sometimes when the great Fountain the great Deep hath opened and issued forth of his fulness into thee oh my soul and when Joy hath come into thy heart as a River and Gladness as a mighty Stream Refreshings as showers in the Spring and Consolation as due upon the tender Plants and when thou couldst sing for joy of heart and shout aloud even Praises and Halelujahs to thy God that then even then thou oh my soul remembrest the Poor and Needy in his own Eyes and think'st thou hearest his cry sounding in thy Ear and his soul saying in secret Oh how many is there who Eateth of the largest Loaves and Drinkest of the largest full Flagons but oh alas for me I have scarce a drop of Refreshment hardly a crum of Consolation but my Tears is my Meat and Drink Day and Night whilest my Enemy saith unto me where is thy God Oh I go bowed down all the day long and none knoweh my Sorrow but the Lord alone Oh I am even as an Owl in thâ— Desart and as the Pelican in the Wilderness I am as the alonâ— Quail in the stubble Fields and as the Dove mourning for thâ— loss of her Mate and as the alone Sparrow upon the House top and as a Woman forsaken and grieved in Spirit Oh whose Condition is like mine is there any amongst the Sons and Daughters of Men like unto me is there any so Poor as I oh is there any so Needy as I oh is there any so Weak and Feeble as I is there any so Foolish as I oh is there any so Dry and Barren as I oh is there any so Cold and Fruitless to God-ward as I is there any so Desolate as I Oh my leanness oh my leanness oh how long how long shall it be thus with me oh how long how long shall I sit mourning as by the River of Babylon with my Harp laid aside oh when when shall I walk again in Sion and travel in the Streets of Jerusalem with a new Song in my Mouth and everlasting Joy upon my Head and living Praises in my Heart unto the Lord who dwâ—lleth in his Sion and his presence is great in his Jerusalem but oh alass for me I am as one cast out of his sight and one who walketh dejected all the day long Oh when will the Lord cause the days of my Mourning to be over and the nights of my Sorrow to pass away and my Sighings and Groanings to vanish and all Tears to bâ— wiped from mine Eyes oh when will the Lord give me Beauty instead of Ashes the Oyl of Joy for Mourning and the Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness that I a Poor Dry Barren one might become a Tree of Righteousness bringing forth Fruit of Holiness abundantly to the praise of the Lord God that he in and through me might be glorified Oh when shall my Winter be over and the terrible Storms be gone oh when shall the cold nipping Frosts be expelled the Darkness and Gloominess be extinguished oh when will the Sun of Righteousness break forth unto me in his Glory and his warm Beams refresh and warm my poor cold Soul oh when will the Spring come when shall I know a Spring-time â— the Lord oh when will Summer come oh when will the singing of Birds come oh when shall I hear the voice of the Turtle in my Land oh when will the Showers from on high fall down upon my Soul oh when shall I receive the early and latter Rain oh when shall I come to sit under my own Vine and under my Fig-tree and none to make me afraid Oh how long shall my Beloved be hid from me as in the clifts of the Rocks and as in the secret places of the Stairs sometimes indeed he shews himself unto me as behind the Wall and as through a Lattis and then my Bowels my tender Bowels are moved for him Oh when oh when shall I have a full enjoyment of him whom my soul loveth oh that I could but plainly hear his Voice and perfectly see his Face for oh indeed sweet is his Voice and his Countenance is very comly my soul desireth him in the Night season and in the Morning I seek him early but oh I cannot find him whom my soul loveth for he hath with-drawn himself from me and 〈◊〉 is the cause of my Leanness Coldness Barrenness and Unfruitfulness to God-ward which is the cause of my Sorrow Tears Sighing Groaning Mourning and walking Dejected all the day long Oh indeed there was a time once when my Beloved knocked at the Door of my Heart saying again and again open open unto me my Head is wet with Dew and my Locks filled with the Drops of the Night open open unto me and let me in but oh wo's me I was gotten into a Bed of false Ease and wrong Security and was loath to come out but I made many excuses and said I have put off my Coat how shall I put it on I have washed my Feet how shall I defile them c and I lingered so long as that my Beloved vvithdrew himself and at last I rose in my own time not when he called to open to my Beloved and he was gone and then I called him but he did not answer me I sought him but did not find him and oh my Bowels my Bowels is even pained for him and my Soul panteth after him even as the Hart painteth after the water Brooks Oh that I could but find him whom â—y soul loveth oh I would hold him I would hold him fast I would not let him go he should lie all night in my Bosom I would be watchful and diligent that I grieve him not and very fearful of displeasing of him and would take heed of giving him any cause whereby to leave me and thus to hide his Face from me but oh alass for me when shall I find him when will he come I long for Oh when when shall I have my full enjoyment of him oh when will he bring me into his Banquetting-House and his Love be even as a Banner over me his left hand under my Head and his right Imbrasing of me staying me with Flagons comforting me with Apples making me Sick of Love giving me of his spiced Wine and of the juce of his Pomgranets oh if thus I could come to enjoy him whom my Soul Loveth then would all Tears be wiped away from mine Eyes and I forget my Sorrow because of Joy and Gladness and then should I look no more Sorrowful but should Rejoyce as Hannah did and say Oh my Heart rejoyceth in the Lord and my Horn is exalted in the Lord and my Mouth is enlarged over my Enemy who said unto me I shall be always Barren and Unfruitful because I rejoyce in his Salvation who hath regarded my low Estate oh now I the Barren shall bear Seven and she who hath had many Children wax Feeble now I the parched Ground become a Pool
by â—â—ds and self-inâ—â—â—â—st to condecend to do that thing willingly which we know â—ould cause Gods Truth to suffer his holy Name to be dishonoured his holy Spirit to be grieved and our Consciences to be defiled thereby ah in this frame of spirit free given up state the Lord God of power keep us by his power with the rest of his dear innocent suffering Lambs elsewhere for his own name-sake even unto the end until our Testimony for the Lord which he in his beloved Son hath counted us worthy to bear in this his day be finished to the praise glory and renown of his holy powerful name and to the everlasting Joy and eternal Peace of our immortal souls Amen saith my soul which doth fervently desire dear suffering Lambs that the holy living presence of my God may be in with and amongst you all to your Joy and Comfort and that his power may uphold you and that his strength may support you and keep up your heads above all your sufferings and tryals that so none may grow weary nor faint in your minds but you may be made strong in the Lord and be able in the power of his might to resist thresh hammer and beat down every thought and all carnal reasonings and fleshly consultings that your Enemy and Adversary in your own hearts would infuse into your minds which indeed if entertained how soon may they who are strong thereby become weake and they who witness freedom be brought again into bondage and be again caught in the Serpents snares ho is exceeding busie within as well as without seeking daily whom he may devour and betray of the simplicity of truth and draw back again unto himself Dear Lambs you are in measure acquainted with his subtilty yea blessed be the Lord who hath open'd your eyes and you see him and