yet his Everlasting Kindness shall not be removed neither the Covenant of his Peace be taken from you his People that keep Covenant with him your God so the Almighty be with you in all your Tryals and Temptations and his Arms of tender mercy bear up all the Weak and Little Ones among you whose desires are Upright before him that none such may fall through the Fury of the Adversary and Temptations of the Enemy but that you all may be kept by the power of your God through Faith in his Everlasting Name to the end to finish your Testimony in Faithfulness with Joy to his Glory and your Endless Peace Happiness and Filicity in him the God of your Hope Amen The God of Peace be with you and Comfort you with his Love oh Lord God Everlasting keep all thy dear People in this hour and power of Darkness hide them in the hollow of thy Hand and let the Banner of thy Love be over them dispose of them O Lord as seemeth good unto thee only let not thy Faithfulness to them and their Faith to thee be wanting and let them be tendered by thee as the first Fruits unto thee after the long Night of Apostacy that eclipsed thy Glory from the face of the Earth My dear love remains with you Farwel dear Friends Edmondâ— Bury common Goal this 8th of the fifth Month. From your true Friend and Brother in the Patient Suffering for the Testimony of Jesus William Bennit THE VVork and Mercy of GOD Conducing to his Praise Or a Demonstration of the Visitation of God's 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 obeyâ—d saveth from Sin and redemeeth the Soul unto God Published in bowels of pity and love to all those that have desires after the Way of Truth and are yet seeking it abroad in their Imaginations and are mourning and groaning under the burden and weight of Sin hoping and desiring that if the Lord will such may meet with some incouragement and direction hereby for them to turn their minds into the Light of Christ in themselves and in it to believe and wait for power over and freedom from Sin that true lasting peace in God they may come to witness to the true and full satisfaction of their Souls All thiags that are reproved are made manifest by the Light for whatsoever doth make manifest is Light c. That which may be known of God is manifest in them c. Wherewith shall a Young man cleanse hiâ— way by taking heâ—d thereunto according to thy Word thy Word I have hid in my Heart c. Eph. 5. 13 c. Rom. 1. 16. Psal 1. 19. 9 11. VVHen I was but young in Years the Lord God of Light Life and Power of tender Love of infinite Compassion and everlasting bowels of Mercy was pleased then in some measure to visit me by or with his pure Light in my own Conscience which many a time did check and reprove me for my Sins and brought my Evil-doings to my remembrance and judged me in my own Heart for Evil and sometimes brought trouble upon my Mind for my Sins but I was not then sensible that it was the Light of Christ Jesus who is the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the World which then in my own Conscience did check reprove and judge me for Evil and sometimes broke my false ease and rest in Sin insomuch as I could not go on in Sin Wildness and Vanity without being somewhat troubled terrified and reproved for my Sin at one time or other though when I was among idle Children voic of the fear of God I ran into Sin and Wickedness with them and for the present time I acted in Sin with great Delight and Joy but when I came to be still quiet and alone in the Fields or elsewhere then would the pure Witness of God arise in me with its reproofs and set my Sins in order before me and brought my Evil Doings to my remembrance which I had acted out of the pure fear of the Lord God and then Trouble for a time took hold on me and Sin became my burden but I soon got from under that Burden at Ease and Liberty again and ran into Sin and Vanity again and thus year after year I went on in rebellion against the Witness of God in my own Conscience taking delight and pleasure in those things I knew were Evil yet the Lord God whose tender Bowels of Pity and Compassion did then in Mercy hover over me for good to me in that day did sometimes stop me from speaking and acting that Evil I intended to speak or do preserved me out of many gross Evils which many others were addicted unto and overcome with And in those days when I was alone in the Fields I cryed and prayed unto the Lord and desires were stirring in me after the knowledge of him his Way and Truth but I prayed to a God I knew not I imagined a God afar off and did not then know it was the Lord that did search my Heart and discovered unto me my Thoughts and judged me for Sin I then knew not that that was the Light Way and Truth of God in my own Heart which sometimes