To the children of light in this generation, called of God to be partakers of eternal life in Jesus Christ, the lamb of God & light of the world

To the Children of Light IN THIS GENERATION, Called of God to be Partakers of Eter∣nal Life in JESƲS CHRIST, the Lamb of God & Light of the World.

My Endeared Friends and Brethren;

MAny Dayes and Weeks, yea, some Moneths hath my Heart been Heavy, and my Soul unusually Sad for the sake of this Nation, the Land of our Nativity! For I have not only long beheld with a grieved Eye the many Abominations and gross Impieties that reign therein, the Lusts, Pleasures, Wantonness, Drunkenness, Whoredoms, Oaths, Blasphemies, Envy, Treachery and Persecution of the Just, but for some time I have had a deep Sense, that the Overflowing Scourge of God's Wrath and Indignation was just ready to break out upon the People, Confusi∣on, Amazement and Misery! The Weight of which hath causeal me to Cry within my self, Who shall Save us! Who shall Deliver us! Is there none to stay the Stroke, to blunt the Edge, to stop the Fury, and intercede for the

People, and mediate for this poor Land, that the Lord may not utterly depart, and take his Glory and his Name from it, and make it a Desolation for the Wild Beasts of the Field and Fowls of the Air, a Land of Judgment and not of Promise; of Curses, and not of Blessings.

My Friends, whilst the Sense of this Distress, that is coming as a Dreadful Visitation from the Hand of the Displeased God upon this Ungodly Land to Stain its Glory, Bring down its Pride and Punish its Forgetfulness of the Lord and his many Delivenantes, lay so Heavy up∣on my Spirit, the Lord presented before me all the Truly Conscientious and Well-inclined people in these Nations; and more especially You, his Despised but Chosen Generation, for whose sake he would yet have Mercy. And in the midst of his Judgments, This I received for you from the Lord, as his Holy Will and Counsel, and it often sprung in my Heart with a very Fresh and Strong Life;

TO THY TENTS, O ISRAEL! TO THY TENTS, O ISRAEL!

God is thy TENT: To thy God, O Israel!

PREPARE, O Friends, to stand in this Day before the Lord (that is in the first place;) for ye shall also have your Exercise. Yea, Great is that Work, which we have to do for the Lord by his Powerful, but very Peaceable Spirit; for God will by all these Hur∣ries, Confusions and Vexations, that are at the Door, drive people from their False Gods, and bring them home to HIMSELF. He will throw down Wick∣edness, and establish Righteousness; he will waste Sin, but Truth ••••all grow. He will debase the Mountain of Empty Profession; but the Mountain of his Holiness shall be exalted. He hath determined to raise up and

renown the Seed of Light, Life and Truth in the Hearts of people; Holy Patience, Meekness, Wisdom, Love, Faith, Purity and Perseverance (so much wanting in the World) shall be seen to dwell in it, and only to come from it. And my witness is, that ye are the Peo∣ple, through whom this Heavenly Seed of Righteous∣ness must Clearly and Stedfastly so shine unto others in these Uneven and Rough Times, that are Come and Coming, as that your Heavenly Father may be glorified by you.

Wherefore in the Name of the Lord be ye all Dis-in∣cumbred of the World and Discharged of the Cares of it; Fly as for your Lives from the Snares therein, and get you into your Watch-Tower, the NAME of the LORD! Which is not a Dead Name, or a meer Lite∣ral Name; but a Living Spiritual and very Powerful Name: A Strong Tower indeed, yea, an Invincible Fortress; where, dwell ye with God, and in him who speaketh Peace to his Children, and ordains Quietness for them that trust in him. He will make you to lie down Safely, even then when Darkness and Confusion shall be thick about you; yea, ye shall live in the Fire, that will Consume the Stubble of the World, and your Garments shall not be so much as Singed: for the Son of God, whom the Flames, as well as Winds and Seas obey, will be in the Midst of you.

Next Friends, this know, We are the People a∣bove all others, that must stand in the Gap and Pray for the putting away of the Wrath, so as that this Land be not made an Utter Desolation; and God expects it at our Hands. PREPARE ye therefore to Meet and Sanctifie the Lord in his Coming and Judgments! Why ••tand any of you gazing? Let none gaz or Look out,

I beseech you, that is the Enemy's Work to weaken you within; but be ye Retired, be ye Centered in the Eternal One, and Meditate upon the Lord and his Li∣ving, Pure Law, that ye may be Wise in Heart and tra∣vil in Spirit for this Poor Land, and that for Enemies as well as Friends. The Lord is ready to hear you for this people, when ye are ready to Intercede; and I testi∣fie, Abraham is amongst you, God's Friend, and his Just Lot too; yea, Jacob, that Prevailed: & One, that is Grea∣ter then them all, JESUS, the Lamb of God, whose Blood speaketh better things, than that of Abel, in whom is the Mediation and Attonement. Be therefore encouraged to wait upon the Lord, and to bow before him, and humbly to Meditate in the Life of JESUS with him: I know, he will put it into your Hearts so to do, if ye wait upon him. For he will not cast off this Land, as he did Sodom; he hath a Right Seed, a Noble People in it, that he hath and yet will gather: many Sheep there be not yet of our Fold, whom he will bring in, and the foul Weather and the Storms will but help to drive them Home to JESUS, the Living and True Witness and Light within, that he whom God hath ordained to Reign, may be great in them.

