- OF
WIUIAM BlvNMT
BX
7795
.B46
B4 6
1838
MAY 11 1918
^1195 .B46 B46 1838
ILnit, William, d. 1684.
selections ^ ^^^^.f ^iuiam
Epistles, &c. ol
SELECTIONS
PROM THE EPISTLES, &c.
OF
WILLIAM B E N N I T.
SELECTI0N5Cn^^ '
FROM THE EPISTLES, &c!
W I L L I A M B E N N I T,
ArU EARLY MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IN THE
SOCIETY OF FRIENDS ;
WHO, AFTER SUFFERING LOXG AND PATIENTLY FOR HIS
TESTIMONY TO THE TRUTH, DEPARTED THIS LIFE
IN THE COUNTY GAOL, AT IPSWICH,
WHERE HE WAS A PRISONER FOR CONSCIENCE SAKE ;
TO WHICH IS PREFIXED
OF HIS RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE AND CHARACTER.
" For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."— Romans, viiL 18.
LONDON :
HARVEY AND DARTON,
GRACECHURCH STREET.
1838.
LONDON :
PRINTKD RV JOSF.PH HICKKIIBY,
8 HER BOURN LANK
CONTENTS.
Page
Memoir of William Beunit . . . I
An Address to his Father and Mother . .15
A Salutation of Love to Professors . . 20
An Epistle to Friends in Prison . . .36
A Letter to a Friend under suffering . . 39
Some Prison 3Ieditations of an humble heart . .41
An Epistle to those who are newly convinced of the
Truth .... . . 55
A general Salutation of Love to Friends . . 59
PREFACE.
Perhaps little more need be said on behalf of the
following pages, than that they exhibit a livdy
specimen of the patience, meekness, humility, and
Christian zeal which abounded in the Society of
Friends at the time of its early existence.
In the character of William Bennit, from whose
writings this little compilation is taken, these
fruits of the Spirit appear to have been very con-
spicuous.
The first part of the Memoir" is taken
from a piece in his works, entitled, " Tlie Work
and Mercy of God conducing to his praise, or a
demonstration of the visitation of God's love to
my soul in the days of my youth ;" the remaining
part is extracted from testimonies concerning
William Bennit, written by two of his friends and
viii TREF^CE.
fellow-sufferers for the truth: and altliougli, for
the sake of brevity, some parts of these, and also
of the other pieces, as they stand in the ori-
ginal publication, dated 1685, are omitted, yet
it is believed that these *' Selections" will not, on
that account, prove the less instructive ; and that
the abridged form in which they are now offered,
will obtain for them a more extensive circulation.
T. C.
Kingston on Thames.
jViemoir of w:\r. bennit.
William Bexnit was a minister of the Gospel
among the people called Quakers, soon after the
rise of that people, and was one who partook
largely of the persecution and sufferings to which
they were, for many years after their first appear-
ance, exposed. It appears, that during the latter
part of his life he resided, when not deprived of
his hberty, at Woodbridge, in Suffolk. In an ac-
count of his religious experience, written by him-
self, be says, " When I was but young in years
the Lord God of light, life, and power was pleased,
in- some measure, to visit me by his pure light in
my conscience, which many a time checked and
reproved me for my sins, and sometimes brought
trouble upon my mind [on account of them.]
But I was not then sensible that it was the light
of Christ Jesus which reproved and judged me
for evil, and at times broke my false rest. When
I was among idle children, such as were void of
the fear of God, I ran into sin and wickedness with
them, and took great delight therein ; but when
I came to be still and alone in the fields, or else-
B
2
MEMOIR or
where, the pure witness of God would arise in me
with its reproofs, set my sins in order before mc,
and bring my evil doings to my remembrance.
Then trouble took hold on me for a time, and sin
became my burden ; but I soon got from under
it into ease and liberty, and went on year after
year in rebellion against [this] witness of God in my
conscience, taking delight in things which I knew
were evil. Yet the Lord, in mercy, hovered over me
for good , and sometimes stopped me from speaking
or acting the evil that I intended to speak or do,
and preserved me out of many gross evils, tn those
days, when I was alone in the fields, I cried and
prayed unto the Lord, and desires were stirring in
me after the knowledge of Him, his way and truth ;
but I prayed to a God I knew not : I imagined a
God afar off, and did not then know it was the
Lord who searched my heart, discovered unto me
my thoughts, and judged me for sin. I knew
not that it was the light and truth of God in my
own heart, which sometimes begat desires in me
to know the truth, and to walk therein; but my
mind was abroad in carnal ordinances, forms,
ceremonies, and traditions of men, and I knew
not that it was Truth in me, which sometimes
stopped me from lying and swearing; and when I
knowingly told a lie, accused me for it, when no
man could accuse me. I may truly say, there
was something stirring in me, at times, after the
Lord, ever since I was six or seven years of age ;
and when I came to be about fourteen years old,
and an apprentice, it pleased the God of infinite lov-
ing kindness, to visit me more [closely] than be-
fore; yea, he did, by his pure light and gift, pur-
WILLIAM BENNIT.
3
sue me hard, calling to me in my heart to come
out of sin, out of evil words and works. Still,
(like Samuel, when he was a child,) I knew not
that it was the Lord who called ; for he was,
though near me, as a stranger to me; I knew
not his voice, but went astray as a wandering
sheep ; yet had I desires to know the way to the
fold, to know where the Lord feedeth his flock,
and causeth them to lie down in peace, quietness,
and rest, where none can make afraid ; for indeed
it was rest I wanted, and true peace in God my
soul many a time panted after. Oh, I was often-
times wounded because of sin ; and for want of the
enjoyment of the love and peace of God, I went
bowed down in spirit day after day, with my eyes
filled with tears and my heart with sighing, and I
thought there were few, if any, in my condition.
Sometimes I would say, in my heart, " Oh, that I
were in a desert, solitary place outwardly, (for
such was my condition inwardly,) where I might
mourn and pour out my tears to the God of
mercy, and spread my complaints before him
whom my soul thirsteth and panteth after, even
as the hart panteth after the water-brooks."
Many a time did I get into a solitary place, to ease
my heart a little, by pouring out my tears and com-
plaints to the Lord. In those days many were
my prayers, and great the burden under which
I went, not then knowing the light of Christ in
my conscience to be a stay to my mind and a bri-
dle to my tongue. Many a time I got into a false
ease and liberty, into idleness and youthful wild-
ness ; but sorrow and trouble would again take
hold of mv mind, and again would true desires be
B 2
4
MEMOIR or
renewed in me after the Lord. My heart was
often made tender and soft^ compassion was in me
towards any who 1 thought were in my condition :
a tender love was hidden in my heart towards
those that I then thought were the people of God ;
and I can truly say my heart is open still, and
oftentimes pity, love, and tenderness issue frona
me towards those who are in that condition. Oh,
my soul cannot but sympathize with them, and
that not without some secret cries unto God oh
their behalf. It is partly for their sakes that this
is published, [with the hope] that it may be of ser-
vice to some of them ; and if the Lord order it so
to be to them, or to any, my end herein will
be answered.
" In those days I frequented the meetings of the
people called Independents, in Great Yarmouth,
whom I then thought to be the people of God ; but
I saw that many of them, and even some of the
chief of them, were not, in life and conversation,
what they professed to be : and when I have been
among them, in the time of their singing Psalms,
the pure witness of God in my own heart, hath,
as it were, stopped my mouth, that I could not
sing with them ; but my heart has been broken
into tenderness, and many have been my tears ;
my outward man hath trembled and been shaken
like a leaf that is shaken with the wind. This
was before I was called a Quaker, or had seen
any of that people. The working of the power
of God in my heart did, in some measure,
let me see that it was not then a time of singing
for me ; for I was in a strange land, in the land
of captivity, and could not sing the song of Zion ;
WILLIAM BENXIT.
5
and tliis song I may truly say, without the least en-
mity against that people, (for my soul beareth
love and good will towards all men,) they were
ignorant of, whilst singing what others had pre-
scribed and made ready for them. I then wanted
the enjoyment ofthe love, joy, peace, and secret pre-
sence of God, which makes glad the hearts ofthe
righteous, and causes the lowly and upright to sing
the new song, which the living only can sing,
even the ransomed of the Lord, who are returned
from Babylon to Mount Zion. In all the time of
my trouble of mind and travail of spirit, I never
made known my condition to any creature, but
kept it secret in my heart, pouring out my com-
plaints to God [only]. I would gladly have had
some to know how it w^as with me ; but I was
straitened in myself, and therefore kept [my state
of mind] in obscurity. I still knew not what it
was that wrought and strove with me, which did
so frequently judge and reprove me for sin, gave
me power over many evils which others were over-
come withal, and raised strong desires in me after
the Lord. I say, I was not then sensible that it
was the light of Christ Jesus [which thus strove
with me ;] nor that I should have taken heed
thereunto, as unto a light shining in a dark place,
until the day had more and more dawned, and
Christ, the day-star, had arisen in my heart, over
all my enemies; but I was still bunting abroad,
for that which was within me ; the pearl of great
price was hidden in my heart ; but I knew it not —
the kingdom of God was at hand, and was
working in my heart, like leaven hid in three
measures of meal; but I was gazing for it abroad;
B 5
6
MEMOIR OF
my Saviour was nigli, but I imagined him afar
off. In those days no man directed my mind to
the light of Christ in my own heart ; for the
teachers of the people would say, that which
troubles a man for his sins is a temptation of Sa-
tan, and [thus] instead of directing the mind to
the light, they drew away from it. Is it the devil's
work to discover, judge, and condemn for sin ?
Is it not his work to lull people asleep in sin,
to cry peace to them in their iniquities, and to
keep them satisfied with a proi"ession of God, with-
out the possession of a holy, undefiled life?
Is it his work to destroy his own kingdom, which
is sin ? Surely no ; that is the work of Christ,
the light of the world. I do now infallibly
know, that it was the pure witness of God, the
light of his Son, Christ Jesus, a measure of his
free grace and truth in my heart, which in
those days brought trouble upon me for my sins,
and begat good desires in me after the Lord.
But, alas, for me ! after all this long visitation of
tlie love, goodness, and mercy of the Lord to my
soul, and after all this trouble of mind, travail of
spirit, desiring and seeking after the Lord, I got
into a false ease and wrong liberty, became careless,
and by disobedience quenched the strivings of
the light of Christ in me, insomuch that J felt lit-
tle of the burden and sorrow which [before] lay so
heavily upon my mind; my face was turned back
again into Egypt, which before had been partly
turned towards Canaan, the land of light, life,
and rest ; and I ran into evils which 1 had for-
merly, by a secret power, been kept out of. I
grew wanton, careless, and wicked ; my mind
WILLIAM BENNIT.
