the hand of the Lord to this nation: a man of a thousand for promoting virtue in the many branches thereof, as well as a sharp instrument for threshing and cutting down that which was evil and hurtful in the churches. The last visit he made into this province, was in the year 1711, being then in much weakness of body, yet fervent in spirit, and his ministry as lively and acceptable as ever; and so took his leave of Friends in Munster in more than ordinary tenderness and brokenness of spirit; after which, he visited us no more, but grew weaker and more feeble till his dissolution, which was in the year 1712. May the great Lord of the harvest raise up more such labourers in his vineyard, is the desire of our souls. Signed by order, in behalf of the said meeting, by Waterford, the 2nd of the Ninth month, 1713. The Testimony of Friends of Mount-melick Monthly Meeting, concerning our dear and ancient friend WILLIAM EDMUNDSON, whom the Lord hath been pleased to remove from us by death; and though it be our loss, we believe it is his great gain. He was early called forth to labour in the Lord's vineyard, and was made instrumental in the Lord's hand for the good of many, and had a great share in bearing the burthen in the heat of the day, which he cheerfully underwent, and was endued with valour and courage fitted for the work it pleased God to call him to. In the times of the sufferings of Friends in this nation, he had a deep share both in body and goods; and when he was at liberty, he was very serviceable to Friends, in laying their sufferings before the rulers, for he was enabled to stand before them, and had good success, the Lord helping him in his service and labour of love, and Friends' liberty was obtained, which was gladness of heart to him, and comfort to them. men's and women's meetings, and when settled he laboured in them, and managed with all his understanding. He was also concerned in settling other particular meetings for performing worship to Almighty God; and where Friends thought themselves too weak to keep meetings, he often would go and visit them, and if there was anything that appeared dubious, he was very helpful by way of advice, as the matter required. He was ready and willing to serve the Lord, his truth and people, both at home and abroad, with that ability and substance that God had given him. For notwithstanding the charge he was at by his frequent travels, yet he was very exemplary and open in collections for the poor, and contributing towards building of meeting-houses, and was very open and free in his own house, entertaining many Friends. Although he was sharp in his testimony against the transgressing nature, yet when he was sensible that any were dejected, or cast down in a deep sense of their own unworthiness, he was very tender towards such, and willing to reach forth a hand to help them, both by comfortable advice and fervent prayers to Almighty God for their strength. The care of the churches was much upon him; he was also deeply sensible of the common calamity that was coming upon this nation, which he prophetically spoke of in his testimony through most parts thereof, several years before it came to pass, with a word of encouragement to Friends, that if they were of that number that sighed and mourned for the abominations that were committed by the inhabitants of the land, the Lord would set a mark upon such, and would spare them. For that the Lord had determined to dung the earth with the carcasses of men; and many yet living are witnesses of the fulfilling thereof in some measure. And as it drew nearer, O! how earnestly was he concerned, calling to Friends for something that might be as an offering to God, both for the nation and the preservation of his people; and did join with Friends in pouring forth prayers with tears to God on this account, which we believe the Lord graciously heard and answered in preserving their lives. He dearly loved truth and the prosperity thereof before anything in this world. For this was his usual practice, when the Lord He was very helpful and strengthening to had laid any service before him to do, he Friends in those times of great calamity; he readily answered, preferring it before his own was also concerned in addressing the governoutward affairs; and in the will of God, he ment and chiefest men in authority on behalf undertook long and perilous travels several of Friends and the English inhabitants, and times into America, as may appear by his they commonly would hear him, and often journal, spending himself and his substance for granted relief. He was careful in advising the Gospel's sake and the good of souls. And Friends, that they should not touch with any for the promotion of truth, he gladly joined goods, where property was dubious, in those with that eminent servant of the Lord, George times; and when the war was over, and Fox, and others in this nation, about settling Friends began to settle in the country, his care was, that Friends might settle near together, and also that they might keep within the bounds of truth and moderation, in all their trading and dealing. He laboured, that Friends might be preserved out of the vain fashions and customs of the world, and was for many years under a deep exercise, that they might not take an undue liberty in exceeding Christ's precept of yea and nay, instead of an oath. And a weighty concern came upon his spirit, that all that were concerned in the ordinance of marriage, might seek the Lord in their undertakings, that worldly ends might not be the object. to the stopping of the mouths of gainsayers, and convincing many of the way of truth, directing and turning people's minds from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God; so that many became the seals of his ministry, which he delivered in great plainness; not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power. In his travels he was very careful not to make the Gospel chargeable; and had a great zeal against the hireling teachers, who sought for their gain from their quarter, and