JOHN, THE PRISONER, TO THE RISEN SEED OF Immortal Love, MOST ENDEARED SALUTATION. &c.  
FOrasmuch as many Members fitly composed do make one complete Body, and each Member of that living body in true sense ▪ of the griefs and fellow-feeling of the infirmities and sufferings of each other, cannot but love its own flesh, to strengthen it with the true nourishment suitable to its own nature, and earnestly labour to keep every member and part thereof sound and whole, free from all bruises, hurts or wounds, and having not another ability in the pure nature of love unto its flesh of the same flesh, each member is given therefore to know, that whatsoever mind or spirit it is, which willingly bruiseth or hurteth the least or lowest member of the living body, is not of it, but degenerated and gone from the pure natural love thereof, into that which corrupteth in its own way, and cannot return to the first love again, to be united to the body without Repentance, and therefore it was gloriously given forth in the Law of God, saying, Thou shalt not make cuttings in thy own flesh, because from all eternity it was the mind of the Wise Creator that his sound and glorious workmanship, should be preserved in a sound living and unbroken state of glory, to the praise of his Power that created it, to which purpose that the number of the children of the birth of God, and babes of the bosom of his pleasure, may so live in perfect love, keeping the unity of the spirit, as that their whole life may be as a continual full basket of the bread of blessing, and cup of overflowing consolation to each other, my spirit of meekness entreateth for a free hearing among all in the pure exercise of the living Word of exhortation unto all.  
All dear Souls which do find in yourselves an often feeling of temptation, of whatsoever kind or nature it be, Learn ye the knowledge of your own souls as they were created, in the day that they were made, to see the weakness and changablenesse of them out of the Power that created them, and in this sense of understanding learn ye, and grow ye into the humble meek and lowly life of the LAMB which taketh away the sin of the World, and these perfect steps will led your souls and minds unto the door of the pure and perfect fear of the Lord God, and the fear will shut you up into the holy house of the heavenly dread and trembling, where transgression cannot enter upon you, and keeping your constant watch to walk in this path, you will find this spirit of the perfect dread abundantly to fill your souls with the perfect fear, and as this spirit waxeth mighty and increaseth in you, so the spirit of temptation, will decrease, wax weak and feeble and depart from you, which your diligence in watchfulness will thoroughly experience to your joyful growth in the saving power, which delivereth from all that which is able to give just occasion of grief unto any other member of the body, by all which a happy harvest of gladness comes to be gathered in your own souls, and you stand a sweet savour of joyous rejoicing unto all that you are joined unto in the spirit of power and life.  
And all precious Plants of Gods glorious garden which are growing in prosperous places, every one in your proper degrees keep in the ground which is without offence, least in you should unhappily spring up a weed of the bitterness of discord, and that in the end bring forth a seeding seed of enmity, and so the whole ground become an over-spread plantation of cursedness, and you utterly lose the benefit of the blessed fruits of salvation; to the purpose therefore of avoiding the course, and retaining and keeping the blessing of everlasting life, Learn ye the knowledge of the garden, and all things that grows and are therein, that never any true fruit which ripeneth therein, and is gathered in the day of the perfection thereof may in the least be a grief unto you, fearing least your grief at such a thing being the fruits of the labour of him that planted you, should become both a grief unto his soul who is Lord of the garden, and a sore sorrow unto your other fellow plants which bare the ripe fruits, and lastly occasion the gardener and Lord of the work to cut off( at least wise) your branches, if not to pluck you up by the roots, as the weeds of murmuration against him and his profitable plants. For O my dear and tender ones, known be it unto you that in the garden of Gods glory there are diversities of Herbs, Roses and pleasant flowers, yet all are of one Maker, Creator and Planter, yea also and all of one nature of sweetness and benefit of goodness in their respective services and uses, and therefore if the white Rose doth not comprehend the fragrancy or sweet smell of the damask Rose, and if the lily hath an ornament of virtue which the Violet hath not, yet they ought all to be content with the virtue and excellency in which they are created, and so likewise all the other sweet herbs and flowers; For cast ye up every one your eye unto the Heavens, and behold the vineyard of the upper glory, which you may happily perceive and see among the Stars, which do greatly differ in glory, not in nature, because every one is of a surpassing brightness, but in degree and proportion, for that one is seen to be of brightness seven times more and greater then an other, and yet they keep their order according to the appointment of their Creator, and lo it is as a body of glory which jarreth not, for the Stars that are fixed are not grieved at the motion and course of the moving Stars, neither are the