CHAPTER III (4)

Being set at liberty, the Friends with me asked me “whither I would go?” I told them, “to Gracechurch Street meeting again, if it were not over.” When we came there, the people were generally gone; only some few stood at the gate. We went into Gerrard Roberts’s house; and from thence I sent out to know how the other meetings in the city were. I understood that at some of the meeting-places Friends were kept out; at others they were taken, but set at liberty again a few days after. A glorious time it was, for the Lord’s power came over all, and his everlasting truth got renown. For as fast as some that were speaking were taken down, others were moved of the Lord to stand up and speak, to the admiration of the people; and the more, because many Baptists and other sectaries left their public meetings, and came to see how the Quakers would stand. As for the informer aforesaid, he was so frightened, that there durst hardly any informer appear publicly again in London for some time after. But the mayor, whose name was Samuel Starling, though he carried himself smoothly towards us, proved afterwards a very great persecutor of our Friends, many of whom he cast into prison, as may be seen in the trials of W. Penn, W. Mead, and others, at the Old Bailey this year.[21]

After some time the heat of persecution in London began to abate, and meetings were quieter there. Being now clear of the city, I went to visit Friends in the country; and attended several meetings in Middlesex, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire, which were quiet, though in some places there was much threatening. At Reading most of the Friends were in prison, and I went to visit them. When I had been a while with them, the Friends that were prisoners gathered together, and several other persons came in; so that I had a fine opportunity amongst them, and “declared the Word of Life, encouraging them in the truth; and they were refreshed in feeling the presence and power of the Lord amongst them.” When the meeting was ended, the jailer understanding that I was there, the Friends were concerned how to get me out safe again; for they feared lest he should stop me. But after I had stayed a while, and eaten with them, I went down stairs, and the jailer being at the door, I put my hand in my pocket, which he had such an eye to, hoping to get something from me, that he asked me no question. So I gave him something, and bade him “be kind and civil to my Friends in prison, whom I came to visit;” and he let me pass out without interruption. But soon after Isaac Penington coming to visit them, he stopped him, and caused him to be made a prisoner.[22]

Next morning I rode about fourteen miles to a meeting at Banghurst in Hampshire, Thomas Briggs being with me. When we came into the parish, some sober people told us, that “the priest of the town was an envious man, and threatened us.” We went on to the meeting, which was large; and after some time Thomas Briggs stood up and spoke. It seems the priest had got a warrant, and sent the constables and other officers with it. They came to the house, stayed a while, and then went away again, without coming into the meeting; so we in the meeting did not know of their being there. After Thomas Briggs had done speaking, I was moved of the Lord to stand up, and declare the Word of Life to the people; and a precious meeting we had. When it was ended and risen, I heard a great clatter in the yard; and when we came out, the man of the house told us, “that the officers had been in the house before, but did not come into the meeting, going away without doing anything; and that now the priest in a great rage had sent them again, and his own servant with them.” But the meeting being ended before they came, they could do nothing. Thus the good providence of the Lord preserved us from the wicked design of the envious priest.

Thence we went to a Friend’s house on the edge of Berkshire, where several Friends came to visit us. Afterwards we passed into Surrey, and had many precious meetings, till we came to Stephen Smith’s, near Guildford, where great persecution had been, and very much property taken away from Friends for their meetings; and under great threatenings they were at that time; yet we had several blessed meetings thereabouts, and the Lord’s power was over all, in and by which we were preserved.

We went into Sussex, by Richard Baxe’s, where we had a large, precious, quiet meeting, though the constables had given out threatenings before. I had many more meetings in that county; and though there were some threatenings, they were peaceable; and Friends were refreshed, and established upon the foundation of God, that stands sure. When I had thoroughly visited Sussex, I went into Kent, and had many glorious and precious meetings in several parts of that county. I went to a meeting near Deal, which was very large; and returning from thence to Canterbury, visited Friends there. I then passed into the Isle of Sheppey, where I stayed two or three days; and thither came Alexander Parker, George Whitehead, and John Rous to me.

Next day, finding my service for the Lord finished there, we passed towards Rochester. On the way, as I was walking down a hill, a great weight and oppression fell upon my spirit; I got on my horse again, but the weight remained so that I was hardly able to ride. At length we came to Rochester, but I was much spent, being so extremely laden and burdened with the world’s spirits, that my life was oppressed under them. I got with difficulty to Gravesend, and lay at an inn there; but could hardly either eat or sleep. The next day John Rous and Alexander Parker went for London; and John Stubbs being come to me, we went over the ferry into Essex. We came to Hornchurch, where was a meeting on First-day. After it I rode with great uneasiness to Stratford, to a Friend’s house, whose name was Williams, and who had formerly been a captain. Here I lay exceedingly weak, and at last lost both hearing and sight. Several Friends came to me from London: and I told them, that “I should be as a sign to such as would not see, and such as would not hear the truth.” In this condition I continued some time. Several came about me; and though I could not see their persons, I felt and discerned their spirits, who were honest-hearted, and who were not. Divers Friends who practised physic, came to see me, and would have given me medicines, but I was not to meddle with any; for I was sensible I had a travail to go through; and therefore desired none but solid, weighty Friends might be about me. Under great sufferings and travails, sorrows and oppressions, I lay for several weeks, whereby I was brought so low and weak in body, that few thought I could live. Some that were with me went away, saying, “they would not see me die;” and it was reported both in London and in the country, that I was deceased; but I felt the Lord’s power inwardly supporting me. When they that were about me had given me up to die, I spoke to them to get a coach to carry me to Gerrard Roberts’s, about twelve miles off; for I found it was my place to go thither. I had now recovered a little glimmering sight, so that I could discern the people and fields as I went, and that was all. When I came to Gerrard’s, he was very weak: and I was moved to speak to him, and encourage him.

