1724: many of the People: Secondly, An Earthquake, of which divers in Town and Country were very fenfible. Thirdly, A terrible Whirlwind, fuch as we never before heard of in this Land, that I remember. They were admonished to take particular and fpecial Notice of those gentle Strokes of the divine Hand, for if he pleafed he could as foon take away many by Sickness, as a few, and if he pleased he could have inade us a Defolation, as well as the Country about Mount Etna, or Port-Royal in Jamaica, not very far from us; and he could alfo blow us away with a Whirlwind of his Wrath, and could as eafily have blown down all our City, as thofe few Houses in the Country. Chefter Fair Hill. Next Day after this Meeting I went with John Rodman to the Quarterly General-meeting of Worship in the County of Chefter, which was large and fatisfactory. The 25th of the Sixth Month I was at the Burial of the Wife of Richard Waln, a virtuous and good Woman. Some of her laft Words were, "Some Mens "Sins go before-hand to Judgment, and fome follow "after them; and that her Sins were gone before, "which was a great Comfort to her, now fhe was going to leave the World." It was a large Meeting, and a seasonable Opportunity that we had at the Frankfort. Funeral. The People were called upon to work, while it was called To day, Becaufe, as our Saviour faid, the Night cometh, wherein no Man can work. In this and the foregoing Year I met with various Trials and Exercifes: As First, Great inward Poverty and Want. Secondly, Great Loffes in outward Affairs. And Thirdly, The evil Spirits of divers ftirred up against me, to report Falfhoods concerning me, with many other fore Exercises both inward and outward. As to the First, I had often been try'd that Way, and found by Experience, that I muft wait upon God my Saviour, for fresh and renewed Vifitations from above; in which Exercife, I had always in the Lord's Time, Comfort from him, as by the fame Exercise Exercife I had now the fame Comfort alfo ; but I 1724. thought it very long, and the Enemy did greatly endeavour to break in upon my Patience now more than ufual But my Heart ftill depended in Faith and Hope upon the Lord my Redeemer and Saviour, and in his Time he was pleased to help me, bleffed be his holy Arm and Power for ever! Many bleffed Saints and Servants of Jefus were brought to my Mind, who were in the like Condition, fo that I had a fecret Joy in their Company (who met with the like in their Travels to the holy City.) Secondly, as to my outward Loffes, I thought with myself, peradventure it might be beft for me: And I remembred that many, through the Increase of outward Riches, were exceedingly hurt as to their inward State; and tho' I (or any good Man) might be concerned for our Children, to get and leave fomething for them; yet I plainly faw, that generally fpeaking, much Riches doth much Hurt to Youth. This was a melancholly Obfervation that I had made in my Life and Travels, and I fee at this Day that it is an univerfal Diftemper (a very few excepted) wherefore I cry'd mightily to God, that he would give to me and mine the Gift of his Grace and holy Spirit, whatever our Circumftances might be in the World. In this alfo I faw that Patience was an excellent Virtue, and that the Meek had the beft Inheritance of the Earth, if they had ever fo little of it; and that true Happinefs did not confift in earthly Things, which my Experience had largely taught me. And Thirdly, As to the bafe and evil Treatment I met with (which was more than I had ever met with in all my Life before) great Endeavours were used to leffen my Reputation, as a Man and a Chriftian; all which proved falfe and fruitless, and in due Time my Innocence was made manifeft; and I confidered that they could not use me worse than they had done my Lord and Mafter, and that the Devil was angry with any who endeavoured to dethrone him, 1724. him, and pull down his Kingdom, at the Foundation of which, thro' the Help of my Mafter, I had many a Stroke or Blow, with fuch Weapons as he was pleased to furnish me withal. The laft of the Sixth Month, and the ift of the Seventh Month, was the Quarterly and Youths Meeting at Burlington, at both which I was. At the Quarterly Meeting I was concerned to open to that Meeting, how all along the Church of God was governed by his Spirit, in the Time of the Law, and Mofes was an Inftrument therein; and that when it was too hard, and too much Work for Mofes, he was advised to get the Help and Affiftance of the Elders, and that the fame Power and Spirit of God that was with and upon Mofes, was upon the Elders who affifted him in the Affairs of the Church, and Congregation of the Lord's People; fo that it was governed by God's Spirit, and is to be governed by the fame ftill, and not by the Will of Man, nor according to the Will of Man in his