<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-02-18</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140118.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B23164">
<STC T="W">F1953</STC>
<STC T="C">R39549</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]18429067</BIBNO>
<VID>154423</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="1" REF="1">
<HEAD>To Friends in <HI>Barbadoes, Virginia, Maryland, New-England,</HI> and el&s;|where.</HEAD>
<P>OH Friends, You all that have ta&s;ted of the Power of the LORD GOD, and of his Truth, that is pure, and doth not admit of any impurity nor change. O therefore the holy Truth mind, which will let nothing that is unholy live: for nothing that is un|holy can enter into the Kingdom of God; and no di&s;obedi|ence to Truth mu&s;t enter into the Paradi&s;e of God: for the cau&s;e of di&s;obedience was Man and Woman put out of Para|di&s;e. And therefore all every-where mind the pure Power of the Lord God, and the Truth which fir&s;t convinced you; and what&s;oever is gotten up through the Rea&s;on, and your Eyes going from the Power of God, and that which doth con|vince you, let that be purged out of your hearts; if not, it will lift up your hearts to con&s;ultations and &s;ubtilty, que&s;tion|ings, rea&s;onings and di&s;putes. Oh I feel too much that hath gotten up into the wrong under&s;tanding part, through which wrong liberty gets up, which will bring a plague in the heart, which is wor&s;e than an outward Plague. O therefore con&s;ider the Life and the Power of God hath not the &s;upream in all; for I feel &s;ome minds, and &s;ome bodies, have let in that which hath defiled them, and doth defile them: O clean&s;e, clean&s;e, clean, and joyn to the pure immortal Power; for the Power of the LORD GOD will make room for it &s;elf either in clean&s;ing, or in vomiting, or ca&s;ting out them; and that that doth not joyn to the Power of God, <HI>Sodom</HI> that whori&s;h and adultrous &s;pirit, it mu&s;t to the Fire, and gain&s;aying <HI>Core</HI> into the Earth; and it will throw down that which hath been
<PB N="2" REF="2"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ifted up; the Bee&s;om of the Lord is going forth to &s;weep, the Candle of the Lord is lighted to &s;earch every corner of your hou&s;es; for the Ju&s;t walks in the path which is a &s;hining-light, which admits of no rubbi&s;h in his path. O come out of all the&s;e things which you have entertained in your minds, which you received not from them that came to mini&s;ter unto you in the beginning. Oh dwell in the Power of the Lord God, for to keep you low; and O take heed of getting up into Conceitedne&s;s and the Air; and to &s;et up that which per|tains not to the Kingdom of God, but to &s;trife, which never the Apo&s;tles, nor the Saints &s;ince, in the Power of God &s;et up; for if you do, the Power of God will clen&s;e it and you all away. And O you that come to be Ve&s;&s;els of Honour, and Ve&s;&s;els of the Mercies of God, O have e&s;teem of your Bodies: for &s;uch as defile their Bodies, are neither Ve&s;&s;els of Honour, nor Ve&s;|&s;els of the Mercies, but of Wrath and for the Wrath: therfore keep out Strife, keep out Fornication and the Adulterous Spi|rit; keep out Lu&s;t of the Eye, Lu&s;ts of the Fle&s;h, and Pride of Life, which is not of the Father, that that which is of the Father may be received and have an entrance into every ve&s;&s;el. O be not lifted up with a vain mind; and let <HI>Balaam</HI> be &s;lain that erreth from the Spirit, and rai&s;eth &s;tumbling-blocks; and &s;uch as keep nor their fir&s;t habitation in the Power of God and his Truth, become Enemies to &s;uch as be Heirs of the King|dom and the Power of an endle&s;s life. Therefore all Friends and People, mind that which fir&s;t convinced you, that Power of God which fir&s;t awakened you, and ari&s;e and live in it, that all your eyes, minds and hearts may be kept &s;ingle and naked <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">o God and one another, and uncloathed of all that which is contrary, and is got up &s;ince: for the Seed and the Life of <HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> reigns and rules, Glory to him for ever.</P>
<P>I have been uncapable to write or receive Writing a long time, or to &s;peak or be &s;poken to, but have been as a Man buried alive, and the Sepulcher watched as with a Sword and a Gun, for el&s;e I &s;hould have writ to you before now; and
<PB REF="2"> therefore, O dear Friends, give no occa&s;ion of &s;tumb<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> keep tender; for hardne&s;s of heart is wor&s;e than an outwa<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> plague, for that brings de&s;truction many wayes: and &s;o grie<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> not the Spirit in others, nor in your &s;elves. And what&s;oeve<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> is decent and comely, follow; hone&s;t and of a good repor<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> that makes for Peace, and not for Strife, under pretence<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span"> Love; for that's not of God: for God who is Love, is<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 span"> the Author of Strife and Confu&s;ion, but of Peace. So I<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters">+&s;ire you to let Copies of this be &s;ent into <HI>Virginia, Marylan<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"></HI> and <HI>New-England,</HI> to be read among&s;t Friends in all th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="right margin cropped or obscured" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Meetings. Things are pretty well here, Friends being in Love and Unity, and the dread of the Lord God is among&s;t us, who raigns and will raign.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>G. F.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>London</HI> <DATE>29th of the 9th Month, 1666.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
