| Now, as I went towards Nottingham, on a Firstday, in the morning, going
with Friends to a meeting there, when I came on the top of a hill in sight
of the town, I espied the great steeple-house. And the Lord said unto me,
"Thou must go cry against yonder great idol, and against the worshippers
therein."
I said nothing of this to the Friends that were with me, but went on with
them to the meeting, where the mighty power of the Lord was amongst us;
in which I left Friends sitting in the meeting, and went away to the steeple-house.
When I came there, all the people looked like fallow ground; and the priest
(like a great lump of earth) stood in his pulpit above.
He took for his text these words of Peter, "We have also a more sure
Word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light
that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise
in your hearts." And he told the people that this was the Scriptures,
by which they were to try all doctrines, religions, and opinions.
Now the Lord's power was so mighty upon me, and so strong in me, that I
could not hold, but was made to cry out and say, "Oh, no; it is not
the Scriptures!" and I told them what it was, namely, the Holy Spirit,
by which the holy men of God gave forth the Scriptures, whereby opinions,
religions, and judgments were to be tried; for it led into all truth, and
so gave the knowledge of all truth. The Jews had the Scriptures, and yet
resisted the Holy Ghost, and rejected Christ, the bright morning star. They
persecuted Christ and His apostles, and took upon them to try their doctrines
by the Scriptures; but they erred in judgment, and did not try them aright,
because they tried without the Holy Ghost.
As I spoke thus amongst them, the officers came and took me away, and put
me into a nasty, stinking prison; the smell whereof got so into my nose
and throat that it very much annoyed me.
But that day the Lord's power sounded so in their ears that they were amazed
at the voice, and could not get it out of their ears for some time after,
they were so reached by the Lord's power in the steeple-house. At night
they took me before the mayor, aldermen, and sheriffs of the town; and when
I was brought before them, the mayor was in a peevish, fretful temper, but
the Lord's power allayed him. They examined me at large; and I told them
how the Lord had moved me to come. After some discourse between them and
me, they sent me back to prison again. Some time after, the head sheriff,
whose name was John Reckless, sent for me to his house. When I came in,
his wife met me in the hall, and said, "Salvation is come to our house."
She took me by the hand, and was much wrought upon by the power of the Lord
God; and her husband, and children, and servants were much changed, for
the power of the Lord wrought upon them.
I lodged at the sheriff's, and great meetings we had in his house. Some
persons of considerable condition in the world came to them, and the Lord's
power appeared eminently amongst them.
This sheriff sent for the other sheriff, and for a woman they had had dealings
with in the way of trade; and he told her, before the other sheriff, that
they had wronged her in their dealings with her (for the other sheriff and
he were partners), and that they ought to make her restitution. This he
spoke cheerfully; but the other sheriff denied it, and the woman said she
knew nothing of it. But the friendly sheriff said it was so, and that the
other knew it well enough; and having discovered the matter, and acknowledged
the wrong, done by them, he made restitution to the woman, and exhorted
the other sheriff to do the like. The Lord's power was with this friendly
sheriff, and wrought a mighty change in him; and great openings he had.
The next market-day, as he was walking with me in the chamber, he said,
"I must go into the market, and preach repentance to the people."
Accordingly he went in his slippers into the market, and into several streets,
and preached repentance to the people. Several others also in the town were
moved to speak to the mayor and magistrates, and to the people exhorting
them to repent. Hereupon the magistrates grew very angry, sent for me from
the sheriff's house and committed me to the common prison.
When the assize came on, one person was moved to come and offer up himself
for me, body for body, yea, life also; but when I should have been brought
before the judge, the sheriff's man being somewhat long in bringing me to
the sessions-house, the judge was risen before I came. At which I understood
the judge was offended, and said, "I would have admonished the youth
if he had been brought before me": for I was then imprisoned by the
name of a youth. So I was returned to prison again, and put into the common
jail.
The Lord's power was great among Friends; but the people began to be very
rude: wherefore the governor of the castle sent soldiers, and dispersed
them. After that they were quiet. Both priests and people were astonished
at the wonderful power that broke forth. Several of the priests were made
tender, and some did confess to the power of the Lord.
After I was set at liberty from Nottingham jail, where I had been kept prisoner
a pretty long time I travelled as before, in the work of the Lord.
Coming to Mansfield-Woodhouse, I found there a distracted woman under a
doctor's hand, with her hair loose about her ears. He was about to let her
blood, she being first bound, and many people about her, holding her by
violence; but he could get no blood from her.
I desired them to unbind her and let her alone, for they could not touch
the spirit in her by which she was tormented. So they did unbind her; and
I was moved to speak to her, and in the name of the Lord to bid her be quiet;
and she was so. The Lord's power settled her mind, and she mended. Afterwards
she received the truth, and continued in it to her death; and the Lord's
name was honoured.
