The Quaker Converted OR The Experimental Knowledg of Jesus Christ Crucisied In opposition to the Principles of the Quakers declared In a Narrative of the Conversion of one in Hartfordshire who was for some Years of their Faith and Principle and inclined unto them The manner how he was wrought off from them by the Lord. And several dealings of Christ with his Spirit afterwards With some things annexed for detection of their Errors and Delusions and prevention of the growth thereof Written by Himself in his own Words and Phrases Likewise an Epistle Dedicatory by W. HAWORTH Minister of the Gospel at Hartford John 5.39 Search the Scriptures They are they which testify of me Mat. 24.24 For there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shew great Signs and Wonders insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very Elect. John 4.22 Ye worship ye know not what we know what we worship for Salvation is of the Jews Acts. 2.30 Therefore David being a Prophet and knowing that God bad sworn with an Oath to him that of the Fruit of his Loins according to the Flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on his Throne 31. Spake of the Resurrection of Christ 30. Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ Ch. 5.31 Him hath God exalted with his right Hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give Repentance to Israel and forgiveness of Sins John 15.26 When the Comforter is come be shall testify of me Ch. 16.14 He shall glorify me for be shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you 1 Joh. 4.2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God every Spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh is of God Heb. 9.28 Christ was once offered to bear the Sins of many Ch. 10. 12. This MAN after he had offered one Sacrifice for Sins for ever sat down on the right Hand of God Act 13.39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses 〈◊〉 3.28 Therefore we conclude that a Man is justified by Faith without the Deeds of the Law Read likewise Rom. 10.4 Ch. 4.25 2 Cor. 5.21.1 Cor. 1.30 Act. 23.48 London Printed for J. Robinson at the Golden-Lion in Paul's Church-Yard 1690. The Epistle Dedicatory To the Church of Christ at Hartford Well-beloved in the Lord. IN this Relation which follows you may see some of the Quakers rotten Opinions You may remember how joyful we were when the Lord cast this Young-man unexpectedly amongst us how our hearts were refreshed in the speaking forth of these ensuing things And whereas we had mourned that some had gone out from our Meetings to them in this one instance the Lord hath abundantly made it up to us let Christ have the glory None of those that went out from us were properly of us had received the Gospel that we believe No it 's not possible for any to receive it truly and forsake it But this young Man was fully of their Way Spirit Faith and Principle as any may see by reading this little Book Though he made not such an open Profession as others of them yet went farther than most of them towards that which they call Perfection yea he was as Luther said of himself before his Conversion an honest Monk so an honest Quaker true to his perswasion I have thought it meet by the advice of my worthy Brethren in the Ministry to expose this Narrative to the open view although the meanness of the Person 's Education and the little time he hath had for proficiency in the knowledg of the Gospel might discourage in this matter on the one hand yet on the other hand the profit that we hope may be reaped through the Lord's Blessing by many especially at Hartford in the reading of it both as to the reducing some from them and preventing some staggering ones confirming also others in the Faith of the Gospel hath prevailed with me to print it And indeed Instances of this nature are so famous and rare VIZ. For any to be recovered from this Betwitching and this Instance none of the least that I could in Conscience do no other This withal being an experience that the Lord in rich Mercy gave him I hope will take the deeper impression upon the Minds of People For my own part I see such clear distinct sound Gospel knowledg in it that I dare say confidently it is no other than the Finger the eminent Finger of God upon his dear elect Child And the more remarkable is it in that be was a stranger to us all conversed with none of us most of these things were taught him alone in the reading of the Scriptures Flesh and Blood hath not revealed this to thee may we truly say but our Father which is in Heaven the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Mystery of the Father and the Son hath been upon him O that every one of you my dear Brethren and every one in Hartford had the knowledg of Christ thus distinctly formed in you till which thing be the Soul of him to whom Christ hath committed you as his charge shall travail in birth and be in pain Blessing the Lord that his poor Labours have not altogether been in vain as to this matter O that it might please Christ to direct my faithful Brethren in the Ministry in their respective places where they are cast in the Countreys to open and insist more on the great New-Testament fundamental Truths in the Blood of Christ My daily Prayer to Christ is that we all may he made able Ministers of the New-Testament We have but Law and Gospel to