HEre all Friends may see how the holy Men of God by the Command of the Lord were to order, their Families apart, and also by the same Law of God the People in the General were to be ordered, as you may see in Gen. 17. where God commanded Abraham to keep his Covenant between him and his Seed; Every Man-child shall be circumcised in your Generations, Gen. 17. and he that is born in the House, or bought with Money of any Stranger, which is not of thy Seed, shall be circumcised; and Abraham obeyed the Command of God in circumcising all his Family, and all that were born in his House and all that were bought with Money of Strangers. Now you who are called Christians, must not all your Families be circumcised with the Spirit, which the outward Circumcision of the Flesh did type forth? yea, all Sons and Daughters, Masters or Mistresses of Families must be circumcised with the Spirit, that puts off the Body of Death, the Sins of the Flesh with the Circumcision of the Spirit, that is not made with Hands; and also all that you have bought with Money, all Strangers, and all that are born in your Houses (of Strangers) which are not of your own Seed, must you not bring all these to the Circumcision of the Spirit? else how are you the Friends of God, as Abraham was who obeyed God; and therefore call upon all your Families, and your Servants whom you bought for Mony, and those that were born of them in your Families, and let them be Circumcised, and endeavour to bring them to that which doth circumcise them, to wit, the Spirit, which is the Substance of the outward Circumcision; and every one that was not circumcised, was he not to be cut off from among the People. And so are not all now that are not circumcised by the Spirit to be cut off from the spiritual Union, the spiritual Fellowship? And therefore if you who are Masters of Families, if you (I say) do not see the Circumcision of all your Families, of Servants and Strangers, and all such as are bought with Money, will it not lye upon you, who ought to take Care for your Families, and order your Families, as Ioshua said he would order his Family▪ And if it seem Evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this Day whom you will serve, whether the Gods which your Fathers served, Joshua 25.29. that were on the other Side of the Flood, &c. or the Gods of the Amorites, in whose Land ye dwell; BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD. And so where not all his Servants that he bought with Money, and Strangers, and such as were born in his House of his Family, were they not all to serve the Lord, according to the Law in the outward Circumcision? And so are not all you Christians now, and Masters and Mistresses of Families now to look to your Families, to see that you and your Families do serve the Lord in the Circumcision of the Spirit of God? by which Spirit you must worship God in Spirit and in Truth, who is the Father of Spirits, and the God of the Spirits of all Flesh: And therefore minde and consider this in your Families, and gather them all together, and teach them the Way of the Lord, and the New Covenant; yea, your Families and Children, and those you bought with Moneys, and the Strangers, and such as are born of them in your House.

And in Exod 12. there you may see how the Lord said, when a Stranger sojourneth with thee, he shall keep the Passeover of the Lord, Exod. 12. and let all his Males be circumcised.

you may think it was a strange thing, that if a Man did but sojourn in the House of a Iew, that the Male should be circumcised; for a Sojourner is a Comer and Goer ▪ but a Servant that is bought with Money, or one that is born of them in the House, is more then a Sojourner; for no uncircumcised was to eat of the Passeover. And so now no uncircumcised Person is to eat of the Sacrifice or Passeover; (Christ Iesus), but such only (I say) who are circumcised by the Spirit, who ands the outward Passeover and the outward Circumcision, which were Tipes of Christ; and so one Law should be to him that is born at home, and to the Strangers that sojourneth with you: And as all were then to keep this Law of God, so all are to keep this Law of Iesus Christ among Chrstians now.

And Leviticus 14. there it is said, You shall have one Manner of Law, as well for the Stranger, as for one of you own Country; Lev. 14. I am the Lord your God, saith the Lord.

So this Law was then and still is to be observed, which is, to love God above all, and to love their Nighbours as themselves.

And Deut. 5. all were to keep the Law of God, Deut. 5. & all were to keep the outward Sabbath, both Sons, Daughters, Men-servants and Maid-servants, Oxen, Asses and the other Cattle, and the Strangers that were within the Gates, these were all to keep the Rest, the Sabbath, and the Law of God.

Now mark Christians, who are come to Christ, and who believe in him, and have entered into your Rest by the Law of Christ; see that all your Families do keep this Sabbath, this Rest, both you and your Sons and Daughters, Men-servants and Maid-servants that are within your Gates; this concerns every one of you, that are Masters of Families, to consider seriously of it; for Christ is the Sabbath and Rest, who gives Rest to the whole Creation, He it is that takes off the Oppression, who destroyeth the Devil's Works, who hath been the Oppressor both of Man and Beast; and so in Christ all have Rest, and Peace, and Love, that doth not kill, nor commit Adultery, nor steal, nor covet, any thing that another man hath, nor learn false witness, nor make Images of any thing in Heaven above, or in the Earth beneath, and so Love fulfils the Law: And therefore see that this Law of Love be set up in all your Families, by which they may be ordered and ruled.