his temptations and crafty allurements and not only so but you know how to escape them so as not to be overcome by tâ—em but resist them overcome him and his temptations thâ—ough the strength of the Lord who hath called and redeemed you from under his power yet not withstanding my dear Friends let me say unto you in the brotherly love and tenderness of my soul watch and keep close unto the Lord in your own hearts that unto him you may be kept faithful unto the very end who will make way for your deliverance in his own time and season and he will plead your righteous cause with his and your Adversaries in his season to your Joy and their Sorrow Whâ—â—efore wholely commit your cause unto the Lord your God who watcheth over you and careth for you and will never leave you but will stand by you and help you in the needful time even all you whose trust and hope is in him alone and can use no other weapon to plead your cause with but the â—â—rd of his mouth So dear Lambs in the pure patience and long suffering of the Lamb our Captain and Leader and Example that meek one who saith love Enemies possess your souls and rest in stilness and peace and quietness and contentedness in the Ark of safety whâ—ch the Lord hath prepared for his Family to bear them up above the floods until the waters abate and dry land appear So the Lord be with you all and bundle you up together in his innocent love which thinketh no evil therein to serve him with your whole hearts and one an other with all self-denial none to strive except to be most meâ—kâ—st and lowâ—st in mind so that you all way be tender affectionated one towards another forgiving and fâ—rbearing one another in love the stâ—oâ—g bearâ—ng with the infirmities of the weak that even as dear Children of one Father you may dwell together in peace and in pure unity in the spirit of holiness that a Joy and a Comfort you may â—e to each other in the Lord upon whom dear Lambs wait â—ogether very diligently that of his fulness you may all receive who is ready bountifully to minister that of himself unto all his tender Lambs and breathing Babes who wait upon him which he seeth is meet for them even to their daily nourishment joy comfort and reâ—reshment So in the pure bowels and tender everlasting love of the tender God of compassion doth my soul dearly salute you all who loveth the Lord uprightly and who make mention of his name in sincerity and truth and are willing to suffer for the same whether you be in bonds or out of bonds my love reacheth unto all the upright in heart Farewel dear Lambs From your Friend and Companion in the patience and long suffering of the Lamb who hath must and shall have the victory over all his Enemies to Triumph and Reign in Dominion Eternally Norwich Castle 29th of the 7th Month 1664. William Bennit This to go among Friends of Truth to be read amâ—ng â—hâ—m when assembled together in the pure fear and dread of thâ— most Hâ—gh God DEarly and tenderly beloved Friends the dear tender unfeigned salutation of my tender soul reâ—châ—â—h unto you all who loveth the Lord and his Tâ—uâ—h with your whole hearts and who make mention of his holy name in sincerity and truth even in the meek render lowly holy seed of eternal life made manifest quickned and in measure raised up in my soul even in this innâ—cenâ— seed of immortallity doth the love of â—y soul extend towards you all and I very dearly desire your prosperity and â—ranquility therein even as I do â—esire for my own soul and thaâ— this lowly holy seed and meek innocent life oâ— Jesus may daily spring grow up and flourish in every particular soul of you all that so though it was once the lest of all Seeds in you even as a little grain of Musterd-Seed hid in the Earth it may become the greatest the highest and strongest of all things in you over-povvering you and over-shadowing you that so unto you it may become a pleasant Bower of spices and as a sweet smelling savour that you may even joy to sit under its shadow even with great delight its fruit be exceeding sweet to your taste Ah Babes therein is Peace to be injoyed which is Eternal which passeth all Understanding therein is Joy unspeakable and full of glory to be injoyned therein is Blessedness which is everlasting Happiness which is endless to be injoyed out of it there is none Ah Lambs therein is Power to be received whereby to overcome him who hath the power of Death to wit the Devil and to break his Head and withstand all his Temptations and strong Assaults and various Alurements and many Inticements and power therein to withstand thresh hammer and beat down all those Thoughts Reasonings and Carnal Fleshly Consultations which he your greatest Enemy would infuse into your Minds and raise up in your Hearts whereby to disturb and break your Peace and raise Trouble and Tumults and Insurections in your Minds that so
by you I count not my Life too dear to part with for the Testimony of my God in whom is my Confidence Trust and Hope who hath formed me for his praise whose I am unto you my Conscience I have cleared and whether ye will hear or forbear I am clear of your Blood who am a Friend to your Souls and Bodies and desire the welfare of both and am one who loveth righteous Government and Governours who are for the punishment of evil doers and for the praise of them that do well and such Rulers I truly honour in my heart though not with the vain custom of the Hat neither with the deceitful flattering titles of this World This is from a true lover of your Souls who desâ—reth your everlasting welfare and tranquility in the Lord who is a Sufferer by you but not for evil doing but for doing well the Lord is his witness that this is true whose Servant he is whatever he be by you or any accounted of Edmonds-Bury common Goal this 8th Month 1665. William Bennit To Friends of Truth in the Town of Colehester Greeting DEarly beloved Friends and Brethren who have tasted of the love and goodness â—f the Lord and of the sweetness and pretiousness of his unchangable Truth the virtuous workings and powerful opperations whereof you have felt in your hearts whereby you witness and experience in measure your Souls set at liberty from the bondage of Sin and Corruption to serve the living God in holiness of Life to the praise of your God who hath raised you out of the dust by his Power and quickned you by his Life and formed you by his own Wisdom and given you his good Spirit to guide and lead you teach and counsel you comfort and refresh you oh he hath given you a taste of the Word of Life and power of the World to come oh he hath living Witnesses of his Name and Truth whereof you are made partakers and that which you have seen and known felt and tasted of the same you have through the strength of the Lord born Testimony unto even by Word by Deed by Life and Conversation and through great Sufferings manifold Tribulations and Afflictions all which the Lord your tender God hath inabled you to wade through and hath kept you from fainting unto this day who hath been with you in six Troubles and in the seventh dear Babes he hath not left you but in all your Afflictions for his Name-sake he hath been afflicted with you and the Angel of his presence hath been your defence on the right hand and on the left oh how hath he carried you in his tender Bosome and born you up in his Arms and lead you gently when you were Weak Young and Tender and made the Crooked strait and the Rough smooth before you and thrown down many a high Mountain before you and removed many a lofty Hill out of your way who hath made a way for you in the Wilderness and a path through many a Thickit and hath made the hard things easie he hath been a Shelter to you from the Heat and a Refuge to you from the Storm and many a time hath been unto your Souls as the shadow of a Rook in a weary Land who hath given you Bread when you were Hungry and Water to satisfie your Thirst who Strengthned you