me till his head hath been wet with the dew and his locks with the drops of the night and hath knocked and called at the door of my heart but I gave him no answer but have folded my hands as one who hath delighted to slumber but now my heart is overcome and my bowels are melted in the sence of my Gods tender mercies in that he did not give me over but waited as a tender Father for my return and continued calling unto me till a voice in me said speak Lord for thy servant he ars And now I cannot but look upon him whom I have pierced and admire his long-suffering and patience and loving kindness And now I am constrained and cannot but love the Lord and his truth above all the world because he hath forgiven me very much therefore am I abundantly ergaged unto him and a cry is in my heart that iniquity may never have a seat in me again and that my love may never wax cold to the Lord his truth and people but that in the innocency I may dwell and feel the growth of the immortal seed of God in my heart that nothing may hinder its appearance prosperity but that by the truth the partition wall which hath stood between me the Lord may be broken down I kept in the peace with the Saints of God even in that which passeth knowledge understanding and that by the power of God of which I have somewhat felt and have had some experience of in that I despised not the day of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things but received the truth in the love of it when indeed I could 〈◊〉 â—…onger be without it And now my soul desires that death may be swallowed up of life and the power thereof destroyed and that I may walk worthy of the Lords love that hath been extended to me for indeed his banner over me hath been love and that I may not be the cause of hiding his face from me again but that I may set the Lord alwaies before me that I most of all desire that I may not be moved nor soon tossed to and fro with the wiles and sleights of men nor subtilty of the serpent whereby I am sensible he lieth in wait to deceive and to draw out of the simplicity Well that thou mayest not be deceived nor overcome by the Dragon nor Serpâ—nt keep thy mind to the true and eternal light for whatsoever is to be known of God is manifested in man by the light which discovers all things and manifests unto man his state and condition and is given thee of the Lord to be a leader and a guide and to be his salvation to the ends of the earth so go not out but remember Dinah who went out and came in ravisted and him that put his hand to the plough and looked back was not fit for the kingdome so to the true and faithful witness of God in thy conscience do I commit thee by it to be guided in all things and take heed of consulting with flesh and blood or entring into carnal reasoning but keep to the anointing of the Father in thee so shalt thou need no man to teach thee but as the same anointing will teach thee of all things which is truth and is no lye and take heed of entring into disputations or vain janglings about the things of God for by that thou mayest wound thy self and bring dishonour upon the truth and cause the way of it to be evil spoken of if thou shouldst boast of other mens lines or of the truth received in the judgment or opinion and hath not learned it of the Lord by the feeling of his work and power in the heart therefore wait that thou mayest say as David who said come and see all you that fear the Lord and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul and that thou mayest say as the Queen of Sheba who heard of the wisdome of Solomon when she came to see said I have not heard one half of which I now behold Therefore this I leave with thee and take my leave of thee that thou wait in the light in the truth by it to be set free and in it to live to the glory of the Lord where thy souls comfort thou mayst feel to the praise of our God who lives for ever and for evermore Amen And now all my dear brethren sisters and friends whether in bonds or at liberty or under the sentence of transportation wait that ye may all be found in the prevailing life in the prevailing seed which must possess the gates of its enemies when it hath accomplished the work of God by finishing transgression and making an end of sin and when this is known in the heart then are ye in the blessed state for blessed are the pure in heart for they do see the Lord even as Job for themselves and not for another and shall know the Redeemer liveth and shall praise the Lord in the land of the living and shall witness the Winter to be past and the Rain to be over and gone and the voice of the Turtle shall be heard in the land and now Jerusalem shall be joy and her people rejoycing the redeemed from the earth shall sing praises to the God of heaven and give glory unto him that sitteth upon the Throne for ever and for ever therefore all ye that know the faith by which the mountains are removed dwell in it and abide in it for this is the day wherein the Lord is trying the faith of his children and the Just shall live by it but if any man withdraw himself Gods soul will take no pleasure in him and happy and pretious shall they be in the sight of the Lord who make not shipwrack of faith and a good conscience in this day wherein the beast is exercising his power against the Saints even the beast that was not and now is and must go into perdition and into everlasting torment but well shall it be with the righteous who dwell in the faith of the elect seed in that which seeth over the seas even to