HEre all Friends may ſee how the holy Men of God by the Command of the Lord were to order their Families apart, and alſo by the ſame Law of God the People in the General were to be ordered, as you may ſee in Gen. 17. where God commanded Abraham to keep his Covenant between him and his Seed; Gen. 17. Every Man-child ſhall be circumciſed in your Generations, and he that is born in thy Houſe, or bought with Money of any Stranger, which is not of thy Seed, ſhall be circumciſed; and Abraham obeyed the Command of God in circumciſing all his Family, and all that were born in his Houſe and all that were bought with Money of Strangers. Now you who are called Chriſtians, muſt not all your Families be circumciſed with the Spirit, which the outward Circumciſion of the Fleſh did type forth? yea, all Sons and Daughters, Maſters or Miſtreſſes of Families muſt be circumciſed with the Spirit, that puts off the Body of Death, the Sins of the Fleſh with the Circumciſion of the Spirit, that is not made with Hands; and alſo all that you have bought with Money, all Strangers, and all that are born in your Houſes (of Strangers) which are not of your own Seed, muſt you not bring all theſe to the Circumciſion of the Spirit? elſe how are you the Friends of God, as Abraham was, who obeyed God; and therefore call upon all your Families, and your Servants whom you bought for Money, and thoſe that were born of them in your Families, and let them be Circumciſed, and endeavour to bring them to that which doth circumciſe them, to wit, the Spirit, which is the Subſtance of the outward Circumciſion; and every one that was not circumciſed, was he not to be cut off from among the People. And ſo are not all now that are not circumciſed by the Spirit to be cut off from the ſpiritual Union, the ſpiritual Fellowſhip? And therefore if you who are Maſters of Families, if you (I ſay) do not ſee the Circumciſion of all your Families, of Servants and Strangers, and all ſuch as are bought with Money, will it not lye upon you, who ought to take Care for your Families, and order your Families, as Joſhua ſaid he would order his Family, And if it ſeem Evil unto you to ſerve the Lord, chooſe you this Day whom you will ſerve, Joſhua 24.15. whether the Gods which your Fathers ſerved, that were on the other Side of the Flood, &c. or the Gods of the Amorites, in whoſe Land ye dwell; BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD. And ſo were not all his Servants that he bought with Money, and Strangers, and ſuch as were born in his Houſe of his Family, were they not all to ſerve the Lord, according to the Law in the outward Circumciſion? And ſo are not all you Chriſtians now, and Maſters and Miſtreſſes of Families now to look to your Families, to ſee that you and your Families do ſerve the Lord in the Circumciſion of the Spirit of God? by which Spirit you muſt worſhip God in Spirit and in Truth, who is the Father of Spirits, and the God of the Spirits of all Fleſh: And therefore mind and conſider this in your Families, and gather them altogether, and teach them the Way of the Lord, and the New Covenant; yea, your Families and Children, and thoſe you bought with Moneys, and the Strangers, and ſuch as are born of them in your Houſe.

And in Exed 12. there you may ſee how the Lord ſaid, When a Stranger ſojourneth with thee, Exod. 12. he ſhall keep the Paſſcover of the Lord, and let all his Males be circumciſed.

You may think it was a ſtrange thing, that if a Man did but ſojourn in the Houſe of a Jew, that the Male ſhould be circumciſed; for a Sojourner is a Comer and Goer; but a Servant that is bought with Money, or one that is born of them in the Houſe, is more then a Sojourner; for no uncircumciſed was to eat of the Paſſeover. And ſo now no uncircumciſed Perſon is to eat of the Sacrifice or Paſſeover, Chriſt Jeſus, but ſuch only (I ſay) who are circumciſed by the Spirit, who ends the outward Paſſeover and the outward Circumciſion, which were Types of Chriſt; and ſo one Law ſhould be to him that is born at home, and to the Stranger that ſojourneth with you: And as all were then to keep this Law of God, ſo all are to keep this Law of Jeſus Chriſt among Chriſtians now.

And Leviticus 14. there it is ſaid, You ſhall have one Manner of Law, Lev. 14. as well for the Stranger, as for one of you own Country; I am the Lord your God, ſaith the Lord.

