dear Friends who are Parents of Children wait diligently upon the Lord in his Light that with his Light you may see betimes into the Natures Inclinations and Dispositions of your Children and have a watchful and good Eye over them and their Inclinations and if you see they are inclinable to that which is good cherish that in them if it be never so little strengthen it that more may arise in them and they may more come to see and taste with you how good and gracious the Lord is and be good Examples to them in words and actions that they may hear gracious words from you and behold your good Conversation coupled with fear fear to offend the Lord and fear to do any thing against his glorious Truth and then you will shine as Lights among them and your whole Families and amongst all the Children of men But if you see your Children incline towards that which is evil to Pride vain Fashions of the World or that they delight in the company of the Wicked and in Sports and that they evilly spend their time without delay check and sharply reprove them for it and endeavour as much as in you lies to stop and restrain them there-from and stubbornness high-mindedness and all manner of Evil labour in the love and wisdom of God to break them from and keep down in them If any say What can I do God must do all I fear some amongst you have omitted your Duty on your part to do as Christian Parents under that pretence of God's doing all and therefore do not train up your Children in the way of God Truth and Life as you ought to do But suffer them not to learn the corrupt wayes of evil Men and Women and to chuse their wayes 't is true God worketh all our Works in us and for us but as he worketh immediately by his Spirit and Power in our hearts he also worketh by Instruments and you in the wisdom and spirit of God are or may become fit Instruments for God to work on your Children and Families by and to reclaim your Children and Families from Vice and Wickedness which you may see them incline unto If the believing Husband may save his Wife and the believing Wife her Husband that believeth not then why may not you as believing Parents save your Children duly watching over them for good believing in God for them and doing your duty to them carefully and in God's heavenly wisdom And why may not you your Children and Families be thus sanctified and saved from the Abominations of the times and the Evil of the World while you and they are in it If wholly you discharge your duty and trust as Parents or Masters of Families and then if your Children or Servants notwithstanding remain wicked you will be clear and their Blood will come upon themselves or at their Doors I doubt not but there are many Parents have a Godly care over their Children and as Masters and Mistresses or Dames have a Christian care over their Servants and whole Family to instruct them in the way of Righteousness and that reprove and correct their Children and their Servants when they see them do that which is evil But this is written in the love of God as a caution to and reflection upon all who are negligent and careless amongst us in this respect that all may come into a care of God's glory and of their Children and Servants that as much as in you lies you endeavour to reclaim and restrain them from Sin and Evil and train them up in that which is good that you all may be able to give account to God with Joy when by him you may be called to an account how you have governed and ruled your Families trained up your Children counselled and advised your Servants and what Examples you have been to your Families whom God gave you the rule and government of here a few dayes in this World And you believing Husbands who have Wives that believe not love your Wives and be very careful how you speak and act towards them that no blemish may come upon the Truth by any unadvised words to your Wives neither any unseemly carriages or behaviour that if possible you may gain your Wives that believe not to the Lord and belief of his precious Truth And you Wives that have Husbands that believe not speak and do likewise the same to them that you all may be found Holy and Unblamable in the day of God that the unbelieving Wife may be sanctified by her believing Husband and the unbelieving Husband by his believing Wife loving and cherishing the good in them that believe not whether Husband or Wife but keeping clear of that which is Evil never joyn with that which is Evil for thereby you will not only hurt and darken your selves but also harm your Relations and strengthen them the more in that which is evil and contrary to God and make your Lives more uncomfortable And all Husbands and Wives in general live in Love in the love of God out of a pure Heart loving and cherishing one another submitting your Hearts to God and his counsel in one another as the Lord by his Spirit may move in any of your Hearts so to counsel and advise each other therein that you may be made to each other meet helps in the Truth and helps in him to advance that in your Families or in helps in Government in the Church of God And Children be subject and in obedience to your Parents in the Lord that you may please the Lord for the stubborn and disobedient displease the Lord and come short of the Blessing of the Lord whilst so I mean his Blessing in heavenly things and often in this world and its things they are not blessed to them nor do not enjoy them in the blessing of God Take heed Children disobedience to Parents is a great evil to disobey them and their Commands being that which is good Let none be high or set not your selves against such Commands if you do God will punish you for it and kindle his wrath against you if your Parents command you to keep out of evil Company and out of bad Words and Actions obey them or else it will be ill with you Parents care being over you for good will you grieve them by rewarding them evil for good and rebellion towards them instead of esteem honour and duty which you owe to them even so much as you can scarce do it enough therefore diligently mind your Parents commands in the Truth to observe and do them And all you Servants that are convinced of and own God's Truth let God's fear be before your Eyes and let his Truth guide and order you and keep you that you may be inabled by the Lord to discharge your duty in the place of a Servant every one of you not as Eye Servants or sloathful and careless in your Masters business knowing you must give an
