1723. "Jonathah told me, he lay'd one on a Bed, and the "other on a Couch, and they never spoke more,

but died foon after." This was the amazing End of thefe young Men: A dreadful Example to all Atheists, and diffolute and wicked Livers. Ob! That young People might be warned, that the Hand of God might be upon them for Good, and that they would tenderly be concerned for their Salvation.

On the 30th of the Fourth Month 1723, my tenth Child, named Thomas, died about Midnight (having before buried nine.) It was fome Exercise to me thus to bury my Children one after another; but this did a little mitigate my Sorrow, that I knew, that could I have all Things relating to them according to my Defire; could I fee them grow up to be fober Men and Women, well married, have a Competency in the World, &c. yet it was fafer and better for them, and they more out of Danger, being taken away in their Infancy and Innocency; and I fervently begged of the Almighty, that he would be pleafed to take them away while innocent, rather than that they fhould live to be vicious or unrighteous Men and Women, and to bring Scandal on the holy Name of Chrift, and upon our Chriftian Profeffion; which Confideration did mightily tend to fettle and quiet my Mind in my forrowful Exercife. The Great Lord of all fan&tify the Sorrows and Afflictions of his People and Children, and grant them the Fulfilling of that bleffed Portion of boly Scripture, That all Things fhall work together for the Good of them that love and fear God: Even so be it, faith my Soul!

In the Sixth Month of this Year I removed from the City into the Country, to a fmall Plantation I had at Frankfort, in order to be more retired, and for Health's Sake, &c. finding fome declining in my bodily Strength, which I take to be very much owing to the fevere Colds and Hardfhips I have fuftained in my long and hard Travels, more efpecially in the Wilder

nefs

nefs of America; for without Vanity I may fay, that 1723. I always lov'd Temperance, and have been fometimes zealoufly concerned to preach against Intemperance; and tho I cannot now take fo long Journeys as I have formerly, my Spirit earnestly travels for the Welfare of Sion, and the Peace and Profperity of all those who love, fear, and ferve God, and believe in his Son.

On the Sixth Day of the Eighth Month, it pleased God to give me another Son, whom I named George, after my Father, Brother, Nephew, and King; and though this Name is now a great Name among Men, I confider'd that no Name can preferve Life, fo I gave him up to the Will of him who gave him to me, and defire, if I have no Name thro' Children to Pofterity, I may have a Name in the Lamb's Book of Life, which I have ever esteem'd far above a Name amongst Men.

After my Removal to this Place I was not idle, but vifited neighbouring Meetings, and in the Eighth Month I went to Shrewsbury General-meeting, where Shrewf there were many Hundreds of People, and the Truth bury. declared had good Impreffion upon the Minds of many fome after Meeting, who were not of our Society, acknowledged to the Truth, and that they were glad they were there. In this Meeting I was concerned for the Welfare of Mankind, and the Exaltation of the holy Name of the Almighty, to declare the univerfal Love of God to Man, from feveral Texts of holy Scripture, as that Paffage concerning Jacob and Efau, and Peter and Cornelius, and fomething concerning the Objection made against us, the People called Quakers, that we do not acknowledge the holy Scriptures to be the Word of God; for tho' we believe that the Scriptures came by divine Inspiration, yet we are clearly convinc'd by their Teftimony, and by the Spirit of Truth in our Hearts, that Chrift is the eternal Word of God, by whom all Things were made and created, and do ftill exift.

H 4

From

1723.

Crofwicks.

Chefter

County.

From Shrewsbury, with divers other Friends, I rode to Crofwicks, where on the Fifth Day, we had a very comfortable Meeting, in which the ancient Love and Goodness of our heavenly Father was with us, to the tendering our Hearts into Tears of Joy; fome of us being likewife affected, in Remembrance of the Goodness of the Almighty to us, in the Meeting we had in this Place under the Trees about twenty-five Years fince. The great Subject of Faith and Works was spoken to as that the Romans feem'd to lay too much Strefs on Works, and the Lutherans, Calvinists, and others, too little: But our Principle led us to join both together; the Almighty having joined them together, none ought to feparate them. This Subject of Faith and Works having been much in Debate amongst profeffed Chriftians, it is on my Mind here to mention a few Things deduced from the beft Authority:

The First is, Without Faith, it is impoffible to pleafe God, Heb. xi. 6.

