1690.
This year deceased Alexander Parker, sometimes mentioned in this
history, being a man not only of a godly life and conversation, but
also of a godly mien and grave deportment. In the following year,
viz. that of 1690, Robert Barclay also departed this life, a man of
eminent gifts and great endowments, expert not only in the languages
of the learned, but also well versed in the writings of the ancient
fathers, and other ecclesiastical writers, and furnished with a great
understanding, being not only of a sound judgment, but also strong in
arguments, and cheerful in sufferings. Besides, he was of a friendly
and pleasant, yet grave conversation, and eminently fitted for
composing of differences; and he really lived up to what he professed,
being of an unblameable deportment, truly pious, and well beloved of
those he conversed with. And in this happy state it pleased God to take
him away out of this vale of tears, into a glorious immortality, in
the prime of his age, having not lived much above half the life of a
man, as it is commonly accounted, viz. in his 42d year, on the third of
October, at his house at Ury, in Scotland, where he died of a sickness,
which did not last long, yet he signified with a good understanding,
that it was well with him as to his soul.
* * * * *
This year Stephen Crisp wrote an epistle of tender love and brotherly
advice to all the churches of Christ throughout the world, in which he
exhorted them more particularly to charity; and since therein several
remarkable duties are held forth and recommended, I cannot well omit to
insert a copy of it here, which is as followeth:
‘Dearly beloved friends and brethren, gathered out of the world
by the eternal arm and power of the mighty God, to bear his holy
name in your generation; my love and life in the fellowship of
the universal spirit salutes you all, and my prayer to God is,
you may be kept steadfast and immoveable in the grace of God,
and in the communion of his holy Spirit, that ye may bring forth
fruit in abundance, according to the abundant mercy and grace
bestowed upon you, to the glory of God, and to your mutual joy,
comfort, and edification.
‘And that you may so do, let your eye be kept daily to the
Lord, and behold and take notice of the wondrous works that he
hath wrought in you, and for you, since the day ye were first
quickened by his immortal word, and stirred up to seek after
him, and to wait upon him: how good and gracious he hath been
to you, in bringing you from the barren mountains, where your
souls languished for the heavenly nourishment; where you knew
not the Lord, nor one another, but were without a comforter, or
any to sympathise with you in your mournings; Oh, how hath he
pitied your groanings, and had compassion on your sighings, and
brought you into acquaintance with those that were in the like
exercises; and then he taught you to believe on him that was able
to help you: and those that were thus taught of the Father, and
felt his drawing cords of love prevailing upon them; these came
to Christ their Saviour, and in him began to feel an unity one
with another, in the faith you had received in him; whereby you
believed he would give you of his spirit to teach and guide you
in the way of truth, righteousness, and peace; and thus was the
foundation of your holy communion laid, and a lively hope raised
in each particular soul, that he that had begun this blessed work
would carry it on; and this hope made you that were not ashamed
to make a public profession of his name before the world; but
cheerfully to take up his cross, and deny yourselves of your
former pleasures, friendships, and delights of this world: this
hope hath been your support in many sharp trials, and bitter
combats you have had with the enemy of your souls’ peace within,
and with the enemies of God’s holy way and truth without; and
in all your conflicts you have found him nigh at hand, to put
forth his power on your behalf, as you have depended upon him
for assistance; and by these experiences of his goodness, your
faith hath been strengthened; and by the same word of life that
quickened you, many more have been reached unto, so that you have
seen a daily addition of strength in the particular, and also an
addition to your number, to your great comfort and encouragement;
and many have come to wait upon the Lord among you; and
many are daily inquiring the way to Zion, with their faces
thitherward. These things are worth your remembrance and serious
considerations, that you may look upon these great mercies as
obligations upon your souls, to walk humbly before the Lord, and
to be devout and fervent in your testimony, for that God that
hath done thus great things for you.
‘And, friends, consider of the great works that this mighty arm
of the Lord hath brought to pass in the general, as well as in
the particular; how many contrivances have been framed, and laws
and decrees made to lay you waste, and to make you cease to be a
people, and how have the wicked rejoiced thereat, for a season,
crying, ‘Ah, ah! thus would we have it; they are all now given up
to banishments, to imprisonments, to spoils and ruins; now let
us see if that invisible arm they trust in can deliver them.’
