should not drown thee: For in the midst of temptations I was the Rock of thy Defence. And now I will tell thee why I suffered thee to endure temptations to bring to light the hidden things that were done in darkness, because I knew the Day of Judgment was near; and near they will find it. And now I shall go from Wills's pretended Christian love, who afterwards turned that love to malice, envy, and ridicule, by the arts of a malicious, wicked, and lewd woman, whose heart was roving after every man that she could make the object of her prey. Here I shall begin from the vice of a wicked woman, and compare her to the world at large; after defiling her husband's bed; after wounding her husband's heart; after breaking the hearts of many married women, or grieving them to the heart by seducing their husbands; and grieving her own husband, even unto dust, that made him first fly to his rain for succour; (for thou hast not faithfully told Wills's history, how he first told thee it drove him to drinking, till he had brought himself to beggary, and expected every day to be arrested for debt. This was the first misery her sins brought upon him. The second misery he told thee, he thought to destroy himself, as Mrs. Hern went to destroy herself, because her husband kept company with Mrs. Wills; and Hern beat his wife out of doors at midnight, on Mrs. Wills's account. This, with many more of the vices, Wills told thee, which thou hast never penned.) After flying to his ruin for succour, as he told thee at first, he flew to religion for his comfort at last, as he found no comfort in the vices he had practised. This was the state of Wills's mind when Í first sent thee to his house; and thou judgedst him a truly religious man, and didst respect him as a master, that thou thoughtest a worthy good man, But I knew the anguish of thy soul, when Satan tempted him to make religion his vices, when he broke off from the vices of the world. Here Satan laid a hook for thee; and he, under pretence of

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religion, to draw thee into ruin, and Wills too, if his arts could prevail; though I know Wills's heart; at first he had no evil design, when he told thee thy religion made him respect thee; and I well knew it was thy religion, and the beauty he saw in thy mind, which made him love and esteem thee, hav ing a wife so great an adulteress, roving after every man, and seeing in thee so different a mind, drew his heart with cords of love; and as I well knew thee, that thou wert kept by my power, being watchful unto prayer, that men or devils could not harm thee. I prevented thy leaving the house till I had shewn thee them both in their true colours: and from them I shall shew the world in its true colours. For when thou hadst so far reproved Wills, telling him how thou didst despise to hear of love from a married man, he gave up all pretensions, and would have buried it in oblivion, had it not been for his wife, who renewed the flames, by Sanderson the methodist preacher, when his wife shewed every attention to him before Wills's face. Here begins the error in him; and here begins an error in thee-Though I reprove, I do not blame thy want of fortitude, to tell him plainly his jealousy was founded on a right foundation, and that he ought to turn the man, from his house.-Here are the ruin and folly of mankind; here are the folly. and destruction of the world: fearing you should wound people's feelings, and bring them into a present trouble, you let them go on till they add sin to sin, sorrow to sorrow, and woe to woe, bringing on themselves swift destruction. Now see what followed in Wills: thy concealing the knowledge from him, and thinking thou wouldest act with prudence to get Sanderson out of the house, without ever letting Wills know of his conduct with his wife, gave Sanderson and her an opportunity by arts, to work jealousy towards thee, that he might take her part, and cast the whole on thee. Thus Wills, be

ing conscious he had loved thee, threw guilt on his own self, not considering thy virtue and innocence, how thou reprovedst him, and how unjust thou toldest him it was for a married man to indulge a thought of another and if his love was not sinful, Satan would work in him to make it sinful; and that thou might say unto him, as thy Saviour said unto Peter, Satan hath a desire to have thee, that he may sift thee like wheat.'-But may the Lord keep you, that your faith fail not! Do not do as Spira did, after putting his hand to the Gospel Plough, fall back a prey to the devil. Wills's answer was, He knew his own heart better; he had too much religion to hurt any one; and that he would not bring a disgrace upon religion for five hundred pounds. Remember the answer thou madest him: he that trusteth his own heart is a fool; and if he would trust his heart, thou wouldest never trust thine. This was the manner of thy disputing with Wills, and was as well known to ME as it was to thee; for my eye was present, and my angels that were thy guardians, were standing by; for every footstep of thine has been known to ME, from thy youth up to this day and to prove thy virtue and innocence, I have permitted thee to be tried by every art that men and devils can invent; for an untried faith is no faith; and an untried virtue is no virtue. Therefore I permitted thee to be tried to the utmost; and to the utmost I have kept thee from all the arts of men and devils."

