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<DATE>2013-02-27</DATE>
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<NAME>Geremy Carnes</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE NEW Non-conformi&s;t; Who having obtained help of GOD, doth per&s;i&s;t unto this very day; WITNESSING, Both to Small and GREAT, Some of tho&s;e Glorious Things WHICH The Apo&s;tles, the Prophets, &amp; Mo&s;es, did &s;ay &s;hould come to pa&s;s.</P>
<P>OR, The VOICE of A Careful Shepherd, Crying,
<LIST>
<ITEM>From his Watch-tower at <HI>W.C.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Unto his Little Flock at <HI>W.L.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST> With a loud Voice.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Matth. 10.17. Matth. 7.15. Philip. 3.2. Tit. 1.12.</BIBL>
<P>BEWARE of Men: Beware of Dogs: Beware of Wolves, and of other evil Bea&s;ts.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Joh. 10.11, 12, 13.</BIBL>
<P>The GOOD SHEPHERD giveth his life for the &s;heep. But He that is an <HI>HIRELING,</HI> and not the Shepherd, who&s;e own the &s;heep are not, &s;eeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the &s;heep, and fleeth; and the wolf catcheth them, and &s;cattereth the &s;heep. The Hireling fleeth, becau&s;e he is an Hire|ling, and careth not for the &s;heep.</P></Q>
<P>Printed at <HI>London,</HI> for <HI>Livewel Chapman,</HI> at the Crown in Popes-head-Alley. 1654.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>A PREFACE To every Hone&s;t and Intelligent READER.</HEAD>
<P>_IT &s;eemed good unto the Apo|&s;tles, and Elders,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 15.23, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> and Brethren at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> when they wrote to the brethren of the Gentiles in <HI>Antioch,</HI> and <HI>Syria</HI> and <HI>Cilicia,</HI> to recommend their beloved <HI>Barnabas</HI> and <HI>Paul,</HI> with this &s;hort choice Character; They are <HI>men which have hazarded their lives for the Name of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Tradi|derunt animas.</HI> Bez. <HI>expo&s;ue|runt.</HI></NOTE></P>
<P>And verily they mu&s;t not love the Lord Je&s;us at that ordinary rate, which even the Bi&s;hops and the Deacons of the Churches generally content them|&s;elves withal at this day, who do intend to adven|ture their lives in his Cau&s;e, and for his Name, a|gain&s;t the pre&s;ent refined policies and practices of
<PB REF="3">the Whori&s;h Woman and her lovers, the Kings of the earth, with their Retinue.</P>
<P>It is a &s;ad Symptome,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24.12.</NOTE> when the love of many grows colder and colder, at that point of time, when the Lord expects (as well he may, if you knew all, Chri&s;tian friends) it &s;hould grow hotter and hotter, till it amounts to that degree, and <HI>per|fection of operation</HI> which is mentioned <HI>Rev.</HI> 11.5. <HI>If any One will hurt them, who &s;tand before the Lord of the whole earth, fire proceedeth of out their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if ANY ONE will hurt them, he mu&s;t in this maner be killed.</HI></P>
<P>I humbly conceive, the Word of JEHOVAH is not in any of his &s;ervants hearts as A BURNING FIRE, but they are al&s;o at the &s;ame time enflamed with love and zeal: this multiplication of heat, as I may &s;o &s;ay, cau&s;eth them, like <HI>Ieremiah,</HI> to be weary of forbearing,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 20.9.</NOTE> &s;o that they cannot &s;tay and contain them&s;elves within tho&s;e bounds of Me|diocrity and Moderation, which u&s;ed to be cried up by the luke-warm generation of Preachers and Profe&s;&s;ors in all ages hitherto.</P>
<P>But the Scriptures mu&s;t be fulfilled; and there|fore, it's not to be admired, that there &s;hould be <HI>&s;uch an univer&s;al Apo&s;tacy,</HI> and that tho&s;e who had <HI>a Name to live,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3.1.</NOTE> are now dead.</HI> Wonder not, I &s;ay, Oh Little Remnant! that there are &s;o many fallen a|&s;leep, but rather ponder the true rea&s;on, why there are any kept awake.</P>
<P>For, that mo&s;t excellent old Doctrine, which our Lord taught his Di&s;ciples, in the daies of his fle&s;h (and accordingly, after his a&s;cen&s;ion was very much practi&s;ed) hath been of late, if you ob&s;erve
<PB REF="3">it, almo&s;t utterly out of date, I mean the <HI>Doctrine of &s;elf-denial,</HI> and of for&s;aking all (Relations,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16.24. Luke. 9.23.</NOTE> Liber|ty, Goods, good Name, yea, life it &s;elf,) for his &s;ake and the Go&s;pels; How little is it preached now? how much le&s;s is it practi&s;ed? <HI>But the rea|&s;on is ready, and upon record:</HI> The&s;e are the la&s;t days; and the Spirit &s;peaketh plainly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3.1, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> and without a Pa|rable, <HI>That in tho&s;e days</HI> men &s;hall <HI>be lovers of their own &s;elves, cevetous, boa&s;ters, proud, bla&s;phemers,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>lovers of plea&s;ures more then lovers of God,</HI> (yet) <HI>having a form of godline&s;s, but denying the power thereof.</HI> Ob&s;erve, whether very many, in &s;tead of denying them&s;elves, as Chri&s;t hath taught, do not deny the power of godline&s;s,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.1.</NOTE> and the Lord that bought them, as the world and lu&s;t per&s;wade.</P>
<P>But hearken, dear hearts, and be cheerful; yea, be ye very joyful in believing, that the Spirit of life and power from God, &s;hall ere it be long, en|ter into a choice company,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 11. Ezek. 37.10.</NOTE> and they &s;hall &s;tand upon their feet; and fear &s;hall fall upon all tho&s;e who &s;ee them: for I know and am per&s;waded, that there is at this pre&s;ent time, <HI>a remnant according to the election of grace re&s;erved by God to him&s;elf,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.4, 5.</NOTE> (not|with&s;tanding the pre&s;ent Apo&s;tacy) who have not bowed the knee either to the Bea&s;t or to his Image. I wait to &s;ee <HI>this re&s;erved remnant</HI> call'd out of their &s;everal holes and caves, where they are hid from the world, and from one another, and &s;o brought together, even as &s;o many dry bones, bone to his bone, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> to make a &s;tanding Army for the King of Saints, in the time appointed of the Fa|ther.</P>
<PB REF="4">
<P>Mine heart,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 5.9.</NOTE> (a <HI>Deborah's</HI> was) is towards the Go|vernours of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> that offer them&s;elves willingly among the people: ble&s;s ye the Lord. Oh! keep your garments clean, and clo&s;e about you, and you &s;hall walk with Chri&s;t in white, for &s;uch are worthy. How do I rejoyce in Spirit, that I can in Spirit go thorow the grates of my Pri&s;on, and pa&s;s thorow all the guards, which are &s;et to &s;hut and keep me up from the &s;ociety of the Saints, and conver&s;e &s;weetly in a my&s;tery, with tho&s;e be|loved Brethren of mine, who&s;e faces I never &s;aw in the fle&s;h!</P>
<P>Methinks I hear,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">A my&s;tical Con|ference, betwixt the pri&s;oner and his Brethren, who are one &s;pirit with him, in the pre&s;ent truth and work of God in the world. <HI>Dan. 8.13.</HI></NOTE> with <HI>Daniel,</HI> one Saint &s;peaking and another Saint &s;aying unto that certain Saint which &s;pake, How long &s;hall be the vi&s;ion con|cerning the daily &s;acrifice, and the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of de&s;olation, to give both the Sanctuary &amp; the Ho&s;t to be troden under foot? Then methinks I hear a &s;weet voice from another Believer, &s;aying, The Sanctuary &s;hall be clean&s;ed, it &s;hall be clean&s;ed. <HI>Amen,</HI> &s;ay I, from my watch-Tower: the Lords Sanctuary hath need of clean&s;ing.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> But where are the In&s;truments, &s;ay others, and who &s;hall be imployed in this glorious work? we thought the Son of <HI>David</HI> had had &s;uch Worthies come from <HI>New-England</HI> &amp; from <HI>Holland,</HI> at the begin|ning of the late great revolution, as would not one|ly have helped to maintain their own &amp; their Bre|threns attainments; but would al&s;o have advanced valiantly, like undaunted Leaders of the Lords vo|luntiers,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.3.</NOTE> upon the old carnal Church and its Cler|gie: and, as becomes good Souldiers of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, would have endured any hardne&s;s, rather
<PB REF="4">then have given place by retreat or &s;ubjection, though but for an hour,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2.5.</NOTE> that &s;o the truth of the Go&s;pel of the Kingdom might have prevailed in the World.</P>
<P>We had the&s;e honorable thoughts of them; but alas, where are they? and what is become of the&s;e reputed Champions, for the Lamb again&s;t the Bea&s;t? are not mo&s;t of them even revolted and gone?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.4.</NOTE> are they not entangled in the affairs of this life? yea, are not &s;ome of them bu&s;ie in building again the Things they have de&s;troy|ed?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> Be not doubtful of minde, Oh little Flock! live not in careful &s;u&s;pence,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Luke 12.30.</NOTE> carried like Meteors be|twixt Heaven and Earth. The zeal of the Lord of Ho&s;ts &s;hall perform this great Thing whereof we &s;peak: and if need be, Jehovah will create a Spirit of judgement, and a Spirit of burning, for the ac|compli&s;hing that honourable Enterprize for his Son, which the hearts of the choice&s;t Saints are &s;o much upon.</P>
<P>Again, It's probable,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1.27.</NOTE> God will take &s;ome fooli&s;h Thing or other, &s;ome weak, &s;ome de&s;pi&s;ed Thing, to perfect his prai&s;e, in the mid&s;t of all his ene|mies.</P>
<P>For oftentimes of old, the In&s;truments have been too Many, &s;ometimes too Mighty, &s;ometimes too Wi&s;e for God to u&s;e. Wherefore let us re|member, It's thy part and mine, to believe, that notwith&s;tanding the <HI>Retrograde motions, both of per|&s;ons and Things,</HI> as we &s;uppo&s;e, yet certainly, the <HI>Main De&s;igne</HI> is carried on with an <HI>High hand;</HI> but, in paths &s;o &s;ecret, that the mo&s;t &s;harp-&s;ighted Po|liticians
<PB REF="5">in the Kingdom of the Bea&s;t, cannot well tell how and where to obviate or countermine.</P>
<P>And, which is the <HI>mo&s;t confounding Con&s;ideration of all the re&s;t,</HI> &s;uch is the nature of this <HI>great Contri|vance,</HI> (which you through mercy are privie to) that if there be at any time a Di&s;covery made, of its <HI>mighty Eruptions,</HI> as now and then there is; yet, the Souldiers weapons, with the Coun&s;ellors and States-mens wits in conjunction, dare not &s;udden|ly grapple with it: but if they, at any juncture of time, are found &s;o hardy, as to make this bold adventure, it's with utmo&s;t hazard of being ground to powder.</P>
<P>As for me, (a reproached Outca&s;t, an exile Ca|ptive) it is upon my heart to de&s;ire Two Things of you my brethren and companions in tribulation, and in the Kingdom and Patience of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pour out <HI>prayer, and then</HI> lift up <HI>prayer for the pri&s;oner.</HI> Eph. 6.18 Jude 20. ver&s;e</NOTE>Oh! let there be a Continuation of prayers and reque&s;ts on my behalf, in the Spirit, I &s;ay, in the holy Spirit: for certainly, the Lord hath heard your &s;upplications for me, as I &s;hall, I hope, de|mon&s;trate in due &s;ea&s;on. Oh pray! and pray again, <HI>ye clo&s;e followers of the Lamb,</HI> That, if this Clo&s;e pri&s;oner be delivered up again to the Councils for Chri&s;ts Name &s;ake,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10.17.</NOTE> and his Kingdoms &s;ake, he may be made Mighty in the Scriptures,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 18.24.</NOTE> and elo|quent with that eloquence and elocution onely, which the Spirit of Chri&s;t was wont to admini&s;ter to the &s;uffering Saints in all ages. And, That I may be of a very high, and of a mighty &s;pirit for our dear Lord Je&s;us; yea, of a lofty and a daring &s;pirit, according to the glorious Mini&s;tration of the New Te&s;tament, and not otherwi&s;e in the lea&s;t:
<PB REF="5">which yet will never be, unle&s;s, He be dearer to me then my life, whom my &s;oul loves, and unle&s;s I am kept under the <HI>constraining power of divine love.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.14.</NOTE></P>
<P>Oh Brethren! this <HI>Divine love</HI> will make bitter Things &s;weet, and turn a &s;trait Pri&s;on into a &s;tate|ly Palace.</P>
<P>Do I &s;ay, Will do the&s;e things? yea, it hath performed greater works then I can po&s;&s;ibly, after much meditation, compa&s;s to expre&s;s. Where|fore, I intreat you to remember my bonds, my &s;trait bonds, as you do; and I am per&s;waded, your brotherly love herein will turn to good account for each of you al&s;o, when with diligent ob&s;ervation you ponder what improvements you have made in the indu&s;trious pro&s;ecutions of &s;o good a trade.</P>
<P>And let men beware, how they impute it to proud pre&s;umption in me, thus to hope,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 21.28.</NOTE> to look up, and to lift up my head with &s;uch boldne&s;s in this Cau&s;e, even before the faces of the Highe&s;t and mo&s;t Maje&s;tical Potentates in the World, if call'd before them: for hath not my God asked me many times, Wilt thou in &s;uch a Cau&s;e as this (though mo&s;t perfidiou&s;ly for&s;aken by very many) <HI>be afraid of a man that &s;hall die, and of the &s;on of man that &s;hall be made as gra&s;s?</HI></P>
<P>Did not <HI>Stephen,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 7.</NOTE> that renowned Deacon of the Church of Chri&s;t, carry it &s;weetly, and yet &s;tout|ly for his Lord, when he was brought before <HI>the High Prie&s;t and the Council? His Highne&s;s</HI> did not affright him in the lea&s;t; <HI>Stephen</HI> was protected and incouraged by One who was infinitely higher then He and all the Lords of the Council: before I had ta&s;ted of <HI>Stephen</HI>'s Cordial, I often wondred
<PB REF="6">how he did dare to &s;peak at &s;o high a rate, before and unto the High-Prie&s;t, as you read <HI>Act.</HI> 7.51, 52. <HI>Ye &s;tiff-necked and uncircumci&s;ed in heart and ears, ye do alwayes re&s;i&s;t the holy Gho&s;t; as your fathers did, &s;o do ye. Which of the Prophets have not your fa|thers per&s;ecuted? and they have &s;lain them, which &s;hewed before of the coming of the Just One, of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murtherers,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Again, was not <HI>Luther,</HI> in the pre&s;ence of <HI>Charles</HI> the fifth, and the many illu&s;trious Princes of <HI>Ger|many, inab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ed by the mo&s;t High,</HI> to bear up with in|vincible courage, &s;o that they could not prevail to terrifie or affright him from his Faith and Do|ctrine which he had taught the people from the holy Oracles? and then, it's ea&s;ie to conjecture how improbable it was, that all the Monks and Friers, all the Prelates and Pari&s;h Prie&s;ts &s;hould afterward be able to re&s;i&s;t the Wi&s;dom and the Spirit by which he &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ke.</P>
<P>Oh! how &s;weet hath that word been made to my &s;oul? 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 4 <HI>Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome Them, becau&s;e, Greater is He that is in you, then he that is in the world.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Offer up prai&s;e for the pri&s;oner.</NOTE>I be&s;eech you al&s;o let there be m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">intained a con|&s;tant conjunction in prai&s;ing the Name of our God and Father. Le<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> us agree to meet every day, many times in the day, for the performing this <HI>Ce|lestial, this Angelical &s;ervice.</HI></P>
<P>O!