7
was taken off from seeking the Lord, and went
after the vanity, pleasures, and idleness of the
world; delighting much in music and dancing,
sporting and gaming, and so made merry over
the pure witness of God, by rebelling against it,
and rejecting its reproofs and strivings. Ob, the
patience and long-sufFering of the Lord was large
towards me in that day! He who, in hisjustice^
might have cut me off in my sins and rebellion,
and thus made me an example of his wrath,
waited to be gracious to my soul, day by day and
year after year. His mercy and long-suffering
was exceedingly large to me, and is not to be for-
gotten ; but in and by the Spirit of Truth am I
to be kept in a living remembrance thereof. He
would not that I should perish from his presence
for ever, and in the sense thereof he is worthy to
be praised and honoured by my soul. For after
all this, the Lord God, of tender compassion, was
pleased to visit my poor soul again — he remem-
bered the poor and needy, the captive exile, to de-
liver him out of the hand of him that was too
strong for him, and to loose him, that he might
not die in the pit, and perish in the miry clay. I
now heard the everlasting gospel of light, life,
and peace preached by his servants, in scorn
called Quakers, and the pure witness of God in
my heart bore testimony to the truth declared by
them. But long it was, after I was in some
measure convinced of the truth, before I freely
gave up my heart to obey it ; yet the Lord, in
time, overcame my heart by the power of his love,
his unspeakable love, and made me willing to re-
sign my heart in obedience to him and his truth,
8
MEMOIR or
to bow to the yoke, to take up the dally cross?
despise tlie sliame, and follow Iiim in the way o^'
truth and righteousness. Herein I have found
peace, rest, and true satisfaction to my soul; and
although it hath been m.y portion, with many
other brethren, sometimes to eat the bread of ad-
versity, and to drink the water of affliction, yet
my Teacher and Comforter, whom I witness to be
nigh, can none remove from me. He hath been
and is with me in the prison-house, and in the low
dungeon. That which formerly reproved and
judged me for evil, and raised desires in me after
the Lord, now keeps me in peace with him, and
in fellowship with his people; though I deny not
that I have now a greater measure of light and
grace than I then had ; for although the light or
seed ofthe kingdom be in the unbeliever and un-
converted, even as the least of all seeds, yet in
whomsoever it is received in faith, love, and obe-
dience, it grows till it is the greatest among herbs,
and becomes a tree ; under its shadow they sit
with great delight, and its fruit becomes sweet to
tlieir taste ; as a little leaven hid in three mea-
sures of meal, it operates in the hearts of those
wlio believe in it, until it hath wrought out the
old leaven of malice, sin, and corruption, and lea-
vened the soul into its own nature. The same
light which condemned me for sin, when I was in
disobedience to it, now saves me from sin, justifies
me as I am kept in the faith and obedience of
it, and ministers to me rest and peace. So this
I assert and affirm experimentally, (against all op-
posers, gainsayers, and undervaluers of the light,)
that the light of Christ in the conscience of that
\VILLIAM BENNIT.
9
man or woman wlio is in unbelief, and in tlie un-
converted state, is one in nature with the hght ia
that man or woman who is in the belief of it, and
converted by it : and the light of Christ in the
conscience of the drunkard and swearer, that dotli
check, judge, and reprove him for his sins, if it be
believed in, loved, and obeyed, is able to save him
from his sins. They who love evil, hate the
light, and reject it, do not witness the saving,
healing virtue, the restoring, redeeming power of
the light ; it is to them a judge and condemner ;
but they who receive it in the love and belief
thereof, receive power to become the sons of God,
and joint heirs with Christ, of the kingdom of
God, which endures for ever.
So blessed be the Lord my God, who is worthy
to be praised in the sense of his love, goodness,
and grace ; and having obtained mercy of Him,
and experienced his tender fatherly dealings to-
wards me, my heart is opened with love and good
will to all people, desiring their good and eternal
welfare in God."
That which now follows is taken from two
testimonies concerning William Bennit, written
respectively by Edmund Cross and William
Pearce, two Friends who suffered imprison-
ment with him, and who, from their intimate ac-
quaintance with him, appear to have been well
qualified to describe his character. *' William
Bennit was a man wholly given up to serve the
Lord, and what he did for Him he did with all his
heart. Great was his care over the church of
Christ; and when in bonds for the Gospel's sake,
he gave forth divers epistles full of heavenly ex-
hortations and comfort. He had the true quali-
10
MEMOIR OF
fications of an elder and minister of Christ, walk-
ing in holiness, meekness, and godly fear ; never
exalting himself above any, but [showing] himself
an example of humility and self-denial. Al-
though he was of a weakly constitution of body,
yet when engaged in preaching the Gospel, he
was so upheld by the mighty power of God, and
carried forth with such fervency and zeal, that
there appeared no infirmness in him ; and not-
withstanding his bodily weakness he often travel-
led in the service of the Gospel. He had a very
good gift in the ministry, and was well acquainted
with the Holy Scriptures. That [ardent] love by
which he was drawn forth to serve the Lord,
flowed from him in the assemblies of God's peo-
ple, as sweet streams from a pleasant fountain, to
the nourishment of the true birth ; in the sense
whereof his heart was often filled with great
strength of life and heavenly courage. He was
often concerned to exhort Friends to remember
their first love, and the day wherein they received
the truth ; and although they had experienced
much, and witnessed a large increase in the riches
of God's kingdom, [still] to stay their minds on
the measure of his gift or grace in themselves ;
reminding them that Jacob was commanded by
the Lord, after his many trials and great increase
of riches, to go to Betliel, the place where the
Lord first appeared to him, there to dwell and
erect an altar. He also often put Friends in mind
of speaking tlie pure language, by saying thee
and thou to a single person, without respect of
persons; and exhorted them to feel the concern of
truth upon their spirits, and in the drawing of
the love of God, to assemble in his name and fear.
WILLIAM BENKIT.
11
He wrestled much in prayer with the Lord,
for the good of all, particularly for such as
suffered imprisonment for the testimony of a
good conscience. He often prayed that God
would be pleased to make the prison as a palace
to them, through the incomes of his heavenly life
and blessed pre&ence to their souls ; that he
would comfort such as lay upon a bed of sickness,
and support such as travel by sea or land in his
work and service ; and accompany them with his
living power and presence, [in order] that their
service might be elfectual. He prayed also for
his enemies, that it would please the Lord to turn
their hearts and open their eyes to see against
whom they were striving, that they might behold
Him whom, with their sins, they had pierced —
repent, be converted, and healed. Thus did the
love of God flow from this his servant, not only
to friends but to enemies, having so learned of
his mast^, Christ Jesus, whom he faithfully
'•The Lord employed him in his vineyard, both
to plant and water ; and it was his delight to
break up untilled ground, often having meetings
where no Friends had been before. His Gospel-
labours were very much blessed, and through his
plain and prevalent ministry many were added to
the church.
He [proved himself] very faithful, not only in
word and doctrine, but also in life and conversa-
tion. Even his enemies were made to confess
that he was a man of an honest, godly, and upright
life: not only in the town of Woodbridge, where
lie dwelt, but wherever he was known, his life
12
MEMOIR OF
preached truth, his carriage was innocent, and his
words were very savoury, ministering grace to his
hearers. He was indeed one to whom the Lord
had, in a large measure, fulfilled his promise, to
* make a man more pure than fine gold, yea,
than the golden wedge of Ophir;' for having been
tried in the furnace of affliction, he became a ves-
sel of honour, fitted for the Lord's service ; as,
saith Solomon, * Take away the dross from the
silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the
finer/
He was, for his testimony to the truth, east
into divers gaols. The places of his longest
imprisonment, and in some of which he was con^
fined at several different times, were Yarmouth,
Norwich, Bliborough, Melton, Ipswich, and Ed-
mondsbury. In the last-named place he lay
among felons nearly eight years, and was kept so
close a prisoner, that during five years of the
time he scarcely set his foot over the threshold.
[To conclude this brief notice of his sufferings — ]
on the 12Lh of the sixth month, 1683, he was, whilst
upon his knees in prayer, at a meeting at Wood-
bridge, violently haled away by a constable, and
with several other Friends taken before a justice,
who committed them to Mellon gaol, for being,
as the mittimus declared, at a 'Quakers' meeting,
which is contrary to law.* He was kept a close
prisoner at Melton till the next sessions, which
were held at Woodbridge, where an indictment
was preferred against him, for being ' riotously
and routcusly assembled with many others,' &c.
To this charge, (after advancing many sound ar-
guments, to prove the meetings of Friends to
WILLIAM BENNIT.
13
be without any other object than to wait upon
and worship the Lord, and therefore in no way
hurtful or dangerous to the government, &c. lie
pleaded not guilty. Tt was then asked, whether
he would give bail for his appearance at the next
quarter-sessions, and to be of good behaviour.
This he refused to do, knov/ing he had not mis-
behaved himself ; he was therefore remanded to
prison, and again kept very close till the next
sessions, when he was, with some other Friends,
brought into court and put on trial. Much ar-
gument took place between the prisoners and the
court ; and the jury, after having retired for a con-
siderable time, declared the prisoners not guilty.
This highly displeased the chairman, who per-
suaded the jury to alter their verdict, and find
the prisoners guilty of an unlawful assembly ;
and as if this was not usage sufficiently hard,
W. B. although then very weak was sent off, in
the latter part of an intensely cold day, (the snow
falling very fast all the way,) to Ipswich. It was
late in the evening before he reached the prison ;
and for want of beds, and timely notice to make
provision, this tender man was obliged, wet and
cold as he was, to sit up all night. It was truly
grievous to witness this cruel treatment ; yet the
innocent sufferer was preserved in patience and
resignation, saying, in allusion to this journey,
* If it lay in his freedom to go or not, although
he might gain much as to the outward he could
not go, such was his weakness ; yet for the truth's
sake he was freely given up, though it might
prove the dissolution of his body,'' as indeed it so
happened, for he never got over it, but continued
c
14
MEMOIR, &C.
to grow weaker, till upon the 23rd of the
4th month, 1684, in the prison-house at Ipswich,
the place of his confinement, he finished his
testimony, and laid down his head in perfect
peace. At the hour of his departure, whilst his
dear wife, with several other friends, were sitting
by the corpse in retiredness of mind, very sorrow-
ful for their great loss, the love of God broke in
upon them in an abundant manner, to their great
refreshment and satisfaction.
May we [who survive,] be found working the
work of God in our day, by answering his requir-
ings, that so we like this faithful servant of Christ,
may finish our course with joy, and lay down our
heads in peace !"
ADDRESS TO HIS PARENTS.
15
an address to his father and mother.
