receive wisdom
from Him; that by it he might be ordered, and with it might order all
things under his hand unto God's glory. I spoke much to him of truth;
and a great deal of discourse I had with him about religion, wherein
he carried himself very moderately. But he said we quarreled with the
priests, whom he called ministers. I told him, "I did not quarrel with
them, they quarreled with me and my friends. But, said I, if we own
the prophets, Christ, and the apostles, we can not hold up such
teachers, prophets, and shepherds, as the prophets, Christ, and the
apostles declared against; but we must declare against them by the
same power and spirit." Then I shewed him that the prophets, Christ,
and the apostles, declared freely, and declared against them that did
not declare freely; such as preached for filthy lucre, divined for
money, and preached for hire, and were covetous and greedy, like the
dumb dogs that could never have enough; and that they who have the
same spirit that Christ, and the prophets, and the apostles had, could
not but declare against all such now, as they did then. As I spoke, he
several times said it was very good, and it was truth. I told him:
"That all Christendom, so called, had the Scriptures, but they wanted
the power and spirit that those had who gave forth the Scriptures, and
that was the reason they were not in fellowship with the Son, nor with
the Father, nor with the Scriptures, nor one with another."

Many more words I had with him, but people coming in, I drew a little
back. As I was turning, he catched me by the hand, and with tears in
his eyes said: "Come again to my house, for if thou and I were but an
hour of a day together, we should be nearer one to the other"; adding,
that he wished me no more ill than he did to his own soul. I told him,
if he did, he wronged his own soul, and admonished him to harken to
God's voice, that he might stand in His counsel, and obey it; and if
he did so, that would keep him from hardness of heart; but if he did
not hear God's voice, his heart would be hardened. He said it was
true. Then I went out; and when Captain Drury came out after me, he
told me the lord Protector said I was at liberty, and might go whither
I would. Then I was brought into a great hall, where the Protector's
gentlemen were to dine. I asked them what they brought me thither for.
They said it was by the Protector's order, that I might dine with
them. I bid them let the Protector kno