Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A86013
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The Quakers shaken: or, A fire-brand snach'd out of the fire. Being a briefe relation of Gods wonderfull mercie extended to John Gilpin of Kendale in Westmoreland. Who, as will appeare by the sequel, was not only deluded, but possessed by the devill.
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Gilpin, John, 17th cent.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing G770; Thomason E216_2; ESTC R911
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12,383
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15
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whereupon as a motive to perswade me to entertain it he represented to my memorie all or most of the remarkable passages of my life both in England and Scotland told me how long I should live viz. ten yeares and where I should die viz at London and that I had a weake bodie but he would strengthen it and thereupon caused me to rub my bodie all over with my hands at which instant I conceived my bodie to receive strength and the members thereof to be more in substance then before with divers other passages promising me prosperitie in the world and speaking these words to me John 4. 29. Behold a man that hath told thee all things that ever thou didst is not this Christ whereupon I was at last perswaded to imbrace this power thinking that it was Christ indeed whereupon I was presently sensible of a working throughout my whole bodie which soone ceased and then I thought that my condition was good and Christ to be really in me afterwards this power told me that I had highly offended God in all my former passages in giving way to Satan and that I was guiltie of all sins except that against the holy Ghost but told me that I did it ignorantly and therefore he had pitty on me I was further perswaded by the same power that I should lie seemingly dead which I did not daring to stirre til the power moved me Lying thus a while the power began first to move one of my legs and then the other after that my hands and then my head and at last my whole bodie causing me to sit up in my bed and telling me that thus should my body be quickened and raised up again at the last day then the power told me that I must pull off my shirt and my cap and the napkin which I had about my neck saying that whatsoever was about me was polluted and that he hated the garments spotted with the flesh whereupon I pull'd them off threw them on the ground uttering these same words that I hated the garments spotted with the flesh the power also told me that all my bonds were broken and my cords loosened and that Christ had set me free vvhereupon calling for a clean shirt other linnen I arose concluding my self to be in a good condition yet finding my self being up no better nor my bodie more strengthened but rather vveakened I began to see that I had been deluded in this last businesse as formerly vvhereupon I was strucken with fear 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 aire so that I was afraid to continue abroad and came againe into the house and suspected every thing that I heard to be the Devil waiting to fetch me away being in this perplexitie of soule I began to consider hovv grievously I had offended God in rejecting the use of all externall means as reading hearing prayer c. in the use whereof God hath commanded us to vvait upon him and therefore that it vvas most just vvith him to leave me to my selfe and to give me over to strong delusion that I should beleeve lies vvhich vvas my condition for a time by the just judgement of God upon me as for other provocations so especially for rejecting the revealed vvill of God in his Word hearkning only to a voice vvithin me because vvhat vvas spoken by it vvas seconded by lying Wonders of vvhich God hath given notice in his Word that so his people might not give credit to them nor be deluded by them I hope the Reader vvill so farre give heed to vvhat I have related concerning my selfe as to learn thereby to take heed of being imposed upon by the devil though he doth transforme himselfe into an angell of light vvhich advantage if any reape by it I have my end it hath been no small burthen to my conscience since Gods gracious deliverance of me from this snare that I should so farre gratifie the grand Adversarie as not onely to listen to his suggestions and embrace his voice for the voice of Christ but also wholly to neglect those meanes in the constant and conscientious use whereof God hath promised to reveale himself unto his people and to give in comfort to them which because I found not though through my owne default I did in effect say why should I waite for the Lord any longer and so turned unto lying vanities Oh that all who affect novelties would seriously consider of it and take warning by it for Turpius eiicitur quam non admittitur It is easier to withstand the devill at his first assault then to expell him being once admitted Many besides my self have bin and are in the like condition but few or none to whom the Lord hath manifested his Grace in such a manner as to my selfe I had before this made this known to the world had J had tranquillitie of conscience and composure of spirit which blessing the Lord having in his grace restored to me J desire the Christian Reader to joyne with me in returning praises unto the Lord for his goodness towards me J rest fully perswaded and J think it doth evidently appear by what is mentioned in this Relation to persons unprejudiced that my quaking trembling was of the devill that J was acted wholly and solely by him whilst in this condition I doe really beleeve that others in the like condition which J was then in would be of the same mind with me upon serious tryall of their condition by the principles of Christian Religion and sanctified Reason least the strangenesse of some passages in this Relaâ—ion should put the faith of any one upon the racke or make them question the truth thereof J have not onely given testimonie my selfe of it by subscribing my name but also procured severall persons of known fidelity living in or neere Kendale whose names are under-written to testifie the probabilitie if not the certaintie of the truth of it by what they have seen and heard JOHN GILPIN I beleeve this Relation to he true Edward Turner Mayor of Kendale By what I have heard of the carriage of John Gilpin and his actings I do beleeve this Relation to be true John Awher I saw him when he went through the Towne declaring himselfe the way truth and life Ja. Cocke We beleeve this Relation to be true T. Walker Pastor of Kendale J. Myriell Masterf the Free-Schoole there Rich. Prissoe Tho. Sandes Allan Gilpin John Washington Rob. Fisher FINIS
