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
and truth which I hope I shall reman into the end so I desire that I might have free liberty to live at home and Labour for my Family William Wilson a poor man and means well One to the Justices and Magistrates FRiends Friends that be in Authority a few words from a Prisoner of yours Christ saith Swear not all this is Christs Command Swear not at all and they that loves me keeps my sayings saith Christ marke and be not offended at any of his Servants which keeps his saying and cannot swear at all but lets their comunication be yea yea nay nay for what as is more cometh of evil as saith Christ Matt. 5. Truely friends my heart is turned towards God with many more of my brethern in this the day of our God and we cannot Swear at all for we have learned obediance unto his Doctrin and therefore we are willing to keep his sayings whatever we suffer by man for friends consider I shall put my case with the rest of my brethrens who be of the same Faith to your own selves to judge Christ he saith Swear not at all you say you must Swear so whether it be better to obey God or man Judge ye likewise the Apostle James saith to his brethren above all things my breathren Swear not at all least you sall into Condemnation Jam. 5 but you say Swear or else you shall go to Prison consider this friends and Judge Charitably whether is to be obeyed now if sufferings must be we these to suffer for Christ sayings rather then for much sayings for if we do not Swear we must fall into Prison and if we do Swear we are sure to fall into Condemnation marke that but it is better for us to obey God then man man so we cannot Swear at all whatever we suffer I hope we shall not break our peace with God for pleasing men for we know the Lords care is over them that fear him and he will visit for these things So take heed how you cause us to suffer for not swearing counting it a breach of your Law for us to keep Christ own sayings that is offended in any of you to see us wear our own hats on our heads and to here us speak Gods truth plainly from our hearts without swearing was ever any of Gods people offended at these things or caused any to suffer for not swearing consider friends and take heed how you oppress tender Consciences and cast into Prison them that cannot Swear for Conscience sake and lets Swearers have their Liberty for I am one willing to suffer for not swearing rather then to deny Christ because I love and obey the Lord Jesus Christ which saith Swear not at all VVilliam VVilson Servant of the same Lord. One to Justice Fleming of Rydale OH Justice Fleming that ever this report should be sounded in our Ears that within thy Libertys such spoyling should be amongst thy Nighbours we never had the like in our Parish nor never expected that our own Justice should have made such work as set men of spoyling true mens goods who themselves dare not spoyle nor do any hurt to any man upon the face of of the whole Earth because of their Conscience towards the God of Heaven which is appeared in these latter days and is come and hath taken up his aboad with them and keeps them unto himself out of all spoyling again when they are spoyled of their Cloaths of Horses and their goods which they had honestly gotten by their hard labour and industry and hath learned to live peaceably amongst their Neighbours and a godly life in Christ Jesus who saith learn of me but not to spoyle true mens goods who for Conscience sake cannot Swear nor break of their godly Meetings which God hath set up and not man therefore consider and call in the spoylers from spoyling of true men thy Neighbours who have none in the Earth to plead their cause but gives themselves up to God and all they have to suffer for his sake having received the earnest of the Spirit and the assurance of etern I life from which they never intend to fly for all that ever mortal man can do unto them in this case for it is in matter of holy worship to our God which all the spoylers in the world is out of and all ungodly men an truths gainsayers which be in these latter days and though many Fools and Bablers that is applauded in these latter days for their fooliry and their fordness Jaging and waging in the streats like fools in a play the Lord hates such who fears not him that hath made them but walks in wickedness making a mock at sin and sporting themselves against the Lord and them that fear his name of which sort I am one and am not ashamed to confess his name among men though it be to my great loss and hinderance in this world as all my neighbours can tell and my wife and little children knows the want of me as thine may do of thee in time for ought I know which I do not desire more then I desire my own should want me but if thou knew what it were I believe thou would not be so hard hearted and my friend Willam Grave is lying at the point of Death and this day one Prioner is lying dead and its a wonder and a mercy of God I am not so to and many more of us you have casten into Prison and not one of you that comes to visit us but we may rather think you wish us all dead as thy brother Willam did babling below a man and much more a Captain and thy Cozen Will. Kirby reported the night you had done that wicked act of casting us all into Prison that you had had an honourable Bench and that thou was such a man as was not in many parts and your whole service had almost been taken up about the Quakers and you had hall'd the Fox and stayed his Hambrough Quaker from traveling or the like words to that purpose which is below a man or man-hood to vant of Casting men into Prison it irkes my heart that ever men should be so Foolish as to do as you have done with us in sending us as thou sent us and its thought caused the death of two and the sickness of others it make the Country cry out shame shame and indeed it vexes me that my Country man should loose his honor in being so hard against poor Quakers as many calls us and had gained it so in other things as I have heard thy name honoured among men where I have been both for carrage and understanding so Justice Fleming consider and let men of tender Consciences have their liberty as others doth in other places and be not so hard of the Lords people Even who are engaiged to meet together fearing the Lord as saith the Scriptures they that seared the Lord met often together and spake often one