looked after the fleece more than the flock and for his testimony against such, he often went through great sufferings both in body and goods, as the book of Sufferings and his following journal show. He was valiant in his day for the truth, having a word in due season, which was precious to many; often concerned in exhorting Friends to do their day's work in their day. Of his travels in America I shall not say He was a man whose heart was inditing good much, leaving it to them that were more acmatter, and as a good householder, brought quainted with his service there, and his own forth things new and old; often advising account thereof in the ensuing pages; though Friends when they offered anything in meet- I have heard him say, that he went through ings, whether in doctrine or discipline, that great exercises among them, both in body and they should wait to feel and offer in a living spirit-there arising many vain and unruly sense. He had many large openings into the talkers among them, who gave great trouble mysteries of Christ's kingdom, often conclud- to the churches, and it fell to his lot often to ing meetings in prayer to the comfort of many. deal with such. He was a man fitted for such He lived to old age, and continued livingly service beyond any other that ever I was aczealous for truth; and though well known in quainted with; and great was his care to have many parts, yet for the good order's sake es- | such made manifest, and a stop put to them, tablished among Friends, even in old age, he that they might proceed no further, wherever requested a certificate of the Monthly Meeting he met with them; but especially that such to which he belonged, to signify Friends' unity might be kept out of men's meetings: for he with him when he travelled abroad, to Eng- was careful that the authority of truth in men's land or other places, in the work of the Gos- and women's meetings might be kept up, pel, from time to time. We might say much | where the Lord's business was managed, that more as to his service for truth among Friends, the members thereof might be faithful men and of our loss of him on that account; and and faithful women, fearing God and hating though he be taken away from us, his memory covetousness, that so true judgment and justice lives and remains with us. might be maintained in all these meetings, without respect of persons; and judgment placed on all unruly and disorderly persons, that God's house might be kept clean, which holiness becomes for ever. Signed by order, in behalf of the said meeting, by Mount-melick, the 1st of the First month, 1713. TOBIAS PLED WELL, The Testimony of GEORGE ROOKE, concerning A TESTIMONY lives in my heart to give to the memory of my true and worthy friend, William Edmundson. He was a man with whom I have had some acquaintance above thirty years, but we were more intimately and nearly acquainted about fifteen years last past, it having been my lot to be often with him in the service of the Gospel, both in England and Ireland; sometimes among Friends, and sometimes in places where none were who bore the name of Quakers. In all places where we travelled, his service for God was great, He was not one who sought after popularity, but was rather shy, not intimate with any of whom he had not a trial and true knowledge, nor willing to lay hands suddenly on any; but of those he had found faithful, he was a great encourager in the Lord's service. I have often heard him say, it was great satisfaction to him, to see Friends come up in the service the Lord had fitted them for; and great was his concern to stir up those the Lord had gifted to answer their respective services, by doing their day's work in their day, while ability of body and understanding was continued. was an excellent pattern to us all, in that he spared not himself while his abilities were continued to him, but even to old age did perform service and travels beyond the ordinary He 94 JOURNAL OF THE LIFE OF WILLIAM EDMUNDSON. course of nature, in which he would often us; but this I am sure of, the churches of this say, the Lord was his song and his strength, nation will have a great loss of him; for inwho had carried him through many and va- deed the care of the churches was daily upon rious exercises and perils of divers sorts.- him, and too few there are to stand in the gap The greatest trials he met with, were from against iniquity, or who will expose themfalse brethren, who opposed the good order of selves as he did, in dealing plainly with every truth, which the Lord has established among one, not letting sin pass unreproved, nor us, whose oppositions, both private and more faults untold, sharply reproving obstinate ofpublic, he like a rock, immovably withstood, and as a fixed star in the firmament of God's power did remain, holding his integrity to the last. fenders, but mildly admonishing the sensible and penitent. - A man of truth indeed, who sometimes did tell us, he was glad when he looked back and considered how he had spent his time, since the day it pleased the Lord to lay his hand upon him, and call him into the ministry; and by a careful search, could not find that he was behind with his day's work. He was one that truly sympathized with his suffering brethren and sisters, not sparing himself to obtain their relief and enlargement, when closely confined in prison for their testimony against the hireling teachers, and the When he was taken sick he sent for me, great oppression of tithes, by applying him- before my return from the Yearly Meeting at self to the persons concerned, and sometimes London; and the next day after I came home to the chief governors. He was a man of I went to see him, and found him very weak an undaunted spirit, grave, meek, free from but very sensible, and he freely imparted his affectation in speech and carriage, and there- mind to me in several things, and particularly fore fit to stand before princes; and in such about the regulation of men's and women's services he was often very successful, the Lord meetings, "of which