LAmbs of the Fold, in the Love of the Shepherd, I greet you all, and my Soul is poured out to­wards you, that are in the Birth-right, and Heir-ship of Life, unto which the Arm of the Lord hath gathered us to inherit, and sit together in Heavenly Places, and to shew forth his praises; he hath put it into our hearts to do his Will, to stand up for his Truth, and to bear our Testimonie against Antichrist; even we, who were neither Prophets, nor Prophets Sons, hath the Lord by his Spirit sent forth to confound the Wisdom of the Wise; yea, he hath raised his Truth in the Hearts of thousands, the Preacher of Glad Tidings, even the Gospel of Peace, by which many are brought to bear a Faithful Testimonie against deceit; he hath ga­thered us, and saved us, and nursed us in his Bosom, and fed us with the Milk of his Word; He hath o­pened us, and Illuminated us, and Led us, and Arm­ed us; yea, he hath trained us in the Word of Pati­ence, and cloathed us with the Armour of Light, & taught us the Postures of War; He hath given us Pa­tience, Courage, Man-hood, Boldness and Ability to indure hitherto; He hath overturned and tum­bled the Earth, Heaps upon Heaps; He hath Re­jected Councellers, the Potent and Learned, the [Page 3]Noble and Ignoble, Professors and Prophane, even he hath Bolted up their Way, and Strangled their Conceptions, and Broken their Images, and divided them, and made a way for us, and covered our heads in the day of Battel, and fought for us by the secret Motions of his Power, in the Hearts of our Enemies: And now for his Truths Sake, he hath provided his Furnace and Fining-Pot, to try all those Mettles that had such a pleasant sound, even the great swelling words of Vanity: them that have, and do say, They are Jews, Christians, and true Believers and Wor­shippers, even all that are contrary to the Furnace (viz.) the Lords Refining Fire, must feel its Flame, or see the Terror of it, and so in the Fearfulnesse give up their Power, and Bow to the Image of the Beast. But the resolved in sin­cerity, that are given up freely to him that hath cal­led to Righteousness, they shall be saved, and their Salvation the Heathen shall Admire; Stand up there­fore ye counted for the Slaughter, Hath our Captain forsaken us? Hath the Trumpet left sounding? Is the Alarum ceased? Is the Earth at Peace, and the Beast still? Doth not the Lyon roar, his Proclama­tion even unto Babylon that great City? Is the A­greement made between Light and Darkness, and the Unity confirmed between the Temple of God, and that of Idols? Is the Peace made? (then my Friends) What means this pursuit? What means this Preparation for War, against the Lamb and his Ar­my? Is not the noise of the Chariots of Egypt, and the strength of the Philistians come up against Mount-Sion, with their choicest Snares? Have not they pitched their Tents against Jerusalem (the beloved [Page 4]City?) Are they not many? Is not the Sea before and Mountaines on each side? And are not all hopes, besides what stands in God, utterly gone? Oh! is it, Time now to Buy and Sell, to Plant and Build, and Marry and give in Marriage in the worldly Part, Care and Desire. Give up, Give up, Let not your Hearts dwell contracted to the Old Man.

Arise, Come forth and meet the Bridegroom, that you may feel and behold his strength, who is able to subject all things unto himselfe, and subdue all things under you; Feel that love that is stronger than Death, and Crueller than the Grave; then I know your Hearts will not fail you in this Day of Tryal, neither shall fear seize upon your Spirits.

O Lambs, feed upon your Pasture; and ye Virgins, dwell in your proper Habitations, that your rest may be in the Hope of Glory; For great is the Peace of Sions Flock; (Notwithstanding Tribulation in the World,) With You I have a Portion, with which I am content, and truly willing to do the will of my God, and your God, whose blessed presence fills all our Hearts; the Streams of his love flow unto (and into) us, to the glading of all the City, although it be Besieged, and the Camp be very great, and the Bullwark strong, and their Hopes flourishing round about it; yet the shout of a King is in the middest of it, strong are our Arms, pollished are our Arrows, skil­full are our Archers, and full of courage are our Men of War, whose Weapons are not Carnall, but Spiri­tuall, and Mighty against the Beast and false Pro­phet.

