Many such false prophets have risen up against me, but the Lord hath
blasted them, and will blast all who rise against the blessed Seed,
and me in that. My confidence is in the Lord; for I saw their end,
and how the Lord would confound them, before He sent me forth.
I travelled up and down in Yorkshire, as far as Holderness, and to
the land's end that way, visiting Friends and the churches of Christ;
which were finely settled under Christ's teaching. At length I came
to Captain Bradford's house, whither came many Ranters from York to
wrangle; but they were confounded and stopped. Thither came also she
who was called the Lady Montague, who was then convinced, and lived
and died in the Truth.
Thence I went to Drayton in Leicestershire to visit my relations. As
soon as I was come in, Nathaniel Stephens, the priest, having got
another priest, and given notice to the country, sent to me to come
to them, for they could not do anything till I came. Having been
three years away from my relations, I knew nothing of their design.
But at last I went into the steeple-house yard, where the two priests
were; and they had gathered abundance of people.
When I came there, they would have had me go into the steeple-house.
I asked them what I should do there; and they said that Mr. Stephens
could not bear the cold. I told them he might bear it as well as I.
At last we went into a great hall, Richard Farnsworth being with
me; and a great dispute we had with these priests concerning their
practices, how contrary they were to Christ and His apostles.
The priests would know where tithes were forbidden or ended. I showed
them out of the seventh chapter to the Hebrews that not only tithes,
but the priesthood that took tithes, was ended; and the law by which
the priesthood was made, and tithes were commanded to be paid, was
ended and annulled. Then the priests stirred up the people to some
lightness and rudeness.
I had known Stephens from a child, therefore I laid open his
condition, and the manner of his preaching; and how he, like the rest
of the priests, did apply the promises to the first birth, which must
die. But I showed that the promises were to the Seed, not to many
seeds, but to one Seed, Christ; who was one in male and female; for
all were to be born again before they could enter into the kingdom of
God.
Then he said, I must not judge so; but I told him that He that was
spiritual judged all things. Then he confessed that that was a full
Scripture; "but, neighbours," said he, "this is the business; George
Fox is come to the light of the sun, and now he thinks to put out my
star-light."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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