to the needful and his delight was to do good to them that had done ill to him for indeed he overcame evil with that which was good So that they that formerly had been his enemies was made to say William Wilson is an honest Man for he walked circumspectly as those that are redeemed by the Lord seeking by all means to bring honour to the way of the Lord and to exalt the same over all the by-ways set up in the fallen wisdom of man for the way of the Lord is a spiritual way and his worship a spiritual worship for all that truly worships him it must be in Spirit and in Truth And not in forms traditions and outward observations as loe hear and loe there in this tradition and that observation which many have made a great stir about and been fitting up in their own wills and ways being degenerated from the Spirit of the Lord in which he is only alone worshipped And because this faithful servant and Minister of the Lord did often cry against those that taught for Doctrine the commandments of men being ignorant of the cammand of the Lord in themselves therefore he was often by them haled to prison and Cruelly handled as was hinted before And several times sued for tythe for John Ambross in the year 1682. did exhibit a bill in the Exchequer against him and several other of his friends because they could not give him tythe for his cure who in his bill of complaint to the said court affirmed that he was their Curate but it hath pleased the Lord to provide a better place for him Then John Ambross intended or sought for him for his intentions was if his unreasonable ends was not answered to put him in some prison or dungeon or such like place or else to ruinate him in his estate and so it s come to pass in our day and we are living witnesses of the words of the Prophet of the Lord concerning those that deceive people and caused them to err and bite with their Teeth and cry peace and he that putteth not into their mouths they even prepare war against him Micah 3.5 And this is that cure they Minister unto those who cannot put into their Mouths who in the light of the Lord hath seen their deceit and can in reality and truth give this certain Testimony that they are Curates of no value for those that have been feeding such Curates and have been living under their cure Twenty Thirty Forty or Fifty Years many of them hath as great reason to cry at this day as they had the first day they went to them no Health in us no Health in us And therefore all hath great need to walk in the spirit of the Lord that in the same they may pray unto him and say from such Biters Preparers of War and Curates Good Lord deliver us And from such Curates God almighty hath delivered his faithful servant William Wilson and placed him where they cannot touch him with their War nor come near him with all their sharp Instruments nor wound him with their Darts nor bruise him with their Blowes The good Curate who freely gives his Cure who is indeed a Phisicion of value who heals all that come unto him and doth depend upon him he alone hath taken care for him and given him rest from his labours for the Lord hath an eye to them that have an eye to him and he draws near to them that draws near to him and he is a true preserver of them that depend upon him and singly desire to walk in his way Which way this faithful man William Wilson had a tender regard unto who above all things desired that he might be preserved in the same and be in his day and time an honour to the same and in reality and truth so he was and for it he had a delight day and night to labour and travel and was in his journey and travel for the renown of the same when the Lord of life and power was pleased to visit him with sickness which he took very patiently earnestly desiring of the Lord to turn him which way he thought best and to bring him to his Wife and Children And according to his desire God almighty whom he served in reality of heart who had been with his saithful traveller and delivered him in many straits and dangers was at this time near unto him and strengthen his outward man according as he desired and brought him to his Wife and Children and outward habitation where several came to visit him unto whom he said it will be well with me what way soever the Lord be pleased to order me And the third day after he came home he was taken out of the Body during which time he set his House in order and several sweet and Heavenly exhortations he left among his Familly and within half an hour before his departure he walked over the Floor between another Friend and me who said my love is generally to Friends and then after a little space with great difficulty of breathing he uttered these expressions Oh that every one would mind the Lord that they might reap life which being spoken like a harmless Dove he sat down in his Chair and soon after drew breath no more William Rigg's Testimony Concerning William Wilson THis testimony have I to give for our dear Friend William Wilson that he was an innocent Man a lover of truth and righteousness and not only so but a walker therein for by his honest and upright life and Conversation he was a preacher of righteousness unto many as well as by Word and Doctrine