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This year was published the first of his printed works, under the title of "Truth Exalted;" which is retained in this Collection.

About this time, two of the hearers of one Thomas Vincent, a prefbyter in the Spittle-Yard, came over to the Quakers: their pastor thereat transported with fiery zeal, (a thing fertile of ill language) railing to his auditory, accused the Quakers of holding most erroneous and damnable doctrines. This coming to our author's ears, he, together with George Whitehead, demanded of Vincent an opportunity to defend themfelves and friends: a conference was agreed to be held at his own meeting-houfe, at which feveral points of doctrine were started and debated, but nothing fairly determined from hence our author took occafion to write a little book, intituled, "The Sandy Foundation "fhaken," which gave great offence to fome then at the helm of the church, who presently took the old method of reforming what they call error, by advancing at once their strongest argument, viz. An ' order for imprisoning him in the Tower of London.' There was he under clofe confinement, and even denied the vifits of his friends: but yet his enemies attained not their purpose; for when, after fome time, his fervant brought him word, that the bishop of London was refolved he should either publickly recant, or die a prifoner, he made this reply: All is well: I wifh they had told me fo before, fince the expecting of a ' release put a stop to fome business. Thou mayeft tell 'my father, who I know will ask thee, these words: 'that my prifon fhall be my grave, before I will budge a jot; for I owe my confcience to no mortal man: 'I have no need to fear, God will make amends for all they are mistaken in me; I value not their <threats and refolutions; for they fhall know I can weary out their malice and peevifhnefs; and in me ' fhall they all behold a refolution above fear; confcifence above cruelty; and a baffle put to all their de

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figns, by the spirit of patience, the companion of all the tribulated flock of the bleffed JESUS, who is the author and finifher of the faith that overcomes the world, yea, death and hell tco: neither great nor good things were ever attained without lofs and hardfhips. He that would reap, and not labour, must faint with the wind, and perifh in difappointments; but an hair of my head fhall not fall, without the providence of my Father that is over all."

A fpirit warmed with the love of God, and devoted to his fervice, ever pursues its main purpose: our author, reftrained from preaching, applied himself to writing feveral treatifes were the fruits of his folitude, particularly that excellent one, intituled, "No Crofs,

No Crown; a book which tending to promote the general defign of religion, was well accepted, and hath paffed fundry impreffions.

He alfo writ from the tower the following Letter to Lord Arlington.

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To the Lord ARLINGTON.

Know none to whom this paper may fo properly be directed as thyfelf: for as thou art principal • fecretary of state, the perfon to whom I furrendered myself, by whofe warrant I was committed, and who was pleased to come to this place to take my examination about a note that was by fome fufpected to have dropt from me the day of my furrender; fo the great civility I found, and the candid promifes thou waft pleased to give me of thy affistance, as well there as here, are great encouragements not only to present thee with this brief remonstrance, which by the mouth of one of thy attendants may eafily be run over, but to expect an answer altogether fuitable.

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Truly were I as criminal as my adverfaries have ⚫ been pleased to reprefent me, it might become me to bear my prefent fufferings, without the leaft refentment of injuftice dones and to esteem a vindi

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cation of my caufe, an aggravation of my guilt: but fince it is fo notorious that common fame hath 'maliciously belied me, and that, from invifible tefti'monies, I ftand not guilty of what mine adversaries would have fo peremptorily faftened on me; confeffing that ETERNAL DEITY of CHRIST; what better interpretation can be given of their zeal, than meer peevishness, and their great learning, than foul ignorance? Strange, that men efteemed Chriftians, fhould feem fo indefatigable in writing, preaching, and difScourfing down the reputation of an innocent man, by the most foul afperfions, black characters, and exafperating imputations, that fpirits moft incendiary 'could invent or collect; in a word, to banifh me the 'world, forbid me heaven, and furiously denounce 'me fequeftered of all, with the referve of hell only, and there itself have intituled me to the laft and moft 'difmal ftation! But what is more admirable, thofe very perfons have all this while mistaken the very question, and in reality have been accufing their own 'fhadows, making me fuffer their punishment, who ' least of all, fincerely, am concerned in their heat. Others there be, I know, who

