OCR Text |
Show Saul Smittm to the Ground. VoL. I. Whereupon Cctton Oadu prefently fent for George ryhitebead, who accordingly went with the Meffenger w vifit l!fattbew H1de after the Ninth Hour in the Night. So th'e faid Ge~rge f~ha.ebead, Cotton Oa_dcr and.Joba Ball near the Tenth Hour in the N1ghr, vlfiung Ala11bew H1de on his fick Bed' tho' 40 weak that 'twas very hard for hitn to utter Wofds, yer tkefe wer; underftood fr~m him, when fpoken to, as followeth ; C. 0. told him, Here is George Whitehead come tofu thee, M:mhew. G. W. I am come in Love t~nd Tendentefs to fee thee. M. Hide. I am glad to fee you. . (\. W. If thou haft any thing on thy Confcunct to JPeok, I would hove rbu to clear tl?l Confcience. M. Hide. What I have to fay, I fpeak in the Prefence of God; As Paul fJJOI 11 Paftcutor 4 the People of the Lord, So have I bun a Perfecutor of}"'' bi& People, as rb,e World are, who perfecure the Children of God: [With more Words which then could not be underftood.J G. W. Thy Underflanding being darhred, when Darknefs Wal over thu, thou haft gainfaid tbe Truth and People of the Lord; and I_knew thtrf That Light which thou oppoftdfl, wo~ld t·ife up in J.udgment agamft t~ec : I have often with others, laboured With thee, to bnng thee to a Rrgbt Under-fl. a~tn!Jide. This I declare in the Prefence of God, and of you here, 1 bavc done Evil in Perfccuting you, who are the Children ofGoJ, and I_om forry[ol' it; the LordJefus ~hrift fhew Mercy unto me, and the Lord tncu:afe your Number, and be wtth you. G. W. [after fame Paufe] I would have thee, if tb~u art able to ]peak, to ea.fe thy Gmfcience a1 fuUy a1 thou canfl; my Soul x njfdle~ to _hear tbre thus confifs thy Evil, a1 the ~rd both ~tven thee a Senft of''.; m_ Repentance, there is Mercy andForgrvcnefs, m~onfej]ing_and Forfakrng Srn, thcrt is lHercy to be found with the Lord, who tn the A1rdfl of ]11Jgment remem• ben J\1ercy, that be may be feared. [Th~ faid M. H. ~cing then much op• preft, fhiving for Breath, and lying on hts B.ack, that tt. was very bar~ for him to fpeak, G. W. got John BaU to turn htm on one Stde, that he m•ght th~ebfJ/Pia:;ve Done Evil in oppojing you in your Prayers ; the Lord be merciful unto me; a~d as I ha\'e. been an Inftrument to t~un many from God, the Lord raife up Many Injlrumenr.r to turn many to h1m. . G. W. [after fome Silence] I defiretbou moyft find .ifJerry and Forg,ve· nejs til the H1l111I of the Lord; How U rt wllh rhy Soul? Dojl not thou find fomeEa{e? M. Hide. I hope I do, and if the Lord fhould lengthen my Days, 1 fhoula be willing to Bear a Tejlimony for you, m publickly M I have appeared again}! f.OU. fHis \V 1fe then faid, 'Tis enough ; what can be defued more ?] G. W. If rhe Lord jhould not lengthen our thy Days, Daft thau Jejirt 1.0bt11 thou fay/1, foould be jignified to ethers? M. Hide. Yes, I do ~ you may : I have faid as much as~ can fay. G. W. [After fome Silencej If this Company be n:earifome rmro tlJtt, I think we may withdraw. M. H. You may ufe your Freedom. G. W. I jhal/ leave thee to rbe Lord, drjiring be m.1y foeto Mercy anl Porgivenefs 11nto tbet, a1 I hope be wiU. M. Hide. The Lord be with your Spirits. . Thefe Things were expreft about Two Hours before his De:uh, m the Prefence of George Whitthead, Jobn BaU, Couon Oade, George Brof!,nt. And the Wife of J11oubew Hide, and fome others. It is to be obferved, before fame of the People ca1led !t_un!urs, catrlt-J:«> him, I perc~ving him to be much troubled in his Mind, asked him, I[ be would fptak u:itb any of thnfo Peopl(? f!e fmot: his ~and upon his Brea_fr, and faidJ Wirb all my Firarr. I asked h1m ag:un, If be rooJJ/.1 fpeak. twh * fome. VoL. I. Saul Smitten to the Ground. • JI3 "fome of the !l._uo!urs? And he fmote his Hand u on his B ll · Witb a~ my~o11l; fo. fome v.:ere invited to come: Again, ~efie; t~~d faid, 167>· been wtth htm, he d1d oftenumes defire Tbat he might L · ·u Al Y ~ad ~ it being Firfl·I;J;y of t.?e Week, and that be might hear on :b:r 1b !Y 0~ft!ZJ'. nzonyjorthe TRUTH, he had on that Dayfooftenoppofod. Ho '{fi [.