A TESTIMONY TO THE Lord's Power AND Blessed Appearance In and Amongst CHILDREN Wherein is expressed the great Love of God to them who as Young and Tender have tasted of his Good WORD and Heavenly LIFE Published for the Use of Friends and to prevent various Reports that they may have a true Account in the following Testimonies given forth by Faithful Witnesses Printed in the Year 1679. A Testimony to the Everlasting Power of GOD which in Ages past hath wonderfully appeared in Sone and Daughters which hath been Despised Mocked and Evil spoken of by the Wisdom which is from below that sees it not nor can know it which heavenly Power hath appeared in our Days and hath wrought wonderfully in and upon the Hearts of many even to the amazement of many and it hath met with the same Spirit of Opposition now as formerly calling it Madness Witchcraft and Diabolical Delusion It was prophesied of Old That the Lord would work a Work which some should not believe if it were told them This in part hath a Remnant seen in these Dayes and even of late as hereafter is mentioned UPon the 4th day of the Moneth called June 1679. at a Meeting in the Town called Waltham-Abbey in Essex of the People call'd Quakers where was present about Forty or Fifty Young Boyes and Maidens God's heavenly Power brake forth in some Maids and Young Girls it begun with Three or Four at first broke them into Tears and Mâ—â—ting of Heart continued so a small time then it reached two or three of the Younger Boys which melted them into Tears and in a very small time reached all the Boyes and Young Girls many of them being but about Eight or Nine and Ten Years old the Power was so mighty that they were all broken into Tears some into Trembling and at last it reached unto the Elder People so that all in the Meeting was broken by the Power into Tears and Melting which did continue for about one Hour until the Meeting was ended This I was an Eye and Ear Witness of and felt God's Power wonderfully to the gladding of my Heart and answering the Breathings of my Soul which I have many a Time had in a Travail to the Lord for the Children That the Lord might visit them in their Young Dayes after which Meeting I had this Hope and Faith raised up in my Soul which to some I did declare that God had a Work to work with some of these Children which he would bring forth e're long And several signal Testimonies hereof hath the Lord brought forth since as hereafter appeareth from other Eye and Ear Witnesses thereof And although Men in the Fallen Wisdom see not understand not nor believe that this is from the mighty Power of God yet there is a Remnant gathered by this Power and have Experience of the Operation thereof how it hath wrought in them even in some when they were Young these are God's Witnesses that this is his Work yea it is sealed to them by his Spirit And let all the Mockers know God's Work in our Day will be too heavy for them and except they Repent will be a Stone of stumbling upon which they will fall and be broken to pieces yea those that slight and neglect the Day of their Visitation until it be too late this same Power they stumble at will fall upon them and Grind them to Powder This is from one who Travails and Breaths to the Lord that his Everlasting Power may be more and more revealed in the Hearts of the Sons and Daughters of men that many may be gathered cut of the Fall unto Christ Jesus that never fell that they may feel themselves growing up in his heavenly Life as living Members of him the blessed Head then will they come to understand that these Things are from the Lord when the inward Eye and Ear is opened they will with me bear their Testimony That these Things are of the Lord. G. LAWRY The 6th day of the 5th Moneth 1679. A Copy of a Letter to A. P. DEar A. P. c. I cannot omit but certifie some-what of our last Night's Exercise in our Meeting in our Family how mightily the Power of the Lord appeared amongst us first breaking in upon Two Young Lads and so passâ—d through the rest with such Dread and Power that there was an exceeding great shaking and tenderness amongst them rather more then on that notable fourth day so that it was not without difficulty to bring several of them into stillness again but at the last it being late they went to Bed and there many of them lay Crying Weeping and Lamenting for two or three Hours together Others in a diverse Exercise some who had been sober and formerly good conditioned meek and gentle the Power was meek with them and overcame them in a most blessed manner so that they were filled with heavenly Praises uttering such words as sweet-conditioned Souls are wont to do when they are sealed by the Lord's Spirit Others most bitterly Lamenting their Conditions especially one of the aforesaid Lads for about three Hours together in his Bed exceeded and cryed out for Mercy so Dreadfully that I never as I remember heard a more Terrible Exercise from small or great when I told him how patiently his Bed-fellow lay besides him he answered The reason was because he had not been so Wicked as himself had been If I