God's mighty power magnified as manifested and revealed in his faithful handmaid Joan Vokins, who departed this life the 22d of the 5th month, 1690, having finished her course, and kept the faith : also some account of her exercises, works of faith, labour of love, and great travels in the work of the ministry, for the good of souls.

A further Testimony for the magnifying of that Power that supported my weak Body, and comforted my poor Soul in my Travels in America: I feel my self concerned to give a Relation of some particular Places and Service.

FIrst I came to New York, and there had been hurt done by some, that Friends had lost their 5th Day Meeting, and I laboured to settle it again, and God's Eternal Power wrought wonderfully in me in several Meet∣ings with his people, and we were well refresh∣ed: And when the Meeting aforesaid was setled again, it was with me to go to Long Island, and

there the Ranters oppressed Friends, but the Lord had a tender People there, and his Power was amongst them, and we were sweetly re∣freshed together; for God's Almighty Power was over all, in all our Meetings wherever I came, to the subduing of the dark Power that raged in the Ranters, and the relieving of the tender hearted: Honour and Praises be ascribed unto it for ever; for it made me sensible of the op∣pression of the tender Seed, and for its sake my Soul was in a deep travel; and the Night be∣fore the general Meeting, I was near unto death, and many Friends were with me, who did not expect my Life, and I was so weak when I came there, that two Women-Friends led me into the Meeting, and there was a great Meeting of se∣veral sorts of people, and in a little time the God of Wisdom, Life and Power, filled me with the Word of his Power, and I stood up in the strength thereof, and it was so prevailing over the Meeting, that Friends were very much comforted and refreshed, and the Power of Darkness so chained, that the opposing Ranters and Apostates could not shew their antick tricks, nor oppress Friends, as they did use to do; for they were very abusive in those remote Islands, and commonly did much Mischief in Friends Meetings: And they that had been convinced, and were turned again with the Dog to his Vomit, as saith the Scripture, and with the Sow that was washed, to wallow again in the mire, and had made Shipwreck of Faith and a good Conscience, they were most wicked; and preached Scripture,

and had Truth's Words, and grieved Truth's Spirit, and burdened Friends exceedingly, and honest Friends could hardly be clear, that had a Testimony, except they spake while they were speaking: But when God's Power did a∣rise over them, it many times put them to si∣lence, even to admiration; and altho Friends Exercise was great, especially them that decla∣red, yet the blessed Effect of the Almighty Power was, and is a precious Recompence, and a good Reward.

And when my Service was over in Long I∣sland, it was in my Heart to go to Road Island, to the General Meeting that approached soon after I arrived there; yet we had a quick pas∣sage, through Providence; and when I came to the General Meeting of Friends, there was that abominable Crew, and Tho. Case, the grand Ranter, was bawling very loud; and I had been there but a very little time, but God's living Power did arise most wonderfully, and I decla∣red in the demonstration thereof, and soon put him to silence; and he went forth, and the powerful Presence of the Lord was amongst his People; and this General Meeting in Road Island lasted Four Days together, and I had good Service there, and God's Eternal Heart-tendering Power was over all, Glory and Li∣ving Praises be unto it for evermore.

And still it was upon me to go to Boston; for that was with me before I came from home; and I hastened to take a passage in a Sloop, and went with some Friends, and one was a Maiden

Friend, that had a few Words sometimes in Meetings, who had been there once before, and she and another Friend suffered much there, both Imprisonment and other Cruelty, for Conscience-sake: But blessed be the God of all our Mercies, we had peaceable Meetings there, and his excellent Power was so, that it tender∣ed the people, and there was hardly any that I saw, but shed tears; there was a Lawyer that had a hand in the suffering of our Friends that were put to Death, and he was very solid all the while. And after this I travelled by Sea and Land in the strength of the supporting Power to many places, whithersoever the Lord order∣ed me; and as I followed the Line of his Di∣vine Light, he failed not to endow me with the renewing of his precious Power, and my Soul hath cause to magnisie it, because it enabled me to answer what the Lord required of me, and fitted me, who was the most unfit, and the poorest and most helpless that ever I did see concerned in such a Service: But it was the more to the Honour of the Power of my God that so wonderfully wrought in my poor weak and helpless Vessel; and many Friends were tendered thereby (in many places in the sense of my Weakness). Honoured and Renowned be it for ever, saith my Soul; for its Manifesta∣tion made the Hearts of his People glad, and we were well refreshed together in all the Meetings that I was at in New England. And from thence I returned back to Road Island and Long Island; and when I was clear thereabout, I

