us irrational and abfurd-I anfwer; With Reference to our Duty and Obedience to the Almighty, I confider no Action indifferent; every Thing of this Nature must tend to fome Purpose, good or evil: And 'tis upon this Confideration that we extend the Doctrine of the Crofs, Self-denial, and perfect Obedience to the Precepts of Christ, farther than the Generality of those who profefs the Christian Name: And I take this Occafion to fay, my principal Errand among you, is to recommend, as far as I am enabled, thefe Chriftian Doctrines; fince our Lord himself pofitively declares, That unless we take up a daily Cross, (to our corrupt Wills and Affections) we cannot be his Difciples: And farther, to advise you to a strict Adherence to the Light or Grace of God in your own Consciences or Underftandings, as unto a more fure Word of Prophecy, or perfect Director; whereunto you will do well to take Heed, as unto a Light fhining in a dark Place: For the Nations of them that are faved, moft walk in this Light of the Lord.

But it may be objected, That many of the People called Quakers have anciently bore Teftimony to thofe Doctrines, and continue fo to do; then what Need of my feeble Teftimony or Evidence? "Tis true that numerous Pens have been employed, and many earnest Endeavours, and fervent Defires of this People, to recommend and propagate (as far as they are enabled by divine Affiftance) thofe Christian Doctrines, which they have proved by their own happy Experience to be fo beneficial and advantageous to themfelves; and being thro' Grace made Partakers of that Charity or Love, which

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which is the Bond of Perfection, and the Characteristick of a genuine and real Christian; these, I fay, by this Gofpel Love, are excited to wish well to all Mankind, and, as much as in them lies, they endeavour to ferve one another in it, as the Apostle exhorts, Gal. v. 13. And their frequent Supplications afcend to the most High, on Behalf of Mankind in general, that all People may come to the Knowledge of the Truth, as it is in Jefus, and be faved. And when our Hearts are thus enlarged, both to God, and one towards another, then are our Mouths opened to declare of his wonderful Works to the Children of Men, and fhew forth his mighty Acts, which he is able and ready to perform, by the powerful Operation of his holy Spirit in our Hearts, in fubduing every evil and inordinate Defire and Affection, and bringing them under his Government, and into Subjection to his divine Will; and by fpeaking well of his great Name, to invite and encourage others to come, tafte and fee that the Lord is good, and to partake of his Offer of great Salvation, no less than the Redemption of the Soul (by Jefus Chrift) from the Bondage of Sin and Satan. And indeed the Peace that flows from, and the Promises annexed to, a perfect Obedience to the righteous Laws of God, are fufficient Inducements to excite us to a godly, righteous, and Self-denying Life; for as the royal Pfalmift greatly experienced formerly, fo we at this Day experience, and fubfcribe to this Truth, That in keeping the Commandments of God there is great Reward; and that great Peace have they who love his Law, and nothing fhall offend them: For he peaks Peace to his People, and to his Saints; but

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let them not turn again to Folly, Pfalm lxxxv. 8. And the Lord will ordain Peace for the Righteous, for the Effect of Righteoufness is Peace and Assurance for ever, Ifaiah xxxii. 17.

Agreeable to this our Lord tells his Difciples, My Peace I leave with you, my Peace 1 give unto you; not as the World giveth, but a Peace which paffeth the Understanding of the carnal Man. And the Apostle Paul, to encourage and excite the Romans to the Obedience of the Faith deliver'd, and a patient Continuance in Well-doing, tells them, their Reward should be Glory, Honour and Peace, to every Man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and allo to the Gentile, Rom. ii.

10.

But, on the contrary, that those who are contentious, and do not obey the Truth, but obey Unrighteousness, their Portion will be Indignation and Wrath, Tribulation and Anguish, upon every Soul of Man that doth Evil-as there is no Peace to the Wicked; for what have they to do with Peace, fo long as they continue in Disobedience? Indeed the Wicked may, as they often do, cry Peace to themselves, when there is no Peace, or at leaft not a folid one; as a real and fubftantial Peace and Happiness, can only refult from an Acquaintance with God, and the Testimony of a good Conscience: But a falfe and polluted Reft and Peace, which many are erecting to themselves, will deftroy them with a fore Destruction, without timely Repentance and Amendment of Life; for inftead of this Peace, they shall have great Bitterness, Isaiah, xxxviii. 17.

Many and fingular are the Advantages and Privileges which I might enumerate, that attend a Life

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of Piety and Holiness, no less than an Hundredfold of Peace in our Bofoms in this Life, and the great and precious Promife of Life Eternal in the World to come. And as I have, by the Grace of God, and thro' `Obedience of Faith, witnessed in Degree this Peace from God, (which is beyond the Conception of those who have never enjoyed it) I became greatly concerned for Mankind in general, and in a particular Manner for the Inhabitants of my native Country, that they might witness this Peace; and I often petitioned the Almighty, that he would in his wonted Mercy difcover to you the Things that belong to your Souls Peace, before they might, by Unbelief, be hid from your Eyes.

Having had this Concern for fome Time on your Account, the Almighty was pleased to lay a Conftraint upon me to declare it among you. This, and what follows, I am fenfible will found as idle and ridiculous Tales in the Ears of many; however, I fhall go on to tell you, that I confider myself as a very feeble Inftrument in the Cause of God, and one of the least Servants in my Mafter's House. I have alío confider'd, how backward the Generality of People are to receive Advice, even when it has been offered by religious, pious and learned Men; and that the Labours of fuch have had but little Effect on the Minds and Conduct of many called Chriftians; and reflecting on the Greatness of my Inability, as well as the Improbability of my being ferviceable in God's Cause, I have been induced to fay, Lord! who will believe my Report, fince fo many have labour'd (as I have thought) in vain? Shall I, a poor Female, undertake

undertake for God? Can I prefume to come up to his Help against the great Adverfary of Souls? No Jurely; rather, I beseech thee, appear in the Glory of thy Majefty, and by the immediate Act of thy mighty Power in the Hearts of the People, fubdue and lay wafte the ftrong Holds of Sin and Satan! And in the Room thereof establish, I beseech thee, the Kingdom and Dominion of thy dear Son, our Lord, whose Right alone it is to reign in the Hearts of the People, who is the King of Kings, ant Lord of Lords! And farther, tho' I am but Duft and Ashes, I thus prefumed to excufe myfelf; Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor fince thou hast been pleafed to difcover thy Will to me. But to an Almighty Power, who doth according to his righteous Will, both in the Armies of Heaven and among the Inhabitants of the Earth, who fhall fay, What doft thou? And fince he is pleased to fend by the Hand of whom he will fend, I no longer refifted his Will, but became obedient to his Word and Power, against which I had long reafoned, and objected my Unfitnefs; tho' the Apostle Paul informs us, That as many as have been baptized into Chrift (or with his Baptifm of Fire - and the holy Ghoft, and have witneffed the chaffy Nature in them confumed, and by this Means) have put on Chrift (that then there is no Diftinction or Difference among Chriftians in a religious Senfe) there is neither Jew or Gentile, there is neither Bond nor Free, there is neither Male nor Female: For, fays the Apostle, ye are all one in Chrift Fefus. Thus he seems to allow our Sex the fame Gofpel Privileges with the reft of Mankind. And the royal Prophet calls on the Female, as well as the

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