"self surrounded with the presence of God, and my soul was filled "with love. I knew they could not kill me, because my work was "not done; therefore I felt joyful and comfortable, while my enemies "felt distress and confusion."

21. At another time an attempt was made upon her life; but it does not appear that this was done by any legal process, but rather, as is supposed, by the connivance of some of the officers of the stone prison with the designs of her enemies. She was taken and confined in a small cell of the prison, with an intention of starving her to death. Here she was kept fourteen days without any kind of sustenance, excepting what was conveyed to her privately, through the keyhole of the door, after the first two days, once in twenty-four hours.

22. This was done by one of the believers,* who found access to the door of her prison, and inserted the stem of a pipe through the keyhole, into the bowl of which he poured a small quantity of milk, mixed with a little wine, which was her only temporal support during the whole time of her imprisonment. At the end of fourteen days, the door was unlocked with the expectation of finding her dead; but to the great surprise of her enemies, she was not only alive, but as well as before. Some who were present at the time, and saw her walk off in perfect health, remarked that it must be owing to a supernatural power which attended her, and that they did not believe it was right to confine or oppress her.

23. The last imprisonment which she suffered, while in England, was done under pretence of her having profaned the Sabbath.— This appears to have been a preconcerted plan of her enemies, to prevent her and her little family from worshipping God on the Sabbath, according to their custom. A number of spies had been previously placed in the streets, under a pretence of preventing people from profaning the Sabbath. The believers assembled that morning at the house of John Lee, and began their worship, as usual, by singing and dancing. This was discovered by the spies, and a mob was soon raised, headed by the principal warden, who surrounded the house, burst open the doors, and ascended the stairs into the third loft, where the believers were assembled. They were all seized without any ceremony, and immediately dragged down stairs; Mother Ann herself was dragged down by her feet, and very much abused. They were all, excepting one man and two children,† immediately hurried off to the stone prison, and put into close confinement. The next morning they were all released except Mother Ann and John Lee, her father, who were removed to the house of correction, where they were kept confined several weeks, and then discharged.

James Whittaker, who was then a youth.

↑ One of these children was Mary Hocknell, daughter of John Hocknell, since deeeased.

24. These are but a part of the outward afflictions which Mother Ann endured from her enemies in England. Besides many circumstances of less note, there were several other instances of abuse which must inevitably have deprived her of life, had she not been protected by that Almighty Being in whom she always trusted; and it is worthy of remark, that nothing short of Divine Power could have supported her through all these trying scenes, and enabled her to maintain her testimony in the midst of a crooked and perverse gene

ration.

25. But in consequence of the sudden and untimely death of some of her most bitter persecutors,* and the conviction of others, these cruel abuses finally ceased. Her enemies saw that she was evidently protected and supported, and her life preserved, by some interposing power, notwithstanding all their attempts to destroy it; and hence, for more than two years previous to her leaving England, she and her little band enjoyed their faith in peace. And tho' there was no important addition to their number, yet the faith and substance of the gospel continued to increase in the hearts of the faithful. But their public testimony ceased in England about a year before they embarked for America.

(26 Mother Ann, whose mind was ever intent on the work of God, and who always stood ready to obey any call of God to her, was at length, by a special revelation, directed to repair to America; and at the same time, she received a divine promise, that the work of God would greatly increase, and the millennial church would be established in that country. This revelation was communicated to the society, and was soon confirmed by signs, visions and extraordinary manifestations, to many individual members; and permission was given for all those of the society to accompany her, who were able, and who felt any special impressions on their own minds so to do. Accordingly those who became the companions of Mother Ann, in her voyage to America, and who were all at that time, professedly members of the society, were Abm. Stanley, her husband, Wm. Lee, her bother, James Whittaker, John Hocknell, Richard Hocknell, son of John Hocknell, James Shepherd, Mary Partington, and Nancy Lee, a niece of Mother Ann. These eight were all that accompanied Mother Ann in her voyage to America.

27. Having settled their affairs and made arrangements for the voyage, they embarked at Liverpool, on board the ship Mariah, Captain Smith, of New-York, and sailed on the 19th of May, 1774. Before they embarked, Mother Ann told the captain that he should not have whereof to accuse them, except it were concerning the

Among whom was the before named warden.

law of their God. While on their passage, they went forth, in obedience to their inward feelings, to praise God in songs and in dances. This offended the captain to such a degree, that he threatened to throw them overboard, if they attempted the like exercise again. But as Mother Ann had put her trust in God, whom she feared, she was not willing to be restrained in her duty by the fear of mortals; she therefore chose to obey God rather than man, and accordingly went forth again, in obedience to the divine influences which she felt.

28. At this the captain became greatly enraged, and attempted to put his threats in execution. But that God in whom they trusted, and who had sent them to do his will, had power to protect them. This he did in a marvelous manner. It was in the evening, in time of a storm; and the ship suddenly sprung a leak, occasioned by the starting of a plank between wind and water. The water now flowed in so rapidly, that notwithstanding all their exertions at the pumps, it gained upon them so fast, that the whole ship's crew were greatly alarmed. The captain turned pale as a corpse, and said they must all perish before morning; for he saw no possible means to save the ship from sinking.

