A TENDER GREETING AND SALUTATION OF Perfect Love and Life of truth to the Children of the Kingdom From a Brotheâ— and living Witness and fellow-servant and companion of the Election and of the Churches of Christ gathered by and through the Power and Ministration of the Eternal Spirit of the Lord Jesus out of the World into Covenant with God and his Christ over all blessed over all for ever Amen In which Grace and peace be multiplied and abound to every member of the infinite Body of which Christ is Head Amen for ever Mâ— Friends ye Babeâ— and Children of Life of pure innocency of immortality brought to light that 's clear and marvellous in our eye that 's single pure holy unchangeable without variableness in which the perfect love of the eternal riches of the everlasting Gospel and glorious power of an endless Life and its perfect unspeakable blessed unity and fellowship of us with the Father with the Son and one with another in one and the self-same holy Spirit of Faith and Vertue and Sanctification standeth well entire and compleat in the pleasure of the Lord God according to the proportion of the faith of Abraham in the election dispensed to us and in every of us received unto salvation unto whom the Heavenly Divine Power from on high is come and given even unto us bountifully with the precious things or riches that 's durable and unvaluable treasures which pertain to life and godliness more or less according to the wisdom of God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the manifold dispensations of his eternal loving-kindnesses hath he manifested himself and made known the good pleasures of his Will to us-ward in by and through the â—evelatioâ— manifestation and ministration of his unspotted Lifâ— which well witnesseth and beareth record both of the Father and of the Son in one Word that changeth not in us but is the same as in the beginning and before all things and cannot alter or vary but remaineth in its own entire unfathomable unlimited boundlesâ— goodnâ—ss and fulness which endureth forever â—ho hath called uâ— with this Eternal Word of Life of Holiness and by the same hath wounded and killed quickened and made alive to his glory and virtue with endless praises in perfect love in which is no fear that worketh evil or torment but that which worketh good unto edification and perfection And on how hath the same abounded towards you my dear Friends And how hath the distillings from God's right hand of mercy and goodness where the Son is that hath made your very hearts glad in the savour of his holy Spirit the Comforter so that it hath been unexpressible to demonstrate the truth of this what your immortal souls have met with and been made partakers of under the perfect sence of his unspeakable love by his righteous Judgements and Mercies who hath sought and called and found you that were gone astray and even lost in obscurity as 't were without hope of any recovery in the alienation from the Life of God yea even as exhiled captives aliens and strangers from the unchangeable Covenant of promise that 's sure to the Seed of the eternal inheritance of the purchased possession the same that was fore-ordained for you that believ in the Name of the Lord God of immortality before the foundation of the World to the end that ye may be heirâ— together with him that is one with the Father who hath drawn with the Cords of his Love by which the bonds of wickednesse have been burst assunder and the Cords of your sins which have entangled you in captivity these have been broken and iniquities that are past have been finished and blotted out by the arising and coming of the just one with his unspeakable refreshings of his glorious power even as the morning-light of a clear day yea with such like healings and vertuous refreshings of the Son of Righteousnesse hath he come that expels the corruptible darknesse that hath opprest and covered the earth so that by its divine pure and powerful operation in the stilnesse of your subject on to the same Ordinâ—nce that 's of God Eternal which he hath ordained to subdue contrarieties and they come to be done away hereby the Crosse that extends pence as a River of flowing streams to the poor to the needy the hungry and thirsty to revive replenish the contâ—ite in heâ—rt by the very same which sheds its saving health â—nd sanâ—tifying virtuâ— to every plant and green thing to every Treâ— thaâ— buds and blossomes and bears fruit according to the goodnesse and pleasure of the end of the good Husbandman that well rejoiceth over the choice Vines and Vinyards and Gardens of the pleasure of his right hand where the River streams that makes glâ—d the beloved City of my God and his pleasant Plants add no sorrow unto his soul but he well-delighteth in them and taketh pleasure in them that fear him and keep their habitations in the first love and behold his mercy and goodnesse is over them as a lovely banner and comely Ornament of praise and his fear seated in your hearts yet more abundantly manifest in the sight of the Nations the same shall be a sure defence to prâ—serve you unto his Heavenly Kingdom of all fulness without limitation What if I say to some My Babes and universally to all My Friends my Brethren my Sisters to you are these sayings spoken And what if I say of the Loveling of my heart Verily mine eye hath wel affected mine heart and I am in