The History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress of the Christian People Called Quakers: Intermixed with Several Remarkable Occurrencs.Sewel, William
History
The History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress of the Christian People Called Quakers: Intermixed with Several Remarkable Occurrencs.
Sewel, William
Society of Friends -- History -- Early works to 1800
‘Do not cloak and cover thyself: there is a God who knoweth thy
heart, and will uncover thee; he seeth thy way. Wo be to him that
covereth, and not with my Spirit, saith the Lord. Dost thou do
contrary to the law, and then put it from thee? Mercy, and true
judgment thou neglectest: look what was spoken against such. My
Saviour said to such, “I was sick and in prison, and ye visited
me not; I was hungry and ye fed me not; I was a stranger and ye
took me not in.” And when they said, When saw we thee in prison,
and did not come to thee, &c. He replied, “Inasmuch as ye did it
not to one of these little ones, ye did it not to me.” Friend,
thou hath imprisoned me for bearing witness to the life and power
of truth; and yet professest to be a minister of Christ: but
if Christ had sent thee, thou wouldst bring out of prison, and
out of bondage, and wouldst receive strangers. Thou hast been
wanton upon earth; thou hast lived plenteously, and nourished thy
heart, as in a day of slaughter: thou hast killed the just. O
look where thou art, and how thou hast spent thy time! O remember
thyself, and now, while thou hast time, prize it, and do not
slight the free mercy of God, and despise the long suffering
of God, which is great salvation; but mind that in thee, which
doth convince thee, and would not let thee swear, nor lie, nor
take God’s name in vain. Thou knowest thou shouldst do none of
these things: thou hast learned that which will condemn thee;
therefore obey the light, which doth convince thee, and forsake
thy sins, and look at the mercies of God, and prize his love
in sparing thee till now. The Lord saith, “Look unto me all ye
ends of the earth, and be ye saved:” and, “Cease from man, whose
breath is in his nostrils.” And friend, prize thy time, and see
whom thou servest; for his servant thou art, whom thou dost obey,
“Whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness.”
If thou servest God, and fearest him, thou wilt not blaspheme
his name, nor curse, nor swear, nor take his name in vain; nor
follow pleasures and wantonness, whoredom, and drunkenness, or
wrath, or malice, or revenge, or rashness, or headiness, pride
or gluttony, greediness, oppression or covetousness, or foolish
jesting, or vain songs; God doth forbid these things, and all
unrighteousness. If thou professest God, and acteth any of these
things, thou takest him for a cloak, and servest the devil:
consider with thyself, and do not love that which God doth hate.
He that loveth God, keepeth his commandments. The devil will tell
thee, it is an hard thing to keep God’s commandments; but it is
an easy thing to keep the devil’s commandments, and to live in
all unrighteousness and ungodliness, turning the grace of God
into wantonness. “But let the unrighteous man forsake his ways,
and turn unto me,” saith the Lord, “and I will have mercy. Turn
ye, why will ye die?” saith the Lord.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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