A collection of many select and Christian epistles, letters and testimonies written on sundry occasions, by that ancient, eminent, faithful friend and minister of Christ Jesus, George Fox ; the second volume.

MY Dear Friends in the Truth and Seed of God, in which is Puri∣ty and Life, let that flow from the Head to the Feet, that Righteousness and Judgment may run down our Streets as a stream: For now Friends are become a People gathered in the holy Name of Jesus. Therefore all are to walk worthy of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus; and every one as he hath received Him, so walk in Him, as becometh the Gospel, which is the Power of God, which was before the Devil was; that in that your Life may shine before Men, to answer that of God in all, that they may behold your good Works, and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven: And so, walk in the Light as Children of the Light and of the Day. For you know that formerly we did cry against the Powers of the Earth, because that Judgment, and Justice, and Righteousness did not run down their Streets: And now that Friends are become a great People, shall not Judgment, and Justice, and Righteousness run down our Streets as a Stream and a Flood, to drive away all the filth from amongst us?

And now that Friends are become a good Savour in the Hearts of all People, they have a Friend in their House that will plead for them; by which Friends have been kept and preserved in the Life, to answer the Friend in their House: And God having given them his Dominion and Favour, lose it not, but rather increase it in the Life; for at first ye know that many could not take so much Money in your Trade as to buy Bread with; all People stood a loofe of you, when you stood upright, and gave them the plain Language, and were at a Word; but now you, through the Life, come to answer that of God in all, they say, they will trust you before their own People, knowing that you will not Cheat, nor Wrong, nor Cozen, nor Oppress them: For the cry is now amongst them that are without, Where is there a Quaker of such and such a Trade? So that they will deal with Friends before they will deal with their own. Oh! Therefore Friends, who have purchased this through great Sufferings, lose not this great favour which God hath given unto you, but that you may answer the Witness of God in every Man, which witnesseth to your Faithfulness, that they may glorifie your Father on your behalf.

And now Friends, if there be any Oppression, Exaction or Defrauding by making a Prize, through the Freedom which God hath given you, the World will see such, and say, the Quakers are not as they were; therefore such should be exhorted to Equity and Truth: And also if any run into Debt, and aim at great things, and make a great Shew in the World of others Goods, which comes to burden others, and lift up themselves with that which is not their own, and are not able to satisfie them, according to their time and word; such hurt themselves, burden others, and oppress them, and brings grief and cause heart-rising in them to see such grown up by Oppression; therefore such must be exhorted to Justice, Equity and Righteousness, and an even Measure, to do as they would be done by.

And also, such as go under the name of Quaker, that are gotten into the Earth, and settle their Nests there in ease; such comes to cry against Quakers Meetings, saying, Away with your

Forms; and will not come to our Meetings, and hurts others, by which the World gets occasion against the Truth. Therefore such must be exhorted, for such never knew the purchase of the Truth, and if they did, they have sold it.

And Friends, forget not the Assembling of your selves together, as the manner of some is, and was; lest there be an evil Heart of Un∣belief, in departing from the Living God, but exhort one ano∣ther daily; and so much the more, as the Day doth appear, shewing the more Light, the more Day, the more Building, the more Exhorting in the Light, and in the Spirit, in Fellowship one with another: And they that do forsake the Assembling of themselves together, as the manner of some was in the Apostles Days, and is the manner of some now, such grow more and more in the evil Heart, departing from the Living God: And this brought in the Apostacy, which the Apostates set up, and all the whole Body of trifling Traditions: Therefore such as be in the Everlasting Power of God, must exhort such to take heed and be wise.

And also, all such unruly Spirits that have professed (falsly) and got under the Name of Quakers, whose evil Words corrupt good Man∣ners, must be exhorted from House to House.

And also such young People, Lasses and Lads, that goes in youth∣ful Ways, and takes Liberty to go into Pleasure, and to Play, and to Ale-Houses and Drunkenness; which corrupt the Earth, which is one Mark, that they are dead whilst they live: And kills the Just, and burdens the Righteous, and causeth the Way of Truth to be evil spoken of: Therefore such must be exhorted to live in the Truth, and to come to that which will mortifie that, which leads to Death; so that Truth may be adorned by them.

And also such that will not go to Meetings, and cries against others that do, and says, they are Forms of Men; and one while they will not give the Hand; and another while they will keep on their Hats when Friends Pray, and yet secretly they can go to bad Houses, as several have done: From these abominable things they must be exhorted and reproved. And if they do not repent, and come to judge and condemn those things that they have done amiss, and do live in that which doth condemn, and give forth a Paper to take their Transgressions and bad Doings out of Friends Minds; and to the People of the World, manifesting their Repentance: But, if they do neither repent, judge nor condemn, nor give forth a Paper against such bad Actions, which makes the World to speak evil of the Truth and the right Way, then Friends must give forth a Paper to the World, to certifie against them, for clearing the Truth: And better such had never professed the Name, nor known the Truth, nor come among them who were gathered into the Name of Jesus, and into the Form of Sound Words, and into the Son of God and Godliness; then to have gone into a Form of their own, which they have re∣ceived; yea, even from the worst of Men, who are thereby come under the Judgment of common, outward People: And there∣fore Friends, all Uncleanness, of all sorts, and Unrighteousness, and Unfaithfulness, and youthful Ways of runing out, and liftings up, such must be exhorted and reproved; that Truth and Righteousness

may flow; thro' which you may keep that which you have bought, and kept through great Sufferings, and some to Death; that Truth in all things may be adorned.

And all such as are Tattlers, Busie-Bodies, Back-biters and Gossippers, are to be exhorted to mind their own Conditions, that they may live in the Truth, and not to draw others out to Words, wherein there is no profit; that Truth may flow, and the Life may flow, and the Ʋnity may increase in the Spirit and Power; that all may come to live in the Gospel-Order, which was before the Devil, or Enmity or Adversary was.

And all such as cry, Away with your Laws, we will have none of your Laws: To such as come to the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Je∣sus, which makes free from the Law of Sin and Death, and puts down that Authority; which Life was before Death and Sin was, and re∣mains when it is gone; and in the Life in Christ Jesus, is the Saints Fellowship, and Ʋnity, and Bond of Peace: All such as cry against Laws so much, are the Sons of Belial, and would be without the Yoke of the Law of the Son of God: Such always were the stirrers up of Mis∣chief and Schism from the Body, and they took Liberty to say any thing; as ye may read in the Book of Kings, in the Days of Jezebel, and in the Days of Stephen; and yet these that cry so much against Laws, yet they live themselve in the Law of Sin and Death; which they obey when they do Evil; who are without the Understand∣ing of the Righteous Law, which the Righteous live in and sees: Therefore such must be exhorted and reproved, if they go under the Name of Quakers, and are not in the Life: That Justice, Judg∣ment and Righteousness may flow as a River, and as a Stream, and drive away all the Filth from among us; that nothing but the Power of God, and the Life of Truth, may amongst us rule; that the Living God, which hath blessed you with his heavenly Riches and Mercies, and largely manifested them among you, may be in all things ho∣noured, magnified and exalted: To whom all belongs, God over all, blessed for ever. So that every one may adorn the Truth, and the Gospel, and mind the Lord's Business above their own: And every one be tender of the Glory of God, and be careful, that in no ways his Name and Truth be dishonoured.

So let this be read in all your Men and Womens Meetings, who are to take notice of all such things. So no more, but my Love in the Ʋni∣versal Seed of God, which never sinned, which is First and Last, the Top and Corner-Stone.

G. F.

Notes

• Epist. 251.