Three General EPISTLES FOR THE WHOLE BODY O● FRIENDS. 

1 From William Caton▪  
2 From R. Greenway:  
3 From Christopher Bacon▪    
Printed in the Year 1662.   
Three General Epistles, etc.  

Amsterdam the 15 th'. of the 11th. Month 1662.  
MY dear Brethren and Beloved Sisters in the pure, holy and heavenly Relation, who are sons and daughters of one Father, and heirs of one Kingdom, begotten through the one Eternal Word of Life, which lives and abides for ever; With the salutation of my dearest love do I greet you all, and with strong and vehement desires to the Lord, do I wish, that love and life, joy and peace, grace and mercy may be multiplied among you all, to the filling of every of your earthen Vessels, to the refreshing of every weary soul, and to the making glad of every sorrowful heart among you.  
I hope (my dearly beloved) you are not forgetful of the wonderful kind Love of our God, which he manifested to us in the day of our visitation, how he sought us out that were as lost sheep going astray, that he might bring us unto himself, who is the chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, how he took us as perforce from our Lovers, that our hearts and affections might be set upon him, and that our souls might love him above all; how he broke us, that he might bind us up; how he blinded us, that he might make us see; how he wounded us, that he might heal us; how he impoverished us, that he might make us rich; how he weakened us, that he might make us strong: and how he proved and cried us as gold that is seven times tried in the fire; that we might finally become his Jewels; though then we knew not whether that we should become Vessels of honour or dishonour: And since that day of blessed Visitation, how hath his endless love abounded towards us! how plentifully hath his Wisdom and Power been manifested amongst us! And what wonderful things have we seen him since bring to pass by the Arm of his Power, not only to our admiration, but also to the astonishment of his Enemies: And oh! how hath he brought down Principalities, and shaken powers inwardly and outwardly! how hath he overturned, overturned that which hath been exalted inwardly and outwardly that that which hath been abased, might be exalted! how hath he confounded the wisdom of the wise, and brought the understanding of the Prudent to nothing! how hath he scattered them that were gathered, and not by him, that he might gather that which was scattered from him! Oh the Wonders that he hath wrought in the Earth, they are innumerable! And the noble acts that he hath done in the Earth, who can declare them to the utmost? Nevertheless, we will be speaking of them (when thereunto moved by his spirit) that we thereby may show forth his praise, who through his making us Witnesses of them, hath made truly glad our hearts and souls, which have cause to rejoice in him, notwithstanding his trying of us with many trials, and his proving of us through many temptations and tribulations, which many have been exercised in; and that divers manner of ways. Yet let us not faint, nor let slip the confidence that we have in him; for as certain as we have seen his Wonders in the Earth, so certainly hath he wrought several of them for good towards us; and as certainly as he hath dealt gently and favourably with us, so assuredly hath he loved us: And as certainly as his glorious Work is begun in the Earth, so assuredly will he make known his Name and Power even unto the ends of the Earth: And as certainly as his adversaries oppose him and his Truth, so assuredly shall they be broken as the potsherds of the Earth; and as certainly as his lambs and babes now mourn and are affected, so assuredly shall they rejoice and be comforted: And as certainly as the Wicked are now set up, so assuredly shall they fall: And as certainly as iniquity abounds, so assuredly shall it have an end: And as certainly as the name of the Lord is blasphemed and dishonoured, so assuredly shall it be glorified and exalted in the earth: And as certainly as God's Truth is now trampled upon, and rejected by thousands, so assuredly shall it be advanced and received by ten thousands; and though my eye should not see the fulfilling of these things, yet I will rejoice, and do rejoice in the Testimony that I have, that these things shall come to pass. And my soul inviteth you (my dear brethren and sisters) to come and rejoice with me in the assurance which God giveth us of the certainty of these things, which shall as certainly be fulfilled, as it is certain that the things before mentioned are come to pass since the Lord omnipotent first visited us.  
