be whole and she arose and was healed Oh vvhy should not vve be contented for his Arme is not shortened nor his Povver diminished therefore vvhy should noâ— vve be contented In this vvorld whilest we are in affliction we think it is miserable and grievous buâ— hereafter it will be sweetened while we aâ— in affliction we think it is miserable and grievous but the Lord will sweeten it with thâ— cup of mercy the Patient must taste of 〈◊〉 bitter potion before his stomack be cleared Oh let us labour to fear the Lord that we may live in his fear and die in his favour for as we do so we must look to be done by October the 20th Children obey your parents in all things knowing that it is well pleasing unto the Lord. Oh let us labour to have our wills melted into the will of that everliving and glorious God The secrets of God are hid from man and his wayes past finding out but the Lord will reveal them to his children in some part when his time appointed is come Lord humble these proud hearts of ours and endue us with the gift of Humiliation Oh let us labour to return thanks unto the Lord for all his mercies that he hath poured down upon us for the way of begetting more is to return thanks unto the Lord to give reverence unto him we reverence our earthly fathers our natural fathers Oh why should not we much more reverence our Heavenly Father Oh let us labour to forsake this world and all things that are therein for there is nothing that is desirable Oh let us labour to stick close unto that Holy One for when all things in the world fail he will never fail he will stick close to us when all things in this world decay and moscer away he will be an everlasting rock Lord open our blinde eyes that we may see clearly the weaknesse of our selves and the strength of Christ Oh let us labour to lead our lives and conversations well in this life for as we do so we must look to be done by if we sowe unto the flesh we shall reap corruption but if we sowe unto the Spirit we shall reap life everlasting October the 21th Let us labour to repent of all our sinnes which we have lived in formerly which lieth unrepented of for after the day of death there is no repentance as life leaveth us so Judgement findes us October the 22th Oh let us cast our care upon the Lord for he will care for us he hath promised to be a father to the fatherlesse and a husband to the widow Lord pull back Satan that lurking roaring lion that goeth about to devour my poor soul but he cannot my Christ will tread him under foot that he can get no power over my poor soul Lord graft thy Word into our heads and not onely into our heads but into our hearts also We are poor Earth-wormes Lord breath into us the breath of life that we may become lively Saints of thine that we may become lively Saints of thine and that we may sing Hallelujahs with thee in the highest Heavens Take heed you lie not one to another for if you go in that way the Devill will take that occasion to pour in more corruption Lord mollifie these hard hearts of ours with thy graces that are so hardened with sin and corruption October the 24th Lord open the eyes of the blinde that â—ey may see clearly the purity that is in Christ and the corruption that is in themâ—ves they see and perceive not they hear â—nd understand not Lord enrich our souls with thy graces that â—e may be instruments to enrich the Kingâ—ome of Heaven Lord pull back Satan that lurking roarâ—g lion that goeth about to destroy my poor â—ul but he cannot my Christ will give him â—o power he will not let him touch it He â—oth what he can to get victory but he canâ—ot my Christ will not let him The Devil â—aliceth the children of God he is alwayes â—usiest about them and flattering them he 〈◊〉 alwayes thinking to make them fear him â—nd flattering them and thinking to overâ—ome them but those whom God hath â—hosen he will take them for his own the â—oor doubting Christian the Devil is always â—utting feares and doubts into them but when he thinks they are in the lowest conâ—â—ition they are in the highest and when a man thinketh he is in the highest condition he is in the lowest when a poor doubting Christian thinketh he falls he stands aâ— when a man thinketh he stands he falls Lord take away these hearts of stone aâ— renew us with hearts of flesh Lord humble these proud hearts of ourâ— that we may not be swallowed up with thâ— vanities of this world we are apt to 〈◊〉 drawn to the vanities of this world and 〈◊〉 flie back from Christ Oh what disobedieâ— children are we that follow not the commands of so loving a Father that which 〈◊〉 biddeth us to do that we do not and thâ— which he biddeth us not do that we do Oh let us labour for faith for he that 〈◊〉 faithfull untill death he shall enjoy the crowneâ— life October the 25th Come my people enter into thy chamber shâ— the door upon thee hide thy selfe for a little mâ—ment untill the indignation of the Lord be overpast He that doth not the will of my Father which is in heaven he is not worthy of me saith thâ— Lord. Take heed you sowe not good seed upon thorny ground lest the thorns spring up and choak it My Christ hath pulled back Satan that lurking roaring lion which goeth about to devour my poor soul he maliceth my poor soul and thinks to get the victory but he cannot Oh let us labour to be partakers with that Beloved one that immaculate lamb of God that spotlesse lambe that laid down his life to take away the sins of the whole world Oh let us labour for faith that rich grace of our God Lord pour it down upon us that is that rich grace of eternity that is the grace by which we must either live or die without we have that grace we shall never come to God we shall never come to Christ Oh let us labour for faith ô let us labour for faith no faith no Christ no Christ no salvation Lord as thou hast fed out bodies with temporall food so feed our souls with spirituall food that we may be able Instruments to enrich the Kingdome of Heaven Lord endue our spirits with the gift of Humiliation for the Spirit of God is a humble Spirit a meek Spirit a holy Spirit a full Spirit it acts powerfully and breaths where it listeth Trust in the Lord Jehovah for in the Lord Jehovah is our everlasting strength Come my people let us reason together though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as wool though
