And the apostle saith, let no man condemn you in meats, or drinks, or in respect of a holy-day, or new-moons, or sabbath-days, which are but a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.' Now mark, for people to jangle about such things, is but about shadows of things to come, and that which the kingdom of God stands not in, but the body is of Christ; so Christ and his body is to be minded, who is the substance of such things, that were figures, types or shadows of him; and he is to be minded, who is the head, and the substance, and life of all.

And further the apostle saith, let no man at his pleasure bear rule over you, by humbleness of mind, and worshipping of angels advancing himself into those things which he never saw, rashly puffed up with his fleshly mind, and not holding the head,' &c.

Now consider this, all ye that say, there is no hearing of God's voice now a-days, nor Christ's voice, and you have not the same power and spirit the apostles had.

Therefore, come try yourselves by the scripture, which you say is your rule, are not you they that bear rule with your pretended humbleness of mind, advancing yourselves into Christ, the prophets' and apostles' words, which you never saw in that spirit that gave them forth, and rashly puffed up in your fleshly minds: now consider whether people must own such as the apostle cried against in his day, now in our days, I say, they that do hold Christ Jesus the head, to be their teacher, and their prophet, and their shepherd, whether they must hold up such, yea, or nay? and further the apostle saith, if ye be dead with Christ from the ordinances of the world, why as though ye live in the world are ye burthened with traditions? touch not, taste not, handle not, which all perish with the using, after the commandments and doctrines of men, which things indeed have a show of wisdom in a voluntary religion, &c. [mark,] a voluntary religion, then it is not the religion that is pure, which James speaks of, &c.

Therefore, whether or no we must not follow the apostles here in our age, as the saints were in their age, and not to touch, taste, nor handle the doctrines of men, or commandments of men, which will perish with the using, though they may have a shew of wisdom in a voluntary religion; them that be not dead with Christ may follow such traditions and ordinances of men, and touch, taste and handle that which perisheth with the using; but they that be dead and risen with Christ, cannot follow such things, as in Col. 2. So try yourselves by this scripture whether you follow the apostles' doctrine, or such as he forbad.

And in 1 Tim. iv. the apostle saith, the spirit speaks expressly that some shall depart from the faith in the latter times, and shall give heed to the spirit of error, and doctrines of devils, which speak lies in hypo

crisy, having their consciences seared as with an hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them that believe and know the truth; for every creature of God is good, and ought not to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.'

Now come and try yourselves, all ye that forbid meats and marriages, are not you these that the apostle prophesied of, and the spirit spoke of, that are departed from the true faith that the apostles were in, and are in the spirit of error, and doctrine of devils, which speak lies in hypocrisy, having your consciences burned with an hot iron, and are out of the belief and the truth that the apostles were in, and so see not the end of God's creating of his creatures, to be received with thanksgiving, who saith, every creature of God is good, and nothing ought to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer; so not sanctified to you that forbid them, neither do ye know the end of God's creating them. So be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap, for he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruptions, but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. Gal. vi. 7, 8.

Now come try yourselves all ye teachers in Christendom, and look into your fields or vineyards, and see what you have there sown, and see what a great crop of corruptions and all manner of evils you may reap out of them; for you saying you have not the same spirit, and plough, and flail, and faith that the apostles had, then you cannot sow unto the spirit, by which you might reap life eternal; and though you may have all the scriptures from Genesis to the end of the Revelations, if you have not the same spirit as they had that gave them forth, you cannot sow to the spirit, neither are you successors of the prophets and apostles, except you are in the spirit that gave forth the scriptures. And the apostle saith 'let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself only, and not in another.' So now try yourselves ye priests and teachers, and prove your own work, and see what joy ye have in it; to rejoice in another man's work, the prophets' or apostles', is not to rejoice in your own work, the work that God hath wrought in you; and if you come to this, you must come to the light (as Christ said,) to see whether your works be wrought in God, that ye may have joy in him, and in yourselves in his spirit. Again the apostle saith, let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.' Gal. vi. 6.

Now is not this the scripture which you bring for your maintenance? but what is this to prove your forced maintenance by, and to cast people in prison, if they will not give you tythes, or midsummer-dues, Easter

