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<DATE>2010-10-01</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P>AN EPISTLE GENERAL CONTAINING Whol&s;ome <HI>Exhortations</HI> and <HI>Good Coun&s;el</HI> from the <HI>Spirit of Truth,</HI> unto all <HI>&s;uch</HI> as are or may be under the <HI>Judgment</HI> or <HI>Sentence</HI> OF BANISHMENT, FOR THE <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> (which is <HI>held</HI> in a <HI>Tender Con&s;cience</HI>) through|out the Nation of <HI>England.</HI></P>
<P>As al&s;o, Unto all them that are yet at <HI>Liberty</HI> (to be <HI>faithful</HI> to the Lord, and meet <HI>often</HI> together in the fear of his <HI>Name,</HI> and not to <HI>fear Man,</HI> that &s;hall be made as <HI>Gra&s;s</HI>) and to all in <HI>Bonds, Pri|&s;ons,</HI> and <HI>Holes</HI> every-where throughout the <HI>World,</HI> who are bearing (and &s;uffering for) the &s;ame <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of <HI>Truth</HI> and <HI>Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> which the Lord hath <HI>decreed</HI> &s;hall <HI>pro&s;per</HI> and <HI>&s;pread</HI> over all the <HI>World,</HI> till the <HI>Kingdoms</HI> thereof are become his <HI>Kingdoms,</HI> and he &s;hall <HI>Reign</HI> for ever and ever. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>With a few <HI>Words</HI> of <HI>Advice,</HI> to all who have or may have any <HI>Me&s;&s;age</HI> or <HI>Bu&s;ine&s;s</HI> upon the account of <HI>Truth</HI> to &s;uch as are in <HI>Authority</HI> in the <HI>Nations.</HI></P>
<P>By a Servant of the Churches of Chri&s;t Je&s;us. <HI>W. B.</HI></P>
<P>Printed in the Year, 1664.</P>
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<HEAD>AN EPISTLE GENERAL, Containing Whol&s;ome <HI>Exhortations</HI> and <HI>Good Coun&s;el,</HI> from the <HI>Spirit of Truth,</HI> unto all &s;uch as are, or may be, under the <HI>Judgement</HI> or <HI>Sentence</HI> of <HI>BANISHMENT,</HI> for the <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>MY dear Friends and Brethren, who for your te&s;timony of truth (and obedience to the God of <HI>Abraham</HI>) are or may be cau&s;ed to wander (as &s;ome of our Fathers have done) from your Native Countries, and to be expo&s;ed to the want of a certain dwelling place in the Earth, and to for&s;ake All for the Name of Chri&s;t, that is neer and dear in the World, and be liable to great Jeopardies and Perils by Sea and Land, among Strangers, and in &s;trange Countries; why, take ye no thought for your Life, what ye &s;hall eat, or what ye &s;hall drink, or wherewith ye &s;hall be clothed, or, for your Relations and Families, what they &s;hall do in your Ab&s;ence, for the Lord (for who&s;e &s;ake ye &s;uffer) will provide both for you and them, as ye faithful to him abide, who&s;e tender bowells of compa&s;&s;ions are open toward them that fear him, and pittieth them, even as a Father pittieth his Children. But con&s;ider how great and weighty a Work and Service the Lord at this time hath called you unto, and how great+ly the Honour and Glory of his holy Name is concerned therein; the Lord my God give you a clear under&s;tanding thereof, and direct you in his Coun&s;el in all ye take in hand, that in it ye may &s;tand faithful, and be pre&s;erved in his pure Fear, in meekne&s;s and wi&s;dom, to his prai&s;e; for it is the faithfulne&s;s of his people, in their patient &s;uffer|ings, and circum&s;pect, humble, &s;obe, ju&s;t, wi&s;e, upright, harmle&s;s con|ver&s;ation, that will an&s;wer the Principle of God in all Nations, and preach his Kingdom come nigh unto People, among whom-&s;oever
<PB N="4" REF="3">they may come, or be &s;cattered for his Name-&s;ake; and by this Go&s;|pel (which is everla&s;ting) &s;hall thou&s;ands be converted unto God, and multitudes be gathered into his Name, and many through his knowledge &s;hall be ju&s;tified, which mu&s;t cover the Earth as the Wa|ters cover the Sea, as was prophe&s;ied in dayes pa&s;t.</P>
<P>Therefore my dear Friends, be ye not at all di&s;couraged in your &s;ufferings, but look at the End for which the Lord hath called you thereunto, which is the exaltation of his Name, and the gathering of his pretious Seed out of Captivity, where they have been &s;cattered in all quarters, in the cloudy and dark day, that they might come to in|herit re&s;t in their own Land, and partake of the glory which was before the world was: and <HI>con&s;ult not</HI> with fle&s;h and blood in any thing, for ye have need of <HI>great watchfulne&s;s</HI> this day, that no rea&s;oner may enter you, to the betraying the <HI>Innocent</HI> into the Sinners hands, &s;o that Spirit will &s;ell the Lord that bought them, to &s;ave &s;elf and the things of this Life: But fle&s;h and blood mu&s;t not inherit the Kingdom of God, for 'tis prepared for that ble&s;&s;ed innocent Seed only, which hath no Kingdom in this World, out is a &s;tranger in the Earth, So let your pure breathings be manife&s;t unto the Lord, that ye may receive power from him, be pre&s;erved in his truth, out of all the &s;nares of this World, and commit