Some good People have alfo told me, that in Cafe I were to put out a fecond Edition of this Narrative, it would be better if I were to leave out of it that which I have faid concerning my Parents and Life; or that I fhould not make the Narrative fo prolix. But to this I reply, that I cannot do this with a good Confcience; because the Angel faid to me, in the Year 1625, that I was to get it printed, exactly as I fhould put it down in Writing, and as the Holy Spirit fhould fuggeft the Remembrance of it to me, without altering a fingle Word in it afterwards. Thus am I obliged, for thefe Reasons, to re-print it Word for Word,, as it ftands in the first Copy. Now, whether People are pleased, or not, I am obliged to do what pleafes GOD, and not what pleafes Men; and he who, by Reafon of his not liking, does not choose to read it, may let it alone. I do nothing out of Pride and Arrogance, at all the Good I do is according to the Will of GOD, be it what it may. In this God is my Witness, what : an Enemy I am to worldly Honour from my very Heart, neither have I any Defire after it.

Moreover, that in this printed Piece, Mention is made of my Flefh's not wafting or decaying; fo that, though GOD preferved me fupernaturally, without Eating and Drinking for a Fortnight and more, yet was my Flefh as little wafted and decayed, as my Powers and Faculties were impaired; and yet it ftands in the printed Verfes,

"Altho' his Flesh decays,

"Yet he his Faculties and Pow'rs difplays.”

Let not this be an Occafion of Stumbling to any, even though, according to the Conception he forms of the Thing, it may feem to be a direct Contradiction. That in one of the printed Pieces it ftands, "his Flesh is not wafted, or decayed;" this is no Contradiction

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Contradiction in Reality, but only in the Terms, both of them being in Fact true. For, during the first three Years, my Flefh did not wafte, or decay, tho' GOD preferved me without Eating and Drinking ever fo long: And whereas, for all this, I kept up my Flefh in Perfection, many People therefore fuppofed I had eaten clandepinely. But that People might not entertain such a groundlefs Surmife, GoD afterwards permitted my Flefh, in fome Degree, to wafte and decay; by which Circumftance People might be convinced, that I did not eat. Thus is it no Contradiction, in Reality both of the Affertions being true; it was wafted and decayed, and it was 11ot wafted and decayed. Now this must be fo understood, that during the first three Years it did not waste and decay; but, after that Time, GOD did fuffer it, for folid Reasons, to waste and decay. And thus is GOD a wonderful GOD in all his Works, and through the whole Procefs of his Adminiftration and Difpenfations.

Seeing that GoD alfo, according to his wonderful Government, or Difpenfations, and fovereign. Omnipotence, (he having the Power, or Liberty, of doing, or leaving undone, whatfoever he himself pleafes, both in Heaven and upon Earth) has vouchfafed me the frequent Appearance of his holy Angels; therefore now will the Devil be playing bis Game too under this Difpenfation; with Defign, that the Good may be caft away and rejected indifcriminately together with the Bad. For where GOD the Lord has a Church, there will the Devil have his Chapel too on the Side of it. Therefore muft I now alfo ftill remind my Readers of this, by the Impulfe of the Holy Ghoft, That, fuppofing the Devil would be for transforming himself into an Angel of Light in one or another, and appear to me, and to other Persons, propofing to us much Evil, under

the

the Colour and Pretext of Good; that, in any fuch Cafe as this, he ought to be well upon his Guard, fo as for all that not to caft away the Good with the Bad, and the good Spirits with the bad ones. This is ill-becoming any Man, without the Trial of Spirits, to caft away the Spirits, and fo to decry every Thing for Evil and Diabolical; rather should every one try them, as the Scripture teacheth, 1 John iv. i. "Try the Spirits, whether they are " of GOD." "Prove all Things, hold fast that "which is Good." I Thef. v. 21.