Many great and wonderful things were wrought by the heavenly power in those
days; for the Lord made bare His omnipotent arm, and manifested His power,
to the astonishment of many, by the healing virtue whereby many have been
delivered from great infirmities. And the devils were made subject through
His name; of which particular instances might be given, beyond what this
unbelieving age is able to receive or bear.
Now while I was at Mansfield-Woodhouse, I was moved to go to the steeple-house
there, and declare the truth to the priest and people; but the people fell
upon me in great rage, struck me down, and almost stifled and smothered
me; and I was cruelly beaten and bruised by them with their hands, and with
Bibles and sticks. Then they haled me out, though I was hardly able to stand,
and put me into the stocks, where I sat some hours; and they brought dog-whips
and horse-whips, threatening to whip me.
After some time they had me before the magistrate, at a knight's house,
where were many great persons; who, seeing how evilly I had been used, after
much threatening, set me at liberty. But the rude people stoned me out of
the town, for preaching the Word of life to them.
I was scarcely able to move or stand by reason of the ill usage I had received;
yet with considerable effort I got about a mile from the town, and then
I met with some people who gave me something to comfort me, because I was
inwardly bruised; but the Lord's power soon healed me again. That day some
people were convinced of the Lord's truth, and turned to His teaching, at
which I rejoiced.
Then I went into Leicestershire, several Friends accompanying me. There
were some Baptists in that country, whom I desired to see and speak with,
because they were separated from the public worship. So one Oates, who was
one of their chief teachers, and others of the heads of them, with several
others of their company, came to meet us at Barrow; and there we discoursed
with them.
One of them said that what was not of faith was sin, whereupon I asked them
what faith was and how it was wrought in man. But they turned off from that,
and spoke of their baptism in water. Then I asked them whether their mountain
of sin was brought down and laid low in them and their rough and crooked
ways made smooth and straight in them, -- for they looked upon the Scriptures
as meaning outward mountains and ways. But I told them they must find these
things in their own hearts; at which they seemed to wonder
We asked them who baptized John the Baptist, and who baptized Peter, John
and the rest of the apostles, and put them to prove by Scripture that these
were baptized in water; but they were silent. Then I asked them, "Seeing
Judas, who betrayed Christ, and was called the son of perdition, had hanged
himself, what son of perdition was that of which Paul spoke, that sat in
the temple of God, exalted above all that is called God? and what temple
of God was that in which this son of perdition sat?" And I asked them
whether he that betrays Christ within himself be not one in nature with
that Judas that betrayed Christ without. But they could not tell what to
make of this, nor what to say to it. So, after some discourse, we parted;
and some of them were loving to us.
On the First-day following we came to Bagworth, and went to a steeple-house,
where some Friends were got in, and the people locked them in, and themselves,
too, with the priest. But, after the priest had done, they opened the door,
and we went in also, and had service for the Lord amongst them. Afterwards
we had a meeting in the town, amongst several that were in high notions.
Passing thence, I heard of a people in prison at Coventry for religion.
As I walked towards the jail, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "My
love was always to thee, and thou art in my love." And I was ravished
with the sense of the love of God, and greatly strengthened in my inward
man. But when I came into the jail where those prisoners were, a great power
of darkness struck at me; and I sat still, having my spirit gathered into
the love of God.
At last these prisoners began to rant, vapour, and blaspheme; at which my
soul was greatly grieved. They said that they were God; but we could not
bear such things. When they were calm, I stood up and asked them whether
they did such things by motion, or from Scripture. They said, "From
Scripture." Then, a Bible lying by, I asked them for that Scripture;
and they showed me that place where the sheet was let down to Peter; and
it was said to him that what was sanctified he should not call common or
unclean. When I had showed them that that Scripture made nothing for their
purpose, they brought another, which spake of God's reconciling all things
to Himself, things in heaven and things in earth. I told them I owned that
Scripture also; but showed them that it likewise was nothing to their purpose.
Then, seeing they said that they were God, I asked them if they knew whether
it would rain to-morrow. They said they could not tell. I told them God
could tell. I asked them if they thought they should be always in that condition,
or should change. They answered that they could not tell. "Then,"
said I, "God can tell, and He doth not change. You say you are God,
and yet you cannot tell whether you shall change or no." So they were
confounded, and quite brought down for the time.
After I had reproved them for their blasphemous expressions, I went away;
for I perceived they were Ranters. I had met with none before; and I admired
the goodness of the Lord in appearing so unto me before I went amongst them.
Not long after this one of these Ranters, whose name was Joseph Salmon,
published a recantation; upon which they were set at liberty. |