Winchmore-hill. In this time several things came upon me to write; whereof one was an epistle to friends in the ministry, and was as followeth :

All friends in the ministry every where, to whom God hath given a gift of the ministry, and who use to travel up and down in the gift of the ministry; do not hide your talent, nor put your light under a bushel, nor cumber yourselves, nor entangle yourselves with the affairs of this world. For the natural soldiers are not to cumber themselves with the world, much less the soldiers of Christ, who are not of this world, but are to mind the riches and glory of the world that is everlasting. And therefore stir up the gift of God in you, and improve it: and do not sit down, Demas-like, and embrace this present world, that will have an end, lest ye become idolaters. But be valiant for God's truth upon the earth, and spread it abroad in the day-light of Christ, you who have sought the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof, and have received it and preached it; which stands in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost: as able ministers of the Spirit sow to the Spirit, that of the Spirit ye may reap life everlasting. And go on in the Spirit, plowing with it in the purifying hope; and threshing, with the power and spirit of God, the wheat out of the chaff of corruption, in the same hope. For he that looks back from the spiritual plow into the world, is not fit for the spiritual and everlasting kingdom of God; and then he is not like to press into it, as the faithful do. Therefore you that are awakened, and are come to righteousness, and to the knowledge of the truth, keep yourselves awakened in it; then the enemy cannot sow his tares in your field; for truth and righteousness is over him, and before he was. So my desires are, that all may fulfil their ministry, that the Lord Jesus Christ hath committed to them; and then by the blood (or life) and testimony of Jesus you will overcome the enemy that opposes it, within and without. And all you that do preach the truth, do it as it is in Jesus, in love: and all that are believers in Jesus, and receivers of him, he gives them power to become the sons of God, and so joint-heirs with Christ, whom he calleth brethren; and he gives them the water of life, which shall be a well in them, springing as a river up to eternal life, that they may water the spiritual plants of the living God. So that all may be spiritual planters, and spiritual waterers; and may see with the spiritual eye the everlasting eternal God, over all to

give the increase, who is the infinite fountain. So my desires are, that you may be kept out of all the beggarly elements of the world, which is below the spiritual region, to Christ the head; and may hold him, who bruiseth the head of enmity, and was before it was: so that ye may all be united together in love, in your head, Christ, and be ordered by his heavenly, gentle, peaceable wisdom, to the glory of God. For all that be in Christ, are in love, peace, and unity; and in him they are strong, and in a full persuasion and in him, who is the first and last, they are in a heavenly resolution and confidence for God's everlasting honour and glory. Amen.'

From him, who is translated into the kingdom of his dear Son, with all his saints, a heavenly salutation : and salute ye one another with a holy kiss of charity, that never faileth.

Ford Green, the 25th of the

9th month, 1690.

G. F.

Another epistle I writ soon after, more particularly to the friends in the ministry that were gone into America; which was thus:

'Dear friends and brethren, that are ministers, and exhorters, and admonishers, that are gone into America and the islands thereaways: stir up the gift of God in you, and the pure mind, and improve your talents, that ye may be the light of the world, a city set upon an hill, that cannot be hid: and let your light.shine among the Indians, and the blacks and the whites, that ye may answer the truth in them, and bring them to their standard and ensign, that God hath set up, Christ Jesus. For from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, God's name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every temple, or sanctified heart, incense shall be offered up to God's name. And have salt in yourselves, that ye may be the salt of the earth, that ye may salt it, that it may be preserved from corruption and putrefaction; so that all sacrifices offered up to the Lord, may be salted and seasoned, and be a good savour to God. And all grow in the faith and grace of Christ, that ye may not be like dwarfs; for a dwarf shall not come near to offer upon God's altar, though he may eat of God's bread, that he may grow by it. And friends, be not negligent, but keep up your negroe's meetings and your family meetings; and have meetings with the Indian

kings, and their councils and subjects every where, and with others and bring them all to the baptizing and circumcising spirit, by which they may know God, and serve and worship him. And all take heed of sitting down in the earth, and having your minds in the earthly things, coveting and striving for the earth; for to be carnally minded brings death, and covetousness is idolatry. There is too much strife and contention about that idol, which makes too many go out of the sense and fear of God; so that some have lost morality and humanity, and the true Christian charity. O therefore, be awakened to righteousness, and keep awakened: for the enemy soweth his tares, while men and women sleep in carelessness and security. Therefore so many slothful ones go in their filthy rags, and have not the fine linen, the righteousness of Christ; but are straggling, and plowing with their ox and their ass, in their woollen and linen garments, mixed stuff, feeding upon torn food, and that dieth of itself, and drinking of the dregs of their old bottle, and eating the sour, leavened bread, which makes their hearts burn one against another. But all are to keep the feast of Christ, our passover, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. And this unleavened bread of life from heaven makes all hearts and souls glad and joyful, and lightsome and cheerful, to serve and love God, and to love and serve one another in the peaceable truth, and to keep in the unity of God's Spirit, which is the bond of (the Lord of lords, and the King of all kings, his) peace. In this love and peace God Almighty keep and preserve all his people, and make them valiant for his truth upon the earth, to spread it abroad both in doctrine, and good life, and conversation. Amen.

