Estate and a Converted Estate For the Hearts Souls and Spirits of those that are turn'd to God in Righteousness and so truly Converted and changed and have known a Passing from Death unto Life the way I have shewed you they are Broken-hearted Lowly-minded and in their Souls and Spirits there remains a true Tenderness and such are concerned to set a watch before their Lips daily that they may not offend with their Tongues and not only in Words but in Actions and that they may live the life of Truth they make profession of And it 's such that grows in Grace and Saving knowledge and that prosper in their Gifts given unto them of the Free-giver who fear him always and that to his Praise and Glory and their remaining Comfort and Souls sweet Satisfaction And therefore is it that the Hearts of the truly Converted are sitted and prepared by the power of God to offer Offerings and Sacrifices unto him that find Acceptance with him But the Hearts of the Convinced that live in Disobedience and are not willing to bear the daily Cross nor come under Judgement are not so but are hard and their minds high not Subject to the Yoke of Christ nor willing to bear his burthen and yet can satisfie your selves in coming as the People come and fit as God's people sit in their Meetings and Assemblies and like to hear thy Words as the Lord said by the Prophet but will not do them and thou art unto them saith the Lord as a lovely Song as one that hath a pleasant Voice and can play well upon an Instrument and they shew forth much love with their Mouths but their hearts go after their Covetousness Therefore let these things be as Warnings unto you all that only remain in a Convinced Estate and bear Profession of the Truth short of the Possession thereof and take warning betimes receive Counsel and give ear to instruction and own reproof for it is the Way of Life before Death seize upon you that will stay no Man or womans time nor leisure to Repent and Amend their wayes and doings least that day and Hour come upon you as a Thief in the night that you like the foolish Virgins are not aware of And then you finding your selves not sitted and prepared to go hence be made to cry upon your Death-Beds when time that you had is spent in forgetfulness of God and the many warnings you have had Lord open to us But if you put off the day and time of the amendment of your ways and doings untill then you know aforehand what will be the Answer you must have given you First The Door of Mercy will be shut against you that have not loved Judgement in your Life-time and the Answer will be Depart from me I know you not I Called and Cried but ye would not hear and therefore you shall call and cry but I will not Answer Oh! how long has the Lord Called and Cried and Knockt at the Door of your Hearts and striven with you by his good Spirit as by an Immediate Hand who would often thereby have retained you from your backslidings and unfaithfulness and Disobedience who hath not been severe in marking what you have done amiss and therefore you have presumed upon his patience and long-suffering Do so no more that 's Christs Lesson And sometimes when because of the Long-suffering of God to you ward it hath entred your Hearts to consider how just it might have been with him to have Cut you off long ere now in his wrath for your Disobedience No doubt but sometimes you have made Vows and Promises in Your selves You would do so no more as heretofore you had done And after all this for want of watchfulness over the outgoings of your minds and for want of taking true heed unto the shinings of the pure Light of Jesus Christ that discovered your State and Condition to you as it was and for want of keeping the fear of the Lord before your Eyes the Enemies of your Souls with his old Baits in the fair proffers of them you have again Eutred his Temptation and so have sinned and rebelled against and contrary to the striving of his good Spirit the Spirit of Truth and Contrary to his pure Counsel the Light wherein the true power is received to resist the wickâ—d one in all his Devices who believe therein and keep thereto which pure Light will for ever be the Condemnation of those that do not love it and that are not willing to bring their deeds to it that they may be manifest whether they are wrought in God or no for all the Children of the Light and of the Day bring their Deeds to it And besides the many Visitations of Gods Love to you by an immediate Hand by the strivings of his good Spirit in your Hearts or at the Door of your Hearts O the Labour Travel and Exercise of God's Servants Ministers and Messengers with which they have been attended and weightily concerned many times both in Body and Spirit in their Testimonies in Love good will and true Tenderness for the good of your immortal Souls And yet notwithstanding the Lords great and large Love to you First in calling you by his Grace out of the World and the ways and dead Worships and Forms of it and in it and his giving you a knowledge of his Will and Mind thereby that you might learn Obedience accordingly and notwithstanding the striving of his Holy Spirit in order to bring you thereunto together with the great Labour Travel and Pains that the Servants of Christ have been willing to take and Travel many Hundreds of Miles over Sea and Land through Difficulties and various Exercises willingly leaving behind them whatsoever is near and dear unto them or never so good and lawful in it self for the good of your Souls with the rest of God's People yea in love to all People in and through all which the Love of God has been and is largely held forth unto you And yet notwithstanding all this and much more that might be mentioned hath it not proved the unhappiness of too many of you Professing the the Truth that are not come to possess the same because of your unfaithfulness that you have requited both the Lord and his Servants Evil for Good and have chosen your own way and followed the Counsel of your own Hearts Lusts being unconverted and spoken Peace to your selves in a polluted rest And are not some of you too much like those the Lord speaks of by the Prophet Ezekiel when he said Son of Man the Children of thy People are still talking against thee by the Walls and in the Doors saying one to another and every man to his Brother I pray you let us hear the Word that cometh forth from the mouth of the Lord Which although as I have hinted they confessed unto and seemingly liked to hear yet they were not willing to
