with his Iron Rod and break the Heathen to pieces like a Potters Psal 2. 8. 9. Vessel who hath Righteousness for the girdle of his Loins and Faithfulness the girdle of his Reins who hath on the Brestplate of Righteousness and a Helmet of Salvation on his Head who hath put on the Garment of Vengeance for cloathing and is clad with Zeal as with a Cloak who with the two-edged sword that proceeds out of his mouth makes War in Righteousness who hath on a Vesture dipt in blood and his Name is called the Word Rev. 19. 13 Isa 42. 6 7. 4â— â— Luk. 2. 30 31 32 Isa 35. 5 6 7. of God This is he whom the Lord giveth for a Covenant of the people and for a light of the Gentiles to be his Salvation to the ends of the Earth to open the Blind eyes to unstop the Deaf ears to cause the tongue of the Dumb to sing and the Lame to leap as an Heart to cause water to come forth of the Desert and streams in the Wilderness the parched ground to become a pool and dry heaths springs of water to make the Wilderness and the solitary place glad and the Desert to rejoyce and blossom as a Rose who is anointed of God to Preach glad Tidings to the poor to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim Isa 61. 1 2 3. Liberty to the poor Captive and to comfort the the Mourners in Sion to give beauty for ashes the oyl of Joy for Mourning the garment of Praise for the Spirit of heaviness that they may flourish as Trees of Righteousness of the Lords own planting bringing forth fruit unto him 1 Sam. 2. 4 5 6 7. that he in and through them may be glorified He brake thâ— bowes of the Mighty and that which is weak and feeble he girds with Strength and Courage the Full and Rich he causes to hire out for bread and causeth the hunger of the hungry to cease who causeth the barren to bear seven and she that hath had many children to wax barren and feeble he woundeth and healeth he killeth and causeth to live he bringeth down and raiseth up even the poor he raiseth out of the dust and the beggar from the dunghil to set them among the Princes and to inherit a Crown of Glory This is he who maketh all things a New and Rev. 21. 1. 5 Isa 65. 17. causeth all old things to pass away who causeth the old Heavens and the old Earth to pass away and dryeth up the Sea and creates a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness this is he which worketh the strange work the marvelous work which causeth the ears of those that hear thereof to tingle This is he who is the strong Arm of Gods Mighty Power which is stretched forth towards the helpless to deliver the poor and needy out of the hand of him who is too strong for them Isa 52 1â— The Arm of Gods Salvation which he is making bare before the eyes of the Captives that they may see him and come unto him who is Mighty upon whom help is laid to deliver them and to save to the utmost them that come unto him this as I said is the hand of Gods loving kindness which in mercy is stretched forth towards you who cannot be satisfied with the husks shells and shadows but thirst and desire after him the Substance the living Bread which the living Soul feeds upon and lives and grows up thereby into Eternal life Ah dear People this is the Salvation of God whom I declare of and Salvation is not to be had in another besides him who is the Immortal word Luk 2. 29 30. of Eternal life which abides for ever which was in the beginning before the visibles were by whom all things were made whether visible or invisible and without Joh. 1. 1 c. him was nothing made that was made and in him the Word was life and this life is the light of men and he is the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world and was in the world and the world knew him not He came unto his own and his own received him not but unto them that received him he gave power to become the Sons of God Who had a body prepared him in which he suffered the Will of him that sent him who was born of the Virgin Mary whom King Herod sought to destroy who was circumcised the eighth day and likewise baptised by John the Baptist who likewise eat the Passeover with his Disciples for he came to fulfil all Righteousness who was betrayed by Judas who was judged to die by Ponrius Pilate who was Crucified without the Gates of Jerusalem who was laid in a Sepulcher who rose again the third day according to the Scriptures who ascended up into Heaven and sitteth at the Right hand of God who is glorified with the same Glory that he had with the Father before the world began who came again unto his Disciples according to his promise who said unto them I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you I will send you a Comforter that shall abide with you for ever even the Spirit of Truth I am Joh. 14 16 18 26. the Truth saith Christ whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but