feares but God who comforteth such as are cast down comforted them in this Infant-preacher much of whose discourse was an earnest pressing unto faith When her sorrowing parents and astonished friends were as it were at their wits end in relation to her sad condition even then she wished them frequently to roll upon upon God who would bring them to their desired haven to their expected end Oh let us labour for faith said she for He thâ—t is faithfull unto death shall receive the crown of life And in relation to their affliction she said Satan is always malicing perplexing the Children of God to make their journey uncomfortable thinking that if he get not victory then he shall never get victory but my Christ hath vanquished Satan This handmaid of the Lord Reader to give thee a taste of her was piously principled even from her Cradle the Spirit blossoming in her in the very Spring of her age Even while she spelled words and syllables she spel'd out Christ for if she met with a free promise or some good sentence holding out Gods love to man she would say Mother this is a sweet place and usually read it over again Yet though she thus grew in the inward her outward man was weakened and decayed till the twelfth year of her age the year of these wonderfull transactions betwixt God and her spirit as if that year Christ would again honour now in this member of his to confute such as would be thought some-body in these days as once in his own person he silenced those Doctors of the Jewish Synagogue In this eleventh year viz. Aprill 1652. her bodily disease increased so did her love to heavenly things also for even those toyes which that age delights in she desired not so much as â—o hear named by her sisters setting her thoughts upon and inuring her tongue to speak of those things above where shortly she expected to arrive At last the disease over-mastered her strength seized upon the Organes of her senses so that she could neither speak see nor hear to the apprehenâ—ion of any about her she could not move â—ut as she was born by others and much of this time her teeth was so closed that she was not capable of receiving food onely some liquid matter they dropped in at a broken tooth and this very little she putting it out so fast as it was given her thus lay she diverse moneths even untill December an object of sorrow to her parents and of astonishment to all others capable onely of their pity not of their help but a mirrour of the mighty power of God proving by this argument that Man liveth not by bread alone it is not the arm of flesh that is to be confided in but he that knoweth our infirmities is onely able both to help and heal them During this continued Paroxysme she had very frequently sometimes every day certain grand extasies whereby after that her body had been racked on the wheel of convulsion it became as stiffe and expanse as that bodie which is seized on by death and coldnesse In which extasies God did to astonishment appear For now flowed those streames of living waters those precious divine sentences contained in the ensuing pages which thou tasting with the Organes of the same Spirit they were delivered thou canst but admire Look on the person a childe going on twelve years and canst but confesse that out of the mouth of a babe and suckling God hath perfected praise Look at the condition wherein she uttered these in a deep â—ance and dost not see it fulfilled that the tongue of the dumbe shall sing Look at the things she spake are they not deep things of God is there heresie or errour intermingled Couldst thou discern the manner of her expressions the vivacity of spirit how the words drop from a touched experienced self-concerned heart thou wouldst say as the Queen of Sheba said of Solomon The halfe was not told thee Look at the suitablenesse of the things spoken and thou 'st confesse they came not by the will of man but this holy one of God spake as she was moved borne supported and carried out by the holy Spirit Concerning this last cirâ—umstance when some rashly affirmed that â—e was acted by Satan they judging accorâ—â—ng to carnall reason at the next extasie which was the onely time of her speaking â—he uttered thus I am not in the hands of â—atan but in the hands of my God when â—ome pretenders to Revelations as these â—mes are full of such visited her at that veâ—y time she was carried out to say Take â—eed you sowe not tares for if you sowe tares you shall reap tares and afterwards fully witnessed gainst them thus Take heeâ— you deâ—ise not Gods Ordinances nor his Instruments that he hath sent to preach his Word God will let you go on with your delusions for a time but there will come a day