in all your Hearts that the little Seeâ— of Life may become as a great Tree and every one of you may witness a sitting under your own Vine Christ in you the Hope of Glory and none to make you afraid And dear Friends look not out at others but keep at home in the Light the Tent Jacob shall dwell alone and not be numbred among the Nations Esau he hunts abroad and grows weary and faint and then sells his Birthright for a Mess of Pottage What if some stumble and fall from the Truth let not that shake you Truth is the same still and changeth not and if you see some turn aside from us into a Self separation from the Body of Friends and endeavour to draw Disciples after them let not that cause you to stumble and question the Certainty of Truth neither be you drawn away and tost about like Children by them but keep to the Light and in it follow the Foot-steps of the Flock but follow not the Foot-steps of the Wandering Sheep that have left their Flock and are gone astray who are like to perish by the devouring Beast and Enemy of their Souls except in time they return again to the Fold And if you see some amongst our selves setting or keeping up that thing or practice which is out of the comly desent Order of the Body and not consistant with Truth 's Government let not that beget an Occasion of stumbling in your Minds but be still and keep your Eye single to the Lord and walk as you have them for an Example that are over you in the Lord who fully follow Christ Jesus And as for that which is only set up and â—eld up by Man out of Truth 's Order it will die and pass away and Truth will out-live all So unto the Lord who hath called you out of Darkness into his marvellous Light do I commit you to be preserved unto himself unto the End For many are called but few chosen he that abides to the End the same shall be sâ—ved To the true Mourner in Sion To appoint to them that mourn in Sion and to give them the Oyl of Joy for Mourning c. Blessed are you that mourn for you shall be comforted They that sow in Tears shall reap in Joy c. Isaiah 61. 3. Matth. 5. 4. Psal 126. 5 6. OH lift up thy head thou bowed down thou Mourner in Sion who art as one alone in a solitary place and few seeth thee or knoweth thy Sorrow or truly sensible of thy Grief or behold thy Tears who art in thine own Eye as a Woman forsaken and grieved in Spirit as a Wife of Youth rejected who appears in thy own Eyes as it were Miserable and Wretched mourning in the sence of thy own as thou thinkest Unworthiness Failings Inability Emptiness and Poverty who art ready to say with sorrow Where is there any so Poor Empty Barren and Unfruitful to God as I Oh I can do nothing for the Lord except like Mary Weep behind him thinking my self scarce worthy to see his Face and wash his Feet with my Tears whilst others sit at the Table with him and eat of the Fatness of his House and drink of the New-wine of his Kingdom but alas for me my Tears are my Meat and Drink because of the oppression of my Enemy who saith to my Soul Where is thy God dost thou think thou snalt ever be worthy to behold his Face to receive his Love and to have the Smiles of his Countenance And thou O mourning one by hearkening to and believing thy Enemy becometh in thy own eye like an alone Sparrow upon the Flouse-top and as the alone Quail in the Stubble-field and as a Dove alone mourning for the loss of her Mate and so thou layest thee down in Sorrow and makest it thy Bed and Grief thy Sheets Tears thy Pillow and Sighing and Mourning thy Sleep whilst thou believest thy Enemy and entertainest those Fears Doubtings and Carnal Reasonings which he infuseth into thy Heart as thy Companion But arise I say unto thee in the Name of my God and thy God of my Father and thy Father arise out of thy Bed for thy Beloved is at hand and knocketh at the door of thy Heart arise out of thy Bed of Sorrow Fears and Doubtings and by Faith let him in whom thy Soul loveth say not I am not worthy of him but rather say Lord I believe help thou my unbelief strengthn my Faith make me more worthy of thee Oh shut him out no longer by unbelief and doubtings and by reasoning with and hearkening unto the Enemy of thy Souls Joy Peace and Comfort who would always keep thee from thy Beloved and would daily add Sorrow to thy Sorrow and Affliction to thy Grief and Weight to thy Burden that he might if he could wholly sink thee down into the Pit of Desparation forever Wherefore hearken no longer unto him for he was a Lyar from the beginning entertain him not nor his false Instigations any longer nâ—r by unbelief keep not him out any longer whom thou lovest and much desirest but by that small measure of Faith thou sometimes feel'st in God though it be but as a Grain of Mustard seed endeavour to thrust and keep out the Enemy and to remove the Mountains of Fears and Doubtings out of the way and by Faith embrace him whom thy Soul desires more then Rubies or much fine Gold that so the Nâ—ghâ—s of thy Sorrow and Mourning for him in thy Bed of Fears and Doubtings may be turned into sweet reposes with him in his Bed of Solace that thou mayst say with gladness of heart the False Accuser is cast out and my Beloved is come is come and his reward is with him he hath taken me from my mourning state into his Banqueting-house of Joy Peace Rest and true Satisfaction and his Banner over me is Love and now my Sorrow is turned into Joy and I that once sate mourning in the Pit of doubtings and unbelief hath the Lord upon the wings of Faith raised up to come to sing in the hight of Sion and to flow to the goodness of my God who hath exalted my Horn in him and enlarged my Mouth over my Enemy whose Mouth was enlarged over me in the day I bowed under him through unbelief and doubtings Oh then feebleness possessed my Loins weakness my Knees and faintness my Heart so that when I rose up to go towards my Beloved I fell by doubtings and fears but now I that stumbled am by Faith in the Power of my God girt with Strength and the Bow of the mighty man that prevailed against me broken in pieces who so often wounded me with his Darts that I was like to poor Lazarus full of Wounds Bruises and Sores but the Great Physician of Souls hath healed me with the Oyl of Faith and Salvation and now I find that it is the Lord that bindeth up the broken in heart healeth all their wounds Oh
Mal. 3. 1 2 3 4. the fire that are purged even as gold is purged and tryed and as silver is tryed by him the Light of Israel who is as a Refiners Fire and like Fullers Sope that can offer unto God an Offering in Righteousness and their offerings is pleasant unto the Lord but the polluted Isa 10 17. Sacrifices the halt the blind and the lame is abomination unto the pure God of purity who is Blessed Blessed for evermore And dear People who have desires in you after the Lord towards you doth my bowels yearn where ever you are scattered among the many â—ects and heaps this is a tender invitation unto you that have been spending your mony for that which is not bread and your labour for that which hath not yet satisfied your Souls but still you are a thirsty for want of drink and an hungry for want of food Oh dear people retire inward retire inward hunt no longer abroad run no longer from one broken Cistern to another wait no longer at the Wells that men have digged draw no longer at them for still you thirst again But oh retire to within turâ— your minds inward and wait to find and feel that in you which you so carefully with sorrow hath been seeking without you even to know Jacob's Well in you which hath been dammed up with Earth by the uncircumcised whilest you have been hunting abroad therefore turn your minds inward to feel the gift that Christ gives the Water that he gives saith Christ to the Woman of Samaria The water which I will give thee shall Mark be in thee John 4. 14. a Well of water springing up unto Eternal life So the Water that Christ gives it 's within therefore turn inward to his pure gift in your own Hearts to his pure Light in your own Consciences for that comes from him and leads unto him them that do it love follow and obey the Fountain of living Water who satisfieth the thirst of the thirsty and feedeth the hungry with good things Therefore retire inward in your minds and come unto him and learn of him who is meek and low in Mae 11. 28 29 30. Isa 55. 2 3. the heart to wit Christ in you except ye be Reprobates hearken diligently unto him and eat ye that which is good no longer feed upon the husks and let your souls delight themselves in fatness come unto him encline your ear hear and your Soul shall live and enter into Covenant with him who will be your God and you shall be his people And so dear people it is not enough for any to have a profession and a talk of God and Christ in words without the enjoyment and possession of him It is not enough to confess and believe that Christ died at Jerusalem for sinners and he hath done all for you c. for the drunkard and the swearer will say as much as this and make a confession of Christ in words as many professors do who say They are justified by Christ and he hath done all for them and yet they are still in their sins in the pride covetousness vanity pomp and vain glory of the world in it's vain customs inventions and traditions seeking and loving it's honour and respect seeking and loving the praise of men more then the praise of God But dear people it is not enough to confess Christ without and say you believe in him c. except you come to know him made manifest in you to destroy the works of the Devil for your professing and confessing of Christ dying at Jerusalem c. doth not cleanse your Hearts nor sanctifie your Souls nor purge your Consciences from dead works to serve the living God in newness of life but still you see you are Bond-slaves unto sin and corruption and led captive with the lusts and desires of your own hearts and it will be so dear people until you turn your minds inward to the purâ— light of Christ in you that doth discover the sin and corruption of your own hearts and as you come to believe in that to love and follow that you will come to feel and find the working our of the old leaven of sin iniquity and corruption and working you into its nature and so come to see and feel and witness not only atalk of it but your Regeneration wrought by Christ in you the Immortal Word to be borâ— again of it the Seed incorruptible which must be known within to bruise the Serpents head the god of the world the wicked spirit that leads man into sin which hath been exalted in the heart of man and hath been Lord Head and King there and the holy Seed the pure life that hath suffered that hath been oppressed even as a Cart is oppressed with sheaves that hath been pierced wounded and crucified the Just hath suffered for the Unjust he hath long been a man of sorrows and largely acquainted with grief he hath been smitten and thou hast esteemed him not but oh he hath been wounded for and by thy transgressions and bruised by and for thy iniquities he hath born thy iniquity whilst thou like a sheep hast gone astray and followed thy own way But oh now return unto the good Shepherd who lays down his life for his Sheep and gathereth the scattered into the fold of Rest where he feeds them and causeth them to lie down in the fresh Pastures of life where none can make them afraid and feed and sup with him who is their daily Bread their Life their Rest their Joy and Delight So dear poople whose desires are after the Lord but are she King for Salvation and after a God afar off I beseech you to return inward because I fervently desire that your Souls might come to taste of the love and sweet peace of my God which is that which would satisfie your Souls and to take heed to that in your hearts which as light shineth in a dark place discovering unto you the deeds of darkness and the works of the night to be evil and fear not that It will deceive ye for it is the sure word of Prophecy 2 Pet. 1. 19. unto which you do well to take heed until the day dawn in your hearts and light shine out of darkness and wholly extinguish the night and give no heed to them who speak evil of the way of the Lord and count Truth to be error and Light darkness even as the professing Jews they boasted of Moses and of the Law and of the Prophets but when he whom Moses and the Prophets prophesied of whom the Law did figure out who fulfills the Law who was the life of Moses and the Prophets he came unto them but they hated him and said We Know that God spake by Moses but as for this fellow we know not whence he is he Mat. 9 29. the 8. 4 8. the 12. 24 11 ch 18 16. is a Gluttoner a Wine-bibber a friend
it worketh not without the Soul 's yeilâ—ing obedience thereunto so far as to work its translation yet not the Soul's work but the work of God in and upon the Soul for though Christ is come a Light into the World and is the Salvation of God yet they that believe not in him he is their Condemnation and yet sufficient Salvation to them who believe in him and obey him for as the Light manifesteth Evil yet if the Creature yeild not obedience thereunto he cannot have â—ower over the Evil but if he yeild obedience to the Light it gives him power over Evil yet not the Creatures Power but the Power of God which begetteth thâ— Will and â—h◠〈◊〉 also therefore perfect obedience to the Light the Lord requireth of every one and daily to Watch and Wrestle â—gainst that which is condemnable by the Light for so long as the Creature knowingly lives in that whether in Words â—â— Deedâ— that it seeth to be reprovable by the Light it cannot injoy perfect peace with God for the peace of God is enjoyed iâ— the Light and truely if that Condemn surely the Lord doth not Justifie though many believe they are Justified in the sight of God through Christ although the Witness of God leâ—s them see that they are yet in their Sins and condemns them for Sin and this Faith or rather Unbelief which leads them to believe that they nor none else can be made free from all Sin on this side the Grave and yet they imagin that they are free from it in the sight of God but beware of that Faith for it is accursed and is not the true Faith which is the gift of God which through Christ saveth from all Sin for that Faith admits of Sin but the Faith of Gods Elect sets free from all Sin for where the Wicked one hath seated this Faith or Perswasion in the Heart it is hard indeed for such a one to come to Live in the Life of Truth which is holy for as the Light doth let the Soul see it is in its Sins and brings Trouble and Condemnation upon the Mind for Sin and begets a desire also in the Heart to be freed from Sin for it feels it lie as a weighty load upon its Conscience behold even then the Wicked one who hath begot this perswasion in the Creature that it cannot be freed from all Sin here though freed from Sin in the sight of God and this perswasion causes the Creature to do dispite to the Spirit of Grace and strive to quench its Reproofs and so get at ease in that cursed Faith and in that wrong Believe and sit down short of the Peace of God so that which begot desires in the Creature to be freed from Sin comes to be vailed and slain and many Thousands are in this State who are large Boasters who are boasting that they are Justified by Christ and that Christ hath done all for them and if they can believe it that is sufficient and yet still in their Sins Now the Apostle Paul saith If while we seek to be Justiâ—â—ed by Christ we our selves be found Sinners Is Christ therefore the Minister of Sin God forbid and he saith Shall we continue in Sin that Grace may abound God forbid for how can we who are Dead to Sin Live any longer therein and he said They who are Justified by Faith through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus which Redemption is a redeeming out of Sin and their Faith gave them power over the World and did not admit of Sin as the Professors Faith doth who believe they can never be free from all Sin in this Life Oh in tender Love I beseech you to beware of that Delution and Perswasion of the Wicked one for it is very dangerous and a broad way which the Creature is prone to run into now there is a great difference betwixt such who with the Light seeth much Sin which they are addicted unto yet to be subdued and it is their sore Burden and they in the strength of the Light wrestle against it and so feel it daily decrease and that Faith begoâ— by which they see and believe that they shall be made Conquerors over all as they abide faithful to the Light which lets them see Sin I say there is a great difference betwixt such as are there in that State travelling out of Sin out of Egypt where the Bondage is towards Sion where the Freedom is and such as are sate down satisfied in a false Confidence and in a wrong Belief continuing in their Sins and believe they shall not be free from it here but you know otherwise therefore in the Life of what you know abide for truly it is the Life that must make alive and keep alive to God which Life is the Light of men the true Light which lighteth every one thaâ— cometh into the World and is the Salvation of God and therein wait and feel your Minds exercised in its operation for this changeth the Mind the Thoughts the Affections and Desires for as they have been Earthly so they become Heavenly and it becomes the Souls delight to answer the end of the Lord and to endeavour to walk worthy of his Love and it becomes its Life to do the Will of God and to follow the Leadings of his Spirit which leadeth out of Evil but before this be witnessed the strait and narrow Way must be known felt and lived in and there must be a passing through the Fire through the Water through the one Baptizing which baptiseth into Death and so translateth into Life in which Life it will become your Life to do the Will of God Oh dear Father and Mother keep I beseech you to the Gift of God in your own particulars and be obedient to its Leadings and therein watch diligently continually and with it try your Thoughts and Words and Intents before you bring them forth and if they be reprovable give theâ— up to the Light the Fire to be consumed dear Hearts it is in unexpressible Love that I write thus unto you and be very wary of spaking things by contraries which you are addicted to for there is no Lye of the Truth and he that abideth in the Truth is preserved out of the Lye he that loveth the Light bringeth his Deeds to the Light to try them whether they be wrought in God so be not forward to utter Words but feel the Light of Christ to guide and lead you and bring your Thoughts and Words to it to try them whether you may speak them yea or nay now if they be reprovable by the Light then they are to dye and not be brought forth for if they be this grieveth the Righteous Spirit of God and breaks your Peace with the Lord for if his Witness Condemn he doth not Justifie so the Creature keeping low in the pure Fear and Dread of the Lord it dare not do that whether in Thought Word or Deed which it
