the most blameless deportment, remarkable for the clearness of their testimony against sin, the strictness of their moral discipline, and the innocence and purity of their lives and manners. As their light extended to the confession of every known sin, and to the taking up of a cross against every thing which they knew to be evil, hence they were endowed with great power, by which ANNE found that protection, which, for the time then present, was answerable to her faith; and in all things she conformed to the rules of discipline in the society, and was baptized into the same spirit ; and by her perfect obedience to all that she was taught, she attained to the full knowledge and experience of those who stood in the foremost light.

As the only distinction among the members of the society, was formed according to the different degrees of spiritual light and power known and felt in each, respectively, and as it was the faith of the society not to rest short of complete salvation from all sin; therefore, those who received the greatest light and power of God, were acknowledged as the lead; that is, the greatest light of God, in whomsoever it was made manifest, was acknowledged and followed, as the lead, without respect to persons.

XII. When, therefore, ANNE, by her perfect obedience, had attained to all that was made manifest in the leading characters of the society, and still finding in herself the seed or remains of human depravity, and a lack of the divine nature, which is eternal life abiding in the soul, she did not rest satisfied in that state, but laboured in continual watchings and fastings, and in tears and incessant cries to God, day and night, for deliverance. And under the most severe tribulation, and violent temptations, as great as she was able to resist and endure, such was, frequently, her extreme agony of soul, that, clinching her hands together, the blood would flow through the pores of her skin.

By such deep mortification and suffering, her flesh wasted away, and she became like a skeleton, wholly incapable of helping herself, and was fed and nourished like an infant, although, naturally, free from bodily infirmities, and a person of a strong and sound constitution, and invincible fortitude of mind.

XIII. In this manner she was more or less exercised in soul and body for about the term of nine years, during which period,

the way of God, and the nature of his work, were gradually opened from one thing to another, and the light and understanding which she received, was gradually communicated to the society, until she received that manifestation of God by which the man of sin was revealed, and through which she discovered the transgression of the first woman—the root and foundation cause of human depravity, whence all mankind were lost and separated from God; and by special and immediate revelation, she received the Testimony of God against the whole corruption of man, in its root and every branch; which is, properly, The Testimony against the flesh; or The Testimony against all sin.

Her testimony was in the power of God, attended with the word of prophecy, and such energy of the Spirit, as penetrated into the secrets of the heart, and was irresistable, especially in those with whom she was united.

And from the light and power of God which attended her ministry, and the certain power of salvation transmitted to those who received her testimony, she was received and acknowledged as the first Mother, or spiritual parent in the line of the female, and the second heir in the covenant of life, according to the present display of the gospel. Hence among Believers, she hath been distinguished by no other name or title than that of Mother, from that period to the present day. To such as addressed her with the customary titles used by the world, she would reply, I am Ann the Word ;' signifying that in her dwelt the Word.

XIV. After ANNE was received and acknowledged as the spiritual Mother and leader of the society, the manner of worship and the exercises in their public assemblies were, singing and dancing, shaking and shouting, speaking with new tongues and prophesying, with all those various gifts of the Holy Ghost known in the primitive Church. These gifts progressively increased until the establishment of the Church in America; by which, those who were in the spirit of the work, were convinced, beyond all doubt or controversy, that it was the beginning of Christ's reign upon earth.

The first full and public testimony which was borne by Mother, against the root of human depravity, was about the year 1770. And the convincing power of God which attended it, caused the formal denominations to raise and stir up tumultuous mobs, by whom she was often shamefully, and very cruelly treated; and was a number of times imprisoned.

XV. About this time, on the first day of the week, at her father's house, where the society were assembled, and while in the worship of God, under great power, the house was beset by a tumultuous mob, at the head of which was the Warden. They broke open the door, and dragged out Mother, and cast her into the dungeon of the stone prison.

The next morning she was taken out of the dungeon, and put into another prison, called Bedlam, or the Mad-house, where she was confined several weeks, without any sustenance except what was conveyed to her by putting the stem of a pipe through the key-hole of the prison door, and pouring milk and other liquid substances into the bowl of it: This was done by one of the Believers.

But knowing that she was not mad, and finding in her no cause of accusation, she was set at liberty, and continued to bear the testimony as she was moved and directed by the gift of God, and the generality continued to reject it, until the testimony ceased in England, about a year before she received her mission and revelation of God in relation to America, by which she saw the future increase of the work of God, and the establishment and glory of Christ's kingdom in this land of freedom.

