GOD to Men,

From the Beginning of the World, to That of our present Age, by the Miniftry and Teftimony of his Faithful Servant Geoige Fox, as an Introduction to the enfuing Journal.

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IVERS have been the Difpenfations of God fince the Creation of the World unto the Sons of Men; But the Great End of all of them has been the Renown of his own Excellent Name in the Creation and Reftauration of Man: Man, the Emblem of himself, as a God on Earth, and the Glory of all his Works. The World began with Innocency: All was then good that the good God had made : And as he bleffed the Works of his hands, fo their Natures and Harmony magnified him their Creator. Then the Morning Stars Sang together for Joy, and all parts of his Works faid Amen to his Law. Not a Farr in the whole Frame, but Man in Paradife, the Beafts in the Field, the Fowl in the Air, the Fish in

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the Sea, the Lights in the Heavens, the Fruits of the Earth; yea the Air, the Earth, the Water and Fire Worshipped, praised and exalted his Power, Wisdom and Goodness. O Holy Sabbath, O Holy Day to the Lord!

But this Happy State lafted not long: For Man, the Crown and Glory of the Whole, being tempted to afpire above his place, unhappily yielded against Command and Duty, as well as Intereft and Felicity; and fo fell below it, loft the Divine Image, the Wisdom, Power and Purity he was made in. By which, being no longer fit for Paradife, he was expelled that Garden of God, his proper Dwelling and Refidence, and was driven out, as a poor Vagabond, from the prefence of the Lord, to wander in the Earth, the Habitation of Bealls.

Yet God, that made him, had pitty on him; for He feeing he was deceived, and that it was not of Malice, or an Original Prefumption in him, but through the Subtilty of the Serpent, (that had firft fallen from his own State, and by the Mediation of the Woman, Man's own Nature and Companion, whom the Serpent had firft deluded) in his infinite Goodnefs and Wisdom found out a way to Repair the Breach, Recover the Lofs, and Reftore fallen Man again by a Nobler and more Excellent Adam, promised to be born of a Woman; that as by means of a Woman the evil one had prevailed upon Man, by a Woman alfo He fhould come into the World, who would prevail against him, and bruife his Head, and deliver Man from his Power: And which, in a fignal manner, by the Difpenfation of the Son of God in the Fleth, in the fullness of Time, was perfonally and fully accomplished by him, and in him, as Man's Saviour and Redeemer.

But his Power was not limited, in the Manifeftation of it, to that time; for both before and fince his bleffed Manifeftation in the Flesh, He has been the Light and Life, the Rock and Strength of all that ever feared

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God: Prefent with them in their Temptations, followed them in their Travels and Afflictions, and fup ported and carried them through and over the Difficulties that have attended them in their Earthly Pilgrimage. By this Abel's Heart excelled Cain's, and Seth obtained the Preheminence, and Enoch walked with God. It was this that ftrove with the Old World, and which they rebelled againft, and which sanctified and inftructed Noah to Salvation.

But the outward Difpenfation that followed the benighted State of Man, after his Fall, efpecially. among the Patriarchs, was generally that of Angels; as the Scriptures of the Old Teftament do in many places exprefs, as to Abraham, Jacob, &c. The next was that of the Law by Mofes, which was alfo delivered by Angels, as the Apoftle tells us. This Difpenfation was much outward, and fuited to a low and fervil State; called therefore that of a School-Mafter, to point out and prepare that People to look and long for the Meffiah, who would deliver them from the Servitude of a Ceremonious and imperfect Difpenfation, by knowing the Realities of thofe Mifterious Reprefentations in themselves. In this time the Law was written on Stone, the Temple built with Hands attended with an outward Prieft-hood and External Rites, and Ceremonies, that were Shadows of the Good Things that were to come, and were only to ferve till the Seed came, or the more excellent and general Manifeftation of Chrift, to whom was the Promife, and to all Men only in him, in whom it was Tea and Amen; even Life from Death, Immortality and Eternal Life.

This the Prophets forefaw, and comforted the believing Jews in the Certainty of it; which was the Top of the Mofaical Difpenfation, and which ended in John's Miniftry, the Forerunner of the Meffiah, as John's was finished in him, the Fullness of all. And God, that at fundry Times and in divers Manners had spoken to the Fathers by his Servants the Prophets, Spake then by his Son Chrift Jefus, Who is

Heir of all things; being the Gofpel-Day, which is the Difpenfation of Sonship: Bringing in thereby a nearer Teftament and a better Hope; even the Begin ning of the Glory of the latter days, and of the Reftitution of all things; yea, the Restoration of the Kingdom unto Ifrael.

Now the Spirit, that was more fparingly communicated in former Difpenfations, began to be Poured forth upon all Flesh, according to the Prophet Joel, and the Light that fhined in Darkness, or but dimly before, the moft gracious God caufed to Shine out of Darkness, and the Day ftar began to arife in the Hearts of Believers, giving unto them the Knowledge of God in the Face (or Appearance) of his Son Chrift Fefus.

Now the Poor in Spirit, the Meek, the true Mourners, the Hungry and Thirfty after Righteousness, the Peace-makers, the Pure in Heart, the Merciful and the Perfecuted, came more efpecially in Remembrance before the Lord, and were fought out and bleffed by Ifrael's true Shepherd. Old Jerufalem with her Children grew out of Date, and the New Jerufalem into Requeft, the Mother of the Sons of the Gospel-Day. Wherefore no more at Old Jerufalem, nor at the Mountain of Samaria, will God be worshipped above other places; for, behold, he is declared and preached a Spirit, and he will be known as fuch, and worshipped in the Spirit and in the Truth. He will come nearer than of old time, and he will write his Law in the Heart, and put his Fear and Spirit in the inward parts, according to his Promife. Then Signs, Types and Shadows flew away, the Day having difcovered their Infufficiency in not reaching to the infide of the Cup, to the cleanfing of the Confcience; and all Elementary Services were expired in and by him that is the Subftance of all.

And to this Great and Bleffed End of the Difpenfation of the Son of God, did the Apoftles teftifie, whom he had chofen and anointed by his Spirit, to

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