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another, all studying to be quiet, and to excel one another in virtue, and purity, and holiness, and righteousness, and godliness, in all your words, and lives, and conversations; so that you may all walk as become saints and christians, every one esteeming and preferring one another above yourselves in the truth, in meekness, and lowliness of mind, and humility; for he that inhabits eternity, dwells with an humble heart. And therefore, do not quench the least motion of God's good spirit in yourselves, nor in any other; but let truth and goodness be cherished in all; and let all harshness, and bitterness, and revilings be kept down by the truth, that it may have its passage through you all, and in it you may bear one another's weakness and infirmities, and so fulfil the law of Christ; keeping down revenge, hastiness or passion, as knowing vengeance is the Lord's, and he will repay it on every one that does wrong, without respect of persons. For, friends, you there should be as lights, or as a city that cannot be hid. Lights, I say, to give light in all people; and also to be as the salt of the earth, to be a good savour, and savoury to all people; for he or she, that is an ill savour, hath lost the salt's savour, and is good for nothing, and is trodden under the foot of men. And therefore take heed of losing the salt's savour, either in word or conversation; for if you do, you will come under the foot of men, they will trample upon you; therefore be careful, fervent, circumspect, and faithful in the truth, and let your moderation, temperance, and sobriety appear to all men, showing forth the work of the Lord, and your honesty and justness in all your words and dealings between man and man; and that you may owe nothing to any man but love, that every one of you may be adorned with a meek and quiet spirit, which is with the Lord of great price. And every one of you to be indued with wisdom from on high, which is pure and peaceáble, gentle, and easy to be entreated, and full of mercy and good works; let the fruits of this appear among you all, and then you will all be gentle and easily entreated one of another. And keep in the unity of the spirit, which is the bond of the heavenly peace, (and then none quench it,) and all walking as becomes the glorious, joyful, peaceable gospel of Christ, which is the power of God, which was before the devil, and his power was, and is over him; in this gospel you all know life and immortality brought to light, that you all see your everlasting glorious fellowship, in the everlasting gospel of peace; in this gospel, the power of God, that was before enmity was, and will remain when it is gone. And therefore all you who know this glorious gospel of peace live and walk in it, keeping your glorious, heavenly, comfortable fellowship in this glorious gospel of peace, in which enmity cannot come, as before. And in this everlasting gospel, the everlasting God, (who is over

G. F.

all, from everlasting to everlasting,) will have the praise, glory, and thanks, who is worthy of all, for ever and evermore. London, the 7th of the 12th month, 1680.

CCCLXV.-To Friends in Yorkshire.

Dear friends,-In the Lord's power and holy spirit, feel his presence amongst you, who hath drawn you with his spirit to his son; and you that have received him, he gives you power to become his sons and daughters; and so from the son of God, the second Adam, you have power to meet, whose power is above Adam's power, and his sons and daughters in the fall.

And now, my friends, if you do want wisdom and knowledge to order you in the affairs and service of God, Christ is the treasure of your wisdom and knowledge; and so receive them from his treasury which is above. This heavenly, saving wisdom and knowledge, from whence you have your grace and truth, light and life, and the gospel, the heavenly spirit; yea, heavenly food, and heavenly bread, and water of life from above; and the unleavened bread, and sweet milk of the word, and water of life, to keep the feast of the heavenly man's passover, which is not to be found in any of old Adam's sons and daughters' storehouses in the fall; but his old, mouldy, leavened, sour bread, which makes his sons and daughters' hearts to burn one against another, and clothes them with his old rags, which will not cover their nakedness, which they have stitched together, which must be all cast off, and trodden under foot by the spirit and power of Christ; which power turns you to Christ, who clothes all his sons and daughters with his heavenly fine linen, which will never wax old.

And therefore let all your lamps be trimmed, and candles lighted, that all of you may see your work and service for God and Christ, in this his day. So that you may have the blessings from above from him, as the holy men and women of God had in the days of old; so that there may be nothing lacking, neither spiritual nor temporal.

And so let all things be done in peace and love, in the name and power of Jesus, amongst you; and all condescend to one another in meekness, patience, and quietness, in the fear of the Lord; being all ordered with the wisdom of God, which is from above, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, that all your hearts, minds, and souls may be knit together in the love of Christ, and that you may be all of one mind and spirit in him; and whatever you do, let it be done in the name and power of Jesus, to the glory of God the Father, that created all, and takes care for all, blessed for ever. Amen. London, the 6th of the 4th month, 1680.

G. F.

CCCLXVI.-A letter to the captives who meet together to worship God in Algiers.

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Dear friends,-I understand by a letter from a Friend, a captive amongst you, dated the 20th of the 10th month, 1681, that you have a meeting there in Algiers of about twenty. I am glad to hear you meet; and it is very well, that you have so much liberty from your patrons; and my desire is, that the Lord may preserve you all, that do meet in the name of Jesus, that in your lives, and conversations, and words, you may preach righteousness, and holiness, and godliness, and the life of truth; so that you may answer the spirit of God, both in the Turks and Moors, and the rest of the captives; that God's city may be set upon the holy hill there, which cannot be hid; but that all may see it with the light wherewith Christ hath enlightened every man that cometh into the world. And that Christ's ensign may be set up in those parts; that with his light in all men, they may all see it, and flock to it; and Christ the ensign furnisheth all that come to him, with heavenly armour and spiritual weapons. Now Christ enlightens every man that cometh into the world, that every one may believe in the light, and may become a child of the light, and have eternal life, and be saved. And so the gospel of salvation, the power of God, is to be preached to every creature under heaven. And he that believes, is saved, and hath the salvation; for Christ by the grace of God, hath tasted death for every man. And the grace of God that brings salvation, hath appeared to all men. And therefore all men, if they will have salvation, it must be by believing, receiving, and walking in the grace of God, which brings it. And the Lord pours out of his spirit upon all flesh; and therefore, all men and women must come to this holy spirit of God, by which the spirit of enmity may be slain and crucified in them; that in this holy spirit of God, they may all be in love and unity; and with the spirit of God, they may all come to know the eternal, immortal God, and serve and worship him in his holy spirit of truth, which he hath poured upon them. And in this, all will honour God, and glorify him through Jesus Christ in his new covenant of light and grace.

