<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2013-11-11</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Judith Siefring</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch Z130910.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="B20878">
<STC T="W">C7205</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]14872030</BIBNO>
<VID>206118</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<HEAD>An EPISTLE of Peace and Good-will unto all the Children <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">f the Lord, again&s;t this Suffering Time.</HEAD>
<P><HI>DEar Lambs of the living God, for I know you are &s;o, becau&s;e the Wolves are &s;o greedy to de&s;troy you, I have a Me&s;&s;age from the great Bi&s;hop and Shepherd of your Souls, unto you all, and in his Fear and Name I am faithfully to deliver it.</HI></P>
<P>Thus &s;aith the Lord, the mighty God and great Shepherd of the flocks <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> ye not di&s;mayed with any amazement, neither be ye afraid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">&s;e of the multitude of Wolves, and wild Bea&s;ts of prey, that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ee<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">devour you; for thus hath the Lord &s;poken unto me, &s;aying, Like <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> Lion, or young Lion, roareth upon the prey that he hath gotten, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">not afraid though the multitudes of Shepherds cry out upon him, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> aba&s;ed for all the heap of them; So &s;hall the Lord of Ho&s;ts <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">et down to fight for <HI>Mount Sion,</HI> and defend his Hills: L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ke as the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> flutter about their Ne&s;ts; &s;o &s;hall the Lord of Ho&s;ts keep, de|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">ive, and deliver <HI>Jeru&s;alem:</HI> and what-ever may come to pa&s;s, it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> only try you, but not de&s;troy you; for, <HI>I will not, not, not leave you, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">&s;ake you,</HI> &s;aith the Lord, but you &s;hall be mine, and I will &s;ave <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ll, who&s;e tru&s;t is in me the living God, as a man &s;ave<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">h his only <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">it &s;erveth him. But, as I have already in mea&s;ure &s;hewed you, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">an is in his be&s;t e&s;tate, and the &s;on of man with all his endow|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="4 letters"> of Wit, Parts, Learning and Under&s;tanding, Streng<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">h and Po|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">, together with all his Experiences and Ob&s;ervations (which is out <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">y fear and coun&s;el) &s;o I will yet manife&s;t unto you further, the <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">jand helple&s;ne&s;s of man, and the &s;on of man,</HI> how that he is not to be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">ted of; and all, for this end, that you may cea&s;e from him, and c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">re lean upon his arm, neither within nor wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">hout, nor go down <HI>Egypt</HI> for help; for it &s;hall be known, <HI>that the Egyptians are men, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">in God; and their hor&s;es fle&s;h, and not &s;pirit.</HI> O my People, &s;aith <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">rd, remember now what <HI>Balak</HI> King of <HI>Moab</HI> con&s;ulted, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Balaam</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Peor</HI> an&s;wered him from <HI>Shittim</HI> even to <HI>Gilgal,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">e may know the Righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Lord, and how I have ap|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ed for you from time to time, and followed you from Pri&s;on to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word">, &s;aith the Lord, with my Life and Pre&s;ence, and from Ea&s;t to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> I have been with you, as I have called you and &s;ent you forth; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> and by Land ye have &s;een my Wonders, according as my Provi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">e hath ordered any of you; and in Sickne&s;s and Health I have <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e with you, that many of you can &s;ay and bear witne&s;s for me, that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">re made your weak, infirm and tender bodies, to be &s;trong, and to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> more hard&s;hip and &s;ufferings, than ever you could have believed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">d been able to have gone through: and al&s;o I have made you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">g to for&s;ake your deare&s;t Relations, and to chu&s;e rather to be in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">n Pri&s;on with Me, than to dwell in your <HI>ceiled hou&s;es</HI> without my <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">nd Peace in your hearts, and this you know right well.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> my People, &s;aith the Lord, remember the&s;e things, that ye <HI>may <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> to know me more and more, for I change not:</HI> but as I have been with you in all e&s;tates and conditions, &s;o I will be with you unto the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">nd: and will bring wo and mi&s;ery upon all your Enemies, that decree <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">righteous Decrees again&s;t you, <HI>they &s;hall not be able to bring to pa&s;s their purpo&s;e,</HI> &s;aith the Lord, for I will befool them, and then make their own folly to corect them; and they &s;hall &s;ee it, and b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> a&s;hamed, but &s;hall not be alle to help them&s;elves, nor deliver their own &s;ouls. