My dear friends, all every where, the power of the Lord God, that first convinced you, and his light and truth, all wait and walk in, and keep your first habitations [Jude 1:6] in the power of the Lord God, and in his light, and life, and spirit, by which all your minds may be stayed, and kept up to theLord God [Isa 26:3], in the unchangeable light, life, power, and spirit. And so ye living in the unchangeable life and light, ye see Christ, that does not change [Heb 13:8], but ends all changeable things, types, figures, and shadows [Heb 9,10], and destroys the author of all evil inventions and traditions among all the sons and daughters of Adam in the fall. . . . which will draw the mind outward from the power, and so from your habitation of peace [Isa 32:18]; through which trouble will enter, as it hath done upon some, who now do see how they have gone from their habitation. Therefore in the power of the Lord God, which is everlasting, in which is the fellowship live; which power of God is perfect, in which is the perfect fellowship, which was before imperfection was. In which power of God is the joy and life; and ye keeping in your habitations of the light, life, and power of God, (the gospel,) by which you all see and discern your own conditions, with the spirit of discerning, laying hands on no man suddenly [1 Tim 5:22], but proving and trying all things [1 Th 5:21]; seeing your own conditions by the power of the Lord, and his light, by which ye may have <224> the spirit of discerning ]1 Cor 2:14], waiting and walking in the truth [3 Jn 1:3], that ye may adorn it; walking in the truth, which was before untruth was. And whatsoever is comely, decent, and of good report [Phil 4:8] follow and walk in, which is to the answering that of God in every one [Col 4:6/Rom 1:19]. . . . Therefore mind the power of God, and the righteousness and holiness, and your renewings into it, (which was before the fall was,) and follow that which makes for peace [Rom 14:19] in the truth, and in the life and power of God, which peace will stand, in the same dwelling in love and unity [1 Jn 4:16, Psa 133:1], by which ye may all honour the truth, which will keep you over all the fallen spirits, that are striving, and are busy about that which is in the fall, manifesting that they be fallen from the power of God, and gone from their first habitation [Jude 1:6]; in which power of God is the peace, in which the kingdom stands. Therefore all mind that, and to be heirs of that kingdom that stands in righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy ghost [Rom 14:17]. And so feel the seed of God over all that set that makes to suffer, which was before that was, and will stand and remain when that which makes to suffer is gone, in which you may all feel the life, which was in the Father before the world began; and feel Christ to reign amongst you, who is the prince of peace and life [Isa 9:6, Acts 3:15]; and this will keep you from being tossed and carried about with strange doctrines [Eph 4:14], (for the seed Christ [Gal 3:16] was before they all were, and will remain when they are all gone,) in a pretence of new discoveries and outward things, to bring people's minds from their habitations of life and truth; which comprehends all things, and sees all things. Therefore mind the spirit of truth, and the unfeigned love [1 Pet 1:22], and faith that works by it [Gal 5:6], over all the feignedness, that by the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit [Eph 6:16f], that may be cut down, that none may be deceived by that, but keep the unity of the faith [Eph 4:13], that gives you the victory [1 Jn 5:4] and access to God [Rom 5:2], and the unity of the spirit, the bond of peace [Eph 4:3], and the fellowship of the gospel [Phil 1:5], which is the power of God [Rom 1:16]; which power of God was before the power of satan was, in that live, <225> and meet and walk in the name of the Lord, which is a strong tower [Prov 18:10], (whose name is the power,) and in the tower is the safety over wickedness, and before it was; sitting under your own vine [Mic 4:4], and abiding in it, then ye abide in Christ [John 15:4], by whom the world was made [John 1:3], who is the light, life, and truth [John 1:4, 14:6] and the power of God [1 Cor 1:24]; and as ye abide there, ye bear fruit to the glory of God [John 15:8], and through him ye come every one to have a habitation in God, who brings out of the fall, where the curse is, to the state that man was in before he fell, and to the blessing, and not only to that state, but to him that never fell [1 Pet 2:22], in whom the saints sit down [Eph 2:6], in whom are the pastures of life, and riches eternal, everlasting, and the blessing of the Lord, that with that ye may be clothed. And so farewell! My love to all Friends in the everlasting seed of God, that never changes, which was before changings were, and stands when all changings are gone, that ye may know Christ to reign amongst you, the prince of life [Acts 3:15], and the prince of peace, and the counsellor [Isa 9:6] hearing the voice of the light, the life, the power of God, and truth's voice, which goes before you, who will give you life abundantly [John 10:10], even that which is eternal. Now the professors may see, that the hireling is fled and flies, because he was an hireling [John 10:13], whose religion was for the summer, whilst the sun shined; but in a storm, a tempest, a mist, or the sun clouded, their religion they flee from; his flight is in the winter [Mat 24:20]. So the day manifests all things [1 Cor 3:13]. Our religion is in the power of God, before winter storms and tempests were, mists, fogs, or clouds; in the light which shines over them all is our religion, that does not change, in which there is fruit borne in the winter; by which power of God all their religions are seen, which must have an end, and will have an end, which people run into. But in the power of God, and his righteousness and holiness, which was before the fall was, live; which power of God never alters nor changes, in which is both life and peace which, remains for ever, in that dwell and live; and be faithful and valiant on earth, your hearts established with grace [Heb 13:9], and your words seasoned with the same [Col 4:6]; keeping yourselves in the love of God, and in the life, in which is peace, through which ye may be all a comfort one to another, living in the life, in which is the everlasting fellowship. And so in that the Lord God Almighty preserve and keep you all. Let this be read in all your meetings in Barbadoes, New England, Nevis, and sent to Jamaica, Virginia, and Maryland, to Friends there; and to all the parts in the world, where there are Friends. A general epistle to them all, from Colchester in England. G. F.