Wherefore (my dearly beloved) look not out at the present blackness and darkness which represents itself upon the face of the Earth, by reason of the many clouds which hang over the Earth: But look at the Daystar which is a risen in your hearts, which precedes the sons of righteousness, which though he yet seem to be darkened, yet as certainly as the Lord jehovah is in the highest Heavens, so assuredly shall this Sun of Righteousness arise, and shine gloriously in the hearts of the sons of men; and then shall just Judgement be set up in the Earth, and the Inhabitants thereof they shall learn righteousness; then shall Wickedness and Oppression have an end, Cruelty and Tyranny shall have no place, and Deceit and Unrighteousness shall wither, and the Works and Workers of iniquity shall go to decay: And then shall the joyful song of deliverance be sung by the ransomed ones of the Lord; then shall the voice of joy and gladness be heard in our Land; then shall babes and sucklings learn the song of Zion, and the sons and daughters of the Most High shall make a heavenly pleasant melody, and great will be the joy and delight of the Lords chosen, even such, as that their present sufferings shall not be worthy to be compared to the same.  
Therefore O ye my suffering Friends, be ye comforted, be ye comforted of the Lord, and comfort ye one another with the assurance which God hath given unto some of his servants, of the certainty of these things coming to pass, of which I believe some of you will be eye-witnesses, and partakers with the Saints in Light; and my confidence is, That neither principalities nor powers shall be able to deprive you thereof, though they should be permitted to deprive you of your liberty, of your estates, and of the society of Friends: And if your Heavenly Father should suffer such things to come to pass for the trial of your precious Faith, be not ye therefore dejected, as if you were altogether left comfortless, and should so perpetually remain; For I testify unto you, That our Heavenly Father hath re●erved enough in store, not only to comfort you withal in this life, but also in the life to come.  
And now therefore as a servant of the Lord God to you all (who writes these things with tears unto you) do I in his Name beseech you to be faithful and obedient, quiet and peaceable children, behaving yourselves as Lambs, or as newborn babes in his sight in this generation, lest you should provoke him through your disobedience, by being unfaithful and unquiet in his house; and they that are, or become so, they must be excluded and shut out too, among them that are without,— without love, faith, hope, peace, comfort and refreshment, in the reprobate state, where the rents, schisms, strive, divisions, envyings and hating are, which are the fruits which they produce that go out from the Spirit, in which love, joy, and everlasting peace is. Therefore I exhort and beseech you all, to walk together in this one Spirit, to meet together to serve the Lord in this one Spirit, that you may be like-minded, & that the fruits of it may abound in and among you plenteously, to the glory of him that hath visited you with the dayspring from on high, and hath opened a Fountain for you, and hath prepared a Feast of fat things for you, and withal a rest for your weary souls.  
Wherefore faint not in the day of your adversity, lest your Enemies vaunt themselves, as if your God would not preserve you in unity, love, peace & patience, in which you had need to continue, lest that the Enemy within or without, should get an advantage against you, which might easily be, if prejudice should be permitted to have place in any of you one against another; & thereby might the Lord be provoked to jealousy against you. And therefore above all things, let brotherly love continue, that through your love to the Father, one to another, & to all men, it may evidently appear that you are of your Father the Lord jehovah, who is love, and who delights in love and mercy, both which I ●ear him record he hath richly vouchsafed unto you, my dearly beloved, unto whom in his love I have writ this in brief, which to that end I received from him, and wh●ch I have now finally communicated to you, or rather the Spirit of the Lord through me his servant, & your dear and faithful brother in the one truth,  
William Caton.   

Greetings of strength in the holy life; and salutations of endeared love, to the rising seed of the invisible God, every where as this may come.  
A Salutation of Love from the motion of the Spirit of Life and Love, sent to all that are of the Royal birth, and are of the Seed immortal, and of the Flock of God, who in this his blessed and glorious day, his Fold of Rest are come to know; and are waiting to feel the same more and more, to be read in the fear and wisdom of God.  
