The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By HimselfEllwood, Thomas
History
The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By Himself
Ellwood, Thomas
Ellwood, Thomas, 1639-1713; Quakers -- Biography
Adjoining to this room wherein we were was such another, both newly
fitted up for workhouses, and accordingly furnished with very great
blocks for beating hemp upon, and a lusty whipping-post there was in
each. And it was said that Richard Brown had ordered those blocks to be
provided for the Quakers to work on, resolving to try his strength with
us in that case; but if that was his purpose, it was overruled, for we
never had any work offered us, nor were we treated after the manner of
those that are to be so used. Yet we set ourselves to work on them; for
being very large, they served the tailors for shop-boards, and others
wrought upon them as they had occasion; and they served us very well for
tables to eat on.
We had also, besides this room, the use of our former chamber above, to
go into when we thought fit; and thither sometimes I withdrew, when I
found a desire for retirement and privacy, or had something on my mind to
write, which could not so well be done in company. And indeed about this
time my spirit was more than ordinarily exercised, though on very
different subjects. For, on the one hand, the sense of the exceeding
love and goodness of the Lord to me, in His gracious and tender dealings
with me, did deeply affect my heart, and caused me to break forth in a
song of thanksgiving and praise to Him; and, on the other hand, a sense
of the profaneness, debaucheries, cruelties, and other horrid impieties
of the age, fell heavy on me, and lay as a pressing weight upon my
spirit; and I breathed forth the following hymn to God, in acknowledgment
of His great goodness to me, profession of my grateful love to Him, and
supplication to Him for the continuance of His kindness to me, in
preserving me from the snares of the enemy, and keeping me faithful unto
Himself:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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