THE

HISTORY

OF THE

LIFE

OF

Thomas Ellwood.

=

Or, an Account of his BIRTH,
EDUCATION, Uc.

WITH

Divers Obfervations on his Life and Manners when a Youth: And how he came to be Convinced of the Truth; with his many Sufferings and Services for the fame.

Alfo Several Other

Remarkable Paffages and Occurrences.

Wzitten by his own hand.

To which is added, A

SUPPLEMENT

By J. W.

Heb. 11. 2. By Faith the Elders obtained a good Report.
The Second Edition.

London: Printed and Sold by the Alligns of F. Sowle, in White Hart-Court in Gracious-Street, 1714.

08-17-22314. reck 9-6-51 COR

THE

PREFACE.

G

Atber up the Fragments that remain, that nothing be Loft, John 6. 12. Was the direction of our Saviour to his Difciples, after he had fed the Multitude. Which may well and ufefully be applied, to the Collecting and Preferving the Accounts of the Lives of Good Men: Men who in their Day, have been eminently ufeful in those Stations of Life, wherein God, by his good Providence, hath placed them. And this preferving,by Publication, is the rather to be done, when themselves do leave behind them, in Writing, an Account of their Lives, and of the fignal Mercies of God to them therein: For from

a 2

from fuch Accounts, may best be gathered, by the Reader, the Man's particular State, Exercife and Growth in the Work of Refloration, out of the Fall and Degeneracy: And, in the Reading thereof, be not only excited to Blefs the Name of the Lord, on his behalf; but alfo gain fome direction from the Path, fo fairly tract out, and ground of Hope; that by being Faithful, they may likewise attain to the fame good Experience.

There is not with me any doubt, but fomething of this kind may be the Lot of many, into whofe Hands this Treatife may happen to come; for that they will herein meet with variety of Exercises, and the Providences of God therein, all related with great strength and plainnefs of Speech: Our Deceased Friend Thomas Ellwood, having been a Man whom God had endued with fingular Abilities, both as a Man, and as a Chriftian; which is evident, not only from this short Account of his Life, which was written by himfelf, and by the Supplement added here

unto;

much

unto; but more largely from his many
useful Labours and Services in the ma-
ny Books which he writ in the Defence
of Truth, and the Friends thereof: For
which Service he was in a particular
manner qualified, by Spiritual Wisdom
and Chriftian Obedience; to which, in
him, was added great ftrength and depth
of Fudgment, wherein he could difcern
the Spirits of others, and was very
the Mafter of his own, as did appear to
fuch who knew him, not only by the
foundness of his Reasoning, and the Sea-
fonableness of his Words; but also by
his great and exemplary Modefty, in
that he was not hafty to propofe, nor
rudely tenacious to infift on what he had
proposed; if any thing, though not well
expreft, yet well intended, was offered
by any one much Weaker; nay, though
but by a Babe in Chrift.

His Countenance was Manly and Chearful; His Deportment Grave, yet Affable and Courteous, even to the meanest Perfon; His Conversation Innocent, Pleasant