A short epistle to Friends to keep in the power of God in their peaceable habitations over the troubles of the world. Fox, George, 1624-1691. 1678 Approx. 10 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A84811 Wing F1905A ESTC R177304 45789316 ocm 45789316 172625

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Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A84811) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 172625) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English Books, 1641-1700 ; 2641:22) A short epistle to Friends to keep in the power of God in their peaceable habitations over the troubles of the world. Fox, George, 1624-1691. 1 sheet ([1] p.) s.n., [Swarthmore : 1678] Signed: Swarthmore, the 6th of the 12th moneth 1678. G.F. [i.e. George Fox]. Reproduction of original in: Friends' Library (London, England).

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eng Society of Friends -- England -- Pastoral letters and charges -- Early works to 1800. Broadsides -- England -- 17th century. 2007-09 Assigned for keying and markup 2007-09 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-10 Sampled and proofread 2007-10 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion
A SHORT EPISTLE to FRIENDS To keep in the Power of GOD in their Peaceable Habitations, Over the TROUBLES of the WORLD.

ALL my dear Friends and Brethren, who are gathered by the Light, Grace, and Truth, and Power, and Spirit of Jeſus Chriſt, to him the head over all, by whom were all things created, ſo the Firſtborn of every Creature, and the Firſt begotten from the dead; follow him in his Reſurrection, that you all may be partakers of it and Life everlaſting, and may ſit together in heavenly places in Chriſt Jeſus, who is over all, the Firſt and Laſt, and in him you have peace, who is not of this World, for in this World there is trouble; and the World did and doth hate Chriſt, yea and his Light, Grace, Truth, Power and Spirit; and therefore it is no marvel if the World do hate Chriſts Members that do follow him in his Light, Grace, Truth, Power and Spirit, and ſo with it receive him in them their Life and Salvation, and ſo he that hath the Son of God hath Life; who is the Fountain that filleth all that wait upon him, with his heavenly bleſſings and riches of Life from Chriſt the Rock and Foundation, that cannot be ſhaken, though the rocks and foundations of the World may be ſhaken, and cloven in pieces, and the Pillars of the Earth may reel and ſtagger, and all Hypocrites and Sinners may fear, but they that fear the Lord, and wait upon him, ſhall be as Mount Sion that cannot be removed, for the Lords Power is over all, by which he keeps his People to the day of Salvation.

And therefore all you that have this Keeper, the Power of the Lord through Faith unto the day of Life and Salvation, need none of the ſlumbering Keepers or Watchers; for the Lord was the Keeper of Iſrael, who neither ſlumbered nor ſlept, till Iſrael forſook the Lord, and then they ſet up ſlumbering and ſleepy Watchers and Keepers, like the apoſtate Chriſtians, who have forſaken the Power of God to keep them, and then they are ſoon ſhaken.

And therefore, Friends, you that do know the Power of God, in which the Kingdom of God ſtands, you know your Keeper, through the Faith which Jeſus Chriſt is the Author of, which ſtands in his Power, and not in words; and ſo your Faith ſtanding in this Power it will keep you out of the words of mens wiſdom and above them.

And the golden Lamp in your Tabernacle all is to have to burn with the heavenly Oyl, which you have from Chriſt your high Prieſt, being returned to him, the great Shepherd and Biſhop of your ſouls, who will bring you, his Sheep, into his ſafe Fold, who gives unto his Sheep eternal Life, and his Sheep ſhall not periſh, neither ſhall any pluck them out of his hand. Though men may pluck Hypocrites and Apoſtates one from another, but Chriſt ſaith no man is able to pluck his Sheep out of his Fathers hand. And therefore all feel the Hand that hath brought you out of ſpiritual Egypt where Chriſt hath been crucified, to Chriſt, and in his new Covenant of Light and Life, as the Jews were brought out of Egypt in the old Covenant, which Chriſt hath aboliſhed, and makes all things new; ſo that all may be grounded on him who was the Foundation of all the holy Prophets and Apoſtles, and of all the holy men of God to this day.

And therefore conſider who it is that abides in the Tabernacle of God, and dwels in his holy Hill, it is the Faithful and the Upright, which holy Hill is a ſafe place for all the Upright.

As the Lord ſaid, In the laſt dayes the Mountain of the Lords Houſe ſhould be eſtabliſhed on the tops of the Mountains, and ſhould be exalted above the Hills, and all Nations ſhould flow unto this ſtabliſhed Houſe: And here the Lord does teach his people that comes up to the Mountain of the Houſe of the God of Jacob; ſo all Mountains, Houſes, Hills and Teaching will be ſhaken, but the Mountain of the Lords Houſe ſhall be eſtabliſhed in the laſt dayes, as the Prophet ſaid, which is the dayes of Chriſt.