you know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be Mark in you yet a little while and the world sees me no more Mark this you who are so much gazing and looking for his coming without but still fail of your expectation that you know not his coming within you to be a Comforter But you see me and because I live you shall live also saith Christ to his Disciples and in that day you shall know that I am in the Father and you in me and I Mark in â—ou and he the Spirit of Truth shall lead you into all Truth and shall teach you all things and shall shew you all things to come and bring all things to your remembrance that I have said unto you and shall reprove the world of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgement And his Disciples according to his Luk. 24. 29. Acts 2. 4. command waited at Jerusalem until they were indued with power from on high and had received the promise of the Holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth which caused them to speak the wonderful things of God as the Eternal Spirit of Truth gave them utterance and then they were come to witness his Word fulfilled when he said He dewlleth with you and shall be in â—ou and this is the immortal Word which was in the beginning which Paul who witnessed Christ the Son of God revealed in him and was Gal. 1 15 16. by him the eternal Spirit made an able Minister of him Preached to wit Christ within who said Rom. 19. 6 7. 8. None should need to ascend that is to bring
Tabernacle bears the name of William Bennit Published in singleness and uprightness of heart from a constraint of Gods Love to all those who are yet groaning and panting after the Lord in truth and sincerity that they may meet with some refreshment and encouragement in their Journey and Travels towards the Land of Rest and Peace OH oh my soul my soul what hath the Lord even the Lord thy God done for thee oh what hath he done for thee oh my soul oh my soul a little while sit down in thy secret Chamber of rest and quietness and there oh my soul a little meditate of the most excellent loving-kindness of the Lord thy tender compassionate God of infinite bowels which he hath manifested to thee oh my soul of things past present and to come that so the perfect sence of the love mercy pity kindness tenderness and compassion of the Lord thy tender God may alwayes rest in and upon thee oh my soul That oh my soul through the sence feeling and true remembrance thereof thou mayst be O blessed God praised glorified and magnified reverenced and honoured even the holy powerful eternal wonderful everlasting Name of the Lord God Almighty who inhabiteth Eternity who lives for ever and for evermore and bound thereby to a bountiful kind loving tender pitiful merciful compassionate God towards all souls in the measure of God thy God who hath abounded in loving kindness towards thee oh my soul Oh! oh my soul my soul remember thou wert once a prisoner in the prison house of darkness strongly bound in chains and fetters a slave and a captive in the Land of Egypt under the servitude and slavery of the Prince and power of darkness the god of the world the king of Egypt and under thy hard bondage and deplorable thraldom and miserable captivity oh my soul thou wert made in secret to cry and groan under thy burdens unto the Lord thy tender God whose bowels whose tender bowels of infinite pity and unsathomable compassion did in mercy to thee hover over thee even in that thy sad miserable deplorable state first made thee sensible of thy sad captivity and so in the sence thereof and in the sence of thy own helplessness how didsâ— thou cry cry unto the Lord God of pity for help and groan unto him for deliverance oh my soul and the Lord who opened thine eye and gave thee a glimpse of thy sad estate did hear thy groanings and thy cries and for his own Seeds sake set himself by the out-stretched Arm of his power to deliver thee out of thy sad captivity in which thou were without help of thy own and there must abode had not the Lord God of everlasting unfathomable bowels of pity had mercy upon thee oh my soul Oh oh oh my soul my soul the remembrance of the tender love the tender pity the tender mercy of thy tender pitiful God how can it but even rend thy bowels even from top to bottom oh my soul and remember oh my soul how the Lord God Almighty through his sore plagues and righteous judgments executed upon Pharaoh the King of Egypt under whom thou wert a slave by an out-stretched and a mighty power by the slaying with the sword of his vengeance the first-born of Egypt brought thee out of the prison-house who broke thy chains in pieces and snapt thy bonds asunder and brought thee out of Egypt and set thy face toward Canaan the good Land that floweth with milk and honey And remember oh my soul how wonderfully the Lord