Here you may see how Moses, a faithful Servant of the Lord, Deut. 9.29.9. to 11. as the Lord had commanded him, puts the Iews in mind of their Duty required of them by the Lord; Keep (saith he) therefore the Words of this Covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that ye do▪ ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God▪ your Captains of your Tribes, your Elders and your Officers, with all the Men of Israel, your little Ones your Wives, and thy Strangers that are within thy Camp, from the Hewer of Wood unto the Drawer of thy Water, that thou shouldest enter into Covenant with the Lord thy God, &c.

Now consider this, hear how that all these were to stand before the Lord, to enter in to Covenant with the Lord, even the Elders, the Officers with the men of Israel, their Wives and little Children, the Strangers, with the Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water; now Christ is the new Covenant, and therefore all you called Christians, that profess him, who are Elders and Masters of Families, are you not to see that your Wives, your Children and Strangers that are within your Camps, yea, to the Hewers of your Wood and Drawers of your Water, that they come all into the new Covenant, Christ Iesus? which in God is established forever, an everlasting Covenant, who ends the first Covenant among the Iews; and therefore shall not you outstrip the Iews in their Families, in bringing all your Families, and Strangers, and Sojourners, Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water into the New Covenant of Life, Christ Iesus, through whom they may stand before God, and have Peace with him; mark this, ye Elders, and Rulers, and Fathers of Families, who have Strangers and Sojourners in your Families, so as to see that you do perform your Duty, and bring them to do their Duty in the Covenant of Life, Christ Iesus.

And now again in Deut. 31. When all Israel shall appear before the Lord thy God, in the Place which he shall choose; thou shalt read the Law (saith he) before all Israel,Deut. 31. in their hearing, and shall gather the People together, Men, Women and Children, and thy Strangers that are within thy Gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord thy God, and observe to do all the Words of the Law: Now mark and consider this all you Christians, that profess the New Covenant, Christ Iesus, and the Law of Love, and the Law of Life, and the Law of Faith, and the Law of the Spirit, must you not gather all your Families together, Men, Women, Children and Strangers within your Gates, and such as you bought with Money, and such as are born of them in your Families, that they may all hear the New-covenant, and the Law of Life, and the Law of Love, and the Law of Faith, and the Law of the Spirit of Life, that makes free from the Law of Sin and Death, that they may all hear, that they may all learn this, and that they may all fear God, and observe and do the Law and the New-Covenant, as the Iews were to do the old, which is a Figure of the new: And therefore be not you negligent, nor-sloathful, nor careless in this, but do your Duty, and see that all your Families may do their Duties; and so as it was among the Iews, the Children that had not known me [hear and learn] and the Strangers; for if you should be negligent in this then look what came upon the Iews, and how rude their Families grew, and how God's Judgments came upon them, and it came partly by the Heads of the Families, and Elders, and Overseers: And therefore be diligent, and bring all your Families to serve God in the first Place, and be faithful to him, through Iesus Christ, the New-covenant, then they will not be negligent in outward Things, if they be faithful to God, and then God's Blessings will be in your Families; and so therein men serve the Lord, in bringing their Families to serve the Lord, in that they do God's Will, and please him in the New-covenant, bringing them out of that which displeaseth God, and so rule in Power and in Love.

And in Ieremiah 10.25. there you may see what the Lord saith by the Prophets, Pour out thy Fury upon the Heathen that know thee not, Jer. 10.25. and upon all the Families that call not upon thy Name.

So now consider this seriously, how God would have all Families to call upon his Name, and especially you that call your selves Christians, and profess the New-covenant of God (to wit) Christ Iesus; and therefore see that all your Families do call upon the Name of the Lord, it concerns you very much; if you do not, ye may expect the Lord's Fury will be poured out upon you and yours.

There you may see the Lord speaking, how he will pour out his Spirit of Grace and Supplication, and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced (meaning Christ) and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only Son, as one that is in Bitterness for his first born; the Land shall mourn, every Family apart shall mourn, and their Wives apart.

And so consider this all you that profess Christ, who have seen him whom you have pierced; if the Spirit of Grace and Supplication be poured out upon you, why then, you see him, Christ Jesus, whom you have pierced, and then you will mourn bitterly, as you should mourn for your first born.