After I had stayed about three weeks there, it was with me to go to Enfield. Friends were afraid of my removing; but I told them I might safely go. When I had taken my leave of Gerrard, and was come to Enfield, I went first to visit Amor Stoddart, who lay very weak, and almost speechless. I was moved to tell him, “he had been faithful as a man, and faithful to God; and that the immortal seed of life was his crown.” Many more words I was moved to speak to him, though I was then so weak I was hardly able to stand; and within a few days after, Amor died. I went to the widow Dry’s at Enfield, where I lay all that winter, warring in spirit with the evil spirits of the world, that warred against truth and Friends. For there were great persecutions at this time; some meeting-houses were pulled down, and many were broken up by soldiers. Sometimes a troop of horse, or a company of foot came; and some broke their swords, carbines, muskets, and pikes, with beating Friends; and many they wounded, so that their blood lay in the streets. Amongst others that were active in this cruel persecution at London, my old adversary Colonel Kirby was one; who, with a company of foot, went to break up several meetings; and he would often enquire for me at the meetings he broke up. One time as he went over the water to Horsleydown, there happening some scuffle between some of his soldiers and some of the watermen, he bid his men “fire at them.” They did so, and killed some.

I was under great sufferings at this time, beyond what I have words to declare. For I was brought into the deep, and saw all the religions of the world, and people that lived in them, and the priests that held them up, who were as a company of men-eaters, eating up the people like bread, and gnawing the flesh from off their bones. But as for true religion and worship, and ministers of God, alack! I saw there were none amongst those of the world that pretended to it. For they that pretended to be the church, were but a company of men-eaters, men of cruel visages, and of long teeth; and, though they had cried against the men-eaters in America, I saw they were in the same nature. And as the great professing Jews did “eat up God’s people like bread,” and the false prophets and priests then preached peace to people, so long as they “put into their mouths and fed them;” but if they fed them not, they prepared war against them, “they ate their flesh off their bones, and chopped them as for the caldron;” so these that profess themselves Christians now (both priests and professors,) and are not in the same power and Spirit that Christ and the holy prophets and apostles were in, are in the same nature that the old professing Jews were in, and are men-eaters as well as they. These stirred up persecution and set the wicked informers to work; so that a Friend could hardly speak a few words in a private family, before they sat down to eat meat, but some were ready to inform against them. A particular instance of which I have heard as follows:—

At Droitwich, John Cartwright came to a Friend’s house, and being moved of the Lord to speak a few words before he sat down to supper, there came an informer, and stood hearkening under the window. When he had heard the Friend speak, hoping to get some gain to himself, he went and informed, and got a warrant to distrain his goods, under pretence that there was a meeting at his house; whereas there were none in the house at that time, but the Friend, the man of the house, his wife, and their maid-servant. But this evil-minded man, as he came back with his warrant in the night, fell off his horse, and broke his neck. So there was a wretched end of a wicked informer, who hoped to enrich himself by spoiling Friends; but the Lord prevented him, and cut him off in his wickedness.

Now, though it was a cruel, bloody, persecuting time, yet the Lord’s power went over all, and his everlasting Seed prevailed; and Friends were made to stand firm and faithful in the Lord’s power. Some sober people of other professions would say, “if Friends did not stand, the nation would run into debauchery.”

Though by reason of my weakness, I could not travel amongst Friends as I used to do, yet in the motion of life, I sent the following lines as an encouraging testimony to them:—

“My Dear Friends,

“The Seed is above all. In it walk: in which ye all have life. Be not amazed at the weather; for always the just suffered by the unjust, but the just had the dominion. All along ye may see, by faith the mountains were subdued; and the rage of the wicked, and his fiery darts, were quenched. Though the waves and storms are high, yet your faith will keep you so as to swim above them; for they are but for a time, and the truth is without time. Therefore keep on the mountain of holiness, ye who are led to it by the light where nothing shall hurt. Do not think that anything will outlast the truth, which standeth sure; and is over that which is out of the truth; for the good will overcome the evil; the light, darkness; the life, death; virtue, vice; and righteousness, unrighteousness. The false prophet cannot overcome the true; but the true prophet, Christ, will overcome all the false. So be faithful, and live in that which doth not think the time long.”