POSTSCRIPT.-And the elder women in the truth were not only called elders, but mothers. Now a mother in the church of Christ, and a mother in Israel, is one that gives suck, and nourishes, and feeds, and washes, and rules, and is a teacher, in the church, and in the Israel of God, and an admonisher, an instructer, an exhorter. So all that are come to that office, growth, and stature, be diligent; for a mother in Israel, or in the church of Christ, is beyond all the mothers in Egypt, and in Sodom, and the mother of harlots, mystery Babylon, who had power over tongues, nations, and people, with the cup of her fornication. But the mothers in spiritual Israel, and church of Christ, has the cup of salvation, and the breasts of consolation, which are full of the milk of the word, to suckle all the young ones, and to nourish, and instruct, admonish, and exhort, and rebuke all the contrary; and to refresh and cherish every tender one. So the elder women and mothers are to be teachers of good things, and to be teachers of the younger, and trainers up of them in virtue, in holiness, and godliness, and righteousness, in wisdom, and in the fear of the Lord, in the church of Christ.

And if the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife, then who is the speaker, and who is the hearer? Surely such a woman is permitted to speak, and to work the works of God, and to make a member in the church; and then as an elder, to oversee that they walk according to the order of the gospel. G. F.

CCXCII.-To Friends in New England, Virginia, and Barbadoes.

Dear friends,-Be faithful in the power of the Lord God, in what you know, and then the Lord will preserve you; that you may answer the witness of God in every man, whether they are the heathen, that do not profess Christ, or whether they are such as do profess Christ, that have the form of godliness, and are out of the power. And keep your meetings, you that know the power of the Lord, and feel it, that in it you may have unity with God, and one with another. The Lord God hath a seed in those parts, who shall be heirs of his grace that brings salvation, which grace is it that teacheth, in which grace they sing praises to the Lord. So, now you who are come to the dawning of the day, and to the ending of the night of the apostacy; happy and blessed are you, who are come to see these things, to see the hidden mysteries of God revealed, and his glorious riches to the Gentiles, through the power of an endless life. And you that are and have been faithful, spread the truth abroad, ye that know it; and feel that which makes free; let not principalities and powers separate you from the love of God, which you have in Christ Jesus, who hath all power in heaven VOL. VIII.

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and earth given unto him, mind his reign, his teaching, his kingdom, which hath no end; for God hath some to be brought out from amongst those heathens, if you be faithful among them, answering the witness of God in them; for as the Lord saith, I will give him for a covenant to the Gentiles;' and those are called heathens. Therefore keep your meetings, and dwell in the power of truth, and know it in one another, and be one in the light, that you may be kept in peace and love in the power of God, that you may know the mystery of the gospel: and all that ever you do, do in love; do nothing in strife, but in love, that edifies the body of Christ, which is the church. So as any are moved to go amongst the heathen, in the power and love of God, to preach the gospel, (which is the love of God to them,) bring them to the power of God; to that God, which is the God of the stones, which they make idols of, and the God of the trees, earth, brass, silver, iron, and gold, which they make gods of; and that he is the living God; for those are dead gods that are made with men's hands. He is the living God that clothes the earth with grass and herbs, and causes the trees to grow, and bring forth food for you, and makes the fishes of the sea to breathe and live, and makes the fowls of the air to breed, and causes the roe and the hind, and the creatures, and all the beasts of the earth to bring forth, whereby they may be food for you. He is the living God, that causes the stars to arise in the night, to give you light, and the moon to arise to be a light in the night. He is the living God, that causes the sun to give warmth unto you, to nourish you when you are cold. He is the living God, that causes the snow and frost to melt, and causes the rain to water the plants. He is the living God, that made the heaven and the earth, and the clouds, and causes the springs to break out of the rocks, and divided the great sea from the earth, and divided the light from the darkness, by which it is called day, and the darkness night, and divided the great waters from the earth, and gathered them together: which great waters he called sea, and the dry land earth: he is to be worshipped that doth this. He is the living God, that gives unto you breath, and life, and strength, and gives unto you beasts and cattle, whereby you may be fed and clothed. He is the living God, and he is to be worshipped. And that which gives you to be sensible of him, and to know him, is that which convinceth you in your hearts of sin and unrighteousness. So all gods that are made of stone, mortar, wood, silver, brass, iron, or gold, are not the living God, but are made of men's hands; and the living God is he that gives you life, and breath, and strength, and all things that are good, and would have you to feel after him, with that which checks you for sin and evil; and would have you to worship him in spirit, and serve him who is holy and righteous, and to live in peace; who hath promised he will give Christ Jesus for

a covenant of light and peace to you, who are called Gentiles and heathens. And now is the day approaching to you, (this covenant of light,) by which you shall come to have peace with the Lord God, the king of the who earth. This is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, in whose hand is the breath of all mankind: this is the God of the spirits of all flesh, who hath made all nations of mankind of one blood, to dwell upon the face of the earth. And God having divided the sons and daughters of Adam, and scattered them up and down the face of the earth, being in the transgression and sin, led away with the god of the world, the wicked one, the devil, that abode not in the truth, who causes people to destroy one another, and murder one another about earthly things: this is the prince of darkness, that rules in all the hearts of the children of disobedience; disobedient to that which is righteous in them, which discovers the unrighteous actions and words from the righteous. And Christ, the second Adam, the Lord from heaven, saves men from sin; who is the prince of peace, and of life, and the covenant of God, who brings men to have peace with God, and one with another, who destroys the devil, the author of strife: this is Christ the second Adam, which brings the sons and daughters of Adam into reconciliation with God again, and destroys sin, and finishes it, and makes reconciliation for sin and iniquity. G. F.

