THE EXPERIENCE, &c.

PART THE FIRST.

Containing his Parentage, Birth. Marriage, and Manner of Life, while in Nature's DarknessHis Conviction, Conversion, and Sanctification -His Gospel Labours, and divers remarkable Occurrences while a Local Preacher, till the Death of his Wife.

My grandfather, James Abbott, was born in

Somersetshire, in Great Britain: He removed to America, and settled on Long-Island, where he married, and had five sons and two daughters. My father, Benjamin Abbott, was his third son when he arrived at age, he removed from Long-Island into New-Jersey, where he married the daughter of Mr. John Burroughs, sheriff of Huntingdon County. Afterwards he removed again to Long-Island, where he resided for some time, and had two sons and one daughter. After this he sold his farm, and moved into Pennsylvania, bought a plantation of four hundred acres of good land, and lived in credit-where he had three sons and one daughter more. My mother, when on her death bed, lay sick of a nervous complaint about five weeks. In the dead of the night before she expired, she cried unto the Lord, and besought him to look in mercy upon the family, and with a loud voice prayed fervently for us all, which caused the spectators to wonder, and to cry out, "Hannah, what is the matter with you?"

Next day she departed this life. I then pondered these things in my heart.

In six weeks after, my father took the smallpox, and departed this life, leaving my grandfa ther executor. . In his will he ordered that we should all have trades; accordingly I was put to a hatter in Philadelphia, where I soon fell into bad company and from that to card-playing, cock-fighting, and many other evil practices. My master and I parted before my time was out, and I went into Jersey, and hired with one of my brothers, where I wrought at plantation work. Some time after this I married; and when I got what my father left me, I rented a farm, and followed that business: But all this time I had no fear of God before my eyes, but lived in sin and open rebellion against God, in drinking, fighting, swearing, gambling, &c. yet I worked hard and got a comfortable living for my family. I professed myself a presbyterian, went often to meeting, and many times the Spirit of God alarmed my guilty soul of its danger; but it as often wore off again.

Thus I continued in a scene of sin, until the fortieth year of my age; yet many were the promises I made, during that period to amend my life, but all to no purpose; they were as often broken as made: for as yet I never had heard the nature of conviction or conversion; it was a dark time respecting religion, and little or nothing ever said about experimental religion; and to my knowledge I never had heard either man or woman say that they had the pardoning love of God in their souls, or knew their sins were forgiven. My wife was a member of the presbyterian church, and a praying woman; yet at that time she knew nothing about a heart work.

About the thirty-third year of my age, I drea

med that I died and was carried to hell, which appeared to me to be a large place, arched over, containing three apartments with arched doors to go from one apartment to another. I was brought into the first, where I saw nothing but devils and evil spirits, which tormented me in such a manner, that my tongue or pen cannot express. I cried for mercy, but in vain-There appeared to me a light like a star, at a great distance from me; I strove to get to it, but all in vain. Being hurried into the second apartment, the devils put me into a vice, and tormented me until my body was all in a gore of blood-I cried again for mercy, but still in vain. I observed that a light followed me, and I heard one say to me, "How good doth this light appear to you?" I was soon hurried into the third apartment, where there were scorpions with stings in their tails, fastened in sockets at the end thereof: their tails appeared to be about a fathom long, and every time they struck me, their stings, which appeared an inch and a half in length, stuck fast in me, and they roared like thunder. Here I was constrained to cry again for mercy. As fast as I pulled out the sting of one, another struck me. I was hurried through this apartment to a lake that burned with fire: It appeared like a flaming furnace,and the flames dazzled like the sun. The devils were here throwing in the souls of men and women. There appeared two regiments of devils moving through the arches, blowing up the flames; and when they came to the end, one regiment turned to the right, and the other to the left, and came round the pit, and the screeches of the damned were beyond the expression of man. When it came to my turn to be thrown in, one devil took me by the head and another by the feet, and with the surprise. I awoke and found it a dream. But oh! what horror seized my guilty

breast! I thought I should die and be damned. This brought seriousness to my mind for about eight or ten days, in which I made many promises to mend my life, but they soon wore off again.

About five or six weeks after this, I dreamed that I died and was carried into one of the most beautiful places I ever saw, and my guide bro't me to one of the most elegant buildings I ever beheld, and when we came to it, the gates opened to us of their own accord, and we went straight forward into the building, where we were met by a company of the heavenly host, arrayed in white raiment down to their feet, We 'passed on through the entry until we came to a door on the right, which stood about half open, passing a little forward, we made a stand before the door: I looked, in and saw the Ancient of Days sitting upon his throne, and all around him appeared, a dazzling splendour, I stood amazed at the sight; one stepped forward to me arrayed in white, which I knew to be my wife's mother, and said to me, "Benjamin, this place is not for you yet," so I returned, and my guide brought me back. I awoke with amaze at what I had seen, and concluded that I should shortly die, which brought all my sins before me, and caused me to make many pro-, mises to God to repent, which lasted for some time; but this wore off again, and I went to my old practices. One sabbath-day (our minister being sick, and my wife being a great meeting. body) hearing that there was to be a methodist meeting about ten or twelve miles distant, she expressed a desire to go to it, and asked my consent; I gave it: and she and my oldest son. and daughter went to hear the man. On their return, I asked her how she liked the preacher, she replied that he was as great a preacher as ever she had heard in all her life, and persuaded

me to go and hear for myself; accordingly on the next sabbath I went; there was a large congregation assembled to hear the man; his text was, Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, Matth. xi. 28. The man was much engaged, and the people were crying all through the house; this greatly surprised me, for I never had seen the like before. The sermon made no impression on me; but when he came to the application, he said, "It may be, that some of you may think that there is neither God nor devil, heaven nor hell, only a guilty conscience; and indeed my friends that is bad enough." But, said he, "I assure you that there is both heaven and hell, God and devil." I spoke, I am the man. But he went on and said, "When I was coming from England to this country, I saw a ball of fire fall from the elements about as large as a small pot, &c :" In illustrating from this, he argued that fire was contained in every thing, and that there was a dreadful hell that was beyond our comprehension, and advised the people to fly to Christ for refuge; he then shewed the reality of the existence of a God, from a beautiful illustration of his works, which were evidenced to us daily, and that this God had created the heavens and earth. Then called upon the people to come unto God, for Christ had died for their redemption. There was much weeping and heavy groaning among the people. Meeting being over, the two dreams, that I had dreamed about seven years before, came as fresh into my mind as if dreamed the night before, and that God had shewn me both heaven and hell, the state of the blessed and the damned. This brought me to think of my misspent life, and in a moment all my sins that I ever had committed were brought to my