at the moment change and make them hate sin and all manner of evil and cleave to that good the Scripture makes mention of then to the tempted was spoken from Heb. 2.18 for in that Christ suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted and unto them were experiences spoken how greatly Christ was sensible of the temptations of his people and his succourings were great and his sympathizing much So I related what bowels of compassion from the Lord I found herein though when I was murmuring against the Lord who I thought dealt roughly by me I said with Jonas I do well to do thus as he said I do well to be angry So I was very peevish thinking that Satan would have made an end of me I said with Jonah I do well to be angry to the death I prayed tempted souls to hearken to Christ and not to Satan some tempted souls there wept bitterly and the next day came again and accompanied me out of that Town So I took my leave they begging to hear from me and desired my welfare Then I rode to a place called Lew where I desired to stay an hour but it was hard to be obtained of the Quartermaster though he had promised Captain Langdon that I should see some friends there yet when I came there he was afraid I should have broke out into prayer there and so have staied him longer then he would but I and my friends did so intreat him that he gave me leave to go with a Souldier with me to bring me quickly back to him again he staying a little way off and said that I should have no body come into the house that I went to this he charged the Souldier so that coming to that house I went to there I was entertained with much love and some few did hear of my being there and came to see me and watched for my coming out I had some discourse with a blind man there who had much of the light of the Lord in his soul and his words were so savoury that my heart was quickned by the Lord in that discourse I had with this seeing soul though blind outwardly and I stayed among them a while till I was full of joy in the sight of these dear friends so that being hurried away by the Souldiers I brake forth into tears and said the time will come that spirituall communion shall not be interrupted and indeed the thoughts of Eternity melted my heart that I said I weep not for sorrow but my tears flow from apprehensions of communion with the Lord and those glorified Saints there if Saints on earth did so take up my heart I said what will that company be to me in heaven sure it will be joy to the full So those dear souls went with me out of the Town and then bid farewell saying they were sory I could stay no longer with them so I parted and rode towards Plimmouth with very much of the Lords presence And when I came to Plimmouth after the Quartermaster had been to inform that I was coming he came and had me up to the Fort two of the other Souldiers going with me and four others who were my friends these bore me company to the Fort and when I came into the Lieutenants house I sate down a while and he told me I was committed to his charge as his prisoner for that Major Sanders was not there unto whom the Letter was sent concerning me so after a few words had past between us I defired him to let me hear the order read so he read it wherein was exprest that I was to be sent from thence in the first States Ship that went to Portsmouth and so to be sent from thence to the Counsell and when this was read after a little while spent in discourse Lieutenant Lark in whose house I was a prisoner he asked me whether I would go up stairs and see my chamber unto which I was willing and my four friends went up with me and I blesse the Lord I never was in so blessed a frame in my life being in an ordinary capacity the which I was in a while but at length the Lord wound me up higher and as I was telling you that coming into my chamber I found the Lord Christ opening his love to me from that Scripture in Hosea the 2.19 I have betrothed thee to my self in mercy and loving kindnesse for ever And I had some inlargement upon that and likewise from Scripture expressions in the Canticles and in Habbakuk but I omit writing what sweet unfoldings I had therein from the Lord because I intend if the Lord will give me opportunity to write down the cordialls of the Lord which I had in my confinement by man in a book wherein I shall set out Satans prison the which I was in a year before mans prison that very month that I was set at liberty from Satans confinement men confined me which was the second month called April which was a year after that horrible pit of Satans the which I lay in from the beginning of February till the beginning of April about nine weeks but I have been in mans prison 15. weeks yet that was to me much easier then a shortertime in Sataus clutches But I return to the Relation of my first coming into prison I was exceedingly transported in my spirits and I was as if I had been to die presently nothing was in my thoughts but divine bosome which made me bid farewell to all creatures I thought I could have imbraced death though it should be never so gastly and cruelly tendered to me I never had such joy in the thoughts of death and I said to Lieutenant Lark pray Sir let me have the liberty to be private a while with my friends who came with me the which he granted and he went down from us then I said this is the greatest preferment as ever I had to be honoured with a prison for Christ this is honour said I indeed I now can take my leave of all things under the Sun and see all things vanity and poor empty nothings and I said farewell all creatures and welcome Christ then I desired my friends that we might pray together before they departed for I said it was the best work to begin my imprisonment in spirituall Communion then we prayed and after some time spent in prayer the Sonne of righteousnesse shone so hot on my spitits that I could not forbear singing forth his prarise and my friends told me that I was three hours on my knees praying and praising that I felt no pain nor wearisomnesse though I had journeyed so far They took me off my knees and set me in a chair where I sat some hours after in singing and then was silent and some women put me to bed where I lay praying and singing the other part of that night while morning and the maid that tended me said she sate in the