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 34.3.</NOTE> magnifie the Lord with me, and let us exalt his Name together in the Spirit <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word"> and though our outward man be not capable during my re&s;traint of local fellow&s;hip in this &s;piritual <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">acrifice of prai&s;e, yet it will refre&s;h me much, to recount
<PB REF="6">the mercies, which are our proper portion and in|heritance, in di&s;tinction from the world.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be the God and Father of our Lord Je&s;us Christ, who hath ble&s;&s;ed us with all &s;piritual ble&s;sings in heavenly things, in Chri&s;t:</HI> as,</P>
<P>That he hath cho&s;en us in him, and that b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e the foundation of the world, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>That he hath prede&s;tinated us unto the adoption of children by Je&s;us Chri&s;t to him&s;elf, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>That he hath made us accepted in the Beloved.</P>
<P>That we have redemption through the Beloved, and this in his blood; which redemption is the for|givene&s;s of &s;ins, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>That he hath abounded in the riches of his grace towards us, and this in all wi&s;dom and prudence.</P>
<P>That he hath made known to us the my&s;tery of his will.</P>
<P>That in Chri&s;t we have obtained an inheritance, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and &s;uch an inheritance.</P>
<P>That after we believed, we were &s;ealed with that holy Spirit of promi&s;e.</P>
<P N="2">2. But be&s;ide tho&s;e ble&s;&s;ings and other glorious priviledges, which I partake of with all Saints, the Lord hath enriched me with many precious Jewels in this pre&s;ent condition, which I de&s;ire may be &s;o u&s;ed by me, as to adorn the Go&s;pel, and to improve tho&s;e new talents which are vouch|&s;afed to me, in this Hou&s;e of Bondage, from day to day.</P>
<P>The mercy of contentation in this clo&s;e impri|&s;onment,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4.11.</NOTE> I value at a very high rate before the Lord, in mine acknowledgements of his loving kindne&s;s toward me.</P>
<PB REF="7">
<P>The liberty and cheerfulne&s;s of my Spirit: though the fle&s;h be weak, I am able to &s;ay, with great joy,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.5.</NOTE> through rich grace, That the Lord hath not left me nor for&s;aken me, but hath given me Liberty in Bonds, and Inlargement in Pri&s;on. I can tell you in the power of an holy Triumph, Al|though the Souldiers have attach'd my body, and keep my out&s;ide in chains, though they have bar|ricado'd the way whereby the Saints were wont at fir&s;t to come to vi&s;it me, for the mutual comfort both of them and me; yet ble&s;&s;ed be my God and Father, my &s;pirit is out of their reach, and the new and living way into the Holie&s;t is kept open,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.20.</NOTE> and by the blood of Je&s;us I have boldne&s;s to enter in|to <HI>that within the veil.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6.19.</NOTE> I cannot expre&s;s the com|fort of the vi&s;itations of the Father and the Son, who according to Chri&s;t's engagement, <HI>Ioh.</HI> 14.23. <HI>Do graciou&s;ly, gloriou&s;ly come unto me, and make their a|bode with me, who am le&s;s then the lea&s;t of all the&s;e mer|cies.</HI></P>
<P>What &s;hall I &s;ay? I have a longing de&s;ire, (but it is not an inordinate lu&s;t after outward liberty) to come and declare what God hath done for my &s;oul, and to teach and preach Je&s;us Chri&s;t publick|ly and from hou&s;e to hou&s;e.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5. la&s;t.</NOTE> Let us therefore in the Name of the Lord, joyne our forces, and &s;trive to|gether in prayer, that when I come, I may come in the <HI>fulne&s;s of the ble&s;sing of the Go&s;pel.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15.29, 32.</NOTE></P>
<P>That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refre&s;hed, even with you, who through love in the Spirit have endea|voured to let loo&s;e and break in &s;under tho&s;e bonds wherewith I have been tied &s;o many months. And
<PB REF="7">I am per&s;waded, (for I will not di&s;&s;emble,) that this &s;hutting and tying me up, will render me, by the power of God with me, more fierce, more fell and furious again&s;t the Kingdom of the Bea&s;t, then I was before; but it's probable, <HI>The Lord by his Spirit hath taught my hands to war, and my fingers to fight the battels of the Lamb, more skilfully then I did before.</HI></P>
<P>I ble&s;s the Lord al&s;o, and let his people &s;ay, <HI>A|men,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12.2.</NOTE> that I am &s;till a Non-conformi&s;t to the world, and the world-like-Church; but am through the grace of God made more conformable to the image of his Son:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.29.</NOTE> and when Chri&s;t who is my life &s;hall appear, I al&s;o together with others &s;hall appear with him in glory.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Colo&s;. 3.4.</NOTE></P>
<P>It often comes into my minde, how <HI>David</HI> com|plains, <HI>Reproach hath broken mine heart.</HI> Indeed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 69.20.</NOTE> to be &s;tigmatiz'd, and &s;et as upon a Theatre for a &s;pecta|cle,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><P><GAP DESC="foreign">, Gal. 6.17.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">, 1 Cor. 4.9.</P></NOTE> and &s;et as upon a Theatre for a &s;pecta|cle, and to be gazed at, is a very unwelcome condi|tion to the nature of man: but herein I am con|formed to my Head al&s;o, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.6.</P>
<P>It was reported during my fir&s;t clo&s;e impri&s;on|ment, that I had for&s;aken (Chri&s;t) the Head, and was under the mini&s;tration of evil Angles, That I had a &s;pirit of delu&s;ion, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Sometimes by &s;ome men, I am a fool; by others, that I am a madman: &s;ince my clo&s;e confinement here, I am again&s;t Ma|gi&s;tracy as Magi&s;tracy; poor fellow, I cannot de|fine what faith is. But ble&s;&s;ed, for ever ble&s;&s;ed be the Name of the Lord, I can &s;ay, in <HI>Paul</HI>'s &s;pirit, <HI>None of the&s;e things move me, neither count I my life dear unto my &s;elf, &s;o that I might fini&s;h my cour&s;e with joy, and the ministery which I have received of the Lord Je&s;us,
<PB REF="8">to testifie the Go&s;pel of the grace of God.</HI></P>
<P>By the en&s;uing Letters, to that little Flock, which I am over in the Lord, my &s;pirit and my de&s;igne may be di&s;cerned: they are the Index of my very heart. When Epi&s;tles are the true and ge|nuine i&s;&s;ue of the &s;oul, (as the&s;e are of mine) there is no difficulty in making an e&s;timate of the Au|thor of them, e&s;pecially, when there's no oppor|tunity for the poli&s;hing and artificial adorning of them, as in the writing of the&s;e there neither was, nor well could be.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t was written from neer the Council-chamber-door, in the mid&s;t of company, and in ha&s;t, becau&s;e I expected every moment to be fetcht in; and I was willing <HI>to &s;alute the Church from my bonds,</HI> they being to meet in the afternoon of that day.</P>
<P>The next, and all the others, were according to the con&s;tant frame of my &s;pirit at other times, no artifice, no premeditation or &s;tudy. I had no thought of this kinde of publication of them. <HI>Soundne&s;s in the faith, the power of godline&s;s, and the promoting of the pre&s;ent truth and work of Chri&s;t,</HI> are tho&s;e things which have lain next my heart for many yeers; and if I &s;peak or write to the Saints, tho&s;e things will certainly flow forth: for that &s;aying of Chri&s;t is truth, <HI>Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth &s;peaketh,</HI> (and &s;o the pen wri|teth, if he be an hone&s;t-minded-man that guides it.)</P>
<P>I &s;hould not have thus far appeared, but for the manife&s;tation of the truth: and what error &s;o|ever any one e&s;pies, in tho&s;e Letters, I am ready
<PB REF="8">to retract and correct, upon any the lea&s;t adverti&s;e|ment with light from the Oracles of God;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3.16, 17 <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>for the Scripture being divinely in&s;pired, is profitable for correction, that the man of God may be perfect, per|fected to every good work.</HI></P>
<P>I have great need of patience, that after I have done and &s;uffered the will of God, I may inherit the promi&s;e. Moreover, to conclude, I mu&s;t not ca&s;t away my confidence; for that al&s;o hath great recompence of reward.</P>
<P>We poor oppre&s;&s;ed pri&s;oners, are fools, for Chri&s;t's &s;ake, but ye are wi&s;e in Chri&s;t; we are weak, but ye are &s;trong; ye are honorable, but we are de&s;pi&s;ed. This word I write to the di&s;&s;atisfied Saints, who are &s;o apt to cen&s;ure, and <HI>to &s;peak evil of the things they know not;</HI> but yet I write not the&s;e la&s;t words to &s;hame you; but becau&s;e I in my ve|ry &s;oul de&s;ire, <HI>you may not &s;tumble and fall, and &s;hew your &s;hame, and break your bones.</HI> Therefore again I warn you, not to believe reports. When I am brought before Councils of State, or Courts of Ju&s;tice, and there be found any evil in me why I &s;hould be thus dealt with, (even wor&s;e then bla&s;|phemers, and felons, and other malefactors, are dealt with in Pri&s;on, and that, in &s;everal re&s;pects) then it will be time enough for you to cen&s;ure, and judge, and condemn: but to this day, after &s;even moneths impri&s;onment, I have not been brought to the place of hearing, neither accu&s;ets not witne&s;&s;es have pa&s;&s;ed upon me. <HI>My heart doth not condemn me, nor the Lord, who is greater then my heart, and knoweth all thin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s; I have boldne&s;s before him, and &s;hould I fear what man can do unto me?</HI></P>
<PB REF="9">
<P>Therefore judge nothing before time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hid|den things of darkne&s;s, and will make manife&s;t the coun&s;el of all mens hearts; <HI>and his judgement will be according to truth,</HI> Amen. <HI>Come Lord Ie&s;us, come quickly.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From my watch-Tower in this hou&s;e of bondage, called <HI>Wind&s;or</HI> Ca&s;tle, <DATE>this <HI>28</HI> of the <HI>6</HI> Moneth, <HI>1654.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your &s;ervant for Chri&s;t's &s;ake, willing to do or to &s;uffer according to the will of God, <HI>Christopher Feake.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="9">
<HEAD>To all that are &s;anctified in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, cal|led to be Saints, who have fellow&s;hip with the Father and his &s;on Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and with one another.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Precious Souls!</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_HAving ta&s;ted, in &s;ome mea&s;ure, the &s;weetne&s;s of communion with God, and al&s;o of <HI>fellow&s;hip one with another;</HI> we cannot but commend the &s;ame to all Saints, as a thing worthy to be de&s;ired, coveted, embraced, and promoted by them to the utmo&s;t in their generation. And when other ways of <HI>Communion one with another</HI> are denied them, then this of <HI>writing with Ink and Paper</HI> each to other, hath been ever found of &s;ingular u&s;e and comfort to them, and been practi&s;ed by the Saints in all ages, even from the Apo&s;tles times down to the&s;e of ours wherein we now live; whereby they do &s;till encourage, com|fort, coun&s;el, exhort, &s;tir up, quicken, and provoke one another to love, and to good works; and to a holy, humble, heavenly, &s;incere, upright, and unblameable conver&s;ation, in the mid&s;t of a crooked, perver&s;e, corrupt, deceitful, and adulterous generation. And we amongst others having &s;ound no &s;mall refre&s;hment by the&s;e Letters, which were occa&s;ionally written unto us by our dear Pa&s;tor, (when he was through the malice and in&s;tigation of Satan, the old uccu|&s;or of the brethren, rent and torn from his Congregation, and from his other dear relations; we know not for what cau&s;e, unle&s;s it were for his faithfulne&s;s, cordialne&s;s, and con&s;tancie to the Lord Je&s;us and his Saints, and unto their Cau&s;e and Interest; or for bearing his te&s;timony again&s;t the &s;ins and evils of Apo&s;tates, Back|&s;liders,
<PB REF="10">and Treacherous dealers, that &s;o ignobly de&s;erted their Co|lours, and are revolted and gone; or for witne&s;&s;ing to the Truths of the kingdom and coming of the Lord Je&s;us, the king of Saints, and the king of Nations, to rule and to raign in righteou&s;ne&s;s, and in judgement in the earth, according as he hath &s;poken thereof, by the mouth of his holy Prophets which have been &s;ince the world began:) we have often earne&s;tly de&s;ired, for our own farther com|fort and edifying, and for the like benefit and refre&s;hing to other Saints, that the&s;e his Letters to us (with many others which he hath written) might be made publike; to the end, that as the Lord hath and doth comfort us in all our tribulations; &s;o we might hereby be a means (under him) of comforting others with the &s;ame comfort<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> wherewith we our &s;elves are comforted of God; and that tho&s;e who have the gift of di&s;cerning of &s;pirits in any mea&s;ure, may judge whether the&s;e things that are written, (being no other in effect, then &s;uch as from time to time have been &s;poken and preached to us, by this faithful (though de&s;pi&s;ed) &s;ervant of Chri&s;t) be the breathings of the holy Spirit of God, or the in&s;pirations and &s;ugge&s;tions of the devil, and of evil angels, as unrea&s;onable men have calumniated and a&s;per&s;ed him. <HI>Say we not well, that thou art a Samaritane, and ha&s;t a devil?</HI> &s;aid they of Chri&s;t. <HI>Now if they call the Ma&s;ter of the hou&s;e Beelzebub, how much more &s;hall they call them of his hou&s;hold?</HI> Yet, <HI>&s;aith Christ,</HI> Be not deceived; <HI>God is not mocked:</HI> the <HI>Bla&s;phemy</HI> and the <HI>words</HI> &s;poken <HI>again&s;t the holy Spirit,</HI> they <HI>&s;hall never be forgiven unto men, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.</HI> However, &s;aith he to his di&s;ciples, <HI>Beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the Councils, and ye &s;hall be brought before governours and kings for my &s;ake, FOR A TESTIMONY AGAINST THEM. But when they &s;hall de|liver you up, take no thought how or what ye &s;hall &s;peak: for it &s;hall be given you in the &s;ame hour what ye &s;hall &s;peak. For IT IS NOT YE THAT SPEAK, but THE SPIRIT OF YOUR FATHER WHICH SPEAKETH IN YOU:</HI> Matth. <HI>10.20.</HI> &amp;c. It is <HI>the Spirit of your Father</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;&s;t) <HI>which &s;peaketh in you.</HI> For the ble&s;&s;ed <HI>return</HI> of which Spirit of the Father from on high, and for the glorious ef|fu&s;ion
<PB REF="12"> of it upon all fle&s;h, let the &s;ons and daughters, and &s;ervants and handmaids of the Lord (to whom it is promi&s;ed) ever pray, and they &s;hall finde every day more and more, that it will break forth mightily, to the confounding of that &s;pirit of the World, that is ri&s;en up in oppo&s;ition and contradiction to it: for this &s;pirit mu&s;t fall, but the Spirit of Chri&s;t mu&s;t ari&s;e; and the Prie&s;ts and Soul|diers can no more &s;uppre&s;s it, or keep it under, then they could the body of Je&s;us from its re&s;urrection. In the mean time, let it &s;uf|fice unto us, that Chri&s;t <HI>knows the bla&s;phemy of tho&s;e, who &s;ay they are Jews, and are not;</HI> Chri&s;tians, and are not; for Chri&s;t, and are not; for the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and are not; for the Spirit of Chri&s;t, and are not; <HI>but are the Synagogue of Sa|tan,</HI> Rev. <HI>2.9.</HI> and are of their father the devil, and <HI>the lu&s;ts of their father they will do,</HI> who was <HI>a murderer from the be|ginning, and ABODE NOT IN THE TRUTH;</HI> who is al&s;o <HI>a lyer,</HI> and <HI>the father of lyes,</HI> Joh. <HI>8.44.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Signed by appointment and in behalf of divers others of the Congregation, who have &s;ub&s;cribed the Original copie.
