The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By HimselfEllwood, Thomas
History
The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By Himself
Ellwood, Thomas
Ellwood, Thomas, 1639-1713; Quakers -- Biography
“In the truth and love of the Lord Jesus, by which life and salvation
is revealed in the saints, is my dear love unto thee, and in much
tenderness do I salute thee. And, dear heart, a time of trial God
hath permitted to come upon us, to try our faith and love to Him; and
this will work for the good of them that through patience endure to
the end. And I believe God will be glorified through our sufferings,
and His name will be exalted in the patience and long-suffering of
His chosen. When I heard that thou wast called into this trial, with
the servants of the Most High, to give thy testimony to the truth of
what we have believed, it came into my heart to write unto thee, and
to greet thee with the embraces of the power of an endless life,
where our faith stands, and unity is felt with the saints for ever.
Well, my dear friend, let us live in the pure counsel of the Lord,
and dwell in His strength, which gives us power and sufficiency to
endure all things for His name’s sake; and then our crown and reward
will be with the Lord for ever, and the blessings of His heavenly
kingdom will be our portion. Oh, dear heart, let us give up all
freely into the will of God, that God may be glorified by us, and we
comforted together in the Lord Jesus; which is the desire of my soul,
who am thy dear and loving friend in the eternal truth,
“THOMAS LOE.
“We are more than forty here, who suffer innocently for the testimony
of a good conscience, because we cannot swear, and break Christ’s
commands; and we are all well, and the blessing and presence of God
is with us. Friends here salute thee. Farewell! The power and the
wisdom of the Lord God be with thee. Amen.”
Greatly was my spirit refreshed and my heart gladdened, at the reading of
this consoling letter from my friend; and my soul blessed the Lord for
His love and tender goodness to me in moving His servant to write thus
unto me.
But I had cause soon after to double and redouble my thankful
acknowledgment to the Lord my God, who put it into the heart of my dear
friend Isaac Penington also to visit me with some encouraging lines from
Aylesbury Gaol, where he was then a prisoner; and from whence (having
heard that I was carried prisoner to Oxford) he thus saluted me:—
“DEAR THOMAS,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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