partakers of his everlasting love walk worthy of his love and of the high calling whereunto you are called who hath created you in Christ Jesus unto holinesse and righteousnesse for ever that to the praise of his grace which you are saved by by which you have obtained the remission of sins and an inheritance amongst them that are sanctified so wait in the living hope and the living faith in which God is well pleased in which you ask and receive of him and are accepted of our heavenly father And this faith ye know which is a present power and a shield against all temptations and a Helmet and as a Fortresse by which ye are preserved safe standing in it and putting it on in the day of triall My dear brethren of the everlasting kindred and heires of the everlasting promise wait all in patience having received an earnest of the Inheritance that never fades away to the end abide in the fathers counsell and at wisedomes gate Yee know what I say I write not unto you because you know not the truth but because you know and are made free in your measures by him who is the truth and the way in which all our fathers and you also have obtained a good report even of all the houshold of faith and take heed of the glory of the world and look not at hardship for verily all the suffering is not worthy to be compared to that glory which is revealed and to be revealed unto all that wait and abide in patience and faithfullnesse unto the end but be yee as good souldiers endure hardship that you may receive the end of your hope and the everlasting prise and the purchased possession and the Crowne of glory which God will give unto you in his owne day which is coming on towards you if you continue in the hope in the faith and in the love unfained which thinks no ill by which and in which love we have victory over the grave sin and death which he hath freely shed abroad in our hearts unto whom be everlasting praise for ever and ever to him which was dead and is alive and lives for evermore the mediator of the new Covenant of life and peace in which we have accesse freely to the Throne of Grace and are accepted in him who is the condemnation of all the World who hate the light but your life the light of the World God blessed for ever and ever And all you fathers and Elders and honourable women who are not a few whose bones and sinewes are filled with marrow and fatnesse who waite at the Altar of the Lord and knovves the mercy-seat vvhich hath overshadovved you and the golden vessell in vvhich is the hidden Manna by vvhich all the Children of the Lord are fed round the Table of the Lord out of the everlasting treasure-house of my father Watch over the Flock of Christ Jesus in every place and Region and quarter vvhere the Lord hath set you and govern them in all vvisedome and righteousnesse that the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ may be adorned and take care of them vvillingly knovving this the Lord requires of you and hath called you unto and to nourish the plants and the young ones and the babes and that every one may knovv their place and vvatch and instruct in all vvisedome and correct and reprove in the name and povver of our Lord Jesus that no rebellious nor sloathfull may grovv up nor be harboured among you but all in diligence may be kept in the fear of the Lord in their places that the Gospel of Christ Jesus be not evill spoken of nor the Heathen blaspheme And therefore my dear brethren be diligent in the vvork of the Lord so much the more as you see the day is approached and the Harvest is great and the Vineyard of the Lord is great and large and but fevv labourers yea the Lord is enlarging his borders and spreading forth his everlasting truth and stretching forth his eternall arm over the Nations and opening the treasures of Heaven and bringing raine out of his treasury to vvater the Earth that hath been parched and dry and to make his plants to grovv And so all vvait that you may see the povver and presence of the Lord in all your Assemblies and see that there be no strife nor contention nor exaltation amongst you but all in meeknesse and quietnesse and long-suffering and forbearance even as the Lord hath spared and forborn you one submitting unto another even as you have heard and received vvhen the vvord of the Lord came first unto you and he that vvill be the greatest shall be the least but all in meeknesse and lovvlinesse of mind serve one another in love even as you have received and the everlasting God of life and povver be vvith you all and make you grovv in the living povver and virtue of God to order all things in his vvisedome as good stevvards of the manifold mercies of the Lord vvhich you are made partakers of that he alone may be glorified throughout all the Churches of Christ Jesus every vvhere And to you my dear brethren and fellovv-labourers