cometh that are not as good men and women watching for the Lords coming whether at Mid-night Cock-crow or when ever it be for the day and hour knoweth no man and Christ said In an hour when you think not the Son of Man cometh therefore how are we all concerned to be always ready and prepared for him to serve worship follow him whithersoever he goeth And Christ said When the Son of Man cometh shall he find Faith on the Earth signifying the great loss and want of Faith that shall be when he cometh and what shipwrack will be made of Faith notwithstanding I doubt not but this day of Trouble will be of great use unto all who are honest in heart and have believed with us and provoke such to examine themselves whether now they be in the Faith or not and truly to search their own hearts and thorowly prove themselves and so no doubt but all the Sons and Daughters of Sion will come out of the Furnace more pure than Gold seven times tried in the sire truly a thorow search trial and examination will hurt neither the strong in Christ nor the weakest of the Flock it will doubtless be of great benefit for all to examine themselves whether they be in the faith or not for he that standeth standeth by Faith and liveth by Faith and pleaseth God by Faith and holdeth the Mystery of it in a pure Conscience and worketh Righteousness by Faith and stops the Lyons Mouthes and escapes the edge of the Sword by Faith and out of weakness are made strong through Faith and valiant for the Truth in warring against all that which works against the Truth and is for untruth And Friends to be rich in Faith such durably are made rich and such may be instrumental in the hand of the Lord to make others rich although they be poor in this World for it is the poor of this world rich in Faith that are Heirs of Gods Kingdom So you poor of the Flock that honour God in your day be content with such things as you have nay though you should have less and be made as poor as any are do not repine nor murmur in your hearts against God do not thou say in thy haste Why is my Lot and Portion of this World so little and so hard but mind thy being rich in Faith and still look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of thy Faith that hath made thee rich in Faith and thou wilt be as well contented with such things as thou hast as them who are out of the Faith though they be never so much increased with Corn Wine and Oyl or have this world's Goods in never such abundance And if thou be'st poor and needy consider the poor distressed and stript estate of Gods innocent Servant Job and by what he was upheld and kept from sinning against God let the same Love to God be in thee and the same uprightness and patience will preserve thy goings aright and keep thee from murmuring when thou wantest many things that others enjoy Thou knowest that Dives was rich but Lazarus was poor and was desirous of the crums that fell from the rich mans Table Dives had his good things but Lazarus his evil things in this world a Beggar the Rich man dyed and the Beggar also the Rich man was Wicked and went into Hell to be tormented in that Fire but Lazarus was received into Abraham's Bosom and was blessed and comforted with faithful Abraham who is called the Father of the faithful And you that are poor in this world consider Christ Jesus who in the days of his flesh had not whereon to lay his head though the Foxes had holes and the Birds of the Air their nests and your heavenly Father knoweth what you have need of and will let you want no manner of thing that he seeth good for you be content that you are Heirs of Gods Kingdom and that God hath promised you Treasure in Heaven keep your Hearts to that and prise that above all earthly cankering or the rusty Treasure of this world and it will go well with you forever and evermore The Riches of this World and all its Honour and Glory that is uncertain and takes to it self Wings and flyes away but we being rich in Faith and in good Works that will abide and follow us when we are gone hence and shall be no more seen in this world but the Riches of this world and its Delights and Pleasures will come to an end now are flying away from many whose minds were lifted up and who were puffed up in their minds with it And the Apostle said Charge them that are Rich in this World that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain Riches but in the living God who gave them all things richly to enjoy And Job said Naked came I into this World and naked shall I return again and that the Lord gave and took away and could bless the Name of the Lord He thus said in his poor stript and distressed state and the Love Faith and Patience of Job giveth true contentedness now and such as have it cast their care upon the Lord and he takes care for them And Friends you that are rich in this World keep your Minds out of it or else it will become a snare to you and your Table may become a snare if you keep not low sober in the use of these good things that you enjoy in this world although God gives you them for your welfare yet they may become a trap and if when they encrease you let your hearts after them and set your hearts on them undoubtedly they will prove so to you as well as other People Therefore keep low and take heed to your selves that the Earth get not over you again to oppress and burthen that Seed of God in any of you for then you will begin to walk heavily on and pull back your Shoulder from many good works and services that you might do for God in your day and will neglect the doing of them and if when Riches encrease you set your hearts on it it will steal away the hearts of such from the Lord then what availeth any thing of a drawing near to God with the Tongue or Lips or any Bodily exercise that you may be exercised in For in this state Pride and vain Glory creeps in and a desire after the Glory of the World and a love to it and to deck themselves very unbecoming Truth professed and talked of by them and to get into the vain Fashions and Modes of the world because they have gotten more of it than others they may think that they may get into fine Apparel and needless things the world useth to wear and so much of that which is needless and superfluous is worn by some especially that are young that it is a shame their Parents that have the government of them should suffer them in it So
