servest not the Lord God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things the Lord thy God giveth thee; and therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies, which the Lord thy God shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things. And thine enemy shall put a yoke of iron about thy neck, to yoke thee down: who will not bear the yoke of Christ, and doth not hearken to the Lord to serve and obey him. But they that diligently hearken to the Lord their God, and obey and serve him in truth and righteousness, he blesses them in the city, and in the field, and in their basket, and in their store house, and in all they set their hands to; and he blesses the fruit of their body, and the fruit of their ground, and the cattle, and their flocks; and the Lord shall open his good treasure, the heavens to give them rain upon their land in his season, and to bless all the works of their hands, that thou mayst lend to other nations, and shalt not borrow. And these are the blessings of them that hearken to the Lord, and serve him, as you may see in Deut. xxviii. the blessings that come upon the faithful, and the judgments upon the disobedient and unfaithful. 'When God giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? &c. whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only.' Job. xxxiv. 29. The Lord shall save the humble person; he shall deliver the island of the innocent; it is delivered by the pureness of thy hands.' Job xxii. 29, 30. Read this in all your assemblies, both in Pennsylvania and West Jersey. G. F. CCCCIX. To all the holy women that trust in God, and do profess godliness with good works, according to the apostles' doctrine, in this age, for them to read over and put in practice. Friends, The apostle saith, 'I will therefore that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety, and not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array, but as becometh women professing godliness, with good works.' 1 Tim. ii. 9, 10. And likewise Peter saith in his general epistle to the church of Christ, to the women, 'Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and wearing of gold, and putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of a great price; for after this manner in old time the holy women also who trusted in God adorned themselves.' 1 Pet. iii. 3, 4, 5. Now all women may here consider what is to be the practice of such women that profess godliness, and trust in God, their adorning is the hidden man of the heart, which is incorruptible, and their ornament is to be of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. But those women whose outward adorning is with broidered and plaited hair, and gold, and pearls, and costly array; these have not the modest apparel, which become modest, sober, shamefaced women, that profess godliness with good works; but such as are unsober and immodest, such as look upon such things to become them, are clothed with corruptible and unquiet spirits, that do not possess godliness with good works. And these outward ornaments, as plaiting and broidering the hair, and wearing of gold, and pearls, and costly array, the apostle saith, 'do not become women professing godliness with good works;'. but them that do not profess godliness, that are shameless and unsober, they may become such women that do not trust in God, their proud spirit may lead them to adorn themselves with such things, as is said before, which the apostle forbids. But the holy women of God, who professed godliness with good works, and trusted in God, adorned themselves not with plaiting the hair, or wearing of gold, or pearls, or costly array; but with the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.' And now consider also, you women that profess godliness, and go under the name of holy women, who trust in God, see that yourselves, and your children, and all your young women are adorned and arrayed, and have on this ornament, as the apostle wills the church of Christ to put on, as the holy women did of old; and be not of an unmeek and unquiet spirit, and unsober and immodest, when you are admonished and exhorted, nor act contrary to the holy women of old that trusted in God, and such as professed godliness, according to the apostle's doctrine. And here you may see what care the apostles had to keep the saints, (the church of Christ,) their eyes, minds, and spirits above the wearing of gold, plaiting their hair, and pearls, and costly apparel, which is the glory of this world, which the holy women that trusted in God, and professed godliness with good works; these things were not to be their adorning nor ornaments, but (as is said before) the hidden man of the heart, which was not corrupt, even the meek and quiet spirit, which is with the Lord of great price. And this ought to be, and is the adorning and ornament of all the holy women, that profess godliness with good works, and trust in God. And all you that have been convinced of the Lord's truth, by his spirit, take heed of satan taking you up into a mountain, and of his showing you the glory of the world, and of your minds and eyes going after it, and receiving of it; and so in that you fall from the spirit and VOL. VIII. 38 truth of God that did convince you, and then to worship the devil, the king of pride, the god of the world, that abode not in the truth, in whom there is no truth; and he to lead your minds and eyes after every new vain fashion of the world that passeth away, and that lieth in wickedness; and so draweth you to the love of the world, which is enmity to God, and into the wisdom of the world, by which ye do not know God; and then to such the gospel of life and salvation is hid, in whom the god of this world hath blinded their minds. And in such disobedient ones the prince of the air rules, and gets into them by disobeying the truth; and in such Christ doth not rule in their hearts by faith; and it is not like, when they make shipwreck of it, and a good conscience. And therefore, walk in the light of Christ, and grow in his grace, and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, that bruises the serpent's head, and destroys the devil and his works, that you may all be established upon Christ, the rock and foundation. And if ye do believe in the covenant of light, life, and grace; then, why do not you all train up your children in the same? Did not the Lord command the Jews to train up their children in the old covenant, and teach them to walk in it? And were not all the males to be circumcised? And they that were not circumcised were to be cut off from the congregation of the Lord. So are not all you that profess the new covenant of grace, light, and life, and