here is also a watching against sin and evil within, and a waiting to receive Christ the Lord at his coming.

And as there is a shutting of the outward doors, to keep out the murderers and the thieves, and a bolting and locking of them out; so there is a shutting up and locking of the door of the heart, to keep out the adulterer and murderer, and all that is deceitful, from coming within, into the heart.

And, friends, the priests and professors used to bring this Scripture, "You must be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake," to the end that we should pay them their maintenance, and hold up their worship. And when the magistrates brought that Scripture for these ends, we could not obey them in these things, nor touch nor taste their ordinances, doctrines, nor commandments. But to be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, which was for the punishment of evil doers; as drunkards, thieves, murderers, adulterers, and such like; and to keep down such evil doers, and that we might live a godly and peaceable life

under them, which was for the praise of them that do well;—this we always owned, and were subject to, and watched against, and declared against in our own way, and laid such actors and actions before the magistrates, for them to punish and keep down with their power, which is their sword of justice; but if they would compel us to things that we could not do, contrary to our conscience, for the Lord's sake, we suffered for it.

So where friends have the government, as in Rhode Island, in that province friends were willing to watch, in their own way: and they made a law, that none should be compelled to take arms.

So friends have always proffered the magistrates, to watch in their own way against the evil doer, though they could not join with them in carrying arms, swords, and pistols.

And this they have proffered in Barbadoes, as I have heard, to discover, if negroes should rise up to burn plantations, or steal, or do any hurt; or of Indians invading their land.

So with my love to all friends in all those parts, as though I named them; be at peaceone with another; neither judge one another about such things, but live in love, which doth edify, and in the power of God; that your hearts, and souls, and minds, may unite together in it; and all walk as becomes the Gospel. And let your lives and conversations preach; that with a measure of the Spirit of God, you may reach to that of God in all; so that his Name may be glorified, and He honoured, in your bringing forth much heavenly, spiritual fruit, from the heavenly seed, that Christ the heavenly Seedsman hath sown in your hearts; that so an hundred fold of holiness, righteousness, godliness, virtue, and piety, from this heavenly seed, you may bring forth and increase in this lifetime, and in the world to come reap life everlasting.

And give no occasion to your adversaries, neither in your lives nor words; but that you may all serve God in the new life, showing forth that you are new men, and that you are renewed in the image of God, and that you are born again of the immortal, heavenly seed; by the Eternal, Everlasting Word, that lives,

and abides, and endures for ever. And that you do feed upon the heavenly milk and bread from above, and that your conversation is in heaven, and that you are clothed with the fine heavenly linen, which is the righteousness of saints, which is Christ the heavenly and spiritual Man's livery; by which his servants are known by his badge of righteousness, and distinguished from all the servants of old Adam, Egypt, Sodom, and Babylon, with their badge of unrighteousness.

And so be valiant for God's Truth upon the earth, and spread it abroad: preach Christ and his kingdom, his light, his grace, his truth to men, that all should walk in it; and his dreadful day upon all the talkers of God, Christ, his prophets and apostles' words, that do not walk in the same power, spirit, and life, grace, and truth, which they walked in. I say, preach this to the magistrates, and amongst the heathen men, and show yourselves to be quickened who have been dead in sins and trespasses; but that you are now made alive by Him; and so show forth his Light, Life, and Truth, and that you are awakened to righteousness; and therefore

show it forth to them that are asleep in the unrighteousness. So that the Lord's glory, and righteous power, truth, light, and life, may flow over all, to his glory over all, for ever. Amen. G. F.

NUMBER CCCXX.

An Epistle relative to the station of Women in the

Church. *

Friends,

1676.

You may read how, in the old world, one family after another, till Noah's time, served the Lord God. And then after Noah were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their wives: and after Moses and Aaron had brought the

* The selections from this Epistle will serve to show how much advanced is the general estimation of Women, since the day when it was needful to write so much to prove their importance in the scale of Society, as intellectual and moral beings;-as co-workers with the grace of God, and co-heirs with man of immortal life.

George Fox mentions, in page of his Journal, meeting with a people who held that women had no souls.