a prey to this Generation Isa 59.14 15. And though several overturnings have been yet is iniquity still at a great height and increaseth exceedingly And what will it advantage a Child to flee from a Bear and joyn to a Lyon Verily the day is come wherein there is no hiding place of safety for the Righteous but purely in the Name of the Lord and blessed are they that alone trust therein For the help of the meek standeth in the Name of the Lord Psal 124.8 Hos 13.9 And happy are they that abide in it for the day will be terrible and dreadful unto all that have not a habitation in the Name of the Lord the King of Saints For Violence and Oppression shall come to the full and then shall the Lord Roar out of his Habitation and he shall strike the Inhabitants of the Earth with Astonishment and Faintness and Deadness of Spirit shall seize upon the mighty men and weakness and fear upon thâ— strong and bold of the Earth for the Lord will appear in his mighty Power to take the Kingdom and to relieve the oppressed and to help the needy and they shall be strong in him Be wise therefore O ye Kings and learn Wisdom ye Iudges and Rulers of the Earth Return unto the Lord and serve him with fear Tremble before the Glory of his Presence and Kisse the Son lest he be angry and you perish by the way For his wroth shall suddenly burn then blessed are all they that trust in Him Read Psal 2. Therefore strive not with the Lord any longer by withholding his Right from Him but give unto him his due and resign up to him and his anointed the things that he doth require for the Lamb must get the victory and he must have the Preheminence in all things yea he must be the Supream Head in all Spiritual things and the only Law-giver to his People yea he with the Higher Power must ordain and send forth Ministers and Labourers into his Church Vineyard and Harvest for he only can fit them for the work and not man and he will take care that they shall not lack any thing Luke 22.35 For the Earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof Psal 24.1 And he will constrain People with his love which is better than outward force to give his Ministers Food and Raiment when they have need thereof and they will be contented there-withal 1 Tim. 6.8 Therefore meddle not with these things any more I warn and exhort you in the Love of God For it belongs not unto you but unto God and Christ who are one and let Christ only be acknowledged to be the defender of the Faith who is able to perform that Office to the full which man is not And let the one Law-giver be minded and owned in man to give forth Laws to punish Transgressors that so the Judgement may be the Lord's and not man's for so it ought to be and he that Ruleth over men must be Just ruling in the Fear of God 2 Sam. 23.3 And they that Fear the Lord and hate Covetousness ought to be Judges and Rulers Exod. 18.21 to see and take care that the Law of God be put in due execution judging righteously without respect to persons Prov. 24.23 doing to all men as they would they should do unto them keeping out of Bribes and Gifts that the eye may not be blinded Exod. 23.6 7 8. And such Rulers as these will the Lord set up and Honour unto whom he will plainly shew his Righteous just Law which he wil have executed upon Transgressors and men shall be subject unto them for Conscience sake and they only shall be a terror to evil doers and encouragers of them that do well and they shall be guarded with Righteousness and the Lord shall bless them with the dew of Heaven and they shall send forth a good savour into the Earth and then shall the Inhabitants of the Earth learn Righteousness For Judgement shall run down as Water and Righteousness as a mighty stream for the Judgments of the Lord shall be rightly executed and self-ends shall be denyed and then shall Praises Dominion Honour and Obedience and all that is the Lord's be yielded unto him the King of Saints And until this come to pass God's Controversie shall not cease But there will be Breaking and Overturning Oppressing and Spoyling and Insnaring one of another and they that come uppermost and will not give unto the Lord his due but set themselves in his Seat whatsoever words they profess or let them appear never so strong in the arm of flesh yet they shall be broken down with dishonour and Plagues and Torments shall be the Portion of the Hypocrite that bows to deceit and Babylon must fall and perish for strong is the Lord which judgeth her Rev. 18.8 And in vain do men seek to establish themselves in that which the Lord is against and wo will be unto them that are found in the State of Capernaum and Edom Read Obediah 3.4 Mat. 11.23 And now ye Rulers Teachers and People remember you are warned and it is in true love to your Souls and Bodies therefore Repent whilst you have time left you that you may be saved though it be so as by fire and speedily resign up to the Lord that which properly belongeth unto Him for verily the day dawneth apace which shall reveal that man of sin more and more who hath set himself in the Seat and stead of God whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his Mouth and abolish and destroy with the Brightness of his coming 2 Thes 2.3 4 5 6 7 8. And the day of the Lord shall even so come as a Thief in the night And when the wicked shall say Peace and safety then shall come upon them sudden destruction even as the travel of a woman with Child which by no means can be escaped 1 Thes 5.2 3. Be still O ye Saints of the most High God keep clear of Babylon take heed of being ensnared dy her cleave not to her flatteries in any wise but follow the Lamb whithersoever he leadeth you and hold fast the Word of his Patience in the true Integrity of your hearts that so ye may stand and endure the Tryal to the end and whatsoever you suffer for the Testimony of God you shall have a full reward for it if you faint not This in the Word of the Lord is unto you Lambeth-House the 28th of the 4th Month 1660. POSTSCRIPT ANd if I could write no more yet this is the Testimony of Truth to the Rulers Teachers and People of this present Age in what Nation soever this may come Mark you must all come to the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ the Lamb of God who hath enlightned you that with the Light you may come to see what is contrary to the mind and will of God both in your Laws and Governments and in the constitutions thereof and in
which all things were created and made and are upheld that therein ye may be ordered in the particular and that therein ye may use and order all God's Creatures to his Glory and then all false Weights and Measures and Wayes and Worships will be destroyed and then shall Truth Equity Righteousness and true Order and Mercy prosper and run down as a River So let your Faith stand in Christ Jesus the Light and Wisdom and Power of God and then true Worship true Weight true Measure shall be set up and established and then shall the Lord be exalted over all the works of his hands and so ye will feel his blessing unto him belongeth the Dominion and Honour for he is worthy of it for evermore Amen By George Fox the Younger The Words of the Everlasting and True Light Who is the Eternal Living God and the King of Saints which he gave unto me his servant to declare unto the Inhabitants of the Earth and unto all such as have any true tender desires in them after Righteousness and Truth HEarken O ye Nations and give ear ye Inhabitants of the Earth Thus saith the Lord God of Heaven and Earth whose Name is the Light I am the Lord and there is no other that can save I the Light Created all things and formed and made you all of the dust and I breathed into you my Light my Life that ye with it should have been guided and led in my Wisdom to have ordered all things which I have Created and to have ruled over them all that I in you might have been honoured and exalted over all the works of my hands which I the Light Created But from me the Light ye have departed and ye have hearkned unto the Subtil Serpent which is the Devil who abode not in me the Light the Life the Truth which Created all things whom I have cursed above all the Beasts of the Earth who is the Seed of Enmity and ye hearkening unto him he hath begotten you into Enmity against me the Light and so hath begotten and led you into the Curse and so he is become your Father and Leader whom I have cursed and all that ye bring forth and act in him I have cursed because it stands in the Enmity against me the Light yet I the Light have looked upon you and pittied you because of the loss that ye are come into and the darkness that is come upon you all through your departing from me the Light And I the Eternal God have sent him who was glorified with me before the World was by whom I made the World who is not without me nor I without him but he