Oh friends! how hath your God been your support in the midst
of all these exercises! and when he hath pleased, how he hath
quieted the sharpest storms, and turned back the greatest floods
and torrents of persecution that ever you met! and how hath he
confounded his and your enemies, and brought confusion upon
the heads of them that sought your hurt! Were not these things
wrought by the power of God? Did your number, your policy, your
interest, or any thing that might be called your own, contribute
any thing to these your great preservations and deliverances? If
not, then let God have the glory, and acknowledge, to his praise,
these have been the Lord’s doings, and are marvellous in our eyes.
‘Again, dear friends, consider how the wicked one hath wrought
in a mystery among yourselves, to scatter you, and to lay you
waste from being a people as at this day; how many several ways
hath he tried, raising up men of perverse minds, to subvert and
to turn you from the faith, and from the simplicity that is in
Christ Jesus our Lord; and to separate you from that invisible
power that hath been your strength, and to separate you one from
another, and by subtle wiles to lead you into a false liberty
above the cross of Christ; and sometimes by sowing seeds of
heresy and seditions, endeavouring to corrupt the minds of whom
they could with pernicious principles; but oh, how have their
designs been frustrated, and the authors thereof confounded and
brought to nought: and how have you been preserved as a flock
under the hand of a careful shepherd, even unto this day, which
ministers great cause of thanksgiving unto all the faithful, who
have witnessed the working of this preserving power in their own
particulars.
‘Also, my friends, it is worth your considerations, to behold
how that by this invisible power so many faithful watchmen
are raised up upon the walls of your Zion; that in most of
your meetings there be men and women, upon whom God hath laid
a concern to be taking care for the good of the whole; and to
take the oversight upon them, to see all things kept in good
and decent order, and to make due provision for the comforting
and relieving the necessities of the needy and distressed; that
nothing be lacking to make your way comfortable; and these have
not been, nor are brought under this charge by any act of yours,
but God hath raised up pastors and teachers, elders and deacons
of his own election and choice, and bowed their spirits to take
upon them the work and service to which they are appointed, for
the Lord’s sake, and for the body’s sake, which is the church;
to whom it may truly be said, as in Acts xx. 28. “Take ye
heed to the flock of God, over which the Holy Ghost hath made
you overseers,” &c. And such ought to be hearkened to in the
discharge of their trust, as those that must give an account to
him that called them, and gifted them for their several works and
services in the church.
‘And by these ways and means hath the Lord established among you
a heavenly government, and built as it were a hedge about you,
that ye may be preserved from generation to generation, a people
fitted for the glory that is, and shall daily more and more be
revealed among and upon the faithful, who delight in that power
that called them to be saints, and to bear a profession for the
holy name of God, against the many names and ways that men in
their changeable minds have set up, that the name of the Lord
alone may be exalted.
‘And, dear friends and brethren, I intreat you, that the
consideration of these great and weighty things which God hath
wrought for you, and among you, may have that deep and weighty
influence upon your souls, that ye may find yourselves engaged to
answer the love and mercy of God in your lives and conversations,
and in all you have to do in this world; that ye may show forth
the honour of God in all things, that the light which hath shined
in you, may shine forth through you unto others, who yet sit in
darkness; that all men may know by your innocent and harmless
conversations, and by your close keeping to the Lord, that ye are
a people who are assisted and helped by a supernatural power,
which governs your wills, and subjects them to his blessed
will; and that guides and orders your affections, and sets them
upon heavenly and divine objects, and that gives you power to
deny your own private interests, where they happen to stand in
competition with the interest of truth; for these, and these
only, will be found the true disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who can deny themselves, take up a cross daily, and follow him in
the guidance of his regenerating power; which brings death upon
itself, and crucifies the old nature, with its affections and
lusts, and raiseth up a birth in you, that hath a holy will and
desire to serve the Lord, and do his will in the earth; and such
as these are instruments in the hand of God for him to work by,
and to do works of righteousness, of justice, of charity, and all
others the virtues belonging to a Christian life, to the honour
of God, and for the comfort and benefit of his church and people.