All you tender Lambs who are gathered out of the World and its evil ways and customs, by the powerful Arm of the living God, in that which is pure dwell, low in the pure holy fear, and your good Shepherds Fold you will feel; and therein do you abide, and you will be safe in the storms, and from the terrors and affrightments of the wild Beasts of the field, and the Wolves of the night will not be able to come near your dwellings, to enter your holy habitation, nor to touch your Life, for from them it will be hid in God; And Friends, therein watch and wait, and the good Shepherd's voice you will come to hear, who speaks peace to all his Lambs and little ones, that are of an upright heart, who wait upon, fear and trust in him; and in so doing you will also feel his Eternal Arm made bare for your salvation, deliverance and defence: And all you children of the Day of God which hath sprung from on High, by which he hath visited and called unto you even by the good Word of his Grace, by which he hath begotten you again, and chosen you to be his Inheritance and generation, which hath sprung up from the Seed of Life, which the Father and Fountain of Love and Life hath shed abroad in this the day of his large kindness and rich mercy, which in your hearts in measure you have felt: Oh dear friends, let the eye of your minds be always fixed and fastened upon the same, even upon that in which the God and Father of Mercies hath so exceeding largely extended himself unto you, and in which he hath abundantly appeared in the manifestation of his loving kindness towards you, in begetting you again which were strayed, and in gathering you that were scattered afar off, and lost from him, and in raising you up to be a people to himself, that were not his people, and in begetting you to be his children, that were sometimes strangers, and in the alienation; and all this hath he done for you of his own good will, in the riches of his free grace, when there was no worthiness at all in you, even when you were wallowing in your filth, when you were in your blood, & no eye pitied you, even that was the time of his Love. Oh my dear Friends! I say, prise this his large Love, and forget not those his benefits, but dwell in the sense and feeling thereof; so that from the virtue of his Love felt in your hearts, you may receive daily strength and growth in the Heavenly Life of Righteousness and true Holiness, that so the Image of your Heavenly Father you may come to bear more and more every day, and may live, walk, and abide therein to his praise, a chaste, peculiar people, a chosen generation, zealous of good works, and hating the very appearance of evil, that so you may be manifest unto all men, that you are of the Household of Faith, children of Truth, and of the Family of the living God, who are sitting in the Heavenly places in Christ, and know and feel the Table of the Lord, and are feeding together on the Bread of Life which comes down from above, which the World are ignorant of; and drinking of the Cup of Blessing, in which you may feel and taste of the salvation of God, to the comforting of your souls, and gladding of your hearts, by which you may be strengthened and enabled to do the Will and Requirings of the Lord, either in doing or in suffering. Oh you dear Babes and tender Plants, you that have felt of the sweetness of the Milk of the Breast of Consolation, when you were ready to pine for want, and have been watered with that which came from the everlasting Spring and Well of salvation, in a time of great drought. Oh dear hearts! I say again, abide in the feeling of the same, that so you may always see and behold the hand of God's mighty power, that he hath reached out unto you, and watch thereto, and wait therein to receive more and more of the Heavenly Virtue and dew from above, that so you may grow as the Lilies, and spread forth as the Trees that are planted by the River's side, bringing forth fruits of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, bringing forth fruit in due season, wherein you will be lovely to the Father, and one unto another; and so in the Love and Life abiding, and keeping in the unity, you will be known to be the planting of the Lord, to the glory of his most holy Name. And tender Friends, and little ones, I exhort you in the Name and fear of the Lord, to watch against, and to be aware of suffering any root of bitterness to spring up amongst you, or of harbouring any prejudice one against another; but in that Spirit of Love dwell, which thinks no evil, nor is not easily provoked; for that which gives offence, and that which takes the offence, is one, and comes from the same old root of bitterness, and proceeds from him that watcheth to divide and devour, and to break the unity amongst the Lambs, and to make a prey, a rent, a division, and a spoil; and if any are overtaken in these things for want of a diligent watch to their thoughts, words and actions, in it the Enemy will have a great advantage to hurt your peace, and to weaken you. And therefore dear friends, be tender one to another; let the strong bear with the weak, and be you pitiful and tender-heatted towards