who hath been the Oppressor both of Man and Beast and so in Christ all have Rest and Peace and Love that doth not kill nor commit Adultery nor steal nor covet any thing that another man hath nor bear false Witness nor make Images of any thing in Heaven above or in the Earth beneath and so Love fulfils the Law And therefore see that this Law of Love be set up in all your Families by which they may be ordered and ruled Here you may see how Moses Deut. 9.29.9 to 11. a faithful Servant of the Lord as the Lord had commanded him puts the Jews in mind of their Duty required of them by the Lord Keep saith he therefore the Words of this Covenant and do them that you may prosper in all that ye do ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God your Captains of your Tribes your Elders and your Officers with all the Men of Israel your little Ones your Wives and thy Strangers that are within thy Camp from the Hewer of Wood unto the Drawer of thy Water that thou shouldest enter into Covenant with the Lord thy God c. Now consider this hear how that all these were to stand before the Lord to enter into Covenant with the Lord even the Elders the Officers with the men of Israel their Wives and little Children the Strangers with the Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water now Christ's is the new Covenant and therefore all you called Christians that profess him who are Elders and Masters of Families are you not to see that your Wives your Children and Strangers that are within your Camps yea to the Hewers of your Wood and Drawers of your Water that they come all into the new Covenant Christ Jesus which in God is established forever an everlasting Covenant who ends the first Covenant among the Jews and therefore shall not you outstrip the Jews in their Families in bringing all your Families and Strangers and Sojourners Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water into the New Covenant of Life Christ Jesus through whom they may stand before God and have Peace with him mark this ye Elders and Rulers and Fathers of Families who have Strangers and Sojourners in your Families so as to see that you do perform your Duty and bring them to do their Duty in the Covenant of Life Christ Jesus And now again in Deut. 31. When all Israel shall atpear before the Lord thy God in the Place which he shall choose Deut. 31. thoushalt read the Law saith he before all Israel in their hearing and shall gather the People together Men Women and Children and thy Strangers that are within thy Gates that they may hear and that they may learn and fear the Lord thy God and observe to do all the Words of the Law Now mark and consider this all you Christians that profess the New Covenant Christ Jesus and the Law of Love and the Law of Life and the Law of Faith and the Law of the Spirit must you not gather all your Families together Men Women Children and Strangers within your Gates and such as you bought with Money and such as are born of them in your Families that they may all hear the New-covenant and the Law of Life and the Law of Love and the Law of Faith and the Law of the Spirit of Life that makes free from the Law of Sin and Death that they may all hear that they may all learn this and that they may all fear God and observe and do the Law and the New-Covenant as the Jews were to do the old which is a Figure of the new And therefore be not you negligent noâ— sloathful nor careless in this but do your Duty and see that all your Families may do their Duties and so as it was among the Jews the Children that had not known me hear and learn and the Strangers for if you should be negligent in this then look what came upon the Jews and how rude their Families grew and how God's Judgments came upon them and it came partly by the Heads of the Families and Elders and Overseers And therefore be diligent and bring all your Families to serve God in the first Place and be faithful to him through Jesus Christ the New-covenant then they will not be negligent in outward Things if they be faithful to God and then God's Blessing will be in your Families and so therein men serve the Lord in bringing their Families to serve the Lord in that they do God's Will and please him in the New-covenant bringing them out of that which displeaseth God and so rule in Power and in Love And in Jeremiah 10.25 there you may see what the Lord saith by the Prophets Jer. 10.25 Pour out thy Fury upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon all the Families that call not upon thy Name So now consider this seriously how God would have all Families to call upon his Name and especially you that call your selves Christians and profess the New-covenant of God to wit Christ Jesus and therefore see that all your Families do call upon the Name of the Lord it concerns you very