seeth to be Vain and Evil if it could gain the whole World by it but truly the Professors are out of this Condition though they can talk of the Fear of the Lord and scarce one of a 〈…〉 is come â—here into that state but this is a hard 〈…〉 is able to bear it yet it is a true saying though 〈…〉 believe it oh the largest Talkers and Declarers and Knowers even of the highest sort are farthest from the Life of Truth which is holy for truly such are settled on their Lees and have been building long and very high and have gathered much Riches and it is hard for these to loose all and their Building to fall and not one Stone to be left upon another but all to be thrown down oh the Lord God of Compassion is a gathering many tender Hearts from amongst them who hunger and breath after him and is not satisfied with the Husks the Shadows and Dead Forms in which they dwell and poor Hearts they have been long running from Mountain to Hill and have sought after the Lord even fervently Day after Day Year after Year and could not find him whom their Souls longed for but now such is the Lord a gathering into his Fold where they shall enjoy their Shepherd and their Souls shall not want So once more do I in tender Love direct you to the Gift of God in your own particulars and therein wait upon the Lord for Power from the Lord over that which is contrary to the Lord and condemnable by his Light in your own Hearts and keep in the fewness of Words for too many Words becometh not those who professeth Godliness but let your Words be few and let them savour of the Grace of God which leadeth into a Meek Sober Modest Chast Lifâ— that so your upright sober Conversation may preach Righteousness even to the convincing of them who have been as Teachers over you whom ye will come to see as you keep to the measure of God and know them to be a People whose Minds are at Liberty and are at case in the Flesh and know not a Stay to their Minds a Stop to their Thoughts a Bridle to their Tongues which if they be not come to know feel and abide therein let their Knowledge never so large their Declarations never so high their Words never so deep yea and true also yet I say and my saying is true though hard to many to bear that if such come not and keep not to that which is to be a Stay to the Mind a Stop to their Thoughts a Brible to their Tongues a Lanthorn to their Fâ—â—â— a Light â—o their Steps their Knowledge their Declarations their Works and their Suffering it is all in vain and a Babe of the Heavenly Birth sees and comprehends them and their large Coverings are to narrow to hide them from their Eye Well into the hand of the Lord do I commit you for to come to be gathered into and preserved in the pure Fear of God Watchful and Diligent in the Light and to War and Wrestle in the strength of it against that which you see is to be Mortified so be willing to pass through the strait Gate into the narrow Way to walk which few findeth and are made willing to walk therein But the First shall be Last and the Last First for many are Called and but few Chosen And dear Ones one thing more I have to say unto you beware and take heed of Condemning one another for doing that Evil which you see your selves are addicted unto but first see it Subdued and Mortified in your selves whether it be in Word or Action before you Condemn others for it though they be Prophane People and when you spake a Word of Reproof to any beware of doing it in a light Frothy way as many do even in the light Airy Spirit which bringeth forth the same things in themselves but let it be done in the Sober Solled Seasoned Savoury Holy Spirit of the Lord God that it may reach to the VVitness of God in them unto whom you speak and then is it profitable so the Lord God Almighty Infinite and VVise preserve me and you and all his little Ones in his holy Awe and Dread and therein to pass the time of our Pilgrimagâ— here in Fear and Trembling Farwell From your Son who is come into the Heirship of Eternity William Bennit Bliborough Goal the 5th Month 1661. A tender and unfained Salutation of Love and Good-will to Professors c. THe Lord God Almighty hath and is a looking down upon the Sons and Daughters of Men and hath and doth behold many of them even as poor scattered Sheep without a Shepherd wandering as in the Desarts and waste howling Wilderness wandering as upon the barren Mountains and dry Heaths hungry and thirsty their souls unsatisfied seeking diligently for food upon the barren Mountains running from Mountain to Mountain and from Hill to Hill and cannot find that Food that will truly satisfy their hungry Souls and running from one broken Cistern to another and cannot find one drop of water that will truly refresh their thirsty Souls who are seeking the living God amongst the dead Forms and seeking Meat among the Shells and the Substance among the Shadows and cannot find that which they seek after nor enjoy him whom their Souls longeth for seeking rest and can find no true Rest desiring to know where the Lord God the good Shepherd of Israel feeds his Sheep and Lambs and where they lie down in quietness and rest free from the fear of Evil. And this the Lord God of pity hath seen and in his Infinite tender bowels hath been and now is moved with yearnings of pity and compassion towards them and for his own Seeds sake he hath and is in Mercy to them Ezek. 34. 11 c stretching forth the Hand of his loving kindness unto them to gather in one the scattered to gather together in one the dispersed to bring home the wanderer and the prodigal that hath long fed upon the husks among the Swine to the Fathers house of plenty where there is bread enough and water faileth not Yea the Lord God Almighty of Heaven and Earth hath and is lifting up an Ensign for the Nations and hath and will assemble the out-casts of Jacob and the dispersed Judah from the four corners of the Earth and hath and will return the Captivity of his People and then Jacob shall be glad and Israel shall rejoyce in him the steam of Psal 14. 7. Jesse which doth and shall stand for an Ensign for the people and unto him doth and shall the Gentiles seek and his rest is and shall be sweet and glorious to the poor for whom he will Judge in Righteousness and Reprove with Equity for the meek of the Earth who will smite the Earth with the Rod of his Mouth and with the breath of his Lips will he slay the Wicked and Rule the Nations
them they receive power through it to become the Sons of God for through his Grace doth he manifest his power in them that believe in the Light to the drawing of their hearts and minds out of the ungodliness and worldly lusts and to the teaching of them to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world and thus the free Grace of God bringeth Salvation to their Souls And so dear people thus you who come to believe in the Light to love and obey the Light in your own Consciences will come to feel and witness the work of the Lord God in your hearts the working and opperation of the Word of Life to the casting out of the Bond-woman and her Son which is not to inherit to the binding of the strong man and casting of him out yea the Old man with his deeds is to be put off and you renewed in the spirit of your minds and the new Man is to Eph. 4. 20 21 22 23. be put on who after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness to put him on and to bring him forth before all men the only begotten Son of God who is full of Grace and Truth Mercy and Love Pity and Compassion Purity and Holiness and Good-will towards all who loveth Enemies and doth good to them that hate him c. So coming to the Light Christ Jesus you come to the Substance to him in whom the Figures Types and Shaddows end in and so come to witness him in you who fulfils all Righteousness he who is the end of the Law for â—ighteousness sake unto them that believe in him and to be Circumcised in him with the Circumcision Col. 2. 11 12. made without hands by the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the Circumcision of Christ which the outward Circumcision was a figure of and to witness the Baptism of Christ which is with the Holy Ghost and fire which John's Baptism with water outward was a true figure of and he bore Testimony unto Christ the Light of the world who said I must decrease but he must increase I indeed baptise you with water but he Christ Jesus who was before me shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with Fire whose fan is in his hand and he shall throughly purge his floor the Wheat he shall gather into his Garner but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire So the outward water was but a type the outward washing a type of the inward washing and inward cleansing and inward purging and purifying by the Water of Life or the Blood of Jesus that cleanseth from all sin which is felt thus to work in them who believe in the Light and walk in the Light and they come to know that begotten in them that feeds upon the flesh of Christ which is the living Bread upon which the living Soul seeds and is the Substance which the Bread and Wine outward did figure out which the Manna that God gave the Israel of old in the Wilderness was a pure type of the heavenly Manna the living Bread vvhich the birth that is born of God feeds upon and lives thereby and grows up into Eternal life The day of gathering is come wherein the Lord God of everlasting bowels of Compassion is a gathering the despersed and seeking that which was lost and bringing back that which was driven away and healing that Ezek. 34. 12 13 14 9 16. which was sick and binding up that which was broken but the strong and the fat he is feeding with Judgment The Lord is a gathering people out of the Forms Shels and Shadows wherein many have long stuck and is bringing of them to the Substance and life it self out of the many Sects and heaps and divers ways into the one pure path into the one way of Life Light Peace Truth and Righteousness who by the one Spirit hath and is baptising them who believe in the Light 1 Cor. 12. 13 into the one body wherein the unity the oneness and the fellowship is witnessed blessed be his Name The way of the Lord is pure and Righteous and unchangable I am the Way the Truth and the Life saith Christ John 14. 6. Rom. 10. 8 John 12. 46. 8. 12. the immortal Word which saith Paul is nigh in the heart to be obeyed and done This is he the Light the Salvation of God the true Light that lighteth every man that commeth into the world who saith None can come unto the Father but by me I am come a Light into the world saith Christ that whosoever believe in me shall not abide in darkness but shall have the light of life Therefore dear people love the Light and believe in the Light while ye have the Light that so you may become children of the Light and become heirs of an Inheritance incorruptible that will never fade away There is no obtaining the Crown but through the Cross and this you will come to know who come to love the Light and to be taught of him and to learn of him who is meek and low in heart Mat 11. 29 and 6. 13. and 10. 38. and to follow him in the strait and narrow way that leads to life which few there be that find it and walk therein He that will be my Disciple saith Christ must deny himself and take up his dayly Cross and follow me This you will come to feel and witness if you be followers of the Light a dayly denying of self you will know a denying of your own wills your own desires your own thoughts your own affections your own words and works your own wisdom and righteousness and a daily taking up the Cross an hourly living in the Cross through which you must come to be crucified to the World its Vanity its Pomp Pastime and Pleasures Sins and Iniquities vain Words Psal 6. 14 Works Fashions Customs Inventions and Traditions so coming to be crucified with Christ unto the world and to be Baptised into death with him unto sin you will come to live with him unto God in the life of Righteousness in whom then you will find that Rest Satisfaction Joy Comfort and Peace which no man can give unto you So dear people who are seeking and desiring after the Lord God to find peace and comfort to your souls this I leave with you flee not from that which doth judg you in your own hearts for sin and evil and bring trouble upon you and sorrow upon you and woundeth and pierceth you in secret because of Transgression I say love that flee not from it for oh dear people how many is there that when they have been judged by Gods pure light in their hearts for their sins when trouble and sorrovv and distress hath seized on them because of their sins vvhich Gods Witness hath set in order before their eyes then have they run unto vain helps and run unto man for
this Form and in the other Form running from Mountain to Hill from one Man to another to enquire for him vvhom our Souls long for but vve still vvant the true enjoyment of him And although man hath told us vve should find him there in this Way and in the other Way in this Form and in the other Form in this Ordinance and the other Ordinance wherein we have been tossed about and turned from one broken Cistern to another but still wâ— want true satisfaction for our souls for we want the true enjoyment of the assurance of the Love and Peace of God wherefore come let us no longer hunt abroad nor run any longer from one man to another But oh come let us retire our minds inward and in stillness and quietness in sollidness and seriousness let us wait upon the Lord and he himself will teach us of his wayes and lead us into the path of Righteousness where we shall meet him whom our souls hath long panted after even as the Hart panteth after the water Brooks wherefore let us wait upon the Lord for the Lord is good to the man that waiteth for him to the â—am 3 25 26. Soul that seeketh him Therefore come let us both hope and quietly without hunting any more abroad wait to find and feel in our selves the salvation of the Lord that so we may in truth come to find and to say He is come he is come and made manifest in us whom our souls longed after and behold his reward is with him even joy comfort peace rest and satisfaction to our souls Lo this is the Lord we have waited for him Lo this is our God whom vve have vvaited for novv let us rejoyce and be glad in his salvation and praise his Eternal Name I say dear people tovvards you is the opening and yearning of my bovvels in the casting of this my Mite amongst you in the meekness and humility of my soul and the God of Heaven for his ovvn Seed sake make it a service of good to you And then vvill the onely end of my soul herein be ansvvered thereby vvho am your friend and one vvho desires that you off the barren mountains may be gathered and brought dovvn into the lovv valley into the fresh pastures of life vvhere you may feed vvith Gods Babes and Lambs and lie dovvn in the sold of rest and peace that you might find bread in your own houses and vvater in your cisterns the oyl in the Cruse that vvill not fail but vvill satisfie your souls in drought and make fat your bones that you might become like a vvatered garden and like a spring of vvater whose vvaters fail not Take this as a Salutation of the love and good-vvill of my soul to you vvho am a friend to all people one that ovvns and desires to tender nourish strengthen the least appearance of God in any A lover of honesty and uprightness in vvhomsoever I find it but a hater of hypocrisie and deceit A Traveller in the vvomb of supplication for the restoring and gathering in of the scattered sheep and bringing home the dispierced of the Fold that all may knovv one sheep-fold and one shepherd From one of the least amongst many of the chosen Generation and peculiar people of God called Quakers vvhose earthen vessel is knovv by this Name WILLIAM BENNIT Postscript DEar People you in whose hearts there is some tenderness and conscienciousness towards the Lord God if you because of by-ends and self-interests and through letting in by your reasoning and consulting with flesh and blood the slavish fear of man whose breath is in his Nostrils and can but if by God permitted kill the body doth consent and condescend thereby for to save your selves from or out of sufferings either by body or estate to do and joyn with that which you are really perswaded in your hearts is quite contrary to the mind and will of God and so knows it to be evil and also contrary to your own Consciences hereby in so doing you may engage the Lord God against you in your fearing man more then God and come to loose your tenderness and conscienciousness to God-ward and so hardness of heart may come upon you and so you wholly die and wither away as to all tenderness and conscienciousness towards God even as grass upon the house top But you dear people in whom there is tenderness and conscienciousness towards the Lord God if you be faithful to the Lord in your not joyning with nor consenting to do the thing for any by-ends or private interests whatsoever although it be set up and tollerated and compelled to be done by a Law from man which you are in your hearts truly and really perswaded is evil and contrary to the mind and will of God and also contrary to your own Consciences but rather are willing to expose your selves to suffer whatever the Lord God of Almighty power and everlasting strength before whose Eternâ—l Almightiness and Everlasting Powerfulness all the strength and power of the Arm of flesh is even like a puff of smoak before a mighty wind shall suffer man who to day is and to morrow is not to inflict upon you you hereby will even engage the Lord God of everlasting bowels of infinite compassion who is and will be a strength to the poor feeble weak and needâ— a shadow unto them from the heat a refuge unto them from the storm when the blast of the terrible One come upon them like an overflowing flood to stand for you and to help you in your need and in your greatest straights when you as Peter are ready to cry Help Lord I sink to appear to and for you in the greatest measure of his love who right well knows what you have need of to minister strength unto you proportionable to your tryals And hereby dear people â—our tenderness and conscientiousness may dayly increase and you come to make conscience of that which you have not made conscience of and then you may come to find and witness that this day of tryals sufferings and tribulations is a blessed day to you and turneth through the mercy and loving kindness of the Lord towards you for your good so that you may come to bless and praise his name for it unto whom be praise and glory for evermore But a woful day to Hypocrites who hath gotten on a garment of profession of God and Christ c for a cloak to cover their unrighteousness and deceit an unwelcome day to them a terrible day to them for it will stain their crowns and mar their beauty and subdue their strength and slay their power and pull down their strong holds rip off their sheeps cloathing pull down their gay Tombs and painted Sepulchres and their rottenness stink and nakedness will appear So be it so be it Amen saith my soul For Friends of Truth in the Town of Yarâ—outh DEar Friends whom the Lord God Almighty hath