the ends of the earth to the beginning to the first and the last who lives for evermore these are the people that shall dwell alone that shall not be numbred amongst the Nations but shall be rejected of men but chosen of the Lord in his everlasting Covenant for these doth he marry even as a young man doth a Virgin and these will he for ever take care of and these will he deck with his Jewels and cloath them as with broidered work onely this doth he require of them even faithfulness unto him for my glory saith the Lord I will not give to another nor my honour to graven images but they that are faithful unto me even unto the death I will crown them with eternal life and they shall live and reign with me for evermore Therefore all ye tender ones whose hearts are melted in the sence of the goodness of God who feel his left hand to be under you and his right hand to embrace you oh let your hearts be tender before him that they may never be hardned again because that hardness of heart provoketh the Lord to anger therefore thou that art born of God not of flesh nor of bloud nor of the will of men feel the seed remaining in thee and thou in it for in it is the unity with the Lord and the true fellowship which they that love darkness and walk in it are out of so in the meek quiet spirit let us all dwell in this the day wherein our God is making up of his Jewels is purifying his sons daughters by his spirit of judgment burning and is exalting his own name in the midst of them and is giving strength unto the weakest child and is saying unto the poor Come up hither and is calling the mighty from their seats even they that have been exalted as high as heaven is he bringing down into hell for now Babylon is come into his remembrance and he will reward her as she hath rewarded others and will give her double to drink of the Vials of his fierce wrath till her place is not to be found for as a milstone falls into the sea so shall she pass away with a noise when the Lord shall have tryed his chosen to the utmost this shall be performed therefore now wait ye children of the Lord and stand still a little while for your redemption draweth nearer than when ye first believed therefore hold fast that which you have that none may take your Crown nor cause the offence of the Cross to cease so in the hidden life given unto you of the Father read me as I do you day by day and dwell in that that 's righteous that ye may never want of the Lords heavenly blessings for the time is near now in which it shall be said let him that is filthy be silthy still and let him that is holy be holy still and let him that is righteous be so still so shall he shine as a star in the Firmament for ever and ever This from a friend to Gods people and one that labours in the Gospel according to the proportion of strength that God giveth him who is your friend and brother Thomas Green London 23d first month 1665. This to be read in the Assemblies of the people aforesaid in the fear of the living God as any find freedome THE END
A GENERAL EPISTLE To the Whole Flock of God Wheresoever scattered upon the face of the Earth who are among Men called QUAKERS whether in Prisons or Sentenced for Transportation or in any other Tryals or Temptations whatsoever unto you and for your sakes this is given forth by the compassionate life in perfect love to you all who are the Children of the most high God through one that wisheth Grace Mercy and Peace may always abound among you and that the glory of the Lord may always rest upon you By him who is one with you all in Tribulations and also in Rejoycings Your Brother in the Truth that never changeth Thomas Green If I forget thee O Jerusalem let my right hand forget its cunning Psal 137. 5. Epaphras who is one of you a servant of Christ soluteth you alwaies labouring frequently for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God Col. 4. 12. I thank God whom I serve from my fore-fathâ—rs wâ—th pure conscience that without ceasing I have remembrance of you in my praiers night and day 2 Tim. 13. Printed in the Year 1665. DEarly beloved of the Lord my love is with you and my life reacheth unto you and with it I salute you all who are gathered and chosen from amongst the families of the earth to be a people to the praise of our God who created and formed us in the womb and hath brought us forth in this present age and hath made us witnesses of his eternal power and as spectators of his heavenly and glorious appearance in this his blessed day and all this and more then can be by word declared hath the Lord to many of us made known since the day we first received the light of his Son Christ Jesus which he caused to shine in our hearts and consciences by which we have been brought into true fellowship and unity with God the Father even we who once were strangers unto him as were our fathers all and as Pilgrims in a strange land and as Captives in a far Country and as Mourners without true faith or hope being tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine by the slight and cunning craftiness of men And thus were we tossed not knowing an Anchor to stay us yet there was a cry in us as was in the Spouse in the days of old who said Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth where thou feedest and where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions In this state did the Lord find us even lost as in a way-less weary Wilderness without the true knowledg of him though there was something cryed in us for want of his presence