walk according to the rule of the spirit of God, that he hath given to you to profit withal; and mind the truth in the inward parts; so that you may be adorned and arrayed with a meek and a quiet spirit. For the light that shines in your hearts will give you the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, that you may know the heavenly treasure in your earthly vessels, and the day star to arise, the day to dawn in your own hearts, that you may become temples of Christ; he to dwell with you, and walk with you, and sup with you; and the blood of Christ to sprinkle your hearts from dead works, and your consciences also, that you may serve the living God.

So know the true faith to purify your hearts, which Christ is the author and finisher of; and the true hope, to purify you. And so, be true believers in the light, as Christ commands, and become children of the light; for he that believes, hath the witness in himself. And know the true word in your hearts and mouths; which is the word of faith the apostle preached, which distinguishes your good thoughts from bad, and your good words from bad; which word is in your hearts to obey and do. Which is as a hammer to hammer down sin and evil, and as a sword to cut it down, and as a fire to burn it up. So that by that word you may be sanctified, by that word you may have salvation, by that word you may be reconciled to God; by which all things are upheld, by his word and power; by this word you may be born again of the immortal seed, that lives and abides for ever. And so from this word you may have your milk; for this is the ingrafted word, that is able to save the soul, and raise the soul, that is immortal, up unto the immortal God. And by this word you will see over all the deceivers of your souls; which word was before they were. And by this word you will understand the scriptures of truth, that cannot be broken. And by this word you will come to judge all those that are got into the imaginations concerning the scriptures, and that set them up in the room of God and Christ, in their dark imaginations, who in their darkness cannot comprehend the light. And by this word you will have riches; out of this word is poverty. And by this word you will come to know life and salvation; for in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God; and Christ's name is called the word of God; and the scriptures are the words which are to be fulfilled. So all be diligent in the truth, that you may be fruitful in the word of God, that it may have its passage through you all.

G. F.

CCLXXI.-Concerning those that go out of unity and deny forms.

Those that are gone from the light, from the spirit and power of God, and so from the unity, by the light, and by the spirit, and by the power

are judged; and the power, and light, and spirit are over them. And they being gone into their own wills, and into a perverse spirit, then they say, they will not be subject to men's will, nor to the will of man; and that spirit leads them out of the bonds of humanity. When they are thus gone from the light, and the power and spirit of God, they go out of all true forms, into confusion and emptiness, without form; then they say, they will not be subject to forms, and cry down all forms with their darkness and a perverse spirit, and so mash all together. For there is a form of godliness, and there is a form of sound words; many have a form. All creatures have a form, the earth hath a form, and all things were brought into a form by the power of God; for the earth was once without form, and was void, and empty and confused.

So they that be gone out of the covenant of God and life, and out of the power of God, are gone into a confused condition without form, a state which is out of the bond of civil men and women. And so such are confused without the right form; for the form that God hath made, viz. the form of the earth, the form of the creatures, the form of men and women, the form of sound words, the form of godliness, nor the form of sound doctrine, was never denied by the men and women of God. But such as got the form only, and denied the power of godliness, those were denied, for they deny the power; and do not only so, but quench the spirit, and grieve and vex it, and hate the light; by which light they are condemned. G. F.

CCLXXII.-To Friends in Ireland.

Keep to the equal measure and just weight in all things, both inwardly and outwardly, that you may answer equity, answer truth in the oppressed, and the spirit, and grace, and light in all people. And so, being kept in righteousness, and equity, and truth, and holiness, that preserves you over the inequality, injustice, and the false measure, and weight, and balance in all things, both inward and outward. And this keeps your eye open, keeps you in a feeling sense, keeps you in understanding, and true wisdom, and true knowledge, what you are to answer to all men in righteousness, and truth, and equity, both inward and outward. And this is to all you that have purchased or bought any Irish land, so that justice and righteousness, and the true measure, and true weight, and even balance, may be among you, to answer that which is true, and just, and even, and equal; that you may answer that which is equal, and just, and true in yourselves, and in every man and woman; that you may be preserved in the sense and favour of God, and so may answer the good and righteous principle in all, by which VOL. VIII.

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they may be brought to truth, the equal principle, and just measure, and true weight and balance; by which they may know the just and true God in all his works and out-goings.

CCLXXIII.-Not to trust in uncertain riches.

G. F.

All Friends, be ye as strangers to all things visible and created, but be acquainted with the Creator, your maker, the Lord God Almighty; for outward things are not durable riches, nor durable substance, nor durable habitations, nor durable possessions, for they have wings and will fly away; and so therefore be as pilgrims and strangers to the world, and all worldly, created and visible things, and witness redemption from the earth, that you may reign upon the earth, as kings and priests to God, that you may know a habitation in God, and the riches of his grace and life, that is everlasting, and a substance that fadeth not away, the riches which hath not wings, and the riches that is not deceitful, that is durable and true. For men trusting in outward riches, and outward things, they will deceive and fail them, and have wings and flee away from them. And so man in that state is deceived, and riches are deceitful to him. Therefore, as I said before, be as strangers and pilgrims to the world, and all things therein, possess, as though you did not possess them, and what you enjoy, as though you did not; be above all such things, and loose to them in the invisible life and power, which is over all things; for the birth that is born again of the immortal seed by the word of God, that lives and abides, and endures for ever, and is above all things; for all things are upheld by his word and power. And so be acquainted with the heavenly and certain riches, the durable substance, and the everlasting possession and inheritance of life, through which you may be acquainted with your maker and creator, the Lord God Almighty. G. F.

