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AUTHOR: 
 
 CRISP, STEPHEN 
 
 TITLE: 
 
 AN EPISTLE TO FRIENDS 
 CONCERNING THE ... 
 
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 LONDON 
 
 DA TE : 
 
 1780 
 
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No. 3 
 
 A N 
 
 E P I S T L E 
 
 T O 
 
 FRIENDS 
 
 Concerning the 
 
 Prefent and Succeeding Times: 
 
 BEING 
 
 A Faithful Exhortation and Warning to all 
 Friends, who profefs the Truth, to beware 
 of the manifold Wiles of the Enemy, and to 
 ftSnd armed in the Light of the Lord God of 
 Heaven and Earth, againft his Aflaults, that fo 
 they may be ready to anfwer the Call and Re- 
 quirings of the Lord. 
 
 ALSO, 
 
 Something fignified of the Mifery of the Succeeding 
 Times, that all may be prepared, and that the evil 
 Day may not overtake any unawares, but fuch as 
 turn away their Ear from Counsel. 
 
 By one who is a Traveller in the Way of Peace, and 
 
 hath Good-will towards all Men, and more efpecially 
 
 to the Houfhold of Faith ; Stephen Crisp. 
 
 • • » 
 
 •* Let him that hath an Ear, hear what the Spirit faith to 
 ** the Churches." Rev. ii. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed and Sold by James Phillips, in George- 
 Yard, Lombard-Street, 1780. 
 
 r\ 
 
T H E 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 CT^HE enfuing traSt is re-publijhed at the 
 Requeji of feveral Friends y who thought it 
 might be of Service to fettle the the Minds of many 
 in thefe unjlable ^imes, and incline them to look 
 Home to that Rock which has been, is, and will bf, 
 the- only Safety for the Righteous, in all Storms and 
 Trials of every Kind which may attend them in this 
 Life ; and it was thought neceffary to reprint it 
 for general Service at this Time, wherein then 
 arefuch Commotions ^ Wars, and Rumours of Wars 
 in the Earth. 
 
 A 2 * 
 
 A N 
 
A N 
 
 EPISTLE 
 
 T O 
 
 FRIENDS concerning the Prefent 
 and Succeeding Times. 
 
 Dear Friends, 
 
 YO U whom the Lord hath reached unto, in 
 this the Day of his Love, and to whom he 
 hath made known the Way of Truth and Right- 
 coufnefs, through the raifing up of that holy living 
 Witnefs of himfelf, that long lay hid and buried 
 in you, and hath brought you to a fecret feeling 
 of fomething in yourfelves, that is worth the 
 minding and regarding ; and the Lord caufing this 
 to appear in the Day of your feeking, as a Light 
 difcovering Darknefs and its Power, by which ye 
 were formerly held, and given you by his Spirit 
 a Senfe add fecret Hope, that in this Light the 
 Way of Deliverance was to be attained unto ; this 
 Hope made you not afhamed of the Light which 
 before you hated, but you came to know and em- 
 brace it, even while others ftill hated it, and you 
 for its fake ; yet your Hearts being affedled with 
 the Hope that did appear therein, could not but fo 
 far join unto it, as to make publick Profeffion of it 
 for its own fake, and for no other Ends or Defigns, 
 or Intereft at all, but with Refolution in that 
 X^ighty to wait for the Salvation of God. Dear 
 Friends^ it is for you aforementioned, that both 
 
 now. 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 now, and for fome Days and Weeks, my Heart 
 
 hath been deeply exercifed, even Night and Day ; 
 
 and the Aboundings of the Father's Love do often 
 
 overcome me, and draw me forth now to fay and 
 
 write thefe Things unto you, for your Admonition 
 
 and Eftablifhment. And indeed it is you who did 
 
 thus rightly own the Way of Truth, and knew 
 
 your Believing to be the Gift and Mercy of God 
 
 to your Souls, that I do aim at ; for thofe who 
 
 have taken up the Profeflion of the precious Truth 
 
 upon By-refpecfts and finifter Ends, and but for 
 
 Reafons propounded in their carnal Minds, though 
 
 I do pity them, yet I have not much at this Time 
 
 to fay to them, but this, T'&e Day Jloall declare 
 
 therriy and their Garments jhall not hide them. 
 
 But you. Oh my Friends!^ who had Fellowfhip 
 
 with us in the deep Travails of our Beginnings, 
 
 and did come to Truth the fame Way, and have 
 
 known the Power and Virtue of it, m^ny Times 
 
 overcoming you in your inward Man, which hath 
 
 made you cry out. Lord, evermore give us of this 
 
 Bread 'y and hath made you as a watered Garden : 
 
 Oh Friends ! how fliall I exprefs or fignify unto 
 
 you thofe Longings, thofe ardent Defires, and 
 
 earneft Breathings of my Soul, that you, even you, 
 
 may abide to the End of all Trials, Tribulations, 
 
 and Adverfitics, and may inherit that Crown of 
 
 Immortality which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord, 
 
 may not by any means be bereft thereof- This is 
 
 fingly my Travail in Body and Spirit, that you 
 
 may be kept and preferved out of all the fubtil 
 
 Snares of the wicked One, who hunts for the 
 
 Souls, even of thofe who have believed; and 
 
 therefore in dear and tender Love 1 have a few 
 
 Things, 
 
 ( 7 ) 
 
 Thing, to write unto you for the clearing of my 
 Confcience, and difcharging my Duty in the Sight 
 of the Lord : and the Lord give you all a tender 
 and an underftanding Heart, that both you and 
 I may yet have Caufe daily to praife the Lord in 
 the glorious Light of his Salvation, which he 
 hath manifefted among us by the revealing his 
 Son Jefus Chrift, to whom belongs Dominion, 
 Honour and Glory, for ever. Amen. 
 
 And firft, dear Friends, it is in my Heart to put 
 you in Remembrance of that by which we were 
 -called and convinced, which, as a Foundatioa 
 Principle, was laid in and among you, and it 
 being unchangeable and unalterable in itfelf, doth 
 therefore admit of no Alteration or Change iu 
 thofe who are rightly kept to it. 
 
