A General Epistle TO FRIENDS Every Where Written in obedience to the Requirings of the Spirit of Life from God Some of the things spoken to in this Epistle GOd's peculiar Love and Favour manifested to the People of God With a Salutation to them The manner of Gods bringing of us out of spiritual Sodom and Aegypt and his end therein Something of the old Serpents subtilty and cunning working with a way opened for all how to escape it that are convinced of the Truth Some wholsom Exhortations unto all who are come to the Way of God to continue stedfast in it and to be constant in their Obedience to Christ Jesus unto the end With something by way of Advice to beware of the Whores Cup and that ye receive not the Beasts Mark on your Foreheads or in your Hands Also concerning mighty things done by Faith A few words concerning Marriage And several other things relating to Husbands and Wives Parents and Children Masters and Servants A friendly Caution to all such who have transported or may transport themselves beyond the Seas into forreign Plantations Dear Friends and Brethren WHO are the called of God in Christ Jesus and witness the hope of your calling out of Darkness into his marvellous Light and are the Children of the Light and of the Day The dear and tender Salutation of my Love in the Light Life and Spirit of God reacheth to you all with fresh and fervent desires that you all may be kept faithful unto him who hath called and also made choice of you to serve worship love and obey him in your generation that you may be called the Trees of Righteousness of the Lords planting his Seed taking deep Root in you you will all bring forth fruit to the honour and glory of him who hath not only planted but often also watred you with his heavenly dew showers of plentiful Rain which purely and refreshingly hath fallen down upon you as no People else hath witnessed the like in our age or generation nor hath been known since the Apostles days glory to the Lord God of Heaven and Earth he hath made many Trees fruitful that now remain as lively fresh and green as ever altho some are not only withered but dead twice and pluckt up by the Root that were planted and have been watred with us often by our heavenly Father the Husband man both to us and them who did sow the same good Seed in them Grounds that prove evil as on that which is good Ground and that which he plants or sows in any mans heart is good and shews man what is purely good and of God from that which is contrary that all might come to love the good and hate the evil as its manifest from God by his immortal Seed or Word of Life within and that all might chuse the good and refuse the evil as either appear or is represented to any particular all are to love the good and hate the evil to chuse the good and refuse the evil to joyn to and be one with the good but to separate from reject and deny that which is evil and the pure Light of Christ in every Conscience as all take heed thereunto and wait therein will let them see and know how to distinguish betwixt good and evil under what disguise fair pretence or transformation of the Enemy soever it may appear to blind beguile or deceive the simple either to keep in the evil always from the good or to lead out and draw from the good after tastes of it into the evil again to make the latter end of such worse than their beginning I say and testifie in the Lord dear Friends as we all keep in and mind the glorious Light of the Son of God no such Darkness will ever again come over any of us as to call good evil or evil good to put light for darkness and darkness for light sweet for bitter or bitter for sweet for that cometh of Darkness from the Prince of Darkness and God of this World even the blindness that some are in who profess the light yet put darkness for it and call good evil and evil good and how can such know the good and acceptable will of God or good from evil then they were not like to chuse the good and refuse the evil And how were they like to obey the Light of Christ or walk in it that cannot clearly or truly distinguish betwixt Light and Darkness Christ or Belial May not such follow darkness in stead of light and Belial instead of Christ nay do they not walk in darkness not knowing whither they walk whose Minds thus are blinded by darkness And such to the Children of the Light and of the Day may be known by this Character that though they profess the Light of Christ and have been convinced by it yet they hate it and will not bring their deeds to it to be proved and tryed this Prover and Tryer that judgeth and condemns for sin and evil they cannot abide the coming of but would have their works and things tryed and proved by the Darkness which they themselves are in Which dear Friends I tenderly beseech you in the love of God to beware of and dwell in the Light of the Son of God forever mind it love and believe in it as much as ever you did since you turned to it and came to believe in it then I know you will be as willing to bring your deeds to it as ever you were and will be as ready to imbrace and follow the motions of it as you were at your first Convincement or the Candle of the Lord first shined upon your Tabernacles And I doubt not but a Remnant are so at this day although some are already turned aside from the Light into great Darkness and lost the sence of Life having Death over them and they feed thereon being out of the green and fresh Pastures of Life where once they fed with us gladly and accounted them good and precious which now seems but to them as the Manna did to the Children of Israel when they had eaten thereof and were full how did many of them forget the Lord and his works and murmured against Moses that was faithful in God's house and said Hath he brought us hither to destroy us And they said Can God furnish a Table in the Wilderness which was also a questioning of Gods Power and Providence All which were the fruits and evil effects of Unbelief and their revolting and acksliding Hearts and the Lord said Israel hath cast off the thing that is good he saw it was angry and greatly displeased therewith and the Lord did forsake them and cast them off because they did forsake him and cast off the thing that was good and followed after that which evil and often did evil in the sight of the Lord and many ways God proved them and tryed them and did mighty things for them for his Names sake