‘And all you, dear friends, upon whom the Lord hath laid a care
for his honour, and for the prosperity of the truth; and gathered
you into the good order of the gospel, to meet together to
manage the affairs thereof; take heed that ye have a single eye
to the Lord, to do the Lord’s business in the leadings of his
Spirit, which is but one, and brings all that are given up to
be governed by it, to be of one mind and heart, at least in the
general purpose and service of those meetings; although through
the diversity of exercises, and the several degrees of growth
among the brethren, every one may not see or understand alike
in every matter, at the first propounding of it; yet this makes
no breach of the unity, nor hinders the brotherly-kindness, but
puts you often upon an exercise and an inward travailing, to feel
the pure peaceful wisdom that is from above to open among you;
and every one’s ear is open to it, in whomsoever it speaks, and
thereby a sense of life is given to the meeting, to which all
that are of a simple and tender mind join and agree; but if any
among you should be contrary minded in the management of some
outward affair, relating to the truth, this doth not presently
break the unity that ye have in Christ; nor should weaken the
brotherly love, so long as he keeps waiting for an understanding
from God, to be gathered into the same sense with you, and walks
with you, according to the law of charity. Such a one ought to
be borne with and cherished, and the supplications of your souls
will go up to God for him, that God may reveal it to him if it be
his will; that no difference may be in understanding, so far as
is necessary for the good of the church, no more than there is in
matters of faith and obedience to God; for, my friends, it is not
of absolute necessity that every member of the church should have
the same measure of understanding in all things; for then where
were the duty of the strong bearing with the weak? Then where
were the brother of low degree? Where would be any submitting to
them that are set over others in the Lord; which all tend to the
preserving unity in the church, notwithstanding the different
measures and different growths of the members thereof; for as the
spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets; so are the
spirits of all that are kept in a true subjection to the spirit
of life in themselves, kept in the same subjection to the sense
of life given by the same spirit in the church; and by this means
we come to know the one master, even Christ, and have no room for
other masters in the matter of our obedience to God: and while
every one keeps in this true subjection, the sweet concord is
known, and the oil is not only upon Aaron’s head, but it reach
the skirts of his garment also; and things are kept sweet and
savoury, and ye love one another from the greatest to the least
in sincerity, and, as the apostle saith, without dissimulation;
and this love excludes all whisperings of evil things; all
backbiting, tale-bearing, grudging, and murmuring; and keeps
friends’ minds clean one towards another, waiting for every
opportunity to do each other good, and to preserve each other’s
reputation; and their hearts are comforted at the sight of one
another; and in all their affairs, both relating to the church
and to the world, they will be watchful over their own spirits,
and keep in the Lord’s power, over that nature and ground in
themselves that would be apt to take an offence, or construe any
word or action to a worse sense than the simplicity thereof, or
the intention of the other concerned will allow of.
‘And whereas it may often fall out, that among a great many,
some may have a different apprehension of a matter from the rest
of their brethren, especially in outward or temporal things;
there ought to be a Christian liberty maintained for such to
express their sense with freedom of mind, or else they will go
away burdened; whereas if they speak their minds freely, and a
friendly and Christian conference be admitted thereupon, they may
be eased, and oftentimes the different apprehension of such an
one comes to be wholly removed, and his understanding opened, to
see as the rest see; for the danger in society doth not lie so
much in that, that some few may have a differing apprehension in
some things from the general sense, as it doth in this, namely,
when such that so differ, do suffer themselves to be led out of
the bond of charity, and shall labour to impose their private
sense upon the rest of their brethren, and to be offended and
angry if it be not received; this is the seed of sedition and
strife that hath grown up in too many, to their own hurt.
‘And, therefore, my dear friends, beware of it, and seek not to
drive a matter on in fierceness or in anger, nor to take offence
into your minds at any time, because what seems to be clear to
you, is not presently received; but let all things in the church
be propounded with an awful reverence for him that is the head
and life of it; who hath said, “Where two or three are met in
my name, I will be in the midst of them.” And so he is, and may
be felt by all who keep in his spirit; but he that follows his
own spirit, sees nothing as he ought to see it. Therefore let
all beware of their own spirits and natural tempers, as they are
sometimes called, but let all keep in a gracious temper; then are
ye fit for the service of the house of God, whose house ye are,
as ye keep upon the foundation that God hath laid; and he will
build you up, and teach you how to build up one another in him,
and as every member must feel life in themselves, and all from
one head; this life will not hurt itself in any, but be tender
of the life in all; for by this one life of the word ye were
begotten, and by it ye are nourished, and made to grow into your
several services in the church of God. It is no man’s learning,
nor artificial acquirements; it is no man’s riches, nor greatness
in this world; it is no man’s eloquence and natural wisdom, that
makes him fit for government in the church of Christ; unless he,
with all his endowments, be seasoned with the heavenly salt, and
his spirit subjected, and his gifts pass through the fire of
God’s altar, a sacrifice to his praise and honour; that so self
be crucified and baptized in death, and the gifts made use of
in the power of the resurrection of the life of Jesus in him;
and when this great work is wrought in a man, then all his gifts
and qualifications are sanctified, and they are made use of for
the good of the body, which is the church; and are as ornaments
and jewels, which serve for the joy and comfort of all who
are partakers of the same divine fellowship of life in Christ
Jesus our Lord; and thus come many to be fitted and furnished
to good works, which are brought forth in their due seasons,
for edification and building up the weak, and for repairing the
decayed places, and also for defence of them that are feeble,
that hurtful things may not come near them.