unto another and the Lord harkered and heard it and a book of rememberance was written for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name as we are Witnesses of is those days though we be hated of men not knowing the Scriptures and as we have believed Christ and the Scriptures so do we keep his commands who saith he that loves me keeps my sayings who saith Swear not at all and in obediance to this very thing we stand who suffers here in Lancaster Castle because we cannot Swear nor break the Commands of Christ which if we should it were a shame to us and below our honour and Scollarship which we have learned in Christ that never Swear and so taught his Disciple who sufferred for his Doctrin in their days as we do more in our days with much Joy of heart that we are counted worthy to suffer for his sake and bear our Testimony to all the world that God is true and every man a lyer who doth not truth and so remaines in his sins which truth sets free from and so we trample upon those things which is below if we bear our Testomony unto death as some of our friends and brethren have already done in these nasty holes and stinking Prisons where men may easily get their death I could gladly find to be with thee that we might reason together upon the things of which so greatly doth concern our everlasting peace and honour in the Lord which is far above all the honour in this world in my Eye it is above the hat and knee which men may throw in the mire and where lyes it then but that honour which is from above is placed in the heart and is there to remaine for ever and if it were about other things as matters concerning the Kings service I could relate unto thee my sufferings to be great as to me and none of you took care for me then I might then do as I could for you and I have sufferred since in Clivers days for that service and I was in Prison for my Conscience sake at Carlile and that unjustly too what is it I am born to do to suffer still and that unjustly too both then for the King and now by his friends and never had as much as a penny pay to this day cannot that I believe was was Casten and gathered in their days for me as Edward Benson of Hyclose John Midlefel of Langdale knew them but the times turned so their minds turned and kept what they had for ought I know and little regarded my Imprisonment and poor coming home which made me think it of my self being so poor and knew not how to mend it when others mockt at me and I might have gotten away as they did which shewed their Lovalty to the King to be but small when mine was made manifest so I think it were little enough if I had my pay now to help mee in Prison and I hope pity will now in thy heart towards towards my Wife and little Children that they may not want or else what Charity lives with thee so it s for my Religion that I suffer here which I love to reason for with Ministers or Magistrates or any men that fears God of Heaven and loves the Seriptures which is useful to desid Controversies about Religion and this is the thing that is settled in my heart and my desire is that I may labour in the fear of the Lord and not be chargable to any man and live a Godly life and lay open wickedness and deceipt to the view of the whole world as the eternal God move it in my heart unto whom I stand in obediance and dare not swear at all Thy friend and Neighbour Willam Wilson and a lover of thy souls and everlasting peace and if I could Swear I should take that Oath as soon as any that you set much by Lancaster Castle the 9th of the 12th Month 1663. A Letter to Edward Stanley of Dalegarth in Eshdale EDward Stanley I desire the read this paper over to the end with patience if thou canst E. S. thy ungodly deeds shews thee forth to be an ill example amongst thy Neighbours and they that fears not God learns at thee and loves thy evil deed and thy ungodly ways is a strength to to those that fears not God but with thy self would not have God nor good men to live among you but strives with strength and cruelty to shut the Contry of them that fears the Lord and worships his most holy name which ungodly men and cursed Swearers is not fit to name the Lord remembers all thy doings that thou hast done against his people that fears his name and he will not forgit thy cruel doings that thou did unto John Gunson his wife and little Children and James Stanton and his Innocent life in which he lives unto God and darest not be offenced in Christ for all the world if thy weight had been ten times greater then that thou hast already laid on him he hath so truly learned Christ Oh the Lowing of John Gunsons Beasts when he caused their Ears to be cut off shall rise up in Judgment against thee and the harmless Sheep thou took from James Stanton shall plead his innocent cause and condemn the to thy face and every Fleece of Wool thou took from him shall cry out against thee and all their goods thou so evilly got shall do thee nor thine no good and they shall live and praise the Lord when thou shall fear and shame to hear of thy ungodly deeds the very name of God shall fear thy Soul and good men thou shall shun and Hills and Mountains shall thee fly O whether wilt thou run we are not afraid to Worship God his Truth will bear us out it is no other thing we suffer for and therefore we are stout and doth not fear the loss of all that ever we possess the Lord will plead our harmless cause and will deliver us And all our Foes will scattered be as dust upon a Hill When he will gather his Lambs that doth his holy will Remember how thou went about to do his People wrong VVho in his fear together met though not contemning long The Lord considered well their cause and knew the need they had And brought them home again in time which made the needful glad And therefore we are not to fear the worst that man can do For serving of so good a God that will consider so I have believed the God of heaven that maketh all mankind And do not fear to worship him who ever be left behind Consider well the Poor mans state that liveth near to thee And do him good if that thou canst it will thy comfort be For he would do to thee no harm I fully do believe Nor wrong the things belongs to thee whatever one would him give Or say to him in such case the Lord hath taught him so To Pray for