of Judgement to try whether you be right or false and again Lord restrain those that go about to interrupt those Instruments which thou hast sent to preach out thy holy Word in thy Congregations it is requisite that offences should come but wo to them by whom they come November the ninth being purposed â—or a day of seeking God by fasting and prayer the night before she encouraged them that were about her with that of the Psalmist Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me And the night after the work was done she admonished them thus Oh let us call to minde what the Lord hath done for us and not be like the natural man that looketh his face in a Glasse anâ— presently forgetteth what manner of man he was Thus God by this his handmaid opposed profane scoffers cautioned misled creatures and bare witnesse to the excellencie and necessity of the now sleighted Ordinances and Ministery Reader here thou mayest a while behold as it were a conflict in her godly parents betwixt joy and grief their teares issued not all from the same Fountain the one eye was swolne with drops of gladnesse the other of sorrow while they beheld the deep trials of God upon them their lips quivered rottennesse entred into their bones they trembled in themselves but when again they beheld how God laid their tossed and afflicted with fair colours checkered his work paved his steps with black and white marble then again they are comforted As that Popish Bishop when not able to determine whether Solomon were a childe of wrath or love caused his Effigies to be drawn half in heaven half in hell so they judge their affairs â—o resemble that Cloud which ushered the â—sraelites to the land of Promise it had a â—ark side as well as a bright Thus God â—olds them till the time came that he would command deliverances for them then
could utter any words at last she exprest her self as followeth Take heed you do not despise Gods Ordinances and his Word which he spake out of his own mouth for if you despise Gods Ordinances and his Word God will despise you and cast you of his left hand and say Go you cursed into hell-fire prepared for you Let us labour to be followers of Jesus Christ and defie the fiery darts of the Devill Let us labour to build our conversation upon the Lord. Take heed of the Devill for he is alwayes â—erplexing and terrifying the servants of God but take heed for it is more dangerâ—us when he commeth in white then when â—e commeth in black for he will but flatter â—ou and make you believe that he will save â—ou shevv you fine things but take heed â—e vvill but flatter you and deceive you that â—e may cast you into hell September the 23th This night and the other nights follovving till the 19 of October she spake constantly about 8 a clock at night Lord build up our hearts upon the High corner-stones vvhich high-corner stones are the Father Son and Holy Ghost Lord pardon all our sins vvhether they â—e Scarlet-sins or Crimson-sins or sins of a double die or sins of ignorance or sins of vvilfulnesse Lord pardon them and vvash them avvay in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ It is our sins that is the cause of the sufferings of that thy Beloved One thy Son Jesus Christ No man can come to Christ except the Father draw him Let us struggle and strive to have our conversation in Heaven and let us press forward to have our conversation there for without we have our conversation in heaven there will be howling and torment in hell-fire for ever and ever but in Heaven there will be life everlasting Prepare prepare against the day of death for when the day of death commeth then after commeth the day of Judgement and then cometh death to the wicked and life to the righteous Take heed that Satan that roaring lion do not reign in your hearts for it is more dangerous when he cometh in white like an Angel of light then when he cometh in black like a Blackmoore Lord purge and purifie our drossy ignorant and corrupt hearts that we may be followers of thee and wash us and cleanse us in the blood of thy beloved One thy Son Christ Jesus Take heed that Satan get not power over your souls for if he get in his head he will strive to get in his whole body Then she laughed and closed her Arms and said Joy joy joy everlasting joy September the 24th Lord take away these stony thorny and corruptible hearts and purge them purifie and refine them even as silver and gold is refined Let the Word of God be written in your hearts in letters of gold Take heed you sowe not good seed on thorny ground for the thornes will spring up and choke it My Christ will tread Satan under foot he hath promised to do it and he will fulfill his promise he will do it he will not fail he is to be trusted One glimpse of Christ is worth all the world Lord pull back Satan that roaring lion that goeth about to devour my poor soul but he cannot but he cannot touch it Lord establish our hearts upon thee and set them stedfast upon thee and fix them upon thee and change our hearts and make them new vessels Lord wash us and cleanse us in the blood of thy beloved One and make us without spot and blemish even as thy spotlesse lamb My Christ hath vanquished Satan that lurking roaring lion which goeth about to destroy my poor soul but he cannot enter in my Christ is stronger then he he is an help to my soul in the time of trouble in the time of extremity When a poor soul is going a journey to heaven then Satan is alwayes in troubling him for he thinketh if he cannot get power then he can never get power then he is busiest he sheweth his strength he putteth out all his strength Abstain abstain from all vices in this world that are so strong in us as drunkennesse lasciviousnesse blasphemy and drawing into evill company and all other vices lying and thieving for if we anger God it will be just with God to pour his wrath down upon us September 25. Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would I have gathered thee together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings but thou wouldst not Thy destruction is of thy self Let us wean our hearts from this world for if it once get into us it is hard to get out again we toil and moil for our bodies but which of us taketh that pains for our souls we are sooner fill'd with the trash of this world then with our God we are apt to seek into this world but which of us looks into our hearts and examines our hearts whether they be for God or not and whether we follow the commands of God if we do not follow his commands he will not hear us The heart of man is false and hollow a hollow-hearted man will shine on the out-side but he is rotten within he sheweth it so to this world but God knoweth the heart of man Seeing we have put off the old man with his deeds let us put on the new man which is renewed with knowledge Take heed you put not new wine into old bottles lest the bottles break and scatter the wine Let us labour to lay hold upon Christ and stick close to him and follow his Commandments aud not be like the man that looks his face in a glasse and presently forgetteth what manner of man he was Let us labour for Christ and get faith the greater faith the greater joy Faith is a gift to win Christ by Christ will not be won without faith Many there be that will not believe there is a God but it is the littlenesse of their faith the weaknesse of faith they are fools and do not understand that think so for the fool hath said in his heart There is no God There are many that say they have Christ and they are Christ but there is no more Christs but one Many there be that say that they have Christ and they Christ but they do but make a shew to the world and flatter the world when God knowes they know not what Christ is They make a shew to the world and say Christ iâ— within them and Christ is within them when alas they do not know what he is 〈◊〉 they flatter the world and they think to flatter God too but alas alas the day of judgment the day of judgement alas alas they are blinde and cannot see there is a misâ— before their eyes they run but they cannot tell whither they stumble
there is 〈◊〉 stumbling-block before their eyes Oh how happy a thing it is and joyfull for to see when a poor Christian is imbraced in those two armes of love that beloved One that beloved One those whom he hath chosen he will take them for his own for ever he will lock them in his Cabinet from all sin and sorrow and from the Devils assaults In the day when I make up my jewels they shall be mine saith the Lord. She concluded with much rejoycing but exprest no words September 26 I am the true Vine and my Father is the Husbandman every branch that bringeth not forth good fruit in me shall be hewen down and cast into the fire Those that I do not chastise they are not sonnes but bastards saith the Lord. Lord pull back Satan that roaring lion which would devour my poor soul but he cannot but he cannot my God will not suffer him Obey the Commmandments of God and do not dishonour him but honour him and do not abuse his Titles Words or Works labour to make a right use of them it is them that we must be overthrown or accepted by Take heed you live not in a known sin for if you live in a known sin it is a double sin and if in a double sin God will double his Judgements God will denounce against you the greatest Judgement amongst the Catalogue if you dishonour God he will make you smart for it Take heed of Satan that cunning Serpent beware of him beware of him for he is alwayes drawing and flattering us unto him and when he hath got us unto him hell-fire will be our end Let us labour to forsake sin and cleave unto Jesus Christ and let him be our safeguard if you give way to little sins it will bring on greater sins For which things sake the wrath of God commeth upon the children of disobedience if you give way to little sins it will bring on greater sins and then the greater will be your Judgement Lord sanctifie it unto us that it may take an impression in our hearts and work it in us that it may take a deep impression in our hearts Let us labour to be partakers with that thy beloved One that suffered death upon the Crosse to save us from hell-torments had not he suffered death upon the Crosse for our sins we had been howling in hell this day have we not cause to love him have we not cause to love him that suffered death upon the Crosse that cruell death by the Jews if we should suffer never so much we could never suffer so much for him as he did for us Oh have we not cause to love him let us lay down our lives for his sake that laid down his life for us What miserable creatures are we so that our souls be but saved we never think of Christs sufferings for us we alwayes forget that but we must remember it at the day of Judgement the Lord will call us to an account for all these things In the day when I make up my jewels they shall be mine saith the Lord Jehovah September 27. Lord as thou hast fed our bodies with tempor all food so feed our souls with spirituall food Lord