children of the Devil than they were before, in that they are more hardened, and more uncapable to underftand the l^'iyftcy of the .true God becoming FJefh, and the Devil becoming Flefh. And [85] And whereas you fay, Now it begins to enlarge itfelf by the erroneous Dodrines of John Reeve and Lodovoicke Mug- gleton^ as you call them. To this I fay. The Anti-Chriftian Spirit in the Quakers hath enlarged irfelf very much within thcfe fifteen Years, which hath been the Caufe that the Spirit of the true Chy'ijl in us harh enlarged itfelf, in Oppofition to the Spirit of Anti-Chritl, in tht: Quaker, and more efpecially fince 'John Reeved Death •» for in his Time, there vvere but few Quakers in Comparifon to what are now, and little Notice taken of them in his Time •, but fince they have encreafcd and multiplied exceedingly : Rut fince Mug^leton began to oppofe them, by writing againit their bodilels God within them, it harh put a great Scop to them j and not only fo, but this Docflrine of Reeve and Mug- gleton hath delivered many innocent Souls out of the Snares of the Quakers, which leadeth Men to eternal Perdition, which denieth the Body of the Lord of Life to be without them. Be- fides, the Spirit did not lurk in any fecret Place, when I wrote to Edward Bourne^ Samuel Hoolon^ JViliiam Smith, Thomas 1'aylor, and feveral others, which is near twelve Years ago, wherein they were damned to Eternity for defpiling that Dodlrine you call erroneous } and ever fince that Teeter to Samuel Hooton and William Smith, 1 have not been fufFered to lurk in fecret Places. For you Quakers have caufed me to be the publickeft Man in the World ; witnefs that Richard Fame/worth, 'Thomas Taylor, George Fox^ Ifaac Pennington^ as may be feen in the Neck of the fakers, broken^ and in Foxe's Looking-glafs, and the Anfwer to Pennington ; be- fides Letters to other Quakers, more than 1 can remeniber ; befides the Interpretation of the nth of the Revelations, and the whole Revelations^ and the Interpretation of the Witch of Endor. Thefe Things do manifeft, that I have not lain ftill in fecret, but do maniteft me to be the mod publick Man in the World in Spiritual Things ; becaufe I am not only hated of you Quakers, but am hated of all the Speakers and KJinilters of ail the feven Churches of Europe, befides Thoufands of their Hearers j fo that it is an impofTible Thing, that I fhould ^have Iain in any fecret .Place. And this Hatred hav.^ we procured [ 86 ] procured of all People in the World, for no other Caufe at all, but for declaring this Dodlrine, which you call erroneous, and the Authority of our Commiffion, given by Voice of Words from the Lord Jefuh Chrift, the only wife God, who hath a glorious Body, in the Form like a Man, of his own ; as we have written in the Tranfcendent Spiriltml 'Treatife^ when God gave this Commiffion, in the Year 1651. ^. Thefe Quakers fay, Forafmuch as a ialle Rumour hath been fpread, that v/e., or feme of us, whofe Names are here- under fubfcribed, have received the Dodrine and Principles of the aforefaid Reeve and Muggkton^ v; hereby fome Honeft- hearted may feem to ftumble and ftartle. Anfwer. If fuch a Rumour hath been fpread, and it was falfe, the more will be your Mifery. And you that have fub- fcribed your Names as a Teftimony that you have not received the Doctrines of Reeve and Muggleton^ but have utterly denied it, in fubfcribing your Names as a Teftimony againft it ; I fay, it would have been good, if nt)ne of you had been born ; for in denying thofe Doctrines, you have denied us ; and in denying us, you have denied the true God that fent us ; which hath given me juft Occafion to give Sentence of Judgment upon all you that have fubfcribed your Names. And whereas, you think by this Means that you have removed the ftumbling Stone out of your Way, that the Honeft-hearted might not ftumble and ftartle, and that you might eftablifh you Anti-Chriftian Principle the more furcj but ycu v;iil be prevented j for God hath laid this Dodlrine and Commiffion, vi^hich you deny, as a ftumbling Stone in Sion. So that many of you Quakers, and others, fhall ftumble at this Stone, and lall, and never rife again ; but there are fome of thofe People that fliail be preferved from ftumbling at this Doftrine or trie Witneffes of the Spirit. P'or whoever is left to fall upon this Stone, as you have done, ftiali be broken into Pieces as to the Peace of their Minds here in this X.A'it \ and on whomfoever this Stone, or Sentence of Damnation, fhall fall upon, it fhall grind to Powder in thofe eternal Torments, which the wicked Defpilers and Fighters againft a perfonal God and his Mef- iengers, whom he hath fent, in utter Darknefs \ fo that there fhall not one Motion of Peace arilc in them to Eternity. And farther [ 87 ] farther, I fay, I never did, nor never fhall, pcrfuadc any Man or Woman to believe this Dodrine, or Commiffion 5 for I have done my Duty to God, in that I have declared the whole Counfel of God beyond all that have gone before me, or that fhall come after me •, and whoever doth underfland and believe, it will be for their eternal Good j and if there fhould none believe this Doctrine, yet fhould not 1 queftion the Truth of it •, for I have Peace in myfelf, in that 1 have declared the Mind of the Lord freely, as it hath been revealed unto me-, neither did I ever encourage, or perfuade any Perfon to believe. I fet Life and Death before them, as Mofe$ did, to chufe or retufe j it they did truly believe the Dcdnne of the true God, and the CommifTion of the Spirit, they fhould live, and have eternal Life abiding in them ; this many can witnefs: But if they did relufe, deny, defpife and blaf- pheme, as you have done, againft the CommifTion of the Spirit, then they chofe eternal Death rather than eternal Life ; this many Hundreds can witnefs in their Confciences if they would. For it was never my Cuftom or Pradice this twenty Years, to perfuade any Man againft his Confcience, nor to believe me, after they have had feveral Difcourfes with me. I gave them Liberty to go to any Opinion whatfoever, and if they could find any Man fpeak like this Man, or give them better Satisfadion to their Qiieftions than I have, let them go, and come no more at me. It was never my Cuftom nor Pradlice to compel People to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, whether they would or no, as y0u Quakers do. I was always inclined to let the King- dom of Heaven to fuffer Violence, that the violent Defires of Men and Women, after Salvation, might take the Kingdom of Heaven by Force, and not be compelled to enter in. For you Quakers keep a great Buftle to keep your Difciples to you, for fear of lofing them •, I never did endeavour to get your Difciples from you, yet there are many of them that are come to the Life of thi^ Do6lrine of Reeve and Mugglelon, which you call erroneous. And if they could not have found Reft in this Doftrine and Commiffion, they had Liberty to return to you again. And can you Quakers tell the Reafon why fo many of your Difciples, that were abfolute of you, fhould come to me, and never return to you again j and it is [ 88 ] is a more admirable Thing, that there fhould not be one of Muggielon^s Difciples, or true Believers of him, to fall from him to the Quakers, not this fifteen Years ; I know not one j neither do they {tumble or ftartle any more, if they truly be- lieve Re^ve and Miiggieion's Dodlrine. 4. Say ihey. We therefore, the People of the Lord, called Quakers, at a general Meeting at Cork, tor the Province of Munjie^^ have very ferioufly, and in the Council of God, weighed and confidered the Principles and Dodrines of the aforefliid Reeve and Muggleton, and the Spirit from whence they flow. Anfwer. That thefe People, called Quakers, at a general Meeting at Cork, were not the People of the true God, but the Children of that Serpent Devil that beguiled Eve. And your ferious Council in God, as you fay, it was in the Council of your Imaginations of Reafon, the Devil within you, which is the Quakers God they take Council in, and in your Imagi- nations of your Hearts, which is your God, you have weighed and confidered the Principles and Doftrine of Reeve and Mug- gleton, as you fay, and the Spitit from whence they flow. 5. 'they fay. And do, in the Name and Authority of the Holy Spirit of Truth, deny that Spirit as the Spirit of Error, and give our Teftimony againft the fame ; warning and ad- monilliing all People, in the Fear and Dread of the Lord God of Heaven and Earth, both to turn from it, and avoid it. Jnfwer. Here the Quakers do prate of the Name and Authority of the Holy Spirit of Truth, yet know not the Body of that God, from whence the Holy Spirit of Truth proceeded; for this I fay, that a Spirit without a Body can give no Counfel at all -, neither can any Counfel proceed but from a Spirit that hath a Body of his own, \i Mens Spirits had not Bodies, how could they give Counfel to one another .? Neither can that God, that hath never a Body, be the true God, or give any Counfel at all. Yet the Quakers People doth take Counfel of a Spirit that hath no Body, which they call God j which God is nothing elfe but the Law written in their Hearts. So that this Conclufion muft needs follow. That you Quakers take Counfel, in your own Hearts, with a Spirit without a Body j the Light of Chrift within you : This you call God's Holy Spirit [ sp 1 3pirit of Truth, in which you take Council. Now the Light <)f Ckri^ wifihin you is pot the tvm God ♦, it is nothing eife but God's Law written in the Heart, which doth accuie the Confcience when you do any Thing contrary to it. And when you do commune with this righteous Law, written in yoqc Hearts, you do imagine that you take Counrel in God, a Spirit without a Body. Here lieth your great Miftake, in that you take God's righteous Law, written in your Hearts, for God himfelf. A Man may as well take the Law of a King for the King himlelf: Only here is the Difference 5 a King's Law i$ vifible, and himfelf is vifible to the natural Eyes ; but God's l^aw is invifible, written in the Hearts of Men, and God him- felf is that invifible God, yet a Perfon diftind from this in^ vifible Law, written in Man's Heart, Now fhall I fay, that this Law, written in my Heart, is God ; becaufe I cannoC fee it with my natural Sight, nor know how it came to be. written there, it being invifible. So that the Quakers do worfliip the I^aw, written in their Hearts, for God ; and the Light of this Law, is that Light of Chriji they fo much talk of within them : And this Law is their God and Saviour, and they have no other God to fave them, but the Light of this Law within them. This I know is the Quakers H0I7 Spirit of Truth they fo much talk of, which is no other Spirit but the Law, written in their Hearts, in the Life and Soul of them 5 and when their Souls doth die, this Law, written in their Hearts, doth die alfo ; and fo, by Confequence, their imaginary God, a Spirit without a Body, is dead alfo •» and fo they lie all three in the Earth together, viz. the Soul, the Law, the Imagination that God was a Spirit without a Body, all dead in the Earth, until the Day that my God, that hath a Body of his own, fhall raife them again in the Reflirredion, then (hall the Soul and the Law, written in their Hearts, which was their God, a Spirit without a Body, and their Imagination, that created in itfelf fuch a God, a Spirit without a Body, they fhall all rife again together. And this Law, written in their Hearts, they called God, a Spirit without a Body, while they were in this Life, fhall be the only Devil that fhall torment them to Eternity in the Refurredion. And this Law, afore- laid, the Light of it, is the Quakers Holy Spirit of Truth, N whicti [ 90 ] which doth deny that Spirit that doth declare God to be in Form and Shape liice Man, as the Spirit of Error, and they do give Teftimony againft the fame i and not only fo, but they do ad- monifh all other People, as well as their own, in the Fear and Dread of their imaginary Lord God of Heaven and Earth, both to turn from it, and avoid it. But this I fay, whofoever doth adhere to the Quakers Admonifhment, or to their God, he doth adhere to a God of his own Imagination, which hath neither Body, Form, Shape, nor Subftance j which cannot de- liver you in the Day of Trouble. 6. And, lajily, the 19th Day of the fourth Month, 167^, let this be read at the publick Meeting in the City of Cork^ and the fame to be recorded in a Book, to Hand as a Tefti- mony againft this blafphemous Spirit for Ages and Genera- tions to come. Anfwer. Here the Reader may fee what Care and Pains the Quakers doth take to uphold their Kingdom of Anti-Chrift jand do bind thcmfelves together, at their general Meetings, to fight againft the Spirit of the true Chrijl^ and his Doftrine, declared by Reeve and Muggleton ; but more efpecially againft me. Thefe ten Years, and better, have I only engaged againft the whole Hoft of Quakers, they being many, and I but one Man i yet being chofen of God to oppofe that Anti-Chriftian Spirit that would have fpread itfelf over the Face of the Earth : But God hath letted them, by fending two Men to make War againft them ^ and 1, even I, have fought many Battles with them, and have, by Faith in the true God, that hath a Body of his own, broken the Jaw-bone of the Quakers Strength to Pieces, and have fliattered them in Confufion. There hath come forth againft me many of their mighty Men of Valour •, they have ftiot their poifonous Arrows at me, but could not hurt me. Oh.' how many of your Anti- Chriftian Companions, Captains, and mighty Men of War of Anti-Chrift's Army, have come out againft me, more than I can well name: They came with their Weapons of War as Goliah, as it were like Giants with their Weavers Beams ; yet I being but one in the World, by the Help of my God, that hath a Body in Heaven, above the Stars, being cloathed with the whole Armour of God, the Breaft-plate of Righteouf- nefs,. [ 91 ] nefs, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the two-edged Sword of the Spirit,' I have fought with many Men of Valour, and have overcome them, as David did Goliah^ and have fcattered their Followers, even as the Hoft of the Philiftines were fcattered. Thefe Things are written more at large in another Place, which will be upon Record, and in publick, after my Death : So that you Quakers, if you were fenfible, might fay, Oh! what is become of our valiant Leader?, our Captains, and mighty Men of War, that lided, as under the Spirit of Anti-Chrift? Oh! how are they fallen by the Sword of the Spirit put into Muggleton's Mouth ? Alas! alas ! t)ur mighty Men are fallen into eternal Damnation, when, as we thought, that their Spirits did but go out of their Bodies^ but, alas ! it is other wife : They are gone to eternal Darknefs , where they fhall never fee bright Day more. But, here of late, fince IVtlliam Penn hath furvived the Place of a Teacher, a Leader, and Captain of the Quakers Hoft, he hath been more zealous for the Spirit of Anti-Chrift, than the former that went before him ; and he hath defied the living God, that hath a Body of his own, more glorious than any that went before him. And for this he is damned. Body and Soul, to Eternity •, and it will not be long before he fhall pofTefs the Reward of his Blafphemy ; which is this : His Soul, which he faith cannot die, it fhall die two Deaths ; it ftiall pafs thro* this firft Death, which is natural and appointed unto all Men once to die, and enter into the fecond Death, which is eternal, in utter Darknefs, where he fhall never die, nor never live in Comfort, even a living Death, and dying Life: This is the fecond Death, which God hath prepared for the Seed of the Serpent, fuch as Penn, and others, diat defpife fuch a God as hath a Body, Form, and Shape like Man ; and he (hall remember, that he was told fo by me. . Furthermore, I fuppofe fVilliam Penn*% Book againft me hath been fome Caufe that hath ftirred you, in Ireland^ up to band yourfelves thus, at your general Meeting, to declare againft the Doflrine of Reeve and Muggleton. So that the Quakers come now of late in Troops ; they do not come two or three at a Time, as formerly •, but, as it were, in Bands : For it is not long fince I had a Teftimony againll this N 2 Dc6trins [ 9^ ] Dot^rine and Coinmiflion of the Spirit, at a Quarterly Meetmg of Women Quakers, no lefs than 28, their Names (ubfcribed ^ and at a Quarterly Meeting of Men Quakers, about 30, that fubfcribed their Names, as a Teftimony againft the Do^rine of Reeve and Muggkton. William Smith wrote the Teftimony of them both, and a little while after he died. And now here cometh a Band of Men out of Ireland, 26, who have given Tefti- mony againft Reeve and Muggleton*s> Doftrine, calling them erroneous, and do deny them as the Spirit of Error and Blafphemy. Thefe Words are the Sin againft the Holy Ghoft ; and in- afmuch as God hath chofen me, on Earth, to be the Judge of Blafphemy againft the Holy Ghoft i fo that I have confi- dered your Teftimony, and the Names of all you that have fubfcribed to that Paper \ your Names are written at the Be- ginning of this Paper. And you having all jointly fet youf Karnes, as one Man, to this Teftimony above written. Therefore, in Obedience to my Commifilon frjom the true God, I do pronounce all thofe 26 Perfons, whofe Names are aforewritten, curfed and damned, in r eir Souls and Bodies, from the Prefence of God, eledl Men , ;= J Angels, to Eternity. Written by 7ne, LODOWICKE MuGGLETON, One of the two lajl Prophets and Witneffes of the Spirit to the High and Mighty Godj the Man Chrift Jefus in Glory, I wifii you to read this Anfwer at your general Meeting, that the whole Congregation may hear it ; and, if you pleafe, to record it for Ages and Generations to come. Let thefe two Sheets of Paper be delivered to the Hands of fome of the Quakers, at their general Meeting, in Cork^ m Ir eland t to be read, if polTible, to the Congregation. 7he Poftern, near London-Wall, in London, Aug. 11, 167 j, A Copy [93 ] ^CoPY of a LETTER, written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. George Gamble, a Merchant i?i Cork, in Ireland : The fir Jl to him after he came to fet his Seal to the true Faith* Bearing Date from London, March 6^ 1672. Loving Friend George Gamble, 1 Received your Letter, bearing Date Fehrury 14, 1672, and am glad to hear of your Health, and the more, becaufe I did hear, by a Quaker, that you were very fick, like ro die : This was a little after Chrifimas. Williajn Penn fent one of his Books againft me, and a Letter with it, by one of the Quakers, to deliver it into my own Hands: And when the Man had delivered them into my Hand, he afked me. When thou heard'!! from George Gamble^ in Ireland? I faid, I had not hea'd fiom you a great while, but once fmce you were here in London. He afked me by whom ? I told him by Benjamin Capp J he fc^ii he knew him. Why, faid I, do youafic? Said he, We did hear he is fick, like to die. I faid, I heard no- thing of it j fo the Man parted. And, as foon as the Man was gone, ic came into my Mi.'id, why he afked about you ; it was, becaufe the Quakers would have been glad in their Hearts if you had been dead indeed j becaufe they might have had Occafion to ground a Belief, that God's Judgments did follow you fo fuddenly after you forfook the Quakers Principles, and did cleave to itM^ugglelofi's Do6lrine, becaufcJ. feveral of the Quakers have died in a little Time after they were damned by me : So they would willingly have fome to die that fall from them •, looking upon it as a Curfe upon them for falling away from their Principles. But 1 fee their Hopes is prevented, and that you are in Health , and not only fo, but that the Seed of Faith in you is rifen, even as the Sun rifeth, and hath fhined in your Heart, and hath given you to fee that Light of Life eternal, in that you have Faith to believe in the true God, and to [ 94 ] ^' * to love God ; for no Man can love God, but he that knows God J and no Man can know God but by Faith. And it is Life eternal to know the true God and Jefus Chrijl^ which is lent •, that is, it is Life eternal to know this Jefus Chriji that is fent to be the true God, as'we ha^e unfolded in our Writings, and that you do now believe in this Commiffion, and that 1 am a true Prophet, it is well for you that you was ever born ; that your Eyes of your Underftanding are opened, to let the Light of Life fliine into your Heart, in that ycu can be made - capable to receive a Prophet's Reward •, which Reward is no lels than the Bleffing of everlafting Life. For Prophets that are chofen, and fcnt of God, have eternal Life always with them, that whofosver believeth their Report, are made Partakers of it. And it hath been a Saying in old Time, when Pro- phets were more in Requeft than now, How beautiful are the Feet of them that bring glad Tidings of Peace and Salvation. But now there is but one Prophet in thefe laft Times, and fhall never be no more true to the End of the World. All Profeflbrs of Religion do fay almoft in their Hearts, let this Prophet depart from us, we defire not the Knowledge of his Ways, nor Do6lrine, becaufe he is alive, to reprove us when we blafpheme £:gainft God, and againfl him ; but give us thofe dead Prophets and their Dodrine, that cannot make An- fwer for themfelves ; let us fay what we will, they will let us alone, and fay nothing to us. This is the Nature of Reafon in moft People, to love and honour Prophets when they are dead, but to hate and defpife Prophets that are alive. Likewife you fay, that one Cbrijiopher Baton ftiould fay and affirm, that when 1 had givtn him the Sentence, that he jfhould never fee, after the Sentence, with his natural Eye. This is as falfe a Lie as ever was fpoken j I never curfed the natural Eye- fight of any Perfcn in all my Life. But this I might fay to him, as I have faid to feveral, that I have given Sentence upon, that after the Sentence is given he fhould never fee the Face of God, nor the Faces of eled Men and Angels, nor his own Face, in the Life to come, to Eternity : So that he Ihould fee, in the Life to come, no other God or Judge, but that Sentence I had given him, that fhould remain upon him to Eternity j and he fhal), in the Refurredion, never ftir from [95] from the Place he is raifcd in utter Darknefs, where there is no Light to anfwer the Light of" the Eye. For there muft fee two Lights, that in Light we fee Light, elfe nothing can be feenj for one Light can never fee any Thing of itfelf. As for Example, though a Man have Light in the Eye, yer, except there be Day-light, Fire, or Candle-light, or fome other Light, to anfwer the Light of the Eye, the Eye-light can fee nothing, but is in Darknefs. Likewife, fuppofe a Man be blind, and hath no Light in his Eyes, let the Sun-light be ever fo clear and bright, it makes not the blind Eyes to fee, and Darknefs is as good to him as Light. This is that Sentence 1 did pafs upon him, and the Blindnefs he fhould (uffer in litter Darknefs to Eternity, for hib Blafphemy againft the Holy Ghoft. And this he fhall be fure to fuffer according to my Word, and it will not be a Quarter of an Hour after this Liie before he fee the Truth of that Sentence upon him. Jet him flatter himfelf what he can. It hath been no new Thing for Hundreds of the Seed of the Serpent to belie, (lander, and reproach me without a Caufe : For I never did any Evil as to the Breach of any Law written in my Heart in all my Life. 1 never did any Man Wrong -, yet all Men, that arc ProfefTors, fpeak Evil of me, revile and perfecute m.e, either in Words or D.;eds, and for no other Caufe in the World, but becaufe God hath chofen me, and hath given me Wil'dom and Un- derffanding of his Mind in the Scriptures above all Men, and Authority to give Sentence upon Blafphemers. This is the Caufe I am fo hated of the World, but Wifdom is juttified of her Children. As for J^Filiid?n Pem^^ Book, the Quakers are very brag of it J yet there is no true Wifdom in it at all, but fome or the fubtil vSerpem's Wifdom there is in it, to make People more blind than they are by Nature •, and it will appear fo to thole who have the true Lighf in them, when I have ftnfwered it •, which perhaps may be tov/ards the latter End of this Summer. I would before, but 1 have promifed to fee fome Friends in Leicejier/hire^ Nottingham^ and other Parts that W^ay, which will take up the former Part of this Summer. I fhall go in the Middle of Aprils and, according to your Defire, 1 have fent you a Copy of Pemi\ Letter to .me, and a Copy [96 ] Copy of Thomas Lee's Letter to me, and a Copy of a Letter (ent'tomeby a Friend ^xom Nottingham, that you may fee and judge the better of it (in regard it was written by one that liveth there) than by my writing it by Report, therefore I will give it you verbatim as it is fent to me. I fhall not enlarge further at this Time, but take Leave j only defiring you to remember my kind Love to Colonel Phaire, and his Wife and Family, and to all thofe there with you, rhat do Ipve and believe the Lord Jefus, that was put tQ Death, without the Gates of Jenifdem 5 who died, and rofe again, and afcended up to Heaven, to be the very true God and everlafting Father, Creator, and Redeemer of thofe that are faved by his own Blood, Alfo my Love, and my Wife's Love, prefented unto yourfelf, and to jofeph Mofs^ I reft. Tour Friend in the eternal 'Truth of a perfonal God^ God MaUf the Lord Jefus Chrift, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, George Gafnlle, This is to certify you, that I received the ten Pounds you ordered for Books, and I have fent you 17, at iS s. a-piece, which comes to S I. lo s. od. and I gave to Mr. Goafrey, for 17 of the Mortality of the SouU 26 s. 6 d. and the Poftage of Letters, and the Box, and other trifling Things, comes to 4 J. 6d. This is the Account of the 10/. I received upon your Bill. And feeing it is not convenient to diredl your Letters* in my Name, you may dired tliem to Mr. Alexander Delamain, at the Sign of the Three Tobacco Pipes, on Bread-Jlreet-hill^ near ^een-Hithe, and it will come iafe to me. TheVo&ern, London, March 6, 1672. A Copy L^7J [ 89 ] A Copy of a LETTER, fent by the Pro- phet LodowickeMuggleton, to Mr, Jeremiah Mols, Fhyjician^ living in Cork in Ireland, being the jirfl after his believing the Com- mifjion of Truth, Bearing Date^ from Lon- don, March 6, 1671. Loving Friend in the true Faith, Jeremiah Mofs, I Received your Letter, dated February 14, 1672, wherein I perceive that this Record of the Spirit doth take Place in the Hearts of feveral in thofe Parts ; and doth give Satisfa<5lion to the Mindsof thofe that believe, and doth diflatisfy the Repro- bates, Indeed, Words of Truth are like a two-edged Sword, that cut both Ways ; and he, that hath a Commifllon from God, hath Power as the Apoftles had, as may be feen in the A^s: Some were pricked or cut to the Heart for their Con- verfion and Salvation, as in yl5fs\\y and 37th Verfe. Others again, by the Words of Truth, were cut to the Heart for the convincing of them of the Sin of Unbelief^ witnefllng to their Confciences, that they were Reprobates, and would be damned to Eternity, as in A5is vii. and 54th Verfe. So that true Prophets, and true Miniflers of Chriji^ their Words are Spirit and Life, to convert fome, to open the Eyes of their Minds that were blind, and to let the Light of Life eternal fhine into their Hearts, in giving them the Knowledge of the Glory of God, in the Face of Jefus Chrifl -, that is, that Jefus Chriji is the Brightnefs of God's Glory, becaufe his Face is the very true God's Face i and this Light of Faith doth fhine into the Hearts of many, by the Declaration or Preaching of them whom God fends. And, on the contrary, this Declaration is a Savour of Death unto Death unto the Seed of the Ser- pent, in that Words of Truth do blind the Eyes of them that think they fee, and hardneth their Hearts, lefl the Word of Truth fhould take Place in them ; and it maketh their Ears O heavy, [ 90 1 heavy, or deaf, even as an Adder ; fo that in Hearing, they • cannot hear nor underftand -, and in Seeing, they may not, per- ceive any Truth in a P^ophet'^s Worcisr ; and having Hearts, bur not, unjderftandin<5 any heavenly or fpirirnat Tfcib'gs," they deiplfe and' biafpheine againfl: them, even the Do6lfine of the true Gud, left theyfliouW be converted, and be healed with the Aff-rance of cverlafting Life in themfelves, Likev/ife you fay, we think noc the Libercy convenient wkh you, which the Believers uithus take in palling Sentence on thole that blaf- pheme againft the Holy Ghofl. As to- this,- 1 never laid any Bonds upon any Believer, to give Sentence upon any for Blaf- phemy, except their Faith be ftrong enough in themfelves to believe, without doubting, that fuch a one is damned. For, if a Man give Sentence, and afterwards doubts, that Sentence returns on a Man's own Head, and the Party, fo fentenced, is freed from the Power of his Curfe, Neither fliall 1 lay any Bonds upon you, there to force you to give Sentence upon defpifing, blafpheming Spirits-, if your own Faith doth not move you to it, or is not ftrong enough in you to give Sen- tence, then you may let it alone. But this I fay, whoever doth hear Men and Women fpeak Evil againft this blefted Truth, in defpifing and blafpheming againft the Holy Ghoft, and a Man (hall really believe that fuch a one hath finned the un- pardonable Sin that fliall never be forgiven in this World, nor in the World to come, and hold his Peace, it ftieweth a great Weaknefs of. Faith ia that Perfon. For, if a Man be faved by believing fuch a Truth, and being glad in his Heart, that he did not ftir againft the Holy Ghoft himfelf, and doth hear others blafpheme againft that Truth he is faved by, and yet holdeth his Peace, it flie.weth much Weaknefs of Faith in that Perfon. Befides, if all Believers of this Commifllon fliould be fo weak in Faith, then the Devils might blafpheme againft God without Controul, and think they did well in it •, fo that none could receive the Sentence for Blafphemy but fuch as come to me : But where I give Sentence upon one, there is ten that have the Sentence given them for blafpheming by the Believers of this Commiflion of the Spirit, both here in London, and feveral Parts in other Countries, and their Faith is made the Jtrcnger, by giving Sentence every where upon defpifing Spirits of [ 91 ] of Truth ; and when they negledl to give Sentence, for fomc By-ends, for Blafphemy againft the Holy Ghoft, their Minds are troubled -for Negle6l, and do[h eclipfe and weaken their own Confidence ; fo tha{ by this Means the Devils are met withal every where, becaufe moft of the Believers here in England do give Sentence upon the Seed oi the Serpent, as they have Occafion in Difcourfe. And they are more juftified in themfelves than thofe that do not ; and they are juftified by me in fo doing, rather than thofe that.fhaj] hear the Devils rage, rail, and blafpheme, and fay nothing to them. Seeing it is not convenient to dire(5t your Letters in my Name, you may diredl your Letters to me thus: For Mr. Alexander Delamain^ at the Sign . of the Thres k'olacco Pipes, on Breadfireet-hill^ n^^r ^ueenhithe^ an^ it will come fafe to me. ' / Thus, with my Love, and my Wife's Love, remembered unto yourfelf, with my Love to Colonel Phaire, his Wife and Family, and to all Friends elfe there with you, I take Leave and reft, I'our Friend in the true Faith of Jefus The Vojltrii^ Umdon, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. O2 'a Copy [ 90 A CoVX (?//3; LETTER, /em by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Elizabeth Marfderi;, of Chefterfield, May ao, 1672. Bear Friend in the true Faith , Elizabeth Marfden, IUnderftand, by Mrs. Carter, you are very fickly and weakly, and that you have had very bad Health ever fince you were married, and much Difcontent ot Mind j and that you have a Defire that I would pray for you, and that you might fee my Face once more before you go hence. I am very forry to hear of your lUnefs of Body, and more efpecially that you lliould have Difcontent of Mind ; for it is a common Thing to young Women, that are breeding, to be fickly and weakly, neither can it be avoided •, and Difcontent of Mind doth add further to the Weaknefs of Nature ; and Peace and Quietnefs of Mind doth ftrengthen Nature. For Thoughts of Peace and Patience fend forth Strength into the Blood, and ftrengthens Nature, and makes it ftrong to encounter with Sicknefs and Weaknefs of Nature, that Dilcontent and Grief hath produced in the Body. So that Difcontent and Content of Mind doth produce both their feveral Effects -, fo that the Cafe is thus, as Chrift faid in another Cafe, To him that hath Jhall be given, and to him that hath not, Jhall he taken away, even that which he hath', viz. To him that hath Peace and Content of Mind, to liim fhall be given more Peace and Content of Mind; becaufe Content and Peace grows in him. And to him that hath not that, that hath no Peace nor Content of Mind, but a little • Hope in him to attain to Peace, even that little Hope fhall be taken from him, in that this Difcontent in the Mind Ihall t^row fo ftrong, to fwaliow up all Peace and Content of Mind^ into it, until.it bring in Death ^ and in this Senfe he hath not Peace J even that little, or nothing, which he hath, ihall be taken from him ; that is, Difcontent fhall take Peace from him. him. I rpeak this that you may beware of Difcontenf, and let not that enter into you concerning worldly Things ; for worldly Sorrow caufeth Death : And I fuppofe it is worldly Things that caufed this Difcontent in you, and there is no removing it out of you, but by putting heavenly Peace and Content in the Place, Let Patience poflefs your Soul : Patience is a great Virtue, and keeps the Mind in Peace ; and remember the Days of old, wherein I blefled you unto everlafting Life. Likewife I have confidered your Faith and liOve to the Com- miffion of the Spirit, in the Day wherein you were but as a Child for Age ; and my Faith and Love hath continued in you ever fince, and (hall uphold you. Alfo I blefTed you to Eternity when you were young, and that BlefTing fhall remain with you to Eternity. Therefore let not your Faith fail you in it, but look upon it as the Blefling of Almighty God himfelf j ior God hath given Power to Men to blefs and curfe to Eternity. There- fore, let no Doubt arife in your Heart of your eternal Happi- nefs, and that will be a Means to ftrengthen your Nature, and to root out your Difcontent of Mind, and fettle your Mind in Patience and SubmifTion to the Troubles of this World ; and then your lllnefs and Weaknefs of Nature will be either better borne, or your Nature will be more ftrengthened to bear ^the Troubles of this Life. And this will be as a Prayer unto 'God for you j for my Commiffion is not to pray for temporal Bleflings : I never did pray for temporal Biefllngs for myfelf ; but the fpiritual Blefling of Peace with God, and AfTurance of eternal Life, hath always helped and flrengthened me in the natural ; and fo it hath feveral others of this Faith, and fo it fhall you •, therefore let Faith and Patience have its perfedl Work in you, and you will do well. And as for your Defire to fee my Face once more before you go hence : To this I fay, I could have been very glad to have feen your Face this Summer, and did intend to have feen the Faces of all our Friends in thofe Parts this Summer: But here are new Troubles fallen out here in London finee Chrijimas, of Wars and Ru- mours of Wars at Sea, and prefllng of Men, that it is like to be a very bad Summer with moft People for Want of Trade, both by Sea and Land 3 fo that I think not to go out of [ 94 ] of London this Summer. Befidcs, my Wife is to go into Kent, to fee her Relations, this Summer •, and I am loth' to leave the Houfe with No-body in it. But, however, be you of good Comfort ; it fhall be well with you in the End, though you never fee me more. Yet you may not be without Hope of that *, for Providence may order Things fo, that I may fee your Face, and the Faces of others, to my Joy hereafter, and yours ; for I am well at prefent, and I truft you may be preferved in Health. So, with the Blefling of the true God, the Lord Jefus Chriji, the Blefling of the true Prophet reft upon you, and preferve you, both in this Life, and in the Life to come. I reft, Tour Friend in the true Faith, LODOWICKE MuGGLETON. Tojlern, Londsn, May, 20, 1672. P. S. My Wife remembers her Love unto you. A Copy of a LETTER, writte^z by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to WiU liam Wood, of Brantry, in Eflex, dated September 26, 1681. Loving Friend in the true Faith, William Wood, I Received a Letter from you, dated Juguli 15, i68r, wherein you defire to have a Line or two from me ; and fince that, John Lad was very earneft with me on your Be- half, to write a few Lines unto you j faying, it would much rejoice your Heart. I was unwilling to write where there was no Need -, becaufe at that Time, I had a great many long Letters to write, both into (95 1 int6 Ireland, and here in England, which were fomething bur- thenfome unto me, yet did not intend never to write unto you ; but now having a little more Leifure and Opportunity, I (hall gratify your Defire, and write thefe Lines as followeth. I perceive by your Letter, that your Faith is ftrong in the erne God, even the Lord Jefus Chrifl -, which Faith and Knowledge in the true God and Man, (hould be but one fingle Perfon, even the Lord Jefus Chrijl, which oar Writings have decFared is Life Eternal to know. -lAl'fo, I perceive by your Letter, that your Faith is ftrong in thisCommiffion of thd Spirit, and that, by your Faith in us, the Witncffes of the Spirit, you do in believing know thofe div-ine Secrets, and heavenly Revelations, which are hid frdm all the World befides, and revealed to none, but thofe lew that bdieve our Report : To them few is the Arm of the Lord's faving Health revealed, ^-^d -.vai, Again, I do difcern by your Letter, that your Faith is ftrong in thofe Words I fpake unto you when you were at. Londoti ; and that they were as a Seal in your Forehead, fealed up unto the great Day of God Almighty, unto eternal Hap- pinefs in the Kingdom of Glory, in that World above the Globe, where the Perfon of God himfelf, and Angels in the Perfons of Men, do inherit •, afcendlng and defcending to one another with MefTages, and Praifes, and Thanks, Glory and Honour, unto God the Creator eternally. And we that are his chofen Prophets, and you his Saints, ever fincethe Creation of this World, fhall fing the Song of Mofes, and the Song of the Lamb of Mofes, and the Song of the Lamb unto our God, and our Redeemer, Halleluiah, Salvation, and Glory, and Honour, and Power, be to the Lord our God, as he is our Redeemer. And the holy Angels fnall afcribe all Honour, Glory, and Praife unto the fame God, as he was their Creator, but not as their Redeemer, becaufe God redeemed none but the Seed of ^/^^m fallen into Mortality, and into Death. So that by the Death of God, and his Quickening into Lile again, he hath redeemed us, not only from this natural Deaths but from eternal Death. And as he quickened himfelf out of Death, and made his pure Natural Body in the Quickening, a Spiritual Body, to live eternally j and by the Power of this quickening [96 ] quickening Spirit will he raife our Souls j and our Bodies that were natural, (hall rife in the quickening Spiritual Bodies, capable of afcending in the Clouds of Heaven, to meet the Lopd in the Air. This is the Power of our God, as he is our Redeemer. This is a great Myltery, hard to be underftood but by the Spirit of Faith, which is the Evidence of Things, which the Spirit of Reafon cannot fee. For this I fay, that the Spirit or Seed of Faith in me hath been carried up into the third Hea- ven, where God, and the holy Angels were refident •, where I faw Things unutterable. And when the Spirit of Faith de- fcended upon Earth, it brought the Abundance of Revelation with it, as hath been declared by Word and Pen in a great Meafure, as many can experience and wimefs it this Day. And many that are fallen afleep in the Experience and Faith of thefe great Myfteries, which have been declared by the Abun- dance of Revelation that hath proceeded from the Spirit of Faith, which did firft arife in me in the Beginning of the Year 1651, which is 30 Years ago. I would not have you think, becaufe I fpeak thus, that I would lay any Burthen upon you, or any other Believer of this Commiflion of the Spirit, as to expert that every one fhould have fuch a Meafure of Faith as I fpeak of; but that you may by thefe Lines grow and encreafe in the Knowledge of thefe heavenly Myfteries, according to the Meafure of Faith in you. Thus I have written thefe Lines to anfwer your Defire, and more than I did intend, becaufe I know you will let other Friends there with you, fee it or hear it. So I (hall take Leave, and refl, and remain with my Love, and my Wife's Love un- to yourfelf, Tour Friend in the true Faith in Jefus Chrifl, The only wife God, blejfed for ever, LODOWICKE MuGGLETON. My Love is remembered to Mr. Whitehead, and his Wife, and Father Nicolls, John Lad, Goodman Thorndike, with all the reft of our Friends unnamed, as thofe named. A Copy [ 97 ] A CovY of a LETTER, written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. George Gamble, in Cork, m Ireland, bear- ing Date the \ith of January, 1678. Loving and kind Friend in the true Faith ^ George Gamble, I Heard a Letter of yours read, dated the 19th o^ December^ 1678, to our Friend Mr. Belainain^ of the great Troubles you are in, concerning the Affairs and Dealings ot this World. I was forry, and grieved in Heart to hear it ; but, confidering in myfelf, that it is a common Thing, efpecially in thefe trouble- fome Days of late Years, for Men that are incumbered with great Afiairs and Bufinefs in this World, to fail, and bring Trouble upon themfelves. It is grown a common Thing^ in thefe late Years, as it it were a Thing in Courfe in this World. All Men have Trouble to get a little Food and Cloathing, let it be ever fo fmall j it cannot be had without Care and Trouble. But where Incumbrance is, and great Profit, it creates great Lofles, and fo great Trouble. Thofe Things doth befal both to Saint and Devil fometimes ; fo that the Peace which this World gives is taken away almoft from all Men, both Saint and Devil. As to the Troubles of this World, both of the Loflfes and Crofles, you muft wade through it as patiently as you can : Do that moral Ri^hteoufnefs between Man and Man, in thefe Mat- ters of the World, as you would have others do unto you •, and you (hall have that Peace of Mind as moral Righteoufnefs will afford : But as for that Peace which the World cannot give, which is that Peace of God zvhich pajptb all Underftanding^ which I perceive you have tailed of, in that you have believed this third and lad Record of the Spirit. I have had feveral Tefti- monies, in your Letters, of your Faith in the true God, and in me his true MefTenger ; and this Faith of yours will bear you up into everlarting Life ; for this Doflrine of the true God, and the right Devil, the Knowlege of thefe two, their Forms and P their .[98] their Natures, the one giveth the Soul the Afiurance of eternal Life, and the other frees the Soul from the Fear of any Devil, or eternal Death, which many can witnefs at this Day. It is Life eternal to know God as he is, which no Man in this World at this Day doth, but thofe who have believed our Report. God hath hid thefe Things from the World, and hath revealed them only to his chofen MefTengers •, for the World is fo blind that it counts it a needlefs Thing to know God in his Form and Na- ture : But, blefTed be the God of Heaven, that hath blinded their Eyes, and hath opened our Eyes, to fee by Faith, that God hath both Form and Nature, in that he created Man in his own Image andLikenefsj for all the Comfort ol Prophets, Apoftles, and Saints, lieth in the Knowlege of God's Forai and Nature : His Form is brighter than the Sun, fwifter than Thought, yet a glorious fpiritual Body, in Form of a Man from Eternity ; and that this^ glorious, fpiricual, heavenly Body, in Fulnefs of Time, tranfmicted icfelf in the Virgin's Womb, and became a pure natural Body, the Child Jefus, God manifefi in that FlefJj \ or more fully, God became Flejh^ and dwelt among Men : So [hat Eternity bccameTime, and Time became Eternity again j and Immortality became pure Mortality in that Body of Chrifl Jefus. And as Immortality became pure Mortality, fo pure Mortality became Immortality again. Therefore it is faid in John*s Revelation^ concerning Lhr'ifi^ that his Face fhone as the Sun in its Strength, and his Head, and his Hair was white as Wool. And in another Place he is called, l^he Ancient of Days : And he calls himfelf, The Firfi and the Laji^ the Begin- mng and the End : He that ivas dead^ and is alive, and behold he is alive for ever more. This is that fpiritual Body that was from Eternity, that be- came Time \ that Immortality that became pure Mortality, is now become Eternity and Immortality, that was brighter than the Sun, fwifter thanThought. That Eternity that becameTime, that Immortality that became pure Mortality is now become Eternity and Immortality again j therefore called Fhe Ancient of Days, becaufe he was that eternal God that created the two Worlds. This is that great Myftery of, God became Fleflo, and dwelt afiiong Men -^ which Myftery the holy Angels defired to pry into j which the Tongue of Man is not able to exprefs, but in [ 99 ] in a fmall Meafure j this is that Myftery of God that was to be finifhed in the Days of the Voice of the feventh Angel, when it doth found ; which is fulfilled in thefe our Days, and will found till Time be no more ; This is that Foundation which God h?.th Jaid for his Ele6l to believe, to change his own glorious immor- tal Body, firft into pure Mortality, that we his Servants, the Prophets and Apoftles, and you the true Believers, may under- ftand the better the Power of God, how he will change our vile Bodies^ and make them like unto his glorious Body, and that this Mortality /hall put on Immortality •, and that you that believe may underftand, that the Godhead Life, when he became Flefh, did but change his Garment, laid down his fpiritual Body in the Womb of the Virgin, and cloathed his Godhead Life with Flefh and Bone, as a new Garment, or new Body, which he will wear to all Eternity. Thefe Things are hard to be underftood by the Reafon of Men, but by Faith only : This is that God I have declared unto you the Seed of Faith, and unto this wicked Generation for which 1 have fuffered Perfecution and Imprifonment in feve- ral Gaols ; but the God of my Salvation hath preferved my Life to this Day. This Faith and Knowledge, I perceive, is the Comfort of your Soul in this your great Afflidtions and Trou- bles you are in at prefent. And what can I fay more, but ro ftrengthen your Faith more and more in the true God, that he counted you worthy to believe his Prophets Report in thefe laft Days. Oh! it is a bleffed Thing, to know by Faith in this Commiflion of the Spirit, that you (hall fee God Face to Face, becaufe you have believed God hath a Face. This is the Faith of God's Eledl, and by this Faith we know God hath eledled us from the Beginning of this World. This Faith gives us to know the certain Knowledge of our eternal Happinefs. This Faith gives us to know God as he is in himfelf, both his Form and Nature ; and that thefe vile Bodies of ours fliall be raifed fpiritual Bodies, and be made like unto his fpiritual and glorious Body, and fhall fing Praifes unto our God, our King, and our Redeemer, in that Kingdom of eternal Glory. By Faith I know thefe Things will be as if I fiw it with my natural Eyes i lor true Faith is as certain an Evidence to the Soul of Man, of Things not feen with the natural Eye, as the cleareft Sight of F 2 the [ 100 ] the natural Eye can witnefs to any natural Truth whatfoevcr here upon Earth, This will come to pafs at the End of the World, which the Soul of Man will not be fenfible that he hath been dead a Quarter of an Hour, when he is raifed again ^ for there is no Time to the Dead ^ fo that the Righteous doth but pafs through this natural Death into eternal Life and Glory ; and the Seed of the Serpent doth but pafs through this natural Death into eternal Death and Mifery. I have been more large than I thought, but I know it will not be burthenfome for you to read, becaufe Things of this Nature cannot be exprefs'd in a few Words ; fo I fhall take Leave at prefent, only my Love, with my Wife's Love, re- membered unto yourfelf and good Wife, though unknown to me ; and all the reft of Friends whom you know in thofe Parts. I reft your Friend in the true Faith of the one perfonal God, the Man Chriji Jgfus in Glory. - LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. London, 'Jan. 12, 1678. In particular, pray remember my Love to Mr. Rogers^ whom I once faw, and had Difcourfe with him at our Friend Delamain's Houfe. ^ Copy of a LETTER, wHuen by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Major John Dennifon of Dublin in Ireland, bearing Date February 24, 1678. Loving Friend in the true Faith^ Mr. John Dennifon, I Have received feveral Letters from you, wherein you have exprefled yourfelf to have Faith and Confidence in this Com- miflion of the Spirit i but I have quite forgot that ever I fent you any Anfwer in particular ; but having this Opportunity to fend [ lot ] fend by your. Son, 1 fhall write thefe few Lines unto you, as followeth : I perceive that you have found out that ftrait and narrow Way that leads to Life eternal, which very few do find, which is in believing this Jaft Record upon Earth ; which narrow and ftrait Way to Life eternal hath not been (hewn to any Man this thirteen Hundred Years and more, till within thefe twenty-feven Years God chofe ''john Reeve and myfelf, who have declared Jefui Chrifi to be the very God and very Man, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This is that ftrait and narrow Way that leads to Life eternal, which fo few do find in thefe our Days ; yet more do find this narrow Way, at this Time, than have a thoufand Years before. 1 doubt not but you have put on the Armour of God as I have done, for whoever goeth this narrow Way to Heaven fhall meet with Enemies great Store, both fpiritual and natural. And if a Man be not well armed with the Armour of God, the fpi- ritual Enemies in his own Heart will overcome him ; for if a Man conquer his own Heart, he may conquer the whole World. The Armour of God is the Shield of Faith -, a Breaft-plate of Righteoufnefs, inftead of a Breaft-plate of Iron ; a Helmet of Salvation upon a Man's Head, inftead of a Silver Head-piece; the Sword of the Spirit in a Man's Mouth, inftead of a Sword of Steel with a Silver Belt tied to his Side. This Helmet of Salvation, it cafteth out the Fear of eternal Damnation. This Breaft plate of Righteoufnefs, it keepeth off the fiery Darts of the Devil's Accufations in the Confcience. The Shield of Faith, it keeps off all Doubts and Queftions that would arife in Man*s Heart, concerning his eternal Happinefs. The Sword of the Spirit is the Words of Faith, which cuts Unbelief in funder, both in himfelf and others. This is that Armour that doth overcome Death, Hell, and the Devil in Man, even as Chriji did without Man. Oh ! blelTed and happy are all thofe that do fight the good Fight of Faith, there is laid up for them a Crown of Life, which God the righteous Judge (liall give ac that Day, even that Crown of Life which he purchafed with his own Blood. Oh ! how few do underftand thofe Things that belong to their Peace. I perceive you have read our Writings, and fome of thofe Letters I wrote of late, concerning my [ 10^ ] my Sufferings for God's Caufe. It was the Caufe of Mofes^s^ the Prophets, Chrijlh^ and the Apoftles Sufferings. And, laft of all, it hath been the Caufe of my Sufferings. We read the Prophets and Apoftles of old, how they complained of the Burthen of the Lord was heavy upon them ; infomuch that Mofes defired to be blotted out of the Book of Life, rather than be troubled any further with a rebellious People. Jere- miah the Prophet was fo weary of his Meffages of the Lord to a gainfaying People, that he curfed the Day of his Birth, and vviflied he had never been born. Paul alfo wifheth him- felf accurfed from Chrifi for his Kindred and Relations in the Fle/hy he being fenfible of the miferable Condition they were in to be damned to Eternity through Unbelief. People think it is a brave Thing to be a Prophet, but we find it by Experience to the contrary. Our Honour and Glory is put upon us after we are dead by the World j but while we are alive, hated and defpifed beyond all other Men, only for fpeaking the Truth, which the Lord hath forced us to fpeak ; for if the World be told any Judgment (hall befal them, or that God will execute any Vengeanco upon them, either fpiritual or temporal, they will hate us, and defpightfully ufe us •, for we cannot fpeak Peace to the People of the W^orld, but to fome few that are chofen out of the World. But to give you to underfland why luch great Prophets and Meffengers ot God (hould curfe the Day of their Birth, and be blotted out of the Book of Life, and accuried from Chrifi, after God had given them fo full Affu- rance of eternal Salvation. Anfwer. That Mofes did not defire to be blotted out of the Book of Life, as to eternal Salvation, and fo to fuffer eternal Damnation, for that he knew could not be •, but his Defire was, that God would race his Name out of his Book as a Commif- fioner, or that God would takeaway hisCommiffion from him, and give it to another Man, fo that he might be freed from that Trouble. And as for the Prophet Jeremiah curfing the Day of his Birth with fuch a heavy Curfe, it was becaufe he knew that if he had never been born, or died in his Child- hood, he fhould never have known Trouble or Sorrow j for he was fo fenfible of the Multitude of his Enemies that fought his Life, and his Sufferings for -being a true Prophet of the Lord, that [ lOJ ] that he was unfenfible of any Glory, Salvation, or Happinefs in the Life to come j fo that the Perfecutions and Troubles cf this prefen: World, weighed in the Balance of his Mind more heavy than an eternal Kingdom of Glory hereafter : So that he wifhed he had never been born, then fliould have lien ftill, and have been quiet, and not have been fenfible neither of Joy nor Sorrow. I myfelf have had Experience of this a little, before I was chofen of God, or knew what Revelation was. It came to pafs that my Thoughts were troubled about Salvation and Damnation •, and the Difpute within me grew very great j and the Motions of Faith, though I knew it not, were (o ftrong in me, againlt the Motions of Reafon in me, which then 1 knew not neither^ but the Motions of Faith being fo well grounded upon the Scriptures, did prove to my Reafon, that there was a Neceflicy, that fome Men and Women ftiould be faved, and the greateft Part fhould be damned ^ fo that I faw there was a cer- tain Damnation and Salvation, and both eternal •, but which Way to gain the one, and efcape the other, I could not tell, or what Courfe to take j loth I was to be damned to Eternity ; and how to gain the A filirance of eternal Salvation, I knew not, be- caufe it lay in God*s prerogative Power to make me a Vefirl of Wrath, or a VeiTel of Mercy, which he pleafed. I faw my Righteoufnefs, nor Prayer, nor any good Deeds I could do, would not fave me, if he had made a Veffel of Wrath •, fo that my Hope was cut off, and almoft utter Defpair in the Room ; fo that 1 wifhed in my Heart that I had never been born ; or that I had died in m'y Mother's Womb ; for I did not defire fo much to be faved, fo that I could but efcape being damned : I knew no Evil I had done why I fhould be damned -, but God's Prerogative will not be limitted by any Law whaifo- ever but his own Will j if he will have Mercy, or if he will not have Mercy, how Ihould I his poor Creature gainfay it. This lay heavy upon my Soul, fo that 1 was forced to fummon it to God's prerogative Power, and immediately after I found reft to my Soul ; and not many Hours after, the Heavens were opened, and the Windows thereof, and it poured down Showers of Re- velations, and Knowledge in the Scriptures above all the Men in this World, at this Day ; and it hath and doth remain with me to this Day, which is now almoft twenty-eight Years. This is [ i<54 ] is but a Hint of thofe Things I have had Experience of, after I had Revelation to interpret Scripture, and Satisfadlion in my own Soul, and AfTurance of my Salvation. I was well content- ed, for no Man can certainly know he fhall not be damned, unlefs he firft be fure he fliall be faved. This 1 know to be true, and when I had all this laid up in my Heart, as a Treafure in Heaven, where no Doubt could arife, nor in the leaft think that God would choofe me to be a Prophet. I always loved the Prophets of old, but was very unwilling to be one myfelf ; fo that 1 have wifhed fince fas Je- remiah did) that God would have chofen feme other Man, and have let me alone ; but God chofe whom he will, and who ihall gainfay it : And bleffed be the God of Heaven that hath redeemed my Soul with his own Blood, and hath freed me, and many others, from the Fear of eternal Death, which is thefecond Death i who hath preferved my Life from the Mouth of the Lion, and from the Paw of the Bear -, from the great Men of this Earth, and from the Poor of this wicked Generation, thefe many Years, and hath carried me through many Dangers, Per- fecutions, and Imprifonments, for his Name's Sake, and for the Good of others that do truly believe in this third and laft Re- cord of the Spirit. I know I fliall be mifs'd, when I am gone, by the Saints, but the Devils will rejoice, becaufe there will never arife another true Prophet after me, like unto me, while this World endureth. I have been longer than I thought, but I hope it will be no great Burthen for you to read. But (haH take Leave at prefent, only my Love, with my Wife's Love, remembered unto yourfelf, not forgetting Colonel Phaire, Mr. Gamble, Mr. Rogers, and Captain G^^/^, wich the Reft of that little Flock in thofe Parts, 1 reft Tour Friend in the eternal Truth, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. London, Feb. 25, in the Year 1678. A Copy [ I05 ] A Copy to make up his full Tale of Prayers and holy Du- ties, thinking God will reward him with Peace of Mind, and Life, and Salvation, feeing he hath wrought eleven Hours in the Day in God's Vineyard of the Righteoufnefs of the Law ; yet we fee that Man that wrought but one Hour in God's Vine- yard of Faith, he received his Penny of everlafting Life pre- fently, which was the AiTurafice of Life everlafting in himfelf, even in this Life ; fo that his Work is done, and is entered into his Reft, as God entered into his Reft from the Work of Cre- ation, Likewife the Penny thofe had that wrought eleven Hours erf" the Day, it was Credit, Reputation, and Honour, amongft Men Y of [ i6a ] of the World, being righteous godly Men, by the People of the World. This is that Penny that moft religious People do re- ceive for their Prayers and holy Duties. This I know to be true 5 and it is a good Penny to have Honour and Credit with Men in this World ; but this Penny doth not fatisfy the Mind of thofe that work eleven Hours in the Day, as that Penny doth that worketh but one Hour in the Righteoufncfs of Faith -, which was the Caufe thofe Men did grumble i and it is the Caufe now that righteous Men do grumble, that a few Men that be- lieve Muggleion fhould be fure of their Salvation in this Life ; and we that have wrought all our Lives long in the Righteouf- ncfs of God*s Law, cannot have that Penny of Satisfadion of Mind. Indeed this would caufe any righteous Man to grumble, as I myfelf did when I was in their Condition ; fo that the Penny of this World is that Penny God doth give to all legal righteous Men: And the Penny of AlTurance and Satisfadion of Mind, is that Penny God doth give to thofe that truly believe in his Mellengers, though it be in the laft Hour of their Lives. Many things were fpoken, and the Man faid little, only com- plained of his Ignorance. The Man is moderate enough, and able to hear and bear what was fpoken j nor doth not deny, nor receive any thing for abfolute Truth, to receive it for his own Satisfadion, as I can perceive. It is fomething a hard Thing, when a Man is old, to enter into his Mother's Womb to be born again, as Nicodemus faid j but as Chrifl faid, // is poJfiUe with God, and it is poffible with Faith, though it be impofllble with Reafon to underftand j for 1 have known elder than he have been born again by this Com- miffion of the Spirit. I would not have you let him hear this Letter ; but if he come to you perhaps he may fpeak fomething to you, whereby you may perceive whether he did like or diflike any Thing he heard or faw. Thus, with my Love, and my Wife's Love, remembered unto yourfclf, and to your Wife, and Mr. Nicholls, and the reft. Alfor [ »63 ] Alfo Mrs. Man doth remember her kind Refpe£ls unto your- fclf. I take Leave, and reft. Tour Friend in the eternal Trutb, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON".' London, Dec. 31, 1679. I Am willing that John Lad, and you, and all of you, if it \>t convenient, to have a Met-ting with this finch, as he re- quireth, to fee what he can fay for himfelf i and if he give Occafion of a Sentence, you may pafs ic upon him : If he de- nieth and forfaketh the Bleffing, and fold the Books in Contempt and DiQike, or doth any ways fay he was deceived by believing them or me, then you may juftly give Sentence upon him, never to have any Difcourfe 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 Difcourfe be firft with him, then will you have the better Ground to give Sentence, and read my Letter, And as for that Finch you Ipake of, I do remember you and he were once at my Houfe, and the Man was much troubled ia Mind, and did buy fome Books •, but that did not fatisfy him without the BlelTing ; for, faid he, I would have all Things that might give me Satisfaftion and Peace of Mind. 1 told him I could give him no Sentence of BlefTednefs, except he did be- lieve in me that I had fuch Power •, which after a while Dif- courfe he faid he did believe : Upon which I gave him the Bleffing, in which he did continue (as I did hear) feveral Years, and he himfelf did rejoice in it, and did boaft of it. As that Woman that came in the Coach with me, when I came to your Houfe, as you may remember it, none being in the Coach but fhe and I, (he aflsiedj if I went any tbrther tha-n Brain- tree ; I faid, no. S\\t afked, to whom there ? I faid, to your Houfe, naming your Name. Then fhe afl^ed, if I did not know one Finch ? I faid, I did. Then fhe miftrufted that I was the Man that had given this Finch the Bleffing ; for the y 2 Woman [ i<54 ] Woman had great Troubles of this World upon her at that Time, befides the Fear of a worfe Trouble after Death ; for, faid fhe, would I could meet with that Man that blefled Fincb, to biefa me } for Fif^cby (aid flie, was in a fad Condition in his Mind, and low in the World heretofore -, but, faid fhe, he is now chearful, and faith, he is fure he fhall be happy hereafter, and did thrive in this World. He was afked, how he came by this Peace ? He faid, by the BlefTing of that Prophet Mr. /Fhiiehead believed in. This and much more did the Woman fpeak concerning Fmh, as we rode in the Coach -, but I took no Notice that I was the Man -, but was glad to hear that Fiacb had found fuch Peace of Mind. But it feems by your Letter, that now he is turned back again to the ^uahrs, and hath fold his Books to John Lad, 5ind doth requeft a Meeting with him^ thinking himfclf fo ftrong now he is at the Brink of the Pit of Deftruftion eternal, as the Pulh of a little Finger will Ihove him into the Pit of eternal Deftrudion ; for he doth pradlice the fame Thing as thofe did in the Apoftle Pau^s Time, as in Hebrews vi. who did fall back from that Faith they had in his Dodtrine. Ob- ferve what Judgment the Apoftle gives upon thofe. For it is impojftble for thofe who were once enlightened^ and have tailed of the heavenly Gift, and were made Partakers of the Holy Ghojiy and have tafled the good Word of God^ and the Power of the World to come ; if fuch fall away^ it is impoffihle for them to be renewed by Repentance^ That is, it is impoffible that they fhould have true Repentance again, that would reflore them to the fame Peace again that they had before ; but in the Room thereof they will affuredly be damned to Eternity. This is the Cafe of this Man ; for he was enlightened by be- lieving in me, and received the Holy Ghofl, in that he received the BlefTing ; and he tafled of the good Word of God in read- ing thofe Books, and of the Powers of the Life to come, inthat he . rejoiced in the Peace he received in that Faith for a Seafon, as afore-related ; but now it feems he is fallen from that Faith he had in this Commiflion of the Spirit, and fold the Books, not for Want, but for Contempt, as not worthy to be looked into by him : He hath defpifcd the BlefCng which he once rejoiced in. [ 165 ] in, as Efau did his Birthright, and hath fold all his Interefi: to Heaven, for to truft to the Motions of Reafon, the Light within him, the Quakers Mefs of Pottage, for Salvation ; for there is no Salvation in their Principles -, if there had, why did he not keep to them before ? Doth he think to find Reft there now ? Surely no. Therefore, if this Man be guilty of this great Fall, as I fuppofe he is, it had been good for him that he had never been born i but he cannot help it ; for it is a dangerous Thing to be an Hypocrite to God, and to his own Soul i for a true Prophet reprelents the Peace of God here on Earth. This Man is like one of thofe Branches Chrijl fpeaketh of, John XV. 6. If a Man abide not in me^ he is caft forth as a. Branch, and is withered, and Men gather them, and caji them. into the Fire. This Chriji fpake unto his Diiciples, he being the true Vine, and the Believers of him were the Branches i he knowing that fome that pretended to believe in him that had no true Faith, therefore brought forth no Fruit, nor did not continue in that Faith to the End : So it is with every true commiflionated Prophet; he is the Vine that God hath placed in his Vineyard in this Earth, and the Believers of this Prophet are the Branches, and by Faith they are ingrafted into this Vine; and thofe Branches that bring forth Fruit of Faith, and Love to God, and abide in the Vine, it bringeth forth new Fruit of Peace and Joy to the End. But thofe withered and dried Branches, which do not abide in the Vine, are to be cut off, and caft into the Fire of Hell : Or, as the Fig-tree that had Leaves upon it, feeming to be a good Tree, but when Cbri^ came to eat of the Fruit, he found none •, therefore he curfcd it to wither and die, never to bring forth Fruit more to Eternity. I have had great Experience of fuch like Branches as thefe fince the Time of my Commiffion. Written by me, LoDOwicKB MugcletonJ Lomf9»t Dec. 31, 1679. A Copy C ^« ] -^CoPY of a LETTER, written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Thomas Tompkinlbn, bearing Date from London^ July 24, 1680. Loving Friend^ Thomas Tompkinfon, I Perceive your Brother and Sifter is in fome Trouble, and defire my Advice in it. I cannot tell how Co give Advice in that which I do not know the Ground and Caufe. You (ay there is coming out a Diftrefs upon them, or rather a Seque- Itration of the Third-part of their Eftate of Land, being pro- ceeded againft as Perfons offending, and taken in with Ibme Papifts, and thereupon an Order came from the Sheriff to re- pair to him fuch a Day, and to pay him eight Pounds, as a Debt due to the King for his Lands, upon Default of which two of the Sheriff's Men came and diftrained j but he loofed his Goods, and paid the Money. This