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WILLIAM EDMUNDSON
The Irish Hammer
Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD;
and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
I was born at Little Musgrove in Westmorland,
in the North of England, in the year 1627,
my father and mother's names were John and
Grace Edmundson. My father was well accounted
of among men who knew him, and religious in
what he knew. I was the youngest child of six
my parents had. My mother died when I was about
four years old, my father also when I was about
eight years old. We were left in the care of my
uncle, my mother's brother, who used us harshly,
and my brothers and sisters left him, but I
stayed 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
court against my uncle about our inheritances, and other
injuries and wrongs: and they spent a lot of money doing so. I was bound as an apprentice in York, to the
trade of a carpenter and joiner, where I lived
for a number of years, in which time the Lord began to
work in the hearts of many people in that city,
so that great openings in the things of God occurred
both in preachers and their listeners. Then the Lord
began to visit me with his judgments and to set
my sins before me; many times I was under great
exercises concerning my salvation, as well as regarding election
and reprobation. Many things weighed
so heavily 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 such abundance of tears in
weeping and bewailing my wretched state, that
the priest and congregation took notice of me;
but none did direct me aright to the physician that
could heal my wounded spirit.
About this time I went into the Parliament's
army,* and there continued part of the war between
the King and Parliament; and when that was over
I went into Scotland under Oliver Cromwell in the
year 1650, and 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
state of 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 that did inform me, although in the
army we had many high professors of religion.
And 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 eminent 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 in that 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.
*The English legislative body, Parliament was composed of Puritans. King Charles was Episcopalian. They conflicted on who had power to do what, which led to a bloody English Civil War. The army of Parliament Puritans against the army supporting the King, Royalists. The Puritans had a basic dislike for the pomp and formality of the King and his Anglican church.
In the year 1651, the Scotch army marched for
England, we followed and engaged them at Worcester,
and overthrew their army; after the fight
I was troubled in mind for my vanity, for the Lord
preserved my life still; but I fled from judgment,
and made merry over God's witness in my conscience,
which testified against me. From there we
were commanded to the Isle of Man, which was delivered
to us, and in two weeks time returned to
England, and quartered in Derbyshire, at Chesterfield
and towns thereabout: at which 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 were eager to tell strange
stories of them; but the more I heard of them,
the more I loved them, though I had yet to have the opportunity
to speak with any of them.
One market-day at Chesterfield, I was in a tavern
with several 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 had 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 was 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 behavior towards them.
A young man, a merchant, then present, who
was frequently my companion, would often speak
of the people called Quakers, and say their
principles were the truth. He heard the priest boast of his abusive behavior 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?' I said, 'if they did, they should have
enough;' but the priest answered, 'No, not with you
sir.' I told them to leave the room, which they soon
did; but these things were important to me; and
the more I heard of this people, the more I loved
them, and earnest desires sprung afresh, that the
Lord would show me the way of truth.
After some time spent in several exercises, we
marched again towards Scotland, at which time I was in charge of some men for recruiting other companies
then in Scotland. I marched them with our regiment
and delivered the men in Scotland. Then I left the army, came back to England, and
visited my relatives in the North. From there
I rode into Derbyshire, and married a young woman,
with whom I was engaged before. After some time
I was about to settle in Derbyshire, as a
shopkeeper; at which time my brother, who was
a soldier in Ireland, came into England to see his
relatives. He highly recommended Ireland, persuading
me to go there and live, which I and my
wife decided to do. The troop in which my brother
served was quartered near Waterford. We proposed
to settle as traders of merchandize in Waterford,
and to live at a place two miles from there,
where we could pass and return in our boat. We expected a profitable life to ourselves, while still being able to pursue religion. So when my brother
returned to Ireland, I sent with him a little parcel of merchant
goods; and not long afterwards, my wife and I with a servant
went to Ireland, with a larger quantity of
merchant goods. We came through Westmorland
to say goodbye to our relatives, and some of them went with us to Whitehaven, where we took passage on a ship that landed at Dublin.
Now all our great promises came to nothing,
and the Lord, who had been often striving with me
both in mercy and judgment, had other service for
me, which I knew not of, and was a mere stranger
to. For at Dublin I expected that my brother had
already made some preparations for us and our trade, but
instead, the troop and he with it were
marched into the North. I wrote to him, and gave
him an account that we had landed; in the meantime I was strongly inclined to settle in Dublin; trading was then very brisk, and houses on easy
terms because it was 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 received my letter, he
came to Dublin, with horses to take us into the
North to Antrim, where their troop was to quarter.