could but write down the Speeches of the poor Children under their various Exercises I may well say it would be as a wonderâ—ul Tâ—ing and such a Lesson as many Hearts would be broken to read but what shall I say but admire the Love and Mercy of the Lord in these Things C. was blessedly disposed on and was truly refreshed in his Soul and with him and several others there was a secret inward Harmony from a feeling Sense of God's pure Visitation and some more dreadfully seized on and broken in upon by the Authority of the Power so that it was admirable to behold the variety of the Exercises suitable to the subject matter condition and disposition of every Child This is a hint to thee of the matter who I know dearly loves us and will be refreshed at any time to hear of our Wellfare So leaving the rest to W. C. who was with us in the Meeting if thou pleasest to enquire of him with mine and my Wife 's dear Love to thee and thy dear Wife c. I rest thy dearly loving Brother in the Fellowship of God's Truth C. TAYLOR Waltham-Abbey the 24th of the 4th Moneth 1679. A Copy of a Letter to T. T. DEar Brother c. the 24th of the 4th Moneth 79. we sitting towards Evening with the Family and Children being in all about Fifty the Lords sweet and tender-heart-breaking Power was with us in a showr of abundance of Love Mercy and Gentleness thorowout which caused abundance of melting Tears and great Soul-gladness like unto the love and
tenderness of a most tender Father in Forgiveness and Mercy after Correction and Submission under the same I mean especially as to such who had been more stubborn And the more mild and gentle-conditioned were under the pure sense of the same Power in pure Love and sweet tenderness with an enerease of what had been poured out before at the other Meetings So that the whole Meeting Family at that time was as I may truly say over-powered with Divine comfort in the sense of Gods pure love nothing else from God declared to them but that they should admire his sweet Love and Mercy and how good the Lord was how gentle kind and most tender over them together with the great admiring of the same Love being filled with it so that the Heavenly Flame of it drown'd all manner of Sorrow at that time and conquered all sense of Terror and Judgment nothing but Love at that time and Mercy appearing and overcoming all so that it was wonderful to behold the great Gravity and Sense of the Children in such an exercise there being such a general Heart-breaking Power overpowering them in such a manner with Gods blessing throughout declared amongst them all And now I may say that there is not one who hath been of the worst Temper and Disposition here at present but in pleading with them about their conditions in the sense of Gods Truth have been broken into a sensible acknowledgment with weeping Eyes so far hath the most blessed Power of the living God appeared in this place a Day much groaned and longed for to see Glory to the Lord forever And certainly the living God will bestow more of his Heavenly Blessings upon us by the still pouring forth of his heavenly Spirit as we are dear and tender before him and of his Glory Amen So dear Brother admire with us the excellency of Gods pure love and Pray with us that we all may be kept in the sweet and humble acknowledgment of all his most tender Mercies And oh that we may never give the least occasion whereby the Lord may with-draw the sense of such great Love and Mercy from us Amen Amen So dear Brother if I could tell thee I would how full of sweet Melody my Soul is at present from the sense of this his pure goodness and how full of Joy and Gladness and Heavenly Praises Oh! the glorious Heavenly Power of the Lord God how when he pleases it most wonderfully overcomes the Hearts and Souls of his beloved and tender Children Oh dear Brother feel feel what my Soul can admire but my Tongue far unable to utter neither lawful for any man to do in this Earthly Tabernacle in which we reach unto thee dearly and to thy dear Wife And I am thy dear Brother C. Taylor The following Testimonies are from the Teachers of the Children A Testimony concerning the Goodness and Mercy of God our Heavenly Father in Christ Jesus manifested to the Children of our Family IN the sense of the great Love and tender Mercies of the Lord God who hath often graciously visited and livingly refreshed my Soul in our Evenings or Family's Meetings I can and do bear this living and faithful Testimony that at a Meeting the 23d of the 4th Moneth called June in the Evening the great God and Father of Mercy in a special and wonderful manner did abundantly pour forth of his good and holy Spirit of Life and Grace upon our Spirits through Jesus Christ our Saviour by which our Souls and Spirits were broken and melted before him that Waters did gush out of the Rocks Springs were opened in dry places and the very Depth did utter forth its Voice I my self was so overpowered and overcome with this Heavenly Life Virtue and Power of God that I did shake and tremble before him the mighty God of Heaven and Earth who by his quick