Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A38516
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An epistle to Friends given forth from Leinster-province meeting in Ireland, held at Castledermot the 9th. 10th. and 11th. days of the 7th. month 1698.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing E3165A; ESTC R219570
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8,343
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28
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AN EPISTLE TO FRIENDS Given forth from Leinster-Province Meeting in Ireland held at Castledermot the 9th 10th and 11th days of the 7th Month 1698. Love not the World neither the things that are in the World If any Man love the World the Love of the Father is not in him 1 John 1 Chap. 15. vers Printed in the Year 1699 The Epistle Dear Friends THE following Epistle is recommended to be read in the fear of the Lord in which I doubt not but you will have a sence of the Godly Care and Concern which the Lord hath raised in the Minds of some of his faithful Elders for the Good and Preservation of his Heritage But if there be any amongst our selves or others not acquainted with our Christian Discipline who for want of truly seeing the great danger and hurt that hath attended the Professors of Christianity by unbounded desires and persuit after the things of this World shall censure our Christian care as if we went about to exercise Lordship over one another or would hinder and limet such Industrous and capable persons who in the fear of God and in Moderation do improve the Creation in general or their own worldly Talents in particular which God hath been pleas'd to give them I say if any shall thus Judg of our Godly Care and Endeavours Let all such know they are mistaken and that no such thing is intended But as a People whom the Lord hath made sensible of the many snares that do attend and the Loss some have susteined by the unsatiable Desire and too Eager Persuit after the Lawful things of this World A concern came upon us that if possible we might all come to be limited with truths bounds that leads to Moderation and Content and to depend more upon that providential hand of the Lord that will afford us what we stand in Need of then in an Inordinate desire to persue after the gain of this Worlds Goods And now dear Friends and Brethren this Brotherly Caution arises in my Heart to you who were Eye-Witnesses and partakers of that wonderful and Eminent bowing power and presence of the Lord God that appear amongst us at that Meeting that none who were Witnesses of the Power of the Lord at that time and thereby brought into a lively sence and sight of the great danger attending that mind which would be going after Covetousness may in the least give way thereto or enter into Reasoning and Consulting with Flesh and Blood by which you will loose the sence you then had of that Spirit and be in danger of becoming Monuments of God's Displeasure But on the contrary keep to the guidance and direction of Gods Spirit in your selves which will limit your desires to the lawful things of this World within the bounds of Truth which is the earnest desire of one that desires the good and preservation of all in that which will tend to the glory of God bring everlasting comfort in the end Thomas Trafford To all our dear Friends and Brethren in this Nation of Ireland and elsewhere THE Salutation of our dear love in the Lord JESUS CHRIST in tender Bowels flows forth to the whole Heritage of God with fervent desires that all may walk worthy of his great love and Fatherly kindness and care to us and over us who hath blessed us in turning us from our Iniquities and brought us to the knowledge of himself by the blessed light of his dear Son shining in our hearts and by the evidence of his holy Spirit confirmed our faith in the great unspeakable benefit we have both in his first and second coming for to suffer for us in that prepared Body and now in Spirit and glorious power of the Father to perfect our Redemption and Salvation and to reconcile us unto himself by washing us with the Water of Regeneration sprinkling us with the Blood of his covenant and under his daily Cross which crucifies us to the World and renews his heavenly Image in us and hath preserved us in all Exercises of Troubles Temptations and Perils of all sorts inward and outward and fed us plentifully with the wholesom and sound doctrine of his heavenly Kingdom and watered us abundantly from time to time with the Distillations of the Showers thereof flowing from the Clouds that he hath prepared and filled with his holy spirit to replenish his Husbandry and Vineyard with the Mysteries of Faith and Godliness as the former Rain in its season and the latter Rain in its season and clothed us with Religious Discipline and Gospel Order that no nakedness may be amongst us but every Member of this Body of people which Christ is Head of may be covered with his Righteousness in Words and Actions following him in the daily Cross and self denial by Faith in him as Lights in the World to the praise and glory of God and in order to carry on and perfect this good Work for our Establishment and his Honour He hath raised and settled and is raising Instruments according to his blessed promise that he would give his People Judges as at first and Counsellers as at the beginning Men fearing God and hating Covetousness gifting them for this great Work with his holy Spirit of Counsel with a sound Mind and Understanding and a concern for his Honour and prosperity of his blessed Truth amongst Men the Enlargement and Exalting of the Government and Kingdom of Christ with all Godly diligence according to the ability and gift of his holy Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding given to them for this work and service for the Lord and his People as help-meets in Government and Overseers and Door-keepers of the Flock and Church of Christ walking before them as good Examples in self-denial and daily Cross of Christ not only to the unlawful things of the World but to the lawful things The Lord bounding them in their getting and ordering them in their Management and disposing thereof that the Flock may follow by their footsteps as they thus follow Christ And dear Friends You of this Nation knows that for several Years past there hath been and yet remains a Godly care on the minds and spirits of such whom the Lord hath thus raised and concerned as Overseers that all things might be well in the Church of Christ and he may present it to the Father as a Chaste Virgin without blemish and on this Account much labour of God hath been bestowed at Opportunities and Seasons which the Lord hath put into our hands and hath been sanctified to us the Lord owning his work and us in it and honouring our Assemblies in this service with his powerful glorious presence to the overcoming of our hearts with comfort and satisfaction opening our Understandings by the Enlargement of his holy Spirit in many things absolutely needful to be put in practice for the preservation of his People out of the snares of the Enemy of Mankind which he lays in the World and
