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<DATE>2008-2-23</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE
QUAKERS
SHAKEN:
OR,
A DISCOVERY
Of the ERROURS of that Sect,
BY
<HI>JOHN GILPIN,</HI>
Of the Town of <HI>Kendale</HI> in <HI>We&s;t|moreland,</HI>
who was once one of the
&s;aid Sect, and afterwards by Gods
grace left the &s;ame.</P>
<P>Atte&s;ted by the Major and Pa&s;tour of
<HI>Kendale,</HI> and diver&s;e others.</P>
<P>Printed at <HI>London,</HI> and re-printed
in <HI>Edinburgh,</HI> Anno 1654&punc;</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="discourse">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>THE
QUAKERS
SHAKEN.</HEAD>
<P>_THe mind of man de&s;titute of Gods Grace,
doth (like untilled ground) luxuriate into
wickedne&s;&s;e and vanity, being very prone
to clo&s;e with the &s;ugge&s;tions of the grand
adver&s;ary of his &s;oul: yea, though he hath
had &s;ome ta&s;te of the things that are excel|lent,
yet &s;uch is his courte&s;ie, that he will be
&s;eeking after novelties. Old truths (like the <HI>Manna</HI> to the
<HI>I&s;raelites</HI> after a con&s;tant and continued falling of it) become
nau&s;eous: the truth hereof hath been found in all ages by la|mentable
experience, but e&s;pecially in the&s;e our dayes, which
have been as fruitfull of new opinions in matters of Religion, as
<HI>Africa</HI> it &s;elf of Mon&s;ters.</P>
<P>Some (though few in compari&s;on) God is plea&s;ed to recall,
who have gone a&s;tray in this kind, and to bring them to a
clear &s;ight of their folly, of which number I (by Gods Grace
towards me) am one: I de&s;ire to acknowledge him in it, and
to give him the prai&s;e of it, and think my &s;elf bound in con&s;ci|ence,
as a te&s;timony of my thankfulne&s;&s;e to God for my delive|rance,
to declare it to the World, that &s;o others may hear and
fear, and take warning by my example. They who have been
lately in the Northern parts of <HI>England,</HI> cannot be ignorant how
<PB N="2" REF="3">
prevalent the impo&s;ture of Quaking hath been for the&s;e nine or
ten Moneths la&s;t pa&s;t, in which &s;nare I my &s;elf (among many
poor deluded &s;ouls) was taken in <HI>May</HI> la&s;t 1653, though by
Gods goodne&s;s tovvards me the &s;nare is broken, and I am e&s;ca|ped,
a true account vvhereof take as follovveth.</P>
<P>I being de&s;irous to a&s;&s;ociate my &s;elf vvith this Faction at their
Meeting, and to hear &s;ome of them &s;peak (to u&s;e their ovvn ex|pre&s;&s;ion)
acquainted one of their ovvn vvith it, <HI>viz. George Bay|ley</HI>
of <HI>Kendale,</HI> vvho gave me great encouragement herein from
his ovvn experience, of much advantage received by him in that
vvay: Whereupon I vvent &s;oon after to their Meeting at <HI>Rich|ard
Newby's</HI> hou&s;e, where I &s;taid about two hours (<HI>viz.</HI> from
eight til ten at night) where <HI>Chri&s;topher Atkin&s;on</HI> was Speaker,
who&s;e drift was to deny all Mini&s;teriall teaching and Ordi|nances,
together with all notionall knowledge formerly gained
by u&s;e of &s;uch means, to become as though we had never learn|ed
any thing thereby &s;avingly, and to lay a new ground work,
<HI>viz.</HI> to be taught of God within our &s;elves by vvaiting upon an
invvard light, vvhich (as they a&s;&s;ert) lies lovv hidden under
the earth, <HI>viz.</HI> the old man vvhich is of the earth, earthy.