So this Law was then and ſtill is to be obſerved, which is, to love God above all, and to love their Neighbours as themſelves.

And Deut. 5. Deut. 5. all were to keep the Law of God, & all were to keep the outward Sabbath, both Sons Daughters, Men-ſervants & Maid-ſervants; Oxen, Aſſes and other Cattle, and the Strangers that were within the Gates, theſe were all to keep the Reſt, the Sabbath, and the Law of God.

Now mark Chriſtians, who are come to Chriſt, and who believe in him, and have entered into your Reſt by the Law of Chriſt; ſee that all your Families do keep this Sabbath, this Reſt, both you and your Sons and Daughters, Men-ſervants and Maid-ſervants that are within your Gates; this concerns every one of you, that are Maſters of Families, to conſider ſeriouſly of it; for Chriſt is the Sabbath and Reſt, who gives Reſt to the whole Creation, he it is that takes off the Oppreſſion, who deſtroyeth the Devil's Works, who hath been the Oppreſſor both of Man and Beaſt; and ſo in Chriſt all have Reſt, and Peace, and Love, that doth not kill, nor commit Adultery, nor ſteal, nor covet any thing that another man hath, nor bear falſe Witneſs, nor make Images of any thing in Heaven above, or in the Earth beneath, and ſo Love fulfils the Law: And therefore ſee that this Law of Love be ſet up in all your Families, by which they may be ordered and ruled.

Here you may ſee how Moſes, Deut. 9.29.9. to 11. a faithful Servant of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded him, puts the Jews in mind of their Duty required of them by the Lord; Keep (ſaith he) therefore the Words of this Covenant, and do them, that you may proſper in all that ye do; ye ſtand this day all of you before the Lord your God, your Captains of your Tribes, your Elders and your Officers, with all the Men of Iſrael, your little Ones, your Wives, and thy Strangers that are within thy Camp, from the Hewer of Wood unto the Drawer of thy Water, that thou ſhouldeſt enter into Covenant with the Lord thy God, &c.

Now conſider this, hear how that all theſe were to ſtand before the Lord, to enter into Covenant with the Lord, even the Elders, the Officers, with the men of Iſrael, their Wives and little Children, the Strangers, with the Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water; now Chriſt's is the new Covenant, and therefore all you called Chriſtians, that profeſs him, who are Elders and Maſters of Families, are you not to ſee that your Wives, your Children and Strangers that are within your Camps, yea, to the Hewers of your Wood and Drawers of your Water, that they come all into the new Covenant, Chriſt Jeſus, which in God is eſtabliſhed forever, an everlaſting Covenant, who ends the firſt Covenant among the Jews; and therefore ſhall not you outſtrip the Jews in their Families, in bringing all your Families, and Strangers, and Sojourners, Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water into the New Covenant of Life, Chriſt Jeſus, through whom they may ſtand before God, and have Peace with him; mark this, ye Elders, and Rulers, and Fathers of Families, who have Strangers and Sojourners in your Families, ſo as to ſee that you do perform your Duty, and bring them to do their Duty in the Covenant of Life, Chriſt Jeſus.

And now again in Deut. 31. When all Iſrael ſhall atpear before the Lord thy God, in the Place which he ſhall chooſe; Deut. 31. thouſhalt read the Law (ſaith he) before all Iſrael, in their hearing, and ſhall gather the People together, Men, Women and Children, and thy Strangers that are within thy Gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord thy God, and obſerve to do all the Words of the Law: Now mark and conſider this all you Chriſtians, that profeſs the New Covenant, Chriſt Jeſus, and the Law of Love, and the Law of Life, and the Law of Faith, and the Law of the Spirit, muſt you not gather all your Families together, Men, Women, Children and Strangers within your Gates, and ſuch as you bought with Money, and ſuch as are born of them in your Families, that they may all hear the New-covenant, and the Law of Life, and the Law of Love, and the Law of Faith, and the Law of the Spirit of Life, that makes free from the Law of Sin and Death, that they may all hear, that they may all learn this, and that they may all fear God, and obſerve and do the Law and the New-Covenant, as the Jews were to do the old, which is a Figure of the new: And therefore be not you negligent, no • ſloathful, nor careleſs in this, but do your Duty, and ſee that all your Families may do their Duties; and ſo as it was among the Jews, the Children that had not known me [hear and learn] and the Strangers; for if you ſhould be negligent in this, then look what came upon the Jews, and how rude their Families grew, and how God's Judgments came upon them, and it came partly by the Heads of the Families, and Elders, and Overſeers: And therefore be diligent, and bring all your Families to ſerve God in the firſt Place, and be faithful to him, through Jeſus Chriſt, the New-covenant, then they will not be negligent in outward Things, if they be faithful to God, and then God's Bleſſing will be in your Families; and ſo therein men ſerve the Lord, in bringing their Families to ſerve the Lord, in that they do God's Will, and pleaſe him in the New-covenant, bringing them out of that which diſpleaſeth God, and ſo rule in Power and in Love.