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reckonings, and the like; this was spoken to them that were taught in the word, not to them whom they did not teach, and to force from them: but you use to say, why do not they come, and hear? they may come if they will; did the apostles force a maintenance from any that did not hear them, and say, they might come if they would, and we have a law to compel it from you; if so, where is it written in the scripture, which you say is the rule? but in this your practice, have not you thrown away Christ's law and command, who bids freely to give, as they had received. But the apostle saith, he that is taught in the word,' he doth not say, he that is taught in the letter; John saith, in the beginning was the word, and in him was life, and this life was the light of men, and this is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world :' and you that deny this light, do not you deny the teaching of the word, and call the light natural? and then in your account is not the word natural? therefore, how can you have the good things communicated to you, which do not communicate the good and everlasting things to people; and you see that the apostle would not receive of them that he did teach the good word to, but laboured with his hands, that he might keep the gospel without charge, and show an example to all that succeeded him, neither would he use his power; but have you not gone beyond this power, and abused it; try yourselves. 1 Cor. ix. Gal. vi. And in Luke viii, and Joanna wife of Herod's steward, and Susannah, with many others, which ministered unto Christ of their substance.' Now this scripture, which ye also bring, proves nothing for your forced maintenance, for what they did, they did it freely; for Christ never made a law to force people to give him and his disciples maintenance; if you say he did, show where it is written. Again, Habakkuk saith in Hab. ii. 9. Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house.' And therefore, take heed of this woe coming upon you, all ye that covet an evil covetousness to your house, that ye may set your nests on high, who have coveted and taken other people's goods that ye have done no work for, be sure it will, except ye repent. And in Amos vi. is it not said, 'woe to them that chant, or sing to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music like David, that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments, but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.'. Now consider this ye priests and professors, and others, and try your practice by this scripture, and whether you are not found in these practises, and putting far away the evil day, and approach the seat of iniquity? and are not you them that stretch yourselves upon your beds? and therefore see what judgments the Lord threatened should come upon such; and do ye think the like judgments will not come upon you, that are found in their practises: and therefore, do not profess the scriptures to be your rule, except you

walk in the spirit, which was both leader and rule, to the holy men of God that gave it forth, and according to their example that gave it forth in life and practice; for if ye do not, ye are judged and reproved by the holy scripture, and the spirit of God and Christ, by which they were given forth. G. Fox.

Worcester Prison, the 11th month, 1674.

A LOOKING GLASS FOR THE JEWS:

Wherein they may clearly see that the Messiah is come, by the Prophets in the Old Testament, (above sixteen hundred years since,) and the manifest testimonies since.

And also, they may see their own blindness and ignorance of their own Prophets, and of the Messiah unto this day.

By which my desire is, they may turn to him, that their eyes may be opened, that they may see him whom they have pierced.—By G. F.

DANIEL was a man greatly beloved of God, who interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream: and Nebuchadnezzar's dream concerned himself, and the whole monarchy, (the head of gold,) and concerned the Persian monarchy, (the breast of silver,) and concerned the Grecian monarchy, (the belly and thighs of brass,) and concerned the Roman monarchy, (the legs of iron, and the feet of iron and clay :) and the breaking of all these to pieces as the chaff of the summer threshing-floor, and the wind carrying them away, that no place for them was found: and it was the stone that smote the image of gold, &c. and became a great mountain, that filled the whole earth? and is not this stone the Messiah? for Daniel saith, 'whom ye do believe as a prophet and beloved of God, in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, Dan. ii. 44. [mark, in the days of these four monarchies,] and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break into pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever: the stone which was cut out of the mountain without hands, it shall break into pieces the brass, and the clay and iron, the silver and the gold monarchies. Now Nebuchadnezzar did say to Daniel, 'of a truth his God was the God of truth, and the God of gods, and the King of kings,' &c. So now, consider, was not Nebuchadnezzar beyond you in your belief? and did not the Messiah come in the days of these four monarchies, and set up his kingdom above sixteen hundred years since? and are not those four monarchies dashed in pieces by the stone which should come in their days?

Was not Daniel a true prophet, and Nebuchadnezzar's dream true upon the four monarchies? and did not the God of truth reveal these secrets to him? So if ye do believe that Daniel was a true prophet, and Nebuchadnezzar's dream true, and God did reveal the secrets of it to Daniel, and the gold and silver, and brass, and iron, and clay monarchies were broken to pieces by the stone which should become a great mountain, and should fill the whole earth; then you must believe that the Messiah is come. Dan. ii. 44. And did not Nebuchadnezzar, in the vision of himself to be the tree which was hewn down, confess to the God of heaven, and extol him, and lift up his eyes to heaven, and bless and praise the Most High, and honour him that lived forever; whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.' And mark that, and see if ye see this kingdom that is everlasting, and dominion from generation to generation: and see if you can see this in your generation: and how can ye see this, unless you come to this stone, and this kingdom which God set up in the days of these four monarchies, which should never have an end? For you know, ye had a kingdom before those four monarchies, which had an end.

And Daniel in his vision, chap. vii. 13. saw the kingdom of God, who saw one like the Son of man, and there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and shall not pass away; and his kingdom shall not be destroyed. Now you know yours past away and the saints should take this kingdom, (that is, the sanctified ones.)

And Daniel heard one saint speak to another, 'how long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? He said to me, unto two thousand three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.' Dan. viii. 13, 14. Now, do you cast up this time, and number these days or years, and see what time yourselves be in. Dan. viii.

And in Dan. ix. while Gabriel the angel speaks to him, and tells Daniel that he was greatly beloved, and to give him skill and understanding,' &c. And says to him, 'seventy weeks were determined upon his people, and upon the holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sin; [mark,] and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy; know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks,' &c. And after sixty-two weeks the Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the Prince shall come and destroy the city, and sanctuary,' &c. . And he