THe mind of man deſtitute of Gods Grace, doth (like untilled ground) luxuriate into wickedneſſe and vanity, being very prone to cloſe with the ſuggeſtions of the grand adverſary of his ſoul; yea, though he hath had ſome taſt of the things that are excellent, yet ſuch is his curioſity, that he will be ſeeking after the novelties. Old truths (like the Manna to the Iſraelites, after a conſtant and continued falling of it) become nauſeous: the truth hereof hath been found in all ages by lamentable experience, but eſpecially in theſe our daies, which have been as fruitfull in new opinions in matters of Religion, as Africa it ſelf, of Monſters.

Some (though few in compariſon) God is pleaſed to recall, who have gone aſtray in this kind, and to bring them to a clear ſight of their folly; of which number, I (by Gods Grace towards me) am one; I deſire to acknowledge him in it, and to give him the praiſe of it, and think my ſelf bound in conſcience, as a teſtimony of my thankfulneſs to God for my deliverance, to declare it to the world, that others may hear and fear, and take warning by my example. They who have been lately in the Northern parts of England, cannot be ignorant how prevalent the impoſture of quaking hath been for theſe 9 or ten Moneths laſt paſt, in which ſnare I my ſelf (among many poor deluded ſoules) was taken in May laſt 1653. though by Gods goodneſſe towards me the ſnare is broken, and I am eſcaped; a true account whereof take as followeth.

I being deſirous to aſſociate my ſelf with this Faction at their Meeting, and to hear ſome of them ſpeak (to uſe their own expreſſion) acquainted one of their own with it, viz. George Bayley of Kendall, who gave me great encouragement herein from his own experience of much advantage received by him in that way: Whereupon I went ſoon after to their Meeting at Richard Newby's houſe, where I ſtaid about two houres (viz. from eight till ten at night) where Chriſtopher Atkinſon was Speaker, whoſe drift was to deny all Miniſteriall teaching and Ordinances, together with all notionall knowledge formerly gained by uſe of ſuch meanes, to become as though wee had never learned any thing thereby ſavingly, and to lay a new ground-work, viz. to be taught of God within our ſelves by waiting upon an inward light, which (as they aſſert) lies low hidden under the earth, viz. the old man, which is of the earth, earthy. Hereupon I reſolved to cloſe with them, after which time I was afraid to read any good Books, or hear any preaching Miniſter, or call to remembrance any thing which I had formerly learned out of Gods Word, concerning God or Chriſt, or mine own eſtate, or any other ſubject contained in Scripture; for I was perſwaded by their teaching, that whaſoever I had learned out of Gods Word, by hearing, reading, catechizing, &c. was but notionall, carnall, and hanging upon the tree of Knowledge; in which condition whilſt I abode, they affirmed me to be under the Curſe, applying this expreſſion, though very impertinently, Curſed is every one that hangeth on the Tree.

After this, going a ſecond time to one of their Meetings at Edmond Newby's, I had ſome conference by the way with ſome of themſelves which went with me; amongſt other blaſphemies, one Robert Colliſon affirmed, that Chriſt was as man, had his failings, for he diſtruſted God (quoth he) upon the Croſſe, when he cried out, My God, my God, why haſt thou forſaken me? to whom I anſwered, that then he ſuffered as an evill doer, and ſo could not purchaſe redemption for us; after this comming home, he who then was Speaker, urged us to take up the Croſſe daily, and to abide under it; ſaying, Carry the Croſſe all day, and it will keep thee at night; that this would keep us low and humble, and kill, and make alive: further, he endeavoured to perſwade his Auditors to harken to a voice within them, teaching, that Gods voice was a ſtill voice; after which I reſolved in my thoughts to wait for the manifeſtation of theſe things within my ſelf.