took Shipping for East Jersey, and the Power of God was greatly manifested, and through his special Providence we were preserved, being in great peril and danger of being cast away when we were in sight of Land; for the Winds be∣ing boisterous, and the foaming Sea in so great a Rage, that we could not cast Anchor to stay the Vessel, being near the Shoals; but the Lord who hath all Power in his hands, deliver∣ed us (Praises to his holy Name), and we safely landed at Shrewsbury (and Elizabeth Dean, that then travelled with me, was very sick); and we had very good Meetings in East Jersey, where I met with the Lord among his people, as at o∣ther times, blessed be his Name; and after some time spent amongst them, and that we had been well refreshed with God's holy pre∣cious living Power, it carried me from thence to West Jersey, and into some part of Pensilva∣nia, (but it had not that Name then) and in the sense of God's great Love to his tender Seed, I encouraged his Children to suffer, and to be careful that they did not cause Truth to suffer; for if they tendered it in their own Bosoms, and travell'd with it, the Lord would bring it over all its Enemies, and it shall reign over all in his due time; and blessed be his most worthy Name, he soon after brought it to pass by his delivering Power; and when I had laboured that the Gospel-Life might be lived in, and the Gospel-Order established amongst them, there remained the heavenly power among the tender ones. And the Lord heard the cry of the poor,

and granted the desire of the needy, and visit∣ed them with the Gospel-Power; for a little time after I came home, I had an account, that they had Mens Meetings and Womens Meet∣ings in the Gospel-Light, Life and Power, and were establishing in the Blessed Order that was testified of, when I was there with them.

And when I was clear of West Jersey, and those parts, I returned to New York, in order to take my passage for England; but before I came there, the Living God (whom I served with all my Heart) further tryed me, and laid it weightily upon me to go to Barbadoes, which was no little cross to my Mind; but the over∣coming Power of the true and living God wrought so strongly with me, that I was made willing to take up the Cross, and follow Jesus, through many Tribulations, and he (magnified be his Power) most wonderfully supported and conducted me all along: For I took Shipping at New York, and as the Lord put it into my Heart to visit Friends in the Leeward Islands, so he carried the Vessel, let them that sail'd do what they could; and they could not steer their Course Barbadoes-Road, altho they endeavour∣ed it with all their might; and I had good Ser∣vice amongst them in the Vessel; and they were made to confess to the Almighty Power that I testified of; and we laid by Antego a Week be∣fore the Owner would let me go a-shore: But the All-wise God ordered it so, that the Vessel could not go away till I had been there, and performed what Service he had appointed for

me; and blessed be his Name, his Reward was precious; for we came a-shore on a First Day, and I hastened to a Friends Meeting; and when I came in, I found the Lord's Power was a∣mongst his People, and I had a precious time with them: There was a little handful of plain hearted Friends, and our Hearts were tendered, and our Souls comforted, and we rejoiced that the Lord Jesus had visited us, and caused us in his Love to visit each other.

So when I returned to the Sea again, it came into my Heart to visit Friends at Nevice; and when I had taken leave of Friends of Antego that came aboard with me, and God's Heaven∣ly Power was with us, and sweetly refreshed our Souls, as we were aboard the Vessel, and remained with us; and we were concerned one for another, not knowing that we should ever see each others Faces more: But see how the Lord ordered it; as we were sailing on the Sea, it opened in my Heart to visit Friends at Nevice; but the Owner of the Vessel being a hy∣pocritical Professer, caused my Exercise to be the more; but the Power of the Lord was ma∣nifest, and the Winds and Sea obeyed, that we were carried to Nevice against his will; but he would not let me go a-shore; for he had heard, That those should pay a great Fine that carried any Friend thither; and hoysted Sail again for Barbadoes, and said, he would weather the Point of Cordi∣lopa; and he laboured Three Weeks, but could not do it: for the Hand of the Lord was against him; else he might have done it in a few Days,