 It was a Light which arofe in our Hearts, and 
 fhined forth from God the Father of Lights, car- 
 rying in its Appearance the Nature and Property 
 of God, both in its condemning Evil, which the 
 Enemy had fown or planted in us, and owning, 
 allowing, and j uftify ing every Thing that was good 
 and honeft, juft and equal; even thofe Thoughts 
 in our Hearts which v^^ere for turning towards 
 the Lord, and feeking his Righteoufnefs ; thefc 
 Thoughts were juftified and encouraged by the 
 Light, and all the contrary difcovered and judged, 
 as they were brought to it to be tried. Now, 
 this Light did our Souls rejoice in, as they had 
 good Caufe, though it took away our former Re- 
 joicings ; our Pleafures in Vanities and Iniquity 
 died, our Glory in this World withered, our 
 Friendfliip with the Sons of Men decayed, and 
 we ftood in the Light and faw all thefe Things, 
 
 and 
 
i. 
 
 ( 8 ) 
 
 and were not forry at it, bat waited daily to fee 
 thefe Things more and more brought to pafs ; 
 neither was there a permitting our Thoughts to 
 go out, how we might prevent thofe Damages, 
 or repair thefe LofTes, but the Crofs of Chrift 
 was indeed our glorying or rejoicing ; and the 
 Hope that was before us did make us dcfpife the 
 Pleafures, Treafures and Honours, Friendfhips 
 and Delights of this World ; and in thofe Days 
 you grew into a Feeling of the heavenly Joy, 
 where the Hundred-fold was witnefled in your 
 Bofoms> and the Zeal of the Lord was kindled 
 by his own Spirit in you, againft whatfoever this 
 Light of Jefus in the Confcience did witnefs 
 againft. And the Lord beheld your Integrity, and 
 blefTed you, and mjiltiplied you, and added to 
 your Strength and Stature; and then did the Fruits 
 of this glorious Work abound among you, in 
 three more general and fpecial Effedts ; by which 
 Efteifls, or by their Continuance among you, let 
 all now come to fearch and try themfelves, that 
 fo, dear Friends, thofe who have continued faith- 
 ful in them all, may perfevere in like manner to 
 the End : And thofe, who upon true Search do 
 find that they have failed, and fallen fhort in all 
 or any of them, may make hafte to repejit, and 
 to turn to that which was the Root of them all, 
 that they may not be found as fruitlefs and with- 
 ered Branches in the Day that cometh, left they 
 be cut off and utterly confumed from among the 
 living Branches of the Vine ; for a Day cometh 
 that Truth will look into the Fig-tree for Fruit,, 
 and Leaves will not defend it from the Curfe and 
 
 Blafting, 
 
 ThQ 
 
 t ^ ) 
 
 the three efpecial Fruits that did fpring forth 
 from this bleffed Root, and were and are to con- 
 tinue and increafe in ' us, arid among us to the 
 t-nd, are thefe> viz: 
 
 1 . Purity, manifefted in a godly Converfation. 
 
 2. Unity, manifefted in dear and tender Love 
 one towards another^ 
 
 3. Faithfulness, manifefted in bearing a 
 conftant and faithful Teftimotly to the Things we 
 had received and believed, though it were unto 
 great Lofs and Sufferings. 
 
 And againft all thefe doth the wicked One ap- 
 pear, to fee if he can make you barren concern- 
 ing them, and that with divers Wiles and Sub- 
 tilties, that he may prevail on you, and not be 
 known to be the Enemy, but might fo overcome 
 you, as that you might both fubmit to him, and 
 then plead for him and his Snares and Wiles, as 
 being juft, right, lawful, prudent, convenient, 
 &c. But, oh dear Friends ! let all be watchful 
 and diligent to wait in the Senfe and true Feeling 
 of that Seed which never fell nor was beguiled, 
 and you will (even the leaft of you) fee and com- 
 prehend his Workings and Transformings, and 
 be delivered from them. 
 
 I. PuRiTYandHoLiNESs wasaFruit inyou, 
 which doth yet flourifti in many (bleffed be the 
 Lord) who are as watchful and careful to approve 
 themfelves in Obedience to the Light of Truth in 
 their inward Parts as ever, and find as great a Ne- 
 ceflity both of trying and judging with its Judg- 
 ment, as ever j thefe having thus waited, have re- 
 newed their Strength unto this very Day, and do 
 mount up as upon the Wings of an Eagle ; thefe 
 
 *B are 
 
{ 10 ) 
 
 are neither weary in running, nor faint they in 
 their walking : But alas. Friends ! even thefe do 
 know with how great andmanifold Affaults they 
 have been aflaulted, and know and fee with Sor- 
 row of Heart, how the Affault hath prevailed 
 upon fome, by working into the Mind a fecret 
 Liberty, and fuppofed Enlargednefs, whereby a 
 Carelejhefs hath entered fome, and they having no 
 Keeper but the Meafure of Light revealed in their 
 Hearts and Confciences, fo foon as they came to 
 be perfuaded to flight the Reproofs of that, they 
 foon erred ; and this fuppofed Liberty entered, 
 That now, after fo many Years Stri^nefs and Cir- 
 ctimfpeStiony they JJmild not need to fland fo flraitly 
 to try things and Words as atfirfi, becaufe now a 
 Day of more Liberty was come ; and this Liberty 
 fecretly prevailed againft that pure Fear that once 
 was placed in their Hearts, and againft the very 
 Obedience of Truth, inwardly in the Subjeftion 
 of the Mind, and then it became manifeft out- 
 wardly; the Adtions fometimes blame-worthy, 
 the Words and Speech again corrupted, and run 
 into the old Channel of the World, like them 
 again, and the fingle pure Language, learned in 
 xht Light, in the Time of their Poverty and Sim- 
 plicity, almoft loft and forgotten, and fo the Work 
 of God which he wrought, in a manner laid 
 wafte : And then, when this Liberty is entered, 
 and made ufe of as aforefaid, oftentimes a fecret 
 Subtilty arifeth againft the Judgment of Truth, 
 either from within, or from fome outwardly, who 
 are grieved with this loofe and carelefs Kind of 
 fpeaking or afting, which Subtilty leads to con- 
 tend for it againft the Judgm&at, telling the Crea- 
 ture, 
 