After a while, going a third time to their meeting, as I went I was ſomewhat troubled in my thoughts at the remembrance of that hideous blaſphemy uttered by the party before named, whereupon I ſpake publickly to them at their meeting concerning it; telling them, that I would not any further joyn with them if they were all of that mind, to which ſome of them (after much whiſpering) anſwered negatively, wiſhing me not to let it trouble me; for he which ſpake ſo to me was not rightly called; with which anſwer I was at preſent ſatisfied, and did adhere to my former reſolution. Not long after I went to another meeting upon a Lords day at Robert Colliſons houſe in Kendall, where the aforeſaid Atkinſon was Speaker, who beginning about 9 a clock in the forenoon, continued til three in the afternoon, in which time he ſpake much (according to his uſuall manner) of the great experience which he had of God from the light within him, which light I not finding to be in my ſelf, was very much troubled, apprehending my condition to be very bad, finding nothing but blindneſſe and hardneſſe, yet I ſtill expected the appearance of that light within me, and earneſtly deſired that I might fall into quaking and trembling, apprehending that I ſhould thereby attain to the immediate diſcoveries of God unto me. Upon my departure from thence, I peruſed a Pamphlet ſet forth by ſome of the ſame Faction, being in York Caſtle, the main ſcop of it was againſt the Miniſtry; immediatly after walking in my Bed-chamber, I began (as I have formerly deſired) to tremble & quake ſo extremely, that I could not ſtand upon my feet, but was conſtrained to fall down upon my Bed, where I howled and cried (as it is uſual with them) in a terrible and hideous manner, to the great aſtoniſhment of my Family: Nevertheleſſe I my ſelf was not at all affected with fear, becauſe it was ſatisfaction to my former deſires, and I looked upon it as the beginning of the pangs of the new birth & expected that the iſſue of it would be good; when I had continued about half an houre in that condition, I ceaſed from howling and crying gradually; after which I roſe up again, beginning to rejoice, thinking with my ſelf that now I could bear witneſſe againſt the Miniſters of England as falſe Prophets and Prieſts of Baal, becauſe I never found ſuch effects and operations upon me by ſo long continuance under their Miniſtry. After this, going to bed, I was much troubled all that night following in my ſleep, with dreams concerning my condition, & had a diſcovery of my ſins in particular, eſpecially of my covetouſneſs, the Devill working ſtrongly upon my imagination; I apprehended that all ſin was about to be hewed down, & rooted up in me, and (to my apprehenſion) the ſin of covetouſneſs had great long roots which did viſibly appear to me when it was rooted up: Afterwards lying awake, and thinking upon the dreams and viſions I had formerly been troubled with, I ſencibly perceived ſomething (as I imagined) lighting upon my neck, giving me a great ſtroak, which cauſed much pain to me, and after that another which was leſſe then the firſt, and ſo a third and fourth, each ſtroak being leſſe then the former, & each ſtroak deſcending lower down, till it came to the middle of my back, and then I thought ſomething entred into my body, which I perſwaded my ſelf (from Satans inſtigation) to be the Spirit of God deſcending upon me like a Dove, and entring into me, whereupon I heard (in my conceit) a voice within me ſaying, It is day; whereupon looking up and perceiving it to be light, I anſwered Yes; the voice replied twice over to me, and ſaid, as certainly as it is light, ſo certainly ſhall Chriſt give thee light.

