to him and am faithful unto him though my Earthen Vessel may be broken to peices and be turned to the dust and be taken away as the Wicked are who know not God yet nevertheless I know it shall not be with my soul as it shall be with the Wicked for it shall go ill with them that Die and be cut-off in their Sins but through the love of the Lord it is and shall be well with my soul for that shall Live and never Die whatever comes upon my Earthen Vessel wherefore I will not say in a murmuring way Lord why is it thus that as to outward appearance thou takest away the Righteous with the Wicked and cuâ—est off them that fear thy Name vvith them that fear thee not as if thou hadst no regard to thy people nor respect to them that call upon thy Name nor care over those vvho serve thee vvith an upright Heart but I vvill be still and knovv that the Lord he is God and may do as seemerh good in his Eye vvhose vvorkings are Mysterious and his doings very Strange and his actings very Marvellous in the eyes of many vvho is even to vvonderful for his people unto vvhom he intends good altogether for oh he loveth them and they are dear unto him as the Apple of his Eye they are his Portion vvhich he hath chosen and his Inheritance for ever vvhich he hath purchased for himself vvho is God over all blessed for evermore Oh dear Friends Brethren and Sisters my dear unfeigned Love extends to you all in the Truth of our God vvherein my soul salutes you vvho Love and Serve the Lord vvith a sincere and upright Heart and in Spirit I am vvith you though outvvardly separated from you for the Seeds sake and truly my soul simpathiseth vvith you in your Tryals Afflictions both invvardly and outvvardly and oh that I could help you saith my soul but vvell I can cry unto him vvho is able to help you unto vvhom dear Babes I must leave you who knoweth how it is with ever one of you all and is not wanting in his Love Mercy Pity Tenderness Compassion and Care towards you who loveth him and watcheth in his holy fear whose tender bowels is more largely open towards his tender innocent hearted ones then their weakness is able to comprehend Oh the Lord Almighty be with you and the Arm of his Power incompass you about and bear you up and keep you from Fainting and Falling as some have done to the dishonour of the Lord and grief of your Souls and preserve you unto the end of your Daies that you may finish your Course with Joy and lay down your Heads in Peace and rest from all your Troubles Sorrows Tryals Sufferings and Afflictions and receive the reward laid up for the Faithful who abide to the end this is the desire and breathing oâ— my soul to the Lord for you who is your Friend and Companion in the Faith Patience and long Suffering of Jesus and one that wisheth that Grace Mercy and Peace Joy Comfort and everlasting Refreshment with Strentgh Wisdom and Might may be augmented unto you all and that the love of God may abound and super-abound in all your Souls and surpass all your Sufferings that thereby your hearts may be kept open towards God and one to another in a large manner and that you continue tender affectionated one to another in the Truth and be as meet-helps one to another both outwardly and inwardly to your Comfort and to the Praise of the Lord God Almighty into whose hands I commit you dear Babes and the Lord be with you and Comfort the Mourners amongst you and Refresh the heavy hearted ones and lift up the bowed down and heal the Wounded and comfort the Languishing with love and lift up the weak Hands and confirm the feeble Knees and not suffer that which is Lame to be turned out of the way but rather heal it that the Halting may go upright and the Lame may leap as an Hart and the Tongue of the Dumb may sing of the goodness and loving kindness of the Lord and make mention of his Mercy and declare of his Doings and magnifie his Name in the the Land of the Living Amen Halelujah From your Friend and Brother in the Truth who hath often had you in remembrance and also longed to visit you with a few Lines but desirous to wait the Lords time read and feel my love in that which is more precious and excellent then all Words whatsoever wherein we are hid together Farewel dear Lambs William Bennit Edmonds-Bury Goal the 3th Month 1666. THE original of the foregoing Lines was chiefly write to Friends in the Town of Colchester but having freedom in the Lord and even pressed thereunto by his Love I thought meet to send Copies thereof to go among Friends in Suffolk Norfolk or elsewhere as Friends have freedom to Communicate them one to another And dear Friends let this signifie unto you that my soul loveth you and have a remembrance of you and a Brotherly care and affection towards you in the Truth wherein I desire your Prosperity Tranquility and Preservation in this day of Tryal in this hour and power of Darkness even as I desire for my own Soul the Lord my God even your God is my Witness desiring that I and you with all who love the Lord in Sincerity and that make meation of his Name in Truth and Righteousness may all be kept close in Heart and Mind unto the Lord standing upon our watch in the Light with the loines of our minds girded up unto God having on the Brest-plate of Righteousness and the Helmet of Salvation to guide stear and order us aright that we may not be Bewildred in this day of Storms and Tempests and especially to have and hold fast the Shield of Faith by which we may be able to quench and send off all the Fiery Darts of the Wicked within and without yea to have on the whole Armour of Light being fitted for the Fiery Tryals and Tribulat on s that so nothing may come upon us unawares before we be fitted for it oh that it might not be with any of those who profess Righteousness as iâ— was with the People in the daies of Noah who were Eating and Drinking and Sporting themselves Marrying and giving in Marriage and knew not till the Flood came and swept them away but oh that we may all stand upon our Watch-Tower and all hold fast our Integrity in the Lord and keep close to our first Love and none to deale unkindly towards the Wife of his youth by casting her off and going after other Lovers but all be tender over her and still love her with your whole Hearts and cleave unto her for she is a Spotless Virgin and never was Defiled with the alluring man of Pleasure she is very Beautiful Amiable and Comely in the Eyes of the pure in heart and the Glory of the
be filled with Melody thou blessed one who art cloathed with Chastity and keepeth thy Virginity in the Chamber of Purity oh thy beloved is come and into his Banqueting-House he is bringing thee where his Banner over thee is Love where he will stay thee with Flaggons and comfort thee with Apples and cause thee to drink of his spiced Wine and of the juice of his Pomgranets oh Sion rejoyce thou in his Love for the days of the glading of thy heart is come thou tender one who hast been tossed with tempest not comforted thou hast been termed Desolate and Forsaken thou hast been as one Barren and Unfruitful but now arise arise lengthen thy Cords and strengthen thy Stakes and enlarge the Curtains of thy Habitation for lo thou fruitful one thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left and thy Seed shall inherit the Gentiles and thy Off-spring the People the North shall give up and the South shall not keep back they shall come from the East and from the West flock unto thee as Doves to the Window thy Sons shall come from far and thy Daughters be nursed at thy sides thou shalt cause many wast places to be Builded and many Buildings to fall and desolate plaees to be Inhabited and Inhabited places to be laid desolate and barren Mountains to become fruitful Valleys and fruitful Places to become barren Mountains and the Wilderness become a Vinyard of sweet Grapes the Forrest as a City of Habitation the parched Ground to become a Pool and dry Heaths springs of Water oh arise arise thou beloved one and let thy Fruitfulness be manifested to the Nations break forth in thy excellent Glory shine forth in thy glorious Beauty as clear as the Morning without Clouds fair as the Moon and bright as the Sun that thou mayst appear as a royal Diadem in the hand of the Lord and as a Crown of Glory in the hand of thy God that far off Nations may see thy Beauty and remote Kings may see thy excellent Glory and be won by thy Love unto thee that they who hath Hated thee may Love thee bccause of thy Love that did extend to them even whilst they hated and rejected the woings of thy Love oh my soul loves thee in thy Love thâ—u lovely one oh kiss me kiss me with the Kisses of thy Mâ—uth for thy Love is better then Wine oh thou beautiful one thy Love overcomes my heart thy Love draweth me after thee oh thou art pleâ—sant unto me thy presence is more desirable then all things my heart can desire oh if thou hidst thy Face thou bountiful one then am I bowed down for the smiles of thy comely Countenance is the rejoycing of my Heart and the glading of my Soul the refreshing of my Spirit as marrow to my Bones and strength to my Reins oh thou art my Joy in Sorrow my Comfort in Mourning my Help in Need my Strength in Weakness my Riches in Poverty my Bread in Hunger my Water in Thirst my Refuge from Storms my Shelter from Heat and as the shadow of a Rock to me in a weary Land oh how can I but love thee in thy Love thou lovely one oh thou art my Mother who hath travelled in great pain to bring me forth thou art the Womb that bore me and the Paps that gave me suck the Cradle of my rest and the Bed of repose oh can I forget thee how can I forget thee who hath done so much for me even that which no man could do oh thou lovedst me first before I loved thee thou lovely one and with thy Love thou woedst me and by thy Love thou overcamest my heart and drew it after thee and now thou amiable one the desire of my soul is unto thee and unto the remembrance of thy Love oh my Soul desireth thee in the Night season and in the Morning I will seek thee early thou art as a cluster of Campire and as a bundle of Mirrh unto me thou shalt lie all Night between my Breasts oh thou lovely one let me repose in thy Bosom and fold me in thy Arms oh thy Love thy Love ovcrcomes my Heart thy Beauty even makes me sick of Love oh let me remember thy Love more then Wine it is the upright loves thee and it is the pure in heart who seeth thy Beauty and beholdeth thy excellent Comeliness oh let thy Love still draw me after thee oh let me never leave thee oh that I may never forsake thee nor be unmindful of thy Love which I have known to be stronger then Death and him who hath the power of Death oh thou art a Tree of Life to those who take hold on thee and blessed is every Soul that retaineth thee Oh thy ways are ways of Pleasantness and all thy paths are green and delightsom to those who love thee oh in thee is my rest in thee is my peace in thee is my joy in thee is my comfort in thee obtain I blessing and happiness thou art my Joy and the Crown of my Rejoycing for ever and for evermore Oh wherefore hold me hold me with thy Love thou Lovely Blessed One and let me never depart from thee and then I know thou wilt never depart from me but I shall be thine and thou shalt be mine in a perpetual Covenant which never shall be broken Oh thou Comely Beautiful Choice One thy Riches is durable for the Glory the glory the glory of the Lord thy God is thy Dowry for evermore Unto whom be ascribed all honour and glory eternal praises and renown and everlasting dominion for evermore so be it saith my Soul and Amen saith my Spirit Oh come Lord Jesus come quickly and take unto thy self thy great power to Reign for thou art worthy worthy saith my Soul glory to thee in the highest for evermore Amen Written in Edmonds-Bury common Goal in the year 1665. William Bennit This to go among Friends to be Read among them when assembled together in the pure Fear and Wisdom of God DEarly beloved Friends and Brethren Sheep of the Lords Pasture Lambs of the Lords Flock and Lillies of the Lords Field the comely beautiful Garment of Innocency Meekness Love Truth and Righteousness which doth cover many of you even affecteth my Heart and induceth my Soul dearly to love you and Spirit to travel for your Welfare Tranquility and Preservation even in every particular respect desiring the Lord God of Blessings may Bless and Prosper you in Truth and Righteousness and that his Grace and Love Mercy and Peace with Joy and Consolation Strength and Wisdom may be augmented and multiplied in and unto all your Souls that so the encrease of him the fulness of all durable Riches to your Souls you may witness and that the Fountain of Life with whom is the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledg may be inlarged unto you that of his fulness you daily may receive whereby your Hearts may be opened and enlarged
A COLLECTION OF CERTAIN Epistles Testimonies Of Divine Consolation Experience and Doctrine Written by that Faithful Patient and Long-Suffering Servant of Christ William Bennit Who Finished his Testimony the 23d day of the 4th Month 1684. In the County Goal at Ipswich in Suffolk And I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me Write Blessed are the Dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours and their Works do follow them LONDON Printed and Sold by Andrew Sowle at the Crooked-Billet in Holloway-Lane near Shoreditch 1685. THE CONTENTS TO my dear Father and Mother pag. 25. A Tender and Vnfeigned Salutation of Love and Good-Will to Professors Or a tender Invitation and Call unto all People in whose Hearts there hath been and still is some true desiring and breathing after the Lord God who hath long been hunting abroad amongst the many Forms and Liknesses and have been running from one broken Cistern to another and have been long spending their Money for that which is not Bread and their Labour for that which hath not rightly satisfied their Souls For them to retire inward unto that in their own Hearts which is the Authour of the desiring in them after God even the pure spiritual Light of Christ Jesus in their own Consciences which will lead and bring them that do it follow and obey unto the well-spring of Life the fountain of living Water where they may drink abundantly and be satisfied unto the fold of everlasting Rest unto the fresh pastures of Life where they may feed and lie down and enjoy true rest and satisfaction for their Souls pag. 33. For Friends of Truth in the Town of Yarmouth pag. 59. God only Exalted in his own Work or the Works of God Praiseth him in Sion Or a Song of Deliverance from a great and sore Captivity Thraldom and Bondage under the King of Egyptian Darkness the God of the World where the Soul was fast bound as with strong Chains and Fetters but now Ransomed by the out-stretched Arm of Gods Almighty Power and art come to Sion with Songs of everlasting Joy upon thy Head and hast obtained Joy and Gladness and thy Sighing and Mourning is fled away pag. 63. To Gods Lambs in Prison Greeting pag. 75. To Friends in the Love of Truth Greeting pag. 77. To Friends of Truth pag. 78. To Friends of Truth in Prison pag. 79. To the Suffering Lambs of the Lords Flock in Prison Greeting pag. 81. This to go among Friends of Truth to be read among them when assembled together in the pure fear and dread of the most high God pag. 84. To Friends pag. 90. To the Magistrates of Edmonds-Bury pag. 92. To Friends of Truth in the Town of Colchester Greeting pag. 100. Somâ— Prison Meditations of an humble Heart pag. 108. This to go among Friends to be read among them when assembled together in the pure Fear and Wisdom of God pag. 142. A Testimony to the true Light that lightens every man that comes into the World pag. 150. To Friends in Edmonds-Bury Goal pag. 157. To Friends Sufferers in Norwich-Castle pag. 158. To Friends Brethren and Sisters c. pag. 161. The Work and Mercy of God conducing to his Praise Or a Demonstration of the Visitation of Gods Love to my Soul in the days of my Youth Being a Testimony of the Light of Christ in the Conscience which discovereth and judgeth Sin also if loved and obeyed saveth from Sin and redeemeth the Soul unto God pag. 167. To those that are young in Years c. pag. 179. To all People that live and delight in Wickedness pag. 181. To those that are seeking the Living God in the Dead Forms pag. 191. To those that are backslided from the Truth pag. 194. To those that profess the Truth yet walk contrary thereto iâ— Life and Conversation pag. 197. To all those that are convinced of the Truth but still remain in the Worlds ways pag. 198. To those that are newly convinced of the Truth pag. 200. To the true Mourners in Sion pag. 203. A General Salâ—tation of Love to the Children of Light pag. 207. To Friends pag. 211. A Loving Exhortation and Warning to Sea-men and all others whom it doth concern pag. 214. Edmond Cross HIS TESTIMONY For his Deceased Friend William Bennit THis Testimony lives in my Heart and is upon me to bear for and concerning my dear and well beloved Friend William Bennit whom with many more worthy Ones God Almighty in his endless Love unto mankind raised up and endued with power from on high to preach the Everlasting Gospel of Life and Salvation in our Age and forever blessed be the Lord who hath caused his blessed Work to prosper by them to the gathering many Thousands to himself notwithstanding the great opposition they have meet with both from the Enemy of mankind within and the Exercises Hardships and cruel Persecutions from his Instruments without yet so powerfully did the Lord appear in them that the Inhabitants of the Earth was awakened and Trembling took hold of many Judgment was laid to the Liâ—e and Righteousness to the Plumit yea the sound of the Gospel by these worthy Messengers Preached went through the Earth and many of its Inhabitance thereby came to learn Righteousness amongst which worthy Messengers this my dear Friend William Bennit was one who laboured in the service of the Gospel for the gathering in the out-casts of Jacob and the disperced of Israel He was a man wholly given up both in Body and Mind to serve the Lord and what he did for God he did it with all his Might he spared no pains wherein he might serve the Truth which to do was his whole delight his care was great over the Church of Christ and whole Family of God and when in Bonds for the Gospel sake he visited them with divers good Epistleâ— full of heavenly Exhortations and Comfort to the great refreshment of God's Children oh the sence of the want of him doth often make me sad knowing how serviceable he was in the Church though I doubt not but the Lord can raise up some worthy Ones to succeed him in the Work and Service whereunto he was called oh the many sweet refreshments which I have had with him cannot be forgotten what shall I say for the want of him whose presence hath often times been very comfortable to me I believe years to come will know the want of him I had inward acquaintance with him above many and can testifie he was endued with many divine Attainments he had the true qualifications of an Elder and Minister of Christ and walked in Holiness Meekness and Godly Fear towards all men he never exalted himself above any but as a perfect example in Humility Self-Denial and Meekness he behaved himself towards the Meanest his Zeal for the Truth appeared to be very great for though he was a very weak man as to his bodily strength yet in
