Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n
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A56017
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A general epistle to friends everywhere who have received, believe and know the truth of God as it is in Jesus.; General epistle to friends every where.
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Parke, James, 1636-1696.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing P370; ESTC R216935
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12,984
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17
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of the Mountains and exalted above the Hills which all Nations shall flow unto not only a few Nations but even all Nations must flow to and come to it and every Mountain and Hill must be brought down and laid waste that riseth up in opposition against the Mountain of the Lord where in his day the Lord our God maketh to his People a Feast of fat things full of Marrow and Wine upon the Lees that is well refined Glory Glory to God and the Lamb over all for ever and ever None need pine for Hunger that come to know the House of the Lord and keep at his Table there is Bread enough Spiritual Meat sufficient to satisfie every hungry Soul with the Water of Life whereof all may drink so that you need never thirst more My dear Friends who are come hither abide with the Lord in the Mountain of his Holiness keep in his Temple faithfully serving of God and as you alwaies keep there you will know there is no Night it for the Lamb is the Light thereof and his Servants shall serve him and worship him and cry Worthy worthy is the Lamb to receive Glory Honour and Praise for ever more But let none content themselves or rest satisfied in the outward Court in outward Shews in an outward Form of Religion or Godliness out of the Life and Power of God For when the Lord cometh to Judgment his Sentance upon them will be sharp who have a name to live but are dead in Trespasses and in Sins How much astonished and perplexed will such be when the Lord comes Who said Behold I come quickly to give a reward to every man according to his works How sad will it be with all them that have not repented them of their wicked deeds which they have done in the Body but where it lieth at their door still all the Wickedness which they have committed which they should in their day given them by the Lord have repented of and ceased to do and what great multitudes of People evidently appear in that sad estate which calls for a Lamentation from the saved of the Lord who are his chosen Flock and Heritage and who can commisserate the People of this Age that are run into such wicked ungodly Practices which undoubtedly will provoke God to Anger and to execute his Judgments upon them with great severity if they repent not But dear Friends you who have tasted and seen how good the Lord is and have of the Water of Life and the Rock that followed Israel of old fed thereupon and drank thereof more abundantly that you all may be filled with that which is good and every Soul delight it self in the fatness of that Meat which is really Spiritual whereby all may come to be strong in the Lord and through him may be made able to stand in this day as firm true and unshaken in mind as ever you or any of the Saints in any Age did that you may not be found wanting or fail in your testimony for his Name in the least degree none to be weaker in Faith because some have faln for through unbelief they fell who are gone from the Truth and have sold it for that that perisheth and so are broken off from their Spiritual Society of Friends in it whatsoever they may in their carnal Reasoning urge as occasion given to them by any so all you that are come to God the Judg of all to have fellowship with God and Christ Jesus keep constant in the near Union and Fellowship of the Spirit of God where there is no stumbling nor falling away from God and his Truth but by the Light of the Lord all will see and learn how precious a thing it is for Brethren to dwell together in the Unity of the Spirit of God and to keep in the Unity of the Spirit which is the Bond of Peace And dear Friends love one another and all Men even your Enemies that despightfully used you and hated you without cause do good to them and pray for them And Friends All greatly prize the great mercy of the Lord God and his marvellous kindness towards us who have been long accounted as Sheep for the Salughter that he who hath the Hearts of Kings in his hand should move in the Kings Heart that now is to consider our distressed state and that violence and spoil we were exposed unto through the prosecution of the Penal Laws that now the King hath put a stop to and granted liberty for all to worship God according as in Conscience they think they ought whereby appears a great openness in most places of this Nation for People to hear God's precious Truth declared and a door of hope of the gathering in of many to the Lord God of all Nations and People Truly Friends this Liberty and Ease from outward Sufferings ought to be used in great Humility and Lowliness of Mind and none ought to be puffed up with it to abuse it or behave themselves any way unworthy of it least the Lord should be provoked to deprive us of that Liberty and Peace which we now enjoy who not long since were troubled on every side and met with many Perils in which the Lord was with us and stood by us and strengthened us by his Power and giving us true Comfort and Peace in himself notwithstanding my dear Friends and Brethren who have received from God more peculiar Gifts for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ and the perfecting of the Saints in Light let the surtherance of the Gospel be every one of your chief care and industry Now is an open door the Harvest truly is great and faithful Labourers are but few Therefore pray ye the Lord God of the Harvest to send forth more faithful Labourers into his Harvest that every one returning may bring their precious Sheaves with you and daily Exhort Reprove and Rebuke with all long Suffering and Patience and be diligent in feeding the Flock and Lambs of Christ over whom the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers that altho many of you be poor in this World yet you may be rich in Faith and rich in the Work of the Gospel making many Rich with durable Riches where you travel or are set for the defence of the Gospel And consider and have regard one to another in your several Services for the Lord keep singly and alone to God's Divine Gift that is in you and given you of God and go forth in that in your Warfare against what is contrary to God none to be so entangled with the Affairs of this World as to let or with-hold you from following the Lord in his Work and Service walking uprightly and without blame in the fear of the Lord God whose Servants you are and unto whom we all ought singly to be given up in pure Obedience And all Friends every where keep up your Meetings in the Name and Power of the Lord who was and is and is to come who changeth not as Times and Laws changeth Be diligent in Meeting together let none be idle or come together in a careless indifferent mind whether you come or not for such doth not serve the Lord as they ought faithfully not are they sensible of the prosperity of his Work in them and such grow not in the Truth Grace or Knowledg of God they shine not as Lights to the World or amongst Men. But blessed and magnified be the Name of the Lord that a remnant do walk with God and faithfully do his Will who have not defiled their Garments but have kept them clean who glorifie their Heavenly Father by bringing forth much Fruit to him whom the Lord hath hid in the secret of his Pavillion and he will hide them more and more in his munition'd Rock whose Bread is sure and whose Waters never fails In the overflowing of the Cup of Salvation was I constrained at this time to write this Epistle to you who are of the Flock of God who will give you a Kingdom that is far beyond the Kingdoms of this World in which all that abide faithful to the end shall live and reign with God the Father and the Lamb Christ Jesus for ever and ever which that you all may be found Heirs thereof and come to inherit it is the fervent Desire and Prayer to God of your faithful Friend and Brother in the Truth James Parke Horsteydown the 24th of 5th Month 1687. THE END