and at the remembrance of Sion and in the sence of thy separation from her thou didst pant oh my soul thou didst pant after Sion the Land of thy nativity Oh! as the Hart panâ—eth after the water brooks crying in the anguish of thy sorrow how long Lord how long shall I be a captive in a strange Land with longing dâ—sires in thy heart after Sion thinking in thy heart oh when shall I walk with the ransomed of the Lord upon the Mountain of Sion and travel with the Lords redeemed in the streets of Jerusalem and in that day oh my soul the Lord for his own Seeds sake had regard unto thy cries and thy tears and sorrows was not hid from the view of his tender pitiful eye and in tender mercy and bowels of compassion towards thee he through his free love unto thee brought thee forth out of Babilon the Land of thy captivity and set thy face towards Sion thy desired rest oh my soul But oh oh my soul how oft wert thou bewildered in thy going even after thy face was turned towards Sion travelling thitherward saying in thy heart oh I will go joyn my self unto Sion in a perpetual Covenant which shall never be broken losing thy way some times wandering as it were in the wilderness in the deserts and solitary places hungry and thirsty my soul even fainting with weakness and then didst thou cry unto the Lord in thy distress and he helpt thee out of all thy troubles he took thee by the right hand and brought thee into the right way in which thou mightest come to thy desired rest oh my soul And now oh my soul thou art come to Sion with songs and everlasting joy upon thy head and thou hast obtained joy and gladness and thy sighing and mourning is fled away And now oh my soul thou that wert in a desert doth rejoyce and as a wilderness are made glad and as a solitary Place doth blosom as a Rose as a dry heath now as a fruitful valley as the parched ground now as the moist mould that drinketh in the rain that comes upon it Now oh my soul thou in truth canst say the wilderness doth rejoyce and the desert and solitary place is made glad and blossom as a Rose water comes forth out of the wilderness and streams in the desert the parched ground is become a pool and the dry heath springs of water now the mourner rejoyces and the heavy hearted is made glad and beauty is giving in stead of ashes the oyl of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness now oh my soul is thy horn exalted in the Lord in whom thy mouth is enlarged over thy enemies ah the Lord maketh rich and he maketh poor he woundeth and he maketh whole he killeth and he maketh alive he bringeth down and he raiseth up he raiseth up the poor out of the dust and the beggar from off the dunghil and setteth them among Princes and causeth them to inherit the seat of Glory Yea the full he emptieth that they hire themselves out for bread and they that were hungry and empty he filleth with good things yea the barren he causeth to bear seven and she that hath had many children is waxed feeble this is the Lords doing and it is morvellous in thy eyes oh my soul Oh! my soul my soul thou canst in truth say thy winter is in measure over and gone and the stormy wind is fled away and the cold parching frosts are dissolved and the spring and summer is come and the Sun with its warm beams breaks forth and the gentle showers descends and the time of the singing of birds is come and the turtle is heard in thy land oh my soul and the vine putteth forth her tender grapes and the fig-tree with her pleasant figs give a goodly smell And now oh my soul thou canst set under thy vine and under thy fig-tree with thy beloved and who shall make thee afraid with whom thou canst walk into his pleasant garden of delights among tâ—â— beds of spices and feed among the lillies and there solace thy self in the bosome of his love For oh my soul oh my soul there was a time when thou oh my soul hadst lost thy beloved and thou soughtst him by night upon thy bed and in the broad ways but thou foundst him not and therefore sorrow compassed thee as a wall about and mourning covered thee as a garment and thou couldst have no rest until thou hadst found thy beloved crying fiercely in thy heart saying in thy ardent desires after him oh oh thou art hid from me as in the clifts of the rocks and as in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy countenance and let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely and when he did someâ—imes shew himself unto thee behind the wall or as through a lattice and put his fingers in by the hole of the door thy bowels were moved for him But now oh my soul thou dost enjoy his presence which is sweet and pleasant to thee he is as a bundle of myrrhe he is thy joy thou sits under his shadow with great delight for he is a bower of spices unto thee and his fruit is sweet to thy taste he hath brought thee into his banketting house where his banner over thee is love where he comforteth thee with the flaggons of his love he causeth thee to drink of his spiced wine which is as the liquor of life and the juyce of his pomegranates which is as honey to thy taste Oh my soul he filleth thee with good things that so thou mightest become as a watered garden and as a spring of water whose water fails not that thy bones might flourish as an herb and thy kidneys be covered with fatness and thy belly become as an oily Brook thus hath the Lord thy tender God thy merciful God oh my soul set thee free from the yoak of bondage And now oh my soul rejoyce in fear and trembling and dread and fear continually in the holy presence of the Lord thy God and watch watch watch oh my soul diligently watch in the lowly fear and godly jealousie over thy own heart trembling in thy bowels lest thou oh my soul in the joy the great joy in the sence of what the Lord hath done for thee and in a sight of thy good state thou art advanced to should be lifted up above what is meet and thereby come to loâ—s and a fall wherefore oh my soul to prevent such mishaps coming unto thee unawares keep thee watchful and low in fear and humble and contrite in heart and meek and chaste in mind tender and broken in bowels poor and needy in spirit waiting and depending upon the meer preserving grace of the merciful hand of thy merciful pitiâ—ul compaâ—â—â—onate God of infinite loving kindness that whatever thou dost or suffers through his strength for him thou mayst not
be in the lest degree exalted above him but still keeping low in him dwelling beneath him at his footstool and whatever thou receivest from him when he calls for it return it back to him and be nothing without him but what thou art in him alone knowing that what thou art it is by him and what thou hast it cometh from him Therefore be nothing without him and return his own to him for he is worthy that his own should praise him And in the belly of a humble lowly broken contrite spirit dwell oh my soul where thou mayst serve God with thy tears dwelling in the sence of the freeness of his love and mercy in what he hath done for thee that the remembrance thereof may rend thy bowels before him passing thy pilgâ—image here in fear and trembling before the Lord thy God unto whom unto whom unto whom be glory glory glory praises praises praises thanksgiving honour and eternal renown be rendered unto his eternal name who is blessed blessed blessed for ever and ever Amen Amen Halelujah in the highest Amen glory glory ah glory Halelujah in the highest Amen Amen saith my soul Oh my soul where didst thou begin but in the sence of Gods dear tender precious most excellent love stirring in thy heart and there must thou end and rest satisfied and lay thee down quiet in peace with Gods most dear Babes and tender innocent Lambs unto whom thou cleavest as flesh to their bones towards whom thy bowels thy bowels thy tender bowels do unspeakably yearn with secret pantings in thy inward parts through the weight of love that abides in and upon thee oh my soul my soul my soul William Bennit To Gods Lambs in Prison Greeting DEar Friends and suffering Lambs shut up together in nasty holes oh you dear Suffering Tribulated Conscientious ones of the tender God of love life and power I whom am your dear and tender Friend and Companion in thâ— pure patience and long suffering of the Seed incorruptible do most dearly greet you and intirely salute you and sweetly imbrace you in the love of the Lord your God who hath not only counted you worthy to believe in him the mighty God but dear ones he hath also counted you worthy to suffer for his holy name sake because of your Faithfulness and for your Obedience unto his most sweet excellent everlasting Truth ah dear Lambs the witness hereof feel in your selves yea I believe my dear Friends that you know and feel the holy witness of the holy God of holiness in your own hearts bearing a true testimony to your own souls that your such confinment and sufferings is because of your obedience to the Lord your compassionate God of infinite bowels wherefore ye Lambs ye dear Lambs of the Lord God of power in him be ye comforted in the middest of your sufferings for him and be refreshed in the middest of your afflictions and consolated in the middest of your tribulations and be you made glad and rejoyce in the middest of your tryals even in the middest of all glorifying praising and honouring your tender God for his rich mercy towards you to be partakers of the sufferings of his seed oh my dear Friends my tender bowels is at this time opened unto you and my soul streams with streams of love of dear intire love towards you which fâ—oweth forth in the true sence and feeling and simplicity that my soul hath of your sufferings of which I partake in spirit and in the sence of your Faithfulness my soul is refreshed and bound thereby to praise your God and my God on your behalf Dear Lambs I believe that the sweet comfortable presence of the Lord God Almighty is with you and doth so accompany you as that your cup of sufferings is made sweet unto you so as that you can drink it off with gladness knowing and seeing that it is the will of the Lord to permit it to be given unto you whole will and not your own your innocent souls desire to do Ah dearly beloved Friends what shall I say unto you that ye might thereby be comforted that my soul in the sence there of might be made glad well dear Babes the fountain and fulness of everlasting joy and gladness is the bosom wherein you are to be wraped up and to repose together for evermore if you keep the faith to the end The streams whereof I know do often refresh your souls which overcomes you with its sweetness and lifts you up above all your sufferings and even make hard things become easie unto you â—lory glory and pure praises in spirit be shouted out unto the mighty God of worm Jacob the everlasting Jehovah of Israel unto whom dearly and beloved Friends I commit you all most intirely and fervently desiring that he the only Lord who is your tender God may for his own seeds sake minister to all your necessities and supply all your wants and cause your strength power wisdom and love with pure patience content and long suffering in him to abound daily more and more Amen saith my tender soul So dear ones read and savour my love in the Word which is more pretious then all words whatsoever wherein dear Lambs repose together and the milk thereof dear Babes suck and be refreshed thereby Farewell dear Lambs I am your dear Friend and Brother in the Lord. WILLIAM BENIT To Friends in the Love of Truth Greeting MY dear and tender beloved Friends in the love of God and in his pure pretious everlasting Truth whereof he hath in the freeness of his pure grace and endless love made us pertakers with the rest of his dear Babes and Children and whereof he hath made us witnesses in our measures in this his blessed day spring from on high which is come and coming which is brook and breaking forth in great glory so that its brightness shall reach unto the utmost dark corners of the Earth even to the exstinguishing of the Night and to the expelling the darkness which hath covered the Earth and the gross darkness which covered the People Ah dear hearts the blessed beams of the brightness of this blessed day spring from on high hath reached unto our souls which were once sealed up in the Darkness under the shadow of the Night and hath and doth shine in our hearts giving of us the true knowledg of the true and living God and thereby hath guided our feet out of the crooked slippery paths of darkness wherein we once walked stumbling as the blind into the paths of peace even into the path of the just which as a shining light shineth more and more until the perfect day for which the Lord our dear and tender God is worthy worthy to receive pure living praises from the breath of his own life in our souls who is worthy that his own should praise him for its sacrifice is acceptable and pleasant unto him who is God over all blessed for evermore Dear hearts in
Glory and Renown of his eternal powerful Name and to your endless Joy and everlasting Peace in him your tender God in whose pure tender unseigned Love doth my soul kiss you imbrace you clasp you about saying in spirit Oh the Lord the mighty God gird up your Loins with Courage Strength and Valour daily and spead over you all the mantle of Faithfulness keep you all in the pure patience and sweet contentedness and in true submission to his holy heavenly will which is your Sanctification whose will may be done in you all that indeed the Power the Glory the Kingdom and Dominion may be his and he alone may Reign in you whose right of due it is who was Dead and is a Live and lives forever and evermore unto whom be glory in the highest for evermore Amen Oh the holy living presence of the Living God of Holiness be in with and among you all in whose Love Life and Truth in my measure my soul is united and closely cleaveth to all the Children of the most high God and they are very dear unto the soul of him who is your Friend Brother and Companion in the innocent Love and Life of God over all blessed for evermore farewel dear Lambs T is 1665. William Bennit Dear Friend IN that which is Eternal and unchangable doth the unfeigned Salutation and tender Love of my Soul extend towards thee who art oft in the remembrance of my Soul which is in some measure sensible of the many Troubles Crosses and Tryals which thou hast been in and now art exercised with and truly dear Heart my soul desireth that thâ— Lord may inable thee to wade through them all in the pure Patience and true Contentedness and that thou mayst find the strong arm of Gods mighty power in the beating down keeping â—nder that part which would complain and murmur against the Lord and count him a hard Master and freet its self because the Wicked Flourish and the Ungodly spread themselves like a green â—ay-Tree and the workers of Iniquity are set up â—nâ—â—â—e Pâ—oud Lord it over the Meek of the Earth and â—â—eaâ— upon the Righteous as Diâ—t in the Streets Killed all the day 〈◊〉 aâ—d Oppressed like a Cart with Sheaves I say needful it is to feel that part which would freet it self because of thâ—se things chained down by the Meek Lowly Lamb like Patient Peaceable Spirit of the patient pitiful long-suffeâ—ing God of Forbearance and Mercy and to feel it curting and beating all Prejudice and Enmity that would be springing up from the murmuring fretting part against those who are â—â—struments of Iniquity and Servants to that Spirit that Persecutes and Oppress the Innocent and behold this Spirit of meekness keeps in coolness gentleness and patience and giâ—â—â—h dominion over that Spirit which in haste yet as it thâ—nâ—s in a Zeal for God crys for Fire to come down from Heavâ—n to devour those who are Instruments of Cruelty Iniquity and Oppression and indeed this Spirit of Love inableth to love Enemies to Bless and Curse not and seeks no Revenge but makes willing to leave all to the Lord unto whom dear Heart let us commit our Cause and sure I am he will plead it with his and our Enemies in his own time even to their Destruction and Calamity and to our Joy and Comfort in the end in the mean while the Lord keep us in contentedness and in dominion over that Spirit that would limit God to mans time and counteth that God is slack concerning his Promise who indeed is not slack as that Siprit counts slackness but is a God long suffering desiring not the Death nor Destruction of a Sinner but that rather he may repent and Live Oh that all those that profess his Name may be like-minded with him according to our measures and growth in him the Living God who is blessed forevermore My dear tender hearted Friend my Soul doth likewise desire fervently that thee and I and all the rest of our heavenly Fathers Family may be kept close unto the measure of the free grace and love of the Lord God in our own hearts that by it we may continually be kepâ— in the lowly fear and pure aw of him who hath called us out of Darkness into his marvelous Light wherein let us watch carefully over our Thoughts Words and Works lest in haste through carelesness for want of watchfulness we should speak or do any thing that may grieve the holy Seed and wound the Just one in our selves and bring a burden and load upon our own Souls wherefore dear Heart I cannot but desire that I with thee and all who love Righteousness may be kept watchful in the â—â—wly Fear close unto the grace that keeps humble out of the many words in the fewness of words that so in sweet stilness peace and quietness we may possess our souâ—â— and injoy the sweet incomes of the sweet Love and sweet pure refreshing streams of the Fountain of Life according to our measures that so even in the midst of our Tryals and Sufferings our heâ—rts may be made glad in the Lord and our souls may rejoyce in him over all the Rage and Cruelty of the Wicked that we may keep our standing on the Rock against which Gog and Magog and the whole Host of the powers of Darkness is not able to prevail and herein the Lord keep us saith my soul for evermore So dear Heart I leave thee unto the Lord in whom my Love is dear unto thee and my Soul simpathize with thee in thy Tryals and Sufferings and desire the Lord may bear thee up above them all in the bosom of his Love and Patience and minister daily unto thee what he knoweth is meet for thee and keep thee in a contentedness with his heavenly will that so thou mayst say with thy whole heart Lord not my will but thy will be done and submitted unto in all things whose will is our Sanctification So dear tender Heart in the innocent Love which drew me forth to write these lines unto thee I rest and remain thy dear Friend in the Truth William Bennit 1665. To the Magistrates of Edmonds-Bury Friends I hope your Nobillity and Moderation will be so far made manifest as to read over these following Lines with Patience and I desire you may Seriously consider of them and Sollidly to weigh them in that equall Ballance the Light of Christ in your Consciences before you Judge of them VVE whom the World in scorn call Quakers are a People that liveth in the pure fear of the Lord God and without boasting we can truly say we are a People who are led and guided by a peaceable Principle of Love which we have received of God who is the Fountain of Love by which Principle of Love we are made to live peaceable with all men as much as in us lies and fervenly to desire and seek the good and welfare of all People even from him