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Thomas Allen.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Luxford.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Robert Davie.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Stephen Rookeby.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="notice">
<HEAD>POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>TAke notice, that the two la&s;t Letters to the Church are placed out of order, becau&s;e they could not be obtained in due time; and therefore are to be read as the two fir&s;t Letters from <HI>Wind&s;or,</HI> though printed la&s;t.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="10">
<HEAD>A &s;hort WORD To the faithful REMNANT, who are of one SPIRIT in the pre&s;ent Truth, and Cau&s;e of Chri&s;t.</HEAD>
<P><HI>I</HI> Alwayes, &s;ince I under&s;tood the nature of the controver&s;ie betwixt Antichri&s;t and the Lord Je&s;us, in the light of his own Spirit, found it a ble&s;&s;ed imployment to be inquiring and hearkning, where <HI>the &s;igne of Gods pre&s;ence was,</HI> and, upon which of the Congregations or a&s;&s;emblies, I could finde the most glorious demonstrations of the power of godline&s;s, and where the Lord was pitching his Tents, and revealing him&s;elf to his Beloved Ones. This is al&s;o my work, at this day, to con|template and con&s;ider what posture the Saints are now in, and to watch that I may know, where the glory of the Lord is reveal|ed, and where or from whence it will break forth, at the ap|proaching revolution.</P>
<P>In time pa&s;t, before the New Model was in being, or extant in the world, it was in the &s;cattered Saints, yet gathered toge|ther in &s;everal meetings, (kept in the City, Army and Countries) to finde out a right way from <HI>Babylon</HI> to <HI>Sion.</HI> You remem|ber what di&s;tre&s;s the Lords people were in at that time, when that Tyrant had the North and We&s;t at his devotion, when <HI>E&s;&s;ex</HI> his Army was beaten and degenerate, when we were betrayed and for&s;aken by the old Souldiers of Fortune, when the King and his Princes were victorious and rampant, after the &s;acking of <HI>Leice&s;ter.</HI></P>
<PB REF="11">
<P>And when the new Model was de&s;pi&s;ed in almo&s;t all mens eyes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">It was com|monly called in reproach and &s;corn, both by the King's and <HI>E&s;|&s;ex</HI> his &s;ouldi|ers, <HI>The New Model.</HI></NOTE> &s;ave a &s;mall remnant of praying and believing Saints, where was the pre&s;ence of God then? who could declare before whom <HI>the pillar of fire did &s;hew it &s;elf, as the token of Jehovah's pre&s;ence?</HI></P>
<P>It mu&s;t not be forgotten, but remembred with renewed thank|fulne&s;s even at this day, That it did break forth and manife&s;t it &s;elf, mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly, <HI>from Nazeby-field,</HI> even every day more and more.</P>
<P>Then the Lord began to u&s;e the new Army, as <HI>One of the weak, fooli&s;h, de&s;pi&s;ed Things of the world.</HI></P>
<P>Then the Council of War u&s;ed to aske coun&s;el of God, and God was with them, wonderfully to direct them, to ble&s;s them with victorious &s;ucce&s;s abundantly.</P>
<P>Then the Head-quarters were famous and <HI>amiable, even as the Tabernacles of the Lord of Ho&s;ts:</HI> Then the Spirit of Glory and of God rested upon them, and marched before them, everywhere; yea, it was as a <HI>wall of fire round about them, and the glory in the mid&s;t of them,</HI> Zech. <HI>2.5.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;o it continued from year to yeer, to the astoni&s;hment of the wicked, and to the triumphant rejoycing of the righteous.</P>
<P>At length, after &s;ome <HI>dangerous Temptations</HI> were over|come, (as the Armies trinkling and tampering with and for the King, Queen, and their I&s;&s;ue, which afterward in their &s;traits, they bewailed in <HI>Wind&s;or</HI> Ca&s;tle) the pre&s;ence and Spirit of the Lord ingaged them al&s;o to execute judgement and ju&s;tice upon the grand murtherer and per&s;ecutor of the Saints, (not to mention other &s;trange and great enterprizes) <HI>&s;o, as that the whore of Babylon and the Kings of the earth had cau&s;e to be exceedingly afraid.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Ireland</HI> was reduced al&s;o with a high hand, e&s;pecially at the beginning; and the Lord was gloriou&s;ly pre&s;ent &s;till with the Ge|neral and his Army: onely &s;ome intelligent &s;elf-denying &s;ouls did di&s;cern plainly, that divers Officers began betimes, even too too early, to minde the prey, even before the work was done: and it co&s;t many of them very dear.</P>
<P>Let us remember al&s;o the expedition into <HI>Scotland,</HI> and the
<PB REF="11">high Appeal made by our Presbyterian-Brethren, and the Ar|my, with their friends: nights and dayes were &s;pent in earnest prayer on both &s;ides: the Lord appeared in terrible Maje&s;ty at <HI>Dunbar.</HI></P>
<P>About that time, <HI>the Cau&s;e of Chri&s;t, the Intere&s;t of Chri&s;t, the work of God, the downfal of Babylon, and &s;uch-like language, &s;ounded from the Head-Quarters, from the great Officers of the Army.</HI> My &s;oul was ravi&s;hed to &s;ee and ob&s;erve the &s;pirit of prayer at <HI>White-Hall</HI> in tho&s;e dayes among many of the chief Commanders, as if they had loved none but Chri&s;t, as if they cared for none but Chri&s;t and his Intere&s;t, as if they would never have endured any King but the Lord Je&s;us, or any Laws but his, or any Ministers but his. We (who through grace were plain-hearted) thought there were not &s;uch another people upon the face of the earth, <HI>(for love to Chri&s;t, to the glory of Chri&s;t, that he might be magnified and exalted)</HI> as were the conducting and commanding part of the Army.</P>
<P>But Oh! <HI>Oh my Bowels, my Bowels!</HI> The gradual de|clen&s;ion and defection &s;ince <HI>Worce&s;ter,</HI> with what words &s;hall I bewail it? how have all the things of Chri&s;t been neglected? how hath that most noble and glorious Cau&s;e of the Lord Je&s;us been for&s;aken, by tho&s;e, who ought by manifold obligations, to have promoted it to the utmo&s;t? there was a price put into their hands, and power was in their hands. Oh this &s;pirit of <HI>Baruch to &s;eek great things for our &s;elves, when Jehovah &s;aith, Seek them not. Behold, that which is built, God will pull down; and that which is planted, He will pluck up.</HI> The Lord Je&s;us is making great hast, to break in pieces all the&s;e Kingdoms both new and old; and yet men are bu&s;ie in &s;eeking their own things, and not the things of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. I cannot but &s;peak, I mu&s;t open my heart to &s;ome, who love the Lord Je&s;us in &s;incerity: my li&s;e is not dear to me in this Cau&s;e. If the Powers of the world and Rulers of the people have a minde to take away my Life, as they have done my Liberty, behold, here it is in a readine&s;s: If the Lord give the word, <HI>I am</HI> willing through grace <HI>not onely to be bound, but to die for the Name of the Lord Je&s;us, and for the Go&s;pel of the Kingdom.</HI> I am free to give di|rections
<PB REF="12">to my worst enemies, were they may make inquiry after all my wayes from my childhood to this day; and if they finde I have committed any thing worthy of death, or of bonds, let them take their advantage: but to keep me a Pri&s;oner &s;even or eight moneths, and not bring me to the place of hearing, that I may know what my crime is, and who are my accu&s;ers, and the witne&s;&s;es; this is not fair dealing. I am loth to aggravate things; but the manner of the Romans was more according to justice, expre&s;&s;ed in <HI>Acts 25.</HI></P>
<P>Brethren, I de&s;ire to keep in memory the Cau&s;e of our dear Lord, &s;o do you, and know them who are of this Spirit through the Nation: provoke one the other to wre&s;tle with God, to cry unto our Father. If his children cry unto him, he will not, he cannot long forbear; he will return, and have compa&s;&s;ion on the Remnant of his Heritage: for mercy plea&s;eth him.</P>
<P>The Grace of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t be with all your Spirits, in the glorious ministration of Grace, Mercy, and Peace con|tinually, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From my hou&s;e of bondage, <DATE>this 31 of the 6 month, 1654.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Yours for the Lord's &s;ake, to do, or to &s;uffer on your behalf, <HI>Chri&s;topher Feake.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="13">
<PB N="1" REF="13">
<HEAD>For the well-beloved CHURCH of Chri&s;t, meeting in Coleman&s;treet, Swan Alley.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My dearly beloved Brethren in the Lord, my Joy, and my Crown,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>INdeed and in truth, <HI>The high and glorious my&s;teries of the New Te&s;tament,</HI> and the <HI>mo&s;t &s;weet mini&s;trations thereof,</HI> are little under&s;tood by any of the Saints in this day: Therefore we are &s;o exceeding low in our Spirits, in our Ex|periences, in our Affections and Re&s;olutions for our dear Lord Je&s;us. But in the appointed &s;ea&s;on, the return of our King from a far Country, will amaze all tho&s;e that would not have him to reign over them. This &s;alutation now is &s;ent unto you, to &s;ignifie to you that you are in my heart (through rich grace) to live and to die with you, in this mo&s;t noble and mo&s;t honourable Cau&s;e of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, both yours and mine. Ble&s;&s;ed be the Father of our Lord Je&s;us, that ever he revealed his Son in &s;uch a poor, &s;illy, incon&s;iderable worm as I am. Oh the riches of his grace! to intru&s;t me with the preaching of the glorious Go&s;pel of the ble&s;&s;ed God. I would not exchange mine imployment, &s;o &s;weet, &s;o comforta|ble, for all the riches, glory, authority and pompous excel|lencies, which the fourth kingdom can tempt the &s;ons of the earth withal.</P>
<P>God is gloriou&s;ly gracious in the&s;e di&s;pen&s;ations of &s;uffer|ings: What a &s;weet night have I had! Why &s;hould the Lord conde&s;cend to refre&s;h the Spirit of a poor, &s;inful, very &s;inful creature, in &s;o tran&s;cendent a manner? Be of good cheer, wait on the Lord, believe more, pray more, prai&s;e more, do more, love more, abound in every good work more and
<PB N="2" REF="14">more, <HI>The God of Peace, of Grace, of Truth</HI> &s;hall be with you. Undoubtedly, as I lately told you, the Spirit of the Lord is ri&s;ing: he cannot be kept down by the Princes, Powers, Soul|diers, Politicians of the Earth. Oh what confu&s;ions in Coun&s;els! What concu&s;&s;ions in Kingdomes and Common|wealths! what conte&s;tations among the profe&s;&s;ors in this City, are at hand! <HI>Great is Go&s;pel-truth, and &s;hall, and mu&s;t pre|vail.</HI> How can we forbear triumphing in the expectations of the downfal of my&s;tical-<HI>Babylon?</HI> If the Lord crucifie us unto the world, and the world unto us, (as I know he will) and pour out his Spirit richly, What may we not attempt for the intere&s;t of our dear Lord? Remember, <HI>The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Law-giver,</HI> (in the Hebrew, <HI>Statute|maker) the Lord is our King, He will &s;ave us.</HI></P>
<P>Your eminent growth in Grace, and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, is that rich ble&s;&s;ing which living and dying I bequeath unto you, and reque&s;t for you. A ri&s;e and &s;hine, O ye precious &s;ons and daughters of <HI>Sion,</HI> in the mid&s;t of this dark world, as the &s;tars in the firmament, each of you in the families, neighbourhood, and companies, where the Lord hath or &s;hall di&s;po&s;e of you.</P>
<P>Believe it, my dear hearts, the Lord is coming: keep clo&s;e together, love as brethren; above all, be exceeding careful to maintain on your part, holy, heavenly, &s;piritual, intimate communion with the Father, with the Lord Je&s;us, and with the Saints of the mo&s;t High: the fruits whereof will be joy in the Holy Gho&s;t un&s;peakeable, and mo&s;t full of glory. <HI>A|mer,</HI> and <HI>Amen. Hallelujah.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Letter the fir&s;t from <HI>White-Hal,</HI> written while I was waiting on the Councel before I was called in.</DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Yours in the mo&s;t &s;weet fellow&s;hip of the Go&s;pel, and at liberty whil&s;t in bonds, (for they are ea&s;ie ones hitherto) CHRISTOPHER FEAKE.</SIGNED>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<HEAD>POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>My Fellow-pri&s;oner for Chri&s;t, Mr. <HI>Powel,</HI> &s;aluteth the Con|gregation with dear affection.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="3" REF="14">
<HEAD>For the well-beloved CHURCH of Chri&s;t meeting in Coleman&s;treet Swan-Ally.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My very dear hearts, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">he &s;ons and daughters of de&s;pi&s;ed <HI>Sion,</HI></SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THe mo&s;t &s;piritual ble&s;&s;ings in heavenly things in Chri&s;t, be your portion; yea, the Lord Je&s;us him|&s;elf, with all his fulne&s;s and glory, be &s;till the lot of your inheritance: and when the &s;treams are at any time cut off, the Lord &s;hew you the Fountain, which is Him&s;elf, God ble&s;&s;ed for ever. Although my heavenly Father hath given me a Writ of ea&s;e, for the pre&s;ent; yet I am with you in Spirit, and &s;ignifie to you my love in the Lord: my time is not yet come, &amp; it may be it mu&s;t be the fruit of your fervent pray|ers. I am cleerly convinced from a power invi&s;ible and invin|cible, that this impri&s;onment is not unto death, <HI>But for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.</HI> See <HI>John</HI> 11.4. I allude to that &s;aying of Chri&s;t concerning <HI>La|zarus</HI> his &s;ickne&s;s: &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>This &s;ickne&s;s is not unto death;</HI> and yet afterward Je&s;us &s;aid plainly, ver&s;. 14. <HI>Lazarus is dead:</HI> did Chri&s;t &s;peak untruth before, when he &s;aid, <HI>This &s;ickne&s;s is not unto death?</HI> No, in no wi&s;e. So, although this im|pri&s;onment &s;hould be unto death, (which ble&s;&s;ed be my Lord, my God &amp; my Father, I do nothing fear, in the vulgar &s;ence, yet in a &s;piritual &s;ence it is not, but for the glory of God; yea, undoubtedly, if I &s;hould be gathered to my Fathers by the Souldiers &amp; the Prie&s;ts means in an unu&s;ual way, I rejoyce in Spirit, in the apprehen&s;ions of faith, which the Lord vouch|&s;afeth to me, that out of my blood &s;hall &s;pring forth &s;uch a no|table Spirit, as will be the utter ruine of that cur&s;ed whore, with all the powers on earth new and old, that take her part, paint her face, and do her work.</P>
<P>Wherefore rouze up, my deare&s;t hearts, in the might of your God, and go on in the Name of your Captain-General,
<PB N="4" REF="15">and by your &s;ecret, inward, in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;ible weapons, <HI>wound this ba&s;e, up&s;tart, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">rivate intere&s;t, under the fifth rib.</HI> But in the mid&s;t of all your h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">y <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">eal for the &s;ervice of your dear Lord, forget no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">, I charge you, and every of you, before him that quickneth all things, and witne&s;&s;ed a good confe&s;&s;ion before <HI>Pont<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">us Pilate,</HI> that you do principally, con&s;tantly, zealou&s;ly minde the inward work, the intimate communion which the Saints u&s;e to have with the Father and the Son, as being their pre&s;ent paradi&s;e on this &s;ide heaven. Oh for the Lords &s;ake, e|very one of you, Parents, Children, Ma&s;ters, Servants, Young men, Old Di&s;ciples, Weak, Strong, Rich, Poor, Married, Un|married; Oh! I &s;ay, Be holy, be humble, be &s;piritual, live in love, walk in &s;weet peace. Ble&s;&s;ed be God, I have &s;uch &s;atis|faction of you generally, that you are a holy people, wholly &s;eparate to God: and if there &s;hould be <HI>any clo&s;e hypocrite among you, pray the maske and vizard off, that it may he known who hath not loved the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t in &s;incerity, but their own lu&s;ts &s;ecretly traded in.</HI></P>