your cau&s;e and all ye have, freely and wholly unto him, and be purely re&s;igned and &s;ubject to his heavenly Will (eying his Glory) in all things, at all times, and in all places; for the Work is his, and the Cau&s;e ye are engaged in is the Lords, and not your own; ye are but as Servants or In&s;truments in this great Work, which the Lord hath begun, and is cau&s;ing to &s;pread and pro&s;per throughout the Earth, that he may get him&s;elf a <HI>great,</HI> and <HI>glorious,</HI> and <HI>dreadful Name,</HI> to the ends of the <HI>World,</HI> who &s;hall be made to bow down and wor&s;hip at his foot-&s;tool, and confe&s;s that we are his People, and that the Everla&s;ting God is with us, is on our &s;ide, and &s;ights for us, who cannot &s;trive, nor fight for our &s;elves, nor avenge our own cau&s;e, but leave it to him who judgeth righteou&s;ly; and this &s;hall be an evident token that our Kingdom is not of this World unto all people.</P>
<P>Therefore my dear Friends and Brethren, faint not in your minds, neither be ye di&s;couraged as concerning the greatne&s;s of the Trials ye have to undergo, but ca&s;t your burthen (in this matter) upon the Lord, for the weight of your &s;ufferings herein he hath pondred, and it's come near unto him, and to the hearts of his dear Children, who&s;e &s;ecret Cries and tender Breathings are unce&s;&s;antly poured forth into his bo&s;ome, in your behalf, in the tender yearning bowels of his everla&s;ting
<PB N="5" REF="3">compa&s;&s;ions; that ye may &s;tand <HI>faithful</HI> in his coun&s;el, and &s;o walk, that his glorious <HI>Name</HI> may be <HI>exalted,</HI> and his <HI>Truth glorified in you,</HI> and <HI>by you,</HI> and by <HI>all</HI> that make mention thereof; el&s;e to what end is all our &s;ufferings and profe&s;&s;ion of his Name in the World? <HI>Surely, &s;ure|ly</HI> the Lord is chu&s;ing a <HI>Remnant</HI> to him&s;elf (to walk with him in faith|&s;ulne&s;es) that &s;hall greatly honour him, and magnifie, and reverence his <HI>Holy Name,</HI> and bring prai&s;e unto him in this his day, and &s;uch only will the Lord my God honour with everla&s;ting dominion, and beauti|fie with his Eternal Salvation and Peace. Oh happy is the man, and happy will be that &s;oul, who&s;e lot falls in this ground; and verily its but a little while, and he will wipe away the reproach of this his cho|&s;en Remnant, and plead their cau&s;e with all their Oppre&s;&s;ors, when the mea&s;ures of the iniquities of his Adver&s;aries are filled up, and our Faith and Patience &s;ufficiently tried, and proved, and made manife&s;t to the World; for of this great controver&s;ie (now in hand) the ten|der Seed of God is very &s;en&s;ible through Nations, which gives many People to &s;ee and di&s;cern, an ab&s;olute difference of Spirit, and a great gulf fixed between us and our adver&s;aries; and this &s;hall ari&s;e and break the hearts of thou&s;ands, who are yet afar off, when they &s;hall hear of your patient innocent &s;ufferings, only for your tender Con&s;cience and the Wor&s;hip of your God, to who&s;e Name and Power many &s;hall confe&s;s (as the King in <HI>Daniels</HI> day) that he is the <HI>Living God, and &s;tedfa&s;t for ever, and his Kingdom that which &s;hall never be de&s;troyed, and his Dominion &s;hall be even to the end; he delivereth and re&s;cueth, and he worketh &s;igns and wonders in Heaven and in Earth.</HI> And thus is our God (who is the &s;ame) doing at this very day (though the un|godly &s;ee it not) as &s;hall hereafter be confe&s;&s;ed and publi&s;hed, as this was after the beloved <HI>Daniel</HI> was <HI>tried</HI> and <HI>proved,</HI> and not before, <HI>mark that;</HI> and then woe will be to your Per&s;ecutors (as it was to his) when the Seed &s;hall ari&s;e in the Nations and witne&s;s for you, and again&s;t them, who &s;hall cur&s;e the hour in which they were born, and the moment in which they breathed in the World, and the womb that bare them, that ever they &s;hould be &s;o blind to bring &s;wift de&s;tructi|on upon their own heads, for the lucre of a moment of plea&s;ures.</P>
<P>Therefore my dear Friends, let your minds be &s;tayed, and your hearts fixed on the Lord, that ye may be alwayes kept and pre&s;erved in the pure &s;ence of the weight and ponderou&s;ne&s;s of this his great and honourable Work, which he hath called you into, that &s;o ye may be patterns, and pure examples, of righteou&s;ne&s;s, gravity, truth and holi|ne&s;s to the Nations, even as Lights in a dark place, and as a City &s;et
<PB N="6" REF="4">on the Everla&s;ting Hill of God, above all the fury and rage of your ene|mies, or their mo&s;t &s;ubtille&s;t Temptations or provocations, which ye may meet withall in your Travails and dayly exerci&s;es: From which my God deliver you, and keep you &s;tedfa&s;t in watchfulne&s;s, wi&s;dome, and fear to the end; that ye may be pre&s;erved out of all the &s;nares of the Enemy, to the honour of his great Name, and the comfort and peace of your own &s;ouls; for its the endurer to the end, that &s;hall be &s;aved.</P>