preaching the Gospel he was carried forth with such Fervency and Zeal for the Lord being by the mighty Power of God upheld that at such times there appeared no Infirmness of Body in him and notwithstanding the weakness of his Body he often Travelled in the service of the Gospel being freely given up to spend and to be spent for its sake his Ministry was plain prevalent vvhereof he had a very good Gift he vvas vvell acquainted vvith the holy Scriptures of Truth vvhich he made much use of for the opening the Understandings of People vvhich often proved very Effectual for the convincing of many And as he vvas an incessant Labourer in the Gospel vvhere-ever he came so also vvas he as Valiant in suffering for the same vvhen ever called thereunto as the many grievous Imprisonments vvhich he hath met vvith for the Gospel's sake doth vvitness for he hath for his Testimonies sake been cast into divers Goals as Yarmouth Bliborough Ipswich and Melton several times also at Edmonds-Bury vvhere he lay amongst the Fellons nigh eight years together lastly he vvas taken from a Meeting at Woodbridge and committed to Melton Prison vvhere he lay till the quarter Sessions held at Woodbridg unto vvhich he vvas brought and vvas by an order of Sessions removed from thence to Ipswich Prison being then in the Winter season though he vvas very vveak at that time and not fit to be carried forth the Weather being very cold and at that time it Snovved very much yet vvas he in the midst of all hurried avvay I vvas then vvith him and vvith grief of Heart beheld this cruel Treatment of this innocent Lamb vvho then said If it lay in his freedom to go or not although he might gain much as to the outward he could not go his weakness was such yet for the Truths sake he was freely given up though it proved the dissolution of his Body as indeed it so happened for he never got over it but grew weaker and weaker till upon the 23 d day of the 4th month 1684 in the Prison House in Ipswich the place of his Confinement he finished his Testimony and laid down his Head in perfect Peace thus vvas this good man Persecuted unto Death who freely forgave them that Persecuted him and oh saith my Soul if it may stand vvith the vvill of God that they may find Repentance before they go hence that his Blood may not be required at their hands Well he is now gone beyond the reach of all his Enemies he hath run the blessed Race he has fought the good Fight hath kept the Faith and is now Crowned with that Eternal weight of Glory which never endeth and though he be removed from us yet his Life remains with us and his Name is a sweet memorial unto us yea he shall be reckoned amongst the Generations of the Righteous and time shall never blot him out of their Remembrance who served the Lord withal his Heart and loved not his Life unto Death for his Name sake Oh the remembrance of this my dear Friend hath often times been a refreshment to me and the many sweet and precious oppertunities I have had with him are at this time fresh in my remembrance I cannot forget those heavenly bedewings and sweet streams of divine Life from the God of Life who is the Fountain of all our well-springs which often times ran through his Vessel as through a Conduit Pipe to the great refreshment of his Children Oh when I consider his service in the Church of Christ and how ready he was to help the Weak and encourage the Feeble yea to reach forth his helping hand unto all that none might be left behind and that now at such a time as this wherein Tryals and Exercises seem to abound upon us it should please the Lord to removed him from us my Spirit is bowed before the Lord in the consideration thereof for a tiâ—e my Soul was afflicted within me being deeply sensible of the great loss of him at this time of day But while I was Meditating in the consideration hereof my Soul was revived in the feeling of the Springs of Life to arise which sprang up in this wise God is the same that ever he was his Arm is not shortned that it cannot Save neither is his Ear heavy that it cannot hear the crys of his Children but his care is and will be over all those that put their trust in him and against such no Weapon howsoever formed shall Prosper and that he hath not removed his Servant from us thereby to weaken us but rather that we should wholly look unto him only from whom alone our Salvation comes who vvill certainly take care of all those who are faithful unto him in their Testimony for his Name and will supply such with whatsoever he sees is needful for them yea the same Power that kept and preserved this our dear Friend through all his Tryals and Exercises who hath now finished his Course with Joy will also preserve us as we are faithful thereunto in which the Lord keep and preserve all his People through all their Tryals and Exercises to the end is the breathing of my Soul OH thou my dear Friend who art now from us gone Vnto thine everlasting Rest in the Eternal one Who now for all thy Labours in which thou didst abound Rewarded art with endless Life and art with Glory Crown'd Oh worthy man of God thy Name for ever shall Recorded be amongst the Rightous Gen'rations all Thou lovedst not thy Life to Death but gave up all unto The service of God s Truth most pure and for it didst forgâ— The World and all things else that unto thee was near That thou mightst be for evermore with thy Redeemer dear And though thy Body is gone and Flesh consumed be Thy Spirit with thy God doth live to all Eternitie Where from thine Eyes all Tears are wip'd and Joy for eâ—e is found And Cloth'd now art with Garments pure and Pleasures doth abound And from thine Enemies reach which did thee sore annâ—y Who for the sake of Truth they sought thy Body to destroy Thou now exalted art over all Mortallity Where neither ravenous Beast nor yet the voulterus Eye 〈◊〉 ever thee molest no nor disquiet thy peace Which as a River great doth flow and never more shall cease Ah thou Valiant one indeed who never turn'd aside But to thy God wert faithful found when ever thou wert tride Great is our went of thee for which my Soul doth cry â—nto the Lord our God who only can supply Oh righteous God make up our loss to thee I only pray That thou wouldst please to raise up Children to him this day And fill them with thy Grace and therein make them shine Forth in thy most glorious Power both heavenly and divine That so thy holy Truth for which he did engage May over all exalted be now in this latter age And though our loss
Christ down from above or to descend that is to bring Christ from beneath c. but the word to wit Christ is nigh thee in the heart and in the mouth to be obeyed and done and this is the Word of Faith that Paul preached nigh in the heart Even Christ in them â—he living hope that was as an Anchor to their Souls sure and stedfast the hope of Glory And Paul exhorted the Corinthians to examine themselves and to prove themselves whether they were in the Faith whether they knew not Christ to be in 2 â—or 13. 5. them except they were Reprobates And John in his writing to the Saints reminds them of that within which they had heard from the beginning and says to them Let that remain in you to wit The word which was in the beginning which you have heard from the beginning and if it shall remain in you ye shall continue in the Son and in the Father and tells them That they should not need that any man should teach them but as the anoynting which they had received of God abiding in them should teach them which was the Truth to wit Christ the Truth in them the anoynted the anoâ—nting And as he had and did teach them so they were to abide in him so they knew Christ in them witnessed the Power of God within the Truth witâ—iâ— the Word nigh in their hearts the Spirit of God in their inward parts by which they were led guided taught anâ— instructed For so many as are the Sons of God saith Paul are led by the Spirit of God and he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his and this gave them an understanding in the things of God even the Spirit of God For no man knows the things of God saith Paul but by the Spirit â—f God through which he was made anable Minister of the New 1 Cor. 2. 10 11 12 Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit which giveth life And he Preached the everlasting Gospel Christ the Power of God the Word nigh in the heart and said If our Gospel be hid it is hid from them that are lost in whom Mark in whom the God of the world the Prince of the power of the Air that wicked spirit that worketh in the hearts of the children of disobedience hath blinded their minds lest the light of the glorious Gospel Christ Jesus should shine in and unto them But God who commandeth light to shine out of darkness hath shined Mark in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus and we have this treasure in the Earthen vessel that the glory may be of God and not of us so the Saints Preached up Christ the Word of Life the Light the Truth within and Rom 1. 19. 1 Cor. 12. 7. Tit. 2. 11. said That which is is to be known of God is manifest in them and Paul says That the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withall and the free Grace of God saith he Mark that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that we denying ungodliness and worldly lusts should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world And the Saints they witnessed their reconciliation and were born again they felt and knew that in themselves of which they were born again even Christ 1 Pet. 23 24 25. in them the Seed incorruptible the Word of God which lives and abides for ever by which they were begotten again unto God and quickened by the Word of life even they who were once as dead stones were raised up as living Children unto Abraham and so they came to taste that the Lord was good and gracious to taste and handle of the Word of Life and to seed upon the Bread 1 Cor. 12. 13. of Life and to drink of the Cup of Blessing and so by one Spirit were baptised into one body and were made to drink into one Spirit wherein they worshipped and served the Lord God and had Unity with the Lord in and through the Eternal Spirit and Unity one with another which united their Souls unto each other and unto the Lord God over all blessed for ever Ah dear people you in whose hearts there is true desires and secret thirstings after the living God where-ever ye are scattered among the many Sects and people towards you doth my soul yea my tender soul yearn and stream with love and good-will and for your sakes dear people doth my Soul travel in the womb of Supplication that you might come to enjoy that which you are seeking after and come to possess that you are thristing for and for your sakes mostly is this written in tender bowels of unfeigned love and pity to your souls And dear people you that have true desires in you after the Lord and hath been seeking of him where you cannot find him and hath been running from Mountain to Hill and from Hill to Mountain from one broken Cistern to another from one dead Form to another but still are unsatisfied and are sensible that you still notwithstanding your long profession and confession of God and Christ in words and notwithstanding your practicing some things that you read of which the Saints once performed in obedience of the Spirit of Truth which led them thereunto want the feeling enjoyment of the Love and sweet Peace of God and go groaning daily under the burden of the bondage of sin and corruption and desires to be set free therefrom Oh dear people retire retire with your minds inward you who have been seeking a God a far off and hunting after the Lord without retire to within and wait to know the Lord God near you to know his pure Truth in your inward parts his pure Spirit in you to lead and guide you to teach and instruct you for God is a Spirit and his teachings are spiritual he must be known in Spirit worshipped in Spirit and in Joh 4. 21 22 23 24. Truth not at the Mountain neither at Jerusalem not in this set Form nor in the other Form As lo here and lo there but in the Spirit is the Lord God known and worshipped aright by them who are born of the Spirit And so the spiritualized people who are born oâ— the Spirit and lives in the Spirit and are taught and led by the Spirit of Truth these are the peculiar people who Worship the God of Truth who is a Spirit in the Spirit and in the Truth and these are acceptable Worshippers with the Lord who own no Worship but his own which he teacheth his people by his Spirit and they that is ignorant of the Spirit of God they are ignorant of the true Worship of God which is in the Spirit and although such may seem to Worship God yet their Worship is not of God nor accepted with God It is the purified Sons of Levy who have passed through
