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continued labouring in the work of the gospel till after the Yearly Meeting, which this year was about the beginning of the fourth month. A precious meeting it was. A very refreshing season Friends had together, the Lord vouchsafing to honour our assemblies with his living glorious presence in a very plentiful manner. At the conclusion of the meeting I felt a concern upon my spirit to give forth the following paper, to be dispersed amongst Friends.

'All you believers in the light, that are become children of the light, walk as children of the light, and of the day of Christ, as a city set on a hill, that cannot be hid. Let your light so shine, that people may see your good works, and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. For a good tree bringeth forth good fruit: therefore be ye trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, having fruits unto holiness; and then your end will be everlasting life. Such are the wells and cisterns that hold the living water which springs up in them to eternal life. Ye may all drink water out of your own cisterns, running water out of your own wells; and eat every one of his own fig-tree, and of his own vine; having salt every one in yourselves, to season every one's sacrifice, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ; like wise virgins, that have oil in their lamps, follow the Lamb, and enter in with the bridegroom. Now is the time to labour, while it is day (yea, the day of Christ) to stir up every one's pure mind, the gift of God that is in them; and to improve your talents, that Christ hath afforded you, that ye may profit; and to walk every one according to the measure that Christ hath given you; for "the manifestation of the spirit of God is given to every one to profit withal." Consider what you have profited in spiritual and heavenly things, with the heavenly spirit of God. Be not like the wicked and slothful, that hid his talent; from whom it was taken, and be cast into utter darkness. A dwarf, or one that had any blemish, was not to come nigh to offer upon God's altar; therefore mind the word of wisdom, to keep you out of that which will corrupt and blemish you; and that ye may grow in grace, in faith, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; and feeding upon the milk of the word, may grow by it, that ye may not be dwarfs; and so offer your spiritual sacrifice upon God's holy altar. For the field or vineyard of the slothful grows over with thorns and nettles, and his walls go down. Such are they that are not diligent in the spirit of God, and the power, which is the wall, a sure fence. The spirit of God will weed out all thorns, thistles, and nettles out of the vineyard of the heart. And you that are keepers of others' vineyards, see that you keep your own vineyards clean with the spirit and power of Christ. Sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the Lord in your hearts, that ye may be a holy people to the Lord, who saith; "be ye holy, for

I am holy;" that ye may be the holy members of the church of Christ, that is clothed with the sun, and hath the moon under her feet; the changeable world, with all her changeable worships, religions, churches, and teachers. Be ye new and heavenly Jerusalem's children; for new and heavenly Jerusalem, that is above, is the mother of all the children of light, that are born of the spirit. These are they that have been persecuted, and have suffered by the false church, mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots.

And now all heavenly Jerusalem's and Sion's children, that are from above labour in the gospel, the power of God, the seed in which all nations, and all the families of the earth are blessed; which seed, Christ, bruises the serpent's head, destroys the devil and his works, and overcomes the whore, the false church, the beast, and the false prophet. He takes away the curse, and the veil that is spread over all nations, and over all the families of the earth, and brings the blessing upon all, (if they will receive it,) saying, "In thy seed shall all nations and all the families of the earth be blessed." This is the gospel of God preached to Abraham, before Moses wrote his five books; and was preached in the apostles' days, and is now preached again; which brings life and immortality to light; and is the gospel of peace, life, and salvation to every one that believes it. So all nations, all the families of the earth must be in Christ, the seed, if they be blessed, and be partakers of the blessing in the seed. This gospel was revealed by Christ to his apostles, who preached it; which is not of man, nor from man. Now, God and Christ hath revealed the same gospel unto me, and many others in this age, (I say the gospel, and the seed, in which all nations and families of the earth are blessed; in which gospel I have laboured, and do labour, that all may come into this blessed seed, Christ, who bruises the head of the serpent, that in it they might have peace with God. This everlasting gospel is preached again to them that dwell upon the earth; and they that believe it, and receive the blessing, the peace, joy, and comfort of it, the stability in it, and the life and immortality which it brings to light in them and to them. Such can praise the everlasting God in his everlasting gospel.

· And Friends, all seek the peace and good of all in Christ: for truth makes no Cains, Korahs, Balaams, nor Judases, for they come to be such, that go out of the peaceable truth. Therefore, walk in the peaceable truth, and speak the truth in the love of it, as it is in Jesus.

G. F.

Some time after the Yearly Meeting I went to my son Mead's, in Essex, and abode some weeks; often visiting Friends' meeting near, and sometimes at Barking. After I had been awhile there, I went to visit Friends at Waltham-Abbey, Hodsdon, Enfield, South-street, Ford-green,

and Winchmore-hill; where I had several very serviceable meetings; the Lord opening many deep and weighty things through me, for the informing the understandings of enquirers, and building up those that were gathered into the truth, and establishing them therein.

In the seventh month I returned to London, having been near three months in the country for my health's sake, which was very much impaired; so that I was hardly able to stay in a meeting the whole time, and often after a meeting was fain to lie down upon a bed. Yet did not my weakness of body take me off from the service of the Lord; but I continued to labour in and out of the meetings in the work of the Lord, as he gave me opportunity and ability.