Dear Father and Mother,
My endeared love abounds towards you,
and in that which hath brought me into true obe-
dience to God and man do I salute you, [desir-
ing] your growth in the spirit of holiness, which
growth standeth not in words, but in life and
power; wait to feel your increase therein, and de-
crease in words which are out of the power of
God. Many have grown rich in words, have ac-
counted that [to be] their growth without the life,
and have fed upon the knowledge more than upon
life: upon such the famine is to come. There-
fore, dear hearts, yea exceedingly dear to me,
keep to the measure of God in your own particu-
lars, and be obedient to its operation, for as it is
to work upon the soul, so it worketh not with-
out the soul's yielding obedience thereunto;
yet \jt is] not the soul's work, but the work
of God in and upon the soul. For though
Christ is come a light into the world, and is
the salvation of God, to them who believe in
and obey him, yet he is the condemnation of those
who believe not in him ; the light manifesteth evil,
and if the creature yield obedience to the light,
it gives him power over evil ; yet not the crea-
ture's power, but the power of God, which beget-
teth the will and the deed also.
Therefore perfect obedience to the light
the Lord requiretli of every one, and daily to
watch and wrestle against that which is con-
demnable by the light; for so long as the crea-
ture knowingly lives in that (whether in words
16
ADDRESS TO HIS PARENTS.
or deeds) that it seeth to be reprovable by the
light, it cannot enjoy perfect peace with God ;
for the peace of God is enjoyed in the light:
and truly, if that condemn, the Lord doth
not justify. Many believe they are justified
in the sight of God, through Christ, although
the witnesss of God lets them see that they are
yet in their sins, and condemns them for sin.
This faith (or rather unbelief) leads them to con-
clude that neither themselves nor any others can
be made free from all sin on this side the grave, and
yet they imagine they are free from it in the sight
of God. But beware of that faith, it is not the
true faith, the gift of God, which, through Christ,
saveth from all sin. It is hard for one in whose
heart the wicked one hath seated this faith, or
persuasion, to come to live in the life of truth,
which is holy ; for when the light lets the soul
see it is in its sins, brings trouble and condemna-
tion, also a desire in the heart to be freed from
sin ; even then the wicked one begetteth this
persuasion in the creature, that it cannot be freed
from all sin here ,* and this persuasion causes the
creature to do despite to the Spirit of grace, and
strive to quench its reproofs, and so to get at ease
in that wrong belief, and sit down short of the
peace of God. So that which begat desires in
the creature to be freed from sin, comes to be
veiled and slain. Many thousands are in this
state, boasting that they are justified by Christ,
and that he hath done all for them, and if they
can believe it that is sufficient, although still in
their sins.
Now the apostle Paul saith, If while we
seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also
ADDRESS TO IHS PARENTS. 17
are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister
of sin ? God forbid ! Shall we continue in sin
that grace may abound God forbid ! how shall
we that are dead to sin live any longer therein ?"
Oh ! in tender love I beseech you, to beware of
that delusion of the wicked one, for it is very
dangerous, and a broad way, which the creature
is prone to run into. Now there is a great dif-
ference betwixt such, who with the light see
much sin which they are addicted to, yet to be
subdued, and it is their sore burden, and they in
the strength of the light wrestle against it, and
so find it daily decrease ; I say there is a great
difference betwixt those who are in this state,
travelling out of sin, out of Egypt, where the
bondage is, towards Zion, where the freedom is,
and such as are set down satisfied, in a false con-
fidence and wrong belief, continuing in sin, and
beheving they shall not be free from it here.
But you know otherwise, therefore abide in the
life, [in that life] which is the light of men, the
true light, which lighteth every man that cometh
into the world, and is the salvation of God :
therein wait, and feel your minds exercised in its
operation, for this changeth the mind, the thoughts,
the affections, and desires ; for as they have been
eart])ly, so they become heavenly ; [then] it is the
soul's delight to answer the end of the Lord, and
to endeavour to walk worthy of his love, and it
becomes its life to do the will of God. But
before this can be witnessed, the strait and
narrow way must be known, felt, and lived in ;
and there must be a passing through the fire,
through the water, through the one baptizinc;,
c 2
18
ADDRESS TO HIS PARENTS.
which baptizeth into death, and translateth into
life. Oh ! dear father and mother, keep, I be-
seech you, to the gift of God in your own par-
ticulars, and be obedient to its leadings ; therein
watch diligently, continually, and with it try
your thoughts, words, and intents, before you
bring them forth ; and if they be reprovable, give
them up to the fire to be consumed. Dear hearts,
it is in inexpressible love that 1 write thus unto
you : be very wary of speaking of things by
contraries, which you are addicted to, for there
is no lie of the truth, and he that abideth in the
truth is preserved out of the lie ; he that loveth
the light bringeth his deeds to the light to try
them, whether they be wrought in God.
So be not forward to utter words, but feel the
light of Christ to guide and lead you, and bring
your thoughts and words to it, to try them : now
if they be reprovable by the light, then they are
to die, and not be brought forth ; for if they be,
this grieveth the righteous Spirit of God, and
breaks your peace with him ; for if his witness
condemn, he doth not justify, so the creature
keeping low in the pure fear and dread of the
Lord, dares not do, speak, or think that which it
seeth to be vain and evil, if it could gain the whole
world by it. But truly [many] professors are out
of this condition ; though they can talk of the
fear of the Lord, scarcely one of a thousand is
come into that state. This is a hard saying,
who is able to bear it ? Yet it is a true saying,
though they will not believe it. Oh ! the largest
talkers, even of the highest sort, are farthest from
the life of truth, which is holy ; for such are
settled on their lees, have been building long^
ADDRESS TO HIS PARENTS.
19
very high, and have gathered much riches; it is
hard for these to lose all, to have their building
tlirown down, and not one stotie left upon ano-
ther. Oh ! the Lord God of compassion is
gathering many tender hearts from among them,
who hunger and breathe after Him, and are not
satisfied with the husks, the shadows, and dead
forms in which they dwell ; and, poor hearts, they
have sought after the Lord, even fervently, day
after day, and year after year, but could not
find him. Such is the Lord now gathering into
his fold, where they shall enjoy their Shepherd,
and their souls shall not want.
So once more do I, in tender love, direct you to
the gift of God in your own particulars : keep in
the fewness of words, for too many words become
not those who profess godliness. Let your words
be few, and let them savour of the grace of God,
which leadeth into a meek, sober, modest, chaste
life; that so your upright conversation may
preach righteousness, even to the convincing of
those who have been as teachers over you, whom
ye will come to see, as you keep to the measure
of God's [Spirit,] and know them to be a people
whose minds are at liberty and at ease in the
flesh. Let their knowledge be never so large,
their declarations never so high, yet if such come
not, and keep not to that which is to be a stay to
the mind, a stop to their thoughts, a bridle to
their tongues, a light to their steps, their know-
ledge, their declarations, their works, and their
sufferings are all in vain ; and a babe of the
heavenly birth sees and comprehends them.
Well, into the hand of the Lord do I commit
you. [May you] be gathered into and preserved
20
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
in his pure fear, watchful and diligent in the
liglit, warring and wrestling in the strength of it,
against that which you see is to be mortified.
And, dear ones, one thing more I have to say
unto you. Beware of condemning one another
for that evil which yourselves are addicted
to ; but first see it subdued and mortified in your-
selves, whether it be in word or action, before
you condemn others for it, though they be pro-
fane people ; and when you speak a word of re-
proof to any, beware of doing it in a light, frothy
way, as many do, even in the airy spirit, which
bringeth forth the same things in themselves j
but let it be done in the sober, solid, seasoned ,
savoury spirit, that it may reach the witness of
God in them unto whom you speak, and then it
will be profitable. So the Lord God Almighty
preserve me and you, and all his httle ones, in
his holy awe and dread, and [enable us] to pass
the time of our pilgrimage here in fear and trem-
bling.
From your Son,
William Ben nit.
Bliborough Goal,
5th month, 1661.
A TENDER SALUTATION OF LOVE AND GOOD-
WILL TO PROFESSORS.
The Lord God Almighty is looking down upon
the sons and daughters of men, and beholds
many of them as poor scattered sheep, without a
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
21
shepherd; wandering as in the waste, howling wil-
derness; hungry and thirsty, seeking diligently
for food upon the barren mountains, running
from one broken cistern to another, yet unable to
find that which would truly satisfy and refresh
their souls ; seeking rest, but finding no true
rest ; desiring to know where the good Shepherd
of Israel feeds his sheep and lambs, and where
they lie down in quietness, free from the fear of
evil.
The Lord hath seen this, and is moved with
pity and compassion towards [such as these;]
and for his own seed's sake he is in mercy stretch-
ing forth the hand of his loving kindness to
them, to gather in one the scattered and dispersed,
to bring home the wanderers, the prodigals, (who
have long fed upon the husks among the swine,)
to the Father's house, where there is bread
enough, and where water faileth not.
Yea, the Lord of heaven and earth hath lifted
up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble
the outcasts of Jacob, and the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth. He will re-
turn the captivity of his people, and then shall
Jacob rejoice, and Israel be glad. The stem of
Jesse shall stand for an ensign to the people ;
unto Him shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest
sliali be glorious. He hath righteousness for the
girdle of his loins, and faithfulness for the girdle
of his reins; He hath put on the garment of
vengeance for clothing, and is clad with zeal as
with a cloak ; He hath on a vesture dipped in
blood, and his name is the Word of God.
This is he whom the Lord giveth for a covenant
of the people, for a light to the Gentiles, to be
22
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
his salvation to the ends of the earth : this is he
who maketh all things new, who causeth old
things to pass away, and creates a new heaven
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness ;
this is he who is the strong arm of God's mighty
power, stretched forth to deliver the poor and
needy out of the hand of him who is too strong
for him — the hand of his loving-kindness, which
in mercy is stretched forth towards those who
cannot Be satisfied with the husks, shells, and
shadows, but thirst after Him, the substance.
Ah ! dear people ! this is the salvation of God,
the Word of eternal life : " in him was life, and
the life was the light of men." He is " the true
light, that lighteth every man that cometh into
the world." He had a body prepared him, in
which he suffered the will of him that sent him ;
was born of the Virgin Mary, was circumcised
the eighth day, was baptized by John the Bap-
tist, eat the passover with his disciples, (for he
came to fulfil all righteousness,) was betrayed by
Judas, judged to die by Pontius Pilate, crucified
without the gates of Jerusalem, rose again the
third day, (according to the Scriptures,) ascended
into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of
God, glorified with the same glory that he had
with the Father before the world began. And
his disciples, according to his command, waited
at Jerusalem till they were endued with power
from on high, and had received the promise of
the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth ; then they
witnessed his word fulfilled, " He dwelleth with
you, and shall be in you." Tliis is the immortal
Word which was in the beginning, and which
Paul preached, to wit Christ within, when he
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS. 23
said, ''Who shall ascend, that is to bring" Christ
down from above, or who shall descend, that is,
to bring up Christ again from the dead : but the
word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy
heart, that is, the word of faith which we preach."
