conviction, he was not only fully persuaded of them, but saw them so
clear and evident, that his realizations were continually quickening
into sensations. He thus began with a John-Baptist ministry, to
which succeeded a Pentecostal evangel; and at last it grew into the
Pauline amplitude and completeness, "the whole counsel of God." "In
my preaching of the word, I took special notice of this one thing,
namely, that the Lord did lead me to begin where the word begins with
sinners; that is, to condemn all flesh, and to open and allege that
the curse of God by the law doth belong to and lay hold on all men as
they come into the world, because of sin. Now this part of my work I
fulfilled with great sense; for the terrors of the law, and guilt for
my transgressions, lay heavy on my conscience. I preached what I
felt, what I smartingly did feel; even that under which my poor soul
did groan and tremble to astonishment. Indeed I have been as one
sent to them from the dead; I went myself in chains to preach to them
in chains; and carried that fire in my own conscience that I
persuaded them to be aware of . . . Thus I went on for the space of
two years, crying out against men's sins, and their fearful state
because of them. After which the Lord came in upon my own soul with
some sure peace and comfort through Christ; for he did give me many
sweet discoveries of his blessed grace through him. Wherefore now I
altered in my preaching (for still I preached what I saw and felt).
Now, therefore, I did much labour to hold forth Jesus Christ in all
his offices, relations, and benefits, unto the world, and did strive
also to discover, to condemn, and remove those false supports and
props on which the world doth both lean, and by them fall and perish.
On these things also I staid as long as on the other. After this,
God led me into something of the mystery of union with Christ;
wherefore, that I discovered and shewed to them also. And when I had
travelled through these three chief points of the word of God, I was