and the princess was so reached and affected by his speaking, that she said, "I am fully convinced; but oh my sins are great!" this gave occa born free, and have equal plea to natural and civil common privileges with yourselves: the different persuasion of their consciences about things relating to another life, can no ways render them unfit for this; it neither unmans nor uncivilizes them. They have the same right to their liberty and property as ever, having by no practice of theirs in the least forfeited any of those human advantages, the great charters of nature and Scripture have conferred upon them: and the opulence of your neighbours and prosperity of their affairs, prove to you that indulgence is not inconsistent with policy; howbeit, you have now tried the sincerity of their procedure by what you have already inflicted, and they sustained; let the time past suffice, and make them not sacrifices for their conscientious constancy. If they are in the wrong, it is more than they know: will you persecute men for being what they must be, if they will be true to themselves; this were great violence: rather commiserate, than thus violently compel them. I beseech you, seek some cheaper way to accommodate yourselves, than by their des truction, who are so very remote from seeking yours. Oh! the day will come, wherein one act of tenderness about matters of conscience, shall find a better reward, than all the severity by which men use to propagate their persua sions in the world; and there is great reason for it, since the one flows from the Saviour, the other from the destroyer of men. In fine, let your moderation be known unto all men, for the Lord is at hand, whose reward is with him; and he will recompence every man, family, state, kingdom, and empire, according to the nature of their works, committed in this mortal body; at whose sion to W. Penn to speak to the princess and the countess apart, with respect to their particular conditions; which made a deep impression on their minds, especially the countess's. Being much pressed by the princess to stay, and sup bar it shall never be laid to your charge, that out of fear of taking God's office out of his hands, and being unmerciful to tender consciences, you admitted men of differing judgments to dwell quietly among you; truly, you cannot be too tender in this point. : Imitate the God of nature and grace, by being propitious to all; his sun shineth on all; his rain falls on all, he gives life and being to all; his grace visits all, and in times of ignorance he winketh and though such you may repute ours, I hope you cannot think you wink at it, who make such broad tokens of your displeasure. Oh how forbearing and merciful is he towards you? Have you so lately escaped the wrath of enemies, and can you already thus sharply treat your friends? Had he entered into judgment with you, what had become of you? Let his goodness to you prevail with you, to express clemency to others, that so the great God of the whole earth, even the God of the spirits of all flesh, who respects not the persons of the rich, poor, or powerful in judgment, may shew you mercy in the day of his righ. teous judgments. Amen. Your friend with the greatest integ- London, December 14. 1674. W. Penn. 66 with her, he yielded: and the countess from a serious sense of her compliance with the world, told him, "Il faut que je rompe, il faut que je rompe," i. e. "I must break off, I must break off." And at another time with a weighty countenance she cried out, Oh the cumber and entanglements of this vain world! they hinder all good." Once the princess said to them, "It is a hard matter to be faithful to what one knows. I fear that I am not weighty enough in my spirit." At another time she told him: Among my books I have records that the gospel was by the English first brought from England into Germany; and now it is come again." Thus this excellent princess 'signified how highly she valued the preaching of the gospel to her by W. Penn, and how much she esteemed his labour and ministry. When he took his leave of these eminent persons, having taken the princess by the hand, which she received with a weighty kindness, being much broken in spirit he wished the blessing and peace of Jesus with and upon her: and then exhorting the countess, she frequently beseeched him to remember her, and implore the Lord on her behalf. Next taking waggon for Wesel, from thence he travelled back to Duisburgh, Dusseldorp, and Cologn, and then back again to Dusseldorp, to see if he could get an opportunity to speak with the countess of Falkenstein, who was reported to be a very religious person, and therefore in a former journey he had endeavoured to visit her, but in vain: for the count of Bruch and Falkenstein, her father, kept her as it were under confinement, because she was of a religious temper; and therefore he called her a Quaker, though she did not at all converse with any of the Quakers. He had also used William Penn very roughly; when being necessitated to pass by his castle, he being lord of that country, asked some of his friends from whence they were, and whither they went? To which they answered, that they were Englishmen come from Holland, and going no further in those parts, than to his town of Mulheim: but they not pulling off their hats the count called them Quakers, and said "We have no need of Quakers here. Get you out of my dominions, you shall not go to my town." And he commanded some of his soldiers to see them out of his territory. Thus W. Penn, and those with him, were necessitated to lie. that night in the open air. But the next day he wrote a letter to the said count and therein told him, "For thy saying, we want no Quakers here, I say, under favour, you do; for a true Quaker is one that trembleth at the word of the Lord, that worketh out his salvation with fear and trembling." W. Penn being come to Mulheim, could now no more find opportunity to speak with the countess than the first time he was in those parts; and therefore he went to Duisburgh, Wesel, and Cleves, where having had conferences with some religious people, he returned by way of Utrecht to Amsterdam, where G. Fox was also come back again. Here W. Penn and G. Fox had a conference and dispute with Dr. Galenus Abraham, an eminent Baptist teacher, and some of that persuasion. Galenus asserted, that nobody now-a-days could be accepted as a messenger of God, unless he confirmed the same by miracles. W. Penn wanted no arguments to contradict this, since the Christian religion had been once already confirmed by miracles and that therefore this was now needless amongst Christians. G. Fox now and then spoke also something to the matter; but he being somewhat short breathed went several times away, which some were ready to impute to a passionate temper; but I well know that therein they wronged him. This dispute was indeed a troublesome business; for the parties on both sides were fain to speak by an interpreter, which was generally so imperfectly performed, that at last the conference was broken off, without coming to a decision, although many weighty arguments were objected against the position. Certainly it cannot be denied that John the Baptist was sent of God to preach re |