which he was a labourer in for many years not only in this Land but in more remote parts of the World beyond the Sea and the Lord was with him and his power and presence did go along with him and the Lord made him instrumental in his hand for the good of many for it was the joy of his heart to see truth prosper and that many might come to enjoy that precious Pearl and Jewel of great worth the Kingdom of God in them which consisteth in Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost which he was made a living witness of And his testimony was living and powerful to the teaching of the witness of God in many not only by word and Doctrine but also by life and Conversation as I said before whereby he reached the best part in all Men with whom he was Concerned or where ever he was ordered to go so that all were forced to confess that he was an honest Man for he was of a lowly meek and Condescending Spirit unto the meanest Capacities whereby he got the love of many and he confirmed and scaled his Testimony not only by doing uprightly but also by suffering the spoiling of his goods and imprisonment of his body and also by blowes wounds and cruel usage by inhumane and unreasonable Men counting nothing too
information made by John Tomson Priest of Grasmire in Westmerland for speaking some words to the people in Gods fear and bidding them mind their teacher so at the next Sessions I was fined by Justice Fleeming and the rest of the Justices in one hundred Marks and committed into the Goal at Kindal until payment was made as the tenure of the Mittimus did run and so remaining in prison a while until the first Sessions next after At which time the same Justices sent for me who tendered me the Oath of Allegiance and because for Conscience sake I could not swear was sent to prison again there to remain till I took the Oath and paid the fine of an hundred Marks as aforesaid although in the year 1648. I had suffered the loss of all I had saving my life for the King as I made it appear yet I remained in prison above half a year and then was set free by the Kings act of indulgence In the year 1662. in the 10th month I was committed to prison at Lancaster with many more of my Friends by Warrant from Justice Fleeming and William Kirby for meeting together to worship God in Spirit and in Truth where at the next following Sessions I had the Oath tendered me again by these said Justices and others and because I durst not swear was committed to prison where I remained Twenty weeks In the year 1665. I was arrested by warrant from Justice Fleeming and Justice Braithwait for meeting with my Friends the 5th of the 9th Month at the house of Reignal Holme for which I was imprisoned one Month in Kendal in the year 1670. I was fined in twenty pounds by vertue of an act made to prevent Seditious Conventicles by Justice Fleeming and Justice Phillipson for speaking a few words of Truth in soberness in our peaceable meeting to Justice Phillipsons man who was turned informer for which I had taken from me two Cows worth five pound one Horse worth forty Shillings and Oate meal worth ten Shillings And again for speaking in a meeting at Fieldhead near Hanks-head I was fined in twenty pounds for which my goods was spoiled by William Satterthwait Constable James Harrison Warden and William Groves overseer all of Landal In the year 1673. for not paying six pence or seven pence in the year to Parson Ambross Priest of Grasmire for tythe I was arrested with an Exchequer process called a commission of Rebellion and cast into Prison at Kendal where I continued sixteen weeks and then set free by the Goaler being three weeks after the writ was not of date But these are small matters in consideration of what the God of my Life hath led one through since I knew his glorious Truth before the King came in for many a time have I suffered cruel Mockings Stackings Stoneing Buffitings Beatings and Knocking 's by the hirelings Priests and rude People and all for desiring the good of their Souls and that they might turn to the God of Light in whom there is no darkness at all and so come out of darkness that they might have the light of life William Wolson An Epistle General or a token of my Love and care in my measure of the Heavenly Father of Glory of Peace and of Love to all friends in their meetings as it is Judged meet and Convenient to be read IN the grace of God and love of the heavenly Father which hath visited us in this acceptable day of his abounding mercy I greet you all in the Virgine love and state of the pure Church of God which he hath called and gathered together in our day and age glory to his Name for ever who hath found us worthy to be members of the same and his eternal love and tender merties it even unto us day by day and time after time in our heavenly Meetings which he hath gathered us into that we may wait upon him in and think upon his Holy Name Blessed for ever be his name he hath set us in a holy state and brought us into a deep sence of his pure love which runs freely among us from day to day and keeps all the careful and upright in heart unto himself and they glorifie his holy name and all the careless and disordered persons doth dishonour