much if you do not ye may expect the Lord's Fury will be poured out upon you and yours There you may see the Lord speaking how he will pour out his Spirit of Grace and Supplication and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced meaning Christ and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for his only Son as one that is in Bitterness for his first born the Land shall mourn every Family apart shall mourn and their Wives apart And so consider this all you that profess Christ who have seen him whom you have pierced if the Spirit of Grace and Supplication be poured out upon you why then you see him Christ Jesus whom you have pierced and then you will mourn bitterly as you should mourn for your first born So all Friends they that witness the Spirit of Grace poured out upon them they know the Mourning for him whom they have pierced and then there is a Fountain opened by Christ Jesus for their Sins and for their Uncleanness to wash away the Filth And you may see in Zachariah 14.17 Whosoever will not come up of all the Families of the Earth to Jerusalem Zach. 14.17 to worship the King the Lord of Hosts even upon them there shall be no Rain yea if the Family of Egypt go not up he shall have no Rain and they shall be plagued c. And now consider this how all the Families of the Earth that come to worship the Lord of Hosts in Spirit and in Truth in this Heavenly Jerusalem and keep the Feast of Tabernacles and eat of Christ the Sacrifice who is the Bread of Life that came down from above such must be punished such have no Rain indeed but are like to the parched Ground and so mind every Family apart this for
Egypt was of Ham's Stock yet if they do not come up to worship God they must be plagued And in Amos 3.2 you may see there how the Lord was against the whole Family of the Jews Amos 3.2 because they had not kept his Law and he punished them And so consider ye Christians ye whole Families of Christians and see how you have kept the Law of the New-covenant and the Law of Love and the Law of Life and the Law of the Spirit if you have not plainly you must be punished God will punish you with a Witness even the whole Family if any Family or Tribe or Man or Woman their Hearts shall turn away from God and serve other Gods see what a Curse came upon them and therefore what doth Christ say unto all the left Hand Goats though they may profess him in Words whose Hearts are turned away from his Law of Love Law of Life Law of Faith and the New-covenant And therefore see that the Ark of the Lord be in every ones House to wit your Hearts in all your Families and with the Law and Testimony of Jesus in it and then you will have the Blessing of the Lord with you as Obed Edom had the Blessing of the Lord upon his Family and House while the outward Ark remained with him the Figure of which Christians must enjoy the Substance of as you may see 1 Cor. 13 14. Gen. 39.5 See how the Lord there blessed the Egyptian's House for Joseph's sake and the Blessing of the Lord was upon all that the Egyptian had both in House and Field so you may hence see how a Servant being a faithful Man to God brought the Blessing of God upon the House and Field of a Heathen and now much more a faithful Master or an Head or an Elder of a Family faithful to God bringeth a Blessing on his own Family and upon all within his House and out of his House and Field for the Lord said If that they keep his Law and his Word then they shall be blessed in the Field and in the Store house and blessed in the Basket and blessed in his going forth and coming in as Abraham was who are of the Faith of Abraham now of the blessed Seed that brings the Blessing now to them as it did to him but they that crucifie the Seed to themselves afresh and quench the Spirit of God in themselves and entertain the evil Seed and the evil Spirit that brings the Curse upon them in the Basket and in the Store-house and in the Field in his going Forth and coming in And you may read in the Scriptures how many Families Nations and Kingdoms the Lord did cut off because they did not obey nor keep his Law as Core and his Family Achan and his wicked Haman and his and many others for transgressing the Law of God Yea and he destroyed Nations for his own People and gives his own People the Possession of them because of the former Inhabitants Debauchery and Wickedness and tells his own People that if they do go into the same Debaucheries and Wickedness they must look for the same Destruction And therefore Christians all should serve God in the new Life out of the Life of old Adam for if they do profess Christ Jesus the Heavenly Man and yet live in the Old Adam and serve Sin and Evil they must look for Destruction both Families and Nations who profess God in Words but deny him in their Works Lives and Conversations according