when you were Weak and Inriched you when you were Poor who Healed you when you were Wounded and bound you up when you were broken to Pieces who Comforted you in the midst of Sorrow and hath Refreshed you when you have been heavy hearted and lifted up your heads when they were bowed down because of the Oppression of your Enemies Oh how exceeding large is the love of the Lord your tender compassionate God of endless bowels of tenderness oh your own experience of his Love his Mercy his Pity his Compassion his Goodness his Kindness and his Tender Fatherly Care and Dealings towards you is much larger then what I can demonstrate with words oh how can you then but still trust in his Name rely upon his Arm and depend upon his saving Health and hope in his tender Bowels who is the same yesterday to day and for evermore who hath been with you when Trouble hath compassed you round to keep you from Dispair and with you in the midst of Perplexity to keep you from being Distressed and with you in the midst of Persecution to Sucker and Cherish you and refresh your hearts as with New Wine and oh surely dear Babes he is with you still to Comfort you still to Refresh you still to Feed and Nourish you still to Strengthen you still to Uphold and Support you still to Keep and Defend you and surely he will never leave you nor forsake you if you forsake him not but will cleave unto you as you cleave unto him and will still be your God and you shall be his People still and rest in him for ever when in this World you shall be no more Oh dear Friends my soul loveth you wherefore I cannot forget you but often remember you especially since the Lord hath been pleased to visit that place with such fore Affliction and to give it to drink so deeply of the Cup of his Righteous Judgments and oh my soul desires that the Lord may keep and hide your Souls in the hollow of his hand whatever Affliction he suffers to come upon your Bodies and oh that he may inable you to wade through all and to bear all with Patience and Contentedness and think not any of you the Lord cares not for you or that he dis-regards you â—ecauâ—e he doth or may permit the Beesom of his Righteous Juâ—gements which he hath sent forth to sweep away the Wâ—cked to sweep away many of your Bodies from off the Earth neither murmur against the Lord who may do what pleaseth him and yet all his doings are Equal and Righteous altogether and how strange soever his doings appear to the carnal reasoning fleshly part yet assuredly he intends good in all his deallings towards all the honest simple innocent upright hearted ones and it is inwardly well with such whatsoever outwardly the Lord suffereth to befall them and it shall be well with their Souls eternally whatever the Lord permits to come upon their Bodies and truly the sence of these things I know doth cause Joy to spring inwardly in the midst of outward Sorrows and Comfort in the midst of Heaviness Rest in the time of Trouble and Content and Satisfaction in the midst of Affliction and maketh that soul to bear all with patience without murmuring against the Lord and makes such to say The will of God be done well it is the Lord that suffereth it thus to be and why should I murmur against him seeing he knoweth what is best for me and will not suffer any thing to besal me but what through his Love and Mercy shall work for my good as I cleave
to Publicans and Sinners he through Beelzebub the Prince of Devils doth cast out Devils c And truly I may say not out of a prejudiced mind of Enmity towards any for my Soul bears love and good-will towards all men that it is as it were the same now with many of the Professors in this age who as the Jews made a large boast and profession of Moses the Law and the Prophets and hated him the life of them doth make a large boast of Christ in words and of his dying at Jerusalem which I believe he did according as the Scripture testifie and that he hath done all for them and if they can but believe it that is enough c. And yet whilest they are thus professing him in words behold many of them are enemies to his Life and so enemies to him whom they boast of who is the Word that was in the beginning in whom was life and his life is the light of men The true light saith John that lighteth every man that cometh John 1 9. into the world vvhich the Professors say is a natural light that vvhich convinceth vvicked men of sin in their ovvn hearts and judgeth them for evil doing it is a natural light say the Professors and so call the life of the Word vvhich is the light of men natural it 's a natural conscience say some it 's an insufficient light it 's a common grace c. so common it is indeed that as Paul says it hath appeared unto Titus 2 11. all men even that grace that brings Salvation nay some blasphemously vvill presume to say it 's a spirit of delusion a spirit of errour and these are under the vvo vvho call the Truth errour and the Light Isa 5. 20 23 36. darkness and the Good evil and these one day shall knovv their blasphemy and their vvords shall become their burden and these are in great darkness and ignorance indeed thick darkness fills their habitation even the darkness of Egypt that may be felt and it is hard indeed for such to be brought into the pure light and unchangable Truth of God although vvith the Lord God Almighty nothing is impossible and these like the Scribes and Pharisees vvho although they professed God in vvords and said Mat. 23. 13. they had one Father even God sought to shut up the Kingdom of Heaven from men and vvould neither enter in themselves nor suffer them that vvould and so these vvhile they profess Christ in vvords they speak evil of his Light and Truth and vvill neither ovvn it themselves nor suffer as much as in them lie them that vvould but cryes out take heed bevvare of the light the Quakers prate of it is darkness say they it vvill deceive you and delude you and lead you into Errour c. But let all people knovv the light vvhich the people of God called Quakers speak of and in bovvels of love direct peoples minds unto is the life of the Word vvhich is Immortal Eternal Permanent Divine and Immutable and not Natural Joh. 1 2 3 9. Thou vvhoever thou art and vvhatever by men thou art accounted of that doth make a large profession of God Christ and the Scriptures of Truth in vvords and doth hate and speak evil of the Light the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world thou art a hater of God and of Christ and art of Antichrist against Christ although thou professest him in words and sayst thou art saved by him and justified by him c. yet if thou hatest his light in thy own Conscience which doth check thee for evil doing and prick thee for thy sins in secret thou art in enmity to him and condemned by the Light and not justified and thy confession of Christ in words will not save thee from his Righteous Condemnation vvhilst thou hatest his pure light in thy Conscience and thy profession is for the fire and unto the Light thou must come before thou canst find true peace with the Lord God Yea whatever thou art who art climed and a climing up in thy Imaginations and a soaring up aloft with the god of the world the Prince of the power of the Air above the Light the Door into the fold striving to enter into the fold and not by the Door to wit the Light thou art the Thief John 10. 1 8 9. and Robber who runs before Christ the Light the Door into the Fold and thou must come down come down to that which appears a small thing in thy eye who art swell'd big in thy fleshly wisdom from which the things of Gods Kingdom is hid even to that which thou counts a foolish thing a weak a poor thing 1 Cor. 1. 27 28 29 30 31. and 19. 