door of entrance in with him be shut against you or you prepared for his entertainment the sloathful Servant being apt to delay the doing of his Duty to the Lord imagins that the Lord delays his coming then he doth that which he should not do and so causeth his Lord and Master that is full of Mercy and Love to be angry with him and reward him according to his Deeds Dear Friends therefore love the Cross of Christ whereby you will learn to take up your daily Cross and follow your Captain Christ Jesus the Captain of our Salvation that endured the Cross and despised the Shame and was made perfect through Suffering follow him in the Cross as you desire to have the Crown despise the Shame of the Cross and endure it and do not shun it for you will not be as David nor witness David's House to be as God's if you shun the Cross nor will you grow stronger and stronger as you ought if you are troubled at the shame of it you will never deny your selves much for Christ if you shun the Cross or be amazed at the daily taking of it up whilst 't is so with any convinced of God's heavenly Truth they will not shut out the world's Spirit Words nor Actions but will be lusting after the world's Words vain Fashions Wayes and not come out into a clear seperation from them nor be capable to bear witness against the World nor their Words Wayes vain Fashions and Actions that are contrary to the Lord and whereby his holy Spirit is vexed from day to day such amongst us that will not cross their own Wills and unbridled Tongues to speak Thou to any single Person high or low but give way to a worldly and fleshly Will and fleshly Desires will not be willing to follow the Lord and his Servants the Prophets and Apostles in their true Language which was used by them that writ and gave forth the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelations and can such be now good or is their Religion good who have been long convinced and come amongst us that have not a Bridle for their Tongues nor do not know the Power of God's Truth professed by them to tame their Tongues Why are some in this estate anciently convinced but because they would not subject their worldly corrupt Wills to God's holy Power which would have made them willing so to do and would have made them willing to have left all for Christ and to have suffered the loss of all things though it had been never such a Darling-beloved for Christ's sake So let every one leave and forsake all which the Lord hath called you to forsake whether it be Father Mother Wise Children Lands or Livings and come to that whereby the laying down of a man 's own Life may be made easie which a Disciple of Christ ought to do when called of God thereunto And as you all keep in the Cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ you will be preserved in a pure seperation from the whole World that lieth in Wickedness and are Ungodly as the old World was which God destroyed by Water and you will be Preachers of Righteousness as righteous Noah was by a righteous Life and Conversation which will speak more expresly and have a louder cry in their Ears than Noah's building the Ark had although that had a speaking in it if the old World had not been dull of hearing and closed their Eyes they might have heard God's speaking Voice and have seen his Providence in it to preserve Noah and his Righteous Family though they were but few in number God saved them and preserved them in the Ark which Noah was a building before the Flood came and drowned the Ungodly old World and he will not spare the Ungodly World now but till their Sins be full and they ripe for a Deluge or Destruction and then it will come upon them and overtake them before they are aware thereof and now many are uncircumcised in Heart and Ear and will not be warned nor take notice of God's hand that is lifted against them Friends take heed of mixing with the wicked World now have no fellowship with them nor their works of Darkness for as you are the Children of the Light and of the Day what fellowship can any of you have with Darkness or the works of the whole World that lieth in Wickedness or how can you touch with them in their corrupt Communication Wayes or Worship or any of their unclean and polluted things but rather reprove and rebuke them that are found therein And keep true and faithful to the Lord God who called you out of the World and seperated you from the Kindreds of the Earth to stand for God and to be living Witnesses against the Devil and all his works and you are called of God to stand with the Lamb and his faithful followers against the Devil never more to joyn with the Devil or take part with his prophane ungodly Followers in their Sins and Trespasses nor in their Wrongs Oppression and Cruelty nor contribute any strength to them stand clear and in a pure and spiritual seperation from all that which God's holy Spirit and Light condemns and judgeth to be evil and contrary to the Light Spirit and Grace of God give not way to that to save the world or its Favour temper not with the Snares nor Baits of this World but in the hour of Temptation keep low waiting upon the Lord God who knows how to save deliver you and mightily to succour you when you are tryed and to preserve you out of the power of your old Adversary or any of his Snares Baits or Temptations God hath by his Light let you see what you ought to chuse and what you ought to refuse chuse the good cleave to the good whatever you may go through or suffer for so doing chuse Lise that you may live forever and how sew or many soever your dayes may be in this World refuse the evil and the wayes of Death and Destruction whatsoever hath not the mark of Truth upon it as to Way Worship or Religion refuse it and enter into no Consultation with the Devil or his bad sensual Reasoning which he will fill them with that desire and consult wayes to conform in this or the other thing relating to Faith Religion and Worship which never was nor is of the Lord and when the Wind bloweth high Rain fall and Sea rage and foam then especially look carefully and diligently to your standing and look to Christ Jesus the everlasting Rock that is higher than you and higher than the Heavens and who is the author and finisher of your Faith all steadfastly look to him trust in him fear him and think upon his Name and still remember that the Lord God by a mighty Hand and Arm stretched forth brought you out of Egypt spiritually Do not forget that we were once Bonds-men in Egypt nor how the Lord