ADVERTISEMENT

TO THE

SECOND EDITION.

I was desired by some friends, when I first sent an account of the dealings of God with my soul into the world, to be silent about the early part. of my life, lest some should take liberty from it, and so presumptuously continue in a course of sinning. As I found the work swell in my hand, I willingly complied with their request. But I find God's bringing me forth in a more public manner raises me many enemies, who are waiting, and watching for my halting; and, as they cannot find any thing against me as a sinner saved, are obliged to dig into the old mine, and rake up what God has buried: however, I thank God that it is not in the power of man to make those wounds bleed afresh which have received a divine cure, and are kept sound by a divine physician. As these adversaries see it needful to clog the coal-heaver, and bedaub and bespatter him, lest he should run away with the garland; and as they have often been put to their shifts for matter of reproach; I have, in this present edition, presented them with some of the most sable traits in my life, on purpose that they may be enabled to prosecute their laudable un

dertaking without being constrained to utter from the heart words of falsehood. They may from this narrative call me both a fornicator and a highway robber, which I think is as black a ground for accusation as they can wish to lay; and, when they have thus filled the lines up, I shall be found to be-the perfection of beauty in Christ Jesus, without fault before the throne of God, and no less than a sinner saved among the children of men. It can afford me no pleasure to relate those things, under the guilt of which I suffered so severely; yet, as the bitterness of death is past, by the knowledge of the pardon of them, I trust my countenance will stand; and it must stand seeing that God is the health of it, Psal. xlii. 11. Some, it is true, are very fond of sullying the reputation of others, lest their own glory should suffer an eclipse; but this seldom deceives a discerning Christian; especially if he be one who is expert at discerning of spirits and reading of countenances; for it is often seen that the accuser appears, like Cain, with a fallen countenance; while the accused, like Moses, shines in the face. The countenances of professors are frequently overcast or brightened from the testimony of their consciences. Blessed be God for a sanctified cross; and more blessed for a sanctified heart; but, above all, for a sanctifying Christ!

W. H.

THE

LIFE OF THE AUTHOR.

I

Was born in the Weald of Kent, as is related in the sequel of this narrative. My father was a day-labouring man, who worked for seven or eight shillings in the winter, and in the summer for nine shillings per week, which is but a small pittance to keep a family. My mother bore eleven children, of which number I am the tenth; and our eternal High-Priest hath condescended to take me as a tithe of the family, Isa. vi. 13; Luke xvii. 17.—And my prayer and desire is, that he would condescend to take more of us; for I cannot find out that there have been any conversions discovered in the family, from age to age, except him who is my reputed father.

Of the eleven children, five died young; and there are six yet living, five daughters and myself, who am the only son and heir. My parents being very poor, and receiving no support from the parish, we children fared very hard; and indeed seldom knew what it was to have a belly full of victuals above once in the week, which

was on the sabbath-day, when we were allowed to know what a bit of meat was. But it often happened that rent, or some other debt, was to be discharged, and on such accounts no meat could be procured. These barren sabbaths were mourning days indeed to us young ones; and to our sorrow they frequently came. Suffering with hunger, cold, and almost nakedness, so imbittered my life in my childhood, that I have often wished secretly that I had been a brute, for then I could have filled my belly in the fields.

My friends put me to school to an old man and woman of the name of Boyce, where I learned my alphabet, and to spell a little in a Primer, and so on to spelling in the New Testament, and at last to read a little. And here I remember to have heard my mistress reprove me for something wrong, telling me that God Almighty took notice of children's sins. This stuck to my conscience a great while; and who this God Almighty could be I could not conjecture; and how he could know my sins without asking my mother I could not conceive. At that time there was a person named Godfrey, an exciseman in the town, a man of a stern and hard-favoured countenance, whom I took notice of for having a stick covered with figures, and an inkbottle hanging at the button-hole of his coat. I imagined that man to be employed by

God Almighty to take notice, and keep an account, of children's sins; and once I got into the market-house, and watched him very narrowly, and found that he was always in a hurry by his walking so fast; and I thought he had need to hurry, as he must have a deal to do to find out all the sins of children. I watched him out of one shop into another all about the town; and from that time eyed him as a most formidable being, and the greatest enemy I had in all the world, and would shun him if possible; but, if he happened to meet me unawares in turning a corner, you might have struck me down with a feather; I hung down my head, bowed and scraped till I could get out of his sight, and then I fled when none but conscience pursued. This man was a terror to me a long time, and has caused me to say many prayers.

Punishment for sin I found was to be inflicted after death, therefore I hated the churchyard more than all the ground in the parish; and it was a rare thing to catch me there in the dark—I would travel any distance round about rather than drag my guilty conscience over that enchanted spot.

My friends not being able to pay for my schooling, I was taken away from school, and sent daily into the woods to fetch bundles of fuel to burn in the winter time, and in the summer I went with my mother and sisters to glean