meeting, and people generally convinced of the Lord's truth. When I was come thither, John Crook told me that the next day several of those that were called the gentlemen of the country, would come to dine with him and to discourse with me. They came, and I declared to them God's eternal truth. Several friends went to the steeple-houses that day. And there was a meeting in the country, which Alexander Parker went to; and towards the middle of the day it came upon me to go to it, though it was several miles from me. John Crook went with me, and when we came there, there was one Gritton, that had been a baptist, but he was gotten higher than they, and called himself a trier of spirits. He used to tell people their fortunes, and pretended to discover to people, when their goods were stolen or houses broken up, who the persons were that did it, by which he had gotten into the affections of many people thereabout. This man was got iuto that meeting and was speaking, and making an hideous noise over the young-convinced friends when I came in, and he bid Alexander Parker give a reason of his hope. Alexander Parker told him Christ was his hope; but because he did not answer him so soon as he expected, he boastingly cried, his mouth is stopped. Then this Gritton directed his speech to me, for I stood still and heard him, and he spake many things, which were not agreeable to scripture. I asked him, whether he could make those things out by scripture which he had spoken, and he said, yes, yes. Then I bid the people take out their bibles to search the places he should quote for proof of his assertions, but he could not make good by scripture that which he had said. So he was shamed and fled out of the house, and his people were generally convinced, for his spirit was discovered, and he came no more amongst them. And when his people were convinced and settled in God's truth, they gave forth a book against him, and denied his spirit and his false discoveries. Many were turned to Christ Jesus that day, and came to sit under his teaching; insomuch that the judges were in a great rage, and many of the magistrates in Bedfordshire, because there were so many turned from the hireling priests to the Lord Jesus Christ's free teaching. But John Crook was kept by the power of the Lord; yet he was turned out from being a justice.

After some time I turned up through the country to London again, where friends were finely established in the truth, and great comings in there were. And about this

time several friends went beyond the seas to declare the everlasting truth of God. Now when I had stayed a while

in the city I went into Kent; and when I came to Rochester, there was a guard kept to examine passengers, but we passed by, and were not stopped. So I went to Cranbrook, where there was a great meeting, and several soldiers were at it, and many were turned to the Lord that day. After the meeting, some of the soldiers were somewhat rude, but the Lord's power came over them. One Thomas Howsigoe, an independent preacher, who lived not far from Cranbrook, was convinced, and became a faithful minister for the Lord Jesus. Some friends had travelled into Kent before, as John Stubbs and William Caton, and the priests and professors had stirred up the magistrates at Maidstone to whip them, for declaring God's truth unto them, as may be seen at large in the Journal of William Caton's life. There was also one captain Dunk convinced in Kent, and he went with me to Rye, where we had a meeting, to which the mayor and officers, and several captains came; and they took what I said in writing, which I was well pleased with. All was quiet, and the people affected with the truth.

From Rye I went to Rumney, where the people having had notice of my coming some time before, there was a very large meeting. Thither came Samuel Fisher, who was an eminent preacher among the baptists, and had had a parsonage reputed worth about two hundred pounds a year, which for conscience-sake he had given up. And there was also the pastor of the baptists, and abundance of their people. And the power of the Lord was so mightily over the meeting, that many were reached by the power of God, and one greatly shaken, and the life sprang up in divers. One of the pastors of the baptists, being amazed at the work of the Lord's power, bid one of our friends that was so wrought upon, have a good conscience; whereupon I was moved of the Lord to bid him, take heed of hypocrisy and deceit; and he was silent. A great convincement there was that day, and many were turned from the darkness to the divine light of Christ, and came to see their teachers' errors, and to sit under the Lord Jesus Christ's teaching, and to know him their way, and the covenant of light, which God had given to be their salvation; and they were brought to the one baptism, and to the one baptizer, Christ Jesus. When the meeting was done, Samuel Fisher's wife said, 'Now we may discern this day betwixt flesh and spirit, and distinguish spiritual teaching from fleshly.' The people were generally well satisfied with what had been declared, but the two baptist teachers and their company, when they were gone from the

meeting, fell to reasoning amongst the people. Samuel Fisher, with divers others, reasoned for the word of life, which had been declared that day; and the other pastor and his party reasoned against it; so it divided them asunder, and cut them in the midst. A friend came and told me that the baptists were disputing one with another, and desired me to go up to them; but I said let them alone, the Lord will divide them; and they that reason for truth, will be too hard for the other; and so it was. This Samuel Fisher received the truth in the love of it, and became a faithful minister of it, and preached Christ freely, and laboured much in the work and service of the Lord, being moved of the Lord to go and declare the word of life at Dunkirk and in Holland, and in divers parts of Italy, as Leghorn, and Rome itself. And yet the Lord preserved him and his companion John Stubbs, out of their inquisitions.

From Rumney I passed to Dover, and had a meeting there, where several were convinced. And near unto Dover there was a governor and his wife convinced, who had been baptists, and the baptists thereabouts were much offended, and grew very envious; but the Lord's power came over all. Luke Howard of Dover was convinced sometime before, and became a faithful minister of Christ.