Second, Faith is the Gift of God.

Third, Faith works by Love.

Fourth, Faith is the Evidence of Things not feen, and the Subftance of Things hoped for.

Fifth, Faith without Works is dead.
Sixth, The Just live by Faith.

Seventh, You believe (or have Faith) in God, believe alfo in me, John xiv. 1.

And the Author to the Hebrews fpeaks excellently. concerning the Power of Faith, and the mighty Wonders wrought by it. Note, this living, faving, true. and divine Faith, must be in the Heart, through, and in Chrift Jefus the Son of the living God, who is, and always will be, the Author and Finifher of it in every true Believer.

After I came from Shrewsbury, I vifited divers neighbouring Meetings, and fome in Chester County, where I had Meetings for nine Days fucceffively, fome

of

of which were very large (particularly at Providence 1723. and Gofben) in which I was opened to exhort them to keep to that plain, honeft Way of Life and Converfation, which our Fathers and Elders were found in, and to remind them of the Sufferings they endur'd for their Testimony to the bleffed Truth, in the firft breaking forth thereof in the laft Age; and I was concerned to fhow them that the Almighty, who had blessed us with plenty of temporal Bleffings, would continue the fame to us, if we were careful to live in his Fear; but that otherwife, we might expect his Judgments for Difobedience.

And after my Return I continued about Home for fome Time, it being Winter Season, and bad Travelling, and I not fo capable of travelling as formerly: But I had great Peace and Tranquility of Mind, in that I had freely given up my youthful Days to ferve my Creator, and the fame Love and Zeal was yet fresh and warm in my Heart, for the Glory of his great Name; and I ftill have a full Refolution, through his Strength and Grace, to ferve him, the great Lord of all, all my Days, according to the Light and Strength; given to me.

Our Yearly-meeting at Philadelphia this Year was large, in which our Friend Benjamin Kid, from England, being with us, had good Service. I cannot forget a Concern which was upon me at this Meeting, that the univerfal Love of God, through Chrift, might prevail amongst Mankind, and to prefs Friends to manifeft to all People the Influence thereof, by their exemplary Lives and Conversations.

Shrewf

In the Second Month 1724, I went into New-Jer- 1724. Jey as far as Shrewsbury, where, on a First-Day, we m had a large Meeting, to general Satisfaction; and bury. the next Day we had another, wherein the Love and Goodwill of God, through Chrift, was opened freely to the People, and our Duty to forgive one another was largely treated of; and it was plainly fhewn, that with

out

'

1724. out forgiving others, we could not be forgiven of God, as Chrift faith, If ye forgive Men their Trefpaffes, your heavenly Father will alfo forgive you: But if ye forgive not Men their Trefpaffes, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your Trefpaffes, Matth. iv. 14, 15, &c. and much more to the fame Effect on that Subject; as alfo Chrift's Anfwer to Peter, who afked, How oft a Man fhould forgive bis Brother if be trefpaffed against him? Peter fays, till feven Times? Our Lord Jefus answers, 1 fay not unto thee, until feven‹ Times, but until feventy Times feven, Matth. xviii. 22. And again Chrift fays, If thy Brother trespass, against thee feven Times in a Day, and feven Times in a Day turn again unto the, faying, 1 repent, thou shalt forgive him, Luke xvii. 4. Which hard-hearted People think a great Hardship, but Chrift's Crofs muft be taken up, and born daily, if we will be his Difciples and Followers in Deed, and in Truth, as well as in Profeffion. }

› After we had reconciled fome Differences at Shrews Menefquan. bury, we went to a Place called Menesquan, and had

a good, open Meeting, and most of the People of that Place were there. It was a good Time, and I hope the Opportunity will not foon be forgotten by divers that were there. From this Place we travelled to Crofwicks. Crofwicks, and had a good Meeting. After Meeting,

a Friend told me that fome would fay, I spoke by Information, because I had opened fome Matters which were exactly to the State and Condition of fome there. But I knew nothing of their State and Condition, otherwife than as it was then immediately opened in my Mind; neither had I been told any Thing concerning them directly or indirectly: And from thence we travelled Burlington to Burlington, where the Monthly-meeting of our Friends had defired, that I would be affiftant to help to end a Difference which had happened through Miltake, and continued for feven Years (fince the first Occafion was given) and thro' divine Affiftance, our

Hearts