And he exhorted the Corinthians to examine
themselves, whether they were in the faith ; to
prove themselves ; [adding] " Know ye not your-
selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except
ye be reprobates?" And John, in his writing to
the saints, reminds them of that .within, which
they had heard from the beginning, " Let that
therefore abide in you, wdiich ye have heard from
the beginning." " If it shall remain in you, ye
also shall continue in the Son and in the
Father." *' But the anointing which ye have
received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not
that any man teach you ; but as the same anoint-
ing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is
no lie." And as Christ, " the Truth" in them,
did teach them, they witnessed the power of
God within, the Word nigh in their hearts,
the Spirit of God in their inward parts, by
which they were led and guided, taught and
instructed. *' For," saith Paul, " as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God and, " if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his." " That which
may be known of God, is manifest in them."
*' The manifestation of the Spirit is given to
every man, to profit withal." "The grace of
God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared
unto all men, teaching us, that denying un-
godliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present
24
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
world." [Thus] the saints felt and knew that i
themselves, of which they were born again, eve
Christ in them, the seed incorruptible, " the Wor
of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." B
this they were begotten again unto God ; eve
they who were once as dead stones, were raise
up to be living children unto Abraham ; the
came to feed upon the bread of life, and to drin
of the cup of blessing ; by one spirit were bap
tized into one body, and were made to drink int
one spirit, wherein they worshipped and serve<
the Lord, and by which their souls were unite
unto each other, and unto Him, who is God ove
all, blessed for ever. Ah ! dear people ! in whos
hearts there are true desires, and secret thirsting
after the living God, wherever ye are scatterei
among the many sects, towards you doth m
soul yearn with love and good-will, [desiring
that you may come to enjoy that which you ar
seeking after, to possess that [which] you ar
thirsting for. You, who have been seeking Goi
where you cannot find him, and have been run
ning from mountain to hill, and from hill t-
mountain, from one broken cistern to anothei
and from one dead form to another, but remaii
unsatisfied, and are sensible that you still wan
the enjoyment of the love and sweet peace o
God, and groan daily under the burden of si]
and corruption, with desires to be set free there
from ; oh ! you who have been thus seeking ;
God afar off, retire inward, wait to know th
Lord God near you, his pure Spirit in you, to lea(
and guide, to teach and instruct you. " God i
a spirit," and his teachings are spiritual : H
must be known in spirit, and worshipped ii
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS. 25
spirit and in truth ; not at the mountain, neither
at Jerusalem, not in this set form, nor in the
Other form, as " Lo here I and lo there !" Tn the
spirit is the Lord God known and worshipped
i aright; and so they who are born of the Spirit, who
I live in the Spirit and are taught and led by the Spirit
I of truth, are acceptable worshippers with the Lord.
It is the purified sons of Levi, who have passed
i through the fire, that are purged even as gold is
j purged, and tried as silver is tried, by Him, the
\l Light of Israel, (who is as a refiner's fire, and like
il fuller's soap,) that can ofier unto God an offering
in righteousness, and whose offerings are pleasant
; unto the Lord ; but the polluted sacrifices, the
5 halt, the blind, and the lame, are an abomination
[ unto the God of purity, who is blessed for ever-
j, more ! This is a tender invitation unto you, who
j have been spending your money for that
5 which is not bread, and your labour for that
J which hath not yet satisfied your souls, but are
I still thirsty for want of drink, and hungry for
^ want of food. Oh ! dear people ! hunt no longer
J, abroad, run no longer from one broken cistern to
another, wait no longer at the wells that men
^ have digged, draw no longer at them, for still
U you thirst again. Oh ! turn your minds inward,
g and wait to find and feel that in you, which you
so carefully (and with sorrow) have been seeking
_l without you, even the water that Christ gives,
^ [ as he said to the woman of Samaria, " Whoso-
gl ; ever drinketh of the water that I shall give him,
^ shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him
jji shall be in him a well of water, springing up into
J everlasting life." So the water that Christ gives
D
26
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
is within, tlierefbre turn inward, to his pure gift
in your own hearts, to his hght in your consci-
ences ; for that comes from him, and leads to
him, the fountain of living water. Dear people,
it is not enough to confess and believe that
Christ died at Jerusalem for sinners, and that he
hath done all for you ; for the drunkard and
swearer will make a confession of Christ in words,
as many professors do, who say, they are justi-
fied by Christ, and he hath done all for them ;
and yet they are still in their sins, in the pride
and covetousness, vanity, pomp, and vain glory
of the world ; in its vain customs, inventions,
and traditions, seeking and loving its honour and
respect, the praise of men more than the praise
of God. It is not enough to confess Christ with-
out, and say you believe in him, &c. except you
come to know him made manifest in you, to de-
stroy the works of the devil ; for your thus pro-
fessing and confessing Christ, doth not cleanse
your hearts, nor sanctify your souls ; but still you
see you are bond-slaves unto sin and corruption,
and led captive by the lusts and desires of your
own hearts. It will be so, dear people, until you
turn your minds inward, to the pure light of
Christ in you, that discovers the sin and corrup-
tion of your hearts. As you come to believe in
that, to love and follow that, you will find it
working out the old leaven of sin, iniquity, and
corruption, and working you into its own nature ;
and so you will come to see your regeneration
wrought by Christ, the immortal Word, to be
born again of the seed incorruptible, which must
be known within, to bruise the serpent's head,
the god of this world, the wicked spirit that leads
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
27
man into sin, and which hath been exalted in
the heart of man, hath been lord, head, and king
there. The holy seed, the pure life hath suffered,
hath been "pressed under you, even as a cart is
pressed that is full of sheaves ye like sheep have
gone astray, and followed your own w-ay. But,
oh ! return unto the " good Shepherd," who
laid down his life for his sheep, and [who would]
gather the scattered into the fold of rest, and cause
them to lie down in the fresh pastures of life,
where none can make them afraid ; to feed
and sup with him, who is their life, their rest, their
love, and delight. So, dear people, because I
fervently desire that you might come to taste of
the love and sweet peace of my God, which is
that which would satisfy your souls, I beseech
you to take heed to that in your hearts, which
is as a light that shineth in a dark place, disco-
vering unto you the deeds of darkness and the
works of the night to be evil : and fear not that
it will deceive you, for it is the sure word of pro-
phecy, unto which you [^will] do well to take
heed, until the day dawn in your hearts, and
light shine out of darkness, and wholly extin-
guish the night. Give no heed to them who
speak evil of the way of the Lord, and count
truth to be error, and light darkness. The pro-
fessing Jews boasted of Moses, the law and tl)e
prophets, but when He, whom Moses and the
prophets prophesied of, whom the law did figure
out, who fulfils the law, who was the life of
Moses and the prophets, came unto them, they
hated him, and said, " We know that God spake
unto.Moses; as for this fellov/, we know not whence
28
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
lie is; he is a glutton, a wine-bibber, a friend to
publicans and sinners : he, through Beelzebub, the
prince of devils, doth cast out devils," &c. And
truly I may say, (not out of a prejudiced mind
towards any, for my soul bears love and good-
will towards all men,) it is the same now with
many of the professors in this age, as [it was with]
the Jews, who made a large boast and professsion
of Moses, the law, and the prophets, and hated
Him, [who is] the life of them ; [so these] make a
large boast of Christ in words, and of his dying
in Jerusalem, (which I believe he did, according
as the Scriptures testify,) and that he hath done
all for them, and if they can but believe it, that
is enough, &c. And yet, whilst they are thus
j)rofessing him in words, behold many of them
are enemies to his life, and so enemies to him
whom they boast of, who is the Word that was in
the beginning, in whom was life, and the life
was the light of men : " The true light," saith
John, 'Hhat lighteth every man that cometh
into the world;" but the professors say, it is a
natural light, which convinceth wicked men of
sin in their own hearts, and judgeth them for
evil doing, and so call the life of the Word, which
is the light of men natural ; it is a natural con-
science, say some, it is an insufficient light, it is
a common grace, &c. ; (so common it is indeed,
that, as Paul saith, it hath appeared unto all men,
even that grace that bringeth salvation ;) nay,
some will blasphemously presume to say, it is a
spirit of delusion, a spirit of error; and these
call the light darkness, and the good evil ; and
they one day shall know their blasphemy, and
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
29
their words shall become their burden ; these
are in great darkness and ignorance; yea, thick
darkness fills their habitation, even the darkness
of Egypt, that may be felt ; and it is hard
for them to be brought into the pure light, and
unchangeable truth of God, although with the
Lord God Almighty nothing is impossible. These
are like the Scribes and Pharisees, who, although
they professed God in words, and said they had
one Father, even God, sought to shut up the
kingdom of Heaven from men, and would neither
go in themselves, nor suffer them that were enter-
ing to go in. Whoever thou art, and whatever
by men thou art accounted of, that doth make a
large profession of God, Christ, and the Scrip-
tures of truth in words, and doth hate and speak
evil of the light, the true " light, that lighteth
every man that cometh into the world," thou art
a hater of God and of Christ, and art of Anti-
christ against Christ, although thou professest
him in words, and say est thou art saved by him,
and justified by him, &c. ; yet if thou hatest his
light in thy own conscience, which doth clieck
thee for evil doing and prick thee for thy sins in
secret, thou art in enmity to him, and condemned
by the light, and not justified; and thy confession
of Christ in words will not save thee from his
righteous condemnation, and thy profession is for
the fire, and unto the light thou must come before
thou canst find true peace with the Lord God.
Yea, whatever thou art who art climbing up in
thy imaginations, and soaring aloft with the god
of this world, the Prince of the power of the
air, above the light, thou must come down ; come
D 6
30
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
down to that wliich appears a small thing in thy
eye, even to that which thou countest a foolish
thing, a weak, a poor thing, not worth thy mind-
ing or heeding ; but this is it, the foolish thing
in thy eye, that is to confound thy wisdom, and
turn it into foolishness, that so thou becoming a
fool, mayst be made wise in it. This is the weak
thing in thy eye, which is to confound thy
strength, and make thee weak, that thou mayst
be strong in it ; and the poor thing in thy eye,
which is to rob thee of all thy riches, that thou,
becoming poor, in it mayst be made rich. For
where is the wise, the Rabbi, the scribe, the dis-
puter of this world ? Hath not God made foolish
the wisdom of this world ? for the world by wis-
dom knows not God ; and so the boaster is ex-
cluded, that God may have the glory, and all
flesh be abased and silent before Him ; for He
it worthy of all glory and praise for ever ! So
heed not, dear people, (you who have any desire
in you after the Lord,) v/hat this man or the other
saith [against] the light ; but love tlie light, and
take heed unto it; for that which judges and con-
demns sin in you, you need not fear will delude
you ; but beware of that which leads into sin and
evil, that is a spirit of delusion. All things that
are reproved are made manifest by the light, for
whatsoever doth make manifest is light;" and
this will not only make manifest the sin and
evil, but as you turn your minds inward unto it,
and love and follow it, it will save you from your
sins, and redeem your souls unto God ; for they
■who receive his light, his pure grace in them, re-
ceive power through it to become the sons of
God ; for through his grace doth he manifest his
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
31
power in them that believe in the light, to the
drawing their hearts and minds out of ungodli-
ness and worldly lusts, and teaching them to
live soberly, righteously, and godly in this pre-
sent world ; and thus the free grace of God
bringeth salvation to their souls. And so, dear
people, as you come to believe in the light, to
love and obey the light in your own consci-
ences, you will feel and witness the work of the
Lord God in your hearts, the operation of the
Word of life, to the casting out of the bond-
woman and her son, who is not to inherit; to the
binding of the strong man, and casting him out;
yea, the old man with his deeds is to be put off ;
you are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
and the new man is to be put on, who, after God,
is created in righteousness and true holiness.
