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agreeing together, that he that would not drink should pay all. I was grieved that any that made profession of religion should do so. They grieved me very much, having never had such a thing put to me before, by any sort of people; wherefore I rose up to be gone, and putting my hand into my pocket I took out a groat and laid it down upon the table before them, and said, If it be so, I'll leave you. So I went away; and when I had done what business I had to do I returned home, but did not go to bed that night, nor could not sleep, but sometimes walked up and down, and sometimes prayed and cried to the Lord, who said unto me, Thou seest how young people go together into vanity, and old people into the earth, and thou must forsake all, both young and old, and keep out of all, and be as a stranger unto all.

Then at the command of God, on the ninth day of the seventh month, 1643, I left my relations, and brake off all familiarity or fellowship with old or young and I passed to Lutterworth, where I stayed some time; and from thence I went to Northampton, where also I made some stay: then passed from thence to Newport Pagnel in Buckinghamshire, where, after I had staid awhile, I went unto Barnet, and came thither in the fourth month, called June, in the year 1644. And as I thus travelled through the countries, professors took notice of me, and sought to be acquainted with me, but I was afraid of them, for I was sensible they did not possess what they professed. Now during the time that I was at Barnet, a strong temptation to despair came upon me; and then I saw how Christ was tempted, and mighty troubles I was in; and sometimes I kept myself retired in my chamber, and often walked solitary in the chace there, to wait upon the Lord.

And I wondered why these things should come to me, and I looked upon myself and said, Was I ever so before? Then I thought, because I had forsaken my relations, I had done amiss against them; so I was brought to call to mind all my time that I had spent, and to consider whether I had wronged any but temptations grew more and more, and I was tempted almost to despair: and when Satan could not effect his design upon me that way, then he laid snares for me, and baits to draw me to commit some sin, whereby he might take advantage to bring me to despair. I was about twenty years of age when these exercises came upon me; and some years I continued in that condition in great troubles, and fain. I would have put it from me; and I went to many a priest to look for comfort, but found no comfort from them.

From Barnet I went to London, where I took a lodging, and was under great misery and trouble there; for I looked upon the great professors of the city of London, and I saw all was dark and under the chain of darkness; and I had an uncle there, one Pickering, a Baptist, (and they were tender then), yet I could not impart my mind to him, nor join with them; for I saw all, young and old, where they were. Some tender people would have had me stayed, but I was fearful, and returned homewards in Leicestershire again, having a regard upon my mind unto my parents and relations lest I should grieve them, who, I understood, were troubled at my absence.

When I was come down into Leicestershire my relations would have had me married, but I told them I was but a lad, and I must get wisdom. Others would have had me into the auxiliary band among the soldiery, but I refused; and I was grieved that they proffered such things to me, being a tender youth. Then I went to Coventry, where I took a chamber for awhile at a professor's house, till people began to be acquainted with me, for there were many tender people in that town. After some time I went into my own country again, and was there about a year, in great sorrows and troubles, and walked many nights by myself.

Then the priest of Drayton (the town of my birth) whose name was Nathaniel Stevens, would come often to me, and I went often to him, and another priest sometimes would come with him; and they would have given place to me to hear me, and I would ask them questions, and reason with them. And this priest Stevens asked me a question, viz. Why Christ cried out upon the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" and why he said, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not my will, but thine be done?" and I told him, at that time the sins of all mankind were upon him, and their iniquities and transgressions with which he was wounded, which he was to bear, and to be an offering for them, as he was man, but died not, as he was God: and so, in that he died for all men, and tasted death for every man, he was an offering for the sins of the whole world. (This I spake, being at that time in a measure sensible of Christ's sufferings, and what he went through.) And the priest said, It was a very good, full answer, and such an one as he had not heard. And at that time he would applaud and speak highly of me to others; and what I said in discourse to him on the weekdays, that he would preach on the first-days, for which I did not like him; and this priest afterwards became my great persecutor.