Lord God is her Dowry and blessed for evermore is the soul that is joyned with her in a perpetual Covenant never to be broken We all in this Prison who suffereth upon Truth account are in a measure of Health at present through the Love and Goodness of our God blessed and praised be his Name for evermore whose tender Compassion faileth not towards them who love him therefore are his people not Consumed but preserved as Lambs in the midst of devouring Wolves by him the good Shepherd of Israel who stopeth the Mouths of Lyons and chaineth up the Beast of Prey for his little Flocks sake whom he so dearly loveth that they may behold his Power and admire his Love and trust in his Name and return the Praise unto him whose Mercies are over all his Works glory to God in the highest my Love salutes you all farewell dear Friends W. E. SOME Prison Meditations OF AN Humble Heart Given forth from a Child in Israel whose soul very dearly loveth his Heavenly Fathers Children much desiring and travelling in Spirit for their Prosperity in the Truth even as for his own soul and the Author hereof believing and knowing that this following Treatise may if the Lord will be of service unto many of the tender honest simple single upright-hearted ones who are following on to know the Lord in the footsteps of Righteousness and who desireth to pass over on to the end in the strait way of Holiness therefore even for their sakes is this following Treatise Published from a constraint of Gods love in singleness and simplicity of Heart OH Oh my Soul be not unmindful of the large mercy and goodness of the Lord shewed towards thee neither forget the exceeding loving kindness of the Holy One manifested unto thee oh my Soul oh let the sence of what the Lord thy dear tender pitiful compassionate God hath done for thee continually be fresh in and upon thee oh my Soul for the Lord thy God hath freely done that for thee which none besides him the mighty one could do Oh my Soul the Lord hath brought thee out of the Pit even out of the horrible Pit and out of the Mire and Clay wherein thou once stuck so fast as that thou couldst never have been able to have gotten out by all means possible thou couldst have invented but must have sunkdeeper and deeper therein and so have perished for ever had not the Lord God of infinite mercy helped thee who did cast his eye of pity and compassion upon thee and out of his meer mercy love and free grace stretched out his hand to help thee oh my soul when none besides him could help thee and by his arm of his loving kindness lifted thee up out of the horrible pit out of the mire and clay and hath set thy feet upon a Rock which stands sure and can never be moved and thereon he establisheth thy goings praises pure living righteous praises to the Lord thy God be rendered by thee oh my soul even forever and for evermore Oh my Soul remember thou wast once even like a poor filly Sheep without a Shepherd wandering upon the barren Mountains and dry Heaths in the Wilderness and solitary places full of Trouble Sorrow and Perplexity and knew not the way to the Fold of Rest oftentimes mourning and weeping alone as a Dove without her Mate when no eye saw thy sorrow but the Lord alone often saying in thy heart whose State and Condition is so miserable as mine who so Poor and Desolate as I none knowing how it is with me but the Lord alone And indeed the Lord then saw thee and knew how it was with thee oh my soul and he the tender God of unfathomable bowels of Compassion behold thee in that day when thou didst eat thy bread Weeping and mingled thy drink with Tears and he the compassionate one heard thy secret crys and knew thy secret desires and thy sighing and groaning entred into his ears and thy tears which thou dropped upon his Alter laid open unto the view of the eye of thy tender merciful God and his tender bowels was moved with pity towards thee and for his own Seeds sake he had compassion upon thee oh my soul and helped thee in the day of thy Trouble and delivered thee out of Distress who freely reached forth his Arm unto thee and took thee by the Hand and brought thee out of the Wilderness and desolate Places and set thy feet in the right way which hath led thee to a City of Habitation and to the Fold of Rest and now the Lord who both sought thee and found thee out and brought thee out of the Wilderness and from off the barren Mountains he is become thy Shepherd oh my soul and how canst thou want any good thing he oftentimes feedeth thee and even causeth thee to lie down in green Pastures leadeth thee by the still Waters even Shilc's brook which runs softly and he spreadeth thy Table in the sight of thy Enemies and anointeth thy Head with the oyl of Cladness and causeth thy Cup to overflow with new Wine and hath brought thee to sit under thy own Vine and under thy Fig-tree and none shall make thee afraid oh my soul Oh the Goodness of the Lord oh the Kindness of the Lord oh the Mercy of the Lord oh the Pity of the Lord oh the Compassion of the Lord God of tender Bowels is even Unutterable Unspeakable Unfathomable and Incomprehensible Oh the Heighth oh the Depth oh the Length oh the Breadth of the Love of the Lord Oh my soul truly when thou meditatest of the goodness of the Lord and considerest of his loving kindness and mercy shewed towards thee oh how can but the sence thereof pitch thee even upon a stand of admiration Oh surely surely when thou oh my soul lookest back into his Works considerest how much he hath wrought in thee and for thee thou canst see no end of his praises oh praises oh living praises holy righteous praises unto the pure holy righteous Lord God be ascribed by thee oh my soul for ever and for evermore Oh my Soul as thou art kept in the fresh sence and remembrance of the great Loving Kindness the great Mercy the great Pity and unspeakable Compassion of the Lord thy tender God which he hath and daily doth manifest unto thee oh my soul oh how canst thou but in the sence of Gods unspeakable Love abound in Love in Pity in Mercy in Kindness in Tenderness and Compassion towards all People but especially towards all Souls who are Seeking Thirsting Hungring Breathing Crying and Painting after Righteousness Peace everlasting Rest and eternal Happiness Oh my soul the Lord thy God knoweth the frame of thy Spirit the Lord knoweth the tenderness of thy Bowels and the openness of thy Bosom towards all the Seekers after Righteousness towards all the Travellers to Sion and towards all the Mourners therein Oh my soul remember how that at
sometimes when the great Fountain the great Deep hath opened and issued forth of his fulness into thee oh my soul and when Joy hath come into thy heart as a River and Gladness as a mighty Stream Refreshings as showers in the Spring and Consolation as due upon the tender Plants and when thou couldst sing for joy of heart and shout aloud even Praises and Halelujahs to thy God that then even then thou oh my soul remembrest the Poor and Needy in his own Eyes and think'st thou hearest his cry sounding in thy Ear and his soul saying in secret Oh how many is there who Eateth of the largest Loaves and Drinkest of the largest full Flagons but oh alas for me I have scarce a drop of Refreshment hardly a crum of Consolation but my Tears is my Meat and Drink Day and Night whilest my Enemy saith unto me where is thy God Oh I go bowed down all the day long and none knoweh my Sorrow but the Lord alone Oh I am even as an Owl in thâ— Desart and as the Pelican in the Wilderness I am as the alonâ— Quail in the stubble Fields and as the Dove mourning for thâ— loss of her Mate and as the alone Sparrow upon the House top and as a Woman forsaken and grieved in Spirit Oh whose Condition is like mine is there any amongst the Sons and Daughters of Men like unto me is there any so Poor as I oh is there any so Needy as I oh is there any so Weak and Feeble as I is there any so Foolish as I oh is there any so Dry and Barren as I oh is there any so Cold and Fruitless to God-ward as I is there any so Desolate as I Oh my leanness oh my leanness oh how long how long shall it be thus with me oh how long how long shall I sit mourning as by the River of Babylon with my Harp laid aside oh when when shall I walk again in Sion and travel in the Streets of Jerusalem with a new Song in my Mouth and everlasting Joy upon my Head and living Praises in my Heart unto the Lord who dwâ—lleth in his Sion and his presence is great in his Jerusalem but oh alass for me I am as one cast out of his sight and one who walketh dejected all the day long Oh when will the Lord cause the days of my Mourning to be over and the nights of my Sorrow to pass away and my Sighings and Groanings to vanish and all Tears to bâ— wiped from mine Eyes oh when will the Lord give me Beauty instead of Ashes the Oyl of Joy for Mourning and the Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness that I a Poor Dry Barren one might become a Tree of Righteousness bringing forth Fruit of Holiness abundantly to the praise of the Lord God that he in and through me might be glorified Oh when shall my Winter be over and the terrible Storms be gone oh when shall the cold nipping Frosts be expelled the Darkness and Gloominess be extinguished oh when will the Sun of Righteousness break forth unto me in his Glory and his warm Beams refresh and warm my poor cold Soul oh when will the Spring come when shall I know a Spring-time â— the Lord oh when will Summer come oh when will the singing of Birds come oh when shall I hear the voice of the Turtle in my Land oh when will the Showers from on high fall down upon my Soul oh when shall I receive the early and latter Rain oh when shall I come to sit under my own Vine and under my Fig-tree and none to make me afraid Oh how long shall my Beloved be hid from me as in the clifts of the Rocks and as in the secret places of the Stairs sometimes indeed he shews himself unto me as behind the Wall and as through a Lattis and then my Bowels my tender Bowels are moved for him Oh when oh when shall I have a full enjoyment of him whom my soul loveth oh that I could but plainly hear his Voice and perfectly see his Face for oh indeed sweet is his Voice and his Countenance is very comly my soul desireth him in the Night season and in the Morning I seek him early but oh I cannot find him whom my soul loveth for he hath with-drawn himself from me and 〈◊〉 is the cause of my Leanness Coldness Barrenness and Unfruitfulness to God-ward which is the cause of my Sorrow Tears Sighing Groaning Mourning and walking Dejected all the day long Oh indeed there was a time once when my Beloved knocked at the Door of my Heart saying again and again open open unto me my Head is wet with Dew and my Locks filled with the Drops of the Night open open unto me and let me in but oh wo's me I was gotten into a Bed of false Ease and wrong Security and was loath to come out but I made many excuses and said I have put off my Coat how shall I put it on I have washed my Feet how shall I defile them c and I lingered so long as that my Beloved vvithdrew himself and at last I rose in my own time not when he called to open to my Beloved and he was gone and then I called him but he did not answer me I sought him but did not find him and oh my Bowels my Bowels is even pained for him and my Soul panteth after him even as the Hart painteth after the water Brooks Oh that I could but find him whom â—y soul loveth oh I would hold him I would hold him fast I would not let him go he should lie all night in my Bosom I would be watchful and diligent that I grieve him not and very fearful of displeasing of him and would take heed of giving him any cause whereby to leave me and thus to hide his Face from me but oh alass for me when shall I find him when will he come I long for Oh when when shall I have my full enjoyment of him oh when will he bring me into his Banquetting-House and his Love be even as a Banner over me his left hand under my Head and his right Imbrasing of me staying me with Flagons comforting me with Apples making me Sick of Love giving me of his spiced Wine and of the juce of his Pomgranets oh if thus I could come to enjoy him whom my Soul Loveth then would all Tears be wiped away from mine Eyes and I forget my Sorrow because of Joy and Gladness and then should I look no more Sorrowful but should Rejoyce as Hannah did and say Oh my Heart rejoyceth in the Lord and my Horn is exalted in the Lord and my Mouth is enlarged over my Enemy who said unto me I shall be always Barren and Unfruitful because I rejoyce in his Salvation who hath regarded my low Estate oh now I the Barren shall bear Seven and she who hath had many Children wax Feeble now I the parched Ground become a Pool
and I the dry Heath Springs of Water now I the solitary place Rejoyee and I the Desart blossom as a Rose I the Poor one made Rich and I the Weak one made Strong I the Foolish one made Wise I the Empty one overflow with Fulness now the days of my sore Mourning turned into Joy and the nights of my Sorrow turned into Pleasure and the seasons of my seeking him whom my soul loveth turned into times of sweet reposes with him in his bed of solace But oh alass for me I may speak of these things but oh when when will it be thus with me oh how long shall I wait how long shall I seek how long shall I call and utter my voice weeping saying oh come away come away unto me thou whom I mourn for whom I long after whom my soul loveth oh I have waited so long that I am weary and begin to be almost without hope of his coming any more unto me Well what shall I do and whether shall I go I will even lay me down in Sorrow and make it my Bed and make Grief my Sheets and Tears my Pillow and Sighing and Mourning my Sleep untill he come vvhom my soul loveth for verily I cannot I cannot be satisfied vvith another besides him Oh vvho amongst the Sonâ— and Daughters of Men shall I make my moan unto unto vvhom shall I complain and ease my heart unto vvhere shall I find one vvho is sensible of my condition that can simpathize vvith me and that can speak a vvord in season unto my poor soul oh is it thus vvith any as it is vvith me Yes yes I believe there is many hath been and many now are in thy condition Oh where may I find one of them that I might ease my heart unto him and spread my condition before him for oh verily my Bowels is very open to those who be in my condition well have patience be quiet and be still and lend an ear unto me and I may speak a little how it is with me and it may be if the Lord will to thy comfort for oh truly my soul loveth thee oh my heart is moved with compassion towards thee oh my bowels my bowels is open unto thee and my soul greatly simpathizeth with thy soul and could even wish my soul for a time in thy souls stead oh though indeed I am but a Child yet truly I am in some measure sensible of thy condition and can read it by my own and oh how willingly would I help thee according to my ability oh truly methinks I would even be a help unto all who stand in need of help but especially unto thee thou poor soul What art thou Poor so am I what art thou Weak and Feeble so am I oftentimes what art thou Empty so am I oftentimes what art thou Cold and Barren so am I sometimes what art thou as one Desolate and Destitute so am I sometimes what doest thou eat thy Bread Weeping and mingle thy Drink with thy Tears it is so with me at sometimes when I want the enjoyment of him whom my soul loveth for tâ—uly it is with me sometimes as it is with thee for sometimes I have not the enjoyment of my Beloved as I have at other times but sometimes he seems to be withd-rawn and to hide his-Face from me oh then it is with me as it is with thee oh then Sorrows take hold upon me and Trouble surroundeth me about as a Wall and Mourning covers me as a Garment and none seeth my Tears but the Lord oh then my Leanness my Leanness my Coldness and Barrenness is my greatest Burden which causeth me to go bowed down in Spirit saying in my heart Oh whether is my Beloved gone and what is the cause he hath with-drawn himself from me wherefore