So coming to the light, Christ Jesus, you come
to the substance, to him in whom the figures,
types, and shadows end ; and to witness him
in you, who fulfils all righteousness ; you will be
circumcised in him with the circumcision made
without hands, by the putting off the body of
the sins of the flesh, of which the outward cir-
cumcision was a figure, and [experience] the bap-
tism of Christ, which is with the Holy Ghost and
fire, of which John's baptism with outward water
was a true figure. John bare testimony unto
Christ, the light of the world, and said, " I must
decrease, but he must increase, I indeed baptize
you with water, but he (Christ Jesus, who was
before me,) shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost and with fire ; whose fan is in his hand ;
and he will throughly purge his floor, and
32
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
gather the wheat into his garner, but the
chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire."
The day of gathering is come, wherein the Lord
God is gathering the dispersed, seeking that
which was lost, bringing back that which was
driven away, healing that which was sick, and
binding up that which was broken, but the strong
and the fat he is feeding with judgment. The
Lord is gathering people out of the forms and
shadows, wherein many have long stuck, and is
bringing them to the substance and life itself, out
of the many sects and divers ways, into the one
way of life, light, peace, truth, and righteous-
ness ; and by the one Spirit is baptizing them
who believe in the light, into the one body,
wherein the unity, the oneness, and the fellow-
ship is witnessed ; blessed be his name. The
way of the Lord is pure, righteous, and un-
changeable ; "I am the way, the truth, and the
life," saith Christ, the immortal word. " No man
Cometh unto the Father but by me." ''I am
come a light into the world, that whosoever be-
lieveth in me should not abide in darkness."
Therefore, dear people, love the light; and "while
ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may
be children of light," and heirs of an inheritance
incorruptible, that will not fade away. There is
no obtaining the crown but through the cross,
and this you will know, who come to love the
light, to learn of Him who is meek and lowly in
heart, and to follow him in the strait and narrow
way which leads to life. " If any man will come
after me," (saith Christ,) " let him deny himself,
and take up his cross and follow me." If you be
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
33
followers of the light, you will know a daily
denying of self, a denying of your own wills,
your own desires, thoughts, and affections, your
ow^n words and works, your own wisdom and
righteousness ; an hourly living in the cross,
through which you must come to be crucified to
the world, its vanity, pomp, pastime, and plea-
sures, its sins and iniquities, vain words, works,
fashions, customs, inventions, and traditions; so
coming to be crucified with Christ unto the
world, and to be baptized into death with him,
you will live with him unto God, in the life of
righteousness ; and in him then you will find that
rest, satisfaction, joy, comfort, and peace, which
no man can give unto you.
So, dear people, who are seeking the Lord,
and desiring to find peace and comfort to your
souls, this I leave with you — flee not from that
which judges you in your own hearts, for sin and
evil, which brings sorrow upon you, and
wounds you in secret because of transgression.
How many are there w^ho, when they have been
judged by God's pure light in their hearts, have
run unto vain helps, even to those who could not
speak a word in season to them, but who have
daubed them with untempered mortar, and en-
deavoured to heal their wound deceitfully, by
preaching peace to that which is for judgment.
They have thus run from one physician to ano-
ther, until at last they have said in their hearts,
We will seek no more to man, for vain is the
help of man; but we will return unto the Lord
God, who hath wounded us, and he will heal us ;
who hath broken us to pieces, and he will bind
34
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
US up and so returning to the light of Christ Jesus
in their own hearts, (by which the Lord had wounded
them for sin,) and waiting therein, in patience,
upon the Lord, in the way of his righteous judg-
ments, which were set up in their hearts, they
came to feel, through believing in and loving the
light, the cause of their sorrow and wounds taken
away by the blood of Jesus, which is his life, and
which has cleansed them from their sins ; and
so the very cause of their wound being taken
away, and the corruption purged out, then He
who in mercy towards them had wounded them,
healed them with the oil of joy, peace, and glad-
ness : and now those that were mourners do re-
joice ; beauty is given them for ashes, the oil of
joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for
the spirit of heaviness, and they are become
trees of righteousness, the Lord's own planting,
bringing forth fruit to his glory and praise. These
can say, " Good it is to wait upon the Lord in
the way of his judgments. Lo, this is our God,
we have waited for him : come, let us rejoice in
his salvation wherewith he hath saved us; he
hath redeemed us out of the horrible pit ; out of
the miry clay hath he brought us, and set our
feet upon a rock, and doth establish our goings.
He filleth our souls with the fatness of his house,
and causeth us to drink of the river of his pleasure.
Oh I what shall we render unto the Lord our God
for his benefits? Let us take the cup of his salva-
tion, and drink thereof abundantly ; and in the
strength of its virtue, in the meekness of our
hearts, and in the lowliness and contritedness of
our souls, praise the name of the Lord our God,
SALUTATION TO PROFESSORS.
35
who is worthy of all glory and praise for ever and
for evermore."
P. S. A few words more unto you, dear peo-
ple, who desire the love and peace of God more
than the glory and pleasures of the world. Take
heed unto that which discovers unto you what
your thoughts are, whether they be good or evil ;
for it is that which must redeem your minds unto
God ; wait to know it to be a stay to your minds,
a stop to your thoughts, and a bridle to your
tongues; raising a holy fear in your hearts of of-
fending the God of righteousness in thought,
word, and deed. Dear people, retire inward,
to the manifestation of the Spirit of God in your
own hearts, and wait in it to know the Lord God to
be your teacher; so that if you should be sepa-
rated from those that have been your teachers,
and put into a hole, a dungeon, or cave of the
earth for your consciences towards God, and be
separated from all your outward teaching, you
may then feel and witness the Lord to teach and
instruct you, to counsel and direct you, to com-
fort and refresh you, even by his pure eternal
Spirit in you ; for all the children of the Lord
shall be taught of him, and established in righ-
teousness ; and great shall be their peace in the
God of their salvation ; unto whom be honour,
praise, and glory in the highest, for ever and
evermore, for he is worthy, worthy, worthy, saith
my soul. Amen.
William Bennit.
36
TO THE SUFFERING LAMBS OF THE LORD*S %
FLOCK IN PRISON.
Dear, suffering, tribulated lambs of my Maker,
the tender unfeigned salutation of my soul reacheth
unto you, in the love of the unchangeable truth,
whereof God hath made us partakers, of which he
hath made us witnesses, and for which he hath
(through his love, his constraining, overcoming,
powerful love) made us willing to part with and
be separated from our dearest friends and nearest
relations, and to endure whatever sufferings he
shall permit to be inflicted upon us, rather than
for any by-ends and self-interest, to do that thing
wiUingly which we know would cause his truth to
suffer, his holy name to be dishonoured, his holy
Spirit to be grieved, and our consciences to be
defiled. Ah, in this frame of spirit, and freely
given-up state, the Lord keep us by his power,
for his own name's sake, even unto the end, until
our testimony for him, which he, in his beloved
Son, hath counted us worthy to bear, in this his
day, be finished, to the praise, glory, and renown
of his holy powerful name, and to the everlasting
joy and peace of our immortal souls. Amen.
My soul fervently desires that the holy, living
presence of my God may be in, with, and among£;t
you all, to your joy and comfort ; that his power
may uphold you, and keep up your heads above
all your sufferings and trials, that so none may
faint or grow weary, but that you may be made
strong in the Lord, and be able, in the power of
his might, to resist and beat down all carnal rea-
sonings, and fleshly consultings, that your enemy
EPISTLE TO FRIENDS IN PRISON. 37
would infuse into your minds; which, ifentertained,
how soon may they, who are strong, thereby be-
come weak, and they who witness freedom be
brought again into bondage, and be again caught
in the serpent's snares ; for he is exceedingly
busy within, as well as without, seeking daily
whom he may devour and betray. Dear lambs,
you are in measure acquainted with his sub-
tlety; yea, blessed be the Lord, who hath opened
your eyes to see him, his temptations and crafty
allurements; and not only so, but you know how
to resist them, and overcome him and his temp-
tations, through the strength of the Lord, who
hath called and redeemed you from under his
power. Notwithstanding, my dear friends, let
me say unto you, in the brotherly love and ten-
derness of my soul, watch and keep close unto
the Lord in your own hearts, that unto him you
may be kept faithful, to the very end. He will
make way for your deliverance, and plead your
righteous cause with his and your adversaries, in
his own time and season, to your joy and their
sorrow. Wherefore wholly commit your cause
unto the Lord your God, who watcheth over you
and careth for you, and will never leave you ; but
will stand by, and help you in the needful time,
even all you whose trust and hope is in him alone.
Dear lambs, in the pure patience and long-suf-
fering of our Captain, Leader, and Example, that
meek One who saith, " Love enemies," possess
your souls ; — and rest in stillness and peace, in
quietness and contentedness, in the ark of safety,
which the Lord hath prepared for his family, to
bear them up above the floods, until the waters
E
38 EPISTLE TO FRIENDS IN PRISON.
abate and the dry land appear. So the Lord be
with you all, and bind you together in his inno-
cent love, which thinketh no evil, therein to serve
him with your whole hearts, and one another with
all self-denial ; not striving, except to be meekest
and lowest in mind, that so you may all be ten-
derly affectioned one towards another, forgiving
and forbearing one another in love, the strong
bearing with the infirmities of the weak ; that,
even as dear children of one Father, you may
dwell together in peace, and in pure unity in the
spirit of holiness ; that a joy and comfort you
may be to each other in the Lord ; upon whom,
dear lambs, wait together very diligently, that of
his fulness you may all receive ; for he is ready
bountifully to minister to all who wait upon him,
that which he seeth is meet for them, even to their
daily nourishment, joy, comfort, and refresh-
ment.
So, in the everlasting love of the tender God
of compassion, doth my soul dearly salute you
all, who love the Lord uprightly, and who make
mention of his name in sincerity and truth, and
are willing to suffer for the same, whether you be
in bonds or out of bonds.
From your friend and companion in the pa-
tience and long-suffering of the Lamb, who hath,
must, and shall have the victory over all his ene-
mies, to triumph and reign in dominion eternally.
William Bennit.
Norwich Castle,
29th of 7th mo. 1664.
39
a letter to a friend under suffering.
