:

hearts, to bring down all this ungodliness, and violence, and cruelty, profaneness, cursing and swearing and to put down all these whorehouses and play-houses, which do corrupt youth and people, and lead them from the kingdom of God, where no unclean thing can enter, neither shall come but such works lead people to hell. And the Lord in mercy bring down all these things in the nation, to stop thy wrath, O God! from coming on the land.

This prayer was written the 17th day,

at night of the 2d month, 1671.

"G. Fox."

G. Fox thinking his wife now at liberty, understood that her enemies, notwithstanding the king's order to release her, had found means to hold her still in prison. Therefore he did not give himself rest, till by the help of others he obtained from the king a discharge under the great seal, to clear both her and her estate, after she had been ten years a prisoner, and premunired. This royal order he sent forthwith down to her, and thus she was set at liberty.

Now since the heat of persecution began to cool, he felt himself inclined to make a voyage to America, to visit his friends there. Of this his intention he gave notice to his wife by letter,

66

And T. Hicks answered, "I mean the man Christ Jesus." To which W. Penn replied, "Then I deny the minor, viz. that we deny the man Christ Jesus." To which Hicks returned, "I prove ye deny the man Christ Jesus. One of your own writers saith, that Christ was never seen with carnal eyes, nor heard with carnal ears," &c. To this J. Ives added: "He that denies that Christ was ever seen with carnal eyes, &c. denies the man Christ: but the Quakers deny that Christ was ever seen with carnal eyes," &c. George Keith then said, "I answer by distinguishing: Christ as God was never seen with carnal eyes." To this J. Ives returned; But he was Christ as he was man: how then was not Christ seen with carnal eyes?" This question G. Keith answered thus: "We are to consider that the terms or names Jesus Christ, are sometimes applied to him as God, and sometimes to him as man; yea, sometimes to the very body of Jesus; but the question is, whether do those names more properly, immediately, and originally belong to him as God, or as he was before he took the manhood upon him; or to the manhood? We affirm, those names are given to him most properly, and eminently as God; and less properly yet truly, as man; and least properly to his body, yea to his dead body." Then J. Ives asked, "Where do you read that the carcase was called the Christ ?"

a piece the first time, and twenty pounds for the house; and for the second time ten shillings a piece and if the justices be not well advised, it may be for the second time for the house you may get twenty pounds more, although the act doth not grant it. And of all this it is said, the thirds is yours: this you may easily have; for the justices are afraid of your power, since you have them under your lee; so they will not much question you, lest they be counted fanatics; and they know that if they do not please your wills, your power is such, that you may recover fifty pounds for your parts, by action, suit, bill, or plea, in any of his majesty's courts at Westminster, wherein no essoign, protection, or wager of law shall lie. Can your hearts desire more? Who will not be informers? That must have all clauses construed most largely and beneficially to their justification and encouragement!"

As to the profitableness, the author said, "Besides the twenty pounds and ten shillings a piece for meeting, if you can but tempt any by your questions, or other provocations, to speak but a word to answer you, it will serve to make him a preacher, and then for the first time there is twenty pounds, and for the second forty pounds. It is no matter what is spoken, or to what concern; if you swear you did hear such an one speak, it is enough to make him a

preacher. And as to the inability, there is no danger that you should fall short of your salary; for you can by your power make void that old proverb, Where it is not to be had, the king must lose his right. But your prerogative is such, that if the offender hath it not, you can command your servants to levy it on any other that is not an offender in that nature provided he be there, otherwise an appeal will be granted." At this rate the author treated the matter, taking out of the way all difficulties and scruples which any might have objected; and though he did this mostly in a burlesque way, yet w what he said was so firm and strenuous, that he gave proofs of being a man of understanding, and of a great wit; for though in an ingenious way he shewed the abomination of this informing trade, yet he proposed it safe every way and if any might tell them they were knights of the post; yet however the thing fell out, it was never attended with loss, but always with a certain gain; since in the prosecution nothing could be objected, but what might easily be quashed, and the opposers thus frustrated. "And when to all these infallible profits was added the honourableness of the office, what could one desire more? For was it not honourable indeed, to command both magistrates and military officers, to follow the

P

flesh?" "He was," answered Ives, "the son of God." "But," replied W. Penn, was he the Lord's Christ? I will prove him to have been the Lord's Christ as well before as after: first from the apostle Paul's words to the Corinthians, "That rock was Christ:" next from Jude, where some Greek copies have it thus, "That Jesus brought the people of Israel out of Egypt." But to this Ives gave no answer, how often soever he was called upon for it. And this was no great wonder, since it was well known that there were such among the Baptists who favoured the Socinian principles. But Ives, that he might not appear altogether mute, came on again with a question, viz. "Do ye believe that Christ in his human nature is in heaven?" This made G. Whitehead say to the auditory, "Ye have heard the charge against us, and the distinction that hath been made between seeing and seeing of Christ, as namely between the spiritual saving sight of the Lord's Christ, and the seeing, of his outward man, person, or body. In this last sense it could never be intended that it was not visible to the outward eye; but it was the spiritual rock which all Israel drank of, and as he was before Abraham was, and as glorified with the Father before the world began; and as Christ himself said to Philip, "He that seeth me, seeth my father also:" and only saints, or children of light could truly say, "We have