XVI. Accordingly, as many as were able to follow her in the designed purpose of God, settled their temporal affairs in England, paid their passage at Liverpool in the month of May, 1774, and embarked for America, in the ship Mariah, Captain Smith of New-York.

Those who embarked with Mother, were Elder William Lee, her natural brother, Elders James Whittaker and John Hocknell, and Mary Partington, and others.

James and Jane Wardley removed from John Townley's the same summer, into a hired house, from whence they were afterwards taken to the Alms-house and there died. John Hocknell returned to England the next year, and came again to America, with his family and others; and those of the society who remained in England, being without lead or protection, lost their power, and fell into the common course and practice of the world.

The ship in which Mother came over, while on her passage, sprang a leak, in an uncommon manner, so that the pumps were only sufficient to keep her above water. The seamen being greatly discouraged, and the vessel near sinking, Mother and the Elders with her, believing in him that

sent them, and confiding in his protection, put their hands to the pumps and encouraged the seamen : so that they arrived safe at New-York on the 6th of August, 1774. The following extract of a letter, written by Morrell Baker, now living at New-Lebanon, in the state of New-York, may further serve to illustrate this particular.

"I had a natural brother at that time who followed the sea; his name was Jedediah Baker. He and I were, one day, in conversation together about religion, I think about three years after Mother landed at New-York. He told me that he sailed from Liverpool, in England, to New-York, in a ship rigged in the manner of a Snow; and there came passengers, a people who had a strange religion-were very reserved in their ways and manners; but honest, kind and zealousthat they shook, and had operations on their bodies. He told me the danger they were in on their passage, by reason of the vessel's springing a leak. He said he believed the woman, and those who came with her, had a power above the natural power of man-and were the means of their ever arriving at America. This was the first time I ever heard that there was such a people on the earth, and heard no more of them for three or four years after this conversation. But since that time, I have seen Mother, and the Elders who came with her; and have also seen one of the Elders [James Whittaker] and the said Jedediah Baker, face to face, and they confirmed those things expressly, relating to their voyage from England to America."

XVII. When Mother landed at New-York, she counselled those who came with her, for a season, to seek their livelihood where they could find employ, as they were mostly poor, and had nothing to subsist upon but what they obtained by honest industry. Accordingly, they were all scattered in different parts of the country. Mother herself remained at New-York, in a family by the name of Smith, in Queen-street, (now Pearl-Street,) where she was treated with great kindness, and continued there until the spring of the year 1776. She then went by water up to Albany, and from thence to Niskeuna, (now Water-Vliet,) and about the month of September, fixed her residence where the Church is now established, eight measured miles North-west from the centre of the city of Albany,

This was an obscure place in the wilderness, remote from the public eye. Here the Believers gathered as their place

of residence, and here they held their solemn meetings, particularly on the first days of the week, full three years and a half, until the opening of the testimony in the spring of the year 1780. At this time various reports began to be spread abroad concerning these people.

XVIII. To such as loved the things of this present world, the testimony, and the work accompanying it, appeared like the greatest possible inconsistency and delusion. It being in the time of the American war, numerous conjectures were agitated concerning the people, and especially concerning Mother. By some she was suspected of witch-craft, and the old blasphemy was in substance revived: She casteth out Devils by Belzebub. Others assumed the charge of treason, because those who received the testimony were averse to war, and chose rather to suffer than to resist wrong.

But such as had any light of God, considered things in a very different light; knowing that the kingdom of Christ was not of this world, and therefore his servants would not fight; and remembering that it was written, From whence come wars and fightings? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

As the testimony was expressly against every lust, and all known sin, therefore, such as feared God, and whose only aim was peace and righteousness, had sufficient to engage their attention, without any concern in the clamorous affairs of the world. They esteemed it as matter of the highest gratitude to God, that they were counted worthy of the privilege of confessing their sins, and of receiving power to become separate from the spirit and practice of the world, and every kind of vice, whatever degree of outward affliction might follow, on that account, through evil report or persecution.

XIX. The first general opening of the testimony in America, was at New-Lebanon, in the township of Canaan, county of Columbia, and state of New-York; in consequence of a remarkable religious awakening which had taken place in those parts, in the year 1779, and was intended as a work of preparation for the reception of the gospel, which was opened the following year, (1780,) and received by many.

As Mother and the Elders who came from England, resided at Water-Vliet, about forty miles distant from the main body of those who had lately believed; and as great numbers