<P>And dear Friends, Take heed and beware of letting in the &s;pirit of this world into your hearts, which naturally draws from God, into its own Center, to look after the riches, ea&s;e, and glory thereof; for it was not in vaine, that the &s;ame Spirit that now dwels in his Children, exhorted his Di&s;ciples (in Ages pa&s;t) to take heed and beware of Co|vetou&s;ne&s;s, for a mans life con&s;i&s;teth not in the abundance of the things of this world which he may po&s;&s;e&s;s; For who&s;oever &s;hall let forth his mind after the&s;e things, and imbrace and entertain tho&s;e &s;ubtill Contrivances which may ari&s;e in the mind as Temptations, and &s;hall follow the whi&s;perings thereof, and &s;o let that be his Guide which leads to &s;eek &s;elf, <HI>his own honour, riches</HI> and <HI>glory,</HI> and not the things of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Truth and its <HI>glory only, &s;uch a one will be de&s;troyed,</HI> and not pre&s;erved. And this I have received from my God, to warne you of it, in tender love to your &s;ouls, and to the honour of his everla&s;ting Name, which mu&s;t and will be exalted over all the Earth: And though a Thou&s;and &s;hould fall on the right hand, and ten Thou&s;ands on the left hand, yet the Lord &s;hall be glorified, and all people be left without ju&s;t excu&s;e.</P>
<P>So the Lord God of Heaven direct you, and pre&s;erve you cha&s;t and &s;ingle unto him&s;elf, for his Name &s;ake, and for his tender Seeds &s;ake, which is very dear and precious to him in every Nation. And this is the breathings of my heart and &s;oul for you all, in the true and living &s;en&s;e of the marvellous work and wonderfull things he is bringing to pa&s;&s;e in the&s;e latter dayes; for its the Life mu&s;t confound <HI>Babel,</HI> (as in the dayes of old) and build up <HI>Zion,</HI> who&s;e walls is &s;alvation and gives prai&s;es for evermore. Therefore in the retired watchfull, pure, light and life of God it &s;elf, all dwell, alwayes eying his eternal power, and pre&s;ence to go before you (this was <HI>Mo&s;es's</HI> mind, <HI>Carry us not hence except thy pre&s;ence go with us</HI>) for that is it by which the Lord wrought wonderfull things, and pre&s;erved his people in all ages, who were obe|dient thereinto; and this hath pre&s;erved us, who hath been led and guided thereby to this day, and will pre&s;erve us to the end, as we are
<PB N="7" REF="4">faithfull to obey its requirings, and no otherwayes can any be pre&s;er|ved, or &s;aved out of Temptations, and from the wrath to come. And this I do <HI>affirme</HI> from <HI>certain experience;</HI> For Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion again&s;t Gods requirings, was, and is, the Ground and cau&s;e of the &s;eparation and alienation from him, and from his Covenant of promi&s;e, and is the breach of the peace and unity between God and man; So that there is no peace to the wicked, neither can there, &s;o long as the whoredomes and witchcrafts of <HI>Jezabel</HI> remains, and di&s;obedience is as the &s;in of witchcraft, and &s;tubbornne&s;s is Iniquity and Idolatry; &s;o that none can enjoy perfect peace with the holy God, but them who&s;e feet are guid|ed by his light and <HI>holy Spirit,</HI> in the <HI>way</HI> of <HI>peace,</HI> which all the world that lye in wickedne&s;s (in Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion) are ignorant of, the way of peace they know not; But the Children of the Lord &s;hall be all <HI>Taught</HI> of him, and great &s;hall be the peace of his Children.</P>
<P>So my dear Friends, mind the Light of the Lord, and let it be your Guide and Teacher, and your dwelling place; for them of the Nati|ons that are &s;aved, mu&s;t walke in the Light; mark, though they are &s;aved, yet they mu&s;t &s;till walke in the Light of the Holy City; and to it &s;hall the gathering of the people be, who &s;hall &s;tock thereunto, as the doves to the windowes, as was prophe&s;ied and is now fullfiling in this our day, ble&s;&s;ed for ever be the Name of the Lord. And take good heed to your Wayes, Words, and Carriages, among&s;t all people where|ever you come, as ye love the honour of God, and the peace of your own &s;oules, in who&s;e <HI>Name,</HI> in bowells of love, I lay it upon you all; for many will be the eyes; that will be &s;harply fixed upon you, both for good and for evil, even to mark all your &s;teps in every path which you &s;hall tread with your feet: Therefore keep your feet in the way of peace, and walk with God, as <HI>Enoch,</HI> that ye may be more and more tran&s;lated, and taken up out of the &s;ight of all that watch for your halt|ing; &s;o &s;hall ye have the Witne&s;s in your &s;elves, that your Wayes plea&s;e the Lord, as he had, and as many of his dear children have at this day, with whom ye will have pretious Unity, as ye walk in the &s;ame &s;teps, and mind the &s;ame things, that are eternal. And walk in low|line&s;s, in the fear of God, and in love and tenderne&s;s one towards ano|ther, that men &s;eeing your good Works, &amp; blamele&s;s conver&s;ation, may glorifie the Name of our God (in who&s;e &s;ight, the ornament of a meek and quiet &s;pirit is of great price) &s;o &s;hall your good and &s;weet &s;avour of all vertues abound and &s;pread through Nations, And by the&s;e things (as leaves and fruits of the Tree of life) mu&s;t the Nations be healed and replanted. And this is Gods decree and determination, and the