So all Friends, they that witness the Spirit of Grace poured out upon them, they know the Mourning for him whom they have pierced; and then there is a Fountain opened by Christ Iesus, for their Sins and for their Uncleanness, to wash away the Filth.

And you may see in Zachariah 14.17. Whoseever will not come up of all the Families of the Earth to Jerusalem,Zach. 14.17 to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, even upon them there shall be no Rain; yea, if the Family of Egypt go not up, be shall have no Rain, and they shall be plagued, &c.

And now consider this, how all the Families of the Earth, that come not to worship the Lord of Hosts in Spirit and in Truth in this Heavenly Ierusalem, and keep the Feast of Tabernacles, and eat of Christ, the Sacrifice, who is the Bread of Life, that came down from above; such must be punished, such have no Rain indeed, but are like to the parched Ground; and so mind every Family apart this; for Egypt was of Ham's Stock, yet if they do not come up to worship God, they must be plagued.

And in Amos 3.2. you may see there how the Lord was against the whole Family of the Iews, because they had not kept his Law, Amos. 3. • . and he punished them. And so consider ye Christians, ye whole Families of Christians, and see how you have kept the Law of the New-covenant, and the Law of Love, and the Law of Life, and the Law of the Spirit; if you have, not plainly you must be punished▪ God will punish you with a Witness, even the whole Family; if any Family, or Tribe, or Man, or Woman their Hearts shall turn away from God, and serve other Gods, see what a Curse came upon them; and therefore what doth Christ say unto all the left Hand Goats, though they may profess him in Words, whose Hearts are turned away from his Law of Love, Law of Life, Law of Faith, and the New-covenant.

And therefore see that the Ark of the Lord be in every ones House (to with your Hearts) in all your Families▪ and with the Law and Testimony of Jesus in it, and then you will have the Blessing of the Lord with you, as Obed Edom had the Blessing of the Lord upon his Family and House, while the outward Ark remained with him, the Figure of which Christians must enjoy the Substance of, as you may see, 1 Cor. 13, 14. & Gen. 39.5.

See how the Lord there blessed the Egyptian's House for Ioseph's sake, and the Blessing of the Lord was upon all that the Egyptian had, both in House and Field; so you may hence see how a Servant, being a faithful Man to God, brought the Blessing of God upon the House and Field of a Heathen ▪ and now much more a faithful Master, or an Head, or an Elder of a Family, faithful to God, bringeth a Blessing on his own Family, and upon all within his House, and out of his House, and Field; for the Lord said, If that they keep his Law and his Word, then they shall be blessed in the Field and in the Store-house, and blessed in the Basket, and blessed in his going forth and coming in (as Abraham was) who are of the Faith of Abraham now, of the blessed Seed, that brings the Blessing now to them, as it did to him; but they that crucifie the Seed to themselves afresh, and quench the Spirit of God in themselves, and entertain the evil Seed and the evil Spirit▪ that brings the Curse upon them in the Basket and in the Store-house, and in the Field, in his going Forth and coming in.

And you may read in the Scriptures how many Families▪ Nations and Kingdoms the Lord did cut off, because they did not obey nor keep his Law, as Core and his Family, Achan and his, wicked Haman and his, and many others, for transgressing the Law of God. Yea, and he destroyed Nations for his own People, and gives his own People the Possession of them, because of the former Inhabitants Debauchery and Wickedness, and tells his own People, that if they do go into the same Debaucheries and Wickedness, they must look for the same Destruction: And therefore Christians all should serve God in the new Life, out of the Life of old Adam; for if they do profess Christ Jesus, the Heavenly Man▪ and yet live in the Old Adam, and serve Sin and Evil, they must look for Destruction, both Families and Nations, who profess God in Words, but deny him in their Works, Lives and Conversations, according to that in Isa. 31.2.9. the Lord saith concerning the Children of Israel, that transgress his Law, Are ye not (saith he) as Children of Ethyopia unto me, O ye Children of Israel? Amos 9.7.Amos 9 7.

Now consider this, if the Children of Israel transgress the Law of God, were they not accounted as Ethyopian Children: And so you Christians now, who profess Christ in Words, and transgress his Law of Love, of Life, of Faith, and the New-covenant, are you not to the Lord as Children of the Ethyopians: what Difference is between you? It is not a Profession and talking that makes the Difference, but the Possession of Chrst. Ier. 38. there you may see an Ethyopian, a Black moor, how serviceable he was made unto Ieremiah (the Lord's Prophet) in the Day of his Suffering in the Dungeon, how he went to the King, and told him that the Prophet was like to perish there, and the King commanded him to go and take thirty Men, and draw him out of the Dungeon before he dye; so here this Black had more Sence then the great Professors of Jeremiah's Innocency; and he was in Favour with the King, being one of his Eunuchs.

