An epistle for the strengthening and confirming of friends in their most holy faith Fell, Leonard, 1624-1700 or 1701. 1670 Approx. 11 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 4 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2007-10 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A41047 Wing F624 ESTC R17853 13164497 ocm 13164497 98214

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Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A41047) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 98214) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 417:2) An epistle for the strengthening and confirming of friends in their most holy faith Fell, Leonard, 1624-1700 or 1701. 6 p. s.n., [London : 1670] Caption title. Signed: Leonard Fell. Place and date of publication from Wing. Reproduction of original in Cambridge University Library.

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eng Society of Friends. 2006-11 Assigned for keying and markup 2006-11 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-01 Sampled and proofread 2007-01 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2007-02 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion
An EPISTLE FOR THE Strengthening and Confirming OF FRIENDS, in their Moſt Holy Faith. FRIENDS,

ALL abroad every where, think it not ſtrange concerning the fiery Tryal, which is but to try you; for is it not written, Every man's work muſt be try'd? neither think the time long; neither look at Sufferings, nor at the Potentneſs of thoſe that cauſe you to ſuffer; but look to the Lord, that is able to deliver: Did the Lord ever leave or forſake his People in a ſuffering Condition, that ſtood for his Name, or gave up themſelves freely to whatever the Perſecutors could do: For there were Informers, and Laws, and Decrees made in Ahaſuerus's time, but the Lord fruſtrated them; & thoſe that ſtood for the Name of the Lord came over all at laſt, when the Lord ſaw their Faithfulneſs, and the tryal of their Faith. Haman was an Informer, and ſaid unto King Ahaſuerus, There is a certain People ſcatter'd abroad, and diſpis'd among the People in all the Provinces of thy Kingdom, and their Laws are divers from all people's, neither keep they the King's Laws, therefore it is no for the King's profit to ſuffer them ſo; if it pleaſe the King let them be deſtroy'd, and he would give ſo much Money, as you may read in Eſther 3. 9. and this was but for want of poor Mordecai's bowing to him: So the King granted this great Informer's Requeſt, to deſtroy all the ſeed of the Jews that were within his Provinces: But read on in the third and fourth Chapters of Eſther, and ſee what came to paſs in a little time; the Jews were deliver'd, and the Informer went to the Gallows: Now if Haman had been quiet, it is a queſtion, if he had been deſtroy'd, or not; for the Adverſaries lifting up themſelves againſt the Lord's Remnant never lengthens their dayes: For when the Faithfulneſs of his People, and Uprightneſs of their Hearts to him are ſeen, he ſoon brings Deliverance; they need not find the Lord a way out to deliver.

Therefore all Friends every where, give up all you are and have, and wait to find a Godly Reſolution ſpringing up within you; and ſay, The God whom we ſerve is able to deliver us; if not, we are reſolv'd to Serve and Worſhip the Lord. In Nebuchadnezer's time (as you may read in the 3d of Daniel) how there were Informers; in the 8th verſe, Certain Caldeans came to accuſe the Jews: in the 10th verſe, Thou, O King, made a Decree, That they that would not fall down and worſhip the Image, at the ſound of the Muſick, ſhould be caſt into the Burning-Fiery-Furnace; and ſo they go on, and tell the King, There were ſuch three Men, which regarded him not, neither ſerved his Gods, nor worſhipped the Image that he had ſet up: Then the King, in his Rage aud Fury, commanded the men to be brought before him; and he asked, If theſe things were true, That they ſerv'd not his Gods, nor worſhipp'd the Golden Image which he had ſet up; now if ſo be they would be ready at the ſound of the Muſick, to fall down and worſhip the ſaid Image that he had made; but if not, in the ſame Hour they ſhould be caſt into the mid'ſt of the Burning-Fiery Furnace: Now their Anſwer was, The God whom they ſerv'd was able to deliver them; but if not, we will not Bow: And he did d liver them to his own Praiſe and Glory, but they that caſt them into the Fire were ſlain with the Flame; but Shadrah, M ſhach, and Abednego came out of the Furnace without harm, which did aſtoniſh the King; and he bleſſed the God of Shadrach, Meſhech, and Abednego. Now Friends, if ſuch a Work ſhould be brought forth through your Faithfulneſs, would it not make your hearts glad, that God ſhould be ſo honour'd by your Faithfulneſs? For if theſe men had ſhrunk and bow'd, the Lord's Power had not been ſo manifeſted: For the Faithfulneſs of Friends puts an opportunity into the Lord's Hand to make his Power known. For, Did not the Lord raiſe up Pharoah to make his Power known; when Moſes led the Children of Iſrael out of Egypt. Pharo h with his Hoſt follow'd in great haſte, and purſu'd them to the Red-Sea, thinking to have deſtroy'd them ll; and ſome began to Murmer againſt Moſes, why he would bring them thither, to be deſtroy'd; yet Moſes his Faith was in God, and he bid them but Stand ſtill, and ſee the Salvation of God, and the Egyptians, whom they had ſeen that day, they ſhould never ſee again: and ſo it came to paſs; for Iſrael had a Way through the Sea, but Pharoah and his Hoſt were drown'd, and not a man eſcap'd. Now Friends, if thoſe that were with Moſes ſhould have drawn back to Pharoah in this ſeeming Diſtreſs, thinking to go to Moſes again when the Danger was over, had they not run from their Safety to their Deſtruction?