begot desires in me to know the Truth and to walk therein but my mind was abroad as it is with many at this day who have desires after Truth and Righteousness but are seeking abroad in Carnal Ordinances Forms Likenesses Beggarly Elements Rudiments of the World Ceremonies and Traditions of men and knew not that that in me was Truth which sometimes stopt me from Lying and Swearing and when I knowingly told a Lye it would accuse me when no man could accuse me for it and as I grew in years for I may truly say there was something stirring in me at times after the Lord ever since I was 6 or 7 years of Age and when I came to be about 14 years old and to be a Prentize and in outward Thraldom and Bondage it pleased the God of infinite loving-kindness to visit me more then formerly by his pure Light and Spirit which encreased in striving with me daily that I scarce knowingly committed any Evil but the Light would soon judge me for it yea the Lord God with his pure Light and Gift did persue me hard and followed me close calling to me in my Heart with his still Voice to come out of Sin out of evil Words and Works but I like Samuel when he was a Child knew not that it was the Lord that did call for he was though near me as a Stranger to me and I knew not his Voice but went astâ—ay as a wandering Sheep yet had I desires to know the way to the â—old and to know where the Lord feedeth his Flook and causeth them to lie down in Peace Quietness Rest where none
it worketh not without the Soul 's yeilâ—ing obedience thereunto so far as to work its translation yet not the Soul's work but the work of God in and upon the Soul for though Christ is come a Light into the World and is the Salvation of God yet they that believe not in him he is their Condemnation and yet sufficient Salvation to them who believe in him and obey him for as the Light manifesteth Evil yet if the Creature yeild not obedience thereunto he cannot have â—ower over the Evil but if he yeild obedience to the Light it gives him power over Evil yet not the Creatures Power but the Power of God which begetteth thâ— Will and â—h◠〈◊〉 also therefore perfect obedience to the Light the Lord requireth of every one and daily to Watch and Wrestle â—gainst that which is condemnable by the Light for so long as the Creature knowingly lives in that whether in Words â—â— Deedâ— that it seeth to be reprovable by the Light it cannot injoy perfect peace with God for the peace of God is enjoyed iâ— the Light and truely if that Condemn surely the Lord doth not Justifie though many believe they are Justified in the sight of God through Christ although the Witness of God leâ—s them see that they are yet in their Sins and condemns them for Sin and this Faith or rather Unbelief which leads them to believe that they nor none else can be made free from all Sin on this side the Grave and yet they imagin that they are free from it in the sight of God but beware of that Faith for it is accursed and is not the true Faith which is the gift of God which through Christ saveth from all Sin for that Faith admits of Sin but the Faith of Gods Elect sets free from all Sin for where the Wicked one hath seated this Faith or Perswasion in the Heart it is hard indeed for such a one to come to Live in the Life of Truth which is holy for as the Light doth let the Soul see it is in its Sins and brings Trouble and Condemnation upon the Mind for Sin and begets a desire also in the Heart to be freed from Sin for it feels it lie as a weighty load upon its Conscience behold even then the Wicked one who hath begot this perswasion in the Creature that it cannot be freed from all Sin here though freed from Sin in the sight of God and this perswasion causes the Creature to do dispite to the Spirit of Grace and strive to quench its Reproofs and so get at ease in that cursed Faith and in that wrong Believe and sit down short of the Peace of God so that which begot desires in the Creature to be freed from Sin comes to be vailed and slain and many Thousands are in this State who are large Boasters who are boasting that they are Justified by Christ and that Christ hath done all for them and if they can believe it that is sufficient and yet still in their Sins Now the Apostle Paul saith If while we seek to be Justiâ—â—ed by Christ we our selves be found Sinners Is Christ therefore the Minister of Sin God forbid and he saith Shall we continue in Sin that Grace may abound God forbid for how can we who are Dead to Sin Live any longer therein and he said They who are Justified by Faith through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus which Redemption is a redeeming out of Sin and their Faith gave them power over the World and did not admit of Sin as the Professors Faith doth