and powerful Voice shaketh the Wilderness and breaketh the Cedars of Lebanon at whose appearance and look the Earth Trembles and at whose touch the Hills Smoke This his great Love and powerful Operation upon my Heart and Spirit being livingly refreshed and comforted by it did cause my Soul to magnifie the Lord and my Spirit to rejoyce in God my Saviour singing and making sweet Melody in my Heart to the Lord because he did so graciously answer the desire of our Souls and powerfully break in upon the Hearts and Spirits of our Children revealing himself in his great and Almighty Power among them in and through which their Hearts were broken their Spirits melted and their Souls humbly bowed before him as the alone searcher of the Heart and tryer of the Reins making known to every one his state and condition and bringing to Light the hidden things of Darkness and Counsels of the Hearts which brought Sorrow and Trouble upon them and caused many of them to lament and cry out before the Lord. Oâ— who can appear and stand before the great Judge of the Quick and Dead and not tremble at his Word and not howl and cry as under the senâ—e of his Judgments till they be brought forth unto Victory and the Soul comes to feel Redemption from Sin and Iniquity through the Blood of Jesus Christ We are living Witnesse of this great and powerful Work of the Almighty God in and amongst the Children of our Family by which he hath begun to work out their Salvation with Fear and Trembling and to turn their minds from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan unto himself that they may receive Forgiveness of Sins and Inheritance amongst them which are Sanctified by Faith in Christ Jesus to the great comfort and satisfaction of our Souls who was thus graciously pleased to appear and reveal himself in and among us in his Heavenly Power and Authority for my Soul hath often been poured out before the Lord on their behalf that he would be pleased to reach unto their Hearts in his Heavenly quickning Power that at length they might come to experience in themselves what hath been often declared to them by others that so in the sense of this Heart-breaking Power they might learn to fear him their Creator in the dayes of their Youth and their Souls might be engaged and constrained to love and obey him Now the Lord hath heard our Cry and answered our Desire he hath manifested his great Love Favour and Mercy unto them and us in the sense whereof my Soul did and doth rejoyce praising and glorifying his Name on their and our behalf I can beat my witness in Truth that the sense of the goodness of the Lord did rest upon my Spirit all the Night long that after I awaked my Eyes were full of Tears and my Soul full of Holy Praises and Thanks-giving unto the Lord because of his tender Mercies and great Love towards us breathing to the Lord that he in his heavenly blessed Power would carry on his great Work of Regeneration that he hath begun in
and upon our Spirits and to Bless us daily more and more with all Spiritual Blessings in Christ Jesus to the Praise and Glory of his Grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved according to the Riches of his Grace wherein he hath reached and abounded towards us to declare unto our Souls that he has pardoned our Sins and received us into his Fatherly love and care What shall I say of the next following Meeting I am not able to express the sweet refreshing Life Vertue and Power of our heavenly Father arising in us with healing under â—is Wings For as the Evening before Fearfulness and Trembling came upon many and Horror had overwhelmed them so now at this time the sweet Love of a most tender and merciful Father embracing their Spirits did sweetly and livingly refresh and comfort their Souls he healed the broken in Heart and bound up their Wounds with the Balm of his heavenly Life Vertue and Power to the great comfort and satisfaction of our Souls who partook of the Water of Life that the Lord poured forth and made us to drink of in and through which the Spirit of the Humble was quickned and the Heart of the Contrite Ones revived Now as the Lord in those two Meetings hath appeared and revealed himself in and to us in a most special gracious and powerful manner so his Sweet and Heart-melting Love and tender Mercies have hitherto followed us from Meeting to Meeting sensibly and livingly Refreshing Comforting Stregthening and Confirming our Souls in his Love Life Vertue and Power until this very Day Praises Praises Praises Glory and Honour be to our God henceforth forever and forever Moreover it is sealed to my Spirit by the holy Spirit of the Lord God That we shall be Monuments of his Tender Mercies and Fatherly Love and Care these are the words which livingly arose in my Heart as we were lately gathered together and arise again as I am writing this Testimony for God I say We shall be Monuments of his tender Mercies and fatherly Love and Care if we keep Low Humble Meek and Tender before him he will instruct uâ— teach us in the Way which we shall go and guide us with his Eyes if we always