Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A92193
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A tender exhortation to Friends at Bristol, to bring to remembrance how it was with them in the beginning.
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Rigge, Ambrose, 1635?-1705.; Fox, George, d. 1661.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing R3; ESTC R182323
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5,268
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16
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A Tender EXHORTATION TO FRIENDS AT Bristol To bring to Remembrance How it was with them in the Beginning This Paper is not only to go to Bristol but London or elsewhere where it may come because it is a trying Day and none of the least that we have had but I hope it will drive the honest-hearted to lay hold of the Standard of Truth and Righteousness and let that be their chief support and then they need not fear their Enemy without nor within for the Lord never fails any that put their trust in him only for their is no confidence in Man and therefore the Lord is to be exalted above every Name to which every Cedar or Oak must bow London Printed in the Year 1700. A Tender Exhortation to Friends at Bristol c. Friends or to whom these may come I Being young did live near the City of Bristol and about the time of the Massacree in Ireland it hapned that there was a poor People that came from thence to that City that fled for their Lives both Men Women and Children And after things were a little settled there was a sort of zealous People in that City that went by the Name of Puritans which were afraid to speak their own Words or to wear â—heir own Cloaths for fear they should offend the Lord and were kept in a â—oly Fear according to their sight and knowledge in that day But afterwards 〈◊〉 Persecution rose in the Nation by the Bishops which they bore very well in that day and if they met in the Field there have some come with Staves and Clubs to beat them but in length of time the Times turned and the Bishops were turned out themselves both there and other places then when People came to have Liberty and Freedom there was a division amongst the Professors that were not of their mind Then there was another Turn and the City of Bristol was taken by Prince Robart and these People went thorough it through great difficulties by an Enemies Army and then to London they came and were received with great gladness of Heart in this City and with unexpressible Love amongst the honest People in this City the Lord made way for them in the hearts of his People O! Friends let this never be forgotten the tender dealings of the Lord in a time of trouble whom they found to be a God near at hand and not afar off in that day Then it hapned so that there was another Turn and they were sent home by the Parliament and great care was taken for them and their Enemies were forc'd to flee before them Now when things began to be settled in London and in the City of Bristol they were settled again in their Habitations than they began also to look into the Prophecy of latter days and what should be enjoyed in the latter Times and the Cry was that they might come to suck at the sweet Breast of Consolation and for that cause many Prayers were put up and Days set apart to Pray for the pouring down of the Spirit and there were many Seekers in that day seeking the Way to Sion with their Faces thitherward Oh that these travailing days may never be forgot what way the Lord took to gather a People to himself tho' through many hardships and difficulties yet he crowned all with his Heavenly Presence in standing by them in the worst of Times endless Glory to his Name for ever And after great crying for the Spirit to be poured down the Lord heard their Cry and news came to the City of London that there was a poor People in the North that could give their Backs to the smiter and their Cheeks to them that pulled off their Hair and that the Everlasting Gospel was Preached amongst this poor People And then they came to London and were scattered amongst the Nation with much Reproach and Contempt yet they were made to bear all things and some of these that did Pray for the pouring down of the Spirit and it came in so low an appearance that they could not readily receive it because it did not come in the Wisdom of Words yet to many thousands it was received in much sincerity and uprightness of Heart and a joyful sound it was to them that truly waited for it and especially this City of Bristol I know no People received it more readily than they did and it was a joyful sound to them and many of them that were in that day are gone to Rest with the Lord for ever And after they had received the Truth in the love of it there was a Spirit of Division rise amongst some Friends which put a stop to the Prosperity of Truth for a time but at last there hapned another Persecution yet notwithstanding all the Difference they stood the Day and the Lord was with them and they suffered joyfully the spoiling of their Goods and Imprisonment and some lost their dear Lives Now Friends after the heat of the Persecution was over there was a rest and the Enemy took some advantage after that but I hope that was made up again But now Friends the thing that lies chiefly upon me is how we have answered the Lord's Call out of many Evils and that in no wise we may go back to Egypt again as I am afraid too many are gone into that which the Lord by his right Hand brought out of them that which was displeasing unto him And now I do desire as for my own Soul you may look back through all those things and see the Lord's dealings all along from one time to another and do not despise the day of small things though the Lord has given Riches and made up your Losses both in London and Bristol especially Bristol I mean what you have lost by suffering for Truth and as he hath made it up to you many ways the desire of my Soul is that none of us that have partaken of the Loving-kindness of the Lord that we may do nothing that may cause him to with-draw his Holy Spirit from us for if it should be so we should be as miserable as any People whatsoever for what can we do without the Lord we cannot stand of ourselves because all our fresh springs are in him and therefore we are to watch and pray continually that we may not be carried away by the great Enemy of our Souls or turned out of the way for he will be ready to betray the simple-hearted therefore I do desire that in the simplicity of our Hearts we may look about us and see how many ways the enemy hath taken to betray the Simplicity of the Truth since the breaking forth of it And now Friends I have a Word or two to the Young Generation let them be where they will in City or Country that have not known much of this travail to consider with themselves whether they ought not to be concerned in this Work as well as the Ancient that
