CHAPTER II (4)

After a precious meeting at Appledore among some faithful Friends there, we passed to Stratton, and stayed at an inn all night. Next day we rode to Humphrey Lower’s, where we had a very precious meeting; and next day to Truro; visiting Friends till we came to the Land’s-End. Then coming up by the south part of that county, we visited Friends till we came to Tregangeeves, where at Loveday Hambley’s we had a general meeting for all the county; in which the monthly meetings were settled in the Lord’s power, and in the blessed order of the gospel; that all who were faithful might admonish and exhort such as walked not according to the gospel; that so the house of God might be kept clean, and righteousness might run down, and all unrighteousness be swept away. Several that had run out, were brought to condemn what they had done amiss; and through repentance came in again.

Being clear of the county of Cornwall, we came into Devonshire, and had a meeting amongst Friends at Plymouth. Whence passing to Richard Brown’s, we came to the widow Phillips’s, where we had some men Friends from all the meetings together; and there the men’s monthly meetings were settled in the heavenly order of the gospel, the power of God; which answered the witness of God in all. There was a great noise of a troop of horse coming to disturb our meeting; but the Lord’s power prevented it, and preserved us in peace and safety.

After things were well settled, and the meeting over, we came to Kingsbridge, and visited Friends there. Then leaving Friends in those parts well settled in the power of God, we passed to Topsham, and Membury, visiting Friends, and having many meetings in the way, till we came to Ilchester in Somersetshire. Here we had a general men’s meeting, and therein settled the men’s monthly meetings for that county in the Lord’s everlasting power; and Friends being refreshed and comforted in the Lord’s power, and established upon Christ, their rock and foundation, we passed to Puddimore; where, at William Beaton’s, we had a blessed meeting, and all was quiet; though the constables had threatened before.

When we had visited most of the meetings in Somersetshire, we passed into Dorsetshire to George Harris’s house, where we had a large men’s meeting. There all the men’s monthly meetings for that county were settled in the glorious order of the gospel, that all in the power of God might “seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away; cherish the good, and reprove the evil.”

Then we came to Southampton, where we had a large meeting on First-day. Thence we went to Captain Reeves’s, where the general men’s meeting for Hampshire was appointed; to which some of all the county came, and a blessed time we had. There the men’s monthly meetings for that county were settled in the order of the gospel, which had brought life and immortality to light in them. But there came a rude company of Ranters, who had opposed and disturbed our meetings much. One of the women had lain with a man, who declared it at the market-cross, and gloried in his wickedness. A company of these lewd people lived together at a house hard by the place where our meeting was. I went to it, and told them of their wickedness. The man of the house said, “Why! did I make so strange of that?” Another of them said, “It was to stumble me.” I told them, “their wickedness should not stumble me, for I was above it.” And I was moved of the Lord to tell them, “that the plagues and judgments of God would overtake them, and come upon them.” Afterwards they went up and down the country, till at last they were cast into Winchester jail, where the man that had lain with the woman stabbed the jailer, but not mortally. And after they were let out of jail, this fellow that had stabbed the jailer hung himself; the woman had like to have cut a child’s throat, as we were informed. These people had formerly lived about London; and when the city was fired, they prophesied, “that all the rest of London should be burnt within fourteen days,” and hastened out of town. Though they were Ranters, great opposers of Friends, and disturbers of our meetings, yet in the country where they came, some people that did not know them, would be apt to say they were Quakers. Wherefore I was moved of the Lord to write a paper, to be dispersed among the magistrates and people of Hampshire, to clear Friends and truth of these lewd people and their wicked actions.

After the men’s monthly meetings in those parts were settled, and the Lord’s blessed power was over all, we went to a town where we had a meeting with Friends. Thence we came to Farnham, where we met many Friends, it being the market-day. We had many precious meetings up and down that country. Friends in those parts had formerly been plundered, and their goods much spoiled, both for tithes, and for going to meetings; but the Lord’s power at this time preserved both them and us from falling into the persecutor’s hands.

We passed thence, and had a general men’s meeting at a Friend’s house in Surrey, who had been plundered so extremely, that he had scarcely a cow, horse, or swine left. The constables threatened to come and break up our meeting, but the Lord restrained them. At this meeting the men’s monthly meetings were settled in the authority of the heavenly power. After we had visited Friends in that county, and had many large and precious gatherings, we passed to a Friend’s house in Sussex, where the general meeting for the men Friends of that county was appointed to be held; and thither came several Friends from London to visit us. We had a blessed meeting; and the men’s monthly meetings for that county were then settled in the Lord’s eternal power. There were at that time great threatenings of disturbance; but the meeting was quiet. We had several large meetings in that county, though Friends were then in great sufferings there, and many in prison. I was sent for to visit a Friend that was sick, and went to see those that were prisoners. There was danger of my being apprehended; but I went in the faith of God’s power, and thereby the Lord preserved me in safety.

Having visited Friends through the country, we passed into Kent, where, after we had been at several meetings, we had a general meeting for the men Friends of that county. There also the men’s monthly meetings for that county were settled in the power of God, and established in the order of the gospel, for all the heirs of it to enter into their services, and care in the church for the glory of God. Friends rejoiced in the order of the gospel, and were glad of the settlement thereof, which is not of man nor by man. After this I visited Friends in their meetings in Kent; and when I had cleared myself of the Lord’s service in that county, I came up to London.