to that in Isa 31.2.9 the Lord saith concerning the Children of Israel that transgress his Law Amos 9.7 Are ye not saith he as Children of Ethyopia unto me O ye Children of Israel Amos 9.7 Now consider this if the Children of Israel transgress the Law of God were they not accounted as Ethyopian Children And so you Christians now who profess Christ in Words and transgress his Law of Love of Life of Faith and the New-covenant are you not to the Lord as Children of the Ethyopians what Difference is between you It is not a Profession and talking that makes the Difference but the Possession of Christ Jer. 38. there you may see an Ethyopian a Black-moor how serviceable he was made unto Jeremiah the Lord's Prophet in the Day of his Suffering in the Dungeon how he went to the King and told him that the Prophet was like to perish there and the King commanded him to go and take thirty Men and draw him out of the Dungeon before he dye so here this Black had more Sence then the great Professors of Jeremiah 's Innocency and he was in Favour with the King being one of his Eunuchs And so now consider do not slight them to wit the Ethyopians the Blacks now neither any Man or Woman upon the Face of the Earth in that Christ dyed for all both Turks Barbarians Tartarians and Ethyopians he dyed for the Tawnes and for the Blacks as well as for you that are called Whites therefore you may see in Acts 8.27 how the Lord commanded Philip to go toward the South and he arose and went and behold a Man of Ethyopia a Eunuch of great Authority under Candace Queen of Ethyopia who had the Charge of all her Treasure how this Man came up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord and how this Ethyopian this Black was converted to Christianity by Philip who preached Christ to him And therefore now you should preach Christ to your Ethyopians that are in your Families that so they may be free Men indeed and be tender of and to them and walk in Love that ye may answer that of God in their Hearts being as the Scripture affirms all of one Blood of one Mold to dwell upon the Face of the Earth for Christ I say shed his Blood for them as well as for you and tasted Death for them as well as for you and hath enlightned them as well as he hath enlightned you and his Grace hath appeared unto them as well as it hath appeared unto you and he is a Propitiation for their Sins as well as for yours for he is the Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World and so let every Master and Governour of a Family inform them as well as others in his Family that so they may come to walk in the Grace and in the Light of Jesus Christ that so they may come to know Christ the Saviour from whence Grace and Light comes and the Mediator or Middle-man between them and God and so in this so doing you will serve God and not your selves Also in Psalm 68.31 there you may see Princes should come out of Egypt and Ethyopia shall stretch forth her Hand unto God sing unto God ye Kingdoms of the Earth Oh praise the Lord Now confider this ye Christians the Prophecy of David in that you may see the fulfilling of it viz. that Ethyopia should soon stretch out her Hand unto God for you see by the
Eunuch when he was converted his Hand was soon stretched out to God and doth the Lord say in another Place Egypt my People And therefore Christians you that have received it do you preach the everlasting Covenant Christ Jesus to the Ethyopians the Blacks and Tawny-moors as Philip did I say preach Christ Jesus to them in your Families that so each may come to know Christ and their Way to Salvation as in Psal 87. the Lord speaking of the Glory of his Church saith he will make mention of Rahab and Babilon and Ethiopia that make mention of me behold c. So that you may see that there was a Church of God in Egypt in Babylon and Ethiopia who were Christians as well as among the whâ—te People so called by the Blacks And if thy Brother an Hebrew Man or an Hebrew Woman be sold unto thee and serve thee six Years then in the seventh Year thou shalt let him go free from thee and when thou sendest him out free from thee thou shalt not let him go away empty thou shalt furâ—â—â—h him liberally out of thy Flock and out of thy Floor and oâ—t of thy Wine-press of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give it him and remember that thou wast a Bond-man in the Land of â—gypt and the Lord thy God redeemed thee therefore I command thee this Thing to Day See here this was to be done by the Jews to such as were of their own Nation and People and indeed this will very well become Christians Masters Governours and Rulers of Families here in this Island or elsewhere who should outstrip the Jews to deal so as the Lord commanded with their Servants and Apprentices that are of their own Nation or People And to close