is the whole Subftance of the Matter. Now, whether your Brother Burton hath been fued as a Papift, or been Confe- derate with Papifts, and fued as an Offender, I know not \ or whether he hath been fued as a Nonconformift, or for not going to Church. If they take away the Third-part of his Land, for not going to Church, and that is the only Fault he hath committed, he being a Proteftant, he may have Relief by the Law hereafter, but not at prefent ; for it is the Grand- Jury that giveth away all the Privileges of the People, efpecially if they be Diffenters : The Jury doth fo in other Countries as weil as your's ; and they do ftrive what they can to do {<^ to all thofe called Phanaticks, if they could •, only this City of London is a Curb which caufeth feveral Countries to forbear : But if he be a Papift, or not paying of Tyrhes, it will be a vain Thing for any Perfon to ftand againft it, becaufe of Queen Elizabeth^ Laws^ and feveral Proclamations have been put out lately againft them i cherefore to no Purpofe for Papifts to ftand it out. And if [ i67 ] if your Fault be nothing elfe but for not going to Church, it is dangerous for any Sheriff to take away the Third-part of a Man's Land : But how (hall any Man help it in thefe TimeiB, being given by a Jury ? My Advice fhould be to you, as 't was to a Friend of mine in Kent lately, who was fucd at feve- ral Quarter-Seflions, for not going to Church ; and the Man was freed, and declared by the Judge of the Court not to be guilty of any Penalty ; yet, after the Judge was gone from his Seat, the Grand- Jury brought him in guilty, and ordered that his Land fhould be meafured, and the Third-part for the King. Now, I advifed him to let them meafure his Land, and fee who dares buy it. Nobody dares buy Land, or give any Mo- ney for it upon fuch an Account \ he muft be exceeding wicked that would do fuch a Thing. But how this Matter is ended I cannot tell. My Advice to you is the fame, if your Land be your own, and not farmed •, if farmed, they cannot meddle with it ; and if it be your own, let, them fequefter, and fell the Third- part of it, if they can •, for they muft not meddle with none of the Crop nor Stock upon the Land ; they are to have nothing but the bare Land : And who will buy it of the King, or for the King ? Perhaps fome will beg it of the King, and fell it for a fmall Matter to the Perfon himfelf. But I perceive by your Letter, that the Sheriff's Men have diftrained his Goods inftead of his Land 5 and that your Bro- ther hath paid eight Pounds in Money -, fo that the Sheriff's Men, and the Sheriff himfelf, is fatisfied. In that you have paid to the Sheriff the eight Pounds, you have fatisfied the King's Debt, and fatisfied for your Fault, whatfoever it was : So that your Goods and your Land are both redeemed, and your Fault forgiven for the prefent, till the next Fault is com- mitted ; then perhaps Half your Land may become indebted to the King^ and fo on, till the King hath it all. If it proves fo, let him hlave it^ for you cannot help yourfelf •, fo that you need not to have fent to me for any Advice in this Matter, fee- ing yqu have paid the Sheriff the eight Pounds already : The eight Pounds is the Sheriff's ; he receiveth all the King's Debts that is due, of that Nature ; fo that the Sheriff hath got the Third- part 01 your Land ; fo he hath left you worth twenty -four more in [ i68 ] in Land. He might, if he would have any Mercy for you, have taken Half the Money j but the other Second-part of your Land will fcrve the next Sheriff. This Sheriff hath got his Share. You muft bear it patiently ^ and being for Confci- ence-fake you fuffer the Lofsof your Land, your Peace will be greater, if you keep your Confidence to the End. Your Mind will be made free to part with all your Land for Confcience fake. You will receive an Hundred-fold of Peace and Content in this Life ; and you will heap Coals of Fire upon the Heads of your Enemies ; for the Sentence upon you was only out of Envy and Malice. This is all at prefent, but reft, Tcur Friend, LODOWICKE MuCCLETON.' London^ July ZJ^, 1 680. POSTSCRIPT. AFTER the Writing of this, I underftand, that your Bro- ther Burton and Sifter did fuffer upon the Account of being a Papift, because they durfl not confefs they owned A^- gleton ; becaufe the Name of Muggleton at that Time was very odious in this Nation, and the Fapifts at that Time was v-ery much favoured by the Nation in general, and by the Powers of ihe Nation were afliftedv but ikfif^g-^/if/ow was altogether defpifed, and trod under Foot i fo that you chofe rather in the Time of Perfecution, to fheltcr yourfelf under the Papifts, to fave your Eftate, than to own the Name of Muggkton. Was it the Faith you had in Muggleton*s Doftrine, that caufed you to refrain froin goiag to the Church oi England to worfhip ? Or was it the Papifl Principle that caufed you to refrain, or their Liberty ? You feemed to own me before the Believers of this Commillion ; but before your Enemies you durft not confefs me before them j fo that you difablcd yourfelves to give a Rcafon [ I69 ] Reafon of the Faith and Hope that was in you, to any Enemy that (hould afk you. You have fulfilled the Words of Chrifi^ that faith, He that denietb me before Men, that is, before Ene- mies } for no Man denies Chrifl before the Believers of Chriji ; therefore, whoever denies Chri/l before his Enemies muft be de- nied of him before God. The Cafe is the fame now j who- ever denieth the Commiffion of the Spirit before Men, even their Enemies, denieth God's MefTengers, therefore ought to be denied by him •, but whoever confefleth Chrifl, or his Mef- fengers, before Men, they will confefs him before the God of Heaven : And whoever doth lofe Houfe or Land for Truth's Sake, Ihall receive as much Peace and Content of Mind in this Life, as will weigh in the Balance equal with Houfe and Land, befides Life everlafting in the World to come. But 1 perceive you have loft the Third-part of your Land for a Lye, for be- ing a Papift, which I do think you did never own in your Heart ; but your Silence in not denying it, nor confelTing your Faith to the contrary, you have received Judgment and Sentence in not going to Church, as an abfolute Papift, and not as a Muggle- ionian. Now many of the Judges of the Land, and many of the Clergy, and Biftiops of the Land, and all the Courts of England, both o^ London and elfewhere, and Gaol-keepers, and all Sorts of People, do know that Muggleton himfelf is no Pa- pift ; witnefs thofe may Hundred Books they took from me, and the Univerfities are furniftied with : And my ftanding upon tiie Pillory hath witnefled to the whole Nation that Muggleton is no Papift -, and moft of the Believers of England and Irelafid are known by the Name of Muggleton to be no Papifts ; neither was ever any Perfon that hath fuffered for not going to Church ; as I have known feveral that were Mug- gletonians j and the Judges did know that they were Muggle- ion^s People ; but none fuftered as a Papift : But now you have given an Example. LODOWICKE MuOGLETOIf. A Copy [ 170 ] ^COPY ^/^7 LETTER ^wrote hy the Vrophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Henry Plenrij bearing Date from London, Auguft 20; 1675. Mr. Henn^ I Received a Letter from you by the Hand of a Boy, the Subrtance of your Letter was, a Complaint againft yourfelf of your wicked Adions, and great Sin againft God, and againft your Wife^ and of your great Sorrow, and unfeigned Repentance for if, I do confefs I have not been altogether igno- rant of your wicked Proceedings againft your Wife, yet becaufe you have writ to me in your Neceflity, of your own Accord, and hath confefled your Sins, and laid open yourfelf in your Conteffion, and it is to be minded by me, and I remember that Saying in Scripture, that vjhofoever confejjeth his Sins, and for- fakes it, Jhall find Mercy. You have made a good Confeffion of your Sin and Wickednefs towards your Wife, and her Friends, and if you do but forfake them, as you have promifed in your Letter to me, there is no queftion but you will find Mercy in the Thing you require of me ; as to your Liberty only ; this I muft tell you, how you came to have fo grievous a Fall : It was becaufe you were ignorant of thefe Words in Scripture, which faith, Man Jhall forfake his Father and Mother and cleave to his Wife ; but you have done quite contrary ; you have forfaken your Wife, and cleaved to your Relations, which were not fo dear unto you as Father and Mother^ and what Fruit have you found or reaped by it ? Have you not deftroyed your Wife's Eftate, in what you could, and your own Intereft: in it ? You have utterly deftroyed it, by forfaking your Wife and cleaving to your Relations •» this is the firft Entrance into Sin and Wickednefs ; and fo brought Deftruftion upon your Wife and yourfelf in the Eftate ; you being not content here, but added Sin to Sin, far worfe than the firft •, in that you made yourfelf the Member of Harlots that was unclean, which Ad: of [ I7X ] of yours did not only defile your Soul, as a Breach of God'i Commandment, but defiled your Body } and the EfFe 1 68 3. LODOWICKE MUGCLETOM. A a 2 A Copy C i8o ] y/CoPY of a LETTER wrote by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr, Capp, up07i his Death-Bed y dated from London, the i^th of March, 1683. Loving Friend Mr. Capp, I Perceive by my Son John Whiti^ Letter, and by that fince of your own writing, that you are very ficli and weak, even near the Point of Death i and that you have a Defire that I would come to fee you, which I cannot do at this Seafon, becaufe you live at fuch a Diflance fo remote from me ; neither can I travel at this Time of the Year fo far a Foot, as formerly I could; neither can I come by Water, becaufe there is an Antipathy in my Nature againft it j and a Coach would be too chargeable ; for thefe Reafons I cannot come to fee you : I am forry you are fo near your Death, as I apprehend you are, but I always looked upon you not to be a long-liv'd Man, but that your Life would be but (hort in this "World \ but fhould be glad that you might find the AlTurance of eternal Life abiding in yourfelf, for the World to come, before your Death ; 1 have known you feveral Years ; I never knew any Harm by you in my Life, but that you were a very honeft moral Man, which I dearly love in all Men that hath it i moral Wifdom is commendable, both in the Sight of God and good Men; but fpiritual and heavenly Wifdom is thart which fpeaketh Peace to the Mind of Man in the Hour of Death, and giveth Aflurance of entring inlo Death, and through Death into eternal Life : Likewife you have had a Tafte of that Truth which hath been declared by this Commiffion of the Spirit, you know what I mean j you have in Part owned it, fecretly in your Heart, but not publickly before Men, nor before me, but I hope that fecret Faith of yours will bear you up in the Hour of Death : In the Aflurance of your Salvation, and f i8i ] and in Regard you never did publilh your Faith to me in this Commiflion of the Spirit, I cannot give that Sentence of Bleffed- nefs upon you as I could, had your Faith been publick j neither will I give any Judgment againft you in the leaft to difcomforc you, or to weaken your Hope within you ; but would rather ftrengthen your Hope, and leave you to wreftle with Death, that you might have an eafy PaflTage through Death ; then will you ceafe from all the Troubles of this Life, and 1 hope, from the Troubles of the Life to come : Thus with my Love and my Wife's Love remembred unto you, / reft your Friendy in what I may^ March 15, 1683. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. My Son read this Letter and wept, and fix Days after died. A Copy [ i8a ] A Copy of a BLESSING wrote by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr, John Mellford, of Brain tree, bearing Date from London, April 12, 1687. Loving and kind Friend in the true Faiths John Mellford, I Do underftand you do truly believe the Doflrine of the true God, the Man Chriji Jefus^ and how God became Flelh, and dv;elt amonfl: Men upon this Earth. This is the greateft Myllery of all unto this World ; and the fecond Myllery is like unto it, how the Devil became Flelh, and dwelt amongfl: Men, here upon Earth. Upon thefe two ftandeth Hell and Heaven ; and in the true Knowledge of thensi both doth arife Peace of Mind, Joy of Heart, and the Affurance of everlafting L.ife ; and on the contrary, the Igno- rance of both, not knowing thefe two great Myfteries, doth arife the Fear of Hell and the Fear of a Devil, that hath no Being at all in their Sins, and of their eternal Torments -, which Devil is that Worm of Man's Conference, that doth kindle a Fire in the Mind of Man, which will never be quenched, becaufe the Worm of Man's Confcience doth never die in the Body of Man to Eternity: Upon thefe two dependeth all thofe wondeful Secrets of God's Council, which he hath re- vealed to the Father's of old, as Enoch, MofeSy the Prophets, the Apoftles, and to us the Witnefies of the Spirit, as is de- clared in all our Writings, which I do perceive you do truly believe them ; elfe why did you afk a Bleffing of me by Words of Mouth ; but that will not ferve your Turn now, but you would have it in Writing. But I knowing you are capable to underftand more than you have yet read in our Writings, I (hall inform you yet a little farther of thefe great Secrets of God's Dealing with Men. Firft, he doth chufe and ordain fome particular Man, and doth furnilh him with Revelation to declare unto the People what the true God [ 185 ] God is } he did to Enochs and he declared it unto the Fathers of old i and all that did believe the Books of Enochs they were as a Parliament to enad it as a Statute Law to their Chil- dren, from Generation to Generation for ever •, and fo it was with Mofes and the Prophets, and Chriji and the Apoftles. Secondly^ That great and vaft Difference that there is between the Seed of Reafon*s Heaven, which they do imagine, and the Seed of Faith's Heaven, which they are fully alTured of. Things, that though the Prophets and Apoftles hath declared in feveral of their Writings of thole great and wonderful Myfteries of God becoming FleHi, and God manifeft in Flefh -, yet in all their Writings, from Enoch to Mofes^s Writings, nor the Prophets Writings, nor the Apoftles Writings, nor Chriji himfeJf, when he was upon Earth, did ever declare or make known not plainly, nor clearly, that great Myftery of the Devil becoming Flefh, and dwelling amongft Men to the End of this World, and to Eternity : I fay, no Writings of Prophets or Apoftles hath made known this great Myftery, of the Devil becoming Flefh, but John Reeve and Lodowicke Muggleton^ whom God chofe in the Year of the World 1651, as our Writings doth declare. And now, dear Friend, I do not queftion but you do un- derftand thefe Things I have written to you before, and by your Faith you have fet to your Seal, in believing that God hath chofen me the laft Prophet and Witnefs of the Spirit, that God will ever fend while this World doth endure. This for your farther Satisfadion and Afllirance of your eternal Happinefs in the World to come, when our God ftiall come in the Clouds of Heaven to raife the Dead, then fhall we, that die in the Faith of the true God, rife firft to meet our God in the Air^ and becaufe my Faith hath no doubt in ir, I do pronounce you, John Mellford^ one of the Blefled of the Lord to Eternity, both in Soul and Body, and that you and I, and all true Believers of this Commiftlon of the Spirit, that doth hold out to the End of their Life, arife fpiritual Bodies, like unto glorious Body of our God, in whom we did believe in, and that we fliall be capable to enter into the Clouds of Heaven •, for they ftiall come down, and receive us, and carry us up to that Place, where we ftiall be glorified, as our God, [ i84 ] God, the Lord Ch'^ift Jefus^ was after his Refurre61:ion. This , with my <-kar Love, and my Wife's, unto yourfelf, and to all our Friends thf^-e with you, I take Leave, and remain vour Friend in the true Faith of that one pcrfonal God, which did die, and hath redeemed us from that fecond Death, which the Reprobates, the Seed of the Serpent, muft fuffer, where ihe Worm of Confcience fliall never die, nor the Fire of Con- fcience fnall never be quenched to Ltcrnity. Jpril 12, 1687. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, A Copy of a BLESSING wrote by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Thomas Ladd, of Braintree, bearing Date from London, July 15, 1687. having and kind Friend in the true Faith, Thomas Ladd, I Perceive your Defire is very earnefl that I fhould give you a Blefling in Writing, you being not content with the Blefling by Word of Mouth, becaufe you have feen or heard of the Bkfllng I gave to thofe two Virgins in Writing, which you know very well, and of Mr. Mellford's Blelhng, in •which he did, as it were, wreftle with me, as Jacob did with God, that would not let Him, God, go, except he would blefs him : So I would willingly have put him off with the firft Bleffing, by Word of Mouth; but he would not be fatisfied with that : I did plead againft it ; fo that he pre- vailed with me to give it him in Writing. Likewife you know, when I was there with you, you pleaded with me to give it you in Writing ; but I gave you no Encouragement that I would do it; neither did I abfolutely deny it, but was filent, and was glad 1 did efcape fo. But fince I came to London^ I underftand that you have chofen Mrs. Delamain and Prifcilla Whitehead to intercede for you in this Matter; fo [ i85 ] fo that they have prevailed with me to give you the Bleffing in Writing. Therefore, that I might fatisfy your ftrong Defire, I ihall fay as folioweth : I have had fe/eral Tefti- monies of your Faith, both in your Difcourfe, your Words and A<5tions, of your ftrong Faith in the true God, and in me, his true Prophet; and this Faith of yours will bear you into everlafting Life ; for this Do6trine of the true God, and the right Devil, the Knowledge of thofe two, their Forms and their Natures, doth free the Soul from the Fear of eternal Death % for Men would never be fo afraid of this firft natural Death, if there were not a fecond Death, and Hell, which is eternal, that doth follow upon the firft: Death, and Hell doth follow the fecond Death i thefe three doth go, or join. Hand in Hand together, which caufeth the Soul of every Man, which hath not the Aflurance of eternal Life abiding in himfelf, to fear, which none hath in thefe our Days, but thofe that doth truly believe this Dodlrine and CommiflTion of the Spirit, as you and many more can witnefs the Truth of it, I fay, is the Caufe that moft Men in the Time of Sicknefs are fo afraid of this firft Death, becaufe the fecond Death and Hell doth follow at the Heels of the firft Death •, for it is Life eternal to know God as he is in himfelf, he having both Form and Nature ; his Nature being all Faith, which is all Power, which no Man at this Day doth know, but thofe that hath believed our Report. God hath hid thefe Things from the World, and hath revealed them only to his chofen Meflengers ; for the World is fo blind, that many thinks it a ncedlefs Thing to know God in his Form and Nature, but thinks a good Life and good Adions a great -deal better, as the Quakers do ; but blefled be the God of Heaven, that hath blinded the Eyes of the wife and prudent Men of this World, that cannot underftand that God, the Creator, can admit of any Form or Nature at all, and yet they do acknowledge that he created all Forms and Natures, both of Man and Beaft, and all other Creatures, yet had no Form nor Nature of his own. How blefted and happy are we, whom God hath opened our Eyes to fee by the Eye of Faith in our Souls, that God, Creator of all Forms and Natures, had both , a glorious Form, and a powerful Nature of his own from Bb Eternity; [ 1^6 1 Eternity ; and from the Knowledge of God's Form and Nature we come to know the right Devil's Form and Nature ; and this is to be minded, that the two Seeds are the two Natures, or the two Keys of Faith, that doth open the ftrait and narrow Gate that leadeth into Heaven, and into the Pre- fence of God •, and the other Key, of Reafon in Man, doth open that great and wide Gate that leadeth into Hell, and into the Prefence of the right Devil (one which has been fo long imagined to be the Seed of Reafon, to be a Spirit without a Body) which hath been fo long feared ^ but God hath given thefe two Keys into the Hands of -none but unto his commiflTionated Prophets and Apoftles, and unto us, the two laft true Prophets that God will ever fend while this Word doth endure. Mine, with the Eye of Faith, I have opened the ftraight and narrow Gate that leadeth you, and many more into Heaven, where you Ihall enter into the Prefence of the true God, in whom you did believe, where you fhall fee his Perfon in the Form of a Man, and that he hath a Face as you have, even that fame Face which our God had when he was upon this Earth, being glorified ; you, and I, and all true Believers, Ihall be fpiri- tualized and glorified : Then Ihall we fee our God, our King, and our Redeemer, Face to Face. This will not feem a Quarter of an Hour's Time after our Death ; there being no Time to the Dead. Likewife I having the Key of Reafon in my Hands, 1 have opened that great and wide Gate that leadeth into Hell, v?hereby you may fee many go therein at, and ihall come into the Prefence of the right Devil, Cattty which they did imagine in this Life was a Spirit without a Body, which they called a Devil and his Angels, they fup- pofing that the Devil and his Angels were all Spirits with- out a Body, which they called the Devil and his Angels, that were referved in Chains of Darknefs until the Judgment of the great Day ; but when they came into Hell, they found that the Devil and his Angels had all Bodies, and faw that they were grofly miftaken in this Life •, but now it was too late to repent. This Dodrine we have declared, hath opened your Eyes, to fee the Blindncfs of the Seed of Reafon, that lieth upon almoft all the wife and learned Men in this . World [ ^H 3 World at this Day ; which is the Caufe of that great Fear of Hell and of eternal Damnation, when this firft natural Death doth appear. Likewife I have given to you, by Print, and by Difcourfe, many wonderful deep Secrets of Qod's Dealing with Man, and how God always makes ufe of Man to declare his fecret Councils, ordered by himfelf ; but Man hath declared unto Man : Mofes and the Prophets were Men ; Qhrijl and the Apofties were Men ; fo that God him- felf became a Man, that he might be numbered among thofe holy Men that were infpired to write or fpeak the holy Scrip- tures, which is* called the 0/^and NewTeJtaments\ and nowlaft of all, God hath chofen John Reeve and Lodowicke Muggleton^ to be the only Interpreters of thofe fecret Myfteries, hidden in the Scriptures, according to thofe Words God fpake to John Reeve ^ which faid, 1 have given thee Under fianding of my Mind in the Scriptures^ above all the Men in the lVorld\ which Words of God hath proved true, both by our Writings and Speakings, as I know you can very well experience the Truth of it, in that you have believed the Prophet's Report ; for without Faith in the Prophet there is nothing can be done. So that by Faith we know the Worlds were framed by the Word of God j and it was God's own Faith that moved him to fpeak thofe Words that framed the World, in that he faid. Let fuch a Thing be fo^ and it was fo. So likewife it is by Faith that you came to underftand thofe hidden Myfteries, and deep Secrets, which God hath revealed unto us, his MefTengers, which we have declared unto you ; fo that, by your Faith in God's MefTengers, it is given to you to overcome the Motions of in yourfelf, and to overcome the Enemy without you ; fo that it is given to you to cat of the Tree of Life, which is in the Midft of the Paradifc of God ; and it is given you to eat of the hidden Manna, and to have that white Stone in your Heart, and in thee a new Name written by the Finger of your own Faith, which no Man knoweth, faving he that receiveth it. This is the true Sacrament which I have adminiftered to you, and to many in my Time, in that they eat of the Tree of Life, which is the Flelh of Chrift^ the fame that flood in the Midft of the Paradife of God j Chrift being the fame God, and Tree Bb 2 of C iS8 1 of Life, as ftood in the Midfl: of Paradife In the Days of AdaiH\ and in eating of the hidden Manna, is when the Mind of Man doth, by Faith, feed upon thofe heavenly Myfterics, and deep Secrets of God's Council and Decree, which God hath revealed unto his Servants the Prophets, Apoltlcs, and us, the vVitnefTes of the Spirit, as we have de- clar d in all our Writings, as the Myftery of God*s Form and Nature, and how God became FJtfii j and the right Devil, of h s Form and Nature, and how he became Flefli, which is a great Myftery j with many other deep Secrets, which are hid from ail the World befides : Therefore by the .Spirit of Revelation this hidden Manna to your great Satif- fadlion, fo that you need not hunger no more after the Af- furance of your Salvation ; and this white Stone, which is given unto you, is your Faith, that hath purified your Heart, in that you have eat of the Tree of Life, and have eat of the hidden Manna. So that, by Faith in the Blood of God, your Heart is cleanfed and made white as Snow, therefore called a white Stone, becaufe your Heart is enlightened in the Know- ledo^e of the true God, and in all thofe wonderful deep Myfte- ries and fecret Councils of God, which is hid in the Scriptures, which we have declared unto you ; and the Hearts of all Un- believers may be called black, ftony Hearts ♦, becaufe their Hearts are overfpread with Blindneis, and thick Darknefs, therefore may be called black ftony Hearts : So that they can. neither fee with their Eyes, nor hear with their Ears, nor un- derftand with their Hearts, that they may be faved. And as for a new Name written, which none knoweth faving he that receiveth it, this Name is to be called the Son of God : That is, he that hath the Affurance of eternal Life in himfelf, bath the white Stone in his Heart, and hath an Affurance abiding in himfelf, that he is an eledt Veflel, and that he is a Son of God, which is the new Man written in his Heart, which no Man elfe in the World can know, but he that hath received it, as you have donCo Thefe Things I have written unto you for your greater Satisfadtion, knowing that you do truly under- ftand thefe great and deep Myfterics, fpoken aforefaid in this Letter ; and for the further Satisfaftion of your Mind, and ftrcngthening of your Faith, 1 do declare you, Thomas Ladd^ one [ i89 ] one of the Bleiftd of the Lor^, both in Soul ami Body, to Eter- nity. PVritten by me, LODOWICKE MuGGLETON, One of the two laft Prophets and Witnefles of the Spi'rit unto the High and Mighty God, the Man Chrift Jefm in Glory. Lindotty the I5,th oi July, 1687. A Copy of a BLESSING wrote by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggletan, to Mr, James Whitehead, of Braintree, hearing Date from London, Auguft z7, ; 1687. "Dear and loving Friend in the true Faith, James Whitehead. I Received your Letter, by the Hand of our Friend ^»» Delamain, dated Augufi the 24th, in the Year 1687, where- in I perceive you do follow the Example of others that are far more younger in the true Faith than yourfclf is ; for I think you may be efteemed the Father of all the Believers of this Commiffion of the Spirit that is in your Town. And indeed I have written more Letters to you than to all the People in that Town j and I have juftified your Faith and your Perfon to be one of the Saved of the Lord in all my Writings unto you, befides the Bleffing of eternal Life in the World to come, by Word of Mouth •, yet all this will not fatisfy you, without I give you a Bleffing of eternal Happinefs with my own Hand- writing : Which Requeft of yours I cannot well deny, knowing you fo long to be a true Believer, and a chofen Veflel in the Seed which God hath eleded,, even the Seed of Jdam^ which is [ 190 ] is the Seed of God ; and as you fay you was like that x^ft Sheep, that wandered from the ninety and nine Sheep that were never loft, and fo never were found by God's Shepherd 5 for all God's Sheep were loft in Adam*^ Fall, and arc found again by the fecond Adam^ the Lord from Heaven $ therefore it was Chriji faid he came to feek and to fave that which was loft, and he came to none but to the loft Sheep of the Houfe of Jfrael ; and this I can fay, tho* God hath chofen me to be the laft true Shepherd unto this bloody unbelieving World, thefe five and thirty Years, there is not one Man nor Woman that hath believed our Report, but thofe that were loft. So that it is happy for you, and all the reft, that they were of thofe loft Sheep, which were loft in the Fall of the firft Adam, thofe only are found by the fecond Adam, the Lord Jefus Chriji, the only true God. But all thofe that did fall in the fallen Angels Fall, were never found any more, neither by God himfelf, nor by his Prophets, nor by his Apoftles, nor by us, the two laft Witnefles of the Spirit: They are left in utter Darknefs in their fallen State, that think they fee, but are ftark blind ; and have Ears, but hear not •, and have Hearts, but un- derftand not any heavenly Myfteries at all, yet conceited in thcm- felves, that their Wifdom of Reafon is wifer than the Wifdom of Faith, which is God's own Nature ♦, and thofe be thofe ninety and nine juft Perfons that never were loft, nor needed no Repentance ; therefore God hath left them to perilh in their own Conceits to Eternity. So that it is happy for you that you are one of thofe loft Sheep ^ for I was a loft Sheep myfelf for feveral Years, and whither to go I could not tell j but in the Year 51 I was found of God himfelf twice in that Year, and yet I knew not God, neither in his Form nor his Nature 5 but in the Month of April, in the fame Year, their fell upon me a great Trouble of Mind about my Salvation, and in the Mul- titude of the Thoughts of my Heart, there arofe the Spirit of Revelation in me, which opened the Scriptures unto me, and that Spirit of Revelation did grow and increafe in me exceedingly : So that no Qucftion was too hard for me to anfwer; and I was well pleafed, and was well fatisfied, and did not mind what became of all the People in the World befidesj and was refolved to Jive a private Life, and [19^ and not to difcourfe with any Man more about Religion. So this continued with me, till the Month of February^ in the fame Year, God fpake to John Reeve, by Voice of Words, to the hearing of the Ear ; then God chofe John Reeve to be his lafl: Meflenger, and gave me to be his Mouth, as he did Aaron to be Mofes^s Mouth ; fo that I have been chofen of God twice in one Year, as aforefaid ; which forced me to be the publickeft Man in the World \ and in God fparing my Life fo long upon this Earth, I came to undcrftand the Scriptures, and to underftand the Tribes of Ifrael, and to diftinguifli be- tween the Heathen and the Jews*, and how God had placed the Priefthood upon the Tribe of Levi, in that Abraham did pay Tithes unto Melchifedecb^ which was the true God and Creator in thofe Days •, and Abraham paid Tithes unto him in the Perfon of Levi before Levi was born. So that Abra- ham did a6t the Perfon of Lm, fignifying that the Priefthood fhould be confirmed upon that Tribe j therefore God did chufe Aaron to be Mofei^s Mouth, Aaron being the firft High Prieft that God ever chofe, or did ordain, which did continue many Generations j and now, in this laft Age of the World, God hath chofen one of that Tribe of Levi to be the Lord's High Prieft in this latter Age, according to thofe Words God fpake unto John Reeve^ in that he faid, 1 have given thee Lodowicke Muggleton to be thy Mouth ; and this is to be minded, that the Lord's High Prieft had always Power to blefs and curie : But our Commiflion isaltogether fpiritual, therefore the Blellings and the Curfes are all fpiritual: Alfo it reaches to eternal Life, and to eternal Death. Thefe Things I know you will underftand, becaufe you are of the Tribe of Levi, as I am ; and I have the greateft Refped for you, being of that Tribe, hath caufed me thus to write j and knowing that your Judgment will be informed fome more than it was before j therefore I ftiall not trouble you, nor my felf neither, to inlargc any farther, only I do declare and pronounce you, James fFhiteheady one of the BlelTed of the Lord both in Soul and Body, to all Eternity. So rejiethyour Friend in the true Faith, Augufl 27, in the Year 1687. LODOWICKE MuGCLETON." [ 19^- ] .-^CoPY of a LETTER wrote by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton to Mary Gamble, dated Auguft a 9, 16 87* Loving and kind Friend in the true Faith, Mary Gamble, TH I S is to certify you^ that I received your Letter, dated the 9th of July, 1687, which Mr. Rogers cauled to be left at my Houfe, for I was in the Country when Mr. Rogers was at my Houfe ; fo that I never faw him, nor he me, which I was ferry that it was my Lot to mifs of him ; but the chiefeft Matter of Concernment in your Letter, I perceive, is concerning a Sifter of yours, that is now afBided, as you fay, with very wicked, vile, blafphemous, evil Thoughts, and cannot get rid of them by any Means. You fay (he hath had what fpiritual Comforts you thought needful; but you fay Evil comes, and turns it all afide. You fay (he hath taken Phyfick feveral Times, and been let Blood -, yet it is all one. You fay Ihe defires in her Spirit, and by Prayer, that it might pleafe the Lord to remove that Evil from her 5 for it hath made her defpair of ever finding Mercy. You fay, tho' you tell her that Mary Magdalen had feven Devils caft out of her, and many more of the Eledt, yet (he thinks her Condition worft. You fay, (he would willingly ufe all the Remedies that can be thought on, and hath a Defire to fee me •, you fay truly you are free, if the Reft, of her Friends would confent. You fay you fear it will produce Madnefs, if it run too long. You fay, to all outward Appearance, (he feemeth to be well enough. You fay, Oj that it might pleafe God, by his Prophet, or fome other Way, to rid this poor Soul of her Torments. This is the whole Subftance concerning your Sifter. To which I (hall give you this Anfwer as foUoweth : In the frft Place 1 do not know you Sifter's Name, neither do I know the Caufe of this Trouble of her Mind, or that melancholy- Spirit that is produced in her, whether it be from fome Sins which (he hath committed, but loth to confefs it to her Sifter, or any other, for Fear of Shame, if it (hould be known: For [ 193 ] For fecret Sins hath general !y a fecret Punifhmentin the Mind : Or whether Trouble of her Mind doth arife for Want of AfTu- rance of her Salvation in the World to come ; from one of the two that melancholy Spirit doth generally arife, which doth caufe a defpairing in the Mind ; and it w^s very ill done to give a Woman that harh a melancholy troubled Spirit, to give her Phyfick, or let her Blood. It was, the only Means to pro- cure an abfolute Defpair, and to procui^ Madnefs of. That is the Caufe the Keepers of Bedlam doth praftife to every Perfon that is diftempered in the Brain ; by Phyfick and letting of Blood, they make the Spirit of the Perfon fo weak, that they can never get Strength in the Brain more to the Day of their Death. But if you had given her nothing but Kitchen Phyfick, that is, all Kinds of Broths, or Spoon-meats, your Sifter's Spirits would have been ftrengthened, and have been made ftrong, to reafon out thofc melancholy Thoughts : Yet, notwithftanding, if your Siller's Trouble of Mind doth arife from either of thofe two Caufes aforefaid, or any other Caule whatfoeyer, let her confcfs it to you, her Sifter ; and if (he can but believe that I am a true Prophet of the Lord, and hath Power to blefs fonie to Eternity, and to curfe fome to Eternity, as yourfelf and fev-ral others hath believed, and are blefTed both in Soul and Body to Eternity ; and you have Aliurance of eternal Life abiding in yourfelf, by the Blefting and Faith you have in me that Cod hath fent ; for without Faith in God*s Mefiengers it is impoffible to pleafe God : Therefore I (hall fay thi^ unto your Sifter, though unknown onto me, that i\ (he doth declare the true Ground and Caule how this Melancholy did firft arife in her Thoughts to you, rier Sifter, Mary Ga?nbk^ and to No- body elfe, it (hail be as well as if (he had declared it unto me myfelf. And let the Caufe be what it will, I will affure her, it (he can but believe my Words in this Letter, that her Sins are forgiven her, and that her Faith in me (hall give the Af- rurance of everlafting Life that (hall abide in herfelf. Thus, with my Love remembered to your Sifter unknown, and unto you, Mary Qamhle^ and to your Hufband in particular, So reflethyour Friend in the true haith of the true prfonal Gody the Lord Jefus Chrift, upm his Throne of Glory, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. C c And [ 194 ] And if your Sifter can read Print-hand, Jet her read our BooJ^s, and if (he doth but underftand what fhe reads, it will be great Satisfaction to her Mind, andcaft out all evil Thoughts, and will fettle her Mind in Peace. Juguji zf^th, 1687. -^ Co P Y of a LETTER wrote by the Prophet Lodowlcke Muggleton, to Mrs, Ellen Sudbury, London, Feb. 10, 1665. "Dear Friend in the eternal Truth, Ellen Sudbury, I Received your Letter, but when it was written I know not, being not dated \ but however, I am glad to fee your own Hand-writing, and more glad to hear of your Keakli, and of your Hufband's Health alfo. i.ikewife, it is no fmall Com- fort to me, to hear that you are fo fenfible of the Benefit you have received by believing in the true God, and that Peace and Satisfadion you do find in the Death of God : And as you fay none can take it from you *, indeed none can takr it from you ; for your Faith being built upon that Pock, all the Powers of Hell caniTot prevail againft ir, not fo much as to raife a Doubt, or a Queftion within you, as concerning your eternal Happinefs. This Experience doth teach me the Truth of ir, and fo I believe it doth you, with divers others alfo. And this true Faith in you, it will be as a Well [JDiinging up to eternal Life, which will caufe your Peace and Joy to fill up, and overflov/, and run over, which Thing is hid, the Know- ledge of it, from all People in the World j but only thofe that build their Faith upon a true Commiffion. And this ! may fpeak further for your Comfort, that this is the bed Time for the Seed of Faith to live in, as hath been fince the Creation of the World, notwithftanding the many Troubles that are in the World at this Day, and more Troubles are yet Hke to enfue. But But happy are thofe which have a Peace which the World can- liot give : For as many Prophets and righteous Men did defire to fee that D;iy as the A potties did, when Chrtjl v/as upon Earth, (o 1 fay many of the holy andeleft Seed, that have died thefe fourteen hundred Years, have defii'ed to fee that Day which we fee, but could not; for what Happinefscan be greater unto Man, than to know his eternal Happinefs in this Life ? Which Thing cannot be made known but by a Commiffion from God : So that now is the beft Time, in Relation to Truth, that ever (ball be to the World's End. So, being in Hafte, I fhall take Leave, having little or no temporal News, only this, the Sicknefs is very little now in London •, but it is fuppofed this Summer will produce much Trouble otherways, both by Sea and Land j but Time will fli'iw the EfFeds what they will be. So I fhall fay no more, only my Love, with my Wife's Love, remembered to yourfelf, and to your Hufband j fuppo- fing you have received John White'% Letter before now i I reft: and remain. Tour Friend in the true Faith, London Feb. lo, 1665. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, C c 2 ^ Copy [ ^96 ] ^CoPY ^/^ LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Charles Cleve, a Believer of the Gom- fnijfton of the Spirit ^ living then near un- to Cambridge. Laving Friend Charles Cleve, I Have perufed your Lines concerning your Brother, and as for the writing or fpeaking himfeif, I matrer it nor, but like it the better that you write it *, fo I know the better that you are not ignorant how Things are with him, though I knew more of the Bufinefs before than he hath related to you, or that you do yet know, as you will perceive in thefe Lines to him. And becaufe you may not think ftrange that I will nor can- not fpeak Peace to him, as I have done to others, you may know, that 1 never knew any Sin like unto this, fince I knew Truth, but Mr. Nufom's only. But when I confidered that Nufom got his Mifchief before he came to own Truth, befides, it was hid from my Eyes that he had the Pox, but it went un- der the Name of Canker ; for had I known what it had been, and by what Means he got it, I would not have fpoken Peace unto him, let his Repentance be ever fo true or great 5 but my Word being paft, I could not call it back again when I did know of itj for Sins of this Nature are not common, tor thofe Sins always carry the Curfe with them : So that I cannot fpeak Peace to fuch Sort of Sinners if I know it ; for thef# two Men owning of me hath brought more Difgrace to me and this Commiffion, than all the Sins of all the Believers iti England befides, and not only to me, but to all others of the fame Faith : So that I am very forry for you alfo, in that your Affedions are related to him by the Bond of Natun^ as well as of Pfofelfion, and the more in'lthat no Balm can cure that Sore but the Blocd of God. And his t'*aith muft arife out of its own Seed, and b; very ftrcng, elf;; that Wound Sin hath made [ 197 ] made will not be cured. So that I fliall neither judge him to be of the right Seed, nor of the reprobate Seed, but fhould be olad lie might recover the Peace of his Mind by Faith, Sobernpfs, and Chaftity; for if he can do that, it will do well, for no fuch grofs Sinners will go unpunifhed in this Life. And whereas you fiy be is refolved to perfevere in the Belief of this Commiffio?! though he perifli, To that I fay, there is no Danger of perifhing in the Belief of Truth, but a Prefervation and BlefTing in it ; fo that for my Part, I had raiher no Man fhould believe it but myfelf alone, if they fhould perifh by it •, for Sinners cannot fay they lofe by Truth, no not in this Life, but it is Sin that doth caufe Men to perifh in this Life and that which is to come ; for fuch Bdievers are a great Difgrace and Reproach to Truth, and better it had been for fuch they had never owned Truth, and Form alfo, then fliould not Truth have been difparaged as now it is. But thefe Things muft be borne by Prophets and Saints ; for this I muft tell you, that the Dodor faith, that your Bro- ther's Body, was more foul with that curfed Diftemper, pro- cured by that unclean Woman, far more than Mr. Nufom\ was, which grew fo long upon him. 1 thought good to give you a Hint of thefe Things, becaufe. I perceive he hath made you acquainted with Part of his Sin ; for had not the Curfe followed the Sin, he would never have confeffed it to you, nor to none alive ; fo that you may do as you pleafe. Let him hear this Letter to you, or not, which you think convenient. So I fhall fay no more at prefent, but reft. Tour Friend in the true Faith, Londotit March l^', 1665. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. AQovr [ 198 ] A CovY of a LETTER 'written hy the Prophet Lodowlcke Muggleton, to Mr, Thomas Tomkinfoii, of Slade-houfe, in Stafford {hire, bearing Date from Lon- don, March 17, 1665. Dear Friend in the true Faith, Thomas Tomkinfon, I Received your Letter by a Friend, William Flail, which came lately from Mrs. Carter fit was dated Feb. 1 1, 1665.) and I am glad to hear of your Joy and Confidence in the Truth, and that your Wife is fo ftedfaft in the Faith of this CommifTion of the Spirit. She will lofe nothing by ir, neither in this Life, nor in the Life to come, if (he hold out to the End ; neither need you much to wonder how much Earth Ihould hold all the Reprobates in the Refurredion to Eternity, For I fay unto you, this Earth is big enough to hold them all, if they were ten thoufand Times ten thouland more than there is, or will be, at the End of the World. For confider, half the World will be faved, count Children of the eledl Seed, and the reprobate Seed 5 for all Children will be faved dying in their Childhood ; though of the reprobate Seed, they fhall be raifed to the fame Glory the Angels are in, from whence their Father, the loft Angel, fell. And as for your being chofen Church-warden the next: Year, my Advice unto you is, that if they chufe you, either fine, or elfe hire a Man in your Room, and he will take a Church- warden's Oath -, for it is unlawful for any Believers to take that Oath, or to ferve thai Place here in London. Any Man whofe Confcience is tender, or not tender, may either fine or hire, which he pleafe ; for there is very few Places of this Nature in England, but Money will buy them out ^ but if Men will go againft the Light of their own Confcience to fave their Money (as I have known fome doj 1 cannot help that ; but it is better to part with Silver, than to part with Peace of Con- fcience. I per- [ 199 ] I perceive you have received John lVhlu\ Letter 5 fo I fhall fay nothing unto that, nor concerning the Thing you fpeak of in your Letter, but I fhewM him your Letter, and I fup- pofe his Letter to you doth fpecify fomething concerning the Thing you fpeak of. But what Contrad is between you two I know not, but a little Glimpfe of it, fo I fhall leave it to you two to treat about it. This is all at prefent, only my Love to yourfelf and your "Wife, and that we are all well at prefent. I reft and remain. Tour Friend in the true Faiths London, March 17, 1665. LoDOWICKE MuGGLETON, ^CoPY (j/^LET'TER writte?t by the Prophet Lodowieke Muggleton, to ' Mr. Jofeph Whitvvorth, at Abbots-Biome- ly, in Staftordfliire^ bear'wg Dateyidi^ 19^ 1665. 'jofeph Whitworth^ I Received a Letter from you, bearing Date Jpril 16, 1665. In your Letter I find fomething of the Seed of Faith to arife in you concerning this Commiffion of the Spirit, though there is not that full Satisfadlion, not as yet, in the Thin^^ declared by us, the Witnefles of the Spirit, as there is. in other?, who have more Experience of the Dodrine of the true God and the right Devil, with many other heavenly Secrets de- clared by us, than you have. heard of yet. Neverthelefs, your Faith in Time may arife to that perfed AlTurance and full Satisfadion in your Mind as it hath in many others at this Day. Further, [ 200 ] Further, I muft tell you, that there hath not been a Man upon the Eatth that hath had the AfTurance of eternal Life abiding in him, not this 1350 Years, 'till this CommiiTion of the Spirit came forth into the World. Yet this I fay, many were faved through Eledion in that Time, but had no AlTurance of it in themfeives ♦, for this is the great Benefit People have by a Commiflion, they do by Faith attain to the AlTurance of their particular Eleftion, and fo confequently to the AlTurance of their eternal Salvation. And it is to be attained to no other Way, but by Faith in him whom God doth fend ; for the true Ambaffadors of God can declare what the true God is in his Form and Nature, and what the right Devil is in his Form and Nature, the Place and Nature of Heaven, the Place and Nature of Hell, the Perfons and Natures of Angels, and the Mortality of the Soul. On thefe fix Principles, the Knowledge of them, dependeth all the eternal Happinefs of Mankind. Thefe fix Principles, and many more heavenly Secrets, which were never made known before by Prophet or Apoflle, ^re declared and publifhed by us, the WitnefTes of the Spirit, «n thofe Writings fet forth by us. \ And as you fay, if you had read them- all, mofl of your Qiieries, if not all, would have been anfwered. But I perceive you have had but a little View of them, and how the Cafe is with you. I fhall take fo much Pains as to give Anfwer to your Queries, though there is greater Things in Print, and that which will fatisfy the Heart of Man if underftood. But to fatisfy your Defire, I fliall anfwer as followeth : Birft ^ery is. Whether God hath ele6ted fome Men and Women to eternal Happinefs, and reprobated others unto end- lefs Mifery, or not ? Jnfzver. As to this I fay. That God hath eleded fome Men and Women to eternal Happinefs, and reprobated others to endlefs Mifery. , This was the Faith of Tlz/o/^J, the Prophets, and Apoftles ; alfo it is the Faith of us, the WitnefTes of the Spirit : For God faid unto Mofes, I will have Mercy on whom I will haxe Mircy^ md whom Ivnll I hardnh . - This [ 201 ] This was fpoken in Relation to Pharaoh, arxJ to rebellious Ifrael, ,and with Relation to Jacob and Efau : Therefore it is that the Apoftle Paul doth inftance Jacob and Efau^ to thofe Jews in his Time that did queftion God's Eledion. All tne Apoftles preach'd of Eleiftion, but more efpecially the Apoftle Paul doth ufe many Arguments for it, as may be read in the Epiftle to the Romans \ fo that he was mighty ftrong in his Faith for Eledion and Reprobation •, for who fhall lay any Thing to the Charge of God's Eledt? So that you muft mind, that if there be a Number of People ckfted of God, there muft of Necefficy the other Number of People be reprobated otGod^ for if all were eled:- ed, what need there be any Talk of Reprobation, or eternal Damnation ? And if any fhall fay it was a temporal Reprobation, as many have done, To that I fay, the Eleflion and Reprobation the Scripture fpeaketh of, it was altogether in Relation to a fpiritual and eternal Happinefs> for if God loved Jacob and his Seed, and ha^d Efau and his Seed, he was reprobated. So that there is two Seeds, namely, the Seed of Adam^ and the Seed of the Serpent j Efau being the Seed of the Serpent, therefore reprobated ; Jacob being the Seed of the Woman, that is, the Seed of Adairiy therefore eledled. So that there being two Seeds, there muft needs be Eledlion and Reprobation -, for both cannot be faved. This was the Faith of the Prophets and Apoftles, and is the Faith of us the WitneiTes of the Spirit. Second ^lery. And as for thofe who are fo eleded, whe- ther by Generation according to Birth, who are the Sons of Adam to eternal Felicity, and thofe which are the Sons of Cain to endlefs Mifery or not? Anfwer. To this 1 fay, That the Eledion of God it lieth in the Seed 5 that is, the Seed of Faith, who are the Sons of Adam, are all eleded •, for all the Seed of Adam, which do be- come Perfons, fo as to be born, they are all defied. Only this is to be minded, that Eledion comes by Generation j not that God doth eled Perfons after ihey are born, but in the Seed ; So that when the Seed of Faith doth get the Frehemi- Dd nency [ 2oa ] nency In the Conception, and fo a Man or Woman comes to be born, they may be faid to be of the ele<5l Seed. But no Perfon can know his particular Perfon elected, but by Faith in the true God ; which true God cannot be known but by a Prophet, as Mofes, the Prophets, and Apoftles, and us the Witnefles of the Spirit, who were chofen Witneffes of God. So that Eledion comes by Generation, but no Man or Wo- man can know they are of the eledl Seed but by believing in thofe Meflengers whom God doth fend ; and their Doctrine and Declaration being true, the Believers of them do come to the certain Aflurance of their Eledlion, both in the Seed and of their Perfons. So likewife it is on the contrary with the Re- probate i that is, when the Seed of Keafon gets the upper- hand in the Conception, and fo a Man or Woman comes to be born, they may be faid to be reprobated Perfons, they be- ing reprobated in the Seed, for Reafon is the Seed of the Ser- pent j fo that the whole Perfon is fo to be reprobated, being the Serpent's Seed, though he knows it not. But he that doth know his own Eledion, fhall as certainly know another to be a Re- probate J for he that doth not know certainly another to be a Reprobrate, I fay he doth not know certainly his own Elec- tion : I fpeak not this of Children, but of thofe capable of Men and Womens Eftates. ^hird ^tejiion. How a Man may know whether he be of the eledt Seed or not ? Anfwer. To this I fay, as before, that it is known in be- lieving the true MefTengers of God. So a Man comes to know his own Election, and another's Reprobation ; and in knowing a Man's own Eledion, he hath certain Aflurance of his own eternal Happinefs, and certain Aflurance of the Reprobate's eternal Mifery. Fourth ^lefiion. Whether after the Belief of this Commif- fion, there will be any divine Light, as a Teftimony evi- dencing in the Believer's Spirit a perfeft Aflurance of his Eledion, or not? Anjwer. As to this I fay, that there is in the true Belief of this Commiflion a divine Light, that doth witnefs and evi- dence in the Spirit of true Believers of it, that doth give per- fect AfTurance, both of their Eledion, and of their eternal Salvation. [ 203 ] Salvation. This many can witnefs unto at this Day in Eng^ landy and feme in thofe Parts where they live beyond the Seas. Fifth ^eftion. Whether for RtTolution of any Spiritual Doubt, or Removal of any eternal Calamity, a Man may ad- drefs himfelf, by Prayer, to the Divine Majefty, or not ? Anfwer. To this I fay, we lay no Bonds upon any Believers in that Cafe, but leave it to their own Freedoms. For this I fee by Experience, that fome Believers, whofe Faith is weak in the Time of temporal Calamities and Troubles in eternal Things, will makes fome Application unto God, and it doth procure fome Satisfaction to their Spirits, either to bear it more patiently, and willingly fubmit unto it, or elfe they find Deli- verance from it i yet God taketh no Notice of their Prayer, for the Deliverance, it doth come from the Seed within them ; for God doth not work by outward and vifible Deliverance, as he did formerly, but more fpiritual and invifible, becaufe this is the CommifTion of the Spirit. So likewife fome Believers of this Commiffion, their Faith is fo flrong that they do not make any Supplication unto God in the Time of temporal Calamity, and by Faith they bear it, and do find as good Deliverance as thofe that do pray. So that whether you pray, or pray not, it is Faith and Knowledge that doth deliver in the Day of Trouble ; fo that you, or any Believer of this Commiffion of the Spirit, may do what they will in the Matter, even as their Spirits are moved unto, or their Underftandings are informed j for it will do no Hurt, if it do them no good, if they know not how to fa- tisfy themfelves otherwife. Sixth ^ejlion. Whether this Commiffion doth require the obferving, or keeping any one Day particularly, or particularly apart, tor the Service of God, as the two former Commif- fions, or not.'' Anfwer. To this I fay, that this Commiffion doth not ob- ferve any one particular Day, for any Worfhip, or Service, of God, as the former did ; becaufe the Believers of this Com- miffion do worfhip God in Spirit and Truth. For no People under the Sun doth worfhip God in Spirit and Truth, but the Believers of this Commiffion only : So that every Day is a D d 2 Sabbath [ 2.04 ] Sabbath unto us. As to the Reft of our Minds concerning our eternal Happinefs, we can fay we have refteci from all our Labour, as God did from his Creation : So that we are not bound up in onr Minds, as all outward Worfhippers are, to meet every firft Day, and fo bring themfelves into Trouble, for that which God doth not command. For though God commanded the Apoftles to obferve the firft Day, and they laid the fame upon their Believers, that is nothing to Englijh- men ; for this is to mind that People are to obferve every Commiffion in its Time and Place. So that when Mofes and the Prophets Commiffion was in Being, the People ought to obey it^ every Commiffion in its Time and Place j fo when Chr'ifi and his Apoftles Commiffion was in Being, the People in that Time ought to obey it ; fo now the Commiffion of the Spirit is in Being, that ought to be obeyed. And look what Worfhip is fet up by thefe three Commiffions, in their Time and Place they ought to be obeyed, though they differ one from another •, nay, they are obferved and obeyed by the true Believers of them, and not as all the World doth, to obferve them tradirionally *, for Quakers and all other Opinions do obferve the Sabbath, or firft Day, but traditionally. Seventh ^eftion. Whether it may be any Matter of Con- fcience for a Man to put off his Hat, or to ufe the Language of Thee and Thou, or to give Tides of Honour to the great Men of the Earth ? Anfwer, To this I fay, that it is no Matter of Confcience for a Man to put off his Hat, but is only a civil Cuftom ufed in the Nation where we live ; neither is it any Tie laid upon the Confcience of any Man, neither by Chrijl himfelf, neither by any Prophet or Apoftle •, neither do we read any where in Scripture, that Men were required to keep on their Hats, though the blind Quakers do hiake it one of the chiefeft Articles of their Faith j and as for the Language of Thee and Thou, that may be ufed or rot-, for a Man to tie himfelf to Thee and Thou to all Perfons, as Kings and Magiftrates, t.his is but a traditional Praflice, imi- tating Prophets of old, who were equal with Kings, nay, whom princes have called them Lord, yet every filly Man and Woman, if they get to be Quakers, they will cry Thee and 'ithoH [ 205 ] Thou to Kings and Magiftrates of the Earth; nay, they would count it a great Sin if they fhould do otherwife. This is a mere taking up of Prophets and Apoftles, Words by Tradition. And as for giving Titles of Honour to the great Men of the Earth, to that I fay, that great Men of the Earth, as Kings, Princes, and Magiftates, they are called, in Scripture, Gods, tho' they die like Men. And we find in Scripture, that Prophets and Apoftles have given Titles of Honour unto Kings and Magiftrates, as Prophets have faid to Kings, O King, live for ever: As Daniel and Paul faid. Oh King Agrippa ! and jioble Feftus : So that Prophets and Apoftles did give Titles of Honour to Magiftrates. But if it be your Lot to fee that Letter which I have fen-: to T'homas Taylor, in Stafford, that would inform you further of thefe Things. If you do enquire for Thomas Barnet, of Utoxeter, perhaps he will fhew it you ; and if you did but fee that Book of mine, called. The fakers Neck broken, you would lee further in thofe Things. I fuppofe William Newcombe, of Derby Town, a Bookfelicr, can help you to it. Eighth ^lejiion. Whether, after the Belief in this Commiffion of the Spirit, a Man may fall back, or not ; if fo, whether there be a Poffibility of returning again, or not? Anfwer. As to this I fay, after a true Belief in this Com- miflion of the Spirit, there is no Pofiibility to fall away, (^that is) if there be true Faith in the Heart ; but if it be but a Brain-knowledge, or only in the Head, he may fall back away, and never be renewed again. For this 1 muft tell you, that all thofe that did feem to own the Apoftles Doflrine of the Gofpel, and did afterwards decline from it, and turn to the Law of Mofes, they may be faid to have Faith in the Head, and not in the Heart. For none can be truly faid to fall away, but thofe that fall away from the Truth ; and none can declare Truth but he that is fent of God. Now the Apoftles being fent of God, all thofe that did feem to own their Doftrine in their Time, and did afterwards decline from it, and turn to the Law of Mofes, they may be faid to fall away, that they had no true Faith in the FIcarr, but in the Head only. For there can be no falling away, not properly, but [ 206 ] but they that fall away from Truth, or from a true Commiffion, when it is in being upon the Earth. For Men may fall away from all Opinions of Religion, or Faith, upon the Earth, and yet be fafe enough^ becaufe all Opinions in Religion in the whole World are taken up by Tradition from the Letter of the Scriptures. And fo Mens Faith become traditional alfo : So that Men may eafily fall away from that traditional Faith, and yet be never the worfe. But if any (hall fall from that Faith he did feem to have in a true commiffionated Prophet, he fhall never return again, but will certainly be damned to Eternity. But if true Faith doth arife out of the Heart, he fhall {fand fare, and never fall •, but fhall have the Teftimony and AfTurance in himfelf of eternal Salvation. For this I have obferved by Experience, fince God made me a Meflenger to declare his Will, I have obferved three Sorts of Faith, or Conditions in Man. Some Men I have feen to have Faith and Knowlege in the Head, and not in the Heart : Others again I have ob- ferved to have Faith and true Knowledge in the Heart, and not in the Head. Others again I have obferved to have true Faith and true Knowledge in the Head and the Heart. All thefe Things I know by Experience. Now there is but one of thefe three that is capable to fall away, namely, he that hath it in the Head only ; yet if a true Prophet hath but charitable Thoughts of him' that hath it in the Head only, he fhall ftand the longer. But if the Prophet's good Thoughts (hall be taken from him, he will fall immediately, and his Hopes within him will peri(h and die. But if Men fhall have true Faith in the Heart and Head both, or in the Heart only in this CommifTion of the Spirit, they fhall never fall away, but fhall have the AfTurance of eternal Life abiding in them. This many Believers in this CommifTion can witnefs fo at this Day. Thus, as fhort as I can, I have given you an Anfwer to your Queries, which may fomewhat more fatisfy your Mind as to your Queries 5 but in the reading of the Books, as to the true Dodrine concerning the true God and the right Devil, and the Interpretation of Scripture, the Books will give a great deal better Satisfadion to the Spirit if underftood. the [ 207 ] There is a young Man of this Faith that faw your Letter, hath lent you a Book, called, The Interpretation of the nth of the Revelation, by your Friend John Terry y with a Letter alfo 5 his Name is John Saddington : So that if Satisfadion be not found in the CommifTion of the Spirit, I fay it will be found no where. For this I muft tell you, that whoever owns Free- will, as to the faving of his Soul, after he hath heard of this CommifTion of the Spirit, and of the Doftrine of Eledlion and Reprobation, declared by us, the WitnefTes of the Spirit, I fay fuch will perilh to Eternity, let their .Righteoufnels be ever fo great, or think of themfelves what they will. For Mofes did hold forth the Doftrine of Eleftion and Reprobation, and declared much againfl Free-will, faying. It is not in him thai willeth, or in him that runneth, hut of God that Jheweth Mercy. And on whom he will have Mercy he will have Mercy ; and whom he will he hardeneth. Alfo it is the Faith of us the WitnefTes of the Spirit, and of the Believers of it, who can witnefs in their own Spirits, that they are eledted, and have certain and full AfTurance of their eternal Salvation, and as certain that others are reprobated to cndlefs Mifery. But I fhall fay no more at prefcnt, but reft and remain, Tour Friend in the true Faith of Jefus, the only true God, London, May 19, 1665. LODOWICKE MUGGLETOM. A Copy [ 208 ] v^Copy of a LETTER written hy the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to one John Hyde^ living in Jewen, a Bookfellcr^ bearing Date Odober 2-7, 1665. John Hyde^ I A M informed, that you have very much exclaimed againft me, as if I had dealt unjuftly with you, as if I had done you a great deal of Wrong, and not only fo, but that I did gripe and exercife Lordfhip over the Con- fciences of others to keep myfelf in Idlenefs. Thefe are the beft of your ExprefTions ; fo that I Ihallnot take much Notice of them, though you have fhewed the Naughtinefs of your Heart, and a Lie in it. But the Thing I would difcover unto you, and wherein your Heart hath Bot been right, is this: Did not you proffer to bind me a Quarter of a Hundred of Books fingle towards the Printing, becaufe you could not fpare Money, and that you would have one for yourfelf ; in- deed 1 was unwilling you fhould do it, and was loth to accept of it, and I faid I would pay' you for what you did bind for me, not expeding that you fhould be at the Charge, no not fo much as to buy one, or to work one out in Binding ; but you prefTed upon me again and again to make up the Quarter of a Hundred. And you may remember I did afk you, in Mr. Medgate's Shop, whether you did intend to have one of them altogether for the binding of the Quarter of a Hundred } and you faid you would have one fingle. Mr, Medgate doth remember it. But if you would have had them altogether, you Ihould have had them altogether, for that would very near have been worth the Binding of them, for you did afk me but 5 d, a-piece to bind them, neither are they worth any more. - JJkewife, didnot you, when I was with you, with Mrs. C^r/ but I would have you CO [ 2.32. ] to know that God bath chofen me in their Steads, to give Judgment upon you, and the Letter of the Scriptures you put your Truft in Hiall not deUver you from it ; and that Diftinc- tion your Brother giveth of Father, Son, and Spirit, is true, and as good Senfe as Men can fpeak : And what you deny in plain Terms and Words will be a Seal of eternal Damnation to your own Soul. Eleventhly^ You call all the Talk of the Commifllon of the Spirit to be a meer Whimfey of the Brain, and you fay, no lefs than meer Delufion-, and you fay will prove fo in the End, as true as God is in Heaven. Anfwer. Here you have fhewed yourfelf of the reprobate Seed ; and that you have finned againft the Holy Ghoft, as moft of you Baptifts do; a Sin that God will not forgive in this World, nor in the World to come: And as fure as God is in Heaven, you are appointed to be damned to Eternity. This I know as fure as God is in Heaven. ^welfthly^ You fay your Brother pleafeth himfelf with the Face of a God, being in a Form, and gives Credit to no Man that is rotten in his Grave, and will not believe (fay you) the living Oracle, that fays, he is a Spirit. And (fay you) Let your Brother take God's Form, but give you his Power. Anfwer, As for your Brother's pleafing himfelf with the Face of a God being in a Form, To this I fay, a Man can have no true Satisfadion in his Mind, except he really believes God hath a Face and Form of his own, diftind from Man and all other Creatures. And for your Brother's giving Credit to a Man that is rotten in his Grave, your Brother could not have had the Affurance of eternal Life in himfelf, but by giv- ing Credit to that Man's Words : But what think you ? Are not the Prophets and Apoftles rotten in their Graves, many hun- dred Years ago, and none living that ever faw them, or heard their Voices, How comes it to pafs you gave Credit to their "Words, that were rotten fo many hundred Years ago? And you blame your Brother for giving Credit to a Prophet of the Lord, who is yet in the Sight and Memory of many ♦, for while I Uve, John Rteve liveth, and we are true as ever Pro- phet and Apoftlc were, and ought to be credited as they were. And [ 235 ] And as for "the beJievmg the living Oracles, that fay God is a Spirit, the' Scriptures you mean to be the living Oracles. To this I fay, the Scriptures do prove three Places to one, that God has a Form, and hath a Pace, to one Place where he . is called a Spirit. And the Writings of us, the Witnefles 6f -^ the Spirit, are more living Oracles than the Letter of the * Scriptures, and will give more Peace and Satisfaftion to the' Souls of thofe that believe them, than the Belief of the Scrip- tures will, now the Prophets and Apoftles have been dead lb many hurtdred Years. This many can experience, and witnefs in themfelves, at this Day, neither can any have the Power of God but luchas know, the Form and Nature of Cod, which you, nor no Man elfe can know, but fuch as believe the living Oracles