TO THE General Council, AND OFFICERS OF THE ARMY, And to every MEMBER in particular.  
FRIENDS,  
I am moved of the Lord to write unto you, in the Name and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in tender love and dear bowels of affection; and to the Measure of God in you all I desire to be made manifest and known. And I can truly say, my love is dear to you, and I know that my heavenly Father hath brought you now unto the place of Judicature, that ye may do Justice, where many others before you have been turned and overturned, and that shortly and suddenly, of late years; And now are ye come into their place, to be tried, and weighed in the balance of true justice and judgement. And oh! that your eyes were open to see what the most high is doing in this his day of power, in this his day of grace, that so ye might not be blinded as others before you have been, who would not see the Lords hand, but acted as men corrupt, and so came to be thrown down by the power which they would not see. You have been the Instruments of war, and the Battle-axe in the hand of the Lord, which hath even beaten the mountains to dust; and now are ye come into their place which they were in with whom ye warred. And now are ye come into the place, where ye may execute that which ye formerly desired after, and suffered for, and laboured for, and warred for. And now that the Lord hath put it into your hands, even to try your faithfulness, and your integrity; Not that he hath any need of you, more than them that went before you, (as ye are men natural) but as you are righteous men, and guided by the just and righteous principle of God in you, so you may be serviceable unto the Lord God, for the accomplishing, and for the performing of the intents of his heart, which he hath determined, and decreed to bring to pass in these latter days, against which no weapon form shall prosper, nor no power nor Arm can withstand; For the Almighty will show forth his righteousness as the morning, and his glory as the noonday. Therefore as ye love your souls, and your eternal peace, and as ye desire to be preserved by him, and kept, and upholden by the right hand of power, beware that ye turn not your hand against his work, that he is working in the earth in this his day. The powers of darkness hath long kept him out of his throne, and he hath holden his peace, & long been still; but now is he crying even as a travelling woman; & now will he arise, and destroy at once all those that will not that he should reign, whose right it is, who is the wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, of whose Dominion and Government there shall be no end. And as you desire that he should govern and Rule all Nations with his rod of Iron, now quit yourselves like men, and that liberty for which ye have ventured your blood and lives, let it not now fall in the streets of great Babylon, when it is put into your hands freely to minister to the Nations. And let Christ Jesus (who is the supreme Judge in the conscience) have his throne established, which is for ever and ever. And let the everlasting Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ have its free passage, (which no man need be ashamed of) for it is the power of God unto salvation. And dear friends, as ye desire to be owned of the living God, and to be preserved and upholden by his power and strength, Come into seriousness and sincerity of heart, and let the just measure of God in you all lead you and guide you, and let his fear possess your hearts, for ye have seen what hath become of those that were before you. And truly God's just hand was seen which would come upon them before it came. And now that ye may escape the scourge that hath overturned them, is the desire of my soul. And as God hath honoured you, and made you Instruments for his service, so that ye now might be guided with that which may stand in his presence. For the Lord giveth wisdom, out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding, he layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous, he is as a buckler to them that walk uprightly, he keepeth the paths of judgement, and preserveth the way of his Saints, that they understand righteousness, judgement and equity, ye every good path. And truly friends, it is the uprightness of your hearts that God looks at, and that will only be accepted of him; And it hath been the rotten deceitfulness of the hearts of those that went before you, that was their overthrow. And so just as the intents of your hearts is for the advancing, and exalting of the horn of his Anointed, so will ye prosper in this work; For the decree of the Lord concerning this thing is sealed which shall never be revoked. Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel his holy One; to him whom man despiseth, to him whom Nations abhorreth, to a servant o● Rulers; Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship because of the Lord that is faithful, and the holy One of Israel. This is he that must rule the Nations; whose Sceptre is a righteous Sceptre; and blessed will ye be if ye advance and exalt him whom God is exalting in this his day; The Spirit of the Lord doth rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of Counsel and of Might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord; with righteousness doth he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the Rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips will he slay the wicked, and righteousness is the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins; And this is he (Friends) that is springing out of the stem of