them why, what had I done? What was my transgression, that they passed such a sentence upon me to depart out of the nation? They told me they would not dispute with me. Then I desired them to hear what I had to say to them; but they said they would not hear me. I told them Pharaoh heard Moses and Aaron, and yet he was an heathen and no Christian, and Herod heard John Baptist; and they should not be worse than these. But they cried, 'withdraw, withdraw;' whereupon the door-keeper took me again by the hand, and led me out. Then I returned to my inn, and continued still in Edinburgh, visiting friends there and thereabouts, and strengthening them in the Lord. And after a little time I writ a letter to the council, to lay before them their unchristian dealing in banishing me, an innocent man, that sought their salvation and eternal good; a copy of which letter here followeth, directed

To the Council of Edinburgh.

'Ye that sit in council, and bring before your judgmentseat the innocent, the just, without shewing the least cause what evil I have done, or convicting me of any breach of any law, and afterward ye banish me out of your nation and country, without telling me for what, or what evil I had done; though I told you, when ye asked me how long I would stay in the nation, that my time was not long (I spake it innocently), and yet ye banish me. Will not all, think ye, that fear God, judge this to be wickedness? Consider, did not they sit in council about Stephen, when they stoned him to death? Did not they sit in council about Peter and John, when they haled them out of the temple, and put them out of their council for a little season, and took counsel together, and then brought them in again and threatened them, and charged them to speak no more in that name? Was not this to stop the truth from spreading in that time? And had not the priests an hand in these things with the magistrates? and in examining Stephen when he was stoned to death? Was not the council gathered together against Jesus Christ to put him to death? and had not the chief priests an hand in it? When they go to persecute the just, and crucify the just, do they not then neglect judgment, and mercy, and justice, and the weighty matters of the law, which is just? Was not the apostle Paul tossed up and down by the priests and the rulers, and prisoned? And was not John Baptist

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cast into prison? Are not ye doing the same work, shewing what spirit ye are of? Now do not ye shew the end of your profession, the end of your prayers, the end of your religion, and the end of your teaching, who are now come to banish the truth, and him that is come to declare it unto you? Doth not this shew that ye be but in the words, out of the life, of the prophets, Christ and his apostles? for they did not use such practice as to banish any. How do ye receive strangers, which is a command of God among the prophets, Christ and the apostles? Some by that means have entertained angels at unawares, but ye banish one that comes to visit the seed of God, and is not chargeable to any of you. Will not all that fear God, look upon this to be spite and wickedness against the truth? How are ye like to love enemies, that banish your friend? How are ye like to do good to them that hate you, when ye do evil to them that love you? How are ye like to heap coals of fire on their heads that hate you, and to overcome evil Do ye not manifest to with good, when ye banish thus? all that are in the truth, that ye have not the Christian spirit? How did ye do justice to me, when ye could not convict me of any evil, yet banish me? This shews that truth is banished out of your hearts, and ye have taken part against the truth with evil-doers, and the wicked envious priests, and stoners, strikers, and mockers in the streets, with these ye that banish, have taken part; whereas ye should have been a terror to these, and a praise to them that do well, and succourers of them that be in the truth, then might ye have been a blessing to the nation, and not have banished him that was moved of the Lord to visit the seed of God, and thereby have brought your names upon record, and made them to stink in ages to come, among them that fear God. Were not the magistrates stirred up in former ages to persecute or banish by the corrupt priests? and did not the corrupt priests stir up the rude multitude against the just in other ages? Therefore are your streets like Sodom and Gomorrha. Did not the Jews and the priests make the Gentiles' minds envious against the apostles? And who were they that would not have the prophet Amos to prophesy at the king's chapel, but bid him fly his way? And when Jeremiah was put in the prison, in the dungeon, and in the stocks, had not the priests an hand with the princes in doing it? Now see all that were in this work of banishing, prisoning, persecuting, whether they were not all out of the life of Christ, the prophets, and apostles? To the witness of God in you all

I speak. Consider whether or no they were not always the blind magistrates which turned their sword always backward, that knew not their friends from their foes, and so hit their friends? Such magistrates were deceived by flattery.'

G. F.

When this was delivered and read amongst them, some of them, as I heard, were troubled at what they had done, being made sensible that they would not be so served themselves. But it was not long before they that banished me were banished themselves, or glad to get away; who would not do good in the day when they had power, nor suffer others that would.

After I had spent some time among friends at Edinburgh and thereabouts, I passed from thence to Heads again, where friends had been in great sufferings; for the Presbyterian priests had excommunicated them, and given charge that none should buy or sell with them, nor eat nor drink with them. So they could neither sell their commodities, nor buy what they wanted, which made it go very hard with some of them; for if they had bought bread or other victuals of any of their neighbours, the priests threatened them so with curses, that they would run and fetch it from them again. But colonel Ashfield, being a justice of peace in that country, put a stop to the priests' proceedings. This colonel Ashfield was afterwards convinced himself, and had a meeting settled at his house, and declared the truth, and lived and died in it.