perfect love and unity with every of you that love the Lord and obey his unchangeable truth and name and suffer for it more or less Well J cannot but tel you on this wise that J heartily love you in the same in no other thing or name or word or life or what else but in the very thing in which we are Witnesses of in its dispensations not only of salvation but also of condemnation in their time and seasons and because the same love with which the testimony of my Conscience giveth a good evidence to my understanding that J am beloved of my God the same well aboundeth in my very heart to ye ye faithful of the Lord therefore do J send you here with the greetings of the same kindness to your edification in the same love by which your most holy Faith worketh that together with me herein your pure minds by way of remembrance may be stirred up in one spirit to blesâ— and praise the living Lord as it becometh Saints in Light and hereby to be the more abundantly quickened unto all wel-pleasing in the pure presence in his Light of his countenance that shines over you for good and J say and exhort you in the very self-same Spirit of faith and love to lay aside and put far away from you whatsoever would vail or separate from this unvaluable love and goodness virtue and peace of Christ which
passeth knowledge and with all readinesse of mind as it becometh the Election under the perfect sence of this unspeakable love and blessed fear of the Lord to give all diligence to meet in the same power of life and virtue and keep to meetings in the Heavenly Order to wait upon the Lord in his mercy fear only overshadowing of you that the holy eternal strength comeliness of the Lord's beauty may adorn you thereby to be revived in the loveliness of your souls shining upon you and surrounding your Tabernacles and that the comfort of the blessed stedfast Spirit of Truth in the Life of the Cross of Jesus together with the renewings of the Holy Ghost you may receive the same in all your Meetings to every of you your particular and everlasting satisfaction and assured confidence in the holy faith and patience of the Saints in Light without doubting and so your fruit may abound unto holiness and the end of the same ye may receive even immediately from the right hand of God which is eternal life and this is the end of your blessed confirmation of your most holy Faith in every particular and in your blessed Assemblies so that ye know the Way and the Truth undoubtedly wherein ye may preciously receive of his fulness from the bountiful hand of Eternal Life which is not hid from you as in times past the which comes immediately from God the clear and unfathomable Fountain of all fulness and lives for ever in the holy Seed of lasting righteousnesse which is revealed and come very nigh us the which breaths and maketh intercession in the acceptation of that which is holy and spiritual without spot to God To this end my very dear Friends my tenderly beloved in God the Spirit of Love and of the fear of the Lord is upon me to put you in remembrance of these things that are one and the same with the beginning of your Faith in the Truth and Love that 's perfect sound and pure that neither thinketh nor worketh evil behold this is the excellent Way that tends to edifie the whole Body and every particular Member receiveth strength life and virtue in unity with the Head Christ the Seed the Stone that 's precious the Rock and saving-health even the Foundation of God that standeth sure and is over his own House also in the great Mysterie of God whose House are we if immovably we abide faithful holding fast the good beginning of our confidence in the Head Christ firm unto the end However we know God's Foundation it standeth sure and this ye know that if we should deny him either in the fellowship of his sufferings unto which we have been called with holiness and so not to confess him through the same before men yet he without doubting or controversie in any wise cannot deny himself albeit a Cloud receives him out of the sight of many who shall not see his face till they say who have pierced him Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord yea and my Spirit shall gladly say Even so Amen Come Lord Jesus come quickly that the afflicted and upright in heart may languish no more but triumph in glory and be filled with gladness of heart in perfect quietness in their expected end for which my soul as a Dove often mourneth travelling in love through distresses often distressed for thy sake oh thou whose Renown is from everlasting and thy memorial shall never end that thou maist be raised upon high over all to be a Royal Diadem in the hand of thy mighty God my soul longeth for this with many Brethren lo we travel in pain often for thy sake thou Royal Seed of Nobles the loveliness of thy Progenitors the Heavens are dissolved with unspeakable love and the Heavenly Hosts behold how they travel in order for the brightness of thy rising over all Nations that thy Dominions and the largeness of thy unlimited extent thou maist possess as is meet that the sons of Nobles and Daughters of eternal Renown with Kings in glory may rejoice in thy fame and feed thee with the purest of good things even the Heritage of Jacob thy Father and for thy sake oh thou loveliness of my heart how often am J undone for thee The Brethren and striplings of my Father's