satan to God; and, if they do not believe, they will be reproved, condemned, and judged by Christ, who hath all power in heaven and in earth, given unto him, who will judge both the quick and the dead, and reward every man according to his works, whether they be good or evil.

And therefore you are to open the promises of God to the ignorant, and how God would give Christ a covenant, a light to the Gentiles, the heathen, and a new covenant to the house of Israel, and the house of Judah, and that he is God's salvation to the ends of the earth; and how that the earth shall be covered with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea; so that the glorious knowledge of the Lord should cover the earth.

And the Lord said, 'He knew that Abraham would teach and instruct his family, that they should learn to keep his laws and statutes after he was gone;' and Abraham did circumcise all his males, yea, them that he had bought with his money of any stranger. Now who are of faith, and walks in the steps of faithful Abraham, do preach up and instruct all their families in the circumcision of the spirit, that they might be circumcised with the spirit, which puts off the body of death, and the sins of the flesh, that is come up in man and woman by transgression; so that in the spirit they may serve and worship the true and living God; and so that ye all may come to enjoy the presence of the Lord in your families, and improve your talents that Christ hath given unto you; for David saith, that saw Christ in his new covenant, 'Let all nations praise the Lord;' and again, ‘All that have breath praise the Lord;' again, 'Let the poor and needy praise thy name. And let all people praise thee, O God. And O ye servants of the Lord, praise the Lord; for the Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. And all thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee, they shall speak of thy glory and of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power.' For the Lord saith, From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles. And in every place incense shall be offered unto my name; and a pure offering; for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.' And this heavenly incense, and offering in every place, is the spiritual offering in the new covenant; for the Jews were to offer but in one place, in the temple, in the old covenant, but in the new covenant their offering is in the holy temple of their hearts, in the spirit, with which they offer the pure, and holy, and acceptable sacrifice to God; with that spirit which God hath given them, they have a living sense of God their creator, and Father of all their mercies, who hath made them, and hath made all things for them, and redeems VOL. VIII.

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them by his son Christ Jesus, to whom be praise, and glory, and honour, and thanks for evermore.

So let all bow at the name of Jesus, to his power, and light, and spirit, for they have bowed to the power of darkness, that foul and unclean spirit, who is out of truth, and in whom there is no truth. And therefore now all are to bow at the name of Jesus; for there is no salvation in any other name under heaven, but in the name of Jesus, whose name is above every name under the whole heaven, who is the first born of every creature, and the first begotten from the dead, whom God now speaks to his people by, his son; and all are to hear him, the great prophet; and every tongue is to confess to Christ Jesus, to the glory of God the Father, who is the first and last, who bruises the serpent's head. And so through Christ Jesus man and woman comes again to God. All blessings and praises be to the Lord God, through Jesus Christ, for ever and evermore. Amen. G. F.

Swarthmore, the 10th month, 1679.

CCCLVI.

Dear Friends every where, that have received the truth as it is in Jesus, which is holy and pure, and brings to live in him that is pure and holy. The truth is peaceable, and a peaceable habitation; and the truth is sufficient and able to make you free from him that abode not in the truth, and in whom there is no truth. And all that do not live and walk in the peaceable truth, follow him that is out of the truth, into strifes, and vain janglings and disputings, like men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth. And now the grace and truth that comes by Jesus Christ, is that which all people should be under in this new covenant of light, and life, and grace, and truth; as the law came by Moses in the old covenant, and the Jews were to be under the law. But the true christians who have received the grace and truth come to be under this grace's teaching, leading, and establishing; by which grace and truth they are united and joined to Jesus Christ, from whence it comes. And this grace and truth is able and sufficient to make you free from him that is out of the truth, and to come to have a peaceable habitation in Christ Jesus, their eternal rest and sabbath. For Christ Jesus saith to his believers and followers, In me ye have peace, but in the world ye have trouble;' and the trouble is in the world of wickedness. And therefore God's people are not to love the world, nor the things of the world; for the love of the world is enmity to God.

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And therefore, feel God's love shed abroad in all your hearts, through Christ Jesus, to carry all your hearts and your minds above the love

of the world; and this love is that which will preserve you in the excellent way of bearing all things; and the love of God fulfils the law.

And the fruits of the pure holy spirit of the God of truth is love, which is a peaceable spirit: but the foul, unclean spirit, that is out of the truth, is a ravenous, unquiet, unpeaceable spirit. And the faith that Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of, works by love; and the spirit of faith is a peaceable spirit; which faith gives the victory over the unpeaceable, unruly, ravenous spirit; and by which faith you have the inheritance.

And the glorious gospel of Christ Jesus, which is the power of God, the gospel of peace, which is over the power of darkness, and was before it was, and it will be when it is gone; and in this gospel all the heirs of it have an everlasting unity, and an everlasting glorious fellowship in the glorious gospel of peace, yea, a glorious, peaceable fellowship and an access to God.

And the wisdom of God from above is gentle and peaceable, and justifies and preserves all her children above the unpeaceable wisdom that is below; and this peaceable wisdom preserves above all the unruly spirits, and vain talkers and janglers, such as talk of the wisdom of God, but live not in it, but in the wisdom of the world.

