MY beloved Brethren, I beſeech you all young or old, rich or poor, of what degree ſoever you be, which reads or hears this little book I ſay I would have you to give good attention unto it, for it is worth your obſervation: for as I have ſtiled it upon theſe words, which is Gods Love from heaeven, to ſinners on earth. So I hope by Gods aſſiſtance, I ſhall clearly prove it here unto you as ſoon as I have declared the ſubject of this work, which I have taken in hand, and now by Gods help I do intend to let you underſtand one of the ſtrangeſt wondrous works as I may call it wrought by the handy work of God in love to ſinners upon earth, the like never heard on before, I do believe ſince the Lord created man, which I now ſhall declare unto you all within the County of Darbyſhire about a mile or ſome little more off Backwell near a place called Overhadin, near to a Paſture commonly called Hadin Paſtury in a little houſe hard by the Mill, there liveth a Damſel called Martha Taylor daughter to William Taylor, a young woman about 19 years of age, this Maid it is which the Lord i • pleaſed to ſhow his handy work upon, and a • I may boldly ſay he hath ſent down his ſpiritual love from heaven upon her: as by the grace of God I do intend to make it plainly appear unto you, for when ſhe was about 12 years old, it pleaſed the Lord to ſtrike her with a lameneſs in her limbs, about the ſmal • of her back, and ſo ſhe continued about the ſpace of 6 years, which was a great cauſe to make her ſtoop very much in her going, and towards the latter end of thoſe years, it pleaſed God to take her ſtomach from her: that ſhe could not eat as formerly ſhe uſed to do.

But ſince Saint Thomas's day in one thouſand ſix hundred ſixty ſeven, ſhe hath not taken any manner of food, bread, drink, or water, or any thing to preſerve mortal life, ever ſince the day aforeſaid; which is from that day to this day of my preſent writing, 40 weeks and upward, which is as I told you before as ſtrange a wonder as ever was ſince; the creation of man & a thing worthy to be chronicled for a memorial to our ſeed hereafter and as I told you before my conſcience tells me I may boldly ſay it is Gods love from heaven to Sinners upon earth, but before I paſs any further I do intend to give you a little more ſatisfaction concerning this Maids faſting which is manifeſtly made appear: for ſome of the head of the Gentry of that country having a great deſire to be more fully ſatiſfied in the truth, the thing being ſo wonderful and ſtrange that they ſcarce knew how to believe: ſo they thought good to make choice of twenty maids to watch and wait with her, that they might be the better ſatisfied in the truth: and ſo there was twenty Maids choſen and they did wait with her every one her turn, and has ſatiſfied for very truth that ſhe doth not receive any kind of food into her body, but all that is done unto her, her mother anointeth her lips with a feather and ſpring water, by reaſon of the hotneſs of her breath, this was certified for very truth by theſe twenty maids when they had done waiting with her and this I hope will ſerve to ſatisfie every true believeing Chriſtian that they may receive this wonderful ſtrange ſtory, as a true ſtory, and not as a fable, which I deſire that every chriſtian which hears it to believe it for a truth for I my ſelf which is the Author of this little book wou'd have you to underſtand that my belief is that I ſhould be worſe then an infidel, if I ſhould ſet out any ſuch a miraculous thing as this if it were a fable, and being ſo bold to joyn it with Gods word, no, far be it from me ſo to do: for I know it to be true by the evidence of her neighbours, and divers perſons and men of quality which hath been with her, and doth affirm it to be true, yet ſomething more I have to let you underſtand concerning this Maid, which is very ſtrange, conſidering her long faſting: and that is this for ſhe hath her ſpeech very perfect and has a great delight to talk and diſcourſe in the Scripture with any Scholar, there is very many of the Clegy doth come unto her far and near and hath very much diſcourſe, for ſhe is very ripe witted concering the word of God, & taketh much delight therein. Alſo for her perſon and complexion ſhe is worn away ſo bare that ſhe hath very ſmal left on her but skin and bone, ſhe hath no belly to be ſeen, for her intrails are dried up inſomuch that you may ſee her back bone through the skin of her belly, nothing ſhe can be likned to but the picture of death, all her body over but only the Lord keeps life in her her face is indifferent freſh & hath ſome red in it, her ſpeech very perfect and plain as any of we: but her voice very ſmal a very ſtrange thing unto man, but nothing is ſtrange unto the Lord: for as we may read in divers parts of Scripture of many things which the Lord wrought and brought to paſs which is very ſtrange to us, and was very ſtrange to thoſe people in thoſe days, Enoch lived nine hundred and five years, and Mathuſelah lived nine hundred ſixty and nine years. Geneſis 5.11.27. Which is very ſtrange to us, for now in our daies it is much to hear of any man that liveth one hundred, but I believe not in our age that ever any was heard of that lived nineſcore which is a great deal ſhort of nine hundred ſixty nine: and yet I ſay if we ſhould hear of any to live ſo long, we ſhould think it very ſtrange, and ſhould think it deſerved to be Chronicled: then much more I ſay ought this miraculous wonder of this Maid to be kept in memorial which hath lived above forty weeks without taſting any manner of mortal food, Moſes faſted forty days and forty nights and neither eat bread nor drank water. Exodus 34.28 Which was a mighty thing in thoſe days & cauſed to be recorded in the Scripture, becauſe he faſted longer then any was known to do before, our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt faſted forty days and forty nights. But now in our dayes he ſheweth greater miraculous wonders in preſerving the life of this woman, without taking any mortal food now forty weeks and more, which is already for every day that our Saviour and Moſes faſted.

