Such as I have, such I give unto you,--the dear and tender salutation of light, life, peace, and salvation by Jesus Christ, the blessed Lamb of God; with the unspeakable joy of which, he hath replenished my soul at this time, that my cup overfloweth; which is the reward of those that cheerfully drink his cup of tribulations, that love the cross, and triumph in all the shame, reproaches, and contradictions of the world that do attend it. May God take you by the hand, and gently lead you through all the difficulties of regeneration; and as you have begun to know and love his sweet and tender drawings, so resign the whole conduct of your lives to him.
Dispute not away the precious sense that you have of him, be it as small as a grain of mustard seed, which is the least of all seeds; there is power in it, if you do but believe, to remove the greatest mountains of opposition. O! precious is this faith, yea, more precious than the glory and honour of this world that perisheth: it will give courage to go with Christ before Caiaphas and Pilate; yea, to bear his cross without the camp, and to be crucified with him, knowing that the Spirit of God and of glory shall rest upon them. To the inheritors of this faith, is reserved the eternal kingdom of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
O! be you of that little flock, unto whom Jesus said, "Fear not, for it is my Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom:" and, to be of this flock, you must become as sheep; and, to be as sheep, you must become harmless; and, to become harmless, you must hear and follow the Lamb of God; as he is that blessed light, which discovereth and condemneth all the unfruitful works of darkness, and maketh harmless as a dove; which word, all, leaveth not one peccadillo or circumstance undiscovered or unjudged; and the word darkness taketh in the whole night of apostasy; and the word unfruitful, is a plain judgment against all those dark works. Wherefore, out of them all come, and be you separated; and God will give you a crown of life, which shall never fade away.
O! the lowness and meanness of those spirits, that despise or neglect the joys and glories of immortality, for the sake of the things which are seen, that are but temporal; debasing the nobility of their souls, abandoning the government of the Divine Spirit, and embracing with all ardency of affection the sensual pleasures of this life; but such as persevere therein, shall not enter into God's rest for ever.
But this is not all that hindereth and obstructeth in the holy way of blessedness; for there is the world's fear as well as the world's joy that obstructeth many, or else Christ had not said, "fear not," to his little flock. The shame of the cross is a yoke too uneasy, and a burden too heavy for flesh and blood to bear, it is true; but therefore, shall flesh and blood never enter into the kingdom of God. And not to them that are born of the flesh, but to those that are born of the Spirit through the word of regeneration, is appointed the kingdom, and that throne which shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel, and all the world. The Lord perfect what he hath begun in you, and give you dominion over the love and fear of this world.
And, my Friends, if you would profit in the way of God, despise not the day of small things in yourselves: know this, that to desire and sincerely to breathe after the Lord, is a blessed state; you must seek, before you find. Do you believe? make not haste; extinguish not those small beginnings by an over-earnest or impatient desire of victory. God's time is the best time; be you faithful, and your conflict shall end with glory to God, and the reward of peace to your own souls. Therefore love the judgment, and love the fire; start not aside, neither flinch from the scorchings of it, for it will purify and refine you as gold seven times tried; then cometh the stamp and seal of the Lord upon his own vessel, holiness to him for ever; which he never gave, nor will give to reprobate silver, the state of the religious worshippers of the world. And herein be comforted, that Zion shall be redeemed through judgment, and her converts through righteousness; and after the appointed time of mourning is over, the Lord will give "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." Then shall you be able to say, "Who is he that condemneth us? God hath justified us; there is no condemnation to us that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans. 8:34, 1.
Wherefore, my dear Friends, walk not only not after the fleshly lusts, but also not after the fleshly religions, and worships of the world: for that which is not born of the Spirit is flesh; and all flesh shall wither as the grass, and the beauty of it shall fade away as the flower of the field, before God's Sun that is risen, and rising. But the Word of the Lord in which is life, and that life, the light of men, shall endure for ever, and give life eternal to' them that love, and walk in the light.
And I entreat you, by the love you have for Jesus, have a care how you touch with fleshly births, or say Amen, by word or practice, to that which is not born of the Spirit: for God is not to be found of that, in yourselves or others, which calleth him Father, and he hath never begotten it in them; that latitude and conformity is not of God, but secretly grieveth his Spirit, and obstructeth the growth of the soul in its acquaintance, and intimate communion with the Lord. "Without me," saith Jesus, "you can do nothing;" and "all that came before me are thieves and robbers." If so, oh, what are they that pray, and preach, and sing without Jesus, and follow not him in those duties, but even in them crucify him? O that I may find in you an ear to hear, and a heart to perceive, and embrace these truths of Jesus!
And I can say, I have great cause to hope, and patiently to wait till the salvation of God be further revealed to you, and the whole family; with whom, I must acknowledge, I was abundantly refreshed and comforted, in that God in measure made known the riches of his grace, and operation of his celestial power to you: and his witness shall dwell with you, (if we never see you more,) that God magnified his own strength in our weakness. With him we leave our travails, affectionately recommending you to his Holy Spirit of grace, that your may be conformed to the image of his own dear Son, who is able and ready to preserve you. O stay your minds upon him, and he will keep you in perfect peace, and abide with you forever! The Almighty take you into his holy protection now and forever.
I am your true friend, ready to serve you with fervent love in the will of God,
William Penn.
P.S. My dear companions do, with me, give you the dear salutation of unfeigned love, and those
in the family the love and desire to follow the Lord Jesus in sincerity and truth without wavering.
We are this evening bound towards Manheim, the court of the Prince of Palatine, and traveled
about twelve English miles on foot.
1. 1.. Penn, Travels, pages 53-57; Lewis, Memoirs, pages 82-84.