is it thus with me what is the matter what shall I do what will the Lord leave me what will my God forsake me what will the Lord now cast me off who hath done so much for me oh what is the cause that it is thus with me wherefore is the Windows of Heaven shut up and the Shovvers of Refreshment from on high with-held from me oh once I could say the Lord is my Shepherd and my soul doth not want he causeth me to seed and even to lie down in green Pastures and leadeth me by the still Waters and spreadeth my Table with Dainties and anointeth my Head with the Oyl of Gladness and causeth my Cup to overslow with new Wine But oh alass for me now I am in a Dry and Thirsty Land where no Water is Oh what hath the Lord cast me off for ever oh my Tears is my Meat and Drink whilst my Enemy saith unto me where is thy God dost thou think he will ever appear again unto thee why dost thou thus Hunger Thirst Cry and Paint after him alas it is in vain for thee to wait for him once indeed thou hadst the enjoyment of him once thou wentst with a Multitude with them to the House of God with the voice of Joy and Praise with a Multitude that keep holy day but alas thou must not look for such a day again And thus the Adversary of my soul endeavoureth to add Sorrow to my Sorrow and to encrease the weight of my Burden that so I might sink and never rise But oh the Lord my God is near to help me even in that time when I can scarce perceive him and when I am as Peter was ready to sink then his invisible arm of Mercy is ready to save me and a secret hope the Lord preserveth alive in me which is as an Anchor unto my soul which keeps me from suffering Shipwrack a hope that the Lord will appear again to me to my Joy whereby some encouragement I feel stirring in me to wait upon the Lord patiently and to trust in him though I do not see him and to relie upon him and hope in his tender bowels when he seems to be far oâ—f me and to roul my self upon him and surely he will appear again to thy Joy oh my soul who canst not be satisfied without his presence even the presence of the Lord thy God which thou desirest more then all things else whatsoever wherefore the Lord seeing it is so with thee that thou desirest his presence more then all other things surely surely he will not cast thee off for ever surely he will appear again to thy joy wherefore why art thou so much cast down oh my soul and why art thou thus disquieted within thee oh hope hope thou in thy God for thou shalt yet praise him the Lord will yet again command his loving kindness in the day time and in the night season his song shall be with thee even praiâ—â—s to the God of thy Life oh wait patiently upon the Lord and trust in the living God whose compassions fails not towards those vvho love him oh he vvill send out his Light and Truth into
the high and mighty one the holy one of Israel is their Shepherd and he even continually watcheth over them and greatly careth for them and he it is who hath giving bounds to the raging Sea and he limits the proud Waves thereof and shutteth up her Floods as he pleaseth he can let forth the Wind and suffer a Storm and he can make a Calm when he pleaseth he can cause the Sea and the Wind to obey him and therefore the Children of God need not to fear none besides the Lord who will suffer nothing to besal them but what shall work for good to all his chosen faiâ—hful ones wherefore it is good for all the Children of the Lord confidently to trust in the Lord and not at all fear though their Enemies pursue hard after them and say in their hearts Come come we will pursue them we will overtake them our Lusts shall be satisfied upon them we will have the desire of our Hearts concerning them we will draw our Swords and our Hands shall destroy them and we will try whether their Gods in whom they say they trust be able to deliver them from the stroke of our Hands Well let not Israel heed the boasting and threatning of his Enemies nor regard the pâ—rposes of his Adversaries though they pursue hard after him and say We will bring them back again into Egypt or else we will totally Destroy them Yet let not Israel fear for the Lord his God is between him and his Enemies and fights for him against his Adversaries and he in his Anger will look down upon them and trouble their Host and take off their Chariot wheels and will blow in his Wrath upon them and the Sea of his righteous Indignation shall cover them and they shall sink as Lead in the bottom of his righteous Judgments and he will get himself a Name through the destruction of Sionâ— Enemies and Honour and Magnifie himself through the deliverance of his Chosen who will work wonders for his Redeemed insomuch as the Dukes of Edom shall be amazed and even trembling shall take hold upon the mighty men of Moab and all Nations shall shiver and quake before the mighty God of Israel who is dreadful in Holiness fearful in Praises doing Wonders Oh let Israel honour his God in believing in him and in trusting in his Name in relying and depending upon his Arm of everlasting strength and patiently without murmurings to wait upon the Lord for he that is to come will come and wilâ— not tarry whose work is before him and his reward is with him even Joy for the Mourners in Sion and Beauty for Ashes Gladness for the heavy hearted in Jerusalem Freedom for Bondage Freedom from Weights Burdens and grievous Oppressions Oh let all the Children of the Lord wait without fainting upon the Lord for yet a little while and the voice will be heard saying rejoyce and even sing for joy ye Saints Servants and Prophets of the most High and triumph in the Lord Almighty over the Beast and false Prophet and over the Whore which hath corrupted the Earth who hath long sat as a Queen and said in her heart she should never see Sorrow with whom the Nations of the Earth hath committed Fornication and she hath made Nations Kindreds Tongues and People drunk with the wine of her Fornication who hath long deceived the Nations with her golden Cup which hath been filled with Abominations and in her is found all the Blood of the Martyrs and Servants of Jâ—sus which hath been shed upon the Earth and she hath rid upon the Beast that rose out of the Sea who received his seat great power and authority from the Dragon who persecuted the true woman that was clothed with the Sun and had a Crown of twelve Stars upon her head who sought to devour her Man-child and made war against the remnant of her Seed who keep the Commands of God and have the Testimony of Jesus these cannot worship the Beast nor his name nor receive his mark but these worship God alone and are followers of the Lamb through many tribulations whose garments are made white in his Blood by whom they are redeemed from amongst men these the Beast and false Prophet have sought to Kill Persecute and root out from off the face of the Earth but wo wo wo to the Beast false Prophet and the Whore for the day of their Judgment is come Misery Calamity Distress Destruction is coming upon them she the mother of Harlots the mother of Witchcrafts the Abominations of the Earth shall utterly be Destroyed and totally Burnt with Fire for strong is the Lord God Almighty who Judgeth her and now sing O Heavens and rejoyce ye who live therein over mystery Babylon the great for it is fallen it is fallen as a mighty Milstone into the bottom of the Sea never more to arise again Amen Halleluâ—ah And the Lord will thunder from Heaven upon thy Enemies oh Sion and will break thy Adversaries to peices and will give strength to thy King and exhalt the horn of his Anointed and he shall Reign and Rule and Prosper and execute Justice and true Judgment in the Earth in his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and sit under his own Vine and none shall make him afraid then shall it be said to Jerusalem fear not and to Sion let not thy hands be slack the Lord in the midest of thee is mighty he hath saved thee he hath set thee free from thy Trouble he will rejoyce over thee with Joy he 'll joy over thee with Singing then it shall be said sing oh Daughter of Sion and shout oh Israel and rejoyce withal thy heart oh Daughter of Jerusalem for the Lord hath taken away thy Judgment he hath cast out thy Enemies and thy Warfare is acomplished and thy great Travel is finished and now thou shalt rest from thy Labour and they who have Laboured and Mourned with thee and for thee shall rejoyce for Joy with thee and suck and be satisfied with the sweet consolation of thy Breast and milk out and be delighted in the abundance of thy Glory oh the Lord thy Husband thy maker the God of hosts is his Name will extend Peace Joy Comfort everlasting Refreshment as a mighty Stream and endless Consolations as a River oh then shall they be Comforted in thee after their Sorrow and be born up upon thy Sides and dandled upon thy Knees for as a Woman comforteth her only Son so will the Lord comfort Jerusalem in the sence whereof her Children shall rejoyce and their Souls be right glad and flourish as an herb and their Spirits shall praise and sing glory unto him who is Lord and King of Heaven and Eartâ— who is worthy worthy of all Glory Praise and Honour for ever and for evermore Amen saith my soul The thing which the Lord hath purposed must be accomplished in his season and the thing that he
hath determined must be fulfilled in despite of all the powers of Darkness Oh that all thy Babes and Lambs may willingly wait thy appointed time O Lord God Almighty oh dear God keep all thy people retire in thy Name that so what ever thou suffers to befal their Bodies their Souls may be safe bundled up in the bundle of Life wrapped therein for evermore for a terrible day is like to be upon all Flesh and who can be able to abide it Oh dear God increase the Patience of thy People strengthen the Faith of thy Chosen oh support the Weak and uphold the little Ones which cannot go alone oh that none of thy Flock may faint nor grow weary oh that all thine might stand in the day of Tryal and be kept in the hour of Temptation and born up under all Sufferings that so in the end they may come forth as Gold seven times refined in the Fire that they may shine as Stars in the Firmament of thy Power making mention of thy Goodness Graciousness and Kindness O Lord God Almighty declaring of thy mighty Acts and sing of thy Mercies and wonderful doings and Glorifie Magnifie Honour and Praise thee thou mighty everlasting and powerful one who art from all Eternity to all Eternity whose Throne is established of old whose Scepter beareth sway in Righteousness whose Kingdom is Everlasting glory and hallelujah to thee in the highest for ever and for evermore yea praises praises pure living praises every minute be rendered unto the Lord Almighty saith thâ— sâ—ul of W. B. OH arise arise thou holy righteous Seed of the Covenant of Life Eternal Arise arise thy Light is come and the Glory of thy God is risen upon thee Oh thou lovely one Nations shall come to thy Light and Kings to the brightness of thy Rising Ah thou beautiful one thy Sons shall come from far and thy Daughters from the ends of the Earth Arise arise thou beautiful one who art altogether lovely Oh how sweet is thy Love thou lovely one oh how excellent is thy Love thou choice one oh thy love thy love is more precious then Rubies more sweeter then Hony oh thy love is better then Wine Oh how hath thy love overcome the hearts of many and won them unto thee oh thy love draws many after thee oh how doth thy love cause many to cast off all their other Lovers to follow thee thou lovely one oh thou art become unto many Souls who loveth thee thou lovely one even the chiefest of ten thousands whose eyes are opened to see thy Beauty and to behold thy Comeliness thou beautiful one oh thou art hid from the Polluted neither can the Unclean behold thy excellent Beauty the Vulture's eye cannot perceive thy Comeliness nor they who hath eyes full of Adultery and cannot cease from Sin and have hearts exercised with coveteous practises and are gone a whoring after many Lovers oh from these thou art hid thou lovely one even as a Garden inclosed as a Spring shut up as a Fountain sealed from them Oh arise thou choice one and let thy Beauty appear unto those who have not seen thy Beauty and let them taste of thy Love that so they may cast off all other Lovers and follow thee cast off all and cleave unto thee with their whole hearts Oh arise arise thou beloved one and shine forth in thy excellent Glory that even the Nations may be ravished with thy Beauty and Kingdoms overcome with thy Love and be drawn after thee that a blessing in thee they may obtain Oh arise and let thy Fruitfulness appear thou precious one and let Joy and Gladness fill thy heart thou lovely one for the days of thy rejoycing is come and coming and the days of thy mourning oh Sion is fleeing away Oh thou beloved one thou hast been even as a Woman forsaken and grieved in Spirit and few or none of the Sons or Daughters of Men hath looked upon thee with an eye of pity oh thou hast been as the Owle in the Desart and as the alone Sparrow upon the house top and as the alone Quail in the stubble fields and as a Dove mourning alone without her Mate who hast set solitary alone as in the Wilderness and none among the Sons of Men to comfort thee oh thou beloved anointed one thou hast been like unto a man of Sorrow and very deeply acquainted with Grief often Smitten often Grieved often Afflicted often Wounded often Pierced and Oppressed even as a Cart that is pressed with Sheaves and yet the Sons and Daughters of Men hath not esteemed thee although indeed thou patient one thou hast been wounded by their Transgressions and grieved smitten and pierced and bruised by their Iniquities and hath born the weight of their Sins and the burden of their Transgressions even while they like Sheep have gone astray every one following his own way Feasting themselves as for a day of Slaughter whilst thou hast been Mourning because of the Iniquity of the People Eating and Drinking and rising up to Play whilst thou hast been Weeping and Groaning in secret because of the multitude of their Transgressions who hath heaped Sin upon Sin and Iniquity upon Iniquity and hath loaded thee therewith which hath been as an impress of ten thousands upon thee thou tender one and unto thee they had no regard they took no notice of thy Sorrow and Burdens But oh thou beloved one thy God thy tender God who hath loved thee with an everlasting Love took notice of thy Sorrow and he saw thy Grief and beheld thy sore Weights and Burdens and took cognizance of thy grievous Oppressions and he heard the voice of thy Weeping and thy Tears which thou droppedst upon his Alter lay in the view of the eye of his pitiful Soul and he beheld thy great Travel and thy Sighing and Groaning entered into his Ears and his tender tender Bowels of infinite Love Mercy Pity and everlasting Compassion was and is moved towards thee and he hath determined to comfort thee with an everlasting Comfort thou patient suffering one and the Nights of thy Sorrow shall vanish away for ever and the Days of thy Mourning shall be over Oh thou beloved one lift up thy Head lift up thy Head in the strength of thy God and gird up thy Loines with Courage in the power of his Might for thy Winter is almost over and gone and shall no more come the Storms are vanishing away and shall no more appear the nipping Frosts are dissolving by the Sun of Righteousness who is arisen upon thee with healing in his wings Ah lift up thy voice like the sound of a Trumpet and shout like the voice of a King and sing for joy thou beloved one for thy Spring is come thou lovely one thy Summer is come thou lovely one the singing of Birds is come thou beautiful one and the voice of the Turtle is heard in thy Land thou delicate and choice one let thy heart
