LETTERS

OF

ISAAC PENINGTON,

WRITTEN TO HIS RELATIONS AND

FRIENDS.

[Selected from a volume published in 1796.]

DEAR FRIEND,

I RECEIVED two letters from thee lately, whereby the sense is revived in me of thy great love to me, and the Lord's great goodness to thee, in administering that which rejoiceth and refresheth thee. Now this advice ariseth in my heart. O, keep cool and low before the Lord, that the seed, the pure living seed may spring more and more in thee, and thy heart be united more and more to the Lord therein. Coolness of spirit is a precious frame, and the glory of the Lord most shines therein, in its own lustre and brightness; and when the soul is low before the Lord it is still near the seed, and preciously (in its life) one with the seed. And when the seed riseth, thou shalt have liberty in the Lord to rise with it; only take heed of that part which will be outrunning it, and getting above it, and so not ready to descend again, and keep low in the deeps with it.

Z

O, my friend, I have a sense that this hath been the error of that people thou hast formerly walked with; and I observe in thy spirit yet a liableness thereto; which the Lord give thee to watch against, that thou mayest come to a pure observation and discerning of the everlasting unchangeable seed in thy own heart, and mayest daily feel thy mind bowed down and worship in it, and become wholly leavened into it, and perfectly changed and preserved by it.

Then the mixtures will be gone, and thou shalt know, enjoy, and be one with that, and have thy mind stayed in that, which will not mix with that which is of a contrary nature to the holy and heavenly Truth; nor suffer that which is married to it, to mix with any thing with which it will not mix. This is the vir gin state indeed, in which the soul is married to the Lamb, and become one spirit with the Lamb for ever. That thou mayest grow in the Lord, abound more and more with his life and power, feel mortality swallowed up of life, come into the fulness of the kingdom, know, enjoy, possess, the full dominion which is given there, and thy soul be satisfied, according to the largeness of its breathings after the living God, is my desire and travail for thee.

P.S. We are here but a while in this world, for the Lord to make use of us, and serve himself by us, and so, by his ordering of us, to fit us for the crown of glory, which he will give us fully to wear in the other world. Now feel the child's nature, which chooseth nothing, but desires the fulfilling of

the Father's will in it. I cannot desire to enjoy any thing, saith the nature of the true birth, but as the Father, of himself, pleaseth to give me to enjoy. There is a time to want as well as to abound, while we are in this world. And the times of wanting, as well as abounding, are greatly advantageous to us. How should faith, love, patience, meekness, and the excellency and sufficiency of God's grace shine, but by, in, and through, the many exercises and varieties of conditions wherewith the Lord visiteth his? Yea, the greatest, in the life, power, and glory of the Lord, have the greatest trials and exercises; which is to their advantage, as also for the good and benefit of others, and to the great honour and glory of the Lord. O, at all times, and in all conditions, take heed of a will, take heed of a wisdom above the seed's will, and above the seed's wisdom.

Let the Lord alone be all in thee, and make thee every day what he pleaseth; and in due time thou shalt know a life, even the seed's life, the Son's life, whom all the angels are to worship, and the mystery of whose life, the angels desire to look into, as it is revealed and brought forth. So be still and quiet, and silent before the Lord, not putting up any request to the Father (nor cherishing any desire in thee,) but in the seed's lowly nature and purely springing life; and the Lord give thee the clear discerning, in the lowly seed, of all that springs and ariseth in thy heart.

And O! that thou mightest receive this counsel, and learn this following lesson thor

oughly. Know nothing, will nothing, but only as the seed knows and wills in thee; and so thou hast nothing to do but to join with the seed in its knowing and willing, and then thou wilt be able rejoicingly to tell me what are become of mixtures.

Thou didst read precious things of the seed, when thou wast here, written outwardly; 0, that thou mightest read the same things written inwardly in thy own heart; which that thou mayest do, become as a weaned child, not exercising thyself in things too high or too wonderful for thee. Every secret thing, every spiritual mystery, but what God opens to thee, is too high and wonderful for thee. And if the Lord, at any time, opens to thee deep mysteries, fear before the Lord, and go no further into them than the Lord leads thee. The error is still in the comprehending knowing mind, but never in the lowly weighty seed of life; whither the Lord God of my life more and more lead thee, and counsel thee to take up thy dwelling-place there, daily instructing thee so to do. For the greatest as well as the least must be daily taught of the Lord, both in ascending and descending, or they will miss their way; yea, they must be daily taught of him to be silent before him, and know to be still in him, or they will be apt to miss in either.

This from thy friend,

Amersham, Woodside,

4th of 5th Month, 1679.

I. P.

DEAR FRIEND,

THY condition cannot but be weak and dark, until the light of life arise in thee, and the power of the Lord overcome and subdue the power of darkness, which strives to keep the seed of life in the grave, and bonds of death. It is the Lord's mercy to give thee breathings after life, and cries unto him against that which oppresseth thee; and happy wilt thou be when he shall fill thy soul with that which he hath given thee to breathe after. Only let thy heart wait for strength to trust him with the season, for his long tarrying is thy salvation, and the destruction of those enemies, which, while any strength remains in them, will never suffer thee and thy God to dwell uninterruptedly together.Therefore they must needs die, and he who hath the power to kill them, knows the way; which, to the appearing of thy sense, will be as if he meant to kill the life of thy soul, and not of them; but lie still under his hand, and be content to be unable to judge concerning his ways and workings in thy heart; and thou shalt at sometimes feel an inward leaven of life from his Holy Spirit, whereby he will change and transform thy spirit into his likeness, in some measure, for the present; and, though it be quickly gone again, and the whole land so overspread with enemies, that there is no sight of redemption or the redeemed left, but the soul in a worse condition than before; yet be not troubled; for if trouble do abound, and there be tossing, and storms, and