A Few Words unto a PARTICULAR PEOPLE.  
THe People unto whom this following matter relateth, are such as holdeth an Inward Principle, but in practice do not answer the true Light; and many of them formerly met together at Nottingham Castle, and were generally known by the name of the Castle Company; and I have lately had to do with some of them in a private way of writing, and the Papers that I received were subscribed by Rice Joanes, Anthony Hutchinson, Fortune Burroughs, Isaac Baker, Elizabeth Parsons, and John Lauson; and in my last I did enjoin them to publish what had passed between us, by causing it to be printed (with what more they had to say) but since I have not heard any thing of it; and though these people are found opposite to the principle and practice of the People called Quakers; yet they have never manifest wherein they err or fall short of Truth in the general; and some of these people that once had a sense of Truth, as in the Light it was manifest, but they did not abide in the fear and Counsel of God, and so lost the right way in the beginning, and then turned against the Testimony of the Power, and fled the Cross, and many were simply betrayed by giving up their belief to the Doctrine then propounded; but the Lord hath gathered some from amongst them, who in the Truth are a good savour to the honour of it.  
Now these people have taken up a belief that they may keep their inward unto God, and yield their bodies to comply with outward things, and in that belief they take liberty in common Customs and Fashions, as if such things were of no concernment in matters of Faith and Conscience, and that doth clearly evidence that their inward Principle is not of God; for where the Spirit of God is the inward Principle, it disposes the body by its own Power, and thereby the Conversation comes to be holy, and without blame, and body, soul and spirit glorifieth God, as being his; (mark) the body, soul and spirit are all to be disposed in a right order to God's glory, and if the body comply with outward things, and the mind otherwise reserved, it is a mental reservation; or if the mind comply with the body in such things as are manifestly contrary to the true inward principle, than the true principle is transgressed, and it is altogether against the outward sufferings of the Prophets, Christ and the Apostles, who suffere● for the Testimony of Truth and a good Conscience, and their bodies suffered for being faithful to their inward principle, and they did not seek a way to escape sufferings, by reserving their inward principle, and yielding their bodies to comply with outward things, but they testified to the truth of their inward principle, and against such things as were contrary to it, and so they exercised a Conscience void of offence towards God and man; and if the inward principle of these people was that Spirit which testified in the Prophets, Christ and the Apostles, than they could not live in such things as the Prophets, Christ and the Apostles reproved; and as they live in such things, it is manifest that they dispose themselves in their liberty for their own pleasure and security; and the spirit which they are under persuades them to be reserved in their inwards, and then giveth a seeming satisfaction and peace in what is done, and the generality of these people are much to be pitied, who have given up themselves to believe such an error with confidence; for neither their foundation nor building are of God, but they have laid a foundation in the earthly wisdom, and builds upon it with their own reasoning, and so are not in Paradise, where man was placed in his innocency, but possesseth Cain's City in the Land of Nod.  
Now in the beginning the wise Creator made all things good, and he form man of the Dust of the Ground, and into his nostrils he breathed the breath of life, and man became a living Soul, and the form was his Body, which as a vessel was prepared to contain the excellency of that pure living breath, and as man stood in communion with the Light, Power and Wisdom of his Creator, his outward Form, Vessel or Body was equally qualified with the Virtues and Graces of the same Nature, and so he was the Image of God by creation, and his outward Body was ordered by his inward Principle; but when he transgressed his inward Principle, his outward Body lost the qualifications of the Virtues and Graces that were in it, and there he died, and then the outward Body became tainted with qualifications of darkness, and in the Loin of the fallen Posterity darkness ruleth the Body, and so the Body is ordered by another spirit than what ordered in the beginning, and in that spirit is the fleshly liberty of the Body, and that is a degeneration from the Spirit by which the Body was ordered before transgression.  