A General EPISTLE TO FRIENDS EVERY WHERE Who have Received Believe and know the Truth of GOD as it is in JESUS Jesus answered Are there not Twelve Hours in the Day If a man walk in the Day he stumbleth not because he seeth the Light of this World. But if a man walk in the Night he stumbleth c. John 11. 9 10. Dear Friends and Brethren WHo are made partakers with us of Salvation and Life and Peace with God through Jesus Christ in perilous Times and have been made willing to take part with the Saints through believing in him and have suffered for His Names sake and in patience possessed your Souls as a People filled and furnished with power from on High to do the will of God and finish that work he hath given you to do in your day and Generation my dear love in the heavenly sence of that Salvation Life and Peace which we have received from God through Christ Jesus the Prince of Peace dearly salutes you all every where who patiently have given your backs to the Smiter and in the will of God have suffered Joyfully for well-doing and have not sainted nor been weary neither 〈◊〉 removed nor been shaken in mind when long furrows were plowed upon your backs but in Patience and Long-suffering endured and came through great tribulations for Righteousness sake the goodness of God in helping saving and delivering of us in the time of need is evermore to be minded and never to be forgotten but greatly prized by us all who have been and are preserved living Witnesses of the same to our abundant joy and comfort when things looked most black and dismal without O what Rest refreshment and consolation have a Remnant felt and experienced when others were amazed tormented and surprized with sudden fears to behold their expectations frustrated and their hopes perish your hope was in the Lord and your confidence in him that never fails them that hope in his mercy and put their trust in him And the Lord hath kept you in this Day of Tryal and Hour of Temptation as a quiet Habitation and as a Tabernacle that shall not be destroyed nor one stake thereof removed for all the shaking of the Mountains and the Earth and Heavens that have been and will be more and more to make way for that which cannot be shaken or removed but shall stand for ever and how doth all things work together for good to them that dwell in the love of God and Christ Jesus above all in this day of shaking of all false Foundations and all who have built thereupon How are the shaken in mind they have stumbled and faln and seem to have none to help them up their minds being from the only Helper Christ Jesus the tried Stone Elect and precious who is laid in Sion for a Foundation on which the Church of God is built and which the gates of Hell shall never prevail against and this Foundation of God it stands sure and all who are thereupon kept and preserved they are as Mount Sion that cannot be removed by all the shakings of the winds that arise Floods that come or the Rains that fall because they are built upon this Rock Christ Jesus which is immovable who hath been and is our Rock and Resuge to this day Glory to the Lord God for ever who hath gathered a Remnant to himself out of the World and the wickedness of it and hath brought out from the barren Mountains to the Mountain of his House even the Mountain of Holiness where his hand appears and is seen to work and bring mighty things to pass for and in the behalf of his chosen Heritage whom the Lord greatly delights in and taketh pleasure in doing good unto Now this Mountain of the Lord's House shall be established on the top of the Mountains and shall be exalted above the Hills how high and strong soever they may appear that are as Mountains lifted up or arise against the Mountain of the Lords House or is of another nature and contrary thereunto they must all be brought down and laid wast in man and woman before the Mountain of the Lord can be established in them and exalted above the Hills which Christ Jesus said must be laid low before the Lord alone be exalted And Daniel saw a little Stone cut out of the Mountain without hands that should fill the whole Earth here was no Crafts-man or cunning Artists hands at work in cutting out this little Stone cut out of the Mountain it was without hands no wit or power of man could do it but only through the Wisdom of God and his invisible power for with God all things are possible he can make a little Stone cut out of the Mountain fill the whole Earth he can make a little one become a strong Nation Now Dear Friends feel the Mountain of the Lord's House established on the the top of that which is of the House of Esau which must be as stubble and feel the House of Saul faln and the Tabernacle of David that was faln down raised up in you and that every breach thereof may be healed that the enemy hath made at any time to the weakning or the throwing of it down and when any falls into sin or commits iniquity that makes a breach upon the Tabernacle of David weakens the good in them so then the bad House of Saul grows stronger and wickedness increaseth in such to a great height O how many Mountains and Hills within and without hath the Lord our God already brought down and laid wast that he might set his King upon his Holy Hill of Sion and declare his decree that shall stand notwithstanding what man or men may decree contrary God will accomplish the thoughts of his heart and will bring to pass his Act his strange Act what he hath promised and purposeth to do in and for his undefiled Remnant he will effect it it shall come to pass not a Jot or little shall fail till all be fulfilled So dear Friends feel Christ Jesus Who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords set upon his Holy Hill of Sion who shall Reign for ever and ever and sit upon the Throne of Majesty on High I say in the Name of the Lord God witness his Reign and him to sway the Scepter of Righteousness in you till every thing that is contrary to him or that would exalt it self against his Government be brought into obedience and subjection thereunto that nothing may Rule or Reign but his blessed Life and Power in and over all for evermore and that he may be glorified in you all who is worthy of Glory Honour and Dominion feel and witness him come with power and great glory and taking to himself his great power whereby you will all know every Valley exalted and every Mountain and Hill laid low that would lift up it self to oppose or hinder the work of the Lord or would not the Lord