‘Oh friends! great is the work the Lord hath called you to, and
is fitting you for, who innocently wait upon him; and the Lord
hath opened my heart unto you, and laid it upon me to exhort
and beseech you to have a care that ye quit yourselves as ye
ought, in what God requires of you; and for the more particular
expressing what lies before me in the matter, I shall set down
a few particular observations for your benefit and advantage;
and my soul’s desire is, that my labour of love may have a good
effect in all your bosoms, that God may be honoured thereby. And,
friends, ye know the chief business, to which ye are called in
your particular men and women’s meetings, is under these two
heads, justice and charity; the first, to see that every one hath
right done him; and the other, to take care there be nothing
lacking to the comfort of the poor, that are made partakers of
the same faith with you.
‘And when ye meet about these things, keep the Lord in your
eye, and wait to feel his power to guide and direct you, to
speak and behave yourselves in the church of God, as becomes the
peaceable gospel: and beware of all brittleness of spirit, and
sharp reflections upon each other’s words; for that will kindle
up heats, and create a false fire; and when one takes liberty
of a sharp word spoken out of the true fear and tenderness, it
oftentimes becomes a temptation to another; and if he hath not
a great care, it will draw him out also, and then the first is
guilty of two evils, first, being led into a temptation, and
then secondly, he becomes a tempter to others; therefore all had
need be upon their watch, neither to tempt, nor be tempted; and
let none think it a sufficient excuse for them that they were
provoked; for we are as answerable to God for every evil word
spoken upon provocation, as without provocation; for, for that
end hath the Lord revealed his power to us, to keep and preserve
us in his fear and counsel in the time of our provocations; and
therefore if any man through want of watchfulness, should be
overtaken with heat or passion, a soft answer appeaseth wrath,
saith the wise man; and therefore such a time is fittest for a
soft answer, lest the enemy prevail on any to their hurt, and to
the grief and trouble of their brethren; for it is the proper
duty of watchmen and overseers to spare the flock; that is, let
nothing come nigh them that will hurt them, and wound and grieve
them; nay, the good apostle was so careful over the flock of
believers, that if there were any doubtful matters to be disputed
of, he would not have them that were weak in the faith at such
disputes; much less ought they that are weak, to see those that
are strong, descend from their strength, and go into the weakness
where they are not able to bear; for that is certainly the weak
that cannot bear; those that really live in the strength and
power, they can bear even burdens for them that cannot bear their
own. The apostle in the place before-mentioned, when he sent for
the elders of Ephesus to Miletus, and left a charge with them,
before he said, take heed to the flock of God, he said, “Take
ye heed to yourselves.” And indeed we are none of us like to
discharge ourselves well towards others, but by taking heed to
ourselves, to be kept in that sober innocent frame of spirit,
which the truth calls for.
‘In the next place, my dear friends, when ye are called upon in
point of justice, to give a sentence of right between friend
and friend, take heed that neither party get possession of your
spirit aforehand, by any way or means whatsoever, or obtain any
word or sentence from you in the absence of the other party,
he not being yet heard: there is nothing more comely among
men than impartial judgment; judgment is a seat where neither
interest, nor affection, nor former kindness may come; we may
make no difference of the worthiness or unworthiness of persons
in judgment, as we may in charity; but in judgment, if a good
man, being mistaken, hath a bad cause, or a bad man a good cause,
according to his cause must he have sentence. It was a good
saying, he that judgeth among men, judgeth for the Lord, and he
will repay it. Therefore let all be done as unto the Lord, and as
ye are willing to answer it in his presence; and although some
may for a time be discontent thereat, yet in time God shall clear
up your innocency as the sun at noon-day; and they that kick at
sound judgment will find but hard work of it; they do but kick
against that which will prick them; and however such through
their wilfulness, and their abounding in their own sense may hurt
themselves, yet you will be preserved, and enjoy your peace and
satisfaction in the discharge of your consciences in the sight of
God.
