more give thanks unto him in his holy church, through Jesus Christ.

It is to be feared that such magistrates will cut a poor figure when they appear before the Judge of quick and dead, to give an account of their administration of justice; instead of which they have made themselves on earth as traps to ensnare souls for Satan. And those women can fare no better, who have hired themselves out in the service of sin, the wages of which is death, in all its latitude.

Since I quitted my house at Ditton, the woman I allude to has been delivered of a child, and afterwards deserted by her keeper. And another of those mockers at the glorious Gospel of the Son of God has been found drowned in a pond. Providence frowning on his circumstances, and he being involved in debt, have led people to suspect he was his own executioner. Another ringleader of this unlawful host has since eloped with a sum of money, not his own property, leaving a wife and family to the mercy of an inhospitable world. Several others, too, who were the most unwearied in persecuting us, seem to lead a most desperate life of rebellion against God: and no wonder; for, if the Gospel be not a savour of life unto life, it is a savour of death unto death. Therefore they that preach that Gospel are a sweet savour unto God, both in them that are saved and in them that perish, 2 Cor. ii. 15, 16.

When I left the parish of Ewel, mentioned in the former part of this treatise, there were two men who had been very bitter enemies to the Gospel which I had preached among them. One of these men frequently assaulted me on the high road; made wry faces; or, as his insolence termed it, looked me out of countenance; and used every effort to provoke me to anger. His wife frequently attended my ministry; which circumstance gave him great offence, and for this he often beat and abused her. At one time, in particular, he took her out of bed, beat her in the most cruel manner with a large staff, and afterwards turned her out of doors naked on Ewel Common, and thus exposed her to the rigour of a frosty night. In the morning following he went in search of her, and was under some apprehension that she had perished through the severity of the weather. At last he found the poor suffering woman, who had taken shelter in a hovel among some straw, scarcely alive; where, in all probability, had she remained a little longer, she would have fallen a victim to his brutality. But an allseeing God suffered him not long to reign; he was soon after visited with a long and severe fit of illness, during which time he desired to see me. I accordingly attended him once or twice from Ditton. He seemed much distressed, read and wept continually; but appeared very ignorant of the plan of salvation to the last moment of his

life. Thus "man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?" This man's name was Sargeant.

Another man was likewise a great opposer of the Gospel, though in a private manner; he would not insult us publicly, but circulated many dreadful falsehoods, to make us and religion appear contemptible. The holy scriptures, prayer, and every thing that is sacred, he treated with derision. He affirmed that our praying consisted in crawling after a cat, in order to see who could catch her first and this gross absurdity he declared was a truth, and that he himself had been an eye-witness to the ceremony. The Bow of God, however, soon stopped this rebel's tongue; for, as he was one day driving, as it is termed, a stove of gunpowder, consisting of many barrels, the dryinghouse took fire within, which communicated the fire to the sieves of powder; and all immediately went up, levelled the building with the ground, and dashed the poor scoffer at the Word of God and prayer into eternity in one moment, without so much as allowing him to call on his Name! The name of the man was Gatten.

We

may truly say with David, "How terrible art thou in thy works, [O Lord!] through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee."

I shall rest satisfied with adducing the foregoing instances of the goodness and mercy of God to me and my little flock. Through all the threaten

ings, stonings, and fightings, with which we were assailed, God still preserved us. And surely, "if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth," Psalm cxxiv. 2, 3, 6.

Thus, Christian reader, have I briefly related how God bent his bow, and made it ready, and how He shot out his arrows, and destroyed the persecutors. If my reader is one of the number who can open his mouth against the religion of Jesus Christ, he had better sit down first, and consult with himself whether he is able, hand joining in hand, although to the number of ten thousand, to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand. If he is not, he had better send an embassage of confession and prayer, while he is a great way off, and desire the conditions of Gospel peace, Luke xiv. 31, 32. Real religion is the cause of God; and, whoever opposes it, God will defend it. No opponent can conquer in this battle. "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky."

Perhaps, reader, thou art one who art happily delivered from this impious war, and made willing to be a good soldier of Jesus: if so, then rejoice with Paul, and say, he hath shewed forth all long

suffering and patience in me, as a pattern to others who shall hereafter believe on him to life eternal. But, if thou art one of the persecuted, take encouragement from hence; stand fast in the Lord, and watch his hand. "God shall shoot at them [thy enemies] with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away. And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing."