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The antiquity of our Cross.

THE apostle saith to the church of Christ, that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us that are saved, it is the power of God.' 1 Cor. i. 18. And such as were and are enemies to the cross of Christ, were and are enemies to the power of God; so all your stone, wooden, brass, silver or gold crosses you have invented and set up since the apostles' days, are not the cross of Christ the power of God.

And the apostle saith, God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.' Gal. vi. 14. So it was the power of God, the cross of Christ, that the apostle gloried in, by whom the world was crucified unto him, and he unto the world; and this is our cross which was set up above one thousand six hundred years ago; and it is not likely that it was a cross made of wood, stone, iron, brass, silver or gold that the apostle or the church of Christ gloried in, or that such out. ward temporal and worldly crosses as men make and invent, should crucify people to the world! That which crucifies people to the world, and the world to them, is the cross of Christ, the power of God, which power of God all are to bow down to; and they are foolish and dark that think a cross of stone, wood, iron, silver, or gold, which man hath made, is the cross of Christ, the power of God; and to bow to such worldly temporal things, and call them the cross of Christ, is contrary to the scriptures that the apostles taught to the church of Christ, in their day; and this was the church of Christ's cross in their days, and is the church of Christ's cross now, but they could not, nor can we bow to any temporal, outward, worldly cross that men have made with their hands, and bow down to them; for such as do worship the works of their own hands are enemies to the cross of Christ, the power of God. There were such in the apostles' days that were vainly puffed up with their fleshly minds, not holding Christ the head, and so there are now, from which head all the body of Christ by joints and bands hath nourishment ministered, and by him is knit together, and increaseth with the increase of God; as in Col. ii. 18, 19.

Now Christ enlightens every man that comes into the world with the light, the life that is in him, the head, by whom the world was made, that with the light they might see Christ, and him the head of the body, his church, by which all the children of the light and of the day may be knit together in him, and have their increase of God ministered through him, and so to have fellowship with the Father and the son, and one with another.

Now all they that are intruding into things they have not seen, puffed up with a fleshly mind, and do not hold Christ their head, but have set up other heads, have broken into sects, schisms, and divisions one against another: this is clearly seen now, as it was in the apostles' days. G. F.

The 2d month, 1688.

The speech or declaration of Sultan Mahomet, the Great Turk, which he sent to the emperor of Germany, dated March 25th, 1683, from Adrianople, just after the Baron Saphonara, the Emperor's Ambassador, had his last audience of the Prince Vizier, wherein the said Ambassador could not comply with the extravagant demands of the Turk; which caused the said Grand Seignior to transmit the same to his Imperial Majesty: which is faithfully translated out of High Dutch.

MAHOMET the Fourth, son of emperors, and of the famous and renowned God; emperor of the Turks, king of Greece, Macedonia, Moldavia, Samaria, and Hegha; king of great and lesser Egypt; king of all the inhabitants of the earth, and prince of the earthly paradise; acknowledged prince and obedient son of Mahomet; preserver of the cities of Hungaria; possessor of the sepulchre of your God; lord of all the emperors of the world, from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof: king of all kings, lord of the tree of life, conqueror of the Malonian Hegley, and the city Prokenix; the great persecutor of the Christians, and all wicked people; joy of the flourishing world, commander and guardian of your crucified God, lord of the multitude of the heathens. We command ye to greet the emperor Leopold, in case he desire it; and you are a friend to our majesty, whose power and will we have extended very far.

You have for some time past acted to our prejudice, and violated our friendship; though we have not offended you either by war or otherwise; yet you have taken secret advice with other kings, and your councils, how to shake off your yoke; in which you have proceeded very indiscreetly; and thereby you have exposed your people to fear and danger, who have nothing to expect now but death, which you have brought upon yourselves: for I declare I will make myself your master, and pursue you from the east to the west, and extend my majesty to the end of the earth. In the procedure of all which, you shall find my power exerted to your extreme prejudice, and shall feel the dreadful effects of my wrath. And since you have put your hope in the strength of some towns and castles, I have given command to overthrow

them, and trample under my horses' feet all that is delightful to you, leaving no room hereafter to make friendship with me, or suffer you ány fortified place to remain to put your trust in; for I have resolved forthwith to destroy you and your people, and to depose you of the German empire, after my will, leaving in the empire a remembrance of my dreadful sword, that it may publicly appear that I will establish my religion therein, and pursue your crucified God, whose wrath I fear not, nor his coming to defend, or deliver you out of my hands; but will condemn your sacred priests to the plough, and suffer the breasts of your wives to be sucked by dogs and beasts. You will do well to forsake your religion, otherwise I will give order to consume you with fire. This is enough to let you understand my will, if you will be so wise as to know it.

An answer to the speech or declaration of the great Turk, &c. By G. F.

SULTAN MAHOMET,

I FIND in a paper, which is said to be thy declaration, directed to Leopold, the German emperor, dated the 25th of March, 1683, viz. First, thou sayst thou art a 'possessor of the sepulchre of your God,' to wit, the christians. And that thou art a great persecutor of the christians.

Secondly, thou sayst thou art lord of all the emperors of the world, from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof.

