or King William Reign'd but mistake me not for I do not mean that he will sit in the Parliament-House c. This made Mr. Ives advise him to let Blood speedily not so much out of hopes of working a Cure for he found he was too far gone for that as to prevent his growing worse These Vapours having made him uncapable of a sober use of his Faculties he became dispos'd for a new Light or for any thing that was out of the way He believed and often discours'd it That Divine Inspiration was no strange thing and he instanc'd commonly in Arch-Bishop Vsher as a Man divinely inspired and was under dismal apprehensions of a Prophecy that was much talk'd of under his Name But these were but the beginnings of Distraction His Friend Mr. Wrexham had taught him to be mad by Book let it not seem light for I cannot forbear saying it because I know it to be true and the loss of his good Wife made him continually descant upon the New-found-Ground 'till he became compleat Master of the Crotchets His chiefest Friends have very lately assur'd me That the Millenary-Notion was wholly owing to Mr. Wrexham and that he never truly indulg'd Melancholy though be was often liable to it 'till his Wife a Woman of more than ordinary discretion as well as Piety departed this Life I must add That I well know that Mr. Mason did not only receive the Notion of the Millennium from Mr. Wrexham but the very Year when it would commence he was by the way confident of the Year though he would determine nothing of the Day to prove this I have not only the Testimony of his chief Friends but Mr. Wrexham's Chronological Talent to refer to Alsted I well remember'd in his Chronology had fix'd it for this Year 1694. And while I was upon the Enquiry Whether Mr. Wrexham had been conversant in this Millenarian Author though I had reason to suppose it because my Learned Friend that gave me his Character had told me scarce any Chronology-Writer had escap'd him my Bookseller at Northampton sends me the very Book that was Mr. Wrexham's and his Name in the first Page with several Notes and References under his own Hand-writing 'T is needless I think to cite much out of him for there is scarce a Page where he explains the Visions and Prophecies but we find frequent mention of the Year 1694. See p. 146. p. 148. and 484. Ab hoc currente Anno 1623. usque ad 1694. erit protasis sive praeparatio ad mille annos Apocalypticos quibus elapsis incipiet bellum Gog Magog hoc excipiet illustris ille adventus Domini ad judicium I will add farther though here I am not certain That I verily think from what I have heard and consider'd that I can assign the cause of the believâ—… appearance on that very Day it happen'd or rather the Night preceding the 16th of April last As I urge not this for Matter of certainty so I would not be thought to reflect upon Mr. Mason in it as a designing Cheat but I do it to give a probable Account at least How he that was capable of any false impression became deluded at that particular time viz. on Sunday-Night or Monday-Morning His coldness to the Church Prayers I have already hinted and have in part said that I meant by it an indifferency rather than an aversion For he constantly observ'd as far as I can learn the great Days of the Nativity Resurrection c. and always was well pleas'd to read the Epistles and Gospels belonging thereto And he did most especially commend the Collects of any part of Divine Service The Resurrection being commemorated but the Week before the Meditation upon it was very natural to a devout Soul and Mr. Mason being fully possest with an Assurance of his Appearing would naturally expect it as a thing in course after his Resurrection .. This as I suppose runs in his mind for the whole Week and when the next Sunday comes the first after Easter he reads the Gospel John 20.19 The same day at evening being the first day of the week when the doors were shut where the Disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them Peace be unto you and when he had so said He shew'd unto them his hands and his side Then were the Disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again Peace be unto you as my Father hath sent me even so send I you And when he had said this he breath'd on them and saith unto them Receive ye the Holy Ghost Whos 's soever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained This being pat to his long surmizings gives him a fresh heat and more vigorous expectations And when the day and he I should haâ—e said the fasting day for he would eat nothing on sundays that he might make room for vapours which he verily believ'd to be inspiration were quite spent with earnest Prayers and tedious repetitions he naturally became all ecstacy nd trance Down he lyes and before his usual hour as the Divine c. observes in a late Pamphlet and doses on the Gospel he had lately read which makes so powerful an