opportunities, reproving that which devours the creation, and thereby destroys the very human reason: for the Truth doth preserve every thing in its place. And all meet together every where, and in your meetings wait upon the Lord; and take heed of forming words, but mind the power, and know that which is eternal, which will keep you all in unity, walking in the Spirit, and will let you see the Lord near you, and amongst you. So, God Almighty be with you, and multiply you, and give you the dew of heaven, the heavenly dew, the living mercies, (which nourisheth the tender plants, which causeth them to grow, bud, and bring forth,) and water you with his blessings.

The love of God is love past knowledge, which bears all things, endures all things, hopes all things, envieth not, thinketh no evil. And the love of God is the ground of all true love in your hearts, which casts out the love of the world, and the enmity, which was gotten betwixt you and God. He that believes, is born of God; and He that is born of God, overcomes the world. So, fare ye all well, and God Almighty bless and prosper you. G. F.

NUMBER X LV.

Concerning the heirs of the kingdom of God, and how Christ was, and his saints are tempted.

1653.

They are the heirs of the kingdom of God, and of the generation of God, that live out of the kingdom of the wicked world, (up to God, in the seed, which all the promises of God are to,) following after Christ, who was in Egypt, and passed out of Egypt, the house of darkness. And He was in the wilderness, and there He was tempted to lust after the creature; He was tempted to make Himself away; He was tempted to worship the devil, to bow down and worship him. He is the Captain of our salvation; He is gone before; He endured the cross; He despised the shame; He suffered the contradiction of sinners, for the glory that was set before Him. He hath won the crown. He hath overcome Egypt, and He hath fulfilled the law; He hath overcome the world; He hath overcome the temptations; He is able to succour all who are tempted. It is no sin to be tempted; but to enter into the temptation, that is sin. He is the Head of the body; He is the Head of the church, who bath blotted out the ordinances and traditions of men—who is the end of the

daily sacrifice—who is the end of the Levitical Priesthood; He is the end of all outward temples, who is the substance of the prophets, for they all witnessed of Him: He is ascended above all principalities and powers.

Now, the same seed, which is Christ, the same Spirit is now manifest, that ever was ; the same world is now, that ever was; the same temptations, and the same devil, and the same vain worship of the world, twining into another form and colour. And Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the Door that all must pass through; and He it is that opens it; the same door that ever was, the same Christ, yesterday, to day, and for ever. And all who follow Christ the Seed, and are of his generation, and are brought out of Egypt, the house of darkeess, and from under the law, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in them; who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, (as the apostle saith,) which we do witness. And the Seed's generation hath passed through the wilderness where they have been tempted to lust after, the creature; (ye that have been in the wilderness, can witness this with me;) and the same temptations, even to despair, and to make

themselves away. The devil, before he would

go out of his kingdom, he would destroy all: but look at the Captain Jesus Christ, who hath passed before, who was tempted with the same temptations to worship the devil; and that if thou wouldest worship the devil, thou shouldst have the glory of the world; if not, thou shouldst be called a devil, as Christ was, and be called a madman, as He was; and that none followed Him, but a cursed people as they said.

And thou shall loose thy good name, and be a laughing-stock to them that worship the devil, and as a derision among them, and a mark for every one of them to shoot at, and the drunkards to make songs of. This is the portion of them who deny the worship of the world, and the glory, and the favour, and the evil fashions thereof, and cannot fashion themselves to it; who are tempted to all these things. But it is no sin to be tempted; but standing in the power of the Almighty God, ye will be enabled to stand against and above all the wiles of Satan. So dwell in the power of Almighty God, which carries through the wilderness, and through temptations, to the end, and gets the victory over all the carnal

ordinances, and commands, and traditions of men; and He that overcomes, ascends above them all: and He that overcomes shall sit down with Christ in his throne. So every one must witness Christ born in them, passing through death to Him, through the world, through the law, through temptations, through the wilderness, and out of the world; and the Son of God ye will witness to arise, who doth overcome, who was born of God. And the same Spirit, that raised up Jesus Christ, the same Spirit raiseth you up, and quickeneth your mortal bodies; and He that hath not the same is none of his.

So examine yourselves, and see if ye have fellowship with Christ in his sufferings, and be brought to be conformable to Him in his death, and to have fellowship with Him in his temptations and reproaches, and buffetings, and scornings, and the contradiction of sinners, and to be spit upon as He was; and he that hath fellowship with Him in his sufferings, shall have fellowship with Him in his glory. And he that doth confess Him in this dark world, him will He confess before his Father and his angels; and he that doth deny Him in this world, him He will deny before