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FRANCIS HOWGILL
1618-1669
Francis Howgill was a Minister of Truth, converted from a minister of the Letter, [Bible]. He was one of the first Quaker Ministers after George Fox, part of the group referred to as the Valiant Sixty, whom the Lord sent throughout England to proclaim Truth. The Lord sent Francis and Edward Burrough to London, where the harvest was greatest. He served eminently, turning many to the Truth, to enjoy the fruits of holiness with the fellowship in heaven of the Father and the Son.
Francis Howgill was born about the year
1618; and his residence was at Todthorne, near
Grayrigg, in Westmoreland. He received a
University education in preparation for the Episcopalian ministry. He became a minister in
the Episcopal church; but afterwards left it,
being dissatisfied with the superstition which
he saw remaining in it, and joined himself to
some Independents, among whom be became a
teacher. Still lacking that
spiritual comfort after which his soul thirsted,
he went among the Anabaptists, thinking
that they walked more in accordance with the
Gospel of Christ. Still he remained destitute
of that peace of mind which he so earnestly
longed for; and at length, in about the thirty-fourth
year of his age, he was convinced* of the Truth and joined the persecuted society
called Quakers, seeking the Kingdom of God through the cross of Christ. He later became an eminent member. In prison, he died in communion with
them, after having been about sixteen years
eminent among them, as a minister, leaving an
account of his writings and sufferings.
*To be convinced, means to have become certain of the way required for salvation; not to receive salvation itself. Howgill had been a devout reader of the Bible, professed that Jesus was the Son of God, had been baptised, conducted sect services, etc.; but he was still captive to sin, and knew there had to be a way to become free of even the desire to sin. When he heard the way proclaimed to become pure, to become free of sin, his heart bore witness to that truth; so he joined with others seeking to become free of sin, by waiting in silence to hear from the Teacher within, to obey Him, and to receive his changing grace that taught them to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and how to live soberly, righteously, godly life in their world then; to be redeemed from all iniquity, and purified - and to then have a zeal for good works energized and prompted by God. This process, from convincement to purity, required them to continue working out their salvation over time with fear and trembling. Because they trembled in the presence of God's Spirit working on their hearts, showing them their sins, convicting them of the secrets in their hearts, they trembled - or quaked - thus they became known as Quakers.
He has left a particular account of his early
religious experience, in a work entitled, "The
Inheritance of Jacob discovered after his return
out of Egypt;" and extract of which is below:
"From twelve years old I set my heart to
know that God whom the world professed, and
whom I read of in the Scriptures; whom
Abraham, Noah, Moses, the Prophets, and the
rest of the Fathers worshiped. I fell into
the strictest worship that there was in that part
wherein I lived; and often I desired to be
alone, and attended much to reading and meditation.
And as I was sober and serious, I began
to see that all the sports and pastimes, and such
as youths delight in naturally are vanity, and
that they last but for a moment. And while I
was in folly and wantonness, doing them, the
nature which had run into transgression had
pleasure in them; but as soon as I was gone
from among them, I was judged in myself for
what I had done; and it often made me weep.
Then I resolved in my will that I would never
do so again; and for some time refrained from
the common practice of those things that I had
walked in; but as soon as I came among them I
acted those things again, which before I had seen
to be vanity. But, long before that, I was checked
for many things; and so I walked often condemned
in myself, and had no peace when I was
serious; and then, not knowing what to do, I
was in much sorrow when I was alone. I had a
desire to be alone where I might not see or suffer
any folly of the world, and did not go to the former
excesses, although something in me still desired
after them; but when I did not yield, I was glad
and had peace. I began to oppose
my friends, with whom I had walked in lack of restraint; and they began to revile me, and
hate me, and scorn me; yet I didn't care.
Then I read much, and prayed in words, often
three or four times in a day, yet I did not know where
God was, but imagined a God at a distance;
and so went on. Then I began to grow in
external knowledge, which is sensual; and
I was puffed up pride for knowing, for the world admired me. But
still I was condemned for vain words and
actions; and the root of iniquity grew in me.
I followed a more strict course,
often traveling five or six miles to hear some more
excellent means, as they called it, and so got
more words; but still I was the same, even worse,
for knowledge continued to elevate my pride. Then at about
fifteen years of age I sought by travel to hear the most excellent sermons; and so became
acquainted with all those called eminent Christians,
in the region where I lived. My parents despised me; and of the world made
a wonder; and great reproach came upon me;
but still I saw they knew nothing, and therefore
I didn't care. So, much sorrow fell upon
me for four or five years; and when I turned
within I was judged for all my former iniquities,
and my heart was still shown to me, that it was
corrupt; but as I kept within, to the Light in
my conscience, I was restrained from many
actions which I had a will to do; and in the
instant, when I was doing any unrighteousness
in actions or words I was often stopped. And
when I saw that I could resist and not follow the temptation, a great joy arose
in me; but when I had done anything forwardly
or rashly I was judged. But this the
teachers without said was a natural conscience, that kept
from sin, and restrained it; so I listened to
their imaginations and slighted the Light as too
low a thing to be nothing but common grace that
preserved out of gross evils. But they said the
saints had a peculiar grace and faith; and so I
listened to them, and was still convinced of
sin. Then they told me that the saints believed
in Christ, and so sin was not charged to them, but they were all
righteousness based on his righteousness; and so I
must seek him in the means, as prayer, and
receiving the sacrament, as they called it; and
they judged me a worthy communicant; and I was, in
great fear that I would eat unworthily. No one could instruct me what the body of
Christ was.
At one time I read all the Scriptures that
spoke of Christ's sufferings. The teachers said
I must believe He suffered for me; and I believed
all that they called faith; yet I could not
see how He died for me, and had taken away my
sins; for the witness in my conscience told me, I
was the servant of sin while I committed it. They
told me I must not omit that ordinance (or so called sacrament of communion), for
thereby faith was confirmed and strength added.
So on the one hand they pressed it as a duty;
and on the other I saw that the Scripture said:
"He that eats unworthily, eats damnation to
himself," I was in fear, though none could
accuse me from without; yet afterward a great
fear fell upon me, and I thought I had
sinned against the Holy Ghost, and great trouble
fell upon me. Then they said, I had
not properly prepared for the sacrament; and yet I had all the preparation
that they had spoken of; but they were
all physicians of no value.
So I fasted, and prayed, and walked
mournfully in sorrow, and thought none was
like me, tempted on every hand. So I ran to
this man, and the other; and they applied
promises to me; but it was only in words, for
the witness of Christ showed me that the root of
iniquity stood, and that the body of sin was
whole. And, despite that I was kept from
gross evils, still sorrow compassed me about,
and I questioned all that ever I had had, which
they said was grace; repentance, and faith.