And you that are concerned in this matter may do well to consider your own bodies; for however it was in times past, as to outward bodies, yet you cannot deny your own; and do you not understand generation, and by what generation is maintained? and seeing you have outward bodies, it concerns you to mind what spirit governs them, and what you yield your bodies to comply withal; for it is certain, that the body which complies with common customs, fashions and vanities, is not governed by the true Spirit; and that your bodies do so comply is evident by your practice; and will you deny the body to be the workmanship of God? and if it be his workmanship, then is it not concerned to serve and honour him? and doth it not serve and honour him, when by his Spirit it is governed? and doth it not the contrary when it complies with such things as are contrary to his Spirit? and so the body is concerned in matters of Faith and Conscience, as by the true Spirit it is ordered and governed, because in that state it standeth in unity with the Light, Power, Life and Wisdom which is the Heavenly Treasure, and so the Apostle testified of the Treasure in the earthen vessel; and what was the earthen vessel in which they had the Treasure? and did they hid the Treasure in the earthen vessel, that it should not be known? or did they not preach it that others might believe in it, and have benefit by it? and did they not thank God who manifested the savour of his knowledge by them in every place? and so they did not walk in craftiness, or handle the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the Truth commended themselves to every man's Conscience in the sight of God, for they were not ashamed of the Gospel, because they preached not themselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and so they were in the universal Spirit, and communicated their Treasure according to the Wisdom they received it in, and in that their Light did shine before men, and their good works were seen, and God was glorified; and is your works wrought in the Light, to shine and be seen to God's Glory? or are they not wrought in darkness, by which God is dishonoured? and if you say your works are wrought in charity, as being most agreeable to the Nature of God, and that the compliance of your bodies to customs and fashions is only suitable to what is observed amongst people of the Nation; I answer, that if your works were wrought in that charity which is agreeable to the nature of God, than you could not yield your bodies to comply with such things as are contrary to God, and though your customs and fashions may be suitable to the People of the Nation, yet they are no way suitable to the Truth, or to the People that live in it; and so your charity, customs and fashions are only to please yourselves, which displeaseth God; and if you will search your inwards with the Light, you may find Darkness and Death reigning; and the true Seed oppressed and mourning; and if you were in true charity you would regard the groans of the oppressed, and the afflictions of the afflicted, and not exalt yourselves in your fleshly liberty to increase the burden; but Phoraoh is hardhearted, and hath neither love nor pity, and in hardness he ruleth, and will not obey the Lord, and that which you serve and worship is an Idol which darkness hath form in you, and being affected with it, you rejoice in your outward liberty, as if it were allowed from a true inward ground, and you will not have the Ark of God set up, lest your Idol should fall before it, and so your hearts are after your Idol, and not after the Lord, and you will not admit of reproof to come near you, but in a strong confidence of the inwards, resists that dispensation, as not belonging to you, when indeed both your liberty and confidence are reprovable, as the offspring of a corrupted stock, and with that you keep the good Seed in bondage, and bringeth forth fruit of another nature; and what then is the inwards which you answer but the spirit of darkness, from which you have your liberty in common customs, fashions and vanities? for the true Light redeems out of such things, as it is obeyed and followed; and whilst you live in such things you walk in Darkness, and not in the Light, and in Darkness you crucify the Lord of Life, and put him to open shame; for your outward conversation doth not answer Christ, as an inward principle, but you bring forth open deeds, that putteth Christ to open shame; and that is the false birth in its false liberty, and this is truth unto your conditions though some of you may still say as you have done, that things come too lightly, but it is in the airy spirit in yourselves that is light, and would be eased of the weighty power; for that spirit doth not like the Power should deal with it, because the power dealeth truly and plainly, and cannot dissemble and flatter, and what have you done since you turned against the testimony of the power? have you gathered the Scattered, or have you not been scattering, and so have neither done good to yourselves nor others? for the love which you pretend to all doth not really extend to any, but such as can esteem you, and prefer you, and in your liberty have familiarity with you; for if any faithfully reprove you in your liberty, than your spirit soon lusteth to envy; and though you please yourselves with your pretended general love, as if it were so near the Nature of God, yet your love is not of him, nor from him, nor to him, but is of, and from, and to yourselves; and so your love is to Esau, and not to Jacob, and that love is contrary to the nature of God, and both your love and envy are from one ground; for you have a secret way to strengthen your hands against the Son and Heir, and if you can stop or hinder, or draw any from the Truth, you put forth your strength to do it; but how do you stop or hinder or draw any from vanity? you can let that alone, and have pleasure amongst such a people; and is that the love and tenderness which ye have to God and his Truth? or is it not plainly manifest to be the contrary? it is plainly seen in the Light, though in darkness you may not see it; and notwithstanding your secret working against the Truth, you cannot hinder Truth from prospering, you may possibly stop or hinder some for joining to it, and also may draw some unstable minds from the profession of it; but Truth springs and prospers, and spreads, and is honourable, and many tender desires that joins unto it, comes to be satisfied in it; and if you had eyes to see, you might behold the mighty work of God by his Power, and your work profits nothing? but the natural man perceiveth not the things of God, and whilst you look with that eye, the things of God are not perceived by you; and not perceiving the things of God, you prefer your natural work as the highest attainment; and indeed it is high, and as a high thing must fall, and then you will know that it is not the highest attainment of Truth, but high conceitedness in your fleshly liberty and confidence, and that will be the end of your Idol.  