CCLXXIV.

My dear friends,-In the pure and undefiled life all live, in the holy seed that changes not, that will wear out all in the transgression, and was before transgression was, (and this seed was never a transgressor,) and it will be when transgression is gone, and is over that spirit which is in transgression, and is a burdensome stone to the transgressor, and him that is out of truth, and it will outlast all. And so in that live, in which ye may reign in the life and truth, and in its time it will break all their bonds. For that spirit that doth transgress, doth persecute in the particular the just, and persecution makes the just to suffer in the general; and so, they that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer

persecution by them that persecute those that are godly; it is no wonder for them to persecute the godly in Christ the heavenly man: so the just suffereth, within and without, by the unjust. And so be valiant for the Lord's truth upon the earth, and dwell in love, and in humility, and meekness, and patience, and righteousness, in which the love of the Lord is manifested. So no more but my love. G. F.

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CCLXXV.

All Friends every where, in the living spirit, and living power, and in the heavenly light dwell, and quench not the motions of it in yourselves, nor the movings of it in others; though many have run out, and gone beyond their measures, yet many more have quenched the measure of the spirit of God, and after became dead and dull, and questioned through a false fear; and so there hath been hurt both ways. And therefore be obedient to the power of the Lord, and his spirit, and his spiritual weapons; war with that Philistine that would stop up your wells and springs. Jacob's well was in the mountain, (read that within,) he was the second birth. And the belief in the power keeps the spring open. And none to despise prophecy, neither to quench the spirit; so that all may be kept open to the spring, that every one's cup may run over. For you may all prophesy one by one, and the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets. Would all the Lord's people were prophets,' said Moses in his time, when some found fault; but the last time is the christian's time, who enjoys the substance, Christ Jesus; and his church is called a royal priesthood, offering up spiritual sacrifices; and his church are his believers in his light. And so in the light every one should have something to offer; and to offer an offering in righteousness to the living God, else they are not priests; and such as quench the spirit cannot offer, but become dull. I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh, in the last time,' saith the Lord, which is the true christian's time, God's sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and old men shall dream dreams; and on my servants and handmaids I will pour out of my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.' Now friends, if this be fulfilled, servants, handmaids, sons, daughters, old men, young men, every one to feel the spirit of God, by which you may see the things of God, and declare them to his praise; for with the heart man doth believe, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation; first, he has it in his heart, before it comes out of his mouth; and this is beyond that brain-beaten-heady stuff, which man has long studied, about the saints' words, which the holy men of God spake forth as they were moved by the holy ghost: so the holy ghost moved them, before they came forth and spake them. And therefore, as I said before, do

not resist the holy ghost, for they that did so, grew stiff-necked, and their hearts were uncircumcised; but feel this holy ghost, this spirit of truth, that leads you into all truth. So with the holy ghost, and with the light and power of God, do you build upon Christ the foundation, and life; and by the same heavenly light, and power, and spirit, do you labour in the vineyard, and do you minister and speak forth the things of God, and do you dig for your pearls; therefore bring them forth, and let them be seen how they glister the glistering pearls. And all come into the vineyard of God to labour, in the light which was before darkness was, and with the life which was before death and his power was; and in the truth and power of God, which the devil is out of, that every one of you may have your penny, that precious penny, and heavenly treasure from God Almighty, the great Lord, who is the orderer, and disposer, and governor, and ruler in the vineyard, among his servants, who pays them their wages, and gives them their heavenly penny of life. Mark, it is the labourers in the life, truth, and power of God, that labours in God's vineyard, that have their heavenly penny, that everlasting treasure. So see that So see that you have it; if you be in the labour of life, you will have it. Friends, you see how men and women can speak enough for the world, for merchandise, for husbandry, the ploughman for his plough; but when they should come to speak for God, they quench the spirit, and say, and do not obey God's will. But come, let us see what the wise merchants can say; have they found the pearl and field, and purchased the field, which yields those glorious glistering pearls? Let us see what can you say for God, and that heavenly merchandise. What can the ploughman say for God with his spiritual plough? Is the fallow ground ploughed up? Has he abundance of the heavenly seed of life? So what can the heavenly husbandman say, has he abundance of spiritual fruit in store? What can the thresher say, has he gotten the wheat out of the sheaf, the heavenly wheat, with his heavenly flail? and let us see, what can the spiritual ploughman, husbandman and thresher say for God? And how they have laboured in the vineyard, that they may have their penny, some are breakers of clods in the vineyard, some are weeders, some are cutting off the brambles and bushes, and fitting the ground, and cutting up the roots with the heavenly axe for the seed, some are harrowing in, some are gathering and laying up the riches; so you may see, here are merchants, ploughmen, harrowers, weeders, reapers, threshers in God's vineyard, yet none are to find fault one with another, but every one labouring in their places, praising the Lord, looking to him for their wages, their heavenly penny of life from the Lord of life. So none are to quench the spirit, nor to despise prophecy, lest ye limit the Holy One; and every one is to minister as he hath received the grace, which hath