Then I told them there was guilt in me; and
they said sin was taken away by Christ, but the
guilt should still remain while I lived, and
brought me the saints' conditions who were in
the warfare, to confirm it. So I said in myself
this was a miserable salvation, that the guilt and
condemnation of sin should still stand in me.
Thus I was tossed from mountain to hill, and
heard them preach confusion; and therefore I
mattered not for them, and said, surely this is
not the ministry of Christ! So I ceased for some time except for short bursts of falling, and did not mind them; but kept still at
home and in desert places, solitary, in weeping.
Everything I had done was laid before me, in that every thought was judged; and I
was tender, and my heart broken. And when
I could feel sorrow the most, I had most peace; for
something spoke within me from the Lord; but
I did not know Him then. And they said, that it was
heresy to look for the word of the Lord to be
spoken now in these days, for the word was only in the Bible.
So I disregarded it mostly; yet often I was
made to do many righteous things, by the immediate
power and Word of God. And then
peace and joy sprang up in me, and promises
were spoken that He would teach me Himself
and be my God. I often obeyed Him contrary
to my will, and denied my will. But they told
me to obey out of fear was the legalism of the law, and that
it made me a slave to the law; but instead I should act from evangelical
obedience. So I got above fear, and yet acted
the former things, which they called ordinances;
and they said that was son-like obedience, and
Christ had done all; there was nothing more for me to do.
Then there appeared more beauty in those
called Independents [Congregationalist Puritans]; and I loved them, and so
joined myself to them; and all the money I
could get I purchased books with; and I walked
with and owned the Independents as more separate
from the world; and they pressed separation. But
at the last I saw it was only in words, that they
would choose officers and members of themselves;
and so made an image and fell down
and worshiped it. Yet there was some tenderness
in them at the first; but the doctrine was
the same with the world's, words without, about
others' conditions; [simply reading and talking about the experiences in the Bible].
Then those called Anabaptists
appeared to have more glory, and to walk more
according to the Scripture, observing things
written without; and I went among them; and
there was something I loved among them. But
afterwards, they denied all but those who were
in their way, as being out of the fellowship of the
saints, and doctrine of Christ. And I saw the
ground was the same; and their doctrine out of
the life, with the rest of the teachers of the
world; and that they had separated themselves,
and made another likeness. But still all said
the Bible was the word and rule; and Christ who was at
a distance, without, had done it all for us; there was nothing for an individual to do. Some of them
holding free-will, others opposing, but all was done in
their own wills.
Still I loved those who walked honestly
among all these. But though I had seen and
owned all that I had heard, except the figure,
which I saw was outward; and that was their
greatest glory, and I saw that they would have
all fall down to it, else no communion; yet I found
no peace, nor guide. Then some preached the
doctrine of free grace, as they called it, that all
sin was done away, past, present, and to come;
that only believing in this doctrine and all is
finished; and so preached salvation to the first
nature, and to the serpent that bore rule. To this
I listened a little, and so lost my condition
within. But still wherever I went, this was spoken
to me: “His servant you are, whoever you obey;” and
so being overcome by sin, I had no justification
witnessed in me.
Then some preached Christ within, but they themselves
were without; but yet they said all must be within, unto which your soul must cleave. And they spoke of redemption and justification, and all within; and of God appearing
in man, and overcoming the power of the devil; and the Light in my conscience, bore
witness that it must be so; and I was exceedingly
pressed, to wait and find it so; and something in me breathed after the Living God. And I had a true love to all who walked honestly of any profession whatever; and I hated reviling one another, and that they should strike one
another, and persecute one another; and I
always took part with the sufferer. But still
I saw, that though they spoke of things within,
and of a power to come, they enjoyed not what
they spoke of; for, the same fruits were brought
forth.
At I last I saw that those who walked as the ministers
of Christ, none that pretended to the
ministry had any such gift, neither pastor, nor
teacher; nor were any of them such members
as were in the apostles' time.
So, having passed up and down, hurried here
and there, I saw that all the teachers of the
world sought themselves, and fed poor people
with dead names and deceit; and that they
were not the ministers of Christ. I saw them all
in deceit, who did not abide in Christ's doctrine;
and I quit association from most of them, forever.
As I dissented from their judgment, they hated
and persecuted me!
Now it was revealed in me, that the Lord
would teach his people himself. So I waited,
and many things opened in me of a time at
hand. Sometimes I would have heard a
priest; but when I heard him, I was moved by
the Lord, and his word in me ordered me to speak in opposition;
and often as a fire it burned, and a trembling
fell upon me; yet I feared reproach, and so
denied the Lord's motion.
It was revealed
in me to wait, and I should know his counsel; and that the word of the Lord was in me, that the
time was at hand, when the dead should hear
the voice of the Son of God. It burned in
me as a fire, that the day was near, when it
should not be said, "Lo here, nor lo there;" but all
the Lord's people should be taught of Him. But still my mind ran out, and out of the fear
into carelessness; for I knew not the cross of
Christ. Yet, I say, I was wiser than the
teachers that I met with in that generation. I
do not glory in it, for condemnation is passed
on it all forever. Yet still as my
mind was turned to the Light, I always had pure openings;
and prophecies of things to come; and belief
that I should see the day, and bear witness to
his Name. So when things opened so fast,
the wisdom of the flesh caught them; and I
went up and down, preaching against all the
ministry; and I also ran ahead of my guide with that, which
was revealed in myself. I preached up and
down the country, from the fullness that was in the
old bottle; and so was wondered after, and admired
by many, who had waded up and down as
myself had. We fed one another with
words; and healed up one another in deceit;
and all laid down in sorrow, when the day of
the Lord was made manifest. For I was overthrown, and my foundation swept away; and
all my righteousness and unrighteousness were
judged, and weighed, and found too light.
As soon as I heard one* declare, that the Light
of Christ in man, is the way to Christ, I believed
the eternal word of truth; and the light of
God in my conscience sealed to it. So not only
I, but many hundreds more, who thirsted after
the Lord, but were betrayed by the wisdom of
the serpent, were all seen to be off the foundation.
All our mouths were stopped in the
dust; and we all stood condemned in ourselves,
and saw our nakedness, and were ashamed;
though our glory was great in the eye of the
world, but all was vanity.