brought us forth and the eminent Hand of the Lord that appeared in our deliverance and freedom from Egypt's hard Task masters and the Lord did redeem us from the Heathen and their Heathenish Words Fashions Wayes and Worships never to learn their Words Wayes Fashions or Customs any more And God called us out of Sodom spiritually and to leave the filthy Communication and Conversation of the Sodomites which we were never to look back upon any more truly 't is very dangerous being in Sodom and Egypt spiritually where our Lord was crucified who can expect any thing but Ruin and Destruction to be found amongst them that now declare their Sin as Sodom Therefore let none of you go into Egypt again for any help or think to have relief there go not down thither nor look back towards Sodom lest you perish or be found worthy of the Wrath and Displeasure of Almighty God by reason of going back into Egypt again and then any of you should be found in Sodom or Egypt spiritually for if there be a desire in any to go back and they draw back God's Soul shall have no pleasure in them and God will be displeased with you that lust after Egypt or the Flesh-Pots there or any thing you were called of God to leave and forsake when you came out of Egypt notwithstanding a Sea of Troubles and many Hardships may appear yet still resolve in the Power of the Lord to go forward and with heavenly delight follow the Lord fully and look still to the Lord and not at any Hardships or Difficulties that may appear in your Journey nor at the length of it neither O! let none of you say that Food which God hath given you from Heaven is light Meat for that evidently bespeaks murmuring at the Food which God gives whereof you have eaten with us If any shall be filled so with unbelief to slight that and desire Egyptian Flesh-Pots and begin to value that again which you vomited up as unsavoury and not good Soul's Food and return to it again sad will the latter end of such be whatever their beginning was And if any of you should forsake the Lord his Fountain of living Waters and dig to your selves broken Sisterns that will not hold the living Water then a terrible day of Wrath and the great Displeasure of the Lord will come upon you and so you may become Monuments of his Displeasure which to avoid wait upon the Lord low in his fear when you come into the Assemblies of the Righteous and earnestly desire that this Heart of Unbelief whereby some in all Ages departed from God and went backward and not forward may not be found in you resolving for the future in the fear awe and dread of the Lord God to cleave to the Lord and follow the Lord in the doing of that which is good and to keep out of Disobedience Sin and Evil while you abide in this world Come not to the Meetings of the Saints as if it were a thing indifferent whether you came or did stay at home such luke-warm Hearers and Professors of the Truth amongst us God will spue out that are neither cold nor hot and yet cold enough towards that which is good the day is at hand that will manifest every Birth every Tree and every Spirit really as it is unto all who witness the â—aâ—â— measure of the heavenly Birth or are Trees of Righteousness and who are of a right Spirit Dear Friends give not way to that to please your selves or to gratifie the Devil or any corrupt Men or Women in the Spirit of this World which would intice you or draw you thereunto that you might be ensnared and then such will but sport themselves to see any of you speak act and walk after the course of this World as such as would draw you into evil do but be not you like unto them nor learn any of their wayes for the wayes of evil men lead from God and from his pure and precious Life which he hath made manifest and brought you into in measure so be the more circumspect diligent and watchful watch you in all things that you may please the Lord and endure Hardship and Affliction with God's called chosen and faithful when we are called thereunto that as true and faithful Warriors in the Spirit and Power of God we may all be kept together in one Spirit to the end Oh! be circumspect every Son and Daughter Servant and Hand-Maid have your Eye in your Head and if thy Eye be single the whole Body will be full of Light which tends much to the safety and preservation of the whole Body and the faithful are the Body of Christ and Members one of another and must needs be sensible of each others suffering can one Member suffer and not the whole Body suffer with it Dear Friends keep to Christ Jesus who is the Head of his Body the Church which he hath purchased with his own Blood still mind the Head and hold the Head that you all may be kept living Members of his Body purely knit together and firmly united unto him that you may be compleat in him wanting nothing of that state which you ought to be in as to a growing into him who is the fulness that filleth all in all In your Assemblies diligently wait to feel his presence more and more purely to refresh and comfort you whereby more and more you will have living experience how good and safe a thing it is for them that fear the Lord to meet often together to wait upon and serve the Lord and answer his will and requiring therein whatsoever men may require contrary of us herein we are to obey God rather then man or man's Edicts to the contrary whereby many times Storms arise and the Sea comes to be troubled Friends forget not how the Lord hath covered us and sheltred us when former Storms and Tempests have been and the Rain hath fallen yea when the Enemy hath come as a Flood and the Floods of the Ungodly broke forth upon us in the Dragon's rage to destroy the heavenly Birth and that which was of God in us how the Lord by his mighty Power which is an unlimitted Power brought Help Salvation and great Deliverance even when all other Helps failed and stood afar off I hope many yet living do remember with Joy of Heart how the Lord caused the Winds and Sea to obey him and divided the troubled Waters where the Whore then did sit and now sitteth which was Nations Kindreds Tongues and People all which the Whore sits upon for Nations Kindreds Tongues and People are all like Waters rouling tumbling upon Heaps and are troubled there is no settlement upon them few knowing what they all nor why they are tumbled so upon Heaps but notwithstanding the Saints who are the Lamb's followers must pass through these waters and through the fire also the Lord will divide the waters to make way for his