preach let us keep them distinctly in their places the Law for the knowledg and conviction of Sin yea of first evil Motions to be sin The Law is spiritual Rom. 7. and requires perfect and perpetual Obedience of every one that will be justified by it and admits of no Repentance at all in case of any failure Now the Law is weak through the flesh Rom. 8. Man is breaking it every moment by his crooked thoughts this would let a Man see his Sins to be mountanous and innumerable and so bring down every high thought and lay him low giving him to see the need of the Righteousness of another not being able to answer the requirements of the Law thus the Law is our Schoolmaster to Christ Then the Gospel the Balm of the Doctrine of the free Justification of a Sinner in the Blood of Christ for the Wound this Oile to be poured into the Gashes of Conscience how would it Heal Settle Confirm Comfort and the Soul thus finding a Saviour and Sweetness in Christ this would be as new Wine and be would soon discern all poisonous drinks Whoever bath tasted that the Lord is Gracious never takes up with the Quakers Christ
Satisfaction from Rom. 6. most eminent for this thing By which thing I was pretty easily turned from this thing but in my Search met with that Passage Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare his Righteousness for the Remission of Sins that are past From whence I did apprehend that Christ died for the Remission of my Sins which I had committed before He did manifest his Love to me but afterwards I was to work for Life and for Salvation and to keep all his Commandments or else Hell would be my Portion And being taken in the same Snare of Sin as I was before Convictions grew Strong upon me my Burthen grew heavy upon me Insomuch that I did say at length Christ was of no Advantage of no prosit to me if he had never died it had been as well with me Under which troubles I was a great while until the Lord gave me light into two Scriptures which did in some measure relieve me which are these Rom. 10.9 That If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy Heart that God hath raised Him from the Dead thou shalt be saved Heb. 10.14 For by one Offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified And being able to see a Sanctification by being justified by the Death of Christ and viewing the Word ever I had much relief yet was I not at quiet having not settlement of Spirit but had Reasonings lay in the Bottom of my Heart in this manner If I might not go on in Sin and when I did not go on in Sin my Works did not make any thing for my Justification for I was Justified without them then what use were they for or for what end And the Lord gave me light into Four Things which did greatly settle me which are these First It was for the Glory of God in my Generation and for the Honour and Praise of his Name which hath begotten a lively Hope in me through Jesus Christ Secondly To manifest my Love to Jesus Christ which gave his Life a Ransom for me For how should I make it appear that I love Him but by keeping his Commandments Thirdly To convince the World of Sin by my refraining from that which is evil Fourthly It is my Duty as I am a Son to God in Jesus Christ to keep his Commandments and to obey and do his Will from whence I had settlement in my Spirit having Joy and Peace with God through Jesus Christ seeing a Beauty in Death now more than in Life often-times because then I should be freed from the Corruption of my Flesh and be at rest with the Lord. It being near Eighteen Months since I had the view of the Love of God in Jesus Christ After which time I was desirous to have some Discourse with some that I judged honest Men that I might see whether there was a Difference between them and me and accordingly had retaining to my self most part of my Experiences After which I returned for the most part to my former Life keeping little Company yet aiming to grow in the knowledg of the Mysteries of God in Jesus Christ Having after this manner been carried on by the Will of God having known two Faiths two Joys two Peaces and two sorts of Hope perhaps it may be thought requisite to speak something as touching the difference between them For satisfaction therefore I will insert some few things by way of Question and Answer Quest Was that Light by which I was convinced of Sin and by Obedience thereunto thought I should be brought into the Image of Christ and in that Righteousness be accepted with God and delivered from the Wrath to come Was it the Light of the Spirit of Christ Yea or Nay Answ Nay if I may judg of the Tree by the Fruit. Quest What Light is it then Answ The same with that which the Heathens had by Nature Sixteen Hundred Years since mentioned Rom. 2.14 Quest How know I that since they lived so many Years before my time Answ Because it chiesty pointed unto the same things which are recorded that they did namely the things contained in the Law Quest What things did I see or what things did I apprehend by that Light which now I see are false things Answ Three things I shall Name at the present First I did apprehend by the Light within that the Motions the Desires which arose in me to Evil were no Sin if I did not consent to Act according to them Secondly That the Doctrine of Christ making Satisfaction for all my Sins was a Doctrine tending