as much concerned in faithfulness to God and for the good of their own Souls in order to win Heaven and the Sâ—lvation thereof as they are concerned for the Earth and to heap up Riches they know not for whom well might it be with many as to their Eternal Happiness But being that such are many times more concerned for the Assurance of the Terrestial than the Celestial viz. more for the Earthly than the Heavenly hence it is that although such profess the Truth and the worship of God amongst his People they grow very indifferent about the performance of it For they can scarce find any time to come to Meetings but on the First Day What differ these from the Professor and Prophane in the World Let such say so to themselves and amend their ways and doings And when such do come to Meetings it s too apparent where their Treasure is and their Hearts are with it to wit in the Earth And so their minds and heads are pull'd down-ward by reason of the weight of it upon them And hence it is that such are Dead Dâ—y Sottish Careless and Sleepy in Meetings which sheweth forth the coldness of their love to God-ward his Truth and People and worthy Name of the Lord and how unconcerned they are for the Management of the Affairs and concerns of Truth in Men and Womens Meetings and neglect Week-day-Meetings And yet none readier than such to Judge and Censure those that are faithful diligent and laborious and wholly devouted what in them lies to serve the Lord his Truth and People both in managing and maintaining the Affairs and Concerns of Truth This is the Trick of all Idlers that would Eat but will not Work themselves to judge and find many Faults with them that are diligent in their Labour and Concern which maketh the Labour and Travel of God's faithful Servants that have his Work to do and his Word to speak sometimes hard and uneasie because often the Work is great and the Labourers but few So it must needs lie heavy upon some though censoriously judged for their Pains Howbeit notwithstanding some in our day as the Prophet in his time Labour in vain and spend their strength for nought as to effect good to the unconcerned yet their Peace is with the Lord and their reward cometh from him Praises pure Honour and Glory be given to his Holy Name and great Power for evermore faith my Soul who will not have any to shut a Door in his House for nought Go to the Ant thou Sluggard Consider her ways and be wise thou Sleepy Lazy one For though she hath no Guides Overseer nor Ruler that thou Professest to have that professest the Truth and yet out of the Possession yet she the poor Ant provideth her Meat in the Summer and gathereth her food in the Harvest How long wilt thou sleep O Sluggard When wilt thou rise from thy Sleep thinkest thou What yet more sleep and yet more slumber and yet more folding of thy hands together So shall thy Poverty come upon thee as one that Travelleth and thy Want as an armed Man Wherefore there is a Cry in the secret of my Soul unto all you Professors of Truth that are not yet come into the Possession thereof to come away arise and stand up upon your Feet both Man and Woman and shake your selves from the Dust of the Earth For Dust is a stifling and choaking thing why are you so willing to Travel with such a burthen upon your heart and mind as the Earth is by reason of which the just Pure Seed of God is oppressed in you which causeth you to Groan in your Travel wherefore the time of Meeting and when you should wait upon Worship and serve God it 's wearisom and tedious unto you Oh! Come away come away all you that make Profession of the Truth and yet feel not of the sweetness and Comfort that it affords to the Souls of those that are in the Posession and live the Life thereof Come away escape for your lives to Zoar the City of safety and look not back into Sodom again Remember Lot's Wife And once at last quit your selves like Men and Women for God and not only like but really so And freely and willingly part with forsake and cast off all those many things that have been so glued to your minds or your minds to them that have been as so many Lovers hugged in your Bosoms all which is but as an Harlot you are joyned unto So your serving and Profession has been and is in the Flesh where you cannot please God Cast off all these letting cumbring things that you have too long so much loved by which the enemy of your Souls hath lulled you asleep that have hindred you from embracing of the Love of God in your Hearts in and through Jesus Christ his Son that room there and openness there instead of straitness and closeness may be For the Appearance of God's Son in his Glorious Rising and living Appearance by his pure Light teaching Grace and Holy Spirit that will not only shine to let you see but Teach you what you shall deny your selves in and of but what manner of Lives you must live And not only so but as you believe and wait upon God therein Power you shall receive whereby you may be enabled to answer and perform the same that instead of a bare Professioon you may come to know the Possession of Life and Power true Peace Sweetness and comfort in your Hearts and Souls and instead of wearisomness and irksomness in the time of Meeting among Gods people you may come to have a true Delight in the Joy of God's Salvation in waiting upon though in Silence and worshipping and serving of God in Spirit and Truth as all the Faithful have that are in the Possession of that they make â—rofession of and that instead of Deadness Dulness Sleepiness and Unconcernednes in Meetings and Conversation too you may come through Faithfulness and true Obedience in a self-denial and bearing the daily Cross to feel a change wrought in your hearts through the power that is of God in and through the execution of the righteous Judgement and so come to be quickened and enlivened by the quickening Spirit of the second Adam the Lord from Heaven and so come to have a living concern to attend your Hearts and Minds both in Meeting and Conversation as all that live the life of Truth they make Profession of are attended with which makes them to say because of the Sweetness and comfort their Souls are in a Possession of that is as a stream from a Fountain or a living spring from a Well even the Fountain and Well of Life Oh Truth is precious unto me I would fell or part with any thing that I have that is to be parted with that I might purchase more of the fulness of it But I would not fell it for all the World nor no Enjoyment