I ſay ſhe has faſted for every day a week and more: and this is it makes me the more bolder to ſay it is Gods love from heaven, to ſinners on earth, for I do fully believe that it is for love that the Lord bears to that poor creature, which makes him to work this wonderful work upon her, for indeed I could wiſh with all my heart, that I and every poor ſoul living were but in as good a condition as the ſoul of that poor chriſtian is in for this my conſcience tells me I may boldly ſay that ſhe is fed with Angels food and the powers of Heaven is with her, and the Angel of the Lord is her door-keeper, and without doubt there is a place provided among thoſe bleſſed Angels, where ſhe ſhall receive life everlaſting world without end.

For why may not the Lord have ſpoken unto her the very ſame words which he ſpake to Moſes. And he ſaid my preſence ſhall go with thee, and I will give thee reſt Exodus 33.14. A bleſſed and a comfortable ſaying this was to have the ſpirit of the Lord go along with ſinners, and this we may be aſſured; this was for love which the Lord bare to thoſe people for they were but a ſtiff-necked people, as he tells them in the third verſe of this chapter, and yet out of his love he promiſed to go with them and give them reſt, for we may aſsure our ſelves the Lord will give reſt, wiſdom, knowledge and underſtanding to all ſuch as he loves, as you may find in Proverbs the 7. and the 6 verſe. For the Lord giveth wiſdom out of his mouth cometh knowledge and underſtanding.

And now to draw toward a concluſion I deſire to give you one word or two more concerning the wondrous work of the Lord which I have termed to be Gods love from heaven to ſinners upon earth, as you may find it concerning Lazarus for after he had been four days dead the Lord put life into him, as you may find in the thirty ninth chapter of John.

Where he ſaid to Martha take away the ſtone Martha the ſiſter of him that was dead, ſaid unto him Lord by this time he ſtinketh for he hath bin daies dead, but for all that Jeſus ſaith unto her, that if thou wouldeſt beleive, thou ſhouldeſt ſee the glory of God. Then they took away the ſtore from the place where the dead was laid. And Jeſus lift up his eyes, and ſaid, Father, I thank thee that thou haſt heard me. And I know that thou heareſt me alwayes: but becauſe of the people which ſtand by, I ſaid it, that they may believe that thou haſt ſent me. And, when he had thus ſpoken, he cryed with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead, came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-cloaths, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jeſus ſaith unto them, looſe him and let him go. as you may find it in the 40 41. 42. 43. 44. verſes of the 11 chapter of John. Many of theſe wondrous works did our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt ſhew to the people in thoſe days, yet as you may underſtand by theſe words in the 42. v. The people was very hard of belief in thoſe daies, and indeed it is to be feared that there is too many in theſe days, which will be very loath to believe this wonderful work which he has wrought upon this woman, nay there is many more places in the Scripture of very ſtrange Miracles which was done in thoſe days I ſhall but onely give you a hint of ſome of them, becauſe I am confined unto a ſmall quantity of paper: but in the firſt place I pray conſider the great work of the Lord in the three children which he preſerved from the raging heat of the fiery Furnace as you may finde in Daniel the third, alſo Daniel delivered in the Lyons den Daniel the 6. Jonas in the Whales belly, with divers more places in Scripture which is too tedious for to ſet down in this ſmal volumn, yet I call to mind one notable place where our Saviour raiſed Jarius daughter from death to life, and the people mocked him as you may find in the 8 chapter of Luke & about the 49 v. & ſo on to the end of the chapter. While he yet ſpake there came one from the ruler of the houſe ſaying to him, thy daughter is dead, trouble not the Maſter. But when Jeſus heard it, he anſwered him ſaying, fear not, believe only, and ſhe ſhall be made whole but in the 52 verſe. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he ſaid, weep not, ſhe is not dead, but ſleepeth. And they laughed him to ſcorn, knowing that ſhe was dead, but he ut them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, ſaying, Maid, ariſe, And her ſpirit came again, and ſhe aroſe ſtraitway: and he commanded to give her meat. And here you may ſee the Lord ſhewed great love to ſinners upon earth, for all they laughed him to ſcorn as you may find in the 53 verſe. Yet he was willing to work that marvellous work upon that young woman, and raiſe her from death to life which was a very ſtrange thing to man, to ſee thoſe which be dead to have life put into them again, and indeed this wonder which I have here related to you is much after the ſame manner, for though ſhe yet never parted with life in this world, yet in conſidering the condition that ſhe is in now: I ſay ſhe is much what as dead to this mortal life; having not taſted any kind of mortal food, not of forty weeks and more, which may well be counted a Wonder of Wonders to all men now living.

And ſo now to draw to a concluſion I will end with a word or two of exhortation, deſiring every chriſtian to bear in mind this Damſel which I have here ſpoken of, and to conſider the Lord hath not ſhown this handy work upon her only for her own ſin. O no, but as you may find in the 13 of Luke & the 5 verſe. I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, yee ſhall all likewiſe periſh. and ſo I pray God give us all grace ſo to do whilſt we live in this world that we may receive life everlaſting in the world to come, world without end. Amen.