movning in any thing grieved at the fixed, neither are the lesser in glory troubled at the brightness of the greater in glory, nor the greater at the lesser, for they all stand in the wisdom in which they were created, knowing that they are all created, and in that knowledge doth clearly perceive that there is as much cause for the greater in glory to grieve at the lesser, which cannot comprehend his glory, as there is for the lesser to grieve, being not of ability to comprehend the glory of greater, but being in one nature of brightness and all perfectly full, and abiding in one wisdom which created them all, they see and know in the wisdom of Creation that nothing of the pure brightness either in least or greatest degree can differ from it's own nature, because that would be contrary to the glorious wisdom which created them all glories in their resp●ct●ve places and degrees, which created them not for grief but for joy in one another, which in this manner is most sweetly retained in, and concerning one another; that whereas the lesser is a glory, it is a joy to the greater that it so stands as a member of service in the heavenly body of glory, which puts back a river of joy into the lesser, in that the lesser is so owned and received in the unity with the greater, and wherein the lesser cannot comprehend the surpassing brightness of the glory of the greater, yet having unity with the power that created them both, hath a rich joy in the power that created the greater, and witnesseth to the glory of the brightness thereof, the which fellowship both in nature, testimony and joy, turns back a double proportion of joy into the bosom of the greater, in that it is so wisely and sweetly received and owned of the lesser, according to his measure, which is the blessing of joyous unity among all.  
Likewise my dearly beloved ones, know ye in an other thing the true order of the Heavens, that when the sore hail doth fall, it doth not fall against any part of the Heavens, but heavily down upon the earthly places, and when it thunders, it doth not thunder against the Heavens or any thing therein, for such things would work against the nature of the wisdom and glory in Heaven, and the kingdom would become divided in its self, therefore when it thunders, it is against Hell and all that is in the infernal places, for the breach of the power and Dominion of that kingdom and enlargement of the glory of the heavenly, in the glorious light whereof ye may all learn how to walk in all your passages and footsteps, that ye may evermore be a continual gladness and not a grief to one another; But yet if all cannot so openly see the mind of my spirit( in what I have thus far expressed) as it is my souls sincere desire to the Lord God Almighty that they may, I am very free in the same motion of life to tell you the Doctrine of John my predecessor and glorious Apostle of God, who wrote to the convinced, which was the state of the quickened seed in the womb, and wrote also to babes, and likewise to young men, and in the same wisdom to strong men. And Paul gave herbs to the weak that could not eat fle●●, and gave flesh which was the stronger meat unto the stronger men, and unto babes the milk was given, and taught them all not to judge one another in eating, keeping them all in the unity of that power which created all good food, and in the true fellowship of the glorious wisdom which feeds all with food suitable to their conditions, qualities, statures and strength, that the body might be perfectly known to be of the perfect God in whom is no rent, sect, nor division, nor the least discontent or murmuring; for which cause this I hold forth as doctrine to all the beloved children and babes of blessing, that is to say, to learn in the light their own states and conditions, that no ministration spoken among you in the life may at any time be a grief, but at all times a gladness unto you, so that if it comes to pass that a Minister of the body and blood of Christ freely breaks the bread and pours forth the wine into the cup of blessing in the Name of the Lord, for many to communicate in participation thereof, and if some there be that cannot drink wine but water, nor cannot drink blood but milk, nor cannot eat bread but pap, nor cannot eat flesh but sweet broth, such shall not grieve because they are not fed first, but wait in the joy of the others feeding, until the full table is spread for them that are the weaker also, and then when they feed on the weaker meats, the stronger men shall not grieve that the food was not proportionable in nature to their strength, but wait in the spirit of gladness, giving thanks that the weaker are also fed in due time; or if the weaker be first fed at the table of weaker things, the stronger ought not to grieve at that, but wait in their better ability of bearing, until their table is also spread, and every heart enriched with the mercies and blessings of the Eternal wisdom, who createth meats and drinks times and seasons, and appointeth trials unto all, that it may be known by every ones nature in the time of trial, whether they are purely born of the seed royal yea or nay, by this one testimony of never murmuring, but in all things, times, states and conditions, giving thanks and yielding pure praise to the God of life in the perfect spirit of content, in which the un●ty ●ill be everlastingly kept, and the glorious wisdom of the Lord God of power retained and kept as an endless glory to his infinite Name among all, even for ever and ever, Amen.  
