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Show JO, 6. 6, The A u T it-o R's l.. 1 F E: Vot: I. alit and Self-Denial, than was found if! the National Religio~ file was brel up in, For God had reach'd her, as !he told me', about N1ne Years ago and that by an exuaordmary Way. . . . Now it feemed great Pity to u/, that Perfons of rhetr Qualuy-m the World/ {hould fo willingly expofe themfelves for the falfe ~~~a~er, there .. probate Silver, the Mixtures; and that they Chould not be acquamred with the Life and Teftimony of the True !<_ua/im. . . Now about a Year fince, R. B. and B. F. took thatCtty to .the Way_from Frederickftadt xo ilmfludam, and gav~ them a Vdit ; In whtch they t~for· med them fomewhat of Friend's Prmcrpl,s, and recommen;'ied t~e Teft_Jmon ro f TRUTH to them. as both a nearer and more cenam Tht~g than the oft of De Labadie"s Doarine. They lefr.rhem tender ~nd lov1ng. u Soon after this, Gertruydt Diric!u and Ellzaberb He~druks .from Amjler .. J4m vifited them, and obtained a Meeting with them, tmprovmg tha.rhttle Way God by his Providence had made more clofely to prefs the Telhmooy. And though they, efpeci~lly the _CoJJnte(s, made ~orne Ob]eCbons, Ill rela .. tion to the Ordinances, and certam Pra£tices of Fnends, yet (he feemed to receive at that Tjme Satisfaction from them. • · . Thefe Vifits have occafioned a Correfpondence by Way of Letter betWIXt them, and fevenl of us, wherein the AJyflery of Truth hath been more cle~r· Jy opened to·their Underfiandings .: And :hey, have been brought nearer m· to a waiting Fram~, ~y thofe HeavenLy Daethons they have frequently reo ceiv'd by Way of Eptftles from feveral of us. . In Anfwer to Two of mine, the Princifs fent me the·followmg Letter, which being fhorr, I infect it here. Herford, Mayo, 1677. T HIS, Friend, will tdl you tbat bot(J yau~ "!--ettrrs v.1e~e very acceprablr; tagether with yoJJr Wifots for my obrammg tbnfe l "'tJt~s ulncb mdJ make me a roortby Follower of our Gunt King and Saviour JESUS CHRIST .. Whit I have dane [tJr bU Tnie Difciples, is ntJt jtJ tmJC'b a1 a Cup of culd Water; it affords them no Refrejbment; ' neil her did I ~xpefl df1l Fruit of ~»J Letter to the DutcheiS of L. as I h1zve exrreffet/ at the fame T1me umo l_:f. F. Bur fince R. B. dejired I /lr•u!d write it, co~JJd not rejufe him, nor O!IJ!I to tlo any Thi11g that UI(U judged conducing to bh Liberty, tho' it jho11IJ expoft ,;e to the Derifion of the World. Burt his a meer nJoral Man can rt(lcb at; t.be True inward Graces 11r-e yet wantjng i11 Your Affeft:iona te F 1 iend, ... Elizabeth. : This Digreffion fr~m the prefent Hil\ory, I thought not altogether unJicceifary or unpleafing. But to return: Being arrived at that City, part of which is. under her Government, we gave her to underfta'nd it, defuing to know what Time next Day would be moft proper for us to vi fit her. She fent us Word, She. fDI.U glad that we roere come, and {bo.11/d be ready to receive 111 tbe next Morning ah(1Ut the Seventh Hour. The next Morning being come, (which was the Sixth Day of the Week) we went about the Time the had appointed us, and found both her and the eounttfs ready to receive us; which they did with a. more than ordinary :Exprefiion of Kindnefs. I can truly fay it, and that in God's Fear, I wa1 nry deeply and reverently affe8:ed wirh the Senfe that waa upon my Spirit of the Great and Notable Day of the Lord, and the Breakings in of His Eternal Power upon all Nations; and of the raifing of the Slain Witnefs to ;udge the World; who is the Treafure of Life and ~eace, of Wifdom and <ilory, to all that receive Him in the Hour of His Judgments, and abide with Him. TheSeafe ofthisDeep andSureFoundarionwhich GOD is laying, as the Hope of Eternal Life and Glory for all to Build upon, fi!Pd my Soul with an Holy Teltimony to them; which in a Living Senfe was followed bymy Brethren: And fo the Meeting ended about the FJeventll l:lour. The VoL .. J. The A u T H? R's LIFE, 6r The Princefs i~treated ustofiay.,and Dine w~th her; but with due Regard 1677. both