A Salutation TO CHILDREN.

WHO are of the Seed and Off-ſpring of the Righ­teous, a Salutation of my endear­ed Love is to you; and my Pray­ers to the God of Love, and Fa­ther of Mercy, are for you, that he may raiſe you up as living Monuments of his Mercies: And as you have been brought up in the Way of Truth, by your Pa­rents or Friends (that have a4 Godly Care over you, to diſ­charge their Duty, in Love to God, and to your Immortal Souls) you may come into the Truth and Fear of God, that they may have cauſe to ſound out living Praiſes to the God of our Lives, on your behalf, for the Cry of the Righteous is to the Lord for their Children, as for their own Souls; and as they are near and dear unto them, ſo their Deſire to the Lord is, That they may be near and dear unto him, and that he would give them an In­heritance amongſt them that are San­ctified; which is far better than any outward Portion or Inheri­tance that they can leave you, and will ſtand by you when all outward Riches will fail you; for tho' you are Young and Ten­der in Years, you know not how5 ſoon the Meſſenger of Death may come to call you; then there can be no reſiſting of that Power that Summoneth you in, and to Judg­ment calls you. Oh! therefore whilſt you have a Day, prize it, for Time is very precious to Old and Young; and the Redempti­on of the Soul is alſo precious. Oh! therefore, dear Children, Remember your Creator in the days of your Youth, and anſwer the End of the Lord, for which he made you, which was to Serve and Worſhip Him; for your Belie­ving Parents, that have born you, and ſuckled you, can have no greater Joy in you, than as Samuel's Mother had, That ſhe had born and ſuckled a Child for the Lord; and as the Lord had freely given him unto her, ſhe freely gave him up to ſerve the Lord, in his Temple, all the days of his Life.

6So dear Children, wait upon the Lord, that your Strength may be renewed in Him, and that you may feel the ſame Pow­er at work in you, as ſanctified Samuel, that you may be ſanctifi­ed Veſſels to the Lord, and that your Bodies may be Temples for the Holy Ghoſt to dwell in.

So the Deſire of my Soul to the Lord for you is, That as you have begun a Teſtimony for the Lord, in keeping up the Meet­ing, that you may hold out to the end, and not fear what Man can do unto you; for the Lord's Care is over you: And as you Meet in his Fear, his over-ſha­dowing Power will be amongſt you, tho' you are but little Children; he will ſuffer you to come unto Him, that out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings he7 ordains Strength, that he may per­fect his Praiſe; and he will carry his Lambs in his Arms, and gent­ly lead thoſe that are Young.

So, dear Children, keep to the God of Strength, and he will be your Strength; tho' you are Weak, he is Strong, and able to make you more than Conquerors, through him that hath loved you: And as you keep to the Lord, and your Faith ſtands in his Power, the Enemy within nor without ſhall never conquer you; but ye ſhall be like the little Children in the Temple, who cryed Ho­ſanna to the Son of David; and they feared not, tho' the Chief Prieſts and Scribes were ſore of­fended with them: And as it was in that day, ſo it is now, not many Mighty, nor of the Noble Men of the Earth, that8 believed in his low Appearance, becauſe he came too low for them; they deſpiſed him as the Carpenter's Son, and ſaid, That he was one that they knew from whence he came; but they did not; for to them his Viſage was more marred than any Mans, and they could ſee no Comelineſs in him, who ſaid to them, If they died in their Sins, whither he went, they could not come.

So bleſſed be the Name of the Lord for evermore, that hath hid theſe things from the Wiſe and Prudent, and hath revealed them un­to Babes. So, dear Hearts, let us forever wait upon the Lord, and hearken to Wiſdom's Voice, that we may be kept low in his Fear; for, The Fear of the Lord is the be­ginning of Wiſdom; and to depart from Evil, that is a good Ʋnderſtand­ing.

9So, Dear and Well-beloved, the deſire of my Soul is, That we may paſs the Time of our ſojourning here with Fear, and that we may keep to the Un­erring Way, that a Wayfaring Man, tho' a Fool, cannot Err there­in: And as we keep to the Light, and bring our Deeds to it, they ſhall be made manifeſt whether they are wrought in God or no; and ſo we ſhall come to know that living Faith that gives Vi­ctory over the World; for, With­out Faith it is impoſſible to pleaſe God; for the Juſt lives by Faith. So keep to the juſt Principle of Life, that God hath placed in you, to Redeem your Souls from Death, that ſo whilſt you are in the World, you may know the pre­ſerving Power, that keeps his Children from the Evil of the World.

10And there is one thing more that lies upon me to you Diſobe­dient Children, that live not in an heavenly Subjection to the Lord, and to your Parents; Ceaſe to grieve the Spirit of the Lord, which is given to you to profit withal: And ceaſe to grieve your honeſt Parents, and do not do as Abſalom did, who cauſed his Father to lament over him with a ſad Lamentation, be­cauſe he died in Diſobedience a­gainſt the Lord and his Father; and he could not be Comforted in his Death, as he was in his other Son; When he heard of his Death, he aroſe, and waſhed, and a­nointed himſelf, and eat Bread, and ſatisfied himſelf, in that he ſhould go to the Innocent Child, tho' it ſhould never return to him.

11So dear Children, Watch a­gainſt that diſobedient Nature, which keeps you in Diſobedience to the Lord, and to your Pa­rents; and as you wait upon the Lord in his Fear, you ſhall know the mighty Power of the Lord to work out that Nature in you that is ſubject to Vanity, and to ſet up his Heavenly Government in you, that you may order your Converſations aright in the ſight of God, and all Men: And then, when you are gathered together to wait upon the Lord, and can­not be content with the Form of Godlineſs without the Power, nor with a bare Formality of coming to Meeting, the God of Power and Life will appear a­mongſt you, and his Preſence will be in the midſt of you; and tho' there be no Words ſpoken12 amongſt you, yet keep to the Word of God, which is Quick and Powerful, that That may dwell plentifully amongſt you, and for ever preſerve you.

So dear Children, preſs for­ward, that you may be Confirm­ed and Eſtabliſhed in the Faith that once was delivered to the Saints, and that you may be made able to contend earneſtly for it, and then nothing ſhall move you; yea, tho' the Earth may be moved, and the Powers of Darkneſs ſhaken, yet you ſhall have a ſure Habitation in the Lord, and be gathered into the Ark of the Covenant, where you ſhall be hid with the Lord, while he is raining down in his Diſ­pleaſure, Plagues upon the Wick­ed; and tho' they may call to the Mountains and Rocks to fall on13 them, to hide them from the Fierceneſs of the Wrath of God, yet they ſhall not ſave them, nor ſhelter them from what he hath Decreed to bring upon them: But thoſe that have an Intereſt in Chriſt, have no need to fear whe­ther they Dye or Live, as to this outward Tabernacle; for, to Dye is Gain, and to Live is Chriſt; ſo whether we Live or Dye, we are the Lord's.

So dear Children, I commit you to God, with my own Soul, deſiring him, that he would bring you, and eſtabliſh, and preſerve you, and me, in his Unchangeable Truth, which never alters.