TO THE WOMEN'S MEETING OF FRIENDS IN THE TRUTH, at JOHN MANNOCK'S.

DEAR FRIENDS,

Dearly beloved and honored in the Lord, because of his honorable presence and power, which is so preciously manifested and found to be among you in your meetings.

Blessed be the Lord, who hath thus gathered you! and given you hearts to meet together, to feel his precious presence and power, and wait to do his will therein, as he shall please to call, and make your way clear thereto. And, blessed be the Lord! who doth encourage and reward you daily, and make your meetings pleasant and advantageous to your own souls, and towards the seasoning and holy watching over the several respective places where your lot is fallen.

Oh! what could the Lord do more for his people, than to turn them to that pure seed of life, which will make them all alive, and keep them all in life and purity; and then to make use of every living member in the living body, as his Spirit shall please to breathe upon it, and his power actuate it? And indeed, there is need of all the life and power to the body, which the Lord sees good to bestow on any member of it; every member of the body having life given it, not only for itself, but likewise for the use and service of the body. Only, dear Friends, here is to be the great care, that every member keep within the limits of life, wherein its capacity and ability for service lies, and out of which, it can do no real service for God, or to the body. Oh, therefore, eye life, eye the power, eye the presence of the Lord with your spirits! that he may go along with you, and guide you in every thought ye think, in every word ye speak, in reference to his work and service.

And mind, Friends, what is now upon me to you: it is one thing, to sit waiting to feel the power, and to keep within the limits of the power, thus far; and another, yea, and harder, to feel and keep within the sense and limits of

the power, when ye come to act. Then your reasonings, your wisdom, your apprehensions, have more advantage to get up in you, and to put themselves forth. Oh! therefore, watch narrowly and diligently against the forward part; and keep back to the life, which, though it rise more slowly, yet acts more surely and safely for God.

Oh, wait and watch, to feel your Keeper keeping you within the holy bounds and limits, within the pure fear, within the living sense, while ye are acting for your God! that ye may only be his instruments, and feel him acting in you. Therefore every one wait to feel the Judge risen and up, and the judgment set, in your own hearts; that, what ariseth in you, may be judged, and nothing may pass from you publicly, but what hath first passed the pure judgment in your own breasts. And let the holy rule of the blessed apostle James, be always upon your spirits, "Let every one be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." Oh, let not a talkativeness have place in any of you! but, abide in such gravity, modesty, and weightiness of spirit, as becomes the judgment-seat of the Spirit and power of the Lord. Ye can never wait too much for the power, nor can ye ever act too much in the power; but ye may easily act too much without it.

And as for this troublesome, contentious business (if the Lord should yet order it to be brought before you), the Lord teach you to consider of, and manage it in a wise, tender, and healing spirit. Ye must distinguish in judgment, if ye judge aright, between enemies and erring friends. And take heed of the quickness and strength of reason, or of the natural part, which avails little: but wait for the evidence and demonstration of God's Spirit, which reaches to the witness and doth the work. Are they in a snare? are they overtaken in a fault? yea, are they in measure blinded and hardened, so that they can neither see nor feel, as to this particular? Retire, sit still awhile, and travail for them. Feel how life will arise in any of you, and how mercy will reach towards them; and how living words, from the tender sense, may be reached forth to their hearts, deeply, by the hand of

the Lord, for their good. And if ye find them, at length, bowing to the Lord, oh, let tender compassion help them forwards! that what hath been so troublesome and groundedly dissatisfactory in the progress, may, at length, have a sweet issue for their good, and our joy and rejoicing in the Lord.

So, my dear friends, the Lord be with you, and guide you in this, and in all that he shall further call you to; and multiply his presence, power, and blessings upon you, and make four meetings as serviceable to the honor of his name, as he himself would have them, and as you yourselves can desire them to be.

Your friend and brother in the tender truth, and in the pure love and precious life.

19th of Fifth Month, 1678.

I. P.

TO THOSE PERSONS THAT DRINK OF THE WATERS AT ASTROP

WELLS.

