Nicholas Beard was an early seeker of the Lord in his youth, and would often travel many miles to hear the best reputed teachers of the times. He became a faithful minister of Christ, and a large sufferer for his sake. For one year’s tithes he had taken from him twelve oxen, six cows, and one bull, which were sold for £111 5s., but worth more. For worshipping God, and refusing to swear or bear arms, he was prosecuted on the statute for £20 a month, and underwent imprisonment several years, and loss of goods to more than £1,000. Yet it pleased the Lord to support and bless him and a large family, so that on his deathbed he was heard to say, “O Lord, my soul blesseth thee, and all that is within me magnifieth thy holy name!” He often desired to depart and be with Christ, and died in great peace, in 1702, aged eighty, a minister about thirty years. Thus the Lord’s power came over all, and his day many came to see. There were abundance of Ranters in those parts, and professors that had been so loose in their lives, that they began to be weary of it and had thought to go into Scotland to live privately. But the Lord’s net caught them, and their understandings were opened by his light, Spirit, and power, through which they came to receive the truth, and to be settled upon the Lord; and so became very sober men, and good friends in the truth. Great blessing and praising of the Lord there was amongst them, and great admiration in the country. Out of SUSSEX I travelled to READING, where I found a few that were convinced of the way of the Lord. There I stayed till First-day, and had a meeting in George Lamboll’s orchard; and a great part of the town came to it. A glorious meeting it proved; a great convincement there was, and the people were mightily satisfied. Thither came two of Judge Fell’s daughters to me, and George Bishop, of BRISTOL, with his sword by his side, for he was a captain.[40] After the meeting many Baptists and Ranters came privately, reasoning and discoursing; but the Lord’s power came over them. The Ranters pleaded, that God made the Devil; I denied it, and told them, “I was come into the power of God, the seed Christ, which was before the Devil was, and bruised the head of him; and he became a Devil by going out of truth, and so became a murderer and a destroyer. So I showed them that God did not make the Devil; for God is a God of truth, and he made all things good, and blessed them; but God did not bless the Devil. And the Devil is bad, and was a liar and a murderer from the beginning, and spoke of himself and not from God.” And so the truth stopped them, and bound them, and came over all the highest notions in the nation, and confounded them. For by the power of the Lord God I was manifest, and sought to be made manifest to the Spirit of God in all; that by it (which they vexed, and quenched, and grieved,) they might be turned to God; as many were turned to the Lord Jesus Christ by