As I turned my mind within, to the light of
Jesus Christ, with which I was enlightened, which
formerly reproved me for all vanity, and also as
I owned it, led me into all righteousness, I saw
it was the true and faithful witness of Christ
Jesus. My eyes were then opened; and all
things were brought to remembrance that ever
I had done; and the dreadful day of the
Lord fell upon me; sorrow and pain; fear
and terror, for the sight that I saw with my own
eyes. In the morning I wished it had been
evening, and in the evening I wished it
had been morning; and I had no rest, but
trouble on every side. All that ever I had
done was judged and condemned; and all
things were accursed. Then the lion suffered
hunger. My eyes were dim with crying; my
flesh failed of fatness; my bones were dried,
and my sinews shrank. I became a proverb to
all; yes, to those who had been my acquaintance;
they stood away from me. The pillars of
heaven were shaken; one woe poured out after
another. I sought death in that day, and could
not find it; it fled from me. I sought to cover
myself anyway, or with anything, but could
not. And Babylon, the mother of harlots,
came into remembrance that day; and the
sea dried up, and all the merchants that
traded with her stood afar off, for the cup
of fury was poured forth. I would have
run anywhere to have hidden myself; but
there was nothing but weeping, and gnashing of
teeth, and sorrow, and terror. I roared out for
the lack of quietness in my heart; and the kingdom
was full of darkness. I knew not the right
hand from the left. I became a perfect fool, and
knew nothing; and as a man distracted. All
was overturned; I suffered loss of all. All that
ever I did, I saw was in the accursed nature.
Then something in me cried, "just and true is
His judgment." My mouth was stopped; I
dared not make mention of His name. But as
I bore the indignation of the Lord, something
in me rejoiced; the serpent's head began to be
bruised; and as the judgment was pronounced,
something cried, "just are you 0h Lord, in all
your judgment!” And as I gave up all to the
judgment, the captive came forth out of prison,
and rejoiced. My heart was filled with joy;
and I came to see Him whom I had pierced.
My heart was broken. I saw the cross of
Christ, and stood by it; and the enmity was
slain by it. The new man was made; and so
peace came to be made; and eternal life was
brought in, through death and judgment. Then
I received the perfect gift, which was given
from God; and the holy law of God was revealed
unto me; and was written in my heart. His fear, and His word, which did kill,
was now made alive.
"'Now it pleased the Father to reveal his Son
in me through death; and so I came to witness cleansing by his blood, which is eternal. Glory
unto his name forever! And I have rest and peace in doing the will of God; and I am entered
into the true rest, and lay down in the fold
of God, with the lambs of God, where the sons
of God rejoice together, and the saints keep
holy days. Glory unto Him forever!"
It appears that the great change just alluded
to, took place in Francis Howgill's mind, in the
year 1652. He was at a fair, at Sedburgh,
to the west of Yorkshire, through which,
George Fox passed, declaring the day of the
Lord. George Fox went afterwards into the
steeple-house yard; and many of the people of
the fair went to him, with a number of priests,
and professors of religion. There he declared
the everlasting truth of the Lord, and the word
of life for several hours: showing that the Lord
was come, to teach his people himself; and
to bring them off from all the world's ways,
and teachers; that these teachers were like
those that were of old, condemned by the prophets,
by Christ, and by the apostles. He
exhorted the people to come off from the temples
made with hands; and to wait to receive
the Spirit of the Lord, that they might know
themselves to be the temples of God. Not one
of the priests opened his mouth against what
he declared; but a captain said: "Why will
you not go into the Church? this is not a fit
place to preach in?" George Fox told him,
he denied their church. Then stood up Francis
Howgill, who had not seen George Fox before,
and undertook to answer the captain; and soon
put him to silence, and said: "this man speaks
with authority and not as the scribes."
The following account of the remarkable
meeting, at which, Francis Howgill, John Audland
land, John Camm, Richard Hubberthorn, and
many others were convinced of the everlasting
truth, is extracted from George Fox's Journal:
The next First-day I came to Firbank chapel, in Westmoreland, where Francis Howgill and John Audland had been preaching in the morning. The chapel was full of people, so that many could not get in. Francis said, he thought I looked into the chapel, and his spirit was ready to fail, the Lord's power did so surprise him; but I did not look in. They made haste, and had quickly done, and they and some of the people went to dinner; but most stayed until they came again. John Blakelin and others came to me, and desired me not to reprove them publicly; for they were not parish teachers, but pretty tender men. I could not tell them whether I would or not, though at that time I did not have any inclination to publicly declare against them; but I said that they must leave me to the Lord's movings. While others were gone to dinner, I went to a brook, got a little water, and then came and sat down on the top of a rock close by the chapel. In the afternoon the people gathered around me, with several of their preachers. We estimated there was over a thousand people there, to whom I declared God's everlasting truth and word of life freely and greatly for about three hours. I directed them all to the spirit of God in themselves that they might he turned from the darkness to the light. And believing in the light: they might become the children of the light, and might be turned from the power of satan to God; and be led into all truth by the spirit of truth, and sensibly understand the words of the prophets, of Christ, and of the apostles; and might all come to know Christ to be their teacher to instruct them, their counselor to direct them, their shepherd to feed them, their bishop to oversee them, and their prophet to open divine mysteries to them; and might know their bodies to be prepared, sanctified, and made fit temples for God and Christ to dwell in. In the openings of the heavenly life, I opened to them the prophets, and the figures and shadows, and directed them to Christ, the substance. Then I opened the parables and sayings of Christ, and things that had been long hidden; showing the intent and scope of the apostles' writings, and that their epistles were written to the elect. When I had opened the apostles' state, I also showed the state of the apostasy that has been since the apostles' days. That the priests have gotten the scriptures, but are not in the spirit which gave them forth; and have put them into chapter and verse, to make a trade of the holy men's words; that the teachers and priests now are found in the steps of the false prophets, chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees of old, and are such as the true prophets, Christ and the apostles cried against, and so are judged and condemned by the spirit of the true prophets, of Christ, and of his apostles: and that none in that spirit and guided by it now could own them. Many old people went into the chapel, and looked out at the windows, thinking it a strange thing to see a man preach on a hill or mountain, and not in their church, as they called it; whereupon I was moved to inform the people, 'That the steeple-house, and the ground whereon it stood, were no more holy than that mountain; and that those temples, which they called the dreadful houses of God, were not set up by the command of God and of Christ; nor their priests called, as Aaron's priesthood was; nor their tithes appointed by God, as those among the Jews were; but that Christ was come, who ended both the temple and its worship, and the priests and their tithes; and all now should hearken to him: for he said, "Learn of me;" and God said of him, "This in my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased; hear you him." I declared that the Lord God had sent me to preach the everlasting gospel and word of life among them; and to bring them off from all these temples, tithes, priests, and rudiments of the world, which had got up since the apostles' days, and had been set up by such as had erred from the spirit and power that the apostles were in. 'Very largely was I opened at this meeting, and the Lord's convincing power accompanied my ministry, and reached home to the hearts of the people; whereby many were convinced, and all the teachers of that congregation. (who were many), were convinced of God's everlasting truth that day.
In a testimony respecting Francis Howgill,
by George Fox, he states:
"Francis Howgill was one of the Lord's worthies, that preached His
everlasting word of life, from about the year
1652, until the year 1668. That, he had great
acquaintance with the higher sort of priests;
and after he had received the Lord's power,
and word of life, he was a torment to them.