After this I continued two or three dayes waiting for further diſcoveries of light within me, being wrapt up into an extaſie of exceſſive joy, and ſometimes again exceedingly dejected with fears & doubts of my condition, whether it were really good, or I were under Satans deluſions; yet ſtill I waited for further manifeſtations, and walking into the Garden, lying down upon the ground with my face towards the earth, my right hand began extreamly to ſhake, ſo as I could not hold it ſtill, the meaning whereof whilſt I was wondering what it ſhould be, & apprehending my ſelf as being ſhaken by the hand, I was brought into another rapture of great joy, imagining it to be a figure of my ſpirituall Mariage and Union with Chriſt. Then preſently I was by the power within me raiſed, and ſet upon my feet, and by the ſame power turned and laid upon my back, with my face towards the skie; at which time all my ſins particularly were again brought into my memory, & at the remembrance of every ſin, my hand was carried round about with giving a little pat upon the ground, and then I imagined I heard a voice ſaying, now ſuch a ſin is mortified; after which I being perſwaded by it, that all my ſins were mortified by it one by one; the power that I was then acted by, permitted me to ariſe up again of my ſelf, ſaying unto me, Aske whatſoever thou wilt of the Father, and he will give it thee: I replyed, I know not what to aske; and therefore deſired that power to teach me what to aske: he anſwered me again, and bid me aske wiſdom in the firſt place; whereupon I deſired alſo, that God would give me ſuch things as were moſt for his glory, and the good of others; whereupon the power anſwered, that my requeſt was granted, and that I ſhould alſo be endewed with the gift of prophecy, and ſinging praiſes to God: wherewith being ſatisfied, I went to another meeting within an hour after, at William Doddings houſe in Kendall, which was the fifth and laſt meeting that I was at with them where Chriſtopher Atkinſon being Speaker, I was much more affected with what he ſpake then formerly, as being able more inwardly to witneſſe in part to what he ſpoke. After he had done, & a little pauſe had, the Company roſe up, as if they had been ready to depart; I my ſelf was ready to go away with the firſt, but the Wife of the houſe (Iſa: Dodding) took me by the hand, and wringing it very hard, bad me ſit down again, which I did, & preſently after one John Audland ſtood up, and began to ſpeak, ſaying, cannot ye watch one hour? and ſo proceeded after the uſuall manner. In the time of his ſpeaking I was by the power within me drawn from the chair upon which I ſat, and thrown upon the ground in the middeſt of the Company, where I lay all night; all which time, my body, and all the members of it were ſtill in motion, I being turnned from my back to my belly, and ſo back again ſeverall times, and making croſſes continually with my legs one over the other; my hands were carried to and fro upon the ground by a compulſive power, as if I had been writing upon the ground; in all which actions and motions, I acted not in the leaſt meaſure by a naturall power of mine own, neither did I reſiſt, or could I reſiſt that power which acted me, but was altogether paſſive; I was perſwaded that it was the immediate power of Chriſt, and heard to my thinking a voice ſpeaking to me, & ſaying, that that writing with my hand upon the ground, did ſignifie the writing of the Law within my heart. Having laine all night upon the ground in the manner aforeſaid, the power (as before in other actions) moved my hands to my head, and laid them upon the top thereof faſt cloſed together, whereupon I heard a voice, ſaying, Chriſt in God, and God in Chriſt, and Chriſt in thee; which words I was compelled to ſing forth before the Company in a ſtrange manner, & with ſuch a voice as was not naturally mine own: I ſung alſo diverſe phraſes of Scripture, which were given into me; after which I was raiſed from the ground, & ſet upon my fect by the power within me, which bad me be humble, and brought me down again upon my knees, and with a whiſpering voice ſaid to me, ſtoop low, low; and having ſtooped near the ground with my face, it ſaid to me, take up the Croſſe, and follow me: whereupon ariſing, I was led out of the houſe (by the back door) down to the River, and back again from thence into the Town another way, where I was ſenſibly drawn down the ſtreet, and cauſed ſuddenly to turn aſide to a door of an houſe (my ſelf not knowing who lived in it) two of the ſaid company ſollowing me all the time, (viz.) William Dodding and John Audland, and ſeeing me to go to that door ſaid, whither wilt thou go? this is the Fidlers houſe; I anſwered, whoſe houſe ſoever it be, Chriſt leads me hither, and hither