To the meek and open hearted lambes, and flock of heaven, in meekness of love, with greetings of peace from the seat of infinite mercy;: tendered unto and sent to be read among them all, who live in the humble state.

To the meek and open hearted Lambes, and Flock of Heaven, in meekness of Love, with Greetings of Peace from the Seat of Infinite Mercy; tendered unto, and sent to be read among them all, who live in the humble State.

THere was a time of blackness and darkness which covered all flesh, and the guilt of sin was upon all consciences; and hardness of heart possessed every ves∣sel, and the minds of all was a stray from God, and their souls in the bonds of ini∣quity, in the day when none was able to deliver his brother, O who can utter the distress and the languishing state, which the sheep then scattered were in, O the se∣cret groanes of the outcasts of Israel which God hath now gathered, why should it be forgotten, who could pluck their feet then out of the snare, or deliver their soul from death; had not the Lord in mercy looked down from Heaven, surely many had sunk in the pit of misery, and never come to see the light of the morning, for the which the bowels of the humble yearned in secret, and the sights were deep in the solli∣tary place.

And then did the Lord in the bowels of his mercy let open his eare, and for his own names sake had regard unto the complaint of the poor and needy, and he caused light to break out of darkness, and truth to spring from its secret hidden place, and life to grow up in the midst of death, and to break through the powers of darkness, and the Lord in his power gave utterance to his servants and messengers, and then were the words of his truth as food to the hungry, and with much gladness of heart was the sound of the way of life by many received; then did love begin to arise in the heart, and a tenderness in the bowels, and a willingness in the mind, and then was a joy like the joy of harvest among the people, and many began to invite one another, saying come and we will return to the Lord, and we will resolve to walk in his paths for ever, then was the voice of thanksgiving among the People, and the wayes of the Lord became more delightsome then Gold, and the footsteps of righteousness more pleasant than all the Treasure in the world. O it even melts the heart to remember the dayes that are past, and to consider the infinite goodness of him that is the God of the poor and needy, then were many made willing to run and to leave their filthy gar∣ments

behind them, even before they well knew how to do it, O how loathsome was sin in that day, and how wearisome was the land of darkness, and how desirable e∣ven beyond expression, was the unsatisfied thirsting soul after the presence of God: could the treasure of the earth then have given peace? or could Silver have satis∣fied the hungry heart? or could the choysest love of the most nearest relations have quenched the thirst of the perched ground? Surely none but the Lord was then de∣sired, yea other lovers became as loathsome, and other delights became burthen∣some to the weary Travellers and all vanities began to vanish as a vapour of smoak, and the wind of Heaven was dayly a scattering the chafe, and the barren Womb mourned for the quickning life of God, who had put it into the hearts of his long afflicted scattered ones, to follow him in the wayes of truth and equity, and then did the Lord visit such again and again in his loving kindness, by his servants, whose living words of truth through them, did yet more open the understandings, and hearts, and satisfie the judgements of the humble people, in the knowledge of the way to rest and peace, in leaving the evil and chusing the good, and to walk and come to live therein for ever.

And then came the time of tryal and exercise, when the cross must be taken up to the worlds wayes, and also foolish vanities left behind, and the needless words no longer used, nor that religion continued any longer, in which made nothing perfect: then did the people gaze and wonder, and the relations and the acquaintance stood like as from David afar off, and then was every ones greatest enemy with the light found in his own house, then did the Tribes of the earth mourn, then did the Drag∣gon stretch forth his power, then did the doubtings, and fears, and thoughts, and un∣belief come roleing in like floods, O the straights that many then were in, even seem∣ing greater than any before, and none but the Lord could deliver, so that then the cries were doubled, and the secret groanes came on a fresh again, and the greater the cries of such were, the more they prevailed with him that was to help, but with his rod he forced them to submit unto his will, by departing out of that which had caused him to frown upon them, and by leaving that which had polluted their dwel∣ling, and as they began to obey him therein, so he began to let forth the smiles of his favour towards them, and when they offended again he chastized them sore, and scourged them for their negligence, and corrected them because they forgot their obedience to his will, and as thereby they drew neer unto him, he eased the stroak of his Iustice, & let them tast of his mercy, & sometimes invited them with love as a father draweth the child: and thus he left not working with them, and in them by his own secret wisdome and power, until he had brought them to be after the de∣sire of his heart, that he might delight in them for ever, and that they might never more be scattered upon the ba••ren hills, nor yet the dark mountains.

And as obedience in truth and Innocency was willingly yeilded to the Lord; peace began to take hold; and satisfaction got some entrance, and a little secret

hope there was which became as an Ancker to the soul, against the stormy time, and also in the midst thereof; and as Iniquity was departed from so there came into the humble heart some satisfaction from God; and some stability in his way of righteousness, and then refreshings of life attended the heart in the morning, and the water which revieweth the Thirsty began to open it self in the midst of a barren Land; and then nothing was more desired then the living upon that food with which the God of heaven doth nourish only his Children; which he freely gave and brought down even neer to the Tents of Israel, and he caused them to know his statutes and his judgments, and he put his perfect Law in the midst of them, and his mercy Seat within the Vaile, that they might aske Counsel at the living Oracle, and he gave them his spirit, which all the circumcised of heart do rightly know to be the cheifest good, and to this end did he bestow that most pretious gift upon them, and gave that spirit of life into them, even to guid, counsel, and direct, informe, instruct, reprove, defend, and succour them and nourish their souls for evermore, and so he set before them the way in which they should walk with him, wherein he would be their father and the Rock of their strength, and made known unto them the secret misteries of his heavenly bessed will, which had been long concealed; and doth yet so remaine form the disobedient, and covered from the Children of men.