20 21. not worth the minding or heeding but this is it the foolish thing in thy eye that is to confound thy wisdom and turn it into foolishness that so thou beecoming a fool may be made wise in it This is the weak thing in thy eye which is to confound thy strength and make thee weak that thou mayst be strong in it and the poor thing in thy eye which is to rob thee of all thy Riches that thou becoming poor in it may be made Rich so where is the Wise the Rabbi the Scribe the Disputer of this world Hath not God made foolish the Wisdom of this world for the world by wisdom knows not God and so the boaster is excluded that God may have the Glory and all flesh abased and silent before him who of God is made unto his Saints that love his Light and are led by his Spirit Wisdom Strength Power Righteousness Justification and Redemption who have the heavenly Treasure in the Earthen vessel that the glory may be of God who is worthy of all Glory and Praise for ever So heed not dear people you who have any desire in you after the Lord what this man or the other saith of the Light but love the Light and take heed unto it for that which judges and condems sin in you which John 3. 20 is that which seperates you from the Lord and hinders your peace with the Lord and is the cause of your burden and sorrow this you shall not need to fear will delude you That is a spirit of delusion that leads into sin and evil beware of that but that which reproves you for evil in your own hearts and manifests the deeds of darkness take heed unto it for that is the Light that doth make manifest Eph. 5. 13 14. darkness that which is reprovable is made manifest by the Light for whatever makes manifest is Light and that will not onely make manifest the sin and evil but as you come to turn your minds in unto it and love and follow it it will save you from your sins and redeem your minds and souls unto God for who receive his Light his pure Grace in
help even to those that could not speak a vvord in season to them but have daubed them up vvith untempered Morter and have endeavored to heal their vvound deceitfully and have preached Peace to that vvhich is for judgment and so thereby they have gotten some kind of satisfaction for a time until the Lord vvounded them again with the Sword of his Righteous Judgments then their seeming rest fled away as smack before the wind and sorrow trouble took hold on them again as pain on a Woman in travel and then they have run again unto that which could not remove the very cause of their trouble and sorrow they have run to the Scriptures of Truth and therein have found a promise and this they have applied to themselves for to get peace and rest thereby when alas poor hearts they have not been in that state and condition which that promise which they applied to themselves was unto and so not for them and then they have read what the Saints once did and performed and they set themselves to do the like and to imitate them and so hereby for a time they have gotten some satisfaction some kind of rest and peace until the Lord God did thunder again with Dread and uttered his Voice with Terror which caused the Earth to tremble and their habitation to fall and then dissolation came upon them again and their Fig-leave garment came to be rent and their wound greater then ever it was before and thus they have run from Mountain to Hill from one Physitian to another for healing but they were unto them as Physitians of no value for none of them could rightly heal their wounds until at last they said in their hearts We will seek no more unto man for vain is the help of man But we will return unto the Lord God who hath wounded us and he will heal us who hath broken us in peices and he will bind us up and so returning to the light of Christ Jesus in their own hearts with which the Lord hath wounded them for their sins and brought trouble and sorrow upon them for their iniquities waiting therein in patience upon the Lord God in the way of his Righteous Judgments which was set up in their hearts they came to feel through their believing in the Light and loving the Light by which they were wounded for sin the cause of their sorrow and trouble and wounds taken away by the Blood of Jesus which is his life which they came to feel iâ— them cleansing of them from their sins and washing of them away and so the very cause of their wound being taken away and the corruption purged out then he the tender pitiful compassionate God of Mercy that in mercy towards them had wounded them healed them with the sweet Oyl of joy peace and gladness and now these that vvere mourners do rejoyce and they that vvere heavy hearted are made glad and beauty is given them for ashes and the oyl of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness and are become Trees of Righteousness the Lords own planting bringing forth fruit to his glory and praise vvho hath thus set them free from their sorrovv and trouble These can say Good it is to wait upon the Lord God in the Isa 26. 8. 2â— 9. way of his Judgments Lo this is the Lord whom we have waited for this is our God we have waited for him come let us rejoyce in his Salvation wherewith he hath saved us he hath redeemed us out of the horrible Pit out of the miry clay hath he brought us and set our feet upon a Rock and doth establish our goings who filleth our Souls with the fatness of his house and causeth us to drink of the River of his Pleasure and to suck and be satisfied with the Consolation of the Brest and to milk out and be delighted in the abnundance of the sweetness of its vertue Oh what what shall we render unto the Lord unto the Lord our God for his benefits oh what shall we render unto him for his Mercies what shall we render unto him for his loving kindness Oh! let us take the Cup of his Salvation and drink thereof abundantly and in the strength of the vigour of its vertue let us in the meekness of our hearts and in the lowliness and contriteness of our Souls praise praise the Name of the Lord our God who is worthy of all Glory and Praise for ever and for evermore A few words more unto you dear people who desire more after the love and peace of God then the glory and pleasures of the world Dear people take heed unto that which discovers unto you what are your thoughts whether they be good or evil for that is it which must redeem your minds unto God and wait to come to know it to be a stay to your minds and a stop to your thoughts and a bridle to your tongues and to cause a watch before your mouth and to raise a holy fear in your hearts of offending the Righteous God of Righteousness in thought in word in deed And dear people who have so much depended and relied upon man for teaching retire you with your minds inward to the manifestation of the Spirit of God in your own hearts and wait in it to come to know the Lord God to be your Teacher â—hat if you should be separated from those that have been your Teachers and put into a Hole a Dungeon or Cave of the Earth for your Consciences towards God and so be separated from all your teaching outward you may then feel find and witness the Lord to teach you to instruct you counsel and direct you comfort and refresh you even by his pure Eternal Spirit in you for all the children of the Lord shall be taught of the Lord and established in Righteousness and great shall be their peace in the God of their Salvation unto whom unto whom be glory glory honour and praise for ever and evermore for he is vvorthy he is vvorthy vvorthy saith my soul unto whom be glory in the highest Amen So dear people for your sakes mostly was these foregoing lines written in obedience to the tender spirit of love in my heart vvhich drew me thereunto and in tender unfeigned love and pure good-will to your souls vvho have had and still have true desires in your hearts after the Lord and have been and still are thirsting and hungering after the vvay of Truth and Righteousness and have been and still are seeking and hunting among the husks shells and shadows for to find the substance but still fail of your expectation and cannot find true and perfect satisfaction but secretly in your hearts are panting and thirsting after the living vvater and are vveary of feeding upon the husks and begin to say within your selves to each other Come vve have been long vvandering abroad hunting after the Lord afar off seeking of him in
