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unto them, and directed them to the Spirit of God in themselves, that would open the scriptures unto them. And I shewed them how all might come to know their Saviour, and sit under his teaching; and come to be heirs of the kingdom of God, and know both God's and Christ's voice, by which they might discover all the false shepherds and teachers they had been under, and be gathered to the true shepherd, priest, bishop, and prophet, Christ Jesus, whom God commanded all to hear. So when I had largely declared the word of life unto them, for about the space of three hours, I walked forth from amongst the people, and the people passed away very well satisfied. Among the rest a professor followed me, praising and commending me; and his words were like a thistle to me at last I turned about, and bid him fear the Lord: whereupon one priest Larkham of Cockermouth (for several priests were got together on the way who came after the meeting was done) said to me, Sir, why do you judge so; you must not judge,' said he. But I turned to him and said, Friend, dost not thou discern an exhortation from a judgment?' for I admonished him to fear God; and dost thou say I judge him? So this priest and I falling into discourse, I manifested him to be amongst the false prophets and covetous hirelings. And several people being moved to speak unto them, he and two other of the priests soon got away. When they were gone, John Wilkinson (who was preacher of that parish, and of two other parishes in Cumberland) began to dispute against his own conscience for several hours, till the people generally turned against him; for he thought to have tired me out, but the Lord's power tired him out, and the Lord's truth came over him and them all. And many hundreds were convinced that day, and received the Lord Jesus Christ, and his free teaching, with gladness; of whom some have died in the truth, and many stand there faithful witnesses thereof. The soldiers also were convinced, and their wives, and continued with me till the first-day.

On the first-day I went to the steeple-house at Cockermouth, where priest Larkham lived; and when the priest had done, I began to speak, and the people began to be rude; but the soldiers told them we had broken no law, and then they were quiet. Then I turned me to the priest, and laid him open among the false prophets and hirelings: at which word the priest went his way, and said, 'He calls me hireling which was true enough, and all the people knew it. Then some of the great men of the town came to me, and said, Sir, we have no learned men to dispute with you.' I told them I came not to dispute, but to de

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clare the way of salvation to them, and the way of everlasting life. And so I declared largely the way of life and truth to them, and directed them to Christ their teacher, that had died for them, and bought them with his blood.

When I had done, I passed away about two miles to an other great steeple-house of said John Wilkinson's, called Brigham; where the people, having been at the other meeting, were mightily affected; and would have put my horse into the steeple-house yard; but I said No, the priest claims that; have him to an inn.' When I came into the steeple-house yard, I saw the people coming in great companies, as to a fair; and abundance were already gathered in the lanes, and about the steeple-house. I was very thirsty, and walked about a quarter of a mile to a brook, where I got some water, and refreshed myself. And as I came up again, I met the said Wilkinson, who as I passed by him said, 'Sir, will you preach to-day? If you will,' said he, I will not oppose you in word or thought.' I replied, 'Oppose if thou wilt; I have something to speak to the people.' 'And,' said I, thou carriedest thyself foolishly the other day, and spakest against thy conscience and reason; insomuch that thy hearers cried out against thee.' So I left him, and went on; for he saw it was in vain to oppose, the people were so affected with the Lord's truth. When I came into the steeple-house yard, a professor came to me and asked if I would not go into the church (as he called it). And I seeing no convenient place abroad, to stand to speak unto the people from, went in, and stood up in a seat, after the people were settled. The priest came in also, but did not go up to his pulpit. So the Lord opened my mouth, and I declared his everlasting truth, and word of life to the people; directing them to the Spirit of God in themselves, by which they might know God and Christ, and the scriptures, and come to have heavenly fellowship in the spirit. And I declared to them, that every one that cometh into the world was enlightened by Christ the life; by which light they might see their sins, and Christ, who was come to save them from their sins, and died for them. And if they came to walk in this light, they might therein see Christ to be the author of their faith, and the finisher thereof; their shepherd to feed them, their priest to teach them, and their great prophet to open divine mysteries unto them, and to be always present with them. I opened also unto them, in the openings of the Lord, the first covenant, shewing them the figures, and the substance of those figures; and so bringing them

on to Christ, the new covenant. I also manifested unto them, that there had been a night of apostacy since the apostles' days; but that now the everlasting gospel was preached again, which brought life and immortality to light and the day of the Lord was come, and Christ was come to teach his people himself by his light, grace, power, and spirit. A fine opportunity the Lord gave me to preach truth among the people that day for about three hours time; and all was quiet. And many hundreds were convinced that day; and some of them praised God and said, Now we know the first step to peace.' The said preacher also said privately to some of his hearers, that I had broken them, and overthrown them.