<P>A godly jealou&s;ie over you, cau&s;eth me thus in true Go&s;pel-affection to write unto you, watching over you at this di&s;tance with thoughtfulne&s;s and carefulne&s;s in &s;ome &s;mall mea&s;ure night and day, that I might pre&s;ent you to Chri&s;t, and He to his Father, as beautiful and glorious a part of his &s;piritual kingdom, as any other in this generation. Oh! that it might be &s;o; Oh! that it might be &s;o,</P>
<P>The Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t be with your Spirit, e&s;pecially in your holy A&s;&s;emblies. Brethren (all of you) pray, pray for me.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>This <HI>1</HI> day in the morning, the <HI>5</HI> day of my mo&s;t comfor|table confinement, <HI>1653.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>An unworthy worm, de|&s;irous to &s;erve the Lord Je&s;us and all his Saints, <HI>Christoph. Feake.</HI></SIGNED>
<PB N="5" REF="15">
<POSTSCRIPT>
<HEAD>POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>I and my yoke-fellow &s;alute every Saint in the Lord. My Wife, a dear comfort to me, de&s;ires the prayers of the Church particular|ly for her; and we both de&s;ire you to ble&s;s the Lord joyntly for his wonderful goodne&s;s to us: he is verily a God hearing prayer.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<HEAD>For the well-beloved CHURCH of Chri&s;t meeting in Coleman&s;treet, Swan-Alley.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My dearly beloved in the Lord,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>WHo in the Lord Je&s;us are builded together for an Habitation of God by the Spirit: This is the fourth time I have in much affection written to you, &s;aluting you again in the Lord, as a holy people peculi|ar to Chri&s;t our Head; in the light and power of who&s;e glo|rious Spirit, you every one walking, &s;hall certainly come up to tho&s;e attainments and enjoyments, which will render you truly honorable in the eyes of your very adver&s;aries. Ble&s;&s;ed be the name of our God for ever, who hath tran&s;lated us from death to life &s;ome time &s;ince; who is al&s;o transforming us from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord. Brethren, know, That the Me&s;&s;engers of the Church, together with the loving Epi&s;tle which they brought with them, were exceeding wel|come, and acceptable to the Lords Pri&s;oner, who was and is &s;till filled with comfort from the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort: yea, I do not know of any one mi|nute, wherein dejectedne&s;s of Spirit hath been my portion; yea, on the contrary, a cheerful, light&s;ome frame and tem|per is my lot, from my tender Father night and day. My care for you (which is my greate&s;t exerci&s;e) ending in faith and joyful confidence, that the Lord is doing good to you, as unto me: and tho&s;e that are approved, will be made ma|nife&s;t
<PB N="6" REF="16">in the&s;e tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ing times and &s;ea&s;ons. Wherefore I be|feech you all again and again, by the mercies of God, by the meekne&s;s and gentlene&s;s of Chri&s;t, that you walk very cir|cum&s;pectly in the&s;e evil daies, that you &s;et the Lord alwaies before you, re&s;olving (in the &s;en&s;e and remembrance of tho&s;e fir&s;t loves that were mutually between the Lord and each of your &s;ouls at your fir&s;t conver&s;ion and believing, and when you were fir&s;t &s;ealed (after that you believed) by the holy Spirit of promi&s;e) out of faithfulne&s;s and love to Chri&s;t, to follow the Lamb on Mount <HI>Sion</HI> whither&s;oever he goeth, fir&s;t, in paths of holine&s;s; then upon the Mountains of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> in fre&s;n green Pa&s;tures, where He, I &s;ay, He leads you; then to Pri&s;on, through Fire, through Water, anywhere, every|where, the Lord being in the mid&s;t of you, and with you. Ah my dear brethren! the Lord Je&s;us being with us, bonds are not bonds, reproach is not reproach, enemies are no e|nemies, death it &s;elf is not death. My heart is inlarged: I could wi&s;h my &s;elf among you, that I might pour out my &s;oul before you. The Lord is good, his mercy endureth for ever. The brethren you &s;ent to me, have reported the pre&s;ence of the Lord in the mid&s;t of you, your purpo&s;e of heart to cleave to the Lord and to one another. My coun&s;el for the pre&s;ent is as followeth: though they be the &s;ame things that I write o|ver again now as before, yet con&s;ider them; <HI>Paul</HI> did &s;o.</P>
<P N="1">1. Now that ye are come together in the name of the Lord Je&s;us, let every member of the Congregation con&s;ider what they are obliged to; Is it not to continue together with the Church, walking in all the waies and Ordinances of Je&s;us Chri&s;t? Did they not con&s;ent, in the hearing of Angels and men, to do their duties, which are Commands of Chri&s;t, as well as to receive of the priviledges of the Go&s;pel? Tho&s;e that from re&s;pects of their particular &s;piritual profit, do omit their duty, as in the publick capacity of the members of the body of Chri&s;t, without the con&s;ent of the whole, upon Scripture-grounds, will finde them&s;elves in a &s;nare ere they are aware.</P>
<P N="2">2. Being all together before the Lord, as His peculiar
<PB N="7" REF="16">people, de&s;ire earne&s;tly to know of him, whether or no there be not &s;ome of your number whom he intends to &s;et apart as a Teacher in the Congregation, for the carrying on the work of the Lord in the Congregation; and then, if &s;o, to beg to know who he is: if not, to intreat him to furni&s;h you with helps this way, as it were from heaven; that &s;o, you may not onely be edified among your &s;elves, but be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">eet, like a golden Candle&s;tick with burning and &s;hining lights in it, to give light to the dark world, and &s;o &s;erve the Lord in your generation upon the be&s;t account.</P>
<P N="3">3. I de&s;ire you to con&s;ider, that the more my coming a|mong you, is, and &s;hall be a fruit of your prayers in faith, the more we &s;hall all rejoyce together when we meet. And therefore I de&s;ire you to &s;pread my condition before the Lord, that I am &s;ent hither by an arbitrary power, no ac|cu&s;ers brought face to face, no witne&s;&s;es produced; but in a private Juncto, determined to commit me and Brother <HI>Simp&s;on</HI> to this Ca&s;tle, <HI>In Order to the pre&s;ervation of the peace and &s;afety of the Nation:</HI> the&s;e are the words of the <HI>Mittimus;</HI> no crime laid to our charge; their own fears and jealou&s;ies are the cau&s;e of this unrighteous dealing with us, to rend and rear us violently from our Congregations; and here not to &s;uffer us to preach the Go&s;pel to the poor people, that they may be &s;aved, while they are eating, and drinking, and ri&s;ing up to play. Mr. <HI>Jenkins</HI> when he was bani&s;hed by the old Par|liament from <HI>London,</HI> had free liberty to preach as often as he would. The Lord beholds all the&s;e things, and I write not this by way of complaint, the Lord knoweth; for my life is comfortable without intermi&s;&s;ion; and the Lord hath &s;ent me hither for &s;ome glorious end, I am verily per|&s;waded.</P>
<P N="4">4. I intreat you, looking upon each other as the &s;ons and daughters of the living God, to grow in love, in brotherly love, in love in the Spirit; to abound in love, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, toward each other, and toward all men, as by the rich grace of God I finde I do towards you: and this you will finde, that loving the Lord Je&s;us more dearly, you will
<PB N="8" REF="17">be the more tenderly affectioned each toward other. This is the di&s;tin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ui&s;hing character of the Di&s;ciples of Chri&s;t: this is the primitive Spirit; and <HI>Philadelphia,</HI> of all the Churches in <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> (which &s;ignifieth brotherly love) was not reproved, but incouraged by Je&s;us Chri&s;t: Oh! be you that Churches Si&s;ter.</P>
<P N="5">5. Beg, in &s;tead of all, the rich, glorious effu&s;ions of the Spirit of Chri&s;t; that would render you a happy, holy, heaven|ly people; a &s;piritual, zealous, faithful, fruitful people. I finde, I finde, Brethren, that the excellent Spirit is ri&s;ing, re|turning, revealing it &s;elf in the world, though the world cannot, will not receive it. Walk in the Spirit, live in the Spirit, &s;peak in the Spirit, pray in the holy Spirit, rule in the Spirit, come together in the Spirit, continue together in the Spirit, conclude in the Spirit all your meetings: re&s;erve the Brethren that are fulle&s;t of the holy Spirit, for the la&s;t in ex|erci&s;es, that you may go home with a &s;weet reli&s;h of the pre&s;ence of Chri&s;t, with warmed refre&s;hed hearts, with an appetite to come again the next opportunity, becau&s;e you found Jehovah &s;o graciou&s;ly pre&s;ent the la&s;t time. Oh! when, Brethren, dearly beloved, and longed for, &s;hall I &s;ee your faces again in the great Congregation? In the Lords be&s;t time, in the time appointed of the Father, my Father, your Father: to Him, with the Lord Je&s;us and the holy Spi|rit, be glory for ever, <HI>Amen.</HI> Salute every Saint in Chri&s;t Je&s;us. The Lord, the eternal God, be with you, and keep you every one in his bo&s;ome for ever, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>The <HI>8</HI> of the <HI>12</HI> Moneth, <HI>1653.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Yours in the Lord, to &s;erve and love you unfeignedly, <HI>Chri&s;topher Feake.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="9" REF="17">
<HEAD>For the Saints and faithful Brethren in CHRIST meeting in Warwick-lane, <HI>LONDON.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My dear Brethren in Christ,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THe pro&s;perity of who&s;e &s;ouls I ardently de&s;ire more and more. Ble&s;&s;ed be the God and Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t for all tho&s;e &s;piritual ble&s;&s;ings in heavenly things in Chri&s;t, wherewith he hath and doth ble&s;s us the unworthie&s;t of his &s;ons and daughters. Let me now write a few words unto you by way of exhortation, to pre&s;s forward toward the mark, for the price of the high calling of God in Chri&s;t Je&s;us; for I perceive that in the neglect of this duty, Satan takes great advantage to keep up his totter|ing and &s;inking kingdom at this day.</P>
<P>If the Angels of all the Churches had been zealous in the pro&s;ecuting of tho&s;e things of which they made a fair &s;hew in the fle&s;h, and in face or appearance, Undoubtedly the &s;e|veral Congregations had been the glory of the Nation in the mid&s;t of it, as God was willing to be their glory in the mid&s;t of the Nation; then had not the faces of the mo&s;t intelligent and &s;piritual Saints waxed pale with grief, to behold the apo&s;tacy of the mo&s;t eminent leaders; then had not the forceries and witchcrafts of this pre&s;ent world, beguiled them ere they were aware; then had not Satan filled their hearts, and the hearts of &s;o many of the Brethren, to deal treacherou&s;ly with the Lord Je&s;us and this glorious Cau&s;e, which is in great danger to be de&s;erted utterly, as a thing of no value. But they are the la&s;t times, and therefore it is the le&s;s wonder to &s;ee men to be <HI>lovers of their own &s;elves, covetous, boasters, proud, &mdash; &mdash; truce-breakers, fal&s;e accu&s;ers,</HI> inconti|nent, <HI>fierce, de&s;pi&s;ers of tho&s;e that are good, traitors, heady, high|minded,
<PB N="10" REF="18">lovers of plea&s;ures,</HI> (hunting, fea&s;ting, mu&s;ick, worldly pompe and pa&s;time) <HI>more then lovers of God, having a form of godline&s;s, and denying the power of it;</HI> from &s;uch tho&s;e who are contrary minded mu&s;t and will turn away, namely, &s;uch Chri&s;tians as being full of the Spirit, 1. Are not lovers of their own &s;elves, but of the Lord Je&s;us and of all the Saints. 2. Not covetous, but liberal, laying a&s;ide as God hath pro&s;|pered them, honouring the Lord with their &s;ub&s;tance, and with the fir&s;t-fruits of all their increa&s;e; doing good, rich in good works, ready to di&s;tribute, willing to communicate. 3. Not arrogant, boa&s;ters; but lowly and meek, &s;elf-denying, re&s;igning up all to the wi&s;e di&s;po&s;al of their Father. 4. Not promi&s;e-breakers, or covenant-breakers, but faithful; not changing a good re&s;olution or word, though it be to their hurt. 5. Not traitors to the Saints, to Chri&s;ts Intere&s;t, to Gods Glory; but zealous promoters of common ju&s;tice, of righteous laws. 6. Not heady, or ra&s;h, wilful, vio|lent advancers of their own forms; but praying, waiting, de|liberating. 7. Not lovers of plea&s;ures more then lovers of God; but lovers of God, of Chri&s;t, of the Saints, of the Common-wealth, and publick-good, more then of all the plea&s;ures, delights, honours, powers and glory, which the world can by any means admini&s;ter to her admirers. Oh take heed of mingling with back&s;liders and revolters! you will gain nothing by acquaintance with them, or dependence on them: be contented with &s;uch things as you have, if it be po&s;&s;ible, (yea, if you have but food and raiment:) be not &s;ollicitous, do not make a bu&s;ling for places and preferments, as do others, le&s;t you be brought into the temptations of &s;erving proud imperious mens lu&s;ts and humours. The word of command from our Captain-general, by this his unworthy leader of one of his Companies, is, <HI>To your clo&s;e order, to your clo&s;e guard;</HI> and the watch-word is, <HI>The Lord is coming, watch and pray; the Lord is coming, watch and pray.</HI> Give the word, fellow-Souldiers, throughout the Lords Ho&s;t, which is armed with invi&s;ible, invincible, &s;piritual weapons; it will become in due time terrible as an Army with Banners, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<PB N="11" REF="18">
<P>Finally, my Brethren, the time being &s;hort, Oh! beg of the Lord, that you may go forward towards Go&s;pel-perfecti|on, that you may be full of &s;piritual knowledge, experiences, and acquaintance with God, even the Father, and with the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Now let the word of Chri&s;t dwell richly in you. As for faith toward our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and love to all the Saints, if your &s;ouls flouri&s;h and pro&s;per therein, all will flouri&s;h; then you will pre&s;s onward, you will be zealous, not luke-warm; you will admoni&s;h one another, watch over each the other, advi&s;e, help one the other; you will glorifie the Lord, adorn the Go&s;pel, &s;hine like lights in the dark world, and put formal, worldly, hypocritical pro|fe&s;&s;ors and Church-members to &s;hame, at the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Salute every Saint, e&s;pecially tho&s;e who are mo&s;t helpful, exemplary, and diligent to promote the communion of Saints. If there be any that will not obey the Law of Chri&s;t upon admonition in love, note that man or woman by letter, that I my help to heal them at this di&s;tance; for I am with you in Spirit. The Lord, even the Lord that fanctifies and &s;aves you, be your portion for ever.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>The <HI>11</HI> of the <HI>12</HI> Moneth, <HI>1653.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Yours in the Lord with all I am, <HI>Chri&s;toph. Feake.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Beloved in the Lord,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>I Do again &s;alute you, as tho&s;e, to whom the Father of glory hath appeared in the face of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and to whom the holy Spirit hath already come, as the Comforter, to &s;atiate the &s;oul of the hungry and thir&s;ty ones, more or le&s;s. My &s;oul is &s;till waiting upon the Lord for your good, as knowing that all your fre&s;h &s;prings are in him, as mine are; otherwi&s;e we &s;hould &s;oon lie down in &s;orrow. But ble&s;&s;ed for ever be the glorious Name of our Jehovah, who in the &s;uperabundant riches of his grace, hath made mo&s;t precious provi&s;ion in the
