To the children of light in this generation, called of God to be partakers of eternal life in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and Light of the World.

It being recommended to Friends by our Meeting for Sufferings to read in their Families the following Epistle, wrote by our worthy Friend WILLIAM PENN, taken from his Select Works, Page 497,—and in order that Friends might more generally have the Opportunity, it was thought expedient to re-print it.

TO THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT IN THIS GENERATION, Called of GOD to be Partakers of Eternal Life in JESUS CHRIST, the Lamb of God, and Light of the World.

My Endeared Friends and Brethren,

MANY days and weeks, yea, some months, 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 impie|ties 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, Confusion, Amazement, and Misery! The weight of which hath caused me to cry within myself,

Who shall save us? who shall deliver us? Are there none to stay the stroke? To blunt the edge? To stop the fury, and in|tercede 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 deliverances, lay so heavy upon 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 〈◊〉〈◊〉 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 hurries, confusions, and vexations that are at the door, drive people from their false gods, and bring them home to HIMSELF. He will throw down Wickedness, and establish Righ|teousness: He will waste Sin, but Truth shall 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 people, through whom this Heavenly Seed of Righ|teousness 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 discumbered of the World, and dis|charged 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 mere literal 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 Gar|ments 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, above 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 your hands. Prepare ye therefore to meet and sanctify the Lord in his coming and judgments! Why stand any of you gazing? Let none gaze 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 Living Pure Law, that ye may be wise in heart, and travel 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 you are ready to intercede: And I testify, Abraham is amongst you, God's Friend, and his just Lot too; yea, Iacob that prevailed; and one that is great|er than all, JESUS, the Lamb of God, whose Blood speaketh better things than that of

Abel, in whom is the Mediation and Atonement. Be therefore encouraged to wait up|on the Lord, and to bow before him, and humbly to mediate, in the Life of JESUS, with him: I know he will put it in your hearts so to do, if ye wait upon him; for he will not cast oft 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 yourselves 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 "Salvation 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 woe to the Hypocrite in that day, the Formalist, the Jew Out|ward, the Circumcision in the Flesh, and Fleshly Christian, that cannot resist the temp|tations of this world; the Temporizer; one that runs with the tide; he will be di|vided: For there will be more tides, more interests on foot at once, than One: Where|fore perplexity will take hold on him, his policy will be confounded; he will not know what to do to be safe, nor what to join 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, Woe to the hypocrite, and to the covetous man too, for his god will fail him; the Thief, the Moth and Rust, will invade his bags, and surprize his treasure: His anguish will be great in this day: but, my dear Brethren, as the Power and Spirit of our Lord God will preserve and establish us, if we sincerely and entirely confide therein, and that above our Solicitation, 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 Presumption, as some may think; who being not so well acquainted with that Entire Resignation, and Supreme Faith (of which JESUS is the Author) that removes mountains into the sea, conclude, from mere 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 mouths about us in those Lat|ter Days;

In Troubles not to be dejected, and in Jeopardies not to be concerned to make to ourselves defences.

As the Lillies, that neither toil nor spin, yet feed and grow, so we may both be preserved, and become victorious, without worldly Force or Projections: For we must shew ourselves 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 magnify his Power, above the arts and contrivances of men. Our weapons and our armor 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 entering them, and we thereby come to fall into the same temptations they are liable to, of Fear, and flying to the Hills and Mountains to protect them, confiding in the Arm of Flesh to deliver 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 travel alike in spirit for them as for ourselves. 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 Saviours 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 stayed upon him, that iniquity may no more abound, nor ungodliness find a place; but that in truth, righteousness and peace, they may be established, and the land keep its Sabbath to the Lord for ever! Then shall God lift up the

Light of his Countenance 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 unfeigned and unalterable love to you all, in your respective meetings and families. And the Lord God of our visitation and redemption, stir you up to these things, and keep us all in his holy fear, wisdom, love and patience, through all those travels and exercises, to the end of our days; that having finished our testimonies, our heads may go down to the grave in peace, and our souls be received into the rest which is reserved for the righteous with God, and with his blessed Lamb for ever.

I am Your Brother and Companion through the many Tri|bulations of our Day and Testimony, W. PENN.

Worminghust in Sussex, the 4th of the 9th month, 1678.

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