Here he was tender of Children which are the Heritage of the Lord and the Lord said Thrice in the Year shall all your men Children appear before the Lord God of Israel Exod. 34.23 Here you may see the care the Lord takes that Children which are his Heritage should be acquainted with him which ought to be the duty of all Parents And the Lord said Take heed to thy self and keep thy Soul diligently lest thou forget the things which thine Eyes have seen lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy Life but teach thy Sons and thy Sons Sons especially in the day that thou stoodst before the Lord thy God in Horeb when the Lord said unto me viz. Moses Gather me the people and I will make them hear my words that they may learn to fear me all the dayes that they shall live upon the Earth and that they may teach their Children Here you may see the Care of the Lord both to his People and how they are commanded to teach their Children yea their Sons Sons the Children that are Gods Heritage might be Instructed by their Parents the things of God Deut. 4.10 And in the Old Testament the Lord God said Thou shalt do no manner of work on the Sabbath day thou nor thy Son nor thy Daughter nor thy Man Servant nor the Stranger which is within thy Gate they were all to rest on the Sabbath day in the old Covenant so were all the Believers whether they be Masters or Mistrisses Sons Daughters or Strangers to rest in Christ in the New Covenant for he that believeth is entered into Christ the rest and ceased from his own works as God did from his Know therefore this day and consider in thine heart Mark in thine heart that the Lord he is God in Heaven above and upon the Earth beneath there is none else so with the Spirit of God ye may know him in Heaven and know him in Earth and thou shalt keep therefore his Statutes and his Commandments which I command you this day that it may go well with thee and thy Children after thee that thou mayst prolong thy days upon the Earth Here again you may see what care the Lord takes for his People and his Children Deut. 39 40. And you may see in Nehemiah 5.5 how they complained of them and their Children their Sons and Daughters were brought into Bondage because of going astray from the Lords Commandments And in Nehamiah 9. how they had rebelled against the good Spirit of the Lord that he gave them to instruct them And is not this the cause now that Christians are in Confusion for rebelling against Gods good Spirit though they may make an outward Profession of the New Testament as the Jews did of the Old Thus saith the Lord in Isa 49. Behold I lift up my hand to the Gentiles and set up my Standard to the People And is not this Standard Christ And they shall bring their Sons in their Arms and thy Daughters shall be carryed upon their shoulders And where do they carry their Children and their Sons and Daughters is it not to Christ who teacheth them and blesseth them The Lord saith I will make all my Mountains a high way and my high way shall be exalted And is not God and Christs High-way his Light that is the path of the Just and High-way to the Perfect day And Kings shall be Nursing-Fathers and Queens Nursing-Mothers And that will be a happy day when they come to nurse Christs Chickens Doves Lambs Babes and little Children Then Persecution will cease for not taking Oathes and Swearing and for not Paying of Tythes and for not going to the Worship at Temples made with hands and then Christs Doctrine will be obeyed who saith Swear not at all but let your Yea be Yea and your Nay Nay c. And then every one that hath received freely from Christ will give it freely as he commands then every one will know their Bodies are the Temples of the Living God and then every one will walk in the Light Gods High-way which shall be exalted and in it they have fellowship one with another and the Blood of Christ the Son of God cleanseth you from all sin And Isaiah 54. All thy Children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy Children that are taught of the Lord in Righteousness shall they be established that are taught of the Lord Thou shalt be far from oppression thou shalt not fear and from Terror for it shall not come nigh thee that art taught of the Lord Behold they shall gather but not by me so then it is by the Wicked Spirit whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake that are taught of the Lord no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in Judgment thou shalt condemn c. This is the Heritage of the Servants of the Lord and the Righteousness is of me saith the Lord. And in 1 Kings 2.4 David saith That the Lord may confirm his Word which he spake concerning me saying If thy Children take heed to their way to walk before me in Truth with all their hearts and with all their Souls there shall not fail thee said he a man to sit on the Throne of Israel See that thy Children take heed to their way and walk before me as thou hast walked before me to wit David Now here you may see that not walking in the Truth before the Lord with all their Souls and their hearts made such Confusion among the Jews and likewise makes or hath made such confusion among the Christians for not walking before God in the Truth kept them off the Throne of Israel and therefore Children are to succeed their Fathers Path in the Truth if they will be accepted and exalted by the Lord and if they do enjoy the Comfort of the Lord as their Fathers did with the Promise as in 1 Kings 2.4 8.25 In Micah 2. he dâ—clareth against their Oppression and reproves the Jews for their Injustice and Idolatry and saith The Women of my people have you cast out from their houses from the Children have ye taken away my Glory to wit the Lords for Children are the Lords heritage and he hath a glory in them And Joâ—â— declareth sundry Judgments of God and exhorts the Jews to observe them and bids the Old men tell their Children of it and let your Children tell their Children and let their Children tell another Generation See what care was here and watches set up that Childrens Children might escape the Judgments of God by their walking in the Truth and keeping to the Lord with all their hearts and Children which were the Lords Heritage were to warn and tell one another to walk in the fear and way of the Lord with their whole hearts that he may have his Glory in them and their Children which are his
