the people, and increase of their number, that Friends had already agreed on building two meeting-houses between Croswicks and Burlington; their zeal and unanimity therein, was worthy of commendation. Fifth-day being the weekday-meeting at Burlington, Friends of the town desired I would stay at it; I thought we had just before had divers good opportunities, and my own inclinations seemed to lead to my family; but Friends being desirous of my staying, I did so, and we had a good, solid meeeting. After meeting a solid good Friend said, he thought we had the best wine at last; and indeed the love of God, through Christ, is so sweet to his people, that the last often seems the best, when it is only a renewed visitation of the same love to his children. went home, rejoicing that I was in some good measure accounted worthy to serve so good and so gracious a master.

So I

On the 6th day of the First month, being the first of the week, I was at the morning and afternoon meetings in Philadelphia, wherein those who call themselves Free-Thinkers, were exhorted to be careful of drinking too freely, lest they might justly be called free-drinkers; for many times such, when they drink too freely of strong liquor, think and speak too freely their own corrupt notions, to the dishonour of God, and to the scandal of religion in general.

Soon after I was at the first-day meetings at Philadelphia; and in this month I went into the

Jerseys, and was at three large meetings in company with Abigail Bowles, in which our said friend had good service, to the comfort of Friends, convincing of gainsayers, and confirming the weak; and the people were glad of our visit.

The 15th day of this month I was at Burlington, at the burial of my good friend and old acquaintance Abraham Bickley,, at whose funeral were great numbers of people, he being well-beloved of his neighbours; Christ's raising Lazarus out, of the grave, and his tenderness and weeping there, was spoken of, in order to stir people up to a tender, religious exercise of mind, which is too much wanting among many of the professors of his holy name, who have too little sense of that which should bring true tenderness over their minds, being more in earth than heaven; so that they are dry and barren, as to the things of God. The meeting ended, to satisfaction, with supplications to the Almighty.

A few days after I was at our general springmeeting in Philadelphia, which was large; where our friends Robert Jordan and Abigail Bowles had good service.

This week I was at four very large meetings at Philadelphia, Frankfort, and Abington, much to my satisfaction, though I had no vocal service therein; yet my heart was broken into tenderness and tears, under the ministry of several weighty, solid testimonies that were borne by good and

L

living ministers, qualified to preach the gospel in the demonstration of the Spirit, and with power,

The 26th of the First month, 1726, I went to German-Town meeting, which was large, and I was opened therein to speak of the vision of the prophet Ezekiel, of the holy waters which proceeded from under the threshold of the sanctuary, which the angel measuring, they grew deeper and deeper, until they became a river to swim in, Ezek. xlvii. 5. Which mystically sheweth the work of grace, conversion, and regeneration; and that these holy waters the soul must drink of, and be washed, and baptized in, are spiritual and supernatural, and therefore not to be measured by the spirit and will of man, in his natural state, according to the prophet Isaiah, chap. xxxiii. 21. Man before he can swim therein, must be stripped of all his self-righteousness, and artificial religion, though as splendid and beautiful as a gallant ship, or galley with oars, which in this respect is agreeable to the state of men swimming in elementary water, where the most skilful have sometimes lost their lives, for want of being naked or uncloathed; and those who had not yet attained much experience, were advised not to go out of their depth, but to wait in patience and humility, to enjoy the medicinal virtue of the trees growing by the side of this river, whose fruit is for meat, and leaves for medicine, Ezek. xlvii. 12. The people of this meeting were generally Germans, several of whom staid in the house after the meeting was over, and

were broken into tenderness, in a sense of the presence and love of God unto us, for which I was also humbly thankful and bowed in spirit.

I was at the third-day weekly-meeting in Philadelphia, which was but small, considering the large number of those professing to be of our society in this city; those present were closely and tenderly exhorted to be zealous for good works, and against bad works; not respecting the person of any man; the abominations committed by some under our profession, in this city and province, calling for humiliation; and as, the promise of God's favour was to those who mourned with sighs and cries for the abominations among his people formerly, Ezek. ix. 4. 6. so now, as many as are under the same concern, may hope for preservation and salvation, if he should in like manner visit us, as at this time he doth some of our neighbours; there being a great sickness and mortality in some of the adjacent places.

In the Second month I visited the meetings of Friends at Haverford, New-Town, Radnor, and Merion, which meetings consist chiefly of ancient Britons, who are a religious, industrious, and increasing people; among whom my service was, as they expressed, to our mutual satisfaction. After my return home, I went to visit Friends at the Falls of Delaware, and was at a large meeting in their new meeting-house. After a satisfactory meeting at Frankfort, on the fifth-day of the same

week, I went with Ennion Williams to his son's marriage; and the next day he, and several other Friends, accompanied me to Woodberry-Creek, and had a good, open meeting, and that night went to James Lord's, and next morning went towards Salem, and lodged at Isaac Sharp's; where I was informed of a great mortality at Cohansey. The 24th of the Second month was the generalmeeting at Salem, which was a large gathering of people of different persuasions, from many parts of the country, where the doctrine of the gospel was preached in great love to the people, which they heard with solid attention. From Salem I went to Alloway's-Creek and Cohansey, and had meetings there: I was informed that more than seventy persons had lately died here of a malignant distemper; though it seemed to abate, none dying while we were there. At Cohansey the meeting was large and solid, though but few of our society there; and they were earnestly admonished to a proper disposition of mind, to fit them either for life or death, and reminded of the regard of the Almighty to such as live in his fear, who will have peace in their death, and their exchange will be glorious, when they are taken out of this life; but with the wicked it is not so.

From Cohansey I went through the wilderness over Maurice's river, accompanied by James Daniel, through a miry, boggy way, in which we saw no house for about forty miles, except at a ferry, and that night we got to Richard Towns