XX.—A wonderful Story of one Robert Churchman, inveigled in Quakerism, written by Dr. John Templar.
Sir, your desiring to be acquainted with some passages concerning the Quakers in this town of Balsham, obligeth me to give you the following account: At my first settlement here in the ministry, I found them very busy in enticing my people to a compliance with their persuasions in religion; this design they did attempt to accomplish by dispersing their papers among them. Two of my parishioners I had a particular eye upon, namely, Robert Churchman and his wife, they being persons of a very good life, and a pleasant estate, I was under a fear, that their departure from the church might be a means to induce others to the same practice. The first in my discourses I had with him, did manifest a very strong inclination to the principles of the Quakers. The second was so far engaged, (meaning the said Robert’s wife) that the Quakers did commonly report, that a principle was begun in her.
As I was one day in conference with the said Robert Churchman, I desired him, that when any of their books came to hand, he would do me the kindness to bring them to me, that we might read them over together, assuring him of no unwillingness in me to hearken to whatsoever should appear reasonable. What I desired, he performed not long after; when I had received the paper into my hand, before I began to read, I suggested to him, that it would be convenient, that the person who had been, the cause of his seduction should be sent for, and hear what was replied to the contents, which he willingly consented to. When the Quaker was come, one branch of our discourse, was, Whether the scripture is to be owned as a rule, which the Quaker denied, asserting, That the rule was within them. After the expence of two or three hours discourse about this and other matters, I desired Robert Churchman to take notice, that the Quakers did not own the Scriptures for their rule, which before this conference I had intimated to him, but found him unwilling to believe it.——It pleased God so far to bless what was spoken, that the next time he met his brother Thomas Churchman, he told him of what had passed at my house, and that now he was assured, that the Quakers did not acknowledge the Scripture for their rule; and, for his part, he would not be of that religion, which doth disown the Scripture in that particular.——Not long after, the wife of the forementioned Quaker coming to his house to visit his wife, he met her at the door, and told her she should not come in, intimating that her visit would make division between them. After some parley, the Quaker’s wife spake to him in these words: “Thou wilt not believe except thou see a sign, and thou mayest see some such.” Within a few nights after, Robert Churchman had a violent storm upon the room where he lay, when it was very calm in all other parts of the town, and a voice within him, as he was in bed, spake to him, and bid him sing praises, telling him, That he should see the New Jerusalem, about which time a glimmering light appeared all about the room. Towards the morning, the voice commanded him to go out of his bed naked, with his wife and children. They all standing upon the floor, the spirit making use of his tongue, bid them to be down, and put their mouths in the dust; which they did accordingly. It likewise commanded him to go and call his brother and sister, that they might see the New Jerusalem, to whom he went naked about half a mile. When he delivered his message, that which spake within him charged him to denounce wrath against them, and declare that fire and brimstone would fall upon them, as it did upon Sodom and Gomorrah, if they did not obey, and so he returned into his own house, where upon the floor of a low room, he stood naked three or four hours. All that while he was acted in a very unusual manner. Sometimes the spirit within forced him to sing, sometimes to bark like a dog. When his brother and sister followed him, and were very importunate with him to resist it, it bid him kill them, making use of these words, “These mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring and slay before my face.” It made him to utter with great readiness many places of Scripture which he had no knowledge of before. The drift of what was spoken, was to persuade him to comply with the Quakers, and it named some who lived in the neighbouring towns. About three or four hours being thus spent, he came to himself, and was able to give a perfect account of what had befallen him.——Several nights after, the same trouble returned upon him. His wife was tortured with extraordinary pains. The children which lay in the room complained, that their mouths were stopped with wool as they were in bed. The disturbance was so great, that they had thoughts of leaving his house for a time, and made it his desire to be at me, in mine. I prevailed with him, not to be so sudden in his removal, but to make some further trial. It pleased God, upon a continuance with him in prayer every day in the house, that he was at last perfectly free from all molestation. The Quakers hearing of his condition, gave it out, that the power of God would come upon him again, and that the wound was but skinned over by the priest, which made me the more importunate with him to keep close to the public service of God, and have nothing to do with them or their writings.——Which direction he observed till November 1661, and perusing one of their books, a little after, on the 10th of that month his trouble returned. A voice within him began to speak after the former manner. The first sentence it uttered was, “Cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he to be accounted?” The design which he discerned that it did aim at, was this, To take him off from coming to the church (where he had been that day) and from hearing the word of God. It suggested several other Scriptures, in order to the persuading him to a compliance with the Quakers, and told him, “That it would strive with him as the angel did with Jacob.” Upon Wednesday at night, he was peremptory in his resisting of it. When it began to solicit him, he replied, “That he saw it was a spirit of delusion, which he would not obey.” Upon which the spirit pronounced these words, “Go ye cursed into everlasting fire;” and so left him with a very great heat in his body.