And he confessed to some of the priests, that of
the knowledge of God and his truth, “he knew
no more of while he was among them, as to
the inward enjoyment of it, than a child of five
years old."
In letter to Margaret Fell, Howgill said this about George Fox: "Salute us dearly to George Fox; one hour with him would be great joy to us. [Burrough and himself]." Despite the magnitude of Howgill's displayed measure of Christ in the above writings, he clearly defers to Fox with more, also showing his humility.
As the Son of God came to be revealed in
him, be began to know his command to
powerfully and freely preach Him, and his
word of life. John Audland and he traveled together. All the days of their lives,
after their convincement, they preached
Christ Jesus freely, as they had received Him,
and turned many to God. But, no sooner
was his mouth opened, than the priests, magistrates,
and professors, began to rage against him,
and to be offended at the word of God, and the
gospel.
John Audland and he,
had received some money in the past for preaching,
at a parish called Colton, in Furnace Fells. Now that they had received the true gospel freely, and by
the word of life from Christ, they were commanded
of the Lord, to go and return that
money back again, to the parish and people,
from whom they had received it; which they
did: and this made the priests, and the professors,
even the more to rage.
Later, Francis was sent to London with Edward Burrough. Together they labored for about 10 years, mostly in London, with visits to Ireland, Bristol, and other parts of England. They were very successful, with over 10,000 Quakers counted in London alone.
From Valiant for the Truth:
Among the sixty ministers, (who became known as the Valiant Sixty), were two, very different in age and character, but who were united in their zeal for the truth. These were Francis Howgill and Edward Burrough. Both came from Yorkshire, and their simple appearance and provincial dialect did not make much impression at first upon the subtle Londoners. Their wisdom and zeal, however, produced great effect; and, borne up by a strength not their own, the fruits of their ministry increased to such an extent that after three months of service many other meetings were established, besides the two in the houses of the brothers Dring, and room could hardly be found for the numbers who assembled.
At last a large meeting-place, known as the Bull and Mouth, which would hold one thousand, was obtained. Here, amid wrangling and contention, some extolling the Quakers and some accusing them of heresy, Edward Burrough, the younger of the two evangelists, would take his stand on a bench, with a Bible in his hand, and speak to the tumultuous assembly before him, with so much power that all became calm and attentive. Both Francis Howgill and Edward Burrough laid down their lives for their religion. Howgill in Appleby Jail, where he was imprisoned for life; Edward Burrough in Newgate. After ten years of successful ministry the young "Son of Thunder," as he was called, was shut up with a hundred others in such close quarters that many died of jail fever; one of these was this zealous evangelist Edward Burrough, at the age of twenty-eight.
Francis Howgill was sent by the Lord to London, the largest city and the greatest potential for the harvesters of the seed; thus an indication of the esteem that the Lord had for Francis. He made a great impression, for in 1676 there were 10,000 Quakers in the metropolitan area of London.
Much of the material below has been taken from William Sewel's 1695 History of a People Called Quakers. Sewell wrote at time when the records were still fresh and many eye-witnesses could be interviewed. For that reason, he is considered the definitive historian of the early Quaker movement, and was the source for many books written in the 1800's regarding the Quakers.
Howgill Delivers a Message from God
Declaring the Early Quakers Would be Eternally Memorialized
In a time of great persecution in London, Francis Howgill wrote from his deep, rapturous experience in heaven:
‘The stirrings of my heart have been many, deep, and ponderous some months, weeks, and days, concerning this people which the Lord has raised to bear testimony unto his name, in this the day of his power; and intercession has been made often for them to the Lord, and a patient waiting to know his mind concerning them for the time to come; which often I received satisfaction in as to myself but yet something I was drawn by the Lord to wait for, that I might comfort and strengthen his flock by an assured testimony. And while I was waiting out of all visible things, and quite out of the world in my spirit, and my heart upon nothing but the living God, the Lord opened the springs of the great deep, and overflowed my whole heart with light and love; and my eyes were as a fountain because of tears of joy, because of his heritage, of whom he showed me, and said unto me in a full, fresh, living power, and a holy, full testimony, so that my heart was ravished there with joy unspeakable, and I was out of the body with God in his heavenly paradise, where I saw and felt things unutterable, and beyond all demonstration or speech. At last the life closed with my understanding, and my spirit listened unto him; and the everlasting God said, "Shall I hide anything from them that seek my face in righteousness? No, I will manifest it to them that fear me; I will speak, and you listen, and publish it among all my people, that they may be comforted, and you satisfied.'"
And thus said the living God of heaven and earth, upon the 28th of the Third month, 1662.
'The sun shall leave its shining brightness, and cease to give light to the world; and the moon shall be altogether darkness, and give no light unto the night; the stars shall cease to know their office or place; my covenant with day, night, times, and seasons, shall sooner come to an end, than the covenant I have made with this people, into which they are entered with me, shall end, or be broken. Yes, though the powers of darkness and hell combine against them, and the jaws of death open its mouth, yet I will deliver them, and lead them through all. I will confound their enemies as I did in Jacob, and scatter them as I did in Israel in the days of old. I will take their enemies; I will hurl them here and there, as stones hurled in a sling; and the memorial of this Nation, which is holy unto me, shall never be rooted out, but shall live through ages, as a cloud of witnesses, in generations to come. I have brought them to the birth, yes, I have brought them forth; I have swaddled them, and they are mine. I will nourish them and carry them, as on eagles' wings; and though clouds gather against them, I will make my way through them; though darkness gather together on heap, and tempests gender, I will scatter them as with an east wind; and nations shall know they are my inheritance, and they shall know I am the living God, who will plead their cause with all that rise up in opposition against them.'
These words are holy, faithful, eternal, good, and true; blessed are they that hear and believe unto the end: and because of them no strength was left in me for a while; but at last my heart was filled with joy, even as when the ark of God was brought from the house of Obed-edom, when David danced before it, and Israel shouted for joy.
Francis Howgill
Howgill Writes the Word of the Lord to Cromwell in an Ominous Warning
Francis Howgill, when in London, went to court to deliver a very serious warning from the Lord to Oliver Cromwell, the then ruler of England, with many words directly from God. This letter is also testimony to the life in Christ that Francis Howgill enjoyed; for the lengthy statement of the Lord by the hand of Howgill evidences him as a true prophet of God. After having spoken to him, he thought it convenient to express himself further in writing; as he did by the following letter.
‘‘Friend,
I was moved of the Lord to come to you, to declare the word of the Lord with the Love of the Lord. And when talking to you, I was commanded not to request anything from you; but to declare what the Lord had revealed to me, concerning yourself. When I had delivered what I had been commanded, you questioned it, whether it was the word of the Lord or not, and sought by your reason to ignore it. We have waited some days since, but cannot speak to you. Therefore I was moved to write to you, and clear my conscience, and to leave you. Therefore hear the word of the Lord.