After this I went to another ancient priest at Mansetter, in Warwickshire, and reasoned with him about the ground of despair and temptations; but he was ignorant of my condition, and he bid me take tobacco, and sing psalms. Tobacco was a thing I did not love, and psalms I was not in an estate to sing; I could not sing. Then he bid me come again, and he would tell me many things; but when I came again he was angry and pettish, for my former words had displeased him; and he told my troubles, and sorrows, and griefs, to his servants, so that it was got among the milk-lasses, which grieved me that I should open my mind to such an one. I saw they were all miserable comforters; and this brought my troubles more upon me. Then I heard of a priest living about Tamworth, who was accounted an experienced man, and I went seven miles to him; but I found him but like an empty hollow cask. Then I heard of one called Dr. Cradock, of Coventry; and I went to him, and I asked him the ground of temptations and despair, and how troubles came to be wrought in man? He asked me, Who was Christ's father and mother? I told him, Mary was his mother, and that he was supposed to be the son of Joseph, but he was the Son of God. Now as we were walking together in his garden, the alley being narrow, I chanced, in turning, to set my foot on the side of a bed, at which the man was in such a rage as if his house had been on fire; and thus all our discourse was lost, and I went away in sorrow, worse than I was when I came. I thought them miserable comforters; and I saw they were all as nothing to me, for they could not reach my condition. After this I went to another, one Macham, a priest in high account, and he would needs give me some physic, and I was to have been let blood; but they could not get one drop of blood from me either in arms or head (though they endeavoured it) my body being, as it were, dried up with sorrows, grief, and troubles, which were so great upon me that I could have wished Í had never been born to see vanity and wickedness, or that I had been born blind that I might never have seen wickedness nor vanity, and deaf that I might never have heard vain and wicked words, or the Lord's name blasphemed. And when the time called Christmas came, while others were feasting and sporting themselves, I would have gone and looked out poor widows from house to house, and have given them some money. And when I was invited to marriages (as I sometimes was) I would go to none at all, but the next day, or soon after, I would go and visit them; and if they were poor I gave them some money, for I.had

wherewith both to keep myself from being chargeable to others, and to administer something to the necessities of others.

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About the beginning of the year 1646, as I was going to Coventry and entering towards the gate, a consideration arose in me how it was said that all Christians are believers, both protestants and papists; and the Lord opened to me that if all were believers then they were all born of God, and passed from death to life, and that none were true believers but such; and though others said they were believers, yet they were not. At another time, as I was walking in a field on a first-day morning, the Lord opened unto me, that being bred at Oxford or Cambridge was not enough to fit and qualify men to be ministers of Christ, and I stranged at it, because it was the common belief of people; but I saw it clearly as the Lord opened it to me, and was satisfied, and admired the goodness of the Lord who had opened this thing unto me that morning, which struck at priest Stevens's ministry, namely, that to be bred at Oxford or Cambridge was not enough to make a man fit to be a minister of Christ; so that which opened in me I saw struck at the priest's ministry. But my relations were much troubled at me, that I would not go with them to hear the priest; for I would get into the orchard, or the fields, with my bible, by myself. And I told them, did not the apostle say to believers, that they needed no man to teach them, but as the anointing teacheth them? And though they knew this was scripture, and that it was true, yet they would be grieved because I could not be subject in this matter to go to hear the priest with them; for I saw that a true believer was another thing than they looked upon it to be and I saw that being bred at Oxford or Cambridge did not qualify or fit a man to be a minister of Christ; and what then should I follow such for? so neither them, nor any of the dissenting people, could I join with, but was as a stranger to all, relying wholly upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

At another time it was opened in me, "That God, who made the world, did not dwell in temples made with hands." This at first seemed a strange word, because both priests and people used to call their temples or churches dreadful places, and holy ground, and the temples of God; but the Lord shewed me, so that I did see clearly that he did not dwell in these temples, which men had commanded and set up, but in people's hearts: for both Stephen and the apostle Paul bore testimony that he did not dwell in temples made with hands, nor even in that which he had

once commanded to be built, since he put an end to it; but that his people were his temple, and he dwelt in them. This opened in me as I walked in the fields to my relation's house; and when I came there, they told me that Nathaniel Stevens, the priest, had been there, and told them he was afraid of me for going after new lights: and I smiled in myself, knowing what the Lord had opened in me concerning him and his brethren; but I told not my relations, who though they saw beyond the priests, yet they went to hear them, and were grieved because I would not go also: but I brought them scriptures, and told them, there was an anointing within man to teach him, and that the Lord would teach his people himself. And I had great openings concerning the things written in the Revelations; and when 1 spake of them, the priests and professors would say, that was a sealed up book, and would have kept me out of it: but I told them, Christ could open the seals, and that they were the nearest things to us; for the epistles 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 sort of people that held, women have no souls, (adding in a light manner) no more than a goose. But I reproved them, and told them that was not right; for Mary said, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."

And removing again to another place, I came among a people that relied much on dreams: and I told them, except they could distinguish between dream and dream, they would mash or confound altogether; for there were three sorts of dreams, for multitude of business sometimes caused dreams, and there were whisperings of Satan in man in the night-season, and there were speakings of God to man in dreams: but these people came out of these things, and at last became friends.

Now though I had great openings, yet great trouble and temptation came many times upon me; so that when it was day, I wished for night, and when it was night, I wished for day and by reason of the openings I had in my troubles, I could say as David said, "Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge." And when I had openings, they answered one another, and answered the scriptures; for I had great openings of the scriptures. And when I was in troubles, one trouble also answered to another.

About the beginning of the year 1647, I was moved of the Lord to go into Derbyshire, where I met with some friendly people, and had many discourses with them. Then VOL. I.

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