Hereupon I re&s;olved to clo&s;e vvith them, after vvhich time I
vvas afraid to read any good Books, or hear any preaching Mi|ni&s;ter,
or call to remembrance any thing vvhich I had formerly
learned out of Gods Word concerning God or Chri&s;t, or mine
ovvn e&s;tate, or any other &s;ubject contained in Scripture: for I
vvas per&s;vvaded by their teaching, that vvhat&s;oever I had lear|ned
out of Gods Word by hearing, reading, catechifing, &amp;c. vvas
but notionall, carnall, and hanging upon the Tree of Knovvledg:
in vvhich condition vvhil&s;t I abode, they affirmed me to be un|der
the Cur&s;e, applying this expre&s;&s;ion, though very impertinent|ly,
<HI>Cur&s;ed is every one that hangeth on the Tree.</HI></P>
<P>After this, going a &s;econd time to one of their Meetings at
<HI>Edmond Newbyes,</HI> I had &s;ome conference by the vvay vvith
&s;ome of them&s;elves vvhich vvent vvith me, among&s;t other bla&s;|phemies
one <HI>Robert Colli&s;on</HI> affirmed, that Chri&s;t vvas as man,
had his failings, for he di&s;tru&s;ted God (quoth he) upon the cro&s;s,
vvhen he cryed out, <HI>My God, my God, why ha&s;t thou for&s;aken me?</HI>
to vvhom I an&s;vvered, that then he &s;uffred as as an evil doer, &amp; &s;o
could not purcha&s;e redemption for us: after this coming home, he
<PB N="3" REF="3">
who then was Speaker, urged us to take up the Gro&s;&s;e daily, and
to abide under it; &s;aying, <HI>Carry the Cro&s;&s;e all day, and it will
keep thee at night:</HI> that this would keep us low and humble,
and kill and make alive: further he endeavoured to per&s;wade his
Auditors to hearken to a voice within them, teaching that Gods
voice was a &s;till voice; after which I re&s;olved in my thoughts
to wait for the manife&s;tation of the&s;e things within my &s;elf.</P>
<P>After a while, going a third time to their meeting, as I went I
was &s;omewhat troubled in my thoughts at the remembrance of
that hideous bla&s;phemy uttered by the party before named,
whereupon I &s;pake publickly to them at their meeting concerning
it, telling them that I would not any further joyn with them if
they were all of that mind, to which &s;om of them (after much
whi&s;pering) an&s;wered negatively, wi&s;hing me not to let it trouble
me; for he which &s;pake &s;o to me was not rightly called; with
which an&s;wer I was at pre&s;ent &s;atisfied, and did adhere to my
former re&s;olution. Not long after I went to another Meeting
upon a Lords Day, at <HI>Robert Colli&s;ons</HI> hou&s;e in <HI>Kendale,</HI> where
the afore&s;aid <HI>Atkin&s;on</HI> was Speaker, who beginning about nine
a clock in the forenoon, continued till three in the afternoon,
in which time he &s;pake much (according to his u&s;uall man|ner)
of the great experience which he had of God from the
light within him, which light I not finding to be in my &s;elf,
was very much troubled, apprehending my condition to be very
bad, finding nothing but blindne&s;&s;e and hardne&s;&s;e, yet I &s;till
expected the appearance of that light within me, and earne&s;tly
de&s;ired that I might fall into quaking and trembling, apprehen|ding
that I &s;hould thereby attain to the immediate di&s;coveries
of God unto me. Upon my departure from thence, I peru&s;ed
a Pamphlet &s;et forth by &s;ome of the &s;ame Faction being in <HI>York</HI>
Ca&s;tle, the main &s;cope of it vvas again&s;t the Mini&s;try; immedi|ately
after vvalking in my Bed-chamber, I began (as I have
formerly de&s;ired) to tremble and quake &s;o extreamly, that I
could not &s;tand upon my feet, but vvas con&s;trained to fall dovvn
upon my bed, vvhere I hovvled and cryed (as it is u&s;uall vvith
them) in a terrible and hideous manner, to the great a&s;toni&s;hment
of my Family: Neverthele&s;&s;e I my &s;elf vvas not at all affected
with fear, becau&s;e it was a &s;atisfaction to my former de&s;ires, and I
looked upon it as the beginning of the pangs of the nevv birth,
<PB N="4" REF="4">
and expected that the i&s;&s;ue of it would be good; when I had
continued about half an hour in that condition, I cea&s;ed from
howling and crying gradually; after which I ro&s;e up again
beginning to rejoyce, thinking with my &s;elf that now I could
bear witne&s;&s;e again&s;t the Mini&s;ters of <HI>England</HI> as fal&s;e Prophets
and Prie&s;ts of <HI>Baal,</HI> becau&s;e I never found &s;uch affects and ope|rations
upon me by &s;o long continuance under their Mini&s;tery:
After this, going to bed, I was much troubled all that night fol|lowing
in my &s;leep with dreams concerning my condition, and
had a di&s;covery of my &s;ins in particular, e&s;pecially of Cove|tuou&s;ne&s;&s;e,
the Devill working &s;trongly upon my imagination;
I apprehended that all &s;in was about to be hewed down, and
rooted up in me, and (to my apprehen&s;ion) the &s;in of Cove|tuou&s;ne&s;&s;e
had great long roots which did vi&s;ibly appear to