~fi· He had jince foun1 fome &fo to his Spirit. And I being a Silve~.S ~nfttd, and he underftandmg that I wrought t.o Peopl~ tha.t were Great pin t~~ World, betook fl'!C by the Hand, and d1d prefs 1t much upon me That L f/Jou{d ufe the Plam LAnguage, as Thee, and Thou ; and if t!tey w;u/d ,10t rtctJVt 1t, I jhould ~et m-1 Trade go. And after fame more Words to this Purp~fe fpoken by !urn, tn a good Underlbnding he ftretched himfi If <tnd died very. qutetly. ' e our? T? the Subftance of this .Relation, concerning mv Husband's Expreffions on. hts De:Hh·Bed, concermng the . People called .ftuaker.ry·, was an Ear .. Wttnefs, and Mary Fooks too. Ehza/Jerb Hufe, lJ1ary Fooit. · ro alt -(ftbeifli:al, 'Per{ecuting, and ContentiOWi Oppofers of 1/Je Umverfal Ltght of J Es u sin the Confcience, and partl&nlorly thofe that . ore Difl•rhers and Vilijers of them that be/lev• in Him, at thetr_ Publtck M'eet111gs to Jf'orjhtp God, according to the IDt~mination and Mot1on of that BI•JJed Prrnciple. TO you a1_1 a wa'rning in the Name ;qd Fear of Go.d, that you leave oft your ':atn Thou_ghrs, your chaffy, loofe, and unfavoury Words and Rebelhous PraEbccs, P,fainjl the Light f.lf J E S U S in your own C~nfci· e'!ce:, and that you dread any more ro revile, backbite difturb or fia d hrs poo~ ~e.ople, th~t have believed in him, and that f~IJow hi:n accordi:r to the Shtmngs of ins Bleffed Light in their Hearts; fpeaknot evilly of tha~ you do no_t know, much l~fs go you on tQ Kick againjlrbofc Pricks in our oro'! Conjcltn&es, qt Saul d1d, lc}l you become entirely hardened i11 your 'da;nJoytngs, and t!Je Lord God c11t you off i}f his fore Difpleafure. 0 rhat you would confider your L:Jtt~r En.d, and Repent, you Vain Morral Men ; for you know not how foon rhar dtfmal Trump may overtake any of you 4: ye realy? lire ye prepared? H.we you the Wedding·Garmenr ? .Arc }ou :J them that have f;4fcred p;frh him, b~ing Jend and buried to Se/f-WiV, Pride, Envy,_ Revenge, and the_Lujls of tbu U~tgod!y World, and rifin «<it/J bimin the .J..ife, GltJry, and Raiment of the Rejurre{/ion? lf fo, where are your Frutts ~ If Y?u are not, (as Y~ arc n9r I afijrm in God's Name) then where's your ~utho~try f~r thefe Evtl_ Fruas. you brin$ forth, Scoffing, Mocking, Ja»gl!ng, Difturbmg and Bawbng agamjlus, jlirring up the Sc11m qf rbe ~lu!tuuJe to akufe IH: Confi,der berore it be too late, who is your Mafl~r In all thefe Thtngs, and w!t?fe Servants you are, in whofc Name and Erra~ d you go, and what Spmt fets you thus to work againll fo Glorious a Pnnc1ple, and fo H~rmlefs a People, that not being contented with Li[dif~ Worjhtpsi H11man Fa11hs, and meer Traditional Religions, cry ro the God of Heaven t,o. appear an.d o~er~te in their.~~arts, and teach them by his owrt Holy Sptnt, ~o be hts D1fC1ples and Cluldren, accord~ng to his Promife yea, though 1t crofs the World's Life, Spirit, Cuftoms and Fathions; aud !herefore.cannot longer ferve God in the Oldnefs cf the Letter, by meer ImH~ ti~n, or after the Manner of_the Loore Cbrijliont of this World, only w_1th outfi~e Perform:u~c~s, but 111 tbe Newne[1 of the Spirit, in the imme· dwe Learirngs and G111dmgs of the Holy GbtJjl, according to Rom. viii. 14. though they were never fo much made a Reproach and By-Word, and be enc?!npafi'ed ~bout ~ith Lofs and Danger. I fay, have a Care of refilling .. rev1l111gand dtfturbmg thefe poor People, thife Believers, thife .djferron. rb,fe Followers and Children of tlx Li~ht of JESUS begotten again of the Evcrlafting Day of Righteoqlitefs, ·lfft yop Treofqr~ ~ Wratb ngamjJ rbe • Yyyy JYnJ |