I muſt go, whereupon my hand was carried to knock at the door, and commanded by a voice to ſay, Behold Chriſt ſtands at the door and knocks: after a while the Fidler opened, and I was led into the houſe, not ſpeaking any thing unto him: where my hand was carried to a Baſe-violl hanging up in the houſe; I took it down and began to play upon it with my fingers, and was immediatly compelled a fall to dancing, which I ſeldome or never in all my life did before: hereupon I queſtioned what power it ſhould be that carried me forth to ſuch actions, to which the voice within me replyed, This is not becauſe I love muſick, for I hate it, but to ſignifie unto thee what joy there is in heaven at thy converſion; as alſo what ſpirituall melody thou ſhalt have hereafter: then I was led out of the houſe into the ſtreet, and ſo carried along through the Town, being moved to proclame as I went, I am the way, the truth, and the life, with other expreſſions to the like purpoſe; after which I was brought to mine own houſe, the foreſaid Wil. Dodding going along with me, acknowledged that he had no power to leave me all this time: being come home, the ſame power would not ſuffer me to reſt, but caſt me upon the ground, and cauſed me to make circles round about the houſe with my hand, with many the like actions, telling me, that I was putting off the old man; my hand alſo was carried to take up a ſtone which lay upon the flore (which in my apprehenſion was in the form of a mans heart) the voice within me telling me, that Chriſt had taken that ſtone out of my heart, and given me an heart of fleſh, and my hand was moved to hold it forth to the Spectators, and my tongue to utter this ſentence, except you ſee ſigns and wonders you will not believe: and throwing the foreſaid ſtone amongſt them, I ſaid, Loe here is my heart of ſtone: afterwards being caſt upon the ground upon my back, the voice ſpake to me, ſaying, thou ſhalt have two Angels to keep thee, whereupon immediatly two Swallows deſcended down the Chimne •… and ſat upon a ſhelf over againſt the place where I lay: this 〈◊〉 in the houſe beſides my ſelf beheld, and I cried to them, my Angels, my Angels, being perſwaded that they were angels from heaven, and that it was a fulfilling of the promiſe, I held out my hand towards them, expecting they ſhould have come to me, but they did not, but aſcended up the Chimney, though both the door and the window were open.

I was alſo by the ſame power carried out of doors upon my hands & knees into the ſtreet, which my Wife & others ſeeing, endeavoured to hinder me, but I told them, I would not be hindered, but leave Wife, Children, and all to follow Chriſt: in this manner I went up the ſtreet, thinking that I bore a Croſſe upon my neck, & continued in this motion till ſome pulled me out of the mire and dirt, and by force carried me into the houſe again; whereupon I was moved to point to one of them which brought me in, and to ſay to her, Chriſt points at thee, thou art a wicked woman, and haſt hindered the work of the Lord; then the voice asked me where my Croſſe was, telling me I had ſcattered it, whereupon I was moved to make a Croſs with my finger upon the flore, and forced to ſet my head upon it, playing topſie turvy, or bull necks, thinking then I had retaken up my Croſſe. In theſe actions I was kept a long while, having many Scripture-expreſſions given in, to the admiration of all that heard me; ſometimes I was forced to leap and dance, this expreſſion being given in to me, now I have finiſhed the work which thou gaveſt me to do, thinking my Redemption then fully accompliſhed; but my joy continued not, for I was caſt down again, and the voice told me, I had offended God in attributing that to my ſelf which was proper to Chriſt; whereupon I was caſt upon the ground, and lying upon my belly, I was forced to lick the duſt, and my hand carried to ſtrike extraordinarily upon my head, having a voice given me, that no ſin muſt go unpuniſhed; ſo creeping up and down the houſe, I heard a voice ſaying, where is thy Croſſe? upon which looking aſide, I thought I ſaw a viſible Croſſe hanging in a threed, which with my hand I put behind my neck; I was kept in theſe poſtures all that day till evening, when many Quakers came in to me, who ſpake nothing but thus, Be lowly, mind thy condition, and harken to the voice within; ••••… ing any words of comfort or reproof, or putting up any •••• tion at all for me, but departed, leaving me in this condition. My ſtrength being almoſt ſpent, and my body much conſumed by continuall reſtleſneſſe; Two of them offered to watch with me that night, but I refuſed, telling them I was well, whereupon they departed. After this my Wife & Family being gon to bed, I being alone in the houſe, began to recollect my ſelf, and to