 ( 
 
 II 
 
 ) 
 
 ture, Why^ thefe Things are but fmall Things ^ and 
 little Things, and what, we mufl not firain at a 
 Gnat, andfuch like. Oh, my Friends ! beware of 
 thefe evil Suggeftions of the wicked One : How 
 came they to be fmall and little Things, feeing 
 they were great Things with us in the Beginning ? 
 And how comes an Offence of this Nature to be 
 light now, feeing it was heavy in the Beginning ? 
 Oh let not the greateft Mercies of our God fo fill 
 us, as to make us flight or forget the leaft Obe- 
 dience, but rather let the Continu^ance of his 
 Mercy the more quicken you up unto a Zeal for 
 his Name and Truth in all Things, to be found 
 doing and fpeaking according to the Rule of 
 Righteoufnefs, which ye learned in the Light, in 
 the Day of your being low and little, and then 
 nothing will rife up and be exalted in the Multi- 
 tude of God's Mercies, but that holy Birth which 
 lives in Purity when it is at higheft ; and fo 
 that Life of Righteoufnefs will fhine forth more 
 and more, which glorifies God, and feeks his 
 Honour. Dear Friends, that ye may be kept fo 
 unto the End, is the Breathing and Travail of my 
 Soul : And that where this Negleft hath entered, 
 and this aforefaid Corruption, either in Speech or 
 Adlion, is to be found, that ye would receive 
 the Word of Exhortation in Meeknefs and Fear, 
 in which it is written unto you, and may redeem 
 the Time, for the Days are and fhall be evil, and 
 none will hold the Myftery of the Faith (which 
 faves from falling in the evil Day) but fucn as do 
 keep the pure and undefiled Confcience, which 
 none can do, but by perfifting and, continuing in 
 
 B z the 
 
ll 
 
 ( I. ) 
 
 the daily Sanftification of the Spirit, and Belief 
 and Obedience of the Truth. 
 
 2. A fecond Fruit that was brought forth fronq^ 
 this good Root, was Unity and Love one towards 
 another y which, blefled be the Lord, is precioufly 
 prefervcd in and among many to this very Day, 
 who are fo fenfible of the divers Operations of 
 Truth in them to be all by one Spirit, that they 
 are ftjU kept of one Heart and Mind, given up 
 freely to ferve the Lord in Singlenefs of Heart in 
 their Generation ; and are in this good Work as 
 Strengtheners and Encouragers of one another; 
 but, notwithftanding, the Enemy hath been ex-; 
 ceeding bufy to lay wafte and deftroy this blefled 
 EfFecft alfo, and that under divers Pretences, which 
 the Lord ftill difcovered by his own Light and 
 Spirit in his People, who have fingly waited upon 
 him ; for qiany have been his Wiles, fometimes 
 fitting and preparing VeflTels to rife up in the 
 fleihly and fenfual Wifdom, to traduce Friends, 
 and bring in corrupt and evil Doftrines, to try 
 who were not found in the Faith, that they might 
 draw them afide into an Heat and Zeal for fome- 
 thing which had not its Root in the Truth, and 
 which they who abode in the Truth could not 
 own, but judge and condemn in the Name of the 
 Lord. Which, when fuch faw, they toak thereat 
 Occafion of ftriying to propagate and promote 
 that which they faw withftood ; fo having loft 
 5ubje<aion to the Spirit of Truth in themfelves, 
 which would have kept them in Unity in the 
 Body ; and having alfo loft and laid by their Sub* 
 jediion to thofe who were over them in the Lord, 
 they then grew ftubborn and wilful, and proceeds 
 
 e4 
 
 ( 13 ) 
 
 cd in more Zeal for that which ftood in Oppo* 
 fition to the Truth, than ever they did for the 
 Truth itfelf ; and thefe fometimes have prevailed 
 to the fubverting whole Houfholds, and have turn- 
 ed feveral from the Faith and Simplicity which 
 is in the Gofpel, who, as well as thofe that fub- 
 verted them, have loft the Fellowfliip of the 
 Saints, and the Savour of Life, both in them- 
 felves and others, and then the Enemy perfuaded 
 them, all were dead to the Life but the??ijelves ; and 
 fo they grow to have a tickling Joy in what they 
 do and fay, in Obedience to that perverfe and 
 fingular private Spirit, and fo grow up to fpeak 
 Evil of Dignities, and are unruly, and dare to 
 fpeak againft Heaven, and them that dwell and 
 inhabit in it, whom God makes to fhine as Stars 
 in the Firmament of his Power : But alas for 
 them ! my Soul pities them, when I fee how they 
 fport themfelves with their own Deceivings ; but 
 the Day of the Lord is among his People, which 
 hath and doth make them and their Spirits mani- 
 feft, and their Fruits alfo have made them ma^ 
 nifeft. 
 
 Another Way that the Enemy feeks to break 
 the Unity y and difFolve the Bond of Amity , is, by 
 fowing a Seed of Jealoti/y and Prejudice in the 
 Hearts of fuch in whom he can get an Entrance, 
 that fo they may ceafe from the true and unfeign- 
 ed Love, and that upon a pretended Reafon, be- 
 caufe of this or that, which is fuppofed or ima- 
 gined, in the evil Parts in themfelves, againft 
 others, giving heed to evil Thoughts or Surmifes,^ 
 which break forth many Times in Whifperinga 
 ?ind Tale-bearing s which, though the Thing 
 
 fuppofe4 
 
f 
 
 i\\ 
 
 ( H ) 
 
 llippofed to be evil, was really io^ yet this is not 
 to be allowed or given way to among you, but to 
 ufe Plainnefs one towards another, and Single- 
 heartednefs, and to fhut out the evil one in this 
 his fubtil Appearance alfo. Oh, dear Friends ! 
 remember how the Lord hath dealt with you, 
 and deal you fo one by another ; he hath not 
 fought Occafions againft you, but hath long born 
 and fufFered, and exercifed much Patience and 
 Tendernefs towards you, yet plainly reproving 
 the Evil in you, and not treafuring it up againft 
 you. Oh, Friends ! be like-minded one towards 
 another, that the Enemy of your Peace and Con- 
 cord may be defeated, and you preferved entire 
 to one Head, even to Chrift Jefus, and ye may 
 be one, and the Name of the Lord may be one 
 among you ; and that which tends to the making 
 cold your Love, may be judged in all ; and fo 
 Brotherly-Love will continue with you to the 
 
 End. 
 
