Some fruits of a tender branch, sprung from the living vine being a collection of several sound and godly letters, written by that faithful servant of God, Benjamin Padley. With diverse living testimonies to that innocent life, in which he walked, and continued to the end of his day.

A Letter sent unto his Brother, John Padley.

Dearly Beloved Brother,

THe Salutation of my endeared Love is unto thee desiring of the Lord, that he may preserve thee, with my own Soul, in Faithfulness before him, in answering his Requiring, and doing those things which he makes manifest to be our Duty, though it may be never so great a Cross to our own Wills; for they that will be Christs Disci∣ples, they must come truly to Witness a dayly taking up of his Cross, and a dayly dying unto those things in which we have formerly delighted, and give up truly to fol∣low the Lord in the true self-denyal to be truly acted, ordered, and guided according to his Good Will and Pleasure: And now, dear Brother, that which is upon me at this time, to lay before thee by way of caution, is, to desire thee to be careful, lest the E∣nemy beguile thee, by drawing thy Mind into some visible thing or other; for it was my Loss when I began to set up an Imploy∣ment for my self, my Mind being hasty and desirous to gain Wealth, and to accomplish great things; I was altogether frustrated, for I did not only lose in outward things, but I partly lost my inward Condition, that

I did not enjoy the Presence of the Lord in so large a Measure as I had formerly done, but blessed be the God of my Life forever, who has not left me to this day, but he has preserved with his Righteous Judgments, that has been greatly mixt with Mercy; and now blessed be his Name for ever, whose Blessings and Mercies I do enjoy this day in my mea∣sure; and therefore unto him be the Praise and Glory, who alone is worthy over all; and so it is the desire of my Soul, that we may both be preserved faithful before the LORD, however it may go with us as to outward things, that we may first seek the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Righteousness thereof: And I do believe the Lord will not suffer us to want those things that is needful for us, but they that makes hast to be rich, do run themselves into a Snare, and is in danger to fall into a Pit; but it is my Hope and Considence in the Lord, that as we stand in his Councel, and dwells in Humility, desiring to be preserved faithful in all our Undertakings, the Blessings of the Lord will be with us, and he will still de∣light to shew Mercy unto our Souls, that we shall have fresh occasion to bless and magni∣fie his great and powerful Name, who a∣lone is worthy over all, for ever, Amen.

Benjamin Padley.