his most holy and blessed Name and this will be their shame and great condemnation But the glory of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed in the upright hearted and carefully minded Men and Women Sons and Daughters of the preclous life and seed of God which is risen amongst us in this our day and time of Gods love and heavenly visitations unto us who keeps the good order and state of the pure Church but unto them who rebelle against the spirit and regards not the good order and state of the pure Church unto such will the Lord appear and be angry with them if they do not amond and have a greater regard unto his most Holy Name and Place and Spirit which would cause them not to err not depart from the good order and Spirit of God unto the which they are called therefore my Friends Brethren and Sisters in the name of the Lord of Hosts I charge and warn you all that you keep to that of God in you all and that will keep you all in the remembrance of the beginning and let you all see the good order and state of the true Church in God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God the light of the World in whom we are all to walk to move and have our being So remember my Friends how careful you all were at the first and tender at the beginning and troubled at that which was out of order and your Spirits grieved and could not well bear the things that some will now allow and be ready in defence thereof to say Alas Friends were weak at the first but we are more able to hear or to bear things now which were a great offence or trouble then Alas my friends the Lord was near unto us then and did uphold us in our weakness and was with us in all out undergoings and did uphold us on every hand and none could open their Mouths against his harmless Lambs but the Lord was sufficient in them to shut it again But now my Friends they have many things to lay to the charge of some Friends who frequently comes to our Meetings and yet they find them in the Customs of the World and not after Christ yea in very blameable and most reproveable fashions of the world which the Apostle forbids and saith Fashion not your selves like unto this world for the Fashions thereof passeth away and some in being too conformable in drinking too much at Ale-Houses and taking of Tobacco amongst them which is an evil savour unto the Lord and that which your Spirits could not bear at the first Alas Friends have you lost your first love or is your
daily food my Soul satisfier the refresher of my bowels and inward part where the world knows me not and therefore they Judge me like unto themselves But my friends with you whom God hath called and chosen to place his name among is my blessed fellowship and communion in the Light of his heavenly Son Christ Jesus who hath made choice of us without respect of Persons O my dear 〈…〉 may all be continued in faithfulness and rightness of heart unto him in fear to walk while we have one day to spend my friends feal Gods to love you as at the first and yours to him as at the begining and so shall the truth never become as an old thing nor you in the least measure dye to it my dear friends its far from me to stand up to teach or instruct any of you but as the Lord hath freely made me pertaker and sharer with you of his devine heavenly love I cannot but in the remembrance of the same return you an answer of the continuance of his love to my Soul that you thereby may be remembred of the same that we may feel one another in the everlasting love that can never decay nor never be forgetten by them that loves God and the blessed and pure appearance of his Son Christ Jesus the Light of the world my friends since I parted with you I have been in the furthest part of all Scotland as to the Maineland and have had good service there for the Lord for people was very willing to heare the truth and enclined in words very much but you know the old agents that was ever ready to stir up help and Instruments against the true Light the now shines to wit the Priests of this generation but all will fail them its God must be Gloryfied the Priests worship will come to an end they have had worship enough its God must now be worshiped he will not give his Glory to another and likewise in the Isle of Stormie where a dore was open for us and our Testimony received with much gladness and we kindly entertained for a little space while we had freedom and so returned and leaves the work to God and we were also in the Isles of Ortners in the Town of Kirkway where there is a very like people in the Lords time but Bishops and Priests have Lordly power over poor people and keeps them much in Bondage but they have a very great sight into the ways of all sorts of professions and the true Light discovers them all And so my dear friends who have made full proof of the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ in you own hearts you it is that can give a Testimony of the same for while man be not come into full obediance of the Light he never knows the true ground nor benefit of the same and so with my dear love to you all as if I named you all I take leave and rests your friend in the Lord according to my measure William VVilson