1734. Sweet Jefus, give me Eafe, for Mercy I do crave; Altho' this was a great and fore Exercife, and deep Affliction to me, in lofing this promifing Youth, and my only Son; yet, confidering that he went off the Stage of Life like a folid, good Chriftian, it was made tolerable eafy to me; for he departed this Life in much Brightnefs and Sweetnefs, and, more like an old Chriftian, than a Youth of ten Years of Age. It was ufual for me to advife his Mother not to fet her Affections too much upon him, thinking he was too good to live long in this World, and too ripe for Heaven, to stay long here on Earth, or in this World of Sorrow and Milery. This dear and tender Youth, when reading (to which he was much inclined) if he met with any Thing that affected him, either in the facred Writings, or other good Authors, he would write it down, and get it by Heart; he was, more than common, affectionately concerned for his Mother, doing whatever he could freely and chearfully to ferve her, and told her not to do divers Things which he thought too much for her, faying, Mother, let me do it, if I were a Man thou should not do any Thing at all, (meaning as to Labour) My dear Wife, being very induftrious, and apt to overdo herfelf at Times: And the being affected with his filial Love and Care for and towards her in his Father's Abfence, it caused her fometimes to turn about and weep, in Confideration of his great Care for and Love to her. I thought a little Memorandum of the Life and Death of this religious Lad was worthy recording, in order to ftir up other Youths to Obedience and Love to their Parents, who begat them, and carefully and tenderly nourished and brought them up; and alfo to love and obey God, from whom they have their Life, Breath and Being, and to believe in Chrift, who died for them; who is the glo rious Light of all the Nations of them that are faved, 1734and walk therein, according to facred Writ. As noted above, he got feveral Pieces by Heart out of the Bible, and other religious Writings, firft writing them with his Pen. Two fhort ones I may recite, of which Nature were divers others, which paradventure may be edifying to fome, who may caft their Eye thereon, One Place which much affected my Mind that he wrote down, and got by Heart, was the 15th Verse of the 57th Chapter of that evengelical Prophet Isaiah: For thus faith the high and lofty one, that inhabiteth Eternity, whofe Name is holy, I dwell in the high and boly Place, with him alfo that is of a contrite and bumble Spirit, to revive the Spirit of the Humble, and to revive the Heart of the contrite Ones. Another little Piece was five Verfes, which among And fometimes fhews us difmal Dooms, I have now but one only Daughter, Rebecca, left me out of twelve Children, (except my Wife's Son and Daughter.) After this long and tedious Voyage, which ended in the second Month, I ftay'd but a few Weeks at home, and loaded with Wheat and Flour for Dublin, in Ireland; had Alice Alderfon, my Kinfwoman, and Margaret Coupland, Paffengers. We had a very comfortable, pleasant Paffage, fair Winds and Weather, S 4 and Sails for cund. 1734 and good religious Meetings. I think it was the most pleafant Time that ever I croffed the Seas; about Nantucket we faw feveral Sloops a Whaling, and fpoke with one, by which Opportunity we enquired of the Welfare of our Friends on that Illand, and fent our Loves to them, Not many Miles from the Sloops we faw a Shoal of Whales; I counted eight in a Row lying Side by Side in the Water. We were four Weeks and fix Days from our Capes to Cape Clear in Ireland; coming near the Land we met with Fishing Boats, and got plenty of choice frefh Fish; in the Evening we got into Kinfale, took in a Pilot for Dublin, and failed next Day from Kinsale, and was out one Night at Sea, got next Day to Dublin-Bay, where we went afhore, and were kindly entertained by our Friends; we were at divers large Meetings in that great City, which fome of us, while we Jive, at Times I believe fhall remember. My Stay in Ireland was about seven Weeks, in which Time I vifited several Meetings in the Country, and at Edenderry, the Moate of Greenough, Carlow, Ballytore, &c. We fet fail from Dublin with a fair Wind, in Company with the Ship Neptune, and our Friends fent many Prayers and good Wifhes after us. We were about forty Perfons, Sailors, Paffengers and Servants on board, and had a good Paffage, all Things confidered. We had divers religious Meetings