impression on his Brain that when he seems to awake betwixt twelve and one as near as I can learn He believes the Vision he had in his Fit to be a reality yea and thinks that he still saw it This no one will wonder at that has observ'd how frequent it is for Children after some terrible dream to cry bitterly even after they are awake and their Eyes open Tho' we bring them a Candle as Mr. Mason had one by him they still believe they see with their Eyes what they saw in their Dream and 't is a long time before we can quiet them and a longer before we can undeceive them He that shall read Casaubon's third Chapter may see enough to prove that 't is not at all mateterial in point of Apparition whether the species comes to the Eyes from without or from within Thus I have as I take it given at one view a series of occasions to this surprizing novelty I will now insist upon some particulars 2 His long and earnest expectation of our saviour's Bodily presence did promote the delusion whether we look upon 't as a mere Dream or a waking fancy whether we suppose it a strong imagination or a real apparition of one of those spirits that can with ease transform themselves into Angels of Light One in his circumstances might easily be impos'd on any of these ways without any reflection upon his sincerity We are all sensible hew natural it is for us to dream of those things we expect and according to the earnestness of the expectation it makes a proportionable impression upon us When we expect with Fear after we have aâ—…d
AN Impartial Account OF Mr JOHN MASON OF WATER-STRATFORD AND HIS SENTIMENTS By H. MAVRICE Rector of Tyringham Bucks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ne quis Sapiat supra quam oportet sed ad sobrietatem Sapiat Rom. 12.3 Proxima puris Sort est manibus nescire nefas Sen. Herc. Fur. LONDON Printed by Tho. Warren for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCXCV TO THE Most Reverend Father in GOD JOHN Lord Arch-Bishop of YORK May it please your Grace IN Obedience to your Lordship's Wishes I here publish an entire Account of Mr. Mason and his Followers which by God's Blessing may detect Error and becalm Faction In those chiefly who esteem a general Rendezvous upon Earth a better enjoyment than Heaven's Triumph who look upon all Government as Antichristian and think it their duty to despise Dominion that they may set up themselves and Christ together I had design'd indeed to silence the Incredulity of the Atheist and Deist but a report being spread and believ'd by some great Friends that I was the Publisher of Mr. Mason's Letters c. made me contract my thoughts that I might gain and undeceive the more Readers I return your Grace my Humble Thanks for the Honour of your Commands for the opportunity of doing a probable piece of Service to the Church of God and for the liberty you have given me to profess my self My Lord Your Lordship 's constant Servant Henry Maurice AN Impartial Account OF Mr. JOHN MASON AND HIS SENTIMENTS THE Design of these Papers is to transmit to Posterity as remarkable an instance of pure Enthusiasm as the Reformed World ever knew They are writ in Answer to several Letters The First of which desir'd a Representation of the Matters of Fact at Water-Stratford The Next desir'd an Account of Mr. Mason's Character The Third ask'd my Thoughts of the Impulses and Vision to which he pretended and what might occasion them The Last was To enquire how it could be consistent with the Goodness of God to suffer a Person that meant well to be deluded The Fact is this That for Four Years or more Mr. Mason had been a stiff Asserter of our Saviour's Reign a Thousand Years on Earth and had drawn a Scheme of it in a Discourse call'd The Mid-night Cry which was Preach'd in several Places with great Zeal and receiv'd with much Applause This brought him many Followers Ten Miles about and as his Hearers encreas'd for the Novelty of the Doctrine so the Notion was confirm'd and in time improv'd The Reign upon Earth was to commence in England and Water-Stratford was the very Spot of Ground where his Standard was to be set up Those who would repair thither might find a safe Retreat but all other parts of the Nation would infallibly be expos'd to Fire and Sword Those who could heartily believe this thought it their Interest to reside there and those who had it brought with them as many Necessaries as they thought would last 'till the good Time should come As for Lodgings when his House was fill'd some as I was told lay in the Town and others made themselves open Partitions in the Barn fearing no ill because they design'd none About Easter last their Notions were fix'd and their Habitations settl'd Here they spent their time nigh an hundred of them besides many hundreds of well-wishers who were coming and going in Dancing Singing Praying c. 