declared by us the Witneflcs of the Spirit. Thirieenibiy, You fay. That PeUr, nor Paul, or any othei' Mortal whatforver, hath Power tofave, or damn to Eternity : This is a Work Clay you) peculiar only to God, the Judge of all. Alfo, you marvel how many Men dare to read otherwifc than God fpeaks, or to put Interpretation of their own Brains. Jnfiver. That mortal Men have Power to pronounce the Sentence of eternal Damnation and Salvation upon Men and "Women, that is clear by the Scriptures : And it doth belong unto Men, and not unto God himfelf ; for God hath chofen Men to be Judges, to condemiiMen, or acquit Men, accord- ing as they are tound guilty or innocent by the Law, but the King 'caves it to the Judges, and doth not meddle with ithim- felt :' So it is with the King of Heaven, he gives Power and Co.mmilTion to his Prophets and Apoftles, and the Witnefles of the Spirit, to judge and determine of People's eternal Weal, or Woe : And thofe Keys of Heaven and Hell, that Chrifi gave unto Peter, was Power to blefs and curfe to Eternity ; for whofe Sins he did remit, they were forgiven to Eternity, and v/hofe Sins he did remit, eternal Salvation did come upon that Man : So on the contrary, whofe Sins Peter did retain, thit Man's Sins were never forgiven of God, being retained by Peter ; lb that eternal Damnation is pafled upon that Man whofe Sins are rrtained; and God will not i evoke what his Judge hath done J and this Power God hath given unto us, the Witneffes H h of [ *34 ] of the Spirit: But if you had read the Book called the ^aker*$ Neck broken, you would have feen this Point more largely proved ; but I perceive you are ignorant of all Things per- taining to Salvation and Damnation, but what the Letter of the Scriptures didaresto your Underftanding and Imagination : But we that are chofen Judges of God are to read the Scrip- tures thus, and to give Interpretation, according to the Tenor of our Commiffion ; for the Scripture is given into mine Hand, and no Man knows the Scriptures truly but myfelf ; becaufe God hath given me Underftanding of his Mind in the Scrip- lures above all Mfn in the World, and he liath made me Judge of the Scriptures. Therefore, what Inteipietation or Senfe foever you gather from the Word of the Scriptures, I fay it is but the Imagination of your own Brains. Fourteenthly, You fay nothing hinders Mens Salvation but their own Wills: Alfo, you fay, there is no fuch 1 hi. g as a Dodfrine of Reprobation, whereby Men are dc-ftined to Dl« ftrudion. Anfwer, How comes it to pafs then, that your Free-will did not preferve ycurfelf from being damned to Eternity ? It feemsyou had nut Power in your Will to keep you from the Sin againft the Holy Ghoft •, if you had had Power in your VSill, you would have btlieved your Brother and me, when you faw your Brother Noble damned by me : How comes it to pals your Will did not fubmit, and be fi!cnt? You faw the Trouble that Noble was in at the prefent ; yet your Will had not Power to keep yourfelf from the fame Condemnation : But have you not read, that God hath blinded the Eyes, and made the Ears hea- vy, and the Heart of Man hard, left they ihould fee, hear, underftand, and be converted ? Why did not the Will of thofe Men convert themfeives? The Caufe why, they were hardened of God : And why were chey hardened of Goa? Becaule they were of the reprobate Seed, even the Seed of the Serpent j fo it is with you, God hath blinded your Eyes, becaufe you are of the reprobate Seed, the Seed of the Serpent, hated of God, as Efau was, and your Brother Alexander beloved of God, as J/^cob was. Here is the Dodrine of Ekftion and Reprobation manifeft in you two; the one is taken, and the other left, by this Comraiflion of the Spirit, And do you not find in the Scriptures 1^5] Scriptures nofuch Dodrine of Eledion and Reprobation? You may find and read it in the Romans very frequently Ipv.ken of j and had not you been of the reprobate Seed, appointed to fuffer thofe eternal Torments, you would rot have been fo blind and hardened, but have believed, and have fubniicted to God's prerogative Power •, but the reprobate Seed thinks to be faved by his own Will, whahiT God will or no i but you being de- ftinated to Deftruflion, hath caufed you to v/rite againft it. Fijteenthly^ You fay, one would think no Man in his right Wits (hould be fo far deprived of his Rcalbn, as to admit of this for a Ground to embrace the fingle, bare Tellimony of two Men, whereof one hath been dead fome Years, and have but their bare Words, that God fpake to t! em, and heard his Voice ; and fuch a Commifllon ftrikes at the Foundation and Knowledge of the Scriptures, and the Root of all Religion and Worfhip, at the very Bottom of Holinefs and Godlinefs, and alfo ftrikes at the very Majefly of God himfclf: So you count your Brother given over to ftrong Delufions, to believe Lies, becaufe the Scriptures fay, I-i the latter Days Menjhall be gh-en over to believe Lies^ and the Devices of their own Brains. Anfwer^ Had you been in your right Wits, you would have made the fingle Teftimony of two Men the only Ground of Salvation : But you being out of your Wits, being blinded and hardened, you have embraced dead Mens Teftimonies for the. Ground of your Faith, Men that have been dead many hundred Years ; fo that your Faith in thofe Mens Words will do you no good now : And it would have been as good for you if you had been deprived of your Reafon, as you think your Brother is; for the Reafon in you is the Devil, that fhall torment to Eternity, and good would it have been for you if you had been deprived of it : A little Meafure of Faith to put your TruR in the Declaration of two fingle Men, whereof one is now living, would have wrought the Work of Salvation in you, and have deprived you of Reafon, which Reafon now wiU torment you, becaufe you are not deprived of it, but is wholly gi;ided by it ; and fo your Truft muft be altogether in the dtad Letter of the Scriptures, and in dead Mens Words, and you fhall find nothing there for your Soul but bare Words*, fpr there is no Spirit and Life in them, except you had hearkened H h 2 and [ ,^36 1 and believed the fmgle Teftimony of two Men-, thofe that do lb, the Interpretation of the Scriptures becomes Life and Spirit unto their Souls : Alfo, I confefs the Teftimony of us two (ingle Men doth ftrike at the Foundation of all hypocritical Knowledge of the Scriptures, and at the Root of all Religion and Worfhip, of all the formal Worfhip of the Baptifts and others, and at the very Bottom of your hypocritical Holinefs and feeming Godlinefs. This Commiffion of the Spirit (Irikes at the very hypocritical Majefty that you Hypocrites feern to give unto God •, for now is the Axe 1 lid to the Root of that Tree; it fl:rikes to the Root of all Knowledge, Wifdom, Re- ligion, Worfhip, hypocritical Holinefs and Godlinefs, that is pradlifed in all the feven Churches, as fhewing, that the Mi- riftry of them all is falfe, none having a Commiffion from God to preach ; fo that God hath by our Hands given the Axe, and we have laid it to the Root of the Tree, and have cut down many of your Preacheis, and fpoiled all your Hoiinefs and Godlinefs, as Dung and Drofs •, neither fhall your Holi- nefs, nor Godhnefs, norRighteoufnefs, avail you any Tmng, in that you are given over to a ftrong Delufion, to put your Truft: in dead Mens Words, and hath dtfpifed the true Inter- pretation of the Scriptures, which are alive -, fo that you lol- lowed the Defires of your own Brains to your endlefs Milery. Sixteenthly^ You fay to your Brother, that God is evtrlaft-^ ing and eternal God, and hath no Beginning, nor will have' no Endino- : Biit (fay you) this their Lommiffion of the Spirit tells us of a God that no Man knows in all the World but two Men, and that no other can know the tiue God but thofe that believe in thofe two Men; but, fay you, what this new- broached Light will come to, you will at prefent forbear judg- ing, but leave It to the Hands of the God of Prophets and Apoftles. Jnfzver. As to that we own, that God is everlafting and eternal, and had no Beginning, nor hath no Ending : And this is the fame God this third and lafl: Commiffion tells you of, only there is no Man in the World, at this Day, that doth truly know this everlafting God, but us two, vvho are the chofen Witnefles of this everlafting God, that knows him, and thofe to [ m ] to whom we reveal it ; neither can any other Man know the triieGod but thofe that believe in us two Men. Nay farther, I fay, as Chrift did in another Cafe, concern- ino; himlclf: Except^ faith Chrjjl^ you believe that I am he, you jhall die in your Sins : So likcwife I fay, except you or any other do believe in our Dodtrin^; of the true God, and us two Men, to be the laft chofen WitnefTes and Prophets of God, I fay you fhail a]l die in your Sms, that is, in Unbelief, and fo damned to Eternity ; for this I mufh tell you, whoever dies in Unbelief, that hath heard the Sound of a true Prophet's Vv^ords or Wrif.ngs. and believes them not, he dies in his Sins of Unbe- lief, and all Sins clfe that he hath committed \ fo that he is cleanf- ed from no Sin at all, and what will follow upon that, that Con- fcencc that dies in his Sins, let every Man's Confcience judge. Butwhofoev^rbelievethin a true Prophet's Repot t and Doftrine, his Heart is puiified by Faith in himfelf, and doth not die in his Sins, but is cleanfcd from the Guilt and Condemnation \\\ hi> Confcicncc of all Sins, both original and adlual, though the Reafon of Man being the Seed, counts the very A6t of Faith th^t givrfh Peace to Man's Mind, they count the greateft Sin of al; : But oreat is the Power of Faith, and ftrong ; buc low is the Power cf Reafon, and weak. And as for this new-broached Light, as you call it, I fay it was new-broached by the God of < icavcn himfclf i and this Light declared by us the Wit- nelT. s of the Spirit, will come to center itfelf in God, from whence it came, as the Light of Prophets and Apoftles did, who were fent of God, as thofe two Men were whom you fo much flight i and it would have been well for you if you had foi born judging, and left it to the Hands of the God of Pro- phets and Apoftles : But your Reafon hath undertook, by the dead Letter of the Scriptures, to judge the greateft Light that ever God fent upon Earth, and of a more higher Natuie than that of the Prophets and Apoftles •, but the Light of Heaven was ever flighted by the Seed of the Serpent, their Hearts be- ing darkened by the Letter of the Scriptures, you have pre- lumed to fight againft the Light of this Commiffion of the Spirit, which God hath committed to two Men, and you have judged it, and have not left Judgment to God. Thefe Things aforcfaid are the moft confiderable Paflages in your large Letter [ ^38 ] to your Brother Alexa':dery and the very QuintefTence of your Knowledge in the Letter of the Scriptures, wherein you have taken up dead Mens Words, to fight with a Man that is ahve ; you do as if a Man fhould take the Sheath of a Sword in his Hand, to fight with him that hath a gUtteting Sword in his Hand, with two Edges, which cuts every Way ; for the Let- ter of the Scriptures is but'the Sheath for the two edged Sword of the Spirit to be in : And God hath drawn forth tiiis glitter- ing Sword with two Edges, out of the Letter of the Scriptures, and hath put it into two fingle Men's Mouths, and hath given us Power to blefs and curfe to Ete^ni y : So that it doth not peculiarly belong to God but unto Man ; and had you believed jn me, you fhouid have believed God that fent me ; but in that you have defpifed that two Men fhould know more of God than all Men in the World, you have defpifed God alfo, and have finned againft the Holy Ghoft, and God hath made me your Judge in his Stead, The Blafphemies you have fpoken are thefe ; 1. That the Letter of the Scriptures ought to be credited as if God "did fpeak himfelf. 2. You prefer the Wo ds of Peier and Paul, being dead fo many hundred Years, to be of more Conftquence now than the Voice of Words God fpake to John Rteve. g. You call the CommifTion of the Spirit a fuppofed Com- miflion and Imagination. 4. You call the CommifTion your Brother owns and be- lieves. Error, and ftrong Delufion, and high Impofturts, and pretended Revelations and Commiffions. 5. You utterly deny the Body, or Perfon of Cbn/l Jefus, to be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: This you fay is utt^ly falfe. 6. You fay, the DilVin? -of good Comfort,' and all v^ill be "Well With her, both in this World, and in the World to come. I do intend, if Providence permit, to come to Nottingham^ and perhaps to Chejterfeld,' the next Spring; and then I intend to fee you Lhope all well, to my Joy and Comfort. Before I clofe this Letter, I will give you a little Hint of that which hath happened here in London^ amongft the B^ith two Eyes. Therefore the Right Eye of Reafon in the Things of God, that doth offend a Man's Mind, ought to be pulPd our, and call from him -, elfe he will be in Danger oi being call into Hell-Fire, in the Refurredion, which will not appear to the dead Soul a Quarter of an Hour, from it's Death to it's Rifing again. I only give you a Hint of this, becaufe I fee you have Faith in the Rcfurredion, that you might be more ftrongly confirm- ed in it, and eftablifh'd in the Spiritual Meaning of the Scrip- tures, which were fpoken by holy Men of God, the Prophets and Apoftles, and by Chrift himfelf ; and interpreted in this lafl: Age, by us, the Witnefles of the Spirit. This is all at prefent, only my Love, with my Wife's Love, remember'd to yourfelf, and your good Wife, beino- of the Seed of Faith as you fay, which I am very apt to believe, and not without fome Ground, tho* I never faw her : My Love to Do6lor Mofs, and Colonel Phayer^ George RodgerSy and the reft in the true Faith of God's Eled, in that one per- fonal God, Chrift Jefus, that was manifefl in the Fielh, that is, God become Flefti, and dwelt amongfl; Men here on Earth. So I reft your Friend in the eternal Truih^ Ihe Pcjiern, London, Feb. 14, 1673. LODOWICKE MuGCLETON; Friend [ 254 ] Friend George Gamble, I received the four Pounds of Mr. Delafjiaw, and have fent you 29 of thofe Books in Anfwer to fp'^illiam Penn, they come to 3 £. 12s. 6d. And I have fenc yoLi-five of John Saddingtori's Books, which comes to 5 J. And as for the Box and Line, and Carriage to Briftol, Mr. Delamain will give you an Account, for I have left that to him ; likewife, I am forry that the Divine Looking-Glafs and Mortality of the Soul was taken away, for I could have help'd you to Tome of the other fingle, but cannot help you to one of them fingle ; and efpecially the Divine Looking Glafs, becaufe that is of great Confequence, and will be never printed more while I live: But for the Mortality of the Souly this Anfwer to JVilUam Penn doth treat upon that Point, fuf- ficient to fatisfy any Man that hath Faith, that his Soul doth die. Only that Book is defir'd the more, becauie it was of John Reeve^s Writing; but feeing it cannot be had, People muft be content with what they have. Therefore I would wilh you and all others to make much of them you have -, for when thofe few 1 have be gone, you will not get one of the whole Volumes for Love nor Money. I have had Experience of that already, by that Book which I fold for Sixpence -, 1 could have had five Shillings of feveral, and fome Friends had it, and could have fpared it, yet would not part with it. I have gotten now a Book-Binder, that doth bind the whole Volume together, fo that all the Divine Looking Glajfes are bound to the Set, fo that if any will have that, they mull have all or none. So refieth your Friendy The Pojiern, London^ Feb. 14, 1673, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. A Copy [ ^55 ] ^ Copy of a LETTER wro^e hy the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Eleanor Sudbury, in Nottingham, hearing Date from London Auguft 6, 1683. Bear Friend in the true Faith Ellen Sudbury, THIS is to certify you, that I received your Letter, by the Hand of Mr. Dclamain, and I am forry to hear of your Trouble you are like to fall into ; but I confidering this Kind of Perfecution at this Time, for Confcience Sake, it is not only upon you, but generally upon all diflenting Perfons every where. . The Decree is gone forth among all Diflent- ers, in all Parts of England, and the Golden Image of Com- mon Prayer, (call'd Divine Service, and the Sacrament of the Lord*s Supper,) is fet up in every Town and City in England: And whoever doth hear the Sound of the Cornet, (which is theCitationor Summons,) and doth hear the Sound of the Dul- cimer, (which is the Informer) and doth not come to Church, and hear Divine Service, and receive the Sacrament, muft be call into Prifon •, which is a far more eafy Punifh- ment, than to be caft into the Lion's Den, or to fuffer any other corporal Punifhment upon the Body, as I have done. I look upon this to be as eafy a Puniihment, as ever any Power of a Nation did inflidl: upon a People, where Liberty of Con- fcience is not granted : And truly, Friend, what Advice to give you in this Cafe I know not, for I cannot advife myfelf, how to deliver myfelf out of any of thefe Troubles ; no other than to fubmit, and let the Flood of this Perfecution run over us : And if we be fwallowcd up of it, it will be well with us, be- caufe it is for our Faith and a good Confcience ; which is of more Value than the whole World. Only this Advice I would give you, in this Particular ; not to give or enter into Bond [ 156 ] Bond for your good Behaviour, for it is of dangerous Con- cernment, though the Things propofed unto you leem ever fo fair, innocent and juft, which you may juftly keep •, but if one Informer afterwards do put you in for the Jeatt Mifdemea- nor in the World, the Juftices of the County muftbe Judges then, whether you have forfeited your Bond, and not behaved yourfeif according to rhe Tenor of your Bond, let your Innocence be never fo great, you muft pay what Fine the Juftices 'will lay upon you, or lie in Prifon for it. There- fore, my Advice is, to deliver up your Body into Prifon at the firft, rather than be bound for your good Behaviour-, for who knoweth what the Jullice will call good Behaviour? Keep the Peace of your Mind whatever you do, fuffer merely for your Confcience Sake •, be not guilty of the Breach or any Law of the Land, nor of the Law of God in Point of Wor- fhip •, and Time may produce Deliverance, either by Death or otherwife. Faith towards God, and in the true God, and Patience in Tribulation, will make Perfecution for Con- fcience Sake very eafy, and bear your Spirit up in all your Troubles : And for your further Encouragement, I fhall give you the fame Advice as the Apoftle Paul did to the Believ- ers of his Do6lrine of Chrijl, in his Time ; he advif-th them to put on the whole Armour of God, for God hath Armour to put upon his Saints here upon Earth, as earthly Kings have Armour to put upon their Captains, and mighty Men of War, only God's Armour is Spiritual, and the World's Armour is Temporal, fuitable to this Earthly Kingdom: And God's Armour is Spiritual, fuitable to that heavenly Kingdom above the Stars, where his Refidence is. Now this Armour of God, I do know that you and many more hath put on in Part, above thefe twenty Years, and now of late more fully. The Armour of God put upon you, is, Firfi, there was put upon your Head, after you believed in the true God, and our Re- port, there was put upon your Head the Helmet of Salva- tion, in that the Memory is placed in the Head ; fo that you Ihall never forget it to Eternity. In the Second Place, there was a Bread-Plate of Righteoufncfs of Faith put upon your Breaft, when your Heart fet to your Seal, that Jefus Chnft is God C ^57 ] God and Man, in one fingle Ptrfon. Thirdlyy You being true-hearted to that Principle of Truth you received, at the firft Sound of this Declaration, there was a Girdle of Truth girded about your Waill, to ftrengthen you in your principle you once received. Fourthly^ In that your fteadfafl: believing the Do6lrine of this Commiffion of the Spirit, your Feet are fhod with the Do6lrine of heavenly Peace. Fifthly^ when you firft heard of this heavenly Doflrine, about twenty Years fince, you received then the Shield of Faith; which made you able to oppofe ftrongly thofe Bemonifts and Qua- kers, which would, and did, fhoot iheir fiery Darts of Slander and Reproaches upon me and mine-, thinking to have made you revolt and decline from me, and from the Truth you once received. Six thy ^ That when you received the Truth firft, there was put the two-edged Sword of the Spirit into your Mouth, that made you able to contend for the Faith, and to con- vince fevcral, and to[convtrt fome, and to give Judgement upon others, to Eternity. So that the two-edged Sword of the Spirit hath been put into your Mouth, and it hath proceeded out of your Mouth, fome to their eternal BleflTednefs, and fome to their endlefs Mifery. This Armour of God is ftill upon you, and upon all the Believers of this Commifilon of the Spi- rit: And this Armour muft preferve you ftili, and flrengtheti you to bear, and to fufter what Trial focver befals you in this Life, until the Day of your Death. Then fliall you and I, and all Saints, put off this Armour of God, and lay it down in the Duft for a Moment, and in the Refurredbion our God will make us of the Hoft of Heaven, which fhall follow our God, our King, and our Redeemer, upon white Horfes, cloathed in white Linnen, white and pure ; this is God's Armour we fhall be cloathed with in Heaven, in the King- dom of Glory. This is better Armour we fliall be cloathed with in the Kingdom of Glory, than that Armour of God was, which we had upon us in the Kingdom of Grace •, which being expofed to all Manner of Sufferings, even to Death itfelf. But blcffed be the God of Truth, that cloathed us with this Armour firft, elfe we ftiould never have been cloathed with that glorious Armour of Heaven, which we fhall never put LI ofF [ ^58 ] off again to Eternity. This is all the Advice I can give you in this Matter: I have been more large than I thought, be- ing not very wc-U in Health thefe three Weeks, nor am not yet •, I grow old and crazy, and Writing is now Ibmewhat burthenlom to old Age, which formerly was very eafy unto me, as thefe many Writings of mine in the World, and what is not yet feen, will witnefs when I am gone, after my Death : Yet I was willing to add fome Comfort unto you, to ftrengthen your Spirits in thcrfe Days of Trouble; that you may bear your Crofs the more eafy, and take Leave ; only my Love and my Wife's, remember'd unto yourfelf, and to your two Daughters, and to our dear Friend Mary Parker. I remain your Friend in the eternal true God, the Man Chrid J ejus in Glory, London, Augufl 6 y 1683. LODOWICKE MuGGLETON. A Copy of a LETTER wrote by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Elizabeth Wheately, of Andover, bearing Date from London, dated September 24, 1684, Dear Friend in the true Faith Elizabeth Wheately, »~r"' HIS is to ceritify you, that I have read your Letter JL you fent to our Friend Mr. Delamain^ dated the 3d. ai Sep ember ^ 1684 j wherein we have received the kind Token [ ^59 3 Token ofyourLofe alfo ; I am glad to hear of your good Health, and more efpecially of the ftrong Faith you have in the Perfonal True God, the Man Cbriji Jefus in Glory : I know your Faith in him is built upon a Rock, a fure Rock ; which all the fiery Darts of Reafon, ( the Devil in Man ) (hall not prevail againft you ; you being fully a{rur*d in your- felf, that there is no Devil to affright you, but Men and Women Devils. And as your Faith is built upon a glori- ous fpiritual Perfonal Gcd, in the Form of a Man, whofe Nature is all Faith, which Faith is all Power; and you being of the Seed of Faith, it is the great Support of the Peace of your Mind here in this World, and dorh give you the Affurance in yourfelf, of that eternal Life and Glory in the World to come. So iikewife, your Faith in the true God doth give you the Knowledge of the right Devil, his Form and Nature; which Knowledge doth keep you from all Fears of the Devil when you fee him, knowing in yourfelf, that there is no Devil to be damn'd but Men and Women : For as Men and Women are the Seed of Jdam^ which is the Seed of God, are appointed to be faved, becaufe the Seed of Faith is rifen into an Ad of Faith, to believe God's Mcflengers; and focome to have Affurance of eternal Life abiding in them- felves, yet they are but Men and Women that are to be fav'd : And the Caufe why Men and Women are faved, is, becaufe they are of the Seed of Jdam, which is the Seed oLGod, and for no other Caufe. So Iikewife, there is no other Mevil to be damn'd to Eternity, but Men and Women. Why? Becaufe Men and Women are the Seed of the Serpent, and the Serpent's Nature, being Reafon fallen: And no Creature t\k hath the Seed of Realon in it, but Men and Women ; therefore it is, that when the Seed of Reafon doth arife in Man and Woman, into an Ad of Rebellion ; and fo the Breach of the Moral Law, which God hath written in the Hearts of Men and Women •, then doth the Fear of eternal Damnation arife in the Heart of the Seed of the Serpent, which are no other but Men and Women ; fo that as /Idam and his Seed are all ap- pointed of God to be faved, both of Men and Women ; fo L J 2 Iikewife, [ 26o ] iikewife, the Serpent and his Seed are appointed of God to be damn'd to Eternity, which are Men and Women: For there is but two Seeds, that is, the Seed of Faith, and the Seed of Reafon ; and herein heth your eternal Happinefs, and all others, in that you have believed a true Prophet's Report; whereby you come to know yourfelf to be of the Seed of Faith, of the Seed o'i Adaniy of the Seed of God. This is that Peace of Mind, and Comfort of Pleart, whirh the World eannot give ; neither can any religious Man in the World whatfoever, attain to this Peace of Mind and Comfort of Heart in thefe Days; but thofe few that do believe in this Commiffion of the Spirit. I have added thefe few Lints, for the Increafe and ftrengthning of your Faith, that your Joy may be full, and fo take my Leave at prefenf, only my Love, with my Wife's Love and Refpeds, prefented unto you. / remain your Friend in the eternal Truth, ]LondoKf Siptetnler 24, 1684. LODOWICKE MuGGLETONF. I perceive you have carnefl Defire to Mr. Belamain^ to procure you thefe two Books of Claxton's Writing ; namely, 9he Dialogue betwixt Faith and Reafon^ and that Book, called. Look aiout you, for that Devil you fear^ is within you. Friend, it is a great Wonder that we could help you to both, or to cither of themj but as it happened, Mx.^ Delamain looking over all his Books, he found one Dialogu-e that was perfeft, and no more, and I myfelf had the other Devil Book that was perfe<5t, and no more. The Price of the one Dialogue is 'IS. and 6d. and the other i 5, and 6d. our Friend Delamain will take Car€ to fend them. ' A Letter [ a6i ] A Letter prefented unto Alderman Fouke, Lord Mayor of London, frofji the two tVit7uffes and Prijoners of jfefus Chrifl^ in Newgate^ as a7i eternal Witnefs unto him j with a Declaration unto the i?^- c order Steel, and the Lord Chief yuf- t'tce Rowles, with the whole Bench and yury\ and in general^ unto all Civil Magiflrates and furies in the World \ John Reeve, and Lodovvicke Muggleton, the two lafl f pi ritual l^^icneffes^ a7id true ProphetSy and only Minifters of the ever^ lafling Gofpelj by Commiffion from the Holy Fpirit of the true God^ the Lord yefus Chrifly God and Man^ in one Per-' fony blejjed to all Eternity. BY Vertiie of onrCommiflion, received by Voice of Words, from the glorious Mouth of the only true God upon the Throi;? of Glory, the Lord Jefus Chrift, we fhall malce manVfeft unto Men, what the Foundation is of the Power of the Civil Magilliate, and that he ought not to meddle with jfpiritual Things, which God hath referved himfelf, not allow- ing any Man to touch them upon Pain of eternal Death, but thofe only by him anointed for that purpofe : Firft, we de- clare that the Scriptures were given by Infpiration of the Holy Spirit i therefore, except the Magiftrates were infpired with the ,, jkfne Spirit as ihofc that fpeak the Scriptures, they ought not [ ^6^ ] to judge any man by them, but ought rather to yield Obedi- ence thcmlelves unto holy Writ, or they mufi: perifh to Eter- nity. Again, we declare from the Holy Spirit, that fince God became Flefli, no Civil Magiftrate hath any Authority from above to be the Judge of any Man's Faith, becaufe it is a .fpiritual invifible Gift from God, that gives a Man AfTurance of everlafting Life; but the Magiftrates Authority is to judge the Civil Laws of the Land, which is grounded only upon Reafon; but the Things of Eternity are from God, who is from Eternity to Eternity, therefore Faith is the Evidence of Things hoped for, and Reafon is Judge of Things that are vifible : As for you that are fkilful in the Law ot Reafon, as as foon as you hear an A6tion to be a Breach of the Law, you underftand prefently what Punifhment belongs to the Faifl •, therefore the Apoftle faith, The magijlrate is the niinifter of God for good to them that do well^ and a terror to the evil doer. Again, we declare from the Lord, that no Magiftrate, by his Power from the Law of Reafon, ought to ufurp the Law of Faith into his Authority, becaufe the Law of Reafon is utterly ignorant of the Law of Faith, the one being Carnal, and the other being Spiritual ; therefore, what Magiftrate foever takes upon him to be the Judge of us, who are the Mef- fengers of Faith in the true God, they are Enemies to the Lord Jefus Chrift, and fhall furely perifh to Eternity. Again, from the Lord Jefus we forewarn you that are Magiftrates, before it is too late, that you tread not in the Lord Mayor's Steps, prefumptuoufly to take upon you to judge this Com- miflion of the two-edged Sword of God put into our Mouths, which, if you are left fo to do, it will cut ydii in funder from the Prefence of our God to all Eternity ; for oar God is a confuming Fire, who did pronounce us curfed to Eternity, had we not obeyed his Voice ; therefore we perfeftly know whoever is left, great or fmall, to fpeak evil of this CommifTion, which God hath put unto us, by calling it Blaf- phemy, Delufion, a Devil, or Lie; in fo doing, they have finned againft the Holy Ghoft, and muft perifh. Soul and Body, . from the Prefence of our God, eJcft Men and Angels, to all Eternity j [ ^63 ] Eternity ; for God hath chofen us two only, and hath put the two-edged Sword of the Spirit into our Mouths, as beforefaid, that whom we are made to pronounce blefled, are blefled to Eternity, and whom we are made to pronounce curfed, are curfed to Eternity •, and this Power no Mortal can take out of our Hands, neither will our God any more givefucli Power unto Men whiUl the World endures. Therefore, you that are Judges of this Earth, be wife and learn'd, and meddle with thofe Things which you know in this World only, and call not your God to account at your Bar •, for whoever arraigneth a Pro- phet at his Judgement-Scat,it isal! oneasarraigninghisGod,for a Prophet cometh in the Name ?jid Power of his God ; there] fore, he that dcfpifeth the Prophet, dcfpifethhim that fent him. Again, we declare from the Lord Jefus, if any Magiftrate pre- tends to be a Preacher of the Goipel, he having no Commif- fion from our God fo 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 fo unrevocable. Again, we declare from the Lord Jefus, that the Caufe why fo many Magiflrates and Minifters muft fuffer the Vengeance of eternal Death, is, becaufe with one Confent they fight againft the true MefTengcjs of God, with the temporal Law invefted upon them by Men. Again, Woe would have been unto us, if we had come in our own Name ; but we know that God fent us, as fure as he fent Mofes^ the Prophets, and the Apoftles; and that great Authority, as to be Judges of Blafphemy againft the Holy Ghoft, we only are invcfled withall: Wherefore, you Magiflrates that are not yet under this Sentence of eternal Death from the Lord Jefus, our Counfel is, if you defire Blef- fednefs in the Life to come, that you would not meddle to be the Judges of fpiritual Things, knowing you have no Com- mifllon from the Lord. Remem.bcr the Counfel of Caiaphas the High Prieft, if it be pofTible, and prevent the Lord Mayor's ct«rnal Curfe. SIR [ =H] STRy ■'HE 15th of Septemhei\ 1653, Y^"-' ""^^V i^ei'netnber, by Vertue of your Warrant, we were brought before you, not being guilty of the Breach of any Civil Law, the Man Jefus our only God, eltd: Men and Angels, will bear us Witntfs too : But we being accufed of Words only in relation to a CommifTion received from our God by Voice from Heaven, it was your Pieafure to commit us unto Newgate j as the only Offenders in this World, notwithftanding 1 gave you a full Account of the Lord Jefus Ipeaking unto me by Voice of Words, three Mornings together, commanding me to deliver this his wonderful and ilrange Meffage unto Magidrates, Mi- nifters, and People, concerning his blefling or cuifing them to Eternity, according to their Obedience, or Difobedience, un- to this dreadful Meffage of the Lord. And, Sir, you may remember that I told you, that I defired the Lord jefus, that I might not be his Meffcnger of luch fliarp Tidings unto Men ; and but for this my Defire, the Lord Jefus, by Voice of Words, did fay, that my Body fhould be my Hell, and my Spirit fhould be the Devil that fhould torment to Eternity, if I did not obey his Command, in declaring his Pieafure unto Men. And who was I, poor mortal Clay, that I fhould withfland the great and glorious Potter of Heaven and Eapth, the Lofd Jefus Chrifl:, my God alone, bleffed to all Eternity. Again, Sir, You may remember, you did afk us divers Queftions concerning our God, and our Anfwer unto fome of your Queftions were judged as Blafphemy ; but we told you that you had no Commiflion from our God to be the Judge of fpiritual Things, that are eternal in the World to come ; but you, by Commiflion from Men, are the Judge of tempo- ral Things only in this perifhing World i and we only are the Judges of fpiritual Things, that are eternal in the World to come, by a Commiffion from the Throne of Glory, from the glorious Mouth of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Sir, Sir, if there were ahy Spark of heavenly Light (hining in . your Ur.derftanding from the Holy Spirit of Chrift Jefus, then you rhould know in due Time, that what I have been made to write in this Paper, is as true as God is Truth ; but now it is too late, your Time is paft, becaufe my God hath no Delight in your Ferfon, therefore he hath left you, as he did King Saul^ to commit that unpardonable Sin againli" the Holy Ghoft, or Spirit that fent us: Firfi^ By your denying the Lord Jefus to be the only God : Secondly ^ You may rememl?er, like a curfed Blafphemer againft the Lord Jefus Chrift, God and Man, in one Perfon bleffed to Eternity, you denyed that ever the eternal God became Flefh, Man, or Creature, or that God is in the Perfon of a Man at this Time in Heaven or Glory. Again, Sir, you miy remember when you were queftioned by us, what your God was •, your Anfwer was, that he is an infinite Spirit ; but you could not defcribe him to be in any eflential Form or Perfon. Truly I do not marvel at your Ig- norance, becaufe you are the Seed of the Serpent reprobate Angel, that was caft out of Heaven, referved in Chains of Darknefs or Unbelief, that you may worfhip a God of Words only, inftead of the true perfonal God, until the Judgment of the gfeat Day: My God, the Man Jefus in Glory, hath given you your Portion already, the Penny of this World, your Soul's chief Delight: Make your Life, that is but a Mo- ment, .as pleafant as poflibile you can, feeing it is all the Heaven you are like to enjoy, as fure as there is a God. Again, Sir, this 1 know, by Revelation from the Holy Spi- rit, that in the World lo come, you fhall never fee the glori-. ous Face of our God, the Man Jefus : Becaufe, before many Witneflcs you faid that God hath no Face at all. Sir, once more unto your own Perfon, becaufe you have blafphemed againft the glorious Perfon of our only wife God, the Man Jefus, and againft the facred Scriptures, that renders all Glory from ekft Men and Angels to him alone, both in Heaven and in Earth, and againft the Holy Spirit that fent us ; and for your unjuft committing of us into your Prifon of Hell, to fatisfy the Mahce of curfed Accufers, of your Spirit, that you. might prevent (if it were poflible) the very Purpofe of God : M m Wherefore [ .66 ] Wherefore in obedience unto our CommifTion received from ihe Holy Spirit, from the Prefence of our only wife God, and everlafting Father, the Man Jefus, eled Men and Angels, we pronounce youcurs'd and damn*d, Soul and Body, to Eternity: This is a Sea! unto you from the Lord Jetus, and a Warn- ing unto all perfecuting Spirits ; until the great and notable Day of the eternal Vengeance of my God ; then fhall your own Body be your Prifon of Hell, and your angelical proud and envious Spirit fhall be the Devil that (hall burn within your Body, more intolerable than any natural Fire in this World, and your Body fliall burn more fiery than any natural Brim- ftone-, your Spirit and Body being barr*d clofe Prifoners together in utter Darknefs, never feeing the Face of God, Men, or Angels, nor your own Face or Perfon, for everlafting, as aforefaid. A Copy of a LETTER fe^it by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to one Robert Beake, of Coventry, in Anfwer to one that he wrote t9 Captain Wildy, July 1I3 1664. Mr. Robert Beake, ISaw a Letter of yours, bearing Date July 8th, 1664, which you fent to Captain Wildy ; and in your Letter to him, I underftand the Captain, out of Love and Affe6lion,did lend you fome Books and Paper Writings to perufe, he hoping that your Underftanding would have been enlightened, to have feen the Truth of thofe Things, which are written in thofe Books and Papers •, or at leaft, that you would have been fo moderate as not to fpeak evil of Things you do not know : Which I perceive he gave you a Hint of it,- but it hath pro- ved altogether to the contrary. For God hath hid the Myf- terits [ ^^7 1 teries of the Kingdom of Heaven from the wife and prudent Men of the World ; for though they have Eyes, yet they fee not •, and Ears, yet they hear not -, and Hearts, but under- fland not : And you being one of thefe wife and prudent Men the Scripture fpeaketh of, the Myfteries of Eternal Life are hid from your Eyes, becaufe you are of the Seed of the Serpent ; for this I would have you to know ( though it be now too late) for your Good, that whoever doth fpeak Evil of thefe Books and Papers which the Captain did lend you, are the Seed of the Serpent, and hath finned againft the Holy Ghoft ♦, a Sin that will never be forgiven in this World, nor in the World to come; and that you fhail find to your eternal Pain and Shame. Think of yourfelf what you will, for you have Ihewed yourfelf the Seed of the Serpent, a Son of the Devil, in fpeaking Evil of the Revelation of the Spirit •, which hath been declared by us the Witnefles of the Spirit ', which hath been in thofe Books and Papers, which fuch Devils as you are, are not worthy to look into ; but you, from your pharifaical Righteoufnefs, and Wifdom of Reafon, from the Letter of the Scriptures, have proudly took upon you to judge Prophets that have a CommifTion from God, and to condemn their Righteouf efs by the Letter of the Scripture ; and becaufe you Ihall fee that you deferve to be damn'd, I (hall relate moftof your wicked Speeches againft thofe Books and Papers in your Letter. Firji, You fay, you found Expreflions therein fo uncouth, that made your Soul to fiirink again. Anfwer. As to that I fay, Truth will make the Spirit of Reafon to flirink, which is the Devil ; for had you had true Light in your Underllanding, inftead of fhrinking, you would have rejoiced and have been glad, becaufe the Doftrine of Sal- vation was come to your Houfe. For every true Prophet hath Salvation attending on him, and bleffed are they that receive him upon that Account, and curfcd will they be that, defpife him on that Account. Secondly^ You fay,^ that the Authentiques thereof, you thought was to be try'd by fome known Standard Rule and Balance, and the Word of Truth being mofl fovereign, you applied the Matter and Phrafe of the Papers. As to this, M m 2 I [a68] I fuppofe your Meaning is, that the Scripture is the Word of Truth, and the Standard Rule, by which would try the Phrafe of thofe Papers -, lb that you would lay thofe Papers in one Scale, and the Scriptures in the other, and you found, as I perceive, the Papers too light in the Ballance with the Scripture. This, I fuppofe, is your Meaning. Anjwer. I do acknowledge that the Scriptures are the Word of God, and a {landing Rule ; and that which will ballance Truth and Error. But then I mud tell you, that fome Body muft put Truth and Error into the Balance, who hath the fame Spirit of fnfpiration, as thofe had that wrote the Scriptures, ( that is, ) their Doftrine muft be as authentick as their's was, elfe they cannot give true Judg- ment between Truth and Error, which none can do but thofe that have a Commiffion from the Eternal God, as thofe had that fpake the Scriptures. Therefore, for you to weigh the Phrafe in thofe Papers, in the Balance of the Scriptures, or to judge of any Thing contained in them, by the Letter of the Scriptures, you do but procure your own Damnation by it. For God never chofe you, that you fhould know Truth from Error, nor to give any Interpretation, for God hath chofen John Reeve and myfelf, and hath given the Scriptures into our Hands, and hath given us more Knowledge to in- terpret them, than all the Men in the World at this Day. And yet you that have 'no CommiiTion nor Revelation, will undertake by your Reafon and Education, to judge whe- ther Things be agreeable to the Scripture or no •, when as you do not know any one Principle of Religion, no more than the ignoranteft Man that is doth know the Points of Law or State Affairs. 'Thirdly^ You fay you found fo much Inequality in them, that if you did admit the one, you muft of Neceflity reject the other. You, through Ignorance of the Spiritual Mean- ing of the Scriptures, do judge fo ; but if you had underftood the Doftrine contained in thofe Books, you would have found the Scriptures and them to agree, fo that you would have admitted of them both. But I fet it is kid from your Eyes. Fourlhly^ [ ^69 ] Fourthly^ You fay you know no Medium in tlie Cafe ; either the Drift or Defign of thofe Papers is envious, and grofly abufive of the Spirit and Way of Righteoufnefs, or the Word of Life and Salvation is fpurioiis and faife. Anfwer. tlere you have fhewed yourfelf a fubtil Serpent. "What Drift or Defigii could we have in writing thofe Papers, when as there was nothing but Perfccution and Sufferings did, and doth fall upon it, and wafting our Eftates, and loling all our natural Relations •, for Men that go upon that Account as Prophets, and have fuch a dreadful MefTage to declare unto the World as we have, (liall find but few Friends in the World to receive it, therefore our Drift and Defign as to the World, or to obtain Riches, would have been to little Purpofe. — And as for our Errors as you call them, grofly abufive of the Spirit, and of the Way of Life and Salvation, here you have belied the Holy Spirit that fent us forth 5 for the Wifdom that God hath given us, hath preached the Righteoufnefs of Faith, in that we have declared the true God and right Devil, with many other heavenly Myfteries and Secrets which are written in thofe Books, which the Scripture did hint at but darkly, but now by us the WitnefTes of the Spirit made clear to the Seed of Faith ; fo that inftead of grofly abufing the Spirit of Life and Salvation, God hath chofen us to declare the true Righteoufnefs of Faith and Light, and Life of Salvation, and alfo the Light of the Scriptures, which no Man doth truly know but thofe that have received it from the Commifllon of the Spirit, which God hath given us to declare •, but fuch Reprobates as you did fay as much by the Lord himfelf when he was upon Earth, as you do by me ; but as they had their Reward for their Blafphemy againft him, fo (hall you. tifthly^ You call thofe Papers and Books falfe, and no Way the Foundation of your Faith and Manners, and do fiiy God hath given you a more fure Word of Prophecy, and fay that you fliould highly tempt him to liflcn to any Infi- nament, or pretended Difcovcry of his Will, befides what therein are contained. Anfwer. As to this, I would have you to know that thofe Papers and Books are the Foundation of true Faith, but as foi Manners, [ ^7° ] Manners, that I (hall leave to the Wifdom of Reafon, for lleafon the Devil liveth upon Manners, for the Seed of the Serpent hath no Faith but the Faith of Devils, as you have ; yet fuch fubtil Serpents as you are will prefume to fay that God hath given you a more fure Word of Prophecy, when as that Saying was never fpoken to you, being the Seed cf the Serpent, but it was given to the Apoflles, and to the Be- lievers of their ,Do6trine, and it is given unto us the Wit- nefles of the Spirit, and to the Seed of Faith, who are given to believe the Do£trine and Declaration of the true God, and fo they underftand the Scriptures, and know them, becaufe they have believed our Report. Alfo, you fay you fhould highly tempt God if you fliould liften to any Infinuations or pretended Difcoveries of his Will befides what is therein con- tained. As to that I fay, you have highly tempted God, in that you did not liften unto us the Prophets and WitnefTes, and Meftengers of God, who only can interpret the Scriptures, and dilcover the Will of God which is contained in the Scriptures, ihough you call us Infinuators, and our Difcove- ries but pretended, but all Prophets were ferved fo by the Seed of the Serpent ; therefore it is now new Thing for us, the Witneffes of the Spirit, to be called fo by that Generation of wife and prudent IVJen, that think they know moie than the Prophets and Apoftles do ; nay, they think that they know more than God himfelf, and yet the moft biindeft in fpiritual Matters in the true Knowledge of the Scriptures of any, but in the Matters of the World fo fubtil and cunning that none can go beyond them, but as dark as Pitch in any true Know- ledge concerning eternal Life. Sixthly^ You advife the Captain to poife therefore, in the Balance of a fmcere Judgment, the Expreflions contained in "thpfe Books, and if he find not a direct Repugnancy therein to the unerring Rule of Righteoufnefs. Anjwer, To this I fay, God gave you no fincere Judgment in the Scriptures, nor in thofe Books, neither do you know the unerring Ruk^" of Righteoufnefs, fo that you are very unfit to poife in the Balance the Scriptures of Truth, and thofe Books J for if you had known the Scriptures of Truth, you would [ 271 ] would h^ve known thofe Books to be Truth alfo, aifid no diredt Repugnancy againft one another, but a fweec Agree- ment •, for the Scriptures of Truth are a fealed Book, and thofe Books of ours arc the breaking open of the S^al, that the Seed of Faith may fee the Truth and Treafure written within tl'c- Scriptures ; but the Serpent-Seed thinks himfelf fo wife, as if he couki tell or know God from the Devil, Truth from Error, and Truth to be Error, and Error to be Truth. This was always the Pradice of the Seed of the Serpent ; ic was the Piaflice of the Jews to the Prophets of old, and thofe Serpents to Chrift^ and afterwards to his Apoftles, and the Seed of the Serpent, fuch as you are, doth practice the fame Thing now to us the WitnefTes of the Spiiit ; yet I would have you to know it doth not lye in the Captain's Power, nor yours neither, to poife in the Balance the Scripture and thofe Books, neither of you being chofen for fuch a great "Work i for who (hall judge of Prophets Revelation and Doftrine ? None wiU'prefume to do it but the Seed of the Serpent. Experience hath fhewed me the Truth of this, — for many hundred of your Seed h'ave faid as much to me as you have faid, whereby they have been put in the Balance of eternal Damnation, and the Seed of Faith being but few, have been put in the Balance of eternal Life ; for this Com- miflion hath weighed you all in the Balance, and you the Seed of the Serpent have been found too light in the Balance ; for God hath chofen every true Prophet to w^igh in the Balance, fo that it doth not belong to you, nor no Man upon the Earth at this Day, to be the Judge of us the Witnefles of the Spirit, but God only ; for v/e only know the unerring Rule of Righteoufnefs, and can poife in the Balance of the Scripture the Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Ser- pent ; and as you have done by our Books, fo have 1 done by you, 1 have put you in the Balance among the Reprobate Seed, and you are found too light, notwithftanding you think your Wifdom and Knowledge in the Scripture to be true Light ; but it being the Wifdom of Reafon the Devil, and not the Light and Wifdom of Faith, which is of God, it will be found the greateft Foliy and Darknefs of all, becaufc it [ ^71 ■] it led you forth to defpife and fpeak evil of as pure a Truth \ as ever was fpoken by Prophet or Apoftle. Seventhly^ You would have it demonftrated to your Un- derftanding what we fay to be of the Spirit, and in Cafes of this Nature you muft be dealt withal as a rational Creature, and not as a Brute. /infzver. I would a(k you this Queflion, Whether Mofes, the Prophets, Chrifi and Apoftlcs, did direct their Speech or Writings to rational Creatures, or to Brutes ? Surely the Pro- phets MefTages and the Apoftles Epiftles were fpoken to rationaJ Men and Women, and not to brute Beafts. — And have you been dealt withal as a Brute, and not as a rational Man ? Are thofe Books and Papers which you have perufed fo uncouth, as if they were more fit to be read to Brutes than to rational Creatures ? Do not thofe Books and Papers fpeak as good Senfe as any other Writings whatfoever ? And do not thofe Books and Papers interpret the Scriptures more than any W^ritings whatfoever ? If you were not Stone-blind in fpiritual Matters, you would have feen it, fo have you not been dealt withal as a rational Man, as well as others have been ; nay, the more clearer the Seed of the Serpent have Life and Salvation propounded to them, or fet before them, the more he defpifeth it ; for I mud tell, you were not worthy to look into thofe Books, for they cofb you nothing but your Labour to read them, which if you have not liked them, you might have returned t-hem back again -, but Truth was always counted by the Serpent not worth the reading, but the Seed of Faith thought nothing too dear for Truth, but was willing, as Chriji faid, to for- fake all for the Truth's Sake •, but the wife and fubtil Ser- pents will not part with a Penny for Truth, though they know Books cannot be printed for nothing — But however it is well, fur every one muft ad; according to the Seed, the Seed they are of, either towards eternal Life, or eternal Damnation — Alfo I do wonder how you, that are of the Seed of the Serpent, would have us to demonftrate to your Underftanding that which we fay we had from the Spirit. To this I fay, it is as much demonflrated to you as to any others, and yet others believe it, and have the AlTu ranee cf eternal [ ^73 ] eternal Life by it, and you, and fuch as you are, through your Unbelief, eternal Damnation by it j for we the Witnelfes of the Spirit are made a fweet Savour unto God both in them that are faved, in thofe that arc damned •, and what Demon- ftration would you have more than the Declaration of the true God in his Form and Nature, with the Interpretation of many myftical Things in the Scriptures, which all the wife and learned Men in the World cannot unfold ; but I know by Experience, that the Serpent's Seed doth look more at feme vifible Miracle, and yet they read in the Scriptures that the greateft Prophet that was born of Woman did no Miracles i, fo are we dealt with by the Serpents in this laft Age, though our Dodlrine and Declaration be more fpiritual and heavenly than thofe that went before us, we being the Witneffes of the Spirit •, yet becaufe we do no outward Miracles, we are counted by the Reprobate Seed to be falfe Prophets, De- ceivers and Liars, fo that we cannot demonftrate to the Devil Underftanding by any vifible Sign that we are fent by the Spirit of God ; but Time will make it manifeft to your eter- nal Pain and Shame. Eighthly, You fay, if you muft receive that for Truths or this or that Man that faith he hath a Revelation, you muft necef^rily then kt your Faith languifh after every Man's Re- velation J and here you fay am I a poor Soul bewildered. Anfwer. To this I fay, there is no knowing of any Revela- tion to be true, but by believing of it. Did any know Af<7/?i Revelation to be true in that Time, but thofe that believed him ? Did any of thofe Pharifees and Sadducees, that came tojobn's Baptifm, believe that John was a MelTenger of Chnji ? Did any of the Scribes and Pharifees and Hypocrites believe that Chrifi was the Son of God ? Yet they heard that John the Baptijl had Revelation to declare that Chrifi was the Son of •God, notwithftanding he fpake nothing elfe but Revelation ; yet thefe had heard of him before, but faw no Sign by either of them both, but others that believed their Revelation, not expecting a Sign, they did fee Signs alfo. So that believing the Declaration of Men that are living is the only Way to eftablifh the Soul, for there is no true Reft to the Soul but in pinning their Faith upon that Man's N n Sleeve [^74] Sleeve that hath aCommiffion from God, and his Revelation mutt needs be true, and happy are thofe that venture their Souls upon it •, but tlie Seed of the Serpent thinks himfelf fo wife, that he will allow of no Revelation in himfelf, neither will he hearken to him that hath a Revelation, for fear his Soul Ihould be bewildered ; for the Devil not knowing what Revelation is, he will be fo wife and cunning that he will neither be received with God nor with Man j and this is your Condition, you will not hearken to this or that Man's Revelation, though it be never fo true, left your Soul fhould be bewildered. But inftead of your Soul being bewildered, I am fure your Soul is bewitched with Ignorance and Darknefs in the Scrip- tures ; you think you fee, but are ftark blind, and have Ears, but are deaf as an Adder : But it was always fo with the Seed of the Serpent, for they always thought themfelves fo wife, that they could tell whether Prophets or Apoftles Revelations were true or no, but they were always miftaken, for they ever defpifed and perfecuted them for it, even as you do by me and my Revelation. Ninthly^ Here you fay, oh ! Sir, your Soul grieves within you that thofe poor Souls, meaning us that wrote thofe Books, fhould be involved in fuch ft range Delufions ; cer- tainly, you lay, a greater Judgment cannot be from the Lord here. Jnfwer. Here you do by us as the Devils did by Chrift^ they pitied and ftiaked their Heads at him when he went to fuffer, as if they did grieve that he fliouid fuffer, but they thought within themfelves that he fuffered for his Fault ♦, that is, they thought he was a Blafphemer, a Deceiver, a Liar, and took too high Things upon him, and fo was under a great Judgment of God. Do not you do the fame Things by us the Witnefles of the Spirit ? ' You fay your Soul grieves within you that we poor People, as you call us, fliould be involved in fuch ftrong Delufions. I marvel how you, being the Seed of Reafon, came to know what a ftrong Delufion is, when you never was in the Truth, for you never did know Truth in your Life ; for I muft tell you, it is not the reading of the Scriptures will give you to know Truth, [ ^75 ] Truth, except there be a true Interpreter ordained of God, which I am fure you never heard none ; but true Prophets and true Interpreters of the Scriptures were always counted by the Seed ot the Serpent to be ftrong Delufions. Therefore it is no new Thing for us to be called fo by you, who are a fubti! Serpent ; and as for a greater Judg- ment from the Lord, there cannot be here. To this I fay fo to -, and further 1 fay, that if wc, that^ wrote thofe Books and Papers, be ftrongly deluded, or if we be Deluders, then I fay, let the Judgment of God be upon us here and hereafter ; but if we be true Meflengers and chofen WitnefTes of God, as we know we are, then I fay it had been good for you, and fuch as you are, that you had never been born •, and a greater Judgment cannot be from the Lord than there is upon your Underftanding, for God hath given you up to numbering Eyes, that you might dc- fpife the Light of Heaven, fo that you might ftumble and fall into the Pit of eternal Damnation. Tenthly^ You fay it were worth the Enquiry by what Me- thod and Wiles the Devil doth thus infatuate poor Creatures. Anfwer. Here you fhew yourfelf a Devil, in that you do not know what the Devil is, nor the Method and Wiles by which he doth infatuate or deceive poor Creatures ; for this I mufl: tell you, that the Devil is always miftaken in him- felf, for he always looks upon the Devil to be fome ugly Thing or Spirit without him, when as indeed your own Soul is the Devil, and that you (hall find one Day ; and the Imagination of your own Heart hath infatuated your poor Soul, which hath made your Wits to go in this Method, as to defpife and blafpheme againft the Dodtrine of the true God, by us the Witnefl'es of the Spirit. Eleventhly^ You fay, let me fuggcft my Thoughts to you herein : Is it not likely, fay you, that the firft Entrance into this Snare, was the Perpetration of fome Confcience- wafting Sin which followed the Sinner, that no Reft could be ob- tained, till it caft off the Word and other Ordinances. Anfwer. Your fuggefted Thoughts in this particular, is no other but the Suggeftions of the Devil, for your Thought therein doth proceed from your lying Imagination j for we N n 2 the [ z>j6 ] the Witneffes of the Spirit never committed any Sin, where- by the Peace of our Confcience could be any Ways wafted ♦, for this I muft: tell you, that God never chofe any to be Pro- phets to declare his Mind, but fuch as had efcaped the Pollu- tions of the Flefh ; and if we had not been kept innocent, God would never have chofen us to be his Meffengers •, and this is the greatefl: Comfort we have in this World, that we can juftly fay we never did this or that Evil in the Days of our Ignorance, much lefs fince we were chofen of God ; and this is the very Caufe, that I have, and do tread upon the Heads of the Serpents, by Virtue of my Innocency, and the CommiiTion of God. I am made as a Wall of Brafs againft: many hundred of Devils, and have call them down wiih the two-edged Sword of the Spirit that is put into my Mouth ; fo that they have, and fhall fall into the bottomlefs Pit of eternal Damnation, into which Place you muft go ; and as for our attaining no Reft until we had caft off the Word and other Ordinances; Anfwer. To this I fay, no Man doth own the Word (if you mean the Scriptures) more than we do, for no Man in the World doth truly know the Word but us, and thole Books will teftify the fame -, neither do we caft off any Ordi- nances, neither of God, nor of Man ; for we know what Ordinances God hath fet up now in thefe laft Days, and we follow and practice them, and have Reft and Peace in it •, but you have none, becaufe you are a traditional Follower of the Ordinances of the Apoftles •, and inftead of entring into this Snare, as you call it, it will prove a Snare Co you, and it will be juft like Peters Net, which catched many Fifhes, and the good he picked out, and the bad he caft away : So it is with the Commiffion of the Spirit, it is as a Net or a Snare that is fet or laid to catch the Seed of Faith, and fo they are brought Home unto God, and happy are they that are caught. So likewife the Seed of the Serpent, they are caught in this Snare, and they are caft away even, like the bad Fifhes, that is, they are caft into the Pit of utter Darknefs, where is weeping and gnafliing of Teeth for evermore ; and this Snare are you fallen into by your defpifing thofe Books and Papers. It would have been belter for you, but not much^ if I ^77 ] if yon had never feen them at all, you would have been- damned before, but you would not have known for what ; but now you will know for what you are damned to Eternity for, and in this Regard it had been better you had never fcen the Writings at ail. Twelfibly, You fay, let the firft Broachers of thefe wild Notions, as you call them, deal ingenuoufly with God and the World, and he will confefs, if I be not miftaken, that there is fome wide Gafh in his Confcience, which he labours to drefs up with thefe fuper-celeftial, if not diabolical No- tions. jinfwer. To this I anfwer, I do acknowledge that we, the Witneffes of the Spirit, were the firft Broachers of thefe wild Notiens, as you call them ; and I do ingenuoufly confefs, that there is no wider Gafh in my Confcience than there was before, nor fo much -, for my Confcience is as truly juftified in declaring thefe wild Notions, as you call them, as ever Mofes^ the Prophets and Apoftles were in broaching their Do6lrine. You would have called their Doftrine wild No- tions if you had lived in that Time, as you do mine, for they did meet with the fame Serpents in their Time as I do now ; neither do I drefs up my Confcience with thofe fuper- celeftial, if not diabolical Notions, as you call them ; it would be well for you if they were diabolical Notions, but you will find them to be as true as Truth itfelf, they being broach by the Spirit of Truth, therefore you are much mif- taken indeed, for the Devil is always miftaken in the Things of Eternity, and never certain in fpiritual Knowledge ; for, as I faid before, he always calls God a Devil, and the Devil God ; Truth he calls wild Notions, and the Imaginations of Reafon, from the Letter of the Scriptures, you call the Or- dinances of God. And this I am fure, all the Notions that fhall arife from the Imaginations of Reafon, and Study of the Letter of the Scriptures, fhall never drefs up the Gafti in your Confcience which you have made, by fpeaking evil of Things you know not ; for you have fuch a Galh cut in your Soul by the two-edged Sword of the Spirit that is put into my Mouth, that there will be no Balm in Gilead to be had to cure you, fo that it will not be whole to Eternity •, and I fhall [ ^78 ] (hall deal ingenuoufly with you, that are of the World, that I am juftified of God, and in my own Confcience too. Thirteenth y You fay it is the Captain* s Duty and yours to ftand in the old Way, and to repair to the Law, and to the Tefti monies ; therein, fay you, we have eternal Life, becaufc they teftify Chrijl Jefus. Anfwer. As^or the true old Way, I think the Captain nor you didJcnSwj for how could you poffibly know the true old Way without a true Preacher ? And as for your repairing to the Law, and to the Teftimony, that you cannot do, becaufe you know not what they are, only you have got thofe Words out of the Scriptures, but know nothing truly what is meant by the Law and Teftimony i for whofoever did repair to the Law and Teftimony, they were to be tried by fome.com- miftionated Man that was appointed thereunto •, fo that God hath given the Law and Teftimony into our Hand, who are the Witnefles of the Spirit, and you are to be tried by us, both the Captain and you alfo. And I do find by the Law and the Teftimonies, that you deferve to be damned to Eter- nity i for you muft not think, that becaufe you read the Scriptures, and find fuch Words there ; I fay, you muft not think that you can try Prophets by the Law and Teftimonies, when as you were never chofen of God for fuch a Work ; neither do you know what the Law and Teftimony is •, though they do teftify of Jefus, yet wiJl not you find eternal Life by them, becaufe you have judged and defpifcd thofe whom God hath chofen, anointed, and fealed, to be the Interpreters of the Law and Teftimony ; therefore your repairing to the Law, and to the Teftimony now, will fignify but little Be- nefit to you ; fo that now you are in the old Way of your Father Cain. Fourteenth, You fay, and his Promife, he that doth his Will, fhali know of his Dodrine, whether it be of God or Man. Anfwer. That is as true a Saying of yours, that he that doth God*s Will, fhall know his Doftfine ; but you never did know his Will, therefore you know not his Dodrine, whether it be of God or Man ; neither are thofe Promifes in Scripture made to the Seed of the Serpent, fuch as you are ; but [ ^19 ] but the Promifes in the Scriptures were made to the Seed of Faith, who are made to behevc God's MefTengers ; and fo they come to know God and his Dodlrine \ for the Dodrine of Man cannot declare what the tnje God is in his Form and Nature, and thofe Books do, which you fo much defpife •, but there can be expc(5led no better from that Seed you are of. tifteenth. Alfo you fay, what fliall we think of thofe pre- cious Souls, who have fpent themfelves for us in the Lord ; you name Hooker, Cotton, Helder/ham, Marjhall, Burroughs, and Simpfon. Thefe you fay taught us, and brought us another Dodrine than is contained in your Papers. Anfwer. You may think what you will of them, I know them to be falfe Minifters, and their Dodrine to be falfe alfo, becaufe they had no Commiflion from God to be Mi- nifters of the Gofpel j for he that preaches without a Com- milTion from God, cannot preach true Dodtrine ; and as for fome of thofe precious Souls, as you call them, I know them to be damned Devils-, xh^ii Cotton, I iuppoie, wzs oi New England, and that Holland Smpfon, I fuppofe you mean, was of thofe precious Souls that fpent themfelves for you ; it was but the Devil that fpent himfelf for the Devil, for that Cotton I know to be damned to Eternity •, there is none of the others will efcape you fpeak of, before they were fent, though we the WitnefTes of the Spirit did not pafs the Sentence of eternal Damnation upon them all ; yet they taking upon them to preach the Gofpel without a Commiflion from God, though much Good may be done by it ; yet it will be faid unto them by the Lord Jefus^ Depart from me ye workers of iniquity, I know you not ; for ChriJ^ will know none but thofe he hath fent J and as for that Cotton, I am as certain that Man will be damned to Eternity as Cain and Judas ; if they efcape, then he fhall •, and as for the other of your gracious Souls, as you call them, muft to Damnation alfo, for preaching with- out a Commiflion from God, becaufe we, the Witneflts of the Spirit, did not pafs the Sentence of Damnation upon them, as we did upon Cotton ; fo they have not the Seal of it as he had, yet thiry were all falfe, and taught a falfe Dodlrine : For this I muft: tell you, that no Man can teach or preach true Dodrine, [ ^t> ] Doftrine, but he that is fent of God ; and thofe gracious Souls, as you call them, did bring, as you fay, another Do6trine than what is contained in thofe Books and Papers j for how can a Man preach true Dodtrine, who knows not the true God, nor the right Devil i for thefe Men you fpeak of, their DotStrine which they brought in, was their own lying Imagination, which they did imagine out of the Letter of the Scriptures, merely from the Strength of Reafon, even as a Tradefman doth his Trade ; and as Tradefmen deceive others that are not fkilful in that Art, fo did thefe Men become De- ceivers by their Do6trine, and you and the Captain, with many Hundreds more, were deceived by them, for all the Hearers of them, fo long as they followed them, were, and are as blind as Beetles in any fpiritual and heavenly Matters; neither hath God forbid them to be Deceivers, nor you from being deceived by them •, for the Blind hath led the Blind, and you will both fall into the Ditch of eternal Deftrudion ; and as we and our Doftrine fhall enter into our Matter's Joy, becaufe we did not go before we were fent, but have been faithful to declare the Truth, as it is in Jefus, the only wife God, bleflfed for ever. 1 have fpoken of moft of the chief Things contained in your Letter, concerning your wicked Speeches againft as pure Truth as ever was fpoken by Prophet or Apoftle •, for you would have faid as much by them, if you had been living in their Times, as you do by us the Prophets of the Spirit •, but I perceive you think to deal with Prophets as you do with Priefts of the Nation -, you can fpeak evil, and find Fault with them and their Dodrine when they pleafe not your Humour •, and when they fpeak any Thing from the Letter of the Scriptures that pleafeth you, you are good Friends again *, fo that the Shepherd and his Dodlrine muft be judged by his Sheep. This hath been theCuftom of formal Chriftians ever fince the ten Perfecutions •, but you muft not think to do fo by Prophets that have aCommilTion from God ; for he is no true Minifter of the Gofpel that hath no Power to pro- nounce thofe blefTed that receive his Dodtrine, and thofe curfed to Eternity that defpife it ; therefore this Doftrine and Com- miflion of ours will feem ftrange to the Seed of the Serpent, for [ a8i ] for little did you think, when you met with tliofe Books and Papers,' that you met with Men that have Authority from God ; neither do we fpeak or write as the Scribes, viz. as the Priefts and Speakers of the Nation ; therefore, becaufe you fhall know that there is a true Prophet in Englandy to give Judgment upon defpifing Spirits, in that you have blaf- phemed again ft the Holy Spirit that fent us •, for whofoever receiveth him that is fent, receiveth him that fent him, even God •, fo, on the contrary, he that defpileth a Prophet, de- fpifeth him that fent him, even the Spirit of the Lord Jeftts ; which Thing you have done, and that in a high Nature, in calling the Dodrine, contained in thofe Books and Papers, erroneous, ftrong Delufions, and the Wiles of the Devil, wild Notions, diabolical Notions, with many more wicked Speeches, as I have before mentioned. Therefore, in Obedience unto my Commiflion, for thefe your wicked and hard Speeches againft the Doftrine of Truth declared by us, the WitnefTes of the Spirit, I do pronounce you curfed and damned, both in Soul and Body, from the Prefence of God, eledl Men and Angels, to Eternity. Deliver yourfelf from it if you can. ' Written hy Julj II, 1664. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. O o A Copy [ ^8a ] A Copy and hateth thee that fent me. Alfo I have had Experience of the Prophet 'Jeremiah'^ Condition, Jer. ii. Ver. 19. I know not that they had devifed Devifes againft me, faying. Let us dejtroy the tree, with the fruit thereof-, that is, let us deftroy this Muggleton and his Doftrine, 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 feveral De- vifes againft me, faying in their Hearts, Let us deftroy the Tree, with the Fruit thereof 5 and let us cut this Muggleton off from the Land of the Living, that his Name may be na more remembered. Every true Prophet is the Tree, and his? Do(5lrine is the Fruit thereof. The Reprobate, the Seed of the Serpent, cannot endure that any Man fliould eat of the Tree of Life, and live for ever j the Serpent would have all to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as him- felf doth, therefore he devifes how to deftroy the Tree, that iG, the Prophet, and the Fruit thereof, that none of the Seed of Faith might receive his Dodlrine, that is, eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Life, and live for ever ; therefore it is that the Seed of the Serpent hath devifed Devifes againft me, to deftroy me and my Writings, which is the Fruit, that I mighc be cut off from the Land of the Living, that my Name may- be no more remembered ; that is, if wicked Men could but deftroy 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, becaufe then none could believe me. Thus I have been compaffed about with wicked ungod- ly Men, and fometimes witii fubtil Serpents, who hath had many Devifes againft me, to deftroy me and my Writings -, but the God of my Salvation hath delivered me out of their Hands hitherto, that my Life is yet preferved ; and the Lord God of Truth, that judgeth righteoufly, that trieft the Reins and the Heart, let me fee thy Vengeance on them that arc thy Enemies as well as mine ; for unto thee have I revealed my Caufe, and fiiall wait on thee for the Execution of thy Wrath upon thofe wicked, ignorant, blind-dark Devils, that ^ hath hath not (o 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 thefe late Years I have been compafled about with wicked Men more than heretofore, yet I have given lefs Caufe of late than before -, but as the Saints hath increafed, fo hath mine Enemies increafed more and more. I have writ thefe Lines unto you becaufe you did beg them of me, becaufe it is feven Years fmce you received a Letter from me, fo that I could not well deny your Keqiieft ; fo I have prefented thefe Lines unto you for your further Cpnfolation, with my Love to you alfo. I take Leave, and refi your Friend in the true Faith of the true God, PoJ}ern, near Moor-lane, London, Juguji 26, 1676. LoDOWICKE MuGGLETON. Lodowkke MuggletonV LETTER to Robert Peirce, concerning the Holy Ghoji. Loving Friend Robert Peirce, 1 Received a Letter from you, dated July 9, 1680, wherein I perceived you received a Letter from me, and that you being not at Home, but your Brother was, and through the Ignorance or the Covetoufnefs of your Brother, the Letter was carried back again, for want of one Penny more than iifually the Pofl: hath 5 it was very weakly done, for Pofts will not abate any Thing of what the Letter is marked, fo that the Letter is abfolutely loft, except you go to the Poft- houfe in Taunton^ and afk for a Letter fo long ago, direded to Robert Peirce, at St, Jameses m Taunton 5 it was a large Letter, [ 5^7 ] Letter, but it was not from me, it was from a Friend of mine, his Name is Alexander Delamainey from the Three To- bacco-pipes on Bread- fir eet-hill^ Tobacconill j he wrote that Letter to you. The other Thing of Concernmer^t in your Letter is, you defire me to fhew you the Meaning of two Places in Scrip- ture, which I perceive you would defire to know, in what Scnfe you may believe and fatisfy your Mind, Whether the Holy Ghoft did defcend upon Chrifi, when he was baptized of John, in a bodily Shape really ? Or whether it is to be underftood in feme other Senfe ? To which I anfwer and fay. That the Holy Ghoft that defcended in a bodily Shape on Chrifi like a Dove, it was really fo ; for when all the People were baptized of John, Chrjfi being the laft that was baptized of John at that Time ; and z.iitxjejus was baptized he prayed, and the heavens were opened^ and the Holy Ghoft defcended in a bodily Shape, like a dove, and it lighted upon him. Now to give you to underftand that none faw this Holy Ghoft defcend upon Chrift in a bodily Shape like a Dove, but Chrift himfelr and John the Baptift \ neither did any Per- fon fee the Heavens open, nor heard the Voice from Heaven, which faid, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleafed : I fay no Perfon did fee the Heavens open, nor hear the Voice, but Chrift, and John the Baptift. Now it may be rejected, whether that Voice was from that bodily Shape like a Dove, that was upon Chrift, or from fome other Perfon in Heaven, To which I anfwer, the Voice from Heaven was not from that which appeared in a bodily Shape like a Dove, the Voice was from Elias, that was in Heaven, and it was he which faid. Thou art my well-beloved Son, in thee I am well pleafed, Luke iii. Ver. 22. This was the fame Elias that fpake here, that fpake the fame Words in Matthew xvii. Ver. 3. And behold there appeared unto them Mofes and Elias talking with Chrift. And in the 5th Verfe, While be was yet fpeaking, a bright cloud overftjadowed them (that is) Peter, James and John ; and behold a voice out of the cloud, which faid. This is my beloved Son, in whom 1 am well pleafed, hear ye him. Here it is clear, that Elias a6led his Part in Heaven as God the the Father of Chrifi^ while Chrifi that was God became Flefh, or God manifeft in the Flefh : While he went that long and fore Journey here upon Earth, it was of great Neceflity that he Hiould put a faithful Governor in Heaven to reprefent the Perfon of the Father, and he invefted him with all Power in Heaven above while he pafled through Death, and quickned into Life again, and afcended up into the fame Glory which he had before the World was. Here you that have Faith may fee the bright Cloud that brought Mofes and Elias from Heaven, and that the Pre- fence of them talking with Chrifi caufed his Face to fliine as the Sun, and his Raiment was as white as the Light ; and this bright Cloud carried Mofes and Elias to Heaven again, which Cloud, as it afcended up to Heaven, it overfhadowed Peter ^ James and John, and CJjrifi himfelf ; and out of this Cloud as it did afcend Elias fpake through the Cloud ; fo that James, Peier and John, and Chrifi himfelf, heard the Voice out of the Cloud, which faid. This is wy beloved Son, in whom I am ivell pleafed, hear ye him. This Voice confirmed P^/^r, James and John in their Faith, that Chrifi was indeed the Son of God •, but Chrifi charged them to tell no Man the Vifion until he was rifen from the Dead ; neither did they tell it to any Man, until afterwards they told it to Matthew^ Mark, Luke, and others, for none of the Evangel ifts nor Epiftles were written until after Chrifi was rifen and afcended : So that none faw this bright Cloud, nor heard Mofes and Elias Voice but thefe three, Peter, James and John, and Chrifi himfelf ; and no Man faw the Holy Ghoft defcend in a bodily Shape like a Dove upon Chrifi, but John the Baptifi^ and Chrifi himfelf -, yet Matthew and Luke, that never faw any fuch Thing, they muft write and publifh it by Revela- tion, which is as it were at the fecond Hand, yet ought to be believed, as if God himfelf had fpoken to every Man in particular. And why the Holy Ghoft did appear in a bodily Shape like a Dove ? It was only to fignify the Innocency of his Perfon, and Innocency of his Practice, and innocent Adlions, that there ihould be no guile found in his mouth ; and to confirm John in his Meflfage, %vhofe fhos-latchets he was not worthy [ 3^9 1 vjorlhy to unloofe. And this is to be minded, that Ellas be- ing immortalized of God, before God became Flefli feveral hundred Years ; but when Time appointed was come for God to fulfil the Promife made to Adam, and was expeded by Enoch, Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, and the Prophets^ that the feed of the woman Jloould break the ferpent^s head -, which {hould be done no other Way, but in that God became Flefh ; fo that Chriji is very God became Flelh, as the Scrip- ture faith. Now upon this wonderful Myftcry, before God did be- come Flefh, he did ordain, appoint and inveft Elias with Power and Glory, and Majefty, to fit in the Throne of God as God, on the fame Throne of Glory as he himfelf was in before he became Flefh ; fo that Elias did govern the Heavens above, and watch over Chri/i^s Perfon as God the Father, all that Time that God was become Flefh, until he afcended into the fame Glory which he had before the World was. And when the Holy Ghofl; doth defcend upon a Perfon or Perfons, as it did upon ChriJI m a bodily Shape like a Dove, it was to endue him with an extraordinary Power above all other Men, that have the Gift of the Holy Ghofl in a bodily Shape like a Dove. It did impower, or give Power to Chriji after he was baptized of John, to increafe in Wifdom, Know- ledge, Patience and Meeknefs, above all, and did impower him to work Miracles, to open the Eyes of the Blind, the Lame to walk, and Dumb to fpeak, and the Dead to be raifed, which no Man elfe could do : This Power was given to Chriji when he was baptized of the Holy Ghofl, that de- fcended upon him in a bodily Shape like a Dove ; and Elias being in the Glory of the Father, fent his Appearance like a Dove upon Chriji, he being then in the Condidon of a Creature, though without Sin : For this is to be minded, that Chriji never did any Miracle till after the defcending of the Holy Ghofl upon him, then it was he received his Com- mifTion from Heaven, to teach and preach, and work Mi- racles, Signs and Wonders -, fo that where the Holy Ghofl doth appear in any vifible Form, one or more, it is becaufc fome great and mighty Work is to be done by that Perfon or Perfons to whom this vifible Appearance of the Holy U u Gholt [ 33© ] Ghoft is prefented, as you may fee, A^s ii. Ver. 3. When the Apoftles were met together, and were to receive their Commifiion to preach from Heaven, as Chrijl had told them before he was afcendcd, that he would endue them with Power from on high ; and now he is afcended into the Glory of the Father again, he fendeth the Holy Ghoft in the vifible Shape or Cloven tongues^ like unto fire-, and this Holy Ghoit fat upon each of the twelve Apoftles, as in the third Verfe, And there appeared unto tbem cloven tongues like unto fire, and it fat upon each cf them ; and the fourth Verfe, And they were filled with the Holy Ghoft ^ and began to /peak with other tongues^ as the fpirii ga'ue them utterance. Here you may fee, that when Chnjt was afcended into the Glory of the Father again, the fame Glory which h« had left with Elias while he became Flefh, and in the Condition of a Creature. I fay, when he afcended into that Glory again, he fent the Holy Ghoft to fit upon each of them like cloven tongues of fire. Now mind, no Perfon faw the vifible Shape of thefe cloven tongues like of fire, but the twelve Apoftles, who were commiflionated, but they declared it to others. Here we fee thefe cloven Tongues of Fire was the Holy Ghoft, which Chrifi fent from Heaven to impower them to preach the Gofpel to all Nations, and to fpeak with other Tongues, which they never were taught nor learned in, and to work Miracles ; and fo, many Signs and Wonders were wrought by them, to be plain, thefe cloven Tongues, as of Fire, was the Holy Ghoft, which gave the twelve Apoftles their Commifiion to do thefe Things aforefaid. Now obferve, when Elias was in the Glory of the Father, he fent the Holy Ghoft in the vifible Shape of a Dove, and it defcended upon Chrifi really in that Form beforefaid, but the Holy Ghoft that Chrifi fent down from Heaven, when he was in the Glory of the Father, it defcended and fat upon the Apoftles, in the viftble Shape and Form, was cloven tongues like unto fire ; yet both thefe Shapes are called the Holy Ghoft, which did impower both Chrifi to ad: thofe Miracle?, and the Work of Redemption for the eledl Seed, and did enable him to fuffer the Pains of Death, and to quicken I [ 331 3 quicken out of Death, and to rife again, and to afcend into Heaven : And the Apoftles were enabled by the Holy Ghoft, which fat upon them like clovfn tongues as it were of fire , to preach Life and Salvation to the World by this Jejus^ who fuffcred Death, and roie again, and afcended up into Heaven, whereof they were WitnelTes ; and thefe eleven tongues as of fire was a viiible Shape to the Apoftles. Now to fatisfy you further, this Holy Ghoft that de- fcended upon Chriji^ in the Shape of a Dove, nor that Holy Ghoft that defcended upon the Apoftles in the Shape of cloven tongues like fire. I fay, this Holy Ghoft was not God, but proceeded from God •, and Elics being in the Throne and Place of God, he had Power to fend the Holy Ghoft in the Shape of a Dove. And when Chrift was in his Throne again, he had Power to fend the Holy Ghoft on the twelve Apoftles, like cloven Tongues as of Fire •, for the Perfon of God never was in the Form of a Dove, nor in the Form of cloven Tongues like Fire, but his Perfon was in the Form of a Man from all Eternity ; therefore it is that he made man in his own likenefs. Therefore I fay, let not any Man imagine that this Holy Ghoft was God, and fo ground three Perfons in the Trinity, as the blind Realbn in Man doth -, for God's Perfon was always in the Form and Shape aforefaid. Some may fay, what then is that which is called the Holy Ghoft ? To which I anfwer, that this Holy Ghoft fpoken of in the Scripture, is the Spirit of God, and doth proceed from God ; fo that every true Believer may be faid to receive the Holy Ghoft, or to have the Spirit of God in him, becaufc he btlieveth the Report of thofe that have either the Spirit of Prophefy or Revelation, or that hath the Holy Ghoft by Way of Vifion, as Chrifi had, and the Apoftles had in a more extraordinary Manner •, for he that hath the Spirit of Prophefy, Revelation, or Infpiration, hath a great Meafure of the Holy Ghoft in him, but not fo large a Meafure as thofe that receive the Holy Ghoft by vifible Appearances. Now all this doth come by receiving the Holy Ghoft, which is called the Spirit of God. U u 2 • And [ 532. ] And when this Wlfdom and Knowledge arifeth in Man's 1-ieart fecretly, as beforelaid, it is not for fuch outward vi- fible publick Work as it did to Chrijl and the Apofties. Likewife Stephen was a Man full of the Holy Ghoft, but he was filled with the Holy Ghoft by fccrct Infpiration and Revelation -, and (o it is faid that David by the Holy Ghofi: did prophefy concerning Chriji^ but this was fecret hkev/ife, A^s viii. Ver. 15. Peter ar.d John prayed, and the people received the Holy Ghofi, for as yet the Holy Ghofb was not fallen upon none of them; and the 17th Verfe, nen laid they their hands on them, and they received the Hcly Ghofi \ and in the 19th Verfe, one Simon profered Peter and John Money, faying, Give me alfo this pozvsr, that on whomfoever 1 lay my hands, they may receive the Holy Ghofi. Here you may fee, that Peter and John^ that were in the State of Mortality, had Power to give the Holy Ghoft on whom they laid their Hands. If mortal Men, that received their Com miflion and Power from Chrifi, the only Cod, when he had pafled through Death, and afcended into the fame Glory, could give the Holy Ghoft to whom they laid their Hands on, why fhould it feem ftrange to any Man, that Elias^ who was immor- talized and glorified, who fat in the Throne of the Father, €ven of God, while Chrifi the God went that far Journey in the Flefh ; it may well be called far, for it was from Heaven to this vile Earth ; was he not able to give the Holy Ghoft in a bodily Shape upon Chrift like a Dove, being then in the State of Mortality, and he in the State of Immortality and Glory ? And by the Power of this Holy Ghoft did Chrifi do all his Miracles when on Earth. \auguji 2; 16 So, LoDOwiCKE Muggleton; 7he ) I 533 3 T/je Prophet ReeveV Epiflle to his Friend^ dif covering the dark Light of the ^lakers j written in the Tear 1654, September 20. "Loving Friend^ CALLING to Mind the Letter thou readell to me, which was fent thee out of the Country, I am moved to prefent thefe Lines to the View of thy ponderous Spirit \ for as Words of Trudi, flowing from a real Foundation, drew forth Humility and Love to God and Man, from that Soul that hath received an hearing Ear, fo likewife thou mayft know the glittering Words proceeding from Man*s carnal Wifdom, is that which hath occafioned many Men to be exalted above Meafure, and to imagine himfelf fo eflen- tially united to the Divine Glory, that at length that Man hath been fo bewitched through the Adorations of Men and Women in deep Darknefs, with high Conceits of his own fpiritual Wifdom, 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 fay in his Heart and Tongue alfo, that there is no fpiritual God or perfonal Glory in the lead, but what is in Man only, notwithftanding, as fure as the Lord Je[us liveth, both he and all that is in him muft turn into filent Death and Dufb for a Moment i' yea, and would fo remain unto all Eternity, if there were not a diftind: perfonal Majefty living without Man, to raife him again to everlafting (enfible Glory or Shame, according to the Royal Pleafure of that God, that neither will nor can give his Glory to another. My dear Friend^ Be not deceived with Mens crafty Words, who have no true fpiritual Diftindlion in them ; for if any mortal Man have dwelling in him the eternal Spirit, all the Motions, Thoughts, [ 334 3 Thoughts, Words and Adions of that Man muft needs be as pure, holy and powerful as God himfclf, becaufe thou knoweft they proceed from a pure, holy, and glorious Spirit: But of the contrary, if thou perceiveft a Meafure of Light only abiding in thee, which thou in Mercy haft received from an everlafting Jefus without thee, then thou often feeft Dark- nefs in thee as well as Light ; for Light entred not into Sinners to make them fpiritual Gods one over another, but it Ihined into them to difcover their natural Enmity,- conti- nually warring againft a God of eternal Love towards them ; and not only fo, but to prevent alfo their former Darknefs from tyrannizing in them for ever, yea, and to confolate their eledl Brethren by their fpiritual Experiences. Wherefore, from a Divine Gift which I have freely received from an unerring Spirit, I fay unto thee, that thofe Men which labour to perfuade their Hearers, that if they diligently hearken to the Light that is in them, they may attain to fuch a Power, as to be dead in this Body from all Kind of in- ward Darknefs, Sin, or Evil, have uttered the falfeft Dodrine that ever was declared to Men. Moreover, if the Light of Life eternal be thy Guide, thou muft needs know then, it was neither the juftifying Light of Chriji within Man, no nor the Spirit of Chrijt without Man, that moved thofe Men to fpeak or write to the People j but it was their own lying Imagination which hurried them about to beget Profelytes to themfelves in the Man Chrijt Jefus's Stead, who alone is God ever all^ blejfed for ever and ever. Amen. He that is born of Godfinneth not ; that is, he is not left to his own Heart, to commit the unpardonable Sin of Unbe- lief in the true God, in defpifing the Spirit of Chriji Jefus, to be the only Lord God of his Salvation. He that believeth Jhall he faved., but he that believeth not is condemned already ; not becaufe he hath not believed in a God, or Chrifi that is within him, but becaufe he hath not believed in a perfonal God or Chrifi that is without him, whofe Divine Majefty is crowned with fuch immortal, bright, burning Glory, that if he did not veil his fiery Nature within his own bleffed Body, the Glory of it is fo tranfcendently infinite, that he in a Moment would confume all created Beings to Powder. He that that committed that Sin of calling God a Liar, which is the Sin of not believing in our Lord Jefus Chrifl as aforefaid, or he that maketh glorious Pretences of unfeigned Love to Chrifi and his 'tender-hearted People, and yet fecretly lietli under the Power of carnal Filthinefs ♦, fuch a Man is not only of his Father the Devil, (curfed Cain) but he alfo is a very Devil hlmfelf. He that faith he hath no fin in him, is a liar, and the truth is not in him -, that is, he that faith Chrifi is fo powerfully rifen in him, that all Motions, Thought and De- fire of Sin againft God or Man, is perfe6tly done away, that Man is an horrible Liar, and a deadly Enemy to all humble and broken hearted Saints ; for their natural rebellious war- ring againft the Light within them, and the Lord of Glory without them. Oh ! my precious Friend, for whom my Soul fpiritually travelleth, till thou art firmly eftablifhed with glo- rious Things which are eternal ; not with empty Notions proceeding from an imaginary God or Chrifi within Men, only which with Syrenian Songs is very pleafing to the carnal Ear, which may delude fome undifcerning Spirits for a Sea- fon, nor with pharifaical Looks, Sighs and Gro«ns, to be feen of Men, which is nothing elfe but the Effeds of Mens crafty Words and Geftures proceeding from Man's flefhly Wifdom, which is abominable in the Sight of our God, who is the Lord Jefiis Chrifi m the eternal Heavens above the Stars. My beloved Friend, Give me Leave a little to reafon with thee, about Things of the greateft Concernment: What excellent Truths above other Men haft thou heard from the chief Speakers of the fakers ? Didft thou ever hear them fpeak to the Pi-rpofe ? Or fpeak at all of any God or Lhrijl, but what is in Man only ? Or didft thou ever hear them fpeak of a bodily Glory and M'fery to come fenfibly to be enjoyed bynhe Saints m the higheil Heavens, and to be endured by the Serpents in this World at the Day of eternal Accounts ? Or doft thou fee the Image or Likenefs of the true Jefiis in that Miniftry ? The true and living 'J ejus rejed^d not the Company of Publicans and C 336 ] and Sinners, even when his Light appeared not in them % but on the contrary, do they not ralh'y condemn thofe Men that faberly oppofe them, and fliun the Company of thofe that are not or their Opinion, as Serpents ; much like unto thofe Hypocrites of old, who faid, Stand farther off, for we are more holy than you. Moreover, in all their Speakings and Writings to the People, do they not make a grind Idol of the Word Light, and occafion Men to worfliip it as their only God ; as if meer Words were to be adored without a Perfon, or woifhipped within the Bodies of finful Man as a God : Or as if thofe that enjoy true Light in them, have fuch a Meafure of God in them, t!:at they ftand in no Need of any God without them in the lead. My dear Friend^ Thou knoweft Men of unftable Spirits, Child-like, or rather Fool-like, are eafily taken with every Wind of Doc- trine ; but if thou haft a Spirit of true difcerning in thee, thou wilt be made thoroughly then to try the Spirits and Dodrines of Men, whether they be of God or no, before thou embrace them j having been in the Fire of the Devil already, I hope thou haft gained Experience. Wherefore, for thy clearer Sight concerning of the Fallacy of all Speakers, •which fay the Lord Jehovah, or Jefus, fent them, I ftiali give fome difcovering Chara<5ters ; he that faith the everlaft- ing fpiritual God or Father became not a perfed Man of unfpotted Flefti, Blood, and Bone, was never moved by the Spirit of God or Chrijf, to preach or fpeak to the People ; or he that faith, that Spirit which is dweUing in the glorious Body of Chriji Jefus, is not the alone everlafting Father, God and Man in one diftind Perfon glorified, is none of Chrijfs Meffenger ♦, or he that faith God is not in the Form of a Man, but is an infinite Spirit efientially abiding in all Creatures, that Man is a Liar, and the Truth is not in him 5 or he that faith Chnjl*s Godhead died not in the Flefh, and did not quicken and raife his Manhood to Life again, and in that Body of Flefh and Bone, did not afcend into a King- dom of Glory in another World, the deep Things of God is [ J37 ] is utterly hid from that Man ; or he that faith all Marjkind proceeded from the Loins of the firft Man Adam^ is igno- rant of the two Scripture Seeds, (namely) the Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent, therefore he is none of Chrijl's fending j or he that faith Mens Souls do not die with their Bodies, and fleep together in the Duft of the Earthy till the Lord Jefus, by the mighty Power of his Word fpeak- ing only, do raife them unto Life again at the lafl Day, that Man is in deep Darknefs, not knowing the Scriptures, or the Power of God j or he that fays Mens Bodies only perilh (and not the Souls) will be faved at the laft, that Man is a I^iar, and the Truth is not in him. Dear Friend^ Thus far was I moved to write unto thee, as an eternal Witnefs between us, when the Secrets of all Hearts fhall be opened. If thou feeft good, thou may ft prefent this Epiftle to the View of thofe Men called fakers ; not that I can ejt- pedl a good Iffue from any of them, unlefs God hath en* dowed them with hearing Ears, unjudging, meek and patient Spirits, ^hine in all eternal Excellencies^ Septemhtr 20, 1654, JOHN Reeve. X X Tk [ 338 ] 7he Copy of a LETTER written hy the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Elizabeth Hooton, ^aker^ January z6y 1668. Elizabeth Hooton, I Saw a Letter of yours fent to James Brocke ; it is fuppofed that you are the Mother, or fome Relation to that Samuel Hooton of Nottingham., who was damned to Eternity by me in the Year 1662. It is no great Marvel unto me that he proved fuch a defperate Devil, feeing his Mother was fuch an old She-Serpent that brought him forth into this World. Alfo it is thought, that Dorothy Carter did give Sentence of Damnation upon you, as one of the Seed of the Serpent j but feeing it is not certainly known unto me, and in that you have written curfed, and many blafphemous Speeches con- cerning me, for in that you have blafphemed and curfed me, whom the true God, the Man Chriji Jefus, hath fent ; you have blafphemed againft God that fent me, and have finned againfl: the Holy Ghoft ; and look what Judgment is given upon your Soul and Body by me here in this Life ;' God himfelf doth approve of it, and will not reverfe it. If your Letter had been only concerning James Brocke, I fhould have left it to him to ftruggle with you, though I know thofe Curfes you have pronounced againft him, they will fall upon your own Head, and not upon his -, and what he faid con- cerning George Fox, it was nothing but Truth, and George Fox fhall find it fo in the End. But feeing the greateft Part of your Letter to him is againft me, I fhall give fome Anlwer unto it. Firjiy You charge me to be a Sorcerer, and have opened (as you fay) my Mouth in Blafphemy againft the God of Heaven and Earth, and againft the Saints of the moft High, meaning you Quakers. Secondly^ [ 359 ] Secondly, You charge me with a curfing Spirit ; and fay, that Woe and Mifery wi]l be the Portion of us both, mean- ing James Brocke and myfelf, and that it had been good we had never been born. 'ithirdlyy Be it known (fay you unto us both) and to all our wicked Crew, as you call them. Fourthly^ You fay. Woe unto thee, Muggleton, thou Child of the Devil, thou Enemy of all Righteoufnefs. Fifthly, You fay, Curfed fhalt thou be in thy going out, and in thy coming in -, and fay, Thou art a damned Devil, as thou haft faid unto others -, fo Ihall it be unto thee ; and fay. Thou fhalt roar in Hell, and all fuch as be of thy Spirit. Sixthly, And fay, for a fad Day is coming upon thine Head ; and fay, the fame Hand that cut off thy Brother Reeve, and fliortned his Days -, and fay, the fame Hand will cut off thee. Anjwer. Firft, You do by me as thofe wicked Jews did by Chrijl, when he caft out Devils, and cured Difcafes by the Power and Spirit of God in him. They faid he did it by Belzebub, the Prince of Devils ; fo like wife do you Quakers fay by me, becaufe I do, by the CommifTion of the true God, and have caft out many Devils out of many of you Qiiakers and others by a Word fpcaking, and have fubdued thofe Witchcraft- Fits within many of you Qtiakers, fo that the Strength of your Witchcraft is much abated in you all, and you Quakers become many of you in your right Minds, to your Peace and Conlforr, and others of you Quakers are cloathed in your right Minds, being not able to procure a Witchcraft- Fit as formerly, for it turns to a fen- fible Rage, and Malice and Blafphemy, againft the true per- fonai God, faying, I do thefe Things by Sorcery, as the Jews did by Chrijl, as aforefaid. Secondly, You charge me with a curfing Spirit, and fay, that Woe and Mifery will be the Portion of us both. To this I fay, if I have curfed any of you Quakers with- out ajuft Caufe, or without a Commiffion from the true God, let Woe and Mifery come upon me indeed, according to your Defire, and I Iliall bear it patiently, as I have tefti- X X 2 fied [ 340 ] lied in all my Writings, that if thofe Curfes I have pro- nounced upon all you Quakers, and others, if it be not from Authority from God, then let them be upon my Head, as the Defire of Quakers is ; but 1 knowing God hath owned me thefe fcventeen Years, and hath made his Power vifibly appear in me upon the Bodies and Souls of many of you Quakers, and more efpeciaily in thefe fix Years Time, and that God doth own that Curfe I have pronounced upon the Quakers People more than any other : Why ? Bccaufe the Quakers People are more Anti-chrifl:ian than any other, though I confefs the Malice and temporal Perfecution hath been to me more from others than the Quakers -, but the Quakers People being of a more Anti-chriftian Spirit, and Fighters againft God, a perfonal God, than any others what- focvcr, therefore the Curfe I have pronounced upon the Quakers People, it hath taken more vifible Effed: upon them than any others -, for the Quakers God and Chri^ is all with- " in them, and from this God within them do they fight with my God which is without me, even the Man Chriji Jefus in that Body that was nailed to a Tree, as the Scripture faith, which is without me. For at what Time did any Man ever hear any that profefleth the Scriptures, or the Chriflian Re- ligion, to fay they would trample Cbriji Jejus^ my God and me, under their Feet as Dung, and defpife a God of ^fea Foot high, as you Quakers have done } for you Quakers know that I own no other God but the Man Chrifi Jefus in Glory, and he to be both God and Man in one fingle Perfon -, yet you defy this God of mine, and fay you would trample him and me under your Feet as Dirt, for which Things hath the Wrath of this God fallen upon you Quakers, and the Curfe pronounced by me, his Meflenger, hath taken Place in fome of the eminent Quakers ; for the Curfe pronounced by me, God's Mefienger, is to part your Chrifi within you one from another ; for you Quakers do not die, as you fay, you do but go out of the Body j but fure, when you do go out of the Body, your Chrijl within you, fure your Soul and he doth part one from another, and never (hall fee one the other more to Eternity ; and this hath been the Effed of the Curfe upon fome of you Quakers, only to feparate Chriji*^ Spirit [ 341 ] Spirit from yours, that you may never fee one the other more to Eternity, And feeing thefe Things have fallen out in thefe my Days, and that God hath chofen me to (land as a Wall of Brafs againft all And chiiftian Spirits, for every hypocritical Spirit to (hoot their Arrows at me ; but none can hurt me, nor make any Entrance into me, becaufe the whole Armour of God is put upon me ; my Feet are (hod with Peace, my Breaft with the Breaft-plate of Righteouf- nefs, and up/3n my Head is (et the Helmet of Salvation, and in my Left-hand is put a Shield of Faith, and in my Right-hand is put a two-edged Sword, fo that no fiery Dart of the Devi!, Man or Woman, can enter me, or hurt me ; and with this two-edged Sword in my Right-hand have I fought with many Men-Devils, and have overcome them, and yet received no Wound myfelf. And now, laft of all, there is a Woman-Devil, namely, Elizabeth Hooton\ (he hath (hot forth her poifonous Arrows at me in Blafphemy, Curfes, and Words, thinking herfelf ftronger than her Bre- thren, that if haply her poifonous Arrows might pierce into me -, feeing thit fo many of her quakering Brethren to fall before me, (he was moved with great Wrath againft me, and Zeal for her God and Chrifi within her, and Madnefs, that fome of her Brethren, the Quakers, after the Curfe pro- nounced upon them for their Blafphemy, they went out of the Body, or laid down their Bodies, as Thomas Leigh did. This moved her to pour out the Poifon that was in her Heart, with her Tongue fet on the Fire of Hell againft me, in Curfes and Blafphemy, thinking her poifonous Arrows and venomous Tongue (hould have took Hold or Place in me, more than her Brethrens Curfes did before •, but as the Men-Devils, your Brethren the Quakers, were made Par- takers of God's Vengeance by the Curfe of his MelTcnger, in that they blafphemed and defpifed the true God as afore- faid, in that they are damned to Eternity, befides their going out of the Body here as you think, fo will the fame Curfe follow you for your wicked, proud, prefumptuous Speeches, in that you, being a Woman, will undertake to pronounce Woe and Curfes to one that hath a Commi(rion from God j yet you, from a Light within you, and a Chrifi within within you, a Tandy Foundation one, a PufF of "Wind from a true Prophet will lay it level to the Earth : And would it not have been great Pity, that fuch a She- Devil as you are fhould have efcaped the Sentence of eternal Damnation ? Surely it would ; and becaufe you fhall know for what you are damned, I fhall rehearfe fome of your wicked Speeches, Curfes, and Blafphemy, which have proceeded out of your Mouth. FirJ^, You fay. Woe unto thee, Muggletotit thou Child of the Devil. Secondly^ You fay, I have opened my Mouth in Blafphemy and Curfing. Thirdly, You fay, I am curfed in my going out, and in my coming in. Fourthly, You fay, I ihall roar in Hell, and all fuch as be of my Spirit. Fifthly, You fay, the fame Hand as cut off my Brother Reeve, and fhortened his Days, the fame will cut off me. Sixthly, You have called me Sorcerer, becaufe I have caft the Devil and Witchcraft Spirit out of fome of you Quakers, and bound fome quaking Devils, unclean Spirits, in Chains of Darknefs and Fetters of Death, that fhall never be Jet loofe to Eternity. Thele Things have been wrought, and much more, by the Commiffion of God in me, for which you call me Sorcerer, as thofe Devils did fay by Chrijl when on Earth. He caft out many Devils and unclean Spirits out of Men and Women, and they faid he did it by Belzebub, the Prince of Devils. So fay you Quakers by me ; and you, Eliza- heth Uooton, Quaker, have, in a high Manner, like them, alfo finned againft the Holy Ghoft that fent me, with great Pride and high Prefurript.on, as inay be read before Thcitfore, in Obedience to my Commiffion from the true God, the Man Chrijt Jefus in G'ory, in Heaven above the Stars, I do pronounce Elizabeth Hocton, Quake;, for thefe horrid Blafphemies and hard Speeches agaii;ft the Truth, curfed and damned, both in Soul and Body, from the Pre- fence of God, eled Men and Angels, to Eternity. Your [ 343 ] Your own Body fliall be your HeJI, and your proud raging Spirit fliall be your Devil j the one fhall be as Fire, and the other as Rrimftone, burning together to all Eternity. Your Chrtft within you cannot, nor God without you will not, deliver you from the Sentence I have pafled upon you. Written by January 26, 1668. LODOWICKE MUGGLETOK'', One of the two lafl Prophets and PFitneJfes of the Spirit unt9 the High and Mighty God, the Man Chrift Jefus in Glory, Ihe Copy ^/^ L E T T E R written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Parker, May 25, 1668. Loving Friend, Mrs. Parker, I Hear by Mrs. Sudbury that you have been very ill, elfc you would have written to me yourfelf ; I Ihould have been glad to have received a few Lines from yourfelf, if you can write, though it may be you may think you cannot ex- prefs yourfelf as you would, yet let not that be any Hin- derance to you, for it is not the Wifdom of placing Words that I mind, but the Sincerity of the Heart ; for out of the Abundance of the Heart the Mouth fpeaketh, or writeth, whether it be in Things that are good, or in Things that are evil. I confefs 1 do not know you by the Sight of the Eye, nor by Writing ; but I have heard a good Re- port of you by otheis, as one that doth truly bcrlieve the Truth, efpecialiy by Mrs. Sudbury. She giveth a good Charadler of you, as one grounded in the true Faith ; as if your Knowledge did arife very high, in believing all Things declared C 344 3 declared by me, and that you have a good Underflanding in the Rife of th- two Seeds, and how God became Flefh, with other Things ; and that you have received much Peace and Satisfaftion in your Mind, fince you believed in this Commiflion of the Spirit. I do not in the lead queftion the Report that is given you by others, but am altogether inclined to believe it, efpecially from fuch Perfons as have Experience in themfelves, they can judge of the Experience in others alfo •, there are few Perfons that have a Love for me, as a Prophet of the Lord, but their Hearts are right in the Sight of God alfo. And as the Foundation of your Faith is built upon this Commiflion of the Spirit, it will be as a Hire Rock that fhali never fail you, though many Storms of Reafon, the Devil* s Temptations, may come violently upon you, yet it will not touch that inward Peace of Con- fcience in the Afliirance of everlafting Life ; for Faith in the true God is that white Stone in the Heart, wherein is •written a new Name, which none can read but thofe that have it. This many can experience at this Day. Alfo I doubt not but your Faith will grow in you more and more, from Strength to Strength, i'o that the Peace and Satisfat'fion you have begun in you already may encreafe to a greater Meafure of Peace and Satisfadion of Soul to the Things of Eternity, to the full Afliirance of everlafting Life, fo that no Doubt may arife in your Heart. I thought good to write thefe few Lines unto yourfelf, to ftreiigthen your Faith, peiceiving by Ellen Sudbury\s Letter it was your Defire. So at prefent 1 (hall fay no more, only my Love to your- felf. / rejl your Friend in the true Faitby The PoJIern, London^ May 25, it68. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. My Wife, though unknown, remembers her Love unto you. A Copy [ 345 ] l^he Copy (9/"^LETTER ^written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, May 2.5, 1668. Dear Friend in the eternal ^ruth^ Ellen Sudbury, Received your Letter with the inclofed, and gave your Hufband's Letter to Mr. Delamaine \ alfo I am glad to hear that you and your Hufband are both well as to this prefent Life, for I know your Happinefs in the Life to come will be fure, in that miy Faith \s in you, and your Faith in me -, afid fo by Faith God is in us, and we in him. This is that Union Men and Women have with God, be- ing Partakers of the Divine Nature of God. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God preached ; and how fhall he preach, except he be fent ; that is, who can make known the tiue God, and declare the true Righteoufnefs of Faith unto Man, but he that is fent of God ; and this Righteouf- nefs of Faith was in you, Ellen Sudbury, before you faw mc, and my Faith was in you before you faw my -Face, and be- fore 1 faw your Face, or heard your Voice ; but in your Letters 1 faw that Salvation was come to your Houf^, in that you received a Prophet in the Name of a Prophet, you could not mifs of the Blefllng of eternal Life -, and you being the inftrumtntal Occafion of your Hufband's receiving the Faith, whereby he hath Peace and Reft in his Soul, as to his eternal Happinefs, as 1 find by his Writings : So that it may be truly faid, that Salvation is come to your Houfe, fn that you received a Prophet in the Name of a Prophet, you have received a Prophet's Reward, for every true Prophet hath Salvation attending on him. And as for our Friend Mrs. Parker, I perceive (lie hath been very ill, and that flie would beg a few Lines from me. Now, what I write to her muft be grounded upon your Report, for I do not know that ever I faw the Woman, or received any Lines irom her, yet I judge your Difcerning to be good, and the Y y Things [346] Things true you report of her ; therefore, upon your Re- port, I fhall write a few Lines to her in particular ; and as for my coming into the Country this Year, I think 1 fhall not, neither to Cnml^ridgejhire, nor no where elfe. I am de- fired much by Charles Cieve, and other Friends there, to come this Summer, and by Friends in Kent alfo, but I have no Intent to go from London ; but for the Devils Malice I matter not what they can do unto me, for the Devils mud not go beyond the Law, Jefl: they bring themfelves into a Premunire ; for had I known fo much as I do know now, when I was taken at Chejierfield^ I would have made the Mayor, Aldermen and Condable weary of what they did. The Devils Malice could have done me but litde Hurt if I had been wife ; but as the Proverb is, IVifdom is good when it is dear bought. l^ow I can certify you, that I have finiflied the Anfwer to George Fox^s Book, it is ready for the Prefs, therefore what you are pleafed to give towards it fend as foon as you can wiih Convenience, not wronging yourfelves. I thought by our Friend Tomkinfon's Letter to have feen him at London about Whitfuntide^ but he did not come. This is all, but my Love to yourfelf, and to your Huf- band, with my Wife's Love to you both. / refi and remain your Friend in the true Faith, Lofidottf May 25, 1668. LODOWICKE MUGGLETONk Direfb you Letter thus for me : For Lodowicke Mu?gIeton^ at the Widow Brunt's Houfe in the Pojlern, next Door to the Sign of the PFhite Horfe, 7hi [ 347 ] 7he Copy 0/ ^LETTER writteji by the V Pr(?/?y6^/ Lodowicke MuggletoHp /^Thomas Tomkinfon, May 26, 1668. Loving Friend in the eternal 'Truth, Thomas Tomkinfon, 1 Received in Mrs. Sudbury^ s Letter, dated May 3, 1668, a Letter of yours inclofed, dated April 20, 1668 ; in which Letter of yours I am glad to hear you are well, and that your Faith is fo ftrong as I perceive it is -, neither are you blamed by me for any Slorhfulnefs in you, for I am glad you are fo well fuisBed in yourfelf that you had no Need to write to me. I could wifli all Saints were fo fatisfied in their Minds in all Things, to have no Need to write unto mc, neither for temporal nor fpiritual SatisfaAion. I could be glad if every Saint had it in themfelves. Alfo 1 perceive in your Letter that you had an Intent to come to London "about the tenth of May, but it feems fome Occafions did prevent you of that Journey at prefent •, and as for that Book of George Fcx''s, I have written an Anfwer unto it ; I have now finiflied it ; it will contain, as I luppofe, a Matter of twelve or fourteen Sheets of Print. Thtre was great Glory- ing in the Quakers People at the firft in George Fox^s Book ; but this Anfwer will be as great a Shame to them ; there- fore what you, or any others, are free to give towards the Printing, let it: be as foon as you can, for I do think to put it to the Prefs about two or thrc^e Weeks hence. You may, if you pleafe, fend it to Mrs. Carier*s, or Mrs. Sudbury^s, which you pleafe, and they will convey it unto me. And as for that Book Fox fet forth again ft me, it maketh all wife Men to fee the Weaknefs of the Qiiakers People more than they did before, for there is none rejoiceth in that Book but thofe that are damned by me, or fome ignorant fhatter- brain'd People, that know not their Right-hand from their Left in Matters of Religion ; but fuch People as are ferious, that do mind Interpretation of Scriptures, they like it nor, y y 2 for [ 348 ] for he hath brought many Places of Scriptures to prove me a falfe Prophet and Liar, but he giverh no Interpretation; he leaveth the dead 1 ^etter to fpeak for itfelf, and to condemn me; fo that lam forced to interpret thofe Scriptures Fc a? hath left filent, which will appear in the reading of this Anfwer to his Book. This is all at piefent, only to let you know that I am well ; fo with my Love remembered unto yourfelf, and your Wife, / refi your Friend in the true Faith, Tofiern, London^ May 26, 1668. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. My Wife, though unknown unto you, defireth her Love remembered unto you and your Wife. You may direcSb your Letter to me thus : For Lodowicke Muggleton, at the Widow Brunt''s, in the Pofiern, Londoyiy next Door to the Sign of the White Horfe^ near Moor-lane. A Copy (p/^^LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to pull down the high Exaltation of Lawrence Claxton. Dated from London, December 25, 1660. Lawrence Claxton, I Having ferioufly confidered your many foul, proud and covetous Adtions fincc you came to the Belief of this Commiflion, but more efpecially of late, fince you have been allowed fome Means from the Believers of this CommilTion, which have made you fo Lord- like, that you are grown fo ipiricually proud, fo that now you are gotten, in your own Conceit, [ 549 ] Conceit, to be the chief Man in this fpirltual Commiffion ; fo thai your Pride hath grown by Degrees fo high until you have gotten to fit in Jchn Reeve*% Chair and Place, fo that you are got up as high as you can •, therefore it is high Time for you to fall. Therefore, feeing that Occafion and Offences will come, that rhe Secrets of the Heart may be made manifeft, there- fore I do fee a great Providence in that Bufinefs of Mafon*^ Wife, for that hath been an Occalion to bring forth thofe Differences which have been among the Believers of this Commiffion : Likewife it hath been a Means to infearch the Bottom of your Heart-, for ever fince the Beginning of this Difference, after that you did underftand that your Com- miffion was like to be taken away from you, you have flrove with all your Might, both with Saint and Devil, for to up- hold your Authority without me ; therefore you have made Ufe of your belovtd Frances and Ananias^ and Safhira-Xxk^^ you have confulted with that venomous Serpent your Wife, and have made her your Council in all fpiritual Matters, and that I did perceive by the Serpent your Wife, in that fhe did fhow Mr. Hatter and Mr. Hudfon that Place of Scripture Concerning Mcjes and Miriam^ which I know fhe could not do of h'^rftlf, except fhe had heard your Judgment of ir, which Conceit of yours on that Place could do you little Good, only this your Judgment on that Scripture, with your conrinual *._onl'ultation with the Devil your Wife, hath en- raged your Wife fo far as to vaunt herfelf againft the Be- lievers of this Commiffion, and againft me •, for which I do pronounce your Wife curfed and damned to Eternity, though fhe hath bten damned by John Reeve already, therefore I have fet to my Seal, that John Reeve's Damnation fhall be true upon her. As for yourfelf, becaufe you have flrove to maintain your Aurhority Vvithout rne, and for that Purpofe you have written this Book, wherein you have quite excluded me, and have made the Commiffion only John Reeve's and yours^ for your "Writings do fhew lorth the very Pride of your Heart; there-, fore I do declare againfl that Book, and againfl you, that I do renounce arid difown you upon any fuch Account, as to be [ 350 ] be a MefTenger, Bifhop, or a Servant, any more to this CommifBon ; neither fhall you write any more, or fpeak any more in the Behalf of this Comniiffion, for I iliall utterly difown whatever you do or fay of diat Nature ; neither Ihall the Believers of this Commiffion allow you any Maintenance, neither m Cambridge/hire nor Kent^ upon any fuch Account, as looking upon you to be a Mcffenger •, for you (hall become as one of the lead of Believers of the Commilfion, and you fhall become a Reproach to Saint and Devil, which Shame and Reproach fhall ftrike as a loathfome Leprofy unto you during your Life } for you fhall never come to any Honour of this Commiffion an 31 more, for you have had your lad that ever you fhall have in this World, becaufe you (hall know that you have kicked your Heel againil your Mafter, and that there is a Prophet yet in Ifrael^ and hath Power over you ; notwithftanding you have made yourklf equal with John Reeve, you fliall know that John Reeve was as Elijah, and that I am in the Place of Elijha, and that you are in the Place of Gehazi. This is my Re.blution. Written by Lodowicke Muggleton, the kji true Prophet and Witnejs unto the true Cod, the Man Chrift Jefus in Glory. December 25, 1660, Lodowicke Muggleton. ^ Copy C 351 ] A Copy ^/ ^LETTER ns)ritten by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Dorothy Carter. Dated September la, 1662. Dear Friend in the true Faith, Dorothy Carter, I Received your Letter, alfo I received the Linncn of Hol- land's, Man, according as you fpecified in your Letter, and am glad to hear of your, and the reft of the Faith with you, of your Refrefhments and further enlightening, which you and they received by my Society that fmall Time I was with you, which I am glad to hear, and do defire your fur- ther Encreafe and Growth in the Knowledge of the Doctrine of this Commiflion of the Spirit, and the Power of a Com- mifiion to declare Blefllng and Curfing to Eternity, which Faith, depending and refting upon it, will give you eafily to fee the Happinefs of the one, and the Mifery of the other; and you cannot lay too much Strefs upon the Commiflion, for the more Weight you lay upon it, the more Comfort and AfTurance of your eternal Happinefs you will receive ; ntithtr can you expeil to be free from Reproach, Envy and Mahce from that Seed that is condemned by this Commiflion of the Spirit •, and though they may feem to rejoice, and make light of it for a Seafon, yet their Damnation I am fure doth neither flumber nor fleep, neither v/ill the eternal Hap- pinefs of the true Believers of this CommifTion of the Spirit (lumber nor fleep, but will encreafe from Life to Life •, that is, the Faith of it fhall pafs through the Life of AflTurance into Life eternal, the Unbelief of Reafon fhall pafs through*, the firft Death of fear and Unbelief, into the fecond Death of eternal Damnation, where the Worm will never die, nor the Fire never go out. Thefe Things are hard Sayings unto the Seed of Reafon, but plain and eafy where Faith is deeply grounded upon a Rock, which Rock is the true God, and the right Devil, which C 351 ] wliich Knowledge hath been declared, with many other hea- venly Wifdom and Mifteries of this Comn^ifTion of the Spirit, which Faith in it will abide the greatefl: Blafts that Reafon the Devil can blow, though it be even to Death itfelf •, therefore it is faid by our Lord, Fear not him thai can kill the tody, and hath no more to do, but fear him that can caji both body and foul into hell-fire j as if he fhould fay, that the Death of this Life is but as the killing of this Body, becaufe it is not above a Quarter pf an Hour's Work ; but the fecond Death will be for ever j therefore it is that he inuft be feared, that can and will caft both Body and Soul into Hell-fire ; that is, God doth kill the Devil Reafon with the fecond Death, and Reafon the Devil did kill God, and the Seed of Faith with the firll Death, which is called but a killing of the Body, and hath no more to do, becaufe Reafon the Devil his Wrath can extend no further, but' the Wrath of God extends to Eternity. And as for thole flavifh Fears which you had when I was there with you, I do iuppofe too, I do think that fome of them were occafioned by that old Maid that lived with you ; but this you may be fure, that it was not for Want of Will that they did it not, but for Want of Power, for I find Op- pofition in all Places, both in City and Country. yBut all Opinions being under the Hatches of Perfecutions themfelves, therefore it is that they can do nothing to me ; for all Seds and Opinions in Religion are againft me, and I againfl: them ail. I was in good Hopes that you had feen our Friend Ellen Sudbury before now, but you have fhewed me the Caufe j but I hope v\hen you are well, and your Occafions will per-, mit, that you will fee her. I have not received any Letter from her fince I came from her, only one from her Hufbund, the Day after I received yours, which was on Saturday, being the fixth of September. I did fend him an Anfwer on the eighth of September. It rnay fall out fo that I may fee you and her there •, but if not, I fhall be glad to fee you here in London, if your Health and Occafions will permit, towards the next Spring. In the mean Time let me hear from you. how you all do, as oft as you can. I got very well to Earntt [ 353 ] Barm that Saturday Night, and am very well at this Timr; but I have not heard from Mr. Hudfon not as yet. No more at prefent, but my Love remembered unto your- fclf and your Daughter Elizabeth Carter^ and Elizabeth Smithy and to Mr. Fewterell and his Wife. So rejieth your Friend in the true Faith, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. My Daughter Sarah remembers her Love unto yourfelf and Mr. Fewterell, and all the reft of the Faith with you, but fhe is very ill at this Time. Mr. Hatter defires to be remembered to you. ACo^x of a LETTER from the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to ChriftopherHill, November i6, 1662. Loving Friend in the true Faith, Chriftopher Hill, 1 Received our Friend Nicholas Miles his Letter, with the Bafket of Pippins he fent, your Mother alfo hath them you fent to her, and I have fent the two Balkets by Nathaniel the Hoyman again -, you, or our Friend Miles, muft look for them at Milton, for I have direded them for you at Maidjlone j but I perceive fince, that the Hoyman doth not come there, but at Milton you may have them ; and as for the Syder our Friend fpeaketh of, John White, my Daughter's Friend, will fee this Week what may be done in it, and next "Week I think he will fend you Word what may be done, yea or nay. Alfo I underftand by your Letter, that our Friend John Marten is fallen afleep, and that he- hath remembered me, and the poor Saints there with you, which was more than I did Z z expe^tt [ 354 ] cxpefl, yet he hath given a great Teftitrjony titat his Faith was grounded upon the Truth of this CommifTion of the Spirit, which Fruit and EfiTed of his Faith would yield him Peace, and in the End eternal Life, whixrh I do not queftion but he fhall have it in that Day when the Prophets and Apoftles and Saints fhall receive theirs, For he that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet^ and a faint i?i the name of a faint, he fhall not lofe his reward ; therefore I would have his Wife, Son and Daughter not to be troubled, but rather be comforted in this, that his and their Names are written in the Book of Lif^, and fo it will be well with them on the other Side of Death, for this firft Death we mud all pafs through, but blelTed and happy are all thofe that fhall cfcape the fecond Death. 1 did intend to have feen them, and all the reft of Friends in the Faith, before I heard of this Letter, this Chrift-tide, ^nd my Refolution doth hold fo ftill, for I mufl get out of the Way two or three Days before Thomas'* s- day ^ becaufe the Parifh hath pricked me down to bear Office this Chrifimas^ or elfe fine. The laft Year I did fine for Scavenger, which cofl me twenty Shillings, and now they have choHn me Queftman, which Fine will coll three or four Pounds, and next Year it will coft as much more to be Conftable ; there- fore I muft get out of the Way a Fortnight or three Weeks, until the Bufinefs is over \ fo I fhall either come and vific you, or elfe go to Cambridge. No more at prefent, but my Love remembered unto your- felf, and to Goodman Miles and his Wife, the' Widow, her Son and Daughter, and all the refl of our Friends in the Faith there with you, not forgetting your Mother Wills, I refi your Friend in the true Faith, i^s^oif, Novembtr 17, 1662, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, My Daughter Sarah defireth to be remembered unto you all ; flic is very well after her Journey, A Copy [ 355 ] ^ Copy of aLETTEK wrimn hy the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Thomas Highfeild, Gardener i?t Nottingham, bear^ ing Date from Chefterfield, July 31,, 1665. Thomas Highfeild, IUnderftand that you are a Quaker, and that the Quaker* do fometimes meet at your Houfe, fo that you cannot be ignorant of thofe Letters of Samuel Hooton^ and W. S, which they fent to me, and of my Anfwer to them, as alfo that Letter of Richard Furnefworth's, and my Anfwer Co him. In which Letters of mine you may fee, if you have but the fingle Eye of Faith, why I do oppofe that Sort of People more than any other Sed: of Religion, becaufe, as I have exprefled in thofe Letters, the Quakers are the greatefl; Fighters againft God's being a Perfon of himfelf (of any) they being led and guided by the Spirit of Antichrifl: in this laft Age, which is transformed into the Likenefs of an Angel of Light, for that they have got their God all within them ; fo that they deny God to have a Perfon or Body of his own without them, fo that they are that Spirit of Antichrifl that doth deny the Father and the Son, that is, they deny Jefus Chrift to have become in the Flefh •, I mean they .deny Jefus Chriji to have Flefli and Bone of his own, which is the fame Flefh and Bone that he fuffered Death in 5 I fay that fame Flefh and Bone is now living in Heaven above the Stars, and not as the Quakers do vainly imagine him to be, all diffufed into Spirits, and fo he is gotten into them ; and this is that which they call the Light of Chriji in them, and fo they fay- that Chriji is in them from that Scripture, where it is faid. Know ye not that Chrift is in you^ except you be reprobates ; never confidering that Saying in Scripture, Let Chrift dwell Z z 2 in [356 ] jji your harts by faith. Now thac which dwells hi a Man's Heart by Faith, it doth not dwell in a Man's Heart in its Perfon and EiTence, for if one Man had the Perfon and Eflence of God in him, then I fay God can be in one parti- cular Perfon, as he was in the Body of Chriji ; therefore it is fafd in Scripture, That the fuhefs of the godhead dwelt bodily in him, that is, the Eflence, Subftance, Spirit and Being of Gcd was compafTed all within that Body of ChriJl, which v/as Flefh, Blood and Bone in the State of Mortality, and fo the Godhead Life was made capable to fuffer the Pains of Death ; therefore it is faid concerning Chrifi's Death, that he was off^ered up through the eternal Spirit, fo that the eternal Spirit quickening into Life again, it raifed that Flefh and Bone again, and in the rifing again it was made fpiritual, and fo became capable to afcend above the Stars, where he now is in that fame Body which he fuffered Death in ; fo that Chriji cannot be in every Man's Body, not in his fpiritual Perfon and Effence, but he may dwell in all Mens Hearts by Faith, though he be not in the World at all j if Men have but fo much Faith as to believe that Flefh of Chriji to be the Flefh of God, and that Blood of his to be the Blood of God *, this is to eat his Flefh, and drink his Blood, and fo they Ihall never die, that is, that eternal Death -, fo that it is not the Light of Chriji within a Man that will deliver from eternal Death, but Faith in the Perfon of Chriji with- out a Man. This I know to be Truth, I being one of the two lall chofen Witnefles of the Spirit, to declare what the Form and Nature of the true God is •, the Form and Nature of the right Devil •, the Place and Nature of Hell ; and the right Heaven; the Perion and Nature of Angels-, the Mor- tality of the Soul ; with many other heavenly Myfteries which do arife from the Knowledge of thefe fix Heads, which hath been declared in our Writings, which I do fuppofc you can- not be ignorant of, and you being of that Form, and others of the Quakers ; therefore, by Virtue of my CommifTion, I am moved to write thefe Lines unto you, I knowing that the Quakers are led and guided by the Spirit of Antichrift, which is nothing clfe but the Devil transformed into an Angel of Light } i 357 ] Light ; but that Light within therri being Darknefs, it is the- greatefl: Darknefs of all the feven Churches. And though you in that Way do feem to be the niofl: pure in Shew and Righteoufncfs of Life, yet your Righteoulhefs of Life is but legal, which is nothing elfe but the Righteouf- nefs of the Law, which no Flefh fhall be juftified by ; for that which you call the Light of Chrijl within you, is nothing elfe but the Light of the moral Law which is written in your Seed and Nature, which is Reafon, which doth caufe your Thoughts to accufe and excufe, which is no other but what the Heathens had before the Law was given to A^ofs ; but as for the Righteoufnefs of Faith, you Quakers are totally ig orant of, and fo not being juftified by Faith, you cannot have Peace with God. Therefore do not you think that the Righteoufnefs of Life can fave you, for it is but the Righteoufnefs of the Law; and though you ought not to leave this Righteoufnefs of the Law undone, becaufe it is good amongft Men, but nothing but Faith in the true God, and that Righteoufnefs that flows from it, can juftify the Mind, and give true Peace as to eternal Happinefs, which is impoflible you Quakers fhould have, feeing you deny the Objed of Faith, which is the Body and Flefh and Bone of God. I write not thefe Lines unto you as expedlmg you to de- cline your Principle, for you are too deeply riveted in that Lie to come to Truth ; yet becaufe you fhall be left without Excufe, I have written thefe Lines unto you, that you may know there is a true Prophet now in England^ which hath declared Truth unto you, or fet Life and Death before you ; but it is the Nature of your Principle to chufe Death rather than Life ; therefore, by Virtue, Power and Authority of my CommilTion, I do charge and command you (as I have done many of the Preachers of the other fix Churches) that you would leave ofi" fpeaking or preaching of that lying Dodtrine which the Quakers teach, which is to mind the Light within them, but deny the Body and Perfon of Chriji without them i neither have you any CommifTion to do as you do, for the Light within a Man was never a fufficient Commiffion to - make [ 358 ] make a Man a Miniftcr, MelTenger, or Ambafiador of Cbrifi, Therefore, if you fhall exercife the Office of a publick Preacher, or gather the People to meet at your Houfe upon a religious Account (for you do but deceive yourfelves, and other ignorant and filly People •,) therefore, if you fhall do any of thefe Things aforefaid, after the Receipt of this Letter, then, for this your Difobedience unto this CommilTion of the Holy Spirit, I do pronounce you curfed and damned, both in Soul and Body, from the Prefence of God, eled Men and Angels, to Eternity. Written by LODOWICKE MUGCLKTON, One of the two lajl Witnejfes and Prophets unto the High and Mighty Godi the Man Chrift Jefus in Glory. A Copy of ^LETTER written ly the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, London, December 13, 1663. Loving Friend Mr. Sudbury, 1 Received your Letter, with your Wife's inclofed, and I am glad to hear you are all well, and of your Faith in this Commiflion of the Spirit. I wifli you may grow more and mere in ir, until you be as ftrong in your Faith, as Sampfon was in his Body, even to deftroy a Thoufand Phi- lijiinesy with the Jaw Bone of an Afs : So the Power of Faith in the true God will deftroy a Thoufand of the Seed of the Serpent, with the Word of their Mouth, and fo it doth every where, where Men and Women are thoroughly grounded in it ;. it hath great Effect upon the Seed of the Serpent, all well as my Faith hath. This [ 359 ] This I know by Experience, by fcveral Believers of this Commiinon of ihe Spirit. I alfo received five Shillings of the Carrier. Alfo I find in your Letter, that PFilliam JVatfon would will- ingly have me come to Derb)\, to be tried ; and I perceive, racher than I fhould not come, he would bear my Charges. I do fee bv this how free the De»il is to me, becaufe he doth think there is fome Evil intended againft me, therefore he would willingly be at the Charge, that it might be put in Execution ; tor this I know, that if there was any good in- tended towards me there, then he would be as forward to give Money for me to ftay away : But, however, if I could not bear my own Charges, nor if I had no Friends in this World to do it, yet 1 would take no Mercy of him, nor any other that is under the Sentence' of this Commifiion j I never did it to my Knowledge, never fince I came forth upon this Account, when as 1 had fewer Friends than I have now; for I have refufcd both Work and Money, many times, of thofe that have been damned by me, which they would have thought themfelves the more happy if '1 ''would have ac- cepted of it, but I would not : But I fee what the Serpent's Seed doth aim at, and it is very like that he may have his Defire in that Thing, and yet keep his Money too •, for 1 know nothing to the contrary yet, but do intend to come and fee you before I go to Derby Aflizes. I know they can do nothing to me when I do come there, not according as the Laws of ■England ftand at this Time ; except Ignorance of the Law, and Envy together, doth that which is contrary to the Lawj but if it do, 1 fhall bear it : But I Ihall inform you farther of this before that Time. You lay in your Letter that there is one there that hath a Mind to aJl my Books, and if you mean all our Books bound together, then I cannot help him to them, for there is none of the Commifiion Books left, not one, if I would give five Shillings for that alone, that being the Ground and Beginning of all i but as for the Interpretation, I have fent you one, the Price is two Shillings. Alfo I have fent ten of thofe newly printed, and the Price is twelve Pence a Piece, they being very chargeable the Printing, and much ado to get them at any Rate. C 3^0 1 Rate i neither would I have you to lend them to Quakers or others, but if they will buy them, let them have them, and if they do not hke them, when they have read them, let them burn them, or do what they will with them 5 for I have found by Experience, a great deal of Inconvenience in lending Books, for when People lee them for nothing, they like them the worfe, but when they have paid for it, they will take more Notice what they read ; neither will thofe Books of the Qiiakers be long before they be all gone, for moft People do defire to fee what thefe Things mean, they having a good Opinion of the Quakers, and the Price being fmall, there is few will grudge to give a Shilling for iti it contains ten Sheets of Paper, but if that Man aforefaid hath a Defire of all our Works, 1 do think that William Newcomb of Derby^ Bookfeller, can help you to one, for he had three of me, and I hear he hath not fold them yet. If you fend to Doro- thy Carter you may know further of it, for he is there every Saturday^ In your Wife*>; Letter I underftand that Mr. Tomhnfon doth defire an Anfwer to his Letter. But there being fuch a many Particulars, to anfwer which, if they were anfwered fully, it would make a great Volume ; and if it fhould be anfwered ever fo Ihort, it would be very large, neither have I any Time to do it, neither do I know when I fliall : And for me to take fuch a deal of Pains to pleafe the unfatisfied Fancy of one particular Man, it would be but a vain Thing -, for there is enough written, if underflood and believed, to fatisfy the Mind of any Man or Woman in the World •, for if thofe Things were anfwered upon his Defire, in a Month's Time there would be as many more Places of Scripture, as needful to anfwer, as thofe he hath propounded ; ib that there is no End of anfwering Queftions, neither will the Reafon of Man ever be fatisfied ; for if there be not a Growth in Faith, upon thefe two Foundations, viz. the true God and the right Devil, there can be no true Peace. But it is much upon my Mind of late, for the Good of the Seed of Faith in general, that if I do but live a few Years longer, and have my Liberty to interpret the chief principal Heads of the whole Book of thi Revelafms of St, John, for the eleventh Chapter [ 36i ] Chapter being opened already, it will the more eafily open all that .rich Cabinet, where the Seed of Faith may fee the glorious Treafure of Heaven ; but my Haftc is great at pre- fent, therefore I fliall fay no more in this Thing, but if you pleafe you may fend me William Smitb*s Letter, and your Anfwer, when you fend to me again. And as for Mr. Halter he is very well, and his Bufinefs is like to do pretty well •, I have fent to him this Day fome of thofe Books which I know will be welcome to him, becaufc he doth not know that they were printed. Our Friend Mr. Hudfon, I think, will be with you about Candlemas. So in Hade I reft, having much Bufinefs to do, and be- ing alone, for my Wife ie at her Mother's, and my two Daughters are from me ; the one is married, the other is in Cambridgejhire^ and the latter End of this Week I do go into Kent ; I do intend to be at Home again at the twelve Holidays End. So with my Love to yourfelf, and to your loving Wife, with my Love to your Maid, though I never had any Difcourfe with her, neither do I well know her if I fhould fee her again -, yet this I fay, I do look upon that •Maid to be one of the Seed of Faith, and that it will grow- in her. Tour Friend in the true Faithy London^ December 13, 1663. LODOWICKE MVGGLETON. Aaa yi COPY t 3^^ ] .