me when it was rooted up: Afterwards lying awake, and
thinking upon the dreams and vi&s;ions <HI>I</HI> had formerly been trou|bled
with <HI>I</HI> &s;en&s;ibly perceived &s;ome thing (as <HI>I</HI> imagined) light|ing
on my neck, giving me a great &s;troak which cau&s;ed much
pain to me, and after that another which was le&s;&s;e then the
fir&s;t, and &s;o a third and fourth, each &s;troak being le&s;&s;e then the
former, and each &s;troke de&s;cending lower down, till it came to
the middle of my back, and then <HI>I</HI> thought &s;omething entered
into my body, which <HI>I</HI> per&s;waded my &s;elf (from Satans in&s;tiga|tion)
to be the Spirit of God decending upon me like a Dove
and entring into me, whereupon <HI>I</HI> heard (in my conceit) a voice
within me &s;aying, <HI>It is day;</HI> whereupon, looking up and per|ceiving
it to be light, <HI>I</HI> an&s;wered, <HI>Yes:</HI> the voice replyed twice
over to me, and &s;aid, <HI>as certain as it is light, &s;o certainly &s;hall
Chri&s;t give thee light.</HI></P>
<P>After this <HI>I</HI> continued two or three dayes waiting for further
di&s;coveries of light within me, being rapt up into an exta&s;ie of
exce&s;&s;ive joy, and &s;ometimes again exceedingly dejected with
fears and doubts of my condition, whether it were really good,
or <HI>I</HI> were under Satans delu&s;ions: yet &s;till <HI>I</HI> waited for further
manife&s;tations, and walking into the Garden, lying down upon
the ground with my face towards the earth, my right hand be|gan
extreamly to &s;hake, &s;o as I could not hold it &s;till, the mean|ing
whereof whil&s;t I was wondring what it &s;hould be, and ap|prehending
my &s;elf as being &s;haken by the hand, I was brought
<PB N="5" REF="4">
into another rapture of great joy, imagining it to be a figure of
my &s;pirituall Marriage and Union with Chri&s;t. Then pre&s;ently
I was by the power within me rai&s;ed, and &s;et upon my feet, and
by the &s;ame power turned and laid upon my back, with my face
towards the skie; at which time all my &s;ins particularly were
again brought into my memory, and at the remembrance of eve|ry
&s;in, my hand was carried round about with giving a little pat
upon the ground, and then I imagined I heard a voice &s;aying,
<HI>Now &s;uch a &s;in is mortified:</HI> after which I being per&s;waded by
it, that all my &s;ins were mortified by it one by one, the power
that I was then acted by, permitted me to ari&s;e up again of my
&s;elf, &s;aying unto me, <HI>Ask what&s;oever thou wilt of the Father in
my Name, and he wil give it thee:</HI> I replied, I know not what
to ask, and therefore de&s;ired that power to teach me what I
&s;hould ask: He an&s;wered me again, and bid me ask <HI>Wi&s;dome
in the fir&s;t place:</HI> Whereupon I de&s;ired al&s;o that God would
give me &s;uch things as were mo&s;t for his glory and the good of
others: whereunto the power an&s;wered, <HI>that my request was
granted, and that I &s;hould al&s;o be indued with the gift of Pro|phecy
and &s;inging prai&s;es to God:</HI> Wherewith being &s;atisfied, I
went to another Meeting within an hour after, at <HI>William Dod|dings</HI>
hou&s;e in <HI>Kendale,</HI> which was the fifth and la&s;t Meeting
that I was at with them, where <HI>Chri&s;topher Atkin&s;on</HI> being
Speaker, I was much more affected with what he &s;pake then
formerly, as being able more inwardly to witnes in part what he
&s;poke. After he had done, and a litle pau&s;e had, the company ro&s;e
up, as if they had been ready to depart, I my &s;elf was ready to go
away with the fir&s;t, but the Wife of the hou&s;e (<HI>I&s;a. Didding</HI>)
took me by the hand, and wringing it very hard, bade me &s;it
down again, which I did, and pre&s;ently after one <HI>John Audland</HI>
&s;tood up, and began to &s;peak, &s;aying, <HI>Cannot you watch one hour?</HI>
and &s;o proceeded after the u&s;uall manner. In the time of his
&s;peaking, I was by the power within me, drawn from the chair
upon which I &s;at, and throwne upon the ground in the mid&s;t
of the Company, where Play all night: all which time my
body and all the members of it were &s;till in motion, I being
turned from my back to my belly, and &s;o back again &s;everall
times, and making cro&s;&s;es continually with my legs one
over the other, my hands al&s;o were carried to and fro upon the
<PB N="6" REF="5">
ground by a compul&s;ive power, as if <HI>I</HI> had been writing upon the
ground: in all which actions and motions, <HI>I</HI> acted not in the
lea&s;t mea&s;ure by a naturall power of mine own, neither did <HI>I</HI> re|&s;i&s;t,
or could <HI>I</HI> re&s;i&s;t that power which acted me, but was alto|gether
pa&s;&s;ive; <HI>I</HI> was per&s;waded that it was the immediat pow|er
of Chri&s;t, and heard to my thinking a voice &s;peaking to me
and &s;aying, <HI>that that writing with my hand upon the ground, did