to Loosness Thirdly I thought by the Righteousness in which I lived wrought in me by the Light which I thought was Christ himself I then Judged I should be saved at the Day of Judgment Quest What do I now apprehend by the Light of the Spirit which is now in me as concerning the First of these Three Answ I apprehend that every Motion and Desire arising in me to Evil tho not consented to nor put into Action is a Sin against God because it doth spring from the Corruption of Mine own Flesh and from the Root of Bitterness dwelling in this Body wherefore if this Body be mine then is that which dwelleth in it mine Quest What do I apprehend concerning the Second Answ To this I say Far be it from me that I should say That Christ being offered once for all should be a thing tending to Looseness having found by Experience Faith in this Doctrine is the only Spring from whence true Christian-Works do flow For so soon as ever the Lord gave me light into that Doctrine and seeing a Glorious view of Christ that very moment was my Soul drawn out in Love to serve the Lord and to keep his Commandments From whence my Faith is That whoever counteth it a Doctrine tending to that purpose they never truly knew the Want of a Saviour For how irrational a thing would it be if I was a Slave in Turkey or in some other barbarous Nation out of which Servile Work I could by no means nor art deliver my Self and in the midst of my Bondage a Nobleman of mine own Countrey of his own Free and Voluntary will ransom'd me home would it not engage my Soul to love the Man that redeemed me out of Bondage much more being delivered by Faith out of Bondage and Slavery from the Devil And how should we manifest our love to Christ but by keeping his Commandments Quest What do I apprehend as to the Third thing Answ If I had never known another Righteousness than that which I attained unto or could attain unto by that Light and Power which worked in me before Conversion I must have expected my Portion in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone to be tormented Day and Night for ever For in the greatest of my Purity and the highest Degree of Perfection there were
O that the Gospel were studied by us and preached by us more These things that follow have established me in the Preaching of it 1. That the Parity and Holiness of God's Majesty is such that nothing is accepted of him but what is every Way perfect and compleat We are very prone to measure God by the rule of our own Imagination and to think that what appears to be Righteousness with us is so with Him Whereas we are to conceive of God according as the Scriptures set Him forth to us and to bring our Righteousness to the Bar of his Tribunal and see whether it will bear the Tryal see whether it will hold out to justify in his sight when as Job 5.15 The Heavens are not clean in his sight Job 4.18 He chargeth his Angels with Folly which is too little to speak of the bad Angels 2. None of the Sons of Men since Adam's Fall that was no more than Man hath ever brought neither can any of them bring this perfect and compleat Righteousness to God Look to the best Men that ever were sanctified and that eminently by the Holy Ghost yea some of the Prophets Patriarchs and Penmen of the Holy Scriptures see what they say of themselves and what is said of them Abraham had Righteousness he had Works yet Rom. 4.2 these were not to be gloried in before God only in the sight of Men David Psal 143.2 prayeth to God in this manner Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant for in thy sight c. Therefore Psal 32.1 he placeth the Blessedness of Man in the Forgiveness of Sins Blessed is he whose Sin is covered c. which is mentioned in Rom. 4. Isiah c. 6.5 I am a Man of unclean lips Chap. 64.6 We are all as an unclean thing and all our Righteousness c. Hear Job called a perfect Man c. 9.30 If I wash my self with Snow-water and make my Hands never so clean v. 31. Yet shalt thou plunge me in the Ditch and mine own Cloaths shall abhor me Let us look at Daniel so much beloved of God how he confesseth Sin as well for himself as the People Dan. 9.7 Ezra likewise c. 9.15 Paul in Rom. 3.9 10. tells us That all both Jews and Gentiles of whom the World consisted were under Sin and not one righteous Ver. 23. All fallen short of the Glory of God 1 Job 1.8 If we say we have no sin we lye c. He writes to those that were called and sanctified and takes in himself with them and all Saints that ever were or ever should be And it s but a lie to rest so in any Righteousness as to take us off from Confession of Sin This is spoken to make them prize the more Forgiveness of Sin by Christ's Blood 3. Jesus Christ of Nazareth that was born at Bethelem that was of the Seed of David according to the Flesh brought this Righteousness He was called the Holy One and the Just in Daniel he is called the most Holy in Jeremiah the Righteous Branch in Peter A lamb without Spot and Blemish in 2 Cor. 5. ult Knew no Sin Now this came to pass 1. In that He was born of a Virgin in an extraordinary Way Luke 1.34 The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the Power of the Highest shall over shadow thee therefore that Holy Thing that shall be born of thee c. Thus there was no Original Sin in him or upon him 2. He who brought this Righteousness was the Holy One in that being