A salutation of dear and tender love to the seed of God arising in Aberdeen in two epistles : directed unto friends of truth in that place whom the Lord hath called ... to bear their testimony for his glorious truth (against an evil, adulterous, and persecuting generation) ... / writ by George Keith.

To Friends in ABERDEEN.

Dear Friends,

THere is a precious Seed among you, in love to which several of the Lords Servants have been drawn to come, and visit the Seed, & preach the Everlasting Gospel thereto, which is the power of God unto Salvation; and the Seed hath been reached, and we have been made manifest in your Consciences, the witness of God in your Consciences hath answered our Testimony that we are of God, and that which we declared unto you, was not a cun∣ningly devised Fable, but the living Truth of the Living God, which hath been revealed to us, and which we have learned from the Spirit of Truth, and our Testimony among you hath been, that the Son of God is come, and his Kingdom revealed with power and great Glory, even the Kingdom of God, which is Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, and now hath the Sun of Righteousness arisen with healing under his wings, and the glorious light thereof hath shined forth upon the Earth, and the Inhabitants thereof, after the long dark night of Ap••stacy that hath been; wherein many poor things who have had true breathings and desires after the Lord, have lamented after him, and sought him whom their souls loved, and longed for, but could not find him; and the thick Egiptian darkness hath choaked them, and the living breathings in many hath been suf∣focated and killed, and Babylon the mother of Fornications hath be∣witched the whole Earth with the cup of her Sorceries, who hath given her self forth to be the Church and spouse of Christ, but in∣deed a Harlot; and her Merchants who have handed forth the Cup of her abominations have past in this time of darkness and ignorance for the Ministers of Christ, and Pastors of the flock, now it pleased the Lord out of his rich mercy and love a hundred years ago, or thereby, to send forth some beams of his Heavenly light into the Souls of people, whereby the more gross abominations of the Whore were disc••vered and quit; and no question many have been accepted of the Lord in that day according to their faithfulness: But alass, there hath been a great backsliding, and defection since,

which some of the Lords servants then saw, that it would come, and that Christ should be again crucified in Scotland; and now its my Testimony, and the testimony of hundreds and thousands that he is again arisen in this Island, and in other parts of the Earth, and all the wit and policy of Sathan and his Instruments shall not be able to hold him from the setting up of his Kingdom in the Earth, Truth is planted and taken root in the Earth, yea even in Scotland, and it shall grow and prosper, and spread and fill the Earth, and every Plant which is not of the Lords planting shall be rooted out, and their folly shall be made manifest to all, who set themselves against the truth. And Friends, think it not strange that truth hath such opposition from many who have even had a great profession thereof, this day hath abundantly discovered them, that their glorying hath been but in the flesh, and that they are not come to live in the truth, but have had the form of Godliness, and denyed (yea been altoge∣ther strangers unto) the power thereof; now they not being in the truth, which is living, and gives the discerning but in the form of it, which is but a dead thing, how could they but ‖ misken truth in its appearance, and the children and vessels thereof, and yet there is a pretious seed even in many hundreds, which the Lord will raise up in his own appointed time, who may be for the present through ignorance, and their being deceived with false appea••ances, enemies to truth, and reproachers of it. Now the faithful testimony of such whom the Lord hath gathered, and is gathering into the truth, shall have a shril and loud sound even to the awakening and quickning of such, and they shall be made to build up, that which once they were endeavouring to destroy. And there∣fore dear F••iends, be faithful to the Lord God in your testimony for his truth in every particular, according to the knowledge there∣of, which ye have received from God, for thereby ye shall both save yourselve a••d others, having the eye of your souls continually fix∣ed upon the Lo••d to see whither he will farther lead you, being re∣s••lved (and re••••gned up to him) even to follow whethersoever he leads, though it may be much in the cross to flesh and blood; for this I testifie unto you, that its such, and such only, who are of that spirit (whereof honest Ioshua and Caleb were) to follow the Lord fully even in all things to the least circumstance of his requirings, who shall get an entrance into the blessed Land of promise, wherein∣to many can set to their seal, and witness it, that they have entred