29. But Mother Ann maintained her confidence in God, and said, 66 Captain be of good cheer; there shall not a hair of our heads 66 perish; we shall all arrive safe to America. I just now saw "two bright angels of God standing by the mast, through whom I "received this promise." She then encouraged the seamen, and she and her companions zealously assisted at the pumps. Shortly after this, a large wave struck the ship with great violence, and the loose plank was instantly closed to its place.

30. Whether this remarkable incident was effected by the violent force of the wave against the plank, or by some other unaccountable means, it was then viewed by all on board, as a miraculous interposition of Divine Providence in their favor. They were soon in a great measure released from the pumps; and the captain, after this, gave them free and full liberty to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and promised that he would never molest them again. He was faithful to his promise, and treated them with kindness and respect during the remainder of the voyage, and was afterwards free to declare, that had it not been for these people, he should have been sunk in the sea, and never reached America.

31. Thus, after enduring the storms and dangers of the sea, in an old leaky ship, which had been condemned as unfit for the voyage, and which came very near foundering at sea, they all arrived safe in New-York on the 6th of August following.

CHAPTER III.

Circumstances connected with the settlement of Mother Ann and her little society in America: Religious revival at New-Lebanon: Commencement and progress of the testimony, followed by persecution: Decease of Mother Ann, f.c.

1. AFTER MOTHER ANN and her little family arrived in this country, they passed through many scenes of difficulty, of a temporal nature. Being strangers in the land, and without any means of subsistence, excepting the daily labor of their own hands, they were obliged to seek employment where they could find it without hazarding the free enjoyment of their faith: for Mother Ann chose rather to rely upon the mercy of God for support and protection, than to court the friendship of the world, or to solicit their favor for the sake of any temporal advantages which she might obtain at the expense of her religious freedom, which was dearer to her than her life.

2. They were led, however, to make some arrangements, in the first place, for their future residence, where they could be united in the mutual enjoyment of their faith, and wait the call of God to more extensive usefulness Accordingly William Lee and John Hocknell went up the river and contracted for a lot of land near Niskeyuna, in the county of Albany, and returned again to NewYork. John Hocknell soon after sailed for England, to bring out his family, and make further arrangements for the settlement of the society in this country.

3. Mother Ann accompanied her brother William and some of the rest of the society to Albany, where they found employment in their several occupations. She then returned to New-York, where she continued during John Hocknell's absence to England. She resided in the house of a respectable family, in Queen-street,* by the name of Smith, by whom Abraham, her husband, was employed as a journeyman in the blacksmith's business. She employed herself in washing and ironing for her support; and by her meckness, humility and amiable deportment, she gained the esteem and confidence of the family, and particularly of Smith's wife, who treated her with great kindness. By this woman she was afterwards solicited to take charge of her family affairs, with full liberty to manage therein according to her own discretion. But Mother Ann could not listen to any proposition which was incompatible with the gift

*Now called Pearl-street.

and calling of God to her; she chose rather to endure poverty and sufferings, than to turn aside from her duty to God for the sake of any temporal advantages whatever.

4. During John Hocknell's absence to England, Mother Ann went several times up the river and visited those of the society who resided in the vicinity of Albany, and was occasionally visited by some of them; but still continued her residence in New-York. In the latter part of the summer or beginning of autumn, 1775, Abraham Stanley was visited with a severe sickness. To nurse and take care of him in this sickness, required Mother Ann's whole time and attention. This duty she performed with the utmost care and kindness, tho' often at the expense of great sufferings on her own part. Their earnings now ceased, and they were reduced to extreme poverty.

5. Abraham at length recovered his health, so as to be able to walk the streets; and tho' he never had been considered as a faithful and substantial believer; yet he had hitherto supported his credit and reputation, and maintained an outward conformity to his faith. But on regaining his health, and before he was fully able to return to his occupation, he began to associate with the wicked at public houses, and soon lost all sense and feeling of religion, and began to oppose Mother Ann's testimony in a very ungodly manner, and urged her to renounce it, and live in sexual cohabitation, like the rest of the world. She replied, that she was willing to do any thing for him which justice, reason or humanity required; but she should never consent to violate her duty to God; and endeavored to prevail on him to return to his duty and be faithful.

6. But as Abraham was determined to pursue the course of the world, he continued his vicious practice, instead of returning to his occupation, and left Ann to provide for herself. At length he brought a lewd woman into the house to her, and declared that, unless she would consent to live in sexual cohabitation with him, he would take that woman for his wife. Ann replied with great firmness and resolution, that she would not do it if he should take her life as the consequence of her refusal. She also informed him, in plain terms, that she considered his cruel and abusive conduct as a very unjust requital for the uniform kindness and attention which she had paid to him, both in sickness and in health; and said she was still willing to take the most tender care of him, if he would return to his duty, and conduct himself as he ought to do, and urged him, in the most feeling manner, to return to the obedience of his faith; but all to no effect. He soon went off with the woman, to a distant part of the city, and it was reported that he was shortly after married to her. Thus ended the connection between Mother Ann and Abraham Stanley.