 Another Way which the Enemy works to fcat- 
 ter, and to bring from this Unity , is, by leading 
 fome, who have believed, into fome Sin and Ini- 
 quity which the Body (who are in the Truth) are 
 conftrained to appear in Judgment againft for the? 
 Truth's Sake ; and yet notwithftanding the Par- 
 ties fo finning being above the Witnefs in them- 
 felves, which would bring them to own the Judg- 
 ment of the Spirit of Chrift in his Church, they 
 exalt themfelvcs above the Judgment, and feek 
 to gain to them fuch whom they can enter, by 
 their Words and Complaints, to take Part with 
 them againft the Judgment, and thofe who pafTed 
 it Such were thofe whofe Words did eat (the 
 
 Apoftle 
 
 Apoftle faid) as a Canker ^ of whom the Believer « 
 in thofe Days were to be aware ; for commonly 
 fuch as have gone from the Power that ftiould 
 have kept them clear and upright, will alfo turn 
 againft the Power in thofe who abide in it, efpe- 
 cially if they be drawn forth to reprove and re- 
 buke them : But let all fuch know, that is not 
 the Way to be renewed ; and let all that take Part 
 with any who work Iniquity, know, that they 
 do but defile their own Souls thereby, and rend 
 themfelves from that Body which they cannot 
 profper out of. And therefore, dear Friends^ be- 
 ware of joining with that, in yourfelves or in 
 others, which the Power goeth againft, let the 
 Pretences be what they will ; for that which doth 
 Evil, will always be apt to fow evil Complain- 
 ings of others ^ and fuch as are in the unfatisfied 
 Murmuring againft Judgment pafl:ed upon them, 
 are much to be feared ; for they thereby render 
 themfelves the more guilty, and yet the further 
 from Repentance. But, dear Frie?idsy watch unto 
 that which gives you a living Feeling of the living 
 Body, which is the Church, that in all Things 
 you may demean yourfelves as true Members of 
 it, ferving one another in Love, and fubmitting 
 yourfelves one unto another for the Lord's Sake, 
 that in all Plainnefs and Singlenefs, as becometh 
 the Truth, you may feek to preferve the Unity 
 which the Enemy of Truth and Peace doth envy ; 
 fo ftiall ye continue to ftrengthen one another's 
 Hand in every good Work, and this ftiall tend to 
 the weakening of the Hands of your Enemies, 
 who feek to divide you, that they may rule over 
 you. Many other Defigns doth the wicked One 
 
!( 
 
 ( i6 ) 
 
 try, dally to break aod divide, more than can 
 now be named, or here inferted ; but they are all 
 out of the Lighty and if you be in it, you will 
 fee them, and that will preferve you ; for it is 
 one, and did make us one, and will keep us to be 
 of one Heart and Mind to the End, if we abide 
 in it. 
 
 3. The third good Effect which Truth did 
 work in the Beginning, in thofe who did truly 
 receive it, was Zeal and Faithfulness to God, 
 in the bearing Teftimony to what was manifetf, 
 though through great Sufferings ; in which, as 
 Friends abide in the Root, they do daily increafe 
 in Power, to fulfil the fame Teftimony ; for the 
 Mercy of the Lord doth engage them, and his 
 Anfwer of Peace in the Midft of their Trials doth 
 arm and encourage them, and they hold out to 
 the End ; and for fuch the Lord hath always 
 made a Way, better than they could have made 
 for themfelves : Yet the Enemy hath in this Mat- 
 ter alfo been very bufy, and hath prevailed with 
 fome under divers Confiderations, or rather Con- 
 fultations, which he hath propounded unto them. 
 But, Oh Friends^ be ye all watchful, and take 
 heed left any of the Teftimonies of Truth be laid 
 wafte ; for that which leads to be weary of bear- 
 ing Witnefs to the Truth, and to lay it wafte, 
 the fame will lay thee wafte, and bring thee into 
 fuch a State, as thou wilt want the Truth to bear 
 Witnefs for thee ; and though it be hard for Flefti 
 and Blood (which hath no Kingdom but here) to 
 fall into the Hands of unreafonable Men, yet it 
 is a more fearful Thing to fall into the Hands of 
 the living God 5 and therefore, let all lukewarm 
 
 Ones, 
 
 ( 17 ) 
 
 Ones, who are neither hot, nor cold, be awaken*- 
 ed, and all, who have gone backwards, be warn- 
 ed to return to their frji Love^ elfe the Lord will 
 come againjl them, and the Day hajiens that will 
 divide fuch their Portion among Hypocrites^ except 
 they repent. 
 
 But to touch at fome of the Reafons or Argu- 
 ments which he, that abode not in the Truth 
 himfelf, ufed to draw others into this Kind of 
 treacherous Backfliding, obferve as follows, 
 
 Firjly He appears to fome to perfuade them, 
 that their former Tejlimony was borne more from 
 an Imitation of others, than from a Work of the 
 Power of God in themfelves ; and that now, they 
 not finding the Thing required of them, they 
 may leave off their Teftimonies, or may do fuch 
 Things as they have denied formerly : This Snare 
 doth the Enemy make ufe of in thefe Days. But 
 mark who it is that he hath caught with it ; none 
 but fuch who fometimes were low in their Minds, 
 and dared not to grieve the Spirit of God in them- 
 felves or others, but for the Truth's Sake could 
 give up all Things, rather than their Teftimony ; 
 but in Time growing carelefs and loofe in wait- 
 ing, loft that fubjeft State, and grew high and 
 exalted in their Minds above the Crofs that 
 fhould have crucified the betraying Wifdom ; and 
 fo having loft the true Exercife of the Power, and 
 the Feeling of the Excellency and Worth of the 
 Truth, they knew not the Requirings of the 
 Lord ; and the earthly Mind got up, which placed 
 a greater Efteem upon earthly Things, than upon 
 Things that are eternal ; and fo Things that once 
 thou oiFeredft up to God, thou takeft again into 
 
 C * thine 
 
HI 
 
 l» 
 
 < 18 ) 
 
 thine own Hand, and fo robbeft the Lord, and 
 groweft careful about outward Things, as other 
 Gentiles do ; and to cover thy Shame therein, the 
 Enemy then tempts thee to belye the Power 
 which once wrought in thy Heart, and made 
 thee afraid to aft againft the Light y or to deny 
 the Teftimony for God in fuch Things as were 
 manifeft, and then thou fayeft, thou didjl it by 
 Imitation ; but thou {halt know thy Covering is 
 too narrow in the Day that hafteth upon thee. 
 