'till the long expected Appearance presented it self on April the 16th last about One in the Morning Towards the latter end of April being at Northampton I call'd on Mr. Ives a Relation to Mr. Mason's Family and discoursing on his late Pretences Mrs. Ives show'd me the following Letter dated April the 23d which I immediately Transcrib'd April 23d Water-Stratford Dear Cous Ives THE Thing which I am about to relate to you is very wonderful I need not rehearse what Doctrines my Brother has of late four Years been upon you know it has been of Christ's setting up of his Kingdom and that it would be usher'd in by a dreadful Tribulation and that this was very near at hand But the great Thing I have to acquaint you with is That on the sixteenth day of this Instant the Lord Jesus Christ did appear in this House to his Servant my Brother Mason in his glorious Person He was in a Crimson Garment his Countenance exceeding Beautiful abundance of sweetness and great Majesty He had the sight of him for some considerable time and then he was pleas'd to disappear I have not time nor strength to write what I heard from him of Christ's glorious Person He often says that all the glories that the World speaks of are but dirt to what has appear'd in the face of Christ Thus much I was desirous to acquaint you and the rest of my Relations with and now He and the rest that have had the Faith of Christ's coming live in the immediate expectation of Christ's Appearance here to gather to himself all his People to preserve them from the storm that is coming upon this land Those I say that God has given this Faith to are come hither and sing and dance before the Ark day and night some at a time and bid the Michals despise to their peril Here has been many hundred of Spectators but my Brother's advice to them all is daily to go home and see if they have Oyl and trim their Lamps for the Bridegroom is very near coming My Brother has had a thousand false stories reported of him and one that he was mad But he never had any thing like it in all his Life And it is not doubted but he will prove the Prophet of the Age and sent of God as Noah was to warn the World and the Forerunner of Christ's second coming as the Holy Baptist was of Christ's first coming and that Elijah in the last of Malachy that was to be sent before the Great and Dreadful Day But I must conclude That those who have this Faith of Christ's coming are mean unlearned and contemptible Persons in the Eye of the World excepting this Minister and that has much stumbled all sorts of People God gives the Faith to whom he pleases and at Christ's first coming was given to Fishermen and unlearned poor Creatures and so He has done again that no Flesh may glory in His sight I have been larger than I thought I rest Your Affectionate and Humble Servant and Kinswoman Margaret Holms Upon the reading of this I went on the 28th of April to visit my old Friend Mr. Mason at Water-Stratford with whom I had been familiarly acquainted twenty years before I no sooner came into his Yard but was surpriz'd with the wildness of unexpected Noises They were all singing some to one tune and some to another but so loud that it could not be exact When I enter'd the House a more melancholy Scene of a Spiritual Bedlam which still fills me with horror presented it self
Men Women and Children running up and down one while stretching their Arms upwards to catch their Saviour in his coming down others extending them forwards to meet his embraces a third with a sudden turn pretends to grasp him and a fourth clapping their hands for joy they had him with several other antick Postures which made me think that Bedlam it self was but a faint Image of their Spiritual Phrensies All this while they were singing as loud as their throats would give them leave till they were quite spent and look'd black in the Face When these were tir'd in came a fresh Company repeating the same Hymns with the like noise and wildness At this time Mr. Mason was in a darkish Garret upon his Bed and dy'd as I take it within a Month after and it was with some difficulty that I got access to him for they had deny'd several The Sister who wrote the Letter introduc'd me but told me beforehand that he did not care to talk of his Sentiments or Vision but referr'd me as to that Matter to his Two Witnesses who could say as much to it as himself He had a Week before been troubled with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a Ranula under his Tongue which made him the more unwilling to talk While I discours'd of common Matters he heard me patiently but as soon as I enquir'd of his Vision he sign'd to his Sister to have me down to the Two Witnesses who knew all his Mind I went from him into a lower Chamber where two Men which they call'd the Witnesses but I suppose one was but a Deputy because I have since heard that one of the Witnesses who dy'd within a Week after was sick