assembly of the wicked have enclosed me they pierced my hands and my feet I may tell all my bones they look and stare upon me they part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture Which did to me clear up something of what Jesus Christ underwent as he stood Surety for his Elect from Isa 9.6 For unto us a Child is born unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon his Shoulders and his Name shall be called wonderful Counsellor the mighty God Everlasting Father the Prince of Peace I learn'd something of the Humane Nature of Jesus Christ he also endeavoured from Gen. 1.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the Spirit of GOD moved upon the Face of the the Waters to evince to me the being of the Holy Ghost the Notion of a Trinity I took in form Gen. 1.26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us make Man And from Gen. 11. where God coming down to see the City and the Tower which the Children of Men had built saith in ver 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Go to let us go down and confound their Languages From Gen. 49.10 The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his feet till Shiloh come c. I saw that Jesus Christ was the true Messiah in which I was satisfied and tho' as yet I had nothing more then the Notion of Things yet as the Eunnch said to Philip Acts 8.36 so said I What hinders me to be baptized and baptized I was in Berlijn in Brandenburg the Duke stood my Godfather I became not a Christian for Silver nor Gold but was constrained thereto by the mighty Power of Jesus Christ I was beholden to none but to the Almighty Power of God After this I was recommended to a Minister in the City Ryneburg on the Rhyne by whom I was further notionally confirmed in the Christian Faith and from that time had a mind to travel into England where under the Denomination of a Christian I lived a great while Revelling in all manner of Wickedness committing Iniquity with Greediness as I grew older I thought it was high time to reform knowing I must give an Account of Deeds done in the Body I then resolved to lead a new Life and venture on the Mercy of Christ which tho' I prayed for Night and Day yet could not find I made many Resolutions to live better and broke them as fast knowing nothing of the Person of Jesus Christ at length I was by continued Prayer very solicitous for Repentance yet thought I should I repent it will not avail me unless I could forsake my Sins to Prayer I went and in a Agony I was I flung up mine Eyes and Heart to Heaven Lord Jesus Christ said I tho' thou wilt not shew Mercy to me tho' I must perish yet will I trust thee still Terrors of Conscience still pursued me so that I often thought through want of Ease in my Conscience tho' I should trust in Jesus Christ yet I should be Damned I thought many times as I passed over the Fields that I saw the Lord Jesus Christ coming in the Clouds upon which when I began to consider my own Condition I passed Judgment on my self as one that deserved Hell and Damnation I found as I thought the Devil binding me in Chains which made me cry out as Rom. 7.23 24. I am carried into Captivity to the Law of Sin which is in my Members O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death The Terrors of Hell took hold of me I thought I saw the Pit of Hell ready to receive me How to get Peace of Conscience I knew not nothing but Hell and Damnation sounded in my Ears I thought I must be damned if I turned not to Jesus Christ In these Agonies of Spirit I read once and again the Book of one Baxter which I thought would have been a great Means of my Salvation But alas that drove me more into Hell I thought I should by it have sunk into utter Despair I could find nothing in it for my Consolation what Course to take I knew not I desired the Lord Jesus Christ to do a Miracle upon me in breathing the Breath of Life into my Soul who was dead in Sin as he formerly raised those who were naturally dead from their Graves I pleaded his Power as he in Matth. 8.2 Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean and cleansing I stood in need of for I saw my Sin so black that I abhorred my self in dust I thought I was not worthy to roul my self on Jesus Christ yet to venture I resolved I knew I could but be rejected as 2 Kings 7.4 If we say we will enter into the City then the Famine is in the City and we shall dye there and if we sit still here we shall dye also Now therefore come and let us fall into the Host of the Syrians if they save us alive we shall live and if they kill us we shall but dye I always concluded Prayer after this manner Lord tho' thou wilt not hear me yet will I trust to thee I prayed as one sensible of my own Insufficiency that God would by his Spirit teach me to pray there was yet