corrupt Nature. And when Ifrael went from God's Power and Spirit, the Lord left them, but at faft fent to them his only begotten Son, our dear Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift; and he was, and ever is, to be Governor of his Church, thro' his holy Spirit, which, he told his Difciples, he would pray the Father, and be should fend unto them the Comforter, the boly Ghoft, or Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and be should abide with them for ever, and should lead and guide them into all Truth; which sweet and precious Promises that he made to them, the true Believers do witnefs to be fulfilled at this Day. Glory to his Name for ever, he is the wonderful Counsellor, mighty Saviour, and Prince of Peace! of whofe Peace and Government there fhall never be an End, and upon whofe Shoulder the Government is to be for ever, for whofe Power, and holy Spirit, Friends were exhorted to pray and wait, and to be fenfibe of it in the Difcipline and Government of the Church now in this Gospel Day, in which is a brighter Manifeftation Manifeftation of God's Love, thro' his Son, than in the Time of the Law. The Youths Meeting was alfo large, and divers Teftimonies were born, by Way of Exhortation and Counsel to the Youth. They were with much Tenderness advised to take Counsel of their Elders, and were fhewn how it fared with some young Men, who flighted the Advice and Counsel of the Elders; and that one, when on a Dying-bed, cried out in the Bitterness and Agonies of his Spirit, Ob! that I had taken the Counsel and Advice of my Friends, for then I had not been here, nor in this Condition. The Youth were advised to beware of keeping bad Company, and spending their precious Time in Taverns, which hath undone many fair and promifing Youths: And it was fhewn, how a young Man might cleanfe bis Ways, by taking beed thereunto, according to the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever, and which the holy Scriptures proceeded from; and they were earneftly exhorted to read and practice what was written therein: And a very tender Time we had in Prayer to God, thro' his dear Son, to preferve us all in his Fear, both Youth and Aged; and fo our Meeting broke up, and we parted in the fweet Love of God, and his Chrift, our holy Saviour. My Troubles in the World, and in the Things of it, being many, and my outward Loffes being great; as alfo was my inward Poverty of Mind and Spirit, I took my Pen, and wrote one Day as followeth: Ob! if it be right in the Sight of God, how do I long to be uncloathed of this frail and mortal Body, that my Soul and Spirit might mount up into the etherial Plains, and repofe itself in the vast expanding Arms of its Maker, and moft fweet Saviour for ever! 1724. Frankfort. Being at and near Home fome Time after I came Philadel. from Burlington, I vifited the Meetings of German-town phia, &s. and Philadelphia, which were large, and fome good Senfe of Truth was in the Hearts of divers. I was concerned at that Meeting at Philadelphia to let the People 1724. People know, That as God had bleffed the People of that City, and the Province, with spiritual and temporal Bleffings, and made the Land naturally fruitful, to the Inriching many of the Inhabitants, he now expected Fruits from them of Piety and Virtue; and that if there. was not a stricter walking with God in Chrift Jefus, they might expect his divine Hand, which had vifited them with Favours from Heaven above, and from the Earth beneath, would vifit them with a Rod in it, and that he had already given them fome gentle Strokes therewith. Yearly. Our Yearly-meeting was this Year at Burlington, Meeting. for the Provinces of New Jersey and Penfylvania, the Service of which our Quarterly meeting appointed me with divers others, to attend. It was a large and comfortable Meeting, and many went Home thankful to the holy Name of God and Chrift, that they were there. A Letter from my Father: I fhall end the second Part of the Journal of my Life and Travels, when I have transcribed Part of a Letter which my dear Father wrote me, when eighty odd Years of Age, he having been a Minister of Chrift above forty Years, which followeth : Loving Son, Thomas Chalkley, T HINE dated the 11th of the Tenth Month 1723, I received, and was very glad to hear of your Welfare, and that the Lord hath • given you Children: And I pray the Almighty God that he may preferve them with you, that they ⚫ may be a Comfort to you in your latter Days; and that if the Lord may be pleafed to continue them 'with you, that they may, as they grow in Days, grow in Grace, and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift; and that the Lord may ⚫ be pleased to preserve us all to the End of those few Days we may have in this World, that then we may lay down our Heads in Peace and in full Affurance · of |