all conditions and that saying made my heart revive presently and then the Lord gave me that Scripture-saying This he requires of thee To deal justly love mercy and walk humbly with thy God Micah 6.8 then I said Lord what am I to do here The Lord said I require this that thou holdest out a just upright walk with God before all people and in these parts thou shalt manifest the free justification received of the Father by the Spirit through Christ to poor souls telling them thy experiences there and thou shalt declare the mercy of thy God and thy love to it by shewing thy experiences thereof which thou hast had in divers maners discovered to thee Here are some tempted souls said the Lord that must be comforted through thy temptations the mercy thou foundst therein tell them love mercy in every kinde of it This saying I had also from the last words of the verse Walk humbly with thy God these things he requires of the just doing and walking mercy loving and a humble deportment in all thou doest then I said Lord make me humble said the Lord I will make thee humble through sufferings the Lord thy God begun it in thee when he manifested thy salvation to thee to be freely given thee making thee see thy self the worst of sinners and he humbled thee more in Satans prison and he hath brought thee here to humble thee more for he will teach thee much of his secrets Then my heart was melted as I was thus under divine speakings in the Garden and I said Lord if thou wilt make me a partaker of more of that lovely clothing of humility then then Lord I will not matter what I suffer here in this world below then the Lord said Thou must suffer many wayes then I said Lord balance me with thy word the Lord said What word wouldst thou have I said What thou pleasest then the Lord said Thou shalt have the same word as I gave to my servant Abraham I told him when he went he knew not whither that I would be his shield and exceeding great reward Gen. 15.1 And as I was said the Lord to the father of the faithful so I will be to the children they having the same faith as faithful Abraham had I will give such the same promises then I said Lord I fall short of his faith said the Lord I look not on the quantity so much as at the quality I looking at the truth of it it bearing the same stamp with that of Abrahams which was the stamp of divine power and Spirit therefore take the same promise thou art come into a strange country among many that don't affect thee and thou art like to suffer by them but fear not I thy God have not onely given thee faith as ashield but I am thy shield and exceeding great reward I am a double shield to thee said the Lord so I was to Abraham a shield within a shield therefore fear not any enemy but look unto thy shield and buckler and defence for so Jehovah is to thee And the Lord brought to me those Scriptures that he gave me when he made me willing to go the journey as that saying He would go with me and that bis Spirit and presence should accompany me and that he would uphold me with the right hand of his righteousness which Scriptures were much enlarged on my Spirits as I thus walked alone in the Garden and I had such sweetness from the Lord through the Scriptures that it made my heart much affected with my journey and my Spirit leapt within me and rejoyced that I was come into a country where I should suffer for the testimony of Jesus and I had at that time such cordials from the Lord that I could have walked many hours in that Garden but Captain Langdons man came and desired me to walk into the room where his Masters acquaintance were For it may be they would not take it well he said if I did not come and sit in the room with them I was very unwilling for my communion in the Garden was so delightful to me yet through much entreaty by him I went I told him I could the better bear their sowre countenances and girding expressions now I had drunk of divine cordials then I could before when I first saw them at my coming into the house So I went into the room among them that did not care for my company and I heard many expressions concerning visions I perceived what and who they aimed at I sate silent among them there was Major Bawden and his Wife they were strangers then to me but they spake very friend-like to me and it was not in Tongue but in Heart as afterward appeared and there was Mr. Vinson and his Wife my very loving friends they declared themselves to be Mrs. Vinson came to me then and said Pray come to my house for I entertain you upon a Scripture-a count which adviseth to be kinde to strangers and what gain they had in old time that in entertaining strangers they entertained Angels unawares Thus she instanced the Scripture which made her to speak to me a poor undeserving creature to be thus taken notice of and indeed I felt humility in my heart springing up much when she thus spoke I lookt on my self unworthy of such a word or loving expression to me but my Father caused that friend though a stranger to shew me kindness Again further This evening being spent I went to my lodging where the Lord smiled on me and made it a lovely night and I was no whit weary after so long a journey but had refreshing rest and in the morning Mrs. Langdon came to see me but I had no minde to rise out of my bed and that day the Lord fill'd me with much joy and singing and I was in the Spirit with my friends at London who broke bread that day and I was filled with apprehensions of Christ the eternal Sabbath and the glorious Rest and the first-day-Resurrection how glorious all this was meeting in Christ the Saviour and Deliverer from all bondage and inthralment and my heart was much with my friends in that Ordinance of breaking bread I partook of that sweet supper with them in the Spirit And thus I spent that first day that I came to Tregasow which was the first day of the first week that I took up my abiding there much of Christs Death and Resurrection was lively presented to me and I sang forth his praises And the second day my heart was heat also with the flame of love which many waters cannot quench as the spouse saith in the Canticles so I felt it for all that day I had the Spirits flame as I had the day before it being their meeting day those particulars they first thought upon in their beginning that meeting which were the uniting of Saints in that bond of love as those were in formerly in the primitive times and
