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A Letter to all Friends
Friends, to you all, this is the Word of the Lord: Take heed of Judging one another; Judge not one another. I command you in the preſence of the Lord, Judge not with that which muſt be Judged; and Judge not one another behind one anothers backe, I command you in the preſence of the Lord. This is the Word of the Lord unto you; neither lay open one anothers nakedneſs, and weaknes behind one anothers backs, for thou that doſt, art one of Hams family, which is under the Curſe; but every one in particular, with the Light of Chriſt, which he hath inlightened you withall, to ſee your ſelves with it, every one ſee with the Light, every one Judge ſelf, that ſelf may be Judged out with the Light in every one; and ſo to you all, this is the Word of the Lord. And that there be no backbiting behind one anothers backs, but in love. You that dwell in the Light, and see clear, ſpake to the other, whoſe minds are gone from the Light; if you, as I ſaid before, ſpake behind their backs there will be the evill Eye and filthy mind, which dares not ſpake to the face, and ſo the ſame that doth condemn behind the back, is for condemnation with the Light, ſo ſelf shall be {Page 61} Judged first. So here you may be pure in the fear and love of God and watchful, and all ſelf Judged out from among you, which would be Judging in ſecret, which is a work of darkneſs; and take heed, I charge you in the preſence of the Lord, of a fained humility, a fained love which is out of the Light, and then to uſe as a cuſtomary ſalvation or a form of gesture, which is all for condemnation, with the Light to be kept, which is of the covenant. So ſee that your aćtings be from the Light, and inthe Light; here you are all kept pure and clean and will come to be ſealed in the Everlaſting Covenant of God, with the Light which is from Christ; and again, I charge you in the preſence of the Living God, not to ſuffer thy mind to go out, to contend with them that be not of the Truth, which are out of the Truth, which both are to be condemned with the Truth; for the ſame mind will boaſt and get up, which is out of the Truth: which ſees things in the comprehenſion, but that is excluded out if the Truth, and shall not enter, but is for condemnation. And ſo to you all this is the Word of the Lord God of Power and of Beauty; that in the peace you may be preſerved to wait for the Spirit of Grace and Wiſdom and the Spirit of Underſtanding. And Friends all, every where met together, waiting upon the Lord, that your minds may be guided by the Light of God, up to God in one another, which all thoſe minds which are abroad are strangers from the Life of God, ſo you are ſtrangers to the Covenant of Promiſe; for the Covenant and Promiſe of Life is with the ſeed and there is no ſin, nor iniquity, nor tranſgreſſion in the Covenant, for it is all Judged without the Covenant of God, and the Covenant of Life, and ſo wait I charge you all in the presence of the Living Holy God of Life, that you may witneſs the Everlasting Covenant of Life, dwelling with your ſouls; and find the witneſs and find the Seal that you are Sealed to God with; his Seal. That you may all witneſs ſin and tranſgeſſion finished, and it bloted out; and the new Covenant of God witneſsed, with which you may all come to know the Lord, to love the Light, which hridt hath given you, and it to teach you; you will witneſs the Covenant Christ Jesus; for as the Lord ſaid, I will give Him for a Covenant; a Light to the Gentiles to open the Eyes of the blind. And ſo this Light doth open the Eye of the blind, all you that were blind as the Gentiles or the Jewes which knoweth the Light, your Eyes are opened, and you do ſee {Page 62} the new Covenant, the unchangable Priest, the unchangable Covenant; ſo in that which changeth not, dwell: I charge you all in the preſence of the living God who changeth not, that that which is changable, and changeth, may be Judged, and condemned, with that which changeth not, though the miniſtration of condemnation be glorious its time, which is for condemnation, with that which changeth not, the miniſtration of the Spirit exceeds inglory, which changeth not and there is no condemnation to them who are here and walketh in the Spirit, and are in Chriſt Jesus the new Covenant: I ſay there is no condemnation to ſuch, but freedom. But who are in that which changeth, runs in the changable works without in that nature which hates the Light, and is all for condemnation with the Light that is Eternall and never changeth: And all beggerly Luſts, Traditions and Rudiments of men, which is aćted in that nature contrary to the Light, is for condemnation with the Light. So dwelling all in the Light, which is not changable, nor changeth, you come to Judge all changable things that can alter and change, and that which comes from God, which changeth not, and with his Light all things is Judged which changeth: with his Light, which he hath given. So dwelling here, in the Light, to Judge all changable things, and keep them