CHAPTER 30. A SUPPLEMENT

Containing several weighty expressions of William Edmundson on his death bed, with a brief account of his death and burial.

This worthy elder, after his return home, attended meetings there whilst of ability of body. He also read over his journal and other papers, and on the day before he took his bed, he was at a burial near his own dwelling where he bore a living testimony to Friends and neighbors present, advising all to make ready for such a time as that, that is to say, death, and exhorting the young people to beware of pride and height. This testimony, though short, was very reaching, a good power attending, and he concluded in sweet and fervent prayer to the Lord.

Next day, being the 2nd of the sixth month, a few hours after he had finished the reading of his writings for truth's service, he took his bed of the illness whereof he died and said that he was willing to die and well satisfied to go out of this troublesome world, for his day's work was finished.

On the 4th of the said month he said to Friends present, "I find my legs fail me, and it is tedious to die upward," desiring that the Lord would make his passage easy. He requested that his will might be performed and the substance of his journal no way altered. And soon after said, "Lord Jesus Christ, thou great Physician, who canst cure me, look upon me. I had rather die than live." That night, being very ill and full of pain, he was desirous to go to bed, and when helped towards it, he kneeled down at the bed side and was enabled in the midst of his extremity to call upon God, to the comfort and satisfaction of Friends present, beseeching the Lord to abate in some measure the bitterness of the pain that lay on him, which in a great degree was answered. He got little sleep that night, yet he lay for the most part pretty easy and quiet. And towards morning, being in a very tender frame of spirit, he was truly thankful to God for his mercy and goodness and did bless, praise, and magnify his great name for the same, desiring those present to praise the Lord also on his behalf.

On the 5th day of the month, some Friends being in the room sitting quietly by him, he desired their prayers for him, for he was weak and not able to undergo much. Soon after, he got a little sleep, and when he awoke, he besought the Lord to this effect, "Forget not thy wonted mercies, but mitigate these pains, if it be thy will, and stand not at a distance in this time of need, I pray thee, O Lord! Touch, one touch with thy finger and it cures all." A little after he ordered where his grave should be made and gave some advice and charges to his children.

On the 6th, he expressed to some Friends his concern and trouble of mind because of the pride and height that young people were gone into, far wide from the humility and plainness that truth led Friends into in the beginning, and said that one examples another therein, his spirit seeming burdened under a sense thereof. On going to bed, he renewed his supplication to the Lord not to forget his wonted kindness towards him.

On the 7th he said to his wife, "I am now clear of the world and the things of it."

To Friends who came to visit him that afternoon he said, "Friends, you would do well to retire to the Lord."

After a time of silent waiting, he prayed fervently to God to their great comfort. And though the extremity of his distemper was great, yet he bore it patiently. Friends from several parts coming to see him, he frequently declared his zealous concern for truth's prosperity and the promotion of its government in the churches of Christ, that not only those who were peculiarly concerned as elders in the discipline and oversight of the church should be rightly qualified and gifted for that service—men of truth, fearing God and hating covetousness, but also that all who were admitted into close communion as members of men's and women's meetings should be subject to truth and walk agreeable thereto in the whole course of their lives. When such came to visit him who had not been subject to those wholesome rules established in the church for good order and discipline, he did not spare to admonish and reprove them in the authority of truth for their good.

On the evening of the 10th, being in a heavenly frame of mind discernible to those near him, he spoke thus, "Heaven and earth, sea and dry land, and all things shall be shaken. Nothing must stand but what is according to the will of God. So look to it, Friends." And some time after, "I lie here under pain and would gladly be removed, but I am like one that pursues death and it flees from me, although I see not wherefore my time should be prolonged, my natural parts being decayed, neither do I see anything left undone which the Lord required of me when I had strength and ability, or that the Lord chargeth me with any neglect or transgression."

On the 18th, as he lay, he spoke thus to some present, "I have something to say to you, if you have ears to hear it. The spirit of vanity is let loose, the Lord suffers it, and it is like to make a separation." At another time he said to some intimate Friends present, "There are wonderful things to be done. The Lord hath a mighty work to do that must be gone through, and there be few that see through it."

Several other weighty expressions dropped from the mouth of our dear, ancient Friend in the time of his sickness, some of which are inserted in the testimonies given forth by Friends who visited him near his end and were eye and ear witnesses thereof.

Though many of his last sayings were not committed to writing, yet what is here collected may demonstrate his zeal for the glory of God and the welfare of Zion to his latter end. After about one month's sickness and pain of body, which was sharp to bear at times, having run the race with patience and kept the faith, he departed this life in sweet peace with the Lord, in unity with his brethren, and goodwill to all men, the 31st day of the sixth month, 1712, being nearly eighty-five years old, and was buried the 4th day of the seventh month following, in Friends' burying place at Tineel, near his late dwelling place, accompanied to the grave by many Friends and others from several parts, where divers testimonies were borne from a lively sense of his manifold services, perils, and labors of love, both in this nation and islands abroad, after which his body was decently interred, but his memorial lives among the righteous.

THE TESTIMONY OF FRIENDS

OF LEINSTER PROVINCE CONCERNING

WILLIAM EDMUNDSON

We being under a deep sense of the wonderful loving-kindness of God to mankind in every age and generation, but especially in that he hath been pleased in this latter age of the world, after a long, tedious, and dark night of apostasy to cause the light of his Son Christ Jesus so clearly and eminently to shine forth, expelling the thick cloud of darkness that had long been over the understandings of people and causing his everlasting Gospel to be preached again in the purity thereof and the true faith, once delivered to the saints, to be again professed and enjoyed as partakers of such mercies and privileges, we are under deep obligations to walk humbly and reverently before the Lord, and to return unto him praise, glory, and honor, who with his dear Son, our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is worthy thereof forever.

