OCR Text |
Show I 1667. ~ A rem,uh~le Jn/foueofhil SinceritJ• Heittun!"J. DUtD[ his p,. r~r'sHoufr. HUF~tbtr's Anger molliji· ''· 1668. ~ fo~/~:lnfhe MiniflrJ. The AuT ll 0 R'S• L I F E. Vor.. I. upon :ntackt him afrefh: And here my Pen is diffiden~ of her Abil~tits t_o defcribe that moft pathetick and moving Contefl whtc~ ~as bct";Vl~t hts F:uher ahd him. His FatberaEl:ed by Narural.L.ove, pnnctpally_aimm~ at his Son's Temporal Honour; He, guided by a D''l!mc lmp11ljc, havmg chtcfl.y in View his own Eternal Welfare: His Father gnev'd t~ fee the well~accom· p1ifh'd Son of his. Hope.t, now ripe for Wor(dly Promotton, vo~untanly tur.n 'his Back on it· He no lcfs affii£ted, to thmk.that a Compliance wtth h1s Eartbly l-~1ther's' Ple;fure, was inconfifient with an Ohedi(luet~ hi_s Heavenly Otrc : His Father preffing hi! Conformity to th~ Cu;1oms and 1-njhons of th.e Timer: He modeftly craving Leave to refratn from what would hurt hts Confciencc /His 'Father carndlly inueating him, and. almoft on his K.nees befeeching him to yield to his Dejire; He, of a lovmg and under Difpo ... fition, in an extream .Agony of Spirit, to hch"Old his Father's Conur'! a_nd Tro11ble : His Father threatning to difinl'erit him ; He, humbly fubmtttttlg to his Fdtbtr's Will therein. His Father turning his Back on him in Angrr; He, lifting up his He(/rt to God, for Strength to fupport him in that Time of Trial. · • And here we may not omit to give our Reader a particular and obfervable Infidncc of his Sincerity. His Father finding him too fixt to be broughtto :1 Genera/Compliance with the Cuflom(/ry Complements of tbe Time.r, feem'd in· clinable to have born with him in other RefpeEls, provided he would be nncover'd in the Prefence of the King, the Duke, and Himfetf: This being propos'd, he defired Time to confider of, which his Father fuppofing to be with an lntenrion of confuhing his Friend.r, the t!_naker.r, about ic; he af· fured him that he would fee the Face of none of them, but retire to his Chamber till he fhould return him an Anfwer. Accordingly he withdrew~ and having humbled himfelf before God, with Fafling and Supplication, to know his H~avenly Mind and WiU, he became fo ftrengthned in his Refolu .. tion, that returning ro his Father, he humbly fignified, that he could not comply with his Defire therein. When all en,feavours yrov'd inefFe8:ual to !hake his Conflancy, :1nd his Father faw himfelf utter y difJppointed of his Hope.r, he could no longer endure him in his Sigbt, but turn'd him out of Doors the fecond Time. Thull expofed to the Charity of his Friends, having no other Subfiftence, (except what his Mothell privately fent him) he endured the Croft wirh a. Chri1tian Patience and Al11gnanimity, comforting himfelf with the Promife of Chdft, Luke xviii. 29, 30. . After a confiderable Time, his fteady Perf.everancc evincing his Integrity~ hts Father's Wrath. became fomewhat moflified, fo that he winked at his Return to, and Continuance. in his Family; and tho' he did nbt publickly fcem ro countenance him, yet when imprifoned for being at Meetings, he would privately ufe his Intereft to get him releas'd. About the Year t668, being the 24th of his Age, he fidl came forth in th~ Work of the Mini{lry, .rightly called t?, ancl qualified for that Office ; betn~ fent of Goi. to Te11c!J others what htmfelf had learnt of him : Com· mij]ianed from on High, to Preach to others that Holy Self Denial himfelf h::sd pr,,flijtd: To recommend to all that Sereniry and Pe11cc of Co;tjcie1tc~ him~elf had felc: Walking in_ th~ LIGHT, to call others out of Darkneft: Havmg drank of rhe Water of Life, to dircfr others to the fame FounttJin : Having tafted of the Heavenly Bread, to iuvite all Men to partake of the fame Bt~nquet: Being redeemed by the Power of CHRIST. he w:~s f~11t to call others from under the Dominion of S11tan, into the Glorious Libeny of the Sons of GOD, that they might receive Remiffion of Sins, and an lnhe~ ritance among them that aTe Sall{liflcd, through Faith in Jeju.rChrifl. One Workman thus qualified, is able to do Hi.r .Mll}ler's Btdinrfs far more ef· fea:ually, then Ten Bold lntruder.r, who undertake to Te1rcb a Science them· felves never Lear'V!