God who by his mighty power and out-stretched arm brought thee out of Egypt preserved thee and upheld thee in thy long journey unto Canaan thy tedious way and passage through the sea and wildeâ—ness how gently did he lead thee as a tender nursing Father and carried thee as in his arms and bore with thee in his mercy towards thee when thou sometimes murmured against him because of the length and straightness of the way that he led thee in and because of the enemies thou hadst to encounter with by the way insomuch that thou sometimes backslided in thy heart towards Egypt and lusted after the flesh-pots thereof and murmured against the Lord who so led thee about in such a cross knotty way to that part in the which through the cross straightness and length of the way was to die pine and wither and be worn away and fall in the wilderness and not enter into the holy Land and yet the Lord thy tendeâ— God who did correâ—â— thee through his righteous 〈◊〉 and as a tender heaâ—â—ed Father did chasâ—ise thee fo◠〈…〉 complainâ—ngs aâ—â— murmuâ—ings against him and 〈…〉 baâ—â—sâ—iding towarâ—â— Egypt did not destroy thee but bear with thy weaknesâ—â—â— and infirmities and nourished thee and cherished thee day by day and as a tender hearted Mother nurseth the only tender babe of her womb who led thee by a pillar of a cloud by day which was a shadow unto thee from the heat and a pillar of fire by night which gave thee light by night when the Sun was under the earth who when thou wert an hungry he gave thee bread from heaven day by day fresh Manna morning by morning compassed about thy tent and gave thee water out of the rock to satisfie thy thirst yea oh my soul great greatly hath the mercy love pity and compassion of the Lord thy tender God been manifested towards thee how did he fight for thee and subdue thy enemies before thee and made way for thy passage yea remember remember oh my soul oh my soul how that after he had brought thee out of Egypt by his out-strctched arm and mighty wonderful power how mightily and wonderfully did he appear for thee to help thee in thy time of great need and extream distress and great trouble even when Pharaoh and his great host followed hard after thee and pursued strongly to overtake thee and bring thee back again into Egypt under his slavery and servitude And when Pharaoh and his host followed so close after thee and the Sea the great Sea was before thee and mountains on each side of thee how great was the straight thou wert in and the trouble and sorrow that compassed thee about oh my soul that thou wert even at thy wits end And oh oh my soul my soul in this time of thy greatest straight and trouble â—ven when thou wert without help of thy own thou criest unto the Lord thy God who gave thee some glimpse of comfort saying he would fight for thee and thou shouldst be still and hold thy peace and so he by his mighty power made hard things to become easie unto thee and that which appeared as a thing unpossible unto thee he by his power made it become possible unto thee Remember oh my soul how he made a way for thee to pass through the Sea and divided the waters thereof hither and thither and by his mighty power carried thee through the Sea and
Pharoah and his host he utterly destroyed in his wrath and delivered thee oh my soul out of his hand and destroyed them who would have destroyed thee and gave thee dominion over them that had dominion over thee and thou sawest them lie dead as by the Sea shore glory glory glory ah glory glory and pure praises praises to God to the Lord God even thy God oh my soul and now oh my soul thou canst sing a song of deliverance a song of victory and triumph and go into the Sanctuary of God to the Altar of God thy God even God thy exceeding joy ah and upon the Harp thou canst praise God the Lord thy God thy delight and joy Oh! oh my soul my soul thou in the lowly fear and holy dread of the Lord thy tender God and in truth and righteousness livingly and experimentally canst say the Lord my God is my strength and my song he also is become my salvation he is my Rock and strong Tower his work is perfect a God the God of truth and righteousness just and right he is the holy one whose dwelling is on high in the holy place and with him also who is of a poor and a meek and a contrite spirit and that trembleth before his Holiness and fears and dreads before his dreadful Name ah ah thy right hand O Lord thy right hand O Lord God of power is become glorious in power is become mighty in power thy right hand O Lord God Almighty hath dashed in pieces mine enemies by the greatness O Lord my God by the greatness of thy wonderful excellency thou hast O Lord confounded them that rose up against me thou lettest forth thy wrath and consumed them as stubble before a mighty fire thou lettest forth the breath