<PB N="12" REF="19">Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t for us, and for all the Saints. Verily, Bre|thren, the con&s;ideration of the willingne&s;s and large heart|edne&s;s of our heavenly Father, is enough to overwhelme our poor weak Spirits; our frail hearts are not in any wi&s;e able to bear up under that weight of glory, which breaks in upon us: when the mo&s;t High conde&s;cends to vi&s;it any of our &s;ouls from the throne of his glory, Oh! how are we even filled with wonderment at tho&s;e enjoyments and attainments! e&s;pecially when we remember what we were in time pa&s;t, enemies in our mindes by wicked works, full of unrighteou&s;ne&s;s, or &s;elf|righteou&s;ne&s;s, very vain, fooli&s;h &amp; di&s;obedient, &s;erving divers ba&s;e lu&s;ts and plea&s;ures. Now for &s;uch wretches, and vile, ba&s;e creatures as we were, to be &s;o graciou&s;ly dealt withal, to be ad|mitted into the pre&s;ence of the great Jehovah, to partake of exceeding great &amp; precious promi&s;es of the divine nature, of the holy Spirit, to be &s;ealed with it to the day of redemption, and a thou&s;and &s;uch priviledges; what maner of love is this? Oh! all ye Saints, break forth in &s;ecret and open admirations; wonder at the&s;e things, as at the mo&s;t rare and excellent ob|jects that are in all the world. What? what are the plea&s;ures and honours, and pomp, and powers of the children of men, to that joy and peace, which is in believing, to tho&s;e ravi&s;hing delights that are in the pre&s;ence of the Lord, and at his right hand for evermore? A&s;&s;uredly, if the holy Spirit were fallen upon any of us in that &s;piritual glory that is expected, we &s;hould indeed &s;hine like lights in the world, and hold forth the word of life mo&s;t affectionately and effectually to the Saints, and to the &s;inful &s;ons of men; we &s;hould be a ble&s;&s;ing each of us in every place where we come: Parents would a|dorn the Go&s;pel, Children would adorn the Go&s;pel, Pa&s;tors, People would be Ornaments to the way of Chri&s;t; and the want of that Spirit, and the non-re&s;ting thereof upon us, is the ground of all that unevenne&s;s in our walking, of our un|fruitfulne&s;s and barrenne&s;s in the Lords Orchard, of our un|u&s;efulne&s;s in our generation.</P>
<P>As for my pre&s;ent condition, I tell you again, and I tell you rejoycing, The Lord is good, exceeding good; I am filled
<PB N="13" REF="19">with his company, I am &s;atisfied as with marrow and fatne&s;s, I mu&s;t prai&s;e him with joyful lips: when I meditate in the night watches, my meditations are very &s;weet. It is be&s;t for me to be with God, with his people; and I &s;hall be much with the Lord, that I may again, once more, be with his hid|den ones, and his holy ones, that rejoyce in his Highne&s;s. I am departed for a &s;ea&s;on, that I may return for a great &s;pace of time: goodne&s;s and mercy &s;hall follow me all the dayes of my life; and I would gladly be a pillar in the hou&s;e of my God, and would go no more out. And let me tell you, I earne&s;tly (and I de&s;ire your help al&s;o) beg and intreat, that the Lord Je&s;us, that the name of the city of my God, which is the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and Chri&s;ts new name, may be written upon me: I am looking out for my right to enter into that City, which &s;hall be called, <HI>The Lord is There.</HI></P>
<P>Brethren, beloved of the Lord, how is it with you, and the daughters of <HI>Sion?</HI> are you like the chariots of <HI>Aminadab,</HI> a living lively people, a zealous active people? Tell me at this local di&s;tance, how is it with you? do you fear the Lord above many? do you thrive and pro&s;per, as the primi|tive Saints u&s;ed to pro&s;per, that were Saints indeed? do you wre&s;tle for me in good earne&s;t? for I tru&s;t this impri&s;onment &s;hall turn to a good account, through your prayer, and the &s;upply of the Spirit of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: to that dear Saviour of yours and mine, be excellent glory for ever. His glorious grace be with every faithful heart, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From my Quarters at <HI>Wind&s;or</HI>-Castle <DATE>this <HI>15</HI> of the <HI>12</HI> Moneth, <HI>1653.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your Shepherd in bonds, <HI>Chri&s;toph. Feake.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="14" REF="20">
<OPENER><SALUTE>My dear friends and companions in the fellow&s;hip of the Go&s;pel,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>SEeing the good plea&s;ure of the Lords goodne&s;s, and the work of Faith, is fulfilling in me the Lords unworthy pri|&s;oner, &amp; the time appointed of the Father is not yet come; I do not finde my &s;pirit willing to accept of deliverance, before the one and the other be fulfilled with power, that the Name of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t may be glorified in me, and I in him, according to the grace of God and of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Oh dear hearts! it is given to me a poor &s;illy worm, de&s;pi&s;ed of the people, through the wonderful free grace of my God, <HI>Not onely to believe</HI> (which is no &s;mall token of the favour of God in Chri&s;t) <HI>but al&s;o to &s;uffer for his &s;ake;</HI> which &s;eems to be an addition of his favour, to tho&s;e that have fir&s;t believed. Oh! who knows what it is to be &s;ealed with the holy Spirit of promi&s;e, but tho&s;e that have a &s;piritual feeling of the mighty power thereof! how good is it to draw nigh to God! I have often &s;poken of it, and felt it; but now it is glorious indeed, to keep company with the Lord him&s;elf in his own holy place, even the Holy of Holies. My hearts de&s;ire for you all, and every one, is, That you might be filled with all wi&s;dom and &s;piritual under&s;tanding, and by degrees come to all riches of full a&s;&s;urance of under&s;tanding, to the ac|knowledgement of the my&s;tery of God even the Father, and of Chri&s;t; for verily that is &s;uch a condition as makes a hea|ven on this &s;ide heaven. Oh! the excellent glory, &s;weetne&s;s, and fulne&s;s of that e&s;tate! but never (I am per&s;waded) did any of the Saints enjoy them&s;elves and their God, &s;o richly and abundantly, as the &s;incere Martyrs and &s;ufferers for the Name of Chri&s;t and the Go&s;pel; becau&s;e none have occa&s;ion &s;o much as they; all the world hate them, and their per&s;e|cutors e&s;pecially: therefore if the Lord al&s;o hid him&s;elf from them, poor wretches, they would be of all men mo&s;t mi&s;era|ble. Therefore, further, <HI>Chri&s;t is bound by the duty of his
<PB N="15" REF="20">Office</HI> to look after <HI>Them,</HI> to &s;tand by <HI>Them,</HI> to cheri&s;h and to nouri&s;h <HI>Them,</HI> to countenance and incourage <HI>Them,</HI> to fill them with his own fulne&s;s, when the world hath emptied them, and &s;corned them, and impri&s;oned them, and buffeted them, and put them into the forms of traitors, of hereticks, of &s;editious ones, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> If the Lord &s;hould not reveal his love; yea, if he &s;hould not <HI>crown them with loving kindne&s;s and tender mercies,</HI> then That Temptation would rational|ly prevail, <HI>It is in vain to &s;erve God, it is better to &s;erve the lu&s;ts of men, and our own:</HI> It will urge further, What profit is it that we have kept his Ordinances? Is it not better to ob&s;erve the Ordinances of the Kings of the earth, of the Princes, of the States and Protectors of the earth, then otherwi&s;e, and do as the mo&s;t do, as tho&s;e do who are lovers of plea&s;ures more then lovers of God?</P>
<P>But ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord Jehovah, my rock, for ever; I have no ground to be di&s;&s;atisfied with my condition in this re&s;pect, as if the Lord did keep at a di&s;tance, as well as man; yea, on the other &s;ide, I am full, I am rich, I abound, the Lord is with me <HI>most graciou&s;ly, mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly.</HI> Friends, if you knew what it is to lo&s;e all, or to be willing to lo&s;e all for Chri&s;t, in the light and power of the Spirit of Chri&s;t, you would be more couragious, forward and zealous in this no|ble Cau&s;e, in danger to be &s;tarved (but it &s;hall not mi&s;carry) by the policy and private intere&s;t of men of corrupt minds, and de&s;titute of the Truth, and of the Spirit.</P>
<P>Brethren, I mu&s;t break off: I am as much imployed, as when I was in <HI>London,</HI> for the mo&s;t part, and am put to it, to write my Letters to you while company is in my cham|ber; and &s;o &s;wiftly write what the Lord dictates, without &s;tudy: for I want opportunity; and the me&s;&s;enger now &s;taies. Therefore, remember what I have taught you publickly and privately from hou&s;e to hou&s;e; it is, for the &s;ub&s;tance of it, &s;uch Doctrine as I dare through Grace, and the a&s;&s;i&s;tance thereof, &s;eal with my blood. I can boldly &s;ay, The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me: be ye &s;trong, quit your &s;elves like men; fear not the power, pride,
<PB N="16" REF="21">lu&s;ts, threatnings of man, walk as becometh the Saints; let brotherly love continue, be not a&s;hamed of my bonds, nor of my keeper. Expect glorious revolutions, to make way for the de&s;ire of all Nations. Ble&s;&s;ed are they, even all tho&s;e that wait for him, and love his appearing. My heart is in|larged: &s;urely prayer is made for me, I finde &s;o much incoms from heaven. The Lord be your exceeding great reward, who wre&s;tle for me. Salute every Saint, e&s;pecially tho&s;e who are mo&s;t full of the Spirit, and mo&s;t u&s;eful for Chri&s;t and his people. Eternal grace and glory be every ones portion, henceforth and for ever, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>The <HI>18</HI> of the <HI>12</HI> Moneth, <HI>1653.</HI></DATE> From my &s;trong Tower and place of &s;ure defence.</DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your faithful Shepherd, although ab&s;ent and in bonds, <HI>Christopher Feake.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<OPENER><SALUTE>My dearly beloved Brethen in the Lord,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>ACcording to that talent which I have received from the Lord, I de&s;ire to be found fruitful and faithful to the Lord Je&s;us and his people; for it would be a mo&s;t &s;ad thing, for my Ma&s;ter to finde his &s;ervants either idle, or ill-em|ployed. And &s;eeing, dear Brethren, that ye look for &s;uch things as the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> doth &s;peak of, in 2 <HI>Epi&s;t.</HI> 3 <HI>chap. Be diligent, that ye al&s;o may be found of him in peace, without &s;pot, and blamele&s;s.</HI> Que&s;tionle&s;s, when he comes that &s;hall come, he will finde but little faith on the earth; and if he finde it &s;o, you and I may readily conjecture, how all other graces will be wanting; in&s;omuch, that the righteous will &s;carcely be &s;aved, and the wi&s;e Virgins will do no more then enter in. I fear there will not be an entrance admini&s;tred unto
<PB N="17" REF="21">them abundantly, into that everla&s;ting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, becau&s;e but even then, they will be &s;lumbering and &s;leeping, and &s;o cannot have their &s;ences exerci&s;ed, and in a meet po&s;ture to keep him company, as tho&s;e who have watched with the Bridegroom, and come a|long with him.</P>
<P>You &s;ee I am careful to &s;tir up your pure mindes by way of remembrance, at this di&s;tance; it is altogether from love, and for your edifying. It may be &s;ome of you may be willing I &s;hould receive adverti&s;ements of your be&s;t things, of your faith, and hope, and love, and humility, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but not of your weakne&s;&s;es, of any omi&s;&s;ions or neglects, of any whi&s;perings or evil &s;urmi&s;ings, or &s;uch-like un&s;eemline&s;s; but let &s;uch remem|ber, that the whole Scripture being given by divine in&s;pirati|on, it is not onely profitable for doctrine, but for reproof, and for correction and in&s;truction in righteou&s;ne&s;s. Therefore if any of you finde any di&s;contents or &s;wellings in your own Spirits, which you indeavour to hide, but yet they are clear|ly di&s;cerned by experienced Saints; (for one word is enough to the wi&s;e:) let &s;uch an one know and remember, that it is not a Go&s;pel-frame of heart: the <HI>Corinthians</HI> indeed were puffed up for one again&s;t another; but the Apo&s;tle reckons it a great uncomline&s;s in that body of Chri&s;t. I write not the&s;e things to &s;hame you; but (as tho&s;e who are dear to me) I admoni&s;h you, le&s;t Satan &s;hould get an advantage of you, and &s;o occa&s;ion your adver&s;aries, and his in&s;truments, to bla&s;|pheme the people and waies of God.</P>
<P>Oh! Brethren, make it each of you (for the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;ts &s;ake) your bu&s;ine&s;s, that your love, your holine&s;s, your meekne&s;s, moderation or evenne&s;s of Spirit, be known unto one another, and unto all men, that you may rejoyce exceed|ingly, and I may rejoyce exceedingly when we &s;hall meet to|gether again, not on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ly in this world, but in that which is to come; when all the faithful &s;hepherds with their flocks &s;hall be gathered together before the great Shepherd of the &s;heep, and receive from him a crown of glory that fadeth not away, re&s;erved in heaven for us, who are kept by the
<PB N="18" REF="22">power of God through faith unto &s;alvation.</P>
<P>Finally, <HI>Oh ye dwellers upon mount Sion!</HI> take heed to your &s;teps, to your goings out and your comings in; let your words be &s;ea&s;oned with &s;alt, which may mini&s;ter grace to the hearers, and not grief. The bridling of the tongue is an heavenly art and faculty: we count him a perfect man, who is very skilful this way. Be &s;wift to hear, and &s;low to &s;peak; and be &s;ure to remember, That our adver&s;ary the devil goes up and down like a roaring lion, &s;eeking whom he may de|vour: like as the Lord &s;aid of <HI>Behemoth, He trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth;</HI> &s;o, this crooked and pier|cing &s;erpent hopes <HI>to &s;wallow up whole Churches into the gulph of his belly, which is this pre&s;ent evil world.</HI> Oh therefore! let your eyes be in your forehead, to fore&s;ee the dangers of the pre&s;ent juncture of time. The Lord fill your &s;ouls with Him&s;elf, and Son, and Spirit, that there may be no room nor place in your hearts for any &s;ublunary intere&s;t what&s;oever. The time is &s;hort; the path is untroden; &s;nares are multipli|ed; the &s;ervice is hot; the victory is impo&s;&s;ible to fle&s;h and blood, but ea&s;ie to faith. Wherefore, my beloved in the Lord, be ye &s;tedfa&s;t and unmoveable, alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord, fora&s;much as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord, in whom I &s;alute every Saint in Chri&s;t Je&s;us throughout the whole Congregation, both tho&s;e that were in Chri&s;t before me, and tho&s;e whom the Lord hath revealed him&s;elf to, of later yeers; the weak and the &s;trong, the rich and the poor, great and &s;mall, who are be|loved of Chri&s;t: to him be glory and dominion in this, and in the world to come, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From my plea&s;ant pri&s;on-hou&s;e, <DATE>this <HI>24</HI> of the <HI>12</HI> Moneth, <HI>1653.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your careful &s;hepherd in bonds, for the te&s;timony of the king|dom of the Lord Je&s;us, <HI>Chri&s;topher Feake.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="19" REF="22">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Dearly beloved in the Lord,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>HOw far, and to what degrees my Letters have been ac|ceptable unto you, the Lords people, and a part of the lot of his inheritance, is be&s;t known to him who&s;e eyes are in the mid&s;t of the golden Candle&s;ticks, as a flame of fire, and who&s;e prerogative it is to &s;earch the hearts and try the reins of the children of men. But ble&s;&s;ed be the God and Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Father of glory, who hath put me in the Mini&s;tery of the new Te&s;tament, that he hath vouch&s;afed to his poor unworthy &s;ervant, <HI>This grace of bearing te&s;timony to his coming and his kingdom,</HI> and hath &s;uper|added and heaped up incouragement upon incouragement; &s;o, as that I &s;hall not be left nor for&s;aken in this <HI>honourable Cau&s;e of his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and of his Go&s;pel.</HI> And I do further prai&s;e his glorious Name by this Epi&s;tle in this Congregati|on of his Saints, for that he hath given me a room in his own bo&s;ome, and in his holy place, even in the holy of ho|lies, the place where his Honour dwelleth, and where his glory &s;hineth; as al&s;o, hath let me into the hearts and pray|ers of many of his choice&s;t people, who have received a good mea&s;ure of that holy and divine unction, whereby gra|dually they may come to know all things: although I am al|&s;o &s;en&s;ible of that di&s;&s;atisfaction concerning me and my Cau&s;e, which is upon the Spirits of divers godly people. But do not we know that they are generally &s;uch as are content|ed to &s;it down on this &s;ide <HI>Jordan</HI> with the two Tribes and a half? and their attainments and enjoyments are no higher then they were &s;even yeers &s;ince, if &s;o high, neither do they de&s;ire they &s;hould be; but my &s;oul pities them. I &s;ee, <HI>tho&s;e that were fir&s;t, are in danger of being the la&s;t; and the la&s;t, are in probability of being fir&s;t. And ble&s;&s;ed are they who are not offended in Chri&s;t, and at the Go&s;pel of the kingdom.</HI> As for you, Brethren, beloved, and longed for, great is my care for you, great is my rejoycing over you; I can &s;ay, Through grace the Lord