the bruised Reeds, that have been hurt by the subtlety of the Enemy, and let your bowels earn over any in whom there is yet remaining a little Love or Zeal, though it be but as a smoking Flax; or of any that are wounded by reason of their fall which they have taken in the Evening-tide. I say again in God's fear, Be very tender to any such that in the spirit of love and meekness such may be restored, if so it may be: For Friends, you yourselves may be tempted, snared and overtaken by the subtle Enemy's bait; and therefore let all that think they stand, fear continually, and take heed lest they also fall. And Friends, beware of watching over one another with an evil eye; for that watcheth for the evil, and doth not see the good; and by that the good manners is, and hath been corrupted, and they that watch with that eye, they provoke to evil, and not to good. And Friends, it lieth upon me to warn you to take heed of looking back to Egypt, or to any thing that you have left behind; but pass on, and let your eye be to that which is before, and abide in the way in which you have begun to walk, and in the patience dwell, and keep to the good Word thereof, that in the Faith you may be found, that so the old Enemy may not beguile you, and so you come to be dispossessed of the blessing through disobedience; therefore to your Guide keep, and faithfully follow him, and take heed of staying behind, and beware of being too forward in going before; for there is danger in both, of being overcome with the Enemy: In staying behind, you will be guilty of disobedience, and so not only lose your reward, and the blessing of rest and peace; but you will have that Talon taken away which you do possess, and you will have your portion where will be weeping and gnashing of teeth: And he that goes before, will be puffed up above his measure, and so forget the Lord, and he will have his portion also with the wicked. Therefore I do exhort and warn you all to take heed of an evil heart of unbelief, and of departing from the living God: Be you all therefore steadfastly grounded, settled and stayed in your minds, unmoveable, upon the everlasting Foundation of God that standeth sure, that so you may not be tossed, turned aside, nor easily shaken in your minds, from that which you have believed, nor weakened in your confidence, but that you may hold out unto the end, and then you will assuredly receive your reward, if you faint not: So you that have believed in the Truth, take heed of fainting, and beware of hunting abroad; for my Friends, there may be erring on the right hand, as well as on the left; therefore to your Leader keep, and dwell low in the pure fear, and so the Cross you will be led into, and then you will feel that which will slay your Enemies on every hand; for of a truth friends, there is no safety out of the fear, nor prosperity out of the Cross; therefore let your resolution be for ever therein to dwell, and then you will obtain the Crown, and reap the Blessing that is everlasting. So remember, it was he that hunted abroad, that fainted, and sold his Birthright for a little of the earthly enjoyment, to satisfy his earthly desire, and so he lost the blessing: Therefore all dear Lambs and little ones keep at home, and dwell in your own habitation, in the Light, the House of the living God, and be you faithful unto him in all things that he doth require, that so none might deprive you of your blessed Inheritance, nor take away your Crown of glory, joy, rest and peace.  
And Friends, Brethren and Sisters, children of God, think it not strange that we have trial upon trial; and if the Furnace of affliction cometh to be heat more hotter, yet look not out thereat, be valiant for the Lord, and for his Truth upon the Earth, and in that stand which is immovable; for this I have seen in the eternal Light, that there will be a day of dividing and separating between the precious and the vile, the good metal and the dross, between the weighty Wheat, and the light airy chaff; between the meek, gentle, patient sheep, and the rough rugged Goats; the vile in nature shall no longer be hid under a false, outside form of likeness, without the Power and Life, that dross shall no longer abide among the good Metal, to darken the brightness thereof; for the day is come that burns as an Oven; the Furnace is already kindled, and the Refiners fire is lighted, which will try each matter, metal and work, of what sort it is, neither shall the chaff any longer cover the good Wheat, but by the Arm of God's Eternal Power will be threshed off, and blown away with the wind of his wrath; for he is come whose Fan is in his hand, by which he will scatter the chaff, and the wheat he will gather into his Garner, therein to be preserved; and he will also purge his Floor in this his notable day, and all the gentle, meek and patient sheep on his right hand he will set, where the fullness of joy, mercy, peace and pleasures are for ever, and for evermore; when as the rough and brutish Goat● shall be separated on the left hand, to receive the curse, having walked out of the way of righteousness, which is the way of peace; in that therefore (dear Friends) all abide, which will make you fruitful, and to abound in every good word and work; for this is the day wherein he is come to seek for fruit, and blessed will all they be that are found in the Faith, for it's they that are in the Vine, and therein abide, which will yield unto the Lord living fruit of obedience, and every Tree will be clearly known of what sort they are, by their fruit; for no man can gather grapes of Thorns, or figs of thistles: Therefore all to the Vine come, that the nature thereof you may feel, that so fruitful unto the Lord you may all be in this his glorious day, to the praise and glory of his most holy Name; for I have also seen in the Spirit of the living God, that there will be a mighty fierce storm, a very great tempest, and a shaking time, such as hath not yet been upon the Earth, by which those trees that are fruitless, dead and dry, which hath stood for a time, and made a show, yet do but cumber the ground, and are rotten at the root, are not well settled and fastened upon the true Foundation, in the good ground, they will be turned up, and laid low, as without it hath been seen, in which the Lord hath shown his mighty Power, though the blind do not see nor regard the operation of his hand. And after that great and notable day of the Lord in which many of the lofty Hills and high Mountains will be overturned and leveled thereby, and the tall Cedars and the sturdy Oaks will be made to bend and bow, and many great old buildings will be thrown off its rotten Foundation; then I say, in that day those that do stand and abide firm and well fastened, they will be exceeding faithful, to the praise and glory of the Lord, and such his good Trees that are bringing forth fruit unto him in this his day, them he will purge, prune, dress, prop and preserve; and the wild Boars of the Forest, (whose nature is to root, rend and tear) shall never be able to root them up, neither shall the subtle Foxes of the Wood have power to crop and spoil their tender branches, that abide in the living Vine; neither shall they ever be able to hinder them from clustering, for the Lord God will guard them by his Power, and uphold them by his Eternal Arm, as hitherto he hath done; neither will he suffer the Swine to destroy his young Plants that are newly coming up; but by his power they shall be fenced, nourished and kept. And so all my dear Friends, be not at all discouraged, although the Furnace may yet be hot; for the Lord will not suffer his Gold to come to loss therein, but he will save and bring it forth, all that the good Metal shall lose therein, shall be but its dross, that it may shine the better in lustre, to the honour of the Lord; and also his good sheep he will not suffer to be devoured by those old black Bloodhounds that thirst for blood: Oh! no, no, my Friends, he will preserve them, because they are his own gathered by his own hand, and are profitable unto him: Therefore I say, he will take care of them; and though he do suffer the dogs (which are without the fear) lose a little to coarse them, and drive them up in holes and pines for a season, it is but that they may be driven from those rotten bogs of this World's enjoyments and delights, which might otherwise be hurtful for them to feed upon, that they might be driven nearer to himself, and one unto another, to wait upon the Lord, and to feed together upon the Life that is Immortal, and to lie down in his Fold of rest, peace and joy, which will last for ever. And so my dear Friends▪ Brethren and Sisters, Lambs and Babes, what ever the Lord our good Shepherd suffers to come to pass, or to be acted against us in the Heathens wrath and Enemy's rage, he will turn it to his own praise, and for our good, and the remainder of the wrath & rage of the wicked he will restrain. Therefore blessed are all you of the Lord, that can say of a truth, he is your good Shepherd. So dear Lambs and Babes, Plants and Children of the Lord, in the Light live, walk, and for ever abide, and you will have unity and fellowship with the Father, and one with another; and so in the holy awe, and pure dread of the Lord God Almighty, stand continually, and the peace and blessing of the Lord will be felt by you, and multiplied in and amongst you, to the glory of his most holy Name, to whom be all glory given, honour and praise rendered, with living obedience and thanksgiving for ever and for evermore, Amen saith my soul.  
So dear Friends, take this as a testimony of my love to you all who are of my Father's Flock, from one that is of the same Fold with you, and your Friend and Brother in the Kingdom, suffering and patience of the Lord Jesus, who am called and known to many by  
Richard Greenway. Written the sixth day of the ninth Month, 1662. in the County-Gaol, called the High Gaol at Exon, where I suffer outward Bonds (for my obedience to the Command of God, and for abiding in the Doctrine of the Lord jesus ●hrist) by the wills of unreasonable men; and I in patience wait therein, until the Lord God arise in his Power, and plead my innocent cause in the hearts of my persecutors, or in his own way and time work my deliverance.   

