and for Israels sake he cut Rahab wounded the Dragon divided and made a way in the Sea a good and safe Passage for them in the Journey which the Lord led them on in he carried them on Eagles Wings and rebuked Kings and subdued strong Nations before them but when they rebelled then he turned to be their Enemy and fought against them whom he had often saved and had been afflicted with them in their Afflictions So dear Friends you that are gathered to God by his gathering Arm of Love and Power keep with the Lord and forsake him not whatsoever you may suffer for his Names sake therein the Lord will appear to your joy and will afflict them that afflict you for your obedience to God and the keeping your Consciences pure and good in his sight Let not a revolting or rebellious Heart be found in any one of you such cannot continue or abide with the Lord whose hearts are evil and rebellious out of them cometh not good things their hearts are defiled with evil filled with it and bent to do wickedly and they cannot cease from sin And how hath the Devil loaded some with Iniquity that do yet profess the same Light and Way of God with us How do they manifestly appear Children that are corrupters or corrupt Children endeavouring to corrupt the Minds of the Professors and other People by the seeds of Corruption which they have sown and printed for them to feed upon and it s the evil Seeds-man that sows corrupt or evil Seed What Instruments soever are by him made use of in that work mark them and avoid them as Instruments of Unrighteousness Oh Friends as you love your eternal Rest and Peace with God watch against and shut out the seed of the Serpent and his evil Seeds-men that sow it abroad by the Light of the Lord which shines in your hearts and hath given you the knowledge of God you may discern and see clearly the old Serpent's cunning in his Agents what high swelling words soever in their vain minds they may come with amongst you or print for Food to the uncircumcised and the unclean Be ye stedfast always abounding in the work of the Lord unto which you are called of God be not beguiled any one of you by the Serpent's cunning wait low in the pure Simplicity and that will give knowledge and understanding of the wiles and cunning working of the creeping Serpent And now is the seed of God risen to break the head of the Serpent and to tread under foot his power and authority which he hath got in man and women by disobedience and their rebellion against God whereby man in the beginning was subjected to vanity and not willing but by a salfe hope the Devil had begotten in them which was the cause of their being beguiled the begetting of that false hope that they should be as Gods knowing good and evil and as if they should not dye notwitstanding their transgressing the Command of the Lord which the Serpent's deceitful and beguiling Doctrine subjected them into the belief of Therefore take heed that none of you be beguiled as the Serpent beguiled Eve and draw you from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus It seems the Believers which the Apostle writ to had a godly simplicity and stedfastness in the Truth of God but afterward were in some danger to be drawn from it but Eve had not been so beguiled if she had minded to keep Gods command counsel and not hearkned to the Serpent So hearken not to the doctrine or voice of the Serpent which leads from God into Transgression and to death from the Life of God and to lose the Image of God which Adam and Eve were deprived of though once beautified therewith And so Gods Image may be lost now by them that are come into it and have born it and the beauty of Holiness that any one had may be lost if there be not a keeping in that Power which brings into it and preserves the faithful in it The heavenly Creator in the new Creation createth us in Christ Jesus unto good works and he restores his People to God in his Image which is after God in Righteousness and true Holiness so we become holy as the Lord our God is holy and perfect as our heavenly Father is Perfect and so we are a chosen Generation and a royal Priesthood to God and are prepared of him to offer an Offering acceptable and well-pleasing in the sight of God and come to know how to please God in all things and to hearken to his voice and obey his Voice that is better than Sacrifice or the sat of Rams which some content themselves with even a bare Profession of the Truth and Knowledge of but do not obey it nor walk in it but rather cause the way of Truth to be evil spoken of opening the Mouthes of Adversaries to blaspheme that holy Name by which we were called and who know the Truth but act contrary to the guidance of that Spirit of Truth which led them into the Truth and the Way wherein they should go and so go into the Apostacy and to turn back again into Aegypt which all ought to beware of for we were not brought out of the Apostacy or delivered out of Aegypt either to look back or go back again Did not the Lord by a very mighty hand stretched out Arm bring us out of Egypt spiritually as really as he did the Children of Israel out of outward Egypt in the days of old And how did God wound and overthrow our Enemies though strong and potent not by any might or power carnal but by his own holy Spirit and Power which he made known in our hearts and which we received from him Hath not this conquered