not knowing the Messenger of peace was so near even he that did shew us our wants and our present state but of that we could not learn not knowing from whence it came neither could we understand the end of its cry at which cry we were many times troubled but where that should be manifest that should satisfie it we knew not O then then was the time of the Lords infinite endless love extended unto us even when we sate in darkness overshadowed with death and the life in us was buried then did the Lord cause his Word to be heard and did utter his voice as the noise of Thunders and as the sound of many Trumpets which Voice the dead heard and the Lord breathed upon the slain and said to the earth in our hearing Thou shalt no longer cover my Royal Seed whose Nature is heavenly for now will I manifest my power and make known my mighty strength by raising up my seed even the seed of Abraham my servant unto whom the Gospel was Preached by my Spirit in his day That in his Seed should all the kindreds of the earth be blessed and this will I perform for my Name and Glory sake saith the Lord God Almighty who changeth not And when the Lord did bring us out of the many wayes into the truth the immortal seed in which the blessings are manifest then did he open our understandings by his light that did before shine in our dark hearts but we rather choosing darkness could not comprehend the light but was alwayes willing and ready to entertain any thing and from any one that would deny or lightly esteem that which did judg us in our hearts and conscience And from this we would have hid our selves many a time and would endeavour to heal the wound that this would give us but this was privy to all our actions whether they were good or evil and in due time it was manifest That that which reproved in the conscience for sin and iniquity was the way of life and above all things to be minded and it being believed in and turned to and received of a little remnant the good effect of it was soon known and that which was heard in the ear was preached as upon the house top and that which was known of the work of the Lord in the heart was uttered forth in the demonstration of the spirit of God by which many were turned from darknesse to light and from Satans power unto the power of the true and living God and so was brought to the beginning of the work of the Lord in our own particulars for we had been too long keeping others vineyards and our own we did not keep neither knew the vine-dresser but now are brought to a waiting in the light by which secret things are made known and hidden things revealed but when we first received the light the truth the spirit of God oh then what a striving was there in our hearts even with they two in the womb the seed which was elected before the world began and that seed whose kingdome is of this world whereby the creature in whom this war and combat was came into a great straight and much trouble and watching till they or he knew the election to obtain and the seed of Jacob to arise over all as a valiant Prince who wrestle with God till the promise was obtained This is the royal seed at this day and this is the light of life by which the hidden things of Esau are searched out and his rough and prophane nature known And no sooner were we turned to the light and were joyned unto it in it to be one with the heavenly seed which was elected before the world began but the Dragon Beast and false Prophets were in a great rage and began to do their utmost in casting out their flouds of cruelty and persecution to make an end of us even as Herod in the time of Christs birth according to the flesh so was this generation at his appearance in his people and his leading of us by his spirit who as Gog and Magog and as Goliah the Philistim and as Balak king of Moab consulted against Israel have
they violently rose up against us or rather against the appearance of the Lord in us and have defied us because of our littleness and because of the Lords work in us they have scorned us doing their utmost to destroy us many times that we might not have a being upon the face of the earth And notwithstanding they have the honour of the world outwardly yet they like proud Haman are troubled and are not satisfied to have a true Jew live in their countrey Surely the Lord hath beheld them and the Almighty hath taken notice and his bowels have yearned for his peoples sake who have been termed desolate and forsaken Oh! us hath he chosen and and hath often filled us with new wine and hath been strength unto us in our greatest weaknesse and a shelter to us and a rescuer for us when the Dragon hath pursued us and the false Prophets and hirelings made a prey of us then hath the Lord brought the hearts of the faithful into such a frame and they have waited till it was so even to suffer the spoiling of their goods with joy having an earnest in themselves of that durable treasure that the moth cannot corrupt nor thieves steal away Therefore ye children of the Lord who are brought to the knowledge of this and are gathered into the everlasting covenant of endless life my love is drawn out to you and I knowing my life is among you I am constrained in my spirit even to write to you even as the dearly beloved of my father and as children brought up with me we having drank together in the one pure spirit of the water which hath flowed from the living fountain according to the determinate counsel of our God which hath been in us as a well of living water springing up to