The State of the Birth Temporal Spiritual AND THE Duty and State OF A Child Youth Young-Men Aged-Men and Fathers in the Truth Also shewing That Children are the Heritage of the Lord and that he hath a Glory in them By George Fox Children are the Heritage of the Lord and he hath a Glory in them and they are to be trained up in the fear of the Lord. That your Children may be blessed after you Prov. 20.7 And may be blessed with thee Psal 147.13 for blessed is every one that feareth the Lord Psal 128.1 LONDON Printed and Sold by Andrew Sowle at the Crooked-Billet in Holloway-Lane near Shoreditch 1683. The State of the Birth Temporal and Spiritual c. THe State and duty of a Child Youth and Young-men and the State of Aged-men and Fathers it is the Lord that doth bring to the birth David Saith My Substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret c. Thine Eyes did see my Substance yes being unperfect and in thy book all my members were writen which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there were none of them for thou possessedst my reins when thou coveredst me in my Mothers Womb. Here you may see Gods infinite and All-seeing Eye Work and Providence the Darkness nor secrets hide not from God but the Night shineth to him as the day and the Darkness and the Light are alike to his All-seeing Eye who made both and therefore all are to Consider how God hath made them and fashioned them Psal 139. And the Lord saith in Isa 66. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth saith the Lord Shall I cause to bring forth and shut the Womb saith my God So here you may see it is the Lord that fashions in the Womb and brings it forth both the Natural birth and the Spiritual birth and opens the womb and shuts the womb both the womb of the Morning and of Eternity and of the Natural And the Lord said to Jeremiah in the 1st chapter Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee and before thou camest out of the womb I sanctified thee c. And so here all may see and consider and know themselves to be the great Work of God that when God that forms and fashions you in the Womb and brings to a birth and hath brought you forth that you may chuse the Good and forsake the Evil that you may remember and consider that you are the Work of the Lord and remember your Creator and who hath fashioned you and formed you in the womb and hath brought you to a birth and hath brought you forth to Fear and Serve and Worship and Honour him that hath made thee and brought thee forth For as Solomon saith in Eccless 12. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth whilst the Evil days come not or before the Evil days do come Now this is the duty of all Youth let them be Males or Females to remember their Creator and let him not go out of their memory so that they may be fitted to stand in the Evil dayes when they come for when they grow up to be young-men then the evil dayes will appear in which they may be tempted to Adultery Fornication Drunkenness Theft Murder Lying Consening Cheating Vnrighteousness Vngodlyness Lightness Wantonness Pleasures and other Evils by which they may forget their Creator by going into such Evils when they are tempted to such things the Evil days are come to try Youth for they that yield unto such Evils before-mentioned forget their Creator and forsake him for Solomon saith Train up a Child in the Way he should go and when he is Old he will not depart from it Prov. 22.6 Here is the duty of Parents and the duty of Children which is to be practised and followed Now here is the duty of Youth To remember his Creator in the days of his Youth before the Evil days come But what must we do when we come to be young men What is their means and duty David declareth in Psal 119.9 Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his ways By taking heed to thy word c. Thy Word I have hid in my Heart and do meditate on thy Word that I might not sin against thee So now for all Young men to take heed to the Word of God in their hearts and hide it in their hearts and to meditate upon it for the Word is called a Hammer and a Sword and a Fire to hammer down and cut down and burn up that which would defile them in their Ways Words and Hearts And the Apostle saith That the Word of Faith which he preacht was in their hearts and mouthes to obey it and to do it Rom. 10. And the engrafted Word was able to save their souls James saith And Peter saith That they were to feed upon the sincere Milk of the Word but they which are hearers of the Word and not doers of the Word deceive their own souls And Christ said to his Disciples Now ye are clean through the Word c. So this Word will keep the Ways and the Hearts of Young men clean the Word of God which is a Sanctifying Word a Reconciling Word and Christ told the Jews His Word had no place in them And again he told the unclean Jews Ye have not his Word to wit the Word of God abiding in you So these Jews made a great Profession of the Scriptures but had not the Word of God abiding in them John 5. then they were not like to be made clean by it And Christ said Sanctifie them through thy Word thy Word is Truth to wit his Disciples and Believers And again Christ saith I have given them thy Word and they have kâ—pt thy Word namely his Disciples to wit the Word of God John 17. Now here you may see the Disciples kept the Word of God which was the means to keep their Hearts Wayes and Words clean but the Jews Priests Scribes and Pharisâ—es that made a great outward Profession of the Scriptures whose ways were unclean and mouthes full of foul unclean words against Christ Christ told them That the word of God did not abide in them And therefore though they had the Scriptures and made an outward Profession of them like the Professors of our Age and others who go from the means the Word of God in their hearts to keep their Ways and Lips clean and to Sanctifie them Therefore they plead for a Body of Death to the â—rave and a Purgatory when they are dead who live in a profession of the Letter without the Word And John saith I have written unto you young men because you are Strong and the Word of God abideth in you and you have overcome the wicked one viz. the Devil by the Word of God which was before the Devil was So here you may see what is the means by which the Young mens ways are cleansed and sanctified