^ I, A Copy ^^LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Dorothy Carter of Chefterfield, bearing 'D-ate. February 7^ 1665* ' i2^^i^,i?i'r>/ii Dorothy Carter, I Received your Letter about rwo Weeks ago concerning a young Man, called Johi Matten j indeed I have been fo iDufy about a. troubrcfome Bufinefs for a Friend ever fince,. fo that I could not fpare Time to give you an Anfwer, nei- ther is it yet quite ended, but I fuppofe that this Week it will;, yet becaufe 1 would not have you ftay too long, I fhall give you an, Anfwer as fhort as" I can. Firfi\ I perceivq t^ls young Man's Heart, was not right, when he faid to Thomas Marfden^ that the Devil had His M'yfteries, as well as God had his Myfteries. The Thing was true enough, but I perceive the Words proceeded from a naughty Heart, or Seed ; that is to fay, thofe Words were fpoken in Way of vilifying, or flighting the Myftery of God. But to \Qt that' pafs : I perceive' he was fmitten a little upon it, but did recover his Peace again. But after this, I perceive, he being in League with a Maid, who was contrary rainded^ yec, for Fear.of lofing her Love, and her Friends, and his own Friends Love, and Fears of Perfecution toge- ther, the Temptation of thefe Things did caufe him to go to <^hurch, even againft the Light of his own Confcience, and fo withdrew his Affections from you, which formerly he had. Now I fay thefe are fad Omens, or Signs ; for Truth is a flraight and narrow Way, yet the Seed of Faith may eafily go through this narrow Gate ; that is, keep the Heart entire to the Do6lrine and Worlhip of this CommilTion of the S^x)Xx^- - , . -> '^i^^fy, I perceive he is afraia nc is not of the eled Seed, and that if he were fure of his eternal Happinefs, he would not [ 3^3 1 hot matter the Maid, nor any of the Sufferings of this eWorld, and fuch like. Indeed I cannot blame the Man for making fuch a fure Bargain with God, that if God would give him eternal Life in one. Hand, and the Loffes of the World, and the Things he doth affect, in the other Hand, I confefs then, if he Ihould refufe eternal Life, and embrace the other, he would be counted a very Fool ; but it was always God*s Pradice to propound unto Men and Women, that if they would for- {ake Father and Mother, Brother and Sifter, nay, Wife and Children, for his Sake, then they fhould have eternal Life. . So that Man mull forfake all thofe Things that offend the Confcience for it, and truft unto God whether he will give us eternal .Life or no, and not that he fhould give us the Aflu- rancc of' eternal Life firft. But who is it but they would for- feke this World, fo they might have a better Bargain lirft? But Man mult give God the Heart firft, and truft to God f6r the Reward, and, no Doubt but God will, give Menia better Thing, fbr he is -faithful and true. ,■',; ,;vA\^:< Amd.as for his marrying one of this Faith, let ttiatifai;! bow.iiit will, yoiL need. not matter that^ if the Seed Kv,ithjn him doth not lead him to it, let him alone in that Matter..; and zy for the Trouble of his Mind, and his Fear of the Lofs of Heaven, I cannot fee how it can be otherwife; .tor when a Man Ihall feem to receive Truth, and rejoice, in it for a Seafon, and afterwards fall away for Fear of Ibme Lofs of Friends, and Perfecution -, and not only fb, but worfhip contrary to the Light of his Confcience. I fay, thefe Things will caufe Trouble of Heart enough, and his Condition bad enough. V-; ■ And as for rhy adminiftring to him : To this I fay, that I cannot tell how to adminifter Comfort unto him, not for the prefent,^ in this Thing, fo Ukewife I (hall adminifter no Difcomfort-, but in Regard he hath nor finned the unpar- donable Sin, though his Sin was very nigh it ; therefore I Ihall leave it to the Seed within him to work it out ; fo ti)at I Ihall neither help him in it, nor difable him to encounter with it J but if he be of the true Seed, he will overcome it in Time, and be fettled in the Truth and Peace of his Mind. A a a 2 This [ 3^4 ] This is the Confideracion I have of your Letter, and of his Condition, and accordingly you may demean yourrdf in your Judgment and Carriage to him, as you fhaJI' fee how the Seed doch workMn him, either for Heace or Trouble j neithe? do yovi provoke him to write to me, but let Things proceed from himfelf what he is moved unto.. Dear Friend, I received your Daughter's Letter, dated February lo, with the Letter inclof<^d to Mrs. Ward^ and' accordingly I dehvered it unto her, and I received of her twenty Shillings according to your Defire. I fhall pay the thirty Shillings in Grace-church'fireet as foon as I can meet with the Party. Alfo I marvel you fpeak never a Word whether your Mother re- ceived Elizabeth Slater^s Book, with a Letter by the Carrier of Chejlerfield. It was fent about a Month ago. I confefs I received this Letter from you, concerning John Grafton, about that Time you fhould have received the Book, fo I did expe<5l to have heard of the receiving of it in the next, but 1 heard not a Word of it ; but I hope it doth not mifcarry, though mentioning of it be forgotten. So not to trouble you any further, only my Love to your- felf, and alJ other Friends with you. We are all pretty well here at London at prcfent. So I reft and remain yonr Friend in the true Faith, Landoiti Ttlmary 17, 1665. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. We (hall be glad to fee your Daughter according to the Time fhc fpeaks of. Iht [ 365 3 Tie Prophet Lodowlcke MuggletonV 'B'hjftng to Mrs, Anne Lowe, now the JVife of Alex- ander Delamaine, fenior. Given ta her July 5, 1667. . Dear Frknd in the eternalSXHthty Mrs. Anne Lowe^ ... - ACCORDING to your 'Requeft I flilll wtte' thefej Lines as followeth : Hr/?, I looked upon you cobs one of the BlefTed of the Lord, and Seed of F^ith, before your Aunt died; but T knew the Se^d was fmothered andj ftiflcd in you through feme temporaf p.ccafions,t which.cp\ild not be avoided, fo that the Seed of Faith in yt^a cpqid;;i)pt grow to Pcrfeftion ; no, not fo much Jiardly to Jipje jeqn j yec I faw, in that Time of Darknefs, that there vyas- a Love m you unto the Truth, though your Knowledge and Experience was very weak, yet I had a good Opinion of you, that in Time the Seed of Faith in you would fpring forth, and ap- pear in its own Likenefs i and, according ta my Thoughts of you, it is come to pafs, which I know your own Expe- rience can judge of it; for now you can tell,- income -M^a- fure, what Difference there is between Light and Darknefs, and between Ignorance and Kndwiedge. Secondly, I do perceive, within a fliort Time, even fmce your Aunt died, that your Faith hath grown very much, to receive a Prophet in the Name of a Prophet, elfe would you not have requefted fuch a Thing at my Hands ; and becaufe you would be fure you would not be fatisfied with a Word from my Mouth, but would have it under my Hand-writing, though the Word of a true Prophet is as powerful to the Party concerned, either in blefiing or curfing, as Writir^ is, only the Party concerned cannot look upon Words when they pleafe ; neither can they fhew them to others, as they can^Writings, when I am dead and gone. Therefore, to fatisfy your Requeil in this Thing, I fliall fay this unto you, that I have fo much difcerning of what Seed i; 566 ] Seed you are of, even of the Seed of the Woman, which is the Seed of Faith, that bleffed Seed, and not of the Seed .of the Serpent, VMch;;is thp 3.eed of Reafon, that curfed Seed^ fo that I am fully affiired in myfelf, and do fleadfaftly be- lieve, and my Faith hath no Doubt in it, neither in "the Bleffed j nor .i&" the CurfbdV Therefore, that yoi? may- be aflured of your eternal Happinefs and Salyiitipn,. i^vithouc any Doubt, I do, by Virtue of my CommilTion from God/'and fte Faith I have in your eternal Happinefs, I do pronounce thee, J!nne Lowe, OD.Q'-M the Bleffed of the Lord, both in Soul and Body, tp all Eternity ; fo that you need not fear, ^% Jacob did, when he i:eceived the Bleffing of his Father Ifaac, he feared aCurfe ihftead of a Bleffing, becaufe he ftole the Bleffing 5 yet, being bleffed by his Father that had Power to blefs, he was bleffed, and it could not be taken off him again : So I lay by yqu, being bleffed by the laft true Pro- phet of the moft high Qod, who hath Power '^iven him from Heaven lb to do, thou ^t bleffed to Eternity, and, none can" take it from' you again. :'; ji'jf t ■ Written by LODOWICKE MuGGLETOn] One' of the two laft Prophets and WHneJfi} W'^ ^ptrit anti the High and Mighty God, the Man Chfiil jetlis in QUrjf, yu/y 5, 1667. "JOY o: [ 3^7 ]• A Copy of /^LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs, Dorothy Carter 5 being a Relation of foma Paffages in a Difcourfe with George White- head, and Jofias Cole, two Speakers of the ^^akersy in the Year 1668; as aifo fome ^ Relation of that cur/ed Devil Thomas Loe, Speaker of the ^Makers, and how the Effe&s of God'^s Vengeance did feize upon him^ immediately after the Return of an Anfwer to his curfed blafphemous Letter fent to me, and in lefs than three Weeks after wat dead and buried. i.nr^HE firft Quefliofi or Words Cole fpake to me, a^ JL near as I can remember, were thefe : Saith he, Thoii' fayeft God is in the Form of a Man, and thou fayeft His Hand is not much bigger than mine or thy Hand ; and thou feeft what a little this Hand will hold ; yet, faith he, God is faid to have meafured the Waters in the Hollow of his Hand, and hehold the Nations are as the Drop of a Bucket. Why, faid I, do you believe God to ht fo big to hold the Waters in the Hollow of his Hand ? That is fpoken in Re- lation to his great Wifdom, Power arid Dominioh, a^nd not relating to the Bignefs of his Hand ; for ',a King may con- quer many Kingdoms by the Power of his'Swbrd," which his People have put into their Hands by h'is'Cdrilmarid ; and the King may fay he Hath won thefe 'Kingdoms, and reduced them to Obedience to his I^ws by the' Strength (if his oWrf fend ; yet- the King's Hand is no bigger' in B'lilk and Big- nefs thah another Man's Hand' is : Alfb I faid, that P, that;' aln;,^i,it' a-mortatMan, have l^oWef oV61f' fiich" ^ great Gt)d, '■'■'^■■' "" " whofe i 368 ] whofe Hand is fo big ; for, faid I, that God, whofe Hand is mucji bigger than thy Hand or mine, I have Power over . to condemn. This^ was palTed by, and no Reply from thern. 2. Whitehead laid, he did hear one fay that I had damned, that I (hould fay I was as glad I had given Judgement and Sentence of Damnation upon him, as \k one had given me forty Shillings.. - This I did acknowledge to be true, -for I have faid fo by feveral defperate Devils, and I am juftified in the Sight of God, and in my own Confcience, for fo doing* 3. Whitehead faid, that he did hear that I had curfed a Man, and he changing his Apparel, came afterwards, and did procure a Bleffing 5 and that this Man, or fome other, did fmite or knock a Pewter-pot upon or over my Head. This I (aid was a Lie, and falfe, for never did any Man llrike me over the Head with a Pot in all my Life ; and as for that Report which P^p^, that damned Devil,, in faying he was, bleft after, he was curft, it is a falfe Report, and a Lie, that he hath reported feVeral Times amdngfl; Ranters and Quakers i for this Pope was a Ranter when he was'curft, which is about fifteen Years ago, and is a worfe Ranter now than he was then, and that you Quakers know very well what a wicked Piece he is, and the wicked luftful Life he liveth DOW in ; yet you Quakers will rather believe this damned Devil, and wicked luftful Perfon, than believe me, who have been kept innocent from the Breach of any Law, f/om my Childhood to this Day ; but I know you Quakers, being of the fame Nature and Seed of the Serpent, as thofe Jews were in Chriji*s Time, who defired of Pilate, that a Thief and a Murderer fhould be delivered from Death, rather than. Jefusy the Lamb of God, that taketh away the Sins of the World : So it is with you Quakers, you had rather believe this wicked luftful Devil Pope, who hath from his Youth, till now, had Sin and Wickednefs reigning as Lord and King in his mortal Body : 1 fay, you had rather believe him, even this notable Sinner, than to believe me, who am the Prophet of the moft high God, the Man Cbriji Jefus in Glory, and have Power given of God, as Mofes had, to fet Life and Death before you ; but I know you will fay in th« Thoughts [ 3^9 1 Thoughts oF your Hearts, though not in Words, as thofe Jews did by Chrift, Away with Muggletoriy let us have Pope:, that wicked luftful Man, that we might hear and enquire of him. 4. Whitehead efpied a Knot of Ribbon upon the Sleeve of my Coat, and faid, Why doeft thou wear this Vanity ? Alfo I faid to Whitehead, Why doeft thou wear Silk Buttons upon both thy Coats ? He faid they were necefiary ; and I faid no, he might wear Hooks and Eyes, or liet-holes ; fo that was paft by. Again, I did fay I did wear Ribbons on purpofe that I might not be taken or thought to be a Quaker, for I do hate the Quakers Principles 5 with that Whitehead faid, that thou hateft all Righteoufnefs, and fpake as if himfelf and Cole were writing againft me, in Anfwer to mine againit George Fox, and fome other Things or Words they had catched from me in Difcourfe to make me manlfeft : AJfo one ugly flight- ing Word did Whitehead fpeak againft the perfonal God, which I do own, that he would trample him and me under his. Feet as Dirt, with fome other Words of flighting and undervaluing my Power •, whereupon I did pronounce George Whitehead curfed and damned, in Soul and Body, to Eter- nity : Alfo 1 faid his God within him is curfed, and that God he believed or #trufted in without him was damned with him ; and fo cea fed Difcourfe with him. 5, When Cole had heard me fpeak thus unto Whitehead |ie was ft ill,- till I had ended with Whitehead, but I faw his Eyes dazzle, and his Spirit working within him, fo imme- diately after he uttered thefe Words, or luch like : Saith he, I have heard of feveral thou haft curfed, but, faid he, I did not believe, had I not heard and feen, that a Man could have fpoken fo prefumptuoufly. Then faid I unto him, Dare you fay that I have fpoken prefumptuoufly ? He faid, he did believe it was Prefumption : •Then faid I, on the contrary, I do believe thou art the Seed of the Serpent, and wilt be damned ; and now fee whofe Faith will be ftrongeft, yours or mine; for my Faith fhall keep you down or under for ever. Under what ? faid he. I faid, under eternal Damnation. Then faid he, Doeft thou B b b ground [ 370 ] ground thy Sentence upon ray Belief? I faicf yea I do, for y6u believe that 1 fpake prefuraptuouflyi and I do belie vfe you to be the. Seed of the Serpent^ and will be damfted to Eternity. Then faid he, Doeft thou judge this to be a Sentence upon me ? Yea, faid' I, what InoUld it be elfe ? Then Cele rofe up with a Zeai for his God within him, and faid, I told thee before that I would tiy thee and thy God, faying, they were fetting forth a Writing againft me -, and wichal, Co/e pronounced many CurXes upon me, with his Eyes iull of dazzled Babies in them •, and fP^'hiieBead, he came with great Threatening of Judgements upon me, they being both fo full of Curfes to- gether, that 1 can hardly tell what they faid, their Curfes were fo many and fo various, fo that 1 could not tell which Curfe of them both did moft concern me to take Notice of, only one Paifage I do remember Cole faid, that I fhould fmk in the Pit of Darknefs, and fuch like Words ; he ufed the Word Darknefs many Times, but their Words were both together, fo that their Words took no Place in m*e, no not fo much as to remember what they faid ; but I perceive Cole^s Curfes were much like unto Thomas Loe's Curfes in his Letter to me. Many Words more there was between us at that Time, but thefe are the Words and PaiTages of moft Concernment at that Time, and of a final Judgement and Sentence of eternal Damnation, that I gave that Day upon Jojias Cole and .George Whitehead,. Speakers of the Quakers. This I do difcern and obferve in thefe two Men, firji^ That Jofias Cole is of the Spirit of the Sadducees, and more fit to tempt, being more moderate in his Words than the other was y for that Devil that tempted Chrift^ fpoken of Matthew, Chapter iv. was a Sadducee, yea a wife and pru- dent Man, whofe Wifdom of Reafon is more qualified with Moderation in Difcourfe thin the Pharifee is, fo more fit to tempt than the Pharifee is ; fo I know that Devil that tempted Chrift was a Man that was a Sadducee in his Spirit, whatever he pretended to the Rulers of the Jews, therefore more fit to propound Queftions to Chriji than the Pharifees were ; likewife I do know that Joftas Cole fprang from that Sadducee , that tempted Chrift, and fo was the more fit to tempt me^ and and I did like his Spirit of Maderaticm well, and was nof offended at his Temptations nor his Queitions until he called that Prefumption I laid unto Whiiehead, Alfo this 1 know, that George. JVhiiehead^ Quaker, is one of thofe Pharifees Spirits that came to idatch and entrap in his Woj'^is, for it is the Nature of the Spirit of the Pinatifee to wateh. and catck at Words, whereby they may accufe or entrap tHem they talk with. This did the Pharifees to Cbriji, wliich mad? him call them Serpents Devils, yea, and that the Devil was their. Father, becaufe the Pharifee Spirit is more fecretly proud and myfterious than the Sadducee, which is the fittefi Devil to tempt •, and Chrijt pronounced Woes more earneftly upon the Pharifees than he did upon the Sadducees, or upon that Devil that tempted him in the foui^th of Matibiw abovefaid i fb it was with me, I was more offended .at George WhiHhead^s pharifaical Spirit, whofe Property was only to quibble and to catch at Words, to turn the plain Truth to another Senfe -, for when a Principle of Truth is laid down infallibly, and plain Scripture Words, that will not acimit of Innovation^ then this Pharifee would neither affirm againft it, nor deny- it ; but let it fall, and' to another Thing : V/hiteb^ad. is of a worfe Spirit than his Forefathers the Pharifees- ita :CiJ>r//^'i Time, for they confeffed they couW not tell ; butthisTharifee Whitehead, he would not fay that he could not tell, but thought in his Heart that he knew more than I did, there- fore would neither affirm againll thofe Things I afferted or denied ; but I know his Eyes are blinded, his Ears deaf, and his Heart hardened, fo that no true Light of Life might enter into him, left he fliould have believed the Dddarations of the true God and the right Devil, by the laft true Meflen^ ger of God, and have been converted. and favcd. Alio this I fay, that had Whitehead afked me, as Ccle did federal Times, whether I did difcern him. to be the S^id of the Serpent, hut< I would not tell while! faw fbnhery bilt I would have told him I did, for I always hated the i proud pharifaical Spirit, who was as full of 'r//? .Svithim him j but a little Time, and his Civ//?: within.' him .will b© B b b 2 emptied emptied oitt of him, as it is W\i\\ Thomas' Loe, and feveral others of the Quakers that are under the Judgement and Sentence of this Commiflion of the Spirit ; and where or whenfoever this Writing is read, it is recorded, that Joftas Cole and George Whitehead^ two Speakers of the Quakers, were at this Time, and in the Difcourfe aforefaid, judged and condemned, both Soul and Body, from the Prefence of God, eled Men and Angels, to Eternity. By me LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, One of the two lafi Wilneffes and Prophets unto the High and Mighty God, the Man Chrift Jefus in Glory. Thomas Loe, Speaker of the Quakers, fent a blafphemous and curfed, envious, curfed Letter unto me, dated the i6ch of September^ (which he calls the feventh Month) 1668 -, and I fent him the Sentence of eternal Damnation by the Bearer the fame Day in Writing. Alfo the Bearer is a Quaker that brought Loe''^ Letter, and is damned alfo. But People may fee how foon this Devil Loe was cut off this Earth after that railing blafphemous Letter, and gives no Reafon for what, but heaps up many Curfes, Threaten- ings of Judgements, and hellifli Expreffions and high Blaf- phemy againft the Holy Ghoff, or true God that fent me, fo that I could do no lefs but give Judgement and Sentence of eternal Damnation upon him -, alfo the Quaker aforefaid was not willing to go without Z.^^'s Sentence, but Z(7^ was cut off fuddenly after. He was buried the 6th of OSloher^ 1668. But I know the Quakers do not think the Judgement of God, nor my Sentence, was upon him, or over him, for his Blafphemy, but they fay he had been in a Confumption fifteen Years, and came lately out of Ireland. Very likely it may be fo •, but fure if he had been fick when he wrote thofe Lines to me, it (hewed not Weakncfs of Nature in him, nor Weaknefs of Body ; but it may be his Spirit was fo cnflamed [ ?>li ] enflamed with the Fire of Hell in Zeal for his God, or Chrtfi within him, that he felt no Weaknefs of Body at that Time; for his Wrath was great and hot againfl me, as his Letter doth fhew ; but you Quakers do believe that Loe^% Soul is not dead, but flipped out of his Body, and gone you know not where, and into a Power and Spirit you know not what ; but I fay his Soul is where you laid his Body ; they both came into this World together ; they both defpifed the Truth, together-, they both received Judgem.ent and Condemnation together, and both died together, and were both Soul and Body buried together, and lliall both rife again, every. Seed its own Body •, that Seed of Reafon, which was his Life, which he thought was the Divine Nature of God, but it was the Nature of the Devil or Serpent, and that Law written in his Heart, he and you Quakers call the Light of Chrift^ or Chr'ifi in you, which is nothing in you elfe but the Law Written in your Hearts, your Thoughts accufir.g and excufing ; and when God fliall raife him again, that Seed of Reafon fhall rife and bring a fpirltual -dark Body with it, and that Law, which was written in his and your Hearts here in this Life, fliall quicken anew in that new, dark, fpiritual Body ; and then (hall he, and you Defpifers of a peribnal God, know, that your own Souls, which you thought was the Life of God, but it was the Life of the Devil, ye Devils yourfelves, and that Law written in your Hearts^ which you called here in this Life the Light of Chrifi ; but when this Law doth quicken again, as I faid before, it will prove the only and alone Devil to torment you to Eternity. Thefe Things may feem ftrange Sayings, and as a Riddle unto you, and a Thing impoflible ; but with God all Things are poffible which his own Will moved him unto. And this I fay, as it was poflible for God to write the Law in the Angels Natures, and by his fecret Determinations fuffer one of thofe Angels to become very Man •, and fo the Angels Seed having the Law written in it before God made Adam^ and fo by Generation the Law comes to be written in every Man's Heart, Man finds it there accufing, but knows not how it came written there. So I m ] ^ \l is as flrange for yjpu Quakers Co believe that Go4 ■will raife your Souls, that were de^d, again ; and not only ib, but tjie Law fhall quicken in you again j for as the Law is ftridly written in your I^earts, but ignoraniJy written in the reprobate Angel, fo by God's fecret Decree and Power he will revive that Law again in the teprobate Seed of peafon, as in Loe^ and many of you Speakers of the Quakers, and others of your Brethren who are under the Judgement and Sentence of this Commifiion of the Spirit, Iliall find my Wor^s to be true upon you and over you tp pternity j neither fliall you be delivered from it. B^ LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, A LETTER /r^;^ the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, June 14, 1669. Dmr Friend in. the true Faith, Mrs. Parker, 1 Received a Letter from you heretofore before I had i^Q^n you, which made me fenfible that your Faith was true,, and, your Heart was right in the Sight of God ; and I being the MefTenger of God, and an Ambaffador in God's Stead, cpuld do no lefs than give Judgement and Sentence of BlelT- ednefs upon you ; and I fee and know that the Word of a, true Prophet is not in vain, but ftandeth for ever -, and I have feen the Fruit of Faith and Love abound in you fince; 1 have fcen you, and that Part of thofe mela.ncholy iThoughts yoy were exercifed with in your Mind about temporal Matters, a.re in a M^afure vanifhed. away, apd comfortable Thoughts do run in the Blood in. the Room thereof, which cheereth the Heart in the AfTurapce of eternal Life, and Happinefs i^fttr Death, knowing there is no worfe Thing than there is in this Life. Oh, how comfortable is Faith, without doubt- ing, in the Soul of Man and Woman ! It removes Mountains of Daiknefs and great Mills which lie before the Under- ftandins: I srs 1 Handing of Man and Woman ; it giveth an Hondred-rolcl of Comfort, in this Life, and Life everlafting hereafter; it riiakes a Man or Woman enjfey themfelves in this Life, and no Bittefrtefs at' Fear of Damnation can come into the Hfeart. Thefe Things I know you have feen, in a Meafure, and will experience them more and more. Oh, how beatitiful are the Feet of thofe that bring glad Tidings of Peace to the Soul of Man or Woman ! 1 have read of thefe Things in Scrip- ture in my ignorant Zeal, but knew not what that Peace was, neither did I know what that glad Tidings was, until I was a chofen MefTenger of glad Tidings myfelf ; yea, I have been a MefTenger of glad Tidings to you and many others, and I have been a MefTenger of fad Tidings to many. Thefe Things I certainly know, yet am I no- ways lifttd up with Pride in this Thing, nor caft down with any Oppofitioh of Slanders and Lies caft upon me by reprobate Men and Wo- men : But I fpeak thefe Things the more to ftrengthsn your Faith, being but of a fhort Time (landing, arid having but little Society with Saints, and httle of Experience. I thought it neceffary to (peak kindly unto you, that your Joy might be full ; that you might have the Penny of AfTurance of ever- lafting Life, as thofe that have wrought in the Vineyard of Faith many Years. Thus, with my true Love, and my Wife's Love remem- bered unto yourfelf, / reft and remain your Friend in the true Faith, the eternal '/ruthy LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. We are all here at London in pretty good Health, From the Poflem, London^ June 14, 1669. A Copy [ V7<> ] A Copy of ^LETTER written ly the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Thomas Tomkinfbn, hearing Date from London, March 2,0, 16570. DireSled to Slade-houfe in Staffordfhire. Loving and kind Friend in the true Faith, Thomas Tom- kinfon, I Received your Letter, dated February 26, 1670, wherein I perceive your conftant Faith in this Commiffion of the Spirit, which F^ith wilJ uphold you in the Day of Trouble •, and as for my Being, ] am where I was, in Wappingy and am pretty well in Health, but confined from my own Houfe ftill, becaufe of that Warrant which will lad always, as long as the prefent Power Jafteth j yet my being in thefe Parts- hath been a Means to eftablifh many in this Faith, who were Quakers and Baptifts before ; and, as it happened, one Mr. Atkinjon^ a Quaker, and Elizabeth Atkinfon his Wife, a zea- lous Quaker, who fell from the Quakers, and wrote againft the Quakers, who came to me feveral Times (perhaps you have had of her Writings.) Her Hufoand was loath flie. Jhould come to me at the firft, but (he growing ftronger and ilronger in Faith and Argument by coming to me, flie over- came her Hufband to fee me, and hear me •, which, when her Hulband did fee and hear me, he was very much taken and affe6led in Love towards me, and defired me to come to his Honfe very oft, which I did by their inviting ♦, fothat the Man was very much affefted with my Difcourfe, and had Faith in this Commiflion of the Spirit. But, to be fhort ; it happened, that after he had been acquainted with me but Hall a Year, the Man died ; but he gave fuch Teftimony of his Faith in this Commiflion of the Spirit, with fuch won- derful Expreflions to his Wife, and others that came unto him, exhorting them to ftand fteadfaft in this Faith, and let no i 377 1 no Doubt arife in them, for he did not think there could have been fuch Peace upon this Earth as he now did find, and that they fliould give Glory to God that had fent a Pro- phet upon Earth now in thefe our Days, who had declared to us the true God, and the Rife of the two Seeds, and all other Things fit to be known ; therefore let there be no Doubt of thefe Things, and faid it would not be Half a Quarter of an Hour before he fhould rife again, and be in Glory, with many other wonderful Expreflions concerning the Doflrine and Faith of this Commiffion of the Spirit, to the great Amazement of thofe that heard him, and ftrengthen- ing of the Faithful, and Convincement of the Qiiakers ; for their Mouths are flopped, and made filent by his Teftimony at his Death. This is one that had been a Quaker many a Year. I thought good only to give you a little Touch of thefe Things for the ftrengthening of your Faith •, for it is more for one Quaker to die in this Faith, and exprefs himfelf fo, than for one hundred of thofe that have protefled it. But 1 Ihall fay no more of that Matter here. And as for my Advice and Judgement concerning your Fafloring this next Summer in Butter and Cheefe to London ; as to that, my Advice is, that if you could deal with honeft and able Men, it would do well •, but I have no Skill neither in that Trade, nor acquainted with any Men of that Trade, nor familiar Acquaintance, only with Mr. Shelley % and 1 heard that he fliould fay, that the Carriage by Land of thofe Commodities did take up much of the Cheefemonger's Gain ; but I had no Difcourfe with him about it, therefore I fliall not encourage you in it, nor altogether difcourage you in it ; neither am I at all acquainted with Mr. Ewer^ or but little with Mr. Prince, efpecially in the Matter of Trade •, there- fore I can give but very little Advice or Encouragement in Things I know not, neither will 1 difiliade you from it ; but if you think your coming to London will not be too much Hindrance unto you, it would be bed for you to come ; for fpeaking with Men Face to Face, wiJl work more upon Men than Letters will, becaufe a Man may give many more Rea- Ibns to Objections by Word of Mouth than can be exprefled C c c by [ 378 ] by Letters •, therefore, if you will venture the Charge and Trouble in coming to London only about this Matter, whether you lofe or win, I Ihall leave it to your own Mind to refolvc upon. And this is all the Advice I can give you at prefent in this Matter, being unfldlled in their Way of Trading, and unac- quainted with the Men ; for I would gladly that you fliould do well, and fhould be very forry you (hould be a Lofer ; therefore be well advifed in your own Mind of what I have faid before. This is ail at prefent, only my I^ove and Wife's Love re- membered unto yourfelf, and unto your Wife, / reft your Friend in the eternal Truths London, March 20, 1670. L0DOWICK.E MUGGLETON. A Copy of the World are ignorant of, but this Commiflion of the Spirit only. And as the Quakers MiniHry is the feventh and laft Angel that will found, till Time be no more, therefore it feemeth to carry the pureft Shew in Righteoufnefs of Life, but the moft curfed of all in Point of Do6trine -, and the Spirit of it is the abfolute Spirit of Antichrift, which doth deny both the Father and the Son ; for though they do confefs a Chriji within them, yet they deny the very Perfon or Body of Chrijl without them. This I know by Experience, for which, at a Difpute in Eajl-Cheap^ there was five of them damned to Eternity, whereof George Fox the Younger, and John HaV' vjood^ were two of them \ and as for Fox the Elder, he and Francis Hewgill, and James Burroughes^ were all of them damned Devils eight Years ago ; and not only thofe, but many more of the Quakers, and many other Opinions what- foever ; and as the Quakers are the laft Angel will found, fo is the third and laft Commiflion of the Spirit come forth upon the Earth, which is to finifti the Myftery of God, and to encounter and oppofe all fpiritual Counterfeits, whether it be in Quakers, or any others whatfoever, becaufe there is none C c c 2 that [ 38o ] that hath a Commiflion from God but us two ; neither can any Man truly interpret Scripture but us two only, neither hath any Man the Knowledge of thofe Things aforefaid, be- caufe we two are to finifh the deep and fecret Myfteries of God's becoming Flefh, which Mofes^ the Prophets and Apoftles lo much hinted at, up and down in the Scriptures, fo that there cannot be the AiTurance of eternal Happinefs but in the Belief of a Commifiion. Therefore, think you what you will of yourfelf, and of the Quakers Principles, it is not all the Sanflification of Life which you or they can do that will procure your Peace with God, except you, that are not under the Sentence of this Commiffion, do come to own the Doftrine of the true God, and the right Devil, which is held forth by this Commifiion of the Spirit, and then your Sanftification of Life will add to your Comfort here, and to your Glory hereafter. I write not this unto you as expedting you to be a Dif- ciple of this Commiflion, but becaufe you fhall understand that there was a true Prophet in thefe latter Days, as well as there was in former Tirnes, which you do fo much honour, becaufe they are all dead, and that now the deepeft Myfteries of the true God, the right Devil, with many other heavenly Secrets which lay hid from the Foundation of the Earth, but now revealed both by Word and Power by this Commiffion of the Spirit, or fpiritual Commiflion, which you, and many Thoufands more, cannot be ignorant of, and fay that you did never hear of it •, but if there be not that in your Seed, that fhall lay hold of Life when it is fet before you, then the Seed is appointed unto Curfings ; for this Commiffion doth fet Life and Death before Men, as truly as Mojes did fet Life and Death before the People of Ijrael. Thefe Lines I have written unto you, that you might, if it be pofiible, underftand Truth, that is now alive in the World, and not to depend upon the dead Letter of the Scriptures, nor upon the lying Imaginations of the Quakers, which bids you hearken to the Light within you, but denies the Perfon of the true God without them. So refteth the lajt true JVitnefs and Prophet unto the true Cody the Man Chrift Jefus in Glory, LODOWJCKE MUCGLETON. J Copy [ 38i 3 A Copy o/^rLETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury of Nottingham, hearing Date January 13, 167 1. Tiear Friend in the eternal Truth, Ellen Sudbury, I Received your Letter, with the Quaker's Letter inclofed, and I confefs it hath been a long Time lince I fent unto you j and 1 think I did receive two or three Letters from you, and one or two from Mrs. Parker^ and I gave you no Anfwer, becaufe I had no Matter of Concernment to write unto you j yet neverthelefs my Love was as great to you both as ever, though I did not write unto you ; alfo I have hardly had Time to write unto you fince, for my Time hath been much taken up all this Summer with feveral Quakers that are fallen off from them, and are very firm in the Belief of this CommiiTion of the Spirity and are very well grounded in it, and their Faith very firm., and none of the fmalleft Perfons neither ; yet, as fome have been exalted in their Minds, and fettled in the Knowledge of heavenly Things by me, (o on the contrary, fome, that were exalted in their Knowleoge by being in my Favour, have rebelled againft me, for which Rebliion they have been caft down and out of my Sight, becaufe feveral innocent Perfons were drawn afide to join in their Rebellion ; but I have feparated the Sheep from the Goats, that is, the Obedient from the Rebellious ; and this Aft of Rebellion hath been in Agitation this whole Year, but now it is brought to a Period ; and this hath taken up much Time in writing and talking to other Believers, to fatisfy them in this Rebellion ; fo that all are fatisfied now, and more firmly fixed to me than before, only three or four of the grand Rebels I have caft out, three caft out for ever, but one of the four repented quickly, and humbled himfelf, and I forgave him, but the others are hardened. And who do { 38i ] do you think is one of the Rebels ? Even Walter Bohenari the Scotchman^ his Rebellion is great, for he hath joined with the other two without a Caufe, and he hath undertaken to plead their Caufe, and make their Caufe his own, and he hath written two bafe Letters to other Believers, to perfuade them to Rebellion againft me, and to cleave unto the Scrip- tures ; fo that I fee there is no Place of Repentance will be found for him ; but perhaps you may hear more of this here- after, for it would be too large to give you an Account of the Particulars and Ground of this Rebellion, therefore I fhall not trouble you no further at prefent, only let you know we are all well at prefent ; fo with my Love and my Wife's Love remembered unto yourfelf, and to our dear Friend Mrs. Parker^ I reft and remain your Friend in the eternal 'Truths The Pajlern^ LonJottf January 13, i6;i. LOUOWICKE MUGGLETON. And as for the Quaker's Letter to the Woman you fent, there is nothing in it to ground any Anfwer unto it, neither by the Woman, nor none elfe ; they do as little Children do, afk their Parents fuch Queftions as cannot be anfwered by the Parents, no more than the Child that afks can tell •, and do not they fhew their Ignorance and Darknefs to put Queries to fmiple ignorant Women to anfwer, which they cannot anfwer themfelves, for they know not how to anfwer thofe Queries they have put to the Woman than a Dog doth ; if the Mouth of the Dog were opened to fpeak, he would fay as much to thofe Quakers as they can ; for if they knew how to interpret thole Scriptures and Queries, why did they not give the Women to know them while they were of their Faith ; but now they be departed from them, now they come to learn Knowledge of the Women, and propound Queries to them, as if thofe that depart from the Quakers People and Principle are immediately endued with fuch Knowledge as to anfwer any Thing they do propound j and for the Queries Queries themfelves, they have been anfwered over and oveh again in the ^takers Neck broken^ and in Fox*s Looking- Glafs^ the Women may read the Anfwers to the Quakers there, and fave themfelves a Labour. But there is one Thing in the Qiieries that I never heard before, that is, what Complexion God is of -, as for his Stature and Bignefs is fliewecj in Fox^s Looking- Glafs, and for his Complexion I could fhevv that alfo, but what Good will that do Quakers to know ; yet to fatisfy you, I fhall give you a little Knowledge of it, what Complexion he was of when he was upon Earth, and what Complexion he is of now ; as thus, God became FleOi, and dwelt amcngft Men, as in the firft of John ; like- wife when he became Flefli he was a Nazariic, as the Scrip- ture faith. Now what Complexion Nazarites were of, you may fee in the Lamentations of Jeremiah^ Chap. iv. Verfe 7. The Words are thefe : The Nazarites were purer than [now, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in their 1 0 dies than rubies^ their polijhing was of fapphire. This was the Complexion of Chriji the only God when on Earth ; and what Complexion he is now of in the Kingdom of Glory above the Stars, may be feen Revelation^ Chap. i. Verfe 13 to 16. And in the midfi of the f even cattdlefticks John fazv one like the Son of man, cloathed with a garment down to the foot. 14. His head and hair were white as wool, as white as fnow j and his eyes were like aflame of fire. 15. And his feet like unto fine brafs, as if they burned in a furnace. 1 6. And his countenance was as the funjhining in his ftrength. Here is the full and true Complexion of the Perfon of God in Glory in the Kingdom of Heaven above the Stars •, and this Son of Man in Glory is the fame Son of Man that was upon Earth, even that very God, as I faid before ; fo that you may fee what Complexion God was of when on Earth in Mortality before he fuffered Death, and what Com- plexion God is of now in the Kingdom of Glory *, he that can underftand let him receive it. But what Ihould the Women trouble themfelves to give Anfwer to the Qiiakers Queries ? Why do not the Quakers expound their Riddles themfelves, that People may love them for their Dodrine and Principle-fake, though not for their Pradice-fake ? They Ihevv t 384 ]. Ibew themfelves like ignorant foolifh Men, to afk Wifdom of thofe that go out from them. And this I fay unto the Women, perhaps they went from them becaufe of fome evil Praftice among them more than for their Doflrine •, but I fliall not accufe them for their Practice, though by the Re- ports of them that were of them, they were wicked enough i but as for their Principle of Dodtrine concerning God, Devil, Hell, Heaven, Angels, and the Mortality of the Soul, they are altogether ignorant, and abfolute Antichriftian, and great Fighters againft the Truth of God ; and yet they talk of Truth more than any People whatfoever, but underftand Truth leaft of any. I fpeak not this to perfuade the Women to believe me, neither do I do as the Quakers People do, to compel People to go to Heaven whether they will or no, but leave it to the Seed within them to work itfelf forth. I have declared the Myfteries of God, and of the right Devil, and many other heavenly Secrets, which have lain hid from the Foundation of the World, never rev^ealed to Man- kind till now i and whoever can hear and underftand, will be made Partakers of thofe heavenly Truths. There is now Life and Death fet before the Women, whe- ther they fhall cleave unto the Quakers, or unto this Com- miffion of the Spirit. Now they muft venture their Souls upon me, or upon them ; if I be true then they are falfe, if they be true then muft I be falfe -, for we cannot be both true, one of us muft perifti to Eternity. Now Life and Death is fet before you, you muft chufe or refufe which you will take •, fo that they muft cleave to the one, and forfake the other, elfe they can have no Peace at all. But I fhall fay no more, but reft at prefent, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, A Copy [ 385 ] A Copt of ^LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, hearing Date Auguft 2 a , 1 6 8 1 , to Charles Yeeles , Thomas Millerd, and John White, living in or near Cork in Ireland^ Charles Yeeles, Thomas Millerd, John White, Received a Letter as from you three by the Hand of Rebecca Stratton^ dated y«/)! 22, 1681. I perceive by your Letter that you have viewed fome of our Writings, and that it hath pleafed God, in the reading thereof, you have found great SatisfatStion, and by Faith do believe our Commiffion to be true, and by the fame ye are come to believe in the true God, and to know the right Devil, with an Increafe of daily Satisfa6lion in yourfelves^ though much to the Difcontent of the Children of this Ge- neration. I perceive fome of you have been Quakers, and that it is but lately that you have feen any Excellency in thofe Writings of ours ; and it is God's great Mercy indeed that your Eyes are opened to believe the true God, and to l^now the right Devil. The Knowledge of thefe two, their Forms and their Natures, giveth great Satisfadion to the Mind of Man, and without the Knowledge of the true God and the right Devil, there can be no Satisfaflion nor Afilirance of eternal Life abiding in any Man while upon this Earth •, for God hath blinded the Eyes of all Men by Nature upon the Earth for thefe many Generations, that he might give Light unto two Men in this laft Generation, to en- lighten tiie Underflmding of many in thofe deep hidden ^Myfteries, how God became Fiefh, and dwelt among Men here on this Earth, and how the Devil became Flefh, and doth dwell among Men here on Earth now, and of that great Myftery of the two Seeds, namely, the Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent j and from whence D d d thefe [386] thefe two Seeds came ; the Original how they came to be Seed, and of their Produdlion j what thofe two Seeds did produce, even eternal Salvation to many, and eternal Dam- nation to Millions of Men and Women ; with many more facred Things that did belong unto God only, as the Form and Nature of Angels, which were known to God only that created them, which he hath revealed to Reeve and Muggle- ton only ; and we are as a Pipe of Wood in the Earth, that hath conveyed that Water of Life into many earthen VeiTels, whofe Souls fliall drink of the W^ater of Life, and doth never thirft more. It hath been in the Souls of many that have believed our Report, as that Oil the Prophet Elijha filled that Woman*s VeiTels with, even enough to keep her and her Son as long as flie lived in this World. Thus I have given you a little Hint ot thofe heavenly Myfteries which have been revealed unto me, which you will iind more abundant in thofe Books Mrs. Stratton doth bring, if fhe come fafe to Ireland, as I hope fhe will ; and 1 do wifb you may underftand what you read, for I cannot give you Underftanding, it muft anfe out of your own Seed, and underftand with your own Hearts the Things that belong to your eternal Peace ; and you muft expeft the Difcnntent and Ill-will of many ; for God hath made me, as he did the Prophet Jeremiah, to ftand as a Wall of Brafs againft Ifrael and Judah, which was only to two Kingdoms ; but God hath made me a Wall of Brafs not only to three Kingdoms, England, Scotland, and Ireland, but unto all Europe that pro- fefleth the Chriftian Religion. I am hated of all Nations for nothing elfe but for the CommifTion of God put upon me, and the moft zealous and righteous People of all hate me moft of ail i yet the God of my Salvation hath prefervcd my Life almoft thefe thirty Years, in feveral Perfecutions and Im- prifonments, and my Life -is ftill within me, without any Diftemper of Body, only Age groweth on, which muft be fubmitted unto. I take Leave at prefent, only my Love remembered unto you all three, and unto Jeremiah Stratton, George Gamble, and his Wife, George Rogers, and Elizabeth Flaggetter, and [ 387 ] and all the reft of our Friends in the true Faith in thofe Parts. I reft your FrierA in the true Faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift, the only wife God, blejfed and praifed be his Name, London, Auguji zz^ 1681. LODOWICKE MuGGLETON. The Books which Rebecca Stratton paid twenty Shillings for are thefe, and the Price : /. s, d. 1. The Divine Looking-Glafs^ at ■■ ■ ^ 050 2. The Interpretation of the nth of the Reve-7 lation, at j -^ 3. The whole KtvtlzXAon, at . 026 4. FoxV hooking-Glafs^ at — — 026 5. The Witch of Endor, at ' 026 6. The Anfwer to William Penn, at 026 The whole Revelations and Penn's were always at that Price, becaufe I have fome of them two left ftill j but all the other are hard to be had fingle for any Money, but what are bound altogether, and they be very dear. Dd'd 2 A Copy f [ 388 ] ^ . * A Copy ^/ ^LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. James Whitehead, of Braintree in Eflex, bearing Date from London, Auguft 30, 1681. Loving a7id kind Friend in the tnie Faiih, James Whitehead, THl S is to certify you, that I received your Letter, bearing Dace March 23, 1680, wherein you com- manded your Daughter to dine with me on Saturday laft, but upon fome Occafions it was put off until Monday^ which was more convenient, and at a more convenient Houfe, where my Wife and I, and other Friends, did dine with your two Daughters, I fuppofe to the Content of both your Daughters, and of us alfo. And as for thofe two Things you defire of me, to give you an Account concerning your eldeft Daughter, her Lineage and Faith, I fhall give you my Judgement, as far as I can difcern, by what I have heard and ittn. by her myfeif, and by her Letters to Mr. Delamaine, and Difcourfe our Friend Delamaine and his Wife hath had with her, and Experience they have had of her ; as thus : Your Daughter Prijcilla is of the Lineage of Rebecca and Rachel^ that is, of the Race of the Ajfyrians ; for Laban the AJfyrian was Rebecca''^ Brother, and Rachel\ Father. Now to give you the Reafon why I judge the Ajfyrians is the beft of Natures amongft the Gentiles, for thefe Caufes : Firji^ Becaufe they are generally honeft of their Bodies, both Men and Women. Secondly^ They are in their Natures generally juft Perfons in their Dealings, efpecially if they be of the Seed of Faith, or have but the leaft Meafure of Faith in them. ^hirdly^ They are generally wife in their Natures, and given to Covetoufnefs with Moderation 3 which is indeed but to [ 389 ] to preferve for another Day, that they might not be Servantt to Canaanites^ nor fubject to proud Moabites^ nor ftout- hearted Ammonites\ nor fcoffing IJhmaelites^ nor prophane Efau's ; fo that they may be fubjed to none but Jews only. This is counted Covetoufnefs by all thofe Sort of People. Thefe Things atortfaid I do difcern are in your Daughter's Nature, which came by the Mother's Side, of Rebecca and Rachel^ as aforefaid. And as for her Faith in the true God, and in this Com- mifiion of the Spirit, fhe hath ei^refled before Mr. Dela- maine and his Wife, and me and my Wife, befides what fhe exprelTed in her Letters formerly as much, and more than could be exped;ed, having fo little Occafion to draw it forth as fhe hath had ; for it cannot be expefted that her Faith fhould appear vifibly flrong as thofe that had their Faith tried in the fiery Contefis of the World, e'^en as Gold is tried, even as you know fome have here in London ; yet her Faith is true, and grounded upon a Rock ; and Time may caufe her Faith to be tried, as others have been, in the Fire of Oppofition, and come forth to the vifible View of this World, as others of her Sex, as Gold purified feven Times in the Fire. Thus I have given you a fmall Account of thofe two Things you defired, and I know you will perceive by thefe Lines more than can be expreffed in Writing. Therefore I fhall fay no more at prefent in this Thing, but prefent my Love and my Wife's Love unto yourfelf, and to your good Wife, and to Mr. Nicolls, And reji your Friend in the eternal Truth, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. ^ Copy [ 390 ] A Copy of <3;LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, /,e, laying you was as great a Liar as, one he named of your Neighbours^ whp lies 1 408 ] lies 'under that Odium, and that you was a filly Fellow, not fit to carry an Errand five Rod ; and further he faid, you had been diftraded this half Year. As to this I fay, if Hawkes had not been diftmfted himfelf with Envy and Madnefs, he would never have uttered fuch mad Expreffions to a fober -Man, that was more in his Senles than ever Hawka was in his Life ♦, for it doth not belong to that Tribe and Nature that Whitehead is 6f, to be diftradled in his Brain •, but Dif- trad:ions of Brain belong to the Gentiles, fuch as he is, Amonites and Moabites, and CanaaniteSy and the Race of the Gentiles, but not to the Jewsy who are zealous of the Law of God written in their Hearts 5 but the Gentiles, fuch as Hdipjkes is, through their Experience of Bufinefs in this World, and their paflionate Humours, many of them came to Diftradion, and to be diftradbed in the Brain, which caufeth them in the Heat of their Minds to utter fuch Ex- preffions out of their Mouths, which are unfavoury and un- feemly, which caufeth Repentance, elfe nothing but Hell followeth. As to all thefe bafc Reproaches, and undervaluing Words, and defpifmg Speeches aforefaid^ I perceive by your Letter that Hefiry Hawkes did acknowledge his Fault unto you, and that you did acknowledge in your Letter, that you have forgiven him this Trefpafs againft you before. But now, laft of all, in this Month of July^ 1684, Henry Hawhs hath committed a greater Fault againft you than the former ; for, fay you, Mr. Clarke^ who owns the other Part of the Houfe, that is to fay, that Part of the Houfe that you was about buying of Henry Hawkes, you having agreed with him. Likewife you fay, for no other Caufe as you know^ than for your refufing to allow the one Half of the five Shillings and Two-pence Charge, which you faid was need- lefly beftowed, and that Mr. Clarke, your Partner, and your- felf, told the Workmen that you would not allow Henry Hawkes it ; but he, before your Partner, Clarke, and Richard Amis, did call you damned Knave, and damned Rogue, and that you were a likely Man to buy a Houfe, when as you owed him Money, and could not pay it. Thefc are abominable Words, which no Man could or fhould have borne, had he not profcflcd the fame Faith as you do 5 however, except he doth [ 40P ] doth repent, and acknowledge his Fault to you, that you might forgive .him, in that he hath finned only againft you in a high NatUrfc, ypu may do as" I faid before, call him out: 9f all .Concerns -with you, even as the Jews did the Sama- ritansy have no Dealings with him. If the Houfe be yours '^n(\ Clarke's whicH Hawkes lives in, and that he doth pay one Half of the Rent to you, and the other Half to Clarke-, if he be a Tenant to you both, as I perceive he. is, give a Letter of Attorney to any other Man whom you can truft, to receive your Part of the Rent quarterly, or half Year, as the Tenor of your Leafe runs ; but if he hath no Leafe, but a Tenant at Will, you may advife with Mr. Clarke, and turn him out of the Houfe according to Law, and let it to another to put him out of the Houfe -, then you may do as aforefaid, and free yourfelf from having any dealing with him. This is all the Juftice I can give you in this Particular at prefent, but take Leave, And remain your Friend in the eternal Truths both natural and fpiritualy Londun^ AugHft XO, 1684. LODOWICFLE MUGGLETON.' Ggg A CopTt [ 4IO ] ^^ Copy of a LETTER wrou ly the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs^ Elizabeth Wheately, of Andover, bearing Date from London, dated September 2.^, 1684. Bear Friend in the true Faith, Elizabeth Wheately, THIS is to certify you, that I have read your Letter you fent to our Friend Mr. Delamaine, dated Septem- her 3, 1684, wherein we have received the kind Token of your Son- alfo. 1 am glad to hear of your good Health, and more cfpecially ot the ftrong Faith- :you have in the perfonal true God, the Man Chrifi Jefus in Glory •, I know your Faith in him is built upon a Rock, a fure Rock, which all the fiery Darts of Reaion, the Devil in Man, Ihall not prevail againft you, you being fully afilired in yourfelf there is no Devil to affright you but Men and Women Devils ; and as your Faith is built upon a glorious, fpiritual, perfonal God in the Form of a Man, whofe Nature is all Faith, which Faith is all Power-, and you being^ of the Seed of Faith, is the great Support of the Peace of your Mind here in this World, and doth give you the Aflurance in yourfelf of that eternal Life and Glory in the World to come ; fo likewife your Faith in the true God doth give you the Knowledge of the right Devil, his Form and Nature, which Knowledge doth keep you from all Fears of the Devil when you fee him, knowing in yourfelf that there is no Devil to be damned but Men and Women *, for as Men and Women are the Seed of Adam, which is the Seed of God, are ap- pointed to be faved, becaufe the Seed of Faith is rifen into A^^^q^JFaith to believe God's MeiTengers, and fo come to have AlTurance of eternal Life abiding in themfelves, yet they are but Men and Women that are to be faved ; and the Caufe why Men and Women are faved, is, becaufe they are of [ 4" ] tf the Seed of Mam^ which is the Seed of God, and for no other Caufe s fo I ike wife there is no other Devil to be damned to Eternity but Men and Women ; why, becaule Men and Women are the Seed of the Serpent, and the Ser- pent's Nature, being Reafon fallen, and no Creature elfe hath the Seed of Reafon in it but Men and Women j therefore it is, that when the Seed of Reafon doth arife in Man and Woman into A6t of Rebellion, and fo the Breach of the moral Law, which God hath written in the Hearts of Men and Women, then doth the Fear of eternal Damnation arife in the Heart of the Seed of the Serpent, which are no other but Men and Women 5 fo that as Jdam and his Seed are all appointed of God to be faved, both of Men and Women, To likewife the Serpent and his Seed are appointed of God to be damtied to Eternity, which are Men and Women •, for there is but two Seeds, that is, the Seed of Faith, and the S^ed ef Reafon, and herein lieth your eternal Happinefs, and all others, in that you have believed a true Prophet's Report, whereby you come to know yourfelf to be of the Seed of Faith, of the Seed of Adam, of the Seed of God, This is that Peace of Mind, and Comfort of Heart, which the World cannot give ; neither can any religious Man in the World whatfoever attain to this Peace of Mind and Comfort of Heart in thefe Days, but thofe few that do be- lieve in this Commifllon of the Spirit. I have added thefe few Lines for the Increafe and Strengthening of your Faith^' that your Joy may be full j and fo take Leave at prefeat, only my Love, wih my Wife's Love and Refpe6ls prcfented unto you, r • . fi-jnfi' . V."". Remain ypur Friend, m the eternal ^ruth^ London, September 24, t684. !£^6dOWICKE MuCiCLETOICfc I perceive you haye eameft Defire to Mr. Delamaine, to procure you thofe two Books of Claxton's Writings -, namely, ^he Dialogue ht.wixt Faith and Reafon^ and that Book called, hook about you i for that Devil you fear is within you. Truly, G g g 2 Friend^ [ 41 i ] Friend, it is a great Wonder that we could, help y^u to ootu, or either of them •, but as it happened^ Mr. Dslamainey took- ing over all his Book§, he •found one Dialogue that was pcr- feft, and no more, and I myfelf had the other Devil Book that was perfeft, and no more. The Price of the Dialogue is two Shillings and Six-pence, and the other one Shilling and Six-pence. Our Friend Delamaine will, take Care to fend them. ■ • :!"■'''' '::■'- A Copy of a LETTER wrote hy the. Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs.. Friicilla Whitehead, containing herBleJJingy . bearing Date fromluoxidiony September 24,, 1685. • Dear Friend in the, efernal Truth, Prjfcilla Whitehead, IReceived your Letter, dated Septemi?er 11, 1684, wherein, your Requeft and Petition, as you fay, unto me, is, that. 1 would be pleafed to give you the Blefllrig of eternal Life "with my own Hand -writing. You do by me zs Hezekiab the King did unto the Prophet Ifaiah, when the Prophet told the King, that the Lord had added to his Life fifteen Years more, which pleafed the King very well, that his Life Ihould be preferved fifteen Years longer; but this did not well con- tent him, but the Prophet muft fliew him. a Sign, elfe he could not be contented ; then the Prophet mull propofe what Sign he would have, whether of thefc two, whether the Sun Ihould go ten Degrees fatter in the Dial of ^haz than was its ufual Courfe, or ten Degrees backwards; the King was fure to afk the hardeft Sign ; therefore the Prophet faid, thou halt alked a great Thing, yet, notwithftanding, it fhall be granted thee ; fo likewife I do partly remember, that I did; once already declare you one of the BlcfTed of the Lord to w . -^ : . Eternity' i 4?? ] Eternity by Word of Mouth, and you were well pleafed and fatisfied with it ; but fince that, I perceive you have read, at Mr. Deiamain&'sy in that you call ^he Book of Life, where Several of the Saints are recorded to have the Blefling of eternal Life and Salvation pronounced upon them by me ; fo that now you are not contented with the Blefling of ever- lafting Life and Salvation by Word of Mouth, but doth fue and petition, as it were, for a Sign; I mayfay for acSign, and that an hard one too, becaufe it is not ufual for me to give the Saints a BJefTing by Word of Mouth, and. Writing too -, but, however, your Petition fhall be granted' you. 1 dx) perceive, that though you have the Aflurance of eternal Life and Salvation, abiding in yourfelf by your Faith in the firft Blefling, in that you are recorded in the Book of Life in Heaven. jWhen that Book is opened at the Reflirre<5tion, you are written, one of God's Eled ; but I perceive your Defire is to have your Name written in the Book of Life here on Earth,, that is, to have your Name recorded amongfl: the BleflTed of the Lord, that the Age to come that fliall believe, fhall call you BleflTed. You have given in your Letter fuflicient Tefl:imony of your Faith to be true and fl:rong in the true God, and in this Com mifllon of the Spirit 5 therefore, to grant your Requeft, I do pronounce Pr if cilia Whitehead one of the Bleflfed of the Lord, both in Soul and Body, to Eternity. Written hy hmio^, September 2j^^ 1684. '^'? S ' LODOWICKE Nfu'bdiETON^, One of the two laji Prophets and Witneffes of the Spirit that God will ever fend to the End of the World ;' with my Love and my Wife's Love r member ed unto' you, ^ ■' A Gopr [414 ] ^ Copy of a Blejftng wrote hy the Prophet Muggleton, to Mrs, Mary Whitehead, of Braintree, bearing Date fromluonioviy June I, 1686. Dear Priend in the true Faith, Mary Whitehead, THIS is to certify you, that I received your Letter, dated May 18, 1686, written with your own Hand, and with your own Heart hath indited it, wherein you have cxprefled the Sincerity of your Heart, which I do believe ; a Child, as I may call you, fo young, or as a tender Plant that is watered with the Dew of Heaven, which makes you grow in Faith, and in the Knowledge of the true God, as you fay, doth caufe you to increafe every Day more and more. I am glad to hear that there is that Well of the. "Water of Life digged in your Heart, that will fpring up in you unto eternal Life, fo that you may not go to draw any Water out of the World's Well, that is, the World's I>qc- ti-ine and Worfhip, to fatisfy your Soul as ' to Things of Eternity. Befides, this I can fay, as Cbrifi did when on Earth, in another Cafe, concerning Children, I'hat of fuch is the kingdom of heaven j fo 1 do fay by you that do believe, even in your Nonage as it were, a Child, fo I fay that of you, and fuch as you are^ is the Kingdom of Heaven pre- pared for. Likewife you fay you long to be with me, and that you could live with me Night and Day ; as to that, I perceive your Love is great toward me, and other Friends here in London^ but I perceive it is not expedient at prefent ; but wait a-while, and who knows but that good Providence of God may bring Things to pafs in Time, that may fatisfy your Defirc in the natural ; but this I can allure you, in the Things fpiritual and eternal, that you fhall live with me, wh^re there is no Night at all, but aJl Day ; that is, an eter- nal Day, or a Day that Ihall never end ; then fhall you live with [ 415 1 with me, and with all true Believers of this Commifllon oF the Spirit, in that boundlefs Kingdom of Glory, which na mortal Eye can fee, only the Eye of Faith doth fee if at a Diftance here in Mortality ; but when our God fhall change thefe our vile Bodies, and make them like unto his own glo- rious Body, then fhall we fee as we are feen of God, that is, when our Bodies are fpiritualized and immortalized, then fhali we fee fpiritual Bodies, as fpiritual Bodies doth fee us, fo that my Faith here in Mortality is the only Evidence of thofc Things we fhall fee in the State of Immortality and Glory, which will be fulfilled, when our God fhall raife the Dead ; and we that die in this Faith, doth die in the Lord with all the Eled, God will raife firfl: before he doth raife any one Reprobate. This may feem to the Re«tfon of Man at a great Diftance, and impofllble to be done 5 but to a ftrong Faith, without doubting, it is pofiible and eafy for God to do v for the A(ft of Faith, without doubting, always taketh God^s Part, knowing that there is no Time to the Dead ; there- fore, when you and I am raifed again, we fhall live eternally together-, and, as you being but a Child in Age, yet ^ "Woman grown in Faith and Experience, as you have ex- prelTed, that your Knowledge in the true God doth increafe in you every Day more and more, fo that ybiir Faith is always working, fo that your Mind is of that World to come. Thefe Things I have confidered, and of your greac Love to me as the Prophet of God, it doth proceed from a^ true Heart, being but a Child for Age, and an Ifraelite, in- whom there is no Guile -, therefore, that the Grace of God,i, which you have received already,, may increafe in you more": and more, to the fuller and perfect AfTurance of &verlafting Life abiding in you, I do pronounce you^ Mary Whitehead^ one of the Bfcffed of the Lord, both in Soul and Body, to Eternity, , . ' Jfrilten hy your Friend in the eternal Truth , fl. ) oj ,11: LODOWICKE MuQGLrETONr "One of We' tivolaft Prophets and IFitneffcs of ihe'SplHt uitti^'\ the Hi^and ' Mighty Gud^ the M^^ Chrift Jeiiis inGlsr^/^' \ A Copt L'UCi 3; . A Copy of amtier LETTER wrofe by the Prophet Lpdowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Anne Delamaine, Widow of Afr. Alexander Delamalne, Se7tiory hearing Date from\ London> Febraary^jj 1687, , Dear Friend in the eter;ial 'J^ruth, Anne, Delamaine, ,y THIS is to certii^ ydii,' that I receivM your Letter, and your kind Token, by the Hand of our Friend Thomas Laid. I am very glad to. hear from your own Hand- writing, but fhould be far more glad to fee your Face, and to enjoy your good Company at your own Houfe again, and fo would many Friends more here at London ; but feeing it ca,nnot be as yet, we friay bear it more eafy with Patience, feeing you do bear it fo patiently yourfelf, that is more con- cerned in it' than we are. Faith and Patience are two great Virtues, which doth enable a Man or Woman to go through great Troubles ; Faith makes a Man tp remove Mountains of Troubles, that is, rriany great Troubles, and Patience, on the other Side, doth enable a Man to bear Mountains of Troubles, that is, many great Troubles, and hot fink under them, as many of this World doth. Faith in the true God doth enable and caufe a Man to love God, fo that Faith, Love and Patience are the three Virtues that doth adorn a Man or Woman's Life, and makes it Peace. Thefe three Virtues I know you have had ever fince I firft came acquainted with you, which caufed me to fay I loved you more than other common Believers of this Commiffion of the Spirit, you following my Advice in all Things more than any Womankind of this Faith, nay, more than my own Daughter's, which caufed my Daughter Sarah, which you knew very well, to exprefs thefe Words to a Company of Women at a Woman's La- bour, that you, when your Name was Anne Hall, were the beloved Difciple of her Father of all the Women in London, ■- ' . The [ 417 ] The Words were true enough, though I never did exprefs it to any Perfon myfelf. Indeed this cold Weather is very unfit for you to take any Journey, or go into the cold Aii at this prefent. You give us fome good Hopes that your Cough is breaking away, and that your Nature is found and ftrong (till, and that, about the latter End of March ^ you do not queftion but you fhail come to London ; which doth increafe our Hopes to wait with Patience. So with my Love, and my Wife's Love, remembered unto yourfelf in parti- cular, / take Leave, and remain your Friend in the eternal Truth, London, February 3, 1687. • LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. Pojifcript. My Love with my Wife's Love remembered to Mr. Whitehead, and his Wife, and to Prifcilla and Mary Whitehead, and give her Thanks for her kind Token fhe fenc me by Thomas Ladd, Our Love to all Friends there with you. A Copy of a LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Sarah Delamaine, Daughter to Mr, Alex- ander Delamaine, Senior y Wife of Robert Delamaine, bearing Date December 14, 1691. Dear and loving Friend in the eternal Truth, Sarah Delamaine, YOUR Defire it was to me to give you the BlefTmg of everlafting Life in Writing, notwithftandihg I have given you the BlefTing by Word of Mouth many Years ago, which I was unwilling to do; but you being fo urgent upon me to do it, made me promife to give you the BlefTing in Writing ; fo that I have confidered that you have read in that Book which your own Father did fend for, thofe Letters that were lent to me for the BlefTing of q^erlafting Life to H h h Eternity [ 4i8 ] Eternity in many Parts of England and Ireland^ and many other Parts of this World, which many of them never faw me in all their Lives, yet were fatisfied in their Minds, and had the Affurance of eternal Life abiding in themfelves while in this natural Life, by believing in this Commiffion of the Spirit, which is the laft Commiffion that God will ever fend unto this bloody, unbelieving World, while this World doth laft ; and that Book which your Hufband hath, it' was your Father's Care and Charge, and your Mother-in-Law's too, to get it recorded for the Ages to come after my Death, and it will be found at the laft Day as a Book of Life to all thole whofe Names are recorded therein, to be the BlefTed of the Lord, becaufe they Ihall have their Part in the firfl: Refurredlion, fo that the fecond Death fhall have no Power over them ; for God will raife the Saints and the Eled of God firft, before he doth raife one Reprobate or Devil. And this I do know, that your own Father and own Mother, and your Mother-in-Law, and your own Brother, Alexander De~ lamaine^ and your own Hufband, Robert Delamaine, will all be faved, being all bleffed of the Lord to Eternity, in that they truly beheved in this third and laft Commiffion of the Spirit which God will ever fend when they were aUve, while this World doth laft or end. And you, Sarab Delamaine, the only Daugther of your Father Alexander Delamaine that is alive,- doth truly believe in this Commiffion of the Spirit, and that God hath given me Power to pronounce you bleffed to Eternity, as I have done to many others ; and your Defire is, that I would give you the Bleffing in Writing, that you might be numbered amongft the Bleffed of the Lord ; therefore, to fatisfy your Defire, and in Obedience to my Commiffion, I pronounce you, Sarah Delamaine, bleffed, both in Soul and Body, to all Eternity. IFritten by me, London, December 14, 169 1. LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, One of the two lafi JVitneJfes and Prophets of the Spirit unto the High amLMighty God, the Man Chrifl Jefus in Glory, A Copy C 419 ] A Copy of a LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs, Ellen Sudbury, hearing Date from Lon- don, May 19, 1663. Dear Friend in the true Faiths El)en Sudbury, , , AM glad to hear a few Lines from, you, , and thought you have not been well in Body; yet I perceive you have grown more ftrong in the Faith of this CommijTion, and in the Affurance of eternal Life, which is the chiefeft an4 greateft Thing that can be attained in this Life, which Faith of yours fhall carry you up here in this Life ; and not only fo^ but according to your Faith it fhall be unto you \ for you Ijiall fee your God Face to Face, in that Kingdom of eternal GIo- •ry. And this Faith which you have in this CommiiTion of the Spirit is that Earnell of the. Spirit, which is the Evidence of Things not feen, and the ^ubftance of Things hoped for. ".'•,,, There is no knowing of God, nor any Thing above the Stars, but by Faith ; therefore without Faith it is impoffibie to pleafe God ; neither can a Man pleafe himfelf without Faith, for great and wonderfuLThings have been done by the Power of Faith, and yet the Peace pf Mind and thq AfTurance of eternal Life is greater than all ; for the Time was whenas I would have given the whole World, if it had htm in my Power ; nay, I would willingly have laid dqwfi my Life to have procured Favour with God, or to know my eternal Happinefs, but could not -, but now eternal Life is freely given me, made known to me, I am not fo willing to lay down my Life as I was before ; for before I thought to pro- cure Peace with God by fuffering, which could not be, but now by Faith I have obtained the Affurance of eternal Life, without laying down my Life. So that what I fuffer now, it is from Life, and not to gain Life, which all Men which have not this Faith do fuffer to gain Life, and not from any true Life of Faith •, neither can W h h 2 they [ 420 ] they fay the Life that they live is by the Faith of the true God, as we can ; for if God hath never a Perfon (as they fay) there can be no true Faith at all. Therefore be not you dif- couraged becaufe of the Fewnefs that believe or receive this CommiiTion of the Spirit ; for if there fhould be none but yourfelf in thofe Parts, yet your Faith and Bleffednefs which hath been declared upon you fhall bear you up, and con- iirm you the more, both of the Truth of the Scriptures and of the Do(^rine that is held forth by this Commiffion of the Spirit, for the Scriptures are full of luch Examples, here and there one, that did receive a Prophet in the Name of a Pro- phet. And as for JViUiam ffaifon's tempting you to fpeak EviJ of me, I know that is the Nature of the Devil fo to do; and as for his going up and down with Richard FarnfwortFs Letter, faying that he durft, and himfelf fpeak Evil of me, that belongs only to the Devil fo to do, efpecially thofe that are damned by me ; for it is not Richard Farnfworth'*s Letter, nor all the Men in the World's Letters, that can, or IhaJl take off his Damnation again. But if William Wat f on do but read, or hear my Anfwcr read to Richard Farnfworth*& Letter, he will have fmali Caufe to boaft of that Letter. I hope our Friend Dorothy Carter hath taken a Copy of it before now, expeding that (he will fend it to you. Tho* I did not defire her fo to do when I fent it, yet 1 hope you have it before you receive this. Therefore let the Devil Watfon, and all they that are un- der the Sentence of this Commiflion, rage, and do what they can, they ihall never take away that AlTuranee of eternal Life from you, neither ihall they deliver themfelves from that Damnation which I have p^-onounced upon them. No more at prefent^ but my Love to yourfelf, 1 refi your friend in the eternal Truthy LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, A Copy t 4^^ ] A Copy ury's on Saturday -, but Mr. Whitehead and Walter Bohenan went from thence the Monday Morning very early ; but I ftaid there till the Thurfday following, before I went to Chefterfield, and they were to meet me at Chefterfield, at Mrs. Carter's, on'Thur/day^ as was intended, but they did not come there till Saturday i fo I made a full Account, and was almoft confident they had found you out, which had caufed them to ftay fo long ; for they did intend, and it was concluded upon by us all, and by K k k 2 Mrs. [ 436 ] Mrs. Sudbury, that they fhould find you out. Being well horfed as they were, if it were 12 or 14 Miles out of their Way, they would have feen you, becaufe Mr. Sudbury would have conveyed a Letter unto you, to have given you Notice that I was there, but he could not \ fo I depended, and fo did Mrs. Sudbury^ that Mr. Whitehead and Mr. Walter Bohenan would have feen you, and the more, becaufe they ftaid two Days longer than was intended ; but it fell out contrary to all our Expec- tations, which made us all fenfible of much Trouble, that all Things elfe in our Journey had profpered well, and if we had feen you alfo, our Joy would have been full ; but miffing this Opportunity, our Joy was fomewhat diminiflied, to what it would have been had we feen you, even as much Satisfac- tion as can be had in weary Journies •, but after a little Reft there is Joy in the Morning. Mr. Whitehead would willingly have gone 10 Miles out of his Way if he could have heard where Slade-Houfe was -, but none could tell them where , for they afk'd the Country People for, or where Slade-Houfe was, but none could tell them where, nor they did not know or remember any Town near it, for they had forgot that I had told them it was about four or five Miles from AJhbourne, by which Means did this Mifliap fall out. So, dear Friend, I would not have you to think, or have any fuch Thoughts, that it was for Want of good Will or Love in any of us, or any (lender Thoughts in any of us more to you than to others > for we had and have the fame AfFcdions of Love and Tendernefs, and Defire, to have feen you and your good Wife, as to others ; but none of us knowing the Way, and by Report a very bad Way to your Houfe from thofe Parts, difheartened us to go any further. Alfo 1 underfland that Mr. Delamaine did give you to know that I was in thofe Parts, elfe you would not have know fo foon ; but it was too late before he did know it himfelf •, for he did as much marvel that I was in thofe Parts of the Country as you did, for there was no Friend in the Faith, nor Sons nor Daughters here at London^ that did know that 1 would go any further than Cambridge, but my Wife and one more, whofe Mother I was to go and fee in Leicejierfhire, nor of Mr. Whitehead and Walter Bohenan'^ going with me, I kept all fecret from Friends here in London -, but [ 437 ] but Friends in Cambridgejhire knt-w of it ; but I gave them Notice to keep it fecret from Friends in London, till we came back again, which they did ; fo that none could give Intelli- gence to Friends in Leicejierfhire, Nottingham, or Chejterfield, lb we came upon them before they were aware, unexpedled, and fo we thought to do by you, but did not attain our De- fires. For I knew if it had been known here at London, it would have been blazed about to them all before we came, and to you alfo, had it been known ; for as foon as Mr. Delamaine did hear of it by a Letter I fent to my Wife, and one that Mr. Saddington^s Sifter in Leicejlerfmrc fent to him, it was known that I was in thofe Parts, then Mr. De- lamaine, out of his exceeding great Love to you, did fend you Word ; but going by AJhbourne Carrier, I perceive it came to your Hand a Day or two too late ; for he could not have fent with Safety to your Houfe by the Poft ; yet I perceive you had our Friend Delamaine*s Letter before we went from Nottingham -, for William Newcome parted with us at Mrs. Carterh on Monday Morning early, and he was to go that Day to Bakwell, and we went to Nottingham, and ifaid there till JVednefday ten o' Clock, and fo departed thence the Way we came, till we came to Cambridge again j To Mr. Whitehead, as foon as he could, ftaid three Days there, and went to his own Home; but I ftaid a Week longer -, for I had promifed them to ftay with them at my Return back. Thus accidentally, I was the Occafion that you did not fee us ; becaufe it was fecret and not known ; but our Defire and Intent was to you as to others. Thus I have given you a true Account of the moft confi- derable PajQTages, and of our Intents and Defines, in this our Journey. So I ftiall fay no more at prefent as to that ; only to let you know that I am well, and fo is my Wife, and fo are moft of our Friends in the Faith here in London, pretty well. Thus, with my Love, with my Wife's Love to yourfelf, and your Wife, and all Friends elfe there with you, / reft and remain your Friend in the eternal 'Truth, The Po/tern, London, LoDOWICKE MUGGLETON. June 19, i66g. j ^q^jj [ 438 ] I would deiire- when you fend to me or Mr. Dzlamaimy if it be not too much Trouble, whether that Maid that failed a whole Year, as was reported, be alive yet, or no ; becaufe I heard at Chejkrfield for certain that Ihe was yet alive, and that it was a mere Cheat to get Money. A LETTER /ro;i^ the Prophet Lodo- wicke Maggleton, to Mrs. Ellen Sud- bury, Auguft 30, 1669. Dearly beloved Friend in the true Faiths Ellen Sudbury, I Received your Letter, and was glad to hear of your Welfare, and of the Strength of Faith in you : You are as one of the Daughters of Sion, which rejoiceth the Heart of him that begot you to the true Faith -, for in the Day wherein you firft believed, before you had feen me, you were- bleiTed of the Lord's Meflenger for your Faith ; for you have been like a green Olive Tree, that hath had the Oil of Joy, and Gladnefs of Heart, in the Aflurance of ever- lafting Life, thefe many Years, and I fee the Cruife of Oil doth not (launch yet, but runneth more powerful than at the firft, and fo it will to the End •, for the Ad of Faith in you hath digged a deep WeJl in the Seed of Faith in you, which will fpring up in you, to fatisfy your Thirft here •, fo that no Doubt or Want of Peace can come unto you, as concerning your eternal Happinefs, and it will fpring up into eternal Life. Alfo you may and do fee, what an excellent Language the heavenly Language is, it differs from all the Languages in the World •, and you having learned the heavenly Lan- guage of Canaan, you know the Voice of it, wherever you hear it, in fomc it is m6re plain and eafily underllood than in others •, yet, whoever doth fpeak it, tho' but in aftammering Manner, yet the Voice of Faith underftands the Language of heavenly Canaan eafily, which I know you can experience very eafily j for you have underftood and fpoke that Lan- guage [ 439 ] giiage this many Y^ars. Mr, Whitehead is well, he was at London the laft Week^ and about Michaelmafs he wiJl be at London again. There is a great Increafe in the Faith here at London, and in ioiiie Countries. There, have been with me of late, two or three German Men, that were banifhed out of Germany^ for not fubmitting to the Worlhip {^t up by that Power : There hath been ftrange Things aded there about Religion, as herein England', fo chefc.'Men came tp Ipe.me, to fee what Difference there is between the Revelatioi> and Declaration, declared by John Reeve and myfeJf, and 'that Revelation their Countrymen have .had ; but the Difference is as great as Heaven and Earth ; for' their Revelation is like many that have been in England thefe 40 Years, as Prophets and PropherefTes, yet know not the true God, neither in Form nor Nature, nor the right Devil, nor any true Princi- ple of Dodrine nor Commiflion, yet go forth as if the Lord lent them, yet know not the Lord ; the one of thefe is a Do6lor of Phyfick, and another was. a Minifter in Ger- many;, the Minifter could not {p€dk Eaglijb fo well as the Doftor ; but the Dodor bought all the 3ooks, and hath written the Commiflion-Book into the German Language, and hath fent it among the Germans ; fo what the Iffuc will be. Time will bring forth ; for there is many would befieve, did they but underftand it in their own Language. You fpeak as if I Ihould hear from Mrs. Goodwin, but I have heard nothing from them, fince I was there with them, not as yet. Thus, in Hafte, I fliall only remember my dear Love un- to yourfelf and your Hufband, with my Wife's Love unto- you both, / reft and remain your Friend in the true Faith, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. From the Pojiem, Londony Juguji 30, 1669. There is two little Books, the one concerning Witches, and the other an Anfwer to Pennington the Quaker's Book, are ready for t;he Prels 5 therefore, what Mr. Sudbury is free to give [ 44° ] give towards the Printing, is left to his own Liberty. Abblit five Weeks hence it will be, I fuppofe, printed. A LETTER from the Prophet Lodo- wicke Muggleton, to Mrs Mary Parker. Auguft 30, 1669. Dear and loving Friend in the true Faith, Mary Parker, THIS is to certify you that I received your Letter, dated Auguft the 8th Day, 1669. It is a great while fince, and I have returned you no Anfwer, becaufe I have been very much employed with writing and fpeaking with People; fince I was with you ; but I am not infenfible of re- joicing in the Growth of your Faith and Confidence in this Commiffion of the Spirit, in that you have received a Prophet in the Name of a Prophet, in the Love of Truth, and that the Word of a true Prophet fhall (land for ever. Now I know it will be unto you that believe, as the Voice of God himfelf, as the Law of thtMedes and Perftansy that cannot be altered j and now the Light of Heaven being fet in your Underflanding, by your believing in the Commiffion of the Spirit, in calling yourfelf upon the Word of a Man 5 I know you can tell the Difference in yourfelf, whether your Condition was better when you did not believe, or whether it is better and more fatisfadlory to your Spirit now you do believe, than before : Therefore, let no Motions of Reafon in yourfelf, nor Arguments of Reafon in others, make you to doubt -, for this I fay, there is fuch a Thing as eternal Glory hereafter, by believing, which will not be a Minute of an Hour, after Death, before every Believer fhall enter into that perfonal Glory, where they Ihall fee their God, their King, and Redeemer, who hath redeemed us with his own Blood, Face to Face. Alfo, there is fuch a Thing as eternal Damnation, which will not be a Minute of an Hour after Death to the Unbeliever, where they fhail be capable C 441 3 capable of eternal Torment, in utter Darknefs with the De- vil Reafon, for ever and ever. I write not thefe Things unto you, as if I did queftion or doubt the Strength of your P'aith } but becauie I know your Faith is buiJt upon a Reck, that cannot be fhaken, and ic might grow more ftrong, arid Peace might more abound in you, even while you live in this World, that you might re- joice, by believing an hundred-fold of Satisfadion of Spirit in this Life ; for in the Life to come you fhall have Life everlafting. Thus being in Hafte, I fhail take Leave, only my dear Love to yourfelf, with my Wife's Love remembered unto you, J reft and remain your Friend in the eternal Truths LODOWICKE MUCGLETON. From the Poftern, London^ Auguji 30, 1669. I have fioilhed that Writing concerning the Witch of En- dor^ and other Witches, ready for the Prefs : I have been defired by many to put it forth, with the Anfwer to Ef(iuir£ Pennington, the ^aker. They are two little Volumes, dillin£t of the mfe Ives ; therefore what you are free to give, towards the printing of them, is left to your own Liberty. It will, I fuppofe, be in Print, about a Month or five Weeks hence. Lit ^ Copr [ 44^ ] A Copy of a LETTER written hy the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Thomas Tomkinfon, of Slade-Houfe, m Staffordfhire, bearing Date from London, January 31, 1669. Longing and kind Friend in the true Faith, Thomas Tomp- kinlbn, - r'TH HIS is to certify you that I have fent feven Books of X. the Interpretation of the Witch of Endor ; I did intend ^he Anjwer to Ifaac Pennington, (hould have been printed alfo •, but it did mifcarry in the Prefs. I never was fo crofs*d in all the Books as I have printed, as in thefe two ; for this of the Witch of Endor hath been fix Months in the Printer's Hands -, but with much Difficulty, and Trouble, and Charge, I have got it fafe out of the Prefs: But becaufe this Printer was fo bafe, and kept it fo long, I put the other to another Printer, thinking to have it done before this, and fo it would -, but through the Forgetful- iiefs of the Printer, not taking the Copy in his Pocket, as he thought to do, he went out, and left the Copy and Proof of one Sheet upon the Prefs, with his Servants, and the Searchers came immediately up Stairs and took it, and would have carried it to the Council ; but the Printer made Friends, for Money, elfe he would have been utterly undone •, for it cofl the Printer feven Pounds, and me five Pounds, to pacify the Matter, and not get it done neither. But I have pre- ferv*d the Copy, mofl Part of it, and hereafter I do think to print it, but not at prefent, it will be no Ways conve- nient. But I am glad it was not the Witch of Endor that was taken ; becaufe 'tis of more Value, and never written of before, by us, nor no other, and much defired, and objeded by many : There is one for T^Kmas'Xurner, who gave ^s, 6d. one for Richard Grindy, who2 gave is. 6 d. and one for John Grind)', who gave i s. and one for Lawrance Waterman, who gave 1 J. and there is three for yourfeJf, to difpofe as you pleafe. [ 443 ] pleafe, and pay for the Carriage. Thefe cannot be afforded under i s. Price, I feJl none of them under, nor never will, while they laft ; I will not do as I did by the Mortality of the SouU tell it for Six>pence, and now I would give ^s. 6d. myfeif for one fingle. Here is Mr. Delamaine^s Letter in- clofed. Thus in Hade, I reft, only my Love, wij:h my Wife's Love, rememberM to yourfeif and Wife, and all Friends in the Faith, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. Poflerti, London, January 31, i66g. A Copy of a LETTER/^^^f by the Pro- phet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Goodwyn, of Chefterfield, bearing Date February 4^ 1669. Loving Friend in the true Faith ^ Mr. Goodwyn, TH I S is to certify you that I have fent you fix Books of the Interpretation of the Witch of Endor, defiring you to give Betty Smith one, and Betty Slater one, and two for your Mother, and two for yourfeif. Alfo I did intend the other fliould have been printed now ; but Things have fallen out very crofs ; for the other Book was taken in the Prefs, and the Printer brought into a great deal of Trouble ; for it cod the Printer feven Pounds, and me five Pounds, to pacify the Matter •, elfe the. Printer would have been utterly undone, and not get it done neither, and I could do no lefs to help bear him out, though it was al- together his carelefs Forgetfulnefs that was the Caufe, and the Bafenefs of the other Printer, that kept this fo long in hand, about fix Months : I have been more vexed about thefe than with all I did before -, but yet I am fomewhat comforted, that though I have (laid long, yet, at laft, I have it fafe out of the Prefs, it being of more Concernment than the other, L 1 1 2 and [ 444 ] and of a bigger Volume, and a Thing that was never written of before, by us, nor no other : And hereafter I do intend to print the other, if it be poffible, when Times are a little more open ; for the Copy is yet prcferved. This is all at prefent, only my Love, with my Wife's Love, remembered unto you, and your Wife, and Mother, and all Friends eife there with you, in Hafte, 1 reft your Friend in the true Faithy LODOWICKE MuGGLETON. February 4, 1 669. Alfo I have fent of thefe Books to William Newcomey defi- ring him to fend two of the Mortality of the Soul for them : He faid (when he was in London) that he had two of them» and that he would change with me for thefe. I would intreat you to be earned with him, to look them up, and fend them to me fuddenly ; becaufe there is one or two Friends in Kent^ is extreme eager with me to get them for them j becaufe i told them, I thought I Ihould -, and if he hath any more there, to Jet him fend them, and he fliall have what he will for them, cither Books or Money ; and this I would defire William Newcome, to fell none of thefe under twelve Pence apiece ; for I will fell none under, as long as they lad -, for thefe colt twice the Price printing of what the other did. You may give William Newcome this Piece. A LETTER from the Prophet Lodo- vvicke Muggleton, to Mr. Thomas Tomp- kinlbn, September 6, 1669. Loving Friend in the true Faith, Thomas Tompkinfon, THIS is to let you underftand that I have written a Book concerning the Wijch of Endor, fpoken of in the ^ook of Samuel, and of other Witches and Wizards, who deal [ 445 3 deal with familiar Spirits, (hewing how a familiar Spirit is be- gotten, and how they may be faid to fpeak out of the Ground, and how Samuel may be faid to fpeak unto King Sauly and how Spirits may be faid to fpeak without Bodies, and how a Man may be faid to preach unto the Spirits in Pri- fon, and how a Man may be faid to be in Paradife, yet not without a Body, and how Men may underfland what that Sa- tan is, whom the Scripture fpeaketh of, and what that Satan was, that tempted Job^ and all other Places of Scrip- ture that'feem as if Spirits might fpeak, and appear unto People, without Bodies : They are cleariy proved and open- ed, and will much enlighten the Underfland ing, to anfwer unto thofe Things fo commonly objeded by moft People. Alfo there is another Book, which I have written in Anfwer to Efq-, Pennington^ a Quaker, his Book, which he wrote againft i^.ie, and many of our Friends have a Defire that I would put them two in Print ; they are but little Volumes, the Witches, I fuppofe, will be five Sheets, and I fuppofe the other will be lels. Therefore I thought good to acquaint you with it, and what you are free to give toward the printing, or any other Friend there with you, it is left to your own Liberty what ; but I fuppofe there is hardly any there with you, but yourfelf, that can, or is free, to give any Thing towards the printing. I fuppofe they will be printed about a Month hence. This is all at prefent, being in Hafte, only to let you know that I am very well, and fo is my Wife, and fo are all Friends elfe, here in London^ pretty well. So with my Love, and my Wife's Love, remember*d un- to yourfelf, and your Wife, and all Friends elfe in the Faith, there with you, / reft a7id remain your Friend in the eternal Truths LODOWICKE MuGGLETON. From the Pojiem, London, Septimber 6, 1669. When you fend to me, dired your Letter to me thus : ** For Mr. Mu^gleton, at the Widow Brunt's Houfe, next •' Door [ 44^ ] " Door to the Sign of the White Horfe^ in the Pqflern, near " Moor-Lane, London.*^ A LETTER of the Prophet Lodo- wicke Muggleton'j to Chriftopher tjill, September 9, 1669, Loving Friend^ Chriftopher Hill, MY Love remembered unto you and your Wife. This *' is to certify you, that my Wife hath been fick of the Small-Pox ; they did appear the next Morning you went away from us, Ihe hath been very full, lb that there was little Hopes of Life ; but how we do conceive the worft is paft for this Bout ; yet fhe is very troublefome ftill, being fomething light-headed, fo that her Nurfe can have no Reft, which is a marvellous Thing, that fhe fhould hold out as ftie doth ; for fhe hath not got an Hour's Sleep at once, not thefe twelve Nights and Days. My Wife doth remember her Love to yourfelf and Wife, and to all the reft of her Friends with you. And I would defire you to fend me thofe two Commiffion-Books, and if you have any more of them, fend them, and as many of the Mortality as you have, fend, and if you have any of the Dialogue^ and Devil-Books, and the Lofi Sheep, fend them up with the other, if you can, the ntxx Return of Haines the Carrier. I queftion not but this Proclamation, which came out laft, will both fright and incite you all to Church now, to fave Twelve-pence a Week -, for it will fare as well with thofe as never goes at all, as it will with thofe as go every now and then, except they can give a lawful Excufe why they ftay away ; they muft hear Divine Service, and receive the Sa- crament alfo like good national Chriftians : But thofe who are not ftone-blind, may fee what it is to make Shipwreck of Faith, and a good Confcience, neither will that Wifdom of Reafon, in bowing down to a falfe Worfhip, gain that Felicity of Mindi nor Wealth of this World, as was expefted, but [ 447 ] but rather the contrary ; for he that is willing to lofe his Life fliall fave it, and he that is willing to fave his Life, (hall lofe it : And thofe Words of Chrifi, I find to be a Handing Truth, both in the Ipiritual, and in the natural, and happy and bleffcd are they which hold out to the End, that they may receive an hundred- fold of Peace and Quietnefs in this Life, and in the Life to come Life everlafting. No more at pre- fent, but reft Tour Friend in the true Faith in the true God, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON". London, September <^, 1669. • A Copy of ^LETTER, writte7i by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Thomas Tompkinfbn, of Slade-Houfe, in Stafford fhirey bearing Date from London, Ofiober 4, 1669. Tiear and loving Friend in the true Faith, Thomas Tomp- kinfon, TH I S is to certify you, that I received your Letter, da- ted September 6, 1669, and I fuppofe I fhall receive the Money on Monday Morning ; for I was forced to write thefe Lines unto you, before I could receive the Money, be- caufe you might not mifs of an Anfwer this Return ; and I underftand you have fome Thoughts to come to fee us fhort- ly, and that you might fee Friends in the Way -, therefore 1 fhall give, the Names and Places: I fuppofe you will come by 'Noiiingham, and thofe Friends you know there, only Mr. Sud' bury and his Wife, and Mr. Parker ; and in LeiceJierJJjire, a matter of feven Miles on this Side Leicejier^ towards London^ at a Town called Arnejby^ liveth one John Hall, and his Mother, and [ 448 ] and two or three Miles on one Side, liveth Thomas Hall, the Brother of John Hall, and have two Brothers more in London that own the Truth •, and within half a Mile of John Hall, liveth one who is Sifter to John Saddington, here of London, which owneth the Truth •, I faw her when I was there in my laft Journey : John Hall, or his Mother, will fend for her ; fo that they will inform you one of another : And as for thofe at Cambridge, it will be your beft Courfe to enquire for one William Vickinfm, a Butcher, in the Petty Cury, at Cambridge^ and there is Thomas Parke, that will inform you of Charles Cleve, Mr. Hampfon^ and feverai others, there in Cambridge, and at Burton, two Miles from Cambridge, Goodman JVar- hoyes and his Wife, and at Orwell, William Cakehread and his Wife. There is feverai others in thofe Parts, which thofe Friends aforefaid will inform you of. And if you fliould come into JB^:v, at Braintree there is one James Whitehead, an Iron- monger, he that was with me when I was at Chejierjield. This is all at prefent, being in Hafte, only my Love, and my Wife's Love remembered to yourfelf and your Wife, 1 reji iind remain your Friend in the true Faith, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, From the Voftem^ London, Oaoher 4, 1669. . I have received the 10 j. fince. My Love prefented to all Friends there with you. A Copy [ 449 ] y^CoPY of a LETT^ER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr, Thomas Tompkinfon, dated from London, December 4, 1669. "Dear Friend in the eternal 1'ruth, Thomas Tomplunfon, I Received your Letter, dated November 29,- 14^9, ^nd ac- cording to your Requell, I (hall write a few Lines unto you, this Return, to certify that I am well, and fo is my Wife, and all Friends elfewhere at London^ and that my Daughter White was well delivered of a Son, which was a great Comfort to her Hufband, and to us all ; becaufe they have none alive •, but two Weeks after it was born, it died, which is ibme Grief to her and him ; and as for Mr. Dela- maine, he is well, and I fliewed him your Letter 3 and as for Mrs. Alfop, here in London, I do not know any fuch Woman, neither do I know any that believes this Commifllon in Lancajler ; if there be any, it is naore than I know. And as for that Bufinefs concerning the Lord Mayor, he could do no- thing to me, having no Law on his Side ; for I faid unto him, if there were any Matter of Law againft me, let him bind them (the Accufers) over to profecute, and I would put in Bail to defend It ; but he, having no Law on his Side, gave no Heed to what I faid, nor none of them proffered to te bound to prtsfecute j fo the Lord- Mayor railed at me, and threatened me ta dtf what he could, and as it is reported fince, that he gave the Commijfion- Book to the Speaker of the Houfe cf Commons, being the Lord- Mayor's Kinfman, to- do what they could do ; but I hear nothing of it fince i for now he is out of his Mayoraky he is like another Man. And as for the Books you think long, as you may well enough, and fo they do here in London •, but the Printer hath dealt fo bafely by me, he hath had them to do thefe four Months, and hath done but one Sheet and a Half j yet the two Books will be about five or- fix Sheets apiece, fo that I am forced to put one of them to another Printer : But this Man that hath M m m dealt C 45° ] dealt fo bafcly by me, is one that I nevec employed before ; for he that printed all the reft would not do them ; fo I was forced to get whom I could ; but I hope I fhall get them done by Chrijimafs, or a little after 5 for ail Printers have been full of Bufmefs this Term-Time, with Almanacks, and other Things ; but now they are over, I hope I fhall get them done, and as foon as I can get them out of the Prefs, you Ihall hear from me ; and if it be fo hard to get thefe two little Volumes printed, what fhould I do to get thofe greater Books printed ? Therefore my Advice to you and all other Believers of thefe Writings, is, to make much of thefe Wridngs, and not to embezzle them away ; for when thefe be gone that I have, they will not be had for any Money ; for I think they will never be printed any more, the Charge will be fo great, and the Difficulty to get them done, will be the Caufe they will never be printed again. This is all at prefent, only my Love, with my Wife's Love to yourfelf, and to your Wife, and all Friends elfe there with you, / refi ■and remain your Friend in the- eternal truth, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. From the Pojlern, London, December/^, 1669. A Copy (?/ ^ LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr, Thomas Tompkinfbn, of Slade-Houfe, in StafFordfliire, bearing Date from London, April 25, 1670. Loving and kind Friend in the true Faith, Thomas Tomp- kinfon, TH I S is to certify you and your loving Wife, that we received your kindToken, and do give you both hearty Thanks for your kind Love : And further, this is to let you [ 451 ] you know, that we are both well at prefent, and (o are mod of our Friends here at London -, and that fince I came from Cambridgejhire^ we received your kind Token. There is one of our chief Friends in Camhridgejhire dead, namely, theWidow Adams, who lived at Orwell -, but fhe was married above half a Year to a Friend of the Faith, namely, Thomas WarhoyeSy a very honeft hearted Man, and fufficient of the World's Goods, who is in great Trouble for the Lofs of her ; but her Daughter and Son-in-Law do Jive in Orwell flil) ; but they being perfecuted for not going to Church, they do intend to remove from thence to Ware, about Michaelmafs ; fo that this Houfe at Orwell hath been a Place of Entertainment, like a Stage-Town, for many, twelve Years to my Knowledge; but now it will be broken up, and the Saints will be fcattered, but not out of England. Alfo this A6t againft Meetings being fo fevere and cruel, it difheartens all Sorts of ProfefTors of Religion •, but what the EfFe(5t of it will be. Time will bring forth 5 but however, it doth not reach us as yet ; but yet we are forry for the Troubles of others -, for it is their Confcience to meet, elfe they can have no Peace -, but bleffed be the God of Truth, that hath given us Peace, without outward Worfhip, God*sWifdom hath been mightily feen, in that he hath preferved this Com- miflion from all thofe Laws, and Powers of the Nation, that have been made hitherto : And it is the moft wife God, that hath fent a CommilTion into this World, that giveth Peace of Mind in believing, without outward Worlhip, fo that Truth runs clearly through the Hearts of many -, and the Powers cannot tell how to ftay it, nor make no Laws againft it. This is all at prefent, only my Love, with my Wife's Love, remembered unto yourfelf, and your Wife, and all Friends elfe there with you, 1 reft and remain your Friend in the true Faith, LODOWICKE MUGQLETON. fofitrn^ London, near Moot' fieldfy April i^y 1670. M m m 2 ^'f Copy [ 45^ ] y4 Copy of a LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Thomas Tomkinfon, of Slade-Ho'ufe, bear- ing Date from London, Dec. 17, 1670. Loving Friend in the eternal Truth, Thomas Tomkinfon, Received your Letter, bearing Date November i8, 1670, wherein I perceive you have not heard by any of our Friends, nor by me, of the feveral Troubles I have been in this whole Year, but efpecially fince Midfummer, fo that I have not lodged at my own Houfe thefe five Months, nor dare not yet. I (hall only give you a little Hint of the Caufe, that you may underftand, becaufe I cannot enlarge upon Particulars nor Circumftances, but to give you a Hint of the Ground, and fome Paffages of Trouble that hath hap- pened unto me this Year about thefe Books. The firft Ground and Caufe of my Troubles in this Kind, I perceive now it was about this Time Twelvemonth, in this Month December, there was a Book of mine taken in the Prefs as it was printing, and that did allude to the Words in other Books printed before, by which the Malter of the Prefs did perceive there were other Books printed without a Licence ; whereupon he fent twelve or fourteen Men, fome Stationers, with the Warden of the Company, and fome of the King's MefTengers, to fearch and feize upon unlicenced Books i fo there came twelve or fourteen Men, and wrench'd open the Hatch before I was aware, and run into every Room of the Houfe -, fo they feized upon ten Pounds Worth of Books, moft of them unmade up ; fo they were intended to carry them all away, but they confulted among them- felves, and faid, Mr. Muggleton, we will be civil, we will take only fome of thefe that are bound together, and leave the reft while further Order-, fo they took what they would, and left the reft ; but when they had perufed them, they judging them to be Blafphemy, they got a Warrant from the Council of State to take my Perfon ; fo by Chance I heard [ 453. 3 h^ard that there was a Warrant out for me by my Attorney at Law, who faw it in the Office ; ib I got out of my Houfc immediately, and in a few Days after came the MefTenger for me, but he miffed of me ; he came three Times, but could not meet with me. A few Days after came the Mar- fhal of the Trained Bands, with a Warrant from the Militia, for my Perfon to come before them •, for not appearing upon the Trained Bands, they fined me five Pounds ; and L being not at Home, but he thought I was, fo he in Fury threatened my Wife and Mrs. Brunt ^ and caufed my Wife to open the Door, which fhe need not ; but when he got into the Chamber, he feized upon the bell and heavieft Cheft, and caufed two Porters to carry it away to Guild-hall^ for five Pounds, for not appearing upon the Trained Bands. The Cheft had in it Books and Linnen to the Worth of fifteen or fixteen Pounds -, fo after he had done, he knew that he could not juftify this A61 of his, by Virtue of a Military Warrant, before the Man of the Houfe was apprehended.; and he heard that I would fue him at the Law for Burglary and Felony, to take away a Man's Goods before a Man is convidied by the Law : He hearing of this, pretended a great deal of Love to my Daughter White^ as if he for her Sake would do her Father what Good he could to get the Chefl again for a fmall Matter, before the Cheft was broke up in the open Court ; and becaufe I was not willing the Court fhould fee the Books, for there were twelve Pounds Worth of Books in it -, but if they had been any other Goods, I would have fuffered it to have been broken open, and have feen whether they durft have fold them ; but be- caufe of the Books, I defired my Daughter to comply with them, and get the Cheft off as cheap as fhe could j fo with the Help of this Marlhal fhe got the Cheft again, unbroken up, for a Matter of thirty-three Shillings. After this it came to pafs, about Michaelmas laft, there came eight or ten Stationers, and other Officers, and fome of them the King's Meffengers, thinking to apprehend me for the old Bufmefs at the firft, and as it happened my Wife wa^ .4?ot at Home neither, for if Ihe had been at Home, tliey^would have broken in, pretending to fearch for me, and [ 454 ] and there were many Books at that Time very eafy to be taken ; but Ihe being not at Home, they being very angry, went and learched the Bookbinder's Houfe for unlicenced Books, fo they found three of mine that were binding, and they took them away, and charged the Bookbinder to bind no more ; fo there they fleeced thirty ShiUings more from me ; fo now I have removed myBooks out of myHoufe, and fhall prevent them from taking away any more •, but now all their Drift is to catch me, that they might get more Money out of me, but I fhall do my beft Endeavour to keep out of their Hands, for I have not been at Home to lodge thefe five Months, nor fhall not all this Winter. Thus in brief you may perceive fome Part of the Troubles I have met with this Year ; and as for any fpiritual Matters, there is no other but what you have heard and feen •, and if there were, it would be too tedious to write the Revelations of Faith ; and as for Parliament News, there is none here in London, neither hath the Parliament determined any Thing yet as I hear of, only to raife Money for the King ; but that Way you fpeak of, is but Talk ; as to Talk, there is no fuch Thing, neither can there be any fuch Thing as the State of Things ftands now. This is all at prefent, being in Hafte, only my Love and my Wife's Love remembered unto yourfelf and your Wife, / reji and remain your Friend in the eternal '^ruth, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. London, December 17, 1670. You may direft your Letter to me as formerly as your lalt, for my Wife is always at Home. A Copy [ 455 ] A Copy C 458 ] Condition i for you muft exped, in Time, young Children by her, as you did by your own-, neither can I perfuade you to do zs- Sarah did by Hagar, to caft out the Bond-Womanj and her Son^' for he fhall not be Heir with her Son ; fo the Children of this Woman cannot be Heir of your .Affc6lion and Eftate, as the Children of your own Daughter. Here I have opened the State of this Matter, as far as I iinderftand by your Letter, fo that you may' fee in Part . what my Mind is, fo fat" as I underftand in this Matter ; but if there be anry dther feCret Contrafts, Covenants, or Promifes between Mr, Goodwyn and you, fince your Daughter died, or before, I ani ignorant of it, and ignorant how you, being two Families, lived as one, and how your Gettings was, and how her Get- tings Avas, and yet kept Union as one, 1 am altogether igno- jant i but I fuppofe it cannot be fo now ; therefore I cannot give no abfolute Judgement, what you fhall do in this Cafe ; but I fhall leave it to yourfelf, to do whatfoever feemeth bed for your own Peace, and Quietnefs of Mind, while you live in this World, as I did by your own Daughter; but you have not that Tie of Nature to bind you now, as you had then. This is all at prefent, only my Love, with my Wife's Love, remembered unto yourfelf, and to Betiy Marfden^ and, Bstty Slater y and all Friends elfe, I reft and remain your Friend in the eternal 'Truthy LODOWJCKE MUGGLETON, Pofiirtit March 21 i 167 1. A Co^Y [ 459 ] A Copy of ^^LETTER. written ly the. Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Thomas Tompkinfon, hearing Date from London, October i6, 1672. Loving and kind Friend in the true Faithy Thomas Tomp- kinfon, THIS is to certify you, that I received your kind Token of Love the Cheefe, and we give you many Thanks for it -, alfo I have now fent you the Anfwer of the Aflertions, and the true Copy of thofe nine Aflertions that William Medgate wrote to me with his own Hand ; alfo I have fent you the Letter that 1 fent to Walter Bohenan the Scotchman^ in Anfwer to his rebellious Letters. I have placed Medgate\ nine Aflertions in the Beginning, and Walter Bohenan's, Letter at the latter End, defiring you, that if Walter fhould happen to come to fee you, that you would not let him fee the Anfwer to the Aflertions, for the Rebels are mad becaufe they cannot fee them. I could not fend them to you fooner, becaufe feveral Believers have defired them before I could write them ; fo having no more at prefent, being in Hafte, I Ihall take Leave, only my Love, and my Wife's Love, remembered unto yourfelf, and^ to your Wife, and all Friends elfe in the Faith there with you, 1, reft your Friend in the true Faith, LODOWICKE MUGGL.ETO?^- The Vojlern, London^ Odoher 1 6, 1^72. , ■J iiVAi . '" N n n a A Copy [ 46o ] A Co ^X of a LETTER written hy the FropJjei Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr. Thomas Torapkinibn, of Slade-Houfe, in Staffordfhire, bearing Date fro??i London^, January 19, 1673. Loving Friend, Thomas Tompkinfon, I Saw yOur Letter to Mr. Delamaine^ wherein you defire forfte of my Advice ; I do not know well the Ground of this Matter to give Advice in, but fo far as I underftand by your Letter, I Ihall give what Advice I can. I perceive there is three Particulars that caufeth your Landlord to take an Occafion againft you -, Firfi, Becaufe you did not pay the Tax he was to pay, and bear the Lofs yourfelf. As to this you did wifely, in that you did not keep to the Letter of the Law, that is, to the Ad: of Parliament, and have paid no Tax for your Landlord at all, but have Ifrained his Cattle for it ; likewife I perceive you have ftopt fome of your Landlord's Rent in Lieu of the Tax you have laid out for him, which cannot be juftified by Law •, but what Tax you paid for your Land that was for your Landlord to pay, the Law will bear you out •, but to flop Rent for other Difburfements you laid out for your Landlord, will not ftand good in Law, therefore it is dangerous for Collectors to pay Taxes for other Men, except it be as far as his own Tax for his Landlord ; but perhaps the Court will take it into Confideration, feeing the Tax was for the King, and they will perceive the Difhonefty of your Landlord, for it will be a great Difparagement to a Perfon of Honour to have fuch a wicked Deceit difcovered and made appear in open Court, and perhaps the Court may relieve you, feeing the Tax was for the King. Secondly, You fpeak as if your Cattle had committed fome Trefpafs upon your Lord's Grounds; as. to that, I fuppofe may be referred to Men that know what Damage your Landlord [ 46i ] Landlord hath fuftained, and what they judge you fliall give to fatisfy him for the Trefpafs done, do you pay it,- and let no Money be fpent in Law in that Bufinefs. I fuppofe thefe two Things may be blown over with a little Charge, and that the L/andlord and the Prieft knows well enough ; but that which they think to do moft Mifchief in is about fpiritual Matters, for not going to Church, and baptizing your Child, and fuch like, and that will advantage them nothing at all but to do you a Mifchief, neither can that difinherit you of your Right in the temporal, nor prevent him from paying you that which he oweth you, therefore I fhall inform you in fome Meafure the Strength of the fpiritual Court. Firji, They have Power to proceed fo far as to Excommunication, and when they have done fo, you may go to the Pro6tor of the Court, and take it off for Money as Mrs. Carter did; fhe ftood excommunicate feve- ral Years, and took it off at lafl for twenty Shillings ; and Mr. Sudbury was the like when he was alive, and his was fued to a Capenda Writ, yet he got it off for fifty Shil- lings ; but the fpiritual Court itfelf doth commonly proceed no further than a bare Excommunication, except fome envious Perfon will be at the Charge to fue out a Capiendo Writ, and that they fue out here at London *, all Capiendo. Writs are fetched out of the High Court of Chancery, the Writ doth coft thirty Shillings itfelf, befides other Charges ; and when they have got it, they muft have the Hands of feveral Bifhops of two or three Courts, and he that layeth out this Money never hath one Penny of it again if it. be executed ; fo that except a Man were made up of nothing but Malice, he would never put himfelf to that Trouble, Charge and Vexation of Spirit, to have nothing elfe for his Pains and Charge ; and when a Capienda Writ is executed upon the Perfon of a Man, it cannot take away of his Cattle nor Goods, nor hinder a Man of his Right in any Suit of Law, except it be for paying of Tithes and other Church Duties ; but for the Things aforefaid, for not going to Church, nor baptizing Children, that Writ doth not touch the Eftate of a Man, nor take away his Right in Law, only this, if a Man have this Writ fued out upon hinij [ 46i ] him, if he overthrow the Adverfary, the Judge and Jury- will give him the Debt and Charges, for the Court cannot give away a Man's juft Caufe and Right becaufe he is ex- communicated, but this a Capienda Writ will hinder the Man, that he cannot have an Execution upon his Adver- fary's Perfon nor Goods until the Excommunication be taken off. There was an Example of this awhile ago, there was a Widow-woman, a Friend of ours in Kent, and there was a Neighbour of hers that was at Law with her about a Field that joined to hers, and fhe was an excommunicated Perfon a great while •, the Suit was brought to Trial, her Adverfary put himfelf to the Charge of a Capienda Writ againll her, thinking that Hie fhould not have had the Benefit of the Law by reafon of that Writ -, but the Judge and Jury gave her the Verdi6l againft him both Debt and Charges, only fhe could not have an Execution granted her upon his Perfon nor Goods until fhe had taken the Excommunication off, which fhe did, and it coft her four Pounds to take it off, and then her Adverfary paid what the Court order'd. For a Capienda Writ is only for the Perfon of a Man' ; and if it be ferved upon a Man by Officers, there is no Bail to be taken, he mufl pay the Debt, and the Charges, pro- mife to conform, or elfe go to Prifon ; but no Goods can be touched except a Man be fued to an Outlawry, which muft be fome extraordinary Occafion. Thus I have given you a Flint of theEfFeds of z Capienda Writ. Now I fhall write a few Words to fatisfy you, that my Anfwer to William Penn's Book is got fafe out of the Prefs, but with great Charge* and Difficulty •, the Volume is pretty large, nineteen Sheets and an Half, and there is Va- riety of Matter in it that is new, never written before, very pleafant to read j the Books are half a Crown a-piece, I will not let one go under to Friend nor Stranger, therefore if you pleafe to make thofe Friends acquainted with it that will go to the Price of it, let them fend Money, and I will fend as many of them as the Money doth amount to, at half a Crown a-piece. You wrote to me a great w^hile ago for a Book bound altogether for our Friend Thojnas Hall, I fent you an Anfwer of that Letter concerning that Book, but I have heard no Anfwer of it never fince. This [463 ] This is all at prefent, only my Love, with my Wife's Love, remembered unto yourfelf and Wife, and all Friends elfe in the Faith there with you, / reft your Friend in the eternal Truths LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. The PoJierHy London, January <), 1673. A Copy of a LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr, Alexander Delamaine Senior^ hearing Date from Southampton, June 8, 1671. Loving and kind Friend in the eternal Truth, Mr. Dela- maine, MY Love remembered unto you, and to your Wife. This is to certify you, that I delivered your Letter unto our Friends in the Faith, and they were glad to hear it> and do much rejoice in reading your Letters. Mr. Fijher the elder hath been very ill, and is fomething crazy ftill, he is now at Southampton ; but his Son, the young Man, and IVilliam Pedley^ and myfelf, are in the Country at the old Man's Houfe, very private, and they are Very well, and do kindly remember their Loves unto you, and to your Wife. There is nothing here of any Concernment to write of, but all is ftill and quiet. Therefore I fhall fay no more at prefent, only defire you, that if my Wife hath any Occafion of Bufinefs, or Neceffity to write to me, before the twenty-firft of June^ that you would be pleafed to write it for her ; but if there be no great NecefTity, do not put yourfelf to that Trouble ; for I do in- tend to be in London the twcHty-firft of this Month. Pray give C 4^4 ] give this Letter to my Wife, cut it afunder, and give it her. So rejletb your Friend in the eternal Itruth, LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. SoulhamploKy June Zf 1671. The Prophet Lodowkke Muggleton'^ BleJJtng to Mrs, Anne Lowe, now the Wife of Alexander Delamaine, Senior^ given to her Julys, 1667. Dear Friend in the eternal 'truths Mrs, Anne Lowe, ACCORDING to yourRequeft Ifliall write thefe Lines as followeth : Firji,, I looked upon you to be one of the Blefled of the Lord and Seed of Faith before your Aunt died, but I knew the Seed was fmothered and ftifled in you through fome temporal Occafions, which could not be avoided, fo that the Seed of Faith in you could not grow to Perfection, no not fo much hardly to be feen ; yet I faw in that Time of Darknefs that there was a Love in you unto the Truth, though your Knowledge and Expe- rience was very weak, yet I had a good Opinion of you, that in Time the Seed of Faith in you would fpring forth and appear in its own Likenefs, and according to my Thoughts of you it is come to pafs, which I know your own Experience can judge of it, for now you can tell in fome Meafure what Difference there is between Light and Darknefs, and between Ignorance and Knowledge. Secondly^ I do perceive within a Ihort Time, even fmce your Aunt died, that your Faith hath grown very much to receive a Prophet in the Name of a Prophet, elfe would you not have requeftcd fuch a Thing at my Hands ; and becaufe you would be fure you would not be fatisfied with a Word from [ 4^5 } from my Mouth, but would have it under my Hand-writing, though the. Word of a true Prophet is as pov/erful to the Party concerned, either in blefllng or curling, as writing is, only the Party concerned cannot look upon Words when they pleafe, neither can they Ihew them to others as they can Writings when I am dead and gone ; therefore to fatisfy your Requeft in this Thing, I Ihall fay this unto you, that I have (6 much difcerning of what Seed you are of, even of the Seed of the Woman, which is the Seed of Faith, that blefled Seed, and not of the Seed of the Serpent, which is the Seed of Reafon, that curfed Seed ; fo that I am fully aflured in myfelf, and do ftedfaftly believe, and my FSith hath no Doubt in it, neither in the BleiTed, nor in the Curfed -, therefore, that you may be aflured of your eternal Happinefs and Salvation without any Doubt, I do, by Virtue of my CommifTion from God, and the Faith I have in your eternal Happinefs, I do pronounce thee, Jme Lowe, one of the Blefled of the Lord, both in Soul and Body, to all Eter- nity ; fo that you need npt fear as Jaco^ did, when he re- ceived the Blefllng of his Father Ifaac, he feared a Curfe infliead of a Blefllng, becaufe he fl:ole the Blefllng ; yet be- ing blefl!ed by his Father that had Power to blefs, he was bleflfed, and it could not be taken off him again ; fo I fay by you, being bleflfed by the lafl: true Prophet of the mofl: high God, who hath Power given him from Heaven fo to do, thou art blefled to Eternity^, and none can take it from you again. fVritten hy LODOWICKE MuGGLETON, July 5, 1667. One of the two laji Prophets and H^itnejfes of the Spirit unto the High and Mighty Gody the Man Chrift Jefus^/« Glory. O 0 o A Copv [466] ^CoPY of aLETTEK written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, November 4, 1667. Dear Friend in the eternal Truth, Ellen Sudbury, MY Love remembered: to you and your HufBand •,- I received your Letter, and am glad to hear that you- are both well i but as for thofe Slanders and evil Reproaches that are caft upon me by the damned Cr€w, it is a Imall Thing counted by me, for they did fo by Chrifi, the only God, when he was upon Earth, and would do fo to him now if he did appear in Mortality as I do, though now the Seed of Reafon doth honour the Words of the true Pro-' phets and Apoftles, who faid by Chrifi, Never any man /pake like this Man -, but the Seed of Reafon the Devil did think then, never any Man fpake like him for Error, Pride, andi Blafphemy. What! make himfelf equal with God? The fame Cafe is with me, though I know never any Prophet or Apoftle did or could fpeak, or declare thofe Things as \ have fpoken or declared, and the Seed of Faith doth and' will know it to be true what 1 have faid and written •, neither do I fpeak this out of any Pride, but out of perfed: Know- ledge, for true Knowledge hath no Pride in it : Alfo I know the BlelTed of the Lord will witnefs unto it; and the more the Devil layeth Slanders and Reproaches upon the Truth, the Seed of Faith will be the more ftrengthened in their Faith ; for I am as a Mark for every wicked Man to Ihoot at, yet the Archers cannot hit me fo as to wound me, though many Arrows have been fhot at me, but my Knowledge, Revelation and Power remaineth in as full Strength and Power as ever. I know William Watfon's Brag of George Foxe's Book, and fo are many more of the Quakers People ; but that will yield them but little Peace. . Alfo I am defired very much by fome that have been Quakers, but are come to own this, but are very weak, not able to give a Reafon of their Faith in this, defireth me to write an Anfwer to George [46/] George Foxeh Book, which Thing I have begun, and as foon as I can -I (hall perfed it. I received the fifteen Shillings, and I thank you for your Kindnefs, and your Kinfwoman or Friend for hers, and fo doth Mrs. Bladwell, fhe is alive ftill, but very weak of Body, but. as confident of her eternal Happinefs as ever ; lalfo I have fent your Kinfwoman or Friend a Book all bound together,, the Price is ten Shillings, they were always fo. Our Friends here are all pretty well, but in Cambridgejhire Charles Cleeve hath buried his Wife, which ,|s a,,great Trouble to him for the prefent. ..;/ -i..., This is all at prefent, but my Wife's Love remembered unto you, / reji your loving Friendy LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. ^ Copy of a LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr, Thomas Tompkinlbn J bearing Date from London, September 21, 1668. Loving and kind Friend^ Thomas Tompkinfon, IUnderftand by Elizabeth Bootham^ that you have not re- ceived thofe Books that came out of the Prefs laft, in Anfwer to George Foxe ; alfo I heard Mr. Belamaine^s Letter you fent to him, and you made no Mention of the Receipt of the Books, which I did much marvel at -, but I perceive by your Letter to Elizabeth Booiham, that you have not re- ceived them yet, therefore I thought good to let you under- ftand, that I did fend five Books to you -, it is now almoft fix Weeks fince i alfo I fent a Letter with them, and another enclofed from your Maid, but it feems you have received npne, which is a very bafe Thing of the Carrier, that could O o o 2 nor [ 468 ] not have conveyed the Letter to you before now, but I perceive it was partly your Maid's Fault, for fhe and my Wife went together, and your Maid delivered the Books and the Letter to the Carrier that brought her up to London^ which is Utoxeter Carrier, and not by AJhbourne Carrier, and this I fuppofe is the Caufe of the Mifcarriage •, therefore I would defire you to call for the Letter and five Books of Laurence Foxe^ Utoxeter Carrier, which he received about five or fix Weeks ago. You will know by the Date of the Letter if you receive it. This Laurence Foxe inns at the Bell m Smithfeld, near the PFbite Bear^ London. Alfo I would de- fire you, if you have fold any of thofe Books, to fend the Money for as many as you have fold as foon as conveniently you can. This is all at prefent, only that we are all well, and do remember our Loves to you and your Wife, with all Friends clfe there with you. 1 reji and remain your Friend in the true Faithy LODOWICKE MUGGLETON. Vofitrn^ Septmber 21, 166&. Direft your Letters to me thus : For Mr. Muggleton, at the Widow Brunt*s Houfe, next Door to the Sign of the fFhite Horfe, in the Pojlern, near Moor-lane, London. Elizabeth Bootham remembers her Love and Service to you and your Wife-, and fhe faith, fhe would not have you trouble yourfelf about fending, any Cheefe, for fhe doth think fhe fhall not flay here in London until All- holland- tide, therefore defireth to hear from you as foon as may be. So rejieth your Servant, Elizabeth Bootham. A Copy [469 ] A Copy of a LETTER/^^/ hy the Pro- phet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr, Thomas Tompkinfbn, of Slade-Houfe, in Stafford- fhire, bearing Date from London, De- cember 14, 1668. Loving Friend^ Thomas Tompkinfon, THIS is to certify you, that I received your Letter," dated December 7, 1668 ; alfo I received of William OJbourne the ten Shillings you fent, and Elizabeth Bootham received her Things alfo. There is little or no News here at London at prefent, for every Sort of People here hath Freedom of Confcience to meet without any Difturbance, only the Quakers People are much offended at me for fetting forth this laft Book, caWtd J Looking-glafs for fakers ^ info- much, that feveral of the chief Speakers of the Quakers have come to talk with me about it, and have come under the Sentence of Damnation ; and one Thomas Loe^ a Speaker of the Quakers, fent me a curfed, defperate, blafphemous Letter, worfe than ever I received of any from Quaker or other before ; but upon the Return- of the Sentence of Dam- nation upon him, this faid Thomas Loe fell fick the fame Night he received it, and never went out of his Bed more till he was carried to be buried, which was in lefs than three Weeks, which Thing hath been great Amazement to the Quakers, and hath moved them much againll mej info- much, that they have banded themfelves againft me, and have raked amongft all the damned Devils they can hear of, to bear their Teftimony againft me ; and all falfe Reports by this damned Crew are taken for Truth by the Quakers, that they might fet forth a Book againft me. The chief Speakers of the Quakers have confulted together, and, as I underftand by feveral Quakers, have written near thirty Sheets of Paper againft me, and intended to put it in Print before now. I did expedt to have feen it before now, but there hath fallen a Crofs upon them, for their Printer's Prefs is broken [ 47° 1 broken in Pieces, and the Printer in Prifon for printing a Book againil the Prefbyterians, and the Man that wrote jt hideth himfelf, yet a Quaker, and one of thofe that \yriteth againfi; me ; fo that for the prefent there is a Stop put to the Quaker's Book againft me, for no Printer eife muft do it, it being not hcenced. ■ • I have written the chief Paffages in a Difpute vwith fome Quakers with me for Memory Sake, which hereafter may come to Light. So in Hafte, I reft, only my Love, with my Wife's Love, remembered unto yourfelf and Wifej and all Friends elfc there with you, I remain your Friend in the true Faiths LODOWICKE MUGGLETON, The Pojlern, London^ December 14, 1668. A Copy of a LETTER written by the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mr, Thomas Tompkinfbn, hearing Date from London, February i6, 1673. having Friend in the true Faith\ Thomas Tompkinfon, I Received your Letter you fent to our Friend Delamaine^ dated from Waydley^ January 3, 1673, wherein I per- ceive your great Enemy hath brought himfelf under the Law, which is the fame Meafure that he would have met unto you if he could, but his unrighteous Intents unto you is come upon his own Head \ likewile you defire that I would fend you three Books to the Anfwer of William Penn -, alfo I went to Mr, Shelley^ and fhewed him your Letter, and he looked in his Book, and faid it was not fo much as three Shillings and eleven Pence ; but rather thap I fhould fend but 1 471 ] but three Boolb to you, he gave me half a Cfown, that I mi but if i you. do buy [ 477 ] buy thofe Books of William Newcomhe, I would not have you fend them to Virginia amongd the Heathen, it will fignify nothing at all -, I have loft feveral Books that Way, fo that I will never fend Book more by Sea ♦, I would wifh you to keep them yourftlves, and if you cannot tell how to beftow them, if you pleafe fend them to me, and I will put them off as I can. This is all I can fay as to this, but leave it to your own Liberty ; and as for Capt. Wildey, Mr. Caivley, Mr. Delamain, Mr. Saddi:gton, they are all well, but Mrs. Whalley is