Epistle 189

My dear friends, Robert Hodson, William Robinson, Marmaduke Stevenson, Peter Pearson, William Brend, William Leddra, and the rest of Friends in New England and Virginia, be faithful to the Lord in the truth of the Lord God, and in his power and wisdom be valiant for it upon the earth [Jer 9:3], and spread it abroad, and confound deceit. And dwell in the power of God, and stand in it, which comprehends the whole world; that through it ye may answer the witness of God in every one, and be a dread to nations [Deut 2:25].

And go on in peace, and love, and unity, one with another, and keep in the wisdom of the Lord God; that ye may be answerable to the witness in every one to whom ye preach. <179> And take heed of judging one another [Rom 14:13] in the sight of weak Friends, but dwell in the power of the Lord God, and that will keep that down in every particular, which is to be judged; through which ye may judge the whole world that lies in wickedness [1 Jn 5:19]. Therefore, dwell all, (I warn you from the Lord God of power, of life, of heaven and earth,) dwell in his power, and wisdom, and life, that in that ye may have dominion over the world, and the adversaries in it, and live in it; through which ye will feel the preciousness and weight of truth, which now is going over all the world.

And to all nations of mankind the everlasting gospel, the power of God, is to be preached [Rev 14:6, Rom 1:16], through which life and immortality shall come to light [2 Tim 1:10]; in which power is the fellowship. Therefore, this is the word of the Lord God to you all, those that are convinced by the power of the Lord God and the light, let them dwell in it, in which they may have unity. For the Lord hath a seed that ways, if ye in patience all of you wait, and not matter the weather, the storms, the winds, the hail, the rain, when ye are to sow the seed, nor the rough ground that is to be tilled.

For the husbandman waits patiently [James 5:7] after the seed is sown; there is a winter before the summer comes. And there must be a great work before the misty heathen be cleared in their understandings, (that are so naturally [Rom 2:14],) and the dark air be driven back, and the prince of life and light [Acts 3:15, John 1:4] be witnessed. Dwell in the life and in the light; for the great professors of spiritual Babylon, the mother of harlots [Rev 17:5], that are full of craft, will be brought down [Job 5:13?]; and that must be witnessed, before ye know the bride made ready for her husband [Rev 21:2].

So live in patience and in peace, and in the weighty wisdom of God, and then ye will see the end of all frothy spirits, that will not abide the trial. Therefore, friends, keep ye in the power of the Lord God, and dwell in love one with another, and in the pure power and life of truth, and the seed of God which ye first kept in; that ye may be kept over all light and airy spirits, that will be up and down like a tempest, comers and goers to the seed [Eph 4:14?]; that ye may stand in the seed which is everlasting. In that the Lord preserve you.

Ye may write over how things are there; for truth is well here, and spreads abroad in the world in other nations, and is of a good report.

G. F.