week, in which the right training up of children, and careful education of youth, was zealously recommended. From Flushing I went to Huntingdon, where some were lately convinced of the principle of truth as it is in Christ Jesus, some of whom were excommunicated by the Presbyterians, with whom they had formerly joined. We had a pretty large meeting in a Friend's barn, where one priest Prime opposed me, as he also had my friend Benjamin Kidd some time before, of which, by letter, I gave an account to my dear friends Thomas Lightfoot and Benjamin Kidd, desiring them, in their return from New-England, to have an evening-meeting there. The grounds of this priest's cavilling, or dispute, was, that I had declared, That it is the light of Christ, or his spirit, which convinceth the world of sin, and not a natural light, or the light of a natural conscience; from whence he took occasion to charge me with denying a natural conscience; the falsehood of which I charged upon him before the auditory, and desired him, if he had any thing on his mind, to write it to me, to which I promised to return him an answer.

From Huntingdon I went to the general-meeting of Friends held at New-Town, which was so large that the meeting-house could not contain the people, and the weather being extreme hot, the people without doors were some of them uneasy, and went to and fro; but those that were in the house, and so near as they could hear, were

very attentive, and as far as I could learn, generally satisfied. Our next meeting was at NewYork, which was the quietest meeting I ever had there; and those few Friends at New-York, and some that were there from Long-Island, parted with us in the love of Christ, and in the fellowship of his blessed gospel; and so I travelled homewards, having good satisfaction in visiting my friends; and when I came home, I found my dear wife and children in health, for which I bless God.

After this journey I kept to meetings at and about home as usual, and was at the fifth-day meeting in Philadelphia, when Samuel Preston was married to Margaret Langdale, the widow of my dear friend and fellow-traveller, Josiah Langdale the meeting was large, and the parable of the virgins, and the bride-groom's coming at midnight, was opened, with an exhortation to the people to be ready against that hour, and that they should take care to have the holy oil of divine grace in their hearts.

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After this meeting I had some affairs which called me into Chester-County, and on the road my horse gave a sudden and violent start out of the path, and threw me down, and before I could get up again, he struck my face, and on my right eye with his foot, being newly shod, which stunned me for the present; but as soon as I opened that eye which was unhurt, I perceived that I lay on my back, under my horse's belly, with my head

between his fore feet. He stood still, and I got on my hands and knees, the blood streaming out of my nose and right eye, and while I was bleeding, a man and woman came by, and staid till I had done bleeding, and saw me mounted on my horse again. I went forward, being about two miles from the house I intended to go to, and after riding about a mile, I met with a friend that knew me, and was surprised to see me so bloody, and went with me to Randal Mayling's, a faithful honest friend, who was upwards of eighty years of age, and had suffered much for his profession of the truth in his younger years, where several tender-hearted, motherly women dressed my wounded eye. I was truly thankful to the Lord for his providence towards me in this deliverance, among many others, which he in his goodness hath vouchsafed to me. I staid at this Friend's house three nights, and mended apace, and the Friend accompanied me to my house at Frankfort, where my loving wife, with some surprise, received me very affectionately; and through her care and continual application, I recovered, that I could see pretty well with spectacles, which I was obliged to use for some months. Such accidents plainly shew us the necessity of preparing for sudden death, as we know not when, or how, we may go off the stage of this life.

On the 25th of the fifth month, I received a letter from a person in the county of Burlington, relating

to water-baptism, to which I made answer as follows:

"Thy lines 1 received last night, in the perusing of which, there was a Christian love in my heart towards thee, though unknown by face, and I have much freedom of mind to answer thine, according to thy request, and my small ability. First then, We are near in sentiments to each other in the grand Christian principle of saving religion, which is the work of the Holy Spirit of Christ upon the soul, for that is the baptism which is Christ's, and is truly saving, and absolutely necessary to salvation; Christ's baptism being but one, which is with the Holy Ghost, and with spiritual fire or water; John's being the element, or figure; and Christ's being the spirit, power, and divine substance, and is to be with the church of Christ, and with his true ministers to the end of the world. Secondly, in answer to thy query, was water baptism, that is, the element, not commanded by Christ himself, in Matt. xxviii. 19? I answer, I believe not. My reason is this, because the Holy Ghost, or Spirit, is mentioned in the text, or that command, in express words, and water is not; and therefore we omit going into outward water, and for other reasons, as followeth. Thirdly, that water-baptism, which was John's, was practised by the apostles, is true; but it was not practised by Christ, who, no doubt, would have done it if it had been abso

lutely necessary; for he disdained not to wash his disciples' feet, a much more despicable office than that of the baptismal ceremony: so because Christ did not himself practise it, nor, as we conceive, commanded us to go into material water, we therefore forbear it. Fourthly, that the apostles did baptize with water, we deny not; and that they were circumcised, and did circumcise, is also undeniable. Now, must we circumcise because the apostles did, and were themselves circumcised? consider that carefully, and I hope that will give thee some sight, or light into, or concerning the dispensation of water-baptism, which was John's baptism, and was glorious in its day and dispensation, in pointing at Christ's baptism, until it came, which was the substance, and was with spiritual fire, and spiritual water, and will continue for ever. To Christ, and his baptism, I heartily direct thee for further instruction, in whom is light, and that light is the life of men, or life, and that life the light of men.

"And further, I would write a little of my own thoughts concerning water-baptism, and on some texts of Scripture, being Christ's own words, viz. "He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved, but he that believeth not, shall be damned," or condemned, Mark xvi. 16. Now this must needs be understood of the Spirit's baptism; for it would be absurd to say, or believe, that all who are baptized with the element of water, are saved, or all who are not baptized with water, are

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