A Second Salutation to the flock of God every where in outward Bonds and at liberty, who are born of the immortal Seed, and redeemed from the Earth, and separated from the evil that is in this World, and called to be Saints, and quickened by the power and operation of the Spirit of Life, and sanctified by the Word of Truth, and are (in this day of trial) found faithful to the Lord in doing or suffering for that precious Truth which makes free from sin and death, and keeps us above all the fears, threatenings, and terrors of man, whose power is from beneath, and soon passeth away. Oh! unto you my heart is opened, and streams of unfeigned Love from the incoming of the Fountain of Life, runs forth unto you all abundantly, who am the least among many Brethren, but not the least in love to you: Oh my dearly beloved Brethren and Sisters, as you suffer for God's living Truth upon the Earth in any measure, I suffer with you, and am one with you, and am afflicted with you: Oh my dear Friends, apply your hearts, and give up yourselves to, and for the service of the living God, and diligently wait upon him in whom all our strength is, that you may be strengthened and encouraged, enabled and furnished with power and might in the Lord of Hosts, that you may not faint, nor be weary in your minds, but stay your minds upon the God of Truth, that his blessing of peace may for ever increase in all your habitations. And you dear Friends, you upon whom the ends of the Earth is come, and in your hearts the daystar is arisen, walk in the Light thereof, that you may be wise, bold, strong and valiant, to follow the Captain of our salvation, who is born King of the jews; for it's given to him to rule all Nations, and to subdue the Kingdom of this World, but not by carnal Weapons, but by his invisible Arm of Power, and Sword which proceeds out of his mouth, whereby he will utterly confound, destroy and lay waste all that rebel and stand up against him. Therefore my dear Friends, let your Faith stand in the invisible Arm and Power of God, and be you all of a sound mind; be ye steadfast, unmoveable, rooted, grounded and established in the living Truth and Righteousness of the God of all the Families of the Earth, that you may not be moved, shaken, nor troubled in your minds at all these rumours of Wars, and distress of Nations, and perplexity and wrath which must come to pass upon this generation; but lift up your heads and rejoice, and let your eye be single, always looking to, and following the Prince of Peace; and be not of a doubtful mind, for the Lord of Hosts is with us, and the shout of a King is amongst us; and although we have no helper in the earth, neither can make use of any carnal weapons to defend or deliver ourselves, yet in the faith and patient suffering in, and for the Lamb of God that was slain, but now is alive, and liveth for evermore; in him we shall reign in victory, life and dominion, over all our Enemies within and without. And my dear Friends, you are called to a glorious freedom and liberty in the Spirit of Truth, stand fast in it, that you may keep your consciences void of offence in the sight of God in all things; and if God requires one thing, and man another, obey God, and fear not man, who can but kill the body, that your souls may live in the dominion of God's truth, and in it meet and wait, and worship him, and go not with the uncircumcised in hearts and ears; for the uncurable stroke of the Lord is near to be executed upon them; neither return back again into Egypt, for the plagues, pestilence and famine will be multiplied amongst them, till the Egyptians be confounded. Therefore dear Friends, keep your constant watch in the true Light of the Son of the living God, that you may receive counsel, wisdom, and discerning in every motion and command, whether it be of flesh or spirit; for that which moveth in the fleshly part in your own particulars, you must take up the Cross of Christ to, in its fi●st motion and appearance, and let true judgement pass upon it; for if it proceed forth either in act or word, it will wound your Consciences, and abuse the power of God, and lead you into bondage again; and that which commandeth to observe and do the thing conceived in the lust of the flesh, from the fleshly birth either within or without, you are not to obey, for that will lead to the second death; but the motion & command in the Spirit of Life you must in all things do and follow, and in it you will live, & have perfect peace; and therefore because we are born of the Spirit, and led by it, the world will persecute us; therefore let every Soldier of Jesus Christ be contented with his portion, which is tribulation in this World; but be of good cheer, the Captain of our salvation hath overcome the World: Therefore I say again in the Name, fear and power of the Lord, be you faithful unto death, for he that shall come, will come, & crown you with everlasting Life. And my dear Friends, if it seemeth good in the sight of our God, that all the days of our appointed ●ime in this life, may be days of trouble, persecution and affliction, yet be of good comfort, this will be but for a moment, and will soon come to an end; but the joy, rest, peace and glory which our God hath prepared for us (as we love him, and are faithful to him) shall never have an end. And so my dear Friends, in the ●ear, love, obedience, worship and service of the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for ever dwell and abide; in it I am firmly united to you; and in that Love, Life and Truth of the living God, I dearly salute and embrace you all and am as full of love with you, as I was when I began to write; and whatsoever you suffer for your obedience to our God; and keeping the commands of Christ, whether spoiling of Goods, imprisonment, banishment, or death itself, I am resolved in the strength and power of God to partake with you.  
From your faithful Friend in the patient suffering for the Testimony of a good Conscience, in the high Gaol at Exon, the 24 th'. of the tenth Month 1662. Christopher Bacon.   
THE END.