and overcome many of your Enemies that oppressed you which you groaned under and were sorrowful because of till deliverance came And cannot many of you say that the right hand of the Lord hath brought mighty things to pass and that the right hand of the Lord hath done valiantly And cannot you say the Lord was on your side and now is the same and that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the World Although dear Friends you have many Enemies yet to encounter with fear not neither be at all dismayed only look to the Lord and believe in him and love and trust in him fear not man nor put no trust in Princes nor in any Arm of flesh and if the wicked bend their Bow and shoot their Arrows at you who are innocent in your Minds and of a peaceable Life matter it not but look to the Lord that Innocency and a peaceable Mind still may be found in you all leave your cause to the Lord to plead who in his own due time will plead your cause execute judgment for you the Lord can if he please soon break the Bow of the Wicked and turn their
door of entrance in with him be shut against you or you prepared for his entertainment the sloathful Servant being apt to delay the doing of his Duty to the Lord imagins that the Lord delays his coming then he doth that which he should not do and so causeth his Lord and Master that is full of Mercy and Love to be angry with him and reward him according to his Deeds Dear Friends therefore love the Cross of Christ whereby you will learn to take up your daily Cross and follow your Captain Christ Jesus the Captain of our Salvation that endured the Cross and despised the Shame and was made perfect through Suffering follow him in the Cross as you desire to have the Crown despise the Shame of the Cross and endure it and do not shun it for you will not be as David nor witness David's House to be as God's if you shun the Cross nor will you grow stronger and stronger as you ought if you are troubled at the shame of it you will never deny your selves much for Christ if you shun the Cross or be amazed at the daily taking of it up whilst 't is so with any convinced of God's heavenly Truth they will not shut out the world's Spirit Words nor Actions but will be lusting after the world's Words vain Fashions Wayes and not come out into a clear seperation from them nor be capable to bear witness against the World nor their Words Wayes vain Fashions and Actions that are contrary to the Lord and whereby his holy Spirit is vexed from day to day such amongst us that will not cross their own Wills and unbridled Tongues to speak Thou to any single Person high or low but give way to a worldly and fleshly Will and fleshly Desires will not be willing to follow the Lord and his Servants the Prophets and Apostles in their true Language which was used by them that writ and gave forth the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelations and can such be now good or is their Religion good who have been long convinced and come amongst us that have not a Bridle for their Tongues nor do not know the Power of God's Truth professed by them to tame their Tongues Why are some in this estate anciently convinced but because they would not subject their worldly corrupt Wills to God's holy Power which would have made them willing so to do and would have made them willing to have left all for Christ and to have suffered the loss of all things though it had been never such a Darling-beloved for Christ's sake So let every one leave and forsake all which the Lord hath called you to forsake whether it be Father Mother Wise Children Lands or Livings and come to that whereby the laying down of a man 's own Life may be made easie which a Disciple of Christ ought to do when called of God thereunto And as you all keep in the Cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ you will be preserved in a pure seperation from the whole World that lieth in Wickedness and are Ungodly as the old World was which God destroyed by Water and you will be Preachers of Righteousness as righteous Noah was by a righteous Life and Conversation which will speak more expresly and have a louder cry in their Ears than Noah's building the Ark had although that had a speaking in it if the old World had not been dull of hearing and closed their Eyes they might have heard God's speaking Voice and have seen his Providence in it to preserve Noah and his Righteous Family though they were but few in number God saved them and preserved them in the Ark which Noah was a building before the Flood came and drowned the Ungodly old World and he will not spare the Ungodly World now but till their Sins be full and they ripe for a Deluge or Destruction and then it will come upon them and overtake them before they are aware thereof and now many are uncircumcised in Heart and Ear and will not be warned nor take notice of God's hand that is lifted against them Friends take heed of mixing with the wicked World now have no fellowship with them nor their works of Darkness for as you are the Children of the Light and of the Day what fellowship can any of you have with Darkness or the works of the whole World that lieth in Wickedness or how can you touch with them in their corrupt Communication Wayes or Worship or any of their unclean and polluted things but rather reprove and rebuke them that are found therein And keep true and faithful