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<DATE>8-27-09</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A96016">
<STC T="W">V687</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">45578487</BIBNO>
<VID>172399</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>A TENDER
INVITATION
Unto all tho&s;e that want Peace with GOD, by rea&s;on of the burden of Sin that keeps them from acceptance with the LORD
JESUS, and from an A&s;&s;urance of SALVATION, though it be very de&s;irable to them.</HEAD>
<P>OH its the weary and heavy laden that he tenders re&s;t unto,
and they that take heed to his good Spirit which is Light,
and leaves off that which it <HI>condemns,</HI> and follows its <HI>in|&s;tructions,</HI>
they obtain the way of <HI>Life,</HI> and he becomes
their <HI>Shepherd, and they hear his voice, and a Stranger they will not hear,
but they follow him,</HI> and he feeds them with that which the <HI>Strangers</HI> to
his voice and <HI>Hireling Shepherds</HI> cannot attain unto by all their <HI>Arts</HI>
or <HI>Parts</HI> external, but it comes to be enjoyed by <HI>Faith</HI> in <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI>
that gives <HI>Victory over Sin,</HI> and therefore its time for all People to con|&s;ider;
and as the Apo&s;tle &s;aid, <HI>To try and examin their &s;elves, whether
they be in the true Faith or no,</HI> for there is no <HI>true Faith</HI> but that which
<HI>&s;tands</HI> in the <HI>Almighty Power,</HI> and that gives <HI>Victory over the Power of
Darkne&s;s;</HI> and without this <HI>Faith</HI> it is impo&s;&s;ible to <HI>plea&s;e</HI> God, as it is
left upon Record in the <HI>Scriptures of Truth:</HI> So <HI>All</HI> is to believe in the
<HI>Son of God,</HI> who is the <HI>Light</HI> of the World, and hath enlightened eve|ry
<HI>One</HI> that comes into the World, as &s;aith the <HI>Scripture;</HI> and in the
univer&s;al love of God, <HI>He gave his Son for a Light to enlighten the Gen+tiles,
and to be Salvation unto the ends of the Earth,</HI> and he <HI>Died</HI> for all;
and his <HI>love</HI> &s;o far extended unto all both <HI>Male and Female,</HI> that he
would have <HI>None</HI> to <HI>Peri&s;h,</HI> but that all by turning to his <HI>good Spirit,</HI>
may be &s;aved from all that the <HI>evil Spirit</HI> leads into, for who&s;oever,
follows the <HI>leadings</HI> of the <HI>Spirit</HI> of <HI>Je&s;us,</HI> who is given for a <HI>Leader</HI> of his
<HI>People,</HI> he leads them in the <HI>Path of Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> and as they come to
be <HI>Servants of Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> they come to be free from <HI>Sin;</HI> but <HI>John</HI>
&s;aid in his Epi&s;tle, <HI>That the &s;ervants of &s;in are free from Righteou&s;ne&s;s,
and they that commit &s;in are of the Devil,</HI> for he is the original of <HI>Sin,</HI>
but <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> is the original of the <HI>pure and holy undefiled Religion</HI> that
keeps from the evil of the World, which is <HI>Pride, Adultery, Lying,
Cheating,</HI> and <HI>Idolatry,</HI> and <HI>Super&s;tition,</HI> and other <HI>&s;pots</HI> that tho&s;e are
<HI>&s;tained</HI> with who are not acquainted wi<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">h him, that &s;aid, <HI>Wi&s;dom leads
in the mid&s;t of the Paths of Judgment, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">o teach them that love me to inhe|rit
&s;ub&s;tance;</HI> there is much talking of loving him, but few inclined to
keep his Commands, and much talking of his <HI>fear,</HI> but little &s;tanding
in aw, &s;o as not to offend him; but &s;o far are many from <HI>taking heed</HI>
unto the mea&s;ure of his <HI>Spirit</HI> of <HI>Light,</HI> as he hath placed in their hearts,
that they do not know it <HI>leading</HI> them to the heart clean&s;ing fear; for
if they did, how could they <HI>plead</HI> for <HI>Sin,</HI> &s;o long as they remain in