have gone before them for the Way is the same for the Young as well as the Old and therefore they ought to consider their standing And the Lord is the same to day as yesterstay and for ever and he will not acquit the Guilty neither Rich nor Poor therefore I pray Friends consider and be you watchful with that little knowledge which the Lord hath given you over your Words and Actions whether it be Pride or any other Evil which oppresses the Seed that you may witness Peace as many that have gone before you had done And now Friends I have a Word to some that minister among us for they that have their Commission rightly from the Lord their need not much be said but some there are that minster in the wise part by what they learned from others and from the Scriptures and they reach to the wise part in others But the right Ministry dissolve all to nothing and makes self of no Reputation and cuts down that that stands in the way And further I desire that there may not be too much healing of the Wound until it be throughly searched that they may not go away to much at ease and forget themselves and a liberty get in and then they are more careless than ever they were before And so I desire you that are rightly called may watch over the Flock and over your own Hearts too for I do not question but you may have occasion as well as others to watch continually for what the Enemy cannot do one way he will endeavour another And now Friends I have a Word to those that have been long hearers of the Truth as we have been long Hearers but now the Lord is risen and calls upon us to be doers of his Will in whatsoever he calls us to and as others have been Preachers to us we may now be Preachers our selves in Righteousness and in Truth for if we hear all our Days and do not come to that of God in our selves to be Preachers to others in our Conversations it is no encouragement for others to follow our Example I pray Friends be not offended at my plain Dealing for I always found it best if I had any thing against a Friend to tell him of it to his Face and not joyn with an Enemy against him behind his Back and I ever had Peace in so doing and I hope shall to the end Friends I have some concern upon my Mind concerning some of those that run into such things that I am sure the Truth will not justifie in desiring to be Rich by that way that God's Controversie is against I pray consider is it not better to be contented with the Blessing of the Lord in a middle way than to run into that that causes an evil Report upon the good Land I would have none discouraged because of these things nor think the worse of the Land because of the evil Spies for such as have known the true Travel to it can give in their Testimony that the Land is good for all this and to be desired beyond all things in this World Friends I have something further that lies upon my Mind that is the consideration of those things which is before written of the great appearance that was once witnessed of the presence of the Lord that was amongst us And now my desire is for my self as well as for you that we may not sit down at ease and please our selves with what we have known for it is not that we have known in former Days will satisfie our Hungry Souls now because our Lord exhorted us to Pray for our daily Bread and that we may Watch and Pray always for if we lose the Sense of our condition Darkness may soon overtake us and then what can we do And now Friends if any should rise up againgst the Truth in oposition to it again as formerly they have done I have this to say in the behalf of it though they make little of the appearance of it and it came forth by a poor People yet there was Men which I can name that spoke and Prophesied of it in our Day though they saw it but I through a Vail yet the Lord was pleas'd to rent the Vail and they did Preach of the New Jerusalem coming down from above in the Day that the Lord would search Jerusalem as with a Candle and they Preached of the two Seeds though we did not know what they meant in that Day And I pray what difference is there between that they Preached and that Friends came forth in And now to witness what I have said I shall write down some of these Men's names that use to hear in those Days as Walter Cradock William Arberey Joshua Sprig Thomas Brooks John Webster Dr. Everard Peter Sterer William Dell John Saltmash Morgan Floyd and as John's Baptism was Glorious in his time so was there Preaching in their time and they were greatly set by by the Government which proved some hurt to them which I desire may be a Warning to all others not to be much lifted up of what perswasion soever Friends upon the consideration of the many deliverances that we have had since that Massacree the desire of my Heart is that we may do nothing to provoke the Lord as Israel did of old to cause him to bring his Judgments upon us as he did upon them because I see there is many come in among us some for one end and some for another and such serve their own end but the end of the Lord is not answered And these are some of the little Foxes that hurt the tender Grapes I pray let none take offence at my thus Writing for in the Grief of my Heart do I Write these things because I do hear so many Complaints by some that have suffered loss by some that are call'd by the name of Quakers Friends seeing some Exercises are come upon you concerning these Men that rather strikes at the Truth more than you but I hope the Lord will plead bis own Cause and not let it fall for all this But this I desire for my self as well as for you that we may all consider right well and search our Hearts every one and see whether there be nothing in us that may cause the Lord to suffer such a thing to come upon us that so what we find amiss we may let it fall let it be what it will and endeavour to be Examplary to our Enemies in whatsoever we are concern'd in A. R. O Day of Tryal come thou art For to discover every Heart And manifest things as they be That all the Innocent may see The Man that doth the Life possess From him that it only profess Yea thou wilt shew them who they are That soared up above the Sphear In Words in Carriage or in Action Which gave the Seed no satisfaction And such before that thou art over Their Nakedness thou wilt discover Whereby some that deceived have been Are catcht by them as in a Gin Will be ashamed and sit down And wait within to feel their own Eternal Gift to God again And Life to breath upon the Slain And as these things they come to feel It will afreâ—â— renew their Zeal To stand against every thing That would to God dishonour bring And patiently the Cross do bear Who ever fly they will not dare Because they see it would offend And bring them Sorrow in the end The living God who is so just That all that will him follow must Deny themselves in every thing And wait on him who is their King George Fox the Younger THE END