a secret Hope in me that God would call me however I resolved to lean on the Lord Jesus praying that he would give me the Spirit of him that raised Jesus Christ from the Dead to raise me from the Death of Sin such was my Affection to Jesus Christ that I often wished my self in a Cave so that I might enjoy him tho' I endured the greatest Hardship In these Conflicts of Spirit the Devil set in upon me told me It was impossible for me to be saved For said he your Parents have wished a Curse upon you and insinuated as if I was by that Curse bound over to eternal Damnation How said he can you believe that the Son of God should be born of the Virgin Mary or that he that was born of her should be the Saviour of your Soul Know you not what a Fellow which word went through my Soul God knows he was It is impossible said he that he should ever save you To whom I answered and said Satan get thee behind me God said I and the Lord Jesus Christ are all One God at first created the World out of Nothing created Man out of the Dust and of a Rib taken out of Adam made he a Woman yea Christ himself was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost in the Womb of the Virgin Mary And now O Devil what is too hard for such an Almighty Power which has done all this Thou hast no Power over him nor canst thou Disannul what he hath done After this my Inclination stood bent to frequent the Assembly of God's People tho' whether to go I was at a lost I heard there was many Churches One cry'd Here is Christ another cry'd Here is Christ I
The Jaylor whom we find Inhumane in his Treatment of Paul and Silas Act. 16.24 not long after washing their Wounds as a genuine Effect of his Believing the Word they spake to him he who about Midnight designed to be his own Executioner before Day-break was a joyful Believer And how many of the obstinate Jews who had embrewed their wicked hands in the Blood of Christ fled for refuge to the hope set before them in the Gospel and in one days time became Church-Members whose continuance in the Apostle's Doctrine was as stedfast as their Conversion was sudden Acts 2.23 41. Objection 2. It may be said these were extraordinary Instances and therefore nothing to the Purpose in hand Answer I grant that the Work of Regeneration is not ordinary but special if compar'd with the more usual Dispensations of Divine Bounty in his common Providence as to the things of this life and tho' there are not many Converts in this day who parallel the foregoing Instances yet they who have the Spirit witnessing with theirs that they are the Sons of God cannot but set to their Seal from their own Experience that the Lord's Arm is not shortned Doctrina adversariorum qui legem cum Christo decebant ut justificationis causum concurrere i. e. The Doctrine of our Adversaries who hold That the Law is a Co Adjutor with Christ in the Justification of a Sinner Beza in La. tho' the Doctrine of his Grace is so clouded by some Self-Justiciaries The Apostle affirms That the Spirit cannot be received by the Works of the Law but by the Hearing of Faith And how far the generality of Preachers deviate from this Doctrine is too conspicuous who not allowing the Grace of God to be so powerful and effectual now as when the Gospel was first promulgated send us for Life to that Law which hath already condemned us Object 3. Why did not this Convert give some Reasons why he turned from Judaism Answ He gave the most perswasive Argument that could be viz. His believing Jesus Christ to be the true Messiah upon the naked Testimony and Record of God concerning him expressed in several Texts of Scripture Which will be a sufficient Reason to those poor blind Jews who are still walking after the Imagination of their own Hearts to relinquish their Errors when God in his infinite Wisdom shall think fit to call them by his Grace 2. Consider the Things he spake were delivered to a Church of Christ not to an Auditory at Lions to satisfie them of a Work of Grace in his Soul And therefore tho' his Speech was rude yet it is not doubted from the Certainty of his Conversion but he had those Divine Impulses on his Soul whereby he could not but desert Judaism and lay hold of the true Messiah for Life and Salvation It only remains Reader to inform you That what Shalome Ben Shalomoh spake publickly has not passed under any material Alteration since but as far as it consists with Plainness and Perspicuity his own Expressions are retained tho' through his Deficiency in our English Dialect it was judged proper to alter some of his Words yet retaining his Sence Which with some Additions forgotten by him when he delivered himself to the Church and others whereinto God hath since instructed him are now offered to your serious Consideration the Glory of God and your Good having