but he provoked the Lord, and trusted in his Vessel, and in his own Skill; and he locked up the Bread, and dealt hardly with his Passengers when he saw he should be longer at Sea than at first he did expect; and he knew that for Three Weeks there was stinking Water, and we were close by a French Island, and they said, the French would not let us h••ve any, if we starved: They were Papists, and said, If we came for water, they would take our Ship for a Prey, and us for Captives: And yet this Owner of the Vessel would not go to any other Island, until the Merchants that were aboard threatned him very sorely; and then he put in at a mountainous place, called Mount serat; and they went all away from me as soon as they were landed; for I was very weakly, being aboard the Vessel so long, with such bad Accommodation: I went aboard with my Clothes so wet, that I could wring Water out of them, and so dried them upon my weak∣ly Body, which cast me into such a Feverish con∣dition, that I was very dry, and I sate down on the Shoar, and a Girl came to fetch fresh Water near where I sate, and I drank till I sweat, and then I swooned, and lay some time; but the arising of the Life of Jesus set me on my Feet again, and in the strength and relief thereof I went to enquire for a passage for Barbadoes, and heard of none; but I was not clear of Nevice, but hearing of a leaking Vessel to go to Ante∣go, took my passage in that, hoping that way might be made from thence to go to Nevice, and then having got a passage, it being

Night and rainy, I tried to get me a Lodg∣ing on the Land, and the People were ge∣nerally Irish Papists, but the Lord did so order it, that I met with an English Woman, and she treated me kindly, but she had neither Bread nor Drink, but Wine and Sugar; and I desired half a Pint of Madary Wine to be boiled, and that served me Night and Morning, and the Lord blessed it to me, and his Holy Power ac∣companied me; and, while I staid for the Ves∣sel, I had good service there, though there was no Friend in all the Island; they had banished a Friend out of it, as I heard, but a little before, and the People told me they did not dare to have a Meeting, yet I published Truth in the Streets, and they confessed to it; and so I left Truth honorably amongst them, and then came aboard the Vessel, where I last took my Passage, and sailed to the other Vessel, that I had suffered in, and called for the Owner and cleared my Conscience to him, and told him the Hand of the Lord was against him, and warned him to Repent, else he should suddenly feel the stroak of it to be heavy upon him; and inasmuch as his Heart had been too much set on that Bark, he should shortly see that the Lord would destroy it, and accordingly his Vessel was split on a Rock in a little time af∣ter. So when I, through tender Mercy, came to Antego again, the Friends told me how they had been concerned for me, and so had Nevice Friends, and there was a Passage ready for Ne∣vice, and an honest Woman-Friend, whose

name was Mary Humphery, was very ready to go with me, and Friends there were very joy∣ful of my coming, and we had many good and powerful Meetings in that Island; and there was a Judge and his Wife came to Meeting, and People of several sorts, and we had some Meetings at the Houses of them that were no Friends, and Friends were well satisfied and comforted, and the mighty Power of God was with us: Glory unto it, for it is worthy over all, and in us all: Oh that we may have an Eye to its Glory in our whole Lives and Conver∣sations; for it is by it we live, move, and have our Being; and its dealing with us, and working for us in that place is worthy to be remembred; for this was the place that the Owner of the Vessel aforementioned was a∣fraid to carry me to; but the Lord was on my side, and prevented much Evil when it was in∣tended; and the Governor of that Place was so kind that he gave us his Letter of Recommen∣dation to carry with us; and so I came back with M. Humphery to Antego and to Five Islands, and there we and some Friends that went with us visited a poor People that complained of their Priest, and said he came to them but once a Year, and then it was to take that which they had from them; and we had a precious opportunity to manifest the Truth, and they were very kind to us, and seem'd to be well satisfied and affected.

And then I being clear, and a passage presented for Barbadoes, as soon as I was

ready I went aboard, and was there sooner than could have been expected: And when I arrived, I met with many Friends at Bridg-Town, and there took an account of the Month∣ly Meetings, and went to them and other Meetings as brief as I could; and most Days I had two or three Meetings of a Day, both among the Blacks, and also among the White People: And the Power of the Lord Jesus was mightily manifested, so that my Soul was of∣ten melted therewith, even in the Meetings of the Negro's or Blacks, as well as among Friends. And when I had gone through the Island, and was clear, having been well re∣freshed with Friends, in the feeling of the Heavenly Power; and in the strength of the same I came aboard the Ship for my Native Land again.

Written a board the Ship coming from Barbadoes, in the 3d Month, 1681.

J. V.