of thy fury and blew upon them and scattered them as chaff before a mighty wind Oh! oh who can stand before thy indignation thy dreadful indignation who can abide the extream fierceness of thy anger thy fury is poured forth like fire thou breakest the râ—cks in pieces the mountains tremble before thee the mighty God thou utterest thy voice and the Heathen tremble thou roarest and the Kingdoms are moved and the earth melteth at the appearance of thy presence who cometh with fire and thy Chariots like a whirle-wind thou renderest thy anger with fury and thy rebukes with flames of fire thou hast thy way in the whirle-winds and the Clouds are as the dust of thy feet Thou art the mighty God who can but fear before thee and tremble at thy eternal presence thou roarest out of thy Sion and utterest thy voice from thy Jerusalem and the Inhabitants of the earth tremble thereat but still thou art the hope of thy People and the strength of thy ransomed ones their strong Tower their present Helper in the time of trouble Wherefore I 'll not fear though the Earth be removed and carried into the midst of the Sea and though the Sea roar and be terrible and the Mountains shake with the swellings thereof and the Hills fly before it though the tall Cedars of Lebanon fall and the strong Oaks of Bashan bend before it yet I will not fear the Lord is with me and he will not forsake me but he will help me and that right early Wherefore I will only fear before the Lord before the Lord my God the mighty eternal God of mighty eternal Power who measureth out the Heavens as with a span and measureth the waters of the Seas in the hollow of his hand who comprehendeth the dust of the Earth in a measure weigheth the Mountains as in scales and the Hills as in a ballance who taketh up the Islands as a very little thing before whose face the Heavens and the Earth flee away and behold there appeareth no more Sea Oh! who can but fear before thee O Lord my God the enemy said I 'll pursue I 'll overtake I 'll not spare my lusts shall be satisfied on him But O Lord O Lord God my God thou wert my God near to help in the time of need and in the time of greatest need appeared appeared in the greatest power of love O Lord thou blew upon them and the Sea covered them and they sunk as Lead in the bottom of the mighty Waters O Lord O Lord God who is like unto thee who amongst the gods is like unto thee the only God who art dreadful in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders Oh! let the people hear and be afraid and the Dukes of Edom be amazed and let trembling take hold of the mighty men of Moab oh who can but fear before thee O Lord my God Thou hast redeemed me and led me forth in thy power and guided me in thy strength unto thy holy habitation thou wilt bring me in and plant me in the mountain of thy Inheritance in thy Sanctuary O Lord which thy hands have established wherein I shall live with thee O Lord my God for ever Ah glory glory glory unto thee O Lord God my God The Lord is a man of war the Lord of Host is his name Pharaoh and his mighty men hath he drowned in the Sea but he hath saved thee oh my soul So Lord let thine enemies perish but let them that hope in thy mercy live for ever to declare thy wonders and magnifie thy name in the land of the living Ah! glory glory ah glory glory to God the mighty God ah praises praises honour and thanksgiving unto thee O Lord my God who lives for ever and for evermore Amen Oh! oh what is this what is this that the Lord thy tender God of infinite bowels of pity hath done for thee oh my soul thou wert a slave in the Land of Egypt and the Lord hath redeemed thee oh my soul thou wert in darkness and the Lord hath given thee light and thou wert under the region and shadow of death and he hath brought thee forth in the to Land of life Thou wert in the prison shut up in the prison-house bound up with chains and fetters in the low dungeon of darkness and he hath broken thy chains and snapt thy fetters asunder and loosed thy bonds and broke up the prison door and pulled down the prison house and set thee free oh my soul Oh my soul my soul thou wert a captive in the Land of Babylon estranged from the Common-wealth of Israel and an Alien from Sion sitting sorrowful and solitary by the River of Babylon in the Land of Captivity mourning when thou thoughst upon Sion for thou wert a Captive in a strange Land and sorrow through the sence of thy woful Captivity and Alienation from thy native Land compassed thee about and trouble on every hand tears was thy drink daily sorrow thy meat and groans and sighs thy greatest joy thou wentest bowed down all the day long with an heart aking and thine eyes dropping with tears because of the oppressions of thine enemies and burdens of thine oppressours