After this I went to a village, and many people accompanied me. And as I was sitting in an house full of people, declaring the word of life unto them, I cast mine eye upon a woman, and I discerned an unclean spirit in her. And I was moved of the Lord to speak sharply to her, and told her she was a witch; whereupon the woman went out of the room. Now, I being a stranger there, and knowing nothing of the woman outwardly, the people wondered at it, and told me afterwards that I had discovered a great thing; for all the country looked upon her to be a witch. The Lord had given me a spirit of discerning, by which I many times saw the states and conditions of people, and could try their spirits. For not long before, as I was going to a meeting, I saw some women in a field, and I discerned them to be witches; and I was moved to go out of my way into the field to them, and declare unto them their conditions, telling them plainly they were in the spirit of witchcraft. At another time there came such an one into Swarthmore-hall in the meeting time; and I was moved to speak sharply to her, and told her she was a witch; and the people said afterwards she was generally accounted so. There came also at another time another woman, and stood at a distance from me, and I cast mine eye upon her, and said, Thou hast been an harlot;' for I perfectly saw the condition and lifeof the woman. The woman answered and said, many could tell her of her outward sins, but none could tell her of her inward. Then I told her her heart was not right before the Lord, and that from the inward came the outward. This woman came afterwards to be convinced of God's truth, and became a friend.

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From the aforesaid village we came up to Thomas Bewley's, near Coldbeck, and from thence, having had some service for the Lord there, I passed to a market town, where I had a meeting at the cross; and all was

pretty quiet and when I had declared the truth unto them, and directed them to Christ their teacher, some received the truth. Then we passed further, and had another meeting upon the borders, in a steeple-house yard, to which many professors and contenders came; but the Lord's power was over all: and when the word of life had been declared amongst them, some received the truth there also.

From thence passing on we came to Carlisle, and the pastor of the baptists, with most of his hearers came to me there to the abbey, where I had a meeting, and declared the word of life amongst them; and many of the baptists, and of the soldiers, were convinced. After the meeting was done, the pastor of the baptists (being an high notionist, and a flashy man) came to me, and asked me what must be damned; I was moved immediately to tell him, that which spake in him was to be damned. This stopped the pastor's mouth; and the witness of God was raised up in him and I opened to him the states of election and reprobation, so that he said he never heard the like in his life. He also came afterward to be convinced.

Then went I up to the castle among the soldiers, who beat a drum, and called the garrison together; and I preached the truth amongst them, directing them to the Lord Jesus Christ to be their teacher, and to the measure of his spirit in themselves, by which they might be turned from the darkness to the light, and from the power of Satan unto God. And I warned them all, that they should do no violence to any man, but should shew forth a Christian life; telling them that he who was to be their teacher, would be their condemnation, if they were disobedient to him. So I left them, having no opposition from any of them except the serjeants, who afterwards came to be convinced.

On the market-day I went up into the market to the marketcross. Now the magistrates had both threatened and sent their serjeants; and the magistrates' wives had said that if I came there they would pluck the hair from off my head, and that the serjeants should take me up. Nevertheless I obeyed the Lord God, and went upon the cross, and there declared unto them, that the day of the Lord was coming upon all their deceitful ways and doings, and deceitful merchandize; and that they should put away all cozening and cheating, and keep to yea and nay, and speak the truth one to another so the truth and the power of God was set over them. And after I had declared the word of life to the people, the throng being so great that the ser

jeants could not get to me, nor the magistrates' wives come at me, I passed away quietly. Many people and soldiers came to me, and some baptists, that were bitter contenders; amongst whom one of their deacons, being an envious man, and finding the Lord's power was over them, cried out for very anger. Whereupon I set my eyes upon him, and spake sharply to him in the power of the Lord; and he cried Do not pierce me so with thy eyes; keep thy eyes off me.'

On the first day following I went into the steeple-house; and after the priest had done, 1 preached the truth to the people, and declared the word of life amongst them. The priest got away, and the magistrates desired me to go out of the steeple-house; but I still declared the way of the Lord unto them, and told them, I came to speak the word of life and salvation from the Lord amongst them. The power of the Lord was dreadful amongst them in the steeple-house, so that the people trembled and shook, and they thought the steeple-house shook; and some of them feared it would have fallen down on their heads. The magistrates' wives were in a rage, and strove mightily to have been at me; but the soldiers and friendly people stood thick about me. At length the rude people of the city rose, and came with staves and stones into the steeplehouse, crying Down with these round-headed rogues : and they threw stones; whereupon the governor sent a file or two of musketeers into the steeple-house, to appease the tumult, and commanded all the other soldiers out. So those soldiers took me by the hand in a friendly manner, and said they would have me along with them then. When we came forth into the street, the city was in an uproar, and the governor came down; and some of those soldiers were put in prison for standing by me, and for me, against the towns-people. There was a lieutenant, that had been convinced, and he came, and had me to his house, where there was a baptists' meeting, and thither came friends also, and we had a very quiet meeting; and they heard the word of life gladly, and many received it. The next day, the justices and magistrates of the town being gathered together in the town-hall, they granted a warrant against me, and sent for me to come before them. I was then gone to a baptist's house, but hearing of it I went up to the hall to them, where many rude people were, some of whom had sworn strange false things against me. I had a great deal of discourse with the magistrates, wherein I laid open the fruits of their priest's preaching, and shewed them how void they, were of Christianity; and that, though

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