Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

'G. F.-WHEN thou went'st from York, the first-day after thou wast at Richard Shipton's, that day I had appointed a meeting ten miles from York, where there had not been a meeting before. But the priest and the constable got a warrant on the seventh-day, and put thy name only in the warrant; for they had heard thou wast to be there. They came with weapons and staves, and cried, "Where is Mr. Fox?" over and over; many Friends being there, they concluded thou wast amongst them. But those raveners, being disappointed, plucked me down, and abused me, and beat some Friends, and then took me before a magistrate, but he set me at liberty. ISAAC LINDLEY.'

I then visited Friends at Whitby and Scarborough. When I was at Scarborough, the governor, hearing I was come, sent to invite me to his house, saying, 'Surely, I would not be so unkind, as not to come and see him and his wife.' After the meeting I went to visit him, and he received me very courteously and lovingly.

Having visited most of the meetings in Yorkshire, the Woulds, and Holderness, I came to Henry Jackson's, where I had a great meeting. From thence to Thomas Taylor's, and to John Moor's at Eldreth, where we had a very large meeting: the Lord's power and presence was eminently amongst us. Not far from this place lay colonel Kirby, lame of the gout, who had threatened, If ever I came near, he would send me to prison again; and had bid forty pounds to any man that could take me,' as I was credibly informed.

After this meeting I passed through the country till I came into Staffordshire and Cheshire, where we had many large and precious meetings. I had a very large one at William Barns', about two miles from Warrington; and though colonel Kirby was now got abroad again, as violent in breaking up meetings as before, and was then at Warrington, the Lord did not suffer him to come to this meeting: so we were preserved out of his hands.

Now was I moved of the Lord to go over into Ireland, to visit the seed of God in that nation. There went with me Robert Lodge, James Lancaster, Thomas Briggs, and John Stubbs. We waited near Liverpool for shipping and wind. After we had waited some days, we sent James Lancaster, who took passage, and brought word the ship was ready, and would take us in at Black-rock. We went thither on foot. It being pretty far, and the weather very hot, I was much spent with walking. When we arrived the ship was not there, so we were obliged to go to the town and take shipping there. When we were got on board, I said to the rest of the company, Come, ye will triumph in the Lord; for we shall have fair wind and weather.' There were many passengers in the ship sick, but not one of our company was sick. The master and many

of the passengers were very loving; and being at sea on a first-day, I was moved to declare truth among them: whereupon, the master said to the passengers, Come, here are things that you never heard in your lives.' When we came before Dublin, we took boat, and went ashore; and the earth and air smelt, methought, with the corruption of the nation, so that it yielded another smell to me than England did; which I imputed to the corruption and popish massacres that had been committed, and the blood that had been spilt in it, from which a foulness ascended. We passed through among the officers of the customs four times, yet they did not search us; for they perceived what we were. Some of them were so envious, they did not care to look at us. We did not presently find Friends; but went to an inn, and sent to enquire for some, who were exceeding glad of our coming, and received us with great joy. We staid there the Weekly Meeting, which was a large one, and the power and life of God appeared greatly in it. Afterwards we passed to a province meeting, which lasted two days, there being both a men's meeting about the poor, and another more general, in which a mighty power of the Lord appeared. Truth was livingly declared, and Friends were much refreshed therein.

Passing from thence about twenty-four miles, we came to another place, where we had a very good refreshing meeting; after which some Papists were angry, and raged very much. When I heard of it, I sent for one of them, a schoolmaster; but he would not come. Whereupon I sent a challenge to him, with all the friars, monks, priests, and Jesuits, to come forth, and try their God and their Christ, which they made of bread and wine;' but no answer could I get from them. Wherefore I told them, 'They were worse than the priests of Baal; for Baal's priests tried their wooden god, but these durst not try their god of bread and wine; and Baal's priests and people did not eat their god, as these did, and then make another.'