to the Lord God who called you out of the World and seperated you from the Kindreds of the Earth to stand for God and to be living Witnesses against the Devil and all his works and you are called of God to stand with the Lamb and his faithful followers against the Devil never more to joyn with the Devil or take part with his prophane ungodly Followers in their Sins and Trespasses nor in their Wrongs Oppression and Cruelty nor contribute any strength to them stand clear and in a pure and spiritual seperation from all that which God's holy Spirit and Light condemns and judgeth to be evil and contrary to the Light Spirit and Grace of God give not way to that to save the world or its Favour temper not with the Snares nor Baits of this World but in the hour of Temptation keep low waiting upon the Lord God who knows how to save deliver you and mightily to succour you when you are tryed and to preserve you out of the power of your old Adversary or any of his Snares Baits or Temptations God hath by his Light let you see what you ought to chuse and what you ought to refuse chuse the good cleave to the good whatever you may go through or suffer for so doing chuse Lise that you may live forever and how sew or many soever your dayes may be in this World refuse the evil and the wayes of Death and Destruction whatsoever hath not the mark of Truth upon it as to Way Worship or Religion refuse it and enter into no Consultation with the Devil or his bad sensual Reasoning which he will fill them with that desire and consult wayes to conform in this or the other thing relating to Faith Religion and Worship which never was nor is of the Lord and when the Wind bloweth high Rain fall and Sea rage and foam then especially look carefully and diligently to your standing and look to Christ Jesus the everlasting Rock that is higher than you and higher than the Heavens and who is the author and finisher of your Faith all steadfastly look to him trust in him fear him and think upon his Name and still remember that the Lord God by a mighty Hand and Arm stretched forth brought you out of Egypt spiritually Do not forget that we were once Bonds-men in Egypt nor how the Lord
brought us forth and the eminent Hand of the Lord that appeared in our deliverance and freedom from Egypt's hard Task masters and the Lord did redeem us from the Heathen and their Heathenish Words Fashions Wayes and Worships never to learn their Words Wayes Fashions or Customs any more And God called us out of Sodom spiritually and to leave the filthy Communication and Conversation of the Sodomites which we were never to look back upon any more truly 't is very dangerous being in Sodom and Egypt spiritually where our Lord was crucified who can expect any thing but Ruin and Destruction to be found amongst them that now declare their Sin as Sodom Therefore let none of you go into Egypt again for any help or think to have relief there go not down thither nor look back towards Sodom lest you perish or be found worthy of the Wrath and Displeasure of Almighty God by reason of going back into Egypt again and then any of you should be found in Sodom or Egypt spiritually for if there be a desire in any to go back and they draw back God's Soul shall have no pleasure in them and God will be displeased with you that lust after Egypt or the Flesh-Pots there or any thing you were called of God to leave and forsake when you came out of Egypt notwithstanding a Sea of Troubles and many Hardships may appear yet still resolve in the Power of the Lord to go forward and with heavenly delight follow the Lord fully and look still to the Lord and not at any Hardships or Difficulties that may appear in your Journey nor at the length of it neither O! let none of you say that Food which God hath given you from Heaven is light Meat for that evidently bespeaks murmuring at the Food which God gives whereof you have eaten with us If any shall be filled so with unbelief to slight that and desire Egyptian Flesh-Pots and begin to value that again which you vomited up as unsavoury and not good Soul's Food and return to it again sad will the latter end of such be whatever their beginning was And if any of you should forsake the Lord his Fountain of living Waters and dig to your selves broken Sisterns that will not hold the living Water then a terrible day of Wrath and the great Displeasure of the Lord will come upon you and so you may become Monuments of his Displeasure which to avoid wait upon the Lord low in his fear when you come into the Assemblies of the Righteous and earnestly desire that this Heart of Unbelief whereby some in all Ages departed from God and went backward and not forward may not be found in you resolving for the future in the fear awe and dread of the Lord God to cleave to the Lord and follow the Lord in the doing of that which is good and to keep out of Disobedience Sin and Evil while you abide in this world Come not to the Meetings of the Saints as if it were a thing indifferent whether you came or did stay at home such luke-warm Hearers and Professors of the Truth amongst us God will spue out that are neither cold nor hot and yet cold enough towards that which is good the day is at hand that will manifest every Birth every Tree and every Spirit really as it is unto all who witness the â—aâ—â— measure of the heavenly Birth or are Trees of Righteousness and