 Another Temptation which the Enemy pre- 
 fenteth, is, that though thou art convinced what 
 to doy or what thou fiouldji denyy yet the Trials 
 are fo hard and fo many, and Perfecutors wax 
 worfe and worfe, fo that thou fhalt not be able to 
 hold out to the End ; and where he can get En- 
 trance with this Bait, he prefently caufeth an evil 
 Heart of Unbelief and Doubting to arife, which 
 takes away even the Strength that the Lord did 
 give, and fo Feeblenefs doth enter the Mind, and 
 a Spirit of Bondage leads thee to fear again ; and 
 then comes the Difpute in thy Hearty whether 
 thou JJoalt fiand with the Power of God, in the 
 Obedience, or whether thoM Jlo alt fall nndtr that 
 Power that arifeth againft God, and his Truth and 
 People ? And in this Combat thou haft a fubtil 
 Enemy, ufing many Devices to betray thee ^ and 
 a Part in thyfelf, not yet mortified, that is ready 
 to fay. Pity thyfelf y pity thy Wifey pity thy Chil-^ 
 dreny and pity thy Relations ; which it may be 
 fometimes, are, all as fo many Inftruments of 
 Satan to feduce thee, and lead thee into Darknefs, 
 that thou mayft not fee fo great Neceffity in thy 
 bearing up thy Teftimony, as indeed there is^ 
 
 nor 
 
 ( '9 ) . 
 
 nor fo great a Danger in the contrary, as indeed 
 
 there is, 
 
 Oh Friends I at fuch a Time as this, where is 
 there any Help but in the Lord? Where canft 
 thou find a Saviour, but in that Light which 
 gives to diftinguifli the feveral Voices ? Now it is 
 good for thee to remember, that if thou walkejl 
 after the Flejhy thou muji and Jhalt furely^ die and 
 wither. In fuch a Time flee, flee to the Lord, 
 wait in his Dread to feel thy Strength but renew- 
 ed at the prefent, and take no Care for Strength 
 next Month, next Year, or next Trial, for God 
 is God, and changeth not, and will be the fame to 
 thee in feven Trials as in fxy if thou believeji and 
 waitefi on him in Vprightnefs . And therefore fear 
 not Man, but truft in the Lord, all ye who have 
 known and felt his Power, and let not in the 
 Enemy of your Souls by the Door of carnal Rea^ 
 foning, but keep that fhut 5 and rather confider, 
 how the Enemy makes thee as a Rejoicing among 
 his own Children, and ftrengtKens that Hope ia 
 them, of their overcoming all others, as well as 
 thee ; which Hope is curfed, and ftiall be con- 
 founded. And confider, that if thou lettefl: fall 
 thy Teftimony, which thou haft once borne for 
 the Lord, thou makeft the Heart of the Right- 
 eous fad, and makeft their Travail through that 
 Teftimony the harder for them, by reafon of thy 
 encouraging their Adverfaries by the Hope afore- 
 faid. And whatever thou doft, they muji go tho- 
 rough to the End^ who will inherit the Crown of 
 Immortality. ' ^^. 
 
 And agaia confider, it may be, that thy Back- 
 llidin?, or cowardly drawing away the Shoulder, 
 
 . c 2 n^^y 
 
. ( 20 ) 
 
 may prove a Difcouragement to others, and they 
 may ftumble in thy Stumbling, and fall with thee, 
 and never be able to rife, and fo thou bringeft 
 their Blood alfo upon thee. Oh ! remember alfo 
 that the Servant of the Lord, who could fay, 
 Pfalmcxix. 157. Many are my PerfecutorSy and 
 mine Enemies : yet do I not decline from thy Tejii- 
 monies. That was a noble Spirit becoming the 
 Soldiers of Chrifl: ; yea, though perfecuted by 
 Princes, as he faith, Verf. 161. 
 
 Dear Friends^ let your Minds be ftirred up to 
 be zealous for the Lord, in this the great Day of 
 Controverfy with Darknefs and its Power. Who 
 hath God to bear Witnefs to his Name, but you ? 
 Among whom hath he made it known, as among 
 you ? Who have given up themfelves to the Lord, 
 as you have done ? Well, Bleffedare they that keep 
 Covenant with the Lord, for they fljallfeelns Glory. 
 
 One more fubtil Snar<5 of the Lnemy in thi$ 
 Matter is in my Heart to mention, which is this, 
 ^/z. To perfuade thee for once to do that which 
 the Light hath made manifeft thou ihouldft not, 
 with a Purpofe afterwards to be more faithful. 
 Oh Friends ! In the Name and Fear of the Lord 
 I exhort and warn you all to take heed of this, 
 for it will prove but a falfe Confidence ; thou 
 wilt find this Kind of going out of the Guidance 
 of Truth, to be a dear Out-going to thee, for 
 if ever thou doft return, it will be very hardly, 
 and with bitter Anguifh of Soul. Oh ! do not 
 tempt the Lord on this wife, left it do prove 
 tmpofjible, upon thy finning willingly, to renew 
 or refiore thee again by Repentance ; thou wilt 
 Jiave thy Pottage, but wilt lofi the Blefjing, though 
 
 thou 
 
 ( 21 ) 
 
 * 
 
 thou may feek it with thy T'ears ; for while thou 
 wenteji out, behold, thy Way became hedged up, and 
 the thorny Nature got up in thee, and fo thou art 
 debarred ^nA fenced out from enjoying thy former 
 State ; Sin being entered. Death foon follows. 
 Oh ! Remember Sampfon, who when he had dif- 
 clofed the Token of a Nazarite, in which State 
 he flood in Covenant with God, yet thought to 
 have fhaken himfelf, and to have gone forth in 
 his Strength, as at other Times, but was mif- 
 taken, fudges xvi. 20. for the Lord was departed 
 from him, though he knew it not. And fo, though 
 thou haft known the Lord's Prefence and Power 
 in thy Veflel, yet take heed of letting in that 
 treacherous Spirit, to lead thee to Unfaithfulnefs, 
 and to betray the leaft of his Trufts and Tefti- 
 monies committed to thee, though it be but for 
 once ; for thereby thou will render thyfelf unwor- 
 thy to be found a Witnefs of his Power another 
 Time ; for the Lord will leave that VefTel, and 
 often doth, and chufeth other VeflTels to manifeft 
 himfelf in, who will be more true and faithful. 
 
 So, dear Friends, in true and tender Love \ 
 have laid thefe Things before you, that ye may 
 all be ftirred up and provoked to Love, and to 
 good Works ; that ye may abound in the Grace 
 committed to you, and none of you who have 
 known the Truth, may be entangled with the 
 Wiles of your fubtil Enemy ; and that you who 
 have begun well, may not lofe the Things that ye 
 have wrought, but may perfevere in Well-doing 
 till ye have finished your Courfe in Peace. And, 
 Friends, this is the Joy and Delight of thofe who 
 labour among you in the Lord, and hereby are 
 
 9ur 
 
( 22 ) 
 
 ©ur Hands ilrengthened, and our Hearts refrefli- 
 ed, when we do find you fuch as we dcfire ye 
 ihould be, even ftedfaft in the Truth ; and then 
 alfo do you find us to you-ward, fuch as ye defirc 
 we ihould be, even a Refrefhing in the Fellow- 
 fhip of Life unto you ; and our God comforts 
 us together in the mutual Joy and Comfort of his 
 Holy Spirit, working in us and in you. 
 