<PB N="8" REF="5">work he hath begun among&s;t us, and is about at this very day, even to make new Heavens, and a new Earth, wherein Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall dwell for ever; and the old &s;hall pa&s;s and is pa&s;&s;ing away with this great noi&s;e; for the Lord is fini&s;hing tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and making an end of &s;in, and bringing in everla&s;ting Righteou&s;ne&s;s. Ble&s;&s;ed is the eye that &s;eeth and the heart that beleiveth and under&s;tandeth, and waiteth pa|tiently and faithfully for the accompli&s;hment thereof, for &s;uch only &s;hall be kept under the &s;hadow of the Almighty, who abide in the &s;ecret of the Mo&s;t High, where they enjoy the &s;ure mercies of <HI>David,</HI> and the Kingdome and Dominion which never ends: Into which the God of Life bring you by his Eternal Power, and keep and pre&s;erve you in his pure peaceable Wi&s;dom, at all times and in all places, where-ever you come, by Sea and Land. The Eternal God of my Life, of Heaven and Earth, be with you, and cau&s;e you to grow daily, as living plants to his renown and glory, and give you favour among all people, that gene|rations to come, may call you the ble&s;&s;ed of the Lord. And as in this ye walk and abide, your enemies &s;hall be made to confe&s;&s;e, that you are his cho&s;en people, and many &s;hall take hold of your skirts, becau&s;e of the&s;e venues, of which your garments will &s;end forth a &s;weet &s;a|vour among them But wo to that <HI>man,</HI> by whom the Lord &s;hall be <HI>di&s;honoured</HI> among you, it had been good for him, that he had not been born.</P>
<P>So my dear friends and Brethren, dwell in your particular mea|&s;ures of the grace of God, the light and power of his eternall Spirit of Truth, for who&s;e Name &s;ake ye &s;uffer, and re&s;ign up your own wills (in the Cro&s;&s;e daily) to his heavenly will and providence, and ca&s;t all your care upon him, for he careth for his Children; only let this be your care, that his Name and Truth be kept clean, and not be reproached or bla&s;phemed, or &s;uffer ju&s;tly any way through any of you, for that would bring weakne&s;s, and even a Con&s;umption upon you, Condemnation and Angui&s;h upon every &s;oul that doth evil. So the eternal God keep your minds and hearts, in the deep Con&s;ideration of the &s;ub&s;tance of the&s;e things: For truly Friends, great is the Lord, and greatly to be feared, and honoured, by all that make mention of his Name; the weight of which my &s;oul doth daily ponder, and yet there remains a depth beyond that the mind of man can fathom. So un|to the Lord and his faithfull Witne&s;s I leave you, being cleare of what lay on me to write unto you in this matter at pre&s;ent, yet my &s;oul doth daily travaile, and breath to my God for you all; For the honour of his Name is &s;etled in my heart, daily more and more, in the &s;ence
<PB N="9" REF="5">whereof I cannot forget his dear &s;uffering people, who &s;uffer &s;o this Name-&s;ake. So the God of Heaven be with you, and his pure lively pre&s;ence fill your hearts with everla&s;ting joy and peace, and in this we &s;hall daily meet together, and embrace each other, where nothing can &s;eparate, as in it we faithfull abide, though we may be &s;eparated as to the outward ve&s;&s;ells, through the wills of men, never to &s;ee each others faces more: the will of the Lord be done, &s;aith my &s;oul,</P>
<P><HI>Who am your dear Brother in the bond of love and peace, which never changeth.</HI></P>
<P>ANd all friends every where, who are yet at liberty, keep your meetings together, in the Name and fear of the Lord, and be not daunted, or terrified, in any thing, as from your Adver&s;aries; for the Lord hath permitted or &s;uffered them, in &s;ome mea&s;ure, ac|cording to their hearts de&s;ire, to try you, and to &s;ift and winnow you for a &s;ea&s;on, and ye &s;hall have Tribulation ten dayes; For the Devil (who hath already ca&s;t many of you into pri&s;ons) hath de&s;i|red to winnow you as wheat, and not only &s;o, but to de&s;troy you utterly, root and branch from off the earth: But ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord, who hath &s;ent down the Angel of his pre&s;ence, with the great Chain in his hand, and hath laid hold on the Dragon, &s;o that he is limited (as in the dayes of <HI>Job</HI>) though he ca&s;t out his floods of rage, and fury, again&s;t the man-child, per&s;ecuting the Woman that brings him forth, and makes war with the remnant of her &s;eed, which keep the Commandements, and hold fa&s;t the Te&s;timony of Je&s;us. But his time is but &s;hort, of which he is &s;en&s;ible, that his ruine and down|fall approacheth, and dreadfulne&s;s hath taken hold of his heart, be|cau&s;e the two Witne&s;&s;es are ri&s;en (which torments the Earth) the Spirit of life from God is entered into them, and they &s;tand upon their feet, and great fear is fallen upon their enemies, and this is the &s;moak of their Torment, of the fire which is kindled in their bowells, which will never be quenched, till the ungodly are con|&s;umed, who&s;e &s;wift de&s;truction is ha&s;tening upon them, and this way it cometh to pa&s;&s;e, even by tho&s;e very actions and contri|vances by which he thinks to &s;tand and uphold his power and King|dome, &s;o blind is your Adver&s;ary, and his followers; and when they &s;hall cry peace and &s;afety, then &s;hall &s;udden de&s;truction come up|on them, as pangs on a Woman in Travell, and they &s;hall not e&s;|cape.</P>