Thus said the Lord: I chose you out of all the nations, when you were little in your own eyes, and threw down the mountains and the powers of the earth before you, which had established wickedness by a law, and I cut them and broke the yokes and bonds of the oppressor, and made them stoop before you, and I made them as a plain before you, that you passed over them, and trod upon their necks. But thus said the Lord, now your heart is not upright before me, but you take counsel, and not of me; and you are establishing peace, and not by me; and you are setting up laws, and not by me; and my name is not feared, nor am I sought after; but your own wisdom you establishe. What, said the Lord, have I thrown down all the oppressors, and broken their laws, and you are now going about to establish them again, and are going to build again, that which I have destroyed?
Therefore, thus said the Lord: Will you limit me, and set bounds to me, when, and where, and how, and by whom I shall declare myself and publish my name? Then will I break your cord, and remove your stake, and exalt myself in your overthrow.
Therefore this is the word of the Lord to you, whether you will hear or forbear: If you do not take away all those laws which are made concerning religion, whereby the people which are dear in mine eyes are oppressed, you shall not be established; but as you have trodden down my enemies by my power, so shall you be trodden down by my power, and you shall know that I am the Lord; for my gospel shall not be established by your sword, nor by your law; but by my might, and by my power, and by my Spirit.
To you this is the Word of the Lord: Restrain not the eternal Spirit, by which I will publish my name, when and where, and how I will; for if you do, you shall be as dust before the wind; the mouth of the Lord has spoken it, and he will perform his promise. For this is that I look for at your hands, said the Lord, that you should undo the heavy burdens, and let the oppressed go free. Are not many shut up in prison, and some stocked, some stoned, some shamefully treated? And some are judged blasphemers by those who know not the Lord, and by those laws which have been made by the will of man, and stand not in the will of God. And some suffer now because they cannot hold up the types, and so deny Christ is come in the flesh; and some have been shut up in prison, because they could not swear, and because they abide in the doctrine of Christ; and some, for declaring against sin openly in markets, have suffered as evil-doers. And now, if you let them suffer in this nature by those laws, and count it just; I will visit you for those things, said the Lord, I will break the yoke from off their backs another way, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
Moved of the Lord to declare and write this, by a servant of the Truth for Jesus’ sake, and a lover of your soul, called,
Francis Howgill
How this was received, I am not acquainted; but I am given to understand that some of Cromwell's servants, Theopholius Green, and Mary, after to become wife of Henry Stout, were so reached by Francis' discourse, that afterwards they became members of the Society of Friends.
But because Cromwell ignored this warning and many other Quakers' warning messages from God to him, he died in office. Later his corpse suffered the indignity of being dug up, hung on the gallows, and beheaded, with his head displayed on a pike at Westminster Hall. He was warned many, many times by a patient God, whose anger is slow to kindle.
Howgill's Letter to Margaret Fell,
Reminiscing Over Their Early Spiritual Fellowship at Swarthmore
The following beautiful letter was addressed to
Margaret Fell in London by Francis Howgill, who also subsequently
died in prison, for the testimony of the
truth: (Margaret Fell was married to Judge Fell at this time, and had opened her home to the early Quakers. Francis and many others grew and matured in Christ here, in the daily meetings of those staying there. We can read Francis' words to hear the depth of his faith and see how he was converted from a minister of the letter to a minister of the Spirit. We also can glimpse the pivotal role that Swarthmore played in the development of the early Quaker giants. A similar complimentary letter was written by William Caton, who also became a prominent minister of the Truth, in which letter he lauds the care and affection he received in the spiritual nurturing of his faith by Margaret Fell at Swarthmore, a place of refuge, refreshment, fellowship, love, and growth for the early Quakers.)
Grayrigg, 29th 9th Mo., 1661
DEAR MARGARET
In Him, who has become a place of broad rivers
and streams unto us, and the portion of our cup, and
the lot of our inheritance, do I most dearly salute you.
The former days are not forgotten by me, nor the
years past, when we were all made to drink of one
cup, and were baptized into the death and suffering
of Christ: and were made to drink it willingly,
knowing it was our portion allotted to us of the
Lord, which we would not pass, but must drink
thereof. And though it was irksome and grievous
unto us, when our strength was but small, yet God,
out of His infinite love and mercy, strengthened us
to bear, and to suffer, and to deny that which hid
immortality and life from us. And He bore us up
in His arms, and made us to endure with patience
the sufferings and the death; so that we might obtain
the resurrection of the dead; which indeed was
a blessed time; though for a moment it seemed
grievous. But now, having obtained the resurrection
of the dead, being baptized into the resurrection
and into the life, more blessedness is known, even
spiritual blessings, which God has given us to enjoy
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that like as we
suffered one for another, and one with another, so we
might be made to rejoice one with another, and for
another, and in Him alone; in whom all our fresh
springs are, and from whom our joy and gladness
and consolation spring. He has opened the springs
of the great deep, and has made life spring up,
whereby His little ones are refreshed, and the young
men strengthened, and the ancient and honorable
confirmed and established. Holy and revered be
His name forevermore, who is exalting His glorious
mountain above the top of all the earth; and making
Jerusalem the praise and glory and admiration of
the whole earth. And let me tell you, I am no
more weary than the first day the sickle was put
into the harvest; when we went out sowing the seed weeping and in tears: but seeing sheaves
brought home, and full loads into the barn, and
full draughts caught in the net, it has made me
look beyond fainting - blessed be the Lord.
I am glad you stayed so long in that city (London),
in which we have had many a burden and
weary day; but that fruit is brought forth unto
God, plenteously balancing all, and makes me
forget travail. I have been northward in Northumberland,
Bishoprick, and upon the east sea, and
back to York; truly the garden for the most part is
very pleasant, and gives a goodly smell, now when
the south wind blows upon it.
Dearly farewell in the holy covenant of life,
Francis Howgill
Howgill's Death in Prison :
Arrested and imprisoned for failure to swear, with forfeiture of property and a life sentence, he died in prison. The unfairness of his trial is also detailed in his memoir.
