as to the outward, that it may behold its glory in the inward. And here the flesh of Christ, the veil, is not lost, but is found and known in its glory in the inward. Be not offended at me, O tender-hearted reader! for I write in love things true, according to the inward feeling and demonstration of God's Spirit, though not easy perhaps to be understood at present by thee; but in due time the Lord can make them manifest to thee, if thou in uprightness and tenderness of heart, and in the silence of the fleshly part, wait upon him.

A FEW WORDS CONCERNING THE WAY OF PEACE.

"The way of peace they have not known." Rom. iii. 17.

THERE is a way of peace, of true peace with God, who is an adversary to all that is unholy and unrighteous. Those who have been unholy and unrighteous, who have been awakened, troubled, and could find no rest, but the severe and righteous judgments and wrath of the Lord lying upon their spirits night and day, having at length had their ears opened by him, and being led by him out of the unholy and unrighteous way, into the holy and righteous way, have felt both life and peace therein.

Now, there are two sorts which the apostle here mentions (or two states, which the apostle here speaks of), which have not known, nor can know, the way of peace with God, who is an adversary to them both, and will one day speak trouble to them both, when their souls and consciences come to be searched and judged by him.

The one is the profane, or Gentile state, which is without the sense of God, not heeding any appearance of his, or any inward voice of his Spirit, or the writing of his law upon their heart. These never knew the way wherein the heart is inwardly and spiritually circumcised and renewed, sin forgiven, and peace obtained.

The other is the professing or outward Jew's state, who may study the letter, and apply themselves to conform out

wardly to the letter, but never were acquainted with the inward Spirit and power. These greatly differ from the Gentile or profane state, both in outward appearance, and in their own eye; but are the same in the ground with the Gentiles, and know no more of the way of peace than the other do.

Quest. But what is the way of peace, which neither the profane, nor any sort of professors out of the life and power, ever knew, or can know?

Ans. It is an inward way, a way for the inward Jews, for the inwardly renewed and circumcised to walk in. It is a holy or sanctified way, for the sanctified ones to walk in. It is a living way, which none but the living can find. It is a new way, which none but those to whom God hath given the new eye can see. It is a way that God prepares and casts up, and leads men's spirits into (who hearken unto him), and guides the feet of his saints in. It is a strait and narrow way, which no lust of the flesh, nor wisdom of the flesh can find out, or enter into. Oh, how little, how low, how poor, how empty, how naked, must he be, that enters into this way, and walks therein! Many may seek after it, and may think to find it, and walk in it; but few shall be able, as our Lord Christ said. Here circumcision outward avails not; here want of that circumcision hinders not; here bodily exercise profits little. The new creature is all here; the cross of Christ is all here; the power of God is all here; and he that walks according to this rule, peace is upon him, and the whole Israel of God. But he that knows not this rule, nor walks according to this rule, peace is not upon him, nor is he one of the inward Israel of God, who receive power to become sons, who receive the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which is the inward rule of the inward Israel.

This was the way of peace from the beginning; this is the way of peace still; and there is not another. To be new created in Christ Jesus, to be ingrafted into him, to abide in him, to have the circumcision of the flesh (the body of the sins of the flesh cut off) by the circumcision of Christ

(made inwardly in the heart without hands), and to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, even in the newness of the Spirit, here is life and peace, rest and joy for evermore. The Lord of his tender mercy give men a sense of it, and lead men into it more and more. Amen.

THE CONCLUSION OF THE WHOLE.