unto vvhom the vvord of Reconciliation is committed and are in the vvork and Ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ and are made partakers of the everlasting Gospel of peace vvhich unto you is given to declare Lift up your voyces blow the Ttumpet sound an Alarum out of the holy mountain proclaime the acceptable year and the day of vengeance of our God Gird on your sword upon your loines put on the tried Armour and follow him for ever who rides upon the white Horse and is cloathed with the same who makes War in righteousnesse Ride on ride on my beloved brethren and fellow souldiers make all plain before you thresh on with the new threshing instrument which hath teeth beat the mountaines to dust and let the breath of the Lord scatter it make the Heathen tremble and the uncircumcised fall by the sword the Lord of Hosts is with us and goes before us Spare none neither Ox nor Asse neither old nor young kill cut off destroy bath your sword in the blood of Amaleck and all the Aegyptians and Philistins and all the uncircumcised and hew Agag to pieces break the Rocks cut down the Cedars and strong Oakes make the Devils subject cast out the unclean spirits raise the dead shut up in prison bring out of prison cast in your nets lanch into the deep divide the Fish gather the good into vessels cast the bad away bind the Tares in bundles cast them into the fire the Angel with his sharp sickle is come the Angel of the everlasting Covenant is come thrust in your sickles reape the Earth the word of God is come that divides let all flesh keep silence divide the word rightly feed the Lambs and Babes fill the hungry stop the Lyons mouths feed the fat and the strong with plagues and judgements declare his
all and hath drunk of the cup of fury at the hand of the Lord who have suffered hunger famine pestilence and earthquakes and the darkening of the Sun and the Moon lost her light and the Stars have fallen and the pillars of heaven hath been shaken the Earth hath been removed out of its place as a Cottage and you have cryed out in the midst of all this he hath forgotten to be gracious and is his mercy come to an end The womb hath been shut up desolation and sorrow losse of Children and widowhood in a day came upon you Oh yee tossed afflicted and not comforted that have been as Eunuchs dry and barren as in the drought of summer that have been as Pelicanes and as Doves who have sorrowed for the losse of her Mate and as one in sorrow for the losse of her first born who have been in bitternesse and none could comfort you I am one with you your state I know I love you eternally yea yee are my brethren and sisters for ever sealed in my heart and engraven to be read for ever I see you I behold you I kisse you and embrace you with an holy kisse of everlasting love which overcomes death and hell which love thinks no ill yee that are made partakers of this love knowes what I say Yee that have waited for him and wait and suffer the spoyling of all I am married unto you I came forth of the same womb which is eternity free for ever free borne not in bondage because the Prince of this world is judged and cast out and the glory of the Lord revealed Come forth yee Sonnes and Daughters of Jerusalem which is free from above utter forth your voyce sing aloud the Bridegroome is come and is coming and yee that have suffered the spoyling of all rejoyce for evermore lift up your voyces as Trumpets He is come he is covered with Righteousnesse as with a Robe his countenance is as the morning his eyes is brighter then the Sun his voyce is life eternall salvation is round about him he dwells in eternall life life is in his right hand and joy is in his presence and peace for evermore he is a tryed stone he is a Rock which the righteous flyes to he hides his under his wings and covers them with his feathers Beauty beauty glory glory eternity eternity Almightiness Almightiness power riches honour dignity and dominion strength wisedome and goodnesse fullnesse satisfaction eternall treasure durable riches infinitnesse is his name for ever unexpressible I am filled with his love and power he opens the windowes of Heaven he raines his showres as silver drops and as fine Myrrhe as sweet odours he nourishes the young he carries the Lambs in his arms of love he drives gently them that are with young he is true and faithfull for ever he keeps Covenant he is long-suffering and kind who can declare his power I am lost in the incomprehensible being of eternall love Oh my dear ones come up hither fellow Citizens of Jerusalem which is from above who is our Mother which few know but you who are written in the Lambs book of life found forth his praise trumpet forth his power declare his name among the people that it may sound into the eares of Generations to come this is he we have waited for this is he who