Imatges de pàgina
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TO THE POOR AMONG FRIENDS, who are relieved by the charity and bowels of love, which God opens in other Friends towards them.

O FRIENDS,

Ye ought deeply and often to consider of God's visiting you with his precious truth, whereto being faithful, ye are sure to be happy for ever; how hard soever it should go with you, and how strait soever your condition should be, in reference to the things of this world.

But ye have not only this assurance and benefit by the truth, but ye are also come to partake of a better provision, as to your necessities outwardly, than other poor meet with. For God himself takes care of you, in drawing the hearts of his children to consider of your wants, and make supply unto you; so that many of you are so provided for, as ye had never like to have been while in this world, had it not been for the interest God gives you in the hearts of others, through and because of his truth. Surely this should not be forgotten by you, but daily acknowledged to the Lord, in the use and enjoyment of those things, which ye ought to receive as from his hand, through those who minister to you in his name, and for his sake.

And take heed of murmuring, if the supply answer not any of your expectations; for if we wait upon the Lord, to be ordered and guided by him in this matter, and answerably witness his presence with us, and holy wisdom ordering us in these affairs; your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord. And if ye watch narrowly over yourselves, ye will find it is the unsubdued part, which is apt to be repining and murmuring; but that which is of the Lord, and eyes him, is that which is sensible of his goodness, and thankful to him for it. But if there be judged to be any neglect towards any, or any just cause of complaint; let it, in tenderness, meekness, and the fear of the Lord, be laid before us; and we will wait upon him to give it a due and full consideration, and do therein as the Lord shall open

and guide our hearts. For great exercises of spirit do we meet with in these affairs, and great are our cries of spirit to the Lord, to guide and order us according to his will and holy counsel therein.

And dear Friends, wait to feel that which stays your minds on the Lord, and keeps your eye towards him; and take heed of judging us in things, wherein we truly desire to act singly towards the Lord, and of which we must give an account to him; and if ye in any thing judge us, wherein our God justifies us, certainly the Lord will therein condemn you. Therefore be wary and watchful in this matter. I. P.

To SARAH BOND.

DEAR SARAH,

I have had many thoughts of thee in this my imprisonment; wherein I have seen in spirit thy error and miscarriage, and a hope and expectation in thy heart which will deceive thee.

Oh, how much precious time hast thou lost! wherein thou mightst have been travelling far on thy journey, while thou art disputing in thy mind, and wandering in the deceitful reasonings of thy heart. And indeed, it must not be, it must not be as thou imaginest; but thou must begin low, and be glad of a little light to travel with out of the earthly nature, and be faithful thereunto; and in faithfulness expect additions of light, and so much power as may help thee to rub on. And though thou may be long low, and weak, and little, and ready to perish; yet in the humble and selfdenying state, the Father will help thee, and cause his life to shoot up in thee, in the shooting up whereof will be thy redemption.

But, oh hasten, oh hasten out of the earthly nature, whilst thou hast time, or any visitations from the Spirit of the Lord! and do not, in thy wisdom, limit him, but accept what at present comes from him; for the flood is breaking

out, and will swallow up and drown all that are not found in the ark. Oh! therefore enter, enter apace; mind that which checks in thy heart; mind also that which reasons against those checks, to hold thee still in captivity, and to keep thee from travelling out of the earthly nature, spirit, wisdom, and practices; and come out of the spirit and way of this world, that thou mayst live, and not die. For none shall live, but those that walk in the way of life, and leave the paths and course of the dead, in which thou art yet entangled. Oh that thou mightst be loosed, and travel out thence, with a little light and a little help! and not limit the Holy One of Israel in thy desires or expectations, but thankfully receive the smallest visitation that comes from him to thy soul; for there is life and peace in it, and death and perplexity in turning from it. And this will not be thy comfort or satisfaction hereafter, to have had a day of visitation and mercy from on high; but to have received the visitation, and to have been turned in it, from the darkness of the earthly mind and nature, into the light of the living and redeemed souls,-this will be comfortable indeed!

And this is my tender counsel to thee: wait for and gaspingly receive the checks of the Most High, and take heed of reasoning against them; but as that (though in a low and mean and despicable way to thy wisdom) draws and leads thee out of any earthly thought, word, custom, or practice, follow diligently; not reasoning against it, but waiting to have thy reasonings subdued to the smallest motions and lowest guidance of life in thee. For I know that life is near thee, even the life that would effectually redeem thee; but it is bowed down and held captive under the dominion of the earthly wisdom; and so thy redemption (which is to be wrought out by it) sticks, and will stick, until thy heart be persuaded to join to it and become subject, without reasoning, without consulting, without disputing. For I certainly know the light manifests in thee; but the darkness puts off the present manifestation of the light, and expects another; and this is in the will of the flesh, which the Father will not answer; and in this will and expectation thou

wilt perish; but thy help, life, and salvation are in being subject to the present manifestation of light, parting with and departing from what thou already knowest to be of the earth, and not of God.

And in thus doing, more will be made manifest in the Lord's season, and power given to become a child, after some belief in the Father, and some entrance into the childlike nature; but the will and expectation of the flesh in thee shall never be answered:-it hath been long written in my heart concerning thee, but I dare never utter it to thee. Oh that it may be now uttered, to the melting and advantage of thy heart! for, indeed, I love thee, and have travailed for thee, and desire the salvation of thy soul, as of my own. Oh that thou mayst be led out of that wisdom which destroys, into that which saves! and mayst there, in humility of heart, receive instruction daily, according to thy need. But indeed, of a truth, thou must come into and come under that which crucifies thy nature and wisdom; and there (in the seasons of God's wisdom, who answers the desires of his own Spirit in the heart, but regards not the flesh) mayst thou meet with life and power, but no where else.

I am thy friend, and a dear lover of that in thee which desires the Lord; and oh that that might come up in thee, and be severed from the earth, that thy soul may live!

I. P.

FOR MY DEAR FRIENDS IN THE TRUTH AT LEWES.

THE God of truth plants his truth in the hearts of people, that it might grow there, and bring forth fruit to him. O my dear friends! feel it grow in every one of your hearts, and bringing forth the proper fruits of its growth to the Lord.

Mind what ariseth from the truth, what truth brings forth, and wait for and receive your nourishment from the Lord, that it may be brought forth in you. And that which

the Lord hath made barren (in you, who have experienced his righteous judgments), let it be kept so, by the same power which made it barren, that no more fruit may be brought forth to sin and unrighteousness, by any of you. Then shall ye live the life of truth, and no life but the life of truth, and dwell and walk in the truth, than which there is no greater joy, delight, or peace to be desired or enjoyed.

O my dear friends! know and every day experience Enoch's life, a being translated out of the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of the dear Son, and of walking with the Son in his kingdom; then ye will walk with the Father also, and know the heavenly paths of life, joy, righteousness, and peace in the pure light of life, which is no less than a paradise to the renewed soul.

I would fain have seen you together, had the Lord made way; but let me feel you in the hidden life, and meet you at my Father's throne, where let us beg of our God, what our souls and his whole flock stand in need of, praying for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem, unto the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hears our prayers; that we may daily see and feel the going on of the work of our God, in our hearts, and in the kingdoms of the world (which must become the Lord's and his Christ's), and may bless and magnify his name, who hath power over all, and orders all for good to his chosen heritage.

This is the salutation of my love to you, which lay so upon me, that I could not pass it by, who am your friend, in the everlasting, unchangeable truth of our blessed God and Saviour.

I. P.

To

BECAUSE my not praying in my family, according to the custom of professors, seemed to be such a great stumblingblock to thee, it sprang up in my heart to render thee this account thereof.

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