work thy Word with faith in our hearts unlesse it be written with thy Spirit it is but a dead letter In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and all things were made by him Beware of Satan that Serpent that goeth about and stands in corners to watch to vanquish my soul but he cannot but he cannot touch it he cannot enter in labour to have the foundation of life that he may not touch it which foundation is an everlasting foundation it will stand it will never fail Let us labour for Christ for the stronger we are in Christ the weaker we are in this world the stronger we are in this world the weaker we are in Christ Let us labour to build our conversation upon the three-corner stones which is the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Trust in the Lord Trust in the Lord Jehovah for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength Lord satisfie our unsatisfied hearts for if a man have all the world he hath not enough but he hankers and hungers and thirsts more after the things of the world but when we have Christ Oh what can we desire more what would we have more Oh! what can a Christians heart desire more then that beloved One that Christ Jesus labour to have your foundation built upon that Holy one that Holy One. September 29. Take heed you lie not one to another seeing you have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that created him Be wise in all your doings and be ye present be ye present before the eyes of the Lord ô fear the Lord ô fear the Lord though you fear not men See that you serve the Lord above with trembling and with fear see that with reverence you rejoyce in him in like manner ô let us fear the Lord that we may live in his fear and die in his favour Oh that we had hearts to observe the Commandments of God if we had but hearts to observe his Commandments we should never ruu upon our own souls destruction as we do Labour to spend your time well in this world of abomination and sin for it is but for a little moment and labour to repent before the day of death for after the day of death there is no repentance lest you run headlong into hell to your own destruction for ever and ever Beware of Satan that Serpent and give not vvay to his assaults but despise them and flie back from them Let us labour for Christ let us hunger thirst after him for one glimpse of Christ is better then a 1000 worlds for one glimpse of Christ will ravish a poor Christians heart for when a Christian is drooping and thinking that God hath forsaken him then God out of his favour sheweth him one glimpse and then goeth back again sheweth him but by glimpses and glimpses to make him stick closer unto him even as a star that lightens and darkens and lightens and darkens to make the light shine brighter She spake no more until the sixth of October Come my people enter into my Tabernacle Having spoken these words she fell into an exraordinary fit of laughing and tittering heartily six or seven several times as she used to do in her best health when she was over-joyed with any thing and soon after fell into a mourning and as it were wept in her brest and then she spake the words following Beware of Satan that Serpent lest he reign in your hearts for if he touch you he will creep in and in like a
snail and if he get hold he will not be got out unless Christ pull him off Let us labour to follow the Commandements and Rules of our heavenly Father Oh that we could but observe and follow them we should never have our hearts tied to this world of abomination and sin as we have Come all you that are thirsty and drink of the water of life freely and you shall never thirst again saith the Lord. Let us labour to repent of all our sins before the day of death for after death there is no repentance As life leaveth us so judgement findeth us Let us labour to have our hearts tied to that Beloved One if we could but have our hearts tied unto him we should never run astray like lost sheep as we do Twice she rejoyced and laughed very high and then she said My Christ my Christ shineth before me oh have we not cause to rejoyce in him that shineth so gloriously before us in white robes Oh trust in him Oh trust in him Oh that glorious sight the Son of my sweet Father Oh let us labour to get faith and let us never be without faith that we may rejoyce in him for ever and ever Lord pull back Satan that subtile Serpent and chain him up Lord and let him get no power over my poor soul he always maliceth and troublerh and perplexeth the childe of God but he can get no power over me I do believe he cannot I trust in thee I trust in thee for thou hast promised that thou wilt help me in time of trouble and in time of extremity thou dost but suffer him to look in to look in to make me stick closer unto thee and to deter me from this vain wicked transitory world and from his assaults Lord wash us and cleanse us in the bloud of thy onely begotten Son that we may become pure Virgins of thine Lord help us to examine our hearts and look into them and search them to the bottom and seek to the bottom to see if there be no dross left in them neither dross nor sin remain in them Let us not think too well of our selves for when a man thinketh he is in the highest condition then he is in the lowest and when a poor doubting Christian thinketh he is in the lowest condition he is in the highest Lord humble our proud haughty ignorant and rebellious hearts that are not worthy to taste of the least mercy of thine ô let us be thankful for