felf, rather than any other, being acted in my fight and perfect knowledge, as other Prophets have done before me, as Mofes and Others.

XXXXXX

CHA P. III.

Of the Birth, Parentage, and Trade, of the two Witnesses, and bow the Prophets Nature led them forth to all Sobriety, bating Drunkennels, and of their inclining to the Principles of thofe Call'd Puritans, and of their being perfwaded from judging Cafes of Confcience before they knew the Truth.

I.

"B

UT before I write of the Acts, I fhall give the Reader

a little to understand what we were before God did chufe us two, to be his two laft Prophets and Witneffes of the Spirit.

2. And of fome Experience I had, and Working within me, before I was Chofen of God, little expecting God would have Chofen me for fuch a great Work.

3. As for John Reeve, he was Born in Wiltshire, his Father was Clerk to a Deputy of Ireland, a Gentleman as we call them by his Place, but fell to Decay.

4. So he put John Reeve Apprentice here at London, to a Taylor by Trade. He was out of his Apprenticeship before I came acquainted with him; he was of an Honeft, Just Nature, and Harmless.

5. But a Man of no great Natural Wit, or Wifdom; no Subtilty, or Policy was in him; nor no great ftore of Religion he had, but what was Traditional, only of an Innocent Life.

6. I knew him many Years before God fpake to him by Voice of Words, to the hearing of the Ear, three Mornings together, as is declared in the Commiffion Book, call'd a Tranfcendant Spiritual Treatife, the first Book he writ.

7. And

7. And I Lodwick Muggleton, was Born in BihopfgateStreet, near the Earl of Devonshire's Houfe, at the corner Houfe call'd Walnu:tree-Yard.

8. My Father's Name was John Muggleton, he was a Smith by Trade, that is a Farrier, or Horfe-Door, he was in great Refpect with the Poft-Mafter, in King James's Time; he had three Children by my Mother, two Sons and one Daughter, I was the youngeft, and my Mother lov'd me.

9. But after my Mother Died, I being but young, my Father took another Wife; fo I being young, was expos'd to live with Strangers in the Country, at a diftance from all my Kindred I was a Stranger to my Father's House after my Mother was Dead.

10. But it came to pass when I was grown to 15 or 16 Years of Age, I was put Apprentice to one John Quick, a Taylor; he Made Livery Gowns, and all forts of Gowns for Men; he Made Gowns for feveral Aldermen, and Livery Men of their Company in London.

II. And he lived in this Walnuttree Yard, and knew my Father and Mother very well; he was a quiet, peaceable Man, not cruel to Servants, which liked me very well.

12. For my Nature was always againft Cruelty, I could never endure it, neither in myself, nor in Others, living peaceably in my Apprenticeship.

13. I took my Trade well, and pleafed my Mafter better than any of his other Servants, for they were bad Hufbands, and given to Drunkenness, but my Nature was inclin❜d to be fober, hating Drunkenness and Luft in the time of my Youth.

14. But when my time of Service was pretty far expired, I grew to more Understanding, and hearing in thofe Days, a great talk among ft the vulgar People, and efpecially, amongst Youth, Boys, and young Maids, of a People called Puritans; fome of these Puritans came to talk and difcourfe with my Mafter, though he was no Religious Man.

15. But

15. But I being Ignorant, did perceive they pleaded more for Righteoufnefs, and were better verfed in the Scriptures than he was, fo that I liked in myfelf their Difcourfe upon the Scriptures, and pleaded for a Holy-keeping of the Sabbath-day, which my Mafter did not do, nor I his Servant.

16. But I not knowing my Right Hand from my Left in Religion at that time; yet, methoughts I had a Love for thofe People call'd Puritans, and could not endure my Companions fhould fpeak Evil of them.

17. And when young Boys as I was, and young Maids would fpeak Evil, and lay many Slanders upon thofe People call'd Puritans, as if they had been the wickedest People in the World, with many Scoffs and Jears.

