blow on my bare head, that made it swell and sore for a considerable time; she was so disturbed at it, that she swore she would kill me, though she should be hanged for it; though before that time she very seldom, if ever, gave me an angry word. But I considered the enmity was between the two seeds, and that'that which was * born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit.' Gal. iv. 29. I being well satisfied of the Truth in myself, remembered Christ's words, 'He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy ' of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he 'that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.' Mat. x. 37. 39.

"The Almighty put it into my heart to consider the cost, and that through tribulation I was to enter into the kingdom of heaven; and I was faithful in this testimony that I had to bear. I was much encouraged to go on in that strait and narrow way, that God shewed me I was to walk in. I also considered the saying, Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple:' again, 'Which of you, in6 tending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and ⚫counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it? Luke xiv. ch. 27, 28. This consideration was weighty with me, lest I should begin to take up the cross, and to walk in this way, and should not be able to hold out to the end for the temptation of Satan, the lust of the flesh, and the sinful customs and fash'ions of this world, were very prevalent; and the weight and burthen that was upon me was great, having none in the country to be an help to me in the time of my

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exercise, but the Lord alone, who hath promised to be with His people in all their troubles, and that He would not leave them nor forsake them. I was very ready and willing to take hold of His promises, and my prayers unto Him were, that He would enable me to go through all things that He required of me.

“I was now first called a Quaker, because I said to a single person Thee and Thou, and kept on my hat, and did not go after the customs and fashions of the world, that other professors lived and walked in: though some of these would complain of their own formalities, and were weary of the fashions of the world, yet they did not take up their cross and leave them. In thus doing I had great confort from the Lord, and did receive from Him living satisfaction, and encouragement to go on in my way; remembering the scripture that saith, ‘The righteous shall hold on his way, and he 'that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger. Job xvii. 9. I might also say with Job, 'But He know'eth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I 'shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps; *his way have I kept, and not declined, neither have I 'gone back from the commandment of his lips: I have ' esteemed the words of his mouth more than my neces'sary food.' Job xxiii. 10. The Lord kept me, and his people, very meek and low in our minds, in a selfdenying spirit: we waited for the living word, that came with a living voice from him that speaks from heaven to us by his Spirit; and the living voice is the voice of 'Christ in us, the hope of glory;' Col. i. 27. which voice we esteemed more than our necessary food:

For obeying this voice we come to be mocked and derided; and they spoke all manner of evil against us, and hated us for his name's sake. Mat. x. 22. 1 re membered what Christ had told us in Luke xxi. 12. "They shall lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, 'being brought before kings and rulers for my name's 'sake,' &c. These and the like afflictions I was to meet with, if I truly and faithfully followed the Lord Jesus Christ; therefore I laboured to put on the whole armour of light, that I might be able to withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one.

"The rage of my mistress was not yet abated, though she had nothing against me, but not confor ming to the corrupt language and vain customs of the world: for I laboured to keep a conscience void of offence, both towards God and man. One time, when she thought it a fit opportunity to execute her cruelty, she fell into a great rage, and I was freely given up to die that hour by her; but the Lord was pleased to accept of my free-will offering, and I may say with the apostle, that I counted not 'my life dear unto myself, *so that I might finish my course with joy.' Acts xx: 24. And the Lord alone appeared for my deliverance, and made her more moderate the rest of my servitude, it being less than two years; and after I went away, the Lord visited her with a sharp fit of sickness, in which time she spoke to her husband and those that were with her, that she thought she should not die till she had asked me forgiveness, and desired them to send for me if it were at London; and so they did: I could freely forgive her, for that I had done long since, and I prayed

to my heavenly Father that he might forgive her also. I sent to her; and it pleased God to touch her with a sense of his love, and lengthened her days, she confess ing often tinies the wrong she had done to an honest careful young man, as she said I had been, who minded her husband's inward and outward good more than they themselves did.

"About this time (1657) it was the great talk of the country, that I was become a Quaker. My parents were much concerned about me. I had not been yet with my father nor mother, but waited for freedom and clearness in myself, and then I went to see them. It was a trouble to them to see that I did not, as formerly go down upon my knees to ask their blessing, and bow to them and take of my hat. My father soon turned his back upon me. I had heard of his displeasure, and that he had said, he would leave me nothing; saying to my relations, that they thought to have had comfort of me, but now they expected none, but that I would go up and down the country, crying, Repent! Repent! Now, if my father should have cast me off upon such an account, I was well persuaded it was for Christ's and the gospel's sake. I remembered David's condition when he said, 'Thou hast been my help; leave me 'not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 'When my father and my mother forsake me, then the 'Lord will take me up. Teach me thy way, O Lord, ́ and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.' Psalm xxvii. 9 to 11.

"At length my mother came tenderly to me, and took a view of me, looking on my face, and she saw I

was her child, and that I was not, as they said, bewitch ed or transformed into some other likeness; which was reported of Quakers then, and that they bewitched people to their religion, &c. Thus they deceived them and many others with such strange stories, and we were accounted 'deceivers, yet true.' 2 Cor. vi. 8. And when I discoursed with her out of the scriptures, her heart was much tendered and affected with the goodness of God towards me; she went to see for my father. and said unto him, 'Be of good comfort, our son is not เ as was reported of him, we hope to have comfort of 'him yet.'

"A little after this, I came to hear that some of the people that were called Quakers were at Shrewsbury, being distant from the place of my abode about eighteen miles; I waited for an opportunity to go to see them, and the way of their worship, for as yet I had not seen any of them, but that one poor man before mentioned. When the time called Christmas came, I got leave to go so far. I went first to the house of John Millington, where many Friends resorted, and they of the town came to see me in great love and tenderness, and much brokenness of heart was among us, though but few words. We waited to feel the Lord among us, in all our comings together. When the first day of the week came, we went to a meeting at Wm. Pane's, and though it was silent from words, yet the word of the Lord was among us, it was as a hammer and a fire, it was sharper than any two-edged sword, it pierced through our inward parts, it melted and brought us into tears, that there was scarcely a dry eye among us;