be filled with Melody thou blessed one who art cloathed with Chastity and keepeth thy Virginity in the Chamber of Purity oh thy beloved is come and into his Banqueting-House he is bringing thee where his Banner over thee is Love where he will stay thee with Flaggons and comfort thee with Apples and cause thee to drink of his spiced Wine and of the juice of his Pomgranets oh Sion rejoyce thou in his Love for the days of the glading of thy heart is come thou tender one who hast been tossed with tempest not comforted thou hast been termed Desolate and Forsaken thou hast been as one Barren and Unfruitful but now arise arise lengthen thy Cords and strengthen thy Stakes and enlarge the Curtains of thy Habitation for lo thou fruitful one thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left and thy Seed shall inherit the Gentiles and thy Off-spring the People the North shall give up and the South shall not keep back they shall come from the East and from the West flock unto thee as Doves to the Window thy Sons shall come from far and thy Daughters be nursed at thy sides thou shalt cause many wast places to be Builded and many Buildings to fall and desolate plaees to be Inhabited and Inhabited places to be laid desolate and barren Mountains to become fruitful Valleys and fruitful Places to become barren Mountains and the Wilderness become a Vinyard of sweet Grapes the Forrest as a City of Habitation the parched Ground to become a Pool and dry Heaths springs of Water oh arise arise thou beloved one and let thy Fruitfulness be manifested to the Nations break forth in thy excellent Glory shine forth in thy glorious Beauty as clear as the Morning without Clouds fair as the Moon and bright as the Sun that thou mayst appear as a royal Diadem in the hand of the Lord and as a Crown of Glory in the hand of thy God that far off Nations may see thy Beauty and remote Kings may see thy excellent Glory and be won by thy Love unto thee that they who hath Hated thee may Love thee bccause of thy Love that did extend to them even whilst they hated and rejected the woings of thy Love oh my soul loves thee in thy Love thâ—u lovely one oh kiss me kiss me with the Kisses of thy Mâ—uth for thy Love is better then Wine oh thou beautiful one thy Love overcomes my heart thy Love draweth me after thee oh thou art pleâ—sant unto me thy presence is more desirable then all things my heart can desire oh if thou hidst thy Face thou bountiful one then am I bowed down for the smiles of thy comely Countenance is the rejoycing of my Heart and the glading of my Soul the refreshing of my Spirit as marrow to my Bones and strength to my Reins oh thou art my Joy in Sorrow my Comfort in Mourning my Help in Need my Strength in Weakness my Riches in Poverty my Bread in Hunger my Water in Thirst my Refuge from Storms my Shelter from Heat and as the shadow of a Rock to me in a weary Land oh how can I but love thee in thy Love thou lovely one oh thou art my Mother who hath travelled in great pain to bring me forth thou art the Womb that bore me and the Paps that gave me suck the Cradle of my rest and the Bed of repose oh can I forget thee how can I forget thee who hath done so much for me even that which no man could do oh thou lovedst me first before I loved thee thou lovely one and with thy Love thou woedst me and by thy Love thou overcamest my heart and drew it after thee and now thou amiable one the desire of my soul is unto thee and unto the remembrance of thy Love oh my Soul desireth thee in the Night season and in the Morning I will seek thee early thou art as a cluster of Campire and as a bundle of Mirrh unto me thou shalt lie all Night between my Breasts oh thou lovely one let me repose in thy Bosom and fold me in thy Arms oh thy Love thy Love ovcrcomes my Heart thy Beauty even makes me sick of Love oh let me remember thy Love more then Wine it is the upright loves thee and it is the pure in heart who seeth thy Beauty and beholdeth thy excellent Comeliness oh let thy Love still draw me after thee oh let me never leave thee oh that I may never forsake thee nor be unmindful of thy Love which I have known to be stronger then Death and him who hath the power of Death oh thou art a Tree of Life to those who take hold on thee and blessed is every Soul that retaineth thee Oh thy ways are ways of Pleasantness and all thy paths are green and delightsom to those who love thee oh in thee is my rest in thee is my peace in thee is my joy in thee is my comfort in thee obtain I blessing and happiness thou art my Joy and the Crown of my Rejoycing for ever and for evermore Oh wherefore hold me hold me with thy Love thou Lovely Blessed One and let me never depart from thee and then I know thou wilt never depart from me but I shall be thine and thou shalt be mine in a perpetual Covenant which never shall be broken Oh thou Comely Beautiful Choice One thy Riches is durable for the Glory the glory the glory of the Lord thy God is thy Dowry for evermore Unto whom be ascribed all honour and glory eternal praises and renown and everlasting dominion for evermore so be it saith my Soul and Amen saith my Spirit Oh come Lord Jesus come quickly and take unto thy self thy great power to Reign for thou art worthy worthy saith my Soul glory to thee in the highest for evermore Amen Written in Edmonds-Bury common Goal in the year 1665. William Bennit This to go among Friends to be Read among them when assembled together in the pure Fear and Wisdom of God DEarly beloved Friends and Brethren Sheep of the Lords Pasture Lambs of the Lords Flock and Lillies of the Lords Field the comely beautiful Garment of Innocency Meekness Love Truth and Righteousness which doth cover many of you even affecteth my Heart and induceth my Soul dearly to love you and Spirit to travel for your Welfare Tranquility and Preservation even in every particular respect desiring the Lord God of Blessings may Bless and Prosper you in Truth and Righteousness and that his Grace and Love Mercy and Peace with Joy and Consolation Strength and Wisdom may be augmented and multiplied in and unto all your Souls that so the encrease of him the fulness of all durable Riches to your Souls you may witness and that the Fountain of Life with whom is the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledg may be inlarged unto you that of his fulness you daily may receive whereby your Hearts may be opened and enlarged
more and more unto the Lord and one unto another and that the sence of his Goodness and loving Kindness Mercy Pity and Compassion shed abroad and manifested towards you may always be fresh in and upon your hearts that indeed the largness of his endless unchangable unspeakable Love may be by your Souls admired and be an engagement and tye upon every particular one to oblige your Hearts and bind your Souls unto the Lord God and unto his immutable invinceable Truth oh dear Friends much hath the Lord done for us and let his doings be still marvelous in our eyes let his own Works shew forth his Praise whose Mercies endureth for ever dear Friends the Lord God of Compaâ—â—â—on sought and found us out in the cloudy dismal dark Day when we were scattered upon the barren Mountains and dry Heaths wandering as silly Sheep without a Shepherd but now hath he gathered us together and even made us a Family like a Flock and brought us down into the low Valley and hath given us fresh and green Pasture to Feed in and streams of living Water to Drink of and now the Lord the Almighty Jehovah is our Shepherd and his everlasting powerful Name our Fold and therefore are we not Consumed though the Beasts of the Field have come forth against us to destroy us and the roaring devouring Lyons have been very greedy of their Prey yet are we preserved unto this day because the Lord hath been our defence on the right hand and on the left who hath and doth Fight for mount Sion and as the Hills are round about Jerusalem so hath the Lord been still is and will be round about his People as the munition of Rocks for evermore and their Bread shall not fail and their Water shall be sure O let all that fear the Lord trust in him whose Mercies are everlasting Oh dear Friends the Lord once found us in a sollitary Place and in a waste howling Wilderness Hungry Thirsty Naked and Desolate our way hedged up as with Bryers and Thorns and there must we have Perished had not the tender God of Bowels looked upon us with an eye of Pity and Compassion and helped us in the day of our Distress how did he lop the Bough with Terrour and the strong one of stature he hewed down he did cut up the Thicket of the Forest as with Iron and Lebanon did fall by a strong Arm and made a way for us in the Wilderness and a path through the Thickets he laid low the Mountains before us and removed away the Hills and made the crooked Paths strait before us and was a Refuge to us from the Stoâ—m and a Shelter to us from the Heat and as the shadow of a Rock unto us in a weary Land and now hath he brought us into a right Way which leads to a City of Habitation to a quiet dwelling Place where the Lord feeds his Flock and causeth them to lie down at Noon-day oh marvellous are the Works of the Lord and the Living can sing of his Mercies his tender Compassion faileth not towards the House of Jacob he is a Father unto Israel and Ephraim is his first Born let Judah shew forth is Praises whose Mercy endureth for ever Oh dear Children of my heavenly Father remember we once sate as by the Rivers of Babylon and Weeping we thought upon Sion Mourning in the sence of our separation from her even as a Woman Mourneth for her only Son and then we could not sing the Lords Song in a strange Land but were as a Dove without her Mate and the alone Sparrow upon the House top as the Pelican in the Wilderness and as the alone Quaile in the stubble Field as a Woman forsaken and gâ—ieved in Spirit asking the way to Sion with our Faces thither-ward saying in our hearts we would be joyned again unto the Lord in a perpetual Covenant never to be broken And how graciously hath the Lord returned again our Captivity as streams in the South and hath brought us on the way to Sion with Joy and Gladness and our Sighing and Mourning is in measure fled away oh the Lord is worthy to be Feared and his holy Name is worthy to be Honoured and Magnified in the Congregation of the Righteous for his Mercies abids for ever Oh dear Babes we who once did sit in Darkness have seen a great and glorious Light and unto us who once sat under the Region and shadow of Death is the Light of Life risen and the blessed day sprung from on high shineth in our Habitatâ—on and the Lord is unto us an everlasting Light and let us for evermore walk in his Light as becometh Children of Light shining in our holy Lives and blameless unspoted Conversations as Lights in the World to the Praise and Glory of God whose Goodness and Mercy is without end Dear Babes the Lord hath brought us forth of the Prison House and lifted us up out of the dark miery Dungeon hâ— hath raised us out of the Dust and taken us as from the Dunghil to set us among Princes and to inherit the seat of Renown which is the Chair of Humility Oh the Height and Depth Length and Breadth of the Love Goodness and Mercy of the Lord let our hearts be rent and broken before him and humbled in his Presence and let us walk before his Holiness and tremble at his Word and bow down unto his holy Name and stand in awe of the Lord for whom Praises waits in Sion Now seeing the Lord hath done so much for our Souls let us wait upon him for Strength and Power daily thereby to endure to answer the largness of his Love in all Obedience and Faithfulness to him who hath broke our Bands asunder and snapt our Cords in â—ieces and now dear Friends let us stand stedfast in that Liberty whereinto the Lord by his Truth hath brought us and not be intangled with the Yoke of Bondage as too to many are who were once made Free by the Lord oh how have some for fear of Persecution started aside out of the narrow Way into the broad Way and some for the Love Favour and Honour of this World are departed from the Faith and have made Shipwrack of a good Conscience and some through the deceitfulness of Riches and some through the Cares and Cumbrances of this World the Seed of God is Choked again and the Earth is come over it again and the World hath eaten up their Hearts and their Minds are become carnal again and the Goodness of the Lord is forgotten by them and the Spirit of Slumber hath shut them up and for these doth my Soul mourn in secret and travel for their Restoration and in the sence of what is come upon them how can we but Fear and Dread the Lord and Watch and Pray and keep close to the saving preserving power of his Grace which hath kept us unto this day Praises to his Name for ever Oh
of Love and Peace be with you and his Blessings rest upon you Farwel dear Friends William Bennit Eâ—monds-Bury common Goal this 25th of the first Month 1667. A Testimony to the True Light that lightens every Man that comes into the World The People that did sit in Darkness have seen a great and glorious Light and unto those that were under the Region and Shadow of Death is the Light of Life arisen and the Blessed Day sprung from on high and shineth in their Tabernacles and that which they have seen heard felt and tasted of the same they have and do bear Testimony unto though few there be that have received their Testimony For who hath believed our Report and unto whom is the Arm of the Lord Revealed But come ye O House of Israel and let us walk in the Light of the Lord. THE Light revealed within is the narrow Way to Life Eternal and the Door into the Fold of Everlasting Rest The Light-is the Entrance into the fresh and green Pasture wherein the Lord feedeth his Elock and causeth them to lie down in peace and quietness out of the reach of the Beasts of prey The Light leads and draweth those that obey it out of Darkness and from under the region and shadow of Death into the Land of the Living there to dwell under the region shadow of Light and Life The Light breaks the Bonds of Sin in pieces and snappeth â—he Cords of Iniquity asunder and sets the Soul free from the Bondage of Corruption to serve the Loâ—d in the Life of Righteousness The Light draweth and leadeth those that believe in it and obey it out of the Alienation and Separation from God into the Everlasting Covenant of Life and Love where the Soul is in unity with the Lord The Light searcheth the Heart and operateth in the secrets of the Minds of those that obey it and like unto Leaven worketh the Heart and Mind into its own nature frame and quality The Light is Pure Holy and Undefiled and hath no unity with the least impure Thought Word or Work but Judgeth and Condemns it The Light is Meek Contrite Lowly and Humble condemns that honour that is corrupt and is from below and standeth in respect of Persons and it seeketh the honour of God only The Light Baptizeth self into Death slayes the Boaster puts Flesh to silence that God may speak in his Temple who is not to be denied the Mouth to speak by The Light is the heavenly Treasure in the earthen Vessel that brings honour and glory unto God The Light hath no fellowship with Darkness he that saith he is in the Light and hath unity with the Light and yet loveth and walketh in Darkness lyeth and the Light hath no room place or entertainment in his heart The Light teacheth those that love it to love Enemies its fruit is Love no Envy no Malice no Hatred no Bitterness no Enmity no Prejudice no Discord no Backbiting no Reviling no evil Whispering proceedeth from the Light the Light condemns it all and that ground from whence it springs The Light hath no unity with any unfruitful works of Darkness but reproves them The Light teacheth to render Good for Evil and to forgive Enemies and to pray for Persecutors and to have love and good will to all People and to seek and desire the Eternal good and wel-fare of all Souls he that hates and envies his Enemies abideth not in the Light Envy is of the Evil-one he that saith he walketh in the Light and hates his Brother lyeth and errs from the Truth The Light teacheth to love God with thy whole heart and thy Neighbour or Brother as thy self He that saith he loves God and hates his Brother is a Lyer he that loveth him that begetteth doth also love those that are begotten of him Love thinketh no Ill to Enemies much less to Brethren The Light leadeth his Children into Love Peace and Unity with God and one with another in the Life of Righteousness oh the unity the unity of Brethren in the Light Love and Life of God is exceeding precious and comely it s compared like to precious Oyl poured on the Head that runs down on the Beard even Aarons Beard that went down to the skirts of his Garment and like the dew of Hermon and like the dew that descended upon the Mountain of Sion where the Blessing is and where the Lord maketh unto his People a Feast of fat things The Light teacheth and maketh to be of one Heart of one Mind of one Soul and in all those that walk in it begetteth one consent to serve and worship the only wise God in the one Spirit and one Truth The Light giveth a good Understanding a clear Discerning a sound Judgment The Light leadeth not into strife and contention nor into rents divisions and parties nor into a particularity and self-separation from the Body nor into self-conceitedness nor into high airy notions nor into a climing up in imaginations after high discoveries and so slight the day of small things and neglect thy obedience to the present gift through an expectation of something greater to come yet unrevealed and such like Lucifer mounts high in their Conceits and Imaginations but will fall to the side of the Pit but the Light condemns all this and judges that Spirit that leadeth thereinto which Spirit soweth Discord among Brethren which is Abomination and that Spirit leadeth some to speak evil of Dignities and to dispise Dominion and to rebel against the Order and Government of the Lamb The Light judgeth that Spirit that setteth up and keepeth up out of the comly descent order of Truth that thing that tends to strife and breaking unity among Brethren The Light teacheth those that love it to seek and endeavour for Love Peace and Unity among Brethren with all Self-denial The Light teacheth to take away the occasion of stumbling in thy Brothers way The Light teacheth to be very wary and careful of giving Enemies advantage to strengthen themselves against Truth and the Wicked occasion to reproach it and those that live in it The Light teaches to live and walk in a holy godly Life and blameless Conversation as becometh the Gospel of Truth and as becometh Saints of the Most High The Light in those that love it crucifieth the Flesh with the lusts and affections thereof and teacheth those that love it how to possess their Vessels in Sanctification and Honour The Light crucifieth the Heart unto the World and worldly things and redeemeth the Mind from the Earth and earthly things and teacheth to use the World as if thou usedst it not The Light draweth the Mind out of the many things where all offend into the one thing needful which giveth not nor receiveth an offence but judges the offences and that ground from whence they come The Light is Supernatural and is to over-rule the Naturals and to keep them within the bonds of the Government of Truth