I was thinking of that I saw in my sleep that I was riding from the House towards London and I also was was marvelling that my spirit was so heavy the day before and this saying I had in my heart Christ was heavy before the hour before they came to take him he was in an Agony said I Lord what manner of saying is this and as I was pondering upon it my sister Langdon came up into my Chamber very sad and said sister pray thee do not be frighted why said I what is the matter there is said she half a Troop of Horse come to take thy body or my husbands there was half a dozen souldiers and they made such a clutter she thought they had been a greater number but there was a number great enough to take a Poore silly maid So I rejoyced and said I am not troubled for I shall see my friends at London she said to Mistris Frances her mothers maid pray thee Mistris Frances take my sister and escape into the wood hard by by the house they cannot find her there but I said I will not make my self guilty by flying away for I have not broke any Law whereby man should do thus and as long as God is on my side said I men nor devils shall not affright me and the Lord gave me that word of Nehemiah who said Shall such a man as I flee So said I to them Shall such a one as I flee who have lived with the Lord all my dayes and have been couragious for Christ hitherto I will not now flinch through the strength of the Lord keeping me and I know he will keep me then many in the Family came and the neighbours and wept about mee but I was no whit daunted The Minister of the Parish came and said he would not wish me to go down without they would shew an order I answered what order have they brought none but Captain Foxe's letter they told me that said I is enough for there is the Foxe's claws to pin me to Plimouth so through perswasions I run down stairs where I heard the Souldiers very rough in their words and they said they would not tarry a moment for me and they would have me by foul means if I refused to go they threatned much what they would do the Quartermaster was very high in his words So when I had heard them bluster thus a while I stept among them many of my friends being with them I coming into the room stood by them and said friend whom do you seek speaking to the Quartermaster he said is this the Lady I said I do not know what you mean by Lady but that is a Souldiers complement I pray whom do you seek So he asked whether my name was Anna Trapnell I said I suppose that is my name then he said I demand your body said I take it if it will do you any good I am ready to go with you then he was very respectfull and said he would shew me all the courtesie and civility that lay in his power I thankt him and said they could not harm me for my God would not suffer them then they said they would wait til I was fitted to go and they tarried till the afternoon And when we had dined I took my leave of my dear loving friends and departed riding behind a friend that came to see Captain Langdon who put off his Journey that he was riding and offered to carry me and Captain Langdons man and his mothers maid they sent mith me and I went filled with the joy of the Lord and that day some two or three miles off I met with some dear friends who bore me company a while but I had so much of the refreshings of God which quickly overcame my ordinary capacity and I felt not the trotting of the horse nor minded any thing but the spiritual communion that I was in with the Lord and so I rode praying all the first dayes Journey till I came to Foy-Town where they took me down off the horse and set me in a chair but I came not to my capacity to speak a great while and when I looked up and saw many men women and children about me and sitting on a high wall right over where I sate I was amazed to see so many people and not knowing where I was but at length I spake to them in Scripture language the which they listened to and when I went away they gave a great shout the people said they used to do so at some strange sight so they led me into the Boat for we went over a passage and many men and women went over with us from that Town and the room was full of people where I lodged some came to gaze on me and some came in love to the Lord Jesus to hear experiences and some tempted souls were much refreshed and rejoyced much to see me there though not as I was a prisoner they wept for me as to that condition and I sate up most part of the night at Foy and begged those that came to jeer at me that they would consider the wrong they did to their poore souls and had Scripture very suitable to those I spoke I asked them what they came to see I was but as a reed shaken with the wind I was a simple creature onely divine wisdome was pleased to make use of the simple and to call them to him to shew them his love to chuse such to do him service and I said I am a poore sorry reed but divine power and the wind that Christ told Nichodemus in the 3. of John the 8. which bloweth where it listeth that wind said I hath taken a silly creature and hath made her understand its sound that which Nichodemus a great Rabbi could not tell what to make of so that I prayed them that derided that they would have a care and that they therein would consider the saying of Christ in the 25. of Matthew who said what they did to his they did to him though I be one of the worst of Christs little ones yet said I he will own me where ever I am I beseech sinners to love Christ who was the chiefest of ten thousands and I spoke how the Church set him out in the Canticles and I told them though they made me a by-word and a reproach yet I would pray for their Souls I told them I came not into the Countrey to be seen and taken notice of but I came with my friends I desired Christ and the beauty of holinesse might be taken notice of so that others thereby might be taken with Christ and that I might be onely a voyce and Christ the sound I spake much to prophane sinners and to the civilized ones that they would eye the new Covenant which admits of no condition nor qualification nor preparation but is a free Covenant to sinners as sinners that if they venture their souls thereupon it will