been primarily consulted herein by Your Servant in our Lord Jesus Christ T. H. WE whose Names are hereto annexed Pastor and Members of the Church of Christ into which Mr. Shalome was admitted do hereby certifie That the following Account is what he delivered Viva Voce to the Church and that such Additions as are made were taken from his own Mouth by Thomas Humfrey Nathaniel Shepard Samuel Stratton THE NARRATIVE of the CONVERSION OF Shalome Ben Shalomoh the JEW DELIVER'D Unto the CHURCH of CHRIST to which Mr. Thomas Humfrey is Pastor Mr. Humfrey BRethren I suppose you well remember that Mr. Shalome was proposed to this Church in order to Communion therewith he is now come to give an Account of the Dealings of God with his Soul I hope you will attend as those who are sensible of the Grace of God towards you Sir If you please to speak Shalome I hope Men and Brethren that what I am about to say may prove as effectual as the Sermon which Peter preached to the Men of Judea and Jerusalem at the hearing of which there was an Universal crying out Men and Brethren What shall we do Acts 2.37 If that be your Enquiry take Peter's Answer You must believe and be baptized that the Holy Ghost may come upon you v. 38. I Shalome Ben Shalomoh was born of Jewish Parents my Father's Name Shalomoh my Mother 's Leah was circumcised the eighth Day in Pusnonny in Poland where I lived till I was twelve Years of Age at which time it pleased God who works all things for the good of his Elect that all our Family my self alone excepted died in a great Plague which had universally spread its self through that Land Being left thus destitute I had an Inclination to travel and in my Travels a Boy who was in the Duke of Brandenburg's Army came and said to me Why do you not turn a Christian A Christian said I why think you I will worship Images for such was my Ignorance that I thought all Christians were Papists there being none but Papists who were called Christians and Jews in the Country where I was born do you said I believe the Bible the Old Testament the five Books of Moses the Psalms of David and the Song of Solomon Yes said he we have all these Do you said I worship Images There are said he two sorts of Christians Protestants and Papists we believe no other Saviour but Jesus Christ alone Well said I carry me to a Minister who accordingly brought me to the Duke of Brandenburg's Minister who opend to me something concerning Jesus Christ from the five Books of Moses As 1st that in Gen. 3.15 And I will put enmity between thee and the Woman and between thy Seed and her Seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel which appeared to me when God opened my Eyes for I could not see it before a lively Representation of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ as also from that in Numb 21.9 when God commanded Moses to lift up a brazen Serpent on a Pole that every bitten Israelite looking thereto might be healed did I learn that Jesus Christ was the true brazen Serpent by believing on whom alone it was that I could obtain Salvation and eternal Life He also endeavoured to shew me how that many of the Psalms were prophetical of Jesus Christ particularly Psalm 2.7 Thou art my Son this Day have I begotteu thee And Psal 110.1 The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right Hand c. And Psal 22.16 17 18. The
If you have any Question to ask on any thing that he has said you have your Liberty Shalome Brethren Come what will come I am willing to wait with Patience flinging my self wholly on Jesus Christ trusting in him resolving to die at his Feet in the Strength of Christ I speak it Here it was desired by a Member in the Name of the Church that Mr. Humfrey would propound such Questions to him as by his Answers to which his Insight into and Experience of the glorious Mysteries of the Gospel might farther appear Mr. H. What do you find in your Soul upon believing in Jesus Christ Shalome Comfort Joy and Peace as if I saw the Heavens themselves opening ready to receive me but sometimes I feel a dark Night Mr. H. What Course do you take when you find the Guilt of Sin flying in your Face Shalome I go to Jesus Christ I go to Mount Calvary there he gave Satisfaction for my Sins and is now ascended and sits at the Right Hand of God and makes how call you it in English It was answered Intercession Aye Intercession Heb. 7.25 He was the Lamb of God slain from the Foundation of the World Rev. 13.8 and I verily believe that God elected me in Christ before ever I was born yea before the Foundation of the World was laid Ephes 1.4 Or else I should never have come to him had he not loved me with an everlasting Love he would never have drawn me with loving Kindness Jer. 31.3 and now might I be a King a King of the Jews I value it not I had