when I was there met me with many Spectators The Witnesses gave me the same Account with the Letter That our Lord appeared to the Prophet on the 16th of April c. And to confirm the Truth of it they further told me That at the same time two Angels appeared in white to a Man of their Society as he was going homewards to Great-Harwood and forc'd him back again I ask'd the Witnesses What was their proper Business They answered with much assurance That their Prophet was not to bear Witness of himself That in the Mouth of two or three Witnesses every Truth should be establish'd That God would give Power to his two Witnesses c. But the choicest Place was as I remember Isa 44.5 One shall say I am the Lord 's and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord and sir-name himself by the name of Israel and so on to the 8th Verse Ye are my Witnesses They witnessed That their Prophet was the very Person spoken of Rev. 1.1 He sent and signified it by his Angel to his servant John They witnessed That Mr. Mason was that Elijah that John the Baptist was not that Elijah that was to appear before the great and terrible Day as the Baptist said I am not therefore there were two Elijah's and therefore John Mason was one They witnessed farther That their Prophet saw our Saviour for a considerable time that He said many things but spoke no words For His Majestick Looks said that he came to Judge and Condemn the greatest part of the World and his smiling Countenance said He would save Sion and the holy Ground that is said they Water-Stratford and its Borders They could not or would not tell me how far the Borders would extend but they told me that few that very few of this Land should be Sav'd This I thought very hard and therefore I ask'd them What would become of some truly pious Persons that might never hear of Water-Stratford To which they answered That some of the Elect would be hall'd thither without their consent by Angels Will our Saviour said I be visible to all when He comes amongst you They reply'd To very few And as they seem'd to explain themselves only to the Prophet and his Witnesses but with the Prophet he would daily Converse and be very Familiar and His chief Residence would be in the Clouds They expect Him they assur'd me every Minute and therefore Day and Night they are upon the Watch. When our Saviour has done here He would they said carry the Believers in this new Prophet to the New Jerusalem and gather the Elect in other places to them When I ask'd 'em How Mr. Mason was affected at the sight of our Saviour they had an Answer ready That he had not the least fear upon him which they told me was the fulfilling of a Prophecy Heb. 9. and the last He shall appear the second time without sin to salvation And now I thought it time to enquire seriously Whether it was not possible that their Prophet might be deceived To which the Sister who had been all the while present gravely Answer'd with an obliging Accent O Sir the Holiness of his Life makes it impossible that God should permit him to be deceived When I had given as I thought a due reply to this the Witnesses confess'd they did not much insist upon that since the Spirit assur'd both the Prophet and themselves That He was the very Christ that appear'd to him To this I returned That several have been as confident of the Spirit 's impulse as themselves and yet have been deceiv'd and then they cited something out of Dr. Owen That though he that has not the Spirit may think he has it and be deceived yet they that have it know they have it and cannot be deceived Like those that are in a Dream may think themselves awake but they that are awake are well assur'd of it After this I ask'd what Argument they had to convince the doubtful who thought it a little unreasonable to believe such strange matters at second hand What Miracles what Signs c. But they interrupted me and in a half-passion answer'd This was sign sufficient that all should be Sav'd that believ'd it and they that did not should be destroy'd and damn'd This began ro stir me and I could not forbear saying That I fear'd they were all deluded and that they would find in a little time c. But the Witnesses would not suffer me to proceed and starting up in a furious transport told me I would be I have forgot the Word but am sure it meant damn'd for my Unbelief and so they avoided me When I came down into their Parlour the Dancers were encreas'd in that Room to Thirty or more They usually entertain'd all sorts of Vagabond-Fidlers Singing-Boys or Wenches and hir'd them to stay with them because they thought our Saviour would have all sorts of Musick to attend Him They pretended not to any Miracles nor discerning of Spirits nor need they for they require nothing but this Faith That Christ has this Second time appear'd in Order to Salvation If I had talk'd with the Prophet himself of these things I