Jesse, and woe unto them that war against him; This is the righteous branch that the Lord is bringing forth, the King that shall reign and prosper, whose Name is the Lord our Righteousness, which is better than every name, to which all Nations shall bow, and every tongue con●ess him to be Lord. And as ye advance, and ●●●lt this, so will ye prosper, and so will ye be preserved in the midst of your enemies. And though we be but little and small in your eyes, a people despised, and every where spoken against, yet it will be good for you, if ye have our prayers; for we know the Rock, and the Corner stone, and that which will prosper in his sight, and we have the testimony, which will stand for ever; And no other foundation can any one lay then that which is already laid; but let every one take heed how he buildeth thereupon; for every ones work must be tried by the fire, and he whose work is burnt will suffer loss; for the day is risen and appearing that makes every thing manifest, of what sort it is. And truly friends, it must be a spiritual building that will stand in the presence of Almighty God; it is not the potsherds of the earth that can strive with him, nor Briars and Thorns that can stand before him in Battle (who is a consuming fire) nor an Image made, though of gold, and set up in the imaginations of men, that will stand in his sight; It is the true and living substance that will be accepted of him; Therefore dear hearts consider what the Lord is doing, and act not without his Counsel, nor to please men, lest ye act contrary to his will. Advance Justice, and Righteousness and equity, and you can never do amiss. Riches and honour is with me, (saith Solomon) yea, durable riches and righteousness. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of Judgement; this is the Saints path, though fools cannot err therein. Here ye will know the key of David, of wisdom and knowledge, which will open unto you the way of life. Truly I am affected with you, and I know if ye execute justice and true judgement, the Lord will own you, and give you to tread on the necks of your enemies; But if ye fall flat, and grow cold and dead, and dull, and betray your own principles, (as some have done that went before you) then look for the same as they have had from an unchangeable God, who is the same to day and yesterday, and the same for ever. And you that have ventured life and blood, for conscience, freedom and liberty, now beware that ye be not limiters, nor lorders over God's heritage; nor to keep him out of his throne, (as your predecessors have done) your fruits will make you manifest. And as ye sow, so will ye reap. It is not for any end concerning us, that I writ this unto you (the living Record knows) for we know the straight, and narrow path; and we have trodden the path that leads through sufferings; trials and afflictions have been our portion (as our Lord, and Master that went before us was made perfect through sufferings) and therefore it is our joy to follow his steps where ever he goes. And it is only for your good, and that ye might be guided so as ye might prosper, For it is the grief of our souls to see the destruction of any; and therefore in tender bowels have we been moved to give them many warnings, whose day was before you which they cast behind their backs: but for the Lord they will stand a witness; when the day of their calamity comes, then will they remember what they have done against the Lord and against his Anointed: So that ye may be preserved out of the gulf of destruction, and that ye may partake with us of everlasting peace, and rest, and safety, and joy which is for ever. And those that wisheth well to Zion will prosper, for she is now arising, and shaking of the dust off her feet, and putting on her beautiful garments: And the mountain of the Lords house is established a top of the Mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all Nations shall flow unto it; For out of Zion is going forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And who can stop, or who can stay this which God alone worketh and judgeth among the Nations? And so we wait to see Justice and true Judgement executed by you for the Lord, and not for men, or to please men; For the Law was added because of transgression; and so when true justice, and true judgement rules, than the Law is executed upon the Trangressor; but who is led by the Spirit of God, against such there is no Law. And so to the just and righteous principle of God in you I commit you to be guided, and then I know (if ye mind it) you will not be time-servers, nor men-pleasers, nor fear man whose breath is in his nostrils; but fear the Lord God, who when he hath killed the body, can also cast the soul into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him; so will ye come to know the just principle in every one, which will knit and unite your hearts together, in the unity, and there will be your strength in the one spirit, which joins to the Lord, and one to another. This is the Standard that stands against all the powers of Hell and Death. And truly Friends, it is in this, which keeps out of respect of persons, and out of time-serving, and men-pleasing, that will knit your hearts together. And this will keep you out of strife, and contention one with another; when the just principle in you all guides and leads, then will righteousness be exalted. And here will be your very strength, that ye be knit one to another, in that just and righteous measure of the Spirit of God in you; that so ye may not be Judges nor Governors for men, but for the Lord, and for the advancing of