the Lord our God the eternal life And friends thus far hath the Lord brought us and to this day he hath been with us even when our enemies have rose up against us who have encamped about us on every side even as at this day Therefore lift up your heads for now is the Lord opening the everlasting gates that the righteous nation may enter in who keepeth the truth and are born of the royal seed for the Kingdome which cannot be shaken they are the heirs of and they shall enjoy it saith the Lord that lives for ever though unto it they come through great tribulations yet in them they shall learn patience and experience and witness that living hope of which they shall never be ashamed Therefore thou weakling and tender mournful one who sometimes fears thou shalt not hold out to the end thy tryals are so many for thy sake I am enlarged thy mournings thy sighings thy faintings the sence thereof lieth as a weight upon me and I cannot pass by thee as if it was nothing to me to see thee in sorrow and grief saying within thy self didst thou ever see such a weak one undertake such a journey and the true birth in thee saith the Lord knows my heart I would fain run to the end that my God might be glorified who hath regarded my low estate and hath vouchsafed to keep me unto this day but my enemies are so many on every side and I think I shall one day fall my strength is so little that I can cry surely there is none like me and yet I have not wanted supplies from my God till this day Oh! thou child thou tender one who cannot forget the day of thy visitation thy God beholds thee and if he cause thee to do a mans work he will give thee a mans strength and thou shalt know that all power is from him therefore cast thy care upon him and wait that thy mind may be kept out of all visible things in the poverty of spirit joyning to the spirits cry turning thy back upon all questionings so wilt thou have access to the Lord and know thy approaching in the spirits life to the throne of his grace with boldness where thou shalt receive grace for grace and into his arms will the Lord gather thee and give thee of the milk of the word that the little one in thee may grow as the willows by the water brooks and though thy enemies be as the tall Cedar and strong as the mighty oak yet will thy God bring them under and make thee more than a conquerour through his son Jesus that thou shalt say with gladness of heart salvation is come to my house and shalt feel the spirit of the son to rule in thee whereby thou shalt cry Abba Father And whoever thou art who hath begun in the spirit thou knowest thou canst not be made perfect in the flesh therefore wait to be led by the spirit of the Lord so thou mayest come to the knowledge of the sonship and heirship in the everlasting covenant the light So look not at thy weakness for in that will the Lord ordain strength and out of the mouth of the babes will he perfect his praise and for thy sake that 's faithful to him he will cause the mountains to be removed and the hills to melt away and will make a straight path for thy seet and will lead thee in the way everlasting where thy peace shall be extended as a river and his loving kindness to thee as the waves of the sea that instead of mourning thou shalt rejoyce and instead of sighing thou shalt sing and instead of fainting thou shalt be strong and in the strength of thy God thou shalt praise him and in the feeling of his heavenly virtue thou shalt magnifie him and say My lot is fallen in a good ground on which the showers from heaven fall yea even as the former and the latter rain in its season And now thou shalt see thy God hath not forgotten thee neither is the Almighty changed but he keepeth covenant for ever with his people and man cannot disanul it for saith the Lord the holy one of Israel if they could break my Covenant with the day that there should not be night and day in their season then might they break my Covenant with my people Israel and the seed of Jacob my chosen Therefore thou least of the Flock be not cast down but look thou steadfastly to the Lord whose mercies endure for ever and his loving kindness to his own seed from generation to generation So whatever thy tryals temptations or exercises are let thy mind be joyned to the light by which thou maist behold the Antient of dayes as thou dwellest in the pure fear of him so wilt thou be kept out of the tossings whirlings and imaginations in the truth in which is stability in which thou wilt feel the springs of life running to refresh thy soul flowing from the Lord who is fulness it self who doth all things freely yet will he be waited upon by his people Israel and in their waiting upon him he doth and will renew their strength mounting up in