which they understanding said sure he knew some evil by me thus it bred a jealousie among strangers concerning me but some said he would not suffer evil to be spoken of me for he said sure the root of the matter was in me he was much urged by my friends to come but would not see me though in bonds and this use I was taught by the Lord to make of that unkindnesse of a friend who I hearing when I was coming to Plimouth that such an one was come there I leaned upon him as a prop to me in my suffering and I rejoyced much saying to my friends that he would vindicate me who had been known to him so long and one whom I was alwayes ready to vindicate when aspersed but my God learned me to know that all flesh was grasse and a sading flower and like an Egyptian reed and by this unkindnesse from a friend my God drew me the more to rest upon himself alone and what unkindnesse I relate from any received my end hereby is not to reproach or seek revenge on any but the Lord my God knows had there not been so many severall reports passed far and near I would not have set pen to paper in this kind but it is that truth may silence falsity and though I fail in an orderly penning down these things yet not in a true Relation of as much as I remember and what is expedient to be written I could not have related so much from the shallow memory I have naturally but through often relating these things they become as a written book spread open before me and after which I write Now I shall come again to the Relation and tell you that I had much kindnesse at Plimouth from many and great labour of love stewed me untill my departure and some went with me a shipboard and were sory to have me go from their Quarters not that I was any thing but the Lord did their souls good through a worm and when we had been a day and a night tossing on the Sea the wind being against us drove us back into the Harbour again Some at Dartmouth reported that I had bewitched the winds that the ships could not go to sea and they cursed me there but the Lord blessed me the more many reproaches he helpt me to bear and though we were beating on the waves against the wind yet I was not sick for the Lord had there much for me to declare to Sea men of free grace and of the vilenesse of mans nature and the excellent work of Redemption And I spake this unto them and prayed and sang in the Cabbin where I lay and the Sea-men were much affected the Lord made some of them declare how the Lord refreshed them and that they knew if I had stayed longer much good their souls would have reaped they were very respectfull to me though there were few that had any rellish of good the Lord made much to be rellished by them through a poore nothing creature the Scripture the Lord inlarged amongst them in the 73. Psalm verse 1. Truly God is good to Israel and to them that are of a clean heart the new Covenant the Lord made known amongst them very much so that it was a blessed passage though as from man it was bitter to be tossed upon the Sea four dayes and the maid that came with me lying vomiting grievously by me and sick even ready to dy she thought her heart would have broke and I hurt my leg against the ship side that it raged greatly a day and a night and lying in a little Cabbin sweating much the maid and I together which lodge was very little it being in the Masters Cabbin which was a little Lodge But though I met with much difficulty as to flesh and blood yet I murmured not onely I was once a little troubled and said Lord why is man thus cruell to deal thus with me they never considered whether my nature could bear the Sea but I said Father lay not this evil usage to their charge I was brought up among the Pirates that had robbed upon the Sea and were taken prisoners and sent in the ship with me but the Lord preserved me from all hurt and caried me safe to Land and all in the ship both Captain and Master and men gave me civill respect while I was with them So the Lord made good his promise to me that nothing should harm me neither on the Sea nor the Land And the Captain with some of his men came with me ashore and we landed at Portsmouth and the Governour not being in Town I went with the Captain to Major Morefords the deputy Governour who receiving the order from the Captain of the ship after some Discourse with him he departed and the Deputy Governour told me I was committed to his Charge untill such time that he could dispose of me with conveniency so he lovingly entertained me and those two friends that came with me and his daughters shewed me much kindnesse and in the afternoon the Deputy Governour having no lodging in his house for me he procured me lodging at Ensign Bakers in the Town and he went with me thither it being not far off and there he left me desiring the Ensigns wife to be kind to me but she heard I was a frenzy-headed creature and she looked very sowr upon me and all the while I was there she offered me no drink nor any thing else but one day when the Governour sent his servant to see what I had then she sent to me and I had newly eaten a piece of Pye that I had brought with me from Plimmouth so that was all my food I eat from the second day to the fifth day that I came away then she seemed to be very kind and said she heard such a clamour concerning me which made her afraid of me but after she heard me she was of another mind I prayed and sang there a night and a day for the most part and so departed from thence the next morning after and came in a Coach to London and a Lieutenant came with me to convey me to Westminster and he brought a Present of Egges that was sent from Gernsie to the great man at White Hall they were Partridge Egges of the largest kind I was told and if they were not well put up they could not be kept whole for the Coach broke twice by the way and overturned once it was a great mercy that we had no hurt the dealings of man being unjust every thing will make them manifest and discover their breakings where they or their Presents be If such that hold forth King Jesus be near one danger or other they will be lyable to meet withall I was through Divine Power brought safe in the Coatch to Fox Hall where we lighted and the Coach man and Lieutenant told me I must bear all my Charges both by the way and the Coach hire so I