fore his death, when being walking in the timberyard, a single plank, which stood against a pile, fell down, and striking him on the side, threw him down; he complained not much of the blow till about a week after, when he was taken with a violent pain in his side, on the very place where he received the stroke, and, when his cough took him, with which he was often troubled, the pain was very great; howbeit, through means of a sear-cloth he received some ease, and the pain of his side abated, and the cough went off; but a violent flux followed, and it brought him very low, and extremely weak, so that it was thought he could not continue long; upon which, notice was sent to me, and I went to see him, and found him very low; but he revived, and changed often in this last illness; I having been to see him five or six days before, having an account he was ill, I then found him cheerful, and thought he might recover. He continued all the time of his illness. in a patient and resigned frame of mind; on a First-day in the afternoon he took his bed, being the 6th of the First month, and in the evening, after the afternoon meeting, which was the day before his death, several Friends came to visit him, who, finding him very weak, after a little stay, went to take their leave of him, whom he desired to sit down, and after some time of silence, he broke forth in declaration in an intelligible and lively manner, to this effect, saying, We have no continuing city here, but seek one to

come, which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God: Friends, that we may all labour to be prepared for our last and great change, that when this earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved, we may have an habitation with the Lord, a building not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, and that it might be thus, the Lord hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, viz. To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God. I do not expect but this will be the last night I shall have in this world, and I desire it may be remembered, as the words of a dying man, (which came to pass, for he died the next day) O that we may labour to be clothed upon with our house that is from heaven, so that when the finishing hour comes, we may have nothing to do, but to die.' About one or two o'clock the next morning, he began to change, and desired to see me, and I came to him, and found him very sensible, but expected his end quickly to approach; he saying, he was waiting for his change. My son-in-law, Samuel Thornton, being with me, and we sitting by the bed-side, with his nurse, his house-keeper, and his man, about the fourth hour in the morning he prayed fervently after this manner: Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; thou hast given thy Son, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel; and now, Lord, be with thy people and servants, and preserve my

near and dear relations, and keep them from the snares and temptations of the enemy, that in thy truth they may fear thy great name.'

"After a little time of silence, he desired me to remember his dear love, in the life of Christ Jesus, to my dear brother Thomas Chalkley, in Pennsylvania, and to all his old friends and acquaint

ance.

6

"About the eleventh hour in the morning he inquired how the tide was, which no body present could exactly tell: some time after he asked again; his man then went out to see; returning, he told him it would be high-water about three o'clock in the afternoon; he then lay still awhile, and after some pause spoke cheerfully out aloud, so that all in the room might hear him, I shall go off about five;' his man said, 'Master, how dost know? To which he answered, Know, I do not know, but I believe it.' After this the apothecary, one of his neighbours, among whom he was well beloved, about noon came to see him, and asked him how he was; father answered, that for three or four hours in the night he thought he should have gone. 'Why,' said he, sir, it will be no surprise to you, I hope.' 'No, no,' said my father very cheerfully. He taking leave of father, said, 'The Lord be with you.' To whom father answered, ' And with thee also.' The doctor having ordered him a comfortable cordial to drink, he drank it willingly, and then said, 'I do not think to drink any more in this world; but I hope I

shall drink plentifully of the river of life:' then drawing near his end, finding his strength fail, there being a cord by his order at the bed's feet, he raised himself up thereby, as long as he had any strength left in his hands, and when his hands and shoulders failed, and his head, when last lifted up, he spoke very low and faultering, yet so as I could understand, and said, 'Now I am a going;' and about an hour after, lying all the while without sigh or groan, departed this life as in a slumber, in sweet peace; according as he had foretold, just as the clock struck five; in a perfect enjoyment of that legacy our Saviour left his followers: My peace I leave with you, &c. leaving us of the succeeding generation, a good example to follow; who, as he lived, so he died, like a lamb, in the eighty-fourth year of his age, the seventh day of the First month, 1725.

GEO. CHALKLEY."

To which account I shall add the following short testimony concerning my dear and greatly beloved father, George Chalkley, viz.

"I have a great deal in my heart, more than I can write concerning my dear father's life, it having been a wonderful life to me from my youth up; his early care of me, and counsel to me, when I was too thoughtless and wild, melts me into tears now in the remembrance of it; and my tender mother was a partner with him in the same exercise, and she died in like peace: the

last words I heard her speak, were, I long to be dissolved.' And as to my tender father, I would record a little briefly in memory of him, that he

was,

"1st.

A true and faithful servant of Christ. "2d. A tender and affectionate husband: I lived at home with my parents about twenty years, and I never heard, that I remember, an angry expression between them, only once something had troubled them, and they both wept, my father saying, I have been an indulgent husband unto thee,' and my mother answered, 'I have not been one of the worst of wives to thee;' which were the harshest words, and the greatest difference that I observed between them; for their life was a life of peace and love, and they were an excellent example to us their children. Oh! may we follow them therein to the end.

"3d. He had a fatherly care for his children, in tender prayers for us, and in good advice to us, and in giving us learning according to his ability, and teaching us, by his example, as well as precept, industry, humility, and the true religion of our blessed Saviour; endeavouring to plant it in us betimes, and to destroy the evil root of sin in us, while young.

"4th. I was his servant, as well as his son, and I can truly say, his service was delightful, and his company pleasing and profitable to me; and he was also beloved much by his other servants.

"5th. He was universally beloved by his