priests cried, Come, to argument, to argument:' I said, I denied all their voices, for they were the voices of the hirelings and the strangers. And they cried, Prove it, prove it.' Then I directed them to the tenth of John, where they might see what Christ said of such; for he said, he was the true shepherd that laid down his life for his sheep, and his sheep heard his voice, and followed him but the hireling would fly, when the wolf came, because he was an hireling. And I offered to prove that they were such hirelings. Then the priests plucked me off from the bass again; and they themselves got all upon basses under the steeple-house wall. Then I felt the mighty power of God arise over all (though the people began to be a little rude), and I told them, if they would but give audience, and hear me quietly, I would shew them by the scriptures, why I denied those eight priests or teachers, that stood there before me; and all the hireling teachers of the world whatsoever; and I would give them scriptures for what I said. Whereupon both priests and people consented. Then I shewed them out of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micha, Malachy, and other prophets, that they were in the steps of such, as God sent his true prophets to cry against; for, said I, 'You are such as the prophet Jeremiah cried against, chap. v. when he said, "The prophets prophecy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means;" which he called an horrible, filthy thing. And you are such as they that used their tongues and said, Thus saith the Lord, when the Lord never spake to them and such as followed their own spirits, and saw nothing; but spake forth a divination of their own brain; and by their lies and their lightness had caused the people to err, Jer. xiv. And you are such as they were, that sought for their gain from their quarter; that were as greedy, dumb dogs, that could never have enough, whom the Lord sent his prophet Isaiah to cry against, Isaiah Ivi. And you are such, as they were, who taught for handfuls of barley, and pieces of bread; who sewed pillows under people's arm-holes, that they might lie soft in their sins, Ezek. xiii. And you are such as they that taught for the fleece, and the wool, and made a prey of the people, Ezek. xxxiv. But the Lord is gathering his sheep from your mouths, and from off your barren mountains; and is bringing them to Christ, the one Shepherd, which he hath set over his flocks; as by his prophet Ezekiel he then declared he would do. And you are such as they that divined for money, and preached for hire; and if a man did not put into their mouths, they prepared

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war against him, as the prophet Micha complained, chap. iii. Thus went I on through the prophets, too largely to be here repeated. Then coming to the New Testament, I shewed from thence, that they were like the chief priests, and scribes, and pharisees of old, such as Christ cried woe against, Mat. xxiii. And that they were such false apostles, as the true apostles cried against, such as taught for filthy lucre; and such antichrists and deceivers, as they cried against, that minded earthly things, and served not the Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies for they that served Christ, gave freely, and preached freely, as he commanded them. But they that will not preach without hire, tithes or outward means, serve their own bellies, and not Christ; and through the good words of the scriptures, and feigned words of their own, they made merchandise of the people then, as (said I) ye do now. So when I had largely quoted the scriptures, and shewed them, wherein they were like the pharisees, loving to be called of men masters, and to go in long robes, and to stand praying in the synagogues, and to have the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the like; and when I had thrown them out in the sight of the people amongst the false prophets, deceivers, scribes, and pharisees, and shewed at large, how such as they were judged and condemned by the true prophets, by Christ, and by the apostles, I directed them to the light of Christ Jesus, who enlightens every man that cometh into the world; that by it they might see, whether these things were not true, as had been spoken. Now when I appealed to that of God in their consciences, the light of Christ Jesus in them, they could not abide to hear of it; they were all quiet till then; but then a professor said, George, what: wilt thou never have done?' I told him, I should have done shortly. So I went on a little longer, and cleared myself of them in the Lord's power. When I had done, all the priests and people stood silent for a time: at last one of the priests said, they would read the scriptures that I had quoted. I told them, with all my heart. They began to read the 23d of Jeremiah, and there they saw the marks of the false prophets, that he cried against. When they had read a verse or two, I said, Take notice, people:' but the priests said, Hold thy tongue, George." I bid them read the whole chapter throughout; for it was all against them then they stopped, and would read no further; but asked me a question. I told them, I would answer their question, the matter being first granted that I had charged them with, viz. that they were false prophets, false teachers, antichrists and deceivers, such as the true