"And now I shall come further to Wills. As Satan tempted him to be guilty of an unjust passion for thee, to love thee with such tender affection, because his wife was such an adulteress; therefore Satan worked in him afterwards, that he ought to seek the ruin of that virtue and innocence, which he had so artfully seeked to betray; and that adulterous wife, that he had so much spoke against, he ought in honour to support. Here is the world in its true

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colours. And now I shall come to Marshall the minister, whom he appealed to. When thou livedst in Marshall's house, Wills came to get thee out of thy place. After Wills was gone, Marshall told thee of the information Wills had given against thee. Thou toldest Marshall it was false; and entreated him to have Wills and thee face to face, and thou wouldest clear up every truth before him. This Marshall promised to do; but he went from his word. As Wills was a man of some substance in his parish, so he went to Wills's house, and listened. to all Wills's lies, and came hoine and turned thee out of service. This made thee sue for a law suit, to clear thy character; and Wills appeared with his two false witnesses, and perjured two ignorant women. This was done by the minister's neglectwhich I shall bring to the nation at large. For, had Marshall cleared up the truth between Wills and thee, the law suit would have ceased, and the per- The fate of jury would not have been committed. But know Marshall what followed Marshall--and the same shall follow the Ministe the clergy, that now refuse to search out the truth."

and the

Marshall lost his senses years before he died; and Cergy

I have been told that it was shocking to hear the noise he made.

"Now from the words where thou hast ended

I shall further answer here:

All this thing it was intended

For to make all mysteries clear.

Yet strange my ways you see to be,

My footsteps none can trace

In Woodford House, 'twas known to ME

Thou thoughtest to seck redress,

That I would free thy misery

From sore temptations there;

I said I'd free, 'tis known to thee,

And answer then thy prayer.

Unto my word thou found'st thy Lord,
And chearfully did'st go;

But little thought that I'd prepar'd

Another house of woe.

Unknown to thee my footsteps be,
As thou dost travel on;

K

Relying on thy every God,
Thy sorrows ne'er discern'd,
That in a house I did prepare
Thy greatest grief should break.
'Twas I that drew thee in that snare-
I knew the serpent's net
Would every way seek to betray,
As he did seek at first;

And in that house 1 did send thee,
And there his arts did burst;
An angel there he did appear,
In every subtle art.

My wisdom he did never know,
Why I did let thee smart;
Temptations strong on thee did come,
In every way to see

I was the Rock thou build'st upon,
No man could baffle thee.
But had not I that dwell on high
Have kept thee by my power,
The subtle arts that Wills did use
Might all thy strength devour;
Because a man to thee to come,
To have a wife and none:
Adultery was said by ME

The Marriage doth unthrone;
For I'll appear to answer here,
Her every vow she broke.

No wedlock band in her did stand,
Which made thee feel the stroke;
Pity in thee was seen by ME,
To see his heart to burn,

Daily wounded by jealousy,
And his complaints did come;
In sorrow there he did appear
In grief before thy view;
And every way sought to betray

A heart so just and true:

And yet the man to ME was known

Satan deceiv'd him first;

He never thought for to betray,

Nor have thy honour cast.

No: love was strong, to ME 'twas known,

In innocence at first;

Had not his wife a harlot been,

My rage, like thine, would burst;

I'd bid thee go, as thou didst do,

And leave the tempter there;

No married man to thee should come,
Thy heart for to ensnare.

But surely I who dwell on high

Such marriages forbid;

When every oath is broken there

Say not the man was wed.