this family Moses was to dwell until the time came for him to meet his God at Horeb, and there receive his mission and commission, and go about that work to which he was pre-ordained, and to which he was born, and for which he was preserved in the river Nile.

And so it fell out with me; I was naturally very fond of my own native place, nor could a trifle have weaned me from it; but a living witness of fornication drove me from it, and extreme poverty prohibited my return thither; which I could not help, for it is God that maketh poor and maketh rich. Being shut out of my own native place, and having had my fill of rambling and of distress, I was led at last, in the appointed moment, to the decreed spot where I was to meet and see the God of Moses, and receive in a vision that glorious mystery that I was to preach, and which I believe has, under the blessing of God, been applied to the salvation of hundreds.

This leads me to the second thing proposed, which is,

To exculpate myself, as well as I can, by negatives.

First, then, it is evident to all men that I did not change, nor add to, my name to get an estate, as many hundreds have done who are counted blameless. Secondly, Though my vicar, and others who have been so busy with my name, are charged with the sin of covetousness, yet

they cannot father that sin upon me; for I paid for the child as long as I could, and went down to get a person to pay the remainder for me, even before I could pay it myself, and at last borrowed some money when I cleared it off, though I knew at the same time they could not recover any by law. Thirdly, No man can condemn me for lengthening my name, neither by precept or precedent from the word of God. Saul the persecutor was changed into Paul the preacher. Both the name and occupation were entirely new. Fourthly, Hunt was not my real father's name, and therefore I had no right to it, nor to be called by it; which leads me to my third head, namely, that of carrying this vindication farther on by positives.

First, God declares that some of his elect shall alter their names; yea, both surnames and Christian; as it is written, "One shall say, I am. the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel," Isa. xliv. 5. Thus my reader sees that I have leave from God to go by the name of Jacob, if I please; and Israel may be my surname, if I like to take it; but as I have not supplanted any body, I do not like to be called Jacob; but an Israelite, through grace, I believe As I do not wish to adopt the name of

I am.

Jacob, I choose to stick by my present name, which is expressive both of my state and calling. For instance, William signifies defence, and I am set for a defence of the gospel. Phil. i. 17. Hunt signifies a chase; and, as a preacher, I am called a hunter, Jer. xvi. 16: and my business is to hunt subtle foxes, Ezek. xiii. 4. Cant. ii. 15, out of their refuges of lies, Isa. xxviii. 15; and out of the holes of the rocks of error, Jer. xvi. 16.-ing (the second syllable of my surname) ends many words expressive of bad actions; such as fornicating, lying, swearing; and it shews that, through rich grace, I have been brought to an end of these things: and I wish my dear friends would adopt this syllable also, and leave off the trade of railing.-ton (the last syllable of my surname) hath a twofold meaning: and signifies, first, a weight of twenty hundred pounds, and is expressive of the number of poor souls that are loading my name and reputation with reproach, in hopes of adding affliction to my bonds;-ton, in the second sense, signifies a large cask, and is expressive of my being a vessel of mercy, and of my need of much grace to make me so. Thus my name being so suitable to my present state and calling, and expressive of so many things that suit it; as, first, defence; secondly, chasing hypocrites; thirdly, the end of a wicked course; and, fourthly, of a vessel

of mercy: then who but a hypocrite would wish me to alter it? and, if I did, who could furnish me with a better?

Fourthly, I was to prove that all my accusers have been guilty of adding to names more sacred than the name of Hunt (which is but the name of a foolish sport at best), and so turn the tables upon them. First, there are several who call themselves ministers, clerks, saints, Christians, believers, &c. Remember I do not say they are such, for their works leave me in doubt of that; therefore God forbid that I should justify them till I die, Job xxvii. 5. But I say they call themselves so; and yet some of these can reproach, rail, backbite, tattle, carry tales, &c. Now couple these assumed names with their calling as I have done mine, and see if they do not sound more harsh than Huntington. For instance, a reproaching minister, a tattling clerk, a tale bearing Christian, a railing saint, and a backbiting believer; do not these names sound worse than mine? I hope they will either take away the sacred names, or lay by the wretched craft. But, says my reader, they would be ashamed to go by such names. True; but they are not ashamed of that scurrilous drudgery that entitles them to such additional names.

Thus, reader, I have endeavoured to turn the tables against them; and have vindicated myself as well as I can, with truth on my side.

The addition to my name has cost me some money too, though I had no act of parliament for it; for it came to pass that, after I had preached a while at Sunbury, it was proposed to build a little meeting-house on the man's ground at whose house I then preached. I offered to collect a sum for it, and he offered a present himself towards it, and the ground. We gave in a plan, and the building was estimated at fifty pounds, or thereabouts. This place was to have been vested in the hands of trustees, and only used as a meeting-house. I accordingly gathered forty pounds toward it: but was informed that the building came to a hundred; although Mr. Lloyd, who built my chapel in London, said he could have built it for fifty. But, (be that as it may) to make this meeting-house more convenient, I took a little house, of the person on whose ground the meeting was built, at five pounds per annum, being the usual rent, with a view of cutting a passage through the house into the meeting. The chapel and house were then to have been settled in writings, which the landlord himself ordered to be drawn up, and for which I paid half-a-guinea. When this passage began to be made, the landlord and I had some words; at which I left them, and went no more there. The passage was however made, and I paid near seven pounds for it. This passage and meeting was occupied by Mr. Rhine the Ar