THERE is a great God, the Creator of all things, who gave man a being here in this world; to whom every man must give an account, when he goes out of this world.

This great God, who loves mankind, and would not have them perish, is nigh unto man, to teach him the fear, which is due from him to God. The man that learns this pure fear of God is daily exercised by it in departing from evil, both in thought, word, and deed, and in doing that which is good in his sight.

There is likewise another teacher near man, who is also ready to teach such as do not know God, or fear God, that which is dishonorable to the great God, who made man a vessel of honor, and to be to his glory. They that learn of this teacher learn not to fear God, or to do good, but to please themselves in doing evil, both in thought, word, and deed. Oh! what account will all such give, when they go out of this world, and come to be judged by the great God (who is of pure eyes, and cannot behold iniquity), when all

their sins are set in order by him before them, and just judg ment proportioned by him thereunto? Oh! why do men forget God their Creator, days without number, hearkening to him who first deceived them, doing the will of the deceiver and destroyer of souls, and not the will of the blessed Creator and Saviour?

Oh, hearken to wisdom's counsel, when she cries in the secret of your hearts against that which is evil, and contrary to the nature, life, and will of God; lest a day of calamity from God come upon you, and then ye cry unto the pitiful and tender God, and his face be turned against you, and he refuse to show mercy to you! Read Prov. i. 20, to the end of the chapter; and the Lord give you the weighty consideration and true understanding of it for your soul's good, and for the reclaiming of you from any thing that is evil, and destructive to your souls.

This is written in tender love unto you, from one who pities and loves you, and desires your prosperity in this world, and your everlasting happiness with God for ever.

Astrop, 15th of Sixth Month, 1678.

I. P.

To SUCH AS DRINK OF THE WATERS AT ASTROP WELLS.

your

I ENTREAT you to consider what is within written for eternal good; and be not deceived by the enemy of your souls, in things of an everlasting concern.

Some queries propounded to your consideration, in the tender melting love of my heart towards your everlasting welfare.

First query. Is not the great God, who created heaven and earth, light, pure light, spiritual light, eternal light, in whom is no darkness at all? 1 John i. 5.

Second query. Is not man, in his natural, unregenerate, corrupt state, darkness? And can he possibly, in that state,

have any union or fellowship with the great God and Saviour? See Eph. v. 8. 2 Cor. vi. 14. 1 John i. 6.

Third query. Doth not the great God, in his tender love to mankind, cause his pure, heavenly light to shine in man's heart, in this his dark and corrupt state? 2 Cor. iv. 6. John i. 5.

Fourth query. What is the end of God's causing his pure light to shine in man's corrupt heart? Is it not, that man might be turned from darkness, and from the power of Satan, which keeps him in darkness, to the light which God causeth to shine in him, and to God from whom this light comes? Acts xxvi. 18. that so, following Christ, and not walking in darkness, he might obtain the light of life? John viii. 12.

Fifth query. Doth man, in his natural corrupt state, love this light, when it shines in him; or rather hate it? And can he hate it, without hating God from whom it comes, and of whose nature it is?

Sixth query. Why doth man, in his natural corrupt state, hate this light? Is it not, because his deeds are evil; and because he would continue in his evil deeds, without being disturbed or reclaimed by this light? John iii. 19 to 21.

Seventh query. What does the light of the pure God, and of his Christ, do for them that receive and obey it? Doth it not bring them out of darkness, and change their nature; so that they become children of the light, and no more darkness, as they were before, but light in the Lord? John xii. 36. Eph. v. 8.

Eighth query. How shall it fare with those, who receive the shinings of this light of God and Christ in their consciences, hearkening to the reproofs of it, eschewing that which it shows to be evil, and doing that which God by it shows to be good? Shall not they receive the remission of their sins from God, and an inheritance among the saints in light? Acts xxvi. 18. Coloss. i. 12, 13.

Ninth query. What will become of those, who do not mind the shining of God's light in their hearts, nor are turned to it, nor changed by it; but spend their time in what