the&s;e Bodies; whereas it hath been &s;aid by the Spirit of the <HI>Lord,</HI> and
left upon <HI>Scripture Record, That the fear of the Lord, is as a Fountain of
Life to depart from the &s;nares of Death:</HI> and the beginning of the true
<HI>Wi&s;dom,</HI> and a good <HI>&V;nder&s;tanding,</HI> have all they that follow after it,
for they depart from <HI>Iniquity,</HI> and it clean&s;es the heart and keeps it
clean, according to the <HI>Testimonies</HI> as the <HI>Scripture</HI> bares <HI>Record</HI> of;
and therefore unto it I recommend all <HI>People,</HI> that all may have the
priviledg of it, that their hearts may be clean&s;ed, for it is well known
<HI>there is no Repentance in the Grave,</HI> but as <HI>Death</HI> leaves, <HI>Righteous Judg|ment</HI>
will find; and therefore let the <HI>Long Suffering</HI> and <HI>Patience</HI> of the
<HI>Lord</HI> lead to <HI>Repentance, Such a Repentance that needs no repenting of,</HI>
a changing of the Heart, ab&s;taining and refraining from every appear|ance
of <HI>Evil:</HI> This is that which the <HI>Lord</HI> hath long waited for, and
doth yet wait to be good and gracious unto all tho&s;e that <HI>confe&s;s</HI> and
<HI>for&s;ake</HI> their evil <HI>Thoughts, Words</HI> and <HI>Works,</HI> and they &s;hall &s;urely find
<HI>Mercy</HI> with him, and be acquainted with him, and feel acceptance with
him, and know the work of his <HI>Sanctifying Power</HI> to <HI>Sanctifie</HI> through|out
in <HI>Body, Soul</HI> and <HI>Spirit,</HI> that the <HI>Work</HI> of <HI>Sanctification</HI> may not be
to do when the <HI>Me&s;&s;enger of Death</HI> will not be denied, for then it will
be too late <HI>to work out Salvation with fear and trembling:</HI> And therefore
it would be good for all to con&s;ider how good the <HI>Lord</HI> is, in that he
hath con&s;idered the <HI>Frailty</HI> of all <HI>Fle&s;h,</HI> and hath given unto every
one a <HI>mea&s;ure</HI> of his good Spirit, to help our <HI>Infirmities,</HI> and to teach
us: But if we neglect the <HI>gift</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> we &s;hall be unexcu&s;able in the
day of account, and he will be clear of us all; and therefore let all be
diligent to here the <HI>Word</HI> of <HI>Reconciliation;</HI> that the <HI>Work</HI> thereof may
be experienced, for it begets again unto <HI>God,</HI> tho&s;e that were afar off, and
when the <HI>Work</HI> of <HI>Regeneration</HI> is witne&s;&s;ed, and the birth of the <HI>Wa|ter
of Life,</HI> and <HI>Spirit of Je&s;us;</HI> then the new Creature that avails with
<HI>God,</HI> comes to be in <HI>unity</HI> and <HI>peace</HI> with him, and then the <HI>Spirit</HI> of
<HI>Je&s;us</HI> bears Witne&s;s to the <HI>Spirits</HI> of &s;uch, that they are the <HI>Children of
the Lord,</HI> but except a being born again, there can be no entering into
the <HI>Kingdom;</HI> for the fir&s;t birth cannot enter: in the fir&s;t <HI>Adam</HI>'s na|ture,
all are dead but they that are <HI>begotten</HI> again by the <HI>Word of Gods
Power,</HI> as the <HI>Scripture</HI> te&s;tifies, if they come to be <HI>changed</HI> into the
<HI>nature</HI> of the <HI>Second Adam,</HI> the <HI>Lord</HI> from <HI>Heaven,</HI> the <HI>Quickening Spi|rit,</HI>
in him all &s;uch are made alive, and as they live in his <HI>Fear,</HI> and
do not grieve his <HI>Spirit,</HI> their &s;ufficiency is in the <HI>Ingrafted Word</HI> of his
<HI>Grace</HI> that is able to &s;ave, and in the &s;ame do witne&s;s <HI>pre&s;ervation,</HI> as
in the days of old; it is the &s;ame that <HI>David</HI> hid in his Heart, that he
might not &s;in again&s;t the <HI>Lord, and it was as a Lanthorn unto his Feet,
and a Light unto his paths:</HI> And &s;o it is now, <HI>ble&s;&s;ed be the Name of the
Lord,</HI> unto them that are truly watchful in it; but tho&s;e that are <HI>obey|ing
the Power of Darkne&s;s,</HI> breaks the command of <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> and its