help even to those that could not speak a vvord in season to them but have daubed them up vvith untempered Morter and have endeavored to heal their vvound deceitfully and have preached Peace to that vvhich is for judgment and so thereby they have gotten some kind of satisfaction for a time until the Lord vvounded them again with the Sword of his Righteous Judgments then their seeming rest fled away as smack before the wind and sorrow trouble took hold on them again as pain on a Woman in travel and then they have run again unto that which could not remove the very cause of their trouble and sorrow they have run to the Scriptures of Truth and therein have found a promise and this they have applied to themselves for to get peace and rest thereby when alas poor hearts they have not been in that state and condition which that promise which they applied to themselves was unto and so not for them and then they have read what the Saints once did and performed and they set themselves to do the like and to imitate them and so hereby for a time they have gotten some satisfaction some kind of rest and peace until the Lord God did thunder again with Dread and uttered his Voice with Terror which caused the Earth to tremble and their habitation to fall and then dissolation came upon them again and their Fig-leave garment came to be rent and their wound greater then ever it was before and thus they have run from Mountain to Hill from one Physitian to another for healing but they were unto them as Physitians of no value for none of them could rightly heal their wounds until at last they said in their hearts We will seek no more unto man for vain is the help of man But we will return unto the Lord God who hath wounded us and he will heal us who hath broken us in peices and he will bind us up and so returning to the light of Christ Jesus in their own hearts with which the Lord hath wounded them for their sins and brought trouble and sorrow upon them for their iniquities waiting therein in patience upon the Lord God in the way of his Righteous Judgments which was set up in their hearts they came to feel through their believing in the Light and loving the Light by which they were wounded for sin the cause of their sorrow and trouble and wounds taken away by the Blood of Jesus which is his life which they came to feel iâ— them cleansing of them from their sins and washing of them away and so the very cause of their wound being taken away and the corruption purged out then he the tender pitiful compassionate God of Mercy that in mercy towards them had wounded them healed them with the sweet Oyl of joy peace and gladness and now these that vvere mourners do rejoyce and they that vvere heavy hearted are made glad and beauty is given them for ashes and the oyl of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness and are become Trees of Righteousness the Lords own planting bringing forth fruit to his glory and praise vvho hath thus set them free from their sorrovv and trouble These can say Good it is to wait upon the Lord God in the Isa 26. 8. 2â— 9. way of his Judgments Lo this is the Lord whom we have waited for this is our God we have waited for him come let us rejoyce in his Salvation wherewith he hath saved us he hath redeemed us out of the horrible Pit out of the miry clay hath he brought us and set our feet upon a Rock and doth establish our goings who filleth our Souls with the fatness of his house and causeth us to drink of the River of his Pleasure and to suck and be satisfied with the Consolation of the Brest and to milk out and be delighted in the abnundance of the sweetness of its vertue Oh what what shall we render unto the Lord unto the Lord our God for his benefits oh what shall we render unto him for his Mercies what shall we render unto him for his loving kindness Oh! let us take the Cup of his Salvation and drink thereof abundantly and in the strength of the vigour of its vertue let us in the meekness of our hearts and in the lowliness and contriteness of our Souls praise praise the Name of the Lord our God who is worthy of all Glory and Praise for ever and for evermore A few words more unto you dear people who desire more after the love and peace of God then the glory and pleasures of the world Dear people take heed unto that which discovers unto you what are your thoughts whether they be good or evil for that is it which must redeem your minds unto God and wait to come to know it to be a stay to your minds and a stop to your thoughts and a bridle to your tongues and to cause a watch before your mouth and to raise a holy fear in your hearts of offending the Righteous God of Righteousness in thought in word in deed And dear people who have so much depended and relied upon man for teaching retire you with your minds inward to the manifestation of the Spirit of God in your own hearts and wait in it to come to know the Lord God to be your Teacher â—hat if you should be separated from those that have been your Teachers and put into a Hole a Dungeon or Cave of the Earth for your Consciences towards God and so be separated from all your teaching outward you may then feel find and witness the Lord to teach you to instruct you counsel and direct you comfort and refresh you even by his pure Eternal Spirit in you for all the children of the Lord shall be taught of the Lord and established in Righteousness and great shall be their peace in the God of their Salvation unto whom unto whom be glory glory honour and praise for ever and evermore for he is vvorthy he is vvorthy vvorthy saith my soul unto whom be glory in the highest Amen So dear people for your sakes mostly was these foregoing lines written in obedience to the tender spirit of love in my heart vvhich drew me thereunto and in tender unfeigned love and pure good-will to your souls vvho have had and still have true desires in your hearts after the Lord and have been and still are thirsting and hungering after the vvay of Truth and Righteousness and have been and still are seeking and hunting among the husks shells and shadows for to find the substance but still fail of your expectation and cannot find true and perfect satisfaction but secretly in your hearts are panting and thirsting after the living vvater and are vveary of feeding upon the husks and begin to say within your selves to each other Come vve have been long vvandering abroad hunting after the Lord afar off seeking of him in
visited in his endless unchangeable Love even in his making known and manifesting in and unto your souls his pure pretious Truth whereof he hath in measure made you pertakers with his dear Children and Witnesses of in your measures blessed be his Name who hath raised you up to bear a Testimony for him and his Truth which you profess who also hath inabled you through the power of his Love thereunto in this the day of your tryal in that great Town And my dear Friends my soul earnestly desires that you all may dwell and abide in the remembrance and living sence of the loving-kindness of the Lord towards you in his freely making known his Truth unto you that indeed the sence of his Love may bind your hearts and souls to be faithfull unto the Lord and his truth which you profess in still bearing your Testimony for the same in this the day of tryal standing as noble faithfull witnesses for the Truth every one of you in your measures amongst that hard hearted and crooked Generation in the midst of whom my dear friends you in the Light may shine as Lights in the blamless Life and unreproveable Conversation even to the praise of the Lord God and to the honour of his truth which you profess Now dear friends the Lord hath caused you hitherto to bear a testimony for him and against that wicked spirit of Persecution which would limit the Lord in his people in this particuler fix in your meeting and assembling your selves together in his fear to wait upon him and to worship him in spirit and in truth though it hath been though Sufferings And dear friends in the meekness of love unfeigned I Cry unto you saying oh do not grow faint nor weary of bearing your testimony still for the truth and worship of God in your meeting together in his name for dear Friends wherein can we in one particular exercise of the spirit of truth bear a larger testimony for the truth then in our meeting and assembling our selves together in the truth to worship the God of truth in the spirit of truth seeing that this is the thing above many which the wicked spirit of persecution doth so eagerly and so highly oppose and so eanestly seek and so greatly indeavour to deprive us of and confine us from wherefore dear Friends I cannot but in the Love and Zeal of the truth exhort you all not to neglect meeting together in the fear of God so long as the Lord permit you Liberty so to do And oh let not the smalness of your number you little Flock who are hated and rejected by the world be any discouragement to you in this matter but oh rather be you incouraged thereby in the strength of the Lord in love to his truth to bear up your testimony in that great Town in the midst of so many Persecutors faithfully in your measures even to the honour of the Lord his truth My dear friends let me say again neglect not meeting together through giving way to the slothâ—ul careless spirit or through letting in the fear of man into your hearts for indeed my dear friends although you be a poor small Remnant for whom my soul travelleth with the Lord for your preservation yet behold as you keep your meetings in the fear and name of the Lord you will feel and injoy his living presence in and amongst you which will make your meetings profitable unto you And dear Babes in stillness quietness in peace patiâ—nce and contentedness possess your souls in the dominion of truth to reign over all those thoughts reasonings and consultings which the Enemy of your souls would infuse into your minds whereby he would raise trouble and tumult in your hearts and bring faintness and weakness upon you And dear Friends lend not an ear to listen after the rumours and reports of the world nor heed not the boasting of the wicked neither regard the threatning of truths Enemies but dear Babes continually lend an ear unto the Lord and hearken you unto his Counsel and have continual regard unto him in your hearts and wait to feel his presence with you continually and know your unity with him and every perticular one feel and find in your selves that the Lord God almighty is on your sides and then my dear Friends you need not matter who are against you if the Lord be for you so dear Lambs be faithful to the Lord and to his truth in your measures and be not Dâ—scouraged nor Danted through the sence of the rage wroth and bitterness of your Enemies and through the feeling of your own weakness and feebleness but trust ye in the Lord and hope ye in his tender bowels which are opened with groanings of compassion towards his poor afflicted suffering people who is and yet will be a strength to the poor and needy a refuge unto them from the storm and a shadow unto them from the heat a helper in the time of need a Deliverer out of trouble in the greatest straits who will appear to help his helpless ones whâ— have no other helper but the Lord. So the Lord God almighty be with you and gird up your loins with Courage Boldness Strength and Valour and spread upon you the mantle of faithfulness and cause you to persevere on in the perpetual patience and to abide in the continual content therein to run the race that is set before you which you have begun And the Lord almighty of heaven and of earth for his own seeds sake keep you from fainting by the way and carry you through all whatever either outwardly or inwardly you do or may meet withal and keep you and preserve you unto the end that in the end dear Lambs we may lay down our heads together in the sweet bosom of the Lord God of everlasting rest peace and quietness in whose sweet meek heavenly humbling melting love my soul dearly salutes you all and commits you all unto the Lord God almighty Farewell dear Friends Dwell together in that love which thinks no evil therein forgiving and forbearing one another even as the tender God of bowels hath forgiven you and born with you day after day and time after time and dwell all in the meek spirit of self-denial keeping the unity in the spirit in the bond of peace Norwich-Castle the 3 d Moneth 1664. Your tender Friend and Brother WILLIAM BENNIT God only Exalted in his own Work OR THE Works of God Praiseth him in Sion OR A Song of Deliverance from a great and sore Captivity Thraldom and Bondage under the King of Egyptian Darkness the God of the World where the Soul was fast bound as with strong Chains and Fetters but now Ransomed by the out-stretched Arm of Gods Almighty Power and art come to Sion with Songs of everlasting Joy upon thy head and hast obtain'd joy and gladness and thy sighing and mourning is fled away witnessed unto and experienced in that Vessel whose earthly
and at the remembrance of Sion and in the sence of thy separation from her thou didst pant oh my soul thou didst pant after Sion the Land of thy nativity Oh! as the Hart panâ—eth after the water brooks crying in the anguish of thy sorrow how long Lord how long shall I be a captive in a strange Land with longing dâ—sires in thy heart after Sion thinking in thy heart oh when shall I walk with the ransomed of the Lord upon the Mountain of Sion and travel with the Lords redeemed in the streets of Jerusalem and in that day oh my soul the Lord for his own Seeds sake had regard unto thy cries and thy tears and sorrows was not hid from the view of his tender pitiful eye and in tender mercy and bowels of compassion towards thee he through his free love unto thee brought thee forth out of Babilon the Land of thy captivity and set thy face towards Sion thy desired rest oh my soul But oh oh my soul how oft wert thou bewildered in thy going even after thy face was turned towards Sion travelling thitherward saying in thy heart oh I will go joyn my self unto Sion in a perpetual Covenant which shall never be broken losing thy way some times wandering as it were in the wilderness in the deserts and solitary places hungry and thirsty my soul even fainting with weakness and then didst thou cry unto the Lord in thy distress and he helpt thee out of all thy troubles he took thee by the right hand and brought thee into the right way in which thou mightest come to thy desired rest oh my soul And now oh my soul thou art come to Sion with songs and everlasting joy upon thy head and thou hast obtained joy and gladness and thy sighing and mourning is fled away And now oh my soul thou that wert in a desert doth rejoyce and as a wilderness are made glad and as a solitary Place doth blosom as a Rose as a dry heath now as a fruitful valley as the parched ground now as the moist mould that drinketh in the rain that comes upon it Now oh my soul thou in truth canst say the wilderness doth rejoyce and the desert and solitary place is made glad and blossom as a Rose water comes forth out of the wilderness and streams in the desert the parched ground is become a pool and the dry heath springs of water now the mourner rejoyces and the heavy hearted is made glad and beauty is giving in stead of ashes the oyl of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness now oh my soul is thy horn exalted in the Lord in whom thy mouth is enlarged over thy enemies ah the Lord maketh rich and he maketh poor he woundeth and he maketh whole he killeth and he maketh alive he bringeth down and he raiseth up he raiseth up the poor out of the dust and the beggar from off the dunghil and setteth them among Princes and causeth them to inherit the seat of Glory Yea the full he emptieth that they hire themselves out for bread and they that were hungry and empty he filleth with good things yea the barren he causeth to bear seven and she that hath had many children is waxed feeble this is the Lords doing and it is morvellous in thy eyes oh my soul Oh! my soul my soul thou canst in truth say thy winter is in measure over and gone and the stormy wind is fled away and the cold parching frosts are dissolved and the spring and summer is come and the Sun with its warm beams breaks forth and the gentle showers descends and the time of the singing of birds is come and the turtle is heard in thy land oh my soul and the vine putteth forth her tender grapes and the fig-tree with her pleasant figs give a goodly smell And now oh my soul thou canst set under thy vine and under thy fig-tree with thy beloved and who shall make thee afraid with whom thou canst walk into his pleasant garden of delights among tâ—â— beds of spices and feed among the lillies and there solace thy self in the bosome of his love For oh my soul oh my soul there was a time when thou oh my soul hadst lost thy beloved and thou soughtst him by night upon thy bed and in the broad ways but thou foundst him not and therefore sorrow compassed thee as a wall about and mourning covered thee as a garment and thou couldst have no rest until thou hadst found thy beloved crying fiercely in thy heart saying in thy ardent desires after him oh oh thou art hid from me as in the clifts of the rocks and as in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy countenance and let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely and when he did someâ—imes shew himself unto thee behind the wall or as through a lattice and put his fingers in by the hole of the door thy bowels were moved for him But now oh my soul thou dost enjoy his presence which is sweet and pleasant to thee he is as a bundle of myrrhe he is thy joy thou sits under his shadow with great delight for he is a bower of spices unto thee and his fruit is sweet to thy taste he hath brought thee into his banketting house where his banner over thee is love where he comforteth thee with the flaggons of his love he causeth thee to drink of his spiced wine which is as the liquor of life and the juyce of his pomegranates which is as honey to thy taste Oh my soul he filleth thee with good things that so thou mightest become as a watered garden and as a spring of water whose water fails not that thy bones might flourish as an herb and thy kidneys be covered with fatness and thy belly become as an oily Brook thus hath the Lord thy tender God thy merciful God oh my soul set thee free from the yoak of bondage And now oh my soul rejoyce in fear and trembling and dread and fear continually in the holy presence of the Lord thy God and watch watch watch oh my soul diligently watch in the lowly fear and godly jealousie over thy own heart trembling in thy bowels lest thou oh my soul in the joy the great joy in the sence of what the Lord hath done for thee and in a sight of thy good state thou art advanced to should be lifted up above what is meet and thereby come to loâ—s and a fall wherefore oh my soul to prevent such mishaps coming unto thee unawares keep thee watchful and low in fear and humble and contrite in heart and meek and chaste in mind tender and broken in bowels poor and needy in spirit waiting and depending upon the meer preserving grace of the merciful hand of thy merciful pitiâ—ul compaâ—â—â—onate God of infinite loving kindness that whatever thou dost or suffers through his strength for him thou mayst not
