held to be accursed. O ye bewildered sons of the night! ye apostatized gropers in thick darkness! in the name and fear of the everlasting Jehovah, I testify, that in this part of your preaching you serve not God, but the old dragon; who rejoiceth to have your sanction upon his destructive works, and to see the poor people whom you pretend to teach, held in gross darkness. This is meat and drink to that old adversary, whose work is destruction. Think not to excuse yourselves. You are seen in the light of God's everlasting day. You are measured by the measuring reed of his spirit. You are weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, and found wanting.

Truly, my very soul mourns, and my very heart yearns over the dismal situation and state of miserable, deluded Christendom, which, though high in profession, is taught, by those who should know better, to violate the doctrine of the Prince of Peace. And, alas! there is great reason to fear that antichrist's reign on earth will continue in triumph and dominion, till God arise and deliver poor mankind from the prison of these antichristian teachers, who, though they may think hard to be told of it, are the very props of the kingdom of darkness: "teaching for hire, and divining for money." So long as this is the case, we have no reason to expect, but that they will divine or teach such things as will please those who pay them: for a man would not expect to be paid for preaching against the inclinations of those who hired him. If they say, preach war, how can he expect to please them by preaching the gospel of peace? Those who hire, think they may order the hired. And, alas! this sort of hirelings are very orderly in preaching to suit those who pay them. I believe many young ministers, when they first begin, think they never will depart from the purity of the gospel; but "the love of money" being the "root of all evil," we may be assured, that man whose ministry is supported by money, paid for preaching, does better than one in a thousand if he be not corrupted.

I have seen, I believe, in the light of the Lord, that when antichrist's kingdom is completely overthrown, preaching up war, and making a trade of preaching to get money by, will both be utterly abolished, and remembered with wonder that

ever they could have a place among professed Christians. They will be considered, as in truth they are, as the works of the night of apostacy, which can have no place but in darkness; for the light condemns them. I believe the Lord will open people's eyes to see beyond them; and that he will gather some, in this and succeeding ages, to serve him "in newness of life," and will carry on his work in the earth, till the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of Christ; and peace, harmony, and happiness, will reign among his chosen.

A day or two after this, as I sat in silence, drawing near to God, I saw the insufficiency of all human endeavours to worship or please him, without the assistance of his holy spirit, to enable us first to know and then to do his will.

9th month 12th. This day I felt strong desires to be wholly redeemed, and given up to serve the Lord; and the breathings of my mind were on this wise: O Lord! enable me to walk circumspectly, as an example of true sobriety, gravity, and holiness, among those whose hearts thou hast touched; that no lameness or weakness may remain among us, by means of ill examples, or for want of good ones.

In conversation this evening, a person plead the suitableness and propriety of rich people's associating with rich, and those of equal circumstances in the world, with each other; alleging, that it was so, with respect to religious circumstances; for that those rich in faith and good works, could not use the same freedom with those who are poor in faith, &c, as with each other. I loved this person; but was grieved to hear such carnal arguments, as these appeared to me to be. That because truly religious persons are more nearly united, and can use more freedom with each other, than with irreligious or less religious persons, that therefore rich people in the mammon of this world, ought to associate together and use more freedom with each other, than rich and poor though equally good. This doctrine, or opinion, strikes directly against the very intent and meaning of many affecting passages of scripture. For if this is not respecting of persons, I know not what is. I would that all might have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, without respect of persons. William Penn taught no such doctrine as the above. Hist VOL. 1.-14

reflections and maxims teach the reverse-"not to think any one, nor one's self, the better or worse, for money, or the want of money." I am sensible, that spirit which begets this love of great company, is fruitful in furnishing arguments to justify it. But let the arguments be drawn from the precepts and example of Jesus, our holy pattern, and such arguments will deserve consideration. Others, I think not to spend much time to refute. But, however any may rest in such polluted conclusions, I have known great travail of spirit and breathings to my great Master, that I may be redeemed from such partiality.

O Lord my God! redeem my soul from every tincture of that love of greatness, and great men's company, which invents such arguments; and root out of my heart every seed of corruption, that would lead me to love a rich man's company, better than a poor man's. For, dear Lord, thou hast shown my exercised soul, the baseness of such respect and partiality, and the deceitfulness of that spirit, which prompts to and pleads for it. Teach also, all thy chosen, O blessed Father! and purify all our hearts to do, as well as to know, thy blessed will. 16th. Sat in silence; then to school.