Dear Friend,
In that which is eternal and unchange-
able, doth the salutation of my soul extend to-
wards thee. [I am] in some measure sensible of
the many troubles and crosses which thou hast
been under, and art now exercised with ; and
truly, dear heart, ray soul desireth that the Lord
may enable thee to wade through them all, in
the pure patience and true contentedness ; and
that thou mayst find the arm of his mighty
power, beating down and keeping under that
part, which would complain and murmur against
Him ; which would fret itself because the wicked
flourish, and the proud lord it over the meek of
the earth. I say, needful it is to know that part,
which would fret itself because of these tilings,
chained down by the lowly, lamb-like Spirit of
[the Son of] God. This Spirit keeps in coolness,
gentleness, and patience ; enables to love ene-
mies; makes willing to leave all to the Lord, and
gives dominion over that spirit, which in haste,
yet, as it thinks, in a zeal for God, cries for fire
to come down from heaven, to devour those who
are instruments of cruelty and oppression. Unto
the Lord, dear heart, let us commit our cause ;
and sure I am, he will plead it, in his own time,
to our joy and comfort in the end. Meanwhile,
the Lord keep us in contentedness, and in do-
minion over that spirit which counteth the Lord
slack concerning his promise; for indeed, "He
is not slack, as some men count slackness, but is
long-suffering to usward ; not willing that any
40
LETTER TO A FRIEND.
should perish, but that all should come to re-
pentance." My dear Friend, my soul fervently
desires, that thou and I, with the rest of our
heavenly Father's family, may be kept close unto
the measure of the free grace and love of God
in our own hearts ; that by it we may be conti-
nually preserved in the lowly fear and pure awe
of Him. Herein let us watch carefully over
our thoughts, words, and works, lest in haste we
should speak or do any thing that may grieve the
holy seed, wound the just one in ourselves, and
bring a burden upon our own souls.
Wherefore, dear heart, I cannot but desire,
that I, with thee, and all who love righteousness,
may be kept watchful in the lowly fear, close unto
the grace that keeps humble, and in the fewness
of words; that so in sweet stillness and peace we
may possess our souls, and enjoy the incomes of
the love God,] the pure refreshing streams of
the fountain of life, according to our measures ;
and that, even in the midst of our trials and suf-
ferings, our hearts may be made glad in the Lord,
and our souls may rejoice in him over all the rage
and cruelty of the wicked.
So, dear heart, I leave thee unto the Lord, in
whom my love is to thee ; my soul sympathizes
with thee in thy trials and sufferings, and desires
the Lord may bear thee up above them all, in
the bosom of his love and patience ; [may He]
minister daily unto thee, what He knoweth is meet
for thee, and so keep thee in contentedness with
his heavenly will, [as] that thou mayst say with
thy whole heart, Lord, not my will, but thine l>e
done.
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
41
In that love which drew me forth to write
these hues unto thee, I remain thy dear friend in
the truth.
1665. William Bennit.
SOME PRISON MEDITATIONS OF AN HUMBLE HEART.
Oh, my soul, be not unmindful of the large
mercy and goodness of the Lord, showed towards
thee. Let the sense of what thy compas-
sionate God hath done for thee, be continually
fresh in and upon thee ; for he hath freely done
that for thee which none besides him, the Mighty
One, could do. He hath brought thee out of the
horrible pit, and out of the mire and clay, hath set
thy feet upon a rock which can never be moved,
and thereon establisheth thy goings; praises,
living praises, be rendered to the Lord thy God for
ever and for evermore. Remember, oh, my soul,
thou wast once like a poor silly sheep without a
shepherd, wandering upon the barren mountains,
the dry heaths in the wilderness and solitary
places, full of trouble and perplexity, not know-
ing the way to the fold of rest, oftentimes mourn-
ing and weeping alone, as a dove without her
mate ; and no eye saw thy sorrow but the Lord
alone. When thou didst eat thy bread with
weeping, and mingled thy drink with tears, he
the compassionate One, heard thy secret cries,
and knew thy desires; thy sighing and groaning
entered into his ears ; QHe] was moved with pity
towards thee, delivered thee out of distress, freely
reached forth his arm, brought thee out of the
E 3
42
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
wilderness, and set thy feet in the way which hath
led thee to the fold of rest. Now, oh, niy soul, he is
become thy Shepherd ; he oftentimes feedeth thee,
causeth thee to lie down in green pastures, leadeth
thee by the still waters, even Shiloh's brook, which
runs softly ; spreadeth thy table in the sight of
thine enemies, anointeth thine head with the oil
of g-ladness, causeth thy cup to overflow with new
wine, and hath brought thee to sit under thy own
vine and fig-tree, [[where] none shall make thee
afraid. The goodness and mercy of the Lord is
unutterable, unfathomable, and incomprehensible !
Oh, the height, the depth, the length, and breadth
of his love ! When thou meditatest thereon, oh,
my soul, and considerest his loving kindness to-
wards thee, how can the sense thereof but pitch
thee even upon a stand of admiration. Surely,
when thou lookest back into his works, and
considerest how much he hath wrought in
thee, thou canst see no end of his praises;
living praises to the holy righteous Lord God, be
ascribed by thee, oh, my soul, for ever and for
evermore. As thou art kept in the fresh sense
and remembrance of the great mercy and un-
speakable compassion which the Lord thy God
daily manifests unto thee, how canst thou but
abound in love, in pity, in tenderness, and com-
passion towards all people ; but especially to-
wards those who are hungering and thirsting
after righteousness, after everlasting rest and hap-
piness. When joy hath come into [thee,] oh, my
soul, as a river, and gladness as a mighty stream,
refreshings as showers in the spring, and consola-
tion as dew upon the tender plants ; when thou
rRli>ON MEDITATIONS.
45
couldst shout praises and hallelujalis to thy God,
even then thou rememberedst the poor and needy,
and thoughtst thou heardst his cry sounding in
thy ears, " Oh, whose condition is hke mine?
Is there any so poor, so weak, so foolish, so deso-
late as 1 ? Oh, my leanness, my leanness ! how
long- shall it be thus with me? How long shall
my beloved be hid from me, as in the clefts of the
rocks, and as in the secret places of the stairs ?
When shall I have a full enjoyment of him ?
Where shall I find one who is sensible of my
condition, that can sympathize with me, and that
can speak a word in season unto my poor soul !
Oh, is it thus with any as it is with me ?" Yes,
yes, I believe there are many who have been,
and now are iu thy condition. For though I
am indeed but a child, yet truly I am in some
measure sensible of thy condition, and can read
it by my own ; and willingly would I help thee
according to my ability. Oh, methinks I would
be a help to all who stand in need of help, but
especially unto thee, thou poor soul. What !
art thou poor ? So am I. Dost thou eat thy
bread weeping, and mingle thy drink with thy
tears ? It is so with me when I want the enjoy-
ment of him whom my soul loveth. Sometimes
my beloved seems to be withdrawn ; oh, then sor-
rows take hold on me, mourning covereth me
as a garment, and none seeth my tears but the
Lord ; they are my meat and drink, whilst my
enemy saith unto me, " Where is thy God P Dost
thou think he will ever appear again unto thee ?
Why dost thou hunger, thirst, cry and pant after
him ? Alas ! it is in vain for thee to wait for him.
44
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
Once indeed thou hadst the enjoyment of him ;
once thou wentest with the multitude to the house
of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a
multitude that keep holyday ; but thou must not
look for such a day again." Thus the adversary of
my soul endeavoureth to add sorrow to my sorrow,
and to increase the weight of my burden, that so
I might sink and never rise. But the Lord my God
is near to help me, even in the time when I can
scarcely perceive him ; and when I am (as Peter
was) ready to sink, then his invisible arm of
mercy is ready to save me ; and a secret hope he
preserveth alive in me, that he wih appear again
to my joy. Hereby some encouragement I feel
stirring in me, to wait upon the Lord patiently,
and to trust in him, though I do not see
him. Surely, oh, my soul, he will appear
again to thy joy, for thou canst not be satisfied
without his presence ; the Lord seeing it is so
with thee, that thou desirest his presence more
than all other things, surelv will not cast thee off
forever, but will appear again to thy joy. QThen]
why art thou so much cast down, oh, my soul,
and why art thou thus disquieted within me ? Oh,
hope thou in thy God, for thou shalt yet praise
him; the Lord will yet command his loving
kindness in the day-time, and in the night season
his song shall be with thee, even praises to the
God of thy life. Oh, wait patiently upon the
Lord ; his compassions fail not towards those who
love him. He will send forth his light and his
truth into thee again: it shall bring thee to his
holy hill, and to his tabernacle ; then shalt thou
go to the altar of God, unto God thy exceeding
joy-
PRISON xMEDITATIONS.
45
It is good for thee both to hope and quietly
uait upon the Lord ; for " the Lord is good to
them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh
him." Oh, wait patiently upon him, even as the
husbandman, who soweth his seed in the earth,
hath long patience for it, until he receive the
early and the latter rain. He who is to come will
come, and will not tarry, and his reward will be
with him, even fulness of joy, comfort, peace,
rest, and sweet satisfaction. Surely the Lord will
never leave thee, if thou forsake not him. He
may indeed seem to hide his face from thee for a
time : but without doubt he will appear again to
thy comfort- Oh, my soul, the Lord often heareth
thee saying in secret, what is the glory of the
world to me ? What are the favours, friendship,
and estimation of the world to me ? What are
the vanities and pleasures of the sons and daugh-
ters of men to me ? Surely all these things are
but as dross and dung to me, in comparison of
the Lord my God, the fountain of everlasting joy
and pleasure. Oh, if I enjoy him fully, I have
enough ; he is the joy of my heart, the rejoicing
of my spirit, the strength of my reins, the girdle of
my loins ; wherefore how can I live without him?
Oh, my soul, the Lord intends good unto thee by
all his dealings with thee. If he hide his face
from thee for a season, it is to let thee see how
poor, weak, foolish, dry, and unfruitful thou art
without him ; that so thou being made to feel
thy own weakness and inability, .mayst be the
more sensible of the need of his supporting
power and saving grace, and rely the more upon
him. [Thus] thou learnest to prize the sweet
46
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
enjoyment of his presence, to cleave unto him, to
be very careful thou dost not grieve him, nor do
anything that may cause him to withdraw him-
self from thee. Oh, my soul, thou must know
how to want and how to abound ; how to be
full, and how to be empty ; how to be rich, and
how to be poor ; and in every condition to be
content. The Lord can open, and none can
shut; and he can shut and none can open. He
can open the windows of heaven, and shower
down abundantly upon thee. He can even make a
plenty in thy land, cause thy store to abound with
corn, and thy fats to overflow with new wine.
He can also shut up the windows of heaven for a
time, and make a famine in thy land ; and thou
must not say to him (in a murmuring way,) why
dealest thou thus with me ? For indeed he may
do what he will, and all his doings are just and
righteous : in all his dealings with thee, he, thy
dear, tender, nursing Father, intends good unto
thee. Oh, my soul, when the fountain openeth,
and filleth thee with plenty of all things needful for
thee, even then, dread and fear thou before the
Lord ; take heed of being exalted in spirit, and
beware of a wrong liberty and false security,
which may soon steal upon thee at such a time,
if thou do not abide upon the watch, and drink
the draughts of joy in the pure fear and trembling.
