1705. Thorns, nor Figs of Thiftles; wherefore by their Fruits they are known. I deny it, fays Prieft Crawford (for that was the Name he went by here, he going under another elsewhere) that they are known by their Fruits, I answered, Then thou denies the plain and naked Truth of Chrift. So I called aloud to the People to take Notice what a blind Guide they had; and indeed he was wicked as well as blind, and his Fruits not good; which may make one fuppofe, that he was not willing to be try'd by his Fruits: For foon after, News came that he had a Wife in England, and as he had another here, his Fruits were wicked with a Witnefs; and according to Chrift's Doctrine, no Good could fpring from his Miniftry, therefore he proved himself by his evil Deeds to be no Minister of Jefus Chrift. Near the aforefaid Place we got a Meeting fettled, which is called Little-Creek Meeeting; and about the fame Time a Meeting was established, and a Meeting-house built at Duck-Creek. The People in thofe Parts about this Time began mightily to fee through the formal Preaching of fuch as preach for Money or Hire, who love the Hire, though they don't love to be called Hirelings.

ham, &c.

In the Year 1706, having fome Concerns in the Province of Maryland, I had divers Meetings as I Notting travelled on the Road, as at Nottingham, Elk River, Maryland, Northeast, Sufquehannah, Bush and Gunpowder Rivers; at fome of which Places I don't know that there had been any Meetings before. At one of these Meetings were one Edwards a Prieft, and a Lawyer the Attorney-General, and several of the Juftices of the Peace. The Prieft was angry, and faid, It was an unlawful Affembly, the House not being licensed by Law. The Juftices told him, That he and his People being there to hear, if any unwarrantable or falfe Doctrine was preached, he had a fair Opportunity to lay it open before all the People. So they defired him to hear patiently and quietly. He feem'd to like the Propofition,

fition, and fat down by me. We had not fat down 1706. long before I ftood up, and spoke to the People fome confiderable Time; and the Lawyer fat opposite to me, and took what I faid in Short-Hand, for about Half an Hour; but growing weary, he laid down his Pen, and took out of his Pocket a Bottle of Liquor, or Spirits, and faid, Come Friend, here is to thee, (or you) you have spoke a great while, you need fomething to refresh you. So I made a Stop, and faid to the People, here is your Minifter, and here is fome of the Fruits of his Ministry, of which he and all fober People may be ashamed. And then I went on again without any Oppofition till I had done.; but afterwards they were in a Rage, and threatened what they would do to me, if ever I came to have a Meeting any more there. But I told 'em if they had Power to take our Lives from us, they were not dear to us for the Sake of Chrift and his Gofpel; and that we did not matter their Threatenings. I defired the Lawyer to give me a Copy of what he had written : He went about it, but did not do it; neither was he candid in penning my Words; for several of the Peo ple then present did bear Witnefs he had not writ it Verbatim, nor truly taken the Senfe of what I fpoke, wherefore I charged him to be Juft, otherwife he had many Witneffes against him; at which the Prieft bent his Fift, and held it up to me, but did not ftrike me, and away they went in a Fret. Soon after we had another Meeting at the fame Place, which was large and quiet. The Man of the House being an Attorney at Law, had got his Houfe licensed, and tho' the Priest and Lawyer threatened hard, they came not.

Aquila Pica, High Sheriff for the County, living at the Head of Bush River, near the main Road, built a Meeting house at his own Charge, and had it licenfed, at which we had many good Meetings. About this Time alfo was built a Meeting-houfe at a Place called Nottingham, which is a large Meeting, and greatly increases.

When

1706. When I was travelling in thofe Parts I had a Concern on my Mind to vifit the Indians living near Suf Conestogo quehannab, at Conestogoe; I laid it before the Elders