Now if the grain that is sown do not die it abideth alone; but if it put off its first body through death it quickens again, and so taketh root downwards, and then riseth and springeth upwards, by which the nature of the Seed is again manifest in its own body, and so according to the will of the Creator, there is a harmony in the Creation to further production, and in that course are all things revived to manifest the nature of their seed.  
And you that look so lightly at what hath or may be mentioned concerning you, as not worth the mentioning, as in one of your Papers is expressed; and so would not be counted such as joins, and hath fellowship with the world; and what would you be counted in your customs, fashions and vanities? would you be counted such as are redeemed out of the world? if you would be counted such, than you would be counted better than you are, and that is deceit; but time will make all things ●anifest: and if you would be counted Christians and Saints, than you must walk in the Light that sanctifieth, and not walk in darkness that defileth, and where you say in one of your Papers, That you do not find in the Scriptures that any were called the Church of Christ, but such as received his doctrine, than you are to prove by plain Scripture, that your faith, doctrine and practice are the same with such as received Christ Doctrine, and were his Church.  
First, That your Faith, concerning the nature and manifestation of Christ, is the same.  
Secondly, That the Doctrine which by you is held forth and maintained, is the same.  
Thirdly, That your practice in Burrying, Marrying, Swearing, You to a single person, observing Days and Times, paying Tithes, honouring Persons, distinction by Titles, naming Days and Months, Feasting, and needless things about Apparel, are the same.  
Now if you cannot prove by plain Scripture that in these things you are the same with such as received Christ's doctrine, than it must needs follow, that ye live after the flesh, and not in the Spirit; so if you can make these things good by plain Scripture, than you may be further tried; and if you cannot, than it will plainly appear that you differ from such as received Christ's Doctrine, and were his Church, and you cannot in honesty deny your error; and as for the Papers, your publication is still expected, as being your proper place to do it; and when things are publicly brought forth by your own hands, than your matter may either be fully answered, or confessed; and in the mean time consider patiently, whether these things be not worth the mentioning, and your diligent observing; for if such of you as have any simplicity will be mindful, you may come to know a more excellent Treasure than ye have treasured up, and a more comely Garment than ye have put on; for your treasure is cankered, and your garment motheaten; and so you dwell with the consumer, and not with the preserver.  
Friends, If you will own the Scriptures, you cannot deny but the Light with which Christ lighteth every man that comes into the world is true; and as you are come into the world, so a measure of that Light which is true is in you, and if you obey another thing, you obey that which is false, and so are guided by a false Principle, and that is your error wherein you resist the Truth; for if you were guided with the true Light, than all your words and works would be according to the Truth, and there you would feel the Cross to your outward liberty, and Judgement to take hold upon the Transgressor, and so come to be redeemed up to God by the work of his Power, for your own wisdom and reasoning strengtheneth the Body of sin and death, but the power maketh free in the glorious liberty, and there is the cross to all fleshly motions, and by that the Son comes to be known, and life in him; and they that have the Son have life, and they that have not the Son have not life; and such are dead in trespasses and sins; and this is unto you that are simple-minded, for in true tenderness you are pitied as a people ensnared, for in a snare you are taken and held, and the King and Queen of Babylon triumph over you.  
Oh, that such of you as have been carried away with a strong voice, might now hearken to his voice, who calls behind you, that the Light may become your Leader and Teacher, for subtlety hath deceived you, and by deceiving hath power to rule over you; and if you will not hear when the Lord calleth, than when you call he will not answer.  
Friends, it is the bread that comes done from Heaven, that satisfieth the hungry, and that bread you want, and satisfies yourselves with Earthly vapours, and so you lie smothered, and seethe not the Son of God, and that is certainly your conditions in Captivity, and by the Rivers of that Land the true birth sitteth weeping, and cannot sing the Lords Songs.  
Nottingham, the 3d Month, 1669. Your Friend in that Love which seeks your Eternal good. William Smith   
THE END.