Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A43324
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An epistle to Friends in England to be read in their assemblies in the fear of the Lord / by ... Elizabeth Hendericks.
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Hendricks, Elizabeth.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing H1447; ESTC R11057
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4,138
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7
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AN EPISTLE TO FRIENDS IN England To be Read in their ASSEMBLIES in the Fear of the LORD By your Friend in the Truth Elizabeth Hendericks Printed in the Year 1672. AN EPISTLE TO Friends c. FRIENDS YOU unto whom the Lord hath appeared in this his day in his eternal inexpressible Love and hath given you the knowledge of his Truth and streched out unto you the Arm of his Power and made known unto you the Way of Salvation You it is whom my endeared and unfeighned Love is flowing forth unto which doth not consist in any thing that 's visible but in that pure unchangable Love of God which hâ— hath shed abroad in our hearts And so in that you are often presented before me and often do I remember you with a deep sence of your conditions and of the unspeakable Love of God to you-wards and withall of the manifold Temptations and Trialls you dally come to meet withal and then is my heart poured out before the Lord with breathings and supplications that you may persevere in faith-fullness and stedfastness and that you may be preserved in and through them all and there is a certain assureance in my heart that the Lord will do it unto all those that abide in the Faith waiting upon him continually in his Light and that he will not leave them nor permit to come upon them beyond their abillity nor yet more then will tend to their good So dear Friends keep closs to the Light and feel the Power of God and abide in it and let it be your daily care to remain in the Awe and Fear of God continually that so you may come more and more to feel the leadings and guidings of the Lord in his Light and that you wait at all times to know his Will and Counsel and to feel his leadings therein That so none may run before the Lord his Leader but to feeâ— Him go before and to lead in the Way you should walk in and in those things that concerns the Truth of God that so you may still be prâ—served in that in which the Peace of God truly comes to be felt For Friends This is a thing of great weight and far surpasses all that is visible and transitory so that you all may be kept waiting continually in the Light upon the Loâ—d to feel the Power and Virtue of it daily and to enjoy it and that you may come to dwell in it in steadfastness without wavering And this is that for which my labour is and for which my desire often times with deep Sighings and Breathings to the Lord is that you may he kept and preserved in those dark places of the earth where you have your Callings and that you may be an Honour and Praise to him in your Generation and that you may be refreshâ—d and consolated by his Living Presence more and more Oh Friends How pretious is it to feel the presence of God unto Refâ—eshment and Consolation but his preâ—ence is terrible unto those that are found in Iniquity and Unfaithfulness Therefore Dear Friends take heed of all that that would draw you out from the constant and diligent watching in the Light and to have a strict regard thereunto and of that Spirit that would run out into visions and openings of the Truth before the Leader for that is that which is Impatient Rash Hasty and Unstable and so that cannot hold out long but is soon weary and quickly offended and troubled when things doâ—h not allwayes fall out according to that mâ—nd and so there is no perfect satisfaction but it is wearying it self now in this and then in the other thing and this cannot stand in the day of trial But Friends Dwell low in the feeling of the pure measure of God and feel the Spirit of the Lamb that bears and suffers and hold fast the Faith in the Light and cleave unto it with your whole hearts that patience may possess your Souls that so you may feel the plentious peace and satisfaction therein And Friends Take heed of many consultations and thoughts concerning things which you cannot see through nor comprehend for if that gets place in the heart that brings a burthen upon the mind that darkens and vails and greives the Righteous Seed of God but in all things be careful that your minds may be kept conâ—inually out of all such things in that that opens the understanding and makes the heart tender for that is that which must preserve in that state And so Dear Friends there is an enemy near against whom it is greatly needful to watch continually that so the mind may be kept Single Pure and Clean and so that you may feel more and more these things and to enjoy the Comfort and Consolation in your selves when the mind is kept single and clean of all Incumbrances and Reasonings and Consultations about things which you cannot discern nor under stand and leave it to the Lord who is onely Wise and knows every ones Condition Sate and Capacity who watcheth over his own as a Father doth over his Children teaching and instructing every one according to their growth and abillity of those things that are his Will concerning them And Friends Take heed of that Spirit that still will seek to excuse himself and to diminish and hide that which is not well and to