Rend and Devour in the tender Love of the great Shepherd and Bishop of your Souls is my heart opened to you to visit you with a few Lines and in the name of my God and your God my Father and your Father I say unto you he whom you serve hath seen your Afflictions and hath beheld your Sufferings and hath took notice of your Burdens and cognizence of your grievous Oppressions and hath heard your Groanings and hath beheld your Tears he assuredly will in his own time rebuke your Enemies and plead your innocent Cause with your Oppressors and ease you of and free you from your great Afflictions therefore dear suffering Lambs of my heavenly Father lift up your Heads in the Name of the Lord God and take Courage and be Strong in his Power and Truth which is in you and with you and on your sides and it is the Truth that shall prevail against all its Enemies and its Opposers shall be Confounded and the Truth of our God shall Flourish over all therefore dear Hearts still cleave to the precious Truth of God made known unto you and let nothing separate you from it oh blessed be the Lord that he hath begotten such a Love in you to him and his Truth that such is your love thereunto that you are willing to undergo Reproaches Abuses and spoyling of your Goods Imprisonment and to be separated from your Friends and Relations for Truths sake oh dear Lambs great is your Reward if you abide to the end and faint not in well doing oh my heart is open to you in the tender Love and Bowels of Emanuel and my soul is refreshed in your Faithfulness and though many of your Faces I never saw yet I am one with you in your Sufferings wherein my soul simpathiseth with you and hath unity with your Testimony for the Lord and my spirit doth praise the Lord the God of your Salvation on your behalf in that he hath so mightily upheld you and born you up in his Arms in the midst of your Tryals though you of your selves are Weak yet the Lord is Strong whose Strength you know by experience is manifested in Weakness therefore trust hope and depend you upon the Lord forever who is and will be your exceeding great reward cast your care upon him for he your God careth for you and yours he is a Father to the Fatherless and a Husband to the Widow he is the Comforter of the Comfortless and gladeth the heavy hearted Oh be still quiet patient and contented in your Minds and wait upon the Lord and be not at all terrifyed by your Adversaries but in the lowly fear of the Lord God rejoyce in that he hath counted you worthy not only to believe but to suffer for his Name sake oh your Reward no man can take away as you continue faithful to the Lord dear Lambs my Bowels yearn towards you and in the Fathers love I salute you desiring that Grace Mercy and Peace may rest upon you and the blessing of the most High distil upon you as dew upon the tender Herbs that you ye tender Plants may grow and be like Willows by the Water Courses and as Cedars by the Rivers side that your Leaf may not wither neither cease bearing Fruit so dear suffering Lambs as none is to be through Joy Exalted above what is meet so none through Sorrow is to be Dejected or cast down but every one in all Conditions is to learn to be Contented with the will of the Lord and none to murmur against the Lord because of the Prosperity of the Wicked and Advancement of Sions Enemies for though they seem to Flâ—uâ—ish like a green Bay-Tree yet they will become like Grass upon the House top that withereth before it is grown up So unto the Lord God I commit you who careth for all his and is a present help in the time of need and leaveth not his Sheep and Lambs when the Wolves come to Devour but he the mighty God standeth by his People and sighteth for mount Sion and defends the Hills thereof and will put to flight her Enemies and with the Breath of his Mouth expel and scatter the Clouds Fogs and Mists that ariseth out of the bottomless pit of Darkness that then oh Sion thy Glory may appear as the Morning without Clouds and as the Sun in its Brightness thy Beauty may shine forth and thy Enemies be Astonished and Confounded forever This is the salutation of my Love who am your Fellow Sufferer and Companion in the Patience and Tribulation of Jesus the Lord God be with you and support the weak and little ones among you and keep you all Faithful to the end and preserve you in Love and Unity one with another Amen saith my soul Bury Goal 1669. William Bennit Dearly Beloved FRiends Brethren and Sisters in the Heavenly Spiritual Relation of the Immortal Incorruptible Seed of Life Eternal of which you are born again and become Heirs of an Inheritance that is Everlasting by Faith in Christ Jesus in and from whom Joy and Peace Mercy and Grace be multiplyed in and unto all your Souls Amen Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who through his abundant Mercy and free Grace hath called us and with the Arms of his Everlasting Kindness hath gathered us and by his Almighty Power hath raised us up to be unto him a People to live unto him in his Life and to walk before him in Truth and Righteousness and to Serve and Worship him in his own Way and Spirit and to bear Testimony thereunto and against the contrary in Word and Doctrine in Life and Conversation and for our Testimonies sake the Nations are angry with us and the Earth is moved and the Waters troubled and swell against us as if we should be swollowed up and wholly over-whelmed with the Floods of the Wrath of the Dragon who seeks to drown the blessed and glorious appearance of the man Child who is to rule the Nations in Justice in Mercy in Judgment in Righteousness and Truth well my dear Friends though at this day we are a suffering People and as it were Killed all the day long and appointed Sheep for the Slaughter and are set as a prey for the Beast of the Field and Lyons of the Forrest and though the Jaws of Death and Gates of Hell seem to be opened wide against us as if we should be swallowed up quick and be extinguished from being a People yet notwithstanding we can rejoyce in the Lord our God because our sufferings are infflicted upon us not for evil doing but for well doing and our Enemies have found no just Cause given them of us thus to give us up to the Spoylers and into the hands of Wicked Ungodly Unreasonable men but altogether without a Cause given of us have they taken an occasion against us as Daniel's Persecutors did against him concerning the Law Commands and Worship of our God so that at
can make afraid for indeed it was Rest my Soul wanted and true Peace in God my Soul many a time longed for and panted after for oh I was oftentimes wounded wounded wounded because of Sin and for want of the enjoyment of the Love and Peace of God I went many a time bowed down in Spirit day after day with an a king Mind grieved Soul and wounded Conscience with my Eyes full of Tears and my Heart full of Sighing thinking in my Heart there was few if any in my State and Condition sometimes wishing and saying in my Heart Oh that I were in a desert solitary place outwardly for so was my condition inwardly where no man inhabits where I might have Mourned and Wept out my fill and have poured out my Tears unto the tender God of tender Bowels of Mercy and have spread my Complaints before him whom my Soul did then sometimes in measure long thirst and pant after even as the Hart panteth after the water Brooks And many a time I did get into a solitary place to ease my Heart a little in pouring out my Tears and Complaints to the Lord for in those daies many were my Prayers and Tears for great was the burden and load which I oftentimes went under day after day which made me cry Night and Day to the Lord for Peace and Rest yet I then not knowing that it was the Light of Christ in my Conscience that did break my Rest and Peace in Sin neither knew it to be a stay to the Mind and a bridle to my Tongue I many a time got into a false ease and liberty in idleness and wildness of Youth but it was broke again and Sorrow and Trouble would take hold on my Mind and true Desires would again be Renewed in me after the Lord and breathing and thirsting after Righteousness and oh my Heart and Soul was many a time made tender and soft and oh pity pity and tender bowels of compassion was in me towards any that I thought was in my condition and a tender love was hid in my Heart towards those that I then thought were the People of God and I can truly say my Bowels and Heart is open still and oftentimes Pity Love Compassion and Tenderness issues forth in me towards those that now are in that condition I then was in oh my Soul my Soul cannot but in some measure simpathize with them and in Spirit bear a part of their Burdens and Sorrows in my Bosom that not without some secret cries in my Heart unto the tender God of Bowels of Pity on their behalf and partly for their sakes is this published hoping that if the Lord will it may be of service unto some of them and if the Lord order it so to be to them or any then will my end herein be answered thereby And in those daies I frequented the Meetings of the People called Independants viz. William Bredges's Congregation in great Yarmouth whom I then thought were the People of God and yet I then saw that many of their Lives and Conversations even some of the chief of them were not consistant with what they professed in words and when I have been amongst them in the time of their singing Psalms the pure Witness of God in my own Heart hath as it were stoped my Mouth that I could not Sing with them but my Heart in the time of their singing was broken into tenderness and many were the tears of my Eyes and verily my outward â—an or earthen Vessel hath quaked and trembled this was before I was by Scorners called a Quaker or had seen any of those People and shaken like a Leaf that is shaken with the Wind which might be a sign of that shaking which since the Lord hath suffered to come upon ☞ them which hath almost shattered and scattered them who will shake all sandy Foundations and blast all Professions that are out of the Light and Power of God by the working of the Light and Power of God in my Heart though I then knew not that it was the Power of God that brought such a trembling upon me and that did in some measure let me see that it was not then a time of singing for me for I was theâ— in a strange Land in the Land of Captivity and could not sing the Song of Sion which I may truly say not in the least enmity towards the People for my Soul beareth love and good will towards all men and desire to tender and own the least true appearance of God in any they were ignorant of who were then singing what others had prescribed and made ready for them I then wanted the enjoyment of the Love Joy Peace and sweet Presence of God which maketh glad the Hearts of the Righteous and causeth the lowly meek and upright to sing in the Spirit with understanding for joy not that Song or Songs or Psalms which men have invented by their human Wisdom from which Wisdom the Mysteries of God's Kingdom is obscured and concealed but the new and living Song which the Dead cannot sing but the Living that are raised and redeemed out of and from the Earth and from amongst men even the ransomed of the Lord that are returned from Babylon unto Mount Sion whereon they stand with the Lamb whom they have followed through many Tribulations and have not loved their Lives unto Death and have washed their Garments and made them white in his Blood in and by whom they are become Virgins and have cast of all old Lovers and are not defiled with the Woman Jezabel but through the Lamb have gotten Victory over the Whore Beast and false Prophet and in the Heavenly Dominion of the Lamb by whom they are made more then Conquerors do they stand on the Sea of Glass mingled with Fire with the Harps of God and can sing a new Song of praise and thanksgiving unto him that was dead but is alive and lives for evermore And in all the times of my trouble of mind and travel of Spirit I never made known how it was with me nor declared my condition to any Creature though never so intimate with them but kept it secret in my Heart pouring out my complaints to God but not unto any man yet I could gladly have had some to have known how it was with me but I was straitned in my self and kept it in obscurity and in those dayes I knew not what it was that wrought and strove with me and did so frequently judge and reprove me for Sin and gave me power over many Evils which others were overcome withal and raised strong desires in me after the Lord and discovered unto me the thoughts of my Heart I say I knew not then what it was I was then not sencible that it was the Light of Christ Jesus or a measure of the Spirit of Truth neither did I then know I should have taken heed thereunto as unto a Light shining in a
precious Servants who were and are by scoffing Ishmael's Brood in scorn called Quakers whom I now ovvn in the Lord and the pure Witness of God in my own Heart bore Testimony to the Truth declared by them but long it was after I was in some measure convinced of the Truth before I steely gave up my Heart to obey the Truth but the Lord in time did overcome my Heart by the Power of his Love his inspeakable Love and made me willing to resign up my Heart in obedience to him and this Truth and to bow down to the Yoak and to take up the daily Cross which I learned by loving and taking heed to the Light and to dispise the Shame and to follow the Lord in that way viz. the Light which before had judged me for Sin begat desires in mâ— to know the Way which I knew not while my mind was abroad and knew not the Lord nigh who now teacheth and guideth me by his Light and Spirit in the way of Truth and Righteousness wherein I have found Peace Rest and true satisfaction for my Soul and witness my Teacher nigh though it hath been my portion with many other Berthren sometimes to eat the Bread of Adversity and to drink the Water of Affliction yet my Teacher and Comforter can none remove from me but he is and hath been with me in the Prison house and in the low Dungeon so that which now keeps me in Peace and Unity with the Lord and in Fellovvship vvith his People the same thing and not another vvas it that did formerly check reprove and judge me for Evil and brought trouble upon me for my Sins and that raised desires in me after the Lord as I have explicated in the fore-going Lines though I deny not but that I have novv a greater measure of Light and Grace then I had then yet the Light in quality and nature is the same for although the Light or Seed of the Kingdom vvhich consisteth of Joy Peace and Righteousness in the Holy Ghost be in the unbeliever and unconverted even as the least of all other Seeds yet nevertheless vvhere or in vvhomsoever it be received in the Faith Love and Obedience of it in such it grows and increases until it become the greatest in them and under its shadovv they come to sit vvith great delight and its Fruit becomes svveet to their taste and as a little Leaven in three measures of Meal it vvorketh and operateth in the Hearts and Minds of those that believe in the Light until it hath vvrought out the old leaven of Malice Sin and Corruption and leavened the Heart and Soul into its ovvn nature frame and quality so the same Light vvhich did condemn me for Sin vvhen I vvas in disobedience to it the samâ— hath and doth save me from Sin and now justifies me as I am kept in the Faith and Obedience of it and now it ministers Peace and Rest unto me and before it ministred Trouble and Condemnation So this I assert and affirm experimentally for an unerrable invincible Truth against all the Opposers Gainsayers Fighters and Undervaluers of the Light viz. that the Light of Christ who is the true Light that lighteth every one that cometh into the World even in the Conscience of that man or woman that is in Unbelief and in the Unconverted State is one in nature and quality with the Light in that man or woman that is in the belief of it and converted by it and the Light of Christ in the Conscience of the Drunkard and Swearer that doth check judg and reprove him for his Sins if it be believed in loved and obeyed is able to save him from his Sins but that man or woman that loveth Evil and hateth the Light and will not come to the Light but reject it such do not feel nor witness the saving healing vertue and restoring redeeming power of the Light but is only unto them a Judg and Condemner but they that receive it in the love and belief thereof such in through and by the Light receive power to become the Sons of God and joynt Heirs with Christ of the Kingdom of God which endures forever So blessed blessed be the Lord my tender God who is worthy worthy to be praised praised by my Soul in the sence of his Love Goodness and Grace whose Mercy hath been and is wonderful towards me unto whom be honour glory praise thanksgiving and obedience for evermore And my Soul having obtained mercy of the Lord and having tasted of his Goodness and Graciousness and experienced his Tender Fatherly Dealings with and towards my Soul my Heatt is opened with Love and Good will to all People Desiring their Good and Eternal Welfare in God To those that are young in Years c. Minde thy Creator in the dayes of thy Youth before the Evil day come c. Eccles 12. 1. c. ANd you who are yet young and tender in Years mind the Light of Christ in your Consciences which checketh and reproveth for Evil and idle words and works and it will learn you if you love it to fear and mind the Creator in the daies of your Youth before the Evil daies come and the Years when ye shall say We have no pleasure in them Oh say not any of you We are young and have many Years yet to spend wherefore we will take the pleasâ—re and delights of our Youth and seek the Lord afterward and Repent when we are old c. But remember the Lord God your Maker giveth unto you Life Breath and Being and how soon he may cut the threed of your lives and take you away from all your delights and vanities you know not for many he taketh away in their Youth Wherefore trifle not away your precious time in Sin and Vanity in vain Sports and Gameings or any Wickedness lest your Hearts come to be hardened in Ungodliness and you grow old in Iniquity and when it is too late you diligently seek repentance but you find it not wherefore take warning and mind those things in time before it be too late that concern the eternal Peace Rest and Happiness of your immortal Soul and first seek the Kingdom of God rather then the Riches Glory and Honour of this World which is all passing away and will not help in the day of Calamity and hour of Distress and Misery which will overtake the Wicked and all those that forget God as a Thief in the Night therefore mind and fear the Lord your Maker and take heed unto the Light in all your Consciences which is pure and holy and hath no unity with any evil thought word or work and love and believe in the Light that you may become Children of the Light if you love the Light it will save you from your Sins and redeem you from a vain Conversation and learn you to take up a daily Cross to your own Wills Desires Lusts and Affections and to Yoak down the
