PRetious and welbeloved Lambs, natural branches of the on­ly Vine, fruitful plants in the Heavenly Vineyard, babes born again of Immortal Seed, who stands in the fear and councel of the Lord God, with a free Resignation into his blessed will, following his leadings in sincerity and truth; yee are his Jewells whose amiable beauty adorns the Gospel, and unto you his love is very dear, and his eye is over you in much tenderness and choiceness, freely dispensing his pretious virtue to your refresh­ment and comfort, whereby yee feel all things added for your support and strength in the great work whereunto he hath call­ed you; so that yee are daily supplied from the riches of an Everlasting fountain that sendeth relief in every condition where­in yee stand to serve the Lord; for he hath made you near to himself in a perpetual covenant, and in the light hath set you apart to bear witness unto his power, life and truth; and yee are raised as a cloud of witnesses that covers the Earth with brightness and glory, and your faithful Testimony that yee have received of God, and in which yee live unto God is a sweet savour unto the life in all; for in your faithfulness, patience, and innocency you make way to the Just which witnesseth for you: And though your life be hated by that Spirit which would not have it reign, and that yee suffer and endure great affliction by your oppressors; yet in your meek and innocent life you reach Gods witness in them, by which they are many times smitten for what they do unto you; so that ye are manifest in their Consciences, though they be from that in themselves, which makes you manifest, and in cruelty proceeds against you from evil to worse, that (if pos­sible) they might darken your Glory, and bring down your ho­ly Testimony into obscurity, and for that end they take oc­casion against you whom God hath chosen to follow his leadings, and you must either transgress the command of your Leader, [Page 2] and deny his Spiritual Worship, or be exposed to the severity of merciless men, and rendered Offenders by a pretended Law, and this is determined against you, and done unto you, because they know not him that hath raised you in your living Testimony.

But Oh, how do these things work together for good unto all that love God; how doth it quicken the true birth unto watchfulness and faithfulness; how doth it enliven unto freeness and chearfulness to do the will of God, and brings down the show­ers of life upon all the single and upright hearted: Oh my dear friends these purposed and practised cruelties of Sions enemies doth much advance her glory, and worketh good for all her Children though wickedly intended against them; for, thereby our faith is tried and strengthened, our peace increased and mul­tiplied, and in the hour we are preserved.

Oh dear Lambs, be yee strong in the Lord, for you are not for­saken though you may be cast down, you are not extinguished as tow, though in the fire you be tried; but with mercy you are compassed in the Salvation of God; and this he worketh for you who is Lord of all, that hath all power in his hand, and in his power ruleth over darkness, and enmity, and preserveth Sion in the midst of her troubles; for the Remembrance of Sion is alwayes with him, yea in the very time when she sits in the dust bewailing; therefore let the Babes rejoyce, and the plant be fruitful, let the weak put on strength, and the mourner be com­forted, for of a truth God is with us, and he will not hold them guiltless that any way oppress us: So be not discouraged thou innocent birth, but keep close to thy God, and trust in him who hath raised thee, and let not thy Faith fail within thee, then thou wilt go comfortably in the Holy Testimony; and rejoyce over all that would suppress the truth in thee, for the Lord God is assuredly with thee in all thou suffers for him, and in all he calls thee unto, his arme sustaines thee; and though he permit darkness for a time to try thee, yet his love and good will is to thee, and his pleasure and delight is in thee, and thou hast had experience of his favour towards thee, and knows how thou hast been suc­coured in thy adversity, and wonderfully delivered out of thy [Page 3] Captivitie. Oh therefore keep thy eye to him that hath never failed thee, nor never will fail thee as thou abides in his councel; let not the world entice thee, nor flatteries prevaile with thee, nor feares dismay thee, but follow thy God who is greater then all, so will his hand keep thee for being plucked out, and though thou may be in the Furnace of affliction, and may feel it sharp and tedious to endure, yet from thence he will take thee, and as well refined Gold will bring thee forth to his praise for ever.

So all dear Friends every where, waite in that which makes you sensible of your own conditions, that you may feele to Christ your life and hope of glory, your helper, preserver and deli­verer; so you will be stayed with a sure anchor in a troublous time, and will feel the springings of life to revive the hope of Israel, and then your Faith will not be driven to Shipwrack though storms be high and violent, but will be preserved and strengthened unto a further growth in the power which raises the seed, and this is testified in the power that yee may have strong consolations in the midst of your affliction, and in the testimony all glory is given to the power as most worthy? Oh, a stayed minde in the power is exceeding precious, for there the Birth lives in that which is eternal, and feeds upon the virtue in which it delighteth, and in stayedness, stillness and quietness, the hea­venly glory rests upon it, and so there is a living sensibleness of the deep love and life of God, in which yee abiding, yee will attain unto wisdom and understanding in the seed, and feel the Image of God in you restored again, and so come to lye down in Christ Jesus your rest and peace.

And now dear beloved Friends, be stedfast in the Faith, and hope to the end, for the end will manifest all things, and as yee abide in the patience you will overcome; and as you keep the Faith you will obtaine victory, and the Crown will be yours.

Dear and tender hearts, you may read the dearness of my love in the lines of Life, where I lye down with you in the bond of peace, beseeching you all to have fervent love amongst your selves, and keep your eye single one over another, and entertain no exceptions one against another, for there is a watching eye [Page 4] that is not single, and that will take occasion to make a fault where there is none, and then will be exceptions, and raise a whisper to accuse; but the true birth that lives in the true love, it covers faults as they happen through weakness, and restores again in the Spirit of meekness, and so in the power that giveth life unto its Testimony, it judgeth presumptious pride and ar­rogancy, and covereth faults that happeneth through weakness or infirmity, and rest [...]res that again which mourneth because it hath offended; and so it reacheth to its own in tenderness, and condiscends to the lowest that travailes after Righteousness, but unvaileth all feigned subtilty that would exalt it selfe over the Royal innocency, for the light discovereth and unvaileth the my­stery of Iniquity, and judgeth Infallibly, and none by wilt or reason can either adde unto it, or diminish from it; therefore all dear Friends, live in that which keepeth the minde low in the fear and counsel of the Lord God, that in wisdom and under­standing yee may have clear discerning, and so in sound judge­ment reach to the oppressed with mercy, that yee may break down the nature of the Oppressour, and restore and heal the grieved Birth that is ready to confess and forsake that which through weakness hath been done amiss, and here yee will have the Soveraigne balme that healeth the wound safely, and not sleightily, and so you will be a comfort one to another, even as yee are sensible that the Lord comforts you, in which work the Al­mighty God confirm and strengthen you all to the glory of his Power, Life and Wisdom for Evermore.

The Salutation of my Life in the heavenly love unto every Babe that Secretly panteth to doe the Will of God.

This may be read among friends as freedome is given, being a true token of my love (in a few words) as moved of the Lord.