And so, my dear friends, be faithful and valiant for God's truth upon earth, and do not deny the name of Jesus, in whom you have salvation; whose name is above every name under the whole heaven; that ye may all be with his light built upon him your rock and foundation that stands sure. And now, my dear friends, though you remain as captives, yet if ye be Christ's and God's freemen, who leads the devil into captivity, that led you captive into his prison of death, darkness, and corruption: if Christ, I say, has led you out of that prison and captivity, VOL. VIII.

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into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free; and be not entangled with any yoke of bondage, to bring you out of that heavenly, spiritual liberty. For in this you are free, notwithstanding the prisons and captivity of men; and they are but small matters to it. And therefore trust in the arm of the Lord's power, who can lay the mountains low, and remove the hills out of their places, and make his lambs to skip over all. And therefore mind the Lord and his power, that is over all that, that makes you to suffer. Now your sorrows and afflictions may bring many to call upon the name of the Lord, when he has brought you low; for God is merciful and gracious to the righteous, and his mercies endure for ever. And though hunger, and thirst, and cold, many times you are in, and many distresses, yet the Lord is able to support you. And now, that you may mind the Lord in your poverty, and prize his mercies; and consider how he brought them down that did not enough prize his mercies, and liberty, and plenty. And ye may read the 107th Psalm throughout; there ye may see how the Lord brought down such as contemned his counsel, and rebelled against his words. Well, what can you tell but that this may be the day of the Lord with you, in your captivity, to bring down your hearts and spirits, that with the spirit of the Lord you may turn to him, who is a God at hand; and that you may call upon the Lord in truth and righteousness, that all your sufferings, afflictions, and captivity may be sanctified to you. So that you may say, 'all things shall work together for good, to them that love God.' And so with Job you may bless God, who giveth and taketh away,' and that you may glorify God in whatsoever condition you may be; that no trouble may move you; and that you may rejoice in afflictions, persecutions, and tribulations in the Lord, through his spirit that doth uphold you. And as you do walk in the light, grace, spirit, and gospel, you may turn others to it. That you may have unity with them in it; and that they may come out of the spiritual prison of death, darkness, and corruption, and captivity, into the liberty of the sons of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.

So with my love to you all in the holy seed Christ Jesus, that reigns over all from everlasting to everlasting. The Lord preserve you all tender vines in him. Amen.

London, the 17th of the 1st month, 1682.

CCCLXVII.-To Friends in Burlington, West Jersey.

G. F.

Dear friends, The Lord by his mighty hand and power having brought you to that place, and now you are settled there, my desire is, that your lives and conversations may preach righteousness and

holiness; for without holiness none shall see God. And going into unholiness, that is the cause that none see God; and the cause why there is not peace among a nation or people is, they do not live and walk in righteousness; but walk and follow the unrighteous spirit, which is out of the truth. And again, Christ says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.' For it is the defiled and impure hearts that do not see God. And therefore, keep in the pure spirit of God, that does mortify all impurity and unholiness, which blind people from the sight of the pure God.

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And now, my dear friends, the eyes of other nations will be upon you; and now you profess truth beyond them all; but if you do not exceed them in truth, in righteousness, in holiness, justice and equity, and in the wisdom of God, that is pure, peaceable, &c. by which you may answer the good in your government, and all governments about you likewise, (which is my desire that you may, that they may not see any nakedness among you,) if you do not, you will bring both the judgment of God upon you, and the judgment of truth that you and we profess.

For you know how that Friends in England, and other places, have admonished the governors and rulers to do that which is just and right; and therefore now ye are come into place, have a care that you do that which is just and right, lest you come under the same reproof by others.

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And therefore, have an eye to the Lord in all your actions. For David saith, (2 Sam. xxiii. 3.) The God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spake to me, he that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God: and he shall be as the light of the morning (that doth so) when the sun riseth, even as a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.' Here you may see, it must not be unjust men, and men that do not fear God, that must be rulers, for they do not receive his wisdom to rule withal; and such will be as clouds without water, (as in Jude,) and then they are not like to refresh the tender grass, but hurt it.

And Solomon saith, 'As the roaring lion, and the raging bear, so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.' And therefore with the spirit of God keep down the wicked spirit in you, and then you will keep down the roaring lion and the raging bear, with the spirit of meekness, and patience, and wisdom, and understanding. Prov. xxviii. 15.

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And the apostle says, Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.' Therefore both rulers and ruled must be out of the evil works. And the rulers cannot be a terror to evil works, if they live in them themselves. Therefore all ought to live in the power of God, which brings them out of the evil to do that which is good; and then

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