dead and buried •, Ihe got an extreme Cold in her Head and Teeth about Michaelmas laft paft, and flie would needs be let Blood ; fo the Doflor let her Blood, till her Life was almoft gone, but with much ado flie was preferved alive in a great deal of Mifery a Quarter of a Year ; (he was buried upon New-Tear^s Day, when I was at Braintree in Effex, at Mr. Whitehead's Houfe •, but I faw her before I went, and fhe was very well fatisfied in her Mind as to her eternal Happinefs ; fhe had not the kaft Doubt in her j if fhe had not been let Blood fhe might have lived many Years ; and as for Mrs. Griffith flie is out of Town, and will not be in London this two Weeks, as I hear by my Daughter White, neither have I feen Mrs. Griffith fince fhe brought me your Letter, which defired me to lay out fix Shillings for Sarah Hatter, which I let Mrs. Griffith have ; and as for Sarah I have not feen her fince I came to Town, but I hear flie goeth out to work a-days, and comes Flome to my Daughter's at Night ; I heard Nothing, but that Ihe is pretty well, and that fhe cannot write to you as flie would, fhe. being fo bad a Scribe •, and when flie is at Leifure then her Father is not, and when he is at Leifure then flie is not. When Mrs. Griffith cometh to Town flie fliall have your Letter, hoping flie will fatisfy you further. This is all at prefent, only my Love, with my Wife's, remembered unto you, and Betty Marfden, Betty Webjier, Anne Mallate, and all Friends elfe, I'our Friend i LoDOWiCKE MUGG.LETON, Vuftirtiy , London, Jan. 1 6, 1674. A Copy [478] j4 Coi?Y of a LETTER written hy the Prophet Lodowicke Muggleton, to Mrs. Ellen Sudbury, bearing Date April 7, 1 67 1, dire&ed to Nottingham. Dear Friend in the true Faith of Jefus Ellen Sudbury, 1 Received your Letter dated March 28, with the enclofed to Mr. Hatter, which, he coming to my Houfe at that Time your Letter came, I gave it to him, and which he was very glad to fee ; and he, reading of mine, was the more refrefhed in his Mind to hear of your Love, Faith, and Stedfaftnefs in this Commiffion of the Spirit. Alfo I ihewed it to my Daughter, and to others of the Faith, which do much rejoice at your Faith and Satisfa6lion you have in the Underftanding of the Truth, in that you are made Partakers with us in the like precious Faith, which doth confifl in the right Underftanding of the true God, and the right Devil, the Rife of the two Seeds, and the DiftiniVion ot the three Commiffions, which no Man in the World doth know at this Day, but the Believers of this Commifiion of the Spirit only, becaufe they have true fpritual Foundation as a Rock 5 but their Foundation is upon the Sand, even all the Teachers of the World, and the Quakers Principle or Foundation is the worft of all ; tho' it feemeth to be the belt of all in Righteoufnefs of Life, yet the worft of all in Point of Doc- trine, and that they will find in the End, that they may flourifh for a Time -, for no Quaker, nor any other that hath heard of this Commiffion of the Spirit, and of the Doftrinc declared by it, and doth not underftand it, and believe it, that can be faved, let their Holinefs of Life be ever fo much ; for God hath no Regard unto the Righteoufnefs of Life, except it doth proceed from Faith in the true God, which no Quaker, nor any other Man hath, but thofe that have Faith in this Commiffion of the Spirit ; therefore it is that they do all fight againft the true God, and ag^inft this Commiffion of the [ 479 ] the Spirit: But I am refrefhed at your Experience and Growth in Grace and Knowledge of the true God, in that you have Eyes, and can fee : As Chriji faid to his Difciples, Blejfed are your Eyes^ for they fee -, for many have Eyes^ hut they fee not, Alfo I am glad to fee that your Undcrftanding is enlightened to fee tht true Interpretation of the Scriptures, which is given by this Commiflion of the Spirit •, and this Book of the nth of the Revelations is very little elfe but Interpretations of many Places of Scripture, befides the Chapter itfelf, which will enlighten the tjnderflanding in the Knowledge of the Scrip- tures, more than all that hath been written before ; there- fore I have fent you three of them, becaufe if there fhould be any other befides yourfelf that Ihould have any Affedtion to them, that they may have one •, but I Ihall leave that to your Difcretion, do what you will with them. I received a Letter from Edward Fewterell, and your Aunt Carter^ with the Money, bearing Date March 19, 1671, but I have not fent them an Anfwer as yet, nor. no Books ; but I do intend to fend this "Week, if the Carrier be in Town ; and as for my coming down into the Country, I do much rejoice at yours 'and your Aunt Carter's AfFe6tions in defiring me to come, which I do intend to do, but I think it will be about James-tide ; for I muft go into Cambridge- /hire about Midfummer^ and after I have been there I do intend to fee you : So being in Hafte, J reji your Friend in the true Faithy LODOWICKE MUGGLETOIf, Mr. Hatter and my Daughter remember their Love to you, with feveral others of the Faith. A Copy [48o] y^CoPY of a LETTER wrote hy the Pro- phet Lodovvicke Mugglcton, to Mrs, Doro- thy Carter, of Chefterfield, in Derby- Iliire, bearing Date from London, Fe- bruary I, 1682. Dear Friend in the true Faith Dorothy Carter, I Have itt^ two Letters, which our 'dear Friend Elifa- heth Marfden (whom I always loved well ever fince ihe was a Child, in Comparifon of Age) fent to our Friend Mrs. Griffith^ which two Letters are in your Behalf, as if they had been writ by yourfelf -, the one is dated January 16, 1682, and the other is ddXtd. January 2 ^^i 16S2 ; and I per- ceive by thefe two Letters that you are fick of Body, and have great Trouble of Mind upon you, and that your Burthen is very great, and lieth heavy upon you, and that you are afraid you have difpleafed me, becaufe I have not writ to you all this while. As to that, I fhall deal truly with you, that. I never was offended at you, nor with you, for what yop writ concerning John White, but did what you required me to do in your Letter to Mrs. Griffith ; neither did that Letter require any Anfwer from me, which was the Caufe I did not write unto you all this while \ but thefe two Letters coming to my Hand fo lately, caufeth me to write thefe Lines unto you as foUoweth, as thus : I perceive this great Trouble and Grief of Heart, and Burthen that lieth upon you, it is but temporal, about your Grand - children j if your Trouble had been upon a fpiritual Accompt, I could have eafed you of your Burthen immediately •, but People would wilHngly have Prophets to give them Peace of Mind, and Afllirance of their eternal Salvation in the Life to come, but would have the Prophets to free them from all Troubles in temporal Things alfo ; but this I would have you to take Notice of, that Prophets, Apoftles, and Chrijl himfelf, that gave thofe that believed in him the Affurance of everlafting [ 48i ] cverlafting Life abiding in themfelves, it was to fbrengthen them, that they might be the more able to encounter and bear the Troubles of this World ; I fay as Chrifi faid to thofe that believed in him, In me you Jhall have Peace ^ hut in the World you jhall have Trouble ; fo that if a Man have true Peace in God, he fhall rather have the more Trouble in the World, much lefs be delivered from all Trouble in this World : This I have found by Experience, therefore do you mind your Faith, which you once received in this Commiflion of the Spirit, and the Blefling I once declared upon you, and that will ftrengthen you, and enable you , to bear thofe temporal Troubles the better, knowing that you fhall be free from them in Death, and that there is no worfe Thing after, which is more than all the World can. fay befide, but thofe whofe Faith is truly grounded upon this Commiflion of the Spirit. And now, dear Friend, I perceive there is contained in thefe Letters the Ground of your great temporal Troubles, and they are about your own Grand-children, and thofe two Perfons concerned with them. I would not have you offended, nor let your Spirit be troubled, nor overcharged with Grief, and efpecially where Things cannot be helped, nor called back again •, but let your Joy be in God. Befides, I look upon it very expedient, that you might know the utmoll of your Troubles, and not to hide it from you -, becaufe you will be delivered out of all your Troubles, which I am fure a wounded Spirit would receive Eafe, if it did but know that this natural Death would end thofe eternal Torments, which it ihall endure hereafter. As for thofe two Troubles, which is, and hath been, I fhall endeavour to fatisfy you in the one, and advife you in the other. Firjl, You feem to be more troubled at the lefTer Trouble than the greater- As for John White's Negleft of binding your Grandfon, I did as you defired me ; I fpake with his Wife, and left Word with her, that I would have her Hulband to bind John Carter at the Hall, and that he fhould order it fo at the Hall, that his Time fhould go on from the Time he was Q^q q bound [482 ] bound by the Scrivener, fo that the Boy fhould lofe no Time, to fatisfy his Grandmother : She told me her Hul- band did iatend to do fo, and promifed me that her Huf- band fhould bind him at the Hall fuddenly ; and in a little Time lliortly after, John White^ the fame Day he bound him at the Hall, came to my Houfe, and the Boy with him, and faid he had done as I had ordered him, and faid that John Carter was to fend his Grandmother Word, to fatisfy her that it was done •, fo I thought all was well, and that you v/ere fatisfied, and did wonder that he fhould be fuch a great Trouble to you now ; nor wherein he is unjufl, feeing he hath bound him at the Hall according to Law, and that he will make him a Freeman of London from the Time he was firfl bound, I cannot fee any Ground of Trouble you need be at in this Matter, except he hath been cruel to the Boy fmce, which I have heard nothing of. The fecond Thing is, I know you have had great Caufe of Trouble with your Grand- children by Mr. Goodwyn, but you know that I would not, nor ever had any Concern in Mr. Goodwyn's Affairs, not from the firfl, when he married your Daughter ; for I faw he was not of a profperous Nature, only I was loath to difcourage your Daughter, or you either. I never did meddle in the Marriage of his Wife, neither was I ever his Counfellor in any of his Concerns whatfoever ; neither would I concern myfeif now to fpeak of him, but only for your Sake, that you might be armed with Patience to undergo the Troubles that do follow by Reafon of him. Firfl, in that you are forced to keep his two Children which he had by your Daughter ; and as for other Con- cerns you have with him I know not, but I fuppofe it is certainly true that Mr. Goodwyn is dead, and that his Wife would willingly cafl that Child there in the Country upon you to keep for your own -, but what Advice to give you I cannot /tell : The Child is no more Relation to you, than it is to any Stranger •, fo that if you cannot fend it Home to the Mother, nor put it upon the Parilh where it v/as born, you muft keep it yourfelf. One of thefe three muft be done. So [ 483 ] So I fliall leave it to yourfelf to confider it, and take Leave, only my Love, with my Wife's Love, remembered unto yourfelf and Eltfaheth Marfden, remain your Friend in the eternal Truth, LODOWICKE MUCGLETON. London, February I, 1682. A Copy ^0 C':^^^^^ ii)^^^^.^^^^^ : ^r ,- . vrr^- -?5bbul 3flj :Jpn ifiii 3cfB sJofb IIb oT . g^i a ^ H T 3 a 9. '\q i^'Rv^l? ,y^^\b<^ ift^i? -tb^ntt \fc4^5? ^-shH «V "^t^iWiiC^ ^^Y \»\ti«jiV% $i tjidw ^ttVt^b. -t>\v'» ; '/-^^^^^ ^M «a WwT^aty «i*iR4 ^j-oA ,iV\\ \\a ^m\i«h^<§^Uw\riT ^xibn^qqA ^ni^nbarlT ^gnoijslav plnB^iT kuihiqZ jnubnaDlaei^J sflT ,[^'^i5\5>4 Vjtr\Rvt^ T>- To Walter Bohenan o?i the fame SubjeS 9.. TV James Whitehead, anfwering Six ^eries ij To Colonel Phaire, concerning eating the Flefh of Devils ; as alfo explaining the Mujlard-grain^ Luke xiii. 19. 25 To Edward Fewtere]), concerning Witchcraft 30 ^ Bifcourfe between John Reeve and Richard Leader,. Wi&^r?- in Philofophy is confounded 3 8 7(7 Thomas Tomkinfon, relating^ in Part, the Prophet* s Suf- ferings for declaring Truth 48 An Epijile to a ^aker^ fhewing the Blindnefs of thofe People 49;. An Epijile of the Prophet Muggleton'j, proving his Pcv)er to- give Sentences \ alfo explaining how the Devil entered into the. Herd of Swim ^f Te Chriftopher Hill, containing his own, Thomas Martini WiUiam Young, and Elizabeth Wyles'j Bleffings 63. To Alice Webb, containing the Six Principles, and her Blefi fing 64, To a Friend, concerning true and falfe Preachers 66 An Epifile concerning Spirits ^ To Ifaac Pennington, Efq-, concerning God*s vifible appear^^ '- i» Fle/h. • ■ y4 The Death of Mofes unfolded . *8q An EpiJlle^, proving Chrift had inherent Power to die and IJvi again, without Ajfijiance from any in Heaven, or on Earih 8.1, To Ann Adan;is, fhewing the Peace of a pure Life '^i Here followeth the Copies of fever al LET- TERS and EPISTLES, taken from the original Manufcript, for the further Confolation of the Ele&, The Prophet Muggleton'j- EPISTLE to the Believers of the Commiffton, touching the Rebellion occajioned by the nine Affer^^ tions. AN D now I fhall fpeak a few Words unto him, and the reft of BeHevers, as followeth : And becaufe one of the Confpirators in Rebel- lion hath repented of his Rebellion, and alked Forgivenefs before it was too late, and I forgave him his Trefpafs againft me, and againft God ; (naniely, Thomas Burton.) He did well to agree with his Adverfary while he was in the Way, for the Prophet is an Advcrfary to all Rebels againft God. And this I would have' you to know, though it be now too late, that Obedience is better than Sacrifice; that is, Obe- dience to the Prophet is better than all the legal Righteoufnefs you have performed between Man and Man all your Days ; yet this ought to be done, but not to leave the other undone.' And this you may know, that Rebellion is as the Sin of Witdicraft, for Rebellion againft the Prophet is Rebelh'on againft God ; for when King Saul rebelled againft the Prophet SamueFs Words, he rebelled againft God, for it was the Pro- phet Samuel that gave the King a Command, and it was he that reproved the King for his Difobedience and Rebellion, B for for God never fpake to him, nor never gave Judgment upon him, it was the Prophet only. Now ought not King Saul ta have minded the Prophet only ? But Saul minded God only, as you have done, and rejeded the Prophet iS^ww^/ ; and be- caufe he minded God only, in that he thought to pleafe God better by offering up the beft of the Cattle in Sacrifice ta God, he thought it vv%s better to mi^d God than the Pro- phet's Words : But bow did God rejed him for difobeying the Prophet ? And hisL Sacrifice was rejefted alfo.. Now had not Saul better have minded the Prophet only ? then would it have been well with him ; but he minded God only, and dif- obeyed the Prophet, and rebelled againfl his Command. What a woful EfFed: did fall upon him, ! and fo it will upon all Rebels againft Prophets. Thus it is with Men that think themfelves wifer and moje righteous than their Fathers ; for whofoever difdbeys a true Prophet, difobeys God, and it is accounted fo of God ; therefore it is good for Men to mind the Prophet only, and pin their Faith upon . the Prophet's Sleeve, elfe there can be no Peace nor Safety, becaufe no Man can come unto God to reafon or difpute with him but by his Prophet only. This hath been the Way God hath walked in all Ages; and now I being the lafl- Prophet of all, God hath put me in his Pl^e here upon Earth, and hath raifed me up as he did that good Man Jofepb^ Genefis the laft, the 19th Verfe, who faid unto his Brethren, Fear not,y 1 am in the Place of Qod \ and Verfe 21, Now therefore fear you not, I will nourifh yow, and he comforted thsniy and ffake kindly unto them. So God hath raifed me up to be his laft Prophet, and hath fet me in the Place of God, to nouriih his People, who have believed his Prophet's. Report, with fpi ritual and heavenly Knowledge : For true Prophets, true Apoftles, true Minifters, have made Saints in all Ages ; fo that, without thefe, no Saints at all •, they may be eled Veffels, but not Saints ; for no Man or Woman can properly be faid to be a Saint, except they come aftually to believe in a true Prophet,, true Apoftle, or true Minifter of Chrifl. And further 1 fay, that whoever doth not a<5t well, by that Law written in his Heart, and doth not ftand in Awe of that, and [3] and fear to offend that Law of Confcience, as if God himfelf did (land by^ and take notice of all his Adions ; therefore he doth well, becaufe God's Eye is over him> elfe not. I fay, all his well-doing is but Eye-fervice, and refpedted of God no hiore than the cutting off a Dog's Neck. And that Man is in the Depth of Darknefs, who will do nothing that is good, CKcept God doth take notice of him, to reward him for every good Deed he doth •, but if he doth Evil, then he defireth Gbd to take no notice of it, but blot it out of his Remembrance, as if God were beholden to Man to do well, when there is a Blefling in the Deed doing, and a Curfe in evil-doing. But this I fay, if there were no God to reward the Good, nor to puni(h the Evil, yet could not I do any otherwife than 1 do •, for I do well, not becaufe I expeft any Reward from God, or refrain from Evil, beCaufe God will punifli me, or that he doth mind me in it •, but I do well to pleafe that Law written in my Heart, fo that I might not be accufed by that . Law in rtiy Confcience, as God hath placed for his Watch- man, to tell me when I do well : So am I juftified by Faith in God, in my own Confcience, and being not condemned by the Law written in my Heart, I have Boldnefs to the Throne of Grace. Neither do I refrain from Evil for fear of God's Perfon feeing me, and he feeing me will punifh me ; but I re- frain from Evil, becaufe the Law written in rriy Heart feeth all my Doings, and that Watchman God hath fet there to watch me, will t^ll God of all my Doings ; fo that God need not trouble himfelf to watch over every Man*s Anions hinii- felf, for he hath placed his Law a Watchman in every Man and Woman, to give notice Of all their Doings, whether gootl or evil. Thus, in the Original, God t^keth notice by his Law, written in every Man's Heart, both of Saint and Devil ; and no OthervVife doth God mind to take notice of his Saints in particular at all. Not that I do own this Law written in Man's Heart to bt the very God, as the Quakers do j but God is a diftin6t Perfon of himfelf, and diftindt from this Law Written in Man's Heart. And in this Senfe, God may be faid to take no notice of his Saints, nor doth not mind them at all. B a True [4l True Believers are my Brethren and Sifters, and the Pro- phet hath fpoken kindly unto then:, and hath nourifhed their Souls with Bread of Life, as Mofes^ he hath fed them with heavenly Manna ; alfo the Prophet hath been like John Bap- tifty a burning fhining Light in this laft Age, as John Baptiji was in his Time ; a fhining Light that hath difcovered the Darknefs in all the World, for it is Light that difcovereth Darknefs ; and hath not the Prophet eniightned the Under- ftandings of many, that in Light they fee Light ? Hath not the Prophet fed them with Bread of Life ? He hath given them the Flefh of God to eat, he hath given them Water of Life to drink, even the Blood of God to drink, to fatisfy their thirfty S.ouls ; alfo, he hath brought them to the Know- ledge of the true God, his Form and Nature •, he hath brought them to feed upon the Flelh of God, and to drink his BJood by Faith, whereby their Souls have never hungred nor thirfted more after the Forgivenefs of Sins or Satisfaftion of Mind as to Things of Eternity -, for who hath fed the People with the Knowledge of God, the Knowledge of the right Devil, the Knowledge of Scripture, and all other hea- venly Secrets which are hid from all the People in the World, befides ? Hath not the Prophet taken the People by the Hand, and pulled them out from the Spirit of Bondage, which kept them under Fear, and hath pulled them out from under the 'Tafk-mafters of Superftition in Egypt? The Prophet hath led tliem through the Wildernefs of their Minds, and hath brought them into the Paradife of Peace, and hath fhewed them where the Tree of Life ftood in the Midft of the heavenly Canaan above the Stars, and many of them have ftretched forth the Hand of Faith, and have taken of the Tree of Life, and eat and live for ever, and fo are fet down at Reft there. And doth not all the People in the World elfe perifli for Want of Knowledge, but thofe few who are led and guided by the Prophet ? He hath bleffcd many of them, and hath led them into the Way of Peace, a ftrait and narrow Way, that few can find ; and when they have wanted Comfort of Mind, he hath comforted them ; and when they have been weak in Knowledge, he hath ftrengthned them ; and when any of their Brethrin have been too ftrong one for another, he would not C 5 ] not fuffer the Strong to trample upon the Weak and Feeble, but would lift him up, and uphold him with his own Know- ledge, io that no People under the Sun live better for the Generality than thofe People who are obedient unto the Pro- phet, or under him. Hath the Prophet been a Burthen, or oppreffive to any of the Faith, let them fpeak, and he will reftore them two- fold i or hath he favoured the Rich, or oppreffed the Poor ; nay, hath he not forced the Rich to help the Poor ? Nay, the Yoke laid upon the Neck of theie People by the Prophet is eafier and better, both fpiritual and temporal, than the Yoke of any other People whatfoever. And now I fliall fpeak unto you in particular, and afk the Reafon why you rebelled againft me. What Caufe did I give you to rebel .? Were you offended at my Words ? And becaufe I did bear with many Weakneffes of fome of your Brethren in the Faith, and had CompafTion on them, and would not fuffer them to be fo much opprefTed in Spirit for the Guilt of their own Sins, and judged and condemned by their own Brethren in the fame Faith, becaufe they were of corrupt Natures, fo doth God himfclf bear with corrupt Na- ■ tures 5 the Prophet mufl bear with corrupt Natures, as well as with pure uncorrupt Natures, though you cannot, for Prophets are not fure that all uncorrupt Natures will believe them i fo that if a Prophet hath not Power to uphold fome corrupt Natures that believe him, to what Purpofe then fhould God fend him ? And will you find Fault with the Prophet for being merciful to corrupt-natured Men, whofe Nature is more corrupt than your's .? Yet the Prophet hath upheld you thefe many Years. You may remember when you came acquainted with me firfl:, that there was fome Difference between Claxton and you. Claxton was high in Knowledge at that Time, and yourfelf weak and low in Knowledge at that Time, and his Knowledge and Faith was over you, and above you, and did keep you under him, though his wicked Life had been worfe than your's, yet your legal Righteoufnefs between Man and Man could not have dehvered you from his Power, had not the Prophet kept him dov^n •, and when you made your Com- . plaint to me I ftrengthned you againft him, and upon your Requeft I "bleifed you, and you became in my Favour •, ancj when when any fpoke againft your wrathful Nature, Words and Actions, I pleaded for you, and upheld you againft them ; alfo I led you in a Way which you knew nor, and in a Path which \vas not known to any but myfelf, even the Way and Path of Peace j I brought you into the Affembly of Saints^ for there is no true Saints on Earth at this Day but thofe that are under the Prophet ; I brought you with the reft of the Saints from under Mount Shai^ that is, fiom being under that fiery Law written in your Hearts •, 1 led you by your Hands through the Wildernefs of your Minds ; I led you unto Motint Sion^ the City of the living God •, 1 fliewed you the holy Hill of Sion \ the Habitation of the holy God is Mount Sion^ the City of the Living, and the holy Hill of Sion fignify the holy God himfelf, from whence Prophets, Apoftles and Saints re- ceive their moft holy Faith, Revelation and Prophecies in the Original ; alfo I brought you to the Spirits of juft Men made perfed, as Noahy a Preacher of Righteoufnefs by Faith, he built an Ark, and Lot by Faith received two Angels, there- fore called righteous Lot j Abraham by Faith would have offered up his Son, therefore called the Father of the Faith- ful ; Ifaac and Jacobs Mofes^ the Prophets, Davidf the Apoftles, thefc were all juft Men, made perfed by Faith, yet feveral of thefe juft Men, whofe Spirits were made per- fed by Faith, they committed Evil and Sin after the Blef- fing was given of God ; as, Noak he was drunken With Wine, and difcovered his Nakednefs ; Lot was drunken with Wine, and committed Inceft with his two Daughters ; Abraham told a Lie, becaufe of his Wife ; Jacob lied to his Father, when he ftole the Bleffing ; David, a Man ac- cording to God's own Heart, was guilty of Mufder and Adul- tery ; Peter, the Rock upon whom Chrifl built his Church, plaid the Hypocrite, and diffembled, when he circufricifed timothy ; Paul diffembled, and plaid the Hypocrite, when he pretended a Vow, and fhaved the four Men's Heads. Thefe, and feveral other juft Men, whofe Spirits Were made perfeft by Faith, committed Evil, after the Bleffing was given th^fii of God -, but their Faith never failed, and fhould not he up- hold them that bleffed them ? But this Prophet is blamed fOr upholding fmallcr Sinners than fome of thofe that believe. Now [7] Now if thcfe Men's Spirits were made perfed by Faith, and fo faid to be the Spirits of juft Men made pcrfed:, fo are all true Believci's of this Commiflion of the Spirit, whofe Faith holds out to the End, are counted of God the Spirits of juft Men made perfed by Faith, and fo may be faid to come unto the Spirits of juft Men made perfect. Alfo I led you into the Paradife of Peace, where the Thief went that Day he believed in Cbriji : I brought you, with the Reft of Believers, to the Tree of Life, which ftood in the Mid ft of Paradife ; you faid you faw it,, and you hked it well v and if you had ftretched forth the Hand of Faith as others did, and have taken and eat of the Tree of Life, and have lived for ever, then had you not rebelled. I fhewed you the Tree of Know- ledge of Good and Evil, you faw it, and underftood what you faw •, I fhewed you the New Jerufakm^ that came down from Heaven, and that is faid to be four-fquare, the Length and Breadth are equal. The New Jerufale^n that came down from Heaven, it was when God became Flefh in the Virgin's Womb, and its being four-fquare, the Length and Breadth equal ; it was when Chriji was nailed to the Crofs, his Arms being fpread abroad were equal with his Head and Feet, and fo may be faid to be four-fquare, and fo is every perfeft Man : And fo the New Jerufakm that came down from Heaven, die Perfon of Chrift, may be faid to be four-fquare> the Length and Breadth equal. Likewife I brought you to an innumerable Company of Angels, I fhewed you their Forms and Natures. Thefe Things I did for you, in the fpirituai, and many more ; and the Prophet hath not been the leaft be- neficial to you, in the temporal \ I have not been your Hin- drance, but your Furtherance, in what lay in my Power ; I never was beholden to you in any temporal Matters, and did not fatisfy you for what you did. And when feveral Believers did complain of your rude Speeches, your wrathful Words, your mercilefs Judgment, 1 have pleaded for you againll them, and have upheld your corrupt Nature, elfe you would have been forfaken of feveral Believers before now ; but thofe I have done moft for, and have been the leaft beholden unto, have lift up thdr Heel againft me, fo that you have been offended [8] offended againfl: me, and rebelled againft me without a Caufe, which hath caufed you to be cad out of my Sight, and out of God's Sight, as Cain was, and out of the Society of the Saints. And now, may all your own evil Words and defperate Wifiies which you have uttered, come upon your own Head. Firfi^ You fay, if Claxton were faved, you would be damned ; how do you limit God's Mercy t6 your Wrath ? Secondly, You fay, that if God did not take notice of you, then would you had been a Toad, a Dog, or a Serpent, or any Thing but a Man. Thefe are defperate Words, and it will be a Wonder if you have not Caufe indeed, to wifh yourfelf a Toad, Dog, or Serpent, rather than a Man. Thirdly, You call the Prophet, Devil ; Peter might as well have called Chrift Devil, for calling him Sathan ; for Peterh Offence was out of Love and Pity to Chrift, but your Offence to me, was out of Pride and Rebellion ♦, for 1 was your Mafter and Judge, as Chrift was Peter\. Fourthh, You (lighted the Bleffing from the Prophet, and in a rude and uncivil Language, faid, you cared not a Fart for it. Fifthly, When Burton bid you burn the Affertions, and humble yourfelf to the Prophet, as he did, you faid you would perilli firff. Sixthly, You defpifed the Government cf the Commiflion of the Spirit, faying, it is poorly and weakly managed. Thefe are defperate Words againft God, and againft the Prophet, and high Rebellion •, 1 do not think it could be pa- ralelled, not by all the Prophets and Apoflles, fince the World began. And if this Rebellion be forgiven, then let it be faid, that this laft Prophet and Witnefs of the Spirit had Power [9] Power to do more than any Prophet or Apoftle ever did In the Time of their Commiffions. IFritten by LODOWICK. MUOGLETOW, One of the two Jajl Prophets and IVitneJJes of the Spirit unto the High and Mighty God, the Man Chrift Jefus in Glory. Amen. In the Tear i6yi. A LETTER written by the Mejfenger of God^ Lodowick Muggleton, to Walter Bohenan, of Condemnation for ^poflacy^ January 23, 167 1. IValter Bohenan, THIS is to let you know, that I have fcen three of your rebellious Letters, for which Caufe I was not willing that any Rebel fhould fee the Anfwer to thofe Aflertions laid down by William Medgate, that grand Rebel. Your Letters are full of Nonfenfe, and not good Englifh j and you have laid down the Aflertions falfe Lies, and not true. Thofe nine wrote by Medgate were well laid down, and I own them all to be true as they are laid down ; and I have given an Anfwer to them all, but no Rebel fhall fee them if I can help it. But it feems that you have undertaken, not only to anfwer the Aflertions, but to give Judgment upon them ; and not only fo, but you vapour and threaten me, that you will force me to give Anfwer to them, as if fo be you were commif- fioned to judge me. I fliall not fpeak of many of your wicked, nonfenfical, rebellious Words ; it would be too tedi- ous, only thefe few : Firjty You fay you do believe that I, and all the Devils in rfic World, cannot hurt you -, for my Power, you fay, you C arc [ lo] are not afraid of if, no more than of a Child of one Day old. Secondly, You fajr. That if I do give Sentence upon you before I have anfwered the AlTertions, you fay you will force me to it, if you and I do live in England ; and that you will bring me on the Stage. This is Judas like. thirdly. You fay. You have more Ground to be offended with me than I have to be offended with you : For, fay you, 1 do affirm that you are fallen from the Truth, and have gone about to overthrow John Reeve, and have contradided my- felf : This is Devil like, to judge his Lord and Mafter. Fourthly, You, fay you, will make me believe a Lie, and more than one, but many Lies, contrary to all the Prophets and John Reeve"* s Writings. Here is the Mark of a Reprobate, to charge his Teacher with Lies from dead Men's Writings ; thefe are but a few of the Fruits of your Rebellion, but there is enough to condemn one Rebel to Eternity, if there were no more ; but this I (hall fay unto you, that you have fhewed yourfelf a right Scotchman, a diffembling falfe-hearted Man, of the Scottijh Nature. And it would be a rare Thing to meet with ■ a true-hearted Scotch-Man or Woman, that is upright in Heart, cither to God or Man : For I have been in this CommifTion almoft twenty Years , and I never knew but two, one a Scotch^ man, and a Scetch-Woman, that made a ProfefTion of this Faith, and they proved both falfe-hearted, both to God and Man ; for the Woman did fall from John Reeve in his Time, for which he branded her with a Title of falfe-hearted Scot, and you, the Man, is fallen from that Faith, you once had in me, to Rebellion, for which I Ihall brand you with the Mark of Reprobation, for you have fhewed yourfelf a Reprobate, a falfe- hearted Man, a Caft-away. , Did you not fay, that you did believe that I had Power to give a Bleffing unto you of eternal Happinefs, elfe you would not have afked it of me. And upon y^ur RequeiV, faying you did believe that 1 had fuch Power, I g^ve you a BlelTing, and you continued in my Favour, and in the Favour of many Believers, for a While •, but [ "] but now you have defpifed the Blefling as Efau did his Birth- right \ for the Bleffing of a Prophet is a good Birthright, if it be not defpifed j but you have defpifed and difowned it, and forfaken the Blefling of a fiving Prophet, and do cleave unto dead Men's Words, and to the Doftrine of thofe that are dead. John Reeve is dead, and thofe that wrote the Scriptures are dead, but he that God hath preferved alive, to be the Judge of John Reeve*s Writings, and Judge of the Writings of the Prophets and Apoflles, which you never knew, neither did you ever receive any Light or Knowledge from them, but what you received from me ; yet have you lift up yourfelf in Rebellion againft me, and have defpifed tlie Blef- ling, therefore you (hail have the Curfe of a Prophet in the room of it, and fee, if that will ftick more clofe unto you ; for this I fay, you fhall never cafl that off, as you have done the Blefling, but it fhall remain upon your Spirit to Eternity ; for your Condition is much like unto King Saul*s : The good Spirit of the Lord departed from him, and an cv'it Spirit was fent from the Lord to him -, that is, while he kept in Obedience to the Prophet Samuel, the good Spirit of Peace from the Lord in his Seed gave him Peace of Confcience ; but his Rebellion and Difobedience to the Prophet Samuel, caufed that Peace of Confcience to depart from him ; and the evil Spirit in the Seed of Rcafon, of Rebellion, and Dif- obedience, was fent unto him, and that became a Worm in his Confcience, that never dies, and a Fire in his Confcience, that will never be quenched. This will be your Condition for your Rebellion and Dif- obedience unto me ; for while you were kept in Obedience unto me, the Prophet of the Lord, the good Spirit of the Lord in your Seed, that believed in his Prophet, it preferved you in Peace of Confcience, in that I gave you the Blefling ; but: now, through your Difobedience to the Prophet of the Lord, and Rebellion againlt God, for it is all one, if God himfelf were in my Place, you would fay as much to him as you do to me; but the good Spirit of the Lord is departed from you, and an evil Spirit, from the Lord, is fent unto you, even the Fruit of your Difobedience and Rebellion, which is the Curfe of God, you being rejeded of God and of his Prophet, and C z caft caft out from the Society oi the Faithful for ever ; fo that the Worm of Rebellion will never die in your Confcitnce, nor the PWc of Hell will never be quenched in you •, fo that you (hall know this Torment is tor nothing but your Difobediencc and Hebellion againft the Prophet. And as for your vapouring that I, nor all the Devils in the World, cannot hurt you, and that my Power is no more feared by you than a Child of a Day old, thcfc Words you have learned of M^dgate^ that Dragon Devil, who hath roared. out his Rebelhon like a mad Bull \ and you have learned of him to call the Prophet of the Lord Devil, who was his Lord and Mailer, and yours alfo. But for all your Vapour, you Ihall find that my Power fhaJl reach you wherever you go ; if you afcend up to Heaven in your Imagination, my Faith 'and Authority Ihall pull you down from thence ; and if you go down into Hell, I lliall find you out there, and your Adi of Rebellion fhall be executed, and my Judgment fliall be executed upon you there. And if you go to the uttermoft Parts of the Earth, you fhall not flie from that Curie that Ihall follow you ; fo that you fhall know that the mofl: High hath chofen me, and rejefted you. And as for your threatning me that you will force me to anfwer the AfTertions, if you and I live in England^ and that you will bring me upon the Suge, do you not fhew yourfelf a Cain and Judas Devil ; you would both betray your Lord and Maftcr, as Judas did liis, and kill,as Cain did his Brother, becaufe he was accepted, and Cain rejected. So, becaufe God hath accepted of me, and hath fet me in his Place, and hath rejeded you, therefore you would betray me, to bring me upon the Stage. Your evil Spirit is willing, 1 perceive, but your Power is weak. And will you dare to talk of bringing a Man upon the Stage, that is free- born, and free by Service, by you, that are a Foreigner, a Stranger, and Alien, one that is by Ad of Parliament counted a Vagabond, a Runagate, a Fugitive in a Nation which is not your own, who is not free-born, nor free by Redemption ; yet you will dare to bring me upon the Stage, becaufe I condemn you for your Rebellion. And this I fay, if I were treacherous in Heart, as you are, I would quickly caufe y©u to be removed from Ware^ if not out of Mngland 5 but I ihall Jet that pals; [ 13 ] and I would fain know how you can force me to Jet you fw* the Anfwer to the Affertions, or to bring me upon the Scag,e •, you may do what you can now, 1 provoke you to it, but here you may fee the Pride and Prcfumpcion againft yoyr own Sou!, in that you have hfted yourfelf up againft your Lord and Mafter. And whereas you fay and affirm that I am fallen from the Truth, is not tliis the Word of a Rebel, that learned and was taught the Way of Truth, and what Truth is ; neither had you any Light or Truth at all, but what you received from me, your Lord and Mafter -, and yet the Spiiit of Rebellion in you 16 grown fo wife to judge your Mafter that taught you, to be fallen from Truth, fo that you know how to teach your Mafter better than he can teach you. But how can I cxpee as Men dumb, and will not fpeak a Word for three or four Hours together, and upon a fudden, they will break forth into a ftrong Language, as if the Spirit did immediately move them to fpeak. This, I fay, it is nothing elfe but an Influence of John Robms fpiritual Witchcraft, which is produced out of their own Spirit within them, [37] them, and not from any Spirit which hath no Body, without them. And all this is becaufe they have no Knowledge of the true God, or the right Devil. Therefore it is that the greateft Part of the World doth lie underWitchcrafr, either a natural Witchraft or a fpiritual Witch- craft-, there is a very few, that is delivered from being under one or both of them. There is none delivered but thofe that are come to have Faith in this fpiritual Commiflion, which is now- extant in the World; for Faith in it doth lead Men to the Know- ledge of the true God and the right Devil, with all thofe deep Myfteries, which doth depend on them, the Knowledge of which doth free a Man from all Witchcrafts whatfoever. Therefore, I would advife you to read the Book of ours, called The Divine Looking-Glafs -, for that you may fee there, that there can be no Spirits without a Body •, neither can any Witch or Conjurer raife any Spirit without a Body : Buc thefe Conjurers may do, through the Ignorance and Dark- nefs of Man*s Reafon, and that Fear and Belief that is in the Ignorant, they may, by their ignorant Power, raife a Shadow of Things, as if they were real Bodies, or Spirits, in the Shape of Bodies,as the Egyptians did before Pbaraoby King of £^'/»/; they did feem to raife Frogs and Grafshoppers in the Sight of Pharaoh^ King of Egypt j but I fay they were not real Frogs and Grafshoppers, but Shadows of fuch Things, which as foon as ever their Witchcraft Power Art was over, their F'rogs and Grafshoppers were gone alfo, elfe would the King and his People been as much troubled at thofe Frogs, which the Ma- gicians did bring up on their Land, as they were with thofe which Mo/?i brought up, which went into their Houfes. And now, \{Mofes had not raifed Bodies, as well as Spirits ; or if he had raifed Spirits without Bodies, they would have been as little troubled at thofe Things which Mofes did, as they were at thofe Shadows, or feeming Things, which the Magicians of Egypt did. There is fome more of the Letter ; but I have not Time to writ it. Vale^ fo refteth your Friend, London J March 29, 1 660. LODOWICK MUCGLETON^ [38] y^DlscouRSE between John Reeve and Richard Leader, Merchant j recited by Lodo- wick Muggleton^ one of the two laft Wit^ nejfes and Prophets of the 7720ft high God, the Man Chrift Jcfus in Glory. THIS Richard Leader^ notwithftanding he was well U- tisfied in fpiritual Things, as to his eternal Happinefs, yet there was fome Things as to temporal Matters, which we had declared, that he could not as yet confent unto, becaufe it was contrary to the Rule and !S.\z cf Aftrology and Philo- fophy ; for I aflced him what it was -, he fliid, you declare the Sun is not much bigger than it feemeth to be, and our Art faith, it is threefcore Times bigger than the Earth : AJfo, faid he, you fay the Moon doih not borrow any Light of, nor from the Sun : Likewife you fay, that the Heavens is not much above fix Miles high from the Earth •, and we by our Art do fay, the Heavens areThoufands of Miles high from the Earth ; thefe Things, faith he, feemeth fomething ftrange. Then I anfwered, and faid unto him. You are a Man, that have travelled through many Parts of the World, and you have been in that Place, called the equino6tial Line, where the Sun is nearefl to the Earth of any other Place, where the Heat is fo great, that no Creature can fcarce live, the Sun is fo hot ; did the Sun feem any bigger to your Sight, when it was near to the Earth, than at other Times, when you were at a Diftance ? You faw the full Proportion of it, did you not ? He anfwered, and faid, he did. Then faid I, did the Sun feem any bigger to your Eye- fight, where it was near to the Earth, than at other Times ? He anfwered, no, not any bigger, as he could difcern. Why then, faid I, will you believe your lying Figure, before you will believe your own Eye-fight? You mufl; either fay, the Sight of your Eye is falfe, or the traditional Figure you depend upon is falfe \ now hath not God appointed the Sight of the Eye to be Judge of that it fees ? [39] fees? But Men hath chofe rather to believe their lying Ima- gination, which they never faw, nor never can fee, nor knows not what it is ; therefore it hath eretted a Figure, that Man might be led into Darknefs, imagine Things that are not, and make People believe, that the natural Sight, that God hath given Men in their Creation, to be Judge of what it fees, to be a falfe Sight, and a falfe Judge •, and your dark Imagination and Figure to be a true Light, and a true Judge of the Big- nefs of the Sun. Forconfider, That the Imagination of Reafon in Man, doth always judge God to be bigger than he is, or lefTcr than he is ; likewife Imagination being blind, it judgeth God's Power to be greater than it is, or lefler than it is j and fo it doth in the Works of Creation : As for Example; the Imagination of Man judgeth, that God made this vait Earth and Waters of Nothing; which is more than GoJ could do, for he never made any Thing of Subftance of Nothing, for of Nothing comes No- thing ; for what Thing or Creature, that God made of No- thing, God will turn it to Nothing again. Then would it be well for all wicked Men, if the Earth was made of Nothing, and Men made of the Dull of the Earth ; then, when this Earth is turned to Nothing, its Original alfo ; but this Earth was an eternal dark Chaos, and fhall return at the lad Day into Darknefs again, and wicked reprobate Man (hall live upon th:s Earth in eternal Torments, in utter Darknefs, for ever and ever. So that neither the Earth, nor wicked Man, the Seed of the Serpent, fhall neither of them both be turned to No- thing, but Ihall be in utter Darknefs to Eternity. Again, the Imagination judgeth the Sun, Moon, and Stars, to be of vaft greater Bignefs, though they feem to be fmall Bo- dies to us i fo that the Imagination of Man, being blind, judgeth every Thing bigger than it is, or- lefs than it is ; tlrough God hath made the Sun, Moon, and Stars, little Bodies, to give Light unto the Earth and Waters, and in their Light, the Creatures here on Earth do fee Light ; and God hath made thcfe Lights, Bodies in Heaven, to anfwer to that Light 'that is in little Bodies here on Earth. And Ihall a Man fay, the Light of his Eyes is no true Light, but the [40] the Imagination, that feeth not at alJ, is called true Light; thus it is withAftrology, and Philofophy, that judgeth God to be bigger than he is, or lefTer than he is, and his Power to be greater than it is, to create this vaft Earth and Waters of Nothing ; and the Sun, Moon, and Stars, of fuch a vaft Big- nefs, all out of Nothing : So that the lying Imagination hath created to itfelf a bigger God than the true God, and this God hath a greater Power, and hath created Things of a more bigger Magnitude, than the true God ever did, and could do, as to make this Earth of Nothing, and the Sun, Moon, and Stars, of fuch a vaft Bignefs, far bigger than ever the trueGod made them. But to tell the Imagination of Man of the true God, that created Man in his own Image, he became Flefti, and became a little Child, and grew to a Man, and fuffered Death by his ov/n Creatures. O ! no, faith the Reafon in Man, God could not die, it is impoITible for God to die ; here God's Power is looked upon, by the Imagination of Men's Hearts, to be lefs than it is. Obje5iion i. Said he, The Sun may feem to be but a little Body, becaufe of the great Diftance from us : As for Example, fet a Man upon the Top of Paul's, and at a Diftance he will Ihew as little as a Crow. To this he anfwered and faid. Indeed a dark Body at a Diftance doth fiiew Lis than it is. But, faid I, let a light Body, as a Torch, or Candle, be but a Mile above the Earth, if it were pofiiblc, and it fhall fhew bigger a hun- dred Miles Diftance from it. As for Example: "When a Beacon is fet on Fire, it feemeth a greater Blaze forty Miles Diftance, than it doth near at Hand, for it is but a little Thing of itfelf ; yet neverthelefs, it is the Nature of all light Bodies, to fhew rather bigger at a Diftance, than they are of themfelves ; and it is the Nature of all dark Bodies, to feem lefs at a Diftance, than they are in themfelves. When he heard this, he was convinced ; and did acknowledge, that it muft needs be fo in Nature, that light Bodies did ftiow bigger at a Diftance, and dark Bodies lefs ; fo that the Sun being a bright Fire, light Bo- dy, and running fo fwift in its Courfe, it could not be much bigger than it feemeth to be, notwithftanding he had Jong imagined the contrary. /^z.;.c3:— [41] Ohje^iton 2. Saith he. We by our Art doth judge, that the Moon doth borrow her Light of the Sun, becaufe, faith he, fo far as the Sun is right againft the Moon, fo far the Moon is Jight, and when the Moon is at the Full, the Face of the Sun is right over it •, fo that fometimes the Moon feems to have a dark Body, only a httle Piece of it forked, why is it then, faid he ? Becaufe the Sun is right againft no more o[ the Moon, and fo much of it as the Sun is againft it, it receiveth Light from the Sun, and the reft of the Body of the Moon feemeth dark : To this 1 anfwercd and faid, If this fbould be fo, then that Saying of Scripture, Gen. i. V. 16. muft be laid afide, where it is faid, God 77iade two great Lights^ the greater Light to rule the Day, and the lejj'er Light to rule ibelSigbt. Certainly the Moon hath Light in itfelf to rule the Night, elfe thofe Words cannot be true ; for if God made the Moon a dark Body, and that it hath no Light in itfelf, but what it receiveth from the Sun, then God made but one great Light, and one dark Body, and not two great Lights •, for if the Moon hath not Light in herfelf, but doth borrow of the Sun, then the Moon had no Light in her Creation : A Man may as well fay, That a Man is a living Man, that hath no Life in him ; for if a Man hath not Life in himfelf, he cannot move no farther, than a Man that hath Life doth carry him ; fo likewife if the Moon were a dark Body, and had no Light in itfeJf, how could it move to rule the Night? The Sun, that hath always Light in itfelf, muft carry the Bo- dy of the dark Moon, and move it about the Firmament of Heaven, to rule the Night, which would be a great Trouble to the Sun to do two Bodies Works ; for God hath fet every Thing in order, and every particular Thing ihall do it's own Work ; the Sun fhall rule the Day, and the Mooa fliall rule the Night, and the Stars fliall give their Light ; fo that every Thing that God hath made, fliall do their own Works, according to the Law God hath placed in their Natures. If the Moon muft rule the Night according to God's Command, certainly he gave the Moon a Light in itfelf to rule with, elfe it could not rule ; for borrowed Lights never ruleth well. A Man that is Stone-blind, may as well G fay [ 4i ] jay to another Man that can fee, I would borrow your Eye- light, that I may fee the Light of the Sun, as you do : This cannot be done, for in Light we fee Light -, for there mull be two Lights, elfe a Man cannot tell that there is any Light at all. For that Man that was born blind, could not tell that there was any Sun or Light at all in the Day-time, but as he heard others fay ; but when Chrifi opened his Eyes, then he faw Light, becaufe he faw Light in himfelf ; and when he received his Light, was not this Light of his Eyes in himfelf ? Was it any borrowed Light, or Light for Cbrtji ? I trow not, for God hath made every Creature, that hath Light in itfelf, to fee another Light that is out of itfelf •, fo that in Light we fee Light ; there muft be two Lights, elfe Things cannot be dif- tinguifhed ; for dark Bodies, that hath not Life and Light in itfelf, cannot borrow Life and Light of any other ; neither can the Moon borrow any Light of the Sun at all, for it hath an inherent Light in itfelf in it's Creation, as the Sun hath in it's Creation j fo that the Words of Mojes are true, that God made two great Lights, the Sun to rule the Day, and the Moon to rule the Night \ only the Moon hath a lefler, but both hath a Light in themfelves, and doth not borrow one Light of the other ^ elfe how could the Moon fight with the Sun in the EcHpfe fometimes ; if the Moon were a dark Body, and had DO Light in itfelf, could it oppofe the Sun as it doth, that the Moon even darkens the Sun in the Fight ? Can a dark Body fight with the Light of the Sun ? You may as well fay, that a dark Body may fight with a living Man : But thefe Fictions of Men's Imaginations, hath deceived the whole World, and keepeth the People in Darknefs, and putteth out their own Light of their Eyes, and calleth Darknefs Light, and Light Darknefs, even in Things that are vifibly feen. OhjeSiion 3. Then faid he, How comes it to pafs, that there is fo many new Moons, and fometimes we fee but a Piece of the new Moon, and do difcern the reft of the Body to be dark, and fo the Moon doth intrace the dark Bodies filled up with Light 5 fo that in a Matter of fifteen Days, the Moonis full and l4i ] and all Light, and in a little Time, it la quite gone, and fee'tt no more in our Horizon. To this I anfwered, and faid. Were you ever up in the Firmament of Heaven ? Do you know by your Imagination how God hath framed it, and how many Chambers he hath made in it ? And how many Planets, Stars, and Lights, he hath put in every Chamber, in the Firmament of Heaven ? You Ailrologers yourfelves fay there is twelve Houfes and four Houfons, are you fure there is no more Houfes in the Firmament of Heaven, but twelve ? And do you know how many Lights there is in every Houfe, and when thefe Lights do remove out of one Houfe into another ? Or do you know whether one Star doth take its Light from another Star ? Or hath every Star Light in itfelf ? Or doth the Light of the Stars and Planets remain in their own Bodies, and neither increafe nor decreafe their Light, fince they were made and fit in the Firmament of Heaven ? Is there any of thofe Stars or Lights in the Firma- ment of Heaven miffing, that were made at firft ? Or hath any of them loll their Light God put in them at firfl, when God created the Heavens and the Earth ? If you can tell this, then you can fay fomethlng, as the Moon borroweth Light of the Sun ; but to give you a little further Satisfadion ; God hath placed the Sun, Moon, and Stars, in the Firmament of Heaven, and every one of thefe, Houfes of their own, that is, the Place where they firif began to give Light, and to fliine upon the Earth, that is, the Houfe of the Sun, Moon^ and Stars •, now God that made them, knoweth the Houfe and the Place of the Firmament of Heaven, where they firft began to give Light ; becaufe he had meafured out the Firmament of Heaven, becaufe he made it •, but Mart doth not know, nor cannot know by his Imagination, Art, and Figure ; alio God hath given thefe Lights Power to go out of their own Houfcj into any of the Chambers of Heaven, even as a Man doth out of his own Dwelling-Houfe, into more remote Parts, yet the Man re- taineth his own Wifdom and Knowledge, when he is remote from his own Dwelling Houfe, as at Home ; fo it is with the Sun, Moon, and Stars, though they go out of their own Houfe, yet they retain the fame Light in themfdves, wherever they G 2 go. [ 44 ] go. And if God hath made the Sun fo fwift and bright, to run through all the Houfes of the Firmament of Heaven, in twenty-four Hours, yet that is the Sun's own Houfc, where it went firft from, and it is the Work God hath appointed the Sun to do every Day and Night •, and when the Sun is abfent, in its Place, the Moon fupplieth her Light, and the Moon not being fo fwift as the Sun, it cometh not fo foon in- to our Horizon as the Sun doth •, befides, it paffeth through- out the fame Region as the Sun doth, but in a Region of a lower Degree in the Firmament of Heaven, than the Sun doth ; and the Caufe why the Moon (hewech the Light, but a little Piece of her, when flie is but a Quarter old, fo by Degrees fhe increafeth, till Ihe is at the Full, fo that the Full Face and Light of her, may be feen by the Light of the Eye. The Caufe why we fee her by a little and a little, is, fhe cometh out of one Chamber or Houfe of Heaven into an- other, and as the Houfes and the Firmament of Heaven be at fuch a Diflance one from another, fo we fee her Light the more, and we fee her fometimes half light and half dark ; now the Piece that feemeth dark» it is becaufe fhe is not come out of that Houfe or Region ; but when fhe is come to that Horizon, where fhe was at the Full, then fhe is all Light and no Darknefs at all ; not but that flie was all I^ight in hcr- felf before at all Times, but flie was in fome Chamber of Heaven, which fhadowed her fo, that we could not fte her whole Light of her whole Face. As for Example : Suppofe a- Man ftand in a Bottom, and there be two high Hills before him, at a Diftance one from the other, the Man fianding in the Bottom, difcerneth a Man upon the Top of the farther Hill, fo feeing him come down the Hill a pretty Way, but a little lower he Jofeth the Sight of the Man, until fuch Time as the Man cometh up that Hill nigli to him, and when he cometh to the Top of this Hill before me, I do difcern firfl his Head, then after his Face, then after his Body, fo that I fee it is a perfect Man which I faw at firft, but this Hill be- fore me hindred the Sight of him till he came to the Top of it : So it is with the Moon, a Man cannot difcern the full Face of her, till fhe hath pafTed in her Journey thro' all thofe Houfes, of the Heavens, which lieth lower in that Region where (he is, fo that [ 45 ] that the Hill and Mountain of the Earth doth hinder the Slight of her, until Ihe Cometh to the Top of the Hillof ourPIorizon, then can we fee her whole Face ; for the Earth is as a Ball, Handing upon and in the Air ; that is, the Power of God*s Word hath made the Air a Foundation for the Earth to ftand upon •, therefore it is, that the Earth flandeth upon Nothing as a Man can fee ; and this is the Foundation God hath laid this vaft Earth upon: And who could lay the Foundation of this Earth upon fuch a Foundation as the Air ? None but God only, whofe Power is infinite and unfpeakable. Likewife the Earth about with the Element, then the Earth muil needs interpofe and fhadow the Eight of the Moon, fo that (he can- not be feen in her perfect Light, untill fhe ftands upon the Top of the Ball •, but thofe that are on every Side and underneath the Ball cannot fee her, for (he is always at the Full in herfelf, tho' a Man cannot fee her fo perfedtly, but when fhe is at the Full i yet the Moon is the fame Light in herfelf always, as when ftie is at the Full, tho* thofe on the Sides and underneath cannot fee her ; neither is there any Newnefs in her, but fhe is the fame To- day, Yeflerday, and fame for ever, as long as the World lafbcth ; ever the great Light, which God created and appointed to rule the Night in one Place or other of this World continually: 1 his is Truth, and Mo[es\ Words are Truth, whatever Man by their Imaginations do fay to the contrary. Ohje6iion 4. Well, faid he, how will you make it appear, that the Heavens are not above fix Miles high from the Earth ? I anfwered and faid, that I will make it appear by Scripture andReafon. That will do well, (faid he.) Then faid 1, fee that Scripture, Gen, xi. 4. And they faid ^ Goto^ let us build us a City, and a Tower ^ whofe Top ?nay reach unto ^Heaven : And in the 5th Vcrfe, And the Lord came down to fee the City and the Tower which the Children of Menhuilded : And the 6th Verfe, And the Lord faid, behold the People is One, and they have all one Lan- giiage, and this they begin to do, and no-jj nothing will be refi rain- ed from them, which they have imagined to do. Here, faid I, ic is plain, that there was a PolTibiliLy for the Sons of Men to build . [46] 'build a Tower up to Heaven -, now if Heaven had been Thou- fands of Miles high, as the lying Art of Ajirology faith, there could have been no Poflibility to buiJd up to Heaven, and that thefe Men's Keafon know well enough, neither could they have kid a Foundation to build Thoufands of Miles high -, now the Imagination of Reafon in thefe Men were more right, which ^enc by no Figure, nor Rule of Art, but by the Sight of the Eye, and their Reafon and Senfe •, and they did imagine by the Sight of the Eye, that it could not be above three Miles to the Clouds, which the Philofophers grant by their Art, the Clouds to be but three Miles high from the Earth ; fo they imagined that the Firmament could not be above three Miles higher; and we do imagine, faid they, in themfelves, that they might lay a Foundation to build fix Miles, and thought they, when we come up to the Clouds in Building, we fhall fee then how far it is to the Firmament, and fo build up unto it. Now, the L©rd himfelf faid, it was poflible for them to do what they had imagined, for (faith he,) Nothing will reftrain them for what they have imagined to do. So that God knew there was a Pof- fibility to build up to Heaven, elfe he would never come down from Heaven himfelf, to prevent them, in confounding their Language, if the Heavens had been Thoufands of Miles high :- Befides, faid I, do you think, when Chrifi afcended up to Heaven, after he was rifen from the Dead, that he afcended with that Body thoufands of Miles high, from where he af- cended up to Heaven ? It is faid, A5ls \ 9. While the Men beheld^ a Cloud received him oiit of their Sight. That is, they faw him afcend up as far as the Clouds, which is half Way to the Fir- mament of Heaven ; for the Clouds opened for him to pafs through, and clofed together again, out of their Sight 5 for they could not fee no farther than the Clouds : Likewife, when the Prophet Elijah went up to Heaven in a fiery Chariot with Horfes of Fire, Do you believe that he had thoufands of Miles to Heaven ? He faid. No : Befides, there is a Poflibility to build up to Heaven now, as there was then, only it is for- bidden of God : But this I fay, if it were lawful, and that a Man was fure to live 7 or 800 Years upon this Earth, as they did then, then a Man might as eafily build up to Heaven now, as then J were it lawful, as I faid before. So [47] So that God hath not made the Heavens fo high, as tHc lying Imagination of Reafon hath ; for Reafon imagineth the Heavens to be higher than they are ; and Reafon imagines Hell to be lawer than it is; fo that Heaven is fo high, that Reafon can never afcend up to it, and Hell fo deep, that Reafon can find no Bottom -, therefore called, A Botlomkfs Pit^ when indeed Hell is but fix Miles Diftance from Heaven to this Earth, where Men adted all their Wickednefs, Ihall be that Place of Hell for all the Damned, and the Place where the Devil and his Angels, which are wicked Men and Women, fhall be tor- mented to Eternity. But the Sef^d of Faith knoweth the Heigh th of the Heavens,, and but a few Miles high, and can eafily ailenci up to it ; and Faith knoweth the Bottom of Hell, and. knoweth ic is upon this Earth, and no deeper than this Earth, and that the Bottcmlejs Pit^ fo much feaixd by Man, it is in a Man, and not without a Man : TlK^refore, faid 1 unto him, your Figure, Rule and Art, mufl be laid down -, but Arithmetick and Numbers is neceflary only for Things on this Earth, to meafure Land, and other Accounts between Man and Man here on Earth ; your Arithmetick and Figures is not to meafure the Height h of the Heavens, nor the Depths of Hell, that belongeth only to the Seed of Faith, being God's own Nature. Faith meafureth the Height of Heaven,, and the Deep nefs of Hell : Therefore, in the'e Things, you are to lay afide your Figure Art, and depend wholly upon Belief of what we have faid in thefe Things, becaufe your Reafon, Skill and Art, lee it be never fo great, cannot difprove a ftedfafl Faith. When he heard this Difcourfe, with much more than is here written, he was very well fatisfied in thefe Things, and many others, and he grew very mighty in Wifdom and Knowledge, both in natural Wifdom and heavenly ; fo that every great Man of his Acquaintance did fubmit to his Wifdom, and loved him for his Knowledge -, fo he continued in it all his Life: But about a Year or two after John Reeve died, he died at Barbadm, J LE T- [ 48 ] A LETTER from the Prophet Muggleton, Loving^ and kind Friend in the true Faith, Thomas Tom- kin Ion, MR. Delamaine would have wrirten fooner, but being in great Trouble, had not Leiiure to write ; for the Shepherd being fmitten, the Sheep were all fcattered. Upon the 17th Day of January lad pail, Judgment was given upon me, to lland upon the Pillory in three feveral Places of the City of London, and the Books they took away from me were divided into three Parts, and were to be burnt before my Face, thofe three Days 1 ftood on the Pillory. So they offered up the Books as three Burnt-offerings, to the unknown God •, and they offered me up as a Sacrifice, to be flain by the rude Multitude ^ and ic was a wonderful Pro- vidence I was not flain outright. I was expofcd to the uttermofl: Rigour of the Law, more than any ever did, that fuffered in that Time ; however, they have fhed the Blood of the laft Prophet, although not to Death. Oh ! what (hall be done to this bloody City, for fhed- ding innocent Blood ! The God of Heaven will fay unto this bloody City, You fhall be punifhed with Poverty, Beggary, and Imprifonment. But thofe that have had a Hand in the Perfecution and Blood of my Servant the Prophet, fhall be cafl into that bot- tomlefs Pit, in utter Darknefs, where fhall be wailing and gnafhing of Teeth for evermore, where they fhall never fee bright Day, to Eternity. This, I am fure, will be the Effe<5t upon thofe that have had a Hand in thefe Sufferings of mine. I cannot enlarge in particular of thefe great Sufferings of mine, that hath hap- pened to me of late, it would be too large a Volume, to relate the Particulars of it ; but you may underftand by a little what a great deal means. So being in Hafte, I fhall take Leave, and reft, only my Love to yourfelf, and my Wife's Love to yourfelf ■ [49] yourfelf and your Wife, and all Friends elfe there wjth you, / rejl your Friend in the true Faith^ From the Prefs-yardy Neijgnte, Jpril 23, 1677. LODOWICK MUGGLETON. ^/? E P I S T L E To a gi^U A K E R. Dear and loving Friend^ I Shall not falute thee about perifhing Natures, or empty Obfervations, for the exalting of an Idol ; but the Defire of my Soul is, that we may be found real in the Things of th« Spirit, that we may be impowered to perform our Chriflian Duties to each other, in the Things of Flefh ; which is that which girts the Spirit, or ftrengthens the Soul with lafting' Peace. Is it not a real Comprehenfion of him that made us, by Virtue of his heavenly Light or Love abiding in us ? If this be true, as I am certain it is, how is it polTible then, that we Ihould be one in Spirit, or in the Flefh either, until the true God be made manifefl to us, or in us ? Indeed Time was when I was ftrongly deceived with an Imagination of the eter- nal Salvation of all Mankind, though they lived and died under Power of all Manner of Unrighteoufnefs whatfoever. And this Error arofe in me through a lying Dodrinc, founding in my Ears, of a pretended univerfal Love to the whole Creation, from thofe People called Ranters, which gilded Love I found at length to be nothing elfe but carnal H Luft, C5o] Loft, in the Bottom oF it ; why, becaufe It had no fplntual Foundation to build his Faith and Hope upon, but within itfelf only. Perad venture, thou at this prefent may ft imagine, that thy Society, called Quakers, are endued with more excellent Lit^ht than all others whatfoever ; but if I fhould condt fcend to fuch an Imagination, I muft belye the Light of all Things, ■which, through his eternal free Love, hath lately fhined into my dark Soul i but it hath not fo Ihined into it 2s to perfuade me to miad no other God or Chrift, prefent Light, or future Glory, but what is within me only, as formerly I did, when I was deluded to idolize my own lying Imagination with Titles of divine Glory, by worfhipping of it with the holy Name of eternal Jehovah, or Jefus, and calling of it the high and lofty One, or holy One of Ifrael, the only begotten Son of God, the everlafting Father, the Daughter of Sion^ the Glory of all Perfeftions, with many other fuch like hea- venly Expreflions, which indeed belongs only to a glorious perfonal God, eternally living without me, and not to any fpiritual God or Chrift, Light or Glory, that is, or may be within me, in the leaft. For whilft I groped after Light and Life, only within my- felf, behold I met with nothing but thick Darknefs, and a fecret Fear of an everlafting Vengeance •, but ftnce I came really to underftand that all the fpiritual Godhead is wholly abiding, remaining, or dweUing in the glorified Body of the Man Chrift Jefus, and that by the Light or Virtue of his Spirit only, he lives by his redeemed Ones, I have enjoyed much fweet Peace, and pure Hopes of fpiritual Glories, in that Life to come, which are eternal. Moreover, though the Variety of fpiritual, pr temporal Joy and Glory, be of none E^^di to the Creature, without an inward Manifeftation of it, yet, when I feel a Want of new and heavenly Confolations, to fatisfy my hungry Soul, thro' the manifold Temptations of the Flefti, behold I feek not for it from any fpiritual Light or Life that is within me, or with- in Men or Angels, becaufe, by woful Experience, I certainly know it is not there to be found ; but