the least mercy that the Lord hath poured down upon us and you shall see that he will poure down greater Then she laughed very much and clasped her arms several times and said Oh let us hunger and thirst after that holy One let us never be affrighted with Satans temptations Though your sins be as Scarlet they shall be as white as wooll and though they be like Crimson they shall be like Snow if you consent and obey you shall eat the good things of the Land but if you be stubborn and rebellious you shall be devoured with the sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it October the 8th Lord pull back Satan that lurking roaring lion that goeth about to destroy my poor soul he watcheth and waiteth for every opportunity to get in but he cannot My Christ will tread him under foot that he can get no power of my poor soul There be many that say Lo here is Christ and lo there is Christ but there is no more crucified Christs but one alone Oh let us rejoyce Oh let us sing and rejoyce for the snare is broken and we are escaped as a bird from the fowler We are poor dry bones Lord breath a Spirit of life into us that we may become lively Saints of thine for if thou breathest not the Spirit of life upon us we are but like dry bones that moscer away Lord pardon and forgive us all our sins whether they be sins of Omission or Commission or sins of ignorance or sins of knowledge or sins of weakness or sins of wilfulness or what sort of sins soever they be Lord wash us cleanse us in the bloud of thy Beloved One thy Son Jesus Christ there is not one day that goeth over our heads but we sin every day more and more We poor nothing creatures that are not worthy to taste of the least mercy of thine if thou hadst not been a merciful and a pittiful God we had been all howling in hell-fire before this day but thou shewedst pitty and compassion upon us or else we had all been sunk into that endless pit but thou gavest us thy Beloved Son to redeem us out of that endless pit of torment Let us draw comfort from Jesus Christ even as the Bee sucks honey from the flower if the Bee finde sweetnesse in one flower she will not flie away to another even so if we could finde sweetnesse from Jesus Christ we should not flie away from him as we do but we must labour for it before we can get it for how should the Bee get honey from the flower unlesse it labour and suck for it so how should we get sweetnesse and comfort from Jesus Christ unlesse we labour for it The Birds of the air have nests and the Foxes have holes but the Son of man hath not where to put his head October 9. Take heed you lie not one to another for the Lord saith They are my children such as will not lie Take heed you despise not Gods Ordinances nor his Instruments that he hath sent to preach his Word God will but let you go on with your own delusions for a time but there vvill come a day of Judgement to try vvhether you be right or false he is the Judge of all Judges he is a true Judge that vvill try vvhether you be right or false These stony hearts of ours Lord renevv them vvith the knovvledge and righteousnesse of Christ thy onely begotten Son in whom thou art well pleased Lord quicken these thorny dead ignorant and carnall hearts of ours that are so set upon the vvorld vvherein there is nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit for what is a man better if he have all the world and have not Christ for he is alwayes hungring after more for how can a round thing fill a three cornered so this world cannot fill our hearts nor give us satisfaction why should we be so in love with this world when we depart we cannot take it with us we must leave it behinde us we must change either for a better life or a worse either for a life of torment or a life of joy Let us labour to forsake sin and live unto righteousnesse that we may have our conversation built upon the Lord substantially if it be built on soft ground it will fall but if it be built upon that substantiall rock it
lambe of God be pleased to open to us the door of faith November the 1. Lord purifie these drossy hearts of ours that we may become pure Virgins of thine and leave them without dross or sin remaining in them Lord restrain those that go about to interrupt those instruments which thou hast sent to preach out thy holy Word in thy Congregations it is requisite that offences should come but wo be to them by whom they come Oh let us labour to gain the Kingdome of Heaven and struggle and strive for it for it is not gained with a little ado but Heaven is won by violence and the violent take it by force Lord enrich these poor fainting souls of ours with thy graces that we may become able instruments to inherit the Kingdome of Heaven November the 3. Lord endue us with thy rich graces as faith which is the richest grace of all but our hearts are so stony that we cannot apprehend them aright to make a right use of them but make them of a fit temper that we may have our wills melted into that Will of that everlasting everliving and glorious Lord our God that we may lie at the feet of that immaculate lamb of thine untill those two arms of Love be pleased to take us up into the throne of Heaven Put on the whole armour of God that we may be able to stand against all the wiles of the Devill Oh labour to take notice of that everliving and glorious Lord our good God and of all his mercies that he hath been pleased to pour down upon us for if we take notice of him he will take notice of us both of all our needs and