be in the lest degree exalted above him but still keeping low in him dwelling beneath him at his footstool and whatever thou receivest from him when he calls for it return it back to him and be nothing without him but what thou art in him alone knowing that what thou art it is by him and what thou hast it cometh from him Therefore be nothing without him and return his own to him for he is worthy that his own should praise him And in the belly of a humble lowly broken contrite spirit dwell oh my soul where thou mayst serve God with thy tears dwelling in the sence of the freeness of his love and mercy in what he hath done for thee that the remembrance thereof may rend thy bowels before him passing thy pilgâ—image here in fear and trembling before the Lord thy God unto whom unto whom unto whom be glory glory glory praises praises praises thanksgiving honour and eternal renown be rendered unto his eternal name who is blessed blessed blessed for ever and ever Amen Amen Halelujah in the highest Amen glory glory ah glory Halelujah in the highest Amen Amen saith my soul Oh my soul where didst thou begin but in the sence of Gods dear tender precious most excellent love stirring in thy heart and there must thou end and rest satisfied and lay thee down quiet in peace with Gods most dear Babes and tender innocent Lambs unto whom thou cleavest as flesh to their bones towards whom thy bowels thy bowels thy tender bowels do unspeakably yearn with secret pantings in thy inward parts through the weight of love that abides in and upon thee oh my soul my soul my soul William Bennit To Gods Lambs in Prison Greeting DEar Friends and suffering Lambs shut up together in nasty holes oh you dear Suffering Tribulated Conscientious ones of the tender God of love life and power I whom am your dear and tender Friend and Companion in thâ— pure patience and long suffering of the Seed incorruptible do most dearly greet you and intirely salute you and sweetly imbrace you in the love of the Lord your God who hath not only counted you worthy to believe in him the mighty God but dear ones he hath also counted you worthy to suffer for his holy name sake because of your Faithfulness and for your Obedience unto his most sweet excellent everlasting Truth ah dear Lambs the witness hereof feel in your selves yea I believe my dear Friends that you know and feel the holy witness of the holy God of holiness in your own hearts bearing a true testimony to your own souls that your such confinment and sufferings is because of your obedience to the Lord your compassionate God of infinite bowels wherefore ye Lambs ye dear Lambs of the Lord God of power in him be ye comforted in the middest of your sufferings for him and be refreshed in the middest of your afflictions and consolated in the middest of your tribulations and be you made glad and rejoyce in the middest of your tryals even in the middest of all glorifying praising and honouring your tender God for his rich mercy towards you to be partakers of the sufferings of his seed oh my dear Friends my tender bowels is at this time opened unto you and my soul streams with streams of love of dear intire love towards you which fâ—oweth forth in the true sence and feeling and simplicity that my soul hath of your sufferings of which I partake in spirit and in the sence of your Faithfulness my soul is refreshed and bound thereby to praise your God and my God on your behalf Dear Lambs I believe that the sweet comfortable presence of the Lord God Almighty is with you and doth so accompany you as that your cup of sufferings is made sweet unto you so as that you can drink it off with gladness knowing and seeing that it is the will of the Lord to permit it to be given unto you whole will and not your own your innocent souls desire to do Ah dearly beloved Friends what shall I say unto you that ye might thereby be comforted that my soul in the sence there of might be made glad well dear Babes the fountain and fulness of everlasting joy and gladness is the bosom wherein you are to be wraped up and to repose together for evermore if you keep the faith to the end The streams whereof I know do often refresh your souls which overcomes you with its sweetness and lifts you up above all your sufferings and even make hard things become easie unto you â—lory glory and pure praises in spirit be shouted out unto the mighty God of worm Jacob the everlasting Jehovah of Israel unto whom dearly and beloved Friends I commit you all most intirely and fervently desiring that he the only Lord who is your tender God may for his own seeds sake minister to all your necessities and supply all your wants and cause your strength power wisdom and love with pure patience content and long suffering in him to abound daily more and more Amen saith my tender soul So dear ones read and savour my love in the Word which is more pretious then all words whatsoever wherein dear Lambs repose together and the milk thereof dear Babes suck and be refreshed thereby Farewell dear Lambs I am your dear Friend and Brother in the Lord. WILLIAM BENIT To Friends in the Love of Truth Greeting MY dear and tender beloved Friends in the love of God and in his pure pretious everlasting Truth whereof he hath in the freeness of his pure grace and endless love made us pertakers with the rest of his dear Babes and Children and whereof he hath made us witnesses in our measures in this his blessed day spring from on high which is come and coming which is brook and breaking forth in great glory so that its brightness shall reach unto the utmost dark corners of the Earth even to the exstinguishing of the Night and to the expelling the darkness which hath covered the Earth and the gross darkness which covered the People Ah dear hearts the blessed beams of the brightness of this blessed day spring from on high hath reached unto our souls which were once sealed up in the Darkness under the shadow of the Night and hath and doth shine in our hearts giving of us the true knowledg of the true and living God and thereby hath guided our feet out of the crooked slippery paths of darkness wherein we once walked stumbling as the blind into the paths of peace even into the path of the just which as a shining light shineth more and more until the perfect day for which the Lord our dear and tender God is worthy worthy to receive pure living praises from the breath of his own life in our souls who is worthy that his own should praise him for its sacrifice is acceptable and pleasant unto him who is God over all blessed for evermore Dear hearts in
Lord God is her Dowry and blessed for evermore is the soul that is joyned with her in a perpetual Covenant never to be broken We all in this Prison who suffereth upon Truth account are in a measure of Health at present through the Love and Goodness of our God blessed and praised be his Name for evermore whose tender Compassion faileth not towards them who love him therefore are his people not Consumed but preserved as Lambs in the midst of devouring Wolves by him the good Shepherd of Israel who stopeth the Mouths of Lyons and chaineth up the Beast of Prey for his little Flocks sake whom he so dearly loveth that they may behold his Power and admire his Love and trust in his Name and return the Praise unto him whose Mercies are over all his Works glory to God in the highest my Love salutes you all farewell dear Friends W. E. SOME Prison Meditations OF AN Humble Heart Given forth from a Child in Israel whose soul very dearly loveth his Heavenly Fathers Children much desiring and travelling in Spirit for their Prosperity in the Truth even as for his own soul and the Author hereof believing and knowing that this following Treatise may if the Lord will be of service unto many of the tender honest simple single upright-hearted ones who are following on to know the Lord in the footsteps of Righteousness and who desireth to pass over on to the end in the strait way of Holiness therefore even for their sakes is this following Treatise Published from a constraint of Gods love in singleness and simplicity of Heart OH Oh my Soul be not unmindful of the large mercy and goodness of the Lord shewed towards thee neither forget the exceeding loving kindness of the Holy One manifested unto thee oh my Soul oh let the sence of what the Lord thy dear tender pitiful compassionate God hath done for thee continually be fresh in and upon thee oh my Soul for the Lord thy God hath freely done that for thee which none besides him the mighty one could do Oh my Soul the Lord hath brought thee out of the Pit even out of the horrible Pit and out of the Mire and Clay wherein thou once stuck so fast as that thou couldst never have been able to have gotten out by all means possible thou couldst have invented but must have sunkdeeper and deeper therein and so have perished for ever had not the Lord God of infinite mercy helped thee who did cast his eye of pity and compassion upon thee and out of his meer mercy love and free grace stretched out his hand to help thee oh my soul when none besides him could help thee and by his arm of his loving kindness lifted thee up out of the horrible pit out of the mire and clay and hath set thy feet upon a Rock which stands sure and can never be moved and thereon he establisheth thy goings praises pure living righteous praises to the Lord thy God be rendered by thee oh my soul even forever and for evermore Oh my Soul remember thou wast once even like a poor filly Sheep without a Shepherd wandering upon the barren Mountains and dry Heaths in the Wilderness and solitary places full of Trouble Sorrow and Perplexity and knew not the way to the Fold of Rest oftentimes mourning and weeping alone as a Dove without her Mate when no eye saw thy sorrow but the Lord alone often saying in thy heart whose State and Condition is so miserable as mine who so Poor and Desolate as I none knowing how it is with me but the Lord alone And indeed the Lord then saw thee and knew how it was with thee oh my soul and he the tender God of unfathomable bowels of Compassion behold thee in that day when thou didst eat thy bread Weeping and mingled thy drink with Tears and he the compassionate one heard thy secret crys and knew thy secret desires and thy sighing and groaning entred into his ears and thy tears which thou dropped upon his Alter laid open unto the view of the eye of thy tender merciful God and his tender bowels was moved with pity towards thee and for his own Seeds sake he had compassion upon thee oh my soul and helped thee in the day of thy Trouble and delivered thee out of Distress who freely reached forth his Arm unto thee and took thee by the Hand and brought thee out of the Wilderness and desolate Places and set thy feet in the right way which hath led thee to a City of Habitation and to the Fold of Rest and now the Lord who both sought thee and found thee out and brought thee out of the Wilderness and from off the barren Mountains he is become thy Shepherd oh my soul and how canst thou want any good thing he oftentimes feedeth thee and even causeth thee to lie down in green Pastures leadeth thee by the still Waters even Shilc's brook which runs softly and he spreadeth thy Table in the sight of thy Enemies and anointeth thy Head with the oyl of Cladness and causeth thy Cup to overflow with new Wine and hath brought thee to sit under thy own Vine and under thy Fig-tree and none shall make thee afraid oh my soul Oh the Goodness of the Lord oh the Kindness of the Lord oh the Mercy of the Lord oh the Pity of the Lord oh the Compassion of the Lord God of tender Bowels is even Unutterable Unspeakable Unfathomable and Incomprehensible Oh the Heighth oh the Depth oh the Length oh the Breadth of the Love of the Lord Oh my soul truly when thou meditatest of the goodness of the Lord and considerest of his loving kindness and mercy shewed towards thee oh how can but the sence thereof pitch thee even upon a stand of admiration Oh surely surely when thou oh my soul lookest back into his Works considerest how much he hath wrought in thee and for thee thou canst see no end of his praises oh praises oh living praises holy righteous praises unto the pure holy righteous Lord God be ascribed by thee oh my soul for ever and for evermore Oh my Soul as thou art kept in the fresh sence and remembrance of the great Loving Kindness the great Mercy the great Pity and unspeakable Compassion of the Lord thy tender God which he hath and daily doth manifest unto thee oh my soul oh how canst thou but in the sence of Gods unspeakable Love abound in Love in Pity in Mercy in Kindness in Tenderness and Compassion towards all People but especially towards all Souls who are Seeking Thirsting Hungring Breathing Crying and Painting after Righteousness Peace everlasting Rest and eternal Happiness Oh my soul the Lord thy God knoweth the frame of thy Spirit the Lord knoweth the tenderness of thy Bowels and the openness of thy Bosom towards all the Seekers after Righteousness towards all the Travellers to Sion and towards all the Mourners therein Oh my soul remember how that at
thee again and it shall bring thee unto his holy Hill and to his Tabernacle and then shalt thou go to the Altar of God of God thy exceeding joy and upon thy Harp shalt thou praise the Lord thy God thy Delight and Joy oh it is good for thee both to hope and quietly to vvait upon the Lord for the Lord is good to the Man that vvaits upon him unto the Soul vvhich seeketh him and cannot be satisfied vvithout him oh vvait patiently upon him even as a Servant vvaiteth upon his Master and as a Maiden at the hand of her Mistress so do thou vvait for the Lord and even as the Husbandman vvho sovveth his Seed in the Earth hath long patience for it until he receiveth the early and latter Rain so do thou vvait patiently upon the Lord vvho vvill be unto thee as the early and latter Rain in due season wait upon him he who is to come will come and will not tarry and his reward will be with him even fulness of Joy Comfort Peace Rest and sweet Satisfaction unto thee for surely surely the Lord will never leave thee nor forsake thee if thou forsake him not indeed he may seem to hide his Face from thee for a time but without doubt he will appear again to thy Comfort who cannot live without him oh my soul the Lord heareth thee often saying in secret alass What is the Glory of the World unto me what is the Honour and Praise of the World unto me what is the Favours Friendship and Estimation of the World to me what is the Vanities vain Sports Delights Pleasures of the Sons and Daughters of Men to me oh surely all these things are but as Drofs and Dung unto me in comparison of the Lord my God who is the Fountain of everlasting Joy Delight and Pleasure oh if I enjoy him fully I have enough he is the joy of my Heart the rejoycing and glading of my Spirit the strength of my Reins the girdle of my Loines wherefore how can I live without him oh my soul the Lord intends good unto thee by all his dealings with thee if he withdraw for a time and hide his Face from thee for a season it is thereby to let thee see what thou art without him how Poor how Weak how Feeble how Foolish how Empty how Dead how Dry how Cold how Barren and Unfruitful art thou without the Lord that so thou being made truly sensible of thy own Weakness and Inability may be the more sensible of the needfulness of the supporting Power and upholding Arm and saving Grace of the Lord thy God and the more to relie and depend upon the Lord oh my soul though the Lord withdraw his presence from thee thou comest the more to know what the want of his presence is and comest to learn to prize the sweet enjoyment of his presence the more and to hold him fast and cleave unto him and to be very vigilent and careful thou dost not grieve him nor do the thing that may cause him to withdraw himself from thee oh my soul Oh my soul thou must learn to know how to Want and how to Abound how to be Full and how to be Empty how to be Rich and how to be Poor and in every Condition to be content and not to murmur against the Lord the Lord can open and none can shut