[Therefore ]oh, my soul, whatever thou enjoyest or
receivest from the Lord, or doest and sufferest for
him, keep low in heart, meek in mind, and con-
trite in spirit, and then thou art in a safe condi-
tion. When thou appearest wise, strong, rich,
and full enough, even then thou art in greater
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
47
danger than when thou appearest weak, poor,
and empty in thy own eyes. Although thou art
not then without danger, but hast cause to fear
and watch in all conditions. Oh, my soul, when
thou appearest weak and poor in thy own eyes,
even then take heed of distrust and doubting,
but hold fast thy trust in the Lord ; let thy con-
fidence in his name be firm ; honour him by be-
lieving in him, and if he slay thee yet trust thou
in him, and never leave him ; for, alas! whither
shouldst thou go ? he hath the words of eternal
life, and is worthy to be glorified, magnified, ho-
noured, and praised, feared, served, loved, and
obeyed for ever and for evermore.
Oh, my soul, be watchful, that thou dost not
in the least degree seek glory, honour, and praise
to thyself, and to be had in esteem by others ;
but wait to feel self wholly baptized into death,
and made of no reputation ; take heed that thy
left hand know not what thy right hand doeth ;
do nothing to be seen of men, or whereby to be
accounted of by others, but in all thou dost, ap-
peal unto Him, who seeth in secret, and He will
reward thee openly. Seek thou to be known
and manifested only to the pure, unerring wit-
ness in all consciences, and to stand justified and
approved by it, and that is enough ; no honour,
glory, nor praise, but to God alone. Oh, strive
not for lordship over others, but rather strive to
be meek, humble, contrite in spirit, condescend-
ing even to the lowest, and serving the meanest
in love; seeking peace and unity among the breth-
ren, with all self-denial ; bearing with the infir-
mities of the weak, watching for the good in all,
48
PRISON MEDITATIONS,
without respect of persons. Seek thou the glory
of God alone, the honour of his name, the
exaltation and spreading of his truth. Seek the
good of all, yea, of thy greatest enemies and
persecutors; desiring the salvation of all people,
but not the destruction of any. And, oh, my
soul ! be circumspect and vigilant to walk as
becometh the gospel, that I may be an adorning
to the truth of God, a holy example unto all
people wherever I come ; that the blessing of the
Lord my God may be poured down upon me yet
more and more, [^enabling me] to become fruitful
unto him, and an instrument in his hand amongst
the sons and daughters of men, to the praise, glory,
and honour [^of his name.] Oh,my soul, watch and
fear before the Lord ; keep thy eye unto him, and
look not out at others to walk by imitation ; but
if thou seest any (whatever they be accounted)
do those things which the Lord doth not allow
thee to do, Qet not their example induce thee to
do them,] but keep close unto the Lord, and
take counsel of him. Do not judge or justify
those things which thou hast not a true discerning
in, because another judges or justifies them, but
rather be passive in such matters ; stand still and
wait upon the Lord for a perfect understanding
in all things.
Oh, my soul, seek not liberty to the flesh ;
beware of that counted freedom, which is indeed
bondage, and which hath stolen upon many in
their latter days. Endeavour to put off those
things, which in their place are said to be lawful,
but which Qwould if indulged in] hinder thy
growth in the eternal QTruth.] And, oh, walk
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
49
wisely before all men, giving no offence to Jew
nor Gentile, nor to the church of God ; knowing
there is that which is lawful, but not expedient ;
there is that which is lawful, but it edifies not.
Wherefore forbear what may be forborne, and yet
be not brought under the power of any thing
below the life ; but seek after those things which
make for edification, love, peace, and unity; for
God is the author of peace, and not of confu-
sion, strife, and debate. Oh, my soul, thou dost
greatly desire that 1 might not appear in the
sight of any of the Lord's little ones, to be more
than what I really am ; by the grace of God I
am what I am ; and his grace, which he hath
freely bestowed upon me, hath not been in vain,
praises to his name for ever. All flesh is as
grass; and what is man? he is but a vessel,
wherein God may appear or disappear as he
pleaseth ; and indeed the Lord is jealous of his
glory, and will not give it to another : wherefore,
my soul, seek the glory, honour, and praise of
God alone, unto whom only it is due for ever and
evermore.
If there be some who were once fresh, green,
living, and fruitful unto God, upon whom is now
come coldness, deadness, and barrenness, and
whose love and zeal for the Lord is waxed cold;
how canst thou, oh, my soul, but fear before
the Lord, lest the same should happen unto thee ?
[^Therefore] cleave unto him, look up unto the
Holy One, who dwelleth in the high and holy
place, and with thee also, O my soul ! as thou art
kept humble in heart and contrite in spirit, trem-
bling at his word. Look not at thy own weak-
F
50
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
ness and inability, but keep tliy eye unto the
Lord, trust in his name, rely upon his arm, and
hope in his mercy. He maketh the poor rich,
the weak strong, the simple wise. Wait thou
patiently upon him ; look not out at the great-
ness of others' measures, neither look at the
smallness of thy own, lest weariness and discou-
ragement should thereby come upon thee; but
be thou contented with thy portion ; be faith-
ful unto the Lord; and being faithful in the
little, thou shalt be made ruler over much, and
enter into the joy of thy Lord. Wait upon
Him, who hath freely given thee what thou hast
of him, and he can give thee more. Oh, my soul,
surely thou hadst never as of thyself, turned
unto the Lord, had he not of his own free will
turned thee, and " after thou wast turned, thou
repentedst, and after thou wast instructed, thou
smotest upon thy thigh ; yea, thou wast con-
founded, because thou didst bear the reproach of
thy youth." And after the Lord had turned
thee in measure to himself, surely thou hadst not
followed him in the strait and narrow way, through
the cross in the self-denial, had he not drawn
thee after him by the cords and wooings of his
tender love ; surely thou hadst turned back again
from the Lord, had he not preserved and sup-
ported thee by his own Almighty power. His
grace hath been sufficient for thee, both in pros-
perity and adversity, in the time of trial, and
in the hour of temptation. So let all flesh
be silent in thee, oh, my soul, the boaster for
ever excluded, and the Lord alone honoured and
praised, his unspeakable love and free grace ad-
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
51
mired, and his holy name feared and obeyed.
What was I, and what was my father's house ?
I was neither a prophet, nor a prophet's son.
What was I, that the King of Glory should cast
his eye upon me, even when I lay as among the
pits, that He should hold forth the sceptre unto
me, and that I should find favour in his sight ?
Oh, my soul, the Lord hath done much for
thee ; he hath made crooked things straight, and
laid mountains low before thee ; he hath made a
way for thee in the wilderness, and a path through
many a thicket; "He hath lopped the bough
with terror, and the high one of stature hath been
liewn down ; he did cut down the thickets of the
forest with iron, and Lebanon did fall by a mighty
one." Oh, how hath his love made thee willing
to bow thy neck to the yoke, to take up the
cross, to despise the shame, and to follow the
Lamb through trials and tribulations! Oh, how
liath his love caused me to cast oflT other lovers !
He is become my treasure, and my heart is with
Him; so that when I am shut up in prison, if I
enjoy him, oh, then days, months, and years
may pass over my head, and time is not thought
long, nor sufferings hard, because of the enjoy-
ment of the Lord, my treasure ; his sweet, refresh-
ing presence, makes a prison delightful to me ;
praises, pure living praises to my God for ever.
He hath been with me in six troubles, and in tlie
seventh he hath not left me ; he is my buckler,
my strength, my rock, my strong tower, where-
fore I will not fear the threats of the wicked,
neitlier regard the cruelty of the ungodly ;
through the strength of my God I will not fear.
52
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
though the earth be removed and carried into
the midst of the sea ; and though the mountains
shake with the sweUing thereof ; though the
heathen rage, the people imagine vain things,
and the rulers take counsel against me. I will
not fear what man can do unto me, for the Lord
is with me, and I shall not be moved ; He will
help me, and that right early. I am but
a child, weak and feeble, yet having had great
experience of the love of my God, and of his
tender fatherly care over me, how can I but
confidently hope in and depend upon him, and
believe that He, the mighty one, will enable me
to wade through and endure the trials he is pleased
to exercise me withal ? He hath [[hitherto,]
through his love and mercy, caused my trials to
work for my good : he hath nine times delivered
me out of the hands of unreasonable men, out
of their prisons and holes, where through his
enabling me, I have suffered for his testimony
without murmuring against him ; praises unto
him for ever. I am willing to wait thy season,
oh, my God ! for thou art with me. Let me
never depart from thee, and then I know thou
wilt not leave me ; but will help, comfort, and
quicken me still ; thou wilt feed me with bread
from heaven, fresh manna, morning by morning,
and give me to drink of the river of thy plea-
sure daily ; thou wilt enable me to stand faith-
ful to thee unto the end of my days, to finish
my testimony for thee, thy name and truth,
in this thy day, with joy, lay down my head in
peace, and repose in thy tender bosom of endless
iove, witli thy dear children for evermore. Oh !
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
53
let it be so, thou Holy One ! to thy praise, who
art worthy of all glory, honour, and everlasting
thanksgiving, for ever and evermore. Amen.
Hallelujah.
Oh, my soul, thou dearly lovest the whole
flock of God, wherever scattered upon the face
of the earth ; thou greatly desirest their pros-
perity, Qeven] that the Lord may bless them with
all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. Oh, the
Lord God Almighty keep his sheep and lambs,
whom he hath gathered out of the waste, howling
wilderness, from the barren mountains, [and led
them] into the low, green valley, where the pure
refreshing springs of life eternal encompass them
about; the Lord keep them still and quiet,
minding their feeding, and not at all heeding the
raging of the sea, nor regarding the unmerciful
waves thereof ; which often [appear] very high,
and as if they would overflow the valley, and
drown all who flee not to the mountains for
safety : but let not the sheep and lambs, the little
ones fear, nor flee to the hills for refuge; for
behold, the Holy One of Israel is their Shepherd,
and He continually watcheth over them, and
greatly careth for them. He it is who hath
given bounds to the sea. He can let forth the
wind and suffer a storm, and he can make a calm
when he pleaseth. Let not Israel fear, for the
Lord his God is between him and his enemies,
and fights for him against his adversaries ; He will
look down upon them in his anger, and trouble
their host ; He will take off" their chariot wheels,
and will blow in his wrath upon them ; He will
get himself a name through the destruction of
I- 3
54
PRISON MEDITATIONS.