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> For you my People, &s;aith the Lord, that dwell in my Fear, and give up <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ll unto me, (keeping nothing back in hypocri&s;ie) <HI>I will be with you, and in you,</HI> and your Enemies &s;hall &s;ee you a&s;cend in power and great glory, as gazers upon you, but not being able to hinder you. While I am &s;peaking of it, my heart melts within me, and the Joy of my God overcomes me, only I mu&s;t not forbear to write the&s;e things unto you, becau&s;e required thereunto by the Lord. <HI>Be ye &s;till, and ye &s;hall all know him from the lea&s;t to the greate&s;t,</HI> and he will not forget any one of you, bee&s;t thou never &s;o little, poor, and weak in thine own eyes: but the Hypocrites &s;hall be bound hand and foot, &s;o that all their ne&s;ts and holes &s;hall not hide them, and &s;hall be ca&s;t into thick darkne&s;s; that as they &s;hall not be able to find their hands to help them&s;elves, &s;o &s;hall they not have an eye to &s;ee, any way to e&s;cape the ju&s;t hand and judgment of the Lord: but the upright in heart &s;hall now be known in this day of tryal, who have none but the Lord alone to tru&s;t unto, and lean up|on; the&s;e &s;hall &s;ee the Salvation of God, and prai&s;e his holy Name, for this pure &s;eparating day of his Love unto them, but of Judgment unto all the Hypocrites in <HI>Sion;</HI> my Exhortation from the Lord unto you All is, To keep low in your hearts and mind, clo&s;e unto his Light, that it unto the Seed of Life ye may be led in it to have your <HI>dwelling day <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">d night, where no evil tidings come,</HI> (as you know right well) and in this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">an&s;omed Seed keep your Meetings, &s;o will they be full of glory, un|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> the a&s;toni&s;hing of all that come among you, that it may now be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">own unto all people, that we are tho&s;e whom the mo&s;t High hath <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o&s;en, to <HI>write his Name upon</HI> (as that City of God in which he delights <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ell) that the little Si<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">er &s;catte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ed upon the face of the Earth, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">hich hath no brea&s;ts, may now be thought upon, and that tidings of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">iverance may be &s;ounded in her ears, in all Nations whither &s;he is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ven, that &s;he may flock as the Doves to the windows, through the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">aring of the <HI>Joyful Sound,</HI> that the Mighty GOD is ri&s;en in a poor and afflicted People in <HI>England,</HI> who cannot how to any graven Image, nor give their power unto the Bea&s;t, but will follow the <HI>Lamb</HI> where|ever he goeth, chu&s;ing rather to die with him than to for&s;ake him.</P>
<P>And dear Friends and Brethren, my further Exhortation to you from the Lord of Ho&s;ts is, That you all now do live in that Truth, which you have both heard and &s;poken of to others, that &s;o your union in the Life and Power may &s;tand; then will you be &s;trong as Mount <HI>Sion,</HI> and an help one to another, the &s;trong taking the weak by the hand, &s;aying, <HI>I feel thee, and therefore cannot leave thee behind, but mu&s;t have thee along with me:</HI> and this will not only <HI>encrea&s;e your Number,</HI> but <HI>di&s;courage your Enemies,</HI> when they &s;ee you keep your Meetings, and wor&s;hip the God of <HI>Daniel,</HI> as at other times. And what though you are carried to Pri&s;ons by droves and &s;locks, and &s;ent where&s;oever your Enemies have power, will not that their hour and power of darkne&s;s, be the hour in which the Father will glorifie him&s;elf? yes, it will, for the Lord hath &s;poken it: and by this &s;hall all men know you are Chri&s;t's Di&s;ciples; not as <HI>Judas</HI> to betray him, or deny him before men, but becau&s;e you love him you keep his Commandments, and they are not grievous un|to you, though men would make them &s;o accord to their power by their pains and puni&s;hments. And I am further do declare unto You in the Name of my God, for your comfort and your Enemies torment, that he is bringing forth a Birth in you his People, which fears no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> Death, for it hath in de&s;pight of all Deaths power, pa&s;&s;ed through Deaths Country and Regions, as a Conqueror (through the &s;trength of <HI>Je&s;us</HI>) and is now pa&s;&s;ed into Life and Immortality, where it dwells &s;afely in love and peace with all men, not at all fearing what they can do un|to it, having already tryed the &s;trength of him, that is the power of death, which is the Devil: and this Birth, is that which is and &s;hall be more and more as an <HI>Army terrible with Banners to affright the Wicked,</HI> when they &s;ee that there is no Conquering by Death or Bani&s;hment; becau&s;e Death it &s;elf is Conquered, <HI>by that Birth immortal, in which you dwell and inhabit.</HI> O ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Birth</HI> of the Morning of the everla&s;ting Day of the Mo&s;t High, Sing ye, &s;ing ye, and again I &s;ay, &s;ing ye the <HI>Songs</HI> of the <HI>Lamb,</HI> and rejoyce ye in the mighty <HI>God,</HI> for he lives that will Crown you, and he abides faithful that cannot deny him&s;elf, who <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> our God and Helper for ever, unto whom I am joyned with you, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> whom I dearly &s;alute you, and embrace you all, who are faithful <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters">ne&s;&s;es</HI> unto the <HI>Name</HI> and <HI>Truth</HI> of the Lord, in this Trying, but not De&s;troying <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> I behold <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ee, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 span"> Glorious as the Noon-Day] in de&s;pight of all Clouds, and Darkne&s;s, in the Pure promi&s;ed Heavenly Seed, in thee revealed and made ma|nife&s;t, unto the endle&s;s prai&s;e of thy God, over all the World and powers of Darkne&s;s for evermore.</P>
<P><HI>The&s;e Things I was commanded to write unto you, in the opening Spirit of Life, where I am with you all, in the meek Suffering Spirit of the Lamb, who am now in outward Bonds (though in perfect inward Freedom) for the Name and Te&s;timony of JESUS.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Brother and Companion in the Faith and Patience of the Lamb; <HI>JOHN CROOK.</HI></SIGNED>
<DATELINE>Ip&s;witch <HI>Town Goal,</HI>
<DATE><HI>this</HI> 28th <HI>of the third Month,</HI> 1664.</DATE></DATELINE>
<POSTSCRIPT>
<P>Let this be read in the pure Fear of the Lord, in the A&s;&s;emblies of the Fir&s;t-born.</P>
</POSTSCRIPT></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
