Now whilft my thoughts were taken up with thefe meditations, as I fat upon the bank, I was fuddenly furrounded with a glorious light, the exceeding brightnefs whereof was fuch, as I had never feen any thing like it before, this both furprized and amazed me, and whilft I was wondering from whence it came, I faw coming towards me a glorious appearance, reprefenting the perfon of a man, but circled round about with lucid beams of inexpreffible light and glory, which streamed from him all the way he came his countenance was very awful, and yet mixed with fuch an air of fweetness, as rendered it extremely pleafing, and gave me fome fecret hopes he came not to me as an enemy, and yet I knew not how to bear his bright appearance; and endeavouring to stand upon my feet, I foon found I had no more strength in me, and fo fell flat down upon my face. But by the kind affiftance of his arm, I was foon fet upon my feet again and new strength was put into me, which I foon perceiving, addreft myself to the bright form before me, faying, O my fhining deliverer who hast in'vigorated my feeble body, and restored me to new life, how fhall I acknowledge my thankfulness and in what manner fhall I a• dore thee?"

To which he replyed, both with an air of majefty and mildnefs, Pay thy ador-tions to

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*the Author of thy being, and not to me,

who am thy fellow creature;' and am fent by him, whofe very being thou haft fo lately denied, to ftop thee from falling into that eternal ruin, wherein thou wert going to plunge thyself."

This touched my heart with fuch a fenfe of my own unworthiness, that my foul even melted within me, and I could not forbear crying out, O how utterly unworthy am I of • all this grace and mercy?'

To which the heavenly meffenger replied, The divine Majefty, does not confult in fhewing mercy, thy unworthiness, but his own unbounded goodness, and incompre

henfible love he faw with how much malice, the grand enemy of fouls defired thy ruin, and let him go on with hopes of overcoming thee, but fill upheld thee by his fecret power; through which, when Satan thought himself moft fure, the fnare is broken, and thou art efcaped. Thefe words' made me break forth in this extatick rapture.

who the depths of this great love can tell, To fave a tempted, finking foul from hell! O glory, glory to my Saviour's name, I will throughout all eternity proclaim! Who when I on the brink of ruin lay, Sav'd me from him who would my foul betray And now I know, though I no God would own, The Lord is God, yea, he is God alone!

Angel.

Angel. Well, faid this heavenly vifion, with a pleafed countenance, That you may ne ver doubt any more of the reality of eternal things, the end of my coming to you, is to convince you of the truth of them; not by faith only, but by fight alfo: for I will thew you fuch things as were never yet beheld by mortal eye; and to that end, your eyes 'fhall be ftrengthned, and, made fitting to behold immaterial objects.",

At thefe, furprifing words of the angel, I was much aftonished, and doubted, how I fhould be able to bear it; and faid to him,

O my Lord, who is fufficient to bear fuch a fight 3'

To which he replied, The joy of the Lord · fhall be your ftrength. And when he had faid thus, he took hold of me, and faid, Fear

not; for I am fent to fhew thee things thou

haft not feen :' and before I was aware, I found myself far above the earth; which feemed to me a very fmall and inconfiderable point, in comparison, of that region of light, into which I was tranflated.

Then I faid to my bright conductor, O let it not offend my Lord, if I afk a question or two of thee.·.

To which he answered, fpeak on: it is my work to inform thee of fuch things which thou shalt enquire of me: for 1 am a miniing fpirit, fent forth to minifer to thee,

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and to those that shall be heirs of falvation.

I then faid, I would fain be informed what that dark spot fo far below me is: which grew lefs and lefs, as I was mounted higher and higher, and appears much darker, fince I came into this region of light.

That little spot, anfwered my conductor, that now looks fo dark and contemptible, is that world of which you were fo lately an inhabitant: here you may fee how little all that world appears, for a small part of-which fo many do unweariedly labour, and lay out all their ftrength and time to purchase it. This is that spot of earth that is cantoned and fubdivided into fo many kingdoms, to purchase one of which, fo many horrid and bafe villanies, fo many bloody and unnatural murders have been committed: yea, this is that spot of earth, to obtain one fmall part whereof, fo many men have run the hazard of lofing, nay, have actually loft their precious and immortal fouls; fo precious, that the Prince of Peace has told us, That though one man could gain the whole, it could not countervail fo great a lofs. And the great reafon of their folly is, becaufe they do not look to things. above: for, as you well obferved as you afcended nearer to this region, the world appeared ftill lefs, and more contemptible; and fo it will do to all who can by faith once get their hearts above it. For could the fons of

men

men below, but fee the world juft as it is; they could not cover it as they now do but they, alas are, in a ftate of darknefs; and, which is worfe they love to walk therein. For tho' the Prince of Light came down amongst them, and plainly fhewed them the true light of life, (which, by his minifters, he fill continues) yet they go on, in darknefs, and will not bring themfelves unto the light, becaufe their deeds are evil...

Epenetus. I asked him further, what were thole multitudes of black and horrid forms that hover in the air above the world? which I indeed should have been much afraid of, but that I faw as you paft by, they fled; perhaps as not being able to abide that brightnels with which you are arrayed

Ang. To this he anfwered me, they were the fallen and apoftate fpirits, which for their pride and rebellion, were caft down from heaven and wander in the air by the decree of the Almighty, being bond in chains of darknefs, and kept unto the judgment of the great day. And from thence they are permitted to defcend into the world, both for the trial of the elect, and for the condemnation of the wicked. And though you now fee. they have black and horrid forms, yet were they once the fons of light, and were arrayed in robes of glorious brightnefs like what you fee we wear.The loss of which, though it was the