the Light in me afcends up on high without me, even into the gloripus Body of the everlafting l5f} everlaftlng God-Man Chrift Jefus, the Lord both of Quick and Dead, whofe fpiritual Godhead wholly died with its Manhood, and lived again alone by kis own Power, and from thence, from whence alone all fpiritual Excellencies proceed, received I divine Satisfaction in this Life» accord- ing to my prefent NecefTity, with a full Affurance of a tran- Iccndent bodily Glory in that Life to come, at the Refur- redion of all the Souls and Bodies of Mankind that are dead, afleep in the Duft of the Earth, when Time (hall be no more. I fay again, as aforefaid, that all the true Peace, Joy, or Glory, which the Creature doth or fhall enjoy in this Life, or the Life that is to come, proceeds not from any fpiritual God or Chrift, Light, or Life, or Glory, that is within the Spirits of Men or Angels, in the leaft •, but it flows only from an infinite Fountain of fpiritual Glories, which arc wholly dwelling in the Man Chrift Jefus, that is withouC them, the perfonal Majefty, in the Sight of many true Witneffes, vifible afcended far above all imaginary bodilefs Gods-, Heavens, Angels, or Men. Furthermore, notwithftanding all this, if thou (houldfl; ftill imagine, that both our Lights may or will produce eternal Lfe in us at the laft, though we fhould be at Va- riance about the Knowledge of the true God and his divine Worfhip, to our Lives End, I am not of thy Mind. Why ? becaufe as there is but only one true God, fo likewife I cer- tainly know there is but only one true Light or Worfhip, appertaining to his glorious Perfon, which Worfhip of his is now only fpiritual and invifible, fuitable to an in vifible Glory. Now thou may ft fuppofe thou art guided by an inward pure Light, yet certainly know, that inftead of fpiritual teaching, grounded upon a firm Foundation, thou art in Bondage to outward Forms and empty Declarations, pro- ceeding from Man's carnal Spirit, who, through flefhly Guilt and Loftincfs of Spirit, with a pretended pure Lan- guage and Pra(5tice above all other. Pope- like, are violently hurried about, to profelyte the whole World to themfelves, which cunningly they endeavour to bring to pafs by the Sword H 2 of Csa] of the Tongue, for Want of a Sword of Steel in their Hand, deluding their own Souls, and many of their Hearers, vainly "to imagine, that all Men and Women have fo much true liight in them, which will make them eternally happy, if they will. But the Light in me witnefles the contrary •, for by it I am really informed, that there are fele6l Numbers of Mankind, who, in the free Love of the Creator, were fet apart for the Enjoyment of the Light of Life eternal, even before the Foundation of the World was laid. So likewife, on the contrary, I am fully fatisfied againfl all Gainfayers, that there is a Generality of Men and Women, -who, in the Foreknowledge or Purpofe of the living God, were ordained to an Eflate of Unbelief in his glorious Pcr- fon, and the fpiritual Myfteries of his heavenly Kingdom, that they might everlaftingly perifh, even for Want of the Light of Life eternally fhining in them : So that it is clear to a fpiritual Eye, that it is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God alone that flieweth Mercy unto eter- nal Salvation, or withholds his divine Light or Love to himfelf, unto everlafting Condemnation, as aforefaid. And who fhall be able, in the great Day of Accompt, to look on his Face, and to fay unto him, Why haft thou made one all glorious, and another altogether miferable ? Woe be unto them that contend with their Maker, by fpeaking Evil of him and his fecret Councils, which they know not, which he hath not revealed to the dark Multitude, nor never will, no, nor to any Speaker that hath handled a Sword of Steel to flay Mankind, or hath defiled his Marriage Bed, under what Pre- tence whatfoever. Again, I fay unto thee, that the Light in me difowns thofc Men to be fpiritual Commiffioners, or Witnefles unto the true God, that fay they are guided by an infallible Spirit, through ■which they fpeak againfl: all deceivable Preaching or Writings to the People, and yet do the very fame Thing. Moreover, the Light in me bears Witnefs againft all Kind of publick or private Meetings in the World, in a miniftcrial Way of Worfhip, as not by a Commifiion from the Holy One of Ifrael, Why? Bec^ufe of the ^reat Ignorance I find in them, [ 53 ] them of the one fpirkual God, and perfonal Glory, prepared for his Eled, and bodily Mifery ordained for the Reprobate, at the laft Day *, therefore, as before, I certainly know, that fiich Men have no Authority from the Jiving God, to pro- phecy, preach, or fpeak of heavenly Things Co the People, but only from their own lying Imaginations. Furthermore, I fay again, the Light in me bears Witnefs againft thofe Men that own no other fpiritual God or Chrifl-, but what is within the Creature, or within this Creation only, to be for the prefent in the deepeft Darknefs of all Mankind, con- cerning heavenly Things, or that worfhip the literal Word Light, inftead of Jefus Chrift, the eternal ^Word, who alone is both God and Man in one fingle Perfon, glorified as afore- faid, vvhofe ever-bkffed Body is a fiery glorious Subftance, di- ftind from all Things and Places, that he alone is worthy, may have the Pre eminency over all, and in all, who above all is worthy, having purchafed it from himfelf, by Virtue of the pouring forth of his Godhead-Life, Blood unto Death, and quickening that divine Life again, in the very fame Body that died, into tranfcendent ravifhing Glories, even out of filent Death, or Darknefs itfelf. Now I am compell'd from undeceivable Experience, to let thee know, that thou hafl" never heard fuch a Language ot feeming glorious Enjoyment, from any imaginary God or Chrift abiding within the Creature only, as 1 have done ; therefore it is not the "Words of Men or Angels that can now convince me in the leaft, that they are in the Truth, unlefs they are able plainly to declare who or what that God or Chrift is, both in his Nature, Form, and Eflence, from whence they fuppofe they enjoy fuch fpiritual Confolatioii above all others, that are not endued with the fame Light. For as Men's painted Words will not fill the Belly, nor cloath the Back, without Food and Raiment j fo likewife an imaginary God of goodly Words, only living within the Creatures, will not fatisfy my hungry Soul, without the real Knowledge of a glorious Subftance to feed upon. But peradventnre, thou mayft reply and !ay unto me, that every rational Man and Woman, hath fo much true Light in them, that will lead them to the real Knowledge of the true fpiritual [54] fpiritual God, whereby they may attain everlafting Happinefs if they will, by hearkening unto it with a diligent and obedi- ent mind ; Many are called^ but few are chojen^ for all Men have not Faith: Wherefore to this I anfwer, if this thy fup- pofing of all Men poflTefling fpiritual Light in them, were as true as it is falfe, indeed then there would be no need of any other fpiritual God to inftrud Mankind but what is with- in them only. Again, if every rational Soul were poffell with never fo little of Salvation Light in it, how is it poflible that it fhould ]ive and die in Wrath with God or Man, as commonly it doth ? What, is Man principally guided in fpiritual Things, is it the Light of his own Spirit or another Spirit ? Now if you acknow- ledge it to be the Light of GodsSpiritthatbearsRulein the Crea- tures, what is it then that purifies the whole Man from ail Filthinefs of Flefh and Spirit, and leads it intoRighteoufnefs ? Js it the Light or Will of his own Spirit, or of the Spirit of God, as aforefaid ? Now if it be the Light of another Man's Spirit, that opens Man's dark Under {landing, enabling them, in fome Meafure, to comprehend the glorious and wonderful Things of Eternity, and not the Light of their own Spirit, as I am certain it is ; it is not then in the Power of any Man's Will, at his Pleafure to obey or difobey the Light that is in him, as many Men vainly imagine. But it is the Power of God's Will only by his mod blefled Spirit, to perfwade Man's Spirit to be willing to yeild Obedience to the Light that he hath freely given him, or fometimes it is his Plealure to leave him to his own Strength, through which he rebels againft the Light that is in him, to the wounding of his own Soul, That he may learn to know, that the Power by the Virtue of which he is perfwaded from Eternal Ruin, is not in himfelf but in the living God that made him, who freely gives the Light of Life eternal, to whom it pleafeth him, but neither can nor wiH give his Glory to Men or Angels, or to the Light that is in them j why, becaufe the Tree of eternal Life and Glory is not within them, but the Fruit of that heavenly Tree only, as abundantly aforefaid. Wherefore, whither Spiritual Obedience^ Praife or Glory he- longs to the Fruit 6r So the Trecy Judge ye. Now {55] Now thou mayeft know there is a fwoFold Light in Man- kind, a natural and a fpirituai, the natural Light compre- hends natural Things or Notions only, but the fpirituai Light comprehends heavenly Things that are paft, prefent, and to come, and is not ignorant of natural Things neither ; for the natural Light enthralls the Soul with flellily Whimfies, literal Oblervations, cenforious Madnefs, and what not. But the fpirituai Light fets the Soul at perfed Liberty, from inward Wrath and outward Rage, carnal Whimfies, or invent- ted Formalities, leading the Soul into alf fpirituai Lovelinels and Peace, to the ucmofl: of its Power, with all Mankind even all its Days, not that it can have any heavenly Communi- on, with any but thofe which enjoy its own Light. What Communion hath Light with Darknefs, or Life with Death ; Now in that perfonal God and his Light declared in this Epiftie, I am thy loving Brother in the Flelh and in the Spirit for ever.. I do fully exped thy Anfwer to this Writing, and Ihall with Patience wait for it, that the true and faving Light may diftinguifh between the Spirits that fet Pen to Paper. John Reeve, One of the Lord's two lafiWiineffes unto thtFoun* dations of all truths and Pen-Man to //^/j.Epiftle, An EPISTLE written by the Prophet' LODOWICK MUGGLETON. TH E Occafion of this Writing, is in Anfwer to fome Objedions made againfl: me. The firft is, that there is no Power given of God unto Man, to give Sentence of Dam- nation upon Man for his Wickednefs and Blafphemies againfl: God and a true Prophet. In Anfwer to which, I fay, it is re- corded in the Old Teftament, That he that defpifed Mofes*& Law died without Mercy i thefe are the Words of a mortal Man, and where there is no Mercy, there remains nothing but Condemnaiion or Damnation, which is all one. Again, is 1 56 ] is it not faid, Jacoh have I lov^d, and Efau have J hatedybefore they had done Good or Evil j but this is to be obferved, God had appointed them to live to be Men, and two Nations to come out of their Loins ; fo when they were come to be Men, the one had the Seal of God's everlafting Love in his Soul from his righteous Aftions : The other had the Seal of God*s everlafting Vengance from his wicked Adions. Is this any other than Bleffing and Curfing, or Salvation and Dam- ration? And thefe are the Words of a Man, that had Power from God to fet Life and Death before all Men; and this I fay, Happy is that Man that hath the Seal of God's everlaft- ing Love in his Soul -, and miferable is he, that is fealed up, through the Evil of his own Heart unto eternal Condem- nation, which all Men are that have committed the unpardon- able Sin, by defpifing the Teachings of God's Holy Spirit, and blafpheming againlt it. By this you may fee there is a prerogative Power in God, above all Law, to place his elefling Love where and in whom he pleafes ;' and to fix his rejedling Power where and on whom he will, without any Motive to it, for the Advancement of his own Glory : For this I fay, God will have as much Glory by reprobate minded Men, as he hath by the Ele6t : For as the one fetteth forth his Love and his Mercy, fo the other fetteth forth his Jufticc, Power, and Wrath, without which the Glory of God would be quite loft : For Mercy cannot be called Mercy, if there be no Juftice to punifh Wickednefs ; take away the one, and you deftroy both. He that pleads againft this Do6lrlne and Povi^er oppofes an infinite Being; and who art thou that con- tendeft againft it ? For Infinicenefs is above all Law. The Apoftle Paul hath fpoken pofitively and fully to this Point, which I refer to your Confideration. This Dodrine is owned, I fuppofe, by the Church of England., but is very coldly maintained ; for I don't remember I have heard it preached to any Purpofe in my Time. And now I fhall re- turn to my firft Propofition, and prove, in the fecond Record, that Power was given unto Man to give S"entence of Dam- nation upon all fuch as refufe to believe, or rather defpife the Dodrine of the Apoftles. For it is faid : He that believes and is baptized Jhall befaved, and he that believes not jh all be damned. Is ^4l [ 57 ] Is not this a pofitive Sentence of Bleffing and Curfing, or Salvation and Damnation ? And thefe were Men who pro- nounced it ; and this Power was given to the Apoftles when the Keys of Heaven and Hell were given to Peter. Thefe Keys were the Gofpel of Jefus, by which they opened the Hearts of all fuch as had Faith in their Dofbrine to Salvation j and to fhut the Gates of Heaven upon all fuch as defpifed and perfecuted it unto Condemnation. This was opening the Gates of Hell in the Hearts of all defpifing, blafpheming fpirited Men that villifye God's Prophets, Apoftles and Saints, when Salvation is ofFer'd to them, by calling them Blafphe- mers, Liars, Hereticks, and their Dodlrinefalfe Delufion, per- fecuting the Name of Chrift afrefh, and yet expert to be faved by the fame Name which they perfecute, this is a Sin not to be repented of, and will never be forgiven. This I fpeak of Men that had their Commiflion from Heaven given of God by Voice of Words, as Paul, and Mofes^ and fe- veral of the Prophets had ; and he that fpeaks Evil or per- fecutcs a falfe Prophet, will do the fame by a true Prophet, for he knoweth not who is falfe and who is true, and all Perfecution is of the Devil, and will be punifhed with eterna:! Death -, as well he that perfecutes a falfe Chriftian, as he that • perfecutes a true Chriftian. Note^ The fame Power that was given to God's chofen Meffengers in the two paft Records, the fame Power was given to his two laft Witnefles in this third and laft Record that God will bare to this World, and which will lafl to the End of the World ; and that MiniHry that hath not Power to blefs M-en for their Faith and Obedience to God, and to curie Men that are difobediewt to the Teachino-s of his Holy Spirit in his chofen Meflengers is not of God. The next Objcdion I Ihail anfwer is, thefe Sayiwgs in the Scriptures where the Devil wascaft out of the Man that had an unclean Spirit, and fuffered to enter into the Herd of Swine : But firft 1 (hall endeavour to difcover the right Devil from the imagined Devil, which Man hath created to affright himfelf with all, how fain would Man have a Devil diftinft from himfelf : But there is no fuch Thing, the right Devil is the Seed or Spiritof Reafon in Man, from whence the Ima- I gination [58] gi nation flows which was firft feated in Cain, and runs in the Line of his Seed to the End of the World, therefore Cain is branded with the Title of a Devil, and Judas was a Devil, and thofe Jews that pleaded they had Ahraham to their Father. Chrifl tells them, they were of their Father the Devil, which was a Murderer and a Liar from the Begin- ing and his Work they would do, and fo they did, for they crucified him, and put him to Death. Thefe were all Mea Devils, and I can find no other Devils mentioned in Scrip- ture. Efau was a Devil, and would have murdered his Brother Jacoh, had not his Mother by the Revelation of Faith fent him out of the Way. Now obferve, it is faid-, all Evil is of the Devil, not only adual Evil, but all luch Evils as are Incident to the Nature of finfuj Man, for by Sin catiie Death j and Difeafes being the Forerunner of Death, thefe are the evil Spirits or Devils that Chrift call forth of Men, that were afflifted with them, and the Man out of whom the unclean Spirit was caft, was a lu- natick Perfon, and was diflrafted in his Senfes, as may be feen by his Breaking of Chains, fo that by his rageing Mad- nefs, his Strength was doubled to him-, and Chrift com- manded this unclean Spirit to come out of him, whereby his Senfes were reftored, and he became in his right Mind as before this unclean Spirit, Devil or Difeafe took Place in him, and went away praifmg or giving Glory to ■God for his Mercy toward him, fo likewife Chrift caft out the Fever. Now I would not have Men think that Chrift caft out a Spirit, an Exiftence in itfelf diftin(5l from the Body of Man ', for there is no fuch Thing as Spirits without Bo- dies, for Spirit and Body is one infeparable Being, and can- not be parted from its own Body ; and as to the cafting out this unclean Spirit, Chrift by his commanding Power, caufed this Spirit or Difeafe to ceafe and have no longer Power in him i for he became v^'hole and in his right Mind : And as to the Devil or Difeafe entering into the Herd of Sv,:ine, I affirm the Devil did not enter into Hogs, for there were no Hogs in that Country, but Hogs the People, and they abhor Swine's Flefti, for the Swine the Devil entered into, were Men of a brutifti, fwiniih Nature, a ftubborn, un- governable^. [ 59 ] governable, unruly People, that would neither be obedient to the Law of God nor Man, but always refifting the Power of Chrift, when he was upon this Earth, as you may fee, where they accufed Chrift of cafling out Devils by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils ; and thefe unclean Spirits that entered into them, arofe out of their own Souls or Spirits •, for Soul and Spirit is all one. And it is faid, they run down a fteep Hill into a Sea or Lake, and were drowned : Now this Sea or Lake was not a Sea or Lake of natural Waters, neither was that Hill a Hill of Earth -, but it was the Worfhip of the Law of Mofes was that Hill they are faid to run down ; for thefe Gadareans were a zealous People in the Worfhip of the Law ; and thofe high and lofty Imaginations they had of that Worfhip, was that fteep Hill -, for that Worfhip was efteemed. as a Mountain, overtopping all other Worfhips -, and this was that high Mountain the Devil tempted Chrift upon, where he ftiewed him all the Glories of the World ; and thefe Waters were fpiritual Waters, wherein they were choaked or drowned : For the Teftimony that Chrift did bear, in declaring the Gof- pel of Peace, and the Miracles he wrought, and with the lunatic Man's declaring him to be the Son of God, it took away or deftroyed their Peace they had in the Worfhip of the Law ; fo that no true Hope of Salvation remained in them : Thus they may be faid to be drowned in the Fears of eter- nal Death i thefe were thofe fpiritual Waters they were drowned in. Again, I never read, that Chrift deftroyed any Man in his temporal State, while he was upon this Earth : He came not to deftroy, but to fave Sinners. I wonder that Men fhould be fo dark in their Imaginations, to think that the Devil entered into Hogs. Were not all Things made for the Ufe of Man, and to fupport him with Food whilft he is in a State of Mor- tality, and fo to end and be no more ? The Beafts cannot fin, nor be tempted of the Devil, nor fufFer erernal Torments : It is the Devil and his Angels, or his angelical Seed of wicked reprobate Men, that will be caft into Hell-Fire at the End of Time. And now obferve ; this lunatic Man is faid often to frequent, or have his Dwelling amongft the Tombs : Thefe Tombs fignify a Burying-Placc or Church* Yard, near unto I 2 "" which [6o] which might be an AfTembly of People to be Inftrufbed in the Worlhip of the Law oiMofes ; and for their Unbehef, and defpif- finw Chrifl's Power and Miracles, they are called a Herd of Swine ; for they were many in Number ; and thofe Herdfmeti weretheir Teachers, which went to the City and told what was done, which brought a Fear upon them ; fo they came humbly to Chrift, and befought him to depart their Coafts. Again, it is faid, Cajl not your Pearl before Swine: It is not meant, call not natural Pearl before Swine ; but thofe Pearls they were forbid to caft before Swine, were thofe Salvation- Secrets that tend to Mens everlafting Happinefs ; thefe are thofe Pearls fuch fwinifh Men are not worthy of. Thus, if your Eyes arc opened, you may fee fomething into the fpi- litual Meaning of thofe Scripture Sayings. And now I fhall difcover the Devil Man hath created out of his lying Imagination of his own evil Heart. This Devil is a Spirit without a Body, and hath no Form of his own, but borrows fome other Form to reprefent himfelf in ; for he can afiume what Shape he pleafes ; he can whip into a Man, and tempt him to all Manner of Evil, which once commit- ted, he can whip out of him again, and leave the Man to fuffer for his Sins ; he is invifible, and yet vifible •, he is in Hell-Fire, and yet out of the Fire ; he is chained, and can o-o no farther than God fuffers him ; and yet at Liberty, and can tempt Millions of Perfons at the fame Time : He is a Monfter of a Devil 5 for he hath Horns and never a Head to place them upon ; he hath Wings, and never a Body to fix them to : I have feen him reprefented with Claws to tear and torment People with, but ftill hath no Body of his own. This is the Devil Man hath made to affright himfelf withal. The next Thing I infift upon is to diftiguifh a true Minifter From a falfe, which I have in a Meafure explained before, as thus ; a true Minifter is one that God hath chofen and fitted for his Purpofe, by infpiring him with the Revelation of his Holy Spirit, and then giveth him a Commiflion to go forth in this World, to propofe Terms of Salvation or Condemnation to his People. Thus he is made Chrift's AmbafTador, and is impowered to fet Life and Death before all Men, and this Power is bkffing all fuch as believe, and are obedient to his Dotftrinc [ 6i ] Do6lrine or Declaration to them, and a Curfe upon all fuch as refufe to believe or rrither dcfpife it : For God doth not come now into this World himfelf to treat with his People, But giveth Power to a mortal Man to be a Prophet, an Apoftie, Mi- nifter, or Ambafiador of God, the King of Heaven ; as the the Kings of this Earth do to their Minifters. And thefe com- mifilonated of God, ftand in God's Stead, and reprefent the Perfon of God the King of Heaven, as an earthly King's Mini- fler doth reprefent his Perfon and Power, and fuch Men arc true Minifters of Jefus Chriji, and happy arc thofe Men that are made obedient to them, and miferable are all fuch as dc- fpife their Declaration. A falfe Minifler is fuch a one as may be diftinguifhed by the Contraries of the foregoing Difcourfc, that hath no Com- mifllon from Jefus Chriji by Voice of Words, fpokcn from Heaven to the hearing of the outward Ears, but counterfiteth a Commiflion from the Letter of the Scriptures, but have none of the Spirit that declared them, nor no Authority from God. Some of them juftify themfelves by the Authority of the national Power, and if this will ferve their Turn at the iaft Day, it is well with them. Others think the Letter, which was other Mens Words, that had their Commifiion from Heaven, to be as good a Commiflion as that of the national Power ; And if this will bare them out, it is well with them alfo ; others think themfelves as good Minifters as thofe before mentioned from the Light within them, thefe are the People called Quakers ; but this Light I know to be only the Law written in their Hearts, which no Man can keep, therefore ferves only for Condemnation. So that when all thofe Mi- nifters comes to plead in their Hearts and fay. Lord we have preached in thy Name, prayed in thy Name, caft out Devils, and done wonderous Things j their Anfwer will be. Go ye Workers of Iniquity, I know you not, I fent you not. Thus you may fee God will not own them, becaufe he did not fend them •, there are feme of the Mi- nifters have got away of whining and toning in their preach- ing, as if their Words had not the fame Meaning, with- olU toning as with it. Again, they fhall repeat one Word or fliort Sentence, three, four, or fix Times together. Thus [ 6x ] Thus they go on, till they have filled their Noddles, topful, and when they have tired themfelves and their Congre- gations, then they depart, and in half an Hour or an Hour's Time, their Sculls are as empty as before they came to- gether, and if they talk together as they go Home, they Ihall admire their Teacher, he is a precious Man, a great Gift in Prayer, a found Preacher. Thefe are fuch as by their canting Language climb into the Hearer's AfFeftions, empty their Pockets, and fill their Heads and Hearts with Nonfenfe. It was my Chance to hear a Clergyman fay, if he had a Horfe or any other Goods to expofe to Sale, and if this Horfe was all over Faults he was not obliged to difcover any Fault at all, except it was de- manded of him to difcover them, to which I agree \ by the Laws of the Land, he may conceal them ; but by the Law of Mofes^ which is the Law of God, by which the Law of the Land is made, I can find no Juilification for Man to deceive his Neighbour by Concealment ; but becaufe Men can find no pofitive Words to forbid this Deceit, there- fore Men juilify themfelves in it; yet the Law is good, and doth not allow any Man to be deceived by his Neighbour, and he that lives by over-witiing or any wordly Deceit, will be found to deceive himfelf ; if Man was not corrupt in his Nature by Sin or Evil, which is of the Devil, he would abhor fuch Deceit in himfelf, and not encourage it in others. There is a new Law given, which is to do as ye would be done unto ; and I believe no Man is willing to be deceived or wronged in any Kind ; and if this Man had inftrufted Men in the Chriftian Law, I Ihould have approved of it much better. This Law of Chrift faith, love your Enemies, do good to them that hate you, and evilly intreat you -, and fuch Men that feek to pervert the Law of Chrift, or Chriftian Law, are rather to be efteemed Minifters of Deceit, than true Chriftian Minifters.: Men are apt enough to take this Li- berty to deceive their Brethren, although it difturb their Con- fciences ; therefore they need not be encouraged in it. He that perufes this Writing, and confiders it in his own Mind, may fee that God doth give Power unto Man, to judge, and give Sentence upon Men, of Salvation or Con- ' " ' "' " demnation. demnation, according to their Obedience or DIfobedience to God and a true Prophet. Likewife he may fee, that the Evil that arifes out of a Man's Soul, is the Devil, and no Spirit without hath Power to tempt him to any Evil. Again, he may fee, that he that takes upon him to be a Minifter of Jefus Chriji^ and hath not a C^ommiflion from Heaven, as Paul had from God's own Mouth, I fay, he commits fpiri- tual High Treafon againft God, and will be punifhed withk everlafting Death for fo doing, if he continues in it. LODOWICK. MUGGLETON.' An PPISTLE (?/JoHN Reeve /(? his loving Friend Chriftopher Hill. Brother Hill, in the Eternal Truths MY Love to you and the Reft of our Friends. This is a fpiritual Love Letter that I am moved to write unto you, wherefore by Virtue of my CommifTion I pronounce thee Tho. Martin^ William Tomg^ and Elix, JVyles., the Blefled of the Lord to JEternity ; the Remembrance of this the Lord's Blefling, will do you no harm when I am in my Grave ; in the mean, Seafon, our good God caufe you to love one another more than your temporal Enjoyments, and that will become a Heaven upon Earth in your innocent Souls ; Faith fetcheth. fpiritual Comfort, the Fountain to each particular Soul 5 but Love fulfilleth all Righteoufnefs both to God and Man. Oh ! the tranfcendent Excellency of the Love of Chrift in his new born People, it is not to exprefs'd by the Tongues of Men or Angels. John Reeve. A Copy [ 64] A Copy of a LETTER wrote by the Pro- phet John Reeve to Mrs, Alice Webb, containing her EleJJingy and the Six Prin- ciples^ on Auguft 15, 1656. having Friend^ DE S I R I N G your Eternal Happinefs in that Place of Glory above the Stars, I am moved from the Spirit of the Lord to write thefe Lines unto your ferious Confideration. This I know asfure as God knows himfelf, that Jefus Chrifi from his Throne of Glory fpake to me by Voice of Words three Mornings together, which Speaking of his hath opened my dark Underftanding to declare fuch fpiritual Light to the Chofen of God, as never was fo clearly manifefted be- fore, efpecially in thefe fix Foundations. Fi7ji^ What the Perfon of the true God is, and his Di- vine Nature. Secondly^ What the Perfons of the holy Angels are, and their Nature. thirdly. What the Perfons of the Devils are and their Natures, and what the Perfon of the Devil was before he became a Devil, and begot Millions of dark Angels or Devils, it being all one. Fourthly^ In what Condition the Man Aiam was creai:ed in, and by what Means he loft his €rft Eftate and the Effeds fof k. Fifthly^ What Heaven and Glory is, aiid the eternal Rc- fidencc of it. Sixthly. What Hell and eternal Death is, and the Place tvJierc it fhall be to Eternity. This [^5 ] This 1 know certainly. That before the Lord lent me to declare his Pleafure unto his People, no Man upon this Earth did clearly underftand any one of thefe fix fundamental Truths, which to underftand is Life eternal, and to be ignorant of them is Death eternal. Now the Lord hath fent his two Meflengers to declare them, I mean, to all thofe that may be informed in thefe fpiritual Things, and do rejeft us (that are the Lord's Meflengers of thefe Things of Salvation) through the Love of carnal Things, they muft all perilh. to Eternity. Again wc know from the Lord by that infallible Spirit that he hath given us, of divers Perfons that Ihall be eternally blefled with us : and all that we pronounce Curfed to Eternity are eternally Curfed, as fure as Jefus Chriji the Lord of Life is Bleflfed, becaufe it is his Curfe and not ours. Again, if the Lord Jefus do not bear Witnefs unto our Teftimony, and make it evident that he hath fent us in a few Months, than you may conclude, that there never was any true Prophets nor Chrift, nor Apoftles, nor Scripture fpoken from the Mouth of God to Men. But there is nothing but the Wifdom of Men and Nature their God. But this we know, that thofe that are joined with us, are Partakers of thofe Truths, and fhall be blefled for evermore, and fliall in the mean Time patiently wait for the fulfilling of our Prophecy, and fliall have Power over their Thoughts, Words, and Deeds, purifying their Hearts by Faith in the Perfon of God even as he is pure, trampling all the Riches and Honour of this World, under the Feet of their Souls as Dung, becaufe they have tafted of that Glory to come, that no Tongue of Men or Angels can exprefs, and this makes them not only love one another in carnal Things, but for the Truth's fake they are ready if (need require) to forfake all Relations, and Life itfelf for one another , and is that Power of that one only Faith and Truth, de- clared from the Spirit of God, the Man Jefiis by us, which none enjoys but thofe of this Faith. K Much [ 66 ] Much more might I write, but fpeaking Face to Faccj (if it may be) is far more profitable : Farewell. John Reeve, the true Prophet, of the only true Per fond God, the Lord Jefus Chriji upon the Throne of immortal Glory in the higheji Heavens, An EPISTLE of John Reeve to a Friend^ written in May, 1657. Shewing, THAT Eled Angels are diflind from him who vifibly beheld him Face to Face •, and what that reprobate Ser- pent-Angel was in his Creation, which by the fecret Council and unfearchable Wifdom of God, fell from his created Glory like Lightning from the invifible Heaven above, to this vifible Earth beneath; and through his fuper- feeming God like Counfel, he overcame innocent Eve ; and fhe yielding unto him,^he wholly entred into her Womb, and naturally changed himfelf into her Seed, and fo became the firft'born Son of the Devil, and afterwards a curfed Cain, and the Father of all thofe Cananitijh Reprobate Angels, fpoken of in the vifible Records of the Scriptures; l^ot as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and flew his Brother, the ift of John, the 3d Chapter, and 18th Verfe. And the Tares are the Children cf the wicked one. Math. 13th Chapter, and the i8th Verfe, Alfo in what Condition Adam was created in, and how he came to fall from his created Ellate, and what that Sin was that Eve and he were guilty of, and how Sin came firft in their pure created Natures. Again, what that heavenly Glory is and where it is, that God's Eleft Wheat, which are the Seed of Jdam, and not of Cain fhall poffefs when time Ihall be no more, and what that Ihameful Eternal Death is, and where it is referved for the Seed of Cain, and not of Adam, who are either a Spirit given iip to perfecut'ion oF Men's Confclences, or elfe they are left in Uarknefs to condemn the Things of Eternity, becaufc they cannot comprehend them for want of a true diftinguifh- ing Spirit, which is a Gift of the Holy Ghoft, unto him which is immediately fent by the Lord of Glory, that he may be diftinguifhed by the new born of God, from all thofc counterfeit or deceived Preachers or Speakers in the World, who are apt and ready to judge Men in Darknefs, if they fo- berly afk them needful Qiieftions concerning things of Eter- nity -, the underftanding of thofe glorious Excellencies, which is the Saints Inheritance, being utterly hid from them, be- caufe they went before they were fent. Priend and Brother in the Eternal 'Truth j By this infallible Demonflration, you may know a Man that hath not a Commiflion from the true God, to preach and fpeak unto the People. If a fearching Speaker or Writer, deliver any thing unto thofe People that joyn with him, then for fear of his Weak- nefs or Ignorance being difcovered, he will counfel the Hearers to flick clofe to the Ordinances in the Word of God, or to hearken to them,or to that in their Confciences, and to beware of falfe Chrift's and falfe Prophets, and fuch like borrowing Scriptures Languages, to prevent the People of ever hearing the Glorious and dreadful Things of Eternity from the ever- living God, revealed both by Voice of Words without, and Infpiration within, unto his two laft defpifed true Mef- fengers. Thus it is clear, they have not the true Spirit of Paul in them, who gave the true Saints Liberty to try all Things or Opinions of Men, (for that was his Meaning) but to hold faji to that which was good. Again, that Speaker or Preacher to People, whether pub- lick or private, that declares againft all Appearances that are contrary to his Way, difcovers himfelf to a difcerning Spirit not to be of the Lord, unlefs he can demonftrate a Spiritual Commiflion received by Voice from Heaven, from the Mouth of the Lord Jefus Chrift, fo that no Man can difprove him, though few from a true Underftanding received him, K 2 Again, ifn Again, he that preaches or teaches only of a God or Chrift in Men's Confciences, doth he not queflion the Scripture Re- cords concerning the Refurredlion and Afcenfion of the glo- rious Body of the Lord Jefiis Chrift, who through Faith in his invaluable Bloodihedding, the Confciences of the Ele6t being fprinkled, are purified from the Power of all Unright- oufnefs of Flefh and Spirit, and fo doth he not queftion the Refurredlion of Mankind after Death, Again, if after Death there be no bodily Refurredlion for the Spirit to poflefs an immortal God like Glory, or to fuffer an eternal Devil-like Shame, according to their Deeds done in their Bodies ; is it not one of the vaineft Babblings under Heaven, for Men to talk of a God or Chrift, or of Righteoufnefs, or Purity, or Mercy, or pure Love without Envy, or of any Spiritual Excellency whatfoever, unlefs it be for Gain or Glory amongft Men. The eternal Spirit and alone everlafting Father, which ef- fentially reigneth in the glorified body of our Lord Jefus Chrift his eternal Son, and fpiritually, and motionally, or virtually liveth or reigneth in eled Men and Angels, bear Record between me and you for Everlafting, or World without end, whether this Witnefling be not fent unto you, and all the Eled that fhall view it principally for the re-efta- blifhing of your tender Spirit, upon that fpiritual Rock of all Ages, the Lord Jefus God and Man, in one dif- tinft Perfon Glorified and evcrlaftingly Honoured, with all Variety of Spiritual new Songs and Praifes, from his Redeemed or Eled Men or Angels, when all Time or •Times is fwallOwed up into Eternity or Eternities. John Reeve. Another 1 69 ] Another EPISTLE ^/John Reevex SIR, YOUR Replication to mine doth but ftill harp upon the fame Matter as your former, and yet you fuppofe you have given fuch Arguments as may quite ^\\^nzt my former Afler- tions, were that there are no Spirits without Bodies, but fuch'as mere Shadows and that God is not a bodilefs Spirit, but hath and ever had Form, Subftance, and Shape, and that is no other but the Form of a Man. This is Contradidled by you, and fo you afBrm thefe Parti- culars following. . 1/, You take at thofe my Words which faid, that if a Spi- rit have no Body or Shape, then it is no more then a meer Shadow : This you deny, by faying, that a Shadow is only privative, but a Spirit, fay you, is pofTuive. ^dly, You further fay, that there is fuch immaterial Sub- ftances, which have a feparate Exiftence from fuch grofs Bodies which we have about us ; witnefs fay you the Soul of Man, which is immaterial, and lives after the Body is dead, which is, fay you, confirmed by Faul^ 2 T^im. i. 10. which faith, that the Gofpl brings Life and ImmGrtality to Light, %dly^ This Dodrine, fay you, was known by the Light of Nature to the Heathen Philofophers, and hath fince been con- firmed by Scripture of the New Teftament to us, and fo coii' elude it no ways repugnant to right Reafon. 4/^/y, You charge me with quoting the Scripture falfly, when 1 faid, that Chrift reply*d to the young Man, faying, ^hat no Man was gccd but one^ which was God j therefore fay you it is falfe that the Scripture faith, that God is a Man. To To each of thefe take this particular Anfwer, i. If your Spirit have neither Shape nor Subftance, it is but a Shadow and no more than what the Egyptians Sorcerers produced be- fore Pharaoh, what Mofes brought up were real Subftances, but their' s no other but Shadows, but therefore a Spirit with- out Subftance is not pofitive •, for that which is privative can have no Being without a pofirive, becaufe that which is pofi- tive hath a Being or Subftance : Now he that will not admit God to have a diftinft Being of himfelf, his God that he worfhips is nothing but a Shadow. idly. Where you fpeak of Spirits being immaterial Sub- ftances } if they be immaterial, how are they Subftances, and what Exiftence can they have, and how can a Soul be immortal in a mortal Body i it is faid, the Soul that Sins, itjhalldie\y&i you, it is immortal and cannot die, and would prove it in 2 27w. i. 10. when as that Place fhews plainly, that it was Chrift*s Death and Refurredion which brought Life and Im- mortality to Light ; fo that if there be not a Refurredion, then can there be no immortal Life. Therefore it is, that the Scriptures doth affirm, that there can be no Salvation without a Refurreftion, fo that if the Dead Ihould not rife, then were all Faith vain, and God the God of the Dead (feeing Death is not abolilh'd) and not of the Living ; fo that there is no Spirit that can fubfift or have any Exiftence without a Body, either Spiritual or Natural. Again, doth not the Gofpel bring Life aad Immortality to Light, and is this Life and Immortality brought to Light without a Body, but it will have a Spiritual Body fuitable to that mortal Spirit made immortal. And doth not the Scripture affirm, that it ftiall have a Body like unto God's own glorious Body, and yet you fay, God hath no Body, and a Soul hath no Body. Do you not read alfo, that Chrift had a Body, and that it was after the exprefs Image of his Father's Perfon : Would you trace fubftantial Truth into an Allegory, and fay Righteouf- •nefs. Knowledge, and Holinefs is the Image of God, and yet muft have no Body to a(^ forth itfclf in. When God faid, beye holy. [71 1 holy, as l am holy, mud we turn our Souls out of our Bodies^' to make them like your bodilefs Godi When we are faid to worfhip God in Spirit and Truth, is this fpiritual Worfhip performed without a Body, although there is a Mental, Privy, and Praife without a vocal Expreflion, yet it muft arife from a Heart, and that Heart mud be placed in a Body. There is no Light without a Sun* no Stream without a Foun- tain, and no Spirit without a Body. ^dfyy As to your third Particular, this I muft tell you, that no Light of Nature can difcover Spiritual and Evangelical Truths, and it is very grofs for any Man to fubjefl the Spiri- tual Truths of the Gofpel, to the heathenilh Principles of Phi- lofophers, making the New Teftament no other but for the. Confirmation of the Principles of Nature, which Nature you call right Reafon, which fay, you never repugns the Gofpel, nor the Gofpel it. . By this your Difcourfe I find, that you own that Chrift came, but to confirm the heathenifh Principles of Nature, as, that God, and Spirits, and Angels, were all without Bodies, being immaterial Beings, and you know not what. Now give me leave to be plain with you, and to tell you, that I coujd never read that the Gofpel of Chrift was ever fent to enlighten Nature, Nature or Reafon hath no Intereft in it at all. In the moral Law it hath, and therefore it is written, the Law came by Mofes ; and what to do, but only to enligh- ten Reafon unto whom the Law was given: But as to the Gof- pel, ii came by Jefus Chrijt, and particularly belonged to ano- ther Seed i namely, to the loji Sheep of the Houfe of Ifrael ; fo that you can no more diftinguifti between the Law and the Gof- pel than between the two Natures of Faith and Reafon it is alia Myftery to you. Do you know what right Reafon is, if you do, you muft afcend up into the Kindom of Heaven, and view it in the holy Angels ; for you will not find neither pure, nor right, noruncoirupted Reafon any where in this Orb below the Stars: For it is evident that Reafon's Notion can never be capable to comprehend Spiritual Truths, as from the Power of its own Nature, it only ferves to comprehend natural and temporal Thing?, I f^ ] Things, it b&ing but natural itfdf ; but Gofpel Truths are comprehended by another Light, according as it is written by Da^v'td faying, in thy Light Jh all we fee Lights &c. So that from what is faid, we need not tear (as the World have) of the Heathens rifing up in Judgment againll us, for maintaining Gofpel Truths againft their Darknefs of Reafon. /^thly^ As to your fourth Point, where you charge me of fathering upon the Scripture thofe things that are not, and you make a Wonderment of it, that I (hould fay, that God was a Man, and to quote Chrift's Words for it, telling the young Man, that there was no- Man good but one, which was God -^ this you tell me was falfc, for you fay, the Text faith that none is good but one, which is God. Here your Ignorance appears very great, and may be wonder'd at confidering your great Learning and continual Study j but it appears, it is but in thofe heathenilh Philofophers •, for obferve for better Inftruction, did not that young Man call Chrifl: Mafter, and own him to be a Man and no more : Now to this you may find that Chrift's Anfwer did tacitly im.ply, that if he was but a Man, he was not perfedly good, and that no Man could be perfedly good. And furthermore for a more full Anfwer in the Old Tranf- lation, attending to mark it, is render'd thus Word for Word that there is nQ Man good hut one, which is God. This is plain Scripture, and yet you are ignorant of it ; I perceive you are not very confcrvant in Scripture, your Philo- fophy turns you out of all Scripture knowlege. But to proceed farther, cannot you find by Scripture that God was ever called a Man, did not you ever read that Scripture that faith, God was a Man of War. Much more might be faid of this, and feveral pofitive Proofs from Scripture might be produced to confirm it withal, but becaufe it is not the general received Opinion, therefore it muft be quarrelled with -, for the Honour of this World muft be both fought after and fubmitted to. . And whereas you farther fay, that the Apoftles of Chrift did ever teach after they had received their Commiflion, that Spi- rits were immaterial and could fubfift without Bodies, now anfwer to this : I« [73] It is mofl: certainly evident, that the Apoftles never taught; that any Spirit could fubfift without a Body, but the contrary- altogether ; for their Dodrine was, that as the Soul and Body lives together, fo it dies together, and at the Laft Day rifes together, and is ever without Separation. When-the Apoftles faid. That many Spirits were generate inta the World, which denied that Chrijl was come in the Flefh, did he mean Spirits without Bodies : And when Paul faid, that the Spirit fpeaketh exprejly, ihat fome Jhall depart from the Faith: Now what Spirit was that, but P^k/'s own Spirit of Faith, in his own mortal Body ; for without a Tongue it could not be cxprefled. And where the Apoftles tells of the Doftrine of Devils were thofe Devils bodilefs, and teached damnable Doftrine ? So that the Apoftles never taught that there was any Spirits without Bodies, but always Spirit and Body went together, and fo makes Longitude and Latitude profoundly, as your Philo- fophical Notions teacheth, although you cannot apply it to any fublime or fpiritual Thing, you knowing nothing of it but all is nothing and of no Subftance^ and fo in that your Darknefs I leave you, feeing you are no Friend to the Light 5 and reft yours in all civil Relpefts, John Reeve the only true Witnefs unto the very true Gody amongft many pretended Spiritual Mejfengers in this con/u/ed Jge. An [ 7+] An E fifth 'wrote by the Prophet John Reeve to Isaac Pennington, £/^; datediG^^. concerning a7t Anjwer to a Book of hiSj with Jeveral Myfteries and Divine and Spiritual Revelatiofts declared by the Prophet^ concer- ning God^s vifeble appearing in theFlefts, IN your Self- return, you feem to mourn over the funk Spirit of both Creations, fo termed by you. Alfo you wriic as though many from a fatanical Spirit wrke moft accurately, both of the Works of Creation and Myftery of Redemption by an immediate Gift of God from our Lord Jefus Chrift. To this I anfwer, a little Seafon will produce Mourning enough in you, when you fliall fee your angelical Motions like Light- ning, call down with Confufion of Fear, from their former Perfe<5tion of imaginary Glory, rational Dreams and Vifions, Revelations, Infpirations, Experiences, or Voices proceeding from an incomprehenfible Spirit. Again •, I have both read and heard a Voice to fay, that the Secrets of the Lord are his choice Treafures, referved only for Redeemed ones >, but I never read or heard from any fpi- ritual wife Man before now, that any fatanical Spirit was able to inteiled: deceived Perfons, exadlly to write of the hidden Myfteries of the Everlafting God. Again, you pretend unto no fuch Revelations as I proceed upon, but fay you, there is another Way more certain than Reafon or Revelation, which whether as I prefume you were led into, the Lord will one Day make manifeft, from the true Light of Life Eternal. To this I anfwer, your Light as terming of the true Infpira- tions of the Lord Jefus Chrift, written by me to you, is be- caufe as yet his Holy Spirit viels them from your Eyes ; but as for your new Sound of teaching them from your God, more certain than Reafon or Revelation, from the Divine Voice fpoken in the Ear, through the glorious Mouth of my Lord. I dc- I 75] I declare that in all Ages the Eled loft Sheep of Ifrael, did never read or heard of any more than two original Ways either natural or fpiritual in Mankind, whether you call them Creature or Creator, Light or Darknefs, Truth or Error, Revelation and Reafon, Infpiration and Imagination, Truth and Unbelief, Flefli and Spirit, and fuch like. 'Tis confeiTed, that vifible Appearances of God or any elfe unto Mortals is teaching of all, but he that expedts that kind of Teaching any more until Men are immortalized, lieth under at preient as great an imaginary Deceit, as ever yet appeared in this Land, It is alfo granted that the moft holy God fpeaketh to his Chofen Meflengers by Voice of Words, even to the hearing of the Ear unto which Truth for Ends beft known unto himfelf, by his gracious Power only, can bear Record in this prefent Generation, unto the Grief only of all angelical Wife, envious, proud, inglorious, hypocritical Reprobates that hear of it. Moreover if your more fure Way of teaching from God were Vifion itfelf, yet it is impofilble for you to enjoy any true and lafting Peace, unlefs it fwallows up all your former Writ- ings produced from your own Spirit, without an immediate CommifTion from God, and in the Room thereof, perfwade your Soul to pour in your Oil, into the natural Wounds of opprefled Perfons, under what Opinions or Appearances whatfoever. Again, you fay, O Lord God, pity the Captivity of Man, yea, pity the Captivity of thy own poor Seed, hear the Prayers of that Spirit that interceedeth with thee for every Thing, not according to any fiefhly Imaginations, but according to Truth and Righteoufnefs of thine own Ballance. From the God of Truth, to this I anfwer, concerning that fpiritual Captivity of the Eled, in Reference of a right Underflanding of the Creator, you need not trouble yourfelf about that, unlefs you think through much importuning the unchangeable God, may be perfwaded to loofe their Bonds before the decreed Time thereof; but if you think that Glory of God*s eternal Love towards them, will provoke to their fpiritual Darknefs through the invifiblc Appearances of his own pure Light, then you L 2 mav [ 76 } -may know, until his own glorious Seafon, that all the Defires of Men or Angels are of no EfFed, no nor of the Son him- felf, if you imagine a Father befides. 'Tis confeffed, when the Time draweth near of feme great Deliverance of the Chofen of God, ufually the Lord provokes his People to cry unto him with Sighs and Groans, which cannot be uttered but from the innocent Spirit of his fpiritual redeemed Ones, as his Due, he may receive all Honour, Praife and Glory foi* their Deliverance out of their natural Darkneffes, unto his marvellous Light. Again, I declare from the true Light of the true God, that the Spirit which interceedeth with the Creator for all Mankind, upon the Account of his eternal Happinefs, was never prin- cipled upon a fpiritual Foundation of Truth, whatever fubtile Expreffions of God's righteous Ballance procedeth from him. Moreover, is it not the new heavenly Glances of Chrift Jefus in Man's dark Soul, which upon an immortal Account, be- comes all Light, Life, or ravifhing Glory in him •, and of the contrary, is it not the abfenting Voice or Virtue of the uncreated Spirit of the Lord Chrift Jefus, that occafions Men's Spirits to be full of fatanical afpiring Wifdom about the Crea- tor ; and whence think you cometh this to pafs, or poffible could be of the Spirit, if the Creator were, and Angels were cfientially living in one another there. Again if your hteral Requeft unto the Lord God, as in Reference unto the raiferable Captivity of poor Mankind, lying under the miferable Yoak of unmerciful rich Tyrants, cfpecially over his own innocent Seed or chofen People, then this will moft neceflarily follow ; nay, you cannot deny it, if there be any Light in you, that all your conceived Spiri- tual Speakings, or Writings, or Prayers, in the great Day of the Lord Jefus Chrift, will become but fiery burning Death in you of utter Darknefs, according to the true Saying If that Light tn you be Barknefs, how great is that Darknefs ? Un- Jefs as before faid, anfwerable to your Profeflion of Love unto God, and Pity unto Man, you are a bountiful Re- liever of his opprelTed Ones, according to his Bountifulnefs towards you, then mind the Virtues of Chrift Jefus thus ihining in you, will occafion from the refredied Bowels of [ 77 J of his own Seed new fpiritual Acknowledgments, and a lov- ing Return in the Lord for you, Why ? becaufe it is rare to find a merciful rich Man. Friend, 1 certainly know that if you are one of God's Eie<5t, you cannot be oflFended with me for writing the Truth, though at prefent, I be contrary to you in Spirit. Again, you write that you would beg unto the Lord for me, both with Tears and Blood, and you would fpeak fomewhat concerning me, but you arc afraid to open the Spirit before the Seafon thereof. Friend, As to that if ever the Lord of Life and Glory mani- feft himfelf to your Soul, then you will fee clearly the Vanity of thofe Words. Moreover, if I Ihould tell you, that in the pure Eyes of the Lord Chrift Jefus, that one handful of your Silver Tears, are of more Value than a Horfe Load of your Tears and Blood, you might account it a very ftrange faying from me ; truly I unfeignedly believe it will be found a principal Truth, when our Lord Jefus Chrift fhall fay in the Day of Judgment, Come ye MeJJed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you, for when I was hungry, you fed me ; Go ye Curfed into everlaSfing Fire, when 1 was hungry ye fed me not: So that without Controverfy, there is nothing in Man comparable to Love, Mercy and Forgivenefs, even to his greateft Enemies* Again, it is a marvellous Thing, if you or any other Man, fhould have a Spiritual Gift to diftinguilh between divine and diabolical Appearances, and yet defer the Examination thereof tQ another Seafon, or did the moft wife God ever commiflion any Man or Angel to make a Difcovery of any fpiritual Coun- terfeits, and yet that Meflenger remaineth dark in his own Underftanding, concerning the Creator that fent him. I re- member fuch a like Scripture Saying as this, him whom you ig- norantly worfhip, declare I unto you. Moreover, if the mod: wife Creator, either vifible or invifible by himfelf or Angel, hath appeared in your Spirit, whereby unto your thinking, I was clearly difcovered as a deceived Perfon among the reft, is it not a ftrange Thing that you ftiould have Power over that Light above Men or Angels before you, for the Producing of it at another Seafon, the Creator himfelt will vifiblr make it manifeft,. evenfo come Lord Jefus Chriff, for thy glorious Name^ [ 78 ] Name-fake^ ccme quickly^ and in the vifthk Sight of Men and Angels bear Record ithether thy Holy Spirit fent me (as I have declared almojl thefe three Tears) or no. Again, when the Lord made Choife of fuch a fimple poor Man as I was, as many can witnefs in the City of London^ that have known me about thefe twenty Years, that I might inftrumentaUy difcover the two principal Heads of mifchievous Darknels in the Land j as namely John Robins paft, and John Tawney almoft fpent, truly 1 had no Power in me to put by his MefTage until another Time > why becaufe (whether you can beiieve it or no) his Voice was fo glorious in me, that it fhone as the Sun, and it was of Motion fwifter than Thought, and fo pleafant to be declared by Tongue ; yet for all that Godlike Glory piercing in me, and through me there arofe a Defire in me to be eafed of that Burden of the Lord com- mitted to my Charge, becaufe of that (harp Sentence that I was to declare againft any Man that Ihould defpife it ; then the Lord fpake again unto my Soul, Words of burning Death, of fenfible unutterable Darknefs, anfwerable to that Jonas-\\k^ Rebellion in me, againft fo great convincing Glory -, and truly I was compelled immediately to cry unto him for De- liverance from the Wounds or Anguilh of my Soul, that I might prefently obey his Word that (hined in me with fuch Light, and Majefty, and Glory in whatfoever it fhould com- mand me. Wherefore, Friend happy are you if preferved from flight- ing an Appearance, that is contrary unto your Light, though it ftrike at the Foundation on which is built all your Spiritual Enjoyments ; for alas, you know in the End, all falfe Lights will be made manifeft unto thofe that pofTefs the true Light of Eternal Life in them 5 bleffed therefore are thofe, that in Obedience unto the Creator from a purified Spirit are com- panionate to all Men, but efpccially to thofe innocent Ap- pearances, in the Name of the Lord, though they all differ m their Declaration for them. If there be but one true Mef- fenger from the Lord amongft the refV, they fhall as for- merly, receive an Angel of God unawares, and with him be Partakers of the glorious Secrets of the everliving God, to their eternal Confolation : For this I know, from the Spirit of [ 79 ] No Man taketh it from jne, but I lay it down of myfelf I have Power to lay it do-zvn, and Power to take it again. Therefore, that you may increafe in your mo(t holy Faith unto your eternal Glory, which are appointed to believe in that diftindl glorified Body of the Lord Jefus Chrift^ the only God and everlafting Father, from the Holy Spirit, I Ihall fhew you wherein that Power did confiR of Chriil dying and living again. This his Power was fccretly hid in the Truth of his Word fpeaking. Why ? Bccaufe the Nature of Chrift's Soul within his bleffed Body was only one Voice of fpiritual Faith and Truth. Therefore, you may underfland, whatever he fpoke in that Word fpeaking, was all Power to effecft the Thing fpokcn of. The JVords that 1 fpeak unto ycu are Spirit and Life ^ that is, as if Chrift fhould have faid, *'My Words tend not to Joy in carnal Things that perifb, but in the rejoicing in fpiri- tual Things which are eternal-, or, as if the Lord fhould havn faid, "IMy Word is all fpiritual Light and Lore, Meckncfs^ *' Patience, with all Variety of immortal glorious Joys beyond *' the Comprchcnfion of the Spirit of Men and Angels. M Agisi [ 8. ] Again, Chrift's Words are faid to be Spirit and Life, be-^ caufe all Spirits in the Creation were made by his Word fpeaking only : Furthermore, becaufe his Word only, is the original Caufe of all Light, Life and Glory in Heaven and Earth, and in Men and Angels •, I have Power, faid Chrift, to lay down my Life^ and Power to take it again. I declare from the Holy Spirit, none in Heaven and Earth could ever truly fpeak thofe Words, but that Man Chrift only. Again, it is as if Chrift fhould have faid, " I only have *' all Power within my Soul, by a Word fpeaking, to die *' and live again". Moreover, Chriji Jefus being Lord of Life and Death, did believe without any Motion of doubting in him, that what- foever he fpoke fhould come to pafs, and that gave a Being to the Thing fpoken of, and that made him to fay in the 24th of St. Matthew, ver, 25. Heaven and Earth jhall pafs away^ but my Word fjall not pafs away. So that Chrift being the only God of all; Truth, you may underftand that it was his Faith in that living Truth, or Virtue of his Word fpeaking, which gave him Power to lay down that divine Soul, or fpiritual Godhead Life in the Hell of the Grave, and to quicken his fpiritual Life again from Death, to reign in immortal Glory to Eternity, in that very Body of Flefti wherein he fuffered Death. For I de- clare, from the Holy Spirit, from that everhving Virtue continually flowing from the former Suffering of God on this Earth, in the Body of Chrift, the Tongue of Men nor Angels can never exprefs the Variety of new glorious Joys, the eternal Spirit of God the Father hath in that glorious Garment of Flefh he hath clothed himfelf withal. Again that divine Faith of Chrift in that living Truth and Virtue of his Word fpeaking gave him Power over- Life and Death, that by his precious Blood fhedding, he might pur- chafe from himfelf the Lordfhip of the Dead and Qukk. Again, If God had not been able to have made his, Soul to die in his Body, and by the living Virtue of that almigh- ty Word of Truth,, fpoken through his holy Mouth, to quicken a new and glorious Life again, O then would it be impoffibie for him at the laft Day, by the Power of his Word to quicken and make alive, all the Souls and Bodies of [ 85 ] of Mankind that are dead afleep, and burled in the Grave* You may underftand, that Jiving Virtue of his divine Word of Truth, fpoken before he died, was tliat God, which raifed the everUving God from Death to Life again. .Therefore, becauie the Lord your God hveth, ye which arei to live eternally with him with aftonifhing Wonder and Admiration behold your God, that was abfolutely de^d and alive at one and the fame Time. Therefore Chrift fpoke thofe Words to his Apoftles of the Power of Faith, Matt. xxi. 21. and Jefus anfwered and faid unto them. Verily I faid unto you^ if ye have Faith^ and doubt not, ye .fldoll not only do what I have done to the Fig-tree^ but alfo if you fay to this Mountain, take thyfelf away, and cofi thy f elf into the Sea, it f jail be done ; and in Matt. xix. and 26. But with God all Things are poffible, and in G^«. xiv. Is any Thing hard to the Lord. Woe, Woe, Woe therefore, to all that are left under the Power of carnal Reafon, that they may ever war againft that incomprehenfible Power of Ipiritual Faith and Truth eflen- tially reigning in die glorious Body of the only wife God, your alone Redeemer, which long for his Appearance, which by the almighty Power of his Word fpeaking of that Sub- ftance of Earth and Water, created both Worlds, and all living Forms that in them are, into that Order they appear now to be, whether for a Time, or for Eternity, which alfo twice changed the Condition of his glorious Form by the almighty Power of the Spirit of Faith and Truth fpeak- ing thro' his heavenly Mouth. Moreover, his divine Godhead died in the Flelh and quick- ned in the Spirit, not only to redeem his eleft loft Sheep of the Houfe of IJrael, from the bitter Cup of eternal Death, but alfoto prove his infinite Power and Wifdom of Truth fpeak- ing, and for the difproving of all lying Reprobates, which always either in Heart or in Tongue, fpeak againft that glo- rious Power of their Creator. You know, that it is a common Thing for them to fay, that it is Blafphemy for any Man to fay, that God could pf- ftbly die, with many fuch like curfed Speeches againft in- comprehenfible Power. And why do atheiftical Hypocrites • '-'" '^ M 2 fay [ H ] fay, that God could not die? Becaufe of their lying- Imagi« tation they cannot coiTiprehend by what Means God ihould pofBbly live again if he were dead. Thus they mcafure that incomprehenfible Power of divine Faith or heavenly Truth, by the narrow Compafs of their blind Reafon, and bottomlefs Pit of lying Imagination, which underftand nothing of that fpiritual Power of true Faith. And becaufe they are not able to comprehend the fpiritual Ways of the Lord Jefus Chriji, they hate both him and his Ele6b, and call him a Liar to his Face, both in his Per- fon and in his Word, and in his Prophet, and in his People. Moreover, becaufe they fee no Power in themfelves, neither to live nor to die, prefumptuoufly they take upon them to judge the God of all Power over Life and Death, by their no Power at all. Again, if that God that faid, / have Power to lay down my Life., and Power to take it again, did not die, and was buried both Soul and Body in the Grave, and after the decreed Time of three Days and three Nights, by a quickening Spirit revive a new and glorious Life again in Defpite of Death's Power, then (angelical Reprobate) the following Scriptures were Words of Truth, fpoken from the Spiritual Mouth of the everlafting God, that fent me to declare this Secret, who did die, but cannot poflfibly lie ; for lying is of a mortal Man, like unto thyfelf. In the Words of Ifa. Iv and the laft Verfe, Becaufe be poured out hi^ Soul unto Death. In Pfal. 16. ver. II. For thou wilt not leavt my Soul in Hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thine holy One to fee Corruption. In A^s ii. 27, 31. Becaufe thou zvilt not leave nty Soul in the Grave, neither wilt thou fuffer thine holy One to fee Corruption ; he knowing that he before fpoke of the Refurredion of Chrift, that his Soul fhould not be left in the Grave, neither fhould his Flefh fee Corruption. Rom. xiv. 9, For Chrift therefore died and rofe again, and revived, that he might he Lord both of the Dead and and ^ick. In Re"j. i. 17, 18. Saying unto me. Fear not, I am the iirft and laft I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold J am alive for evermore. Amen \ and have the Keys of Hell and Death. ArA Rev. ii. 8. Thefe Things faith the firflj-and the iaji, which was dead and is alive, M fha's^^i; is^^* o If [85 ] If this Truth be not fufBciently cleared by the Letter of the Scriptures concerning Chriii's Soui and Body being both dead and buried in the Grave, and living again by his own Power, 1 would it w^re. This I am certain of, that they that deny this Truth, are not only naturally blind, but wil- fully alfo do fliut their Eyes, and frop their Ears, and call the Scriptures Lies, becaufe of the Crofs of Chrift, without which there is no Crown of Glory. Again, if the everlafling God for a Moment could not have died, and left himfelf void of all Light, or Life, fpiritual or natural (as the Condition of all Mankind is, which are dead afleep in the Durt: of the Earth) then he could not pollibly have experimentally known the State of the Dead, whether elect Or reprobate. Moreover, neither could he poflibly, in his Creatureihip Condition, be capable of entering into the immortal Glory of his Creatorfliip again, but by -his entering into Death, that he might live again, and upon his glorious Head, inftead of a Crown of Thorns, wear a double Crown of eternal Glory. Again, that he might alfo fhew unto his ele<5t Men and An- gels, his almighty Power and unfearchable Wifdom, by quickening an immortal, tranfcendenr, glorious Life, out of Death itfelf. uns ,'■ Thus the Lord of Life and Death, by fuffering all Con- ditions in his innocent Soul and Body, did purchafe, at a dear Rate, from himfelf, a prerogative Power of being Lord and King over all Conditions whatfoever ♦, and from hence he expe- rimentally knows what immortal Crowns and Glory are moft fuitable for all fuffering Conditions his bleffed ones undergo ; and, by Virtue of his unfpeakabb Sufferings at the Hands of Jewip^ Canaanitifh Devils, he knoweth what Meafure gt eternal Death in utter Darknefs is moft meet for the Souls and Bodies of all the Sons and Daughters, proceeding from the Bowels of curfed, bloody Cain^ that reprobate, angelica), old wife Serpent- Devil, and Father of all the Damned; who through the Decree of God, was call out of Heaven into this World,' that he might bring forth his Generation of proud, envious, fcofhng, perfecuting, wife Serpt^nt- Devils •, not only to war againll the Lord of Life and the Truth of Holy Scrip- tures, [ 86 ] tnrcs, but alfo againft his Holy Spirit of divine Faith or Truth, in all the eled loft Sons and Daughters proceeding from the Loips of y^dant : So that their eternal perilhing by the fecret Decree of God, being hid from them by his Wildom, they might juftly be damned in themfelves from the ever- lafting Remembrance not only of all their Actions gf vain- glorious Hypocrify, but unmerciful Cruelties. This will be that gnawing Worm of Confcience which never dieth, and that fiery Curfe of the Law, of the Wrath of God in Mens Souls, that never goeth out.' And fo much concerning that everlafting Word of Truth that was fpoken by the glorious Mouth of the everlafting God, that Man Chrift Jefus, upon the Throne of all immor- tal Crowns of Glory and Majefty, far above all Heavens, Angels, and Men. ToUrs^ who love the Lord Jefus, more than this prijhing World, John Reeve, j4 Copy of a Letter written by the Prophet LodowickMuggleton,/