queſtion whether that power by which I had been ſo ſtrangly acted, were Divine or Diabolicall? whereupon I was immediatly ſtruck with a pannick fear, and my hand was carried to take up a Knife which lay upon the Table, which being done, my hand was carried with it towards my throat, and the voice ſaid to me, open a hole there, and I will give thee the words of eternall life; whereupon I anſwered, what, with a Knife? and ſo threw the Knife away, being confident it was a temptation, from which I deſire God to deliver me. My wife being in bed in the next room, & hearing me ſpeak when none was with me, came out, and deſired me to go to bed, which I did at her entreaty: all the night following I was fully reſolved that it was the Devils power that had acted me all along formerly, and was perſwaded that I was really poſſeſt with a Devill, which muſt be ejected; and in the morning I verily thought that a Devill went out of me, at which inſtant I roared very hidiouſly, crying, now is the Devill gone out of me, at which inſtant I & my Family heard it thunder, (though none in the Town beſides heard it) which made me think it was the Devill, he being the Prince of the power of the air; ſoon after the ſame power came under another notion and told me, that it was Satan that had poſſeſt and led me heretofore, but now Chriſt was come, and he by his power had caſt out Satan, and couvinced me, that what ever I had done the day before was in obedience to Satan, and that as I had ſerved the Devill all the time before in my Clothes, ſo that day I must undo all that I had formerly done, only in my ſpirit in obedience to Chriſt; which immediatly I endeavoured, riſing out of my bed, and going into the ſtreet with my ſhirt, only; but my Wife and others ſoon laid hold upon me, & ſtopt me, whereupon the power within me told me, that I muſt be carried into the houſe with four women, as I had been the day before, or elſe I ſhould perpetually ſtand their like a pillar of Salt, as Lots wife did. So I was born in by 4. women, who carried me again into my bed, which being done, I told them, I had been doing the Devills work the day before, but to day I muſt do the work of Chriſt, & pointing at a woman whom I had pointed at the day before, ſaid theſe words, the Devill told me yeſterday that you were a wicked woman, but now Chriſt tells me that you are Gods Servant: the woman being departed, I fell to acting in my ſhirt only upon the bed, as I had done formerly upon the houſe flore, playing topſie turvy from one bed to another, whereby I might have undon my ſelf; but the power which acted me, bid me not fear, for I wil give thee ſtrength. After this the power told me, that the Devill had the other day commanded me to bear the Croſſe, but now Chriſt commands me to lay aſide thy Croſſe; for Chriſt takes no pleaſure in Croſses, nor will he have me worſhip them as yeſterday I had done: Further, the power ſaid to me, the Devill made thee yeſterday to lie all day upon the ground, but now I have provided a bed for thee, giving in this Scripture to me, my yoak is eaſie; promiſing alſo, to give me bread of life to eat, & water of life to drink, & that out of my belly ſhould flow rivers of living water: whereupon my teeth were cauſed to move as if I had been eating; and I thought I felt in my belly a flowing up and down, as of Waters: I was alſo perſwaded, that yeſterday the Devils angels had waited on me, but now Chriſts Angels ſhould guard me; whereupon I ſaw two Butterflies in the window, to which my hand was carried, and having taken one of them in my hand, I was moved by the power within me to put it into my mouth, and did ſwallow it down into my body, which having done, I took the other in my hand, and was moved to put it to my throat, the power telling me, it ſhould enter in there, ſaying, nothing is impoſſible to them that believe. After this I was cauſed to make circles upon the bed, as I had done formerly upon the ground: whereupon I began to think, that this was not of God, and ſo began to reſiſt the power by which I was acted, and thereupon fell into great fear and doubting, crying out, Lord, what wilt thou have me to to do? but the power told me, that it was too late to cry unto God, for ſentence was already pronounced againſt me: whereupon I lay down in my bed, much deſpairing, and was then convict, that it was the Devill which had again deluded me: in which condition having lain a ſhort ſpace, I was again aſſaulted by a power the third time, which told me, that it was a white Devill that had deceived me the latter time, but now Chriſt was come indeed, and he would caſt him out; whereupon I apprehended that Devill alſo to be eiected: after which, as I lay in my bed, all the members of my body fell a working, as if the pangs of Death had