THERE is a birth which is born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John i. 13. And this birth, which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit. chap. iii. 6. Now this birth, which is born of the Spirit, and is Spirit, hath a life and way of knowledge suitable to its nature and being; which is very far above man. Its life is in the Spirit, and its walking in the Spirit, and its knowledge is after the way of the Spirit, very far above man's way of conceiving or comprehending. The birth itself is a mystery to man, and its way of knowing is a way altogether hid from man. It is indeed in the evidence and demonstration of God's Spirit, in the shinings of his light in the heart: "In thy light shall we see light." The birth knows what this means. There is a wise and prudent part in man, from which God hides the sight of his kingdom, and the heavenly glory thereof; but there is a babe to which God reveals the mystery thereof. Flesh and blood cannot reveal; but the Father can and doth to his children, who is the teacher of them all, from the least to the greatest, in the new and living covenant. There is man's day, and there is God's day. There is man's day of gathering knowledge, after his fleshly manner of comprehending; and there is God's day of giving knowledge, by the shinings of the light of his own eternal Spirit. In man's day, how doth wise and prudent man beat his brains, and labor in the fire for very vanity! But in God's day, how doth the knowledge of the Lord cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea! When

the day-spring from on high visits inwardly, when the Lord lighteth the candle inwardly, oh, how clear is the knowledge of the Lord, and how doth it abound then! Oh, what a difference there is between man's apprehensions and conceivings concerning Christ, and God's revealing him inwardly; and between man's coming to Christ according to his own apprehensions, and his coming to Christ in the heavenly drawings and teachings of the Father! John vi. 45. Oh that the begettings of-life and the birth thereof were felt in men's hearts, that in it men might know the day of God, and the kingdom of God, and the treasures of wisdom which are hid in Christ, and will ever be so, but as Christ is inwardly revealed and formed in the heart! Many may have notions of Christ being formed in them: ah! but to feel it inwardly! there is the sweetness, there is the assurance, there is the life, there is the peace, there is the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and there is the joy of the true Christian for ever. Come, oh! come, all sorts of tender professors, out of yourselves, into God's Spirit, into God's truth, that ye may know what it is to be in the Spirit, and in the truth, and what it is to live there, and to know things there, and to worship there, and to have fellowship with the Father and Son there. The poor receive the gospel, the poor receive the kingdom, the poor receive the power, the poor receive the righteousness and salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ye are too rich in your comprehensions and gathered knowledge from your own literal conceivings, to learn to wait aright, to receive of him his gold, his raiment, and his eye-salve. What pleasure is it to us to testify against you? Were it not for obedience to our God, and love to your souls, we would never do it. We are content and satisfied to be of the little, despised flock, which the Shepherd feeds, giving to every one his proportion of daily nourishment, life, peace, righteousness, and joy. It is our love to you that we would not have you lay out your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which will not satisfy the truly hungry and awakened soul, but might come to feed on substance, on the life itself, on the

sweetness and fatness of God's house, where nothing that any of his children can need or long after is wanting. Oh that ye had the sense of our love! If ye had the true understanding and sense of God's love, ye could not but have a sense of our love also; for it comes from him, and it flows towards you in his will and tender movings. Do ye love God? Are your hearts circumcised to love God? If not, ye do not truly love. And if ye loved him that begets, ye would love them that are begotten by him. Your love is to your own notions and apprehensions of God, not to his nature; for if ye loved his nature (that holy, heavenly, spiritual nature as it is in him), ye could not but love it in his children also. Well, our God is love, and taught us to love even our enemies, and to wrestle with our God for them, that, if it be possible, the Lord may remove the scales from their eyes, and give them repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth as it is in Jesus, where it is more living and powerful, more effectual and operative (inwardly purifying, sanctifying, yea, and justifying also), than any but those only that are born of God, and kept alive by him, yet ever knew, or can know.

POSTSCRIPT.

Containing a few Words concerning the Doings and Sufferings of that despised People called Quakers, which are both misunderstood and misrepresented by many: with an Exhortation to true Christianity.

FIRST, their doings are looked upon by many to be from a natural principle, and according to the covenant of works, and not from the free grace and gift of God's Spirit.

Now concerning this I can speak somewhat faithfully, as having been long experienced in the principle, and as having had experience of the grace and tender mercy of the Lord from my childhood. And indeed thus it hath been