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prophets, Christ and the apostles cried against. A professor said nay to that; but I said, Yea; for you leaving the matter, and going to another thing, seem to consent to the proof of their former charge. Then I answered their question, which was this; Seeing those false prophets were adulterated, whether I did judge Stephens to be an adulterer? To which I answered, he was adulterated from God in his practice, like those false prophets and the Jews. They would not stand to vindicate him, but broke up the meeting. Then the priests whispered together; and priest Stephens came to me, and desired that my father and brother and I might go aside with him, that he might speak to me in private; and the rest of the priests should keep the people from coming to us. I was very loth to go aside with him; but the people cried, Go George, do George, go aside with him and I was afraid, if I did not go, they would say I was disobedient to my parents. So I went, and the rest of the priests were to keep the people off; but they could not, for the people being willing to hear, drew close to us. I asked the priest what he had to say; and he said, if he was out of the way, I should pray for him: and if I was out of the way, he would pray for me and he would give me a form of words to pray for him by. I replied, It seems thou dost not know whether thou beest in the right way or no; neither dost thou know, whether I am in the right way, or no: but I know that I am in the everlasting way, Christ Jesus, which thou art out of. And thou wouldest give me a form of words to pray by, and yet thou deniest the common prayer-book to pray by, as well as I; and I deny thy form of words, as well as it. If thou wouldest have me pray for thee by a form of words, is not this to deny the apostle's doctrine and practice of praying by the spirit, as it gave words and utterance?' Here the people fell a laughing: but I was moved to speak more to him. And when I had cleared myself to him and them, we parted, after I had told them, that I should (God willing) be in the town that day seven-night again. So the priests packed away, and many people were convinced that day; for the Lord's power came over all. And whereas they thought to have confounded truth that day, many were convinced of it; and many that were convinced before, were by that day's work confirmed in the truth, and abode in it and a great shake it gave to the priests. Yea, my father, though he was an hearer and follower of the priest, was so well satisfied, that he struck his cane upon the ground, and said, Truly I see, he that will but stand to the truth, it will carry him out.' So I passed about in

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the country till that day seven-night; and then I came again for we had appointed a meeting at my relations' house. Now priest Stephens having had notice beforehand thereof, had got another priest to him; and they had got a company of troopers with them, and sent for me to come to them. But I sent them word, our meeting was appointed, and they might come to it if they would. The priests came not; but the troopers came, and many rude people. Now they had laid their plot, that the troopers should take every one's name, and then command them to go home; and such as would not go, they should take, and carry them away with them. Accordingly they began, and took several names, charging them to go home; but when they came to take my name, my relations told them, I was at home already: so they could not take me away that time. Nevertheless they took my name: but the Lord's power was over them, and they went away, both professors and troopers, crossed and vexed, because they had not their ends. But several were convinced that day, and admired the love and power of God. This was that priest Stephens, that once had said of me, never such a plant was bred in England: yet afterwards he reported, that I was carried up into the clouds, and found again full of gold and silver; and many lies, and false reports he raised on me but the Lord swept them all away. Now the reason why I would not go into their steeple-house was, because I was to bear my testimony against it, and to bring all off from such places, to the Spirit of God; that they might know their bodies to be the temples of the Holy Ghost and to bring them off from all the hireling teachers, to Christ their free teacher, that had died for them, and purchased them with his blood.

After this I went into the country, and had several meetings, and came to Swannington, where the soldiers. came again; but the meeting was quiet, and the Lord's power was over all, and the soldiers did not meddle. Then I went to Leicester, and from Leicester to Whetstone. But before the meeting began, there came about seventeen troopers of colonel Hacker's regiment, with his marshal, and they took me up before the meeting, though friends were beginning to gather together; for there were several friends come out of several parts. I told the marshal, he might let all the friends go, I would answer for them all; whereupon he took me and let all the friends go, only Alexander Parker went along with me. At night they had me before colonel Hacker, and his major, and captains, a great company of them, and a great deal of

discourse we had about the priests, and about meetings (for at this time there was a noise of a plot against Oliver Cromwell); and much reasoning I had with them about the light of Christ, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world. Colonel Hacker asked, whether it was not this light of Christ that made Judas betray his master, and after led him to hang himself. I told him no; that was the spirit of darkness, which hated Christ and his light. Then colonel Hacker said, I might go home, and keep at home, and not go abroad to meetings. I told him, I was an innocent man, free from plots, and denied all such work. Then his son Needham said, Father, this man hath reigned too long, it is time to have him cut off. I asked him, for what? what had I done? or whom had I wronged from a child? for I was bred and born in that country, and who could accuse me of any evil from a child? Then colonel Hacker asked me again, if I would go home, and stay at home? I told him, if I should promise him so, that would manifest that I was guilty of something to go home, and make my home a prison; and if I went to meetings, they would say, I broke their order. Therefore I told them, I should go to meetings, as the Lord should order me, and therefore could not submit to their requirings; but I said, we were a peaceable people. Well then, said colonel Hacker, I will send you to my Lord Protector, by captain Drury, one of his life-guard. That night I was kept a prisoner at the marshalsea, and the next morning by the sixth hour I was ready, and delivered to captain Drury. I desired he would let me speak with colonel Hacker before I went, and he had me to his bedside. Colonel Hacker at me presently again, to go home and keep no more meetings. I told him, I could not submit to that, but must have my liberty to serve God, and to go to meetings. Then, said he, you must go before the Protector; whereupon I kneeled on his bedside, and besought the Lord to forgive him, for he was as Pilate, though he would wash his hands; and when the day of his misery and trial should come upon him, 1 bid him, then remember, what I had said to him. But he was stirred up, and set on by priest Stephens, and the other priests and professors, wherein their envy and baseness was manifest; who, when they could not overcome me by disputes and arguments, nor resist the spirit of the Lord that was in me, then they got soldiers to take me up.

Afterwards, when this colonel Hacker was in prison in London, a day or two before he was executed, he was put in mind of what he done against the innocents, and he re