of it, for that will endure with you; and seek the kingdom of God, which will never have an end, that stands in righteousness and in holiness, in which you have joy and peace in the Holy Ghost; then all outward things will follow. So that in righteousness, holiness, and truth, as just men and holy men, and men fearing God, and as righteous men, sons, and servants, and children of God, you may all live, in all righteousness, holiness, pureness, truth, justice, and equity, in all manner of life and conversation; so that your conversations may shine as lights of the world: knowing that all unrighteousness, uncleanness, unholiness, injustice, untruth, and impurity, is not of God, but is out of the kingdom of God ; and likewise all cheaters and cozeners, who do enrich themselves by falsehood; these works and workers are out of the kingdom of God and his power, and they are of their father the devil, who is out of the Truth. And Christ is pure, the Righteous One, the Holy One: in Him live; for Christ, who sanctifies the impure, is pure; He who never fell, sanctifieth and washeth them that are in the fall; He who never transgressed, redeems out of transgression; He who never sinned, redeems out of sin, and makes an end of it; and He who never tres

H

passed, comes to forgive trespasses, and blot

them out.

And every one that comes to witness this forgiveness by Him, who have been the trespassers against God, they cannot but forgive men their trespasses against them.

Keep in the faith that works by love, that purifieth your hearts; the mystery of which is held in a pure conscience; which faith brings you to have access to God, and gives you victory over that which separates from God. This is that by which you subdue mountains, and quench the fiery darts of Satan, and overcome him withal; and in this you have all pure unity; and you edify and build up in the holy faith, the gift of God; and this is that which is to be contended for, which is the same that was once delivered to the saints. O! live in the pure hope, which purifies you as He is pure; which hope is Christ; and so feel Christ your hope, which anchors your immortal souls, which stays it in all waves, storms, and tempests, and is sure and safe in all weathers; Christ, who is the same to day as He was yesterday.

NUMBER

CCXLIX.

A General Epistle to Friends.

1667.

Blessed are all those whose minds are staid upon the Lord, for they shall be kept in perfect peace.

And seeing the devil hath made the world like a wilderness, and there are so many ways in it, that people do not know which way to come out of it, nor which to follow; therefore this is my answer to you all, take David's Lamp and Light. You may say, what is that? and where is it? I say, it is within you, the Word of God. You may say, people do not use to carry lamps in the daytime, but in the night. I say, you are in the night of darkness, and therefore the Word is called a lamp, and a light to you; by which you may distinguish the way of the Lord, which is perfect, from all men's ways, which are imperfect; for by this Word did David come to outstrip his teachers, and was made wiser than them. all; for by this word he saw Christ, and called Him Lord. And this was the Word that came to Abraham, which made him for sake his national religion and worship, and

obey the Lord; and this was the Word that came to Jacob the shepherd, by which he saw Christ, and prophesied of Him to his sons on his death-bed, when he said to Judah, the sceptre should not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from betwixt his feet, till Shiloh came, (meaning Christ,) and the gathering of all nations should be to Him. And this was the Word that came to Moses, the shepherd, when he was keeping sheep; which he obeyed and went to Egypt, and brought the children of Israel out of Egypt; by which word he was made a minister; and when the children of Israel were come out of Egypt into the wilderness, he told them, they need not go for the Word beyond the seas, &c. for it was nigh them, in their hearts and mouths, to obey it and do it. And this was the Word that made Moses a prophet, who prophesied of Christ, and said, Like unto him God would raise up a Prophet, Him should they hear in all things.

And this was the Word that came to Samuel, and made him a prophet, who spoke to Eli the priest, add reproved his sons, and the children of Israel.

And this was the Word that came to Isaiah, by which he prophesied of Christ, and of his preaching, and of his sufferings; and by which Word he reproved the shepherds, which were as greedy dumb dogs, that could never have enough, seeking their gain from their quarter.

And this was the Word of God that made Jeremiah a prophet, by which he saw the New Covenant; by which Word he was said to reprove the people and the princes, of the filthy and horrible thing committed in the land, that the priests preached for hire, and the prophets prophesied falsely. And for reproving them for their superstition and idolatry, they struck him, and put him in the stocks and prison, and persecuted him in the dungeon, till his persecutors were carried into captivity. And by the Word Jeremiah saw the number of seventy years of his persecutors being in Babylon's captivity.

Elijah by this Word was made a prophet, and by the Word reproved Ahab and Jezebel for their idolatry, and worshiping of images. For which Word's sake they persecuted him, and the rest of the prophets. And Elisha