the Anointed having the Spirit without measure by his Active Obedience in his Life absolutely and compleatly fulfilled the Law of God in all things and at all times Rom. 8.4 That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us How can that be but only as Christ in our nature fulfilled it for us by his Holy Life Mat. 5. He came to fulfil the Law I come to do thy Will O God in Hebr. 10.7 Now this was required in the Sanction of the Law viz. Do this and live either we must or another for us otherwise no Life We could not through Weakness in the Fall therefore Christ came and did all in our place and stead 3. By laying down a Full Price for the Sin of his People by the Sacrifice of himself suffering Death on the Cross without the Gates at Jerusalem Therefore this his giving himself to Death is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Satisfactory Price of Redemption in the room and place and stead of another That God hath Justice in him the very Light of Nature sheweth Rom. 1. ult it 's said of the Heathens who knowing the Judgment of God i. e. his vindictive Justice The barbarous People Acts 28.4 could say Vengeance would not suffer Paul to live when they saw the Viper upon his Hand apprehending him to be a Murderer They saw this in the Deity viz. A Vengeance ready to punish Sin Now this is as dear to Him as his Mercy it being himself it must therefore be satisfied being wronged by the Sin of Man and He cannot deny himself And if it should rest upon those that had sinned it would have burned to the lowest Hell and and so the Lord would have been deprived of all Worship and Service from his People But now this way it is satisfied viz. the Father poured out all his Wrath upon his Son Jesus Christ upon whom the Guilt of his People was charged Isa 53. All our Iniquities met upon him and therefore it 's said in that 53d Chapter He was bruised striken of God In Gal. 3.13 Made a Curse Zach. 13. Awake O Sword against thy Shepherd against the Man my Fellow smite the Shepherd And now He being God as well as Man his Fellow Co-equal bare up under this Wrath. 4. This Righteousness of Jesus Christ becomes ours by Imputation it is reckoned ours and accounted ours by the Father's Act As if we had thus done and suffered these Scriptures speak thus much viz. Rom. 5.19 By the Obedience of One many are made righteous 2 Cor. 5. ult That we might be made the Righteousness of God in Him Now we are made Righteousness in the same way as He was made Sin for these two are set in contradiction to one another but he was not made Sin by Inhesion for He knew no Sin therefore this way viz. by Imputation Jer. 23.6 He shall be called i. e. He shall really be Jehovah Tsidkenu The Lord our Righteousness he had spoke of him as the Righteous Branch springing up from David as being made Flesh in the 5th Verse and here as Jehovah Here is both his Manhood and Godhead and as thus He is our Righteousness This cannot be spoken of the Light that every Man hath For is that the Branch from David Or is that Jehovah God that gives being to all things Nor of the Spirit that cannot be called the Branch Nor of Faith nor of Works of what sort soever but only of Jesus Christ
more diligence and pains in going up and down the dark Countries taking Examples from these Foxes who with unwearied travel compass Sea and Land spoiling the Vines that have tender Grapes many a young Lamb is torn by them My Brethren Let us be greatly encouraged in this Instance waiting upon the same Spirit in reducing others to the Faith in the same manner And let me engage you Night and Day to pray to Christ for the poor Town of Hartford which now for a long time hath a been a Nest of Error where Satan hath had his Seat that now having begun to fall he might fall as Lightning from Heaven It 's matter of Grief to us as you kuow that many in the Town that made a fair shew once have turned their Backs upon us and sunk into Formality discouraging of us all they can The Lord give them Repentance unto Life Others the same in Faith with us through Childishness make a Schism in smaller matters Controversial but most of all that these Seducers have caught so many simple Hearts in their Nets and keep them in perfect Popish Slavery and Bondage O let your Cry go up to Heaven for them some of his Elect peradventure may be among them My Bowels my Bowels for that dark divided Town of Hartford O cry and pray That as He hath now in Mercy built us a Tabernacle there the residue of the People might seek after the Lord and the Quakers be undeceived As for you my Brethren let me exhort you to stedsastness in the Faith you have received and yet more Zeal and Boldness for the Truth We have to do with a very impudent Enemy yet remember and believe it Stronger is he that is with us than those that are against us O let not those poor deluded Ones that have trod under-foot the Blood of Christ and so left themselves no more Sacrifice for Sin to trust unto let them not out-strip you in their Zeal they have but not according to knowledg And be you not afraid of them tho you be but a very little Flock and they swarm as Locusts about you As High as Heaven is above the Earth so far is that Spirit of the Faith of Jesus in you above the Spirit of Antichrist that is in them And yet a little while and Christ shall bruise Satan under your Feet Amen