he made a covenant to continue forever; and that the same might be held in remembrance, it was marked in their flesh, that it might be continually before their eyes. Yet by this time, though Noah lived till Abraham's time, and Shem who saw the flood, lived till about the time Isaac was married, the world was strangely overrun with wickedness and idolatry.

But when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt by the hands of Moses and Aaron, he in a more wonderful and miraculous manner revealed and declared himself before the eyes of millions, and wrote them a law with his own finger, which was laid up in the ark from this time to the captivity of the Jews; and some time after, God of his infinite mercy to frail man, kept up a constant succession of prophets and messengers, which he sent to his chosen people to admonish and threaten, and to put them in mind of their duty. But, for all this merciful love and care of their Creator toward them, the whole nation was several times almost overwhelmed in idolatry and wickedness.

All this while the other nations of the earth lay stupified in idolatry and all manner of wickedness, worshipping the host of heaven and inanimate things; yet all were born with reason and the general illumination of mankind, which, as before observed, if duly listened to, would have kept them from these great sins.

About four or five hundred years after the close of the last period, learning, writing, and travelling both by sea and land, were so improved that they were in as great perfection as they are at present in those countries. At which time, our good and mer

ciful God sent his only begotten son, of the seed of David according to the flesh, down amongst the children of men, as his last and greatest dispensation; that by his example and precepts he might reform the world, and leave the greatest sinners without excuse: the history of whose life, death, resurrection, divine laws and precepts, with the old testament, are all committed to writing by the same authority that sent him into the world, and are enjoined to be daily read, observed and followed; and are the certain standard and rule of faith and manners, by all those that call themselves christians, for above seventeen hundred years; and are of as great force and authority, as if they were every day repeated to us in thunder out of heaven. Which books have been translated into all languages where christianity is professed; and in spite of the devil and his angels, remain sure and agreeing one with the other to this day.

Now we may observe that the reason and light which every man is born with, and not assisted with God's holy spirit, without a written law and men set apart on purpose daily to instruct them in it, have run into idolatry, which is the foundation of all other sins. But when writing came into use, though very uncommon from Moses to the captivity, they did not fall into it so easily as before; and after the captivity, when writing began to be common, they hardly fell into it at all, to our Saviour's time.

And when our blessed Saviour departed to his Father, he ordered his disciples (who were to order others) to preach the gospel to all the world (which, by the way, if that which was born with every man was sufficient, there had been no need of) which they

did so effectually that the utmost parts of the then known earth had heard the sound thereof before the death of all his disciples. And wherever they were, they left copies of the before-mentioned sealed oracles of God, and promised to be with them to the end of the world. Accordingly, in all parts where christianity is professed, they are constantly read, adhered to and believed in, and thereby satan's strongest holds are overturned; that is, ignorance and idolatry, they being almost rooted out where christianity prevails.

There is another observation may easily be made, that wherever God Almighty revealed himself to man in an audible and visible manner, he accompanied it with such signs and wonders that the devil or man could not counterfeit: thereby to testify that it was an Almighty Power that appeared to, and required such things to be performed by them, which he com'manded them to do.

You tell your sister in said letter, that you have changed your principles, and joined yourself to the simple, despised people, the Friends; by which I understand the Quakers, and shall address myself to you accordingly. By which means you have espoused, and are chargeable with all the errors of those people, both in faith and practice.

You, by your parents in your infancy, was dedicated unto, and entered into covenants with God, and was baptized into or in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and was to continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant to your life's end; (your faith or principle in him being briefly comprised in the apostle's creed) and to obey his commandments as they are declared unto us in the above-mentioned written, revealed words of God, in the Old and New

Testaments. That your parents had authority so to do, I shall say more on hereafter; but I cant help repeating, This faith, or principle, you have changed from!

The first Quakers that ever were heard of in the world, as a society, arose in the north of England in the year 1650, 51. For proof of which, see Edward Burrough's Epistle to George Fox's Great Mystery, a book in folio; which book I have seen in Crosswicks; and, by some phrases in your letter, you have also.

You will find when you read the Holy Scriptures, that our blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ, was born, bred up, eat and drank, and lived as other men do in all respects, sin excepted, all the days of his life, and is often called the son of man, and was crucified for us that bitter death without the gates of Jerusalem. All this was outward, palpable and visible.

George Fox, the founder of the society or people you have lately joined with, says expressly in said. book abovementioned, which I have read, "Now if there be any other Christ than he that is crucified within, he is the false Christ: the devils and reprobates may make a talk of him without." In the same book he tells one of his opponents C. W. "The devil was in thee. Thou sayest thou art saved by Christ - without thee, and so hast recorded thyself to be a reprobate." All christians, in George Fox's time, before and since, daily experiencing the blessed effects of his holy Spirit, and praying for the indwelling thereof in their hearts.

My dear child, stop a little and consider. It is impossible that both these above positions can be true: one must be false; the Holy Scriptures must VOL. XII.-3

be wrong, or George Fox and the other Quakers that are looked upon as sons of God, are: for the Holy Scriptures tell us he was crucified without the gates of Jerusalem, on mount Calvary, taken down from the cross and buried; and which if it were only within men, cannot possibly be so.

The beloved disciple tells us not to believe every spirit, but to try them. How shall we try them? By themselves? Must I try the light or spirit in my heart, by itself? ask it whether it be a true light or spirit, or not? It says it is. So does every false spirit say.Then I must not take its word, but I must try it. I demand how I must try it. Therefore it must be by something else than its own dictates; which is the Holy Scriptures,—a certain rule to walk by! being plain directions in writing, asserted by the Holy Spirit of God, which will not be wanting if faithfully prayed for.

Now by this unerring rule, let us try the above doctrine of George Fox. St. John saith, "Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God." It is manifest that if there is no other Christ but he that is crucified within, he never could come in the flesh, and be crucified without the gates of Jerusalem; and that was once for all. I am loath to tell you what spirit the apostle saith it is, because my beloved daughter says she has joined herself with that people who believe G. Fox to be inspired by God.

Our blessed Saviour, the evening before he was betrayed, after supper took bread, blessed and brake it, and gave also to his disciples; and likewise the cup; and bid them eat and drink that he gave them, saying, This do in remembrance of me.

St. Paul,