and he can shut and none can open the Lord ean open the windows of Heaven and shower down abundantly upon thee oh my soul and even make a Plenty in thy Land even cause thy Store to abound with Corn and thy Fat 's over flow with new Wine and he can also shut up the windows of Heaven for a time make a Famine in thy Land if he pleaseth and thou must not say unto him in a murmuring way why dealest thou thus with me for indeed he may do vvhat he vvill do and yet all his doings are Just Righteous altogether and in all his dealings vvith thee he thy dear tender nursing Father intends good unto thee oh my soul Oh my soul vvhen the Fountain openeth and the great Deep overflovveth and fills thee vvith plenty of all things needful for thee even then oh my soul dread and fear thou before the Lord and take heed of being lifted up in Heart of being puffed up in Mind of being exalted in Spirit and bevvare of a false Ease and vvrong Liberty and false Security vvhich may soon steal upon thee at such a time if thou do not abide upon the Watch and dread the Lord and drink the draughts of Joy in the pure fear and trembling never departing there-from in vvhat ever thou enjoy of the Lord or receive from the Lord or do and suffer for the Lord keep lovv in Heart meek in Mind humble in Soul tender in Bovvels contrite in Spirit and then oh my soul thou art in a safe condition truly my soul vvhen thou appearest Wise Strong Rich and Full enough even then thou art rather in greater danger then vvhen thou appearest Weak Poor and Empty in thy ovvn eyes although thou art not then vvithout danger but hast cause to fear and vvatch in all conditions oh my soul vvhen thou appearest Weak Poor and Feeble in thy ovvn eyes even then take heed of distrust and doubting but hold fast thy Trust in the Lord and let thy Confidence in his Name be firm and Hope in his tender Bowels be sure and constantly relie and depend upon him and honour him in believing in him and if he kill thee yet trust thou in him and never leave him for alas whether shouldst thou go he hath the word of eternal Life who is worthy to be Glorified Magnified Honoured and Praised Feared Served Loved and Obeyed forever and for evermore Oh my soul thou dearly lovest thy Fathers Children oh the Lord knoweth how near and dear his dear Babes and tender Lambs are unto thee oh my soul oh thou knowest them in the Spirit of Love wherein thou delightest to Imbrace them even those whom outwardly thou never saw and in spirit to clasp them about and kiss them with a Kiss of Peace and hug them in the Bosom of Indearedness ah thy Bowels thy Bowels is open unto them and thy Love is dear indeed towards them as the Lord thy God knoweth and oh that love might abound in thee more and more and in the hearts of all the Children of Light it may abound one towards another as in Days past and Years which are gone that it may appear to all we are of God who is Love and that we all are true Disciples of Christ in that we love one another not only in Shew and in Word but in Deed and in Truth loving one another fervently with a pure heart Oh my soul thou defirest to simpathize vvith thy Fathers Children in their Tryals Sufferings and Afflictions and in spirit to bear a part vvith them therein oh thou desirest even to Mourn
them as a pillar of Fire by night and a pillar of a Cloud by day c. and yet behold they are drawn back again by the Enemy of their Soul through their yielding unto his Temptations and receiving his Pâ—oâ—fers and are turned as the Dog to his Vomit and as the Sow that was washed to her wallowing again in the mire and hath even madâ— Shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience and are proved treacherous Children denying their Father who begat them and casting off their Mother who travelled in pain to bring them forth and hating the Womb that bore them and the Paps which gave them suck and this hath come upon them through Carelesness and Sloathfulness and through Reasoning and Consulting with the Enemy of their Souls and through looking at the Trouble Tryal Sufferings Streights and Difficulties which appeared in their way and through lusting after the Flesh-pots of Egypt through looking back into the Ease Pleasure Riches and Honour of this World which hath carried them away captive again into Egypt into the house of Bondage again wherefore oh my soul watch watch and stand fast in that Liberty which the true Christ the Power of God hath brought thee into and take heed thou be not intangled again in the yoak of Bondage Oh my soul if there be some who once were in some measure Fresh Green Tender Living and Fruitful unto God who now have lost their Freshness Greenness Tenderness and Fruitfulness towards God and now Coldness Deadness and Barrenness is come upon them to God-ward and their Love and Zeal for the Lord waxed cold oh my soul if it hath thus happened unto some oh how canst thou but fear before the Lord least the same should happen unto thee also And if some there be whose minds are gotten into a full Liberty and are at ease in the Flesh living above the Cross of Christ Jesus which Crucifies to the World and grown Careless and Negligent spending their time often with vain Talking foolish Jesting and needless Communication how ought all to spend their time in waiting upon the Lord in meditating and exercising themselves in the things of God being very watchful over their Thoughts Words Works and Actions having the pure fear of the Righteous God fresh in their hearts standing in awe of him always least they should Sin against him in Thought Word Deed lying down rising up in his pure fear Eating Drinking and doing all things in the pure fear of the Lord knowing a stay to their Minds a stop to their Thoughts a bridle to their Tongues a watch before their Mouth and a fearing in their Hearts least they should not be watchful enough over their Lives and Conversations yea even over their very Carriage and Gesture their words being very few sober and savoury even savouring of the grace of God in their hearts they desiring and endeavouring to walk so as that they might in Life Carriage and Conversation be as holy Patterns and righteous Examples of Love of Peace of Holiness and Purity of Meekness and Lowliness of Tenderness and Pity of Mercy and Compassion of Patience and long Suffering of Sobriety and Gentleness c. that so they might walk as becometh Saints Bâ—aâ—eless and Harmless as Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation amongst whom to shine as Lights to the adorning of the Truth of God professed by them and to the Glory Honour and 〈◊〉 of the Lord God and to the Joy Comfort Refreshment Peace and Consolation of their own Souls Oh this condition is very sweet blessed and happy wherefore â—leave cleave and keep close unto the Lord thy tender compassionate God and then assuredly the Lord will cleave unto thee and will not leave thee oh my soul wherefore lift up thy head in the strength of the Lord and look up unto the holy one whose dwelling is on high in the holy place and with thee oh my soul as thou art kept humble in Hâ—art contrite in Spirit meek in Mind and trembleth at his Word and look not at thy own Weakness Feebleness and Inability but keep thy eye unto the Lord and trust in his Name relie and depend upon his Arm and hope in his tender Bowels who maketh the Poor Rich the Weak Strong the Simple Wise wait thou patiently upon him and look not out at the greatness of others measures neither look thou at the smalness of thy own least Faintness Weariness and Discouragement should thereby come in upon thee and thou murmur because thy measure is no greater but be thou contented and truly satisfied with thy portion and be faithful unto the Lord in thy measure and being faithful in the little thou shalt be made ruler over much and enter into the joy of the Lord wait upon him who hath freely given in thee what thou hast of him and he can give thee more there was nothing in thee that was of thee which induced the Lord to communicate that measure of his fulness unto thee which he hath dispensed to thee but of his own meer mercy tender love and free grace who of his own free will hath begotten thee again unto a living hope so that thou well knowest that it is not he that willeth nor he that runneth but God who sheweth mercy Oh thou hadst not awakened out of the sleep of Sin and Corruption had not the mighty God thundred from his dwelling place upon thee and awakened thee oh my soul surely thou hadst never been raised out of the dust of Sin and grave of Iniquity had not the Lord of his own free will raised thee up and brought thee forth by his own Almighty power Oh my soul surely thou hadst never as of thy self turned unto the Lord had not the Lord of his own free will turned thee and after thou wast turned thou Repentedst and after thou wast Afflicted thou smotest upon thy Thigh yea thou wast consounded because thou borest the shame of thy youth and surely my soul after the Lord had turned thee in measure to him thou hadst not followed him in the narrow and strait Way through the Cross in the Self-denial had not the Lord thy God drawn thee after him by the cords and woings of his tender Love and surely thou hadst turned back again from the Lord into the Mire and Durt again and hadst never Stood untill this Hour but must have Fainted and Dyed ere this Day had not the Lord of his own free will Kept thee Preserved thee Upheld thee and Supported thee by his own almighty Power whose Grace hath been sufficient for thee both in the day of Prosperity and in the day of Adversity in the time of Tryal in the hour of Temptation and so let all Flesh be silent in thee oh my soul and the Lord only Exalted and the Boaster for ever Excluded and God alone have the Glory and self wholly slain and the Lord alone Honoured and Praised and his
the high and mighty one the holy one of Israel is their Shepherd and he even continually watcheth over them and greatly careth for them and he it is who hath giving bounds to the raging Sea and he limits the proud Waves thereof and shutteth up her Floods as he pleaseth he can let forth the Wind and suffer a Storm and he can make a Calm when he pleaseth he can cause the Sea and the Wind to obey him and therefore the Children of God need not to fear none besides the Lord who will suffer nothing to besal them but what shall work for good to all his chosen faiâ—hful ones wherefore it is good for all the Children of the Lord confidently to trust in the Lord and not at all fear though their Enemies pursue hard after them and say in their hearts Come come we will pursue them we will overtake them our Lusts shall be satisfied upon them we will have the desire of our Hearts concerning them we will draw our Swords and our Hands shall destroy them and we will try whether their Gods in whom they say they trust be able to deliver them from the stroke of our Hands Well let not Israel heed the boasting and threatning of his Enemies nor regard the pâ—rposes of his Adversaries though they pursue hard after him and say We will bring them back again into Egypt or else we will totally Destroy them Yet let not Israel fear for the Lord his God is between him and his Enemies and fights for him against his Adversaries and he in his Anger will look down upon them and trouble their Host and take off their Chariot wheels and will blow in his Wrath upon them and the Sea of his righteous Indignation shall cover them and they shall sink as Lead in the bottom of his righteous Judgments and he will get himself a Name through the destruction of Sionâ— Enemies and Honour and Magnifie himself through the deliverance of his Chosen who will work wonders for his Redeemed insomuch as the Dukes of Edom shall be amazed and even trembling shall take hold upon the mighty men of Moab and all Nations shall shiver and quake before the mighty God of Israel who is dreadful in Holiness fearful in Praises doing Wonders Oh let Israel honour his God in believing in him and in trusting in his Name in relying and depending upon his Arm of everlasting strength and patiently without murmurings to wait upon the Lord for he that is to come will come and wilâ— not tarry whose work is before him and his reward is with him even Joy for the Mourners in Sion and Beauty for Ashes Gladness for the heavy hearted in Jerusalem Freedom for Bondage Freedom from Weights Burdens and grievous Oppressions Oh let all the Children of the Lord wait without fainting upon the Lord for yet a little while and the voice will be heard saying rejoyce and even sing for joy ye Saints Servants and Prophets of the most High and triumph in the Lord Almighty over the Beast and false Prophet and over the Whore which hath corrupted the Earth who hath long sat as a Queen and said in her heart she should never see Sorrow with whom the Nations of the Earth hath committed Fornication and she hath made Nations Kindreds Tongues and People drunk with the wine of her Fornication who hath long deceived the Nations with her golden Cup which hath been filled with Abominations and in her is found all the Blood of the Martyrs and Servants of Jâ—sus which hath been shed upon the Earth and she hath rid upon the Beast that rose out of the Sea who received his seat great power and authority from the Dragon who persecuted the true woman that was clothed with the Sun and had a Crown of twelve Stars upon her head who sought to devour her Man-child and made war against the remnant of her Seed who keep the Commands of God and have the Testimony of Jesus these cannot worship the Beast nor his name nor receive his mark but these worship God alone and are followers of the Lamb through many tribulations whose garments are made white in his Blood by whom they are redeemed from amongst men these the Beast and false Prophet have sought to Kill Persecute and root out from off the face of the Earth but wo wo wo to the Beast false Prophet and the Whore for the day of their Judgment is come Misery Calamity Distress Destruction is coming upon them she the mother of Harlots the mother of Witchcrafts the Abominations of the Earth shall utterly be Destroyed and totally Burnt with Fire for strong is the Lord God Almighty who Judgeth her and now sing O Heavens and rejoyce ye who live therein over mystery Babylon the great for it is fallen it is fallen as a mighty Milstone into the bottom of the Sea never more to arise again Amen Halleluâ—ah And the Lord will thunder from Heaven upon thy Enemies oh Sion and will break thy Adversaries to peices and will give strength to thy King and exhalt the horn of his Anointed and he shall Reign and Rule and Prosper and execute Justice and true Judgment in the Earth in his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and sit under his own Vine and none shall make him afraid then shall it be said to Jerusalem fear not and to Sion let not thy hands be slack the Lord in the midest of thee is mighty he hath saved thee he hath set thee free from thy Trouble he will rejoyce over thee with Joy he 'll joy over thee with Singing then it shall be said sing oh Daughter of Sion and shout oh Israel and rejoyce withal thy heart oh Daughter of Jerusalem for the Lord hath taken away thy Judgment he hath cast out thy Enemies and thy Warfare is acomplished and thy great Travel is finished and now thou shalt rest from thy Labour and they who have Laboured and Mourned with thee and for thee shall rejoyce for Joy with thee and suck and be satisfied with the sweet consolation of thy Breast and milk out and be delighted in the abundance of thy Glory oh the Lord thy Husband thy maker the God of hosts is his Name will extend Peace Joy Comfort everlasting Refreshment as a mighty Stream and endless Consolations as a River oh then shall they be Comforted in thee after their Sorrow and be born up upon thy Sides and dandled upon thy Knees for as a Woman comforteth her only Son so will the Lord comfort Jerusalem in the sence whereof her Children shall rejoyce and their Souls be right glad and flourish as an herb and their Spirits shall praise and sing glory unto him who is Lord and King of Heaven and Eartâ— who is worthy worthy of all Glory Praise and Honour for ever and for evermore Amen saith my soul The thing which the Lord hath purposed must be accomplished in his season and the thing that he
