Chapter III (2)

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.”

G.F.

After some time it pleased the Lord to allay the heat of this violent persecution; and I felt in spirit an overcoming of the spirits of those men-eaters, that had stirred it up, and carried it on to that height of cruelty, though I was outwardly very weak. And I plainly felt, and those Friends that were with me, and that came to visit me, took notice, that as the persecution ceased, I came from under the travails and sufferings, that had lain with such weight upon me; so that towards the spring I began to recover, and to walk up and down, beyond the expectation of many, who did not think I could ever have gone abroad again.

Whilst I was under this spiritual suffering, the state of the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven, was opened to me; which some carnal-minded people had looked upon to be like an outward city dropped out of the elements. I saw the beauty and glory of it, the length, the breadth, and the height thereof, all in complete proportion. I saw, that all who are within the light of Christ, and in his faith, which he is the author of; and in the Spirit, the Holy Ghost, which Christ and the holy prophets and apostles were in; and within the grace, and truth, and power of God, which are the walls of the city;—such are within the city, are members of it, and have right to eat of the tree of life, which yields her fruit every month, and whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. But they that are out of the grace, truth, light, Spirit, and power of God; they who resist the Holy Ghost, quench, vex, and grieve the Spirit of God; who hate the light, turn the grace of God into wantonness, and do despite to the Spirit of Grace; they who have erred from the faith, and made shipwreck of it and of a good conscience, who abuse the power of God, and despise prophesying, revelation, and inspiration;—these are the dogs and unbelievers that are without the city. These make up the great city Babylon, confusion, and her cage, the power of darkness; and the evil spirit of error surrounds and covers them over. In this great city Babylon are the false prophets, in the false power and false spirit; the beast, in the dragon’s power, and the whore that is gone a whoring from the Spirit of God, and from Christ her husband. But the Lord’s power is over all this power of darkness, false prophets, and their worshippers, who are for the lake which burns with fire.

Many things more did I see concerning the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, which are hard to be uttered, and would be hard to be received. But, in short, this holy city is within the light, and all that are within the light, are within the city; the gates whereof stand open all the day (for there is no night there,) and all may come in. Christ’s blood being shed for every man, he tasted death for every man, and enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world; and his grace that brings salvation having appeared to all men, there is no place or language where his voice may not be heard. The Christians in the primitive times were called by Christ, “a city set upon a hill;” they were also called “the light of the world,” and “the salt of the earth;” but when Christians lose the light, and salt, and power of God, then they came to be trodden under foot, like unsavoury salt. Even as the Jews, who while they kept the law of God, were preserved above all nations; but when they turned their backs on God and his law, they were trodden under foot of other nations. Adam and Eve, while they obeyed God, were kept in his image and in the Paradise of God, in dominion over all the works of his hands; but when they disobeyed God, they lost his image, the righteousness and the holiness in which they were made; they lost their dominion, were driven out of paradise; and so fell under the dark power of Satan, and came under the chains of darkness. But the promise of God was, “that the Seed of the woman, Christ Jesus, should bruise the serpent’s head,”—should break his power and authority, which had led into captivity, and had held man therein. So Christ, who is the first and the last, sets man free, and is the resurrection of the just and unjust, the judge of the quick and dead; and they that are in him are invested with everlasting rest and peace, out of all the labours, and travails, and miseries of Adam in the fall. So he is sufficient and of ability to restore man into the state he was in before he fell; and not into that state only, but into that also that never fell, even to himself.

I had also in this time a great exercise and travail of spirit upon me, concerning the powers and rulers of these nations, from the sense I had of the many tender visitations and faithful warnings, that had been given them, and of their great abuse thereof, who had refused to hear, and rejected the counsel of the Lord. And though I knew Friends would be clear of their blood, yet I could not but mourn over them, and gave forth these few lines following concerning them:—

“We have given them a visitation, have faithfully warned them,
have declared to them our innocency and uprightness, and that we
never did any hurt to the king, nor to any of his people. We have
nothing in our hearts but love and goodwill to him and his people,
and desire their eternal welfare. But if they will not hear, the
day of judgment and of sorrow, of torment, misery, and sudden
destruction, will come from the Lord upon them, that have been the
cause of the sufferings of many thousands of simple, innocent,
harmless people that have done them no hurt, nor have had any
ill-will towards him or them; but have desired their eternal good
for the eternal truth’s sake. Destruction will come upon them that
turn the sword backward. Therefore do not blind your eyes, the
Lord will bring swift destruction and misery upon you; surely he
will do it, and will relieve his innocent people; who have groaned
for deliverance from under your oppression, and have also groaned
for your deliverance out of wickedness. Blessed be the Lord God,
that he hath a people in this nation, that seek the good of all
men upon the face of the earth; for we have the mind of the Lord
Jesus Christ, that desires not the death of a sinner, but the
salvation and good of all. Blessed be the name of the Lord our God
for ever.”