And in Jeremiah 10.25. there you may ſee what the Lord ſaith by the Prophets, Jer. 10.25. Pour out thy Fury upon the Heathen that know thee not, and upon all the Families that call not upon thy Name.

So now conſider this ſeriouſly, how God would have all Families to call upon his Name, and eſpecially you that call your ſelves Chriſtians, and profeſs the New-covenant of God (to wit) Chriſt Jeſus; and therefore ſee that all your Families do call upon the Name of the Lord; it concerns you very much, if you do not, ye may expect the Lord's Fury will be poured out upon you and yours.

There you may ſee the Lord ſpeaking, how he will pour out his Spirit of Grace and Supplication, and they ſhall look upon him whom they have pierced (meaning Chriſt) and they ſhall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only Son, as one that is in Bitterneſs for his firſt born; the Land ſhall mourn, every Family apart ſhall mourn, and their Wives apart.

And ſo conſider this all you that profeſs Chriſt, who have ſeen him whom you have pierced; if the Spirit of Grace and Supplication be poured out upon you, why then, you ſee him, Chriſt Jeſus, whom you have pierced, and then you will mourn bitterly, as you ſhould mourn for your firſt born.

So all Friends, they that witneſs the Spirit of Grace poured out upon them, they know the Mourning for him whom they have pierced; and then there is a Fountain opened by Chriſt Jeſus, for their Sins and for their Uncleanneſs, to waſh away the Filth.

And you may ſee in Zachariah 14.17. Whoſoever will not come up of all the Families of the Earth to Jeruſalem, Zach. 14.17. to worſhip the King, the Lord of Hoſts even upon them there ſhall be no Rain; yea, if the Family of Egypt go not up, he ſhall have no Rain, and they ſhall be plagued, &c.

And now conſider this, how all the Families of the Earth, that come to worſhip the Lord of Hoſts in Spirit and in Truth in this Heavenly Jeruſalem, and keep the Feaſt of Tabernacles, and eat of Chriſt, the Sacrifice, who is the Bread of Life, that came down from above; ſuch muſt be puniſhed, ſuch have no Rain indeed, but are like to the parched Ground; and ſo mind every Family apart this; for Egypt was of Ham's Stock, yet if they do not come up to worſhip God, they muſt be plagued.

And in Amos 3.2. you may ſee there how the Lord was againſt the whole Family of the Jews, Amos 3.2. becauſe they had not kept his Law, and he puniſhed them. And ſo conſider ye Chriſtians, ye whole Families of Chriſtians, and ſee how you have kept the Law of the New-covenant, and the Law of Love, and the Law of Life, and the Law of the Spirit; if you have not, plainly you muſt be puniſhed, God will puniſh you with a Witneſs, even the whole Family; if any Family, or Tribe, or Man, or Woman their Hearts ſhall turn away from God, and ſerve other Gods, ſee what a Curſe came upon them; and therefore what doth Chriſt ſay unto all the left Hand Goats, though they may profeſs him in Words, whoſe Hearts are turned away from his Law of Love, Law of Life, Law of Faith, and the New-covenant.

And therefore ſee that the Ark of the Lord be in every ones Houſe (to wit) your Hearts, in all your Families, and with the Law and Teſtimony of Jeſus in it, and then you will have the Bleſſing of the Lord with you, as Obed Edom had the Bleſſing of the Lord upon his Family and Houſe, while the outward Ark remained with him, the Figure of which Chriſtians muſt enjoy the Subſtance of, as you may ſee, 1 Cor. 13, 14. & Gen. 39.5.