the high and mighty one the holy one of Israel is their Shepherd and he even continually watcheth over them and greatly careth for them and he it is who hath giving bounds to the raging Sea and he limits the proud Waves thereof and shutteth up her Floods as he pleaseth he can let forth the Wind and suffer a Storm and he can make a Calm when he pleaseth he can cause the Sea and the Wind to obey him and therefore the Children of God need not to fear none besides the Lord who will suffer nothing to besal them but what shall work for good to all his chosen faiâ—hful ones wherefore it is good for all the Children of the Lord confidently to trust in the Lord and not at all fear though their Enemies pursue hard after them and say in their hearts Come come we will pursue them we will overtake them our Lusts shall be satisfied upon them we will have the desire of our Hearts concerning them we will draw our Swords and our Hands shall destroy them and we will try whether their Gods in whom they say they trust be able to deliver them from the stroke of our Hands Well let not Israel heed the boasting and threatning of his Enemies nor regard the pâ—rposes of his Adversaries though they pursue hard after him and say We will bring them back again into Egypt or else we will totally Destroy them Yet let not Israel fear for the Lord his God is between him and his Enemies and fights for him against his Adversaries and he in his Anger will look down upon them and trouble their Host and take off their Chariot wheels and will blow in his Wrath upon them and the Sea of his righteous Indignation shall cover them and they shall sink as Lead in the bottom of his righteous Judgments and he will get himself a Name through the destruction of Sionâ— Enemies and Honour and Magnifie himself through the deliverance of his Chosen who will work wonders for his Redeemed insomuch as the Dukes of Edom shall be amazed and even trembling shall take hold upon the mighty men of Moab and all Nations shall shiver and quake before the mighty God of Israel who is dreadful in Holiness fearful in Praises doing Wonders Oh let Israel honour his God in believing in him and in trusting in his Name in relying and depending upon his Arm of everlasting strength and patiently without murmurings to wait upon the Lord for he that is to come will come and wilâ— not tarry whose work is before him and his reward is with him even Joy for the Mourners in Sion and Beauty for Ashes Gladness for the heavy hearted in Jerusalem Freedom for Bondage Freedom from Weights Burdens and grievous Oppressions Oh let all the Children of the Lord wait without fainting upon the Lord for yet a little while and the voice will be heard saying rejoyce and even sing for joy ye Saints Servants and Prophets of the most High and triumph in the Lord Almighty over the Beast and false Prophet and over the Whore which hath corrupted the Earth who hath long sat as a Queen and said in her heart she should never see Sorrow with whom the Nations of the Earth hath committed Fornication and she hath made Nations Kindreds Tongues and People drunk with the wine of her Fornication who hath long deceived the Nations with her golden Cup which hath been filled with Abominations and in her is found all the Blood of the Martyrs and Servants of Jâ—sus which hath been shed upon the Earth and she hath rid upon the Beast that rose out of the Sea who received his seat great power and authority from the Dragon who persecuted the true woman that was clothed with the Sun and had a Crown of twelve Stars upon her head who sought to devour her Man-child and made war against the remnant of her Seed who keep the Commands of God and have the Testimony of Jesus these cannot worship the Beast nor his name nor receive his mark but these worship God alone and are followers of the Lamb through many tribulations whose garments are made white in his Blood by whom they are redeemed from amongst men these the Beast and false Prophet have sought to Kill Persecute and root out from off the face of the Earth but wo wo wo to the Beast false Prophet and the Whore for the day of their Judgment is come Misery Calamity Distress Destruction is coming upon them she the mother of Harlots the mother of Witchcrafts the Abominations of the Earth shall utterly be Destroyed and totally Burnt with Fire for strong is the Lord God Almighty who Judgeth her and now sing O Heavens and rejoyce ye who live therein over mystery Babylon the great for it is fallen it is fallen as a mighty Milstone into the bottom of the Sea never more to arise again Amen Halleluâ—ah And the Lord will thunder from Heaven upon thy Enemies oh Sion and will break thy Adversaries to peices and will give strength to thy King and exhalt the horn of his Anointed and he shall Reign and Rule and Prosper and execute Justice and true Judgment in the Earth in