In our Preparative Meeting this month, among other things, some labour was bestowed, to stir up Friends to a due consideration of the nature of paying taxes, a considerable part of which is for the support of war; not only to pay soldiers, but priests and chaplains, who, under pretence of being ambassadors of the Prince of Peace, do so grossly pervert the gospel of peace, as to preach up, and animate poor inexperienced youth, to war and fighting. Oh! the lamentable degeneracy of these hireling teachers! How have they fallen far short of deserving even the name of ministers of the gospel! How have they become ministers of revenge, bloodshed, and cruelty! Though I am thus close upon them, I know I wish their eternal welfare. But I have an unshaken assurance sealed upon the spirit of my mind, that the great Shepherd of Israel, the God of peace, abhors their presumption, and that mockery wherewith they pretend to come before him, as ministers of his everlasting gospel; while their hearts are so polluted and darkened by the love of money, the root of all evil, as to preach for doctrines not only the traditions

of men, but even their corruptions, and that which comes only of their lusts. Many of these preachers seem to glory in being engaged in such kind of inflammatory preaching. (Ah! they "glory in their shame!") They thereby poison people's souls, and are acting as the very bellows, to blow up men's corrupt and revengeful passions, and kindle the flames of that fire, the fierce burning of which is the dragon's greatest glory, yea, his highest triumph over the greatest mark of the disciples of Christ. Indeed, it is his meat and drink, to behold those who are professing to be Christ's disciples, kill and devour one another. For he knows that none are the disciples of Christ, but those who love one another; and that love one to another, is the greatest mark of being his disciples. Consequently, when this roving, devouring adversary, can rule and reign in those who profess to enlist under Christ's banner; and when he can so far rob them of the mark of discipleship, as to make them, (instead of fighting the good fight of faith, and warring in the Lamb's warfare, against their own lusts,) kill, distress, and destroy one another; then does he most abundantly rejoice and triumph, (as I said,) over the greatest and highest mark of true discipleship: especially when he can engage the interest of the professed ministers of Christ, the Prince of Peace, to forward his bloody designs, and prevent, as much as possible, the spreading of the peaceable gospel and kingdom of Christ in the earth; and to the utmost of his power, retard the fulfilment of those glorious prophecies, delivered by God's ancient prophets, respecting the time wherein swords shall be beaten into plowshares, and spears into pruning-hooks; when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor even so much as learn war any more.

But this reformation seems to be little looked for, and perhaps less promoted, by those hireling teachers; who, by blowing up the wrathful passions of men, and kindling the fire of revenge and destruction, are rejoicing that old adversary of all good, and saddening and afflicting the hearts of God's faithful children, who mourn over the desolations that prevail.

It affects my heart to consider that Friends are paying taxes, a great proportion of which is used to pay war-charges; and,

among the rest, to pay these perverters of the sweet and blessed gospel of purity and peace. My very soul mourns over them, and on account of the mischief they are accessary to. I believe I have seen them, in the light of life. I believe it necessary that they should be exposed, and mankind better instructed. I have no other end in writing as I do of them, but to open people's eyes, and hasten the downfall of antichrist, that mystery of iniquity, that has got into the temple, and would be worshipped as God, and exalted above all that is called God, and that ought of right, to be worshipped; and also to hasten or promote the coming of the peaceable kingdom of the Lord on earth, as it is in heaven.

May the servants of the living God, of all denominations, and may my beloved friends, in an especial manner, be preserved from affording any encouragement to the works of war and darkness, priestcraft and delusion. May they dig deep, feel the everlasting foundation, and come up nobly, as far as truth may lead and open, in a faithful testimony against paying such taxes. What though our worthy forefathers did pay them! did they not also hold slaves? Must we do all they did? Or, did they pretend to have perfected the reformation? Did they not, on the other hand, manifest great doubts, respecting this very matter? Read John Richardson's Journal, where it is shown that the payment of such taxes, was borne with, rather than approved. "Follow no man, further than he follows Christ," is both a safe, and a just maxim. And as true it is, that reformation may be retarded, by looking at the example of those esteemed good people, either living or departed. Those who are gone might have done all they were required to do in their day, and might not have come to the sight of some things that may be obligatory upon us at this day. The work of reformation goes on by degrees; and the diligence of past ages has by no means perfected the work, so as to leave nothing for this to move in. I am persuaded, whether I live to see it or not, a day will come, when God will raise up a people, who by faithfulness to his light, will be enabled in his power, to refuse the payment of such taxes. And blessed be his name, he has raised