<PB N="20" REF="23">hath given me to have a natural <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">re of your &s;tate, and of your affairs; and what I have written hitherto, I have writ|ten with much &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s of Spirit, as in the &s;ight of God; and in &s;incerity, as knowing that I am what I am, through free mercy, for your edifying. Information is for your edify|ing, exhortation is for your edifying, reproof is for edifying: if there be no matter for reproof to work upon, if it finde no|thing in you, or any of you, ble&s;s the Lord who hath kept you; and that joy in uprightne&s;s and innocencie, will be for your e|difying. If there be any among you con&s;cious to any unworthy walking before the Lord, his people, and the world, (as who is not? I am &s;ure, I am guilty of unworthy walking and mi&s;car|riages every day) then let every &s;uch one lay his or her hand upon their heart, and humble them&s;elves &s;ecretly before the Lord, and look to their &s;teps. Our God is a jealous God, and a con&s;uming fire, and he &s;earcheth <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> with candles, and e&s;pies and knows all your thoughts, all your works, and waies, and words, and walks. Look to your hearts, and &s;pi|rits, and affections, and di&s;po&s;itions, and ends, and principles, with all diligence. Believe it, Chri&s;t will make work among you, if all be not found at the bottom: my office and mini&s;tery which I have received in the Lord, will bear me out in being in&s;tant in &s;ea&s;on &amp; out of &s;ea&s;on, in repre&s;enting what I judge to be the minde of Chri&s;t unto you from the oracles of God, they being profitable for doctrine, and for reproof, correction and in&s;truction in righteou&s;ne&s;s; &amp; happy are the people, who have the Lord Jehovah &s;o neer unto them in all matters, for their God, as he is even unto you; though I am nothing, and de&s;ire to be accounted &s;o, &s;o that Chri&s;t may be all, &amp; in all; &s;o that you may make up the fulne&s;s of him that filleth all in all.</P>
<P>As for that fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;s and love, which you have lately &s;hewed forth in the pre&s;ence of the Lord Je&s;us, and his elect Angels, for, and in con&s;ideration of my &s;ufferings for|merly at Newgate-market, and at the pre&s;ent, and of all tho&s;e nece&s;&s;ary expences incident thereunto; I do here te&s;tifie, to the glory of the Lord, and declaration of your readine&s;s of minde, that it was admini&s;tred in &s;ea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">on; and &s;o hath not onely made a &s;upply of that which &s;hould have been admi|ni&s;tred
<PB REF="23">by others, and was not, but al&s;o is abundant, by many thank&s;givings unto God: and as he that &s;oweth &s;pa|ringly, &s;hall reap &s;paringly; &s;o he that &s;oweth bountifully, &s;hall reap bountifully: for as you abound in this grace and other graces towards others; &s;o God is able to make all grace abound towards you. Therefore, my Beloved, as ye have al|waies obeyed, not as in my pre&s;ence onely, but now much more in my ab&s;ence, Work out your own &s;alvation with fear and trembling; yet let not the hope &amp; a&s;&s;urance of &s;alvation, eat up and devour your holy fear and trembling frame of &s;pirit before the Lord; but like the true inward circumci&s;ion, <HI>wor|&s;hip God in &s;pirit, rejoyce in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and have no confidence in the fle&s;h.</HI> Further, I exhort you and urge you, as from the Lord, in who&s;e name I write, to do all things without murmurings and di&s;putings: let all your things be done in brotherly love; let all pa&s;&s;ages be managed with meekne&s;s of &s;pirit, that con|cern a private intere&s;t; but with holy zeal, that concern the publick intere&s;t of our Lord and Law-giver: and to this end, the Lord give you all, from the greate&s;t to the lea&s;t, a &s;pi|rit of wi&s;dom, to try things that differ; and particularly, to di|&s;tingui&s;h betwixt the glory of Chri&s;t, and the honor of men; that you may approve accordingly of that (alwaies in all con|ferences) which is mo&s;t excellent; for I tell you, or rather the Lord, That his glory mu&s;t not now be given to another; and they that follow the Lamb whither&s;oever he goes, mu&s;t have al&s;o a con&s;tant di&s;po&s;ition to leave all, to lo&s;e all, at an hours warning, for his &s;ake &amp; the Go&s;pels. With many other words I could write unto you, for my heart is inlarged; but I mu&s;t break off, and commend you to the grace of that God who brought again from the dead that great Shepherd of the &s;heep by the blood of the everla&s;ting Covenant; and to the word of the Go&s;pel, which is able to build you up further, and to give you an inheritance among them that are &s;anctified through faith in Chri&s;t Je&s;us: to whom with the holy Spirit be glory for ever. Brethren, pray for me and mine, when you pray for your own &s;ouls.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>The <HI>1</HI> of the <HI>1</HI> Moneth, <HI>1653.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Yours in bonds, for yours and the &s;ervice of all the Saints, CHRISTOPHER FEAKE.</SIGNED>
<PB N="22" REF="24">
<POSTSCRIPT>
<HEAD>POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>Brother <HI>Simp&s;on</HI> &s;alutes the Church in the Lord, and de&s;ires continuation of prayers, thanking you all for your kinde remem|brance.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Dearly beloved Brethren,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>MY hearts de&s;ire and prayer to God for you all, is, that as you have received Chri&s;t Je&s;us the Lord, &s;o you may walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and &s;tabli&s;hed in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thank&s;giving; for otherwi&s;e, Satan will get an advantage a|gain&s;t you, and prevail upon you, &s;o as to put you to &s;hame, and me al&s;o, in the &s;ight of this pre&s;ent, evil, old world. Oh! how will it tend to the glory of our God and Father, and of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for you to remain unmoveable and un|&s;haken in the mid&s;t of all the pre&s;ent temptations, both on the right hand and on the left? con&s;idering, that <HI>the &s;ubtil old Serpent hath, doubtle&s;s, a mo&s;t mi&s;chievous de&s;igne again&s;t you, as you are the Temple and Habitation of the living God.</HI> Oh! how &s;hall we rejoyce together, when we meet to ble&s;s and to prai&s;e the Lord <HI>for pre&s;erving us unto his heavenly kingdom?</HI> notwith&s;tanding the &s;trong endeavours of all adver&s;aries, to keep us a&s;under, to &s;catter us, and &s;o to rejoyce and glory in our de&s;olation. But our God will come, and will not keep &s;ilence; yea, he will come with vengeance, and make a mo&s;t wonderful di&s;covery of that notorious fal&s;ehood and hypocri&s;ie, of that prodigious perfidiou&s;ne&s;s, whereof this a|dulterous generation is &s;o deeply guilty before the Lord and his people. In the interim, po&s;&s;e&s;s your &s;ouls with pa|tience; watch and pray, le&s;t you al&s;o enter into temptation, le&s;t you al&s;o being led away with the error of the wicked, fall
<PB N="23" REF="24">from your own &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s. Remember, it is Jeho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ah your righteou&s;ne&s;s, who is able to keep you from falling, and to pre&s;ent you faultle&s;s before the pre&s;ence of his glory with exceeding joy.</P>
<P>Great are my hopes, many are my fears concerning you, and e&s;pecially concerning tho&s;e among you, who &s;hall think within them&s;elves, when they hear this, You are more fearful, or he is more fearful then he needs to be; we &s;hall do well e|nough: let &s;uch an one think (if any &s;uch there be) that &s;uch thoughts nouri&s;hed and cheri&s;hed in his heart, are certain &s;ymptomes of an uncertain Spirit, and of a treacherous heart. Oh con&s;ider, con&s;ider what relicks of unbelief! what remainders of lu&s;ts! what members of the old man, are yet unmortified in the be&s;t of us! Who made us to differ from the World? Oh lean, lean upon your Beloved, that hath made a difference between you and tho&s;e poor creatures, that are yet in their blood, yet in their &s;ins. Are you not believers? are you not Di&s;ciples of the Lord? are you not Saints by calling? have not you every one &s;een the Lord? have not you as others beheld as in a gla&s;s, with a face unveiled, the glory of the Lord? then, Brethren, why are we not tran&s;|formed from glory to glory? why are our hearts narrow, cold, heavy? why are our Spirits carnal, earthly and &s;tagger|ing? why do not our &s;ouls mount aloft? Great is my bold|ne&s;s in writing, as it u&s;ed to be in &s;peaking to you. (I have a great intere&s;t in you, and among you: I have a great part, a large &s;hare in the good or evil that befals you: your com|forts, are my comforts al&s;o; your di&s;comforts, are my di&s;|comforts al&s;o.) Oh that I might warm your hearts at this di&s;tance, by the power of God! &s;etting the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions of love and truth, &s;trongly and effectually upon all your hearts. How doth the inward pul&s;e of your hidden man beat? what &s;ecret workings, walkings and communications in the in|mo&s;t holy place? Do you, can you &s;et your feet upon the necks of your wo&s;t enemies, the cur&s;ed corruptions of your nature? Verily, Chri&s;tians, if you do not grow into inti|mate acquaintance with the Almighty; if you attain not
<PB N="24" REF="25">to holy familiar communion with the Father and his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, you will be of little u&s;e in the publick &s;ervice of the Lambe again&s;t the Dragon, the Bea&s;t and the fal&s;e Pro|phet. Beg with ardent &s;upplication, <HI>to live and to be kept under the glorious ministration of the Spirit. Do not &s;o minde the work within doors, as to neglect the work abroad. Do not give up your &s;trength, and the might of your Spirits, for the carrying on the publick work of Chri&s;t abroad, to the di&s;advantage of the concern|ments of your &s;ouls:</HI> but as I have formerly advi&s;ed you, touching the graces and the gifts of the Spirit; &s;o I per&s;wade as to this matter, carry on the great affairs within and with|out, <HI>In conjunction and in proportion:</HI> But remember, (as I have told you often) Therefore doth the Lord di&s;patch the bu&s;ine&s;s of your &s;alvation and particular happine&s;s, giving you a full a&s;&s;urance of eternal life, that &s;o, his people having their own inheritance &s;ecured to them for ever, they may be ca|pable of &s;erving the Lord Je&s;us in their generation, upon the mo&s;t noble account. Now, my Beloved, I &s;hall conclude with a few words unto you, as you are a&s;&s;embled together in the Name of the Lord: ponder your paths, &s;tudy the duty of your relations. Con&s;ider what families you live in, and what eyes are upon you; let the believing Husband endea|vour to gain the unbelieving wife; and the believing wife, the unbelieving husband, by a holy, wi&s;e, loving, dutiful con|ver&s;ation both in word and deed; let parents and children that fear the Lord, carry them&s;elves as becometh the Go&s;pel; &s;o ma&s;ters and &s;ervants: that was the great care of the A|po&s;tles in the primitive Churches. Study the Epi&s;tles that were &s;ent to all the Congregations. You have lately te&s;ti|fied your love to me, beyond my expectation; accept of this and &s;uch-like tokens of my love to you. <HI>Oh that I might finde you, when my God brings me among you, a people mightily improved in holine&s;s and purity, in brotherly kindene&s;s and love, in &s;elf-denial and heavenly mindedne&s;s, in zeal and &s;pi|ritual magnanimity, in every grace, in every gift, walking in the most excellent waies of truth and peace;</HI> that God in all things might be glorified by us, through Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to whom
<PB N="25" REF="25">be glory for ever, <HI>Amen.</HI> This Epi&s;tle and Salutation is &s;ent in much affection unto you,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From my pri&s;on-hou&s;e, <DATE>this <HI>4</HI> of the <HI>1</HI> Moneth, <HI>1654.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>From your faithful &s;hepherd, through grace, &s;till in bonds for Chri&s;t. <HI>Chri&s;toph. Feake.</HI></SIGNED>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<HEAD>POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>My fellow-pri&s;oner and my yoke-fellow &s;alute you; and we ear|ne&s;tly de&s;ire a continual mention in prayers and &s;upplications before the Lord; withal, de&s;iring, that the Lord may be magnified in the Congregation, for all the loving kindne&s;&s;es and tender mercies, wherewith he hath crowned us, &s;ince we were made the pri&s;oners of Je&s;us.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<OPENER><SALUTE>My dearly Beloved,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>BEhold, what manner of love the Father hath be&s;towed upon us, that we &s;hould be called the Sons of God! If the Lord Je&s;us will confe&s;s us to be &s;uch before his Father and the holy Angels, yea, and before the faces of our prou|de&s;t adver&s;aries, What ground of joy un&s;peakable and full of glory will be hereby admini&s;tred unto us, even in the mid&s;t of all tho&s;e reproaches and &s;landerous reports, that the men of the world <HI>(who minde earthly things)</HI> do indeavour &s;o indu&s;triou&s;ly to heap upon us? The truth is, <HI>The world knoweth us not, becau&s;e it knew not him; it hateth us, becau&s;e it hated him.</HI> And the news of his &s;econd coming is as trouble|&s;ome to the Kings of the earth, now in being, whether they are the &s;ons of ancient Kings, (as the Prophet &s;peaks) or late
<PB N="26" REF="26">U&s;urpers and Tyrants, as ever <HI>Herod</HI> was troubled at his fir&s;t coming, (<HI>Mat.</HI> 2.3.) and all <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> with him. Oh, Be|loved! tho&s;e appearances which are acceptable to the Saints, are no waies welcome to the earthly powers; tho&s;e truths which are milk and honey to the children of <HI>Sion,</HI> are gall and wormwood to the inhabitants of <HI>Babylon.</HI> It's no mar|vel, nor urange at all, that it is but a little, little flock, which will be found to remain faithful to that inward, invi&s;ible, pure, &s;piritual intere&s;t of our deare&s;t Lord, which is now breaking forth through all the&s;e thick and tempe&s;tuous clouds.</P>
<P>Verily, my Spirit is more and more heightned and quick|ned to look for mo&s;t glorious and admirable vici&s;&s;itudes: Methinks my heart rejoyceth, as if a cordial from heaven were conveyed to it, to incourage me now in pri&s;on for this good old Cau&s;e. Oh! what a plea&s;ant &s;ight, to &s;ee the Whore of <HI>Babylon,</HI> with the Kings of the earth, with all her drunken Princes, and her Wi&s;e men, and her Captains, and her Rulers, and her Mighty men, wearying them&s;elves in new Coun&s;els, tiring out their Spirits <HI>in obviating the feared and &s;uspected de&s;ignes of the praying awakened Saints, both in Cities and Coun|tries.</HI> Come, dear Brethren, this is not a &s;ea&s;on for you to be wearied, and to faint in your mindes; but let us look unto our Je&s;us the Author and the Fini&s;her of our faith, who for the joy that was &s;et before him, endured the cro&s;s, and de&s;pi|&s;ed the &s;hame, and is now &s;et down at the right hand of the throne of God.</P>
<P>Brethren, now it is a fit time for us to con&s;ider, I &s;ay, to con&s;ider the Apo&s;tle and high-Prie&s;t of our profe&s;&s;ion, and to hold fa&s;t our profe&s;&s;ion; let no man or devil get our Crown; our very confidence hath great recompence of reward. What &s;hall I render to the Lord for all his benefits unto me? <HI>e&s;pe|cially tho&s;e ble&s;&s;ings of the New-Testament-Ministration.</HI> And what thanks can you render unto him, who hath hitherto kept you by his mighty power, from the pre&s;ent abominable apo&s;tacie? Have you every one on a garment of fine linen, white and clean, which is the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Saints?