See how the Lord there bleſſed the Egyptian's Houſe for Joſeph's ſake, and the Bleſſing of the Lord was upon all that the Egyptian had, both in Houſe and Field; ſo you may hence ſee how a Servant, being a faithful Man to God, brought the Bleſſing of God upon the Houſe and Field of a Heathen, and now much more a faithful Maſter, or an Head, or an Elder of a Family, faithful to God, bringeth a Bleſſing on his own Family, and upon all within his Houſe, and out of his Houſe, and Field; for the Lord ſaid, If that they keep his Law and his Word, then they ſhall be bleſſed in the Field and in the Store houſe, and bleſſed in the Basket, and bleſſed in his going forth and coming in (as Abraham was) who are of the Faith of Abraham now, of the bleſſed Seed, that brings the Bleſſing now to them, as it did to him; but they that crucifie the Seed to themſelves afreſh, and quench the Spirit of God in themſelves, and entertain the evil Seed and the evil Spirit, that brings the Curſe upon them in the Basket and in the Storehouſe, and in the Field, in his going Forth and coming in.

And you may read in the Scriptures how many Families, Nations and Kingdoms the Lord did cut off, becauſe they did not obey nor keep his Law, as Core and his Family, Achan and his, wicked Haman and his, and many others, for tranſgreſſing the Law of God. Yea, and he deſtroyed Nations for his own People, and gives his own People the Poſſeſſion of them, becauſe of the former Inhabitants Debauchery and Wickedneſs, and tells his own People, that if they do go into the ſame Debaucheries and Wickedneſs, they muſt look for the ſame Deſtruction: And therefore Chriſtians all ſhould ſerve God in the new Life, out of the Life of old Adam; for if they do profeſs Chriſt Jeſus, the Heavenly Man, and yet live in the Old Adam, and ſerve Sin and Evil, they muſt look for Deſtruction, both Families and Nations, who profeſs God in Words, but deny him in their Works, Lives and Converſations, according to that in Iſa. 31.2.9. the Lord ſaith concerning the Children of Iſrael, that tranſgreſs his Law, Amos 9.7. Are ye not (ſaith he) as Children of Ethyopia unto me, O ye Children of Iſrael, Amos 9.7.

Now conſider this, if the Children of Iſrael tranſgreſs the Law of God, were they not accounted as Ethyopian Children: And ſo you Chriſtians now, who profeſs Chriſt in Words, and tranſgreſs his Law of Love, of Life, of Faith, and the New-covenant, are you not to the Lord as Children of the Ethyopians: what Difference is between you? It is not a Profeſſion and talking that makes the Difference, but the Poſſeſſion of Chriſt. Jer. 38. there you may ſee an Ethyopian, a Black-moor, how ſerviceable he was made unto Jeremiah (the Lord's Prophet) in the Day of his Suffering in the Dungeon, how he went to the King and told him that the Prophet was like to periſh there, and the King commanded him to go and take thirty Men, and draw him out of the Dungeon before he dye; ſo here this Black had more Sence then the great Profeſſors of Jeremiah's Innocency; and he was in Favour with the King, being one of his Eunuchs.