who are of a right Spirit Dear Friends give not way to that to please your selves or to gratifie the Devil or any corrupt Men or Women in the Spirit of this World which would intice you or draw you thereunto that you might be ensnared and then such will but sport themselves to see any of you speak act and walk after the course of this World as such as would draw you into evil do but be not you like unto them nor learn any of their wayes for the wayes of evil men lead from God and from his pure and precious Life which he hath made manifest and brought you into in measure so be the more circumspect diligent and watchful watch you in all things that you may please the Lord and endure Hardship and Affliction with God's called chosen and faithful when we are called thereunto that as true and faithful Warriors in the Spirit and Power of God we may all be kept together in one Spirit to the end Oh! be circumspect every Son and Daughter Servant and Hand-Maid have your Eye in your Head and if thy Eye be single the whole Body will be full of Light which tends much to the safety and preservation of the whole Body and the faithful are the Body of Christ and Members one of another and must needs be sensible of each others suffering can one Member suffer and not the whole Body suffer with it Dear Friends keep to Christ Jesus who is the Head of his Body the Church which he hath purchased with his own Blood still mind the Head and hold the Head that you all may be kept living Members of his Body purely knit together and firmly united unto him that you may be compleat in him wanting nothing of that state which you ought to be in as to a growing into him who is the fulness that filleth all in all In your Assemblies diligently wait to feel his presence more and more purely to refresh and comfort you whereby more and more you will have living experience how good and safe a thing it is for them that fear the Lord to meet often together to wait upon and serve the Lord and answer his will and requiring therein whatsoever men may require contrary of us herein we are to obey God rather then man or man's Edicts to the contrary whereby many times Storms arise and the Sea comes to be troubled Friends forget not how the Lord hath covered us and sheltred us when former Storms and Tempests have been and the Rain hath fallen yea when the Enemy hath come as a Flood and the Floods of the Ungodly broke forth upon us in the Dragon's rage to destroy the heavenly Birth and that which was of God in us how the Lord by his mighty Power which is an unlimitted Power brought Help Salvation and great Deliverance even when all other Helps failed and stood afar off I hope many yet living do remember with Joy of Heart how the Lord caused the Winds and Sea to obey him and divided the troubled Waters where the Whore then did sit and now sitteth which was Nations Kindreds Tongues and People all which the Whore sits upon for Nations Kindreds Tongues and People are all like Waters rouling tumbling upon Heaps and are troubled there is no settlement upon them few knowing what they all nor why they are tumbled so upon Heaps but notwithstanding the Saints who are the Lamb's followers must pass through these waters and through the fire also the Lord will divide the waters to make way for his
Religion neither do believe that God ever required those Forcers to force any into their Church nor require them whom the Compellors summons to come amongst them These methods will not do to convince Conscientious Persons of any differing Religion to come to that House of Wood and Stone Now dear Friends you may perceive the Beast would have all small and great to worship him how doth he seek to compel People to worship him and receive his Mark either on their foreheads or in their hands and the cry is Who is like unto the Beast and who is able to make war with him And none will be able to deny his worship and refuse his mark but the faithful tribulated Saints of the most High that abide with Michael our Prince of Peace who will stand with and by the Children of his People the sealed Ones that have his mark on their foreheads and utterly reject the Mark of the Beast and deny it whatsoever they may suffer for so doing So beware of the Mark of the Beast freely reject and deny the worshipping of the Beast and the receiving of his Antichristian Mark for if any man worship the Beast or receive his Mark on their forehads or in their hands they shall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God and be judged and condemned of him and the Cup of the Lords Fury shall be poured forth for them to drink without any mixture of his mercy or favour Therefore you Children of Light and of Gods day who have known that â—ay so far to dawn in your hearts as to have a discovery of the Whore Beast false Prophet and false Church and have warred in the Lambs warfare against the Beast in any measure and in the Light of the Lamb have seen and denyed the Whore and her golden Cup still maintain your War in the Lambs Spirit and Power against the Beast and let your hatred be against the Whore her Cup as much as ever for the whore and her cup is no better now than when you first saw her and began to hate her and burn her flesh with fire and her cup is the very same now however she may guild it I know God hath shewed and will more manifest to you the My stery of the great Whore