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believe I am guilty. Blafphemy and fad reproach will hence redound to thy moft holy and tremendous name and gofpel, which I value unspeakably more than my life, and all the world. The truly godly and religious, the only men of my delight, will, with fad hearts, often think how fadly they were mistaken in me; and to apprehend this ftorm would iffue in any other than what I have already expreffed, I could not imagine. The guiltless blushes which daily on this occafion appeared in my countenance, I concluded would be to all that faw me an argument of my guilt. The thoughts of the term approaching encreased the inward pertur bation of my mind; and the blushings of my face, to think I must stand arraigned for felony before a judge, and all my other relations, who, but a few years before, had unanimoufly cenfured, condemned, and caft me out of their favours and affections, for being a fanatic, as they term true and gofpel religion. Oh! how close this went! fecretly wishing, but still with humble fubmiffion to God, that he would please either to break that horrid plot, before I came to be publicly arraigned as a malefactor, or elfe call me off by death, which I did unspeakably prefer before living to be a cause of reproach and blafphemy to the name and religion of the Moft High God. As the term drew very near, and the various and restlefs toffings of my mind on that account encreased, God, infinitely wife, and ever faithful to his word, who best knows how to time deliverance,

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deliverance, and break thofe nets in which the enemies hope to catch the innocent, he, a very short space before the term, lets loofe the reins to this wicked man's guilty confcience, which wrought fo violently with him, that all the strength of reafon in him, yea, the hopes he inwardly cherished of feeing me brought to perpetual disgrace, if not cut off, were not able to restrain him from treading the footsteps of Judas. A rope he gets, out he goes to his own garden in the dufk of the evening, and having fastened the rope about his neck, just as he was drawing the end of the rope through the arm of a tree on which he defigned to hang himself, his wife and his man happened to discover what he was about. On this the fhout was up, and fuch a cry made, as did prefently bring about him all the neighbours, who, overpowering him, prevented his intended defign. But notwithstanding their cutting the rope, yet could they have no access to that guilty confcience of his, to affuage or allay the horrible and felf-condemning agonies, which, like restless waves and billows, did distract and torment him. He being by force ftretched on his bed, and with the fame rope he attempted to hang himself being fast bound to the bed, he fell into raging and defperate fits, like to a demoniac, dafhing his head with all his force against the bedstead, foaming at the mouth, uttering these words as fast, and with a ftrange vehemency, which frighted all the by-standers, as he could, viz. "I drive away cows, I fell COWS!

cows! No, I drove away no cows, I fold no cows: Roger Eckersley and Captain Stopford will give under their hands that I am an honest man." And fo in raging madness expired his last breath, with thefe words in his dying mouth, "I drove no cows away, I fold no cows;" which were the laft words he fpoke. The reader must know, that, before this plot designed against my life and reputation, the fame poor wretch commenced a law-fuit against me, for which he had not the least appearance of reason, fave what he and fome others, as defperately wicked as himself, had contrived, and which was ftoutly fworn, by an Irish Papift witness, for but one poor quart of ale, against me, at the affizes held in the county where he and I lived. God knows, I no more knew any thing of what he charged against me in his civil bill, than I knew of the three pounds fifteen fhillings for which he defigned to arraign me. But fo it was, that, upon the evidence pofitively fwearing, a decree was granted for seven pounds, which was the fum mentioned in his bill. The decree, contrary to promife, being on a fudden, while I was from home about business, executed, seven prime milch cows of my stock were taken away, and in half an hour's time appraised, and fold for feven pounds; though the cows, in the judgment of all that knew them, and who understood cattle, were really worth thirty pounds between brother and brother. And thus it pleafed God, in the wonder-working providence of

his, to break thefe nets, which the devil, by his inftruments, laid, not only for my life, but alfo for my credit and reputation. I do not in the leaft doubt, but the great advantage which the devil propofed to himself, by putting thofe mifcreants on work to bring my name and perfon into the blackest contempt, was to overthrow the efficacy of my miniftry, when I fhould be thereto called: for the devil knew very well how importunate godly minifters and others were with me to take on me that great work of the ministry; and fore gueffes no doubt, he had, how greatly I fhould be employed in disturbing his kingdom, being in a great measure made acquainted with his lion and foxlike devices, feveral years before I was prevailed with to adventure on so great and facred a work.

Many more strange deliverances hath the providence of God wrought for me his poor unworthy creature, the which I am neceffitated to omit, fearing my book fhould fwell to too great a bulk. I heartily wifh that both myself and others, who read what I have faithfully and impartially related of the wonders of Divine Providence towards me, might be fo rightly affected with what I have related, as to give God the glory and praise of his own works; and be, by reading thefe things, ftirred up and encouraged for ever to truft in that adorable Providence of Heaven, which never fail them who belong to Chrift.

СНАР.

СНАР. II.

An Account of God's wonderful dealings with me about the concerns of my Soul, fome years before the fpirit of Bondage feized me.

WHEN I was between fourteen and fifteen years

of age, or thereabouts, as near as I can remember, the Lord was pleased to dart fome beginnings of conviction into my foul: which was after this manner: One Lord's Day, as I was in the height of vigour in profaning God's holy day with the rude and ignorant Papifts, there was darted into my conscience, like an affrightning flash of lightning from above, this apprehenfion and thought, viz. That I must be either converted, or else fent to hell to be damned. This arrow being fhot out of his bow who never miffeth the mark at which he fhoots, took up its lodging within me: but what to make of it, or what the meaning of it should be, I was as far to feek as a beaft; fo ignorant and brutish was I, the Lord knows! But though I knew not from whence it came, or what its tendency would be, yet, being a meffenger from God, it maintained its ground, ftuck clofe by me, accompanied me wherever I went, putting me fometimes into a sweat, fometimes into inward fhiverings of foul, fometimes into distracting and per

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