‘And as concerning practical charity, ye know it is supported by
liberality, and where liberality ceaseth, charity waxeth cold,
yea, so far ceaseth; where there is no contribution, there is no
distribution; where the one is sparing, the other is sparing;
and therefore let every one nourish charity in the root, that
is, keep a liberal mind: a heart that looks upon the substance
that is given him, as really bestowed upon him for the support
of charity, as for the support of his own body: and where people
are of this mind, they will have a care of keeping back any of
God’s part, for he hath in all ages, in a most singular manner,
espoused the cause of the poor, the widow, and fatherless; and
hath often signified by his prophets and ministers, a special
charge upon rich men that had this world’s goods, that they
should look to it that they were faithful stewards of what they
possessed, and that they might be found in good works, and might
not suffer their hearts so to cleave to uncertain riches, as to
neglect the service God had given them the things of this life
for: either to give them up when called for in a testimony of
his worthy name, or to communicate of them to those that were in
necessity.
‘Now as concerning the necessities of the poor, there is great
need of wisdom when ye meet together about that affair: for as
I said before, though the worthiness or unworthiness of persons
is not to be considered in judgment, yet in this it is; and you
will find some that God hath made poor, and some that have made
themselves poor, and some that others have made poor, which
must all have their several considerations; in which you ought
to labour to be unanimous, and not one to be taken up with an
affection to one person more than another; but every one to love
every one in the universal spirit, and then to deal out that love
in the outward manifestations thereof, according to the measure,
that the Lord in his wisdom working in you, shall measure forth
to them.
‘And as to those who by sickness, lameness, age, or other
impotency, are brought into poverty by the hand of Providence;
these are your peculiar care and objects pointed out to you, to
bestow your charity upon, for by them the Lord calls for it;
for as the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness of it, he hath
by his sovereign power commanded in every dispensation, that a
part of what we enjoy from him, should be thus employed. The
Israelites were not to reap the corners of their fields, nor to
gather the gleanings of the corn nor vintage; it was for the
poor; and in the time of the gospel, they were to lay apart
on the First day of the week, a part of what God had blessed
them with, for the relief of those that were in necessity; nay,
they did not confine themselves in their charity to their own
meetings, but had an universal eye through the whole church of
Christ, and upon extraordinary occasions, sent their benevolence
to relieve the saints at Jerusalem in a time of need; and all
that keep in the guidance of the same universal Spirit, will
make it their business to be found in the same practice of
charity and good works. To do good, and communicate, forget not,
saith the apostle: so they that forget not this Christian duty
will find out the poor’s part in the corners and gleanings of
the profits of their trades and merchandisings, as well as the
old Israelite did the corners and gleanings of his field; and
in the distribution of it, will have a regard to comfort the
bowels of such, who are by the divine providence of God, put out
of a capacity of enjoying those outward comforts of health, and
strength and plenty, which others do enjoy; for while they are
partakers of the same faith, and walk in the way of righteousness
with you, submitting themselves patiently to the dispensation of
God’s providence towards them, they are of your household, and
under your care, both to visit and to relieve, as members of one
body, of which Christ Jesus is head; and he that giveth to such
poor, lendeth to the Lord, and he will repay it.
‘But there is another sort of poor, who make themselves poor
through their sloth and carelessness, and sometimes by their
wilfulness, being heady and high-minded, and taking things in
hand that are more than they can manage, and making a flourish
for a season, and then, through their own neglects, are plunged
down into great poverty. These are a sort the primitive churches
began to be troubled withal in the early days of the gospel;
for the apostle took notice of some that would not work at all,
and sharply reproved them, and said, they that would not work
should not eat; and these are commonly a sort of busy-bodies, and
meddlers with others’ matters, while they neglect their own, and
run into a worse way than the unbelievers, while they profess to
be believers, yet do not take a due care for those of their own
household.