(among whom I am one) even into that good Land that floweth with milk and honey, yea with streams of joy, peace, and consolati∣on from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, and this you shall all come to witness in your selves in the Lords good time, as you keep faithful to him, and grow up more and more in a resignation to his will in all things, sparing nothing, against which the Lords controversie and indignation is, but giving up all to a hope that's contrary to his will, that it may be burnt up, and slain by the judgment of the Lord, and you delivered therefrom, for this is only that which stands in the way, and lets your entrance into Gods Kingdom, even somewhat more or less, that is contrary to the holy and pure nature of God, and against his will cleaved unto, and lived in, which till ye be rid of; the flaming sword will turn every way against you, so that ye cannot get into the Paradice of God, though ye should never so earnestly desire it. And such of you whom the Lord hath in some measure perswaded to quit many things, and ye purpose to quit more, as he shall discover them to be evil unto you; faint not in your minds, though ye cannot get the desires of your minds and souls accomplished, and though ye cannot see the good Land, nor get so much as a tast of the Wine that grows there: I say faint not, nor be discouraged, for a day of blessed re∣freshment from the Lord is abiding you, wherein ye shall see the King of Glory in his beauty, and ye shall be made to drink of the river of his pleasure, and to eat of the feast of fat things upon the mountain of the Lord, and the Wine well refined from the lees shall be given unto you, even the new Wine in the Fathers Kingdom, and ye shall eat and drink, and praise the name of the Lord, which I de∣clare unto you not of my self, but of the Lord, who hath brought me (through the riches of his goodness) to know such a state in a measure, and hath shed abroad his love in my heart, in the which love I have felt the bowels of the Lords compassion flowing forth to∣wards you also, and the blessings of Gods heavenly Kingdom ready to be show••ed down upon you, which ye shall come to know when that which lets shall be taken out of the way, for ye must pass through the judgment of the Lord, and be rid of all that cannot dwell with everlasting burnings, for our God is a consuming fire, and the throne of iniquity can have no fellowship with him, and the Lord is to try you with a Wilderness, even a dry and barren Land, wherein is no water, whereby your desires after him may be the more enlivened

and enlarged, and your faith and patience must be tryed (which hath been the Lords dealing with us also, for which be endless glory and praise unto his Name) and there in the Wilderness he will allure you, and speak comfortably unto you, and give you Vineyards from thence, and the Valley of Achor for a door of hope: Therefore, think not strange of the fiery trial, which shall try you, wherein the Lord will plead with all that is of Flesh within you, and ye must be brought down to the Valley of Iehoshaphat, which is as much as the Valley of decision, or off-cuting, wherein ye must come to know the Circumcision, even the cutting off of that which is but flesh, before you enter the promised Land, and the Sun must be turned into dark∣ness, and the Moon loose her light before the notable day of the Lord come, and all that hath been the delight of your eyes must be taken from you, and you left stript and naked, as in the day ye were born, and then will the Lord cast the skirts of his love over you, and say unto you, live, and ye shall live, and ye shall become beauti∣ful with his comeliness, that he shall put upon you, even the robes of his unspoted Righteousness, and the garments of his Salvation, wherewith ye shall be cloathed, and in that day ye shall understand the sence and meaning of these Scriptures, that blessed are the poor, for their's is the Kingdom of Heaven, and blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, and that God is truly good to Israel, even to such as are upright in heart. And dear Friends, as I have spoke unto you, so it is in my heart to put you again [by writing] in remembrance there∣of, though ye may know it, how that the Lord is making a narrow and deep search in this day, even beyond what hath been these many ages ago, he is now arisen to take vengeance upon the many inventi∣ons with which he hath borne long, and hath winked at them (so to speak) in the dayes of ignorance, and hath suffred many even of the faithful in former dayes to keep many things, against which the Lord hath pronounced his indignation in this day, for now is the day bro∣ken up, and the Sun arisen, and the more refined garments of the Whore, which formerly past for upright in the twy-light, are now discerned to be but counterfeit, and blessed are they, and shall be who are made willing to see, and seeks not to cover or spare what the Lord requires to be given up, and parted with, though it be a hard thing for flesh and blood, but I can assure you the love of God when ye come to feel it shed abroad in your hearts, will a thousand fold re∣compense all that ye can forsake for his names sake, & the reproach of