hath begotten us to himself to raign with him the Lamb upon Mount Sion as Kings and Priests and Judges of the Prince of darknesse death and hell for ever salvation honour and glory be to him for ever eternall infinite praises praises to him for ever who was dead and is alive and lives for evermore King of Kings for ever Majesty glory and power and eternall renown is in his right hand for ever his redeemed ones lives for ever dwells followes lives in him for ever no Beast can touch the mountaine where he dwells but he dyes for ever Come away my beloved ones drink abundantly and be refreshed and praise his name for ever eternally I am shed and spilt among you never so as now never to be separated out of the eternall onenesse sound forth his praise declare his word let it to goe forth as thunder let the Heathen bow let the Princes of this world fall and the Kings worship at his feet for ever let the disputers tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth for ever let all flesh keep silence for ever Babylon is fallen and become the habitation of Devills for ever the Judge of all the world hath confounded and cursed her language for ever God is risen and sits upon his Throne eternall wisedome is come and the Ancient of dayes all carnall shall be confounded stop all mouths in the dust for ever Eternity shall speak and judge for ever whom he binds is bound for ever whom he looseth he looseth for ever whom he remits are remitted the Devil is chained the grave gives up her dead and the sea and hell all is judged by him that lives for ever O beloved ones who are the children of my eternall father who have eaten at his Table and drunken of the new wine in the Kingdome of God who are nourished and dandled upon the lap of everlasting love who suck at the breasts of everlasting consolation your beauty is comely I am ravished I am filled I am filled with love to you all I am sick of love your beauty hath ravished my heart come sit down my dear Lambs together in the fold where no Wolf can come and let us rejoyce together and sound forth his praise who hath washed us and cleansed us and covered us and made us worthy to enter into the fold the Bride-chamber to eat with him of the bread of life for ever at the eternall Table of life the Bridegroom is come friends of him I know you rejoyce greatly because of his voyce And now my dearly beloved ones follow him for evermore in the eternall light and life where we were bred brought forth and nourished and are unknown to all the world but me you know and I know you in one who is the condemnation of the world and in him I meet you and leave you in his arms I lye down with you in the bosome of eternall love life peace joy and rest for ever where none can make us afraid Bandon in Irela the 7 Month 55. My name yee know my voyce yee know this is to all my beloved brethren who are redeemed from the Earth Francis Howgill TO THE CAMP OF THE LORD IN ENGLAND TO all you called chosen elected and beloved of the Lord who are of the true circumcision made without hands of the seed of Abraham who are Jewes indeed not after the flesh but in the spirit unto whom belongs the everlasting promise and Covenant whom God hath and is fulfilling in you so establishing with you We your fellow-Citieens of the heavenly Jerusalem which is the mother of us all and of the same body
name publish his eternall truth which shall stand for ever Eternall life is come glory to him for ever Silence all Disputers and Diviners for ever trample upon all the chaff and dung and mire for ever which all the wisedome of the World feeds upon Greater is he that is in us then he that is in the world Oh my beloved ones although I am the lowest and weakest among many of my brethren yet the eternall power of God is my shield for ever the Lord of hosts is with us There is a Crown which none can take away to all who have denyed all yea it is on your heads the dread of God is with us and truly dear brethren we cannot say that we fished and catched nothing for many vessels are full nor we have not travailed and laboured and brought forth wind as the false Prophets doe for we have the seales of our Ministry which shall be Witnesses for the Lord in Generations to come Not unto us O Lord but to thy name be glory for ever who hath done and doth all for us and in us who is our strength our glory our Crown of rejoycing all the day long for his hidden treasure is brought forth and made manifest in earthen vessels unto him be eternall living praises for ever And so all dear brethren members of the same body of Christ Jesus by which we are set free from sin in the liberty life and power in which you are made free stand as vvitnesses for the Lamb and for the holy Nation for the Royall seed of the true Israel of God that it may be brought out of Captivitâ— to serve the Lord in the Land