and I the dry Heath Springs of Water now I the solitary place Rejoyee and I the Desart blossom as a Rose I the Poor one made Rich and I the Weak one made Strong I the Foolish one made Wise I the Empty one overflow with Fulness now the days of my sore Mourning turned into Joy and the nights of my Sorrow turned into Pleasure and the seasons of my seeking him whom my soul loveth turned into times of sweet reposes with him in his bed of solace But oh alass for me I may speak of these things but oh when when will it be thus with me oh how long shall I wait how long shall I seek how long shall I call and utter my voice weeping saying oh come away come away unto me thou whom I mourn for whom I long after whom my soul loveth oh I have waited so long that I am weary and begin to be almost without hope of his coming any more unto me Well what shall I do and whether shall I go I will even lay me down in Sorrow and make it my Bed and make Grief my Sheets and Tears my Pillow and Sighing and Mourning my Sleep untill he come vvhom my soul loveth for verily I cannot I cannot be satisfied vvith another besides him Oh vvho amongst the Sonâ— and Daughters of Men shall I make my moan unto unto vvhom shall I complain and ease my heart unto vvhere shall I find one vvho is sensible of my condition that can simpathize vvith me and that can speak a vvord in season unto my poor soul oh is it thus vvith any as it is vvith me Yes yes I believe there is many hath been and many now are in thy condition Oh where may I find one of them that I might ease my heart unto him and spread my condition before him for oh verily my Bowels is very open to those who be in my condition well have patience be quiet and be still and lend an ear unto me and I may speak a little how it is with me and it may be if the Lord will to thy comfort for oh truly my soul loveth thee oh my heart is moved with compassion towards thee oh my bowels my bowels is open unto thee and my soul greatly simpathizeth with thy soul and could even wish my soul for a time in thy souls stead oh though indeed I am but a Child yet truly I am in some measure sensible of thy condition and can read it by my own and oh how willingly would I help thee according to my ability oh truly methinks I would even be a help unto all who stand in need of help but especially unto thee thou poor soul What art thou Poor so am I what art thou Weak and Feeble so am I oftentimes what art thou Empty so am I oftentimes what art thou Cold and Barren so am I sometimes what art thou as one Desolate and Destitute so am I sometimes what doest thou eat thy Bread Weeping and mingle thy Drink with thy Tears it is so with me at sometimes when I want the enjoyment of him whom my soul loveth for tâ—uly it is with me sometimes as it is with thee for sometimes I have not the enjoyment of my Beloved as I have at other times but sometimes he seems to be withd-rawn and to hide his-Face from me oh then it is with me as it is with thee oh then Sorrows take hold upon me and Trouble surroundeth me about as a Wall and Mourning covers me as a Garment and none seeth my Tears but the Lord oh then my Leanness my Leanness my Coldness and Barrenness is my greatest Burden which causeth me to go bowed down in Spirit saying in my heart Oh whether is my Beloved gone and what is the cause he hath with-drawn himself from me wherefore is it thus with me what is the matter what shall I do what will the Lord leave me what will my God forsake me what will the Lord now cast me off who hath done so much for me oh what is the cause that it is thus with me wherefore is the Windows of Heaven shut up and the Shovvers of Refreshment from on high with-held from me oh once I could say the Lord is my Shepherd and my soul doth not want he causeth me to seed and even to lie down in green Pastures and leadeth me by the still Waters and spreadeth my Table with Dainties and anointeth my Head with the Oyl of Gladness and causeth my Cup to overslow with new Wine But oh alass for me now I am in a Dry and Thirsty Land where no Water is Oh what hath the Lord cast me off for ever oh my Tears is my Meat and Drink whilst my Enemy saith unto me where is thy God dost thou think he will ever appear again unto thee why dost thou thus Hunger Thirst Cry and Paint after him alas it is in vain for thee to wait for him once indeed thou hadst the enjoyment of him once thou wentst with a Multitude with them to the House of God with the voice of Joy and Praise with a Multitude that keep holy day but alas thou must not look for such a day again And thus the Adversary of my soul endeavoureth to add Sorrow to my Sorrow and to encrease the weight of my Burden that so I might sink and never rise But oh the Lord my God is near to help me even in that time when I can scarce perceive him and when I am as Peter was ready to sink then his invisible arm of Mercy is ready to save me and a secret hope the Lord preserveth alive in me which is as an Anchor unto my soul which keeps me from suffering Shipwrack a hope that the Lord will appear again to me to my Joy whereby some encouragement I feel stirring in me to wait upon the Lord patiently and to trust in him though I do not see him and to relie upon him and hope in his tender bowels when he seems to be far oâ—f me and to roul my self upon him and surely he will appear again to thy Joy oh my soul who canst not be satisfied without his presence even the presence of the Lord thy God which thou desirest more then all things else whatsoever wherefore the Lord seeing it is so with thee that thou desirest his presence more then all other things surely surely he will not cast thee off for ever surely he will appear again to thy joy wherefore why art thou so much cast down oh my soul and why art thou thus disquieted within thee oh hope hope thou in thy God for thou shalt yet praise him the Lord will yet again command his loving kindness in the day time and in the night season his song shall be with thee even praiâ—â—s to the God of thy Life oh wait patiently upon the Lord and trust in the living God whose compassions fails not towards those vvho love him oh he vvill send out his Light and Truth into
thee again and it shall bring thee unto his holy Hill and to his Tabernacle and then shalt thou go to the Altar of God of God thy exceeding joy and upon thy Harp shalt thou praise the Lord thy God thy Delight and Joy oh it is good for thee both to hope and quietly to vvait upon the Lord for the Lord is good to the Man that vvaits upon him unto the Soul vvhich seeketh him and cannot be satisfied vvithout him oh vvait patiently upon him even as a Servant vvaiteth upon his Master and as a Maiden at the hand of her Mistress so do thou vvait for the Lord and even as the Husbandman vvho sovveth his Seed in the Earth hath long patience for it until he receiveth the early and latter Rain so do thou vvait patiently upon the Lord vvho vvill be unto thee as the early and latter Rain in due season wait upon him he who is to come will come and will not tarry and his reward will be with him even fulness of Joy Comfort Peace Rest and sweet Satisfaction unto thee for surely surely the Lord will never leave thee nor forsake thee if thou forsake him not indeed he may seem to hide his Face from thee for a time but without doubt he will appear again to thy Comfort who cannot live without him oh my soul the Lord heareth thee often saying in secret alass What is the Glory of the World unto me what is the Honour and Praise of the World unto me what is the Favours Friendship and Estimation of the World to me what is the Vanities vain Sports Delights Pleasures of the Sons and Daughters of Men to me oh surely all these things are