Hold on your way grow stronger and stronger quit your selves like Men walk in Wisdom and in Love keep the Unity of the Spirit abound yet more and more in all Judgment and Experience Jesus Christ is amongst us as we all can witness in his Institutions that are so much despised by this dark People He walketh among the Golden Candlesticks We see a Glory in a crucified Jesus though they see no Beauty or Comeliness in Him for which they should desire Him We eat his Flesh and drink his Blood He dwelleth in us and we in Him We have both Christ within and without we have both Word and Spirit and so we have the better of them that divide these Let us with one Shoulder carry on Christ's Interest in that place and Christ will add to us such as shall be saved and he will build us up and finish that good Work that He hath begun among us and he will throw all Babels down to the Ground and not leave one Stone upon another There begins to be a Confusion amongst them already wait a while Dagon will fall before the Ark. I testify from the Lord having tried this People many a time and in the Light of the Spirit of Christ to my utmost being willing to receive any Truth from any hand that the Quakers Spirit is A Spirit of Delusion and their Doctrine is Antichristian in diametrical opposition to the Doctrine delivered by the Apostles of Jesus Christ I testify in the Lord and I have with me herein the concurrence of many ten thousand faithful Ones in the Land That if ever Satan transform'd himself into an Angel of Light it is in this People coming forth with such a fair pretence of strict Mortisication and Self-denial speaking of Light Spirit and Power therefore let all rake head and beware of them O how dreadful to deny the Manhood of Christ the Holy Scriptures save only what they think serves their turns to be Saviours to themselves to say Christ came and died in vain and to no purpose c. which necessarily follows upon their Doctrine My Soul weeps in secret to remember what a dumpish dark sowr Pharisaical confused slavish Spirit we have found some in whom they have lately caught and yet withal infinitely proud and self conceited the Lord have Mercy upon them I now recommend these following Lines to you keep them by you as a Treasure they are rich Spoils obtained in a Spiritual Warfare and dedicated to you a Temple of the Lord. In this you have the Doctrines which I who am the least have been preaching to you taught me by the Holy Ghost through manifold Tossings Trials Temptations Desertions Sadnesses Buffettings wherewithal I have been exercised these Fifteen Years the Lord is my Witness And I am willing and ready through the Grace of Christ to seal them with my Blood against all Adversaries whatsoever It comforts me that I can say I have preached none other things than what is written by the Prophets and Apostles and how pleasant as here you see when the Spirit of Truth in one ecchoes to the Spirit it self in another It is the self-same Spirit that worketh these things in us and for us all 1 Cor. 12. In this you have 1. the Spirituality of the Law of God spoken of 2. Our Weakness to keep the Law 3. God's insinite Wisdom and Goodness to provide a Surety in our room 4. Christ's great Love in undertaking 5. Man's great blindness by Nature cannot see this of himself 6. His backwardness to receive this Righteousness till he be brought to utter distress as the Prodigal was 7. His proneness to be his own Saviour 8. God's distinguishing Love and Grace in enlightning his and revealing Truth to them by his Spirit drawing of them 9. The blessed Fruits of Faith viz. Peace and Joy and Love to Christ 10. The ineffectualness of any other thing but Faith on Christ to bring the Soul to rest 11. How the Light within every One and Obedience thereunto will not do it 12. You may see herein the benefit of reading the Holy Scriptures 13. You may see that the Doctrine of Free Grace is not a Doctrine tending to Licentiousness but Holiness 14. Yet it excludes all manner of Works in the point of Justification 15. Tho Compleatness of Justification viz. from all Sin These with more that might be enumerated And now I will boldly say The Gates of Hell Power and Policy thereof shall never prevail against these Truths Notwithstanding the rage and subtilty of Adversaries we will say Tho an Host encamp against the Church Isa 37.22 The Virgin Daughter
of Zion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn the Daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her Head at thee I conclude with this Remember how you have heard and received and hold fast Rev. 3.3.1 John 2. Read the 18 19 20 21 22 23 and this is the 24th Let that therefore abide in you which you have heard from the beginning If that which ye have heard from the beginning remain in you ye shall also continue in the Son and in the Father Amen I subscribe my self your Servant for Jesus sake Will. Haworth The Bookseller to the Reader There is a Reply to an Answer of the Quakers to this Tract Writ likewise by the same Person And if thou wouldst see farther into the Errors of the Quakers read Mr. Faldo's two Books entituled Quakerism no Christianity c. Sold at the Golden-Lion in Paul's Church-yard The Quaker Converted God which appointeth unto Man the Bounds of his Habitation and dealeth with Man as it pleaseth Him in bringing him to