more and more unto the Lord and one unto another and that the sence of his Goodness and loving Kindness Mercy Pity and Compassion shed abroad and manifested towards you may always be fresh in and upon your hearts that indeed the largness of his endless unchangable unspeakable Love may be by your Souls admired and be an engagement and tye upon every particular one to oblige your Hearts and bind your Souls unto the Lord God and unto his immutable invinceable Truth oh dear Friends much hath the Lord done for us and let his doings be still marvelous in our eyes let his own Works shew forth his Praise whose Mercies endureth for ever dear Friends the Lord God of Compaâ—â—â—on sought and found us out in the cloudy dismal dark Day when we were scattered upon the barren Mountains and dry Heaths wandering as silly Sheep without a Shepherd but now hath he gathered us together and even made us a Family like a Flock and brought us down into the low Valley and hath given us fresh and green Pasture to Feed in and streams of living Water to Drink of and now the Lord the Almighty Jehovah is our Shepherd and his everlasting powerful Name our Fold and therefore are we not Consumed though the Beasts of the Field have come forth against us to destroy us and the roaring devouring Lyons have been very greedy of their Prey yet are we preserved unto this day because the Lord hath been our defence on the right hand and on the left who hath and doth Fight for mount Sion and as the Hills are round about Jerusalem so hath the Lord been still is and will be round about his People as the munition of Rocks for evermore and their Bread shall not fail and their Water shall be sure O let all that fear the Lord trust in him whose Mercies are everlasting Oh dear Friends the Lord once found us in a sollitary Place and in a waste howling Wilderness Hungry Thirsty Naked and Desolate our way hedged up as with Bryers and Thorns and there must we have Perished had not the tender God of Bowels looked upon us with an eye of Pity and Compassion and helped us in the day of our Distress how did he lop the Bough with Terrour and the strong one of stature he hewed down he did cut up the Thicket of the Forest as with Iron and Lebanon did fall by a strong Arm and made a way for us in the Wilderness and a path through the Thickets he laid low the Mountains before us and removed away the Hills and made the crooked Paths strait before us and was a Refuge to us from the Stoâ—m and a Shelter to us from the Heat and as the shadow of a Rock unto us in a weary Land and now hath he brought us into a right Way which leads to a City of Habitation to a quiet dwelling Place where the Lord feeds his Flock and causeth them to lie down at Noon-day oh marvellous are the Works of the Lord and the Living can sing of his Mercies his tender Compassion faileth not towards the House of Jacob he is a Father unto Israel and Ephraim is his first Born let Judah shew forth is Praises whose Mercy endureth for ever Oh dear Children of my heavenly Father remember we once sate as by the Rivers of Babylon and Weeping we thought upon Sion Mourning in the sence of our separation from her even as a Woman Mourneth for her only Son and then we could not sing the Lords Song in a strange Land but were as a Dove without her Mate and the alone Sparrow upon the House top as the Pelican in the Wilderness and as the alone Quaile in the stubble Field as a Woman forsaken and gâ—ieved in Spirit asking the way to Sion with our Faces thither-ward saying in our hearts we would be joyned again unto the Lord in a perpetual Covenant never to be broken And how graciously hath the Lord returned again our Captivity as streams in the South and hath brought us on the way to Sion with Joy and Gladness and our Sighing and Mourning is in measure fled away oh the Lord is worthy to be Feared and his holy Name is worthy to be Honoured and Magnified in the Congregation of the Righteous for his Mercies abids for ever Oh dear Babes we who once did sit in Darkness have seen a great and glorious Light and unto us who once sat under the Region and shadow of Death is the Light of Life risen and the blessed day sprung from on high shineth in our Habitatâ—on and the Lord is unto us an everlasting Light and let us for evermore walk in his Light as becometh Children of Light shining in our holy Lives and blameless unspoted Conversations as Lights in the World to the Praise and Glory of God whose Goodness and Mercy is without end Dear Babes the Lord hath brought us forth of the Prison House and lifted us up out of the dark miery Dungeon hâ— hath raised us out of the Dust and taken us as from the Dunghil to set us among Princes and to inherit the seat of Renown which is the Chair of Humility Oh the Height and Depth Length and Breadth of the Love Goodness and Mercy of the Lord let our hearts be rent and broken before him and humbled in his Presence and let us walk before his Holiness and tremble at his Word and bow down unto his holy Name and stand in awe of the Lord for whom Praises waits in Sion Now seeing the Lord hath done so much for our Souls let us wait upon him for Strength and Power daily thereby to endure to answer the largness of his Love in all Obedience and Faithfulness to him who hath broke our Bands asunder and snapt our Cords in â—ieces and now dear Friends let us stand stedfast in that Liberty whereinto the Lord by his Truth hath brought us and not be intangled with the Yoke of Bondage as too to many are who were once made Free by the Lord oh how have some for fear of Persecution started aside out of the narrow Way into the broad Way and some for the Love Favour and Honour of this World are departed from the Faith and have made Shipwrack of a good Conscience and some through the deceitfulness of Riches and some through the Cares and Cumbrances of this World the Seed of God is Choked again and the Earth is come over it again and the World hath eaten up their Hearts and their Minds are become carnal again and the Goodness of the Lord is forgotten by them and the Spirit of Slumber hath shut them up and for these doth my Soul mourn in secret and travel for their Restoration and in the sence of what is come upon them how can we but Fear and Dread the Lord and Watch and Pray and keep close to the saving preserving power of his Grace which hath kept us unto this day Praises to his Name for ever Oh
Earth have cause to speak well of the Lord and to trust in his holy Name we are the People for mightily and wonderfully hath the mighty God done and wrought for us though the blind World sees it not Oh! how have we been as Lambs among Lyons and yet not devoured but wonderfully preserved by the secret Power and invisible Arm of the Lord our Shepherd who hath been our Defence when the Beasts of the Forrest have come forth to Devour and the Wolves have been greedy of their Prey then hath the Lord sought for Mount Sion and defended the Hill thereof and though some said We 'll pursue we 'll overtake our Lust shall be satisfied on them we 'll draw our Swords and our Hands shall destroy them yet how hath the Lord blown in his Wrath upon them the Sea of his Judgment hath covered them and they are sunk as Lead in the bottom of the mighty Waters and we yet through mercy are alive and have a being among the Living to speak well of the Lord and to make mention of the Goodnesâ— of our Good and to declare of his Kindness and to praise him for his Works which are marvelous in our Eyes Oh! his Love his Mercy and tender fatherly care over and towards us extends beyond the demonstration of Words and oh let the sense thereof be engraven upon the table of our Hearts that it may humble us and keep us low before the Lord and be an Obligation upon every Soul of us to bind and engage us unto the Lord and his Truth forever How mightily hath the Lord limitted and quieted the raging Sea and made a Calm oh that all Friends might take notice of the great Mercy and Love of the Lord to us in this particular and mind the end of the Lord therein and let us all take heed we Sin not because Grace and Mercy to us abounds lest it provoke the Lord to Anger and be a moving cause to induce him to let forth the Wind and suffer a Storm again Oh that none might get into a false ease and liberty and wrong security because of the present Calm but all to keep retire in that which fitteth and maketh ready for Tryals when they come in by and through which we have been upheld preserved hitherto even by the secret Power Arm of the Lord which is not shortned that it cannot save but is the same that ever it was and it hath been our Helper in six Troubles and in the seventh has not been wanting to us to help us when there hath been none to help and to support and uphold us when there hath been none to uphold but Loads Burdens and Oppressions have been heaped upon us and to comfort us when nothing but Sorrow and Trouble from the World compassed us about and when we have had nothing as from men but the Bread of Adversity the Water of Affliction even then hath the Lord our tender God been the Comforter of our Hearts the Refresher of our Souls the Rejoycer of our Spirits and the Lifter up of our Hands when we have been bowed down with the Oppressions of our Enemies his â—resence hath been with us in the Prison-house and in the low Dungeon and hath not left us to this day and assuredly never never never will leave us if we leave not him but will be with us until we have finished our Course and fulfilled the dayes of our appointed Time and our Change come So dear Friends unto the Lord I commit you who knoweth how it is with all his Babes and Children and beholdeth all their Tryals Straits and Sufferings inward and outward and his ear is open to the cry of the Poor and groanings of the Needy who is God all-sufficient for all those that trust hope relie and depend upon him and able to keep them by his power through Faith in his Name unto his heavenly Kingdom So the Lord be with you all and the Almighty protect and defend you and keep you from Evil unspotted from the World and preserve you in Love Peace and Unity with himself and one with another in his innocent unfained Love in his Light Life Power and Truth and make and keep you all of one Heart and one Mind and one Soul that you all with one consent may still worship and serve the Lord God in the one Spirit and the one Truth in which I dearly greet salute and embrace you all and remain your Friend and Companion in the Patience and Tribulation of Jesus Farwell dear Friends William Bennit Dear Friends IN the Love which waxeth not Old neither is subject to Change which God hath shed abroad in the hearts of those that believe in the Light through the operation of his Eternal Spirit in this Love which openeth our Hearts unto the Lord and one another doth the unfeigned Salutation of my Soul reach forth unto you as in which Love Iabide I cannot forget the Family of Love and Houshold of Faith neither can length of Time nor distance of Place â—onds nor Tribulations extinguish the remembrance of you whom the Lord â—ath chosen out of the Elect Seed from out of the Faâ—ilies of the Earth to place his Name among and to maniâ—est his Power and Glory in and through you his People to the praise of your God in your Generation dear Friends who are called to be made pertakers of the Blessed Everlasting Inheritance of the Saints in Light and through Faith in the Light of Life you are called and raised up to bear Testimony unto him whom the Nations Despise but unto you that believe in him he is Pretious and you that have seen his Bâ—auty and beheld his Comliness and have tasted of his Love and have savoured the sweetness of his preâ—ious Oyntment which hath healed your Wounds and cured your Diseases and with which your Souls have been Bathed Warmed and sweetly Refreshed unto you that have tasted of his Divine Vertues who is the Light of â—he World he is the chiefest of ten Thousand who hath called and chosen you out of the World to follow him in the Regeneration and to bear his Image before the World and to shew forth his Testimony against the World therefore do the World hate you and desire and seek your Destruction and would tempt you and by cruelty force you from the beloved of youâ— Souls but dear Hearts every one cleave in spirit unto the Lord and hold fast his blessâ—d Truâ—h received into your Hearts that the Enemy within nor his Instruments without by all their Temptaâ—â—ons and Cruelty may never move you to decline nor degenerate from that blessed Testimony which God hath given you to bear for him in the midst of a Wicked and Uâ—godly Generation who must fill up the measure of their Iniquity that Judgment may come upon them to the full and the measure of your Sufferings must also be fulfilled therefore dear Lambs hold fast Faith and a good Conscience and pâ—t
this day our God knows it Angels and Men know it and our Enemies one day shall be made to know it to their sorrow that we are a Suffering Persecuted People singly for our Conscience towards God and for our Obedience and Faithfulness to him therefore my dearly beloved Ones rejoyce in the Lord and lift up your Heads in his Name over all the Wrath and Cruelty of the Ungodly and think not strange concerning the Fiery Tryals that are come to try you and to prove your Love to God his Way and Truth as though some strange thing had happened unto you but rejoyce in the lowly fear of the Lord inasmuch as you are made partakers of the Sufferings of the Seed that when its glory shall be more and more revealed in and upon your Souls you may rejoyce with exceeding Joy in that you suffer on Gods account not as Murderers and Evil doers but as true Christians and Followers of Christ Jesus and true Worshipers of the God of Daniel in Spirit and in Truth And my dear Friends if ye suffer the spoyling of your Goods Bonds Banishment or Death for meeting together in the Fear and Name of the Lord to wait upon him and for performing you Duty and Obedience unto him and for keeping of your Consciences void of offence towards him truly the Cause is good and worth the suffering for it is not our own Cause but the Lords therefore let us commit it unto him unto whom we câ—n make our Appeal and spread our Complaint before him and pour forth our Cries unto him who seâ—th our Troubles and beholdeth the grievous Oppression and manifold Burdens Afflictions and Sufferings of his Poor Abused Tribulated Persecuted People whose innocent Cause he the Almighty Jevovah of worm Jacob will assuredly plead for them against their Enemies and wo will be to the Oppressors and Spoylers of Gods Heritage Dear suffering Lambs cast your Care upon the Lord he careth for you and for your little ones and hold fast Faith and a good Conscience whatever you suffer hold fast the Truth you have received that none may take your Crown of Joy Comfort Peace and Blessing from you and keep in the meekness patience and long suffering of Jesus suffering the spoyling of your Goods Joyfully glorifying the Lord in suffering according to his will giving him Thanks and Praise instead of Murmuring that he hath counted you worthy not only to Believe but also to Suffer for his blessed Name sake knowing in your selves you have in Heaven a far better induring substance therefore cast not away your Faith Hope and Confidence which hath such great Recompence of Reward but truly Friends you have need to abide in the patient long suffering Spirit of Jesus that after you have done the will of God and suffered for the same you may receive the Promise if any man faint and turn back he looses his reward of his sufferings but I hope my dear Friends you are not of the number of those that turn back unto Perdition but of them that believe and receive the end of your hope even the Salvation of your Souls And dear Friends take Courage and put on Strength and lift up your Heads in the Name of the Lord who is with his People and from them he will not go he is on our side and taketh our part we know it and our Enemies will feel it to their sorrow he will fight for us let us hold our peace and be still from reasoning with Flesh and Blood though he suffer us to be tryed as Gold is tryed in the Fire yet not wholly to be Destroyed after he hath done such great things for us and appeared on our behalf and hath manifested himself to be our God and we to be his People and after he hath Blessed us and Prospered us and Preserved us through all the Wrath and Cruelty of men hitherto and now hath made us a Family like a Flock and put his Jewels upon us and Cloathed us with the Garment of Salvation and Arayed us with the Robe of Righteousness and Beautified us with his Comliness and Betrothed us unto Himself in Mercy in Judgment in Righteousness and in Truth will he now suffer us wholly to be extinguished from being a People shall our Enemies have their full desires of us to root us out wholly from amongst them that they may blaspheme our God and say he was not able to Deliver them out of our hand surely no remember what Balack King of Moab had Consulted what Balaam Son of Beor answered him even from Shittim unto Gilgal that you may know the Righteousness of the Lord who keepeth Covenant with his People neither doth his tender Compassions fail unto the House of Jacob therefore let us trust in the God of our hope who delivered Just Lot from the vexation of the wicked Sodomits and his Poor Oppressed Israel out of the hand of cruel Pharaoh who delivered David from the paw of the Bear and the paw of the Lyon and from the hand of the uncircumcised Philistine who delivered Daniel out of the Lyons-Den and the three Children out of the Fiery Furnace good Jeremiah out of the low miery Dungeon and â—â—ul and Silas out of the Prison-House he the Living God whose Arm is not shortned nor abated in Strength Power and Might will assuredly deliver his oppressed People at this day in his own time when he hath tryed them throughly and hath Purged his Gold and refined his Silver and separated the Chaff from his Wheat and made up his precious Jewels and manifested the approved in his sight then will he arise as in Mount Paron and be wrath as in the Valley of Gideon to bring to pass his Work his strange Work at the hearing thereof the Ears of many doth and shall Tingle and the Heathen be Astonished and Confounded and fall before the glorious Majesty of the God of worm Jacob then shall â—ion Rejoyce and Israel be right Glad and the Mourners be Comforted and the heavy Hearts be Refreshed and the Oppressed Delivered from the Yoak The Lord God Almighty hasten the Accomplishment of his own Work in his own time to his own Glory and Renown Amen So my dearly beloved Friends my heart is open to you and my Soul simpathises with you in your Sufferings and my Crys and Prayers are to the Lord for you knowing that great and many are your Tryals that doth attâ—nd many of you poor hearts how willingly could I help you But unto the Lord the Great Shepherd and Bishop of your Souls the Keeper of the Flock of Israel I must commit you and resign you up to him who careth for you and watcheth over you and intends good unto you for he loveth you though he suffers hard things to befall you which will work for your good and bring many of you more neerer to the Lord and make you more and more like him that though the Hills shall be removed and the Mountains depart
