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liberty, yea, and victory over him that separated you from. God and this faith is held in a pure conscience. So the liberty in the Spirit of God is in that, which baptizes and plunges down sin and iniquity, and puts off the body of death, and sins of the flesh, that is gotten up by transgressing of God's command, as I said before. And also the liberty of the gospel, which is sent from heaven by the Holy Ghost, which is the power of God, which was and is again to be preached to all nations: in this gospel (the power of God, which is over the power of satan) is the true liberty, and the gospel-fellowship and order. So that the evil spirit or conscience, or false, dead faith, and that which is ungracious and out of truth, and not in the Spirit of God, nor in his gospel, nor in the divine faith, its liberty is in the darkness for all the true liberty is in the gospel, and in the truth that makes free; and in the faith, and in the grace, and in Christ Jesus, who destroys the devil and his works, that hath brought all mankind into bondage. So in this heavenly peaceable spirit, and truth, and faith, which works by love, and in the gospel of peace, and in Christ Jesus is all the saints' peace, and pure, true and holy liberty; in which they have salt, and sense, and feeling, discerning, and savour, yea, and unity and fellowship one with another; yea, and with the Son and the Father, that heavenly eternal fellowship. So all being subject to the grace, and truth, and to the faith, and gospel (the power of God) and to his good spirit; in this they distinguish all true, pure, and holy liberty, from that which is false. And this will bring all to sit low: for patience runs the race, and the Lamb must have the victory; and not the rough, unruly, and vain talkers, unbaptized, uncircumcised, and unsanctified. For such travel not in the way of regeneration, but in the way of unregeneration; neither go they down into the death with Christ by baptism; and therefore such are not like to reign with him in his resurrection, who are not buried with him in baptism. Therefore all must go downward into the death of Christ, and be crucified with him, if they will arise, and follow him in the regeneration, before they come to reign with him. And friends, many may have precious openings; but I desire all may be comprehended in that thing which doth open to them. And that they may all keep in the daily cross; then they keep in the power, that doth kill and crucify that, which would lead them amongst the beasts and goats, to leaven them. into their rough, unruly spirit: but that through the cross, the power of God, that may be crucified, and they in the power might follow the Lamb. For the power of God keeps all

in order, and in subjection, and in humility, in that which is lovely and virtuous, decent, comely, temperate, and moderate; that their moderation comes to appear to all men. So my desire is that all your lights may shine, as from a city set upon a hill, that cannot be hid; and that ye may be the salt of the earth, to salt and season it, and make it savoury to God, and you all seasoned with it. Then all your sacrifices will be a sweet savour to the Lord, and ye will be as the lilies and roses, and garden of God, which gives a sweet smell unto him; whose garden is preserved by his power; that is the hedge, that hedges out all the unruly and unsavoury, and the destroyers and hurters of the vines, buds, and plants, and God's tender blade, which springs up from his seed of life, who waters it with his heavenly water, and word of life every moment, that they may grow and be fruitful; that so he may have a pleasant and fruitful garden. And so here all are kept fresh and green, being watered every moment with the everlasting holy water of life, from the Lord, the fountain. So my dear friends, my desire is, that this heavenly seed, that bruises down the head of the serpent, both within and without, may be all your crowns and lives, and ye in him one another's crown and joy, to the praise of the Lord God over all, blessed for evermore. This holy seed will out-last and wear out all that which the evil seed since the fall of man hath brought forth and set up. And as every one hath received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him in the humility which he teaches; and shun the occasions of strife, vain janglings and disputings with men of corrupt minds, who are destitute of the truth: for the truth is peaceable, and the gospel is a peaceable habitation in the power of God (which was before the devil was) and his wisdom is peaceable and gentle, &c. and his kingdom stands in peace. Oh, his glory shines over all his works: and in Christ Jesus ye will have peace, who is not of the world, yea, a peace that the world cannot take away: for the peace which ye have from him was before the world was, and will be when it is gone: so they are not like to take his peace away from his people. This keeps all in that, which is weighty and substantial, over all chaff, and will be when it is gone. Glory to the Lord God over all for ever and ever. Amen.

And now, my dear friends, the Lord doth require more of you than he doth of other people; because he hath committed more to you. He requires fruits of his Spirit, and of the light, and of the gospel, and of the grace, and of the truth; for herein is he glorified (as Christ said) in your VOL. II.

bringing forth much fruit; fruits of righteousness, holiness, godliness, virtue, truth and purity, so that ye may answer that which is of God in all people. And be ye valiant for his everlasting glorious gospel, in God's holy Spirit and truth; keeping in the unity, and in the holy Spirit, light and life, which is over death and darkness, and was before death and darkness was. In this Spirit ye have the bond of peace, which cannot be broken, except ye go from the Spirit; and then ye loose this unity and bond of peace, which ye have from the Prince of Peace.

The world also does expect more from friends than from other people, because you profess more. Therefore you should be more just than others in your words and dealings, and more righteous, holy and pure in your lives and conversations; so that your lives and conversations may preach. For the world's tongues and mouths have preached long enough, but their lives and conversations have denied what their tongues have professed and declared.