baits them with the things of this World And God hath wonderfully own'd and blessed our labours to our great Comfort and Encouragment and the great benefit and satisfaction of many who gives thanks and praises to the Lord for the benefit received on many Accounts through those close Concerns and Labours of love for the good of one another as Saviours on Mount Sion And now that which remains and chiefly is before us in this service of this our day is to warn and admonish the Church of Christ to beware of the snares of that unwearied Enemy which he lays in secret baits with the lawful things of this World in this time of Ease and great Liberty for his baits is suitable to the times and seasons to answer the Inclination of Peoples minds that goes from things that are above after the things that are below and 't is easie to understand the generality of People is taken in his snares and carried away after Riches Preferment Honour Greatness and Vain-Glory in the things of this World that is uncertain and soon comes to an End And he is striving to break in upon the People of our Society whom the Lord hath called by his Grace out of the World to obey and follow him in all things as Lights in the World to his Honour And this Enemy of all Righteousness hath prevailed on many that are not so careful and watchful in the Light of Christ as they ought to be against this Adversary of Mankind in the lawful things of this World with which he blinds the Eyes of the Understanding and leads the Heart Mind and Affections into Captivity they not Eying the Lord and his blessed Truth to limit and bound them so falls into many Temptations Snares and hurtful Lusts and others following their Examples to get Riches and be big in the World Invades other Mens Properties and fails in their purposes so sacrifices Religion and their own Credit to their greedy desire after gain and gives occasion for Men to brand us with the Character of Covetousness which causes Truth professed by us to be evil spoken of Stumbles the minds of some that otherwise might joyn with us and hinders the Lords work of Reformation on many Accounts and grieves his good Spirit and wounds the hearts of his faithful Servants that are given up in Heart Mind Body and Substance that the Lord may limit bound order and dispose of them all they have and hold as stewards under him that hath all power in Heaven and Earth and his Will and Mind to be known and observed in Earthly things as well as in heavenly things with all due Reverence Subjection and Obedience where our preservation is from the Inrodes the Enemy makes to hinder the Progress of the Lords People and to make them unfruitful to the Lord as his Vineyard in heavenly and spiritual things but instead thereof to bring forth wild Grapes Bryars Thorns Thistles and Tares the fruits of the Mind Heart Spirit and Affections that goes in their own Wills into Earthly things beyond the Bounds and Limits of the Lords Everlasting Truth which is great provocations for the Lord to curse the Ground and to lay his Vineyard waste which he hath bestowed great labour upon that it might bring forth good fruit to the Praise Honour and Glory of his great Name Now under a due consideration of the great Injury and damage the Church of Christ hath and doth sustain in our day by this floating Spirit that leads into the lawful things of the World beyond the Bounds of Truth and beyond the use for which they were created and given of God A great concern came upon several of us in a spiritual Travel for the Honour of God and the preservation of his People the Comliness Beauty and Credit of the unspotted Religion professed by us and under this Godly care and concern the Spirit and power of the Lord mightily appearing with us and in us in which the Testimony of the Lord Jesus rose in many as a Standard lifted up against the Invasions of an Enemy and great Labours and Endeavours were used to stop this unsatiable Mind and Spirit that is so earnest and eager after Earthly things and yet not willing to be called by the name of Covetousness and to bring it within the Bounds and Limits of Truth This Religious concern being practised from time to time for several Years at such Opportunities as the Lord put into our hands to be concerned in Church-Affairs that nothing thing might get in nor grow which God hath not sowed nor planted but be pluckt up and rooted out in due time that the Lords Plant and good Seed that he hath planted and sowed might grow flourish and bring forth good fruits in due Season to the Honour and Glory of the great Husbandman that the cares of this World and Covetousness of Riches might not choak it Now we being at our Province Meeting before mentioned and a great Appearance of Friends both Men and Women and the mighty power of the Lord amongst us his Glory covering our Assembly and crowning our meeting with his presence and under a weighty sence thereof the Affairs of the Church were managed in great Unity Peace and Concord And under this heavenly Canopy of the Lords Antient goodness a weighty concern came upon our Spirits as at other times on the like Occasion concerning the Bounds and Limits of Getting and the right using the lawful things of this World and how far Friends might safely go into them And much time being spent in Church-Affairs to good purpose and satisfaction the Meeting adjourned till the next day and after the Meeting for the worship of God was over then Men Friends and Antient concerned Women to meet together and consider of this weighty matter and accordingly Friends met and sat down in great Silence retired to the Lord for his Aid and Counsel and the Lord was pleased to appear and his power was great through his Spirit to our great Comfort for his Glory covered our Assembly and many hearts were melted before him because of the weight of his Goodness which bowed all Spirits and many heavenly things were opened in the Testimony of Jesus concerning the Bounds and right use of the lawful things of this World and in the demonstration of the Spirit and power of Christ then abounding amongst us and governing our Assembly and guiding our hearts and understandings Unanimously mously it was agreed and adjudged that a Competence of the lawful things of this World is sufficient for every one and is the right bounds with a due consideration of every ones Charge Station place and service And that Mind which will not be content with this bears the Character of Covetousness and renders such unfit to Rule in the Church of Christ And under the Over-Ruling power of the Lord there was an Unanimous Consent one by one to offer up our selves to the Judgment of the Province-Meeting