been upon me, the power telling me, that it was the pangs of the new birth, and that Chriſt was new born in me; with which I was ſomewhat ſatisfied, lying in that condition a whole day; in which time the power perſwaded me, that I ſhould work wonders, and cast out Devills in his name; ſoon after two Quakers came to me, viz. Geo. Bailey, and J. Braban, whom I told that I had two Devills caſt out of me, but now Chriſt was in me for a truth; then the power (pretending to be Chriſt) ſaid theſe words, I was crowned with a crown of thorns, but I will crown thee with a crown of glory, and bad me (as a figure thereof) to ſet my fiſt upon my head, and it ſhould appear to the ſtanders by as a glorious crown, though I ſaw nothing by my ſelf, which having done I ſpake to the ſtanders by, ſaying, what do you ſee? whereunto they gave me no anſwer, (being Quakers) but turned their eyes another way, the power telling me, that they ſaw the crown upon my head, but were ſo ſtrucken with admiration, that they could not expreſſe what they ſaw; immediatly the power bad me tell one of the Quakers then preſent that he had a devill in him, and that I ſhould have power to caſt him out; whereupon I ſaid unto him, O, thou hast a devill in thee; the power told me he ſhould quake and tremble, which immediatly he did; the power bad me ſpeak to him to fall flat upon the ground, which he did, & after a little ſpace roſe again, and I asked him whether the devill were gon out of him (having been before perſwaded by the power that I ſhould caſt him out,) to which he gave me no anſwer, but the power told me that the devill was ejected. I was told alſo by the ſame power, who (of thoſe that came to ſee me) had devils, and who not; and that my wife and my mother had devils in them, but I had power given me to caſt them out. After this, beginning again to queſtion whether this were Chriſt or not, I fell into a great fear and doubting, as formerly; whereupon the devil diſcovered himſelf to be the devill, & told me, that all this while I had been ſerving him, and blaſpheming God; and that it was now too late to repent, whereupon I was brought into deſpair for a time, thinking every thing which I either heard or ſaw, to be the devil come to fetch me away: one while I thought that I ſhould be taken away in a flame of fire, or elſe that the earth would ſwallow me up quick; whereupon I called my Wife, and deſired her to bring up my Children in the fear of God, for the devil would fetch me away, my ſelf ſtill thinking that he was drawing me out of the bed; thus I apprehended my ſelf wholy under the power of the devil, and had no power to recover my ſelf out of that ſad condition. At laſt I began (having bin ſo long deluded) to deſiſt from harkning to the voyce within me, and apply my ſelf unto God, in and through Chriſt, for deliverance from the power of Satan, knowing, that God was able to deliver me, though I were ſo far involved in the ſnare of the devill; thereupon my faith was in ſome meaſure raiſed to believe that God would deliver me: whereupon I was preſently in a great agony, and did ſweat extreamly, in which condition I continued all night, but was ſomwhat more cheerfull in the morning, eſteeming my ſelf in ſome meaſure reſcued from the power of the devil: yet having not reſolved as yet finally to deſert that way, I was ſoon again aſſaulted by the ſame, power, telling me, that now the devil was finally caſt out of me, & that the room within me muſt not be left empty, but that Chriſt muſt come & have the whole & ſole poſſeſſion, or elſe Satan would return & re-enter with 7. other devils worſe then himſelf, telling me withall, that he was Chriſt, and ſolliciting me to entertain and imbrace him as I had done formerly: I reſiſted the ſuggeſtions of this power for a time, having been ſo often deluded; whereupon as a motive to perſwade me to entertain it, he repreſented to my memorie all, or moſt of the remarkable paſſages of my life, both in England and Scotland, told me how long I ſhould live, viz. ten years, and where I ſhould die, viz. at London, & that I had a weak body, but he would ſtrengthen it, and thereupon cauſed me to rub my body all over with my hands, at which inſtant I conceived my body to receive ſtrength, & the members thereof to be more in ſubſtance then before; with divers other paſſages, promiſing me proſperity in the world, and ſpeaking theſe words to me, Joh. 4. 