House how dearly do they love thee how willingly are we overcom with thy loveliness to suffer even for thy sake Shall J break forth in mourning or shall J take up a doleful lamentation for many that have loved thee a little season till somewhat obscured their eye and their back parts is towards thee Oh! alas alas yea wo and alas for them Oh! J have travelled in pain night and day for their sakes insomuch J could even cry aloud and roâ—r as a Lyonness bereaved of her young the eccho might reach thâ— Heavens to be astonished at this as in the ancient days when Israel himself wrought folly and hewed out Cisterns imperfect being departed from the Fountain Wherefore let all hear and fear because the mighty day of the Lord is great and the tryal and travel of the Lot of his inheritance is no less and the sence and weighty sence of these things boweth my heart and soul even to death before the Lord often so that J know many brethren on this wise travel and pure innocency is ready to cry out being dissolved into pure virtue in its travel saying Lord how long how long Lord shall it be always thus Surely no saith the answer of my God the many days of thy travel and mourning shall have an end and thy Work shall be rewarded neither shall the renown and same of my people be extinguished but encrease as the Sun and Moon in their course and order from generation to generation and J am the Lord their God in faithfulness and truth without variableness and so they are and for ever shall be my people their Dominion from sea to sea shall extend without limitation and the borders of wickednesse as chast and dust under the soles of their feet shall not hurt them the pure Breath of Life Eternal hath spoken it by the living Word of the Lord that shall stand for ever Wherefore be not dismayed nor cast down with over-much sorrow though thy travels be not a little in the mighty strength of thy God oh thou afflicted and beloved of my soul thine eye shall perfectly behold Jerusalem the Mount Sion of my God with her free-born compleatly established the lovely and desirable praise of the whole earth yea and more then is lawful to be uttered Wherefore yet be bold and valiant and put on courage with the lovely Armor of eternal salvation ye sons ye harmless sons and daughters of Sions Lamb that bears the weighty iniquities and finisheth the same and takes them away and cloaths his people with his Name and with the lovely Garments of Praise and opens the healing Fountain of Wisdom from above in the holy
Spirit of the Lord's fear which preserves through many tribulations and then he like a good shepherd leads to the living Fountains of Water where the weary and thirsty are wel satisfied under the light and shadow of his countenance that sits in the midst of the Throne who saith I will give freely to him that is a thirst therefore the Spirit and the Bride saith Come with him that heareth and is a thirst as is the Message of the Angel to the Churches and not to the fearful and unbelieving and to you ye beloved of the Lord that retain your first Love is my very heart open in the same and therefore the more am J enlarged Wherefore my dearly beloved be like-minded let the same unchangeable mind be in you and abound that dwells in the holy Seed without change or shadow of turning that 's both sure and peaceable without fraud or guile and is watchful for good and not for evil that in his strength who wisely maketh all Grace to abound in every good word and work ye may stand firm and unblameable and compleat before him in love which is the end and beginning of all Ministrations that accompanieth the Divine Power which God Eternal hath made known to you and the holy and effectual operation of the same Gospel of peace more or lesâ— my God that liveth for ever hath made known and honored you withal what if I say more over and above all the Families of the Earth Wherefore oh ye blessed of the Lord forget not his pure sayings in the ancient days spoken by the same Life to the same Seed of which you are united and made partakers ye that tremble at his Word your brethren that hated you that cast you out for my Names sake said Let the Lord be glorified but he shall appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed while ye may say Oh Lord I will praise thee though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me 〈◊〉 Behold God is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength c. Wherâ—fore with joy shal ye draw water out of the wellâ— of Salvation Oh how hâ—s your Light arisen out of obscurity you whose soul haâ— been revived and drawn out to the hungry and to the afflicted soul has been well satisfied with thee and thy bountifulness thou blessed Seed of the Lord 's annointing he shall guide thee continually and satisfie thy soul in drought and make fat thy bones and thou shalt be like a watered Garden whose waters fall not for your sake are these who are arrayed in white having past through many tribulations following the Lamb through the same then he leads to living Fountains opened for the House of David whose Tabernacle is raised up for the tribes of the Lord 's annointing and the dispersed of Israel the inhabitants of Sion the Mountain of holiness in Ierusalem that 's free with her inhabitants true Israelites indeed in whose mouth is no guile my soul iâ— knit unto ye Well I have much within my heart