vain wild wanton corrupt Nature that defileth and polluteth your Hearts and Minds Lives and Conversations and so you will come to be changed and born again of the Seed incorruptible of the Word of God which is nigh in the Heart to be obeyed and done but if you delight in evil doing and hate the Light of Christ in your own Consciences which judgeth you for Sin and will not come to the Light but live and abide in Darkness and will not receive God's Counsel and Warnings nor hearken unto his Reproofs nor have none of his Ways but will follow your own ways wills and works and fulfill the lusts and desires of your own Hearts and vain devices and imaginations of your own Minds and will not that the Light should rule over you to govern you in the pure fear of the Lord and to lead you into holiness of Life to guide you into the way of Truth and Righteousness then will the Light be your Condemnation and leave you without excuse vvhen the Lord renders unto you according to your Works and the wages of Sin is Death but the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ Therefore dear People love it and imbrace it vvhilst it is near you even knocking at the Door of your Hearts oh hearken to it and let it have place in your Hearts and refuse not the Love and Mercy of the Lord tendered to you in the Light nor harden not your Hearts against the eternal good peace and happiness of your ovvn Souls lest the Day of your Visitation pass over and the Night of everlasting Darkness Sorrow Misery and Calamity overtake you and shut you up forever To all People that live and delight in wickedness The shew of their Countenance doth witness against them they declare their Sin like Sodom and hide it not Because I have called and ye refused c. Ye have set at nought all my Counsel and would have none of my Reproof c. I will laugh at your Calamity and mock when your Fear cometh c. Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an Oven and the Wicked and they that do wickedly shall be as Stubble c. Now consider this all you that forget God lest I tear you in Pieces and there be none to deliver Isa 3. 9. Prov. 1. 24 25 26. Mal. 4. 1. Psal 50. 22. AND you oh People that are void of the pure fear of the Lord God and have given up your Hearts to work Wickedness with Greediness who rush into Sin and Ungodliness as the Horse rusheth into the Battle and drinking up Iniquity as the Ox drinketh in Water taking pleasure in Unrighteousness and delighting in Uncleanness and wallowing in the Mire of your own Filthiness and Corruption fulfilling the Lusts of your unclean Hearts in Swearing Lying Drunkenness Whoredom Pride Couzening Defrauding and such like Wiâ—â—edness whereby you grieve â—he Lord day after day and wound bruise burden and oppress his righteous Spirit as a Cart is oppressed with sheaves oh repent repent and cease from the evil of your doings and leave off your wicked ways lest the Lord God tear you in Pieces and there be none to deliver Oh tremble ye careless Ones before the Lord Almighty who can consume you in a Moment and cut you off in the twinkling of an Eye oh dread the Lord God and fear his great and dreadful Name for the hour of his Judgment is come oh stand in awe of him who made the Heaven and the Earth the Sea and Fountains of Waters who giveth the Sun for a Light by Day and the Ordinances of the Stars and Moon for a Light by Night who divided the Sea when the Waves thereof did roar who hath his way in the Whirlwind and in the Storm and the Clouds are as the dust of his Feet who meeteth out the Heavens with a span and measureth the Waters of the Sea in the hollow of his Hand he comprehendeth the Dust of the Earth as in a Measure and weigheth the Mountains as in Seales and the Hills as in a Ballance in comparison of whom all Nations are but as a drop of the Bucket and as the small dust of the Ballance Oh will you not fear the Lord and dread his Majesty and tremble before his Presence who is a terrible one to the Workers of Iniquity that will not Repent who cometh vvith Fire and his Chariot like a Whirlvvind to render his Anger against the Wicked and Ungodly in Fury and his Rebukes in flames of Fire for by his Fire and by his Svvord vvill he cut dovvn the strongest Oakes and tallest Ceders and vvill plead vvith all Flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many wherefore repent repent and tremble tremble before the Lord God ye Workers of Iniquity for the day the mighty terrible dreadful day of the Lord God Almighty is come and yet a coming and vvo vvo to the Bryars and Thorns that cumber the Earth for the day shall burn as an Oven and the Wicked and they that do vvickedly and vvill not take vvarning and repent but still harden their Hearts against the Lord and against his precious Servants that vvarn you to repent vvhose Souls mourn and lament over you in the sence of the Sadness Wretchedness Miserableness and Deplorableness of your Conditions shall be as Stubble and the Day vvill burn them up both Root and Branch and the Fire vvill burn up the Bryars and Thorns and clense the Earth that Truth Righteousness Justice and Mercy may spring and flourish therein and the Mouth of Iniquity be stopt forever And the day of the Lord God vvill be upon every one that is proud and lifted up against the Lord and his anointed and the loftiness of the stoutest in Heart against the Lord shall be laid low and the haughtiness of Men shall be humbled and the Lord God holy just and true shall be exalted in that day when the Wicked shall flee to the Rocks and hide themselves as in the Caves of the Earth for the fear of the Lord and the Glory of his Majesty when he cometh to shake terribly the Earth and to overthrow the Seat of Wickedness forever and to punish the World for their Sins and the Wicked for their Iniquity and cause the Arrogancy of the Proud to cease and to lay low the Haughtiness of the Terrible Wherefore oh People prepare prepare by true Repentance with speed to meet the Lord in the way of his Judgments before his dreadful Fury break forth against you as devouring Fire Oh bring forth Fruits worthy of Repentance and amendment of Life oh why will you die and perish in your Iniquities forever the Lord desireth not the destruction of a Sinner but rather he should return in time from his Wickedness and learn Righteousness and Live yea Let the Wicked forsake his Wickedness and the Vngodly man his Thoughts and turn unto the Lord with his whole Heart and he will have mercy upon
to all People oh that you your selves did tender and seek after the Salvation of your Souls more then you do Remember when sometimes you have been in great jepardy of your Lives at Sea and the Lord hath in Mercy delivered you how little have some of you Eyed the Mercy and delivering Hand of the Lord therein but have been ready to ascribe the honour of your deliverance to the Anchor Cable and Man-hood c. More then to the Lord and when you have been in great danger of your Lives and saw no way but you must perish have you not then cryed to the Lord to deliver you and the Guilt of your Iniquities being hung upon your Consciences have you not been ready to make Promises in your distress to the Lord that if he spared your Lives you would repent and return unto him and fear and serve him and forsake the Evil wayes and when the Lord hath answered your desires and in mercy hath given you your Lives for a Prey when you came to Land have you then performed your Vows and Promises to the Lord or have you not gone on in Sin and Evil still let Gods witness in every Conscience speak for unto that I make my appeal Consider seriously how it stands between God and your own Souls and how greatly it concerneth you Sea-men and so it doth all other People to mind their latter â—nd and to be ready for sudden death it is a blessed thing to be fit to dye and to feel peace with God Dear People your Souls are immortal and must hereafter be in a sence and feeling of Joy Peace and Rest or else of Sorrow Misery and Torment even to all Eternity wherefore it concerns every particular one to mind above all other things and seek-after the eternal peace and happiness of your Souls in time before it be too late it is Sin Wickedness Unbelief and Hardness of Heart that doth separate People from the Lord and that draws down the wrath and curse of God upon them wherefore people must first be separated and clensed from that to wit Sin which separates them from the Lord and from his Love Peace and Blessing before they can witness their Reconciliation unto God in his Son and enjoy his Love Peace and Blessings Oh dear People I beseech you do not deceive your own Souls by being satisfied with a talk of being saved and redeemed by Christ c whilst you remain in your Sins for whom Christ saves he saveth from their Sins not in their Sins and they that witness Christ to be their Redeemer are redeemed from a vain Conversation and have their Consciences purged from dead works and their Hearts clensed and washed in his Blood which is his Life and Light from Sin and Corruption that so they might serve him in newness and holiness of Life Therefore consider be still serious and ponderous in Heart and retire your minds inward to the pure Light of Christ in your own Consciences that true and faithful Witness of God which keeps a Record of the deeds done in the Body and according to his Record must every man be judged according to his works so take heed unto the Light it will shew you your conditions and how it stands with your poor Souls to Godward that will deal plainly with you will not deceive you though indeed your Teachers who preach for Hire divine for Money have do deceive you by crying Peace to you lulled you asleep in your Sins have as it were daubed you up with untempred Morter and as it were sewing Pillows under your Arm-holes so long as you put into their Mouthes give them hire help to maintain their God which is their Belly But wo to such Teachers that feed with the Fat and clothe with the Wool and for filthy Lucre and Gain from their Quarters will cry peace unto the Wicked unto whom while they remain in their wicked state there is no true peace saith the Living God oh they are Blind Leaders of the Blind and how many are faln into the Pit of Perdition that have been led by them Therefore dear People cease from your Teachers who have not profitted you at all but keep you ever learning but never able to bring you to the knowledg of the Truth which until you do come to know freedom from the bondage of Sin and Corruption you cannot witness therefore to the Light in all your Consciences come for that is Truth and love it and obey it and you will by it receive power over Sin and be enabled to cast off the Yoak of Iniquity and to take up the Yoak of Christ and embrace that Cross which crucifies to the World and worldly things unto the Lust and Wickedness thereof and such are true Disciples of Jesus that learn of him who is meek and low in their Hearts and that do deny themselves and take up the daily Cross to their own Wills Thoughts Words Works Desires and Affections and follow him through many Tribulations in the narrow way of Holiness for it is not he that calls Lord Lord but he that doth the Will of God that inheriteth the Kingdom of God not the Sayers or Knowers of the Will of God are justified but the Doers of the Will are justified not they that only confess with the Mouth day after day that they are miserable Sinners c. as both Priest and People do and yet still Year after Year remain the same if not grow worse shall find mercy but they that not only confess but forsake and turn from the evil in Heart Life and Conversation unto that which is good shall find mercy and forgiveness and remission of Sins Oh mind the good thing in you which is grieved and burdened with the evil and turn in your minds to it and it will let you see those things that are reproveable Drunkard turn in thy mind to the Light in thy own Conscience and it will shew thee judge and reprove thee for thy Drunkenness Swearer turn into the Light and it will judge thee for Swearing for Lying Pride Envy Malice Reviling Cheating Defrauding Covetousness Fornication yea All things that are reprovable are made manifest by the Light and that which maketh manifest is Light thou that hatest the Light and lovest thy Evil deeds and wilt not come to the Light because it will reprove thee there thou hast learned thy condemnation For this is the condemnation of the World that Light is come into the World and men love Darkness rather then the Light because their deeds are evil but they that do good love the Light and bring their deeds to the Light to try them whether they be wrought in God and such are justified by the Light So while you have the Light believe in the Light that you may become Children of the Light so unto the Light in all your Consciences I am made manifest and in true unfained love and bowels of
Earth have cause to speak well of the Lord and to trust in his holy Name we are the People for mightily and wonderfully hath the mighty God done and wrought for us though the blind World sees it not Oh! how have we been as Lambs among Lyons and yet not devoured but wonderfully preserved by the secret Power and invisible Arm of the Lord our Shepherd who hath been our Defence when the Beasts of the Forrest have come forth to Devour and the Wolves have been greedy of their Prey then hath the Lord sought for Mount Sion and defended the Hill thereof and though some said We 'll pursue we 'll overtake our Lust shall be satisfied on them we 'll draw our Swords and our Hands shall destroy them yet how hath the Lord blown in his Wrath upon them the Sea of his Judgment hath covered them and they are sunk as Lead in the bottom of the mighty Waters and we yet through mercy are alive and have a being among the Living to speak well of the Lord and to make mention of the Goodnesâ— of our Good and to declare of his Kindness and to praise him for his Works which are marvelous in our Eyes Oh! his Love his Mercy and tender fatherly care over and towards us extends beyond the demonstration of Words and oh let the sense thereof be engraven upon the table of our Hearts that it may humble us and keep us low before the Lord and be an Obligation upon every Soul of us to bind and engage us unto the Lord and his Truth forever How mightily hath the Lord limitted and quieted the raging Sea and made a Calm oh that all Friends might take notice of the great Mercy and Love of the Lord to us in this particular and mind the end of the Lord therein and let us all take heed we Sin not because Grace and Mercy to us abounds lest it provoke the Lord to Anger and be a moving cause to induce him to let forth the Wind and suffer a Storm again Oh that none might get into a false ease and liberty and wrong security because of the present Calm but all to keep retire in that which fitteth and maketh ready for Tryals when they come in by and through which we have been upheld preserved hitherto even by the secret Power Arm of the Lord which is not shortned that it cannot save but is the same that ever it was and it hath been our Helper in six Troubles and in the seventh has not been wanting to us to help us when there hath been none to help and to support and uphold us when there hath been none to uphold but Loads Burdens and Oppressions have been heaped upon us and to comfort us when nothing but Sorrow and Trouble from the World compassed us about and when we have had nothing as from men but the Bread of Adversity the Water of Affliction even then hath the Lord our tender God been the Comforter of our Hearts the Refresher of our Souls the Rejoycer of our Spirits and the Lifter up of our Hands when we have been bowed down with the Oppressions of our Enemies his â—resence hath been with us in the Prison-house and in the low Dungeon and hath not left us to this day and assuredly never never never will leave us if we leave not him but will be with us until we have finished our Course and fulfilled the dayes of our appointed Time and our Change come So dear Friends unto the Lord I commit you who knoweth how it is with all his Babes and Children and beholdeth all their Tryals Straits and Sufferings inward and outward and his ear is open to the cry of the Poor and groanings of the Needy who is God all-sufficient for all those that trust hope relie and depend upon him and able to keep them by his power through Faith in his Name unto his heavenly Kingdom So the Lord be with you all and the Almighty protect and defend you and keep you from Evil unspotted from the World and preserve you in Love Peace and Unity with himself and one with another in his innocent unfained Love in his Light Life Power and Truth and make and keep you all of one Heart and one Mind and one Soul that you all with one consent may still worship and serve the Lord God in the one Spirit and the one Truth in which I dearly greet salute and embrace you all and remain your Friend and Companion in the Patience and Tribulation of Jesus Farwell dear Friends William Bennit Dear Friends IN the Love which waxeth not Old neither is subject to Change which God hath shed abroad in the hearts of those that believe in the Light through the operation of his Eternal Spirit in this Love which openeth our Hearts unto the Lord and one another doth the unfeigned Salutation of my Soul reach forth unto you as in which Love Iabide I cannot forget the Family of Love and Houshold of Faith neither can length of Time nor distance of Place â—onds nor Tribulations extinguish the remembrance of you whom the Lord â—ath chosen out of the Elect Seed from out of the Faâ—ilies of the Earth to place his Name among and to maniâ—est his Power and Glory in and through you his People to the praise of your God in your Generation dear Friends who are called to be made pertakers of the Blessed Everlasting Inheritance of the Saints in Light and through Faith in the Light of Life you are called and raised up to bear Testimony unto him whom the Nations Despise but unto you that believe in him he is Pretious and you that have seen his Bâ—auty and beheld his Comliness and have tasted of his Love and have savoured the sweetness of his preâ—ious Oyntment which hath healed your Wounds and cured your Diseases and with which your Souls have been Bathed Warmed and sweetly Refreshed unto you that have tasted of his Divine Vertues who is the Light of â—he World he is the chiefest of ten Thousand who hath called and chosen you out of the World to follow him in the Regeneration and to bear his Image before the World and to shew forth his Testimony against the World therefore do the World hate you and desire and seek your Destruction and would tempt you and by cruelty force you from the beloved of youâ— Souls but dear Hearts every one cleave in spirit unto the Lord and hold fast his blessâ—d Truâ—h received into your Hearts that the Enemy within nor his Instruments without by all their Temptaâ—â—ons and Cruelty may never move you to decline nor degenerate from that blessed Testimony which God hath given you to bear for him in the midst of a Wicked and Uâ—godly Generation who must fill up the measure of their Iniquity that Judgment may come upon them to the full and the measure of your Sufferings must also be fulfilled therefore dear Lambs hold fast Faith and a good Conscience and pâ—t