Zion's enemies, and honour and magnify himself
through the deHverance of his chosen, [yea] all
nations shall quake before the mighty God of
Israel, who is " glorious in holiness, fearful in
praises, doing wonders." Oh, let Israel honour
his God by believing in him, and depending upon
his arm of everlasting strength ; and patiently
wait upon Him ; for he that is to come will come,
and will not tarry ; his work is before him, and
his reward is with him, even joy for the mourners
in Zion, beauty for ashes, and freedom from
bondage, burdens, and grievous oppressions.
The Lord will thunder from heaven upon thy ene-
mies, O Zion, and will break thy adversaries
to pieces ; He will give strength to thy king, and
exalt the horn of his anointed. He shall reign
and prosper, and execute judgment and justice
in the earth ; in his days Judah shall be saved,
and Israel shall dwell safely," then shall it be
said to Jerusalem, fear thou not, and to Zion, let
not thine hands be slack ; the Lord thy God in
the midst of thee, is mighty; he will save, he
will rejoice over thee with joy, [he will rest in his
love,] he will joy over thee with singing." Thy
maker, thy husl^and, (the God of Hosts is his
name,) will extend joy and peace as a mighty
stream, and endless consolations as a river. For
as one whom his mother comforteth," so will
the Lord comfort Jerusalem ; in the sense whereof
her children shall rejoice, and their spirits shall
praise and sing glory unto Him, who is Lord and
King of heaven and earth, who is worthy of all
glory, praise, and honour, for ever and for ever-
more. Amen.
tPlSTLE TO CO^^VINCED FRIENDS.
55
O Lord God Almighty, keep all thy people re-
tired in thy name; so that whatever thou sutFerest
to befal their bodies, their souls may be safely-
bound up in the bundle of life. Oh ! increase
the patience of thy people, and strengthen the
faith of thy chosen ; support the weak, and
uphold the little ones, who cannot go alone, that
none of thy flock may grow weary ; that all
thine may stand in the day of trial, and be kept
in the hour of temptation ; [that they may be]
borne up under all sufferings, and in the end come
forth as gold seven times refined in the fire, to
shine as stars in the firmament of thy power ; to
declare of thy mighty acts, and sing of thy mer-
cies and wonderful doings ; to glorify, magnify,
honour, and praise thee, thou Mighty One, who
art from all eternity, whose throne is established
of old, whose sceptre beareth sway in righteous-
ness, and whose kingdom is everlasting. Glory
and Hallelujah to tiiee in the highest, for ever
and for evermore.
TO THOSE WHO ARE NEWLY CONVIXCED OF THE
TRUTH.
" For ye were as sheep going astray, but are now
returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your
souls'' 1 Peter, ii. 25.
*' He shall gather the lambs loith his arm^ and
carry them in his boso?n,'' Isaiah, xl. 11.
All you who are newly convinced of the precious
56 EPISTLE TO CONVINCED FRIENDS.
truth and way of God, and have in measure re-
ceived truth in the love and behef of it, and who
daily give up your hearts to obey the truth, and to
walk in the way of righteousness and path of ho-
liness ; unto you my heart is open in my heavenly
Father's love ; and happy and blessed of the
Lord are you, if you do not faint, nor grow weary
in your minds, nor turn back again, as some have
done, but persevere to the end. Oh, dear
babes ! whom the Lord hath, by his outstretched
arm, brought out of Egypt, the land of darkness
and house of bondage, and whose faces he hath
set towards Canaan, the good land of liberty,
light, rest, and peace ; travel on, ye weak ones^
in the strength of the Lord, and drawings of his
light, and look not back to Egypt : remember
Lot's wife ! Fear not the God of this world, the
prince of the power of the airy mind, even that
wicked spirit that once had dominion in and over
you, and kept you bond-slaves in darkness, to
sin and corruption ; although he, the enemy of
your soul's liberty, peace, and rest, may pursue
hard after you, with his whole host of temptations,
snares, and allurements, both inward and out-
ward ; and although a sea of troubles, straits,
difficulties, and sufferings may appear in your
way, both within and without ; and mountains of
fears, doubts, and carnal reasonings on every
side; and also something in you may be ready to
murmur and say, "Oh, that we had tarried still in
Egypt, and not set one step towards Canaan ; for
the way is so strait, and the path so narrow, the
sufferings so hard, and the difficulties and dangers
so great and various, that we fear we shall perish
EPISTLE TO CONVINCED FRIENDS. 57
by the way, and not get to our desired rest;
therefore let us turn back again before we go any
further." Oh, fear not, neither turn back, but
stand still from reasoning carnally, and look not
at the straits, trials, dangers, sufferings, and losses
that may appear before you. Neither look at
your own weakness and inability, nor at the
strength and temptation of your enemy; but look
up, ye little ones, unto the Lord, and trust in the
strength of his arm, for he is God all sufficient
for you ; therefore cast your care upon him, and
he will make a way for you through the sea ; he
will make the crooked straight before you, and
the rough smooth ; he will throw down the moun-
tains and remove the hills ; he will lead you in a
way you know not, and in a path which you have
never before trodden in ; he will make hard things
easy to the willing and obedient, who turn not
back again to their old lovers, but love truth and
righteousness, and follow on to know the Lord.
All such he will give to drink of the brook by the
way, and feed them with bread from heaven,
whereby they shall be refreshed, and their strength
be renewed daily; in which strength they shall be
able to travel on without fainting, and to run and
not be weary, until they come to their desired
rest, and see the travail of their souls, and be sa-
tisfied with the enjoyment of that for which they
have travailed. So the Lord be witli you, and
keep your eye single unto himself, that your
hearts may be full of light ; that nothing may
cause you to stumble and fall into the snares of
the enemy, who hath hindered many that once
ran well. Ob, mind and keep to that in your
58
EPISTLE TO CONVINCED FRIENDS.
own hearts, which makes 'you truly sensible of
your particular states and conditions, and in that
sense daily, diligently, and patiently wait upon
the Lord, for the sweet refreshings from his pre-
sence, and for the distillings of his heavenly dew ;
that so the tender plant of righteousness, and
lily of holiness may grow and spring in all
your hearts ; that the little seed of life may become
as a great tree, and every one of you may sit
under your own vine, (Christ in you, the hope of
glory) where none shall make you afraid.
And, dear friends, look not out at others, but
keep at home hi the light, the tent ; Jacob " shall
dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the
nations." Esau hunts abroad, grows weary and
faint, and then sells his birthright for a mess of
pottage. What if some stumble and fall from the
truth ? let not that shake you : truth is the
same still and changeth not : and if you see some
turn aside from us, into a self-separation from the
body of Friends, and endeavour to draw disciples
after them, let not that cause you to stumble and
question the certainty of truth ; neither be ye
drawn away and tossed about like children by
them; but keep to the light, and in it follow
the footsteps of the flock. Follow not the foot-
steps of the wandering sheep that have left the
flock and are gone astray, who are like to perish
by the devouring beast and enemy of their souls,
except in time they return to the fold. And if
you see some among ourselves setting or keeping
up that thing or practice which is out of the
comely, decent order of the body, and not con-
sistent with truth's government, let not that be
SALUTATION TO FRIENDS.
59
an occasion of stumbling in your minds ; but be
still, keep your eye single to the Lord, and walk
as you have them for an example, that are over
you in the Lord, who fully follow Christ Jesus;
and as for that which is only set up and held up by
man, out of truth's order, it will die and pass
away, and truth will outlive all.
So unto the Lord, who hath called you out of
darkness into his marvellous light, do I commit
you; to be preserved unto himself to the end, for
many are called, but few chosen;" he that
endureth to the end shall be saved."
A GENERAL SALUTATION OF LOVE TO FRIENDS.
Dearly beloved Friends everywhere, who are
faithful to the Lord and his truth in your several
measures and places, who are honest and up-
right in heart, who love and delight in truth and
righteousness, and seek the praise, honour, and
glory of God alone, my very dear and unfeigned
love in the precious truth extends unto you : grace,
mercy, and peace attend you, joy and comfort fill
you, and the blessing of the Most High rest upon
and remain in and with you day and night. The
Lord keep you in the faith of the elect seed, in
which is your victory over the world. In [this]
stand fast, and keep your dominion in the Lord
over the earth and earthly things, that you may
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
and use the world as if you used it not, being
loose in heart to that which perisheth with the
60
SALUTATION TO FRIENDS.
using. Oh, that all friends who are free from
the cares and ciimbrances of this world may prize
and stand fast in their freedom, and not be for-
ward and hasty in the affectionate part, to run
themselves into bondage to those things which
profit not, but which hinder God ward, and prove
as briers and thorns to the choking the growth of
the seed of life in the heart. There is a mind
which desires, and is ready, if it be not limited,
to create unto itself a freedom that stands not in the
liberty of the sons of God. The liberty of the sons
of God and children of the light, stands in that
which is a yoke to the world's liberty, and their
freedom in that which is bondage to the carnal
mind, and [which] crucifies unto the world
and worldly things. Also there is a mind
that seeks to put off, and to keep out of
those things, which in their proper place may
be said to be lawful, but which hinder a
growth in the eternal Truth, and endanger the
soul-standing Godward : truly that is the pure
mind which serves one master, God alone. I
desire, dear friends, that this mind may [be in us]
more and more ; that we may be as strangers
and pilgrims in and to the world, and the love
thereof, that the Lord alone may become the ob-
ject of our love, and that the desire of our souls
may be to his name, and to the remembrance of
Him.
Oh! dearly beloved friends, much hath the
Lord God of power done for us, since the day
that he raised us up from the dunghill of our
own corruption, and said unto us, who were dead
in sins and trespasses, live. Oh, how greatly
SALUTATION TO FRIENDS.
61
hath he blessed and prospered us, and hath
even made us a family hke a flock, in despite of
the spirit that hath so eagerly sought to devour
us, and to extinguish us from being a people ;
and though Balak and Balaam's spirit, the beast,
Jezebel, and false prophets, have sought enchant-
ments against us, to curse us, yet the God of
blessings has greatly blessed us in our sufferings,
tribulations, and afflictions, and has made Joseph
like a fruitful bough, whose branches run over
the v^all : though the archers of Babylon have
shot at him and grievously wounded him, yet his
bow (notwithstanding his great affliction) has
abode in strength, and the hands of his arms
have been made strong by the hand of the mighty
God of Jacob, who hath blessed Joseph, and unto
the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills shall
he be blessed for evermore.
Oh, dear friends ! if any people now in being
upon the earth have cause to speak well of the
Lord, and to trust in his holy name, we are the
people ; for mightily hath he wrought for us,
though the world sees it not. Oh ! how have we
been as lambs among lions, and yet not devoured,
but wonderfully preserved by the secret power
and invisible arm of the Lord our Shepherd !
When the beasts of the forest have come forth to
devour, and the wolves have been greedy of their
prey, then hath the Lord fought for Mount Zion,
and defended the hill thereof; and though some
said, ' We will pursue, we will overtake them
our lust shall be satisfied on them ; we will draw
our swords, and our hands shall destroy them ;'
yet how hath the Lord blown in his wrath upon
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