We went on to New-garden, where was a great meeting. From thence we travelled on among Friends till we came to Bandon bridge and the Land's-end, having many meetings as we went; in which the mighty power of the Lord was manifested, Friends were well refreshed, and many people were affected with the truth. At Bandon, the mayor's wife, being convinced, desired her husband to come to the meeting; but he bid her for her life she should not make known that I was at a meeting there.

He that was then mayor of Cork, being very envious against truth and Friends, had many Friends in prison; and knowing I was in the country, he sent four warrants to take me; therefore Friends were desirous that I might not ride through Cork. But being at Bandon, there appeared to me in a vision, A very ugly-visaged man, of a black and dark

look. My spirit struck at him in the power of God,' and it seemed to me that I rode over him with my horse, and my horse set his foot on the side of his face.' When I came down in the morning, I told a Friend, the command of the Lord was to me to ride through Cork; but bid him tell no man. So we took horse, many Friends being with me. When we came near the town, Friends would have showed me a way on the backside of it; but I told them, my way was through the streets. Taking Paul Morrice to guide me through the town, I rode on; and as we rode through the market place, and by the mayor's door he, seeing me, said, "There goes George Fox ;' but he had no power to stop me. When we had passed through the sentinels, and were come over the bridge, we went to a Friend's house, and alighted. There the Friends told me, what a rage was in the town, and how many warrants were granted to take me. While I was sitting there with Friends, I felt the evil spirit at work in the town, stirring up mischief against me; and I felt the power of the Lord strike at that evil spirit. By-and-by some other Friends coming in, told me, 'It was over the town, and amongst the magistrates, that I was in the town.' I said, Let the devil do his worst.' After awhile that Friends were refreshed one in another, and we who were travellers had refreshed ourselves, I called for my horse, and having a Friend to guide me, we went on our way. But great was the rage that the mayor and others of Cork were in, that they had missed me, and great pains they afterwards took to have taken me, having their scouts abroad upon the roads, as I understood, to observe which way I went. Afterwards, scarce a public meeting I came to but spies came to watch if I was there. And the envious magistrates and priests sent informations one to another concerning me, describing me by my hair, hat, clothes, and horse; so that when I was near a hundred miles from Cork they had an account concerning me, and description of me, before I came amongst them. One very envious magistrate, who was both a priest and a justice, got a warrant from the judge of assize to apprehend me; the warrant was to go over all his circuit, which reached near a hundred miles. Yet the Lord disappointed all their counsels, defeated all their designs against me, and by his good hand of providence preserved me out of all their snares, and gave us many sweet and blessed opportunities to visit Friends and spread truth through that nation. For meetings were very large, Friends coming to them far and near; and other people flocking in. The powerful presence of the Lord was preciously felt with and amongst us; whereby many of the world were reached, convinced, gathered to the truth, and the Lord's flock was increased, and Friends were greatly refreshed and comforted in feeling the love of God. Oh! the brokenness that was amongst them in the flowings of life! So that, in the power and spirit of the

Lord, many together have broken out into singing, even with audible voices, making melody in their hearts.

At which time I was moved to declare to Friends there in the ministry, as followeth:

