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A28360
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A small account given forth by one that hath been a traveller for these 40 years in the good old way And as an incouragement to the weary to go forward; I by experience have found there is a rest remains for all they that truly trusts in the Lord. S.B.
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Blandford, Susannah.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing B3163A; ESTC R214903
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16,709
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44
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A Small ACCOUNT GIVEN FORTH By one that hath been a Traveller For these 40 Years in the Good OLD WAY And as an Incouragement to the Weary to go forward I by Experience have found there is a Rest remains for all they that truly trusts in the Lord. Psalms 31.14 I trusted in thee O Lord and said thou art my God Psalms 31.24 All ye that trust in the Lord be strong he shall establish your Hearts S. B. Printed in the Year 1698. AS God by his Grace having inclined my Heart to be Merciful and I have had the Comfort of doing Good whilst I had an opportunity in the things as he in this Life is pleased to commit to my Care I have as in his sight walked in the uprightness of my Heart and as in those things partaining to this Life I have endeavoured to keep a good Conscience So in Love to all that may have the Reading of this small Book I am willing to give them an understanding as I have found where it is to be attained as Christ said There is but one good and that is God and as we come be guided by his good Spirit it will lead us into all things that are good without which we cannot inherit Eternal Life And whatever any may think of me who look with an evil Eye yet to my Friends that looks with an Impartial Eye it will be received as it is intended good will to all and to those remain a Friend S. B. The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom A good understanding have all those that keep his Law AND as a Traveller to the good Land of Rest and Peace and having in measure attain'd thereunto by that Heavenly Guide Christ Jesus the true Light that hath been my Instructer and Helper without which I am nothing nor can do any thing as I ought to do I am made free to relate something of my attainment thereunto I was Born of good Parents Educated according to the Church of England and tho' Young Zealous therein yet could not my Immortal Soul be therewith satisfied but a desire was begotten in me to know the true God the which to attain I endeavoured the best way I could by Prayer and Fasting in secret not to be seen of any But God whose Eye saw me and my true desire therein knowing herein I was not safe tried me and by one thought which arose in my Heart concerning God which I could not help dashed all my Building to pieces and I thought my self the worst Creature living thus night and day I had great trouble within but resolv'd in the midst of all and made it my resolution to follow the thing that is good and that God that saw me though I saw not him I was by this often comforted and it became my Song Great are the Troubles of the Righteous but the Lord delivers out of them all and sometimes betwixt Hope and Fear I travelled from Twelve Years of Age to Eighteen about which time by Providence I was led into the North at which time by wonderful changes wrought in them by which they had the name given them called Quakers a People so contrary to my Education and the many strange Reports that were raised of them was rather frightful than desireable to me but that God that saw the great desire I had to know him the only true God and Jesus Christ his Son led the blind by a way I knew not and by one not called a Quaker but one true to the Church of England and a sufferer for King Charles the first I received a true Account of the Principles and good Lives of these People which in Simplicity of Heart was related to me of which I was made seriously to consider and in a short time felt a Power arise in my Heart and I said this is it I have waited for and with great Power it rent the Vail chased away my dark thoughts gave me some understanding of the Scriptures and I could say I have heard of thee and have read of the Wonders thou didst for the Children of Men but that was not mine but now by thy great Power and Change thou hast wrought in me I came to know thee O God and by this and in no other way can I be satisfied and that thou the Immortal God may'st have the Glory of thy own good Work which I never received of Man neither did I ever see or hear any of them called Quakers till three Years after or more but returned into my own Country North-Hampton-shire to my Relations and not long after came to London and made it my business and went secretly amongst all persuasions except Papists and Ranters to see if I could find any that had the sence to know God and his Son Jesus Christ within them But I could find no outward thing could give my Soul satisfaction neither then nor now and in that State I walked alone three Years but being at a Meeting in great Allhallows one Edw. Burroughs came in and stood up and spoke at which I with others was amazed having never seen nor heard any of them before but was resolved to hear him again but by the many strange reports raised of them I was afraid but I Prayed to the Lord my God in whom I trusted that I might not be deceived for he knew I had nothing in my Eye but to have a further manifestation of Him whom to know is Life Eternal of the which he resolved me and with Signs and Tokens of his Love confirmed me and I could and can say it was and is of God and is the Truth and proceeds from the same Rock from which all the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles had their teaching Christ Jesus the Rock the Mystery hid from Ages and Generations is made known unto us of which Knowledge I have learn'd as they did who said what is to be known of God is manifest in them which is the Key of David which opens and shuts and gives the true Understanding of the Mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven and the true knowledge to all those who have in true Obedience submitted to his Yoke and their Wills subjected to his Will these shall find his saving Virtue of Life which Life being received and joyned too with all the Heart it will endow them with the Heavenly Virtue in Christ Jesus our High Priest and Captain of our Salvation And with Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit of God and those that willingly give up all they have unto him shall find in it more than they can believe or the Carnal Mind can apprehend for they knew what they said that the Carnal Mind knows not the things of God for they are Spiritually discerned and to be carnally minded is Death but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace which is a certain Truth and according to the Holy Scriptures from which I desire neither from Them nor my Neighbour to