<PB N="27" REF="26">And doth the Lord help you to keep your garments about you, that no man &s;ee your nakedne&s;s? then you &s;hall walk with Chri&s;t in white, when he comes; for you are wor|thy.</P>
<P>But, if on the contrary there &s;hould be a declining and departing from the living God in any degree, through un|belief; if there be a decay of love to the Father, and a warm affection to the world, and the great and the &s;weet things thereof, in any of you, in any among you; what a &s;ad con|&s;equence were that? after all the open and profe&s;&s;ed decla|rations, which have been ob&s;erved by Angels and Men. But I hope better things, though I thus write, from that principle of Pa&s;toral-love and care, which the Lord hath put into me. What &s;hall I &s;ay? methinks I am pre&s;ent with you, in the mid&s;t of you, ob&s;erving what love, peace, gentlene&s;s, &s;weetne&s;s of brotherly communion there is among you, from the greate&s;t to the lea&s;t. <HI>What inward &s;piritual joy, manifest zeal, what beauty of holine&s;s, what mutual edifying, what pray|ing in the holy Spirit, what warm exhortations, what gracious admonitions, are &s;tirring among you?</HI> Yea, but, Brethren, what if the Lord him&s;elf &s;hould &s;uddenly come, and &s;tand in the mid&s;t where you are a&s;&s;embled together, and view the po&s;ture of that little flock, from which I am violently re|moved for a &s;ea&s;on, for their tryal? &s;hould he finde all things managed after his own heart? would you be glad to &s;ee the Lord, as the Di&s;ciples were? <HI>John</HI> 20.19, 20. read the place. Might he not upbraid you with unbelief and hardne&s;s of heart? &s;hould he finde nothing in you, and among you, worthy of admonition or reproof? Tell me at this di&s;tance, how could you behold him, if you &s;hould &s;ee him in his glory, and in his Fathers glory? are you able to abide the day of his coming? I fear there are very few Congregations of Saints in all the world, that are tolerably prepared for the Bridegrooms coming.</P>
<P>Finally, Beloved, remember what I have &s;poken to you while I was among you, from the word of the Lord: the &s;earcher of hearts knoweth, I did, and endeavoured to do,
<PB N="28" REF="27">all things for your edifying, for the be&s;t advantage of your precious &s;ouls: I was alwaies willing to bring forth out of my poor trea&s;ury, things both new and old; even &s;uch Truthes, and Principles, and Rules, as I received of the Lord, by the teachings of that holy unction, and de|livered unto you; I kept back nothing that I could judge by the light of the Word and Spirit, that it was profitable unto you; and it was and is your part, to &s;earch the Scriptures daily, whether tho&s;e things were and are &s;o or not. <HI>If I &s;hould &s;ee your faces no more, if I were to be offered up, I &s;hould not repent of what I have taught you, and the poor &s;inful children of men; whatever the Rulers of the darkne&s;s of this world do judge or &s;ay: my heart doth not condemn me in the lea&s;t, all this time of bani&s;hments from the courts of the Lords hou&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>And ble&s;&s;ed for ever be my Shield and Buckler, I have great and &s;weet confidence towards him; and the Lord being my Helper and Protector, I do not (for I have no cau&s;e to) fear what man can do unto me. The Lord make you and me faithful unto the death, and fill us, that are his in good earne&s;t, with joy and peace in believing; onely let your conver&s;ation be, as becometh the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, that whether I come and &s;ee you, or el&s;e be ab&s;ent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye &s;tand fa&s;t in one Spirit, with one minde, &s;triving toge|ther for the faith of the Go&s;pel. My fellow-pri&s;oner &s;aluteth you: Brethren, pray for us, &s;trive in prayer for us, that we may be delivered from unrea&s;onable and wicked men, in the time appointed of the Father. Salute mo&s;t, the mo&s;t holy, lively, heavenly, active Saints in this crooked generation. The Lord be with you.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours, as, and becau&s;e your are Chri&s;ts, <HI>Christopher Feake.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="29" REF="27">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Brethren, Beloved and longed for in the Lord,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>THe High and Mighty One, (who&s;e name is Jehovah our righte|ou&s;ne&s;s) be your Protector for ever.</HI> O! that he would look down from the Habitation of his Holine&s;s, and of his Glory, and &s;mile, and &s;hine upon every one of you in the Beloved, The Lord Je&s;us, who loved us, and gave him&s;elf for us, when we were yet &s;inners and ungodly, when we were yet enemies in our mindes by wicked works: to whom be glory for ever, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>Verily, it is good to be writing and hearing of the &s;weet and precious Name of the Lord Je&s;us. It is mo&s;t plea&s;ant to ponder and to meditate upon the my&s;tery of God, even the Father, and of Chri&s;t. When once we have crucified the fle&s;h, with the affections and lu&s;ts thereof; when we are by means of walking with the holy One, become &s;piritually minded, then, Oh then! we &s;uck &s;weetne&s;s out of bit|terne&s;s, and can turn water into wine; then we finde meat in the eater, then we enjoy liberty in bonds, and life in death; then we feel the Lord ble&s;&s;ing, when men are cur|&s;ing. <HI>Christianity is a mystery throughout; yea, the managing of the most ea&s;ie and obvious affairs in the Churches of the Saints, is to be in a mystery. All your things are to be &s;piritually ordered.</HI> It's a mo&s;t glorious &s;ight to me, to &s;ee every debate, every con&s;ultation, every re&s;olution, all your ordinary matters, beautified and adorned with that holy gravity, and &s;eriou&s;|ne&s;s of language, ge&s;ture, method, with that &s;weetne&s;s of love, humility, mutual conde&s;cention; with that meekne&s;s of wi&s;|dom in the Elders, of attention, and reception, and con&s;ent in the Brethren, that may render you amiable to the Lord Je&s;us and his elect Angels, being in the mid&s;t of you; formidable to wicked men, and the evil Angels, that ob&s;erve you, and watch for your halting, and would rejoyce to e&s;pie among you any uncomline&s;s or ab&s;urdity: this would be an excel|lent
<PB N="30" REF="28">means to help you to &s;et the Lord alwaies before you, to have fre&s;h and new thoughts of Gods Omnipre&s;ence, of Chri&s;ts walking in the mid&s;t of the golden Candle&s;ticks: this u&s;ed to over-awe my di&s;orderly Spirit, when I was a|mong you. I hope I &s;hall learn, as <HI>Timothy,</HI> how to behave my &s;elf in the Hou&s;e of God, which is the Church of the living God, in this &s;hort time of bani&s;hment, better then for|merly. I believe the Lord intends a manifold benefit by my ab&s;ence, to you and many others, as well as to my own &s;oul. I rejoyce exceedingly in &s;pirit, to con&s;ider, <HI>We do not live in the declining age of the Church; but in that &s;ea&s;on, when the Lord will adde abundantly more of his Spirit, then in many gene|rations formerly.</HI> Wherefore, let me be&s;eech you to gird up the loyns of your minde, put on your &s;andals, walk, climbe up to the top of <HI>Pi&s;gah,</HI> look over <HI>Jordan,</HI> behold the Land of promi&s;e, the Land of re&s;t, the Land flowing with milk and honey; look beyond the downfal of <HI>Babylon,</HI> the marriage-&s;upper of the Lambe, the great battel of Arma|geddon; look beyond the victory over the Dragon, the Bea&s;t and the fal&s;e Prophet, to the binding of Satan; look be|yond the binding of Satan, to the coming down of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> to the &s;piritual glory of the City, <HI>who&s;e name is Jehovah-Shammah, to the peaceable reign of our Solomon: there remaineth a re&s;t for the people of God.</HI> Believe, and live to en|ter into that re&s;t. Let the word of Chri&s;t dwell richly in you: the Lord make you all mighty in the Scriptures, wi&s;er then your teachers, wi&s;er then your enemies; and then, neverthe|le&s;s, the more humble, and lowly, and lovely in the po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion of your attainments. The Lord fill the great ve&s;&s;els, and the &s;mall ve&s;&s;els brim-ful of grace, and peace, and truth, and love, and &s;piritual under&s;tanding; in a word, fill you with his Spirit, as with new wine: the Lord make you drunk with his Spirit. Oh that every one in the Congregation had a high Spirit for Chri&s;t, a mighty Spirit for Chri&s;t. I would to the Lord you had each of you the Spirit of <HI>David</HI>'s Worthies, in a &s;piritual &s;ence, that a few of you, even two or three of you, were able to break through the ho&s;t of the
<PB N="31" REF="28"><HI>Philistines,</HI> for our <HI>Davids</HI> &s;ake. Be of good comfort, <HI>There is work to do for the Lords young Di&s;ciples, that are in their fir&s;t love; and their love to their Saviour and his intere&s;t, will be tried.</HI> There is bu&s;ine&s;s al&s;o for the Lords old Di&s;ciples, that have been tried already, and have overcome: let them continue faithful to the death, and they &s;hall receive a crown of life, a crown of righteou&s;ne&s;s, which the Lord is preparing for them that love his appearing.</P>
<P>Brethren, I have received your Me&s;&s;engers with gladne&s;s, and we do mutually refre&s;h each other: the Lord be with your Spirit. I &s;hall further enlarge my thoughts the next op|portunity: pray, and &s;trive in prayer, for a poor worthle&s;s creature: the Lord is good to me in abundance: I long to appear with joy in the great Congregation.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From my captivity in <HI>Wind|&s;or,</HI> <DATE>the <HI>15</HI> of the <HI>1</HI> Moneth, <HI>1653/4.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your faithful Shep|herd in bonds, <HI>Christoph. Feake.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Dearly Beloved in the Lord Je&s;us,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THe de&s;ire of my Soul on your behalf, is this, That the Lord would &s;o communicate him&s;elf to you, that ye might be (like the Saints at <HI>Rome</HI> in <HI>Pauls</HI> time) full of good|ne&s;s, filled with all knowledge, able al&s;o to admoni&s;h one another; and in that ca&s;e, I &s;hould rejoyce with you all a|bundantly; for my chains and bonds would be lighter and ea&s;ier to me by many degrees. Whereas now I mu&s;t ingenu|ou&s;ly confe&s;s before the Lord, and unto you, that the care that cometh upon me daily, becau&s;e of you, is more unto me, then all the cruel mockings and &s;courgings with the
<PB N="32" REF="29">tongue; yea, even then my bonds and impri&s;onment which I indure at this day. The honour of our dear Lord is &s;o much concerned in your walking, and comunion together, in your &s;weet, gentle, meek and holy behaviour, in the ordering and managing of the affairs of Chri&s;ts &s;piritual Kingdom, through him &s;et up by you, that &s;till, at every turn, you come into my thoughts: How do they walk? do they walk orderly? do they plea&s;e God? do they edifie one another in love? have the adver&s;aries no cau&s;e to &s;peak reproachfully? hath their adver&s;ary the Devil no advantage to &s;peak again&s;t them? do they pray in the holy Spirit? <HI>Is there a high and a mighty Spirit for God, and for Chri&s;t, and for his Cau&s;e, in the mid&s;t of them?</HI> Ah! Brethren, I think with my &s;elf, how &s;hall I finde you when I come unto you again? Have you increa&s;ed with the increa&s;ings of God? are you more and more &s;trengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man? do you live by the faith of the Son of God? I would to God I might finde you le&s;s luke-warm, and more zealous for the Lord, then when I left you, <HI>more in the Spirit, and le&s;s in the fle&s;h, and in &s;elf, and in this world.</HI> Do none of your eyes begin to daz|zle at the glory and &s;plendor of the Court? as do the eyes of others. Come, Brethren, a day in the Lords Courts, is better then a thou&s;and, in any Princes Court upon the face of the Earth; and for my part, I had rather be a door|keeper, or &s;it at the thre&s;hold of the Lords Hou&s;e, then to dwell in the Tents or Palaces of wickedne&s;s. It may be the Lord hath called me a&s;ide for a &s;hort &s;pace, for this very purpo&s;e, to tempt you, and to prove you, and to &s;ee what is in each of you, and what the workings of your Spirits are; and to let you know by experience, that the wi&s;|dom of God, in appointing guides and leaders to your u&s;e and edifying, is that which cannot but be acceptable to the &s;o|ber, &s;erious and &s;tedfa&s;t Saints.</P>
<P>As for mine own condition, I de&s;ire to deal plainly with you. Ble&s;&s;ed be my God, and my gracious Father, my lot is fal&s;en to me in a plea&s;ant place, and I have a goodly heri|tage: as for per&s;onal contentment, it is very great. I am
<PB N="33" REF="29">doing my Fathers work and will; I am &s;uffering for the Go|&s;pel of the Kingdom; I am learning to be more conformable to Chri&s;t my Head, in learning obedience by the things that I &s;uffer. It is ab&s;olutely the be&s;t e&s;tate for the pre&s;ent, that my heavenly Father can put me into. The words of <HI>Mano|ah</HI>'s wife to him, are &s;weet unto me: If the Lord were plea&s;ed to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offer|ing, and a meat-offering at our hands, neither would he have &s;hewed us all the&s;e things, nor would, as at this time, have told us &s;uch things as the&s;e: &s;o I &s;ay, If the Lord were not plea&s;ed with our &s;ufferings in this Cau&s;e; if this &s;ervice for Chri&s;t-were not acceptable (but unacceptable) unto him, he would never have revealed him&s;elf &s;o graciou&s;ly and &s;o gloriou&s;ly unto us, as he hath done; he would never have filled us with &s;o &s;weet peace and joy in believing; but our hearts would have condemned us, if he had left us: &s;o that through rich mercy, I am not careful, what men think of us, what their opinions are, how they carry <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hem&s;elves, in &s;peaking evil of things they know not. It is &s;ufficient, and abundantly &s;ufficient to us, that our comforts abound and increa&s;e, they dimini&s;h not. I tell you, Brethren, the very confidence that God hath put into us by his Word and Spi|rit, hath great recompence of reward. There are two things, that do, I am per&s;waded, work for our good. 1. The malice of our enemies, that &s;corn us, and backbite us, and judge us bu&s;ie-bodies, and evil doers, and di&s;turbers of the peace, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> &s;aith the Lord to us, Your enemies &s;peak fal&s;ly, <HI>and the more they cur&s;e, the more I ble&s;s, and will ble&s;s.</HI> Verily, this is &s;weeter then honey. And then &s;econdly, There are a company of faithful &s;ouls, who in the light of God, do under&s;tand the pre&s;ent Cau&s;e of Chri&s;t, and that we are &s;uf|ferers upon that acount; and &s;o they wre&s;tle, and will not let the Lord go, unle&s;s he ble&s;s us, poor pri&s;oners, with &s;pecial and &s;utable ble&s;&s;ings. Verily, I ble&s;s the Lord night and day in remembrance of the prayers of the Saints, who under&s;tand the times, next unto my ble&s;&s;ing his name for the glorious interce&s;&s;ion of our faithful and merciful High-Prie&s;t.</P>