but as Drofs and Dung unto me in comparison of the Lord my God who is the Fountain of everlasting Joy Delight and Pleasure oh if I enjoy him fully I have enough he is the joy of my Heart the rejoycing and glading of my Spirit the strength of my Reins the girdle of my Loines wherefore how can I live without him oh my soul the Lord intends good unto thee by all his dealings with thee if he withdraw for a time and hide his Face from thee for a season it is thereby to let thee see what thou art without him how Poor how Weak how Feeble how Foolish how Empty how Dead how Dry how Cold how Barren and Unfruitful art thou without the Lord that so thou being made truly sensible of thy own Weakness and Inability may be the more sensible of the needfulness of the supporting Power and upholding Arm and saving Grace of the Lord thy God and the more to relie and depend upon the Lord oh my soul though the Lord withdraw his presence from thee thou comest the more to know what the want of his presence is and comest to learn to prize the sweet enjoyment of his presence the more and to hold him fast and cleave unto him and to be very vigilent and careful thou dost not grieve him nor do the thing that may cause him to withdraw himself from thee oh my soul Oh my soul thou must learn to know how to Want and how to Abound how to be Full and how to be Empty how to be Rich and how to be Poor and in every Condition to be content and not to murmur against the Lord the Lord can open and none can shut and he can shut and none can open the Lord ean open the windows of Heaven and shower down abundantly upon thee oh my soul and even make a Plenty in thy Land even cause thy Store to abound with Corn and thy Fat 's over flow with new Wine and he can also shut up the windows of Heaven for a time make a Famine in thy Land if he pleaseth and thou must not say unto him in a murmuring way why dealest thou thus with me for indeed he may do vvhat he vvill do and yet all his doings are Just Righteous altogether and in all his dealings vvith thee he thy dear tender nursing Father intends good unto thee oh my soul Oh my soul vvhen the Fountain openeth and the great Deep overflovveth and fills thee vvith plenty of all things needful for thee even then oh my soul dread and fear thou before the Lord and take heed of being lifted up in Heart of being puffed up in Mind of being exalted in Spirit and bevvare of a false Ease and vvrong Liberty and false Security vvhich may soon steal upon thee at such a time if thou do not abide upon the Watch and dread the Lord and drink the draughts of Joy in the pure fear and trembling never departing there-from in vvhat ever thou enjoy of the Lord or receive from the Lord or do and suffer for the Lord keep lovv in Heart meek in Mind humble in Soul tender in Bovvels contrite in Spirit and then oh my soul thou art in a safe condition truly my soul vvhen thou appearest Wise Strong Rich and Full enough even then thou art rather in greater danger then vvhen thou appearest Weak Poor and Empty in thy ovvn eyes although thou art not then vvithout danger but hast cause to fear and vvatch in all conditions oh my soul vvhen thou appearest Weak Poor and Feeble in thy ovvn eyes even then take heed of distrust and doubting but hold fast thy Trust in the Lord and let thy Confidence in his Name be firm and Hope in his tender Bowels be sure and constantly relie and depend upon him and honour him in believing in him and if he kill thee yet trust thou in him and never leave him for alas whether shouldst thou go he hath the word of eternal Life who is worthy to be Glorified Magnified Honoured and Praised Feared Served Loved and Obeyed forever and for evermore Oh my soul thou dearly lovest thy Fathers Children oh the Lord knoweth how near and dear his dear Babes and tender Lambs are unto thee oh my soul oh thou knowest them in the Spirit of Love wherein thou delightest to Imbrace them even those whom outwardly thou never saw and in spirit to clasp them about and kiss them with a Kiss of Peace and hug them in the Bosom of Indearedness ah thy Bowels thy Bowels is open unto them and thy Love is dear indeed towards them as the Lord thy God knoweth and oh that love might abound in thee more and more and in the hearts of all the Children of Light it may abound one towards another as in Days past and Years which are gone that it may appear to all we are of God who is Love and that we all are true Disciples of Christ in that we love one another not only in Shew and in Word but in Deed and in Truth loving one another fervently with a pure heart Oh my soul thou defirest to simpathize vvith thy Fathers Children in their Tryals Sufferings and Afflictions and in spirit to bear a part vvith them therein oh thou desirest even to Mourn
dark place untill the Day had more and more dawned and until Christ the Day-Star had arisen in my Heart over all my Enemies but my mind was still gazing abroad and imagining a God afar off and he was very nigh me but I knew him not but was hunting abroad in my Imaginations for that which was within me the Pearl of great Price was hid in my Heart but I knew it not the Kingdom of God was at hand but I was gazing for it abroad whilst it in measure was working in my Heart like Leaven hid in three measures of Meal c. the Door into the Fold the Entrance into Rest was within but I was seeking it abroad my Saviour was nigh but I imagined him afar off and knew him not nigh neither did any man in those dayes direct my mind unto the Light and Gift of Christ in my own Heart And as for the Teachers of the People even they in the highest Profession of God in words were ready they being so ignorant and unsensible of the Gift of God in themselves to speak Blasphemy of the pure spiritual Light of Christ within as many Professors do at this day yet notwithstanding make a large Profession and Confession of Christ in Words though in Works deny him and to say that which troubles a man for his sins is a temptation of Sathan and thereby instead of directing the mind to the Light draw away the mind more from the Light and such are blind and are under the wo that call Light Darkness Good Evil and are in that Spirit they were who though great Professors said concerning Christ He is Mad and hath a Devil why hear ye him but as some then replyed and said Are these the works of him that hath a Devil Can the Devil open the Eyes of the Blind so I may say Is it the Devils work to discover Sin and judge condemn and trouble a man in the unconverted state for Sin or is it not his work to lull People a sleep in Sin and to cry peace to them in their Iniquities and to keep them satisfied with a profession of God without the possession of a holy undefiled Life Is it his work to destroy his own Kingdom which is Sin surely no that is only and alone the Work of Christ the Light of the World made manifest within to destroy the Devil and his works he brings Trouble upon the Transgressor and ministers Judgement against the Evil doer he kindles a Fire in the earthly Heart and raiseth Trouble Wars and great Tribulation within before he be known to be the Prince of Peace the Sabboth the everlasting Rest for the Soul And now I know infallibly that that which in those dayes did bring trouble upon me for my Sins and checked and judged for Evil and begat good desires in me after the Lord was the pure Witness of God the manifestation of his Spirit the Light of his Son Christ Jesus a measure of his free Grace and Truth in my own Heart and if ten Thousand should assert or affirm the contrary I know their Testimony will be a Lye But oh alas for me after all this long Visitation of the Love Goodness and Mercy of the Lord to my Soul and after all this trouble of Mind travel of Spirit desiring and seeking after the Lord I got oh I got into a false ease in the fleshly Nature and in a wrong liberty and false security as it is with many Professors at this day who