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I came into Bristol on the seventh day of the week, and the day before, the soldiers came with their muskets into the meeting, and were exceeding rude, beating and striking friends with their muskets, and drove them out of the orchard in a great rage, threatening what they would do if friends came there again. For the mayor and the commander of the soldiers had (it seems) combined together to make a disturbance amongst friends. Now when I came to Bristol, and friends told me what a rage there was in the town, how they were threatened by both the mayor and soldiers, and how unruly the soldiers had been to friends the day before, I sent for several friends, as George Bishop, Thomas Gouldney, Thomas Speed, and Edward Pyot, and desired them to go to the mayor and aldermen, and desire them, seeing he and they had broke up our meetings, to let friends have the town-hall to meet in; and for the use of it friends would give them twenty pounds a year, to be distributed amongst the poor; and when the mayor and aldermen had business to do in it, friends would not meet in it, but only on the first days. Those friends were astonished at this, and said the mayor and aldermen would think that they were mad: but I said nay, for they should offer them a considerable benefit to the poor. And it was upon me from the Lord to bid them go; and at last they consented, and went, though in the cross to their own wills. When they had laid the thing before the mayor, it came so over him, that he said, for his part he could consent to it, but he was but one: and he told friends of another great hall they might have, but that they did not accept of, it being inconvenient. So friends came away, leaving the mayor in a very loving frame towards them; for they felt the Lord's power had come over him. When they came back, I spake to them to go also to the colonel that commanded the soldiers, and lay before him the rude carriage of his soldiers, how they came armed amongst naked innocent people, who were waiting upon, and worshipping the Lord; but they were backward to go to him. Next morning, being the first day of the week, we went to the meeting in the orchard, where the soldiers had so lately been so rude; and after I had declared the truth a pretty while in the meeting, there came in many rude soldiers and people, some with drawn swords. The inn-keepers had made some of them drunk; and one of them had bound himself with an oath, to cut down and kill the man that spoke. So he came pressing in, through all the crowd of people, to within two yards of me, and stopped at those four friends before mentioned (who should have gone to

the colonel as I would have had them) and fell a jangling with them. On a sudden I saw his sword was put up and gone for the Lord's power came over all, and chained him and the rest, and we had a blessed meeting, and the Lord's everlasting power and presence was felt amongst us. On the day following, those four friends went and spake with the colonel, and he sent for the soldiers, and cut and slashed some of them before the friends' faces. Which when I heard of, I blamed the friends for letting him do so, and also for that they did not go on the seventh day, as I would have had them, which might have prevented this cutting of the soldiers, and the trouble they gave at our meeting. But thus the Lord's power came over all those persecuting, bloody minds, and the meeting there was settled in peace for a good while after without disturbance.

I had then also a general meeting at Edward Pyot's, near Bristol, at which it was judged there were divers thousands of people; for besides friends from many parts thereabouts, some of the baptists and independents, with their teachers, came to it, and very many of the sober people of Bristol, insomuch that the people that staid behind said, the city looked naked, there were so many gone out of it to this meeting. It was a very quiet meeting, and many glorious truths were opened to the people, and the Lord Jesus Christ was set up, who was the end of all figures and shadows, and the law, and the first covenant. And it was declared to the people how that all figures and shadows were given to man, after man fell; and how that all the rudiments and inventions of men, which have been set up in Christendom, many of which were Jewish and heathenish ceremonies, were not set up by the command of Christ; and all images and likenesses man has made to himself, or for himself, whether of things in heaven or things in earth, have been, since he lost the image and likeness of God which God made him in. But now Christ was made to redeem, translate, convert and regegerate man out of all these things that he hath set up in the fall, and out of the true types, figures, and shadows also, and out of death and darkness, up into the light, and life, and image and likeness of God again, which man and woman were in before they fell. Therefore all now should come, and all might come to receive Christ Jesus, the substance, by his light, Spirit, grace, and faith; and should live and walk in him the Redeemer and Saviour.

And whereas we had had a great deal of work with the priests and professors, who pleaded for imperfection: I

