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A40171
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An epistle to all Christians to keep to yea, yea, and nay, nay, and to fulfil their words and promises by G.F.
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Fox, George, 1624-1691.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing F1804; ESTC R28648
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2,759
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10
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AN EPISTLE TO ALL CHRISTIANS To keep to YEA YEA and NAY NAY And to fulfil their WORDS AND PROMISES By G. F. LONDON Printed for Benjamin Clark in George-Yard in Lonbard-street Bookseller 1682. An Epistle to all Christians to keep to Yea Yea and Nay Nay and to fulfil their Words and Promises 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 breaking your Words and Promises to any People but that you may before you make any Promises to any Man or Woman consider before-hand that you may be able to perform and fullfil both your Words and Promises to all People that you make your Promises or give your word unto And that your Yea be Yea and Nay Nay in all things which Christ hath set up in stead of an Oath yea above an Oath and swearing in his New Covenant and Testament And the Apostle James holds forth the same Doctrine And this Yea Yea and Nay Nay was set up when they forbad all Oathes and Swearing And therefore every one 's Yea should be Yea and every one 's Nay should be Nay and so to stand And therefore all are to Consider afore-hand before they speak their Yea Yea and before they speak their Nay Nay in the New Covenant of Grace Light and Life that with the Light they may see safely when they speak their Yea Yea and their Nay Nay which is the practice of the Children of Light in the New Covenant of Light by and in which Light they see and Consider what they are able to perform what they speak at Yea Yea and what they are able to stand to at Nay Nay So if you do walk in the Light it will preserve you out of all rash and hasty Words and Promises which many runs into that do neither perform either their yea yea or their nay nay Therefore in the New Covenant of Grace Light and Life all are to speak Yea Yea to what they can do and perform and what they say nay nay to that in the Light and Life and Grace of God they may likewise stand to their Nay what they say Nay to So that 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 you be numbred among the Covenant-Breakers spoken of Rom. 1.31 and such Truce-breakers which the Apostle speaks of 2 Tim. 3. Which have a Form of Godliness but deny the power thereof from such turn away says 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 to put away Lying and to speak every man the Truth with his Neighbour Ephes 4.15 25. Psal 15.1 2. 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 Psal 12. 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 Prov. 8.7 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 stedfast the holy Men of God would have Gods people to be in their words and doings Jam. 2.12 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 Jam. 4. 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 the 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 Luk. 16.10 11 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much and he that is Vnjust in the least is unjust also in much And further he saith If ye have not been faithful in the Vnrighteous Mammon or Riches who will Commit unto you the true Riches Therefore there must be a Justness a Faithfulness in the outward Riches betwixt Man and Man if you will have a place in your hearts for the true heavenly Riches The Inward faithfulness to God bringeth forth faithfulness to men in outward things And as the Apostle says 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 Zach. 8.16 Which are very good things to be minded thought upon and practised by the Church of Christ The Lord saith by Zachary These are the things that ye shall do speak ye every man the Truth to his Neighbour Execute the Judgment of Truth and peace in your Gates Again Therefore saith the Lord I am returned unto Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and Jerusalem shall be called a City of Truth and the mountain of the Lord of Host an holy Mountain And if outward Jerusalem was called so in the days of the Old Testament surely much more is heavenly Jerusalem in the New Covenant and Testament called The City of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem Into which nothing that is uncle an can enter but all the Believers in the Light and the Children of Light enter into whose names are Written in the Lambs book of Life and are to Walk in Truth and Righteousness and speak the Truth every man to his Neighbour according to the Apostle's Doctrine And so as every one hath received Christ Jesus who is the Truth walk in him the Truth and speak the Truth as it is in Jesus For you are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your bodies and in your Spirits which are his And the Lord in mercy grant that all his people who profess his name may do so to his praise to his Glory and to his honour over all for ever Amen And do not slight the form of sound Words in Truth You who have bought the Truth do not sell it And he that orders his Conversation aright shall see the salvation of God And the Apostle says to the Philippians Let your Conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ For the Apostle says Our Conversation is in Heaven where must be all the true Followers of Christ that are built upon him the Rock and foundation who is from above And the Lord God Establish all his people upon this Rock and foundation which standeth sure that upon him they may stand fast with the Grace and Truth that comes from him Amen G. F. Edmonton in the County of Middlesex 23 11 Month 1681. THE END