A strange but true NARRATIVE OF THE DELUSION OF THE DEVIL At a late Quakers Meeting, On one JOHN THURSTON.  
How he was seduced to turn QUAKER, and Possessed by an Evil Spirit, and of a Temptation he had to Cut his own Throat, and how he was preserved therefrom; and several Passages which happened to him in the time of his Delusion.  
Attested by Mr. William Robinson, that had the Relation from his own mouth.  

With Allowance.  
Ro. L'Estrange.   
LONDON: Printed for D. M. 1678.   

A true, strange, and wonderful Narrative of the Delusion of the Devil at a late Quakers Meeting, on one John Thurston of Kendal in Westmoreland, etc.  
SIR,  
TO satisfy your scruple as to the Truth and Credit of this following Relation, I had as much as this amounts to from Thurston himself, and the Minister of the Parish affirmed the Particulars of it. My house is in Brown's Court in Crutchet-Friers, London, and my name is William Robinson.  
IN May last 1678, at Kendal in Westmoreland, one John Thurston who was very desirous to associate himself with the Quakers at their Meetings, and speaking with one of them about it, he much encouraged him to hold on his Purpose; and accordingly he went to them, when their present Speaker whose drift was to deny all Ministerial Teaching and Ordinances, together with all notional knowledge gained by the use of such means, and to become as if they never learned any thing; and now to be taught of God within themselves, by waiting upon an inward Light, which (as he said) lies low hidden under the Earth, viz. the Old man which is of the Earth, earthly.  
Thurston was immediately so taken with this kind of Doctrine, that he resolved to close with them; was afraid to read any good Books, to hear any Preaching-Minister, or to call to remembrance any thing which he had f●rmerly learned concerning God, Christ, his own Estate, or any other subject contained in the Scripture. One of them told him, that Christ was as man, had his failings, disinherited God; and many other blasphemous words.  
At his next meeting, the Speaker urged him to take up the Cross daily, saying, Carry the Cross all day, and it will keep thee at night. He urged him to hearken to a Voice within him; spoke much of a Light within them. Which Thurston not yet finding, was much troubled, desiring that he might fall into quaking, thinking thereby he should attain to the immediate discoveries of God to him. And accordingly shortly after as he was walking in his Chamber, he began to quake so extremely, that he could not stand, but fell upon his bed, where he howled and cried in a terrible manner, yet was he not afraid, but looked upon it as the pangs of the New birth. After half an hour, by degrees, he ceased from howling, and rejoiced that now he could witness against the Ministers of England, as false Prophets and Priests of Baal.  
All the Night after, he was much troubled with Dreams about his Sins, and when he awaked, he perceived something lighting on his Neck, and giving him a great stroke which caused much pa●n, and so a second, third, and fourth, each less than other, descending till it came to the middle of his Back, and then he discerned something to enter into his Body, and he thought he heard a Voice within him saying, It is day, addding twice, As sure as its light, so surely shall Christ give thee light.  
Two or three days after, he still waited for more Light, and walking into a field, he lay down with his Face to the Earth, at which time his right hand began extremely to shake, and he was in a great rapture of joy, than did the power within, raise him and set him on his Feet, and afterwards laid him on his Back, brought his Sins into his remembrance, causing his Hand at every Sin, to strike the ground, and he heard a voice saying, Now is such a Sin mortified; then was he persuaded that all his Sins were mortified at once: Then risen he up, and a voice asked him, What he would from Heaven, and it should be ●iven him▪ then said Thurston, what shall I ask? It was answered, Ask Wisdom in the first place, he did so, it was answered, That his request was granted, and that he should be endowed with the gift of Prophecy.  