was opened to declare and manifest unto them, how that Adam and Eve were perfect before they fell; and all that God made, he saw that it was good, and he blessed it. But the imperfection came in by the fall, through man's and woman's hearkening to the devil, who was out of truth. And though the law made nothing perfect, yet it made way for the bringing in of the better hope, which hope is Christ, who destroys the devil and his works, that made man and woman imperfect. Now Christ saith to his disciples, "Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect:" and he who himself was perfect, comes to make man and woman_perfect again, and brings them again to the state which God made them in. So he is the maker up of the breach, and the peace betwixt God and man. That this might the better be understood by the lowest capacities, I used a comparison of two old people, that had their house broken down by an enemy, so that they, with all their children, were liable to all storms and tempests. And there came some to them that pretended to be workmen, and offered to build up their house again, if they would give them so much a year: but when they had gotten their money, they left their house as they found it. After this manner came a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, each with his several pretence, to build up the old house, and each got the peoples' money; and then cried they could not rear up the house, nor the breach could not be made up; for there is no perfection here,' cry they; the house can never be perfectly built up again in this life; though they had taken the peoples' money for the doing of it. For all the sects in Christendom (so called) have pretended to build up Adam's and Eve's fallen house, and when they have got peoples' money, they tell them the work cannot be perfectly done here, and so their house lies as it did. But I told the people Christ was come to do it freely, who, by one offering, hath perfected for ever all them that are sanctified, and renews them up into the image of God, which man and woman were in before they fell, and make man's and woman's house as perfect again as God had made them at the first. And this, Christ, the heavenly man, has done freely. Therefore all are to look unto him, and all that have received him are to walk in him, the life, the substance, the first and the last, the rock of ages, and foundation of many generations. Largely were these, and many other things opened and declared unto the people, and the word of life was preached, which doth live and abide; and all were exhorted to hear and obey that which did live and abide, that by it all might

be born again of the immortal Seed, and feed of the milk of the word. A glorious meeting there was, wherein the Lord's everlasting Seed, Christ Jesus, was set over all, and friends parted in the power and Spirit of the Lord, in peace, and in his truth, that is over all.

About this time the soldiers under general Monk's command, were rude and troublesome at friends' meetings in many places, whereof complaint being made to him, he gave forth the following order, which did somewhat restrain them:

St. James's, the 9th of March, 1659. 'I do require all officers and soldiers, to forbear to disturb the peaceable meetings of the Quakers, they doing nothing prejudicial to the Parliament or Common-wealth of England."

George Monk.

After this meeting at Edward Pyot's, I passed through the countries to Oldeston, and to Nailsworth, and to Nathaniel Crisp's, where there was a large meeting, and several soldiers at it, but quiet. And from thence we passed through friends to Gloucester, visiting their meetings. And in Gloucester we had a meeting that was peaceable, though the town was very rude, and divided; for one part of the soldiers were for the king, and another for the parliament. And as I passed out of the town, over the bridge, Edward Pyott being with me, the soldiers there said they were for the king; but after we were gone past them, and they understood it was I, they were in a great rage that I had escaped them, and said, had they known it had been I, they would have shot me with hail-shot rather than I should have escaped them. But the Lord prevented their devilish design, and brought me safe to colonel Grimes's house, where we had a large general meeting, and the Lord's truth and power was set over all, and friends were established upon the rock, and settled under the Lord Jesus Christ's teaching.

We passed from thence to Tewkesbury, and so to Worcester, visiting friends in their meetings in the towns as we went. And in all my time I never saw the like drunkenness as in the towns, for they had been then chusing parliamentmen. But at Worcester the Lord's truth was set over all, and people were finely settled therein, and friends praised the Lord; nay, I saw the very earth rejoiced: yet great fears and troubles were in many people, and a looking for the king's coming in, and that all things should be altered:

and they would ask me what I thought of times and things. I told them the Lord's power was over all, and his light shined over all; and that the fear would take hold only on the hypocrites, such as had not been faithful to God, and on our persecutors. For in my travail and sufferings at Reading, when people were at a stand, and could not tell what might come in, and who might rule, I told them the Lord's power was over all (for I had travelled through in it) and his day shined, whosoever should come in; and whether the king came in or no, all would be well to them that loved the Lord, and were faithful to him. Therefore I bid all friends fear none but the Lord, and keep in his power that was over all.

From Worcester I came through the countries, visiting friends in their meetings, till I came to Badgley, and from thence I went to Drayton in Leicestershire, to visit my relations. While I was there, one Burton, a justice, hearing that I had a good horse, sent forth a warrant to search for me and my horse, but I was gone before they came, and so he missed of his wicked end. I passed on to Twy-Cross and Swanington, and so to Derby, where I visited friends, and found my old jailer amongst them, who had formerly kept me in the house of correction there, and was now convinced of the truth, which I then suffered under him for. Passing still further up into Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, I came to Synderhill-green, visiting friends through all those parts in their meetings, and so passed on to Balby in Yorkshire, where our yearly meeting at that time was holden in a great orchard of John Killams, where it was supposed some thousands of people and friends were gathered together. In the morning I heard that a troop of horse was sent from York, about thirty miles off, to break up our meeting, and that the militia, newly raised, was to join with them. So I went into the meeting, and stood up on a great stool, and after I had spoken some time, two trumpeters came up, sounding their trumpets pretty near me, and the captain of the troop cried Divide to the right and left, and make way' then they rid up to me. Now I was declaring the everlasting truth, and word of life, in the mighty power of the Lord. The captain bid me come down, for he was come (he said) to disperse our meeting. After some time I spake to him, and told him he and they all knew, we were a peaceable people, and that we used to have such great meetings: but if he did question that we met in an hostile way, I desired him to make search among us, and if he found either sword or pistol about any there, let such suffer. He told me he must see us dispersed,

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