on board, and were on our Paffage, from the Sight of Ireland, to the Sight of our Land, five Weeks and fix Days; it was the quickeft Voyage I ever made to Europe and back again to Philadelphia. When I came home, finding all well, I was thankful to God, in the Name of Chrift, for all his Mercies, and the many Prefervations wherewithal he had favoured me. After being a little at home, and at feveral Meetings, and not being clear of the World, in order to it, I undertook another Voyage to Barbadoes, and from thence Proceeds thence intending for London, in order to fettle my Af- 1734fairs there, which I intended fome Years before, but Loffes and Difappointments hinder'd me: Wherefore, the 7th of the Tenth Month, I proceeded on a fifth Voyage in the Barbadoes-Packet, and left Philadel- again to phia, and was at a Meeting the next Day at Chester Barbadoes, (being First-day) and in the Evening we had a large Meeting at Grace Lloyd's, where I met with my dear Friend Jofeph Gill, who had good Service in the faid Meeting; we rejoiced in Chrift to fee each other: We left Chester the 9th, and got that Tide down the River to Newcastle, and, after visiting those few Friends there, we fet fail the 12th in the Morning; the Wind being high, and the Weather very fharp, freezing hard, our Sails were fo froze, that we had hard Work to get the Veffel under fail. The 13th Day weighed Anchor, and failed down the Bay, and the 14th we were clear of the Capes. The Firft-day following, we had a good, seasonable Meeting, for the Worship and Service of God, and, in the faid Meeting, as I was treating of Difobedience to Parents, and Difobedience to Almighty God, our great Parent and heavenly Father, a Youth, who was a Paffenger in the Veffel, went out haftily and abruptly, as I was fhew- A sea. ing the Ungratefulness of the firft, much more of the laft: When I afked the Reafon of his going out, he faid, It was because be could not forbear crying; and thinking I fpoke fo because of him, he faid, He could not bear me any more. Afterwards I understood that he was a Youth who was very ungrateful and difobedient to his Parents; the which I knew not of, for his Mother told me, and himself alfo, that he went to Sea on Account of his Health, I thought his going out fo haftily was occafioned by fome Indifpofition of Body; but it was, as he gave us to understand, thro' refenting ill what was spoken, and by his taking of it to himself. I have in like Manner, fometimes obferved, that divers People have fhewn a Reftlefsnefs and Un eafinefs 1 1734. cafinefs in publick Affemblies of Worship and Devotion, and fometimes going out, &c. fo that they have thereby exposed themselves to the Notice of the People, as Perfons guilty of the Matter publickly reprehended, or spoken againft; juft as though they were the only Perfons in the Affembly, who were guilty of the Evil then taken Notice of: Such publick Reftlessnefs, is a great Folly and Weakness, befides fo openly and publickly expofing themselves. After we left our Capes, we had divers hard Gales of Wind, which lafted feveral Days. The 28th, being a First-day, we had a Meeting for divine Worship, in which God was praised, and his holy Name exalted, for his unfpeakable Grace, in fending his only begotten Son, a divine Light to enlighten the Inhabitants of the World: After which we had stormy Weather and contrary Winds for fome Weeks, fo that our Paffage was tedious; and of 15 Times going to Barbadoes, I found this the most difficult; and the Profpect was very difcouraging of making a lofing Voyage, by the great Expence I expected for repairing and refitting the Veffel, &c. fo that I began to defpair of accomplishing my Defign of discharging my Debts in Great-Britain, and the Thoughts and Confideration of lofing fo much of the Company and Converfation of my Wife, Relations, and Friends, and fpending fo much precious Time (which cannot be recalled) to fo little Purpose, lay heavy on my Mind; yet by the Grace of God, my Mind was fupported, and my Refolutions confirmed to praise the Almighty for every Difpenfation of his Providence. The 23d of the Eleventh Month, we saw the Ifland Barbadoes of Barbadoes (at the Breaking of the Day) having been from the Capes of Delaware forty Days and one Night; and was truly thankful, that at laft, we, through divine Favour, got well to our defired Port; where we were lovingly received by our Friends at Speight'sTown, who were joyful at our Arrival. From thence |