Christ shall become unto you more pretious then all the treasures of Egipt. And as I have formerly told you, so it is with me again to remind you, even to exercise all forbearance in all things, but in so far as it lies upon you from the Lord, according to the manifesta∣tion of his light and spirit in your hearts; ceasing, ceasing, forever from every thing, but what ye manifestly know to be agreeable with the Lords will, not hazarding to be found in any thing whatsoever, because ye see it not evil or sinful; nay, that is not enough, the path and way of God is yet narrower, though large and broad e∣nough to the children of God, even to let things alone, but as you see them in the openings and manifestation of the Spirit of life with∣in you to be good, innocent, profitable, suitable to truth, so that you savour a good savour in them, and others of the Lords children with you, this ends all disputations and reasonings, and here is peace, joy, liberty, even true Christian liberty and freedom, yea, victory and Dominion; whereas to do things not knowing the Lords will and approbation therein, is but at best to do doubtingly, and such are condemned, and weakness and confusion enters them, and the seed of God is burdened; yea, I say it again, blessed are they who are come here even to be afraid to medle with any thing though never so plausible in the eyes of men, but as they find and feel in themselves the approbation and allowance of the Lords Spirit there∣in, else to forbear, and let alone, even to take up the cross to every work and word, yea to every desire and thought of the heart, which is not manifestly known to be of the Lord, the blessed experience whereof, I have often found, and daily finds, waiting and earnestly desiring of the Lord that the mystery of his Cross I may more and more learn, that I may become crucified even to all that is of the World, and alive to him, ceasing from my own works, not being able to do, nor daring to do any thing without him, which is not on∣ly my testimony, but the testimony of all that are come to live in any measure of truth. And dear Friends, keep to any measure of testi∣mony ye have attained unto, for I can say it, the Lord regards the same, and it hath a good savour before him, and grow up in faithful∣ness and resignation to the Lord in all things; for this is it which makes your testimony strong, and valid, and acceptable to God, that it be universal in every circumstance, that the enemy have no∣thing wherewith to charge you, and this is it which will make you able to stand it out in the day of tryal, the having your loynes girded

about with truth, having truth to encompass you round, you be∣ing found in the truth in all things, but who are out of truth in any thing though never so small, heere there is an open to let in the ene∣my, and it will be hard for such to stand. And Friends, let not the terror of your enemies afright you from keeping your Meetings, but sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts, and let him be your fear, and this will put away the fear of man that shall die, and become as the dust of the earth, and as you assemble together in Gods fear and name, and in true love one with another, the Lord will be among you, and ye shall be made to feel his living presence, and he will shew you where he feedeth his flock, and makes it rest at noon-day, and he will bring you into the banqueting house, and display the banner of his love over you, and make you a terror to your enemies. And I have felt the sweet blessing and presence of God among you, and I can assure you his Salvation is near to come, and his Righteousness to be revealed to the upright and single hearted: And keep your Meet∣ings in the silence of all flesh, and the shout of the King the Lord of Hoasts shall be heard among you, and he will give in due time the opening of the mo••th in the midst of you. And dear Friends, my love in the bowels of Jesus Christ is towards you all, and with a sweet measure of his blessed presence have I largely written unto you, and the Lord is with me by night and by day, and makes my Prison very acceptable to me, Farewell dear Friends.

From the Tolbooth of Aberdeen the 9th of the 10th Mont. 1664.

Your very dear and loving Friend, George Keith.

As it may conveniently be done, I am willing that this be read among Friends met together.

Notes

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  Or not Know.