A Few Words in Season, &c.

I Have thy Letter; and as for those who put the Day of the Lord a far off, Let them take heed least it come upon them unawares, as a Theif in the Night. For, this I know, It is even Come, and the Things I have spoken will come to passe, and be fulfilled in their season; and Blessed is he that Watcheth, and keepeth his Garments, least his nakedness be seen, and his shame Discovered: But this I see, that the End of the Lord in this present Calmnesse, wherein, by the Preservation of his People in the midst of their Enemies, when the Flood thought to have. Over­whelm'd them, and they were betrayed for that purpose; and by his Turning again for a little time the Flood into the Deep, and saying, Hitherto shall Thy Proud Waves go, and no further; He hath made it Appear that his Kingdom is Come, and that he hath a People whom he can preserve, to the Astonishment of all; I say, the End of the Lord in all this, which is, That Friends may mind their being in him who sitteth on the Floods, before the next storm arise, which may be sudden, that so the Extremity of both, within, and without, come not upon Them at Once, is much un­answered by some, and the Enemy hath the Day to put the Day of the Lord afar off, and steal them aside to Eat, and to Drink, and to rise up to Play, that so it may be with them as in the Dayes of Noah; and know not till the Flood come, and sweep them away. This I feel, and for this I suffer; and the Nights of my pleasure are turned into heaviness for this, and I go bowed down all the day long, that so in their day Every One may know the Things that [Page] belong to their Peace. And this Perverting of the End of the Lord, may bring Another day before they are aware; For, let not any be mistaken, their hour is not yet past thorough, which will try them to the uttermost, within, and without; Nor the Day the like was never, nor shall be after it, wherein the things that are shall passe away, and the Earth be removed as a Cottage, and stagger as a Drunken man, and this must be passed thorough; and the Bitter Cup Drunk, and the Brook in the Way, and the Baptisme, Ere the Seed Reign Over all, and time be no more, and the Kingdomes of the Earth become the Lords, and his Christs, and God be known, and Glorified in the Earth; and Old Satan, the Deceiver be cast into the Pit; and Hallelujah's, Praise, and Glory, and Honour be sung by the Redeemed from the Earth to the Lamb for Ever. And in this Hour of Darknesse, All deceiveableness of unrighteousnesse; all Artifices and Workings, Tryalls and Temptations imaginable will be, and more than can be thought of, to de­ceive, if it were possible the very Elect; Behold, I have told you before. And so my Dear Friend, and all that Dwell in the sence of God, and the feeling of his Presence; and of your Enemy, know assuredly the hour is Come, wherein You must be tryed to the uttermost; yea, the Seed of God in ye to the uttermost; Yea, before the World too; for before the World will he Crown It in the sight of his Ene­mies, and so before the World It must be Tryed to get himself a Name, and a Praise, such as Never hath been, nor shall be, the Lord hath spoken it. Blessed is he that Endures to the End, the same shall be saved. And so in Dearness of Love I salute Thee; and all that wait for Our Lord Jesus, and his Comming, to whom be Glory, and Honour, and Domi­nion for Ever:

IT will be well if no Papers come forth but such as stand in the Au­thority of God, his Wisdome, and Councell, that so no offence may be by reason of the Contrary, nor Oceasion of stumbling given; Nor Truth brought Under. For onely it is the Eternall dominion which gives this Liberty, and stop's the Overflowings of the Flood: In his Councell, and Wisdome, there is onely Safety, and all other things are to be forborn: For, We bear the Name of the Lord, and his Truth, and he will be glorified in Ʋs. According to, and in, and through him let Our Actings be, that he in all things may be glorified by Ʋs. For it is not Every Thing that in Simplicity may be; Nor what may be felt in the living, but What the Lord moves unto, and his Wisdome directs to be Wrot, or said, that beares the Authority, and gives the Dominion: I Write this because I am sensible of an Aptnesse in many to bring forth the Simplicity without the Wisdome of God, which betrayes Truth, onely the Lord hath regard to his Truth, and the condition of such friends oft times, and help's it Out.

And if any thing be done, Wrot, or Printed in the Name of Friends, let them first see it, as is Right, and be satisfied, For there is a Great Body of Friends, and many see and Perceive, and the Seed is come; and the Season is not slight, and all things should bear the Authority of God which comes forth in his, or the Name of his People; On whom all Eyes are fixt, and in whose Very Authority is Our standing who makes all Subjects Unto It; and whose Kingdom is come which is an E­verlasting Kingdom, and his Dominion that which shall never have end.

And it is not that the Powers of Darknesse have not, nor do Work; Or that the Flood did not come to Overflow all; Or that it lifted not Ʋp its Voice; Or that It hath not been, nor is felt, and turned back into the Deep; and there kept that this Calme is, and hath been hitherto, but through Ʋnspeakble Sufferings is it come to pass that a Standard hath been, and is lifted up against it; Therefore, take heed of bringing Truth under, through fear of the Fury of the Oppressor; Or Stooping it to the Dread of Times; Or bowing It to Man, whose breath is in his Nostrils, but in the Dominion which is Eter­nal, the alone Sanctuary of Truth, stand over them all; And if any Warne, Let it be in the Authority of God, and if any Write, Let it be in the very Wisdom that God giveth; For this Generation must be touched, and will fill up their Measure; and have their End, after the Lord hath accomplished his Work by them which is Very great, and drawn forth those who are Appointed to life; and the time hastens, In Tenderness to Truth, & regard to It's Majesty, which is Dea­ [...]er to me then All; and a Deep Sence that is Ʋpon me, do I thus write.