18. Yet all this while my Heart did not clofe with their Reproaches, but rather was inclin'd to love thofe People, and to think the better of them; thinking in myself, Oh! that I might be fo happy as them, yet I knew not what Happiness was, nor what Condemnation was, for I knew nothing by myself, why I fhould be Condemned.

19. But the Seed of God lay hidden in my Heart, which kept me from fpeaking Evil of things I knew not, even from my Childhood, which many others of my Age did.

20. Like unto thofe Children that mocked the Prophet Elifba, which two fhe Bears did tare in Pieces; fo many of thefe mockers of Religion, in that my time, did come to great Poverty and Destruction in this World, but the God of Truth preferved me, though I knew him not.

21. Alfo I was fmitten with the Plague in that great fickness, after King James Died; it was not extream tedious to me, for the fore broke, and I recovered quickly, and hath not had half a Days fickness fince, not this Forty Years

and more.

22. I never beftowed Six-pence in Phyfick in my Life for myself, but what the Kitchen would afford; as Water

Gruel,

Gruel, Broth, or fuch like; and I have had my Health, and hath been as perfect in Nature from all Diftempers and Difeafes, as any Man in the World ever fince.

CHA P. IV.

How the fecret Providence of God prevented the Expellation of the Prophet, in his Choice of a Wife, and in his defire of Riches, of the Prophet's Zeal for the Law, and a Righteous Life.

I.

A

FTER this it came to pafs, my time of Service grew near out, and my Nature had a great defire to be rich in this World, that I might no more be Servant to any Man, and I thought the Trade of a Taylor would not gain much Riches, I having little to begin with; and withal, I thought I fhould be too much fubject to the Humours of People to please them, which I had Experience of in my Apprenticeship.

2. So I went to work in a Broker's Shop, in Houndfditch, who made Cloaths to fell, and did lend Money upon Pawns, called a Pawn-broker, and the Broker's Wife had one Daughter alive; and after I had been there a-while, the Mother faw that I was a good Hutband, and knew how to manage that way, being a Workman better than they, and that I was a civil and fober young Man, not given to Drunkenness, nor no Debauchery.

3. She was willing to give her Daughter unto me to Wife, and I lov'd the Maid well, and thought myself too inferior for her, because fhe had fomething to take too, and the only Child, and I having nothing; yet the Mother being well perfwaded of my good natural Temper, and of my good Hufbandry, and that I had no poor Kindred came after me, to be any Charge or Burthen to her Daughter.

4. Thofe

4. Thofe things confider'd, the thought I might be a convenient Match for her Daughter; fo fhe feeing there was fome kind of Affection between her Daughter and me, the propofed unto me, that fhe would give me a Hundred Pound with her to fet up, which thing I accepted on in my Mind, but told I was not yet a Freeman of London.

5. So fhe urged me to be made Free as foon as I could alfo fhe urged me to be made fure to her Daughter before the Father-in-law, and herself.

6. So the Maid and I were made fure by Promife, before her Mother and Father-in-law, and before I was made Free; and I was refolved to have the Maid to Wife, and to keep a Broker's Shop, and lend Money upon Pawns, and grow Rich as others did.

7. And the Maid's Mother had Five Hundred Pounds more than what she promised me, which her Husband knew not of, for he was a kind of a Distracted Hare-brain'd Man; his Name was Richardson, there is many alive at this Day that knew them; but for the Daughter I fhould have had to Wife, the is alive at this Day, and is worth Seven Hundred Pounds a Year.

8. But the fecret Providence of God prevented my expectation and defire of being Rich in this World, in an unlawful Way against the Checks of my own Conscience.

9. But it came to pafs in the 22d. Year of my Life, not being quite out of my Apprenticeship, yet fure to the Maid, I went to Work as a Journey-man, and happened to Work with a Puritan, in Thomas Apoftles, London. His Name was William Reeve, John Reeves's Brother.

10.

He was a very zealous Puritan at that time, and many others of that Religion came to him, and difputed with me about the unlawfulness of lending Money upon Pawns, because they pleaded it was Ufury and Extortion, and did alledge many places of Scripture against it.