and what makes them strong and to overcome the wicked One the Word of God abiding in them and therefore every Young man and all Young people are to love and obey and do the Word of God by which their Ways Words and Hearts and all may be kept clean for the Word of God is a Hammer and a Sword to hammer down and cut down the Devil and his works and a Fire to burn them up So it is the Word of Power the Word of Wisdom the Word of Reconciliation and the Word of Patience by which they overcome Now concerning Aged men or Fathers in the Truth John saith I have written unto you Fathers because you have known him that is from the beginning to wit Christ Jesus And John writes as a Father himself who saith That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our Eyes which we have lookt upon and our hands have handled of the Word of Life for the Lâ—fe was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that Eternal Life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us 1 John 1â—1 2. So here you may see not only John in his Epistle but also John in his Evangelist declares Christ in the beginning and saith In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word the same was in the beginning with God and all things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his Glory the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth John 1. Now here you may see how John writes as a Father that knew Christ in the beginning and he writes to the Fathers that knew Christ in the beginning So the Fathers knew him in the Glory that he had with the Father before the World began and that all things were made by Jesus Christ So they knew him as he was God the Word they knew Chrst as he was Man The Word was made Flesh c. they knew Christ in the Promises and in the Prophecyes they knew him in the Figures Types and Shadows made under the Law they knew him of whom he was to be conceived to wit the Virgin they knew him in his Birth Life Doctrine Preaching Miracles Sufferings Death Grave Resurrection and Ascension into the Glory with the Father and at his right hand yea the Glory which he had with the Father before the World began So the Fathers have known Mark have known Christ from the beginning 1 John 2.14 So here you may see the State of the Birth Temporal and Spiritual and the duty and State of Youth the duty and State of Young men and Young people and the State of Fathers in the Truth Kingston the 10th Moneth 1682. G. F. DAvid saith Lo Children are an Heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the Womb is his reward as Arrows are in the hands of a mighty man so are Children of Youth Happy is the man that hath his Quiver full of them they shall not be ashamed but they shall speak with the Enemy in the Gate Psal 127. Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord that walketh in his Ways for thou shalt eat the Labour of thine hands Happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee and thy Wife shall be as a fruitful Vine by the side of thine House thy Children like Olive Plants round about thy Table Behold that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord yea thou shalt see thy Childrens Children and the Lord shall bless thee out of Sion Psal 128. Now all you that do Murmur against people that have many Children and do complain and say That they do fill your Towns Cities and Countries with Children and many times you that do so complain have few or no Children and you are afraid that they should come to want and that then you must be fain to relieve their necessities And what then What you do give to the poor you lend to the Lord and he will repay it to you again if they cannot and this wanting mind is for want of Faith and of God who gives the increase of all and is Rich unto all that call upon him and the Lord would have you to take notice that Children are the Heritage of the Lord. And so what you do give to the breeding and nursing and relieving of Children you do it to the Heritage of the Lord and the Lord hath many adopted Sons that he hath taken to be his that have received the adoption of Sons Gal. 4. And what if you that have no Children should do so It was but a Cross to the grumbling or murmuring self which many times have no Children and are discontent with the poor that have many and do think much either to adopt them to your selves and are afraid that they will be chargeable to you namely the Children that are the Heritage of the Lord but the Lord that doth increase the Children which are his Heritage he will take care for his Heritage whether that murmuring complaining mind against Poor People of having so many Children you relieving them or no he will take care for his Heritage blessed be his Name forever Amen Sing unto God sing Praises to his Name exalt him that rideth upon the Heavens by his Name â—AH and rejoyce before him a Father of the Fatherless and a Judge of the Widdow God is in his holy habitation Psal 68. The Sayings of old which we have heard and known and our Fathers have told us we will not hide them from their Children shewing to the Generations to come the Praise of the Lord Psal 78. And David saith Let thy Work appear unto thy Servants and thy Glory unto their Children and let the beauty of the Lord be upon us c. Psal 90.16 See what heavenly Love he had to Children Gods Heritage so they are not of David's mind who think that they shall be undone by maintaining of poor Peoples Children which Children are Gods Heritage and David saith Ye are blessed of the Lord which made Heaven and Earth the Heavens even the Heavens are the Lords but the Earth he hath given to the Children of Men Psal 115.16 And the Lord saith to David If thy Children will keep my Covenant and my Testimony that I shall teach them their Children also shall sit upon thy Throne for evermore Psal 132.12 Praise the Lord O Jerusalem praise thy God O Sion for he hath Strengthened the Bars of thy Gates he hath blessed thy Children with thee These are they that keep in the Covenant and the Testimony that God doth give them that have his blessings And you may see the tenderness of Joseph to his Father and to his Children and to his Childrens Children in the days of the Famine when they were in Egypt Gen. 45.