or they with you; so that you may make inward plantations with the light and power of God (the Gospel) and the grace, and truth, and Spirit of Christ; and with it you may answer the Light, and Truth, and Spirit of God, in the Indians, their kings and people; and so by it you may make heavenly plantations in their hearts for the Lord, and beget them to God, that they may serve and worship Him, and spread his Truth abroad and so that you all inay be kept warm in God's love, power, and zeal for the honour of his Name, "that his Name may be great among the heathen," or gentiles; and ye may see over, or be overseers with the Holy Ghost, which was before the unclean ghost got into man and woman. So with this Holy Ghost, you may see, and oversee, that the unclean ghost and his works may be kept out of the camp of God: so that his camp may be holy, and all the holy may come into it: and He who is holy may walk in the midst of you his camp, and be glorified in and among you all, who is over all, and worthy of all glory, from everlasting to everlasting, blessed and praised for evermore.

"From the rising of the sun, even 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." Mal. i. 11.

"The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice, let the multitudes of the isles be glad. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord, for the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. He will beautify the meek with salvation." Psalms, xcvii; xcviii; cxlix. and cl.

G. F.

NUMBER

CCCLXXX.

To all Christians, to keep to yea, yea, and nay, nay, and to fulfil their word and promises.

Edmonton, 23rd of 11th Month, 1682.

All my dearly beloved friends and brethren every where, the Lord God Almighty, with his holy power and Spirit, hath gathered and kept and preserved you to this day a people to Himself. And now, dear friends and brethren, in all your words, in all your business and employments, have a care of break

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ing your words and promises to any people; but that you may consider beforehand, whether you may be able to perform and fulfil both your words and promises, that your yea be yea, and nay, nay, in all things; which Christ hath set up instead of an oath, yea, above an oath and swearing, in his New Covenant and Testament: and the apostle James holds forth the same doctrine.

So let none make any promise, or speak yea, yea, or nay, nay, rashly, which they cannot perform: for such kind of inconsiderate and rash speaking is not in the everlasting Covenant of light, life, and grace: take heed, lest ye be numbered among the covenant breakers, spoken of, Rom. i. 31. and such truce-breakers as the apostle speaks of, 2 Tim. iii. "which have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof; from such turn away," saith the apostle. And therefore they that deny the power of godliness, will not be faithful to God nor man; and such cannot exercise a good conscience to God, in obedience to Him, nor to man, to perform that which is just, righteous and honest. Therefore the apostle exhorts the Christians in the New Testament, to "speak the truth in love,

and o put away lying, and to speak every man the truth to his neighbour." Eph. iv. 15, 25. And David saith: "Who shall abide in thy tabernacle; and who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart: but they that speak vanity, every one to his neighbour, with flattering lips and a double heart, the Lord shall cut off."

And Solomon, speaking of wisdom, says: "My mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips." And James says in his general Epistle, "So speak ye, and so do," &c. So see here how certain and steadfast the holy men of God would have God's people to be in their words and doings. And also James was careful, that the saints in their very outward dealings were to be just, and reproved such for saying: "To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy, and sell, and get gain: whereas they did not know what should be on the morrow. But they ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that." Therefore you may see how careful the apostle was, to

keep all true Christians in the fear of the Lord, and in the sense of his will.

God is true and faithful to his people in all generations; and so He would have his people to be true and faithful to Him, and to one another, and to all men in his Spirit and Truth. And Christ saith," He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much." And further He saith: "If ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, or riches, who will commit unto you the true riches?" Therefore there must be a justness and faithfulness in the outward riches between man and man, if you will have a place in your hearts for the true heavenly riches: the the inward faithfulness to God bringeth forth faithfulness to men in outward things. And, as the apostle said to the saints, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things:" which are very good things