ensuing Pages, I chufe to remit the Reader thither; by which poffibly he may be excited to the Perufal of them, and fhall only fay concerning them, That the judicious Reader will eafily obferve, that his Method and Stile do denote him to have been a Scholar: And yet not farther fo than the Simplicity and Purity of the Truth, whereof he made Profeffion, would permit him. I was with our Friend Thomas Ellwood the greater Part of his Sickness: In which he was alfo very frequently vifited by our Friend George Bowles, who was his Neighbour; to whom therefore I refer, for the Account which he may give of his Sickness and dying Words. As it was my good Lot to be well acquainted with him (though only in the latter Years of his Life) and know that he did neither ufe nor encourage the bestowing elaborate A 4 Enco 4. Encomiums upon Perfons deceased => So neither fhall I add further concerning him, than to fay with the Apoftle concerning the Faithful, That he was righteous, God teftifying of his Gifts; and by it being. dead, yet fpeaketh. London, the 12th of the J. W. George George Bowles his TESTIMONY concerning THOMAS ELLWOOD. Dear Friends, IT T is in my Heart briefly, on this Occafion, to commemorate the tender Dealings of the Lord with His People in this latter Age of the World, when it hath pleafed Him, in Love to poor loft Man, graciously to appear, by the breaking forth of His glorious Gofpel-day. And by the fecret divine Reaches of the Hand of God, which hath been felt. and feen in the Light of it, many have been drawn in their Spirits to feek after the Lord, and to enquire after the Knowledge of the Way of Life and Salvation; and blessed be His holy Name, who was graciously pleafed, by the Infhinings of this divine Light in the Hearts of many, to expel the Darkness and rend the Vail. And then was the Arm of His mighty Power made bare, for the gathering many Thousands to the faving Knowledge of Himself. And in that Day was the Lord pleafed, according to His Promife, to pour forth of His Spirit upon Sons and upon Daughters; yea, upon Servants and upon Handmaids, and many were made to prophefy; and being qualified by the holy Spirit which they received, and were baptized by it into His Name, became willing, and were freely given up in Obedience to the Lord, and in Bowels of tender Love to the Souls of Mankind, in His Power to preach the Gospel of Life and Salvation to thofe to whom they were fent, and many were turned turned from Darkness to Light, and from the Power of Satan unto God, by their Miniftry: Amongst whom our dear deceafed Friend and Brother, THOMAS ELLWOOD, was one, whofe ConScience was reached and awakened by the powerful Miniftry of dear Edward Burrough, as I have keard him relate (and as by the following Sheets will more plainly appear.) And of that Day and Time, and the worthy Inftrument by whofe Miniftry he was convinced, and turned unto God, and made fenfible of the divine Principle of Life and Light in bis own Heart, have I heard him fpeak with great Regard; and alfo of the Sufferings which did attend him, after he received the Truth, in his Father's Family, for the Truth's Sake; and how the Lord preferved him in that Time, under the various Exercifes which he passed through for Truth's Teftimony; which for Chrift's Sake he was confcientiously concerned to ftand in, according to that Plainnejs and Simplicity which Truth then led, and fill continues to lead the fincere Difciples of Chrift into, by which they were diftinguished from the World; and, for the Sake thereof, they were defpifed of Men, and hated of the World. Such was the plain Language of Thou to one, and refufing the HatHonour for which, dear T. Ellwood fuffered not a little in that Day, as, by the following Account of his Life more fully appears. And it were well if all, who come up in a Profefion of the bleffed Truth in this Time, were faithful in thefe, and in the other Branches of its Testimony. And let all confider, that the neglecting thereof, is, in a Degree, "a making void the Sufferings of the ; Faithful Faithful (and frengthening the Hands of evil Doers) who for the Sake of their Teftimony, loved not their Lives to the Death; but underwent cruel Mockings, Buffetings, Stonings, Whippings, Stockings, Revilings, Imprisonments, and Spoiling of Goods; rejoicing in the Lord, that they were counted worthy to fuffer, either less or more, for His Name Sake. In refpect of which, this my dear Friend was a good Example, he being a Man of a steady Mind, and very patient in Suffering, as well as faithful in his Teftimony for Truth, and took joyfully the Spoiling of his Goods, wherein he was tried but a few Years before his Death. He was often concerned in Defence of Truth's Teftimony, both against our professed Aðverfaries, and alfo against the libertine Spirit which appeared in fome, profeffing the fame Truth with us, who opposed themfelves against that good Order and Difcipline which the Truth led Friends into. All which will abundantly appear from the Books themselves, which are in print, which he writ upon various Occafions, and upon divers Subjects; and let not his great Labour and Industry be forgotten, in his writing thofe Two Hiftorical Volumes, relating to the Old and New Teftament: A Work truly great, and is, and may be of great Use and Service. By all which bis many Labours, it may be perceived by the wary and inlightned Reader, that the Lord had endowed him with an excellent Gift, and qualified him for the Service of Truth, His Church and People; in which he imployed the Talent which the bountiful Lord had given him, to the Honour of the great Giver, and to the Com fort |