the gospel of salvation preached to every creature, and the grace of God which brings salvation, that hath appeared unto all men, to teach them to live godly, and to deny ungodliness, &c. I say, are not you all to train up your children and families in this light of the gospel and grace of Christ which brings salvation, and brings them into favour with God, that you may have the comfort of your children in this world, and in that which is everlasting? And that they may be circumcised with the spirit of God, which he poureth out upon all flesh, that with his spiritual circumcision the body of death and sins of the flesh may be cut off, which are come into man and woman by transgression, that neither you nor they might die in the body of death, and in the sins of the flesh, and such do not die in the Lord; for they that are not circumcised with the spiritual circumcision are cut off from the heavenly Jerusalem, and the kingdom of God and Christ, and from the church of the living God written in heaAnd therefore, if you will have the comfort of your children in this world, and that which is to come, train them up in the fear of God, and in his covenant of light and grace; which grace brings their salvation, and brings them into favour with God, and into the spiritual baptism and circumcision, so that they may serve and worship the living God in his spirit and truth. Amen. ven. And if children and young people must be left, and let alone to themselves, and not be admonished, exhorted, and restrained from the evil and vanities of the world, then why did Moses, and the prophets, and the apostles, which were sent of God, exhort the people to train up their children in the fear of the Lord, and to teach them his law while they were young, that they might not depart from it when they were old? And if that they did, the Lord did judge them, as ye may read in the scriptures of truth; and if that they must be left to themselves, and not restrained from evil, then how came it to pass that old Ely lost his life, and his priesthood, and the ark of God, for not restraining his children from evil? And again, if that they must be left to themselves, why did the prophets and the apostles say, that they must not quench, nor vex, nor grieve, nor rebel against the spirit of God, nor turn the grace of God into wantonness, nor walk despitefully against the spirit of grace; but walk in the spirit, and in the truth, and in the light, and to love it, and not to hate it; for they that do not love the light, but hate it, are condemned by it, and so grow in the condemnation, and are not in the justification of life. The Lord God commanded Abraham to circumcise himself and his children and servants, that were bought with money, and were born in his house. He was to bring all his males into this covenant of outward circumcision; and the Lord said, 'That soul shall be cut off that is not circumcised, he hath broken my covenant' of outward circumcision, as you may see. Gen. xvii. Here you may see Abraham was to teach and instruct his family and servants, and he was not to keep any man or servant that was uncircumcised in his family. Now you that profess the new covenant, are not you and all your children and servants to be circumcised with the spirit of circumcision? And do not they that have not the body of death, and the sins of the flesh cut off by circumcision, go down into the pit, and not into paradise, and the kingdom of God? And therefore may not such uncircumcised by the spirit hurt the families of true christians in the light? Therefore consider, Abraham was not to suffer any of his children and servants, that were bought with his money, or born in his house, to be uncircumcised in the old covenant. This care the Lord laid upon him, in his family, in the old covenant. Therefore consider, you that profess the new covenant of the spirit of circumcision, what care lies upon you in your families, of teaching and instructing your servants and children, and to bring them to the spirit of circumcision. And now, do not say but you are all warned in your lifetime; and therefore prize your time, while you have it, that you spend it to the honour and glory of God. The 9th of the 5th month, 1686. G. F. CCCCX.-An epistle for them that are learned in Christ, to read and understand. The Lord saith, 'In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things,' &c. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. And he will swallow up death into victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces. Isa. v. 26, 27. 1 Cor. xv. 54. Rey. xxi. 4. Is not this mountain Christ, that filleth the whole earth, where this feast of fat things is? And doth not Christ through death, destroy death and the devil, the power of death, and so takes away the veil and covering that is spread over all nations, that they may be covered with the spirit that he pours upon all flesh? And the apostle saith, Moses put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is to be abolished; for their minds were blinded. For, until this day remains the same veil untaken away. In the reading of Moses and the old testament the veil is upon their hearts; which veil is done away in Christ; and when they shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be done away; as in 2 Cor. iii. So, here you may see the veil that was spread over the hearts of people, is done away by Christ; and all they that are turned to the Lord, with open face behold, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, and are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even by the spirit of the Lord. And the lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed his people, and dwell amongst them; who hath made their robes white in the blood of the lamb: and this is the day of Christ, whom God gives for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth. Sing, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains; for God hath comforted his people, and hath mercy upon his afflicted. And Christ, saith to the prisoners, go forth; unto them that are in darkness, show yourselves; and they shall feed in pastures: for he that hath mercy on them, shall lead them, and by the springs of water shall he guide them. Isa. xlix. For God gave Christ for a covenant to the people, for a light to the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners out of prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison houses. Isa. xlii. 2. 6, 7. Rev. vii. 15, 16, 17. So we that do witness this do praise the Lord God through Jesus Christ. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people.' Rev. xxi. 3. This is the day of the new covenant, which people enjoy in Christ Jesus. |