FRiends I could well have found to have written to you ear this but being so far distant I could not see how it could be safely conveyed neither was I very free till I saw something of my return which is now prety large for we are at this present come within about fourteen or fifteen miles of Aberdeen and so as God permits after visiting friends in my way I hope to the Lord to see you with comfort ere long be sure to let my wife and friends of Haukshead Meeting here from you or else send them these lines on a Second day with my love to them all From Auworthy the fifth day of the seventh Month 1673. William Wilson YOU that usurp Authority over poor people and bears rule by your means the day of the Lord hasten upon you which will strip you naked and bare and reward you according to your works and then where will your Authority be you Rulers and Magistrates who Rules not according to the just Law of God but according to your own wills the Lord will justly recompence his wrath and vengence upon your unrighteousness you corupt members and fruitless trees which plead for sin and imperfection and here you uphold the Devils Kingdom who raigns in sin and here you are found Enemies to God and his righteousness and I am a witness for the living God against you all who acts contrary to the just Law of God and bears Testimony to his name who is the Author and finisher of my faith and perfects his own work and clenseth from all sin by his blood all that walk in the Light as he is in the Light but you who walk in darkness hath not this hope neither that faith which purifies the heart but are going on in the broad way professing God and Christ with your mouth Prosecutes the life and power as did the same generation in all ages past halling beating scoffing scorning and shuting into Prison them that did confess his name and declared against all deceipt operly against all sin and evil as they were moved but the Lord will be avenged for these things therefore hast to Repentance and amend your lives for the Kingdom of God is at hand William Wilson ALL people that desires to serve the living God in newness of life must of necessity turn your minds into the Light of his Son Christ Jesus in your own hearts for that is he that gives the true knowledge of God whom to know is life eternal and this is he whom God hath sent into the world to be a Light to lighten all people that through him they might believe and be saved for he is the Saviour of his people from their sins so people whatsoever makes manifest sin is Light and whatsoever is reprovable is reprov'd with the light for the light proves the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment and this is he that sets up true Judgment in the heart and gives thee to descern between the good and the evil and lets the see the thoughts of thy heart in which thou dost behold thy State how thou stands approved unto God and this is near thee will never deceive thee and as thou finds thy obediance unto God and walking in the Light of his Son which never consents to the evil of thy doings so shalt thou find Gods power and Spirit beating witness with thy Spirit that thou art a Son of God guided by the Spirit of God and cannot fulfil the lusts of the Flesh and this must every one come to witness whoever comes to witness the Lord Jesus Christ to be their Saviour who is the Saviour of his people from their sins for while man and woman lives in their sin they are dead while they leive and all dutys performances and prayers to and professions of God and Christ is no more then if they cut off a dogs neck or offered up Swins blood for the works of man are a vaine thing
us by Fining of some and partially singling me out and put the Oath to me which hath not sworn this many years nor never shall I fully believe in my heart neither for nor against any man for I have learned Christ and am a Christian and cannot swear at all though thou hast wickedly separated me from my Wife and Children which I maintained well with my labour and kept them from charge so now see thou to that and inquire of them how they can live without me and my maintainance and let thy Warrant be as strong for the relieving of them in manner as I did as it was for carrying me to Prison and in giving the Gaoler charge over me in the Sessions for not swearing and so break Christs commends which thing is a shame to thee when it will be a honour unto me likewise a poor man of Bootle for coming over to Swarthmore Meeting thou proffered him the Oath and caused him to stay in Prison from his Wife and Children which is an ungodly deed of thee and the rest that did it So consider this and either let us go to live at home or take care for our Wives and Children seeing thou hast power to cast us into Prison surely thou hast power to look to our Charge we have lest behind us and think not that it is far to look to Bootle for there is need for the man I know Thy friend Willam Wilson A Letter to William Wilson Priest of Windermer in the County of Westmoreland IN the weighty consideration of the service God hath laid on his Servants to make his name known in the Earth throughout the whole world and to declare his love and kindness unto the Sons and