_d. About this Time he writ to a Jimnl?, Ferfon of hiS .Acquaintance, by Way of Caution, againlt the Follies and 'Vanities of the W-o~ld, the following Letter, vi=. Friend, ,. VoL. I. 'I he Au i il oR's LIFE. 1668. Friend, Navy· Office, 1oth of the 5t~ Month, t66S. ~ I T w&aTrueWcrdJpokehy JEsUs CHRIST, to undeceive aU thofe .A_(juai~t.mu~ CarekJs Wanton Jews, among wbo111 be tnanife{Jd His Glorious T1uth, i..'.Dw-:dtnl. tbro11gh That Body pr~_pared of God for that \Tery End, That the Way whic'h ~~:'vr!f,~:::. \ leads to Ever/a fling Lije and Ref!, wm very Strait and Narrow. My Friend, How mucb it may import t be W1fjare of thy Immortal Soul, to t'e.fie£1 ilpon tb~tr Courfe of Life, and Wtty rboa note art tea/king in, before an Evident Stroke from Heaven call thee hence, t~nd Jend thy fo much indulgc_d Flefh and Blood into 1be Grave; an Entcrtainmtnt for no better than Noifome lVorms. I beg thee, tU ever tbo11 wot~ldff be Javed from tbat unfpeakable Anguifh, tvhich is rifeNJed /or Worldfing~, 11nd from whahe there it no Redemption, to k.eep thy Jet{ from thoJe Van7tiu, Follit's, and PoUution.r, which unavohltl· blybri_nsthat MiferablcSrate. Al11.r! How incongruom, or unfuitnb/e u thy Life rmd Pr.t8ice, with thofe Holy \Vomen of Old, wbo(e TitiJe watmofl-ly jpe11t iu Heavenly Retirements, out of that Rattle, Noife, and ConverJ~ rion thou art in: AnJ canjf 1ho11 imttgine that tbofe Holy Men recorded m Scripr11re, fpent their Dr1ys, tU do the GaUant.r of thefe Time.r: Where is the Self-Denying Life of ]Estis, the Crofs, the RftrtMcb, the Perfrcution, and Lofs of All, whicb He and HH jNjfered, and 11i0 willin!,/y fupporrcJ, havinr their E)'e.r all jixt upon tz More Enduring Sub ance. WeD, my Friend, thH knoro, and b; thefe jhalt thou be judged, and in it I am clear, That as wirh· out Holinefs none can li::e God, fo witho1d Subjellion to 1h11t Spirit, Light, or Grace in the .fleart, UJbich Gr-d in Love bath made to ttppear to all, That teachcth ro deny all Ungodlinefs and Worldly LuUs, and ro live Soberly, Righteoufly, and Godly in this prefent World; !fay, milbout Subjeflioli hereunto, there is no attaining to that Holinefs which wiU give thee an En• trance into His Pnjence, in which is Jqy and PlcaJure for ever. Jind exa· mine with thy fel/, borv remote thou art from the Guiding.r and lnflruflionr of thi.r Spirit of Grace, who canfl coumen11nce this .Age in frequenting their wicked and vain Sport.r, Plays and Entertainments, conforming tby felf to ridicnlom Ct~flom.r, 'lind making One ttt idle Talking and vain Jefling, rv6ere-foevcr tbou cotne/1, not conjiltring thou (halt a(count with the Dreadful ~od for _everr Idle. Word. .And let aN thy Fralick. Jlffociatct. ,btow, their Dny zs ba{lenmg, m whtcb tbry fhrHI not abide tbe Prefence of bu111hat fit.r upon tbeTbrOfte. It ./hall be a Time of Horror, .Amazement and Dijlrefr: Tben fhaU they know there i.r n Righteous Holy Judge of All. A.r for thee, with Pity is thy Condiriono/ten in my Tbougbt.t; ani often it it my De }ire that th011 mayfl ~o well_; h11t wbilfi 1 fee thee _in that Spirit, !fJbicb favour.r of tbir Worlds Deltghts, Eafe, Plenty and Eiteem, neg!e8111g tbttt One Thing ne-ceffary, I have hkt liule Hopu. Howet-'t:r, I could not let tbi.r Pl~n Admo-- nition pafs tile, 11nd tohdt Pl.!ce foever it may have in thy Tbougbt.r, I mn jure ir'; in True Love to that wbiciJ fod! be Happy or Miferab/e to all Etcrnily. I bavc nor Joug1lf Fine Words, or Chiming Expreffions; tbe Gravity, the Conurnmenr and Nat11re of my Subjetl, admits no fucb Butter-Flies. Jn jhorr, he advifed, mv Friend, 10 he Serious, and to ponder that wbicb he· 1,1n,gs to thy Eternal Pe:~ce. Retire from the Noife and Clauer of Tempting Vifibles, to the beholding H 1M who i.r Invifible, that He may rrign in thy S01el, G 0 D over All, Ex11/1Cd and Blc_ffed for ever: Flrewel. I am !hY Well-wifhing, Real Friend, W. P. This Ye~r was publifl1cd the firft of his printed Works, under rhe Tirle Hit . .fi'ft. Ar of Tr111h Exalted; and foon after that a fi::cond, call'd, Tb~GNide mijlnken, ~~~~mg 111 being a Reply to Jon at ban Cl,pbonls Book, entituled, J1 Guitle to tbc True ""'' Rcli,f!,ion . About this Time, Two of the Andiror.r of one Tbomm Vinccnr, a Prefhyrer nz ;~4ion.of in the Sprttle-.J'ard, Came O\'er to the ~uaker.r s their .Pafior hcrcat rranf- ~n~y~~u~: paned doniou!hak~n. |