is in me and I in him and He and I and the Spirit that proceed's from Us are one Being and Substance Mark I the Eternal God have sent him into the World who was glorified with me before the World began and he is called my Son because he is the Express Image of my Glory and bears my Name the Light the Life the Truth which is but one and he is my Love unto you the World and that is he that lets you see the Enmity and darkness that ye are in and how years departed and gone from Me the Life and for this end I have sent him a Light that ye all through him the Light might believe that so he who shews you your Sins your Enmity your Darkness ye believing in him might receive power to come out of it and that he might save you from the curse which ye went into when ye hearkned to the Serpent whom I have cursed who is become your Leader But I have sent you the Light to be your Leader to lead you from the Serpent and out of all that which he hath led you into Mark out of Enmity against me out of Darkness and so out of all unrighteous words and deeds and thoughts And I the Eternal God have given my Son the Light power to plague and to judge to condem and to destroy all those that will not hear him the Light who makes manifest unto you your unrighteous words deeds and thoughts which the Serpent hath led you into and because ye live in these I cannot have fellowship with you nor reveal my secrets unto you but my anger is kindled against you but if ye would hearken unto my Love the Light which lets you see all that ever you have done and own him to be your Leader and receive him and give up your selves to be guided by him then you shall feel his Power in you which I have given him to lead you out of Enmity and Darkness and the curse and out of all Sin which was the cause of the curse and so to destroy that Nature in you which the Serpent hath begotten ye into and to beget you again into the Nature of himself the Light in whom I am well pleased and then my anger would be turned away from you and I should have fellowship with you again as I had in the beginning and the Serpent's head ye should come to witness bruised who drew and led you out of me the Life the Tree of Life which I shut you from because of your disobedience ye should come to know it and to feel it and to feed upon it again and I should delight to do you good But O ye disobedient ye are from this because ye despise Me my Son my Spirit who are one who are Light and Life which is not far from you for I the Light give unto every one of you Life and Breath and you and all things are upheld by me the Light whose presence filleth Heaven and Earth and I have long spared you and my patience and long-suffering towards you hath been exceeding large but you in your imaginations have put me a far off and ye will not own me the Light the Life in you because my appearance in you hath been and yet is to make manifest Sin and Evil in you and to check and reprove you for it and to call you out of it and therefore you are offended at me and you whom the Serpent the Prince of the Power of the Air hath led out of me into airy imaginations you scorn me the Light in you and count me a low poor weak thing not worth the taking notice of because I have been patient towards you and have tenderly meekly and lovingly made manifest unto you Sin and Evil in its appearance and hath reproved you for Evil gently therefore you have disobeyed me and dishonoured me and called me a Natural Light and ye have said I the Light am not able to save those that believe in me and many of you have got my words which I the Light spoke in my servants of old and ye in the Enmity give other meanings to my words and so with my words mixed with your own meanings and imaginations ye fight against me the Light and Life within you and so against my
to shake terribly the Earth the noise of a Trumpet goeth before him which soundeth an Alarm Strong and Mighty is he there goeth a Sword out of his mouth and a Threshing instrument is in his hand wherewith he will cut down the tall Cedars and thresh the Mountains to dust A fire proceedeth out of his mouth also which shall devour and burn before him and none shall be able to quench it And the breath that cometh forth of his Nostrils shall scatter the Earth as the VVhirl-wind scattereth the dust yea terrible and dreadful will he be unto you wicked who live in the Earth you shall not be able to behold nor stand in his presence Therefore weep and howl and lament for the misery that is coming upon you for a total destruction is at hand yea the Lord hath decreed an utter overthrow of the Earth and the Inhabitants thereof for now shall his overflowing Scourge pass through the Earth and the Besom of his destruction shall sweep you away for your VVhoredoms and Murders and Idolatry and Drunkenness and Swearing and Lying and VVantonness and Prophaneness is come in remembrance before the dreadful and terrible God who will be avenged on you at once Rejoice ye Saints who are clad with Zeal and shout for joy you Sons of the most high God and sing ye Heavens and you that dwell therein for the Lord is risen ye are Witnesses thereof behold he cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to Iudge the Earth in Righteousness and to execute his Judgements upon his and our Enemies The Vials of his VVrath are made ready to be poured out upon them and his Indignation is waxen hot against them which shall burn and slay and consume them unto the end Glory Glory Honour and Dominion and Praise be given unto our King who liveth for ever for he is worthy to reign over all who was dead but now is he alive and liveth for evermore And he hath redeemed us from the Earth and hath brought us above the Earth to reign with him up the Earth Eternal Praises to our King for evermore who is above all and over all who was before the VVorld was and hath brought us to be before the VVorld to reign with him eternally above the VVorld and our Enemies are to be plagued and tormented in our presence and we shall rejoyce over the smoak of their torment which ascendeth for ever Now here is the joy and cause of our rejoycing who have followed the Lamb through great Tribulation and are brought above the Tribulations to dwell in the presence of the living God this is joy unspeakable and full of Glory which shall never have an end Hallelujah to our King for evermore Edmonds-Bury Common Goal the 22. day of the 7th Month 1656. By me George Fox whose natural Birth and outward being was at Charsfield in the said County of Suffolk A Visitation of Love unto all People in whose hearts there are any true honest tender desires begotten towards God and his Righteousness In what Sect or Opinion or Profession soever they be who are not in the Light especially unto such who have felt something of the workings of the Life and Power of God in them and yet notwithstanding have been led by the subtilty of the Serpent from the Life and Power of God into many Sects and Opinions and Forms which are without the Life and Power of God and herein the subtil workings and devices of the Serpent whereby he deceives the hearts of the simple is clearly made manifest Friends GOd the higher Power unto whom the soul is to be subject he only hath immortality and dwelleth in the Light and he is Light And he hath freely given his Son into the world by whom the world was made for a Covenant of Light and he is the true Light which lighteth every one that cometh into the world that all men through him might believe who is the VVord of God in whom is Life and that Life mark is the Light of men and the pure Grace of God which bringeth Salvation by which the Saints are freely justified hath appeared unto all men yea the the Eternal God of Truth hath appeared unto you in his Son Jesus Christ the true Light and with this Light hath God made manifest unto you your sin and evil deeds and with the measure of the Light of his Son in you sometimes hath he appeared in his mighty Power whereby he hath smitten you for your sins and evil deeds and he by his Power hath broken you into tenderness and brought you down into lowliness for a time and then by his unresistible Power thus working in you did beget a holy Seed from whence pure desires and breathings after God hath often arose in you which seed could not nor cannot be satisfied without Gods living presence Now ye not standing in the Power which convinced you and smote you and broke you into tenderness and brought you down and then begot a holy Seed in you from whence a pure unfeigned love to God hath oft sprung mark you not minding the workings and movings of this Power in you nor waiting in it for to receive counsel you entered into reasonings and thoughts which the subtilty which is the Devil presented in you and so ye hearkned not to Gods voice the power which had wrought so in