&s;ignifie the writing of the Law within my heart.</HI> Having layn
all night upon the ground in the manner afore&s;aid, the power
(as before in other actions) moved my hands to my head, and
laid them upon the top thereof fa&s;t clo&s;ed together, whereupon
<HI>I</HI> heard a voice &s;aying, <HI>Chri&s;t in God, and God in Chri&s;t, and
Chri&s;t in thee:</HI> which words <HI>I</HI> was compelled to &s;ing forth be|fore
the Company in a &s;trange manner, and with &s;uch a voice as
was not naturally mine own: <HI>I</HI> &s;ung al&s;o divers phra&s;es of Scri|pture
which were given into me: after which <HI>I</HI> was rai&s;ed from
the ground, and &s;et upon my feet by the power within me, which
bade me be humble, and brought me down again upon my knees,
and with a whi&s;pering voice &s;aid to me, <HI>&s;toop low, low:</HI> and
having &s;tooped neer the ground with my face, it &s;aid to me,
<HI>Take up thy cro&s;&s;e and follow me:</HI> Whereupon ari&s;ing I was led
out of the hou&s;e (by the back door) down to the River, and
back again from thence into the Town another way, where I
was &s;en&s;ibly drawn down the &s;treet, and cau&s;ed &s;uddenly to turn
a&s;ide to a door of an hou&s;e (my &s;elf not knowing who lived in
it) two of the &s;aid Company following me all the time, <HI>viz.</HI>
William <HI>Dodding,</HI> and <HI>John Audland,</HI> and &s;eeing me to go to
that door, &s;aid, <HI>Whither wilt thou go? this is the fidlers hou&s;e:</HI>
I an&s;wered, <HI>who&s;e hou&s;e &s;oever it be, Chri&s;t leads me hither, and
hither I mu&s;t go:</HI> whereupon my hand was carried to knock at
the door, and commanded by a voice to &s;ay; <HI>Behold, Chri&s;t
&s;tands at the door and knocks:</HI> after a while the Fidler ope|ned,
and I was led into the hou&s;e, not &s;peaking any thing unto
him, where my hand was carried to a Bace-violl hanging up in
the hou&s;e: I took it down and began to play upon it with
my fingers, and was immediately compelled to fall a-dan|cing,
which I &s;eldome or never in all my life did before:
Whereupon I que&s;tioned what power it &s;hould be that carried
me forth to &s;uch actions, to which the voice within me replied,
<PB N="7" REF="5">
<HI>This is not becau&s;e I love mu&s;ick, for I hate it, but to &s;ignifie unto
thee what joy there is in heaven at thy conver&s;ion; as al&s;o what &s;piri|tall
melody thou &s;halt have hereafter:</HI> then I was led out of the
hou&s;e into the &s;treet, and &s;o carried along through the Town, being
moved to proclaim as I went, <HI>I am the way the truth and the life,</HI>
with other expre&s;&s;ions to like purpo&s;e; after which I was brought to
mine own hou&s;e, the afore&s;aid <HI>William Dodding</HI> going along with
me, acknowledged that he had no power to leave me all this time;
being come home, the &s;ame power would not &s;uffer me to re&s;t, but
ca&s;t me upon the ground, and cau&s;ed me to make circles round about
the hou&s;e with my hand, with many the like actions, telling me,
<HI>that I was putting off the old man:</HI> my hand al&s;o was carried to
take up a &s;tone which lay upon the floor (which in my appre|hen&s;ion
was in the form of a mans heart (the voice within me
telling me, <HI>that Chri&s;t had taken that &s;tone out of mine heart,
and given me an heart of fle&s;h,</HI> and my hand was moved to
hold it forth to the &s;pectators, and my tongue to utter this &s;en|tence,
<HI>except you &s;ee &s;ignes and wonders you will not beleeve;</HI>
and throwing the afore&s;aid &s;tone among&s;t them, I &s;aid; <HI>Lo here
is my heart of &s;tone;</HI> afterwards, being ca&s;t upon the ground
upon my back, the voice &s;peake to me, &s;aying, <HI>thou &s;halt have
two Angels to keep thee,</HI> whereupon immediately two Swallows
de&s;cended down the Chimney, and &s;at upon a &s;helf over again&s;t
the place where I lay: this others in the hou&s;e be&s;ides my &s;elf
beheld, and I cried to them, <HI>my Angels, my Angels,</HI> being per|&s;waded
that they were Angels from Heaven, and that it was a
fulfilling the promi&s;e; I held out my hand towards them ex|pecting
they &s;hould have come to me, but they did not, but a&s;|cended
up the Chimney, though both the door and the window
were open.</P>
<P>I was al&s;o by the &s;ame power carried out of doores upon my
hands and knees into the &s;treet, which my Wife and others &s;ee|ing
endeavoured to hinder me, but I told them I would not be
hindered, but leave Wife, Children, and all to follow Chri&s;t: in
this manner I went up the &s;treet, thinking that I bore a Cro&s;&s;e
upon my neck, and continued in this motion till &s;ome pulled me
out of the mire and dirt, and by force carried me into the hou&s;e
again; whereupon I was moved to point to one of them which
brought me in, and to &s;ay to her, <HI>Chri&s;t points at thee, thou