And when even the God of Abraham Isack and Iacob had done all this, and much more for you. O ye now well beloved freinds: then did he begin to try your patience, and to excercise you yet further to prove you, and to make known unto you even more that which had long been in the heart, and then he suffered a calme to come over you & much quietness there was with many & then did the enemy begin to asay again to bring into carelesness, and present a spirit of slumber, with dulness, and negligence attending, and then the seed was again burthened therewith, and the upright hearted durst not give way thereunto, before whose eyes the pure hea∣venly fear still remaineth, surely it were almost endless to relate the sundry tryals and states which hath been known among the flock of Jacob. Who could have be∣leived that the strong should have been so tempted as they were, and the mighty so asaulted divers ways as they have been, and yet that the weakest who continued in the grace, which teacheth to deny ungodliness should stand and remaine, and how wonderfully hath the Lord preserved his whole flock unto this day, even so that with true gladness of heart in living praises it might truly be said, that no weapon formed against Gods Israel hath to this day yet ever prospered, though no man hath appeared either in felld or Court on their behalfe, nor visable hand appear∣ed for the defence of the flock of Heaven, O where is that Lamb of the fould who now stands in the Covenant of redemption that cannot breath forth the praises of God, in the heart breaking power of his Love and the sensible feeling of his tender unspeakable mercies; Behold O freinds the goodness of God is unutterable, ye I have not words to express it, and such that feel it may tast of it, and drink of the fulness

thereof, beyond the narrowness of my broaken speech, and let such draw neere unto me, and let these that which bendeth and cloaseth up in the bowels, that we may meet at the entrance of Wisdomes gate, and live one with another and one in ano∣ther, so as the world did never know; neither in their nature shall ever understand for my heart is fil'd with love, and my dwelling is inlarged with the boundless borders of peace and my life streames forth in meekness; Behold there is none can stop it, where the seed springs up as a Lilly, and where the dawning of the day is witnessed, where undefiled love which cannot think evil hath its resting place, and where the true simplicity of meekness remaines.

Even there my lines are read, my words are heard my mind is known my lan∣guage understood my love received, and even my life takes enterance; What shall I say I am with, neere or in the midst of all the Innocent Lambs by the vertue of that power and invisible spirit which filleth all in all? and in silence with you could I long rest, where the world should neither know nor yet perceive me, and the same bread which I receive in the invisible power, and break unto, or disperce among the Lambs of God; who can feed upon no other, Even so the same is it by which my soul at present doth live, Yea behold I live who once was dead: And my life is hid among the rest with Christ in him, from whence the Heavenly food, and the souls saving, and hearts satisfying power doth come.

And this is to stir up your minds, & to put you in remembrance of the Lords dea∣ling with you, and his large Loving kindness towards you and his effectual work of love in you, that you may never forget him, nor be unmindful of his fatherly pity to∣wards us all, when we were all in our low estate, and that you may feel the revivings of his vertue and the Inlivnings of his power, and the quicknings of his Spirit, That yea may grow therein and wax fruitfull to God: and come to be seated, and esta∣blished in the land of life, Blessed from Heaven, with much more fruitful in∣crease then the Land of Goshan; That the fruit of Lebannon may be known and the Rose of Sharon, and your selves as the Ceaders that are full of S••ap and your life as the Vine that never wanteth nourishment, whose fruit aboundeth to the glading of the Vine Dressor, That the Lord my rejoyce over his heritage, and delight himself in the midst of Zion, and be glorified in his people, and admired of all them that beleive.

THe Lord God of Heaven preserve all every where, in the Love long suffering, forbearance meekness; gentleness; out of the strife, or self seeking: For surely woe will come upon that Spirit wherever the Lord finds it, and even the Lord knoweth the desires of my heart in true simplicity hath been, That his righ∣teous

Iudgments might pass betimes upon every appearance thereof in my self, Neither do I believe that God will ever prosper it in any; nor any with it; There∣fore my Exhortation in the Everlasting Love of the God of Heaven is. That you all every where live in true brotherly love, and remember Iosephs advice to his breathren, that they fall not out by the way: The Heavenly God of power, and life and vertue keep you out of all this, in the life of Wisdome and meekness; where Strife shall never inhabit, nor death enter within the walls of Zion, in which their dwelling is, who keep themselves undefil'd, and remaines in the fear of God, to whom I commit you all, and to the power of the word of his saving grace, praying to the Lord for you, That ever more you may continue in the Love of Christ. From the feelling and refreshings whereof in the heart, this is written unto you by him that in the truth can serve the least of you,

Being your Freind Humphery Smith.