you but you entred into reasonings with the subtilty which abode not in the power and this begot a questioning in you what that should be which had so appeared in you and broken you into such a tenderness and had wrought such a sudden change in you which you were not able to resist And ye going into the reasonings in your minds thus you turned from the pure Power of God and then sin which separateth from Gods presence which he by his Power worketh in you had in measure smitten and brought down in you arose again and got the Dominion in you and so you going thus from the Power wherein ye should have waited to have been preserved in the tenderness ye soon lost the tenderness and fear which the Power had wrought in you and then hardness of heart soon grew in you again and then the Seed which God had begotten in you which cannot be satisfied without his presence that began to be sorely oppressed in you by the sin which separates from Gods presence which got up more and more in you through your turning from the Power which ye once felt manifested and working in you against sin And then a grievous weight or burden came upon the Righteous Seed in you and then it began to groan and cry to God from under the burden and weight of iniquity that was upon it and then the Light appeared more brighter in you again for the Seeds sake which suffered in you and shewed you that you were wrong then the Light judged you for the wrong and then trouble came upon you and encreased in your minds and then
Children which bear Testimony of me the Light who lighteth every one that cometh into the World and these your iniquities I have long born and you have grieved my Spirit which haah long strove with you and I the Life have been oppressed in you and by you But verily my Spirit shall not alwayes strive with you neither will I the Light alwayes bear your iniquities for verily I the Lord God Almighty who am the Light which have made manifest your iniquities unto you which some of you call Natural and say that those who are led and guided by me the Light within which makes manifest Sin that they are guided by a spirit of Error and Delusion Mark I will make you know your blasphemy and you shall know and feel to your Everlasting destruction if you speedily repent not that I the Light which le ts you see Sin and reproves you for it am Spiritual and am the Spirit of Truth who leads all those that receive me out of all Error and Delusion into all Truth and I 'le make you know that I the Light am a consuming fire which none can quench for now will I the Light and Life arise who have so gently reproved you for sin and called you out of it and have so long suffered in you and by you as a Lamb yea I will arise and ease my self of my adversaries I will not spare any that will not own me the Light but I will overturn you all without respect of Persons and I will give to every one according to the fruits of their doings I matter not what name ye are called by whether it be King Protector Prince Duke Lord Iudge Iustice Parliament Priest Lawyer gathered Churches Army Gentry mean Men or Beggars Mark I the Light made you all of one blood I formed you all of the dust I breathed into you the breath of Life I gave you the Light to lead you to order you and that ye in it should have walked and ordered all things to my Glory but many of you have slighted me the Light in you would not take Counsel of me nor be ordered by me but have chosen to follow your own hearts lusts and have taken counsel of the Serpent have chosen him to be your Leader in his Wisdom ye have walked and by him ye have been ordered and by him ye have ordered things to the dishonour of me the Light whom many of ye call Natural Mark I the true Light will arise and will plague and torment all you that disobey me and will not turn at my reproof I will bring such heavy judgements upon you as have not been felt I will be a swift witness against all the wicked I the Light will stop the mouths of vain talkers I will confound the wisdom of wise men I will make diviners mad I will bring down the high lofty spirits of men I will make ye bow unto my Name the Light you shall feel it is not Natural nor weak as some of you have said of it for it shall break you to pieces and all your Profession and Wisdom which is out of the Light I the Light in you will confound it all I 'le break all Sects and Opinions and gathered Churches so called which are not in me I the Light in you will take away all Peace from the Earth yea I 'le bring you to your wits ends I 'le burn your Heavens all your Joy your Peace your Righteousness which stand in the Power of Darkness I the Light in you will consume it all I 'le burn Heaven and Earth I 'le burn within in and without I 'le strike with astonishment with fear and amazement with madness and destruction I 'le bring Plagues within and Plagues without until I have consumed all you mine Enemies who will not own me the Light within I the Light will overturn Kingdoms and Nations and Rulers of all sorts and Armies and gathered Churches which will not own me the Light in them to guide and lead them Wo unto the Murtherers Whoremongers Thieves Cheaters Swearers Lyars Hunters Gamesters Vain-talkers and all workers of iniquity who hate me the Light who have made manifest your abominations and reproved you for them I have been pressed with your iniquities but I the Light will arise upon you and if ye will not hear and return speedily I 'le fall upon you and grind you to Powder and all both high and low rich and poor Professors or not Professors and all time-servers who will not own me the Light in you and return to me the Light I will make no difference of you because of your names or places but I will break you to pieces like a potters vessel I 'le tread you like mire and clay in the streets and I 'le make you know that I the Light which lighteth every man which cometh into the World that all through me should believe am the true Eternal God which Created all things and that by me the Light all things are upheld and that there is not another beside me that can save for I will famish all the Gods of the Heathen and destroy them and those that worship them and will not repent and turn unto me the true Light I 'le make a short work I will cut it short in Righteousness and I the Light will be exalted over all the Earth and I 'le prove my self to be stronger than all in this Generation And all you who are scoffers and scorners who scoff and scorn at my children who in this the day of my Power have trembled at my Word Mark I 'le make you assuredly to tremble and quake yea you who have despised me the Light and have scoffed at my workings in my People I the Light in you will make you to drink the cup of Trembling and ye shall not be able to resist it and then ye shall know that I the Light am he that will work and none shall be able to stop me yea I the everlasting light will wound none be able to heal I will kill and none shall be able to make alive Therefore consider what I say before the day of your visitation be wholly past and return unto me the light in you and repent lest my long patience come to an end and so I destroy you utterly Now all people in whom there are any true tender desires after Truth and Righteousness I the true Light in you did beget them and if ye will hearken unto me the Light in you I will let you see all that which doth oppress those desires in you and I will not onely shew you that which doth oppress those desires in you but I the Light if ye will receive me and learn of me will teach you to deny and to resist all that which is contrary unto me which doth oppresse that which I have begotten in you and if ye will believe and wait in me the Light I will give you Power
