« born of God, and that which is not; both with re

fpect to thyself in all the motions and conceptions . of thy heart, and with refpect to others in their re. ·ligious worships and performances; to the end that • thou mayest not be deceived about the things relat

ing to God's kingdom, and thy eternal peace:' this is of greatest weight.

Now know certainly, that which hath discovered unto thee the vanities of this world, the emptiness and the fading of all earthly glory, the blessedness of the righteous, and the joy of the world that is to come, is the light of Christ Jesus, wherewith he hath enlight

foul : in $6 is the light of mankind," he was life, and that life

i. 9. « promised, by the prophet Isaiah, to give him, viz. « for a light to lighten the Gentiles, and for his fal<< vation to the ends of the earth.” So that Christ the light is God's gift, and eternal life is hid in him; yea, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, who is the light of the gospel-temple, true believers, Rev. xxi, And all that receive this light into their hearts, and bring their deeds to it, to see in what ground they are wrought, whether in God or in the evil-one, and make this blessed light the guide of their life; fearing, with an holy fear, to do any thing that this light manifests to be evil; waiting and watching with a godly care to be preserved blameless before the Lord; I say, all fuch become children of light, and witnesses of the life of Jesus. O blessed wilt thou be for ever, if in the way of this holy light thy mind walks to the end!

Let this that hath visited thee lead thee; this feed of light and life, which is the seed of the kingdom ; yea, it is Christ, the true and only feed of God, that visited my soul, even in my young years; that spread my sins in order before me, reproved me, and brought godly sorrow upon me; making me often to weep in folitary places, and say within my soul, Q that I

knew the Lord as I ought to know himn! O that I ! ferved him as I ought to serve him!' Yea, often

was

was there a great concern upon my spirit about minc eternal state, mournfully desiring that the Lord would give my soul rest in the great day of trouble. . Now was all the glory of the world as a bubble; yea, no: thing was dear to me that I might win Chrift; for - the love, friendship, and pleasure of this world were a burden unto my soul. "And in this seeking-state I was directed to the testimony of Jesus in mine own conscience, as the true shining light, giving me to discern the thoughts and intents of mine own heart, And no sooner was I turned unto it, but I found it to be that which from my childhood had visited me, though I diftinctly knew it not: and when I received it in the love of it, it shewed me all that ever I had done, and reproved all the unfruitful works of darkness; judging me as a man in the flesh, and laying judgment to the line, and righteousness to the pluminer in me. And as by the brightness of his coming • into my soul,' he discovered the man of fin there, - upon his throne, so by the breath of his mouth,

which is the two-edged sword of his Spirit, he de* ftroyeth his power and kingdom. And so having : made me a witness of the death of the cross, he hath

also made me a witness of his resurrection. So that : in good measure my soul can now say, “I am justified

« in the Spirit; and though the ftate of condemna-« tion unto death was glorious, yet justification unto

life was, and is, more glorious.'

In this state of the new man all is now: behald new · heavens, and a new earth! Old things come to be done away; the old man with his deeds put off. Now new thoughts, new desires, new affections, new love, new friendship, new society, new kindred, new faith; even that which overcometh this world, through many tribulations; and new hope, even that living hope that is founded upon true experience, which holds out all storms, and can see to the glory that is invisible (to carnal eyes) in the midit of the greatest çempeft,

Now

Now it is the same blessed seed of light, life, and grace, which from God the Father is sown in thy heart, and which hath moved and wrought there the change which thou haft witnessed from the spirit of this world siturn to it, watch in it, that by it thou smayest be kept from all that it discovers to be conI trary to God; especially from thyself, from thine own runnings, willings, and strivings: "For whatsoever is of not born of the Spirit is flesh; and that inherits not

fi the kingdom of God; but all that fow to it shall of inherit corruption. By this thou wilt come to feel, not only all fin to be a burden, but all thine own | righteousness, yea, all man's righteousness, to be a burden. Thou wilt see the difference betwixt the du

ties and prayers which thou begettest, and the duties and prayers which, in thy true filence from all selfactivity of mind, the Lord begets in thee.