<P><PB N="10" REF="6">
Therefore my dear Friends, be of good courage, and &s;tand vali|ant for the Truth upon Earth, and dwell in the will of God, and be faithful to him in what&s;oever he makes manife&s;t to you, that ye may witne&s;s perfect peace with him, in all ye do or &s;uffer for his Name &s;ake. And fear not him that can but kill the body, and hath power to do no more, but fear and reverence the living God of Heaven and Earth, and let him be your dread (and not man) and commit your &s;elves, and all ye have, and the Cau&s;e ye are engaged in, freely unto the Lord, who takes care for his Children, that not one hair of their head &s;hall peri&s;h beyond his permi&s;&s;ion; And keep your meetings diligently, and let in no Rea&s;oner or Con&s;ulter with fle&s;h and blood, to hinder you therefrom; And meet together as exactly as ye can po&s;&s;ible, at the time appointed, for your faithfull re&s;timo|ny here in is honourable in the &s;ight of the Lord, and of his children, who &s;uffer bonds, or may &s;uffer exilement, or bani&s;hment, for the &s;ame Terlin ony: And in &s;o doing, ye will be a &s;trength &amp; encourage|ment one to another, and a good &s;avour in the hearts of many (that are even ready to joyn with you in the light of the Lord) and a dread to your enemies, for by a fooli&s;h Nation will he anger the mighty and wi&s;e men of the Earth, and provoke many people to jealou&s;ie; and the Time is come that who&s;oever &s;hall call upon the Name of the Lord (in truth) &s;hall be &s;aved.</P>
<P>Therefore re&s;i&s;t every appearance or thought to the contrary (in the light and &s;trength of God) as a Temptation of the enemy: And remember the Serpent Tempted in <HI>Paradi&s;e,</HI> to break the Command of the Lord, and is yet neer to betray the Innocer into the &s;inners hands, who&s;e mercy will be &s;ound cruelty; for he is not wanting at this day, to &s;trive every way to make you fall from you: &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s, neither is his &s;ubtilty abated, to beguile the &s;imple, to draw them into his own &s;tate of Condemnation, of which all have been, are, and ever will be partakers, who hearken to his voyce, and obey his Temptation: And this lyes on me to warn you of; For if he get you to bow a little, he will get more &s;trength again&s;t you, and more hold and ground in you, by his fair flouri&s;hed baits and cunning crafty allurements, whereby your faith would be weat|ned, and even faile, till he cau&s;e you to make &s;hipwrack there of and of a good Con&s;cience, through the to&s;&s;ing your minds to and fro in the Sea of Temptations; and this would be an horrible day of Tempe&s;ts unto you. The Lord my God by his eternal power keep open your under&s;tandings, that ye may perfectly &s;ee &amp; di&s;cern him
<PB N="11" REF="6">in all his wiles and cunning craftine&s;s, by which he lies in wait to deceive, both within and from without; that &s;o ye may be able to re&s;i&s;t him in every appearance, and quench all his fiery darts in the living faith, that not a place be given to him, for if ye give him place, he will get more room and matter to work on, till he becomes a &s;trong man armed, to keep the hou&s;e again&s;t every motion and ap|pearance of God in you, thereby endeavouring to dwell at peace; but all his &s;trong <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> mu&s;t be &s;tormed, and his peice overturned, and the league and covenant with death and hell &s;hall be broken, by the pure Life and Seed of God (his head brui&s;er) let him do what he can, and then ye will perceive he was a fal&s;e Prophet, and hath deceived you.</P>
<P>Therefore my dear Friends, watch and pray continually, that ye enter not into temptation, but that ye may &s;ee every appear|ance of evil and ab&s;tain from it; &s;o &s;hall the God of Truth and Peace &s;anctifie you wholly, in Body, Soul and Spirit, whereby ye &s;hall become fit habitations for the Lord to dwell and walk in, and have his Te&s;timony in your &s;elves, that you are his Children, be|ing taught of him, and pre&s;erved by him to his prai&s;e, and your ever|la&s;ting comfort and peace. So keep your eye open in the Eter|nal Light, in which ye will &s;ee over time, and all things com|prehended in it, and through the end of all temptations, and over all the &s;tormes and tempe&s;ts of the wicked, who at this day are like the troubled Sea, and cannot re&s;t, for there is no peace to the wicked, &s;aith my God: But he is your peace and re&s;ting place, who rebukes the Winds, and walkes upon the Sea, and calmes the Stormes at his plea&s;ure; though in the World ye have Tribulati|on and Per&s;ecution for his Name &s;ake, it's but for a moment in re|&s;pect of the Eternal Life, if it &s;hould be &s;o all the days of your Pil|grimage on Earth, and but Light Affliction, in compari&s;on of the exceeding Weight of the Glory ye &s;hall be partakers of, as ye abide faithful to the End.</P>