After I had visited friends at Heads and thereaways, and had encouraged them in the Lord, I went to Glasgow, where a meeting was appointed, but not one of the town came to it. As I went into the city, the guard at the gates had me up before the governor, who was a moderate man, and a great deal of discourse I had with him; but he was too light to receive the truth, yet he set me at liberty, and so I passed to the meeting. But seeing none of the town's people came to the meeting, we declared truth through the town, and so passed away. and visited friends in their meetings thereabouts, and then returned towards Badcow. Several friends went and declared truth in their steeple-houses, and the Lord's power was with them. And one time, as I was going with William Osburn to his house, there lay a company of rude fellows by the way-side, who had hid themselves under the hedges and in bushes, and I spying them, asked him what they

were? Oh, said he, they are thieves. Now Robert Widders being moved to go to speak to a priest, was left behind, intending to come after. So I said to William Osburn, I will stay here in this valley, and do thou go look after Robert Widders;' but he was unwilling to go, being afraid to leave me there alone, because of those fellows, till I told him I feared them not. Then I called to them, asking them what they lay lurking there for; and I bid them come up to me; but they were loth to come up. I charged them to come up to me, or else it might be worse with them; then they came trembling to me, for the dread of the Lord had struck them. I admonished them to be honest, and directed them to the light of Christ in their hearts, that by it they might see what an evil it was to follow after theft and robbery; and the power of the Lord came over them. So I stayed there till William Osburn and Robert Widders came up, and then we passed on together. But it is likely that if we two had gone away before, they would have robbed Robert Widders when he had come after alone, there being three or four of them.

We went to William Osburn's house, where we had a good opportunity to declare the truth to several people that came in there. And then we went among the Highlanders, who were so devilish, they had like to have spoiled us and our horses; for they run at us with pitch-forks, but through the Lord's goodness we escaped them, being preserved by his power.

From thence we passed to Stirling, where the soldiers took us up and had us to the main-guard, and after a few words with their officers, the Lord's power coming over them, we were set at liberty: but no meeting could we get amongst them in the town, they were so closed up in darkness. Next morning there came a man with an horse that was to run a race, and most of the town's people and the officers went to see it. As they came back from the race, I had a brave opportunity to declare the day of the Lord and his word amongst them: some confessed to it, and some opposed; but the Lord's truth and power came over them all.

Leaving Stirling, we travelled through the country till we came to Burnt Island, where I had two meetings at one captain Pool's house; one in the morning, and the other in the afternoon. Whilst they went to dinner, I walked to the sea-side, not having freedom to eat with them. Both he and his wife were convinced, and became good friends afterward, and several officers of the army came in and received the truth.

We passed from thence through several other places in the country till we came to Johnston's, where were several baptists that were very bitter, and came in a rage to dispute with us; vain janglers and disputers indeed they were. And when they could not prevail by disputing, they went and informed the governor against us; and next morning they raised a whole company of foot, and banished me, and Alexander Parker, and James Lancaster, and Robert Widders out of the town. As they guarded us through the town, James Lancaster was moved to sing with a melodious sound in the power of God; and I was moved to proclaim the day of the Lord, and preach the everlasting gospel to the people: for the people generally came forth, so that the streets were filled with them; and the soldiers were so ashamed, that they said they had rather have gone to Jamaica than have guarded us so. But we were put into a boat with our horses, and carried over the water and there left. And the baptists, who were the cause of our being thus put out of this town, were themselves, not long after, turned out of the army; and he that was then governor, was turned out also when the king came in.

Being thus thrust out of Johnstons, we went to another market town, where Edward Billing and many soldiers quartered. We went to an inn, and desired to have a meeting in the town, that we might preach the everlasting gospel amongst them. The officers and soldiers said, we should have it in the town-hall; but the Scotch magistrates in spite appointed a meeting there that day for the business of the town. Which when the officers of the soldiery understood, and perceived that it was done in malice, they would have had us to have gone into the town-hall nevertheless. But we told them no, by no means, for then the magistrates might inform the governor against them, and say, they took the town-hall from them by force, when they were to do their town business therein. But we told them we would go to the market-place; they said it was marketday; we replied, it was so much the better; for we would have all people to hear truth, and know our principles. So Alexander Parker went up and stood upon the marketcross with a bible in his hand, and declared the truth amongst the soldiers and market-people; but the Scots, being a dark carnal people, gave little heed, nor hardly took notice what was said. After a while I was moved of the Lord God to stand up at the cross, and to declare with a loud voice the everlasting truth, and the day of the Lord that was coming upon all sin and wickedness. Whereupon the people came running out of the town-hall, and they