The Lord of Heaven and earth we found to be near at hand, and, as we waited upon him in pure silence, our minds out of all things, his heavenly presence appeared in our assemblies, when there was no language, tongue nor speech from any creature. The Kingdom of Heaven did gather us and catch us all, as in a net, and his heavenly power at one time drew many hundreds to land. We came to know a place to stand in and what to wait in; and the Lord appeared daily to us, to our astonishment, amazement and great admiration, insomuch that we often said one unto another with great joy of heart: "What, is the Kingdom of God come to be with men? . . . And from that day forward, our hearts were knit unto the Lord and one another in true and fervent love, in the covenant of Life with God. . . And thus the Lord, in short, did form us to be a people for his praise in our generation.
- Francis Howgill, 1672