And Lastly, my Dear Friends and Brethren, by how much this Day draws Nigh, by so much the more do ye Stand loose in your Affections to the World, but fast in the Faith. And Assemble your selves together, and let God Arise in you, and his Power and Spirit of Life among you, that ye may not only Wrestle, but in the End Prevail; That it may be seen, that SALVA∣TION is of the Jews, the Jews Inward, in Spirit and in Truth: And truly, the time hastens, that Ten shall

take hold of the Skirt of such a Jew, and they shall be saved. But We to the Hypocrite in that Day, the For∣malist, the Jew Outward, the Circumcision in the Flesh and Fleshly Christian, that cannot resist the Temptati∣ons of this World, the Temporizer, one that Runs with the Tide, he will be Divided. For there will be more Tides, more Interests on Foot at once, than One; wherefore Perplexity will take hold on him, his Policy will be Confounded. He will not know what to do to be Safe, nor what to Joyn with; this Double minded Man will be Unstable in his Counsels and in his Actions, his Sandy Foundation will be shaken. Therefore, as I said, We to the Hypocrite, and to the Covetous Man too, for his Gods will fail him; the Thief, the Moth and Rust will invade his Baggs and surprize his Treasure: his Anguish will be Great in this Day! But my Dear Bre∣thren, as the Power and Spirit of our Lord God will Preserve and Establish us, if we Sincerely and Entirely conside therein, and that above our Sollicitation or Need of Carnal Consultations or Contrivances, which we have therefore laid aside; so shall it Vindicate us in Due Time in the Eyes of all Nations, and present us a People owned, beloved and protected of God, in whom we have firmly believed. Nor is this Presump∣tion, as some may think, who being not so well acquain∣ted with that Entire Resignation and Supreme Faith (of which Jesus is the Author, that removes Mountains in∣to the Sea) conclude from meer Natural and Human Considerations against us; yet we know him in whom we have believed: and the same, that hath Cured us of our Diseases, the same said unto us, Arise and Walk in this Way of Faith; Trust in me, and not in another. And truly, this is much of that Wonder, which Men

shall have in their Minds and Mouthes about us in those Latter Dayes, In Troubles not to be dejected, and in Jeopardies not to be concerned to make to our selves Defences; but as the Lillies, that neither toil not spin, yet seed and grow, so we may both be preserved and become Victorious without Worldly Force or Projections. For we must shew our selves to be that Little City and Hill of God, that hath only his Salvation for our Walls and Bulwarks; by whom he will renown his Arm, and magnifie his Power above the Arts and Contrivan∣ces of Men. Our Weapons and our Armour is Spiritual; it hath prevailed, and it will prevail, if we keep in the Faith, which was first delivered to us: a blessed Shield, by which the Just live.

And therefore, My Dear Friends, let us be Careful not to mingle with the Crowd, lest their Spirit enter us instead of our Spirit entring them, and we thereby come to fall into the same Temptations they are liable to, of Pear and Flying to the Hills and Mountains to protect them, considing in the Arm of Flesh to deli∣ver them; no, no! they must come to us, we must not go to them. Yet can we not be Unsensible of their Infirmities, as well as we shall not be free from some of their Sufferings; we must make their Case as our own, and travail alike in Spirit for them, as for our selves. Let us stand in the Counsel of our God, and he will make us Preachers forth to them of the Works of his Divine Power, and the Virtue of that Faith which comes from Heaven; yea, he will make us as Savi∣ours to the People, that they may come to know the Holy Law and Word of the Lord (their Creator) in their Hearts, and have their Minds and Souls turned to him, and stay'd upon him, that Iniquity may no

more abound, nor Ungodliness find a place: but that in Truth, Righteousness and Peace they may be establisht, and the Land keep its SABBATH to the Lord for ever! Then shall God lift up the Light of his Counte∣nance upon us, and water us from Heaven, and bless us with all Temporal and Spiritual Blessings; and we shall be yet called, THE ISLAND SAVED BY THE LORD! Amen, Amen!

This was upon my Soul from God to you; I could not Visit you all with a Distinct Message upon many Accounts: besides, the Time is Short, and the Confusion appears to me to be at hand Therefore have I sent it by way of Epistle, with the Brotherly Salutation of Un∣feigned and Unalterable Love to you all in your Respe∣ctive Meetings and Families. And the Lord God of our Visitation & Redemption stir you up to these things. and keep us all in his Holy Fear, Wisdom, Love and Patience through all those Travails and Exercises to the End of our Days; that having finisht our Testi∣monies, our Heads may go down to our Graves in Peace, and our Souls be received into the Rest, which is reserved for the Righteous with God, and with his Bles∣sed Lamb forever! I am

Your Brother and Companion through the many Tri∣bulations of our Day and Testimony William Penn.

Worminghurst in Sussex, the 4th of the 9th Moneth, 1678.

I desire, that this Epistle may be read in the Fear of the Lord in your several Meetings.