wards and stumble and fall, and <​their​> name shall be blotted out, and God shall reward them according to all their abominations; Dear Brethren do not think that our hearts faint, as though some strange thing had happened unto us, for we have seen and been assured of all these things beforehand, and have had an assurance of a better hope than that of our persecutors, therefore God hath made broad our shoulders for the burden. We glory in our tribulations because we know that God is with us, that he is our friend; and that he will save our souls. We do not care for them that kill the body, they cannot harm our souls, we ask no favors, at the hands of mobs, nor of the world, nor of the Devil, nor of his emissaries the Dissenters, and those who love and make and swear falsehoods, to take away our lives. We have never dissembled, nor will we for the sake of our lives for as much then as we know that we have been endeavoring with all our minds, mighhs and strength, to do the will of God, and all things whatsoever he hath commanded us, and as to our light observations from time to time they have nothing to do with the fixed purposes of our hearts, therefore it sufficeth us to say, that our souls were vexed from day to day. We refer you to Isaih who considers those who make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate We believe that the old Prophet verily told the truth, we have no retraction to make, we have reproved in the gate, and men have laid snares for us, we have spoken words and men have made us offenders, and notwithstanding all this our minds are not yet darkened but feel strong in the Lord, But behold the words of the saviour “If the light which is in you become darkness, behold how great is that darkness,” look at the dissenters. Again if you were of the world, the world would love its own, Look at a wolf in Sheep’s clothing, Look at his Brother, Look at the beloved , who aided him by <​in​> leading us as the Saviour was led into the Camp as a lamb prepared for the slaughter, as a sheep dumb before his shearers, so we opened not our mouths. But these men like Balaam being greedy for reward, sold us into the hands of those who loved them for the world loves his own. I would remember who comes up before us as one of Jobs destroyers, God suffered such [p. 102]