Presently after, he went to another of their Meetings, where the same person was again the Speaker, with which he was more affected than formerly, for that as he conceited, he could inwardly witness to what he spoke; after him another spoke, in the time of whose speaking, Thurston was drawn out of his Chair, and thrown upon the ground, where he l●y all night, all which time, his Body and Members were all in a kind of Epileptical motion; being turned from his back on his belly, and so back again several times, making crosses with his Legs and his Hands, moving on the ground as if he had been writing, and ●e heard a voice saying, That that writing with his hand on the ground, signified the writing of the Law in his heart, than were his hands moved to his head, and he said that he heard a voice, Christ in thee, which words he was compelled to sing forth in a strange manner, and with such a voice as was not his own▪ then it seemed that some Spirit raised him up, and bid him be humble, than brought him on his knees again, and he heard the voice saying, Stoop low, low, and when his face was almost at the ground, it said to him, Take up thy Cross, and follow me, then rising, he was led out of the house by the Devil at a Back door to the River, and back again, and then into the Town, where he was drawn down the street to a door, but he knew not where; whereupon two of them that followed him said, Whither will you go? This is the Fiddler's house; Thurston answered, be it whose house it will, I am led hither, and hither I must go, then was his hand forced to knock at the door, and the Voice bade him say, Behold, Christ stands at the door and knocks. The Fiddler opening the door, he went in, and taking down a Fiddle, he was forced to play on it and to dance; whereupon he questioned what pour led him to such actions: and the Voice presently answered him, This is not because I love Music for I hate it, but to signify to thee what joy there is in Heaven at thy Conversions as also what Spiritual Melody thou shalt have hereafter  
Then was he led out of the house and carried through the Town, pronouncing a Text of Scripture as he went. Then went he to his own house, and there by the Spirit was thrown down, and forced to make Circles with his hands, the Voice telling him, That he was now putting off the Old man. His hand also was forced to take up a stone which lay on the floor, which he thought to be like a man's heart, and the Voice told him, That Christ had taken that stone out of his heart, and given him an heart of flesh. Then was he cast upon his back to the ground, and the Voice said, Thou shalt have two Angels to keep thee: And immediately two Swallows came down the Chimney; whereupon he cried out, My Angels, my Angels! And withal he held out his hand to them, expecting they should have come to him; but they flew up the chimney again, though the door and windows were open. Then was he carried upon his hands and knees out of the doors into the street; and when his Wife would have stopped him, he said, He must not be stopped, he must forsake Wife, Children and all, to follow Christ. Thus went he up the street, thinking he bore a Cross upon his neck, till some pulled him out of the mire and dirt, and by force carried him into his own house; whereupon pointing at one of them, he said, Christ points at thee; thou art a wicked woman, thou hast hindered the work of the Lord. Thus he continued until the evening, when many of the Quakers coming to him, said, Be lowly minded, and hearken to the Voice within thee. And so they left him, his strength being almost quite spent with his restlessness.  
His wife and Family going to Bed, he remained alone, when he began to question, whither these strange Actions were Divine, or Diabolical: Whereupon he trembled, and his Hand was forced to take up a Knife, which lay by, and to point it to his Throat; and the Voice said to him, Open a hole there, and thou shalt have Eternal Life. But he threw away the Knife, and his Wife coming to him, at her persuasion he went to bed; and all the Night after he assured himself, that he was possessed by an Evil Spirit. And in the Morning he roared and cried out, Now the Devil is gone out of me; at which instant he and his Family heard it thunder, though no others heard it: Hereupon he fell into Despair for a time, thinking that every thing which he either heard or saw, was the Devil which came to fetch him away. Sometimes he thougbt that he should be taken away in a flame of Fire, other sometimes that the Earth would open and swallow him. Yet at last it pleased God (as it seems) to give him Repentance and Peace in his Conscience; and did desire that a Narrative of these things might be Published, to discover the danger of the Quakers Meetings, and to be a Caution to others, to take heed how they go out of God's ways, and forsake his Ordinances, lest falling into the Error of the wicked, they decline from their former steadfastness; and least not receiving the Love of the Truth, that ●hey might be saved, God give them over to strong Delusions, to believe a Lye.  
FINIS.