G. F.

While I continued at Enfield, a sense came upon me of a hurt that sometimes happened, by persons under the profession of truth coming out of one country into another, to take a husband or wife amongst Friends, where they were strangers, and it was not known whether they were clear and orderly, or not. And it opened in me to recommend the following method unto Friends for preventing such inconveniences:—

“All Friends that marry, whether they be men or women, if they
come out of another nation, island, or county, let them bring a
certificate from the men’s meeting of that county, nation, or
island from which they came, to the men’s meeting where they
propose their intention of marriage. For the men’s meeting being
made up of the faithful, this will stop all wrong spirits from
roving up and down. When any come with a certificate, or letter of
recommendation from one men’s meeting to another, one is refreshed
by another, and can set their hands and hearts to the thing. This
will prevent a great deal of trouble. And then what ye have to say
to them in the power of God, in admonishing and instructing them,
ye are left to the power and Spirit of God to do it, and to let
them know the duty of marriage, and what it is; that there may be
unity and concord in the Spirit, and power, and light, and wisdom
of God, throughout all the men’s meetings in the whole world, in
one, in the life.

“Let copies of this be sent to every county, and nation, and
island where Friends are, that so all things may be kept holy, and
pure, and righteous, in unity and peace; and God over all may be
glorified among you, his lot, his people and inheritance, who are
his adopted sons and daughters, and heirs of his life. So no more,
but my love in that which changeth not.”

G. F.

14th of 1st Month, 1670-1.

When I had recovered, so that I could walk a little, I went from Enfield to Gerrard Roberts’s again, and thence to the women’s school at SHACKLEWELL, and so to the meeting at Gracechurch Street, LONDON; where, though I was yet but weak, the Lord’s power upheld and enabled me to declare his eternal Word of life.

About this time I was moved to pray to the Lord as follows:—

“O Lord God Almighty! Prosper truth, and preserve justice and
equity in the land! Bring down all injustice and iniquity,
oppression and falsehood, cruelty and unmercifulness in the land;
that mercy and righteousness may flourish!

“O Lord God! Set up and establish verity, and preserve it in the
land! Bring down in the land all debauchery and vice, whoredoms
and fornication, and this raping spirit, which causeth people to
have no esteem of thee, O God! nor of their own souls or bodies;
nor of Christianity, modesty, or humanity.

“O Lord! Put it in the magistrates’ hearts to bring down all this
ungodliness, violence, and cruelty, profaneness, cursing, and
swearing; and to put down all those lewd houses and play-houses,
which corrupt youth and people, and lead them from thy kingdom,
where no unclean thing can enter, neither shall come! Such works
lead people to hell! Lord! In mercy bring down all these things in
the nation, to stop thy wrath, O God! from coming on the land.”

G. F.

This Prayer was written at night, the 17th
of the 2nd Month, 1671.

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Footnote 19:

The date of the marriage of George Fox and Margaret Fell, in the
Bristol Register of Friends, is 27th of 8th Month, 1669.

Margaret Fell, it will be remembered, was the widow of Judge Fell
of Swarthmore Hall. It is remarkable with what high esteem and
Christian love this devoted woman appears to have been regarded by
our early and most eminent Friends. She seems to have been
generally acknowledged as a faithful nursing-mother of the flock;
and she often addressed them, when in bonds or otherwise, with
letters of consolation and encouragement. (See numerous letters to
and from her in _Barclay’s Letters, &c., of Early Friends_). It is
also probable she contributed largely from her means to the relief
of their outward necessities. Having faithfully fulfilled her
allotted labours, she died much beloved and lamented, at her own
house at Swarthmore, in 1702, being near the eighty-eighth year of
her age, and having survived George Fox about twelve years.

Some remarkable expressions of assured happiness fell from her
lips during her last illness, if that could be called an illness,
which was the decay of nature. At one time, under the meltings of
heavenly love, she said, “Oh my sweet Lord! into thy holy bosom do
I commit myself freely; not desiring to live in this troublesome,
painful world—it is all nothing to me—for my Maker is my husband.”
A little before her departure she called her daughter Rachel to
her, saying, “Take me in thy arms”—after which she said, “I am in
peace!”