‘The charity that is proper to such, is to give them admonition
and reproof, and to convince them of their sloth and negligence;
and if they submit to your reproof, and are willing to amend,
then care ought to be taken to help them into a way and means
to support themselves; and sometimes by a little help of this
kind, some have been reclaimed from the snares of their souls’
enemy: but if they will not receive your wholesome counsel and
admonitions, but kick against it, either in their words or
actions, friends will be clear of such in the sight of God; for
it is unreasonable to feed them that will not be ruled by you,
they break the obligation of society by their disorderly walking;
for our communion doth not stand only in frequenting meetings,
and hearing truth preached, but in answering the blessed
principle of truth, in life and conversation, and therein both
the rich and the poor have fellowship one with another.
‘There are another sort that are made poor by the oppressions and
cruelties of others. These oppressed poor cry loud in the ears
of the Almighty, and he will in his own time avenge their cause;
but in the meantime there is a tenderness to be extended to them,
not knowing how soon it may be our turn; and if there be need of
council and advice, or if any applications can be made to any
that are able to deliver them from the oppressors; in such cases
let all that are capable be ready and willing to advise, relieve,
and help the distressed; and this is an acceptable work of
charity, and a great comfort to such in their sharp afflictions,
and their souls will bless the instruments of their ease and
comfort.
‘And my dear friends, as God hath honoured you with so high and
holy a calling, to be his servants and workmen in this his great
and notable day, and to work together in his power, in setting
forth his praise and glory in the earth, and gathering together
in one the scattered seed in this and other nations; oh, let the
dignity of your calling provoke and encourage you to be diligent
attenders upon this work and service you are called to, and let
not your concerns in the world draw you from observing the times
and seasons appointed to meet together; but you that are elder,
set a good example to the younger sort, by a due observation of
the hour appointed, that they that come first one time, may not
by their long staying for others be discouraged, so as perhaps
they may be last another time; but when the time is come, leave
your business for the Lord’s work, and he will take care your
business shall not suffer, but will add a blessing upon it, which
will do more for you than the time can do that might be saved out
of his service.
‘And when you have to do with perverse, and froward, or
disorderly persons, whom ye have occasion to reprove, and to
rebuke for the truth’s sake, and you find them stout and high,
and reflecting upon you; then is a time for the Lamb’s meekness
to shine forth, and for you to feel your authority in the name
of Christ, to deal with such an one, and to wait for the pure
and peaceable wisdom from above, to bring down and confound the
earthly wisdom. And in this frame of mind you labour together
to pull the entangled sheep out of the thicket, and to restore
that which is gone astray, to the fold again, if you can; but
if you cannot, yet you save yourselves from the guilt of his
blood; and if such do perish, his blood will be on his own head:
but on the other hand, if ye suffer their perverse spirits to
enter, and their provocations to have a place in you, so as to
kindle your spirits into a heat of passion, then you get a hurt,
and are incapable to do them any good; but words will break out
that will need repentance, and the wicked will be stiffened
and strengthened thereby, and you miss the service that you
did really intend. Therefore, dearly beloved, keep upon your
watch, keep on your spiritual armour; keep your feet shod with
the preparation of the gospel of peace, and the God of peace
will be with you, and crown your endeavours with good success,
to your joy and comfort, and will bring up his power over your
adversaries and opposers more and more, to which many shall bow
and bend in your sight; and will bring shame and confusion upon
the rebellious, who harden their hearts and stiffen their necks
against the Lord, and his Christ, and kingdom; which he will
exalt in the earth, notwithstanding all that Satan, and all his
evil instruments can do to hinder the growth and progress of his
blessed truth; for of the increase of the government, and of the
peace of the kingdom of Christ, there shall be no end.
‘And now, friends, I have cleared my conscience of what lay upon
me for some time, to write by way of remembrance, and as the
exhortation of my life unto you, I remain travailing in spirit
for the welfare of Zion: and although the outward man decays,
yet in the inward man I am comforted, in beholding daily the
great things that our God hath done, and is still doing for those
that have their sole dependance upon him. So committing you to
the grace of God, for your director and preserver, in these and
all your several services unto which God hath called you, that
by the operations of his mighty power ye may be kept blameless
and unspotted of the world, to his honour and your comfort, and
to the universal comfort and edification of the church, that so
praises and thanksgivings may fill your hearts and mouths, your
families, and your meetings; for he is worthy who is our tower,
our support, the Lord of hosts, the King of saints, to whom be
glory, honour and renown, through this and all generations, for
ever and ever. Amen.
‘From your friend and brother, in the
communion and fellowship of the
gospel of peace and purity,