Thirdly, thou sayst thou art king of all kings, and lord of the tree of life.

Fourthly, thou sayst thou art commander and guardian of your crucified God, (to wit, the christians,) and thou sayst, thou wilt 'pursue your crucified God, whose wrath I fear not, nor his coming to defend or deliver you out of my hands.'

Now, here is something in answer to the words of sultan Mahomet, the emperor of the Turks, saying, he is a great persecutor of the christians; but let him take heed, for the great God that made him, and heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things therein, who is Lord, Creator, and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and beholds all his words, ways, thoughts, and actions, and all men's and women's upon the earth; neither is there any creature that is not manifest in God's sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him, with whom we have to do, who are the true christians, in scorn called Quakers, who do fear, serve, and worship the great God that

made us, who is a consuming fire to the wicked. And wheresoever men do turn themselves, there the face of God will meet them; his divinity extends through the whole world. Therefore you are to fear his divine majesty, as you do confess in your Alcoran; for the great God, the creator of all, doth know all in the heavens, and in the earth, both what is done in secret, and openly, and all is naked before him, who will reward every man, and woman, according to their words and works, whether they be good or evil, for God is a consuming fire to the wicked; and who shall dwell with everlasting burning, but the just and holy?

And, Mahomet saith in his Alcoran, chap. iii. page 34, that Jesus said, 'Who shall sustain the law of God in my absence? And the apos tles answered him, we will sustain the law of God in thy absence;' and that 'Jesus shall be a witness in the day of judgment against such that obey not his law,' &c.

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Now see how you Turks do obey the law or command of Jesus, for Jesus saith, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.'

Now if the christians were the Turks' enemies, according to the command and law of Jesus the Turks are to love and bless them that curse them, and do good to them that hate them, and pray for them that despitefully use them and persecute them; so then the Turks are not to be persecutors, if they do obey the command of the Lord Jesus Christ, and if they be the children of God the Father which is in hea

ven.

But the emperor of the Turks saith, he is a great persecutor of the christians; and you say in your Alcoran, that Jesus shall be a witness in the day of judgment against such that obey not his law?' Are not your own words in your Alcoran, (and the Lord Jesus, and the apostles of Jesus, who should sustain the law of God in Jesus' absence,) witness against you, who are haters and persecutors, instead of loving enemies, according to the command or law of Jesus? And therefore as Mahomet saith, Jesus shall be a witness in the day of judgment against such as obey not his law.' So according to your own Alcoran, you Turks, and all others that are persecutors, who disobey the law of Jesus, he will be a witness against you in the day of judgment; yea, I say, against you Turks, and all other persecutors upon the earth.

Secondly. Sultan Mahomet, emperor of the Turks, saith, he is lord of all the emperors of the world, from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof, king of all kings, and lord of the tree of life. But are there not many kingdoms and kings in this northern part of the world,

and many emperors and heathen kings in America, and also in the East Indies? Hath not the Great Mogul many kingdoms under him? Besides Prestor John, (commonly so called,) hath not he many kingdoms under him? And doth not the emperor of the Turks know, that these kingdoms and empires he is neither king nor emperor over? Yet he saith, he is emperor over all the earth, from the rising of the sun, to the going down thereof! Which world he knows is but his own country, and from the rising of the sun in it, to the setting of the sun in it; for the sun riseth and sets in America, and the East Indies, and all other parts of the world where he hath no rule nor power; and how long he may have rule and power, and be emperor in his own country God knows. And therefore it is best for the emperor of the Turks to be humble, and not conceit himself with an high and ambitious mind, that he is king of kings, and emperor of the world where he is not, and where God hath, given him no power, lest the Almighty God do abase him, and take away his power which he hath given him. For Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar the emperor, that he should eat grass like an ox, &c. till he knew that the Most High God ruleth in the kingdoms of men, and giveth them to whomsoever he will; and his kingdom should be sure to him after that he knew that the Most High did rule.' And therefore the unchangeable God, man must fear; for heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool, that earth that the Turks and all men stand and walk upon. And so from the face of the eternal God and his footstool, cannot the Turk, nor any other man or woman turn themselves, but there the face of God will meet them, for God's divinity extends throughout all the earth; who inhabits eternity, and dwells with an humble heart; who beholds the proud and lofty afar off, and brings down the high looks, and abaseth the pride of men.

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Thirdly. And again, Sultan Mahomet, emperor of the Turks, thou sayst, thou art lord of the tree of life. But the Turkish emperor must know he is not lord of the tree of life, which beareth twelve manner of fruits, and yieldeth her fruits every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. We do not believe that the emperor of the Turks hath any such natural tree in all his land or garden, that yieldeth twelve manner of fruits every month, the leaves of which are for the healing of nations. This tree of life the Turks have no power over; and John the apostle of Christ, that kept the law or command of Jesus, Jesus spake to him and said, 'Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, that they may enter through the gates of the city,' namely, heavenly and holy Jerusa lem, which descends out of heaven from God, which is not outward Jerusalem in the land of Canaan; as in the Revelations of John the 21st, and 22d chap. And Christ said to John his apostle, 'He that over

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