out of houſe and mind. So dwelling here, in the Judgment, you will be filled full of mercy: firſt Judgment, and then mercy. To you all, this is the Word of the Lord to ſpread over all, that the Juſt may ſpread over all, and grow up to be King. I charge you in the preſence of the Lord God, to ſend this among all Friends and Brethren every where, to be read in all meetings: to you all this is the Word of God, and to that of God in you all I ſpake. Friends, I charge you all in the preſence of the Living God, evil communication, and evil words, let none proceed out of your mouthes, for though you do find the Root in you, not taken away, that would aćt, dwel in the Light, which lets you ſee evil communication, and with the Light to give Judgment upon it in the particular, firſt to Judge it all: therfore that is it that corrupts the good manners, and there is no good manners, but all is corrupted whilſt there is evil communications: and all your Proſeſſion is Abomination to the Lord whilſt that ſtands. So put away all filthy communication out of your mouthes, and all wrath, and all unrighteouſneſs, and ungodlyneſs: With the Light you ſee it, all walking in the Light, and loving it, you may Judge all with the {Page 63} Light, that you may know the good manners. I charge you all in the preſence of the Living God, in the Light to walk, to keep out all the evil communication from among you; for the corrupt manners is there, and proceeds from that; and all the profeſſion which is aćted in that nature, while the evil communication is ſtanding, is abomination, and is for condemnation; and all their profeſſion is for the fire. So walk all in the Light with which you are enlighted: I charge you all in the preſence of the Living God. It will teach you all the good manners, and pure communication, and condemn all corrupt manners and corrupt communication: ſo to have the mind cleaned of all ſuch, all walking in the Light have the becſome in their hands, and sweep the Land of all corrupt manners: and vain communication; and with the Light all come to be Judged down. So the Light is the Judge and the condemnation, and in the Light walk, and ye will ſhine. My deare Brethren in the Covenant of Life, keep to yea and nay, and firſt day, ſecond day, third day, fourth day, and fifth day, as they were given forth. And deare Brethren in the Covenant of Life, the endleſs Riches you are made partakers of, and the endleſs Inheritance you are come to have ſhare of, Heirs with the Chriſt of the Kingdom that never fadeth away, you that ſuffer with Chriſt shall Rejoyce with Chriſt. And to you all Friends which are not come up to the Covenant, and cannot witneſs you are come into it, and Sealed, follow no image makers without the Life guiding, which is Eternal, which will hew down all imaginations and likeneſses and images, and images makers; that the Glorious God the Father of Life may be revealed, the ground of all Truth. And Friends, none ſpeak abroad but as you are Eternally moved of God with the Spirit of the Lord, and to that be obedient as faithful ſervants, that you may enter into the joy of your Lord. And Friends all I warn you and charge you all, in the preſence of the Living God of Heaven and Earth,that there be no keeping of old things in ſtore, in the mind or memory, or heart-rising or backbiting among you, ſpeaking evil one of another behind your backs, but Judge that out with the Life of God, and dwel in the Life of God, I charge you all in the preſence of the Living God, then you all in this Life of God will have unity: and again I charge you all, in the presence of the Living God, to beware and not to ſuffer that to contend in you, which goeth out of the Truth, but let the Truth Judge it out. And I charge you all in {Page 64} the preſence of the Living God, to meet together every-where, knowing one another in the Spirit, and not in the fleſh, and with the Spirit of God wait upon God, the Father of Spirits. And again Friends, I charge you in the preſence of the Living God, love not that which is out of the Truth, but all be kept low in that which is pure of God, and comes from God, you may feed upon. And again all Friends every where, dwell in Truth which never changeth, that you may trample on the fleſh; that there be no feeding of love but what is pure, which is Eternal, without any mixture or stain: and that all others may be hewen down, and the reſt trampled and trodden down, earth to earth, duſt to duſt. And now that ye may be kept pure in joy, waiting for the Eternal Riches, from the Eternal God: ſo all to know the Ministry which is from the Spirit, and in it all are one, and with it, all are Judged. I charge you all in the preſence if the Living God, take heed of Pride, but with the Juſt which is Eternal, keep all that down, and Judge it. The Prayers of the Wicked, are Abomination unto the Lord, and he hears not hypocrits, this is for the ſervice of this day: but the Prayers of the righteous is heard. And this is to go abroad in the World.
George Fox.
THE END
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