On the 20th of the First month called January, 1668-9, Francis Howgill, after a sickness of nine days, died in the prison at Appleby, where he had been kept over five years. During his sickness he was in perfectly good understanding, and often very fervent in prayer, uttering many comfortable expressions, to the great refreshment of those about him. He was often heard to say, that he was content to die, and praised God for the many sweet enjoyments and refreshments he had received in that his prison-house-bed, whereon he lay, freely forgiving all who had a hand in his restraint. And said he, ' This was the place of my first imprisonment for the truth, here at this town, and if it be the place of my laying down the body, I am content.' Several persons of note, inhabitants of Appleby, as the mayor, and others, came to visit him; and some of these praying that God might speak peace to his soul, he returned, 'He has done it.' About two days before his departure, being attended by his wife, and several of his friends, he said to them: 'Friends, as to a matter of words, you must not expect much more from me, neither is there any great need of it, or to speak of matters of faith to you who are satisfied: only that you remember my dear love to all friends who inquire of me; for I ever loved friends well, or any in whom truth appeared. Truly God will own his people, as he has ever until now done, and as we have daily witnessed; for no sooner had they made that act of banishment, to the great suffering of many good friends, than the Lord stirred up enemies against them, whereby the violence of their hands was taken off. I say, again, God will own his people, even all those that are faithful. And as for me, I am well, and content to die. I am not at all afraid of death; but one thing was of late in my heart, and that I intended to have written to George Fox and others, even that which I have observed, that is, that as this generation passes fast away; we see many good and precious friends within these few years have been taken from us; and therefore friends have need to watch, and be very faithful that we may leave a good, and not a bad savor, to the next succeeding generation; for we see that it is but a little time that any of us have to stay here. A few hours before he departed, some friends from other places being come to visit him, he inquired about their welfare, and prayed fervently, with many heavenly expressions, that the Lord, by his mighty power, might preserve them out of all such things as would spot and defile. His voice then, by reason of his great weakness failed him, and a little after recovering some strength, he said, ‘I have sought the way of the Lord from a child, and lived innocently as among men; and if any inquire concerning my latter end, let them know that I die in the faith in which I lived, and suffered for.' After these words, he spoke some others, in prayer to God, and so discreetly finished his days in peace with the Lord, in the fiftieth year of his age.
He left a good name behind him among all who knew him. Sometime before his sickness, considering this mutable state, and finding in himself in some decay of nature, he made his will, in which, as his love was very dear to his brethren, with whom he had labored in the ministry, so he gave to each of them a remembrance of his love; he left also a legacy to his poor friends in those parts where he lived.
For although his movable goods were forfeited to the king forever, yet the confiscation of his real estate was only for life; so that then having something left, he could dispose of it by his will.
During his imprisonment, he neglected not to comfort and strengthen his brethren by writing, effecting that by his pen, which he could not by word of mouth: he also defended his doctrine against those who opposed the same, and among others, he wrote a large treatise against oaths, contradicting the opinion of those who considered it lawful to swear under the gospel.
Howgill's Outstanding Fatherly Advice to His Daughter :
While still in imprisoned under life sentence, about two years before his decease, he wrote an epistle of advice and counsel as his last will and testament to his daughter Abigail, a child whom he much loved, who was born in a time of deep exercises and trouble, which nevertheless by the Lord's goodness he was patiently brought through; wherefore he named this child Abigail, signifying, the father's joy. This letter was reprinted many times, for it spoke then, and now, with wisdom and simplicity. The advice is as sound in 21st Century as it was in 1666. In this testament he gave her instructions for the future conduct of her life as follows:
Daughter Abigail,
This is for you to observe and keep, and take heed unto, all the days of your life, for the regulating your life and conversation in this world, that your life may be happy, and your end blessed, and God glorified by you in your generation. These things I bequeath to you and counsel you to always observe, for these are the principal things alone that I have to bestow upon you, which I prize more than outward riches. Observe and keep my sayings; and I charge you before God, and by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you observe what I say, which I am moved by the Lord to leave behind for you, and in tender love and affection to you, my daughter, that the Lord may give his blessing to you and make your ways prosperous, and your later end peace.
I was not born to great possessions, nor did inherit great matters in this world; but the Lord has always endowed me with sufficiency and enough, and has been as a tender Father unto me, because my heart trusted in him, and did love the way of righteousness from a child. I have no great portion to bestow upon you, of the things of this world; you of that little which I have, and God has blessed me with, something I shall give you, which I shall not mention here, but you will know at my decease; but your dear mother I rather commend you to, who I trust will provide sufficiently for you, to whom my heart has been upright before the Lord. She had a sufficient portion and dowry when I married her, of which I am sorry to lessen or impair; and whatever was hers, if it please the Lord I die before her, I freely leave to her, as has always been my intention and purpose, which has not, nor will, alter, through the strength of God, as God only knows, and bears me record; and it shall be manifest to all in due time, as it is unto the Lord , who has been with me in the midst of my many troubles, trials, and sufferings, and has lifted up my head above my adversaries, because I trusted in his Name; which at times I found as a refuge, and a present help in time of need; and so it will be to you, if you fear his Name, and trust in Him forever.
And now my dear child, listen unto the words of my mouth, and listen to my counsel; ponder these things I leave behind me, for you to observe, that your days may be long upon the earth, and blessed and comfortable to you, and an honor to God in your generation. The time when you were born and came into the world, was a time of deep exercise and trouble with me, not from the Lord, who always spoke peace to me, and did sustain me; but by reason of the adversary of mankind, who always seeks to devour the good in all, and is the sower of discord and mischief in the hearts of those who don’t fear the Lord or abide in his counsel; in whom he enters, as any place is given to his temptations, and corrupts the mind. But though it was a great trial that came upon me, the Lord kept my heart in uprightness unto Him and gave me much patience; so that though the earth had been removed into the sea, and all outward things had run into confusion, and nature had changed its course, the Lord gave me strength not to be troubled, neither offended; because He did support me.
At that time you were born, and therefore I called your name Abigail, which signifies the father’s joy or delight, for in you I was comforted, and my then troubles were mitigated.
My counsel unto you is that you remember your Creator in the days of your youth, and fear the Lord in your youth, and learn to know him and serve him all your days. First seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof; it is not far from you; it is within you. It consists in life and power, and it stands in righteousness, truth, and equity; justice, mercy, long-suffering, patience, love, light, and holiness; this is the being and center thereof. Therefore don't seek God in this place or that place, without you, in this or that outward observation, for many seek there and never find it; but seek and you shall find, wait and you shall receive.
If you inquire, in what must I seek? And in what must I wait? And how must I seek? I inform you, that you must silence all your own thoughts, and you must turn your mind to what is pure, and holy, and good within yourself and seek and wait in that, in the light of Jesus Christ, by which you are enlightened, which shows you when you do evil, and checks and reproves you. Take heed to that, and it will show your evil inclinations and thoughts; and as you love it, it will destroy them, and preserve you for the time to come out of evil. For though you are born into the world a reasonable creature, yet you must be born again, and be made a new creature, or else you can not enter into God's kingdom. You must know the seed of the kingdom in yourself, of which you must be born and formed again into God's image. I have told you God has sown it in you, a grain of it, a measure of it, a portion of it, a measure of light and truth, of righteousness and holiness; keep your thoughts focused to that, and love it, and you will feel the heavenly Father working in you, and forming you to life through Jesus Christ who has enlightened you. Doing this, you will feel the power of the Lord strengthening you, from your small beginning, and making you grow in the immortal seed of his kingdom, while outgrowing and overgrowing all evil. So that you will daily die to evil, and have no pleasure in it; but rather your pleasure will be in the Lord, and in his goodness and virtue shed abroad in your heart, which you will taste and feel within, and in which you will have joy and comfort.