his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and sit under his own Vine and none shall make him afraid then shall it be said to Jerusalem fear not and to Sion let not thy hands be slack the Lord in the midest of thee is mighty he hath saved thee he hath set thee free from thy Trouble he will rejoyce over thee with Joy he 'll joy over thee with Singing then it shall be said sing oh Daughter of Sion and shout oh Israel and rejoyce withal thy heart oh Daughter of Jerusalem for the Lord hath taken away thy Judgment he hath cast out thy Enemies and thy Warfare is acomplished and thy great Travel is finished and now thou shalt rest from thy Labour and they who have Laboured and Mourned with thee and for thee shall rejoyce for Joy with thee and suck and be satisfied with the sweet consolation of thy Breast and milk out and be delighted in the abundance of thy Glory oh the Lord thy Husband thy maker the God of hosts is his Name will extend Peace Joy Comfort everlasting Refreshment as a mighty Stream and endless Consolations as a River oh then shall they be Comforted in thee after their Sorrow and be born up upon thy Sides and dandled upon thy Knees for as a Woman comforteth her only Son so will the Lord comfort Jerusalem in the sence whereof her Children shall rejoyce and their Souls be right glad and flourish as an herb and their Spirits shall praise and sing glory unto him who is Lord and King of Heaven and Eartâ— who is worthy worthy of all Glory Praise and Honour for ever and for evermore Amen saith my soul The thing which the Lord hath purposed must be accomplished in his season and the thing that he
if you do them He that knoweth the Fathers Will and doth it not is worthy of many stripes John 13. 17. AND all you that are convinced of the Truth Way of God but do not resign up your Hearts in obedience to walk therein but still remain in the broad way of the World partaking with them of their Sins Idolatry and falfe Worship and though you see the Vanity and Evil thereof yet for by-ends and carnal self-interests to save your selves from Reproach and Suffering you joyn with them therein against the pure Witness of God in your own Consciences and if you continue partaking with them of their Sins how can you but expect also to partake of their Plagues except you haste out from among them and embrace and receive the Truth in the Love and Obedience of it Oh! come out come out from amongst them and be you separated and touch no more the Unclean Thing that the Lord may receive you unto himself and become your God and you become his People Oh! you that know the Fathers Will and do it not are you not worthy of many Stripes Oh poor Hearts shun not the Cross any longer neither be ashamed of the Reproach nor ashamed of the Lord and his People before Men but give up your Hearts to obey the Lord and his precious Truth and take up the daily Cross that crucifies unto the World and Worldly Things unto the Sin Wickedness Formal Worships Vain Customs Ceremonies Pride and Vanity thereof and follow the Lamb in the narrow Way of Holiness and be willing to Suffer with Christ and you shall Reign with him and love not your Lives unto Death and you shall have a Crown of Life Oh! how long hath the Lord been woing many of you day after day if not year after year and hath long waited knocking at the Door of your Hearts in his Grace to be Gracious unto you who desireth not that you should perish in your Rebellion and Disobedience Oh! that the sense of his Goodness Mercy and Patient forbearing towards you might overcome your Hearts and make you willing to resign up your selves to walk in the Way of Truth before the Lord cease striving with you who hath said His Spirit shall not always strive with Man lest the Day of your Visitation pass over your Heads Therefore come forward you that halt and linger behind in the Borders of Babylon and Subburbs of Egypt and come nigh you that stand afar off gazing to see what will become of us He that is not with me said Christ is against me he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad none can serve two Masters God and Mammon To those that are Newly Convinced of the Truth Ye were like Sheep going astray but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your Souls He shall gather his Lambs in his Arms and carry them in his Bosom 1 Peter 2. 