<PB N="8" REF="6">
art a wicked woman, and ha&s;t hindered the work of the Lord;</HI> then
the voice asked me where my Cro&s;&s;e was, telling me I had &s;cat|tered
it, whereupon I was moved to make a Cro&s;&s;e with my finger
upon the floor, and forced to &s;et my head upon it, playing top&s;ie
turvie, or bull necks thinking then I had re-taken up my Cro&s;&s;e: in
the&s;e actions I was kept a long while, having many Scripture ex|pre&s;&s;ions
given in, to the admiration of all that heard me; &s;ome|times
I was forced to leap and dance, this expre&s;&s;ion being given
in to me, <HI>Now I have fini&s;hed the work which thou gave&s;t me
to do,</HI> thinking then my Redemption fully accompli&s;hed; but
my joy continued not, for I was ca&s;t down again, and the voice
told me, <HI>I had offended God, in attributing that to my &s;elf
which was proper to Chri&s;t;</HI> whereupon I was ca&s;t upon the ground,
and lying upon my belly, I was forced to lick the du&s;t, and my
hand carried to &s;trike extraordinarly upon my head, having a
voice given me, <HI>that no &s;in mu&s;t go unpuni&s;hed;</HI> &s;o creeping up
and down the hou&s;e, I heard a voice, &s;aying, <HI>where is thy Cro&s;&s;e?</HI>
upon which looking a&s;ide, I thought I &s;aw a vi&s;ible Cro&s;&s;e hang|ing
in a thread, which with my hand I put behind my neck; I was
kept in the&s;e po&s;tures all that day till evening, when many Qua|kers
came in to me, who &s;pake nothing but thus, <HI>Be lowly, mind
thy condition, and hearken to the voice within,</HI> not giving any
words of comfort or reproof, or putting up any Petition at all for
me, but departed, leaving me in this condition; my &s;trength being
almo&s;t &s;pent, and my body much con&s;umed by continuall re&s;tle&s;&s;e|ne&s;&s;e:
Two of them offered to watch with me that night, but I re|fu&s;ed,
telling them I was well, whereupon they departed. After
this, my Wife and Family being gone to bed, I being alone in the
hou&s;e, began to re-collect my &s;elf, and to que&s;tion whether that
power by which I had been &s;o &s;trangly acted, were Divine or Dia|bolicall?
whereupon I was immediately &s;truck with a pannick
fear, and my hand was carried to take up a Knife which lay upon
the Table, which being done, my hand was carried with it to|wards
my throat, and the voice &s;aid to me, <HI>open a hole there, and I
will give thee the words of eternall life;</HI> whereupon I an&s;wered,
<HI>what with a Knife?</HI> and &s;o threw the Knif away, being confident it
was a temptation, from which I de&s;ire God to deliver me: My
Wife being in bed in the next room, and hearing me &s;peak when
<PB N="9" REF="6">
none was with me, came out, and de&s;ired me to go to bed, which
I did at her entreaty: all the night following I was fully re&s;ol|ved
that it was the Devils power that had acted me all along for|merly,
and was per&s;waded that I was really po&s;&s;e&s;t with a Devill,
which mu&s;t be ejected; and in the morning I verily thought that
a Devill went out of me, at which in&s;tant I roared very hideou&s;ly,
crying, <HI>now is the Devil gone out of me,</HI> at which in&s;tant I and my
Family heard it thunder, (though none in the Town be&s;ides heard
it) which made me think it was the Devill, <HI>he being the Prince
of the power of the air;</HI> &s;oon after the &s;ame power came under ano|ther
notion, and told me, <HI>that it was Satan that had po&s;&s;e&s;t and led
me heretofore, but now Chri&s;t was come, and he by his power had
ca&s;t out Satan, and convinced me, that what ever I had done the
day before was in obedience to Satan, and that as I had &s;erved the
Divell all the day before in my clothes, &s;o that day I mu&s;t undo all
that I had formerly done, onely in my &s;hirt in Obedience to Chri&s;t:</HI>
which immediately I endeavoured, ri&s;ing out of my bed, and go|ing
into the &s;treet with my &s;hirt onely; but my Wife and others
&s;oon laid hold upon me, and &s;topt me: whereupon the power
within me told me, <HI>that I mu&s;t be carried into the hou&s;e with four
Women, as I had been the day before, or el&s;e I &s;hould perpe|tually
&s;tand there like a pillar of Salt, as</HI> Lots <HI>Wife did:</HI> So I
was born in by four Women, who carried me again into my bed,
which being done, I told them, <HI>I had been doing the Devils work
the day before, but to day I mu&s;t do the work of Chri&s;t,</HI> and pointing
at a Woman whom I had pointed at the day before, &s;aid the&s;e
words, <HI>the Devil told me ye&s;terday that you were a wicked woman,
but now Chri&s;t tels me that you are Gods &s;ervant;</HI> the woman being
departed, I fell to acting in my &s;hirt only, upon the bed, as I had
done formerly upon the hou&s;e floor, playing top&s;ie turvie from one
bed to another, whereby I might have undon my &s;elf; but the power