CCXCIII.-To Friends in Barbadoes.

Dear friends, to whom is my love in the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom were all things made, and by whom all things do consist, and who filleth all things, and doth uphold all by his word and power; who is the first and last, the holy head of his holy church, and the door into the holy way, for his holy people to walk in, and the setter up of a holy worship in the holy spirit and truth, to worship the holy God in; and the setter up of a holy religion, to keep from the spots of the world; which religion is pure in his sight. And this never came out of the brain-beaten stuff of man, nor of his chamber of imagery; but for his people to walk in, that they might sing forth his praises in righteousness.

And therefore, all Friends, in your men and women's meetings, be faithful, and see how you do grow in the truth and power of godliness, and are circumcised; and witness your renewings into the heavenly image of him that created you; and that you all may be fruitful in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the orderer of all things; and wear his livery and fine linen, the righteousness of Christ; and hold forth his ensign and his standard, and all to be filled with his grace, and love, and peaceable truth, and be over all outward earthly things; so that none be carnally but spiritually minded; and

walk as becomes the glorious order of the gospel, having the water of life in your cisterns, and the bread of life in your tabernacles, and fruits on your trees, to the praise of God. Amen.

And all your family meetings do not neglect, among your whites and negroes, but do your diligence and duty to God and them; which you will not neglect, if you keep in the faith of Abraham, and of the blessed seed which inheriteth the crown. And be at peace among yourselves, that each one show that you are in Christ the prince of peace; and that doth show that you are the disciples of Christ, and learners and followers of him. So possess him who is life eternal. Amen.

And your love and kindness towards us, the Lord redouble it of his mercy into your bosoms. We are all pretty well. We have had great travail by land and sea, and rivers and bays, and creeks, in New England, Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Carolina, where we have had great service among Friends, and governors, and others, (and men and women's meetings,) and with the Indians, and their kings and emperor. O blessed be the Lord God Almighty, who is over all, and over all giveth dominion. And glory be to his great name for ever. Amen. And his truth is of a good savour in the hearts of people, and spreads. So no more but my love. G. F.

Read this in your men and women's meeting.

Maryland, the 24th of the 12th month, 1672.

CCXCIV.

Friends, the truth is above all, and will stand over all them that hate it, who labour in vain against it, and will bring their old house on their own heads, to their great trouble; and in the winter, and cold weather, when that their house is down, and their religion is frozen, and their rivers are dried up, and their husks are gone, and the swine begin to cry about the plantations, and the vermin run up and down amongst their old rubbish, and their sparks and candles are gone out, and hail and storms lighteth upon the head of the wicked, then wo will be to Gog and Magog, and to all the wicked, who have no covering. In Christ you have peace, in the world you have trouble. No peace with God can be enjoyed, but in the covenant of light; without it trouble. Amen. G. F.

CCXCV.

Friends, at the first convincement there is not so much danger, for the spirit of God keeps in the fear of the Lord, and under judgment; then after getting acquaintance or knowledge, and a familiarity, and a liberty,

but not in the holy spirit, there is greater danger; and therefore your knowledge and familiarity must be in the invisible spirit; for the flesh fadeth and withereth, as the grass. So that knowledge and familiarity is as grass that withers; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And the right knowledge of one another is this: to know one another in that word which was in the beginning, before man fell; ' for man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.' This is the fresh and heavenly food from above, and above all the husks that the swineherd feedeth his swine with, in the unrepented state. G. F.

CCXCVI.

Friends,-All keep your meetings in the power of the Lord God, that hath gathered you; and none to quench the spirit, nor despise prophesying; and so keep up your testimony in public and private. Let not the mouths of babes and sucklings be stopped, nor the seed in males or females; but all be valiant for the truth upon the earth.

Concerning your women's meetings; encourage all the women of families that are convinced, and mind virtue, and love the truth, and walk in it, that they may come up into God's service, that they may be serviceable in their generation, and in the creation, and come into the practice of the pure religion, which you have received from God from above, that every one may know their duty in it, and their service, in the power and wisdom of God; for now the practical part is called for. People must not be always talking and hearing, but they must come into obedience to the great power of the great God of heaven and earth.

And so that none may stand out of the vineyard idle, and out of service, and out of their duty; for such will talk and tattle, and judge with evil thoughts of what they in the vineyard say and do. And therefore the power of God must call all into their duty, into their service, into their places, into virtue, and righteousness, and into the wisdom of God. For all that be out of their duty in their service, though they have the knowledge of it, yet are not so serviceable in the creation, nor in their generation; for the power of God must go over, and is over all such; by which power all must be acted; in which true obedience is known. And, therefore, train up your young women to know their duty in this thing, that they may be in their services and places; which they are to do in the power and wisdom of God; by which you are kept open to the Lord, to receive of his gifts, and graces, and of his life, through which you are to minister one to another. And all keeping in it, then there is none to let or stop its flowing, but through it you all are to be watered