The Quakers dream: or the Devil's pilgrimage in England: being an infallible relation of their several meetings, shreekings, shakings, quakings, roarings, yellings, howlings, tremblings in the bodies, and risings in the bellies: with a narrative of their several arguments, tenets, principles, and strange d ctrine [sic]: the strange and wonderful satanical apparitions, and the appearing of the Devil unto them in the likeness of a black boar, a dog with flaming eye, and a black man without a head, causing the dogs to bark, the swine to cry, and the cattel to run, to the great adminration of all that shall read the same.

The Devils Pilgrimage in England, &c.

AS the Scripture is divinely inspired, so holy men spake as they were acted, and carryed thereunto by the Holy Ghost: And to prove the Divinity thereof, and to maugre the wicked Te∣nets of too many Apostates in these sad and perilous Times, we shall recite these Arguments aposteriori, that is, the vene∣rable antiquity, matchless majesty, lively efficacy, b autiful harmony, in∣corrigible purity, and invincible perennity, in opposition both to the inju∣ry and iniquity of Times and Tyrants, who have endeavoured and sought to suppress them: witness the burning of the Bible by sundry Quakers, flanters, or Shakers, and their denying of the true Testimony thereof, and wresting of it to their own ways and fancies, as many who resort to the Mouth at Aldersgate, and other places do, their principal design being to disgrace the Ministry, and all publike Ordinances; And so numerous are they both in City and Countrey, that the Devil has led them a Pilgrimage as far as Wrexham in North-Wales, where they hold universal Redempti∣on, Free-will, and falling from Grace, publishing that all men have the pure seed of God in them, and that they themselves were perfect, and with∣out sin; that they knew at the fi••st sight sinc••re Christians from Hypocrits; And very observable it is, that at their meetings (after lodg silence) some∣times one, sometimes more, f••ll into a great and dreadful shaking & trem∣bling in their whole bodies, and all their joynts, with such risings, & swel∣lings in their bellies and bowels, sending forth such shreekings, yellings, howlings, and roarings, as not onely affrighted the spectators, but caused the Dogs to bark, the Swine to cry, and the Cattel-ran about, to the asto∣nishment

of al•• that heard them. By th••se artifices one M. Gilpin was drawn in to associate himself with them, and was so taken with their Doctrine, that he resolved to close with them, refusing to read any good books, t hear any preaching Ministe••, or to call to remembrance any thing which he had formerly learn••d concerning G••d, Christ, his own estate, or any o∣ther thing contained in the Scriptures; for they told him that all such knowledge was but Notional, ca••nal, & hanging upon the Tree of know∣ledge: ••dding, Cursed is every one tha•• hangs on this Tree.

And one of them told him, that Christ was a man, had his failings, di∣st••usted God, &c.

At his n••xt meeting he was u••ged to carry the Cross, and to hearken to a voyce w••••hin him, speaking much of a light within th m, which Gilpi•• ••ot yet fi di g, w••s much troubled, and desired to fall into the Quakin•• fi••, thinking that thereby he shou d attain to the immediate discoveries o God to him.

And accordingly soon after as he was walking in his chamber, he bega•• to quake so extr••amly that he cou••d not stand, but fel upon his best, wher he houled and cryed in a terrible and hideous manner, (as others of ther us••d to do) yet was he not afraid, bu•• looked upon it as the pangs of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 New birth. After half an hour he ceased from houling; and rejoyced th he could now witness against the Min••sters of England as false Prophets Pr••ests of Ba••l.

All the night after he was much troubled with D••eams about his sins and when he awaked, he discerned something to enter into his body, whic•• Satan suggested to be the Spirit of G••d like a Dove; and he th••ught I heard a voyc•• wi hin him, saying, It is day, it is day, so sure as it is light sha•…•… Christ give thee light. Thus, in a Vision, granting a Bond and Covenant, I wait••d for 2 13 days for more light, and walking into his Ga••den, he la•…•… down with his face to the earth, at which time his right hand extream to shake; and he was in a g••eat R••pture of joy, apprehending it to be a f•…•…¦gure of his spiri ual Marriage and U••ion with Christ.

Then did the power within raise him, and set him on his feet, and after¦wards la d him on his b••ck brought his si••s into remembrance, and cause•• his hand at every sin to strike the ground, hearing a voyce within, saying, Now is such a sin mortified.

Then he went to another of their Meetings, with which he was mor•• affected then formerly; for that he was conceited he could inwardly wit∣ness to what he spake And upon th•• speaking of one J. Andland, Gilpin wa••

by the Devil within him drawn out of his Chair, and thrown upon the ground, where he lay all night.

All which time his body and members were in motion, being turned from his back on his belly, and so back again several times, making C••os∣ses with his legs, and his hands moving on the ground z•• if he had binwri∣ting; and he heard (as he thought) a voice saying, That that writing with his hand on the ground signified the writing of the L••w i•• his heart: then were his hands moved to his head, and he heard the voice sa••ing,

Christ in God, God in Christ, And Christ in thee.

