and Profeffors would fay, That was a fealed up Book; 1646. and would have kept me out of it. But I told them, Chrift could open the Seals; and that they were the neareft things to us: For the Epiftles were written to the Saints, that lived in former Ages; but the Revelations were written of things to come.

After this I met with a fort of People, that held, Women have no Souls; (adding in a light manner) no more than a Goofe. But I reproved them, and told them, that was not right: For Mary faid, my Sout doth magnifie the Lord, and my Spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour.

And removing again to another Place, I came a mong a People, that relied much on Dreams. And I told them; Except they could diftinguish between Dream and Dream, they would math or confound altogether: For there were three forts of Dreams; for multitude of Business fometimes caufed Dreams: And there were Whisperings of Satan in Man in the Night Seafon; and there were Speakings of God to Man in Dreams. But thefe People came out of thefe Things, and at last became Friends.

Now though I had great Openings, yet great Trou ble and Temptations came many times upon me; fo that when it was Day, I wished for Night, and when it was Night, I wifhed for Day. And by reafon of the Openings I had in my Troubles, I could fay as David faid, Day unto Day uttereth Speech, and Night unto Night fheweth Knowledge. And when I had O penings, they answered one another, and anfwered the Scriptures: For I had great Openings of the Scrip tures. And when I was in Troubles, one Trouble alfo answered to another.

Shire.

Leiceft.

About the beginning of the Year 1647. I was mo- 1647. ved of the Lord to go into Darbyshire, where I met Darbywith fome Friendly People, and had many Difcour- Peakfes with them. Then pailing further, into the Peak- Country. Country, I met with more friendly People, and with hire. fome in empty, high Notions. And travelling on through fome Parts of Leicestershire, and into Nottinghamshire, there I met with a tender People, and a very

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hamsh.

1647. a very tender Woman, whofe Name was Elizabeth Hootton ; and with thefe I had fome Meetings and Difcourfes. But my Troubles continued, and I was often under great Temptations; and I fafted much, and walked abroad. in folitary Places many Days, and often took my Bible, and went and fate in hollow Trees, and lonefome Places, till Night came on; and frequently, in the Night, walked mournfully about by my felf: For I was a Man of Sorrows in the Times of the firft Workings of the Lord in me.

Now, during all this Time I was never joined in Profeffion of Religion with any, but gave up my felf to the Lord; having forfaken all evil Company, and taken leave of Father and Mother, and all other Relations, and travelled up and down as a Stranger in the Earth, which Way the Lord inclined my Heart; taking a Chamber to my felf in the Town, where I came, and tarrying fometimes a Month, fometimes more, fometimes lefs in a Place: For I durft not ftay long in any Place, being afraid both of Profeffor and Profane, left, being a tender YoungMan, I fhould be hurt by converfing much with either. For which Reafon I kept my felf much as a Stranger, feeking Heavenly Wifdom, and getting Knowledge from the Lord; and was brought off from outward Things, to rely wholly on the Lord alone. And though my Exercifes and Troubles were very great, yet were they not fo continual, but that I had fome Intermiffions; and was fometimes brought into fuch an Heavenly Joy, that I thought, I had been in Abraham's Bofom. As I cannot declare the Mifery I was in, it was fo great and heavy upon me; fo neither can I fet forth the Mercies of God unto me in all my Mifery. Oh! the everlafting Love of God to my Soul, when I was in great Diftrefs! when my 'Troubles and Torments were great, then was his Love exceeding great. Thou, Lord, makeft a fruitful Field a barren Wilderness, and a barren Wildernefs a fruitful Field! thou bringeft down and fetteft up! Thou killeft and makeft alive! all Honour and Glory be to thee, O Lord of Glory! The Knowledge

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of thee in the Spirit is Life: But that Knowledge 1647. which is fleshly, works Death. And while there is this Knowledge in the Flesh, Deceit and Self, will conform to any thing, and will fay Yes, yes, to that it doth not know. The Knowledge which the World hath, of what the Prophets and Apoftles fpake, is a fleshly Knowledge; and the Apoftates from the Life, in which the Prophets and Apoftles were, have gotten their Words, the Holy Scriptures, in a Form, but not in the Life, nor Spirit, that gave them forth. And fo they all lie in Confufion, and are making Provifion for the Flesh, to fulfill the Lufts thereof; but not to fulfill the Law and Command of Chrift in his Power and Spirit: For that, they fay, they cannot do; but to fulfill the Lufts of the Flesh, that they can do with Delight.