And such as talk of the gospel of Christ, the power of God, but live not in it, but do live in the power of satan, the enemy and adversary, and the devil, the destroying power and spirit; and such have no comfort of the scriptures, nor of the things of God, nor of the grace, nor of the truth, nor of the wisdom of God, nor of faith, nor light, though they may talk of all these things, while they follow that unruly, foul, unpeaceable spirit, that abode not in the truth, (in whom there is no truth,) and where there is no truth there is confusion and disorder. Now the God of truth is a God of order, from whom you have grace, truth, and faith, which is his gift, and his spirit, and gospel, and wisdom, that you may all live in the order of it, and as it orders you. For God is a God of order, and his order is known in his light, grace, and truth, and spirit, and his gospel, the power of God, and in his wisdom. And all his children and people should live in the order of his light, spirit, and gospel, and wisdom, and delight in the order of it.

And all you that know God, and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life; then in this eternal life, you do know, that the God of truth is a God of order, and you love his order, in his light, and life, and grace, and truth, in his gospel, and in his spirit, and in his heavenly pure wisdom, by which all his children are justified.

And in his truth, that makes free from him that abode not in the truth, (in whom there is no truth,) that all his children should walk in the order of truth, which hath made them free, who are born again of the incorruptible seed by the word of God, that lives, and abides,

and endures for ever.

And so feeds of the milk of this immortal word,

and so are of an incorruptible generation, which is above the corruptible; and here is the hidden man of the heart, that is incorruptible, known, that hath an everlasting fellowship, and hath an incorruptible crown, and is an heir of an incorruptible kingdom.

And now the God of this world, (and his followers,) that abode not in the truth, in whom there is no truth, cannot endure to hear talk of the order of truth, which is in the light, and life, and in the gospel, and in the wisdom of the God of truth. For the world is full of disorder and confusion; but the living, eternal, immortal God of truth is a God of order, and not of confusion, who hath sent his son to destroy the devil and his works. Blessings and praises, with all glory and thanks, be unto him, who hath all power, might, majesty, and dominion, now, henceforth, and for ever. Amen. G. F.

CCCLVII.

Dear friends,-All live the life of the true christians, and not the life of old Adam, that went from God's command and voice; nor like the Jews, and such as have got the name of christians, that say, there is no hearing of God and Christ's voice now, which are out of the life, power, and spirit, grace, and truth, and image of God, that the true christians were in, and Adam and Eve before they fell; so that none can live the life of the true christians, and the holy prophets and apostles, except they are in the same power and spirit, grace and truth, and faith and image that they were in, which is a life above the world and its God, in whom there is no truth, no life, light, nor power of the living God abiding in them. And therefore, before any can live the life of the saints, they must bow to the name of Jesus, their saviour, in his light, grace, and truth, and power, and spirit, which cometh from him, who submitted himself to the shameful death of the cross, and destroyed death and his power, who had no sin, nor guile in his mouth, and is risen again for our justification, and so hath tasted death for every man, and given himself a ransom for all, that all should now bow at his name, Jesus, a saviour; and so to his power and authority bow, who hath all power in heaven and earth given to him. So all men have bowed under death and sin by transgression. And Christ hath submitted to the cross and death for them, and hath borne their stripes for sin and iniquity, who had no sin, neither knew any, to bring us out of death and sin. Therefore, every one must bow at the name of Jesus, (as before,) whatsoever they do in word or deed, it must be done in the name of Jesus; and before that they can confess to Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, they must all bow at the name of Jesus, and bow

to his grace, and truth, light, spirit, and power that cometh by Jesus, which they know; him the fountain, the rock and foundation to build upon, who brings out of death and darkness into light and life, and a kingdom and a world that is everlasting; and there to have food and clothing that is everlasting. G. F.

CCCLVIII.

Dear friends,--With my love to you in the holy peaceable truth that never changes, nor admits of evil, but makes all free that receive it, and that walk in it, and is over all the clouds without rain, and wells without water, and trees without fruit. And from the truth floweth justice, equity, righteousness, and godliness, mercy, and tenderness, that brings a man's heart, mind, soul, and spirit to the infinite and incomprehensible God, and from it a love flows to all the universal creation, and would have all to come to the knowledge of the truth; and it bends every one to their utmost ability to serve God and his truth, and to spread it abroad, and it brings their minds out of the earth, which makes them brittle, and changeable, and uncertain; for it doth not change, neither doth it touch with that which does change. As to unity, it makes all like itself, that do obey it. Universal, to live out of narrowness and self, and deny it. So it brings all into oneness, and answereth the good principle of God in all people, and brings into humility, and the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of his wisdom; and it brings all to have a care of God's glory and his honour; and watches over all the professors of it for their good, to keep within its bounds, and walk within its order; which he that is out of truth, leads into all disorder, in whom there is no truth; and the truth makes all its children free from him, and in it to reign over him. Thanks, glory, and honour to the Lord God of truth over all for ever. Amen. The Lord, who is the God of all peace and order, alone protects and preserves his people with his eternal power; for the devil's power is not eternal, it had a beginning, and must have an ending; for the eternal power limits that devourer and destroyer. And therefore, friends, patience must be exercised in the truth; and keep to the word of patience, which word was before the world was, and abides and endures for ever; and it will keep Friends over and out of all the snares of the world, and its temptations.

So with my love in the seed of life, that reigns over all, and in it the Lord God Almighty preserve and keep you all to his glory. Amen.

G. F.