himself deal with me in manner and Form following FIrst I was brought up to the Publick Worship that was in England at that time And as my Parents were able I was put to School And the Lord did restrain me that I did not break out into open Sins as many did And being of Age fitting I went to be an Apprentice in Ignorance that my Master was of that Opinion namely a Quaker My Parents after they had knowledg thereof laboured that I might have the Priviledg to go to the Publick to worship which Priviledg I had for a time But after the Prayer-Book was made use of there I was permitted to go no more which was a great trouble to me After a considerable time I grew desirous to go to the Quakers Meeting having heard much talk of them and of the Gifts their Ministers had and whilst it was thus with me I was commanded to go and I went several times as other Boys did only this I was taken off from having delight in Sports and Pastims quickly after my going and did refuse going to such Delights when I might go But being about Sixteen Years of Age as I remember having some workings upon my Spirit it was set home upon me That there was a God that would take Vengeance on them that did not obey him nor keep his Commandments And that there was no escaping of this God and withal it would be my Portion to fall under his Wrath if I continued as I was for I had broken his Commands this presently followed Have I Sinned I will do so no more and from that time I went on by Degrees to keep my Conscience void of offence according to that Light which I had And at that time I was of that Frame of Spirit that I was ready to assent to every thing the Quakers did whether I had ground for it or not For when I had not a real Perswasion that that thing which I did was Sin I had these reasonings in me There are such and such Men that are mighty Men in Gifts and of great Fame and very just Men and they do not do these things therefore it is Sin And I was ready to go upon this Ground My Parents also at such times as I was with them desired me to go to Church with them as I had done before and I refused and would not go Soon after this there arose great Suffering-times after which it was ordered that I went not frequently to the Meetings but to some few in which they spake not yielding to any thing I did believe was Sin before God And after a time being at a Meeting with Alexander Parker as I remember he made use of these Words which I found upon my Search in the 1 Thessal 5.21 Prove all things hold fast that which is good Knowing by the Words he spake that it was written in the Scripture And he did explain it in this manner Prove all Religions all Sects all Opinions and Words to this purpose But as for the way of proof I do not well remember But there was this thing that was cast into my Heart That they that are of the same Spirit with the Servants of the Lord which were in former Times must of Necessity in all things agree with the Scriptures whereupon I searched the Scripture comparing my Condition with it And as I grew up to understanding by Degrees I considered with my Self that there was a Jesus Christ which came to save Sinners and He was this Light within and by hearing their Discourses and by one means or other and knowing that there was such a thing in me as did convince me of Sin and if I was Obedient to it I was delivered from Sin I did believe this was the Christ Now the ends of his Coming I did believe were to change me from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan unto God to bring me into his own Image to be free from Sin and by Degrees as I was convinced of Sin I was Obedient unto the Light within which did reprove me and had Power over Sin and I rejoiced in it and counted my condition Happy and thought it would not be long before I was delivered from all my Sin and be brought into the Image of Christ Now to understand the frame of my Spirit I will insert one remarkable Passage which I did when I was about Nineteen or Twenty Years of Age which is this I being sent to the Shop for Herrings and had them delivered unto me I did dislike some of them and being sent to the Barrel alone to change some of them I being a great lover of them it arose in me what a Brave opportunity I had to slip one into my Pocket for my self this was the Temptation On the other Hand came the Light reproving of me in this manner I must not do this thing why if it should be known it would be a dishonour to my Name and I should be ashamed to look any Body in the Face and if it were not known to Man yet God would know it and he would Punish me if I sinn'd against Him Through which means I did Obey that which did reprove and touched none but what was my due and I went Home rejoicing with my Self in this manner How happy was my Condition now beyond what it had been if I had disobeyed the reproof and how good was the Lord to me in calling to me when I was tempted to do that evil Oh who would but love such a Lord as this But little did I think at that time that I had sinned against God So was I convinced of one evil one Day and was delivered from it and another Day another Evil and had Power over it and I had Joy and Peace in it Now there were some things which the Quakers did that I was not convinced of and I was ashamed to be found in them having no Ground for them in my self which things