which acted me, bid me not fear, <HI>for I will give thee &s;trength.</HI> After
this the power told me, <HI>that the devil had the other day commanded
me to bear my cro&s;&s;e, but now Chri&s;t commands thee to lay a&s;ide thy
Cro&s;&s;e, for Chri&s;t takes no plea&s;ure in Cro&s;&s;es, nor will he have me
wor&s;hip them, as ye&s;terday I had done:</HI> Further, the power &s;aid
to me, <HI>the devill made thee ye&s;terday to ly all day upon the ground,
but now I have provided a bed for thee,</HI> giving in this Scrip|ture
to me, <HI>My yoke is ea&s;ie;</HI> promi&s;ing al&s;o, <HI>to give me bread
<PB N="10" REF="7">
of life to eat, and water of life to drink, and that out of my bel|ly
&s;hould flow Rivers of living water;</HI> whereupon my teeth
were cau&s;ed to move, as if I had been eating; and I thought I felt
in my belly, a flowing up and down as of waters, I was al&s;o per|&s;waded,
that ye&s;terday the Devils Angels had waited on me, but
now Chri&s;ts Angels &s;hould guard me; whereupon I &s;aw two
Butter-flies in the window, to which my hand was carried, and
having taken one of them in my hand, I was moved by the
power within me to put it into my mouth, and did &s;wallow it
down into my body, which having done, I took the other in my
hand, and was moved to put it to my throat, the power telling
me, <HI>it &s;hould enter in there,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>nothing is impo&s;&s;ible to them
that beleeve.</HI> After this I was cau&s;ed to make circles upon the
bed, as I had done formerly upon the ground; whereupon I be|gan
to think that this was not of God, and &s;o began to re&s;i&s;t the
power by which I was acted, and thereupon fell into great fear
and doubting, crying out, <HI>Lord what wilt thou have me to do?</HI> but
the power told me, <HI>that it was too late to cry unto God, for &s;en|tence
was already pronounced again&s;t me;</HI> whereupon I lay down
in my bed much de&s;pairing, and was then convict, that it was
the devill which had again deluded me; in which condition ha|ving
laien a &s;hort &s;pace, I was again a&s;&s;aulted by a power the third
time, which told me, <HI>that it was a white devill that had de|ceived
me the latter time, but now Chri&s;t was come indeed, and
he would cast him out,</HI> whereupon I apprehended that Devill al&s;o
to be ejected; after which, as I lay in my bed, all the members of
my body fell a working, as if the pangs of death had been upon me,
the power telling me, <HI>that it was the pangs of the new birth, and that
Chri&s;t was new born in me,</HI> with which I was &s;omewhat &s;atisfied,
lying in that condition a whole day; in which time the power per|&s;waded
me, <HI>that I &s;hould work wonders, and ca&s;t out devils in his
name:</HI> &s;oon after two Quakers came to me, <HI>viz. Geo. Bayley</HI> and <HI>J.
Braham,</HI> whom I told that I had two devils ca&s;t out of me, but now
Chri&s;t was in me for a truth; then the power (pretending to be Chri&s;t)
&s;aid the&s;e words, <HI>I was crowned with a Crown of thornes, but I will
crown thee with a crown of glory,</HI> and bad me (as a figure thereof) <HI>to
&s;et my fi&s;t upon my head, and it &s;hould appear to the &s;tanders by as a
glorious crown, though I &s;aw nothing my &s;elf,</HI> which having done, I
&s;pake to the &s;tanders by, &s;aying, <HI>what do you &s;ee?</HI> whereunto they
<PB N="11" REF="7">
gave me no an&s;wer (being Quakers) but turned their eyes another
way, the power telling me, <HI>that they &s;aw the crown upon my head;
but were &s;o &s;trucken with admiration, that they could not expre&s;&s;e
what they &s;aw;</HI> immediately the power bad me tell one of the Qua|kers
then pre&s;ent, <HI>that he had a devil in him, and that I &s;hould have
power to ca&s;t him out;</HI> whereupon I &s;aid to him, <HI>G. thou ha&s;t a de|vil
within thee,</HI> the power told me he &s;hould <HI>quake and tremble,</HI>
which immediately he did; the power bad me &s;peak to him <HI>to fall
flat upon the ground,</HI> which he did, and after a little &s;pace ro&s;e again,
and I asked him whether <HI>the devil were gone out of him</HI> (having
been before per&s;waded by the power that I &s;hould ca&s;t him out) to
which he gave me no an&s;wer, but the power told me <HI>that the
Devil was ejected.</HI> I was told al&s;o by the &s;ame power who (of
tho&s;e that came to &s;ee me) <HI>had devils and who not; and that my
Wife, and my Mother had devils in them, but I had power given
me to ca&s;t them out.</HI> After this, beginning again to que&s;tion whe|ther
this were Chri&s;t or not, I fell into great fear and doubting, as
formerly; whereupon the devill di&s;covered him&s;elf to be the de|vill,
and told me, <HI>that all this while I had been &s;erving him,
and bla&s;pheming God, and that it was now too late to repent,</HI>
whereupon I was brought into de&s;pair for a time, thinking every