necessities and necessary things both temporall and spirituall for if we sit loose from him he will sit loose from us November the 4th Oh let us labour to repent of all our sins which we have lived in formerly and call to minde what the Lord hath done for us in distresse When we were in the hands of our enemies he hath preserved us from the hands of our enemies for if we were as we should be we should be thankfull every hour of a day but God knoweth we are far short Good Lord refine us even as silver and gold is refined and make us without spot or blemish even as thy spotlesse lamb and cloath us with the righteousnes of him November the 5th He that knoweth the will of his Father that is in heaven and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes Lord renew these stony hearts of ours and give us hearts of flesh Lord open our blinde eyes that we may see clâ—erly the errour of sin and the purity that is in Christ and the corruption that is in our selves We poor miserable and wretched creatures Lord pardon and forgive us all our sins that we have committed against thee and wash them away in the blood of that thy beloved One and leave us without spot or stain remaining in us November the 6th The Works of God are wonderfull and his wayes past finding out Servants obey the will and command of your Masters which are upon the earth knowing that you have a Master in heaven Oh let us call upon the Lord in the time of extremity and calamity and he hath promised to give ear unto us November the 8th Call upon me in the day of trouble aâ—d I will hear you and you shall glorifie me Oh Lord endue us with thy graces that we may be fit to come to the School of Christ to learn the lesson of faith Oh let us labour for that beloved One for if we have him we have all if we want him we want all he will stand unto us when all will fall down all things are but drosse and dung in comparison of him Oh labour to repent of all your sins but you must first lay the ground-work of faith and then truly repent and return home unto the Lord. Oh let us cry aloud unto the Lord in the time of necessity and he hath promised to give ear unto us Cast your care upon the Lord for he careth for you in the time of extremity and calamity when all helpers in the world fail he will be your greatest help of all he must do it or none Oh let us labour to fear the Lord that we may live in his fear and die in his favour Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest Oh what a sweet promise is this if we had but hearts to apprehend it aright but our hearts are so stony and so full of corruption that it can take no effect but Lord mollifie them November the 9th Oh let us call to minde what the Lord hath done for us and not be like the natural man that looketh his face in a glasse and presently forgetteth what manner of man he was Oh let us labour and take pains for that well-beloved One and labour to sâ—ick close unto him for if we lose him we lose all and if we gain him we gain all Oh let us labour to set our affections on the things that are above and not on the world wherein there is nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit Oh let us labour to wait and be patient untill his appointed time for his time is the best time My Christ hath vanquished Satan that luâ—king roaring lion that goeth about to devour my poor soul but I hope he hath nothing to do with me I hope my God will own me for his own he is alwayes malicing and perplexing the children of God to make their journey uncomfortable and thinketh that if he get not victory then he shall never get victory Come all ye that are a thirst and drink freely of the Spring-well-water of life and you shall never thirst again Lord Lord endue us with thy graces that we may become lively branches in thy Vineyard prune it dresse it and water it and look to it that nothing hurt it nor harme it Oh let us labour for faith for they that are faithfull until death shall receive a Crowne of life Lord satisfie these unsatisfied hearts of ours for if a man have all the world he thinketh that he hath not enough but when he hath Christ then he is fully satisfied Ah what can a Christian heart desire more then a crucified Christ then a naked Christ what can a Christian heart desire more he is the jewell of all jewels he is the upright One Labour to deal faithfully in all things for as you do so you must look to be done by if you sowe to the flesh you shall reap corruption but if you sowe to the Spirit you shall reap life everlasting Lord endue us with thy graces and set them aright upon our hearts but they are so benummed luke-warm and key-cold that we cannot apprehend them to make a right use of them but
