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<DATE>2009-05-04</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B090420.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<STC T="W">T816</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">45578467</BIBNO>
<VID>172381</VID>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
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<HEAD>A Te&s;timony of LOVE, in tender Advice and Coun&s;el, to all Young Men, and others, who profe&s;s the Truth.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>DEAR FRIENDS,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>WE, whom God hath rai&s;ed in the Morning of his Day, to be a Kind of fir&s;t Fruits unto him&s;elf, do, in a living Sen&s;e of the Truth, and in a true Re&s;pect to the Pro&s;perity and Glory of it, tenderly advi&s;e young Men, and others, who are of late Convincement, that you u&s;e all Diligence and Circum&s;pection in your &s;everal Places and Callings, in Conver&s;ation and Practice, to an&s;wer that holy Principle, which in Words you do profe&s;s, and e&s;pecially to beware of a fal&s;e Liberty, which &s;ome take to them&s;elves, that Truth allows not of, particularly that of <HI>fa&s;hioning according to the Cour&s;e and Cu|&s;tom of this World,</HI> which creates a great Offence unto many, who are apt to conclude there is no Stability among us, more than in other Profe&s;&s;ions, when they &s;ee how &s;everal conform to, and let in Superfluity, Curio&s;ity, and Co&s;tline&s;s in Habit and Apparel, which evidently be&s;peak the Vanity of &s;uch Minds, and become not Men really profe&s;&s;ing God|line&s;s, <HI>who&s;e Adorning is, and always was, inward, in the hidden Man, in the Heart;</HI> and, ble&s;&s;ed be God, many are &s;ettled down in the Sen&s;e of it, not being &s;ub|ject to alter and change, but daily denying them&s;elves, take up the Cro&s;s to all outward and peri&s;hing Things, and being &s;teadfa&s;t in the Faith, become Examples of Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s, Gravity, and Sincerity, unto others; &s;ome of whom, through Carele&s;ne&s;s and Negligence, have cooled their Affections and Love to the Truth, whereby they become weak, and grow into a feeble State; &s;ometimes put on gay Cloathing, with &s;umptuous and co&s;tly Array, &s;uch as many of us, for Truth's Sake, have denied and put off, which, as it is a Stumbling-Block to tho&s;e that are without, &s;o an Exerci&s;e and Grief to us, who are concerned for the Lord, who&s;e Power and Spirit hath mightily wrought in us, to &s;ub|due and bring under the carnal Mind, with its A&s;&s;ections and Lu&s;ts, which, in the weigh|ty and &s;erious Life, we exhort you to watch again&s;t, and &s;uffer not that, which is un&s;a|voury and corrupt, to ari&s;e, nor give Place to it; but by the Spirit re&s;i&s;t every Appearance of Evil, and dwell in the &s;ea&s;oning Power, that ye may be as the Salt of the Earth, <HI>and Lights to the World, that they, &s;eeing your good Works, and orderly Conver&s;ation, may glorify your Father, who is in Heaven.</HI></P>
<P>And, Friends, our further Advice and Coun&s;el to you is, that you keep inward with the Lord, and out of the Hurries and Bu&s;tles that are in the World, which we ought not to be concerned in, who are &s;eeking for an heavenly Kingdom, and Immortality, and Glo|ry, far tran&s;cending the Splendor and Lu&s;tre of this World, which <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;aid his King|dom was not of; but con&s;i&s;ts in Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Peace, in which peaceable Spirit of Righteou&s;ne&s;s we de&s;ire all may be found, and not be bu&s;ied in Matters relating to outward Government and Rule, which belong not to us, but are for &s;uch on whom it plea&s;eth God them to be&s;tow: wherefore we caution all to be careful, that no real Occa&s;ion be given, by Words or Actions, for any to be e&s;teemed as Bu&s;y-Bodies on that Account; but be ye &s;ervent with the Lord, and &s;trong in the Power of his Might, as good Soldiers of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> to indure Hard&s;hips; &s;uffer, not as evil Doers, but for the Te&s;timony of Faith,
<PB REF="2"><!-- PDF PAGE 60 -->
and a good Con&s;cience towards God, and the Crown immortal you &s;hall receive, which is laid up, not only for us, who are at pre&s;ent tribulated and afflicted for Righteou&s;ne&s;s Sake, but for all them that love the Appearance of our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>So, to the Word of his Grace, we commend you all for further Coun&s;el and Direction, and, with the tender Salutation of our Love, re&s;t,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Friends and Brethren in the ble&s;&s;ed Truth. 
<LIST>
<ITEM>William Ingram</ITEM>
<ITEM>William Crouch</ITEM>
<ITEM>Richard Whitpane</ITEM>
<ITEM>Gilbert Mace.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED>
<DATELINE>Devon&s;hire-Hou&s;e Monthly-Meeting, <DATE>the 8th of the 5th Month, 1685.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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