cometh that are not as good men and women watching for the Lords coming whether at Mid-night Cock-crow or when ever it be for the day and hour knoweth no man and Christ said In an hour when you think not the Son of Man cometh therefore how are we all concerned to be always ready and prepared for him to serve worship follow him whithersoever he goeth And Christ said When the Son of Man cometh shall he find Faith on the Earth signifying the great loss and want of Faith that shall be when he cometh and what shipwrack will be made of Faith notwithstanding I doubt not but this day of Trouble will be of great use unto all who are honest in heart and have believed with us and provoke such to examine themselves whether now they be in the Faith or not and truly to search their own hearts and thorowly prove themselves and so no doubt but all the Sons and Daughters of Sion will come out of the Furnace more pure than Gold seven times tried in the sire truly a thorow search trial and examination will hurt neither the strong in Christ nor the weakest of the Flock it will doubtless be of great benefit for all to examine themselves whether they be in the faith or not for he that standeth standeth by Faith and liveth by Faith and pleaseth God by Faith and holdeth the Mystery of it in a pure Conscience and worketh Righteousness by Faith and stops the Lyons Mouthes and escapes the edge of the Sword by Faith and out of weakness are made strong through Faith and valiant for the Truth in warring against all that which works against the Truth and is for untruth And Friends to be rich in Faith such durably are made rich and such may be instrumental in the hand of the Lord to make others rich although they be poor in this World for it is the poor of this world rich in Faith that are Heirs of Gods Kingdom So you poor of the Flock that honour God in your day be content with such things as you have nay though you should have less and be made as poor as any are do not repine nor murmur in your hearts against God do not thou say in thy haste Why is my Lot and Portion of this World so little and so hard but mind thy being rich in Faith and still look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of thy Faith that hath made thee rich in Faith and thou wilt be as well contented with such things as thou hast as them who are out of the Faith though they be never so much increased with Corn Wine and Oyl or have this world's Goods in never such abundance And if thou be'st poor and needy consider the poor distressed and stript estate of Gods innocent Servant Job and by what he was upheld and kept from sinning against God let the same Love to God be in thee and the same uprightness and patience will preserve thy goings aright and keep thee from murmuring when thou wantest many things that others enjoy Thou knowest that Dives was rich but Lazarus was poor and was desirous of the crums that fell from the rich mans Table Dives had his good things but Lazarus his evil things in this world a Beggar the Rich man dyed and the Beggar also the Rich man was Wicked and went into Hell to be tormented in that Fire but Lazarus was received into Abraham's Bosom and was blessed and comforted with faithful Abraham who is called the Father of the faithful And you that are poor in this world consider Christ Jesus who in the days of his flesh had not whereon to lay his head though the Foxes had holes and the Birds of the Air their nests and your heavenly Father knoweth what you have need of and will let you want no manner of thing that he seeth good for you be content that you are Heirs of Gods Kingdom and that God hath promised you Treasure in Heaven keep your Hearts to that and prise that above all earthly cankering or the rusty Treasure of this world and it will go well with you forever and evermore The Riches of this World and all its Honour and Glory that is uncertain and takes to it self Wings and flyes away but we being rich in Faith and in good Works that will abide and follow us when we are gone hence and shall be no more seen in this world but the Riches of this world and its Delights and Pleasures will come to an end now are flying away from many whose minds were lifted up and who were puffed up in their minds with it And the Apostle said Charge them that are Rich in this World that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain Riches but in the living God who gave them all things richly to enjoy And Job said Naked came I into this World and naked shall I return again and that the Lord gave and took away and could bless the Name of the Lord He thus said in his poor stript and distressed state and the Love Faith and Patience of Job giveth true contentedness now and such as have it cast their care upon the Lord and he takes care for them And Friends you that are rich in this World keep your Minds out of it or else it will become a snare to you and your Table may become a snare if you keep not low sober in the use of these good things that you enjoy in this world although God gives you them for your welfare yet they may become a trap and if when they encrease you let your hearts after them and set your hearts on them undoubtedly they will prove so to you as well as other People Therefore keep low and take heed to your selves that the Earth get not over you again to oppress and burthen that Seed of God in any of you for then you will begin to walk heavily on and pull back your Shoulder from many good works and services that you might do for God in your day and will neglect the doing of them and if when Riches encrease you set your hearts on it it will steal away the hearts of such from the Lord then what availeth any thing of a drawing near to God with the Tongue or Lips or any Bodily exercise that you may be exercised in For in this state Pride and vain Glory creeps in and a desire after the Glory of the World and a love to it and to deck themselves very unbecoming Truth professed and talked of by them and to get into the vain Fashions and Modes of the world because they have gotten more of it than others they may think that they may get into fine Apparel and needless things the world useth to wear and so much of that which is needless and superfluous is worn by some especially that are young that it is a shame their Parents that have the government of them should suffer them in it So