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1725. folemnly celebrated, and the People were earnestly intreated to love Chrift above all, and to manifeft that Love by keeping his Commandments, and that not in Shew or Words only, but in the Heart and Affections.

Burlington.

Stony-
Brook,

Crofwicks.

About the latter End of the Third Month, I went to the Quarterly-meeting of Minifters and Elders for the County of Burlington; and from thence to StonyBrook; where on a First-day, we had a large Meeting (in Jofeph Worth's Barn) which was crowded with People, and was a folid, good Meeting. From StonyBrook I went to Crofwicks, and was at their Youths Meeting, which was the largest I had ever feen in that Place; I told them they might fay as the Sons of the Prophets did, That the Place was too ftreight for them, and advised them to enlarge it. I was glad to fee fuch a large Appearance of fober People, and fo great an Increase of Youth (in this Wilderness of America) and exhorted them to live in the Fear of God, that his Bleffings might ftill be continued to them; and an Exercise was on my Mind for the Welfare of the young People, to fhew them the Danger of Sin and Vanity, and of keeping ill Company, and following bad Counsel; and that the young King Reboboam (Solomon's Son) lost the greatest Part of his Father's Kingdom, by following the Company and Counsel of vain, young Men; and that many young Men in this Age had loft and spent the Eftates their Fathers had left them by the like Conduct, and brought themselves to Ruin, and their Families to Poverty and Want. Divers lively Teftimonies were delivered in this Meeting, and it ended with Adoration and Praise of Almighty God; and tho' the Meeting held more than four Hours, the People did not feem willing to go away when it was over; for indeed it was a folid, good Meeting. The Bufinefs of the Quarterlymeeting was carried on in Peace and Love (that being the Mark the Disciples of Jefus were to be

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known by) and Friends were exhorted with a great 1725. deal of Tenderness to keep that Mark.

In this Journey I travelled about ninety Miles, and was at four Meetings, being from Home four Days, and was much satisfied in my Journey; but met with some Exercise when I came Home, hearing of fome Loffes and Damage to my Eftate; fo that I found after I had (according to my best Endeavours) done the Will of God, 1 bad need of Patience, that I might receive the Promise. I was fenfible of the Meffenger of Satan, the Thorn in the Flesh, which the Apostle speaks of.

About this Time a loving Friend of mine informed me, that one whom I very well knew in Barbadoes, a Minister of our Society, had gone into an open Separation, fo as to keep Meetings feparate from his Brethren, and contrary to their Advice: I was concerned in Love to write a few Lines to him, to remind him of the unhappy State and End of fuch, who notwithftanding the brotherly Love and kind Treatment of Friends, had feparated from us, and lofing the Sense of Truth, which had made them ferviceable in the Church, were acted by a rending, dividing Spirit, by which the Enemy of our Happiness had fo far obtain'd his End, as to make fome Disturbance for a Time; but few, if any, of thefe Separatifts, have had further Power than to promote and maintain their feparate Meetings during their own Lives; fuch Meetings having, in every Inftance I have known (except one, and that lafted not long) dropt on the Death of the Founders. And tho' we think it our Duty to teftify againft, and difown all fuch; yet this Difowning is only until the Perfons offending, from a real Senfe of, and Sorrow for their Faults, acknowledge and condemn the fame; then the Arms of Chrift, and of his Church are open to receive and embrace them : I therefore earnestly befought him to confider the Danger of offending any who love and believe in

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Chrift

1725. Chrift (tho' never fo little in their own or other Mens Efteem) for we cannot have true Peace in departing from the pure Love of God, his Truth, and People; to which I added the following Sentences out of the New-Teftament.

1. By this fhall all Men know that ye are my Difciples, if ye bave Love one to another, John xiii. 35.Don't lose this Mark.

2. We know that we have paffed from Death unto Life, because we love the Brethren. He that loveth not his Brother, abideth in Death, 1 John iii. 14.

3. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is Love,iv. 8.