I took a house there, and my brother dwelled with
me. The officers of the troop were very kind. They
wished me ride in the troop, and receive
constant pay, while still able to follow my own business
in a duty free status; for they would issue an order
on their own account, none being then admitted
into troops without the general's order; but 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
hand of judgment mixed with mercy, which preserved
me.
I soon sold those goods I brought over, and
quickly left for England to buy more.
I went into the North of England among my relatives,
at which time George Fox and James Naylor were in that country. Since James Naylor was having a meeting
about three miles from the place where I was,
I went to it with my eldest brother, Thomas, and
another kinsman. I had an earnest desire to converse with some of those people, retaining a love
for, and believing well of them, from
hearing the first the report of them. I was glad of this
opportunity, and 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.
Then my understanding began to be opened, and
many scriptures were brought to my remembrance,
which I had often read, yet not understood them;
but now being turned to a measure of the Lord's
Spirit manifested in my heart, which often had reproved
me for evil in my ignorance, I knew it was
the truth which led into all truth, agreeable to the
Holy scriptures of the law and prophets, Christ
and his apostles; and I thought any, who heard it
declared, would accept it as true, it was so plain to me.
A few days after I was thus far convinced of the
blessed truth, the Lord's power seized upon me
through his Spirit, by which I was brought under
great exercises of mind and spirit. All my
parts came under this exercise, for the Lord's
hand was mighty upon me, in judgments mixed
with mercies; so that my former ways were hedged
up. But I loved the Lord's judgments, for I knew
I had sinned against him, and must be purged
through judgment. And though I was under this exercise
of conscience towards God, I still did my business
in England, and shipped my goods to be
landed at Carrickfergus or Belfast.
Reciting several difficult exercises he went through,
both
inwardly and outwardly,
between his convincement
and the setting up of a public meeting at Lurgan.
While I was at sea, I strongly rationalized
to save the duty of my goods, for I had an opportunity
to do it. The troop my brother belonged
to, quartering at Carrickfergus and Belfast,
would have helped me night or day; but I dared
not do it, my conscience having been awakened to plead
for truth, justice and equity. Yet there was a great
contest between conscience and self, and in this
conflict many scriptures were opened in my understanding,
that duties and customs ought to be
paid; and though self struggled hard for mastery,
yet at last was overthrown, and the judgment of
truth prevailed.
When I landed at Carrickfergus,a trooper
readily lent me his horse there, and I rode that evening
home to Antrim, where my wife lived; when I
came to the door, my brother came out to salute
me with his usual compliments; but the Lord's
power so seized upon me at that instant that he was struck
amazed; we went inside and sat down silently. I was very
broken in the power of the Lord before them, and
my brother made no opposition, but received the
truth and joined with it.
I returned to Carrickfergus to bring my goods
ashore, but the officers required an oath to the
truth of my bills of parcels, and, not allowing
them to come ashore without it, would have seized
my goods. I told them, I could not swear,
it was contrary to Christ's command, which seemed
a strange thing to them, having not met with the
like before; but the Lord's truth and testimony was precious to me, and after some time, with
much difficulty, I got an order to bring my goods
to the custom-house. My conduct to the officers
and others here was a wonder to them, and
caused much discussion, and various rumors to be
spread of the Quakers, and of me in particular.
After I came home with my goods, the Lord's
hand was heavy upon me day and night, so that I
travailed under a great war and conflict between
flesh and spirit, and was very cast down with
sorrows and troubles of mind. but no one there understood
the cause of my sorrows and troubles, or
gave a word of comfort to ease me. I would have
traveled far for the company of an experienced Friend.
My sleep departed from me, and many times in
the night, in great trouble of mind, crying and
weeping I wished for day, and when day came, my
sorrows remaining, I wished again for night. In
this restless state I had none that had trod this
path to converse with; so that the rumor of my
condition spread abroad among the professors;
many would come to gaze on me, jangle* and contend
against truth, and some would say, I was
bewitched; others, I was going mad. So talk and
rumor concerning me spread a great way among
people.
About this time one Miles Bousfield came from
England to Ireland, whose house George Fox
had visited; he had been in some degree convinced
of the truth, and came away with it. He was a
great talker of religion, but an enemy and a stranger
to the cross of Christ, who hearing of me, and
of the exercise I was in, came to see me. I was not
at home when he came, but he talked to my wife,
and spoke well of the Quakers and their principles,
seeming to be very glad that he had found
such a companion as I was, in this nation, and the
comfort we should have of one another.
