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endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.' 'They that choose the things that please the Lord, and keep his covenant, even them will I give a name in my house, and within my walls, a place and a name, better than of sons and daughters, saith the Lord, and I will give them an everlasting name, which shall not be cut off.' Isa. lvi. So you may see how the Lord doth encourage his people to walk in the truth, in faithfulness to him; for the Lord hath loved his people with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness hath he, and doth he draw them unto himself, to serve and worship him. Jer. xxxi. And Christ saith, He that believeth on him hath everlasting life.' Mark, hath it, as in John. And again Christ saith, 'He that drinketh of the water that I give, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give, shall be in him as a well of water springing up to eternal life.' So every one mind this well in you, who have drunk of the water which Christ hath given you.

And the apostle saith, 'God will punish them that disobey his gospel with an everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.' 2 Thess. i. 9. Here you may see everlasting destruction to the wicked, that disobey the gospel; and everlasting life to them that believe and obey the gospel of Christ. Now they that disobey the gospel of Christ, refuse their own comfort and joy of life and salvation; which gospel is the power of God, which is preached to every creature under heaven to believe and obey; therefore happy are you who have received it, and obeyed it, which brings life and immortality to light in you; that you see over the enemy which darkened you, and are now become heirs of this comfortable and joyful gospel of life and everlasting salvation; in which everlasting gospel you have an everlasting glorious fellowship; and in this everlasting gospel, you can praise the everlasting God, that reigns over all from everlasting to everlasting. And all that are of the seed and faith of David, can say as David said, "Blessed be God from everlasting to everlasting; and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord.' And further can say, that the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, upon all them that fear him and his righteousness, unto the children of men.' Psalm ciii. 17. For the Lord God he changeth not, he is the same that he was, who inhabits eternity, and dwells in the humble heart; and therefore you humble ones, fear, and serve, and worship him. And keep under the wing of Christ, and in him your sanctuary and saviour, who destroys the destroyer, and is over all, the first and last. Amen.

Dear friends, who are under sufferings for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and for his new and living way, and his pure, undefiled religion, and his worship in the spirit and truth, that Christ who is from above, and hath all power in heaven and earth, hath set up, for all the

followers of the Lamb to walk in his new and living way, and to keep in his pure, undefiled religion and worship, in spirit and in truth.

And now, dear friends and brethren, my desire is, that you may show forth the nature of the Lamb, and the virtue and the life, in which the nobility of true christianity is seen and manifested in your peaceable, modest, and virtuous behaviour, before the powers that you are brought before; and that none are to question or take thought what they are to say; for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak, saith Christ; whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.' Rom. x. 10. • And every tongue shall confess to God.' Rom. xiv. 11. And again, the apostle saith, that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' Philip. ii. 10. So we cannot but confess and declare what our eyes have seen, and our ears have heard, and our hands have handled of the word of life, Christ Jesus, by whom all things were made and created.

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And Christ and his disciples, who often met on mountains, and in the wilderness, and on the sea side, and in ships, and sometimes in houses; we do not read, that the Jews and priests called Christ and his apostles' meetings routs or riots, though the Jews and the chief priests were bad enough against them.

For all routs and riots are out of the spirit of truth; and so is misbehaviour of all people; for the truth is peaceable, and brings people into peaceable lives and conversations, out of routs and riots, and misbehaviour; and in peace they worship God; and they worship God in the spirit, who is a spirit, and in this holy, pure spirit is the unity and bond of peace, and is the bond of good behaviour, and of holy walking and talking, and it is the bond of peaceable lives and conversations of all that worship God in spirit and truth, and walk in the new and living way, and keep in the pure, holy, and undefiled religion.

And so, dear friends, be of one mind, and heart, and spirit, and God Almighty arm you with patience and humility; who is God all-sufficient, to give you dominion with his power, and to support you. And so, with my love to you all in the Lord Jesus Christ. And let your moderation appear unto all men; for wisdom is justified of her children. And what any one of you doth want, God is all-sufficient to supply you; trust in him, and in fear walk before him.

London, the 3d day of the 10th month, 1684.

G. F.

POSTSCRIPT.

John said, that he saw three unclean spirits like frogs, that came out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.' Mark, they do go out of their mouths, for they are serpents and devils working miracles, that go out of their mouths, the foul unclean spirits which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world. Mark, the whole world, to gather them together. Mark, to gather them; so here they are to be gathered to the battle of the great day of God Almighty.' Rev. xvi. 13, 14. And satan the old serpent shall go out to deceive the nations, which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea, (so here is a gathering together by the devil,) and they went upon the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city, and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them;' so these were gathered together by the devil, and the destroyer was destroyed by God the saviour of his people. Rev. xx. 8.