And now O ye shining Sons of Sion, and beautified virgin brides of Jerusalem, I cannot but double and redouble the endeared kiss of my Salutation unto you, rather such indeed is my souls greeting of you with one everlasting adhering kiss of my lips glued unto your lips, with the indisolvible glue of Gods grace, which can never more be broken asunder, and in this conjunction feel ye the earnings of my bowels entered within you, and there sense and savour my union and fellowship with you, who am a son of the seed of Eternal Love, and your tender Brother in the tribulations of the Lamb of God.  
For all prisoners of Jesus, I put up my prayers to the power of life, and do desire to be remembered of them all in all their supplications to the Almighty One.  
Finally the God of life save all his Seed every where, and gain himself the glory of the exaltation of his kingdom in mighty power throughout the whole Earth, Amen.  I am arising saith the God of Righteousness, and I will rent saith the Lord God of power, and as I live I will draw forth the captive by my own right hand saith the God of compassions and mercy, who is jea 〈…〉 his great glory. 
Written in Rome Prison of Mad-m●●.   

I JOHN, the Prisoner, am in the feeling of the Spirit of Life with you all the dear Prisoners of the Holy One, for his Holinesse sake, witnessing the life of the likeness of your blessed Creator, and the Power which preserves you in the Image of him ▪ against all that which is gone out from him into the rebellion and curse.  
Children of holinesse, dwell in that which retains the knowledge of your Father The Holy One, who is the everlasting patience, and is called the Eternal content, so in the patience and content you retain the image and true ●ikenesse, and are clothed with the garments of his own brightness, and hide under the power of the glory thereof, where the World in the rage, malice and enmity sees you not, being gone from the Holy Ones glorious likeness, into the darkness and blackness, brutishness and devilishness, dwelling in the cave of hell, near unto the prepared burnings and consumings ▪ Hold ye your joy in the peaceable life which hath no end, over them all feeling the power of your patience and content with you, which giveth victory and dominion over all the spirits of blackness and fire, which are appointed for fire, which will set you all free in the eve●lasting liberty of the immortal Glory, in the triumph of th● heavenly Host.  
Again, I say I feel the dear prisoners trials, who am one of your own number in the everlasting patience and eternal content, which through death sets free in the reign of eternal Life.  
For you all I have drawn near unto the Almighty Power over all, and he is moved, and will pass through the fires and the fi●ry ●●untains, and call for the blood, and judge for the cries; O Israe●, stand still in the spirit of Trembling and Praises, keeping in the likeness of the Holy One, blessing him in his own, and he will certainly do good for you.  
So rest in the quietness, for the quiet spirit stands in the true likeness of the Holy One, which is the blessed state, which is to increase over the face of the whole earth, for the completing of the restoration of all things according to the decree of AMEN.  
My bowels of the unspeakable Love is among you, dear Lambs feel it.  
ROME Bedlam. 8. 11. m. 1660. JOHN.  
THE END.   

LONDON, Printed for Thomas Simmons at the sign of the Bull and mouth near Aldersgate, 1660.