4. He that dwelleth in Love, dwelleth in God, and God in him,--16.

About the latter End of the Fourth Month I was at Avington, a Meeting at Abington, occafioned by a Burial; and in the Beginning of the Fifth Month, I was at a MarPhiladel riage in Philadelphia,; and was foon after on the First

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Day at two Meetings at German-town, where I went to vifit a Friend who had not for fome Months been at Meeting, being in a difconfolate Condition; I invited her to Meeting, where the Love and Goodness of Chrift to the poor in Spirit was largely manifefted, and the Friend after Meeting faid, fhe was better, and afterwards recovered, and kept to Meetings. I was frequently at the Week-day Meetings at Philadelphia; for I thought that Week not well fpent, in which I could not get to Week-day Meetings, if I was in Health.

In this Month I was at the Burial of George Calvert, who was a one of fober Life, and juft Conversation, and being well-beloved by his Neighbours, he left a good Report behind him. Soon after which I was at Merion Meeting, which was large and folid: The People were tenderly exhorted, That neither outward Favours, nor fpiritual Bleffings, might make them grow forgetful of God; but that in the Sense of the Increase

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Increafe and Enjoyment thereof, they might be the 1725. more humble; and forafmuch as the Chriftian Church

in former Ages was corrupted by temporal Riches and Power, it was intimated, that as we had Favour fhewn us from the Government, and Increase of outward Things, we should be very careful not to abuse thofe Priviledges, by growing proud and wanton, or envious, and quarrelfome; but To do justly, love Mercy, and walk bumbly with God.

In this Month I was at Middletown in Bucks County, at the Burial of my dear and intimate Friend John Rutlidge (who died very fuddenly) at which Burial they were above 1000 People: He was well-beloved among his Neighbours, and was a serviceable Man where he lived: I admired to fee fuch a Number of NeshamiPeople upon fo fhort Notice, he dying one Day in the "y. Afternoon, and being buried the Day following: Divers Teftimonies were born concerning the wonderfulWorks and Ways of God. It was a folid bowing Time, wherein many Hearts were broken, and melted into Tenderness. After Meeting a young Man came to me trembling, and begg'd that I would pray for him, for he had spent too much of his Time in Vanity, and had ftrong Convictions on him for it, and had been greatly affected and wrought upon that Day: I I exhorted him to deny himself, and to take up his Crofs, and to follow Chrift, who hath faid, He would' in no wife caft off those who came to him [in true Faith.] He went from me very tender and loving, being broken in his Spirit.

North

From thence I went to Gwynnedd (or North Wales) Wales. where on the first Day of the Week we had a very large Meeting; in the Morning of the Day, a Voice awoke me, which cry'd aloud, faying, REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS FOR WELL AND EVIL DOINGS ARE SEALED AS AN ETERNAL DECREE IN HEAVEN, which confirmed me that Mankind were happy or unhappy in that World which is to come, according to

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1725. their Deeds in this Life; if their Deeds be good (as Christ faid) their Sentence will be, Come ye Blefjed; if their Deeds be evil, Depart from me all ye that work Iniquity, and go ye Curfed, &c. And, if thou do'ft well, fhalt thou not be accepted? And if thou do'ft not well, Sin lieth at the Door. And again, I bave no Pleafure in the Death of the Wicked, but that the Wicked turn from his Way and live. Thefe, with many more Texts of the fame Nature, contained in the holy Scriptures, are contrary to the Doctrine of perfonal Election and Reprobation, as fome hold it. We had a Meeting alfo in the Afternoon of the fame Day, which was fatisfactory to many; our Hearts being filled with the Love of God, for which we thankfully praifed him. The next Day we had a Meeting of Ministers, in which they were exhorted to wait for the Gift of the holy Ghoft, without which there can be no true Minifter nor Miniftry. I was concerned to put them in Mind to keep close to Chrift, their holy, fure Guide, and Bifhop, to be cautious of going before, left they fhould mifs their Way, and of itaying too far behind, for fear we fhould.lofe our Guide; and to be careful to keep a Confcience void of Offence towards God, and alfo towards Man; that we might fay to the People truly, Follow us, as we follow Christ; that our Converfation might confirm and not contradict our Doctrine, For our Saviour fays, By their Fruits ye shall know them; Men do not gather Grapes of Thorns, &c. and of such as say and do not, he charged his Followers not to be like them, Matth. xxiii. 3. The next Day we had another very large Meeting there, in which many Things were opened and declared, tending to establish and build us up in our Faith in Chrift. After this Meeting, parting with my Friend John Cadwallader, who had accompanied me, I came homeward, lodging that Night at Morris Morris's (whofe Wife was very weakly) with whom we had a tender Time.

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