guide and lead them would it not lead and guide them out of Sects and Opinions and Divisions and Strife and would it not bring People to be of one heart and of one mind and into Unity with God and one with another and with the Scriptures yea or nay 15. Qu. And doth not Christ the Light the Spirit of Truth for Sin Condemn Sin in the flesh and must not that be owned which makes manifest reproves and Condemns Sin in the flesh before the Ministration of Life and Peace can be witnessed yea or nay 16. Qu. Is not the Unity of the Spirit the bond of Peace and must not People come into Unity with the Spirit before they can come into true Peace and doth not the Spirit of Truth reprove men for Sin who live in it so must not People come out of Sin before they can come into Unity with the Spirit and so into true Peace or hath the Spirit any Unity with Sin or is there any true Peace to the wicked who live in Sin yea or nay 17. Qu. And is not Christ the Light the Word the Rock of Offence and the stone of stumbling unto the disobedient in whom the Prince of the Power of the Air ruleth but is he not Elect and precious to them that believe and obey him and is it not he that ruleth in them and leads and guides them in the way of Peace yea or nay 18. Qu. Do not as many as believe in the Light receive Power to become the Sons of God and are not those the Sons of God who are led by the Spirit of Truth and are not those that do not believe in Christ the Light nor are guided by the Spirit bastards and not sons and are they not condemned already who do not believe and is not the Light their Condemnation yea or nay 19. Qu. And shall not Darkness yea great Darkness come upon them who do not believe and walk in the Light and shall not they stumble and fall and be broken yea or nay 20. Qu. And shall not they who believe and walk in the Light be made Children of the Light and be kept from stumbling and falling and shall not they have fellowship with the Father and the Son from whence the Light comes and one with another and doth not the blood of Christ cleanse them from all Sin yea or nay 21. Qu. Can any have fellowship with the Father and the Son and the Saints in Light but those that walk in and are guided and led by the Light of Christ Jesus which he hath enlightned them withal yea or nay 22. Qu. Can any deny themselves before they see themselves and can any man see himself but with the Light which Christ hath enlightned him withal which makes manifest Self and can any be Christ's Disciple but he that denies himself and takes up the Crosse and comes after Christ the true Light and are not all they thieves and robbers which come before Christ the Light and are not such enemies to the Crosse of Christ and is not the Crosse of Christ the Power of God and is not the Crosse and the Preaching of it foolishness to the wise of this World and is it not a stumbling block to such as in words professe they know God but in works deny him yea or nay 23. Qu. And they that commit Sin and cannot cease from Sin are not they of the Devil and are not they the Servants of Sin and so free from Righteousness and have they not eyes full of Adultery who cannot cease from Sin are they not adulterated and whored from the Life of God and though they promise liberty to themselves and others yet are not they servants to corruption and do not they live in the flesh and are they not dead while they live and so out of the true Faith and can such please God yea or nay 24. Qu. And they that believe in and obey Christ Jesus the true light doth not their faith stand in the Power of God and doth it not purifie their hearts and give them victory over the World and do not they who witness in the Life the manifestation of the Son of God also witness that he destroyes the works of the Devil and takes away their Sin and makes an end of transgression and changes their Nature which was subject to Sin and makes them partakers of his Divine Nature and throughly purges and sanctifies them with his Living Truth and doth not that make them free from Sin and so make them servants of Righteousness and doth not that make vessels of honour fitted for the Masters use and are not such dead unto Sin and alive unto God and can such live any longer in Sin and having mortified the deeds of the Body through the Spirit shall not they live but not to themselves but to God and are not these Christ's and have they not crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof yea or nay 25. Qu. Shall any man see the Lord without Holiness and ought any to name the Name of Christ but those that depart from Iniquity and is that the Faith of God's Elect which doth not purifie the heart nor give victory over the world but is without the works or is not this dead Faith and but the Faith of Devils and shall any be saved or justified by this Faith yea or nay Consider of these things ye Professors who stumble at the Light and tell People that none shall be free from sin in this Life 26. Qu. And when is the time and where is the place and what is the name of it if not in this Life that men shall be made free from sin answer plainly that I may see how much ye differ from the Papists in this particular or do ye believe that corruption and that which is imperfect shall enter into Heaven and inherit in corruption yea or nay Answer these Queries in plainness according to the Scriptures if ye be able if not then submit unto the true Light which will let you see your thoughts your darkness your unstableness and ignorance of the Scriptures and repent and believe and wait in the true Light that you may come out of your thoughts and darkness and unstableness and ignorance into that which the Scriptures declare of to feel Christ the Saviour from whence the Light doth come to redeem and save ye from sin and to keep ye out of your own thoughts inventions and imaginations that so your minds may come to be stayed and settled in the Power of the Lord which moves against sin By one who witnesseth God Christ the Light the Word the Spirit of Truth and these are one and the Kingdom of God within me and so am come to the thing that the Scriptures testifie of which was before Scripture was in whom the Scriptures ends and the Tabernacle of God is witnessed with men and his presence is felt which filleth Heaven and Earth and the Heaven
of Tythes and forced Maintenance which hath cost some their lives and many a great part of their Estates who for Conscience sake have been made to witness against it Undo every Heavy Burden and break every Yoak and let the Oppressed go free And let Christ Iesus the everlasting King have the preheminence in all things Col. 1.18 for these things the Lord will have to be accomplished and brought to pass and if you will not submit to him in this his work he must and will remove you And this further consider Oh! take heed that none of you upon your Beds or elsewhere devise Cruelty and Oppression and how to avenge your selves upon your Enemies and then when you are assembled together confirm it by a Law because you have power so to do for the Lord abhors that who is appearing to give to all men according to the fruits of their doing and he will not respect any man's person Now if by your Strength you can hinder the Sun from rising and setting in its season and if you be able to stop the Thunder and Lightning from having its operation or to hinder the Wind from blowing and the Rain from descending then may you hinder the Decree of the Lord and by your Strength you may stand in Power and Peace and flourish for a long Season though you serve and avenge your selves to the full and though you rebel against the Lord and oppress his Heritage Lambeth-House the 28th of the 5th Month 1660. Written as moved and given by that eternal Power which only can preserve and deliver the righteous by a Prisoner for the Lord who am given up to his Will in all things G. F. the younger A MESSAGE OF Tender Love Unto such Professors as have attained any true sincerity simplicity and Zeal for God in their Professions Or who after their Backslidings and Apostacy from the former appearances of God unto them are now in this the day of Tryal which is begun brought to feel any fresh Desires and living breathings and thirstings renewed in them towards the Lord. OH ye Professors who have tasted of the Word of God's Grace in any measure and who have formerly had any true Tenderness in you and Zeal for God Oh friends in Bowels of much Tenderness and Love am I drawn forth to write unto you yea my soul breaths mightily to the Lord for you who have now any true hungrings and thirstings renewed in you after his Righteousness and in whose hearts there are any true simple desires retained to know the Will of God and to do it Friends The Eternal Being which giveth being to all his Creatures hath largely manifested his love unto the World in giving his onely begotten to be the Light of the World who doth enlighten every one that cometh into the World that all through him might believe and inasmuch as he in the fulness of time sent forth his onely begotten full of Grace and Truth into the World in a body which he had prepared him therein to do his will which body the onely begotten of the Father freely gave and offered up for a Sacrifice for Sin and so according to his Grace he tasted Death for every man and by his offering himself once for all he hath put an end to all the Sacrifices and Offerings mentioned in the Law which could not make the Comets thereunto perfect nor those that offered them as appertaining to the Conscience So Christ the one Offering is become the Propitiation for the sins of the whole World who wrought Eternal Salvation for all them that obey him And here is the one Offering which perfects for ever them that are sanctified And he having accomplished the Will of the Father in that body which was prepared him of the Father in which he came into the World he again left