After this he was, in his own apprehension, in a very comfortable condition; and while he was considering what had happened, a voice within him spake to him, saying, That the spirit that was before upon him, was a spirit of delusion, but now the true Spirit of God was come unto him. Now Satan is turned into an angel of light. It acquainted him that the doctrine of the Trinity was true; and that God had an elect people; and that those whom the Father had elected, the Son had redeemed; and whom Christ redeemed, the Holy Ghost sanctifieth. And told him, “That the minister of the town would further instruct him about the truth of these things. Upon Thursday morning, about break of day, it set him upon his knees, as he was in bed, and bid him farewell.——The same day it came upon him in the fields, as he was going to and coming from the market, and pressed upon him to believe that it was the good spirit which he was acted with, which he still doubted of. One night that week, among many arguments, which it used to that purpose, it told him, “If he would not believe without a sign, he might have what he would.” Upon that Robert Churchman desired, “If it was a good spirit, that a wire candlestick which stood upon the cupboard, might be turned into brass,” which the spirit said he would do. Presently there was a very unsavoury smell in the room, like that of the snuff of a candle newly put out; but nothing else was done towards the fulfilling of the promise.——Upon the Lord’s day following, he being at church, it came upon him. When the chapters were named, he turned to them in his Bible, but was not able to read. When the psalms were sung, he could not pronounce a syllable. Upon Monday morning, his speech was wholly taken from him. When I came to him, and asked him how it was with him? He moved his head towards me, but was not able to speak. I waited an hour or two in the room, hoping that his speech might have returned unto him, and that I might have gained from him some account of his condition. But finding no alteration, I desired those who were present to join with me in prayer. As we were praying, his body with much violence was thrown out of the bed, and then with great vehemency he called me to hold my tongue. When prayer was done his tongue was bound as before, till at last he brake forth into these words, “Thine is the kingdom, thine is the kingdom,” which he repeated above a hundred times. Sometimes he was forced into extreme laughter, sometimes into singing. His hands were usually employed in beating his breast. All of us (there present) who stood by, could discern unusual heaving in his body. The distemper did continue towards the morning of the next day; and the voice within him signifying to him, it would leave him, bidding him to get upon his knees, in order to that end, which he did, and presently he had a perfect command of himself.—When I came to him, he gave me a sober account of all the passages of the day before, having a distinct remembrance of what the spirit forced him to do, and what was spoken to him by those who stood by. In particular, he told me he was compelled to give me that disturbance in prayer, which before I mentioned, the spirit using his limbs and tongue as it pleased, contrary to the inclination of his own thought and mind.—Upon the Thursday following the spirit began to rage after its former manner, as I was praying with him. It was very discernable how it wrought upon his body, forced him to grate his teeth, and draw his mouth awry. He told me, after I had done, that it bid him denounce woe against me. It pleased God, upon continuance in prayer with me, to release him out of his trouble, and so far make it advantageous to him and his wife, and some others who were so much biassed with the principles of the Quakers, that now they have a perfect dislike of that way, and do diligently attend upon the public service of God, in the parish church.—Sir, you may be confident of the truth of what is here related by your friend.
Basham, Jan. 1, 1682.
John Templar.
XXI.—Touching Isabel Heriot.
This woman was born at Peaston, in the parish of Ormiston, and was for several years a very useful servant to the minister there, for all manner of out-house work. She was of a low stature, small and slender of body, of a black complexion, her head stood somewhat awry upon her neck; she was of a drolling and jeering humour, and would have spoken to persons of honour with great confidence.