29. Behold a man that hath told thee all things that ever thou didſt, is not this Chriſt? whereupon I was at laſt perſwaded to imbrace this power, thinking that it was Chriſt indeed; whereupon I was preſently ſenſible of a working throughout my whole body, which ſoon ceaſed, and then I thought that my condition was good, and Chriſt to be really in me: afterwards this power told me, that I had highly offended God in all my former paſſages, in giving way to Satan, and that I was guilty of all ſins, except that againſt the Holy Ghoſt; but told me, that I did it ignorantly, and therefore he had pitty on me; I was further perſwaded by the ſame power, that I ſhould lie (ſeemingly dead,) which I did, not daring to ſtir, till the power moved me. Lying thus a while, the power began firſt to move one of my legs, and then the other; after that my hands, & then my head, & at laſt my whole body; cauſing me to ſit up in my bed, & telling me that thus ſhould my body be quickened & raiſed up again at the laſt day: then the power told me, that I muſt pull off my ſhirt and my cap, and the napkin which I had about my neck, ſaying, that whatſoever was about me was polluted, and that he bated the Garments ſpotted with the fleſh; whereupon I pull'd them off, and threw them on the ground, uttering theſe ſame words, that I bated the Garment ſpotted with the fleſh, the power alſo told me, that all my bonds were broken, & my cords looſened, & that Chriſt had ſet me free; whereupon calling for a clean ſhirt, and other linnen, I aroſe, concluding my ſelf to be in a good condition; yet finding my ſelf being up, no better, nor my body more ſtrengthened, but rather weakned, I began to ſee that I had been deluded in this laſt buſines as formerly; whereupon I was ſtrucken with fear, & walking into the Garden, I thought one while that the Devil would pull me into the earth, and another while that he would pull me into the air, ſo that I was afraid to continue abroad, and came again into the houſe, and ſuſpected every thing that I heard to be the Devil waiting to fetch me away; being in this perplexity of ſoul, I began to conſider how grievouſly I had offended God in rejecting the uſe of all externall means: as reading, hearing, prayer, &c. in the uſe whereof God hath commanded us to wait upon him, and therefore that it was moſt juſt with him to leave me to my ſelf, and to give me over to ſtrong deluſion, that I ſhould believe lies, which was my condition for a time, by the juſt judgement of God upon me, as for other provocations, ſo eſpecially for reiecting the revealed will of God in his word, and hearkning only to a voyce within me; becauſe what was ſpoken by it, was ſeconded by lying wonders, of which God hath given notice in his word, that ſo his people might not give credit to them, nor be deluded by them. I hope the Reader will ſo far give heed to what I have related concerning my ſelf, as to le • rn thereby to take heed of being impoſed upon by the devil, though he doth transform himſelf into an Angell of light; which advantage if any reap by it, I have my end: it hath been no ſmall burthen to my conſcience (ſince Gods gracious deliverance of me from this ſnare) that I ſhould ſo far gratifie the grand Adverſary, as not only to liſten to his ſuggeſtions, & imbrace his voice for the voice of Chriſt, but alſo wholy to neglect thoſe means, in the conſtant & conſcientious uſe whereof God hath promiſed to reveal himſelf unto his people, & to give in comfort to them, which becauſe I found not (though through my own default) I did in effect ſay, why ſhould I wait on the Lord any longer? and ſo turned unto lying vanities. O! that all who affect novelties, would ſeriouſly conſider of it, & take warning by it; for, Turpi 〈…〉 withſtand the Devil at his firſt aſſault, than to expect him being once admitted. Many beſides my ſelf, have been, and are in the like condition, but few or none to whom the Lord hath manifeſted his grace in ſuch a manner as to my ſelf. I had before this made this known to the world, had I had tranquillity of conſcience, and compoſure of Spirit, which bleſſing the Lord having in his Grace reſtored to me, I deſire the Chriſtian Reader to joyn with me in returning praiſes unto the Lord for his goodneſſe towards me. I reſt fully perſwaded, and I think it doth evidently appear (by what is mentioned in this Relation) to perſons unpreiudiced, that my quaking and trembling was of the Devil, that I was acted wholy and ſolely by him, whilſt in this condition; and I do really believe, that others in the like condition which I was then in, would be of the ſame mind with me, upon ſerious tryall of their condition by the principles of Chriſtian Religion▪ and ſanctified Reaſon. Leſt the ſtrangeneſs of ſome paſſages in this Relation, ſhould put the faith of any one upon the rack, or make them queſtion the truth thereof, I have not only given teſtimony my ſelf of it, by ſubſcribing my name; but alſo procured ſeverall perſons of known fidelity, living in, or neere Kendall, ( • hoſe names are under written) to teſtifie the probabilitie (if not the certainty) of the truth of it, by what they have ſeen and heard.