before but to day I must doe the work of Christ and pointing at a woman whom I had pointed at the day before said these words the devill told me yesterday that you were a wicked woman but now Chrisi tels me that you are Gods Servant the Woman being departed I fell to acting in my shirt onely upon the bed as I had done formerly upon the house floore playing topsie survie from one bed to another whereby I might have undone my selfe but the power which acted me bid me not feare for I will give thee strength After this the power told me that the devill had the other day commanded me to beare my Cross but now Christ commands thee to lay aside thy Cross for Christ takes no pleasure in Crosses nor will he have me worship them as yesterday I had done Further the power said to me the devill made thee yesterday to lye all day upon the ground but now I have provided a bed for thee giving in this Scripture to me My yoke is easie promising also to give me bread of life to eat and water of life to drinke and that out of my belly should flew Rivers of living water whereupon my teeth were caused to move as if I had been eating and I thought I felt in my belly a flowing up and downe as of waters I was also perswaded that yesterday the Devils Angells had waited on me but now Christs Angels should guard me whereupon I saw 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 swallow it down into my bodie which having done I tooke the other in my hand and was moved to put it to my throat the power telling me it should enter in there saying nothing is impossible to them that beleeve After this I was caused to make circles upon the bed as I had done formerly upon the ground whereupon I began to thinke that this was not of God and so began to resist the power by which I was acted and thereupon fell into great feare and doubting crying out Lord what wilt thou have me to doe but the power told me that it was too late to cry unto God for sentence was already pronounced against me whereupon I lay downe in my bed nuch despairing and was then convict that it was the devill which had againe deluded me in which condition having laine a short space I was againe assaulted by a power the third time which told me that it was a white devill that had deceived me the latter time but new Christ was come indâ—ed and he would cast him out whereupon I apprehended that Devill also to be ejected after which as I lay in my bed all the members of my bodie fell a working as if the pangs of death had been upon me the power telling me that it was the pangs of the new birth and that Christ was new borne in me with which I was somewhat satisfied lying in that condition a whole day in which time the power perswaded me that I should worke wonders and cast out devils in his name soon after two Quakers came to me viz. Geo. Bayley J. Braban whom I told that I had had two devils cast out of me but now Christ was in me for a truth then the power pretending to be Christ said these words I was crowned with a crown of thornes but I will crown thee with a crown of glory and bad me as a figure thereof to set my fist upon my head and it should appeare to the standers by as a glorious crown though I saw nothing my selfe which having done I spake to the standers by saying what do you see whereunto they gave me no answer being Quakers but turned their eies another way the power telling me that they saw the crown upon my head but were so strucken with admiration that they could not expresse what they saw immediately the power bad me tell one of the Quakers then present that he had a devil in him and that I should have power to cast him out whereupon I said to him G. thou hast a Devill in thee the power told me he should quake and tremble which immediately he did the power bade me speake to him to fall flat upon the ground which he did and after a little space rose againe and I asked him whether the devil were gone out of him having been before perswaded by the power that I should cast him out to which he gave me no answer but the power told me that the Devill warejected I was told also by the same power who of those that came to see me bad devills and who not and that my wife and my mother bad devills in them but I had power given me to cast them out After this beginning againe to question whether this were Christ or not I fell into great feare and doubting as formerly whereupon the devil discovered himself to be the devil and told me that all this while I had been serving him and blaspheming God and that it was now too late to repent whereupon I was brought into despaire for a time thinking every thing which I either heard or saw to be the Devil come to fetch me away one while I thought that I should be taken away in a flame of fire or else that the earth would swallow me up quick whereupon I called my wife and desired her to bring up my children in the feare of God for the devill would fetch me away my selfe still thinking that he was drawing me out of the bed thus I apprehended my selfe wholly under the power of the devil and had no power to recover my selfe out of that sad condition At last I began having been so long deluded to desist from hearkning to the voice within me and apply my self unto God in through Christ for deliverance from the power of Satan knowing that God was able to deliver me though I were so farre involved in the snare of the devill thereupon my faith was in some measure raised to beleeve that God would deliver me whereupon I was presently in a great agonie and did sweat extreamly in which condition I continued all night but was somewhat more chearfull in the morning esteeming my selfe in some measure rescued from the povver of the devill yet having not resolved as yet finally to desert that vvay I vvas soone againe assaulted by the same povver telling me that now the devil was finally cast out of me and that the roome within me must not be left empty but that Christ must come and have the whole sole possession or else Satan would return and re-enter with seven other Devils worse then himselfe telling me vvithall that he was Christ and solliciting me to entertaine and imbrace him as he had done formerly I resisted the suggestions of this power for a time having bin so often deluded