Life and Power. In the court yard, George Fox, &c. had a large meeting that first-day we met him. I showed the justice, John Gurden's bloody warrant against me, and the pass before mentioned; at which he wondered, and was offended at his cruelty, and minded to write to him against his persecution.

"The next day after the said meeting, I went to Gloucester, and visited those few Friends then in that city; which was very acceptable to them. After that, I travelled about in that county and Worcestershire, and visited the meetings of Friends mostly round the countries, and in part of Herefordshire; the Word of Life being plenteously in my heart and ministry, enabled me by his Power, largely to preach, to the convincing, strengthening, and comfort of many; although I met with opposition and contention from some Baptists, and others in those parts, as in Gloucestershire, Leominster in Herefordshire, and in the city and county of Worcester, where the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me to stand against and over all the opposition and contention which I met with; for which I did, and ever shall bless that Divine Power whereby I was called forth, and greatly assisted in the defence of the Gospel of our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ."

SECTION V.

G. Whitehead travels in the counties of Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Warwick, and Stafford-And in the winter of 1657, in Westmoreland, Durham, and Northumberland-Returns by York into the eastern counties -An illness at Diss 1658-Imprisoned at IpswichReleased on the death of Oliver Cromwell-Meetings at and about Ipswich.

George Whitehead has given a pretty long account of some of the disputes in which he was engaged in the further course of this journey ; and to which he alludes in the paragraph which closes the last section.

The chief topics which appear to have been discussed on these occasions, were the Scriptures-the Light within-and the possibility of perfection in this life ;-but as these topics are discussed in some of the subsequent disputations which will be noticed, we shall now proceed with the author's narrative in his own words.

"In the summer of 1657, I travelled and laboured much in the ministry in the several counties of Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Warwick, and partly in Staffordshire, and other parts, and visited many meetings in the love

and good will of God, which I had through his dear Son, received a true and living sense and experience of, whereby I was strengthened and supported in great labour, in the work of the ministry of the Gospel; and in which love my service was very acceptable where I travelled among Friends and friendly people. And I met with but little opposition, disputes, or controversies from adversaries, after those I met with in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and once at a meeting at Leominster in Herefordshire; and at a meeting in Warwickshire, where a fierce Baptist began a contest about the Word, but made little work of it; for it was observable how impertinently he opposed our asserting Christ to be the Word of God which was in the beginning, John i. 1. And consequently that the Word was before the Scriptures were written.

"Against which, the Baptist made exception from Christ's parable and construction thereof, Mat. xiii. 4-19. Mark iv. 4-15. Luke viii. 5-12. concerning some seeds which fell by the way-side, which the fowls came and devoured; that is, when any one heareth the Word of the Kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart; or, the devil cometh and

taketh away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved, Luke viii. 12.

"Hence it was objected, that the devil could not take away Christ out of their hearts, &c. And what then? Neither is it said the devil taketh away the Scriptures out of their hearts, or that the Scriptures were sown in them, or in those several sorts of ground. Parables are not to be taken literally, nor always to be strained to a literal sense. Though the devil cannot catch away Christ out of men's hearts, he can catch away loose and ignorant hearers' hearts from the sense of the Word preached, when touched therewith, that they may not believe and be saved; which is too common among forgetful, barren hearers. And all that can be argued from thence, can never prove that the Word is not Christ, for that is to contradict John i. 1. Or that Christ is not the Word preached, for that were to contradict his ministers, who preach Christ the Living, Eternal Word.

"I had sometimes heard of one Rice Jones, and that he was at first convinced of Truth testified by George Fox, but soon turned aside against him and Friends, and gathered a separate meeting, which some people termed, Proud Quakers,' he making them believe he was Divinely inspired, so as to open the spiritual sense of the

Scriptures. They kept their meeting at the castle at Nottingham. When I was there, I was concerned to visit them at their meeting, where sitting a while, and observing the manner of their exercise, and their attending to hear Rice expounding Scripture to them, and seeing how dead and empty their devotion or exercise was, I was moved to bear a plain testimony against their deadness, and not waiting to feel the Power of the Lord to quicken them unto his spiritual worship. And I had some discourse with Rice, whereupon he seemed somewhat down in his spirit, and stopped from going on that time.

"A woman present, who appeared to be a sober and chief hearer, seemed somewhat offended at my discourse with him; she said to me, 'I saw a simplicity in you after you came among us, but now the subtilty is got up in you'; whereby she seemed to aim at simplicity: however, my spiritual, living testimony then born among them, had so much effect upon that woman, and some others, that they were convinced of the Truth, and left Rice Jones and his meeting, and came to Friends, perceiving, though he had a form, he denied the power of godliness, and therefore they might well turn away from such. 2 Tim. iii. 5.

"And though the said Rice came to some few of our meetings afterward, yet I never heard