can make afraid for indeed it was Rest my Soul wanted and true Peace in God my Soul many a time longed for and panted after for oh I was oftentimes wounded wounded wounded because of Sin and for want of the enjoyment of the Love and Peace of God I went many a time bowed down in Spirit day after day with an a king Mind grieved Soul and wounded Conscience with my Eyes full of Tears and my Heart full of Sighing thinking in my Heart there was few if any in my State and Condition sometimes wishing and saying in my Heart Oh that I were in a desert solitary place outwardly for so was my condition inwardly where no man inhabits where I might have Mourned and Wept out my fill and have poured out my Tears unto the tender God of tender Bowels of Mercy and have spread my Complaints before him whom my Soul did then sometimes in measure long thirst and pant after even as the Hart panteth after the water Brooks And many a time I did get into a solitary place to ease my Heart a little in pouring out my Tears and Complaints to the Lord for in those daies many were my Prayers and Tears for great was the burden and load which I oftentimes went under day after day which made me cry Night and Day to the Lord for Peace and Rest yet I then not knowing that it was the Light of Christ in my Conscience that did break my Rest and Peace in Sin neither knew it to be a stay to the Mind and a bridle to my Tongue I many a time got into a false ease and liberty in idleness and wildness of Youth but it was broke again and Sorrow and Trouble would take hold on my Mind and true Desires would again be Renewed in me after the Lord and breathing and thirsting after Righteousness and oh my Heart and Soul was many a time made tender and soft and oh pity pity and tender bowels of compassion was in me towards any that I thought was in my condition and a tender love was hid in my Heart towards those that I then thought were the People of God and I can truly say my Bowels and Heart is open still and oftentimes Pity Love Compassion and Tenderness issues forth in me towards those that now are in that condition I then was in oh my Soul my Soul cannot but in some measure simpathize with them and in Spirit bear a part of their Burdens and Sorrows in my Bosom that not without some secret cries in my Heart unto the tender God of Bowels of Pity on their behalf and partly for their sakes is this published hoping that if the Lord will it may be of service unto some of them and if the Lord order it so to be to them or any then will my end herein be answered thereby And in those daies I frequented the Meetings of the People called Independants viz. William Bredges's Congregation in great Yarmouth whom I then thought were the People of God and yet I then saw that many of their Lives and Conversations even some of the chief of them were not consistant with what they professed in words and when I have been amongst them in the time of their singing Psalms the pure Witness of God in my own Heart hath as it were stoped my Mouth that I could not Sing with them but my Heart in the time of their singing was broken into tenderness and many were the tears of my Eyes and verily my outward â—an or earthen Vessel hath quaked and trembled this was before I was by Scorners called a Quaker or had seen any of those People and shaken like a Leaf that is shaken with the Wind which might be a sign of that shaking which since the Lord hath suffered to come upon ☞ them which hath almost shattered and scattered them who will shake all sandy Foundations and blast all Professions that are out of the Light and Power of God by the working of the Light and Power of God in my Heart though I then knew not that it was the Power of God that brought such a trembling upon me and that did in some measure let me see that it was not then a time of singing for me for I was theâ— in a strange Land in the Land of Captivity and could not sing the Song of Sion which I may truly say not in the least enmity towards the People for my Soul beareth love and good will towards all men and desire to tender and own the least true appearance of God in any they were ignorant of who were then singing what others had prescribed and made ready for them I then wanted the enjoyment of the Love Joy Peace and sweet Presence of God which maketh glad the Hearts of the Righteous and causeth the lowly meek and upright to sing in the Spirit with understanding for joy not that Song or Songs or Psalms which men have invented by their human Wisdom from which Wisdom the Mysteries of God's Kingdom is obscured and concealed but the new and living Song which the Dead cannot sing but the Living that are raised and redeemed out of and from the Earth and from amongst men even the ransomed of the Lord that are returned from Babylon unto Mount Sion whereon they stand with the Lamb whom they have followed through many Tribulations and have not loved their Lives unto Death and have washed their Garments and made them white in his Blood in and by whom they are become Virgins and have cast of all old Lovers and are not defiled with the Woman Jezabel but through the Lamb have gotten Victory over the Whore Beast and false Prophet and in the Heavenly Dominion of the Lamb by whom they are made more then Conquerors do they stand on the Sea of Glass mingled with Fire with the Harps of God and can sing a new Song of praise and thanksgiving unto him that was dead but is alive and lives for evermore And in all the times of my trouble of mind and travel of Spirit I never made known how it was with me nor declared my condition to any Creature though never so intimate with them but kept it secret in my Heart pouring out my complaints to God but not unto any man yet I could gladly have had some to have known how it was with me but I was straitned in my self and kept it in obscurity and in those dayes I knew not what it was that wrought and strove with me and did so frequently judge and reprove me for Sin and gave me power over many Evils which others were overcome withal and raised strong desires in me after the Lord and discovered unto me the thoughts of my Heart I say I knew not then what it was I was then not sencible that it was the Light of Christ Jesus or a measure of the Spirit of Truth neither did I then know I should have taken heed thereunto as unto a Light shining in a
precious Servants who were and are by scoffing Ishmael's Brood in scorn called Quakers whom I now ovvn in the Lord and the pure Witness of God in my own Heart bore Testimony to the Truth declared by them but long it was after I was in some measure convinced of the Truth before I steely gave up my Heart to obey the Truth but the Lord in time did overcome my Heart by the Power of his Love his inspeakable Love and made me willing to resign up my Heart in obedience to him and this Truth and to bow down to the Yoak and to take up the daily Cross which I learned by loving and taking heed to the Light and to dispise the Shame and to follow the Lord in that way viz. the Light which before had judged me for Sin begat desires in mâ— to know the Way which I knew not while my mind was abroad and knew not the Lord nigh who now teacheth and guideth me by his Light and Spirit in the way of Truth and Righteousness wherein I have found Peace Rest and true satisfaction for my Soul and witness my Teacher nigh though it hath been my portion with many other Berthren sometimes to eat the Bread of Adversity and to drink the Water of Affliction yet my Teacher and Comforter can none remove from me but he is and hath been with me in the Prison house and in the low Dungeon so that which now keeps me in Peace and Unity with the Lord and in Fellovvship vvith his People the same thing and not another vvas it that did formerly check reprove and judge me for Evil and brought trouble upon me for my Sins and that raised desires in me after the Lord as I have explicated in the fore-going Lines though I deny not but that I have novv a greater measure of Light and Grace then I had then yet the Light in quality and nature is the same for although the Light or Seed of the Kingdom vvhich consisteth of Joy Peace and Righteousness in the Holy Ghost be in the unbeliever and unconverted even as the least of all other Seeds yet nevertheless vvhere or in vvhomsoever it be received in the Faith Love and Obedience of it in such it grows and increases until it become the greatest in them and under its shadovv they come to sit vvith great delight and its Fruit becomes svveet to their taste and as a little Leaven in three measures of Meal it vvorketh and operateth in the Hearts and Minds of those that believe in the Light until it hath vvrought out the old leaven of Malice Sin and Corruption and leavened the Heart and Soul into its ovvn nature frame and quality so the same Light vvhich did condemn me for Sin vvhen I vvas in disobedience to it the samâ— hath and doth save me from Sin and now justifies me as I am kept in the Faith and Obedience of it and now it ministers Peace and Rest unto me and before it ministred Trouble and Condemnation So this I assert and affirm experimentally for an unerrable invincible Truth against all the Opposers Gainsayers Fighters and Undervaluers of the Light viz. that the Light of Christ who is the true Light that lighteth every one that cometh into the World even in the Conscience of that man or woman that is in Unbelief and in the Unconverted State is one in nature and quality with the Light in that man or woman that is in the belief of it and converted by it and the Light of Christ in the Conscience of the Drunkard and Swearer that doth check judg and reprove him for his Sins if it be believed in loved and obeyed is able to save him from his Sins but that man or woman that loveth Evil and hateth the Light and will not come to the Light but reject it such do not feel nor witness the saving healing vertue and restoring redeeming power of the Light but is only unto them a Judg and Condemner but they that receive it in the love and belief thereof such in through and by the Light receive power to become the Sons of God and joynt Heirs with Christ of the Kingdom of God which endures forever So blessed blessed be the Lord my tender God who is worthy worthy to be praised praised by my Soul in the sence of his Love Goodness and Grace whose Mercy hath been and is wonderful towards me unto whom be honour glory praise thanksgiving and obedience for evermore And my Soul having obtained mercy of the Lord and having tasted of his Goodness and Graciousness and experienced his Tender Fatherly Dealings with and towards my Soul my Heatt is opened with Love and Good will to all People Desiring their Good and Eternal Welfare in God To those that are young in Years c. Minde thy Creator in the dayes of thy Youth before the Evil day come c. Eccles 12. 1. c. ANd you who are yet young and tender in Years mind the Light of Christ in your Consciences which checketh and reproveth for Evil and idle words and works and it will learn you if you love it to fear and mind the Creator in the daies of your Youth before the Evil daies come and the Years when ye shall say We have no pleasure in them Oh say not any of you We are young and have many Years yet to spend wherefore we will take the pleasâ—re and delights of our Youth and seek the Lord afterward and Repent when we are old c. But remember the Lord God your Maker giveth unto you Life Breath and Being and how soon he may cut the threed of your lives and take you away from all your delights and vanities you know not for many he taketh away in their Youth Wherefore trifle not away your precious time in Sin and Vanity in vain Sports and Gameings or any Wickedness lest your Hearts come to be hardened in Ungodliness and you grow old in Iniquity and when it is too late you diligently seek repentance but you find it not wherefore take warning and mind those things in time before it be too late that concern the eternal Peace Rest and Happiness of your immortal Soul and first seek the Kingdom of God rather then the Riches Glory and Honour of this World which is all passing away and will not help in the day of Calamity and hour of Distress and Misery which will overtake the Wicked and all those that forget God as a Thief in the Night therefore mind and fear the Lord your Maker and take heed unto the Light in all your Consciences which is pure and holy and hath no unity with any evil thought word or work and love and believe in the Light that you may become Children of the Light if you love the Light it will save you from your Sins and redeem you from a vain Conversation and learn you to take up a daily Cross to your own Wills Desires Lusts and Affections and to Yoak down the