When I came home, my wife told me of his having been there, and the discourse he had with
her, which I was glad to hear of, and soon took
my horse and rode twelve miles to see him, and
stayed with him all night. He talked an abundance about
religion, and of the inward work of God in man by
his Spirit, and spoke well of George Fox and James
Naylor, and of their doctrine, which I liked well;
but said, he knew those things before he saw or
heard them; and spoke much of his knowledge of
God and Christ. I sat in silence with attention to
hear him; for I was cast down, poor and low in my
spirit, yet glad that I had met with such a knowing
man in the things of God, and his work in man by
his Spirit, to advise me in my great troubles of a
wounded spirit: so he advised me to be cheerful
and merry, and not to look at those inward troubles,
that bowed me down; which was the enemy's work
to lead me into despair, and destroy me, by swallowing
me up in much trouble; and as it was
plainly manifest, that God had a love for me, to
make me a chosen vessel of mercy, he would love
me to the end; and nothing in me could hinder
his love, or frustrate his will.
This doctrine of his claimed to be able to heal me without the cross of
Christ, or self-denial; which appealed to my will and
carnal desires; for I loved the truth which I was
convinced of, and would have had it, together
with my carnalities, fleshly liberties, worldly pleasures
and profits. So when the Lord's power would
rise to bow me down under his cross, I would reason
against it with those arguments before mentioned,
by which I would escape judgment. But
this ease and slight healing lasted only about a
week; for the Lord would not leave me so, praised
be his name forever, whose merciful hand preserved
me, and power took fresh hold of my heart and
inward parts, which bowed me under his judgments,
and opened the eye of my understanding,
plainly showing me that which was alive in me and opposed the will of God and must therefore be crucified.
Then I saw where Bousfield was, and all of his
spirit, and the wounds of my restless spirit were
opened wider than before, and Major Bousfield's
slight cure was all marred, and the false rest he set
me in taken away. I had none now to trust to
but the Lord, for counsel and information, whose
care was greatly manifested for my preservation,
redemption, and information, through many temptations
and deep afflictions that affected me
many ways, with many opposers and contenders.
I was weak, but the Lord's strength was perfect in
weakness, and his spirit and power increased in me
through obedience to the cross of Christ, in which
I was daily exercised, and by which grew into acquaintance
with the Lord's work, to make me a
vessel for his purpose.
In the following spring, I moved with my family
from Antrim, to live in the county of Armagh. There I acquired a house and grazing for my cattle, and
kept a shop of some merchant goods, where I became
the talk and gazing stock of the people;
professors [stated believers in Christ and the scriptures] watched me closely, to get something
against me and the principles of truth that I professed,
but the Lord strengthened me in my watch
over my words and deeds, and so cut off the opportunity for
them to discredit the truth and
me.
In those days, to use the true, plain and proper
speech, as thee and thou to a single person, and
keeping on the hat, were strange things to people,
and few could allow them to be used on occasion;
but would reflect in abusive words, and sometimes
use blows, or throw stones. Having one
price for everyone in selling goods, and holding to the first asking price without
wavering, was a great stumbling-block to
most sorts of people, and made them stand at a
distance from buying for some time, until they saw further into the justice of the manner thereof. All
things were rough and rugged in the world, and
the cross of Christ was foolishness, and a stumbling-block
to them.
My exercises and trials both within and without
were many, and of several sorts, beyond what I
can express. The Lord's judgments came close
to me; I was made to love them, and willing to
wait upon the Lord in the ways of him. Sometimes
when the Lord's hand would be easy with
me, I would be afraid for fear that he should withdraw his
hand; then my desires were to the Lord not to
slacken his hand, but to search me thoroughly;
for his judgments had become sweet to my taste,
which he many times mixed with springs of mercy,
to my joy and comfort. Business and the affairs
of the world became a trouble to me, though
there were presentations and opportunities to get
riches, either by trading, taking land by lease,
mortgage or purchase, which I could have
done.
My brother was convinced of the truth, as
before, was my wife. He and I met together twice a
week at my house; somtime after, four more
were convinced, and then we were seven that met
together to wait upon God, and to worship him in
spirit and truth. The Lord's mercy and goodness
were often extended to us to our comfort, and
confirmation in the appearance of his blessed
truth received in our hearts.
Of his first public ministry, his visit to George Fox in
England,
the settling of a meeting in Dublin, his imprisonment
at Armagh,
and dispute with a priest and a
justice of the county, etc.
SOME time after this, John Tiffin was moved of
the Lord to come into Ireland in truth's service;
he came to my house, stayed a while, and sat with
us in our meetings, sometimes speaking a few
words, which were edifying: then began a concern
to come upon me to travel with him to some places,
though he had but few words, yet very serviceable.