And the Lord scattered Nimrod, that mighty hunter's gathering, who gathered up people together to build Babel, and confounded them. Gen. x. 11. And Isaiah said, All thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children; and in righteousness shall they be established.'' Behold! they shall surely gather together, but not by me, saith the Lord; and whosoever shall gather together against thee, shall fall for thy sake. No weapon that is formed against thee, shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.' Isa. liv. And Christ Jesus saith, 'where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.' And the apostle said to the Jews, speaking of Christ, that there is no salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved,' Acts. iv. 12. but by Christ Jesus. So here is the saints' true gathering in the name of Christ Jesus the second Adam; and none is able to pluck them out of his hand. John x.

For Christ, the seed of woman, bruises the serpent's head, and Christ through death destroys death, and the devil the power of death; and so doth reconcile all things, both in heaven and in the earth, into one.

The devil abode not in the truth, and so he became a devil, a destroyer, and a serpent, and enemy, and a satan, and adversary to the truth, and to righteousness, and holiness, and to man and woman, that God made in his image, in righteousness and holiness; so he became an enemy, and VOL. VIII.

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adversary, and destroyer, who is out of the truth, and abode not in it, in whom there is no truth, and so is called the old serpent, and satan, and devil, tempter, and false accuser; and Christ through death destroys death, and the devil, the power of death.

And when the Jews went from the truth, they became enemies and adversaries to it, and destroyers of the righteous and the just; yea, they were adversaries, and accusers, and enemies to the prophets, and Christ Jesus, and apostles; and Christ called the Jews vipers and serpents, and said to them that made a profession of the scriptures of the old testament, but were gone from the truth of them, that they were of their father the devil, and his works and lusts they would do.

And here the Jews that went out of the truth, did not they become as serpents, enemies, satans, adversaries, and Judases, betrayers, and of the devil, destroyers of the just?

And when they who are called christians became haters of the light, and walkers despitefully against the spirit of grace, despisers of the word in their hearts, and erred from the truth and the true faith, and professed the form of godliness, but denied the power thereof, and so denied the spirit of true christianity: these became as serpents, enemies, satan, adversaries to true christianity, and of the devil, that seek to destroy it, and Judases, betrayers of it, and of the righteous and the just, wherever it appeared to the unjust. And this hath been the work of that spirit, that did not abide in the truth in all ages, to be as enemies, adversaries, and Judases, betrayers, who seek to destroy the truth; but Christ the truth, doth destroy that destroying spirit, who is the saviour.

And Christ said to the Jews, and to the scribes and Pharisees, who were the greatest outward professors, and appliers of the prophets and promises of the old testament to themselves upon the earth, and yet the greatest persecutors of the holy men and women, and the Lord's prophets upon the earth.

I say, that Christ said to them, 'O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your houses are left unto you desolate,' &c. Matt. xxiii. 37, 38.

Jerusalem was the chiefest place of worship, and the chiefest city among the Jews, and the greatest place of persecution, and yet the Lord Jesus Christ wept over this city, and would have gathered these persecuting professors, (who were without possessing of the life of what they did profess,) but they would not come to him that they might have life.

And these persecuting Jews, scribes, and Pharisees, Christ said unto

them, 'Ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made he is twofold more the child of hell.' Matt. xxiii.

Here you may see these scribes, Pharisees, and Jews, the great professors and temple worshippers without life, what they gathered into, and what disciples they made in their compassing sea and land, they made them like themselves, and the devil, and satan, and the serpent, who abode not in the truth, and seek to draw all out of the truth, and to make them as serpents and satan, adversaries, and of the devil, destroyers; and so he rules in the heart of the disobedient, and blindeth the eyes of the heathen or infidels; and the apostatized christians from the spirit of Christ, and the life of christianity, they do seek to draw all from the truth and spirit of Christ, and the life of christianity into death, enmity, and into persecution and destroying, like the devil, Jews and Judas, both in one spirit, according to their measures that they have from the devil; but all that live and walk in the truth, and the spirit, of Jesus, labour to bring and draw, and gather all into the truth, and to Christ their saviour, who destroyeth the destroyer.

G. F.

CCCXCIX.-Concerning the pure and undefiled religion, that was above sixteen hundred years ago: which all that do own God and Christ are to walk in.

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Dear friends, you who profess the light, faith, grace, and spirit of Christ, and the pure undefiled religion before God the Father, are to keep yourselves unspotted from the world, and to bridle your tongues from evil words, which corrupt good manners; the light of Christ Jesus letteth you see the spots of the world; and the grace of God will teach you to deny them; and the spirit of truth, if you be led by it, teacheth you to mortify and subdue them.

And now, friends, here is the pure and undefiled religion, which the apostles in the primitive times did own, and which now we do own: this is pure religion, and is undefiled before God the Father, and to keep unspotted from the world. First. This religion is pure. Secondly. It is undefiled before God the Father. And that which is pure and undefiled before God the Father, if you live in it and obey it, it will keep you unspotted from the world, and so from the spots of the world: and that which keeps you from the spots of the world, will keep you from the body of death, and sins of the world; which you are made free from, by the circumcision of Christ, by his spirit, and by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, are made free from the law of sin and death.

And now, friends, you that do profess this pure and undefiled religion before God the Father, to keep unspotted from the world, or from the

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