the World he not being of the World and ascended unto the Father from whence he proceeded and sate down on the Right Hand of the Majesty on High and is now Glorified with the same Glory that he had with the Father before the world began yea the same that descended into the lower parts of the Earth is also the same that ascended far above all Heavens that he might fill all things and being one with the Father and in the Father and the Father in him his presence filleth Heaven and Earth and being the Son in the Father he hath Power as the Father to quicken whomsoever he will that all men might honour the Son as the Father by whom all things were made that were made in whom we live move and have a being and he hath a Name given him above every name to which all things must bow which is called The Word of God or Jesus because he is a Saviour and saveth his People from their Sins This is he that is given to be the Head of the Body which is the Congregation of the Righteous the fulness of him that filleth All in all that he in all things in whom all fulness dwells might have the Preheminence being the express substance of the Father's Glory the very vertue of his Being one with him in Nature and one in Name for as the Father is Divine so the Son is also Divine and as the Father is called the Light so the Son is also called the Light the Father is called The Mighty God so is the Son also Yea the Son's Name is called Wonderful The mighty God the everlasting Father mark that the Prince of Peace of whose Government there shall be no End Now in the Father there is Life and in the Word the Son there is Life and this is one and this Life proceeding from the Father and the Son is that one Eternal Spirit which is not to be limitted Yea God is a Spirit and Christ is the Lord that spirit yea he is the second Adam the Lord from Heaven the quickning Spirit by whom the free gift is come upon all men to justifie them that believe in the Life and he that believeth not he is condemned by the Life which is the Light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the World so the gift that is come upon the unbeliever that condemns him because he believeth not in the Light but loves the Darkness better Now Friends This is he the Light who giveth you a Being and upholdeth all things by the word of his Power and hath been near unto you ever since ye have had a Being and he hath beheld all your actions yea he hath discerned all your thoughts none of them could be hid from him for he knew them long before This is he that telleth unto man what his thought is and The Lord of Hosts is his Name This is he who hath reproved you and set your sins in order before your eyes Oh! How oft hath he brought you into a sensibleness of your Conditions How oft hath he smitten you for Sin and broken you into Tenderness by his
Mystery which the carnal mind can never comprehend but they that come to Witness a part in the first Resurrection which is Christ Iesus the Light of Life they in his Light may come to perceive the Mystery of the Resurrection but if Truth can be received and understood then it will appear and be manifested to such that I do not deny the Resurrection For I do verily believe that the hour is coming in which all that are in the Graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God and shall come forth They that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Condemnation But to fools that say That this Body of natural flesh and bones shall be raised I say That Body which is sown is not that Body that shall be but God giveth a Body as it pleaseth him yet to every Seed it s own Body Now there is the Seed of the Serpent and the Seed of Christ and they that can discern the Body of each Seed are not the Fools which are questioning how the dead shall be raised and with what Bodies they shall come for they know all mankind will be found to be one of these Seeds and that every Seed shall have its own Body Fourthly Truly if I did not believe that there was a Glory to come more than what is here surely although the good Presence Peace and Consolation of God is in me and his Glory rests richly upon me yet I should think my self to be in a more miserable condition than very many but for the Glory that is set before me which Christ in me is the hope of which anchors and stayes my soul I am content to endure the Cross and patiently to bear the affliction and sufferings of this present Life not counting them worthy though ever so great to be compared to that Eternal Weight of Glory which I do believe shall be revealed and given unto me in the World to come And as I do stedfastly believe That there is a Glorious State to be entred into after this Life by all them that shall be found in the Immortal Seed wherein they shall be swallowed up of Life Glory and Immortality so I certainly believe that there is a Woful Dreadful Horrible State to be entred into after this Life by all them that shall be found in the Seed of the Serpent wherein they shall be swallowed up of Perpetual torment and Misery where the Worm dyeth not but shall gnaw everlastingly and the Fire goeth not out Westminster Pallace-yard Gate-house the 12th of the 1st Month 1661. A Prisoner for the Word of God yet a Free-man in the Lord Jesus Christ Glory to him in the highest George Fox the Younger ENGLANDS SAD Estate and Condition lamented IN THIS Just Complaint Taken up against the greatest part of her Inhabitants because of their great Abominanations and Treacherous Dealings both with God and Man for which Cause the Terrible and Righteous Judgements of the Lord are coming upon them and the Land Wherein is also contained some PROPHECIES and EXHORTATIONS OH England England The Abominations of the greatest part of thy Inhabitants who can declare them They have reached Heaven so as they are come up before the Lord the Jealous God and Wo unto that part of thy Inhabitants who have sinned out the Day of their Visitation and have wholly slighted the Day of God's Patience and long Forbearance and would have none of his Reproof but have altogether rejected the same and have made a mock at Sin and have sported themselves with their own Deceivings and Lusts and have gone a Whoring from under the God of their Lives Wherefore thus saith the Lord the only God I will make such become a Hissing and Reproach and my Anger they shall not be able to Escape because of their provoking Abominations and Treacherous Dealings both with Me and Man Oh England England How have and yet do a great part of thy Inhabitants rush into Idolatry and all manner of Profaneness and grievous Abominations even as the Horse and Mighty rush into the Battel How do they drink in Iniquity even as the Ox or Parched Ground drinketh in Water Oh! What manner of Lamentation shall I make for thee my Native Country Or What manner of Complaint may I take up against a great part of thine Inhabitants who have long sought and yet seek thy Ruine and Destruction Verily their Actions have declared them to be like the Inhabitants of Sodom Yea their sins have rendred them to be as bad as those of Gomorrah O they have Vexed the Righteous Soul Yea and they have grieved the Spirit of the Lord from Day to Day with their Unjust Conversations They have multiplyed their Transgressions and heaped up their Iniquities till they are become as the Sand on the Sea-shore without Number Oh! The Lord hath long striven with them yea he hath also long born their Iniquities he would have gathered them to himself out of their Abominations yea he would oft have healed them but they would not but they have stiffned their Necks and hardned their Hearts against the Lord and his Counsel day after day and have chosen their own wayes and works even to their own hurt and would by no means be reclaimed for when the Lord hath reproved them by the Light of his Son in their own Consciences and set their sins in order before their eyes they have stopped their Ears and closed their Eyes and wilfully Rebelled against the Power of God and trampled upon his Witness the Light in them as a thing of naught counting it not worth the taking notice of And when the Lord hath raised up Prophets Children and Servants and sent them out commanding them to lift up their Voices like Trumpets and to shew the People their Transgressions and to Preach Repentance and Amendment of Life Yea to warn and exhort them to turn from their Sins to God and to lay before them their great Abominations and to Prophesie what should come upon them if they would not turn from the evil of their Doings Oh! how have a great part of thy Inhabitants Scorned and Derided these Yea how have many of thine Inhabitants Beaten Whipt Stockt Stoned and Imprisoned some of these till Death for bearing their Testimony for the Lord against a crooked and perverse Generation who hate such as speak uprightly and abhor such as reprove Sin in the Gate that so it is even thus come to pass in thee O England That he that departeth from Iniquity maketh himself a Prey to this Generation of Evil doers whose hearts are set upon their Lusts Idolatry and grievous Abominations and the Lord hath beheld it it displeaseth him because there is no true Judgement for these Evil doers are all gone out of the way yea there is none of them that regard to do the thing that 's Just and Good any further than it may be advantagious to their own Corrupt