his heavenly power over all temptations and snares of the souls enemies both within and without to the praise of the almighty God For indeed this is a day of temptation but blessed is the man that endureth for when he is tryed he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to those that love him And now all you my dear Brethren and Sisters who are in sufferings and Prisons and under grievous sentences for the blessed testimony of Jesus in these last dayes my life is with you all and my love doth flow unto you for ye are brought into my remembrance in my Supplications to the Lord our God and my soul cries O Lord accomplish thy work and perform thy purpose and bring to pass thy strange act and exalt thy Name and Truth and thy holy people in it over all the world and power of darkness that as thou hast upheld in the many tryals so thou maist be known to all thy Children a deliverer out of all troubles Well my Brethren Sisters and Friends who have known the goodness of the Lord from the day of your Child-hood in his truth how he hath cared for you and hath been strength to you in all your besettings and hath been your comfort in all your afflictions even a God nigh at hand and not a far off Well cast your care upon him so will he cloath you as the Lilly and fill you with his heavenly virtue and will make you as a Garden often watered and will fence you about that your enemies shall say You serve not the Lord for naught for he hath set a hedge about you and hath fenced you on every side so that neither Enchantment nor Divination or weapons formed do prosper against you because the Lord is making known his power as in the dayes of old in preserving his Children in the flames as he did Schadrach Meshech and Abednego the three Children among whom a fourth was manifested like unto the Son of God who caused them to ascend in the sight of their enemies and to rejoyce in the Flames as do the faithful in their afflictions at this day who suffer for the Lord and his truth's sake And now many people of Nations are gathered against thee that say Let her be destroyed and let our eyes look upon Sion But they know not the thoughts of the Lord neither understand they his council For he will gather Sion as wheat in a garner and he will make his horn as iron and his hoof as brass and the Nations shall be confounded at all their might and they shall lay their hands upon their mouths and their ears shall be deaf and they shall lick the dust like Serpents they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth for they shall be afraid of the Lord our God and shall fear because of Sion and because of the reign of their God in the midst them And now dear Friends you that the Lord hath honoured first and hath given you power to endure with joyfulness the Sentence of Banishment for the Cause of our God well your Integrity hath affected my heart and the hearts of many and you shall not loose your reward Only be low before the Lord our God because he is your strength else had you fainted And let your Prayers and mutual Cryes be unto the Lord for them that 's behind And let them that 's not so forward in suffering bless the Lord in preserving ye and none be exalted that's before neither he that 's behind be cast down but all as members of the body keep every one in his office that God may be glorisied and ye in his life and love preserved by the strength given you of the Lord in all your trials and temptations that you meet withal that so all those stroaks and sufferings may drive you nearer to the Lord and one unto another that you may be as saviours upon mount Sion to judge the mount of Esau you knowing the Kingdome is the Lords and his seed shall possess it for evermore So in that which keeps self in the dust in that abide and in that read one another and in that lift up your heads ye children of the Lord for he is on our part and at this day is pleading our cause with our adversaries for he hath set bounds to the Sea till the day and night come to an end and he will reward the wicked according as their works shall be for while they are folden together as thornes and whilst they are drunken as the drunkards they shall be devoured as stubble fully dryed before the fierce anger of the Lord and his terrible indignation which shall burn as fire till the ungodly be consumed For this is the day that the Beast is making War with the Lamb but the Lamb shall overcome and have the victory for he is the Lord of lords and King of kings and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful And these shall sing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy works O Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Therefore now ye chosen of the Lord stand still in your minds that salvation you may see to be of the Lord alone and that your hearts may be filled with his heavenly virtue as sweet Incense in a golden Cencer that pure may be your prayers and living praises through your purified hearts may spring unto the Lord that lives for ever by the strength of the demonstration of his Spirit through you all which alone can set forth the goodness of the Lord and will over all exalt his Name and Kingdom and let it be so saith my soul and spirit Amen And now all ye tender ones that the Lord hath visited in these last dayes who are of late convinced of Gods eternal truth who have not only the Dragon to encouner withal but also the Serpent who is more subtile then all the beasts of the field and by him thou art in most dangeâ— at this day and for thy sake I cannot be silent but it 's upon my heart to give thee to know That this is the day wherein God is building Jerusalem which hath been as the fallow ground or as land that hath not been fenced where every devourer and beast of prey hath had a lodging but now is the Lord making up her breach and is building up her waste places even in this troublous time and is refining her sons and daughters as gold in the fire that their beauty und brightness may appear to the Nations and their excellency to the ends of the earth that the Lord is adorning them withall in these trying times Well thou whose heart is made tender and is melted in the sence of the heavenly visitation of the Lord and saith within thy self Oh! how long hath the Lord strove and born with me and hath waited for