that sits upon many Waters Nations Kindreds Tongues and People and he is willing to preserve you and will keep you from adhering to her or the beast on which she rides and that carries her if you will hearken still unto the Lord and obey him he will defend you from the cruelty of the great red Dragon Whore Beast and false Prophet and will take the Beast and with him the false Prophet and give them to the burning slame He that hath an Ear to hear let him hear And remember how freely the Lord hath made you to drink of the Waters of Life and how that water hath been in you as a Well springing up to Life eternal and how can any of you that have known the waters of a full Cup from God given unto you and to your great satisfaction have drunk thereof return again to the foul and muddy Waters that have no clearness nor life in them Such as keep in the sence of that Life and Waters of it which Christ hath given us I know will never again meddle with the corrupt foul muddy Waters which the Whore and false Church gives to her Children but the Bread and Water of Life which you have fed upon and drunk of at the Table of the Lord the Children of the great Whore know not and therefore their cry hath been Come to the Church receive the Sacrament if you do you must pay for it and if you do not you must pay the more and be cited to appear at Courts which they call Courts Spiritual but how carnally they act in keeping of them and in proceeding against them that for Conscience sake towards God cannot pertake with them let all that fear God judge Oh! dear Friends fear not the Wrath of man though his heart be lifted up never so much in manifest Oppression and threaten to act it upon you but still know you and believe that the remainder of mans wrath God will restrain and disappoint the Wicked cast not away your Confidence but wait patiently upon God and he will restrain the Wrath of the Wicked Persecutors that they will be confounded in their ungodly Proceedings and not be able to effect their vile purposes Depart not from the Faith which God hath given you the Mystery of which is held in a pure Conscience stand fast in it then I doubt not but such will quit themselves in this day through the Lords aid and assistance from all the Snares that now are or hereafter may be laid to catch and hurt the innocent and betray the simple So in the peaceable pure wisdom and power of the Lord keep over all the treacherous dealers who set a trap to catch men and who are full of deceit and flattery and will speak you fair sometimes as well as at other times shew their Teeth ready to devour you or eat you up with the wisdom and power of the Lord God keep out of them and over them for their delight is in Mischief to oppress a man and his house but the Lord seeth and knoweth all the intents and purposes of the Wicked with all their wicked works and will reward them accordingly Do you see Clouds to appear and arise remember it is said of Christ That he cometh with the Clouds and then should be a time of great Trouble and how it should be a day of Darkness and Clouds and thick Darkness and that covereth the Earth and Nations for so is the day of the Lord to the Wicked it s a day of gloominess and darkness but not light Now to behold Christ in the Clouds how comfortable and glorious is it but more glorious comfortable to see him expelling of them and causing the shadows of Death and Darkness to vanish away which they do and must do as the Son Christ Jesus the Substance comes into Peoples hearts and is revealed in them You that witness Christ so come see him in the clouds and how he breaks thorow the clouds driveth all away that he may cause his day to dawn more in clearness And Christ said Behold I come as a Thief in the night blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked men see his shame it is not safe in a storm for men to be naked without their garments that should cover them when distress cometh And now a stormy Wind bloweth dear Friends be ye all watchful and clothed with the garments of Praise which God promised to give his People instead of the spirit of Heaviness and it will be a great Wo upon all them that have not the Spirit of the Lord to câ—ver them with in this present Storm and when distress of Nations
cometh that are not as good men and women watching for the Lords coming whether at Mid-night Cock-crow or when ever it be for the day and hour knoweth no man and Christ said In an hour when you think not the Son of Man cometh therefore how are we all concerned to be always ready and prepared for him to serve worship follow him whithersoever he goeth And Christ said When the Son of Man cometh shall he find Faith on the Earth signifying the great loss and want of Faith that shall be when he cometh and what shipwrack will be made of Faith notwithstanding I doubt not but this day of Trouble will be of great use unto all who are honest in heart and have believed with us and provoke such to examine themselves whether now they be in the Faith or not and truly to search their own hearts and thorowly prove themselves and so no doubt but all the Sons and Daughters of Sion will come out of the Furnace more pure than Gold seven times tried in the sire truly a thorow search trial and examination will hurt neither the strong in Christ nor the weakest of the Flock it will doubtless be of great benefit for all to examine