who believe they can never be free from all Sin in this Life Oh in tender Love I beseech you to beware of that Delution and Perswasion of the Wicked one for it is very dangerous and a broad way which the Creature is prone to run into now there is a great difference betwixt such who with the Light seeth much Sin which they are addicted unto yet to be subdued and it is their sore Burden and they in the strength of the Light wrestle against it and so feel it daily decrease and that Faith begoâ— by which they see and believe that they shall be made Conquerors over all as they abide faithful to the Light which lets them see Sin I say there is a great difference betwixt such as are there in that State travelling out of Sin out of Egypt where the Bondage is towards Sion where the Freedom is and such as are sate down satisfied in a false Confidence and in a wrong Belief continuing in their Sins and believe they shall not be free from it here but you know otherwise therefore in the Life of what you know abide for truly it is the Life that must make alive and keep alive to God which Life is the Light of men the true Light which lighteth every one thaâ— cometh into the World and is the Salvation of God and therein wait and feel your Minds exercised in its operation for this changeth the Mind the Thoughts the Affections and Desires for as they have been Earthly so they become Heavenly and it becomes the Souls delight to answer the end of the Lord and to endeavour to walk worthy of his Love and it becomes its Life to do the Will of God and to follow the Leadings of his Spirit which leadeth out of Evil but before this be witnessed the strait and narrow Way must be known felt and lived in and there must be a passing through the Fire through the Water through the one Baptizing which baptiseth into Death and so translateth into Life in which Life it will become your Life to do the Will of God Oh dear Father and Mother keep I beseech you to the Gift of God in your own particulars and be obedient to its Leadings and therein watch diligently continually and with it try your Thoughts and Words and Intents before you bring them forth and if they be reprovable give theâ— up to the Light the Fire to be consumed dear Hearts it is in unexpressible Love that I write thus unto you and be very wary of spaking things by contraries which you are addicted to for there is no Lye of the Truth and he that abideth in the Truth is preserved out of the Lye he that loveth the Light bringeth his Deeds to the Light to try them whether they be wrought in God so be not forward to utter Words but feel the Light of Christ to guide and lead you and bring your Thoughts and Words to it to try them whether you may speak them yea or nay now if they be reprovable by the Light then they are to dye and not be brought forth for if they be this grieveth the Righteous Spirit of God and breaks your Peace with the Lord for if his Witness Condemn he doth not Justifie so the Creature keeping low in the pure Fear and Dread of the Lord it dare not do that whether in Thought Word or Deed which it
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
blessed be the Lord who hath exalted my low Estate and brought me from off the Dunghil and given me a Mansion in the Father's House and a place at the Table with his Children though I once by hearken to my Enemy said I was a Dog and not worthy to eat of the Childrens Bread and so I kept good things from me by yeilding to my Adversary who would still have feed me with his food even the dust of the Earth that so I might have continued always Weak Lean Barren and Feeble and never to have been able to overcome him but the Lord my tender God who thought upon me in the day of my distress when I was poor and needy hath rebuked him and hath put him under my Feet the mighty the Lord hath brought down from his Seat and exalted him of low degree he hath delivered Jacob out of the hand of him that was too strong for him and though he was a Worm and no Man and the cry was How shall Jacob arise yet the Arm of his God hath raised him from the Earth and hath set his Feet upon the Necks of his Enemies and hath given him power to tread upon the Mighty as the Potter treadeth Clay and this is the Lord's doings and it is marvelous in the eyes of his Servants blessed be his name for ever it is the Lord that lifteth up the weak Hands that hung down and strengthens the feeble Knees and mâ—kes strait their Paths that that which is Lame may not be turned out of the Way but that rather it may be Healed that the Halâ—ing may go upright and the Lame may leap as an Hart and the Tongue of the Dumb might sing of the goodness of the Lord and the Mourner rejoyce in him whose Mercy endureth forever So believe hope and trust