strives with you to shew you your abominations and to draw and lead you out of the same O be not still Stiff-necked but hearken to the Word of the Lord which sheweth you the thoughts and Intents of your Hearts and hearken and be obedient to the Call thereof that so by its Power you may Hasten out of Babylon both Young and Old Rich and Poor High and Low Noble or Ignoble Professor or Profane who yet are there For the Lord's Controversie is great with Babylon her Merchants and Inhabitants and he will not much longer spare but he will suddenly smite and none shall be able to hinder his stroak Yea yea he will wound and none shall be able to heal For the measure of her Iniquities Idolatries and Whoredoms are nigh full and the Wine of her Fornications hath caused the Fatts to overflow and she is come up into remembrance before the Lord the Just God who will Plague her and all her Merchants and Inhabitants according to their Abominations whereby they have grievously provoked Him Therefore come out of her whilst Mercy and Time is offered lest you perish with her in her Judgements which the Lord is Strongly and Swiftly bringing upon her Oh England England A day of Sorrow and Calamity is coming upon many of thy Inhabitants I have long been sensible of it even a day of such Breaking Confusion and Judgement as hath not been for a long space For thy People have wearied out the Lord with their Iniquities and grieved his holy Spirit with their Abominations dayes without number Oh England England The Lord hath a Precious and Holy Seed in thee Yea He hath a Remnant which he hath Raised by his Power to and for himself which are exceeding precious in his sight and these a great part of thine Inhabitants have Shamefully entreated and grievously Oppressed and Persecuted And they have Patiently born the same and have laboured in the Life of Innocency and Spirit of Emanuel to Inform thy Rulers and People in the Things that are Just and True and have shewn them the Wayes which have and do Displease the Lord and have Exhorted and Warned thy Inhabitants Time after Time But notwithstanding their Doctrine Lives and Conversations have manifested their Innocency and Uprightness of Heart before God and Man Yet have many of thy Rulers Priests and People Oppressed them more and more Some Spoiling their Goods others Imprisoning their Bodies in filthy Holes and Dungeons till several of them have Sealed their Testimony for the Lord with their Blood which cryeth for Vengeance in the Ears of the Almighty and the Lord hath heard the Cry thereof and hath looked down and beheld the Actings of the sons of men and he is near to Visit Yea the Lord hath beheld and doth behold the Snares that have been and are laid for the Innocent who have no other Helper but him alone and therefore they have Committed their Cause unto Him who shall bring it to pass Yea he hath taken Notice how several of thy Rulers have combin'd together and endeavoured to Force His Babes to Violate his Royal Law and to Break his Command who saith Swear not at all to Uphold and Obey theirs which is Contrary to his Yea He hath taken Notice of the Cruel Sufferings and great Temptations of his People who many of them are yet Imprisoned and both their Bodies and Estates threatned to be Destroyed by some evil men if they will not break the Royal Law and Commandment of Christ which he hath placed in their hearts to Obey and Do. Oh! The Lord hath seen the Partiality and Evil Intents of several of the Judges and Rulers of this Land who have had Power to let the Innocent go free and yet keep many of his Ministers and Servants many of which have outward Estates Prisoners in many places although they have no more against them than against those whom they have turned forth which is nothing else but for their Obeying the Command of Christ in them who this day saith unto his People Swear not at all as he said to his Disciples formerly and for meeting together and Speaking and Praying in his Name for the Edifying Comforting and Building up one another in their most holy Faith The Lord hath also taken notice that when some of the Rulers might Relieve the Innocent and let the Oppressed go free they will not and then to cover themselves they will say They cannot act contrary to the Law But when a Ruler will act that which he hath no Law for he can then plead a Prerogative Royal for that and thus are the Innocent Lambs of Christ made a Prey upon Oh! the Oppressions of his People and others are great this day in thee O Land and the Crying of the Fatherless the Widows and the Needy is come up before the Lord God of Compassion who will thorowly plead the Cause of his People and the Poor and Needy of the Land Oh England England I have oft heard and treasured up what the Lord hath said in me concerning thy Inhabitants but now must I declare it in the Appointed Season Thus hath the Lord spoken in me for a long time concerning thy Inhabitants saying The People are too many the People are too many I will thin them I will thin them Mark that is He will make them fewer for they cumber the Ground And the Spirit of the Lord hath oft signified unto me for a long time That an Over-flowing Scourge yea even an exceeding great and terrible Iudgement is to come upon thee O Land and that many in thee shall fall and be taken away in the Judgement and the Spirit of the Lord signifieth unto me that the time draweth nigh and that the Decree of the Lord is so firm that though some of the Lords Children and Prophets could appear so as to stand in the Gap yet should not that alter his Decree onely in the Righteousness of the Lamb they shall be hid and saved from his Wrath whatever may be done to any of their Bodies but his fierce Wrath and Indignation shall be poured forth upon the Ungodly and a great Desolation and Destruction shall there be for he will overturn and overturn till he hath dis-throned and thrown down the Man of Sin and exalted and established the Kingdom of his Dear Son over all the Kingdoms of the World and the Kingdom and Dominion and the Greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the Holy People the Saints of the Most High whose Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him who is King of Saints Behold ye Despisers and Wonder This is the Work which the Lord will accomplish by his own Power though you will in no wise believe it but you shall feel even both Hypocrites and Prophane that the Lord is able to bring to pass the thing that is in his heart And you now think to set up and establish your
for Friends that dwell in it for they that stand approved shall be made manifest and the upright shall not lose but gain through all these things and certainly when our God hath tryed us to the full he will appear for us and though our Enemies were as the sand of the Sea and as strong as Gyants yet shall they fall as untimely fruit and our GOD shall consume and weaken them by the Majesty of his Power and an exceeding desolation shall come upon the Earth and a Besom of destruction shall sweep away many Therefore dear Hearts be stedfast in the Lord and keep the Word of his Patience and know that not one hair of your Heads shall perish nor any thing shall be done unto any of you but what the Lord will be glorified by and you shall receive a full and a sufficient reward for it if ye continue faithful So live in the Power and Seed of God that ye may possess the Kingdom the eternal Peace Joy and Righteousness which stands in the Power And love fervently Oh Friends let that abound more and more one towards another and by this shall men also know that ye are taught of Christ if ye love one another and wait that ye may feel the springs of Life in your selves and feed upon that which proceeds from God that ye may grow up in the Power and Life and Wisdom of God and therein be established So the Almighty Power Life and Wisdom of God keep and preserve your for ever Amen The Lord God Almighty keep you fresh and lively meek tender and innocent and fill you with every good word and work which accompanieth Peace and Godliness if any Decree unrighteous Decrees heed them not for the Decree of God shall stand which is to establish Righteousness in the Earth and in the Power of the Lord we shall break the bonds of the ungodly and cast their cords from us So