Our going abroad to fairs and places of
concourse of people put many to inquire into
the Quaker's principles and religion; and sometimes
we had discourses with professors, but people
in general were very shy and fearful of us, for fear that
they should be deceived; for the priests persuaded
the people against us, by telling them stories and
lies, which the priests in England had forged and
sent abroad, too many to mention here, neither
is it needful, being printed in several books with
Friends' answers to them.
At this time only a few would lodge us in their
houses: at Belfast, that town of great profession,
there was but one of all the inns and public houses
that would lodge any of our Friends, which was
one Widow Partridge who kept a public house,
and received us very kindly. John Tiffin
lodged there, often endeavoring to get an entrance for
truth in that town, but they resisted, shutting their
ears, doors and hearts against it.
Near this town there dwelled one named Laythes,
who promised to let us meet in his house, and the
day was appointed; accordingly we came there, but the man was gone from his home, as they
said. We supposed on purpose, that we might not
meet at his house. His wife was a proud woman,
and would not allow us to meet there. A little ways from that house in the great road,
three lanes' ends that met; there we three sat
down and kept our meeting. When people came around
us, we were a wonder to them, and something was
spoken to direct their minds to God's Spirit in their
own hearts. These exercises, though in much
weakness and fear, spread the name and fame of
truth, and the minds of many honest people began
to inquire after it; and to see the reports that the priests had told them of us, were false, which
made them more desirous to hear us, and some
were added to our meeting at Lurgan, then kept
at my house.
Soon after John Tiffin went to England, but
our meeting increased, and sometimes the Lord's
power and Spirit would move in me, to speak some
few words in meetings; which I did in fear, being
under a great concern, for fear that a wrong spirit should
get entrance, and deceive me in the likeness of an
angel of light; for I was sensible of my own weakness.
Now several gathered to our meeting, and
were convinced and received the truth. So we established
meetings in several places, there being a great
openness among people.
About this time I had some drawings on my spirit,
to go for England and to see George Fox,
whom I had not yet seen. So I went over, and
met with him at Badgley, in Leicestershire, where
there was a great meeting of Friends from several
places. When the meeting ended I went to
George Fox, and he took notice of me; we went
into the orchard, and kneeling down he prayed:
the Lord's heavenly power and presence were there;
he was tender over me. I told him where I lived,
of several being convinced in Ireland, of the openness among people, in the North of that nation, to
hear the truth declared, and of the want of ministering
Friends in the Gospel there: he wrote the
following epistle to Friends, which he sent with
me; namely,
Friends,
In that which convinced you,
wait,
that you
may have that removed you are convinced of;
and all, my dear Friends, dwell in the life, and
love, and power and wisdom of God,
in unity one
with another and with God;
and the peace and
wisdom of God fill all your hearts,
that nothing
may rule in you but the life,
which stands in the
Lord God.
George Fox
He told me, when I came to Ireland, to go to
Edward Burrough and Francis Howgill, for they
had gone into the South of that kingdom in the
service of truth. So, when I had been at Swarthmore
and some other places in England to visit
Friends, I returned to Ireland, and read the before mentioned
epistle to Friends in the meeting; there the
power of the Lord seized on us, by which we were
mightily shaken and broken into tears and weeping.
Now the priests and professors in the South of Ireland,
were so envious against truth, that they got
an order from Henry Cromwell, then Lord Deputy
of Ireland, to banish Edward Burrough and Francis
Howgill out of the nation, and a guard of soldiers
were ordered to conduct them from place to
place, until they were shipped off; but the guards
were loving to them, and allowed them to have
meetings wherever they went; so that several received
the truth, and small meetings were settled in several
places, particularly one in Dublin.
About this time Richard Clayton was moved of
the Lord to come to Ireland, in the service of the
Gospel. He came by the Lord's directions straight to
my house, as he himself told me, and stayed with us for some meetings. He was then moved of the Lord to travel
to Colerain and Londonderry. I also was moved
to go with him. He published the day of the
Lord in Colerain in the street, warning all to repent.
We put up several little papers, which we had
written, in several places, one we put on the worship house
door; but the professors were highly
offended, took and banished us over the water,
giving charge that no boat should bring us back.
So we traveled the road towards Londonderry,
lodging that night in a cabin in the mountains.
The next day we came to Londonderry, we traveled
on foot, and had two meetings there, where
several received the truth. The governor was at
one meeting, where he was convinced, confessing
it to be truth that we declared, and while we
stayed he was very loving.
Thus began a long, noble ministry in the Lord for Willimam Edmundson.
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free from sin
by benefiting from the changing power of God through the cross,
which leads to union with God in his Kingdom.
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