All the members of Christ have need one of another. For the foot hath need of the hand, and the hand hath need of the foot; the ear hath need of the eye, and the eye of the ear. So that all the members are serviceable in the body, which Christ is the head of, and the head sees their service. Therefore let none despise the least member.

And have a care to keep down that greedy earthly mind, that raveneth and coveteth after the riches and things of this world, lest ye fall into the low region, like the Gentiles or heathen, and so lose the kingdom of God, that is everlasting: but seek that first, and God knows what things ye have need of, who takes care for all, both in heaven and in the earth: thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gifts, both temporal and spiritual.'

Tottenham, the 11th of the 10th month, 1690.

G. F.

Not long after this I returned to London, and was almost daily with friends at meetings. And when I had been near two weeks in town, the sense of the great hardships and sore sufferings that friends had been and were under in Ireland, coming with great weight upon me, I was moved to write the following epistle, as a word of

consolation unto them:

Dear friends and brethren in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Lord by his eternal arm and power hath upheld through your great sufferings, exercises, trials, and hardships, (more, I believe, than can be uttered) up and down that nation, which I am very sensible of, and the rest of the faithful friends, that have been partakers with you in your sufferings; and cannot but suffer with the Lord's people that suffer. And my confidence hath been in the Lord, that he would and will support you in all your sufferings; and that he would preserve all the faithful in his wisdom, that they would give no just occasion to one nor other to make them suffer: and therefore, if that you did suffer wrongfully, or unjustly, the righteous God would assist you and uphold you, and reward them according to their works, that oppressed or wronged you. And now my desire is unto the Lord, that in the same holy and heavenly wisdom of God ye may all be preserved to the end of your days, to the glory of God, minding God Almighty's supporting hand and power: who is God All-sufficient, to strengthen, help, and refresh, in time of need. And let none forget the Lord's mercies and kindnesses, which endure for ever: but always live in the sense of them. And truly, friends, when I consider the thing, it is the great mercy of the Lord, that ye have not been all swallowed up, seeing with what spirits ye have been compassed about. But the Lord carrieth his lambs in his arms, and they are as tender to him as the apple of his eye: and his power is his hedge about his vineyard of heavenly plants. And therefore it is good for all his children, to be given up to the Lord with their minds and souls, hearts and spirits, who is a faithful keeper, that never slumbers nor sleeps; but is able to preserve and keep you, and to save to the utmost and none can hurt so much as an hair of your heads, except he suffer it, to try you; for he upholds all things, in heaven and earth, by the word of his power: all things were made by Christ, and by him all things do consist (mark, consist) whether they be visibles, or invisibles, &c. So he hath power over all, for all power in heaven and earth is given to him and to you that have

received him, he hath given power to become the sons and daughters of God; so living members of Christ, the living head, and grafted into him, in whom ye have eternal life. And Christ, the seed, reigns, and his power is over all; who bruises the serpent's head, and destroys the devil and his works, and was before he was. And so all of you live and walk in Christ Jesus; so that nothing may be between you and God, but Christ, in whom ye have salvation, life, rest, and peace, with God.

As for the passages of truth in this land and abroad, I do hear that in Holland and Germany, and thereaways, friends are in love, unity, and peace and in Jamaica, Barbadoes, Nevis, Antego, Maryland, and New England, I hear nothing but friends are in unity and peace. The Lord preserve them all out of the world, (in which there is trouble) in Christ Jesus, in whom there is peace, life, love, and unity, Amen. So my love in the Lord Jesus Christ to all friends every where in your land, as though I named them.'

London, the 10th of the 11th month, 1690.

G. F.

Thus, reader, hast thou had some account of the life and travels, labours, sufferings, and manifold trials and exercises of this holy man of God, from his youth to almost the time of his death, of which himself kept a journal; out of which the foregoing sheets were transcribed. It remains that an account be added of the time, place, and manner of his death and burial, which were thus:

The next day, after he had written the foregoing epistle to friends in Ireland, he went to the meeting at Gracechurch-street, which was large (it being on the first-day of the week :) and the Lord enabled him to preach the truth fully and effectually, opening many deep and weighty things with great power and clearness. After which hav ing prayed, and the meeting being ended, he went to Henry Gouldney's (a friend's house in Whitehart-court, near the meeting house :) and some friends going with him thither, he told them he thought he felt the cold strike to his heart as he came out of the meeting; yet added, I am glad I was here: Now I am clear, I am fully clear.