'SOUND, sound abroad, you faithful servants of the Lord, witnesses in his name, faithful servants, prophets of the Highest, and angels of the Lord! Sound ye all abroad in the world, to the awakening and raising of the dead, that they may be awakened and raised up out of the grave to hear the voice that is living. For the dead have long heard the dead, and the blind have long wandered among the blind, and the deaf amongst the deaf. Therefore sound, sound, ye servants, prophets, and angels of the Lord, ye trumpets of the Lord, that you may awaken the dead, awaken them that are asleep in their graves of sin, death and hell, sea and earth, and who lie in the tombs. Sound, sound abroad, ye trumpets and raise up the dead, that the dead may hear the voice of the Son of God, the voice of the second Adam that never fell, the voice of the light, the voice of the life, the voice of the power, the voice of the truth, the voice of the righteous, and the voice of the just. Sound, sound the pleasant and melodious sound. Sound, sound ye the trumpets, the melodious sound abroad, that all the deaf ears may be opened to hear the pleasant sound of the trumpet to judgment and life, to condemnation and light. Sound, sound your trumpets all abroad, you angels of the Lord, sons and daughters, prophets of the Highest, that all that are dead and asleep in the graves, who have been long dreaming and slumbering, may be awakened and hear the voice of the Lamb, who have long heard the voice of the beast, that now they may hear the voice of the bridegroom, the voice of the bride, the voice of the great prophet, the voice of the great king, the voice of the great shepherd and bishop of their souls. Sound, sound it all abroad, ye trumpets, among the dead in Adam; for Christ is come, the second Adam, that they might have life, yea have it abundantly. Awaken the dead, awaken the slumberers, awaken the dreamers, awaken them that are asleep, awaken them out of their graves, out of their tombs, out of their sepulchres, out of the seas! Sound, sound abroad, ye trumpets! ye trumpets that awaken the dead, that they may all hear the sound of it in the graves, and they that hear may live and come to the life, that is, the Son of God. He is risen from the dead, the grave could not hold nor contain him, neither could all the watchers of the earth, with all their guards, keep him therein. Sound, sound, ye trumpets of the Lord, to all the seekers of the living among the dead, that he is risen from the dead; to all the seekers of the living among the dead, and in the graves that the watchers keep; he is not in

the grave, he is risen ; and there is that under the grave of the watchers of the outward grave, which must be awakened and come to hear his voice, who is risen from the dead, that they might come to live. Therefore sound abroad, you trumpets of the Lord, that the grave might give up her dead, and hell and the sea might give up their dead; and all might come forth to judgment, to the judgment of the Lord before his throne and have their sentence and reward according to their works. Away with all the chaff and the husks, and contentions and strife, that the swine feed upon in the mire, and in the fall; and the keepers of them of Adam and Eve's house in the fall; that lies in the mire, out of light and life.

G. F.'

To James Hutchinson's in Ireland came many great persons, desiring to discourse with me about Election and Reprobation. I told them, 'Though they judged our principle foolish, it was too high for them, they could not with their wisdom comprehend it; therefore I would discourse with them according to their capacities. You say,' said I,' that God hath ordained the greatest part of men for hell, and that they were ordained so before the world began; for which your proof is in Jude. You say, Esau was reprobated and the Egyptians, and the stock of Ham. But Christ saith to his disciples, "Go, teach all nations ;" and, "Go into all nations, and preach the gospel of life and salvation." If they were to go to all nations, were they not to go to Ham's stock, and Esau's stock? Did not Christ die for all? Then for the stock of Ham, of Esau, and the Egyptians. Doth not the scripture say, "God would have all men to be saved?" Mark, "All men;" then the stock of Esau, and of Ham also. Doth not God say, "Egypt my people?" and that he would have an altar in Egypt? Isa. xix. Were there not many Christians formerly in Egypt? and doth not history say, that the bishop of Alexandria would formerly have been pope? And had not God a church in Babylon? I confess, "The word came to Jacob, and the statutes to Israel;" the like was not to other nations. For the law of God was given to Israel. But the gospel was to be preached to all nations, and is to be preached. The gospel of peace and glad tidings to all nations. "He that believes is saved, but he that doth not believe is condemned already;" so the condemnation comes through unbelief. And whereas Jude speaks of some that were of old ordained (or written of before,) to condemnation, he doth not say, before the world began; but "written of old;" which may be referred to Moses' writings, who wrote of those whom Jude mentions, namely, Cain, Korah, Balaam, and the angels that kept not their first estate; and such Christians as followed them in their way, and apostatized from the first state of christianity, were and are ordained for condemnation by the light and truth, which they are gone from. And

« EdellinenJatka »