 And, Friends^ I am the more drawn forth at 
 this Time to vifit you with an Epiftle, becaufc 
 the Lord hath given me fome Sight of his great 
 and dreadful Day, and Workings in it, which is 
 at hand, and greatly haftens, of which I have 
 fomething to fay unto you, that ye may be pre- 
 pared to ftand in his Day, and may behold his 
 wondrous Working among his Enemies, and have 
 Fellowftiip with his Power therein, and may not 
 be difmayed nor driven away in the Tempeft, 
 which will be great. 
 
 And as concerning thofe Succeeding TimeSj the 
 Spirit of the Lord hath fignified, that they will 
 be Times of Horror and Amazement to all thofe 
 who have, and yet do rejedl his Counfel : For as 
 the Days of his Forbearance, Warning and In- 
 viting, have been long, fo (hall his Appearance 
 amongft thofe who have withftood him, be fierce 
 and terrible ^ even fo terrible, as who Jloall abide 
 his Gaming ? For the Lord will work both fecretly 
 and openly, and his Arm {hall be manifeft to his 
 Children in both. 
 
 Secret/y, he ftiall raife up a continual fretting 
 Anguifh amongft his Enemies, one againft ano- 
 ther, fo that being vexed and tormented inwardly, 
 they fhall feek to make each other miferable, and 
 
 delight 
 
 ( 
 
 ( 23 ) 
 
 delight therein for a little Seafon : And then the 
 Prevailer muft be prevailed over, and the Digger 
 of the Pit mnft fall therein -, and the Confidence 
 which Men have had in one another fhall fail, 
 and they will beguile and betray one another, 
 both by Counfel and Strength ; and as they have 
 banded themfelves to break you whom God had 
 gathered, fo fhall they band themfelves one againft 
 another, to break, to fpoil and deftroy one ano- 
 ther ; and through the Multitude of theirTreach- 
 eries, all Credit or Belief, upon the Account of 
 their folemn Engagement, fhall fail ; fo that few 
 Men fhall count themfelves, or what is theirs, 
 fafe in the Hand of his Friend, who hath not 
 chofen his Safety and Friendfhip in the pure Light 
 of the unchangeable Truth of God : And all the 
 fecret Counfels of the Ungodly fhall be brought 
 to nought, fometimes by the Means of fome of 
 themfelves, and fometimes by Impoffibilities ly- 
 ing in their Way, which fhall make their Hearts 
 fail of ever accomplifhing what they have deter- 
 mined ; and in this State fliall Men fret them- 
 felves for a Seafon, and fliall not be able to fee 
 the Hand that turns againft them, but fhall turn 
 to fight againft one Thing, and another, and a 
 third Thing, and fhall ftagger and reel in Coun- 
 fel and in Judgment, as drunken Men who know 
 not where to find the Way to Reft ; and when 
 they do yet ftir themfelves up againft the holy 
 People, and againft the holy Covenant of Light, 
 and them who walk in it, they fhall but the more 
 be confounded; for thefe fhall be helped with a 
 little Help, which all the Ungodly fhall not hin- 
 der them of, to wit, the fecret Arm of the Lord 
 
 maintaining 
 
{ 24 ) 
 
 maintaining their Caufe, and raifing up a Witnefs 
 in the very Hearts of their Adverfaries to plead 
 their Innocency; and this fhall make them yet 
 the more to vex themfelves, and to go thorough 
 hard-beftead ; for when they fhall look upward 
 to their Religion, to their Power, Policy, or Pre- 
 ferments, or Friendfliips, or whatfoever elfe they 
 had trufted in, and relied upon, they fhall have 
 Caufe to curfe them -, and when they look down- 
 wards to the Effefts produced by all thofe Things, 
 behold, then Trouble, and Horror, and Vexation 
 takes hold on them, and drives them to Dark- 
 nefs ; and having no Help but what is earthly, 
 and being out of the Knowledge of the niighty 
 overturning Power of the Lord God Almighty, 
 they fhall defpair and wear out their Days with 
 Anguifh. And befides all this, the terrible Hand 
 of the Lord is, and fhall be openly manifefled 
 againfl this ungodly Generation, by bringing 
 grievous and terrible Judgments and Plagues upon 
 them, tumbling down all Things in which their 
 Pride and Glory ftood, and overturning even the 
 Foundations of their Strength ; yea, the Lord 
 will lay wafle the Mountain of the Ungodly, and 
 Xhe Strength of the fenced City fhall fail ; and 
 when Men fhall fay, fFe will take Refuge in them, 
 Nahumiii. 12, 13. they fhall become but a Snare, 
 and there fhall the Sword devour : And when they 
 fhall fay, JVe will go into the Field, and put Trujl 
 in the Number and Courage of our Soldiers, they 
 (hall both be taken away : And this Evil alfo will 
 come of the Lord, and his Hand will be flretched 
 out flill, and fhall bring Confufion, Ruin upon 
 Ruin, and Wiar upon War ; and the Hearts of 
 
 Men 
 
 ( 25 ) 
 
 Men fhall be flirred in them, and the Nations 
 fhall be as Waters, into w^hich a Tempefl, a fwift 
 Whirlwind is entered ; and even as Waves fwell 
 up to the DifTolution one of another, and break- 
 ing one of another, fo fliall the Swellings of 
 People be : And becaufe of the Hardfhip and 
 Sorrow of thofe Days, many fhall feek and defire 
 Death rather than Life. 
 
 Ah ! my Heart relents> and is moved within 
 
 me, in the Senfe of thefe Things, and much 
 
 more than I can write or declare, which the Lord 
 
 will do in the Earth, and will alfo make haflfc 
 
 to accomplifh among the Sons of Men, that they 
 
 may know and confefs. That the Most High 
 
 doth rule in the Kingdoms of Men, and pullet h down 
 
 andfetteth up according to his own Will : And this 
 
 jhall Men do before feven Times pafs over them, and 
 
 jhall be content to give their Glory unto him that 
 
 fits in Heaven. 
 