Blind As for rehearsal of all those former sailings therein contained if they were true yet rightly considered and impartially weighed may say since those Divisions a great manifestation there hath been of such Spirits to whom those names may deservedly be attributed tho' for many Years I have been counted a Dissenter Yet I nor many more never took pleasure to lay the Nakedness of any open but rather to cover for his Names sake who hath kept us in his Truth by which we have been preserved I have seen I have seen an Enemy enter the House and hath not been discover'd till they come into the Cool out of the Hurry and Noise and hear the call of the still Voice and herein my Soul with many other of my Christian Friends have been Blessed and by this we are led to Unite and to be truly reconciled in that Spirit by that Heavenly Jesus that true Reconciler of Man to his Maker And of this from thy true Friend be assured it was not from the Spirit of Hypocrisie Policy or any carnal or selfish End no no our House is not Built on that Sandy Foundation but on Christ Jesus that Rock of Ages which leads his in the way of Everlasting Peace which Peace cannot be declared but as it is felt of which Peace hath my Soul tasted largely and can say truly since into this happy state the Lord hath brought me I have experienced more of that Heavenly Joy and Everlasting Peace than ever I knew before but I thank the Lord who gave me a share thereof under every dispensation he hath led me through and can say they were all good in their time but this excelleth them all well knowing the Administration of John to be Glorious in its Time yet He that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he into which Kingdom that thou may'st have an entrance after all thy Travels and come into this Sabbath and Rest with God will be a true Joy to thy Friend of which I can say with many more of my dear Friends whom I know not but as I feel them in this Spirit It is the Way and there is not another And for all those that are other wise-minded the Lord sned a Famine to come on the outward Knowledge that they may know to be led to the Spiritual Joseph whoever comes unto him 〈◊〉 upbraideth no one with what is past but receives them with his Love and embraceth them and they partake with him of the Fatness of the good Land Of this I am a witness and remain Thy True Friend S. B. S. B. AS to a Fast I desire this may be solemnly proclaimed a Fast from Strife Malice and every evil Work as new Born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word of Life and grow thereby in which we shall be accepted of God and truly reconciled to one another Postscript I Did not intend to have Printed this Letter I sent to a Friend but finding he hath Printed the Letter he sent to me as an Answer to W. R's Book I sent him which Book I had good Unity with and with all that are of a reconciling Spirit which to my Comfort I find many sincere hearted therein and as the vail of Prejudice comes to be taken of the Heart we shall see one another as God seeth us to whom I approve my Heart let Men Judge of me as they please it is not from any Evil or Insinuating self-end I can truly say for my self and many more true Christian Friends whose Hearts in this matter of Reconciliation is not to gain Praise of Men God is our witness but we are led to Unite by that blessed Spirit who hath shewed us of what and in what the Kingdom of Heaven consists of which is true Righteousness Joy and Peace in the holy Spirit which I with many more have tasted and could be glad all that oppose would come and taste and see how good the Lord is and with what the Immortal Soul is Refreshed I could never find satisfaction in any visible thing till I received the Word of God in which Word I find the Key of David Which opens and none can shut and shuts and none can open and that is that that opens the Mystery of the Kingdom of God in which the Father Son and Spirit is to be koown which Word of Faith gave the true understanding to the Prophets and Apostles and to all the Faithful of God to this day And in that way which some call Heresie Worship I the God of my Fathers believing all the Law and the Prophets and in Jesus Christ who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith S. B. O Lord Out of the deep I cried unto thee and thou pluckedst my feet out of the Mire and Clay and hast set them in the right way And being converted strengthen my Brethren Unto which I have this further to add when I first heard the confused noise made by G. K. and T. B. which appearance was and is to me like the Golden Calf and beholding many I knew which I thought had been more grafted in the Word of Life than to go after it for which I was greatly troubled but the heavenly still Voice gave me this Satisfaction fret not thy self be still it is a Cloud I suffer the Wind thereof shall blow away the Chaff but I will gather my Wheat thereby nearer together and this I know to be a certain Truth by which my Heart hath been often refreshed for which my Soul Praise thou the Lord. S. B. And unto all those who have raked up the miscarriages and evils and printed it and given it abroad to defame the People called Quakers whose Principles shall out-last their Malice and was some of us of their Spirit to render evil for evil revileing for revileing might say that of some of them that would cause shame who covered their foolish actions with the name of the Lord but it was and is such a Lord of which there is many but not the true God as some can witness but cover'd it from Men hopeing time might work them to see their weakness and know the true Lord over-ruling all their false Imaginations who may be truly compared to Saul when gone from the true God he goes to the Witch of Endor and she raised up what he would see but not what he should see so he was never the better for it but his Enemies prevailed and he fell by his own Sword so shall envy slay the wicked Man and they in darkness shall grope for the door but shall not find it All this is true and I own before all Men the Principle of the Quakers And have this to say for my self and many more I well know however our Enemies may render us vve knovv this by our selves and our Consciences bears us vvitness vve have in good Conversation vvalked before God and Men vvhich vvill speak for us in the gates of our Enemies and