When they were well gathered, I went into the meeting, and stood upon
a chair about three hours. I stood a pretty while before I began
to speak. After some time I felt the power of the Lord over the
whole assembly: and His everlasting life and Truth shone over all.
The Scriptures were opened to them, and the objections they had in
their minds answered. They were directed to the Light of Christ, the
heavenly man; that by it they might see their sins, and Christ Jesus
to be their Saviour, their Redeemer, their Mediator; and come to feed
upon Him, the bread of life from heaven.
Many were turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to His free teaching
that day; and all were bowed down under the power of God; so that
though the multitude was so great that many sat on horseback to hear,
there was no opposition. A priest sat with his wife on horseback,
heard attentively, and made no objection.
The people parted peaceably, with great satisfaction; many of them
saying they had never heard such a sermon before, nor the Scriptures
so opened. For the new covenant was opened, and the old, and the
nature and terms of each; and the parables were explained. The state
of the Church in the apostles' days was set forth, and the apostasy
since was laid open; the free teaching of Christ and the apostles was
set atop of all the hireling teachers; and the Lord had the praise of
all, for many were turned to Him that day.[96]
[96] Great numbers of these Welsh Friends migrated to
Pennsylvania and settled Montgomery County. Haverford, Bryn Mawr,
Merion and Radnor are some of the historic townships whose names
were transferred to the new world by these followers of Fox.
I went thence to Leominster, where was a great meeting in a close,
many hundreds of people being gathered together. There were about six
congregational preachers and priests amongst the people; and Thomas
Taylor, who had been a priest, but was now become a minister of
Christ Jesus, was with me. I stood up and declared about three hours;
and none of the priests were able to open their mouths in opposition;
the Lord's power and Truth so reached and bound them.
At length one priest went off about a bow-shot from me, drew several
of the people after him, and began to preach to them. So I kept our
meeting, and he kept his. After awhile Thomas Taylor was moved to go
and speak to him, upon which he gave over: and he, with the people he
had drawn off, came to us again; and the Lord's power went over all.
From this place I travelled on in Wales, having several meetings,
till I came to Tenby, where, as I rode up the street, a justice of
the peace came out to me, asked me to alight, and desired that I
would stay at his house, which I did. On First-day the mayor, with
his wife, and several others of the chief people of the town, came
in about the tenth hour, and stayed all the time of the meeting. A
glorious meeting it was.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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