*

of Nottingham Meeting, with which they expreffed
their Unity, and promoted my vifiting them. We
got an Interpreter, and thirteen or fourteen of us tra-
velled through the Woods about fifty Miles, carrying
our Provifions with us, and on the Journey fat down
by a River, and fpread our Food on the Grafs, and
refreshed ourselves and Horfes, and then went on
chearfully, and with good Will, and much Love to
the poor Indians; and when we came, they received
us kindly, treating us civilly in their Way. We
treated about having a Meeting with them in a religi
ous Way, upon which they called a Council, in which
they were very grave, and fpoke one after another
without any Heat or Jarring; (and fome of the most
efteemed of their Women do fometimes fpeak in their
Councils.) I afked our Interpreter, Why they fuf-
fered or permitted the Women to speak in their Coun-
cils? His Anfwer was, That fome Women were wifer
than fome Men. Our Interpreter
Our Interpreter told me, That they
had not done any Thing for many Years without the
Counsel of an ancient grave Woman; who, I ob-
served spoke much in their Council; for I was per-
mitted to be prefent at it; and I asked, What it was
the Woman faid? He told me fhe was an Emprefs;
and they gave much Heed to what the faid amongst
them; and that fhe then faid to them, She looked upon
our Coming to be more than natural, because we did not
come to buy, or fell, or get Gain, but came in Love and
Refpect to them, and defired their Well-doing both here
and hereafter; and further continued, That our Meetings
among them might be very beneficial to their young People,
and related a Dream which the had three Days before,
and interpreted it, viz. "That fhe was in London,
and that London was the finest Place fhe ever faw (it
"was like to Philadelphia, but much bigger) and the
went acrofs fix Streets, and in the feventh fhe faw
" William

51

"William Penn preaching to the People, which was 1706. great Multitude, and both fhe and William Penn "rejoiced to fee one another; and after Meeting fhe "went to him, and he told her, That in a little Time he would come over and preach to them alfo, of which fhe was very glad. And now fhe said her "Dream was fulfilled, for one of his Friends was "come to preach to them." And fhe advifed them to hear us, and entertain us kindly; and accordingly they did. Here were two Nations of them, the Seneca's and the Shawnefe. We had first a Meeting with the Seneca's, with which they were much affected; and they called the other Nation (viz. the Shawnefe) and interpreted to them what we had spoke in their Meeting, and the poor Indians (particularly fome of the Young Men and Women) were under a folid Exercise, and Concern. We had also a Meeting with the other Nation, and they were all very kind to us, and defired more fuch Opportunities; the which, I hope Divine Providence will order them, if they are worthy thereof. The Gofpel of Jefus Chrift was preached freely to them, and Faith in Chrift, who was put to Death at Jerufalem, by the unbelieving Jews; and that this fame Jefus came to fave People from their Sins, and by his Grace and Light in the Soul, fhews to Man his Sins, and convinceth him thereof, delivering him. out of them, and gives inward Peace and Comfort to the Soul for Well-doing, and Sorrow and Trouble for Evil-doing; to all which, as their Manner is, they gave publick Affents; and to that of the Light in the Soul, they gave a double Affent, and feem'd much affected with the Doctrine of Truth; alfo the Benefit of the holy Scriptures was largely opened to them *.

After

* 'Tis worthy of Notice, that at at the firft settling of Pensylvania, William Penn took great Care to do Juftice to the Indians, and bought his Land of them to their Satisfaction, and fettled a Trade with them; so that whereas the Indians were deftructive to other Colonies, they were helpful to Penfylvania; and to this Day they love to hear the Name of WILLIAM PENN.

1706.

Egg Har bour.

After this we returned to our refpective Habitations, thankful in our Hearts to the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Several of the Friends that went with me exprefs'd their Satisfaction in this Vifit, and offered themselves freely to go again on the like Service.

I also was concerned foon after to vifit the People about Egg Harbour and Cape-May, and had divers Meetings amongst them, and feveral Meetings were fettled in thofe Parts, and the People fomewhat reformed from what they had been before they were vifited by Friends, as themselves told me (after a Meeting we had with them) that they used to fpend the Sabbath Days in Sporting and Vanity until Friends came among them, and now they met together to worship God, and his Son Jefus Chrift. At our coming amongst them fome Backfliders and Apoftates were displeased. One (in a very bitter Spirit) called us, Curfed and cruel Devils. Another wrote against us. To him I sent an Answer, for which he fcandalized me in one of his Almanacks, and publickly belied me in Print; which Lies I fwept away with a Small Broom, printed in this Year 1706, to which I never underfood that he return'd any Anfwer, nor that he wrote against Friends afterwards, tho' he had made it his Practice before for feveral Years.

At Little Egg-Harbour liv'd a Friend whofe Name was Edward Andrews, who, as he himself told me, had been a Leader of the People into Vanity and Folly, as Mufick, Dancing, &c. But the good Hand of the Lord being upon him, wrought a wonderful Reformation in him, and made him an Inftrument to lead People into Truth and Righteoufnefs, and gave him an excellent Gift of the Miniftry of the Gospel of Chrift; fo that he was made inftrumental in the gathering of a large and growing Meeting, moft of the People thereabouts being convinced, and a great Reformation and Change wrought in their Converfa