So now Friends, none to draw back again, neither to be ſlack in keeping your Meetings; For he that draws back, the Lords Soul has no Pleaſure in him; and the Back-ſlider in heart ſhall be fill'd with his own wayes: And therefore Friends, be of a Noble Mind, and Valliant for the Truth upon the Earth; the Noble Seed brings to be of a Noble Mind.

And Friends, it is convenient that Tryals come, that the Chaff may be ſeperated from the Wheat, for they who are of this noble Seed will not be Treacherous nor Falſehearted, but have a faithful Reſpect to the Honour of God forever.

And obſerve in Daniel's day, how that they could not bring him to ſuffer, but concerning the Worſhip of his God (ſo they can find nothing againſt us but concerning the Worſhip of our God, for which Bleſſed be the Name of the Lord forever) ſo a Decree was made, that whoſoever ask'd a Petition either of God or Man, for thirty dayes, ſave of the King, ſhould be caſt into the Den of Lyons; and Daniel was conſtant to pray to the Lord three times a day, with his Window open towards Jeruſalem, as his manner was: Now Daniel might have ſhut his Window, and forbore to pray to his God for ſo many dayes; but then how could the Lord have appear'd in his Deliverance, if he had not kept to his Worſhip as his manner was, by which the Name of the Lord came to be exalted: And he that made the Decree, Commanded all to call upon the God of Daniel. So that you may ſee alwayes it was Faithfulneſs and Conſtancy that brought Honour to God, and Deliverance to themſelves, and Deſtruction upon the Adverſaries.

So Friends, ſtand in the Fear and Dread of God, and you will become a Dread to all Nations: what need you fear any but the Lord God, that made Heaven and Earth? What, will a Living Man be afraid of a Dead Man? So you th t are alive in Chriſt Jeſus, what need you fear them that are dead in Adam, in Sin and Tranſgreſsion, a body of Sin and a body of Death? What need a living Body be afraid of a dead Body?

So F iends, be of a valliant Mind; they who are of the noble Birth, will be of a valliant Mind, and I know will give their Appearance for God, who hath appear'd for us, and in us, and among us: Many comfortable and peaceable Meetings we have enjoy'd, wherein we have been refreſhed together, and ſatisfied together, and our Hearts made glad together in the en oyment of the Goodneſs of our God; which is (I know) not wanting in this ſuffe ing Time.

Now in the conſideration of theſe things Friends, hold up your heads; for God he will be our Deliverer: I dare be bold to ſpeak in the Name of the Lord, That the Lord will bring a Calm; for, was the Old World ſo rude and cruel as this Generation? they let Noah build the Ark, and did not go about to make a Spoil of his Work, though they were againſt him, and call'd him, Old Fool, yet they let him alone with his Work.

But this Generation will not let the Lord's People work the Works of God, nor Worſhip Him whom the Ark was a Type of.

And if the Lord overthrew the old World for their Wickedneſs, and their ſlighting of Noah's warning of them; what will he do to this Generation, that not only rejects the Warnings of them that are call'd and choſen of God to work his Works, but ſeek to deſtroy them? I ſay, how can the Lord hold his Hand, but let it fall heavy upon thoſe that have dealt thus cruelly with his People; ſeeing he overthrew thoſe that never dealt ſo cruelly?

So Friends, let your confidence be in the Lord God that made Heaven and Earth; truſt in his Arm; let him be your Shield; he will ſet up a Standard for you, that all Nations of the Earth ſhall never be able to pull down; for the Lord never leaves nor forſakes his Heritage: Or where was there ever any that ſuffer'd for God, but their Enemies fell before them? Though they ſought to ruin the Lord's People, yet the Pit they had digg'd for others, themſelves fell in o it; and it wi l never fall otherwiſe to them that think to deſtroy the Lord's Heritage.

Friends, let none think that the Beaſt's worſhip ſhall ſpread again, neither ſhall People wonder after him, as they have done; neither ſhall the great Whore ſpread her Skirts over Nations, as ſhe has done, neither ſh ll ſhe be heard to make her boaſt; for the Lord hath and will confound her, with thoſe that have committed Fornication with her: And his own Name, and Power, and Kingdom he will ſet up over all the Names and Kingdoms upon the Earth.

Two things the great Whore has boaſted ſhould never come upon her, yet ſhe ſhall meet with them both; that is, loſs of Children, and Widdowhood.

It is obſerved in the North part of the Nation, what ſort of men they are that are Infomers, the moſt part of them are either High-way-men, or ſuch as have been a raigned for Fellony, or ſuch as are come out of Goals, or idle Fellows that have ſpent their Eſtates, if they had any; and now would live upon the ſpoil of other honeſt Men's Eſtates: Now it is thought ſtrange, that Juſtices of Peace and Wiſe men of the Country, ſhould diſobliege the ſober People, to gratifie ſuch men as are here mentioned; it is not for their Honour I am ſure.

Written the 10th of the 11th Moneth 1670. Leonard Fell THE END.