But by what Criterion, or Teft, fhall we then try the Spirits? This must be done by the Word of GOD. Now, if any Spirit teaches the Gospel · of Chrift, that is a good Spirit; whereas he that teacheth otherwife, is an evil Spirit; who is accurfed, as Paul fays, Gal. i. 8. If an Angel

were to come from Heaven, and preach another

Gofpel than that we have preached, let him be "accurfed." But the Angel, who leadeth to Chrift, to his holy Doctrine and Life, is a good Angel. For certainly Mofes, and all the Prophets, allo John the Baptift, and even GOD the FATHER from Heaven itfelf, do lead us to CHRIST: Now what He teaches us, that are we to do. Thus then any Angel who teaches with Amplitude and Perfpicuity, roundly and plainly the Doctrine of Christ, and thus leads us to Chrift, bidding us to abide thereby, muft, truly and without all Doubt, be a good Angel.

Now verily it has been often caft in my Teeth, that the Devil himself has confessed the Lord Chrift to be the Son of GOD, (Matth. viii. 29. Mark iii. 11. Chap. v. 7. Luke iv. 41. Chapt. viii. 28.) and it has withal been faid by him, (Acts xvi. 17.) that People ought to hear the Men of GOD; by which infinuation

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finuation they mean then to reject all Visions, let them teach as much Good as ever they can. But

certainly a great Deal might be faid by Way of Reply to fuch an Infinuation, evincing that ALL VISIONS are not for that Reason to be rejected; for the Spirits ought to be a little better tried first, whether they be good or evil. But the prefent Occafion will not admit of it, on Account of the great Expence attending Printing in fuch Abùndance, as has been already intimated above. Thus can I not now reply to this Objection more at large, and enter upon a more exact and minute Scrutiny, or Trial of Spirits. Yet will I alfo have no Contention with any Man about VISIONS: Provided only the Doctrine be good, which the Spirits teach me, then can I not be deluded, if I abide by that good Doctrine. Neither can any Man be deluded by me, if People abide by the good Doctrine I teach them by the Impulse of the Holy Spirit; for good Doctrine is alone from GOD, whether by Inftruments and by Men; or even without human Inftruments, and by Angels. Therefore need no Man to be anxious on this Account; let every one receive the good Doctrine only, ceafing to do Evil, and learning to do well; and, under Submiffion to the Holy Spirit's Governance, let him walk in Faith and in Love unto his bleffed End: In which Cafe he can never be deluded by my Doctrine, it being divine and good. And if I alfo abide by it unto my bleffed End, no Spirit, or Angel, can then deceive, or delude me.

But it is alfo ftill further and often objected to me, that the Devil may, for all that, infinuate and graff fomething bad foon after, and upon this Good, and fo deceive and delude me at last. To fuch Objectors then, this is my Answer: I hear no Angel any more than, and only fo far as he teaches me

GOD'S

GOD's Word. Were an Angel to infinuate to me afterwards any Thing that is wicked, and contrary to God's Word; then I liften no longer to him, though he had before taught me ever fo much Good. For I abide wholly and folely by GOD's Word; and upon that is my whole and fole Dependance; upon Christ, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, and not upon the Angels, let them teach me as much Good as ever they may.

But though I have indeed juft now written, that for the Reasons there above alledged, I cannot at this Time reply at large to the Objection of fome learned Men; who, because the Devil himself confeffed Chrift to be the Son of GOD, are for rejecting all Visions indifcriminately, let them teach as much Good as ever they may; and do thereby hinder the Propagation of the Word of God, pursuant to the Angel Raphael's Exhortation, Tobit xii. 7. who teaches, that it is honourable to reveal the Works "of God."Yet muft I nevertheless still make fome little Reply to it. Should it be the Will of GoD a more full Answer may another Time he made to this Objection. But now, to the Glory of GOD, I reply briefly to it, that it is no adequate Criterion, or Mark whereby to difcern a good Angel, if he fays Christ is the Son of GOD, even though, by fo faying, he fpeaks the Truth; and if he fays, Follow the holy Men, who teach you the Way of GOD. For this, it is owned, the Devil can fay; but tho' he fays it, yet does he not for all that mean it from his Heart; he does it merely for a Pretext. For it is out of the Devil's Power to fay, and withal mean, any Good from his Heart; but the good Angels do really mean every Thing well, and that from the Heart, whatfoever the Good they utter may be. Thus then may the Devil indeed fay this, but the mere faying of it is far from being enough.

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Chriftian