Footnote 20:

The “Conventicle Act” so called, first passed in 1664, was renewed
at the above time (1670), with increased rigour. The penalties
were £5, or three months to the house of correction, for the first
offence of attending a conventicle, if above sixteen years of age;
£10, or six months, for the second; _transportation_ for seven
years for the third, with sequestration of estate, or distraint
for the charges; and _five years’_ SLAVERY IN THE COLONIES, by
contract between the sheriff and a purchaser, on being sent
abroad, in defect of property to distrain upon; _or out of which
to pay_ £100 _as a liberating fine_. This fine to be repeated,
and £100 added as oft as he should offend afterwards, or
_transportation_, &c. (with _death_ for returning), and the
forfeiture of his _life-interest in his estate_.

_Conventicles to be broken up by an armed force_, under the
direction of lieutenants of counties, sheriffs, &c. Even a _femme
covert_ could not escape; but must be redeemed by her husband, at
the price of £40; or go to prison, or be transported with him. Nor
could a _peer of the realm_: he must be fined £10 for the first
offence, £20 for the second, and for the third, be tried by his
peers. The fines to be levied by distress, by warrant of any two
justices, or a chief magistrate.

The force of this Act was directed against the _Quakers_, by
inserting, in the latter part of it, three sections, which brought
_their refusal to take an oath_ under its full penalties; and they
suffered dreadfully through it! In the streets, or where they met
to assert their religious rights, they were dragooned; in court
they had oaths tendered, and were convicted under this Act upon
their refusal.

“This Act,” says Besse, “was forthwith put into a rigorous
execution, and many hungry informers [for the sake of their
_third_ of the penalties] _made it their business_ to live upon
the spoil and ruin of conscientious people.” Friends were great
sufferers thereby, of the nature of which the reader may have some
idea by reference to “Sufferings under the Conventicle Act;”
_Select Miscellanies_, vol. iii., pp. 220-245.

Footnote 21:

The celebrated trial of Penn and Mead at the Old Bailey, above
alluded to, may be seen at full length in Clarkson’s _Life of
Penn_—“a trial which, for the good it has done to posterity, ought
to be engraved on tablets of the most durable marble.” It was
certainly one of those events which, in conjunction with others of
a similar sort, by showing the inadequacy of punishment for
religion to its supposed end, not only corrected and improved the
notions of succeeding ages in this respect, but, by so doing,
lessened the ravages of persecution, and the enmity between man
and man. Nor ought posterity to be less grateful for it as a
monument of the ferocity and corrupt usages of former times; for,
contrasting these with the notions and customs of our own age, we
see the improvement of our social and moral condition. Newgate is
no longer the receptacle of innocent individuals suffering for
conscience’ sake. In our courts of law we see an order, a decorum,
and an administration of justice, unknown at the period of this
memorable trial. Nor will the prospect be less grateful, if we
quit the present for a moment, and direct our eyes to the future.
We have the best reason to hope, on contemplating the signs of the
times, that the day is approaching when the Christian religion,
which is capable of cementing men in the strongest possible union,
and for the noblest purposes, will be restored to its primitive
purity, and made a blessing to all the dwellers upon the earth.

Footnote 22:

Isaac Penington has been mentioned before, but only cursorily, in
the whole of this Journal; not often meeting with George Fox. But
he was one of the most eminent, experienced, and beloved, of the
Early Friends. He was well descended as to his worldly parentage,
being the eldest son of Alderman Penington, who was two years
successively Mayor of London, and a noted member of the Long
Parliament. Born about the year 1617, he received a liberal
education, having, according to Penn, “all the advantages the
schools and universities of his own country could give, joined
with the conversation of some of the most learned and considerable
men of that time.”

From childhood, Isaac Penington was religiously inclined, and, in
a paper written by himself, and found after his death amongst his
writings, we have such a living portrait of a deeply-exercised
mind, as demonstrates that godliness with him was indeed the “one
thing needful.” “In the sense of my lost estate,” he writes, “I
sought after the Lord; I read the Scriptures; I watched over mine
own heart; and whatever I read in the Scriptures, as the way of
God, to my understanding, I gave myself to the faithful practice
of.” He became fully convinced of the principles of Friends, and
joined that despised people—becoming a faithful sufferer for the
cause of Christ.

“Early believers in the light of Truth
Dwelt not at ease in Zion. They endured
Conflicts and trials, and imprisonments.
Even the humble Penington, whose mind
Seemed purged and purified from dross
Of human nature—who appeared as meek
And harmless as an infant—was compelled
To dwell in loathsome prisons.”

He was six times in jail, some of his imprisonments being long,
yet borne with great quietness and constancy of mind. His first
imprisonment was in Aylesbury jail in 1661 and 1662, being
committed there for worshipping God in his own house. He was kept
there seventeen weeks, great part of it in winter—in a cold and
very incommodious room without a chimney, from which usage he
contracted so severe an indisposition, that for several weeks
after he was unable to turn himself in his bed.

In the sixty-third year of his age “he died as he lived, in the
faith that overcomes the world.”