Fear and Dread his holy powerful Name which he hath revealed unto us and poured forth in and among us as a good and precious Ointment which causes us to be glad and to rejoyce in him and to love him with all our Heart Soul and Mind In the Sense of this great Love and tender Mercies of the Lord God my Soul desires that I and every one of us especially our dear Children that have with us tasted of the good Word and Power of the World to come by which our Souls have been quickned and livingly refreshed and comforted may be always kept in a living sense of the Loving kindness and Goodness of the Lord towards us that so we may walk in Humility Righteousness and Holiness before him who hath reached to our Souls and made us sensible of our inward State and Condition and also of his Love Grace and Mercy that we may walk worthy of this his great Love and Dread and Fear him in our Hearts always having the Eyes of our Mind towards him that in his Light shining in our Souls we may see even the least appearance of Evil and waiting in it we may receive Power to be kept and preserved out of it lest by entring in or consenting to it we should offend the Lord and cause him to with draw his sweet Love and to hide the Light and Favour of his Countenance from us which would bring Sorrow Anguish and Destruction upon our Souls Oh! let us walk worthy of this great Love let every one of us be circumspect in our Lives and Conversations that our Enemies who Reproach and Blaspheme the holy Name and powerful Work of the Lord God who hath graciously and gloriously appeared in and among us may behold our Holy Innocent Upright Life and Conversation and by it may be reached and convinced that not the Devil but the Lord God in his holy Life Vertue Power and Spirit hath appeared in and among us by which he hath wrought a new Heart and renewed a right and holy Spirit in us the blessed Effect whereof is Holiness and Righteousness which Work is not of Man muchless of the Devil but of the Everlasting Pure and Holy God who in his Everlasting Holy Pure and Quickning Power hath begot us again into the heavenly Image of his dear Son Christ Jesus which consists in Holiness and Righteousness and Truth which the Devil is out of Having therefore received Grace and Mercy Life Vertue and Power of God let us cleanse our selves from all Filthiness of the Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God that we may shew forth the heavenly Vertue and Power of him that hath called and translated us from Darkness into his marvelous Light and turned from Satans Power to his own Holy Pure and Living Power in which we are enabled to do good Works new created of God in Christ Jesus unto good Works that we may walk therein in which if we are sound walking and doing the Works of God we shall never fall again for so an entrance shall be ministred unto us abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who is the true Light which lights every man that comes into the World in which heavenly and divine Light we daily receive Life Vertue and Power to escape the Corruption that is in the World through Lust and to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World to the Honour and Praise of him that hath called us to Glory and Vertue For this is the very end of the heavenly living powerful Appearance of our God in the midst of us that in and through the heavenly Power of his Son Christ Jesus revealed in us in his divine heavenly Light Life and Spirit he might redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealouâ— unto good Works and that so out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings he may perfect Praises for his Name Let us therefore always be found in Well-doing that our Light may shine before men that they may see our good Works and glorifie our Father which is in Heaven who dwells in the Light and is Light in which if we walk therein we have fellowship with him and one with another and the Bloâ—d of Jesus Christ his Son which cleanses us from all Sins is inwardly known and felt and the true Fellowship with the Fâ—â—her and his Son Jesus Christ comes to be witnessed Righteousness and Holiness is shewn forth in our Lives and Conversation by which our heavenly Father comes to be praised and glorified For herein is our heavenly Father of his Children glorified when they bring forth much Fruit of the Spirit which is in all Goodness and Righteousness