Love the Lord with your heart and soul, even him that made you, and gave you your life, and all things in heaven and earth. Be still and wait for the knowledge of him in yourself. He is not far from you, but near you, and to all that call upon him in an upright heart. Seek the counsel of your dear mother; she will inform you; she knows him, and the way to life and peace; and listen to her instructions.
God is a spirit, of light, and life, and power, that searches the heart, and shows you when you do, or think, or speak evil, and shows man or woman their thoughts. What shows the evil, is good; and what shows a lie, is truth; this is within, take heed to it. This is called God's Spirit in the Scriptures; believe in it, love it, and it will quicken your heart to goodness, and it will subject the evil. Here is your teacher near you; love it, and if you act contrary, it will condemn you. Therefore take heed unto this spirit of truth, and it will enlighten and enliven you, and will open your understanding, and give you to know what God is, and to do what is good and acceptable in his sight; this spirit never errs, but leads out of all error into all truth.
O Abigail, believe my words! These are the words of God, and Truth. Be sober-minded in your youth, and wait on the Lord within; listen unto him. God is light immortal, life immortal, truth immortal, an everlasting eternal Spirit: he speaks spiritually and invisibly within the hearts and consciences of men and women: hear what he speaks, and obey his voice, and your soul shall live; fear to offend him, or sin against him, for the wages of sin are death. Therefore prize his love in your young and tender years, and do read the scriptures and Friends' books, and take heed to what you read to obey it, as far as you understand; and pray often unto the Lord, that he will give you his knowledge, and open your understanding in the things of his kingdom; search your heart often with the light of Christ in you; manifest and bring your deeds to it, that they may be tried. Examine yourself how the case stands between the Lord and you; and if you see yourself wrong, humble yourself and be sorry, and turn unto him, and he will show you mercy. And take heed for the time to come, that you do not repeat the same evil again. Keep your heart clean, and watch against the evil in yourself by the light which shows the evil; in which light there is power, and thereby you have power to overcome all evil.
And, dear child, mind not the pleasures of sin, which are but for a moment, and the end is misery; but keep low and cross your will and affections, so your mind will have no pleasure in the evil, but in good; and you will feel the immortal seed springing up in you, which God's peace and love is to.
Oh Abigail! These are great and weighty things, not to be slighted. Seek the company of the people who fear the Lord, worship him in spirit and truth, and lead a holy and blameless life and conversation; do not deny these people, but love them, and suffer with them. Take heed that you don't follow the hireling teachers and preachers, who preach for gain and money, and do not abide Christ's doctrine. Don't believe them, don't heed them, they do people no good. But you will see them yourself. They have an outside show of godliness sometimes, but deny the power of God and true holiness; remember, I who have had perfect knowledge of them, have told you. But be sure that you let nothing separate your love from God and his people. His people were ever hated and belied, and persecuted, and evil-spoken of, always by bad and evil, loose people. His people are those who keep his law, and obey Christ's voice, and lead a holy life; these are God's people, and his love, peace, and blessing is with them. Love and associate with his people as you grow as a natural branch, (up among them), of the living vine, and continue all your days in obedience unto God's will, and you will feel joy and love in your heart; which you should desire above all things, and you will attain and obtain everlasting peace, which the Lord grants unto you, according to the riches of his mercy and love, which endure forever and ever.
Amen.
And now, Abigail, concerning your well-being in this life, this is my advice and counsel unto you: love your dear mother, and ever obey her and honor her, and see you do not grieve her. Be not stubborn nor willful, but be submissive to her, and be as an obedient child to her, whose love and care has been too great over you and your sisters, which has brought too much trouble upon herself. Learn in your youth to read and write, and sew and knit, and all points of good labor that belong to a maid, and flee idleness and sloth, that nourishes sin. And as you grow up in years, labor in the affairs of the country, and beware of pride, and riotousness, and curiosity, but be contented with such apparel as your mother permits you, that you may be a good example to others. Be not loose, nor wild, nor light, but temperate, moderate, and chaste; and not forward in words, nor speech, but swift, to hear, slow to speak; and always live with your mother, and be a help unto her, and cherish her in her old age and latter years, that she may be comforted in you, and her soul may bless you. Love your sisters, and be always courteous to them and your brother; encourage one another in good.
And if you live to be a woman of perfect birth, keep yourself unspotted, and do not let your mind be distracted by sports or pastimes; the end of all those is sorrow; neither after young men. If you have a desire to marry, do not you seek a husband, but let a husband seek you. And if you live in God's fear, and an honest life and virtuous, those that fear God will seek you; let not your affections out unto everyone that proffers love, but be considerate. And above all things, choose one, (if you do marry), that loves and fears the Lord, whose conversation and manner, and course of life, you know well, before you give consent. Be discreet and wise, hide nothing from your mother, and she will advise you, no doubt, for your good; and if she is living, do not marry without her consent. And if you join to a husband, be sure you love him in your heart, and be obedient unto him, and honor him among all, so will his heart be more to you, and his love increase. Grieve him not, but be gentle, and easy to be entreated, and mind your own business; and if the Lord gives you children, bring them up in God's fear, and good exercise, and keep them in subjection to you, and be an example of virtue and holiness unto them, that the Lord's blessing you may feel in youth and in age, and all your life long.
Oh, Abigail remember these things, keep in mind these things, read often this writing over, get it copied over, and lay up my words in your heart, and do them, so will you be happy in this life, and in the life to come. These things I give you in charge to observe, so my mind and will, and counsel unalterable unto you, as witness hereof I have set my hand.
Your dear father,
Francis Howgill
The 26th of the Fifth Month, 1666
Howgill's Eulogy at the Death of His Dear Friend Edward Burrough :
When his dear friend and fellow preacher, Edward Burrough, had died in Newgate prison earlier, Francis Howgill then gave forth the following beautiful and powerful testimony: [which is also descriptive of Francis' own accomplishments]
Shall days, or months, or years, wear out your name, as though you had no being! Oh no!
Shall not your noble and valiant acts, and mighty works which you have wrought
through the power of him that separated you from the womb, live in generations to come! O yes!
The children that are yet unborn, shall have you in their mouths,
and your works shall testify of you, in generations, who yet have not a being, and shall count you blessed.
Did your life go out as the snuff of a candle? O no!
You have penetrated the hearts of many, and the memorial of the just shall live forever;
and be had in renown among the children of men forever.