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Crimina Rafis

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can infinuate their difpleasure under more plaufible ' expreffions,

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' and confequently more fecurely to themselves, though lefs to me, may obtain their ends: but to indulge thofe poor pretences, and give reception to those threadbare and hackney phrafes of feditious fellow, ' erroneous perfon, factious, and troublesome to the ftate, under the counterfeit of illumination, &c. ' methinks needs not a jury of twelve to convict them ' of very great indiscretion; as well as I am perfuaded they have no room with thee. However, mine ad' verfaries ammunition hath been worse bestowed than upon wool-facks, who have, alas, got to their old • whimfies

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⚫ whimsies of fanfying enemies in the air, wherein they ⚫ have been fo hotly fkirmiffing, that hard it is to perfuade them they only dream, and make reality of fictions: my common refidence is on a more folid bottom. But, as I am willing to believe, had my innocency been well obferved, my confinement should not have given fo great an approbation of their impostures; fo, on the other hand, fince they are unquestionably manifefted to be fuch, and that the more moderate of the authors have given their re< tractations in publick converfation, expreffing their great trouble to have fo readily entertained and promoted fuch foul afperfions, to the incenfing of the • civil magistrate against me; the caufe, I fay, being thus removed, it is time the undeferved effect fhould • cease, otherwife my liberty feems to be facrificed to the inordinate paffions of the moft inveterate part of a faction, or ftrongly to confirm thofe in their conjectures and reports, who confidently have told it up and down, that my reftraint is not continued on any religious inatter, but for fome points deeply concerning the fafety of the king, both most unworthy the equity, greatness, and honour of authority. But alas! fhall these impudent forgeries, and malicious aggravations, longer prevail against a man that hath broke no law, defpifed no government, de⚫ throned no deity, fubverted no faith, obedience, or good life; but, in words and actions, hath inceffantly endeavoured the effectual promotion of all.

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What if I differ from fome religious apprehenfions? am I therefore incompatible with the being ⚫ of human focieties? Shall it not be remembered with ⚫ what fuccefs kingdoms and common wealths have • lived under the balance of diverse parties? and if the politicks of the moft judicious and acute inquifitors after these affairs are of any worth, they are not at a • ftand in delivering their fenfe with great fharpness, "That it is the fecureft prop of all monarchical governments." Let it not be forgotten, that under the Jewish conftitution, the utmost they required

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from ftrangers, to entitle them to freedom, was an acknowledgment to the Noachical precepts, (never ' denied by me); nor was it better with them in latter 'days, than whilst the Pharifees, Scribes, Effeans, • Sadducees, &c. had the free exercise of their confciences, all differing among themfelves. Neither was it otherwise amongst the infidels: who knows 'not that almoft every family and tribe in Rome had its particular Sacra? nay, the Egyptian Ifis and Serapis obtained a place for publick temples, and divine honours, among thofe wife people. Nor can I ' omit the great candor of (that otherwise most inhuman) Tiberius to the Chriftians, who, if Eufebius Pamphilus be to be credited, not only made it death for any to perfecute the Chriftians, but had a rare good opinion of Chrift, and the Chriftian faith, though both were fo immediately deftructive of his religion and the whole world's. Nay, fince the 'Chriftian times, who is not a stranger to ecclefiaftical story, and doth not know the great variety of opinions that reigned in Egypt, Conftantinople, An'tioch and Alexandria; indeed, where not? nor do I 'read it ever entered into the hearts of any to molest 'them. And had not fecular power been the Diana ' and great goddefs courted by the Arians and AntiArians, they might have lived with great fecurity in 'their fentiments, and not have troubled the whole world, and perplexed themselves for fo many ages. And they who will reflect upon the carriage of both 'thofe parties, may find reafons enough to dread the apprehenfions of a faction, and palpably discover and read the natural, but fatal confequences that ' unavoidably follow the exaltation of a fingle party, 'to the detriment of others, rather than to keep a 'moderate and well-advised balance upon all. This ⚫ maxim Socrates Scholafticus reports to have been not unfeen, nor wholly unpractifed by the great 'wisdom of the emperor Jovianus, firft fuggefted by 'his beloved friend and philofopher Themiftius, whofe time, though fhort, had a moft differing fuccefs

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