25. Isaiah 40 11. AND all you who are newly convinced of the precious Truth and Way of God and have in measure received Truth in the love and belief of it and have and daily do give up your hearts to obey the Truth and to walk in the Way of Righteousness and Path of Holiness Dear Ones unto you my Heart is open in the tender Bowels of my heavenly Fathers Love and happy and blessed of the Lord God are you if you do not faint nor grow weary in your Minds nor turn back again as some have done but persevere on to the End Oh! dear Babes whom the Lord mighty in Power hath by his out stretched Arm brought out of Egypt the Land of Darkness and House of Bondage and hath set your Faces towards Canaan the good Land of Liberty Light Rest and Peace Oh travail on travail on ye weak Ones in the strength of the Lord and drawings of his Light and look not back to Egypt again remember Lot's Wife and fear not the God of the World the Prince of the Power of the airy mind even that wicked Spirit that once had dominion in and over you and kept you Bond-slaves in darkness to Sin and Corruption though he the Enemy of your Souls Liberty Peace and Rest may pursue hard after you with his whole Host of Temptations Snares and Allurements both inward and outward and also a Sea of Troubles Straits Difficulties and Sufferings may appear in your Way both within and without and Mountains of Fears Doubts and carnal Reasonings on every side and also something in you ready to murmur complain and say Oh! that we had tarried still in Egypt and not set one step towards Canaan for the Way is so strait and the Path so narrow the Sufferings so hard and the Difficulties and Dangers so great and various that we fear we shall perish by the way and not get to our desired Rest therefore let us turn back again before we go any further Oh! fear not neither turn back but stand still from reasoning carnally and look not at the Straits Tryals Dangers Sufferings and Losses that may appear before you neither look at your own VVeakness Feebleness and Inability nor at the Strength and Temptation of your Enemy but look up ye little ones unto the Lord and trust you in the Strength of his Arm for he is God all-sufficient for you therefore cast your care upon him and he will make a VVay for you through the Sea and divide the VVaters of the great Deep and make a VVay for you in the VVilderness and a Path through the Thickets and make the Crooked Strait before you and the Rough Smooth he will throw down the Mountains and remove away the Hills and lead you in a VVay you know not and in a Path you never before trod in and will make the hard things easie unto the VVilling and Obedient that turn not back again to their old Lovers but love Truth and Righteousness and follow on to know the Lord in his VVay all such he will give to drink of the Brook by the VVay and feed with Bread from Heaven whereby you shall be refreshed and your Strength renewed daily in which Strength you shall be able to travail on without fainting and to run and not be weary until you come to your desired Rest and see the Travail of your Souls and be satisfied with the Enjoyment of that you have travailed after So the Lord be with you and keep your Eye single unto himself that your Hearts may be full of Light that nothing may cause you to stumble and fall into the Snares of the Enemy who hath hindred many that once begun to run well oh mind and keep to that in your own Hearts which makes you truly sensible of your particular States and Conditions and in that sense daily wait upon the Lord diligently and patiently for the sweet Refreshings from his Presence and for the distillings of his Heavenly Dew that so the tender Plants of Righteousness and Lilly of Holiness may grow and spring
blessed be the Lord who hath exalted my low Estate and brought me from off the Dunghil and given me a Mansion in the Father's House and a place at the Table with his Children though I once by hearken to my Enemy said I was a Dog and not worthy to eat of the Childrens Bread and so I kept good things from me by yeilding to my Adversary who would still have feed me with his food even the dust of the Earth that so I might have continued always Weak Lean Barren and Feeble and never to have been able to overcome him but the Lord my tender God who thought upon me in the day of my distress when I was poor and needy hath rebuked him and hath put him under my Feet the mighty the Lord hath brought down from his Seat and exalted him of low degree he hath delivered Jacob out of the hand of him that was too strong for him and though he was a Worm and no Man and the cry was How shall Jacob arise yet the Arm of his God hath raised him from the Earth and hath set his Feet upon the Necks of his Enemies and hath given him power to tread upon the Mighty as the Potter treadeth Clay and this is the Lord's doings and it is marvelous in the eyes of his Servants blessed be his name for ever it is the Lord that lifteth up the weak Hands that hung down and strengthens the feeble Knees and mâ—kes strait their Paths that that which is Lame may not be turned out of the Way but that rather it may be Healed that the Halâ—ing may go upright and the Lame may leap as an Hart and the Tongue of the Dumb might sing of the goodness of the Lord and the Mourner