<P>So the Eternal God of Life and Peace be with you, and pre&s;erve you by his Power, and keep you all valiant for his living Truth, in the pure &s;en&s;e and enjoyment thereof in all your hearts, to the End.</P>
<P>And my dear Friends, who are in Bonds, Pri&s;ons and Holes, for the &s;ame Te&s;timony of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, where ye are oppre&s;&s;ed and thronged, as &s;heep appointed for the &s;laughter, without Mercy from your Adver&s;aries; be ye not di&s;couraged, but lift up your
<PB N="12" REF="7">Heads in the pure Life of your Te&s;timony; for this is a day in which the Lord will glorifie him&s;elf in the eyes of all Nations, and get him&s;elf a Name above every name, that every knee may bow to him, and that all fle&s;h may dread and tremble before him, and be|come as the gra&s;s, and as the flower that fadeth away, at the ma|je&s;ty and glory of his pre&s;ence, who hath touched the Mountains and they &s;moak, and the &s;moak of their torment a&s;cends night and day, becau&s;e of the everla&s;ting burnings, with which he is melting the Hills like wax, and con&s;uming the ungodly like the fat of Lambs, and folding them up as thornes and &s;tubble for the fire. Great is the work which the Lord is doing, and cutting &s;hort in righteou&s;ne&s;s, yea, <HI>&s;uch</HI> a <HI>day</HI> is <HI>approaching</HI> as many will not <HI>believe,</HI> though it be, and hath been declared unto them, in which the Lord will <HI>plead</HI> with all fle&s;h, by <HI>fire</HI> and <HI>&s;word,</HI> and with <HI>plague</HI> and <HI>pe&s;ti|lence, famine</HI> and <HI>earthquakes,</HI> in <HI>divers</HI> places, and <HI>dreadful &s;tormes,</HI> and <HI>fearful &s;ights</HI> within and without, &s;o that all fle&s;h &s;hall be pain|ed, and wax feeble before him; for the terrors of God (within and without) &s;hall &s;et them&s;elves in array again&s;t the ungodly, and compa&s;s the wicked as with &s;nares of fire, till they are con&s;umed; and the very &s;tars in their cour&s;es &s;hall fight again&s;t them, yea, he will make his wonders known upon them, as in the dayes of <HI>Egypt.</HI> And this I am bold to proclaim, in the Name and Authority of the Everla&s;ting God, for I have &s;een the con&s;umption determined, and how it will come to pa&s;s, which is coming upon them as &s;wift as on Eagles wings, and it &s;hall not tarry nor be prolonged, and he that will come (to reward every man according as his work &s;hal be) will come quickly: Ble&s;&s;ed are they that wait for him.</P>
<P>Therefor my dear Friends, &s;eeing our God is no re&s;pecter of per&s;ons, but is ri&s;en as a Giant to the Battel, to plead the cau&s;e of his elect Seed, and to exalt his Name over all the Earth; and &s;ee|ing we look for &s;uch things, which will certainly come to pa&s;s, and be fulfilled in their &s;ea&s;on (which ha&s;tens) <HI>What manner of per&s;ons ought we to be, in all holy conver&s;ation and godline&s;s?</HI> and what need have we of diligence, watchfulne&s;s and readine&s;s, that we may be found of him in peace, <HI>without &s;pot, and blamele&s;s?</HI> The God of all mercies (who&s;e long-&s;uffering and kindne&s;s hath been exceed|ingly manife&s;ted to us-ward) keep you exceeding &s;till, quiet, and low in your minds and &s;pirits, fearing to offend him in thought, word and deed, at all times and &s;ea&s;ons. And take heed of Di&s;cour|&s;es among your &s;elves which are unnece&s;&s;ary, for the enemy hath
<PB N="13" REF="7">a &s;ecret end to effect among &s;uch things, to draw out your minds from the living &s;en&s;e of the precious tender Seed of God in you, which pre&s;erves the mind joyned to it, in the humblene&s;s and watch|fulne&s;s again&s;t every appearance of evil; for he will not let &s;lip any opportunity which tends to his advantage, that he may thereby pre&s;erve, continue and uphold, his own Kingdom and Intere&s;t. Now he perceives his ruine approaching, and his perpetual downfal at hand, who will dwell as long as he can in the two men (one) po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ed, but being wholly ca&s;t our from thence, his la&s;t habitation is the herd of Swine, whom he hath cau&s;ed, and will cau&s;e, to run down with violence and peri&s;h.</P>