thing which I either heard or &s;aw, to be the Devill come to fetch
me away: one while I thought that I &s;hould be taken away in a
flame of fire, or el&s;e that the earth would &s;wallow me up quick;
whereupon I called my Wife, and de&s;ired her to bring up my Chil|dren
in the fear of God, for the devill would fetch me away, my
&s;elf &s;till thinking that he was drawing me out of the bed; thus
I apprehended my &s;elf wholly under the power of the devill, and
had no power to recover my &s;elf out of that &s;ad condition. At la&s;t
I began (having been &s;o long deluded) to de&s;i&s;t from hearkning to
the voice within me, and apply my &s;elf unto God, in and through
Chri&s;t, for deliverance from the power of Satan, knowing that
God was able to deliver me, though I were &s;o farre involved in
the &s;nare of the devill; thereupon my faith was in &s;ome mea&s;ure
rai&s;ed to beleeve that God would deliver me: whereupon I was
pre&s;ently in a great agonie, and did &s;weat extreamly, in which
condition I continued all night, but was &s;omewhat more chear|full
in the morning, e&s;teeming my &s;elf in &s;ome mea&s;ure re&s;cued
from the power of the Devill: yet having not re&s;olved, as yet
<PB N="12" REF="8">
finally to de&s;ert that way, I was &s;oon again a&s;&s;aulted by the &s;ame
power, telling me, <HI>that now the devil was finally ca&s;t out of me,
and that the room within me mu&s;t not be left empty, but that
Chri&s;t mu&s;t come and have the whole, and &s;ole po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, or el&s;e
Satan would return and re-enter with &s;even other Devils wor&s;e
then him&s;elf,</HI> telling me withall, <HI>that he was</HI> CHRIST, and
&s;olliciting me to entertain and imbrace him as he had done former|ly:
I re&s;i&s;ted the &s;ugge&s;tions of this power for a time, having bin
&s;o often deluded: whereupon as a motive to per&s;wade me to en|tertain
it, he repre&s;ented to my memory all, or mo&s;t of the remark|able
pa&s;&s;ages of my life, both in <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Scotland,</HI> told me how
long I &s;hould live, <HI>viz.</HI> ten years, and where I &s;hould die, <HI>viz.</HI> at
<HI>London,</HI> and that I had a weak body, but he would &s;trengthen it,
and thereupon cau&s;ed me to rub my body all over with my hands, at
which in&s;tant I conceived my body to receive &s;trength, and the
members thereof to be more in &s;ub&s;tance then before: with di|ver&s;e
other pa&s;&s;ages, promi&s;ing me pro&s;perity&punc; in the World, and
&s;peaking the&s;e words to me. <HI>John 4. 29. Behold a man that
hath told thee all things that ever thou did&s;t, is not this Chri&s;t?</HI>
whereupon I was at la&s;t per&s;waded to imbrace this power, think|ing
that it was Chri&s;t indeed; whereupon I was pre&s;ently &s;en|&s;ible
of a working throughout my whole body, which &s;oon cea&s;|ed,
and then I thought that my condition was good, and Chri&s;t
to be really in me: afterwards this power told me, that I had high|ly
offended God in all my former pa&s;&s;ages, in giving way to Sa|tan,
and that I was guilty of all &s;ins except that again&s;t the holy
Gho&s;t, but told me, that I did it ignorantly, and therefore he had
pity on me: I was further per&s;waded by the &s;ame power, that I
&s;hould ly (&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">emingly) dead, which I did, not daring to &s;tirre, till
the power moved me. Lying thus a while, the power began fir&s;t to
move one of my legs, and then the other, after that my hands, &amp; then
my head, and at la&s;t my whole body: cau&s;ing me to &s;it up in my bed,
and telling me, <HI>that thus &s;hould my body be quickned and rai&s;ed up a|gain
at the la&s;t day:</HI> then the power told me, <HI>that I mu&s;t pull off my
&s;hirt, and my cap, and the napkin which</HI> I <HI>had about my neck,</HI> &s;aying,
<HI>that what&s;oever was about me was pollutted, &amp; that he hated the gar|ment
&s;potted with the fle&s;h;</HI> whereupon I pull'd them off, and threw
them on the ground, uttering the &s;ame words, <HI>that I hated the
garments &s;potted with the fle&s;h;</HI> the power al&s;o told me, <HI>that all my
<PB N="13" REF="8">
bonds were broken, and my cords loo&s;ened, and that Chri&s;t had
&s;et me free:</HI> whereupon calling for a clean &s;hirt, and other lin|nen,
I aro&s;e, concinding my &s;elf to be in a good condition; yet
finding my &s;elf being up no better, nor my body more &s;trength|ned,
but rather weakned, I began to &s;ee that I had been deluded
in this la&s;t bu&s;ine&s;&s;e as formerly: whereupon I was &s;trucken with
fear, and walking into the Garden, I thought one while that the
Devill would pull me into the earth, and another while that he
would pull me into the air, &s;o that I was afraid to continue a|broad,
and came again into the hou&s;e, and &s;u&s;pected every thing