O that thou mightest know the mystery of the new birth, and what that is that can truly call God Father! even that that is begotten of him, which liveth and breatheth, and hath its beginning and being, in that life which is hid with Christ in God, and by which it hath been quickened to the knowledge and worship of Christ and God. And this thou shalt not fail to know { and enjoy, as thou patiently sufferest the Lord to work his own work in thee, by his own blessed Spirit. And that which will give thee to favour, and discern the right motions and conceptions, duties and perform

ances in thyself, from the false, will give thee to sa· your and discern that which is right from that which

is false in others; that which is of God, from that · which is of man,

Have a care of gathering of sticks, and kindling a fire of thine own, and then compassing thyself about with the sparks of the fire which thou hast kindled, for the end of this state is to lie down in forrow; because the heavenly fire is absent, which maketh the facrifice acceptable: yea, the Lord may ftir in thy heart, but thou mayest bring forth: but he that gives to conceive, he brings to the birth, and he giveth power to bring forth acceptably : “ for without Chrift * we can do nothing ;” and blessed are they that ftir not before the angel moveth the waters, and go not before Christ, but are led by him, and that awaken not their Beloved till he please; in whose hands the times and the seasons are. O blessed are they, whose eyes are opened to see him always present, a God always nigh at hand; whose hearts are stayed upon his holy appearance in them, and are thereby translated into his likeness; whose faith and hope are in Christ in them, the hope of glory!

My dear friend, weigh these things with a serious, retired, sweet and tender frame of spirit; and the God, that hath called me and thee, by the light of his dear Son, open thine understanding to perceive the truth as it is in Jesus, and what is the mystery of the fellowship of the saints in light. So to the Lord I recommend thee, the watchman and keeper of (frael. The Lord be thy strength and holy comfort, and speak peace to thee, and never leave thee nor forfake thee, till he hath conducted thee through all tribulations, ta his everlasting kingdom of rest and glory:

O dear heart, be valiant, and itay thyself upon Christ Jesus the everlasting rock, and feel him a fountain in thy foul; feel his blood to cleanse, and his blood to drink, and his flesh to eat: feed upon him, for God hath given him for the life of the world, · I had seen thee, had not thy father's strange fort of feverity hindered. I confess, I do not use to be fo treated in mine own country, where the Lord hath raised up many thousands of witnesses, that he hath gathered out of all seets and professions, to worship him, not in their own spirits or wills, but in bis will, fpirit, and truth: and we are generally, after much fiction and suffering, in good esteem, even with the great ones of this world. And this let me add for thy particular comfort, that though I have been a man of great anguish and forrow, because of the fcorn and reproach that hath attended my feparation from the world, (having been taught of Jesus to tụrn my back

upon upon all, for the sake of that glory that shall be revealed) yet to God's honour I can fay it, I have an hundred friends for one, yea, God hath turned the hearts of mine enemies towards me; he hath fulfilled his promise,“ to turn the hearts of the parents unto ço the children.” For my parents, that once disowned me for this blessed teftimony's sake, (of the Jew, Christian, circumcision, and baptism inward, againtt the fleshly Christian) have come to love me above all, and have left me all; thinking they could never do and leave enough for me. Ohow good is the Lord ! Yea, the ways of his mercy are even past finding out.

Wherefore, my dear friend, trust in the Lord for ever; and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the prophets and of the apostles, the God of all the holy martyrs of Jesus, illuminate, fortify and preserve thee stedfast, that in the end thou mayeit receive the reward of life and eternal salvation to whom be glory, and to the Lamb that fits upon the throne, One God, and One Lord, blessed and magnified for ever and ever, Amen.

1

Thy great and faithful lover for the blessed and holy truth's fake,

W, PENN. Duysburgh, the 13th of the

7th month, S. N. 1677.

The inclosed I received from a religious young woman

at Franckfort. We have had a bleffed opportunity in this town with some that have a desire after the Lord, in which we are abondantly comforted. We have just now received thy message and falutation from "H. V. which hath exceedingly refreshed and revived us; for our trouble was not for ourselves, but for thee; and we hope our love will not turn to thy disadvantage; for we mentioned nothing of thy naine, nor the name of any other person, only that we desired to speak with the minister of Mul, heim, and that was only to the soldier. The Lord