lay the charge and fault upon another to clear himself by so doing this is the Spirit of the world and is out of Truth and by the Truth the Light of God it is condemned This is he that appeared in Adam and Eve in the begining after the Fall And so Friends You who are called to come out of the Fall let nothing that is of that spirit and nature be cherished nor regarded but that all may be judged in the Light which is springing forth of that Ground the cursed Ground in which the Thorns and Briars and the Weeds growes and let the Fire consume it So Dear Friends keep nothing back nor excuse nothing nor diminish it not that cannot stand in the Light and Truth of God but is Condemned and must be so for ever And Friends Take heed of that which when there is any thing done or spoken as in a sence of Truth that will to much be seen and lookt upon in it and boast in it this is that which seeks self and not the honour of God but give you no place to that for that will run when the Lord sends not and will be doing of that which the Lord requireth not so there ought to be a continual watch against that And you still abiding in the true sence and feeling you come still to feel what the Lord requires and what he leads you unto and so there Consolation and Peace is felt and this doth not lift up but keeps low and sensible of the goodness of God and that breaks and tenders the heart and overcomes it And so this is that which every one ought
to wait for in himself to feel it that so you may be as obedient Children that are minding the instructions and directions of the Father continually And Friends Watch against that which would be striving to comprehend and know and understand much before it be the Lords time and pleasure for that is the same Spirit that is in the World but wait low in the feeling of the Light and the Power and dwell in it that so what you know and understand of the Truth and the things of it you may know in the Light by the Revelation of the Lord therein And this is that which is lasting though never so little and though such be as little Children that as it were know nothing at all yet it is pretious to keep in that state and not to run not to be busie not to will but to be quietly waiting upon the Lord to feel his Power to feel his Arm to preserve and to lead and to know him to be the Guide and Leader who leads gently the little ones and bears the Sucklings in his Arms and keeps and preserves them from that which would bruise and hurt them So Dear Friends Your Strength your Preservation and Salvation is in the Lord and therefore keep your selves close to his Light and imbrace it with a perfect heart and cleave unto it with your whole strength and let it not go neither let any thing have place in your hearts that is against it and where there is any thing yet remaining in the heart which is felt not to be in unâ—ty with it give your selves no rest till you feel the Judgement of God set a top over it in your hearts and then let it be freely refined up unto the Judgement that so not an enemy to the Truth and to your own Soules may be left alive in the house So Dear Friends This is in true Love unto you from one who hath experience of these things concerning which I have wrot unto you as in a weighty sence that hath been upon my heart for a considerable time and I could not well forbear longer but must communicate it unto you in a fresh and living â—ence of the Love of God and of Love unfeigned which often floweth forth to you-wards as an overflowing stâ—eam who are called 〈◊〉 the Lord and to whom the Lord hath stretched forth his Arm of Mercy and Love Oh Friends Dwell in that which preserves Love and Unity amongst the Children of the houshould of God that so thâ—re may be no place amongst you for discord or any thing of that nature neither let any thoughts enter the heart which you dare not declare in words for is it such as that you dare not make iâ— known Then they are things that ought to have no place in the heart though many times such things may present themselves in the thoughts but it ought to have no place for it will hurt though â—t may appear with some shew of Truth or Good in it or of a good tendency but the end is seen in the Light that it doth not proceed out of the Light And so Friends waiting in the Light you will daily more and more come to see the subtil workings of the enemy in the heart which is the desire of my Soul and that you may be preserved and kept out of his Snares So Friends I have no other thing to which I can commit you but to the Lord who is able to preserve you and to keâ—p you out of all the cunning devices of Sathan yea and I am perswaded that he will do it to all those that perseveres in the Faith in his Light in faithfulness stedfast unto the end so that you all may be preserved and established in the everlastiâ—g Truth and may endure to the end that so none having put his hand to the Plough may look back that is the earnest longing and desire of may heart So the Lord God of Power who alone is our Strength Power and Refuge establish your minds more and more in his Light and your hearts more and more in the Faith and continually to wait upon him in his Light and to confirme your confidence in him that so you may run and not be weary and walk on and faint not That so Peace Rest Comfort and Consolation may be multiplyed amongst you from the Lord. To whom be Glory and Honour and Praises for ever From your true Friend in the Truth Elizabeth Hendericks Amâ—terdam the 19th of the 6th Moneth 1672. THE END