rejoyce in him whose Mercy endureth forever So believe hope and trust you in the Lord all ye that love him and mourn and long for him and in patience and contentedness without fainting in your minds wait for him for the Lord is good to the man that waits upon him to the Soul that seeketh him and it is good both to hope and quietly to wait upon the Lord more then he that wanteth and waiteth for the Morning for with the Lord there is great Mercy and plentious Redemption who redeemeth Jacob out of all his Trouble and is with him in the Fire and in the Water and in all his Afflictions he forsook him not Therefore trust you hope relie and depend you upon the Lord all you that love him and cast your care upon him for he cares for you whose tender compassion and faithfulness will never fail to the House of Israel A General Salutation of Love to the Children of Light AND all dearly beloved Friends everywhere who are faithful to the Lord and his Truth in your several measures and places my very dear and unfained love in the precious Truth of our God extends unto all the honest and upright in Heart who love and delight in Truth and Righteousness and seek the Praise Honour and Glory of God alone Grace and Love be with you Mercy and Peace attend you Joy and Comfort fill you and the Blessing of the Most High rest upon and remain in with you Day and Night and the Lord keep you all in the Faith of the Elect Seed in which is your Victory over the World in which stand fast and keep your Dominion in the Lord over the Earth earthly things that the Earth may be the Foot-stool of your Minds Heaven your Throne and you to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus and to use the World as if you used it not being loose in heart to that which perisheth with the using oh that all Friends that are free from and void of the Cares of this Life and Cumbrances of this World may prize and stand fast in their Freedom and not be forward and hasty in the affectionate part to run their selves into Bondage to those things that profit not but hindreth to God-ward and prove as Bryars and Thorns to the choaking or quenching of the growth of the Seed of Life in the Heart there is a mind that hunts and desires after and is ready if it be not limitted to form and create unto it self a Freedom that stands not in the Liberty of the Sons of God the Liberty of the Sons of God and Children of the Light stands in that which is a Yoke to the World's Liberty and their Freedom stands in that which is Bondage to the carnal Mind and crucifies unto the World and wordly things also there is a mind that is ready to endeavour and seek to put off and to keep out of those things which in their proper place may be said to be lawful that it seeth it hindreth the growth into the Eternal and endangereth the Souls standing to God-wards and truly that is the more purer mind that serves one Master God alone Indeed dear Friends I am ready to desire that this mind which was in Christ Jesus may have dominion in our Hearts more and more that as Strangers and Pilgrims we may be in and to the World and the love thereof and the Lord â—lone become object of our Love and his Truth the covering of our Eyes that so the desire of our Souls may be unto him and unto the remembrance of his Name which is like precious Oyntment pour'd forth giving a pleasant smell and a sweet delectâ—ble savour and therefore do the Virgins love him and remember his Love more then Wine yea more then Father Mother Husband Wife Children Silver Gold Houses Lands yea he is the chiefest to them of ten thousand and the Upright love him for he is altogether comely Oh! dearly beloved Friends much hath the Lord God of power done for us since the day he found us laid among the Pits and raised us up from the Dunghil of our own Corruption and sâ—id unto us Live who were dead in Sins and Trespasses oh how greatly hath he blessed and prospered us in despite of the spirit that hath so eagerly sought and endeavoured to devour us and extinguish us from being a People and hath even made us a Family like a Flock and though Balak and Balaam's spirit the Beast Jezabel and false Prophets have sought Inchantments against us to Curse us yet the God of blessings has greatly Blest us in our Sufferings Tribulations and Afflictions and has made Joseph as a fruitful Bough by the Wall whose Branches grow over the Wall that doth and will let until it be taken out of the way though the Archers of Babylon have shot at him and grievously wounded him yet his Bow notwithstand his great Affliction hath abode in Strength and the Hands of his Arms have been made strong by the hand of the mighty God of Jacob who has blest Joseph and unto the uttermost bounds of the everlasting Hills shall he be blessed forevermore Oh dear Friends if any People now in being upon the