Is not this the Stone that became a great Mountain, and fills the whole Earth, which ſmote and broke to pieces the Iron, Clay, the Braſs, Silver and Gold which were as Mountains? And this Stone which becomes a great Mountain, and ſets up a Kingdom which ſhall never have an end, Is not this the Kingdom of Chriſt, which Chriſt ſaith, Except a man be born again he can neither ſee the Kingdom of God nor enter into it?

And therefore, Friends, all you that do know his Kingdom that ſtands in Power, in Peace and Joy in the holy Ghoſt, over the power of the evil, and all the unclean Ghoſts which keep them in their firſt birth, and lead them into all evil, as the holy Ghoſt leads them into all Truth.

And ſo dear Friends and Brethren, that know this Rock, this Stone, this Foundation, the Houſe of God, that is ſtabliſhed upon the Lords Mountain, above all other houſes, hills, mountains and teachings in the World, where God doth teach his People, and ſtabliſh them upon Chriſt Jeſus the living Rock and Foundation and living Way: And ſo though there may be troubles without, and troubles within, yet if you wait upon the Lord he will renew your ſtrength.

And the Children of God they are ſet for Signs and Wonders; for as it is ſaid, Lo the Children that thou haſt given me they are for Signs and Wonders.

And therefore, Friends, keep your Habitation in Chriſt Jeſus, in whom you have Peace; for all the rude Talkers, and vain Diſputers and Janglers, which cankers and ruſts, goes out of the peaceable Truth; and that that is torn, and will dye of it ſelf, muſt not be fed upon, but the Life muſt be fed upon, and that which gives you Life eternal.

And the Lord did not build his Zion, and his outward Jeruſalem with Blood, in the old Covenant, for they that did build their Zion and Jeruſalem with Blood, made their Zion a Field, and their Jeruſalem an Heap; ſo if this practice was forbidden in the old Covenant, much more in the new, who think to build Zion and Jeruſalem with Blood and Iniquity, for ſuch has not been Zions Children, nor Jeruſalems that is above, who ſhed mens Blood concerning Religion Church and Worſhip; for Chriſt rebuked ſuch that would have had mens lives deſtroyed, and told them, They knew not what Spirit they were of; ſo they that do not know what Spirit they are of, they are not like to build up Gods Zion and Jeruſalem.

For Chriſt ſaid, he came to ſave mens Lives, and not to deſtroy them; for the Worlds God was the deſtroyer of mens Lives, which Chriſt came to deſtroy him and his works, and to ſave mens Lives and Souls alſo. And ſo, dear Friends, let the love of God which is ſhed abroad in your hearts, caſt out all fear; and keep in the Name of Jeſus, in which you are gathered, which is above every name under the whole Heaven, in whom you have all Life and Salvation, and his Preſence among you, whoſe Name is a ſtrong Tower, and Chriſt is a Rock to hide your ſelves in, and his Spirit to cover you, which is a Covering ſufficient enough for you, and wo will be to them that are covered, but not with his Spirit, they may fly to the Rocks and Mountains to cover, and hide them, which will not be Sufficient, for the Rocks will rend, and the Mountains will be removed, ſuch may run down into ſpiritual Egypt for ſtrength, where Chriſt was crucified, like the Jews in the old Covenant that ran into outward Egypt from his Spirit, but all was in vain.

And therefore truſt in the Lord, who has preſerved you by his glorious Light and Power to this day, that you may be ſettled upon the Seed Chriſt Jeſus, which is over all that within and without that is contrary to it, and bruiſeth the head of the Serpent, that hath been between you and God, ſo that in Chriſt the Seed you have Peace with the Lord God, life and dominion, and Election, and Salvation, who Redeems out of the Curſe, and fear of men, or that makes the Arm of fleſh his ſtrength, and not the Arm of God; and therefore the Arm of the Lord being your ſtrength, Chriſt your Rock and Salvation, then you need not fear what man can do unto you; for all Gods Children are dear and tender to him, whom he hath begotten again by the Word of God to be Heirs of his Kingdom, he feeds them with Life eternal, and the Milk of his Word, which Word lives and abides and endures forever, and is alwayes full and plentious of Milk to nurſe and nouriſh up all God's Children to eternal Life, to inherit his Kingdom, and the World which is everlaſting, which Chriſt is the Ruler of, the heavenly ſpiritual man; and therefore they that be in him, muſt be New Creatures; for all the Old Creatures are in old Adam.

And therefore my Deſires are, that you may all be ſettled in Chriſt Jeſus, who was dead, and is alive again, and lives for evermore, a Prophet, Councillor, a Prieſt, Biſhop and Shepherd, a Circumciſer and Baptizer, a living Rock and Foundation forevermore, the Beginning and Ending, the Firſt and Laſt, the Amen; ſit down in him, and he in you, in whom you have peace with God;

Amen. G. F. Swarthmore, the 6th of the 12th Moneth 1678.