once were low broken and tender in Heart mourning under the load and burden of of Sin having sincere desires to serve God in holiness of Life who are now gotten into the form and likeness of that they then hungred and thirsted after and are therewith satisfied and feeding themselves with others Words and without Knowledge without Life and so are gotten at ease in the Pride Fashions and Vanity of the World and are at liberty in the Flesh counting it their Freedom to do those things that once was their Burden and Bondage and I became careless and by disobedience I quenched the strivings of the Light of Christ in me insomuch as the Burden Trouble and Sorrow which once lay heavy upon my Mind I felt little of although the Original and real cause which occasioned the Burden Sorrow and Trouble which was my sins was not taken away but augmented and I through Rebellion had almost murdered the just and holy one in me and had so grieved and wounded the Spirit of the Lord that it had almost ceased striving with me though at sometimes it would bring former things to my remembrance and then some trouble and sorrow would seize upon me for a time but I soon got over it again and turned from the Grace into Wantonness and so forgot the Lord whom I had formerly desired and sought after and my Heart ran a whoreing after my old Lovers with my Face turned back again to Egypt the Land of Darkness Wickedness the Bondage-House of Sin and Corruption which before was partly turned towards Canaan the Land of Light Life and Rest and so ran into such Evils as I had formerly been kept out of by a secret Power which I then knew not and I grew wanton careless and wicked and my Mind and Heart taken off seeking the Lord and run into and after the Vanity Pleasures and Idleness of the World delighting much in Musick and Dancing Sporting and Gaming and so made merry over the pure Witness of God by sinning and rebelling against it and by rejecting its reproof and strivings Oh oh the patience and long-suffering of the Lord was large towards me in that day who long waited to be Gracious to my Soul Day after Day Year after Year who in his Justice might have cut me off in my Sins and Rebellion and even have made me an Example of his Wrath but oh his mercy his mercy and long-suffering was exceeding large to me which by my Soul is not to be forgotten but in and by the Spirit of Truth which brings former things to my remembrance and sheweth things to come am I to be kept in a living sence and remembrance of the great mercy long-patience long-forbearance and long-suffering of the Lord God of Compassion towards me and in the sense thereof he is worthy to be praised and honoured by my Soul who would not that I should perish from his presence forever For after all this the Lord the tender God of tender bowels of compassion was pleased to visit my poor Soul again even for his pure Seeds sake which he had not forgotten but he remembred the Poor and Needy the Captive exile to deliver him out of the hand of him that was too strong for him and to loose him that he might not wholly die in the Pit and perish in the miery Clay and Gods precious Truth pure Way of Righteousness and everlasting Gospel of Light Life and Peace I heard preached and declared by his
Earth have cause to speak well of the Lord and to trust in his holy Name we are the People for mightily and wonderfully hath the mighty God done and wrought for us though the blind World sees it not Oh! how have we been as Lambs among Lyons and yet not devoured but wonderfully preserved by the secret Power and invisible Arm of the Lord our Shepherd who hath been our Defence when the Beasts of the Forrest have come forth to Devour and the Wolves have been greedy of their Prey then hath the Lord sought for Mount Sion and defended the Hill thereof and though some said We 'll pursue we 'll overtake our Lust shall be satisfied on them we 'll draw our Swords and our Hands shall destroy them yet how hath the Lord blown in his Wrath upon them the Sea of his Judgment hath covered them and they are sunk as Lead in the bottom of the mighty Waters and we yet through mercy are alive and have a being among the Living to speak well of the Lord and to make mention of the Goodnesâ— of our Good and to declare of his Kindness and to praise him for his Works which are marvelous in our Eyes Oh! his Love his Mercy and tender fatherly care over and towards us extends beyond the demonstration of Words and oh let the sense thereof be engraven upon the table of our Hearts that it may humble us and keep us low before the Lord and be an Obligation upon every Soul of us to bind and engage us unto the Lord and his Truth forever How mightily hath the Lord limitted and quieted the raging Sea and made a Calm oh that all Friends might take notice of the great Mercy and Love of the Lord to us in this particular and mind the end of the Lord therein and let us all take heed we Sin not because Grace and Mercy to us abounds lest it provoke the Lord to Anger and be a moving cause to induce him to let forth the Wind and suffer a Storm again Oh that none might get into a false ease and liberty and wrong security because of the present Calm but all to keep retire in that which fitteth and maketh ready for Tryals when they come in by and through which we have been upheld preserved hitherto even by the secret Power Arm of the Lord which is not shortned that it cannot save but is the same that ever it was and it hath been our Helper in six Troubles and in the seventh has not been wanting to us to help us when there hath been none to help and to support and uphold us when there hath been none to uphold but Loads Burdens and Oppressions have been heaped upon us and to comfort us when nothing but Sorrow and Trouble from the World compassed us about and when we have had nothing as from men but the Bread of Adversity the Water of Affliction even then hath the Lord our tender God been the Comforter of our Hearts the Refresher of our Souls the Rejoycer of our Spirits and the Lifter up of our Hands when we have been bowed down with the Oppressions of our Enemies his â—resence hath been with us in the Prison-house and in the low Dungeon and hath not left us to this day and assuredly never never never will leave us if we leave not him but will be with us until we have finished our Course and fulfilled the dayes of our appointed Time and our Change come So dear Friends unto the Lord I commit you who knoweth how it is with all his Babes and Children and beholdeth all their Tryals Straits and Sufferings inward and outward and his ear is open to the cry of the Poor and groanings of the Needy who is God all-sufficient for all those that trust hope relie and depend upon him and able to keep them by his power through Faith in his Name unto his heavenly Kingdom So the Lord be with you all and the Almighty protect and defend you and keep you from Evil unspotted from the World and preserve you in Love Peace and Unity with himself and one with another in his innocent unfained Love in his Light Life Power and Truth and make and keep you all of one Heart and one Mind and one Soul that you all with one consent may still worship and serve the Lord God in the one Spirit and the one Truth in which I dearly greet salute and embrace you all and remain your Friend and Companion in the Patience and Tribulation of Jesus Farwell dear Friends William Bennit Dear Friends IN the Love which waxeth not Old neither is subject to Change which God hath shed abroad in the hearts of those that believe in the Light through the operation of his Eternal Spirit in this Love which openeth our Hearts unto the Lord and one another doth the unfeigned Salutation of my Soul reach forth unto you as in which Love Iabide I cannot forget the Family of Love and Houshold of Faith neither can length of Time nor distance of Place â—onds nor Tribulations extinguish the remembrance of you whom