to our Tt ftlmony, and ~o her at that T1m~ we refufed it: Defiring if ·~ fhe pleafed another Opportunuy that Jty: Whtch fhe with all Chearful- - nefs yielded to; fhe herfelf appointing the Second Hour. So we went to our Qpartera, and fome Ttme afrer we had Dined, were~ turned. The Meeting foon began ; ~here were fever:tl prefcnt befides the Pn~cefs :tnd Counrefs. It w:ts at thts Meeung th~t the Lord in a more emmenr ~anner began to appear. The Eternal Word fhewed itfelf:t Ham· mer at thiS Da.y; ye:~, fharpertban a Two-edged Sword dividing :~funder between the Soul and the Spirit, the Joints and the M~rrow. Yea, this Day was all Flefh humbled hefore the Lord; it amazed one, firuck ano· thcr, broke another; Yea, the Noble Arm of the Lord was-truly awake· ned, and the Weight and Work thereof bowed and rendered us alfo after an unu~ual and e)([taordinary Manner; that the Lord might work an Hea~ ''.enlyS1gn before them and among them~ that the Majefty of Him that is nfen amon~ ~he Poor ~ualurs might in fame Meafure be known unto them; what God u ts we ferve, and what Power it is we wait for and bow before. Yea, they had a Senfe 3nd a Difcoverythat Day, what would become of the Glory of all Flelh, when God fhall enter into Judgment. Well, let my · . l(tgbt hand f orger 1ts Cunnmg, 'and my Tongue cleave ro the Roof of my .Mout.h, when 1 (hall forget the Loving Kindnefs of the Lord, and the fure Merctes of ?ur God to us His Travelling Servants that Day. 0 Lord, fend /o1lh '''! b g.hr and thy Trut.h, tknt all Nations 1110} behold tby Glory. .Thu.s connnued the Meenng t1llabcut the Sevenrh Hour: Which done, With Hearts and Souls filled with Holy Thankfgivings to the Lord for his abundant Mercy and Goodnefs to us_, we depaned to our Lodging defiring to know, whether our coming the next Day might not be uneafie ~r unfea· fonable to her, wirh Refpe8: to the Aftlirs of Her Government ir being the Lalt Day o~ the Week; when, we were informed, fhe was mo'ft·frequemly 3t~ended Wtth Addreffes from her People. But with a. loving and ready Mmd fh~ replyed, That Jhf foould be glad to fee rn tbe next Morning, and at any T1me when we would. · The. next Morning (being .the :'eventh Day) we were there betwixt Eight tt. 6. 7· and Nme; where R. B. f:1lhng mto_fome Difco~rfe with the Princefs, the Countefs to~k hold oft he Opportumty, and whtfpered me to wirhdraw to ger..a.. Meeung for the more inferior Servants of the Houfe, who w~uld ha've been bafhful ro have prefented themfelves before the Princefs. And .ble[ed be the Lord, he was not wanting to us: But tho fame Bleffed Power thar·had appeared to vifit them of High, appeared alfo to vifit tbem of L?w Degree: And we were all .[weedy tender'd and broken together, for ·Yirfue tunc f onh af.JESus tbat D,lJ, and the Life of our God was fhed abroad amongft us as a fweet Savour : For which their Souls bowed before the Lord. and confefs'd i:o our.Teftimony. Which did not a little pleafe that Noble Youhg Wom:1n, t.o find her own Report of us, and her gre:Jt Care of them fo elfetl:ually anfwered.· Oh, Wh~t ~all we f:Jy .! Is there any God like to our God? Who is Glorious in Hohnefs, Fearful tn Praifes, working •Wonders! 1'o His Eternal Name, Power and Arm be the Glory for ever. , · The Meeting do~e, the PrincefS came tO us, ekpreffing much SatisfaCHon tha.t we had that good Opportu~iry with her Servants; tellitlg us (he much -debred they fhould. h:Jve a True and Right Character of us, and char rhere~ £ore (he chofe to withdraw, that they might have freer Atcefs. and chat it might look like their own AS:: Or Words to thH Purpofe. ' ~ . The Twelfrh Hour being come, we returned to our lhn, letting rhcm ~~:t•*}:~~O:.~ purpofed (rhe Lord willing) to Vifit tHem fome Time of I mufi not here forget, th\lt we found at our Inn the firlt Night at Sup· Pf:'• aloung Merchant of a fweet and ingenious Temper, belonging to the Ctty o Bremen, who took Occafion from that Night's Difcourfe 'the Sixth Day at Din net and Supper, and the Seventh Day alfo, to feek ail Opporru-tunities |