I had not been long in London, before a great weight came upon me, and a sight the Lord gave me of the great bustles and troubles, revolution and change, which soon after came to pass. In the sense whereof, and in the movings of the spirit of the Lord, I wrote, “A general epistle to Friends, to forewarn them of the approaching storm; that they might all retire to the Lord, in whom safety is," as followeth :

'My dear friends and brethren every where, who have received the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom he has given power to become his sons and daughters; in him ye have life and peace, and in his everlasting kingdom, that is an established kingdom, and cannot be shaken, but is over all the world, and stands in his power, and in righteousness and joy in the holy ghost, into which no unrighteousness, nor the foul unclean spirit of the devil in his instruments can enter. Dear friends and brethren, every one in the faith of Jesus, stand in his power, who has all power in heaven and earth given to him, and will "rule the nations with his rod of iron, and dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel," that are not subject and obedient to his power: whose voice will shake the heavens, and the earth, that that which may be shaken may be removed, and that which cannot be shaken may appear. Stand in him; and all things shall work together for good to them that love him.

And now, dear friends and brethren, though these waves, storms, and tempests be in the world, yet you may all appear the harmless and innocent lambs of Christ walking in his peaceable truth, and keeping in the word of power, wisdom, and patience; and this word will keep you in the day of trials and temptations, that will come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. For the word of God was before the world, and all things were made by it: it is a tried word, which gave God's people in all ages, wisdom, power, and patience. Therefore, let your dwelling and walking be in Christ Jesus, who is called the word of God; and in his power, which is over all. Set you affec. tions on things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of

God, (mark,) on those things which are above, where Christ sits; not those things that are below, which will change and pass away. Blessed be the Lord God, who by his eternal arm and power hath gathered a people to himself, and hath preserved his faithful to himself through many troubles, trials, and temptations: his power and seed, Christ, is over all, and in him ye have life and peace with God. Therefore, in him all stand, and see your salvation, who is first and last, and the Amen. God Almighty preserve and keep you all in him, your ark and sanctuary; for in him you are safe over all floods, storms, and tempests: for he was before they were: and will be when they are all gone. London, the 17th of the 8th month, 1688.'

G. F.

About this time great exercise and weights came upon me, (as had usually done before great revolutions and changes of government.) and my strength departed from me; so that I reeled, and was ready to fall as I went along the streets; and at length I could not go abroad at all, I was so weak for a pretty while; till I felt the power of the Lord to spring over all, and had received an assurance from him, that he would preserve his faithful people to himself through all.

In the time that I kept within, I wrote a paper, showing, " Moses, as a servant, was faithful in all his house, in the Old Testament; and Christ, as a Son, is over his house, in the New Testament."

THE house of Israel was called God's vineyard, in Isa. v. 7. and all the Israelites were called the house of Israel. Israel signifies, "a prince with God, and a prevailer with men." Gen. xxxii. 28. When Peter preached Christ to the house of Israel he said; "let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts ii. 36. So they were all called the house of Israel. And it is said, "Moses was faithful in all his house (to wit, this house of Israel,) as a servant; for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after: but Christ, as a Son over his own house; which house are we, if we hold fast the confidence, and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." Heb. iii. 5, 6. Here it is manifest that Moses was faithful in all his house, as a servant, viz. in the house of Israel, in the Old Testament: but Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is over his house in his New Testament and covenant; and all his true believers are of his house. The apostle tells the Ephesians, (who were a church of Christ,) they were "fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." Eph. ii. 19. And the saints are called "the household of faith." Gal. vi. 10. Peter, in his general epistle, tells the church of Christ, they were "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people." 1 Pet. ii. 9. And that as lively stones, they

were built up " a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." ver. 5. The apostle saith to the church of Christ at Corinth; "If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 2 Cor. v. 1. And Christ said to his disciples; "Let not your hearts be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; (a mansion is a dwelling or abiding place,) if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." John xiv. 1, 2, 3. The Psalmist saith; "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God: they shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing." Psalm xcii. 13, 14. Again; "Holiness becomes thine house, O Lord, for ever." Psalm xciii. 5. Isaiah also said by way of prophecy; "It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it." Isa. ii. 2. Is not that a great house? Is not this mountain Christ, who is over his house in the New Testament and new covenant? To this mountain and house all the children of the New Testament or new covenant flow in these latter days; so that it is come to pass, which was prophesied of by Isaiah. For he said; "Many people shall go and say, come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord." ver. 3, 4, 5. Here ye may see, they that come to the mountain of the house of God, and to God's teaching, must walk in the light of the Lord; yea, the house of Jacob. Jacob signifies a supplanter; he supplanted profane Esau, who is hated, and Jacob is loved. Now these two births must be known within: they that walk in the light of the Lord, and come to Christ, the mountain of the house of the Lord, established above all mountains and hills, break their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: and in Christ, this mountain and house of the Lord, there are no spears nor swords to hurt one another withal. Christ, the Son of God, is over his house and great family, the children of the light, that believe in it, and walk in it, the children of the day of Christ, his holy and royal priesthood, that offer up spiritual sacrifice to God by him. All such are of Christ's, VOL. II.

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