And ſo now conſider, do not ſlight them, to wit, the Ethyopians, the Blacks now, neither any Man or Woman upon the Face of the Earth in that Chriſt dyed for all, both Turks, Barbarians, Tartarians and Ethyopians; he dyed for the Tawnes and for the Blacks, as well as for you that are called Whites; therefore you may ſee in Acts 8.27. how the Lord commanded Philip to go toward the South, and he aroſe and went, and behold a Man of Ethyopia, a Eunuch of great Authority under Candace Queen of Ethyopia, who had the Charge of all her Treaſure, how this Man came up to Jeruſalem to worſhip the Lord, and how this Ethyopian, this Black, was converted to Chriſtianity by Philip, who preached Chriſt to him: And therefore now you ſhould preach Chriſt to your Ethyopians that are in your Families, that ſo they may be free Men indeed, and be tender of and to them, and walk in Love, that ye may anſwer that of God in their Hearts, being (as the Scripture affirms) all of one Blood & of one Mold, to dwell upon the Face of the Earth; for Chriſt (I ſay) ſhed his Blood for them, as well as for you, and taſted Death for them, as well as for you, and hath enlightned them, as well as he hath enlightned you, and his Grace hath appeared unto them, as well as it hath appeared unto you, and he is a Propitiation for their Sins, as well as for yours; for he is the Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World: and ſo let every Maſter and Governour of a Family inform them, as well as others in his Family, that ſo they may come to walk in the Grace and in the Light of Jeſus Chriſt, that ſo they may come to know Chriſt, the Saviour, from whence Grace and Light comes, and the Mediator (or Middle-man) between them and God; and ſo in this ſo doing, you will ſerve God, and not your ſelves: Alſo in Pſalm. 68.31. there you may ſee, Princes ſhould come out of Egypt, and Ethyopia ſhall ſtretch forth her Hand unto God; ſing unto God, ye Kingdoms of the Earth; Oh praiſe the Lord: Now confider this ye Chriſtians, the Prophecy of David, in that you may ſee the fulfilling of it (viz.) that Ethyopia ſhould ſoon ſtretch out her Hand unto God for you; ſee by the Eunuch, when he was converted, his Hand was ſoon ſtretched out to God; and doth the Lord ſay in another Place, Egypt my People.

And therefore Chriſtians, you that have received it, do you preach the everlaſting Covenant, Chriſt Jeſus, to the Ethyopians, the Blacks and Tawny-moors, as Philip did; I ſay, preach Chriſt Jeſus to them in your Families, that ſo each may come to know Chriſt and their Way to Salvation, as in Pſal. 87. the Lord ſpeaking of the Glory of his Church, ſaith, he will make mention of Rahab, and Babilon, and Ethiopia, that make mention of me, behold, &c. So that you may ſee that there was a Church of God in Egypt, in Babylon and Ethiopia, who were Chriſtians, as well as among the wh • te People, ſo called by the Blacks.

And if thy Brother, an Hebrew Man or an Hebrew Woman be ſold unto thee, and ſerve thee ſix Years, then in the ſeventh Year, thou ſhalt let him go free from thee; and when thou ſendeſt him out free from thee thou ſhalt not let him go away empty, thou ſhalt fur ••• h him liberally out of thy Flock, and out of thy Floor and o • t of thy Winepreſs, of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath bleſſed thee, thou ſhalt give it him; and remember that thou waſt a Bond-man in the Land of • gypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this Thing to Day.

See here this was to be done by the Jews to ſuch as were of their own Nation and People, and indeed this will very well become Chriſtians, Maſters, Governours and Rulers of Families here in this Iſland or elſewhere, who ſhould outſtrip the Jews to deal ſo (as the Lord commanded) with their Servants and Apprentices, that are of their own Nation or People: And to cloſe up all, let me tell you, it will doubtleſs be very acceptable to the Lord, if ſo be that Maſters of Families here would deal ſo with their Servants, the Negroes and Blacks, whom they have bought with their Money, to let them go free after a conſiderable Term of Years, if they have ſerved them faithfully; and when they go, and are made free, let them not go away empty-handed, this I ſay will be very acceptable to the Lord, whoſe Servants we are, and who rewards us plentifully for our Service done him, not ſuffering us to go away empty; for who is there even among you, ſaith the Lord, that will ſhut the D • ors for nought, neither do ye kindle Fire on my Altar for nought, Mal. 1.10. So now, you I ſay that are Chriſtians, that are redeemed out of the ſpiritual Egypt; for as the Apoſtle ſaith, 1 Cor. 7.22. He that is called in the Lord, being a Servant, is the Lord's free Man, that is, ſet free from Sin and ſpiritual Bondage: Be ye holy, as your heavenly Father is holy; and be ye merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful, as is commanded you in Luke 6.36. and this is the Way to have the loſt Image of God reſtored and renewed in us.