acted his Folly upon a Rope a Wall suddenly fell upon many people sâ—me struck Dead and spoke no more others their Backs and Legs broken and others sorely hurt and Maimed and Bruised that their blood came out at their mouths Therefore let the remembrance of this dread all people so as not to love or delight to behold Vanity or such like folly and Madness The Godly care of Parents in time to train up their Children in the fear of the Lord and as becomes the Truth ought to be diligently exercised for where that 's wanting these disorders too often appear in their Children that they grow up in wildness and wanâ—onness and in their behaviour and Apparel to follow the bad ways courses and Antick Fashions of the World But who durst do such things in the beginning and Truth is the same though too many give to their Children and take to themselves that Liberty that they durst not nor would truth ever allow of though I know many neither can nor do allow nor give such Liberty neither to themselves nor their Children And blessed and happy are they that so discharge their Duty for that end they may be clear in the discharge thereof in the day and time of their Account which they cannot be that do to the contrary Therefore Parents and Guardians of Children discharge your selves in your Duty to your Children or those with whom you are concerned and do not think to excuse your selves with saying There is great difference of Children's Nature It 's true there is but your indulging of them and Winking and Conniving at their running out into Vanity and Wildness makes their Natures worse and your Children more untruth-like and you are greatly in the blame How comes it to pass that so many Children of those that profess the Truth are scarce come so far as to use the plain Language What think you that if you be Rich and have great Portions for them will this make them blessed and happy And must they not therefore have their wills crost Consider that they are Rich that God owns and loves and poor and miserable that he rejects and they are Rich that are RÃch in Faith and good Works towards him notwithstanding poor in this world And the Prophet said If riches increase set not thy Heart upon them for they will make themselves Wings and fly away So Friends take Counsel and be Advised in Bowels of true Love by your Friend that wisheth both you and your Children Happiness both here and hereafter And Train up your Children in the Fear of the Lord in all things as becomes the Truth you make Profession of and withal be sure you be a good Example before them and unto them And now Children be subject unto your Parents in that which is good and none be Stubborn and Rebellious for in the end if you do it will prove your own hurt and loss And if any of your Parents shew forth any evil example before you take not Liberty thereby to do any thing that is evil or to speak evil of Truth nor to neglect Meetings nor none to satisfie your selves with going to Meetings barely because your Parents go if you can but have Liberty to your Wills and do and have what pleaseth you This is not good for your Souls Health though you want nothing for your Bodies neither will it make for your Peace with the Lord when you must be separated from all Wordly enjoyment So Dear Children take my Counsel and give ear to my Friendly and tender advice in true love unto you let it be the concern of your minds chiefly in going to Meetings with diligence to wait in the fear of the Lord to feel the Work of his Power in your Hearts to change your Nature and subject your Wills to do the will of God to the weaning of your minds from delighting in Sport or Pleasure or any Game or Pastime or Fine Apparel or in earthly Substance that so thereby to wit by the work of the Heavenly Power of God your Hearts may be wrought into true tenderness and brokenness and Minds and Spirits into Lowliness and Humility before him So will you feel Love to increase and abound in your Hearts towards God his Truth and People and so will you come as you carefully mind the shinings of the pure Light of Jesus Christ and Teachings of his Gracious Spirit which will manifest all that which is â—vil in every Appearance of it unto you and teach you to do that which is good in Word and Action I say this is the way for you to come out of Childishness and Childish things and all manner of Disobedience both towards God and your Parents and to be weaned from all the Vanities and Pleasures Customs and Fashions of the World so that you will have no delight in keeping Company with any but such as fear the Lord which will greatly tend to your Happiness and Prosperity both in this Life and that which is to come as that which teacheth you his Fear is by you kept in That so God alone may be Honoured and glorified by you and you may be a comfort to your Parents and the greatest of all in the end will be your own Unto which the Lord preserve and keep you in his fear in all faithfulness according to that knowledge more or less that you have received from him out of the Evil that is in the World is the hearty Prayer and Souls well-wishing of your Friend both for You and your Parents as for my self and my own Chiidren in discharge of my Duty in the Love of God The Lord bring it home to your Understandings Amen Given forth in my own dwelling-House in Cumberland the 20th day of the 2d Month 1692. J. B. Let this be Read in the fear of the Lord and with Vnderstanding in the Meetings and Families of Friends wheresoever a service may be seen for it THE END Heb. 5.8 John 5.22 Ezek. 33.31 Prov. 6.23 câ—p 15.10 Matth. 25.10 11 12. John 3.19 John 3.21 Titus 2.11 12. Galat. 4.16 Râ—m 1.18 Revel 11.2 Prov. 6. v. 6 7 8 9 10 11. Luk. 17.32 Example Psalm 62.10 Prov. 13. Eph. 6.1 2 3. Col. 3.20