<P>So my dear Friends, be very careful, and let your words be &s;ew, and your moderation known unto all men, and in all things, for the Lord is at hand, who weigheth the thoughts, words, and acti|ons, intents and purpo&s;es of all people, with a ju&s;t Ballance, who will not acquit the guilty, without puni&s;hment, where&s;oever it is found. And keep within the bounds of the feeling, of the Seed of God, in all your wayes, for that is the ancient Land-mark, which he that goes beyond tran&s;gre&s;&s;eth; and take heed of loudne&s;s, for|wardne&s;s, or ha&s;tine&s;s of &s;peech, in all your di&s;cour&s;es about the things of this world (and this I lay upon you from the Lord, to whom you mu&s;t give an account) but be dead &amp; &s;low to &s;uch things, and be lively in Chri&s;t Je&s;us the Truth, and yet moderate, patient and cool, for God requireth &s;tilne&s;s, yea, great &s;tilne&s;s, and watch|fulne&s;s among&s;t you at this day, that you may hear his Voice, and do his Will, and &s;tand in his pure Coun&s;el, which the many words with|out knowledge and meekne&s;s of wi&s;dom darkeneth, for which the reproofs mu&s;t come. So the Lord guide you in his fear, and gentle peaceable wi&s;dom, that no folly, &s;uperfluity or un&s;oundne&s;s, may be found among you, but that ye may all learn of him daily, who is meek and lowly, and be kept in his weighty and &s;avoury Life, to the honour of his Name, and the comfort and edification of one another. And mark them that are unruly &amp; walk di&s;orderly among you, and cau&s;e divi&s;ions, through their un&s;ubjected wills, and exalt|ed &s;pirits, above the Seed of God, which is but one in you all, and have no fellow&s;hip with them, that they may &s;ee their &s;hame; and yet have no prejudice or enmity ri&s;e in your hearts again&s;t any, but let your upright Life and Conver&s;ation daily judge and con|demn them, that if po&s;&s;ible they may be awakened, and be &s;en&s;ible of their &s;tate, and repent and be &s;aved. So let there be no &s;trife or
<PB N="14" REF="8">contentious among&s;t you, no needle&s;s di&s;putations, whereby the weak may &s;tumble, no fooli&s;h je&s;ting, no vain jangling, but quiet|ne&s;s and &s;oberne&s;s, with gravity and godline&s;s, in all reverence and godly fear, for our God is a con&s;uming fire; and if the righteous &s;carcely be &s;aved, where &s;hall the ungodly and tran&s;gre&s;&s;or appear?</P>
<P>So dear Friends, &s;tudy to be quiet, and eat your own bread, and wait for it daily, and be content therewith, and let all your &s;triving be to &s;tand &s;till, for herein is your &s;trength encrea&s;ed; and be good examples one unto another, and to all people that may come among you to vi&s;it you, or to behold your order, for the holy Name of our God is greatly concerned in this matter, and we are now the very people by whom he will be honoured and greatly exalted, or el&s;e reproached and di&s;honoured, in this our day and generation. So grieve not the Spirit of God in your &s;elves, or others, neither pro|voke him to jealou&s;ie again&s;t you, but dwell retired and watchful again&s;t every motion that would exalt it &s;elf above the pretious ten|der Seed, to hurt it; &s;o &s;hall ye have peace (as ye dwell in the ho|ly Mountain) and be ju&s;tified in the &s;ight of the Lord, and be a good favour in the hearts of all &s;ober people, who&s;e eyes are towards you for good. So mind the honour of God, and bear in remembrance the end for which he hath called you out of the world at this day, to bear your te&s;timony in &s;ufferings for his Name &s;ake; and be circum|&s;pect, humble, and wi&s;e in all your wayes, that the Lord may be honoured by you, and his Witne&s;s an&s;wered in all People; &s;o &s;hall his Seed be rai&s;ed, and the weak be &s;trengthened, and your own &s;ouls comforted in him that guides his Children (that learn of him) in the way of Peace. And for this is the daily travel of my &s;oul, who am one in &s;ufferings with you for the &s;ame pure te&s;timony, which &s;hall &s;tand for ever.</P>
<P>And all Friends every where, who have, or may have any occa&s;i|on or bu&s;ine&s;s to any in Authority in the Nations, or who having done any thing in obedience to the Lord (as your faithful Te&s;ti|mony to his Name) for which ye are, or may be, brought before any of them; or, have any motion lye upon you, to go and warn them, or, any particular of them, concerning the work they are about, or of the day of the Lord, that is coming as a Theife upon them; or as concerning them that <HI>&s;uffer bonds,</HI> or the <HI>&s;poiling</HI> of their <HI>goods,</HI> or <HI>&s;entence</HI> of <HI>Bani&s;hment</HI> for the <HI>Truth-&s;ake,</HI> or the like; this I lay upon you, from the Lord (which hath often ri&s;e in my heart) <HI>go not in your own will, nor time,</HI> but wait upon him in &s;tillne&s;s,