For you have turned many to righteousness,
and shine as a star of God in the firmament of God's power, forever and ever;
and they that are in that, shall see you there, and enjoy you there,
though you are gone away from here, and can no more be seen in mutability;
yet your life and your spirit shall run parallel with immortality.
Oh Edward Burrough!
I cannot but mourn for you,
yet not as one without hope or faith,
knowing and having a perfect testimony of your well-being in my heart, by the Spirit of the Lord;
yet your absence is great, and years to come shall know the want of you.
Shall I not lament as David did for a worse man than you, even for Abner;
when in wrath he perished by the hand of Joab, without any just cause, though he was a valiant man?
David lamented over Abner, and said, did Abner die as a fool dies?
(Oh No! He was betrayed of his life.)
Even so have you been bereaved of your life by the hand of the oppressor, whose habitations are full of cruelty.
Oh your soul, come not you within their secret,
for your blood shall be required at the hands of them who thirsted after your life;
and it shall cry as Abel's who was in the faith;
even so were you, it shall weigh as a ponderous millstone upon their necks,
and shall crush them under, and be as a worm that gnaws, and shall not die.
When I think upon you, I am melted into tears of true sorrow;
and because of the want that the inheritance of the Lord has of you, my substance is even as dissolved.
Shall I not say as David did of Saul and Jonathan,
when they were slain in mount Gilboa,
the beauty of Israel is slain upon the high places;
even so were you stifled in nasty holes, and prisons, and many more who were precious in the eyes of the Lord:
and surely precious were you to me, oh dear Edward;
I am distressed for you my brother, very pleasant have you been to me,
and my love to you was wonderful, passing the love of woman:
Oh you whose bow never turned back, nor sword empty from the blood of the slain;
from the slaughter of the mighty;
who made nations and multitudes shake with the word of life in your mouth.
You were very dreadful to the enemies of the Lord, for you did cut like a razor.
And yet to the seed of God brought forth, your words dropped like oil, and your lips as the honeycomb.
You will be recorded among the valiants of Israel, who attained to the first degree,
through the power of the Lord, that wrought mightily in you in your day,
and were worthy of double honor, because of your works.
You were expert in handling your weapon,
and by you the mighty have fallen,
and the slain of the Lord have been many.
Many have been pricked to the heart through the power of the word of life;
and coals of fire from your life came forth of your mouth,
that in many a thicket, and among many briers and thorns it came to be kindled,
and did devour much stubble that cumbered the ground, and stained the earth.
Oh how certain a sound did your trumpet give!
And how great an alarm did you give in your day,
that made the host of the uncircumcised greatly distressed!
What man so valiant, though as Goliath of Gath, would not your valor have encountered with,
while many despised your youth!
And how have I seen you with your sling and your stone, (despised weapons to war with), wound the mighty!
And that which had seemed contemptible to the dragon's party, even as the jaw bone of an ass,
with it you have slain the Philistines heaps upon heaps, as Samson.
You have put your hand to the hammer of the Lord,
and have often fastened nails in the heads of the Lamb's enemies, as Jael did to Sisera;
and many a rough stone have you polished and squared, and made it fit for the buildings of God;
and much knotty wood have you hewed in your day, which was not fit for the building of God's house.
Oh, you prophet of the Lord,
you shall for ever be recorded in the Lamb's book of life, among the Lord's worthies,
who have followed the Lamb through great tribulations,
as many can witness for you from the beginning;
and at last have overcome,
and been found worthy to stand with the Lamb upon mount Zion, the hill of God;
as I have often seen you,
and your heart well tuned as a harp, to praise the Lord, and to sound forth his great salvation;
which many a time has made glad the hearts of those who believed,
and strengthened their faith and hope.
Well, you are at rest, and wound up in the bundle of life;
and I know tears were wiped away from your eyes, because there was no cause of sorrow in you:
for we know you witnessed the old things done away, and there was no curse,
but blessings were poured upon your head as rain, and peace a mighty shower,
and trouble was far from your dwelling;
though in the outward man trouble on every side,
and have had a greater share in that, for the gospel-sake, (though a youth), in your time, than many besides;
but now you are freed from that, and have obtained a name through faith, with the saints in light.
Well, had you more to give up than your life for the name of Jesus in this world? No;
and to seal the testimony committed unto you with your blood,
as you have often said in your day, which shall remain as a crown upon you forever and ever.
And now you are freed from the temptations of him who had the power of death;
and from your outward enemies, who hated you because of the love that dwelt in you;
and remains at the right hand of God, where there is joy and pleasure for ever more in the everlasting light;
which you have often testified unto, according to the word of prophecy in your heart,
which was given unto you by the Holy Ghost;
and you are at rest in the perfection thereof, in the beauty of holiness;
yet your life and your spirit I feel as present, and have unity with it, and in it,
beyond all created and visible things, which are subject to mutation and change;
and your life shall enter into others, to testify unto the same Truth, which is from everlasting to everlasting;
for God has raised, and will raise up children unto Abraham, of them that have been as dead stones;
his power is Almighty, great in his people in the midst of their enemies.'
With these sublime expressions Francis Howgill lamented his endeared friend Edward Burrough.
Site Editors Note: I call your attention to his eulogy above, where he said to Edward: my love to you was wonderful, passing the love of woman. As Christ said:
I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another.
Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another.
By this shall all know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.
I recall when I was searching for evidence in Christian history for something close to what was described in the Bible, in love and power. I came across a book, called Early Quaker Writings, not written by Quakers, where they mentioned that the early Quaker men wrote letters to one another, expressing their love for each other - something they said was unique in all their historical research. That was the tip off for me to dig deeper into the early Quaker record. Howgill's statement is a reflection of the Christian love that all the brothers and sisters in Christ felt for one another - a pure, clean, holy love that evidenced their true Christianity. When you add their love for each other, to their persecutions, and consider the power they exhibited - the authenticity of their promise of their faith is without question. And so, therefore, is their promise of perfection and purity, for the grace that brings salvation shows one's sins, and the same takes them away.
Francis was arrested and sent to prison for life, for failure to swear in his trial of unspecified charge. This he did cheerfully, and died in bonds, after over five years' imprisonment, [as related above]. He was a man of learning, and a great writer among his fellow-believers; insomuch, that during his confinement he wrote not only several edifying epistles to exhort them to constancy and steadfastness, in the doctrine of Truth, but also some books to refute the opposers of it.
Francis Howgill was a giant in the true Church of Christ. His writings will live forever, particularly his message from God regarding the Quakers memorialized and the letter to his daughter. His early death in prison was a great blow to all in his time, but his spirit lived on with those who continued to fellowship with those souls in heaven, past made perfect, in the company of the Holy Angels, Christ, and God.
This page is but a sample of his writings, many more are available in his Memoir and his outstanding doctrinal Letters.
This web site's purpose is to show how to become
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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