 But, Oh Friends I while all thefe Things arc 
 working, and bringing to pafs, repofe ye your- 
 felves in the Munition of that Rock, which all 
 thefe Shakings fhall not move, even in the Know- 
 ledge and Feeling of the eternal Power of God, 
 keeping you fubjedlly given up to his heavenly 
 Will, and feel it daily to kill and mortify that 
 which remains in any of you, which is of this 
 Worlds for the worldly Part in any, is the change- 
 able Part, and that is up and down, full and 
 empty, joyful and forrowful, as Things go well 
 or ill in the World : For as the Truth is but one, 
 and many are made Partakers of its Spirit, fo the 
 World is but one, and many are Partakers of the 
 Spirit of it -, and fo many as do partake of it, fo 
 
 D * many 
 
{ 26 ) 
 
 • 
 
 many will be flraitened and perplexed with it ^ 
 but they who are iingle to the Truth, waiting 
 daily to feel the Life and Virtue of it in their 
 Hearts, thefe ihall rejoice in the midft of Ad-^ 
 verlity, thefe fhall not have their Hearts moved 
 with Fear, nor tofled with Angui(h becaufe of evil 
 Tidings, PfaL cxii. 7, 8. becaufe that which fix- 
 eth them remains with them : Thefe (hall know 
 their Entrance with the Bridegroom, and fo be 
 kept from Sorrow, though his Coming be with 
 a Noife ; and when a Midnight is come upon 
 Man's Glory, yet, they being ready and prepared, 
 it will be well with them, and having a true 
 Senfe of the Power working in themfelves, they 
 cannot but have Unity and Fellowfhip with the 
 Works of it in the Earth, and will not at all 
 murmur againft w^hat is, nor wifh nor will what 
 is not to be ; thefe will be at reft till the Indig- 
 nation pafTeth over, and thefe having no Delign 
 to carry on, nor any Party to promote in the Earth, 
 cannot poffibly be defeated nor difappointed in 
 their Undertakings. 
 
 And when you fee Divifions, and Parties, and 
 Rendings in the Bowels of Nations, and Ru- 
 mours andTempefts in the Minds of People, then 
 take heed of being moved to this Party or to that 
 Party, or giving your Strength to this or that, or 
 counfelling this Way or that Way ; but ftand 
 finglc to the Truth of God, in which neither 
 War, Rent, nor Divifion is ; and take heed of 
 that Part in any of you, which trufts and relies 
 upon any Sort of the Men of this World, in the 
 Day of their Profperity, for the fame Party will 
 bring you to fufter with them in the Time of 
 
 their 
 
 ( 27 ) 
 
 their Adverfity, which will not be long after ; 
 for Stability in that Ground there will be none ; 
 but when they fhall fiy. Come join with us in this 
 or that^ remember you are joined to the Lord by 
 his pure Spirit, to walk with him in Peace and 
 in Righteoufnefs, and you feeling this, it will 
 gather out of all Buftlings, and Noifes, and Par- 
 ties, and Tumults, and lead you to exalt the 
 Standard of Truth and Righteoufnefs, in an in- 
 pocent Converfation, to fee who will flow unto 
 that ; and this (hall be a Refuge for many of the 
 weary, toffed and afflidted Ones in thofe Days, and 
 a Shelter for many, whofe Day is not yet over. 
 
 So, dearly beloved Friends^ and Brethren, who 
 have believed and known the blefled Appearance 
 
 I of the Truth, let not your Hearts be troubled at 
 any of thefe Things : Oh ! let not the Things that 
 are at prefent, nor Things that are yet to come, 
 move you from your Stedfaftnefs, but rather dou- 
 ble your Diligence, Zeal, and Faithfulnefs to the 
 Caufe of God : For they who know the Work 
 wrought in themfelves, fhall reft in the Bay of 
 Trouble ', although the Fig-tree ftoall not bloffoniy nei- * 
 therjhall the Fruit be in the Fines, the Labour of 
 the Olive ftoallfaiU and the Fields ftmll yield no Meat, 
 the Flocks ftmll be cut off from the Fold, and there 
 ft^all be no Herd in the Stalls ; yet thefe ft: all rejoice 
 in the Lord, and joy in the God^af their Salvation, 
 
 Hab. iii. 16, 17, 18. 
 
 And how near thefe Days are to this poor Na- 
 tion, few know, and therefore the Cry of the 
 Lord is very loud unto its Inhabitants, through 
 his Servants and Meffengers, that they would 
 pjrize their Time while they have it, left they be 
 ^ Da over- 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 overturned, wafted, and laid defolate before they 
 are aware, and before Deftruftion come upon 
 them, and there be no Remedy, as it hath already 
 done upon many. 
 
 Oh LONDON! LONDON! That thou and 
 thy Rulers would have confidered, and hearkened 
 and heard, in the Day of thy Warnings and In- 
 vitations, and not have perfifted in thy Rebellion, 
 till the Lord was moved againft thee, to cut off 
 theThoufands and Multitudes from thy Streets, 
 and the preffing and thronging of People from 
 thy Gates, and then to deftroy and ruin thy Streets 
 alfo, and lay defolate thy Gates, when thou 
 thoughtefl to have replenifhed them again. 
 
 And, Oh ! faith my Soul, that th^ Inhabitants 
 would yet be warned, and perfuaded to repent 
 and tucn to the Lord, by putting away every one 
 the Evil that is in their Hearts, againft the Truth 
 in themfelves, and againft thofe who walk in it, 
 betpre a greater Defolation and Deftrudion over- 
 take them. 
 
 T^/?i ' ^^^^ ^*" ^ ^^y *o prevail with LON- 
 VOJSS and with its Inhabitants ! The Lord hath 
 called aloud, he hath roared out of Sion unto 
 them, but many of them have not hearkened at 
 all, nor confidered at all. 
 
 Well, Oh my Friends! (and thou, oh my Soul !\ 
 return to your Reft, dwell in the Pavilion of the 
 Houle of your God, and my God, and ftielter 
 yourfe ves under the Shadow of his Wings, where 
 ye fliall be Witneflbs of his Doings, and fee his 
 Itrange A(fl brought to pafs, and fliall not be hur^ 
 therewith, nor difmayed. 
 