O now let us wait to injoy his presence; Wait for Milk ye Babes; March on in the Word of Patience [Page 5]ye Young Men; Sit upon the Thrones ye Ancients, in the House and Family of God; Retain your judge­ment in Righteousness; wax full in Councel; streng­then the weak; Thresh not without skill; bruise not the Seed; Plow light Furrows; Oppresse not the Yoaked; Carry in your Arms; use Diligence ye o­pened to pour out your Oyl, that the fatness of the House may refresh them that are ready to faint, that the Family may be Gladed; Cherish one another; Keep in the fellowship of Light and Life. Tribula­ted Remnant, gather your selves together, sit down in the Spirit of Supplication; be not daunted; walk not as cast down and forsaken; Let not the Serpent see the Appearance of complaining in you: The Night will over, The Storm will vanish, (take not your flight in this Winter,) the Sun appears through this Tem­pest; Joy is approaching, and Truth shall sing in the Nations over deceipt: And those that overcome shall be filled with Triumphant praises for ever: Oh! let me prevail, let my Cry come to the Cryer in you, for Valour and Courage in the Patience and Faith of Saints; for yet a little while, and the Assirians shall flie, and the Walls of their Cities shall fall, and great shall be their fall; yet a little while, and ye shall Rejoyce over her, ye Holy Prophets and Apostles, ye shall Rejoyce over her that was strongly builded with Blood and with Iniquity; yet a little while and the Instruments of Musick shall not be heard in Her, nor any Crafts-Man or Merchant Rejoycing in Her: Nay, the voyce of the Bridgroom, and of the Bride, shall be heard no more at all in Her, they shall be Redeemed out of Her, and shall not partake of [Page 6]her Plagues; even the Bridegroom & the Bride shall Rejoyce together without the Walls of that City, and great shall be the Joy of the Nations, and Glori­ous shall be the Crown of Life, and Honourable the Scepter of Righteousness throughout the World.

Therefore dear Family of God, let not in the Reason of Flesh and Blood least thy Beauty be Mar­red, and thy Beautiful Garment Spotted, and thy Glory Defaced; Oh! thou Daughter of Zion; Oh! keep thy Espousal, Defile not thy Bed, neither for Fear, nor Love; be single-Hearted, the Lord is with thee of a Truth; What! hath he Led thee, and Fenced thee, and broken the Teeth of the Lyons, and hurled the Pot-sherds on heaps, and bound up all Fallen Wisdom as in a Faggot, and burned it as Dross before thee, and will he now leave thee for a prey to the Spoyler? What! will the Shepherd leave his Lambs incamped with Wolves? or, will a Father leave his Children crying in the Mire? shall they cry for Bread, and Help, and will he shut his Bowells, and turn his Back, and leave them to the Mercylesse, even to the Devouring Furnace of the Wicked? I tell you nay; but our God will ease him of his Enemies, and avenge him of his Adver­saries, and certainly save to the uttermost, those that endure to the End, and will set them in the Honourable places, to Reign in his Truth over all: Oh! blessed are the Simple, whose hearts are upright, whose mindes are not clogged with Wisdome from below, in which the Sensual Reason standeth, that darkeneth the Eye of the minde, and leadeth to strike hands with Deceit; for such as joyn with [Page 7]Deceit shall be ashamed, when as the Faithful through Tryal come forth purer than Gold; then shall the Fig-leafe Garment not Hide; nay, the Bram­bles that hath caught them shall not shelter them that seek to fly the Cross: Up, Arise, put on Cou­rage, stand singly, let the Heathen do what they will, so far as their will is permitted, let them fill up the Measure of their Fathers, and ye must fill up the measure of your Fathers: Remember with what you are Intrusted; delay not Improvement; the work is not hard to the Diligent, to the Wil­ling Minded, but to the sluggard; and Raggs shall not cloath him, so as to cover him from the Wrath of the Lamb, nor shall that Garment be admitted to enter, so as to dwell in the Brides Chamber.

I am filled, suffer me I pray you, to in treat you, (though you know it) let every one dwell in the Nobilitie of the Truth, which is not afraid of the sons of men, neither Dismaid at their Revilings. Lie down, lie down, let Sion be plowed like a Field, let Haman boast a season, let him build his Gallows; Rest ye in the hope of your Glory, and wait you upon him who is Mighty, upon whom help is laid; Fear not the Wrath of man: I say, a­bide in that love that casteth it out, and brings into the Confidence, that nothing is able to separate from. Oh! let not things present, nor things to come, separate any one of you that make mention of his Name; but dwell together in Unitie with the Lord, and one with another; and the God of peace be with your spirits, Amen.

Thou Mighty God of Power, give Patience to [Page 8]thy Wormes to Endure, Lead them, Preserve them, Encourage them that lye at thy Foot-stool; Raise them up, Fight their Battle, Plead their Cause, Speak Comfortably to thy People, shew thy Presence to thy Afflicted; Remove the Yoak of Oppression, when it is thy will; and until then, and for ever, we rest in Hope, Waiting and Crying in the Breath­ings of thy Life, untill thy Sion be made the Glory of the whole Earth; thy Will be done, into which Lord God Receive our Spirits, and in it bundle up our Life and Love, even in the Fellowship of thy Light, Grace and Spirit, Amen.