<PB N="34" REF="30">
<P>Finally, Brethren, farewel; live in love, follow tho&s;e things that make for peace, and, whereby one may edifie another: do not grieve one anothers Spirits by any uncom|ly expre&s;&s;ions, in words or behaviour. Grieve not the Spi|rit of Chri&s;t; but &s;tudy the happine&s;s of the whole body, and glorifie the Lord by an holy, &s;weet, meek and gentle, profitable conver&s;ation. I &s;alute you every one once more in our dear Redeemer. Imitate tho&s;e who walk mo&s;t like Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and we &s;hall meet again with joy, and our joy &s;hall no man take from us, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From my Pri&s;on-lodg|ing, <DATE>the la&s;t day of the <HI>3</HI> week of the <HI>1</HI> moneth, <HI>--54.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Yours, next unto my being Chri&s;ts, de&s;irous of your be&s;t good, <HI>Chri&s;toph. Feake.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Dear Brethren,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THe &s;uperabounding &s;atisfaction, wherewith the Lord hath conde&s;cended to inrich a poor, empty creature, calls aloud upon me, to magnifie his Goodne&s;s toward me. If I &s;hould tell you a feigned &s;tory of That which I have not &s;een, nor felt, nor experienced in my &s;elf, the Lord would finde me out, and make me an example (to tho&s;e that &s;hould come after) of his &s;everity and &s;trict dealing with me; but in very deed, I do plainly perceive that the Lord hath pur|po&s;ed to &s;hew me more of his glory.</P>
<P>Indeed, a great part of my care will be concerning You, to whom I am as neerly related in the fellow&s;hip and &s;ervice of the Go&s;pel, as ever, notwit&s;tanding this di&s;tance; and therefore, &s;hall not cea&s;e praying for you, as I have begun, that you may every one adorn the glorious Go&s;pel of the ble&s;&s;ed God, and <HI>walk worthy of the Lord who hath called you
<PB N="35" REF="30">unto his Kingdom and Glory.</HI> And I would that you &s;hould under&s;tand, Brethren, and believe, that the things which have befallen me, have come to pa&s;s rather for the further|ance of the Go&s;pel, then otherwi&s;e; and I hope &s;ome, if not many of the Brethren in the Lord Je&s;us, will grow confi|dent by my bonds, and will be much more bold to &s;peak the word without fear, con&s;idering e&s;pecially, that the Lord hath made a mo&s;t &s;weet addition to my former joy and comfort in the Holy Spirit; <HI>&s;o that I may &s;ay boldly, The Lord is my Helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me.</HI></P>
<P>I know I &s;hall ere long come again, and continue with you all, for your furtherance, and the joy of your faith, that your rejoycing in Chri&s;t Je&s;us may be more abundant for me, by my coming to you again.</P>
<P>Dear Brethren, <HI>Innocency and Independency make the highe&s;t and the mightie&s;t Spirits;</HI> and let the Princes, the Prie&s;ts, the Captains (who are &s;o bu&s;ie in bol&s;tring up the cur&s;ed whore of <HI>Babylon)</HI> know it for a Truth, that the Lords Hidden, Ho|ly Ones, will in the might of the Spirit of Jehovah, &s;hout down the walls of the Babyloni&s;h <HI>Jericho:</HI> though they are as high as Heaven, they &s;hall come tumbling down. <HI>Amen. Hallelujah. Oh! that I might be one of the teeth of that &s;harp thre&s;hing in&s;trument, which the worm Jacob &s;hall ere long be trans|formed into;</HI> and &s;o help to thre&s;h the High and Mighty Moun|tains of the Earth, and to beat them &s;mall, and to make the Hills as chaff.</P>
<P>I do very much hope, when I come again, I &s;hall come in the fulne&s;s of the ble&s;&s;ing of the Go&s;pel, more then ever. Where|fore I be&s;eech you to be at peace among your &s;elves, to ad|moni&s;h the di&s;orderly in abundance of tenderne&s;s in love, to comfort the feeble-minded, to &s;upport the weak, to vi&s;it the fatherle&s;s and widows, that are widows indeed.</P>
<P>I thought to have &s;poken with &s;ome, concerning whom it was needful to look into their condition; but the wi&s;e God prevents me for the pre&s;ent, that I may hereafter have more light from his word to guide me in difficult affairs. Pray forme, that in this retirement, I may attain better to
<PB N="36" REF="31">under&s;tand, then ever hitherto, <HI>how to behave my &s;elf in the Church of God, in the hou&s;e of the living God.</HI> Oh! it's &s;weet to be &s;en&s;ible of a growth in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t; to whom be glory and dominion, now and for ever, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From my plea&s;ant country|hou&s;e, <DATE>this <HI>31</HI> of the <HI>11</HI> Moneth, <HI>1653.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your faithful remembrancer at the glorious Throne of Grace. CHRISTOPH. FEAKE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Dear Brethren, Beloved in the Lord,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>FOr who&s;e be&s;t good and greate&s;t happine&s;s I would be content to endure (through the &s;trength of Chri&s;t) whatever the Lord &s;hould be plea&s;ed to permit man to do unto me. It may be the Lord is but beginning to accu&s;tome me to the yoake, having hotter &s;ervice yet behinde for me to be engaged in. I confe&s;s, <HI>I &s;uffer trouble as an evil doer, even unto bonds,</HI> 2 Tim. 2.9. <HI>but</HI> (my comfort is, as was <HI>Paul</HI>'s) <HI>the word of God is not bound; and</HI> (Oh that I could &s;peak the Apo&s;tles following words in his Spirit) <HI>there|fore I endure all things for the Elects &s;ake, that they al&s;o may obtain the &s;alvation which is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us with eternal glory.</HI></P>
<P>As for my &s;elf, I have no cau&s;e to complain, but rather to magnifie the wi&s;dom, power and goodne&s;s of my God, who in the riches of his Grace, hath in &s;ome mea&s;ure inabled me, and counted me faithful, putting me into the Mini&s;tery; who naturally, and from mine own inclination, am very apt to &s;lothfulne&s;s and negligence, to dulne&s;s and luke-warm|ne&s;s; in&s;omuch that I wonder to con&s;ider, how the Spirit
<PB N="37" REF="31">of Chri&s;t hath from time to time over-powered my natural temper, cau&s;ing me, <HI>with much effectualne&s;s of Grace,</HI> to be in &s;ome degree laborious in his harve&s;t-field: the remembrance whereof is (among other particulars) a mo&s;t &s;weet refre&s;h|ment to my &s;oul in this my bani&s;hment from his Hou&s;e and Temple for a time: what his intent is in ordering me &s;uch a portion for the pre&s;ent, will in time appear. But in the mean &s;ea&s;on, my care and &s;ollicitou&s;ne&s;s for the Church is abundantly above the care of my &s;elf: I am not &s;ollicitous for mine own concernments; <HI>being fully &s;atisfied in the light of God, that it is un&s;peakably for my good to be thus dealt withal by the&s;e men.</HI> The great thoughtfulne&s;s of my heart is for you all, who have in good earne&s;t given your &s;elves up to the Lord, that you might, <HI>in this curi|ous juncture of time,</HI> have your conver&s;ation as it becometh the Go&s;pel: And a true report of your holy, loving, &s;tedfa&s;t walking with the Lord, and one with another, will be my great joy and rejoycing before the Lord Je&s;us, both now, and at his appearing. Wherefore, if it were the good will of God to give you all, fre&s;h and further di&s;coveries of his minde, how you ought to walk, and to plea&s;e him, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">hile I am thus by force kept from among you, what ble&s;&s;ed occa|&s;ions &s;hould I have to break forth here, in ble&s;&s;ing and prai|&s;ing the Lord abundantly in this behalf?</P>
<P>I de&s;ire exceedingly to rejoyce in the beholding your Or|der, and the &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s of your faith in Chri&s;t: for I much fear le&s;t by &s;ome means the Tempter &s;hould tempt you, or &s;ome of you, and &s;o my labour be &s;o far in vain, as the temptation doth prevail: And &s;ome of you may remember, <HI>I forewarned you of this hour of temptation long before;</HI> which I told you would try the &s;tronge&s;t Chri&s;tians, &s;o reputed; but now plainly &s;ee, if Ancient Profe&s;&s;ors among you be not ve|ry circum&s;pect, you may &s;ee that Scripture further fulfilled every day; <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">he fir&s;t &s;hall be last, and the la&s;t &s;hall be fir&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Now by way of faithful advice, in reference to Order, and orderly walking, I take it for a truth granted, (as which cannot with any colour be denied) That tho&s;e Saints, who
<PB N="38" REF="32">are come out of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and brought to <HI>Sion,</HI> and are become a peculiar people to the Lord, and a particular body or cor|poration to Chri&s;t, I &s;ay, they ought to continue together in prayer &amp; &s;upplication with one accord; &s;o they did, <HI>Act.</HI> 1.14. and it is &s;aid, <HI>Peter</HI> &s;tood up in the mid&s;t of the Di&s;ciples: &amp; &s;ee <HI>Act.</HI> 2.42. <HI>And they continued &s;tedfastly in the Apostles doctrine, and fellow&s;hip, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers: they that believed were together,</HI> ver&s;. 44. and the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.25. not for&s;aking the a&s;&s;embling of our &s;elves together, as the manner of &s;ome is; but exhorting one another; and &s;o much the more, as ye &s;ee the day approaching. The&s;e things are n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t proved to you; but you are put in minde of this foundation-Truth in reference to di&s;cipline and wor&s;hip; for tho&s;e things are to be tran&s;acted in the a&s;&s;emblings of the Saints, as being for the glory of God, and the edi|fuing of the Body. But the thing wherein I would be helpful at this point of time, is, to propound waies for the practi&s;ing of this rule of continuing and walking together.</P>
<P N="1">1. Fir&s;t, Let the Elders and Brethren agree with one ac|cord, that the whole Church be gathered together in the na<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e of Chri&s;t, to con&s;ider, after earne&s;t prayer to that purpo&s;e, how they may be kept together: for this Hour of temptation will endanger the &s;ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">tering of many. Again&s;t that day which is appointed, I &s;hall prepare &s;omewhat for di|rection.</P>
<P N="2">2. Let tho&s;e that are unacquainted with their duty, (judging it to be their liberty, without further waiting, to provide for their &s;piritual feeding el&s;ewhere) let them, I &s;ay, know, that if all &s;hould be of their minde, what would become of the Churches of Chri&s;t? Let them not have more re&s;pect to their particular private benefit, though &s;piritual, then to the glory, work and bu&s;ine&s;s of Chri&s;t; at lea&s;t, let them attend upon the Lord with the Church, to obtain their de&s;ire with con&s;ent of the whole body; and brotherly love requires this: and let them give in their Ar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">uments di&s;tinctly, that they may be weighed by Scripture. It is the opinion indeed and practice of &s;ome, if the Officer be ab&s;ent, to wander hither and thither, and &s;o fall into &s;uares ere they are aware:
<PB N="39" REF="32">and there have been woful in&s;tances of this.</P>
<P N="3">3. Let not any debate proceed &s;o far, as to hinder edify|ing, and engender &s;trife; but let there be care taken to prevent &s;trife, as men are careful to prevent the breaking in of waters. The Lord hath ble&s;&s;ed my endeavours this way hitherto, and I have much comfort herein at this day.</P>
<P N="4">4. In debating any thing or ca&s;e, that is &s;tated according to Scripture, let the Brethren &s;peak fir&s;t, that &s;o if there be any light among them, it may be noted: and this will be looked upon, as the enjoyment of that liberty that Chri&s;t hath given; <HI>But if any man &s;peak, let him &s;peak as the Oracles of God,</HI> and briefly and di&s;tinctly to the point.</P>
<P N="5">5. Covet the be&s;t gifts: tho&s;e Brethren in whom mo&s;t of the power and glory of the Spirit of Chri&s;t doth appear, who are mighty in the Scriptures, who are mo&s;t lively, &s;piritual and warming, are to be de&s;ired and called upon; and if there were none to &s;peak to you from the word, yet it were worth while to come together to pray in the Holy Gho&s;t, which is one ble&s;&s;ed means for the quickning of our dull and &s;luggi&s;h hearts.</P>
<P N="6">6. If there be a de&s;ire to joyne with any of the Churches in the Ordinance of the Lords-&s;upper, con&s;ider with whom, and when, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> let there be mutual con&s;ent in brotherly love.</P>
<P>Oh! <HI>that the Spirit might lead you into all truth!</HI> My great de&s;ire is, That you may &s;o walk, as to glorifie the Lord a|bundantly.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>This <HI>3</HI> day of the <HI>12</HI> Moneth, <HI>1653.</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Yours to love you, to &s;erve you, to &s;uffer for you, CHRISTOPHER FEAKE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