his truth, and the exalting of his Christ, which in this his day he is going to establish upon his throne; notwithstanding all gainsayers. Though Gog and Magog should gather together, yet the Lord hath anointed his holy One, and his King he hath set upon his holy hill of Zion; and all that gather together against him, shall fall for his sake. Therefore in pure love to you, that ye may not be found fighters against God, am I moved to give you this warning, and this counsel, which ye shall acknowledge to be good, one day; whether ye now hear, or forbear; and that ye may not bear the sword in vain, (Hitherto ye have not born the sword in vain) for the Lord hath made you victorious, and given you power over your enemies; and put into your hands what your hearts could desire, And now, oh that ye would come to execute justice, and true judgement would even be your preservation and your strength. And that ye may be the Rulers that are not a terror to good works, but to the evil; that the good may not be afraid of your power, but the evil; and that ye may be the Ministers of God for good, and a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil; and that your Acts and Ordinances may be for the Lords sake; That the people of God may submit unto you, and may be subject unto you; not for wrath, but for conscience sake; Forasmuch as you are set, and sent by the Lord for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well; For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of the foolish. And so this is your place, and calling, and now the power and the opportunity is put into your hands to do good; beware that ye do not abuse the power, nor make light of it, nor slight it, nor turn the truth of God into a lie, as those have done that have gone before you; nor turn the sword against the Just; and the Righteous as they have done, and caused the just and the innocent to suffer, which God hath pleaded the cause of, though they were blind and did not see, nor would not hear the warning and the exhortation that was ministered unto them; yet God hath said, they shall see and be ashamed. And God will plead the cause of his own just and innocent Seed, that hath no helper in the earth, which hath long suffered under the hard bondage of Egyptian darkness. But he hath seen the affliction of his seed, and he hath heard the cry of it, and he is come to relieve it. So if ever ye will have the powerful God to own you, and honour you, Beware of strengthening the hands of the wicked, and the evil doers, and of turning your sword against the innocent; he is the same, and he liveth for ever, that hath said, It were better that a Millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the Sea, then to offend one of his little ones. This word endureth for ever and will be fulfilled every jot and tittle, though men make light of it, and do not see the Weight nor the Depth of it; But when their day of calamity comes, then will they see what is due unto that which hath offended this which God so highly prizeth. Therefore as ye love your souls, and your eternal peace, beware what ye do, now ye are in place and Authority; and now ye have power to act for God, if ye keep your hearts upright unto him, he will direct you; And if your faces be towards Zion, he will teach you of his ways, that ye may walk in his paths, which will be out of the paths of the broad way that leads to destruction, which all that went before you, have walked in. And that ye may be preserved out of the snares of the sowler, which the wicked one lays for those that are in place of Authority (as you are in) is even the desire of my soul. And if your hearts be not corrupt, ye will be preserved; For out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts; Murder, and Adultery, Thefts, false witness and Blasphemies; these are the things which defiles the man. That which cometh out of a man defileth him, not that which entereth into him; Read that near, and consider it seriously; for there is a great weight in those words; So keep to the just principle of God in you, that which keeps you clean out of advantages, out of time-serving, and men-pleasing; so may ye escape the Pollutions that they fell into that went before you. And the God of all power give you to see and understand, that his righteousness he will exalt in this his day. And oh that ye could believe in your hearts, and confess with your mouths that Jesus Christ is raised from the dead, then should ye be saved from the transgressing against the just; For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is borne of God, and every one that loveth him that ●●●at●, loveth him that is begotten of him; mark this, and read this near: So if ye love God which hath begot, love that which is begotten of him in you, and this will keep you out of transgression, and out of persecution, and out of sin and evil, and teach you to be a terror to the evil doers, (not a terror to the good) but a praise to them that doth well. And to this Word, and Power Eternal and Immortal, I commit, and command you, which is able to save your souls; who in his time he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach, who no man hath seen, nor can see; to whom be Honour and Power everlasting. AMEN. See 1 Timothy 6.15, 16.  
Written the 13. of the eighth Month, in the year accounted, 1659. From a true lover of true Peace and Righteousness, which is coming to rule; for he hath taken upon him his great power, and therefore the Nations are angry. MARGARET FELL.   

LONDON, Printed for Thomas Simmons, at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate, 1659.