An epistle to all my dear Friends elect and precious in America. Fox, George, 1624-1691. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription B09160 of text R181332 in the English Short Title Catalog (Wing F1804A). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 6 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 1 1-bit group-IV TIFF page image. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 B09160 80922725 Wing F1804A ESTC R181332 80922725 ocm 80922725 191878 2248548074

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this EEBO-TCP Phase II text, in whole or in part.

 Early English books online text creation partnership. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. B09160) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 191878) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books; 1641-1700 ; 2894:1) An epistle to all my dear Friends elect and precious in America. Fox, George, 1624-1691. 1 sheet, ([1]) p. s.n., [Swarthmore, England : 1675] Signed: G. Fox, Swarthmore in Lancashire, the 12th of the 12th moneth, 1675. Text in two columns. Reproduction of original in the Haverford College Library. eng Society of Friends -- Doctrines -- Early works to 1800. Society of Friends -- North America -- Early works to 1800. Quakers -- North America -- Early works to 1800. Broadsides -- England -- 17th century. eebo An epistle to all my dear friends elect and precious in America. Fox, George, 1675 1 1000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A This text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. 2013-09 Assigned for keying and markup 2013-09 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2013-11 Sampled and proofread 2013-11 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2014-03 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion
AN EPISTLE TO ALL MY DEAR FRIENDS Elect and Precious IN AMERICA .

STand fast in the Faith which Christ Jesus is the Author of , by his heavenly Ensign , in your heavenly Armour and in your heavenly Weapons , your feet shod with the heavenly Gospel , and your Heads preserved with the Helmet of Salvation , and your Hearts preserved with the Breast-plate of Righteousness , and so stand feeling and seeing God's Banner of Love over your Heads , manifesting that you are the good ground , that God's Seed has taken root downward in , and spring upward in , and bring forth Fruits in some 60. and in some 100 fold in this Life ; to the Praise and Glory of God , alwayes beholding the Sun of Righteousness , that never sets , ruling the supernatural Day of which you are Children , and the persecutors Sun ( the heat of it which rises and setts again ) cannot scorch your Blade , which it may do that Seed that grows on the stony Ground .

And therefore , be valiant for God's Truth upon the Earth , and fear him , that can break their Fetters , there Goals , and there Bonds in sunder , and can make your Fleece to grow again , after the Wolves have torn the Woll from your Backs ; for the Rod of the wicked shall not be alwayes upon the backs of the righteous .

And therefore mind Christ , who is the first and last , who bruses the Head of him who is the Head of all Persecutors , to wit , the Devil .

And consider how all the Faithfull in all Ages suffered from righteous Abel to Just Lot , and the Children of Israel by Pharaoh , and all the true Prophets by the false , and Christ and the Apostles by the vagabond professing Jews ( out of the possession ) and what rejoycing it was to them to suffer for the Lord Jesus , and how it was given unto them , not onely to believe , but also to Suffer ; so it was a Gift of God to them , not onely to believe , but to suffer , and to carry them up in their Suffering .

And consider how all the Martyrs and Saints have suffered since the Apostles dayes , by the Heathens and false Christians ; and so there is no new thing under the Sun .

And therefore keep your Meetings in the Name of Jesus , whose Name is above every Name , in whose Name you have salvation ; and be valiant for God's Truth upon the Earth , and sound his Name abroad and keep in the Truth , and give no just Occasion to the Adversary ; for the Lamb must have the Victory ; and keep in the Lords Power , that is over all , and in his peaceable Truth , in which you will feel the Good and eternal Welfare & Salvation of all People .

And the Prophet Esaiah speaking of Christ sayes , In all their Afflctions he was afflicted , & the Angel of his Presence saved them , so all Friends feel the Lord in all your Afflictions .

And the Apostle saith , we our selves glory in you in the Churches of God , for your Patience and Faith in all your Persecution and Tribulation that you indure .

So here you may see the Saints are one another's Joy in the Lord , who doth uphold them in all their Persecutions , Tribulations , and Sufferings ; and therefore look over the Devil , that is out of Truth , that makes to suffer , to Christ , who bruises his Head ; and in Christ , who is first and last , in him have you Rest , Life and Peace .

And you see by faith , Moses chose rather to suffer Afflictions with the People of God , then to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a Season .

So by Faith , he esteemed the Reproaches of Christ greater Riches , then the Treasures in Egypt .

And by Faith Moses forsook Egypt , not fearing the Wrath of the King , for he indured , as seeing him who is invisible ; and so by Faith God's People now forsake Egypt in Spirit .

And by faith the Mouthes of the Lyons were stopt ; and by faith they indured Tortures , not expecting Deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurection , and by Faith they underwent all the Cruel mockings , scorgings , Bonds and Imprisonments ; and by Faith they under went Stoneing and Sawing asunder , and were tempted and slain with the Sword , and they wandered about in Sheep-skins and Goats-skins , being destitute , afflicted and tormented , of whom the World was not worthy , &c.

Now all these lived in the one Faith , by which they saw him who was invisible , which is the Faith of God's elect now ( which Christ Jesus is the Author and Finisher of ) which Faith upholds his People now , as it did them , against the Persecutors in Dayes and Ages past .

And hold fast the hope which anchors the Soul , which is sure and stedfast , that you may float above the worlds Sea ; for your Anchor holds sure and stedfast in the Bottom , let the Winds , Storms and raging Waves rise never so high : And your star is fixt , by which you may steer to the eternal Land of Rest , and Kingdom of God : So no more , but my Love to you all .

Swarthmore in Lancashire the 12th of the 12th Moneth , 1675. G. Fox .