the Spiritual Weapon war withal and stand in the Faith and hold fast the Word of Truth that through it you may feel and witness your sanctification and the Birth Immortal raised up over all which is the Heir of the Kingdom without end and assuredly God will do mighty things for his Poples therefore be ye comforted and strengthened in the Lord and dwell in and keep his Covenant and answer his requirings in the Light of Life and live in the retiredness and in the Wisdom of God that your Enemies may have no just occasion against you and that ye may be preserved out of their snares and if they Imprison you and falsely accuse you or spoyle your Goods or Persecute you any manner of wayes keep in Patience and freely forgive them and suffer as Lambs in the true Innocency that so your Peace with the Lord may be preserved in all conditions And Friends let the Dread and Majesty of God fill you And as concerning the changing of Times and Governments let not that trouble any of you for God hath a mighty work and hand therein and he will yet change again until that come up which must Reign and in vain shall Powers and Armies withstand the Lord for his determined work shall come to pass but what is now come up it 's just with the Lord that it should be so and he will be served by it Therefore let none murmur nor distrust God for God will provoke many to zeal against unrighteousness and for Righteousness through things which are suffered now to work for a season yea many whose zeal was even dead shall revive again and they shall see their back-slidings and bewail them bitterly and God shall thunder down from Heaven and break forth in a mighty noise and his Enemies shall be astonished and the workers of Iniquity confounded and all that have not on the Garment of Righteousness shall be amazed at the mighty and strange work of the Lord which shall be certainly brought to pass but my Babes look ye not out but be still in the Light of the Lamb and he shall fight for you So the Almighty hand which must Break and Split and Divide your Enemies and take away Peace from them preserve and keep you whole and in Unity and in Peace with it self and one with another Lambeth-House the 3 d. day of the 4 th Month 1660. I am your Dear Friend and Brother in the Kingdom and Patience of Christ who am a Prisoner for his Testimony and keep his Word and am made as willing to suffer bonds or to dye for his Name as to declare and publish it amongst men Eternal living Praises and Hallelujahs over all be unto him for evermore Amen George Fox the Younger AN EPISTLE UNTO All who love the Lord Jesus Christ in Sincerity who are made partakers of the riches of his Grace and meet together to wait upon him therein to be read in their Meetings in the Fear of the Lord. DEAR Friends whom the eternal God hath visited with his own Life and Power and thereby hath called you out of the Darkness of the World into his Marvellous Light and hath begotten and quickned a Seed in you unto which pertaineth the Promises of Life and Peace and also hath opened a good understanding in you by the measure of his Eternal Spirit and hath brought you into a feeling and a sensibleness and a savour of that which ministers and reacheth to and refresheth his own Seed Oh Friends great is the Love of the Lord God unto you and large is his Eternal Riches let not his everlasting Love be forgotten by any of you neither slight nor neglect his rich Mercy but dear Friends dwell in the living measure of his Grace and hearken diligently unto the Voice of the Lamb so shall you be refreshed with the living Presence of the Father and the Fountain of Life shall be enlarged unto you whereby the Babe of God shall be strengthned and grow up in stature And when you are met together to wait upon the Lord Oh! feel his living Gift in your selves and be obedient to the motions and operations thereof that so the Presence and Power of the Eternal God may be felt and enjoyed in your Meetings and at other times for the bringing down and working out of all that which is contrary to himself in you and for the working you into the express Image of his own Glory and for the bringing you into the perfect Obedience of his own Life and Power that the Nature of the Lamb which takes away the sins ye may all grow into that so the Patience of Christ may be felt and witnessed in you all and that it may have its perfect Work in you that therein you may possess your Souls then shall the Lord enlarge your understandings and ye shall grow into the meek quiet Spirit wherein your savour and discerning shall be encreased and ye shall feel the gentle leadings of the invisible Life whereby satisfaction and refreshment shall be received unto the Seed
Immortal So dear hearts let the living Measure of the Eternal Father of Life and Power and Wisdom be your continual Stay and Habitation that so if any shall come among you that are out of the true savour and feeling of the Life in themselves and shall act or speak any thing among you that is out of the Life that ye then may not be drawn out of the savour and feeling thereby but wait ye singly in the innocent patient long-suffering Spirit of Christ and that will preserve you out of the fretting and murmuring and thoughts and reasoning and out of the enmity and it will keep you settled and quiet and in Unity with God and with all who abide in his Life and this will reach the Witness in them who are turned from it into the rambling unsettled state and if ye feel the Seed burdened then wait in the true Patience in the fervent Love to the Truth and then the Lord's Counsel you will know and his Wisdom you will receive and his Power you will feel whereby as you are obedient thereto the burden will be removed and the evil will be judged that caused the burden and the Seed will be refreshed and the Unity of the Faith will be known and the weak there will be preserved and so the Peace will be Witnessed and the Truth will be adorned and its Enemies shall be ashamed Oh my Friends dear is the everlasting unchangeable Truth of God unto me which he hath made known in and among us in this his Day and dear and precious are all ye unto me who abide in it for therein is no Schisms nor Parties nor Rents nor Envy for who goe into those first goes from the simplicity of the naked Truth in which they that abide in it the Patience and Forbearance and Unity is felt by them and such as go out of it must feel the Judgement but all who abides in the Faith shall not come into Condemnation So the LORD GOD Almighty of Heaven and Earth preserve and keep you all in Patience in Innocency in Uprightness and in Obedience unto the living measure of his Power manifested in you Amen Now Friends that which ministreth unto the Seed Immortal know that Ministration in your selves for that is profitable and that is durable and fadeth not away and let the exercise of your minds be in that which is living of God when you are met together and at other times that so ye may be kept out of that which comes to an end in the feeling of the Power of an endless Life that so the Seed of Life may be raised up in you all and ye established in it to live in it for ever in which Seed the end of words is witnessed Oh Friends there cannot be another Truth or Power or Saviour Preached unto you that you are to mind than that ye have already heard and felt but the same you are to wait to feel an enlargement in Therefore be valiant for the Lord and prize the worth of his unchangeable Truth and watch and be diligent that his Spirit of Life and Power may quicken you and that his Virtue and Nourishment may be felt and lived in whereby Fruits of Eternal Righteousness and Praises over all may be given unto him and that ye may be preserved fervent unto your first Love in him whose Eternal Day is dawned and broke forth of Salvation of Life of Power of Immortality Glory Eternal Praises everlastingly be rendred unto Him from the meek lowly quiet peaceable Spirit which is risen and arising in his Babes and tender Plants whereby he stayes and settles and satisfies them even in the day of Tryal and in the day of Prosperity I am your Dear and tender Friend and Brother in the Power of God in which I labour for the gathering of the Seed for the bringing into and keeping in the Unity of the Spirit which is the bond of Peace George Fox the younger TO THE Called of God Who Believe in the Light of the LAMB To be read in their Assemblies in the Pure Dread of the Lord. DEar Children and People of the Eternal God who have known the working of his Mighty Power and have been exercised in the Operations of his Eternal Spirit whereby he hath begotten your minds out of the world in a great measure and hath brought you into a feeling of his Eternal Presence which filleth Heaven and Earth wherein is the Joy unspeakable unto them that are reconciled