that I heard to be the Devill waiting to fetch me away; being in
this perplexity of &s;oul, I began to con&s;ider how grievou&s;ly I had
offended God in rejecting the u&s;e of all externall means, as read|ing,
hearing, prayer, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> in the u&s;e wherof God hath com|manded
us to wait upon him, and therefore that it was mo&s;t ju&s;t
with him to leave me to my &s;elf, and to give me over to &s;trong de|lu&s;ion,
that I &s;hould beleeve lies, which was my condition for a
time, by the ju&s;t judgement of God upon me, as for other provo|cations,
&s;o e&s;pecially for rejecting the revealed will of God in his
Word, and hearkning only to a voice within me; becau&s;e what
was &s;poken by it, was &s;econded by lying Wonders, of which
God hath given notice in his Word, that &s;o his people might not
give credit to them, nor be deluded by them. I hope the Reader
will &s;o far give heed to what I have related concerning my &s;elf, as
to learn thereby to take heed of being impo&s;ed upon by the Devil,
though he doth transform him&s;elf into an angell of light: which
advantage if any reap by it, I have my end: it hath been no &s;mall
burthen to my con&s;cience (&s;ince Gods gracious deliverance of
me from this &s;nare) that I &s;hould &s;o farre gratifie the grand Ad|ver&s;arie,
as not onely to li&s;ten to his &s;uge&s;tions, and imbrace his
voice for the voice of Chri&s;t, but al&s;o wholly to neglect tho&s;e
means, in the con&s;tant and con&s;cientious u&s;e whereof God hath
promi&s;ed to reveal him&s;elf unto his people, and to give in com|fort
to them, which becau&s;e I found not (though through my
own default) I did in effect &s;ay, <HI>why &s;hould I wait for the Lord
any longer?</HI> and &s;o turned unto lying vanities. Oh, that all who
affect novelties, would &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider of it, and take warning
by it: for <HI>Turpius ejicitur quam non admittitur.</HI> It is ea&s;ier to with|&s;tand
the devill at his fir&s;t a&s;&s;ault, then to expell him being once
<PB N="14" REF="9">
admitted: Many be&s;ides my &s;elf, have bin, and are in the like con|dition,
but few or none to whom the Lord hath manife&s;ted his
Grace in &s;uch a manner as to my &s;elf: I had before this made this
known to the world, had I had tranquillity of Con&s;cience, and
compo&s;ure of &s;pirit, which ble&s;&s;ing the Lord having in his grace
re&s;tored to me, I de&s;ire the Chri&s;tian Reader to joyn with me in
returning prai&s;es unto the Lord for his goodne&s;&s;e towards me: I
re&s;t fully per&s;waded, and I think it doth evidently appear (by what
is mentioned in this Relation) to per&s;ons unprejudiced, that my
Quaking and Trembling was of the devill, that I was acted wholly
and &s;olely by him whil&s;t in this condition, and I do really beleeve
that others in the like condition which I was then in, would be of
the &s;ame mind with me, upon &s;erious tryall of their condition by the
principles of Chri&s;tian Religion, and &s;anctified Rea&s;on; lea&s;t the
&s;trangene&s;&s;e of &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages in this Relation, &s;hould put the faith
of any one upon the rack, or make them que&s;tion the truth thereof;
I have not onely given te&s;timony my &s;elf of it, by &s;ub&s;cribing my
Name, but al&s;o procured &s;everall per&s;ons of known fidelity living
in, or neer <HI>Kendale,</HI> (who&s;e Names are under written) to te&s;tifie the
probability, (if not the certainty) of the truth of it, by what they
have &s;een, and heard.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>JOHN GILPIN.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="testimonials">
<P><LIST>
<ITEM>I beleeve this Relation to be
true, <HI>Edward Turner</HI> Mayor of
<HI>Kendale.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>By what I have heard of the
carriage of <HI>John Gilpin,</HI> and his
actings&punc; <HI>I</HI> do beleeve this Relation
to be true, <HI>John Awher.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>I &s;aw him when he went through
the Town, declaring him&s;elf, the
way, truth, and life. <HI>Ja. Cock.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>We beleeve this Relation to be
true.
<LIST>
<ITEM>T. Walker, <HI>Pa&s;tor of</HI> Kendale.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>J. Myriell,</HI> Ma&s;ter of the Free-Schoole
there.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Rich. Pri&s;&s;oe.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Tho. Sandes.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Allen Gilpin.</ITEM>
<ITEM>John Wa&s;hington.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Rob. Fi&s;her.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="9">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