And so now consider, do not slight them, to wit, the Ethyopians, the Blacks now, neither any Man or Woman upon the Face of the Earth, in that Christ dyed for all, both Turks Barbarians, Tartarians and Ethyopians; he dyed for the Tawnes and for the Blacks, as well as for you that are called Whites; therefore you may see in Acts 8.27. how the Lord commanded Philip to go toward the South, and he arose and went, and behold a Man of Ethyopia, a Eunuch of great Authority under Candace Queen of Ethyopia, who had the Charge of all her Treasure, how this Man came up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, and how this Ethyopian, this Black, was converted to Christianity by Philip, who preached Christ to him: And therefore now you should preach Christ to your Ethyopians that are in your Families, that so they may be free Men indeed and be tender of and to them, and walk in Love, that ye may answer that of God in their Hearts, being (as the Scripture affirms) all of one Blood and of one Mold, to dwell upon the Face of the Earth; for Christ (I say) shed his Blood for them, as well as for you, and tasted Death for them, as well as for you▪ and hath enlightned them, as well as he hath enlightned you, and his Grace hath appeared unto them, as well as it hath appeared unto you, and he is a Propitiation for their Sins, as well as for yours; for he is the Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World: and so let every Master and Governour of a Family inform them, as well as others in his Family, that so they may come to walk in the Grace and in the Light of Jesus Christ, that so they may come to know Christ, the Saviour, from whence Grace and Light comes, and the Mediator (or Middle-man) between them and God; and so in this so doing, you will serve God, and not your selves: Also in Psalm. 68.31. there you may see▪ Princes should come out of Egypt, and Ethyopia shall stretch forth her Hand unto God; sing unto God, ye Kingdoms of the Earth; Oh! praise the Lord: Now consider this ye Christians, the Prophecy of David, in that you may see the fulfilling of it (viz.) that Ethyopia should soon stretch out her Hand unto God for you; see by the Eunuch, when he was converted, his Hand was soon stretched out to God; and doth the Lord say in another Place, Egypt my People.

And therefore Christians, you that have received it, do you preach the everlasting Covenant, Christ Jesus, to the Ethyopians, the Blacks and Tawny moors, as Philip did; I say, preach Christ Jesus to them in your Families, that so each may come to know Christ and their Way to Salvation, as in Psal. 87. the Lord speaking of the Glory of his Church, saith, he will make mention of Rahab, and Babilon, and Ethiopia, that make mention of me, behold, &c. So that you may see that there was a Church of God in Egypt, in Babylon and Ethiopia, who were Christians, as well as among the white People, so called by the Blacks.

And if thy Brother, an Hebrew Man or an Hebrew Woman be sold unto thee, and serve thee six Years, then in the seventh Year, thou shalt let him go free from thee; and when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty, thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy Flock, and out of thy Floor, and out of thy Winepress, of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, thou shalt give it him; and remember that thou wast a Bond-man in the Land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this Thing to Day.

See here this was to be done by the Iews to such as were of their own Nation and People, and indeed this will very well become Christians▪ Masters, Governours & Rulers of Families here in this Island or elsewere, who should outstrip the Iews to deal so (as the Lord commanded) with their Servants and Apprentices, that are of their own Nation or People: And to close up all, let me tell you, it will doubtless be very acceptable to the Lord, if so be that Masters of Families here would deal so with their Servants, the Negroes and Blacks, whom they have bought with their Money, to let them go free after a cosiderable Term of Years, if they have served them faithfully; and when they go, and are made free, let them not go away empty-handed, this I say will be very acceptable to the Lord, whose Servants we are, and who rewards us plentifully for our Service done him, not suffering us to go away empty; for who is there even among you ▪ saith the Lord, that will shut the Doors for nought, neither do ye kindle Fire on my Altar for nought, Mal. 1.10. So now, you I say that are Christians, that are redeemed out of the spiritual Egypt; for as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 7.22. He that is called in the Lord, being a Servant, is the Lord's free Man▪ that is, set free from Sin and spiritual Bondage: Be ye holy, as your heavenly Father is holy; and be ye merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful, as is commanded you in Luke 6.36. and this is the Way to have the lost Image of God restored and renewed in us.