regulation," said he, opening a way and prospering his endeavours." there is absolute need," and he believed The gain of all he was ready to consecrate some would come to see the necessity thereof to the Lord, and not to any abilities of his own, more than they yet had. whether natural or acquired, having a large share of the former, though he had not much of the latter; being a man of no great learning as to the outward, yet had the tongue of the learned, so as to speak a word in season to the conditions and capacities of most; for he was sound and profound in the mysteries of life and salvation. I staid with him about four or five days, in which time I observed nothing proceed out of his mouth, save what showed his concern for truth and the good order of it; and when I went to take leave of him, he said, "We have had many good meetings together, I believe we shall meet in heaven;" and this he spoke very tenderly. In a few days after he departed this life in a good old age and full of days, being aged near eighty-five years, and a minister fifty-seven years; and I doubt not, but he hath obtained a reward of durable riches, a crown of righteousness, and his me morial is blessed, for he was a father in Israel This eminent elder and overseer in the house of God, was one of, if not the first instrument in the hand of God, in this generation, to publish his everlasting truth through this benighted island, and direct the inhabitants thereof to the inshining light of Jesus Christ, the glorious Sun of righteousness. In in his day. the discharge of his service in the ministry, Though he was a man oppressed, afflicted he persevered with such constancy, faith and and troubled in his life time, yet now he is fidelity, that it pleased his great Lord to be- where the voice of the oppresser is no more stow on him, as an additional favour, a large heard, but the wicked cease from troubling understanding in the right ground of govern- and the weary are at rest from their labours, ment and discipline in the church, in which and their works do follow; receiving the rehe earnestly laboured for universal love, unity ward of peace, and sentence of well done, and good order, through all the churches of faithful and good servant, enter thou into the Christ, preferring the honour of God before joy of thy Lord. May we all so labour as all things else. Many times things would to be counted worthy thereof, with this our open in him to admiration, showing to rich aged Friend at last, is the sincere desire and men and the eager getters of this world, the travel of, danger they were in of hurting themselves, by hindering their growth in the truth. Nay, I cannot set forth the service he had among Thy friend, who wisheth the welfare of all men, both here and hereafter. GEORGE ROOKE. JOURNAL OF THE LIFE OF WILLIAM EDMUNDSON. SECTION I. Giving an account of his birth, parentage, trade, marriage, convincement, &c. I was born at Little-Musgrove in Westmoreland, in the north of England, in the year 1627: my father's and mother's names were John and Grace Edmundson. My father was well esteemed among men who were acquainted with him, and religious in what he knew. I was the youngest child of six, and my mother died when I was about four years old, my father also when I was about eight years old. We were left to the care of an uncle, my mother's brother, who used us hardly; and my brothers and sisters left him, but I staid with him several years, being young. My eldest brother, who was heir to the estate my father left, when he came to the age of twenty-one years, with my eldest sister's husband, went to law with my uncle about our portions, and other injuries and wrongs, and they spent much money. tween the king and parliament; and when that was over I went into Scotland under Oliver Cromwell in the year 1650. The Lord began afresh with me, and many times his heavy judgments would seize upon me, and bring me low in a consideration of the life I lived in, and what the end would be; and sometimes his mercies would spring in my heart to my great refreshment, and cause tears of joy and gladness. But I knew not the secret hand that was dealing with me, neither met I with any who informed me, although in the army we had many high professors of religion. Sometimes when I had been on service most of the day, and was lying down in my tent at night, then would arise in my mind the imminent dangers I had passed that day, and the narrow escapes my life had, and what would have become of my soul, if I had fallen while in uncertainty of my future happiness; with resolutions to turn to the Lord by repentance and amendment of life; but when action presented, which I was active in at that time, I got over it again in my vanity. In those times I went through many hardships and exercises of divers kinds. After In the year 1651, the Scotch army marched some time I was bound apprentice in York, to for England; we followed and engaged them the trade of a carpenter and joiner, where I at Worcester, and overthrew their army. After lived some years. In this time the Lord be- the fight I was troubled in mind for my vanity, gan to work in the hearts of many people in for the Lord preserved my life still; but I fled that city, so that there were great openings in from judgment, and made merry over God's the things of God, both in preachers and witness in my conscience, which testified hearers. Then the Lord began to visit me against me. From thence we were comwith his judgments, and to set my sins before manded to the Isle of Man, which was deme: many times I was under great exercises livered to us, and in two weeks time returned concerning my salvation, and also about elec- to England and quartered in Derbyshire, at tion and reprobation. So many things wrought Chesterfield and the towns thereabout. At mightily in my mind about religion, that I was often brought very low in my spirit, and at public worship in the steeple-house, at times, the Lord's judgments would seize upon me heavily. One time, in the public worship, the hand of the Lord was