Thus were the men’s monthly meetings settled through the nation; for I had been in Berkshire before, where most of the ancient Friends of that county were in prison; and when I had informed them of the service of these monthly meetings, they were settled amongst them also. The quarterly meetings were generally settled before. I wrote also into Ireland by faithful Friends, and into Scotland, Holland, Barbadoes, and several parts of America, advising Friends to settle their men’s monthly meetings in those countries. For they had their general quarterly meetings before; but now that truth was increased amongst them, they should settle those men’s monthly meetings in the power and Spirit of God, that first convinced them.

Since these meetings have been settled, and all the faithful in the power of God, who are heirs of the gospel, have met together in the power of God, which is the authority of them, to perform service to the Lord therein, many mouths have been opened in thanksgivings and praise, and many have blessed the Lord God, that ever he sent me forth in this service; yea, with tears have many praised the Lord. For now all coming to have a concern and care for God’s honour and glory, that his name be not blasphemed, which they profess; and to see that all who profess the truth, walk in the truth, in righteousness, and in holiness, which becomes the house of God, and that all order their conversation aright, that they may see the salvation of God; all having this care upon them for God’s glory, and being exercised in his holy Power and Spirit, in the order of the heavenly life and gospel of Jesus, they may all see and know, possess and partake of, the government of Christ, of the increase of which there is to be no end. Thus the Lord’s everlasting renown and praise are set up in every one’s heart that is faithful; so that we can say, the gospel order established amongst us, is not of man, nor by man, but of and by Jesus Christ, in and through the Holy Ghost. This order of the gospel, which is not of man, nor by man, but from Christ, the heavenly man, is above all the orders of men in the fall, whether Jews, Gentiles, or apostatized Christians, and will remain when they are gone. For the power of God, which is the everlasting gospel, was before the devil was, and will be and remain for ever.

And as the everlasting gospel was preached in the apostles’ days to all nations, that all nations might come into the order of it, through the divine power, which brings life and immortality to light, that they who are heirs of it, might inherit the power and authority of it; so now, since all nations have drunk the whore’s cup, and all the world hath worshipped the beast (but they whose names are written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, who have worshipped God in Spirit and in truth, as Christ commanded), the everlasting gospel is to be, and is, preached again, as John the divine foresaw it should, to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. This everlasting gospel torments the whore, and makes her and the beast to rage, even the beast that hath power over the tongues, which are called the original, to order them, by which they make divines, as they call them. But all that receive the gospel, the power of God, which brings life and immortality to light, come to see over the beast, devil, whore, and false prophet, that darkened them and all their worships and orders, and come to be heirs of the gospel, the power of God, which was before the beast, whore, false prophet, and devil were, and will be, when they are all gone and cast into the lake of fire. And they that are heirs of this power and of this gospel, inherit the power which is the authority of this order, and of our meetings. These come to possess the joyful order of the joyful gospel, the comfortable order of the comfortable gospel, the glorious order of the glorious gospel, and the everlasting order of the everlasting gospel, the power of God, which will last for ever, and will out-last all the orders of the devil, and that which is of men or by men. These shall see the government of Christ, who hath all power in heaven and earth given to him; and of the increase of his glorious, righteous, holy, just government, there is no end; but his government and his order will remain; for he who is the author of it, is the first and the last, the beginning and ending, the foundation of God, which over all stands sure, Christ Jesus, the Amen.

Being returned to London, I stayed some time there, visiting Friends’ meetings in and about the city. While I was in London, I went one day to visit Esquire Marsh, who had showed much kindness both to me and to Friends; I happened to go when he was at dinner. He no sooner heard my name, than he sent for me up, and would have had me sit down with him to dinner; but I had not freedom to do so. Several great persons were at dinner with him; and he said to one of them who was a great Papist, “Here is a Quaker, whom you have not seen before.” The Papist asked me, “whether I owned the christening of children?” I told him, “there was no Scripture for any such practice.” “What,” said he, “not for christening children?” I said, “nay.” I told him, “the one baptism by the one Spirit into one body we owned; but to throw a little water on a child’s face, and say that was baptizing and christening it, there was no Scripture for that.” Then he asked me, “whether I owned the Catholic faith,” I said, “yes,” but added, that “neither the Pope nor the Papists were in that Catholic faith; for the true faith works by love, and purifies the heart, and if they were in that faith that gives victory, by which they might have access to God, they would not tell the people of a purgatory after they were dead.” So I undertook to prove that “neither Pope nor Papists that held a purgatory hereafter, were in the true faith; for the true, precious, divine faith, which Christ is the author of, gives victory over the devil and sin, that had separated man and woman from God. And if they, the Papists, were in the true faith, they would never use racks, prisons, and fines, to persecute and force others to their religion, that were not of their faith. This was not the practice of the apostles and primitive Christians, who witnessed and enjoyed the true faith of Christ; but it was the practice of the faithless Jews and Heathens so to do.