 Oh, 
 
 - ( 29 ) 
 
 « 
 
 Oh, my Friends / in the Bowels of dear and 
 tender Love have I fignified thefe Things unto 
 you, that ye may ftand armed with the whole 
 Armour of God, cloathed in Righteoufnefs, and 
 your Feet (hod with the Preparation of the Gof- 
 pel of Peace, and freely given up in all Things 
 to the Difpofing of the Lord, who will deliver 
 us, not by Might, nor by Sword, nor by Spear, 
 but by his own eternal invifible Arm will he yet 
 fave us and deliver us, and get himfelf a Name by 
 preferving of us ; and we ihall yet live to praife 
 him who is worthy of Glory, of Honour and Re- 
 nown, from the Rifmg of the Sun to the Setting 
 of the fame, now and for ever^, ^men. Amen, faitU 
 piy Soul, 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 Dear Friends and Brethren, 
 
 I HAVE fomething further in my Heart to 
 communicate unto you, in dear and tender 
 Love, and in Defire of your Prefervation out of 
 the Snare of your Adverfary ; and that is, to ex- 
 hort you all to dwell in the pure Judgment of 
 the Truth, which is a Defence upon your Glory ; 
 and let none bereave you of this, under any Pre- 
 tence whatfoever; but as you come to a true 
 Feeling of the Life in yourfelves, to which 
 alone the certain Judgment appertaineth, fo let 
 this Life have Freedom, and flop it not from 
 judging all that which is at Enmity with the Life, 
 and tends to the hurting of the true Plant of God; 
 for I haye fcen a Harm hath come to many who 
 
 have 
 
( 
 
 3° 
 
 ) 
 
 have parted with their Judgment, and fo have 
 become unarmed, and the Enemy hath prevailed 
 upon them (under a pretended Tendernefs) to 
 permit or fuffer fuch Things as were hurtful to 
 themfelves and others ; and though the Lord hath 
 given them Judgment and Dilcerning in the 
 Matter, yet were bereaved of that Gift, and fo 
 by little and little became beguiled. 
 
 Oh dear Friends ! Confider thefe Days are peri- 
 lous Times, and it is needful for every one to 
 watch in that fame eternal Light to which you 
 were firft turned, that by its righteous Judgment 
 ye may be preferved from every Thing in your- 
 felves, that appears contrary to that precious Life 
 of which you have tailed : And when you have 
 fo done, then take heed, that the Enemy doth 
 not do that by an Inftrument, which (through 
 your Watchfulnefs in the Light) he could not 
 do without ; and all beware of that afFefted Ten- 
 dernefs, that cries out, Be tender to ally and pray 
 for ally and mind the Good in ally and love ally and 
 judge noney but leave Judgment to Gody &c. I fay, 
 heed not the plaufible Words of that Spirit, which 
 being guilty, to fave its own Head from a Stroke, 
 would bereave you of your Judgment, which God 
 hath given you, and is indeed truly his Judgment, 
 and is to be adminiftered in his Wifdom and 
 Power, for the cleanfing and keeping clean his 
 Sanduary ; for fuch as have no Judgment in their 
 Goings, are they who know not the true Way of 
 Peace, but make them crooked Paths, He that 
 goeth in them Jloall not know Peace y I fa. lix. 8. 
 But fome may fay, Was not Chrijl meek and 
 
 lowly ? and oujfht not all to be like unto him ? 
 
 ^ Tis 
 
 ( 31 ) 
 
 *Tis true, my Friends ; but there Is a Difference 
 between the Seed's Suffering and its Reigning, 
 and there are Times for them both : And when 
 it doth pleafe God to permit the Hour and Power 
 of Darknefs, in the open Perfecutors, to exalt 
 itfelf againft his Seed and People, by Perfecution 
 or fuch like, they are led by his Spirit to appear 
 in Meeknefs and Quietnefs, as a Sheep before the 
 Shearer. But what is this to fuffering bad and 
 perverfe Spirits, that appear under Pretence of 
 the Truth, and yet are out of the Truth, and 
 Enemies to its Profperity, ftriving to exalt and 
 fet up another Thing inftead of the Truth ? Such 
 as thefe the Lord doth not require you to ufe 
 only Patience and Meeknefs towards, but if that 
 will not reclaim them, they muft know the Judg- 
 ment of the Truth, and you in it muil ftand 
 over them ^ for in this cafe the Day of the Ex- 
 altation of Chrifh is come, and God is crowning 
 Truth with Dominion over every falfe Spirit, 
 and corrupt Practice thereof. 
 
 And therefore, dear Friendsy eye the Lord m 
 his Goings forth, and as you feel his Life in you 
 to witnefs againft any evil or corrupt Thing or 
 Pradice, ufe Plainnefs, and keep Sincerity, and 
 turn not Judgment backwards 5 for that which 
 is unwilling to be judged, and cries out, Judge 
 noney leave all to Gody &c. the fame will take upon 
 it both to judge and rule, but not in the Wifdom 
 of God ; and thofe who cry out fo much for 
 Tendernefs, and againft Truth's Judgment, the 
 fame are moft dangerous to be drawn out from 
 the patient Suffering in the Spirit of Chrift Jefus, 
 when they ought to appear in the moft Meeknefs, 
 
 and 
 
( 30 
 
 and to appear rough and wrathful in the ftriving 
 and fighting Nature, and are moft apt to be 
 tempted into a Spirit of Revenge, as hath been 
 fctn by fad Experience -, for they who lofe the 
 Exercife of that by which all fhould keep Do- 
 minion over Deceit, they lofe that Strength by 
 which they fhould be enabled to fufFer all Things 
 for the Sake of Chrift Jefus. 
 
 So, dear Friends, in that which keeps out ^he 
 Defilerand the Betrayer, all wait upon the Lord, 
 that you may have your Armour on, and be for- 
 tified with the Strength, with the Might, and 
 with the Judgments of God, and keep that under 
 in every Place, which under Pretence of Ten- 
 dernefs and Forbearance would make void the 
 Teftimony of Truth, or make the Offence of the 
 Crofs to ceafe in any thing wherein you have 
 been inflrudled from the Beginning, that the 
 Xord may behold and fee Judgment eflablifhed, 
 and be pleafed, Ifaiab lix. T^he Lord looked^ and 
 there was no "Judgment^ and it dijpleafed him ^ for 
 thereby Deceit got up, which with it is to be 
 kept down. 
 
 So the Lord God of Power and Wijdom preferve 
 you faithful, and fitted for every good Word and 
 Work ; the Strong to watch over the Weak in Sin^ 
 glenefsy and the Weak to be fubjeSl to the Strong in 
 the Lordy that fo the pure Plant of Righteoufnefs 
 and Truth may grow in and among you all, to his 
 Praife that hath called you : To whom be Glory and 
 Honour for ever. Amen. 
 
 S. CRISP.