and Truth always proving and doing what is acceptable unto the Lord to whom be Glory and Honour Praises and Hallelujah Wisdom and Dominion from my Soul in the living Sense of his great Love and tender Mercies now henceforth forever and ever Amen Amen Testified by me J. M The 5th of the 5th Moneth 1679. WHen I consider the Goodness Mercy and Love of Almighty God to the Sons and Daughters of Men so largely manifested and suited to every Capacity and Condition to this end and purpose that all even from the least to the greatest may be made sensible and living Monuments of his wonderful Work which he hath been carrying on in all Ages lesâ— or more but now in this latter Age of the World is cutting the Work short in Righteousness I see it clearly in the Light of the Lord for which my Sâ—ul and Heart is overcome with Praises and Thanksgivings to him who I see takes pleasure to dwell with the lowly in Heart and that are willing to follow him whithersoever he in his Requirings may lead Glory to his blessed Name forever I say the consideration of the Lord 's wonderful Dealing with people but more especially with the Young Ones in our Family constrains me at this time to open my Mouth in my small Measure to declare of his Wonderful and Soul-ravishing Virtue livingly witnessed to in my Measure and also am an Eye and Ear-Witness but which is more I find it sealed in my heart that the Lord hath begun a blessed Work in and among the Younger sort so that I can say in Truth The Lord hath been here the blessed Effects whereof do sufficiently declare it Oh! how is my Soul overjoy'd when I see that wild Nature which bore rule in some changed and brought under so that I may justly say with the Prophet and do witness the same both in my own particular as also I declare it on the behalf of the Children That in some I see instead of the Thorns comes up the Fir-tree and instead of the Bryar comes up the Myrtle tree and it is for the Lord a Name for an Everlasting Sign that shall not be cut off This hath been the End and Tendency of all the Upright hearted Ones in their Labour and daily Exercise in this Family who are more nearly concerned in them And Oh! let all Heart joyn with me at this time and at all times to Praise and Extol the God of all Goodness who in his Love hath given us an Earnest of our Desires which is more to us than Thousands of Silver or Gold This the Lord hath been bringing to pass for several years past by his Almighty Power and Out-stretches Arm invisibly in the Hearts of the Young Ones and now is more maniâ—estly begun to shew forth his Power to the melting of the Rocky-hearted and tendring of them into Tears which was livingly witnessed to by many who felt the Power of the Almighty to overshadow them in a Wonderful and Soul ravishing manner at our fourth day's Meeting in Waltham Abby so that in the Sense of the goodness of the Lord tendred to my Soul the Souls of the Children there present I was broken into Tears having a deep sense of the Work of the Lord in my own particular to work in my Heart as also I was overcome with Joy to feel the Lord's Power so wonderfully to work on the Children Minds that they were melted and broken to the Amazement of many there present who never saw such a Day nor witnessed the Lord's Power to change them in their Minds Oh! but what Joy what comfort what Satisfaction unutterable was ministred to them who waited upon the Lord for this to see their Expectation answered in this Matter what greater Joy could be afforded surely none I can truly say it was more to me I hope to my dying Day never to forget it then all Visible or Created Comforts whatsoever And so as the Lord did in a wonderful manner break forth in his Living Power upon the 4th day being the 4th day of the 4th Moneth so we have witnessed since and do witness daily Praises to our God for it the same Arm of Power to work in our Family-Meetings so that forsome Nights we have gone to Bed with the Tears in our Eyes being filled with the Love of so tender and merciful a Father who thus had visited us in his love and filled our Hearts with unexpressible Joy And this I say more on the behalf of the Children that some have been so livingly refreshed in our Evening-Meetings that after they have been in Bed their Sleep hath been taken from them for several hours together and their Souls have been filled with Praises and Thanksgivings more then could be uttered This I was constrained to say for the Lord that he is no hard Master that he takes no pleasure in the Death of Sinners but thus even in our day as of Old so fatherly tenderly and condescendingly he deals with People even with the tenderaged as to accommodate himself in his appearance to their Capacities that they may feel him at work in their inward parts who worketh all his Childrens work in them and for them to the everlasting renown and praise of his worthy Name forever Now let all be invited hereby to bow and submit their Necks to the Yoke of Christ and let them be made willing to take it upon them for truly it is light to them that are made willing in the day of his mighty Power Further let me intreat all who have been sharers with me in this late and continued Heart-breaking-Power to walk worthy of the same that we together may pass the time of our sojourning here in fear that in the end when we shall lay down these Tabernacles we may be admitted unto the full Fruition and compleat Enjoyment of his favour who hath called us and that very early whose favour is better then Life whereof of late we have had a larg earnest to the refreshing of our Souls and the establishing of them in his fear Everlasting Praises Glory and Renown be sounded forth unto our bountiful Lord and Master Christ Jesus World without End Amen A. PATERSONE THE END