of the living and the eternall God of povver and life of endlesse rich love and mercy be vvith you all and prosper his ovvne vvork in your hands that he alone may be glorified unto vvhom be eternall infinite praises vvho is our life our King God blessed for ever and ever And to you all my dear brethren and sisters vvho suffers in bonds and prisons and dens and holes and suffers the Enemy to plovv long furrovves upon your backs in patience and suffers stocking vvhipping buffetting beating and cruell mocking and stripes and chaines and fetters vvhom the World is not vvorthy of even as they did unto our Master of vvhom vve bear witnesse of and hath the witnesse in our selves even so doe they unto us But the servant is not greater then his Lord and therefore we that are baptized for the dead and stand in jeopardy of our lives often we have a cloud of Witnesses which endured the same and therefore the same baptism and the same cup must be drunk by all that follow him Well my dear brethren your sufferings I know and I know he of whom you bear witnesse bears up your heads who hath called you thereunto above all that which is done unto you as you stand in his will and councel well as dear brethren and companions in the same tribulation and Kingdome and patience of the Saints as witnesses of the same faith as they were which are gone before you you are made partakers of the same it is made manifest and revealed in you by the same God in which faith they had power and you have power and indures as they did and as he did even the contradiction of sinners Well our God is on our side and takes our part and therefore my own bowels in patience endure God will bring forth your righteousnesse as the Sun and your enemies shall be ashamed and I know and you also know it is for the advantage and the furtherance of the Gospel of Christ and endure in patience and long-suffering and look not out and the Lord in due time will enlarge your border and the eternall God of power be with you chosen ones for the Lords work you shall have your reward nay he is come and his reward is with him I know you have it and witnesse his power and his presence with you so my dear ones in that which limits all and chaines all and keeps under all deceit dwell and abide for ever in the living power which makes the strong man bow downe and the Devils tremble and the unclean spirits roare and the power you know where is your life that all the powers of death cannot reach and therefore doth the potsheards of the earth strive in vaine to set briars and thorns in battel against him in vaine doe they rage for notwithstanding all that God hath set and will set his owne Son upon the holy hill of Sion glory unto him for ever shout out for joy Oh yee sufferers for him who are set free by him and your freedome can none take away for he is greater then all even him in whom yee have believed standing in his power wisedome and councel who is neer you that none is able to pluck you out of his hand for he hath the keyes of David who opens and none shuts and binds and none can loose even he who rebukes the winds and seas and they obey him and causes a great calme and causes the waters to abate nay to stand of a heap and dryes up the tongue of the Aegyptian sea that his ransomed ones may goe over into the rest and he that hath and doth believe in him is entred into the rest where we all meet in one in him who is the Judge of all the world the light of the world and our life who believe in his name but the condemnation of all the world who walk in unrighteousnesse for ever and ever For with the pure and upright he dwells and his Throne is established in righteousnesse for ever and ever and unto our God who lives for ever shall all the powers of the Earth bow to whom be glory and eternall praise of all his redeemed ones for ever and ever F. H. O All yee Sons of Sion and yee daughters of the King who is glorious within who is glorious within who have waited for the Bridegroom Oh my beloved ones you who have long sitten in a solitary place and have been as a silly Dove without a heart and hath been as a widow desolate and as a parched Heath you that hath wandred up and downe in the long night of darknesse and knew no rest but were as one cast off by all and all that passed by you laughed at your sorrow you have been as a hissing and as a Proverb to all and as a mark to shoot at by all your faces have been as the Tents of Kedar parched and your skin withered for want of refreshment and as a dead Tree that bears no fruit Oh yee who have come through great tribulation and have suffered the losse of all the spoyling of all even the greatest riches the chiefest Jewels who have lost all your knowledge and wisedome and become fooles for Christs sake and hath parted with all and hath suffered the indignation of the Lord to passe over