THE JOURNAL OF

[Chap. VI. ple to live so as that they might die well; and that the way to die in the favour of God, was to live in his fear and charity to those who dissent from one another, was pressingly recommended from the apostle's words, that, If we had faith to remove mountains, and to give all our goods to the poor, and our bodies to be burned, yet if we wanted charity, we were but like sounding brass, and a tinkling cymbal, 1 Cor. xiii. 1, 2, 3. And also our belief of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was asserted, in contradiction to that gross calumny cast on our society of denying it.

The latter end of the second month, I was at a marriage at Horsham, (at which was present William Keith, our Governor,) and I was concerned to speak to the end of that great ordinance, and of the happiness of those married persons who fulfil the covenants they make in marriage, and what strength and comfort the man is to the woman, and the woman to the man, when they keep their covenants, and that they are the contrary when they break them. And I also opened the methods prescribed by our discipline, to be observed in marriages, and our care to prevent any clandestine marriages amongst us. After this meeting I returned home without going to the marriage-dinner, as I generally avoided such entertainments as much as I could, having no life in, or liking to them, being sensible that great companies and preparations at weddings were growing inconveniences among us, the which I was

conscientiously concerned to discourage. And a few days after my return home, at our meeting at Frankfort, I was concerned particularly to exhort Friends to keep to plainness in language, dress, &c. according to the examples given us in the holy Scriptures, particularly that of Daniel and his companions; and to caution against vain and indecent fashions, which with concern I have observed to prevail too much among some who make profession with us.

In this second month I went to the yearly-meeting of Friends at Salem, and by the way had two meetings at Woodberry-Creek. At Salem we had a large meeting, and our gracious Lord was with us, to the bowing many hearts before him, and many testimonies were given of the goodness, love, mercy, and the grace of God, and his dear Son our Lord Jesus Christ. From Salem we travelled to Alloway's-Creek and Cohansy, and from thence to Elsinburgh, and ferried over the river Delaware, with our horses, to George'sCreek, and had meetings at all those places. At George's-Creek, one, not a Friend, came to me after meeting, and said, he thanked me for my advice and counsel; and seemed heartily affected with the doctrine of Christ. From George's-Creek we travelled to Nottingham, and had a large meeting on First-day, and another very large on the Second-day, where were many people of di'vers persuasions. The house could not contain us, so that we met in an orchard. A solid meet

ing it was! wherein the mighty power of the Creator was declared of, as also the Divinity of Christ, and his Manhood; and the people were exhorted to be careful of forming any personal ideas of the Almighty; for the holy Scriptures do plainly manifest, that God is a wonderful, infinite, eternal Spirit, and therefore is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, and outward representations of the Lord Jehovah, border too much on idolatry. Pretty much was delivered on that head; and I was told after meeting, that divers Papists were there, though I knew nothing of it. From Nottingham I went to Newcastle, and had a meeting there, and then visited a sick Friend, with which he expressed much satisfaction; and then went on to Centre, Kennet, and Marlborough, and so to the monthly-meeting at New-Garden, where we had a large, open meeting, wherein were shewn, that those who meddled with our discipline, in the will, nature, spirit, and wisdom of man only, could do but little service; and that our discipline, as also our worship and ministry, ought to be performed in the wisdom and power of God, through the grace and Spirit of Christ. From New-Garden we went to Birmingham, had a large meeting, and I was much drawn forth to the youth, of whom many were there. From Birmingham we went to the quarterly-meetingfor discipline and worship at Concord, in ChesterCounty, which was larger than I had ever seen there before. In the quarterly-meeting of disci

pline, Friends were exhorted to keep to the cross of Christ, and to speak to matters in the fear of God, and to avoid and shun, as much as in them lay, self-will, humour, pride, and passion; shewing that the rough, crooked, unhewn, unpolished nature of man, could never work the righteousness of God, and is contrary to the meek, self-denying life of Jesus. John Salkeld, and Jacob Howell, then signified that they were going to visit Friends in Long-Island and Rhode-Island; the sense of the call, labour, and work of the ministry of the gospel, and of the love of Christ (in the freeness of it) to mankind, took some good hold on divers in that meeting; and the great name of God, and his dear Son, through the holy Spirit, was glorified.

From this meeting I came home, having been out on this journey near three weeks, at twenty meetings, and travelled more than 200 miles, and found my wife and children in health, and we rejoiced to see each other; but my rejoicing was in fear, even almost to trembling, lest I should be too much lifted up when things were agreeable to

me.

After my return home, I went to several neighbouring meetings; and on a Fifth-day was at Philadelphia, at the marriage of Richard Smith and Elizabeth Powell, The meeting was large, and the marriage solemnly celebrated; and the people were earnestly entreated to love Christ above all, and to manifest that love by keeping

his commandments, and that not in shew or word only, but in the heart and affections.

About the latter end of the third month, I went to the quarterly-meeting of ministers and elders for the county of Burlington; and from thence to Stony-Brook; where, on a First-day, we had a large meeting, in Joseph Worth's barn, which was crowded with people, and was a solid, good meeting. From Stony-Brook I went to Croswicks, and was at their youths meeting, which was the largest I had ever seen in that place. I told them that they might say as the sons of the prophets did, That the place was too strait for them, and advised them to enlarge it. I was glad to sée such a large appearance of sober people, and so great an increase of youth, in this wilderness of America, and exhorted them to live in the fear of God, that his blessings might still be continued to them; and an exercise was on my mind for the welfare of the young people, to shew them the danger of sin and vanity, and of keeping ill company, and following bad counsel; and that the young king Rehoboam (Solomon's son) lost the greater 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 lost and spent the estates their fathers had left them by the like conduct, and brought themselves to ruin, and their families to poverty and want. Divers lively testimonies were delivered in this meeting, and it ended with adoration and praise of Al