Daughters of men who are in the fallen State and doth not know the work of God in the new Creation Regeneration and Restoration whereby man is restored up to God again out of the fallen State in which all men have had a place and being from God in the fall and without God in sin and iniquity which hath made the great seperation and being at a distant from the living God Therefore with pitty unto thy Soul Willam Wilson who is now placed in VVindermer to Preach unto people there do I speak and also desire thee to beware and take heed what thou dost against the Lord and his people whom he hath raised up by his Power and they must bear Testimony to his Holy Name which is but little known and much less regarded by a prophane people whose Lives and Conversations is not conversant with the great God of Heaven and Earth as they ought to be neither hath their being with him as they should therefore was a necessity upon us to declare his blessed Truth unto Gods witness in man that they might come to heare and understand the things that belong to their everlasting peace to their mortal Souls and this is all and ever was all the end we have or ever had in meeting So were the place of your worship that we whom God hath revealed his Son in may not smother him neither strangle him the womb but must let his mouth be open who hath right to speak who speaks from Heaven whose voice we have heard and shape wee have seen and cannot but declare his love to all men on the face of the whole Earth that they may have and see and understand and not be Ignorant of the things of God but have the knowledge of him whom to know is life and this is the Substance in short of what hath lain upon us this many years even unto the Souls of people that we may be clear of their blood and our God in his Judging whether they will hear or forbear this is our messuage and Service we ow to our God and duty unto his people as all people are his by Creation and of right his Son should Raign in them So we leave the work unto the Lord who can work and none can hinder who hath the hearts of people in his disposing and can turn them as he pleases and this is he whom we own and in whose name we trust whatever we suffer for the same we are freely given up as into the hands of a faithful Creator who is God over all blessed of ever and for evermore So now I say unto thee VVillam Wilson who is called of men Master and born up by an outward power without and hath them to back and uphold thee and is yet dark and ignorant of the power of God within which is the higher power even God to dwell in us and walk in us according to his promise of old which is made good to us in our age and we must confess Christ before men who is Gods righteousness and Gods great power and Salvation unto lost man and as I said before he must not be smothered in the Womb but must have his liberty to speak in his people And if thou take this ill out and call it a provocation or disturbance and so do evil and intreat his people evil for their work and Service the Lord will reward the there after Therefore this is the pitty was in my heart at the moving to write this unto thee that as thou art provoked to wrath and fury as was plainly seen in thee who would not let God Messengers declare their messuage and deliver unto people what God had to say by them who may be might never have had the like upon them there again but caused them abusively to be halled out of our peaceable Meeting So I say take heed believes that thou do not provoke the Lord our God to Anger and sore displeasure against thee even for so doing for the Lord will take notice of those things and reward every man according to his works be they good or be they evil therefore I say let things alone and do not provoke the Lord to Anger by thy casting them to suffer but rather seek to turn away his wrath while it is kindled but a little and this is part of what arose in my mind unto thee to aquaint thee with and inform thee of and advise thee to whether thou wilt hear or forbear it is in pitty to thy Soul and for the preventing of further trouble thereof which will not be easily taken away if thou persist herein and do evil to those people So say not afterwards that thou was not warned for in plain words from the mouth of thy friend thou art warned as well as the people by one whose life is given up unto God in my measure to serve the living God in my day nor doubting nor fearing what man can do unto me for my heavenly Testimony that God hath given me to bear in this blessed day of his love which is offered unto all mankind upon the face of the whole Earth so the wo and trouble will be unto them that seeks to stop the Current of his love from runing freely as from Vessel to Vessel that as we have freely received we may freely give so this is all at present as a gentle warning in love unto thee to prevent the danger that may come by doing of evil to thy Neighbours which thou ought to love as thy self or else thou art guilty of the breach of Gods Commandment and doth the things thou ought not to do therefore I say again be warned who is a lover of thy Immortal Soul whose name is known unto the world to be VVillam Wilson of Longdalechappellsteel