Now after I had received that Opening from the Lord, that To be bred at Oxford or Cambridge, was not fufficient to fit a Man to be a Minifter of Chrift, I regarded the Priefts lefs, and looked more after the Diffenting People. And among them I faw, there was fome Tendernefs: And many of them came afterwards to be Convinced; for they had fome Openings. But as had forfaken all the Priefts, fo I left the Separate Preachers alfo, and those called the most Experienced People: For I faw there was none among them all, that could fpeak to my Condition. And when all my hopes in them, and in all Men was gone, fo that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do; Then, O! then I heard a Voice, which faid, "There is one, even Chrift Jefus, "that can speak to thy Condition: And when I heard it, my Heart did leap for Joy. Then the Lord did let me fee, why there was none upon the Earth, that could fpeak to my Condition? namely, that I might give him all the Glory. For all are concluded under Sin, and fhut up in Unbelief, as I had been; that Jefus Chrift might have the Pre-heminence; who enlightens, and gives Grace, and Faith, and Power. Thus when God doth work, who fhall let it? And this I knew Experimentally. My Defires after the

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1647. Lord grew ftronger, and Zeal in the pure knowledge of God, and of Chrift alone, without the help of any Man, Book or Writing. For though I read the Scriptures that fpake of Chrift, and of God; yet I knew him not, but by Revelation, as he, who hath the Key did open, and as the Father of Life drew me to his Son by his Spirit. And then the Lord did gently lead me along, and did let me fee his Love, which was Endless and Eternal, and furpaffes all the Knowledge, that Men have in the natural State, or can get by Hiftory, or Books. And that Love did let ine fee my felf, as I was without him, and I was afraid of all Company: For I faw them perfectly, where they were, through the Love of God, which let me fee my felf. And I had not Fellowship with any People, Priefts nor Profeffors, nor any fort of feparated People; but with Chrift, who hath the Key, and opened the Door of Light and Life unto me. And I was afraid of all Carnal Talk and Talkers, for I could fee nothing but Corruptions, and the Life lay under the Burden of Corruptions. And when I my felf was in the Deep, under all fhut up, I could not believe, that I fhould ever overcome; iny Troubles, my Sorrows and my Temptations were fo great, that I thought many times, Ifhould have defpaired, I was fo tempted. But when Chrift oponed to me, how he was tempted by the fame Devil, and had overcome him, and bruifed his Head; and that through him, and his Power, Light, Grace and Spirit, I thould overcome alfo; I had Confidence in him. So he it was, that opened to me, when I was fhut up, and had not hope, nor Faith. Chrift it was (who had enlightened me) that gave me his Light to believe in, and gave me Hope, which is himself, revealed himself in me, and gave me his Spirit, and gave me his Grace, which I found sufficient in the Deeps, and in Weaknefs. Thus in the deepeft Miferies, and in the greatest Sorrows and Temptations, that many times befet me, the Lord in his Mercy did keep me. And I found that there were two thirts in me; the one after the Creatures, to

have gotten Help and Strength there; and the other 1647.
after the Lord, the Creator, and his Son Jefus Chrift.
And I faw all the World could do me no good. If
I had had a King's Diet, Palace and Attendance, all
would have been as nothing: For nothing gave me
Comfort, but the Lord by his Power. And I faw
Profeffors, Priefts and People were whole and at ease
in that Condition, which was my mifery; and they
loved that, which I would have been rid of. But
the Lord did ftay my defires upon himfelf, from
whom my help came, and my care waft caft upon
him alone. Therefore all Wait patiently upon the
Lord, whatsoever Condition you be in; wait in the
Grace and Truth, that comes by Jefus: For if ye fo
do, there is a Promife to you, and the Lord God will
fulfill it in you. And Blessed are all they indeed,
that do indeed hunger and thirst after Righteousness;
they fhall be fatisfied with it: I have found it fo,
praised be the Lord, who filleth with it, and fatif-
fieth the defires of the hungry Soul, O let the Houfe
of the Spiritual Ifrael fay, His Mercy endureth for
ever! It is the great Love of God, to make a Wilder-
nefs of that, which is pleasant to the outward Eye,
and fleshly Mind; and to make a fruitful Field of a
barren Wilderness: This is the great Work of God.
But while People's Minds do run in the Earthly, af-
ter the Creatures, and changeable Things, and chan-
geable Ways and Religions, and changeable, uncer-
tain Teachers, their Minds are in Bondage, and they
are brittle and changeable, and toffed up and down
with windy Doctrines and Thoughts, and Notions
and Things; their Minds being from the unchange-
able Truth in the inward Parts, the Light of Jefus
Chrift, which would keep their Minds to the Un-
changeable, who is the Way to the Father; who in
all my Troubles did preferve me by his Spirit and
Power, praised be his Holy Name for ever!

Again, I heard a Voice, which did fay, Thou
Serpent! Thou doft feek to deftroy the Life; but
canft not: For the Sword, which keepeth the Tree
of Life, fhall deftroy thee. So Chrift, the Word of
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God,