your eyes, lest you sin against him: for if I had not feared the Lord, and felt the comforts of his Holy Spirit, I never could have stood so great a trial, when so many judged, and said, I was deluded, and that all the blood of my husband and children would be required at my hands; but the Lord was near to me, and gave me strength and courage, and faith to trust in him, for I knew his name to be a strong tower, yea, and stronger than any in the world; for I have oftentimes fled there for safety. O blessing and honour, and everlasting high praises, be given to the Lord, and to his dear Son, our Saviour and Mediator, Christ Jesus, Amen.

MARY DOE."

A neighbour of the aforesaid people told me, that as he was at work in his field, the Indians saw and called him, and he went to them. They told him, that they had no quarrel with the Quakers, for they were a quiet, peaceable people, and hurt nobody, and that therefore none should hurt them. But they said, that the Presbyterians in these parts had taken away their lands, and some of their lives, and would now, if they could, destroy all the Indians.

Those Indians began about this time to shoot people down as they rode along the road, and to knock them on the head in their beds, and very barbarously murdered many: but we travelled the country, and had large meetings, and the good

presence of God was with us abundantly, and we had great inward joy in the Holy Ghost in our outward jeopardy and travels. The people generally rode and went to their worship armed, but Friends went to their meetings without either sword or gun, having their trust and confidence in God.

2

After having had divers good meetings in those eastern parts of New-England, I returned to Salem, Lynn, Boston, and so on towards RhodeIsland, and at divers adjacent places; as in the Narraganset country we had divers meetings; also at Dartmouth, Sandwich and Scituate. As I was entering into the town of Boston, in company with many others, a man rode up to me, and asked in a scoffing manner, Whether I saw or met with any Quakers on the road? I pleasantly told him, We should not tell the Presbyterians, lest they should hang them. He not thinking of such an answer, went sneakingly away.

Now having thoroughly visited Friends in those parts, in company with my friend Thomas Story, I travelled through Connecticut government, and had several meetings in that colony; and came to Long-Island, where we had divers meetings to the satisfaction of ourselves and Friends. From LongIsland, after we were clear of the service and exercise of the work of the ministry, and had visited Friends meetings as we travelled, and in divers places found openness among the people who were not of our profession, (which sometimes came in

great numbers to our meetings, and several were convinced in some good degree, and many comforted, strengthened, and edified in Christ our Lord,) we came to Philadelphia, the place of our habitation. Let, saith my soul, his name have the praise of all his works for ever.

After being at home some time, I visited Friends meetings in our own county, and several parts of New-Jersey, Maryland, and the lower counties on the Delaware. At Jones's I appointed a meeting at a publick house near the court-house (general notice being given thereof) there came one

- Crawford, a priest, with many of his hearers, and in the beginning of the meeting he read a sermon, as they called it, which was a transcript of the work of some of our adversaries, which we desired to have from them to answer. They said, If I would answer it myself I should have it. The which I told them I should, if they would let me; but though they promised it, they did not perform, but were worse than their word. We heard them read it over patiently; and after they had done we had our meeting. The auditory was large, and most of the magistrates were at it. The priest's reading, and my testimony occasioned this meeting to hold long: after which as we were getting on horseback, the priest cried out among the people, That he did not think we should go away so sneakingly. We having twenty miles to ride that night, and he near his home, he having the advantage in that respect, some thought it

made him the bolder, for he let me go on horseback before he uttered that sneaking expression. I told him, to challenge was enough to set a coward to work, and we were no cowards; for he knew we could venture our lives for our religion, which I questioned whether he would do for his; so I dismounted, and he having the bible open in his hand, I being near him, chanced, against my will and knowledge, to touch it with my foot. "Look you, gentlemen," says he, "he tramples the word of God under his feet." For which gross abuse his own hearers openly rebuked him, and put him to shame. Then he said, he would prove us no ministers of Christ. I bid him prove himself one, and he would do the business. "Well," says he, "how shall we know who are Christ's ministers ?" "Why," said I in answer to him, "art thou willing to be tried by Christ's rule, for he hath given us a plain rule to know them by." "What is that rule? let us hear it," says he. "It is short, but full, namely, By their fruits you shall know them: for men do not gather grapes of thorns, nor figs of thistles; wherefore by their fruits they are known." "I deny it," says priest Crawford (for that was the name he went by here, he going under another elsewhere) "that they are known by their fruits." I answered, "Then thou deniest the plain and naked truth of Christ." So I called aloud to the people to take notice what a blind guide they had; and indeed he was wicked as well as blind, and his

fruits not good; which may make one suppose, that he was not willing to be tried by his fruits : for soon after, news came that he had a wife in England, and as he had another here, his fruits were wicked with a witness; and according to Christ's doctrine, no good could spring from his ministry, therefore he proved himself by his evil deeds to be no minister of Jesus Christ. Near the aforesaid place we got a meeting settled, which is called Little Creek meeting; and about the same time a meeting was established, and meeting-house built at Duck Creek. The people in those parts about this time began mightily to see through the formal preaching of such as preach for money or hire, who love the hire, though they do not love to be called hirelings.

In the year 1706, having some concerns in the province of Maryland, I had divers meetings as I travelled on the road, as at Nottingham, Elk River, Northeast, Susquehannah, Bush and Gunpowder Rivers, at some of which places I do not know that there had been any meetings before. At one of these meetings were one Edwards a priest, and a lawyer the attorney-general, and several of the justices of the peace. The priest was angry, and said, It was an unlawful assembly, the house not being licensed by law. The justices told him, that he and his people being there to hear, if any unwarrantable or false doctrine was preached, he had a fair opportunity to lay it open before all the people. So they desired him to