rather be a Beggar and dye in a Dungeon then be an unbelieving King Mr. H. Well but what say you to the Devil when he tells you your Sins are too great or too many to be pardoned Shal. Say to him I tell him Jesus Christ was the great Sacrifice who upon the Cross gave full Satisfaction for all my Sins be they never so many or never so great He obeyed and suffer'd for me and besides this Must I believe the Devil Mr. H. And what course do you take when you are down in your Spirit Shal. I have Hope in the Lord and stay my self on God still when in my own Conscience I was under the greatest Sence of Condemnation when the Law Conscience Sin and the Devil all condemned me my Cry was as now it is I trust in Jesus Christ when I had no Strength and knew not where to go still I resolved to trust in Jesus Christ with whom there is free Grace and to whom there is an open Door and I could chearfully undergo the Destruction of this Body might it be in the declaring the Name of Jesus Christ to my Brethren in discovering something to them of the Riches of the free Grace of God in Jesus Christ which has plucked me as a Brand out of the Fire that it might redound to the Praise and the Honour of Jesus Mr. H. And what is it that moves you to pray Shal. The Spirit of God setting home on my Soul the Sence of the Pardon of my Sin what is it that keeps me in the Ways of Jesus Christ of which I was ignorant till God by his Providence made you an Instrument in directing me thereto but the Spirit And now I see it is a Way so plain that wayfaring Men tho' Fools shall not Err therein Isaiah 35.8 I am since God has called me out of Darkness into his marvellous Light made to admire the infinite Wisdom of God in taking Flesh upon him a Mystery so strange so odious to the Jews that they could kill him who should affirm it Mr. H. Did you not find your Soul drawn by hearing the Gospel Shal. Yes by that it was that the Love of God wonderfully appeared to my Soul By that I was made to see my self an adopted Child of God an Heir of Glory so that when under a Cloud I could then cry Thou art my Father I am thy Child leave me not therefore utterly take not thine Holy Spirit from me but act as a Father towards me If thy Spirit leaves me I am like a Child whose Leading-strings if you let go down it falls We have continual daily need to feed on Jesus Christ the Manna we had Yesterday will not serve us to Day Gentlemen Do not look upon me as a righteous Man in my self for there I am a Sinner and altogether unclean Isaiah 1.6 But yet in Jesus Christ I am without Spot Sin or Stain and blameless before the Throne Cant. 4.7 By Grace I am what I am 1 Cor. 15.10 In the imputed Righteousness of Jesus Christ Gen. 3.21 Mr. H. Then you do not think to be saved by your own Righteousness Shal. No it is all as filthy Rags I might better have continued a Jew then seek Salvation by my own Righteousness they who have received Grace cannot do otherwise then praise and glorifie the Lord but when we have done all we can it is but filthy Rags Dross and Dung It is Jesus Christ alone that saves me when all is done Grace laid the Foundation and when the Top-stone is laid it will be with shouting forth Grace Grace Zach. 4.7 Mr. H. And what alteration did you find upon discoursing of the Gospel You believed in a general Way you said that the Messiah was come Shal. I did so and had but a common Work of the Spirit I desired to be let further into the Mysteries of the Gospel that I might be found One of those Worshippers who worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth that is the true Worship not at Mount Samaria nor yet at Jerusalem Mr. H. I well remember when you first came to me you was much troubled with the Burthen of Sin Shal. Aye There appeared the Mercy of God now you put me in mind I was always cast down my Heart was broke I was just as a broken Reed I could not tell what to do Oh! Sin did load me I saw my self even in the Pit of Hell I thought I was not worthy to come to Jesus Christ but such was his Grace that he was pleased to lay hold of me and since I am come to him I have Peace in Conscience and Joy in the Holy Ghost Glory be to his Name for ever Mr. H. Well what do you believe that God has forgiven you all your Sins at once Shal. Yes I believe he has forgiven all at once past present and to come and now Christ will not leave me tho' I fall I shall rise again Mr. H. You see what Ground you stand upon Shal. I hope I stand upon the Rock the true Rock upon Peter's Confession of Faith Mr. H. As to your being chosen of God and elected what do you believe touching that Sha. Elected had I not been Elected I am assured God would never have wrought such a Work upon me He has Elected me before the Foundation of the World was laid and when I was young my Heart