up all let me tell you it will doubtless be very acceptable to the Lord if so be that Masters of Families here would deal so with their Servants the Negroes and Blacks whom they have bought with their Money to let them go free after a considerable Term of Years if they have served them faithfully and when they go and are made free let them not go away empty-handed this I say will be very acceptable to the Lord whose Servants we are and who rewards us plentifully for our Service done him not suffering us to go away empty for who is there even among you saith the Lord that will shut the Dâ—ors for nought neither do ye kindle Fire on my Altar for nought Mal. 1.10 So now you I say that are Christians that are redeemed out of the spiritual Egypt for as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 7.22 He that is called in the Lord being a Servant is the Lord 's free Man that is set free from Sin and spiritual Bondage Be ye holy as your heavenly Father is holy and be ye merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful as is commanded you in Luke 6.36 and this is the Way to have the lost Image of God restored and renewed in us Therefore I say you spiritual Jews you must exceed the outward Jews in this who are now come to Christ who is a merciful and faithful high Priest who is the Saviour of all men and who tasted Death for all men Heb. 2.17 And let not your Families of Whites and Blacks be like Sedom and Gomorrah like Zeboim and Zephervaim and the rest of the Cities of the Plain or like the Canaanites lest sudden Destruction come upon you and the Lord root you out as he did them Let not I say your Servants under your Command and such as are born in your Houses and bred up in your Families and such as you have bought with Money suffer them not I say to take Husbands and Wives at their Pleasure and then leave them again when they please and then take others again as fast and suddenly as they will and again leave them this is not well this may bring the Judgments of God upon you yea this manifests your Families to be unclean and adulterous Families For he that puts away his Wife and takes another he commits Adultery and she that marries and he that marries her after she is put away commits Adultery this is the Law of God and of Jesus Christ the Son of God the great Reformer and Restorer of Pathes to dwell in Mat. 19.9 Isa 58.12 that came to reform all Things And therefore let these Things be amended as you expect the Blessing and Favour of God or otherwise must expect his Judgments and Curse upon you and your Families and your Plantations who should order these Things according to the Reformation and Mind of Jesus and the Law even Blastings Mildews Caterpillars which is the Portion from God upon debauched Families and People and therefore let the Law of Jesus be set up in every Family And if any of your Negroes desire to marry let them take one another before Witnesses in the Presence of God and the Masters of the Families in the Name of Jesus the Restorer of all Things to the Beginning when God made them Male and Female not one Man and many Women but a Man and a Woman and they were to continue and consort together as long as they lived and not to break the Covenant and Law of Marriage nor defile the Marriage-Bed as long as they lived but if the Man were dead or Woman were dead they were free and at Liberty to marry in the Lord and to be joyned by him that so he might have the Glory and the Honour of it and his People to be the Witnesses of it and so to record it in a Book which was and is the Practice of the famous Fathers of Truth and Saints and Worthies and Valiants of the Lord who were Friends of God and of his Law and Righteousness and such as denyed Debauchery Whoredom Fornication and Uncleanness And further consider with your selves if you were in the same Condition as the Blacks are and indeed you do not know what Condition you or your Children or your Childrens Children may be reduced and brought into before you or they shall dye who came as Strangers to you and were sold to you as Slaves now I say if this should be the Condition of you or yours you would think it hard Measure yea and very great Bondage and Cruelty And therefore consider seriously of this and do you for and to them as you would willingly have them or any other to do unto you were you in the like slavish Condition bring them to know the Lord Christ and the Light and Grace of Christ by which they may come to know him that dyed for them and that shed his precious Blood for them and was buried and rose again for their Justification And truly Friends great Troubles I underwent about those Things yea sorely was my Spirit troubled when I came into the Sense of these Things which were over my Life and burden'd my Life very much to see that Families were