to say of the goodness and mercy and righteous Judgements of the Lord God of truth which are more precious then fined shining Gold blessed is the man that 's made a partaker hereof and keeps them the fear of my God as a beautiful Crown of Wisdom's Life shâ—ll be his goodly treasure to preserve him from the power of the sword which shâ—ll devour the Adversaries that refuse and rebel against the Light and Counsel of my God His saving-health shall not be hidden from thine eye O thou tender upright mourning Plant and branch of Righteousness the days of thy mourning shâ—ll have an end in thy beloved thy expected end and his bowelâ— of mercy and tender pity shall not be estranged any more at all from thee thou beloved seed of pure innocency that has heard the joyful sound the voice of thy beloved Lo thy Companions the Children of thy Father's House shall joy in the Lord and well rejoice in the Holy One of Israel because of thee and thy faithfulness to thy mighty God and tell of his wondrous works and talk of the power of his might in whose mouth never any guile was found such a true Israelite such a High Priest becomes us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sin and sinners that offered up himself without spot to God through the eternal Spirit of sanctification Let every member feel and partake of the same virtue in the Election feel and savour the same dwell in them and run through them to the purifying of your hearts as is meet in the Lord that spirit the eternal riches and blessings hâ—s been hid in the same from ages and generations my heart wisheth they may all abound with the mercies of God the Father of our Lord Jesus to every of you in his life who is risen from the dead and from their Congregations and lives and reigns in the lively Witnesses of his death and resurrection to whom with the Father be eternal glory and reverence power and might with endless praises and everlasting Dominion in all and through all that love his appearance in the unâ—hangeable Light of his countenance and so over all be thanksgivings Amen And let the upright in heart say so and behold they even they that are yet afar off shall come up to Sion the holiness of my beloved with songs of deliverance making melody because of the perfect beauty and glory of my God which hath shined upon them that fear him and behold him face to face yea and the loveliness of my heart the Seed of the blessed the joy of many generations and the desire of the Nations of peace and plenty he shall come that will come and not tarry with his reward in his right hand in the bright Heavenly Clouds and lo they shall distil and drop down new Wine with the early and latter rain of vertuous righteousness upon the tender plants and trees of virtâ—â— planted and seated within the Garden of immortality and the tender Babes and Children of the Kingdom of eternal life shall with joy unspeakable rejoice in the abundant fulness of the glory of the Lord that 's King of Sion in Ierusalem that 's free from above because of the abundance of peace and truth and unutterable virtue and sanctifying riches of the everlasting Fountain of Eternity that 's opened in Sion's holy Hill and its streams purely descend and issue forth to the ends of the earth to fetch thy sons from far and thy daughters from the Lyons dens from the Mountains of the Leopards to worship the Lord the King the Holy One of Israel who teacheth his people children that will not lye and they that are not shall say as in the ancient days Come oh House of Jacob come let us go up to the Mountain of the Lords House he wil teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths and lo their faces shaâ—l shine with pure innocency that come to live under the hiding of his power under the shadowing of the stedfast spirit of glory of the fear of the Lord which shall cover them as a very lovely garment of praise without but the glory shall excel within where uprightness innocency and pure integrity to its first Love liveth is preserved in the inner Court which looketh Eastward towards the sun rising of the beauty of holiness without guile in the pleasure of the Lord at whose right hand the River streams and so the lovely seed of his annointing shall flourish and bear much fruit and shoot forth its branches and spread abroad its faithful fruitful bows over the lovely Walls of salvation of the City of my God so he that overcometh shall inherit all things And so blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection over such the second death shall have no power as faith the Angel to the Churches These sayings are faithful and true and holy and blessed is he that reads and lives in the integrity and faithfulnesâ— of the God of Abraham to the end and in the same do I commend every of you to whom I write in the Covenant of Eternity to be preserved stedfast and entire to the beginning the sure Foundation of God Eternal who is the Light and Life and glory and everlasting strength and beauty of the Election in whom from everlasting to everlasting he is to be glorified and so let him be praised who is that eternal unchangeable spirit of pure and matchless substance and virtue Divine even God blessed for ever Amen and Amen Worcester City-Gaol for the Testimony of Jesus and Word of God and his pure way of Worship a Prisoner this third Month the 12th day 1663. Daniel Baker THE END