Returning from Dover I went to Canterbury, where there were a few honest-hearted people turned to the Lord, who sate down under Christ's teaching. Thence I passed to Cranbrook again, where I had a great meeting; a friend that was with me went to the steeple-house, and was cast into prison. But the Lord's power was manifested, and his truth spread.

From thence I passed into Sussex, and lodged near Horsham, where there was a great meeting, and many were convinced. Also at Stenning we had a great meeting in the market-house, and several were convinced there, and thereaways; for the Lord's power was with us. Several meetings I had thereabouts, and among the rest, there was a meeting appointed at a great man's house, and he and his son went to fetch several priests that had threatened to come and dispute. But when the time came, none of them came, for the Lord's power was mighty in us. A glorious meeting we had, and the man of the house and his son were vexed, because none of the priests would come. So the hearts of people were opened by the Spirit of God, and they were turned from the hirelings to Christ Jesus their shepherd, who had purchased them without money, and VOL. I.

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would feed them without money or price. Many that came, expecting to hear a dispute, were convinced that day, amongst which Nicholas Beard was one.

Thus the Lord's power came over all, and his day many came to see. There were abundance of ranters in those parts, and professors that had been so loose in their lives, that they began to be weary of it, and had thought to have gone into Scotland to have lived privately. But the Lord's net catched them, and their understandings were opened by his light, spirit, and power, through which they came to receive the truth, and to be settled upon the Lord, and so became very sober men, and good friends in the truth. And great blessing and praising the Lord there was amongst them, and great admiration in the country.

. Out of Sussex I travelled through the country till I came to Reading, where I found a few that were convinced of the way of the Lord. There I stayed till the first-day, and then had a meeting in George Lamboll's orchard, and a great part of the town came to it. A glorious meeting it was, and a great convincement there was that day, and the people were mightily satisfied. Thither came two of judge Fell's daughters to me, and George Bishop of Bristol came with his sword by his side (for he was a captain.) After the meeting many baptists and ranters came privately, reasoning and discoursing; but the Lord's power came over them. The ranters pleaded, that God made the devil; but I denied it, and told them, I was come into the power of God, the seed Christ, which was before the devil was, and bruised the head of him; and he became a devil by going out of truth, and so became a murderer and a destroyer. So I shewed them that God did not make the devil, for God is a God of truth, and he made all things good, and blessed them; but God did not bless the devil. And the devil is bad, and was a liar and a murderer from the beginning, and spoke of himself and not from God. And so the truth stopped them, and bound them, and came over all the highest notions in the nation, and confounded them. For by the power of the Lord God I was manifest, and sought to be made manifest to the Spirit of God in all; that by it (which they vexed, and quenched, and grieved) they might be turned to God, as many were turned to the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God, and were come to sit under his teaching.

After this meeting at Reading I passed up to London, where I stayed a while, and had large meetings, and then went into Essex, and came to Cogshall. And there was a meeting of about two thousand people, as it was judged,

which lasted several hours, and a glorious meeting it was, for the word of life was freely declared, and people were turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, their teacher and their saviour, the way, the truth, and the life.

On the sixth day of that week I had a meeting near Colchester, to which many professors and the independent teachers came. After I had done speaking, and was stepped down from the place on which I stood, one of the independent teachers began to make a jangling, which Amor Stoddart (who was with me) perceiving, he said to me, stand up again, George; for I was going away, and did not at first hear them. But when I heard the jangling independent, I stood up again; and after a while the Lord's power came over him and his company, and they were confounded, and the Lord's truth went over all. And a great flock of sheep hath the Lord Jesus Christ in that country, that feed in his pastures of life. On the firstday following we had a very large meeting at another place, not far from Colchester, wherein the Lord's power was eminently manifested, and the people were very well satisfied, for they were turned to the Lord Jesus Christ's free teaching, and they received it gladly. Many of these people had been of the stock of the martyrs.

As I passed through Colchester, I went to visit James Parnel in prison, but the cruel jailer would hardly let us come in, or stay with him. Very cruel they were unto him; the jailer's wife threatened to have his blood, and in that jail they did destroy him, as the reader may see at large in a book printed soon after his death, giving an account of his life and death; and also in an epistle printed with his collected books and writings.

From Colchester I went to Ipswich, where we had a little meeting, and very rude; but the Lord's power came over them. After the meeting I said, if any had a desire to hear further, they might come to the inn; and there came in a company of rude butchers, that had abused friends, but the Lord's power so chained them that they could not do mischief. Then I writ a paper, aad gave it forth to the town, warning them of the day of the Lord, that they might repent of the evils they lived in, and directing them to Christ, their teacher, and way; exhorting them to forsake their hireling teachers.

We passed from Ipswich to Mendlesham, where Robert Duncan lived, in Suffolk, where we had a large meeting, that was quiet, and the Lord's power was preciously felt amongst us. Then we passed to a meeting at one captain Lawrence's in Norfolk, where, it was judged, were above