to God by the Lord Jesus Christ the Immortal Word Friends you unto me are exceeding precious and my Desires and Breathings to the Lord for you are exceeding strong that ye may be preserved in the sence and feeling of the Power of an endless life and that you may be all kept in the true Faith and obedience of the truth which lives for ever all minding to answer its requirings in every particular and waiting to feel its Springings arising in you whereby you may feel it quickning you up to God that so your Faith and trust and Confidence may onely stand in him who is able to deliver For Friends this know the Lord will assuredly try you to the uttermost and you must come through the fire which will consume your enemies Therefore dear Babes be stedfast in the Lord according as he hath made manifest himself unto you and wait and watch in that measure of his Life in you which onely is able to keep your minds and hearts out of the Earth and the things thereof and as ye singly wait upon the Lord you will feel the growth of that Birth in you which is not of this world which can endure the fire Oh my Friends wait to feel your growth and Translation into this Birth which doth the will of the Father naturally this is the Seed unto which the Promises are this is the Elect which obtains and cannot be deceivid this is the Heir of the Kingdom without end this will God Crown with Victory when the measure of it's Sufferings is fulfilled this Seed must work through all it's Enemies and work them under it's feet Oh! wait in the Eternal Power to feel and witness it in the particular and be patient till God bring forth his Work outwardly Look not out neither be dismayed at the strange transactions of the times but look to the Lord who onely can save by what means he pleaseth and let the Lord alone to appear as he pleaseth onely be you watchful that when he appears you may be ready for his appearance and watch in the Light which will give you clearly to see his appearance and what he requires of you that so living obedience unto him may be yielded Oh Friends Take heed that the things of this World draw not away any of your hearts Remember it is them that are redeemed from the Earth that must Reign in and with the Lamb upon the Earth Take heed that your love stands not in any thing or
is and hath been very much wrong among people upon that account for many thereby are begotten into strange lying wonders and some into questionings and fears in their minds and some into false joys and foolish expectations and some into prejudice one against another because false reports have been received and reported again Therefore that you may be clear of these things be you very mindful watchful and careful that you report not any thing but as you have a certain ground for the Truth of it and as you may see a service in speaking thereof or else you had better be silent to those things and let them dye that so Truth Unity and Peace may be lived in and abound amongst you in all things London the 8th of the 8th Month. 1660. I am your endeared Friend and Brother in the Bowels of Christ whose Life is freely given up to answer the Will and requirings of the Father travelling for Unity and Peace and Righteousness amongst men where its wanting and greatly rejoycing with all those in whom it abounds and is felt and witnessed George Fox the Younger Behold how good and how pleasant a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity TO THE TRIBULATED Flock of Crhist In BONDS or elsewhere SALUTATION AH my indeared Tribulated Brethren Sisters and Friends both in Prison and out of Prison Sufferers in Body Estates or otherwise for the holy powerful Eternal Truth as it is in Jesus O blessed are you ye Lambs of my Father's Fold who are faithful to him in the Testimony he hath given you to bear your Reward is great which in no wise shall fail Dear Babes drink in the Life abundantly which Emanuel hath placed in you and feed at the Table that my Father hath Richly spread for you with food sutable for you in your several growths Oh! the Word the Word of Eternal Life is appointed for your food feel it in your selves and go no more out Oh! how strong are the drawings thereof and how pleasant is the Virtue of it How are they overcome with the love of it that abide therein Oh! my Brethren and Friends our strength our safety our Peace and Satisfaction is this therefore let it for ever be the Habitation of your delight O this day is Glorious to all that stand given up in the Fathers will whose heatts and minds are drawn and Redeemed out of all those things that perish with the using Oh! ye Babes how strongly do I feel you in the Power of love who are Retired out of all fading changeable ending things into the Eternal Invisible unchangeable endless Life of Righteousness verily when I think upon you and behold you in your Habitation I am even Raised with Joy and Love Oh you that keep your Garments pure and clean in the Life of the unspotted undefiled Lamb how are my tender Bowels refreshed in you verily I cannot Express the Love that is in me to you ye Lambs of my Maker hold fast hold fast the word of his Patience it shall Crown you it shall Crown you in the End by it shall you overcome through Faith yea by it your Enemies shall be brought under you and in it shall you be Exalted over your Oppressors Oh! who can declare the Glory of the Lord as it shall be manifested in this Age for verily he will work wonders in the Earth and in the Heavens till he hath brought to pass the thing that is in his heart in vain do all the Potsheards of the Earth strive against the Former and Upholder of all things for he will Exalt his Son and his Righteous Kingdom and establish it in Righteousness over all the Kingdoms of the World and they must bow thereunto Therefore my Indeared ones be still in the Light and Life of the Lamb that you may behold the going forth of the Lord in his Glorious Power in this Day wherein he is Sifting Winowing Purging and trying that nothing but the Wheat and the Gold may be left Oh Babes dwell in love and Peace together in the powerful anointing which the Father hath poured forth upon you as a full gift and placed in you as a true Teacher and a Leader and let all keep to the holy drawings thereof and Answer the Requiring of the same O! blessed are you that bear the Testimony therein and quench not the Springs and arising of it neither go without it but simply and innocently obey its pure leadings and as you are kept in this if any are not able to bear you you will be able to bear them for you will have nothing in your Precious Eye and Mind but nakedly and simply the Honour and Glory of your Tender Father who will cause Bowels of Love to open in you one towards another in the merciful forgiving forbearing healing Spirit which will fill your Precious immortal Souls whereby you will be able to gather and allure others into the same Oh! my Friends dwell out of all mortals in the Immortal Power and Love of the Father and know the Birth that inherits the blessing and abides in Covenant with God which breaks and disanuls death's Covenant and brings over death and its Power into the Tryal and Dominion of the Lamb. O ye Innocent Babes and Plants who in Prisons holes and Dungeons are cast because you dare not grieve the Spirit of the Lord your God in obeying man's unrighteous Decrees my Father's love is exceeding great to you your Righteous Iust Cause he will fully Plead therefore leave it wholly to him and in the overcomings of his Power and Tender Love solace your selves and quietly lie down in his will till he bring you forth in his own Dominion Oh! you are Precious unto me who cannot defile your Testimony for any outward enjoyment my Bowels my Bowels are filled with the streams of Love and Life and Compassion which flow forth to you O my Prayers groanings Breathings Reach unto the God of Life both day and night for you Oh my beloved ones watch watch one over another in tender Bowels and bear the weak and feeble in your Arms and Bosom of love and let Mercy and Peace fill your Habitations and God shall work your Deliverance for you in his appointed time O Friends you are witnesses of that Truth which must spread over all the world and never be extinguished more but to the brightness of its rising many shall come And all of what degree soever that set themselves against it shall fall before it yea they shall not prosper the Lord hath spoken it onely Remember he will thorowly try his gold that it may be manifested unto all So the Precious Life Power Peace and Virtue of my Fathers ' be multiplyed in and among you till you all come to the Stature of the fulness of Christ in God Eternal Amen From Westminster Palace Yard Gate-house the 2d of the 1st Month 1661. Your dear tender and loving Brother in the humble melted broken contrite Spirit of