so upon me, that I shed abundance of tears in weeping and bewailing my wretched state; and the priest and congregation took notice of me, but none directed me aright to the Physician who could heal my wounded spirit. About this time I went into the parliament's army, and there continued part of the war be this time the common discourse of all sorts of people was of the Quakers, and various reports were of them; the priests everywhere were angry against them, and the baser sort of people spared not to tell strange stories of them; but the more I heard of them, the more I loved them, yet had not the opportunity to speak with any of them. One market-day at Chesterfield, I was in a tavern with others of my companions, and two women of the people called Quakers, spoke of the things of God to the people in the market. I did not hear of them until they were gone, but the priest of the town, and several with him, abused them. When they had done, they came to the tavern, into the room where I and my companions were, it being a large dining-room, where the priest boasted of what he had done to the two women, thinking we would praise him, but I loved to hear of the women, and hated his behaviour towards them. A young man, a merchant, then present, who frequented my company, and would often speak of the people called Quakers, and say their principles were the truth, hearing the priest boast of his abusive behaviour to the said two women, answered and said, It was a poor victory he had gotten over two poor women; at which the priest was very angry, and began to storm. My spirit rose against him; I started up from my seat, and asked the priest and them with him, if they came to quarrel? saying, if they did, they should have enough. The priest answered, No, not with you sir. I bid them leave the room, which they presently did; but these things came close to me, and the more I heard of this peo- | ple the better I loved them, and earnest desires sprung afresh in my heart that the Lord would show me the way of truth. other service for me, which I knew not of and was a stranger to. At Dublin I expected my brother had made some preparations for us and our trade, but instead thereof the troop and he with it were marched into the north. I wrote to him, and gave him an account that we were landed; in the mean time I was strongly importuned to settle in Dublin, trading being then very brisk, and houses on easy terms, it being not long after the plague. But I was prevented by a secret hand that I did not then know, which preserved me from the deceitfulness of riches, which according to all probability I should have been laden with, as with thick clay, and thereby been hindered from the Lord's service, as some others are. When my brother had received my letter, he came to Dublin, with horses to take us into the north to Antrim, where their troop was to quarter; there I took a house, and my brother dwelt with me. The officers of the troop were very kind, they would have had me ride in the troop, and receive constant pay, yet might follow my own business and be duty free; for they would procure an order on their own account, none being then admitted into troops without the general's order. I refused, and would not accept of their kind offers; for my inclinations were after religion, and my conscience began to be awakened by the Lord's judgments mixed with mercy, which preserved me. After some time spent in divers exercises, we marched again for Scotland, at which time I had charge of some men for recruiting other companies then in Scotland. I marched them with our regiment, and delivered up my charge in Scotland; then left the army, came back for England, and visited my relations in the north; from thence rode into Derbyshire, and married a young woman, to whom I was contracted before. After some time I was about to settle in Derbyshire in the way of shop-keeping, when my brother, who was a soldier in Ireland, came into England to see his relations, and highly commending Ireland, persuaded me to go and live there, which I with my wife concluded to do. The troop my brother served in quartered near Waterford; we proposed to ourselves to settle a trade of merchandize in Waterford, and to live at a place two miles from it, where we could pass and repass in our boat; promising great matters to ourselves and religion besides. So with this result, when my brother returned, I sent with him a little parcel of merchant goods, and not long after, I, my wife and servant Then my understanding began to be opened, went for Ireland, with a larger quantity of and many Scriptures were brought to my remerchant goods. We came through West-membrance, which I had often read, yet unmoreland to take leave of our relations, and derstood not; but now being turned to a measome of them went with us to Whitehaven, sure of the Lord's spirit manifested in my where we took shipping, and landed at Dublin. heart, which often had reproved me for evil in All our great promises, however, came to my ignorance, I knew it was the truth which nothing; the Lord, who had been often striving led into all truth, agreeably to the holy Scripwith me both in mercy and judgment, hadtures of the law and prophets, Christ and his I soon sold the goods I brought over, and forthwith went for England to buy more; and coming into the north of England among my relations, at the time George Fox and James Naylor were in that country, James Naylor having a meeting about three miles from where I was, I went to it with my eldest brother Thomas, and another kinsman, having an earnest desire to converse with some of that people, retaining a love for, and believing well of them from the first hearing the report of them; and I was glad of this opportunity. We were all three convinced of the Lord's blessed truth; for God's witness in our hearts answered to the truth of what was spoken, and the Lord's former dealings with me came fresh into my remembrance. Then I knew it was the Lord's hand that had been striving with me for a long time. This was in the year 1653. |