the Lord â—ath chosen out of the Elect Seed from out of the Faâ—ilies of the Earth to place his Name among and to maniâ—est his Power and Glory in and through you his People to the praise of your God in your Generation dear Friends who are called to be made pertakers of the Blessed Everlasting Inheritance of the Saints in Light and through Faith in the Light of Life you are called and raised up to bear Testimony unto him whom the Nations Despise but unto you that believe in him he is Pretious and you that have seen his Bâ—auty and beheld his Comliness and have tasted of his Love and have savoured the sweetness of his preâ—ious Oyntment which hath healed your Wounds and cured your Diseases and with which your Souls have been Bathed Warmed and sweetly Refreshed unto you that have tasted of his Divine Vertues who is the Light of â—he World he is the chiefest of ten Thousand who hath called and chosen you out of the World to follow him in the Regeneration and to bear his Image before the World and to shew forth his Testimony against the World therefore do the World hate you and desire and seek your Destruction and would tempt you and by cruelty force you from the beloved of youâ— Souls but dear Hearts every one cleave in spirit unto the Lord and hold fast his blessâ—d Truâ—h received into your Hearts that the Enemy within nor his Instruments without by all their Temptaâ—â—ons and Cruelty may never move you to decline nor degenerate from that blessed Testimony which God hath given you to bear for him in the midst of a Wicked and Uâ—godly Generation who must fill up the measure of their Iniquity that Judgment may come upon them to the full and the measure of your Sufferings must also be fulfilled therefore dear Lambs hold fast Faith and a good Conscience and pâ—t
on Courage and Strength unto the end and hold fast the Word of Patience that you may be kept in the hour of Temptation and the Preservation of your Souls you may come to witness by the Power of God through all Tryals Troubles Losses Straits Afflictions and Tribulations that the Lord suffereth to befal you trust you in him and depend upon his everlasting Arm which is your help stay and strength God will restrain the Wrath of our Enemies and dissipate the Purposes and confound the Evil Devises of our Adversaries so far as it seemeth good unto him the Lord God Everlasting who keepeth Covenant with his People and whose tender Mercy Compassion and Fatherly Care faileth not towards the House of Jacob his blessed soul refreshing strengthening Presence be with all his People to Feed Nourish and Strengthen them and Cherish them Support and Uphold them Comfort and Consolate them in all their sufferings for his Names sake and bear up all his little Ones for whom my Soul is in Travel and the Lord keep all his in the Covenant of his everlasting Love that if our Earthen Vessels be Broken and turned to the Dust for the Testimony of Jesus our Souls may rest with the Lord so whether we Live wâ— may Live to God or whether we Dye we may Dye unto God that whether we Live or Dye we may be the Lords and he be glorified in us either by Life or Death which is the desire of your Friend and Brother in the love of Truth Dear Lambs my love remains with you though Bonds hold me close be you bundled up together in Love Peace and Unity that you may be a help strength and comfort one to another in the Lord and let none be careless but all watch and keep close to the Lord and keep your meetings and wait upon God to be fitted for every Tryal yet to come neither let any be discouraged or surprized with fear through the terror of your Enemies you know that the Lord hath carried us through much already his Arm is not shortned our God is a God of Wonders let us stand still and see his Salvation which he will manifest on the behalf of the meek of the Earth that are appointed as Sheep for the Slaughter and hath no helper but the Lord God Almighty hasten it for his own Elects sake which cryeth Day and Night unto him Amen saith my Soul even come Lord Jesus come quickly and take unto thee thy great power to Reign for unto thee belongeth the Dominion for thou art worthy let all Nations come and Worship before thee and give Glory to thy Name who art Just in all thy Ways and Righteous in all thy Judgments thy Counsels of old are Faithfulness and Truth Bury Goal this 18th of the 9th Month 1670. William Bennit A Loving Exhortation and Warning to SEA-MEN and all others whom it doth concern YOV that go down to the Sea in Ships that do Business in great Waters where you see the Works of the Lord and his Wonders in the deep great Cause have you to fear and love the great God of Heaven and Earth who giveth you Life and Being who is the God of all your Mercies who in Mercy hath oftentimes preserved you in great Danger and Peril and delivered you when you have been ready to Perish Oh forget not his Mercy towards you but Repent speedily and Fear and Dread his great Name and stand in Awe and Sin no more against him whose Power is over all who commands the Winds and the Seas and they obey him When sometimes you have been in Great Jeopardy of Your Lives and the Lord hath in Mercy delivered you how little have some of You Eyed the Mercy and delivering Hand of the Lord therein â—ut have been Ready to ascribe the Honour of your Deliverance to the Anchor Cable and Manhood more then to the Lord and when you have been in Great Danger of your Lives and saw no Way but you must Perish have you not then cryed to the Lord to deliver you and the Guilt of your Iniquities being heavy upon your Consciences have you not been ready to make Promises to the Lord in your Distress that if he spared your Lives ye would Repent and turn unto him and Fear and Serve him and forsake your Evil Ways And when the Lord hath answered your Desires and in Mercy hath given you your Lives for a Prey when you came to Land have you then performed your Vows and Promises to the Lord or have you not gone on in Sin and Evil still let God's Witness in every Conscience speak for unto that I make my Appeal Consider how greatly it concerneth you Sea-men and so it doâ—h all other People to mind their latter End and to be ready for suddain Death let every particular One consider seriously how it stands between God and their own Souls Oh it is a blessed Thing to be fit to Dye and to feel Peâ—ce with God it is their Sins and Iniquities that make People unfit for God's Kingdom they that dye in their Sins must perish as Christ said unto some Except you repent you shall likewise perish without Holiness and Purity none can see God The Soul of Man is Immortal and can never Dye but must when it leaves the Body be in a feeling Sence of Joy and Peace or Wo and Misery forever The Wicked and all that forget God must be turned into Hell Oh that all People Young and Old may repent and return to the Lord with their whole Hearts and he will shew them Mercy Prize your time for it is precious and you know not how short it is Oh fear and dread the Eternal God that giveth you Life and Being and can take it away when he pleaseth It is not a talking of being Saved and Redeemed by Christ and of his dying for you will stand you in any stead that live in Sin and Vanity Christ said A Man must be born again or else he cannot see the Kingdom of God So dear People both Young and Old mind the Pure Divine Light of Christ Jesus in your own Consciences that which Checketh and Reproveth you when you speak or act that which is Evil and come to Obey it for it is the Way of Life and will Lead you if you obey it out of all Sin Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts into the Way of Life and teach you to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present Evil World Then Peace with God will be the Portion of your Souls The 15th of the 3d Month 1675 Written in Tender Bowels of Vnfeigned Love to your Souls by a Friend to all People William Bennit THE END