a difficult time of the year as I set out from you in; and also feeling the sweet influence of the Divine love of the heavenly Father, and his dear Son our Lord Jesus Christ, to arise and spring in my heart and flowing towards you;

"It came into my mind to write a few lines to the quarterly-meeting of Friends at Flushing, by way of epistle, well knowing also that many of us are as epistles writ in one another's hearts by the heavenly finger of the most High; and those characters of Divine love so written will not easily be erased. I could willingly have been at your quarterly-meeting, but that I had been so long from my family, that I was much wanted therein, and my coming home was seasonable and acceptable, both to them and my friends; and I humbly thank the Lord, I found all well. Now that which is on my mind to your quarterly-meeting, is after this manner, concerning the government of the church of Christ, of which church He is the holy head and lawgiver. Wherefore we are to seek and wait for counsel and wisdom from him, in all our monthly and quarterly-meetings, for the well-ordering of our little society, which is growing and increasing in the earth, and also in your island, notwithstanding the invidious attempts of some men of corrupt minds; and it will grow and increase more and more as we keep our places, our heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

"Dear Friends, The good order of truth and government of Christ in his church, is a great

help to us and our children, when carried on in Christ's Spirit, (pray observe or mind that,) for if our order and church-government, be carried on in the spirit of man, as he is mere man, though he is never so crafty or cunning, it will do more hurt than good in the church of Christ. Christ's Spirit must govern Christ's church; and when, and where that is over all, then, and there, Christ's church and kingdom is exalted, of whose kingdom and peace there will be no end; and happy will all those be, whose end is in it. Moses, that man of God, governed in the Jewish tre church in the Spirit of God, and when he found the work too heavy for him, the Lord put his Spirit on seventy more, who were help-meets in the government; so that it was God's Spirit that governed; and while that ruled them, all was well; but when they went from that, they fell into error and disobediènce; and at length the Messiah came, and he governed his own little flock himself; and when he ascended up on high, he promised his Spirit should be with, and in his church for ever, and be their holy Guide into all truth, in which he would also comfort them: and Christ fulfilled this his promise; for when his disciples waited at Jerusalem to be endued with power from on high, according to the advice of their Lord, they were filled with the gift and grace of the Holy Spirit: and when the brethren and elders met together about the affairs and government of the church, they gave forth rules

and orders from that general-mecting to the particular ones; and the Holy Ghost presided amongst them, which they signified to the other meetings, saying, It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to put you in mind of such and such things. And while this Holy Ghost, or Spirit, governed in the primitive Christian church, all was well: God and Christ was glorified, and his church and people edified; but by going from that, the apostasy came in.

"Wherefore, dear Friends, keep close to the Spirit, power, light, and Divine life of Christ Jesus, in your monthly and quarterly-meetings for the government of the church, as well as in your meetings for the worship of the Almighty; for if we go from that, he will go from us.

"And, dear Friends, the testimony of Jesus, in the spirit of prophecy, opens in me after this manner, That if our society keep and live up to the Spirit and truth of Christ, which hath been manifested to our fore-fathers, and to us also in this age, the great Lord of all will prosper his work in our hands, and bless both us and our children, as we and they keep therein.

"And as we have kept close to this our heavenly guide, how hath the Lord sweetly manifested his love and power to us in our meetings for the well-ordering of our society? which many times hath filled our hearts with pure praises, and holy thanksgiving, to the high and lofty One, who inhabits eternity, and dwells in the highest

heavens, and is light for ever: to whom, with the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, I recommend you, my dear and wellbeloved Friends, brethren, and sisters in Christ, with my own soul,

T. CHALKLEY."

"P. S. Since my return, I have been thankful to God for the many favourable visitations and good opportunities he was pleased to grant me with you, and divers sober people on your island, in which there is an open door among many to receive the testimony of truth. I commend your nobility in building good houses, and making room for your sober neighbours to sit with you in your meetings; this is of good report concerning you, both far and near, and if I apprehend right, there is more work of that kind for you to do. I thought often, when among you, and now also, that there would be a large gathering, if there were a house built at the upper end of the Great Plains, not far from Foster's meadow; but every one may not think or see alike; though I know some solid Friends among you, thought the same with me, about the prospect of a large gathering thereaway, if a house were built; to which Friends, and well-inclined people, might come from Hempstead, Rocky-Hill, Rockway, Foster's Meadow, &c.

T. C."

After my service on Long-Island, I had great sweetness upon my spirit for some time, which sometimes caused my heart to sing for joy; and yet I rejoiced in a trembling frame of spirit, and had the true sense of what is written in the holy Scriptures, where it is said, Serve the Lord with fear, (I take it, filial fear) and rejoice with trembling, for fear of losing that precious sense of the love of God, which is in Christ.

On the 20th of the twelfth month, the first-day of the week, I was at Abington meeting, in which the love of Christ was manifested to us, in the opening of his saying, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me," John xii. 32. The next day I was at German-Town, at the burial of a son of Dennis Cunrad, at which also was our Friend Abigail Bowles. On the sixth-day following I went to the general-meeting of ministers and elders at Burlington, where I again met with our said Friend and divers others: the first-daymeeting was large; and on second-day was the quarterly-meeting for the county; and on thirdday was their youth's-meeting, which was large, and many weighty truths were delivered in that meeting. On fourth-day we were at a meeting at Springfield; the house was pretty much thronged, and Friends were exhorted, thankfully to commemorate the mercies and favours of the Almighty to them, and desired to enlarge their meetinghouses as their number increased; for in those parts there was such an openness in the hearts of