pity tenderness and compassion to your immortal Souls have I cleared my Conscience in giving you warning to Repent and turn from the evil of your own ways unto the Lord while you have a time before the door of Mercy be shut against you forever and time unto you be no more From one that tenders the Eternal happiness and good of your Immortal Souls a Sufferer in Bonds for the Testimony of a good Conscience William Bennit To those that are seeking the Living God in the Dead Forms Having a Form of godliness but deny the Power thereof from such turn away c. Why seek ye the Living among the Dead he is not here but is risen c. Know you not your selves how that Christ Jesus is in you except you be Reprobates 2 Tim. 3. 5. Luke 14. 5 6. 2 Cor. 13. 5. AND all dear People that are scatered among the many Sects and Heaps who have honest sincere desires and thirstings after the Lord oh love and compassion is in my Heart towards you and my Soul pities you and the more because you are seeking the Living God among the Dead Forms Shadows Carnal Ordinances Beggerly in comparison of the Life of Truth Elements and Rudiments of the World but cannot there find true lasting peace rest comfort and satisfaction for the immortal Souls Oh Christ is risen he is not there his Appearance is now more hidden more invisible more inward therefore stay not in Shadows rest not in the Likeness without Life pitch not your Tent in the Form without the Power Come come away you thirsty Ones from the Wells of man's digging which can hold no Water that will rightly and kindly satisfie your thirsty Souls and wait to know the Spring opened in your own Hearts which cometh from Christ the Fountain of living Water and drink thereof and be satisfied and go no more forth to the broken Cisterns but wait within in the Light for the Springs of Life to refresh your thirsty Souls Oh! come out of the Shadows to the Substance Christ the Light in you except you be Reprobates Oh! the Spirit and the Bride says Come and he that drinketh says Come and let him that is athirst come and drink of the Water of Life freely why do you spend your Time for that which is not Bread and your â—abour for that which doth not truly satisfie your Souls Oh! feed no longer upon the Husk upon Words without Life upon Knowledge without Power for that will puff you up in your own Eyes and elevate you in your own Conceits and shut you out from the Tree of Life and though you may seem to grow Rich and increase with Goods and want nothing yet when your Eyes come to be opened you will see your selves Poor Blind and Naked for he that covereth himself with a Covering of Words and Knowledg and a Profession without Life his Covering is not the Fine Linnen whitâ— and clean which the Wife Virgins that follow the Lamb are cloathed with who have Oyl in their Vessels the Light Life and Substance in themselves but they that only get Words and Knowledge into the Comprehension and grow rich in the Brain and have their Religion in their Head and know not the pure undefiled Religion in the Heart such are Foolish Virgins that have Oyl only in their Lamps and though such may blaze and give a seeming great Light in Words yet such one day will want Oyl and their Lights will go out the Lord will dry up all standing Waters that have no Spring he will blast all Professions out of the Light all Gatherings out of the Name and Power of God the Lord will scatter therefore come away from among them you Unsatisfied and Thirsty Ones whose Souls pant after the Lord and are weary of the Husks and hunger after the Substance And deceive not your own Souls by creating to your selves a false Peace by applying the Promises to your selves and acting Faith as you say upon a Promise but seriously consider in the Fear of the Lord and examine your own Hearts with the Light of Christ in your own Consciences whether you be in that State and Condition that the Promises of Life Eternal are unto yea or nay There is great Difference between man's applying the Promises forcing him to believe they belong to him and God's applying them and sealing them to the Soul by his own Spirit The Promises of God are Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus the Covenant of Light and Life and those that are converted into him pertake with him of the Promises of Life eternal but he that is in Christ is a New Creature the old things are passed away and all things become new and such walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit and so come to be Heirs with Christ of that Kingdom that is without End But for any to set themselves to believe that they are elected in Christ Jesus unto Life eternal and so count the Promises of God are theirs when they are not become New Creatures in Christ but are in their Sin such deceive their own Souls for Vnless a man said Christ be born again he cannot enter into God's Kingdom So all you hungry Souls turn in your Minds to the Light of Christ Jesus in your Consciences and wait in it to know Bread in your own Houses Christ in you the Bread of Life which the living Soul feeds on and lives by that you may know the fresh and green Pasture and with us feed therein and drink of the still Waters and rest with us in the Light in the Fold that so we may all know and have one Shepherd and be all of one Sheepfold To those that are backslided from the Truth Remember therefore from whence thou art faln and Repent and do thy first works c. Return oh backsliding Israel c. I will heal thy backsliding c. But if you will not hear my Soul shall weep in secret c. Because the Lord's Flock is gone into Captivity Rev. 2. 5. Jer. 3. 12. Hosea 14. 4. Jer 14. 17. AND you who have tasted of the Power of an Endless Life and were convinced of the precious immutable Truth of God and had in measure received it in the love and obedience of it and by it were in part set free from the bondage of Sin and Corruption and redeemed out of the pollutions of the World but now are Apostatized from the Lord and have forsaken his precious Truth and People and like Demas embraced this present World again and are turned like the Dog to his Vomit and like the Swine that were washed to wallow in the Mire again and have made ship-wrack of Faith and a good Conscience and have proved treacherous both to God and his People and have denyed the Womb that bore you and the Brest that gave you suck and have turned from the Grace of God into wantonness and done dispite to the Spirit of Truth and hath trampled
if you do them He that knoweth the Fathers Will and doth it not is worthy of many stripes John 13. 17. AND all you that are convinced of the Truth Way of God but do not resign up your Hearts in obedience to walk therein but still remain in the broad way of the World partaking with them of their Sins Idolatry and falfe Worship and though you see the Vanity and Evil thereof yet for by-ends and carnal self-interests to save your selves from Reproach and Suffering you joyn with them therein against the pure Witness of God in your own Consciences and if you continue partaking with them of their Sins how can you but expect also to partake of their Plagues except you haste out from among them and embrace and receive the Truth in the Love and Obedience of it Oh! come out come out from amongst them and be you separated and touch no more the Unclean Thing that the Lord may receive you unto himself and become your God and you become his People Oh! you that know the Fathers Will and do it not are you not worthy of many Stripes Oh poor Hearts shun not the Cross any longer neither be ashamed of the Reproach nor ashamed of the Lord and his People before Men but give up your Hearts to obey the Lord and his precious Truth and take up the daily Cross that crucifies unto the World and Worldly Things unto the Sin Wickedness Formal Worships Vain Customs Ceremonies Pride and Vanity thereof and follow the Lamb in the narrow Way of Holiness and be willing to Suffer with Christ and you shall Reign with him and love not your Lives unto Death and you shall have a Crown of Life Oh! how long hath the Lord been woing many of you day after day if not year after year and hath long waited knocking at the Door of your Hearts in his Grace to be Gracious unto you who desireth not that you should perish in your Rebellion and Disobedience Oh! that the sense of his Goodness Mercy and Patient forbearing towards you might overcome your Hearts and make you willing to resign up your selves to walk in the Way of Truth before the Lord cease striving with you who hath said His Spirit shall not always strive with Man lest the Day of your Visitation pass over your Heads Therefore come forward you that halt and linger behind in the Borders of Babylon and Subburbs of Egypt and come nigh you that stand afar off gazing to see what will become of us He that is not with me said Christ is against me he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad none can serve two Masters God and Mammon To those that are Newly Convinced of the Truth Ye were like Sheep going astray but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your Souls He shall gather his Lambs in his Arms and carry them in his Bosom 1 Peter 2. 25. Isaiah 40 11. AND all you who are newly convinced of the precious Truth and Way of God and have in measure received Truth in the love and belief of it and have and daily do give up your hearts to obey the Truth and to walk in the Way of Righteousness and Path of Holiness Dear Ones unto you my Heart is open in the tender Bowels of my heavenly Fathers Love and happy and blessed of the Lord God are you if you do not faint nor grow weary in your Minds nor turn back again as some have done but persevere on to the End Oh! dear Babes whom the Lord mighty in Power hath by his out stretched Arm brought out of Egypt the Land of Darkness and House of Bondage and hath set your Faces towards Canaan the good Land of Liberty Light Rest and Peace Oh travail on travail on ye weak Ones in the strength of the Lord and drawings of his Light and look not back to Egypt again remember Lot's Wife and fear not the God of the World the Prince of the Power of the airy mind even that wicked Spirit that once had dominion in and over you and kept you Bond-slaves in darkness to Sin and Corruption though he the Enemy of your Souls Liberty Peace and Rest may pursue hard after you with his whole Host of Temptations Snares and Allurements both inward and outward and also a Sea of Troubles Straits Difficulties and Sufferings may appear in your Way both within and without and Mountains of Fears Doubts and carnal Reasonings on every side and also something in you ready to murmur complain and say Oh! that we had tarried still in Egypt and not set one step towards Canaan for the Way is so strait and the Path so narrow the Sufferings so hard and the Difficulties and Dangers so great and various that we fear we shall perish by the way and not get to our desired Rest therefore let us turn back again before we go any further Oh! fear not neither turn back but stand still from reasoning carnally and look not at the Straits Tryals Dangers Sufferings and Losses that may appear before you neither look at your own VVeakness Feebleness and Inability nor at the Strength and Temptation of your Enemy but look up ye little ones unto the Lord and trust you in the Strength of his Arm for he is God all-sufficient for you therefore cast your care upon him and he will make a VVay for you through the Sea and divide the VVaters of the great Deep and make a VVay for you in the VVilderness and a Path through the Thickets and make the Crooked Strait before you and the Rough Smooth he will throw down the Mountains and remove away the Hills and lead you in a VVay you know not and in a Path you never before trod in and will make the hard things easie unto the VVilling and Obedient that turn not back again to their old Lovers but love Truth and Righteousness and follow on to know the Lord in his VVay all such he will give to drink of the Brook by the VVay and feed with Bread from Heaven whereby you shall be refreshed and your Strength renewed daily in which Strength you shall be able to travail on without fainting and to run and not be weary until you come to your desired Rest and see the Travail of your Souls and be satisfied with the Enjoyment of that you have travailed after So the Lord be with you and keep your Eye single unto himself that your Hearts may be full of Light that nothing may cause you to stumble and fall into the Snares of the Enemy who hath hindred many that once begun to run well oh mind and keep to that in your own Hearts which makes you truly sensible of your particular States and Conditions and in that sense daily wait upon the Lord diligently and patiently for the sweet Refreshings from his Presence and for the distillings of his Heavenly Dew that so the tender Plants of Righteousness and Lilly of Holiness may grow and spring
the Blood of the Covenant wherewith you were in measure sanctified under your Feet as an unholy thing and have slain the Just and crucified the Righteous in your selves Oh poor poor Hearts my Soul pities you and mourns in secret over you and cannot but lament the sadness and deplorableness of your Conditions oh better you had never known the Truth then after you have known it to turn from it to your old Lovers again Oh whither will you go you Backsliding ones where and in what will you hide your selves from the Lord now you are departed from him if you go from Sea to Sea he will find you out and what can defend you from his wrath oh where and in what can you find true Peace Rest and happiness for your Souls seeing you have forsaken him in whom alone it is to be enjoyed Oh are you not sensible that you want true Peace Oh you that have forsaken the Father's House of plenty and are gone out among the Swine who feed upon the Husks oh poor Hearts do you not sometimes a little come to your selves and then remember the Father's House and do you not then find some inclination and desire to return again if you do return how know you but that he will have compassion on you and receive you into his House again though you have been spending your Portion among Harlots and have deal so treacherously by him and so much wounded and grieved him and his Children yet notwithstanding if you can throughly return unto him with your whole Hearts he can and will receive you and heal your Backslidings blot out your Sins forgive you your Transgressions against him and love you freely Therefore return return you backsliding Ones why why will you die and perish forever oh repent and do the first Works turn your minds inward to the pure and just One in your selves which you have grieved wounded and oppressed as a Cart is oppressed with Sheaves Oh that you might look upon him whom you have pierced and behold him whom you have wounded and even mourn and lament over him Oh to the pure holy faithful Witness of God in your own Consciences which you were at first turned unto you must come and the righteous Judgment of the Lord you must own and wait in yea a dreadful Cup you must drink before you can enjoy true lasting peace in God Oh that you could be willing to drink it and to pass again through the Fire and Sword yea through Death to come to eat again of the Tree of Life and live forever Oh that all you that are betrayed like Sampson of their strength by the Adulterous mind so as that the Philistine the uncircumcised Nature hath prevailed over you and put out your Eyes that you are become Blind and cannot see that beauty and comeliness in the Lord and his Truth which you once saw oh that the Lord would be pleased to visit you again that like as the Hair of Sampson grew again his strength increased so that he slew more of his Enemies at his Death then he did in all his Life so the Seed of God may be raised again in your Hearts and the strength therein and thereby may be renewed and grow that by your dying again unto that which is contrary to the Will of God you may witness greater Victory in the Lord over your Enemies and know more of them slain then ever you did Oh! you that find and are sensible that the Lord hath not wholly given you over but is yet striving with you by his pure Witness in you to return unto him his Truth and People again Oh! return before it be too late and before the Door of Mercy be forever shut against you for then if you seek the Blessing with Tears as Esau did you will not obtain it and though you call Lord Lord open unto us we have Eaten and Dâ—unk in thy Presence and in thy Name we have cast out Devils and have had power over unclean Spirits and have done many great Works yet notwithstanding he will say Depart from me ye Workers of Iniquity I know you not Therefore be sober and serious and ponderously consider and let these things take deep Impression in your Hearts which are wrote in true Love Pity and Bowels of Compassion to your Immortal Souls by a Mourner over you and a Travailer in Spirit for your Restoration To those that profess the Truth yet walk contrary to the Truth in Life and Conversation For many walk of whom I have told you often and now I tell you weâ—ping that they are Enemies to the Cross of Christ c. Phil. 3. 18 19. ANd all you who make a Profession of the Light and Truth in Words but in Works deny it whose Conversations are loose and vain and not consistant with your Profession nor answerable but repugnant to Truth you do not conduce to the honour of Truth but produce a dishonour thereunto by your loofe disorderly walking whereby you also give the Enemies of Truth advantage against the Truth for them to reproach the Truth and those that walk and live in the Truth and also you are a stumbling Block in the way of the simple-hearted that hath a Love and Desire towards Truth and a Grief and Burden to the Faithful that love the Truth and live in it and seek the Glory and Honour thereof and also you deceive your own Souls by being satisfied with a Profession of Truth without the possession thereof and you have no true peace where you are nor unity with the Lord nor fellowship with his People for the unity and fellowship of the Saints is in the Light and holy Life of God and they that are out of the Light though they profess it are out of the unity of Faith and fellowship of the Sons of God and such are but gotten into the outward Court where the Gentiles the uncircumcised in Heart can come but blessed are all they that do the Will of God and keep his Commandments and have right to the Tree of Life and enter through the Gate into the City where no unclean thing can come So all you that profess the Truth and walk contrary to the Truth come to be faithful and obedient to the Truth that in the Way of Truth and Righteousness you may walk as becometh Truth and that in the Light you may shine as Lights in your holy Lives and blameless unspotted Conversations to the praise and glory of God and to the peace rest comfort and happiness of your own Souls verily no Hypocrite in Sion can be hid from the Lord who giveth the Churches to know that it is he that scarcheth the Heart and tryeth the Reins who saith I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every one according as his work shall be To all those that are Convinced of the Truth but still remain in the World's Ways If you know these things happy are you