My Neighbour Daniel Wortbrington, accompanied 1726. me in this rough Travel, fome Part of the Way being hilly, and very ftony and bufhy, and the Weather wet. We had four Meetings, and rode about fourfcore Miles; and though I had travelled much in this Province, I had never been at fome of thofe Places before: But a few Nights before I fet out, I had a plain Profpect of them in a Dream, or Night Vifion, as I faw them afterwards, which I thought fomewhat remarkable. The People inhabiting this Province, are now become numerous, and make many Settlements in the Woods, more than I have obferved in my Travels in any of the British Plantations; and there hath long been a Defire in my Mind that they might profper in the. Work of true and thorough Reformation; and a godly Fear and Concern being upon me, I have sometimes put them in Mind of the State of this Land, when their Fathers first came and fettled in it; and to caution them of growing careless, and forgetting the Lord, left he fhould forfake them, and turn their now fruitful Fields into a barren Wilderness, as this was fo lately; which it is easy with him to do, if he pleases, for the Sins of the People. phia. After my Return Home, I vifited many Meetings, Abington as Abington, (Youths-meeting) Philadelphia, and Che- Philadel fter. At Chefter I was concerned to direct the People Chefer, to that Power in themselves, which is the Life of Religion, and to be careful not to rest in the best Forms without it; for if we had only the Form of Godliness, and had not the Life and Power of it, it might be as reasonable for People to turn' away from us, as it was for our Fore-fathers to turn away from other Societies. In the Seventh Month I was at our Yearly-meeting held at Burlington, for the Provinces of New-Jersey and Penfylvania, which was a very large Meeting, there 1726. there being Friends from New-England, Rhode-Island, and Europe. Evesham. Salem. Firft-day Morning I went to Evesham to the Burial of our ferviceable Friend Jervis Stockdale; he being in good Esteem, there was much People: The Meeting was in a good tender Frame, and continued feveral Hours fo, in which divers Testimonies were delivered, in order to ftir up People to Truth and Righteousness, and godly living, that they might die well. I lodged the Night before at Peter Fearon's, and in the Morning I was awaked out of my Sleep, as it were by a Voice, expreffing thefe Words; HE THAT LIVETH AND BELIEVETH IN ME SHALL NEVER DIE. This I took to be the Voice of Chrift, I do not know that it was vocal, but it was as plain as one. From thefe Expreffions I had to obferve to the People, the happy State and Priviledge of those who live and believe in Chrift, and that fuch muft not live in Sin. During the Time of our Yearly-meeting, fome rude People came up the River in a fmall Sloop, provided by them for that Purpose, and spent their Time in drinking, carowfing, and firing of Guns, to the Grief and Concern of Friends, who were religiously discharging their Duty, in ferving and worshipping the Almighty; and it is obfervable, that one of thefe diforderly Perfons had his Hand fhot off at that Time, and that the chief Promoters and Actors in this riotous Company, were foon after cut off by Death, in the Prime of their Days. After the General-meeting was over, which ended well, Friends in the Love of God departed in Peace for their several Habitations, praifing and glorifying God. In the Beginning of the Eighth Month, having fome Business at Cape-May, I ferried over to Gloucefter, and went the first Night to James Lord's, lodged there, got up before Day, it being Firft-day Morning, and rode near thirty Miles to Salem, where we had had a good Meeting, and fo went to Alloway's Creek, 1726. Cobanfy, and through a barren Wilderness to Cape- Cohanfy. May, where we had one Meeting, and returned by • Chriftians ought not to fwear in any Cafe, for Againft Swearing. thefe Reasons-ft. Because Chrift, their Lord, forbad it; unto whom the Angels in Heaven must b fubject, and doubtless, so must mortal Man, to 'whom he gave the Precept. We must and ought to ⚫ be fubject to Chrift, who is Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, and the Judge of the Quick and the Dead: 'To him all Mortals must be accountable for their 'Difobedience. He fays, in his Sermon on the Mount, thus, I fay, Swear not at all: Wherefore, how can Mas. v. 34 'Chriftians (or such who are his Friends) swear, fince 'he fays alfo, Ye are my Friends, if ye do whatsoever I John xv.14 • command you. So confequently those who difobey his • Commands, must be his Enemies. To this Com 'mand it is objected, that Chrift only fpoke against < common or prophane Swearing: But this muft needs be a great Mistake, becaufe Chrift fays, It was faid in Mat. v. 33. • old Time, Thou shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oaths, (alluding to the Law of Mofes) which Oaths were folemn and religious; therefore Chrift did not only prohibit vain and prophane Swearing, but all Swearing: If we understand the Word, All, and what all fignifies, then all and any Swearing whatsoever, is not lawful for a Chriftian, according to Chrift's Law and Command, which is pofitive to his Fol<lowers. 