Among the many faithful laborers in the vineyard of the Lord, our dear and ancient Friend, William Edmundson, deceased, deserves to be remembered, especially by us of this province where for many years the place of his residence hath been. For his faithfulness and eminent services for God and his people and endeavors for the propagation of the blessed truth, a testimony lives in our hearts, and much might be spoken, but it is not our intention to attribute anything to the creature that belongs to the great Creator, God blessed for ever. Amen.

This our ancient Friend was by the Lord endued with a large and good understanding so that in his testimony he was many times wonderfully opened into the divine mysteries of God's heavenly kingdom and would speak excellently of Zion and the beauty and glory thereof, as also of the mysterious workings of Satan.

He was early convinced of God's blessed truth, when deep trials and exercises attended on each hand. But coming into deep humility and relying upon the arm of the Lord alone for help and deliverance, he was thereby preserved and kept pure and steadfast in his love to him through all those difficulties and hardships that attended so that in the hand of the Lord he was made instrumental to convince many of the way of life and salvation and bring them into obedience to the precepts of Christ Jesus. So by his labors, along with the labors of other faithful servants whom the Lord commissioned and sent into this island in the work of the ministry, meetings were settled and many joined with Friends, being weary of the dead, lifeless profession and outward performances they had been under, wherein they had found no spiritual comfort or refreshment to their souls.

After meetings were settled in many places and the Lord had been pleased to gift and qualify several in this nation to preach the Gospel, who were concerned for the promotion of truth and righteousness in the earth, and that the great work of reformation which the Lord had begun might be carried on and prosper, more than for any worldly concern whatever, it pleased the Lord to send forth this our ancient Friend into the nation of England, as also into the islands and English plantations in America, several times, where he faithfully labored and had eminent service, many being convinced of the blessed truth by him, and others confirmed therein. His concern and labor was fervent, that all those to whom the Lord had been graciously pleased to stretch forth a hand of love and convince of his blessed truth, might walk in faithful obedience thereunto, adorning the same by a humble, blameless, and self-denying life.

The great Lord of the harvest, who had called him to labor in his service, to whom he gave up in obedience and was devoted to serve, gave him a clear sight of the necessity of a diligent care among Friends so that such as professed the blessed truth and walked disorderly and loose in their lives should be seasonably dealt with, and the evil and danger thereof plainly laid before them, and they in the love of God admonished to amendment of life. But if such advice and admonition were slighted and rejected and those things persisted in that brought scandal and reproach upon the blessed truth, then for the clearing of truth and its faithful followers, to testify against those obstinate offenders and their actions, as such whom we had not unity with. In addition he was concerned that a due Christian care might be taken to relieve the necessities of the poor and that all Friends concerned in that holy ordinance of marriage should seek to know and duly regard the mind and will of God therein, more than worldly riches or earthly ends. He often zealously exhorted Friends thereto, as well as to proceed orderly with respect to parents and guardians, and to observe justice and equity on all accounts.

When it pleased the Lord to concern his faithful servant, George Fox, to set up men's and women's meetings to take care of those things, our dear friend William Edmundson rejoiced thereat and gladly closed therewith so that Monthly and Provincial, as also National Half-Yearly Meetings were appointed in this nation and have been kept up to this day. These have been of good service for the ends before mentioned, many having reaped great benefit and advantage thereby, and we have cause to bless the Lord for the same.

Our said Friend was a diligent attender of such meetings, as well as those more particularly appointed for performing Divine worship to Almighty God, and was greatly concerned that none might be admitted members thereof but such as were of clean and orderly conversations, walking as examples to the flock, having a concern upon their minds for the promotion of truth and righteousness in the earth. He many times had good service in such meetings by being clearly opened in the word of life to declare the qualifications necessary to fit members for such meetings and services. Beginning at those whom the Lord put his Spirit upon to assist Moses, who were men fearing God and hating covetousness, he would go through the law and prophets, the holy doctrines delivered by Christ when in the blessed and prepared body, as also the discipline and order in the primitive church before the apostasy entered, and the glorious promises how it should be in the latter days in the church coming up out of the wilderness, which we are now in measure witnesses of. O! the great dread and fear we ought to be under, and concern to walk worthy of so great favors and mercies.

As the Lord was pleased to gift him for the ministry so that he could speak a word in season to the states and conditions of people, he was also graciously pleased to pour forth the spirit of prayer and supplication upon him in an eminent manner, so that his appearance, when in the performance of that part of divine worship, was in such dread and awfulness upon his spirit that it had a great reach and impression upon the spirits of Friends, causing many times great tenderness to come over the meeting. The hearts of the sensible being greatly comforted and refreshed, they were inwardly filled with joy and divine praises to the Most High from whom all our mercies, both spiritual and temporal, do proceed.

He was greatly concerned for peace and unity in the church and that those things which tended to break the same might be kept out. Much more might be said concerning him and his faithfulness to God and concern for truth and the promotion thereof, as also for the good and benefit of God's people, but we shall refer to his own journal, and other testimonies that may be given concerning him. So we shall conclude with fervent prayer to the Lord that he will be pleased to raise up, gift,

and qualify many more for carrying on the glorious work of reformation that he hath begun, to the praise of his own great name, who is worthy for ever.

Given forth at our Province men's meeting for Leinster, held at Catherlough, the 18th of the second month, 1713.

Signed by order, in behalf of the said meeting, by

John Pim, Nicholas Gribbell.