believed as though Christ himself was there. This being the case, I carried a weapon to our preacher against Thurgood, which was this, "They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercies," and I wished the minister to preach from it: so foolish was I. But so it is, a bond child cannot love a freeborn son: yet, blessed be God, we were then brethren in the purpose of God. This it was that made him often come to speak to me, though he seemed to be cut off from our community; and I was zealous for chastening him. This I did in ignorance and unbelief; however my burden still kept upon my back, and increasing worse and worse, till at last, like Peter, I cried out, "Lord, save, or I perish." Thus I went mourning, till these words came with power to my mind, "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted;" "Say to them of a fearful heart, Be strong." Before these words came I was sorely tried and tempted with blasphemous thoughts, till I did not know whether I uttered them or not: this made me mourn sore; but the above words, blessed be God, removed the temptation, the burden, and all; and on the next Lord's day I waited for our pastor on the road coming to C—te, in order to tell him of my deliverance. I had also another passage brought to me, which was this, "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father:" this I also told him at the same time, with the joy and peace I found in believing in those precious words. Į

told him I had considered what my mourning sprung from, which was being burdened with sin and those temptations; and then what my comfort sprung from, which was having an advocate with the Father: to which he made answer, that Satan could tempt, accuse, condemn, and comfort too. Then, said I, Satan must be divided against himself. He said, he wished his hearers to steer between Antinomianism and Arminianism; but never described the way. This stripped me of all my comfort, and kept me mourning till you published your second part of the Barber; which delivered me from my burden; the particulars I shall relate by and by. I have since found out what he meant by steering between Antinomianism and Arminianism; which was, by all means. to avoid reading your books, or hearing you preach: for he declared, in the public pulpit, that he would set his hand to burn all your books as soon as he came down, for it was them that had made all the disturbances amongst us; for Thurgood had circulated your books very much among us, and I had read several of them, which gave me some degree of comfort, and made me anxious to hear you.

At last Thurgood took me to London with him to hear you preach; and, blessed be God, I never repented me of my journey. Your text in the morning was in Luke: I well remember the words, and I think I ever shall; "Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom

Satan has bound, lo these eighteen years, be loosed from her infirmity on the sabbath-day?" In describing the likeness between Abraham and his seed, you quoted this passage, "Abraham went out, not knowing whither he went:" this you applied to every sinner when first setting out, that if he met any one he could not tell which way he was going. This came with such power to me, and being so similar to my case, comforted me, for I set out not knowing one step of the way; but you said, He set out for the land of Canaan, and to the land of Canaan he came:' so, thought I, surely, I have set out to find the Lord, and find him I shall. I went in the strength of this meat many days; and, though my brother died whilst I was in London, yet when I came home the comfort I received was so great that it had no effect upon me. Thus, sir, you was made manifest in my conscience, and had a great place in my affections.

This journey made me as a speckled bird to my former brethren; and, when they spoke against your books, or you, or your followers, it went like a dagger to my heart. However, they first began to whip me with this text, "Wo be to him by whom the offence cometh." This had some weight on my mind at first, till I considered if I had offended it was for the truth's sake, my conscience bearing me witness in the Spirit that it was the truth I had heard from you. About this time God was pleased to send the gospel to Well

wyn. I attended there the first time to hear our dear pastor, Mr. O. whom God has now given us; he spoke from those words, Ephes. ii. 13-15. This doctrine was what we had not been used to hear. Here I got convinced that the law was not the believer's rule of life, and of God's knowing that partition which stood between him and my soul. In short, I was determined to hear him again when he came. Thus, sir, I continued at Wellwyn until the minister called at my house to reprove me for not filling up my place at his meeting. I went out trembling, knowing my own weakness, fearing lest I should be left to say a confederacy with him in speaking against you and your books, conscience bearing me witness to the truth; and, not knowing what to say to him, I first asked if he did not think you was a good man: to which he answered, Yes; and then intimated you to be of a bad spirit, which to this day puzzles me much, how they can make a good man without the Spirit of Christ. But I shall leave that to their blindness, as in many other things, for they know not what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

But, sir, I shall leave this and proceed further. I begged of the minister to have a week to consider of this matter. The next day, being Monday, as I was making faggots, these scriptures came into my mind, but where to find them I knew not: the one was this, "Whatsoever they say unto you, that observe and do, but do not after

their works, for they say and do not;” the next was this, "Whether it be right to hearken to you more than unto God, judge ye." These were as though some one had repeated them over, and over, and over again; and seemed to work some persuasion in my mind that it was concerning the point in hand. This continued on my mind all the week, and on the Lord's day I went to C-te, and told the minister I could not consent to the terms he proposed. He endeavoured. to prevail with me, but I could not, I durst not, so I ran away like a lusty fellow, as the proverb is; for, in my judgment, it was from the appearance of evil.

Now, sir, all this time my experience lay buried in confusion; when I had any promise come with some degree of power, and caused comfort to spring up, this would come in again,

Ah, Satan, can comfort;' and then down I went again. Thus, sir, I went mourning many a day: sometimes these words came to my mind, out of Dr. Watts, Why should the children of a king go mourning all their days?' which would make me wonder what this could mean. I have read your account of Little Faith, and I have thought you must know something of my case; but how to express my feelings fully to you I cannot. But thus, sir, I went mourning, staggering, and stumbling, up and down, till providence directed into my hand your Barber, the second part; and, as I was reading it, I felt myself as I thought like