<PB N="15" REF="8">and eye his pure pre&s;ence and power to go with you, before you, to lead and carry you on in obedience to his own pure motion, in which ye will feel &s;trength &s;ufficient, and receive the pure wi&s;dom from above (as in his Light, Dread and Coun&s;el ye abide) &s;o to &s;peak, that Gods Witne&s;s in all may be an&s;wered, &amp; here ye will be a good &s;a|vour to him, whether they hear or forbear. So premeditate not afore hand, what to &s;peak, or an&s;wer, but &s;ingly give up, and dwell low, and &s;ubject to the Lord, and keep within the &s;eeling of his eternal Power, and &s;ink into it, and then ye will be pre&s;erved innocent, and cool, and patient, and bold, in dominion over all fear and weak|ne&s;s, which would be ready to enter; and &s;o the Truth being kept clear in you, and by you, in all things, the Lord will be honoured, and his Name exalted over all the contary, to whom all honour and fear belongs. And let none &s;ute or frame them&s;elves to plea&s;e men, but all &s;eek to plea&s;e the Lord, and &s;eek his face, and his glory; and let his Truth be very dear and pretious to you and among&s;t you all, yea, more than your own lives, and then by it ye will be pre&s;erved to his prai&s;e, and your own eternal comfort and peace; for great hath been the &s;ufferings for its &s;ake, and many hath &s;ealed their te&s;timony of it with their blood, who have not loved their lives unto death, for the joy that was &s;et before them, who&s;e faith|fulne&s;s lives in an everla&s;ting record, and can never be blotted out of the hearts of the righteous, but is had in eternal remembrance: the con&s;ideration whereof, &s;hall break the hearts of Children that are yet unborn, and the life thereof &s;hall rai&s;e up thou&s;ands from the dead, who &s;hall give glory to God in their behalf. So in his Truth, the Lord God of all mercies and everla&s;ting ble&s;&s;ings keep you all. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>In who&s;e ble&s;&s;ed Will, I lye down, with all the faithful and up|right in heart, dayly waiting in his pure Light (which makes all things manife&s;t) to know more of his coun&s;el, and to be obedient thereunto, in what&s;oever he requireth of me; in which I exhort &s;ome, that they &s;uffer not a motion of that &s;pirit of <HI>Core</HI> or <HI>Eliab</HI> to ri&s;e in their hearts, le&s;t thereby they endanger them&s;elves; for what was <HI>Mo&s;es?</HI> and what was <HI>Aaron?</HI> and what are all that bare a pure Te&s;timony this day, for the Name of the Mo&s;t Holy dread|ful God, but &s;uch as hazard their Lives, and are your &s;ervants for Chri&s;ts &s;ake? therefore let &s;uch be very careful, and tender in this matter; for cannot we &s;ay to them (as little to <HI>David</HI> his bre|thren) <HI>Is there not a cau&s;e?</HI> Do not the care and zeal for the ho|nour
<PB N="16" REF="9" MS="y">of the great and holy Name of our God dayly increa&s;e in our hearts? I Can truly &s;ay, <HI>The zeal of thine hou&s;e hath even eaten me up.</HI> That his living Truth and People may be kept blamele&s;s, and &s;potle&s;s, in this great and notable day of Tryal, is the travel of my breathing &s;oul, day and night; and I &s;eek not mine own honour, but the honour of him that hath had mercy upon me, who hath opened mine eyes, and given me of his free Spirit, &amp; eternal Po|wer, and all I have, I have received from him, and I have nothing to boa&s;t of, but in the Lord, and his Mercies, which endureth for ever, in who&s;e Salvation I rejoyce, and in his fear I delight: and Lord let me never forget thy <HI>Name,</HI> nor the multitude of thy Mer|cyes toward me, and toward all thy People, but let me ever give thanks to thee in the lively remembrance of them, who is &s;etting a Remnant as watchmen upon the walls of <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> who can|not hold their peace, for her &s;ake, day nor night, till &s;he is made the Prai&s;e of the whole Earth, and &s;o much the more as they &s;ee the day approaching, though their life is in great &s;tillne&s;s; and I could be content to be &s;ilent, but I mu&s;t obey his requirings, or I cannot be clear in his &s;ight; And I know to this end hath he pre|&s;erved me to this day and hour, in the &s;ecret of his Pavilion; ble&s;|&s;ed be his Name for ever.</P>
<P>Into who&s;e hand I freely commit my &s;oul, and body, and all that he hath given me, and all his dear people every where, to be di&s;po&s;ed at his good will and plea&s;ure, in which I feele my reward with me, and my witne&s;s is in heaven, and the true joy of the Lord is in my heart as an open fountain, which none knows but the re|deemed from the earch; and yet I am dayly a man of &s;orrowes, and well acquainted with griefs, for the redemption of his &s;eed in Cap|tivity, and for the whole Creation, that groaneth under the bondage of corruption; but in all e&s;tates I have learned to be content, knowing the Lord is with me, and hears, and in due time will an|&s;wer the breathings of his own, to whom be the glory, dominion and prai&s;es, now and for evermore. Amen.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>I am your dear Brother and Companion, who &s;uffer with patience for the everla&s;ting Truth of God (which mu&s;t &s;pread over all the Earth, and be e&s;tabli&s;hed on the top of all Mountains) in which I bid you, Farewel.</HI> W. B.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE>From <HI>Hertford,</HI> where I remain a Pri&s;oner for the Te&s;timony of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <DATE>the 26 of the 6^t^h Month. 1664.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