themselves whether they be in the faith or not for he that standeth standeth by Faith and liveth by Faith and pleaseth God by Faith and holdeth the Mystery of it in a pure Conscience and worketh Righteousness by Faith and stops the Lyons Mouthes and escapes the edge of the Sword by Faith and out of weakness are made strong through Faith and valiant for the Truth in warring against all that which works against the Truth and is for untruth And Friends to be rich in Faith such durably are made rich and such may be instrumental in the hand of the Lord to make others rich although they be poor in this World for it is the poor of this world rich in Faith that are Heirs of Gods Kingdom So you poor of the Flock that honour God in your day be content with such things as you have nay though you should have less and be made as poor as any are do not repine nor murmur in your hearts against God do not thou say in thy haste Why is my Lot and Portion of this World so little and so hard but mind thy being rich in Faith and still look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of thy Faith that hath made thee rich in Faith and thou wilt be as well contented with such things as thou hast as them who are out of the Faith though they be never so much increased with Corn Wine and Oyl or have this world's Goods in never such abundance And if thou be'st poor and needy consider the poor distressed and stript estate of Gods innocent Servant Job and by what he was upheld and kept from sinning against God let the same Love to God be in thee and the same uprightness and patience will preserve thy goings aright and keep thee from murmuring when thou wantest many things that others enjoy Thou knowest that Dives was rich but Lazarus was poor and was desirous of the crums that fell from the rich mans Table Dives had his good things but Lazarus his evil things in this world a Beggar the Rich man dyed and the Beggar also the Rich man was Wicked and went into Hell to be tormented in that Fire but Lazarus was received into Abraham's Bosom and was blessed and comforted with faithful Abraham who is called the Father of the faithful And you that are poor in this world consider Christ Jesus who in the days of his flesh had not whereon to lay his head though the Foxes had holes and the Birds of the Air their nests and your heavenly Father knoweth what you have need of and will let you want no manner of thing that he seeth good for you be content that you are Heirs of Gods Kingdom and that God hath promised you Treasure in Heaven keep your Hearts to that and prise that above all earthly cankering or the rusty Treasure of this world and it will go well with you forever and evermore The Riches of this World and all its Honour and Glory that is uncertain and takes to it self Wings and flyes away but we being rich in Faith and in good Works that will abide and follow us when we are gone hence and shall be no more seen in this world but the Riches of this world and its Delights and Pleasures will come to an end now are flying away from many whose minds were lifted up and who were puffed up in their minds with it And the Apostle said Charge them that are Rich in this World that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain Riches but in the living God who gave them all things richly to enjoy And Job said Naked came I into this World and naked shall I return again and that the Lord gave and took away and could bless the Name of the Lord He thus said in his poor stript and distressed state and the Love Faith and Patience of Job giveth true contentedness now and such as have it cast their care upon the Lord and he takes care for them And Friends you that are rich in this World keep your Minds out of it or else it will become a snare to you and your Table may become a snare if you keep not low sober in the use of these good things that you enjoy in this world although God gives you them for your welfare yet they may become a trap and if when they encrease you let your hearts after them and set your hearts on them undoubtedly they will prove so to you as well as other People Therefore keep low and take heed to your selves that the Earth get not over you again to oppress and burthen that Seed of God in any of you for then you will begin to walk heavily on and pull back your Shoulder from many good works and services that you might do for God in your day and will neglect the doing of them and if when Riches encrease you set your hearts on it it will steal away the hearts of such from the Lord then what availeth any thing of a drawing near to God with the Tongue or Lips or any Bodily exercise that you may be exercised in For in this state Pride and vain Glory creeps in and a desire after the Glory of the World and a love to it and to deck themselves very unbecoming Truth professed and talked of by them and to get into the vain Fashions and Modes of the world because they have gotten more of it than others they may think that they may get into fine Apparel and needless things the world useth to wear and so much of that which is needless and superfluous is worn by some especially that are young that it is a shame their Parents that have the government of them should suffer them in it So