2dly. James (the holy Apoftle of Chrift, our Law giver, and our King) fays, Above all Things, my Fames ▼.12′ Brethren, fwear not, neither by Heaven, neither by the Earth, neither by any other Oath. Chrift fays, Swear not at all; and James his Difciple and Apoftle, fays, • Swear 1726. phia. Swear not by any Oath; wherefore, if fwearing the Bible be any Oath, or is fwearing at all, it contrary to the exprefs Doctrine of Chrift, and Apoftle James, as is plain from the above cit • Texts. 3dly. The primitive Chriftians did not fwear at a in the first Ages of Chriftianity. Query, Whethe • our modern swearing Chriftians are better than th ⚫ primitive Ones, who for Chrift, and Confcience fake could not fwear at all, even before a Magiftrat though legally called? C 4thly. Many Chriftians have fuffered Death, b cause they for Confcience fake could not fwear, and fo break the Command of Chrift their Lord; and d • not our modern Chriftians trample upon their Tefti mony and Sufferings? Some of whom fuffered Death for not fwearing before the Heathen Magiftrates, and • some were martyr'd by the Papifts; judge then whe ther the Perfecuted or Perfecutors were in the right. 5thly. Many of our worthy Friends and Fore ⚫ fathers (fince the former) have fuffered to Death in Goals for not fwearing, when required by perfecuting Proteftants, because for Chrift's fake and Sayings, a above, they could not fwear at all: And this hath ⚫ been a Teftimony which our Society hath conftantly • born ever fince we have been a People, for the Rea fons above, and more alfo, if there were Occafion, which might be given.' The 23d of the Eighth Month, I was at the Morning Philadel Meeting at Philadelphia, on a First-day of the Week, which was large, and I was concerned therein to exhort Friends to labour to purge and cleanse our Society of fuch under our Profeffion who live in open Prophanenefs, and are riotous in their Converfations. I was at the Bank-meeting in the Afternoon, where we had a comfortable Time: And the next Sixth-day of the Week I was at our Monthly-meeting, where it was unanimously agreed, in Confideration of fome late in decent ecent Conduct of fome Perfons pretending to be of 1726. ur Profeffion, that a Testimony from that Meeting hould go forth against fuch diforderly Doings, and nchristian Practices; and that all fuch Perfons, who ere irregular in their Converfations, be difown'd to e of our Community, until they by Repentance maifeft their Reformation; which was accordingly foon fter published, and read in our Firft-day Morningneeting, and in our Youths-meeting. And about his Time our Governor iffued a seasonable Proclanation against Drinking to Excefs, Gaming, Swearng prophanely, Revelling, Night-walking, and Difurbing the Peace, and other Immoralities; which afforded fome Satisfaction to fober and well-inclined Friends, and others: Yet there remain'd a great Exercife and Concern upon my Mind, that fome young People, whofe Parents had been careful in training them up, were grown fo wicked, that by their extravagant Conduct, they not only disturb'd our religi ous Meetings, but likewife became obnoxious to the peaceable Government we live under. In the Ninth Month I was at divers Meetings, at Merion. Merion, German town, Fair-bill, Abington, and Phila- Germandelphia; in which were feveral Marriages folemnized town, &c, in a religious Manner. And in the Tenth Month, I went into the County of Salem, about my Affairs: It happened to be at the Time of the Quarterly-meeting for Salem and Gloucester Counties; but I did not know of it, until I came to Salem, where Friends were glad Salem. to fee me, as alfo I was to fee them; there were some of us whofe Hearts were knit and united together as Jonathan's and David's, the divine Love of God being much fhed abroad in our Hearts at that Meeting: When it was over, and I had finished my Business, I could not be clear in my Mind, without having fome Meetings in the faid Counties of Salem and Gloucester; and tho it was a fickly Time, and People died pretty much in thofe Parts where we were going, James Lord and |