Therefore I ſay, you ſpiritual Jews, you muſt exceed the outward Jews in this, who are now come to Chriſt, who is a merciful and faithful high Prieſt, who is the Saviour of all men, and who taſted Death for all men, Heb. 2.17. And let not your Families of Whites and Blacks be like Sedom and Gomorrah, like Zeboim and Zephervaim, and the reſt of the Cities of the Plain, or like the Canaanites, leſt ſudden Deſtruction come upon you, and the Lord root you out, as he did them. Let not, I ſay, your Servants under your Command, and ſuch as are born in your Houſes, and bred up in your Families, and ſuch as you have bought with Money, ſuffer them not (I ſay) to take Husbands and Wives at their Pleaſure, and then leave them again when they pleaſe, and then take others again as faſt and ſuddenly as they will, and again leave them; this is not well, this may bring the Judgments of God upon you; yea, this manifeſts your Families to be unclean and adulterous Families; For he that puts away his Wife, and takes another, he commits Adultery; and ſhe that marries, and he that marries her (after ſhe is put away) commits Adultery; this is the Law of God, and of Jeſus Chriſt, the Son of God, the great Reformer and Reſtorer of Pathes to dwell in, Mat. 19.9. Iſa. 58.12. that came to reform all Things.

And therefore let theſe Things be amended, as you expect the Bleſſing and Favour of God, or otherwiſe muſt expect his Judgments and Curſe upon you and your Families and your Plantations (who ſhould order theſe Things according to the Reformation and Mind of Jeſus and the Law) even Blaſtings, Mildews, Caterpillars, which is the Portion from God upon debauched Families and People; and therefore let the Law of Jeſus be ſet up in every Family.

And if any of your Negroes deſire to marry, let them take one another before Witneſſes, in the Preſence of God, and the Maſters of the Families, in the Name of Jeſus, the Reſtorer of all Things to the Beginning, when God made them Male and Female, not one Man and many Women, but a Man and a Woman, and they were to continue and conſort together as long as they lived, and not to break the Covenant and Law of Marriage (nor defile the Marriage-Bed) as long as they lived; but if the Man were dead or Woman were dead, they were free, and at Liberty to marry in the Lord, and to be joyned by him, that ſo he might have the Glory and the Honour of it, and his People to be the Witneſſes of it, and ſo to record it in a Book, which was and is the Practice of the famous Fathers of Truth, and Saints, and Worthies, and Valiants of the Lord, who were Friends of God, and of his Law, and Righteouſneſs, and ſuch as denyed Debauchery, Whoredom, Fornication and Uncleanneſs.

And further, conſider with your ſelves, if you were in the ſame Condition as the Blacks are (and indeed you do not know what Condition you or your Children, or your Childrens Children may be reduced and brought into, before you or they ſhall dye) who came as Strangers to you, and were ſold to you as Slaves; now I ſay, if this ſhould be the Condition of you or yours, you would think it hard Meaſure; yea, and very great Bondage and Cruelty.

And therefore conſider ſeriouſly of this, and do you for and to them, as you would willingly have them or any other to do unto you, were you in the like ſlaviſh Condition, & bring them to know the Lord Chriſt, and the Light and Grace of Chriſt, by which they may come to know him that dyed for them, and that ſhed his precious Blood for them, and was buried, and roſe again for their Juſtification.

And truly Friends, great Troubles I underwent about thoſe Things; yea, ſorely was my Spirit troubled when I came into the Senſe of theſe Things, which were over my Life, and burden'd my Life very much, to ſee, that Families were not brought into Order; for the Blacks are of your Families, and the many Natives of them born in your Houſes: I had a ſore Burden, and (I ſay) much Trouble, how that Righteouſneſs might be brought through in the Thing, and Juſtice and Mercy ſet up in every Family and in every Heart, that ſo God might be honoured in every Family, who is the Creator of all, and hath given his Law to all, that is Juſt, Righteous, Holy and Good: And ſo I leave theſe Things to your ſerious conſideration, and to the Witneſs of the Spirit of God in you all, and in all your Hearts, and you to be obedient unto it, and ſee if it will not lead you into the ſelf-ſame Thing; for indeed when any ſhall marry into your Family, before the Maſter of the Family and Overſeer of the Family, then you may admoniſh them all of God and of Chriſt, and his Truth, Light and Grace in their Hearts, by which they might all know God and Chriſt, and know the true Marriage, which is honourable, in all Things to beat down the Evil and Vile; for Marriage is of God, and ſo honoured by him.