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Savious says, By their fruits ye shall know them; men do not gather grapes of thorns, &c. And of such as say, and do not, he charged his followers not to be like them, Matthew xxiii. 3. The next day we had another very large meeting there, in which many things were opened and declared, tending to establish and build us up in our faith in Christ. After this meeting, parting with my friend John Cadwallader, who had accompanied me, I came homeward, lodging that night at Morris Morris's, whose wife was very weakly, with whom we had a tender time.

The 9th of the fifth month I was at the general meeting at German Town, which was a large and good meeting. Gaing home, I went to see Richard Buzby, who was not well: he said the company of his friends revived him. Next day I went to visit Jane Breintṇall, who was seized with the dead palsy on one side; and the Lord was pleased to comfort us together, as she expressed, to our mutual satisfaction.

On the 30th of the said month was our quarterly-meeting of ministers at Philadelphia, where humble walking with God was recommended and prayed for, and it was desired that ministers might be exemplary therein, having Christ for their pattern.

On the first of the sixth month, I was at our meeting at Frankfort, which was a dull meeting to me and divers others; a lively exercise of spirit being too much wanting among many, and close walking with God in conversation. If we would

really enjoy the love and presence of Christ in our religious meetings, we ought to keep near to him in our daily conversation, which that we might do, was humbly desired in supplication and prayer to God.

The young man who came to me under great concern of mind after the funeral of John Rutledge, wrote to me that he was followed with the judg ments of God for his manifold transgressions, desiring that I would pray for him. In answer to his letter, I wrote him to the following effect:

Frankfort, 7th of 6th mo. 1725.

"Thine from Burlington of the 26th of the fifth month I received, by which I perceive the hand of the Almighty hath been upon thee for thy vanity and folly; and I desire that thou may be very careful to keep close to that hand, and do not go from under it, but mind the light of Christ that hath discovered God to be great and good, and his dear Son to be thy Saviour, and sin and Satan to be evil; which evil, if thou follows it, will certainly bring thee to destruction and eternal woe: but if thou follows Christ, and walks according to that light by which he hath manifested sin to be exceeding sinful, in his time, as thou waits in patience, he will bring thee through his righteous judgments unto victory.

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"Wait, O wait in patience upon God, if it be all thy days! I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him,' said

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the prophet Micah. Again, All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come,' says Job.

"Thou art young in years, and young in experience in the work of grace, wherefore advise with solid good men, if thou meets with inward or outward straits and difficulties, for the enemy will not easily let go his hold which he hath had of thee; therefore walk circumspectly, and shun evil company. As to praying in a form of words, without the Spirit helps, in order to open them according to thy state and condition, that will not avail: a sigh or a groan through the help of the Spirit, is much more acceptable to God, than any forms without it.

"That in the Lord's time thou mayest enjoy the reward of peace, is the desire of thy friend, T. CHALKLEY."

The young man took this counsel well, and kept to meetings, and behaved soberly for a time, but afterwards ran out, kept bad company, took to drinking to excess, ran himself in debt, and at length into a gaol; which hath been the unhappy case of many unstable youths, who, "When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

In this month I was at Bybury and Abingdon meetings, in which we were favoured with the immediate power and presence of Christ, to our

great comfort and edification, the visitation of divine love to the youth having a good effect on some of them; and the latter meeting ended with praise to the Almighty, after supplications for all men, from our king on the throne to the meanest of his subjects.

In my travels I met with a person who queried of me, how he should know which society had most of the Holy Spirit, since most of the professors of Christ do believe in the Holy Ghost, or Spirit.

To whom I made the following answer, viz.

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Let the rule of Christ determine this question; he says, "By their fruits ye shall know them : Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" Matt. vii. 16. The fruits then of the Spirit of Christ are love, faith, hope, patience, humility, temperance, godliness, brotherly-kindness, and charity; with all manner of virtue. Therefore the society of Christians, who brings forth most of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, consequently have most of Christ's grace and Spirit. But some object and say, We will not believe that any society have the Holy Ghost now, or the immediate revelation or inspiration of the Spirit, unless they work miracles. To which it is answered, That right reformation from sin, and true faith in Christ, cannot be wrought without a miracle; neither can we bring forth the fruits of the Spirit without the miraculous power of Christ. Men by nature bring forth the works of

nature, and that which is contrary to nature is miraculous. Sin is natural, but divine holiness, or the righteousness of Christ, wrought in man, is spiritual, supernatural, and miraculous. And as to natural men, that are in a state of nature, seeing outward miracles, if they will not, nor do not believe what is written in the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, neither will they believe, although one were to rise from the dead. Notwithstanding Christ wrought out miracles, and did the works which none other could do; though he cured all manner of diseases, and fed many thousands with a few loaves, and a few small fishes, and what remained, when all had eaten, was more than there was at first; though he raised the dead, and himself arose from the dead, yet few, but very few, believed in him, so as truly to follow him. His birth, his life, his doctrine, his death, his resurrection, are all miraculous and since all this was done in the person of Christ, and at the first publication of his religion to men, there is now no absolute necessity of outward miracles, though his power is the same now as ever: but he said to his disciples, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do," John xiv. 12. Upon which W. Dell says, This must be understood in relation to sin; for Christ had no sin in himself to overcome, but we all have sinned, and to overcome sin is the greatest of miracles. This will try the notional

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