Therefore I say, you spiritual Iews, you must exceed the outward Iews in this, who are now come to Christ, who is a merciful and faithfull high Priest, who is the Saviour of all men, and who tasted Death for all men, Heb. 2.17. And let not your Families of Whites and Blacks be like Sodom and Gomorrah like Zeboim and Zephervaim, and the rest of the Cities of the Plain, or like the Canaanites, lest sudden Destruction come upon you, and the Lord root you out, as he did them. Let not, I say, your Servants under your Command, and such as are born in your Houses, and bred up in your Families, and such as you have bought with Money, suffer them not (I say) to take Husbands and Wives at their Pleasure, and then leave them again when they please, and then take others again as fast and suddenly as they will, and again leave them; this is not well, this may bring the Judgments of God upon you; yea, this manifests your Families to be unclean and adulterous Families; For he that puts away his Wife, and takes another, he commits Adultery; and she that marries, and he that marries her (after she is put away) commits Adultery; this is the Law of God, and of Jesus Christ, the Son of God the great Reformer and Restorer of Pathes to dwell in, Mat. 19.9. Isa. 58.12. that came to reform all Things

And therefore let these Things be amended, as you expect the Blessing and Favour of God, or otherwise must expect his Judgments and Curse upon you and your Families and your Plantations (who should order these Things according to the Reformation and Mind of Jesus and the Law) even Blastings, Mildews, Caterpillars, which is the Portion from God upon debauched Families and People; and therefore let the Law of Iesus be set up in every Family.

And if any of your Negroes desire to marry, let them take one another before Witnesses, in the Presence of God, and the Masters of the Families, in the Name of Jesus, the Restorer of all Things to the Beginning, when God made them Male and Female, not one Man and many Women, but a Man and a Woman, and they were to continue and consort together as long as they lived, and not to break the Covenant and Law of Marriage (nor defile the Marriage-Bed) as long as they lived; but if the Man were dead or Woman were dead, they were free, and at Liberty to marry in the Lord, and to be joyned by him, that so he might have the Glory and the Honour of it, and his People to be the Witnesses of it, and so to record it in a Book, which was and is the Practice of the famous Fathers of Truth, and Saints, and Worthies, and Valiants of the Lord, who were Friends of God, and of his Law, and Righteousness, and such as denyed Debauchery, Whoredom, Fornication and Uncleanness.

And further, consider with your selves, if you were in the same Condition as the Blacks are (and indeed you do not know what Condition you or your Children, or your Childrens Children may be reduced and brought into, before you or they shall dye) who came as Strangers to you, and were sold to you as Slaves; now I say, if this should be the Condition of you or yours, you would think it hard Measure; yea, and very great Bondage and Cruelty.

And therefore consider seriously of this, and do you for and to them, as you would willingly have them or any other to do unto you, were you in the like slavish Condition, and bring them to know the Lord Christ, and the Light and Grace of Christ, by which they may come to know him that dyed for them, and that shed his precious Blood for them, and was buried, and rose again for their Justification.

And truly Friends, great Troubles I underwent about those Things; yea, sorely was my Spirit troubled when I came into the Sense of these Things, which were over my Life, and burden'd my Life very much, to see, that Families were not brought into Order; for the Blacks are of your Families, and the many Natives of them born in your Houses: I had a fore Burden, and (I say) much Trouble, how that Righteousness might be brought through in the Thing, and Justice and Mercy set up in every Family and in every Heart, that so God might be honoured in every Family, who is the Creator of all, and hath given his Law to all, that Just, Righteous, Holy and Good: And so I leave these Things to your serious consideration, and to the Witness of the Spirit of God in you all, and in all your Hearts, and you to be obedient unto it, and see if it will not lead you into the selfsame Thing; for indeed when any shall marry into your Family, before the Master of the Family and Overseer of the Family, then you may admonish them all of God and of Christ, and his Truth, Light and Grace in their Hearts, by which they might all know God and Christ, and know the true Marriage, which is honourable, in all Things to beat down the Evil and Vile; for Marriage is of God, and so honoured by him.

AND in all your Family Meetings be not negligent among your Whites and Negroes, but do your Diligence and Duty to God and them, which you will not neglect, if you keep in the Faith of Abraham, and of that blessed Seed which inheriteth the Promise and Crown Immortal, and be at Peace among your selves, that every one may shew that you are in Christ, the Prince of Peace, and it doth shew that you are the Disciples of Christ, and Learners and Followers of him, so to possess him, and then Life Eternall, Amen.