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Virginia.

North-
Carolina,

1703. to vifit Friends in Maryland, Virginia, and NorthCarolina, and went with the Unity of Friends, having their Certificate (according to the good Order established among us) fo about the 26th of the first Month, 1703, I went through Maryland, and vifited Maryland. Friends in Virginia and North-Carolina, to the River Pamphlico, where no travelling publick Friends (that ever I heard of) were before, and we had several Meetings there on each Side of the River. One Day going out of our Conoe through a Marfh, I trod on a Rattle-fnake (which is accounted one of the most poisonous Snakes) but it only hiffed at me, and did no Harm. This was one Deliverance, among many, the Lord by his Providence wrought for me; and I blefs his holy Name for all his Mercies. In going to, and coming from this Place, we lay two Nights in the Woods, and I think I never flept better in all my Life. It was the eighth Hour in the Evening when I laid down on the Ground one Night (my Saddle being my Pillow) at the Root of a Tree, and it was four a Clock in the Morning when they called me. When I awoke, I thought of good Jacob's Lodging he had on his Way to Padanaram, when he faw the holy Vision of Angels, with the Ladder, whofe Top reached to Heaven. Very fweet was the Love of God to my Soul that Morning, and the Dew of the everlafting Hills refreshed me; and I went on my Way praifing the Lord, and magnifying the God of my Salvation. In this Journey I met with another remarkable Deliverance; going over a River eight Miles broad, we put our Horfes [we being eight Men and feven Horfes] into two Canoes ty'd together, and our Horfes ftood with their Fore-feet in one, and their Hind-feet in the other. It was calm when we fet out, but when we were about the Middle of the River the Wind arose, and the Seas ran high, and fplit one of our Canoes, fo that with our Hats we were obliged to caft out the Water; and with much Difficulty (at laft)

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all of us, with our Horfes, got fafe on Shore, through 1703. the good. Providence of God. And on Return through North Carolina, we had feveral large Meetings, and an open Time it was; as alfo at Nanfimund and Chuckatue, and feveral other Places in Virginia; and when my Service was over in those two Provinces I went back to Maryland, and visited Meetings there, and then went Home. As near as I can compute it, I rode about a Thousand Miles on this Journey. After,

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which I ftaid at Home, following my Bufinefs, in Philadel order to the Maintenance of my Family, being bleffed

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with Wife, Children, and Servants, and with other Things; for which I am truly thankful.

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While I was at Home I vifited the neighbouring 1704. Meetings as I found a Concern on my Mind; and on the 6th Day of the third Month 1704, I laid before our Quarterly-meeting of Minifters and Elders. an Exercife that was upon my Mind, to vifit our Friends Meetings on Long-Iland, Rhode Island, and in New-England, and the Places adjacent; from which Quarterly-meeting I had a good Certificate (which I thought it my Duty to endeavour to live up unto;) and being accompanied with several Friends to Burlington and Crofwicks, Jofeph Glafter being my. Fellow labourer in the Work of the Gofpel; at the two aforefaid Places we had Meetings, and then we travelled to New-York and Long-Island, where we had divers Meetings; as at Flushing, Westbury, Jerufalem, Ferico, Bethpage, Matinicock, and alfo at Weft-Chefter, on the Main, and from thence we travelled to Rhode-Iland Yearly-meeting, which was large and Rhode serviceable to many. From hence Jofeph Glafter went towards Boston, the inland Way, and I went by the Sea-fide, and we met together, after I had been at Meetings at divers Places, viz, Dartmouth and Dartmouth, Nantucket Ifland, at which Ifland there are large Meetings, People there being moftly Friends, and a fober growing People in the best Things; though not

