Quaker First Love

Gooses, the 14th of the 2d month, 1690

All friends every-where, that are alive to God thro’ Jesus Christ, and are living members of Christ the holy head; be still, and stand still in the Lord’s camp of holiness and righteousness, and therein see the salvation of God, and your eternal life, rest, and peace. In it you may feel and see the Lord’s power is over all; and how the Lord is at work in his power, ruling the nations with his rod of iron, and breaking (in the nations) the old leaky vessels and cisterns to pieces, like the potter’s vessels, that will not hold his living water of life, who are erred from the Spirit. But blessed be the Lord God of heaven and earth, who by his eternal arm and power hath settled all his people upon the living, holy rock and foundation, that stands sure; whom he hath drawn by his Spirit to his Son, and gathered into the name of Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth; who hath all power in heaven and earth given to him. Whose name is above every name under the whole heaven, and all his living members know there is no salvation given by any other name under the whole heaven, but by the name of Jesus; and he, their salvation and their living head, is felt in the midst of them in his light, life, spirit, grace, and truth, and his word of patience, wisdom, and power: who is his people’s prophet, that God hath raised up, in his New Testament and covenant, to open to them; and their living shepherd, that hath purchased, redeemed, and bought them with his precious blood. Christ, the living One, feeds his living sheep in his living pastures of life, and his living sheep their living shepherd’s voice, with his living bread and water, and follow him; and will not follow any of the world’s hirelings, nor thieves, nor robbers, nor climbers, that are without Christ, the door. Likewise Christ’s living children know Christ, the bishop of their souls, to oversee them with his heavenly and spiritual eye, that they may be preserved in his fold of life, and go no more forth. Also they know Christ, their holy priest, that by the grace of God tasted death for them, and for every man, and is a propitiation for their sins; and not for theirs only, but for the sins of the whole world: and by the one offering up of himself he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Such an high-priest becomes Christ’s sheep in his new covenant and testament, who is holy, harmless, and separate from sinners, and is made higher than the heavens: who is not made a priest after the order of Aaron with his tythes, offering, etc. but he makes an end of all those things, having abolished them, and is made an high-priest after the power of an endless life, who ever liveth to make intercession for his people; and is able to save to the uttermost, all that come to God through him. He is the one holy mediator between God and man, who sanctifies his people, his church, that he is head of, and presents them to God without spot, or wrinkle, or blemish, or any such thing; and makes them an holy, royal priesthood, to offer up spiritual, holy sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, who is King of all kings, and Lord of all lords in the earth. So an holy, heavenly King, who hath all power in heaven and earth given to him; and rules in all the hearts of his sheep and lambs by his holy, divine precious faith, that is held in all the pure consciences of his people: which holy faith, Christ, the holy one, is the author and finisher of. By this holy faith all the just live, in which holy, divine precious faith all the just and holy ones have unity; and by it quench all the fiery darts of Satan; and have access to the pure God, in which they please him. Christ, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, in his New Testament and new covenant is the minister of the sanctuary and true tabernacle, which the Lord hath pitched, and not man. Therefore all the lambs and sheep of Christ must feel this holy minister in their temple and sanctuary, who ministers spiritual, holy, and heavenly things to them in their sanctuary and tabernacle.  For all the tabernacles and sanctuaries, that are built or pitched by man, men make ministers for them; and such ministers are of men, and by men, with their worldly sanctuaries and tabernacles of men’s pitching, by men’s hands.

And now, dear friends and brethren every-where that are of the flock of Christ: Christ our passover is sanctified for us. Therefore let us all keep this heavenly feast of our passover in his new testament and covenant, not with old leaven, neither of malice nor wickedness: but let all that be purged out, with the sour old leavened bread, that all may become a new lump: and so keep this heavenly feast of Christ our heavenly Passover, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Amen.

 

Difficult as this reading of George Fox may be at first, keep to it. Just as reading the King James Bible takes more than one reading, so to does reading Fox; but the time and struggle for both is more precious than a man’s love for a woman. 

George Fox is so close to Jesus that I believe he is one of Christ’s apostles. His writings always keep to Jesus, so you know you are not reading his own  thought’s or man’s worldly thinking. As with the Holy Bible, the depth of Fox’s writings can open to you what you had not seen previously. It’s all the Holy Spirit in him.

 

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