signes of that which she had not given signes of before since about Mid-April and upon the seventh of December betwixt five and six a clock at night it pleased God to open her teeth being shut since the eighth day of September as I noted before she yawned and triall was made and we found her mouth opened and then she took food without spilling after an hours space she knew her youngest sister being about 4 years of age who used to lie by her and be very fond of her and would be oftentimes kissing of her and soon after she knew her Mother and rejoyced to see her with laughing and stroaking of her face and clasping her armes about her neck and then her Father came and asked her if she knew him and after a while for her eyes were yet somewhat dim she did the like to him holding up her hands together as if she would desire him to pray for her she did the like to her Mother And we plainly discovered that God had restored at that instant the senses of Hearing Seeing Smelling and Handling for when we called her by her name she had an expression whereby we perceived she heard us as also that she saw us and there was a pair of sweet Gloves and we bad her smell at them and she put them to her Nose several times and she had at that time much use of her hands which she had not before And her Mother came to her again said What hath the Lord done for thee art thou not willing to give God all that he hath given thee thy Life Understanding and all thy Senses and Heart and all and she manifested her selfe by signes that she was cheerfully willing so to do by holding up her hands and lifting up her eyes with smiling and plucking at her heart diverse times and then lifted up her hand as high as she could reach as though she would give God her heart and all and about nine a clock she knew her sister Hannah and her Grand-Mother the Wife of Mr. George Westby a Gentleman well known in the North and South a very godly Gentlewoman and she did express the same by laughing and stroking their faces and closing of her hands to her Grandmother as if she desired her to pray for her Then she went to bed and God gave her reasonable good rest and sleep that next morning being the eighth of Decembor she had four or five sick fits her body face and lips being very much swelled but when she was better the swelling did fall again at an instant and then alwayes she held up her hands and eyes seeming to praise God and all the afternoon she played with some odde toys and Spice which Neighbours had brought her which she had in a little Basket untill betwixt five and six a clock at night and then she fell into a stiffe fit yet without any appearance of the Convulsions before as it had been formerly with her and then she spake as she used to do in a stiffe fit and said Oh let us wait and be patient until the appointed time of our wise God for his time is the best time And he that shall come will come and will not tarry and the just shall live by faith but if any draw back my soul shall take no pleasure in them Let us labour for Christ that Holy One by whom we live move and have our being he is all in all Oh trust in him and believe in him for all things trust in him fear him and love him for he hath promised All things shall turn to the good of them that love him and delight in him Oh let us labour for faith for He that is faithfull unto the death shall receive a crown of life She spake all these sentences with much fervencie lifting up her hands and shaking her head she continued in this stiffe fit about a quarter of an houre and then she came to her selfe and her mother being set upon the bed by her she laughed and rejoyced and said Mother ah Mother how do you Ah my dear Childe said her Mother how doest thou she answered Me is pretty well I praise my God Oh Mother love God love him ô get faith get faith her Mother said So I have need It is observable though I did not so note it before that one of the last things she spake of before God took away her understanding and senses was to stir up her Mother to get Faith that would carry her above all difficulties and now she begins with pressing that counsell again which her Mother desires to make speciall use of and the Lord help her to do so Her Mother further said to her Ah Childe thou hast been a Preacher of righteousnesse and taught us the way to heaven The Childe answered Have I Have I me cannot tell I can do nothing of my self it was not me it was the Spirit of God in me I am nothing but a poor Earth-worme and me hath nothing in me but what my God giveth me for me is nothing but dust and ashes and she spake all this evening after and answered any Question that was put to her very sensibly and was carried to bed and hath had a very quiet nights sleep she said this morning being the ninth of December she never awaked till that time which was about seven a clock The Lord be praised for his marvellous Works for they are wonderfull in our eyes Thus I have given you a true Relation of things since our meeting before God in her behalfe whereby it is very apparent that the Lord hath heard and answered the petitions of his people and that the Sun of righteousnesse is risen with healing under his wings The glory of the Lord be advanced with much thankfulnesse for all and of all and more especially of you who sent out the Dove that returned at the last with the Olive-Branch in her mouth The Copy of this Relation I received the ninth of December when the Officers and Members of the Church of Christ in Sheffield were met at a private Conference and I read over this Relation to them which caused many tears of joy and their hearts were mightily ravished with the appearances of God in this Businesse and as they had prayed for her so did they then return praise to him Upon the 15 day of December I did go to visit her at which time did visit her the Lady Lambert as also Colonel Bright and his Lady who were much affected with the wonderfull Workes of God which were so evident upon that Childe When I came thither I met with the Ministers with whom I had joyned in seeking to God for her though I little thought of meeting them there at that time but so God mercifully ordered it that we might agree upon a day to call the Company together who had joyned in seeking Gods face then to exalt his glorious Name who had wrought such