Which words he was comp••lled to sing fo••th in a st ange manner, and with such a voice as was not his own. Then the Devil raised him up, and bid him be humble, and led him out at a back door to the River, and back ••g•• in, and then into the Town, where he was drawn down the street to a door that he knew not: whereupon two of them that followed him, said, Whither will you go? This is the Fidle••s h••use: Gilpin answered, Be it those house it will, Christ leads me hithe, and hither I must go: Then was his hand forced to knock at the door, and a voice b••d him say, B••hold Christ stands at the door and knocks.

The Fidler opening the door, he went in, and taking down a Base viol, •…•…e was forced to play on it, and to dance; whereupon h•• questioned what •…•…or e•• led him to such actions? and the voice p••esently answer••d him, This is not because I love musick, for I hate it, but t•• signifi•• to thee what by there is in heaven at thy conve••sion: as also, what spiritual melody •…•…hou shalt have hereafter.

Then was he led out of the house, and carryed through the Town, being •…•…ced as he went, to proclaim, I am the way, the truth, and the light. Then •…•…is hand was forced to take up a stone, which he t••ought to be like a mans •…•…art, and the voice told him, That Christ had taken that stone out of his •…•…eart, and given him an heart of fi sh: then holding it forth to the sp cta∣•…•…s, he threw the stone amongst them.

Then was he cast upon his back on the ground, and the voice said, Thou shalt have two Angels to keep thee; and immediatly two Swall••ws came down the Chimney, and sat on a shelf neer him: whereupon he cryed, My Angels, my Angels, and withall lifted up his hands; At which motion they vani••hed.

[illustration] woodcut of kneeling man

Then was he c••rried upon his hands and knees out of the doores into the street, and when his wife would have stopped him, he said, He must not be stopped, conceiving that he bare the Cross of Christ upon his neck. Then the voyce asked him, Where is thy Cross? upon which he thought he saw it vi∣sible hanging in a thread, which with his hand he put behind his neck. Thus he continued till the evening, when many of the Quakers came to him, saying, Be lowly minded, and hearken to the voyce within thee, and so they left him. But immediatly he began to question, whether these strange Acti∣ons were Divine or Diabolical? whereupon he began to tremble, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his hand was forced to take up a knife which lay by, and to point it to his throat, and the voice said to him, Open a hole there, and I will give thee eternall life: But casting of it away, he had an assurance that he was possessed by the Devil, crying out, Now the Devil is gone out of me, at which instant, he and his

family heard it thunder, though no others heard it. Shortly after the Devil came to him again, and told him that it was Satan that had possessed and seduced him hitherto, but now Christ was come, and had cast out Satan, & told him also that what he had done the day before was in obedience unto Satan, and that at he had then served him in his cloaths, so now he must undo all in his shirt in obedience to Christ: whereupon he went into the street naked, where (in a vision) he beheld some of the Quakers dancing na∣ked, others feasting, and some again greeting. Then the Devil told him, that he must be carryed into the house by 4 women, or else that he should for e∣ver stand there like a pillar of salt, as Lots wife did.

Then 4 women carryed him into his bed, where in his short he played topsey-turvey from one bed to another; and immediatly app••••red a man without his head; for you must note, he was formerly a Tub-man, and no smal enemy to the late King.

After which, is pleased God to give him a sight of these delusions, cry∣ing out with a loud voyce, Lord, Lord, what have I done, or what wilt thou have me to do? But the Devil answered, It's too late to cry unto God, for Sentence is already past against thee, give me my bond, for it belongs unto me, thou hast nothing to do with it.

To whom he answered,

Satan, Satan, thou shalt not have the bond, thou hast nothing to do with it, I have put it where thou canst not fetch it; for it is in my Bible at the 3^d Chapter of Genesis, where these words are, The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head: Upon this the Devil (in a fiery flame) vanished, ta∣king the window along with him.

Thus having (through the Lords infinite mercies) received the Testi∣mony of Jesus Christ, and the peace of a good Conscience, he caused a Nar∣rative to be published, discovering the danger of these wayes, &c. whereby many has been convinced of their declining from their former stedfastness; as appears by the ensuing Examples.

In Liecestershire a converted Q••aker sitting at his book in his chamber, the Devil appeared, looking over his shoulder, which he perceiving, took a piece of paper, and wrote in it, The Son of God came to dissolve the workes of the Devil; and so holding up that paper to the Devil, he vanished.

Another being molested by sundry nois•• made by the Devil in his cham∣ber, encountred him with that ••••ntence, Omnia subjecisti pedibus ejus, Thou hast put all things in subjection ••nder his feet: After which he remained in safety.

Another being walking alone in his garden, the Devil appeared to him in the likeness of a black Boar; but upon these words pronouncing, The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the Devil, it vanish d.

Another of M. Foxe's Parantes being likewise converted, the Devil ap∣peared to him as he lay in his bed: To whom he said, If thou hast nothing else to do thou mayst stand there still, for I will betake my self to rest: And accord∣ingly composing himself to sleep, ••he Devil vanish••d.

FINIS.