ABSTRACT
T Hefc Writings following are Copies of diver^ Letters which they had writtervto their Friends and near Relation in the time of my vifitation^f them : But it came fo to pafs, that as they were hnndiijg the fomp through tlje Grajepf the l’rifoa, by the hand of ,another man to be' commumc&tcd to my han<d( being then prefent in the Room alfo , that the faid Letters.' were Intercepted, and in tbe firft place communicated to the Pope’s Lord Inquifitor, and he forthwith fent for the Conful,and char-. ged him to get the fame truly copied' forth. Then the Conful vvas vvrath with me that he flionldbe exere.fed W ith fomuch trouble: I’ut in the Lightand I. ounfel of my God I feeingand f.novvingthat there was nothing io them but w h it came/rotna ;good ground of innoccncy and truth , and puic natural affcfltion, /was moved in bowels of render love , led the faid Letter! .fliould be finally milcarried, or (hut up iu obfciiirity* therefore/ ,
(as) propounded to the Gonful, If d m were fuch a trouble to him, if be would let me have the Letters, I (liould copy them out tru ly.- And after fome time he confented, and gave them into my; hind, and laid it upon my Confcience t« perform as Ihadfaid, 'which I did with gladnefs of heart, not in fubmiflioh to hit Will, bat in obedience to the God of Love and Peace which gu'ded me in the fame; and fo after 1 had finifhed them , I gave the fair Co~ pies into the Conful’s hands for hit Lord Inqoifitor, *
And fo in the wifdom of the Lord, which it wifer than the Ser pents, I obtained the very defire of my heart for his Truth and Peoples fake, and retained the Original Copies , and in theend-■lefs Love and Power of theLord Almighty, which w as, and is with me, and accompanied me ( btefTed and magnified be the Po* wcrof his excellent Majefty and Glory, amen ) over the heads of the lofty Mountains, and barren Hills, I brought the T fea-; fares of a bleffed and good ground away with this body in which I am-, fo that they were not onely in my hands, but alfo the pre vious fiibftancc and virtue of the fame that accompanied them, tvepintny heart, within my bofom; and the Words of W*fdoms Life dij 1 wear am Chain of precious Stones and Diamonds about' my neck, and as Bracelets and Ornaments of a comely and deli cate chalte Bride, about my hands and loins; and behold the AN mighty Lord and;%ing ot lf.ccrnal Life, that had fa mightily pre served mein the fhidow of his hand of Almightinefs, which flopc the mouths of devouring Lyon*, and chained and limited thera-i vening and devouring wild Bealls of the f tjtre f t, even be the Kinfcof bleffednefs andcndlefs g lo ry filled my heart with hi* fpotlefc and uneipreffible Love: And as I lay upon the deck of the Veffelln which lwasa paffenger, and a flranger among men of many and divert Nations , in the morning of the day lf t lta n d beheld the exceeding gtor.y of the Lord Qndtr the fecret Ihtdow of his Almightinefi,in a Vifion of God; and in the fame I beheld th*Bride,;the Ljamb’a Wife, prepared for the Bridegroom’s com. ing; and why (liould not 1 deilalrc fomewhat of the fclicity t^ac Hiirfe eye in the Eternal Lifeftf Blcfcdneft'faw, albeit the reft is (tnatterable which I fehr* and know how to be filent in theTather’t prefence, whore every Bafye knoweth my voice, which i* to give V^oiindiio thcireart colwh^m I writ**’ fbd not to fpread o l • • ................ ; H ; v Peart *