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1704. of our Society when they firft received the Truth, yet they received it with Gladness; and altho' divers of the People called Prefbyterians were very cruel in their Expreffions, and bitter in their Spirits against us, yet there were fome who went under that Name, who were more open and charitable towards us, and received us gladly with Tenderness; and at fome Places we had Meetings at their Houfes to our mutual Satisfaction. We likewife had Meetings at Suckanuset, Sandwich Scituate, and Sandwich. About this Time the Indians were very barbarous in the Deftruction of the Englifb Inhabitants, fcalping fome, and knocking out the Brains of others (Men, Women, and Children) by which the Country was greatly alarmed, both Night and Day; but the great Lord of all was pleafed wonderfully to preferve our Friends, efpecially thofe who kept faithful to their peaceable Principle, according to the Doctrine of Chrift in the holy Scriptures, as recorded in his excellent Sermon which he preached on the Mount, in the vth, vith, and viith Chapters of Matthew, which is quite oppofite to Killing, Revenge, and Destruction, even of our Enemies : And because our Friends could not join with those of fighting Principles and Practices, fome of them were put into Prifon; divers People railing and speaking very bitterly against their peaceable Neighbours, and wifhing the Quakers might be cut off. Some of the New-England Priefts and Profeffors were fo bitter against Friends, that inftead of being humbled, under the mighty Hand of God upon them, in fuffering the Indians to destroy them, they exprefs'd their Enmity against the poor Quakers, on a Day appointed for Humiliation and a Faft; and particularly in a Sermon preach'd by one of their Priefts, which he divided into three Heads, viz. First, That the Judgments of God were upon them, in letting loose the favage Indians to destroy them. Secondly, In that he with-held the Fruits of the Earth from them (for there was great Scarcity)

Scarcity.) Thirdly, That the Quakers prevailed, and were fuffered to increafe fo much among them; which he faid, was worse than the Indians destroying of them, and gave this abfurd Reafon for it, The Indians defroy our Bodies, but the Quakers deftroy the Soul.* This is an abominable Falfhood; for it is Sin that destroys the Soul: And fuch as thofe that preach to the People that there is no Freedom from it in this World, contradict Chrift's Doctrine, Be ye perfect, &c. And that of the Apostle's, He that is born of God cannot fin. And thus their blind Guides miftake Light for Darknefs, and Darkness for Light. Among the many Hundreds that were flain, I heard but of three of our Friends being killed, whofe Deftruction was very remarkable, as I was informed (the one was a Woman, the other two were Men.) The Men ufed to go to their Labour without any Weapons, and trufted to the Almighty, and depended on his Providence to protect them (it being their Principle not to use Weapons of War, to offend others, or defend themselves) but a Spirit of Diftruft taking Place in their Minds, they took Weapons of War to defend themfelves; and the Indians, who had feen them feveral Times without them, and let them alone, faying, They were peaceable Men, and burt nobody, therefore they would not hurt them, now feeing them have Guns, and fuppofing they defigned to kill the Indians, they therefore fhot the Men dead. The Woman had remained in her Habitation, and could not be free to go to a fortified Place for Prefervation, neither fhe, her Son, nor Daughter, nor to take thither the little Ones'; but the poor Woman after fome Time began to let in a flavish Fear, and did advise her Children to go with her to a Fort not far from their Dwelling. Her

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* This Prieft was foon after killed by the Indians, as I was told by a Minifter.

1704. Her Daughter being one that trusted in the Name of the Lord, the mighty Tower, to which the Righteous flee and find Safety, could not confent to go with her; and having lett a particular Account in a Letter to her Children of her and their Prefervation, I think it worthy to be inferted here in her own Words.

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WHEN the cruel Indians were fuffered to kill

WHE
W and deftroy, it was fhewed me, That I

«must stand in a Teftimony for Truth, and trust
in the Name of the Lord, that was a ftrong Tow-
er, and we fhould wait upon him. And I often
"defired my Mother and Husband to fit down, and
"wait upon the Lord, and he would fhow us what

we fhould do: But I could not prevail with him, "but he would fay it was too late now, and was in ર great hafte to be gone; but I could not go with "him, because I was afraid of offending the Lord: "But ftill he would fay I was deluded by the Devil, "fo that my Mother would often say, A Houje divided "could not land; and fhe could not tell what to do,

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altho' fhe had moft Peace in ftaying, yet fhe had "Thoughts of moving, and faid to me, Child, Can thee certainly fay it is revealed to thee that we should ftay; if it be, I would willingly stay, if I was fure it was the Mind of God. But I being young, was afraid to speak fo high, faid, Mother, I can fay that it is fo with me, that when I think of ftaying " and trufting in the Name of the Lord, I find great Peace and Comfort, more than I can utter, with a Belief we fhall be preferved; but when I think "of going, Oh the Trouble and Heaviness I feel, "with a Fear fome of us fhould fall by them! And my dear Mother fighed, and faid, She could not tell what to do. But I faid to them, If they would go, I would be willing to ftay alone; if they found "Freedom, I was very willing, for I was afraid of offending the Lord. But ftill my poor Hufband "". would

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