you in the Lord all ye that love him and mourn and long for him and in patience and contentedness without fainting in your minds wait for him for the Lord is good to the man that waits upon him to the Soul that seeketh him and it is good both to hope and quietly to wait upon the Lord more then he that wanteth and waiteth for the Morning for with the Lord there is great Mercy and plentious Redemption who redeemeth Jacob out of all his Trouble and is with him in the Fire and in the Water and in all his Afflictions he forsook him not Therefore trust you hope relie and depend you upon the Lord all you that love him and cast your care upon him for he cares for you whose tender compassion and faithfulness will never fail to the House of Israel A General Salutation of Love to the Children of Light AND all dearly beloved Friends everywhere who are faithful to the Lord and his Truth in your several measures and places my very dear and unfained love in the precious Truth of our God extends unto all the honest and upright in Heart who love and delight in Truth and Righteousness and seek the Praise Honour and Glory of God alone Grace and Love be with you Mercy and Peace attend you Joy and Comfort fill you and the Blessing of the Most High rest upon and remain in with you Day and Night and the Lord keep you all in the Faith of the Elect Seed in which is your Victory over the World in which stand fast and keep your Dominion in the Lord over the Earth earthly things that the Earth may be the Foot-stool of your Minds Heaven your Throne and you to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus and to use the World as if you used it not being loose in heart to that which perisheth with the using oh that all Friends that are free from and void of the Cares of this Life and Cumbrances of this World may prize and stand fast in their Freedom and not be forward and hasty in the affectionate part to run their selves into Bondage to those things that profit not but hindreth to God-ward and prove as Bryars and Thorns to the choaking or quenching of the growth of the Seed of Life in the Heart there is a mind that hunts and desires after and is ready if it be not limitted to form and create unto it self a Freedom that stands not in the Liberty of the Sons of God the Liberty of the Sons of God and Children of the Light stands in that which is a Yoke to the World's Liberty and their Freedom stands in that which is Bondage to the carnal Mind and crucifies unto the World and wordly things also there is a mind that is ready to endeavour and seek to put off and to keep out of those things which in their proper place may be said to be lawful that it seeth it hindreth the growth into the Eternal and endangereth the Souls standing to God-wards and truly that is the more purer mind that serves one Master God alone Indeed dear Friends I am ready to desire that this mind which was in Christ Jesus may have dominion in our Hearts more and more that as Strangers and Pilgrims we may be in and to the World and the love thereof and the Lord â—lone become object of our Love and his Truth the covering of our Eyes that so the desire of our Souls may be unto him and unto the remembrance of his Name which is like precious Oyntment pour'd forth giving a pleasant smell and a sweet delectâ—ble savour and therefore do the Virgins love him and remember his Love more then Wine yea more then Father Mother Husband Wife Children Silver Gold Houses Lands yea he is the chiefest to them of ten thousand and the Upright love him for he is altogether comely Oh! dearly beloved Friends much hath the Lord God of power done for us since the day he found us laid among the Pits and raised us up from the Dunghil of our own Corruption and sâ—id unto us Live who were dead in Sins and Trespasses oh how greatly hath he blessed and prospered us in despite of the spirit that hath so eagerly sought and endeavoured to devour us and extinguish us from being a People and hath even made us a Family like a Flock and though Balak and Balaam's spirit the Beast Jezabel and false Prophets have sought Inchantments against us to Curse us yet the God of blessings has greatly Blest us in our Sufferings Tribulations and Afflictions and has made Joseph as a fruitful Bough by the Wall whose Branches grow over the Wall that doth and will let until it be taken out of the way though the Archers of Babylon have shot at him and grievously wounded him yet his Bow notwithstand his great Affliction hath abode in Strength and the Hands of his Arms have been made strong by the hand of the mighty God of Jacob who has blest Joseph and unto the uttermost bounds of the everlasting Hills shall he be blessed forevermore Oh dear Friends if any People now in being upon the