Dear Friends;

IN the univerſal Spirit of Life and Truth, and of Righteouſneſs and Peace, doth the tender Affection and pure Love of my heart flow forth unto you all, who are true Lovers of the Power and Holineſs of the ſame, wherein alone it is that we bear the Image of him whoſe Name is HOLINESS, and his Nature and Being is PƲRITY, ſo that in that only we do draw and may draw near unto him, and have fellowſhip with him, and enjoy his Preſence, who is our God, our Life and Salvation; and therefore in the unity of that whereby we have been quicken'd, and through which we live unto him that hath quicken'd us, do I exhort and beſeech you all to mind, with reverence, his ſecret and ſweet Viſitations by his holy Power upon your Spirits, in your hearts, that you feeling that to appear there, and ſo through the brightneſs of its appearing, to deſtroy him, whoſe coming is after the working of Satan with all Power, &c. and with all deceiveableneſs of Unrighteouſneſs in them that periſh, and not only to appear to deſtroy him and his Works, but alſo to abide with you, and dwell in you, and to make you his Dwelling-place, and then you being watchful, ſhall not watch in vain, becauſe the Lord then will be your Keeper, and th • n, as one ſaid of old, He keeping the City, the Watch-man watcheth not in vain. Thus you may ſee it fulfilled in your own Hearts unto your own Souls, and ſo have comfort and Confidence with holy David, and with him live above the fear of Evil (though you might walk through the ſhadow of Death, as he ſaid) becauſe of the Lords being with you.

And therefore, Friends, ſee that you be all mindful of him in his appearing by his Power and Spirit of Grace in your hearts; and let him have room there, and not be ſtraitned, or thronged up, or oppreſſed; for he delights to dwell alone there, and have the whole heart to himſelf, and at his own diſpoſing, that he may fill it with that which he takes pleaſure in, and in which only he may be glorified and honoured; and therefore doth he require the Heart, ſaying, My Son, give me thy heart; And Chriſt doth Command, that we ſhould love him with all our Hearts, &c. So, as I ſaid, let him have room in your hearts, and take heed that with this World, the Spirit of it, Nature of it, and love to the things therein, your hearts be not filled, and ſo taken up, that there be no room for him, whoſe coming is with ſuch Glory and Fullneſs, that he fills all that are rightly poor & empty, with that Fullneſs, Richneſs and Glory, that there can be no want to them that have him for their Portion and Inheritance, and ſo keep ſingle in their hearts before him; but where the heart is filled with delight in, or deſires after other things, out of the Covenant of God (which is out of his favour) there the Lord will not have delight to dwell, there is not room; nay, he will not have delight to appear there, becauſe it will be his grief, and an oppreſſion unto him; was it not ſo of old, when he took up his complaint againſt both Judah and Iſrael, as you may ſee Amos 2. how the Lord pleads with them and threatens them what he would bring upon them for their Sins that he reckons up againſt them; and withal, to aggravate their Crimes (as he might juſtly do) he alſo reckons up & tells them what he had done for them, how he had deſtroy'd the Amorite for their ſakes, brought them out of the Land of Aegypt, lead them in the Wilderneſs, given them the Land of the Amorits to poſſeſs, raiſed of their Sons to be Prophets, and their Young men to be Nazarites, &c. but ſaith he unto them, Ye gave my Nazarits Wine to drink, and commanded my Prophets, ſaying, Prophecy not: Behold, I am preſſed under you as a Cart is preſſed that is full of: heaves, ſaith he. Hence it may be underſtood, that when he hath been at work, and hath done good by his glorious Power, who worketh wonderfully for them (and now in them alſo) that believe in his Power; If there be a going from him, and a letting in of another thing into the Heart, where he ſhould rule and have his dwelling in man, and ſo with man, it becomes a grief, and an oppreſſion unto him, and ſo a provocation unto him, that he will not always bear it, nor ſpare man, though he is long-ſuffering, as may be ſeen very fully in that Prophecy of Amos, and more at large through the Scriptures, which were written for our learning, that we might be warned, and thereby be ſtirred up unto diligence, care & watchfulneſs, which may tend to our Preſervation.

And now, conſidering theſe things that were of old, and obſerving how that in our Age the Lord hath made known his wonted Goodneſs unto us, even that which doth far exceed the outward Priviledges of the outward Iſrael; for that which he bleſſeth us withal, is a Poſſeſſion and enjoyment of a degree of his own Life (who is the Creator) by which he created all things, which is more than the enjoyment of the Creature, the loſs of which was the great Penalty laid upon Adam, if he broke the Command, which he having loſt, is aga • n reſtored unto us through Chriſt Jeſus the ſecond Adam, the Lord from Heaven, which we having received, do thereby live unto God, and therein ſerve him.

And ſo, dear Friends, the thing that is chiefly in my mind unto you, in the reach of the heavenly Bowels, is to intreat and beſeech you all to be tender in your hearts, and careful over your ſpirits, that you may not let in nor joyn with any thing that will bring grief or oppreſſion upon your Life, or lead you into the Tranſgreſſion of the Law thereof: Mind the Exhortation of the Apoſtle, Grieve not the Spirit by which you are ſealed, &c. And ſo, as you are careful, watchful and wiſe to take heed unto the holy Conduct, and bleſſed Leadings and Direction of this Spirit, and the Law thereof, your Souls will dwell in Peace, and your Feet will tread in a ſafe Path, even the Path of Peace, and your ſteps will not ſlide, but you will witneſs what David ſaid of old to be true, The Righteous ſhall inherit the Land and dwell therein forever; for, ſaith he, the Mouth of the Righteous ſpeaketh Wiſdom, and his Tongue talks of Judgment, the Law of his God is in his heart, none of his ſteps ſhall ſlide. So here you may ſee what it is that keeps from ſliding, the Law of God, which is in the heart, this preſerved David, for it was as a Lanthorn to his feet, and a Light unto his Paths.

Oh my dear Friends! you may be happy, yea, we may all be happy, if we be as carerul as we ought, to walk by this Rule: Oh the ſweetneſs, peace and glory, that he fills the hearts of all his People with, that take heed unto his Law! the Spirit is not grieved, the Life of the Soul is not oppreſſed; the Soul, Life or Spirit of man is at eaſe, and ſo in the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God, and ſo in that ſtate where it can ſing unto the Lord and praiſe him.

And therefore, all of you mind your dwelling and inward Liberty and ſpiritual freedom from all the Corruptions of the world and of the fleſh, both inwardly in your ſelves, and all Temptations from without, that you may reign in the Dominion of the Seed Chriſt Jeſus forever, and ſo with him be Co-heirs of that heavenly Inheritance and Poſſeſſion which he hath purchaſed for you.

And ſo, in the unity of that Life which reigns over all, do I very dearly ſalute you all who love the Truth, and in that do I deſire that the God of Life may bear up your ſpirits by his Power over and a-top of all that would defile or oppreſs, that you may be preſerved to remain the Sons and Daughters of God without Rebuke, in and among this crooked and perverſe Generation, amongſt whom do you ſhine as Lights, to the Glory of him who hath called you out of Darkneſs into his marvellous Light, who over all is worthy of Glory, Honour and Dominion, World without end.