in Christ Jesus that the Lord may be with you and bless your Undertakings is sincerely the desire of my Soul And my dear Friends in general that love and fear the Lord whatsoever things are good pure honest that are of a good Report or which have any virtue in them think of heartily put in practice without being offended at the least thing or things that really are of God and which he appears in and blesseth his People in the Practice of Oh! be of one accord and one mind therein avoid all corrupt Reasoning and needless Questions about such things as becometh Saints and avoid all Evil Speakers Whisperers Back-biters and Tale-bearers who thereby would cool Brotherly Love or make Discord divide the Body of Christ Member from Member to lay waste Gods Heritage and trample upon his pleasant portion In the fear and wisdom of God keep that you may be made capable Instruments to stop such evil Instruments and whatsoever is â—ad impure dishonest and of a bad Report And in the Life of Righteousness and pure Judgment thereof stand up for God as faithful Witnesses against that which would defile and work Abomination when and where-ever it would enter to hurt and spoil the Vines for our Vines have tender Grapes and the Lord of the Vineyard looks for Grapes from his Vineyard but will be displeased with sower Grapes whosoever bringeth them forth And shut out all self-Interest that which would lead you to respect Persons in Judgment that nothing which is Evil may escape Judgment within in the particular nor in such amongst us that do profess the Truth of God whoever they be rich or poor and that the Righteous may be justified in Judgment that an equal hand of true Judgment and Justice may still be born and flow forth towards all of the Houshould of Faith without respect to Persons God Almighty be with you all and keep you in your strong Tower of safety the name power of the Lord now the winds blow hard and the sea swells if any of you go out of the name of the Lord into which you are gathered and seek to save your selves without the Lord and his counsel you cannot be safe what course beside soever you take Therefore keep with the Lord in his name light life he will be with you to save deliver you out of the hands of all your Enemies but do not prescribe the Lord a way how to work deliverance or bring salvation leave that to him that it belongs unto the time and manner of his saving and making bare and stretching forth of his hand but stand fast in believing be still and know continually that God is God and by Faith in his power you will see such things brought to pass as your Eyes yet never beheld done by Gods almighty Power Manifest your selves still peaceable and quietly wait upon the Lord who for the cry of the oppressed will arise and his Arm will put on strength he will help the poor and needy and will have mercy upon Zion and favour his People who eye him and cost not away their confidence which you have had in his Power and Gods everlasting Covenant of Light Life and Power feel made with you even the sure Mercies of David and the bright and morning Sear to direct you and guide you in all your ways that none of you may err or go astray any more And remember Gods Covenant and Promise which is sure that he made with David and his seed which greatly comforted David in his afflictions and troubles that his House was not with God as it ought to have been be thought upon Gods everlasting Covenant he regarded that and believed God would perform it in a time when be made it not to grow and God said As my Covenant is wiâ—h the day and night that there shall be day and night in their proper seasons so is my Covenant with David and with his seed forever David shall not want a man to sit upon his Throne from henceforth forever And the Lord said If I break my Covenant with the day and the night that there shall not be day night then will I break my Covenant with David But we see God continues his Covenant with the day night in their season as in his eternal wisdom counsel be appointed in the beginning set all thing in order which he had made the day night ever since according to Gods Covenant hath remained and kept their order even so God made his Covenant with David and his Seed Therefore dear Friends feel that you are all of the Seed and Off-spring of David the bright and morning Star and feel and be sensible of his sure Mercies and Covenant with you and extended towards you continually and having received such Mercies and precious Promises faint not whatever may become of your outward Man or Estates in this world freelâ— give up all to the Lord from whom you have obtained many favours and peculiar deliverances when you were in great straits and have been sorely beset with the Enemy within and without how did the Lord then appear to stand by you and strengthen you when you had no other helper nor looked for Salvation or strength in the day of trouble from any other certainly then was Gods time to appear who then did confound your Foes and stop and drive back the Powers of Darkness that withâ—â—ood the Lords work by his Power in you â—nd which he hath also begun in the Nations of the Earth which he will carry on and prosper for his Names sake and Covenants sake which in all things is well ordered and sure in which God Almighty keep you and establish you all for evermore Your Friend Brother who forever desires to be found one with the faithful in every good word and work JAMES PARKE Alton in Hampshire â—he latter end of the 11th Mon. 1682.