left upon <HI>Scripture Reord,</HI> that he did not &s;ay only unto one, but unto
all, <HI>Watch;</HI> and &s;urely it is as much need as ever, for us to keep a
<HI>narrow Watch,</HI> and that in the <HI>Light;</HI> for our <HI>Souls Enemy</HI> works al|ways
in the dark, and except we keep a continual <HI>Watch</HI> over our
Hearts; in that which doth di&s;cover his <HI>Snares</HI> we cannot e&s;cape; and
&s;o let all that have any &s;en&s;e, that it is their <HI>Duty</HI> to wait upon the <HI>Lord,</HI>
be careful to keep the command of <HI>Watchfulne&s;s,</HI> that the <HI>Enemy</HI> nor
any of his <HI>In&s;truments</HI> do not prevent from waiting in &s;tilne&s;s upon the
<HI>Lord,</HI> for he doth renew the <HI>&s;trength</HI> of them that do truly wait upon him
and have &s;aid, <HI>That they &s;hall run and not be weary, and walk and not
faint;</HI> and now he is fulfilling the Scripture, wherein it was &s;aid, <HI>The
Children of the Lord, &s;hall be taught of the Lord, and they &s;hall be e&s;ta|bli&s;hed
in Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and great &s;hall be their Peace.</HI> Oh! let all that
want it, hearken unto the <HI>true Shepheard</HI> of the <HI>little Flock,</HI> for whom
the <HI>Kingdom is prepared,</HI> who incourages them, and bids them fear not
though the <HI>Woolfi&s;h De&s;troyer</HI> is nigh unto them; yet he is the <HI>Over-&s;eer,</HI>
and in all trials and exerci&s;es he is their <HI>Pre&s;ervation;</HI> and them that
have been exerci&s;ed deeply, and tried throughly, they can tell of his
<HI>Wonderful Works,</HI> and have cau&s;e to &s;peak well of his <HI>mo&s;t worthy name,</HI>
and to invite others to come and ta&s;te and &s;ee for them&s;elves how good
the <HI>Lord</HI> is, in that he gives all a time of tender <HI>Vi&s;itation.</HI> Oh! that
People would but con&s;ider it before it be too late, that while the good
<HI>Spirit of Light</HI> is &s;triving, their hearts may be affected with it, and
joyned to it, for it will not always &s;trive; and therefore let &s;uch as
could not come into <HI>Obedience</HI> becau&s;e of <HI>Sufferings;</HI> now con&s;ider how
good the <HI>Lord</HI> is in that he hath calmed the &s;torms of <HI>Per&s;ecution,</HI> and
opened a door for &s;uch as are convinced to come into <HI>Obedience;</HI> let
them now perform what they promi&s;ed to the Lord, when they were
looking to &s;ee what the <HI>Lord</HI> would do with his poor de&s;pi&s;ed People
(called <HI>Quakers</HI>) for &s;aid they, <HI>Its the Truth that they &s;uffer for, but we can|not
&s;uffer for it; their Sufferings is too hard for us to bear, el&s;e we &s;hould
own it.</HI> Oh! let all &s;uch truly con&s;ider the wonderful <HI>Love of God,</HI> that
his <HI>tender Mercy</HI> may not be di&s;regarded, nor his great Love <HI>under|valued,</HI>
but let every &s;uch a one double their diligence, and make no
delaies, for delaies in this <HI>weighty concern,</HI> are very dangerous; for
who knows how little time they have to come, or what it may bring
forth; therefore that the <HI>pre&s;ent time</HI> be not <HI>ill &s;pent, But while it is to
day, if any will hear his Voice, let them not harden their Hearts, as it
was in the Day of Provocation.</HI> For many are the <HI>invitations</HI> of the great
<HI>Love of God,</HI> and if it be &s;lighted, he will certainly with-hold his <HI>Mer|cies;</HI>
and therefore we have great need to <HI>imbrace</HI> his <HI>Love,</HI> that we
may not provoke him to <HI>Wrath;</HI> for he is ju&s;t, and will render unto
all People according to their doings.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Charlow, <DATE>14 day of the
3d Month, 1687.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Joan Vokins.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<P>LONDON, Printed in the Year MDCLXXXVII.</P>
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