And dear friends, strive to excel one another in virtue, and that ye may grow in love, that excellent way which unites all to Christ and God; and that all may stand up for God's glory, and mind that which concerns the Lord's honour and glory, that in no wise his power may be abused, nor his name evil spoken of by any evil talkers or walkers; but that in all things God may be honoured, and ye may glorify him in your bodies, souls and spirits, the little time ye have to live. So my love to you all in the holy seed of life, that reigns over all, and is the first and last; in whom ye all have life and salvation, and your election and peace with God, through Jesus Christ, who destroys him that hath been betwixt you and God; so that nothing may be betwixt you and the Lord, but Christ Jesus. Amen.

My life and love is to you all, and amongst you all; and the Lord God Almighty by his mighty power, by which he hath preserved all his people unto this day, preserve and keep you all in his power and peaceable holy truth, in unity and fellowship one with another, and with the Son and the Father. Amen.'

The 24th of the 3rd month, 1679.

G. F.

Divers other epistles and papers I writ unto friends, during my stay in the north; one whereof was in a few lines, to encourage friends to be bold and valiant for the

truth, which the Lord had called them to bear witness to; and it was thus worded:

'Dear friends,

'All be valiant for the Lord's truth upon the earth, which the serpent, satan and the devil is out of, and in the truth keep him out, in which you all have peace and life, and unity with God and his Son, and one with another. And let the love of God fill all your hearts, that in it ye may build up one another, and edify one another in the light, life and Holy Spirit, and power of God, the glorious comfortable gospel of Christ, the heavenly Man, who is your Lord and Saviour; who will fill all your bottles and vessels with his heavenly wine and water of life, and clothe you with his heavenly clothing, his fine linen, that never waxeth old; and will arm you with his heavenly weapons and armour, that ye may stand faithful witnesses for God and his Son, who is come, and hath given you an understanding to know him, and ye are in him and so walk in him, in whom ye all have life and salvation, and peace with God. So my love to you all in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom I have laboured; and God Almighty in his eternal power and wisdom preserve you all to his glory. Amen.' G. F.

Swarthmore, the 29th of the

10th month, 1679.

The next day, having a sense upon me, how some that had received the truth, and had openings thereof, for want of keeping low, had run out therefrom, I was moved to give forth the following epistle, as a warning and exhortation to all to dwell in humility:

My dear friends,

Whom the Lord in his tender mercies hath visited with the day-spring from on high, and hath opened you to confess and bow to his name; keep low in your minds, and learn of Christ, who teacheth you humility, and to keep in it so that in no wise, ye that be younger, be exalted, or puffed up, or conceited through your openings, and by that means lose your conditions, by being carried up into presumption; and then fall into despair, and so abuse the power of God. For it was the apostles' care, that none should abuse the power of the Lord God; but in all things their faith was to stand in the power of the Lord God: so that they all might be comprehended into the truth, which they did speak to others, that they might not be preachers

to others, and themselves cast-aways. Therefore it doth concern you to be comprehended into that, which ye do preach to others, and to keep low in it; and then the God of Truth will exalt the humble in his truth, light, grace, power and spirit, and in his wisdom to his glory. So here all are kept in their measures of grace, light, faith and the Spirit of Christ, the heavenly and spiritual Man. So let none quench the Spirit, nor its motions, nor grieve it, nor err from it, but be led by it, which keeps every one in their tents; which Holy Spirit of God giveth them an understanding, how to serve and worship, and please the holy pure God, their Maker and Creator in Christ Jesus, and how to wait, and how to speak, and so to answer the Spirit of God in his people; in which Holy Spirit is the holy unity and fellowship. And the Holy Spirit teacheth the holy, gentle, meek and quiet lowly mind to answer the seed, that Christ hath sown upon all grounds; and to answer the light, and grace and Spirit, and the gospel in every creature, though they are gone from the Spirit, grace, light and gospel in the heart; so that by holy walking all may come to do it, as well as by holy preaching, that so God in all things may be glorified by you, and that ye may bring forth fruits to his praise. Amen.'

Swarthmore, the 30th of the

10th month, 1679.

G. F.

Abont the latter end of this year I was moved of the Lord to travel up into the south again. Wherefore after I had taken my leave of my wife and the family, and of the neighbouring friends, I set forward on my journey in the beginning of the first month, 163 and passing through some parts of Westmoreland and Lancashire, I visited friends at several meetings, and so came into Yorkshire. Divers large and weighty meetings I had in Yorkshire before I came to York city; and when I came there it was the assize-time and there being many friends in prison for truth's sake, I put friends, that were at liberty, upon drawing up the sufferings of the friends that were in prison, that they might be laid before the judges; and I assisted them therein. There were then in York many friends from several parts of the county, for the quarterly-meeting of friends was at that time; so that I had a brave opportunity among friends, and many weighty and serviceable things did the Lord open through me to the meeting, relating to both the inward state of man, how man by faith in Christ comes to be grafted into him, and made a member of his

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